A/N: Written for the Advent Calender Challenge on the RLt, and for the Indigo League Challenge on the PMF, Viridian Forest Task (repeat).
Milestones
VII – The Seventh
When Torkoal won his first battle, Max set his sights on a Gym Badge. He considered going back to Rustboro City but then decided against it. He set his sights on Flannery's Gym instead.
He remembered how it had first been when he had come, travelling with Ash. Holes in the battle field. No judge to speak of. But now it was running smoothly, and Flannery wore a confident grin as she greeted him.
'I remember you,' she said, 'but don't think I'm going to go easy on you.'
It was a three-on-three Pokemon battle, and suddenly Max could hear his heart thudding in his chest. It wasn't his first battle; it wasn't the first Gym he had visited. And he'd planned his strategy with care, taking everything he'd learnt from Ash and May – and from his own journey.
And yet he was still nervous. Not like Flannery who sent her Slugma in to fight his Torkoal. Max had used Torkoal first, because Torkoal was another fire type and his moves wouldn't be as effective. But he'd been banking on Smoke Screen and Iron Defence, and those moves had come through for him in felling Slugma – and tiring the Macargo that came next.
Clefairy finished the job with the Rollout she had recently perfected, but fell to Torkoal who came after. Max considered his remaining choices, then erred on the side of caution and sent out his Kirlia – who demolished Torkoal with a single Confusion.
'That Kirlia is far stronger than your other Pokemon,' Flannery said later, as she handed him his badge. 'How do you train her?'
He confessed he didn't. She advised the twins at Mossdeep City – and suggested taking the cart over the mountain and renting a ride from Fortree.
Max hadn't been planning on leaving his Pokemon anywhere to train, but there didn't seem to be much of a choice.
