As it turned out, there had been other newcomers the previous day. Kanzo, Kaname, Kabu, Lea, Ribs, and Yan all stood to the side of the main arena - mostly just a rectangle carved into the floor - along with three other Pokémon. A Grapploct, Crabrawler, and Snover were up first, having arrived earlier the previous day. The same Medicham from the night before sat up on a pillar made from an old stalagmite that had been moved in, and a Nidorina acted as a sort of second-in-command.
Behind the three, the party stood in a line before the Nidorina, beneath the gaze of the Medicham. The stone seating nearby was packed with Pokémon of all kinds, sitting in on the event. Sounds of training and battle rang through the volcano's belly as Nidorina began to speak.
"We have nine new entrants for the upcoming tournament! Pl-"
Kaname raised a hand and Nidorina stopped. The glare Kaname received almost made her wilt, but she spoke up.
"We… Only just got here," she said, "Shouldn't we be trained before we have to enter any-"
"When you arrive here, you are required to participate in all tournaments you are eligible for the first time out! You will receive entrance exams today to determine which tournaments you will be entered into, and I'll get to that in a moment. Now, everyone give us your introduction before we continue. State your name, where you're from, and why you're here."
Nidorina cut the air sharply with a gesture to the Grapploct first, so it straightened as best it could.
"I have no name - just Grapploct is fine - and I've come from the region of Galar, far away, with my friends! We are here to seek mastery and pass on our knowledge!"
"You're the first we've seen here," said Nidorina, "So welcome and good luck. Next, you!"
She motioned to the Crabrawler.
"I ain't got a name either! We met on the way here!"
"Easy enough," said Nidorina, "Next!"
The Snover beat its chest. "I'm Shard, also from Galar!"
"Then you three are a team?"
"Yes, ma'am," answered Grapploct.
"We'll look to match you three with another half-team for the tournaments, then. Speak with Rate, the Metang, when we're finished. Now, you, the Machoke! Next!"
"My name is Kanzo, from west of Mt. Silver. I've come to train and save my father from Team Rocket in Johto!"
His declaration got a few whispers and a moment's pause.
"Kanzo?" said Nidorina. "You be careful mentioning humans around here. You're not the only one with goals like that; slave-drivers like them aren't allowed anywhere near the colony, and for good reason. But let's make sure everyone remembers! The Teams aren't anything to mess with! We have our colony, they have theirs. Don't you go trying to take our students away for some foolhardy mission, Kanzo. You're here to train. What you do with that training when you leave is your business, but everything you do here is our business. Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am! It was my father who sent me here."
"Well, we have more than enough Machoke - and any others of your kind. You aren't the first, nor will you be the last, with that kind of bravado. Learn to back it up if you want anyone to remember your name. Next!"
"M-my name is Kaname! I'm from here in Hoenn. I want to be strong enough to find my sister and travel to Sinnoh."
"You're a Kirlia," said Nidorina. "Can you fight?"
"Well, yeah, I can-"
"I don't mean using Psychic attacks, I mean fight. Unless you have some variety of techniques you can demonstrate in your exam, you will be barred from entering tournaments until you learn some martial arts."
Kaname shrank a bit.
"I don't."
"Then we'll find a solo replacement for you. Next!"
Kabu stepped forward. "I am called Kabu, from a place in Alola, somewhere far away! I will be a powerful Kommo-o one day, and join my proud ancestors as a fighting dragon of the mountain!"
He clacked his scales together loudly, then motioned for Lea to go next, but Nidorina had something to say.
"We've seen your kind before," said Nidorina. "It's been a long time, but we have high expectations from you. Make sure you're not all talk. Next!- Oh. You're a Pawniard. You qualify for a junior division entry if you want, or you can join your team. Speak up!"
Lea straightened and shouted with a ring to her voice from under her hard steel shell. "My name is Penthesilea. Please call me Lea for short. My old trainer traveled often, but I am from a human city in Johto. I left behind my life of routine to repay a debt to Kanzo, and to seek the strength that a rich life would never have given me!"
"You know, I hope," said Nidorina, "That you are a Dark and Steel type among Fighting Pokémon. Competing here will not be easy for you, no matter how hard you train. Are you prepared to live in a place where every odd is stacked against you?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Nidorina nodded, as did the Medicham.
"Well said, Lea. You have quite the Defiant spirit. You'll fit in just fine. Next up, you there! Cacturne!"
"You can call me Ribs, and-"
"Speak up!"
"You can call me Ribs! I want to go home to Johto one day, but I want to be a powerful protector for my old trainer's child first!"
"Much better," said Nidorina. "You've got some Dark in you, too, but we'll see if you can overcome that disadvantage. Next!"
"I was Wimpod. Yan is my name. Now I have evolved, and life with these friends is much better than nibbling scales and sand, and hiding every day. I am just here. If they train, I will train."
"You'll need more personal conviction than that if you want results. No haphazard or half-hearted efforts will make you the best. If you aren't aiming to become the best you can be, don't waste the time of others around you who are."
The Master stood up.
"Return to your practice!" she declared. "We will conduct entrance exams for our new members here shortly, then expect to see some of them joining you. Remember that our next tournament begins in two days."
The Pokémon that had been listening all began to disperse, and Nidorina had the newcomers all lined up to participate in order. With Grapploct up first, Medicham motioned him forward. The Kadabra they had seen the night before stepped into the arena opposite him. Kadabra raised a hand, palm down, and created a copy of himself sitting on the floor.
The Substitute stood up and stared blankly.
"Demonstrate your moves," said Medicham, "But pull your punches. We don't want to wear out poor Yun."
The Grapploct had some unique moves, including Octolock, that he showed off. He seemed to be one that favored attrition and weakening his opponent before finishing them off. His two friends followed, then Kanzo and the others. Throughout their demonstrations, the Medicham simply sat and watched without interrupting.
When Yan was finished, Nidorina lined them up in front of Medicham again. Medicham sat, chin on her fist, cross-legged, pondering. She studied the group of Pokémon a moment.
"I see potential for all of you," she said at last. "Kaname cannot compete quite yet - Yun and Rate can fix that with time - but the rest of you will be registered by the end of today. I'll send someone along when I find a solo entrant for your team, Kanzo, and Grapploct, you three will be paired with another half-team waiting for entry.
You all had a difficult journey getting here, I know. You are hereby exempt from training until the tournament. Tomorrow, all day, will be the junior division. It uses the same rules, but only allows Pokémon who have yet to evolve, so I recommend you all attend to familiarize yourselves with our expectations.
The arena you're in now is just for classes and exams like the one you just took. You can be escorted to the tournament arenas if you like, until you learn your way around. For today, take time to recover from your travels. Some of you may be eager to start, but rest is also an important part of training. Tour the colony, meet our members, and recover. When the tournament is over, you can begin training.
One last thing; don't expect to just walk in here and win big on your first tournament outing. Do your best, show us what you've got, and we will be happy to help you polish where you shine and buff where you tarnish. I look forward to seeing your progress in the coming months.
You're all dismissed."
"Before I let you go," said Nidorina, "I need to know who to register as your team leader. Is it-"
"Kanzo," said Kabu. "He's the final say."
Nidorina registered the mild surprise from the rest of the team, but she nodded and motioned for someone.
"I see," she replied. "My name is Penny, by the way. If you must know, the Master's name is Mina. Yun here can show you around, then I would recommend recovering from your travels. You want to be at full strength for the tournament, even if it's practically certain you won't win."
The Kadabra from the exams approached.
"Did you need me?" he asked.
"Yes," said Penny, "This is Yun. Yun, if you wouldn't mind, they'll need the tour. It might be best to end with-"
"I heard you," he said. "Go on, you've got other things to do. My classes aren't until much later. Speaking of which…"
He looked down to Kaname as Penny left.
"You and I will get better acquainted later. Rate and I teach Pokémon like you to throw punches with the best of 'em. The training will take a while, so we don't have time to get you in shape for this tournament, but you should be fine for the next one."
"Do you fight in tournaments?" asked Kaname.
"'Course I do. Rate and I are on the same team. You'll see. Now, any questions before we get going?"
"I'm not sure where to start," said Lea.
Everyone else nodded in agreement.
"Fair enough," said Yun. "Follow me, then."
The party set off with Yun to explore the colony. There were many other kinds of Pokémon besides the Fighting types they'd come to expect, and not all of them were training. The main chamber of the colony was also the main vent of the volcano. The air was almost oppressively hot everywhere they went, but a surprising number of Water and Ice Pokémon worked in teams to cool things down.
There were Magcargo, Magmar, Rhydon, Aggron, and others working with the cooling teams to reshape the magma into controlled pools and keep them away from the numerous terraces that housed small arenas and sitting areas. Classes and personal training continued all the while, as if the Pokémon at work to maintain the stability of the colony was natural. Yun explained that, yes, even those Pokémon participated in tournaments, as they all had shifts they worked.
In the center of the colony was a tall tower of volcanic stone. It was this smaller "chimney" that belched ash and gas into the air unceasingly, but almost all of it continued up and out of the volcano's peak. Yun told the group that a clan of Skarmory blew away the layer of ash every night as the colony went to sleep.
There were many tunnels and chambers that led out of the main area, and every one that led to some entrance on the outside of the volcano was known and had a guardian like Tadka. The colony had built four main off-shoots in the cardinal directions. The eastern one they had already seen; it was a cooled chamber for Pokémon to sleep comfortably in when they couldn't stand the heat.
The remaining main rooms were to the north, west, and south, which the tour continued to in turn. The north cavern was the tournament grounds. Five arenas were carved into the stone there; a main arena with the most seating in the center, then four smaller ones in the corners of the chamber. Rest areas and pools of water were carved into the north, south, east, and west of the room between the arenas.
The west was a great underground farm. Now, during the day, Solrock were floating up above, facing downward and letting sunlight shine through holes in the ceiling to light them and the plants. Numerous Grass and Bug Pokémon surveyed the room and worked the soil together, growing giant mushrooms, bushes, and even berry trees. A big Heracross seemed to be the coordinator for it all, and Yun explained how the Solrock helped the garden to grow even at night.
The last place to visit was the south, where Yun led them past the many terraces of training Pokémon once more.
"You six can make your final stop at this next one. The Master is right that you should rest."
"What is the next one?" asked Lea.
"You'll see in a moment," said Yun. "I think a few of you may already be familiar with what you find."
The group approached the south chamber entrance and a Mr. Mime bowed to them and pretended to open a door - a door that actually did exist, from the soft smell that wafted past him. The party entered and Mr. Mime shut the barrier behind them.
After a short magma tube hallway, the party emerged to a bowl-shaped cavern with more terraces. It was warm - rather, it was humid - as steam wafted from pools of hot spring water. Hot stones, mounds of warm sand, and baths carved into the terraces made the chamber a mild sauna. Various Pokémon seemed to have made themselves the caretakers of the spa, such as Hariyama and Tsareena.
"Hot springs," said Kabu.
"I've seen 'em before, too," said Kaname.
"I've read about them," said Lea, "Does that count? Uhh, I mean my trainer read about them to me."
"Here," said Yun, "You can relax for the day and recover from your travels. The only rule is to not disturb others. If you have questions, just about anyone here can answer them for you. I need to get back to Rate now, so this is where I leave you."
"Sure," said Kanzo, "Thanks for your time."
"Then," said Yan, leaning down to the others, "We go to rest? Safe, calm… Truly, here in the mountain at last?"
"So it seems," said Kanzo. Yun nodded and turned to go.
Ribs was still looking over the scene. "It does feel like… We finally made it here, huh? I know it hasn't been long since Team Rocket got me, but… It feels like this is where I was supposed to be, even before that. Anyone else?"
Kabu scratched his chin. "Nope. But it's good to be here."
"Hmm," said Kaname, "I don't think I ever planned on visiting the colony, either. My family mentioned it, but… We're Psychic."
"I didn't even know this place existed," said Lea. "I was just happy to get away from that boring old house and my trainer's story books. I wanted to really see the world, not hear about it."
"I was supposed to be food."
Everyone paused. With a glance back, Yan wasn't looking at them, but at the hot springs ahead. He looked down.
"It's true," he said.
"Well," said Kanzo, "You're not food. You're alive. And you're here with us now. Everyone fought hard to get here, and I really think we needed everyone's help to make it this far, this fast. I don't know what I expected… But I can't say no to a surprise like this."
He gestured out to the chamber.
"So," he continued, "Let's all relax, have fun, and reward the first big success. Starting tomorrow, we're training. First our minds, then we test ourselves, then we train both mind and body. I'm not leaving until I can say for sure that Team Rocket won't stand a chance."
"We might be here a long time," said Ribs. "Years. You're ok with that? With leaving your father out there all that time?"
Kanzo sighed. "No. Of course not. But I don't have any other choice. If I'm not strong enough the next time we meet - if I can't beat him and every other Pokémon the human sends my way - I could end up right next to him. We could both be captured the rest of our lives, working for humans against our will. I can't take that chance."
"Then," said Kabu, "Don't. We rest, we learn, we fight, we win. Then we go rescue him and you get to go home. Easy."
When Kabu recognized that Kanzo was looking at him, Kabu returned the gaze with a hardened expression.
"You'll see," said Kabu. "I'll become a Kommo-o, I'll win these tournaments, and I'll train you. If you can't do it… I will. What better way to prove my strength than to defeat humans and their trained, captive Pokémon? That Team Rocket wants only the strongest, but they failed. Failed to enslave me. We'll make that their downfall."
Ribs snickered.
"You think this is funny?!" said Kabu, raising his fists.
"You said 'we' right at the end," she said. "Dope."
Kabu lowered his fists a moment. Then he slapped his scales together loudly, several times.
"I meant I will, and you will all follow and watch!"
"Ok, ok," said Kaname, "Let's not get all worked up. We're here to relax. Let's do that. Come on."
She motioned all of them forward.
"Worry about the future later," she said. "We've got a long way to go, yet."
