Alright folks, let's jump right into the fight! Hoo-rah!
Chapter 8: Foundation of a Good Trainer
Keith Baxter.
A trainer with a formidable reputation despite not even being officially sponsored yet. He's studied under Koga for nearly as long as the man's own daughter, and is said to have every bit as much skill. Trained not only in Pokémon, but in the arts of survival, stealth, and reconnaissance that Fuchsia City's best ninja are famous for. He's studied Pokémon training to the point where he was able to get a Tier 4 license and has the absolute loyalty of a Pokémon with the danger rating to match. A trainer known even to Champion Alder of Unova, if only as a rumor.
My final trial as part of Koga's exam. The other trainers vying for Koga's sponsorship have all been knocked out. We're the only ones left. The result of a long and brutal series of challenges.
Unfortunately for me, of the two of us I'm the only one who looks like they'd think of things that way. Dart and I are both on our last legs. Dart physically, myself mentally. I've exhausted myself trying to keep up with all the curveballs that Koga and the competition have thrown at me over the past two hours of battling. And Dart is just as worn down, every hit taken and attack wasted gradually piling up to drive him closer and closer to collapse.
Meanwhile Keith looks entirely unbothered, not so much as a hair out of place as he stands on the opposite side of the field. His weedle too looks to be in excellent shape, gleaming brightly across from me. That golden color is only for looks, I know that in my head, but something about seeing that weedle standing there with its bright metallic carapace is honestly really intimidating. There isn't so much as a scuff on it.
"You done admiring us yet Ben? Or do you still need some time to breathe?" Keith calls over after a few seconds. As per usual, his mask does nothing to hide the cocky grin on his face. Smug bastard can tell I'm way more worn out than he is, and feels like messing with me.
"Hey, you want to wait a little longer, throw away your advantage, by all means!" I snap back with as much bravado as I can muster. "It's the only thing keeping you in the fight! Isn't that right Dart?"
"We… weedle!" Dart gasps out gamely. "Weedle doh weedle! Weedle dodo weed doh dluh!"
The opposing weedle flinches a little at Dart's determined yelling. Not quite as confident as his trainer, it would seem. If memory serves Keith said he was rather sensitive.
"Wow, rude!" Keith exclaims, eyeing Dart in surprise. "Your weedle's kinda foulmouthed, huh?"
Is he? I honestly have no idea. I still can barely understand what he's trying to say at the best of times. To me Dart is just a force of stubborn, hyperactive willpower, but that doesn't seem to translate as well in my head as Ogrim's happy-go-lucky and friendly attitude towards life does. Still, even if the specifics of what Dart has to say aren't always clear to me, his attitude is clear enough.
"Let's do it, Dart. Walk all over him."
"Weedle!"
Dart doesn't wait for commands at that point. He's a strong believer in the power of initiative. The moment I give him the go-ahead he opens immediately with a big web ball. It's the right call, as far as I'm concerned. My opponent may have handled this gauntlet far better than I did, but being in better shape won't matter much if I stick to my usual strategy. If I can get that weedle with a web ball, the fight is over.
"Send it back Wocky!" Keith calls out the moment he sees what Dart is up to, grinning broadly.
The opposing weedle lets out a panicked squeak, but follows the command perfectly. He fires out a focused string shot, not quite as tightly bound as Dart's ropes, but still incredibly accurate. Accurate enough to perfectly strike Dart's attack in midair. But impressive as that accuracy is, the really incredible part comes after. Because Wocky doesn't just settle for striking the web ball. No, Wocky shows off some incredible web handling by sharply tugging his line to the side. And suddenly the web ball Dart intended to use to take his opponent down quickly has been turned in to a flail, being spun around Wocky in a circle to swing back at the sender.
"Get up, quickly!" I manage to yell out despite my shock. Dart doesn't need to be told twice, using a rope to pull himself up before the web ball can crash into him. Wocky adjusts quickly, raising the trajectory of the web flail to try and swat Dart out of the air. I need to get that thing away from him right the fuck now. "Poison rain!"
The move sounds much more dangerous than it actually is. Just a shitload of poison stings fired from above. But it proves enough to make Wocky let go of the flail.
"Don't let him land Wocky. Spread a net!" Keith instructs.
The web net comes quickly, turning the ground under Dart into a sticky mess that would surely end the battle if I fell into it. Too bad for Keith, Dart can move in midair.
"2 o'clock!" I instruct. Dart immediately aims the appropriate direction, firing a line to hook a rafter and disable the trap.
"Cut the line!" Keith calls out, eyes gleaming triumphantly.
When I first started training Dart, I thought that he had more or less mastered poison sting. His spray is tight, the needles hit pretty damn hard, and he's really accurate with the attack. Today has caused me to heavily rethink that assessment. Between the earlier defensive style of the girl and the Gatling gun fire of that kid it's been made pretty clear that I underestimated just what that move can do.
The attack that Wocky throws out has enough technical skill to blow both of those enemies out of the water. It's a spray of needles so perfectly aligned and so tightly clustered that it looks more like a blade. A blade of poison that flies through the air and effortlessly cuts Dart's rope in two before he can use it to move.
"What!?" I yell in shock as Dart falls helplessly. The rope barely managed to halt his momentum, he's still directly above that web trap!
"Told you I figured out what you were planning!" Keith taunts, "I knew you were training Dart to move in midair with string shot, and I figured out exactly how to shut that down!"
Dart, once again showing faster thinking than me, manages to save himself by pulling himself straight up into the air again. His next attempt to move is once again cut off by the same needle blade as before.
"Right then, get into the rafters Dart!" I call out. "He can't cut through those!"
"Maybe not, but I can still cut you off!" Keith responds immediately, "Wocky, make a wall!"
Wocky's webs quickly turn the rafters above me into a dead zone as effective as the ground below me. The only space where Dart is safe is the air directly between, but at this point all Wocky needs to do is cut the line before Dart can pull himself up again. I need to get out of this right now or the fight's over. Which means moving in midair without getting my line cut… "Dart, attack with the rope."
When Dart's web rope flies directly at him Wocky reacts exactly as I hoped, squeaking in fright and hurling himself out of the way. Keith's shouted commands come a little too late; by the time Wocky's recovered and turned to cut the rope Dart is already flying right at him.
"Another string shot! Catch him as he lands!"
"Disrupt with plaster!"
Dart can't fire a very accurate spray while flying through the air, but it's enough to stop Wocky from setting another trap. And as soon as Dart lands he tries to capitalize, rushing in for a close quarters fight. His desperation is getting the better of him; a string shot would have been far better under the circumstances.
Still, getting him to switch tactics now would be the worst call I could make. If we hesitate now Dart is going to end up with a faceful of silk and the fight will be over. So I keep quiet and watch as Dart latches his jaws onto Wocky's tail and starts shaking his head like a dog, a clear attempt to end the fight in one go. Wocky shrieks in pain, using his suction cup feet to cling to the ground with all his might, and I take a moment to savor the feeling of being in control for the first time in this fight.
Of course, with Keith knowing so much more about my techniques than I know about his, it's only natural that he'd surprise me again. "String shot, Wocky! Get in the air!"
Wocky struggles to aim with half of his body getting tossed around like a ragdoll, but he manages it all the same, firing a line that sticks to a beam and pulls both himself and Dart into the air. I can only stare in shock. This son of a bitch seriously figured out how to copy my web pull!?
Looking again, it seems that's not exactly the case. It's definitely a web pull, yes, but not remotely as polished as my own. The effect is closer to the early days of Dart's training, when damn near every attempt to fly straight would send him flying off in a random direction. This works in Keith's favor though. The uncontrolled launch sends both weedle spinning, and Dart is thrown loose by the wild momentum.
"Dart, get above him and rain webs on him!"
"Wocky, course correction!"
Dart recovers faster, being far more used to midair battling, and fires a web onto the ceiling above Wocky. But Wocky still manages to orient himself enough to fire off a string shot of his own; a rope of webbing that attaches itself to our own. Dart's momentum is suddenly ruined, with both weedle flailing around wildly in the air. The two webs connecting have thrown things off course so badly that they're practically spinning like a pinwheel!
"What part of this looks like a correction to you!?" I snap irritably at Keith, who is laughing unrepentantly.
"Anything that's terrible for you is correct in my books!" He replies with a cheeky grin. "Wocky, let go on my signal!"
Wocky does not reply in the affirmative because he is too busy screaming. If he wasn't kicking our ass so hard I'd be feeling kinda bad for the little bug.
As it stands though… I'm not feeling particularly merciful. "Dart, let go and throw a web backwards!"
"Crap! Let go now Wocky!"
Dart's web hangs in the air for just long enough for the spinning web ropes to get caught up in it. The move turns the spinning strands of silk into a big sticky mess, but Wocky barely manages to throw himself free. Unlike Dart though, Wocky isn't able to change direction in midair. He's forced to land exactly where his momentum points him, without Keith to time things for him. The end result: Dart lands safely on Keith's side of the field, while Wocky is sent flying into the mess of webbing on mine.
"Ugh, of all the luck! Wocky!" Keith groans in frustration as Wocky flails about on the ground. "Come on, get loose, you can do it!"
"This is our chance Dart! Close in and finish things with a web ball!"
Dart needs no encouragement, throwing himself into the air and taking aim…
And that's when Keith springs yet another fucking trap. Turns out Wocky isn't quite as helpless as he appears. He's stuck to the ground, yes, but he can still move a little. Just enough for him to spray at Dart the moment he enters Wocky's field of vision. Dart and I weren't expecting a counterattack at this point, so the attack hits dead on. Within moments Dart has been covered from head to tail in silk.
"No!" I groan in horror.
"Hahaha! Finally got you! Shouldn't have let your guard down!" Keith crows triumphantly.
Okay, status assessment time. Just how fucked am I right now? Dart's a lot more covered up than Wocky is. Chances are good that once he hits the ground he'll be completely helpless. He's covered enough that he can barely even move right now. Which means… the battle is effectively over. One weedle incapable of movement, and one weedle only mostly incapable of movement.
There's more than enough of an advantage in Keith's favor for Koga to give him the match I'm sure. Can't tip the scales in my favor. Dart simply doesn't have it in him to break free in time. He'd struggle to get out of that much webbing even if he was at his best, but after all this battling there's just no chance.
Yeah. That's it. I can't win this.
Guess I'll just have to settle for a tie.
"Dart, take him down." I call out coolly. If Dart can just finish gluing Wocky to the floor, we should be able to at least balance things out. Snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat.
Of course, when making that call, I completely fail to consider just how stubborn Dart is. Because when Dart hears my command he doesn't think about settling for a draw. He's still in it to win. So rather than firing the web ball I had in mind, he fires a rope. And then Dart proceeds to hurl himself at Wocky like a silk covered missile. A silk covered missile ready to bite his opponent into submission.
You know what? I'll take it. God speed you crazy little worm creature. "Yes! Do it!"
"Oh crap!" Keith gasps in shock. "Wocky, failsafe, now!"
I don't follow what happens after that. Hilda would give me hell for missing everything; she often told me during our coaching sessions that the most important thing a trainer needs to do is track the battlefield. But things are so fast and chaotic at the end that I simply can't keep up. All I know is that once the dust settles and the silk stops flying, Dart is glued to the ground in front of me, completely unable to move.
…And Wocky is clinging to the rafters just outside the area that was strung up earlier, shaking like a leaf.
"…What?" I blink in astonishment, staring blankly at the enemy weedle. "Wait, but… how?"
"Dart is incapable of moving." Janine's voice cuts in. "That makes Wocky the winner of the battle, and Keith the overall winner of this competition!"
There's a round of applause from everyone spectating, along with the gym trainers overseeing the competition. I don't pay much attention to any of that though, because I'm still trying to analyze the field and figure out exactly how the hell Wocky got on the ceiling and away from Dart's mad charge.
"Dluh." Dart groans piteously from his silken snare, looking as miserable as I've ever seen him.
"Good effort Dart. You came really close!" I call out encouragement as I grab his ball and return him. With him gone, the silk he was wrapped in collapses, and reveals a glint of something golden trapped beneath. Wait, that's not…
I blink in shock and stare back up at Wocky. His body looks different. Less of a gleam to it at the moment. Like it's softer. Newer.
"Figured it out yet?" Keith asks, strolling over.
"He molted." I guess.
"He molted!" Keith grins. "Yeah, fun fact: you can actually control when a bug Pokémon molts their exoskeleton by monitoring and adjusting their diet. It's something I learned about while studying to train Checkers."
"Well son of a bitch." I say, still feeling somewhat shocked. "Guess that test was good for something after all, huh?"
"Still sucked." Keith sulks. "Though I'll admit, this made it almost kinda worth the trouble. Normally the idea is to make sure a bug type doesn't molt during a competition, since their new shell needs time to reach full strength. But since this competition involved a lot of trying to trap each other with string shots…"
"You decided to use it in case you needed an emergency getaway." I conclude, feeling impressed in spite of everything. I hate to admit it, but Keith had control over the battle from start to finish. "Gotta hand it to you, you really did have me all figured out."
"And I gotta hand it to you, you still gave me a hell of a hard time!" Keith nods. "But hey, we can compare notes later, looks like Koga wants to keep things moving."
"Right. First things first though." I hold out a hand, smiling broadly. "It was a good match."
"Oh!" Keith grins, shaking my hand eagerly. "Yeah, that was great! Glad it came down to us in the end."
"Me too."
"Well fought, trainers." Koga nods to everyone assembled in front of him, "Though the challenges were difficult, you met them to the best of your ability. Regardless of the results, this merits praise. Though in the end results are, of course, critical. On that note, Keith Baxter, step forward."
Despite being the day's big winner, Keith can't help but look nervous as he steps in front of his mentor. "Keith, you are my apprentice. This is known to many. And because of this my standards for you were set higher than for any other trainer taking my exam today. If I were to grant you one of my sponsorship positions there could be no doubt that you received it through your own merit. As one of Kanto's Elite Four, there can be not even the slightest doubt that I make my choices out of personal bias."
He looks out to the crowd of trainers assembled with this, "If any of you hold such doubt in your mind that Keith has earned his place at the top, now is the time to voice it." He watches sternly for a moment, then turns back to Keith once it's clear that nobody is complaining. "Keith Baxter, today you showed strategy, efficient use of techniques, and the ability to both gather information on your opponents and capitalize on that information effectively. For these traits, you have been recognized. Step forward."
Keith practically bounces forward, looking intensely relieved. And then, to both my relief and intense fear, Koga turns that intimidating gaze towards me. "Ben Wilson. Your weedle showed by far the most proficient use of the string shot attack of any of your peers, as well as the most impressive mobility. And you capitalized on these skills effectively with quick and creative thinking. For all of this, you have been recognized. Step forward."
I bow my head stiffly. And then walk up to the front stiffly. And from there I proceed to stand stiffly until Keith jabs me playfully with his elbow and snaps me out of it. Koga politely pretends not to notice how nervous I am about all of this, and simply continues to call out names.
"Sara McLain, you showed an ability to keep a level head under pressure, and matched this with a highly effective defensive strategy. For this, you have been recognized. Step forward." I can't say I'm all that surprised when the girl who gave me so much trouble in my second match is called up.
"Leon Drummond, for your efficient and unflinching battle style, you have been recognized. Step forward." I don't recognize the next man to be called forward, but Keith doesn't look too fond of him. Might have something to do with the arrogant grin on his face.
"Axel Guinness, for your unshakable calm and your prudence, you have been recognized. Step forward." Another unfamiliar face. The guy is living up to Koga's praise though, seeming completely at ease as he walks to the front. He's practically radiating calm, to the point where I feel less nervous just looking at him.
"Natalie Glenn, for your determination and endurance, you have been recognized. Step forward." Another face I recognize. I faced this girl when Koga was really ramping up the difficulty. She was an exhausted mess when she fought me, but her weedle refused to go down, even after Dart glued it to the floor.
"Arthur Dominic, for your well-rounded battle style and for obtaining the most knock-outs of today's competition, you have been recognized. Step forward." An absolute giant of a trainer walks forward.
"Harper Elios, for your drive and overwhelming display of power, you have been recognized. Step forward." Another familiar face to me; this time it's the half-starved kid with the walking minigun.
"Bethany Queens, for your talent in controlling the terrain of the battlefield, you have been recognized. Step forward. Brittany Queens, in both tactics and ability you have proven yourself to be every bit your sister's equal. Step forward." The two girls walk forward with the sort of synchrony that only comes from years of practice.
"Pay attention trainers. The ten standing here are the best amongst you. The ones with the skill and mind to overcome the challenges put before them. Those of you who failed my challenge, consider the skills they have shown, and consider what you lack. You remained, despite failing. This shows to me that you have a desire to continue on. To learn from your mistakes and overcome the next challenge you face. To look upon success and grasp it for yourself. And so I wish you the best in your future endeavors."
I see more than a few of the people remaining perk up a bit at that. Nice to see Koga giving some encouragement to the people who remained. As somebody who really bet it all on this test, I totally understand how crushing losing could feel.
"Now then!" Koga looks back towards the ten of us, and gestures for two of his trainers to approach. They're carrying a familiar looking basket between them, one that is now mostly filled with Poké Balls. "The battle is concluded. Your weedle have served their purpose. You may now return them."
It takes me a moment to process that. Is he seriously saying…
"Wait, we have to return them!?" The exclamation comes from Harper, clinging to his weedle's ball and looking horrified.
"Not if you don't wish to, I suppose." Koga replies, sounding entirely unbothered. "Though I would have to question the judgement of anyone intending to keep a weedle on their team. Beedrill are hardly strong Pokémon, after all. There's a good reason they're never seen in use by competitive battlers. If you keep them with you they won't remain by your side to the end. They can't follow you to the ending you seek. Better to part now, when you are still largely strangers to each other."
"Fine by me." Leon replies immediately, walking forward and dropping his ball in the basket without hesitation. "Everyone knows Beedrill are terrible anyways, better to lose the dead weight."
No wonder Keith doesn't like the guy. He's shamelessly scummy.
To my surprise though, he's not alone. Shortly after him Natalie shrugs and drops her ball as well. After some discussion the Queens twins return their weedle as well. Last is Arthur, who appears torn on the matter. He walks up to the basket, pulls out his ball, and looks to Koga, "They will be well cared for, yes?"
"Of course." Koga raises an eyebrow. "I have made my stance on Pokémon abuse clear enough today, have I not?"
Arthur nods, and seems to abandon the last of his hesitation. He places the ball into the basket and steps back into the lineup.
"The rest of you will be keeping your weedle?" Koga asks, looking at the rest of us.
"Of course!" Sara replies, looking insulted at the question.
"Yeah, I'm already pretty attached to the little guy, honestly." Keith replies, looking unbothered by everything.
"Me too." I say, though I can't say I'm at all comfortable. Honestly my head is swimming right now. Like I've just been exposed to an ugly side of this world that I didn't really consider. I remember my life not even two months ago, when this world was still a game to me. I had no problem releasing Pokémon that I didn't think were good enough, those with terrible natures or bad IVs back then. But that was when they were just data. Doing that to a sentient creature? That's… it's horrifying to me, and seeing it done so casually by half of a group that Koga called the best of the lot is a bitter pill to swallow.
"I'll keep my weedle too." Axel says with a shrug. "I have space for thirty Pokémon with you, right? Even if she can't keep up I'm not planning to catch nearly that many, so she won't be in the way."
Harper doesn't say anything in response to Koga's question, merely clutches the Poké Ball in his hands tight to his chest and glares at the gym trainers. If Koga made returning them mandatory I have little doubt there would be blood.
Koga looks back and forth between the ten of us, nods, and turns to the crowd. "If there are any amongst the rest of you who wish to return their Pokémon who have not already done so, consider this your final opportunity."
"Be quick about it, alright?" One of the gym trainers complains, "this basket is getting really damn heavy."
Only a handful of the remaining trainers do so. "Koga had the gym trainers ask everyone after they lost." Keith comments, watching the proceedings. "Pretty sure he wants to make sure nobody keeps a weedle just to take their frustrations out on them."
"Oh? How responsible of him." Axel hums thoughtfully.
"Responsible isn't the word I'd use." Sara snaps. "Everything about this is disgusting."
"Isn't it though?" Keith agrees, still sounding completely unbothered by the proceedings.
I turn to look at Keith at that. He catches my gaze, and winks in response. Next to me, Sara appears similarly surprised by Keith's flippant tone, and falls into a thoughtful silence.
"That's everyone then?" Koga looks out at the crowd. "Good. Then before I conclude matters, let me tell you all a story."
"This story begins several decades ago, when I was just beginning my journey as a trainer. Far from here, on the other side of the Kanto region, there was a trainer who, unable to earn sponsorship and refused the aid of his family, caught a weedle. One of the first Pokémon he ever owned. The trainer went on to become one of the strongest trainers in Kanto's history, winning multiple Leagues. Said by many to be the greatest trainer Kanto had seen since Professor Oak himself, and one of the best ground type trainers in the world. He had a drive to succeed that made him indomitable in the world of Pokémon battling.
"Of course, that drive to be the best, to conquer, lead him down a dark path. In time, it was discovered that this trainer was in fact the leader of the largest criminal enterprise in all of Kanto. Champion Red confronted him, and crushed that organization, forcing the man to go into hiding. When he disappeared he took all of his Pokémon with him. His rhydon, his nidoking, his golem, his persian, and many, many more. And yes, this even included his beedrill. Because for all of this man's faults, he valued those Pokémon. Valued the way they stood by his side and supported him through everything, even when he was just a nobody fighting to make a name for himself."
Koga turns towards the five trainers who returned their weedle, eyes cold, "That trainer's name was, of course, Giovanni, leader of the infamous Team Rocket. A man who caused overwhelming damage to both the Kanto and Johto regions little more than a decade ago. A man whose moral fiber is said by many to be all but nonexistent. And yet half of the trainers in front of me right now have somehow failed to clear even that low bar."
Arthur hangs his head in shame. The others look outraged. "That's not fair!" Natalie protests, "I never would have caught a weedle if it wasn't for your contest; I'm a grass type trainer!"
"If you, a grass type trainer can't think of why it would be helpful to your team to keep a Pokémon with the poison and bug types, then clearly you don't have half the potential I thought you did." Koga scoffs. Natalie falls silent at that, head hung in humiliation.
"I'm calling bullshit." Leon snaps. "You're just making this up to screw with us, I've never heard of Giovanni owning a damn beedrill before."
"Really? Because I have." I say impulsively, wanting to shut the guy up. I only know of him owning one in the Pokémon Adventures manga, but that still kinda counts.
"As have I." Axel nods. "He hadn't battled with it in years even before disappearing, but he is known to have one."
Koga laughs derisively, "And so your knowledge of this region's trainers has been surpassed by trainers from Unova and Almia. A poor display from a man born and raised in Pewter. But we have digressed from the point."
Koga stalks about the room, glare shifting seamlessly from one trainer to the next as he moves, like a wolf on the prowl. After a long stretch of uncomfortable silence he glances back towards me. "Mr. Wilson! Out of all the Pokémon I am known to possess, which do you think are the most powerful?"
I blink in surprise, not expecting to be called on like this. "Uhh, I guess… either your muk or your crobat?"
"Hmm." Koga smirks, eyes moving over the crowd, "Muk. The most highly toxic Pokémon species in existence. So dangerous to work with that they could contaminate the air around them even while trapped in any Poké Ball. Considered by nearly all accounts too dangerous to train and too unpleasant to bother making the effort. However, those who have put in that effort have often found that muk can be a nearly unstoppable force, as well as a loving and loyal companion. My own is the defensive core of my team. And as for crobat… well, zubat and golbat were always considered nothing more than pests before it was discovered the potential they could reach when close with a trainer.
"The simple fact is, it takes more than knowledge and skill to become a good trainer. The best trainers are those who form deep connections with their Pokémon. A truly great trainer recognizes that they are only a small part of the greater whole that is their team. What does Lance amount to without his dragons? What do the likes of Ash Ketchum or Champion Red amount to without the Pikachu they hold so dear? They will be the first to tell you that they are nothing without their companions. And with every achievement I've made over the course of my life I too have had my Pokémon by my side. Which is why my sponsorship will go only to those trainers who recognize the importance their companions must hold to them."
"Wait, you're seriously disqualifying us!?" Leon protests indignantly, "You can't do that! You already said we passed your test!"
"At what point did I say that?" Koga looks back to Leon. "I told you that I considered you better than your peers, yes. But as I just said, skill is only part of the equation."
"You said we shouldn't keep a beedrill on our team!"
"No more than a ruse. A test to see if the bond between you and your Pokémon was stronger than the word of a stranger. Is this truly so confusing? Did you perhaps mistake the comparison to Kanto's most infamous criminal for praise? Then allow me to make things perfectly clear. Baxter, Wilson, McLain, Guinness, and Elios, the five of you are the ones I will be sponsoring today. Congratulations. Drummond, Glenn, Queens, Queens, and Dominic, despite your performance in today's battles, you have failed my final test. You will get nothing from me. That is final."
Natalie and Arthur hang their heads in shame. The other three explode in protest, all yelling their grievances, trying to be heard over each other. And Koga, to my delight, turns his back on them and starts addressing the rest of the room, voice raised just enough to be heard despite the noise. "Now then, for those of you who have failed to pass my test, I must ask you to leave. From here on out matters will be conducted solely between myself and those whom I will be sponsoring. As I said before, I wish you all the best in your future endeavors, and hope that this has been a learning experience for you all. Good day."
There's some hesitation from the crowd, but once several gym trainers begin to forcibly escort Leon and the twins out they take the hint and follow. The only one to remain is Arthur, who only leaves after tearfully begging for another chance- not for sponsorship, but to train his weedle properly. Koga seems to feel that the man is genuine, because while he makes it clear that he won't have a second chance at a sponsorship here, he does let the man retrieve his weedle from the basket.
"Now then, as for the five of you…" Koga turns back to our little group. "I will begin by once again offering my congratulations. This comes with a warning though. You have all impressed me today, but make no mistake: you have a long way to go. Keith, as always your discipline is lacking; had you not been overconfident in your battle against Ben he would not have come nearly so close to turning the tables."
"Yes, Master Koga." Keith replies with a bow and a grimace.
Koga nods once, then turns to me. "As for you Ben, while your dynamic tactics are worthy of praise I expect you to give more thought to the efficiency of your battle style going forward. The challenge you all endured today is one which my daughter designed to help trainers adjust to the stress and exhaustion of a proper tournament; it is by no means an anomaly in the world of Pokémon battles. You need to better recognize the correct time to use more strenuous moves and be more decisive when you see a chance to end a battle. Your weedle seems to have good instincts for the latter, I suggest you continue to learn from him."
I have to agree with him after everything I've been through today. I can think of plenty of times when I failed to handle matters properly because I was too slow to make a call or too inefficient in how I directed Dart. Had those mistakes not continued to pile up the way they did Dart would have been in much better shape by the final match. "Thank you, Master Koga." I reply, bowing my head.
"Sara, Axel, your problems are similar, though the reasons behind them are different. You both showed considerable skill in countering the moves made by your opponent, but your offensive presence was lacking. Sara, you must recognize when the time comes to lower your defense and strike back. An aegislash that remains only in shield form isn't half as effective as one which draws its blade. As for you Axel, your composure is a valuable tool, but you must not become too comfortable in battle. I saw many times today you could have defeated your opponent if not for your complacency."
"I understand, Master Koga."
"Yes, Master Koga."
"And finally, Harper." Koga turns to the youngest of our group. "If I were to rate today's trainers by pure offensive power yours was by far the greatest. But in absolutely every other aspect you were lacking. If you wish to succeed from here you must greatly expand your Pokémon's skillset, and learn to adapt when your initial plan fails. The results of your battle against Ben should speak for themselves in that regard."
"…Right." Harper replies a little sullenly. He gives me a mildly resentful look, before seeming to give in with a sigh. "Yeah, I suppose they do."
"Good." Koga nods, "I expect all of you to keep this advice in mind going forward. This may have been a more difficult first step than many trainers are forced to face, but that does not change the fact that it was just that: the first step. The path to becoming a professional battler is by no means an easy one. As far as I am concerned, all I have done is give you a test on par with the struggles you will face going forward."
There's a moment of quiet reflection as everyone thinks on Koga's advice, but Koga doesn't let it last for very long. "Now then! I believe it is time for us to move away from training for the time being. Instead, I will have Janine give you a tour of our facilities." His daughter appears at his side nearly instantaneously as he says this nodding firmly. "And… Oichi!"
The grimer trainer I fought before snaps to attention. "Sir!"
"You will be in charge of cleaning the webbing out of this room and preparing it for regular use."
"Whaaaaaat?" Oichi visibly deflates, "Why me?"
"You and your grimer seemed so very eager to burn them away during today's battles, I thought you would enjoy the task." Koga replies, raising an eyebrow.
Oichi groans, realizing that she's apparently in trouble. "Yes, Master Koga."
"Hm." Koga watches carefully as Oichi gets to work, then turns back to us, "Now then, I have other matters to attend to. I leave them in your care, Janine."
"Yes, Master Koga." Janine bows her head as Koga leaves. And then, once Koga has left the room she relaxes visibly and turns back to everyone else in the room. "Alright everyone, let's get things cleaned up around here!"
Oichi looks cautiously optimistic at that, "But… Koga said I was supposed to do the cleaning."
"He never said everyone else couldn't help." Janine replies with a shrug.
"Janine!" Oichi looks ready to cry from gratitude.
"Save the drama Oichi, I still do have to look after these guys." Janine rolls her eyes, turning back to the rest of us, "Alright everyone, we ready to move?"
"I think we could use a moment to recover from the mood whiplash in here." Axel replies bemusedly. I nod in agreement.
Keith bursts out laughing at that, "Right, I suppose you guys have only seen this place in business mode." He walks up to Janine's side and casually leans an elbow on her shoulder. "Allow me to formally introduce you to this, the true face of Gym Leader Janine."
"Shut up Keith." Janine replies immediately, shrugging his arm aside and pushing him away. Then she smiles brightly back at us, "But yeah, this is what things are like normally for us around here. Dad likes things looking disciplined while he's here, but I wouldn't be able to stand it if we were like that all the time. It's fun for a little bit, but after a while it just feels so… stuffy."
"Huh." I turn towards Keith, "Guess you aren't as much of an odd one out as I thought."
"Nope!" Keith grins, "I'm just the worst one at acting disciplined when Koga's in the room."
"In other words, he's a shameless troublemaker." Janine rolls her eyes, "Anyways, let's get on with the tour!"
The tour is interesting, made all the more so by Keith's constant commentary throughout the whole process. He and Janine clearly have some history, because the two of them banter pretty much the entire time they're talking.
"Anyone else thinking those two need to get a room?" I ask in a low voice as Janine leads us out of the kitchen area.
"Oh absolutely." Axel chuckles.
"It is a little much." Sara agrees.
Harper nods silently.
From the betrayed look Keith gives me at our next stop, I wasn't being quiet enough to escape the notice of a trained ninja. Janine looks a little embarrassed as well, but manages to continue the tour anyways.
The two are back to bothering each other by the time we've started moving again. They clearly can't help themselves.
In spite of this though the tour manages to be very informative. Unlike in the games or even the anime Pokémon gyms have a lot more going on in this world than just battle arenas. The building has rooms for target practice, rooms for training specific Pokémon types that might require special attention, rooms for improving a Pokémon's running or jumping or reflexes… and that's just a start. The gym also has plenty of rooms to help train trainers as well. They have machines built to help improve one's eyesight and reflexes, tons of room for research and studying, and a room with private monitors for watching old Pokémon league matches.
I'm starting to think I might have been a bit stupid when I chose to train Dart in private. Imagine how much I could have improved if I spent some time here instead of hiding in my little patch of forest on the outskirts of Fuchsia.
Janine finishes her tour by leading us back towards the kitchen area for the gym trainers, leading us down a separate hall we hadn't visited before. "Last but not least, this is the living quarters for the gym. Most of our gym trainers live in their own homes in Fuchsia and commute here, but there are some who prefer to live on site for one reason or another. As sponsored trainers you are welcome to do the same."
"Is that really all right?" I can't help but ask, "If we're aiming for the League it's not like we'll be sticking around here for very long."
"We have plenty of room to spare." Janine shrugs. "We make the offer to everyone, but only a few ever take us up on it. The travelers often refuse because they are wandering all over Kanto and beyond, and those living in Fuchsia tend to prefer a larger space. But if you choose to accept the offer, you'll have your own room designated for you for as long as you're affiliated with Dad and the gym."
In the end, the only trainer to refuse a room out of our group is Sara. Axel and I are from different regions, so we don't have a better option at the moment. And Harper… well whatever is going on in his life it's clearly complicated. Keith, being Keith, takes the opportunity to attempt to claim a second room. Janine completely ignores him. Somehow this seems every bit as flirty as when they banter.
Anyways, one quick trip back to the Pokémon Center later, and I've collected my things and returned to the Fuchsia Gym. My new home, I suppose. Closest thing to a home I've had since arriving in this world really; until now I've basically been staying in the Pokémon World's version of hotel rooms. But this room… it's mine. I can return to it whenever I want to…
Yeah, I feel like this should be more important to me, but it's honestly not. Maybe it just doesn't feel real to me yet. Maybe my brain refuses to start feeling comfortable since I'm planning to leave soon. It is a nice room though. It's not much bigger than the room I was staying in at the Pokémon Center, but it has a more comfortable feel to it. The Center room was decorated in the style of hotel room chic, but this place looks like a place where a guy could actually live. It feels warmer, somehow. I dunno it's difficult to describe. I think my team should like it though.
Which reminds me…
Dart and Ogrim appear in front of me in two flashes of light, and the energy between them is an immediate contrast. Dart is still sulking from his loss, while Ogrim is practically bouncing with a need to know. As I understand it Pokémon are capable of seeing the world outside their Poké Balls, but the information they get is largely filtered. Sound is muffled, sight is like watching through a sheet. There are plenty of stories of Pokémon with keener senses becoming very adept at reacting to the world from within a Poké Ball, but Ogrim is not likely to become one of them. His senses are roughly on par with a human being, and he's not much for parsing conversation.
All of this is essentially a very long way of explaining that Ogrim has very little if any idea what's happened today. Poor little dude must have been driving himself crazy all day waiting for results.
"Ogrim, buddy, I have good news and bad news." I begin. "The bad news is that despite putting up one hell of a fight, Dart and I weren't able to beat Keith."
"Golett! Goooo!" Ogrim moans sadly, realizing now why Dart is so much quieter than normal. He immediately puts the conversation on pause so he can waddle over to his buddy and give him a consoling pat on the head. "Golett go. Go golett let golett."
"…Weedle. Dluh." Dart mutters, still upset but perking up at least a little.
"Don't let it get you down Dart," I reassure the prideful little bug, "We may not have been strong enough to beat Keith, but we still got second place today! You were incredible out there! Which brings me to the good news! Dart, you and I kicked so much ass today that Koga gave us the sponsorship we needed! We did it!"
Ogrim cheers at that, and Dart nods along, though he doesn't seem quite ready to accept this as a success. And for once I understand him completely, "Let me guess Dart: you want a rematch against Wocky, don't you? A chance to take him on at your best."
"Weedle!" Dart nods emphatically.
"I'm with you buddy. We aren't going to let things end like that with Keith. Next time, we're taking him down. But for right now, I'm going to need you to put that aside. Because now that we finally have a sponsor, it's about time that we get started on our real goal."
"Weedle?"
"Golett?"
"I'm talking about the Pokémon League!" I reply excitedly, slamming a fist into my palm. "We've got our sponsorship, we've got a new place to live, and we've got everything we could possibly want in this place to become the best team we can be! So now it's past time we start earning some gym badges!"
My team cheers, mirroring my enthusiasm, and I keep that energy going, "That's the spirit! From here on out the three of us are going to really start picking up momentum on this thing! More new moves! More skills! More team members! And our team taking on every gym leader in Kanto! And we're going to start right here!" I point down at the floor dramatically, "Right here in Fuchsia! We've already passed Koga's test! So taking his daughter on should be a total cakewalk! Next stop on our journey: The Soul Badge!"
Hope the big battle was worth the cliffhangar last chapter! In stark contrast to how these things usually work for me, the battle scene was honestly the hardest part of the whole chapter. Like I said last time, the idea of this challenge was to see if I could come up with an entertaining battle using a mirror matchup with some very limited Pokemon. I think I really knocked it out of the park last time, and from the looks of things a lot of readers seem to agree. But the real challenge was definitely writing a weedle showdown that actually had some length to it, lol.
Don't get too attached to Koga's final line up of trainers. We'll be seeing some of those final 10 in the future, but most will not be particularly recurring... probably. I have a few plans here and there for some of them, but they won't be main characters or anything. This did not stop me from spending the better part of an hour trying to come up with good names for all of these guys though. They may not have been in the story for long, but at least they got a cool name out of it. Better than most of that faceless mob got.
It was nice to let Janine finally show her true colors. I've had her basically acting as Koga's silent second in command until now, but she definitely isn't like that most of the time. She just really wants to impress her dad by acting all stern and cool like he does. The gym trainers know it's bullshit but they play along for her sake. Except Keith because Keith is a menace.
For more fanfiction goodness, please feel free to join the Fanfiction Treehouse! My first and only choice for Discord Servers, it's a fantastic community. discord .gg/9XG3U7a