Rocking the Rustboro Gym

It had been a week, one long week and Tyson was finally stepping foot inside the Pokémon Gym a second time. He looked over the maze to the stadium at the other end and pumped his fist determinedly. Behind him most of the team was ready to give their support. Ray put a brotherly hand on his shoulder.

"You ready for the retake?"

Tyson nodded. "I'm ready for Roxanne. Elena gave me heaps of good tips and training advice so this time we're not letting anyone stand in the way."

"So, how are you planning to approach it this time?" Max asked, coming up on his other side. Tyson gave him a cheeky grin.

"Wouldn't wanna spoil it."

"Aw! Not even a little hint?"

"At least Elain isn't here to kick your butt anymore," Daichi goaded, "so that'll help your chances."

Tyson fumed. "You weren't even there, Daichi! You didn't see what happened. Speaking of that, where are the girls?"

Ray sighed but smiled nonetheless. "Figures you wouldn't pay attention to something like that. You just focus on the match and we'll get you up to speed afterwards."

A blur of green came spinning into view and stopped in front of the group to give them a thumbs-up and a blinding white grin. "Welcome back, kid! Here for another chance at rocking the Rustboro Gym? Not everyone's a winner the first time 'round but it's great to see you back. Determination like that will smash any rock obstacle in your way."

"Jim…" Tyson muttered and the whole group glared at him while he just laughed obliviously. Togepi was the only one who seemed to enjoy his antics.

"How did you like my Rapid Spin? Been working on that for a while. Quite an entry, wouldn't you say?"

"It's… great," Ray replied just for the sake of being nice. "We should go. Tyson needs to get started on that maze."

He started to push Tyson towards the main part of the Gym but paused when Tyson unexpectedly dug his heels in. "Hang on, Ray. I'm doing the maze by myself."

"Are you sure?" Max asked.

"It was really difficult when I went in," Daichi added. "You're gonna get lost for hours without help."

"Don't worry. I've had seven days to prepare. I'm going to ace this."

"You know, spectators can get special access if you just talk to one of the Gym aides," Jim told them.

"Really? That's… great," Ray said.

"Well then, to earn my first badge and avoid staying in terrible company," Tyson shot Jim the dirtiest look he could muster, "I'm off. Wish me luck."

They did wish him luck as he took off to head down the staircase, bypassing the first landing. At the bottom of the stairs the stone walls towered above him. He took a left since according to Elena the right only led to a museum activity centre. The walls of the maze were covered in displays of creative typography, information boards and inlaid shelves with more samples of rocks or dioramas of planet cores and a volcano. He'd taken a couple of turns and hadn't found a dead end yet, until he came across a wall conspicuously set up in the middle of a corridor. A touchscreen was set inside it and when Tyson pressed the START button it went to quiz mode.

"Welcome to the Rustboro Pokémon Gym," a mechanical voice similar to the Pokédex's said, dictating the writing that flowed across the screen. "Hope you are enjoying your stay so far. We strive to make every moment a fun and engaging learning experience, so tell me: what did you learn?"

The first question popped up: "What type of volcano is Hoenn's iconic Mt Chimney?"

The multiple choice answers popped up and Tyson panicked. He had expected it to have something to do with Pokémon. Perhaps he should have been reading the museum displays a little more closely. His finger hovered over all of the answers for a moment before choosing his best guess – 1 in 4 chance of being right, he figured.

The computer pinged for getting the correct answer and moved on to a second question: "Which of these chemical elements is an indication of a meteorite impact?"

Iridium looked like a sci-fi kind of word, Tyson decided and it was the only lead he had so he pressed it. Just his luck, it happened to be correct. And then the computer gave him the final question: "True or false: the moon stone is a kind of meteorite."

Shit. He had no idea. He had to get all three questions right in a row if he wanted the door to open. Banking on the statement being a trick, he took a deep breath and declared it false. The computer made a triumphant trumpet sound effect and the wall shifted. Tyson let out his breath in relief.

On the other side was a much bigger hall, bereft of wall displays that weren't securely enclosed behind acrylic glass. Tyson flinched when a Taillow was hurled at the wall right beside his head. It flopped to the floor and was promptly returned to its Pokéball. The child it belonged to held the ball tenderly to his chest.

"That was my last Pokémon!" he wailed.

The other kid standing on the other side of the hall with his Geodude just sneered. "Go crying to Nurse Joy, then. This is the reality of fighting a Gym trainer. Leagues above you." Geodude rumbled its agreement.

The challenger glared teary-eyed at him and was about to just slink away with a bruised ego until Tyson stepped up beside him with his arms folded and a reprimanding expression on his face. "So is this the kind of attitude they hire around here?"

The Gym trainer grinned proudly. "Not a Gym aide, just train here all the time, mostly by weeding out the weaklings. But I'm going to be an aide one day. After all, hard to ignore power comparable to the Gym Leader herself," he boasted.

"I'll be the judge of how comparable your skills are when I see her," Tyson said, taking out his Nest ball. He released Shroomish onto the floor. "But I can't just stand around and let you put someone else down."

The trainer huffed. "Wanna get punished too, huh? Fine! Just remember the name Tommy Luza when you lose. Geodude, Rollout!"

"Stun Spore, Shoom!"

Shroomish puffed up and let out a cloud of golden spores in front of it, which Geodude rolled right through. It smacked headfirst into Shroomish, forcing him to slide back a little bit but he held ground. The two Pokémon glared at each other, trying to push each other back by the forehead. Tyson commanded Shroomish to use Absorb. His Pokémon glowed bright green and effectively sapped the energy out of Geodude. The rock Pokémon dropped back weakly.

"I don't give up that easy! Got a sturdy Geodude on my side. Rollout! Rollout!"

Geodude tried to follow the order but his limbs were just too stiff from the paralysis. Shroomish's final Tackle attack sent it rolling right back to its trainer. Tommy gaped at the quick defeat and grudgingly returned his Pokémon. Judging by the way he just stood there, he didn't have any more Pokémon to use. The original challenger cheered loudly.

"I hope this makes you think twice next time you want to act like a bully," Tyson said, returning his Pokémon too.

"Would've won if I hadn't just been in a battle."

"Come on! Even you know that you're just making excuses. Being a good trainer isn't all about winning."

"What? Trying to lecture me now?" Tommy snapped. "Let's see you beat Roxanne, then we'll see who has the right to lecture who."

"I was planning on it. In the meantime, it seems like both of you need a trip to the Pokémon Centre."

"That's right!" the other trainer gasped, turning around and running back to the door. It opened automatically without needing a prompt. Tommy grumbled and followed suit.

For Tyson it was onward and upward. He was only stopped by one other trainer (in fact, the maze proved to be the tougher obstacle) before he got to the end and marched up the grand staircase to the final stage. The Gym Leader sat on the top steps with a bored expression on her face. Nobody else must have made it this far today. Her eyes lit up when she saw Tyson coming up the stairs and she stood.

"Well, then," she said. "Managed to make it through the maze and it looks like you even did it all by yourself. Impressive."

"I've come a long way since you kicked me out of here," Tyson replied seriously. He made it to the last step and looked her in the eye. "I've learned a lot not just academically but emotionally too. I had to realise a few things, one of them being that Pokémon training is a sport and it tests the bonds between trainers and their Pokémon." Just like beybladers and bit-beasts, he added mentally. "I was so caught up in something else that I failed to look at that aspect of it and I didn't respect the sport. But I've grown up a bit and gotten stronger and this time I'm here to challenge you to a battle in earnest."

Roxanne smiled. "Well done! Perhaps you're not unteachable after all but I'll be the judge. Challenge accepted, Tyson Granger."

Cheers went off and Tyson looked over to the people occupying the benches behind the referee's box. Daichi, Kai, Max and Ray were there and all of them except Kai were carrying most of the cheering but there was one extra spectator he wasn't expecting.

"Elena!" he called out to her. "What are you doing here?"

"Cheering you on," she replied as if that should have been obvious. "Plus, I want to see the fruits of my pupil's efforts in a real Gym Leader Battle."

"You won't be disappointed."

Roxanne and Tyson took their places at each end of the field and the battle screens activated. The same Gym aide from the previous week took the referee's box with her flags and announced the battle:

"This is a two-on-two battle, anything goes. Gym Leader restrictions apply in the blue corner."

Elena gasped. "Roxanne's evoking the fairness clause?!"

"The what?" Ray said. The three boys looked at her quizzically.

"Battling as a Gym Leader is different to battling as a trainer," Elena explained. "The official rules put certain restrictions on the Leader but they can evoke clauses that remove some of the restrictions. Some Gym Leaders evoke the clauses automatically – part of how they run the Gym – but I know that Roxanne doesn't."

"Challenger Tyson VS Gym Leader Roxanne. Ready?" the aide called, raising the flags.

"Roxanne removed a restriction that forces her to use less Pokémon than her opponent. So however many Pokémon Tyson sends out, she'll match them until he has none left. Really pushing him to the limit."

"Battle commence!"

Tyson and Roxanne threw their first Pokémon in simultaneously. Shroomish appeared on Tyson's side and on Roxanne's side, a Geodude. Not starting off easy, Roxanne immediately ordered her Geodude to use Rock Tomb. Tyson commanded Shroomish to charge in with Tackle. Rocks flew over the battlefield, pelting Shroomish but he kept charging until he was close enough to land his attack. Tyson called for Stun Spore and Shroomish shrouded Geodude in a plume of spores.

"Now Absorb!"

Shroomish glowed in preparation for the attack but Roxanne wouldn't let him get away with it so easily. She had Geodude use Rock Throw. He picked up a hefty stone but Shroomish sapped his strength before he could throw it. However, it wasn't enough to take it out and Geodude threw the rock right in his face. Shroomish took the hit badly, tumbling head over heels. He still had the edge from Geodude's paralysis so Tyson ordered another Absorb. Geodude was already too weak for it to have much benefit to Shroomish but it was too slow to launch another attack before it lost all of its strength for battle.

"Geodude is unable to battle," the Gym aide declared. Tyson's friends cheered loudly and encouragingly.

"One down and only one more," Max commented. "Shroomish seems so much better trained now. Do you think Tyson could win this with just him?"

"It's his best shot," Ray replied. "Torchic has a disadvantage in this Gym, being fire-type."

Kai looked over to Elena and raised his eyebrows when he saw her pensive expression. "I don't think it's going to be won so easily," he piped up. Ray, Max and Daichi turned to him questioningly but before they had time to ask him to elaborate Roxanne had thrown in her next Pokémon.

"It's Nosepass again!" Daichi exclaimed.

Tyson licked his lips as his body started to tremble with excitement. Only one more match and he could win. "Alright, Shroomish, we can do this." Shroomish bellowed in agreement and puffed himself up. "Move in for a Tackle, go!"

"Not so fast!" Roxanne called out. "Harden!"

Nosepass hunkered down and its body shone like it was suddenly covered in gloss. Shroomish barrelled into it but the hit was less effective. Nosepass teetered on the edge of its stubby feet before it rocked back to rights. Tyson implemented the previous strategy, following up with Stun Spore.

"That's not going to go the way you planned this time," Roxanne said with a smirk. "Nosepass, use Thunder Wave."

There was a spark between Nosepass and Shroomish, knocking the grass-type onto its bottom and sent it bouncing away a little bit. It was painless other than the prickling sensation that was taking over his body.

"Don't give up! Use Absorb."

Shroomish struggled to get up and build the power it needed to unleash Absorb and in that time Nosepass was able to ensnare him in Rock Tomb, partially burying him in a pile of rocks. Both Pokémon were sluggish in their movements but Shroomish managed to squeeze in one more Absorb. Nosepass bowled Shroomish over with Rock Throw, tomb and all. After that his paralysis proved to be more severe and Nosepass shot him with Rock Throw again. Shroomish landed on his back, unable to get up.

"Shroomish is unable to battle," the Gym aide declared.

On the big screen the Pokéball representing Shroomish dimmed as Tyson returned him. He picked up Torchic's Pokéball, looking at it grimly. He had hoped Shroomish would be able to deal more damage – or even win this entire battle on his own – since Torchic was in no way an ideal switch-in. He clutched the ball firmly and internally said a prayer for good luck.

"Not looking good, hm?" Roxanne said, putting one hand on her hip. "I know your next Pokémon doesn't stand a very good chance against the rock-type."

Tyson grinned. "Heh! That's what you think. We've learned a new trick or two since last time. Torchic, go!"

Torchic was on the battlefield in a flash shaking his tiny wings, ready to fight.

"What's that on its feet?" Ray asked, looking closely at Torchic and the white bandages around his toes and ankles.

"Strapping," Elena answered. "Like he said, we were spending our time teaching Torchic new tricks so that it could do better in the Gym."

"Alright, Torchic, use Rock Smash!"

Torchic charged, fast on his little feet while Nosepass struggled to execute another Rock Tomb. Once he was close enough, he leaped up and with one of his feet bunched into a fist punched Nosepass right between the eyes. It toppled over but bounced around in mid-air with its magnetic power.

Roxanne gasped. "Oh no, her defence is down. Use Harden!"

Nosepass' body went glossy again and with the fluidity of a proper martial artist Torchic swung in with his other leg and landed another Rock Smash to the face. Nosepass spun across the field, barely managing to right herself at the edge of the boundary. On Roxanne's command she used another Rock Tomb while Torchic was too far away to close the distance in time. The rocks swirled and dropped out of the air like a hurricane, trying to hit while Torchic ran about the arena trying to dodge. He suffered a few nasty hits from the boulders.

"Alright, let's end this," Roxanne said, panting a bit and breaking into a sweat. They were both so close to defeat, whoever landed their next attack would surely win. "Rock Throw!"

"This is it, Torchic. Focus Energy; get pumped!"

Torchic charged himself up until his power blazed around him and ran in again, stepping over rocks agilely while Nosepass ripped another huge boulder out of the floor. She flung it at Torchic as he was still running towards her. The audience held their breath.

"Dodge it, Torchic!" Daichi screamed from the sideline.

Torchic wouldn't listen to that. His only thoughts were on his trainer and his training. Now was the time to really show that they could put their trust in one another. He didn't even need his trainer's command when that boulder was so close that impact was inevitable:

"Rock Smash!"

He jumped forward, fist ready and kicked that rock. It broke into several pieces, giving Torchic a clear path toward his opponent. Roxanne issued another command but Nosepass' paralysis made her too slow. Torchic delivered a final kick-punch to the head and sent Nosepass crashing into the wall.

The Gym aide's announcement was almost drowned out by the sound of Tyson's friends' cheering. "Nosepass is unable to battle. Roxanne is out of useable Pokémon. The winner is Tyson!"

Torchic fluffed his feathers up proudly, still huffing and puffing from the battle. He turned around and scurried back to his trainer, who was already running to lift him up. Tyson cuddled his Pokémon fondly. Torchic's feathers seemed to be shining but he was too elated to notice.

"We did it, pal! We won!"

He was almost knocked over by Max tackle-hugging him. "Way to go, Tyson!"

"That was awesome!" Daichi added. "How can I teach my Pokémon to do that attack?"

Ray gave him a friendly nudge in the shoulder. "You had me worried there when Shroomish went down but Torchic's really gotten up to scratch."

Torchic cheeped happily. Togepi cheered in her typical baby babble. Kai just grunted and gave a nod of approval (that was basically Kai-talk for "I'm impressed").

Their celebrations were interrupted suddenly when the mysterious shimmer on Torchic's feathers became a bright shine. He started to glow so brightly that they couldn't look directly at him. Tyson put him on the ground gently and moved back as sparkling light engulfed him completely and he began to grow, limbs and body stretching out with impossible speed. His feet grew too big for their bindings and tore up the strapping. The light grew warmer and brighter until there was a sudden flash and Tyson's Torchic had been replaced by a new creature altogether, haloed by the residual sparkles from the transformation.

Max and Daichi stared at it with dropped jaws, wide-eyed in awe for they'd never seen such a thing. Everyone else was momentarily stunned due to the suddenness but then their faces lit up in joy (or in the case of Kai, his eyebrows rose).

"What just happened?" Daichi asked, looking this way and that. "Where's Torchic?"

"Torchic evolved," Ray explained, grinning at the new Pokémon before them. "He changed, Daichi."

"That's the cool Pokémon Elain had," Tyson recalled, taking out his Pokédex. "Just what are you now?"

"Combusken, the young fowl Pokémon. It battles with the hot flames it spews from its beak and outstanding physical power and speed. Its legs are especially strong, able to perform extremely swift barrages of kicks. It emits sharp cries to intimidate its foes."

Combusken immediately demonstrated his new vocal prowess but it sounded joyful rather than frightening. Tyson bent down to pick him up again, straining with the new weight.

"Man, you got so heavy so suddenly. You're really growing up, little buddy."

"Congratulations, Tyson," Roxanne cut in, applauding him as she walked up to them. "Thought I would have a difficult time defeating you but hadn't anticipated that you would have improved enough that you would be the one defeating me the first time you stepped back in the Gym. Your technique, strategy, conviction and even your relationship with your Pokémon have all drastically improved since last I saw you. For defeating me, as per the Pokémon League rules, I present to you the Stone Badge."

The Gym aide came up to Roxanne's side with a small velvet box. She opened it and inside was a shining new badge. Roxanne took it out of the box and held it out for Tyson to take. Tyson put his Pokémon back on the floor and accepted the badge, unable to stop the proud grin spreading on his face.

"I understand that for all of you this was your first official League achievement," Roxanne continued, addressing all of them now. "During your travels in Hoenn you will certainly learn a great deal more and you can only get stronger from here. Hopefully, we can meet again in the future so that I might see a demonstration of your growth."

"We'll make it if we can," Ray said uncertainly, looking to Tyson.

"Well, since you turned out to actually be a pretty cool teacher," Tyson said, "I guess it wouldn't hurt to visit again someday."

Roxanne smiled and nodded appreciatively. She held out a hand and Tyson shook it sportingly. "To a future with great learning opportunities."

She turned to her Gym aide, already going straight to her other official duties, including arranging for the Pokémon she used in battle to be healed. Elena quickly took her place, grinning broadly.

"Tyson, that battle was great!" she praised. "Makes me so happy to see you using some of the advice I gave and even putting in some great moves yourself. I never expected Torchic to break through Rock Throw like that; that was really bold."

Tyson rubbed his upper lip. "Yeah, well, we're at our best when we get to think on our feet. Isn't that right, Torchic? I mean, Combustion."

"It's Combusken," Ray reminded him but Combusken didn't seem to care either way, high fiving his trainer.

"After you get your Pokémon seen to at the Pokémon Centre, I'd like you drop by the trainer school again if you can. There's something I'd like you to have."

She left it at that, turning on her heel and making her way swiftly towards the exit. The beybladers exchanged puzzled looks, each of them wondering what she could possibly want to give Tyson. They decided it was best to just find out and left the Gym to return to the Pokémon Centre.

The Pokémon Centre was getting crowded as it was getting close to lunchtime and the centre's patrons – especially the younger ones – were eager for a free lunch. The bladers went straight up to the counter. There was a different nurse running it but according to Mari that was more typical in the busier Pokémon Centres. There was also a familiar head of long red hair. Max was the first to call out to her.

Mari spun around, regarding the beybladers with a smile. "Hey! You're back. How did it go?"

Tyson procured his badge case and held it out in front of him. "See it and weep, my friend."

"That's great."

"Although I did miss you and Hilary in the cheer squad. Where were you?"

Mari sighed exasperatedly. "Weren't you listening? Hilary and I went to check out the Contest Hall. There's a normal rank Contest in a couple of days and I think Hilary is really set on competing. Found it kind of boring, though, so I left with Emerald and we did multi battles at the Institute. Oh yeah, Emerald and Ruby are here. Surprise or what?"

"A couple of days?" Tyson moaned. "As if we need another thing holding us back."

"Tyson, just let her do this," Ray argued. "It's not as if we have any leads for Porygon Z anyway."

"Actually, we do now," Mari said, making all of the bladers turn to her and exclaim:

"What?!"

"How did you get the information? Spit it out!" Tyson demanded.

"Chill. At the Battle Institute Emerald and I briefly talked to this guy who was raving stupid about a rare Pokémon he was chasing down Route 115 but lost it when he got into the city."

"And that Pokémon was Porygon Z," Max deduced.

"Bingo! So at least we know that it's probably around here."

"And where's Hilary now?" Ray asked, since he was apparently the only one concerned.

"Probably still at the Contest Hall. Ruby introduced her to the Pokéblock machine."

"From the sounds of it, I'm guessing that's either a huge time-sapper or pervasive distraction."

"At least we've got a lead on Ponyton 3," Tyson said, putting away his badge case and ignoring Mari's disgruntled correction. He took his Pokéballs out and put them on the counter. "Hey, Nurse Teala."

"Hello, Tyson," she said, her long, black, zigzag ponytails swaying as she turned to him. "Need me to take your Pokémon? How was the Gym?"

"My Pokémon are pretty beat but we had a good battle."

"Of course," Teala said, taking Tyson's Pokéballs. "Roxanne never disappoints in battle no matter what the circumstances. A little time in the regenerator and these guys should do just fine."

"Thanks!" Tyson turned to his friends. "I'll be back soon so don't get started on this Polyfon business without me."

He ran out the door before hearing Mari ask him what that was all about. Fortunately, the others were there to clear things up.

"He's probably gone to meet Elena," Ray explained. "At the Gym she said she wanted to give him something but didn't elaborate."

"I really wanna see what it is," Daichi added. Mari nodded and hummed curiously.

The trainer school was quiet as students were still in classes at this time. When Elena wasn't in the foyer waiting for him like she usually was, Tyson found the office and the receptionist gave him directions to what he called the 'guest teacher' dormitory. The accommodations were located on the top floor of the old main building, accessed by a narrow staircase and corridor. Some of the dorms looked out over the city in front of the school while others looked inwards to the training arenas.

Tyson counted room numbers, looking for the number that the receptionist had written on a post-it note for him. To his surprise, the room he was looking for had its door wide open. The windows had a view of the city but the room itself had already been stripped bare of any personal belongings, leaving only the school-owned furniture and appliances. In the middle of the room Elena was zipping and buckling a travel bag.

"You weren't kidding when you said you were leaving," Tyson remarked, remembering what she'd said at the beginning of the week.

She looked up, surprised but smiled when she saw that it was Tyson. "No, I really wasn't. Got to get back to Blackthorn City and finish all of my training regimes and Dragon's Den responsibilities."

"I thought you said that wasn't really all that important."

"Eh… technically it's not." Elena shrugged. "Except that before I left to come here I told Clair that would be back a week ago and when I told her I was staying on a little longer she bitched really hard about it. Better get back before she starts sending me passive-aggressive texts… or worse, starts saying mean things about me to Lance!"

She clutched her face, looking as if she would cry from the anxiety. Tyson had no idea what she was talking about but decided to stay quiet about it.

"Anyway, glad you decided to come," Elena said, getting over her distress rather quickly. She picked up something that had been partially hidden behind her bag and brought it over to Tyson. "Been taking care of this for a little while but after seeing how much your improvement showed on the battlefield I thought that you should take it."

It was an egg case with a carry strap wound carefully around it so that it could be transported easily while travelling and an all red Pokéball on the lid. Inside was a blue egg with a hard, grey cap over the narrow tip.

"People say that eggs hatch faster and the resulting hatchlings will be more powerful when they're surrounded by strong Pokémon teams. Urban myth, really, but it's the gesture I'm really getting at. As a testament to the strengthening of your team, I want you to raise this egg and the Pokémon that hatches from it. You know my Pokégear number so give me a call when you find out what it hatches into."

"Okay," Tyson agreed, taking the case from her and looking into it thoughtfully. "I'll be sure to take care of it. Say, do you actually know what it's going to hatch into."

"Yyeeesss," Elena replied in a teasing voice, giving him a wink. "But it'll spoil the surprise, won't it?"

"Yeah, I guess," Tyson grinned. "Thanks, Elena… for everything."

"And thank you for being a great student." Elena picked up her travel bag and left the room. "Make sure you get to the Pokémon League. I'll be looking out for you for sure."

She waved as she disappeared behind the wall and Tyson waved back weakly.

"Yeah… the Pokémon League…" he muttered to himself, looking down at the top of the egg case sadly. Who knew if he'd make it there before he had to leave, especially now that he wasn't sure whether he wanted to get there or not.

A/N: This chapter could alternatively be titled "Rock Smash and then Rock Smash again until it works!" (Don't ever do that. It never works. Rock Smash is terrible.) Also, next time we will take a break from battling to bring you Pokémon Contests! And we'll be doing it game-style because for the some reason the anime doesn't understand the concept of an alternative to battle.

Also, OR/AS came out between last update and now. I'm so excited but also a little sad because Battle Institute turned out to be in Mauville City. Oh well, I'll work my way around that somehow. Plus, the hot springs at the Pokémon Centre in Lavaridge Town got gender segregated, which actually disappoints me because when I first played Sapphire and saw that the hot springs were apparently unisex I thought it was equal parts awesome and hilarious. It also informed my headcanon that Pokémon Centre bathrooms were unisex because that would be hilariously awkward for a bunch of teenagers who are used to gender segregated bathing facilities. So I'm ignoring OR/AS and keeping my headcanon because it'll make things more fun.

Bonus time: 5 points if you can already guess what Pokémon is in that egg!