TEAM: Twigs (Thwackey) & Crumbs (Skwovet), Spike (Chewtle) & Tilda (Oddish), Hook (Galarian Slowpoke) & Cress (Grubbin)
Flare's POV
There I stood, at the top of this… long stretch of inclined land. Looking down at all the green. It was as if this area was meant to be run across. Or rather, rolled.
The two fence gates beside me opened to have a bunch of Wooloo roll up to me. There must've been about twenty looking up at me expectantly with those beady eyes. I let out Hook and Cress so they were by my side for this. The rest of my team was back at the lobby, but Hop said he had places to be. Good thing Twigs volunteered to watch over everyone.
I looked towards my pair of Pokémon and took a breath. "Hook, herd the Wooloo down the hill with me. Cress, we'll do the battling."
Hook didn't seem too pleased, probably because I kept Cress on my shoulder as I prepared to run down. Slowpoke looked too heavy anyway.
I started running down the slope with Cress on my shoulder, leaving Hook behind to somehow do the herding task. I could only hope it worked out.
I saw Hop do a bit of this so I knew what to do. Run down this course and make sure all the Wooloo reached the end with me. There were gym trainers along the way with Grass types I had to battle or else they'd scare the Wooloo away with their Yamper. I don't know why Grass type trainers had Yamper, but as far as I know I didn't have to beat the Yamper to beat the trainer. There was even a trainer at the end who Hop didn't need to battle to beat. It must have just been someone meant to count the Wooloo.
I quickly ran into the first trainer and set Cress down to battle. He sent out his Gossifleur, who went down in a single blow from Bug Bite. The trainer looked a bit disheartened, but recalled his Yamper and let me pass.
"Sorry!" I still apologized as I ran past him. These other guys must've been up and coming trainers left to train in gym duty. I just hoped I wasn't getting in the way of these young trainers' progress by winning so fast.
The next trainer put up more of a fight against Cress, at least. She had a Budew and an Oddish, both having types that made them resist Bug Bite a bit.
"Oddish, use-"
The trainer was interrupted when her Oddish suddenly floated into the air before being slammed into the ground, instantly knocking it out. Both the trainer and I stood shocked at what just happened.
"Must you take so long?" Hook called out to me from shortly ahead. "You must realize something's wrong if I'm ahead of you."
I looked to see that he was levitating the entire flock of Wooloo near him. They were all struggling and flailing their little legs, but they were stuck levitating. Was that how Hook had been keeping up? He didn't seem like he could levitate himself, so it was impressive to think he simply walked all the way here. Unless he also rolled?
I didn't have much time to think about it before running ahead with Hook and Cress. Of course, I apologized to the trainer before continuing.
After a bit more running ahead of Hook and his floating sheep, I saw the giant piles of hay bales blocking off the path. That must've been what I needed all these Wooloo for. Seeing as we were almost there, I looked back to see how far back Hook was, and-
I suddenly cried out when I looked ahead to see a Boltund running towards me at surprising speed. There was only a second before the yellow blur bounded right up to me. I knew they were fast, but I've never actually seen one in person!
Before I could react, the big dog leapt at me and knocked me down. There was little I could do to stop it from eagerly licking my face, but as surprised as I was, I wasn't complaining. "Hey! Come on, stop!" This was my first time meeting a Boltund, but I didn't expect them to be this outwardly friendly. Even with my back to the grass, I couldn't help but laugh at the affectionate doggy.
"Call back your dog! It's eating my trainer! Stop!" I heard Cress call out.
The Boltund suddenly stopped and left me be when someone nearby whistled. Wiping my face as my laughter wore off, I looked to see the Boltund head back to a trainer right by the stack of hay.
Cress looked up at me. "Are you okay? Oh, good. You still have a face."
I put Cress back up on my shoulder and looked ahead to the trainer with the Boltund. As I walked closer, I saw this trainer looked different than the others here. They looked older, noticeably much taller, but wearing sporty multicolored shades and a large helmet so I couldn't identify much in terms of features. They still wore an adult sized version of the Grass gym uniform, so they didn't look too out of place here at least. The Boltund was definitely something else, I didn't remember seeing Hop go up against that.
"Hey…" I called out to get the trainer's attention. "That Boltund will definitely scare away the Wooloo. Should I battle to get you to call it back?"
The trainer seemed to be telling the Boltund something before looking at me, as if surprised. They didn't speak, simply clearing their throat before taking out another Pokéball. Must be shy.
I sent Cress forward as the trainer tossed the Pokéball to reveal an Eldegoss. I was a bit surprised to see an evolved Pokémon here, but I knew I still had to fight.
The trainer silently nodded at the Eldegoss and it nodded back, and as if by pure understanding the Eldegoss started charging up an attack of some sort.
"Cress, use Bug Bite before it can do anything!" I quickly called out.
Unfortunately I must've misjudged a Grubbin's speed because it didn't seem like she'd reach the Eldegoss in time. At least, it looked like that. Even as Cress frantically inched closer, the Eldegoss just continued tensing up and charging up… something. Is it… even going to do anything?
Just as Cress got closer, the Eldegoss suddenly fell to its side, as if instantly knocked out. I just stood surprised at how fast that ended.
Cress stood surprised as well. "Did I win?"
As if in response, the trainer simply sighed and returned both the Eldegoss and Boltund, the latter seeming disappointed to be recalled.
Cress just seemed bewildered as I picked her up and placed her back on my shoulder. "Am I really that strong?"
I smiled at her. "Maybe that's a good thing. At least we got that over with quick enough." I looked behind me. "I wonder if Hook has caught up…"
He was actually right nearby, levitating Wooloo in tow. "Right here. It seems I've missed a battle." He sounded disappointed about the fact. Hope I wasn't being too hard on this grumpy Slowpoke.
Hook promptly set the Wooloo down, causing them to roll across the incline and ram into the hay bales with a collective effort. The combined impact sent every bale flying away as if it was nothing. I just continued watching in surprise as the Wooloo rolled away through other fence gates. Did they really do all that with a Tackle?
Hook didn't seem as amused though. "I could've simply done that myself. I don't see why we needed those blasted sheep."
The quiet trainer from before let me and my team pass and we reached the end of the course. All that was left was the staircase up ahead leading right to the stadium.
I took a breath as I glanced at the two Pokémon that would be accompanying me for this. I would really be doing this. My first Gym battle lied right past the doors at the top of these stairs.
"Let's go."
Author's POV
Turffield Stadium was packed as usual. Rotom drones hovered about, catching a live feed of the commotion that day. Audience members young and old cheered, waving their green flags and cheering for their beloved Gym Leader. At the center of the absolutely large stadium was a Pokéball pattern serving as a divider. There Milo stood, waving to the cheering crowd as he awaited his next challenger.
From a corridor, Flare stepped out with her two Pokémon at her side. She let the thought of all this commotion settle in, staring in silent amazement as she did. Back in Motostoke at least the cheers were for all the different trainers who were also there. This time the eyes were on her specifically. Even Hook and Cress were in awe at the attention here.
It was rare to see Hook so wide-eyed. "Such cheers… are those of… praise?" If he looked hard enough at the crowd, he still caught some weird stares here and there directed at him, but he didn't mind.
"Wow," Cress commented, admiring the view from Flare's shoulder. "You humans sure know how to make a lot of noise. I like it."
Flare knew she had to meet Milo at the center of the stadium before the battle could begin, that largely built trainer with a large hat and a puffy green scarf around his neck. She tried to put herself at ease by associating the thought of a scarf with Crumbs, even noticing how docile both seemed at a closer look.
Milo smiled at her as she came closer, waving as he did so. "Welcome, Gym challenger! You must be really in sync with your Pokémon if you've made it this far! Ready for a Dynamax battle?"
'In sync?' It was still jarring for Flare to be standing in front of a Gym Leader like this, let alone having one talk to her directly. Well, she did encounter Klara, but she supposed that it was because Klara had a more casual personality. On second thought, Milo seemed very friendly too, so Flare chalked it up to having this stadium-sized crowd having its eyes on her.
Still, she steeled herself and nodded at Milo. "I'm ready." In her focus she noted the surging energy that seemed to pulse through her Dynamax Band.
Milo seemed pleased. "No need to be so serious. Think of it as another fun tussle."
The reassurance helped put Flare at more ease and she managed a smile. No pressure, she remembered Hop saying.
The two trainers took their positions on far opposite sides of the stadium as an announcer's voice boomed throughout the stadium.
"Ladies and gentlemen of Turffield Stadium, it's time for another battle with the Grass Badge on the line. On home turf, it's Turffield's own fighting farmer Milo! And challenging him this time is Gym Challenger 71!"
The crowd roared in anticipation, most of the cheers being Milo's own fans.
"Trainers… begin!"
Flare set Cress down onto the field. "You got this, Cress!"
She nodded back. "I won't let you down!"
Hook simply watched by Flare's side and sighed, knowing well he wouldn't see much battling.
On the other side of the field, Milo simply smiled as he spun the Pokéball holsters on his side. He plucked out an Ultra Ball and sent his Gossifleur onto the field.
"Bug Bite!" Flare called out.
It took a bit for Cress to hear from how large the stadium was and how far the trainers were. However, the moment the Grubbin realized it, there was little she could do about the spinning Gossifleur flying right her way. The impact of the Rapid Spin quickly knocked Cress off balance, but she shook it off and tried to focus.
She heard Flare call something out, but she didn't need to hear what she said to know what she needed to do. It seemed like instinct at that point, knowing Flare asked her to do something and already understanding the sentiment behind it. Cress tried to focus on her hovering foe and braced for another Rapid Spin attack, this time readying her mandibles.
The Gossifleur struck head on, but Cress was ready and caught the spinning Grass type in her pincers, squeezing with the impact of a Bug Bite. The Gossifleur stopped spinning and cried out.
"Ow! I'm done, uncle, uncle!" The Gossifleur panickedly tried to struggle from Cress' grip.
The Grubbin took this as a sign to stop and released the Gossifleur, who weakly squirmed back to Milo's side.
Flare just watched the whole thing happen with a confused look on her face. "Did… that count?" It was then that she noticed her confused look and voice being filmed by a Rotom drone and being broadcast on one of the large monitors of the stadium.
Milo spoke back through another giant monitor. "My Gossifleur doesn't take battles too seriously either, but I still have a Pokémon who's tough!"
He sent out an Eldegoss, which immediately gave Flare a sign of what was to come next. She looked to her Dynamax Band which was still glowing red with energy.
She called out to her Grubbin. "Cress! I'm going to have to Dynamax you for this!"
Her Bug type simply looked back in confusion at the unfamiliar term. "You're gonna what?!" Hook simply rolled his eyes at Cress' response, still disappointed to remain at the sidelines.
Both trainers proceeded to return their Pokémon into their Pokéballs, the Dynamax Energy flowing into the ball to make it a larger glowing sphere.
"We're still tough as weeds, you hear!" Milo spoke through the large monitor. "You're about to be uprooted!"
As Flare clutched the Dynamaxed ball containing Cress, she wished she had a cool line to say in return. Alas, she didn't, and all she could hope for was to make her first ever Dynamax throw count.
Milo patted his ball affectionately before doing a jolly one-handed toss ahead of him while Flare tried her best to heft the heavy ball with both hands. The audience in the bleachers all cheered even louder in anticipation.
Both Dynamaxed balls burst to reveal the Pokémon inside, this time reaching colossal size to take up a good size of the stadium they resided in.
Cress just stood utterly shocked at her new gigantic state. The Grubbin looked from how all the humans in the bleachers looked absolutely tiny and how there were glowing red clouds hovering above her. And then she noticed the Eldegoss she was supposed to fight also at a gigantic size.
"Whoa!" Cress called out, her surprised voice reaching a booming volume that even she was surprised by. "This really feels like something out of a weird dream."
Flare's tiny voice called out from behind her. "Cress! We still have to fight! Try attacking!"
The Grubbin understood the command and tried crawling closer to the Eldegoss, who simply tensed as if readying an attack. All of a sudden, a large burst of energy erupted beneath Cress, the energy geyser dealing noticeable damage. The sudden powerful blow left the Grubbin completely disoriented, as if getting adjusted to her large size wasn't enough.
On the far end of the field, Flare started to panic, still not quite sure how to command a Dynamaxed Pokémon properly. She saw how weakened Cress looked from the Max Strike and scrambled to get a Potion from her bag. It seemed dangerous to run across the field so she could heal her Pokémon, but she didn't seem to care.
"Hold it right there!" Hook exclaimed before Flare could make a run for it. "What do you think you're doing?"
Flare just shot him a look. "I have to heal Cress! She's getting beat out there!"
Hook's eyes shifted to the Potion in her hands and he sighed. He levitated the Potion towards him and sat down so he could hold it in his paws. He felt around the top of the spray bottle for a bit before handing it back to Flare.
Her eyes widened when she saw that at the spray of the bottle there was a little tube where the healing substance would come out. "Did you always know they could do that?"
Hook raised an eyebrow and frowned. "Did you take me for a fool? Just heal the bug already. You can do it from here."
Flare listened to his advice and took aim, not that it was particularly hard to miss the giant Grubbin ahead of her. Once she sprayed, the healing mist condensed into a thin blast that quickly shot out and reached Cress. The effect was immediate, causing the Grubbin to feel instantly rejuvenated and get back on her feet. She saw the next Max Strike coming and pivoted to the left so it only scraped her side.
Flare quickly took out her phone and used the Pokédex app to scan for what moves Cress could use. "Okay, Cress! Now that you're Dynamaxed, you can use Max Flutterby!"
Cress heard the command but still had yet to fully understand it. The move sounded unfamiliar to her, and all she could think of was the swell of Dynamax energy and the need to put it somewhere. "Here goes!" Cress began to harness the powerful energy into her mandibles as if to augment her Bug Bite, but instead, green energy blasts shot out from her pincers. Each blast took a shape similar to fluttering bugs and flew towards the Eldegoss in a rapid barrage. The large Grass type could only stand wide-eyed before all the energy bugs burst in a pattern similar to a hexagonal green dome.
The large Grubbin only stood amazed knowing she caused that damage. Even doubly amazed when the dust cleared to reveal the Eldegoss still standing.
"It's time to leave you in shock and awe!" Milo exclaimed. "Max Overgrowth!"
Flare called out a command too. "Max Flutterby, again!"
Both giant Pokémon used their attacks at the same time. Cress shot out more fluttering projectiles while the Eldegoss shot out projectiles resembling giant seeds. The Max Flutterby coated the Eldegoss with more energy bugs while the Max Overgrowth seeds seeped into the field and got green energy glowing in the ground beneath Cress and ready to blow.
The Max attacks let loose at the same time, covering the field in two Dynamax-sized explosions that engulfed both Pokémon. Amidst the dust, both Pokémon started glowing a bright reddish hue that engulfed them as their size started returning to normal, indicating the end of the Dynamax period. The cheers of the crowd went silent as they waited in bated breath for the dust to clear.
Even being at a far edge of the stadium, Flare and Hook had to shield their eyes from the exchange of attacks that just occurred. When the dust eventually settled down, Flare narrowed her eyes to try to find where Cress was on the field.
"Cress! Cress, where are you?" She cried out, unable to see the Grubbin among the green.
"Chill out, I'm right here." It took Flare a closer look to realize that a green box had crawled up to her. "That was awesome."
Flare quickly realized what happened and picked the Charjabug up. "Cress! You've evolved!" She held her tight, hugging her. Hook merely watched on, all the more surprised, but still envious.
"Whoa. So that's what that glowy was." Cress was surprised too, both at the gesture at the phenomenon. "Did I win?"
It was then that Flare's attention was caught by the sound of a Pokémon being recalled into its ball, all the way from the other side of the field.
"There we have it, folks! Eldegoss is down and Gym Challenger 71 is victorious!"
The crowd roared in cheers at the confirmation, and even amidst it all Flare thought she heard '71' and 'Grubbin' being called out a few times. Flare and her two Pokémon walked back to the center of the field where Milo was.
He seemed pleased about the whole ordeal, smiling as if he just had the time of his life. He wiped his brow with his scarf. "That must have been a fulfilling Pokémon battle for you, evolving a Pokémon and all! Now, can I see your Challenger Band so I can give you your very own Grass Badge?"
Flare recalled what that was and took out the thin large ring that was called that. It was given to her during registration in Motostoke and she still didn't know why it was designed the way it was.
Milo smiled and nodded at the sight of it, proceeding to hand Flare a metallic looking symbol with a green emblem on it. As he did, the badge attached itself to one side of the Challenger Band, seemingly magnetic.
"Wow…" Flare commented, holding the Challenger Band in her hands and admiring it.
Once she put it back in her bag, Milo outstretched a hand to invite her for a handshake. His grip was surprisingly gentle for his large frame.
"You know, I've picked the trainers and Pokémon you've come across in this Gym, so I hope it didn't seem too easy," Milo spoke as they shook. "I just like surprising newer trainers by being the first to send a strong evolved Pokémon against them. I even made sure the Grass type trainers here all used unevolved Pokémon!"
Already, something about that didn't sit right with Flare. "But I remember battling someone here who also had an Eldegoss."
Milo's smile dropped. He slowly withdrew his hand. "That's weird. I don't remember assigning an Eldegoss to a Gym trainer here."