"Hey Zoey, have you seen Leon?" Gardenia asks later that night.
Zoey just smiles knowingly at the small little group.
"Well? Where is he? We are going to go get something to eat and want him to come along," Gardenia says.
"Think oh so smart gym leader? Where else would he be in such a diverse environment?" Zoey asks back smirking.
"He's on the beach," Lana says watching from the window as Leon, Beacon, Crystal, Ippo, Amber, and Zoey's Ralts were running on the beach training as Tsunami was seemingly training in the water.
"You have to be kidding me," Gardenia groans.
"No, and it's a good idea. Have you ever tried to run in the sand?" Lana asks.
"No, why?" Gardenia asks.
"Well, it's a good balance and endurance training. Sand is unsteady and sometimes even works against you so you have to put more effort into your work," Lana lectures Gardenia.
Zoey leans in beside her. "She's right you know."
"But why is your ralts down there?" Lana asks.
"Funny story…" Zoey chuckles nervously.
"Really?" Zoey asks surprised.
"Really, really," Leon says smiling as he helps little Crystal with her physic by pouring the sea water on her and making her catch it.
"And why mine?" Zoey questions.
"Because he might need the speed and stamina for it," Leon simply says and gets a pokeball thrown at him before it opens up to Zoey's ralts as she walks off. "I'll get him back later," Leon promises as Crystal gives a happy wave to the ralts who waves back.
"Leon could be a villain stealing our pokemon with that charm of his…unless you are joining the dark side," Lana says teasingly before stopping. "Did he give cookies?"
"Ha ha," Zoey laughs sarcastically.
"So…did he at least says what he and the others want?" Gardenia asks.
"…since you are pestering me so much, I will tell you. Since my ralts is male, I plan to evolve him into a Gallade one day. And being the part fighting type, the speed and stamina will be very necessary to him," Zoey grumbles.
"I was talking about the food," Gardenia says dryly with a list of supplies she is holding up.
"No, but you can go and try and catch up to them to see," Zoey says annoyed.
Gardenia shrugs smiling as she walks off proudly with Lana giggling in the background.
"What's so funny?" Zoey asks.
Lana tries to stop giggling. "Nothing," she snarks, trying to get herself to stop.
"Come on Ippo. You can hit harder than that," Leon says, holding up the training pads for his machoke to punch.
Ippo grunts as he braces himself against the ground and then punches one of the pads hard enough to push Loen back a bit. "Okay…that was a little too good," Leon groans as he takes the pad off and shakes his arm. "Got a good left hook there. If being a champion doesn't work out, maybe I can get you a life in boxing or MMA," Leon chuckles at as he tries to get feeling back in his arm.
"Ma," Ippo says excited ready to continue as the others kept training how Leon had instructed.
"Alright. Go work on the cliff. Just don't collapse it on top of you," Leon warns smiling and watching Ippo cheer and run off before going to check the others before lifting his glove up and, a moment later, Amber was there hitting it with mach punch. "Good. You used it in a moment's notice," Leon says making Amber smirk.
Amber gives a thumbs up at that.
"Now back to running," Leon says smiling while taking off the gloves so he could rub her head.
Amber moans happily and nuzzles back with him.
"Beacon, how are you, Crystal, and ralts doing?" Leon calls to the three still running.
Beacon cheer back at him happily before returning to panting for his breath.
"Good," Leon says letting Amber go to rejoin when someone covered his eyes.
"Guess who," Gardenia says.
"Hey, Gardenia," Leon sighs.
"Watcha doing?" Gardenia asks removing her hands.
"Training…isn't that obvious?" Leon asks, turning to her.
"What about dinner?" Gardenia asks, leaning against him.
"Later. Once they are done. They have the day off afterward to do whatever," Leon promises.
"So you plan to do this every night till we get a boat trip, huh?" Gardenia asks smirking.
"Nope. Every night, we up the training," Leon informs.
"How so?" Gardenia asks.
"Well, I take note of what they are having the easiest time with and the hardest time with. The hardest time won't get much more difficult, but the easy one, we make it harder," Leon informs.
"And by how much?" Gardenia presses.
"By how much I think is necessary," Leon informs as the three running laps pass them.
"So…your discretion?" Gardenia asks.
"Of course. I am a trainer," Leon says.
"Okay then…just don't push it too far," Gardenia says walking off.
"Sure thing…partially," Leon promises smiling as he gives a wave after her before returning his attention to the three running. "Run through water guys. It's a natural weight!"
Gardenia rolls her eyes and goes off to find some shop to help prepare some food for them.
Zoey looks at the map carefully as she plans out the route after the boat ride while Lana sleeps in another bed beside her. Then the deep panting outside the door caught her attention and makes her look to see it open up to Leon and the pokemon all tuckered out. "I'll say it. You all look like shit and went against a legendary at the same time."
"That's what training does," Leon tries to chuckle before groaning in pain as the others all went to anything soft and lays down on it, even the two psychics snuggling up into Beacon's coat.
Zoey shakes her head slightly amused before sighing. "Well, there is good news. Gardenia is cooking up something for you guys. So you have to stay awake long enough for it. Also, I got our tickets," Zoey announces as she shows four passes beside her. "It heads out in a few days so we can enjoy ourselves for a bit."
"Alright," Leon says looking up to her smiling face.
Zoey chuckles as she watches him walk over to her bed before lying down beside her. "Really tired yourself, huh? Thought only the pokemon would be knocked out."
"Yes, training isn't effective if you don't work yourself hard," Leon says.
"Weird. You're a weird guy. Like a lot. Even with your crazy battling style," Zoey admits smiling as she slowly runs a hand over his hair.
"My style I think can be best described as the ocean," Leon says trying to get up.
Zoey pushes him back down. "Rest easy."
"You curious what I am thinking?" Leon asks.
"Talk," Zoey says.
"Trying to go with always being ever changing and adapting," Leon says.
Zoey hums and keeps brushing his hair. "But at least you make things fun. And to think, you started out with hugging an electric pokemon."
"I do not regret that. Because now he is a friend," Leon says.
Beacon cheers once before groaning.
"I like the style you are trying to go with," Lana says sleepily.
"Is that getting shocked or is it battling?" Zoey asks humorously.
"Yes," Lana says simply.
"To which…" Leon starts to ask.
"Yes," Lana says again before giggling.
"Beacon?" Leon asks before noticing Beacon and the two psychic pokemon had managed to get into Lana's bed and start laying on her.
Beacon baas at him and snuggles into Lana's chest with the two psychic moving and fluffing some of his coat to get more comfortable.
"Well then. Zoey, you mind helping me?" Leon asks.
"With what?" Zoey asks, chuckling a bit.
"Getting up," Leon says as Ippo picks up the other two pokemon on the floor.
Zoey sighs as she helps him up. "Gardenia should be done soon."
"Lana, you watch those two, okay?" Leon asks as Ippo sets Rumble and little red on his shoulders.
Lana lifts a hand and does a little weak salute before dropping it.
"Now then, come on you," Zoey instructs.
"Easy. Muscles sore, it's catching up," Leon pleads as he is carried and dragged along.
The next few days happened very similarly to the group as it was play by day and train hard by night for Leon.
"Come on guys. Just a bit more," Leon calls encouragingly to everyone. Watching them train while he runs alongside today's running group. "After this, Gardenia is going to have some food ready once we get back," he adds and makes everyone work harder than before, but doesn't tell them it's time-based and it would be almost fifteen more minutes. The things you take for granted.
Leon chuckles as the running group passes by Crystal and Zoey's ralts using psychic on the water, trying to contain as much as they can in a sphere without spilling anything extra. Then passing by Amber trying to brave the water and working on protecting her flame. Echo himself trying to fly through the water, but gaining more height every time. The others battling each other or working on strength and some style. It seems that everyone has gotten into the groove of training under Leon's regimen.
Leon slowly comes to a stop and looks around to make sure everything is going well until he sees Zoey's ralts and Crystal back up from the water. He raises an eyebrow and walks over to them, checking to see what's going on. He looks into the water as the two get behind him a bit as he sees a krabby scuttling toward them. "Oh."
The krabby snaps its claws at them as it comes out of the water and keeps snaps it claws at them threateningly. "What did we do to you?" Leon asks, holding the two psychics behind him and making sure they are covered but gets a snapping claw in return.
"Well, if you won't use your words. Hey, little red," Leon calls as the one-foot krabby kept trying to get close and they move back.
Soon little red skitters up and locks eyes with the krabby. "He wishes to fight and attack us. We must battle," Leon explains, letting little red know he wanted her to battle the krabby.
The krabby clicks its claws at her, ready to fight. Little red chitters and clicks her own claws into the ground, ready for the oncoming onslaught. "Start the battle. Pin missile," Leon calls.
Little red chitters and holds out its now glowing claws, thin streams of needle-like attacks firing away and striking krabby, even going so far as to make clicking sounds as they all hit the shell. Krabby croaks and chitters, hiding behind its claws to protect itself in some way before reeling itself back and blowing off some bubbles. Little red instantly moving to the side by planting its claws into the sand and throwing herself away.
"So is this little red's first battle?" Zoey asks Gardenia and Lana as they watched.
"Should be. That little one hasn't battled in a while beside training," Gardenia observed as she kept trying to cook.
"And it kept trying to get out of the safari zone, right?" Zoey asks, turning to her.
"Like trying to sneakily catch a ride," Gardenia says.
"Then it might know a thing or two about moving," Zoey says smirking.
"The krabby is a bit on the quick side, changing things quickly…" Leon says to himself as he watches the fight and how krabby tends to switch attacks on the fly.
"It's a little on the small side," Lana comments.
"Smaller than normal krabbies," Gardenia adds.
"Maybe that's a little boost to itself," Lana states as they watch krabby throws it claws into the ground, firing muds of sand at little red and trying to hit her. Little red still throwing herself around by digging her claws and tail into the sand.
"So this is all about speed?" Zoey asks.
"Yep. Whoever is quickest might be the winner," Lana seems to bet.
"I'll bet a hundred pokebucks as well," Zoey bets as well.
"But which is quicker?" Gardenia asks.
They all look back to the fight and sees that krabby's shell seem to shine and it giving a hard glare at little red. Making her fumble in her tumble, dodging the leftover bubble attack. Krabby then quickly scuttle to the side with Leon having trouble keeping track. "STOP!"
Little red quickly tries to stop with her tail but ends up getting grabbed by the vice grip and then lifted up and spun around widely. Little red chitters and curls up on herself, using both bite and then poison sting with one of her claws. Krabby cries out and throws her away, sending her into Leon which makes him grunt when little red crashes into him. Leon groans and looks up to little red as she stands upon his chest and looks worried at him. "I'm okay. Go," he urges and little red jumps off back towards krabby. Leon groans slightly and rubs at his chest.
Little red chitters loudly at krabby, wanting to give the same pain back to it that Leon got. Krabby snaps its claws at her before scuttling towards her, its claws snapping at her in front of it. Little red tenses up before jumping up a bit and then uses acupressure with her tail behind krabby, pinning onto his back and then backing off a little. Krabby then turns around and chitters before moving towards her again and stumbles in its step. Little red seem to smirk before rushing off and grab onto the top of it and wraps herself around the pins before twisting itself and throwing it to the rocks nearby. Making it hit hard and crack the rock. Little red charges while krabby is stumbling around before being knocked off again into the rock and taken out with the classic eyes.
"Nice job," Leon praises before getting ready to throw a pokeball at krabby.
Little red smiles proudly to herself and scuttle back to him as the pokeball hits and krabby is sucked right in without trouble as it dings before teleporting away.
"You did well," Leon says patting little red's head gently as Crystal and Ralts cheered little red.
Little pokes her claw toward the pokeball as it disappears, chittering something to ask about it.
"Oh, it went to the pokemon lab to be with the others. I am sure Omen and Fury will teach that krabby some manners," Leon says.
Little red seems to grin at that.
"Now then how about dinner you three?" Leon offers.
They all cheer before stopping and looking over to the building and them back to him.
"Go to Zoey. I will get the other four then join you," Leon says.
They all cheer and Crystal and ralts climb aboard little red before they scurry off.
Leon chuckles at the sight before going to get the rest.
"And now it looks like a regular battle…and here I thought he would be making holes in the sand to help him," Gardenia giggles at.
"Never going to let that go, are you?" Zoey asks.
"He caused damage to my gym," Gardenia says bluntly.
"So does nearly every other trainer who has a pokemon with moves like hyper beam and dig," Zoey reminds.
"Not as bad as him. He nearly destroyed the entire arena beyond repair," Gardenia lectures.
Zoey gave her the 'really' look, making Gardenia chuckle a bit, knowing she had been caught.
"Well…it was more than…" Gardenia coughs, trying to get her point across.
"Sit," Zoey instructs and Gardenia found herself following the order.
"Is she secretly a pokemon?" Lana asks, almost smirking.
"No, she just knows better," Zoey says.
Lana just giggles as they hear their room door open up. "Alright girls. We are back and done for the day," Leon calls.
"We saw what happened," Zoey informs as little red, Crystal, and ralts were playing, excited for dinner.
Leon chuckles nervously. "Yeah…it threatens those two and I had to do something."
"Little red won her first battle as well," Zoey adds.
"And you caught a krabby," Lana adds.
Leon sighs. "Yeah. Tough guy too."
"He was smaller than an average one I think," Lana adds as Ippo taps Leon's shoulder, reminding him they were there.
Leon gets out of the way and lets them through. "At least he can get his attitude checked by our two top female matriarchs."
"Seems very feisty. So any ideas with training him?" Lana asks.
"Fastest krabby alive," Leon says simply.
"Speed? That's it?" Lana asks dryly.
"How do most krabby and kingler's fight?" Leon asks.
"He's got a point," Gardenia says, cooking nearby.
"So defying expectation, huh?" Zoey asks.
"Well, speed will be the main focus. The secondary focus of his training, I think, would be his stamina and endurance," Leon says thinking on it more.
"As soon as he grows up," Zoey adds.
"Yes, that means a very good healthy diet and proper training," Leon says before looking at little red and considers a possible team of her and Krabby.
Little red chitters and looks up to see him staring at her.
"You did well," Leon says patting her head, trying to cover for doing that.
Little red chitters happily as Zoey smiles at them before looking worried. "You are okay, right? She did get knocked into you."
"It was alright," Leon says.
"You sure…?" Zoey emphasizes.
"I am fine," Leon says trying to fool Zoey.
"…remove your clothes covering your chest," Zoey orders.
Lana and Gardenia lean over now, watching the whole thing when they heard this order.
"Zoey, that is not necessary," Leon tries to dissuade.
"Off," Zoey orders getting up, making Leon very reluctantly start to follow her order.
"You know…this is almost hot and scary at the same time," Gardenia whispers to Lana.
Lana turns and looks at Gardenia, analyzing her now.
Leon groans as he takes off the shirt and everyone looks to see a purple spot on his chest which lead to a small hole in the middle. Little red cries out worried and scurries over to him once they all saw this while Zoey looks carefully at it. "She didn't use any poison attacks when she was thrown, right?" Zoey asks, poking and prodding it.
Leon winced a bit as little red climbs onto his shoulder and looks at him worried the whole time. "No. She was just being thrown. Didn't feel it honestly…until I started to get up."
"…you come with me," Zoey instructs opening the door again.
Leon sighs and puts his shirt back before following her, placing little red on the bed as he left. "Be right back guys."
Zoey leads Leon out and to the pokemon center where Nurse Joy and Chansey were. "Nurse Joy can you look at my friend here. He was stung by his poison type pokemon when it was thrown at him during a battle," Zoey explains.
'Thanks for not making it embarrassing at least,' Leon thinks as chansey pulls him away to a room to be looked at with Nurse Joy following.
"Chansey, can you prepare an antidote please," Nurse Joy requests before turning to Leon as chansey led him to a chair. "Now what was your pokemon?"
"It's a red skorupi. I think she is smaller than the average one though," Leon says with the knowledge that some smaller venomous animal in his world usually had a more potent poison.
"Make it a double," Nurse Joy calls to chansey before lifting his shirt and looking over the wound. "Yes. Even without an attack, there is leftover poison on claws or pins that would leave a bad effect."
"Any signs I should look out for?" Leon asks.
"Obvious would be an attack at that moment. After which, any attack that is poison based must be washed off cleanly as possible. Otherwise, you might have to wait almost a day for the poison to be sullied enough to have no effect or minimal that it can go away naturally. Then there is anything that does not belong to the areas of the pokemon which can injure you in any way possible. Usually is dark purple fluid, but it could be something else at times. The best thing to handle it all is just hot water or a good stream if on the trail," Nurse Joy lectures as chansey brings the antivenom.
"I mean like hot flashes, disorientation, that kind of stuff," Leon says as Nurse Joy prepares the needle.
"Weakness, fever, drowsy, some hot flashes, and a need to keep hot," Nurse Joy lists off easily as she takes out some antivenom.
"Then there is the biggest thing you have to deal with," Zoey adds.
"Which is?" Leon starts before wincing slightly when Nurse Joy pushes in the needle.
"Dealing with little red," Zoey points out before sighing. "How are you going to handle her?"
"She did nothing wrong," Leon says.
"Not in her mind. What are you going to do?" Zoey asks again.
Leon thinks for a bit as he feels the antivenom being pushed in. "Can you tell Gardenia to really cook my food and hers. I think I can calm her down and everything."
"Some reassurance is good," Zoey says.
"Also, nurse joy you got the antivenom very fast. Is poisoning a problem around here?" Leon asks.
"Mostly the pokemon that need it. We are near a forest enough that there is a lot of venom types in there that will attack trainers and other pokemon," Nurse Joy explains.
"Nothing in the water?" Leon asks.
"Sometimes. Mostly tentacools," Nurse Joy adds as she takes out the needle and looks it over before nodding and walks away a bit, letting chansey clean it up and bandage the area.
"Lana will want to catch one of those I bet," Leon says looking at Zoey.
"I bet she would. Is he good?" Zoey asks, turning to Nurse Joy.
"Thank you," Leon thanks, making chansey smile.
"Yes. He can go. Just take it easy," Nurse Joy lectures.
"Alright…now another bit to deal with," Leon sighs as he pulls his shirt on.
"She'll forgive you. Just need a little encouragement," Zoey says smiling.
"Back," Zoey says walking back into the room with Leon behind her who stops and looks to the little scorpion pokemon curled up and shaking on the bed.
Leon sighs as he picks her up and cradles her while she curls up more as Zoey grabs a few containers of food before giving it to him. "And you don't need luck," she says smiling, making him smile back and walk off.
"No doubt this will work," Lana says confidently.
"Hey there," Leon says carrying little red and holds her while walking off.
Little red slowly peeks out and sees him behind her claws before hiding behind it again.
"You did good," Leon says petting her.
Little red chitters shakingly as he carries her out to the beach and sets her down, putting the food down as well.
"Time to eat," Leon says petting her still.
Little red chitters as Leon sets out the food in front of her and waits as he does the same to himself, waiting for her to start eating.
After a few minutes, little red peeks out and sees the hot cooling food and then looks over to Leon and sees him just staring out to the sea. She looks back to the food and reaches out before grabbing some and eating it, then hearing Leon starting to eat himself.
"It was not your fault. None of it was," Leon assures.
Little red partly looks to him and then back to her food as she shakily tries to eat.
Leon, seeing this, picks her up and sets her in his lap and starts to feed her, saying nothing more.
Little red chitters a bit as she kept eating before shaking widely and then launching herself at him and trying to hug him, crying silently to his ears.
"It's fine," Leon says putting her on top of his head.
Little red kept crying and hugging him before it descended into sniffles while he feeds her after calming down enough.
Leon smiles as he kept petting her as she ate.
Little red sniffs before climbing down and looking up at him in his lap, looking a bit worried. She then chitters before softly tapping his chest.
"It's all fine…" Leon says before seeing lights in the ocean.
Little red leans over and sets her head against his chest. "Take a look at that," Leon says shifting her to look at the light show.
Little red turns and looks at the water, seeing the lights dancing around and ends up being mesmerized.
Leon smiles as he keeps petting her while they watch the tentacool dance around in the shallows before humming and picking her up and snaps her out of the scene. "You know…after today, I got a way better name," he says cradling and hugging her. "I think I have an idea because you are so precious. Your name will be Ruby," Leon says.
She blinks before seemingly smiling widely and tearing up.
"Don't start crying again…cookie?" Leon offers, holding up a cookie for her.
Ruby blinks at the cookie before opening her mouth and taking a big bite before nibbling it.
"Now, do you feel better?" Leon asks.
Ruby looks up smiling and nods before returning to nibbling on the cookie.
"Good," Leon says as they sat and watched the show.
"She good?" Zoey asks when the two returned.
Leon smiles as he cradles the sleeping Ruby in his arms. "Yeah. Ruby is fine. We just ended up watching the tentacool dance in the shallows."
"That sounds like a date," Zoey says teasingly before stopping. "Ruby?"
"I renamed her and we got to see the ocean light up from all the tentacool in the shallows," Leon explains.
"Tentacool?" Lana asks, picking her head up from the bed.
"Yeah, they were everywhere tonight. I bet on the boat you will have opportunities to catch at least one," Leon says.
Lana seems to look excited now as her eyes shine brightly.
"For now, sleep. You will need your energy," Leon says before climbing into his bed with Ruby.
Zoey shakes her head amused as Lana now yawns and curls up in her bed. "Nighty night."
"Night," Leon says closing his eyes.
Zoey smiles as she walks over to him before leaning down and kisses his cheek. "Night."