A/N: I own a copy of at least one game from every Generation, but that's about it.
TRODAIRE
Trodaire was right. It was an incredibly stupid idea to anger a Dragon Master. Clair was seething about that slight for days after the fact, thinking of the right way to get back at that little rat who dared to insult her and imply that her Dragon heritage was somehow invalid because her mother had married into the Clan. So one day, during an interview for a completely unrelated topic, she casually let slip that Steven Stone was seeking training against her cousin Lance with some unknown scrub from Orre…
Which is how Trodaire found himself in the same room with Steven Stone and that intrepid reporter Gabby of Hoenn TV and her trusty cameraman Ty.
"This is quite the place!" Gabby said, her bubbly personality a surprising contrast from what Trodaire expected. He had assumed that the smiles-and-grins attitude reporters developed was all an act, and once the camera wasn't rolling they were mean-spirited. So far, Gabby was disproving that notion wholeheartedly. Even Ty seemed like an ok guy, if only a little bit of a parrot to Gabby's ideas.
"Thanks." Trodaire said quietly. Hate was not strong enough a word. Trodaire loathed self-promotion. Steven didn't seem to mind that much, however.
"What were you planning on doing for the special, Gabby?" He asked. He was familiar with her methods: absolutely dedicated reporting, with perhaps her only flaw being a little bit of a flair for the dramatic. Also, she tended to let her subjects say more or less whatever they wanted, so it was entirely possible that she could be completely and totally trolled if one so chose.
"Nothing serious!" She said. "Just a short interview with the challenger, and then with his trainer, and then maybe some footage of you training!" She checked her microphone. "This is going to be so exciting!"
It was strange, but as Trodaire continued to privately grumble about this inconvenience, he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him.
SABRINA
Sabrina was staring out her window in her private office, watching the news van that was parked in front of the Fight Club, drinking a green tea to help her growing headache, and privately sympathizing with Trodaire. I hate the press, too.
"Madame Sabrina, what have we discussed about reading others' minds and feelings?"
"Oh, be quiet Alakazam." Sabrina said. "Hatred for the paparazzi is practically a thought that belongs in the public domain."
STEVEN
Steven, on the other hand, did not mind in the slightest. He'd dealt with Gabby before in the past. This was going to be a piece of cake. It helped that Gabby (off the record) wanted him to win, and wasn't going to ask him deliberately condescending questions. Not like that one hack A.S. Holman, who was frequently and deliberately accused of reporting with an agenda, and an agenda that led to him getting punched in the face very often.
Gabby wrapped her arm around Steven's waist to bring him closer to her so that they both fit in the camera, and squinted into the light.
"Ty, bring the flash down, will you?" She asked. Steven squirmed a little bit. He didn't like the fact that she was being so touchy-feely, but knew that Ty was going with a rather small camera lens for this interview. Gabby knew a thing or two about presentation, and stated that if they were in a quiet and dingy gym they should have a camera that reflected that atmosphere. Steven had noticed Trodaire bristle at her calling his gym "dingy," but hadn't said anything. Steven had shushed him with a silent stare that she hadn't meant it that way.
When the glare from the camera light went down, Gabby began to speak.
"Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of Trainer Highlight! I'm your host Gabby, and with me is one of our favorite trainers in the world: Hoenn's own Steven Stone!" She said excitedly. Without missing a beat, Steven immediately looked to the camera and smiled a little grin.
"It's always great to be profiled by you guys, Gabby." He said. From off-camera, Trodaire watched this display with a combination of amusement and genuine impressment. Steven was buttery smooth in front of a camera. It was clear that, if nothing else, he had Lance's ass kicked when it came to interacting in front of the public.
"Steven, we're here in a rather interesting place." Gabby continued. "Normally for a battle of this magnitude, we'd expect you to be training with one of the Frontier Brains in the Hoenn Chapter of the Battle Frontier, but instead we're all the way here in Saffron City in a little place called The Fight Club. I like the name and feel of the place myself, but why here of all places?" She asked. Trodaire could tell that part of her delivery was for the showing, but he was pleased to detect a genuine level of curiosity underneath her probing. The woman was seriously interested in her subjects.
"Well, that's part of the reason that I decided to choose here." Steven said. "I suppose that I could train with Brandon, but his Pokemon don't really simulate the feel of facing Dragons, and that is something that he freely admits. Also, I will confess to a feeling of cavalier attitude towards this event." He said.
"What do you mean by that?" Gabby asked, clearly detecting a juicy quote for a sound bite to use in the future. To her delight (and Trodaire's confident approval), he did not disappoint.
"Well, let's be honest here." Steven said. "Nobody believes that I can beat Lance. In fact, I've heard from some sources that I won't even knock out one of his team in the battle. If I were in League-sanctioned places training, no doubt the press would be hounding me to the point of not being able to effectively train. Because Trodaire's place is new and off the grid (in a manner of speaking), I can get a lot more work done."
*Translation: So basically, what I'm saying is I am actually doing work in order to kick Lance's ass. I'm not about to be a doormat.*
"What's your reaction to Lance's cousin, the respected Dragon Master Clair, commenting that you won't be able to land a single hit on one of Lance's own?" Gabby asked.
"Well, Clair has always been proud of her Dragon heritage and the success that Lance has brought the Clan. Hopefully I prove her wrong, otherwise we're all in for a great big let-down." Steven deftly replied.
*Translation: I can steamroll that dumb broad's team in a heartbeat, and she knows it. So naturally, she hides behind her much more accomplished relative.*
"Last question, Steven. What can you tell me about your coach Trodaire and his training methods?" Gabby asked. Steven smirked.
"Trodaire is a creative guy, energetic like a sparkplug, and my team enjoys working with him. We're looking to put together a great showing against Lance." He said.
*Translation: I am not that stupid that I'm going to give away on live television what I'm planning to do to Lance's team, lest the guy happens to be watching and decides to game plan a counter. So here's a stream of clichés for your effort, Gabby.*
"Thank you for your time, Steven!" Gabby said brightly. She then turned to the camera. "And tune in for the big match between Steven Stone and the 'Steel Curtain' and the Legendary Lance. See you then!" She finished. The camera shut off. She turned to Steven and beamed. "It's so easy interviewing you, Steven. You always require just one take on each and every question. And don't think I was born yesterday: I know that last answer was a steaming pile of cliché designed to deny Lance a free shot at your Pokemon." She winked, and then sighed. "If only he was as congenial as you were in front of the camera." She said. Steven raised an eyebrow.
"I take it your interview with him hasn't materialized yet?" He asked. She shook her head.
"He's famously camera-shy. Remember that debacle when Mary from Pokemon Radio tried interviewing him after his loss to that kid friend of his all those years ago?" She asked. Steven's grin widened.
"I remember all right. The other champions still needle him for that. A chance to talk to Professor Oak and he disappears into the Indigo Plateau like a scared Bonsly." He shook his head. "Arceus, he's a good fighter though." Gabby nodded in agreement. With that, she and Ty disappeared through the front door. As soon as they left, Steven spoke again. "You know, it would probably be better for your business if you got in front of the camera every now and then, Trodaire."
"I'm running a gym, not an entertainment center." Trodaire fired back. He was busy rewiring the PSI counter machine as Aggron had broken the damned thing yet again. Paulie had taught him how to do it himself, so that the old man didn't have to keep dragging heavy electrical equipment into the gym to do it himself. "If people want to come to the gym, they'll come through your little endorsement of me in that TV spot of yours." He flipped up the protective mask he was wearing to guard against sparks and flashed a thumbs up. "Nice promo, by the way." Steven smiled with a small sigh.
"You're welcome. Now are you finished with that thing yet?" He asked. Trodaire flipped back on the mask and shook his head. He looked like a riot policeman with the thing, and Steven was trying not to mock how ridiculous it looked on him without the required police uniform to go with.
"'Fraid not. This baby takes time to cool down, even moreso when big guy over there tries to throw in a one-two combo on it." He said. From across the room, Aggron tried its best not to look guilty. It was failing. Badly.
"Fine." Steven sighed. "I guess we're gonna have to wait another day on punch readings, huh?" He asked. Trodaire ripped off the mask and nodded.
"Yeah. I've done all I can for one day." Trodaire admitted. "So we're gonna do something different today." He said. Steven raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? What's that?" He asked. Trodaire smirked.
"Got a pair of Pokemon that can fly?" He asked.
TRODAIRE
In hindsight, perhaps asking if Steven had a Flying Pokemon was a dumb idea. For now Trodaire was desperately grasping onto the back of a rather ornery Skarmory, whose sleek steel frame was unaccustomed to carrying someone that wasn't its master Steven. Speaking of which, the Steel master himself was sitting Indian-style on top of Metagross, which was currently using what Steven described as a complex relationship between its magnetic body and the electromagnetic spectrum in the atmosphere, or some stupid baloney like that because Trodaire had stopped listening halfway through. Besides, where they were stopping by, they weren't going to be worrying about silly things like electromagnetic spectrums or legitimate lessons on the laws of physics.
"Take us down here." Trodaire said to the Skarmory, indicating a rock quarry below them. Skarmory obliged, veering down into the area in question. Curious, Steven told Metagross to follow Trodaire's descent. After a minute of so, they were safely on the ground in the basin of the rock quarry. Steven raised an eyebrow.
"Why are we here, of all places?" He asked. Trodaire smiled.
"I figured we could do a special little practice today. Steven, how many Revives and Max Revives do you have?" He asked. The Steel master shrugged.
"Too many to be carrying around in one sitting. Why do you ask?" He said. As if to answer his question, there was an explosion of rock. A small boulder had been thrown in their general direction, and had shattered against the ground with a loud sound akin to gunfire. Steven hastily told Metagross to conjure a Protect field, and thus the group was presently safe from the flying debris coming from very annoyed Rock types whose daily routine had been disturbed by these humans and their Steel types.
"Here's the plan!" Trodaire shouted as another rock smashed against the protective wall. "These Graveller don't really hit terribly hard, but they'll make great cannon fodder for your three guys! Send out Aggron, Armaldo, and Excadrill and see how many of them we can take down before we have to make a run for it!" He said giddily. Steven looked at him like he was insane.
"Are you insane?" He asked pointedly. "What does that have to do with training against Lance?" He asked. Trodaire grinned.
"It has to do with endurance! Do they rest at throwing their 34th Graveller into the far rock wall, or do they dig down deep to find the inner strength to punch a nearby Geodude into space? That's what we're finding out today!" Steven had to admit, Trodaire was all kinds of crazy. But then again, he certainly wasn't getting training this risky from anything League-sanctioned. So maybe this was for the best. With a sigh, he sent out the three Pokemon in question, gave them their orders, and sat back and watched them go to work.
True to form, Aggron used its fists primarily. It would punch Rock Throws out of the air, each rock disappearing in a cloud of dust and shattered fragments. Whenever a Graveller got too close in an effort to use Body Slam (Gravellers were never pegged for their brains when fighting), Aggron would wind up and deliver a punch that quite simply sent them flying into the far walls of the rock quarry. And yet none of the Rock types in the area saw this as a sign that maybe the big Steel dinosaur-like creature should be avoided. Again, Rock types were never trained because they wowed in the critical thinking department.
Then again, the other two weren't much of a better option. Recognizing that they worked better together, Excadrill and Armaldo teamed up when dealing with the wild Pokemon. Excadrill would toss the heavier Pokemon Armaldo's way, who would take turns Power-bombing, choke-slamming, and suplexing them several feet into the ground. From their safe point on a higher plateau, Steven, Trodaire, and Metagross watched the carnage below them with rapt enjoyment. It was clearly obvious that the three Steel types on the ground below them were having the time of their lives as well.
"This is insane!" Steven shouted as Aggron punted a Geodude into a nearby rock formation with the force one reserves for a seventy-yard field goal attempt. "I've never seen them moving so quickly!" He said. Trodaire grinned.
"That's what all of those weighted ankle exercises were for! Moments exactly like this!" He chuckled. He then frowned. "Say, is it just me or do you feel an earthquake?" He asked. Steven frowned as well.
"I'm feeling it too. But-" Then his eyes widened in horror. "Trodaire, that's no earthquake! It's a-"
But it was too late. The ground began to splinter and crack beneath the feet of the three Steel types below, and they all scrambled to safer and sturdier ground as they watched whatever it was that was causing such seismic activity. There was a terrible noise, like that of a monster's roar mixed with grinding metal. As the massive beast rose from the ground like a demon from hell, Steven finished his panicked shout.
"STEELIX!"
STEVEN
He had been a master of Steel types for just about his entire life, and Steven considered himself a powerful trainer. Just about every one of his Pokemon were Pokemon that only an expert trainer should even try to master, and the Pokemon League more or less considered him their leading expert on the Steel type.
But there was one Steel type that gave the young heir of Devon Corp nightmares, and it was staring him directly in the face with hate-filled eyes.
Picture, dear readers, a king cobra that was thirty feet long. Now imagine this king cobra has the width to its body of a school bus, and is coated in a skin that is completely metallic and armored. Postulate that this creature is firmly capable of tunneling past or even through the earth's core with nary a scratch to it (except perhaps a mild tanning). Assume that this creature constantly has a look of murder in its eyes, and that it is aggressive and territorial and extremely quick-tempered. Oh, and it can flatten a building to a pancake with one good swipe of its tail. And it's ornery because its beauty sleep was interrupted.
Now you've got a Steelix.
That was precisely the creature that had been rudely awoken from its nap by the three Pokemon brawling above its home, and now it was intending to dish out some revenge.
"What the hell is that?" Trodaire yelled in shock. It occurred to Steven that perhaps he had never seen a Steelix before, considering Orre is a dry place and doesn't have too many caves. He gulped.
"A Steelix. Hopefully this thing is immature, and it's a male." He said calmly. Trodaire raised an eyebrow.
"Why?" Trodaire asked. Steven sighed in defeat.
"Males are slower and less territorial. Also, females won't stop pursuing their prey until they're dead or it's knocked out." He finished. Trodaire raised his eyebrows in understanding.
"Oh…" He said. Then he smiled like a little kid. "Let's knock it the hell out." Steven turned to him in shock.
"You've lost your mind. No way you can knock out a Steelix! Slow it down, perhaps. Annoy or irritate it, most definitely. But we are not capable of knocking it out." He said. Trodaire looked pouty.
"How do you know until you've tried?" He asked. Steven had to admit that he had a point. They were distracted by a roar. Steelix had swung its tail like a whip, and while Aggron was able to duck out of the way Excadrill and Armaldo weren't so lucky. They were sent flying into the protective shield that Metagross was still casting, the force of which knocked them both out. That just left one Pokemon left against an infuriated Steelix.
"Oh lovely. It's a fully matured female." Steven deadpanned. "Just exactly what I was hoping it wasn't." He sighed. "What do we do?" Trodaire shrugged.
"Leave it up to Aggron. You know how hard it punches." He said. Steven looked at Trodaire, then to Aggron, and then to the Steelix, which was raising its head up for what appeared to be a Skull Bash. In that moment, Steven threw caution to the wind.
"AGGRON! USE MEGA PUNCH, AND HIT IT RIGHT IN THE FACE!" He shouted.
Aggron turned to face its master, nodded subtly, and then turned and faced the demon looming over it. The Steelix was at least four times the size of Aggron, perhaps even more. It was so high up it threatened to block Aggron's view of the sun. But the Steel Pokemon did not flinch. It had an order, and it was expecting to follow that order to the letter. It just had to wait for the right timing…
There was a metallic roar, and Steelix lunged for Aggron, intending to bury it under almost one thousand pounds of steel. Aggron planted its feet, curled its left hand fingers into a fist, and then with an equally loud roar threw the second greatest punch of its life.
If it was possible to hit something hard enough to create a sonic boom, Aggron had nearly done it. Steven and Trodaire watched in awe as the Steelix appeared to crumple over itself from the force of the punch it had taken, and topple head over heels (figuratively speaking) over the Aggron that continued to roar in defiance. There was an ear-splitting banging noise as the Steelix crashed to the ground, completely out cold. Only then did Aggron release the punch, and with an exhausted sigh collapse to its knees. Once the dust settled, the only thing still conscious in that ring of carnage (amongst the countless knocked out Geodude and Graveller and one big Steelix), only Aggron remained. There was a moment of silence. Trodaire turned to Steven.
"I think Aggron just won our inaugural Rock Quarry Gauntlet." He said.
A/N: Want to know exactly what Aggron's punch looked like? If you've seen the "I'm always angry" scene from The Avengers, you'll know what I mean. Thanks for reading and see you next time!