Chapter Thirty-Nine:
Show Her Our Teeth

Disclaimer: I do not own the series Pokémon. Like, at all. It and all its respectable characters are © to Game Freak and Satoshi Tajiri. However, all writing contents and semi-plots here are © to me; unless it is stated otherwise. All shows/ books/ video games/ songs that are mentioned in this chapter are all © to their respective owners, I do not own them.

Notes: A bit of another 'and now for something different' kind of chapter, and this one was was fun to work with! I wanted to touch on the aspect of "why do you keep filming, there's danger and death ahead!" and also to break away from the team we know, just for a little while and see it from the outside. I want to do more Steven tidbits, and also establish the training center, but they will come about later on.

Current Team: Keno the Marshtomp, Sela the Mightyena, Ambrose the Kirlia, Faye the Swellow, Nux the Gyarados, Gunner the Aron

Badges Won: Stone Badge, Knuckle Badge, Dynamo Badge

"Show me your teeth, and I will tell you who you are."
- George Cuvier

Steven greeted the approaching pair with a jovial smile painted on his face, reaching a hand first out to the woman, who bore a microphone like a torch. She had her auburn hair pinned up, making it appear as though she had a bob haircut. She was dressed smartly, a pair of dark slacks, a loose white button-up shirt and matching dark blazer, and a pair of sensible heels completing the look. The cameraman was laxer in his outfit, donning a plain olive green t-shirt and grey plaid button-up shirt over that, with a pair of jeans and scuffed up sneakers topping him off. He bore a camera on his shoulder, adjusting the brim of his baseball cap to account for the device. Steven shook the cameraman's hand second, and then the Hoenn Champion motioned in the current class's direction. Rust hissed softly beside him, and he patted the Skarmory reassuringly.

"—I know that this is rather unorthodox but given all the necessary precautions we've had to install in order to get this place up and running, I'd rather like to show the region just the kind of people willing to take these courses here at the Hoenn Survival Training Center. There are many things that could benefit the different types of trainers we've seen grow into their own over time."

"Of course, Champion Steven, that—uh, may I call you that? I can? Thank you. That makes a lot of sense. It isn't just the program concerning traveling by pokémon that benefits many people in the region, but it also informs them of the dangers that could occur if they become complacent. It's rather impressive how you began adding in other essential teaching models, such as basic camping and foraging and other wilderness survival classes. Tell me, what inspired you to make such a move?"

The woman walked with a crisp snap to her step as she easily kept pace with Steven, as did her cameraman. He led the way in a slow loop around the students. Several had already set fire to their designated campsites. Some were struggling and the instructor was assisting them, one by one.

"I've seen other regions conduct similar programs as additional schooling and courses, and when I realized we had little in comparison, I knew we had to do something to rectify this glaring flaw in our system. Ever since we've had the survival center installed, we've had lower rates of injury, accidents, and death for both trainers and pokémon alike. We want everyone to be safe."

The questions Gabriella "Gabby" Wright continued to lob at him were fairly standard. He had to dodge at least one hardball question, but it otherwise was entirely what he had been expecting. She was entirely too excited for his tastes throughout the entirety of the interview, and he had a gnawing feeling what was to come next.

"Champion Steven, thank you so much for your time today, I understand that you have a rather full schedule as it is."

"Yes, of course, I always try to leave my schedule open for the public—"

"Is it because you're completely preoccupied with the issues arising from Team Aqua and Team Magma as of late? There's been a rise in activity from both the extremist terrorist groups, although Team Aqua actions appear to be on a much larger scale. According to polls"

Ah, there it was. Steven's Skarmory, Rust, was especially incensed by the line of questioning and made no effort to hide his displeasure by puffing up his feathers and advancing menacingly onto the reporter and her cameraman. Rust stopped only by the grace of Steven's hand rising to call him off. Gabby appeared nonplussed, while Ty leaned his head away from the viewfinder to frown.

"Team Aqua is the main focus of our concern at this time. From new evidence given to us by eyewitness accounts, it seems as though Team Magma is only seeming to "rise" in notoriety alongside Team Aqua in an effort to oppose them and their activities. So far, they have not contributed to terrorist acts such as theft of property and pokémon or any bombings, such as in the case with Lilycove just a few days ago."

The microphone Gabby had been pressing toward him, an inch at a time, was closer than ever. Rust hissed in warning, and Gabby's eyes flicked to him, momentarily distracted. Steven took that moment to give himself some space, stepping back. He busied his hands with dusting off his pants. Steven continued when her attention returned to him, cutting off any follow-up questions she might have had.

"I know that the activities of both organizations have been questionable at best—especially those concerning Team Aqua—and we of the League certainly do not condone any of their actions. However, I do believe that, however misguided their actions may be, Team Magma is not a direct enemy like Team Aqua is. What evidence we've seen between the two, Team Magma appears to be absolutely opposing their counterparts completely, such as leaving behind detained members of Team Aqua for our law enforcement to retrieve, so that our efforts facilitate some manner of progress."

These things take time, and I do apologize, sincerely, to the people of Hoenn, if our efforts appear to be paper-thin. But we are doing our best to contain these people, to ensure the safety of everyone in the region."

The last of his speech was directed toward the camera lens, with every ounce of sincerity that he could muster. He knew Rust had come in closer, in a show of solidarity between trainer and pokémon. It was an old comfort he still relied on to this day. Truthfully, he couldn't say whether this was live or not—Gabby had not made that clear. If it was, that would be a boon for him. If not, then Gabby and her cameraman could edit things the way they liked—whether it was beneficial or not for the situation at hand.

"You certainly seem sure of yourself," Gabby prodded, raising a brow.

"It's not a matter of certainty based on faith or my own perspective, it's a matter of evidence that I've seen provided and gathered by the law enforcement around the region. I don't like to hedge my opinions on unknown or unverified variables."

"That certainly seems to be the case, especially when it comes to your reputation as the Champion. Which reminds me, would you be willing to showcase to the viewers at home your skills on camera?"

Steven's lips curled into a polite smile. He shook his head. "No, I'm afraid I'll have to decline at this time. However, I don't want you to leave completely dejected. How about…one of our students here at the training center? And perhaps even an interview on top of that?"

Gabby's eyes lit up, giddiness anew but she quickly composed herself and turned languidly to view the gathered students. Ty carefully panned his camera to capture them on film as well, catching them in various stages of getting their campfires going. A few faces were turned to face the camera, nervous and elated. One student waved and smiled, a rail-thin, gaunt-faced young man whose clothes seemed ill fitting and made for a person two or three sizes larger than him.

Steven gently patted Gabby's shoulder and motioned with the other hand toward a young woman, the only one who had a pokémon out. She sipped from a personal coffee thermos, and was observing the three of them.

"I believe you'll find a good challenge with her," he stated with an encouraging nod.

"What's her name?"

"She goes by Miss Courier," he replied helpfully. Miss Courier snapped her head up, drawn to the new movement and straightened her spine when she realized what was happening. Her Marshtomp did as well, bright orange eyes just as attentive as its trainer's. Gabby had a spring in her step as she hurried forward, chatting over her shoulder to Ty about what angles she wanted, and what was going to be edited into their piece that would air later tonight.

Ah, so this wasn't live. His words earlier were at the mercy of Gabby and Ty's editorial parsing, then. Even he was subject to their journalistic control. He slowed his pace, making sure to remain behind Ty, so as to not obstruct the cameraman or the camera.

Gabby slowed her approach. Miss Courier stood, dusting the front of her hiking slacks, and asked for her Marshtomp to put out their campfire setting. Its lips curled upward into a toothless smile and nodded, then spat out a glob of water. The fire hissed and petered out, smoke curling into the air from the sizzling wood. The Marshtomp quickly followed its trainer, and Miss Courier thanked him.

"Hi there, is everything all right?"

"Hi, I'm Gabby, Gabby Wright with Hoenn News Network, Channel Seven." She presented her free hand out to Miss Courier, who hesitated, staring at it as though it might suddenly attack. Slowly, she reached out and shook Gabby's hand. "Wow, strong grip there! We're doing a piece regarding the survival training center and how well it has been doing so far, and I was hoping to get the perspective of a student attending, if you don't mind."

Miss Courier's lips pulled into a thin smile, one that was guarded and perhaps even a bit uncomfortable. She blinked at Gabby once before nodding, and then added, "I don't mind at all, I just…I've never done this before. Do I—do I pretend the camera's not there, or do I talk to the camera…?"

"Oh, we're not live, if that's what you mean. But yes, please pretend the camera isn't there."

"Yeah, just try to keep your attention on the real star here," Ty added with a chuckle. Gabby flashed him a smile of thanks and then returned her attention back to Miss Courier and nodded.

"Okay. Sounds good."

"Great! Before we start, do you go by Miss Courier or by another name?"

"Miss Courier is fine," she replied, face once more growing guarded and she shot Steven a quick glance, then looked back to Gabby. Rust snorted, bumping into Steven's shoulder and he chuckled, raising a hand and slipped a hand beneath his wing, where his feathers were the softest. The warmth of his partner soothed him, and despite his outwardly agitated state, Steven could feel Rust's heartbeat. It was fast, yes, but it was not racing at a breakneck speed. He was calmer than he let on and so Steven remained so as well.

"Of course. So, I know that it's only the first day of training, but what is your impression so far?"

Miss Courier took her time to reply, giving a sparing look behind her where her campfire, once blazing and proud, now stood wet and sizzling. It couldn't grow out of control now, that much was sure.

"I think it's good to revisit and sharpen old skills and learn some new ones, such as foraging or shelter building. Especially if you've lost out on food or your tent is damaged in any way."

Gabby nodded and then pressed on. "Do you have experience with camping of any sort?"

"Yes. I've done a bit of camping when I was younger. I know how to pitch a tent, purify water, and canoe when need be. I'm pretty interested in the hunting portion of the program. My Mightyena has brought me some rabbits before, and I was able to wing it in preparing them to eat and prepping their skins, thanks to some videos on Y—MewTube, but it'd be nice to have an expert in-person to offer their insight and knowledge."

"Impressive. So would you say you most likely have an edge over other students?" Gabby prodded and Steven frowned. It was slight, but it was noticeable what she was doing: interrogating rather than interviewing. He wondered if she had more hardball questions in her back pocket.

"I wouldn't say that," Miss Courier responded, choosing her words with care. Her eyes flicked to Steven again, a brow raised before turning her attention back to Gabby. "There's plenty of things that I don't know, and there's plenty more things to learn, just like the rest of the students here. It's actually a boon to be here. I would also like to have more freedom and options to move about, which is why I doubled up on classes for the privilege to utilize ride pokémon."

"Well, aren't you a go-getter! That is rather unusual as well, not a lot of people would block out their schedules for such a lengthy period of time for multiple programs. What made you do that?"

Miss Courier smiled once more, but it was strained, nervous.

"It's an imperative, more than anything. I want to be prepared in the case of any sort of abnormal situation, and the ability to move around besides using my legs and barring vehicles, whether it's in the sky or on the water, through the earth, or any other viable methods. I think anyone would appreciate that."

"And what would constitute an 'abnormal situation', as you call it?"

"Well, the landslide blocking the route to Lavaridge, for one. I know that currently anyone besides official personnel taking care of that aren't authorized for flights over the area, even with the right licenses."

Miss Courier paused to take a drink from her thermos, while Gabby frowned.

"I was actually leaning more toward the abnormal situations regarding the survival training."

"Oh. Sorry, I must have…" Miss Courier glanced nervously at the camera for the first time, then back to the other woman. She cleared her throat, fingers drumming along the surface of her thermos. "Well…I suppose something that would be in need for survival training would be other regions if I chose to travel elsewhere and I'm in unfamiliar territory or terrain. There are also long stretches of wilderness between certain towns and cities, supplies could unexpectedly run out, wild pokémon attacks could occur—the list is longer than you think. Knowing how to find and prepare food and water that won't make you sick, being able to set snares and traps, setting up a shelter for the long haul. I did some additional research for the last few days before classes began so that I could be more informed going in."

Good answer, Steven thought, surprised at the thoughtfulness of its entirety. In fact, it almost sounded rehearsed. He wouldn't have blamed her if that had been the case. Miss Courier had seemed a careful person, one willing to bet on risks she could take on and to weigh her options on ones she wasn't sure of.

"It certainly sounds as though you've had quite a lot to mull over. It's commendable. Champion Steven, do you believe all of the students of the survival center should put this much forethought into their courses?"

He wished he could say he was surprised when Gabby turned the attention back on to him. Rust straightened, raising his neck higher. Steven himself felt compelled to smarten up when Ty turned the camera to him and Gabby with the microphone. He cleared his throat, telling himself to keep his eyes on Miss Wright, not on the gleaming disc of the camera's lens.

"We certainly encourage every one of our students to conduct their own research in order to prepare themselves for the classes they've signed onto, but it is ultimately up to them whether they follow through our recommendations or not."

Gabby hummed back, eyes searching his face before she decidedly returned her attention to Miss Courier again.

"I have just one more question: would you care to have a battle with me and my cameraman as an outro to this interview?"

"Oh! I…um….I don't suppose why not. I was almost kind of anticipating that, actually."

Gabby seemed to like this answer. She motioned to Ty to cut, and he lowered the camera, the little red light winking out. Miss Courier's brow furrowed in puzzlement, before Gabby explained, "We need a bit more room than this, I would think. Champion Steven, do you want to have the entire class come to cheer her on or do you think this should be a private affair?"

Steven weighed on that question, glancing around at the curious faces that, despite the instructor's best effort, were all enamored by what was going on with the four of them. Why wouldn't they, he reasoned and patted Rust on the flank out of habit. "If their instructors don't mind a bit of a delay in their next classes, I don't see why they can't deviate for a bit."

There was an indoors battleground, because of course there was. It was certainly expected and would have been more of an eyesore if they hadn't had one. Everyone filed back into the training center's main building, and settled into a room with a rising buzz of gossip. Once everyone was inside, Miss Courier settled on one end, Gabby and Ty on the other, while the rest of the students stood on the sidelines, chatting and bustling and murmuring to one another. Some were throwing their support for Miss Courier, others the reporter and cameraman. One particular young woman was grousing the entire time about them both, while a mousy-looking brunette beside her repeated back much the same, not unlike a pokémon he once came across while traveling abroad. What was it called again? A Chatot. That was it. Just a little mimic, repeating everything back to the original.

"—bet she doesn't even know how to use that frog-thing pokémon, or whatever it is." The blonde chortled, pointing at Miss Courier with a mocking smile.

Deanna, the woman who worked at the front desk in the lobby, had come out to help mediate the battle. She stood at the median line and asked if all participants were ready. Ty had his camera already settled on his shoulder, the red light blinking back on.

"This will be a double battle, so you can use two pokémon at once, mmkay?" Deanna said, addressing Miss Courier specifically. She nodded in understanding, her face set in a determined grimace. Her Marshtomp rushed out onto the field when she only nodded to him, and then enlarged a pokéball plucked from her belt, ready to go.

Ty sent out his pokémon next, a Magnemite emerging from the pool of light once his pokéball cracked open. Gabby summoned hers next, a Whismur coming out shuddering from the onset. Miss Courier sent out her second pokémon then, and it was yet another pleasant surprise. She seemed to enjoy doing that.

The long and sinuous form of a Gyarados came towering above all, and its face wasn't of the typical viperfish variety that was the most prevalent and expected breed. Its face was remarkably draconic in nature, and it had honest-to-goodness arms and legs. The more dominant viperfish-faced breed, not so much. They were largely eel-like in body, with not even vestigial remnants.

And Miss Courier's Gyarados was also already rather heavily scarred. He was more than certain she hadn't had this pokémon back when they had met in Granite Cave.

"Okay, Keno, Nux! Let's kick some ass!"

Her pokémon growled or huffed in agreement and with animated fervor. Steven glanced at the blonde and her friend, his lips curling upward in amusement when he saw the gape-mouthed expressions on their faces. "Sh-she has…a G-Gyarados?"

"I've never seen one look like that before."

"Y-your dad didn't get you…one of those, did he?"

"What's with all the scars? And the face I thought they were all unhinged and shit."

The crowd itself was enamoured as well, he noticed. All bright-eyed and wagging tongues as they continued debating amongst themselves, adjusting their bets. Deanna smiled at both ends of the battlefield, confirming all three trainers were ready. She raised her arm up above her head, hand flattened like a knife. She sliced it downward, shouting "BEGIN!" to signal the start of the battle.

"Keno, Mud Shot Magnemite, don't let 'em get a shot at Nux! Nux, use Twister on Whismur, blow them outta the place!"

Nux reared back its head, jaws cracking open to show a gleaming set of massive teeth and roared. The air began whipping around the entire room, dust springing from uncleaned cracks and crevices and mixing into the maelstrom. Keno kept back from the attack Nux was kicking up, hunching forward on its hands, taking aim and shooting off a glob of muddy water at the Magnemite hovering in the air across the battlefield.

Smart, Steven thought. She was having her Gyarados starting off with destabilizing the air quality, kicking up a turbulent current in an to attempt to distort any sound-based attacks the Whismur might throw. It was also a rather good deterrent from physical attacks, although not perfectly so. But using her Marshtomp to head off the Magnemite was just good typing strategy. Despite its water typing, her Marshtomp's ground-typing nullified and protected it from electrical attacks. It was a calculated risk; her Gyarados was more susceptible to the electric-type attacks—but it would take quite a hit to bring it down to its quite literal knees.

Rust hissed beside him, feathers ruffling up—more quizzical than perturbed, head twisting at a severe angle. Steven diverted his attention from the battle, just for a moment, but it was enough. Gabby yelled something at her Whismur, but her words were lost as it was struck by the whirling, raging twister. The Whismur wailed as it went flying until it struck the ground outside of bounds. It rolled to a stop but didn't get up or so much as twitch. Gabby returned it to its pokéball, and briefly turned to Ty and the camera, thrusting the microphone up to her chin and began chattering away excitedly.

Ty somehow managed to split his focus between keeping the camera poised on Gabby, and his eye on the battleground. The Gyarados reared its head back and up higher once its victory was confirmed, teeth bared in a pleased manner. The wind it'd summoned for its attack died down almost immediately, and it swung its head back toward Keno. Nux growled out to the Marshtomp, who took its eyes off the wobbling Magnemite.

That was a mistake. Ty's Magnemite righted itself, shaking off the gooey rivulets of mud from its gleaming metal body, the eye zeroing in on Nux. Ty shouted to his pokémon, a command to unleash an electrical attack on the Gyarados. Lightning crackled and snapped, building up in the blink of an eye and lashing out just as rapidly.

Miss Courier barked at Nux to dive out of the way but didn't get the chance to. Keno rolled in the way, just barely taking the hit instead. Nux roared, rearing back, the sound deafening in the small space, its tail whipping in absolute rage. The crowded gatherers screamed or shouted in surprise, everyone ducking and dipping out of the way. Deanna herself plopped to the ground with a squeak, hands covering the back of her head.

Rust hissed once more, the sound loud and threatening, his body lowering to the ground, heavily armed feet stamping nervously. Steven took a step back, but the only ones who remained solid, unmoving, were Miss Courier and the two reporters. She called to her Gyarados to calm down. Her Marshtomp, in the meantime, staggered and rubbed at its chest, but appeared none the worse for the wear.

"Nux, you good? Keno, buddy! You okay?!"

The Marshtomp gave a thumbs-up over its shoulder, and the Gyarados in turn seemed to calm as well, its thrashing ceasing. Steven frowned, brows drawing upwards. Now that's interesting.

Most Gyarados were known for their seemingly endless rage, destructiveness, and blindness to the world once in a fury. Even experienced trainers had some technical difficulties in reining in this particular species of pokémon to heel at just words. Wallace was one of the few he could count on one hand in Hoenn alone able to do so.

Then again, he's used to them popping up regularly in Sootopolis, Steven corrected himself. A good number of Sootipolitans did as well, if he recalled. He made a mental note to speak to Wallace on the matter; perhaps he could offer some insight to this.

Nux was baring its massive teeth at the Magnemite, a deep and low growl permeating the air. He could feel it within his chest, and it was nothing but an incensed sound, one that warned only once before attacking blindly. Steven flicked his eyes between all active participants of the battle: Gabby and Ty, still doing their due diligence in recording everything; Ty's lone Magnemite looking ready to face down a furious Gyarados and an electric-proof Marshtomp; Miss Courier appearing like she was ready to leap into the fray herself, the way her fists balled up at her sides, eyes bright and fevered and quite alive at the whole affair, lips peeled away in a snarl.

"Keno?!"

There was a grumble from the Marshtomp and Rust beside him snorted, head swaying to and fro in agitated arcs. Steven pursed his lips, noticing how Miss Courier's pokémon was beginning to itch at itself, like it had contracted a sudden onset of ravenous fleas—which seemed rather ridiculous for an amphibious creature. Understanding dawned on him and he chuckled. "I see what's going to happen. I think Miss Wright and her partner bit off more than they could chew. Maybe we should have directed them to an easier win, eh, Rust?"

The Skarmory huffed, looking at him with half-lidded yellow eyes that belied his agreement.

"Not entertaining enough for you?" He laughed again, and his eye was drawn to a familiar, tell-tale light that suddenly burst in the middle of the battlefield. The students crowded together gave a rather collective gasp, some looking gleefully on.

"It's evolving! Oh, those agitators are in for it now! Look, look! It's getting bigger!"

Indeed, the student commenter was right. The Marshtomp was engulfed in the energy-laden inferno of light, what silhouette one could barely make out without being blinded growing, expanding, evolving.

Miss Courier's Marshtomp was no more. What stood in its place was now a Swampert. Its height wasn't as impressive or as intimidating as the Gyarados that stood beside it, but in comparison to the Magnemite? It did provide a more visual boon to Miss Courier's side of things. She began to jump up and down, a delighted shriek rising out of her.

"Keno, holy shit, my dude! This is amazing! Wait—celebrate later! Let's finish this battle: Hit 'em with another Mud Shot, don't hold back now! YOU GOT THIS!"

The Swampert boasted a deeper voice now, jerking its head in agreement, bright orange eyes locked on its opponent now. It motioned for Nux to move back and rather amazingly, the Gyarados acknowledged it, massive tail scraping along the ground as it pulled away from the Magnemite, and closer to its trainer, not unlike a Zigzagoon coiling into its burrow..

Ty was mid-command when Keno shot off its attack, a blink-and-miss-it moment. It's Mud Shot attack had more power behind it, completely knocking Ty's pokémon right out of the air and straight into the ground with a smash. The little magnets faltered, twitching in an attempt to rise, as did its orb-shaped body—but that all fell back to the ground, defeated with hardly any fanfare.

The students were quiet. A hush fell upon the room. Deanna looked at both sides of the battlefield, and upon seeing none standing on the reporters' side, she raised her hand like a flag in Miss Courier's direction, declaring her the winner. The announcement broke whatever spell that captivated everyone. Miss Courier laughed and darted toward her two team members, clutching at Nux's face first and it rumbled in delight. She clung to it, and it lifted her bodily off the floor easily. She dropped and landed on both feet, turning to Keno and leapt at it next. The Swampert resounded in a pleased manner, catching its trainer and hugging her close to its chest.

"You two were amazing, you were so in sync! I'm so proud of you both!"

The rest of the students broke out into frenzied babble, a dozen different conversations letting loose. Gabby and Ty were already rushing back toward Miss Courier, and he noticed that Gabby was also waving to him. He sighed and glanced at his Skarmory.

"I suppose it was inevitable that we were to be drawn back into the fray. You ready?"

Rust snorted derisively but dipped his head in agreement and marched alongside Steven to accompany Miss Courier. As he neared, he held out his hand to her, and upon noticing, she eyed it, that wariness once again stealing over her face. She eyed his hand with the same careful observation and courtesy as one would to a very unsettling Seviper hovering in one's face. Miss Courier finally seemed to weigh her options and took his hand in hers, and held strong, tight. Tighter than he'd expect.

Strong grip, he thought, and remembered Gabby had said much the same earlier. It was as though she was trying to squeeze the life out of his appendage, to show him who's boss. After her stunning win, she certainly earned the moment in the limelight.

"Well done, Miss Courier. But I suppose I wasn't exactly being fair to Miss Wright and her cameraman, Ty. Maybe I should have chosen an easier opponent for them to battle against," he said, his tone light and joking as he glanced at the pair and winked. Gabby shook her head, smiling back.

"Oh, it was no trouble at all, Champion Steven. We should be thanking you for all the time you've given us today. This was exactly the kind of thing that we needed for our piece; 'Students attending the Hoenn Survival Training Center are blowing it all out of the water'—oh, this is definitely a good note to end it on!"

"I look forward to seeing it air later on, as I'm sure the rest of you do as well, yes?"

Steven turned to address the rest of the class, and noted the front desk woman, Deanna, had retreated to the doorway, and was speaking with a stern-looking woman. His heart skipped as he recognized her as the Director of the Training Center, Morgan Greene. He caught her eye and the temperature seemed to drop so dramatically, he could see his breath ghosting in front of his face.

I believe I've worn out my welcome for the day, and so have these two, he thought and felt a sliver of relief and dread mixed into one in the midst of his well-masked embarrassment. He may be Champion of Hoenn, but even he knew that Morgan Green was the sole ruler of this place—even if it was by his design that this facility had even came to be in the first place.

Gabby was already wrapping up her last questions with Miss Courier, and the other students were still excitedly buzzing. He might have even seen some money change hands. The Director would not have approved, but Steven wasn't going to say anything on the matter. So long as no fights broke out, what harm were a few bets? They had tough few weeks to get through, let them have their fun where they could.

Director Morgan made her presence known, the sharp report of her heavy boot heels clanging like thunder in the room. Heads turned, some startled, a few gasps rising in the strained din.

"Good morning, students. Some of you may already know who I am, but for those who don't, my name is Morgan Greene. I am the one who runs this facility. I review and approve of the courses that are offered here at the Training Center. We teach you not only how to depend upon your own hands for your survival, but to also trust in your team of pokémon. Flying is not the carefree exercise when you're falling from a height of ten-thousand feet, with no parachute, and your partner is fighting off wild pokémon attacking the both of you. It takes about sixty seconds for you to hit the ground. When you're up there, barreling toward the earth, that's an eternity. When you hit the ground, you break apart into a mix of shattered pieces and chunks of gore."

Any trace of murmurs fell to silence.

"When you're diving beneath the waves in the ocean, it is not a casual poolside swim. The ocean is teaming with life, and out there, it is a bigger fish-eats-big-fish-eats-smaller-fish kind of world. The deeper you go, the darker it gets, and the harder it gets to hold your breath. Do you know what happens when you go diving in a submarine, and there's a compromise in the hull?"

"You implode. It takes a microsecond for it to happen. The pressure increases by square foot the deeper you go, until it becomes so great that it would be like dropping an anvil on a mouse that can't move. You go everywhere."

It took the students several seconds to locate the speaker. It took Steven significantly less time. Miss Courier soon had eyes upon her, including those of Morgan Greene. The woman regarded her coolly before nodding.

"That's right. And that's if you have the protection of metal and fiberglass to protect you. What do you have when you dive with pokémon and end up at a depth that would crush you to a pulp? A bubble. An air pocket that could end up popping if the wrong pokémon decided you were a threat just by being there. It's as…Miss Courier, was it? It's just as she says; you would implode. All the bits and pieces that make up what and who you are would disseminate in an instant, blood and viscera and bone and brain matter all just floating away. But if you're not at the right depth for instant death…you suffer. Horribly, all the while feeling like your entire body is on fire and being crushed all at once until you take that last breath and it's nothing but water filling your lungs.

"I tell you all this not to terrify you; well, not entirely so. I tell you this as something to consider the next time you believe that just because your pokémon seem to defy the laws of physics, that you can too. As resilient as the human body can be, it is also fragile and breaks more easily than you realize. These are safety classes to make you aware of the dangers you take on when you get on the back of a Pidgeot, or ride upon the back of Lapras, or even decide to tear your way through the innards of a mountain like that of a Tyranitar. And it's not just yourself that you risk, it's your team as well. And what happens when you don't bring the right teammate to a terrain they cannot traverse, and you still try? It can end in utter in failure. I've seen more bodies than I care to in my lifetime. I don't want this to serve as a scare tactic, it is a wakeup call."

Morgan briefly paused; her hands clasped behind her back as she strolled closer.

If Morgan Greene were to clean up her outfit from her usual hiking pants and athletic top woven with microfibers to protect her torso from rain, desert sands, and even the occasional small pokémon's claws—she could make for both an intimidatingly effective boss and the face of the Training Center. She, however, chose to leave her wiry hair in a perpetual, tied off frizzed state, finding that passing on knowledge was more important than the state of her dress, her hair, her being. What she can give to the world rather than what the world can give her was all that mattered.

This passion of hers was another key reason why Steven felt hiring her had been the right move. She gave more of a damn for the world and those that traversed in it, then the other candidates. They just wanted the brownie points in rubbing elbows with him, and in turn, his family.

"We've grown complacent in this world of ours. We think of ourselves as untouchable when standing on the backs of pokémon. We pretend our status in this world is unshakable, that we can do everything they can, that we cannot be hurt even by our own team. But the truth is, we still require observing the proper safety protocols, people and pokémon alike. Clinging to a fistful of feathers or fur and hoping for the best is not enough to keep us safe. It never was."

Morgan Greene observed the faces of those gathered in the battle room. Steven noticed that Gabby and Ty had brought the camera to bare on Morgan, with Gabby sharply pantomiming to Ty to keep filming. He obliged, not daring to miss a second.

Steven had once heard that, defying the simple logic of dropping one's camera, even in a time of crisis, the wielder believed they were invincible once behind said camera. They were untouchable. It was ironic, Steven realized, when he connected two seemingly unlikely and unrelated situations. If one couldn't be immortal when poised behind a camera or a pokémon, then when was one immortal? Was the camera protection valid or was Greene's sharp words the theory to follow?

Morgan took a moment, lips pursing into a thin line as she regarded the faces of each of her new students for the season.

"I apologize for not being here earlier today. I am usually the one who conducts the introductory sessions, but upon the request of Champion Steven, I allowed him to do so. I was not, however, anticipating a full-on battle our first day." Morgan chose that moment to set upon Steven with a glower that could level a city. Steven found comfort in tapping his thumb against each of his fingers, one at a time, in sequential order.

"It was a request from Miss Wright and her cameraman, and by extension, the Hoenn News Network. I didn't realize it would have derailed the schedule quite this much, Miss Greene."

"Mmm. I suppose…it can't be helped. Battling is an important component of our culture, no matter how inconvenient it may seem at the time. No matter. Miss Wright, on behalf of the Hoenn Survival Training Center, I thank you for coming out today. I know that we have been attempting to align our schedules and it just hasn't been successful until today. I look forward to viewing your exposé on us, which will be when, exactly?"

"Tomorrow evening, actually," Steven replied, speaking up and drawing Morgan's eye toward him.

"Ah. Very good. We should all be done with shelter-building reviews, as well as snaring and tripwire classes by then. Now, I believe we've already fallen behind schedule, so please, make your way to the rear of the building again, where you built your fires. Your next instructor will be waiting for you there. Do not dally."

With that last piece spoken, Morgan took her leave. Steven felt the tug of inevitability, knowing that his time has long since passed as well. He and Rust took pause to thank them all for their time and consideration for the day, and with a nod to Gabby and Ty, led them out of the room. He gave final pause by Miss Courier, and on catching her eye, he nodded in approval at her.

"Well done today, Miss Courier. I expect high marks from you. Don't forget to collect your shards. You're going to need them."