Due to another stretch of days where I'm going computerless this coming week, there will be no new chapter in the next four-day increment. Next chapter will release in eight days.
Rain filled the sky once more as Marcus stepped out of the small house. Rain was often little more than an inconvenience for the average Trainer; more often than not, one had a Pokemon capable of generating localized weather of some kind, or a Water-type that could utilize their abilities to siphon off the rain. But Cloyster leaned far more into his Ice-type abilities than his Water-type ones, and as such Marcus had no choice but to hurry to Professor Sycamore's lab, where the Professor had requested him to come in the morning before his departure.
Cloyster was grateful to be inside his Luxury Ball. He was glad that Kriesh would not have to carry Marcus through this storm; unlike last time they'd gone to Laverre, this time Calem would be bringing Marcus and his Gym Trainers to the city via teleportation. Cloyster now understood why long-range teleportation was so prized among Trainers, and why the Alakazam line, widely regarded as the Pokemon most proficient in teleportation across the world, had earned its place as one of the most desirable Pokemon to have.
Marcus burst through the door shedding raindrops, not bothering to knock. Professor Sycamore, who was sitting at a table and clearly had been waiting for him, nearly jumped out of his chair. "Oh!" Marcus skidded to a halt. "Sorry, Professor."
"No problem, no problem at all." Sycamore waved off his apology. "I'm glad you could make it. My apologies for summoning you in this storm."
"What do you need, Professor?" Marcus asked.
Professor Sycamore placed his elbows on the table and put his hands to his chin. "I suppose it is silly of me to broach such a topic on the morning of your departure…but I just could not find the right time to ask this of you. I have noticed that you seem to have become…involved…in a lot of recent events. The assault on Geosenge, the Aether Paradise affair…"
"What are you getting at?" Marcus asked.
Professor Sycamore frowned. "You might have heard of a young boy, quite like yourself, by the name of Red," he said. "He is-"
"I know who Red is," Marcus interrupted. "And no, Professor. I'm not trying to act like Red. Geosenge was an accident, and Aether…Aether was just me trying to help out a friend."
"Marcus," said Professor Sycamore, "you need not be ashamed of wanting to play the hero. But…you see, Serena is one of my students, and I would appreciate if you didn't put her in harm's way when you return to Alola."
Marcus looked at Professor Sycamore strangely. "But…I'm not…" Realization filled his gaze. "You think I'm going to go back to fight Necrozma?"
Professor Sycamore nodded. "As I said, it's not something to be ashamed of-"
"Professor, I'm not going to fight Necrozma," said Marcus. "Even if I am a Gym Leader by the time he shows up, what could I do that someone else couldn't? Alola's going to be a Legendary-filled warzone, and I've been a Trainer for what? Three, four months? I'm not Red! I'm not some miracle Trainer who defeated the Elite Four in his first year of training! I got knocked out in the Top 16! So I'm not going to be putting Serena in any danger, because if I have my way, I'm not getting involved in any of that crap ever again! At this point, all I want is to become a Gym Leader and spend at the very least a few years just doing Gym Leader things!" He took a breath, and in that breath he realized that Professor Sycamore was looking slightly alarmed. "Sorry," he said. "That…that came out a lot more forcefully than I intended."
Professor Sycamore nodded. "I apologize as well," he said. "As I said, I should have put forward that request far earlier. Please, do not allow my comments to distract you from your mission."
"I won't," said Marcus. "Thanks for the house, Professor. And thanks for letting me train in your training area."
"No problem whatsoever," said Professor Sycamore. "You should get to your friends. Valerie won't want to wait forever."
"Thank you again, Professor," said Marcus, turning to leave.
"Good luck on your Gym Exam," Professor Sycamore responded as Marcus stepped back out into the pouring rain.
It seemed like no time at all before they were in Laverre. Thankfully, though Cloyster could see dark clouds in the distance, no rain was falling here, at least not yet. The sun shone brightly, illuminating the mid-size town in a beautiful warm glow, and many Trainers and Pokemon were wandering around; some were giving the small group glances, clearly not used to Trainers teleporting into the center of town.
Calem was gone now, having teleported back to Vaniville after a few last goodbyes, and now Marcus was leading Connie, Theo, and Serena towards the Laverre City Gym. The tree-covered edifice loomed up before them; it had only been a week since Marcus had last visited Laverre, and Connie and Serena had visited it during their Gym Challenges to qualify for the Kalos Pokemon League Tournament, but Theo looked in awe, clearly having never seen the spectacular building.
Cloyster enjoyed seeing the look on the Hoenn Trainer's face. He'd had a similar reaction when he'd first seen the Laverre City Gym, back when Marcus was still taking his Gym Challenge. How far they'd come since then! Cloyster still remembered the days when he'd been a tiny Shellder, with nothing on his mind besides finding a Trainer to help him grow stronger. Things had certainly changed a lot since that time.
Deep in thought, Cloyster was only shaken out of his reverie by the sound of Marcus stopping short. Glancing up, Cloyster saw another boy, about Marcus's height, dressed in all black and with three other people in the same uniform standing behind him. Evidently they'd been approaching the Laverre City Gym from the opposite direction; both Marcus and the other boy had clearly realized instantly what the other was here for.
A few brief moments passed as the two groups sized one another up. Then Marcus stuck out a hand. "Marcus Grayson. Pleased to meet you."
The other boy took it. "Raymond Ramirez. Likewise."
"Paldean?" Marcus asked.
"Yeah," said Raymond. "And you're…Unovan?"
"Kalosian," Marcus corrected.
"Okay," said Raymond. "What type?"
"Dark," said Marcus. "You?"
Raymond grimaced slightly as he replied. "Ghost."
Marcus gestured behind him. "This is Connie, Serena, and Theo," he said. "My Gym Trainers."
Raymond gave a short wave. "Sofia, Daniel, and Maria," he said; the three Trainers standing behind him, two girls and a boy, waved as well.
"Good to meet you, Raymond," said Marcus.
"Likewise," said Raymond. "Looking forward to the competition."
Marcus nodded. Raymond gestured to his Gym Trainers, and the four of them stepped through the door of the Laverre City Gym. Marcus and his Gym Trainers followed them.
Cloyster eyed Raymond as the group of eight Trainers moved into the Gym. The Paldean Ghost-type Trainer seemed friendly enough, but there was something about him that bothered Cloyster. Perhaps it was the vague Distortional aura emanating from the seven Dusk Balls around his waist. Distortion was always unnerving.
As they entered, Cloyster had expected Valerie's Clefable to appear, as it had both times they'd entered previously. He was not expecting Valerie herself to be standing in the room, still in that beautiful but very inconvenient-looking costume of hers.
"Raymond, Marcus," said Valerie. "Welcome. I am so glad you could make it."
"I'm glad to be here," said Marcus; Raymond echoed it after a moment.
"Obviously, you won't be staying in the Gym for the duration of the Gym Exam," said Valerie. "I have arranged a small block of apartments for you and the other participants. There are four in all; one has already arrived, and one has yet to do so. Your first assignment is to report there. Get ensconced, and get to know each other."
"So we don't have any tests today?" Raymond asked.
"The first test is whether you show up or not," said Valerie.
"Why would someone not show up?" Marcus asked.
"Outside conflicts, illness, delayed transportation…there are a lot of reasons," said Valerie.
"So you can get eliminated if you happen to fall ill?" Raymond sounded surprised.
"Yes," said Valerie, "though if the events that caused one to miss the Gym Exam were unavoidable, they are compensated. Now, please navigate to your apartments. The first round of the Gym Exam will begin at 8:00 tomorrow morning. Do not be late."
Valerie said nothing more. Raymond and Marcus both turned and stepped out the door, their Gym Trainers following along behind.
"So what's your story?" Raymond asked as they exited the building.
"Well," said Marcus, "I…um…I took my Gym Challenge here. Competed in the most recent Kalos Pokemon League Tournament…got to Top 16 before I ran into the newest member of the Kalos Elite Four."
Raymond winced. "The Fairy-type master? Geez, that's some rough luck, especially for a Dark-type Trainer."
"I wasn't…exactly a Dark-type Trainer then," said Marcus. "I was more of a generalist who happened to have two Dark-types. Valerie approached me after the tournament and made the offer, after which I caught the rest of my team."
"And the team is?" Raymond asked.
"Drapion, Houndoom, Liepard, and Pangoro," said Marcus.
Raymond nodded. "Not a bad team, especially for a first-year Trainer…definitely sounds power-focused."
"So what about you?" Marcus asked.
"Well, you could say I'm a little more experienced," said Raymond. "I took the Gym Challenge in Paldea…though it's a little different there. You can challenge the Gyms in any order you like - the Leaders use different teams depending on how many badges you have."
"Sounds complicated," said Marcus.
"Yeah, but it's fun," said Raymond. "The entire region's pretty freewheeling - you've got your routes, but we've got miles and miles of open plains and hills and forests…Paldea's a nice place. But I digress. I met Ryme when I went to get my sixth badge. She's a rapper, a Ghost-type Trainer, and the backup Montenevera Gym Leader, and when I was little I wanted to be just like her. But my Gym Challenge was the first time I saw her in person. She was subbing in for her sister, Tyme - Rock-type Gym Leader, but she's always been more interested in teaching than Gym Leading. Ryme completely crushed me. I had no idea how Double Battles worked - we don't have too many of those in Paldea, but Ryme's gym is all about them. But I fought her to a stalemate the second time. She gave me the badge, and after I competed in my first League Tournament - Top 32, by the way - she came over and offered me a job as one of her Gym Trainers."
"How long were you doing that for?" Marcus asked.
"Three years," said Raymond. "It was a pretty good job…most of the time Tyme was serving as Gym Leader, and I could pretty much do whatever I wanted, but when Ryme was called on to sub in, that was really fun as well. But at some point it began to feel like I was spinning my wheels. And one day Ryme came to me, and she said, 'You've served me well these past few years, but this path's only gonna end in tears. I've got a friend I'd like you to meet - don't blame her, she likes to be discreet.' I'm not joking - she speaks in rhyme literally all the time."
Marcus couldn't stifle his laughter.
"That was unintentional," Raymond said quickly. "Seriously."
"Sure," said Marcus. "So…that friend was Valerie?"
"Yeah," said Raymond. "She made the offer, I accepted, and here I am."
"So you want to be a Gym Leader to stop yourself from stagnating as a Trainer?" Marcus asked.
Raymond nodded. "It's a pretty common problem among Trainers who have been training for multiple years. What about you? Why do you want to become a Gym Leader?"
"So that I can make life better for the people and Pokemon of Kalos," said Marcus. "After Team Flare, that's what they deserve."
"You got involved in that?" Raymond asked. Marcus nodded grimly. "Damn," the Paldean Ghost-type Trainer murmured. "That must've been terrifying."
"It wasn't fun," said Marcus. Cloyster grimaced as painful memories came to his mind, summoned by the conversation despite his attempts to push them away.
"So what's your team?" Marcus asked, clearly trying to change the subject.
Thankfully, Raymond seemed to understand. "Gholdengo, Brambleghast, Ceruledge, Gengar, Froslass, Jellicent, and Golurk," he said. "The last four are my Gym Leader team - the first three are Paldean, so I can't use them."
"Right," Marcus recalled; Cloyster remembered Connie had at one point told Marcus that Gym Leaders could only use Pokemon that could be found in the Gym's region on their Gym Leader teams.
"We're here." One of Raymond's Gym Trainers - Sofia, Cloyster recalled her name was - broke into the conversation, pointing ahead to a large stone building rising up before the group of Trainers.
"Well, then," said Raymond, "want to meet the third participant?"
"If it's who I think it is, I've already met her," said Marcus.
"Really?" Raymond asked. "Got any tips?"
"You'll have to ask her yourself," said Marcus as he opened the door to the apartment block.
The door opened out into what looked like a common area, with several tables, chairs, a television, a drinks machine, and a Pokepuff dispensary. Cloyster spotted Jaya immediately; the Flying-type Trainer, who had been sitting in one of the chairs facing the door, stood up immediately, as did three other Trainers - her Gym Trainers, obviously - nearby. Her Sigilyph and Talonflame, both of whom were standing on one of the tables, looked up interestedly "Marcus," Jaya greeted. "And you are?"
As Raymond and the various Gym Trainers moved to make introductions, Marcus quickly excused himself and moved upstairs. "All right, everyone," he said as he entered his room. "I'm bringing the Dark-types down. The rest of you, stay here - I'll be back before you know it."
Quickly, Marcus released the non Dark-type members of his team, placed his backpack on the ground, and then exited the room, gently closing the door behind him.
Cloyster looked around. It was a nice if small room with a large window to let in sunlight, a bedside table, a small television, shelving, and a quaint writing desk. The large bed dominated the room, but there was plenty of space on the floor for the team, even if Kriesh had to hop up onto the bed in order to stretch her wings.
"You all right, Kriesh?" Medicham asked.
"I'm fine," the Fearow replied. "You know how it is - the Luxury Balls are nice, but I can't really spread my wings in them."
"So now what do we do?" Kamado asked.
"We wait for Marcus," Medicham replied. "Look, Kamado, we're going to have to get used to this. You heard what Valerie said last week. If Marcus does become a Gym Leader, he'll have to devote a lot more time to his Gym Leader team."
"So does that mean we're not part of his team anymore?" Kamado asked nervously.
"Of course not!" Trevenant cried before Medicham could reply. The Grass/Ghost-type placed a comforting vine-like arm on Kamado's shoulder. "It's not like he'll release us! He'll visit, he'll train with us, and anyway, it's not like being a Gym Leader is a 24/7/365 thing."
"What…does that string of numbers mean?" Kamado asked.
"It's not a full-year commitment," said Medicham. "Barring rare exceptions, one can only challenge Gyms in the nine months before the League Tournament, so there's a three-month gap where the Gym Leaders can rest and, in some cases, train their actual teams."
"Not that he won't be training us in those nine months," said Trevenant. "I'm sure he'll find time."
"Kriesh?" Cloyster asked. "Are you all right?"
The Fearow was looking towards the door with a slightly nervous expression on her face; as the room fell silent, Cloyster heard footsteps moving past the door and disappearing down the hallway. Only then did Kriesh untense, her gaze turning towards Cloyster. "Sorry, what was that?"
Cloyster sighed, knowing that he had to say what was on his mind, even if he had a feeling it wouldn't go over well. "This is about Jaya, isn't it?"
Kriesh's eyes narrowed. "Can you not? It's bad enough that Medicham…" She stopped, whatever hateful thing she was about to say dying before it left her beak. "I'm sorry," she whispered, turning away.
"Wait, Jaya?" Kamado asked. "That Flying-type Trainer? What's she got to do with Kriesh?"
Trevenant looked at Kamado. "Well, I mean, Kriesh is a Flying-type, so obviously there's some commonality between them…"
"That's not it at all," said Medicham. She hesitated before continuing. "Jaya was-"
"Jaya was a Trainer from my past," said Kriesh, twisting to face the rest of the team. "She raised me from birth. We…were going to take the Gym Challenge together when she came of age. But after…after I got stolen…I didn't think I'd ever see her again. Now here she is…and I don't know what to do."
"What do you mean?" Cloyster asked.
"I don't know if I can face Jaya," said Kriesh. "I don't know if I can let her know that I was the same little Spearow she used to take care of. Because if I do…I'm afraid I'll have to make a choice between her and Marcus. And both would feel like too much of a betrayal."
"It feels like you're getting ripped in two," said Trevenant.
"Yeah," said Kriesh. "But…not telling Marcus or Jaya the truth feels like a betrayal as well. It just feels like I'm trapped no matter what I do."
"So you're getting ripped in three," Trevenant stated.
"Not helping," Medicham growled.
"Kriesh," said Cloyster, "I don't think it's a betrayal to choose between Jaya and Marcus."
"You don't know what it's like," Kriesh retorted.
"You're right," said Cloyster. "I don't know what it's like. Before I met Marcus, I had a peaceful life, with nothing to worry about besides occasional misadventures. I have a family back home. And I'd love, someday, to go back home and tell them all about my adventures with Marcus. I know they'd be happy to see me again. But at the end of the day, I know that they won't want to take me away from Marcus. This is my life now. These are my friends now. They'd know that. And…Kriesh…I'm sure Jaya would know that as well."
Kriesh still looked doubtful. "But what if she-"
"Kriesh, do you really think Jaya is the type of Trainer to do that to you?" Cloyster asked.
Kriesh didn't respond.
"Look," said Cloyster. "Let's just solve this right now. I'm gonna go down there. I know Jaya has a Sigilyph, so I'm gonna talk to him, and we can deal with this right here and right now before it gets any worse."
"Cloyster-" Kriesh began in protest, but Medicham stepped between them. "You know he's right, Kriesh," she said. "I told you last week. You can't let this thing weigh you down. It's better to get it off your chest as quickly as possible."
"But Marcus told us to stay here," said Kamado. "Do you not remember what happened last time you disobeyed his instructions?"
Medicham and Kriesh both grimaced. "Yes," said Medicham, "but I'm prepared to risk his anger if it means helping a friend."
"Besides, he won't see me if I can help it," said Cloyster. "With any luck, I'll be in and out before he even knows I'm there. Trevenant, help me with the door."
By the time Marcus got back downstairs, the various Trainers had all sat down, introductions had been made (apparently Jaya's Gym Trainers were a trio of teenage boys named David, Ryan, and Brady), and Pokemon had been sent out. Marcus had wasted no time in doing likewise, which was what had led Drapion to a spot atop a table along with a couple of Pokemon from the other prospective Gym Leaders' teams.
"So what exactly are you?" Flare, Jaya's Talonflame, asked interestedly. "I don't think I've ever seen a Pokemon quite like you before."
"That's because my species can only be found in Paldea," said the strange, oddly cylindrical golden Pokemon that was standing on the table next to Flare and Drapion, "and even then we're pretty rare. I'm what's called a Gholdengo, sweetheart. Steel/Ghost-type. And let me just say, you're lucky you won't have to face me in battle."
"I'm a Fire-type, and he's a Dark-type," said Flare, gesturing towards Drapion. "Don't you think you might be overselling yourself a bit?"
"Not at all, sweetheart," said Gholdengo. "See, my Ability, Good as Gold, gives me control over metal. Any metal. Including my own metallic body. Watch this."
Gholdengo extended one golden arm; the three fingers on his hand began to elongate, stretching out, each finger splitting into two, then four, then eight, all the golden strands intertwining as they slowly spilled outwards. The strands curved upwards, coalescing, twisting around one another as they formed into a shape. Two golden wings thrust out from a golden body, countless golden feathers were outlined by the strands, and Flare stood dumbfounded, staring at the miniature golden copy of herself.
Then the copy began to turn silver. Drapion watched closely as Gholdengo manipulated the shape, molding it into an even more familiar form. Two massive clawed arms formed from the wings, spikes and angles bursting out across the silvery construct, and Drapion looked into the eyes of the silvery copy of himself.
Gholdengo grinned, flicking his fingers one more time. The silvery construct of Drapion dissolved into a thousand threads that began to sweep through the air, forming symbols that Drapion recognized as words. Twining together, the threads turned bronze as they formed into the words MY NAME IS GHOLDENGO. Drapion couldn't help but be reminded of Faba's Kecleon from Aether, and he shuddered slightly, something that Gholdengo seemed to notice if the raising of one eyebrow was any indication.
"I can generate, manipulate, and transmute any type of metal," said Gholdengo; with a flick of his fingers, the words dissipated, the bronze strands withdrawing into his hand. "So no, sweetheart, I don't think I'm underselling myself at all."
Flare sniffed. "I will admit that is quite an impressive technique. But with my Flame Body Ability, I can transform my entire body into Fire energy. I am fire, and no amount of metal manipulation can protect you from that." Fire energy washed over Flare's body as her skin and feathers seemed to melt away; Drapion's eyes widened as he beheld the Talonflame rise, spreading her wings, her entire body seeming to be made of pure Fire energy, heat rippling off her in waves.
"Hmph," said Gholdengo. "I can think of several metals I can utilize that can deal with that. But what about you, Drapion? What Ability have you got?"
Drapion felt slightly embarrassed as he summoned his chitinous reserves; next to Flare's fiery body and Gholdengo's metal manipulation, his additional armor seemed somewhat limited. But he spoke anyway. "Battle Armor. It allows me ta enhance mah defense an' offense through additional chitin. Pretty simple, but pretty versatile."
"Can that armor resist a steel spike punched through it at a hundred miles per hour?" Gholdengo asked. Drapion frowned; Gholdengo smirked. "Yeah, thought so."
Drapion scowled at Gholdengo. "Ya wanna put yer money where yer mouth is?"
"Not particularly," said Gholdengo. "Raymond doesn't want me to start any fights, and though I could reasonably claim that you're the one who started it, I doubt he'd believe me."
"And anyway," said Flare, "our Trainers are enjoying downtime before the main event starts. Why would we want to exhaust ourselves early?"
"Precisely, sweetheart," said Gholdengo. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go talk to my teammate. It appears Ceruledge desires a Pokepuff." The Steel/Ghost-type turned and hopped off the table, waddling towards the tall, fiery humanoid Pokemon standing impatiently next to the Pokepuff machine.
"What a cocky little-" Drapion began.
"I know," Flare murmured. "I don't like him either."
"Someone should put him in his place," Drapion growled.
"He's got four years' experience," said Flare. "That's more than double mine and several times yours. He could probably beat us both at the same time."
"Well, if his entire team's like that, it ain't gonna be much of a competition," Drapion observed.
Flare looked at him strangely. "Right, you're new to this. All parts of the Gym Exam are done using Gym specifications. Which means all the Trainers have to compete at the level of power they'll be using when they're running the Gym, in order to make sure that the position doesn't automatically go to the Trainer who's been training the longest."
"That makes a lot of sense," said Drapion.
"All the regions in the UPW have had centuries to hone Gym Exams," said Flare. "Believe me, they have this stuff down to a science."
"Ah guess," Drapion admitted, eyes wandering away from the Talonflame. As his gaze strayed towards the staircase out of the room, he spotted the corner of a light blue shell with a few spikes jutting out. The shell shifted to the right, revealing a tiny, grinning black face inside.
"Cloyster?" Drapion growled to himself. "What're ya doin' here?"
"-and that was how I met Skyla," Cloyster heard Jaya saying as he moved slowly down the staircase. "She was the one who convinced me to take the Gym Challenge…she even gave me Flare as a starter. Said she figured it would remind me of home. I started too late to make the first League Tournament I was eligible for, but I got top 16 in the most recent one before some guy with a Mega Glalie of all things sent me packing."
"Tough luck," Marcus commiserated.
"After that," said Jaya, "I didn't really have much else going on, but Valerie contacted Skyla through Grant - the Kalosian Rock-type Gym Leader, apparently he and Skyla are pretty good friends - and asked her to give me the offer to come here."
"So that's where Grant got the Archeops…" Cloyster heard Marcus murmur.
As Jaya finished her story, Cloyster edged down another stair, eyes scanning the room for her Sigilyph. Drapion and Jaya's Talonflame were communicating on a table, casting glances at Raymond's Gholdengo as he spoke to Raymond's Ceruledge over by the Pokepuff machine. Houndoom was approaching Jaya's Emolga; Raymond's Golurk, Jellicent, and Gengar were clustered in a small knot over in the corner; Jaya's Skarmory and Crobat were up near the ceiling; Pangoro was standing against a wall alone, looking bored. While Cloyster could see Jaya's Sigilyph, he was unfortunately standing on the opposite side of the room, speaking with Raymond's Froslass, the Unfezant that was also on Jaya's team, and Liepard. Many of the Gym Trainers had already absconded to their rooms, and the couple that remained were moving in that direction, none of their Pokemon out on the floor with the Gym Leaders'.
"How in Distortion am I going to get across that room?" Cloyster murmured to himself.
"Well, don't look at me, I have no idea."
"Ah!" Cloyster jumped, twisting to see a semi-spherical brown Pokemon that looked like a large tumbleweed standing behind him. The Pokemon stared at Cloyster with two rapidly shifting red eyes and cackled in a manner similar to Trevenant. "Hi! I'm Brambleghast. Nice to meet you."
"I'm Cloyster." Cloyster relaxed. At least at first glance, Brambleghast seemed friendly enough. "Same. I can't say I've seen your exact type before, but you seem an awful lot like a friend of mine."
"Oh, do you know a Trevenant?" Brambleghast asked.
"How did you guess?" Cloyster responded.
"The Brambleghast and Trevenant lines are…created similarly," said Brambleghast. "A Trevenant is a lost soul inhabiting a tree; a Brambleghast is a lost soul inhabiting a bush. Some scholars theorize we're sort of regional variants of one another, sort of like Clodsire and Quagsire, or Wugtrio and Dugtrio…"
"Seriously?" Cloyster asked.
"Yeah, those actually exist," said Brambleghast. "But anyway, Brambleghasts only really crop up in Paldea. I've heard Cloysters are everywhere, though…even in Kanto/Johto."
"Yep," said Cloyster. "We live in the ocean, and oftentimes we head up onto beaches and find Trainers. That's how I joined Marcus, actually."
"Raymond caught me as a Bramblin," said Brambleghast. "Walked around the region with me until I evolved. See, we Brambleghasts evolve differently from normal - instead of gaining evolution through battling, a Bramblin gains evolution by rolling around and collecting more dead plant matter to fuse into our bodies until we're big enough to become a Brambleghast. How does a Cloyster evolve?"
"Water Stone," said Cloyster.
"Ooh, you're one of those stone evolutions!" Brambleghast looked excited. "I've always been curious! How does it feel to evolve from a stone? Is it different from normal evolution?"
"Well, I don't exactly know how normal evolution feels," said Cloyster, somewhat embarrassed. "I mean…it felt tingly, and it felt a little…"
"Cloyster."
For the second time in as many minutes, Cloyster jumped at the sound of a voice behind them. This time it was instantly recognizable; he glanced up at Marcus, remembering that he wasn't exactly supposed to be down there.
Marcus smiled as he beheld Cloyster and Brambleghast. "I see you've made a new friend," he said.
Cloyster nodded nervously.
"Have fun," said Marcus gently, and then he turned and stepped back over to the rest of the group. Cloyster untensed, letting out a shaky breath.
"Your Trainer seems nice," said Brambleghast.
"He is," said Cloyster. "But he's not as nice when he gets mad."
"That's how getting mad works," said Brambleghast. "So…wanna move somewhere more private?"
"Um..." Cloyster shifted, recalling why he was down here in the first place. He tried to ignore the stirring in his stomach the likes of which he hadn't really felt before and glanced over at Jaya's Sigilyph, still perched on the other side of the room.
"Oh, right," said Brambleghast. "You wanted to...get to the other side of the room."
"Yeah," said Cloyster.
Brambleghast sighed. "Well, if you've got business, I'm not going to interfere. See you around, Cloyster."
The Paldean Grass/Ghost-type turned and began to roll back down the stairs with a muffled thump-thump-thump. Cloyster looked over towards Jaya's Sigilyph, only to see him lean over to Raymond's Froslass, deep in conversation.
The stirring in Cloyster's chest grew more uncomfortable. He swallowed. The Sigilyph's busy. It's not like I have to talk to him right this minute, is it? I want to help Kriesh...but I've got plenty of time, don't I?
"Brambleghast!"
The Grass/Ghost-type looked back at Cloyster.
"My...business...I guess it can wait a little bit, if you'd like," he said. "Do you know a more private place?"
Brambleghast smiled. "No," she said with a wink. "But I'm sure we can find one."
"Emolga, huh?" Houndoom asked.
"Actually, it's Jolt." The tiny Electric/Flying-type's wings fluttered, generating flurries of tiny sparks as she gazed at Houndoom. "We're all nicknamed. You're big."
"I…guess I am," said Houndoom, not entirely sure how to respond to that. "Where are you from?"
"Unova," said Jolt. "We all are...well, Flare's not, but she and Jaya met in Unova, so I guess she counts as well. And you?"
"Kalos," Houndoom responded. "So…are you on Jaya's Gym Leader team?"
"No," said Jolt in a somewhat downcast tone. "Clemont has an Emolga…we met several weeks ago…and Jaya'll be the Gym Leader after him, so that would be a bit weird. Same reason Sigilyph isn't on - Olympia's got one."
"So it's Talonflame, Unfezant, Skarmory, and Crobat?" Houndoom asked.
"Yeah," said Jolt. "Actually, I'll introduce them; the Talonflame's Flare, Unfezant's named Ribbon, Skarmory's named Gem, Crobat's named Fang, and Totem's the name of the Sigilyph over there." Jolt stopped, blinking. "Oh, wait. I wasn't supposed to tell you who was on the team, was I?"
"It's all right," said Houndoom.
"No, it's not!" Jolt cried. "I've made a terrible mistake! I…I…I have to go and apologize!" The Emolga zoomed off, wailing. Houndoom sighed. Way to make a good first impression.
The sound of footsteps came to Houndoom's ears, and he looked up to see the fiery form of Raymond's Ceruledge striding past, clutching a Pokepuff in one hand. "Hello," Houndoom said politely.
Ceruledge acknowledged him with a grunt.
"I'm Houndoom," said Houndoom. "So…how'd you meet Raymond?"
"In the wild," Ceruledge answered.
"Um…so, how is he as a Trainer?" Houndoom asked.
"Good," Ceruledge answered.
"You don't talk much, do you?" Houndoom asked.
"No," Ceruledge answered. Recognizing that the Fire/Ghost-type wanted no part of this conversation, Houndoom stepped backwards, allowing Ceruledge to move away.
0 for 2, Houndoom thought irritably. So much for casual conversation. Might as well just head over to that Pokepuff dispenser and have a couple.
Pangoro sighed grumpily. He had no interest in socializing. Speaking with members of Marcus's team was one thing - he'd gotten used to that over the past couple months - but total strangers who he didn't even know? And whom he definitely didn't respect?
That's what being a Trained Pokemon is all about!
Pangoro sighed again as Medicham's words, hurled like a javelin, speared into his mind once more. Ever since that fight with Umbreon, they'd been sounding over and over again, inescapable.
Five years I've spent with that mindset…do you really think it's that easy to throw it all away?
He shook his head. Regardless of whether he respected these Pokemon or not, he knew that as a Trained Pokemon, it was his duty to treat them as equals. Grimacing, Pangoro peeled himself away from the wall he was leaning against and began to step towards the main gathering of Pokemon and Trainers.
At that very moment, the door flew open.
Pangoro stopped moving; the room fell silent as another human stepped into the room, three more at his back. This human was dressed in white and light gray clothing with faded pink hair and light brown skin. The ones behind him were two males and a female, dressed in similar clothing that looked either too large or too small for them depending on which person it was on. A Pokemon Pangoro recognized as a Komala was asleep upon the lead human's shoulder.
"Greetings!" the new arrival said to the room. "My name is Ilima, and this is Tupp, Zipp, and Rapp. I presume you're the other three participants in this Gym Exam?"
I'll be honest. While I knew I wanted the fourth participant in the Gym Exam to be a Normal-type Trainer (because reasons), I didn't nail down that it was going to be Ilima until I was in the middle of writing this chapter.
I wanted it to be a canon character, because all three of the other participants were OCs, but I had no idea who it would be. And then, while browsing Bulbapedia, I realized that canonically, Ilima took her Gym Challenge in Kalos. The pieces fell into place from there.
This also means that Tupp, Zipp, and Rapp were initially not planned to be included in this arc. So we'll just have to see how that pans out.