I'm back, and with a (fairly) open schedule. My next major hiatus won't be until August. I wish I could say Season 2 will be done by August, but there is far too much material to get through by then. I'm pretty sure Season 2 will be finished before the end of the year, though.
The reaction was immediate.
"Trial Captain Ilima?" Jaya asked.
"A Normal-type Trainer?" Raymond gasped.
"Team Skull Grunts!" Marcus cried.
Tupp clenched his fists at the last remark. "Not anymore!" he said. "We're members of Team Reskull now!"
"Yeah!" cried Zipp and Rapp.
"These are...were...Team Skull Grunts?" Jaya wondered.
"Yeah, I met Tupp and Rapp at Po Town," said Marcus. "What are they doing here?"
Ilima chuckled. "I will endeavor to answer all your questions quickly," he said. "Yes, I'm an Alolan Trial Captain. But I'm still young. There's plenty of time for me to go elsewhere. I went to Kalos to take a Gym Challenge several years ago, you know. See the world, figure out how they did things. I met Valerie during that, and she told me that when she retired, she'd leave a place open for me in the Gym Exam."
"But what'll happen to your trial?" Raymond asked.
"Oh, Emily's more than capable of taking it on in my stead," said Ilima. "As for the Team...Reskull...Grunts, Tupp here was an old classmate of mine." Tupp frowned; Ilima glanced at him before continuing. "We've had our differences. But after I sent word to Valerie that I would be participating, I remembered that this trio of Grunts had been messing with me for...years, now...and I decided to go to them and ask if they wanted to be my Gym Trainers."
"Which, I'll admit, was a surprise," said Tupp; Rapp and Zipp nodded. "We couldn't really find a catch...believe me, we tried...so we thought 'eh, why not'? After all, we're trying to redeem ourselves - as much as I hate to admit it, making up with one's enemies is one way of doing that."
"Besides, Guzma said we had to," Zipp pointed out.
"Why don't you head to your rooms, you three?" Ilima requested. "Get settled in. I'll be up soon."
The three former Team Skull Grunts moved past Ilima and up the staircase. Ilima sat down in one of the plush chairs near the other three prospective Gym Leaders. "I won't deny they're a bit of an acquired taste," the Normal-type Trial Captain admitted. "But they're nothing if not committed."
"So what's your team?" Raymond asked. "Seeing as that Komala up there doesn't seem like one of its members…"
"No, Komala's my partner Pokemon and my Ace for Trial battles, but he isn't a member of my Gym Leader team," said Ilima. "My Gym Leader team is Smeargle, Diggersby, Furfrou, and Kangaskhan. I also have an Eevee, but without access to Z-moves she isn't strong enough to be part of the team, unfortunately."
"A Furfrou?" Marcus asked.
"You have experience with the species?" Ilima's gaze snapped to Marcus.
"My dad owns one," said Marcus. "He isn't much of a battler, though."
"Not all are," said Ilima. "Many of the Furfrou line prefer a less eventful life. There is no reason to think any less of them for that."
"Of course," said Marcus. Ilima nodded. "So…I'm glad you all know me, but I'm afraid I don't know you. Might I trouble you for introductions, for yourselves and your teams?"
Marcus, Raymond, and Jaya were quick to respond, and in no time at all the four prospective Gym Leaders had fallen into intense conversation.
More footsteps pounded down the corridor outside, fading into the distance, and Medicham untensed, looking back at the rest of the team. "Nothing."
Kamado frowned. "Where is Cloyster? Should he not be back by now?"
"Be patient," said Trevenant. "It's not like there are bad guys downstairs. He probably just got sidetracked a little bit."
Kriesh sighed heavily. "This was a mistake…"
"Kriesh, it's okay." Trevenant's voice rose again before Medicham could protest. "Relax a little bit, okay? I can open the window if you want some fresh air."
"No, thank you," said Kriesh.
"I would like some fresh air," said Kamado.
"Okay, then, follow me," said Trevenant. "Have you ever been on a balcony before? It's really nice." The Grass/Ghost-type stepped towards the door to the room's balcony, Kamado following close behind.
Medicham and Kriesh watched as Trevenant extended their branch-like arms, grasping the door to the balcony and heaving it open. As Trevenant and Kamado walked outside, Kriesh glanced at Medicham. "You know, I'm really starting to understand how hard it is to admit secrets," she said.
Medicham sighed. "It almost feels second nature to me. And that hurts, Kriesh. I don't like keeping secrets…but it feels like I have to at this point."
"I know." Kriesh shifted closer. "So…how's Darkrai doing?" She looked uncomfortable at saying the Legendary's name so casually.
"He's okay," said Medicham. "Worried about Necrozma and the Aberration, that's for sure…he's been pushing me pretty hard."
"But not too hard, right?" Kriesh asked concernedly.
"Well," said Medicham, "when he can wipe away all of your pain and exhaustion with a snap of his fingers, it's difficult to ever be pushed too hard."
Kriesh chuckled. "I wish Marcus could do that."
"Don't we all?" Medicham smiled, but the smile was slight and faded quickly. "You know…part of me wishes the rest of the team knew about Darkrai. That way we could all train extra at night."
"Why is that so impossible?" Kriesh asked.
"Because I'm not sure how the rest of the team or Marcus would react," said Medicham. "Not to mention Darkrai…I highly doubt he'd consent to that. And besides…if I told any of them about Darkrai, the Heralds would know."
Kriesh winced at the thought. "Have you seen her recently?"
"No, thank Arceus," said Medicham. "She's preoccupied with the defense of Alola. The Heralds don't like Necrozma or the Aberration any better than we do."
"At least that's one of our problems out of the way," said Kriesh. "We've still got Ripper, Betrayer-Of-Kin, the Swarmlord, Necrozma and his lackeys…sometimes it feels like I'm never going to be able to stop looking over my shoulder."
"I know," said Medicham. "We just…have to live in the moment, I guess. Enjoy these moments of peace when and where we can."
Kriesh nodded slowly, and so the two of them sat in silence, taking in breaths of fresh air from the newly open window and trying to, at least for a few moments, forget the troubles that burdened them.
"This way," Brambleghast whispered, rolling swiftly along the corridor. Cloyster followed, grateful that the door from the common room to this first-floor corridor had been open a crack. Trevevant could open doors using his branch-like arms and his Harvest Ability's vines; Cloyster suspected that Brambleghast couldn't do the same.
As Cloyster followed Brambleghast down the hallway, the stirring in his chest grew more and more pronounced. He could feel his heart thrumming so loudly that the thought passed through his head that Brambleghast might hear it; the thought brought embarrassment to his mind as well. This feels so odd. What is going on?
"118…119…120…ooh, a storage closet!" Brambleghast turned to the right. "Let's go in here! Storage closets are never occupied."
Cloyster eyed the closet door warily. "It doesn't look like it's open," he said.
"Oh, that's no problem at all," said Brambleghast. "The only problem is if it's locked. See, I didn't really want to show off my Ability in front of all those strangers. But when it's just the two of us alone…I really don't mind."
Cloyster grinned, excitement pulsing through him. What kind of Ability did Brambleghast have? Was it Harvest, like Trevenant, or something else entirely?
Brambleghast's bright red eyes narrowed in concentration. A slight wind began to rush around the Grass/Ghost-type's body as she readied herself for whatever she was going to do. Cloyster watched in shock as she began to lift off the ground, propelled by the wind that was now surging around her powerful enough to buffet him as well.
Brambleghast smirked. "This is my Ability. Wind Rider…as far as I know, exclusive to the Brambleghast line." She hovered up to the doorknob and stopped her ascent, bobbing gently on the updraft as she reached out with several snaggly branches. Brambleghast grasped the doorknob and turned it; a click rewarded her efforts, and the door swung open.
That done, Brambleghast looked down at Cloyster. "After you," she said. Eagerly Cloyster rolled through the now-open door; Brambleghast floated after him, and as the two of them moved through the door Brambleghast turned and pushed it closed.
Only then did she cease her flight and float gently to the ground, landing so lightly that barely a sound was made upon contact with the stony floor of the supply closet. "Wind Rider allows me to…ah…control wind, to a degree. Controlled flight, increased movement options, and it doesn't do my opponents any favors to have a driving wind blowing into their faces, so that makes it pretty easy for me to catch them off guard. I've been trying to increase my control over the wind my Ability generates, but it's really difficult, so most of the time I just stick with using the Ability as support for my other moves. So what's your Ability, Cloyster?"
"Skill Link," said Cloyster. "It allows me to duplicate my ranged attacks. Projectiles, beams…I haven't had it for nearly as long as you probably have, so I haven't done much experimentation with it."
"Still, that's a pretty potent offensive Ability," said Brambleghast. "I'd ask for a battle, but we just got into this supply closet, so…"
Cloyster glanced around at the shelves that stretched up all around them, boxing them into a very small area. "Yeah, I wouldn't want to battle in here. It's cramped, and stuff might end up breaking."
Brambleghast leaned against one of the shelves. "So, Cloyster, tell me about your friends. Trainer, fellow Pokemon…how are they?"
"Well, you met Marcus," said Cloyster. "Like I said, he's nice, unless he gets mad. He's encouraging, he works with all of us, and he's…devoted. He pushes us hard, but not in a bad way. I daresay that sometimes I treat him more like a friend than a Trainer."
Brambleghast nodded, silently urging Cloyster to continue. Cloyster happily obliged. "As for the fellow Pokemon…Medicham's sorta our leader, and she's good at it, though I'm pretty sure she's got something else going on, because she oftentimes seems distracted. Drapion's pretty menacing, but friendly once you get to know him. Kriesh - she's a Fearow - talks a lot with Medicham. She's got a past she doesn't like talking about, but don't bring that up and she's friendly as well. Trevenant's pretty funny and really is a lot like you, Kamado is a Tyrunt - very new addition but working hard to catch up, Houndoom's determined and very devoted to Marcus, Liepard's shifty but really interesting, and Pangoro's gruff and likes to be alone."
"Pangoro sounds a lot like Ceruledge," said Brambleghast. "Standoffish but strong. Ceruledge is a 'mon of few words, that's for sure."
"And what about the rest of your team and your Trainer?" Cloyster asked.
"Well, Raymond's definitely determined as well," said Brambleghast. "Always searching for new heights to reach. He's like your Trainer in that he pushes us pretty hard, though he's also got Gym Trainer duties with Ryme so it's slackened off when he needs to do that. As for the team…you already know about me and Ceruledge. Gengar's been with us for a while. Bit of a prankster, though I think that applies to their entire line, but absolutely vicious in a fight. Froslass is cool - pun intended - and takes delight in tricking and confusing her opponents. Jellicent is pretty weird, but he's got some hidden depths, and Golurk's new, so he spends a lot of time away from the team, but he's really interesting. Raymond actually caught him in Kalos near here - he was protecting a group of wild Ghost-types near Route 14, and he's still devoted to them, so Raymond invited them all to come with. They're probably camped out near the building right about now."
"Seriously?" Cloyster asked.
"Yeah," said Brambleghast with a laugh. Cloyster found himself laughing as well, and for a good ten seconds the two of them shared a chuckle.
But at length it trailed off, and Cloyster waited for Brambleghast to resume speaking, but she didn't. Cloyster frowned. "What about Gholdengo?" he asked; from the look that shot through Brambleghast's eyes, she'd been trying to avoid that question, and Cloyster at once felt worry descend on him.
"Gholdengo…" Brambleghast sighed. "He's…a force. Both in power and personality. He's Raymond's Starter, and the strongest member of the team without question. He's a little abrasive, but when he wants you to do something…he's very good at getting you to do it, let me put it that way."
"Are you scared of him?" Cloyster asked nervously.
"No!" Brambleghast cried. She seemed to shrink a little. "I mean…kind of. A bit, yeah. The sheer amount of things he can do with that Ability of his…raw power-wise, he's a little bit stronger than the rest of us but nowhere near overwhelming, but his Ability, Good as Gold, gives him total control over metal. Any metal. His body is made of metal. The sheer versatility Good as Gold gives him is just ridiculous." She leaned in closer. "About a year ago, Raymond challenged Ryme to a battle against her real team. Her Elite Four-level team. Gholdengo fought her Mimikyu to a standstill, one-on-one. Sure, he had a type advantage, but still, no one else on our team was even close to equaling Ryme's Pokemon in power."
"He's strong enough to take on an Elite Four-level Pokemon?" Cloyster asked.
"Yeah," said Brambleghast. "And he knows it, too. He's cocky, and like I said, he knows how to get you to do something he wants. I'm pretty sure he's got Raymond's ear too, and that kind of power…I won't deny it, that worries me a little."
Cloyster glanced around the room, eyeing the metal shelves, the various metallic tools on said shelves, the tiny metal screws holding the shelves in place, the metal doorknob behind them…
"Anyway, that offer to battle's still open," said Brambleghast. "Mind getting out of this closet and showing me just what Skill Link can do?"
"No problem," said Cloyster. "Do you think there's a battle arena out back?"
"Cloyster," said Brambleghast, "when you've stayed in enough of these places, you know there's always a battle arena out back."
Drapion was bored. Gholdengo's posturing had sapped his appetite for conversation, and so now he was pacing, eyeing the various Pokemon and Trainers as they sat and talked. At some point the conversation amongst the Trainers had turned to the Komala which still slept on Ilima's shoulder.
"…his Ability," Ilima was saying. "Comatose allows him to effectively, from what I can tell, control sleep. He can simultaneously exist in a state of sleep and a state of wakefulness, he can put others into sleeplike trances, he can even put objects to sleep."
"How do you put an object to sleep?" Raymond asked.
"It acts sort of like time-freezing," said Ilima. "Even I don't understand all the particulars, but I do know he can stop a cliff from collapsing by putting it to sleep, and he's working on putting projectiles to sleep and causing them to dissipate. It's one of the more intriguing Abilities I've come across."
"I wish all Abilities were that versatile," said Marcus.
"They are," said Ilima. "The boundaries of an Ability are limited only by imagination. To give another example, my Kangaskhan has the Ability Early Bird, which effectively allows him to perfectly tell the time whenever he wants. Useful as an alarm clock, of course, but seems weak otherwise, right?"
The other three Trainers nodded warily.
"Well," said Ilima, "Kangaskhan has figured out that in order to be able to sense time so perfectly, he has to be able to run perfect calculations in his brain within a hundredth of a second. And with training, he has been able to access that part of his brain that runs those calculations. This allows him to, essentially, mentally slow down time, enabling him to run through hundreds of plans in a single second and figure out the best possible option to counter an opponent's move. Early Bird also grants Kangaskhan absurdly heightened perceptive capabilities, an increased intelligence since he can peruse through knowledge several times faster than others, and effective immunity to base instinct, which is a lot more useful than you might think."
"That's…a lot," said Jaya.
"The best Trainers know how to get the most mileage out of their Pokemons' Abilities," said Ilima.
"Aren't you worried about giving all this information away so freely?" Marcus asked. "You know, since we're going to be fighting your Kangaskhan?"
"Oh, not at all," said Ilima. "After all, knowing is only half the battle."
As the other three Trainers leaned in close to continue the conversation, Drapion turned and stalked away. Knowing about Kangaskhan's capabilities was nice and all, especially since he'd definitely be facing the large Normal-type in battle, but it didn't change the fact that he had no interest in conversing with any of the numerous Pokemon around.
"Bored?"
Drapion turned to look at Pangoro, who had somehow come up behind him without Drapion noticing. "Yeah."
Pangoro nodded. "I'm trying to find someone to converse with. Medicham said that I should treat these others as equals. So I'm looking to socialize with them as if they were equals."
"Ah ain't got no desire ta socialize," Drapion growled. "That Gholdengo over there killed any appetite ah had fer that. Word of advice: avoid him. He's arrogant, an' he likes mockin' others from what ah can tell."
"Sounds like someone who needs their face smashed in," Pangoro commiserated.
"Shame he ain't participatin' in the Gym Exam," said Drapion. "Doesn't seem we're gonna get the chance."
Pangoro sighed frustratedly, leaning against one of the nearby tables. "So what do you suppose they're talking about over there?" he asked, gesturing to the four Trainers.
"Strategy," said Drapion. "That Normal-type Trainer was talkin' 'bout her Kangaskhan's Ability. Givin' away information fer free."
"Really?" Pangoro glanced over towards Ilima. "What did he say?"
Drapion opened his mouth to answer, but just then a knock came from the door. The occupants of the room froze, all conversations ending. Ilima, who was sitting nearest to the door, quickly rose and stepped over to it. All eyes turned to the door as Ilima swung it open, revealing Valerie standing on the other side.
The Fairy-type Gym Leader stepped smoothly through the door, the wings of her costume catching on the doorway and folding inwards as she moved forwards, scraping against the walls. She stopped moving upon seeing Marcus, Jaya, and Raymond; Ilima coughed quietly, and with a murmured apology Valerie twisted to allow him through.
"Well, it appears all four of you have arrived," said Valerie. "Splendid! I'm glad you all could make it. Lunch will be served in about an hour; at 1:00, I'd like you all to report to the Laverre City Gym for the beginning of the Gym Exam."
"I thought we'd start tomorrow," said Raymond.
"Why would we waste an entire afternoon?" Valerie queried, sounding puzzled. "Tell me, Raymond, what would you be doing in the time between now and tomorrow that you couldn't have done in the past three months?"
Raymond sighed. "That's fair."
"Now, allow me to clarify some of the rules," said Valerie. "This is a test to see if you are fit to ascend to the position of Gym Leader within the sixth Gym of Kalos, and as such we will be following the guidelines of the sixth gym throughout the majority of the exam. This means: you must limit your Pokemon to the power levels they will be utilizing in your hypothetical Gym battles, only two of your Pokemon may utilize their Abilities, and no items, held or otherwise, are allowed. No Mega Evolutions or Z-Moves are allowed either." She glanced at Ilima, who nodded. "If you find yourself in need of making adjustments to fit these rules, do not worry. The first part of the Gym Exam is not beholden to these limitations; you will have ample opportunity tonight to make those changes. Any questions?"
"You and me, right?" Pangoro rumbled quietly. Drapion nodded; Marcus had spent some time over the past two months, especially in the past week, making it clear who would have access to their Abilities and who would not, amongst other things related to holding back power levels. Drapion eyed Pangoro somewhat worriedly; the Dark/Fighting-type had taken offense to the notion that he'd need to hold back in any way, and even though the cuts to his power level had been fairly minute - Work Up and his new ranged attacks were both cut off, but all his other moves were still allowed, albeit with minor changes to the strength behind them - Pangoro had bristled at the suggestion of taking any cuts whatsoever. Medicham had pulled him aside after several minutes of fruitless cajoling, and whatever she'd said had calmed Pangoro down, but Drapion could not help but wonder if his temper might flare up again.
At least, Drapion thought, he seems excited about getting to use his full power in this first part.
"Will we have access to our full teams for this first part?" Jaya asked. "Or only our Gym Leader teams?"
"Only your Gym Leader teams," said Valerie, "as with every portion of the Gym Exam."
No more questions arose, which seemed to please Valerie. "All right, remember, 1:00," she said. "Please don't be late. Good luck to all of you - let's have a nice, fair competition!"
Valerie turned and exited the building, her costume's wings once again rustling against the walls. As soon as the Fairy-type Gym Leader closed the door behind her, all four Trainers arose. "See you at lunch," said Marcus.
"Yeah, see you," said Raymond; Jaya echoed him, while Ilima merely nodded. The four Trainers began pulling out Dusk, Wing, Luxury, and Ultra Balls and recalling their Pokemon into them.
As Drapion prepared to be recalled, he heard Raymond's voice calling out. "Brambleghast! Where are you?"
"I think I saw your Brambleghast with my Cloyster on the stairs," said Marcus.
"Cloyster? Right, you used to be a generalist," said Raymond. "Well, I can't see your Cloyster or my Brambleghast around here."
"Maybe they went upstairs?" Marcus wondered.
"Maybe," said Raymond. "Let's check up there first, then down here. They can't have gone far."
As Drapion was finally recalled, he felt tension tightening his body. It had been more than two months since the incident in the forests surrounding Vaniville, two months of inaction, and yet Drapion had not forgotten about the Swarmlord in the slightest.
He talked to Medicham. Told her he was coming for you. That she'd better stay out of his way.
Drapion knew the Swarmlord. He knew he'd be watching. Waiting for a moment of weakness, to swoop in and catch them off guard. And now Cloyster was alone. Well, with Brambleghast, but that was still just two Pokemon. If the Swarm attacked…if Cloyster was in danger…
Drapion felt all his old instincts surge back and forced them down. No. I'm not leaving. We've had this conversation.
Still, worry filled him as Marcus and Raymond began to move upstairs. Cloyster…please, for the love of Arceus, wherever you are, be somewhere safe.
"Skill Link: Ice Blast!"
Cloyster grinned as he unleashed two Ice Beams, one real and one duplicated, at Brambleghast. The Paldean Grass/Ghost-type grinned back. "Wind Rider: Updraft!" Wind surged forth around Brambleghast, sending her flying into the air; the two beams of Ice energy flew through the space where she had been, impacting against the metal fencing as Cloyster spun to face Brambleghast.
Cheers arose from the other side of the fence as the audience of Ghost-types that had gathered nearby applauded Brambleghast's successful maneuver. Cloyster had no idea where they'd come from, but as the battle had started they'd begun to wander up, and now fully two dozen Ghost-types, mingled Gastly, Haunters, Phantumps, and a few Goletts and Duskulls, all were watching the match with wide, excited eyes.
Brambleghast's theory had been correct; there were, in fact, several fenced-off areas behind the building perfect for battling. Brambleghast had been right to suggest they battle; Cloyster was able to ignore the still-present thrumming in his chest and the nervousness about Gholdengo in favor of pure, simple, friendly combat.
This is what a Pokemon battle is supposed to be. A simple contest between friends, not a life-or-death struggle.
"Wind Rider: Zephyr Step!" Brambleghast landed on empty air and launched herself further upwards. "Seed Barrage!" A flurry of Grass energy-formed projectiles flew from Brambleghast's body at Cloyster.
"Defensive Shell!" Cloyster tapped into Iron Defense, closing and hardening his shell, and was relieved when the flurry bounced off with a pattering of impacts, though it still sent a slight wave of pain through his shell. He opened his shell to see Brambleghast sailing gaily above him. "Skill Link: Ice Blast!"
"Wind Rider: Downburst!" Wind surged above Brambleghast as the twin Ice Beams came at her once again, and abruptly she plummeted like a stone, carried on a downward-plunging torrent of wind. As she slammed into the ground, the wind rushing around her burst forth in all directions, and Cloyster was unable to stand against the sudden gust; he staggered backwards as Brambleghast rolled back upright and lunged in one smooth motion, the branches of her body glowing with Grass energy. "Tumbleweed Whip!"
"Impenetrable Shell!" Brambleghast lashed out with a branchlike limb swathed in Grass energy, only for it to ram into the sudden Protect Cloyster raised and bounce off. Again her spherical body allowed her to roll upright easily, but Cloyster had recovered faster. "Skill Link: Ice Flurry!"
"Wind Rider: Whirlwind!" As the volley of icy projectiles came at her, Brambleghast narrowed her eyes in concentration. Wind arose around her once again, and abruptly she began to spin in place, faster and faster as the projectiles approached.
Her body flared with Normal energy, and as the first of the Ice energy-formed spikes slammed into her and promptly shattered, Cloyster realized what she was doing. Rapid Spin, augmented by wind to make it faster and more damaging…a minute in and already it's clear she massively undersold herself.
"Tumbleweed Whip!" Brambleghast cried as the last of the Ice Flurry shattered against her spinning defense. Propelled by the momentum of her spin, she lunged forwards, swinging at Cloyster with another Grass energy-covered limb. "Impenetrable Shell!" Cloyster cried, raising another Protect to try and repeat his earlier defense.
And then Brambleghast disappeared in a burst of Ghost energy. Shadow Sneak! Crap! Cloyster spun as Brambleghast reappeared behind him. "Ghost Shift! Tumbleweed Whip!"
"Defensive Shell!" Cloyster cried, the only defense he could muster in such a short time.
Brambleghast's Power Whip cracked against Cloyster's Iron Defense-boosted shell. The force of the blow was enough to stagger Brambleghast, the Grass/Ghost-type stumbling from the strain of impacting such a powerful defense. But Cloyster felt himself sail off his feet, flying for a good few seconds before he slammed into, and bounced off of, one of the fences surrounding the arena.
The Ghost-type audience fluctuated between groans of sympathy and cheers for Brambleghast. Cloyster groaned himself as he opened his shell back up again. Even with Iron Defense, that attack had hurt.
"Cloyster, are you all right?" Brambleghast asked worriedly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit you that hard…"
"I'm fine," said Cloyster, rising to a standing position. If she's this strong…how is Gholdengo so much stronger than her?
"Good," said Brambleghast. "Not a bad fighting style you have. A decent mixture of offense and defense…if I had one criticism, it's that you lack speed. Tell me, have you ever considered learning Shell Smash? I've heard high-level Cloysters are renowned for their use of that move."
A chill settled in Cloyster's heart. His shell ruptured, gaping, exposing his flesh to empty air as the Torkoal readied for a strike at his unprotected body…
"No," said Cloyster.
Brambleghast shrugged. "Suit yourself. Want to continue?"
"Sure," said Cloyster, allowing a grin to settle back onto his face. Despite Brambleghast's power, he was enjoying the fight so far. He readied himself, forming the spikes on his shell into another icy barrage.
"There you are!"
Cloyster and Brambleghast both spun as Marcus half-ran through the open gate of the arena, Raymond a step behind. There was a chorus of "Aww" from the audience of Ghost-types.
"Cloyster, I'm glad you've made a friend, but that's no excuse to wander off like that!" Marcus cried. "I was getting worried!"
"Brambleghast, return." Raymond only said those two words before recalling Brambleghast into his Dusk Ball, though the look in his eyes indicated he'd say more once he got back to his room.
"Hey, isn't that the Trainer who beat Heliolisk?"
Cloyster's eyes flashed over to the Ghost-type audience; one of the Gastly was pointing excitedly at Marcus. "Yeah, you're right!" said a Haunter. "Hey, Trainer! Thanks again for beating Heliolisk for us!"
You have got to be kidding me, Cloyster thought. These are those Ghost-types? Huh…I guess, now that I think of it, that was really close to Laverre. Small world, I guess.
Marcus, not understanding any of them, glared at the Ghost-types. "Show's over!" he cried. The Ghost-types grinned, turned, and ran back towards the forest in a clump, talking excitedly about Marcus.
As Marcus turned and walked back into the building after Raymond, Cloyster shifted to peek out of his Luxury Ball and eye Brambleghast's. Somehow, he knew she was doing the same. A smile came to his face as his heart stirred once more; it felt like no amount of anger radiating from Marcus could overcome that feeling.
Unbeknownst to any of the people or Pokemon moving away from the fenced-in arena, in a small copse of trees not too far away, a Skorupi glanced at a pair of Flabebe behind him, one pink, one yellow.
"Alert the Swarmlord," said the Skorupi. "Tell him Spine, of the Lifeweaver Swarm, has located the Marked One's Trainer in Laverre City. I'm sure he'll be pleased by the news."
"Yes, Spine," the two Flabebe chorused, and with that both turned and fluttered in a southward direction, leaving the grinning Skorupi behind.
Kriesh and Medicham both shifted as Marcus strode through the door. He released the remaining members of the team, including Cloyster, onto the bed. "Cloyster, I'm not going to ask how you got out of the room," he said. "Just…don't do it again, okay?"
"Okay," said Cloyster in a voice tinged with more sadness than Medicham had expected.
"Did you talk to Sigilyph?" Kriesh asked.
Cloyster looked downcast. "No," he admitted; Medicham was not all that happy when Kriesh's reaction was to look almost relieved. "I…got sidetracked."
"Ah saw it," said Drapion with a savage grin. "Ya seemed ta be hittin' it off with that Brambleghast quite nicely."
"We were just being friendly, okay?" Cloyster instantly protested.
"Sure…" Drapion snickered. Medicham shook her head with an exasperated sigh. Is now really the best time, Cloyster?
"Okay, listen up," said Marcus; all the Pokemon in the room snapped to attention, Cloyster's developing love life forgotten. "Dark-types, you all probably heard what Valerie said, but in case you didn't, the Gym Exam begins at 1:00. Held items and full movesets are allowed for the first round. I don't know what the first round actually entails, but regardless, we're going to be ready for anything, aren't we?"
Drapion, Pangoro, Liepard, and Houndoom chorused agreement.
"I'm going down for lunch in a little less than an hour," said Marcus. "Before and after lunch, we'll make any last-minute adjustments. Otherwise, we'll just take a rest. We need all our strength for the Exam."
In a room further down the hall, Raymond sat down heavily on his bed. With a flick of his fingers he released Gholdengo next to him. "I can't believe this," he murmured. "Eighteen Pokemon types, and yet I run into a Dark-type and a Normal-type Trainer." He put both hands to his face and sighed. "The only two types Ghosts aren't at least neutrally effective against. How is my luck so bad?"
Gholdengo glanced at Raymond nervously. He raised a hand, spilling out golden threads from his fingers that twined into words. IT ISN'T YOUR FAULT.
"I know, Gholdengo," said Raymond. "But you know what's at stake here. If I lose this, I'm stuck. It could be years until another opportunity like this comes along. Years of stagnation. I…I can't lose this. But of course, two of my opponents are running the only two types that are good against Ghost-types!"
Gholdengo rearranged the threads. SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?
Raymond ran his hands through his hair. "I guess…I just have to try my best. And hope…" He sighed again, rising to his feet. "I'm going for a walk. You want to come with?"
NO, Gholdengo wrote with his threads. I WILL STAY HERE. I WANT TO THINK A LITTLE.
"Sure thing, Gholdengo," said Raymond. "See you in a few." He stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.
Gholdengo waited for a moment. Waited until he was sure Raymond was gone. Then he arose and walked to the balcony door.
It was fortunate, he reflected, that this balcony overlooked the back of the building.
Gholdengo reached out towards the metal door to the balcony. An application of his Ability was more than sufficient to slide it open. Gholdengo walked forwards, gesturing as he did so; the iron railing opened before him like a set of double doors, and at another gesture the entire railing uprooted itself from the balcony. Gholdengo did not stop walking; he continued to stride forwards as the railing rearranged, shifting into a staircase even as he stepped off the balcony and onto the first of his impromptu stairs.
Gholdengo walked down slowly, manipulating the railing-turned-stairs so that the stairs he had left behind disassembled, then reassembled further down, all the while exerting his Ability to allow the forming staircase to float in midair. It took about a minute before he reached the ground, the last of the stairs disassembling behind him. Knowing he would need them to ascend back up to the balcony, Gholdengo transformed the iron into gold and shifted it around his body, forming a layer of protection.
Just in case.
Gholdengo walked away from the building, towards the forest that lay nearby. As he reached the edge, he called out. "Ghosts! I saw you watching Brambleghast, I know you're there."
A few seconds passed before the group of wild Ghost-types poked their heads out of the undergrowth. "Hi!" one of the Haunters said. "You're one of Golurk's teammates."
"Yes, I am," said Gholdengo. "I'm glad to see you're doing well."
"Oh, thank you, thank you," said the Haunter. "I am Haunter-1, Golurk's second-in-command. I was the leader of this group until Heliolisk…" He shivered slightly. "Anyway, who are you?"
"My name is Gholdengo." Gholdengo shifted. "I'm here to make a request."
"And that is?" Haunter-1 asked.
"How many Ghost-types do you have in your group?" Gholdengo asked.
"Oh, a lot," said Haunter-1. "We didn't use to have all that many, but after Golurk came, a lot of other Ghost-types sought sanctuary with us. Now we have fifty, and more are coming every week."
"Good," said Gholdengo with a smile. "Raymond…Golurk's Trainer, you know him, right?"
"Of course," said Haunter-1.
"He's…undergoing some difficulties," said Gholdengo. "See, the reason he caught Golurk is because Golurk's helping him take part in a competition called the 'Gym Exam'."
"Ooooh," the Ghost-types chorused.
"But, you see, the other competitors have too much of an advantage over him," said Gholdengo. "An advantage that might prevent him from winning. And wouldn't that be unfair?"
"Yeah, it would," said Haunter-1.
"So your job is going to be to make things fair," said Gholdengo. "Shall we say…impede the other contestants. Surreptitiously, of course."
"But…isn't that cheating?" Haunter-1 asked. "We've had competitions like that before - not this Gym Exam. But…we've had 1-on-1 battles before. And if someone else intervenes in those battles, that's cheating. How's this different?"
Gholdengo sighed. "Think of it this way. Heliolisk wasn't affected by your Ghost-type attacks, was he?"
"N…no," Haunter-1 stammered.
"He beat you in a 1-on-1, didn't he?" A nod from Haunter-1 brought a satisfied smile to Gholdengo's face. "Do you think that was fair?"
"No," said Haunter-1. "Well…I mean…technically it was according to the rules…so I guess it was…"
"But didn't it feel awful to have that happen to you?" Gholdengo asked.
"Of course," said Haunter-1. "You never met Heliolisk…he was terrible."
"So do you want Raymond to feel that same way?" Gholdengo leaned in close. "Do you want Golurk to feel that same way?"
"No!" Haunter-1 cried.
"All I'm asking is for you to even the odds a little," said Gholdengo. "Can you do that for me?"
"Yeah," said Haunter-1. "We can do that. If it means making it fairer for Raymond and Golurk…"
"Exactly." Gholdengo smiled widely. "Now, you mustn't be seen doing this, okay?"
"Okay," said Haunter-1.
"Perfect," said Gholdengo. "Remember…Raymond and Golurk are counting on you. I have to go now. Thank you for your help."
"No problem!" said Haunter-1. "All right, Ghosts, let's do this!"
"Okay!" The various Ghost-types scattered into the bushes and were lost from sight.
Satisfied, Gholdengo turned and began to walk back towards the building. As he withdrew the extra gold from his body, transmuted it back into iron, and began reassembling the staircase that would take him back up to the balcony, he heaved a sigh.
He knew if he was caught doing this, Raymond might very well be not only disqualified, but blacklisted from Gym Exams. Ryme might even fire him. For a second, Gholdengo considered going back. Telling Haunter-1 to forget it.
"Hello, Gimmighoul."
Gimmighoul looked up at the face hovering over him. It was the first face he'd ever seen besides his own. In the Chest of Treasure where he had spent his whole life, no other faces showed themselves. He considered ducking under the mountain of coins that served as his bed, but the more he looked at the face, the more he relaxed. It was an honest face. A kind face. It seemed to say 'I mean you no harm.'
"My name is Raymond," said the face. "I want to become a Ghost-type Trainer. I've heard legends of your kind…I never really thought I'd see one in person."
Gimmighoul looked up at Raymond. "Nice to meet you," he said quaveringly.
Raymond chuckled. "I can't understand you," he said. "I'm sorry…I speak a different language than you do."
Gimmighoul lowered his head with a sigh.
"Hey, hey, it's okay," said Raymond. "Look…I want to help you." He raised up a small red-and-white spherical object. "How would you like to grow stronger?"
Stronger sounded good. Gimmighoul looked back up at Raymond quizzically. "Sure. How?"
"I'm going to take you around Paldea," said Raymond. "I'm going to find a bunch more shiny coins. And when I get enough shiny coins, apparently I can give them all to you, and you can use them to evolve."
"Evolve?" Gimmighoul asked.
"You're going to become a Gholdengo," said Raymond. "A strong Pokemon desired by Ghost-type Trainers all over Paldea. I'm going to make you into a Gholdengo, and I'm going to make you the strongest Gholdengo Paldea…no, the world…has ever seen!"
Raymond smiled. "But if you're going to become that strong, you're going to need to battle," said Raymond. "There are a lot of Trainers in the world. All of them are stronger than us right now. To become stronger than them, we have to fight them, and we have to win, whatever it takes. So I'm going to need you to do that for me. Fight other Pokemon, and win. Whatever it takes. Okay?"
"Okay," said Gimmighoul, punctuating the statement with a nod of his head. Raymond's smile grew wider as he raised the spherical object…
Gholdengo sighed as the memory faded from his mind. "Three years ago, I made a promise," said Gholdengo as he began to ascend his improvised staircase. "A promise to win. And I promise you now…you are going to win this. You are going to become the new Gym Leader." Gholdengo clenched his fists.
"Whatever it takes."
The Gym Exam proper will start next chapter. I do anticipate this arc being fairly lengthy - perhaps even longer than the Downtime Arc. Gone are the days of arcs lasting for five chapters, six maximum. Though once we hit Season 3 (yes, there will definitely be a Season 3), I do anticipate the arcs getting smaller.
Smaller in terms of number of chapters, that is. Not in terms of scale.