This is another of those chapters that didn't start out as a two-parter, but turned into it during the writing process. On the plus side, the Gym Exam still begins in this chapter!
Houndoom breathed in, then out, steeling himself for the battles he knew would lay ahead. One hour, he thought. One hour until the Gym Exam starts.
He still had no idea what exactly the Gym Exam would entail. No one did yet, besides Valerie. But Houndoom knew it would involve combat to some extent. And so, as Marcus stepped down the stairs into the main room and lunch came within sight, Houndoom was thinking over all of his moves in his head, searching for any he'd forgotten that might turn out to be useful.
Almost randomly, Houndoom recalled the story of Drapion's battle against Calem's Mega Lucario back in the Kalos Pokemon League Tournament. How the Poison/Dark-type had used Leer, of all things, to gain the upper hand. It was not uncommon, Houndoom knew, for Pokemon to forget moves, whether it was because they didn't fit with their fighting style or they were just outclassed by newer moves. But Houndoom also knew that some of those supposedly weak moves actually had their uses.
Ember, for example: it was one of the most basic attacks a Fire-type could learn. Houndoom bristled slightly as another memory popped into his head. A memory of his old Trainer. He'd never even known the Trainer's name; he had been just one of many Team Flare Grunts, determined to please Lysandre and the Admins by stealing as many Pokemon as possible. And yet it had been that Grunt who had taught him that no move should be wasted. It had been that Grunt who had aided him in learning Flame Storm; without that technique, Ember would have long since disappeared into the recesses of Houndoom's mind, never to be remembered.
Though Houndoom knew the Grunt had only done it to be that much more effective at stealing Pokemon, he nonetheless was grateful for that lesson. And so he pondered other moves that he could use in such a way. Odor Sleuth? Smog? Arceus, how long has it been since I've thought of those moves?
"Marcus?"
Houndoom was withdrawn from his thoughts as Marcus turned to face the speaker. Houndoom peered out of his Luxury Ball; his lips drew back in a snarl as he recognized one of Ilima's Gym Trainers, the former Team Skull Grunts. The female one. Which one is this? Their names are all too similar…
"Rapp, was it?" Thankfully, Marcus answered that question quickly.
Rapp nodded. "Marcus, right?"
"Yeah," said Marcus. "You were at Po Town…Guzma called you out…"
"Yeah," said Rapp. "I remember what you said. Back there, I mean. Was it true what you said? About wanting to become a Gym Leader so that you can help others?"
"It was," said Marcus.
Rapp sighed. "Y'know…back when we were part of Team Skull, we kinda wanted the same thing. Guzma created Team Skull so that those who felt they didn't have a voice could get one. We wanted to help others get those voices. Tupp, Zipp, and I…we were some of the most devoted. Tupp hated Ilima 'cause Tupp never got any recognition. He never got a voice. Everybody listened to Ilima, and didn't care one bit about Tupp. At least, that's how we viewed it. Honestly, it was more like Tupp was jealous, and we didn't care. We just went along with it."
Marcus stood and waited patiently.
"After we changed to Team Reskull," said Rapp, "we started…actually helping, instead of causing chaos. We fixed the places we messed up, helped people with lost Pokemon or other problems, did community service…and honestly, it was kinda refreshing. We spent our entire lives following one ideology blindly; once we took a step back and looked at it from a new perspective, it was like seeing everything in a whole different light."
"So why are you telling me all of this?" Marcus asked.
"Because," said Rapp, "without you, none of it would have been possible. You saved Guzma. So…I just wanted to thank you, that's all." She gave an honest smile. "And I hope there won't be any hard feelings when Ilima wins."
Marcus chuckled at that. "Like I'll just roll over and give him the win."
"You might want to," Rapp warned. "This first challenge sounds like it's pretty experience-based, and Ilima's got the most experience out of all you prospective Gym Leaders."
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see," said Marcus.
"So we will," said Rapp. "I gotta eat. See you soon, Marcus."
"You too," said Marcus as Rapp swiftly turned and headed back upstairs. He sighed. "Surely there has to be some catch…it's not like the most experienced contestant automatically wins. It can't be."
He chuckled softly again, and then turned and moved down the stairs and into the room below. Houndoom relaxed. It wasn't that he wasn't sure that Rapp had changed - it was clear she and the rest of the former Team Skull were making an honest effort to atone - but members of evil teams, even former members, would probably always unnerve him,
Marcus stepped over to the area where lunch was being served and began selecting food for both him and his Pokemon. Houndoom forced himself to relax. This is just a friendly competition. Just like the Kalos Pokemon League Tournament.
Nothing bad's gonna happen.
It was 12:00, and Marcus had gone down for lunch, leaving the non-Dark-type members of the team still in the room. Medicham had faith that she and the rest of the occupants of the room would be able to eat, but her stomach was rumbling and no food had materialized. The beginnings of worry were starting to prick at her when abruptly she heard the telltale whoosh of teleportation and Valerie's Clefable appeared right next to her.
She wouldn't deny she jumped a little.
"Ah, good, everyone's here," said Clefable after a few moments of silence. "All you Pokemon are cordially invited to the balconies of room 201, where lunch will be served, after which you may watch the first round of the Gym Exam from afar. Don't worry, your Trainer will be notified, and he is allowed to come get you if he has any last-minute requirements. Now, shall we?"
"Why not?" Cloyster rolled up to Clefable. The rest of the team followed; one teleportation later, they were standing in the middle of a massive room that was already bustling with Trainers and Pokemon. The room was very finely decorated, with three large ornamental chandeliers glimmering with light, paintings everywhere, wood furniture that shone with polish, and three wide-open glass doors leading out to huge balconies that Medicham guessed could easily fit a dozen Trainers. Medicham instantly began scanning the room for Trainers and Pokemon she recognized, and quickly spotted Theo, Connie, and Serena standing around, their Pokemon milling nearby. No food could be seen as of yet; before Medicham could turn to ask Clefable about that, the Fairy-type teleported away, leaving the little group of Marcus's team members standing uncomfortably in the middle of the floor.
There were a few moments of uncomfortable silence before Cloyster broke it. "I'm going this way," he announced as he began to roll towards one of the three doors leading out of the room. Medicham was slightly confused for a moment, before Trevenant leaned over and whispered "Brambleghast." Sure enough, there was the Paldean Grass/Ghost-type, deep in conversation with a Lampent and a strange Ghostly Arcanine-like Pokemon Medicham had never seen before. Probably Pokemon owned by Raymond's Gym Trainers, if I had to guess. Brambleghast's eyes shone as she spotted Cloyster coming, and she quickly made to introduce him to the other Ghost-types.
Medicham smiled. "I'm glad Cloyster's made a friend," she whispered.
Trevenant chuckled. "Maybe a little more than a friend," they responded.
"It's his business," said Medicham. "And besides…if it does get to be something more, I'll be glad for that too."
"Fair enough," said Trevenant. "Hey, check it out! Those balconies are overlooking some pretty big trees - maybe I could Forest's Curse into one!"
"Trevenant, you might not be able to get back!" Medicham's whisper rose to a cry as Trevenant swiftly stepped away. She sighed. "If Trevenant gets stuck out there-"
"Don't worry," said Kriesh. "He'll be fine." She gestured to several small trees in pots on the various balconies.
"Can I…go?" Kamado sounded very unsure of himself; Medicham recalled that the Tyrunt had not been in anywhere near this large of a gathering before. She smiled and nodded. "Go do what you want."
"Okay." Kamado wandered into the crowd.
That left Medicham and Kriesh alone. "I'm…gonna mingle with the fliers, if you don't mind," the Fearow said.
"You sure?" Medicham asked. "They're Jaya and her Gym Trainers' Pokemon, you know."
"It's Jaya I'm worried about," said Kriesh, "not her Pokemon, and certainly not her Gym Trainers. Besides, you told me to 'live in the moment'. Well, here's the moment!"
"Good luck!" Medicham called as Kriesh took off into the air.
Medicham was just beginning to figure out where she herself would go when Clefable teleported back into the center of the room, surrounded by four women dressed in outfits of various colors, all of whom were carrying massive platters of food.
"Attention, please!" one of the women called.
The chatter of the room died down as all the occupants turned to look at the women. Medicham saw numerous mouths hanging open and guessed that the food would not last long; she began to step slowly towards the women, hoping she might be able to grab some before the mob descended.
The four women stepped forward. "I'm Kali!" said the first, dressed in a black-and-red outfit that complimented her black hair.
"I'm Linnea!" said the second, dressed in a blue and copper-colored outfit and with honey brown hair.
"I'm Blossom!" said the third; her hair was a much darker brown, and her clothing was pink and white.
"And I'm Katherine!" The fourth was dressed in black and white and had light blonde hair the same color as Lillie, Gladion, and Lusamine.
"We are the Furisode Girls!" all four said in chorus. "Otherwise known as Gym Leader Valerie's Gym Trainers!"
"We will be your servers for today!" said Kali. "Please don't shove - there's enough for everyone!"
"We have a fine selection of Berries, Pokepuffs, Pokeblocks, sandwiches, and curries!" said Linnea.
"Drinks will be arriving shortly!" said Blossom. "We have plenty of offerings there, too!"
"We hope you enjoy your luncheon and entertainment for the day!" said Katherine.
"Bon appetit!" all four Furisode Girls chorused once again, and with that they stepped into the room, clutching their platters.
The mob broke; thankfully, most seemed to be obeying Kali's request, otherwise Medicham was worried that the Furisode Girls might be trampled. She herself stepped up to Katherine's plate, selected a few berries, a couple colorful Pokeblocks, and after some thought a weird-looking soupy dish, and then moved deeper into the room, searching for her teammates.
"Trying the curry? Good for you."
Medicham glanced over to see Connie's Thievul sidling up to her. She frowned slightly; Thievul was definitely the teammate of Connie's that she was most unfamiliar with. She didn't know the Galarian Dark-type's capabilities aside from passing glances at best, and thinking back, she didn't think she'd ever really spoken to him.
"This is a curry?" Medicham asked, holding up the soupy dish.
"Yeah," said Thievul. "They're all the rage in Galar. You'll like it." Thievul trotted off as swiftly as he'd come, leaving Medicham behind with her bowl of curry.
Well, what's the harm? Medicham bent down and sipped from the bowl. At once she realized it was hot, as if it had just come off a fire; she quickly swallowed it, ignoring how it set her throat on fire, so that she could open her mouth and swiftly exhale, trying to chase the burning sensation out with her breath.
"Water?" said someone.
"Thanks." Medicham didn't even look at who it was before guzzling it down. At once the fire in her mouth and throat redoubled; it was all she could do to stop herself from screaming out in pain, and she turned with watery eyes to glare at the cackling Haunter that was holding another bowl of curry in two hands. Her fists clenched in fury. "You…"
"Oh, calm down." Another voice sounded behind her. "He's just a prankster. All of their line are."
Medicham twisted to see a strange, cylindrical-shaped golden Pokemon standing behind her. "Here." He held out a glass of actual water; Medicham swiftly grabbed it, drained it, and handed it back, the pain finally easing.
"Thanks," she said.
"Don't mention it," her savior said. "Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you. You're one of Marcus's Pokemon, right?"
Medicham nodded. "And you are?"
"I'm Gholdengo," said the golden Pokemon, and Medicham was at once on alert. She'd heard Drapion griping about this very Pokemon; he'd said Gholdengo was arrogant, and it didn't sound like something he'd lie about. "Would you care to follow me? You can take your food if you want."
"Sure," said Medicham warily. Gholdengo turned and began to quickly step through the crowd of Trainers and Pokemon; Medicham followed close behind, keeping the golden Pokemon within sight.
Gholdengo shifted around Linnea, ducked a flying Emolga, and stepped up to a door that he swiftly pushed open. The door revealed a small storage space, one which Medicham followed Gholdengo into tentatively.
Gholdengo shut the door behind them, then leaned against a nearby unit of shelving. "Sorry about the Haunter…that's Maria's, and he's a trickster through and through. You got a nickname?"
Medicham hesitated for half a second as thoughts of Elle flickered into her mind. "No," she said, but from the glint in Gholdengo's eyes he'd noticed her hesitation.
"All right," said Gholdengo. "Now…that Cloyster's on your team as well, right? The one with Brambleghast?"
"Yes," said Medicham.
"Look," said Gholdengo. "I like a burgeoning affair just as much as the next Pokemon. There's a sense of excitement, y'know? A sense of progress, like a blockade that's been standing in front of you your entire life has suddenly been lifted. You get me?"
Medicham nodded.
"But…I'm a little worried," said Gholdengo. "How do I put this? Brambleghast…really doesn't need this right now."
Medicham's eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"She's a busy Pokemon," said Gholdengo. "Training, supporting Raymond, other assorted tasks. And I'm worried about her. You've heard the stories, right? Star-crossed lovers, sneaking out at night, lying to their friends or even their Trainers, not getting enough sleep and falling behind in their training because they're too busy with their newfound affair…I can see you're tense. Please understand that I'm just trying to help out a teammate. And I'm sure you're worried about your teammate as well."
"What do you want, Gholdengo?" Medicham asked.
"Just for you to talk to your teammate," said Gholdengo. "Let him know the dangers of what he's doing. Try and convince him to maybe hold off a little."
"You want me to interfere with Cloyster's decisions?" Medicham asked angrily. "Make choices for him?"
"Just this once," said Gholdengo. "I promise, I wouldn't be asking for this if it wasn't for the greater good."
"It's his life to live," argued Medicham. "Isn't it his decision to make?"
"You're the leader," said Gholdengo. "His leader. All I'm asking is for you to do what needs to be done for your team…and mine."
"Even if that hurts both of them?" Medicham asked.
"I know how it feels," Gholdengo commisorated. "But as leaders…sometimes we have to do what is necessary, not what is nice."
Medicham sighed. She knew the stories Gholdengo had mentioned. Tales both from ancient myth and from more modern history. Some were extreme, ending with everybody dying; others were more realistic, but all ended in heartbreak.
I know Cloyster likes Brambleghast. And I know taking him away from her would hurt him. But…in the long run…can this even continue? Once the Gym Exam is over, they'll be separated.
They'll be heartbroken either way. Gholdengo's right…it's for the greater good if this stops before it goes too far.
"All right, I'll talk to him," said Medicham.
"And I will do the same for Brambleghast," said Gholdengo. "See you around, Medicham…and I wish your Trainer luck on his Gym Exam. Even if mine is going to win."
"Thanks." Medicham quickly stepped out of the closet, scanning the room for Cloyster. It was strange; Gholdengo hadn't seemed nearly as arrogant as Drapion had said, and yet there was something about the Paldean Ghost-type that unnerved Medicham. She knew he was right about Brambleghast and Cloyster's blossoming affair, but in the back of her mind, something told her his desire to separate the two wasn't entirely benign.
Why, though? What motivation would he have aside from concern? No one's that petty.
She couldn't see Cloyster, though she recalled he'd gone out on one of the balconies with Brambleghast. Medicham was about to begin searching when she heard a call from the side and turned to see Theo's Weavile standing with a pair of Gumshoos and a Swanna, beckoning her over. "Hey, I was swapping stories with these guys, and I remember you had some good ones…come over and join us!"
Medicham smiled, remembering the night Theo had joined. Weavile was always a fun conversationalist. Cloyster can come later. It's not like he and Brambleghast are going to go from balcony meetings to sneaking out at night in a couple hours.
Trying her hardest to push Cloyster and Brambleghast out of her mind, Medicham grasped her food tighter and stepped over towards Weavile and his friends.
Houndoom waited with bated breath as the four prospective Gym Leaders stepped into the Laverre City Gym. Ilima was in the lead, walking confidently. Jaya followed behind, after her came Marcus, and Raymond brought up the rear, hands in his pockets.
Valerie was once again standing in the entry room. "Welcome, welcome. Please shut the door behind you."
As Raymond did so, Valerie withdrew a small, square device from her costume; it looked like some sort of remote, with multiple brightly colored buttons. Houndoom stared at it uncomprehendingly.
Valerie pressed one of the buttons; in the wall behind her, a passageway opened up, revealing a staircase rising up into darkness.
"The Gym Exam will last three rounds," said Valerie. "Each round you will receive a score of up to fifty points. Points will be awarded for victories, but also demonstration of qualities benefiting a Gym Leader. This first round, you will compete one at a time. Now, you seem to have already picked an order to go in, so I will oblige. Ilima, come with me, if you please. The rest of you, sit. Use your Pokedexes, partake of the snacks lined up by the left wall, and socialize amongst yourselves. Good luck, all of you."
With that, the Fairy-type Gym Leader turned and began to walk up the stairs. Ilima followed her, and the two disappeared into the darkness, leaving Jaya, Raymond, and Marcus alone in the room.
Jaya was the first to sit down; Marcus and Raymond followed. "So, doesn't seem like we'll be actively fighting each other this round, huh?"
Marcus and Raymond agreed with nods and murmurs.
"So." Jaya crossed her legs and plucked one of the numerous snacks from a cart next to her. "Who wants an olive?"
"…and that's how I escaped from Team Plasma," said Swanna.
"Wow," said one of the Gumshoos. "How many Grunts were there?"
"Easily a dozen," said Swanna. "That's why I had to sneak, you know. I mean, until the helicopter showed up, that is…"
Medicham sighed, crossing her arms. Between Swanna's experiences with Team Plasma and the two Gumshoos belonging to former Team Skull members, far too many of the stories being thrown around involved evil teams. She wanted to leave, but didn't know how to do it without acting rude.
"Hey, Medicham!"
Thankfully, someone else bailed her out. Medicham hid a relieved smile as Trevenant clasped a branchlike arm onto her shoulder. "Shiftry and Scrafty say it's starting!"
That news sent a stir amongst the group, and in no time at all they had split up, moving over to various balconies to watch. Medicham began to walk beside Trevenant, heading towards the leftmost balcony. "Thanks, Trevenant," she murmured as she walked.
"You seem kinda uncomfortable," said Trevenant. "Was it something I said?"
"No, Trevenant."
"Was it something I did?"
"No, Trevenant."
"Oh, is this about Cloyster and Brambleghast? Like, how their relationship seems good and all now, but it'll only end in heartbreak once they have to separate after the Gym Exam, and you know you need to tell Cloyster but you don't want to because you're afraid if you go about it the wrong way he'll hate you forever?"
Medicham stopped short. "How did you guess that?"
Trevenant let loose one of their signature cackles. "Just a hunch."
Medicham heaved a sigh. "Trevenant, I really don't want to talk about this now."
"Listen." Trevenant's voice suddenly dropped from mirth to seriousness. "I'm more than two thousand years old. I've heard stories about this, and from the way you're talking, I bet you have too. Many of those stories are based on misunderstanding. It is a lack of communication that leads to tragedy. Do both of them a favor - just talk, clearly and honestly. Don't dance around the truth - that'll just give Cloyster the wrong idea. Got it?"
Medicham had barely heard the majority of Trevenant's speech; she had stopped dead in the center of the floor. "You're how old?"
Trevenant frowned. "Oh, right, I told Liepard about that, not you. Sorry. Yeah, I'm a couple thousand years old, 'cause my spirit inhabited a really old tree, and that's how I was born."
Medicham gaped. "You…you were alive during the…" She stopped, suddenly remembering that Darkrai had been the one to tell her about the War of Legends; if she told Trevenant, he might ask for her source, and that was a can of Wurmple she didn't want opened.
"During the what?" Trevenant asked.
"Um…" Medicham bit her lip. Several moments passed in complete silence as Trevenant's single red eye bored into Medicham. She gritted her teeth, trying to figure out what to say…
And then Trevenant leaned back and shrugged. "Eh, doesn't matter. C'mon, it's starting!"
Trevenant dashed off towards the balcony; Medicham muttered a quick thanks to Arceus before following close behind.
Practically the instant Trevenant reached the balcony, he was pulled off to the side by Shiftry and Scrafty, who had clearly been waiting for him.
"Fancy meeting you here," said Shiftry, sidling up beside Trevenant.
"Looking forward to the show," said Scrafty, moving to Trevenant's other side.
Trevenant looked between them. "Yeah."
"Want some Sitrus Berries?" Shiftry asked, producing a handful. Trevenant looked doubtful.
"Come on," Scrafty urged. "Sit down, relax. Your teammates will do fine, if they're anywhere near as strong as you are."
"Thanks," said Trevenant, allowing Shiftry and Scrafty to gently nudge them into a sitting position.
Medicham tore her eyes from the three of them, satisfied that the duo wouldn't cause Trevenant any harm, and looked over at the rest of the balcony. Theo, Maria, and one of the former Team Skull Grunts (she could never remember which one corresponded to which name) were standing on this balcony, leaning against the walls and plucking drinks from a tray. On the balcony was a mishmash of Dark, Flying, Ghost, and Normal-types; Medicham could not see any of her teammates besides Trevenant, at least not on this balcony. She was painfully aware how unique she was in this group; awkwardly, she stepped up to a barely empty spot in the railing, between a portly Alolan Raticate and an equally large Braviary, and tried to make herself comfortable.
"Excuse me, pardon me, out of the way." The Braviary shifted sideways with an irritated flick of their wings as Connie's Tyranitar stepped up beside Medicham. An Aguav Berry was clutched in one massive clawed hand, and another was being chewed in his mouth. He swallowed. "Medicham. Looking forward to seeing Drapion work."
"How long has it been since you two fought, again?" Medicham asked.
"Too long," said Tyranitar. "Believe me, we are gonna have a rematch. Maybe not soon, but someday…" He grinned toothily, a faint snarl of anticipation coming from the back of his throat.
Medicham nodded politely and turned back towards Laverre.
"How did you meet him?"
Medicham sighed. "He was Marcus's second Pokemon," she said. "We met in the wild. Back then, Marcus really wanted strong Pokemon, and when he started beating the crap out of me…well, that was enough to get Marcus interested. You probably know how it went from there."
Tyranitar nodded. "Connie's second Pokemon was Thievul," he said. "Thievul's pretty antisocial, prefers to be alone if possible. Have you seen him fight?"
Medicham thought. "Passing glimpses…nothing too major."
"Well, let's just say he's quietly one of the strongest members of the team," said Tyranitar. "Shiftry and Scrafty love to talk about which of them is the second strongest - behind me - but the truth is, they're competing for third strongest. You should fight Thievul sometime."
"What about Zweilous?" Medicham asked, glancing over at the Dark/Dragon-type, who was conversing with Connie's Skuntank towards the right side of the balcony.
"What about Zweilous?" Tyranitar echoed.
"He…I mean, he's the only non-fully-evolved Pokemon on Connie's team," said Medicham. "In fact…on all of our teams, except for Kamado. How strong is he?"
"Well," said Tyranitar, "to put it bluntly, not very, at least compared to the rest of it. He's gonna be a monster once he fully evolves, but until then he's the weakest by far."
"Hush!" Skuntank took a moment out of his conversation with Zweilous to peer over his shoulder at Tyranitar. "It's starting!"
The words spread through the assembled group like wildfire, and all eyes turned towards Laverre.
For the first time, Medicham realized that the city was eerily empty. Every time Marcus had been there before, Medicham recalled seeing Trainers and Pokemon all over the place, heading into and out of buildings, walking along the roads, or simply sitting on the town's many benches and enjoying the beauty of Laverre. But as she scanned the city, she realized she could see no one, neither Trainer nor Pokemon, walking the streets of Laverre.
"Where is everyone?" she asked. Tyranitar opened his mouth to answer, but just then an explosion sounded from far away.
All eyes flicked towards the pillar of flame that had arisen over one of the buildings. Another explosion ripped through the air, fire streaking over another building closer to this one. Medicham felt every hair on her body stand on end. "Tyranitar?" she asked, not liking how her voice was quivering. "Is this-"
"I know, right?" Tyranitar grinned. "Compared to this, the Gym Exams back home are nothing short of boring."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Medicham demanded, and then she saw Ilima dashing out from the side of the Laverre City Gym.
She hadn't seen the Normal-type Trainer coming out of the door; she must have come out of some kind of back door. Ilima skidded to a halt, eyes scanning the two blazing buildings. Swiftly, he released the four members of his Gym Leader team - Diggersby, Smeargle, Furfrou, and Kangaskan - and began giving them orders too quiet for Medicham to hear.
But he'd only made it halfway through when two women dressed in identical clothing - pink and white, with black accents - and hair dyed similar colors leaped out into the street.
"We are Team Furisode!" the women cried. "This town is ours now! Hand over your Pokemon and no one gets hurt!"
Oh, Arceus…Medicham put a hand to her face. "Now I know why Valerie's Gym Trainers suddenly disappeared about half an hour ago…what kind of Gym Exam is this?"
On her other side, the Alolan Raticate chuckled. "I remember doing stuff exactly like this! From the other side, I mean."
"Not helping," Medicham snarled.
Apparently the two Gym Trainers - sorry, members of Team Furisode - had released some Pokemon, for Ilima's team was being engaged by a squad of twelve fairly powerful-looking Pokemon. Thankfully, the Normal-types seemed to be holding their own.
"Fur Coat: Ribbon Combat!" Furfrou was deflecting a barrage of blows from a Purugly with fur that seemed to twine off his body and sail through the air, deflecting attacks while simultaneously pressuring some of the other enemy Pokemon.
"Sketch! Own Tempo!" Smeargle was swishing his tail, copying the moves of a pair of Psychic-types - one an Alakazam, the other a Gothitelle - and driving them both pack with superior versions.
"Huge Power: Seismic Arm!" Diggersby was utilizing impressive area-of-effect attacks, pounding his massive ear-arms into the ground to send powerful, fast-moving shockwaves towards his adversaries.
Kangaskhan was in the thick of it, pounding a Tauros into the ground with one massive arm; as a Pidgeot came lunging for his side he twisted. "Early Bird!" In a flash he'd raised his arm, deflecting the strike, and with his other hand he punched the Pidgeot and knocked it away with a startled squawk.
But the two members of Team Furisode didn't seem bothered by the fact that their Pokemon were losing. Two more Pokemon - a Hydreigon and a Tropius - soared above their heads as they laughed. "You may be beating us just fine, but what about the people in those buildings? It's your choice - save them or defeat us!"
On cue, cries for help streamed from the burning buildings. Ilima glanced around. "Smeargle, Hydro Pump! Extinguish those buildings!"
"Oh, like we'll let you take the easy way out!" Medicham clenched her fists around the railing; Valerie's Gym Trainers were certainly good at playing the part. "Hydreigon, Sunny Day! Tropius, Solar Beam!"
The Hydreigon threw up all three heads and roared, unleashing a ball of Fire energy into the sky. The Tropius created a massive beam of Grass energy, augmented by the sunlight, and sent it flying at Smeargle's Hydro Pump. The two beams met, and the Solar Beam pierced through the Hydro Pump, deflecting it from the building.
Ilima scowled. "Furfrou, defend Smeargle! Don't let them interfere!"
"On it!" Furfrou cried. Diggersby and Kangaskhan fell in on either side of the furry Pokemon, knocking away his adversaries as he readied his twining ribbons of fur. "Fur Coat: Whip Combat!" One of the ribbons shot into the air, streaking for the Tropius, who had to quickly dive. Smeargle launched another Hydro Pump at one of the burning buildings, but this time the Hydreigon dove in front of it, deflecting it with his body. Between the Sunny Day and the Hydreigon's type resistance, it didn't do much.
But then Furfrou's other ribbon of fur lashed out, catching the Hydreigon across one of its heads and knocking it to the ground. Smeargle leaped forwards, unleashing another Hydro Pump, and this time no Pokemon were around to block it. The Water energy slammed into the flames and exploded against the side of the building, dousing much of the blaze.
The members of Team Furisode watched as Diggersby pounded the Hydreigon into the pavement while Kangaskhan unleashed a Comet Punch that sent his last two adversaries flying. Only the Tropius remained; Ilima's team had torn through their adversaries like a well-oiled machine, and though they'd taken some hits they all remained standing strong.
"Retreat!" the two members of Team Furisode cried; Tropius let fly with another Solar Beam to cover their retreat.
Quickly, Ilima and his team leaped into the burning building, Smeargle using Water-type attacks to extinguish what remained of the blaze. A short time later they rushed out, dragging four of what were definitely dummies; that done, the Normal-type Trainer and his team began to rush towards the second burning building. Medicham followed them closely with her eyes, watching as they engaged two more members of Team Furisode by that building. Another dozen Pokemon leaped out to fight, supported by the Tropius that remained from the first wave.
Medicham watched one engagement closely in particular; these members of Team Furisode had brought another Medicham to the table. This one appeared to be more Mind-oriented than Aura-based, though Fighting energy still washed across the other Medicham's body as she used Detect to evade a swing from Ilima's Diggersby. A blast of Psychic energy sailed from the Medicham and struck Diggersby, sending the Ground/Normal-type stumbling slightly.
And then, abruptly, Diggersby's eyes drooped and he fell to the ground, asleep.
"Wait, what?" Medicham asked. "I didn't know I could do that."
"I didn't, either," Tyranitar growled. "I guess you are more Aura-oriented; maybe that's some ability Psychic-oriented Medicham have that you didn't know about?"
"I could have sworn I saw another blast of Psychic energy come from behind that building," said the Alolan Raticate.
"Maybe some kind of Psychic redirection?" Medicham asked.
"Or maybe you were just seeing things," said Tyranitar.
"Yeah, maybe," said the Alolan Raticate. "Anyway…that's not good for Ilima."
Indeed, the unplanned sleep had thrown Ilima's machine of a team into disarray, as the Pokemon Diggersby had been holding back eagerly fell upon the unsuspecting Smeargle. A flurry of blows and blasts sent Smeargle flying; at a swift order from Ilima, Kangaskhan waded into the mob. "Early Bird!" he cried; several Pokemon streamed towards him, but with a display of speed and reflexes Medicham hadn't expected, Kangaskhan deflected each one with his massive arms, flaring Fighting energy across them to take the multiple Fighting-type attacks that came his way, then unleashed an Earthquake that sent them all stumbling backwards. Furfrou quickly took full advantage, unleashing a barrage of furry whip-strikes that sent the enemy Medicham and a Heracross to the ground. A trio of Pokemon - a Bisharp, a Kricketune, and a Furret - that Kangaskhan had been keeping back leaped at the downed Smeargle, who raised his tail. "Sketch! Earthquake!"
He raised his tail, and then something flashed in his eyes and he staggered, the attack abandoned. "Smeargle!" Ilima cried, concerned; the three adversaries slammed into Smeargle, delivering a barrage of punishing strikes that knocked the Normal-type headlong.
"Did one of those strikes from earlier Confuse him?" Medicham asked.
"I saw a Dark Pulse, a Karate Chop, what looked like a Quick Attack, and I think a Thunderbolt," said Tyranitar. "None of those Confuse."
"Damn…" The Alolan Raticate on Medicham's left looked nervous. "What bad luck…I hope Ilima can come back from that."
Unfortunately for Ilima, while one unexpected reverse had been recoverable, two in so short of a time was nothing short of catastrophic. Furfrou and Kangaskhan had been just about to stabilize, but then Smeargle's three assailants slammed into them from behind. Tropius, still up, flew overhead and unleashed a Leaf Storm that the overwhelmed Furfrou and Kangaskhan were unprepared for, and the horde of adversaries took full advantage of that attack; the two powerful Normal-types disappeared under a wave of enemies.
"Damn," said Tyranitar. "That sucks…I wonder what that means for Ilima's Gym Exam."
"Ooh…" On another balcony, several Pokemon winced in sympathy.
"Tough break," a nearby Mandibuzz grunted. "But that's battling, I guess."
"Yeah," said Gholdengo from where he was leaning against a wall. "That's battling."
He hid a smirk as he watched Ilima recall his unconscious Pokemon and the Laverre City Gym Trainers - or members of Team Furisode, as it were - sprang into action to extinguish the blaze they'd created. Good work, Haunter-1. That Hypnosis and Confuse Ray were right on point - keep it up like this, and Raymond will win for sure.
"Jaya's up next." Kriesh landed by Tyranitar's side. Her eyes traveled up the line of Pokemon, hitting Tyranitar, Medicham, and then the Alolan Raticate to Medicham's left. "I see we have a crowd going."
"Yeah, have a seat," said Alolan Raticate. "She your Trainer?"
"No, she's with me," said Medicham.
Alolan Raticate looked at her strangely. "A Medicham and now a Fearow…what kind of Dark-type Trainer do you have?"
"He started out as a generalist," said Kriesh.
"Ah, I know a few people like that," said Alolan Raticate. "Bit risky, but if you're up for it it gives you the best of both worlds. Oh, look, here it comes."
Indeed, the explosions had started again; Medicham's eyes darted towards the Laverre City Gym in time to see Jaya dash out, her team at her heels. In no time at all, the members of Team Furisode had arrived once again, and Jaya was fighting a battle against the first pair of enemies.
"Huh, didn't they have a Hydreigon last time?" Kriesh asked.
"Yeah," said Tyranitar, staring out at the Staraptor and Dustox menacing Jaya from above. "That is a bit of a downgrade."
"I mean, Ilima is more experienced," Alolan Raticate pointed out. "I bet they're adapting the challenge to suit every challenger's experience level."
"Ooh, that didn't look good," said the nearby Skuntank; Medicham looked in time to see Jaya's Crobat stumble in midair as an enemy Slowbro struck him with a Psychic-type attack. A Mismagius lunged, seeking to take advantage of the misstep with a swift Shadow Ball, but Jaya's Unfezant flew up swiftly, deflecting the blast of Ghost energy with its Normal typing and retaliating with a Dark energy-enhanced claw-swipe that sent the Mismagius flying into the side of a nearby building.
Unfezant smirked, and then doubled over in pain, screaming.
"That's a Curse!" Medicham heard several watchers cry as Unfezant plunged from the sky. "Ribbon!" Jaya screamed. Kriesh stared at the scene, beak open; in a flash, Jaya recalled her Unfezant into its Wing Ball, taking a step back and calling out orders as she did so. Her Talonflame unleashed a torrent of Fire energy that drove the enemies backwards, and her Crobat and Skarmory lashed out with aerial blades of Flying energy to pick off the enemies as they scattered.
Jaya sent Ribbon out again; Medicham now recalled that the healing energies of even a standard Pokeball were sufficient to dispel a Curse, much like it dispelled the enchantment of Perish Song. The Unfezant was panting exhaustedly. "Ribbon, you good to keep going?" Jaya asked.
"Yeah," Ribbon growled, nodding to punctuate his words, his eyes determined.
"Good," said Jaya. "Take care of whoever's in that building. Get them out."
Ribbon streaked off for the burning building; Team Furisode's attempt to deflect his charge was met with another wall of flames, and the battle continued as normal.
As Jaya's team cleaned up the first wave of enemies, Kriesh turned to Medicham. "Disguising a Curse with another Ghost-type technique…that's advanced. I've heard it's a prized technique among Elite Four-level Ghost-type Trainers."
"Yeah," said Alolan Raticate. "Definitely a little advanced for this kind of thing. Maybe that's the point."
Gholdengo scowled. Stupid Ghosts - stick with Sleep! That doesn't get cured so easily. Distortion, even Confusion works better, because you can't see it at first! I'll have to talk to them about that after this…
"Air Slash, all of you!" Jaya cried as the remaining two members of Team Furisode sent out their Pokemon. A flurry of aerial blades met the enemies, downing a Vileplume and a Beedrill before they even managed to move. The rest closed, firing off attacks that were easily answered by Jaya's Talonflame, Skarmory, and Crobat; Ribbon was already lunging for the second burning building, and before the enemies could recover the Unfezant had disappeared inside.
"Seems like she's doing well," said Medicham.
"Yeah, so was Ilima," said Alolan Raticate. "Anything can happen."
But despite the Dark/Normal-type's pessimism, Jaya's team was cleaving through the horde. Skarmory was hanging back slightly; from the sound of it he had Keen Eye as his Ability, for he was picking up on and calling warnings about every technique Team Furisode was attempting. Crobat was outright teleporting, calling out "Infiltrator!" each time, and unleashing powerful attacks of several different types to keep the opponents reeling. And Talonflame was the center, looking like a living wildfire as she unleashed wave after wave of Fire energy at the foes.
"I'll admit," said Tyranitar as he watched two more foes fall, "it seems like Jaya's gonna succeed where Ilima failed."
Four dummies. One under the bed, two behind a fallen cabinet, and one on the stairs. Ribbon landed, quickly taking stock of the situation. First step, put out the fire. Second, get them out. He spread his wings, beginning to ready a burst of Flying energy. He'd learned in the first building that a large blast of energy was sufficient to extinguish the flames.
And then he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. A grinning face. A Haunter?
"What the-"
"Now!" several voices cried; Ribbon didn't have time to ready his Dark-type defenses before a cacophony of sound hammered into his mind and everything went black.
The slaughter continued; Jaya's team were just as well-oiled as Ilima's had been, and no more bad luck seemed to befall them. Even without Ribbon, the trio of Skarmory, Crobat, and Talonflame were sufficient to demolish the Pokemon of Team Furisode.
Finally, the last enemy Pokemon - a brawny Conkeldurr - fell beneath an onslaught of attacks. "Retreat!" Team Furisode cried, recalling their unconscious Pokemon and running off.
"Good job, everyone!" Jaya cried. "Now, Ribbon, how are you doing?"
There was no answer. On the balcony, Medicham - and from the looks of it, everyone else - became acutely aware that not only was the building still on fire, but no dummies had been tossed out by the Unfezant.
"Ribbon?" Jaya's eyes narrowed. "Fang, Gem, Flare! Quickly, find Ribbon!"
Jaya's team lunged into the building; at that very moment, Medicham heard a loud buzzer sound from that very building. "What was that?" she asked.
"Timer," said Tyranitar. "They've failed to save the citizens in time."
"How does that work?" Medicham asked.
"Probably hooked up to a heat sensor, if I had to guess," said Alolan Raticate. "If the timer goes off and the sensor still detects there's a fire, it buzzes like that."
"Huh, neat trick," said Kriesh as Fang emerged from the burning building carrying an unconscious-looking Ribbon. "What happened to him?"
"No idea," said Tyranitar. "Looks like he bashed his head on something."
"That's gotta sting," said Alolan Raticate. "And it'll cost her. Looks like she did better than Ilima, though."
"Looks like it," Medicham murmured.
"Nervous?" Raymond asked.
"Yeah, you?" Marcus responded.
"Yeah," said Raymond. "You hear the explosions too, right?"
Marcus nodded. "Whatever this first round is, it's big."
Deep in his Luxury Ball, Houndoom tried to calm the nerves that had suddenly flared up. Between the explosions and the tension, he felt as if he was about to vomit. If this is what a Gym Exam is like, forget winning. I'm not sure I'm going to survive.
The door in the back of the room whirred open again. Marcus, Raymond, and Houndoom all turned to look at the staircase beyond as footsteps echoed from the opening.
Houndoom watched closely as Valerie stepped through, a distant smile on her face and her costume as bright as ever.
"Marcus," she said. "It seems it is your turn. Come with me, please."
'Team Furisode' is one of the more random ideas I've had this fic, up there with Steven Stone commentating the Kalos Pokemon League Tournament. But the instant I realized all of Valerie's Gym Trainers shared the class 'Furisode Girl' in-game, the idea just...formed. Things work like that sometimes.