"I still don't like the name."
"Why not? I think it has a nice ring to it."
"Sounds like I'm trying too hard. Can you slow down? We're not in a hurry."
"That's where you're wrong, Nathan. Trying too hard is ridiculous, leaders have to be larger than life! Come on now, keep up! We're going shopping!" Burgh declared with a skip in his voice, beckoning Riven to follow him with a hand. "The day is still young and I closed the gym for now, so this is a special favor, just for you. There were quite a bit of trainers waiting too, so don't disappoint them! Gym leader duties 101. Take this as a learning experience."
Riven trailed behind Burgh in Castelia's shopping district. He kept his head down, mostly trying not to attract attention since—well, gym leaders tended to. Luckily, most people just stared at Burgh as he pranced down the halls, peering at articles of clothing with price tags that made Riven's brain spin. There were a lot more people shopping than he saw before the whole debacle happened, perhaps to take their minds off current events and enjoy themselves in case shit really hit the fan.
He momentarily took off the Diancie necklace and the difference was notable. That was good, trying to stay positive wasn't a bad thing. He put it back on and made himself breathe. "Why are we here again?"
"Why? My dear leader to be, why we're here to get you new threads!" Burgh stated with a flick and a pose. "Threads are clothes, if you're wondering. I figured you might not since, well-"
"No, I'm well aware," Riven replied with a frown.
"Good! So you know the importance of clothing as a gym leader?" Burgh asked without skipping a beat, like he was interviewing him. Was he interviewing him? Suddenly Riven felt very out of place. He just guessed, seeing as how Burgh and Elesa were like strutting Unfezants with their fancy furs and fabrics. Grimsley of the Elite Four was another fancy one, not to mention Shauntal and that other guy whose eyebrows merged with his hair.
Well… at least they weren't anything like the Kalos league. The early gym leaders were fine, the latter half and the elite four… that was an entirely different story. His face contorted and wondered if he'd have to look like that too.
"Err, because they need to make an impression…?"
Burgh raised a hand high into the air. "That's right! Unova's gym leaders aren't just any old authority figures like they might be somewhere else; they're celebrities—figureheads! Icons of fashion, strength, glamour and everything in between! Role models, friend. Trainers look up to us to keep them safe and look damn good doing it."
Riven cocked an eyebrow. "Right. Because fashion is so important when you haven't bathed in a few days and most of your clothes are torn up from the strain of training. That scarf there starts to look really useless. Maybe it can work as a blood sponge. Hmmm, doubt it. I hereby deem it worthless."
The gym leader gasped dramatically, stroking the scarf like he'd hurt its feelings. "A practical man such as yourself would make it difficult to understand, I imagine. Considering you're from Kalos, however, and boy do I love their excellent designs—Kalosian fabrics are the tippity top of the fashion industry!—wouldn't you be more fashionably inclined? Did I mention their leather is even better than Johto's? Holy!"
"Burgh," Riven pleaded, his head starting to pound, "don't remind me, let's just get this done with. I don't think you understand Kalosian fashion culture very much. Do you know how many leers you get in Lumiose if you look like a plebian? Elesa doesn't even stand out there, that should tell you something—and trust me, style can get you kicked out of some restaurants. Hell, some kids wear sunglasses on their hats as a fashion statement."
"Nothing wrong with that," Burgh shot back defensively.
"Not to you, maybe. Seriously, I could have a sword sticking out of me and a malfunctioning wardrobe would draw more attention."
"That sounds oddly specific."
Riven raised a single brow.
"Jeez, what do you do for a hobby? Play knight errand? Well, it doesn't matter," Burgh said dismissively, surprisingly unperturbed by that notion. He must have seen some things in his time. He rubbed his chin, looking Riven up and down, focusing on his face and almost natural scowl.
A brisk nod.
"Since we're cultivating this image of the shadow, you'd need imposing clothes. And since Elesa's gym can't be remodeled reasonably in the timeframe of the Challenger Rush, there's still the catwalk you're going to have to work with. So you gotta be stylish, especially when styling over trainers. I still advocate the suit and hat."
"And look like a crime boss?" Riven remarked tersely. "I might just be playing pretend here, but I don't want to advertise I'm a criminal of sorts. Low profile is much preferred. Who knows, they might have the gall to accuse me of being Team Rocket. No, get me a coat. A longcoat. One that flaps in the wind. The last one I bought got torn to shreds and I sort of miss it. No hat either."
That coat was far from cheap too. If Burgh was right about anything, it was that Kalosian fabrics and clothing were top of the line. Most of Elesa's more expensive clothing was designed in Kalos, after all.
Burgh looked at him with some scrutiny again, disappointed by the lack of hat. "I can definitely see it working, yes. Still advise the hat."
"No."
Burgh frowned. "What about the rest of the outfit then? Not all black, is it? Because monochromatic is a bit boring. That's the last thing we want to replace Elesa with."
He made a face of disgust, Riven just shrugged.
"What about the coat and gold and black clothing underneath? Vest or something formal. I don't know," Riven suggested. He was taking over Elesa's gym, and her symbol had long been a shining star while he was literally the darkness itself. A literary enthusiast Riven wasn't, but dualities were something of a sweet tooth for people. Besides, light and darkness was classic. Some of the ideas he had for the gym worked with it too.
This time it was Burgh's turn to chuckle. "What do you want to look like? A Beedrill? I did always want one… Now that I hear they can megaevolve, I want one so much I can't stand it! They're too expensive, sadly. Oh, what I'd do to get my hands on one and a Scyther…"
Riven twitched at the mention of Scyther. "If you do, please keep that green thing away from me."
"What's wrong with Scythers?" Burgh pouted. "They're cool, majestic creatures. Don't hate."
"Have you seen them eat? Blood everywhere. And the noise…" Riven shook himself when he felt a chill run through him. "Break into cold sweats when I hear the buzzing. Swarm nearly murdered me and my team. Ever felt what a cut by one of those jagged arms is like? My Absol does. She still has the gash, even if her fur's grown over it."
He motioned with a bladed hand, moving it from hip to well below the knee, sliding it inward halfway to simulate depth.
"Wow, that's… horrifying, actually. Being a trainer isn't easy and I'm sorry, I truly am," Burgh said understandingly, "but they're still awesome."
Riven murmured a noise of agreement, eyeing the selection of clothes. He thought Arcanines were pretty sweet too, even if more than enough had tried to kill him in the past. "I guess I can't fault you for that."
Besides, arm blades were cool for fairly obvious reasons. Baron's were too, though. And they were retractable. Much more awesome. Unfortunately, Scyther didn't have opposable thumbs. Or fingers, for that matter.
"Can you have the suit custom made instead? Clothes are nice here… Though it isn't what I'm looking for, exactly. I'm thinking black with golden highlights along the pants and sleeves, with a nice pair of gloves? Haven't had a decent pair in a while," Riven said, holding up his tattered gloves. There were several holes in them.
The ideas were coming to him with uncanny ease. Was Burgh rubbing off on him already? He'd already expertly convinced him to do something crazy, and now his fashion sense was bleeding into him. This wasn't good. Either that or Kalos did a number on other things that weren't his food palette. That one was still recovering.
At the mention of custom made, Burgh turned Riven around and grinned from ear to ear. "Can I sketch a design?" He asked, eyes wide and glittering with glee. Riven blinked and was unsure whether to say yes or no out of fear that Burgh would do something that would make him regret that. He gave a hesitant dip of the head instead. "I can reach out to Elesa's designers and get you an outfit that'll intimidate any trainer out there. And possibly cause some ovaries to explode, if you know what I'm saying. You're an attractive man! I can design a variety of them so you don't have to just wear that all the time. So. Much. Fun!"
"You're far too happy about this," Riven pointed out with notable apprehension. "Like a sadistic doctor who enjoys pushing needles into people."
"Please, I'm a sadistic fashion doctor," Burgh corrected. "I get off on fixing eyesores of finer tastes. Just you wait, I'll get you fixed up real good. None of this store bought stuff, I'm going to get creative! Back to the gym!"
He turned on a heel and strode away, dragging Riven along with him in the same direction they came from.
As they headed back to Riven's dismay, he thought about why Elesa wanted him to replace her, if momentarily. He wasn't fit to be a gym leader, and she knew that. She had to. Hell, she'd seen him tear people to pieces! All of Unova knew by now, but they didn't know. They only had one piece of the puzzle, she had both, had spoken to him face to face with blood dripping all over him and still somehow believed that he was fit to take over her duties—which were by no means small either. Her decision truly was baffling.
Riven tapped Burgh on the shoulder as they neared the Castelia bank, leading him into an alleyway so they could talk privately. Some people peeked in when they saw it was their iconic bushy-haired gym leader being hauled off by someone. It took a single leer from Riven to send them scurrying. Burgh didn't even try to stop him.
"Got a question for me?" Burgh inquired, blinking innocently. "Because I'm getting jitters just wanting to design this outfit of yours. Elesa will love it too, trust me."
"That's just it," Riven managed uncomfortably, throat a little too dry. He swallowed in an attempt to hydrate it. "Why did she choose me? You know what I am, I'm a-"
"Mercenary and supposed dangerous individual, I know."
Riven eyed him dubiously, given how calm he was about it. "Am I on a watchlist? Please tell me I'm not."
"Well… Was," he confirmed, "but removed for services rendered, though got recently shown on TV slashing people to pieces on networks all over the region," Burgh stated with surprising ease, making Riven wince with how blunt that was. "Yes, yes. Elesa told me about it when the UFOs briefed her."
There was a shrug and a roll of the eyes.
Riven's face had trouble deciding whether to gape or be relieved. Hearing the gym leader nonchalantly mention all that like it was casual Sunday evening chatter was not right in the slightest sense of the word. Not a single gasp, inch of horror, and or trace of dread. From an artist, no less. Unova definitely was different…
"And they didn't bother to tell me that? I've already been on a regional watchlist once, and that worked out terribly for me. Couldn't take the time?"
"They couldn't contact you safely, I assume. And you're hard to reach, seeing as how you practically dropped into my lap—thanks for that, by the way! As for the watchlist thing, my darling requested they do it too, on her word. I doubt they would have left you on it anyway, but an idol and gym leader's word is worth quite a lot here, despite what the public might like to believe."
The younger man set his jaw, still confused. "Why does she trust me so much? With her gym and her event, at that? And Burgh, why do you trust me? Most Unovans wouldn't give a foreign trainer the time of day, let alone approve of becoming a gym leader. And I'm not exactly the most agreeable person on the planet, or the most prone to talking. They won't react well. Did you think this through or was it a last minute thing?"
Burgh smiled, both reassuringly and slightly devious.
"Both?" Riven's stomach churned but Burgh's smile grew only wider. "And yeah, it's true they won't, so your presence might stir some trainers to better themselves after you trounce them and kick their egos down a few pegs. They get so very competitive. Besides, you're a good actor." Burgh winked. "And as for me… violence isn't something I'd prefer, but I have seen it before. I know who you are, and what you do. If I were anyone else, I'd be reluctant to consider you, opposed even."
He adjusted his scarf, peering up at the towering edifice that was the Castelia Bank.
"But I'm not anyone else, yeah? Castelia is a place with a lot of different people from all walks of life, and I'm its gym leader. I got a Hoenn native as my secretary, I want foreign pokemon like you wouldn't believe and most of all, I love Elesa to death. More than anything in the world besides art. And who's the one that saved her life, took Lancer's egg and raised a cute little Blitzle to make her daddy proud by working to become an even bigger badass than he was?"
He pointed at Riven with a wry nod and a prod of the finger.
"I couldn't possibly imagine why she wouldn't trust you after that. Kinks and all. I was there when you showed her Omy's picture. That was the first time since Lancer died that she-" He stopped himself, focused on the floor and smiling warmly at the memory. "She cried, you know. You didn't see the tears, but I did. And they weren't of sadness. They were happy, joyful… grateful, even. I saw her smile again, like she'd regained the light her star had lost. Sorry about the cheesy analogy, but that's how I saw it. I thought it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen."
Riven pictured that and blinked. The gym leader chuckled in response, shaking his head sheepishly, a pinkish tinge coloring his cheeks. A finger wiggled in the air, chidingly.
"Now, I know what you're thinking there. She might come across as a haughty bitch at times, and she can be, but she's a caring woman who loves her pokemon and her job. If Elesa died, I don't know what I'd do with myself. Thanks to you, I don't have to find out. For that, you have my trust, whatever your methods may be. Alder can crucify me if he wants, I'm not budging. An artist must preserve his convictions, y'know."
"Huh," Riven managed, reddening a little. "I'd fully expected to be screwed over by now or wasting my time chasing ghosts, not becoming a gym leader. Bad luck happens so often that when something doesn't go to shit I get uneasy. Force of habit."
"Elesa told me you'd say something like that. Things turn up regardless if you expect them to or not. Your lot is skeptical by nature, though that isn't a problem. Just makes you cautious is all, not a bad thing in the slightest. So don't sweat it." Burgh nodded to Riven, directing him back towards the main street. "Life doesn't always have to suck, sometimes others can make it better. Love's a special thing. Makes you do things you wouldn't consider before. Kind of like how I couldn't see myself making a gym leader out of a mercenary several years ago. Speaking of, you ever been in love? It's a wonderful thing, I recommend it for someone such as yourself."
"Too many things wrong with everything to worry about that right now."
"Nice excuse," Burgh pointed out instantly. Riven tried not to react, though was unable to fully control himself and let a grimace slip through. "I'm not sure how you merc types operate, but it isn't a bad thing to feel something good for once. Something that doesn't make you feel bad about yourself or your actions, just love. Times like these… that might be more important than you might think. Helps us get through the hard times. I know most mercs wouldn't be able to hold a serious relationship any longer than a kid holds onto a toy, but looking at you now, you're not really the same, even if you act like it."
Riven looked mildly at him, and didn't so much as attempt to refute that. Burgh smirked as if he'd won.
"You know… gym leaders attract a lot of attention-especially Unovan ones-so you might earn some sympathetic looks from admirers. Female admirers. Cute ones. Although… I can't be your wingman, unfortunately, so you'll have to rely on your own charm. I'm sure you have some, you got Elesa's attention at least."
Riven scoffed. "Yeah, well—I'm not going to have a conveniently placed psychopathic trainer to save them from all the time. Lucky me." Pft, admirers.
If only Burgh knew what sort of "admirers" he was thinking about. They weren't the send you letters and kisses kind. Riven shoved his hands into his pockets.
"I just meant… I can't say I've felt that—love, affection for someone else. Admiration, yeah. Respect. Just not the other one. If I did, I wouldn't know it. Besides, we don't all have time to chase after women, or date models. Her fans would go rabid if they knew, I'm surprised you keep it under wraps so well."
"Acquired skill," Burgh snorted, amusement falling quickly, "Makes sense—about what you said. Still a shame, though." He shrugged. "Well, when you do, you'll understand. That cute girl with the stormy eyes you were traveling with—what about her? Seemed particularly close with how quickly you gave in to her pouts. Quite the looker too, in all aspects. Soft spot for the nice ones?"
To Burgh's small surprise, Riven clicked his tongue. "You ever try saying no to a girl's pout? I've tried, so many times. I can face down criminals and UFOs, but that one pout just destroys any resistance I planned to have. Frankly, it's too strong and I've learned that giving in is the only option. And she knows it. I'm debating whether it's something supernatural and that women have magical powers they're not telling us about."
Yes, it was akin to seeing a Lillipup stare you down with those big, bulging eyes. Elesa didn't pout often, but when she did bat those beautiful blue eyes of hers at him… Burgh straightened, nodding. "Good point."
"Yeah…" Riven's face seemed to lock further into place. There was silence for a few moments before he pursed his lips and his mouth started moving again. "Honestly though… I don't know how to feel about her. The more I think about it, the more I can't make sense of it. I like having her around but… I don't know."
And didn't that make the bug specialist break out into a huge shit-eating grin. Oh boy. Good job, Stormy.
"What are you grinning about?"
A wave of the hand and Burgh easily sidestepped the question.
"Nothing, nothing! Don't worry about it too much. Come on, gym's over there. Let's get rolling!"
Once inside the gym, Burgh got to work designing Riven's outfit, making a few phone calls in the meanwhile. Riven watched him with mild disinterest, alternating his attention between the sketch and his secretary, who was currently trying to turn back trainers with limited success. They didn't seem too happy with not being able to challenge the gym, earning Kev more than a few unsavory words. He took them in stride though. Seemed used to verbal abuse, probably because he wasn't Unovan. Riven had already gotten some of that himself, but one look from Haona or Aine usually sent them well on their way. And when that didn't work, a snarl usually did.
Riven eventually got bored and gave himself a tour around Burgh's gym(avoiding the honey traps), waiting for the artist to be done with it. An hour passed and Kev came to fetch him.
"Burgh wants to see you," Kev said. "He's waiting for you in the office. I see you're avoiding the honey."
Eyeing the honey slathered entryway like it was the spawn of the devil, Riven peered at him with a sideways glance, still facing the infernal sugar wall.
"How the hell do trainers not want to murder Burgh after going through these? This is disgusting." He touched the wall and his finger practically stuck to it. There was a strange temptation to see if it was edible or not. He erred on the side of caution and opted not to test that theory.
Kev shrugged. "I had to go through it myself to get the job and take it from me, there's a reason this gym has a higher turnover rate for gym trainers. Burgh doesn't seem to get it but I'm starting to think he does this out of amusement, and to get trainers to model for him for free. Most likely the latter. It does get amusing after a while, I'll admit. Colorful language is common here."
"I have no trouble believing that. Pretty genius, though. Evil, too. Does he have a soul?"
Kev chuckled.
"Some days I question it myself. Regardless, there's a special solvent Burgh has to break down the honey harmlessly. The gym also washes clothes for free so trainers get free laundry. Really, it isn't too bad. Once you get past the uncomfortable feeling of everything sticking to you and learn all the workarounds. There are passageways that the gym trainers can use to move around the gym without getting covered in it, though it does take longer. I have learned to stop dressing in suits, however."
That started to make Riven think how he'd want to have his gym, even if he wouldn't have it for very long. Elesa's gym was usually lit up to hell in some way, and featured roller coasters like a small amusement park. Having bright neon signs and lights everywhere wouldn't do for the style he was thinking about and he wasn't a model, so the catwalk didn't serve much purpose besides making him look like a fool. He'd have to make adjustments.
Adjustments being the exact thing Burgh wanted to tell him about. "You can't use your team," Burgh declared. "Foreign pokemon are illegal to use in Unova gyms."
Riven stared, dumbstruck. Urge to strangle idiot artist rising. Wait illegal—violent shaking it is.
He held Burgh by the collar, feeling his head start to pound.
"Then how, pray tell, do you expect me to FUCKING BATTLE ANYTHING, Burgh? I can't go out and catch random ass pokemon from a route and train them in enough time to give trainers a challenge! Or do you want me to punch out rock pokemon with my fists? Where are those papers so I can burn them."
"I… hid them?" Burgh laughed nervously. "I had a feeling you'd-"
Riven exhaled through his nose, nostrils flaring. The shaking intensified.
Kev and the other gym trainers tried to pry Riven off the gym leader, but had a fairly difficult time doing so. The more they pulled the harder he shook, so they kind of just stood there awkwardly as Burgh got red in the face. "Nathan, assaulting a gym leader is illegal," Kev reminded unhelpfully. "Punching him counts as assault too. Please don't-"
Riven turned back to Kev, glaring. "Look at me! I'm a foreigner. Which means my pokemon aren't from Unova! Logistics, hello? Am I the only one that is seeing how this isn't going to work?"
Burgh lifted a finger weakly, dizzy from the shaking. His collar had also gotten terribly ruffled. "Even if you could use your team, you couldn't. They're too strong! At least regular gym matches you can't! Only in-" The shaking got worse. "-the Challenger Rush! Except… for… your… Absol!"
Riven let him go and Burgh had to hold his head while a gym trainer came over to see if he wasn't delirious. "What do you mean my Absol?"
"Absol's are also natively found in Unova. They migrated from other regions a long time ago as opposed to being introduced to the region by trainers or smugglers. They're still incredibly rare and are prime targets for them regardless," Kev recalled. "Internal crime aside, they're allowed in gym battles since they bypass that rule. Your other pokemon bar the Blitzle are completely off-limits, I'm afraid. It's a nonsensical rule, but it's the way Unova does things."
"Fantastic, as if no flying and teleporting wasn't stupid enough. You're okay with that, Kev?" Riven asked, raising a brow. "I saw you had a Spoink. Hoenn isn't like this at all."
His jaw clenched, nodding stiffly. "I'm not a gym leader or a gym trainer so it hardly affects me personally. I prefer it here in Unova than in Hoenn. I don't want to go back there, even if the atmosphere is less hostile. I get by just fine here."
There was a story in there somewhere. Riven frowned but didn't attempt to pry. Kev business was Kev business. He was still incredibly irritated, and Burgh's Magikarp memory made him want to break his nose. Riven growled and leveled a glare at the gym leader that could pierce souls.
"Anything else you want to tell me that should be said now before you give me a valid reason to punch you? Then you could tell your darling about how your communication blows and your nose decided to be intimate friends with a coffee table."
Kev turned to Burgh, frowning. "You should probably tell him. Getting a broken nose once was bad enough, this one looks like he's a fair bit stronger than Ree. And you'd probably deserve it, sir."
Burgh waved, nodded in agreement, though he still held a hand up to protect his face just in case.
Riven snapped his attention to Kev. "Wait, Ree?"
"The girl who got me the job here. She's an interesting one. Do you… know her?" Kev asked, craning his neck slightly, brows furrowed in concern.
Allen's story surfaced from the bottom of his memory and Riven agreed with his sense that it was best he stay out of that particular mess. Teenagers like that he'd like to avoid. "Thankfully, I don't think so."
Kev breathed a sigh of relief, "Good…" If those two met there'd be more than a few headache inducing arguments.
"Okay," Burgh said, standing up. He picked at the ruffled collar and sighed deeply. "I'll just let you know now. Since this is a special circumstance and everything, Elesa had a breeder arrange to set you up with some Unovan pokemon of your choice. They're all obedient and fairly strong, but you'll have a week of training time with most of them to get them used to your style before the gym opens up for battling. In the meanwhile we're going to do some PR and hype you up a bit. And, uh, you can use your Absol but-"
"But?" Riven questioned in monotone, flexing his fingers absently. Burgh gulped and shrunk in on himself.
"Macy, tell him? I'd like to keep my nose intact."
"You're the fourth gym in the circuit," a female gym trainer with freckles answered instead. "You're not supposed to be hard. That means they want you to lose more than you like. Like, give the trainers a chance sort of thing? They also want you to be kind of type-locked. To, uh… make it easier? Strong gym leaders so early on frustrate people a lot and most people do traditional circuits. Believe it or not but the League takes complaints. First half gym leaders are more of a guiding force for younger trainers, like role models and stuff. They tend to remember them more instead of someone like Drayden or Brycen—who, by the way—are ultra hardass."
"Lose, on purpose?" The gym leader to be was eerily silent, before letting out a dark, sinister laugh. "Oh that won't do at all. That's what they expect? For me to roll over and let trainers walk over me? Hah… haha!"
He gave Burgh a Sharpedo-like grin.
"Well, since you were so keen on the details, Burgh—if I'm going to be a gym leader, I'm going to be the hardest challenge those trainers get. Can't win? Get stronger. There's more than eight gyms in this region to choose from so there isn't need to come to mine. The League can come up and tell me that to my face if they have a problem. With all the things going on, we can't let trainers off easy so some lunatic kids pick them off on a route. If I'm going to build them up to not go on killing sprees, I need to teach them a lesson about arrogance, because I see a lot of trainers whose heads are permanently shoved up their ass."
"And what if it's the champion who has a problem with that?" Kev asked, nonplussed. "Alder's dealt with rowdy officials before. Including gym leaders."
Riven's grin got wider, remembering the first time he met Steven. Ominously, he cackled, "Then I'll make sure to have a table ready for when he comes around. So, now that that's been cleared up, where's this breeder? And how can I start redecorating the gym? It did say on the paperwork that expenses would be covered and that I could customize the gym to my own tastes as long as it was within feasible deadlines."
He paused and suddenly didn't look his age at all.
"Can gyms have refreshment stands? Having my own milkshake machine would be awesome. What? Sweet tooth." He laughed at himself.
The other trainers started whispering among themselves how good it would be to actually have something edible and refreshing that wasn't dripping honey.
"Burgh, why don't we have one of those? Maybe then more gym trainers would stay for more than two weeks…"
The gym leader shot them a dirty look.
"Does this look like Brycen's gym? Ask him for ice cream, there's plenty of ice in Icirrus, if you'd like to transfer over. And the honey's thematic for god's sake!" A deep sigh. "I'll start on the list, then," Burgh relented, suddenly drained. He turned to Riven, crossing his arms. "You should probably get to Nimbasa, Nathan. Oh, and get the keys to that condo from that drawer over there. I'll give you the address and set you up with a teleport service to get to Nimbasa-"
"No teleports," Riven said at once, drawing puzzled stares. He reddened, scratching the side of his head in embarrassment. "They make me queasy and I don't like psychics. They kind of don't like me either. I'm a little more traditional."
"Don't you have a Gallade?" One of the trainers, Hugo, pointed out instantly. "Wouldn't that make you a, um…" He stuttered meekly, "-a hypocrite?"
"No," Riven denied firmly, utterly serious. "There are Clefable on the moon, therefore Remoraid swim in reverse. Which means you're wrong."
Four sets of eyes squinted. Kev bit his lip to prevent himself from snorting.
"Think about that for a while. Get me a Braviary flight," Riven suggested, ignoring a very confused Hugo and turning to an equally puzzled Burgh. You couldn't fight fire with fire, but you could definitely fight faulty logic with even faultier logic. "How long will it take to get to Nimbasa?"
The gym leader broke out of his stupor and crunched some numbers in his head, waggling a hand. "Eh—day and a half if I get you the fastest bird? If there's a sandstorm happening that might be a problem but there shouldn't be any this time of year. Elesa's gym trainers should be informed about it already and I should have some of the list ready when you get there. Expect a lot of questions though, Elesa's extremely popular—and you're the one filling her heels."
"Popular? Never noticed. Her face isn't on ninety percent of the billboards, I'm sure," Riven quipped sarcastically. "Where is this Braviary service going to meet me?"
"Go to the outskirts of the city, you'll find it there waiting. Fee should be paid. I'll port over there soon to help with the preparations. Just call me when you get there."
Braviary flights weren't much different than any other bird based flying method. The plumage was a little sleeker and harder to grasp than Emile's, the sitting position was a little less ample than he was used to, but the giant bird was trained to fly as calm as possible while maintaining top speed. Being able to use a holo caster without worrying about it flying off was incredibly useful. It did help that he was on a saddle and attached via cable to multiple areas of it in case something went wrong. Sitting backward to block the wind rush and take it all in felt nice.
He felt like calling Gale, though the wind would probably make that difficult. He waited until the Braviary and its handler-who was flying beside him on another-landed and made camp for the night. Gale was surprisingly well awake at three in the morning, though more than a little tired from the tone of her voice.
"Hi," She answered sleepily, "why so late? Haven't called in over four weeks. Find someone else to annoy you on your travels? A girl, maybe?"
Riven blinked. Shit, it really had been four weeks. "Yeah, you're totally right. It is a girl—a hyperactive, electric girl that runs on four legs and gets faster when you shock her. Though I thought you'd ask why I called?"
"Nope! I figured if you call, it must be important. Otherwise you never do. That's not nice, Riven."
"I get caught up in things, sorry."
"Now isn't that the understatement of the year," she quipped, snickering. "Where are you now? Last I knew you were in Nuvema at the professor's… are you still there or…?"
"No, not anymore. I'm on a Braviary flight to Nimbasa and they made camp for the night. We're going to depart again in the morning. And what about you? I'm an insomniac with occasional nightmares and patience issues while you're the understanding mothering one. Why are you up so late, training with Will?"
"Never stops," she groaned tiredly. He couldn't hear her back crack like an Ekans' rattle as she twisted. Evie and Yukiko cringed upon hearing it, however. "That's all I do lately. Wake up, train, hate myself, train, cry, maybe eat, train, die, and then sleep and cry in my sleep because my legs want to turn into mush. I sobbed into my cereal yesterday and Nurse Joy had to call in an Audino to inspect me."
Riven snickered haughtily. "Hard work hurts, doesn't it?"
"Quiet y- No, I do think I train more than you do now!" She retorted indignantly.
"You're probably right, thought that might change soon. Are you doing okay though? Nothing crazy happen over there? Relatively speaking, obviously. With a loose definition of crazy too."
Gale sighed deeply, blowing some air into the phone. "A lot of things. UFO presence in the city doubled after a few kids were found dead out in the route. Trainers. A group of four traveling together taken out by someone stronger."
"Shit… Sayres?"
"Sounded like it," Gale said grimly. "There was a lot of damage and dead pokemon, at least that's what I heard—I didn't see it. Will told me. So relatively speaking, yeah, I'm fine." There was a gap of silence as Riven couldn't think of what to say. Luckily Gale broke it before he had to think of something. "Err, Riven?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm glad you called because I kind of wanted to let you know about something?"
His face scrunched up and then he remembered why he'd called. "Oh, right- I did too. You go first."
"No… you go first."
She always put things aside for him and his crazy plans, so he thought he'd return the favor this time. Wasn't often that Gale's life was more hectic than his was. He was a bit curious.
"I'm sure anything you got involved in that needs my attention is probably important. I'm not budging until you tell me first, and you're beyond tired while I can do this all night." She sounded fairly calm, so he doubted that one. Best not to rule it out.
Gale hesitated a fair amount as she ruffled her hair, frustrated that he was right. She conceded and decided to go first. "I kind of became a UFO."
Riven took the holo caster, brought it down to chest level, inspected it for glitches or scratches, banged it for good measure, and blew on it. "Sorry, I thought you said that you became a UFO."
"I… did?" She confirmed sheepishly.
Processing that took a few, painstaking moments for Riven that went on for far too long. Gale and UFO together made about almost as much sense as… Shit, time travel made more sense, actually. She was like Allen, only far less inclined to shoot someone in the face or arrest them, and way too nice to go through the kinds of things UFOs dealt with.
"Okay, I'm just going to ask you to take this slow. How did you become a UFO? You flinch at me killing a Minccino because it's fuzzy and cute and alive. Do you realize the kind of disgusting bastardry that they see on a daily basis? Are you insane? Who strong-armed you into this? Was it Will? That little cockgobbler-"
"Yates," she replied with a tone that could sink in water. Riven's anger fizzled like water on a Slugma.
"Shit."
"Yeah…" Gale muttered miserably. "He noticed how fast I recovered from the surgery. Even if I was in a coma for a week and woke up, a wound like mine would have taken at least three full weeks to a month to recover from—and that's just to be able to walk with some difficulty. I was walking around the day you turned me into an Origin. He caught on and well… 'offered' me to be on this special unit. For people with, how did he put it…'talents'."
"A superhero squad?" Riven questioned amusedly with an arched brow. "Still living in stories I see?"
"Ass, don't make fun of me. There's nothing wrong with novels and books! And it's more like super soldier squad," she corrected. "With all the perks. He said I'd be mainly support. I wouldn't have to actually kill anyone. I hope that's true."
So do I. "Don't count on it. It's always the perks, isn't it?" Riven grumbled dryly. "That's how they always get you… damn you, Burgh. I kind of have something similar."
"What did Burgh do?" She pounced instantly, worry shifting her voice. "Riven… what did you do this time? You didn't assault him, did you? That's highly illegal."
"What- no. I almost did. See-" Riven grabbed the bridge of his nose, not quite believing this himself and completely expecting Gale to gape as soon as he said it, "-I'm a gym leader now."
"Gym… leader?" She repeated blankly, trying to put the two words together but failing.
"Yes. Of Elesa's gym. She's going on vacation. You know, catwalk gym and neon lights?"
"Elesa's…"Gale lost it as soon as the irony kicked in. The hysterical laughter stopped about a full five minutes afterwards, in which Gale had left the phone, made some tea and laughed herself into sobs. Whether they were of genuine laughter or the training getting to her was up for debate. Riven explained the situation to her as she calmed down, and when he was done, exhaled in exasperation. She was still doubtful about the situation, not that he blamed her at all, given how doubtful he was of her own position. In the end, they accepted the fact that they were really out of their depth.
"I'm assuming you became a gym leader to make a crazy plan of yours work? You never do these kinds of things without another motive." She asked, holding a cup in her hands. She'd switched to holographic mode and Riven's image appeared before her, sitting cross legged on a rather large rock. He stared at a wild Sandile that had wandered into their camp as he shrugged absently. Omy had noticed it and tried to go inspect the reptile but Riven gestured for her to leave it alone. He tossed it a piece of jerky instead, which it took it in its jaws and scampered away.
"Were it anybody else, I'd say yes, I have a dastardly plan for world domination. But truth be told, Burgh just waved money, an apartment, and lots of other privileges in my face."
"You caved," she added cheekily, with a small, haughty laugh. "Like a deck of cards."
"I so definitely fucking caved. Anyway, being a gym leader can help me in the future though, and gives me access to a lot more resources than I had originally. And since you're a trainee, Gale…"
She shook her head sternly. "No, I'm not remotely close to being official yet, so no ideas! Ask Lucia for that kind of stuff, I'm already stuck somewhere I don't want to be, feeling used—and it's kind of your fault."
"This again?" Riven frowned sadly. "Gale… I'm sorry, if that's what you want to hear. I know being turned into a potential living weapon wasn't something you wanted, and now they want to use you—I didn't want that to happen either."
Maybe holographic mode wasn't the best idea. A pang of guilt ran through Gale as she saw his expression and froze, realizing her mistake and rubbing her face with her hands, feeling her eyelids heavy. "God… I didn't mean it that way, Riven. I'm not-I… I'm the one that should be sorry—everything is just so stressful with the training and murders that my thoughts are a mess. I'm so tired. It wasn't your fault, I wasn't thinking."
He nodded once, face unreadable. "Don't apologize so much. It's alright, we all get cranky when we're tired. Seriously, don't look so guilty. It's alright, Gale." There was a reassuring smile, however small. "Get some rest. By the way, I'll send you Emile's pokeball when I get to the center in Nimbasa, he's gotten stupidly anxious to get back to you and it's making me want to use him for Omy's target practice. Maybe Haona's too. I've already been feeding him less for being a flying feathery asshole. Tried flying me into a tree, the fucker."
She giggled at that, picturing it. "Okay, I'll make sure to come by the center soon. What are you going to do now, then? You don't sound tired."
"Hmmm… I guess I could curl up into a fetal position and cry too, since I got persuaded by a guy that thinks scarves are fashionable," Riven joked lightly, drawing another laugh from Gale. "I contemplated a Johtoan art of suicide. Then I realized I don't have a Katana. God I hate myself."
"You do have two broadswords though," Gale grinned, which quickly turned into a large yawn. Her eyes were starting to feel dry as she rubbed them and fought off the urge to doze off in front of him. "Well, good luck, leader Nathan. You better not name your badge the edge badge, hehe."
Riven growled and she cackled, followed by a wave.
"Good night, Riv. And say hello to the others for me. Keeping Haona's fur groomed?"
"Gets impossibly cranky when I don't, so yeah. Night, Gale."
The blue light of the holographic display dissipated as the call ended and Riven was left in the darkness of the desert route. It was fairly cold and he'd noticed that Omy had also followed Gale's example and curled up next to Haona on the floor. Baron and Aine stood guard behind him while the Braviarys rested for tomorrow's flight.
He couldn't sleep though. Too much on his mind, too many things to do.
After all, he had to introduce himself in a week's time, and there were a few more issues he was thinking about dealing with as a gym leader, apart from battling trainers and co-hosting the Challenger Rush. He had access to more resources than he did before, and legal jurisdiction within Nimbasa as an authority figure.
Elesa's forte was show business and modeling. His wasn't. He was good at finding people, breaking fingers, and putting assholes down. Most gym leaders had the power to act as a policing force, but many of them had an extra occupation outside of their gym leader duties, and often left the policing to- well, the police. The only other person who actually capitalized on that jurisdiction was Falkner of the Johto region, and he was known for busting the remnants of Team Rocket that tried to regroup in that region, as well as smugglers who tried establishing themselves in his area. The Elite Four only ever took care of serious threats like the teams or regional security threats of greater importance, such as-oh, he could only guess- a major city square getting blown to pieces.
There was also another little issue that bugged Riven. Unova had quite the scum problem, and from the tidbits he'd picked up from the centers and general conversational musings, the underground was at its bloodiest. And with the embargo, their main source of business was cut off. Uh-oh.
Which meant violence would only escalate. Luckily, violence was a language he was very fluent in.
Arriving in Nimbasa didn't feel as different as Riven had hoped; the city was pretty much the exact same, only the damaged parts were repaired as if they'd never happened while the Ferris Wheel and stadium filled with happy, smiling faces. There was no sense of elation or relief as he traveled to the wealthier part of town either. He'd strolled through Lumiose's more economically blessed sector hundreds of times, so the feeling was lost on him.
He inspected the condo in a staggeringly fancy complex in the western part of the sector, surprised at how huge it was, lounging around with his team for a good two hours. He'd never really owned a home, and Kai's home wasn't too large either, so having this much space to himself was incredible. Burgh had come afterwards, bringing him some clothes to wear since he hardly had any that weren't torn, stained with sweat, or dirty.
Leaving his team to frolic about in the condo, the two men then went to visit the breeder, who agreed to meet with them a few blocks down in a penthouse that could easily hold a Steelix. And that was just the surface level.
A variety of pokemon were found below ground in a massive complex, each house sized room containing its own biome specifically suited for the pokemon found within.
The breeder, named Pence, showed him over to the electric and dark pens, housing Unovan native pokemon. There were Scrafty, Liepard, Mandibuzz, Pawniard, and other dark types that he'd seen before, eating in a group. Pokemon raised in captivity and breeding circles were easy to discern from wild ones. Primarily because Pawniard were never found alone and putting one next to a wild Liepard almost always resulted in a dead Liepard and too much blood to bother cleaning up.
Here they ate together and conversed.
The electric pens were about the same, this time larger and set in a forested biome. Webs and silk spread amongst the trees and grass grew out of the floor for the Blitzle to graze on. Galvantulas and tiny Joltiks scurried along the silk, the latter appearing like tiny yellow specks among the threads. Schools of Tynamo ferried the small spiders around as Emolga flew overhead, sparking in synchronized beats like a network of signals feeding back into each other.
And after a relatively quick decision, Riven and Burgh stood before a Galvantula named Spoopy, and a Liepard named Tai. The electric arachnid liked covering itself in electrified webbing and tackling its opponents while the other one played incredibly dirty in a mock battle, managing to impress Riven. Oddly fitting names, at least. It was also odd that a Liepard had almost torn out his throat at least twice since he'd arrived in Unova and didn't make him feel resentful about that.
They were also classified as his, technically, so he couldn't abandon them anymore. Free teammates were good, he guessed. He only started to regret his decision after the breeder officially logged them as his when Tai decided to make a snarky comment about Haona's fur, which provoked a fight, and Spoopy had gravitated to Omy and covered her head to toe in webs to be like a four legged ghost.
Riven had to admit it was a bit hilarious except for the fact that the silk was bloody electrified and nearly electrocuted Burgh, Pence and himself. Breaking up the fight between Tai and Haona cost him a ripped up sweater arm, a slashed and bleeding arm, and two paralyzed dark types.
Good thing electric types were bullshit. And so were healing items.
The next stop was placing the order for his badge, which he demanded be half a golden lightning bolt that led into a smoother, curved crescent without the customary gold lining that most Unovan badges boasted. That went over smoothly, since Burgh had filled out the necessary paperwork beforehand, including the League paperwork to get him officially inducted. Normally there'd be extensive background checks, but the League seemed to care more about the event and keeping the gym open with concerns and the Sayre threat looming that they frankly didn't care. If Elesa trusted him, that was enough.
Finally, there was the gym.
"You're the one she picked?" One of Elesa's gym trainers asked, Rolan, he remembered. He recognized some of them too, from the Nimbasa attack, when he'd blown through the gym wall covered in blood and let the UFOs come in and do their jobs in complete darkness. He held in a frown, jaw clenched. They had no idea how awkward it was that they were staring at a man they were terrified over nearly a month and a half ago.
Except Rolan. He generally didn't look like he cared.
Ignore douche-y kid. Act professionally.
"Yes, I'm it. Name's Nathan," Riven said simply, holding out a hand. They shook his hand with varying levels of firmness. "Pleasure to meet you all. I'll be your presiding gym leader for the next month until the Challenger Rush ends. I'm not Elesa, so pardon me if I do anything out of the ordinary. I can be fairly demanding."
Rolan grimaced and shared a pointed look with the others. They all noticed. "You're not Unovan," he stated narrowly, more of a loaded question and less of a statement.
"Correct, I'm from Kalos. Lumiose, to be exact," Riven replied, despite it being a complete lie. "Why does that matter?"
"You know exactly why it matters," he returned.
"Rolan… it's okay…" One of the female gym trainers said, attempting to mediate. "They can-"
"No, it's not, Cassie. Do you realize if they catch him doing this, we can get fired too? This is too suspicious. Are you in on this, Burgh? Does the champion know yet?""
"Rolan," Burgh said reassuringly, placing an easing hand on his shoulder. "Bridget, Page, Cassie. I know what this looks like, but I can assure you that Nathan is a very capable, Kalosian trainer who's proved himself before. You might not know this, and this isn't to leave this room, but he's helped take down a few notorious smugglers in Kalos before. On his own. Without the police knowing. If anyone can keep Nimbasa safe, it's him. El needed someone dependable to take her place."
"So is he some kind of Hilbert?" Bridget inquired, eyes glowing. "Arceus, really? That's so cool! You're like, international police or something?"
"Doubt it," Rolan added.
"He does look scary…" Page chimed in. Her unspoken concern didn't fall on deaf ears.
Riven stared at them with a blank expression, then turned to Burgh, who was egging him on with slight movements of his eyes. He suppressed a frustrated sigh. If dealing with the Unovan populace was going to be this annoying, he had his work cut out for him. "Relax, all the paperwork has been dealt with and nothing will happen to any of you, legally or physically. You're also allowed to keep your respective teams as if normal, nothing will change except for some minor décor in the gym since obviously, I don't look like a model."
"You'd fool me…" Cassie muttered.
"Care to say that louder, Cass?" Rolan pressed, to which the girl flushed and refused. His wry grin turned serious as he addressed Riven once again. "How can you guarantee our safety? We almost got killed last time until a crazy guy came and distracted those idiots. I like Elesa, but I don't feel comfortable with you."
Fair concern, Riven thought. "I'm no Prime, but Rolan, if they tried... Well, let's say my morals are loose when someone hurts my people. What I'll do if that happens is best left unsaid."
"Murder is inconceivable in the eyes of Arceus!" Page cried out immediately, appalled and repulsed. Riven's mood waned, not one of those people. He was starting to like the girl too. Damn. Could he replace her?
"No one said anything about murder, dear," Burgh said. "Nathan would leave them very well alive." I hope. "However, gym leaders can exercise lethal force if their gym trainers or their lives are threatened, is this clear? Although the UFOs would prefer the aggressors to be alive, which serves as a warning for you all too, in case something drastic is necessary. Don't hesitate, but don't be too hasty. Understood?"
The four younger trainers nodded.
"Good! We'll get started on the gym adjustments, Nathan, so I suggest you start training up a bit on the route. As for you four kids, this lovely place will be closed for at least a week to get our new gym leader up to speed while the gym modifications get kicked into gear. You might find it a bit different when you return, but rest assured it'll feel like home."
Rolan huffed but otherwise took the hint and left the building with the others. Riven took in a deep breath, squinting at the brightness of the neon above him.
"If that's how they reacted, can't imagine how the public will in a week during the gym's reopening."
Burgh watched as the door closed and the light from outside disappeared, smiling slyly. "Well then I guess you'll just have to convince them."
"Easier said than done. People can do incredibly stupid things because of fear and prejudice. Let's hope it doesn't come to that."
Tai and Spoopy were quick on the uptake and surprisingly obedient when it came to training, general hijinks aside. The Galvantula was incredibly creative with that webbing and the Liepard was even faster than Haona(to her annoyance), though hit less hard. He put both of them through some grueling training, partly supervised by Baron and Aine, and was impressed to see they could keep up reasonably well. They weren't at the level or communication and team work he desired, but that was fine enough for gym battles. The rest of his team that weren't allowed to partake were obviously annoyed at that fact, and with some convincing bribery, Riven managed to appease them into pulling bodyguard duty for the gym in case an idiot tried something.
A week flew by and he found himself walking through the gym doors, stepping into the much dimmer gym. Many of the neon lights had been turned off or dimmed, the outer edges of the gym sported a safety rail, and the roller coasters were modified into climbable levels and obstacles to pass the gym's layout and reach the catwalk.
A trainer could theoretically bypass the gym trainers… if they could climb their way out using the sparsely lit obstacles, or defeat the gym trainers to illuminate the way out first and see what exactly they were tackling. Failed attempts resulted in a complete reset and a long crawl along the safety net back to the start.
He wanted to test their strength and their physical prowess as trainers, not just their pokemon. He'd also seen the shiny new badges Burgh ordered made, and was strangely pleased when he realized they were his. He wasn't going to enjoy losing, though, which unfortunately remained an inevitable consequence.
What he did enjoy, however, was the ice cream machine and refreshment station. Just looking at it made him smile.
In Elesa's changing room, Burgh had left his suit on the display rack, looking exactly as he'd sketched it. There was a note on the table in neat, fanciful and curly handwriting—signed from Elesa.
The gloves are insulated in case of any electrical burns, and the coat has plenty of hidden compartments for any extraneous and sharp items. I also added my own spin to it, if you don't mind.
Hope you like it. Good luck, leader.
And like it he did, all black and gold with highlights that resembled lightning bolts, running along the sleeves, pants, and back ridge of the longcoat. Say what you want, but Elesa and Burgh knew what they were doing. Putting on the outfit and relishing how comfortable it was, he cradled Omy's pokeball.
The Blitzle materialized when the ball hit the ground, curious eyes taking in the changing room.
"Bli?" She asked, hooves clacking against the floor as she inspected the hallway outside.
"Don't wander too far, you might get lost and then I'll have to find you after. You know how Haona gets when you do that." She nodded in understanding and came back to him, whinnying again to ask where she was. Riven looked down at her and smiled, ruffling her mane with the gloves. There wasn't any static electricity this time like there usually was. He placed a translator over his ears, wanting to hear what she said instead of making reasonable guesses.
"This place is your h- no, not home. This place is where you draw your roots, Omy."
"I'm not a grass pokemon. I don't have roots!" She exclaimed, inspecting herself in a circle to check if any had accidentally sprouted. Riven laughed and righted her with his hands so she could stop moving in circles. "So much power here… it's like the city, but different!"
"We're in the city, Omy. This gym just has a supercharged electrical system."
"Oh." Her tiny tail hair twitched. "If I'm not a Whimsicott, why did you say I have roots? Do Whimsicott have roots?"
"No, I don't believe they do. I meant this is where you come from. Sorry, humans are a bit strange." She agreed with a blink. "Anyway, this is where your father was from, Omy."
She blinked. "Aren't you my father?"
Riven felt himself pause as his heart seemed to melt and he held back the urge to hug the foal. "No, I'm your trainer. We're partners, though trainers often raise baby pokemon from birth, like you. Sometimes we catch them from the wild, or like Tai and Spoopy, are given to us. Your father was the gym leader's prized Zebstrika, Lancer. He was hers, and you're his offspring. That's why I'm here, mostly. I guess you can say you're taking over your father's legacy. I also forgot to tell you but… you have an uncle."
Omy bolted straight up, suddenly quivering in excitement. "Really?! Yay! Where is he, can I see him, is he awesome like mom? Is he cool like Aine? What about Baron with his blade-y things? Or Boag, he tells me so many stories! Or Efrain… he's so mysterious…"
"Hey, hey, hey… slow down. And really—your dad had a brother. He's just with Elesa right now, and isn't here, so you won't get to see him yet."
The electric filly looked disheartened at the news, though quickly lost that when her moods shifted again. She never stayed fixated on one thing for too long, maybe it was an attention deficit thing? "Was my father like me? Some other pokemon told me their parents were different."
"Was he your species? Yeah. Not as little as you are, of course. He was a Zebstrika, which I'm sure you'll become some day, preferably soon as you gain more experience battling here in the gym. Good part about it is, trainers come to you, not the other way around."
She grew incredibly determined at the mention of battle, let out an excited cry and accidentally sparked, shorting out the lights and sending a few thousand volts into his arm. Or well, would have, if his gloves hadn't been insulated. He had to thank Elesa personally for that, or he'd be clutching onto second degree electrical burns probably spewing several verbal variants of the word feces.
"Having fun, you two?" Burgh grinned, leaning against the hallway with his arms crossed. "Careful with those sparks, Om. You might set something on fire."
"Burgh, Burgh, Burgh!" She said, prancing about him. "Can I battle your Scolipede? Please!"
"I'm afraid not, little one. She's a little too strong for you at the moment. Aw- don't look so disappointed, I'm sure your trainer will get you plenty strong, considering there's a huge mob outside waiting to see the new leader. Not every day one gets replaced, even if it's just temporary. Elesa's replacement no less. Looking good I see, like the suit?"
Riven stood up, patting himself down. "Very much so, I really like the insulation from electricity. Worked wonders already. I kept my head down for the past week like you told me, so I haven't really seen any of the PR you did. Any strong trainers out there itching to battle the new gym leader?"
"Like you wouldn't believe. Though there is another issue."
Oh, that wasn't good. Burgh scowled and pushed off the wall.
"Some of them think Elesa folded and ran away. That she left Nimbasa. Some think she's just like Cynthia."
"That was the previous Sinnoh champion, right? Half her team got taken out by Nicholas Sayre?"
"Yeah, and on live television. That's what started the entire mess. Poor woman tried fixing things but ultimately couldn't handle it and dropped off the map. No one's seen her since. After she left, the gym leaders and authorities were left shit deep in murky water, splashing like a bunch of Magikarps. I'm surprised they managed it, though with far more, well…" He trailed off with a shrug. "You know the rest."
"Elesa's not like that," Riven pointed out. Burgh nodded tersely. "They're going to ask me the same thing Rolan did, aren't they?"
"Most likely, and other things too. After what happened at Nimbasa last time, the League informed me that they want to hold the Challenger Rush somewhere else. Fool me once, and all that."
"Where would it be held then?"
"They're thinking about Opelucid. I couldn't come with the information sooner since they informed me this morning. Horrible timing too, since we're about to present you and everything. We left everything but your nationality out of it, even your name is a mystery. That got them riled up and eager. From the size, I'd say it was a success. Marketing is important!"
"Bad publicity is still good publicity?" Riven caught on, scowling. "That's not necessarily true all the time."
"Yeah well, get ready. People love a scandal, and you're it at the moment." He spread his hands, emulating a magazine title like an over exaggerated radio caster. "'Foreign trainer fills idol's shoes, the terrifying truth revealed! Is this the end of Unova's isolationism amidst political crisis?!'"
Yeah, right.
At the door, Burgh stood beside Riven, giving him last minute consultations and adjusting the microphone on his coat. Just peering outside through the crack in the doorframe he could see a gigantic crowd assembled before the gym, with news reporters and cameras everywhere.
"Remember, be confident, be strong. That's what they want you to resemble. You won't have Elesa's stylish flair, so find your own strength and clutch onto it like a lifeline or they'll eat you alive."
Steadying himself with a breath, Riven prepared himself.
"Let me go introduce-"
Riven pushed open the doors instead.
A sudden entrance and strong image could make just as powerful of an effect as an announced one, with two different outcomes. One was of anticipation and excitement, while the other was of mystery and power, moving the crowd to cheers or inversely, to silence.
When he stepped out onto the top of the steps, face stern and devoid of emotion, he turned to view the crowd, who'd grown dead quiet as his appearance had seized all commotion. Staring at an overhead camera for a deliberately pointed stare, he focused back to the steps ahead and began to step down, each step taken with calm and calculated poise, not for a moment showing the nervousness he was feeling.
The crowd sprung back alive, camera flashes and questions firing at him from everywhere at once. The flashes hurt his eyes, but he kept moving as smoothly as possible, appearing entirely unperturbed, exuding an aura of authority. He'd done it before, often with intimidation and copious amounts of blood, but here and now, it was all about how he was able to present himself without the use of fear. One slip up could destroy everything he worked for.
With a casual flick, an Absol coalesced behind him, stalking after him with a regal and demanding gait. Her fur was groomed to pristine condition and her horn shone against the sun stricken white stairs of the Nimbasan gym. The crowd died and picked up again, focusing on the pokemon behind him.
Riven reached the bottom of the stairs, behind a rail security had setup to keep the crowd back. Haona joined him, smirking as she made eye contact with various pokemon. There were already trainers in sight, some wearing faces of contempt, and others of wonder.
"What is your name, leader?"
"Is it true you're Kalosian?"
"How is a foreign trainer able to become a gym leader? Has a settlement been reached in the government?"
"Did the League approve of this?"
"How will you deal with the impending Sayre threat and the smugglers!"
"What about Team Plasma?"
"What kind of pokemon are you using?"
"Where did you get an Absol? Is it legal?"
There was a twinge of annoyance at the ever growing wall of questions, but Riven was careful not to let it show on his face. He raised an open hand in the air and slowly shut it into a fist.
"Quiet," he ordered sternly. The crowd simmered. "I am leader Nathan Ethne of Kalos, and I, am your new gym leader."
Immediately, there was a response. A water bottle flew at Riven's face as he swatted it aside with a hand. He scowled and clicked his tongue.
"Liar! You're not Unovan! Where's Elesa!"
Riven turned to see the heckler, a trainer wearing a purple hat and semi-worn down travel clothing. He didn't look much older than sixteen, but the look in his eyes was enough. He could see others in the crowd murmuring in agreement with silent nods. "Elesa is safe, and completely fine. Calm yourself, boy. You forgot this, littering is subject to fines. Isn't that right, Unovan?"
The gym leader picked up the bottle and threw it back to him. With a thunk, the bottled hit the ground in front of the trainer, who responded by taking out a pokeball, mouth forming into a snarl.
Riven snapped his fingers as hardened light extended from Haona's horn, forming a large, sickle-shaped green blade. Nonchalantly, Riven cracked his neck as he began, "first a lesson, shall we? Megahorn is a bug-type move that usually has piercing due to a pokemon's horn shape. But Absols? Those cut. And cuts are far more messy than stabs. There are people here and more cameras than you'd like, so I recommend you control yourself lest you be branded a dangerous individual and put on a regional watchlist. If you wish to fight me based on your misguided ideas of bigotry, save it for the gym and use your hatred to the fullest there. Attack me out here and I will treat it as a deadly assault on my person. I wouldn't want my Absol to cut your pokemon in two and push you into joining a murderous band of equally misguided trainers either."
He glanced away from the red-faced trainer to face the crowd again. "This goes for any hotshot trainer that thinks just because I'm not Unovan I don't belong here. Come into my gym and I'll gladly remove that arrogance of yours. If there are no more concerns regarding this matter, we should move on. Inane topics or questions like what my favorite color is will be ignored completely. Questions? No? Let's proceed."
And the wall of questions surged again, reminding Riven why being a public figure and doing press was so much of a bitch that gym leaders went out of their way to avoid them. The same went for victors of conferences and other battle events.
A young female reporter with wide rimmed glasses raised her hand rather than blurting out like the others did. Riven pointed at her.
"Umm, leader Nathan, sir…" She fiddled with a notecard, drawing disapproving stares from the other reporters. "How will you respond to the increased reports of smuggling activity and pokemon theft in Nimbasa because of the port shutdown and communications blackout?"
She went about giving him surprisingly detailed estimates—pokemon theft statistics in particular, with an alarming number of them in Nimbasa alone since the snows had set in. When the other reporters tried to stop her, he silenced them with a glare. Once she was done, Riven nodded understandingly.
"That's a fair point. How will I respond?" Riven shook his head. "Well, there are no easy answers for that. I'm not going to sugarcoat anything, current events are far from pleasant. While I can't explicitly tell you about the nature of the shutdown, I can say that the authorities are working harder than they ever have with the resurgence of the Plasmas and this supposed Sinnohan cult. Most of these problems unfortunately are out of my jurisdiction. However, the smugglers are not. Rest assured if I find them, I will bring them down. The stealing and poaching of pokemon is not condoned whatsoever and I urge any trainers that see this activity to report it directly to me and I will ensure it ceases permanently. However I can."
There were several astonished faces to say the least. After that, they seemed fairly reluctant to ask any relevant questions. They questioned him on his previous experience among other things, and several trainers tried baiting him into revealing his team and gym layout. Once he was done speaking, Riven turned around, ascending the steps.
Reaching the top, his scowl became a confident, toothy grin.
"Forgot to mention. The gym opens tomorrow. Elesa was your light, and I am her shadow. Be ready, and show me how bright your star burns—" His smile grew wider and more sinister as he closed his fist. "—Or I'll snuff it out. Don't disappoint me."
The gym doors opened and he was gone.
Once inside, Riven's knees buckled and he found himself on the floor, breathing to calm himself.
Haona started laughing at him. "That was so bad," she mentioned, ignoring his scowl. Her voice with the translator came out more like an annoying, prissy, and spoiled princess than a pokemon. "Humans are so stupid!"
"Oh really," he challenged, to which she tilted her head, daring him back. He tried to return her but she hit the pokeball out of his hand with night slash. Riven frowned. "I'm half tempted to call you White Queen as my official pokemon and send you out first in every battle so fighting types bully you."
"Oooo, what a threat, trainer—since I'm not allowed to call you your name for whatever dumb reason you said-no you won't," she said sweetly, calling his bluff, "because then I'd sit in the middle of the field and lick my paws clean to intentionally embarrass you. Gym leaders lose, but you hate losing. Haha! And you want to look like such a big d-"
He released Tai to shut her up instead, and she instantly changed her tune. "Or I can just get Tai to double battle with you. As your partner."
"Ugh, with that white fur that goes completely against the nature of stealth? It's so white it's repulsive. You could never be my battle partner," the Liepard goaded sardonically, effortlessly stepping away from Haona's tail slash. "She's angry. How beautiful it is to see her angry. Pity though. Since you're too-" He dodged again, leading her around the gym with haunting laughs. "—Slow!"
Riven was oddly satisfied when the Liepard pinned Haona on the floor and gave her a lick on the horn, hopping off and cackling as he mounted one of the railings with perfect balance. Riven liked Tai, mainly because he actually respected him and kept the prissy white Absol in check.
"You ugly, oily furred feline phallus!" She spat acidly, about to shoot an ice beam at him when Riven picked the fallen pokeball of the ground and returned her mid ice beam.
"Thanks for the distraction, Tai. It'll keep the gym intact."
"Or make it worse." The male Liepard swished his tail and continued climbing the obstacles. "She'll be incredibly angry when she comes back out, and she'll most likely freeze you in a very uncomfortable place. Such a violent woman. I don't understand, she adores you and yet acts this way. It's very cute, however. I don't meet females like that often, like a forbidden fruit I want a taste of."
Wait, what.
"Please don't tell me it's like that. Wow, because it looks like she hates you more than me," Riven commented suspiciously. "Not trying to do anything with her, are you? Because if you do, I don't think I'll like the outcome."
Were there contraceptives for pokemon? Maybe looking into that was a priority before Haona gave birth to spoiled devil spawn.
"Attraction is natural. What can I say?" Tai gave him a cryptic yet sly smile. "I like a challenge. So sorry, trainer."
Riven got distracted from the horrifying thoughts of Haona ever having kittens when his holo caster went off. When he read the caller ID, he answered it with far more glee than he thought he'd have.
"Surprise, surprise? Meant to tell you sooner?"
Allen made a strangled noise. "You, are a fucking madman." He groaned, most likely rubbing his face. "I take it back, you're ten times worse than Ree."
Walking along his gym, Riven held out his hands, strangely giddy. Here he was, a time traveling, dangerous mercenary stuck in the middle of a regional rollercoaster in the middle of the winter, fighting a battle against an organization nobody knew about while aided by one of their own, a band of slaughtering kids with superpowered and deathly loyal monsters, and for the cherry on top, a substitute gym leader from another region in a place known for xenophobia. He'd say things were looking great.
"Why, of course! Haven't you been paying attention?"
DNS issues can go to hell. Seriously.
So can fumigations and inspections. Management really needs to layoff with all this crap that doesn't let me do anything for a day or days. Also got a new job, so that's exciting, I guess? I find I'm more focused when I'm busy, so faster updates is a possibility. I promise nothing.