A Viper in the Hole (Pokémon)

[TempestK]

Young Falcon​

Falkner sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. He may have taken over his father's gym rather than 'winning' the position, but his inheritance was at least something that he had been preparing for for years and which he'd worked hard towards, even if it did come earlier than he himself ever expected. Of course he hadn't been fully ready, but when he'd been forced to ascend to the position even as his father stepped back, he'd had the invaluable support of Whitney who had, up until that point, been the youngest of the Gym Leaders. Though her insistence on calling him her "cute little kohai" had grated something fierce.

But, grating or not, her aid had been invaluable to him. Which was why he was trying to pass that good turn on to Bugsy now. He just wondered if he had given Whitney half the headaches the Azalea Town Gym Leader was giving him.

He sighed heavily as Bugsy looked out of the screen at him, an absolutely guileless look of confusion on the younger boy's face.

"So to summarize, after he won the badge you tried calling him out for not using his Golbat and instead electing to use his starter. After you'd specifically changed your team to give him a harder, more tailored match." Falkner stated, waiting for Bugsy to nod in affirmation before he continued on, "Bugsy, do you have any idea how angry I would have been in Ran's place? The fact that he didn't make a bigger scene after all of that is a testament to his willpower if nothing else."

Bugsy looked even more confused. "I don't understand, I was giving him sound tactical advice."

Falkner's eyes narrowed as Bugsy shut up. "Bugsy, that was his starter. And you already made it clear that he had something to prove against you. The fact that you blatantly stacked the deck against him, instead of giving him the standard 2-badge match like all the other trainers before him, makes it look like you were actively trying to sabotage him to make him look weak. Not only that, but with the size of the chip on his shoulder, having his starter be the one to take the field for the showdown against the person that cost him a sponsorship was probably a matter of pride. Not just for him but also for that Ekans of his."

Bugsy shrank down into his seat.

"And then instead of congratulating him on the strength of his starter and his tactics, you told him to get over himself and that you didn't approve of his approach. Please tell me that he at least accepted the Skorupi."

Bugsy, who had at least shown some amount of shame over the matter, a sign of growth for the rather detached young Gym Leader, sat up at that point. "Yeah, he accepted it. He wasn't particularly grateful, but at least he didn't throw it back in my face."

Falkner nodded approvingly, before speaking once more, "And you gave him a primer on its care and what it can do as well, correct?"

"Uh..." Bugsy replied hesitantly, Falkner's words receiving a less than positive reaction, as Bugsy shifted in his seat in visible discomfort.

"Bugsy..." Violet City's Gym Leader bemoaned tiredly.

"Isortakindaforgot?" Bugsy finally rushed out, clearly embarrassed.

Falkner felt the urge to facepalm. Ordinarily, he'd keep from actually doing something so undignified. For the rather obtuse Bugsy however…

Falkner facepalmed hard, before finally responding, "So while he now has a new pokemon it's one that he's going to have to do all of the research on himself even in regards to its diet. Really Bugsy?" Falkner's tone was plaintive. "Get him to swing by the Gym tomorrow and hand them to him then."

Bugsy looked even more nervous, not responding as he refused to look directly at the screen in a clear attempt to avoid Falkner's gaze.

"You can give it to him tomorrow, right?" Falkner insisted sharply, only for Bugsy to yet again give an answer he didn't want to hear.

"He, uh, already left town?" Bugsy's voice was very small, which was at least a sign that the younger Gym Leader knew that he'd dropped the ball.

Falkner heaved a massive sigh, mind running a mile a minute before finally deciding just how Bugsy might be able to restore at least a semblance of a relationship with the unsponsored trainer.

"Right," He told the younger Gym Leader, "If they're headed towards Route 34, then they'll likely plan to face Whitney next. Make sure to digitize whatever information you do have on Skorupi. Don't just send it to him, that'll just make it seem like an afterthought and for all that he's clearly talented, he seemed belligerent enough already. Instead, ask Whitney to send you a memo when he's beaten her, then you can text him afterwards to try and establish something of a rapport. Hopefully, down the line, he'll be the one to reach out to you, if he doesn't just text you to ask for some advice in the next few days. Can you do that?"

Bugsy's acceptance was at least eager and genuine, leaving Falkner some amount of hope that maybe the bug-type-specialist had some kind of future as more than just a strong battler. Because whilst that was definitely part of being a Gym Leader, the position meant a lot more than just battling well.

 

[TempestK]

Omake 2: Queen Bee​

"I gotta say Falkner, I wasn't sure what to expect with this Ran guy after I got your little note. He seemed pretty cool to me though. Little on the dull side; but he sure knew how to finish things off!" Whitney had her feet kicked up on her desk in the video call, the absolute picture of nonchalance.

It technically wasn't a real League business meeting they were in, so Falkner figured that her extreme informality was fine. Bugsy was wearing the politely confused expression that Falkner had learned to mean that the newest Gym Leader didn't really understand the social nuances of what was happening, but that he was going to fake being fine with it until someone clued him in that something was wrong.

"I appreciate you being willing to let us know how he handled your challenge Whitney; after his showing at my own gym and the apparent animosity he has for Bugsy, I thought that a more neutral observer could better gauge his personality." Falkner inclined his head in thanks, only to receive an airy wave from Whitney.

"Always happy to help out my cute little kohai!" The already tremendously experienced normal-type specialist answered casually, as she swung her legs down and leaned in closer to the camera, "But I am curious just what had you worried about the guy in the first place, now that I've fought him?"

Falkner suppressed a sigh. Gossip. The currency that all bureaucracies ran on. Not particularly enthused about engaging in it himself, he gestured for Bugsy to go first, relating his own interactions with Ran Carr before he'd left Azalea Town. Whitney, forgoing her usual propensity for live commentary, just listened along quietly, before returning her focus back to Falkner once Bugsy finished his tale. So many people tended to forget that under the cutesy facade and the layer of terrifying trainer, Whitney was actually very perceptive and intelligent on a personal level as well.

Not acknowledging Whitney's clearly suppressed desire to facepalm at points throughout Bugsy's story, Faulkner related his own experiences, before once more letting Bugsy speak as the younger Gym leader told the tale of his most recent interaction with Ran. As the bug-type specialist wound down, Whitney clearly gave in to temptation, as she not only face-palmed, but double face-palmed. Groaning into her hands, she shook her head for a moment before heaving a sigh. Falkner was certain he heard her mutter 'boys' under her breath before she composed herself.

"Okay, so I guess I can see why you guys were expecting me to have some kind of issue with him," Whitney looked up from her hands. "But the guy was pretty on top of things. He got a lucky break because my aide that was supposed to scope him out whiffed on that Skorupi; because he apparently had it help teach his starter Toxic Spikes. And probably the rest of his team as well, the capable ones at least. The Ekans didn't show the usual kind of mechanical rote movements that tend to show up when a TM was used to teach a move. He was really in tune with his partners, and he seemed to be one of the types to make sure they get treated before he looks after himself, when they end up in trouble."

Whitney paused for a moment, her expression worryingly pleased as she told them about Ran, "Heck, he only had attention for his Ekans after he beat one of my third-badge Miltank, with Spit Up of all things! For his starter to manage repeated uses of Stockpile whilst in the middle of Wrap and on the wrong end of a building Rollout… That speaks to a pretty darn strong bond between pokémon and trainer."

As Whitney told the tale, she easily punched a few keys before sharing a video clip with the others. "I don't think he's realized that this little number is probably going to draw a fair bit of attention."

Falkner and Bugsy were both silent as they watched the clearly battered and bruised Ekans hold on for dear life as it followed its trainer's last order with dogged desperation. Bugsy's eyes almost bulged out of his head when he saw the power of the Spit Up that Ekans managed, while Falkner raised a single brow, impressed despite himself. It took a certain amount of focus to retain the energy from Stockpile without allowing it to "bleed", especially prior to evolution, when the mon would normally learn the move. Then both teens nearly choked on their own spit as the Ekans, which clearly needed healing, was enveloped in the potent pulsating light of evolution. Falkner noted the speed with which the newly evolved Arbok calmed at the simple touch of his trainer's hand. Many Arbok that he'd seen in similar situations hadn't been nearly as tractable in those early moments and they'd nominally been under the control of older and more experienced trainers.

"He wasn't a bad winner either. He was willing to listen to me and take my comments at face value, though I got the feeling he hasn't had a lot of real socialization with girls." Whitney smirked, though Falkner was unsure to what degree she'd managed to fluster the trainer and to what degree Whitney bought into her own reputation just a bit too much.

The Violet City Gym leader barely kept from rubbing at the bridge of his nose at that particular conundrum, unsure how much stock to put in Whitney's analysis, whilst Bugsy just kind of looked clueless. Still, ignoring the comment on his level of comfort around girls, the rest of Whitney's explanation was invaluable;

"So yeah, overall I think that if he's got any issues with you Bugsy, it's gonna be related to how he was treated by your predecessor and feeling like you were trying to rub things in instead of actually offering an olive branch. Falkner, you kind of just came off as a sanctimonious dick when his Golbat gave Murkrow a taste of its own medicine only to drop it immediately when he gave the order, unlike Murkrow itself when you gave your orders." Whitney finally concludes, her gaze suddenly worryingly sharp as her eyes pinned Falkner in place through the camera, despite the multiple hours of travel currently between them.

"So let's talk about you using a pokémon whose instincts you weren't in control of yet, for a first badge challenge, kohai." Whitney purred menacingly, the gleam in her eyes enough to draw a worried gulp from Falkner.

Fun…