Challenge! The Brockton Bay Circuit!

[breakingamber]

Spacing Out On Staryu!

"Hello! Welcome to the Bay Gym! I'm Vista, Junior Circuit Gym Leader, and I specialize in Water-types, though I'm sure you already knew that. You're a challenger, right?"

The girl that professes to be your opponent for this match-to-be is incredibly short. You imagine she's even younger than you, and admittedly have a hard time taking her seriously, especially given how enthusiastically she greets you. Still, you've picked up a good poker face, and nod affirmatively. Vista smiles in return, hand drifting to her waist, where you notice a full belt of six Poké Balls, two Great Balls and an Ultra Ball among them. Erp. Taking her a bit more seriously, then.

"Awesome! How many badges do you have?" she asks.

The way she asks the question, eager and anticipatory as she touches on her Poké Balls in sequence, makes you ashamed to admit that you… uh, don't have any. If you win here, it'll be your first. Vista's smile, previously as genuine as you could guess, turns glassy.

"Oh. I see. Well… that's fine. Yeah, that's fine. Did Armsmaster send you here, by any chance?"

He did. You elaborate that the senior Pokémon Professor and Protectorate Head stated that the Bay Gym was the best in the area for new Trainers, ones trying to get their feet under them. Which you are. Vista scowls at that, breaking her cheery expression, then turns away a little too quickly to be natural, pacing towards the back of the gym arena, towards a series of shelves with Poké Balls and items on them.

"Course he would," she mutters, reaching for one of the Poké Balls. You're not entirely sure if she meant for you to hear this, but you keep hearing her anyway. "...doesn't think I can handle high-level challengers, does he? Zammy hasn't gotten to fight in ages…"

You kind of just… stand there, nervously, as Vista keeps muttering to herself. You pull out the Poké Ball containing your Kakuna and wait for the Bay Gym Leader to finalize her team.

When she turns back around, her face is all business again, all polite receptionist smile and 'weather the obnoxious customer' look. Oh no… does that mean she considers you an obnoxious customer?

"Sorry about that, challenger! That was embarrassing of me, dumping on you within earshot… Anyway… if you want the Ripple Badge, you'll have to best me in battle."

Vista pauses, as if she forgot the lines in the script she was reading and now has to ad-lib. "Uh… Yeah, normally I'd say something like, I dunno, 'I won't hold back!' But… you know I have stronger Pokémon. So… yeah."

It is hard to miss the implications, yes. You give her points for honesty, though!

The Gym Leader shrugs almost sheepishly. "Sorry about that. Hope I'm not ruining the experience for you or anything… Drat."

She raises a Poké Ball, mentally rerailing herself and shifting back into what you guess you'll call 'Gym Leader mode'. "Still! Know that you face the strongest of the Junior Gym Leaders! I'll be giving it my all with the Pokémon I have! And that's no small thing! Are you ready?"

…Know what? You are. And even though you know Vista's going easy on you, at least she has the stones to admit it. You've always looked up to Pokémon Trainers, to even the junior-iest of the Gym Leaders. Seeing that even they're human… it's both sobering and reassuring. You're kinda used to adults, authority figures, you guess, putting on facades of perfection when you know they're wrong, they know they're wrong, and only stubbornness keeps them running down the road they're on. Seeing Vista struggle with professionalism, while still clearly seeing how much she cares about the whole Gym Leader gig, well, it's nice.

Oblivious to your internal monologue, Vista cracks a grin. "Then let's go! Surskit!"

 

[Yuki no Yue]

This looks like fun! I wonder if all the Wards are part of the Gym Circuit or not.

 

[breakingamber]

No Freezing, Ninetales!

It's always snowing in the Arcadia Gym. The work of the pair of Abomasnow at the entrance, with their Snow Warning abilities. At least that's what the educational plaque told you. The building itself is massive, large enough for there to be a miniature mountain that you have to climb to reach the Gym Leader. You're pretty sure this building is also used by the similarly-named high school, and wonder how that works. Where does all the snow go when kids need to practice, you dunno, basketball?

Nonetheless, you're here for your second Gym Badge. And after about an hour of trudging through snow, you find yourself at the top platform, where the Junior Gym Leader awaits.

He's dressed in a full-body white suit, one that blends in uncomfortably well with the snowy terrain all around you. Your eyes almost glaze over him. Probably would have, if he weren't waving to you.

"Heya! Welcome to my Gym! Call me Clock."

Behind the face-obscuring helm, it's the voice of a teenager, as you'd expect from one of the Junior Gym Leaders. Though, you thought his name was Clockbl—

He cuts you off, a little forcefully. "Just call me Clock. There are kids younger than you on this circuit, you know?"

But on the website—

"The remnants of my bad decisions! Like having this Gym perpetually be in the middle of a snowstorm. Man…"

Isn't it nice to have his own little slice of winter wonderland, though? Snowball fights all year round seem pretty fun to you.

"Yeah, that's what I thought too, two years ago. But turns out, trudging through this snow day in day out gets real old real quick. And despite appearances, this suit isn't waterproof! My socks get so soggy and smelly, you wouldn't believe it. I've found Grimer in 'em after I forgot to leave them out to dry. It's ridiculous!"

All throughout, Clock punctuates his rant with funny hand gestures and exaggerated shouts. It's an intentional performance, meaning he's not really taking himself seriously and you shouldn't either. You can't help but crack a smile at his antics. He lengthily sighs, then straightens, grabbing a Poké Ball and tossing it out. It bursts open to reveal a small Pokémon made entirely out of ice which sorta resembles an ice cream cone. A small fast-foody one, like you'd get at McDonalds.

"Enough about me," Clock says. "Vista told me all about you. Everything except your name… So what is it? Vanillite and I are both dying to know."

The cute little Fresh Snow Pokémon does seem eager to hear it, leaning forward. So you tell them. Clock nods, and while you can't see his face, his body language is exaggerated enough (intentionally or otherwise) that you're pretty sure he's smiling.

"Huh… That's a nice name."

You blush, which Clock takes as a sign of embarrassment. "Come on, don't be shy! It's true! I give you my reliable word as an interminable prankster that your name is in the top percentage of names!"

SO ABOUT THAT GYM BATTLE.

Clock chuckles, but eventually agrees. "Okay, okay. Your test for the Stasis Badge, given you've only got one Badge, is gonna involve two Pokémon from me. You can probably tell I use Ice-types, if the round-the-clock blizzard didn't tip you off. And especially if you looked at the gosh darned Wards website… does my biography still have a half dozen clock puns? I don't remember."

You're afraid so.

He groans. "I've gotta get that changed sometime. Anyway. You ready?"

You send out the Falinks you caught on Route 304. All five segments shiver in the cold, before hopping up and down. Warming up.

"That's as good an answer as any. In that case…"

Clock strikes a pose, practiced confidence oozing out of every pore of his apparently-not-waterproof suit. "I'm gonna freeze you in your tracks!"

 

[breakingamber]

Hard Walled by Heracross!

The Junior Gym Leader of the Boat Graveyard Gym isn't present when you arrive.

You stand next to the arena for a little while, tapping your foot. Beedrill, hovering outside of her Poké Ball, buzzes about impatiently. She must be eager to test herself against the Fighting-type Gym Leader.

You feel bad about sorta brushing off that girl, whatsername… Lisa, right. You feel bad about ignoring her when she'd tried to speak with you, earlier, under the pretense that you had a Gym Battle to get to. Which, at the time, had been true! But now that you've been standing here waiting for ten minutes, hindsight states that you easily could have grabbed the proffered coffee with her at that Boardwalk place. Since the Gym Leader isn't here. You'd think the Gym Guide at the front door would tell you these things. But no. You had to solve all these punching-bag and exercise equipment puzzles, only to see there's no one.

Thankfully, you don't have to wait too much longer, as the red-clad Junior Gym Leader finally shows up about three minutes later, flying in through a window with a Pokémon you don't recognize. It looks like some kind of bird, with colorful plumage and wings like a cape, as well a red and green feather pattern around its head and beak, aping at a mask. Like a luchador.

The gym leader himself is a well-built teenager, dark-red spandex outlining his body quite nicely. A round shield icon displays prominently over his chest in silver, indicating exactly who this is. Aegis.

"I'm sorry if I kept you two waiting. I got held up by a villain out on patrol. Give me a moment to prepare?"

You nod, simply glad that you're going to have a Gym battle today after all. While Aegis goes to grab some Poké Balls from a rack, you awkwardly try to make small-talk. Since that's the sort of thing you do, right? Fill awkward silences?

"The villain? He was a newcomer in town, with a top hat and a black and red suit. I'll be doing some more research on him when I get back to PHQ."

A top hat and black suit…? Did he have an Impidimp?

"Yeah. You know him?"

You kinda wish you didn't. About a day ago, you ran into that mystery man in an uncomfortably dark alleyway, harassing some girl with a fainted Nymble. When you confronted him, asked who he was, and challenged him to a Pokémon battle, he laughed, told you he was Trickster of the Travelers, and accepted, using the aforementioned Impidimp and a Wimpod. It was no match for Beedrill's Poison Jab, but he was still a pretty massive nuisance, taunting you and switching his Pokémon around willy-nilly. Your unfortunate fellow bug Pokémon owner took the time to run away during the battle, which is a plus in your opinion.

At the end of the battle, Trickster gave you a sarcastic bow, telling you that you'd meet again. And before you could respond, tell him to stop, or anything of the sort, he'd vanished, replaced with a slab of concrete. Like some kind of concrete ninja. All told, he'd been kind of a jerk all around, and you have no idea what he's ultimately planning.

Aegis listens to all this with interest in his eyes. "The Travelers, huh… That'll give me a kickstart when I report in to Director Piggot. Thanks for that. In the meantime, though, you're here for a gym battle."

He says it with certainty, rather than as a question. You nod anyway.

The Boat Graveyard Gym Leader takes a deep breath, his Hawlucha jumping to his side. "I am Aegis. Junior Gym Leader of the Boat Graveyard Gym. And Captain of the Wards. If you want the Endurance Badge, you'll have to overcome my trial. Are you ready to break yourself upon my Pokémon?"

He must've practiced that in front of a mirror, because there's no way he could say that with such confidence and fluidity otherwise. You're glad he did, too, because you're feeling pretty hyped up!

Beedrill buzzes to the front, met with a squawk of challenge from Hawlucha.

"Prepare yourself to get knocked down!"

 

[Qoheleth]

...I never thought about it before now, but it's fascinating how much the twenty-disaster-pileup that is Brockton Bay 2011 shifts into something that feels manageable if you think of it recast as a Pokémon plot.

I'm already imagining it: three villainous Teams instead of Hoenn's two, battling it out for supremacy, with a secret villain pulling the strings. And then you get the sequel (really a Part Two) with the Teeth, the Nine, Cauldron, and Gold Morning. Endbringers and Scion as Legendaries - the former running amok due to Cauldron/Eidolon accidentally awakening/provoking them while trying to find a way to catch the latter.

 

[breakingamber]

Touch the Sky, Togekiss!

You hate the New Wave Gym. You hate it so much.

When Victoria gave you the HM for Fly outside her Gym, you didn't expect that you'd have to use it immediately, just to traverse the dang place! The platforms are so far apart and so high up… and it doesn't help that it's basically Vibrava's first time flying. Well, his first time flying with someone riding him at least. You cling to your partner for dear life as he flies up and up towards the Gym Leader's platform, avoiding the gusts and eddies that would knock you down to earth. All the while doing your best not to look down…

When you finally reach the top of the Gym, you almost want to throw up. After rolling off Vibrava in relief and taking a couple of extremely deep breaths, you stay kneeling by the edge of the battle platform just in case. Luckily, both for you and anyone who might've been at the bottom of the Gym, you manage to hold your stomach's contents inside your stomach.

"You really didn't have a good time, huh. Sorry about that."

Wow, you didn't even notice that the Gym Leader was here already. You turn around to see Victoria Dallon, descending gently from the sky. The skylight silhouettes her perfectly, glowing aura like an angel coming down from heaven. You can't help but gape in awe.

For all that you've recently learned to hate the Gym's construction, the Junior Gym Leader that presides over it has always been something of an idol of yours. An accomplished Pokémon Trainer, a famous and powerful cape, stylish—What's not to like? Not to mention how confident she is on all the cameras (which you could never)... it's like she walked right out of a comic book, bright colors and pearly white smiles in five-color prints. How could anyone not look up to her? The Wards are one thing, but Glory Girl goes above and beyond. She even doesn't have a secret identity, acting as a hero full time… so cool! Multi-battling alongside her against the Travelers at the Forsberg Gallery had been a high point. And now you get to actually battle her for real in a Gym match!

You really hope none of that's showing on your face right now. Gotta play it cool.

"Oh, did I startle you? You're looking at me funny…"

Crudcrudcrudcrud—

"It's my aura, isn't it? I'm sorry, I'll turn it down. It's just that I've been looking forward so much to battling you! Seeing your Falinks in action against Sundancer's Graveler was pretty cool, though I'll admit they've got a bad matchup against my Flying types."

Yeah it's totally the aura you're not a fan or anything, haha—oh jeez did Glory Girl just say she wanted to battle you? Did she say your Falinks was cool? This is the best day of your life.

A sound of chimes comes from Glory Girl's person, which she then reveals to be her ringtone as she pulls her roundphone out of a pocket on her costume. She glances at you. "Is it okay if I take this? Shouldn't be more than a moment."

You nod, of course, taking the proffered opportunity to actually calm down. Victoria turns away from you as she puts the phone to her ear, and you can't help but hear bits of her responses, even as she slowly floats away from you into the air.

"Hey, so…"

"What do you mean, no correlation?"

"That's all well and good, but doesn't that mean the Manton Effect…"

"Just because Clock's got a Klinklang doesn't mean…"

"Ugh, can we talk more later? I've got a challenger waiting on me."

And then she hangs up.

If she doesn't mind you asking, who and what was that?

Victoria shrugs, easily replying, "A college senior I'm working with. Kind of a long story, but we've been working together on his thesis these last couple months."

Wow, a thesis? You thought she was a high school student. What's it about?

"Again, kind of a long story. If you really want to know though, it's about a statistical anomaly relating to type specialist Pokémon Trainers and Pokémon Trainers with parahuman abilities. See, if Rory's theory is correct, Trainers with certain power sets and trigger events lean towards bonding with certain corresponding types when or if they decide to specialize. And even if they don't go all-out on monotyping, they still have tendencies towards certain groups of Pokémon. Shakers, for example, often tend towards Water and Psychic-type Pokémon—you've met Vista, right? Like that. Brutes tend to prefer Pokémon in the Feldspar category. And parahumans with Mover powers—like yours truly!--tend to specialize in Flying and Dragon types! We've been primarily going over the data the PRT has regarding registered and retired Gym Leaders, but quite a bit of it seems to apply to unregistered Pokémon Trainers as well. Coming up with reasons for how and why these Trainers gravitate towards these Pokémon has been a lot harder than simply connecting the dots—We've got some theories involving the Cresselia effect and the theoretical effects of typed Aura on the corona pollentia and gemma, but frankly it's kind of just a passion project at this point? Like, the thesis as-is is probably good enough for him to get his degree, we're just researching for fun now."

Uh. You nod frantically with a smile on your face. A lot of that went over your head… or in one ear and out the other… and yeah you barely got any of that but you did get one takeaway! Glory Girl is really smart. You tell her that that all sounds really complicated but also wish her luck! It sounds super interesting.

Victoria abruptly blushes, rubbing the back of her neck. "Ugh, did I start rambling again? Again, sorry about that. You're not here to hear about these dull statistics, are you? You're here for a Gym Badge."

The Gym Leader reaches into another nearly-invisible pocket and withdraws a Timer Ball, which cracks open to reveal a Rufflet. It immediately caws at you, fluttering in the air next to its trainer, causing Vibrava to come to your side, spreading his wings wide in challenge.

"Let's do this! Theory's all well and good, but battling always gets your spirits pumped, yeah?"

You grin, ear to ear, to match Victoria's.

"Let's see if you've got what it takes to win the Sky Badge! Ready? Go! Rufflet, Aerial Ace!"

 

[breakingamber]

Wrecking Rhyperior!

Palanquin is incredibly energetic. Lights and sounds boom all throughout the nightclub, accompanied by the roars and laughs of the partygoers. The people around you feel like an ocean, or some noxious gas chamber. Suffocating. You feel very alone in this crowd. It's all you can do to keep your head down and politely push and squeeze your way to the Pokémon battling arena in the center of the club.

The arena itself is thankfully standardized, as far as you can tell, Poké Ball logo and all. A thick cheering crowd surrounds the arena, the bartender's counter sitting beside it. Inside the arena are a pair of Pokémon battling: a Wugtrio and Ninjask, both blurring about almost too fast to see. Their trainers call out orders from the sides of the arena, but the Gym Leader is nowhere in sight.

Which sucks. You try to casually sidle up to the bartender's counter, but the bartender, wearing a domino mask and her hair long and loose, doesn't even look at you as she pours a pair of drinks, sliding them across the counter.

"You're not even hiding your age. No alcohol for you. You want water?"

No, what you want is a Gym Battle! Isn't the Gym Leader supposed to be here? This is the Palanquin Gym, right? You thought you'd made an appointment…

Bartender lady finally turns to you with something approaching her full attention, though she's still watching the battle play out through the corner of her eye. "Faultline doesn't interrupt battles in progress. You want to hurry things up? Enter the ring and finish it yourself. They'll be at this all day if you don't."

You open your mouth to protest, but a slash of the bartender's arm cuts you off. "I don't have time for this. My shift ends in a minute. Have a glass of water. Now. Two Manhattans? Coming right up…"

One glass of water shoved into your face later, you've completely lost the bartender's attention. So you guess you have no choice but to follow her advice. You turn back towards the Gym's arena, where Ninjask just landed what looked like an X-Scissor to finish off their opponent. There's a convenient lull in the battle as you hesitantly approach…

Ah, screw it. You're gonna be bold, here. A quick check to make sure there's no one in your way, waiting for a gap in the crowd… And with a running leap, you clear the wall, pull off an almost-graceful youth roll, and end up right in the middle of the arena. Right in the middle of all the clubgoers' attention. Right between the two Pokémon Trainers. The DJ, wherever they are, drops the music down to zero, to match the suddenly shocked silence of the clubgoers who'd previously been watching a pitched battle.

You lock eyes with Wugtrio's trainer. A boy on the older side of teenhood, in a tank top, jeans, and… a tail? Orange skin? Bright blue hair? Wow… he's probably the weirdest parahuman you've ever seen. His skin is wet and filmy, just like his Wugtrio's, and he leers at you with an interested expression, seeming unconcerned that you've just interrupted his battle.

You lock eyes with Ninjask's trainer, who recalls his Pokémon. He's a man of great width, with skin that you can see through…? Bones and organs seem to float within him like a Reuniclus's membrane, with small dots of rock(?) all over his exposed skin. You get the sense that he's more durable than he looks, and he too looks at you interestedly. Though in more of a calculating manner. Like he's already planning how to take you down, before you've thrown out a single Pokémon.

Too late to back down now… You challenge the two of them to a Pokémon battle! The crowd around you awaits a response with bated breath.

Reuniclus-man speaks first, trace of some unidentifiable accent laced through his words, "You would challenge us to a battle in our own home, on our own turf? Unannounced and unprepared?"

Well when you put it that way—

"Lighten up, Gregor! Our training was getting kinda dull anyway!" Wugtrio's trainer interrupts, stretching lazily and pulling out a second Poké Ball. "You want to take us both on? Fine by me! Whiscash, you're up!"

The aforementioned Pokémon makes its appearance a moment later, bursting onto the battlefield with a low moo, floating in mid-air that strange way that Water-type fish Pokémon do. You can't help but note that it too has that same filmy skin that Wugtrio and its trainer shared. A shared ability?

"Newter…" the now-named Gregor sighs from across the arena. But he too sends out a Pokémon, one that resembles a mound of sand, a cute red shovel sticking out of its tallest hill. Dark black eyes stare into you, surprisingly menacingly for such a small Pokémon. Sandygast.

You weren't expecting a Double Battle… but you're not going to be beaten! You send out your tried-and-tested Vibrava, who immediately flutters high above the battle arena. As well, you send out your Kingler. You caught him back when Vista gave you the HM for Surf, which you needed in order to reach Aegis's Gym inside a shipwreck. He's been a reliable team member ever since. Your two Pokémon face off against Newter's and Gregor's, and the crowd starts to amp back up, hushed whispers about victors and losers and probably hundreds of other topics.

"Some advice," Gregor says, moments before all heck breaks loose. "You are in precarious position."

He's right. You're standing right in the center of the Pokémon arena. Right between Gregor's Sandygast and Newter's Whiscash. And about to be caught in the crossfire.

But neither of them gives you the time to move.

"Aqua Tail!"

"Hex."

You desperately dive to the side as Whiscash's tail comes down with furious force, splashing the ground and Kingler alike. Meanwhile, Sandygast's shadowy black projectile finds its mark, causing Vibrava to buzz in pain. You need to pull yourself together quick for the sake of your Pokémon, but that's made difficult by the cheers of the crowd all around you, the music whose volume is slowly ramping back up, and the fact that you're still in range of Whiscash's—

"Now! Hit 'em with a Stomping Tantrum!"

Kingler puts up a guard, but the sheer power of Whiscash's furious charge blows straight through it, sending your crab flying backward, right next to Sandygast. You frantically order him to use Protect to buy yourself some breathing room. Good thing, too, since—

"Giga Drain."

—that super effective Grass-type move from Sandygast would have really hurt. But now it's your turn, now that you've retaken your feet and can get a grasp on the whole situation. Vibrava comes down and fires a constant stream of Dragon Breath into Whiscash, while Kingler repeatedly slams Sandygast with super effective Razor Shells. The former does its job of driving Whiscash back, but the latter's a lot less effective than you'd like. The splash from Kingler's Water-type attacks seems to be compacting the Sand Heap Pokémon's body rather than dissolving it. That might be its Ability!

You switch tack. You order Kingler to retreat and Protect against another Giga Drain, then send Vibrava in to assault the immobile Pokémon from above with more Dragon Breath. Meanwhile, you have Kingler keep Protecting as Whiscash charges in for another Aqua Tail. The move comes perilously close to breaking, but thankfully Kingler pulls through, holding off the massive weight behind the fish's attack. Really good.

"Protecting instead of dodging," Gregor comments, only mildly concerned that his Sandygast is getting blasted. "Good strategy. Newter, your Whiscash will not be able to put her full power behind her Stomping Tantrum."

"Yeah, yeah!" the teenage parahuman laughs off, grinning intently. "That's fine! Whiscash, crack that crab with a Stone Edge!"

Ha. You know that's not going to work. Kingler's shell is way too tough for that! He easily tanks the Stone Edge, but retaliates with more focused Razor Shells, slashing Whiscash and hacking away at its defenses. Meanwhile, Vibrava switches to using Earth Power on Sandygast, breaking up the ground beneath it and causing its sandy body to shift and break apart, interrupting its attempts to Giga Drain Kingler. It doesn't take much longer for it to faint and Gregor to recall it to its Poké Ball, sighing.

From there, it's a two-versus-one. Kingler keeps Whiscash's immediate attention while Vibrava pelts her with a continued stream of Dragon Breath. Despite Newter's attempt to rally his Pokémon with a commanded Dragon Dance, the pressure from both of your Pokémon is just too much for her. With one final crashing Fly from Vibrava, she joins Wugtrio in the 'fainted' club, and the crowd cheers for you.

Wow. That was… way more intense than you were expecting. Your Pokémon aren't quite all tired out, but that definitely took something out of both them and you. You hope the Gym Leader was watching.

And then you notice that bartender lady is missing. Which isn't too strange, you guess, given she did tell you she was going off shift.

And then you notice that the entire club's gone quiet again. You look around to find out why. It doesn't take you long.

Faultline, eponymous head of Faultline's Crew, Ground-type Specialist, Gym Leader of the Palanquin Gym, and steward of the Chasm badge, floats down from on high, clinging to the tail of a truly massive Gliscor. And even though she's got a welding mask on that completely conceals her face, even though she's changed out her suit for an Assault Vest and skirt-combo, and even though her hair's now done up in a high ponytail, you're still like 90% sure this is bartender lady.

…She lied to you!

"Did I? I don't interrupt battles in my Gym. I believe I was truthful on that. Newter, Gregor, better luck next time. You should move aside."

You're left sputtering for a response on the arena's floor. After Faultline hops down, her Gliscor moves to hover close beside you, scanning you with its massive yellow eyes and clapping its pincers menacingly. Fortunately, after your run-ins with Genesis and that girl with the dog Pokémon, you're no stranger to massive and terrifying (Pocket) monsters. Instead of cowering or hitching your breath, instead you can't help but notice a strange orb hung on a string around Gliscor's neck, its hue a deep and unsettling purple. You reach out to touch it, to take a closer look—

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you. That Toxic Orb is dangerous to handle without gloves."

What? If that's the case, then why's she got it hung around her Pokémon's neck? Gliscor isn't a Steel or Poison type, is it? Even so, how would that even help?

Faultline obliges your curiosity, responding, "Gliscor's Ability is called Poison Heal. Poisonings bolster it, rather than harm it. Also, Gliscor, stop trying to terrorize the kid. It's not working."

"You're in the big leagues now, kid. From here on out, we Gym Leaders won't be messing around. In Brockton Bay, I can admit that I'm one of the weakest. But that doesn't make me a pushover. Where other Trainers, other parahumans, use raw power or raw talent to push their way through battles, I've had to rely on skill, smarts. Careful research and planning."

"I've heard about some of your exploits. Your encounter with Bakuda. Your meetings with the Undersiders. Your battles against the Travelers. They've made me curious, and so I arranged for you to battle against my Crew. I wanted to get a measure of your Pokémon and battling style."

Oh boy… you can tell you're in for a rough time.

"Either you'll be able to find my weaknesses and exploit them to achieve victory… or I'll pinpoint yours and leave you shattered upon the ground."

 

[breakingamber]

Charging Up Kilowattrel!

Dauntless's Kilowattrel is a dorky-looking Pokémon, you've decided. Its yellow and black color scheme makes it look more like a bumblebee than a fearsome bird of prey. Its constantly inflating and deflating throat sac reminds you of a birthday party balloon having all the helium sucked out of it for party tricks, and its squeaky-high screams do nothing to disabuse this impression. And Dauntless himself is not the most intimidating Trainer. Well, you guess that to some, his crackling armor and electricity-charged Spartan headpiece might be a little scary. It is pretty fancy! But you've seen worse at this point. Between being assaulted by Hellhound's dog Pokémon turned into horrific caricatures by her power, Bakuda's threats to turn you and the Undersiders into an explosive monument of unending torment, and Genesis's monster forms that came straight out of your worst nightmares, seeing Dauntless's helmed figure fills you with more relief than anything. A reliable hero, a consistent Trainer.

Wow, now that you think about it, you've been in a lot of life-or-death situations ever since you've set out on this Pokémon journey.

Anyway. All this to say: while you're far from being frozen to the spot out of fear or anything, it's really embarrassing that his goofy electro-bird is so handily pounding you into the ground. It's way faster than it looks, and it's both amazing and annoying how it manages to channel gale-force winds into its Hurricanes, casting devastation across the arena, then rides those same winds in order to power up its Charge Beams. Couple that with the fact that it managed to power up on those same Charge Beams while knocking out your unfortunate starter… well, you're lucky that Flygon is immune to Electric-type moves. Else this battle would've been over several minutes ago.

As it stands, you and Dauntless stand locked in a frustrating pseudo-stalemate. Even after hyping up with several Dragon Dances, Flygon struggles to keep up with Kilowattrel in speed. His best move, Earth Power, is nigh-useless against the Flying-Electric type. And while his Dragon Pulses are powerful in their own right, they're just not enough to keep the bird down, letting it keep retreating from immediate battle and using Roost to recover off the damage it took. Flygon's mostly been able to dodge Kilowattrel's Hurricanes so far, but he can only keep that up for so long before he's knocked out of the sky.

You need a breakthrough.

"Roost! Then keep close to the ground and use Hurricane from below!"

You find one.

Dauntless is trying to catch Flygon from a difficult angle, to make it more difficult for him to dodge. From where Kilowattrel is Roosting, it can blanket almost the entire arena in Flying-type power, almost certainly catching your Pokémon and smashing it against the ceiling. However, he's forgotten something important.

Flygon is a Ground-type. And Kilowattrel, much like the rest of his Pokémon, is an Electric-type. And even though Kilowattrel may also be a Flying-type, that doesn't matter when it's grounded. You haven't been able to take advantage of this before, since Kilowattrel simply Roosted too quickly, not giving you nor Flygon an opportunity to catch it before it took off again to resume the battle in the air. But Dauntless has just given you a perfect opportunity.

Just before Dauntless's bird launches its Hurricane, the ground beneath it erupts with Ground-type energy. Kilowattrel squawks in surprise and tries to take off, but it's too late. Flygon's super-effective Earth Power smashes the bird in a single devastating blow.

When the dust settles, Kilowattrel lies knocked out upon the ground. Flygon levitates downwards back towards you, and you smile in satisfaction.

"That was a good battle," Dauntless comments as he withdraws his fainted Pokémon. "I overused Roost and paid for it. Something to remember next time."

The Gym Leader strides towards you and Flygon, pulling two things out of some hidden pockets on his costume.

"You've earned this Charge Badge," he says, handing the small metal badge out to you. You accept it with as much grace as you can right now, even though you're still almost shivering from nerves. That was a hard-fought Gym Battle, and you can't wait to put it into your badge case.

"You should also probably take this," he continues, placing a small device you've come to recognize as a Technical Machine into your hands. "TM023. Charge Beam. A personal favorite of mine. When your Pokémon use it, it'll power them up. Over time, through repeated use of this move, a Pokémon can achieve new heights of power. You don't have any Electric-types, but you might want to try it out anyway."

You nod, excited to at least give it a spin. You're not sure if any of your Pokémon are compatible with the TM, but you never know until you try, right?

Dauntless takes a step back. "That's your sixth badge obtained here in Brockton Bay, if I recall. Unfortunately, there's only one more Gym here in the city, and Coil hasn't been seen in a long time. You could try and give him a visit, but you shouldn't expect him to actually show. If you want to compete in the Champion Cup at the end of the year, you might need to pick up two more Badges in a different City."

Behind his helm, the man's face is carefully neutral at the mention of the elusive Gym Leader. Out of professionalism, you assume. You, though, have heard some pretty nasty things about the man, mostly from Lisa. Stuff about how he barely cares about either of his positions as a Gym Leader or a Protectorate member. About how he runs a lot of shady business on the sides. Independently of the sharp-minded girl, you've picked up from rumor and a slightly mouthy Ballistic that he might even be the secret boss of the Travelers. Even if he was in his Gym, you're not entirely sure if you'd be inclined to take the Poison-type Trainer on, simply due to how slimy he's been purported to be.

But that's neither here nor now. You guess you should try to make plans for visiting Boston and taking on some of the Gyms there. Accord's Steel-type Gym is notorious for its difficulty, but maybe Bastion's Rock-type Pokémon might be more manageable…

Your musings are interrupted by Dauntless's phone ringing. As he picks it up, you can't help but eavesdrop a little bit. You've gotten up to a lot of eavesdropping over the course of this Pokémon journey too… does that mean you're going to grow up to be a gossip?

"Miss Militia?"

"What kind of situation do you—"

"All hands on deck?"

"See you at Coil's Gym."

Dauntless hangs up and turns back to you. "Sorry, but I've got to go; a hero's duty doesn't end when all their Pokémon are fainted, after all. Good luck with the Circuit!"

And with that, Dauntless pulls out his famous Arclance. All his equipment blazes to life, and within moments he's gone, flown out the nearest window. You're left alone in Dauntless's Gym.

…Coil's Gym, huh.

 

[breakingamber]

Don't Underestimate Durant!

The building in front of you looks like an abandoned factory, one whose smokestacks have gone unused for decades. Faded white letters on faded red paint high above proclaim 'Redmond Welding'. The massive metal sliding door lies slightly open, a single beam of light spilling out.

You're not sure what you're doing here. Tattletale, after that whole mess with the Travelers, had told you that there'd be something pleasant waiting for you here as recompense for what little part you played, recommended you bring your best team of Pokemon. But so far, you don't see it. You're starting to wonder if you've been pranked. And starting to wonder if it was the brightest idea to blindly trust the word of an (admittedly mostly harmless(?)) supervillain. One self-styled as 'Tattletale', no less.

…Might as well at least see what's going on inside before you give up and head home. There might be someone inside who can explain what's going on here.

You squeeze through the opening, and find yourself in a surprisingly well-lit and well-heated room. You have to squint slightly as you glance up at the ceiling to find the source: an incredibly bright light fixture, glowing with such an intense red-yellow you can't make out its shape or form. It illuminates the ancient machinery lying about, long since rusted and desiccated. The rusty walls and scattered piles of brick and stone.

The dozens upon dozens of Bug Pokémon.

The various arachnids and insect Pokémon completely coat the edges of the massive factory space, scutter and flutter over the dusty old machinery and fill the space with a bug buzz that feels almost solid, suffocating. You can't believe you didn't hear it outside. And they are all working together in nearly perfect concert. A pair of Ariados and a swarm of Spinarak work together with a Galvantula in one corner, weaving together electrified webs as spider Pokémon do. A Vespiquen directs a swarm of Combee to build a hexagonal honeycomb structure, the purpose of which you can only guess at. And in another corner, you see a patch of overturned earth, a mound that undoubtedly serves as a hive for some other kind of Bug-type Pokémon.

You're a little overwhelmed. And you have a bad feeling that you know whose hideout you just walked into.

The buzzing around you intensifies, as uncountable swarms of non-Pokémon bugs begin to fill the room. It magnifies and distorts, like the world's most demonic speaker system. And then, in a moment of horrifying clarity, the swarm speaks.

"I'll be with you in just a moment."

You hadn't actually seen Skitter during the raid on Coil's headquarters. She hadn't been present for the misunderstanding you'd had in Dinah Alcott's prison, where you'd battled Regent and his friend Rachel. She'd shown up later alongside Faultline's Crew, supposedly battling Coil and his mercenaries while you'd been busy dealing with all of the Travelers in rapid succession.

You hadn't seen her. But you had heard her. The narrow hallways of Coil's repurposed Super-Ancient Pokémon Shelter carried sound unnaturally well. The voice of the swarm, amplified and distorted through those cruel hallways, wasn't one you would easily forget. Heaven knows hearing it for the first time had unsettled Genesis, causing her to lose her concentration on the form she was using. And you'd be lying if you said that heart hadn't skipped a beat, that you'd managed to keep your cool throughout.

Fortunately, you get used to things quickly. This time, you only flinch a little bit. Just a little hop back. Delphox pops out of her Poké Ball, which you apparently released at some point, and helps steady you with a slight application of Psychic.

The parahuman makes her appearance a couple of moments later, as promised. Skitter descends from a set of stairs, leading to a second floor you hadn't even noticed before. The bugs gather around her like the world's most gruesome cloak before suddenly dispersing. When she speaks again, that buggy echo is still present, but lesser. Amplifying the relatively ordinary teenage-girl-sounding words coming out of her mouth, rather than substituting them as the bugs had before.

You say 'relatively ordinary' with a grain of salt, of course. The words she says are anything but.

"Welcome to the Docks Pokémon Gym."

You point at Skitter.

"This wasn't exactly my idea… but yes, I'm the Gym Leader."

Isn't Skitter, uh. A villain? Nominally, at least? Can villains be Gym Leaders?

"Ask Coil, if you can find him in the myriad alternate dimensions the Downtown Portal leads to. Or Faultline."

Okay, yeah fair point—But, you mean, like, Coil was at least pretending to be a hero before his weird 'take over the city' plan came to light, right? And Faultline's got, uhh, extremely professional vibes to her! Skitter's openly a member of the Undersiders. She's committed crimes! Robbed banks! Vista's complained to you on at least three separate occasions about having all of her orifices filled with bees! And Armsmaster explicitly told you to watch out for her!

She doesn't deny any of it. You can hear a grimace in her voice, behind her creepy insect-shaped mask.

"I'll admit that the situation is unusual… but it's the one we're stuck in. Seeing as how I was the one who defeated the previous Gym Leader, I am qualified as a battler… apparently."

Aren't there other qualifications to being a Gym Leader than just having battling skill? Trustworthiness? Civic duty or something? You really don't know what you're doing or what you're saying anymore…

"Yes. Don't get me wrong, this likely isn't a permanent position. Odds are, once Miss Militia recovers, they'll take over with a new facility and a new Badge. I'm a placeholder. But according to Tattletale," there's a note of annoyance in her voice at the mention of her teammate, "Noelle's rampage has crippled the Protectorate, the League. Brockton Bay needed a Gym Leader, to avoid an investigation and possibly even governmental shutdown. And Armsmaster owed me a favor."

Skitter spreads her hands. "Believe it or not, I'm not a bomb-throwing anarchist. I'm not Bakuda, not Trickster. Stability in the region is something I'm on board with."

But why would Armsmaster, the League, support her? Surely there were better candidates? Armsmaster's head of the Protectorate East-North-East, right? Shadow Stalker has strong Pokémon! Battery's… okay, you've never met Battery, but surely she's decent? What about Grue, even, of her own team?"

You think you can hear Skitter scowling. "Armsmaster's getting transferred to Chicago. Shadow Stalker doesn't have the temperament. Battery is… probably shaking off the loss of Assault, whatever their relationship is. Velocity is retiring. As for the rest of the Undersiders, well, I'm on the outs. Things are complicated right now, and I'm as surprised as you that somehow, I'm the best, possibly even the only candidate for this."

She shrugs. "Still, I don't trust anyone else to manage this situation. Take it or leave it. Now, kid, you're trying to enter the Champion's Cup, right? You want a badge, or not?"

Ugh. When she puts it that way… you guess you don't have much of a choice.

"Great… now cards on the table. I don't know how gym battles are supposed to work," the Gym Leader admits. "Tattletale hasn't gotten back to me yet on that League handbook. And I never completed my Pokémon journey; my starter's been traumatized for life. I know there's supposed to be some discrimination in team composition based on badge count, but that's the extent of my knowledge."

Skitter shrugs and pulls out a Poké Ball. "You've got six badges. You can probably handle me going all out, seeing how you managed against that Legendary-ish thing in Coil's basement."

She pauses, seemingly reconsidering. "Alternately, you could come back in a day or two. I'll have a more appropriate fight for you then. Read over the rules."

You shake your head vehemently. You can handle this. You've heard… a lot of nasty things about Skitter from the Wards. You have to admit you're itching to take her down a peg, and if she's intentionally handicapping herself just for Gym Leader reasons, it won't feel nearly as good. Besides, she's a Bug-type Trainer, right?

You can take her.

Skitter nods. She walks over to the hive-mound in a corner of the factory, which apparently is a Durant nest, since a massive metal ant pops its head out soon after she arrives. "Dig us a field." Half a dozen Durant file their way out of the ant's nest, overturning the wooden floor of the factory into the familiar shape of a Pokémon battling arena.

She then tilts her head curiously at Delphox, who is still standing behind you, looking at the conversation curiously. "A Fire-type… Not ideal."

Skitter glances up at the ceiling, towards the brilliant light source. "You up for a battle?"

The light source, hanging high above, dims. And descends, revealing itself to not be a light source after all. No, it's a Pokémon.

…Is that Sundancer's Volcarona?

"You recognize it? Yes," Skitter confirms. "She left it behind, before going back to Earth Aleph. They didn't mesh."

Skitter recalls the almost-Legendary Pokémon to an Ultra Ball, then looks to the Durant, who've just about finished their burrowing. The Bug-types all around you gather around the field, looking almost excited to watch their… leader? How does Skitter's parahuman power interact with Bug-type Pokémon, anyway? They don't seem like they're under her control… but they do listen to what she says?

"Alright. You ready, then?"

You need to get your head in gear. You nod, dispelling those irrelevant thoughts.

Skitter pulls out a Poké Ball and holds it aloft—not the same one containing Volcarona, you note. She pauses, contemplatively. "Bug-type Pokémon… Most people don't think much of them. They have a lot of weaknesses. They're often fragile. Many species rely on sheer numbers, rather than individual power, to overwhelm foes. I've been guilty of that very thing."

"But Bug-types are versatile. When used correctly, they can do anything the other types can, and even do it better. And I've worked with Bug-types for a long time. Don't underestimate me."

With that, Skitter's glaring yellow lenses lock towards your eyes. Delphox comes to the fore, and the Gym Leader releases her Pokémon.

"Ribombee. Sticky Web!"

 

[Theaxofwar]

Huh, you know I'd thought the protagonist was Taylor until now.