Hard Enough - Chapter 246 - Handling the heat!

Selene understood that this new development was bad. Very bad in fact. While she was rock-typed that didn’t mean she didn’t feel the heat as her form went from dewy to searing dry instantly. 

I was immensely pleased with my earlier decision to use Future Sight while I’d had the chance, as now I was facing down a powerhouse.

A powerhouse which, thanks to its special ability, Drought, which caused all the water, mud, and atmospheric water to evaporate and vanish on me. Over the top of the stadium actual cumulonimbus clouds were forming due to the amount of heat being let off. 

I could see people in the crowds were already shedding layers of clothing. 

None of them would sweat however as the moisture would be wicked away. 

Drought was a scarily potent ability and in all my time as a Gym Leader, this was only the second time I’d faced it. The first being against a trainer that had a specialised Ninetails. 

Back then they thankfully hadn’t known Solar Beam, something that I knew wasn’t the case today. 

Solar Beam, which now didn’t need the charge-up time while Drought was in play, and if it hit any of my pokemon, that they’d be out of the fight. 

On paper, Shrek, Bertha, and Selene were all at risk. 

Interestingly enough, Gawain and Link, two of my youngest Elite pokemon are currently my best bets. 

Not that I was going to back down with Selene. She could still very much put the hurt on Charizard. 

“Solar Beam!” Bruce shouted, grasping what his best option was straight out of the gates. 

Damn, it would have been a lot easier if he’d stuck with Dragon and fire-type moves. 

‘Teleport’, “ I commanded silently to Selene. 

Thankfully, despite the Mega evolution, Charizard Y, as with X, was no faster than their base form. 

Meaning that the green beam that Charizard unleashed upon Selene was merely a powerful attack that was delivered at its normal, if empowered speed. 

Where it was different was how it seemed to have almost doubled in strength and size from the last time when Charizard had unleashed it through the rain clouds. 

Selene vanished and reappeared off to the side where she lined up a shot that I didn’t even have to think about. Selene returned fire with Stone Edge only for Charizard to turn, still spewing the powerful grass-type move as a persistent beam than a one-and-done attack and blew the boulders out of the air.

Damn, but it really had gained some power if it was able to act like that. 

A shell formed around Selene at my quick urging as the beam attack swept through the battlefield, carving it up to cause a line to be cut through it. The beam hammered onto Selene’s position but thankfully the Protect held long enough for the empowered Solar Beam to finally cut off. 

Damn, that had lasted five whole seconds. 

Which in a pokemon fight was an eternity. 

If that hit Selene…

I swallowed, resolving to pull Selene out. She sent back a wave of defiance and demanded that she’d fight through. 

I put my metaphorical foot down as my eyes flicked to the carved-up battlefield. I wasn’t going to ask her to ‘endure’ that for pride. I knew she was strong. Trying to fight through it would be Tauros headed. 

Selene accepted this reasoning thankfully and I prepared for what was to come when the Protect faded. Selene felt a twinge of something in her mind and fed me a feeling of anticipation while prodding my memory about the mega-evolution.

Was she telling me that Future Sight was about to trigger? Huh, that added an element to using it in future. If I could tell precisely when it would work… Well damn, that opened it up for me to wield now didn’t it?

Right as the Protect faded a psychic lash of energy appeared in the air and cut into Charizard causing the pokemon to roar in pain but sadly hold its eyes on Selene. 

Selene herself locked eyes with the powerful starter as she charged up another Teleport. 

The aim of the game for now, was to survive and drag this exchange out as much as possible. 

Charizard unleashed another potent beam. 

I fed Selene a position to choose, knowing it would buy us precious seconds. 

Selene vanished from her spot and appeared directly underneath Charizard. 

Charizard’s head was already whipping about like an Arbok, prepared for the Teleport only to cut off the beam and growl in frustration. 

“Beneath you! Descend with Crunch!” ordered Bruce who was able to see the issue right away. 

Charizard didn’t hesitate, twisting in the air with a grace I’d only seen matched by Walker’s Pidgeot before it plummeted, claws extended but it was the fangs that I was worried about. 

Charizard slammed into Selene before she could summon up a third Stone Edge to hammer him out of the sky. 

He grabbed her by the upper tip of her crescent firmly, his jaws clamping shut as dark energy ground into Selene.

Then Charizard made use of its long draconic neck, whipping Selene back and forth in the air to further agitate. Sadly it didn’t make the mistake that some pokemon did of releasing their opponent after the initial strike was done. 

Pain flooded the bond from Selene’s side and I grit my teeth raising her pokeball, ready to recall her. 

She flashed a denial through the bond and I paused as she gained a steely-eyed look.

My mind raced, wondering what the best option was to do in this instance when I caught onto something. 

Charizard had her by the tip. 

I fed her an order and she gladly followed through, using her determination to hurt Charizard one more time to push through the pain and unleash a close-range Moon-Blast.  

An explosion went off in Charizard’s mouth and he roared with pain. For half a moment his grip on Selene weakened. 

Selene prepared another attack, our minds conjuring up how deadly a close-range Stone Edge would be.

Then Charizard smashed Selene into the ground, locking her down with a foot to her head so that she was pointing away from him. 

He opened his jaws wide and I could see the build-up of energy. 

This time I didn’t hesitate to withdraw Selene, making the signal as I did so that I wouldn’t be sending her back out. 

“Brock has withdrawn his pokemon! The score is now five to two!” shouted the referee. 

Bruce grinned. “That’s the way Charizard! We can do this!” 

I pursed my lips. Sadly there was probably a possibility of his words coming true. 

But then again, for that to occur I needed to drop the ball. 

I sighed, knowing that what I needed to do next wasn’t going to win me any love from the crowd. 

I stood perfectly still, and let my full minute of time to make a decision count down slowly.

Everyone knew what I was doing and more than a few stood up and boo’d me while others began to chant ‘fight, fight, fight!’ but I remained unmoved. 

I had had these tactics used against me before and knew they were perfectly valid. Just one of these pauses should be enough. 

I saw Bruce shudder as we approached the final countdown but he also gained a determined glint in his eyes. “Get into the air,” he said to his Charizard, causing it to flap once and lift off. 

It was a good call, while he couldn’t get a move off during these breaks, he could reposition. A flying pokemon just had more options than a ground based pokemon.

Hmmm, well good for him, but I wasn’t going to make it easy. 

Right as we hit ‘two’ on the countdown, I whipped out my next pokemon. “Go! Gawain!” I shouted. 

My Kleavor hit the ground and sent dust blasting out before he skidded to a halt. 

Eagerness and anticipation filled my side of the bond and I almost fed him the order through the bond only to pause. That would be a mistake. Bertha, Shrek, Selene, Link and Knight had all been steady in their mentality. Enough that they were surprised but not thrown off by my use of the bond. 

Gawain sadly, was a little more skittish. It came partly from his age, but also due to his typing I suspected. It made sense for a bug type to be twitchy after all. 

“Agility,” I said aloud. 

Bruce twitched, the sudden verbal command catching his attention. He inspected my pokemon before nodding and signalling for his Charizard.

“Fire Twister!” ordered Bruce and his pokemon began to twist to create the Hurricane that was one of the signature moves of his charizard. 

The Flaming Inferno if anything took even less time to form as Mega evolved Charizard merely had to twist itself around on itself twice before it disgorged a tongue of flame that curled around itself. 

It also took up almost a quarter of the battlefield by itself instead of the typically small circle of danger that Gawain would have had to avoid. 

Right… I wasn’t going to be able to run around it to dodge. That would just tire Gawain out, so another plan it was… Hmmmm, come on brain…

I licked my lips as my mind racked itself for ideas. “Swift” I ordered from Gawain more to whittle away at Charizard. Doing nothing in what time I had would be a terrible waste.

Gawain swung his axes and eight stars appeared around his form only to be unleashed when he swung his other axe. Swift shot into the flaming inferno only to be sucked up and become like an addition to the inferno. 

Then the Swift, as one shot further into the storm. 

A few moments later a hiss like the world’s largest boiling kettle rang out over the battlefield. 

Heh, I knew that would work. 

Through the flames, I could see a pair of malevolent flaming eyes peer out. 

It was extremely intimidating, but through the haze of concern for my pokemon I made a note of how high off the ground Charizard had positioned himself within the twister. 

Said twister began to move forward. 

Right, a twister was just another weather pattern. If this fight showed anything then I could use normal weather phenomena to my advantage to either create them, or utilise preexisting quirks. 

I eyeballed the speed of the twister coming at me and ran calculations more based on instinct than actual number crunching. 

There would be a moment, right in the eye of the storm where it was possible to counterattack. 

There had to be.  

“Protect!” I barked right when the moment felt right. 

The normal shell formed up and I licked my lips. 

Sadly I’d failed to consider one thing. Bruce wasn’t sitting idle while I plotted. 

“Charizard!” He roared, his voice coming out as a hoarse bellow from all the shouting he’d had to do. “Slow the Hurricane!” 

I cursed, knowing that would be enough to throw out my calculations. 

Right, time to throw the plans to the wind and just wing it. I reached for the main advantage I’d had over Bruce, my bond with my pokemon. 

I pushed a warning through the bond and I felt Gawain startle. Thankfully while in the Protect he wasn’t at risk as he might have been. 

Uncertainty, fear, and even surprise floated around as Gawain’s head shifted left and right. 

I sent a wave of reassurance and memories of our time together along with both training and just hanging out. I made sure to linger on the moments outside of training the most. 

Gawain relaxed and with a wonder in his eyes, he looked at me. 

I smiled and nodded back at him. I’d been right to wait to use the bond. I glanced at the fire that was now starting to close around. I fed him the warning and he nodded but I then fed him an idea of what I wanted him to do. 

Gawain turned his eyes flinty as he lowered his head and raised his axes. 

The wall of flames enveloped Gawain’s Protect right as it began to fade but I had Gawain moving. 

Slowing down was a good call on Bruce’s part, but it came with more opportunity for Gawain to enter and use the eye of the storm. 

I felt the searing pain course through him only for the determination to fight to overwhelm it as Gawain pushed through the fire. 

I felt the cool relief of false sanctuary kiss his rocky carapace as he emerged into the eye only for a flash of pain to linger in his joints. Damn, he’d been burned. 

Gawain didn’t let the pain stop him. Instead, like a trained blood-houndour, Gawain leapt at his foe only to vanish as Aerial Ace activated. 

Charizard roared in pain as Gawain landed on his back, axes stabbing into his back. 

Gawain chittered in victory as he rode Charizard to the ground. A thump was all that could be seen or felt from the viewers side, but through the bond, I knew what was going on thanks to how completely focused Gawain was on defeating his foe. 

Bruce’s gaze was locked on the fiery hurricane just as much as mine so he must be able to sense something. He had to if he could mega-evolve a pokemon. 

When they hit the ground Charizard dislodged Gawain with a twist of his body. 

Gawain wasn’t sure how, but he also felt my caution and was on his feet and ready to spring close instantly.

I held him back, pushing a sense of vigilance through the bond.

Charizard was no doubt a highly trained pokemon, so throwing himself in heedlessly, was going to end in defeat. 

A heat licking at Gawain’s ankles reminded us both that this fight was taking place under cage match rules with limited space to move.

Gawain once again lowered his head, gazing up from under his heavy rocky brow as Charizard raised its own claws and bared its teeth. 

Gawain nodded a salute before charging, axes in position to carve Charizard up.

Charizard responded by raising its claws in turn as if it was going to use Metal Claw but it was a slight shift of weight that clued me in on the actual threat. 

Jump! I ordered through the bond and Gawain once more leapt high right as Charizard, instead of standing up and taking the attack, whipped its body around, sending its much longer tail arcing through the space Gawain had just occupied. 

Once again Gawain landed atop Charizard, only this time he struck with rock empowered Stone Axe. 

Charizard howled in pain only to snap back and grapple with Gawain again to lock the axes out of position. Gawain responded by headbutting Charizard, making him reel. 

Charizard responded by lifting them both with his tail and kicked like a Breloom, launching Gawain away and back into the slowly dissipating fire. 

Gawain burned and a deep ache had formed in his body but he still powered through. 

The hurricane faded in time for everyone watching to bear witness to Gawain soaring through the air once more, axes blazing with lingering flames while his joints flared up from small burns. 

Stone Axe hammered down only for Charizard to unleash a close range Solar Beam that blew Gawain away. 

Bruce punched the air as Gawain tumbled over himself and crashed to the ground with a pained call of ‘Kle…avor,’. 

I flooded the bond with pride and reassurance that he hadn’t failed me, stopping any thoughts from taking hold. If anything he’d punched well above his weight. 

Charizard was flagging now. It was apparent in the way it staggered and shook itself and as I returned Gawain the Mega evolution wore off returning it to its base, if shiny form. 

Bruce and Charizard both heaved in breath after breath. I could see rivulets of sweet streaking down Bruce’s face and he produced a water bottle that he doused himself with before taking something else out which he… sniffed?

Instantly his head arched back and he shook himself. “Urgh!” he grunted. 

I blinked. Was that… sniffing salts? Or had I just seen him do the pokemon version of cocaine to get himself into fighting form?

My eyes caught the Blackthorn insignia on whatever was in his hand so perhaps it was a homegrown remedy.

Which… didn’t rule out pokemon cocaine now that I thought about it some more.

I palmed another pokeball before thinking better of it. I’d already demonstrated Shrek’s tricks, it was time to rely on something tried and true. 

“Go! Link!’ I shouted. 

Link emerged with his typical lightheartedness. 

He smiled and nodded to the exhausted pokemon-trainer pair, then without skipping a beat, he slapped his hand into the ground to unleash Gravity once more. 

Charizard buckled and interestingly enough Bruce also buckled. So he had to be feeling it as well and reacting to the shared stimulus. 

Bad luck Bruce, I thought to myself as I had Link soar into the sky. 

With the higher position gained, Charizard was forced to look up as Link channelled Moonblast.

Like a true anime protagonist, Link shouted as he attacked, his pink orb rocketing forward carrying the hopes and efforts of his friends within it. 

I blinked, man this deepened aura bond was kind of trippy. 

“P-protect!” croaked Bruce as he tried to hang on, determination and pride demanding he fight on. 

Charizard formed the barrier only to have it fail at a critical moment.

Moonblast knocked Charizard to the ground where it remained. 

For long moments everyone held their breath. 

When a full five seconds passed with no reaction the referee raised his flags. “Charizard is unable to battle! The match is now six to three with Brock the victor!” 

The crowd rose, the cheer escaping their lips was somewhat weaker than it perhaps might have been before we dragged them from one extreme of wet to dry and back again. 

I could only imagine they were exhausted.

The podiums lowered as Bruce returned his pokemon. He muttered something and took another hit of whatever was in the little cylinder he had before pocketing it. 

Then he straightened his back and marched across the torn up battlefield to shake hands with me. 

“Hell of a match Brock. I can’t help but feel I played myself though,” he said as he shook my hand. “Damn I should have… urgh… well anyway you had a lot more firepower than I was expecting. Where’d you learn that cloud trick?”

“Oh I picked it up along my Journey,” I said casually. I gestured at him. “You were trying to force your Mega evolution weren’t you?”

Bruce rubbed at his face. “I’d been so close for weeks that I just… I thought I needed something more. I’ve been trying to force it with most of the matches. Heck I thought I’d get it from Carr before the tournament began! That’s why I accepted his challenge then!”

“Oh? I thought you and him were good buddies,” I said. 

Bruce shrugged. “We trade pokemon every now and then when we need to.”

I grimace. “That… might not have helped you develop your bond,” I said.

Bruce frowned. “What? Why would it? It’s not like I traded Charizard or would ever even think of doing it to some of my core pokemon!” he said heatedly.

I shrugged. “Did your pokemon know that?” I shook my head. “I just think it sends the wrong sort of message,” I said. 

“Hmmmmm,” Bruce said looking off to the side, not arguing my point any more with a scowl. 

I tilted my head. “Also, was I mistaken in that you don’t just have one mega stone for your team?”

Bruce hissed, sucking in a breath of air. “Damn, was I that obvious?”

I shrugged. “If you know what to look for and have perused a certain brochure?” I said alluding to Steven Stone’s Mega Stone catalogue. “Then yes, but otherwise it wouldn’t be.” I nodded at his pokebelt. “Congratulations by the way. It’s not an easy thing to achieve.” 

Bruce blinked at me for a moment before snorting. “Right, right, of course, you understand the work I’ve put in,” he said with a laugh. “Let myself get carried away with how much stronger it would make me. Man, imagine if I could use both of them!” he said with a laugh.

I stared at him. The urge to smack him down for such a ridiculous suggestion rose up so much I almost blurted out how idiotic such a suggestion was. 

Then I considered it some more. 

I felt I should tell him that it wasn’t possible, but that was using the video game’s logic, wasn’t it? Was there anything stopping it? 

Damn that… would be absolutely broken if it was the case. 

I considered my own team of pokemon who featured no less than a few pokemon capable of mega evolution. 

Bruce coughed awkwardly. “Guess I had bigger eyes than I did fangs to swallow as they say though eh?” 

I shrugged. “It isn’t the worst idea I’ve heard?” I offered. Although the demands on your aura would be extreme… Hmmmm. This might still be worth pitching to Sabrina, Alakazam, and Professor Oak to consider. 

I waved a hand at the destroyed battlefield. “You’ll be terrifying to face next time now that you have a proper feel for it.” I winked. “Just expect people to have plans ready for it.” 

I considered him. “As someone that’s taken part in research around Mega evolution, I have to ask how it felt? Me and Jorm get more energy and it feels like we could topple mountains.”

“Like I was freer than I’ve ever felt before,” said Bruce with a whimsical look before he coughed and adjusted his bandana. “Urgh, Ignore that!” he said with a shake of his head. “Man, all my plans up in smoke just like that. Damn. I’m going to have to answer to the elders now. They hate it when you grow beyond yourself.”

“Beyond yourself?” I repeated.

“It’s… a clan thing to make sure there’s not too much inner turmoil.”

“Sounds… oppressive,” I said honestly.

 Bruce nodded. “Yeah, yeah it can be.” 

I nodded slowly, unsure what to say, or if anything could be said about that. “Family hey?” I said with a tone that conveyed it could be a sticky situation. This entire situation that I was uncovering with Bruce and Kaede and the Blackthorns… it didn’t seem like it was going to have a neat little ending to it. 

It hadn’t been immediately obvious at the time but there was no way that Bruce had taken part in attacking Kaede’s family daycare. He’d benefited so there was a link there but… Urgh.

There was bad blood every which way I looked.

I was absolutely going to palm this up to Pryce and Lance when I had a minute while still standing in Kaede's corner as much as I could.

“Family,” he replied with a defeated shake of his head. He tugged off the sodden bandana and ran a hand through his hair causing it to spike up. “Time to face the reporters,” he said.

I nodded. “I’ll join you after a victory lap with my pokemon,” I said. Bruce merely nodded and marched over to a team of Nurse Joy that had set up their portable healing bed for his use. On my side of the arena a team for my own pokemon were set up. 

I approached only to eye the Chansey that was standing next to Nurse Joy from Fuchsia. “You owe me some Chateau Romani,” I said, faux seriously. 

When the Nurses shot the pink pokemon unimpressed looks. Nurse Joy from Saffron sighed and pulled out a pouch. 

“Oh you don’t have to pay—” I started to say only for her to hand me a Chateau Romani bottle of milk. “Oh,” I said. Well, that… wasn’t what I expected her to do.

“It was meant to be hers after the tournament but if she drank yours after your match yesterday she needed some reminders!” she said, jabbing her pokemon who now looked extremely sad. 

She grabbed Chansey behind the head and dragged her into a bow as the healing bed rejuvenated my pokemon. “Sorry for her behaviour, she’s still young!” she said. 

“Ah, well, just make sure it doesn’t happen again?” I said. 

Bertha chose that moment to pop out of her pokeball. She grinned at me only for her eyes to lock on the bottle. “Rhy?” she said pointing at the bottle and then herself. 

I shrugged and handed her the bottle. 

She drank it happily and when I released the rest of my team for the victory lap I handed them off their own drinks in the form of lemonade for Knight, Soda Pop for Gawain and Link, and clear water for Shrek. Selene received an oiled towel that I quickly ran over her rocky exterior to make her gleam.

With refreshments in hand we performed a lap waving to the crowd. Bertha lamented the dried out field and her own, healed and clean form.

“Rhy….Rhy perior Rhy,” she said in a defeated tone. From what I could garner she’d said something about winning, but at what cost?

The others laughed at this and I rolled my eyes. 

When we’d completed our lap I recalled all of my pokemon bar Gawain and Shrek this time as I made my way into the media room.

Unlike last time where it had just been me though, this time the reporters had been able to sink their teeth into Bruce over his loss. I walked into a metaphorical blood in the water with flashes going off from all angles while Bruce stoically sat behind a table with a tray of microphones in front of him.

“—this defeat?” said one reporter as I walked to my podium. 

Bruce grimaced. “My preparations were for other pokemon, and tactics. Brock’s Aggron doesn’t usually have Swagger of all things. That was a move I wasn’t expecting to see today. And…” Bruce rubbed at his jaw before sighing. “I perhaps took my eyes off the prize more than I should have. I had different goals for this tournament than just winning and that impacted my result. I didn’t have my head on straight today.”

People shifted, noticing my entrance and more than a few people opened their mouths to shotgun off questions at me but I silenced them with a glare and a raised hand.

As I settled in I shot Bruce a commiserating look. “You fell for Karen’s tricks without even facing her,” I said. 

Bruce blinked at this before huffing. “Perhaps,” he said, only for his eyes to dart to where an old woman was whispering something to a reporter who looked like they’d just won the biggest scoop of the century.

The elderly woman leaned back and shot Bruce the sort of politely venomous smile that only someone who knows you well but still wishes you harm can achieve. 

I waved a hand vaguely at one reporter, realising that there was something more afoot here. The reporter stood. “Brock How do you rate you chances again—”    

They were cut off when the reporter who the woman had been talking to rocketed to their feet. “Bruce! how do you rate your chances at claiming the Cinnabar Island Gym after today’s defeat?”

Silence met this proclamation and it took a moment for everyone to process what he’d said. Bruce’s expression flickered to something sour and he shot the elderly woman a hateful look. 

I glanced between them.

Damn, I really had no idea what was going on here, but I could guess that the old woman was one of the Blackthorn Elders, maybe?

Bruce ground his teeth so hard I could hear it. Oh damn, he was pissed that this got announced. Was he hoping to win the tournament and then suggest it?

It… wasn’t a bad idea. 

“It was a passing thought—”

“You should do it,” I said, cutting over Bruce’s comment. Bruce shot me a look and I rubbed the back of my head. “Ah! Sorry for talking over you, but I just couldn’t help myself you know? Johto’s Gyms for the Indigo circuit after… recent events got filled up really quickly but Kanto’s Gyms have remained shut despite the current trainer surge we’re undergoing.” 

I ticked my fingers as I listed off the Gyms. “This means Sabrina, Erika, and Koga, or rather his successor, Janine, are all undergoing a lot more strain than they would already.” 

I pointed at Bruce. “You suggesting you’d step in is actually a really good idea.”

“Huh…” said Bruce slowly. He stared at me for a long moment like I was a rare pokemon that had just wandered out in front of him and began talking like a human. “I can see the appeal. Aren’t you concerned that I’ll be taking one of the prestigious Gym positions of Kanto despite not having been a Gym Leader before?”

I waved it off. “You have a strong Charizard and I imagine there would be a ton of trainers interested in learning under you that could help. Your appeal only grows thanks to your successful mega evolution. I haven’t taken on any more trainers since my own reveal, but I know Sabrina accepted a few more herself since hers.” 

Bruce continued to sit there for a moment before nodding. “Well I guess I will put myself forward then as a candidate for Cinnabar,” he said looking up with a smile. “If the League will accept me I hope to take up the mantle, but only the strong should challenge me, I’m not going to know how to pull my punches after all!” he said with a fanged grin.

I snorted mentally. Poor dumb fool had just rang the dinner bell on himself if he did become Gym Leader. Outwardly I chuckled. “Heh, great, now I just need to make Kaede accept Viridian Gym! And we’ll almost be back in business!” I said. 

Bruce’s expression turned pinched for a second and I narrowed my eyes. Did he know about her issues with him?

“Urgh her getting Viridian? Can’t say I like her having the eight badge position,” he said. 

I rolled my eyes. Oh, it was just his pride talking. 

“Brock! Would you say that the League has been negligent in not finding suitable trainers for those sites in Kanto? That Lance has been lazy?” said one reporter as he all but tried to force the words into my mouth.

I grimaced. Fuck, I had sort of said that hadn’t I?

Quick brain! think up something smart to say!

No wait, don’t say what you’d say… say what Jennifer would say!

“I think this has been a challenging year on many fronts that has stressed the system that we have established in a lot of ways. Weaknesses and lack of oversight being exposed is not the end of the world but it can create further pressures. We should just take this as a learning experience and go forward from today!” I said with my best plastic smile. 

I let that sit for a moment as I mentally patted myself on the back. Yeah! Perfect. 

A few reporters still looked like they had felt the scent of blood in the water though and were more eager to ask pointed questions. 

I felt very out of my depth so I decided on the best option I had available to me.

“Right! Well that’s all I’ve got time for as I have to head home to read my siblings a story book!” I said. 

“It’s only three pm in the afternoon?” said one man as I quickly released Selene and informed her of my situation. 

“Gotta go bye!” I announced as I recalled my pokemon and Selene got me out of there.

I reappeared in the entryway of the penthouse and exhaled a sigh. 

“I’m home!” I announced to the apartment at large. 

“Brock!” shouted my siblings and they spilled out of the loungeroom. This time Suzie wasn’t the first to reach me but rather Salvadore. 

“You have to tell me how you did that storm cloud trick!” he shouted eagerly. 

The others nodded and tugged at me. “Tell us! Tell us!” they chanted. 

I grinned, feeling much more in my element. I could probably string Salvadore along for a bit though and make him research it himself. It would be a good learning moment for him.

“I’ll give you some—” I started to say, only to enter the loungeroom to find a thoroughly unamused Kaede sitting on the couch. At her side Samurai Furret was eating popcorn with Munchlax. The bowl of popcorn rose and Zubat smiled, a small pile of popcorn on her head.

Kaede’s very fixed smile was what drew my attention however.

Why did this feel like an out of the frying pan and into the fire situation?

“I’ll take over Viridian City Gym will I?” Kaede said archily. 

Ah shit. She’d seen that had she? Damn me and my big mouth! I thought furiously for a moment to concoct another plan. 

I turned to Selene only to find her floating off to the pool party downstairs where Sanchez was sitting on the side of the pool with a few other pokemon eating some meat. 

Alright, that avenue was off the cards. I sent a quick message to Sabrina hoping she’d be able to save me from problems I’d created for myself. 

Sabrina didn’t magically appear and whisk me away from my problems.

Alright, I needed to stall until she could get me out of here. 

I turned to Salvadore and led him away from the loungeroom. If I ignored her, Kaede would calm down and forgive me eventually right?

“Well you see it all comes down to understanding how clouds form—” I started to say only for Kaede to stand and stomp after me. 

“Brock!” she shouted. 

I marched away quicker, regretting past me’s decision to introduce her to my family. 

“At least tell me you’ve reviewed Karen’s match!” demanded Kaede and when I marched faster, a growl emanated from her. 

“She won too fast so I didn’t get to see it!” I called over my shoulder. “You’re supposed to be my rival, not my coach! I want to relax for a bit” 

“I can be what I want to be! And right now I don’t want you to shame me by proxy by losing! so no rest!” she shouted.

“That’s not what rivals are supposed to do!” I replied, ignoring how Zubat was now chasing after me while Furret was dancing between Kaede’s long strides.

I sighed and submitted to my fate when I realised I’d led myself to a bedroom and not another hallway I could escape down. 

As I turned to face the music, Zubat slapped into my face in a hug and Kaede caught up, allowing her to chew me out for announcing something she hadn’t decided on yet.

“But you’re thinking about it?” I mumbled past Zubat as we marched down to the boardroom that acted as my planning room.

Kaede glowered at me only to growl and look away. I chuckled before checking if Sabrina had sent a reply yet.  

Hopefully she and the former Team Rocket Trio was having a better time than me. 

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 A.N. Thanks go to my Patreons for your continued support.

It also goes to Twmmy for proofreading this chapter!