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Sometimes, things don’t work out, and for the most part that's okay, you move on, try another option. Other times… I bet Naomi could ask this idiot, blonde boy for his bank account info and he’d help her log in. Also, I can tell his two teammates are looking a bit stressed by how much he’s talking.

The darker haired boy from Fallarbor who was stressing about his injured girlfriend hops a branch on the path and speaks up, “Bruno, I don’t think Miss Wattson wants to hear about my Dad’s pokemon.”

“Whatever Sean, since when do you not brag about how strong your Dad’s Trevenant is?” Bruno keeps step with Naomi.

She only had to ask the standard opener, ‘what kind of pokemon team are you planning to build?’

“Where was I?” Blonde boy scratches his head, “Right, similar to you Wattsons, every trainer family in Fallarbor has a specialty like Uncle’s Trevenant. My family trains Heracross and my girlfriend's family trains Shiftry.”

Said girlfriend is looking conflicted between being a big fan of Naomi and pissed her boyfriend won't shut up, “Bruno, it’s rude to keep talking and not let a girl get a word in.”

Naomi smiles at the girl just behind her on the trail before looking at Bruno with her biggest, ‘cute girl’ eyes, “So is that what you guys were doing? Trying to catch a Trevenant?”

He nods, chest puffed and everything, “Well you can't expect us to catch a Phantump, they take forever to evolve. Not to mention all the ones back home ran off ya know.”

“”Bruno!”” His teammates are in a panic.

“What?” he looks back at me bringing up the rear of this little hike, “Right, sorry Mr. Kurt, I know your Phantump is pretty cool, no offense.”

I can’t help laughing, “Don’t worry kiddo, I think your friends meant something else however.”

As Naomi skips ahead to Jane and Courtney, satisfied with work easily done, I turn to the flabbergasted Max beside me, “Nice plan bud.”

He looks from Bruno to Citro, my other teammate who is diligently picking up an empty water bottle along the trail, you know, the work we came for. “I, don’t know what to think of kids anymore man.”

“How about as people with each their own flaws and bright points?” Geez, I’m not your father dude.

I whistle to stop the not so quiet whispers of the bickering Fallarbor team, “Alright, aren’t you kids supposed to be working instead of chatting the day away?”

Bruno’s Girlfriend continues to berate him in hushed tones as they all fan out from the trail.

Max gets back in gym leader mode, “Keep spreading till you’re at the limit of seeing the person in line towards the trail. Don’t lose sight! Make sure you can hear the next person in line in case you find anything.”

“So are you going to call the Fallarbor gym?”

He scowls, “You haven’t met Ourboro.”

I watch Jane load a bunch of dead branches onto the cart her Scolipede is pulling around. “Honestly, I know nothing about Fallarbor, other than I think someone mentioned they have a seasonal festival.”

Max rolls his eyes, “Pain in the ass those, no, I’m talking the Fallarbor Gym Leader. Ourboro is the first and only leader since they joined the league just over a decade ago. First couple years he was all about making a good impression, according to my father anyway. Now he’s never shutting up about doing things the old way, letting the Gym Leaders act like local lords. Minimizing League oversight.”

Well that’s a flag, “This doesn’t sound suspicious at all.”

“Well the older league members don’t mind the sentiment,” he snorts, “You’d be surprised how much Roxanne can sound like a cranky grandma in meetings. The Devon and Wattson backed gyms are all the support Ourboro needs for his traditionalist views.”

Ah, money, “What about yourself?”

Max quirks a brow, “Do I look like I know exactly what I’m doing Kurt? Shut up, that was rhetorical.”

I grin, “I didn't say anything.”

“Nah, I’ll take all the help I can get. I’ll attend every stupid product review session and talk show if it keeps League money sponsoring the smaller towns here in the heartlands.” His eyes track the wobbling wheel on the big wagon being pulled by Camerupt.

“Is it all bad?” If I’m joining the gym leader club I need to know what I’m getting into.

He sighs, “Of Course not, I get fun tips from other gym leaders like Cheren in Unova and Milo in Galar. Viola of Kalos trades recipes with my wife. And if the bugs over breed in summer, Flannery has always been right there to send some fire trainers down the road…”

Personal connections, the support network, I get what he’s saying. “Small town stuff eh. Keeping clear of politics.”

Courtney chimes in from beside her pokemon, “When big waves loom… they don’t call Max of Petalburg.”

“Gee, thanks.” Max taps the pokeballs on his belt, “You know, I did earn my leadership, I got the points, the placements. Solved the problems.”

She counters, “Problems for fields, Tauros heards… You need me for bugs.”

“Can’t solve everything with a Slaking punch,” He glances my way, “My dad says that. He told me that he knew his job, pound lessons into young trainers.”

I nod, “Well it’s definitely important.”

This brat rolls his eyes, before taking another view along our kid trainers. He doesn't need to worry too much, any wild pokemon can smell Camerupt coming from way off.

Courtney looks back at me and nods towards Max.

“No seriously Max,” I point at the Fallarbor brats, “Say those punks don’t learn or don't get rescued. Year after year more brats piss off the wild pokemon, next thing you know Arceus sends punishment.”

I catch ankle monitor girl shivering a bit. Someone from a Villain team would definitely know what I’m talking about.

“You and the other small town gym leaders are what keeps the peace. The big cities cause as many problems as they solve and they don’t have time to actually teach the brats anything.”

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*Slam!*

A Heracross hitting the turf sends grass and dirt everywhere.

Some locals cheer for their Gym Leader, “Munchy! Munchy! Munchy!”

Or maybe just the Snorlax he’s borrowing from his sister. The point is, Belly Drum Snorlax can punch through a brick wall, let alone Bruno’s Heracross.

Blonde boy looks at his Zangoose, “Don’t just stand there!”

The white pokemon practically growls at his trainer and just sits in place. He’s taken enough punches for the last five minutes.

“The challenger’s pokemon are unwilling to battle, Munchy wins!”

Max glares at Mary the referee, “You know I’ve been training him longer than May by now.”

Mary just sticks out her tongue.

Bruno stomps up to his Zangoose after returning his unconscious Heracross, “What’s the deal!”

Max steps in, “You fought like an idiot, your pokemon got tired of paying for it. You can’t sign up for a Boss Encounter style gym battle and not have any plan past ‘run in there and punch it.’ If you don’t learn to respect pokemon and use your head then you won’t last as a trainer. You’re forbidden from rechallenge for a month.”

“Next Challenger, Sean from Fallarbor, has also elected for a Boss Encounter.”

I’ll admit I’m a little excited, Max told me he would humble the brats a bit.

Jane beside me is still pumped about the last match, “Did you see that! Snorlax just waved an arm and they kept getting sent flying!”

Naomi rolls her eyes, “Well, when they just run up from the front one at a time it’s not exactly a feat of agility to smack them down.”

Citro leans forward, “What would you have done?”

She bites her nail, “My Swablu could have kept him busy while my Florges could have put him to sleep.”

“Lame,” Jane objects, “But ya that would probably work.”

Max returns to the leader platform at what feels like a soccer field. It was a nice evening so they elected to hold the battles outside. Honestly I like the neighborhood, little league game, feel of it.

He pulls out a pearlescent, olive green ball, “Flygon, you're up!”

A shiny, greenish blue, dragonfly the size of a baby giraffe appears.

The locals cheer again, “Go Zippy Go! Go Zippy Go!”

Sean, takes out two pokeballs, “We got this. Go swat it down!”

A Scyther and a… goblin?

“The hell,” checking my dex app, “Morgrem, Dark/Fairy, this says they’re from Galar?”

“Battle Start!”

The goblin thing even hops on Scyther’s back and cackles as they charge into the sky.

Both sides exchange in side swiping aerial attacks in a hair raising display of speed. Scyther does everything it can to get a clean angle with no success, instead it goes for the sacrifice play and takes a big hit in order to latch onto Flygon.

Morgrem leaps onto the Flygon’s back! Scyther plummets from the sky.

Naomi gasps as the crowd boos, “That's it, Flygon is in trouble.”

Max scowls as the goblin starts to terrorize his prized dragon, “Its too arrogant to think typing is everything. Feint with Bug Buzz and Metal Sound with BoomBurst then U-turn.”

“The hell is all that?”

Jane squeals, “Max’s UltraSonic!”

The sound of a high powered bandsaw fills the air, getting so high pitched and loud it's actually painful. I lose sight of Flygon while wincing.

Suddenly a streak of teal flares straight down from the sky like a falling star, the air vibrates with a break in the sound barrier. The green comet stops just before hitting the ground, a small pink body keeps going however. Morgrem hits the dirt, dead if I was to guess.

Sean is stunned in place.

“Both challenger’s pokemon are unable to battle Zippy wins.”

An emergency crew rushes to the field and carefully place the still breathing goblin pokemon into a special pod.

“That didn’t seem terribly fair.”

Naomi glances my way, “No one told the dummy to sacrifice one of his pokemon just to carry the other around. Scyther could have kept trading hits longer, Morgrem have ranged dark attacks. He bet everything on type advantage and a single tactic when obviously Flygon can do more than just ‘Dragon’ things.”

Flygon does a slow pass over the crowd as the locals, and the girls, chant, "Zippy! Zippy! Zippy!"

Max's pokemon are more popular than him.

Berke takes up the ref spot, “Trainer Hanna has declined the match. Up next is Jane of Larousse City!”

Jane spits out her drink and coughs, the whole thing caught on live camera of course.

I pat her back, “Go get ‘em sport.”

She looks at me with murder in her eyes.

Citro hands her a napkin before she heads down the stands.

Once on the field, Max smiles before sending out a Raticate. The cheers are noticeably less enthusiastic.

Jane sends out her Scolipede.

Naomi mutters, “Jane is in big trouble if she doesn't take this rat down with her bug.”

“Battle Start!”

The dog sized rat screeches and charges forward. Max calls, “Quick Attack into Metal Claw!”

Jane flinches from the noise just as bad as her bug pony, she realizes it's too late to dodge, “Iron defense!”

Raticate smashes against the curled up bug’s exoskeleton and begins to furiously claw away.

“Spikes!” Jane commands, I can hear a trace of worry in her voice.

Dozens of quills jut out from Scolipede’s shell, each dripping with poison, and more than a few clearly stabbed into the rat’s fur.

Max gives a cold order, “Don’t let off yet, Super Fang.”

Jane won’t let it, “No, Rollout!”

“Pursuit!”

Like a purple truck tire out of control, Scolopede takes off around the field leaving poison barbs in its wake, all the while Raticate dodges what it can and makes glancing claw swipes.

Naomi yells, “Come on Jane, don’t let this keep up!”

Citro asks, “Won’t the poison do it’s work?”

“Raticate are very sturdy actually, it’ll outlast Scolipede at this rate.”

Well shit, “Come on Jane!”

Just as the rat closes in again to slice at Scolipede, “Now, Poison Tail!”

The pill bug uncurls and smacks the shit out of Raticate right in the face, sending the poor guy cartwheeling across the lawn.

“Follow up with Take Down!”

Max calls out, “Crunch!”

Both pokemon wrestle about for a moment, biting, clawing, then separate and collapse to the lawn.

“They look pretty beat up.”

The words barely leave me when Raticate falls unconscious.

Max lifts his pokeball, “Good work buddy.”

Jane grimaces and returns her Scolipede as well.

She gets a nod from the gym leader as he takes out his next pokeball.

A strange, almost wooden bird like pokemon takes the field. A Shiftry. Jane calls out her Alolan Marowak.

Folks yell out, “Go Jane!” “You can do it girl!” “Don’t let Max bully you!” “Kick his ass.”

Was that last one Courtney?!

The crowd is fired up. I hope Marowak is too.

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