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Hard Enough - Chapter 260 - Continuing Celebrations
🕑 Added 2024-09-24 19:00:10 +0000 UTCThe next day was chaotic, to say the least.
With kids pretty much having the run of the entire hotel, I’d needed Sabrina on hand to scry for all the lost clothes, toys, and miscellaneous items that kids had put somewhere only to forget.
The other parents all bowed in thanks when they realised how helpful Sabrina was being and more than a few were able to leave with us with much more carefree expressions. The hotel staff had assured us they’d have forwarded any items they might have found but there was still going to be a lot of hassle regardless with how many kids we’d had running about.
We had a final breakfast all together and enjoyed some light conversation.
I’d already spoken with my pokemon, and they were rather sad that they had to head home, the change in environment had been good for them.
Tide more so than anyone with the Lapras preserve being all but one bay over. But it had been nice to have a training area where all of my pokemon could come out that wasn’t just at home.
It made my earlier idea to buy a new property with Sabrina much more appealing.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t talk with her while she was coordinating the search and rescue for all the missing toys. I left her a message, though and started looking around for patches of land that were for sale.
Or… perhaps I should be doing something like flying around and selecting a patch of land off the books. I had friends in high enough places to get assigned a plot of land. Hmmmm, that was certainly a nice perk for dealing with all the League’s issues and helping them out so much.
Quid pro quo, as it were.
With that in mind, I had a bit of an idea what Sabrina and I wanted. It needed to be coastal, near a river for more access to fresh water, and have enough space to let our pokemon roam.
I considered what that would mean and started toying with my own team’s considerations.
Titan, Bertha and Jorm were all big pokemon and therefore wouldn’t mind having a building they could fit into easily, so high ceilings were a must but maybe I could give them a space for themselves as well.
Maybe like a giant basketball court or something to that effect?
Hmmm, what about the climate? Would it be a problem if I was too far north and we had to dea with the colder winter chills? It might be annoying.
If we wanted more luxury, further south would be better, which opened up options for areas around Fuchsia or routes twelve to fifteen.
I was a bit leery of that, though, as it also might make our pokemon a bit lazier if they got to live in ideal conditions all year around. Training in bad conditions was sometimes optimal for Elite pokemon. Rain, snow, sleet, all of these were things that my pokemon would experience, and I needed to experience them alongside them.
But, did I need my home to have that?
Hmmm, this was turning out to be a lot tougher than I thought. I’d need to get Sabrina’s thoughts on it regardless.
For now, I started flipping through real estate websites and forwarding links to Sabrina with comments on what I liked or disliked about certain houses.
It wasn’t so much I wanted to buy those houses as I wanted to create a conversation about it with her.
Yeah, that sounded good.
I hummed as I considered it a bit more. It might also reveal certain other things to me. Like how many children Sabrina would want… Wow, and just like that it got back to feeling weird.
I’m only seventeen and I was already thinking about kids. Urgh, this was confusing!
I decided to ignore that side of things for now while still being aware of it and instead closed off my Xtransciever and checked in with my family. “We all good to depart soon?” I asked.
“Wait! I just need to double check my egg!” said Suzie as she set her incubator on the kitchen counter before eying it. “It… isn’t really moving,” she said. “I thought I saw it move earlier, but maybe that was a trick?” she said.
I put my hand on her head and stroked her hair. “You might have, eggs that have rare or strong pokemon take longer to hatch, but their initial movements are also much weaker. Don’t lose heart!” I said with a grin and a thumbs up.
“I’m not!” she said. “I’m going to be the bestest big sister to this pokemon! And we’re going to go on some amazing journeys together! And find Diancie! And other super cool pokemon!”
I coughed. “Diancie?” I said. That… was very ambitious of my little sister. I supposed reading her all those bedtime stories about the mythical rock pokemon was bound to have some ideas about it.
“Hah? Is that so? Well make sure to show me when you make friends with it! That’s a pokemon I’d love to meet as well one day!” I laughed. I then leaned down and made a show of looking left and right like I was about to tell her a secret. “I have created what I hope will be a great home for Diancie in Mt Moon. One day I’ll show you what I mean, alright?” I said.
Suzie blinked. “You have been? Is that like how some Pidgeotto make nests to try and attract their true loves?” she said.
I blinked. That… sort of matched what Sabrina and I were planning to do a little but it also made sense in the context of Diancie.
“Well, not so much to romance her, but to give her a good home, yes.”
“Uh! I like it! I can’t wait to see it! I’ll create some nice things for it as well like a welcome mug and a nice… uhmmm.” She fidgeted. “What do you think a Diancie would like?” she asked nervously.
“I think if you made anything, they’d like it!” I said cheerfully.
“Hmmmm,” Suzie said, leaning one way and then the other. “Nope! It needs to be special! Super special!” she said, shooting her arms into an X of denial. “I’ll just have to talk it over with eggsy! She’ll know what is the right thing to add to your special Diancie nest!” she said, grabbing up her incubator once more.
When she almost toppled over with it I moved my hand to her shoulder to support her. “Maybe that needs to be packed away?” I cautioned. “Or set it down in the loungeroom with the rest of the luggage and wait with it if you’re done?” I suggested.
Suzie made a beeline for the loungeroom only to shriek! “Munchlax nooooooo!” she shouted.
I jolted and shot into the room only to find Munchlax sitting with a pile of wrappers and empty drink cans around him. Now why did they look familiar?”
“No Munchlax! The minibar is forbidden!” Suzie wailed like he’d just eaten something he shouldn’t, which for a pokemon like Munchlax was actually a tiny list of nonedible items.
“Forbidden?” I asked Suzie.
Suzie nodded. “Yeah! Salvadore told me that if you eat something from the minibar you’ll get put into debt jail and have to work in the kitchens until you pay it off, but it takes forever to pay off a minibar debt!” she wailed. “Oh Munchlax no!” she staggered over and hugged the very confused little pokemon.
Munchlax shot the wrapper at his feet a betrayed look and I put a hand to my lips to stop myself from laughing. Suzie… wasn’t wrong, and neither was Salvadore, but it was kind of funny to see it play out like this.
The only one who was going to have to pay for this was… me.
I huffed and tried to muster up a stern look at the distraught pokemon only to find I didn’t have the heart to do it.
Instead, I just shook my head and sighed.
Ah, I forgot to explain the minibar to him… I eyed the wrappers and did a mental count. That… was a lot of candy and lemonade.
Hmmm in a penthouse like this how many minibars did we have? It looked like most of them were empty now.
Huh, it was probably more impressive that he’d waited this long to clean them out. Then again we’d been having room service a lot of the time when the kids were too tired so he might have just been enjoying the leftovers of that.
Hmmm, room service for a family like mine, and the minibars?
I suddenly had a premonition of a much larger bill than I’d anticipated from this trip, purely due to Munchlax being Munchlax.
I sighed.
Eh, I couldn’t fault him for being himself. I glanced down and found Munchlax trying to stick the torn-up wrappers together to make it look like he hadn’t eaten anything while Suzie just shook her head. “I’ll miss you Munchlax!” she sniffled.
“It’s.. alright,” I said, deciding to end this little drama before Suzie actually cried. “I can… Spot you, this time,” I said. As if I was dredging up the money to help the little fella out in this situation honestly. Hopefully, this would scare Munchlax and the other kids straight and I’d avoid any further minibar mishaps.
Suzie perked up, the tears vanishing like water in front of a Sunny Day. I narrowed my eyes. She was either a natural… or just very good at shifting her emotions, Of which… I wasn’t sure if there was a better option. Both scary to consider.
Suzie beamed at me with a megawatt smile. “Yah! No jail for Munchlax!” she said before giving me a hug and darting over to sit next to her incubator to watch tv.
Suzie, I just knew, was going to be a nightmare to deal with, all while seeming like an angel.
Terrifying, and that wasn’t even getting into how before Billy or Tilly left, she’d have the longest prep-time of any of my siblings before going off on her journey.
I couldn’t wait to see what the future held for her.
Until then though, I would just have to wait.
I turned back to help get my family’s departure underway.
___________________
Returning to the Gym, and our home had everyone relaxing. Like stepping back into a shirt that was comfortable after wearing nothing but collared shirts or even costumes that had special instructions for wearing.
Returning home was returning to comfort.
The kids leapt for the couch only for Flint and I to intercept them. “Oh no you don’t! Pack your things away first!” we both barked as one.
I wheeled my own luggage into my room where I left it for later. I had other tasks around the Gym that needed to be checked over.
Not that I thought anything hadn’t been done while I’d been away, but it helped to get the lay of the land.
I first marched out to the reserve and found my pokemon poking their heads into the various tunnels and calling out to the other pokemon that made up my Gym roster.
Sanchez had already claimed a tall boulder to sit atop as he recalled a small crowd of pokemon about the fights he’d gotten into.
I caught Shin’s eye and waved at him. He’d be one of the projects I’d have to work on during the week that I had coming up. Respecting him would be a bit of a challenge but I knew it was needed.
Otherwise? Hmmm what could I do for a week with no trainers showing up?
Ah, preparations needed to be handled for the training camp that would be happening towards the end of the circuit.
I’d have a lot of big names from the local area along with my own sponsored trainers returning home. I fired off some messages for the admin staff so they’d know the thrust of my thoughts but I’d need to hold a meeting tomorrow to check in with the staff before we ‘resumed’ business.
I’d have to tell them Sabrina’s prediction for the week.
There shouldn’t be any blips apart from anyone that was tapping into Dark energy so we had good odds to get some jobs we’d had on the backburner play out.
Speaking of backburner projects, Teddiursa had wandered by with what looked like a honeycomb treat. “Hey Teddiursa, are you ready to fight some more? I think It’s time to aim to get you ready for evolution,” I said.
Teddiursa grinned at this news and I matched him. We’d be able to blow people’s minds with him as an Ursaluna, as a ground-normal he’d add something different to my team as well, while also having a lot of power.
I’d need to start training him in powerful physical attacks from now on to make the most of his stats as an Ursaluna. Sadly he’d be a bit slow but he’d have some good defence and special resistance to make up for that. There were also ways I could otherwise compensate. And the fact he would be able to put himself on fire while dishing out melee attacks… He’d be a force to be reckoned with.
Urgh, I hadn’t even started my week of downtime and I’d already created a few tasks I wanted to get done, or make serious progress on.
Weird how sometimes your downtime could be your busiest period as it was when you felt like you got the most work done.
Was that life, wisdom, or something else? I wasn’t sure, maybe I’d bring it up to Oak over a cup of tea, he had great insights into life in general having lived it longer than I had.
Huh, he’d actually lived it longer than both of my collective lives combined.
Hmmm, I was really chasing this Furret down its hole wasn’t I? I better find something to do before I sit around and get lost in my mind. With how my mind sometimes works I’d waste too much of my week off if I indulge.
I wandered around for a while, bumping into the security guards who gave me the all clear that things had been hunky-dory while I was away. Cypher had slipped out of the duckpond to nod along at their words earning a chuckle from me.
The Porygon might be another line of work I could pursue, perhaps evolving them would be a good idea to give them better capabilities. I’d need an Upgrade Disc and then a Dubious Disc, but with Porygon being rather new, I doubted either of those existed right now, so that was going to be a bust.
Unless… No, bad Brock!
I moved on quickly, gathering up my administration and lead trainers as I went. I soon had them all in the meeting room, where I shared a grin with them.
“So,” I said slowly.
Dennis didn’t wait for me to say what I was trying to announce as he leaned over and thumped his meaty fist into a button that caused confetti to cascade out of the roof along with a cheery tone to ring out through the room. The rest of the Gym’s employees, including Old Bethany the receptionist, surged into the room and began clapping.
Behind me, a banner unfurled.
“Congratulations!” they all shouted as one.
I felt words catch in my throat. I… hadn’t expected this.
I glanced around and took a moment to look into everyone’s eyes to convey some form of thanks to them as they cheered and clapped.
Rachel of course had a camera and I blinked as Trixie, the resident trainer for us, wheeled in a three tier cake that celebrated my victory. All across the cakes tiny action figures that we sold to the public were positioned in dramatic poses.
I caught sight of Gawain fighting against a Charizard while Bertha laid out a Crawdaunt.
I frowned. “You made an action figure for me?” I said. I had never given it the go-ahead as it always felt a bit… big-headed to sell my own toy.
“It’s a collectible! There’s only ten made!” said Rachel as she made its tiny arms flail about or go into some very uncomfortable positions.
I glanced to the side, where another ‘brock toy’ was still in its packaging. I grabbed this one wondering if Sabrina would enjoy having a ‘Brock toy’. It wasn’t really a doll, but it was close?
Eh, she’d get a laugh out of it, I had no doubt.
Although now I was curious if there was a Sabrina action figure… Hmmm.
“—jolly good fellow and so say all of us!” shouted Dennis, Rocko, Alexa, Jackson, Stephen, Missy, and Bianca together. They then raised what looked like glasses of lemonade up to toast me.
I chuckled and took my own glass to raise it back. I had to give a speech of course and I made sure to be effusive in my praise for all the support staff along with the trainers of the Gym.
“—I couldn’t have been anywhere near as ambitious this year without all of your work both at the front of the Gym and behind the scenes! So, while I was up on stage accepting this award, please understand that you all had a serious part to play in helping me achieve this goal!” I said.
I finished by raising my glass and the group cheered.
I chuckled when everyone kept staring at me after taking another drink. “I was going to just return to normal business with this being my first chance to get back to the Gym but that feels wrong in the face of all of you coming in like this!”
I perked up, realising I did have some good news. “I have been told that next week is going to be extremely light on actual challengers until we have someone notable turn up next week and from there it will be the run to the end of the circuit for the young trainers. We’ve got a lot from then on but let’s enjoy next week as our break from having a break!” I said, raising up another glass.
This earned a slightly different sort of cheer but it was every bit as heartfelt as the celebration of victory, but then again who wouldn’t cheer when your boss told you next week was going to be easy?
I turned to Alexa. “So, out of interest, are there any big-name trainers that will be challenging me?” I asked.
Alexa didn’t even consult her planner. Instead, she instantly replied. “Brawly is returning to the Gym,” she announced.
And just like that, there was intent in the air.
Brawly, a known fighting type and water-loving pokemon trainer was going to be coming back to fight me. The last two times he’d fought had been fun, high spectacle matches.
There was only one reason for a trainer like Brawly to be returning to the Gym to challenge me.
He wanted the Elite Challenge and the Bejeweled Badge.
I felt my heart thrum in eagerness as a smirk slid onto my face.
“Brawly eh? Now that… that will be something I’ll have to bring my A game for,” I said. I pondered it for a second before wondering if Brawly would… who was I kidding there was no way he was going to settle for anything but the strongest challenge.
I’d need to tell Titan to work hard this next week as someone was going to be gunning for him and they had damn good odds.
Titan versus six fighting type pokemon? Usually I’d still back Titan, but knowing that it was Brawly coming after me with those pokemon?
We were going to have to bring it if we wanted to win.
I couldn’t help the thrill of anticipation that lingered though.
Heh, I still had to face off against Agatha and make arrangements for that next weekend. Then straight after that I’d be facing Brawly.
After that I had no doubt that Roxanne and Flannery were going to be far behind.
Yes, I could see it now. Brawly was going to be the one to spark the final surge of trainers seeking to topple me and my best pokemon.
Ah so much to look forward to! I couldn’t wait!
A message pinging on my Xtransciever had me reading it only to pause and reread it.
“A.J. now owns a circus and he is inviting us to come and attend the first showing?” I announced sceptically.
Rachel whirled on me. “He does? And he is? Oh this is going to be amazing!” She whirled to the side. “Trixie! Run down the parents and kids that are leaving! They’ll love this! Invite them!” Rachel barked at her much taller girlfriend.
Trixie took off sprinting, causing a whirlwind in her wake, and I had to shake off a stray budget report.
Then I very slowly blinked as I considered what Rachel had just done.
I put both my hands together in front of my face, breathed in, and pursed my lips. “Rachel… did you just order your amazonian, musclebound girlfriend upon my family’s friends and parents?” I asked.
Rachel nodded proudly. “You realise she’s going to run at them while screaming the news but the news, coming from a giant woman, is probably going to give some of the parent’s heart attacks?”
Rachel blinked before coughing. She adopted a contrite position and bonked herself on the head lightly. “Hehe, whoopsie?” she said.
I sighed before raising my hand and chopping my hand down on her head. “For a girl that is so tech savvy you default to messenger amazon very quickly, don’t you?”
“Sorry?” she said, her head still bowed.
I shook my head and waved a hand about. “Spread the word with everyone that we’ll be attending, this will make for an… after-party of sorts,” I said.
“Okay!” Rachel said as she started to walk off. “Where will you be?” she called.
“I’m going to go collect some of my pokemon!” I said. No way they would want to miss this sort of show.
Now the toughest part was going to be restricting things to just ten of them.
___________________
A.J.’s Bigtop circus was full to the brim with people and pokemon.
The humans took up perhaps half the stands while the other two stands and entryways were filled by my and a few of Sabrina’s pokemon.
Bertha had taken a seat front and centre with a gigantic bucket of popcorn that she and Titan were enjoying.
I was sitting directly opposite them and it felt odd to be somewhat mirroring them as I held a bucket of popcorn that Sabrina reached into occasionally.
On the pokemon side, Sanchez, Hypnotoad, Shrek, Jormungandr, Link, Gawain, Empress and Teddiursa had seats. Selene had bowed out when Teddiursa expressed an interest, allowing for him to take her spot while Don had sniffed and tossed his head.
Tide had also demurred as he’d apparently wanted to sleep after celebrating his victory with the other Lapras. The same was true of Shin.
I decided I didn’t want to ask so I let them sleep after their… exertions.
Sadly, Knight and Zephyr along with Zubat had to miss out with my little Zubat being nearly inconsolable.
I’d had to promise to spend time working with her this week, which was already something I was going to do but I decided to double down on that promise in my own mind.
She might end up being a bit more of a handful if she ended up evolving but I knew it would be good for her in the end and add another flyer to my roster to threaten grass types with.
Gible hadn’t had a clue what was going on and had just shrugged and wandered off to play with some Aron.
After having all of my pokemon present at the hotel reserve being restricted to a mere ten pokemon at a time felt quite restrictive.
Sabrina tapped my arm. “Brock, they’re starting,” Sabrina informed me.
A moment later the lights went out only for a single light to thunk on and cast a light directly onto A.J. who was now wearing a red and black suit with a top hat.
At his side, Sandslash was standing with a cane in his long claws that matched A.J.’s outfit.
“Shit, he’s hot!” I heard Crystal mutter behind me and I bit my lips to stop myself from chuckling.
A.J. looked up and around. He spread his arms and took a deep breath in as he spun in a slow circle that allowed him to take in the packed tent with people and pokemon watching him.
“W-welcome,” he said almost quietly.
I noted the slight hitch in his voice before he swallowed and puffed out his chest.
“WELCOME! TO A.J.’S CIRCUS!”
I put my fingers in my lips and whistled as others cheered and clapped. More than a few older people rose and waved. I noted they were cheering the loudest and they seemed to be shouting support for A.J.
Hmmm, interesting, I’d have to talk to them during the intermission.
A.J. slammed his cane into the dirt and instead of it being a dull thump the can made a boom that silenced the crowd. “Welcome! And prepare to be amazed and entertained! From all across Indigo we have crafted a wonderful show! I am your host and Ringmaster! Our first act hails from the far-off town of Azalea! Please make them feel welcome! Bugsy!”
A.J. stepped to the side and the light expanded to fill the entire stage revealing Bugsy in a performer's outfit.
He raised his hands up high and then brought them down.
From the roof, a trio of Butterfree descended in a slow arc, while from the sides of the field, a Heracross, Pinsir, and a Scizor all raced out.
“Hup!” shouted Bugsy as he drew out large glittery rings that he tossed up into the air only for his Butterfree to dart through each. As they fell, Bugsy caught them and tossed them back up, creating a visual flow of juggling and weaving with his pokemon that I had to admit was very impressive.
I clapped along with everyone else as Bugsy completed his first spectacle where he took a bow. He then turned his attention to the other three pokemon where he clapped his hands and with Pinsir at the bottom, the other two jumped atop forming a tower with Scizor on the top.
“Hup!” Bugsy shouted thai time throwing up a metal pole which a pair of butterfree caught with the final butterfree holding up a ball.
I eyed the distances and realised a moment before Bugsy gave the order what was going to happen.
Everyone leaned forward as Bugsy gave the signal. “Hup!” he shouted and Scizor leapt from atop its perch to land atop the held metal pole before then leaping again to grab the ball from the final Butterfree.
It buzzed harshly as it landed, but it did so with the ball still intact.
It then raised its claws up and snapped them shut on the ball causing yet another boom that shocked everyone as confetti shot into the air.
The Butterfree holding the pole dropped it with Bugsy catching it.
The trio of Butterfree then swirled around the airborne confetti causing it to twirl into a controlled display that was very visually appealing.
Eventually, Bugsy clapped his hands and the Butterfree allowed the confetti to fall to the ground in a shower that led everyone’s gaze down to Bugsy who grinned and with Scizor, Pinsir, and Heracross, all bowed to signal their act was done.
I rose and clapped loudly. That had been impressive work and I found myself wondering just how far Busy might have gone if he’d competed in the Pewter Contest.
It was actually a shame he hadn’t attended!
Instead of A.J. returning to the field, instead up came what looked like a pair of brightly coloured janitors making their way out to clean up the confetti.
I blinked when I caught sight of a pair of Pikachu in matching clown outfits running around after them and through their legs causing both of the ‘janitors’ to stumble and wobble about only to trip over each other in a loud crash.
The kids in the audience all giggled and I watched as Ash and Ritchie got in each other’s way, tripped, poked and then resorted into an outright slapfight.
While they were settling their differences both Pikachu worked out how to drag the broom about and actually complete the job they supposedly came out here for.
As soon as that was done A.J. emerged and he snapped his fingers.
Sandslash rolled out and grabbed a stray chair before wielding it like a lion tamer from my past life. With a tiny toy whip in hand Sandslash cracked and fought the pair of clowns off stages much to the amusement of the crowd.
A.J. shook his head. “My apologies! The clowns if you let them would turn this into a mere comedy!” A.J. swept his hands out. “This is not that! This is a circus! Our next performer hails from Pewter! Prepare yourself for some cycling stunts and extreme acts! Give your love to Forrest!” he shouted.
All of my family and friends along with the trainers that had come with us rose to cheer as Forrest cycled his way out onto a stage. The stage itself, during the slapstick show, had quietly gained several props such as ramps, bumps and a large metal cage.
Forrest didn’t wait to acknowledge us but instead charged into the first trick which had him bunny-hopping his way across a series of large gaps with frankly tiny landing points that were slightly raised above the ground.
Movement to the side made me flick my eyes as I caught sight of an orange-haired girl peeking out to watch Forrest on his bike.
Then he sped off only to roar his way up a ramp where he did an honest-to-goodness flip through the air before landing it.
I cheered. Damn! I knew he liked to ride his bike but I had no idea he was this good!
Forrest revealed a level of skill I’d never seen from him before as he performed feat after feat with his bike only to finish by circling around and around within the metal cage purely from his own leg power.
He exited with a jump that saw him soaring through the air only to skid to a halt in the middle of the stage.
He pumped his fists into the air only to blink when he found himself facing the pokemon only stands.
They didn’t mind that, and in fact cheered him louder than the humans perhaps could have with Bertha leading the crowd while Titan roared his approval. Forrest turned and took off his helmet to give everyone a megawatt smile.
I nodded and cupped my hands over my mouth. ”Bravo! Bravo!” I shouted.
Forrest grinned. “I’ll see you all after the show!” he said before racing off.
I sat back down as Ash and Ritchie once more stumbled out to add some humour to the show with both of them trying, and failing to work out how to move the props Forrest had just used off the stage, while both Pikachu once more did the actual job thanks to some handy mechanical aides and what looked like a small forklift.
Huh, I wonder which Pikachu knew how to drive a forklift.
Were… they certified?
I settled in for the rest of the show with Misty taking centre stage for an aquatic performance. I caught sight of Forrest inching forward from the side to watch her aquatic displays with a wide open mouth.
Then A.J. stepped back out only this time not in his suit but rather in an acrobat’s skin-tight outfit that showed off his extremely toned physique.
“Oh shit, he’s really— ow! Mum!” whined Crystal from somewhere behind me causing me to chuckle.
As A.J. stepped up and wowed us with a show of strength, endurance and skill by soaring the trapeze.
I felt my heart lurch into my throat more than a few times when he made a death-defying leap, all without a safety net underneath.
It took me a moment to spot the safety team waiting in the wings, his Butterfree and Beedrill watching him flip and tumble through the air intently.
When it was all over he landed and took a bow, which signalled everyone in the crowd to rise and roar their approval for him.
He rose with slightly wet eyes which he tried to subtly rub.
I chuckled and squeezed Sabrina’s hand. It wasn’t a date we’d planned, but damn if this wasn’t a nice addition.
I hummed as A.J. thanked us.
I’d have to have a word with him. With the circus being this good I would have to see if he even wanted to remain a trainer at Pewter, but first, it was time to catch up with my little brother.
______________
A.N. Thanks go to my Patreons for your support!
Thanks go to Twmmy for proofreading this chapter!
Comments
White Neko Knight
Cypher could 100% be an elite pokemon! You could even change the Dubious Disc to a Version2 Disc, or something with a similar theme so Cypher doesn't go crazy.
PiezoVolt
The other way was that the trainer had to schedule who they wanted to fight, maybe pay a little extra, and then announce to the stadium before the randomizer who they want to challenge. I think that's the other way
Pamela Gillespie
There's been some hints that Lola is a while off
HonorBound Fate
BLOOD MOON Ursaluna.
Jean Marc Kunnen
The pokemon for the elite challenge is decided at random unless brock personally thinks of using titan
ShinLupin
normal Ursaluna need a Fullmoon, Bloodmoon can mean Lunar Eclipse which are not that rare. so Brock evolving his dear bear while an eclipse is going on should result in a bloodmoon ursaluna.
Rhett Sellers
Decent chap, I kinda skimmed the circus. Not really interested in that bit, though I hope others enjoyed it more.
Donald Bagwell
Fun idea on the sleeper pick, my question is… why not both. Why not, right after Brawly? Why not have all of his hardest, most enjoyable ace battles in a row. I can see multiple people try and go for one Pokemon, to tire it out for days in a single minded pursuit to “slay the dragon” as it were. Brawly to start before people decide to only battle titan to the point Brock needs his starter to rest off the board
Donald Bagwell
Honestly considering brawly is a repeated fan favorite and a known associate of Brock (surfing openly as one of the like 3-5 people he has openly just hung out with he doesn't pay in any way) on television Brock offered (if it was picked up) to show him the ropes of being a gym leader, the insanity Brawly has helped with and possibly had his time as a power ranger recorded, and if he can bring titan to a Knee? I would be interested in stevin or one of the elite from either indigo or straight up ask Brock “does this man have your recommendation as a gym leader?” Maybe something similar like Brock being asked to mentor Brawly for the final part of the circuit on actually being a gym leader and the requirements as another test from Stevin for a different stone. Overall? Brawly is not only known, I would say the man is respected for the sheer amount of bullshit he did with Brock. And I can see either Madam Boss, Stevin, or one of the elite four who hate stevin want to have access to their own version of Brock to add to their collection. Steven? Tourism, plain and simple. Elite four? Train the kid to kick Stevens ass with protag luck as brawly LOOKS like a protag from a certain perspective. Rocket remnants? A replacement will who is on the rise. Protag points? 1) he trained under a master 2) mentored (if you squint) under Brock 3) has been dealing with and fighting a criminal organization and helped bring it down 4) is technically deputized under Lances G men and could be a hoen leader/ technically one of the first Hoen members of the G men meaning he is the highest ranking hoen officer at the moment 5) is traveling with the hier of a former elite 4 and another prospective gym leader, meaning two leaders are traveling with him and his goal of a base on dewford, a possible naval base, is well known. On paper? Everything Brawly has done, and everything Brock has done to and with Brawly brings protag energy. Even if Brawly doesn't win, if he shows he was made of sterner stuff? That man will have more work than he ever thought of, ON SHEER ACCIDENT!
HoldTightAndPretendItsAPlan
Author made a comment on someone else's comment and now I'm picturing some random character who wasn't even mentioned in the story winning the conference... Announcer: And now the Champion of the Indigo Tournament will give a speech! Champion: *thanking family, friends, pokemon, etc.* Champion: -and also Gym Leader Brock for the amazing advice he gave me at the beginning of my journey. It really set me on my path to victory! Brock (mentally): I have no idea who this kid is, much less what advice I gave them... Note: In this visual my brain cooked up, Brock is happy his advice was helpful, even if he has no idea what it is he said to this kid. He also feels a little bad that he can't remember them.
the pyro stick figure 76
Is the Norman match also schedule this week like Agatha’s or is that a later in the year?
HoldTightAndPretendItsAPlan
"According to brock's thinking." ... *side eyes author* Do- Do you mean to imply that there are other trainers we have yet to meet who are contenders-! Or sleeper characters that were mentioned that Brock didn't give much notice to that are That Level?!? *Whispers to self* I'm voting for that kid who came back from last season and was the first to fight Brock this season.
Viva01
yeah repeccing in the manner of new moves or stles of fighting depending on what he can work out.
Viva01
Yeah, Brawly coming back after havin gan entire circuit to grow stronger after his initial issues has always been something I planned to do. As a maincast member he will be interesting to a lot of people with the same being true of Flannery and Roxanne I have no doubt. They are the contenders for strongest trainers in the Badge circuit for Indigo right now according to brock's thinking.
Viva01
Hmmm worth considering going forward defintely, sorry if it isn't the fights and other things that feel more 'main plot' related, but it is building to certain points while also showing the main cast doing things other than fighting. I'm a bit burnt out of fighting after the tournament arc which ended up having more fights after the adjustments I made. As for Lola? her return I can only do once and I am saving it up for a very specific event. I wouldn't expect her any time soon however.
Viva01
There is another way.... dun dun dun!!!
Jericho Rising
It's more than we get from most authors and genuinely makes it feel like a real lived in world.
Sebazu
It's usually randomized, but Brock sometimes chooses a specific pokemon. He made the rules so he can choose whatever he wants.
HoldTightAndPretendItsAPlan
I'm thinking it's going to be close, but the win will go to Brock. I just don't think Brawly is *quite* there yet. Close, very very close-! But just a bit shy. To be clear, I think Titan will get the win because Brock just unlocked the silent communication bond thing. Without that boost, I think it would be a tie. But... well... now Brock doesn't have to verbalize his commands and we have seen several comments by the author about how much of a challenge facing a silent opponent can be.
HoldTightAndPretendItsAPlan
Well, the last month has been a heavy focus on wrapping up Minor storylines so that the author can move onto other bigger and more important parts of the storyline without half as many distractions. - Ace storyline is now wrapped up. (Brock achieved his goal) - Brock has been making mental notes about training his pokemon. This allows the author to gloss over specifics in future chapters so we don't need a month of training montage chapters (which could be fun but get boring/repetitive FAST) - Brock and Sabrina went on a date. This allows for their relationship to be built in a more natural way and not just "we're dating" with no actual dates. - We got more insight into Brock's family dynamic (some members of the family hadn't been mentioned in a while) - The open Gym positions in Kanto have been, basically, filled. - We got insight into Lance's life, so we won't be as blindsided by goings on in that area of the poekword (i.e. we know Fiore is now open officially and that Lance might have a girlfriend when we see him next) - Jessie, James and Meowth are shown helping take out criminal rings. So we know Brock making them part of the Guardians is going somewhere *and* what's happening to criminals across Kanto. - Brock got one of the pokemon he set out a Bounty on. (The rock fishy) - Sabrina's character was rounded out a bit with how she's interacted with Brock's family and her love of dolls being on display (this time also doubled as showing her progress with her psychic abilities/control) - We got some insight into what's happening with the "new" pokemon Sabrina has been working on. - A.J.'s circus storyline is complete. Plus, he may be leaving the Gym which makes for one less character for the author to keep track of. - We got insight into Celia's time in Hoenn. So when she shows up knowing all these Coordinator things we aren't blindsided. - We got a fair amount of world building (the doll stuff, details about that restaurant chain, insight in who a restaurant views as important/famous enough to hang on a wall, etc.) - We got an update on Mia and Garry, plus Ash & crew. Honestly, a *LOT* has happened the last few chapters. It's just that none of it has been focusing on fights, Megastones, or Lola. So while I understand the frustration over the number of "filler" chapters this month, I personally have viewed them as "tying up loose ends" chapters. Because that's really what this months updates has been about: touching base with areas that have been neglected, and closing out parts of the story
HoldTightAndPretendItsAPlan
Love the chapter! Personally, I'm backing Titan in the fight against 6 fighting type. I think it will be close, but where Brawly was at the beginning of the season, and the check-ins we've seen makes me think he'll be close but not *quite* enough to beat Titan. I'm predicting Titan and Brock scraping a win (maybe by the skin of their teeth), but still winning. And audience members seeing how close Titan was to falling makes trainers realize that Titan isn't impossible to beat and they all get that spark to be the one that makes the Titan Fall. (Although I am curious, I thought the Elite challenge didn't let you pick which pokemon you fight and it's a randomizer? Unless there is an option to skip the randomizer to fight Brock's starter?)
Jericho Rising
I've enjoyed the progression in the latest few chapters, the slice of life and character building and evolving is really nice. But I do agree that the main plot so to speak is coming to fruition a little slowly; mind that's what we get with 2 chapters a week, it's a matter of scale I think.
HonorBound Fate
Accidentally blood moons your ursaluna.
Zromak
Thank you for the chapter. Hopefully move out of filler next week so an entire subscription period isnt filler. Had just re-read your story from the start and we opened with Lola and 260 chapters later are no closer to that lid being closed so definitely an appearance or a battle or honestly something beyond blocks angst of the situation would be appreciated as well. Long time supporter and won't stop but I'd say this months chapters have not been great (just my opinion, not a fact)
Donald Bagwell
Nice chapter! Brawley gonna fight the titan! I am so looking forward to that. Think it would be a draw or would brawly win? A draw would also be amazing for the simple fact that you can have the crowd of pewter decide. Should the man who felled the titan at the cost of his own strength come away with the first bejeweled badge? Or will he try again?
Stan Lewis
Thanks for the chapter! Quick question about Shin though. When Brock was talking about “respecting” him being a challenge, did you mean “re-speccing” him, like changing up his battle style?
ChronosPerpetua
Yess! Just started my lunch break and this dropped
BlackRazaras
Thanks for the chapter
