In a field, well out of view from any prying eyes, Lieutenant Surge swaggered. It made one wonder about life. Sadly this was no ‘if a tree falls in the wood’ situation. Surge made sure there was someone to hear him before he got started.

“You ready for the pain Brock! I’m bringing the thunder!” He held a pose and leered while I stared. Then an idea came to me. A terrible, horrible, no good idea. I checked around in case anyone else was actually here. Specifically Sabrina. Before adopting a counterpose. “You think you’re tough enough to handle the avalanche?”

Surge’s grin grew and his hand swept out. “Nice! But words won’t save you from the sparks I’m sending out! Go Raichu!”

“Match him Shin!” I selected my own pokemon. From the pokeball, an ancient pokemon emerged and brandished his scythes at the orange electric mouse. Raichu growled, tail whipping back and forth.

Surge whistled obviously wanting to say something but holding back. He settled for clicking his fingers. “Toss a rock to signal the start?”

I nodded, raising a rock and lobbing it up well within our field of vision. Neither of us bothered to turn our heads to focus on it. We tracked it more from the movement in our peripherals. When it touched the ground, Surge swept his hand forth and bellowed his command, “Raichu Thunder!”

“Stab your blades into the ground! Metal Claw!” I countered. Shin’s blades sank into the ground just before the electrical attack impacted. It didn’t negate all of the damage but it did help out. “Rock Polish Shin!” I added just as the attack dissipated.

Surge slashed his arm, “Thunder wave!”

“Dig!” Shin obeyed before the attack had any chance of threatening him.

Surge grimaced before he snapped his fingers. “Swift!” Stars formed up above Raichu. I grimaced at that, but had to accept it as Raichu’s attack hit. I couldn’t block it with another move this time. Before Raichu could launch any more. Shin popped up behind it though and slashed for all he was worth.

Raichu was launched across the field before rolling to its feet with an angry growl.

“Rock Polish,” I said once more.

“Urgh, again?” said Surge as he eyed his Raichu. “Extreme speed!”

“Match it,” I ordered only to find my Kabutops current top speed to be well short of what I need to keep him even with Raichu.

Raichu slammed into Shin and I grit my teeth as small sparks zapped into Shin. “Dig!” I said while reprimanding myself for the sloppy play. I should have just gone for another dodge with dig rather than trying to match up. So what if Surge got off a swift? It wasn’t more of an irritant.

Surge nodded his head and as I had expected ordered another swift before bellowing. “Extreme speed to the other side of the field!” This saw him dodging the attack from my Shin. I clicked my teeth at that before eyeing the field. “Shin! Metal Claw into Hydrojet! Drag your blades along behind you!”

Surge frowned at me as my pokemon surged forward with a watery envelope surrounding him. I could tell he was tempted with the water in play but I could also see him judging the metal claw attachment. “Use swift again!”

“Go into Dig!” I ordered once more. Now that the field had large gouges across it, I knew Raichu couldn’t rely on speed to escape this hit. Surge’s follow up swift again did little before his Raichu took another solid hit that saw it tumbling across the field.

He clicked his tongue and raised his pokeball. “Good match, wasn’t sure you were serious with your pick of Kabutops.” Shin happily crowed at that praise before hustling over to me. I plucked a rag off my belt to rub his already glossy rock shell. Surge chuckled as Shin crooned into the cloth. “Hell of a pokemon to have in your roster.”

“He’s not the only of his type that I have,” I revealed.

“Seriously?” Surge stared at me and I grinned. His expression turned into outright gaping as I popped two more pokemon to show off my Omaster, and Aerodactyl. Omaster glanced around before waving her arms about happily while Aerodactyl snorted and took off to circle the area.

“Don! Circle up high and see if there is anything I need to be worried about. Pokemon or people alright?”

“Aero!” screeched my flying type as it caught a thermal to soar.

“Damn Brock. You going to use all of them?”

“Shelly’s not up to the others in combat strength.” I leaned down and rubbed at Omaster’s shell. “She’s alright for the four and up matches but she’s not one of my top six.” Shelly merely nodded at this before tapping Shin for his attention. The two pokemon began to talk to each other and I turned to Surge. “I think if anything, Don is going to be the one that Lance is most jealous of.”

“Is it Dragon typed? I assumed Rock-Flying.”

“It looks close enough though, no? You know Lance has a Gyrados and a Charizard right?”

“Yeah, beast pokemon, both of them. Gyrados knows thunder so watch out for it yeah?”

“I have an easy matchup for that. I’m hoping he tries to bring it out first. If not, I have someone that can set up for me.”

“Heh that Golem of yours?”

I nodded before holding out a pokeball. “Speaking of which, I had an egg hatch the other day.”

Surge perked up. “That what I think it is?” I nodded and handed him the ball. Like a kid at christmas Surge instantly opened his present to reveal a Geodude.

“Geo-dude!” Surge looked over the pokemon appreciatively before rubbing a hand over the rougher top. He drew it back and tilted his head in thought before drawing back his hand.

“Magnetic rock?”

“You’ll need to feed him some electrically charged rock in his diet and keep him in a charged environment.” I smiled at the little guy, “Think that’s going to be an issue for you?”

“Heh! No way! Thanks! How am I gonna pay you back for this?” He gestured to the pokemon that was happily thumping his chest and demanding a fight from Shin. My Kabutops spat a tiny glob of water only for the Geodude to flinch before roaring as the ‘challenge’ was accepted. “Heh! I like this punk’s spirit! He’s an electric type that’s for sure!”

I grinned at Surge’s pokemon before handing him a sheet of paper. Surge read through it before frowning. “Hehe Shiny types or King variants? Yeah, I can see this guy being worth one of them. Corsola? You don’t have one of them?” I shook my head in answer. “Nosepass, Bonsly and what the hell…. Roggenrola? Rockruff? Carbink? Never heard of those pokemon before, where the hell’d you hear of them?” He looked up from the list.

“I keep an ear out. Their original regions might not have opened their borders officially yet so the League won't have announced them.”

“More like your psychic girlfriend knows and told you?” Surge said leadingly.

“I have done no such thing,” said Sabrina appearing at my side with her teleport. Surge flinched back, his arms pinwheeling before he fell onto his backside. From the ground, he gave her a scowl.

“You been lurking long?”

Sabrina didn’t deign to offer a response for that, outright ignoring her fellow Gym Leader. Don screeched and plummeted from the sky at Sabrina’s sudden arrival.

“Don! No! Friend!” I said, shouting as loud as I could.

Sabrina eyed him for a moment before popping a pokeball to reveal an Alakazam who hovered in front of Sabrina.

“Don!” This time he listened and wheeled away. I sighed before shaking my head. “Sorry about him, I’ll need to use him in a fight today. He’s very aggressive when he’s brought out and with Shin getting a chance, he probably wants to throw down himself to prove he’s still strong.”

“I would be fine with that.” She placed a hand on Alakazam’s shoulder and the hyper-smart pokemon nodded to her before smirking upwards.

“Before that, think you can set some time up for my Selene and Quirina? I need to work out which of them will be fighting.”

“Selene is better,” Sabrina didn’t even hesitate to voice her opinion. I opened my mouth before nodding.

“Yeah actually, Quirina wouldn’t work well with Lance’s matchups. Selene is in then.”

“My Alakazam wants another rematch against Titan.” The Alakazam in question didn’t turn but I felt its attention focus on me nevertheless.

I smirked, “After he fights Don, and if he’s still up for it, sure.” The challenge in my tone made the Alakazam snap to look at me before scoffing as he redirected his attention up towards the circling Don. “First let’s train Selene.” With a press of a button Selene floated upwards.

“Luuuunatone!” greeted the pokemon. Sabrina smiled as her eyes glowed slightly as a link formed between her and my pokemon. Surge walked up to me before nodding.

“Reckon I’ll head off before someone spots I’m missing from Vermilion.”

“Thanks for coming Surge, Shin needed the match up.”

“Yeah, didn't seem that way. Your Pokemon are going to shock a lot of people. I’m surprised at how much depth you’ve got for all of them having a rock type.”

“People underestimate them cause they only see Geodudes and Onix, with a lot of trainers facing them for the first badge challenge. They think they’re weaker than they are in truth.”

“Reckon Lance will know about Titan?”

“I’d love for him to be that proud, but I don’t think he got to be Champion from not crossing his t’s and dotting his i’s.”

“Shame. It’ll be a shock for a lot of people that didn’t track you beyond your Kanto circuit. They probably think your Rhydon is your starter.”

I grinned at that before nodding. “Sure… my Rhydon.”

Surge squinted at me before shaking his head. “I won’t satisfy my inner Meowth right now but I know that look.” I merely nodded and tapped my nose. Surge chuckled as he opened a Pokeball to reveal a Fearow that had a saddle which he swung up into.

“See you at the conference Brock!” He said before taking off. I waved him off before turning back to the next round of training I had lined up for today.

“So what should we be working on with Selene?”

Sabrina gave me a look. “We will be working on her versatility with her psychic powers.” Selene bumped into Sabrina with a happy trill before straightening when Sabrina gently pushed her away.

“You may begin by levitating as many items as you can, nothing can be the same shape or size.” I watched for a few minutes before understanding that I was very much superfluous. It was still interesting to watch the three psychics train themselves.

Selene flagged first. Alakazam nodded at her efforts but you could tell she was exhausted with how she wavered with her hovering. Sabrina stared at Selene for a moment before nodding herself. “You have done well. Rest and consider what you’ve learnt today.” She glanced towards me then before looking at her Alakazam. “I believe Alakazam was promised a fight?”

I tugged out a whistle and blew it. Sabrina placidly watched me as we waited for Don to return. With anyone else, this would be very awkward. I’d grown used to silence with Sabrina. She was a very deep thinker. You could say something offhand and she’d contemplate it from a variety of different angles for hours. Sometimes she’d dredge up something you said days ago. Or she’d just sit and think. It was one of the things she liked about having me around.

She’d told me once that I was good for that. A comfortable quiet. Apparently being able to hear people’s thoughts made her life rather frustrating. I could only get a vague idea of what that might be like. She likened it to having a constant crowd shouting over themselves in a small room. In this case, the room just so happened to be her mind. As a child, it had pained her.

And then along had come a boy with an inkling of an idea regarding Dark-type energy that made him a ‘quiet’ mind. Soothing almost.

At the time, I had been focused on beating her with my pokemon. Then she had marched up and given me the Marsh badge only to announce she was going to join me for the rest of the circuit. And from there, I had been trying to lessen my footprint on what was supposed to be canon.

I shook my head before looking her over.

The small smile was enough to let me know how she was doing. “Anything planned for when the circuit is over?”

“I will be joining you at the Plateau,” she said firmly before brushing her hair over her shoulder. “Otherwise I have nothing of note.”

“Your family isn’t doing anything?”

“Mother thinks it would be a good idea to go to the beach together as a… Family…”

“Don’t like that idea?”

“It’s very bright at the beach and I don’t like the looks and thoughts I get when I go there.”

“Ah, shame you’d look…” I trailed off before my tongue could talk me into a trap. Sabrina arched an eyebrow.

“I’d look?” Sabrina of course didn’t relent.

“You’d look very nice.”

“Nice,” her voice had gotten flat and I knew she was fishing in her own way but that didn’t stop me from tripping myself into the trap.

“You’d look… attractive. You’re a very attractive woman Sabrina alright?”

She stared at me for a moment before nodding her smile back in place before she looked away. “Thank you.” The quiet returned.

I squatted down and watched a slowly growing black dot form into Don. I now found myself willing him to speed up for the coming fight.

“You are also quite attractive.”

I looked back to her studiously not looking at me. “Hmmm thanks Sabrina.” I half turned before looking back only to shake the idea off. She wanted me to go to the beach with her, didn't she? I turned that over in my head. I really shouldn’t encourage her. I was still squeamish having ‘dated’ her as children. I didn’t want to encourage her or offer something that I couldn’t give. Don arrived and thankfully ended my mental torment.

He hovered and eyed the Alakazam with hate filled eyes. Alakazam made things worse by huffing and dismissing him. I grinned knowing what the hyper-intelligent pokemon was doing.

“Keep your cool Don, he’s toying with you before the fight. This is just banter.” Don glared at me before recalling our own training sessions. He growled before flapping and waggling his legs in a provocative manner. I had no idea how that translated but I didn’t expect anything too refined from an ‘Ancient’ pokemon.

It got a narrowing of eyes from Alakazam so it must have done something.

“Ready?” I asked Sabrina.

She nodded once. “Alakazam, Psybeam.”

And like that the next match began. Sabrina had not bothered with any ‘fair start’ like Surge had been.

Don folded his wings but the attack was fast. Knocking him out of the sky with a mere grazing blow.

“Get off the ground! You’re a sitting Farfetch’d there!”

“Gravity,” Sabrina continued her onslaught making it harder for Don. I’d asked for as much but I knew Don was going to have a tough time with this match up. He struggled to get his legs underneath himself.

“Stone Edge! Make him move!” Don glared at the Alakazam that was holding him down with the power of his mind. For a moment, I thought he was going to launch himself forward to attempt a take-down instead of listen but rocks formed and fired off.

“Teleport,” said Sabrina tonelessly.

Rocks flew into the spaces Alakazam had been, only for him to dodge easily. “Don you need to act faster! Lance’s Dragonite is one of the best pokemon around! If you can’t handle an alakazam, I won’t be able to use you!” I said. Mentally, it was a much different story. Alakazam with teleport would technically be harder to fight. I’d need to make sure Don fought some speedy flying types but right now was about getting him faster in his firing sequence. Don responded like I knew he would, Rock Blasts flying faster.

I swung my arm into a blank area. “Fire there!” Don did as I asked and he was rewarded as Alakazam teleported into the hit. He took the blow and was hurled back. When he rose, he made a show of dusting himself off and scoffing.

Don growled. “Leap up now while he’s distracted!” This time, Don was able to leap for the skies, unhindered now that Alakazam wasn’t focussing the gravity onto him.

“Dragondance Don!” My pokemon tipped himself into a tailspin before alighting with a small growl. Sabrina made a gesture and her pokemon formed a barrier in front of himself.

“Stone Edge again!”

“Psychic,” replied Sabrina. This time, the attack came in the form of Alakazam grabbing the stones that had formed Don’s attack and hurling them back at him.

“Evasive maneveurs Don! Go Lo—” I cursed as he went high. In doing so he made it easier to spot his profile. “Don get low! You’re easier to hit in the sky! Close to the ground, you can throw up dust and obscure yourself with turn about!”

This was not something I would be able to do in my match with Lance. I obviously had a lot of small kinks to work out to get Don’s battling up to snuff. Don took a stone to the wing and dropped before regaining control. He adopted the new dodging pattern and while he didn’t have the thermals to work with, he was able to throw up dust and rocks as chaff for attacks meant for him. This meant Alakazam had to work for it more. “Dragon dance again!”

“Psybeam!”

“Drop to the ground! Create a sinkhole!” Don hit the ground this time dodging the attack before glaring at the alakazam. I was quick to follow up before Alakam’s attack ended. “Go close while using Stone Edge around the area!”

Alakazam suddenly found it much harder to teleport as Don closed on him. “Psybeam again!” ordered Sabrina.

“Ice fang before he hits!” I bellowed. Don’s jaws snapped onto the alakazam’s shoulder and ice flowed down the limb making the super-intelligent pokemon flinch. “Again!”

Don got in another hit. “Finish it, Psybeam.” Sabrina stayed calm. Her Alakazam raised a hand and pointed the palm right at Don. Don was blown off and landed hard into the ground.

I looked down into his crater as he weakly struggled before slumping down. “Good fight buddy. We both need to get better.”

Across from us, Alakazam must have used recovery on himself. Sadly for him, the ice didn’t vanish revealing he’d been partially frozen from Don’s attacks.

Don might have ended up losing but he put up enough of a fight to deny Alakazam his rematch against Titan. Which set Don in a nice frustrated state and much more pliant for the next week —at least— of training that I could put into him. I had multiple points of information that I needed to address for both of us.

It might have seemed cruel to set Don up like this with a match I didn't expect him to win. But sometimes, it was important to crush a pokemon’s pride to get them to listen to you. It wasn’t a method I liked to use but one of the best to use to get some serious training in with Don in the lead up to the fight with Lance.

I didn’t have time to be nice with Don’s pride. I needed him working hard, not strutting around with a chip on his shoulder.

He might have lost but that was all according to plan.

I toyed with the spreadsheet to play with the gym’s earnings and expenditures. If I accounted for the amount of food that I could save with an expedition while trading off human resources required I might come out slightly ahead which would be worth it for a few planned trips. I could enlist a few of my siblings to trade out for Rocko who had put in for leave and then—

My door opened up and a voice called out to me.

”Big brother?” I looked up to find Suzie rubbing at her eyes and yawning hugely. “You’re not asleep?”

I resisted the urge to give a sarcastic reply before nodding. “Yeah, I had some work for the Gym to catch up on. Got a lot on my plate Suzie. What’s up? How come you’re still awake?” I almost asked if she’d had another accident but knew that would only anger her. She hadn’t had any accidents in a few months now.

“I had a bad dream,” she said directly to the floor. I huffed.

“That’s alright. We all have those sometimes.”

“Even you?” She peeked up at me. I nodded.

“Want some warm milk to help you relax? Then you can brush your teeth again before bed.”

“I don't have to brush my teeth if I drink milk! It’s white like my teeth!” Her logic was probably perfect for a five-year-old.

“Ha! I wish it worked that way, but no you brush your teeth if you eat or drink anything.”

“Even water?” I paused, stumped before shaking my head.

“Ah, actually not water. Water gets a pass.” She considered that deeply for a long moment before eventually nodding.

“I want a cookie as well!”

I sighed. “Milk and no cookie.”

“Milk and cookie, otherwise it’s just weird!” She waved her arms about to emphasize the ‘weirdness’ of no cookie and milk. I caved and gave her another nod.

After giving her the cookie and her milk, which I enjoyed alongside her I led her up to the bathroom. There, I oversaw her brushing her teeth atop a stool just for her while I did my own. Then, I settled her into bed in the room she shared with Tilly. Before I got a chance to leave, she spoke up again.

“Can I have a story?”

“Another story?” I said pointedly while staring at the Detective Pikachu’s adventure book I had read earlier.

“I want a real story. One about pokemon!” she said while crossing her tiny arms. I noted the emphasis on ‘real’. So nothing that would qualify as ‘little girl’ material but still age-appropriate.

I considered that before moving back and sitting down with my back against the wall. “Would a story about the prettiest rock type pokemon be enough?”

“Graveller?” she said, likely thinking of the maid like pokemon that was probably asleep in the older girl’s room.

“No, even prettier. It’s so pretty that this pokemon is known as the Jewel pokemon, but it is also one of the toughest pokemon out there. It has to do with the diamonds that make up its body.”

“Diamonds! Really? Wow, that must be a pretty pokemon!” Her eyes widened as her little mind began to imagine what such a pokemon must look like.

“Yup! If any trainer had it, they’d do great at contests just from how pretty it is!”

“What’s its name?” Suzie said, snuggling down into her blanket and watching me.

“Diancie. Diancie the Rock Fairy type pokemon.”

“There’s not a Fairy-type pokemon. I know, I learnt about that in school!”

“Really? They taught you that at Pre-school? I’m impressed!” Suzie puffed up her chest before nodding. I made a show of looking left and right, “Well I’m going to tell you a secret. Can you keep it for me?”

“Yeah!” She said seriously. I smiled, not really minding if she blabbed like I expected her to a friend. People wouldn’t take her too seriously until the official position statement from the League was released in a year or so.

“There’s going to be a new typing announced soon.”

“The Fairy type!?” She said, understanding what I meant immediately. I nodded.

“Yup! Pokemon like Clefairy aren’t just Normal-type.”

“Wow! What are they strong and weak against?” I nodded, pleased at her serious question.

“They’re weak to Steel, and poison, with Dark, fighting and bug not being as effective. But guess what?”

“What?”

“They’re super strong against Dark, Fighting and… Dragon types which they’re immune to damage from.”

She gasped. “You could use Diancie against Lance and beat him up!” She shot up. “We need to get you a Diancie! Where do we go to get one?!”

I put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, Hey It’s alright. My pokemon and I have been working hard. And I'm sorry to say that Diancie are super, super rare.”

“As rare as Legendary pokemon?”

I shook my head. “Not that rare, but they’re up there.” Technically with the games, Mythical pokemon were tougher to get but Suzie didn’t need to be told that. She needed dreams and thoughts filled with potential rather than cold harsh truths.

“Do you think you’ll ever get a Diancie?”

“I’d love one but I think I’d have to give it to someone.”

“Who?”

“You, “ I said before bopping her nose. “Then I know you’d always be safe. If I ever get one, I’ll make sure to give it to you alright?”

Suzie grinned and gave me a hug. “Sure big brother.”

“You’ll go to bed now?”

“Alright, thanks for the story.”

I stroked her hair before stepping out of the room. “Good night Suzie, love you.”

“Good night Brock, I love you!” she said before shutting her eyes. I watched her for a moment before moving to the office.

For a moment, I thought I saw a light flicker on around a corner but none of them seemed to be fluttering. In the office, I reviewed the spreadsheet. It was as good as I was going to get it. I had everything as ready as I could get it. Now I just had to go to the Indigo Plateau for the conference that was coming up and throw down my challenge to Lance.