The Journal of Arthur Lindt
June 16th, 20XX
Nova is a monster. I knew this already, of course, he had proven it time and time again. His dedication to growing stronger combined with his frankly ludicrous potential has resulted in him growing far faster than anything I’m sure anyone could have expected. Never was that more clear than in how quickly he had taken to the TM‘s we had been given. As much as I would have loved to give one to Bastion, given how hard he had worked to earn them in the first place, sadly he couldn’t learn any grass moves, and couldn’t even learn flash. There was no TM we could give him, at least not from Sprout Tower.
Once I have enough money I’d be certain to buy him one that’s for sure. Probably light screen or protect. Those moves would give him some much-needed protection against special attacking moves. They are expensive TM‘s though so that was probably a way off. Still, as soon as I could afford it I would purchase it for him. He had already earned it as far as I was concerned.
However, that thinking was a distraction from what I needed to write about, which was Nova’s aptitude for grassy terrain and flash. Terrain moves are some of the most influential moves in the world of Pokémon. While in the games and competitive community, they went a little more underutilized, except trick room which was central to dozens of major strategies. Here in the actual world of Pokémon, the ability to alter a field to your team's choosing is hugely important. Weather and terrain moves can turn a battle from an uphill slog into something easily manageable.
Grassy terrain was a move I always intended to teach Nova at some point. The move adds passive healing to all Pokémon without the flying typing, or abilities that keep them off the ground. Given that includes my entire team so far it’s very important. With the added benefit of increasing the strength of grass moves and weakening three major ground moves it will become something I want Nova to master.
Terrain moves, unlike the games, have varying degrees of strength. The weakest of grassy terrains will only create small patches of grass that will slightly increase healing. At the same time, the strongest uses of the move (Erika from Kanto comes to mind) can generate entire forests on a whim, making her team nearly impossible to snuff out without a way to clear the field or counter the regen.
Weather moves are similar, in that a move like hail can generate anywhere from a light snowfall to a full whiteout depending on the skill of the user. I wasn’t expecting Nova to reach gym leader strength with grassy terrain anytime soon, but I also wasn’t expecting what he accomplished. When we finished our training yesterday he could get light grass growth on half a field in barely any more than ten seconds. We also learned that when he was ingrained he could do that twice as quickly. Meaning if we wanted we could cover the entire arena floor in 10 seconds if we wanted to.
And against Falkner, we definitely wanted to.
Unfortunately, my plan for dealing with the flying gym leader meant I needed to keep Nova’s ability to use that move a secret. The same went for the move flash. Nova had gotten a decent handle on the move already and was able to create a pretty bright point of light at a moment's notice. He hadn’t quite gotten the timing down to completely avoid blinding himself for a moment, but he still got out of it better than anyone he hit.
That was another tool I needed to keep to myself. The only way I win against a gym leader with the team I have is if I catch them off guard. It may have only been a first badge challenge, but they still wouldn’t just hand the win to me. Bastion should be able to handle anything they throw out with taunts and counters, but that wasn’t how I wanted to play this. Nova wanted to be a winner, to be seen. He would have to be the one to finish Falkner’s team, and for that to happen we needed to be able to surprise him.
Surprising your opponent is always a good tactic, but it’s risky in first-badge challenges. I needed to beat two gym trainers before facing Falkner, and while I doubt they’ll be too large an obstacle (they are only meant to judge my strength for Falkner after all) I still would be going up against them with an arm tied behind my back.
I guess I can’t complain if I put it there myself, but still. I had to hope it wouldn’t be too much of a hindrance. That said Nova and Bastion didn’t seem worried about it at all. The two of them seemed thrilled to be heading into a big battle, and I don’t think I could blame them.
I thought I would be more nervous, but here I am psyched for the chance to face off in a major battle. I would be earning my first gym badge. The idea of it is enough to keep me far too excited to go. My trainer battles will be the first among our group of friends. Lyra will go right after me, and Ethan’s isn’t for another week still.
Lyra had been keeping the details of her training for this battle a secret, even from me, so I was excited to see what she would do. I was still debating whether or not I wanted to stick around in Violet City to watch Ethan’s battle or move right on afterward. I also had to decide still where I wanted to go. South would lead me to towards Azalea town and Bugsy, while west would take me to Goldenrod and Whitney.
While the bug-type gym Bugsy ran would be worse for my team to deal with than Whitney’s normal gym, if I skipped Bugsy I’d have to backtrack through one of my routes to get there. Although I suppose it’s entirely possible the decision could end up being made for me. In the games the route North was blocked by a Pokémon and the route to Goldenrod was tough to approach from the east. So Bugsy might just be my only option.
Not that I was worried. That path was along the traditional circuit route anyway, so I was kind of leaning towards it anyway. Besides none of this planning would mean anything if I lost to Falkner and needed to stay in Violet City for another two weeks. I needed to focus on my matches first and foremost. Everything else would come in due time. I could only hope it went well.
----------------------------------------
Arthur Lindt
I stood in the lobby of the Violet City gym. I was staring at the door in front of me. The elevator had a TV right above it, much smaller than the ones in the viewing area, but it was important to let trainers know when the battle ahead of them ended so they were ready to go. My foot tapped on the ground impatiently. I wasn’t nervous, not anymore. I was excited, far more than I could have imagined. Nova sat on my shoulder, staring straight ahead at the screen ahead of me as one of the other young challengers faced off against their last gym trainer.
His Rattata was facing off against a Pidgey and was struggling to land hits against the air superior enemy. The trainer didn’t seem that smart to me, as he was having his Rattata waste energy chasing the flying Pidgey around the arena, trying to stay below it for the whole fight. It was pointless in the end, the Pidgey only knew peck or tackle. It would have to come down to hit his Rattata anyway, and Rattata should be fast enough to get the hit off on Pidgey without trouble.
He would probably win in the end anyway however, Pidgey was getting tired trying to stay ahead enough to get room to divebomb the rat. My turn would be up soon.
“Are you nervous?” A gentle voice cut through my thoughts as Lyra spoke up from beside me.
“Nervous? No, not at all. Why do you ask?” She looked at me for a moment, confused, the Poliwag in her arms matching her expression, which was downright adorable.
“Because you are mumbling about the match on the screen and look ready to jump out of your skin.” She gestured to my foot which I had to consciously stop from tapping.
“You’re strong Arthur. You’ll be fine.” Ethan was right next to Lyra with his two Pokémon out by his sides, watching the battle screen ahead of me.
“Thanks. Yeah, I don’t think I’m nervous or anything, just… antsy I suppose. Ready to go.” I explain the best I can, my two friends nodding in understanding as I do so.
“Well, that does make sense. I’m kind of feeling the same way, really pumped up to see what we can do, right Poyo?” She looked down at the Poliwag in her arms, who just gurgled in response. He was absolutely adorable.
“Ah well, thanks for coming to watch Poyo. As long as my team isn’t too roughed up I’ll stick around to watch you guys afterwards.
The Pokémon lets out a happy-sounding gurgle and I feel content. I had good friends here for me. It made me happier than they could know. My attention was drawn back to the TV, in which I could see the Pidgey, tired from evading the Rattata in the air for the majority of the match messed up its attempted divebomb. The Rattata’s greater stamina gave it the advantage and it capitalized on the opportunity, knocking out the opponent in a single solid hit.
I may have underestimated the strength of this trainer’s Rattata, that one blow had more power than I would have expected. Nonetheless, that means his battle was over. I watched as he exchanged a bow with the Gym Trainer, the audio was muted but I could imagine they were informing the young trainer he qualified for his match with Falkner. Only a few more minutes and that would be me.
The TV stopped showing the match, instead cutting to an advertisement for some running shoe brand that sponsored the gym. Suppose it made sense, even the wonderful world of Pokémon can’t escape the pulls of Capitalism. I stepped to the side as I saw the elevator light up, the number at the top spinning to show it was descending.
“Looks like it will be time to go right away. Nova you ready?” There was no hesitation as he nodded, jumping off my shoulder to rest on the ground beside me, his excitement likely dwarfing my own.
“Good. We’ll open with you then, Bastion will close us out.” Nova nodded once more liking the plan. Patience was not one of his strong suits, letting him battle first was to make up for how little use he got in Sprout Tower.
“You got this Arthur, Nova.” Lyra’s words of encouragement were sweet to hear while Ethan stood at her side.
“We will see you when you’re done.” Man of few words, but his faith was unwavering. Damn, I had good friends.
I watched as the elevator opened, the trainer I saw battle stepped out smiling, his Rattata on his head as he did so. It looked tired and worn down, but given it had fought both gym trainers by itself that was to be expected. I gave him a nod as he noticed me.
“Good battle up there, you’re Rattata is strong. One hit knockout on the second gym trainer is impressive.” He looked startled as he noticed me before smiling at the praise.
“Of course we did. Rattata goes underappreciated sometimes but mine is particularly strong. It’s like my Rattata is in the top percentage of all Rattata.” His smile was still beaming but mine dropped as I recognized the line.
“Joey. Well done in your match, to be expected of course. What are you-” The voice trailed off, and I turned to see the person I knew it would belong to. Martin Princely I could tell from how he trailed off looking at me, that he recognized me.
“Arthur.” He spoke my name only, his voice cold but the glint in his eyes was familiar to the last time I had seen him.
“Martin.” I returned his tone, and I could feel Nova tense beside me. He wasn’t scared, just preparing, as though he expected to fight already. Lyra and Ethan were still on my sides and it was clear they recognized the tension, even if they didn’t know what it was about.
“Still traveling with that Sunkern it seems. I thought perhaps you might have learned your lesson in the months before the season started.” Nova growled at this, while I kept my expression cool and even.
“Nova is strong, as I said when I first saw you. They’re even stronger now.” Our gazes were locked, but I could hear Joey start laughing.
“Pft right, I hope whatever your second Pokémon is it can cover the slack. Trying to challenge Falkner with a grass type, especially one that weak. Ha, I’m glad to see you're still a joke.” Joey’s insults didn’t even get to me, my expression was still locked on Martin. I raised an eyebrow, as though asking him if he thought the same. Martin looked at Joey but didn’t say anything. He just turned to look back at me.
“I’ve already earned my badge from Falkner, Joey will be the last of us to win his. We will be leaving as soon as he does.” That was his only response, and the meaning behind it was clear. He wasn’t concerned by me. I wasn’t even seen as interesting competition, much less a rival. For the first time, his reaction made me angry. Being dismissed was worse than being insulted. A lot worse.
“Write me off if you want, but if you were smart you might want to watch these trainer battles. Would be a shame if you got swept by surprise because you looked down on me.” I don’t wait for his response, turning to the elevator. I swept my trainer ID over the sensor pad, the elevator door opening in response.
I can see Martin watching me as the door closes. His two lackey’s still laughing at my supposed empty threat. However, he stared right at me, the glint in his eyes once more. I found Martin harder to get a read on than even Silver. Did he want me to prove him wrong? The elevator shut, and I was left alone with Nova at my side. I felt the elevator shake as it started rising.
I was quick to grab the Pokéball on my belt, releasing Bastion into the elevator as well. He didn’t look surprised as I let him out, and watched as he turned to Nova seemingly checking on him. Pokéballs weren’t fully isolated spaces, if Pokémon wanted to they could listen and even sense what was happening outside, it seemed Bastion had seen what had happened. Good.
“So you saw that with Martin then. Good. I know we came in with a plan, keep our skills hidden and clear the trainers so we can surprise Falkner with our best foot forward. But I’m thinking of a change in plans. Nova, I want you to use you for both trainer battles, and we are going to use every skill we have to crush them.” I watched Nova look surprised for a moment before a grin fell on his face. It wasn’t one I had seen before, but it was familiar. Similar to his face when he was excited for a battle but more aggressive. Sharper. He was angry with Martin too.
Bastion looked at Nova, and then towards me, before he stuck out his ‘hand’ into thumbs up. I think it was clear he approved as well.
“Thank you Bastion. Besides this will make your showing against Falkner even stronger. He won’t expect you, at least if he doesn’t research us. That’s to our advantage.” Bastion slapped his fist against the floor of the elevator, and I could tell he liked that part of the plan even more. I wanted to try and take it easy for the first gym badge and give myself the best chance of winning, but I was beyond that now. I wanted to make the strongest showing possible. And that meant no holding back.
I recalled Bastion and Nova hopped in place a few times his excitement visible.
“You understand what this means right Nova? We hit them with everything and keep nothing back. We end the first trainer without getting hit.” Nova simply nodded turning to face the back door of the elevator, the one that would open to the top of the tower.
The Elevator ride took a minute at most. And as the door opened I couldn’t help but be disappointed. It was a small waiting room, with an attendant by the door. The young woman smiled at me as I approached.
“Arthur Lindt yes?” I nodded in response.
“Good. Your first gym trainer is ready. This battle will be 1 on 1 with no switches. These battles are not pass-or-fail challenges and are simply used to judge your strength for your battle against Falkner, as this is your first gym challenge. Do you have any questions?” I didn’t think I did initially, but one came to mind now that my plan had failed.
“What happens if I make a showing that is stronger than a first badge-level challenge.” The attendant gave me a surprised look before she glanced at Nova at my feet. Her look turned more amused than anything else as she recognized the Pokémon I was bringing for the first battle.
“The badge challenge system is both a mix of expected strength for that level, as well as a challenge appropriate to a trainer at that level. If you were to show strength comparable to a higher badge level, Falkner would then focus on testing other attributes than your strength.”
That all made sense, at the early badge levels raw strength can vary widely between trainers and their Pokémon. It made sense the lower badges would look into testing more than just strength to make sure a trainer was properly prepared to move to the next level. It was likely designed to emulate the higher levels of battle where strategy and skill became just as important as raw power.
All the best trainers had both of course, but given I would eventually be lacking in the raw power department, strategy and planning were where I needed to focus on learning. I was glad that Falkner would be testing that as opposed to my team's strength.
This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
“That all makes sense, thank you very much.” I gave the woman a short bow, the common gesture in Indigo still feeling awkward as I did it. However, she seemed to appreciate it and returned the bow before stepping to the side and opening a door.
It was similar to the first elevator but was smaller, and instead of a rising box, it was a platform that raised upwards. I flinched a little as it moved and Nova hopped up to my shoulder as it did. I could feel the nervous energy coursing through him and tried to steady myself.
“We got this buddy. Give it everything we have and they won’t even have time to react.”
“Kern!” I could feel Nova nod in agreement and his shaking settled. We were ready.
It was a good thing we were, as the platform did not take long to reach its destination at the top of the gym’s tower. The ceiling above us split open and light poured in as our platform slid into place. We were under a large dome, maybe an 80-foot radius, give or take. The platform I rose from was right on the edge of this dome, and through the blue-tinted glass behind me, I could see all of Violet City. We were higher in the air than I expected, and I had to quench a small feeling of vertigo that passed as I looked away.
The majority of this dome was a standard Pokémon arena, 60 feet wide and 90 feet across. The field itself, despite being located in the tower was still made of dirt, the white lines showing the two halves of the field each trainer was allowed to release their Pokémon on. I wasn’t sure how deep the dirt itself was, but given Gym Leaders worked to keep their arenas mostly fair, it was probably deep enough for the move dig to be used. At least by smaller Pokémon.
Even if Gym Leaders did try to keep their arenas mostly fair, they still also leaned into their preferred typing in designs. Rock or ground-type gyms may litter their field with boulders, while grass-type leaders may have plant life already present on the field before the battle starts. In Falkner’s case, I thought his gym was possibly the coolest one in Johto. The Dome around us was capable of opening, allowing paths for air and wind to blast through, and granting greater freedom of movement to his flying types.
Sadly he saved those events for his higher-level badge challenges, but maybe I would swing by the gym if I had time at the end of the circuit, challenge his gym at a higher level, and test myself in his ideal battleground.
“Trainers, to your starting positions.” A voice pulled me from my thoughts as it echoed through the dome. It drew my attention back to the field itself, where I could see the first gym trainer had come forward from his platform.
A younger Man, just out of his teens. He wore plain work pants and a white T, while his belt held only a single Pokéball. He stepped into the trainer box on his end of the field, facing towards me. I followed his lead, stepping into my own. I could feel my heart beating in my chest but any anxiety had long since faded. All that was left was our battle, I recalled Nova into his ball, preparing for the call to send him out to the field.
It was a moment of silence, a moment to wait where the tension climbed before the voice broke the silence once more, speakers hidden to the eye.
“Trainers, release your Pokémon.” It sounded like the woman’s voice from downstairs, but that thought was only a distraction. My ball went high, in a spinning arc as it did so, before a red beam deployed Nova to the field, right in the center of my half.
The trainer across from me simply held his ball forward, a beam of red light releasing a Hoothoot onto the field. Not the kind of Pokémon I had expected, but this was better for me. Despite Nova’s typing most of his moves were the physically attacking kind, which meant that a flying type with lower physical defense was ideal for what we wanted to do.
There was another moment of silence, as a hum echoed through the air. Psychic barriers activate along the edge of the dome, likely to protect the glass in case of any stray shots. Must be standard since I doubted many first-badge challenges could put out enough power to damage the barriers.
We waited a moment longer before the voice from hidden speakers cried out once more.
“Trainers. Begin.” Despite the predictable gap in experience between me and the gym trainer, he waited to react. The training wheels were still on for this battle. That was fine by me, Nova would show them the mistake in that decision-making.
“Nova ingrain.” I make the call, watching his roots dig into the ground and lock him in place, and the faint whisps of green energy as he begins passively healing. I watch as the gym trainer scoffs at the move, judging my decision to lock down against an opponent specializing in ranged psychic attacks.
“Hoothoot, to the air. Confusion at a distance.” I watched as the Hoothoot rose into the sky, slower than most other flying types in this region.
It rose, climbing a good thirty feet before began to circle above Nova. I let it do so undisturbed. On the outside, it might have looked like I was panicking, frozen, and unsure of what to do. In truth, I was waiting for the right moment. Psychic moves take a good deal of concentration for weaker Pokémon. So when Hoothoot starts attacking his mobility will be limited.
Once Hoothoot stopped my order was quick and ruthless.
“Down them.”
Nova’s response was immediate, and I watched as he began spinning his body lightly, twisting his whole head like he was trying to spin a hula-hoop. I watched the energy drawn from the ground amassed in the leaf atop his head and watched with a smile as a stream of razor leaves launched upwards to the small owl Pokémon.
The trainer across from me flinched and shouted out to his own Pokémon.
“Hoothoot! Abort, dive.” His order spoke of an experience in battling with flying types, but it was experience a first badge level Pokémon didn’t have. It took as much concentration for the owl to cancel its attempted attack, and focus on movement once more, and that was time that let Nova continuously attack.
We had done a lot of work with Razor Leaf over the past few days in preparation. Nova was practicing both his control of leaves and how many he could generate. The goal was to eventually evolve the move into magical leaf. That was a long way off, and Nova still couldn’t control his leaves after he launched them. But we did learn something else he could do.
Hoothoot was constantly being buffeted by the razor leaves, the blade-like attack slicing small gashes across their form as they tried to adjust their flight and prepared to dive. Perhaps the trainer across from me, or even the Hoothoot expected Nova to stop the attack soon. He did not.
Moves take energy to perform, and as such the amount of time Pokémon can continuously stretch an attack depends on their strength and mastery over the move. The better you were the more efficiently you spent type energy using the move, and the longer you could stretch it on. This applied to things like flamethrower, hydro pump, and beam attacks to name a few.
Nova’s mastery of razor leaf certainly wasn’t enough to allow him to use the move constantly like this. However, we found a little secret. Ingrain drew on grass-type energy from the ground to heal a Pokémon. What if a Pokémon wasn’t injured, however? What did they do with that extra grass energy?
I’m certain the experts stored it to power up the damage of their later moves, while weaker trainers probably let it waste. Nova wasn’t skilled enough in type energy to store more than his base amount, but if his energy was being drained by an attack he could easily use the excess energy to fill his reserves. The loss was still greater than his gain of course, but it allowed him to push the attack much longer than he should be capable of. I was going to save this turret strategy and combine it with grassy terrain for an endless stream of leaves against Falkner, but it was better used here to deal with the first opponent since we wanted to sweep these gym trainer battles.
I watched as the trainer ahead of me began to panic as he realized that we weren’t going to stop.
“Hoothoot, dive now into peck!” He wanted to get an attack off. I couldn’t blame him. It was the only option he had with his Pokémon as they were. A shame it was already too late.
I said nothing as the Hoothoot tucked in its wings and dived at Nova. It made it halfway down before its lidded eyes shut and it lost control of its dive.
“Nova stop!” I was immediate in my shout, the moment I saw the Hoothoot faint. The gym trainer behind me was just as fast, withdrawing his Pokémon in a flash of red before it could even hit the ground.
Nova popped off his ingrain, hopping out of the spot he had dug in and turning to face me. He was already ready for what was next. The next gym trainer should be up to replace the first, and we would be able to move on quickly. The second trainer would be stronger than the first, especially after that showing, but I knew we could handle it. Instead, I was surprised to hear the announcer once more.
“We need a moment to prepare for the challenger’s second match, could the challenger please return to the platform for a temporary recess.”
I was confused to hear what was being said. They hadn’t done anything like this for Joey’s battle. I turned to look at the gym trainer in confusion but he had already turned away, his lift lowering into the floor.
I was confused but followed the instructions, recalling Nova and returning to my platform, as it lowered and the platform sealed above me I couldn’t help but wonder if I had gotten in trouble somehow. We hadn’t broken any rules, had we?
----------------------------------------
Hayato Falkner
Falkner frowned as he looked over the paperwork that crowded his desk. He was tired. He loved being a gym leader, and he was thankful he had such a good team at his gym that he wasn’t constantly overwhelmed, but the start of the season was the same every year. Hundreds of kids with absolutely no experience in Pokémon battling will show up in Violet City. They all rushed to challenge his gym, assuming that he was the weakest of the eight just because he was the first in the traditional order for Johto.
Then when they fail to collect a gym badge, because again they have zero experience and may need more than one attempt if they haven’t practiced, they get angry and rowdy. Vandalism always skyrockets in Violet City around this time, not to mention cases of abandoned or mistreated Pokémon.
Not that Violet City was alone in this situation, pretty much every gym in the region suffers from the trainer rush at the start of the season, Violet City just had it worse than others. Pewter had the same problem in Kanto as well.
That reminded Falkner, that he needed to reach out to Brock again about taking a short break to do some training once things slowed down at the end of the month. There weren’t many trainers strong in Falkner’s type weakness that could challenge him, and Brock sharing many of Falkner’s circumstances meant they managed to get along swimmingly.
Still, that was just another thing that added to his list of stuff to do. With another sigh, he flipped the page continuing with the piles of paperwork. He only got halfway through the document, some report about strange movements of Pokémon towards Mount Silver when the phone on his desk rang.
Thanking Ho-oh for the interruption he was quick to answer it. His gym trainers used the phone to reach out to him, so it was almost certainly more work, but he would take more active work than being stuck at this desk a minute longer.
“Falker here.” He answered the phone standing from the desk as he did so, praying that he would have an excuse to keep moving.
“Falkner, it’s Christy.” Ah, Christy was unexpected, she was one of his more skilled trainers, and generally supervised the trainer matches against first-badge challengers. If she was calling then something must have happened, likely one of the new hires he got for this season going to hard on a rookie. He guessed as to who it was.
“Christy, if I’m hearing from you at this time then I can assume Jonathan overdid it again.” Jonathan was the new hire Falkner had been having the most trouble with. The kid was good, he couldn’t deny that. Made it to the quarter-finals during last year's circuit, and had a pretty powerful Fearow as his starter.
It’s why Falkner had hired him. The kid wanted advice from an expert on training his flying type, so he could challenge the circuit next year before he hit the age cap. Falkner had no problem helping him train, most gym trainers were hired with similar goals, and only a few would be like Christy and take up a permanent position. The problem with Jonathan is that he was a little too aggressive in his battles. More than once he used a Pokémon that was a little too skilled for the opening trainer battle.
Jonathan’s biggest problem was control, he had power but lacked the grace and skill in utilizing it to its best efficiency. It’s why Falkner had him open a lot of the trainer battles. He would need to start with a weaker Pokémon or one with good control and adjust on the fly given what the trainer showed. Even then, however, he had a bad habit of stomping a kid before they could get the chance to show any indication of their actual skill.
“Sir… Well, it’s probably easier if you see the footage for yourself. We called a break in the trainer matches to get your judgment. I’ve sent the footage to your personal computer.” Christy sounded hesitant, unsure of herself. That wasn’t a good sign. She had been working with Falkner for 3 years at this point. There wasn’t much she hadn’t seen.
“I’m checking it now.” He didn’t hesitate, making his way to the large standing computer in the corner of his office. Newer PCs were smaller but Falkner had to admit he preferred the large older ones. They just felt better to use for some reason.
It wasn’t hard for him to find the new file in question. It wasn’t labeled properly, just the raw data number for the video file. Opening it and letting it play Falkner prepared for the worst. Jonathan had gone overboard before but he never caused any permanent injury before. If he had that would be a problem.
Falkner’s fear of permanent injury only increased as he saw the trainer in question rise onto the field. He stood out only in his style. The yellow vest over the white shirt, black jeans, and strange style of hat had him stick out as some kind of foreigner. When he released his Pokémon Falkner swore audibly.
“Fuck Christy. This kid showed up to my gym with a Sunkern? How bad did Jonathan hurt him?” Falkner knew this was going to happen at some point. You got one or two every year, some rookie in over their head with a Pokémon incapable of crossing the type disadvantage line. It usually didn’t go too badly but with Jonathan against him. Shit.
“Just watch sir.”
And so Falkner did, surprised by Christy’s tone again. It was still unsure, but there was a hint of amusement to it now. He wondered why that was.
He did not have to wonder long.
He watched the fight in its entirety. All twenty seconds of it. Then he rewound it and watched it again. Then he watched it a third time just to be sure.
“Sir? What should we do about this?” Christy’s question was a valid one. Falkner can’t recall the last time he had seen something like this. That trainer made a joke of his battle. Utterly stomped his opponent-type disadvantage be damned.
“Who is this kid Christy? Who trained him?” He needed to understand where this kid learned a move like that.
Using ingrain to fuel energy for continued attacks was an advanced technique. It was technically possible for anyone to use it at most levels, but the understanding that type-energy fueled a Pokémon’s strength took a great deal of time for most trainers to learn without guidance, and to get a Pokémon to manage it required a good deal of training and teamwork. It was clear they hadn’t nailed it yet, since it didn’t look like the move was any stronger than normal, but still.
“That’s just it sir. He doesn’t have one. His files are completely normal. Caught his teammate 2 months ago, and has stopped in Violet City as his first gym in the circuit. He was born in Galar initially but immigrated with his Mother and Sister after the death of their Father. His Mother is a Johto native so he has dual citizenship.” Christy’s explanation is clinical, and just what he expected of her. She knew well enough to look up the backgrounds of anomalies like this.
And this kid was an anomaly. The more Falkner thought about the clear battle. That was Sunkern. It was arguably one of the weakest Pokémon that existed, and yet here it showed a strength that was already at least the second badge level. Then he used a battle technique and move that showed a deep understanding of how his Pokémon worked and behaved. And to top it all off he called off his attack the moment his opponent was unable to battle, avoiding any undue harm. It showed remarkable control, however, it's entirely possible that the Pokémon was simply one that was already trained and skilled, and was doing most of the work.
“Can we confirm he only caught his starter 2 months ago? That sort of strength from a Sunkern this early has me thinking it’s gifted. And what about the Father, any chance he mentored this kid?” He was looking for an explanation for what he was watching as the video went through its 4th loop. The longer he went without one the more excited he got.
“The father died when he was only 4 it seems. Cancer. He was a fairly well-renowned electric-type specialist in Galar, but it’s as I said. No sign of training and the Sunkern was caught and registered back in March. It was confirmed by Professor Elm.” Christy’s explanation confirmed it as far as Falkner was concerned.
Gym leaders had the job of training and preparing trainers for the intricacies and difficulties of Pokémon battling. The first badge determined they were at least capable of participating. The second through fourth gyms determined that you had the basic skill to train a Pokémon’s strength. From there, gyms five through seven tested the trainer’s actual talent and capabilities to battle with and against Pokémon of strength. The eighth gym battle was different. It was a wall, designed to stop any trainer that didn’t have the potential to battle at an elite level.
Roughly ten percent of trainers in a circuit would collect 7 badges. Less than 1 would make it past the eight badges. The largest conference tournament Indigo had had was the one right after the unification war, with 48 participants. Most were teens and young adults who had actual combat experience from the war itself. Falkner was glad he didn’t have to live through those times. Relations between Johto and Kanto were strained at the best of times, back after the war it would have been hellish.
These days the average conference had anywhere from 12 to 16 trainers who followed that same age rating, most were teens and young adults who had attempted the circuits before. Any trainers who showed potential during their first circuit year, especially as early as the first badge, were ones the gym leaders took note of. They had terms for the kinds of anomalies that could appear.
There were the Junior Aces, trainers who had mentors or funds that could give them an advantage in any battles they had. One had already shown up in Falkner’s gym. Martin Princely. The kid had more money than he knew what to do with his family and had access to strong Pokémon and advisors for training them. Any of the clan trainers would fit this category as well, Blackthorns being the most noticeable of course.
Then there were the Gifted. Trainers that had some sort of natural-born advantage that made them stronger than others. Whether that was an affinity for aura or even more supernatural abilities like the psychics or those who had unnatural abilities to communicate with Pokémon. Former Elite 4 member Agatha fit this category, as did Bruno.
The final was the Super Rookies. These were the rarest, but they were simply trainers that possessed unnatural growth in battling. They never started as standouts, with little wealth or power to their names. They simply grew in strength, never stopping until they blew past all competition. Battling styles, techniques, and training methods. They saw, absorbed, and improved on all. Cynthia, Sinnoh’s Champion was one of these, but the arguably most famous was the one who appeared two years ago. Red.
And now Falkner was beginning to suspect there could be another.
“Sir. What do you want to do?” There was no way to say it was for sure the kid was a super Rookie.
The kid could simply have a strong foundation that puts him above most trainers' starting points but lacks the strength to keep up with the climb in a skill that came from higher badge challenges. The fact his starter was limited by being a Sunkern was already nearly an insurmountable barrier. He will need strong teammates to pick up the slack.
Of course, there was only one way for Falkner to verify his suspicions of the kid’s potential.
“Clear my schedule, Christy. I will take over his evaluation.” Falkner hung up the phone, not waiting to hear his trainer's disapproval for shirking the order of things.
Falkner was all for tradition, the Samue he wore was a testament to that. But Falkner was a man driven by instinct to do what was exciting and freeing. The redesign of the gym to have an opening tower, his training sessions with Brock, and the Blue Jacket and Falconer bracers he wore were all signs that he valued one over the other.
Even if this kid wasn’t a Super Rookie, he would still be fun to test. He could only hope whatever his second Pokémon was that it would live up to the impression that Sunkern had made. He couldn’t help but smile as he approached the elevator, ready to disrupt things for his excitement once more. He was the master of birds, after all, he had to take after them in some ways.