Chapter 40: Maximum suck

Chapter 40: Maximum suck

The books werent heavy, but they still caused an audible whump as they landed on the table. I glanced at them before picking up the first one.

Youre feeling new things growing up within you? What you need to know, and how to approach conversations about it? I picked up another one. The importance of crystals in your sanctum, and how this can work for you. I looked up at the three other members of the Guardians. Youre screwing with me right? This is like an initiation hazing for the new guy?

Karen sniggered before biting her lips as Agatha turned a gimlet eye. Koga chuffed once in amusement, then replied, No, the names are in fact very deliberate. The books even tell you what their purpose is for but you would be surprised about how often a book

Is judged by its cover, I said, finishing the quote.

Koga inclined his head. Just so.

So you give them awkward-sounding titles that make it read like a puberty book. Or an interior decorator's book? I lifted both in turn before looking through the second book. I paged through it and paused at the recommended section that was at the start. Evolution Stone?

Karen bobbed her head once up and down. Yes, you know, Dawn stone, thunderstones, Water stones

I groaned in annoyance. Karen frowned before realisation set in. Youve never used evolution stones before?

I shook my head. No, not ever.

But you use rocks and pebbles? She said incredulously. I nodded glumly. Id been patting myself on the back this entire time for using a focus to get a feel for the energy with my pebbles and rocks. Hadnt I been clever? Turns out I was an idiot that couldnt see what was staring him in the face and should have been obvious.

I shut my eyes as I made the next logical step. And what is an evolution stone but a stone that has within it a typing of energy? I said rhetorically. I felt like facepalming at the oversight. Theres no such thing as an evolution stone for the rock type but then again Rock itself works well enough for me.

I tilted my head in thought. Dusk stones, right? I got nods at that which made me grumble. It seemed so simple and straightforward once someone had pointed it out. What about berri I trailed off when the third book revealed itself.

It read. Growing big and strong like a pokemon! A food advisory.

Well, I think I need to retire for the night to kick myself.

Agatha cackled at my antics while Karen smirked. Koga remained stoic but there was an air as if he was amused by my antics. After a moment he tilted his head.

You are young Brock. These are things that people constantly overlook in their day-to-day life. I am sure there are many other oversights or applications of everyday items that we take for granted. Your prior use of pebbles was impressive. He tilted his head. Also, you have more on your plate than many others in your circumstance.

It took a second but I realised he was referencing my familys situation. I worked my jaw. That wasnt ever an excuse I wanted to accept. Falling back on it felt wrong. I shook my head and pushed down the stirrings of dark energy as I pointedly avoided thinking of my father or her.

When I looked up I noticed Koga and Agatha both asking Tiffany for another cup of tea. Karen however was laser focused on me.

When Agatha turned back she flicked her eyes to Karen to see if the younger woman would say anything. When it was obvious nothing would be forthcoming she spoke up, Youll want to start using more hard rocks or gems for the difference if you havent already.

Agatha smirked. Good thing youre so flush with cash from your match. I would also see if you cant just find some more star pieces. I jolted in surprise. Lots of people knew of the Onix sale, as Id announced as much, but the rest of the money Id had to grow the gym had been found from my trip in Hoenn.

She smirked as she gestured a hand towards Karen. Karen will make herself available to you. Shell be the primary point of contact to work on your Dark energy. Im sure you two young ones would enjoy not having Elders breathing down your necks.

Karen smiled playfully. Best make sure to read up beforehand Brock. Im a strict teacher, she said. With how husky her voice normally was, I suddenly had an image of her in a tight pencil skirt and a long wooden ruler turning to I pushed those thoughts aside, nodding seriously at her.

Agatha leered at me, likely knowing where my mind had wandered but didnt say anything beyond, Well I shall return to my own home for the evening. Thank you for the earlier entertainment. Her eyes flickered to where the wrecked manor was as she rose. She left with a low laugh that seemed to haunt the room long after her departure.

I rubbed my head. Is that is it normal to go and trash some mans house as a Guardian?

Karen rose and flicked her hair over her shoulder. A woman scorned Brock. Do take note, when you throw weight around at the Pokemon League it has chain reactions. Karen nodded her head towards the house, John Able is an old man that switched his support of Agatha for an advantageous business choice. Hes going to make money while letting the League retire Agatha. Tonight was just a warning for him. Mr Able will have his summer house fixed up before the next fall of snow, don't worry.

I put my hands over my face and groaned into them. That was the property of owner of the pokeblock corporation?

Karen nodded, smiling at my distress. Make sure you stay on your toes with Agatha in future. Shes a ghost type and likes tricks like that. And shes not above hitting five targets at once.

She then pushed her transceiver towards me. Lets trade numbers so we can talk more. Itll be good to have another in the Guardians I can talk with.

Koga twitched. Do not trade information over an unse I know! snapped Karen at him only for him to plow on with his reprimand, cure line, that is begging for information to leak into dangerous hands! He glared at Karen as she huffed at him.

Cant believe Im expected to work with you for the next few years when I make Elite Four! Urgh! Thank Arceus you joined Brock. She gave me a wink as she dialled my transceiver to make sure it was all set. Another wink and she flicked her hair as she swept from the room. Ill be in touch!

I sighed, wanting to relax but knowing that I still had a long day ahead of me before I was able to do so . I shut my eyes and then opened them to find Koga still sitting.

Again, beware the women-folk, Brock.

He inclined his head. Welcome to the Guardians, and a good evening to you. And then he vanished without a trace. I blinked. This time I had made a point to not blink expecting to see some sort of flicker or rapid acceleration that indicated to some degree how hed done that. Instead? Nothing.

I stood, collecting my new reading material only to be reminded that the Guardians werent just the trainers but also the help. Tiffany was suddenly very close.

Brock, let me know if theres anything I can do for you. Any need you have? I can handle it.

I coughed. Oh... Thats good to know. Right now I just need to get home.

Oh, thats a shame. She slumped and in doing so forced my attention to places it didnt need to go.

Yeah, it is. I mentally slapped myself before shaking my head. I need to go. Thank you for the I waved at the tea I hadnt touched before waving around the room. Hospitality. I then courageously left at a controlled and by no means hurried pace. She obviously noticed my ill-concealed eagerness as her giggles trailed after me, but this only just reaffirmed my desire to make a quick exit

Plucking the last ball from my belt. I called forth Zephyr before mounting up. He flapped his wings and called out into the night before taking off with silent grace towards the west.

As we flew I considered how the night had gone.

Different. That was the easiest way to summarise the past few hours.. It had been different from what I had expected to occur, while still being roughly in the same spirit. Id gained a far better understanding of the group though, and at least some insight into their motivations, so that was worth something. Plus Id also gained methods of making myself and my pokemon stronger. I patted Zephyr as we flew. Probably not all of my pokemon, but that was just an assumption I was making.

I considered that thought, as beneath me, Lavender town began to fade away behind us. Id need to approach this slowly and with an open mind. As open a mind as I possibly could. Koga himself had said they themselves might have overlooked something. Perhaps if I went in seeking to test and push the boundaries where I could Id be able to pick some hidden gems out of the silt? It was worth a try at least. There might also be some interesting crossovers with what I could get from Oak. Or did they have access to his research as well?

I yawned. Id need to write my thoughts down, but sadly this wasnt the best time to do so. Not unless you had a much more restrictive harness that locked you into position, but those werent any good for the acrobatics I got up to with Zephyr. Flying was not a great time to try writing down your thoughts. I mentally tried to impress into my grey matter the need to sit down specifically for this sometime later Tomorrow, or today technically. The appointment had been rather late after all.

As we began to pass Saffron, a growing urge to simply fly down to Sabrinas gym and ask for a bed for a few hours pressed on me. Part of me squirmed at the thought of it. In a way that I knew was stupid pride, I didnt want to lean on her. It was a point of pride to be a steady rock for her when the world got too much. That and it might create some tension with her parents. For all that she was forthright and would deny it, I had no doubt theyd draw conclusions from a young man visiting their daughter in the early hours of the morning.

Then again maybe theyd grown used to her Quirks?

It felt different regardless.

It was one matter for her to appear in my room after a nightmare, or when she had something to discuss and she didnt feel comfortable asking others. For me to appear at her house I was I wasnt sure what I wanted there. Certainly not complications. I had enough of those in my life as it was. More than enough of. I rubbed my forehead as I chuckled. Id just increased said complications tonight if anything, so maybe I wasnt the best at practising what I preached.

I pushed on and ignored the tantalising offer that passed away to the south as to the north Cerulean glinted like a jewel. It was much safer to look towards. I doubted Sabrina could sense me. She typically only felt a small void around me so I doubted she could pick up on that from this distance. I usually needed to be in the same room.

At least thats how it used to be.

When we first met it had been as challenger and Gym Leader. Falkner had only just recently taken the title of youngest gym leader from Sabrina by a few days.

Shed been like a small doll standing in the gym. Shed been very confused when the trainers at her gym presented me for the challenge with her.

Shed frowned in a tiny way that Id known even back then was off, but then again, perhaps Id gone into Saffron expecting her to have some Issues. Id known from watching the cartoon that she would possibly be skewed in how she saw the world.

I probably had myself to blame with the very lucrative starting wage and option of lodgings for trainers,pokemon, and families if required. Now I had to deal with the success of my job advert.

I had to run trainers through a sheet of questions each, with some answers being more important than others, while allowing for individual interpretation. Most of their showing really came down to how well they battled. In the gym setting their past achievements were as much their resume as what theyd written down. There were rarely any answers that saw me losing interest in the interviews and only the three that had slipped through the initial screening were not suitable in some manner. I had to ask them about their experiences, and their current roster of pokemon. It made for a rather interesting affair on one or two instances with tales of places Id never been filtering in.

Id still needed to choke down another poorly made coffee through them all, all while ignoring Georginas judging looks for my lack of appreciation. Despite the caffeine boost, I still felt drained by the end of interviewing the trainers. It turned out being the interviewer was a tiring affair. In the end, I hired two trainers.

The first was a young girl by the name of Missy. And by young, I meant that in truth she was my age, had done three years on her journey, and was now looking for something more solid for a time while retaining her pokemon team for herself and her future endeavours.

She was a local girl and had a good understanding of the region and the various pokemon that called it home. She even came with a team of mostly rock-type pokemon, which made her a fairly easy fit.

When Id asked one of the standard questions about why she wanted this job she had grinned and replied, Because its the most interesting job to do in my home city, and the best paying!

I had stared at her for a moment before laughing aloud. I recalled a number of overly honest interview jokes in my past life, but to have it actually happen to me was refreshing. I smiled and nodded while making a note which made her grin hugely. It was, at the very least, something a lot of other people hadnt been game enough to say

Id appreciated that, and continued the interview before learning that shed placed sixth in the standings at this year's Hoenn League. That had been the initial draw that opened the door for her despite her age and rather sparse employment history.

This girl knew how to handle her pokemon. Shed done the circuit route twice with a longer tour of Kanto and Johto before trying her hand at the Indigo conference. Shed done well enough then, reaching the knock-out stages and making the top thirty-two. That had been good enough for a relatively new trainer. For her to then back it up with a top eight showing had been excellent proof that shed learnt her lessons from her first circuit and applied them for her second.

Now she was eying going for the Ace circuit to become a professional battler, earning money and fame. Instead of leaping into a different league of fighting straight away though, she had sought stability.

Id tested her just as hard as any other trainer to make it this far by forcing her to fight against some of my best with Shelly and Shin. Then Id unleashed Knight against her which had caught her by surprise, but shed rallied marvellously and used her starter a Growlithe wonderfully to box and pressure Knight before he had rearranged the field and taken out the fire type with some well executed rock moves.

Id smirked at the victory, which made her slump as though shed failed the interview. When I told her I was impressed she dared to look hopeful. Id especially liked her Rhydon. That had some serious potential at this gym. I told her as much and shed left expecting a call by the end of the day. When I called and informed her she had the job she accepted instantly.

The next trainer ended up being the young man that had been mentioned to me earlier in the day. Daniel Domino was for all intents and purposes, an Elite trainer. He had served a number of years in the Rangers before apparently getting himself and a girl in a family way. Something I felt spoke well of him for sticking around and seeking a better paying, and safer, job to be with her.

The battle had been a lot closer but he had a number of tells that indicated he was more used to fighting wild pokemon than a trainer-raised pokemon. It showed in how if I fell silent and let the pokemon do as I trained for certain moves he would become focussed on the pokemon to the exclusion of everything else. Something Id not let Celia adapt. He obviously hadnt had to fight many swarms before. When I barked a terse order hed jerked upon realising that I was there before shaking it off. He didnt have many trainer fights under his belt recently if that was the case which might have been an issue. On the other hand

So youll be needing a family unit then? I asked, making a note after we wrapped up the match.

If thats not a problem? Daniel said while tugging on his collar. I shook my head, making the green-haired man sigh in relief.

I think I can happily accommodate you. I tapped his file. You have an impressive resume. Ill need to speak with your supervisor in the Rangers first, and well need to get you used to fighting against pokemon with trainers instead of wild pokemon but tentatively Id say keep an ear out for my call alright?

He beamed at me before vigorously throwing my hand up and down when he shook it. I chuckled, happy with how the morning and early afternoon went. I felt I had made two good hires. My good mood came to an end with a call on my transceiver.

Hello Karen? This is early, we only spoke last night.

Yeah well, we just got reminded from a local that youre taking on trainers for the next circuit. Im going to send you a profile and wed like you to consider them for training.

I hummed into the receiver before checking the clock. Are they coming around today?

No, the silly man is traipsing around the wilds. Well send him your way as quickly as we can, but wed appreciate you taking him on.

Ill consider it, I said, testing the waters.

Thank you Brock, thats all we ask. Id love to talk more, but I need to see someone about a grass pokemon. She hung up just after I said goodbye. I drummed my fingers. That had Huh, theyd stuck to what they said they would. They had a guy with some potential but werent pushing me. That was good. It seemed like they were going to hold to their word about leaving me run my ship how I wanted.

I glanced at my emails and saw a file waiting for me from Agatha herself. I resolved to give it a look over later. It was important after all, but not urgent.

I instead turned my attention to the stack of receptionist resumes for people that had sent them in. During small breaks, I winnowed them down. Now only three tan folders lay to the side of my desk. Thankfully this role hadnt gotten as many applicants as the trainer role had, but that was to be expected.

The best applicant for this job ended up being a much older woman. She had all the experience but sadly her hearing was going on her. That I tapped her file it wouldnt work out. When Id called her on the phone to schedule something in Id had some issues with her hearing. When she was face to face I got the impression she was lip-reading me more than actually listening to what I was saying. Still, she had been able to outline a number of ways to improve the front of the gym and make things smooth and hopefully more enjoyable for all.

The second applicant had ended up being fine over the phone but in person shed been very twitchy and anxious. Not something I wanted at the front of the gym as one of the first people to associate with my gym. Shed been put down as a maybe while I mentally began writing a letter that would recommend methods of controlling or lessening her anxiety.

The last lady ended up having no experience as a receptionist, but a rather decent grounding in another job. A daycare you say? I said across the transceiver, imagining what shed have had to see within a daycare around these parts. Memories of Don and the Wingulls threatened to rise up.

Oh yes, I rather enjoyed it, but I think Id like to try something different in life.

Do you think youll have any issues dealing with trainers? Youve dealt with them in the past while handling their pokemon, no?

She had tilted her head while blinking. Oh no! I worked at a daycare for children! She put a hand over her mouth and laughed politely at my error.

I chuckled at my mistake. Ah apologies.

She shook her head, I imagine I might have to use some of my methods for directing children more than anything. I think I will have a good time. Hopefully, there will be fewer tantrums. She gave another light laugh.

I wouldnt count on that. Trainers can be very passionate.

As can three to five-year-olds.

Hmmm can you come in and run through some tasks for us? An idea formed in my mind. Being the receptionist for a pokemon gym would be an ill-defined role but I had an idea of what I wanted.

When she agreed to come sit in I sat back after bidding her a good day. So I had two candidates in truth. One with a wealth of experience but poor hearing, another that was trained in another field but not as specifically geared. I turned the issue over in my head before shrugging and saying aloud, Why not both?

I chuckled before giving it more thought. If I had the Daycare lady while also employing the older woman to be her training supervisor I really would get the best of both worlds. Effectively hiring a face for the gym while getting some experience as well.

If they got annoyed with a trainer giving them any grief they could swap out. I imagined a nearly deaf woman would handle things differently than the daycare lady. It promised to be amusing nevertheless.

With that finally out of the way and no other pressing concerns, I turned the gym over to Rocko to pack up. I had tasks for the next week to handle the onboarding for the new hires,but that could wait for now. There were at least two hours before I needed to start cooking dinner and my bed was singing a siren song to me for an early nap, one that Id been looking forward to for the past hour.

I entered and found some of the Grannies still at the table. There was also a smell that I couldnt quite put my finger on. One of the grannies signalled a pause in their game so they could approach me.

Brock, we gave Suzie some medicine as the poor dear was feeling a bit under the weather. It also seems little Timmy has her bug. Theyre napping right now, she said delicately.

Ah thanks for that, I said as I decided Id poke my nose in before having a nap myself. I didnt get even that far as Suzie toddled into the hall. She gave me a sleepy look as she approached before raising her hands up in the universal toddler silent speak for pick me up! I did so smiling at her.

Hey there Suz She threw up down my shirt.

I swallowed the urge to reply in kind from long experience as the sticky muck rolled down my front. The Grannies shifted into action with some getting towels while others got cleaning products to clean the floor.

I sighed, giving the grannies thankful nods. Then I smiled at Suzie as she clung to me. Did you throw up in your bed? I asked, already putting two and two together as I recalled the smell Id been greeted with.

She nodded and snuggled into me. I sighed again, Come on, lets clean it up and get you down to the doctors for a check-up.

The Grannies shook their heads and told me theyd take care of it. I gave them a tired smile in thanks. Then I checked in on Timmy only to find him throwing up in the bathtub.

I groaned. Id been right when Id said today was going to suck. It seemed today was going to suck for just a bit longer and a bit harder still though.

I really should have seen the last little jab of suck coming.

Alright, looks like we're going to the hospital, I said to the room at large.