The New Gym Leader
Gym Leader Gray: Steelix, Beldum, Magneton, Mawile
Elite Force Gray: Steelix, Metagross, Mawile, Empoleon, Aegislash, Magneton
For Gray, all of the attention was unexpected, and a little overwhelming.
It seemed like an odd whirlwind of emotion. First, his grandfather Adrian had died. That would have been an emotional time in his life just by itself. But his grandfather had also been a member of the Elite Four of the Taiguey Region. Adrian’s death had left a vacancy in the chain - one Gym Leader moved up to the Elite Four, and now there were only seven Gym Leaders of Taiguey instead of eight.
This all had passed Gray by, for the most part. He was a trainer, and he preferred Steel-type Pokémon, but he had trained all types. He’d lived in Magnolia Town, a decently sized port city on the western coast of continental Taiguey.
Taiguey was tropical, and had many islands in it. The humidity was constant, storms were inevitable, and sometimes destructive. He had been content to help his parents run the Daycare Center, which was something like a ranch on the outskirts of town, surrounded by fields of windmills that powered the city. Though Magnolia Town was one of the bigger cities of Taiguey, it was not as well-known as the other big cities. It didn’t have the same attractions of the bustling cities like Loto City or Palmera Island.
Mangolia Town was… quiet. And suddenly, it was quite loud.
“Hello and welcome to Taiguey Today! As always, I’m your host Danica reporting to you live from the Big Sun Radio Tower here in Loto City. As everyone has heard by now, one of the Elite Four, Adrian, died earlier this month. He was buried in his hometown of Magnolia Town…”
There had been a pause in Danica’s speech, probably something like a respectful moment of silence. Gray had sat in his seat at the radio tower, not knowing exactly what to do. He had been brought there under the auspices of the Champion Valeria, before he would arrive at Isla Tejo, the Elite Four HQ.
The walls of the recording room had been a mauve color, and Danica - dark-skinned with frizzled hair - was personable as always. She had said glowingly that the world was waiting for him. And… no doubt they were.
“Today, we’re joined by Gray, who has become the new Gym Leader of Magnolia Town. As some of you may know, Gray is Adrian’s grandson, and he favors Steel-type Pokémon. For the first time in nearly a decade, Magnolia Town’s gym is occupied!”
Gyms were weird. When a vacancy in the Elite Four or the gyms opened up, the leader was picked. Sometimes the leader picked was from a different city and could not relocate to a different area, and so their own gym cropped up in their home city. Most of the bigger cities had their own gyms. Magnolia Town’s gym had been in disuse for a long time. When his grandfather was still a Gym Leader, he was based in Magnolia Town.
When he became part of the Elite Four and a position opened, someone from a different city had started up the gym.
It was all very confusing.
“It’s a little like playing musical chairs.” Valeria, bright and smiling with her cheerful demeanor laughed. The ‘casual’ get-together of all the main players in the Taiguey Region had been positively frightening. “But it gets a little easier with time.”
And Gray had no idea what to say to that.
“So, Gray, your grandfather was a fan of Rock-type Pokémon. Why do you favor Steel-type Pokémon?”
“Oh. Well…” Gray had fumbled for a moment. “I like all Pokémon, really. I do prefer a defensive style when I battle but… the truth is that Steelix is my favorite Pokémon, and I have more experience raising Steel-types.”
“How interesting! Adrian was quite well-known for his Onix. Is there a connection?”
“Yes. Onix was my first Pokémon. He… gave it to me when I first became a trainer.”
“Oh my! How heartwarming…”
“Steel-types are harder to raise than many other types. They have more weaknesses, and they tend to be slower. But… if it’s your favorite type, it doesn’t matter.” Gray had said, now finding his footing more. His tone was still bashful. “I don’t believe that people should only raise strong Pokémon. You can be mindful of tactics but… it’s more fun to have a Pokémon you really like.”
“Yes, yes! I quite agree. Before all of this, where have you been hiding yourself?”
“Ah? …I’ve been helping out at the Daycare Center in Magnolia Town. I was chosen. But I still want to stay there and help out when I can. It’s my home.”
“I see, I see… Tell us… Why do you think you were chosen to be the new leader out of all of the hopefuls and candidates?”
“It’s nice to meet you. My name is Olga. And this is Martinique.”
A blonde girl wearing unseasonably warm clothes offered her hand to him, and Gray accepted the handshake. Olga had a cool demeanor about her, but that was to be expected from an Ice-type Gym Leader, he supposed.
The first ever gathering of the new Elite Force was in full swing. A modest gathering on Isla Tejo, in the Elite Force’s HQ which might as well have been a mansion.
It was where trainers challenged the Elite Four, after all. But Isla Tejo was remote enough that only a small gathering of less than twenty were coming… minus the Elite Force themselves.
Gray was swimming in names and new faces.
“Hello.” Martinique, the dark-haired girl next to her offered a smile. She was very tall. Amazingly tall. Gray knew from her reputation that she was a Grass-type Gym Leader.
“I hope I can remember everyone’s name.” Gray laughed awkwardly.
“Don’t worry. Everyone is pretty memorable, except for Martinique. She’s a bit plain.”
“…That’s so mean, Olga!”
“The grumpy one over there is Harlan.” Olga pointed as she spoke. “He’s being annoyed by Konstantin. Then over there, the girl who looks like talking to her is physically draining, that’s Avery. The two who need to get a room are Lucia and Roland. Then there’s Cassandra over there sulking for no reason, and talking to Beatriz who’s kind of like Team Mom. Then there’s Team Dad, Dante, over there… he’s really loud. Valeria you’ve met. The only one who isn’t here yet is…”
Olga scanned the room. Finally she waved down Harlan - “the grumpy one” - who did indeed look rather sour. Harlan was taller than Olga but shorter than Martinique, and had dark features. The dark moons under his eyes were more subtle from afar, but up close it looked as if he had problems sleeping and that it was a chronic problem.
“Harlan, this is Gray. Have you seen Zheng?”
“Nice to meet you.” Harlan spoke without looking at Gray. “And no, not yet. He said he wanted to run some laps around the island. Expect him to show up smellier than usual.”
“Zheng is the Fire-type Gym Leader.” Martinique tried to engage Gray in conversation since Olga and Harlan were absorbed in their own conversation. “He’s the leader of Jacinto Town.”
“Oh… I think I’ve heard of him. He’s a soccer player, right?”
“That’s right.” She smiled, and then had a mental debate with herself about her next words. “Zheng is a bit eccentric. He’s… eccentric.”
“He’s an idiot.” Harlan and Olga said it at the same time.
“Don’t be mean…” Martinique laughed weakly.
“He’s a jock.” Harlan looked at Gray for the first time. They had seen each other before, Gray was sure of it. He had probably seen them all at one point or another thanks to his grandfather’s invitations to things. Still, he was never really on a first name basis with the man until then. “That should tell you everything you need to know.”
“Think of a dog. And now imagine it wearing pants, but only sometimes. And that’s Zheng.”
“Ah.” Gray nodded. He chuckled. “So that makes you and Harlan cats…?”
Martinique snorted gracelessly and turned away. Her shoulders were vibrating with stifled laughter she kept inside like church giggles.
“…” Olga glared over at Martinique. “I guess you could say that.”
“He is a good person.” Harlan crossed his arms. His tone was begrudging. “He’s just an idiot. Not stupid stupid but… naive. And overly competitive.”
“And he smells.”
“Yes. He smells.” Harlan nodded.
“I’m not sure. I think I’m… Well, I train a lot. I’ve never attempted the challenge of collecting badges, but I think of myself as pretty dedicated? And…”
“Do you think your connection to your grandfather has something to do with it?”
“That… could be a factor. I’m not certain. I was asked to join by Valeria - the Champion, I mean. And… I think the other Gym Leaders also voted on having me. I know I was interviewed by them a lot, and they also had a few practice battles with me. I assume they did it with everyone they interviewed. So, I think it’s a question better left to the judges.”
“Mm! So modest. You’re quite like your grandfather. Maybe recruiting such a young promising trainer with your background gives the Elite Force stability?”
“Hah… Well, Steel-types are nothing if not stable?”
About half an hour passed and Gray had met almost everyone by now.
Olga’s descriptions about everyone had been pretty on the nose.
Cassandra had seemed upset about something but it was apparently just her personality. And Avery had been almost as loud as Dante. Konstantin, who he learned was actually Harlan’s boyfriend, had been harder to read… but he seemed to be something of an instigator.
Thankfully, Beatriz and Martinique were much more calming to talk to.
“I hope everyone isn’t too overwhelming.” Beatriz smiled gently. She was older than everyone else in the room, about the same age as Gray’s own mother.
“I think he’s doing fine.” Olga chuckled to herself.
“I was a fan of your grandfather’s.” Beatriz added, respectfully placing her hand on his shoulder. “I know this can’t be easy for you, but aside from your parents, we may be the ones who understand you most right now. If there’s anything I can do for you to make this easier…”
“Thank you. You’re very kind.” Gray smiled. He was afraid he was coming off as cold, but she didn’t seem bothered by it.
“It’s no trouble.” She seemed to be smiling, at least for the moment.
“What were your initial thoughts when you found out you were going to be the next Gym Leader? Can you take us through that initial moment of… what I would assume to be grief, and also shock?”
“I was…” Gray had paused. “Well. I was shocked. It all happened really quickly. I wasn’t even really aware I was in the running for it, but at the funeral, Valeria… the Champion, Valeria, she told me I was looking good for the choice, and would I want to be the Gym Leader if they voted for me.”
“Wow. That… is heavy!”
“Yeah. The others, the Gym Leaders, and the other Elite Four members… besides my grandfather, I mean… they were all at the funeral. I’m pretty sure I’ve met most of them before. They all knew him pretty well. To be honest, it’s still kind of surreal for me.”
Gray had a small moment to breathe now. The others had been eager to come and talk to him, which had been expected, but mentally exhausting regardless. He had never been bad with social gatherings, or even small talk before.
But the thought of people coming up to him and introducing themselves, along with the standard, “How are you doing?” and the slew of questions and comments about his grandfather made him want to throw himself off a cliff. Just a little bit.
It wasn’t until the party appeared to be winding down that there was a sudden ruckus at the entrance of the building.
Unexpectedly, the sound of a platter crashing to the ground and loads of glasses and silverware hitting the floor rang out. The entire atmosphere shattered with the din, a world-ending clatter.
“Sorry! I’m sorry!” The boisterous voice echoed loudly in the large hall.
“Zheng’s here.” Olga has closed the gap and spoke without looking to Gray. Konstantin was now beside her, and laughing.
“What do you think, fell into an active volcano or was keelhauled by pirates?” Konstantin joked. Gray was struck by the man’s mischievous attitude.
“Try swallowed by the jungle.” Olga answered back.
“Yay! Everyone’s here. I’m so happy…” Valeria, bubbly and commanding, had a voice that could carry. She immediately ran towards Zheng, embracing him warmly. “You’re late.”
“Haha… I… Well, I wasn’t when I got here!” The young man answered.
Though the reception wasn’t very large, mostly made up of a few close friends and bigger names in Taiguey, aside from the Elite Force, everyone knew what to expect when Zheng appeared.
Gray could only gape stupidly at Zheng when he first saw the man.
Zheng was tall, athletic, impossibly handsome with tanned skin, but was absolutely filthy and his clothes were ripped in various places. Gray was dumbstruck.
“Where were you?” Harlan crossed his arms, impatient and brooding.
“Relax, he’s here now.” Konstantin smirked over to Harlan, whose frown set deeper.
“Okay. So. I got here like. Real early. Like so early.” Zheng began his story and it was then that Gray noticed the muddy form of a Pokémon beside him, once bright red, now stained with brown. It was a Flareon. “And I was like, hey, well, everyone’s setting up for the party. And I didn’t want to be in the way. So I decided, hey, I should go for a run!”
“You’ve been running all this time?” Beatriz was now fighting with Flareon, trying to scrub mud off a Fire-type was not easy. “It doesn’t take that long to finish the trail.”
“I was running around the whole island.” Zheng laughed again, loudly. “I did it a few times actually. But… then it started to get dark, and I got lost.”
Olga sighed, almost dramatically.
“And what did you do to yourself?” Beatriz gave up the cleaning battle with Flareon and was now trying to clean Zheng, muddy and face scratched up. “Were you rolling in mud?”
“No! I mean… Well, once, yeah but not on purpose. We got lost. And so I was trying to find the trail again, but then we were running through the jungle. And then we got more lost and then-!”
“…Well, you found your way back.” Harlan grew bored of the story. “We’ll find you a change of clothes and you can go wash up.”
“Hey, hey!” Zheng spotted Gray. There was no time to react before the brutish jock was hugging him tightly. Up close, Gray could see Zheng had an impressive tan and surprisingly nice hair despite the mud and leaves. He definitely did smell like sweat though. Sweat and dirt. “You’re the newbie!”
“Put him down, you’re going to get him dirty, idiot.”
“Now the party can really begin.” Valeria laughed, unconcerned.
“Oh my gosh. I’m Zheng. What’s your name?”
“Zheng. Put Gray town, he’s turning blue!”
“Oh wow! Gray. That’s right!”
“…Gray’s turning blue?” A mild chuckle.
“Cassandra, that’s not funny…” Martinique chided the childlike voice.
“You’re tracking mud everywhere.”
“He’s getting Gray all dirty.”
“Okay, big guy, put the new kid down…” Konstantin laughed.
“He’s turning purple…!”
“Zheng!”
And that was how Gray met Zheng. And it was a full-on crush… in many ways.
“You must be so excited!” Danica had said in the interview near the end of it. “I can’t wait to see what kind of Gym Leader you are for Taiguey.”
“It… Yeah. It’s going to be eventful. I’m sure.”