When she’d first heard of the challenge, she’d thought it a little too weird for her tastes. Battling, she was no stranger to, but deliberately asking her Pokemon to trash the set? That was the exact sort of behaviour she was trying to weed out of Camp Annie. Still, there were a few Pokemon – well, maybe just one – that seemed intent on destruction once in a while. He’d be perfect for the job.

Goliath had already heard her ‘pep talk’ before she entered the gym; it’d been a long-winded speech, mostly because she refused to stop until her partner showed some enthusiasm. The key takeaway from their talk had been a reiteration of Annie Camp Tenant Number One: Make every introduction unforgettable. In other words, her chosen partner had to make a strong impression. It wouldn’t be difficult, and they both knew it.

That was why the girl stood, arms folded, smug smirk on her face, as Caius looked down at her. Gave her cutesy nicknames. Got her name wrong. Suggested that she’d give anything less than a spectacular challenge. The gym leader might have known enough to realise that her silence was unlike her, and could only mean she had something up her sleeve.

His Pokemon arrived, the male counterpart of the Nidoqueen she’d been after for a while. She’d have to ask him where he found the beast once she was done trying to outdo him. A Pokeball was retrieved, and from it, she unleashed her titan. Two metres of worth of armoured beast formed, and roared. Being that close to that loud a cry couldn’t have been comfortable for Annie, but she knew that it was coming. Still, while Goliath was blocking her from view, her smile wavered and her eyes squinted a little.

If the battle cry hadn’t done the trick, the lighter shade of green and a purple patch of armour marked her Pokemon as something special, even amongst Tyranitars. The Pokédex referred to it as the ‘mobile disaster’. Who better to help with renovations?

“Your move, Big Blue.”

❤ wizz