Gavin's all business, straight posture and stoic demeanour, though he does not balk at the smile flashed by the grunt who walks into the room. @ethan he was told; a transfer from Kalos. Gavin can only assume and hope that things in the old region weren't as cruel and unusual as things had been in Kanto before his own transfer.

Shaking off any straying thoughts, he greets the other with a nod.

"Bishop," he acknowledges, noting his preference of surname. Or perhaps it was assumption of Gavin's own? Either way, he doesn't dispute it. "Gavin Merlino. Are your Pokemon those described to be capable of mega evolution?"

A list of all (known) Pokémon able to utilize the phenomenon had been included with the invitation to the crash course, but who knew if Rocket grunts bothered to read? Sometimes it felt like people intentionally avoided it.

@bishop

Bless him for reading. Gavin would be pleased, if he knew.

Instead he remains relatively indifferent, nodding at the others words. Been a while since I saw an Obstagoon. They were popular back in Galar, but not so much in Hoenn. Not yet.

"You may as well. If you've no Megas of your own, you'll be fighting mine."

There's a Rotomi in the corner of the room, and Gavin crosses to it in order to pull out one of his oldest living Pokémon — a Steelix he'd caught in the wild, her metallic coat the colour of burnished gold. She rumbles in displeasure upon release, coiling like a snake to peer down at her would-be challenger.

"She was one of the Pokémon I used for the gym circuit, so she's less aggressive than the others." Bishop may or may not have heard rumours of the vicious and bloodthirsty Pokémon the underboss favoured; Gavin hopes to reassure him of his safety. "The first thing you need for the process is a Mega Stone." Gavin opens his palm; mega stones sit like a small collection of marbles, and he plucks the Steelixite from among them. "The second is a keystone. People fashion them into all kinds of accessories, but mine..." He reaches up as if to adjust his glasses, then pulls a pin free of its housing. "I keep here."

Bright light beams between keystone and Pokemon, and the Steelix transforms.

@bishop

Letting them have the first move was a mistake.

Gavin capitalizes with a click of his tongue, and the wide training room is suddenly filled with the blinding, stinging effects of a SANDSTORM. Sand rattles against the metal walls of the submarine and piles up along the walls.

Unbeknownst to Bishop, her SAND FORCE would activate for a hidden advantage.

"This form is temporary." Gavin's arm is thrown up over his mouth to prevent the swallowing of sand. "Do as much damage as you can before it reverts."

@bishop

"It takes significant effort for her to maintain the form after a short period of time, Gavin explains, as the Steelix is hit by Scrafty's PAYBACK. She grumbles with the pain, but stands firm. "Even if she manages to hold out for longer than the average, it will eventually fail. It can harm the Pokémon if it's pushed too far."

For now, Steelix is in the prime of her evolution, aiming for her opponent with a fierce strike of her IRON TAIL. Both SHEER FORCE and SAND FORCE would activate, increasing significantly the amount of damage she could do.

"Pokemon undergoing Mega Evolution often acquire a secondary ability, in addition to the original. Steelix has Sand Force. You know what that does?"

@bishop

Gavin nods, satisfied. The bar was low, for often Rocket attracted those fairly uneducated in battling. That Bishop was a cut above the rest in terms of his knowledge was reassuring to an underboss who often dealt with less.

Though Scrafty isn't doing well so far against the steel titan, Gavin knows that Steelix won't be able to maintain this form much longer. Already he can see signs of strain as the swirl of crystals around the enlarged serpent slow in their orbit. Subtle, but a telltale sign for one who has witnessed the Steelix perform before. Her attempt to bury the Hoodlum Pokémon with ROCK SLIDE is counteracted by the protect, Steelix roaring her displeasure and slamming her tail against the floor of the sub, making it shake.

That anger uses up the rest of her energy, to Gavin's displeasure, and with a muted burst of light the evolution fades.

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@bishop

Perhaps it's courteous of Bishop to command his Pokémon to wait, but the world is cutthroat and Rocket must be prepared for such brutality. Not having been called off by a click of her trainer's tongue, Steelix aims another swipe of her IRON TAIL to punish the Scrafty for inaction.

"My Pokémon are trained to kill," Gavin says simply, finally calling off the Steelix by returning her to her ball. "You can never let your guard down, even when you think you're safe."

Of Megas, he says, "It's not much time, but it can be life or death in a tough situation. There's also the potential that she could have held out longer, though it seems she's out of practice." Translation: she doesn't see much battle, these days. Gavin has new pets, his shadow Pokémon taking all his interest. "There is an item that can extend the evolution, aptly titled a MEGA EXTENDER, but I don't have one on hand. It's a one-time use regardless." He wouldn't waste it on a lesson.

Though it may seem abrupt, Gavin is a busy man, and concludes their meeting with a simple, "Good work."

With a nod, he turns to confront the next person who enters the room.

@bishop