The Arena was empty. No onlookers, no Jesters. It was almost melancholic in its emptiness.

But Johanna didn’t mind, though it was a bit unsettling. By now the loudness of the Arena had become a part of it. But she would honor the wishes of the challenger.

Honestly she was a bit afraid.

Callan Young was a member of the Elite Four. She was worried she would not be up for the task. But now, she pushed those thoughts aside and met the challenger in the arena. Though she was still dressed as the Jester Queen.

“Thank you!” Johanna humbly accepted. “Well, it’s quite simple. I figured A Gym shouldn’t just be some dreary building that only trainers visit.” She paused. “No, a Gym should be for everyone. A place to gather and have fun. Somewhere where the worries of Hoenn are irrelevant. And I could think of nothing more fitting for that than a Circus.”

“Oh but I am rambling.” She snickered as she fetched the first and only Pokémon she would be using.

A Drapion was summoned to the field, it waited tensely upon its opponent. Johanna too excitedly waited for the Pokémon to be revealed.

When was the last time he was a challenger? It was probably Josh Devlin 's gym. Callan watched as a large scorpion in full regal purple released from Johanna's team.

"That's a great philosophy." Normalizing the enjoyment of Pokemon battles was excellent. It attracted more people to the sport, even if it was the largest one in the world, it was an immensely practical one, especially in Hoenn.

"I'm look forward to this, Johanna." Callan himself had already registered his Pokemon during his application, and so he unclips his ball and lets out Tony onto the field.



"But, once the match is over, there is something I'd like to speak with you about. Nothing serious." But that was for later, in the meantime, he was going to enjoy himself and see how well the new Gym Leader did in her fights.

A pleased smile appeared on Johanna’s lips as Callan seemed to accept her reply. Knowing that an E4 agreed with her idea made it seem less silly.

But as Callan admitted to looking forward to this. She found small bouts of nervousness inching into her. She pushed those away, knowing she could not let those affect her.

Callan summoned his Pokémon in response to her own. She had read the data, but admittedly she still didn’t know whatever the golden Pokémon in front of her was supposed to look like.

“Sure we can talk after the match!” Johanna replied. “Oh I forgot to say. First move goes to the challenger!”

And with that the Drapion prepared itself in anticipation for whatever Callan might have coming for it.

"Oh, alright!" Callan responds, readying his Pokemon for the first move. Tony the Gholdengo spins on its surfboard of gold coins as it prepares itself for the battle and Callan's first command. It takes a single look at the opponent's Drapion, before Callan orders its first move.

"Nasty Plot!" Tony places a finger against its smiling mouth as it observes the Drapion. Despite its seemingly simple name, Nasty Plot was not just an idea, it was a precise, and lethal manner of focusing the Pokemon's magical abilities; entering into a flow state so that the Pokemon would be able to improve the potency of its special attacks for the turns oncoming.

A lightbulb, invisible to all, shines in Tony's head, as it raises a finger in a Eureka moment as it preps for the first strike of the match.

While Gholdengo was plotting something Nasty. Drapion was perceiving the enemy as well. It’s sharp SNIPER eyes looking for edges to hit to do the most damage.

Johanna followed suit for a moment. Glancing at the Gholdengo, it’s body seemed to be made of or at least make use of some form of golden coins.

Steel type might be a safe assumption? Johanna thought.

“FIRE FANG!”

The Drapion roared and charged at the golden ghost. Fire bathed the fangs in its mouth, and the claws at the end of its arms, ready to bite into the opponent.

Johanna surmises correctly. The Drapion's teeth sink into metal as it sears into the Gholdengo's body. "Awawawawa!" It yells out as the entire arm splinters into coins to break.

Tony the Gholdengo glides backwards on its floating surfboard as the coin scatters against the floor. "Power Gem!" Callan orders. From the coins that had splayed from the main body of the Gholdengo, reflective light flickers as they levitate into the air to surround the Drapion, before firing like bullets towards the Scorpion.

She had surmised correctly. Though the damage that came was far bigger than what she had expected. Her mouth opened wide as the entire arm of the Gholdengo broke into coins.

She was about to stop the match right then and there to see if it was alright. But the Gholdengo glided backward, seemingly unconcerned after the initial yell. And since Callan didn’t react either, as far as she could see and hear. Perhaps everything was alright.

While Johanna was worried for the safety of Gholdengo. Drapion found itself surrounded by flickering coins levitating in the air at the behest of their master.

The coins flew at Drapion like bullets.

Drapion did its best to dodge as many as it could and tried to parry the rest with fire enhanced claws. But still, it felt the sting of gold digging into its body. Causing great pain.

“Don’t let it move around!” Johanna commanded. After all, it seemed Gholdengo had mobility on its side.

The Drapion charged forward aiming to latch onto the Gholdengo with its FIRE FANG enhanced claws. And halt its gliding around.

Johanna's Drapion's fangs dig into the coin body of Tony as it flutters around again, caught in between its fangs. Callan breathed deep as he observed the fight. "Break out Tony!" The section of arm that was within the Drapion's grasp turned into coins as it scattered against the floor. It's body was now missing both arms, and that meant it couldn't do its trademark pose anymore. "Recover!"

As it drifts backwards on its surfboard, coins fly back towards the Gholdengo, slotting pieces of itself back into place as each coin slides in with crisp, satisfying clinks. The lustrous sheen of its body becoming more and more apparent, though still the burn marks of the Drapion's previous attack was there. It readies itself for the next attack as Callan speaks: "It's typing is ghost steel, Johanna."

It wouldn't have been fair of him to have won on a battle based on a knowledge gap, after all.

The Drapion fought every bit to keep holding onto the slithery opponent. But for all its efforts Gholdengo managed to escape and RECOVER.

It was then as the creature fixed itself that Callan informed Johanna of its full typing. She smiled. He didn’t have to do that. But it did help cement the choice that she had to make.

“Thanks for the advice! But you didn’t have to do that, we are battling after all!” Johanna replied.

But now that she knew it was a Ghost type, she would take full advantage of Drapion’s typing.

“CRUNCH!”

One might call Drapion’s way of attacking simple minded. But why fix what is already working?

Drapion charged forward insectoid legs pushing against the battlefield, kicking up dirt in an light dust cloud. Flames died out in favor of an almost eerie shine on the fangs in its mouth as the Drapion got closer and closer to its target, hoping to be able to land the CRUNCH on the Gholdengo’s head.

The use of the dust as a means to avoid damage was fantastic. As dust kicked up to veil the approach on the Drapion's impending Crunch, Callan would have to make a choice between a potentially uncertain shot due to the distance to defend Tony from taking any further damage.

However, Callan was also good with calculating on the fly. With Tony having recovered its vitality from before, the CRUNCH strikes, sinking into the ghost type with malignant energy. Tony yelps, loudly, as the super-effective fangs dig into its body, sinking it into a quarter of its health.

However, that was more than enough. Upon seeing the Drapion emerge from the dust and at such close range, Callan made the call. "Make it Rain Tony!" He yells.

From the center of its body, Tony begins to fire an unending salvo of golden coins at point blank range at the Drapion. This, in addition to the damage previously sustained, and the power up from Nasty Plot from its uses earlier and the fact that it was at such a close range, would deliver a knockout blow on the opponent Drapion.

Drapion was not one to avoid close quarter combat. But today he was reminded why he probably ought to be more cautious.

His fangs dug deeply and greedily into the Gholdengo with a malignant hunger. Loud yelps escaped from the Gholdengo, and yet its body remained mostly whole, unlike its arm before.

“Get Aw…” Her words escaped too late.

The Golden Ghost fired an unending salvo of golden coins at the Drapion. At first the ferocious creature tried to tank the blow, hoping the continued gnashing of its teeth would whittle the Gholdengo into unconsciousness.

But unfortunately the power of Tony’s attack was too much. Drapion’s fangs let go as he fell to the ground, knocked out.

Johanna retrieved the Drapion back into its Pokéball as she made her way over to Callan. “You won!” Johanna proclaimed. Quickly retrieving a badge case from her pocket, and plucking out one of the JOY badges inside.

“You’ve rightfully earned this.” She extended a hand with the rainbow patterned JOY BADGE laying in the middle, ready for Callan to take it.

“So, what was it you wanted to talk about?” Johanna asked once Callan would’ve taken the badge.




OOC: The Gym rewards 1x Dazzling Gleam TM (Single use)

The salvo ends, the battle is over and Callan's Gholden go manages to barely hang on to ensure that the salvo struck. "Yes!" Callan exclaimed, "Well done Tony!" The battle was over.

Callan returned his Pokemon back to its Pokeball, smiling as he takes her badge gratefully. "Thank you, Johanna." He replies. Callan's smile dims ever slightly, "Just a question or two, something that's been in the back of my mind for a bit." He began. He didn't want to scare off the Gym Leader who had just begun, of course, but it was part of his job.

"Do you have a place where you can speak? Preferably somewhere no one can listen in on us?"