Another brave soul wished to take on the Fallarbor Gym's sandwich challenge, and to Andrea's surprise, it was a person she already knew: Lars Anderson (she didn't really like calling him Laurence).

As soon as the head ranger arrived at the Vaneau family ranch with his entourage of humanoid Pokémon, the young Gym leader was there to greet him, wearing her usual dragon-like onesie, while carrying an adorable Fuecoco in her arms. "Good afternoon, Mr. Lars! Are you ready to take on my challenge?"

Whether he was ready or not, she guided him to a picnic table where every ingredient imaginable had been laid out. "You'll have to pick five ingredients from this table to make your sandwich." Of course, given the amount of options, Lars could possibly end up with choice paralysis.

Laurence Anderson

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If this were an anime, Lars would definitely be considered an old man at 31. This was not an anime, though; it was a realistic world filled with dimensional travel and fantastical creatures.

The head ranger picked a plump tomato as his first ingredient, which he sliced up with the help of his befuddled, battle-hardened Gallade. Andrea leaned over the table afterwards, inspecting the fruits (or vegetables in this case) of their labor. "Hmm, not bad. I've never seen more evenly cut slices!" She remarked.

There were four ingredients remaining, not counting the bread which had already been prepared in advance. Could the challenger keep up his lucky streak, or would he fall like all great legends?

Laurence Anderson

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There was definitely bacon somewhere on the table, but Andrea wasn't going to help him, since that would be against the rules. Three guesses as to what Pokémon the bacon was made from. The answer might surprise you.

Ah, but we are getting ahead of ourselves. It was time to cut the lettuce... right after using a Gardevoir's mystical, black hole-creating powers to rinse it. Gareth once again did his thing, while Alpha the Lucario was just there presumably for moral support.

"What an interesting usage of Life Dew!" The novice Gym leader commented, while her Fuecoco waved its small arms excitedly. "Heh. I think Jalapeño wants to see Gallade cut more things!" She added with a soft laugh.

Laurence Anderson

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With Alpha's help, Lars was luckily able to locate the bacon before his anxiety could cause him to pass out on the ground, body twitching and mouth foaming. By the by, the answer from earlier was Spoink meat.

While Gareth utilized the way of the sword once again, Andrea couldn't help but notice the perspiring, agitated mess that was Lars. "Are you alright?" She worriedly asked. Her non-traditional challenge was supposed to reduce stress and let people have fun, but the head ranger did NOT look like he was having fun at the moment.

"You know, it's OK if you make a bad sandwich. Nobody's gonna think less of you." The young PokéManiac tried to comfort him.

Laurence Anderson

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Wow, that was quite the confession. Laurence Anderson had conquered every possible Gym, saved Hoenn from multiple threats, and gained the favor of the legendary bird Articuno, but making a sandwich was beyond even his own boundless capabilities.

"There, there. It's OK..." Andrea ruffled the man's spiky hair, her Fuecoco reaching up to give him a few tiny headpats as well. "Cooking carbonara is still cooking. Besides, there's no rulebook for how to make a sandwich. You just have to go for what feels right. Let your instincts guide you!"

Regardless if her pep talk was effective or not, they needed to finish what they'd started. "Your sandwich doesn't look as bad as you think, but it seems a bit vanilla. For the last ingredient, why not try adding your personal touch? Something that screams 'you'." The draconic cosplayer proposed.

Laurence Anderson

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At last, the BLT to end all BLTs was ready (now with extra cheese!) All that was left was for the Gym leader to review the end product, leaving Lars to wonder why he was suddenly hearing boss music.

"Hmm, the presentation is solid. The ingredients look fresh and well prepared. However... There is a surplus of cheese. The composition is terribly off-balance. For that reason, I'll give this a slightly above average rating of 54."

Oh no... Had she been too harsh on the poor guy? A comedic bead of sweat hovered over her dragon-hooded head. "I-it's just an arbitrary rating, don't let it get you down!" She blurted out. "L-look, why don't you and your Pokémon eat it together, and if you have a different opinion, I'll accept it!"

Lars may have thought of using Alpha as a guinea pig for his culinary disaster, but he wouldn't get off so easily. He had created this monstrosity, now he would have to pay penance for his sins.

Laurence Anderson

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Andrea watched as Lars braced himself for the last leg of the challenge. She watched as his Gallade and Gardevoir bailed out, leaving only him and his Lucario to shoulder this heavy burden. She watched as they suffered together taking the first few bites.

Finally, when all was said and done, the dragon-hooded girl smiled. "Wanna know the secret of my sandwich challenge? The goal was never to see how good you are at making sandwiches... It was to prove how bonded you are with your Pokémon, helping and supporting each other through thick and thin. Your bond shined beautifully, and for that..."

The flamboyant cosplayer reached into one of her costume's pockets, pulling out a handcrafted badge shaped like a nondescript creature's head. "Dun-dun-dun dun-dun-dun-dun-dun dun-duuuuun! You get the Monster Badge! Congratulations!" The minor Gym leader triumphantly exclaimed.

Laurence Anderson

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