Hard Enough Chapter 39: Joining the Guardians

I dreamt of flipping the table.

That was all I could imagine as I sat around the small rectangle table as Tiffany thodically went through what Im sure was a lovely tea ceremony.

I could feel the weight of social expectations on my shoulders to remain where I was, but it sat poorly. Monts like this where people demanded manners seed like the most annoying aspects of life. Id faced enough of it in my past life to recognise it. Id also taken more than a little pleasure in flipping tables back then as well. After the recent ambush test I was way too amped to be sitting around drinking tea. My blood was running hot in ways that demanded action. Sothing I knew I wasnt going to get here and now.

And so, I longed to flip the table.

Koga didnt even react as I practically vibrated in place. Agatha stared at with a raised brow in challenge that made it harder to relax. Karen Karen inspired different reactions but I couldnt be certain if that was by design or just how she was. Her choice of dress left little to the imagination. Her top clung to her chest while the jeans she wore would have to be peeled off her.

I gritted my teeth and inhaled through my nose before releasing it. This, I decided, was just another thod of control set up by Agatha. She seed to be the leader. Or at least the face of the organisation. Id have to keep my eyes open for more clues into their structure, but right now keeping my eyes open was likely to cause different parts of to pay attention than I wanted.

Tiffany leaned over to pour the tea. The weight of her breasts saw them brush against my thigh and it was all I could do to stare at Agatha's craggy face that I didnt instantly harden like a tapod. Agathas expression twisted into sothing mockingly cruel as I knew that she knew how my body wanted to react.

Tiffany, it turned out, was the Shrine maiden that had escorted to the manor. The manor that I still had no idea who owned, but left partly collapsed. Tiffany was a classical beauty under her veil. She could turn heads and hearts wherever she walked I had no doubt. She had a wonderfully trim body with a large chest that was now stretching her maidens robes. I was certain that she had not worn sothing that tight when wed walked up the path together. She had to have changed.

That thought led to imagining her opening the front of her I killed that thought ruthlessly as Tiffany leaned back. Her eyes searching my face before slipping to my pants helped to verify what her ga was. In another setting without the old man and woman in the room Id be much bolder and shaless. The older part of wanted to shrug it off while my feelings wanted to cringe and curl in for how my body was reacting to the feel of a beauty so close.

Instead of doing either I openly drew out a few pebbles from my pocket and turned my attention to them. The soft clatter of rocks pulled the wons attention away from my lower region. I turned the pebbles over without any pattern in mind. Todays rocks contained a few with so quartz in them that sotis caught the light. The steady swelling of my own energy at the mnemonic trick caused my body to relax more and more.

I started turning the thoughts over in my mind. Each thought rose to the top eventually. So of them should have alard but Id practised ditating enough that I was able to keep my thoughts tumbling and loose. Like happy little rocks rolling down the side of a hill or being carried along in a stream. Or like a child playing with so pebbles with innocent joy.

Huh, Ive never thought of Rock energy as anything so relaxing and free, said Karen.

I considered Karen. She was no longer looking at my hands but rather at as a whole. Agatha looked more relaxed, instead of goading. Tiffany had a startled expression but I could also see a flash of heat in her eyes just as I could feel the warmth of her body.

It washed over , but not only as part of the room, not a fla that I had to pay attention to. When I rembered Koga was in the room I looked over to see him lifting his cup of tea to drink without comnting. He nodded seemingly at the taste but yet again I wondered if he was not in so way encouraging like he had during our fight.

Multifaceted youve certainly contemplated the nature of your energy quite a bit, havent you Brock? asked Agatha as she raised her own cup.

I humd consideringly before leaning back on my hands to shrug.

It wasnt a safe position to be in by any ans. In fact, there were a number of blaring red flags such as not keeping my pokemon near while we talked. Was the tea sothing I wanted to drink or was it potentially so poison that I hadn't heard of? Suddenly I was reminded that I was a small guy playing with much bigger stakes.

But I didnt start freaking out. I was no longer heart-thumpingly tense. Now, I was calm. And the truth was that I was small, like a pebble. I always had been. I could try to be a mountain, but in the end, everything was small in one sense or another. I didnt need to try to be more. I simply was. My mind was calm now. It wasnt so much a move as a state of being.

The way of rock perhaps?

Hmpf! Not going to drink your tea Brock? Agatha prodded. I gave it a glance before shaking my head.

Nah, not really a fan of green tea. Tiffany slumped a little. The pout she levelled at would make others want to drink simply to spare her feelings. I ignored her. Erika would have asked what I wanted and had a host of options available with her lunch box. Tiffany fell short in that regard.

Agatha sniffed. Truly youre acting more and more like a young brute. If I didnt know any better I would have thought Bruno was sitting across from .

I tilted my head. Im honestly surprised hes not here. He seems strong enough and I have no doubt he has access to Aura. There was a question to my words that I opened to the room at large.

Koga set down his cup. Bruno is careless with his words and too open. He does not have an appreciation for the subtle need to keep so threats unspoken. He is too brash. He is also too invested in the League.

Sounds like a story there? I put a pin in the question of what they had seen of that didnt inspire the sa reactions.

Agatha tapped the table before speaking, More of a history in truth. She shifted for a mont and waved Tiffany to a cushion to the side of the room. It will take a while to explain so I should get comfortable. This among other things needs to be told for you to have a better understanding of our purpose.

Agatha shifted about on the cushion and I copied her as I got as comfortable as I could. I would have preferred an actual chair but alas Agatha had decided on a more traditional eting place with hardwood floors. I could just feel my buttcheeks aching already.

The war with Johto is sothing that most educational texts like to brush over quickly these days. That had perking up. The reasons for the war are never explored in the books, only that the war was a great catastrophe. Agathas face crinkled in disgust. Revisionism at its finest. As if people will rely never go to war if they dont know the causes. When she looked up from the floor her eyes blazed.

The war was over territory, but also the supposed capture of a Legendary pokemon when it was weak Most bla a region known as Sinnoh, but there was also a Johto trainer claiming that they had captured a Legendary cat by the na of Entei We never learnt the truth of that claim but it was enough to make a fragile situation where too many people were posturing. A Blackthorn Lady attacked in Hoenn is commonly thought to be the spark that lit the fla, but the kindling had already been set before that incident

As it is known, the war ended just twenty-five years ago. While the history books of our own region like to discuss the conflict in a regional setting, but it was in fact a war that spanned much of the world. There are regions that entered the war only to find their trainers severely lacking. This resulted in them being wiped out from engagents.

Thousands of trainers entered the world stage only to fall short. The towns and people they left behind were thus weakened and exposed to both human enemies and nature itself! She glared into the night.

While wild pokemon were known to beco more agitated from constantly being surrounded by battle, even when they themselves didnt participate, wed never had information on how they would react to an all-out war. Pokemon that had long slumbered awoke due to the turmoil. First in ones and twos which led people into not understanding how much of a threat they could be. It was a price so paid more heavily than others.

Agatha gestured to herself. Thats not even accounting for the issue of pokemon and people dying. How many experts do you think there were of the Ghost type before the war?

... a handful every city? I glanced towards Tiffany.

Agatha shook her head. There were less than two or three in each city in truth. Ways of life were different back then. Culture had degraded, and there was a push to modernise and drop the old ways. This caused other issues with pollution. She nodded towards Koga.

Koga set down his tea cup. Cities need to closely monitor their waste production, or else they cause a swarm of poison types to arise. This is well known, but was yet another factor that was overlooked during the war. He raised his cup at that, and I wondered if he was going to say anything else. I felt there was a lot more that he could say. Perhaps I had to fill in the blanks myself though.

Agatha took over, To this day so regions are still lost, either destroyed from the fighting, or still hidden away. She sniffed, Or they might still be dealing with the issues that arose for them during the wars. The wild pokemon were not easy to ta. So areas around Kanto saw giant pokemon like that scam of a tourist trap pokemon island likes to show off! During the war we had giants like that appearing almost monthly!

I nodded, keeping my thoughts to myself. There had been that episode where Ash and crew destroyed pokemon island accidentally after the St. Anne tragedy, but there had also been sothing to do with ruins and giant pokemon hadnt there? I hadnt recalled that little factoid until Agatha ntioned it. But that was interesting and potentially concerning.

The information on the precise ti fra of the war was also interesting to discover. Twenty-five years and the world was still reeling. It might seem like a short period of ti to lose access to people but it wasnt in truth. Nature could reclaim areas of land much faster in this world due to grass pokemon. Water types could ruin trade lanes, and with Dragons and Flying types flight beca much tougher. Psychic teleports over distances of entire regions was beyond rare. I knew of only one person that could achieve it, and she never did it back to back. She made it look easy but that was rely a testant to her prowess.

Agatha shifted. Our own region was heavily impacted of course. At the ti it was expected that trainers would have a one in four chance to survive to their twentieth birthday. I, among others, lost many friends and family. I was one of the strongest to erge for Kanto. The others were people like Samuel, Koga, and Blaine. Together we ford the first iteration of Guardians.

Oak was part of the Guardians? I said. Id surmised as much from his earlier comnts but it was good to have confirmation.

Agatha bobbed her head. Indeed, Oak ended up being instruntal in giving us a fighting chance. We hadnt had anything like the clans of Blackthorn. We lacked the Dragons natural predators with ice types, which were their own allies. Oak however was able to raise a Dragonite and demonstrate that Dragons were weak to themselves. He fought them to such a standstill they had to back off.

She smiled fondly at that before scoffing, Then he did sothing stupid enough to gain their respect.

I tilted my head in question. What did he do?

He learned that Raikou had grown enraged and attacked the town of New Bark. The fool didnt even stop to gather the rest of us. Instead, he took off and fought with the beast for over an hour until others arrived. Then he stuck around and helped them get back on their feet!

Agatha stared into the distance. It didnt make any sense to anyone at the ti. That was a town that was positioned to be a threat to us, most of all Pallet! But Oak still saved them In doing so he brought Johto to the negotiating table. From there he stopped the war and our own headlong rush into annihilation. Agatha stared off into the distance.

He could have nad himself a king of Kanto back then, and made it stand. The governnt, such as it was at the ti, had all but collapsed and we were working more as city-states that identified as a Kanto League. So the Governnt back then was mostly ignored. People didnt follow their orders but instead looked to their local strongest. Agatha took another sip of her tea.

A more aggressive man would have taken what was in front of him, but not Oak. Instead, he ford the initial frawork for the League with the Elite Four. From there the League grew from administrative support for strengthening trainers and redeveloping our two states until we beca Indigo. Then they snuck themselves into governance. Samuels dream took many years where he travelled far around Kanto and Johto, he won people over and had them let go of their anger. I served as his third back then, along with Pryce and Arthur. Eventually, people pushed for a higher position that hed held for Kanto in truth.

Agatha got a pleased look on her face at this and I wondered for a mont if people included her. Oak fought so contenders and then faced challenges from his fellow Elites. When he won he was crowned Champion with history recording his tenure as starting from when he took the Kanto Championship and through the war until he retired out of respect. He had everything at his fingertips back then!

Again he remained light with his authority. Agatha sniffed at this last point. He did elevate Blaine however.

You think he should have done more? I asked as she took a sip of her tea.

...No She said slowly. At the ti I was, and I recognise I still am, a firebrand. I was all for pushing Kanto superiority I detested Oaks thods but

She got a fond look on her face. I admired his strength among other things. In the end, I think he has created a stronger Kanto than I ever could have. Her eyes beca sharp. That does not an that I agree with everything the League would have us do! If they had their way, there would be caps on all trainers and lower pokemon limits. Theyd see all of us weakened!

Sure, sure old lady, but do keep telling us about how hot Oak makes you under your petty coat yeah? Said Karen. I was surprised to see her speaking out of turn like that.

Agatha whipped her head around to Karen. Youll keep your mouth shut on topics you barely know of young Lady or I will discipline you and teach you why you respect your elders!

Karen responded with a smirk that showed her teeth. By all ans old woman, she said.

Feh! Expect it when were done here, little miss! Replied Agatha.

I humd and almost reached out for the tea before realising I wouldnt enjoy that so I aborted the action. Tiffany perked up only to droop when I stopped myself from drinking the tea. That did make feel a little bad, but not bad enough to drink sothing I knew I wasnt going to like. I did enough of that at ho.

Instead, I turned what Id learnt over in my head. Oaks actions almost resembled that of an ani selfless hero. Hed been larger than life and sothing so out of the ordinary it probably had been a huge dynamic shift. I found myself respecting the old professor a bit more. It was harder to be peaceful and helpful in a world so ready for fighting.

The news of the League didnt surprise , but it was good to know that the guardians were also aware of the sociopolitical issues that could arise from the League mandating a lower pokemon cap. I could count a few tis where it was worth having a larger team of six even if it was just to have pokemon that could swim, fly, or traverse harsh environnts. Ah, I made a noise of consideration. I decided to test the waters. So why the Guardians then? If the league does a good enough job

Good enough is not what people should allow themselves! Snapped Agatha turning away from her staring match with Karen. She glared at before huffing.

Harsh tis lead to strong people and that leads to peaceful tis! I am aware of this. People have beco complacent however and this is leading to weak people! To stop this cycle there need to be people pushing themselves and remaining strong so that others can be allowed to be weak! She jabbed a finger at . One in four! The League does not acknowledge the sacrifice it took to get where we are, and it continues to do acts in the na of good that is anything but! Her finger closed into a fist that dropped to hamr at the table between us.

The war itself pushed the world to a breaking point! During the war, it wasnt uncommon to face wild pokemon. But as we continued to fight and kill each other, the pokemon we faced grew stronger until cities and entire people were being swept from the earth as we faced Legendaries! This continued for roughly three years after the war until the agitated pokemon settled enough that proper growth could be even considered. Legendary pokemon still rampaged about though. Most of the ti it was caused by foolish n and won, certainly, but sotis, she raised a finger to underscore her point. Sotis they rampage for no discernable reason and it takes strong people to stand against them.

I decided not to try and be reasonable and state that chances were more than likely it was again humans as the cause. So you ford the Guardians?

The Guardians were sothing that was already created during the war. We simply have faded from peoples minds and mories as we have grown old. Few of us remain from the bad old days. Saffron might be the capital, but Lavender is where the Guardians were based from. This allowed us to block attackers from the east that ca for Kanto, and on occasion strike out to sea on raids. We had mbers in Pewter, Pallet, Fuschia, and Cinnabar island as well though. We had a formal disbanding, after a few years of peace, but have actually been continuing to operate in secret.

This made think of another organisation from an ani I liked that had supposedly disbanded. Thankfully this wasnt a ninja village, and we werent eting in the sewers below the village. I glanced over to Koga and decided to remain vigilant. I didnt want to wake up drinking from a skull one day and wonder if what I was doing wasnt what a bad guy would do.

Shouldnt the locals know? I asked. You could never underestimate the neighbours in a pokemon town after all.

Agatha waved her hand. It is no secret to them. In fact the locals of Lavender are the best equipped to understand the situation with specialised etings for people that have grown up here. Lots of them support us in their own way. She smiled and nodded to Tiffany before lifting her now empty cup.

The locals are also raised with a different curriculum than the others in Kanto with a larger focus on the costs of the war. With the graves of so many valued trainers and their pokemon around them, they understand. She then gestured around the table at the four of us sitting down. As deterrents, the Guardians have a duty and slight elevation in the hierarchy.

She leered at . Dont be surprised if so nubile young lasses co your way soon Brock. People will learn of you becoming a Guardian soon enough.

I rolled my eyes at her. Pushing the issue of won being interested in to the side for now. If your issue is with strength, why not work with the gyms or the auditing group of the League, to make sure only worthy trainers get through?

We have been, but there were always argunts for the opposite. Or people with select interests pushing for certain things such as tax breaks or preferential treatnt. A weaker trainer base ans a stronger authority for the League. I was, and still am, being marginalised during etings so we will need to make sure that the gyms remain strong. She nodded to Karen. Other trainers will need to step up.

I nodded slowly thinking it over. Tiffany filled up Koga and Karens tea before looking at my own. I ignored her. So where does aura training co into it? I said after mulling things over.

Naturally the guardians need strong trainers. Only those with natural talent have the ability to learn. Or, those that push themselves and their team notice how the link between the two is not just how well a pokemon responds. For type specialists, this is multiplied. The original challenges that the Hero faced were all against type specialists for a reason beyond just being the most abundant pokemon type nearby. Agatha gave Karen a look and the other woman sat up.

Karen coughed once and took over the conversation, Pokemon trainers of that era all knew about Aura manipulation and many tried to develop it. It was, however, very, very rare. Using aura was a giant symbol of power and consolidated the local leaders. We have so tablets from that period that highlight this. Most notably was of course the hero that united the various city-states. The Hero back then was able to wield more than one type which made them beyond special however only after defeating an Aura wielder did they start to expand their range of abilities.

I tilted my head and considered how that worked together slightly with the knowledge of the gas. Trainers that completed various gyms beca able to handle HMs and various stronger levelled pokemon that had been traded to them. Perhaps there was sothing like that at play and still in play. Youd need to study an entire group to determine that however or a population.

Oak still works to maintain the strength of the regions, I said, recalling Oaks supportive comnts and research when wed t.

Of course he does. He selects the cream of the crop, and hands them so of the best known pokemon in our region. Karen raised an eyebrow at , not seeing what I was referencing.

Koga spoke up, He ans that Oak is the best suited to observe the true level of trainers. He typically researches relationships between humans and pokemon, but gyms all feed information to the League that he has access to for his studies. He knows when trainers are lacking not just on an individual level but also on a population level. Karen grinned, He also has access to this information on a global level.

I rely humd at that.

Agatha set her teacup down with a firm click. Yes, Samuel is still supporting Kanto as he blunders around with his studies. Not everyone will have access to that. There are more than just those that obey the law, as foolish as it can sotis beco!

Agatha gave everyone a look. Criminals for example, do not operate within the constraints of laws. Neither do wild pokemon or, indeed, Legendaries. What do pokemon care for the rule of mankind? Not a wit! Lance himself has had to face people that abandoned society and have taken to the wilds. There are yet more of them you can be sure! Agatha tapped on the table once more.

We need strong trainers. We need trainers that are able to unleash that strength without constraints to do away with threats before they can beco too great! Or, And she sniffed pointedly, act as shields when the worst occurs. We need beacons within the community that act to raise the standard for people to aspire to!

I could imagine that if Agatha had been standing she would have stabbed her cane into the ground to capitalise that point. The Guardians serve in all these roles and more! She jabbed a boney finger at , If you were to join with us we will seek to empower you more with your Aura developnt and support you in other ways; information, training thods for resistances and skills developnt beyond what you already possess.

I nodded at that in consideration. I ran the conversation back over in my mind. What would you do if I rejected your offer? Say I decided to run for Champion even? Would you stand in my way?

Agatha threw back her head and cackled. You? Ha! You wouldnt be able to make your run against the Elite four as we stand boy! Youre strong, but were well aware of your tricks along with those pokemon you dont show off to the public! She shook her head. But no, if you were to make a challenge we would rely fight you as our status demanded as Elite Four trainers. Should you erge victorious or even on the Elite Four roster itself, we would ask that you take our advice seriously. You otherwise would be left alone unless you acted against us. When I opened my mouth she held up her hand preempting my question.

If you were to unknowingly act against our interest, an interdiary would present themselves to inform you, and depending on the situation either ask you to back down or possibly lend our support.

I grunted at that and let silence retake the room. So they werent so secretive and all demanding that theyd work against unless I worked for them. Not so bad, but still had the potential to be problematic. I waved my hand about. Returning to an earlier point you made, is Bruno not here because hes not supportive of your views?

Koga nodded his head. Hes supportive of the League and doesnt want to bother with taking a larger view. The man is very focused on his own developnt and little else. Hes a wonderful patsy for so League officials, but more than strong enough to remain in his position.

I prodded Lorelei is from Johto as well, no? How does she fit into the situation with the League right now?

Agatha sniffed dismissively. Pryce installed her before he was beaten by Lance. Shell be removed after I will, no doubt. The Blackthorn clan might have been allied with the people of Snowdrift, but Dragon masters are always touchy when ice types are close to them. Lance is young and doesnt see the value of keeping her close, but overall I am glad the girl is being removed. She was causing so damage with her good intentions.

Sounds like a story there? I ask.

Not for tonight, Agatha waved off.

I rubbed my chin. Other regions must have similar groups surely? Arent you concerned that building up like this will cause them to build up as well? Sort of strength build-up? I wanted to say arms race but guns were beyond rare in this world.

Hmpf! As if that would stop them. She eyed for a mont before harrumphing once more. We stay within our own region until were invited mostly. And we dont shake the world too much. We shelter our region first and foremost. Thats why were called Guardians and not the Raiders or sothing equally as asinine. She gestured again outside. Kanto, Johto, Sevii, Orange, and Hoenn were regions that have obviously recovered the fastest and re-erged to a global status. This has been a boon for the trading of trainers, pokemon and ideas. Strength is required to reach this level, however. As more regions re-erge there will be risks, have no doubt of that.

What will be expected of ? I asked, tapping the table. What had been said so far didnt sound unreasonable.

Mostly to beco a beacon of strength. Youve already achieved this with your recent performance against Lance. You have a strong grounding in Aura but little beyond the foundations or channelling it within your body. She leaned forward. Tell , have you yet managed an actual pokemon move yet?

I shook my head. Her gaze intensified. How did you first discover your aura?

I just worked with Titan a lot and ditated. I eventually felt sothing and started to move it around.

Karen giggled. Like with the comics kids like to read? Oh, are you one of those types? she said with an amused snort.

I gave a bemused smile and shrugged a shoulder. It worked.

So it did, said Karen with a shake of her head.

I considered her. Were you taught from the get-go about it?

Being Agathas apprentice has perks like that, yes. I wondered if she wasnt going to say daughter or Granddaughter. I decided not to voice the thought, it didnt really matter right now. It was worth rembering when discussions like this occurred in future.

Honestly its rather impressive how a trainer as young as yourself has such a strong foundation. She tilted her head, How old are you?

Sixteen. I avoided saying that I would soon be seventeen as I knew that to be more child-like.

Oh Her eyes swept over before grimacing. Thats surprising.

I looked to Koga who had so far been the most neutral if tightlipped of the group. Sothing about the way he suddenly lood over the conversation gave off the impression he would be speaking next. How he did that without moving a muscle I had no idea. It is a wonderful accomplishnt to have so control over your aura at such an age. That you have deep pools is impressive.

I blinked again in surprise. And how can you tell that?

Sensory abilities with aura are sothing that can be developed beyond the traditional channelling skills. You will eventually be able to feel sources around you depending on your training. I had to wonder if that didnt an Id be able to stop him sneaking up on .

He gave a look as if knowing where my thoughts were going. His lips twitched upwards into a smirk that almost seed challenging before it vanished making wonder if it hadnt been a trick of the light.

You will be given so prirs on expelling aura from your body and retaining control over it. This will form most of the moves you can learn and is the next step for you as an Aura wielder. From there you will have many different choices but know that it is not advised to try for all of the paths. Each path will take a long ti to master and it is not advisable for you to attempt using them in actual situations unless you have mastery. Such sloppiness in the past has led to injuries or deaths in the past.

I nodded my head at that. The mystical source of energy having drawbacks made sense, otherwise, it would be more commonplace.

You have Dark-type and Rock-Type energy Brock? Agatha asked.

Yes, Ive attuned myself to Titan more than anyone else so I ended up with a dual typing you could say.

It will be harder for you to advance but your early start will perhaps offset this. With most of the pokemon you spend ti with being Rock typed, that should be the easier aura type to train up.

I tilted my head at that, I hadnt found that to be an issue. Sotis it felt like Dark type aura ca easier to . Karen narrowed her eyes but Agatha didnt notice my confused expression and instead barreled on with the conversation. If you decide to develop the bond between your pokemon further, make sure you only channel the type of energy they have within them into the bond.

What would that serve to do? I played ignorant even as I considered the possible applications. Was this what ga-evolutions, Z type moves and gigantamax might require? Didnt the ani show that you needed an item for both yourself and the pokemon? Was this a thod to do it without either? Or was it sothing different? I had spent a lot of ti frequenting jewelers during my travels or at crystal sellers, just in case such a strange rock fell into my lap.

Agatha frowned at . With you pushing energy into your pokemon they can be empowered beyond their current level to sothing stronger. They will hit harder, be able to endure more and be stronger in general. They will also be able to use what so texts refer to as signature moves.

That sounds pretty damn good.

Dont think it wont be hard work, Agatha said seriously.

I didnt get where I am from laying around. Ive been lucky, of that I have no doubt, but Ive still worked hard. This was true but probably undersold how lucky I was. Who could say theyd been granted another life with a general idea of what was going to happen and how to navigate the system? No one that I knew of.

Agatha nodded her head pleased. Well then Brock I would like to formally invite you to join us. I will warn that once you join, you may be called on in the event of a Legendary going out of control. This is sothing of a heavier responsibility than is currently expected of gym leaders with the focus not being just your area, but the entire Kanto region.

Koga stared at . You will also not advertise or tell others of us without our approval. It would require us discrediting you to protect ourselves along with making us distrustful of anything you were to do or say going forwards. He bowed his head towards with a small incline of his head. Just so you are aware of the stick such as it were. If you are discovered through no fault of your own we will take asures to protect you as required.

I nodded tightly at that.

Agatha leaned forward. You will be asked to continue training any apprentices you take in leading them towards Aura awareness. This will allow for stronger trainers in general. If we ask, you will train a select trainer for us, this will not be an outright apprenticeship unless you wish it to be, and the person is open to the idea. Certain trainers have floundered in the past without soone to act as a support for them. We in turn will take any trainers you have for us into the sa arrangent. You will be allowed access to our resources to better learn. The best of which is access to current aura wielders and to a library specifically for this.

I nodded, extrely curious as to what I would find in the library and who would serve to teach . I forced my eyes not to flicker hopefully to Karen. If my choices were an old woman, an old ninja and a beauty like her I knew who I was hoping for even as my mind pushed for a different choice.

How do you support yourselves? Financial and such? I asked, interested.

The war was good and bad. Agatha watched closely. During this ti I supported a number of people but I realised this was untenable. I eventually developed a network to get things where they needed such as supplies and mail. Dont worry about financials or having to contribute there. I took care of the Guardians for this many, many years ago.

I decided to let that issue rest for now. Have you extended the offer to Sabrina yet? I watched them closely. Agathas lips tugged into a smile. Karens lips pinched slightly and Koga remained impassive.

Agatha inclined her head. Shes strong.

Karen turned her head away and pouted, apparently annoyed at what had been said. Agatha clicked her tongue at the younger woman. Dont deny it. She is. She has all of us beat in her potential. Her use of Psychic energies is sothing that would be a massive boon for us all. It has sadly made her less developed in areas we would require.

Shes a brat! Karen spat.

I glanced from Karen to Agatha with a raised eyebrow. Agatha smirked. Karen waltzed into the gym expecting to face her father and trounce him during her own journey, only to co face to face with a young Sabrina. She expected to crush the girl and tried taking it easy on her only to be flattened in turn despite the type advantage.

She did not flatten ! hissed Karen, her hair rising up as dark tendrils whipped around her. I bit my lips at the oddly childish reaction.

How many attempts did you have at the badge? Agatha said haughtily.

Karen clicked her tongue. I won against her best team! Agatha chose not to say anything and rely signalled to a giggling Tiffany for more tea. When Agatha had her refill she turned back to .

Shes shown remarkable developnt in her weaker areas of late. She also has shown greater finesse with her skills. Her pokemon roster is obviously strong, but there is still room for growth. It is understood she has not yet retained a pokemon from the Ralts line for example. We have long considered her, but you were judged to be the better offer. We typically make sure to only take in a few people at most a year. We space things out to help you acclimatise to how we operate. Too many too fast makes for things falling through the cracks and friction that doesnt need to be there. Were already very busy people.

So of us busier than others, snarked Karen towards Agatha.

My retirent will be well earned, yes, Agatha replied as if she wasnt saying it just to ignore Karens needling.

I humd to myself. The calmness of Rock still holding in a very clear state of mind let recognise that it wasnt just for my benefit but also for the groups beyond the obvious. It was a thod of controlling the culture. By teaching their thods they made sure things didnt change too quickly or for groups to form from the new inductees. It wasnt a secret these days that I was friendly with Sabrina after all.

There was also the possibility that they didnt have such an easy hook. I needed training for my dual typings. Sabrina was extrely advanced already. If anything theyd be coming to her asking for favours instead of the opposite. Id have to watch how things progressed.

Shed be perfect for being a strength within Kanto though. You should probably still make the offer, I said, putting the choice in their hands.

Koga and Agatha nodded, Karen slumped, grumbled sothing into her lap but then nodded. I got the impression she resented that she had to respect Sabrina.

Yes, yes we will be approaching her in the future Brock, dont worry for her. Agatha waved off. Do you have any other questions? I shook my head. Good. Now, do you accept our offer?

I glanced around. No old roll of parchnt with a blood quill? Koga snorted while Agatha laughed. Karen rolled her eyes.

A verbal agreent is best. Words might be wind, but for us, it is more than enough. We will tell our people you have joined us and people will introduce themselves or be introduced to you. Nothing official is written down lest sloppiness results in more people knowing than we desire.

I considered everything I had learned tonight. I wanted to grow stronger. I so far didnt have anything glaringly of concern but that didnt an I would forget how this night started.

When you make your offer to people do you do that to all inductees? I doubted many would be able to stand against two, if not three Elite Four mbers.

Again, it was a test for new potential Elite trainers within our organisation Brock. We needed to know you had the ability to walk the walk. You cant avoid tossing people into the deep end sotis in life. I huffed at her.

Going to do the sa to Sabrina?

Karen leaned forward. Of course.

Ill look forward to her destroying you then, I said with a smirk that made her bare her teeth. Definitely, a rivalry there although I had no doubt Sabrina didnt even rember Karen. That would be amusing.

I accept.