[Guys, you ever get it? Just got my starter and went to challenge the Gym—Sabrina sent me home black-and-blue with the whole Tyrogue line.]
[rip my youth—Sabrina's playing Fighting now.]
[Grey's live! We want the cutie on cam!]
The chat was a wall of "demands," all calling for Grey to show up and explain himself.
Grey pocketed his phone and pushed the door open.
"Leader! You're finally back!"
Eyes brimming, Bumiao threw herself at him, pointing accusingly at Sabrina on the sofa. "She said she's the Gym Leader today and made me be her assistant. Then she said, 'If you don't like it, ask Grey!' Leader, you have to give me an explanation!"
"Ahem—let's park that for a sec."
Grey scratched his cheek, gently pried himself free, and walked toward Sabrina. "Miss Sabrina, about how many challengers did you handle this morning?"
"…."
Sabrina didn't answer. She held up one finger.
Grey arched a brow. "Ten?"
Sabrina murmured, "Nonstop."
"Hiss—"
Grey sucked in a breath.
Out of the corner of his eye he caught the heap of Pokémon lying flat on the floor.
"Oof…"
Hitmonchan gritted its teeth where it slumped against the wall, exhaling slowly.
Hitmonlee and Hitmontop sat beside it, not in much better shape.
"You pushed their stamina right to the edge."
Grey knelt to check on them.
Seeing the satisfied light in their eyes, he exhaled.
Voluntary.
"They're all good seedlings. With proper training, two or three months from now they'll match a normal Gym's main roster."
Sabrina drifted over, studying the three with a calm tone.
Grey disagreed. "One month will do."
"…."
Sabrina didn't respond—she only held his gaze for a long beat.
"Since you're back, the challengers are yours again."
She Teleported away to her room.
"Whew…"
Bumiao let out a long breath, then grabbed Grey by the collar, teeth clenched. "You've been Leader for a few days and you're already letting another woman act as Gym Leader? What happens in a month?!"
"C'mon, that's not fair—it was an emergency."
Grey gave a sheepish smile and pointed at the kitchen. "I woke up to a break-in. Figured I'd catch the thief while I was at it."
"Hm?"
Bumiao's grip loosened. She squinted at him. "So? What happened to the thief?"
Grey's mouth curled.
Three Poké Balls popped from his belt, and out came a red, green, and blue trio—at a glance you'd think they were some region's starters.
"Heh. Packaged and brought home."
Grey lifted his chin, smug.
"Torchic, Shroomish… and Riolu?!"
Bumiao was floored.
He'd gone out and returned with three future powerhouses.
Obvious pillars for the dojo's future roster.
All three evolve into Fighting-types.
Each one stronger than the last.
Perfect fit for a Fighting Dojo.
By comparison…
Most Kanto Fighting-types looked like Dex fillers.
"All right, take five—then we prep for the afternoon stream."
Grey stretched, yawned, and headed for the break room.
…
"Sabrina—why are you here? Your room is next door."
He found her in the break room, shoes just off.
Sabrina turned, her long hair falling over one shoulder.
As Grey walked in, she asked, "So—what's your plan for Saturday?"
"Of course I'm going. I need the S.S. Anne to get to Galar. Expenses covered and I rack up some good karma."
Grey was already budgeting it out—only a ledger was missing.
"Today is Wednesday. Take away today and you have two and a half days. Do you really think you can raise your strength enough to protect yourself against a Rocket executive?"
Sabrina didn't hide her doubt.
"I think I can."
Grey glanced at his system readout—[Newbie Gym Leader phase: rapid growth]—and kept a straight face.
"…."
At last, her cool expression shifted—just a hint of suspicion.
She handed him the doll in her arms. "Use this to cover these days' rent."
"A… doll?"
Grey weighed the doll in his hands, studying it for tells.
A little girl's doll, like any on the market.
If there was anything off, it was the eyes.
Something he couldn't name.
A shiver ran through him; then he met Sabrina's placid gaze, hugged the doll to his chest anyway, and pinched its cheeks. "Cute doll, haha…"
"I'm going back to my room."
She vanished again.
In the guest room, Sabrina rubbed her cheeks. A faint blush had crept in at some point.
…
2 p.m., after lunch.
Grey finished tuning the stream gear and went live.
Title: [Day Two as a New Gym Leader]
Tags: [Amateur][Unscripted]
The classic clickbait tags.
Viewers flooded in the moment the stream opened, talking over each other.
[Random passerby here—what's the relationship between the streamer and Sabrina?]
"My relationship with Sabrina? Landlord and tenant, that's all."
Grey answered offhand.
[Streamer, any Fighting-type recommendations? (subscribed)]
"Yo—thanks for the membership, 'NotYetATrainer.'
If you're a newbie eyeing a Fighting-type, I personally recommend choosing Torchic as your starter. If you already have one, keep an eye on the stream next—
Of course, lots of regions' starters dip into Fighting one way or another, and they all scale hard with good training."
Grey gave his view without dunking on others.
A Pokémon's potential is limitless.
"Raalts." (Though, Ralts is also a great choice.)
Ralts hopped into frame to wave, instantly snaring chat's attention.
[Genuine question—are you a Hoenn-region Gym Leader? Why do you have a Psychic/Fairy Ralts on a Fighting roster?]
"Friend rescue. Pure accident."
Grey rubbed Ralts's head and glanced at the next message.
[Hello, streamer—I'm writing from Alola. How do you build a good relationship with your Pokémon?]
//Check out my P@tre0n for 20 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810