I Want To Lay the Very Best!

12 – Counting Sheep

Sparky was still licking the back of her hand to get the taste out of her mouth as the trio came down to say their goodbyes to Scoria. It'd only ever been a brief visit. Brandy didn't want her mom's first impression of her Partners to be that one of them was as sick as a dog from her food and the other had some kind of sudden onset of itching disease. Bundling everyone out to let things cool off seemed wise, though knowing her luck, they'd only return worse for wear. The ill mood between the two wasn't helping much either, especially as Sparky couldn't let it sit.

"You won't fit in her shirts anymore when she does Inherit," Sparky said to Calcine as she gulped in the outside air. It was helping.

Calcine was still itching her stone skin and trying to ignore Sparky. Brandy didn't know if Calcine could get welts, but Sparky's Infestation had been surprisingly effective at disabling her. It would have been handy in the fight to capture them, but Calcine was still simmering with enough anger at Sparky to cover for both of them. No need to pile on.

"Maybe we could try to squeeze her into the ones you're stealing, though. That'd be fun to see, right?" Sparky bounded around Calcine, grabbing her stomach and raising her hands to lift Calcine's chest. The buttons on Calcine's stolen shirt strain as they're pressed tight.

Calcine tries to ignore her, head tilted up and away. Though Brandy could see the curl of a smile on her lips, she probably wouldn't be able to stay miserable for much longer. The bites hadn't stoked her fire enough to remain angry for long, especially when she had been a little responsible for Sparky's suffering in the first place. It was a stark contrast to Sparky, who seemed unable to go a minute without trying to get some kind of reaction out of people and only calmed down when someone wore her out. That they got along at all was a miracle. Perhaps Sparky found Calcine a challenge, and Calcine enjoyed the attention she probably wasn't used to getting.

Brandy huffed. She'd been thinking about fighting when she set out to capture her first two Pokémon. Managing personalities or compatibility hadn't even crossed her mind. It made sense now why so many Trainers went Ace and only got Pokémon of a particular type. Easier for them to all get along when they're on the same wavelength. Dragon Ace's probably got bullied even worse than she did, but at least all their Pokémon were in on it!

Calcine turned her head around, looking over at Brandy. Sparky's hair was just visible over her shoulder as she tried to clamber up Calcine's side. "So, what is the plan for the day?" She asked innocently.

"Gym!" Brandy said quickly, pointing to the giant doughnut-shaped structure that dominated the town. The design was pretty darn ugly, and someone at some point had thought that if it looked like a donut, it should also have sprinkle patterns. A testament to why Architects shouldn't do work while hungry.

"And what is your plan once we get there?"

"Go in and win?" Brandy hesitantly admitted, already regretting how bad a plan that sounded.

Calcine's eyes narrowed.

"Well, it's worked so far?"

"Gawd, she sucks at this," Sparky called, finally getting a good hold of Calcine's arm and holding onto it like a limpet while she walked. "Can't believe you fell for this girl."

"She thinks quickly on her feet and can plan ahead when she wants to. You never know what to expect."

"Which is why I like her! But you're too stuffy to care about that." Sparky said, mischievous eyes bright as she peeked over Calcine's shoulder. "Don't you want some all calm and sleepy like yourself?"

"I know what you're trying to do, and Brandy already thinks you're trouble for attacking me in her home. Brandy's only not mad about it because she got to see your last hidden move."

"That wasn't all my fault, spoon-licker! You earned those bites, don't act all innocent."

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"Spoon licker?" Calcine said, sounding genuinely confused, "I don't know what you mean. You attacked me for no reason."

Sparky gasped, poking Calcine's cheek as she stared at Brandy. "A liar too! Look at this lying mouth!"

"I don't think Calcine would lie," Brandy also lied. "You need to behave better."

"This is so unfair!"

Brandy tried to keep a straight face at the reaction, but even Calcine was chuckling by the time they got to the Gym.
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Brandy graciously opened the door to the Gym when they all got there, waving her Partners through before stepping inside. Two women were waiting for them inside, just casually chatting with each other. One of them was wearing a green jumpsuit with a leaf symbol as a chest badge, her black hair tied back in a ponytail. The other woman was in a white lab coat, a clipboard hugged her chest, and her blonde hair rolled past her shoulders. Both were staring at the group curiously, probably because Sparky looked absolutely ridiculous as an arm ornament.

The woman with the clipboard lifted it out, writing something down as the green jumpsuit gave them a friendly smile and opened with a deluge of words.

"Hi there, welcome to the Gym. My name is Chantal. I'm one of the trainers here. Are you here for a badge? You'll have to bring two Pokémon for it, but we always love seeing fresh faces, and if you're just starting out, then our beginner's course will be perfect for you."

Brandy glanced at her, eyebrows raised as she let the messy introduction wash over.

"I know? I've been living here for years, Chantal! You're in my mom's book club."

Chantal laughed, flicking her ponytail. "She never actually reads those books, and that doesn't matter! You're a Trainer now, Brandy Joyce, so I will treat you like one. A completely fresh start."

"Oh! How do you know her name then?" Sparky said, "Are you Psychic?"

Calcine raises her arm with Sparky on it, the Joltik squealing excitedly as Calcine turns her around and points her away from the conversation.

"We are actually here to try for a Badge," Calcine says, "If you're still set on it, Brandy? The Beginner course sounds like it'd be something you should do before jumping in the deep end."

"We need the money from it! I didn't want to beg my parents for starter funds, and I wanted to do it like the stories. All my own sweat." Brandy smiled. "And I'm thriving in the deep end so far."

"Maybe I do need someone calmer," Calcine said, giving Brandy's arm a friendly punch. "I trust you to not make fools of us then, and Sparky's doing that fine all by herself."

"You both love me. I grow on people," Sparky said as she clambered down from Calcine. "Like a kind of sexy moss."

The clipboard lady jotted something down, which made Brandy nervous right away. If this was a test, she was pretty sure 'Sexy Moss' wasn't on any answer sheet. Best to move things along before they kicked her out, before she'd even begun.

"I'd like to try for the Badge," Brandy said. "I know you said I needed two Pokémon to do it, but not why?"

"That's right," Chantel said. "Since this is your first time, Willow, could you explain the rules?"

Willow tapped her clipboard as she looked at Brandy down her nose. "Brandy Joyce, do you know Maple Haze?"

"Uh." Brandy really hadn't expected that her mind tumbling over itself as she tried to find an answer. "We saw her earlier today? She had a run-in with a really strong local Rapidash."

"Did she seem well?" Willow says, grip tightening on the clipboard.

"She seemed like she had way too much fun, maybe a lot for her to take in all at once?"

"Oh yeah, a lot to take in," Sparky nodded. "Intimidatingly large amounts,"

"No jokes, please. Maple is my daughter, and she's been distraught," Willow says, each word like a heavy slap to Sparky, who shies behind Brandy.

"Ah! Well, we were told Trainers usually lose a few times before they capture their first Pokémon. She shouldn't be?" Brandy gave Willow a nervous smile. "She likes to do well at things. I guess she got her confidence knocked some,"

Willow tapped her pen on her clipboard, a steady staccato beat as she stared Brandy down. It made her feel even more nervous, fidgeting her feet as her Pokémon stood behind her, thankfully quiet for her in the tense moment.

"I'm sorry, this is unprofessional and can wait until after you're done," Willow says, looking down at her clipboard again. Her shoulders untensed slightly, and Brandy felt Calcine pat her side. Good work? A warning? Well, they'd find out later, she supposed.

"Welcome to Turrfield Gym and your first Badge Trials. Gaining Badges is an important step for any Trainer, as each will teach you valuable lessons about forming strong bonds." Willow had shifted to a more practiced speech, stilted but no longer dripping with intensity. "With time, you may form bonds with the strongest Pokémon and help further enrich their lives and our fair Island. "

"Well, she's already done that, but I'm sure we can find others," Sparky said.

"She also caught a Joltik, too," Calcine nodded.

Thankfully, Willow was professional enough to ignore a slap fight, plowing on with the speech.

"Your Badge Trial will begin when you step through the sliding doors behind us. We'd ask if you do not share what happens with those who have not yet completed the tasks. Leaking information will come with penalties, be it the removal of earned Badges or refusal at other Gyms. Do you agree to this?"

"Yes," Brandy said, "Not a word"

"Good, then you will face one trial, and if you pass that, a battle with the Gym Leader. Every Gym's rules are different, so we can challenge each Trainer differently. Turrfield requires you to pick two Pokémon before entering, and no more will be allowed."

Brandy waved back to Calcine, who had Sparky stuck in a headlock. She waves.

"Are you sure?" Chantel says, giving Brandy a chance to maybe rethink this.

"Absolutely! I trust them, you'll see."

"Then I can tell you that the challenges you face will test your ability to manage multiple partners. Keep this in mind, and you will hopefully find success. For your trial, simply pass through the room behind us. Once beyond, the second part will be explained to you."

"Right! Go through a room that seems suspiciously easy?"

Willow smiled. "Quite so. Good luck, and do come to speak with me after, please. Once you've had a rest."

Chantel was already by the door, a hand over the opening button and looking expectant.

"You two ready?" Brandy said, looking back at the pair that had been fighting since they'd left home.

"Absolutely. Trainers with badges are hot," Sparky said, squirming in Calcine's grip and slipping free. "Get enough, and I bet even Calcine here would be smoldering."

"It shows competence, which I do like," Calcine said, rubbing her hand off on her stolen shirt. "And I hate losing, so let's give it our all."

Can't get a better response than that. With some nervous smiles, Brandy sidles past Willow and up to the door, her two Partners coming to flank her. Chantel hits the button, the doors slide open with a hiss, and the group steps through. Beyond it was something that made a mockery of the word "Room." It must have taken up a good quarter of the whole Gym, an absolutely colossal field walled in with a glass roof. Puffy white clouds dotted the grass, far more than Brandy wanted to count right away.

On the lookout for danger, Brandy took a hesitant step forward.

"It can't be as easy as crossing, right?" she whispered. "There's a trick?"

Sparky shrugged. "Looks like a field to me, with a load of weird rocks."

A bell tolled from speakers mounted to the walls surrounding the far edges of the great field. Brandy knew it well. The Motostoke bell tolling was often played before the News to sound out the hours. It was loud, making her ears ring as the sound of it rippled across the field.

One of the clouds stretched, a dark-skinned face peeking out of the white fluff. Golden eyes and long white braided hair that blended in with the woolen cloak, Brandy kicked herself. Of course, they weren't clouds. They were the local Wooloos!

"Those soft creatures are basically zero threat to anyone," Calcine said, "But they're wonderful cooks. It's a shame they don't come down to the mines more."

"Oh," the sleepy Wooloo said, setting her eyes on the three who'd entered. "Oh, wake up, everyone! We got a fresh one."

More clouds uncurled. Brandy hadn't thought to count them, but now she was doing it hastily. There had to be at least thirty, maybe more?

One Wooloo wasn't a problem. But this was a whole swarm, and they looked very excited.

"Wow, who knew adding a lot of zeros together got you a big number," Sparky laughed. "Poor Brandy. They're going to tear you apart."

Brandy's blood froze as she saw what Sparky meant. They weren't staring at the group. They were staring at Brandy. All of them. With a hunger in their eyes.

Oh. Oh shit.