The Oreburgh City Gym looked like a normal Gym on the outside, but was like a mine on the inside. There were many layers of rocks, and a few wooden bridges connecting them. Some Trainers were ready to welcome challengers that enter the Gym with a battle, weakening them for Roark, and training in the process.

Most new Trainers would come with a Turtwig or a Piplup, and those who picked a Chimchar would catch a Budew, but that was the first time the Gym Trainers encountered someone who trained both a Turtwig and a Roselia, Budew’s evolved form.

‘I win,’ Gardenia laughed as the large formation of rocks fell to the ground. ‘You call that thing an Onix? Really, kid, why are you even a Trainer? You’ll never be good. Now move out of my way, I’ve got a Roark to destroy.’

*

‘Come on, Maylene!’ Crasher Wake pleaded. ‘Let me carry you to your house! I will run like I always do!’

‘I don’t want to,’ Maylene said. ‘I’ll just walk back home with Riolu.’

‘Forget what Riley said! What does he know? He only defeated Pryce once!’ Crasher Wake started shouting, and Riolu didn’t believe that his voice could get any louder, yet somehow, it did. ‘Riley is an idiot! He can only sense Aura, but you can kick a grown man to the ground! Come on, kick me!’

‘In the house?’ Maylene said. ‘What if I break something?’

‘Since when did you care?!’ Crasher Wake shouted, grabbing Maylene by the leg, and lifting her up to his eyes. ‘You hesitated, now you can’t kick me! What are you going to do, upside-down girl?!’

With a grump, Maylene pushed her fist as hard as she could into Crasher Wake’s face, but the man wasn’t even fazed. He let his lips slide into a smirk as he squeezed harder on Maylene’s leg, and she knew he was challenging her; a simple punch wasn’t enough. But even though she knew it would do no good, Maylene shouted and punched again, while Crasher Wake gave his signature loud laugh; taunting Maylene. Either the man was a genius, and he knew how to give Maylene her motivation, or he was an idiot, as all seemed to do was reinstate what Maylene had been telling herself; that she was weak.

And as Riolu’s eyes darted from Crasher Wake’s face to Maylene, he understood his Trainer a little better. Maylene wasn’t going to let anyone challenge her and get away with it, which is exactly what Crasher Wake was doing. Riley’s mistake was trying to be easy on the girl, and not to break her spirits; had he outrightly told her that she was weak, she would have responded with a fight, likely beating Lucario all by herself.

Crasher Wake let out a scream of pain as Maylene fell to the ground, quickly getting up and tackling the man to the ground, revealing a few drops of blood on the floor. The sound of glass shattering finally drew all of Riolu’s consciousness to the fight; Crasher Wake’s nose was bleeding, and he held it while Maylene kicked him again and again; letting all her anger out.

Brawly used her near death experience against her in their battle, Pryce mocked her, and Riley told her that she couldn’t use Aura. With each kick, Maylene let out all the emotions she had been holding for the past five months, and as much as Riolu wanted to help Crasher Wake, who seemed to be cowering in a heap on the floor next to a broken plate, he feared for his own safety.

A hand pushed him out of the way, and a blur of orange rushed past, colliding with Maylene and sending water flying in all directions, washing away all of Riolu’s mud trails, and causing all electricity in the house to shut down. A few pieces of the broken plate floated past Riolu, followed by some red dots, before more water entered the room.

‘I’m fine, Floatzel,’ Crasher Wake said, nudging his Pokémon away from Maylene. ‘Are you going to let me carry you to Veilstone now, Maylene?’

The girl looked around the house; Floatzel must have produced a lot of water. She was completely drenched in the aftermath of the attack, and the TV was smoking, likely also a result of Floatzel’s attack. Riolu floated in the corner, looking around in horror, his eyes were wide open, and as he met Maylene’s soft eyes, the pair exchanged a chuckle.

‘Yes!’ Maylene said as she climbed Crasher Wake. ‘Take me to Veilstone.’

*

At the end of the Oreburgh Gym was an official arena where the Gym Leader, Roark, would battle his challenger. There were rocks scattered inside the Gym, and knowing that Roark was currently in the Oreburgh Mine, Gardenia had forced the Gym Trainers to build her a throne on Roark’s side, where she sat patiently, two youngsters behind her ready to answer to her, and a Turtwig on her lap.

She had received the small green Pokémon from Professor Rowan, hiding her Roselia from him in her Poké Ball, and insisting that she was a new Trainer looking for a starter. Turtwig had a small branch ending with two leaves rising from his head, and a hard brown shell on his back.

After meeting a member of the Johto Elite 4, Gardenia lost to him in a battle, and followed him for some time, constantly challenging him, and always losing to him, and he had finally managed to make her lose his trail. Gardenia decided that the only way to meet him again, and to defeat him, was to train and become as strong as a Gym Leader, or even stronger, and since challenging Gyms was how Cynthia did it, Gardenia was sure it would work for her.

Hearing the door of the Gym open, and the footsteps of someone who had to be Roark enter, Gardenia, with a wave of her fingers, ordered the Trainers to get into position, and they both kneeled down, as if they were butlers waiting for an order. Gardenia quickly crossed her legs, and began stroking Turtwig. The footsteps echoed closer, revealing the footsteps of another person, and Gardenia hoped that it was Candice.

As the pair entered the arena, the sensors activated, and beams of light attacked from the ceiling revealing the entire Gym to the Roark and Candice.

‘Hello, Roark. Hello, Candice,’ Gardenia smirked; her grand enterance back into Sinnoh was successful. ‘I’m sure you missed me.’