Their final days in Cianwood City pass easily, with Ran and Doro both putting their teams through their paces in Chuck’s trainer facilities. They’re nowhere close to the scale and sophistication of what Whitney offered back in Goldenrod, but then, even with Cianwood City’s significant prosperity due to tourism, that’s simply an unreasonable bar to set.

  When freed from an unfair comparison to Goldenrod’s facilities, Cianwood Gym’s own offerings become perfectly sufficient. The Gym’s chosen type-specialty is readily apparent and seems to pour out of every part of the building, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

  Like with the rest of Chuck’s Gym, the inspiration for the training facilities is clearly a martial arts dojo, with the building largely fashioned out of wood. There’s a large open courtyard, tamped down dirt making for a good place for pokémon to run through drills and new move combinations. It’s the perfect location for Skorupi and Croagunk in particular, as Ran focuses heavily on them for the remaining duration of their stay in Cianwood City.

  For Skorupi, that boils down to a lot of work on his maneuverability, reflexes and defense at close range. It’s good fun for Ran and Croagunk, who gets to assist, as the pair of them spend more than a few hours pelting Skorupi with tennis balls and other throwable objects, as the poison-bug-type is forced to scramble around whilst using his tail to ward off what blows he can’t dodge. Additionally, when not working out in the courtyard, they continue work on Venoshock, which Skorupi finally begins to manage with repeated success, finally becoming competent enough at the move for Ran to consider it mastered.

  It does leave him at somewhat of a crossroads with Skorupi, as he doesn’t actually know what might be a good next move to teach his first Sinnoh-native team member. Or it would have, if he hadn’t received another congratulatory text message from Bugsy, just a day after he’d beaten Chuck.

  Bugsy doesn’t even pretend to have had a reason for contacting Ran this time, simply starting his message with congratulations before swiftly moving on to a few questions about how Skorupi has been doing and whether Ran will be staying in Cianwood for a while longer, as Bugsy’s sponsored trainer should be arriving there in a few weeks. The feelings that Bugsy’s continued attempts to reach out to him evoke are… complicated, but, with his own response to Bugsy’s previous messages perhaps having been somewhat paranoid in retrospect, now, Ran can’t help but look at the text thread as if it might well be the solution to his Skorupi-related problems.

  Ultimately, though he deliberates over his response for multiple hours, he actually sends Bugsy a brief response. His message to Bugsy is extremely to the point, as Ran manages to thank the Gym leader for his kind words, let him know that he’ll be long gone from Cianwood by the time this “Jeff” arrives and that Skorupi is progressing well but that Ran needs some kind of idea of what moves it can normally learn in a grand total of three sentences. He explicitly doesn’t actually ask Bugsy if he can provide any additional information on Skorupi, unwilling to stoop to that level, but when Bugsy texts back later that evening with a short list of moves, Ran, though it pains him to do so, immediately copies them down into his planning notebook.

  He even finds the strength to muster another, genuine, thank you message for Bugsy. Though once that’s handled he firmly ignores Bugsy’s next message, entirely unwilling to actually start a proper ‘chat’ with Azalea Town’s Gym leader.

  Still, for as unpleasant as the thought of actually receiving help from Bugsy is, he can’t deny its usefulness, as towards the end of their final day of training in Cianwood Gym’s trainer facilities, once Skorupi has truly mastered Venoshock, they get started on Knock Off. The Dark-type move’s known ability to interfere with held items, either, as the name implies, through knocking items off or through using dark-type energy to interfere with their effects, will be an extremely useful tool to add to his team’s bag of tricks.

  Of course Skorupi has a lot of work left ahead of him, but between his future evolution that’ll see him gain the dark-typing and the clear signs of him mustering at least some faint amounts of dark-type energy around his tail once Ran has explained the move, Ran is confident that Bugsy’s list of moves is genuine. With a new move under his belt, his overall maneuverability significantly improved and a clear path for future growth ahead, Ran can only be extremely pleased with Skorupi’s progress.

  The same can be said for Croagunk, though there are more than a few key differences. For one, unlike with Skorupi, Ran has no issues whatsoever with directly approaching Chuck for a list of all of the moves Croagunk should be capable of learning. With the air between them cleared, as far as Ran is concerned, he’s more than happy to rely on the resource that the Gym Leader, who has already trained at least one high-level Toxicroak, presents.

  Chuck is willing to provide a list of possible moves, which brings Ran to the second major point of difference between Skorupi and Croagunk, as Croagunk has a convenient rival to compare himself against for the entirety of their three day training period. Doro’s Croagunk clearly puts a lot more stock in the rivalry than Ran’s far more lackadaisical Croagunk, but both trainers see the benefits in letting the two spar and work out together for multiple hours each day. There’s no major differences in their approaches just yet, though Ran does note that Doro puts more emphasis on pure strength training and on refining her Croagunk’s striking technique, whilst he himself spends far more time and attention working on his own Croagunk’s speed and the move Poison Jab.

  Doro’s Croagunk dominates the spars, but Ran still feels like his chosen training will prove more beneficial down the line, accrediting the outcome of the current spars to the greater bulk of Doro’s Croagunk compared to his own. It helps that, unlike Doro’s Croagunk, his own new team member successfully learns how to use Poison Jab by the end of their third day of training. They don’t really have time to get started on any other moves, which is good, as Chuck’s list is quite comprehensive, so not having to decide on the spot is something Ran actually doesn’t mind in the least, torn between Bullet Punch and Toxic as he is.

  Outside of the two members he’s added to his team over the course of the past two and a half months, there’s also the original trio of course, though they spend most of their time working out elsewhere, rather than out in the open courtyard.

  Golbat, Ran actually orders to sit in on multiple tranquility sessions, led by Chuck’s father. It’s very clearly something Golbat doesn’t enjoy in the least, but it ensures both that Golbat doesn’t tax his wing too badly, whilst it continues to recover, as well as hopefully helping to further curtail the Bat Pokémon’s notorious temper. As part of the tranquility sessions, which are essentially a combination of pokémon-yoga and meditation, at least based on the glimpses Ran catches of them, Golbat also has to spend a lot of time in close proximity to other pokémon and people, without lashing out. If that can help socialize him a bit better so that he won’t always be quite as reclusive as he tends to be, then that’d be a nice side benefit, though Ran honestly isn’t holding out much hope in that regard.

  Finally, Caesar and Aria actually get the most free reign of the lot, as Ran sets them loose upon the part of Chuck’s facilities that are essentially a private beach for large swathes of time. A serious excavation effort has allowed for the large walled-in area to have a small groundwater pond, the rest of the terrain simply being loose sand.

  Aria, when not working with Croagunk to also perfect Poison Jab, something she finishes up with early on the second day, gets to make free use of Ran’s beach umbrella, a video of another Ariados using Sticky Web playing on repeat on Ran’s pokégear, which he leaves wrapped around the umbrella’s pole. It’s a terribly tricky move and one Ran doesn’t expect Aria to learn all that soon, but whenever he has a moment to spare and visit her, she’s either watching the video intently or working on turning the beach umbrella into a teepee again, which he can only take to mean that she’s working on it.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  As for Caesar, the loose sand and the events of their match against Chuck have both made a glaring weakness in his toolset readily apparent, as well as providing the perfect opportunity for him to work on remedying things. Ran’s orders to him are brief and simple, before he lets his starter spend most of the three days pursuing the goal Ran set for him however he pleases.

  All Ran asks of Caesar, for the entirety of their three day training period at Cianwood City’s Gym, is that Caesar get started on learning the move Dig.

  It is, from the observations Ran gets to make whenever he has time to swing by the private beach area, a hellish assignment. Ground-type energy doesn’t come naturally to the Arbok-line, which Ran knows, but it’s one thing to know something in theory and another to actually observe it in practice. Caesar gives it a valiant go of course, and he undeniably starts to muster up the correct energy type over the course of the three days, but his attempts at digging are by no means the smooth tunnelling that Dig should be capable of, but more a slow wriggling into the ground, which takes over ten seconds to complete. Even then, he’s got nowhere near the underground mobility that he should, not to mention that he gets to practice the move on loose sand, rather than the far more resistant surfaces most of his future battles will be taking place on.

  But, that Caesar manages progress at all, especially considering how much time Ran spends on catching up Skorupi and Croagunk, is really a miracle in its own right. It leaves him enthusiastic and complimentary of Caesar’s work ethic, when he runs through the day’s work every evening, to his starter’s obvious delight.

  By the end of the three days, his team is fitter, stronger and better-trained than ever, with Golbat’s wing finally fully healed up and all of them ready and eager to travel once more and get a break from the non-stop training. The same can’t quite be said for Doro’s team, as though they’re all also stronger now than they were just three days ago, she wouldn’t be a proper fighting-type specialist if they didn’t all appear quite mournful about leaving Chuck’s Gym behind.

  Ran offers a comforting shoulder pat to Doro as they leave the Cianwood City Gym’s training facilities for the final time, before they head out to go and have dinner. It’s on the way to a charming little bistro, that Ran gets an update from Grady he’d been eagerly anticipating.

  Grady: Beat Morty! 3-2, started out with Guardian, he beat Misdreavus, but went down to Haunter. Then used Bob, who blew right through Haunter. His final pokémon… actually I won’t spoil that, but it was exciting! Bob was losing, so he used Self-Destruct (don’t worry he likes it!) to weaken it. Dynamo cleaned up like it was nothing!

  Upon reading Grady’s words, a grin immediately breaks out on Ran’s face, his fingers already flying through a congratulatory response, when he gets stuck on the names of Grady’s pokémon. He remembers Bob the Voltorb, of course, and Grady did mention naming his Jolteon Dynamo shortly after her evolution. But the name ‘Guardian’ is new.

  Ran: Congrats, Grady, great job! I look forward to seeing you and your team in Olivine. One question though, who is Guardian?

  It takes a minute for Grady to respond. When he does, a picture accompanies his message.

  Grady: Guardian’s my fourth team member! He was a reward from Whitney for being the first of her rookie sponsored trainers to beat her this year! It took her a while to set things up, so I didn’t get him until a few days ago, but he’s already really strong and super cool, so I just had to use him!

  The accompanying picture shows a pretty small, green, canine pokémon with a yellow pattern running across its snout and eyes, as well as having a yellow tip to its otherwise green tail. Ran pegs it as an electric-type at a glance, which lines up neatly with Grady’s explanation that Whitney had to set things up specifically for her sponsored trainer.

  Ran doesn’t know the name of the Pokémon he’s looking at, though he’s quite confident that he has actually seen its evolved form in action at a Conference in the past. If he isn’t completely off the mark, this has to be the pre-evolution of Manectric, an impressive electric-type that is notably fast, which he’s seen in action exactly once at a previous Silver Conference.

  Ran: Does that evolve into a Manectric? I’ve never seen its pre-evolution before.

  Grady: Great catch! It’s an Electrike, yeah!

  Ran: Well he looks great, plus he’s clearly strong, if he already helped you win a Badge. Congrats again, Grady, we’ll have to catch up properly in Olivine, see if our teams can’t train together for a while.

  Grady: That’d be super cool! Totally! Looking forward to it!

  They exchange a few more messages, before Ran lets the conversation peter out when Doro and he arrive at the bistro of their choice.

  “A friend?” Doro inquires politely, nodding towards Ran’s pokégear.

  “Yeah,” Ran agrees with a light smile, “Grady’s one of Whitney’s sponsored rookies. I think I mentioned him before?”

  Doro chuckles in amusement, clearly connecting the name Grady to Ran’s recounting of his journey, some days ago, “Ah yes, your fan.”

  “He’s a bit enthusiastic, but I didn’t call him my fan, did I?” Ran asks in disbelief, surprised by the somewhat demeaning representation of Grady.

  “You didn’t,” Doro assures him, “But with what you mentioned of him, it’s how I remembered him.”

  “He’s really a very talented trainer,” Ran insists, wanting to set the record straight about his younger friend, “He was the first of this year’s rookies to return to Goldenrod and beat Whitney for example and he’s got four badges, just like you and I.”

  Doro raises her hands apologetically as she answers, “I meant no offense. I have not met him yet, but if he is your friend, I am sure that he’s a good sort. You don’t seem the type to maintain relationships with bad people. Or not anymore at least, from what you mentioned of your first traveling companion.”

  “I don’t really want to discuss Spencer,” Ran frowns, “Excusing his behavior for as long as I did was a mistake I’ve learnt from and that’s all that matters.”

  “My apologies,” Doro offers with an accepting nod, “I didn't mean to upset you.”

  “It’s fine,” Ran waves her off, “Though that does bring me to another point, actually. I never asked if you’ve been traveling by yourself for the whole season so far, or if you’ve had a companion or companions at any point.”

  She hums thoughtfully in response, before calmly answering, “I’ve been traveling on my own up until now. Between my three starters, my decision to immediately challenge Whitney as an unsponsored trainer and my lack of strong friendships in Goldenrod, I ended up setting out on my own. You have been the first fellow trainer I’ve had more than a few passing conversations with. I don’t believe I’ve really missed out on anything so far, but I do look forward to your company.”

  “Well that’s good,” Ran drones sardonically, “I’d hate for my presence to be a burden to you.”

  Doro’s response, unlike Ran’s own joking demeanor, is delivered with complete sincerity, “It is your job, as my rival, to be a burden, Ran. Otherwise, without being challenged, how can my team and I grow?”

  “That’s what the Gyms and the Conference are for.” Ran replies slowly, not quite understanding Doro’s point.

  She merely waves his words away dismissively, “Bah, the Gyms are fine enough as milestones, but they are fixed points. On the other hand, the Conference is an obstacle I can’t possibly overcome in the near future. Reaching it is a goal, performing well is a goal, but winning it? Unachievable for now. A worthy rival however, and this is where you come in, is a moving target. For each day I spend with my team, so too do you spend time with your team. For every opportunity I have to train, so you have yours. Overtaking you and defeating you is a good goal to have for now. Once we have managed that, I believe you won’t be the type to leave things at that, so then trying to stay ahead of you will be another good challenge to face.”

  Ran can only listen as Doro explains her reasoning, admittedly a bit irked to be portrayed as little more than a training instrument, rather than as a friend. There must be something of his feelings visible in his expression however, as Doro, after pausing for a few seconds, further clarifies her words.

  “Of course all of this would be irrelevant if I didn’t also genuinely enjoy your company. Otherwise, I would have simply taken a ship to Goldenrod and kept in touch with you via messages, to set up a match later in the season.” She clarifies, which is at least enough to take the sting out of her earlier reasoning, clinical as it was.

  “Well good, I’d hate to be a bother.” Ran snarks at her, only to almost choke on his next bite, when Doro meets his eyes sincerely, before answering in a completely even voice.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll tell you if you become one.” She deadpans, before finally letting a small grin break through at the sight of Ran’s reaction.