Agent Deep Blue

[RCCaughtem]

SubonicXP

Crasher Wake smile as Quagsire's tail slammed into the Protect in vain, the Pokemon dropping into the water below afterwards. Watching the glow of the shield carefully. He saw an opportunity to end this right here and also teach his new pupil a lesson.

"Here is your first lesson as a gym trainer of the Pastoria Gym! Protect leaves your Pokemon vulnerable after it drops! Quagsire, use Hyper Beam!" Wake ordered.

Right before Niles would lose its Protect Quagsire would pop its head out of the water and unleash a powerful beam of pure energy from its mouth, Crasher Wake timing it perfectly so that the Hyper Beam was inches from the Protect shield before it disappeared, giving Niles little to no window of opportunity to do anything about the incoming blast of devastation. Looks really were deceiving.

And that was indeed it for poor Niles. Ryan walks over to his Croc and pats him on the head. "Tough break this time, Niles. But you did well." the channeler says to his pokemon before recalling him.

Crasher may have won this fight, but the next time Ryan officially stepped into this Gym? Crasher Wake would be handing over his badge to him. Without a doubt.

Ryan straightens himself up. "So. Was my effort enough?" he asks the Gym Leader. This was the moment of truth. If Crasher Wake sent him packing here, this would be bad.  

[RCCaughtem]

SubonicXP

Crasher Wake smiled wide as Ryan approached him and asked what was to him an absurd question, one that earned him a roaring laugh. "Of course! The Torrential Masked Master would never let such potential slip through his fingers! This gym would be honor, perhaps even privileged, to have you! If you'll take it I, Crasher Wake of Pastoria Gym, would like to offer you the position of Gym Trainer of the Pastoria Gym, pupil to the Great Wake himself! What do you say?"

Ryan smiles. "I say that I, Alex Maelstrom of Alola, proudly accept this great honor. I look forward to learning from you." he says to the Gym Leader. And just like that, Ryan was now right where he needed to be. And the added bonus of learning from a Gym Leader like Wake? he might indeed pick up a thing or two!  

[RCCaughtem]

SubonicXP

"Welcome aboard then!" Crasher Wake said with a laugh. "Why don't we get you settled in? As a gym trainer you are entitled to your own living quarters, if you choose to use it. Follow me." The gym leader said as he started to walk towards the far end of the gym, popping open an 'invisible' door in the wall which was really just a door that was designed to blend into the rest of the wall. On the other side was a small common room, a kitchenette off to the side of it, and a long hallway beyond it with doors lining it. It was kind of like a miniature Snagem HQ or something you found at Pokemon Centers.

"Look for an empty room and make it yours! Should be the last one on the right if I'm remembering right, you took our last open position!" Wake said as he slapped Ryan on the back. "I'll leave you to it. Perhaps you should get to know some of the others later." With that he walked off and left Ryan to explore the hidden quarters behind the gym.

Ryan found this interesting. It was unlike the Mistralton Gym, but that wasn't a fair comparison because he only ever saw the Gym Leader's personal area and not the Gym Trainer Area. It was a bit of a bittersweet memory that Crasher slapped him right out of, thankfully.

He nods to the Gym Leader before making his way down to the room he would call home for now. He closes the door, sets his pack down, and then flops on the bed, letting out a gusty sigh. What a day so far. And this was only the first major step in this mission!

After about a half-hour, Ryan would make his way back out of his room to explore and meet people. After all, his target was now amongst the people he worked with.  

[RCCaughtem]

SubonicXP

Ryan wouldn't find much in the way of other warm bodies lurking around the complex behind the gym. He would pass through the small kitchen, peek through a few open bedroom doors, it wasn't until he made his second trip to the common room did he actually find someone. It was a man dressed in a complete sailor's outfit, sitting on the couch and just relaxing it would seem, stroking the Wingull curled up on his lap. Such a burly man being so gentle with such a small Pokemon was a cute sight to behold.

Ryan was surprised by how empty it was, but then remembered, Gym Trainers were not a very common thing. Some gyms only had one or two. But the size of this Gym felt like there should, including him, at least be five of them. Guess all that time spent with Snagem has skewed his perception of a busy place.

When he finally spots someone, he walks over and gives that friendly wave as he sits down across from them. "Hello. That's a rather cute Wingull you got there." Ryan says in his friendliest tone. Small talk was going to be his best weapon to try and dig out some truth.  

[RCCaughtem]

SubonicXP

"Hm? Oh, hey there. I thought I was the only one here. The others went out to go training as Wake ordered. Please don't tell Crasher I stayed behind. It's just, I don't get to spend much time with my pal Yuzo here these days. He isn't made for gym battles." The burly man explained to Ryan as he pet his Wingull, the bird giving off a content chirp. "Rescued him from after he got into a nasty fight with a Swellow. I nursed him back to health with the intent to release him but apparently his wings didn't heal right and he can't fly anymore so..." That's when the sailor realized he had been gushing his heart out to someone he didn't even know.

"Oh! I'm so sorry. Uh...this is embarrassing...you're the new guy, right? Already heard about you. I'm Damien." He chuckled nervously.

Ryan felt an immediate connection here and was fairly sure that there was no way this guy was the person he was trying to hunt out.

"I'm Alex. And word has gotten around that fast? And don't worry about talking about your Wingull. I have a little one back home in Alola that I rescued when he was just an egg that isn't fit for battle either but is a great companion. Although he isn't a big fan of being contained, so usually leave him under a watchful eye as I travel, but with this new job here, I am going to have to go retrieve my houseboat and dock in the harbor." Ryan explains, reassuring the guy and getting to gush a bit about his Ruth at the same time.  

[RCCaughtem]

SubonicXP

The sailor smiled at Ryan, aka Alex, and shook his hand before going back to petting his Wingull. "Thank you, it's nice to have someone listen even if I didn't intend to talk." He sighed. "You liking it here so far? Crasher Wake may be a bit eccentric but he is really a nice guy, and very talented, don't let his airs fool you." Damien reassured Ryan. "The others aren't bad either, a few of them have their quarks though but you'll get used to them."

Ryan chuckles. "No problem. And honestly? Pastoria reminds me a bit of my home in Alola. A bit bigger and busier, but the feel and energy are the same, yeah? And Crash is awesome. Him wearing the mask he does is a pretty spot-on representation of his style as a trainer. And I am looking forward to meeting the others as well." the young man rambles back. Honestly, if he wasn't connected to Snagem at this point, this might of been his fate, and really he would have no reason to complain.  

[RCCaughtem]

SubonicXP

"Glad you are taking to everything well." The sailor said with a smile. "Any who, I better get going so Wake doesn't catch me slacking off, you should too. We ordered us to hit up either Routes 212 or 213 and do some training. I'll probably pick a nice peaceful location to get some more time in with my buddy here. Catch you later." With that said Damien got up and headed out with his friendly Wingull.

Ryan waves to Damien as he leaves. Well then. Guess he better get out there and blend in. Ryan pulls up data on both routes. Seems like 213 would be his best bet. Ryan gets on his feet and heads on out.

Ryan soon finds his way out onto Route 213, taking in a deep breath of the sea air. This was a fine place indeed. Now, to get to training and maybe even keep an eye on whoever is on this route as well.