"New Young Hiroic Start! Battle At Rustboro Gym!"

[Hiro16]

Hiro stops just before the doors of the Gym. He tightened his backpack again, trying to keep his mind calm and collected, or in another perspective, trying not to get nervous. Hiro looked around, trying to see if anybody else was around. He thought that Gyms were typically crowded with trainers. Or, that's what he read in books, anyway. Hiro gulped slightly once before adventuring forth through the automatic sliding door. Once inside he was, pleasently surprised. So many diffrent kinds of fossils, it was actually pretty cool to look at them all. But the thing that really caught his eye was the huge fossil in the back. Hiro squinted a bit at the stage standing in front of it. Hiro just assumed that was exactly where you were supposed to go if you wanted to challenge the leader. So, tightening his bag lightly once more, He walked on nover.

[MegaAbsol]

Right at the back of the gym, a female silhouette was visible. Wearing dark apparel and with hair tied in two ponytails, she was kneeling on the ground, crouched over something. Her regular movements indicated she was doing something she was familiar with, and yet her intense concentration implied it wasn't an easy task. Being completely absorbed in her task, Gym Leader Roxanne failed to notice the newcomer.

[Hiro16]

Hiro adjusted his bag straps nervously. He wasn't really planning on winning today, more so learn, but something about the Gym Leader, who is the hero of said town, standing right front of him was rather nerve racking. Hiro suddenly had the undying urge to leave, though luckily, Hiro forced his mouth to call out before he could do anything rash. "Excuse me?" Hiro called in his typical monotone voice. While it was true all of these things were going on in his head, all of it immediatley went down the toilet when he knew he was about to interact with a person. "You are the Gym Leader, correct?"

[MegaAbsol]

The woman whirled around, clearly startled at the sudden speech. Evidently Hiro's entry hadn't been noticed by her. Straightening up, the Gym Leader smoothed out her skirt and giving her hair a quick cursory pat, she faced the boy with a friendly smile. "Hello. Pardon me, I was a little busy," Her hand vaguely waved towards her feet, where a small Geodude rested. The smooth texture of the Rock pokemon hinted at its relative youth, and above its silent, brooding face, a large, cavernous crack yawned into darkness. Evidently a certain Geodude had collided too hard into something. Roxanne sighed, worry momentarily flitting across her face as she glanced down at the Geodude. "Despite what people say, Rock pokemon aren't as tough as believed. They too, like all of us, get hurt and need care from time to time. The crack will erode and close over time - perhaps evolution will facilitate that. But until then, it has to be maintained so that the sharp edges don't grind against each other." She absently waved a hand in front of her face. "I'm sorry. Here I'm rambling on and on." The red-eyed Gym Leader's gaze flickered, the worry dying down, only to be replaced by a steely glint of ice. "You must be a Challenger, yes?" Her voice had acquired a different tone. As sharp as the jagged ends she'd been tending to, they'd lost much of their comforting softness. "I may have said Rock pokemon aren't as tough as believed, but mine are more than capable of taking yours on. I'm ready." Time to put on your game face.

VS

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