I Want To Lay the Very Best!

124 – Grill Queen

Dumping off their bags before the Gym seemed a pretty sensible move. There wasn't any benefit to lugging all that weight about. Thankfully, Calcine had kept the address slip they'd gotten from the Poké-center safe, so it was just a case of wandering about and asking for directions until they could find the place. Their final destination was a surprisingly large house with a well-manicured front lawn, hedges cut into strange interlinking geometric shapes, and a mechanical chirping bird hopping on a perch above the door.

"We're not this noisy," Morgan huffed, squinting at the bird as it sounded out their arrival. "Also, are we sure this is the place?"

A bank vault was missing its door somewhere because the front door was a ridiculous fortress. Saw-toothed runners fitted into cogs were already moving as the door clanked and moved as the bird chirped. The massive steel slab rolled around in its fitting as ornate clockwork pieces it folded out and back in. Brandy didn't want to put her fingers near something that might just be a titanic hydraulic press. The only visible handle on the door was a sliding plate, but it stubbornly refused to move even with some pushing from Calcine.

"Hold up!" the mechanical bird said, voice tinny as it stopped chirping and ducked down to look at them. "Who are you?"

"Brandy Joyce," Brandy said, waving at the clockwork bird as it turned its head to look at her. She held up Calcine's arm with the address slip. "You signed up at the Poké-center to house Trainers?"

"Oh!" the bird bobbed on the perch excitedly. "Trinket is going to love this. Um, do you need to come in? She's tying somebody up right now, and it takes me forever to solve the door puzzles."

A lot to unpack there. But some Pokémon could be very peculiar. Some kind of puzzle house was strange but not completely out there.

"We just want to drop off the bags." Calcine said, "Can we do that and come back when Trinket is ready? We're going to try the Gym."

"Sure! We had to put in something because our mail lady nearly went insane."

With a hiss, a section of the stone wall opened, a chute entrance sliding out of it. Sparky peeked inside thoughtfully. "I could wiggle through that."

"Maybe, it'd be pretty embarrassing if you got stuck, though," the bird said. "I'm Polly, just drop your things in, and I'll put them in your rooms and warn Trinket you're coming once she's finished having fun. We'll be happy to have you! Trinket's always busy. Some more lovely ladies around would be a treat."

Well, that explains why this place is taking guests. Brandy was sure none of her Partners would complain about earning their stay. Sparky was grinning already. They loaded their bags into the chute and gave it a push. Once it was back in the wall, Brandy could barely see its seams with her new eyes. Without them, it'd have been totally invisible. A really clever design for such an odd house.

"There a lot of you waiting in there?" Sparky asked, twirling her hair in her finger.

"Oh, Trinket has about six of us. Some come and go. Will that be a problem?"

"Bring the chute back. I'm going in." Sparky pressed at the wall to try the chute back out until Calcine collared her and lifted her off the ground.

"Gym first."

"Make me," Sparky grinned. "We got needy ladies in there."

Calcine swung Sparky around to face Brandy, the grinning Joltik squirming to get out of Brandy's grip.

"What am I meant to do?" Brandy said, "She's just being a pest."

A few fingers curled through Brandy's hair, stroking the back of her head as she felt the ruffle of Morgan's wrist feathers tease her skin. Morgan gently pushed Brandy forward, face-planting her into Sparky's chest. Brandy's face smushed into soft fat as Sparky's arms wrapped around her, her chin nuzzling into her hair.

"Bite," Morgan commanded, her voice husky in Brandy's ear. Brandy acted without thinking about it, just taking a mouthful of breast and sinking her teeth in. Sparky made a delightful high-pitched squeal. She kicked her legs against Brandy's thighs until Calcine dropped her to the ground, and she popped out of Brandy's mouth as she folded up into a twitching heap.

"Gym?" Calcine asked.

"Do whatever you want to me, you beautiful ladies," Sparky mumbled in a heap on the ground.

They went to the Gym, the mechanical bird giggling ringing in their ears as they left.

---

"Turrfield's gym looks so stupid." Sparky groaned as they looked up at Motostoke's Gym. Brandy didn't want to admit it looked more impressive, but the great twin smoke towers and the shining glass fitted into steel frames certainly made it more imposing. It was like walking into the mouth of a glittering, fiery beast and perfectly captured what Motostoke was known for. New Money and Industry, ready to surge out and take over the world.

Still, Brandy had some hometown pride to fight for. "You don't like the donut?"

"I love donuts. I just don't think they're cool. This is badass. Flashy."

"That's because of Type," Calcine said. "Fire is flashy and in your face. Grass is for everybody."

She'd gotten all stiff-backed and serious as they approached the Gym. Brandy could feel Calcine's building nerves about leading this, but she wouldn't point them out, only making her worry more. Supportive of all ideas was the way forward.

"Overflowing Emotions was the theme this season, so we should expect to get worked up?"

Calcine nodded. "Fire is unafraid of their emotions and let them all hang out."

"How very Dark of you, though I guess there is a difference." Morgan smiled, then side-eyed Sparky. "Did you actually get donuts at Turrfield?"

"Nah, it just looked like a donut. With sprinkles. We didn't get any food."

"Missed opportunity," Morgan tutted, "Well, this Gym is better then. It looks grand."

Morgan. Bribable with donuts. Noted.

"Calcine, you're in charge from here," Brandy said, "Direct as you need to."

Her back somehow got even straighter, her eyes pulsing a soft orange as she looked over the team one by one.

"Morgan," Calcine asked, "You do the fire gym in Unova?"

"It's a mixed team gym actually, a few different Types in it along with Fire, but we never got around to it. This'll be my first."

"Shame," Calcine tapped her fingers on her arm as she mulled her options over. "Let's just take it head on then, support each other as needed. Learn all we can in case we need another attempt. We'll have an easier time of it."

"They do switch it up," Sparky said, "So I'll keep an eye out for anything they don't use, just in case. I'm not getting Honeycrisp'd again, even if it was kind of awesome."

"Honeycrisp'd?" Morgan raised an eyebrow.

"Oh! You weren't there for that. Let me tell you about giant Brandy thigh times."

It was a story that took much telling and only a little exaggeration on Sparky's part. It had been crazy enough that she didn't need to embellish it. Brandy followed after Calcine as she took the lead in finding the staff to sign up, holding her arm and smiling as Calcine went through the process with the slightly confused staff, who kept sneaking Brandy looks, which Brandy returned with smiles and nods. Maybe it was the first time a Pokémon signed up for a gym battle, but there wasn't any rule the Trainer had to do. Just only one Trainer per team.

They had to sit about for a little bit in the lobby area, it seemed the Fire Gym ran to a schedule and couldn't just start right away, but it meant they had a chance to admire the clockwork mechanisms built into the Gym and catch up Morgan more on the adventure so far. She refused to believe someone like Mahi really existed, which would surprise her when they finally met Maple again. Then there was the other problem Brandy had...

"Just because Mercury can't get in my mind doesn't mean I'll be able to defeat her effortlessly," Morgan said, using the tables paper napkins to tie bows into Sparky's hair. "Type advantage doesn't mean an easy win. You have to leverage it. She might just find me frustrating and try to plant me in the ground."

Calcine nodded furiously. It was really adorable how seriously she was taking her leadership role. "You don't have a special interaction with this Gym, but Sparky will struggle against Fire. I just have to work around it, and she can still do well."

"I love how forward they are. It's cool." Sparky nodded, a few napkin bows escaping, only to return with a swirl of Morgan's hand and a quick gust of wind. "Dragging me into the most fun kinds of trouble. I can't wait for you to always be like that."

"I'm not going to be trouble." Calcine glared. "I can control it, and for this Gym, I'm the strongest."

Her fight with Harper didn't seem all that controlled, but a desire for strength sounded about right.

"Bend it over for us," Brandy nodded.

Their name was called over the announcement speakers, and they all scrambled to get to the doors in time. Sparky and Morgan pulled Brandy back from the edge of her seat. They crawled over each other with mad giggles to try to beat Brandy to it while Calcine fumed at the doorway, waiting for them.

"Behave for me," Cacline growled. "Or else."

"Yes, ma'am," Brandy gulped, "Keep it up."

The door opened with a hiss, and they stepped on through to the first challenge.

---

The smell of smoke hit first. It was thick in the air and smelled like burning wood, but it wasn't unpleasant. It had the smell of spices to it, and something delicious was frying.

"Oh my gosh, Turrfield can suck it; this is awesome." Sparky gasped.

The room wasn't huge, stone tile from side to side and with some large steel ducts built into the ceiling, slowly sucking away the haze of smoke in the room.

The lady in the middle of the room was huge, because her lower body was a massive blood-red tail she had coiled up into a circle and was warming bowls of rice and sauces and frying strips of fish on her segmented snake-like body. Her upper body rose up out of the center of the coils, and she was working at keeping every going tidily with enthusiasm. Her hair was tied up with golden ribbons into a massive raised ponytail that flicked about her head as she passed out food and compliments.

She wasn't wearing a stitch apart from her ribbons and had enough of a chest shelf to balance teacups on each breast. A teapot was warming up in a cleavage they could have easily lost Sparky in.

She looked up at the group as they entered, golden eyes with red pupils roving over them in a way that felt very judgemental, and from the little fanged smile she gave at the end, the judgment had come up positive.

"Come sit, my delicious little morsels," she said, flames curling out of the edges of her mouth. "No money needed to enjoy yourself at Spitfire's Grill."

When a fiery snake lady asks you to eat off her, you say yes. Though Brandy looked to Calcine for confirmation, she hesitantly nodded, watching their backs as they approached.

Spitfire laid some bowls out for them and leaned over to kiss Brandy on the tip of her nose. How her body uncoiled to do it was a pleasure to watch and made Brandy tremble with excitement.

"I do love a tall and cute one. Sorry to make you wait, but it takes a little to get everything ready. Sit, eat, and once you've finished every last bite." Her eyes lit up, and burning spots gleamed all over her segmented body. A wave of heat rolled out enough that Brandy felt her skin prickling as she began to sweat. "I'm going to destroy you all."