A/N: I own a copy of at least one game from every Generation, but that's about it.

TRODAIRE

"I gotta ask yeh, Troddie, was that session really necessary?" Paulie asked, as his younger partner unlocked the Fight Club for the following day's practice with Steven. Trodaire shrugged.

"Maybe not. But I needed an outlet to vent, and I needed to show Sabrina's little friend Janine that you can't just insult my home area without paying for it." He said. Paulie raised an eyebrow.

"Don't yehs think dat dey're gonna find ya and hurt ya really badly?" He asked. Trodaire winked.

"Don't worry, Paulie. To hunt me down would require physical movement. I'm not so certain that they are capable of that this morning." He said cheekily.

SABRINA

Strangely, any trainer that wanted to challenge the Saffron Gym that morning came to find that on the front door was a computer-printed note. GYM CLOSED FOR THE DAY DUE TO ILLNESS

Alakazam certainly wished that that were the case, instead of the pathetic reality.

"For the last time, My Lady, you are neither ill nor at death's door. You are just simply that sore." He said, telekinetically carrying a tray of food for his bedridden master. Groaning from beneath the covers, he heard a muffled roar.

"I'm gonna KILL him!" Sabrina managed to gasp through the sheets. And then clutched at her ribs, moaning in pain.

TRODAIRE

"Okay guys, bring it in." Trodaire said. Steven, Cynthia, and the rest of Steven's team gathered around the side of the boxing ring where Trodaire leaned against the ropes. The Orrean cleared his throat. "Well, I'm sure you guys might have read the news: Lance is already announcing what Pokemon he is using in the fight in about two and a half months." At this, Cynthia raised an eyebrow.

"What makes you so certain that he's not deliberately messing with us just to psych Steven out?" She asked. Trodaire raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Cynthia, has Lance ever been that deceptive?" He asked. To the surprise of everyone, Cynthia's answer was immediate: almost robotic.

"No. What you see is what you get. I would know." She said. No one except Steven caught the implication of that last bit, and he sighed slightly. Trodaire nodded.

"Exactly. Which is why today is an important day: Steven, you're going to have to pick three Pokemon to focus on, as it is a three on three tournament. Three Pokemon are gonna be able to fight, but the other three are here just for support and the extra exercise. They're not in it to fight." He glanced at Steven's team. "I'm not gonna be making that call, because no outside force can know his own team's strengths and weaknesses better than the master himself. Not even me. Right, guys?" He asked. The Pokemon all nodded in agreement. Trodaire looked to Steven. "I'm gonna read the three Pokemon that Lance is choosing, and then I'm gonna let you decide who you're gonna match them with. Make sense?"

Steven nodded. Though to outside viewers, this appeared a rather mundane decision, amongst this small group there was a palpable air of tension. Trodaire cleared his throat and began to read from a small sheet of paper he'd scribbled on.

"Lance will be using…" he began. "His Haxorus…His Salamence…and Dragonite." He said. There was an audible pause, as Trodaire let those names sink in. "We all knew that he was gonna use Dragonite. That Pokemon is synonymous with him. Haxorus is a bit of surprise, but Salamence…that'll be interesting to go against." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Steven, what are you gonna do? Who do you want in your corner?"

Steven was silent for a moment, deep in thought. He then spoke, calmly and assuredly.

"I want to match each of those Pokemon with my best. For his Haxorus, I want to use Armaldo. For Salamence…I want Excadrill. And for Dragonite, I might as well use my trusted friend Aggron." He said. Trodaire blinked once in surprise.

"That's an…interesting combination." He said. "But I can work with that. You do realize that not a single one of your Pokemon holds the type advantage in their matchups, right?" He said. Steven nodded.

"I know. And I don't care. Wasn't the whole point of this deal more or less pioneering a new type of fighting?" He asked. Trodaire threw up his hands defensively.

"I never said a completely new type of fighting, per say…" He began, before Steven confidently cut him off.

"But you've implied it. Make no mistake, Trodaire, what we're working on here has the potential to be revolutionary. You're proposing winning a matchup not based on type selection, but on good-old-fashioned street brawlin' rough-n-tumble fighting. That is completely unheard of in Pokemon battling circles. And we're doing it against perhaps the figurehead of traditional Pokemon battling as well. Don't cheat yourself. If we win, we've possibly changed the game." He smiled. "We might be inspiring a whole new crop of trainers and their Pokemon to rely on guile and ability to fight instead of whether they're genetically advantageous against a foe. That's incredible." Then he looked serious. "All this time you've been challenging me on whether or not I thought I was capable of doing this. Well, I think it's possible. And I have no illusions about what we're trying to do here. But what about you? Do you think that we can do it?"

Everyone looked at the Fight Club owner's expression. For a moment, it was blank. Expressionless. Then, a small smirk cracked the corner of his lips, before growing into an outright grin.

"Damn…straight I think we can." He said. He clapped his hands together. "Alright, folks. Let's get to work. Conditioning season is over, ladies and gentlemen. Now we start gameplanning!"

This pronouncement was met with much cries of excitement. Even Cynthia and Steven got into it.

SABRINA

She'd managed to get out of her bed later that afternoon, wincing as every muscle in her body screamed with pain. She staggered over to the door, opening it slightly and sneaking through to her desk in the office room. Alakazam was meditating in the corner, as per usual. It opened one of its eyes, and Sabrina swore she saw its lips curl into a smirk.

"Are we feeling better this afternoon, My Lady?" It asked. Sabrina shook her head. Alakazam shrugged. "A shame. Though if I may be so bold: I know that the fact you just short of literally had the stuffing kicked out of you by Janine, Misty, Whitney, and perhaps even Master Trodaire yesterday…sleeping until three in the afternoon is pushing it just a bit." It opened its other eye, and then winked. Grumbling, Sabrina sat down at the desk and opened up her PC.

"How was I supposed to know that I have the physical coordination of a drunken Gardevoir in high heels?" She asked. Alakazam tsked.

"I do not think that you should disparage the concept of martial arts for the sake of physical fitness, My Lady. A powerful psychic can grow even greater in power if he or she is in peak physical condition as well as mental." Sabrina snorted.

"Says the guy who only moves by floating around everywhere." She snapped back. Alakazam winked again.

"How do you know, My Lady, that I am not simply the most perfectly attuned physical specimen in existence, and that I float around not because it is easier than walking but because I simply choose to do it?" It asked slyly. Sabrina just responded by blowing a raspberry.

She then turned her focus to her computer, and opened her email. There at the top of the inbox was an unread message. It was a reminder from Lorelei, one of Kanto's Elite Four and…coordinator of the League Ball next week. Shit.

Dear friends,

It is that time of year again! We are only one week away from the annual Indigo Plateau Ballroom Gala, and this year promises to be a spectacular showing. Our champion of the Kanto Chapter of the Pokemon League, Lance, will be there to give a few remarks about the upcoming World Tournament that he has qualified for, and I am sure we will all be giving him a wonderful round of encouragement to advance to the championship! (Not that he'll need it.)

A friendly reminder that this event is a couples-only affair, and we do want to have every Kanto gym leader there if possible. So don't be shy in asking a friend or perhaps a loved one or even just someone off of the street! (Memo to Brock: Do not take this advice literally, nor attempt asking Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny again. They have said no the past two times; I highly doubt that the third time will be the charm)

That about covers it! Be sure to be at the Indigo Plateau by 8 P.M., and be sure to dress classy! Kanto should live up to its well-deserved reputation as "The Gold Standard of the Pokemon League!" See you all there!

-Lorelei

Sabrina stared at the computer screen and the email for a very long time. Then, she took a deep breath and…

"Fuuuuuuuuuuu-"

TRODAIRE

As Trodaire prepared to get Armaldo in the ring, he could have sworn he heard a cry of pain and anger and rage coming from the direction of the Saffron Gym. But then he shrugged and attributed it to the poor circulation of the air conditioning in this old place. He really needed to get the regulator fixed…

SABRINA

"uuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!" Sabrina slammed her head against the desk. Next to her, Alakazam opened one eye again.

"Is something troubling you, My Lady?" It asked without a trace of sarcasm. Sabrina sighed.

"Yes, you genius." Sabrina said. "The league ball is coming up in a week and I haven't got a freaking date!" She threw up her arms in exasperation, and then winced at how badly they hurt.

"Aren't you going with that masked fellow from the Johto branch of the league?" Alakazam asked innocently. Sabrina made a face.

"Will? Ew, no. He's weird. And creepy. Even for a psychic." She said. Alakazam shrugged.

"I must admit that is rather creepy. Did you have any back-ups in mind?" It asked. Sabrina sighed, sinking back into her chair and shaking her head.

"No, I didn't. And that bothers me, Alakazam. I don't want to go solo to this event and have everyone judge me as a weirdo psychic who can't get a date. I mean, I know that everyone already kind of thinks that of me because I've read more than a few of their minds, but I don't want to confirm that damn it!" She buried her head in her hands, and sighed again. Alakazam tapped its chin in thought. Then an idea came to it.

"Have you ever considered him?" It asked innocently. Sabrina looked over at Alakazam in a confused manner.

"Him? Who are you-"

And then she realized who Alakazam was talking about.

"Oh, Arceus no. No, no, no, no, no, NO. No a million times over no. No so much that it could balance a federal budget. Not a chance, not a hope, not a prayer no. Hell no, Arceus no…No!" She threw her head back in her hands, and for a long time there was silence. Then, Alakazam spoke again.

"So when will you ask him?" It asked patiently. Sabrina's answer was immediate.

"As soon as he closes up shop tonight." She admitted weakly.

TRODAIRE

"Listen up, guys!" Trodaire barked. "Lance's Haxorus is likely to be his first Pokemon he sends out. It's the least experienced of the trio, but that doesn't make it any less dangerous. In fact, a Haxorus can be incredibly dangerous if you are not careful in how you deal with it. Don't let the lack of wings throw you for a loop!" He said. He was standing in the middle of the boxing ring, with several heavy bags resting next to him. In the corner of the ring was Armaldo and Steven, while the others watched from the side. "But that works to our advantage, doesn't it big boy?" He pointed to Armaldo. "I've watched you practicing these past few weeks, and while you might not be able to hit as hard as big guy over there-" he gestured to Aggron. "-It is clear that you have no equal in this gym to your submission powers. And besides, what better way is there to start off the match stunning the crowd and Lance by wrestling a Dragon into submission?" He asked. The usually stoic Armaldo seemed positively gleeful at this prospect. Trodaire tapped the heavy bags. "That's where these babies come in. They're heavy enough so that you can get used to the idea of picking up a Dragon, but don't fool yourself: an average Haxorus weighs around 230 pounds. These heavy bags weigh about 100. Which is why today is focusing on repetition, not on strength lifting."

He pointed to Armaldo. "Now each of these moves forms a variant of the Seismic Toss, so that you won't feel too strange doing them. I'll demonstrate on this lighter bag here." He ran over to the corner and grabbed a bag weighing about 50 pounds. "We're gonna focus on power bombs and suplexes. NO PILEDRIVERS. I am aiming for you to knock this guy down for the count, not paralyze it for life. Make sense?" He asked. Armaldo nodded. Trodaire grabbed a whistle. "Then let's see some suplexes!"

Armaldo stomped over to the first bag, until it was facing the thing completely. Then, squatting down by bending its knees, Armaldo wrapped its arms around the bag lifted up. Shifting the bag in its arms slightly, Armaldo took a deep breath and threw itself over backwards.

WHAM.

It was a perfect execution. The bag landed on the ground first, with Armaldo landing on top of it. And the rest of the gym lost its collective shit.

"ATTABABY ARMALDO!" Steven shouted. Cynthia let out a squeal of her own, but neither of their reactions matched the near-psychotic response the rest of Steven's team had to this incredible display of athleticism. And amongst it all, Trodaire just quietly smiled. And in the back of his mind, he found himself thinking something that he hadn't dared to believe just a few weeks ago.

We can pull this off.

And so it went. Armaldo took some time properly learning the technique from Trodaire, and then began to apply it with brutal efficiency to the heavy bags. Eith each toss, an audible OHH (or the Pokemon equivalent) erupted from the quintet of Steven's Pokemon that had gathered to watch. Even Cynthia was getting in on the excitement, letting out yelps of shock that were mighty uncharacteristic of a usually stoic woman. When Trodaire confronted her, she admitted that it was like watching a rollercoaster of destruction: first Armaldo went up, carrying the anticipation with it, and then WHAM it brought the bag down like a hammer! Steven had a goofy grin on his face, clearly feeling lucky about being with the girl that he was with.

Finally, at the end of the day, Trodaire blew another whistle. He gathered the team together, and began to give his day-end speech.

"That was a fantastic day, guys. Armaldo, that was an incredible display. You keep practicing, and I promise you will be able to knock that Haxorus right the hell out!" He said. "As for the rest of you, Paulie will keep you in shape with the heavy bags and speed bags and other core-building exercises. You might not be part of the top three, but you are a part of this team and you will be in the best shape of your life when we are all said and done." He pointed to Excadrill. "Get some rest tonight. Tomorrow is your time to shine, alright?" He said. Excadrill responded by clapping its hands together in glee. Trodaire smiled. "Alright, good night everyone. See you tomorrow."

After Steven recalled his team to their Pokeballs and left with Cynthia, Trodaire and Paulie went through the process of closing down the gym. First shutting down the power, and then the lights, and then they walked out the front door to lock everything up for the night. Paulie had insisted that Trodaire come spend the night at his and Bettie's house, and when Trodaire tried to protest Paulie had this to say.

"Darn it, Troddie, I ain't lettin' yehs sleep on a cot in da middle of a dinky liddle office yeh can't fit in! We've got a guest bed for yehs, and if we don't I'll build one for yehs! Bettie wants to have a chance tah actually meet yah, and yeh's can't say no to this one!" He said.

So that was that.

Well, as soon as Trodaire finished locking the front door, he pocketed the key and turned around…

…only to come face to face with Sabrina.

"Miss Sabrina!" Paulie said in surprise. "Whaddaya doin' here?" He asked. Sabrina offered a small smile.

"I was here to speak to Mr. Phoenix. Do you have a moment?" She asked him. Trodaire nodded dumbly.

"I, uh, sure." He said. Sabrina took a deep breath.

"First, your performance at the Expo. Let me make this clear that I do not give out compliments frequently, so understand that I mean it when I say that you were the hit of the day and I was impressed with the display. You are expected to return next year with something along those lines." She said. Paulie felt this was all rather professional of her, but knew she was getting to something important. "Secondly, I appreciate your enthusiasm for our self-defense seminar, but since you've made all of us bedridden for most of the day with bruises and soreness I advise that you tone it down a tad? Even Janine thought you were a taskmaster." She said icily. Trodaire gulped, and nodded. Finally, Sabrina took a deep breath. "Thirdly…"
There was an awkward pause. For the first time, Trodaire and Paulie thought that Miss Sabrina seemed at a loss for words. Yet she recovered.

"Thirdly. There is a league function coming up in a week at the Indigo Plateau. It is expected for the gym leaders to make an appearance. It is also expected that we bring someone along with us. So I wished to extend an invitation to you to come with me on Friday one week from today at 8 P.M. to the Indigo Plateau Ballroom Gala. Would you be interested?" She finished.

There was a comically long silence. Trodaire and Paulie looked at Sabrina, and then to each other, and then back to Sabrina.

"Miss Sabrina, are yeh's-" Paulie began.

"-asking me to be your date?" Trodaire finished in disbelief. Sabrina felt herself growing a little red in the cheek.

"I understand if you don't want to, I in fact assumed that you would be busy. It's just that I wished to be courteous but now I see that I was just being foolish and if you'll excuse me I think I'll be going and-"

"Sure." The single word was enough to stop her rambling, and enough to make Paulie do a double take at Trodaire being so self-confident. He had a small, goofy little smile on his face, but it was a smile nonetheless. "Sure, I'll go with you. Sounds like fun!"

Sabrina smiled. "Ok. I'll see you then." She turned and walked off.

Paulie and Trodaire continued to watch her walk off in the direction of the Saffron Gym, neither saying a word. Then, Paulie slowly held up his hand and closed it into a fist. Trodaire, without looking at his friend or changing the disbelieving expression on his face, bumped his fist against Paulie's.

A/N: And another one bites the dust! What do you think? Let me know!