A/N: Warning! Chapters 25 and 26 were uploaded together, so if you hit the arrow button to get here, you probably missed 25, so hit ye back button! I'm just sick of being behind, and this chapter carries on from the last one fairly seamlessly, so you get two today. Next chapter will probably go up Tuesday, followed by Thursday or Friday, and then we'll finally be caught up and chapters will go up at the same time everywhere (a lot more slowly than this breakneck pace, thank Arceus.)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Every Clap of Thunder

Ren sent Manectric out; it was a bit of a gamble, but it was his best choice for dealing with Swanna. The double type advantage ought to make for a swift battle, though he knew he had to be careful.

Manectric howled eagerly to the sky, fur bristling with static electricity. The weather would work against them, Ren noted. Manectric was in its element when it was raining, as the charged clouds acted as a secondary source of power to feed its electric attacks. There wasn't a cloud in the sky over Fortree, however, so he would have to make do with what he had.

"Start off with a Thunderbolt," Ren said, making himself remain calm. He had the advantage, but losing his cool would nullify that.

Howling aggressively, Manectric charged up its electricity, a crackling aura of yellow energy building up around its body. With a final growl, it launched a sizzling stream of lightning towards its opponent.

Swanna took to the sky, leaping out of the way as Manectric's Thunderbolt attack zapped past.

"Again!" Ren said, causing Manectric to loose another bolt of lightning towards Swanna. Swanna was too fast for it, however, banking out of the way. We're never going to win from this distance, he thought. But Skyla has an advantage with Swanna's mobility. And why isn't she attacking? She must be sounding Manectric out, trying to work out how to deal with it. That means she's worried about it, which means I have a chance if I can figure this out quickly. Now what other moves might Swanna have?

Swanna dived straight towards Manectric, its graceful neck straight as an arrow. Skyla must have given some signal that he'd missed; he'd have to watch out for that in the future. Is that an Aerial Ace attack?

"Get out of the way, Manectric!" he ordered. It was too late. Swanna seemed to blur, its outline becoming indistinct, and a split second later, it disappeared from view entirely, crashing into Manectric as if it had been teleported and sending the Electric-type flying. Ren knew, however, that it had simply moved so quickly that it had disappeared from view. He remembered Winona using the same move in his battle against her to devastating effect. How did I beat her then?

The obvious way. "Manectric," he said thoughtfully. "Do you remember when you were training with Zangoose in the quarry the other day? I want you to apply that here next time she tries that, okay?" Manectric barked assent, keeping its eyes fixed on Swanna. "Good. For now, let's go with Thunderbolt again. See if you can't get a little closer this time."

Crackling with electric power, Manectric bounded forwards, towards where Swanna was holding its position in midair. With a howl, it threw itself upwards, taking the Flying-type by surprise as it launched its attack. Despite its apparent confusion, however, Swanna was still able to avoid Manectric's attack, rolling out of the way in midair and swooping away. "Push that advantage, Manectric!" Draw out that Aerial Ace again!

Manectric leapt and ran, throwing lightning bolts around the stage with gay abandon. Some came close to hitting Swanna, but Skyla's Pokémon managed to jink out of the way at the last second every time. Soon, that Aerial Ace will come again. Then we should be able to do it.

Suddenly, Swanna swerved in midair, aiming straight for Manectric. Here it comes! As Swanna dived, Manectric leapt forward, jaws bared and crackling with electricity. Even as Swanna shimmered and disappeared momentarily, Manectric brought its teeth crashing together.

The timing was perfect. Manectric bit down on Swanna's wing just as its attack made contact, sparks of electric current leaping and flowing all through the bodies of both Pokémon. Swanna cried out in pain as Manectric's teeth let go. "Thunderbolt!" Ren yelled. Manectric obliged happily, sending thousands of volts of energy pouring into Swanna with a victorious howl. Unable to move out of the way quickly enough, Swanna took the full force of the attack.

When Manectric stopped its assault to recharge, Swanna was weaving awkwardly in the air, seeming rather frazzled. Ren was surprised that it hadn't been entirely taken out by the attack, but he knew that Manectric couldn't lose now. "One more Thunderbolt!" he ordered. Throwing its head back, Manectric howled joyfully and blasted another bolt of lightning at Swanna.

"Dodge it!" Skyla cried, and to Ren's utter astonishment, Swanna dived out of the way of the lightning bolt, ducking and weaving away from the attacks that Manectric fired in follow-up.

Ren gritted his teeth in frustration. Somehow, they were back to square one, and he hardly thought Skyla was going to risk using Aerial Ace again now that she knew what Manectric was capable of.

"Swanna, use Gust! Make it fly!"

Ren felt the wind whip up around him, growing quickly more powerful until he had to put his arm in front of his eyes to protect them from the dust and splinters being tossed around the stage. He squinted awkwardly over his arm to see Manectric being lifted into the sky amidst a maelstrom of dusty wind. Manectric yelped helplessly as its paws paddled wildly in the air, firing off Thunderbolts that went wild.

Even as Ren watched, trying to work out what to do, Swanna flapped its wings harder still, increasing the speed and power of the winds that surrounded its opponent. Manectric flew higher and higher, tumbling end over end until Swanna suddenly stopped, folding its wings calmly back. The winds dissipated and Manectric fell like a stone from at least thirty metres up.

Ren watched with apprehension as Manectric fell towards the stage, breathing a sigh of relief when it landed back on its feet with barely a thump. He had one option left. Skyla wouldn't be foolish enough to try and get in close again, and Gust seemed to have no particular effect apart from temporary incapacitation. That meant that the powerful Hydro Pump was likely her only remaining option. If Swanna knew a move that would do better, surely she would have used it already.

Sure enough, Skyla – practically bouncing with excitement, Ren noted with some confusion – called, "Swanna! Finish it up with a Hydro Pump!"

As Swanna lifted its head in preparation to launch its attack, Ren struck. "Manectric, Thunderbolt!" As soon as the jet of high-powered water left Swanna's beak, Manectric loosed a bolt of lightning that struck Swanna's attack head on. Rather than diverting it, however, the electricity raced along the stream of water, heading directly for Swanna. Ren had counted on the conducive properties of water to ensure the attack hit its target, and he had not been wrong. Swanna shrieked as the electricity tore through its body, its Hydro Pump faltering. It kept up the attack, however, blasting Manectric for as long as it remained conscious. Eventually, however, the continuous stream of electricity took its toll, and Swanna crumpled to the ground, a limp, motionless bundle of feathers.

At the other end of the stage, however, Manectric was stumbling. Swanna's last Hydro Pump had been a direct hit, and combined with the damage it had taken from the two Aerial Ace attacks, it appeared to be having trouble standing. Even as Ren watched, teeth clenched in worry, it fell to the ground, utterly drained.

"Both Pokémon are unable to battle!" Winona announced after about ten seconds of silence. "The round is a draw. Both Trainers have one Pokémon remaining."

Ren stepped over to Manectric and knelt down beside it, stroking its wet fur carefully. "Sorry, buddy," he whispered. "I should have taken better care of you." Manectric cracked one eye open and growled gently, one paw twitching slightly. "No, you rest now. You did fantastically." He plucked Manectric's Poke Ball from his belt and let it suck the Pokémon back inside in a shower of red light.

He stood, clipping it back to his belt as he looked down the field at Skyla. "That's quite a Swanna you have there," he said, genuinely impressed. "I haven't come across a Pokémon that strong outside of the Elite Four for a long time. You must have it very well trained."

"We've been together a long time," Skyla said, returning the unconscious Swanna to its Poke Ball. "She's my strongest partner. Still, I wasn't expecting that trick with the Hydro Pump. You do live up to your reputation."

Ren shook his head mutely. He didn't feel he deserved that reputation any more, somehow. He had let Manectric down with his oversight, and his Pokémon had paid the price for it. It wasn't a good feeling, especially when he considered how much his Pokémon trusted him. He had made the same mistake with Solrock, too.

The pop of a Poke Ball being opened drew him from his introspection. He looked up to find a medium-sized black bird Pokémon occupying Skyla's end of the stage. He frowned. "That's . . . Unfezant, isn't it?" It took him a little longer to recognise it due to the lack of the trademark red plumes that he associated with the species. A female?

"That's right, Ren. Are all these Unova Pokémon bothering you?" Skyla asked teasingly.

"There might be some truth to that," Ren said quietly. Most of his experience came from battling Trainers in the Hoenn region, using Pokémon native to the area. Pokémon from as far afield as Unova were rare, and he hadn't had time to battle them all during his short time there. He had certainly never battled a Swoobat or a Swanna before. I did battle against a Trainer with a Tranquill, though. The evolution should just be a slightly more powerful version. This should be manageable. That only left the question of which Pokémon to use. Solrock and Manectric were out for the count. Yanmega would be pulverised, especially without the use of its Ancientpower attack. Camerupt was bulky, but its lack of mobility would leave it wide open for Unfezant to tear it to pieces. Zangoose might work, but it certainly wouldn't be able to fight the Flying-type on an equal footing. No, there was only one Pokémon for that. It was kind of fitting, too.

"Braviary!" he cried aloud, pulling the Poke Ball off his belt and throwing it upwards in the same movement, tapping the release switch on the way. Braviary appeared with a confident screech that echoed throughout the square. It circled over the battlefield, eyeing its opponent keenly.

"Ooh, it's wonderful!" Skyla exclaimed, shading her eyes with one hand as she watched Braviary's movements. "I'm so envious, Ren. It makes me happy to see you have such a wonderful Flying-type on your team. I think everyone should have at least one."

"They are nice, aren't they?" Ren said thoughtfully. "It must be nice to be able to fly so freely like that. I mean, I'm not a fan of flying myself, but just having that freedom, I think, would be nice . . ."

"It really is, Ren. But tell me one thing."

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Are you going to try and win this Jet Badge off me or not?"

Ren grinned. "You bet your ass I am," he said. "I'm not going to lose here!"

"Then let's go!" Skyla said, sweeping her arm upwards. "Unfezant! Take to the skies!"

"I can't help but think this battle would have been better fought at the Gym," Ren commented to Winona as he craned his neck upwards to watch the two Pokémon circling each other warily.

"We could move it up there, but the crowd . . ."

"Yeah, fair enough," Ren said. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted upwards. "Braviary! Get in there!" This battle would be fought with minimal input from the Trainers, he could tell. There wouldn't be much he could do, and the battle would likely move far too fast for him to react properly anyway.

With a piercing shriek, Braviary dived for Unfezant, powerful claws extended. Unfezant swung out of the way, moving upwards a little. It flapped its wings powerfully, sending sharp gusts of wind scything towards Braviary. Taking the hit directly, Braviary screeched and lost a little altitude before recovering. "The underside!" Ren yelled.

Braviary soared upwards, slamming its beak into Unfezant's underside. Skyla's Pokémon trilled in alarm and tried to escape, but Braviary drove upwards relentlessly, flapping its wings powerfully. When they reached their apex, Braviary seized Unfezant in its strong claws and swung it downwards, throwing it down towards the ground. With gravity pulling on it as well, it plummeted almost all the way down to the stage before it managed to right itself. By that time, Braviary was on top of it again, pecking at its head and buffeting its body with its wings.

"Unfezant, Razor Wind!" Skyla said quickly. Unfezant swung out from under Braviary's assault and whipped up a storm with its wings, creating a barely visible miniature tornado that slammed into Braviary, driving it backwards with a screech.

Ren winced as he saw the blood on Braviary's feathers. It didn't seem to be too seriously injured as it made its way upwards again. "Keep on top of it!" Ren yelled as Braviary jinked back and forth above Unfezant, impeding its progress upwards. "Superpower!"

Eyes blazing red, Braviary folded its wings back against its body and blasted its way downwards, slamming heavily into Unfezant and driving them both down to the ground. They crashed into the stage with an enormous impact, wood splinters flying everywhere as Braviary's momentum smashed the two Pokémon through the boards to the ground below.

"Unfezant!" Skyla cried, rushing forward to peer down into the jagged hole they had left.

Ren moved quickly over as well to look down, but the two Pokémon had gone. He heard them crashing around beneath the stage, thumping around between the struts that held the construction together. He waited with bated breath, hating the feeling of powerlessness, the sensation of not knowing. He was used to being in control, knowing what was going to happen – or at least what should happen. As he listened to Braviary and Unfezant crashing around beneath his feet, he couldn't help but worry. Was this where he finally let his Pokémon down?

"It's tight," Skyla said, looking up at him from across the hole. "They're well matched, but I think Braviary's size and strength gives it a bit of an edge."

"I don't know," Ren said, confused by the sudden frank conversation in the heat of battle. "Unfezant has its Razor Wind and its other ranged attacks, so if it can just keep out of the way long enough . . ."

Braviary shrieked beneath his feet, and Unfezant came spiralling awkwardly out of the hole, blood matting the feathers on its right wing. It fluttered upwards, putting a good distance between itself and the stage. A few seconds later, Braviary shot upwards, seeming largely unharmed, though its wounds from Unfezant's Razor Wind were still visible.

Above, Unfezant flipped in midair and dived downwards again, wings extended. As it met Braviary, it jinked to one side a little, cracking its wing against Braviary's skull. Ren's Pokémon reeled, losing altitude, but it recovered quickly, spreading its wings wide and swooping upwards.

Both Pokémon paused in midair, eyeing each other up cautiously as their Trainers watched them from below with tense eyes. Is this battle going to end? Ren wondered. Even though the battle had barely been going on for two minutes, Ren felt like he had been watching Braviary for hours. The two Flying-types dived at each other once again, twisting and grappling in midair. Braviary's powerful claws grasped at Unfezant's neck, but the smaller Pokémon slid swiftly out of the way, battering at Braviary's head with its wings.

Several times, Unfezant broke away from Braviary and sent razor-sharp winds slicing through the air towards it, inflicting numerous wounds on its bulkier opponent. Braviary kept up its relentless attack, however, getting in close to Unfezant where it could use its lethal beak and claws.

Suddenly, Braviary managed to get a claw around Unfezant's leg. Ren clenched his fist as he glimpsed victory. Braviary evidently felt the same way, for it let out a triumphant screech that caused several people in the audience to wince and cover their ears. Well used to Braviary's celebrations, Ren just smiled as it swung Unfezant around in the air, clearly in control. It spun several times, building up momentum, before flipping over in midair and throwing the helpless Unfezant down towards the stage.

Ren's mouth twisted involuntarily as he watched Unfezant slam into the ground for the final time, lying unmoving on the wooden boards. That's got to hurt. Despite the twinge of guilt, however, he felt a surge of pride and relief at the outcome. Looking up to the sky, he beckoned Braviary down towards him, smiling happily as the Flying-type flapped its way tiredly down towards him.

"Unfezant's out!" Winona announced suddenly. "That means that the winner of the battle is the challenger, Ren!"

The crowd went wild, which took Ren by surprise. After defeating Steven at the League, the crowd had sat in stunned silence for a full thirty seconds before applause broke out. They had evidently been expecting Steven to destroy him. The crowd at the Feather Carnival, however, held no such compunctions, applauding and shouting enthusiastically.

Ren smiled and waved at the crowd before catching Braviary's heavy, beaten form in his arms. "Oof," he grunted. "You're heavy, all right." Nevertheless, he did his best to lift his victorious battler high, showing him off to the crowd. It was Braviary they applauded for, he realised. Of course they appreciated the show he had put on as their Champion, but the people of Fortree had long held a special affinity for Flying-type Pokémon. Seeing one such as Braviary battling and emerging victorious would have been something very special indeed. Again, Ren felt that flush of pride as he gently stroked Braviary's feathers, still wet with blood. "Come on, you're all beaten up. We need to get you and the others to the Pokémon Centre."

"I'll go with you," Skyla said from behind him, clutching her three Poke Balls. "I've gotta say, I haven't had a battle like that for absolutely ages! That was intense!"

Ren smiled. "It most definitely was," he agreed, returning Braviary to its Poke Ball with another sigh of relief. "Too close for comfort."

"I'm so impressed by your Braviary, Ren," Skyla told him as they stepped off the stage. "They're magnificent Flying-types, and yours is a particularly fine specimen. I thought so when I first saw it, but that battle just proved it! You've trained it well. You'll have to tell me your secret some time."

"Thanks," Ren said. "I just . . . did what felt right." Along with a healthy dose of yehkti, he added silently, feeling slightly sick. He didn't really want another reminder that his success couldn't be put entirely down to his own power. How much of Braviary's strength comes from my training, and how much from my yehkti? I want to believe that I had a hand in it, but I really can't say for sure.

"Oh!" Skyla exclaimed, coming up short and digging the pocket of her jeans. "Before I forget . . . Ren. You earned this many times over during that battle." She held something high to the sky where everybody in the area could see it as sunlight glinted off gold and blue. The crowd – which had parted for them to pass through – applauded again as Skyla handed Ren his fourth Unova League Badge.

Ren looked at it sitting in the palm of his hand, shaped like a graceful wisp of a feather. It was light and joyful, much like Skyla. "I don't usually wear them," he said, "but I think I can make an exception for today." He pinned the badge to the front of his shirt, where it glinted proudly in the bright sunlight.

"It suits you, sport," Skyla said with a grin, punching him lightly on the shoulder. "You'd make a good Flying-type Trainer, you know. You have the vision for it."

Ren's brow creased slightly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"If you don't know, I'm not going to tell you. But come on. We need to get to the Pokémon Centre. You gave my poor Pokémon a good beating."

"Uh . . . sorry," Ren said guiltily.

"Oh, don't apologise. While they don't enjoy losing, they do love battling. Getting beaten up is a natural part of battling – nobody can win all the time. I guess I just proved that. When was the last time you lost a battle, by the way? I'm curious."

"Just . . . just before the Conference, actually," Ren said quietly as they left the crowd around the stage behind. "I ran into a guy I'd always had trouble with. Out of all the Trainers I battled repeatedly, he was the only one who beat me more times than I beat him. So two nights before the Conference was due to start, he turned up at my hotel room and demanded a battle. I didn't want to, but he was . . . insistent. So we battled. It was one of the best battles of my life, in a way, but at the same time . . . the worst. It was a major confidence-killer when he beat me, I tell you. I just about dropped out of the round robin stage of the Conference several times. Got over it soon enough, obviously, but . . . it stung."

"Did he enter the Conference?" Skyla asked curiously.

"Nah, he only had seven badges at that point. There was one he just couldn't get. He might have them all by now, though. I'll have to ask Winona."

"The Feather Badge was the one he couldn't get?" Skyla looked interested.

"Yeah. Funny how these things work, huh? Him and his Sceptile . . . they never had a chance against Winona."

"Winona's strong," Skyla said, glancing back towards the stage, where Winona appeared to be directing repairs on the hole Braviary had punched through the middle of it. "I really look up to her."

"She's . . . yeah," Ren said. "I mean, Brawly was the Gym Leader I had the most trouble with, thanks to Zangoose's type disadvantage, but Winona . . . Winona was probably the strongest of the Gym Leaders I faced here in Hoenn. Our battle ended in a draw, but she still gave me the Feather Badge anyway."

"You should put that on, too," Skyla suggested as the gate came into sight ahead of them. "Just for today, to prove you're a double Flying-type master!"

"That's . . . a good idea," Ren said, swinging his bag off his shoulder and rifling through it until he found his badge cases. He located the Feather Badge and pinned it next to the Jet Badge on his shirt.

"See, they make a nice pair," Skyla said, tapping them gently with her knuckle.

"Actually, if I think about it . . ." Ren said slyly, switching cases and pulling out another Badge, which he pinned next to the other two before putting his bag back on. He grinned sideways at Skyla, who looked dumbfounded.

"No way! You have the Zephyr Badge, too?"

"I took a trip to Johto a while back," Ren said. "I trained with Falkner at the Violet Gym for a while, actually. If I think about it, I have quite the history with Flying-type Gyms."

"You sure do," Skyla said wonderingly. "You're even more impressive than I thought, Ren Goodwin."

"I hardly think so," Ren said quietly. Damn all this yehkti business, he thought. I'm just starting to realise how much I hate not knowing how much of my own success I'm responsible for.