I'm not dead! But my excuse? I'm just too damn busy! College doesn't allow me much down time. But I'll keep trying to write these chapters for you guys. For those of you reading since day one, you guys rock. Now get comfy: this is my longest chapter yet. Like, ridiculously long. So long, congressmen should read it when they're pulling filibusters. Enjoy!


Chapter 29: Iron Maiden

"Okay, let's look at the damage," Cody said as he knelt down to his pokemon's level. "Here Mars! Come to me!"

"Weik weik!" the mole squeaked promisingly. He had just had his cone removed, and the cast on his paw had been downsized to a formfitting one. It wasn't an optimal condition, but if he could move, he could battle: something that Cody knew his pokemon was willing to do. The Diglett took a few easy steps towards his trainer before stumbling some. He tried to walk properly, but the rest of his steps were accompanied by an obvious limp. When he finally reached his trainer's knees, he looked up at his trainer, sadness gleaming in his beady black eyes.

"Hey, hey, no worries friend," Cody cooed as he stroked his pokemon's fur. Although his voice reflected his gratefulness that his pokemon tried, he was no longer resting easy. His rematch for the Terra Badge was in fourteen hours and he didn't have a fully trained fifth member. If Mars had to sit out, he had either two options: fight with only four pokemon versus Hornsby's five, or use Antonia… and he was still having his doubts.

The training he had done for his rematch was focused and frequent as he worked on improving his pokemons' individual strengths and aiding them in their weaknesses. When he wasn't working with his pokemon individually, he spent time devising strategies for dealing with Hornsby's team members, assuming he used some of the same members he used before. Taking Cedric's advice, he began to devise a way to fight that Donphan, which he was sure the leader would use. It was a risky plan he developed. A stupid one at first glance, given the sacrifice involved, but sometimes desperate times required desperate measures. On top of that, he ended up dropping a lot of money into an expensive TM that he believed would give him the edge in battle. But was he desperate enough to use Antonia? Even though four trained pokemon and a half-trained one technically made his odds better than just four on their own, he didn't want to risk his Skarmory getting hurt on a level she wasn't prepared for.

"Still can't walk, huh?" Heather asked as she knelt down next to Cody and reached her hand over to pet the Diglett. Even though her battle for the badge was not for another five days, she was just as anxious as Cody was, and the two had been working together to form good battle plans for their future fights.

"Not well enough," Cody muttered sadly in response. "I know he'd be willing to fight, but I don't want him to get hurt anymore. He needs to recover…"

"So what's the plan? Are you going to use her?" Heather asked, looking over to Antonia, who was asleep, nested next to a space heater. "I don't know if I should," Cody murmured. "I don't want her to get seriously hurt at this stage in her life. She's still too green. I'd love to give her a chance, 'cause I know she wants to fight, but you've seen how Hornsby's team is. That Donphan would crush her. That Gligar would rip her apart. I don't think she'd last too long. Maybe she'd get in a few odd hits, but that's if she's lucky. If that Shieldon is in the game again, that would probably be her best bet, but otherwise… I'm gonna try not to use her. That guy I met, Cedric… he thinks she'd be a good wild card, but I still think she needs more time."

"So…" Heather hummed, awaiting Cody to answer the call, though he did not, "you said try. Does that mean-"

"Yes. Five is better than four, even if the fifth is the weak link," Cody answered, though his tone wasn't encouraging. "But I really don't want to even use her as damage fodder, so I'm putting her last on the line. Hopefully at most, she'll just have to clean up the scraps, but if she actually has to fight a much stronger opponent-"

"You worry too much. I'm sure you'll do fine if you get some sleep. You've been up late five nights in a row now." She touched his shoulder, easing some of his tension. Cody's frown slowly dissolved at the contact, and he looked up into her warm eyes. Heather rarely ever had anything complex to say, but her affection that sometimes bordered on the motherly level really helped. With the insanity that seemed to follow his life like a tail, at least he had that one sane person around that kept him from going crazy and punching somebody… namely Jared. "Thanks," he finally replied after her words sunk in. "But I can't sleep yet. You've been a big help, so I think we need to revise your strategy for your re-match. I suggest-"

"Cody, my battle isn't for another five days because I was actually sane enough to wait a little bit longer," she reminded him, giving him a light slap on the arm.

"Then you better take advantage of it," he retorted smartly, giving her a wily grin. "We have an hour. Let's just discuss the basics. I think your key to winning is to have Somnos use his Hypnosis, if or when he faces that Donphan. Otherwise-" As he continued to explain his idea, he let his effort for helping Heather take over his mind. At this point in time, he had done all that he could to prepare for his battle the next day. Now it was up to fate. Dwelling on it would only drive him crazy.


Okay, just focus. You've done your homework and you have a plan. Just go out there and win. Don't let your guard down. You already know firsthand how smart Hornsby is and how dirty he plays. Just focus and play the game as it comes. Of course… what if he out thinks me? I only have four trained pokemon for this and one that's still practically wild. When he- no… no I'll play the game. Just need to remember not to show my hand.

With his battle coming up in mere minutes, Cody was busy trying to calm his nerves. He had already gone over the strategy several times in his head, but now that the time for fighting was near, he was going into panic mode. Hornsby had probably seen it all. What if he saw through the younger trainer's scheme?

"Three minutes, Mr. Storm," the receptionist reminded him, though the middle aged woman barely took her eyes away from her computer. She just knew he was there, since he was pacing, as his steps had been echoing throughout the lobby. "Thank you," he replied in an empty voice while his eyes didn't rise from the floor. Deciding that he ought not to disturb her anymore, he walked into one of the arched hallways that lead to the main stadium to pace some more. But he barely took another pace before that familiar, raspy voice interrupted his thoughts.

"If you really want to calm your nerves, I would suggest tea, or meditation. Pacing will only wear a hole in the floor." Cody stopped, not bothering to turn around. This game was getting old. "Stella," he greeted neutrally. "You've come at a bad time. I'm kind of having a miniature meltdown over here."

"That's why I came," she answered. "To wish you luck in your endeavor with this gym so that it may go better than last time."

"How did you know that I… forget it, I don't want to know." He turned around to face his elderly stalker, though the sight was no longer surprising to him. Stella was still old. Still gray. Still gross looking overall. What weirded Cody out the most was the fact that Stella was still wearing the shawls that she always wore whenever she met with him. Did she ever change or wash her clothes? Or did she just have several copies of the same outfit? "You know, you showing up isn't exactly encouraging, right? Normally when I see you, something bad has happened or will happen. You're not exactly a good luck charm."

"Hmph," the old crone scoffed indignantly. "Perhaps you should change your perception of luck."

"And what? Call you my guardian angel?" Cody cried out, almost jokingly, though he wasn't smiling. "You're more of a personal demon if you ask me. Heather doesn't believe you exist. Doesn't believe Darkrai exists either. I almost expected her to have me institutionalized when I told her."

"But you know better," she stated, her tone holding no sympathy.

"I don't know sometimes… maybe if you actually showed yourself to her and Jar-"

"The Dark One is your burden to bear. Not theirs'." Her voice had shifted from emotionless to grave. "Should they continue to walk beside you, they will face the threat eventually, but it would be foolish to pull them into your responsibilities."

"I don't want to…" Cody retorted, his voice shaking, "but maybe if they knew, they won't be so shocked when the time comes… right?"

"Maybe so… but it's still a matter of what they believe. If they believe. Do as you wish, young Storm, but be weary of your decisions."

"Whatever," he muttered back, shaking his head. The woman never made any sense. "Why are you really here?" He still didn't buy her reasoning as the woman had never watched him battle before. At least he didn't think she had before at least. "For those who have experienced loss of any kind, the strong will grow stronger, as a blister forms a callus. Throughout your life, you shall experience loss in many forms. It is how you heal from your loss that matters. That, Cody Storm: that is why I am here today."

Though the young teen only caught a glimpse of what the old fortune teller had told him, he still felt lost in her proverb. "Okay, now can you say that in English?" he asked humorlessly.

"Sometimes…" Stella groaned as she placed her head in her withered hand. "Sometimes I almost feel bad for the Dark One for having to put up with you."

"Cody Storm! Please report to the arena for your match!" the intercom seemed to roar throughout the building.

"Well, whatever you may think, I need to get going," Cody replied, already feeling relieved to get away from the spooky crone that always seemed to know what was happening with him, even if she never appeared to be around. "You have a good da-" he paused, rethinking his words. "You just give me a bit of space, and we'll be fine. I can handle this." Not waiting for any sort of answer, he walked towards the exit of the hallway. When he told Madame Stella that he could handle "it," he meant the battle, but that statement also included the daunting presence of the phantom that haunted his dreams. He would handle them both, and he wasn't going to fall easily.

Once he entered the stadium, he felt as if everybody in the seating was giving him looks of criticism, as if they knew that he had failed in his last attempt to beat Hornsby. Of course, he knew how illogical this was. Trainers lose to gyms all the time, and this gym was hardly an exception. Yet, he still felt his cheeks reddening in shame. Part of him wished he could beat all of these gyms on his first try, but it was foolish to think he was the very best at his level. But it was not the time to feel sorry for himself. He had a badge to win, and he couldn't let his opponent see any weakness.

"You've returned, Mr. Storm," Martin Hornsby greeted, his grin spread wide. Cody made sure his face remained neutral in expression though. It was difficult, given that he had perceived an almost condescending tone in the graying gym leader's voice, though upon later reflection, he figured that he had probably imagined it.

"Yes indeed," he replied smoothly. "I don't intend to leave without the Terra Badge. I will keep coming back here until I win it from you. Understand?"

"Yes indeed," Hornsby chuckled. "I like that about you. Unwavering determination. Just remember that determination alone will not win a match. So now, same rules as last time. Are you ready?"

"Always," Cody responded. It felt so strange, now that the humor between the two of them was gone, despite Hornsby's attempts to reignite it. So the two just shook hands and walked to their respective platforms. As he glanced over at the crowd, he cracked a smile at Heather, who returned it with her flawless one as she readied the camera. As his gaze continued through the crowd, he saw that Madame Stella had not lied to him. She was in the back corner of the arena, sitting alone and watching pensively. He could have pointed her existence out to his friends so that they might believe him, but he decided it was not a good time to make a scene. There were more pressing matters to attend to.

"This is a third tier battle for the Terra badge!" the referee boomed. "Challenger Cody Storm vs. Loamford City Gym Leader Martin Hornsby! This battle will follow standard rules, and each trainer is allowed five pokemon! Trainers! Ready your pokemon!"

He tugged on Colossal's pokeball and smirked. He decided that he needed to start this battle out strong, and who else would be better to lead than his rock solid Pupitar?

"Trainers, begin!" Not bothering to flourish his entrance, Cody threw the pokeball into the arena at full force. However, he was caught completely off guard by his foe's choice in pokemon. For when Colossal emerged, he was facing down one of his greatest foe. Tantor the gigantic Donphan.

"Shit…" he harshly whispered. Cody had not expected Hornsby to lead with one of his strongest pokemon at the third tier. He figured that the man would start with something weaker; something that Colossal could handle on his own. But regardless of Colossal's desire to fight this powerful foe from the start, Hornsby had thrown a wrench into his plans. Albeit, a small wrench, but a wrench nonetheless. Great… gonna have to waste my free switch. So before the battle began, he reluctantly raise his hand, Colossal's pokeball clutched within.

"Wait… already?" the referee asked, puzzled by this immediate switch out. "You realize this will count towards your-"

"I'm well aware of the rules," Cody interrupted, a chill in his voice. Without anymore wasted motion, he returned the blue-shelled pokemon to his ball, already pulling out his next contender, ready to begin the plan for Tantor that he had decided on earlier.

"Hm, a new pokemon already?" Hornsby questioned. "It's good that you learn from your mistakes, but will whoever you send in next do better?"

"I think he will," Cody answered, his devious grin spreading widely. "Cortez! You know what to do!"

Once the thrown ball released the floating candle to face the much larger elephant, murmurings of the crowd hummed through the air. Surely, a Pupitar would have been better suited for combat against such a large enemy? All but Heather looked confused. She was the only one who knew the plan.

"Your Litwick? Interesting." Hornsby looked both amused and fascinated, though he was not slowed. "Tantor! Bring it down."

"Hrrannhhh!" The elephant broke into a charge and used its momentum to hurl its huge form at the tiny ghost. However, the little Litwick simply phased through the attacker, who landed in his wheel form once he hit the ground, beginning his Rollout.

"Wheeeeeeee!" Cortez squealed as if he did not register the direness that was this match up. Once Tantor had hit the ground again, the ghost shot out several fireballs at the pachyderm, all of them either missing or simply bursting on contact against the Donphan's thick hide, barely leaving so much as an ash mark on his skin. As Tantor rolled a wide circle around the battlefield, Cortez erected a Night Shade wall between himself and the Donphan, though the elephant broke through the wall with ease and bounced up towards Cortez. This time, even though the ghost went insubstantial, he was unable to completely phase though the attack, now that it had a mild elemental basis. Cortez was knocked back, but he picked himself back up, flew high into the air above his opponent, and let out a thin spiral of flames that surrounded the elephant.

"That won't hold Tantor," Hornsby said, though his initial words were drowned out by the crackling of the flames that surrounded his Donphan. "Rapid Spin." Still in his wheel formation, the Donphan began to spin in circles like a dust devil, using the combination of wind and dirt to powder out the flames before bouncing into Cortez once again.

Damn. Just need to hold him still for just a moment… It was the only way the plan would work. "Cortez! You need to slow it down if you want to- Never mind, hit it with a Confuse Ray!" The ghost produced a purplish orb that glided over to the Donphan, but what the elephant did next was both brilliant yet strange. It raised its long trunk and inhaled the purple orb before shooting it back out, backed by a loud trumpeting cry. It flew straight back at Cortez, who dodged it easily, but looked saddened by the failed attack. What the… this Donphan has an answer for everything. How am I going to… wait a minute. A new possibility had arisen. "Cortez! Don't let up! Confuse Ray!"

"Just keep blowing it back, Tantor!" Hornsby ordered calmly. Over the course of about a minute, Cortez had shot seven more Confuse Rays at his opponent, and one by one, the Donphan just kept snuffing them up his trunk and blowing them back at the Litwick like a cannon. Each time, the elephant had grown better at catching the orbs and shooting them back, getting closer to hitting his target every shot. It was adapting. The audience began to chatter amongst themselves about the point of this seemingly fruitless endeavor, but Cody had to force his grin down.

"Mr. Storm," Hornsby chided from the other side of the arena, "you know that repeating a failed strategy will rarely bring about new results, correct?"

"Oh, I know," Cody said back, now letting his grin emerge. "I also know that it's dangerous to fall into predictable patterns. Cortez, Will-O-Wisp!"

"What? No! Tantor, don't-" The gym leader was far too late to change his situation. Upon seeing the orb that Cortez had produced, the Donphan instinctually inhaled it (despite the fact that the orb was blue and burning, rather than purple and mystic.) However, upon inhaling the burning ball, the elephant let out a pained roar, for the moment the fire had entered his nose, it burned all of the soft spots inside his nose, mouth, and throat. As the elephant began to stagger, Cody saw his opportunity to enact his plan.

"Cortez, curse him!" The following scene was one that few viewing would forget. Giggling as always, the tiny Litwick flew down to above the Donphan and began to recite an ancient chant. While babbling the seemingly incoherent gibberish, several black flames encircled the candle as a large, ghostly needle, dripping with black fog, materialized in front of him. Then, without warning, the needle flew forward and seemed to stab straight through the Litwick before disappearing. But all the while, Cortez was laughing maniacally. It was as if he took pleasure in his pain. Finally, after the needle was gone, the black flames encircled the Donphan, who was coming to and had realized what had just happened: he had been cursed.

"Tantor, Stomp the little poltergeist!" Hornsby commanded, still keeping his cool. The elephant tried to smack the ghost with his long trunk, but Cortez easily dodged the sluggish move and set up a Hex. The move made the elephant cringe, but despite the curse that was on him, Cortez fared far worse. Though he was still giggling like a deranged child, the curse had inflicted massive damage on him to perform. The second time Tantor attacked the Litwick, he landed all of his weight on him in a heavy Magnitude. The ghost had been got.

"Litwick is unable to battle! Donphan is the winner!"

"Good job Cortez! Take a rest!" Cody praised as he returned his pokemon. He was content with his results, as he never expected Cortez to win the fight. He just needed to inflict the curse on the Donphan, and he did. Cody could only feel glee at his success thus far. Playing dirty was so much fun. "Cleaning time, Colossal!"

When the Pupitar entered the field to face the Donphan again, the scene was much different than before, for while Cortez had barely landed any hits, he had reversed the playing field. Now the smaller pupa had the advantage. "Headbutt!"

"Tackle it!" Hornsby shouted. Both pokemon flew towards each other and their collision ended in a stalemate, as Tantor's energy and power were draining from the curse that had been placed on him. After several seconds, Colossal shifted to the side and landed a jet-propelled tackle on the Donphan's side, knocking it over. The effects of the curse were so obvious in comparing the last time Colossal had tried such a move. "Dark Pulse!" Several black, pulsing blobs flew from the Pupitar to his target, making a direct hit. When the elephant finally regained its footing, it managed to land a Hammer Arm (or rather, a Hammer Trunk) on Colossal, still having enough power to temporarily knock him senseless. Following this, the elephant placed all of its weight on the prone pupa with a Magnitude. It almost looked as though the tables had turned, but ever attack was draining the Donphan even more.

"One more Magnitude should do it!" the gym leader recommended. Taking his trainer's advice, the Donphan rolled into a wheel and made a wide circle around his target before leaping into the air and extending his body to make the slam. However, both the elephant and his trainer had underestimated Colossal's durability.

"Body Slam!" Cody shouted before the Donphan had left the ground. Colossal gathered his strength and shot himself like a bullet at Tantor's chest, which was wide open in his attack. The elephant roared before falling onto his back, but the Pupitar would not relent. He began thrashing at the flailing elephant's body until it fell still.

"Donphan is unable to battle! Pupitar is the winner!" At the referee's announcement, the audience cheered and clapped excitedly. Caught up in the excitement of the moment, Cody let out a cheer before wiping the sweat off of his brow. He had done it. No, his pokemon had done it. They defeated the invincible Donphan, and he still had pokemon to spare for the rest of the fight.

Yes, the rest of the fight, Cody reminded himself in reality's onset. One down, four to go… "I'm impressed," Hornsby admitted, chuckling to himself as he returned his Donphan. "You formed a strategy to deal with one of my tougher pokemon and it worked. But the rest of my team is fine tuned. Do not think you have won yet, Cody Storm." With a flick of his wrist, his second pokeball opened on the field to reveal Magenta, the Gligar.

Crap, can Colossal handle her? Sure, Bastion could, but not after that thing took out two of my- "Headbutt!"

"Fly and use Stealth Rock!" Letting out an ear-tearing screech, the Gligar swooped right above its attacker before flying up to the ceiling, levitating the rocks as it rose above the stadium. However, while these rocks may have stopped Elesa, they had no such effect on Colossal. The Pupitar jetted through the floating stones, crushing each one he hit. Unfortunately, his momentum had been slowed so much that the fly-scorpion easily flew out of the way of the shot. "Now Brick Break!" Elegantly dodging the rocks, Magenta flew up close to her foe and smacked him in such a way that the onlookers could hear the cracking of rock. Colossal let out an agonizing roar until he hit the ground. He tried to retaliate, but Magenta was back in the air again.

He's using another dirty trick. Obviously, Magenta was at home in the air, while Colossal had to leave his element in order to make any hits. However, the moment he was up in the air, he had nothing left. "Try a Rock Throw!" Cody ordered, though he wasn't sure how well that would work, considering the rocks that were already floating and the Gligar's speed. As he predicted, the endeavor failed. One by one, Colossal pulled up rocks, hoisted them up on his head, and hurled them towards his enemy. One by one, they all missed by a mile, since Magenta saw each stone coming. If only he had some other projectile that- Wait, he does! "Colossal, tackle her!" Not questioning the order, the pupa shot into the air once more, smashing the rocks he passed. It was too obvious that the Gligar would avoid the attack.

"You know what to do," Hornsby ordered, but his implied order would not follow.

"Dark Pulse!" Once at the peak if his height, Colossal let out the black pulses for the second time in the battle. Luckily, one hit Magenta, and she let out a screech as she spiraled downward. The Pupitar was lucky though, as he had landed on one of the floating rocks, giving him the ultimate vantage point to prepare his next strike. Flying like a bullet, he headbutted the fallen Gligar right on her left wing. For a moment, the fight looked over, but Magenta was quickly back to her feet. However, that was as far as she could go, because when she attempted to fly, she could barely even flutter.

"No matter," Hornsby sighed, "she can still fight. Magenta, Cross Poison!" Letting out another screech, the pink fly-scorpion ran towards Colossal at an alarming speed, claws ready to strike.

"Thrash!" Cody ordered, feeling his fears return, now that he knew the Gligar could still fight. But fortune was on his side, since his Pupitar was much better suited for ground combat. It began to beat on Magenta mercilessly until surprisingly, the Gligar dug underground. Huh, it can't fly, but it can still di- Before Cody could complete that thought, the fly-scorpion had burst out from under Colossal and the bigger pokemon fell on his face. But Magenta was not done there. She hopped on the pupa's backside and jammed her good pincher into the opening she had made earlier with her Brick Break. It was only seconds later that Colossal had shaken her off, but the damage had been done, as he began to sway back and forth. The Cross Poison worked fast.

"Hoooooome…" the blue-shelled behemoth hummed as his eyes began to droop. He tried to hit the flying bug, but with the venom running through his veins, he was too sluggish and woozy to connect while Magenta danced around him, peppering him with light strikes. Something needed to be done and quick or Cody would be down another pokemon.

"Don't let up buddy! Try a Screech to slow him down!" Closing his eyes, Colossal let out a deafening roar that pulsated throughout the room. It was unfortunate that as a Pupitar, Colossal's screech was not as high in frequency as it was when he was a Larvitar, and so, it was not as strong. To the audience members and trainers in battle, it was only a mild nuisance to listen to. However, at close range, it broke Magenta's concentration as she rocked back and forth, covering her ears to muffle the noise. But while doing this, something unexpected occurred: Magenta lost her concentration and the floating rocks began to fall like rain drops. One big rock in particular dropped right on her head and she fell over. While Colossal was not hit, the poison finally got to him and he fell over as well.

Both Gligar and Pupitar are unable to battle!" the referee shouted. "This round is a draw!"

Cody couldn't help but grin again at the results. While he felt terrible that Colossal had to go out to poison, the pokemon had managed to overcome two of Hornsby's, evening the odds.

"Well played, Storm!" the gym leader's voice boomed. "But we are hardly finished! Now that your tank has run out of firepower, what will you do?"

"I thought of everything," Cody replied, half-feigning his smugness. Both trainers threw their pokeballs inward and the next match up began.

I thought of everything. That comment came back to burn him when he saw his next obstacle. Elesa, while one of his bigger pokemon, was severely dwarfed by the Onix that stood before her. As Cody eyed the big rock snake, he felt his confidence drain again. This Onix was obviously young, given that it looked like a twenty footer, but an Onix was still an Onix. Every time Cody had faced Jared's Onix, he got beaten badly. Sure, this Onix was a juvenile, but it was still freaking huge. Not that Elesa cared. She stamped her foot and snorted meanly like she did for all of her opponents. Even so… That TM better be worth it. "Elesa, do not let that thing wrap around you! Try to tire it out!"

"Keep it on its toes, Kaa! Magnitude!" Calmly, the large serpent slammed his tail against the ground, making the earth shake. As Cody grabbed onto the railing for balance, he noted that Elesa had jumped at the right time to avoid getting shaken up by the tremor. However, she was acting to brash as she tried to slam her electrified body into the Onix's side. Her attempt was comparable to that of a BB pellet being shot at a plate of steel. Even if her electricity had any effect on the big snake, it was still a feeble attempt to try and inflict any sort of damage.

"Slam!" Kaa knocked the horse back with his rocky tail before using it to lift a boulder and toss it at the electric pokemon. Elesa just barely got to her feet in time to avoid the hit. Jumping to avoid a second Magnitude, her body exploded with a Shockwave that collided with the Onix's body, only to prove futile once more.

"Okay Elesa! Obviously, that's not working!" Cody called out, annoyed at his pokemon's inability to pick up the obvious. "Use your hooves! Double Kick!"

"Stop her with a Rock Slide!" Hornsby shot back. The rock snake effortlessly pulled up a half dozen boulders and sent them at Elesa by individually slapping each one with his tail. The electric horse serpentined her way between the rolling rocks, leaping onto of the last one before leaping up and over the Onix's head. But as she passed behind the bigger pokemon, and like a loaded spring, her steel-like hooves unloaded into the back of the snake's head.

"Grooaaar!" Kaa roared as its large head crashed into the earth. It quickly pulled itself back up, but not before taking another kick to the torso. The Onix tried to slam the Zebstrika again, but before she even got close, Cody ordered her to use Flash. When the blinding light faded, the rock snake took another kick straight to the nose.

"Enough of this! Dig!" At an unthinkable speed, the Onix burrowed underground where Elesa couldn't follow him. For a few seconds, all the Zebstrika could do was snort and neigh in frustration and anticipation. But her wishes for her foes reappearance was granted when the young Onix exploded from under the earth and sent the horse flying. Elesa could barely recover before the Onix wrapped his long body around Cody's poor pokemon and began to squeeze. Desperately, Elesa tried to shock her captor, but the electricity did nothing but slightly annoy Kaa.

Okay, it's now or never. Hopefully the DNA alterations from the TM have fully taken effect… "Elesa, Hidden Power!"

"Neeeaghh!" she whinnied wildly as her body momentarily had a light glow of green. Letting loose another roar of pain, the Onix relinquished his grip, and slithered away in pain. Cody smiled to himself at the prediction the doctors at the pokemon center had told him. All pokemon had at least a little bit of mystical power inside of them, and just about all of them could utilize said power in the Hidden Power technique. The doctors had told Cody that Elesa's inner power would be manifested like a grass type move. Now that she knew the power of the move, she was bound to abuse it on a pokemon that had an elemental weakness to it. Her body glowed green again before releasing a sizable green sphere that hit the Onix in the face. The rock snake would not give in though, as it opened its mouth and released an orange, frothy Dragon Breath in a last ditch effort to slow the speedy Zebstrika down, but she easily cleared the flames and Kaa's head in a single bound before releasing another Double Kick to the back of his head. Letting out one final roar, the young Onix's upper body crashed into the ground.

"Onix is unable to battle! Zebstrika is the winner!"

Hmm, that went easier than expected, Cody mused to himself. It then occurred to him that he was in the lead. Sure, Elesa had sustained some general damage, but she was still stomping her foot for her next enemy.

"Caught me off-guard," Hornsby admitted, smiling. "But speed is useless when nothing can be seen. Shade! Sandstorm!" he ordered as the pokeball flew from his hand.

"Elesa, Flame Charge!" Codu shouted out in response. Luckily, Elesa managed to hit the Cacturne with her flaming run before it could create a sandstorm, but the grass-dark pokemon wasn't knocked down. Letting out a loud cackle, it threw its arms forward and whipped up a mighty sandstorm. Cody could just barely see the figure of Elesa on the battlefield, but Shade the Cacturne was nowhere in sight. Hornsby's method had given him three advantages: Elesa could not run or see well in a sandstorm, she could not easily ignite her flames in a sandstorm (that would have given her an edge in this matchup,) and Shade could easily be hiding anywhere within the swirling dirt. Or he would be if Elesa didn't have trick to picking out the needle in the haystack.

"Elesa, Shock Wave!" Cody knew this attack would do little to a grass pokemon surrounded by an electricity blocking sandstorm, but the blast of electricity did the job. The electric attack homed in towards the scarecrow pokemon, and all Elesa needed to do was follow it. She chased the blast into the sands, and moments later, the Cacturne's scream was heard as he was sent flying towards Cody's position. "Again!"

"Sucker Punch!" Hornsby commanded. Of course, neither the gym leader nor his pokemon were going to fall for the same trick twice. Before the Zebstrika could let out another blast of electricity, she was smacked by one of the cactus pokemon's ghostly punches. Though the damaged zebra could not figure out where the punch had come from, Cody could see Shade in view.

"Elesa! Follow the sound of my voice before he changes position!" The horse barreled towards Shade and successfully landed a Spark on the grass pokemon. But coming in too close was a dangerous thing, for before she could circle around and try to land another attack, the Cacturne swept at her with one of his long, spined arms and made contact on her side. The horse whinnied in agony while Shade leapt forward and planted his two feet on Elesa's back while sticking his other arm to her other side. Cody could just barely make out that the Cacturne had used Ingrain on Elesa, which would absorb energy straight from her body as opposed to the earth. Shade's leeching, combined with the whipping sands, would be the end of Elesa unless Cody could find some miracle.

"Now drain her! If she falls over, she will be unable to get back up!" Hornsby shouted. Elesa ran in circles, trying to buck her attacker off of her back while zapping him with electric shocks. The Cacturne just laughed though, as the electricity barely hurt him, and nothing Elesa could do was working against him. After three painful minutes of struggle, the horse fell to her knees.

"Zebstrika is unable to battle! Cacturne is the winner!"

"Good work babe! Return!" Once Elesa was back in her ball, Cody scowled as he reviewed his options. The truth was that he had hoped he'd have Cortez to deal with this pokemon, but that option was no longer viable. The only pokemon he had left were Bastion and Antonia, and the decision ached him. Elementally, Antonia would be a better candidate. Her steel plating would help her resist the sandstorm and the Cacturne's attacks. On top of that, her attacks would likely tear the opponent to shreds. On the flip side, Cody knew that she was still too green. An experienced pokemon like Shade could easily counter hid disadvantages, and Cody couldn't help but picture Antonia slowly and painfully being drained by that wicked foe. Bastion, despite having more experience, was at an elemental disadvantage, and the last time he faced this Cacturne, he was beat. Badly.

No good options. Still, Antonia is still too inexperienced. I need to keep her out of this battle at all costs. Cody lifted Bastion's pokeball and hurled it onto the field. "Bastion, Aqua Jet!"

"Needle Arm!" Fortunately for the Wartortle, the first of Shade's attacks missed him while he managed to slam his shell into the scarecrow's face. The second Needle Arm was far more accurate though, as it slammed into the turtle's chest. Bastion was only slightly phased though and quickly recovered, shooting a strong Water Gun attack at his enemy, though it seemed to have little effect. But it was then that Cody noticed something that he hadn't noticed before. When Bastion had sprayed his foe with water, it had dampened the spinning sands, causing them to clump and crash into Shade's body and the ground. Hmm… wet, sticky dirt can't be picked up by the sandstorm as easily. Perhaps… "Bastion, get in the air and spray down all this sand! Use Water Gun while spinning!"

"Pin him down and drain him!" Hornsby shouted. The Cacturne kept sweeping his arms at his foe, but Bastion just barely dodged each one in his sprint before launching himself into the air before withdrawing into his shell and spraying water everywhere. He repeated the process several times, continually dodging the incoming Needle Arms between jumps. For ten minutes, this dragged on, but Cody saw the difference. The Sandstorm was growing weaker and weaker as it lost soil to the water, and Cody noticed that the Cacturne was having difficulty moving now, especially since its feet (which were still implementing the ingrain) could not support his body in all the wet soil.

"We got him on the ropes! He's got nowhere to hide, and he can't stand well. Knock him down!" Cody ordered, feeling the confidence rush back into his system. The Wartortle let loose a spray of water straight at the scarecrow's face, but it seemed weaker in volume than normal. For the first time in awhile, Bastion was running short on water, as he had sprayed most of it to dampen the field. "Okay bud, get close and-"

"Needle Arm!" For the final time, the Cacturne's stretched arms tried to smack down the turtle, but Cody's pokemon easily saw this move coming now that the sands were dead. With ease, the Wartortle hopped up, landed on the extended arm, and ran up it towards his opponent's face where he slammed his tail as it glowed with steel for a brief moment. Shade did not stand a chance, as he simply fell back into the mud, motionless.

"Cacturne is unable to battle! Wartortle is the winner!"

"Well played," Hornsby chuckled as he returned his grass pokemon. "We'll have to dry off the field before the next fight. But lucky for me, my final pokemon doesn't need solid ground. Do yours?" His final poke ball was one of those rare premier balls that Cody had always seen, but never actually received at any point in his journey thus far. Could such a special ball be used to hold a special pokemon? "Nixon, you know what to do."

For all of his life, Cody always believed that pokemon, being creatures of nature, were all beautiful in their own way. In that moment, he humbly stood corrected. The pokemon that rested before Bastion was the definition of the word ugly. It was hulking, triangular shaped pokemon made of blue stone, with a circular, red hat, and a large red nose of stone that had a bushy mustache underneath. Hope it isn't as strong as it is disturbing. "Tackle it!"

"Magnet Rise." Hornsby's voice was almost stoic, as was his pokemon, as it let out a deep hum while rising upwards. Bastion missed his target, landing in the mud he had created, but he stood up again, ready to fight. The mud only slowed him down a little though. Hopefully not enough to hinder the turtle after he had survived a sandstorm for over ten minutes, evident by the scratches and dried blood on his face. But it would take more than a little dirt to slow this Wartortle down. "Earth Power!" At his trainer's order, the Probopass began to hum again and giant geysers of mud began to erupt all over the field. Bastion tried to run from the blasts, but the earth powered explosions kept bursting closer and closer to him every step he took. Finally, one erupted right under the turtle's feet, and he was launched into the air. Luckily for him, the Wartortle landed on his feet and tried to move into offense again, attempting a tackle. However, while this attack hit its mark right on the nose (literally), the foe Probopass wasn't hurt at all. In fact, he didn't even move. It was as if the attack was like a light breeze to him. "Now Magnet Bomb!"

"Bastion, dodge and use Water Gun!" Cody commanded, gritting his teeth. He knew Bastion didn't have much water left, but this pokemon was part rock, so he had to hope for a miracle. The enemy pokemon formed a steely looking ball in front of his stony body and launched it at Bastion, who was running. While the attack missed by a foot, the impact that the bomb created when hitting the ground, combined with the explosion it made, knocked Bastion off his feet. As quickly as he could, Bastion rose once more and sprayed a Water Gun at the Probopass. The stream was weak, but it was still enough to make the foe wince… but that was it. The stone pokemon barely seemed phased by the water jet, though it was being pushed back slowly.

"Lock-On." Even whilst being hit by the water, the Probopass opened its eyes wide and began to adjust its focus on Bastion, turning his body towards the target. Just as Bastion's water stream finally ended, Hornsby made his next command. "Zap Cannon!" It began to charge an electrical discharge to be released in several seconds. "Protect!" Cody shouted in panic as the Probopass released its electric blast. Bastion was able to throw up his protective shield and managed to avoid taking a direct hit. Of course, the attack was so strong, the bubble that the turtle created shattered at the end of the blast. Cody frowned, though he saw that result coming. At this rate, Bastion was only delaying the inevitable. Okay, I only get one of those. Better keep Bastion on offense. Zap Cannons don't hit often, so as long as that Probopass can't lock on… "Hit it with an Iron Tail!"

"Ruahh!" Bastion grunted fervidly. It rushed its foe, leapt into the air, and struck the Probopass right between the eyes with its steel covered tail. The opponent flinched in pain and let out a low moan, but it was far from fainting.

Okay… maybe a few more of those. "Bastion, Iron Tail again!"

"Zap Cannon!" Hornsby said, smiling to himself, only to receive a confused look from Cody. But the teen was about to know why. As the Wartortle circled around in a run to gain momentum, he finally leapt in the air as his tail glowed with iron once more. But before he even hit his target, the Probopass released his trump card as he swiveled perfectly to face Bastion and let out his second Zap Cannon. This time, he hit Bastion directly, knocking the turtle back. Bastion didn't even have time to scream from being hit like that, as he had fainted before he had even hit the ground.

"Wartortle is unable to battle! Probopass is the winner!" After returning Bastion, it only took a few seconds for Cody to realize what had occurred. The Nosepass line had always been famous for being both compasses and pokemon in one. The magnetism in their bodies (mostly within their noses) allowed them to do various things, such as float and create magnet bombs, but it also allowed them to point them towards large concentrations of metal when needed. When Bastion had used Iron Tail, the iron in his body concentrated itself to his tail, allowing the Probopass to lock-on and make a perfect shot. One of his Wartortle's best moves was his very downfall. "It's time for the finale," Hornsby announced, clapping his hands together. "What pokemon will you use against me now?"

Cody didn't respond verbally, but just looked at his last poke ball. Antonia's ball. Suddenly, he felt that it might be better to forfeit. Even if Antonia was ready, it still didn't take away from the fact that her body was lined with steel, making a Zap Cannon from Probopass guaranteed to hit. He would need a miracle for his youngest pokemon to pull of his biggest victory to date. But miracles would only take them so far. Perhaps it would be better to try again in a week, now that he knew about Hornsby's final pokemon firsthand. But as he began to raise his hand to call it quits, he felt the great ball shake in his palms.

You really want to fight, huh? He smiled at his baby, the steel-bird pokemon that he tortured himself to raise over a period of almost half a year. Well… this is a bad idea, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. With elegance, he raised his final ball and threw it onto the field. "It's your time, Antonia!" When the light of the pokeball faded, there was a mixed reaction of awe and muttering. The muttering came from the doubters who saw the hopelessness of a steel pokemon fighting a Probopass. The awed voices were in result to the appearance of the beautiful young Skarmory that had graced the field.

"Skreeeeeee!" she screeched wildly, spreading her silver wings, red steel feathers extending underneath. She stared up at her opponent, obviously unimpressed. Of course, that was her attitude towards every opponent: that she was the best in the world and that they didn't even deserve to be in the same arena as her. Of course, she didn't deserve that title, but perhaps she'd start making her way to that title with this battle, so long as she could avoid the dreaded Zap Cannon.

"Huh, a Skarmory," Hornsby noted, slightly impressed, as was evident in the small smile on his face. "I was unaware you had such a challenging pokemon on your team. I'm curious as to why you didn't use this one last time. No matter. Nixon! Waste no time! Zap Cannon!"

"Fly! Just keep flying!" Cody ordered quickly in a panic. He didn't have to ask her twice, as she took a running start before flying up in the air, making a wide circle around the Probopass. However, while the steel bird was fast, the ugly stone pokemon's face followed with ease as he continued to charge his Zap Cannon. The magnets were doing their job a bit too well. In a few seconds, he would release the electricity, which would surely bring Antonia down in one hit. Her only chance would be if she somehow damaged him to the point that he couldn't attack. But they'd only get one shot. "Steel Wing!"

Cody had been training his baby to respond to the command, though she would only answer it with ironclad slashes. Being hit by steel covered wings was painful, but if Antonia could properly concentrate the iron from her iron deposits in her body to her wings, she could increase the power of her Steel Wing attack by tenfold. Unfortunately, she either wasn't able to or she didn't hear as she flew straight at the Probopass and struck him upside the nose before flying over his head. But something unexpected also happened in that moment. The Probopass was using his magnets to lock on to the Skarmory, but as she flew over him, his nose followed… but once his nose was facing the ceiling, he came crashing down to the muddy earth. For some reason, the magnetism could only keep Nixon afloat when he was in an upright position. But being turned on his side midair caused him to fall, and once he hit the ground, the Zap Cannon was released, shooting into the ceiling and causing a few chunks of it to fall down on top of him.

"Get back up and-"

"Antonia, get in there and tear him apart!" The young Skarmory was all over her foe before he could even get up, and began to take repeated strikes, slashing her steely wings one after another into Nixon's big red nose. She got about twelve shots in before being launched off the stone pokemon as it reoriented itself and rose into the air once more.

"Nixon, be ready to deactivate your magnetism if she tries that again. Zap Cannon!"

"Antonia, just get above him before he-"

"Skreeee!" the steel bird interrupted as she flew up to the center of the arena and began to fly in a circle so fast, it was almost as if she was spinning in circles. But seconds after she began, she released an uncountable number of sharp, metal shards, shooting via her spinning momentum to the ground and embedding themselves in the mud.

"Was… was that a Spikes attack?" Cody wondered out loud. Many steel pokemon built up extra steel bits that collected on their bodies like dead skin cells, and many of them could utilize these scraps in battle. He had not taught Antonia how to respond to the command "Spikes," since he didn't figure she was able to use the technique, but here it was. But why would she use it on her own? Nixon was floating far above the spikes. Even if he wasn't, his stone body would only be scratched by the shards at best. "Antonia, Steel Wing and fly above his head!" Once more, his pokemon flew straight at her foe and struck him on the nose, but rather than fly above him, she flew circles around him, taking strikes at his sides. But for some reason, Nixon wasn't keeping up in his targeting, and when he released the electric blast, he missed his target completely. It's the spikes… there's made of metal too. All the metal on the field is throwing off his aim… did Antonia think of that her own? That's pretty damn brilliant if she did.

"Nixon, you're gonna have to take a more manual approach! Power Gem!" Hornsby's pokemon was quick to adapt. It began to hum as six glowing stones rose from the mud around his body before homing in on Antonia. The Skarmory was caught off guard, and even though she could have out flown the stones, she didn't have the right reaction time to do so. Each of the stones slammed into her wings, and she crashed into the muddy ground.

For Cody, this was a painful reminder of his pokemon's inexperience as she struggled to get to her feet. She was still a young pokemon after all, and this battle with this level of opponent was far beyond anything she was used to competing with. While Antonia was not willing to give up, her trainer was worried that her body would give out long before her spirit.

"Time to keep her earthbound. Earth Power!" Before the Skarmory could get back into the air, the mud shot up around her, enclosing her in a soggy, earthy sphere. From within, Cody could hear her scream as the mud filled up the spaces between her armor plating. Would she even be able to fly with all that extra filling?

"Antonia, if you can hear me, get out of there!" Cody bellowed, terrified for his baby's wellbeing. His eyes shifted back to the Probopass, who was charging another Zap Cannon. This one would surely hit a standstill target. Like on that first gym battle he had against Eagle, he felt hopelessness set in as he watched what looked like another failure. But the feeling did not last as long as it had the first time he felt it, as the crazy side of him that believed in miracles shot back through his consciousness. No… We've come so far. Even when I see an impossible situation, my pokemon keep going. And there is no way Antonia would ever give in. She has more heart in her than most people or pokemon I've ever met.

As if his thoughts were heard by his pokemon, the second he had finished his inner belief monologue, the silver bird pokemon shot from the ball of mud like a bat out of hell, flying barely inches above the Zap Cannon that was shot at her. But instead of striking her foe with her steel-clad wings, she flung a clump of mud into her foes eyes before flying back to the ground and shaking like a wet dog to get the mud out of her crevices. She had made time for this, as her Sand Attack (or in this case, Mud-Slap) had blinded her opponent long enough.

"Ground her again! Power Gem!" Hornsby commanded, worry now showing in his eyes. He had not expected the steel type to last this long against his Probopass. More glowing stones careened towards Antonia, but she was only hit by one before she got in two slashes. "Don't let up! Iron Defense!" In a quick shine of flashing silver, the Probopass hardened his body, and suddenly, Antonia's strikes were barely doing more than leaving tiny dents in his rocky body. For the first time in the battle, the armored bird looked horrified as she continued to slash at his body, fruitlessly. "Now, Power Gem!"

"Antonia, that's not working! Get away from him and use Screech!" She listened to her trainer and flew away from the tank of an enemy into the air, dodging the rocks he chased her with. Once looking down at the statue pokemon, she let out an eardrum popping screech, making Nixon cringe and shake. For the next few moments, he would be vulnerable to conventional attacks.

"Now! Slash him!" Cody roared out, caught up in the suspense of the passing seconds. "Magnet Bomb!" Hornsby shouted out in return.

"Skreeeeee!" The armored bird pokemon flew at a steep angle towards her aggressor's face. The Magnet Bomb hit her directly in the chest, but she kept flying, though a story of pain was written all over her face. In the seconds before her strike, her wings glowed silver, and with one more screech, she struck her foe's face, executing her first steel wing ever. Letting out a violent roar, Nixon fell to the earth and landed on his side. Somehow, Antonia had slain her first giant.

"Probopass is unable to battle! Skarmory is the winner! Therefore, victory goes to challenger Cody Storm!"

Cody could barely hear the applause as he fell to his knees and raised his fists in triumph while ecstasy rushed through his veins. Somehow, he bested the odds again, escaping defeat by the skin of his teeth. But knowing that he wasn't the only one that deserved the glorious moment, he climbed down from the platform and ran to Skarmory, dodging the spikes she had laid down. He didn't even care that he was getting his clothes muddy as he hugged his champion, who stood gingerly after taking all of those Power Gems. Gibing off a soft caw, Antonia pressed her forehead against her trainer's, and made a soft rumbling sound in her throat, as if she was purring. Perhaps she realized the magnitude of her victory as well. "Well Mr. Storm, that was impressive," Hornsby commented, having returned his pokemon and entering the battlefield. "I have yet to see a trainer make that much improvement within one week. You truly are talented."

"Thank you sir, it was an honor," Cody answered humbly, and the two shook hands. He felt something hard between their palms, and when their hands separated, Cody looked down at the Terra Badge that Hornsby had given him. It was circular, depicting a cutout of the planet earth, but the land was brown and the water was black. Clenching it in his hand, he continued to speak. "Someday, when I'm champ, I expect you to bring your best team to face me."

"Not if I get there first, junior," the gym leader laughed. "But regardless, you have a future in this business. Never lose sight of that."

"Thank you…" Cody repeated, and after he received his celebratory TM, he looked up at the stands. Beyond Heather, beyond Jared, beyond everybody else… there was Madame Stella. Unlike the rest of the crowd, she had not cheered, or clapped, or even made any sort of reaction to the battle. But underneath all of her wrinkles, Cody swore he saw a small smile on her face. Like in the same way Cody had gained faith in Antonia's abilities, maybe the old gypsy was gaining a little bit of faith in him too.