Olivine Romance

by Snowden

Jasmine is an adult now, but even as her fellow gym leaders mature and begin exploring their sexuality, she remains notoriously shrewish and abrasive towards romance and sex. An old middle school pest returns to try to win her heart, and in the process, uncover the reason for her unnatural hatred towards men.

38. Jasmine versus Silver

38 - Jasmine versus Silver

I stared across the battlefield, taking stock of the situation.

The main arena was a circular platform made up of steel cubes, hovering twenty feet above a field of anti-gravity projectors. Orbiting the central platform were five 2x2-cube platforms. These traveled around the platform at variable distances, some farther, some closer, some higher or lower, and at a leisurely pace, making about one rotation per two minutes. The anti-grav projectors were in a grid-based array, one for every cube, each featuring eight spikes arranged like flower petals. Electricity coursed between the spikes and the steel cubes, filling the underside area with an ominous, crackling field of energy.

My opponent and I were mounted on independently-moving cubes; a control interface for maneuvering the cube had been provided. Having sized up the terrain, my focus came at last to rest on the human facing me down from across the chamber.

Remember who Silver uses in his team- Gliscor, Crobat, Weavile, Feraligatr, Tyranitar, and who else? Alakazam, was it? No… So what's the common thread?

They're all physical attackers.

Skarmory might be able to win this match all by himself. Even if he couldn't last long enough to sweep Silver's entire team, the armored bird could cause a lot of damage before he went down. Or I could use him strategically, a pivot to counter unexpected tactics. The terrain was also favorable; Skarmory's aerial capabilities would benefit from fighting high up on these floating platforms. And regardless, I want field hazards set up right away.

The choice for my lead Pokémon was obnoxiously obvious.

"Skarmory!"

"Weavile!"

Perhaps too obvious? Ice attacks are nothing to sneer at, but coming off a fragile assassin like Weavile? Would the opponent have the punching power to even tickle my tank?

"Battle, set, begin!" Whitney cried.

"Skarm Skarm, Stealth Rocks!"

"Fake Out."

Crap!

I didn't even realize how close Weavile had snuck up to Skarmory in the three seconds it took Whitney to announce the start of the match. Skarmory held up his wings to block the sudden backhanded attack. The damage was negligible, but the force sent Skarmory off the edge of the platform.

"Skarm! Fly back and get those rocks up!"

"Ice Shard the Stealth Rocks!" Silver commanded.

Skarmory sent razor-sharp minerals scattering across the field. Weavile reacted, flinging off icicles like throwing-knives at each individual rock. The rocks' placement was messed up, getting knocked in random directions and encased in bright white ice.

"Now the Stealth Rocks are even bigger and sharper. Was that really a good idea?" I wondered aloud.

"They're not really "stealthy" now, so yeah, I'd say it was worth it," Silver answered me.

Ah, poop, he's right. There's no missing the Stealth Rocks now- the icy coating was broadcasting their position, and had destroyed their homing capability by freezing them to the platform.

Silver's as good as advertised.

"Skarmory, Spikes."

Skarmory took a landing on the platform in order to prepare for the next batch of field hazards. His wings bristled upright, small spines growing from them.

I can still lay Spikes easily enough. Try icing these, Silver, it won't take away any of their function, but just make them sharper!

"Ice Punch."

As expected, he's going to start attacking. Wait for the Weavile to get close, and then order a Steel Win-

PSSH!

Weavile bounded several yards beyond Skarmory, the latter flipping end-over from the brunt of the impact.

Fast! Too fast! I didn't have any time to order Skarmory to counter-attack!

"Ice Punch."

"Steel Wing!" I ordered preemptively. Weavile was already darting through the air. Hearing my orders and seeing Skarmory readying his iron wing-scythes, the foe flipped end-over, caught the ground with its long claws, and pivoted away at the last second. Skarmory slashed at air, missing the fleeing opponent.

So if I command Skarmory to attack, Weavile will know what's coming and run away. If I wait for Weavile to lunge, he'll finish his attack before Skarmory even registers my words.

"Skarm, look at me!" I made my Pokémon glance in my direction. A suspicious Weavile took the opportunity to dart in and clock off another Ice Punch. It really did nothing, though.

I began making motions and gestures, hoping Skarm remembered the rudimentary sign language we had worked out for instances such as this.

"Roost!" I ordered.

The next Ice Punch hit with more fury, and yet did even less damage. Skarmory was nigh-invulnerable to this thing. I wonder if it was necessary to actually attack the Weavile? Couldn't I wear out its stamina by just doing nothing?

"Sword Dance."

The answer to my question: No.

"Skarmory, get off the main platform!"

Skarmory dove off the edge, gliding up and around one of the satellite platforms. Weavile finished its Sword Dance. Its movements changed from graceful but wispy to strong and decisive. As a test, it dug its long claw across the flooring, gouging out a deep gash in the metal. Seeing its handiwork, Weavile grinned evilly.

"Not enough. Sword Dance again," Silver commanded.

I need to do something, quickly. This could get out hand if I keep letting it set up.

"Skarmory, Air Slash."

A ranged attack, just to annoy it. I want to bait it into coming out and fighting in the air. Sadly, Skarm's Air Slash wasn't up to the task. The slice of wind was too slow, too weak, and lazily dodged by the foe. It let out a dry laugh and then executed a second Sword Dance.

"Spikes," I commanded.

Oh, right!

"And then Whirlwind!"

If Skarmory can threaten to both spike up the platform, and then blow Weavile either off the edge or back to its pokeball, that'll force the assassin to come attack Skarmory.

"Skar! Skar! Skar!" Skarmory swung its wings out, letting fly spikes to scatter all over the platform. Unfortunately, in doing so he lost altitude. When he dipped below the edge and was forced to flap up higher, Weavile took its chance to strike.

"Weavile! Yehehe!" A powered-up Night Slash raked across Skarmory's back. Weavile's leap carried it to a mini-platform, from which it rebounded and slashed at Skarmory again, barely missing a second blow.

Skarmory wasn't looking too good. The single Night Slash had done more damage than all the previous Ice Punches combined.

"Skarmory, whatever you do, stay airborne! Dodge the Ice Shards! Stay airborne! Don't go near the big platform!"

Skarmory needs to land to use Roost, but he can't land on the main platform without coming under assault. What about the auxiliary platforms? Only one looked like it was out of Weavile's jumping range, and that one was currently on the opposite side of the arena.

"Ice Shard."

Skarmory tried to dodge the incoming hail of projectiles, with little success. At best, he could divebomb and take the hits across his back, where his armor was strongest. Yet that maneuver was killing his altitude and bringing him dangerously close to the anti-grav projectors.

Ah, what if...

"Skarmory, dive under the platform."

Silver smirked. What was he thinking?

"Weavile, go chase it. Be careful."

I gawked, literally gawked, as Weavile slid off the edge of the platform. In one graceful, acrobatic flip, it had swung itself under the edifice and latched its claws directly into the metal's surface. The creature began advancing rapidly, as if it was crossing a set of monkey bars.

"Ha. I was right."

We humans maneuvered our own platforms lower, to get a better view of the arena's underside.

"Figures, a Steel-type like Skarmory would be affected by the anti-grav, just the same as the cubes. Now he's pinned down- or rather, up- and can't fly. Did you consider that when you sent him under?" Silver said.

My turn to smirk.

"I was counting on it."

Skarmory cawed, battle-ready.

Roost complete.

"Thanks to the anti-grav, Skarmory can Roost on the underside of the cubes."

This battle was getting truly three dimensional, and thus, bizarre.

"Steel Wing."

Skarmory adapted quickly to the upside-down orientation of the battle. He lashed out with razor-edged wingtips, attempting to cut down the incoming Weavile. Weavile itself was in a tricky position- it was still agile and acrobatic enough to dodge Skarmory's slow slashes, but it couldn't exactly dance around Skarmory either. It had to keep one claw dug into the platform overhead at all times, or else fall. At one point Skarmory got behind it and swept a Steel Wing clear through its hold… only for Weavile to expertly switch arms in mid-air and ward off Skarmory with a Night Slash.

The two fought in close melee for a minute, both hampered equally by their respective predicaments. Skarmory couldn't fly, and Weavile couldn't let go. Tooth and claw and bladed feather intermixed in barely discernible motions. There was hardly anything I or Silver could do at this point. Any strategy we could order needed an opening first, and that required one Pokémon or the other to gain an advantage in the topsy-turvy close-quarters-combat.

'Come on!' I caught myself frustratedly thinking.

Skarmory lunged with a Drill Peck. Weavile spun around, grasped the underside with both hands, and kicked Skarmory in the face. Skarmory shook the pain off, and retaliated by grasping Weavile's foot in his beak.

"Throw him off!"

"Get the battle back upstairs!" Silver implored.

Skarmory beat against the surface as hard as he could, throwing himself downward and off the platform's surface, with Weavile's leg still caught in his beak. Weavile lost its grip and began falling. The anti-grav field kicked in and pushed Skarmory back upwards, and as he began ascending, Weavile caught ahold of his attacker, flipped itself over, and forced Skarmory downwards while propelling itself back upwards. My Pokémon fell, in a motion that looked more like jumping upside-down, before "falling" back towards the platform. Weavile was ready with a vicious Night Slash scored across Skarmory's forehead.

"Skarm! Whirlwind!"

"Taunt!"

Weavile backhanded Skarmory across the beak, and followed up by a grabbing motion that brought the foes face-to-face. Weavile uttered something guttural and obscene into Skarmory's face, before swinging away.

Skarmory, instead of executing the Whirlwind I ordered, went mad and chased after Weavile.

"Skarm! Stop! Ignore the Taunt!"

Useless. Skarmory was blinded by rage. Whatever Pokespeak Weavile had framed its insult in, it had clearly gotten across to Skarmory and gotten under the bird's feathers. The latter dashed after the mocking foe, all the way to the edge of the platform. Weavile back-flipped end-over, reaching topside. Skarmory followed suit, going airborne. It dove after Weavile, hooked beak outstretched, to find nothing but air. Weavile pirouetted, catching Skarmory's backside with a Night Slash.

"Skarm! Darn it! Air Slash!"

"Ice Shard!"

Skarmory had mind enough to obey my offensive playcalls. The two ranged attacks collided, with the Ice Shards ripping through and shattering all over Skarmory's general location. My Pokémon responded with an angry caw and a headlong charge.

"Stop!"

He's not listening.

I need to get Skarmory calmed down so that he can use Whirlwind. Otherwise, he won't last against Weavile and it's double-dose of Sword Dance; the rest of my team won't stand a chance otherwise.

"Weavile, backflip and counter."

Skarmory dove in. Weavile somersaulted backwards and prepared to lunge forwards… but was knocked off-balanced, barely dodging a Steel Wing. Skarmory zipped by, banked, and returned for another pass. His rage did have the interesting effect of making him fast and reckless, something Weavile couldn't quite get a bead on.

I studied their next few exchanges, trying to discern something I could do.

Weavile was having trouble initiating close-quarters combat with something that was both speedy and airborne. When facing a fast opponent, he prefers to engage directly, feint, and then slash at an opponent's backside as they pass. He can't seem to catch Skarmory's banking, altitude-gaining motion after each pass.

"Skarm Skarm! Stop! Listen to me!"

I waved frenetically to try and get the attention of my Pokémon. How long would that Taunt keep its emotional hold over him? The rest of the match?!

Silver's looking every bit as disgruntled as I am. His hair keeps falling in a disheveled mess over his eyes, causing him to continually try to brush it aside.

"Ice Shard."

Skarmory dove low and fast, dodging the shards and knocking Weavile's ankles from under him. Weavile fell flat to the ground.

Silver cocked an eyebrow. Not a look of worry, but understanding. What did he see, what did he learn from that?

"Skarmory!" I honestly was about to retreat him, even going so far as to hold up his Pokeball- but decided not to.

"Whirlwind!" I ordered one last time, hoping he'd come to his senses.

"Kkk. Arawww!" Skarmory let loose a series of Air Slashes, which Weavile dodged neatly but lost ground. It flinched, sensing its back foot hanging over the edge of the platform. It had almost backed itself off.

Skarmory saw its opening and let fly a Whirlwind, at last.

Good boy! And clever too! Blow the ninja over the edge!

Rather than brave the oncoming cyclone, Weavile back-flipped off the platform. Ah, that's suicide… no, hold on!

Grrr.

As it fell, the foe caught the edge with its claws and held on. The Whirlwind flew harmlessly over its head.

Weavile raised its head back over the brink, looking for Skarmory. Then it disappeared. A loud cackle of cries and scuffling could be heard. Silver was busy shouting tactical guidance to his Pokemon, but from my angle, I couldn't see the fight. What had my bird done? Gotten behind and underneath Weavile while it was dodging the Whirlwind, obviously, but now what?

I tried driving my observer block around, to see if a better view was possible. More sounds from below alerted me to change course.

They're back under the platform. Skarmory is using the anti-grav's push to waddle along, but now it was being relentlessly chased by… oh what? Weavile's walking upside-down without holding onto anything! Now with both arms free to deliver Night Slashes and Ice Punches, it pursued and swung away with glee at a panicked Skarmory.

"Skarmory, get over here!"

Skarmory tried flying, but was awkwardly shoved back to the underside surface. Weavile caught up and slashed, evoking a cry of pain. I was close enough to make out Skarmory's eyes scrunch up, and also the assailant's smirk. Then my focus was drawn to Weavile's feet and their magical grip on the ceiling.

"Frostbite Foot," I uttered, surprised. I didn't think it existed outside of the movies!

You know how things, especially exposed skin, stick to freezing-cold metal surfaces? In ninja movies, Ice-jutsu users freely freeze and unfreeze their feet, so that it can act like a "glue" to allow them to walk up walls and across ceilings. Weavile was doing precisely that. Its feet were coated in a light blue glow, and every time they touched the surface a small layer of frost solidified.

At first the foe's steps were unsure and slow, but as it got the hang of the technique, it began to practically dance across the inverted field of battle. It even began weaving in somersaults in order to unleash Low Kicks. Skarmory defended as best he could, Roosting off increasingly powerful blows.

"Skarm, Whirlwind."

"Weavile, all four!"

Weavile crouched, slamming all four sets of claws into the block and froze its hold in place with large, volley-ball sized ice cubes. Skarmory's gust of wind smacked into it hard, pinning it against the surface and even pushing its lips, eyelids, and ears back (like a dog-Pokémon sticking its head out of the window on a car ride- very comical looking, although I didn't have time to laugh). Its reinforced grip, however, kept it from being blown away. Skarmory exhausted his attack.

"Pursuit."

Weavile dashed, swung, and lunged after a retreating Skarmory.

No matter what I do, Weavile has the terrain advantage. Can't fight on top, can't maneuver on bottom, can't out-dodge between the orbiting platforms… Skarmory can't even take into the open air, because Weavile's Ice Shards are stronger than Skarmory's Air Slash. I bit my lip in frustration.

"Skarm, Whirlwind yourself away.

Weavile backed off, lest it get caught in the rip of air current. Skarmory hurtled away, out from under the platform and into the open. His chaotic escape had brought out on the opposite side of the arena. The time it took me to navigate to a better viewpoint gave Weavile the chance to return topside as well.

"Weavile, Ice Shard, and then- you know."

"Skarmory, dodge!"

Skarmory flew in low. The spitfire shards lanced over his head, and then barely off his tail, tracing him like machine-gun fire. He wheeled and turned in a great circle, then a small circle, and then a short uplift followed by a steep dive. Weavile backflipped to avoid the Steel Wing, bringing it more towards the center of the platform.

"Skarmory, slower, straight!" I exclaimed, hoping to take advantage.

Again Weavile let loose Ice Shards in rapid fire. A haphazard hail of darts whizzed over Skarmory's head. My bird dove low and fast. His talon scraped along the steel, sending out sparks in his wake. It wasn't for show, either. As Skarmory approached at high speed, Weavile again backflipped…

Skarmory's scraping will slow him down, just a tad, just enough to catch Weavile as it lands, instead of passing under it at high speed. Then, Steel Wing for the-

"Yah!"

Weavile twisted in midair, bring down an Ice Punch directly into Skarmory's back. My Pokémon cratered into the ground, with Weavile landing directly on top of him.

"Skarmory, Steel Wing!" I cried, but my bird did not, or could not, carry out the attack. I hovered in as close as the shields would let me.

Skarmory wasn't moving.

"No way… Not even that should knock him out. Eh?" I startled. Skarmory's eyes were open, and his beak was moving, quite lividly, actually, snapping open and shut like hedge-clippers. However, the rest of his body was coated in a thick, impermeable layer of ice.

"Oh- it's frozen," Silver commented, showing neither remorse nor excitement at my misfortune.

Bad luck.

Crap.

"Weavile, Sword Dance. Don't use Brick Break or Low Kick to finish it off, those might break the ice. Use Ice Punch."

Grr. Let Skarmory try to break free on his own? Or switch out now, before the Weavile gets any more power-boosts? An impossible decision.

"Skarmory, return."

Drat. Skarmory's a free KO for whoever I send him back in on, if I ever get that chance.

"You are pretty good," Silver said in compliment. He smiled, as if relieved. "That took a lot of work."

"You surpass your reputation," I said in polite reply. I've seen too many trainers rely on the brute strength of their Pokémon to rise up the rankings. Silver, though, was smart. He was at a total disadvantage and yet still came out of this matchup on top. "Frostbite Foot was unexpected. I didn't think that would actually work outside of the movies."

Silver lifted a corner of lips in a slight grin, and nodded. "I'm lucky it did work; this is the first time I've used it in battle. Got the hang of it, Weavile?"

"Weav!" Weavile lifted each foot, showing off a slick of ice on its underside. It then began sliding around the arena as if it were an ice-skating rink. So, yeah, it can do that too. Oh wait, it's not just having fun, it's building up blood pressure and activating nerves in order to boost its Attack- a.k.a. another Sword Dance. I'd better switch in Skarmory's replacement.

Who won't get one-shotted by Fighting, Ice, or Dark melee attacks?

"Magnezone."

"Low Kick."

He's going after my Pokémon even before I have a chance to react. Magnezone, luckily, could think for itself. It pushed off with Levitate, letting Weavile slide harmlessly under it. A Thunder followed, blasting the ground beneath.

"Heyeh! Wev wev wev wev!"

Even though it had cleared the blast radius, Weavile still performed three floating long-jumps. I was confused for a moment, until I connected the consecutive jumps with the three bolts of lightning that composed Magnezone's Thunder attack.

The stage is entirely made of metal. It's conducting the Thunder and radiating it outward, like a shockwave. If Weavile doesn't jump, it gets electrocuted, even if it dodges the initial strike. I can use that.

"Thunder on target!"

"Diagonal!"

Weavile threw himself into a long jump, barely dodging the Thunder and yet keeping airborne long enough to also avoid the shockwaves. Dang it.

"Thunder!" I ordered again. Sometimes it's not about strategy, it's about execution. How many times can Weavile avoid the duel threat? He can't dodge forever.

"Platform." Silver pointed to one of the side platforms, just as it was making its closest approach in its orbit. Weavile bounded up to the platform's ledge, pushed off, and went flying towards Magnezone. Too fast, Magnezone can't dodge.

"Thunder, self!"

A terrible crack sounded out, and an explosion of photons and electrons filled the air. Did I get it?

Argh!

"Coup."

Weavile had gotten off some attack in the split second before the Thunder hit. Magnezone was reeling from taking both the enemy's attack and its own Thunder, and was slowly drifting downwards.

"Brick Break."

It only took one chop, and Magnezone hit the floor.

"Magnezone is unable to battle! The first KO of the match! What an awesome battle!" Whitney shouted. She doesn't seem particularly miffed about me losing. "Jasmine, next Poké, please."

Great. Weavile's too fast and too agile for any of my Pokémon to land a shot. And, with all those Sword Dances, simple melee attacks have become brutally effective. I'm going to lose this gym battle if I don't neutralize this darn creature NOW.

"Steelix- wait, no." I changed my mind. "Magneton."

Silver cocked an eyebrow. Weavile saw the emerging form and hopped about in anticipation.

"Magneton? How is that any better than Magnezone? Weavile, just be careful of the Thunder and repeat," Silver said. He's too careless.

"Weavile!"

The dark form skipped ahead, its focus kept squarely on Magneton. Its pace was fast, but not too fast. It's waiting for the Thunder to come, so it can dodge and use the opening to close in and deliver the knockout.

"Magneton… Discharge!" I said, trying to gage the exact moment to call out the command.

But, I was too quick. Weavile sensed the attack and instinctively somersaulted backwards fifty-some feet. The Discharge radiated outwards as a large, crackling sphere. It slowly enveloped a space one-hundred feet in diameter, or roughly half the width of the central platform.

"Hmm... Let's try Ice Shard."

The shards flew in, fast as bullets, but mostly missed or bounced off Magneton's small, hard shells. Maybe with some extra Sword Dances, and maybe if Magneton just sat there as target practice, the shards would eventually pelt it into fainting. Sure. Get real.

"Mirror Shot."

Magneton's bullet was faster, heavier, and more accurate than Ice Shard. Kiss my tush, Weavile.

"Vile!"

Still not fast enough!

I gawked as Weavile back flipped to easily dodge the bullet. The second Mirror Shot flew in, and was also dodged. This time, Weavile's jump was quicker and better executed, giving it time to lunge forward ten feet before the third Mirror Shot scraped by.

"Look for an opening and get in there," Silver ordered.

Three more shots, three more times Weavile dodged and charged. It had almost gained enough ground to make a dash at Magneton directly.

"Discharge!"

And again it was forced far back.

It's a stand off.

"Side dash."

Weavile tried a spiraling pattern to close the distance. Mirror Shots rained in like mortars, blowing up just inches behind the foe.

"Never mind, back off." Silver shook his head. He underestimated Magneton's Mirror Shot's rate-of-fire. Weavile couldn't get close enough dodging side-to-side. It needed to use the more direct route. Only, it can't because I'll use Discharge. "You're making this difficult," he complained. "Alright, same old."

The pattern repeated itself, with Weavile dodging Mirror Shots and closing in, and I waiting for the last second to order a Discharge. It felt like a video tape on replay. Weavile closed in, Magneton let off a paralyzing sphere, and so Weavile backed off- again. How droll.

"Now!" Silver shouted.

What? Wah?! No! Discharge! Discharge!

"Discharge!" I yelled.

But Magneton fizzled.

Weavile had gotten used to Discharge's exact range and dispersal. Right at the point where the first wave expanded to its maximum radius, Weavile crouched, and then launched itself forward the instant the electrical shell evaporated.

It's really fast. Magneton doesn't have enough time to recharge for a second Discharge. Too fast for Mirror Shot.

"Brick Break!"

"Block! The block!"

Magneton strained, unleashing its full magnetic powers. One of the blocks making up the stage shifted and rose halfway out of the ground, directly between Magneton and Weavile. The latter's Brick Break smashed into the metal, punching a large, nasty-looking dent into it.

"Grr. Up and over!" Weavile followed suit, pressing its advantage. Magneton back peddled as fast as its Levitate would allow it. It sent out a few Thunder Shocks, which hit but could not even slow the enemy's advance.

"Mirror Shot!"

"Brick Break!"

The shot burst out at point blank range. Weavile's Brick Break met it not six inches in front of Magneton. The two attacks collided, the energy-based one exploding. Brick Break blocked it, sending most of the impact back into Magneton.

Weavile landed atop the uplifted block, while Magneton went spinning off into the air. The only thing keeping Weavile from pursuing was Magneton's position out over the edge. The creature opted to wait for a convenient orbiter to pass by.

"Weavile, Ice…"

"Mirror Shot."

"Punch!"

Weavile's cold fist met the Mirror Shot's sphere in perfect swing, like a batter hitting a baseball- wait… no… crap! Not like a batter, like a catcher! The Igglybuffin-black-rat caught the Mirror Shot! How?! Did it… No way… It froze the shot? You can freeze the light energy of a Mirror Shot? I don't believe it!

"Ice Shard."

"Wait!"

Silver eyed a mini-platform coming around behind Magneton.

"Now! Advance!"

Magneton let loose a barrage of Mirror Shots to counter the Ice Shards. Some collided and bounced off of each other, the rest were dodged by their respective targets. Weavile wasn't concerned about hitting Magneton with its icicles, though. It was just a distraction. The foe raced in, bouncing its captured, frozen Mirror Shot like a basketball. Then it leapt.

"Discharge!" I shouted.

In mid-air, it can't possible get away from this one, right?

Weavile hurled the Mirror Shot straight at the sparking Magneton. The electrical wave ignited the ball. The frost shattered, and the latent energy exploded, with full force, about three feet in front of Magneton. My Pokémon was stunned; its Discharge lost power and failed to expand.

Weavile hit the orbiting platform, bounced off, and delivered a Low Kick to Magneton. The trio of steel bodies went flying back to the ground. Same maneuver that got Magnezone- can't let it end the same way.

Weavile landed back on the main platform's ledge and immediately raced to continue its assault.

"Watch the blocks."

Magneton tried to gain time by lifting blocks in between it and the dangerous assassin. Weavile flitted around them to the point of nearly ignoring them. The last block lifted from directly underneath it, throwing it slightly off-balance and causing it to sail right over Magneton. Without losing a beat, it pivoted and returned with a vengeance.

"Night Slash!"

"Discharge!"

Too many Discharges in too short a time period. Does Magneton have enough battery for this one?

"Oooo!" The crowd of spectators let out a cry. Weavile's claw whispered past Magneton's shell, drawing a tiny scratch across its surface. Another inch deeper, and that would have ended Magneton's stay on the battlefield.

Yet, just as close as Weavile was to playing plastic surgeon on Magneton's face, it was even closer to getting fried by Discharge. The sphere burst outward, barely, almost, so-close-it-looked-like-it-actually-touched, caught Weavile in its grasp.

Weavile, or rather Silver, seems really afraid of Discharge. I think I get why. He believes he can sweep me with Weavile, as long as he keeps the thing from being paralyzed. That's leverage in my favor. Being feared is almost always a good thing during competition.

Unfortunately for me, Magneton looks like it's out of electrical power. Its sparks turned from white to blue, and then died down. All it has left is magnetic energy, basically Mirror Shots.

Think.

Weavile's little tumble to dodge the last Discharge gave Magneton some distance, but that couldn't possibly last now… Gotta play for time.

"Magneton, Mirror Shot."

"Weavile, it's out of Discharges. Go for the kill. Wait… No, first, catch the Mirror Shot."

Which it did, promptly, as it had before, using an expertly timed, perfectly executed Ice Punch to cradle the Mirror Shot and freeze it.

"Now finish it!" Silver commanded.

I need a strategy, a tactic!

The opponent can dodge Mirror Shots with ease. The wider its dodge, the less time it has to advance and gain ground before having to dodge the next Mirror Shot. So it can only close the distance by coming in a straight line, dodging or jumping over the Mirror Shots with as little a margin as possible.

I don't see how I can… I really wish Magneton had Discharges left… but even if Magneton could use Discharge, it'd just trigger the frozen Mirror Shot that Weavile is about to lob at it, and… Grr.

Wait.

Discharge… Lanturn! Got it!

A glance left… the Girafarig were in place.

"Magneton, scattershot, and then double barrel!" I slapped the palm of my hand against the back of the other, showing Magneton what I had in mind.

Magneton buzzed in acknowledgment. It fired off a single Mirror Shot, ripping past Weavile. It was deliberately misaimed, though. Weavile's reflexes nearly made it jump straight into the projectile's path, which slowed it down, for one critical second. My Pokémon gathered light energy, coalescing it into a five-inch sphere of Metal-based heavy energy. But it didn't fire it off- not yet.

Weavile had regained its footing and charged at full speed.

"Brick Break!" It knew what to do. The frozen Mirror Shot in hand, it was cocky, confident, and headed straight for Magneton.

"Mag! Mag!" Magneton fired.

"Wv- Wev!" Weavile saw the Mirror Shot coming and ducked. Its reflexes saved it- because a second Mirror Shot came whistling in, fired less than a second after the first. Less than a second was also the time it took Weavile to jump, letting the missile skim a half-inch beneath its chin. Its tail was nicked, causing Weavile to wince in pain, but did not slow it down. Having cleared both shots with the bare minimum movement, it raced in, unafraid of a non-existent third volley. Twenty feet. Ten feet. No time for Magneton to do anything.

"Weavi-"

PLAT!

A sound like a wet towel slapping a hard surface rang out.

A silvery light-ball exploded behind Weavile's head, knocking it to the ground, followed by the frozen Mirror Shot falling out of its grip, shattering on the surface, exploding, and sending Weavile flipping back over again.

"Magneton! Tell me you've got a Thunder Wave left!"

Magneton hummed. No, it didn't even have a Thunder Shock it could fire- but it did have something almost as good, for our purposes. The trio of metal cannonballs flew at Weavile, knocking it to the ground again. There, hovering over the foe, it hummed and shimmered. The only visual indication of the attack working was Weavile suddenly falling face-first to the floor, chest hugging the surface. It screeched and struggled to lift itself, as if its limbs had suddenly turned to lead.

It's a Gravity attack! Cool! I didn't think Magneton could use it to trap opponents like that! Good thing my Pokémon can take its own initiative, or else it'd still be at the mercy of Weavile's assault. Although, Magneton had expended too much stamina, and looked ready to Struggle, with no way to put up another defense. It needs to end this right now.

"Get up! Please! Counter! Brick Break!"

"Back! Get back!" I yelled. "You've it got it trapped, don't risk close-range! Finish it with a Flash Cannon!"

Magneton let out a low, depressing hum. It was tired. A Flash Cannon was beyond it now; it'd need a minute just to charge up for a Mirror Shot.

"Agility!"

Weavile's fur rippled with wisps of air and energy. It powered its way to its feet.

Amazing. I thought the gravitational well would pin this thing to the ground, permanently! Agility lightens a Pokémon's weight, allowing them to move about more freely, so I suppose it makes sense that it could be used as a counter to Gravity. The foe is slower now, but still… It's crouching, readying for a charge, and Magneton is too tired to get away…

Zero electricity, zero defense, low stamina, low magnetic power- what can Magneton use here?

Its ability?! Yes!

"Magnet Pull!"

Weavile rolled forward and slashed, missing Magneton, who pushed itself off into the air with a desperate Levitate. Weavile immediately followed by crouching for a leap. It took off, Magneton's sputtering form in its eyes, a Brick Break or Night Slash ready on its claws, glad to finally finish its prey off.

And before it rose three feet, the enemy was buried under a pile of rocks.

"Ha!"

Silver gawked.

"How the…" he uttered.

It's so great, I really want to explain it to him, but he might gain an advantage if I do, so I remained silent and smug looking.

But for everyone's else's sake: Skarmory's Stealth Rocks were still around, albeit frozen and not very stealthy. Weavile had been so skillful in dodging them, it had practically forgot they were there at all. What it didn't know is that Skarmory's rocks are laced with heavy iron. Magneton's Magnet Pull had drawn all of the rocks towards its location at once, crushing Weavile as they converged.

But that only explains the coup de grace, not the strike that made it possible.

"Was it- where did that Mirror Shot come from?" Silver asked.

"From Magneton, naturally," I answered truthfully.

How the Mirror Shot hit Weavile from the blindside… well, chalk it up to the beauty of physics. Firing off two Mirror Shots in a row was supposed to catch Weavile off guard, the first serving as a distraction for the second. Weavile was too agile and dodged both of them. That wasn't the real intent though. The actual tactic was to draw Weavile into a straight-line charge, ensuring that it would stay in the exact same line-of-fire after it had dodged. Behind Weavile, the first Mirror Shot hit the shield wall and exploded. The second Mirror Shot, perfectly aimed, perfectly timed, hit the explosion and bounced back in a straight line. It smacked Weavile in the back of the head on the return voyage, giving Magneton the opening to use Gravity on the relentless bastard.

"Weavile is unable to battle! I'm not sure anyone understands what just happened, but it looked really cool! Silver, who's going to come out next?!"

Whitney, you are a referee, not a color commentator. Please stop shouting.

Silver ignored her commands for a minute, as he was still mumbling to himself, apparently trying to figure out what had happened to his Pokémon.

"Silver, we're waiting."

"One second," he shot back.

He doesn't like surprises, does he? Or going deeper, he doesn't like things he can't understand.

"Stealth Rocks, I get, they were magnetized somehow. I don't get the Mirror Shot. Did it bounce? Off what, the shields? No, Mirror Shots would explode when they hit a shield… I… I give up. Go, Gliscor."

Gliscor. This thing reminded me of a Sentret and Drapion having a mutant baby, and then the mutant was bitten by a vampire. Basically, a really creepy, ugly Pokémon.

"Magneton, rest up."

Magneton hurried back, all too eager to catch a break and recharge its dynamo.

"Tyko, you're up."

Silver pressed his lips together tightly. Is he mad that he lost Weavile? That's his own fault. He tried too hard to get the sweep, but it's too early in the match for those kinds of plays. Even supreme power and speed can be held at bay with the right combination of attacks. If I were him, I would have switched to the Ground-type Gliscor as soon as I saw Magnezone.

Gliscor glided in place like a kite, sizing up the little penguin opposite it. Tyko tried to keep tabs of it, but also kept glancing back towards me, wondering if I had a plan for dealing with this nasty piece of business. Unfortunately, my plan entirely consisted of-

"Tyko, Water Gun!"

Ice Beam would be better, but the Piplup line doesn't learn it naturally. I want to order a TM, but can't afford it yet. For now, a super-effective Water Gun will work.

"Dodge," Silver commanded casually.

Gliscor flew out of range of the stream of water. Tyko couldn't bring it high enough, the arc of water fell short.

"Bubble Beam."

"Dodge."

This was harder. The bubbles lingered in the air, rapidly consuming open space until Gliscor was forced to navigate a minefield of little watery bombs.

"Geez. Back up further. Overhead," Silver pointed.

Gliscor rushed out of the bubble-spray, taking a few light hits on the way, until it was out of range of all of Tyko's attacks.

"There. Alright, it's a Prinplup, not an Empoleon- it's not a Steel type yet, and doesn't have the immunities… rain Toxic down on it."

"Gloxxxic!" Gliscor snarled in glee. It began shooting off black bolts of slime from its barbed tail-stinger, aiming wildly across the arena. My Prinplup waddled and leapt aside in order to dodge, only to have to scramble back to her feet and dive again. It was apparent Gliscor could continue spewing Toxic rain until my Pokémon was hit and was poisoned.

"Bubblebeam, shield." Tyko couldn't obey. She had no opportunity to do anything but stumble around, desperately trying to save her health. I could do nothing to help her. Silver was content to let his Pokémon run rampant. The game was out of the humans' hands.

Tyko sputtered a glob of water on the ground in front of her, and then dove into a slide. She tobogganed in an S-curve around to the outside edge. Gliscor crept closer, unwilling to let its prey get away. It didn't yet notice how much altitude it had lost in doing so. I clenched my fists and lips. Yes, I know what Tyko is doing, but I don't want to advise her, on risk of giving away her plan.

"Gliscor, pull up."

"Glisc!"

It refused, instead closing in. It wasn't afraid of taking a Water Gun when Tyko was too busy dodging. Just a little closer, and its Toxic bolts would come in too fast to dodge.

Tyko! You've got one shot!

"Tyk! Ploooo!"

Corralled against the edge, Tyko did the unthinkable. She jumped off.

Gliscor was taken by shock, instinctively diving in after Tyko. Big mistake.

"Ploop!"

Tyko rocketed skywards, a series of Aqua Jets propelling her higher and higher. She couldn't go as high as when she was a Piplup- which is why it was critical to get Gliscor as low as possible.

"Toxic!"

"Bubblebeam!"

In mid-air, at close range, neither party was going to miss. The poison and bubbles crossed paths, engulfing the opposing Pokémon. Tyko came down, practically drenched in noxious filth. Despite her suffering, her focus never wavered from her opponent. She wanted to see if she had done enough damage to make her poisoned status worthwhile.

"Gliscor!" Silver called out, trying to get a handle on his Pokémon's condition as well. Unfortunately for all, a cloud of mist and bubbles concealed it.

"Tyko, don't bother."

If it's not falling out of the sky right off the bat, than it's healthy enough to fly- and if it can fly, it can make lazy laps around the perimeter while Tyko chokes on the poison. She's under a time-limit now.

"Return. Magcargo, please take her place."

I couldn't think of any way for Tyko to be useful, and so I switched her.

"Gliscor, what are you doing?"

That's what I wanted to know. The thing hadn't come out of the mist yet, and it's been a good minute.

"Gliscor, if you can hear me, I want you to use Earthquake."

Gliscor's outline slowly emerged from the dissipating cloud. It seemed fine, slowly flapping its wings in place.

"Are you Confused? Slowed? What's going on?" Silver shouted out.

I couldn't figure out what was wrong with Gliscor either.

"Flamethrower."

Magcargo's Flamethrower is stronger than Tyko's Water Gun; it could actually touch the ceiling, which meant Gliscor was not safe staring off drunkenly into space.

The flames billowed, catching the creature on the backside and at last snapping it to its senses. It dove and darted back towards Silver, taking additional fire damage on the way. Light brown patches of crisped skin painted its wings and back.

"Gliscglisc?" What should I do, master?

"Roost up, and then Earthquake."

Easily said, and easily executed. Gliscor restored its health with a quick rest, and then swooped over. Magcargo reared up, readying another Flamethrower. The billow of flames arced overhead, missing the diving Gliscor, who was in the middle of crashing into the stage and causing an Earthquake.

"Glaaaah!"

Well that answers one of my earlier questions. How well do seismic waves travel through steel? Well, they don't. At least, not on this platform, anyways. The individual metal blocks aren't physically connected to one another, or the ground beneath them for that matter. Gliscor's ground-pound simply drove the block downwards without transferring any seismic energy horizontally. The block and Pokémon disappeared beneath the surface.

So, in a second the anti-grav should push them back up…

"Mag, wait… wait… Heat Wave, now!"

On my mark Magcargo let loose a gust of red-hot air, which washed over the stage. Just as it hit the hole, Gliscor and the block came flying back up, nearly perfectly synced to take the Heat Wave in the face.

"Gawawah!"

Gliscor again returned to its master, hoping for the chance to Roost, and a new tactic that would actually work against this fire-belcher.

Magcargo is doing surprisingly well. I thought the type matchup would disfavor him, but Gliscor can't use Earthquake unless it's directly on top of Magcargo. If the foe doesn't know any other Ground-type attacks, Magcargo actually has the advantage.

Silver will probably have it use Toxic again.

"Safe Guard."

That should ward off the poison.

"Toxic. Wait, stop!" Silver saw Magcargo mumbling and silver-etched runes appearing in the air, warding off potential status afflictions. "Switch to Rock Slide."

Gliscor doesn't have any rocks on it. The field isn't the typical compact dirt, either, it's solid steel. What's it going to use for Rock Slide?

The Pokémon swooped over across the field, at an angle away from Magcargo.

Of course. The pile of Stealth Rocks.

"Iron Defense," I told Magcargo. "Just defend yourself."

Magcargo's outer shell melted and reformed, acting like a newly-casted shield made of red-hot iron. Unique to the Magcargo and Torkoal families, using their blast-furnace inner temperatures and Iron Defense in conjunction eventually created a shell that was harder than industrial-grade steel. It increased their defensive capabilities by a factor of four, not two. However, it took time for it to cool off and gain that level of strength. In this case, too much time.

Impromptu Rock Slide/Stealth Rocks began pelting Magcargo while his armor was still hot and brittle. He cried in bursts, short, pained calls. His instinct was to turn towards me, putting the thickest part of his shell towards his attacker. His antenna eyes were drooping and staring at me, as if begging to be recalled.

"Just a little… oh gosh."

Gliscor was not content to hurtle singular rocks one at a time from its stockpile. Seeing its attack do damage but not come close to fainting Magcargo, it became ambitious. Its wings and claws encompassed the pile, picking up a horde so large I'd need a wheelbarrow myself to move it. Grabbing that many pointy objects was not without pain or damage to Gliscor, but the payoff would be worth it.

"Good. Make it rain," Silver said. He was confident and reassured, expecting to take the KO. Everything had been restored to its proper place; he would win this battle handily, unless I came up with some clever miracle.

And not to burst your bubble or anything, I really didn't have anything up my sleeve. Nothing miraculous, anyways. Maybe just one last-ditch attempt to save my Pokémon.

"Gliiiiii!" Gliscor floated into the air above and then let loose all of its heavy payload.

"Return. Magnetpull, reverse!"

Magcargo vanished into its pokeball, coming back to my hand. In the same instant, Magneton materialized in its former location, with the Rock Slide bearing down on it. It hummed, thankfully mindful of the battle and able to obey the moment it was released. The ice-clad, iron-laced Stealth Rocks went flying out in all directions, a grenade-like shower of shrapnel and debris.

"Huh… Okay, dive-bomb, direct Earthquake," Silver ordered next of his Pokémon.

Magnet Bomb? Mirror Shot? Gliscor could actually take a few of those without stopping, and all it took was one Earthquake to end Magneton. It didn't have the fierce burning power of Magcargo's Flamethrower to keep the flying scorpid at bay, either.

"Oh. Magnet Pull."

The Stealth Rocks are still iced over by Weavile, right? Maybe if I can get them to shatter on its body, that'll nail Gliscor's severe Ice-type weakness.

The asteroid-field's worth of frozen pebbles once again converged on a singular point, with Magneton at their epicenter. Gliscor tried maneuvering at first, and wasn't very successful. At the last second before impact the flurry became too thick and it had to break off.

"Reverse."

The Stealth Rocks went flying again in an explosive pattern. Gliscor was forced even farther aloft. It began looking tired and wearied of this play.

"Annoying," Silver echoed. "That Magneton needs to faint already."

"Not before we're even," I countered. Last I checked, he had five healthy Pokémon and one knocked out. I had one KO on my team as well, but also four wounded, tired, and/or incapacitated combatants.

"Earthquake. L-shaped," my opponent commanded. What that entailed, I was afraid to find out. Gliscor began heading straight below, but Silver waved him off. He signaled for his Pokémon to come closer to him, away from Magneton's position.

Which to me was odd. Sure, he wanted to avoid the rain of ice shardlings, but Earthquake was an attack that depended on proximity for damage. What's more, we've established that in this arena 'ground'n'pound'-initiated Earthquakes won't work beyond the floor block they directly hit.

"He's doing something funny," I warned Magneton. "Be ready to Levitate."

It was a mistake to merely tell Magneton to be ready to fly into the air. Gliscor suddenly dove, driving straight into a block at its feet. The Pokémon vanished into its self-made hole again. A moment later, there was a loud 'thud', followed by a rumble. The stage began rocking in horizontal motion, violently. It happened too fast for me to react. Magneton inexplicably tried to run away from the epicenter, instead of going straight up into the air. This seemed to exacerbate the damage.

"That was a proper Earthquake. Strong too. I wonder, with all the blocks suspended with anti-gravity and detached from one another, how Gliscor got them to transfer seismic waves."

"If you tell me where that third Mirror Shot that clocked Weavile from behind came from, I'll tell you my secret," Silver offered. I shook my head. Besides, he ought to have figured that out by now, and I have an inkling what Gliscor just did. Judging from the side-to-side shaking of the blocks, he probably just had Gliscor strike from the side, making sure the blocks did contact one another, violently.

"Magneton, don't let him do that again. Magnet Bomb."

"Get away."'

Magneton powered through its damage and brought the poles of its three magnets together. Silvery vibrations tingled between them. A spark, and something heavy and invisible blasted off towards Gliscor. At first the Pokémon wanted to block it.

"Dodge," Silver ordered.

It did, by dropping flat to the floor. The wave of crushing magnetic pressure went flying overhead. The would-be victim looked back, wondering and thankful for its master's advice. That small glance brought Gliscor's attention off the field, a mistake on its part.

"Forward!" Silver shouted, going so far as to point at the field. Gliscor's attention returned, just in time to see a thicket of Stealth Rocks pouring towards it.

Magneton's Magnet Pull was limited, in that the Pokemon could only use itself as the epicenter for its action. Magnet Bomb lets Magneton exert its magnetic influence anywhere on the field of battle. Gliscor is on the receiving end of this right now as it tries, in vain, to dodge the hailstorm and find room to take off. The magnetized Stealth Rocks attempted to chase the bomb off the edge, and pelted and plastered themselves on Gliscor's body in the process.

I was right. Freezing the Stealth Rocks made them visible and difficult to miss, but also imbued them with a little Ice-type essence. Get them to impact with enough force, and they'll shatter and cause Ice-type damage. They could and are dealing some major injury to Gliscor. Would it be enough?

Maybe, maybe not, but they might not have to. Gliscor still couldn't find room to fly, and was backed up on the corner edge. A particularly large chunk of ice-rock bonked it on the head, and over the side it went.

"Gliscor!" Silver screamed. He had his Pokeball out and pointed, prepared to capture his Pokémon before it fell onto the anti-grav below. Yet, he never triggered it. Gliscor was apparently spared the KO-by-falling-and-getting-itself-electrocuted.

Oh, right. Maybe it did land on the anti-gravs, and didn't give a Hard Stone's worth about the electro-magnetic pulses eminating off of them. Had its Ground-type given it immunity even to such scary electrocution machines as those littering the room's ground level?

"Dig."

No way… It can't Dig through solid metal, right?

A moment later, I was proven disastrously wrong. Of course Gliscor couldn't dig through a solid block of steel. That inability meant little to the maniacal creature as it smashed upwards, ramming the block straight into Magneton's underside. My Pokémon was momentarily flattened against the sky-rocketing platform. The fact that its parts were splayed out and disconnected told me all I needed to know: Magneton wasn't going to recover from this.

Crap.

Gliscor glided out from underneath, jubilant in the success of its sneak attack. The block began falling, landing awkwardly so that it didn't quite fit back in the hole, but was tilted diagonally instead. Magneton's components slid off, like a heap of junk being dumped into the garbage.

"That's a KO. Gym Leader Jasmine, four remaining Pokémon; Challenger Silver, five. Next up, Jasmine?"

I made a pass overlooking the audience. Erika was biting her lip. Morty was staring hard at Gliscor and had his hands entrenched in his pockets. Lyra was laughing and conversing with a tense-looking Ethan. Falkner was staring directly at me in an unpleasant fashion. The other gym trainers and challengers were chatting idly.

They can all sense it. The score might have me down by one battler, but the gap was much larger. Skarmory's frozen, Magcargo's tired, Tyko is poisoned. I have one healthy Pokémon left. Silver has four and a half.

"Magcargo, I guess."

If I hadn't been a dunce, I could've had Magneton Levitate and avoid the Dig. Magcargo didn't have the same option. He even lost the boost from his Iron Defense; I had recalled him too quickly for the heated armor to cool off. It would take time to repeat the gesture.

"Gliscor, Dig again."

"Magcargo… Shell Smash."

Might as well abandon defense.

Magcargo's shell broke off, freeing the magma snail of its weight. The speed boost wouldn't be impressive, but enough. I silently motioned for Magcargo to move to the right of the platform. Just in time, the block it had formally stood on exploded out of the ground, followed by Gliscor.

"Gliscor can't use Dig if it doesn't know which block to target."

"And Magcargo can move around while Gliscor flies underneath," Silver finished my analysis. "I know that. Now what are you keeping secret? You're not the chatter-box type, you wouldn't point out the obvious if you weren't trying to distract me from something else."

I smiled. He noticed that I smiled.

And I was smiling because I knew he knew I had something up my sleeve, when I actually don't have anything at all. It's a bluff, and it's working. Gliscor's becoming more cautious.

"Can you Rock Slide, Gliscor? No." Silver looked around for the Stealth Rocks it needed as ammunition. Magneton's last Magnet bomb had sent most of them over the edge and scattered around the anti-grav projectors.

"Fine. Dig. Keep the thing on the defensive."

He'll try to figure out what I'm going to do, and a way for Gliscor to locate Magcargo while it was below-deck. Can't allow that.

"Smokescreen," I ordered. This'll catch him off guard.

Gliscor punched another hole in the floor, lifting a block clear out of its nook and flinging it several yards away. The emerging Pokémon swerved away, defending itself from a possible Flamethrower counterattack. Instead, it was confronted by a smoke cloud that was completely impenetrable to the eye.

"Ignore the cloud. Keep knocking the platform away until you've cornered it."

"Scara."

It dove back under and proceeded to pound and punch a series of blocks out. The procession of disturbed geometry disappeared into the cloud, although its progress could still be seen by swirling columns of smoke and loud clanging sounds.

Boom!

Another block blown out of place.

Boom!

Boom!

Three, two, one…

"Lava Plume."

"Mag!" The smoke cloud was, naturally, pitch black- that is, until it turned the color of white-hot charcoals. The haze was set abroil, rolling, pitching, and pluming in chaotic fashion, like a storm cloud in fast-motion.

Gliscor emerged out of the top of the burning miasma. It held a block beneath itself (impressive strength), using it like a shield against the awakened inferno. Having cleared the danger zone, it hurled the block back in, hoping to catch its enemy by chance. Magcargo, fortunately, emerged from the smoke in a different location, safe and sound.

"Okay, turning Smokescreen and Lava Plume into a fuel air bomb. Did not expect that." Silver is looking concerned and agitated.

"Why is that so unexpected?"

"Because I heard you were a Steel-type specialist, and an electro-magnetism expert on top of that. No one told me you employed Fire and Water tactics too."

I crossed my arms. "Well that's the disadvantage of being a Gym Leader. Everyone knows your type-specialization, team, and tactics ahead of time, and can prepare appropriately. We have to innovate constantly just to stay on par with challengers."

Silver nodded to himself.

"That's true. Well then, I'm sorry- I haven't taken you seriously. It's time I played for keeps. Gliscor, dive bomb and Earthquake."

"A point-blank Earthquake? Magcargo will burn you with Lava Plume," I asserted.

Silver smirked. "Take it as a sign of respect, that I'm willing to trade Gliscor for Magcargo."

Gliscor rose into the air.

"Flame Burst."

Magcargo spouted bursts of fire from his mouth, aiming high. Maybe a dozen went shooting towards it, and about a third of them hit, dealing significant damage. Yet it didn't stop Gliscor from getting into position and dropping down directly on Magcargo.

Crap. No time to even issue a new command.

"Maggle! CARRRGH!" Magcargo acted on instinct and released a last-ditch Lava Plume, but it was too little, too late; the incendiary cloud failed to stop Gliscor's dive bomb.

A crash sounded out. Little wisps of smoke from the abortive Lava Plume swirled about, quickly lifting.

The ensuing scene was… odd.

Magcargo was moving, trying to squirm backwards. Laying overtop of him was Gliscor, who seemed to have a tight hold and was not letting go.

"I don't get it. Wasn't that supposed to be an Earthquake?" I asked, puzzled.

"Gliscor, what are you doing? Don't Body Slam, I ordered you to use Earthquake! What stopped you?" Silver demanded sternly.

We all stared at the struggling Pokémon.

"And… Gliscor is knocked out and unable to battle! Magcargo's Lava Plume took him down at the last moment!" Whitney announced. We all gaped at her. She pointed to the monitoring board. Gliscor (properly pictured, but misnamed "KarmaHoudini" by the glitched equipment) was shown at zero health. "The score is even again! Neither trainer has used their team leader! Who will gamble first? Who will be patient? Who will seize the momentum? And most importantly? Who. Will. Prevail?!"

Okay, Whitney. That's over the top. I think you're hamming it up on purpose now.

But back to the matter at hand- I don't think it was Lava Plume that knocked Gliscor out. It hadn't taken that much damage since its last Roost, and Lava Plume didn't have enough 'impact' to completely stop a dive-bombing Gliscor. It should have been able to pound off the Earthquake and then collapse, if it was the burn that did it in. Something else KO'd it, in mid-air, before it hit the ground. Judging by Silver's confused expression, he had come to the same conclusion.

"Tyk tyk tyk!"

"Hush, Tyko!"

"Prineeeey. Dude. Dude. Prinplup!"

"Don't whine! I know you want to fight again but I can't have Toxic build up in your system. Wait your turn!"

As soon as Tyko came out, she would have about three minutes before the Toxic overcame her immune system and she would faint. I'd better wait for the right opportunity.

But if not her, who? Frozen Skarm Skarm? Or Steelix? I wanted to wait a little longer before unleashing my behemoth. Let's keep the lava-blob out for now.

"Alright, Nightbane, you're up."

Night-what? Oh, Crobat. Funny, Silver didn't strike me as the kind of guy to nickname his Pokémon. True to its moniker, this four-winged bat had a much darker than normal skin tone. It fluttered all around the floating platforms, getting a feel for the geometry of the arena. It quickly took to using the outer platforms for cover from Magcargo's targeting.

"Confuse Ray."

Crobat popped its head up from shelter, eyes aglow, and let fly dazzling orbs of light. Magcargo was caught by surprise and froze stiff in confusion. His eyestalks wavered in circles, as if he was dizzy and couldn't keep balanced (though, being a snail made of lava, balance should never be a problem for him… sigh, such is the craziness of Pokémon battles).

"Glare… no, never mind. Double Team."

Magcargo has his eyes shut tight, trying in vain to blot out the world spinning around him. He wouldn't be affected by a long-range Glare attack if he couldn't see it. That must be why Silver canceled his order. Instead, he'll have Crobat become uncatchable and then use hit and run tactics.

Time to unleash another trick.

"Mag, on next contact, plan 13."

"Mrgle."

He was okay with that, even though it was asking a lot.

"Smokescreen."

Magcargo's flames flared, burning excess fat and fumes and unleashing the noxious mass into the air. Once again blackness shrouded the battlefield.

Okay, so it's a Crobat, a Flying-type. Silver, do the smart thing and use Whirlwind…

"Clear that crap out before it can blow up again. Defog."

Defog? Good enough.

Three of the many clones of Crobat circling the arena's airspace broke off their pattern and flapped up to the billowing cloud. No sign I could discern told which one was real, and even if I could, they're darting in and out so fast I couldn't keep track of them anyways.

Simultaneously, they began beating their wings in unison. The force of their efforts shoved the Smokescreen up and away, clearing the battlefield. Magcargo was left exposed, with no shelter. He still hasn't gotten over his confusion, and as such is rapidly crawling his way forwards, for no apparent reason. At least that was the only bad news- the good news was that the smoke was now swirling around the video display, just where I needed it. The other piece of fortune was that the direction of the Defog gave away the real Crobat's position.

"Flamethrower!"

Magcargo is Rock and Fire type, a combination doubly resistant to Fire-type attacks, which is good, because he just aimed the jet of flame directly into the ground beneath him. The flames flared out beneath and around him, like a boiling kettle over a gas stove set on max.

"Snap out of it!"

"Nightbane, keep it confused. Don't let up."

Come on! Attack already!

"Magcargo, how are you holding up?"

"Marg!" he quipped. He powered up a Flame Burst in his maw, but before firing it, clamped his mouth shut. A bulge and slight puff of smoke signaled he had eaten the explosion. The impact hurt, but seemed to have done the job and knocked him back to his senses.

"Smokescreen!"

"Defog, and then Confuse Ray."

"Yawn!"

"Safeguard!"

"Flame Burst!"

"Double Team!"

"Smokescreen!"

"Defog!"

"Flamethrower!"

The Pokémon didn't even know which orders to obey. We humans were calling them out based on what the other was saying, not what the Pokémon were actually doing. Crobat sensed Silver yelling Defog the most and committed to that action, even though Magcargo never got off another Smokescreen, Lava Plume, or even a Yawn, all gas-based attacks that might've been affected by Defog. Instead, my Pokémon went with the last attack I ordered before having to catch my breath, which was Flamethrower.

The result was Crobat kicking up a gust of wind, that mostly succeeded in venting the incoming Flamethrower and making it much stronger. Crobat recognized the danger before Silver and began diving away. Magcargo wouldn't relent; the spewing flame followed it like a predator giving chase to its prey. Up and around, down low, finally getting a reprieve by ducking under the surface-level of the platform, popping up at another side, only for the Flamethrower to immediately resume, giving it zero room to rest.

Come on. Do it. I dare you. Run away.

"Nightbane, under and away. This way."

Crobat needed another series of barrel rolls and S-turns, and getting nicked by the flames once or twice, to reach the safety of the underside again. I presume it glided flat and low as it dared, coming out the other side and continuing onwards. The angle and range wasn't good for Magcargo's Flamethrower, so my Pokémon halted to take a breath.

"Confuse Ray."

"Lava Plume."

Magcargo was hit first, and subsequently hurt himself spewing the burning ash cloud much too close to himself.

"No no no. Seriously?"

My fist balled tight. This wasn't working. Silver's stalling. He knows about Flame Body and won't risk a direct attack. He's content to let Magcargo knock himself out.

"Shell Smash, again."

"Haze," Silver responded. Each Pokémon managed to obey perfectly, bringing both combatants right back to square one.

How to convince him to try to finish Magcargo off? Think- play upon his fears. He's cautious, not a risk-taker.

Wait, if he's so conservative, why is he bothering to take on Magcargo with Crobat? It's not a good match up. It exposes Crobat to burns and Rock attacks, without being able to counter-attack very effectively. He ought to switch to Feraligatr and end it with one Aqua Tail. Why isn't he?

I pondered the discrepancy for a minute. In the meantime, Magcargo continued to try to arc Lava Plumes or Flamethrowers in Crobat's direction, and generally hitting himself more often than anywhere near the flittering opponent.

Silver is saving Feraligatr for last. Common tactic, leave your power-broker for the final confrontation. It keeps them at full strength in order to best take on your opponent's team leader. It's especially a good idea if both trainers have one Pokémon who's much stronger than the rest of the combatants. But… all of Silver's Pokémon are strong, he should be projecting power at critical moments. Unless… is he afraid of Steelix?

Feraligatr's long-range attacks suffer from its poor Special Attack. Steelix has monumental physical toughness, he could take Aqua Tails and Aqua Jets. At peak condition, it wouldn't be a contest, the water gator would dominate. But if Feraligatr was weakened first… I'd have a chance. Silver knows that, and he's trying to conserve his team.

So, should I change the paradigm?

"Ste-" No, wait, let's make him think I'm changing the paradigm.

"Magcargo, get back over here."

"Nightbane, Confuse Ray."

The renewed confusion caused Magcargo to zig and zag and stumble, but failed to stop him from retreating in my general direction.

"Steelix would be a better matchup here. Return." Despite the order, though, I held my arms limply at my side. Magcargo noticed.

"Pursuit!" Silver ordered hastily.

Magcargo swiveled around, throwing himself bodily at the diving Crobat. The two collided in a dull crash, with Crobat coming out slightly better. However, he was now right on top of Magcargo.

Awesome.

"Smokescreen!"

"Crap. Cross Poison!"

Black plumes billowed out of Magcargo's back. Crobat, on Silver's realization it was too close to dodge or retreat, went in for the kill. Its poisoned-tipped, whip-like wings slashed across my Pokémon, just as the smoke covered them both whole.

"Is he down?"

The multiple Smoke Screens used throughout the matchup hung heavy in the air. I spotted Silver glancing up, checking the video board for the health monitors, and then grimacing because the display screens were obscured by the haze. It took less than a second, an action so common and habitual that everyone, including myself, do it many times a battle without even thinking or remembering it. This time, though, it mattered.

"CRO!"

The smoke lifted just enough, revealing Magcargo slumped on the ground and Crobat hovering triumphant over it. Silver sighed in relief.

"Ref?" he asked, wanting official confirmation. Whitney took a breath, just a moment, ready to deliver a judgment.

"Lava Plume."

The air lit up. The Smoke Screen, made up of fine particulate ash matter, combusted. The fuel-air-bomb combo exploded in slow motion, the temperatures within it soaring to unimaginably dangerous levels.

"Nightbane!"

Silver's Pokémon flapped out of the inferno, its motion stuttered and weak. Black burn marks traced across its wings and lower body.

"Magcargo is down. Nightbane the Crobat is the winner!" Whitney announced. Silver was not amused.

Good work, Magcargo. Eking out that last attack might have caused you to faint, but you've crippled Crobat in exchange. The battle is a net zero for both of us, which is as good as I was hoping for.

"Greeeeat," Silver muttered in exaggerated, drawn out fashion. "Nightbane, return." He retrieved the bat into its Pokeball before the Burn could do any more damage. "Who taught you how to battle?" he asked belligerently.

"I'm self-taught."

"Tauros shit. Teaching your Pokémon to know the difference between Return the attack and "return" to its Pokeball. Faking the knockout, obscuring the video boards, just to get a cheap shot. These aren't tactics you learn even in Pokémon academies."

"You think it's poor sportsmanship?"

"I think it's dirty." He frowned. "Like Team Rocket."

"Phaw!" I spat out. "How would you know?"

"I would know, better than anyone," he retorted.

"Well it's nothing like Team Rocket! The metagame is just as big a part of the battle as the Pokémon on the field. It's your loss if you can't take advantage of it."

"I don't need cheap tricks to win. I guess Gym Leaders do, though. Who taught you?" he repeated his question.

"I told you, self taught."

"I don't ever remember Lyra saying you battled like this. She said you were conservative, traditional, defensive, and a power-gamer."

"I've evolved," I responded simply. "It was a recent development. Now I play smart and devious, on top of all those things Lyra told you."

In truth, watching recent battles, Morty and Volkner's match in particular, awakened me to the world of the metagame- i.e. the conflict of wits that occurred between trainers. It's not enough to tell your Pokémon to Earthquake or Thunderbolt; you've got to know the opponent will hear your command and attempt to counter it. Or else they'll try to order an attack first. Trying to relay ever-more complicated commands to one's Pokémon, while disguising what those commands are from your opponent, is the challenge of a true expert trainer.

I take it Silver isn't so fond of this extracurricular activity. Although, he's been able to decipher what I and my Pokémon have done pretty quickly and devise countermeasures. The same trick won't work twice on him, and I'm running out of prepared strategies. I'll have to innovate- something I'm not good at.

"Fine. If that's the way you want to play, let's see you take on Lancaster."

A Tyranitar. It was big, very big for its species. Maybe two full feet over the average. Like a skyscraper of rough armor, spikes, claws, rock-like hide, and cold rage.

I really need to beat it without resorting to Steelix. And then I need to weaken Feraligatr. And then I have to worry about his sixth Pokémon, which I completely forget who it was. Shoot.

Who do I have left? The Magnes? No, they're both out. Skarmory's frozen still. Tyko's poisoned. Magcargo just fainted.

Oh great, that means I AM down to Steelix!

How did this happen?!

"Um… Tyko. You're up."

"Tyk tyk Prinprin!" I barely flicked the button and she leapt out of her Pokeball, right onto the stage. Ignoring her imposing foe, she turned round on me and started giving me a hissy fit. Her chirps of displeasure were audible and constant, like a pack of Spearows rolled into a ball.

"What's wrong with you? Concentrate! You're poisoned-" I stood transfixed. Tyko was blowing bubbles my way. A Bubble attack, a weak Water attack, and even then, this was especially weak. The littlest bubble popped against my forearm.

"Ouch!" I stood annoyed, aghast, and shocked, trying to comprehend why Tyko would be mad enough to send a Bubble attack at me.

It took a moment, and then I felt it. A slight itching sensation, followed by a lurch in my stomach. I looked down at my arm.

Where the Bubble had impacted, the skin had turned indigo.

"Oh, that's what you were bugging me for! That's what happened to Gliscor!"

I silently, stilly danced in inner joy.

Silver, you gave me my next trick!

"Alright! Let's hurry!"

Knowing Silver, if he's coolheaded he'll play defensively and let the Toxic run its coarse. If he's pissed, he'll go for overwhelming offense-

"Stone Edge!"

Yep. Pissed.

Unlike Gliscor, Tyranitar's body is partially made of rock. It can crumble and mold excess body mass into living stones, to use in Stone Edges in case no natural sediment is readily available. Steelix can do the same thing- but not this fast, nor this strong.

"Tyrar!"

The stalactite-shaped projectiles came arching off its forearms and back. They were hurled in a spinning motion, like ninja stars, making them even more dangerous and difficult to avoid.

"Aqua Jet!"

Tyko exhaled a jet of water, propelling her forward, towards the hulking giant. Her habit of leading us on wild games of hide-and-seek were paying off. Her maneuvers were surprisingly agile, being able to slip, slide, and dodge in tight S-shaped curves. Spikes impacted left, right, forward, and behind her, but she slid out of harm's way with ease, making all of them miss.

"Little runt. Lancaster, Sand Storm!"

"Bubble, shield."

Lancaster spewed a disgusting amount of sand from every orifice, and then whipped it into a frenzied whirlwind. The vortex began expanding, encompassing more of the field by the second. Tyko responded by creating an enormous purple-tinged bubble and then hopping inside of it.

"Not enough, layers!"

The Sandstorm was encroaching. The bubbles came in spurts now, embedding within one another like an onion. The Sandstorm arrived.

"Stone Edge."

Oh boy. The sand is already devouring the outer layers of Tyko's bubble shield, but the Tyranitar isn't waiting. More rocket rocks came pounding in. My Prinplup was a sitting target and couldn't dodge. She tried, but the first stone cut right through her shield, and the next three hit her in various places. The Sandstorm lacerated her skin and the Toxic was eating her internal organs. This was going to get ugly- no, who am I kidding, it's already ugly, and about to become hopeless.

"Tyko, um… um… Water Sport!"

Tyko glared at me, as did Silver and Tyranitar. If their bemused, befuddled expressions didn't convey their total shock, their complete lack of action did.

"Why on Earth would she use Water Sport?" Whitney asked.

"Do it!"

"It's code for something else," Silver determined, "be on guard."

"Tyra!" Lancaster hunched back into a defensive posture.

But I really was ordering Tyko to use the wimpiest, most useless attack in her arsenal. What good is Water Sport? It doesn't do any damage, it hardly weakens Fire-type attacks, which Tyko already resists and the Tyranitar is showing no indication of using, and it's wasting precious time and energy. 'Why use Water Sport?' they were asking.

Of course, as I hoped, the sheer perplexity of the command was putting Silver and his Pokémon on guard, keeping them from obliterating Tyko with their next volley of Stone Edge. That's good. Now to hope Tyko follows through.

Ah, there she goes. She understands. A fine mist of water vapor flew up into the air like a fountain, and then misted across the arena, hitting the entire floor, including Tyranitar. However, it appeared to do nothing.

"That's enough," Silver spat out, upset by the interruption. "Stone Edge and finish the Prinplup before it follows through on her strategy."

"Tyko, dodge!"

"Push it back!" Silver yelled.

The incoming spikes were dodged, their shrapnel wasn't. Tyko quickly went from leaping and rolling, to outright sprinting back towards me. Just as she reached recall range her steps slowed; the Toxic was finally affecting her motor skills. It was enough for a razor-edged stone to smash into her backside and lay her flat.

Down and out.

"Finish it."

"Wait!" Whitney held up a hand, halting Lancaster from causing further harm. "Prinplup is unable to battle. Jasmine is down to two."

Tyko seemed like she was still moving, trying to push herself back to a standing posture… but then the last bit of Toxic hit her and she collapsed. The video monitor agreed.

"Good work, Tyko. You did enough."

"What did she do?" Whitney wondered. Murmurs arose from the crowd, discussing the possible answers to that question. I suddenly remembered we were being watched, and by more than the tiny crowd present at the start. A few dozen trainers were gathered around, observing our battle. All the more reason not to embarrass myself- I can't show weakness and attract more hungry challengers to Olivine.

"Come on, where's your grand strategy?" Morty shouted from the sideline.

"Don't give up! It's not in your nature!" Erika shouted in encouragement.

I waved them silent. It's undignifying for me. I don't need cliché'd catchphrases for support right now- I need time.

"Well, it's now or… well, I don't really have a choice anymore, do I?" I said innocently. "I guess- well, I guess it's time for my strongest. Steelix."

My strongest Pokémon unfurled before me.

He really is magnificent.

When I caught him he was just an average Onix. A decade and an evolution later, thanks to hard work and a prodigious diet of quarry granite and iron ore, he weighed a full five tons, and was seven feet longer than average for his species. His metal armor was heavy on high-density iron minerals, increasing his weight and toughness. His surface was smooth and reflective, his muscles were loose, his expression focused. Years of training to increase his strength and stamina, thousands of battles from which he gained mental resiliency and machine-like precision, and most of all, a close bond we had developed, that let one another know exactly what we were thinking even in the heat of battle: all things that made him strong. Because of him, I was considered one of the best trainers in the entire Johto region.

Sorry; forgive for me waxing on about my Pokémon. It's just the sight of him made me feel like I was the one winning this fight. Steelix would win this for me. I was sure of it.

"Iron Defense," was my first command. Time to stall.

"Fire Blast… oh, right."

Silver muttered something under his breath, probably realizing the Water Sport would dampen the explosion.

"Sand Stream the arena, Lancaster. Clear the air."

Tyranitar began gushing sand from its mouth, like a high-powered sand-blaster. It waved it back and forth, targeting the fine mist in the air. The Sandstorm renewed in strength. It was getting difficult to see the arena.

He's got to do something else soon, Sand-based attacks can't harm Steelix.

"Fire Blast. There. There. There."

Tyranitar continued standing back, very near its own trainer's side of the arena. Each time Silver pointed, a little sun with five fiery arms screamed out and burst into an explosion. I noticed the blasts were coming in too slow, slow enough even Steelix could dodge them.

What's he planning?

"Got ya."

Tyranitar suddenly spat out a much larger, much faster Fire Blast, straight at Steelix. Dodging this would be impossible… ah! Steelix, no!

Steelix was trying to lay low and rail his way forward. He had inexplicably become trapped- the random Fire Blasts had super-heated the floor tiles, creating a deadly maze for Steelix to navigate. The metal leviathan didn't want to solve mazes, though, not when a dangerous Fire Blast was headed straight for him.

His low maneuver brought his chin into direct contact with a glowing tile. He grunted in pain and pushed through, exposing his entire underside to damage. The Fire Blast went over his head and harmlessly exploded on the shields, but I'm not sure Steelix avoided more damage than he took dodging it.

"Iron Tail- the block!" I shouted.

"Brick Break!" Silver ordered.

Tyranitar set into a defensive stand.

"And then hit him with Delta tactic!"

Steelix began pounding the arena floor with his tail, as if he wanted to start an earthquake. It didn't work for that, though. However, one of the levitating blocks dislodged itself and jumped into the air. Like a baseball batter, Steelix sent this flying in Tyranitar's direction.

"It's a midfield flyer!" Whitney exclaimed.

Tyranitar timed his strike well, smashing the block at the right point to send it flying overhead. Steelix repeated the attack, and again Tyranitar sent it spinning off over the edge.

"Wait for it. Delta, now!"

"Steelix, double-bat!"

Steelix sent two flying at once. Whatever Delta tactic was, the foe hesitated executing it. The Pokémon stopped, letting the blocks fly safely past it.

These were followed by a third, better-aimed block. Tyranitar tried to leap aside, but in what looked like slow motion. It seemed to trip, and so the bulk of the block smashed into its lower back. Tyranitar cried out in injury.

"Got him!"

"Switch back to Fire Blast. Lancaster? What's wrong? Lancaster!"

"Now! Iron Tail!"

Lancaster lurched about, clutching its chest and looking like it was about to drop. There was little resistance as Steelix's massive tail came down, flattening the foe into the ground.

"Lancaster the Tyranitar is unable to battle!" Whitney declared.

Silver's arms dropped to his side.

This was the second time one of his Pokémon had mysteriously dropped, fainted or disabled with the barest of damage dealt to it.

He's going through the stages of grief right now, in sped-up motion. Denial, anger, despair, bargaining. The latter stage prompted him to address me directly.

"You- tell me. First Gliscor, now Lancaster. They're linked. What did you do to them?!"

I shrugged.

"It was nothing I really did to them. You're blaming me unjustly."

"Don't give me that crap!"

"It's the truth. I'm sorry- I mean, it's just the way battles go. We can't tell each other what we're planning, that's fair sportsmanship. You know that, don't you?"

"Cut it out! That nice girl routine sickens me! I know that's nothing like who you really are, and it wasn't an accident either; you've beaten three of my Pokémon!"

Why is he so mad? When I first met him, I thought he would be better composed in the midst of battle. Learn a little sportsmanship.

"Calm down, please."

"Really, I could care a fuck's wit about being calm. I want to know what your deal is!"

I held up my hands.

"I'm trying to win. So are you. Isn't that a Pokémon battle? We're here to have fun, aren't we?"

Silver looked like he was letting off an ear-piercing screech, but no sound came from his shuddering chest. After a moment, he was obliged to breath.

"Jasmine."

"Huh?"

"Ask for a time-out. Two minutes."

"Um… okay… Hey, Whitney, how about a tiny break?"

"Only if Silver allows it," my fellow Gym Leader answered. We looked to Silver, who was struggling to get his temper back under control. A slight wave told me I had permission, and so I guided my hover-platform over to Lyra. She beckoned me closer, for privacy.

"You're noticing it, right?"

"That Silver's having a breakdown?"

"Yeah."

"What's his deal?"

"He didn't expect to lose a single Pokémon against you."

"Really?! That's kind of arrogant."

"Not arrogant. He needed a one-sided match."

Lyra nodded to the horde of trainers gathered around the edges of the battling space.

"Those aren't run-of-the-mill challengers. There's a lot of trainers from last night's party- and most of them are elite top-talents, or else Gym Leaders. Silver wanted to show them his power."

"That's fine if he wants to try, but I'm not going to ease up on him just because of that. That would ruin the spirit of competition."

"Oh no," Lyra said, holding up her hands. "I'm not telling you to go easy on him. He'd absolutely hate you for that! But I'm saying, please don't antagonize him more than you have to. He's really trying to use this battle to say- "Here I am! I'm worthy, I'm strong, I'm ready to take on Stone, and the whole world!" He's got big plans in mind, and he needs legitimacy in the eyes of society in order to do it. Losing to you, who isn't highly ranked-"

"Hey, that ranking was stupidly under-adjusted!" I protested.

"It's not about reality, it's about perception! He's gonna get mad if he doesn't beat you."

"What do you want me to do about it? Throw the match?" I asked, incredulous. Here Lyra shrugged and gave me a pat.

"I guess not. But if he does explode, don't think less of him. He puts a lot of pressure on himself. He isn't as mean-hearted as he wants you to believe."

"Time's up!" Whitney declared. "Back to your regularly scheduled programming of mid-air-mania!"

I steered away, wondering what purpose Lyra's warning served. There was no way I was going to throw the match just to avoid hurting Silver's ego. In fact, wasn't that why I initiated this match? Silver was being haughty, and I thought he needed to be taken down a peg.

Right. He's acting like a stupid, prototypical boy, only thinking about himself and his pride and putting us women down in the process.

"Fire Fang."

I didn't even see Silver release his next Pokémon, but regardless, the battle was back on. A pile of mean-looking lavender was sprinting in Steelix's direction.

"Granbull."

Okay, he's got a mouth full of fire and he's coming directly at Steelix. Anything smart and clever I can do? Not really. Brute force it is!

"Steelix, Iron Tail."

WHOOSH!

It was a blur, and then it was over. Steelix's tail came round like a bull-whip, smacking Granbull across the face, neck, and shoulder area. A crack like the leading edge of thunder sounded out. Granbull went shooting sideways, and in the blink of an eye it had smacked into the shields clear across the room. From there it slumped to ground and did not move.

One shot. Heck yes! Go Steelix!

Silver looks like he's going to erupt.

"That looked like it was super-effective. Wow. Okay, so, two left each."

Silver is shivering. He's mad. Unbelievably mad.

He never said a word. Crobat was released, but without commands from its master, it tried a foolhardy Wing Attack straight at Steelix. It was ineffectual and merely opened the burnt bat up to a melee counterattack. A casual Crunch from my Pokémon finished the foe in one blow.

"Wow. Not even a contest," Whitney remarked.

"It was not meant to be," Silver muttered.

He deliberately threw his last Pokeball, unleashing a warrior of a Pokémon. Feraligatr looked so very small against the titan that was Steelix, but it never showed the tiniest hint of intimidation. It knew it was the favored here, it had the advantage. The fierceness lit like fire in its eyes.

"I'm staking everything on my partner. No more excuses, no more niceties."

"Right. Final round, Feraligatr versus Steelix, begin!" Whitney shouted.

Silver at last wrenched his gaze up, to give me a direct and overwhelmingly fierce glare. His hands were already motioning signals, a kind of sign language. Feraligatr responded by shuffling, posturing and roaring, and by the time I caught on that it was a disguised Dragon Dance, it had already completed the attack and speed buffing ritual. These two must have an understanding with one another beyond what Silver's displayed with his other Pokémon.

This is going to be hard, really hard- or impossible.

Stop. Think. Be careful, and use everything you've got.

I noticed the floor beneath Steelix was sagging. Like Skarmory, the electromagnetic anti-grav projectors must be acting on his body, lifting him up. Skarmory, though, by necessity of needing to fly, is lightweight. Steelix weighs several tons, and it's showing. I wonder…

"Super Power."

Ah! Here's two opportunities in one!

"Steelix, return! Skarmory!"

Feraligatr roared. The air around him seemed to shiver and bend, as if looking through a spyglass. This effect began thickening and condensing, concentrating itself within Feraligatr's chest. As it did, the room began shaking and humming.

Steelix disappeared in a flash, replaced by Skarmory tumbling end over end. He's still frozen and unable to lift a claw, but that will change soon. Super Power is gonna hurt, but if he survives it, which he should, the force should shatter the ice-

"HUROH!"

My eardrums burst from the roar. I blinked, and Feraligatr had already covered thirty yards and driven its clawed fist into a still tumbling Skarmory. The air warped, and the floor depressed, forming a crater that the anti-gravs could not smooth out. The force was overwhelming- the ice shattered, but so did Skarmory's body. Metallic feathers could be heard splintering and cracking off. His body lay at the center of wispy, concentric rings of condensation eminating outwards. I was afraid I was looking at a corpse.

"Brutus, Dragon Dance."

He's not even waiting for me to switch. Is that fair, or legal?

"Skarmory's out. I think, Jasmine… never mind. Medics!" Whitney remembered protocol and bypassed my assent. A Gym Trainer rushed out, equipped with Potions, a special Heal Ball, and other medical instruments. He carefully checked over my Pokémon. I steered myself as close as I dared, heart hardly beating.

"She's… she's hurt," he said to me.

"It's a 'he'," was all I could think to say.

Skarmory's hurt. What does that mean? What're they going to do?! Damn it, damn it!

"Sorry." The medic began gently prodding and picking at Skarmory's wings, and then chest and beak. He nodded, and then recalled the Pokémon into the Heal Ball.

"Well, it's good and bad news," he said, turning to me.

"The damage isn't superficial, the healing machine can't fix it. The good news is that the bones and muscles are okay, it was all damage to the pinions. Skarmory won't be able to fly for a few weeks while they grow back."

A few weeks.

"Will he be okay? Otherwise?" I asked meekly.

"Probably. He'll be moving on his own again by tomorrow. No battles for a week, period, not even training. Even then, if he can't fly, he won't be as effective, so don't push him into tough matches. Got all that?" I nodded. He began packing up his stuff. I looked worriedly upon the Heal Ball nested in his bag. Protocol dictates that he personally delivers the Pokémon to the Pokémon Center, and I would have to pick Skarmory back up later.

"I won't be able to pick him up locally, can you make sure they upload him to the PC Network?"

"Yeah, I can do that."

I smiled, faintly, and then frowned. The staffer rushed back off the arena floor, clearing the way for us to finish our match.

It's rare in a Pokémon battle for an injury to be so severe the healing machines can't fix it. When it happens, its tragic, and usually means one side was vastly overmatched and took too much of a risk.

Which just goes to highlight the gap in power between my Pokémon and this… this monster.

Feraligatr was waiting impatiently. Its physique had grown considerably, looking like a martial warrior from a prototypical shonen action manga.

That Super Power- that wasn't normal. That was like my Pokémons' Rail Gun in terms of power, except he did it with one Pokémon, with far less setup.

Silver's expression was calming down, even a tiny hint of smugness radiating from the corner of his lip. It's a response to my face, I'm sure. He's glad I'm aghast. He likes being respected, and feared, he takes joy in it. He must have hated being looked down on, treated with gaiety, being toyed with and outsmarted. Now everything is back in its proper place, according to him. It makes me want to puke.

"It was a mistake thinking Skarmory could withstand Feraligatr. You should have withdrawn him from the match. That injury is your fault."

My fists went white and tight.

Damn. Him.

"Steelix." I threw the Pokeball as high as I could into the air. "Earthquake."

Steelix materialized… about forty feet above the arena. Feraligatr was forced to lunge out of the way, barely avoiding the falling leviathan. Steelix did not just fall, but actively hurled his weight into the surface as he landed. The entire stage rocked, rumbled, and finally fell apart under the impact.

Yes. That's more like it.

The once cohesive platform had been obliterated. Some blocks remained where they were supposed to be, others began floating around in odd, random orbits, untethered to any specific point in space. Most just fell to the bottom floor in large jumbled heaps.

Feraligatr found safety on top of a pair of free-floating blocks.

Steelix?

He was flying.

'No way' Silver silently mouthed. Around the room, the same response emerged from the onlookers. I stole a glance at Morty. He was smiling, and nodded my way in kudos.

Okay, so Steelix wasn't flying, more like hovering, and only a few feet above the anti-grav projectors at that. But the effect was no less inspiring. The crackle of electricity was constant and engulfing. It surrounded Steelix, making it look rather like he was swimming in a pool of lightning.

"Come down and fight, big bad gator, or are you scared?" I taunted. Uncharacteristic of me, I know, but I was feeling more than a little animosity towards this Pokémon.

"Brutus, don't let her get to you. Stick with ranged attacks. Ground-type. It's weak to Water, isn't it, Miss Jasmine?" Silver said, addressing me. I gulped. "Hydro Pump."

Ranged special attack. Feraligatr isn't so good at converting stored energy into elemental water and forcing it out at an enemy- in other words, he's a brawler, not a special attacker. On the other hand, Steelix does have a weakness to Water attacks, which should make up the difference.

The stream of water arced from on high, blasting Steelix across his torso.

"GRgRGLELRGLE."

"Isn't Water weak to Electricity?" I wondered out loud.

Sure, Steelix was hit. But the electric energy surrounding him, levitating him, and coursing through his mineral armor, found its way back up the Hydro Pump and into Feraligatr's body.

Unless it wanted to fry itself some more, Feraligatr couldn't use ranged water attacks on my Pokémon. So sad, because that's about all the ranged attacks it knew, I assumed.

"Brick Break the blocks," Silver ordered. Feraligatr pounded the block it was standing on in Steelix's direction, leapt to another in the same motion, and repeated the action. Pretty desperate, but not something I could ignore.

"Steelix, volley."

Steelix used Iron Tail to bat the block straight back at Feraligatr. The latter jumped from platform to platform, its enhanced speed giving it the agility to dodge the return fire. It never got hit, but came close several times. I was at sixteen when I gave up counting the blocks Steelix knocked back at it. My Pokémon struck out more often than returned, though, and so the 'strikes' began piling up around it. After a few minutes, there was enough of a heap to constitute its own arena.

"Good enough. Jump down and engage."

"Iron Tail!"

"Aqua Tail!"

The element-infused tails collided, emitting a powerful shockwave. Feraligatr's won out and continued into Steelix, slapping him around. Steelix recovered and whirled around, trying to Constrict Feraligatr. The foe jumped, and came down with another Aqua Tail, aiming for Steelix's head. Steelix managed to move out of the way, taking the blow on his more heavily armored midriff instead.

"Move left and then Iron Tail!"

There, he's back in the lightning bath. Iron Tail is now infused with Electrical power, it'll roast Feraligatr.

"Dodge, don't parry," Silver countered. Feraligatr jumped out of the way and responded with another Aqua Tail.

Steelix grimaced, and in revenge swept its tail horizontally. The block Feraligatr had been standing on went flying out beneath it. The water gator tumbled, directly on top of an anti-grav generator. Sparks flew, followed by smoke.

"Did I get him?!"

A crunching sound came out of the chaos.

"No, don't break my brand new generators!" Whitney cried. Indeed, Feraligatr had saved himself an electrified execution by simply bashing the projector into pieces.

"Body Slam."

Steelix lifted his bulk up and let it fall atop the opponent. The two collided. Feraligatr took the tackle with both hands. The machinery beneath him crumpled further, sending them into the ground.

"Earthquake." "Seismic Toss." We humans called out our attacks in unison.

Feraligatr acted faster, pitching Steelix clear into the air and over to a different corner of the arena.

"Woah." Whitney let out a whistle.

I stole a glance at the audience.

They're all impressed. Strategy doesn't mean much anymore, it's just two titans going at it with all their might. This isn't exactly a high level, high concept battle between trainers; but a brawl between two brutally strong Pokémon.

"Earthquake," I ordered again. Steelix acknowledged, and crashed down. The shockwave spread through the room, across the field of anti-gravs. As they were hit, most of them fizzled and went offline. Blocks began falling out of the air, creating a rain of boulder-sized, boulder-weighing artificial meteors.

"Agility."

Feraligatr, now free to go wherever he wanted, dashed on all fours amongst the block-shower. Generally it was making its way towards Steelix. My Pokémon rent off another Iron Tail, sending a veritable tidal wave of blocks surging towards Feraligatr. Feraligatr powered his way through, taking my metaphor and turning it literal by swimming through the debris.

"Dragon Breath," I commanded.

Why?

Ranged attack, and the slim possibility it would reignite the anti-gravs. It didn't, and Feraligatr used another block as a shield for himself.

"Aqua Jet."

"Dig."

"Wait, Jasmine! Silver! You're destroying my gym!"

"Build a proper dirt-floor arena!" I shouted angrily at her. Steelix, in the meantime, burrowed his way into the machinery and concrete.

"I'll charge you for the damage!"

"You have League insurance!" I shouted back at her, while trying to trace Steelix's path underground.

"Brutus, remember your first battle?"

"Feral."

"It's like that. Don't get sucked in. Earthquake."

"Earthquake!" I countered.

Rumble and tumble, boulders will crumble.

Old nursery rhyme, and very apt description for what is currently happening to Whitney's gym.

"Sand Storm."

"Water Sport," Silver said, grinning.

He saved his Pokémon from the Sand Storm's residual damage, and I saved my Pokémon a few moments.

"Rest!"

"Aqua Tail!"

Feraligatr bounded away. A hollow in the earth seemed to indicate where Steelix was hiding underground. Feraligatr pelted the area ahead of arrival with a Hydro Pump. Just as it was about to leap in, though, it stumbled and sank.

"Gah!- a burrow trap. Mud the whole place," Silver said.

"Steelix, are you awake?"

No answer, so no.

Feraligatr blasted the area around it with high-powered water jets, reducing everything down to the concrete. Bits of machinery and battered blocks lined a newly formed clearing, with about ten inches of water filling it up. What looked like Steelix's spike poked out of the far side.

"There! Aqua Tail! Max impact!"

Feraligatr leapt, water encasing and propelling its tail.

"Steelix, Crunch!"

The spike disappeared. Too late, the foe realized it was aiming at Steelix's tail. Steelix's main body emerged from the rubble, his head actually behind Feraligatr's landing spot. The massive jaws clamped down, deftly catching and then crushing the gator in its grip. A howl of pain came from the victim.

"Crush him!" I wanted this finished!

"Aqua Jet!"

Feraligatr spouted water from his mouth, propelling him and Steelix's head together willy-nilly. The best imagery I can offer was an over-pressure water hose flying about uncontrolled. After watching in fascination for a few moments, I decided Steelix was liable to get his head bashed into a block.

"Dragon Breath!"

That popped Feraligatr right out.

"Earthquake!"

It was myself giving the follow-up command, but Feraligatr decided it was a good idea too. He smashed the ground beneath where he was to land, sending a seismic ripple across the gym. It met and coalesced with Steelix's formidable shaking. If the generators weren't ruined yet, they were now. I felt sorry for the Girafarig pair- they were really being taxed just to keep the violence from turning the entire building into rubble.

"Sword Dance."

"Steelix, use Body Sla-"

Steelix was about to lunge forward to carry out my attack, but instead fell forward, his head hitting the ground chin-first. I looked beneath him. The cement floor was awash, he had slipped. This gave Feraligatr the opening it needed.

"Super Power!"

Oh crap.

CRAP.

Feraligatr was building power. Steelix was too far away to interrupt or carry out a preemptive strike. He'd have to defend himself. He's at full health, but could he take on that powerful of a blow? Could he avoid it?

No, he's at a terrain disadvantage.

Only one hope then.

"Brutus! Now!"

Brutus the Feraligatr unleashed his full might. With far too many power-ups, and too much sheer might, its strength would not be denied. The pool of water itself was parting before it, pushed away by the aura of the Super Power. The Pokémon charged, while Steelix remained a sitting duck.

I inhaled, put my lips together. Steelix wouldn't think of this tactic, he wouldn't dream to try it, not in the face of such an impending blow. But if I yell, Feraligatr will hear and pull back.

Please, please please.

"Gatr!"

Steelix pulled his head back, Feraligatr launched itself and connected with Steelix's chin. The Super Power exploded directly into my steel leviathan's head.

"Counter!"

Steelix froze.

For a second, he was completely still, completely defying gravity, inertia, and the force of the Super Power that should have sent him end-over-end, and just hung there in the air.

Then, using the tension of his coiled body, Steelix sprung forward and downwards, smashing Feraligatr into the ground. The very force that was supposed to send Steelix flying was reflected back at its user. The Counter drove it into the ground, and an earthquake stronger than any of the deliberate ones used so far rocked the building to its core.

The shaking faded. The battlefield went deathly still. Dust obscured everything. Was that it? Who had won?

Ah!

Wait! Movement! A Pokemon!

Two Pokemon!

"Body Sl-"

"Ice Beam!"

A slim, weak-looking bolt of ice traced up and down Steelix's flank. It drew a doodle of white frost on the metallic skin, barely looking like it had any effect at all. Except, at two points, at the joints connecting Steelix's major body-segments together, the ice wedged itself in and pierced his inner muscles with a needle of coldness.

Steelix hung still as a ghost ship.

We all held our breaths.

Seconds stretched to eternity.

My Pokémon, my greatest Pokémon, reared himself up to his fullest height. He towered above the field, casting his shadow over the desperate, exhausted Brutus.

And nothing…

Nothing happened.

And I knew, with a tear in my eye, that it was over.

"Steelix is fainted. That's the match. Feraligatr is the winner. Silver is the winner," Whitney said, almost in disbelief.

Steelix, you're too much.

Even knocked clean out, you refused to fall. You're still holding yourself upright even after you've fainted. You're amazing.

"A Counter, knowing you could survive using the Sturdy ability… but Brutus had just enough to withstand it. Just enough. Just… damn."

Silver balled his hand into a fist and bit it. Is he crying? Shouting? What emotions are going through his head?

"Yay! Go Silver! You did it!" Lyra was heard shouting and cheering, even though, barring a few claps from random trainers, she was the only one celebrating.

I steered my observer platform over to Silver's. They gently bumped up against one another.

He's still biting his fist, I think. I don't see blood, though.

After a minute without response, he heaved, ran his hand through his long hair, and turned to me.

"You won," I said simply.

"Barely."

"'Barely' is good enough." I rummaged in my costume, pulling out a small object. I always keep a spare on me, in case of events like this.

"Here."

I held it out. A Mineral Badge.

He looked at it bewilderedly.

"It's my badge, for you."

Sure, it hurts that this will cut into my ratio. But damn it, that was an intense battle. The most intense one in my life. I had staked a lot of emotions on this match, and still lost. I guess I'll have to work extra hard next week to keep my ratio up above 50%.

Silver continued to stare at the badge without taking it.

"I don't want it," he replied.

"You earned it."

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did."

"No, I really didn't. I didn't want to win this battle as much as you did. This was an embarrassment."

"Cut that out. You won. I think you proved me right. The other night, you said the bond between a Pokémon and its trainer created strength; believing in them, that's what was most important for winning a Pokémon battle. But that's wrong. That's only a tiny part of what goes into winning."

Silver stared at me, head tilted, eyes still glaring.

"Willpower alone isn't enough to win a battle. Victory is the sum of everything you and your opponent do and don't do. Luck, training, genetics, the weather and season- heck, even the most trivial things determine the victor. Ever hear the story of Steven Stone's battle against Michigan Roy? One of the closest battles he ever fought. And yet, he won, because a spectator shouted "High Kick!" when Roy shouted "Psychic", and Roy's Medicham got confused and followed the spectator's order. One crashed High Jump Kick later, and Stone's perfect record survived. Do you see what I mean? There's no way to ensure you win all the time, to be so strong that you never lose. You've got to accept your bad wins just the same as your good losses."

Let's see if this thick-skulled boy gets it.

"It's why it's a sport. It's why we play the game, to see who wins," I said, with an innocent smile.

Am I upset I lost?

Sure.

But mad?

No, surprisingly, not mad. I'm rather happy that I took on the number 2-ranked trainer in the entire region and came within a hair's worth of health of beating him. Heck, if Skarmory hadn't been frozen, he could have dealt the finishing blow... but then, you can't go back on what-ifs, because I benefited from a lot of those chance events myself.

And I'm a Gym Leader. The system is rigged against us; we aren't supposed to win too much. That would deprive the tournaments of challengers, wouldn't it?

Yet Silver is still making a sour face and refusing to accept the situation.

Thinking back on what Lyra said, and remembering how some challengers behaved after a sore loss, I didn't want something unseemly to happen here. Violence is best kept between the Pokémon, who can handle it.

How to diffuse the situation?

I guess it's pretty moot now to be keeping secrets.

"Hey, Silver, about earlier? Magneton was able to magnetize the Stealth Rocks because they're made of the same material as Skarmory's wings. They're metal, basically. And how Magneton took out Weavile- well, it's like billiard balls. The first Mirror Shot exploded on the shield, sending the second shot straight back towards Weavile. I was gunning for that shot from the start, that's why I tried so hard to keep Weavile from strafing."

It's working. He's sensing that I'm trying to make an overture. He's comprehending what I'm saying, and the knowledge- being able to make sense of what used to be senseless losses- is helping him cope. His body stopped shivering in rage, and he held his head up again.

His eyes stared directly at me.

"And what about Gliscor? And Lancaster?"

"I wasn't completely lying when I said they were your doing. Or rather, Gliscor's doing. You poisoned Tyko- my Prinplup, remember?"

"Of course I remember."

"The Toxic also poisoned the Bubble Beam she was firing at Gliscor. Gliscor… it has Hyper Cutter, doesn't it?"

Silver didn't respond, which I took as a yes.

"As opposed to Poison Heal. Gliscor ended up poisoning itself. It took a little more time, but the poison eventually got to it."

"So you're saying… that Prinplup used Water Sport to poison Lancaster. Because her body was poisoned, so was any water that came out of her. You just needed any Water attack that would get the spray onto my Pokémon, no matter how weak it was."

He does catch on fast.

"That's correct. Do you see now?"

Silver looked relieved.

"You're lucky."

I shook my head.

"I'm smart. I know how to adapt in the middle of battle." He shook his head back at me, telling me I didn't understand him.

"No. You're lucky you were born with such an amazing mind. I can't create new, out-of-the-box strategies on the fly like that. You're like Lyra." He tossed a begrudging nod to his rival. "She's a ditz with everything else, but she knows how to pull crap out of her… rear when she's battling."

He paused, taking in Steelix. "And you know how to train your Pokémon. He's pretty strong. Really strong. And your other Pokémon- they're not as strong, but they're disciplined. They know how to execute your tactics. Even if whatever strategy you've come up with is brilliant, if your Pokémon can't adapt to it on the fly, it's useless. But yours can."

"Thank you," I said. He's suddenly become very magnanimous.

"I need to learn how to do that. It'd help make me stronger."

"It could- although, you're already very strong yourself. Your Pokémon are strong too."

"Not strong enough."

He's pondering his Pokeballs, turning one over and over and over in his fist. "I've had to learn the hard way you can't get anywhere in this world without trusting and loving those you rely on for strength. I took that to heart, but I still lost. I fought and fought, got stronger, bonded closer, tried to trust my Pokémon- nickname them, get to learn their needs and wants, spend time with them outside of training, all so we could be better at fighting- but still, that didn't mean I always won. I guess now I'm learning that that trust is only a starting point."

"So you realized it," I said. "Being the best trainer you can be is important. But, being the best trainer in the world isn't important, because it's way too hard to control everything, and besides, only one person gets to claim that title."

"But I NEED to be the best," Silver responded. I was taken aback by the strong emphasis he placed on that word. 'Need'. Like his life depended on it. Or maybe his dreams depended on it.

"Why?"

"Because-"

"Hey Silver, please." Lyra interrupted. Silver, surprisingly, took notice and went silent. "You're always trying to shoulder too much. You need to rely on people the same way you rely on Pokémon."

"That's a lot harder to do. Lyra, I told you what my childhood was like."

"And I told you that wasn't normal! You were raised by thugs, not nice people."

I had a question.

'Hey Silver."

"Yeah?"

"What exactly are you trying to do?"

He squirmed and stuttered, trying to figure out what to say in reply.

"I'm going to change the world. I'm going to bring down the Pokémon League," he said. I was taken aback, just a little horrified at how candidly he spoke of revolution and rebellion, but also very incredulous and doubtful. Take down the Pokémon League? That's absurd! He saw my expression and began explaining.

"No, I'm not gonna hurt anyone, except maybe some fat buzzards' wallets. It'll be non-violent- protests, boycotts, media blitzes, corporate takeovers, political campaigns. Anything, anything ethical, I'll do it. I can't allow that corrupt organization to exist any longer."

"Why not? What's so bad about it?"

"It created me. Or rather, my god-awful childhood. My mother was a political extremist who wanted to burn it all down, and create some social utopia. My father's family made a fortune off the system, but then got cast out by rivals. They turned to crime to keep up their greedy lifestyle, and my father… well, you might know him. Giovanni."

"Your father… is Giovanni?! The Giovanni?!"

Whah whah what?!

When we first met and Silver said he was going to take over his father's company, I didn't think 'company' meant the infamous crime syndicate that nearly destroyed Indigo Plateau, Saffron City, and Goldenrod!

"Think about what we're doing," he said, gesturing to my Steelix. "We're forcing Pokémon to fight each other. Why?"

"Because…"

"It doesn't matter 'why'," he cut me off. "No matter how good our intentions, no matter what the Pokémon want, you can bet, someone, somewhere, is abusing Pokémon, is abusing the system, is making money off of it. No matter if the battles themselves are just or unjust, the system that we humans have set up to organize those battles is corrupt. It's purpose is to fuel the lifestyles of the rich. They sure as hell don't care who it hurts, as long as they keep living large."

He pointed a thumb at his chest.

"I was a victim of their callousness. So were my Pokémon. So were a lot of people and Pokémon I've met. I don't want anyone to have to suffer the same childhood as me. That's why I have to force the League to reform itself- or else raze them to the ground."

"Why do you need to do it alone?" I asked. Lyra nodded, also eager to hear his answer.

"So I can surpass him. I need to be a leader that's respected. I'm young, inexperienced. I don't have any background in politics, business, or management. I'm still studying those, getting better, but still a novice. Proton is working on that side for me."

Proton? That sleazy guy he hung out with at the party? Why does that name sound familiar? I swear I've heard of him before. Years ago… Ah! A glance around the hall led me to spot the man. He was hanging back, behind the thickest part of the crowd. His hat was worn low over his brow.

Silver continued.

"But what I can do, what I am good at, is training Pokémon and directing them in battles. That's where I excel, that's the skill that gets you noticed by the masses. I'll be the best trainer in the world, and then use my position to gain a following. No one listens to a second rate runner-up. I need to be on top to command the spotlight. Only one person gets that chance, and right now the current guy in the brights is doing nothing with it."

"That's not true. Stone is a good person, doing what he can to help us all. You're overestimating what one person, even the best, can do."

"You're underestimating his power, and his laziness. He's been infatuated with his wife, and he's still beholden to the cronies on the board of regents. If he had any spine he'd disband the board."

"He can't, they're his boss," I argued.

"He could too. Laws be damned, he has the power and support of anyone who really matters," Silver said.

I'm not nearly astute enough to argue politics with this guy. Better to appeal to emotion.

"Listen, I think everyone is doing their best to try to improve the situation. You can't go blaming the extremes and labeling people and telling them you're going to burn down society. You'll alienate the very people you need to help you with your goal. You can't do things alone."

"She's right," Lyra added.

"I know that." Silver shook a little from emotion. As if he was frustrated that he couldn't do it alone. "That's why I'm in the middle of taking over Team Rocket."

"Taking over the Rockets!" I repeated.

Is he crazy, or brilliant?!

I shook my head. That's besides the point.

"It's not my place to judge you. You're doing what you want to do to achieve your goals. I guess I disagree with them, but that's my opinion and it's not going to change your mind."

"No, nothing will."

"That said, I have my own goals, and losing to you didn't help them. I want to win too. Still, vitriol and hard feelings don't serve anyone's goals, so, right now, even if we've had this battle because we disagree on things- let's not make it personal. Let's at least respect each other as opponents."

Silver nodded.

"I've got nothing against you, personally. I can live with it. And I did win," he pointed out to himself, reminding himself the alternative could have been defeat, and then he would have been truly humiliated.

"From now on, I'm just going to battle for myself. The opponent doesn't matter. It's for me and my Pokémon. No need to hate your opponent. I tried that once. Became obsessed, wanted to kill my foe I was so enraged. It didn't work out well- nearly got me killed, and solved nothing. So, from now on, we'll fight for our goals, not our egos. Hey," he said, turning to me. "You too, okay? Don't go starting Pokemon battles because you dislike someone. From what Lyra's told me, that's not like you."

I cringed.

It's kind of sad, to me, that I fell so easily for a trap I've long hated: pitting Pokémon against Pokémon, for any reason other than the love of competition and partnership with our Pokémon. That's why Pokémon follow our orders, and why they're willing to fight: because they enjoy it, because they want to prove themselves, and because they love us for all the things we do for them. Any other reason is worthless and discourteous to the creatures we send out to battle. It is our duty as trainers to respect that.

Sometimes, though, I'm a hypocrite and challenge others to a battle, just because I take issue with something they've said or done. Some personal feud and I forget my philosophy and just tell myself- "I want to humiliate you." This was one of those times. How sad, that it took a self-righteous jerk like Silver to remind of that.

"Well, good game."

I held out my hand, with the badge still in it.

He took my hand, shook it, and then placed the badge back in my palm.

"I'm not interested in the League's tourneys. Lyra told me you were in trouble with them and couldn't afford to lose gym battles. Let's just keep this an unofficial loss for you, okay?"

"Fine," I said, outwardly offended but inwardly grateful.

Lyra was right about him. He can be kind. He's just too wrapped up in his crusade to remember to be nice all the time. What a typical man- but I can admire the nobility of it.

"Return, Steelix."

"Return, Feraligatr."

We recalled our Pokémon in unison, and then steered our platforms down to ground level to join our friends. Morty approached me with a frown, which evaporated when he saw the relatively good mood I was in.

"That was one hell of a match. Too close, about a dozen "if-only's" in there," he said.

"Yeah. That's the way it is. I guess I need to buff up my Pokémon, especially everyone not named Steelix," I replied half-cheerily.

There was a tap on my shoulder.

"Hey, are you the Gym Leader here?"

"No," I said, turning my head, "that'd be Whitney over the-"

And I froze.

Behind me stood a young man with a red cap and piercing eyes.

The reigning world champion.

Red.