Author's Note: Another intermission thing! And it's an intermission because Lynnie's taking a break before the Elite Four. The matches don't start for a while, remember? Anyway, Brendan's back, and Wally is still here…

Intermission: Vs Magcargo!

"So, that's, like… Two losses, one win, and one tie?"

"Yeah… I really need to practice more, don't I?"

Lynnie and Wally had sat down at one of the various snack stands in Evergrande City after having a battle. After the boat had arrived, the two of them had wandered around sightseeing most of the time… But they'd also had a practice battle each day. While they waited for the vendor to return with their chips, Lynnie had counted Wally's record.

"Well, you did beat me that one time," she replied, tapping her chin. "And we tied yesterday."

"But you still beat me twice," Wally sighed.

"Ah, here you are…"

The vendor suddenly turned around from his snack shelf and handed a small bag of chips to both Lynnie and Wally. Simultaneously, they started digging through their pockets for money, and then handed the man a few bills. As he nodded to them, Lynnie and Wally stood up and turned away, opening their bags.

"Anyway…" Lynnie crunched on a chip as she started talking again. "That's better than before, at least."

Wally nodded absently as he put a few chips in his mouth. At the moment, he seemed a bit more occupied with looking around, and Lynnie actually couldn't blame him. Evergrande was huge; it was at least twice the size of Mossdeep, and it was filled with various stands and small buildings. The paths were well-trimmed and circled the large fountains that lined the middle of the island.

However, the most prominent feature of the island was the huge arena on its northern edge. The oval-shaped structure easily dominated the skyline, and Wally tended to get a bit nervous looking at it. Lynnie, on the other hand, couldn't wait to fight in it—she liked battling in front of crowds much more than Wally did.

"Hey, Lynnie! I didn't think you'd be here so early."

A familiar voice rang through the air, and Lynnie blinked as she looked away from the Pokémon League arena. Brendan was jogging over to her and Wally from a souvenir stand a few feet away, and he waved as he got closer.

"I didn't think you'd be here at all," she replied, crossing here eyes. "You're entering the tournament?"

Brendan scratched the back of his neck as he looked away. "Well… I was thinking about doing the gym challenge, you know… But as it turns out, I only ended up getting four badges. It's because of my fieldwork and stuff… Oh, hey, Wally."

"Hi, Brendan!"

"H-huh?" Lynnie blinked. "You guys know each other?"

"I was out on Route 118 a while ago, and I met him there." Brendan shrugged. "Small world, right?"

"Yep!" Wally answered brightly. "Well, um… We've been practicing… What are you doing, Brendan?"

The taller boy shrugged, straightening his hat. "Dad said I could come out here and see the tournament, and he let me come early. He said he'd come on the day the battles start, by the way. Oh, and he also said to remind you to register later, Lynnie. You have to sign up on the day before the battles start, so that's in two days."

"Okay, great! Hey, want to come back to Pokémon Center with us later?" Lynnie asked. "We've been staying there and it's even bigger than that motel in Lilycove!"

"Sounds fine. Hey, speaking of battles, we haven't had one in a while, have we?"

"You're right," Lynnie grinned, catching the hint. "Should we have one now?"

"But Lynnie, we just had a battle this morning…" Wally pointed out.

"It's okay, we stopped at the Pokémon Center earlier, remember? Anyway, Brendan, you want to have a one-one-one?"

"Sure. I'll use Magcargo!"

As Brendan released the fire snail, Lynnie instinctively reached for Skipper's Pokéball. However, she'd already used Skipper that morning in the battle, so she figured the Swampert didn't need another practice yet. Instead, she reached for Pearl's Pokéball, and her grin widened as the Psychic-Type materialized next to her.

"Okay, Pearl! Let's lead with Psychic."

"Flamethrower, Magcago," Brendan countered.

Magcargo blinked and slowly opened its mouth to launch the Flamethrower. At the same time, Pearl's eyes started to glow, and a purple aura surrounded her. As the Flamethrower started to approach Pearl, she unleashed the Psychic, and the two attacks hit in mid air. The two Pokémon tried to attack again a few more times, but each time, the attacks collided again.

"Oy," Brendan grumbled, folding his arms. "This is getting no where. Magcargo, switch to Rock Slide!"

Lynnie blinked as small bits of Magcargo's shell crumbled off and hit the ground. The gravel then launched through the air and hit Pearl before she had a chance to respond. Surprsied, Pearl stumbled backwards, but managed to catch herself before she fell. Shaking her head slightly, the Grumpig stepped forward again.

"Phew... All right, Pearl! Use Shock Wave this time."

Pearl leaned forward slightly as small circles of sparks started forming around the pearl on her stomach. The electricity was then shot forward in a round wave, and while Magcargo tried to crawl to the side to dodge, it was too slow. It was hit directly by the Shock Wave, and it winced as the attack spread over its back and neck. However, a few seconds later, Magcargo was still able to raise its head, although it was panting.

"Good, Pearl! You should be able to finish it off with Psybeam."

"Quick, Magcargo, use Flamethrower one more time!"

Pearl instantly shot a rainbow-colored beam out of one of the pearls on her forehead, and a few seconds later, Magcargo managed to launch a Flamethrower. The Psybeam managed to hit the Fire-Type, but Pearl was also hit by Magcargo's attack. Both Pokémon looked a bit wobbly, and both fell over at the same time.

"H-Huh?" Lynnie crossed her eyes.

"Ha..." Brendan laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck as he withdrew Magcargo. "That was shorter than i expected... Are you sure you're ready for the League, Lynnie?"

"Hey!" Lynnie huffed, recalling Pearl as well. "I don't know what you're talking about. Of course I'm ready!"

"Um, guys," Wally cut in timidly. "Y-You were both good... So, uh... Maybe we could go on back to the Pokémon Center or something?"

"Ah, yeah, that sounds nice," Brendan decided. "I just got here, so I'm kinda tired."

"Okay, then, follow me," Lynnie smirked, putting her hands on her hips as she started walking.

"Lynnie? I think that's the way back to the snack stand we were just at..."

Brendan started laughing as Wally spoke up, and Lynnie felt her face redden. Grumbling under her nreath, she immediately turned around and started walking teh right way, trying to ignore Brendan as she and Wally looked for the Center.