Crobat hit Leavanny with full force. As he returned to the Ultra Ball, Leavanny collapsed. When Ace sent out his next Pokémon – Roserade – Leavanny had fainted.

"Leavanny is unable to battle!"

On Aaron's side of the display scene, Leavanny's icon blackened. With Volcarona and Yanmega also knocked out, Aaron was down to three Pokémon. Meanwhile, Ace had four Pokémon left, though he had revealed Crobat and Roserade.

"If I recall," Kenny said beside me, "there was a coordinator in the Wallace Cup who also had a Roserade."

"Drew," I confirmed. "He's May's rival and boyfriend." I said the last word in a teasing tone.

Kenny grinned at me. "Was that a hint, Deedee?"

I blushed. To cover my embarrassment, I shot back, "If that's what you thought, then it's your idea."

Steven smiled at Cynthia. "Don't you also have a Roserade?"

"I rotate her with Eelektross—and now, the Ralts that I caught during our date on Mount Coronet. But Roserade and I have a special bond. She battled for me the first time I defended my Champion title."

Ace's Roserade looked different. While Drew's Roserade had been graceful and almost delicate, the gym leader's Roserade wore a devious grin, her cunning eyes narrowed to slits.

"A grass type as well as a poison type," Aaron murmured. "Take a good rest, Leavanny. I know how to deal with this."

Ace smirked. Apparently, whatever Aaron had in mind, Ace would have a counter for it. That was what it meant to be a high-ranking Pokémon trainer.

"Go, Scizor! Lead with Swords Dance!"

Where Scolipede had been elegant, moving in a sinuous path in tandem with Volcarona, Scizor danced solo—sharp, curt movements like punches and upward slashes. It was a different kind of beauty.

"Roserade, get 'em with Hidden Power!"

"Dodge it!"

Scizor darted across the battlefield, causing Roserade to miss. The white energy struck the wall behind Paul, who didn't flinch, though Electivire snarled.

The Bouquet Pokémon whirled around, trying to orient herself to Scizor's rapid, cutting movements.

Aaron raised his Vespiquen-designed glove. A mega ring gleamed within the cloth. "Scizor, bond with me and mega evolve!"

Scizor glowed and grew taller. His legs sharpened to needles; his arms became ginormous pincers with octaves of teeth. Black armor coated the top of his face.

"Bullet Punch, now!"

Scizor lunged at Roserade, too fast for the slight Pokémon to dodge.

"Roserade!" Ace cried out. "Are you okay?"

The drone hovered nearby. Roserade staggered to her feet, wearing a fierce expression. The devious grin never left. It was scarier than Drew's Roserade, and I doubted even Cynthia's Roserade could look more frightening.

"Good. Then use Hidden Power once more!"

"Dodge it again, Scizor!"

Ace grinned, matching his Pokémon's expression. "Spin and keep going!"

I gasped. "That's Piplup's move!"

Ace altered the move that I had worked on with Piplup since my early days as a coordinator. Roserade balanced on the toes of one foot and raised her arms like a ballerina, giving her more lift as she spun. But the concept was the same. The white balls of energy spiraled in a vortex, reaching everywhere in the battlefield.

"Pokémon trainers and coordinators," Cynthia said, "have much to learn from each other." She smiled at me. "Didn't you learn that during your travels with Ash?"

That was true. We'd borrowed each other's strategies and trained together frequently. But I'd never imagined that a gym leader could take inspiration from me.

Hidden Power blew Scizor away, the mega-evolved Pokémon reverting to its original form. The drone declared, "Scizor is unable to battle!"

"Knocked out with only one Hidden Power?!" Kenny exclaimed. "What monstrous Roserade is that?"

"An extremely well-trained one," Steven retorted. "Also a well-bred one. The only Hidden Power that could deal that much damage against Mega Scizor is the fire type."

Even Paul, on the other side of the battlefield, looked impressed. His purple eyebrows lifted. The corner of his mouth twitched in the shadow of a wistful smile. I remembered that his big brother was a Pokémon breeder.

Electivire did not share his trainer's sentiment. He remained dour.

Aaron returned Scizor to his Pokéball, humiliated. "I'm sorry I put you through that, Scizor. I should have predicted that Aaron would have more coverage against steel types. I just thought..." He noticed the drone recording him, and he scowled. "Never mind. Vivillon, let's do this!"

Aaron was at a severe disadvantage. He was down to two Pokémon, and with him sending out his turquoise-winged Vivillon, it was obvious who his last Pokémon would be. Meanwhile, Ace had four Pokémon, and even if one of his unrevealed Pokémon was the differently colored Drapion, he still had – I giggled – an ace up his sleeve.

"Are you good to continue, Roserade?"

Roserade stumbled slightly; her eyes were less focused. But she remained resolute. She nodded.

"Then use Hidden Power!"

Roserade spun once more, a dancer wanting to please her audience.

"Vivillon, dodge with Quiver Dance!"

Vivillon fluttered with more agility and grace than Scizor. She dodged each ball of energy with an aerial feat that I now planned to work on with Togekiss. All the while, her river-turquoise wings shimmered. She made it look easy.

"Now use Hurricane!"

Vivillon paused in her dance. Light reflected on her compound eyes. Roserade had nowhere to run and certainly nowhere to hide. Strong winds swept her off her feet and spun her around.

Ace caught his dizzy Roserade. The drone buzzed, "Roserade is unable to battle! With both trainers down to three or less Pokémon, I open the floor to making substitutions now—but if Aaron of the Elite Four wishes to substitute his Pokémon, he must send out his final Pokémon at the same time as Ace the Gym Leader."

"Nah," Aaron said, windmilling his arms. "I know I said this before, but this time, my Pokémon is really on a roll. Vivillon, we got this, yeah?"

Vivillon trilled with joy, flying around. I leaned in, wondering what Pokémon Ace would send out next. Crobat's Ultra Ball would give him away, and I knew Ace kept his differently colored Drapion in a Pokéball, but what about his ace?

Ace held a Dusk Ball. Aaron's eyes widened. For him, this was an unexpected turn of events.

I knew Dusk Balls were often used in caves, but besides Zubat, what other poison types could be found in caves? I didn't know enough about poison types to be able to guess.

Kenny, however, hollered in excitement. "This is it! He's gonna use it!"

"Use what?"

"The Pokémon he traded with me to evolve. Remember, my Machoke evolved into Machamp—"

"How could I forget?" That Machamp had taken up all the space in the eastern gate of Amity Square and gotten us kicked out.

"—while Ace's—"

Cynthia shushed him. "This will be that Pokémon's first official battle. Let's keep it a surprise."

Steven rubbed his hands together. "I hate surprises."

"You mean you love them."

"It's a love-hate relationship."

Ace gazed at the Dusk Ball and then called out his Pokémon.