Chapter 8: Bushwhacking

Dawn ducked beneath the spray, dodging droplets that gleamed in the morning light. She looked up just in time to see Crest nail the Buizel in the chest with his Peck. Buizel yelped, slumping to the ground a moment before its trainer's Pokéball opened and sucked its exhausted form inside. The trainer, an older fisherman with a wild beard, shook his head as he stepped over to Dawn, digging in a back pocket for her winnings. "It's been a while since I was handed such a loss little miss. You and that there Piplup are somethin' else."

"Thank you," Dawn said as she accepted the cash, one hand coming to rest on Crest's head as she stepped up beside him. It wasn't as much of a stretch to reach him as she remembered; he'd been growing quickly lately. "We've been working hard."

"Plannin on challenging the Gym?" the man inquired, hoisting his fishing pole back onto his shoulder, already eyeing the pond in the distance behind them. Dawn nodded, eyes drawn to the buildings she could see in the distance, peeking out from the tops of the tree-filled city.

"Best be preparin' even more then. Gardenia may look like a little lady, but she's got a spine o' steel hidden in there. I hope you've got more than a water type if you hope to face her." He walked off before she could reply, whistling a merry tune.

Crest squawked at his back, eyes narrowed and chest puffed out. "We'll just have to show him buddy," Dawn said, trying to direct his attention back to the city before he decided to go prove to the man he was better than any grass type. She wouldn't put it past him to push the man into the pond if he didn't have any more Pokémon for him to battle to prove his superiority.

After a long moment Crest turned and followed her down the road again, matching her quick pace. Dawn could feel her aches piling up after so long on the road, and the desire to take a shower was nearly overwhelming now that civilization was near. Crest's help with Water Spout just didn't have the same effect.

The closer she got to Eterna City, the more it came to resemble Oreburgh in her eyes. Eterna was similarly set into the mountains, though rather than being enclosed on all sides by peaks Eterna was nestled into the foothills, the Coronet Range beginning to rise around it on the northern, southern and especially the eastern side of the city. Gentle grass plains and trees began to give way to rock as the landscape rose up, giving the city a cozy, sheltered feeling that it shared with Oreburgh, the mountains standing sentinel over the ancient dwellings.

However similar the two cities were, there were some distinct differences. The city had more trees than expected; only the tallest skyscrapers poked up above the tree line. The buildings she could see from this distance were built in an older, classic style, kept the same throughout the ages as styles and rulers changed, a tiny rebellion against the natural decay of time. Water pooled in ponds and streams around the edges of the city; if not for the deeper clefts in the rock around where rivers cut their way through, she would have suspected the city had problems with flooding during the annual spring snowmelt. As she neared the city entrance Dawn could see the crumbling ruins tucked into the stumps of ancient trees, the faded brick bases of newer houses, the cobblestone streets leading to historical sites draped with shadows cast by looming hills and trees. Eterna City felt firmly rooted, entrenched in history in a way that bustling, energetic Oreburgh couldn't match.

"Dawn! Over here! Is that you? Oh, I'm glad you made it, I've been waiting for our battle for ages!" The yell heralded Gardenia's appearance a moment later, emerging from a side street as Dawn and Crest stepped through the city entrance gate, her mouth already moving at a thousand miles an hour.

"My last challengers haven't given any sort of good fight so I'm going crazy with anticipation!" Gardenia's grin was wide enough to split her face in half, and she danced from foot to foot as she stood beside Dawn.

"You might not be so eager when the battle's over and we've laid your last Pokémon out on the floor," Dawn challenged, her own grin growing wider. Gardenia's enthusiasm would be infectious even if she hadn't been looking forward to this battle for months.

"Oooh, big words Dawn but you'll have to prove you can back them up! You'll have plenty of time to regret the boasts when you're traveling back through the Eterna Forest after losing!"

Dawn eyebrows furrowed and she cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean? I was planning on heading down Route 206 to Oreburgh after leaving Eterna." Dawn's next stop would be Hearthome City, on the other side of the Coronet Range, the gateway to Eastern Sinnoh. Dawn needed to pass through the range and had been planning on heading down to Oreburgh and taking the Oreburgh Pass through the mountains, as it was a more direct route to Hearthome.

She wasn't looking forward to the days spent in the darkness of the caves below the storied peaks, but she was excited to see Hearthome and its famous Faith Quarter, as well as face Fantina, the master of Ghost Types who made the city her home. Hearthome was famously beautiful and welcoming, and Dawn had thought her main obstacle to getting there would be the mountain range in the way, not the peaceful route between Eterna and Oreburgh. Surely that rockfall had been cleared away by now?

Gardenia frowned and shook her head. "I thought you knew, since you came here through the Forest. There was a rockfall there a few months back that buried huge swaths of the route. We've got most of the debris cleared out by now, but not enough to make the route passible on foot. You won't be able to use that route to get to Oreburgh, not for the time being. It's a mess, and we don't even know what caused that rockslide! There wasn't any seismic activity that would account for so much rubble and movement in the ground, no Pokémon migration either, though it did give us the idea for an elevated path between the cities, I've been trying to pester the League enough to let us start the project-"

"I heard about the rockslide when leaving Oreburgh, but I assumed it would be fixed by now." Dawn wanted to scream in frustration. It would take weeks to get all the way back to Oreburgh if she had to pass through Floaroma and Jubilife on the way back, and she'd counted on reaching Hearthome before the Twinleaf Festival came around. As it was she was running late. If she couldn't take Route 206 down to Oreburgh, she wouldn't get to Hearthome in time before the festival came around. She'd have to head straight home from Jubilife instead and wouldn't have the chance to get the badge for much longer than she'd planned. But if she had no other choice…

"Or maybe…" A thoughtful look came over Gardenia for a moment, and she glanced at the Pokéballs at Dawn's waist. "Hmmm… since you're so eager to prove you can beat me, how about a little wager?"

Dawn glanced at Gardenia, then down at Crest, who was looking up at the gym leader with interest. "What kind of wager?"

Gardenia was grinning now. "They used to call Route 206 the Riding Road. It's always been a little rough terrain-wise, what with the Wayward Cave there and all. People used to ride their Pokémon down it instead of walking. And you've got a Skiddo. They're experts at taking care of their riders and navigating tough terrain. Maybe you could-"

"I could ride Aries through Route 206!" Dawn cheered.

"Not so fast! You might be able to ride him through the rough parts, but it'll still take a lot longer than usual and you might get stuck at a really rough patch and have to turn around. There won't be any trainers around to battle, and if you have a problem there won't be anyone around to help. Plus, I'm pretty sure that you haven't ever ridden your Skiddo before. I can't let a trainer take such a dangerous road without knowing that they can handle it." Gardenia warned.

"Is that what you meant by wager?"

"Yes! How about this: If you can beat me on your first try, I'll teach you how to ride your Skiddo and give you permission to try riding him down Route 206. But if I win our battle, you and Skiddo have to help me clean up the Old Chateau and chase the ghosts out, turn it into a real tourist attraction and get some more cash flow to this old place." Gardenia's grin was wicked as she gestured to the city around them. Without realizing it, Dawn and Gardenia had begun to walk through the gate and into the city. The old, stately buildings towered over them now, mixed in with new buildings like the row of condominiums down the street or the bright red roof of the Pokémon Center a few blocks ahead.

Dawn felt a sudden spike of fear in her chest warring with the fresh glow of hope at hearing Gardenia's words. She hadn't given up on her plan for the Old Chateau? Even apart how awful she would feel if Rotom and the other ghosts were pushed out of their home, she really didn't want a vengeful Rotom chasing her down for breaking her promise to dissuade Gardenia.

Well, at least she had a ready-made way to do so. Plus, getting to learn how to ride Aries? She'd be jumping at this opportunity even if she'd never been in the Old Chateau and Route 206 hadn't been blocked. "You're on! But where did you learn to ride a Skiddo?"

Gardenia winked at her. "I've been to more places than just this town Dawn; I spent a while in Kalos learning how to best cultivate grass types from old Ramos before I came back to Sinnoh and took over the Gym. His Gogoat is crazy strong and I spent a while learning to ride while I was there learning from him. So, tomorrow afternoon? That'll give me time to get my team ready and the Gym cleaned up after training in the morning, and it'll make sure you have time to prep your team and look around the city."

"That sounds perfect. I hope you're ready to lose!"

"Ha! As if! Oooo, I'm gonna have fun using you as manual labor! Maybe I can rope Cheryl into it too… See you tomorrow Dawn!" Gardenia dashed off, heading for the brown-roofed building at the end of the street that was nearly overgrown with ivy and flowers of all types. Crest looked up at Dawn and puffed out his chest again, letting out a proud bark.

"Yeah, let's do this Crest!"

#

Eterna City wasn't a huge city, but there were always people moving about in the streets, Pokémon walking, flying and running through the spaces that humans didn't already occupy. It was vibrant, bustling, full of life and movement.

It was not so here. In this grove, set on the top of a small hill to the east of the city center, all was quiet and still. No wind came to rustle the leaves of the overhanging trees, no Pokémon ran through the grass to make it rustle, no stones clattered or wood creaked as it moved. All was silent and still, gently lit by the soft morning light.

Dawn stepped between the stones of the ruins, looking up to marvel at the huge columns that stood in some places and littered the ground in others, at the intricate carvings on what remained of one wall. A great pink and white shape set with colored stone. For all that these had been ancient temples to the great Legends, the precious stones that had once decorated these temples had been looted long ago, leaving obvious gaps in the remaining murals and carvings. There, across the wide dirt causeway that spiraled up the hill, she could see the remnants of a great blue fractal mosaic, the last remnants of the temple of Dialga the Immortal.

The altar itself was still there as she stepped up to the edge of the road to take a look, a huge block of quartz and some other stone that sparkled in the light. If it hadn't been so large, it would have been taken long ago. The altar's size protected it from the elements, time and any aspiring thieves. Ion and Crest, the two Pokémon she had that were small enough to wind through the ruins without any issues, appeared similarly awed by the size and majesty of the temple ruins. But these ruins, majestic as they were, weren't what she had come here to see.

Nearly all major cities had temples to the various legends. Hearthome's Faith Quarter in particular was famous for its plurality of temples and shrines to nearly all the Legends worshipped in the Sinnoh Region, with the only temple to the Sleeping One located in the heart of the city. Eterna didn't have any big temples still in operation, but their old temples to the Space-Time Duo were well preserved, though hardly an oddity. No, Dawn had come to see the one shrine that was here and nowhere else. The Statue of the Unknown Legend.

It stood in its own clearing a few hundred feet away, nearly hidden by the overhanging branches of the nearby tree. Ducking under the leafy curtain, Dawn and her Pokémon were presented with a grand statue of worn bronze, standing atop a pedestal as tall as a man stood high. The Pokémon was like no other that Dawn had ever seen or heard about, with a long, sinuous tail, four trunkline feet sprouting from its thick body, head vaguely wedge-shaped and eyes nothing but deep pits in the side of the statue's head. A pair of wings, smooth in some places and spiky in others, cast long shadows onto the ground below. Despite the strange shape, there was something regal about the Pokémon, like a king looking down upon his subjects, aware that he was higher than them all.

The pedestal that held the statue was made of cracked and worn marble, with a lighter patch in the middle of the stone below the statue's head. Dawn walked forward, noting the perfectly square shape of the lighter patch. Where had the plaque gone? That was one of the most famous parts of this statue, the famous Unknown Legend. A Pokémon that no one knew about or had ever heard of, with a statue placed in reverence equal to that of Dialga the Immortal or Palkia the Endless. A plaque on the statue in a language no one could read, that no scholar could translate or even identify. A place of worship even older than the ruins of the temples that surrounded it.

"Eerie, isn't it?" Dawn broke out of her reverie and whirled around to find another person had entered the clearing, ignoring the yelps of her Pokémon as they too noticed the newcomer. They were slightly hidden in the shadows of the overhanging branches at the entrance to the clearing, but Dawn immediately noticed the tall frame and the long blond hair peeking out from beneath their hood. Dawn envied them that hood- it was colder than she'd expected this morning, up here close to the mountains, and her hat was still a light summer hat rather than her warm winter one.

"…Yes," Dawn answered after a moment, when it became clear the newcomer was waiting for a response. There was a… weight, to the air here, though Dawn wasn't sure she would have called it eerie. Perhaps… thoughtful, or maybe timeless. There was something here that felt separate from the rest of the world, alien.

The newcomer, a woman judging by the voice, stepped forward to stand beside Dawn, looking up at the bronze statue looming overhead. Dawn smiled a little as Ion moved to put himself between Dawn and the woman.

"Most people don't come back here once they've seen it you know. They say there's something here in this grove that pushes people away." The stranger didn't look at Dawn as she spoke, eyes fixed on the statue instead. "But I don't think that's it. I think they don't come back because they don't like how little we know about where this one fits in."

"What do you mean?"

"See those mounds over there, where the roots of the trees grow in strange shapes around the small hills? We think that ruins are buried under there, perhaps a temple like the remnants of the temples of Dialga and Palkia around us. Perhaps even a temple as grand as those, venerating this forgotten Legend. But we know about Dialga and Palkia, the Legends of Time and Space, they who shaped the world as it came into being and who maintain the world as the Original One slumbers. But this one?" The woman gestured to the statue above. Something about the movement, the woman's stance, pricked at Dawn's memory, but it faded quickly as she continued, "We don't know anything about it. There are no legends, no myths, we don't even know its name or its domain. No one prays, there are no stories of great deeds or powers, just this lonely statue, and a faded plaque in a language that no one can read." She glowered at the place where the stone was lighter. "Or there was."

"What happened to the plaque?" Dawn glanced over again. The stone was unblemished where the plaque had sat- it couldn't have been gone for long.

"Only a few days. It was there one morning, then gone the next. Torn away by petty vandals, trying to hide from the truth." The woman's eyes narrowed, though Dawn still couldn't make out most of her features between the shadows of the hood and the soft morning light. The longer she watched this woman, the more familiar she seemed, though Dawn still couldn't place her.

"What truth is that?"

"The same reason that people avoid this place. They don't want to change their worldview, don't want to ruin their nice, ordered lives. Dialga and Palkia, the rulers of Time and Space, the Duo that shape the universe, above all others except the One. Now, they have to accept that their religion could be wrong, that there is another that might be just as important? No, they'd rather count this statue as an oddity, dismiss their ancestors as mistaken for worshipping this Legend alongside the Duo. They'd rather keep up a lie than dig for the truth, they don't want to find the real answers. But when they visit, they have to acknowledge that what they see isn't all there is. So they don't come, or at least don't come back. In this extreme case, they'd tear down any evidence that they could have been wrong in the first place, like that plaque."

"You came back."

"Yes." A simple answer. With no explanation, or justification. Dawn found that she liked that.

But she didn't agree with the viewpoint. "I don't think that they don't come back because they don't want to change, that they don't care about finding the answers." The woman turned to look at her, nodding to make Dawn keep going.

"They don't come back because it's easier not to. They come, they wonder, they want to know more. The ones that don't come back, they just don't have the energy to pursue that want. But maybe they're just waiting for the right push. For those like you, who keep coming back, who keep pushing for the answers, to energize them, remind people that truth and knowledge are worth fighting for. We have to remind people that the past has lessons that are worth learning."

The woman turned to face her, thoughtful expression visible even in the shadows. "I see that I'm not alone in thinking this way." Her lips twisted into a smile, wide and sincere. "You know, there's a saying I'm fond of. 'When a life meets another life, something will be born.'" Dawn felt a chill run up her spine at those words. She knew those words. "I wonder what will be born of this meeting. What was your name?"

"Dawn. This is Crest, and Ion."

"Dawn, Crest and Ion. I'll remember you. I'm sure that we'll meet again sometime." The woman turned to look at the statue, and the missing plaque, one last time before turning and striding away out of the clearing. Her deep black hood fell to her shoulders at the sudden motion, revealing a head of long blond hair, four black baubles resembling a Lucario's sensory appendages threaded neatly into the strands.

Dawn watched her go, heartbeat thundering in her hair, all thought washed away by an avalanche of awe, giddiness and embarrassment. She remained there like that, frozen, until Crest tugged on the bottom of her pants with his beak, uncharacteristic worry reflected in his blue eyes.

"I'm okay Crest," Dawn gasped, almost as out of breath as she would be after running a marathon, one hand coming up to rest on her heart as she breathed deeply. "But that was- that was Champion Cynthia." Her idol. The legend. The youngest-ever Champion of Sinnoh. One of, if not the, strongest trainers in the entire world.

#

Dawn was still shaking a little as she opened the door to the herb shop, the tinkling of the tiny bell above the door heralding her arrival. She was much calmer than she'd been after leaving the Statue, but she still felt lightheaded from the realization that she'd been speaking to her idol. Been complimented by her idol at one point! Cynthia, who Dawn watched on the TV whenever she could get a chance, who wrote the books on archaeology and Pokémon mythology that she devoured, who stunned and entranced people the world over with her amazing battle prowess, terrifyingly strong team and innovative strategies. Watching her on TV, commanding her Garchomp with all the grace and confidence in the world, Dawn could almost imagine her as a Legend in mortal form instead of a human. And she'd talked to her!

Okay, this was getting out of hand. She needed to focus on what she was doing now. She had a Gym Battle this afternoon! She looked around the small, brightly lit shop hoping to find something to distract her.

There were pots of plants and herbs of all different shapes, sizes and smells here, some as tall or taller than she was, growing nearly to the ceiling, while others had leaves smaller than the fingernail of her pinky, their delicate fronds housed in small clay pots.

"What are you looking for dearie?" An old woman smiled at her from behind the counter. Dawn blushed, realizing she'd been standing in the middle of the shop staring, then stepped up to the counter.

"I came to see what plants you had, and to ask for some advice about… well, my grass type is a Skiddo, and they can grow plants on their backs. I came to ask if there are any plants you think would be good for him to grow, for medicinal purposes, or just what would be good for him, or maybe even to help him in battle if you've got anything like that."

"Ahhh, that's not a request I hear every day." The old woman pottered around the back of the shop, grabbing some tools Dawn couldn't understand the use of, a few small potted plants and a thick, dirt-stained book. "I'll need to take a look at your grass type to help you out dearie. Each grass type is different, and what he might need will differ depending on how old he is and what species he is." Dawn nodded and grabbed Aries' Pokéball.

Aries appeared in the traditional flash of red light, narrowly avoiding knocking over a pot as he emerged in one of the only spaces big enough to stand without destroying or disrupting some plant. He looked around with interest at the many pots of rare plants, eyes lit with curiosity.

"Ohhh, he's a beauty." The shopkeeper bustled around the counter to come take a look. She reached out a hand to touch the grass on his back, pulling back when she saw Dawn's look. "I'm sorry dearie, I get excited. Do you mind if I examine that grass you've got? I'd like to make sure it's looking healthy," the woman asked Aries. He nodded, a little hesitant but still giving his consent. She reached out and rubbed weathered, wrinkled hands over his back, occasionally poking at one section or another, pulling on a blade of grass at one point.

"He's in fine condition, and this grass is growing well. Looks like Kalosian Sungrass to me; common out in sunny Kalos but rather rarer here in Sinnoh where we don't get as much light during the long winters. You might consider changing what he's growing to a sturdier, shade-loving plant when summer begins to wane."

"Do you have any suggestions?" Five minutes later Dawn was trapped by a ring of around twenty pots, unable to move from her sitting position in fear of tipping one over, the shopkeeper and Aries debating the merits of one plant or another with a strange combination of gestures and nosing pots from Aries and a never-ending torrent of information and opinions from the shopkeeper. Dawn had tried to keep detailed notes at the beginning, but she was so thoroughly lost at this point that she'd only managed to scribble down a few nearly incomprehensible notes. She did have a list of plants that might be useful in the future though, from the cold-resistant evergreen plants that grew on the slopes of the mountains to the heat-resistant Magma Drop, a type of moss evolved to resist fires after centuries of growing near the slopes of volcanoes and the fire-type Pokémon that congregated there.

"Growing healing herbs is nice for long trips of course, but you'll likely want something else for battles," the shopkeeper said, turning to pick up yet another pot from the shelf behind her. "Fire and cold resistance are good, but you aren't a tree that can grow a shield of bark and those plants will still burn or freeze if hit directly. If you really want a good defense, especially against a physical attack, I'd recommend this." The pot held a small green herb with grassy, frond-like stems. Aries sniffed it, then shied back a little. It caught Dawn's attention, for the first time in a few minutes. That was a new reaction.

"Yes, spicy isn't it? Imagine what will happen if someone tries to bite down on you. This is Kalosian Tarragon, and it's got quite the kick. Any Pokémon that tries to bite you while you're growing this will regret it, as surely as if you'd grown a thornbush on your back. Now, that would be fun, but thorn bushes require deeper roots than you'd be able to handle…" And she was off again, talking about something Dawn didn't understand but Aries clearly did. Dawn carefully pulled herself to her feet, dancing around the pots, and went to examine the Tarragon. Who could have imagined something so tiny and ordinary looking could taste so spicy?

And if they tried plants like this, surprising those who tried to bite Aries with spicy flavors, could they try other tactics? Could he grow poisonous plants, ones that would poison any enemies who rubbed against him or bit at him, or would that end up hurting Aries himself?

There was so much to learn, so much to experiment with, but for now, Dawn thought this idea might give them an edge over Gardenia.

#

The Eterna City gym was the exact opposite of the Oreburgh Gym. For one thing, it didn't have a roof, or walls, as far as Dawn could see. Oh, there was a small entrance building, a brown roofed slate building that blended in with the style of the rest of the town, but the back of the building was a circle of thick trees that hid the stadium from view. Walking in now, she could barely see the first row of bleachers for spectators to watch from as it was hidden behind the thick wall of trees, bushes and wildflowers. The middle of the stadium was a standard battlefield, a square of dirt a few hundred meters long and wide, but when she looked at the edges and ignored the open sky above Dawn could almost imagine that she'd walked right back into the Eterna Forest. Here was a gym that gloried in the sun, plants and open skies, rather than the enclosed, rocky places deep beneath the earth like Roark's gym.

She stepped up to the challenger's box, doing her best to block out the cheers of the few spectators in the stands as she watched Gardenia walk to her spot across the field. Appreciated though they were, the cheers could distract her. "You kept me waiting!" Gardenia called, tossing a Pokéball up and down in her hands. "I was sure from the moment I saw you that'd I'd face you here on this battlefield someday. My hunch was right on the money. This will be so much fun! Let's battle!"

Dawn couldn't speak past the lump in her throat and simply nodded, passing her Pokéball from hand to hand and back again as she watched the referee walk out onto the field.

"This is a battle for the Forest Badge, a battle between Gym Leader Gardenia and Challenger Dawn of Twinleaf Town. This battle will be three on three, with substitutions allowed. Now, battle, start!"

Dawn threw Aries' Pokéball and let him loose onto the field. He appeared in his flash of red light, already arranging himself into a battle stance, legs braced and head down with his horns out. He was ready to charge. His grassy back was a wild mixture of sungrass, Gracideas and small patches of Tarragon, speed grown via Growth just for this battle. Ion had spent an hour trying to get the taste off his tongue after volunteering to test it earlier.

On Gardenia's side of the field, a smaller grass type appeared, one intimately familiar to Dawn: A Turtwig with a thick brown shell, somewhat leaner and lighter-looking than Atlas had been last time Dawn fought Lucas. It shook its head, making the leafy twig on its head dance in the wind.

Let's get this party started. See what it can do. "Aries, Razor Leaf!" The leaves shot out a moment after the words left her mouth, quick but still aimed incorrectly. That was fine. They didn't need good aim for this part.

"Sunny Day! Let's get this battlefield the way we like it Turtwig!" Turtwig groaned, turning to put its shell towards Dawn and Aries and opening its mouth wide, ignoring the leaves that hit the ground beside it and in one case hit the tough brown shell of its back, a yellow-orange glow appearing around the mouth as it gathered power.

"Aries, charge! Distract it!" Turtwig couldn't be allowed to set up Sunny Day, even if it would help Aries for the moment. A grass type Gym Leader would get far more out of the move than Dawn could. Sunny Day would take time to charge, and if they could stop it now, a frantic fight would likely stop Turtwig from trying again. They could mess up Gardenia's entire strategy here.

Aries pushed his head down and charged, gaining speed with every step. Turtwig didn't move, still charging power that made it shine like a furnace. Why didn't it move? Aries was a lot bigger than it was and would hit with some serious power. The closer Aries got, the less chance there was that Turtwig could dodge. So why wait? The power wasn't growing fast enough to complete before…

Aries smashed into… something, his legs flying out from beneath him and sending him into a side skid as his head stopped in midair as abruptly as if he'd run into a wall. What? There wasn't anything stopping him!

She looked closer, but couldn't see anything but a faint heat haze… no there! A blue shimmer in the air.

"Now Turtwig!" A ball of fiery orange energy shot into the air, splitting into a thousand tiny sparks as it flew, disappearing into the sky before exploding into a rain of fiery particles that burnt out before reaching the ground. Wherever the explosion reached the air become hot and hazy, drying out and intensifying the sunlight beating down on Dawn's skin. The faintly visible blue shimmer vanished.

Aries pulled himself off the ground with a pained heave, looking around for what had stopped his charge. There was nothing.

"Good job Turtwig! Now, show them why this is our gym!" Dawn didn't like the sound of that.

"Plant Leech Seeds!" Thick, knotted seeds appeared in Aries' grassy hide and he began to run, this time changing direction and speed at random, seeds shaking off his coat as they enacted a plan she hadn't wanted to resort to until their second opponent. It hadn't taken more than five seconds for her plans to fail this time.

Turtwig still hadn't moved. "Grass Knot!" A pair of tiny blades of grass yanked themselves out of the ground below Aries' stomping hooves, grabbed on to each other and yanked taut. Aries went stumbling to the ground for the second time that day, tripping over the tiny knot that appeared in the land before him. As before, he appeared to crash into the air itself as he went flying, sliding down a wall that Dawn couldn't see.

"No! Aries, are you-"

"Barrier Smash Turtwig! You have it down!" Barrier? What-

Oh no. "Aries, use Leech Seed to move yourself!" A pair of vines grew from the ground nearby, where one of his seeds had fallen, yanking on his back hooves and managing to yank him towards the source seed right before something smashed together behind him, kicking up a wave of dirt and dust.

Dawn could see the blue shimmer in the air this time, even behind the haze of Sunny Day's heat. There was too much power in the Reflect for Turtwig to hide it this time. Dawn could only marvel at the display, even as she tried to think of a way around it. Training a Turtwig, known to be mobile, nimble fighters at this stage in their evolutionary line, to be a defensive powerhouse using Reflect to stop opponents from getting close and hiding it with Sunny Day? Dawn hadn't given Gardenia nearly enough credit, and that might prove their undoing.

But those Reflect barriers were hard for a Psychic type to maintain against a dedicated assault, let alone a grass type. If they could get Turtwig to move- "Aries, Vine Whip in front of you! Use it to detect the barriers and charge!"

Aries stretched out his vines, picked himself off the ground and began to run again. At one point, one of the vines he had stretched out hit something and he darted to the side, swiping his vine to the side to determine where the edge of the barrier was. The strong sunlight and mild heat haze made it impossible to detect them by sight.

"Turtwig, Barrier Smash when it dodges!" Turtwig tried to move the barrier the next time Aries used his vines to detect it but Aries proved too nimble, jumping high to avoid the two sweeping barriers that appeared on either side. Dawn watched Gardenia closely as Aries approached, noting the tension lines that appeared in her face and body when he dodged the third barrier and made it within ten feet of Turtwig.

"Drop the barriers, dodge!' Her shout was almost too late but Turtwig managed to duck out of the way of Aries' horns and hooves just before he thundered past. Dawn really needed to get on giving him a real charging move instead of just Tackle. But as she'd suspected, Turtwig couldn't move and use Reflect at the same time.

"Nice one Dawn! I knew you'd be fun to battle, but you haven't seen all our tricks yet! Turtwig, Razor Leaf!" Turtwig dodged Aries' second attempt at Tackle with nimble feet and shot a barrage of Razor Leaves. Aries stopped in his tracks, allowing them to impact his grassy coat. They didn't cut or hurt him; instead, they simply stuck to his coat, forming a thick mass of leaves right behind his shoulders, another layer of protection between him and physical attacks. In a few hours they'd be broken down and consumed for energy, but for now they were a new barrier for Turtwig to break though.

"Shoot, it's got Sap Sipper!" Dawn grinned at Gardenia's comment. She'd been hoping that Gardenia would make that mistake. Especially since it would probably lead to…

"Guess we'll have to try another tactic then- Turtwig, Crunch!"

"Aries, Razor Leaf! Keep it back!" Aries' accuracy was still terrible, but once again it didn't matter. Turtwig dodged all the Razor Leaves easily, leaping at Aries with mouth agape and dripping black energy. He bit down on Aries' backside, causing Aries to cry out with pain. Only a second later Turtwig cried out as well, letting go of Aries and stumbling back, tongue out and panting, even trying to rub his mouth on the ground. The spicy Tarragon had done its work.

"Aries, trap it! Leech Seed!" Dawn called even as Gardenia cried out, asking Turtwig what was wrong. The seeds that Aries had planted earlier sprung to life, grabbing Turtwig while it was distracted by the burning pain on its tongue. Turtwig struggled, but the roots were strong and the light glowing along their length sucked the energy away from the grass type a little bit at a time.

"One last blow! Tackle!" Aries charged once again, horns out.

"Reflect!" Gardenia was desperate now. A faint blue haze appeared in the air before Aries, but he dodged to the side and kept running. Gardenia could only sigh as Turtwig was thrown across the battlefield from the force of the larger Pokémon's blow, knocked unconscious the moment it hit the ground. She recalled it with a flash of light and Dawn cheered louder than any of the spectators in the stands for her friend as he returned to her side of the field, grassy coat torn and moving slower than he'd started the battle, but ready to continue.

Gardenia grabbed another Pokéball and threw it high. Dawn recognized the Pokémon that emerged from her studies - a Cherrim, wrapped up in thick purple leaves, its face hidden. As soon as it materialized in the sunlight Cherrim changed dramatically. The giant purple leaves shrouding its form opened up, revealing a colorful pink and yellow body with a head that looked like a flower opened up to greet the sun. Shoot. Now Dawn knew why it had been so important to get the Sunny Day completed. Cherrim's energy moves and resistance would be far higher now that the sun was out.

"Time to show you what we can really do Dawn! I hope you're as ready as you think you are!" Gardenia didn't give Cherrim any orders - apparently Cherrim knew what to do, for as soon as the referee waved his hand for the round to start, Cherrim spat a torrent of glowing leaves. "No Cherrim!" Gardenia yelled, her decision to not give orders coming back to bite her as Sap Sipper did its work, grabbing the leaves as they impacted and adding them to Aries' defense. "You can't hit it with grass moves, it's got Sap Sipper! Bulldoze!"

"Aries get going! It can't bulldoze a wide area!" Bulldoze was Earthquake's weaker, smaller cousin, a substitute for a Pokémon that wasn't suited to learning the bigger, better version. If Aries got caught in Bulldoze he could get himself out but better to avoid the move entirely and get momentum going. "Lock it down with Leech Seed!"

Aries had depleted some of his planted Leech Seeds, but there was one close enough to Cherrim for the roots to reach for the grass type. Cherrim moved with surprising grace, jumping over the grasping roots and coming down with force, shaking and breaking the ground in wide area, wider than Dawn had expected, around it. The Bulldoze didn't quite reach Aries, but the general tremble in the ground caused him to stumble. That earlier fall and smashing into Turtwig's Reflect had made him less coordinated than usual.

"Now Cherrim! Weather Ball!" What?! No!

Cherrim was too quick. A ball of clear spiraling energy coalesced in Cherrim's open mouth, quickly turning a burning orange and catching alight as it absorbed the energy of Sunny Day before shooting straight at her friend. Aries was thrown back as it impacted him, a huge patch of burned grass and fur appearing on his right side. He struggled to rise, bleating pitifully.

"Aries, Razor Leaf! Distract it!" Dawn's heart raced and her hands clenched at her side, phantom sweat trickling between her fingers. Cherrim knew Weather Ball? Under the influence of Sunny Day and Cherrim's increased energy attacks, that was a deadly weapon. She needed to get him out of there!

Aries' aim was poor, as always. The Razor Leaves came close but impacted all around Cherrim instead of hitting Cherrim itself. Only one hit Cherrim, who didn't even appear to notice the slice as it prepared another Weather Ball. Aries yanked himself to his feet, bellowing with such force that it took Dawn aback. She had his Pokéball waiting in her hand, ready to pull him out before her gentle friend had to face any more pain and punishment. She hesitated, suddenly unwilling to raise the Pokéball.

Aries bellowed, voice overpowering the shouts of the crowd as he created a huge barrage of Razor Leaves. He couldn't aim them, but he was creating so many that it didn't matter- a huge barrage of leaves blocked most of the airspace between him and Cherrim. His eyes were wild as he fired, shaking his head from side to side.

Gardenia and Cherrim both gasped at the torrent of leaves heading their way. "Weather Ball Cherrim! Burn through!"

Cherrim launched the Weather Ball, burning a path through the barrage. It cleared some of the leaves heading for Cherrim, and many hit the ground on either side of the grass type, but just as many made it through to slice thin cuts into Cherrim, causing it to cry out with pain.

The Weather Ball, unhindered by burning through a few leaves, tore through the air to send Aries flying once again, burning more of his coat and sending him into unconsciousness. Dawn recalled him just as he hit the dirt, clutching the Pokéball to her chest, finding herself unable to say anything beyond the pride, shock and gratitude welling up inside.

She placed his Pokéball back on her belt, looking at Cherrim where it stood up again after being knocked to the ground by the barrage. It was hurt, not too badly but hurt. Aries' final, defiant act had caused at least some damage, but it was still strong enough to put up a good fight. That Sunny Day wasn't going to fade anytime soon so she'd need a Pokémon who could deal with Weather Ball.

Well, she had the perfect Pokémon to deal with fire, if not grass attacks. With only a moment's hesitation, Dawn threw Crest's Pokéball into their air. Crest appeared, chest puffed out and proud trill echoing over the battlefield. The cheers of the crowd for Gardenia's win gave way to mutters about Dawn's poor choice of Pokémon. Crest might not be the best Pokémon to face down grass types but Ion had even fewer ways to hurt them and she trusted Crest to help carry them through to the finish.

"A bold choice Dawn. Let's see if you two can back it up!" Gardenia gestured, apparently content to let Cherrim make its own decisions now that Sap Sipper was off the field. Cherrim instantly let loose a blinding pillar of light, like a hyper beam of sunlight. Solar Beam.

Crest only just managed to dive to the ground and avoid the pillar of light, as thick as his head and bursting with power. Dawn threw up her hands in front of her face as the Solar Beam impacted the psychic barriers right in front of her, causing a blinding light that reminded her of Ion's Flash.

When she was able to blink away the tears and see through the barrier, her heart leapt into her throat. Crest was running for all he was worth, trying to get away from the barrage of Magical Leaves that Cherrim sent his way. Mist trailed from his beak, like they'd practiced, but it burnt away in an instant in the hot sunlight of Sunny Day. Shadow's spikes, he would get caught in an instant if he couldn't hide himself as he got close!

A different tactic, they needed a different tactic- "Crest, Mist Bomb! Use them to take the hit!" Crest followed her command, taking a deep breath then spitting out a line of Bubbles filled with hazy Mist. He'd finally learned to do it internally rather than setting up Mist before capturing it in Bubbles. The barrage of Magical Leaves popped just enough of the Mist Bombs at once to cover Crest's area with Mist, obscuring his blue form.

"Remember the plan!" He didn't answer, but Dawn knew he'd heard. She waited, watching Gardenia's eyes dart across the field. Cherrim sent wave after wave of Magical Leaf through the misty area, but it only popped more bubbles and made the area expand. For a long moment nothing happened and the crowd fell silent, holding their collective breath.

Crest leapt from the Mist, beak longer than normal and glowing an eye-catching blue. He shot forward, stabbing his Peck into Cherrim's side. Cherrim shot backward, the force of the blow and its own light weight working against it. That light weight let it land without too much trouble, but it had trouble standing, wincing as it unfurled its petals once again and shot a round of Magical Leaf. If they could hit it that hard again, it wouldn't be able to get back up.

Crest tried to dive back into the mist, but it had already all but faded. "Bide!" Dawn yelled, watching their first defensive strategy disappear under the sun's harsh rays. Sunny Day had always been a possibility, but she'd been hoping the Mist would prove longer lasting than three seconds or so.

Crest crossed his flippers in front of himself and began glowing with subdued white light only a moment before the leaves slashed at him. He grunted, the noise becoming more of a whine as more and more leaves came at him. The white glow grew, but he was clearly feeling all those hits. Dawn waited, wincing every time she saw a deep cut form or a bit of feather drift to the ground.

"Keep going, just a little bit longer!"

"Not on our watch! Nail it with Solar Beam!" Dawn's heart dropped to the soles of her feet. Cherrim's strongest move gathered the sunlight quickly, green power welling up in an instant. Crest wasn't done with Bide and he couldn't move, what could they do to stop-

"Crest, let it loose!" It wasn't as strong as it could have been but they had no choice. Crest yanked his wings up and screeched, a blast of energy pouring from his body and tearing through the air to meet the Solar Beam that likewise ripped from Cherrim. The two moves met in an explosion of light and noise. For the second time Dawn had to throw up a hand to shield her eyes from the light but she heard an ominous screech of pain.

"Crest!" she yelled before she could even see her friend, searching through the dust cloud to find him. His small blue form appeared after a few moments, swaying from side to side. One of his wings was hanging limply, and he winced as he tried to move it. Cherrim on the other side of the field looked similarly battered, body shuddering as it breathed in and out, but still in a little better shape than Dawn would have liked.

Crest looked back at her and Dawn nodded grimly. This would come down to who could land the first hit. Crest looked forward again, raised his less-injured flipper and ran for Cherrim, zigzagging and dancing between the slow Magical Leaves that Cherrim sent his way. There were so few and they were so far between that Crest could dodge them even with his injuries.

"Come on Cherrim, just one more hit!" Gardenia's plea made Cherrim stand a little straighter, and wild, dancing green energy slowly formed in front of it to form a rough ball shape. Energy Ball.

Crest didn't slow, stumble or shy back at the threat as it formed. He charged, still zigzagging to make it harder to get a straight shot. Cherrim waited until he was only a few feet away. It fired.

Crest didn't dodge. Apparently their tactic from before had inspired him. He shot a Bubblebeam into the center of the Energy Ball, detonating it before it hit. He ran straight through the steam cloud, beak already glowing blue and lengthening even as he slammed it into Cherrim once again.

Cherrim dropped without a sound and the crowd roared, sounding like a hundred people instead of its actual size of maybe twenty. Or maybe Dawn thought so because she was screaming right alongside them, cheering for her friend as he crowed his victory above the fallen grass type. His victory had cost him however- Dawn could see his wounds hurt from the way he held himself and the injured wing slowed him as he made his way back to her side of the field. She knelt down as he approached.

"You did amazing Crest, better than I could have ever asked for. But you need some time to rest. I'm going to recall you now, okay?"

Crest screeched at this, thumping his chest with his working wing and thrusting his beak into the air. "I know that you can still fight, you just did amazing! You beat Cherrim even in Sunny Day with a type disadvantage! But you need time to rest." He appeared to consider this, but his eyes were still darting back over his shoulder, to where Gardenia was extracting her last Pokéball from the selection on her belt. One last push. "How about you go rest for now, and if we need you, I'll call you out again, okay? Zephyr can take care of it if it turns out weak, but if we need another battler to take on her strongest, we'll have you waiting in the wings. Is that okay?" Crest puffed up at this, finally allowing himself to be recalled.

Dawn stood up, taking Zephyr's scratched Pokéball off her belt. Time to end this, one way or another. If she had her way, Crest would have no need to come back out again.

"You think you have me cornered, don't you Dawn? It's not the end yet though! You've done well so far but your real challenge begins now! Roserade, it's your time to shine!"

The Pokémon that Dawn had expected, and feared, appeared on the torn battlefield. A Roserade emerged from the release light, not quite as large as the one Dawn had seen with Gardenia during this misadventure at the Old Chateau. It twirled in a circle before bowing low. The crowd ate it up, cheering even louder at the sight of the fully evolved grass type.

Time to reveal its natural predator. Dawn threw Zephyr's Pokéball and he emerged already flying, swooping low over the battlefield before soaring straight up, large shadow falling on the ground with his wings outstretched. The cheers grew louder still, with two factions emerging: one cheering for Zephyr and Dawn, another for Roserade and Gardenia.

"Time to get this party started! Roserade, poison it!" Oh that was not a good start. Roserade's barrage of Poison Stings got far too close for comfort and Zephyr had to drop into a dive immediately to avoid the spikes flung at him, He used the momentum to begin charging a Take Down, glowing with powerful white light.

"No!" Dawn yelled, resisting the urge slap her hand to her forehead. He couldn't get himself injured this early using Take Down, especially if they didn't yet know how fast Roserade was!

The answer turned out to be blisteringly fast. Roserade was never in any danger as Zephyr blitzed past the space where Roserade had stood less than a second before. Roserade shot a barrage of Razor Leaves and Poison Stings at his back in exchange for his trouble, but Zephyr changed directions the second he passed Roserade, narrowly avoiding the projectiles. Ion's repeated shocks had zapped many lessons on how to dodge into Zephyr's thick skull.

Zephyr dove down again, this time using Quick Attack. "Double Team!" Dawn yelled. Copies of the large avian appeared on all sides, diving at Roserade, glowing with the light and granted the speed of Quick Attack. Roserade didn't look worried. It once again waited until Zephyr was only a second away, then used one diminutive leg to tap the ground gently.

Long grass strands grew in an instant, shooting up far longer than grass should ever grow to wrap around the talons of every Zephyr and yank down, hard. For most, the grass blades simply went straight through, making the flimsy illusion disappear. For one, the real Zephyr, it yanked him down to the battlefield, carving a trench in the ground where he crashed and sending up a plume of dirt and dust.

"Zephyr, get up!" Dawn yelled, panic flaring. He was all but helpless on the ground, even if the grass blades had been yanked up by the force of the crash. Roserade was faster than her shout, appearing above the grounded Zephyr and dusting him with a generous helping of yellow powder. Zephyr lunged forward as soon as he gained his feet again, forcing Roserade to back up and giving him just enough time to take off again. However, as soon as he reached the air Dawn could see the stiffness in his movements, the slowness in each flap of his wings, the pain and tension in his excited eyes. He'd been partially paralyzed- that must have been Stun Spore.

Not good.

"Whirlwind! Stay away from it, get it to come to you!" Her hair moved , carried into her face by the gale now whipped up in the center of the battlefield.

"Root yourself!" Roserade stomped both legs deep into the ground and two thick roots grew from the field and wrapped themselves around its legs. The Whirlwind flew forward to catch Roserade in its grasp, but Roserade didn't move when it pulled, held down to the ground by the roots. Do they have a counter for everything a flying type can do?

Of course they did. How many trainers came to this gym with their flying types, likely Starly and Staravia themselves, thinking that that was all they needed to conquer the grass types of Eterna? I was a fool to think they wouldn't have counters for everything a Staravia could do.

But all that meant was that they would have to think outside the box.

For now, they had to wear Roserade down, while letting Zephyr move as little as possible. The heat of Sunny Day worked in her favor for once, providing plenty of warm updrafts to keep Zephyr aloft even with the paralysis stopping quick movement, or any movement if this battle went on long enough.

What could they do from up in the air? Force Roserade to come to them… "Zephyr, keep using Whirlwind! Make it as big as you can, force it to hold itself in place!" Zephyr's affirmative squawk already sounded tired and strained, but he did as she asked, conjuring a wild whirlwind that forced Roserade to root itself in place, unable to move or shoot long-range moves beyond the raging windstorm. Gardenia looked frustrated as she shot Zephyr a glance where he soared above the windstorm.

"Just wait Roserade! It'll have to stop eventually, and then you can shoot it out of the sky or knock it to the ground!" Gardenia was right. This was a standoff, but if they could time it right it was one that Zephyr would win.

Roserade fought to keep itself on the ground, more roots bursting up to grab its frail form and hold it fast. Zephyr moved in lazy spirals on the turbulent winds, using the rising hot air to keep from moving his paralyzed wings too much and to fuel his Whirlwind, waiting for the moment when Roserade could not keep itself from flying away or exhausted itself in the attempt. But Dawn could see Zephyr's impatience in his glances down towards Roserade, in the twitches in his flight feathers as he yearned to dive, to flap his wings even with the painful paralysis fighting him. He wasn't a fan of long standoffs. She was going to have to hope that Roserade's fortitude died before Zephyr's lust for battle won out over his obedience.

"Poison Powder, Poison Sting and Razor Leaf! Clog the air!" Roserade obeyed, firing massive barrages of dusty purple powder, stings and razor-sharp leaves, all of which hit the whirling tempest and shot up on the rising air. Zephyr got his wish as he suddenly had to duck and dive, bank and climb, to avoid the unpredictable clumps of poison powder, needles or razor leaves, often all at once. There wasn't enough poison powder to be a danger, but those Poison Stings and Razor Leaves would hurt or could cut important feathers, leaving him even less able to fly. Even now Dawn could see how much sloppier his flight was; he was slow, unable to switch between moves fast enough to avoid all the dangers the sky now held. He squawked as an Energy Ball slammed into his tail feathers, knocking a few out and throwing him upward.

Nightmares! For the second time in this battle, Dawn needed to spring their trap early, and it wasn't even guaranteed to work, on top of putting Zephyr in terrible danger if it failed. But Dawn wouldn't lose this battle because she was too afraid to take a risk!

"Zephyr, all in!" She'd taught him that code phrase last night. He followed her plan perfectly. Screeching proudly, he tucked his wings to his sides and fell into a steep dive, cloaking himself once again in the growing white light of Take Down. Reckless enhanced the move as he paid no attention to his own safety, all power focused on taking Roserade down in one fell swoop.

The wind began to blow out now that Zephyr was no longer actively maintaining the Whirlwind, but it didn't disappear completely. The wind was still strong enough to make Roserade hold itself in place, right where Zephyr aimed his last, devastating blow. A sitting target.

Of course, it was never that easy. "Trap it!" Roserade's roots moved- like the long legs of a Galvantula crawling over the earth more roots further away grew and grabbed on to Roserade while others let go, allowing it to move away even in the harsh wind. Zephyr couldn't course correct even if he wanted to; his wings were locked into place by the paralysis.

Dawn winced, crying out as she watched Zephyr hit the ground with a thunderous crash, throwing up another plume of dirt and making the ground tremble tiny bit. He'd carried no small amount of force along with that crash. When the dirt fell back to the earth, no longer carried into the air by the dying wind, she saw he'd dug huge trench into the ground, dwarfing the ones that the earlier battles had carved into the battlefield. The light faded from his body and he appeared fully unconscious, still and unmoving where he lay.

The referee made to move forward, but before he could check if Zephyr was unconscious, the wind began to pick up again, moving in a slight motion like the earlier Whirlwind.

"A good try Dawn, but you won't catch us with a trick like that! Roserade, finish it off, don't let it blow you away now." Gardenia was grinning wide, so sure she'd won. Dawn could only cross her fingers and pray to the Legends that Zephyr could pull off their backup plan in his current state.

Roserade tried to prepare a Solar Beam, the light gathering quickly in its roses, but the nascent Whirlwind strengthened, the twitches of movement in Zephyr's outstretched wings barely enough to make Roserade root itself again. Dawn ached to see the expression of strain in Zephyr's eyes, the way his beak opened as if to screech though no sound came out. He was hurt, so hurt, but he wouldn't give up and Dawn knew better than to ask him to.

"Get closer so it can't throw your aim off then shoot!" Gardenia was impatient now. Zephyr's whirlwind kept growing in strength but Roserade pushed through easily, until it was only a few feet from Zephyr. A different move formed in the space between its roses this time, sludgy purple forming into a thick, pooling mass held in the air in front of Roserade by the grass and poison type's iron will. If Zephyr was hit by that the battle was over.

Roserade pushed the Sludge Bomb forward, shooting towards Zephyr's prone form, and Zephyr struck. He shoved himself up onto unsteady talons, wings charged with light blue energy as he thrust them forward, just close enough to land a pair of hard blows with Wing Attack as he crushed Roserade between his powerful, battered wings. He took the Sludge Bomb to the chest and fell, a soft cry escaping his beak as he toppled, Roserade stumbling away, the wounds of both sides unmistakable and one of its roses crushed so much as to be unusable.

Dawn couldn't help herself- she raced out onto the field to check if Zephyr was alright. He was collapsed to the ground, all tension left from his body, his eyes closed and beak shut. She'd never seen him this still before- only the slight movement of his chest told her he was okay. A deep purple hue covered his chest- he needed that seen to the second the battle was over. She ran a gentle hand over the feathers on his head, unable to say anything beyond the lump in her throat, then recalled him to his Pokéball.

Gardenia watched with an unreadable expression as Dawn walked back to her box, Roserade regaining its feet and battle stance as she turned around to face them. The crowd had fallen silent at the harsh end to the battle, but the mutters and even muted cheers were beginning to return.

"Time to end this," Dawn whispered, hand brushing the Pokéballs along her waist. "No matter how it goes, know that I'm proud of you all." Roserade was injured, significantly so, but it still had plenty of gas in the tank and it packed a punch, especially since she only had Crest left. He was injured and exhausted already and a short rest wouldn't have changed that much. He was a small water type facing down a fully evolved grass type. But she'd promised him, and she believed in him. Even if they couldn't pull out a win, Dawn would make Gardenia fight for every inch Dawn and her team were forced to give up.

Dawn released Crest onto the field. He blinked and looked around, momentarily confused before he realized why he'd been released onto the battlefield again and shrieked a war cry, staring daggers at Roserade.

"It beat Zephyr! Watch out, it's got a lot of power behind those attacks and it's faster than expected!" Dawn yelled, the sound of her heart thumping in her chest louder than it should have been. One last chance. They had to make it count.

"You've done well Dawn, but this is where it ends. Roserade, you know what to do."

"Crest, Mist Bomb!"

Roserade's immediate Razor Leaf tore straight through Crest's meager Mist Bomb, the few bubbles he'd produced torn to shreds and the mist inside dispersed by the speed of the passing leaves. Crest ran for it, dodging the leaves as best he could. Their nightly training runs paid off in this moment as he kept ahead of the never-ending stream of leaves Roserade shot at him. Even using only one rose, there were too many leaves to let Crest focus on anything but running.

So Dawn had to come up with a strategy for him. "Crest, dive and roll! Get close to Roserade!" He adjusted his course, diving beneath a stream of Razor Leaves and rolling to avoid another stream, zigzagging and making his way towards Roserade. "Bubblebeam if you can, slow the storm!" He pushed out a Bubblebeam as he ran, slowing the leaves just enough that for the most part they bounced off his chest instead of slicing into it. He made slow progress, getting closer and closer to Roserade. Roserade didn't move, likely too hurt from Zephyr's crushing Wing Attack, but Dawn remembered the speed from earlier. It could move if it had to, slower, but too fast for Crest in his current state.

Dawn watched a thin line of blood well up from a cut on his face and winced, frustration and despair waging a battle inside. We're so close! We can't lose now!

"Crest, Peck!" He was just close enough. He lunged in, heedless of the Razor Leaves. As expected, Roserade danced out of the way, but Crest had the presence of mind to turn his head in midair and lash out, striking the right side of Roserade where Zephyr had hit not too long ago.

It was a lucky blow, but no less painful for it. Roserade cried out and backed up fast, Razor Leaves forgotten in its haste. Crest landed and whirled, racing back to Roserade for another blow.

He didn't get the chance. Dawn could see real anger in Roserade's choppy motions as it moved the broken flower and intact one in sync, throwing them towards the sky in a pulling motion. Roots, grown from near imperceptible seeds planted in the ground, grew in an instant to grab Crest in a tightly woven net glowing with green light that made Crest cry out when it pulsed. He'd gotten caught in Leech Seed, the very trick Dawn had used earlier in the battle. It felt like a lifetime ago as she watched their chances of victory slip away with every pulse of green light.

Crest was oddly silent where he stood, trapped, twitching and struggling against the vines even as they sucked his energy away. Roserade prepared a final blow: An Energy Ball, growing to match the size of Crest's head in a matter of seconds. The entire stadium fell silent as Roserade prepared its final strike. Dawn watched Crest's head slump to his chest, the light growing, and she knew that they'd lost.

Light.

Faint at first, it grew to blinding within the span of a second, emanating from Crest's worn out, battered body. Roserade's Energy Ball faded away to nothingness as it stumbled back. Dawn heard a gasp from Gardenia and a collective sound of surprise emanate from the stands. Dawn was too astonished to speak, eyes fixed on the glowing light and feeling the hope growing inside as the light pulsed with a rhythm not unlike a heartbeat.

Her starter's body was growing, changing even as she watched. His short, round body grew taller, forcing the roots holding him to loosen their grip. His round head thinned to something sleeker even as his stubby wings lengthened. His legs grew longer and his feet grew wider to accommodate his taller body. A pair of crests grew over his head like a prince's crown. The evolutionary light pulsed a final time then burst away to reveal a Prinplup standing where a Piplup had fallen. Crest shrieked again, his voice deeper, more powerful than a Piplup's high-pitched chirps.

The crowd roared louder than ever. Gardenia, Dawn and Roserade were all frozen with surprise, Dawn's joy threatening to tear out of her at any moment. Crest didn't wait for them to get their bearings. He threw off the loosened roots and charged in, longer legs carrying forward faster than he could have moved as a mere Piplup. His beak glowed with blue Flying-type energy and his wings began to glow as well, gaining a shining metal sheen, their edges now as sharp as any sword. He'd learned Metal Claw, a reflection of the step he'd taken towards the steel frame of the mighty Empoleon.

Roserade wasn't stunned enough to ignore the danger. Once again Roserade danced away, but now Crest moved in time, turning the dodge into a dangerous dance as Roserade moved away from his wings as they slashed and thrust in a constantly changing rhythm and pattern, filling in any gaps with a stab of his beak. Crest didn't give Roserade time to rest or prepare a move, relentless in his pursuit of the grass type as he set out to make it pay for the pain it had inflicted earlier.

Gardenia was nervous now. She didn't show any of the normal signs of nervousness, and Dawn shouldn't have expected her to. Gardenia was a Gym Leader of a major city, one of the Eight Protectors of Sinnoh. This was far from the most important or probably even most exciting battle Gardenia had ever been a part of. But Gardenia was nervous. Dawn could tell by the way her eyes tracked every movement on the battlefield, the way she leaned forward just a tad when Crest got too close. Finally, she broke.

"Roserade, Petal Blizzard! One last push!" The pink petals fell in a constant stream from Roserade's uninjured rose hand, picking up in a phantom wind to spiral around Roserade and force Crest back. They remained around Roserade for a moment, surrounding their master as it stilled, dropping into a trance state to control the petals. If this move didn't work, Roserade would be vulnerable. If it did, the battle was over. A final gambit. Time to show Gardenia their own.

"Crest, Mist Bomb! Grab the petals!" The petals shot forward, a thick cloud of pink and red, and Crest took a deep breath in and spat a calvacade of bubbles nearly as big as Roserade's Petal Blizzard. Each bubble crashed into and in some cases absorbed the petals, while others burst apart and sent mist spiraling around the battlefield. This Mist was stronger than Crest's Mist Bomb earlier in the battle- it didn't fade in less than a second, instead remaining even with the sun beating down on it. Crest was lost in the mist in a moment, but the petals were similarly hidden. Dawn couldn't see what was happening in there.

What she did see gave her one last idea. A few small shards of ice on the battlefield, on the ground near where the Petal Blizzard and Mist Bomb had met, quickly hidden by the mist but sparking an idea.

"Crest! Mist Bomb above Roserade! Make it as cold as you can!" Only heartbeats later a stream of Mist Bombs shot out of the cloud, aimed so they would pass right above Roserade. As Dawn had suspected, after a few seconds some of the Bubbles began to lose buoyancy, falling out of the air. She couldn't see the ice that coated their surfaces, the Mist inside now cold enough to freeze their containers, but she could see where they fell.

Right on to Roserade. A cry of surprise emanated from the grass type. The few petals Dawn could see dropped to the ground as Roserade lost focus due to the pain of the falling ice. Movement, then a screech of pure triumph and a cry of pain.

The Mist dispersed, the sun finally winning the battle. Crest stood, tall and proud, the sunlight making the crests on his head gleam the gold of a king's crown, over the fallen, battered body of Roserade. It was over. They'd won!

"Crest, you did it! You did it!" Dawn didn't know what else she could say to express the utter joy. Hopefully the smile that was threatening to split her face in half and fists raised into the air did a better job of conveying her feelings to her partner than her paltry words. Crest raised his own wings into the air, matching her gesture, screeching his victory to the sky over the roar of the crowd. Before today Dawn would not have guessed that a mere twenty people could make so much noise.

Running closer, Dawn could see that Crest was still in bad shape. He was breathing hard and there was exhaustion in every line of his body now that the adrenaline and evolution highs were wearing off. His evolution had fixed his physical injuries, but he needed a long break and a checkup with Eterna's Nurse Joy.

"I might've said it before, but you're tough Dawn! You've been raising your Pokémon really well," Gardenia said, walking over to stand next to Dawn. "I haven't seen an evolution in the middle of a battle like that in ages! But I guess that's the measure of how close you two are, that he could pull that out of the hat and evolve to help you win the battle like that. Prinplup, you were great, Roserade doesn't get beaten very often!" Gardenia fished around in her pocket, pulling out a small green badge, holding it out to Dawn. "Here you are, the Forest Badge! You're the first rookie in a while to earn it!" Dawn held the badge up to the light, studying the deep green design, then showed it to Crest. He squawked again, pride in his voice.

"Alright, a bet's a bet! Meet me here at the gym tomorrow and I'll teach you how to ride that Skiddo of yours!" Gardenia bid them farewell after that, and Dawn recalled Crest. Her smile didn't fade even as she walked back to the Pokémon Center, delivering the Pokéballs of her brave fighters to Nurse Joy. Even as she prepared for bed and eyes grew heavy, her smile didn't fade until her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep, the light of Crest's evolution still dancing and pulsing in her mind's eye.

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Who doesn't love a good gym battle? Hope you liked the chapter, let me know what you thought! I'm hoping to push another chapter out in April but it might have to wait until May as I'll be working on drafting new chapters during Camp NaNoWriMo in April. Thanks for reading!