Guilt and Flowers.


Not sooner had the sun risen through the east that Inyssa set foot on the door of Eterna City's Gym, posture rigid as steel and eyes brimming with determination.

She inhaled the sharp, cold air around her and the sweet scent of her ivory cotton scarf, freshly washed that morning of all the dirt and soot which had clung to it ever since the Chateau's collapse. She felt something poking her in the forehead. Steven's tiny legs were adjusting his body while he was on top of her hat, the wind from the north threatening to topple him backwards. To her left and right stood Shadi, her thick mustache shivering with the morning's cold, and Enma, his body steaming and the flame on his tail burning brightly. Behind her, she could barely hear Barry's breathing, and when she turned around she found him in the same state she'd seen him since they had left the Pokemon Center; chin up and hands clenched into fists. His smile was thin and pale, stretched across his face in the same way Sarah's always was. His body was still but she could almost feel the electricity coming from his pores, a good night's sleep apparently being enough to restore the boy to his usual overexcited state.

She smiled back, the dryness in her lips hurting slightly, and she felt her heart starting to beat faster.

"Last time this didn't go as expected." She broke the silence, inadvertently delaying their entrance to the establishment. "But this place does seem to have an actual Gym Leader, so I say we mark this as our official first test in the Sinnoh League."

He nodded, arms crossed. "Back in Oreburgh we didn't even give each other points after our battles. How's the score right now?"

"Forty six to forty four." She allowed herself a coy smile, which she made sure Barry could see. "I'm winning."

"Well, I'm feeling lucky today. Whoever has the least fainted Pokemon at the end of the battle wins a point. If you lose the fight, you lose a point. Sounds good?"

A simple nod was her only response, and after another moment of hesitation her hands moved towards both sides of the door, pushing them aside. The path ahead opened up to a mess of green and browns, with ocassional different colors adorning what appeared to be a mix between an in-door park and a winter garden. Unlike Floaroma, the place didn't have an overpowering smell, but a subtle citric scent which danced around them like mist, complementing the cold wind. As she walked through the dirt road beneath her feet, her gaze moved between the flora of the place: camellias, winterberries and witch hazels created a mix of colors that were quite pleasant to the sight, so much that she started walking slower just to appreciate their beauty. Unfortunately, Barry protested by clashing his head against her back, in a similar way to when they were kids.

"Come on Niss! We already smelled flowers in Floaroma, let's go fight the Gym Leader!" he yelled, and next to him Enma nodded energetically.

She shot them an icy look and reluctantly moved forward until the beautiful garden was behind her and the second door towards the actual Gym was at hand's reach. Once again she walked through, and at the other side she found the place they had gotten into so much trouble trying to find. The room was twice as big as Oreburgh's arena, the steps at the side shining brightly below the sunlight, and the sand beneath her feet covering every inch of the battlefield. A few kids and teenagers were scattered through the place, either talking to each other or training their grass Pokemon. In the exact middle of the place stood Gardenia and Sarah, the only two adults that could be seen around.

"Mom! When did you get here?" She felt her body being jerked forward as Barry almost jumped on top of her to get a better view. "We didn't find you when we woke up so we though you were working!"

Sarah's turn was sudden, her body freezing for a fraction of a second before her eyes moved towards them with the speed of a Ninjask. Inyssa could see a glimpse of surprise in her face, altough it only lasted a second before she relaxed her guard, her lips forming a relieved smile. She appeared to be on edge, ready to jump to action at a moment's notice. Dark bags adorned the underside of her eyes, revealing just how little sleep the woman had gotten the night before.

"Barry... Inyssa..." She spoke in a low, raspy tone, and behind her Gardenia winked at both of them. "Good morning, I wasn't expecting you until twelve at least."

"Is everything okay?" Inyssa asked.

"Yes, don't worry about me." She raised a hand, showing a thin smile. "We were simply discussing town matters."

"Still working on that terrorism case," said Gardenia, both hands on her hips. "We haven't got much info on those Galactic guys, but there's some weird stuff going on around here. A couple citizens have been missing, and Pokemon all over the place are acting strange. We had to deal with some violent cases last night."

Sarah scowled at her. "Gardenia, they don't need to hear that."

"Right, right, sorry." She smiled nervously, wiping her palms on the fabric of her pants. "Aaaanyways, it's nice to finally met you two, I've been waiting for ya." She moved her gaze from the kids to Inyssa's Pokemon. "I see you already got your companions ready."

"We didn't want to wait in line for our fight," Inyssa admitted, trying to imbue her voice with as much confidence as possible. "And we figured it'd be better for your reputation if as few people as possible saw you lose against two children."

Gardenia's eyes sparked with either amusement or irritation, perhaps a mix of both. She approached the kids, her cinnamon hair waving with the wind coming from the open roof of the arena, and with a simple movement of her hand she produced a shiny, Green Pokeball.

"Oh I like these kids," she whispered, and Inyssa noticed Barry's slight blush at her side. "Alright sprouts, how many badges do you have? I wanna make sure I get a proper fight; I might be a gardener but tending to flowers and plants ain't the only thing I'm good at."

"We have one badge, miss... I mean Gardenia!" Barry replied, his voice an octave higher than usual.

"Yeah, we got it from Grumpy McFossilFace," Inyssa added. "Also you already used that sprout pun last night."

"Ah, you must have fought against Roark," she nodded. "I can see how that would drop your spirits a bit. Poor kid's not really made for the job, is he. But don't you worry, I'll make sure you get your time's worth here!" She punched the palm of her own hand, eyebrows raising and eyes full of fire.

Inyssa couldn't help but feel weirded out by the woman's changing behaviour. She'd seemed so chill and relaxed back in the Pokemon Center.

"We're ready when you are."

"Actually... before we start, I have a proposition for you two." She told them while spinning her Pokeball on her index finger. "As long as Sarah doesn't mind if I bend the Association rules a little bit."

"Pretend I'm not here," said the woman.

"Perfect! Alright you two, listen carefully. League regulations set three Pokemon as the maximum I can use against trainers with five badges or less, but that doesn't sound very fun, does it? And since you both seem to know each other..." A devious smile formed on her lips. "What do you think about a double battle? Both of you against me, four Pokemon on each side. That way I can really see what you kids are made of."

The idea caught both of them off guard. Inyssa stood there, weakly stomping her feet in the ground, her eyebrows knit. But before she had time to consider it, Barry's voice boomed at her side, almost deafening her.

"Oh my gosh, can we do that!?" She hadn't seen Barry so excited since he'd gotten that Snorlax plushy from her on his last birthday. "You're on! Right, Niss!?"

She shrugged. "Fine by me."

Gardenia needed to hear no more. With a simple smile she turned around and started walking towards the other side of the arena, ordering her students to clear the field as she passed through. Sarah shot them a warm look and headed towards the stands.

"Guess that means we can only use two Pokemon each." She whispered, biting her finger. "Sorry Enma, but you'll have to stay out of this one."

Enma's flame shot up until it was twice its size, and from his flaring eyes and the fact he was showing his teeth at her she guessed he wasn't too happy about her decision.

"You've already gotten a ton of experience these past days," she said. "Your other teammates need to fight once in a while too."

Enma simply spat at his side, crossing his arms and looking away from her. She figured that was the best possible reaction she was going to get from him, so she took it. Turning towards Barry she found him lost in thought.

"Do you mind telling me what Pokemon are you going to use?" she asked him, bringing him back to reality.

"And ruin the surprise? Come on Niss, you know me better than that," he said, grabbing a Pokeball from his belt. "Trust me, I've got an amazing idea, probably the best I've ever come up with! You'll absolutely die of shock."

She shrugged, and figured that she would find out eventually. Without another word they walked towards the designated ring for challengers, and before a minute passed the arena had been completely cleared. At the stands on the side were a couple spectators, mostly Gym students. Gardenia's voice filled the stadium, with a booming sound like that of a sport's commentator.

"This will be our first battle of the day so y'all better pay attention, you might learn something for once!" She bellowed to her students on the stands. "Barry Paladino, Inyssa Dawn, are you two ready?"

"Yes we are, Miss Gardenia!" Barry yelled, his voice cracking from excitedness.

"Bring it!" Inyssa yelled.

"In that case, today's Gym battle..." She threw her hand up, pointing at the sky. "...oficially begins!"

Inyssa closed her eyes for a moment, and for the first time in days she felt perfectly in place. All her worries about what had happened recently disappeared from her mind and she felt the wild beating of her heart warming up her entire body. She allowed herself a simple smile; that was exactly the feeling she'd been looking for, what she had been seeking for so long. She clenched her right fist, and once she opened her eyes she pointed directly at Gardenia, voice shaking with enthusiasm.

"Shadi, I choose you!"

The Kricketune jumped into action, her thin scythes glistening beneath the sunlight. Gardenia took two Pokeballs from her poncho and threw them into the air, the light from them materializing into two somewhat familiar Pokemon. One of them was the same green tortoise she'd seen with Lucas, while the other one was a taller, graceful figure with two roses instead of hands whom Inyssa recognized as Bret's evolution. The Turtwig and Roselia stood still, waiting.

"Ohh I'm so pumped!" Barry yelled next to her, and with as much force as possible he threw his Pokeball into the air. "Go, Kitsune!"

That piqued Inyssa's interest, and she set her sight directly on the shape appearing next to Shadi, excited to see what new Pokemon Barry had managed to catch. The pulsing light turned into a small, yellow and brown fox with thin arms and legs and slanted, almost completely closed eyes. The creature's butt hit the floor as soon as he appeared, and the bobbing of his head told her that he wanted nothing more than to be left alone so he could go back to sleep.

"An Abra," she whispered, not believing what she was seeing. "Are you serious!? You're going to use an Abra in a Gym battle!?" Her arms were slightly trembling, and she felt a strong urge to put her hands around his neck. "What is wrong with you?"

Barry simply smiled, not being fazed by her rage, and pointed at his Pokemon.

"Quick, jump onto Shadi's back!" he ordered.

The Abra turned around to look at him, and with a deep sigh he did as he was told, lazily grabbing onto the bug's back with his thin arms. Inyssa's mouth hung open, her brain trying to determine just what the hell was Barry thinking. Abra were useless in battle, the only move they knew was...

A light lit up in her head, and she couldn't help but laugh. Barry's expression turned smug as he stroked his chin, staring at her expectedly.

"Turtwig, use Curse!" Gardenia yelled from the other side of the arena. "Roselia, Razor Leaf!"

The tortoise planted his four feet firmly on the ground, and a pulsing, dark energy began to glow around him, making him heavier and stronger. Meanwhile the rose Pokemon put both her buds forward and with a ragged scream they began to glow, expelling wave after wave of sharp, knife like petals towards them. Barry simply gave her a side look, urging her to do the honors.

"Shadi, use Fury Cutter on Roselia!" she yelled.

"Kitsune, Teleport!" Barry followed.

Shadi brandished her two scythes, which began to glow with a pale, maroon energy. The razor petals were still advancing towards them, but the moment before they hit both Pokemon blinked out of existence in an almost imperceptible flash of purple. Gardenia's eyes went wide. A pop was heard as they materialized behind Roselia, who was too slow to react to the incoming attack. Inyssa was only able to hear the impact as the rose Pokemon went flying through the arena, landing face first onto the sand.

"Turtwig, they're close to you! Bite them!" Gardenia ordered.

Turtwig nodded and ran towards his opponents, maw opened wide. However his previous attack had rendered him too slow, and before he could reach them they teleported once again, slipping through his jaws. Roselia was still trying to get up, her body shaking from the previous attack, when Shadi appeared behind her and with another arc of her scythe sent her up ten feet towards the roof, the power of her attack increasing the more she used it.

"Finish her off!" Inyssa yelled, fists clenched.

The air pressurized around Shadi and Abra, and with another violet flash they appeared on top of their victim, the Kricketune's scythe contracting as far back as possible. Inyssa had to look away as the impact sent Roselia downwards like a cannonball, raising clouds of sand around her body as she went completely limp. At the other side of the arena, Gardenia froze for a moment. Her mouth went from being slightly open to forming a fiery smile.

"Oh hell yes," she said, her voice only a whisper. "That was a pretty nifty strategy. I can tell you two ain't gonna disappoint me." She returned Roselia to her Pokeball, and immediatly took another one from her poncho. "But I'm afraid that won't work again. Go, Cherrim!"

Her new Pokemon appeared in the field next to Turtwig, light turning into what appeared to be a purple flower bud with two tiny legs. Inyssa couldn't even see a face or arms on it.

"The hell is that?" she whispered, narrowing her eyes. "I've never seen that Pokemon, it's kind of like a lame version of Bret."

"Looks super weak," Barry concluded. "Just focus on the Turtwig! Come on, before he has time to buff himself even more."

Inyssa thought about it for a second, her eyes still set on that strange Pokemon. Gardenia wouldn't have sent it if he wasn't useful, but then again what could something so small do to them? She decided to go with Barry's plan. For now the tortoise was the clear target to attack.

"Fury Cutter again!" she ordered, a speck of doubt in her voice.

Shadi brandished her scythes once more, and being the fourth time she used the same attack the energy emanating from them began to shake the ground beneath her. The Kricketune set her eyes on her opponent, and with a small jump she pushed herself towards him.

"Turtwig, Sunny Day, before she reaches you!" Gardenia shouted.

Turtwig raised his head towards the sky, and with a deep roar he gathered energy in a small, grey ball inside his maw, launching it upwards with extreme force. Inyssa couldn't help but follow its trajectory as it flew through the clouds above, disappearing above them. For a short moment nothing happened, and she entertained the idea that the attack had failed, but before she got her hopes up the sky started clearing, all the clouds above the stadium parting and letting space free for strong rays of sunlight to fall into the arena.

Which didn't particularly help the Turtwig as Shadi and Kitsune teleported in front of him and wrecked him with a single hit, his body flying backwards and almost breaking the stone of the wall. He landed with a deaf thomp and altough that had been the strongest slash from Shadi yet, the small Pokemon wasn't unconcious yet due to his fortified defenses. She was about to order another attack when Barry interrupted her.

"Whoa, what's that thing doing!?"

Furrowing her brow, she looked at what Barry was pointing at. The petals on the Cherrim's body were slowly opening, dark purple turning into a pale pink as he revealed his true form, two tiny pink arms coming out from inside the bud and finally showing his round, cute face. Inyssa stood in shock for a few seconds, head leaned to the side.

"Do you like this cutie over here?" Gardenia asked, smug smile on her face. "Cherrim's ability lets him change his form when under strong sunlight, and it gives him a whole lotta speed and power!" she explained, arms crossed and pride clear in her voice. "Oh and trust me, that's not the only trick this little guy has..."

Barry and Inyssa exchanged a worried look. She mentally cursed their lack of experience and her mind began to race trying to think of the possible implications of Gardenia's words. Whatever she meant with that, it didn't matter. As long as they had that powerful teleport combo on their side they had everything under control.

"Fury Cutter one more time!" she yelled, wanting to get it over with as soon as possible.

"I already told you that won't work again," Gardenia replied, voice firm. "Cherrim, Solar Beam!"

The woman greatly enjoyed the look of horror on their faces as they realized what they'd walked into. Inyssa's heart dropped as she witnessed the flower Pokemon slowly raising from the floor upwards, a tremendous amount of solar energy gathering around his body until he looked like a miniature sun. She wanted to yell to Shadi to hurry and attack immediatly, but it was too late even before the words left her mouth.

The flash of light blinded her. Even without being able to see anything she felt the tremor in her bones while the ground of the arena shook violently as if an earthquake were happening under them. Dust covered the entire place, extending towards them like mist, and she had to force her vision to finally find their Pokemon.

Both Shadi and Kitsune laid on the sand, face down. The Abra was completely still, unconscious, while her Pokemon was weakly trying to get up, her resistance to grass moves being the only reason she was still standing. Her red body was covered in burn marks and a few drops of blood fell to the ground under her.

Of course... how could she forget about Solar Beam? It was one of the strongest grass moves in existence, and while it usually took a long time to charge, under such strong sunlight that disadvantage had completely disappeared.

"That... was amazing!" Barry spoke with a thin voice, a huge smile on his face. "Niss did you see that? I've never seen that attack in real life, it looked just like one of those cool attacks in anime!"

"Barry, shut up!" She snapped at him, her brain still trying to come up with a strategy. "Listen, do you have your Buizel?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah." He took one of his newest Pokeballs from his belt. "But he's water type, I don't think he'll get much done here."

"Just trust me." She approached him, and whispered something in his ear. "... did you get that?"

He nodded, and pointed Kitsune's Pokeball towards his body. "Yeah! That sounds like a good plan." The small fox Pokemon came back to him, and he threw the new one towards the field. "Razen, come out!"

The Buizel materialized on the field, arms crossed. His resolve seemed to falter at the sight of what he had to face, but only for a moment.

Inyssa looked at Shadi, who had just finished getting up and was now breathing deeply and unevenly, barely conscious. She thought her plan through three more times, and while she admitted it wasn't perfect they really didn't have that many choices.

"Wow, thanks for bringing my Cherrim a free snack there, boy!" Gardenia shouted from the other side. "Solar Beam one more time!"

Once again the flower Pokemon flew upwards, his body glistening with the energy of the sun. Inyssa bit her lip, she had no time to think anymore.

"Shadi, use Fury cutter, but don't attack anyone!" The words felt crazy coming out of her mouth, and her Pokemon's expression told her she shared the sentiment. "Just trust me, charge the attack and turn towards your partner!"

The Kricketune did as she was told, and only with a bit of hesitation she turned towards Razen, putting her scythe hands in front of her in an X shape. Being the fifth time she used the attack consecutively the power was stronger than ever, so much that Shadi was having problem containing it in her body.

"Razen, it's your turn," Barry told his Pokemon, "Water Gun at Shadi!"

The Buizel inhaled deeply before expelling a small torrent of water from his mouth toward his partner. Inyssa couldn't help but smile at Gardenia's bewildered expression, and she mentally crossed her fingers for this to work. The moment Razen's attack hit Shadi the water started dissipating, turning to steam due to the incredible amount of energy in her scythes. A cloud of mist rose from her exhausted body and filled the entire stadium, blocking everyone's view and rising towards the open roof, where it hid the light of the sun and cancelled Cherrim's attack.

"Oh you clever little shits." Gardenia whispered, not being able to contain a laugh. "Nice, very nice."

The light disappeared from the Cherrim's body. The flower Pokemon fell to the ground and painfully started to squirm, not being able to contain his true form anymore. The petals behind his head started contracting once again until it fully covered his body, now making him look the same as when he had come out of his Pokeball.

"Shadi quick, attack them before the steam dissolves!" Inyssa ordered.

Only half concious and with ragged breath the Kricketune turned towards the Cherrim and Turtwig. The power from her previous attack was still on her scythes, and without moving an inch she formed an X once again, and took a deep breath. Mist gathered around her feet like a tiny hurricane and pressure started bulding in her hands.

"That... doesn't look like Fury Cutter," Barry leaned forward, furrowed brow.

"It's not." Inyssa lifted her chin and let out a small chuckle. "It's X-Scissor."

Shadi looked backwards once, and her eyes met with Inyssa's. She could see her mustache twitching into a weak smile, pride shining in her eyes. She didn't understand Pokemon language, but Inyssa could see a Thanks in that gaze. Without hesitating the Kricketune slashed the air in front of her, and a cross shaped projectile of green energy flew towards Gardenia's Pokemon, leaving a trail of sand on its path. Cherrim and Turtwig desperately tried to run away, but they were too slow and the attack too powerful. The impact raised another cloud of dust as both Pokemon hit the ground, not being able to fight anymore.

In the midst of those moments Inyssa could swear she heard a weak, proud laugh coming from Shadi, just before her body collapsed. She put a hand on her chest, a warm feeling growing inside her, and walking towards her she pointed at her with her Pokeball.

"You did so, so well," she whispered, her nose crinkling. "Good job."

"Oh man!" Gardenia raised both arms to the sky, and to Inyssa it seemed like she was enjoying the battle a little too much. "Gotta admit, it's been a while since I had to fight this hard against a couple of children. You two are wonderful, I'm kinda sad this is almost over!" She returned both Pokemon to their respective balls, and with a bit of fanfare took the last one out of her pocket. "But this has gone on for too long and I do have other challengers, so I'm afraid I'll have to cut this short."

Gardenia punched the air in front of her, Pokeball in hand, and it opened up on a flash of light which dropped to the floor, forming an unfamiliar shape. Her last Pokemon was almost as tall as her, slim and shiny green, with white hair and what looked like two rose bouquets on his hands. His mouth was covered with a green bandana and a red scarf was tied around his neck, flowing with the cold wind. He looked quite similar to the Roselia she'd summoned before, but just different enough to raise Inyssa's suspicions.

"Say hello to Roserade." Gardenia introduced her Pokemon, raising her head and forming a thin smile. "He will be ending this battle now."

Inyssa froze for a second, not sure of what to do. If that thing was Roselia's evolution then it meant it was a fully evolved Pokemon, and she remembered too well what happened the last time she faced against one of those. Her eyes drifted upwards to her hat, where Steven was still sitting, a nervous expression on his tiny face. She was planning on using him for this battle, but now...

The small bird Pokemon hadn't evolved yet, something he should've done already according to her estimates. He was too weak to fight something like that, and she knew that if that thing got a single hit on Barry's Buizel the water Pokemon would be defeated instantly. Maybe she could use Enma just this once, she thought. She would have time to train Steven later, she didn't have to...

She felt the weight of Shadi's Pokeball in her hand, and she looked down toward it. She remembered how weak she had been when Inyssa found her at the door of that Pokemon Center. If she'd never given her a chance, would she have become as strong as she was now?

"Steven, it's your turn," she said. "Are you up for it?"

She heard Enma's hmph behind her, but she decided to ignore it. Steven awkwardly shifted his body a couple times, and finally jumped off her hat, extending his wings and flying towards the arena, his eyebrows knit together in worry. She felt a knot in her stomach, still not sure if she was making the right choice, but it was too late to back down now.

"Our best bet is rushing that thing as fast as possible," she told both Pokemon and Barry, attempting to sound more confident than she was. "Use Aerial Ace!"

"Razen, Aqua Jet!" Barry joined her scream, fist punching forward.

The Buizel moved like lightning, blurring into a smear as he rushed to attack the Roserade. As he let out a scream his body was fully covered in a mantle of water, and before his opponent had time to dodge he launched himself at his stomach, toppling him backwards and making him lose his balance. Above them Steven soared to their location, his wings sharp as knives. The impact finally managed to knock the Roserade down to the floor, where he let out a low sigh of pain, receiving only moderate damage from those attacks.

"One attack that never misses and another one that always strikes first," Gardenia spoke under her breath. "Well, I think I know which one I should take care of first. Roserade, use Energy Ball on the Starly!"

Roserade stood up almost instantly, his tiny legs dancing through the sand beneath him like a ballerina. He raised the hand that contained the blue roses and pointed it towards Steven; a vibrant, pulsing orb of green energy formed in front of him, easily twice the size as the target of such attack. The bird Pokemon watched this and started flying in circles around the arena, panic dictating his actions. But the Roserade was calm, and without moving an inch he aimed at a particular spot in the air, and fired.

Inyssa stared, her eyes opened wide as the ball of energy made direct contact, exploding upon touch with Steven's body and blowing him out of the sky. His wings lost strength and he dived towards the left extreme of the arena, falling onto the floor. Her brain took a couple seconds to register what had happened, and part of her hoped that she would see her Pokemon stand up defiantly like Shadi had. But the Starly was motionless, only his chest moving up and down slowly, mirroring his irregular breathing.

"Holy... oh my gosh," Barry whispered at her side, his lower lip trembling. "But... shouldn't he resist that attack? Energy Ball is grass type, right?"

She didn't answer, not that she would've been able to. She could feel ice in her throat and a shiver in her spine as the realization came to her.

She'd lost the fight.

"Don't worry Niss, I'll avenge him!" Barry tried to reassure her, and immediatly turned towards the fight. "Razen, Aqua Jet again!"

But Inyssa wasn't paying attention. With weakness weighing her down she slowly raised the hand with Steven's Pokeball in it and returned him to it. She stared directly at it, the sounds of the fight booming around her, and she couldn't help but feel a pint of irritation. No, she thought, Steven wasn't at fault for that, she was the one who had sent him to a losing battle. But then again, she had thought that type advantage would tip the scale in his favor, and she could have never imagined he would go down so easily against an attack he resisted. Shame crept up on her at the thought of how angry she felt, and she mentally cursed herself for it. She would not put the blame of her failures on anyone else, even if...

She chased all thoughts away from inside her head and saved the Pokeball in her belt, turning towards the battle once more. To her surprise the Buizel was still holding his own against the powerful grass Pokemon, his quick feet being only barely enough for him to avoid most of his attacks.

"Alright this isn't working, I think we need a change of strategy," Gardenia spoke to herself, a hand on her chin. "Use Grass Knot on him!"

The Roserade put both hands against the sand. The ground shook, and all around the Buizel it broke apart, dozens of small vines slithering towards him. It was sudden enough to catch him off guard, and one of the vines grabbed him by the ankle, grounding him. Three others soon followed, spiraling around his torso and his other leg, inmovilizing him completely. Without needing orders the Roserade aimed his free hand towards Razen and shot another Energy Ball. The attack flew at him like a cannonball.

"Razen, Sonic Boom on the vines!" Barry screamed, rushing his words.

The Buizel allowed himself a coy smile as he spun, his two tails glistening with power and cutting all the vines binding him. With only moments to spare he inhaled deeply, shooting a torrent of water into the ground, propelling himself high enough to avoid the Energy Ball, which kept traveling forward and dissipated into the air.

"That was so sick!" Barry jumped in place excitedly. "Aqua Jet one more time!"

In mid air the Buizel set his eyes on his opponent, and with a powerful slap of his tails he boosted himself towards him, his body covering itself once more with water. The Roserade tried to side-step it but Razen had much more control over his trajectory thanks to gravity being on his side, and with a powerful impact he hit the grass Pokemon directly in the stomach, burying part of him in the sand. Inyssa feared he would get up any moment and destroy the Buizel, but Roserade's body stood still, now unconcious.

A few seconds of silence passed, and then the sound of clapping filled the arena, the people in the stands cheering and yelling at Barry and his Pokemon for achieving victory. Gardenia contemplated the result for a moment, and after returning her last Pokemon to his ball she started walking towards them, a proud smile on her face.

"I... I did it!" Barry yelled in a high pitched voice. "Niss! Niss did you see that? I won! I won with type disadvantage against Gardenia!"

She forced herself to give Barry a smile which didn't extend to her eyes. She wanted to be happy for him, she wanted to go towards him and give him a hug, but her mind was elsewhere. The image of failure danced inside her head, becoming more prominent the more she tried not to think about it.

"That was amazing," she said, voice plain. "Good job, Barry."

A persistent clap approached them, and they both turned around to see Gardenia and Sarah near them, the first with a reddish face and breathing quickly, and the other one calm and reassuring, her expression that of pride.

"I can't thank you kids enough for that." The Gym leader performed a short bow, only half sarcastically. "That was intense! It's been a long time since I got such a challenge from novice trainers. I can still feel my heart throbbing in my chest!" She put both hands on her face, eyes closed and a blush on her cheeks. Inyssa and Barry almost took a step back out of concern alone. Was she a different person from the Gardenia they'd met last night?

"Yes... quite." Sarah coughed, slightly perplexed by her partner's behaviour. "A very impressive display, I have to say."

Inyssa had to supress a laugh at the sight of that, and after giving Barry a side glance their eyes met, and she was pretty sure they had a brief mental conversation.

She's hot, Barry's body language seemed to say.

Hell yeah she is, Inyssa's eyes replied.

Gardenia finally composed herself; slightly ashamed she approached both trainers, and with a flick of her wrist she took something from her poncho.

"As proof of your mastery over this establishment, I hereby... uh..." She frowned. "Damn, I forgot the speech I was supposed to say. Anyway, here are your Forest Badges."

She handed them both a small, metal emblem with the shape of three rhombuses stuck together, emerald stones filling the insides of them, making them look like trees. The badge sat on Inyssa's right hand, feeling a lot heavier than it was.

"But I lost the battle," she couldn't help to say, a knot in her stomach. "Maybe I shouldn't..."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Gardenia's yell made her jump in place. "A double battle is a pact between two trainers, and if one of them wins, then both of them do. You pulled your weight wonderfully at the start of the battle. Hell, your Kricketune took out three of my Pokemon!" she yelled with a decisive tone. "And while your Starly went down quickly, his Aerial Ace was still paramount to this victory."

"Yeah Niss, come on! I couldn't have done it without you," Barry gave her back a pat strong enough to sting. "Also I'm now tied with you on points, so it wouldn't be benefitial for me if you fought her again and won."

She adjusted her hat, slightly misplaced by Barry's enthusiastic pat, and tried to hide a smile. Her thoughts were still cloudy and dark, but she figured she'd have time to figure them out later. Now it was time to celebrate.

"Thanks," she whispered, voice barely audible.

Sarah put her hands together, smiling widely, "This definitely deserves a prize for both of you. I have a few hours free so we might as well take advantage of that. How does a meal on the Smokey Camerupt sound? We can order a nice barbeque, and if you get bored the Game Corner is only a block away."

"Damn, that sounds good," Gardenia whispered, eyes going wide. "Mind if I join you later? After I get through my work shift of course."

"Yeah! That sounds great mom!" Barry bumped her on the shoulder, laugh on his eyes. "Right Niss?"

Inyssa closed her eyes for a moment, allowing herself a weak smile.

"Yeah, that would be lovel..."

The ground shook beneath her. Only a little bit, a simple burr which escalated from the sand beneath her to her feet, and then through her entire body. She froze for a second, mouth still open, and looked up to the people around her. Both Sarah and Gardenia blinked confusedly, and next to her Barry had stopped moving in place.

"What was that?" Sarah spoke, her voice cracking slightly. "Did you feel..."

She felt the explosion in her bones before she heard it. The resulting force of it caught her off guard, making her fall backwards towards the sand. She felt the vibrations in the floor beneath her hands and the powerful sound deafened her for a moment, throwing her mind into disarray. Screams rung around her as the kids in the Gym started to yell and the lights of the floor turned off, now only the sunlight above them lighting the place. A hand grabbed her by the shoulder and helped her up, her eyes still spinning. When she could see clearly once more Barry's face appeared in front of hers, his previous smile gone and replaced with an expression of fear.

"What the fuck!?" she heard Gardenia scream in front of her.

"What was that?" Sarah's face appeared at her side, contorted into a mask of confusion and anxiety. "It felt like..." her voice slowly dissipated as she looked upwards, eyes opening as wide as they could."Oh no..."

Inyssa followed her eyes, and she couldn't help but gasp at the sight. From the open roof of the arena she could see a dark pillar of smoke being carried by the wind, coming from the north of town. It looked eerily similar to the one she'd seen when she was flying towards Floaroma. A myriad of images and colors flashed in her eyes, from the pink of Metchi's hair to the cold red of Mars' eyes, back in the Windworks. The rational part of her mind told her there was no way it was happening again, they would not be stupid enough to attack Eterna City while both the Association's police and the Gym leader were nearby, it was probably just an unrelated incident.

"Galactic..." The word came out of her mouth without her realizing it, disappearing into the commotion around her.

Her body moved on its own and Inyssa ran towards the exit as fast as she could, her mind a hurricane of thoughts and Sarah's worried scream ringing in her ears.