Disclaimer: Just to make it clear, now I don't own anything. At all. Not even this computer on which I'm writing this. This is property of my school. Which is funny, because I really should be writing this at home. I mean, this thing doesn't autocorrect Pokemon and turn it into Pokémon for me… okay now it does.

Hooray, it's another new reviewer; one problem though, how many of you all aspire to become Pokémon Masters…? Because both Erynn and Ash are going to try to be 'The Very Best'… if you know what I mean.

In the end it'll be a conflict of interest because… well, everyone wants to win, don't they? That's why the anime was so uncomplicated; no one who became permanent friends with Ash (aside from Richie) ever actually participated in the League at the end.

Cowardly, if you ask me.

Either way, I haven't got much time left (in school, anyways) but I guess I'll try starting this; Chapter 29 of Pokémon Go! A problem; I can't listen to the fight themes here, so my writing might be a bit less than inspired.

The two trainers stepped into the glass arena, which was, surprisingly, empty.

"Dave and RJ couldn't have defeated them that thoroughly…"

Erynn's musing was interrupted by the pneumatic hiss of another sliding door; Ash's attention turned from the construct of the arena to the two Leaders as they walked calmly in. Even as they did, the boy, who Ash took to be Lyam, sighed wearily.

"Two groups already… and so early in the morning too; how irritating."

They were both holding Pokéballs in their off-hands; apparently they'd just finished healing them. The dark glass that was the floor of the arena still bore marks from the past battle.

The girl, Leya, reached over and pressed a button set into the side of the glass; a bright blue flash blinded them for an instant as it spread across the surface on the glass.

"Wha…?"

Even as his vision cleared, Ash noticed that the battleground was now entirely clear of debris. Erynn removed her shades to give Ash a withering look. He put his hands up in mock surrender.

"Blame me for not joining the fashion craze… fine."

Then her expression grew serious again as she stared at the trainers across from them.

"Erynn from Rubidium City…"

Ash looked from her to the trainers, and then understood.

"Ash from Palladium Town…"

The two Leaders cut them off.

"You're here to challenge us to a Pokémon battle… yes, understood."

Erynn shrugged helplessly as Ash sighed.

I'll never understand these clichéd lines…

"One Pokémon each, Double Battle then…"

Erynn nodded. Ash looked to Ditto.

"Fine. Let's begin."

Throwing their Pokéballs up in the air, they released their Pokémon in a flash of red immateria. Erynn did the same, releasing Griven as Ditto hopped forward.

The two red shapes took forms; a Rayquaza and…

Ash's mouth dropped open.

No, not really.

A Graveler and a Rapidash.

"They've got the type advantage here…" Erynn cautioned.

Ash grinned as he awaited their first attack.

"Not for long…"

A/N: Hooray. I'm home. Going to start this battle with Bokutachi no Yukue… hey, guess what? I got an idea that you might recommend me battle themes to listen to; might influence my writing style.

They watched each other across the battlefield, waiting for the first attack to come. The sunlight winked behind a cloud; as it lit the expanse of the field, Lyam was the first to break the calm.

"Rusch! Attack with a Magnitude…!"

Three things happened as the Graveler began his attack; the Rapidash and Griven simultaneously leapt into the air, while Ditto nodded at Ash's command.

"Farfetch'd, and fly up high!"

"Griven…! Take Down!"

"Feldt; protect yourself with a Fire Spin!"

The air around Rapidash erupted into flames as she released a Fire Spin attack around her body, forcing Griven to land prematurely, rolling and whirling as he stood to face Rapidash.

"Rusch, Rollout!"

Erynn turned as Graveler rolled straight at Griven.

"Ditto; dive and Bubblebeam, now!"

The Farfetch'd squawked once as it dived straight at the Graveler.

"Now…!"

Even as Ditto transformed, it released a burst stream of bubbles point-blank at Graveler.

"Feldt; help Rusch with a Quick Attack…!"

The attack impacted with enough momentum to knock the rolling Pokémon aside; seconds later, both Rapidash and Ditto-Azumarill were sent tumbling as Rapidash tackled it full on.

"Bubble and disengage…!"

The Rapidash, Feldt, jumped back as Ditto released a stream of bubbles at her, allowing it to disengage and regroup. Now the battle could begin in earnest.

A/N: Ignite's now playing. Interesting how these things go.

"Feldt; Flamethrower now…!"

"Rusch, Rollout!"

Ash and Erynn called the command at the same time.

"Scatter!"

"… Ditto, strike Graveler out of it with a Triple Kick…!"

"… Growlithe; do the same with a Take Down on Rapidash!"

The Rapidash fired a stream of flame straight at the two Pokémon even as they dodged out of the way. Like a runway, it allowed Graveler to roll right through unhindered. The Hitmontop-Ditto had no chance to get at it.

Griven slammed his full weight into Rapidash, taking her by surprise. Erynn's fists were clenched as she watched the two Pokémon tussle.

"Rapidash; Quick Attack and disengage!"

"Griven; Bite…!"

The Fire Pokémon clamped his jaws on the larger Pokémon before she had a chance to get away.

"Fire Spin…!"

"Griven; disengage, quick!"

The Growlithe leapt back just in time as the Rapidash erupted into flames once more.

A/N: Pride's playing. It's quite nice. Notice my playlist is only four songs long.

"Rusch; use a Rock Slide attack…!"

The Graveler floated into the air as Ash watched on by.

"Ditto; stop the attack with another Bubblebeam!"

Ditto nodded, turning its upper half into an Azumarill to attack with greater speed.

"Flamethrower!"

A precise burst of flame hit the Bubblebeam, causing the whole thing to extinguish into steam. Ash cursed as Ditto was forced to retreat; Rapidash bounded forward to meet it. Unhindered, Graveler released a rain of rocks from its body, pelting the stunned Growlithe.

"Reflect, Ditto…!"

Ditto nodded as it jumped, transforming into Kadabra. Ash smiled, remembering that battle. As the rocks continued to fall, Ditto-Kadabra levitated, striking its spoon against air and watching as it turned solid.

The Growlithe recovered as Ditto de-transformed, landing on the ground a few feet from it.

"You okay…?"

Erynn nodded, as did Griven.

"Then it's time to counter with an attack of our own…"

"Feldt… Agility!"

"Rusch… Harden…!"

The two Leaders braced themselves across the field as their Pokémon readied themselves to receive any attacks.

Ash nodded at Erynn.

"Follow my lead… Ditto; Lock-On, now!"

Ditto nodded, turning into a Magnemite as its single eye focused in on the target. Ash nodded at Erynn.

"Now…! Griven, Take Down!"

The two Gym leaders were entirely surprised as Griven shot itself straight at Magnemite, sending it flying straight into Rapidash.

"Now… Bubblebeam!"

Even as the two Pokémon crashed into the wall, Magnemite began to glow white, firing a stream of Bubbles straight at Graveler; the Rock Pokémon took a direct hit, sent staggering a few steps back despite his Hardened exterior.

"Feldt; strike back with a Quick Attack."

The command didn't carry any hint of emotion this time; she stated it so it sounded matter-of-fact; it could've been anything…

"Feldt, eat your greens,"

"Feldt, do the groceries later,"

"Feldt, decimate that Pokémon."

The Azumarill barely had time to respond as the Rapidash slammed her hooves against the glass, stopping her forward motion entirely. Ash watched in openmouthed silence as, in a breathtaking display of skill, the Rapidash somersaulted off the wall, dealing the Pokémon a heavy blow as her front hooves struck home.

"Counter your fall…!"

It was all Ditto could do to transform into Hitmontop, pressing a hand against the ground as it began to spin like a top, countering its downward force with an equal amount of centrifugal force.

A/N: Bokutachi no Yukue's playing again.

Graveler advance on Ditto as it de-transformed, looking from one Pokémon to the other.

"Griven…! Agility…!"

The Growlithe howled as the adrenaline pulsed through his veins, its reaction and attack speed bolstered by the ability.

"Now…! Ember, and Take Down!"

Griven saw the battle in slow motion as Rusch charged straight at Ditto; the immediate threat was obvious. With breathtaking speed he ran toward the Rock Pokémon, spewing a series of fireballs at the Rock Pokémon; distracted, he raised an arm to protect himself as Griven jumped off him, sending himself crashing straight into Feldt.

"Repeating this again…?"

Ash looked to Erynn, who nodded.

"Not exactly…"

"Ditto; Seismic Toss!"

Growlithe slammed Rapidash into the glass wall again; this time, with equal speeds, Rapidash had no time to defend itself. Growlithe disengaged from the Fire Pokémon as she rose to her feet.

"Here it comes…!"

Ditto-Machop yelled as it released Graveler from its grasp.

"No…!"

Ash punched the air as Rusch crashed straight into Feldt. The Gym leaders tensed as they watched the dust clear.

But the two Pokémon were still standing. Erynn shrugged as the two of them got ready for the next skirmish.

"We've weakened them already, anyways…"

"They've weakened us too," Ash reminded her. She turned on him, in mock disapproval.

"And since when have you been so pessimistic?"

He ignored that last; refocusing on the battle. Graveler and Rapidash were already up.

"Triple Kick, Ditto!"

Ditto rushed forward, transforming into Hitmontop as it did; as it flew through the air, it began to spin ever more rapidly. Its limbs were a deadly blur as it flew into them.

"Feldt! Fire Spin!"

"Rusch… Harden!"

As the Graveler adopted a defensive position, Feldt rushed forward, countering Hitmontop's spin with a counter-spinning Fire Spin attack.

"Ugh…"

Ditto jumped back as both attacks lost momentum, nullified in mid-air.

"Thunder Wave!"

The Pokémon transformed in mid-air, a crackling lightning attack raining down on the two creatures. While Graveler was unaffected, Rapidash was temporarily paralyzed.

"Griven! Join in with a Take Down!"

Ditto de-transformed, in a second changing its shape yet again. Now it was a Tangela as it waited for its cue. Griven rushed in to fill the gap, slamming itself against Rapidash.

"Now… Overheat!"

"Rusch; get Griven off Feldt…!"

But Lyam's command came too late; the attack sent both Pokémon flying. While it was ineffective, it was more than enough to knock Rusch out of the competition; he had been holding on to Griven at the time.

"Ugh… Rusch…"

"And now, finish off Rapidash with a Bite!"

Leya seemed to have been expecting it.

"Agility…! Get out of the way!"

Erynn didn't realize what she meant until it was too late.

"Selfdestruct!"

The attack sent Graveler and Griven flying. Erynn bit her lip as she recalled her Growlithe, Lyam recalling his Graveler at the same time.

"Come on, Ash… we've got to win this."

Ash grinned.

"And I thought I was the one letting you down…?"

Erynn mock-punched him.

"Oh, stop that already."

A/N: Vestige is playing! Time for strange big ending!

"Ditto; let's finish this! Agility!"

Once more, Ditto's form glowed white. It glowed with a light that seemed to emanate from within, and then nodded briefly at Ash.

"Time to give it all we've got! Take Down!"

Ditto nodded, flames bursting from its body as it transformed into Growlithe, bounding forward.

"Feldt; Quick Attack!"

The two Pokémon rushed at each other, until Ash shouted a command that was entirely unexpected.

"Fly, now!"

The Growlithe sprouted Pidgeotto wings as it took flight seconds before impact; Rapidash grinding to a halt as she stared up at it.

"Now; Thundershock and Bubblebeam!"

Growlithe's arms glowed white as they transformed; time seemed to stand still as a magnet formed on one side, and a blue bubble in the other. Twin orbs of yellow and blue erupted from either side even as the Fire/Lightning/Water/Flying Pokémon swooped down.

"Feldt…!"

"Ember!"

The Growlithe released the blast of flame from its mouth mere centimeters from Rapidash. The attack blew her into the ground. And then the Bubblebeam and Thundershock impacted.

Ditto emerged from the cloud of dust a Growlithe, leaping into the air and whirling to face the knocked out form of its defeated foe.

Leya recalled her Pokémon as Lyam raised his hands and clapped slowly. Growlithe turned to Erynn, winking briefly before de-transforming. Ash looked away from the battle, down at his feet.

"Whew…"

Erynn looked at him strangely, her head tilted to a side.

"Was that so bad…?"

He looked up at her, smiling a small, sheepish smile.

"I wasn't sure that'd work, really."

Erynn shrugged.

"It did; and I guess that's all that matters, really."

They looked up to see the Gym leaders approaching them. Lyam was still grumbling something about two losses in a row and how he wasn't getting paid anywhere near enough.

"Here you go…" Leya spoke this time, handing each of them a Synchro Badge. Ash stared at its black and white design.

Synchronization… complete balance.

"And here…" Lyam removed a disc from his pocket, handing it to Ash.

TM 68: Sacrifice

"Just as well I give you a TM only Ditto can use…"

"Oh…? What does it do…?"

The PokéNav at Ash's side blipped. He inserted the disc and checked its description.

Sacrifice, a Normal-Type ability. By using this ability, a Pokémon may restore the energy of any Pokémon on the field, but at a cost to its own energy. As far as current records go, this ability may only be used by Ditto.

Ash nodded, only to be interrupted as the PokéDex plug-in kicked in.

Wow, you actually managed to defeat the second set of Gym Leaders… though if I were you, I'd be more grateful to Erynn than –

Ash shut it, noticing that Erynn was starting to turn a little embarrassed. Leya cut it off as she handed Erynn a badge and TM of her own.

TM 72: Aura

Avoiding Ash's PokéNav, she inserted the disc into her own, waiting as it processed.

Aura, a Fire-Type ability. This ability creates an orb of flame around the Pokémon, gradually raising its attack and special defense. However, it slowly saps the user's energy.

Erynn accepted the TM, shaking hands with Leya as she did.

The two of them stepped back through the sliding doors, pausing for a moment as they watched the two crystals revolve about each other one more time.

"Erynn…?"

She turned to him as he pocketed his PokéNav, her eyes expressing her unspoken question.

"Yeah… what my PokéNav said… thanks."

He spoke the words hurriedly, though he didn't know why he had to at all. But she brightened up as he said them, turning a shade of pink which actually went quite well with her purple-and-black ensemble.

"Likewise… thanks, a lot."

And she meant it, too.

Dave approached them as they emerged from the lift.

"Where's RJ?" Ash asked.

Dave shrugged helplessly.

"He wanted to go on ahead first; he said he didn't have to say goodbye, since he probably was going to see us again, anyway."

Ash laughed at that.

"That's probably true…"

Erynn looked between the two of them.

"Well? Are we going yet, then?"

Dave nodded, Espeon at his feet.

"First to the Pokémon Centre… we've still got an hour before lunch… and then we'll go meet that friend of yours…"

Ash shuddered, remembering Leon.

"If I were you, I wouldn't be so excited…"

Which earned him a smack from Erynn; his only consolation was she didn't seem to hit anywhere as hard as she had before.

A/N: And that's what you get from prejudging people!

In the next chapter, Michelle will meet up with them again; don't judge someone unless you've known them for more than a single day!

I'm sorry about RJ's abrupt disappearance, though; don't worry, he'll appear a bit later on... but for now, as a Pokémon Master in training, time waits for no trainer!

But either way, I'm glad you all reviewed… or at least, hope you all will. Please review and all; after all, I don't work for nothing you know!

"You don't work at all…"

Oh do be quiet…

Shoves Ravaya back into a neighbouring plothole

Yeah, anyways, that's about all for this chapter, and I do hope you enjoyed it!