The night after our meeting with Summer, Dawn and I call Nate and we update each other on our respective situations. Nate confirms what Tabitha said about the Plasma group in Aspertia being arrested, but is then shocked by what we have to say about the Snag Machines and Hoopa. On top of that, he says he kind of recalls hearing about Cipher when he was younger, but nothing specific.

Besides that, he also tells us he's going to challenge Cheren's Gym alongside Rosa and Hugh when it opens. That comes as a bit of a surprise, but it actually makes sense since he's already there. Timing my challenge against Cheren and his against Roxie is going to be a little more of a hassle, but we'll figure something out.

In any case, with that new information in mind, I decide to go back to my team's own training for the challenge against Roxie. Given all the previous work, it comes down to teaching the others a few new moves and bringing Hubert into shape, which turns out to be not as difficult as I'd feared. I presume maybe Roxie gave him some elementary training beforehand, but he's still the weak link of the team.

Just like before, Dawn helps me out with the training, but Nate's absence is sorely felt. I know it's only temporary, but his presence was something I grew used to, even if I'm realizing it only now. Kind of ironic considering I thought he'd just be an annoyance when I first met him.

A few days later - coincidentally, the same day Cheren's Gym is supposed to open - my team is as good as I feel it can be for its second Gym fight. Annette will obviously have to sit this one out and Seteth will be a must, but I'll have to decide who else to call out when I'm actually there.

As Dawn and I enter the Gym, a few things struck me as odd. One, while the entrance resembles Burgh's, the area past the reception is noticeably different in that there is a stairway going down. Second, this Gym has a much more distinctive punk feel to it, with various graffiti and posters displayed on the walls. Three, this Gym needs to hire some more sweepers judging by all the empty beverages, cigarettes and whatnot scattered on the floor.

Last but not least, there's no one at the reception.

"Uhm…" I say as I awkwardly look around, "Is anyone around here?"

There is no response.

"Hello?" Dawn adds with a louder tone.

That bears fruit. Soon, a girl around Roxie's age walks out of one of the Gym's rooms. Although, the relief is soon replaced with confusion as we notice she's just wearing a black tank top, a red short shredded skirt and black stockings with no footwear. On top of that, she came in with an annoyed expression, further emphasized by her wrecked make-up, and how messy her long black hair is.

"Yes?" she sneers. "Did you not read the 'closed' note at the entrance?"

Uh…"No?"

She narrows her eyes. "What do you mean 'no'?"

"There wasn't any sign at the entrance," Dawn weakly explains. "We thought the Gym was open."

First, this girl arches an eyebrow. Then, her hand goes to the bridge of her nose and she lets out a groan. She tells us "Gimme a sec," and goes back to the room where she came from, the door slamming behind her.

"Dammit, Nicky!" we hear her shout a moment later, wincing as a result. "This again?!"

"What?" a guy's voice responds. "What'd I do?"

"This is the third time this month you forgot to put on the sign, dammit!"

Boy oh boy, what internal drama have we stumbled on?

As it turns out, Roxie and her band held a concert last night that protracted well into the night and they were now behind schedule with the clean-up. Their drummer was supposed to leave a note about the delayed opening hour but he apparently forgot.

As an apology for that, the girl from the reception - 'Billy Jo' she called herself - scheduled our challenge as the first thing to do after the opening. Which still meant we had to wait a few hours before we could actually come back. Suffice it to say, neither of us was thrilled.

"You know," Dawn sighs as we enter the Gym again, now much cleaner from all the junk from before, "I'm not even thirty, but today is making me feel like I'm twice my age."

I arch an eyebrow as I look at her. "Why do you say that?"

"Because, as much as saying it makes me feel like an old woman, back in my day the Gym leaders knew how to keep their place clean and organized."

Ah, yeah I see where she's coming from.

"We are as well, don't sell us short." We turn at the sound of Billy's voice and see she has now put on a sweatshirt and actual boots. "This isn't something that usually happens, but we've had a few organizational hick-ups lately."

Oh? "What kind of hick-ups?"

She lets out a sigh. "A member of our band is having family drama at home, let's leave it at that."

Family drama? Oh yeah, my favorite.

"Anyway, come with me," she says, prompting us to follow her down a set of stairs behind her.

The descent is thankfully not a lengthy one and before long we are in the challenge room. At least, what I assume to be the challenge room, because the various speakers scattered around and the seats in front of a stage with a purple and green mural of a Koffing seem to imply otherwise.

"Ah, there you are!"

At least Roxie is here. On top of the stage and tinkering with her guitar, but she is here. Alongside a Scolipede that is towering over her.

Right after noticing us, Roxie straps her guitar around her shoulders and then jumps off of the stage, the Scolipede following her with just its gaze. As she approaches us, she regards me with a predatory smirk. "You kept me waiting. What took you so long?"

I shrug. "Other stuff. Including making my team's latest addition on par with the others, as you can imagine."

Roxie lets out a chuckle. "Walked right into that one, didn't I?"

Yes, you did.

"Well in that case," her predatory smirk returns, wider now, "why don't you show off what all members of your team can do?"

Huh? "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I want to spice things up with you." She stretches a hand out to me. "Your four Pokémon," she places it on her chest, "against two of mine."

I have to stare blankly at her for a bit before I can muster a reply. "Why?"

"I've heard of how you handled that Wishiwashi at the Pinchers' base." I suppress a wince at the memory of the Water-type. "I want to see your prowess for myself."

I scoff at that praise. "There isn't much to see. Wes' Feraligatr did most of the heavy lifting and that whale was too dumb to turn its attention to me and my team."

For some reason, Roxie has a moment when her brow furrows in confusion, but then she's back to smirking. "Even ignoring the Wishiwashi, none of your Pokémon were seriously harmed at the base, right?"

"Well…" I hesitate. There were also the barracudas and the Galvantula we had to contend with, but is that really worthy of a Gym leader's praise?

"Would this even be allowed?" I decide to resort to. "Don't the rules say challengers and Gym leaders have to use the same number of Pokémon?"

"It's the rule, yes, but not necessarily how it has to be," Dawn chimes in from the side. "Gym leader Volkner had taken to allowing challengers the use of five Pokémon when I faced him, and he was allowed only four."

Wait, really?

"You heard your girlfriend!" Roxie adds, making both of us blush. "So what do you say?"

Well...the idea of being able to rely on Annette's Leech Seed, Hubert's poisoning skills, Leonie's muscles, and Seteth's ranged capabilities in the same battle sounds appealing. However…

"I'm assuming you're going to use tougher Pokémon than you normally would with trainers at their second Gym to compensate."

Roxie keeps grinning. "You assume correctly."

Figures.

Still, if we run into Team Plasma again, we likely won't be fighting one-on-one fights with an even number of Pokémon. Maybe this can work as a form of practice for teamwork.

"Very well, I accept your terms," I tell Roxie and she grins at me. I then look around the place. "Just...where are we going to have this fight?" I really don't want to break any of the stuff here and have to repay it.

Roxie chuckles. "You're about to see." She turns to a bored-looking Billy, who up until now was listening in silence. "You can go ahead and set up the cage."

The what?!

As it turns out, I heard Roxie right. After Billy flipped a couple of switches, the floor opened up and a large cage came out of it, really tall, with two entrances on opposite ends and with flooring that looks more like a wrestling ring.

I turn to Roxie when my eyes are done blinking in confusion. "Is this thing actually safe?"

"Oh, it is," Roxie reassures me. "Most Gym leaders prefer the usual sand bed, both in Unova and in other regions, but there are some who chose to use something like this instead."

I'll have to take her word on that.

After that, both Roxie and I step into the cage. Dawn watches me enter from one of the two entrances and then moves along the side of the cage until she finds a good spot to watch from. Roxie's Scolipede follows its trainer past the other entrance, pretty much confirming who one of Roxie's Pokémon is going to be.

While all that happens, Billy shows up again outside the cage, with a few other people at her side - I'm assuming Gym trainers - and a mic in her hands.

While she announces the rules of the match for the audience, my gaze focuses on the smirking Roxie and my mind prepares for the coming fight, while my hands rest on my team's Poké Balls.

"Begin!" Billy's voice thunders out of the speakers. Thankfully, unlike Burgh, I don't have to wait long before Roxie throws out her first ball.

"Sword, go!"

The light that comes out of it soon reveals a large snake, much longer than I'm tall, covered in black scales with yellow and purple markings all across its body, two elongated fangs protruding down from its mouth and a blade-shaped tail.

"Seviper!" it hisses at me.

Okay, a snake Pokémon. Meaning it very likely shares their ability to shed skin, which in turn should translate to that ability that cured from status conditions.

Which makes my strategy with Hubert useless. That's not good, but perhaps…

As I decide on which Pokémon to start with, I grab Annette's Poké Ball and toss it forward.

Billy commentary comes just as soon as the Grass-type takes form and hops forward. "Huh, the challenger chooses a Maractus as his first Pokémon. Looks like he doesn't want to have an easy time."

A few laughs come from the crowd, making me click my tongue. I'm going to enjoy proving these buffoons wrong.

At least Roxie shoots a glare at them after that fact. "Ready?" she then asks me.

My gaze hardens on the Seviper. "Ready."

"Good." She points forward. "Sword, use Poison Tail!"

Without wasting a moment, Sword starts slithering toward Annette. She fidgets a bit where she stands, but she doesn't move from her position, and I don't tell her anything for the time being.

When the Seviper finally arrives, it raises its tail and sends it down against Annette as a purple glow envelops it.

That is when Annette wraps her arms around herself and her spikes glow up and grow, intercepting the Poison-type's tail.

"Sev-" Sword hisses in pain as it's forced to retract from the Spiky Shield, some of Annette's spikes sticking out of its tail now. Its following moments of hesitation are just what I needed.

"Now, Leech Seed!"

Annette acts immediately and shoots the seeds from her ears, which then sprout out their vines that envelope the Seviper. Tightly. Good luck shedding your skin with that on you, big guy.

Sword is apparently not happy with that, as it doesn't even wait for its trainer's commands before its fangs glow purple, its mouth opens up and comes in for a bite.

"Sucker Punch!"

Annette acts immediately and spins on herself while her arms' spikes glow black, both punches meeting the Seviper's jaw and the momentum pushing its head aside.

Of course, that's not enough to knock it out and before long it's up again, taking a more cautious stance this time.

Unfortunately, Roxie gives her commands before I can this time. "Glare!"

A red glow comes from within the Seviper's eyes, which make contact with Annette's before I can tell her to close them. When said glow leaves the Poison-type's eyes, Annette's following movements are twitchier.

Good job for thinking poison was the only status condition Roxie would rely on, me.

No matter, Annette's part in this was just to soften it up. She didn't do as much as I'd hoped, but better call it quits before the oversized viper does some actual damage.

While Annette is busy trying to move her body, the Seviper coils up and a dark glow envelops its body from the head down. I wait to see what that does and when Sword releases a shadowy ring that expands around the fanged snake, I know the time is right.

"Switch out, Annie!" I tell the Maractus as I recall her, whatever that ring move was passing harmlessly. I ignore the glare the Seviper shoots me and then call out my actual ace for this Gym.

"Sig!" Seteth declares as he materializes.

"Oh, a Sigilyph! Now this is getting interesting!" Some cheers follow Billy's comment. I ignore them for the most part. "Continue!"

Right as she says that, Seteth summons the wind currents of Tailwind around himself. In the meantime, Roxie tells her Pokémon, "Toxic!" and it puffs out its cheeks as something fills its mouth.

"Don't lock eyes and stay on the move," I tell Seteth, to which he responds with an affirmative 'Sig'.

Right after that exchange, the Seviper spits out a pink goo Seteth barely flies out of the way of. The fight then proceeds following that pattern, Sword trying to hit Seteth with Toxic while Tailwind helps him avoid it. The snake's barrage of attacks doesn't leave Seteth much of an opening to attack, but that's fine. The Seviper is only wasting its energies this way, as its pants between shots and the glowing green orbs that every so often flow from it to Seteth prove.

"Alright, change of strategy, Sword!" Roxie intervenes after a bit. "Use Dark Pulse!"

The big snake coils on itself and its body glows again. Suspiciously enough, it takes more time before unleashing the black ring this time. So much so, I have a feeling Roxie and her Pokémon want Seteth to dodge that so he can fall into their next attack. It's a good thing Seteth doesn't need to do that, then.

"Air Cutter!"

The blades of air are quickly conjured and sent against the Dark Pulse. As the two attacks collide, however, they cancel each other and cause a cloak of smoke to form between the two Pokémon. One that hides the Seviper from sight.

I tell Seteth to shoot a Psybeam where he saw Sword last, but when the beam of psychic energy lands it merely makes a hole in the dust cloud, which reveals the overgrown reptile is no longer there.

Damn! Where did it-?

"Viper!"

At the edges of the dust cloud, Sword jumps up toward Seteth, mouth wide open. I have just enough to register that and tell Seteth, "Gust!"

The Sigilyph summons the wind and sends Sword crashing back on the ground before it can reach him. The Seviper has to shake its head after landing and I decide to give it no quarter.

"Confusion!"

The snake lets out a pained hiss as the psychic wave hits it from within its own head. Judging from the intense but focused glare it then shoots Seteth, it probably hasn't been confused, but I have little doubt that attack hurt.

Under Roxie's instructions, Sword tries to land a Dark Pulse a couple more times, but at this point all Seteth has to do is just keep dodging before the Leech Seed knocks the Seviper out.

As Billy announces my victory and the crowd breaks into cheers, Roxie's reaction to her Pokémon defeat is to smile and clap.

"Well played, well played," she says from her end of the cage before recalling her Pokémon. "I wasn't expecting Sword to go down without taking at least one of your own with him. Seems I underestimated how crafty you are."

I nod to that. "Thank you."

So far so good. Roxie can call on just one more Pokémon and I've still got all four of mine. Yes, Annette is paralyzed, but against a Scolipede all I need her to do is Leech Seed it. Nothing more this time, she doesn't stand a chance against a Bug/Poison-type.

"Alright, then," Roxie enthusiastically declares as she points forth again. "Strings, you're next!"

As I was expecting, the Scolipede trots ahead of her trainer, its huge purple stingers pointed forth as it keeps its head low.

Before the new match can start, I recall Seteth and then send out Annette again, who is still twitchy with her movements. Hopefully not to the point she can't use Leech Seed.

Just like with Sword, Annette stays in position waiting for Strings to make the first move.

A first move that doesn't come, as the Scolipede just stands where it is. It keeps its eyes on Annette, but nothing more than that. I glance at the girl behind it, and the smirk on her face gives me a very bad feeling.

I could take advantage of this and tell Annette to use Leech Seed right now, but can I trust it to hit considering the current distance between the two and Annette's paralysis?

"Uhm, Mega Drain?" Perhaps some prodding will get it to attack even if it does little?

Annette tries to turn her head to me, but gives up when her twitchy muscles (or whatever their plant counterpart are) don't let her. After that, she raises her arms and a green aura surrounds the oversized centipede, with glowy orbs leaving it and flowing toward Annette. Neither Pokémon looks particularly affected by that, the Scolipede still holding its position. And Roxie is still smirking.

Ah, fuck it. "Alright, Annie, time to go for the Leech Seed."

Annette points her ears and launches the seeds.

It is then that Roxie finally speaks. "Megahorn!"

A lime glow envelops Strings' stingers and, with a jerk of its head, they intercept the coming seeds, cutting them apart before they can sprout their vines.

How the…?

"Now, Venoshock!"

Just as she says that, the Scolipede opens its mouth and spits out a salvo of purple blobs, all aimed at Annette.

"Defend yourself!" I hastily shout at her.

Annette tries to wrap her arms around herself, but the paralysis mixed with the surprise causes her to move too slowly. As a result, she is unable to conjure her Spiky Shield before the first of the blobs hits and topples her. The other blobs soon follow, preventing her from getting up, and before long Annette is out of commission.

"Maractus is down. Strings wins!"

Crap.

I recall Annette, cursing at the fact she was knocked out so easily.

Okay, let's not give up just yet. Annette may have failed to Leech Seed this guy, but she wasn't the only one I was counting on.

"Go Hubert!" I shout out as I toss my next Poké Ball.

"Sal!" the Salandit exclaims as he materializes. His eyes then widen when he sees Strings. The Scolipede then acknowledges him with a nod, which Hubert returns.

Okay?

"Now we're talking," Roxie says from her side. "Strings, go with Rock Tomb."

Rock To-? Oh shit…

Strings lets out screeching sounds and right after a circle of floating rocks appears out of thin air around Hubert, surrounding him while he looks at them confusedly.

"Get the hell out of there!"

Thankfully, Hubert listens to me and is able to jump and avoid the rocks just as they crash where he was a moment ago.

Unfortunately, while Hubert is still in the air, Roxie goes on the offensive again. "Bulldoze!"

My eyes widen when the Scolipede raises one of its pairs of legs, ready to stomp them.

"Ember!" is all I can think of saying.

Thankfully, Hubert manages to conjure the small ball of fire and spit it toward Strings. When the fireball connects with the Scolipede, the poisonous bug lets out a pained "Scol" and has to put down its legs without sending out the seismic shockwave, but the only visible damage it got is some dirt around the area where the Ember landed.

As soon as Hubert lands, I tell him to approach the Scolipede with a zig-zag pattern. Strings tries to stop him in his tracks, either by summoning more Rock Tombs or sending out Bulldozes, but Hubert is fast enough to slip past the rocks before they can completely form and jump off the ground when the Scolipede's feet stomp on the ground.

When he's finally in range, he leaps as close to the oversized centipede's snout as he can and releases the poisonous gas out of his mouth. Strings ends up breathing it in and coughing right after, ignoring Hubert as he lands next to its feet. A moment later, purple bubbles come off of its body.

Yes, it's poisoned! Now, a few Embers to weaken this guy, and then I can recall Hu-

"Bulldoze!"

As soon as he hears Roxie say that, Hubert jumps off the ground again before I can say anything. Unfortunately, both his and my eyes widen when Strings never raises its legs this time, and instead its head comes down and headbutts Hubert, pushing him back on the ground. Only then, does the Scolipede stomp its feet, the seismic wave so strong that it actually sends Hubert flying back toward me while I watch with my mouth hanging open. When Hubert lands, he tries to get up again but soon passes out.

"Salandit is down! Strings wins!"

Fuck! That's half of my team down!

Still, when I see the Scolipede shudder as more bubbles leave its body, I know all is not lost. Hubert did manage to poison it, that was the important part of my strategy. All I have to do now is to stall until the poison can knock it out.

Still, the fact it knows a Rock-type move like Rock Tomb is an unpleasant surprise. Both Flying and Bug-types - like Seteth and Leonie - are weak to that, so Strings could very well knock them both out before that happens. Better if I send out my team member that can do the most damage against a Bug/Poison-type.

"Sig!" Seteth states as he enters the field again. The two Pokémon soon lock eyes and Seteth acts first as he summons the winds for Tailwind again.

Roxie doesn't give any command and the Scolipede acts on its own, summoning another circle of rocks around Seteth. Thankfully, the Sigilyph is faster on the uptake than Hubert and flies out of said circle without needing my instructions. As soon as he's done that, I tell him, "Go with Psybeam!"

The pink light instantly forms in Seteth's upper eye and the beam of psychic energy strikes Strings right in the head. The impact is strong enough that it forces the Scolipede to crane its whole upper body backward, but it still manages to recover from it and correct its stance, shaking its head and glaring at Seteth as the Flying-type just floats around it.

It doesn't escape me that Strings widens its stance when it oozes more purple bubbles.

In any case, the battle from there becomes a session of target shooting. Strings alternates between summoning rocks for Rock Tombs and spitting out the pink goo for Toxic. The winds of Tailwind manage to make Seteth move faster than the Scolipede can dish out its attacks, but he doesn't get much breathing room to attack save for an occasional Psybeam. At least those are weakening it, if the way its legs struggle more and more to sustain its weight are any indication. Not to mention the more this goes on the more effect the poison will have on it.

At one point, though, the centipede makes the echoing screech that precedes a Rock Tomb again and this time it goes on longer than it did the previous times. The reason for that makes itself clear when, rather than just a single circle of rocks, Seteth finds himself surrounded by them all around, some hovering above him, some below and many more everywhere else, with no visible way of escape for him. The look he regards them all with is one of pure terror.

My first reaction is staring in disbelief at all those rocks. I only manage to snap out of it when I see them move toward him and say the first thing that comes to mind.

"Push them away with Gust!"

Yeah, it's not a great plan.

As expected, Seteth manages only to send a blast of wind that deals with the rocks right in front of him, but all the others hit him dead-on, shattering into pieces that fall down beneath him. When the barrage ends, Seteth manages to hang in the air for about a pair of seconds before he closes his eyes and falls down on the ground.

"Sigilyph is down! Strings wins!" Billy comments while I recall Seteth.

Holy crap, what now?! The only mon I have left is Leonie, but if even Seteth - who has been here longer and had more of an advantage against a Scolipede - went down, how good is she going to do?

I take a look at the overgrown centipede. While it's still standing right now, the bubbles are still coming off of it and I can see it struggling to keep its eyelids open as its legs shake. I get the feeling it won't resist much longer, but how long is that going to be?

Even so, with a gulp in my throat, I grab Leonie's Poké Ball and toss it forward. The only alternative here would be stalling for time and waiting until the poison weakens the Scolipede further, but I'm pretty sure that'd get me disqualified.

"Hera!" Leonie loudly introduces herself as she flexes her arms up to the ceiling. The Scolipede responds with a 'Scol', but it comes out of its mouth so weak and so quiet that I almost can't hear it. Even Roxie is looking at her Pokémon perplexedly at this point.

Regardless, the Poison-types expert decides to press on. "Rock Tomb!"

Again, rocks form around Leonie, thankfully just the regular circle this time, so I'm able to tell her to just take off and dodge them all. While she's in the air, I tell her to use Aerial Ace and she starts the high-speed descent toward her opponent, who itself lowers its head to intercept her.

However, before the two can actually clash, Strings suddenly rolls its eyes, lets its eyelids fall and tilts to the side. Leonie stops as her horn arrives just a few millimeters away from where the Scolipede's head was and just stares down at the knocked-over centipede.

Uhm…what?

"Strings is down! Heracross wins!"

Outside the cage, the Gym's trainers break out in cheers, but I'm too stunned at what happened and just watch as the Scolipede is recalled by a sighing Roxie. Meanwhile, Leonie lands and looks at me with a baffled face while she points at Roxie.

"Cros?! Hera heracros?!"

I think I can guess what she's saying even without Seteth. "Looks that way," I reply, shrugging.

Leonie responds by crossing her arms and pouting at me. All while ignoring Roxie as she approaches me, only to stop when she's right behind Leonie and cross her arms. Seeing the Heracross doesn't notice her, I step toward the two while nudging behind Leonie. Only then does she notice Roxie, who lets out a chuckle.

"Looks like she wanted to have more of a fight," the Gym leader comments.

"Yeah," I sigh. "Thankfully she'll get that when we face Cheren." Because good lord will she be absolutely necessary with his Normal-types.

"About that," Roxie intervenes, "there was one other reason why I asked you to go with my conditions besides what I said. It was part of an arrangement I made with Cheren."

I furrow my brow. "What kind of arrangement?"

So, remember how I said this chapter would be up on the first of January if all went well? Long story short, it didn't.

Anyway, Eugenio here challenges his second Gym and wins even with some alterations. What is that arrangement Roxie mentioned? Stay tuned for next chapter and you'll find out.

Thank you to Softandhappy and Krosrodes for betareading. You can find us at the Fanfiction Treehouse discord server at: 9XG3U7a

See you all in a couple of weeks!