Mistralton Arc: Fortitude
"Okay, Gabite! Then, we'll start with Dragon Claw!" Growling, the dragon attacked. Blue energy gathered around its claws as it did so. "Fly up and then use Hurricane!" Swanna pushed off and flapped its wings vigorously. A storm came up and Gabite had to stop. It held its arms in front of its body and gritted its teeth as if straining. For a second, its form flared before it could catch itself. The storm ebbed again.
'She led with Zoroark again... But she seems to have taken all those criticisms about Zoroark's mimics to heart... I almost didn't notice. The way it covered up its attack just now... It seems to use its mirages to alter their appearance. Did she practise this when she stayed with her aunt? I didn't see her train with Zoroark at all between the tournament and now... It's gotta be. Wow', Jacky thought to herself and was quite impressed.
"Dig!" Mari commanded, and Gabite dug into the ground. Swanna kept its distance. "Now use Aerial Ace!" It shot out of the ground again and hit Swanna's wing. It screeched in surprise. "Use Bubble Beam, quick!" Bubbles shot at Gabite and hit it. Zoroark's mirage shattered and it backed away with a dark growl before it shot a Shadow Ball at Swanna and did a backflip before landing back on its feet. Swanna was hit by its counterattack and fluttered back. "Ahaaaa, so it's a Zoroark after all!" Skyla realized, "Wow, I mean... wow! Aside from the fact that its mirage almost broke on the first attack- I've never seen a real Zoroark before! You're lucky to have one!" Zoroark perked up its ears. "Rrr?",
"I certainly am," Mari replied.
"These are super rare! Most of them were driven out of the region long time ago! It's amazing you had the chance to find one in the wild!",
"Yeah, right?" Mari smiled. "I know I still have to work hard on maintaining those mirages for a while longer... But I must say, we have improved!",
"Were its moves fake as well?",
"Yep.",
"Wow, I didn't notice.",
"Hah... That was the intention behind it. Usually, Zoroark would give itself away with its moves. We got a lot of tips in that regard, and tried to improve on it! Well then, Zoroark! Let's get on with it! Night Daze!" Zoroark slammed both arms to the ground and unleashed a shockwave of shadows. Swanna flew higher and dodged them. "Aqua Ring, Swanna!" Light bands of water formed around the swan, healing its wounds. "Now, use Brave Bird at full speed!" Swanna folded its wings and shot toward the ground, then flew just above it, ramming herself against Zoroark veiled in bright light. Zoroark skidded back and flattened its ears, snarling. "Shadow Ball!" It raised its arms and shot a dark ball at Swanna.
"Bubble Beam!" The attacks collided and caused an explosion.
"Hurricane!" Swanna once again let loose a storm that sent smoke and dust billowing. Zoroark narrowed its eyes and took a few steps back. "Don't give up! Stay vigilant!" Mari commanded. "Go with the wind!" Zoroark nodded and dropped to all fours before sprinting off. It then jumped off the ground and the wind supported its jump. It landed on the roof of the gym building and snarled, then jumped off again. It was able to land on Swanna's back. Swanna shrieked and tried to shake it off in a panic. "Shadow Claw!" Mari yelled up. Zoroark's claws were surrounded by shadows and it struck the Pokémon's back mercilessly. Finally, Swanna managed to fling its foe off its back and Zoroark landed on the ground after performing a few somersaults. "Brave Bird, Swanna!" Skyla commanded encouragingly, and it lunged at its opponent. "Night Daze!" Mari shouted, and Zoroark sent shadows towards it. Swanna burst through, not without taking damage, and rammed itself against Zoroark. They both went down together.
"Not bad. Really not bad", Skyla commented when she withdrew her partner. Mari did the same with Zoroark. "You've got some fighting spirit! I love that! But the real air show is just beginning! The warrior of the skies, with a heart that beats only for fighting! Staraptor, let's go!" Skyla sent out her second Pokémon. "All right! Gardevoir, we'll take it from here!" Mari's Gardevoir landed in front of her. "We're approaching the true climax of our performance. Come on, get started!" the gym leader urged her opponents. "Okay, have it your way. Gardevoir, Psychic!" Gardevoir's eyes lit up and its psychic powers made invisible forces slam right into its foe. "Now, Focus Blast!" Gardevoir raised its arms and shot a ball of pure energy at Staraptor. "Mirror Move, Staraptor!" Staraptor's eyes glowed and it mirrored the attack, having both Focus Blasts colliding and hurling both opponents back with an enourmous shock wave. "Whew." Mari held her arms in front of her face as she was forced to take a few steps back. "I didn't expect that... Let's not let that deter us, Gardevoir! Get it down!" Gardevoir narrowed its eyes and then pressed Staraptor to the ground with Psychic. It held it there, clenching its powers so hard that it felt to Staraptor as if it was being crushed by a rock. Still, it managed to resist and get back onto its feet. "Moon Blast! Don't let it escape!"
Guardevoir sent a ball of light at its opponent, but it used Mirror Move again. The ball of light shattered as it was intercepted by another. 'Grr... Ranged attacks are completely useless here...', Mari thought to herself. 'Staraptor can easly counter any move Gardevoir makes, but especially the ranged ones... If I can avoid the mirroring, it should be a safe game. That means I have to make sure Staraptor can see the attacks coming.'
"Okay, Gardevoir! Use Psychic!" Mari extended her arm. Gardevoir's eyes started glowing brightly and it yanked Staraptor into the air before sending its opponent crashing to the ground with force.
"Don't give up! Use Brave Bird!" Staraptor's body glowed brightly and it flew toward Gardevoir once it had managed to rise up into the air again. A glaring glow had surrounded its body. "Dodge!" Mari commanded and her partner evaded the dangerous attack. "Close Combat, Staraptor!" The bird was visibly weakened, but its fighting spirit not a bit extinguished. It attacked Gardevoir, which first dodged its blows and then teleported away. "Okay, we only have one chance, Gardevoir." Mari advised it. "Don't let me down. Focus Blast!",
"You should know by now that it's useless to keep those frontal attacks up", Skyla commented. "Mirror Move, Staraptor!" Again, the opponent mirrored the attack. As they collided, another explosion and shockwave followed and hurled up dust and smoke. "Teleport behind it, Gardevoir!" Gardevoir disappeared, avoiding to be thrown around like a ragdoll by the forceful blast. It appeared behind Staraptor. "Now Psychic!" Invisible forces crashed down on the bird and sent it flying straight into the ground. It was a devastating blow that had finished it off. "Staraptor!" Skyla nearly overflowed with excitement as she withdrew her Pokémon. "Wow! No one has been able to trick and avoid Mirror Move like that before! You would have earned a thousand badges!" Mari breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Gardevoir. "You did a great job, Gardevoir! We've rocked it!" Gardevoir smiled proudly and then had her trainer withdraw it. "That fight was really exciting," Mari then said. "I learned a ton.",
"I sure hope you did! And I wasn't disappointed by the winner of this year's youth tournament! You have a lot of potential!" Skyla came to her and held out a crimson cloth. "You get to call the Jet Badge your own, so you'll never forget this battle. That was truly a high and low showdown!" Mari accepted the badge and placed it in her badge box. "Yeaaah, that means the sixth badge is done, too.",
"Great!" Jacky jumped to her side and the two raised their hands in a highfive. "That would mean there are only two badges left! We can claim those soon, as well!",
"Sure thing!" Mari nodded. The two said their goodbyes to Skyla before heading back to the Pokémon Center.