The time came for the twins to head back to the gym. It was close to the end of the workday for members of Team Mystic, so the battle floor seemed to be more populated than it did in the morning. While Jason at first felt the pressure as he looked around, he knew he had to ignore that. Aria was his only focus.

"You got this, Jason," he heard the soothing words of his sister as she took to the front row of the bleachers.

Jason took to the former side of the field. Moments later, Aria emerged from the other side, taking a position at the opposite end of the field.

"Jason Kyar of Mountain Spring," Aria addressed. "You seem to have a more upfront approach than your sister, using attacks to overwhelm your opponent. Let's see how well you do today."

"I'm ready," Jason nodded and spoke with confidence.

"Good," Aria acknowledged.

Another member of Team Mystic came out to officiate. This time, it was Don.

"On my left is Aria, Fort Lexing's Pokemon Gym Leader and the Team Mystic Leader of the Inventum Chapter," he formally introduced Aria. "On my right is the challenger Jason Kyar of Mountainspring. If Jason wins today's match, he will receive the Mystic Badge, one of twelve official badges required to enter the Inventum Cup.

"This battle will be a Pokemon League standard rule set of a three-on-three battle. Both sides are allowed to make substitutions in the middle of battle. The Gym Leader will announce her first pokemon while the challenger makes the first move.

"Aria, are you ready?" Don faced her.

"Sure am," Aria nodded.

Don then faced Jason. "Challenger, are you ready?"

"Yes," Jason quickly responded with confidence.

"Then the battle may begin!" Don initiated.

"Be the keeper for me, Wobbuffet!" Aria summoned Wobbuffet.

"Wob-buffet!" Wobbuffet faced Jason and saluted.

She's going for Wobbuffet first, Jason thought. That means I need to win this one-v-one, or things will go bad, really bad.

He faced Wobbuffet with determination. "Taillow, let's go!"

Jason threw out his pokeball, summoning Taillow.

"Taillow!" Taillow greeted.

"You make the first move, Jason," Aria reminded.

"Taillow, to the sky!" Jason commanded.

"Taillow!" Taillow complied and flew into the air.

"Now, Focus Energy!" Jason continued.

Taillow harnessed his power by pumping himself up, storing energy for a powerful attack.

"Move around Wobbuffet and go for his tail with Quick Attack!" Jason followed up.

"Taillow!" Taillow swooped upon Wobbuffet. He then steered around him on his descent and successfully struck his tail.

"WOB!" Wobbuffet turned around, trying to strike back at Taillow.

"Good job!" Jason commended Taillow. "Now fly back up and go for a powerful Wing Attack! Let's do this!"

Jason got into the rhythm of battle just as Taillow did. The two seemed to be in sync, and Aria began to notice as if Jason was battling alongside Taillow.

Taillow's wings glowed brightly as he moved in for another attack behind Wobbuffet.

Aria saw the opportunity to win this battle. Taillow was powerful and swift but not super fast like Kristine's Fletchling. While Fletchling was built more for speed, Taillow was about power. She knew Wobbuffet would have enough time to turn around and attack.

"Wobbuffet, use Counter!" she commanded, pointing at Taillow.

Wobbuffet turned around just as Taillow closed in on him. Taillow struck him head-on pretty hard as Wobbuffet took the damage. Then, a white glow suddenly outlined Wobbuffet.

"WOBBUFFET!" Wobbuffet flung his arm at Taillow, striking him with such force, propelling Taillow into the air.

"Oh no! Taillow!" Jason yelled.

"Taillow!" Taillow flew right through the air like she was catapulted. She slammed to the ground just inches before Jason. She was unable to get up.

"Taillow is unable to battle!" Don declared. "Wobbuffet wins!"

Wobbuffet turned towards Taillow and saluted. "Wob-buffet!"

"Oh no…" Kristine muttered under her breath.

"A one-hit KO…." Jason muttered in disbelief. He recalled Taillow. "We'll figure this out," he said.

Jason fell into exactly what he feared – Wobbuffet winning the initial battle. All he could hope for is taking out Wobbuffet before Aria could call Destiny Bond.

Jason reached for his second pokeball. "Let's go, Ralts!" he yelled.

"Ralts!" Ralts bowed her head to Wobbuffet as soon as she was summoned.

"Wob-buffet!" Wobbuffet saluted back.

"Ralts, Teleport, let's go!" Jason quickly ordered.

Ralts vanished in front of Wobbuffet.

"Appear from behind and use Disarming Voice!" Jason followed up.

Ralts soon reappeared behind Wobbuffet and fired off a screech that enveloped Wobbuffet in a volley of heart-shaped sound waves.

"Wobb!" Wobbuffet endured the attack.

"Turn around and use Mirror Coat!" Aria responded.

Wobbuffet turned around and shielded himself in a white aura before firing it back at Ralts.

"Double Team!" Jason yelled.

Ralts projected multiple images of herself. Wobbuffet's powerful Mirror Coat burned right through nearly half of Ralts' copies.

"Confusion, let's go!" Jason followed up.

Ralts waved her hands. She threw Wobbuffet into the air through telepathy.

"Safeguard!" Aria called. Wobbuffet slammed to the ground, but he quickly got up without suffering from the effects of Confusion.

How many hits can Wobbuffet take? Jason wondered. He should be called the Endurance Pokemon instead.

"Ralts, Disarming Voice one more time!" Jason commanded.

Ralts projected a screech of hearts at Wobbuffet once more.

"Mirror Coat, Wobbuffet!" Aria responded.

"Wobb!" Wobbuffet got struck by Ralts' Disarming Voice. He then projected a powerful beam back at Ralts.

"Teleport!" Jason ordered.

Ralts teleported out just in the nick of time before Mirror Coat struck her.

"Disarming Voice again!" Jason yelled.

Ralts unleashed yet another Disarming Voice, this time, at Wobbuffet's flank.

Knowing that Wobbuffet likely could not withstand another attack, Aria knew it was time to call Destiny Bond.

"Destiny Bond, Wobbuffet!" she yelled.

"Wob-buffet!" Wobbuffet saluted and shrouded himself in a purple mist, right before he was struck by Disarming Voice. He then fell sideways to the ground, unable to get up.

Jason looked down in utter disappointment. He knew that Destiny Bond would take out Ralts. He believed he failed.

"Wobbuffet is unable to battle!" Don declared. "Ralts wins!"

Seconds later, a purple mist consumed Ralts. She also fell to the ground, unable to get up.

"Ralts is unable to battle!" Don announced.

"Return, Ralts…" Jason recalled her without looking up. He glanced at her pokeball. "I'm sorry. You did great."

Now what? Jason thought to himself. All I have left is Jolteon, and Aria hasn't even used Dragonair and Vaporeon yet. Oh man, what am I going to do now?

A few members of Team Mystic got up and left, coming to a conclusion that the battle is Aria's to take. To them, it was just another trainer falling short of defeating Aria.

Jason appeared to be discouraged. Aria was curious to know how he would react to this situation.

"Alright, Dragonair, you're up!" Aria summoned Dragonair.

Dragonair slithered before sticking her head up in Jason's direction. Even she was curious to see what Jason was going to do.

Kristine knew Jason needed encouragement. She stood straight up. "Come on, Jason!" she yelled. "You can do this!"

Jason smirked. He pulled out his last pokeball and looked right at it.

"Okay, Jolteon," Jason muttered. "I'm asking a lot out of you. We have two Pokemon to take out, and it's just you and me. But I'm going to be right behind you. We'll come out hitting the ground running, and we're going to fire everything we've got at them. We'll give it our best shot because we can't lose."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He looked at Aria and opened his eyes. Aria could clearly see the sense of determination Jason displayed. "We won't lose! Let's go, Jolteon!"

"Jolt!" Jolteon immediately charged at Dragonair as he was summoned.

"Thunder Wave!" Jason commanded.

Jolteon projected a thunderous wave that consumed Dragonair. She quickly became paralyzed.

"Headbutt, let's go!" Jason followed up. He was getting into the heat of the moment as if he was next to Jolteon.

Jolteon struck Dragonair with a strong Headbutt attack, so powerful that it knocked Dragonair down. Dragonair was quick to get back up. A silver shroud covered her for a brief few seconds. Then, she was relieved from paralysis.

"Shed Skin," Jason mentioned.

"So you know of Dragonair's special ability?" Aria seemed impressed. "It'll be hard keeping her paralyzed.

"Jolteon, let's use Swift!" Jason issued.

"Twister!" Aria responded.

Dragonair projected a vortex from the orb on her neck. Jolteon's swift of stars got sucked right into it, and the vortex vanished a moment later.

"Use Dragon Rage!" Aria followed up.

Dragonair projected a ball of energy directed at Jolteon.

"Double Team!" Jason yelled.

Jolteon projected multiple copies of himself. The energy ball struck right through two copies before it fizzled.

"Jolteon, let's use Thunder Wave!" Jason followed up.

Jolteon emerged from his copies and projected Thunder Wave, striking Dragonair head-on. Then, Jason wanted to make his move before Dragonair's Shed Skin triggers.

"Headbutt!" Jason commanded.

Dragonair was unable to move due to paralysis. Jolteon charged right at her, striking at her hard with his head tilted forward. This knocked Dragonair down to the ground, and she had a hard time lifting her head.

"Jump back and use Swift one more time!" Jason issued.

Jolteon jumped back and fired a volley of stars at Dragonair. Star after star exploded upon impact, leaving a big cloud of smoke covering Dragonair.

Jolteon and Jason waited for the smoke to clear. As it did, Dragonair clearly showed that she was unable to get up.

Gasps were heard across the floor. Just a moment ago, Jason had his back against the wall. Now, he leveled the playing field. He took out Dragonair quickly when Jolteon didn't suffer a single direct hit.

Wow, look at Jason, Kristine examined her brother. He looks determined. Jolteon just took down Dragonair, and he's waiting to take down Vaporeon. I don't think I've ever seen him like this. Other than when I fell down the hill. He did everything he can to make sure I was safe. It's as if he's guiding Jolteon to victory. Losing is not an option.

"Dragonair is unable to battle!" Don declared, surprised by the turn of events. "Jolteon wins!"

Aria recalled Dragonair. Even she was startled. I pin him against the wall, and he comes back throwing punches, she thought. She then smirked. Luckily, the only electric move Jolteon knows is Thunder Wave. But I can't underestimate this kid's desire to win. He's not one bit interested in celebrating for taking down Dragonair. This reminds me of my teenage years, how I loved the thrill of competition with Vaporeon.

"Kristine uses strategies to work down her opponents," Aria spoke. "I can clearly see you fight with heart, Jason. You are more offensive-oriented, yet you care about your pokemon." She takes off her jacket and tosses it aside, revealing a black undershirt with a deep blue emblem of an articuno front and center, something her members don't remember ever recalling whenever they see her battle. "Let's dance!"

Aria pulled out her last pokeball. "Go, Vaporeon!"

"Vaporeon!" Vaporeon greeted with grace as soon as she was summoned.

"Jolteon, Thunder Wave!" Jason quickly called.

Jolteon projected Thunder Wave, striking Vaporeon head-on. Vaporeon became consumed by paralysis.

"Rain Dance!" Aria responded.

A rain cloud formed above Vaporeon and expanded across the field. Then, the downpour began. That was when Vaporeon could suddenly move once again.

"Hydration," Jason mentioned. "Vaporeon's special ability. That means Vaporeon's clean of any status conditions while it's raining."

Aria seemed impressed. "Correct."

"Jolteon, follow up with Swift!" Jason commanded.

Jolteon fired a swift of stars at Vaporeon.

"Blend with the water, Vaporeon!" Aria responded.

Vaporeon dematerialized into the rain, avoiding Jolteon's Swift. The stars all exploded in midair.

"Quick Attack, Vaporeon!" Aria followed up.

Vaporeon rematerialized at Jolteon's left flank and struck his side, knocking him down.

"Let's get back up, Jolteon!" Jason yelled. Jolteon was quick to get up as Vaporeon backed off.

Jason removed his jacket without even thinking about it. Vaporeon's Rain Dance drenched him, and he was really feeling the heat of battle.

"Headbutt, now!" Jason commanded.

Jolteon charged at Vaporeon head-on.

"Blend!" Aria commanded.

Vaporeon dematerialized once more.

"Thunder Wave!" Jason called. He knew that Vaporeon would quickly be cleansed of it, but he needed to expose her. Otherwise, Jolteon would not stand a chance.

Jolteon let out a thunderous wave. Thunder Wave reacted to the rainfall and practically spread everywhere. As a result, Vaporeon rematerialized on the floor, suffering from paralysis.

"Swift! Let's go!" Jason followed up.

Jolteon unleashed a flurry of stars at Vaporeon.

"Vaporeon, use Water Gun to deflect Swift!" Aria yelled.

Vaporeon shot out a strong stream of water to deflect much of the attack, though a few stars managed to get through. Vaporeon only suffered minor damage from the attack.

"Now, let's use Water Pulse!" Aria followed up.

Vaporeon fired a ball of water at Jolteon. It opened into a whirlpool as it approached him.

"Double Team!" Jason commanded.

Jolteon projected multiple copies of himself. Water Pulse engulfed nearly half of them.

"Use Water Gun to take out the remaining copies!" Aria continued.

Vaporeon used Water Gun to take out the other copies rapidly. At that point, she was already cured of paralysis due to her special ability.

"Jolteon, Headbutt!" Jason shouted.

Jolteon emerged from Vaporeon's flank and struck her, sending her tumbling over once. Vaporeon was quick to get back up on four legs.

"Swift!" Jason followed up.

"Quick Attack!" Aria quickly responded.

Vaporeon rapidly moved right beneath the volley of stars and struck Jolteon head-on. Jolteon was a little slow to get back up.

"Blend once more!" Aria called, believing she had the upper hand.

Vaporeon dematerialized into the rain.

"Now, Water Pulse, and quick!" Aria followed up.

"Thunder Wave now!" Jason yelled.

Vaporeon rematerialized and fired off a ball of water. Jolteon projected Thunder Wave, which expanded once again across the field. It even struck Water Pulse and exploded it into a mist that covered much of the field. Electric currents were rippling through the field as well.

Kristine could hear many gasps within the audience. Jason stood there, catching deep breaths, as even he looked fatigued. Sweat and rain were rolling down his forehead as he is completely drenched.

Aria broke a sweat as well. She didn't see this as a strategic match like her battle with Kristine was. This was about passion. This was about who wanted to win more, and she knew that Jason wanted to win this really, really badly. In turn, she wanted to win this just as badly.

"I commend you, Jason," Aria stood tall with admiration. "Ten minutes ago, no one but your sister would have predicted this."

"Thanks, but it's not over yet!" Jason replied. He kept pushing himself and Jolteon even further. "All the way, Jolteon! All the way! Let's go!"

"Jolt!" Jolteon was ready to head back into the fray.

By then, the rain cloud began to clear, meaning that Vaporeon's natural advantages would no longer come into play.

"Use Swift!" Jason commanded.

Jolteon fired yet another volley of stars at Vaporeon.

"Dodge and use Water Gun!" Aria responded.

"Quick! Double Team!" Jason yelled.

Jolteon projected more copies of himself. Vaporeon's Water Gun went right through two of them.

"Thunder Wave!" Jason issued.

Jolteon's Thunder Wave had a direct impact on Vaporeon. This time, Vaporeon was fully affected, unable to escape from it.

"Headbutt! Now!" Jason felt his voice getting coarse.

Jolteon ran right at Vaporeon for a powerful attack.

"Water Pulse!" Aria called.

Vaporeon fired a ball of water that expanded into a whirlpool. If Jason did nothing, Jolteon would be enveloped into it.

"Use Swift and run right through it with Headbutt!" Jason yelled.

Jolteon fired Swift, combating Water Pulse. The stars' explosions were weakening the whirlpool as Jolteon ran right through it, striking Vaporeon head-on. Vaporeon flew backward before barely maintaining her balance.

"WATER GUN!" Aria screamed.

"SWIFT!" Jason screamed back. He was in crunch time, and he felt the heat of the moment. His heart was racing beyond measure.

Jolteon's stars grazed Water Gun as they struck Vaporeon. Vaporeon's Water Gun, on the other hand, also struck Jolteon head-on. Explosion after explosion covered Vaporeon, while Water Gun sent Jolteon flying back just several yards shy of Jason.

Kristine stood straight up. She and everyone else knew this was going to be a very close call. Even Aria no longer displayed her sense of calmness and control. She was anxious to see the results just like anyone else.

Jolteon was on the floor, clearly exhausted.

"Come on, Jolteon…" Jason muttered.

The smoke still covered Vaporeon.

"Come on, Jolteon!" Jason yelled, trying to encourage his starting companion. "You can get up! I just need you to stand up! You can do this!"

The smoke cleared. Vaporeon was down and out, clearly unable to stand back up.

"Jolt…" Jolteon struggled to stand back up. He tried with all of his might.

And to Jason's relief, Jolteon used his front paws to push himself back up. He stood on his four legs.

"Jolteon!" Jolteon howled triumphantly. "Jolteon!"

"Vaporeon is unable to battle!" Don declared. He raised his hand to Jason's side. "The challenger Jason is the winner of this match!"

"We won…" Jason breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "I can't believe we won…."

Everyone around the floor erupted in applause. It was the best battle many of them had seen in a long time.

Kristine shot straight up and cheered. "Way to go, Jason and Jolteon! You guys rock!"

Jason clearly looked exhausted. He felt like he was there with Jolteon the whole time. His legs suddenly gave out, and he fell on both of his knees. He became very emotional as he put his hands on the floor.

"We won…" he nearly broke into tears. "We did it, Jolteon. We did it, Taillow. We did it, Ralts."

Jolteon limped over and nudged his way into Jason's arms. Jason gave him a nice, warm hug. "You did amazing, buddy," he wiped away a tear.

"Jolt!" Jolteon gave a smile. "Jolteon!"

Kristine quickly ran over to Jason's side as she slid on her knees next to him.

Aria gave a smile and recalled her pokemon. "Excellent job, Vaporeon," she commended her pokemon. "You never let me down."

Kristine put her right hand on Jason's back and looked right at his eyes. "Are you okay?" She asked. "You were awesome out there. The both of you!"

"Yeah," Jason nodded, still holding onto Jolteon. "We won it. I can't believe we won it."

"Let's get Jolteon some rest and get you some water," Kristine suggested. She then took Jolteon's pokeball from Jason's belt.

Jason simply nodded.

"Return, Jolteon," Kristine said, recalling Jolteon. She then wrapped Jason's arm over her shoulders before helping him up.

"My, my," Aria approached Jason and Kristine, clapping her hands in astonishment. "That battle was so intense; I could have sworn you were fighting Vaporeon yourself at one point."

Jason laughed at the comment. "I think I actually sent myself out there."

Aria smiled. "Few trainers in the world would display what you did today, Jason. Many would have given up. You kept on fighting when you just had one pokemon against two fully-ready pokemon. That in itself deserves much respect."

"That sounds like something from Team Valor, Aria!" Don bantered. Everyone in the audience had a good laugh at that comment.

"It's the truth, all the same," Aria smirked at the comment. "Jason, you have willed yourself to victory today, and you have demonstrated that you have a special bond with your pokemon."

Aria pulled out a small black box from her belt satchel. "It is with honor that I present you the Mystic Badge." She opened the box and presented it to him.

Jason kindly accepted it with his free right hand. "Thank you, Aria," he bowed his head.

The audience erupted with one more round of applause.

"You're more than welcome to stay around at our lounge," Aria offered hospitality, seeing that Jason is severely exhausted and dehydrated. "Water will make you feel better."

Aria led the twins into a lounge at the far end of the atrium. It served as the break room for Team Mystic and the upstairs offices' entrance.

The twins were astounded by the blue and white décor of the room. There were three massive photography portraits of an articuno on the left, right, and in front of them in the opposite room. Two tables could easily sit ten each, and there were two lounging areas on opposite ends that mirrored each other. Each one had a couch, two recliners, and a flat-screen television. There was even a kitchen towards the back.

"Make yourselves at home," Aria said. "I'll be upstairs if you need anything."

Just then, Don handed Jason and Kristine each a bottled water. The two then sat down at the lounging area to the right, at the sofa directly facing the television.

Kristine picked up the remote nearby and turned the television on.

"And now, we're down to our top three pokemon battle plays of the week," the sportscaster announced. He is a male appearing to be in his late thirties to early forties.

The screen played back footage from a contest in Inventum.

"Number Three is the Viceport Invitational Quarterfinal between Zig and Charlie Zeller," the man narrated. "Zig's Raichu grabs hold of Charlie's Pidgeot in midair with its tail before firing Hyper Beam point blank!"

The twins saw the entire scene unfold.

"That's awesome," Jason said. He was feeling much better after drinking water.

"Zig won the match 3-1, but eventually lost to Spark himself in the Final."

"Number two is Richland Port's Power Duo 56," the man continued. The screen shifted to another battle. "Richland Port's own Dave and Dan against tag battle partners Amy and Erin. Dave and Dan's Combusken and Marshtomp used Fire Pledge and Water Pledge, respectively, taking out Beautifly and Azumarill at the same time!"

"A tag battle…." Kristine muttered.

"And number one, we have a comeback victory at the Redholt Invitational!"

The screen switched to another battle location.

"We have Jack, 13, against Sarah, 15," the announcer continued. "Jack, down 2-1, sends out Hitmonlee for an against-all-odds assault against Sara's Pupitar, taking it down in a matter of seconds. And then, Manectric comes into play, and after a hard-fought battle, Hitmonlee comes out on top following a High Jump Kick!"

The two saw the play unfold.

"You totally had that kid beat," Kristine mentioned. "You can totally be up here."

Jason smirked. "So can you, sis."

"We should enter these televised tournaments as we venture across Inventum," Kristine added.

"For sure," Jason agreed. "After what we displayed today, we can definitely be up there with these guys.

"Let's keep working at it," Kristine said. "Our battle yesterday won't be the only one we'll have. We'll be battling against each other again."

"And I look forward to it," Jason smirked. "For now, we have the Tranquility Gym to go to."

Kristine gave a nod. "But first…"

The two began to make their way to the exit of the gym when Aria stopped them.

"Hey guys," Aria approached Jason and Kristine. "I just wanted to say once again that the both of you did an excellent job. You guys have been registered on the extranet as victors of the Mystic Gym and legit contenders in the Inventum League. Now knock 'em dead out there. You have eleven more to go!"

"We'll make you proud, Aria," Kristine replied.

"We'll keep working at it to be the best out there," Jason added.

"Good," Aria acknowledged. "It gets harder the further you go. If you haven't planned it out yet, I suggest heading towards the Team Tranquility Gym in Saint Brandon, just northwest of here. Justin is a good guy, and his wife, Fiona, is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. Justin will know the best way to test the both of you."

"We were actually planning to head in that direction," Kristine said. "It's the closest gym and the easiest to get to from here."

"Best of luck to the both of you," Aria smiled. "And stay safe out there."

The two departed from the Gym as they walked into the entertainment district of Fort Lexing.

"Okay," Kristine said. "Tonight, we party!"


After heading back to the pokemon center so Jason could get dressed, the two headed into a nearby arcade, where they competed against each other in various joystick and virtual games. Dusk fell as Fort Lexing became illuminated by neon lights. Many people were out strolling in casual wear, and whether people played in the arcades or were taking a stroll around the entertainment district, they were simply having a good time. Kristine had to convince Jason that it was a night well deserved after spending close to three weeks getting from Mountain Spring to receiving the Mystic Badge. It was a victory not only for them but for their pokemon as well.

Both of them knew they still had a long journey to go. They each had only three pokemon, and a full team required six. They spent one more day in Fort Lexing, stocking up on supplies and giving their pokemon time to rest before they made plans to venture onwards, with Saint Brandon to the north-northwest in sight.


With ten chapters down, Jason and Kristine each receive the Mystic Badge. Our heroes will go for the Tranquility Badge next, and more challenges await them. Please favorite/follow and leave a review or PM and tell me what you think of the gym battles and the story so far!