I am sorry that it took me this long to get this chapter up. I've been really fatigued this summer from my job. A word of advice for my readers: if you have a choice between a job in a restaurant and a job that's not in a restaurant, take the latter!

Review Response:

And we finally find out what Cody's medication is! I'm glad it wasn't for anything as serious as I thought.

I'll be honest, I was about to 86 that plot point, given that it seemed unnecessary. However, I really don't feel like being George Lucas and changing past plot points unless I really have to… speaking of which, I changed the name of Heather's Trapinch to fit better with her character. But does anybody really care about a pokemon that's only appeared in one scene and didn't even have an official name at the time? I hope not…

Cody: Bastion (Wartortle), Mars (Diglett), Colossal (Pupitar), Antonia (Skarmory), Elesa (Zebstrika), Cortez (Litwick)

Heather: Somnos (Poliwhirl), Feathers (Pidgeotto), Nadine (Nidorina), Bella (Gloom), Smaug (Trapinch)

Jared: Charmeleon, Servine, Croconaw, Gastly, Mightyana, Jolteon

Chapter 27: Humility

On the day of his battle for the Terra badge, the winter had seemingly disappeared in one night. The sun was shining warmly onto the practice field in the back of the pokemon center, and a warm breeze was a welcome improvement. Such a change in the weather could only promise good things. However, these good things were already right in front of Cody as he looked on at all five members of his team.

Mars the Diglett, the second pokemon he had ever caught, was fast, strong, and unrelenting in battle, and while he was a glass cannon, he could dish out a brutal punishment to unsuspecting foes. Elesa the Zebstrika was his first pokemon that evolved. The horse, while a sweetheart, was a fierce firecracker in battle, and while she would be out of her element in a battle against earth pokemon, he knew he could count on her to destroy the competition. Cortez the Litwick was his newest addition to his team, and though he was inexperienced, he was smart enough to outdo pokemon of lesser intelligence with the knowledge of a true trickster. Then there was Colossal the Pupitar. The big, blue-shelled pupa was once a little pokemon that was afraid of anything that moved. But through constant training and encouragement, the little lizard became a powerhouse that stood strong in all battles, offensively and defensively. Finally, there was the lynchpin of his team: Bastion the Wartortle. While a simple pokemon at heart and mind, his battlefield intelligence was extraordinary. How strange that his first pokemon meshed so perfectly with Cody and his strategies. It was almost as if the two had star-crossed paths.

"You guys are going to do great today," Cody said to his pokemon after running them through their morning drills. His concern for their one o'clock battle was lowering by the second as he watched his pokemon train. All the while, he was growing less concerned with the dreams. He hadn't had a visit by Darkrai all week, but he recorded all of the dreams like Dr. Irving Stall had ordered him to do. These dreams he recorded were meaningless to him, but he kept writing nonetheless. It gave him a small sense of control, though he still wasn't sure how it would help him against Darkrai himself, a being that controlled him in the dream state. Only time will tell, I guess.

"Mr. Cody Storm?" He turned around abruptly to see a young, blonde-haired woman in a nurse's uniform, holding a great ball. Antonia's great ball.

"Take a lap guys," he said to his pokemon, and in a flash, they were off around the track again. He turned back to the nurse and smiled. "Yes, I'm Cody Storm. What's up?"

"Well, we have some news about your Skarmory. Doctor Howard ran a physical examination on her last night and we've come to the conclusion that her armor has fully grown in. Your work in raising her has been successful."

Cody just stood there, speechless. After all this time, he could hardly believe that he was finally hearing these words. Antonia, his baby, was finally grown up, and he was being credited with the transformation. He had raised her to become what she was today. Like Eagle had said, it was a difficult road, but he did it… somehow, he did it. And he just couldn't stop smiling.

"Whoa…" he breathed as he clasped his head in both hands. Then he began to laugh. Is this a dream? Darkrai, if this a dream, interrupt it now and save me the trouble of writing it down. But nothing happened. This was real. And he was laughing like an idiot at seemingly nothing. "Can I see her?"

"Certainly," the nurse offered, handing him the blue pokeball. Not waiting another second, he opened the ball and what he saw was more beautiful than anything he had ever laid eyes on. Antonia's armor was all there (as he had seen in the passing days) but after hearing the news that it had grown in completely, she no longer looked so young.

"Skreee!" The proud bird spread her wings as she let out a shrill, falcon's call, stretching her neck and beak skyward, reaching a height of 5'11" (which was several inches taller than her trainer), and her body was long and broad. Perhaps someday, he'd even be able to fly with her? All of her silver armor gleamed beautifully in the sunlight and her red, metallic, wing feathers stretched out like smaller wings under her larger ones. Finally, Cody redirected his attention to her piercing, yellow eyes that reflected the pain that Antonia had experienced, as well as the bond they had built. A bond that he could say was beyond that of some of his other pokemon, as well as some of his human friends.

"My baby girl…" he whispered to her as he reached forward and embraced her, no resistance on her part. Rather, she rested her neck on his shoulders and let out a soft caw. How far they had come.

"Is there anything else I should know?" he asked, leaving his pokemon's side and looking into the eyes of the nurse.

"Well, just keep feeding her and exercising her," the nurse answered, "but the doctor said not to have her battle for about six days. Even though her armor has grown in, it needs a few more days to completely set. Let her exercise and fly, but no battling, okay?"

"Sure, no problem," Cody complied. As the nurse left, Cody continued to beam at his grown up pokemon and let his hand slid across her steely wing. If only she could battle today. I bet she'd be amazing. Then again, maybe she's still too green. She hasn't been in anything over a first tier fight. Maybe by the time I get to fight for my fourth badge- His thoughts were burst by the ringing of his cell phone. Taking a guess at who it was, he found he was right when he saw his mother's name on his caller ID. He knew she tried to call him the night before, but he didn't answer his phone since he was eating with Heather and Jared. After that, he knew his mother would be working, and he didn't want to disturb her. That, and he didn't want to deal with her nagging, which was the only reason she seemed to call anymore. Letting out a slow grown and answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Cody? It's Mom! You haven't been answering my calls! Are you okay?"

"Yes mother, I'm sorry," Cody muttered, trying to keep a level head. "I missed your last call, and I didn't want to bother you during work. I know how important your job is to yo-"

"Enough excuses, Cody!" his mother interrupted angrily, "I know why you won't talk to me! I saw our insurance report! You went to a psychologist, and I want to know why!"

"Oh God, I knew this was going to happen," he mumbled bitterly as he clutched his forehead in expectance of what he'd have to listen to from the other end of the phone. "Look, I was having anxiety issues, alright?" It wasn't a complete lie. One couldn't help but feel anxious when they were being stalked in both real life and their dreams. That being said, he wasn't telling the complete truth, and knowing how insane his mother could get, he never planned on doing so. "It's okay, I promise!"

"Okay? Okay!" his mother asked in disbelief. "You developed anxiety and you think it's okay? What is making you so anxious? Why won't you talk to me about this?"

"Nothing, training has just been very difficult lately. And I don't want you to worry, that's why I said nothing about it. I knew you were going to act like this. Now I'm sorry mom, but I have a badge battle in a few hours, and I have to work. Can I call you later?"

"No! I'm done dealing with this!" his mother shouted, her voice buzzing at the phone's top capacity. "This has gone too far! You won't call home, you're having mental anxiety, you always fight with me for trying to-" There was a sudden pause as if the call had dropped, but then, the young trainer heard the words he dreaded the most. "I want you to come home now!"

"Come… home?" Cody stuttered in disbelief. "I can't! I have a badge battle! I'm not coming home until the summer like I promised!"

"No, I don't want you out there anymore!" she repeated harshly. "I don't want to lose you like I lost Derrick. I wa-"

"Stop bringing up Derrick!" Cody yelled back, now pissed off. "I'm so sick of you comparing me to him! I won't end up like him, I promise!"

"Then come home now!" she demanded. "I am your mother, and you will come home! I demand it!"

At first, the young teen did not know how to respond to this command. Obviously, he had no plans to just give up and go home, but he wasn't sure how he could break it to her in a way that was respectful and that wouldn't cause her to start screaming. But when he deduced that that prospect was all but impossible, he decided to be straightforward with her, though he knew it would break her heart.

"No." The response was short, sweet, and to the point, but his mother's response was not.

"NO? I am your mother!" she screamed at him through the phones. "You will come home! I-"

"Mom, did you even talk to Dad about this?" Cody asked, raising his voice. "Given how supportive he has been-"

"This isn't about him! This is about me and you! I want you to come home now before-"

"Before what?" Cody challenged. "Before you come out here and get me? I don't think so mom. Quit being an indian giver with your promises!"

"Don't tell me what to do! I am-"

"I want to talk to Dad!" Cody asked indignantly.

"No! You will-"

"I hate this! You can't make me come home! You and Dad let me do this, so let me continue like you said I could! I'm sorry, but I will not come home until the summer like you asked me to. Now, if you want to talk with me about this in a civil tone, call me back when you calm down. I have to prepare. Goodbye Mother."

"Now you listen to me-"

Cody hung up his phone, and he squeezed it in his fist. Damn it, I'm so fucked right now. This was not going to be a pretty situation to fix and it could make his parents' situation with each other even worse. In a flash, his anger turned to regret. Ugh, what the hell am I going to do?

Cody looked up at Antonia, who was staring at him with curious eyes. He let his fingers gently slide over the warm, steel armor that covered her head as he slowly shook his. "Am I doing the right thing? Maybe I'm being a bad son… maybe I'm being selfish." But almost immediately, he thought otherwise. No. She's the one being selfish. I'm a great trainer, and she's keeping me from my goals. I refuse to let her stop me.

"Come on, let's go check on the others," Cody said to his Skarmory before the two walked off to the track. Even though he had made his decision, it was rather apparent that his struggles with Darkrai weren't the only power struggles that Dr. Stall had mentioned.

The Loamford Gym stadium was the biggest one that Cody had ever set foot on. The floor was made up of a mixture of thick soil and stone, and large slabs of stone littered the arena, making the battlefield more "themed" then the stadiums at Tempest Valley and Kito Grove. The seating at the arena was about one third full, but it was still pretty empty compared to the higher tier fights. Heather and Jared sat in the seats near the center of the field, Heather ready to film the fight, and Jared sitting back with his arms crossed. You're not going to win if you don't get serious about this. Cody disregarded Jared's repeated words though. He was ready, and he felt ready. He had fought ground and rock pokemon before, so an opponent that was a bit tougher than normal would only be more fun.

Still, he was sweating slightly as he stood on the battlefield. His confidence with his training and his pokemon were at odds with the memory of what his mother was talking to him about. Dealing with two situations, one that he could control, one that he could not, among the many others… Irving Stall was right. It was getting to him. No, I'll be fine. I just need to focus…

From the other side of the arena emerged the famed Martin Hornsby, wearing a white tank top and black sweat pants… certainly less formal than most gym leaders, but nonetheless, he received a standing ovation from his audience upon his entrance. Once he reached Cody, he reached out his hand and the two shook.

"We meet again Mr. Storm," he said, smiling widely.

Wow, he remembers me. "Yes, I'm ready," he replied, letting his admiration show through a little bit.

"Good, I hope so," Hornsby continued. "Garret told me about how you destroyed him in your pre-battle, so I expect great things today."

"Thank you sir, I won't let you down," Cody responded. The two released hands and returned to their own sides of the arena where they climbed up onto their two steel platforms above the arena. The brief meeting between the men had given Cody a bit more energy to try and override the problems on his mind. Subtlety, his eyes drifted over to Heather, who had zoomed in on him on the platform with his camera. But then he looked back at Hornsby, and grinned, pressuring everything else out of his mind. He came here to win. Let's get this over with.

"This is a third tier battle for the Terra badge!" the referee announced into his microphone. "Challenger Cody Storm vs. Loamford City Gym Leader Martin Hornsby! This battle will follow standard rules, and each trainer is allowed five pokemon! Trainers! Ready your pokemon!" Cody was ready for the draw this time, and his hand shot down and immediately snatched up the pokeball of the monster he planned to use. After taking it, he tilted his head downward, eyes closed, and smiled as he brought the ball close to his face. It was a look he spent time practicing for, and he thought it looked cool. Apparently, so did the audience, since nobody giggled this time. "Trainers! Begin!"

"You're up Mars!" Like he had done with his first two gym battles, he opened his battle with the tiny brown mole, who appeared to be extra tiny in the large arena. On the other side was Hornsby's pokemon. It was also very small, and it looked like a tiny brown dinosaur with a large, black, oval, shaped head, made of steel. Another fossil pokemon, Cody thought to himself, though he couldn't remember the name of the species. Never mind. "Magnitude!"

"Shieldon, Take Down!" Hornsby ordered. The little foe charged through the ruble and debris as it shook from the miniature earthquake that Mars had started. The rumbling made the running reptile bounce as it ran until finally, it tripped over a stone and flew into the air. Even though it lost balance, it flew downward towards the mole, who quickly shot underground before the flying reptile hit him. The Shieldon was hurt upon impact, and before it could stand up, Mars popped out of the ground directly under the shield pokemon. The lizard was knocked into the air again, but before he landed again, the Diglett smacked it again with another dig. Again and again, Mars juggled the Shieldon, who was too slow to escape. Finally, the lizard landed on a large slab of stone that Mars couldn't dig through, but it was already worn down. This was too easy.

"Mud Bomb!" The Diglett launched a large clot of soil at the Shieldon, but the tired enemy just barely dodged it.

"Shieldon, this Diglett is too fast for you. Iron Defense!" The Shieldon glowed silver as its skin built an extra layer of armor right as it was hit with another dirt clot, saving it from taking what could have been a deadly strike. "Now Taunt!" The tiny foe let out a challenging roar to his foe.

Taunt? Really? I'm already dominating you with attacks. "Bulldoze!" Mars charged the idle pokemon that had taunted him with a wave of dirt, but right before he hit, the lizard blocked the attack with a silver, protective bubble, though the shield shattered upon the hit. Protect, huh? Whatever, he's only delaying the inevitable. Its protect is broken now. "Bulldoze again!"

"Endure!" Upon hearing this command, the Shieldon let out another roar before setting up another silver force field, though this one only covered his skin, rather than a bubble surrounding him. The Bulldoze hit directly this time, but what would have finished the Shieldon failed to do so. The fossil pokemon had endured the hit.

"Alright, enough stalling!" Cody shouted, frustrated. "Bulldoze again! One hit will do it!"

"Now, Metal Burst!" In a last ditch effort, upon being struck, the Shieldon let out a ball of white energy, reversing some of Mars's energy against him. Mars took the hit directly, and while he had been injured from the blow, he was still standing when the Shieldon was not. All things considered though, Hornsby did the best thing possible to finish off the match up that he was stuck in to begin with.

"Shieldon is unable to battle! Diglett is the winner!" the ref announced as Hornsby returned his pokemon, though he was still smiling. But Cody didn't seem to notice in his own ecstasy. Mars had easily taken out the man's first pokemon, and he didn't believe whatever was next would be much more challenge.

"Let's get serious," Hornsby suddenly chuckled, pulling out a second pokeball. "Magenta, show 'em who's boss!" Once the ball opened, a purplish pokemon with blue, wing-like flaps between its arms and legs flew out of the pokeball, screeching as it glided above the arena. It looked like a cross between a scorpion and a bat.

Cody frowned. He knew that Gligar were technically ground pokemon, but he had not expected to fight a flying pokemon in the earth gym. Should I switch Mars out? I get a free switch upon winning a match up… wait, no, that doesn't work. I had to switch out before he switched in. I still have the one free switch, but… no, he can hold his own. He has against flying pokemon before. "Mud Bomb!" The Diglett threw a ball of mud at the Gligar, but the flyscorpion agilely avoided the clot, and dove straight towards Mars, ready to take a swipe at him. Mars was quick enough to avoid the Quick Attack, but he seemed to have difficulty getting back underground. That last strike from the Shieldon seemed to have injured one of his paws, and it had slowed down his digging ability. It was even more obvious when he emerged again, since he was favoring his right paw.

"Don't let him get away!" Hornsby shouted. "Agility! Then Slash!"

"Mars, get underground!" Again, the mole shot underground, but what the Gligar did next was truly amazing. Letting out a wild screech, she turned to the earth, dove, and drilled into the earth below him. What? He just dug through the ground like a- Seconds later, Mars was blasted out of the ground from a subterranean strike from his opponent, and he landed on his back, letting out a pained squeak on impact. Following in suit, the Gligar shot out of the earth, and was about to slash at the downed Diglett, but in the last moment, the mole parried the flyscorpion's pincers with his claws.

"Poison Tail!" Hornsby ordered. In the midst of their entanglement, the Gligar tried to stab the Diglett with her tail, but the mole barely managed to dig back into the ground. In a flash, Magenta was after him. It was apparent that this Gligar had Mars matched at every move and then some, and Cody decided that he needed to give Mars a break and use a pokemon that could match Magenta in aerial combat.

"Ref!" he called out, raising his hand, Mars's pokeball in hand. Since the battle was not in a critical moment, the referee allowed the switch, and Cody returned Mars to his pokeball once he resurfaced. Then he took the other pokeball out and wished his next pokemon a mental good luck. "Your first big battle, Cortez! Make me proud!"

"Hehehehehehehehe!" The giggling ghost floated out and faced off against the Gligar, and instantly opened up the fight with a Fire Spin. The spiraling fire missed its mark though, since seconds later, the Gligar reappeared behind the Litwick and struck him down with a well placed Faint Attack. The candle pokemon plummeted towards the ground like a stone before catching himself a foot above the ground in a hover.

"Nightshade! Don't let him-"

"Acrobatics!" Magenta dove straight towards the Litwick and struck him with a claw before flying into a loop and attempting to tackle Cortez, but the ghost burst into flames, igniting the skyscorpion.

"SHRAAAK!" The Gligar screamed in pain before diving into the earth, digging into the soil and dousing the flames on her body.

"Nightshade at the ground!" This time, Cortez managed to release his shadow attack, creating a wall between himself and the earth. But the shade did not deter the Gligar, for in a quick blast, Magenta shot out of the ground and through the Nightshade, blowing a stream of sand into the candle's eyes.

"Good! Sand Tomb!" Using the momentum from her last strike, the Gligar began to fly in tight circles around the candle, creating a whirlwind that engulfed the Litwick. In desperation, Cody ordered his pokemon to shoot fire at his attacker, but the Gligar kept Cortez so well contained that the fire could not escape the whirlwind. When the twister finally died down, all that was left was a bewildered Cortez, unable to fathom where his opponent was. "Finish him!" Magenta's claws took on a black glow, and she slashed at the Litwick with a critical Night Slash. It was more than the candle could bare, and he fell limp, though his body still floated.

"Litwick is unable to battle! Gligar is the winner!"

"Damn it," Cody muttered to himself. He was hoping a pokemon that could fly would be able to hold its own with this Gligar, but it had outclassed his pokemon with ease. "Cortez, return!" The ghost was sucked back into its pokeball, and Cody took the next one out, feeling sure of himself. We're still even. Maybe I need to match this Gligar in speed. "Elesa! Stomp her!"

Once she got sight of her opponent, the Zebstrika snorted, as if to scoff the flying foe. Cody's reaction was only in his mind and much more subtle. An electric pokemon would feel out of place in an earth gym, but that didn't mean she was helpless. "Flame Charge!"

"Quick Attack!" Hornsby ordered. Both pokemon charged each other, and Elesa leapt into the air to hit the Gligar as the smaller pokemon flew under the horse to dodge the flames that surrounded Elesa's body. Cody, however, still had the advantage.

"Stomp!" As the Gligar flew up behind her foe, she was hit with a strong hoof to the back of the head. Nevertheless, she flew through the pain. That thing can take a hit… "Pursuit!"

"Slash!" the gym leader shouted. The two pokemon charged each other again and this time met each other head on. However, since Elesa was faster and heavier than Magenta, she easily overpowered the smaller, flying pokemon. Cody began to think that perhaps the elemental disadvantage wasn't a factor after all. But the tides were destined to change.

"Magenta, the Zebstrika is faster than you! You're going to need to slow it down! Stealth Rock!"

"Shraaa!" The Gligar dove straight down into the earth and when she reemerged, her earth connection forced hundreds of stones, small and large, to fly into the air and just hover. But that was it…

What the- what's it doing now?

"Now Slash!" The Gligar flew in and slashed at the horse's sides. Angered, Elesa tried to chase down Magenta, but her pursuit was cut short as her head bashed against one of the large, floating stones. Letting out a shriek, she backed up, only to bump into another rock. Looking around frantically, she could see that she was surrounded by floating stones at various heights. Now Cody could see the point of the tactic that Hornsby was applying. Elesa was big, strong, and fast, but none of that mattered if she couldn't build up enough speed. With a field that hindered her movement, she would be stuck, toiling in a maze of floating stones; a sitting duck for the Gligar to pick apart.

"Cross Poison!" Magenta flew gracefully between the floating rocks that she had set up before leaving a sizable gash on the zebra's back as she flew by. Again, Elesa tried to chase the flyscorpion, but was again held up by the rocks. Then, the Zebstrika screamed out a pained whinny before falling to her knees. The poison was already taking effect, and Elesa's chances were already dwindling. Unable to follow the Gligar through the rocks, and poison in her veins, all Magenta would have to do was wait until Elesa could no longer move. It was a gruesome way to win a battle, but effective nonetheless.

"Shock Wave!" Cody ordered desperately. The withering horse managed to let out a burst of electricity that homed towards the flying imp, but of course, it barely seemed to scratch the Gligar. Damn ground types… "Elesa, try to blast away the rocks! Make more room to run in!" The whimpering horse began to blast electricity from her body, knocking a few of the rocks away, but it was too little too late.

"Fury Cutter!" Magenta shot into Elesa's face like a bullet and smacked her right on the nose, knocking the zebra backwards. Normally, such an attack would not have been enough to end her, but the poison made it worse. She finally fell to the ground, shivering from the poison's effects. Though she had not passed out, the violent convulsions were proof enough that she had no remaining strength to fight.

"Zebstrika is unable to battle! Gligar is the winner!"

"Return!" Cody returned the Zebstrika to her pokeball and growled to himself. He had lost his lead now that this Gligar had taken out two of his fighters out. If a flying pokemon and fast pokemon couldn't get the job done, perhaps he needed to match this Gligar with agility and mobility. But would it be enough to help him make a comeback?

"Bastion, take her down! Aqua Jet!" As soon as the next pokeball opened, Bastion blasted out of the light in a shell tackle straight at the flyscorpion. The move was so fast that Magenta was unable to dodge it, and the Wartortle crashed both of them into the earth, holding the imp against the ground. But the wily Gligar knocked the turtle back with her tail, hopped back into the air, and shifted into a Quick Attack, only to be knocked back by a Water Gun.

"Get into the air and begin the Acrobatics!" Hornsby bellowed authoritatively. The Gligar regained her flight and rose above the stones where Bastion would have trouble reaching… or so she thought. Without waiting for orders, the Wartortle began to hop onto the levitating stones that the Gligar had raised, making his way to the top of the battlefield. Then, the aerial battle began. The Gligar took to flying in close, trying to knock the turtle off the rocks with Night Slashes while Bastion kept jumping between rocks while firing streams of water and bubbles at Magenta as she dipped and dove. Despite the impressiveness of the dog fight, Cody gritted his teeth in fear every time Bastion dodged an attack and jumped to a new floating rock. One wrong move would send him crashing to the earth and giving the Gligar an opening.

"Weaken him with Cross Poison!" The Gligar swooped in and tried to slash at Bastion's face, but the turtle tried to counter this move with an Iron Tail. Strangely enough, it worked. Since his tails became momentarily glazed with steel, it completely blocked the poison of the Gligar's attack from seeping into his body. But Magenta did not let go, trying to crush the steel in her grip.

"Shake her off, Bastion!" Cody ordered, but while he intended for his pokemon to use a Rapid Spin, the turtle tried to repeat what he had done with the Omastar a week earlier. He used Aqua Jet and blasted himself towards the ceiling. But before he hit the ceiling, he pulled his head back into his shell before a resounding CRACK echoed in the arena. While Bastion had protected his head, his tail, to which Magenta was still clinging, was still hanging out of his shell. So upon the impact, the tail kept flying upwards in the momentum, and Magenta smashed into the ceiling. She finally let go, but she was too injured to fly away, so all she could do was fall. She was also too injured to enter the ground, and she only lay sprawling on the ground below. "Tackle!" The Wartortle was falling when he heard this order, but he maneuvered himself to fall just right so that his shell collided with the weakened Gligar. The collision made a small dust cloud, but when the dirt cleared, only Bastion was standing, though the fluffy eared turtle looked dizzy from all of the literal head banging. Magenta was not so lucky. As the flyscorpion slipped from consciousness, the levitating stones rained from the sky, now that they had no energy to keep them in the air. Thankfully, none of these rocks hit the dizzy Wartortle as they fell.

"Gligar is unable to battle! Wartortle is the winner!"

"Good job, Magenta!" Hornsby called out as he returned the Gligar to her pokeball. Cody noted that the gym leader was smiling now, though he didn't know why. Was the man impressed with Bastion's ingenuity? Did he believe it was too late for Cody? Or was he just gleeful about his next entrant into the battle?

"Hmm…" Martin Hornsby hummed to himself. "Mr. Storm, your Wartortle seems good at adaptation. But can he adapt to this?" The graying man pulled out a new pokeball and tossed it onto the field. The pokemon that appeared gave Cody reason to believe that the man was smiling at the impending doom of Cody's team.

"Hahaha…" the new pokemon laughed coolly in a very human-sounding voice. This new arrival stood at about five and a half feet, and its green body was covered in sharp spikes. Its head was curious looking. Its mouth seemed to be segmented into smaller holes and it looked like it was wearing a green, four-cornered hat. But its eyes… those evil, yellow eyes. The only eyes Cody had ever seen that were scarier were the ones of Darkrai. A Cacturne. A pokemon that trumped the rest of his, the challenger's team elementally. But that didn't bug Cody as much as something else, an issue he felt was key. Why? Why does he have a grass pokemon on his team? It's a grass and dark type for crying out loud!

"Shade, Sandstorm!"

Oh, that's why. He remembered that Cacturne lived in the deserts and despite not being ground pokemon, and that they could survive in the harsh wastes, even in the worst of sandstorms. But still, using a grass pokemon… that had to be cheating. All of a sudden, he really wished he still had Cortez on hand.

"Haha…" The Cacturne raised its arms, and the sand began to flow. Bastion braced himself, but Cody knew that the storm would definitely tire his first pokemon out. On top of that, the Cacturne seemed to have disappeared into the sands.

"Bastion, don't let your guard down. He's-"

"Sucker Punch!" Just like that, a long, spiny arm shot out of the swirling sands and smacked the turtle on the back of the head. Once Bastion recovered from the strike, he shot water in the direction the arm came from, but there was no impact noise. He missed. But where was the Cacturne now?

"Needle Arm!" A spiny arm swiped at Bastion again, this time sending the turtle farther through the air. Bastion shot a Water Pulse, but it seemed to be at nothing. Again, Bastion did this. And again. Each time he made the move, his big ears twitched. The Wartortle must have had some sort of echolocation thing going on.

Why did I never read about that? "Bastion, when you find it, Iron Tail!" Seconds later, the Wartortle picked up movement, and ran straight into the sandy abyss where the scarecrow was hiding. This time, a sickening thud was heard, along with the scream of the Cacturne. But then, Bastion was thrown back out of the sand and the cactus pokemon followed slowly. Cody noticed that Shade was walking slower than usual, and it took him a moment to figure out why. Every step he took, the foot he put forward seemed to be sprouting roots. Ingrain. As long as he had roots in the ground, he'd slowly recover from the damage he had taken.

"Hold that Wartortle down! Needle Arm!"

"No, Headbutt it!" Bastion tried to counter the strike with his head, but this was immediately recognized by Cody as a dumb decision, since the turtle's unguarded head was left open to the scarecrow's spiked arm. This time, the big grass pokemon held Bastion to the ground, as leech like roots extended from the end of its arm onto the turtle's skin. It looked harmless at first, but then Bastion began to writhe in agony. "Don't let it sap your energy! Rapid Spin!" But the scarecrow was putting so much pressure on the turtle's head that he could not move. Bastion desperately shot water blasts at the cactus, but even the ones that hit barely did anything Shade, who was enjoying a feast of energy from both the earth and the reptile. Finally, after the joint combination of both the sands and the sapping, Bastion's struggles ended, both slowly and sadly. Another depressing ending.

"Wartortle is unable to battle! Cacturne is the winner!"

"Good try Bastion…" Cody mumbled as he returned his pokemon, wiping the sweat off his brow with his free hand. This battle was not looking good. All he had left was the somewhat injured Mars, and his fastest rising star, Colossal. But Hornsby had three pokemon left, and the one that was out right now trumped both of his in a bad way. Was it even possible to win this fight at this rate? Yes… I can do this. Mars and Colossal are tough. They'll pull through. We'll do this together. He had a new strategy now: if the Cacturne was going to use roots to sustain himself, he'd have to find a way to cripple his life support… maybe a root eating mole would do the trick. "Mars! Go!"

"Weik, weik!" the Diglett squeaked as he made his second appearance on the field, still looking slightly worn out from his earlier match ups. But even looking at a bigger grass pokemon, Mars was not discouraged, and the sandstorm wouldn't slow him down like it did Bastion, thanks to his element.

"Needle Arm!"

"Dig under and chew the roots!" Mars immediately went under the earth and seconds later, Cacturne began to pull its feet up as if it was stepping on nails, making angry grunts all the while. Then, the scarecrow's foot that wasn't raised from the earth was pulled underground by the hungry mole, stopping it in place. "Great! Now slash at his knees!"

"Grass Knot!" Hornsby ordered. After the Diglett had shot out of the ground and took a swipe at the cactus pokemon's knees, he was immediately knocked downward by the Cacturne's long arms. Before Mars could get to his feet again, the Cacturne punched its two long arms into the ground. Suddenly, several green, spiny roots shot from the ground next to the mole and wrapped around his body. Mars screeched in agony as the large thorns of the roots cut into his body, and he tried to wriggle free, chewing at one of the roots that was near his mouth. But that did not stop the Cacturne from tightening his grip, squeezing what little air was left out of the mole's lungs. During this, all Cody could do was watch as one of his last hopes of winning was being strangled, unable to do or say anything to help his pokemon win this match-up as the Cacturne tightened its grip. As much as he preferred a flashy battle style, he had to admit that Hornsby's tactics, gruesome as they were, were very effective.

"That's enough, Shade!" the gym leader shouted. After pulling his sunken foot out of the earth, the Cacturne relinquished his grip, letting the limp Diglett fall to the ground. He did this before the referee made the decision, thinking that the enemy had grown too tired to fight, not wanting to injure it any further. But to the surprise of Hornsby, Cody, the referee, and everybody in attendance, Mars opened his eyes and made it to his feet, staring at his opponent with angry eyes, as if he had been insulted by what the Cacturne had done to him.

"Mars, don't-" It was too late. The beaten and bruised mole ran straight towards his foe, not even bothering to get underground first, but once he was in mid-leap, the scarecrow instinctively swatted the Diglett down with a Needle Arm, crushing its attacker through the impact in the air, and smashing him into the ground. This time, Mars could not get up, his body twitching from the blow.

"Diglett is unable to battle! Cacturne is the winner!"

"Return." Cody recalled Mars solemnly and looked out at the Cacturne and the sandstorm it had created. Though he could not see his face, he knew he wore a downcast expression as he was now down to his last pokemon: Colossal. Sure, Colossal was good, but was he good enough to beat three gym pokemon? It didn't seem possible, but stranger things had happened. Slowly, Cody lifted the pokeball of his final pokemon and held it close to his lips, so close that they almost touched. "You can do this," he whispered, unsure if the companion inside could hear him. But finally, he pulled the pokeball away, and silently released the Pupitar onto the battlefield. The blue-shelled being looked at home in the raging sandstorm, even more so than Mars was, and he let out a rumbling growl that could be heard over the whipping sands. Perhaps he could do the impossible?

"Don't waste time, Shade. Grass Knot!"

"Colossal, Take Down!" The Pupitar shot itself over the erupting roots at the cactus, but before he made contact, the scarecrow had disappeared into the whipping sands again. "Colossal, use Screech and-" before Cody could finish the order, several spiked roots jutted out of the ground and wrapped around the pupated lizard's shell. At this attack, the Pupitar turned in his constraints to face the shadowy figure several feet away. But unlike Mars, Colossal did not seem to be weakened by the tightening roots that surrounded him, and it was easy to see why: his shell. That bulky, blue shell was holding strong against the pressure, unlike Mars's skin. Therefore, the Grass Knot had only put the battle into a stalemate… a stalemate that only Hornsby could end on command. Unless…

"Hold steady, Colossal!" Cody called out to his pokemon, who was straining against his foe in the center of the field. "He can't move until he lets you go. Then-"

"Release an arm and use Needle Arm!" Hornsby shouted, cutting Cody off, catching on that the challenger had figured out his game. The Cacturne's left arm rose from the ground, releasing half of the vines that entangled the pupa, but this only opened a new window of opportunity for the reptile. Immediately, he thrashed about and broke free from his roots. Right away, he burst into a jet-propelled tackle that not only knocked back the Cacturne's free arm, but also launched the armored pokemon into the scarecrow's torso.

"Stomp!" Cody ordered once he saw that his pokemon was standing on top of his opponent's, but the Cacturne was slick enough to roll out of the way before punching both of his long arms into the Pupitar's shell, trying to breach the pokemon's defenses and absorb his energy. However, unlike with the grass pokemon's roots, the sprouts from the Cacturne's hands would eventually seep their way past the Pupitar's hard shell and into his soft tissue.

"The moment you infiltrate, Mega Drain!" Hornsby bellowed, as Colossal tried to shake off his foe. But the Cacturne's grip was too tight. However, it was in this moment when Pupitar came up with a new solution to the problem at hand. Its body radiated with a dark glow before a horrible, black pulse exploded from its body, knocking the scarecrow pokemon back. Understandably, the dark type move didn't do too much against the dark type pokemon it hit, but it did its job well enough, as the cactus pokemon had lost his grip and he seemed to be cringing from the attack he had taken.

"Now, while it's off its game! Finish it!" Cody ordered, feeling his confidence rise again. Like it had practiced, the Pupitar let out a deafening screech before pounding the ground and raising up three boulders. Finally, he charged the Cacturne and knocked it over like a bowling pin. After the hit was made, the Sandstorm slowly began to subside as some of the dust rested on the passed out body of the foe.

"Cacturne is unable to battle! Pupitar is the winner!"

"Good work, Shade!" Hornsby said. A second later, he already had his next pokemon ready to go. "I'm sorry to say Storm," the gym leader began, his eyes looking sorrowful, "you've been impressive, and yet, disappointing. I do hope you come try again next wee-"

"I'm still in this," Cody barked back, trying to keep himself in good spirits. Two against one… the odds were slightly better, but still not in his favor.

The gym leader laughed at this. "That you are. But can you handle this?" His fourth pokeball opened up and revealed a big gray pokemon with dark gray armor on its back that looked similar to tire tread. It was a Donphan, much to Cody's distress. He wasn't worried because the pokemon was a Donphan, as he had fought the species before. Rather, it was this particular Donphan that disturbed him. Unlike most Donphan, this one looked like it was almost six feet tall, almost twice as tall as any of the species he had ever seen. He also noticed its ears were bigger too.

"An African-Donphan," Hornsby announced proudly. "What they lack in speed, they make up for in pure power. Allow me to demonstrate." He snapped his fingers and pointed. "Tantor! Rollout!"

"Hrrannhhh!" the big pachyderm trumpeted before barreling towards the much smaller Pupitar before tucking his thick armored head and trunk in and forming a gigantic, rolling wheel. At the last second, Colossal managed to slide out of the way. Both Cody and his pokemon looked a bit baffled by the elephant's speed. For a pokemon that "lacked speed," as Hornsby had dictated, it was still pretty damn fast.

"Don't let his size deter you!" Cody shouted, "Rock Slide!" Once again, the blue-shelled pokemon summoned a few sizable boulders before charging head on towards the spinning tank. But what happened next was both amazing and terrifying, as the Donphan's Rollout not only crushed the boulder that Colossal had set up in front of him, but also collided with the Pupitar, creating a shattering "plunk" sound.

"Now, Magnitude!" The elephant bounced into the air before unfolding from his wheel form, ready to crash into the earth with all the might of a careening meteor, but luckily, Colossal saw this coming. He reared his body upwards and hopped into the air, avoiding both the Magnitude, and the Donphan that caused it. Taking advantage of the Donphan, who was still stuck in the motion of the Magnitude, Colossal launched another jet propelled Take Down towards the armored elephant… which accomplished nothing as he bounced off the opponent's side, not even making a dent. Letting out another trumpeting roar, the Donphan grabbed the aggressor with his long trunk and flung him into the battlefield's boundary wall like a rag doll. Ever the tenacious one, Colossal was up again and trying to use a successful Thrash, though again, this seemed to have very little effect on the enormous foe. Again, the elephant disregarded the comparably weak attack by picking up the Pupitar like before and tossing him down again.

"Colossal, you have to keep trying," Cody pleaded as he saw his final pokemon being beaten down like he was nothing special. "Dark Pulse!" Cody immediately regretted the command when he called it out, since he had not yet trained the Pupitar to respond to that order with the proper attack, but by some sheer chance of luck, the pupa pokemon lurched forward and burst with the dark aura once more. However, the luck had run out as the Donphan rolled forward again, its body completely disregarding the black pulse that hit it. His body smacked Colossal backwards before once more, the elephant leapt into the air and was ready to stomp its opponent with another Magnitude, trumpeting out an early victory cry before he landed. This time, Cody's final pokemon failed to dodge the blow. When the dust cleared and the shaking of the earth had ended, he knew the result before the referee even called it.

By the way, if anybody here has any good picture recommendations for the story's pic, let me know. I'm just going with the "realistic" Squirtle for now.