Author's note:

I totally procrastinated this week LMAO

This chapter's a little shorter than others, I hope that's okay! See you next week!

Chapter 5: To become just like him

"Marie!" Beatrice cried. "If I defeat this garbage heap of a trainer without once being hit, you will face me next."

"Sure," Marie said with a shrug. "But I highly doubt that'll happen."

"Oh.. it's going to feel good when I humble you! Ready, jerk!?" Lucia roared, pointing a finger at Beatrice. Shelgon leapt onto Lucia's wrist and fastened himself onto his trainer.

"Harold," Beatrice said without turning back. "Give me Slowpoke," the tuxedo wearing man standing behind Beatrice nodded once before digging into his pocket. He pulled out a Pokéball and tossed it. Out from the ball came Slowpoke, who yawned loudly as he lay lazily on the ground. Beatrice's armor gleamed with a pink light, followed by a blue light.

"Her invoker synchronized with Slowpoke already, huh?" Marie said.

"I wonder what Beatrice is planning to do..." Anastasia said.

"I'm not sure how you're going to fight with that Slowpoke," Lucia said. "That one looks like it's ready to nap."

"I'm not sure how you're going to fight me without invoker armor, but I'm not asking any questions," Beatrice replied.

"What!? No! I'm already using an invoker! It just has a stealth mode!"

"Stealth mode? Whatever- that doesn't concern me. Slowpoke!" Beatrice turned her head to her Slowpoke, who had rolled on its back and moved its legs as though it were swimming. "You don't have to move at all. Just use Future Sight!"

Slowpoke's legs stood up on end as its eyes began to glow with a bright red light. Beatrice smiled, raised her hand and motioned Lucia to come at her. Lucia let out a battle cry and ran straight at Beatrice. The arrogant trainer just stood and waited. For a moment, her eyes shone with a red light before she tilted her head to dodge Lucia's punch. Lucia moved like a machine, punching and kicking again and again only for Beatrice to dodge with ease.

"Slowpoke, bubblebeam!" Beatrice grabbed Lucia by the shoulders and vaulted over her. The bubbles Slowpoke fired came flying Lucia's way and slammed into her. Beatrice kept her back turned as Lucia was buffeted and pushed back by the volley of bubbles- and then, once Lucia bumped into her, Beatrice spun. With a Shadow Ball forming in her palm, Beatrice thrust her hand onto Lucia's back. The shadow ball exploded on contact, sending Lucia flying. Lucia's body tumbled and slid across the ground.

"With Slowpoke's Future Sight, I can foresee any attack you plan to hit me with. There's nothing you can do." Beatrice said.

"Jeez.." Lucia groaned as she carried herself back to her feet. "That hurt...!"

"It hurts?" Beatrice raised an eyebrow. "You felt pain? Is your invoker malfunctioning?"

"No.." Lucia said, breathing heavily and wiping her lower lip with the back of her fist... "I have a special Invoker. It's a long story."

"Oh," Beatrice said. "I said this would end in five minutes, but I take it back. It's going to end in two."

"You cocky little...!" Lucia cried. "Take this...!" Lucia grunted as she raised Shelgon like an arm-blaster. "Shelgon! Fire blast!" Shelgon's mouth opened and fired blasts of flame like a machine-gun. Just before the Fire Blasts touched her, Beatrice crossed her arms and teleported out of sight.

"Wha-" Lucia couldn't finish her sentence before Beatrice appeared above her and stomped on her head. The surprised trainer fell to the ground under her opponent's heels.

"It's over," Beatrice said. She uncrossed her arms and shot her hand downward. A shadow ball began growing before the dominant trainer's open palm.

"No, it's not!" Lucia cried, raising her head and pushing her body up. "Shelgon, give me your strength!"

Both Shelgon and Lucia roared loudly as an azure-colored flame-like aura erupted around them and rose like a geyser. Beatrice teleported away, completely unscathed.

"I told you," Beatrice said. "It doesn't matter what you do. Thanks to Slowpoke's Future Sight, I can foresee everything and anything."

Slowly, Lucia began to stand up.

"Let's see if you can foresee this!" Lucia roared. Dragon flames erupted from Shelgon's mouth, and Lucia grabbed at it. Beatrice's eyes widened in shock.

"What's she doing...!?" Anastasia cried loudly.

Marie smiled.

Slowly, Lucia pulled her arm away from Shelgon's mouth as though she were drawing a sword. The blade of azure flames formed and burned with intense fury.

"Let's go!" Lucia roared, charging forward. She dragged her sword across the ground. It left a trail of fire behind the bellowing Lucia. Beatrice bent her head back to dodge the oncoming sword swing. Beatrice then backflipped once, twice, then a third time before finally landing. Distance had been made, and Beatrice felt beads of sweat fall down her cheeks.

"If you can foresee everything...!" Lucia roared, raising her sword into the air, the sword she wielded doubled in size, then tripled, then quadrupled. It became so huge that it blotted the sun. "Then I just have to attack you with something you can't possibly dodge!" Lucia continued.

"Wait..." Anastasia stared with wide and awestruck eyes yet spoke softly. "If Lucia attacks with that big sword, can't Beatrice use Slowpoke's Teleport to get out of the way?"

Marie's smile turned into a grin.

"DRAGON...!" Lucia prepared to swing her sword, but then spun around, preparing to hit her real target:

Beatrice's Slowpoke.

The dopey Pokémon was lying on the ground and lazing around, as though he were unaware of what was about to happen.

"SWOOOORD!" Lucia finished, swinging down at the Psychic-water type. Beatrice teleported to her Pokémon's side- and just when she was about to pick him off the ground, she turned her head and saw the oncoming attack.

She saw the future at that moment. There was no outcome where she teleported out of the way in time.

"No!" Beatrice shouted as the raging flames blasted against her like a raging current. The flames exploded outward, consuming almost every tree in its path along route 104. The smoke and dust finally cleared, and Beatrice stood, breathing heavily beside her bruised up Slowpoke, who was lying on the ground but still conscious. It rolled onto its back again and started moving its legs like it was swimming all over again.

"Poke, poke, poke.." Slowpoke said.

"How'd you like that…?!" Lucia cried. The sword she held had extinguished completely.

"How dare you…!" Beatrice roared. "You've made me truly angry! Slowpoke! Future Sight! " Slowpoke's eyes shined red once again. Beatrice teleported out of sight, and Lucia gasped. Beatrice re-appeared right in front of Lucia with her arm pulled and ready to strike. Lucia threw a punch as well. Both attacks connected, Lucia's naked fist punched Beatrice's armored head. Beatrice was protected, while Lucia felt the full brunt of Beatrice's attack and fell on her back. Lucia grimaced in pain as her opponent placed one foot on her stomach, and the other on her arm.

"This is it...!" Beatrice cried, clenching her fist and raising it above her head. "Take this! Earthquake!" She slammed her fist onto Lucia's stomach with so much force that the earth below trembled. Lucia's legs and arms lurched upwards when she took the blow. The earth nearly shattered below the two of them. Soon, the earthquake subsided, and Beatrice pulled her hand up.

"I... can't… move..." Lucia grumbled. A small crater had been created below the young trainer. Her legs and arms crumpled to the ground. Shelgon leapt to his feet, still ready to fight. "Shelgon... No…" Lucia said. "I'm sorry… we can't… continue..."

Beatrice narrowed her eyes and frowned in anger.

"You're Trash...!" Beatrice said. "You're just trash, but you landed an attack on me...! How dare you...!?"

"Heh," Lucia grinned. "Get… wrecked…"

"Why you..!" Beatrice's eyes flared in rage as she pulled her fist back again. "I'll crush you like the insect you are! Take-"

"Stop right there!" Marie said, stepping in along with Anastasia.

"Yeah!" Anastasia cried. "No more fighting!" Beatrice's eyes swung over to the spectators and slowly lowered her fist.

"Beatrice. You won the fight," Marie said. She smiled. "But- you clearly lost the war. Because Lucia landed a hit on you- two, actually, we're not fighting. I suggest going out to challenge the Rustboro gym, and the other gyms to get Gym badges like everyone else. Anastasia? We're leaving."

"Aww…" Anastasia said. "Okay! Bye, Lucia! Bye Beatrice! I hope to see your lovely faces at the ship heading for Dewford Town! Marie and I will be competing against each other for ribbons! Bye!" Anastasia waved her hands happily and blew kisses as she and Marie walked away.

"B-Bye.." Lucia said, waving the two of them goodbye.

Beatrice looked down at Lucia and glared.

"I hope you're happy," Beatrice said. "You embarrassed me in front of a champion-level trainer."

"Oh... Believe me... I'm ecstatic..." Lucia said, coughing. "Get humbled… Jerk."

Beatrice gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.

"Do you not know how much I try to be like Quinton!?" Beatrice cried. "I am trying to become perfection itself- and you dare mock me!? I promise you- I'll crush you the next time I see you until there's nothing left so I can-!"

"Madam," The butler named Harold ran to her side. "I beg of you to calm down. We must go to a Pokécenter immediately to heal Slowpoke."

"...Tch',.." Beatrice sighed. With a press of a button on her breastplate, the invoker Armor the crimson-haired trainer wore disappeared. "I won't forget this, Trash heap,"

"My name isn't, 'trash heap'... It's Lucia."

"Trash by any other name is still trash," Beatrice concluded. She turned around in a huff and walked away. Harold bent over and opened the briefcase containing Slowpoke's Pokéball. He returned him into the ball, packed it into the briefcase once more, and hurriedly followed his master.

"...I'm sorry… Shelgon.." Lucia said, groaning. "You were still able to fight… while I went down quicker than you. Having no armor… makes everything tougher on me..."

"She-Shel.." Shelgon sighed deeply.

"While I'm happy we were able to make her angry, but she beat us. She absolutely destroyed us- we only landed two hits on her... We lost to my mother... and now we lost to that Beatrice girl... Maybe I am just trash..."

Shelgon shook his head. He leapt onto his trainer's shoulder.

"Huh?" Lucia's eyebrows raised once she saw Shelgon smiling while standing on her shoulder. "Oh- I get it, you're trying to cheer me up by doing what I asked you to do earlier." Lucia smiled. "You're so sweet, Shelgon." Lucia nuzzled her cheek against Shelgon's side lovingly. She then sighed and stood up, dusting off her skirt.

"All right," She said. "We just need to get better before we fight that Beatrice girl again. We also have to get that Gym badge from the Rustboro gym leader. C'mon, Shelgon, let's go fight some wild Pokémon. I swear to you. From here on in, no more losing!"

The two exchanged a nod before running away from Rustboro city.

Two men covered in black cloaks walked out of the Pokecenter in Rustboro City. The shadow their hoods cast were too dark for anyone to see their faces. They both exchanged glances.

"Marie wasn't here either... Are you sure she's in this city?" One of the men said.

"Don't give up," The other man said. "She has to be here somewhere. Once we find her, you know what happens next."

"But are we strong enough to subdue her? She used to be a champion."

"We don't need to subdue her, remember? We just need to get the information about Quinton's whereabouts from her… Now, from what the nurse said, this Marie woman has a little friend following her."

"What're you suggesting?"

"That we kidnap the girl and use her as leverage.

The robed men chuckled in amusement as they continued- walking the same direction Marie and Anastasia headed.