The sixth Battle Facility was the Battle Tower, and the friends got there after only a minor side issue involving some Jynx.
"This is an impressive place," May said, looking up at the huge building. "I wonder why they need all the space?"
"It's probably for training," her brother replied, and began checking things off on his fingers. "And accommodation for Pokémon. And whatever the Tower… whatever it is… has as a hobby…"
He gave up. "Yeah, it's big."
The door opened.
"Ah, there you are," said a purple-haired young woman. "I wondered if it was you. Scott said you were on the way."
She stepped to the side. "Welcome to the Battle Tower. My name is Salon Maiden Anabel."
"Salon Maiden?" Ash repeated. "Why not Tower… something?"
"Copyright," Anabel said. "Someone in Sinnoh is already Tower Tycoon, and there were legal issues… it was this or Salon Shogun."
She looked distant for a moment, then nodded. "Scott will be here in a moment. My challenge is a battle with three Pokémon a side; there are no unusual restrictions, but you will find that my way of commanding my Pokémon offers extra difficulty."
An Alakazam appeared next to them, along with Scott.
"And here he is," Anabel added. "I'll get Maron ready to referee the battle."
Ash already had his first Pokéball ready, and once they were set up on either end of the battlefield – a large, conventional flat floor in a big room with a high ceiling – Maron raised his hand.
"Begin," he said.
Anabel's Alakazam stepped forwards, while Ash held up a Pokéball and Noctowl emerged with a flash. Then – while Noctowl was still gaining height – Alakazam Mega Evolved.
Anabel didn't say anything, but Alakazam's five spoons lit up and flared out a burst of brilliant light. The Dazzling Gleam attack hit Noctowl as he was getting a seething Dark-type attack ready, knocking it back, and Noctowl himself was surrounded by a cloud of smoke.
When it faded, Zoroark landed on the other side of the arena.
"Oh, I get what just happened!" Ash said, as Zoroark picked himself up. "Your Mega Alakazam has Trace, so he Traced Illusion, so he knew that that wasn't Noctowl! That's quick thinking!"
"I didn't know Zorua had evolved," Brock admitted. "But then again, am I really surprised by not knowing something like that?"
Max sniggered.
"What I don't get is how she's commanding her Pokémon," May admitted.
"It's like how I communicate with Ralts," Max said, as Zoroark began darting around the battlefield. "You know, a psychic link. They're talking, just not out loud."
Zoroark kept moving, shifting between fast-running forms like a Galarian Zapdos and tiny easy-to-dodge forms like a Cutiefly, with the occasional intervening period where he took the shape of a well-polished Bronzor to reflect away the light of a Dazzling Gleam. All through that time he was using Night Daze, or Extremespeed to avoid being hit, and despite Mega Alakazam's best efforts he simply couldn't pin down the Dark-type – even the occasional teleport only serving to land him near Zoroark, not actually let him hit.
"Okay, Zoroark!" Ash called. "Let's try now!"
"Right!" Zoroark agreed, sliding to a halt, and pulled a shimmering gemstone from his long mane. Ash held up his Key Stone, which lit up with a flash, and when it faded Mega Zoroark was on the battlefield instead – a snarling red-and-black Pokémon who was halfway down on all fours, a white mask on his muzzle and two more on his forelegs.
Mega Alakazam took a step back, visibly intimidated, and Mega Zoroark howled – then lunged.
The Psychic-type raised both spoons and blasted the whole area with Moonblast… and when the light faded, Mega Zoroark had vanished.
Then the Dark-type pounced up out of the floor, grabbing onto Alakazam's leg.
"Beat Up!" he shouted, the attack starting with his transformation into Rayquaza, and hammered Mega Alakazam around in a way that looked extremely painful.
"I don't think I've ever seen a Mega Zoroark before," Anabel admitted, as her Alakazam reverted. "That's a surprisingly fearsome appearance."
"Yeah, he did really good work with it," Ash agreed.
Anabel blinked. "...pardon?"
Mega Zoroark reverted.
To Zorua.
"That was just as much fun as I thought it'd be!" the Dark-type sniggered. "The look on her face is priceless!"
"Your Pokémon pretended to Mega Evolve?" Anabel asked. "I… well, now that I come to think of it that's exactly the sort of thing I'd expect from a Zorua or Zoroark, but still…"
She blinked. "How did you manage to make your Key Stone flare, though? It's still glowing."
"That was Pidgeotto," Ash replied. "She was in my bag, she's my smallest Pokémon that uses a Mega Stone."
"...don't you mean…" Anabel began, then waved her hand around. "No, I'm going to ask again."
Pidgeotto hovered out of Ash's bag, then reverted to Pidgey.
Anabel rubbed her temples. "...okay! Okay, I'm… just going to move on to the second battle now."
The second Pokémon Anabel sent out was an Espeon, who she introduced as having been her starter Pokémon.
Brock's Eevee immediately had some questions about what it was like being an Espeon, and how it felt to evolve, and whether she really did have trouble fighting at night, and at that point Brock gently told her to ask questions after the battle.
"But she'll be too unconscious after the battle," Eevee complained, then jumped into the air and flew up to hover just over Brock's shoulder.
...why have I never tried that? Espeon asked her trainer. I should try to learn that.
I never thought of it either, Anabel admitted. I don't think she's doing it with telekinesis, though… admittedly I'm not sure what she's doing.
Maybe I can ask later, Espeon decided.
They watched as Ash sent out his own Pokémon, a Phanpy, and the Ground-type waved with her ears.
"I don't think I've battled an Espeon before," she said. "Do you have any tips?"
What about if you hold up your tail and say just two? Anabel suggested.
"Just two," Espeon said, holding up her tail.
Phanpy giggled, delighted, then Maron called the beginning of the battle and the Ground-type peeled out in a Rollout.
Dodge right, Anabel instructed. She's getting around behind you. How is your shield doing?
Not bad, Espeon replied, jumping and boosting herself with a raw telekinetic shove. Zap Cannon isn't going to work though and Iron Tail is asking for trouble.
That's fine, Anabel told her. Psychic!
The Psychic-type sent out a burst of energy from her gemstone, catching Phanpy a glancing blow, and the high-speed Ground-type rolled completely over before sliding to a halt over near the wall.
"Fling!" Ash called out.
Did you see what she was carrying? Espeon asked. I didn't.
No, me neither, Anabel replied. Get ready to dodge – you won't be able to block a Fling properly with a psychic shield.
Espeon sent a feeling of I-know and a rush of warm understanding, then Phanpy had her stance set and her trunk rose to point at Espeon.
The Sun Pokémon tensed.
And Phanpy blasted an incredible barrage of objects at Espeon. First there was a hard, glittering stone, then an Ultra Ball, more than a dozen berries in quick succession, a collapsible rope, a King's Rock, two Moon Stones, three Sun Stones, a can of Repel, and at that point Espeon and Anabel both stopped keeping track and Espeon just started running.
Why is there no cover in this entire room? Espeon asked, ducking as an end table with a fetching tablecloth and cloche went flying overhead – moments before she was beaned in the rump by an iron ball. Ow!
That was my decision, Anabel admitted, as Espeon ducked again and a pair of boots sailed overhead. I think it's a good long term one, but right now I don't imagine you like the long term view.
I'd rather have a way out of this situation! Espeon shot back.
"Ooh, this looks impressive!" Phanpy said, and threw a compact disc-shaped object.
It curved through the air and hit Espeon, and shattered into six equal parts. Six rays of sinister moonlight flashed out, focusing on Espeon, and launched the Psychic-type into a wall hard enough to crack it.
Anabel winced. "I… think Espeon has been defeated," she said. "What was that?"
"Ibid?" Ash asked, getting something out of his pocket. "Did you recognize that?"
"Analyzing," it said, and changed into a miniature Lunala. "The attack was: Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom."
Phanpy said something which Anabel didn't catch, no longer benefiting from Espeon translating for her, and Ash chuckled. "I guess you can get anything in a TM these days… come on back, Phanpy!"
The third Pokémon Ash sent out was Quilava, who stretched and rolled his spine a bit to loosen up.
For her part, Anabel sent out Metagross.
"I can see we're going to have to battle hard to win today," Anabel said. "It's a pity I don't have a Mega Stone for Metagross as well, but you'll find them difficult to deal with."
"Yeah, Steven's Mega Metagross was really tough!" Ash agreed. "I had a headache by the end."
Anabel thought about asking what Ash meant, then visibly changed her mind.
"Begin the battle," Maron said.
Quilava immediately tucked into a roll, launched himself forwards, and used Brick Break.
Marginally less immediately, Metagross punched him into a wall.
"Ow," Quilava said, then extracted himself from the wall with a quick twist. "Fortunately, you didn't hit anything vital."
"The attack hit your head," Metagross stated.
"Exactly!" Quilava agreed, so readily that Anabel looked like she wanted to ask questions just about that.
"Rock Climb!" Ash called. "Then drop down and use Lava Plume!"
Anabel frowned, and Metagross used Rock Slide. This consisted first of conjuring a ring of blue light around him, then punching each rock up at Quilava as he clambered towards the ceiling.
Deciding that he was high up enough, Quilava pushed off – back flame flaring to boost him as he swooped down on Metagross. He did a forwards flip, landing with a wham on top of Metagross, then used Lava Plume in an explosion that knocked Metagross visibly backwards.
In response, Metagross grabbed Quilava and slammed him into the floor, then used Meteor Mash.
The second Meteor Mash blow was met by a pair of paws, and Ash's Typhlosion flipped Metagross over to drive their body into the floor.
Metagross promptly sprang upright, but Typhlosion looked over at Ash and held something up. "Hey, I found this in the crater, is it important?"
"Let's see!" Ash replied, concentrating, and Typhlosion lit up with orange light.
"Okay, what now?" Anabel asked, startled out of her silent communication with Metagross. "Can Typhlosion even Mega Evolve?"
"If I said no, would it stop him?" Ash asked, genuinely interested.
"So that's what that one is!" Phanpy said. "I wondered, but then I dropped it on the battlefield."
The glow faded, and Typhlosion – naturally – didn't look like a normal Typhlosion any more.
His paws were larger, and spiked, and the quill ruff around his neck was blazing much more intensely. Smoke roiled down from the ruff, covering most of his back and periodically flaring up with cinders, and he tilted his head slightly.
"Is this going to cause a problem with using Flame Wheel?" he asked. "I don't want to end up slower than I was before."
"Flame Charge!" Ash told him. "Build up some speed!"
Metagross used Psychic, then Bulldoze, but Mega Typhlosion practically ignored both attacks. He slammed one fist into the floor, used it as a pivot point and kicked Metagross into the air, then jumped up past him and slammed Metagross back to the ground.
"Flame Wheel!" Ash called, and Mega Typhlosion balled up before hammering down on top of Metagross. "And Lava Plume!"
Metagross used Psychic, which seemed to help a bit.
"Well, that was… impressive," Anabel said, a few minutes later. "And this battlefield's more or less out of action until I can get the repair crews in."
"Sorry about that," Ash replied, as Mega Typhlosion degenerated back down into just Typhlosion and rolled his Mega Stone around in his paw.
"It's not actually a problem, don't worry," Anabel assured him. "Most of the floors of the Battle Tower are replacement main arenas. I'll have the whole tower move down one floor until the work crews can get it sorted out."
Max blinked. "That must have been expensive…"
"Oddly, the insurance actually made it cheaper," Scott told him. "I don't really understand it myself… anyway! Ash, you've won a sixth Symbol, and the right to challenge the Battle Pyramid!"
He smiled. "It's over by Pewter City, right now, though Brandon's got a project of his own going on so I'm not sure when the best time to challenge him is… I'm sure you'll do fine, though."
AN:
Anabel turns out to have drawn the short straw and got more Nonsense than usual.