Spoilers again for the Pokémon BW episode airing this Thursday in Japan (26/07/12). They're far more obvious this time, too.

Obligatory Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

First, thank you Nauran for reviewing! I've taken your comments into consideration, particularly concerning the UK vs US debate. I've decided to change any words that sound different between the dialects to the US version to, as you suggest, keep in line with the anime (including "mum" to "mom") and continue with that precedent throughout the story. Any words that sound the same, just spelled differently (i.e. "favourite", or "defence") will remain in UK English for consistency and ease of spellchecking. If I miss any, please feel free to call me out on them.

The use of Latias instead of Latios was indeed also just a typo, so I've fixed that now.

I hope I can continue to keep my use of OCs measured and plot relevant; I've had trouble in the past doing so as opposed to either making them pointless, ill contrived or overpowered.

Thanks again for reviewing!

Despite the impact on their travel plans that the news that they had received had caused, the inhabitants of the villa had no need to be in any particular hurry that day.

Indeed, it felt little different from the day of their arrival, only without the novelty.

Ash began raiding the fridge, having gained Cynthia's permission to avoid feeling guilty. Pikachu had contented himself by swiping the largest bottle of ketchup that he could find and sipping from it at regular intervals.

Iris was out in the garden practicing with Axew's recently learned Giga Impact, using, at various points, Ash's Boldore, Cilan's Crustle and Dawn's Mamoswine as targets. The question of whether or not she actually asked said trainers for permission is perhaps best left unanswered. Nobody actually noticed for several hours anyway, at such an advanced level was Iris' skill at subterfuge.

Cilan and Dawn had returned to discussing the various aspects of their respective fields as a Connoisseur and as a Coordinator. Cilan expressed interest in participating in a contest someday, as it would be an excellent way to experience a type of battle flavour not entirely related to battling. Dawn agreed with the sentiment, even if she was still unsure as to the exact concept of "flavour". Then again, did anyone outside of the realm of the Pokémon Connoisseurs themselves really understand it anyway?

All acted as they had done before.

The difference wasn't something that could be examined. It wasn't something an observer could witness from afar.

It was in the atmosphere. A certain tension existed throughout of the villa, simultaneously calming the visitors yet threatening to consume them at the same time. It was a mix of anticipation, apprehension, reservation and uncertainty, and an undercurrent of shock.

Perhaps this mix originated from the revelations in the morning. Shock at the events themselves that had occurred; the shock of the news relayed about the upheaval soon to strike the region.

Perhaps it originated partly from the messenger, not the message. The former champion had made himself at home in the villa's garden, perched on a deckchair with a morning paper and a bag of sweets. Uncertainty at his appearance, spurred on by Cynthia's initial frostiness to his very presence, though it had seemingly diminished after their plan had been finalised in the living room. Whether consciously or not, Iris found herself giving the newcomer a wide berth when she went down to help Axew practice Giga Impact.

Perhaps it originated from the prospect of foreign travel. Certainly not for Ash and less so for Dawn, but Iris and Cilan had never left Unova. Both were apprehensive of the trip to come, both – but especially Cilan – still had some reservations about going at all, but both also anticipated the new possibilities, the new challenges that awaited them in a far off land.

These doubts and uncertainties did not manifest out loud, nor were they obvious from the way that the four acted.

It was, at least, a beautiful day. If they had been staying at the villa for a proper vacation in Undella Town, there were few ways that the day could be more perfect.

Few people actually lived in Undella Town all year round.

In the spring and autumn, Undella Town would be almost completely deserted. It mainly served as a waypoint for trainers in the east, either looking to travel south to encounter Pokémon that would be impossible to find elsewhere in the Unova region, or looking to travel north on their way to Lacunosa Town or, in the Autumn, the Unova League. What greenery remained in the town – primarily the trees on the outskirts – would bloom briefly in spring and swiftly lose their leaves in autumn.

In the winter, the usually sparkling sea would glaciate close to the beach, attracting the bravest of thrill-seeking ice skaters and their Pokémon. Again, the Pokémon centre stayed open, but would receive few visits in the coldest months of the year. The town was never blanketed in snow as would be witnessed in Iccirus City in the northwest, but the drop in temperature between the end of autumn and the beginning of winter was very noticeable.

In summer, all of that changed. Undella Town burst into life each year with tourists flooding the town, in awe of the hot weather, seeking a tan or simply rest and relaxation. Businesses would set up mass-produced shops along the shore, each selling different varieties of food, beverages, toys and necessary beach equipment; opportunistically drawn by the massive temporary increase to the town's population. The plant life that had begun to bloom in the spring would flourish. Vast numbers of water-type Pokémon dwelled on the outskirts of both the city and just past a well-marked line in the sea, away from where children could stumble upon them accidentally, but close enough at hand to attract enterprising – and sometimes thrill-seeking trainers.

All of which disappeared – at the latest – at the slightest hint of September, and the season that, in its later days, it would undoubtedly bring with it.

None of which occurred to Cynthia in the slightest as she moved her car up a gear and drove out of the town, free to increase the speed now that she was outside the confines of the city and onto the winding path back up to the Villa.

Cynthia owned a number of these cars, all more or less the same, but generally had one positioned in each region that she had a holiday home or villa in. She valued their ability to perform much the same off-road as they did on it, and their maximum speed was more than sufficient for her needs. She had taken the one from Sinnoh with her to Unova, and had left it behind at the airport when she had jetted off with Ash and the others to Undella Town. She intended to pick it up and take it back on the return trip.

The many perks of being a champion…

What she intended to do next – travel with Ash and his friends to Kanto – fell within the duties of her role. Just.

She would need to return to Sinnoh soon after it. Lance had only taken a month to travel to Hoenn and help to thwart Teams Aqua and Magma, and his return – celebrated though it had been with success – had also been met with annoyance at the length of time he had spent away. And he had a good relationship with the organisers of his league.

Cynthia wasn't sure why, but she had never really clicked with the board of directors for the Sinnoh League. She took no more of a holiday than any other champion did. Perhaps it was her propensity to spend just as much of her time studying the ruins, myths and legends of the Sinnoh region – a place notably abundant for an admirer of such mysteries – as she did accepting challenges.

Or, more likely… She thought, smiling cynically. It's that I don't spend time parading myself in public as they want me to, outside of the Conference appearance…

Champions are primarily and traditionally sworn protectors of their regions. A description of the champion might well be accurate if simplified as "the strongest trainer in the region" but would hardly convey the responsibilities and sacrifices that a champion makes, nor the characteristics that they must possess.

A champion has to be courageous but not foolhardy, strong but not arrogant, investigative but not paranoid.

They must be paragons of measure and of restraint, but also of righteousness and justice.

Such were the traditional tenants of the regional champions, and so they still remain.

As far as she could tell, Cynthia saw nothing about having schedules packed with promotional events, guest appearances and the schmoozing of the high and mighty, within the region and those visiting from without it.

Cynthia particularly hated schmoozing.

True, none of the current champions – nor their predecessors – were known to frequently take part in such farcical gatherings. But, more so than any of the others, the Sinnoh League board of directors was composed of officials with a staggering number of outside interests in business and such industries. As such, Cynthia faced far more pressure to stick to a schedule than any other champion.

Not that she gave in.

She briefly wondered who the new champion of Unova actually was, and how they would deal with the sort; Cameron had effectively glossed over that information in an attempt to expedite the relaying of the actual information he had to give, though later clarified that Alder had not been really injured in the attack, and that all of his Pokémon were fine.

Cilan had tried to point out that perhaps Alder had not actually lost his title, because N had surely not battled the eight gyms required for a proper challenge, and so his conquest was null and void. Cameron had countered with the further reveal that N's vanquisher had proceeded to battle Alder anyway and win.

Such would only be a mere technicality anyway, and champions didn't work with technicalities.

There were complications that depended on each region when it came to challenging an incumbent champion anyway, as Cameron proceeded to elaborate on - something that Cynthia knew only too well.

In Sinnoh, she would normally accept champion's challenges from the winners of the annual conference, and at any time from members of her Elite Four. She also had the authority to accept challenges at any time, but her board of directors had not appreciated it the last time she had exercised said right.

In Unova, on the other hand, challengers had the opportunity to prove their worth by conquering Victory Road and the region's Elite Four, earning the right to face Alder in battle. It seemed that the saviour of the League had taken this path, and that was why their legitimacy stood either way.

Plus, from the way Cameron recounted the tale, it seemed that Alder had accepted his battle against N as a challenge for his throne regardless of N's lack of gym badges; possibly as a way of testing the truth he purported to offer.

She'd been somewhat fortunate in her trip to Undella Town that no-one yet knew the proper truth about what had occurred, and thus she escaped what would have been an inevitable tide of questioning over her opinion on the events. Instead, she had managed to make the arrangements for the care of her villa while she would be gone quickly and without a fuss, and had left the town just as fast.

Some she had met had asked her what she knew of the events, and she had replied, somewhat woodenly, with what she had heard on the TV shortly before leaving the villa.

Truth was a virtue that champions also dealt in, but not in its complete revelation – only in its careful application. If nobody told the truth to any question asked, then trust would cease to exist if everyone told the truth to every question asked, chaos would reign and privacy would cease to exist. Finding the proper medium in their actions was also the duty of a champion.

The role of the champion is not merely the title of the strongest trainer in the region. It is also a role of philosophical importance, providing guidance, balance, and protection.

Cynthia absently pulled up into the villa's drive, aware that she had to leave a space of sufficient size for other cars, including Jeremy's, should he ever need to move it. She put away the thoughts and annoyances she had been considering before, and left them for another day.

Or never again, I hope.

"Uhhh, Cynthia? If you're not busy, can you help me train with Dragonite please?"

Watching Iris ask (or beg) Cynthia for something had become something of a regular source of amusement for Ash, Cilan and Dawn.

Normally, when Iris wanted something she would hardly hesitate to demand it. It would be a stretch to claim that she was a bully, but had a confident demeanour strong enough to suggest an undertone that she wouldn't take no for an answer. The recipient of her attention would, faced with such boisterous aggression, often simply acquiesce immediately, as Ash had personally discovered and Cilan had witnessed.

And that was assuming that she bothered to ask at all; as evidenced by her appropriation of their – and Dawn's - Pokémon earlier in the day to use as target practice for Gible's Giga Impact.

The possibility of her doing the same to help her bond with Dragonite wasn't even worth thinking about.

Her attitude to asking Cynthia was thus remarkably different. Every time, except for her outburst when asking for a battle before they came to the villa, Iris would never demand, never adopt an aggressive tone of voice. She would be polite, hesitant and often even shy to her idol.

The best part was that she probably wasn't even acting; that made it even more amusing to Cilan, who had been on the receiving end of her endless ribbing for his long list of people to respect when in the role of a Connoisseur – be it Pokémon, Metro or otherwise.

It felt good to get ironic payback for once.

This time, Iris had ambushed Cynthia when she had returned from her errands in Undella Town. She had barely stepped foot in the garden, having tossed her car keys onto a table in the living room, when Iris jumped out at her. Ash was upstairs somewhere, probably still on the balcony, whilst Cilan and Dawn were treating their Pokémon – and Ash's Boldore – in the aftermath of Iris' impromptu training session earlier. Cameron had moved little since sitting down an hour before. The Daily Unova newspaper was, indeed, famous for its length and for the difficulty of its crossword puzzles.

For her part, Cynthia seemed to acknowledge and attempt to play down Iris' nigh-on hero worship of her. Then again, Cilan imagined, she probably gets it all the time.

"Of course, Iris. How about a battle?"

Once more, Iris' eyes lit up.

"Awesome, battling you always turns out great!" Her excitement was threatening to overwhelm her dignity at this point.

Cilan nearly felt the need to remind her that she'd only battled with Cynthia once before, but managed to restrain himself and thus avoid a sassy comeback from the dragon-master to be in return.

"Oh, I wasn't thinking about battling against you again." Cynthia mused. "How would you like to battle alongside me?"

It hadn't seemed to be possible a moment ago that Iris' smile could grow any wider, and yet she managed it now, somehow. She swooned, taking Axew down with her, and practically squealed with delight as well, barely managing to squeeze in a "Yes please…". So much for dignity…

"As for opponents…" Cynthia considered, though plainly amused by Iris' antics. "Cilan, would you and Dawn like to battle us?"

"We can't, sorry." Cilan spoke, and Dawn shook her head. "We're going to have another Co-ordinator versus Connoisseur competition, and we've both got one less Pokémon in a fit state to battle than usual." They both glared at Iris, who grinned sheepishly, then seemed to have a brainwave.

"Oi, Ash!" Iris roared, calling up to the balcony and abandoning all decorum of speech.

"There's one." She said, turning back to Cynthia. "He can't resist a battle."

"Well, there's only one person, left I guess. Cameron!" Cynthia called. The ex-champion turned his face towards her, his eyes still obscured by the cheap sunglasses he wore.

"Sorry, what? I was busy doing the crossword, didn't hear a word."

"We're having a battle; we need you to go with Ash on the other side."

"Fair enough." He got up out of the chair and walked over, sliding the sunglasses off his face. "Been a while since I last had a proper battle, though."

"Don't worry; we'll go easy on you." Iris smirked.

It took Ash five minutes to finally emerge from the villa, during which time Iris took delight in the opportunity to call for him twice more, increasing in volume each time. He carried Pikachu out with him. Having apparently taken so long because he had been required to track down the mouse Pokémon and return at least three bottles of ketchup to the refrigerator.

Upon exiting the villa Ash was also not pleased to discover that he had been missing a Pokémon for several hours, and thus spent a good ten minutes comforting Boldore before returning him to his Poké Ball.

"Can't believe you took him without my permission." He grumbled at Iris as they walked around to the battlefield with Cameron, followed by Cilan and Dawn. Cynthia had ventured back into the villa to request Jeremy to referee the match, though it hardly took her much time to find him.

"Oh, stop being such a kid." She remarked snidely back as she took up her position opposite Ash and Cameron, joined shortly later by Cynthia, as Jeremy stood in the middle to the left, flanked by Cilan and Dawn to his right. Meloetta had returned from examining the forest surrounding the villa to find out what was going on at the battlefield, followed by Piplup and, perplexingly for Ash, Oshawott. The three Pokémon moved round the field to sit next to Cilan and Dawn at the side.

"The Pokémon tag battle between the team of Cynthia and Iris and the team of Ash and Cameron will now begin. Each trainer may only use one Pokémon."

"All right! Dragonite, let's go!" Iris chose to send out her Pokémon first, not that it was a surprise to anyone, given how the battle was conceived for its benefit. Dragonite roared a challenge as it emerged from the ball, but looked around at Iris, confused and annoyed, when it realised that it was alone on the battlefield. Ash looked to Pikachu on his shoulder.

"You ready to battle, buddy?" Pikachu shouted his name in assent, emitting sparks that danced around his cheeks. "Okay then, Pikachu, I choose you!" Pikachu leapt off of Ash's shoulder to land on the ground in the arena. This attracted Dragonite's attention. Pleased to have a target to consider, it bared its fangs at Pikachu, then crossed its arms and closed its eyes, noting that Pikachu had failed to stop its rampage a few days earlier. Pikachu growled in response, increasing the electricity coursing through his cheeks.

"Garchomp, battle dance!" cried Cynthia, calling upon her reliable star. The Mach Pokémon entered the battlefield and greeted Pikachu in a friendly manner, or, at least, as friendly as its usual roar could seem. This got Dragonite's attention, unsure as to whether it should consider the other dragon Pokémon as a friend or a rival, albeit not an enemy; even Dragonite could tell that they were on the same team.

Three of the four trainers had now chosen their Pokémon for the battle, leaving just Cameron, who cocked his head to one side for a moment, then turned to Ash.

"Ash, have you ever seen a Ferrothorn in a battle before?"

"Uh, we saw one a few days ago, but not in a proper battle."

"All right then." Cameron decided. "Ferrothorn, rock out!" He tossed the ball into the air, sending out the Thorn Pod Pokémon. Its appearance earned another bellowed challenge from Dragonite, a wave from Pikachu and silent contemplation from Garchomp. For its part, it remained completely, almost unnervingly still, and simply stared out towards Cynthia and Iris' Pokémon, hardly even blinking.

"Looks like Cynthia and Iris have the advantage offensively, but it'll be interesting to see how powerful Ferrothorn's defences are. It might be able to withstand them." Cilan commented from the side-line.

"Begin!" called out Jeremy, bringing his arms down.

Dragonite, taking nearly everyone by surprise, went straight on the attack with a ThunderPunch towards Pikachu.

"Uh, yeah, go for a ThunderPunch, Dragonite!" Iris said quickly, blushing slightly.

Dragonite's speed caught Pikachu completely off-guard, frozen in shock at its ferocity. The hit would have been direct and would have dealt massive damage to the physically smaller Pokémon.

Would being the operative word there. Ferrothorn had begun moving in front of Pikachu before Dragonite had started to move forward, anticipating an early offensive.

"Ferrothorn, Protect!"

It pulled a steel-clad feeler out of the ground and slashed it with surprising speed across the air, generating a shimmering blue barrier, shielding the two Pokémon from Dragonite's thunderous wrath. The aggressor attempted to push through Ferrothorn's move for a few seconds more, then snorted in anger and frustration and disengaged backwards, its wings fluttering quickly. As it did so, Ash raised a hand, intending to capitalise on its failed offensive and catch it unawares.

"Pikachu, use Electro Ball on Dragonite now!" The yellow rodent began charging power at his tail, as Dragonite tensed and began to move forward again.

"Pika pika pika… Chu pi!" Pikachu leapt and unleashed a fully-powered bolt of electricity from his tail, which crackled as it soared through the air towards Dragonite.

Cynthia smiled.

"Garchomp, intercept that attack and hit Pikachu with Brick Break!"

With its famed speed, the ground/dragon type took to the air with a cry and jumped into the path of the ball, which fizzled out. Using its momentum, it swooped towards Pikachu, still surprised at the failure of the Electro Ball. However, as it brought its arms crashing down, glowing white with the power of the Brick Break, it found its way blocked by Ferrothorn again. The attack connected this time, at least, smashing across Ferrothorn's "cheek". It seemed to hit the steel/grass type hard with the advantage of being super effective. Garchomp disengaged backwards, shrugging off its impact with Ferrothorn's thorny, iron barbs as the results of the first damaging attack to succeed became apparent to the trainers and spectators.

"Ferrothorn took a lot from that, but Garchomp didn't get out of the impact without penalty either due to Ferrothorn's ability." Cilan commented from the side.

"Garchomp's immunity to electricity helps Iris out a lot; otherwise her Dragonite would take some quite a bit of damage from Pikachu's attacks." Dawn added.

"Dragonite, use Outrage!" Iris commanded. Dragonite huffed, and then decided to obey, though whether because it would have done so anyway or out of genuine loyalty would be a hard question to answer. Judging by a quick smile from Cameron, it seemed that this was what he had been waiting for.

"Leech Seed!" He cried. Ferrothorn reared up and launched a grey seed from the side of one of its vines towards the oncoming opposition.

"Dragonite, dodge it!" Iris yelled, but it was too late. The seed connected head on with Dragonite, and sprouted vines immediately that rapidly spread over its body and began sapping its energy, invigorating Ferrothorn at the same time.

"Garchomp, cut those vines off now!" Cynthia ordered. Garchomp surged towards her ally and, with surgical precision, used Brick Break to sever the Leech Seed's choking grip.

Which left Ash and Pikachu the excellent opportunity to…

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Dragonite, now!"

A blast of electricity briefly connected the two foes before it ceased nearly as quickly as it began. Dragonite fell to the ground on one knee, its' face contorted in pain.

"That looked like it hurt a lot more than when Pikachu used Thunderbolt a few days ago!" Dawn exclaimed, confused.

"That's because of Dragonite's ability, Multiscale." Cilan explained. "It blunts the force of the first attack to hit Dragonite, but it had already taken some damage from Leech Seed so Multiscale didn't kick in. Ash is thinking pretty tactically."

"Dragonite, you okay?" called Iris, but Dragonite shrugged off her concern and unleashed a Flamethrower towards Ferrothorn.

"Protect, quickly!" cried Cameron. The blue shield erupted around the Thorn Pod Pokémon just in time to stave off the charring fire. "Ash, Flamethrower could be what decides this battle! We need to stop Dragonite, fast!"

"Right! Pikachu, use-"

"Garchomp, Dragon Rush on Ferrothorn while it can't protect!" Cynthia ordered. Garchomp once again entered the fray, and scored another direct hit on Ferrothorn. The damage did not seem critical, particularly given that Ferrothorn had been able to heal from its usage of Leech Seed, but it was adding to the pressure on Ash and Cameron.

"Pikachu, Quick Attack on Dragonite, go!"

With blazing speed, Pikachu raced across the battlefield and struck Dragonite in the face, knocking it briefly senseless.

"Now, use Iron Tail!" Still rushing from the momentum of the Quick Attack, Pikachu aimed his Tail, now glowing with metallic fury, straight at Dragonite's easily targetable body.

And found himself once again blocked by Garchomp, though this time its attack actually hurt Cynthia's finest. Either way, Dragonite was able to find its feet and immediately dashed away in a blur. Pikachu looked around, confused, and darted away with Quick Attack himself, but was not fast enough to outrun Dragonite and was knocked back next to Ferrothorn.

"Ooh, yes!" Iris screamed in delight. "Use ExtremeSpeed as much as you want, go!"

Dragonite seemed happy to oblige, and began running in circles around Ferrothorn and Pikachu, effectively teasing them.

"Enough! Ferrothorn, use Power Whip to trip it up!"

"Pikachu, hit Dragonite with an Electro Ball when it comes out of its acceleration!

Ferrothorn hesitated for a moment, calculating distances and placements, and Pikachu began charging an Electro Ball.

"Pika pika pika…"

Iris almost had enough time to tell Dragonite to "dodge!" or "be careful!".

Almost.

Ferrothorn unleashed a feeler straight forward from its position, catching Dragonite by the ankle – it was flying too low to avoid it – and tossing it with a thump to the ground. The damage from the feeler was mostly ineffective due to typing, but it did set up…

"Chu pi!"

Pikachu followed up with a direct Electro Ball hit, ensuring that it would stay down in pain for at least a little while.

Which gave Garchomp, swooping and circling as it was, an opening for a…

"Dragon Rush on Pikachu! Then Brick Break on Ferrothorn!" cried Cynthia.

Garchomp charged at Pikachu, who had little time to react and tense to the hit before he took it, suffering massive damage. The subsequent Brick Break had a similar effect as the first one, at a subsequent cost to Garchomp from the Iron Barbs; she was breathing rather heavily at this point, though so was Pikachu. Ferrothorn was a mystery; it made little sound even in the heat of battle, but its metal exterior seemed somewhat dented after two powerful Brick Breaks.

As for Dragonite, it was still struggling to rise from the impact crater after being tossed by Power Whip.

"Come on, Dragonite, I know you can get up!" Iris pleaded.

"Leech Seed again, Ferrothorn!" Cameron yelled. Once again, the seed shot from Ferrothorn to Dragonite, and once again it connected and began sapping what remained of Dragonite's stamina.

"Garchomp, help Dra-" Cynthia began to call out, worried, but Ash interrupted her.

"Pikachu, stop Garchomp with an Iron Tail!" The electric mouse jumped at Garchomp tail-first, forcing her to defend itself, allowing Ferrothorn to complete its grisly work.

Dragonite made one final attempt to shrug off the vines from the Leech Seed, then, with an almost pitiful cry, it fell down again. Its eyes fluttered shut, and it moved no more, knocked out stone cold.

"Dragonite is unable to battle!" Jeremy declared.

"Aww." Iris sighed, and returned Dragonite to its ball. "You did well out there, Dragonite. Sorry, Cynthia." She moved out of the battlefield to sit next to Cilan and Dawn, who patted her on the back.

On the battlefield, Garchomp stood between Ferrothorn and Pikachu, eyeing them both carefully.

"Now Ash and Cameron have the advantage." Cilan said.

"But Garchomp is an offensive powerhouse, it tore through all of Paul's team back in Sinnoh." Dawn pointed out.

"Who's Paul?"

"A rival of Ash's."

"Huh. I wonder what kind of flavour his battle style possesses…"

"Garchomp, Draco Meteor on Pikachu, now!" Cynthia grinned. Bending one knee, Garchomp fired off a massive bolt of energy, which flew into the sky and exploded, raining down smaller chunks onto the battlefield.

"Ferrothorn, Protect!" Cameron yelled.

Somewhat unnecessary, really. Ferrothorn was the target of none of the Meteor fragments.

Relevant here is the knowledge that a competent, well trained user of Draco Meteor can direct not only the initial burst, but also the fragments that fall to earth afterwards.

Perhaps unsurprising, Garchomp was competent enough to do so, and directed all of the meteor's fury at Pikachu.

Caught away from Ferrothorn's protection after its earlier scuffle with Garchomp, Pikachu was boxed in and had nowhere to go. It attempted to escape via Quick Attack, but after one direct hit, more followed, sending Pikachu flying towards Ash, knocked out as badly as Dragonite.

"Pikachu is unable to battle!" noted Jeremy. Ash gathered up Pikachu in his arms, who stirred, but was plainly in no condition to battle on.

"You did great, buddy, don't worry." He said as he moved to stand next to the other spectators.

"Now Cynthia and Garchomp have the offensive advantage, especially as Ferrothorn can't rely on Protect for a little while longer." Cilan updated his assessment. "But, I wouldn't count Ferrothorn out just yet…"

"Garchomp's taken so much damage from Iron Barbs over the fight, it's amazing that it can still stand." Dawn said, recalling her experience of watching Garchomp in action in Sinnoh. "But I guess not too surprising..."

"Come on Cynthia! You've got to end it quickly!" Iris yelled.

"Cameron, you can do it!" Ash mimicked her in a show of support.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, both Pokémon had been gathering their respective breaths, gazing at each other and preparing for the battle's endgame.

Then the staring contest ceased. Soon after it did so, the battle finished to.

"Brick Break, one last time!" Cynthia ordered. Garchomp drew on what remained of her strength and blitzed forward, forearms glowing with deadly power, to deliver the final blow.

"Protect again!" Cameron risked his luck. Ferrothorn would never have time to prepare a Power Whip in its current state, especially given Garchomp's drastic speed. Protect actually succeeding twice in a row might work.

With little sense of build-up, Garchomp crashed into Ferrothorn, raising a massive cloud of smoke and dust from the impact into the ground that obscured the spectators' and trainers' view of the field.

Everyone watching, human and Pokémon, leaned forward in anticipation.

The smoke cleared. Ferrothorn was down and out; its eyes shut tight, its feelers unmoving in the settling dust.

Garchomp was on its feet. Panting heavily, but still standing…

Jeremy opened his mouth to declare the result…

Garchomp fell to one knee, then to both and finally dropped with a dull thud, slipping into unconsciousness next to Ferrothorn. She had finally succumbed to the accumulated Iron Barb damage that she had sustained over the course of the fight; exacerbated by the hits from Pikachu's attacks.

"Ferrothorn and Garchomp are both unable to battle!" Jeremy declared. "The result of this tag battle is a tie!"

For a moment, no-one said a word as the outcome of the battle sank in. Cynthia and Cameron stared at what had unfolded before them.

Cameron broke down laughing. A smile tugged at Cynthia's face, as though threatening to emulate him further. The spectators could only look on, confused.

Both trainers walked to their Pokémon in the middle, who were beginning to come around.

"Every… time…" It took Cameron a minute to get the words out coherently. "I swear that happens every time… We either don't finish or we tie…"

"An excellent battle, everyone." Cynthia was also still smiling as she turned to Ash and Iris, pushing her hair out of the way of her eyes so that they were both briefly visible. "Iris, you were a great partner to battle alongside, and Dragonite has impressive strength. Given time, I'm sure you'll be able to forge a great bond together."

"Thank you!" was all Iris could choke out at such high praise from one of the people she most admired.

"I gotta say, Cameron, your Ferrothorn's pretty well trained, I don't think I ever saw a Pokémon need three hits from Garchomp to faint before, except for Dialga and Palkia." Ash said.

"I can only say the same about Pikachu, Ash. Its strength and potential far exceeds its stature." Cameron returned the compliment. "And your role as its trainer needs mention as well. You commanded Pikachu brilliantly today. To borrow one of Cynthia's favourite phrases…" He paused to scowl at Cynthia as she elbowed him in the side, and then continued. "The bond you share is evident from the way you battle."

"Right back at ya." Ash smiled and extended his hand, which Cameron took. Cynthia and Iris repeated the motion.

Cilan couldn't contain himself any longer.

"That was amazing!" He burst out, startling everyone. So many blends of offensive and defensive flavour… Such teamwork! Pikachu's well aimed Electro Balls… Dragonite's sheer power! Garchomp's unrivalled speed, Ferrothorn's inspiring protection! All coming together towards the perfect recipe for a great battle!" He hardly seemed to pause for breath, and continued babbling even as Dawn dragged him away.

"Yeah, yeah, flavour…" She muttered. "Let's go see what could be for lunch, all right, and save the others from you…" They were followed closely by Jeremy. Meloetta also accompanied them, curious at the possibility of new food – and feeling safer in the villa anyway – and where she went, Oshawott and Piplup inevitably followed, squabbling all the way.

"We don't have any proper Pokémon centre facilities in the villa, so it's time to treat our Pokémon the hard way." Cynthia reminded the others.

"Right!" said Iris. She tossed the ball in the air and sent out Dragonite once again. Cynthia began handing out high-strength potions to each of them, and they went to work applying them to their Pokémon. Dragonite seemed confused by its re-emergence after the battle, particularly so close to those who had been its opponents only five minutes before. It aimed a half-hearted swipe at Ferrothorn before wincing and recoiling in pain.

"Dragonite, please, let me help you!" Iris begged as it squirmed and struggled away from her, as if afraid – or ashamed - to show its pain so visibly, or perhaps not understanding the purpose of the potion bottle that was aimed straight at it.

A low guttural growl stopped it completely. Garchomp was fully awake once again, and began conversing with Dragonite in a series of quick growls. She pointed to a patch of bruised skin on her arm that had arisen from contact with Ferrothorn, and, as Dragonite watched, allowed Cynthia to spray the affected area, which healed completely in seconds. With that, and another growl, Garchomp returned to its calm state.

Slowly, Dragonite stopped struggling, and tentatively leaned its leg forward to allow Iris to spray some of the high-strength potion on the area that Ferrothorn had caught it earlier, followed by where it had landed after being tossed.

"It just takes a little time and trust…" Cynthia whispered to Iris as she moved around her Pokémon, spraying the areas in which it was most hurt. Dragonite relaxed a little more each moment, and eventually bellowed to Iris gratitude when she finished.

Progress of this nature always takes time and trust…

Progress can take many forms, however, and whilst time can be acceptably deemed essential for probably all of them, trust is often unnecessary.

Exemplifying such a theory at that very second were three beings of questionable repute, hiding carefully in the bushes outside the villa. Their current plan of action now only had very little time left to succeed, but at the least required very little trust in the capabilities of their adversaries.

"They're headin' off again tomorrow, so they said. Yamask heard it all this morning." Meowth reported in, having translated the ghost Pokémon's eerie speech moments before. "Then they're back to Kanto."

"We have to stay on their trail and wait for the right moment…" James said, as Yamask drifted over to hover above his blue hair.

"Then we take Meloetta, and the plan goes on from there." Jessie finished.

All three smiled grimly at each other.

This time, Team Rocket could not afford to fail.

Later that night, Ash's mind wandered as he desperately sought blissful sleep that never came early enough.

A long time ago, his pre-sleep thoughts might have rested on a battle that he had taken part in that day, and certainly today's excitement had numerous moments that could be called memorable.

But he did not, could not, think of battle.

Certainly, other concerns did plague him; to suggest otherwise would be to assume that he was truly oblivious to everything that occurred around him.

He could have been pondering the continuation of his goal, and the many setbacks along the way that pushed it further away from him towards – or even over – the horizon.

He could have been pondering the new mission he had accepted, and his imminent return to home.

He thought of neither.

Instead, his mind was consumed, as it had been on and off for months, by thoughts of a single girl, the girl who haunted his sleepless nights. The sad impossibility of his desires, which had arrived far too late, drove his mind to rage, but, lost in the haze of sleep that would eventually arrive from bodily exhaustion, such thoughts were forgotten in the morning, buried into his sub consciousness by rest.

Until tomorrow night.

Under the master's watchful eye, skills are honed sharper and spells cut deeper.

- Training Grounds (Rise of the Eldrazi)