Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon and am in no way affiliated with Nintendo or Gamefreak, or other companies that write or produce pokemon. Now that that legal stuff is out of the way, on to the story!

Pokemon Legends: Kanto Saga

Chapter Fifty One

Reunion in Battle

"Ok, remember the plan?"

"Yep! I'll sneak in while you're battling and try to find clues!"

"Right."

"This feels so wrong though...are you sure its ok to be snooping around this place?"

"Latias...we're the good guys here." Melany replied sternly. "If we don't find where in the Battle Frontier these guys are hiding then we won't be able to put a stop to them, and meanwhile they're gaining in power."

"I know that but...isn't this going too far?" Latias asked, looking down at herself. Gone was her usual waitress outfit and red haired human form and instead she had taken the form of an older, brown-haired female attendant from the Battle Arena.

"It'll be fine. The real attendant is going to be at the battlefield the whole time, and no one's likely to immediately notice anything out of place if you're seen walking around given the number of battles that occur here and the number of attendants employed."

After her brief encounter with Ashley, Melany had decided it would be best to check out more of the facilities. With Latias accompanying her, Melany got the idea in her head to have Latias snooping around in the form of an attendant while she was battling. After registering for the Battle Arena, Melany feigned needing to go to the bathroom first and released Latias once inside so she could take the form of the attendant that had accompanied Melany to the field.

"Once I'm finished battling, duck into this bathroom again and take the form of a trainer and meet me outside."

"Ok, got it."

Melany then left the bathroom, peeking outside to make sure no one was around before Latias followed her out. The two then split up, with Melany heading off to the battlefield and Latias going to wander through the rest of the arena to find clues to the whereabouts of the hunters.

"You're back. I trust you found the bathroom on your own?" The real attendant asked Melany as she arrived back at her designated battlefield.

"Oh, yeah, no trouble at all." Melany replied with a light shrug as she took her place on the battlefield. On the opposite side of the field was a martial artist in an orange jumpsuit. The field itself was set up much like a dojo, with a wooden walkway leading up to the trainer's platform on either side and short grass covering the field.

"HA! You kept me waiting! I will make you regret that!" The other trainer said to her.

"Unless he came up with some amazingly brilliant strategy while I was in the bathroom, I doubt that." Melany thought, rolling her eyes. She reached down with one hand, grabbing a pokeball from her belt. As with the Fallabor Battle Tent she had taken part in, her first pokemon would lead each battle with no chance of switching. It was something Melany kept in mind this time around.

"Metagross, go!"

"Hitmonchan! Go!"

The two trainers released their starting pokemon, with Melany releasing the four-legged steel behemoth Metagross onto the field to face her opponent's humanoid fighting pokemon. Seeing her competition, Melany smirked to herself.

"Metagross should have an easy win here. Even if I don't knock out his Hitmonchan, I'll be able to inflict enough damage with a variety of techniques to get the points." Melany thought. "Of course, thats why I chose Metagross as my lead. Not many pokemon will be able to stand up to it."

The Battle Arena made use of a rather unique ruleset, wherein each match would be timed and would be a minute at most. After which, the trainers would be graded based on the three categories of body, skill, and mind. A trainer could still win, of course, if they knocked out their opponent's pokemon in that minute instead.

"HA! My Hitmonchan will bend your pathetic steel pokemon in two!" The other trainer said to Melany. "Hitmonchan, Mach Punch!" Hitmonchan made a punching motion and shot across the field and struck Metagross in the face. Metagross hardly moved from the impact.

"You always meet the weirdest people at these things." Melany thought with a sigh. "Metagross, use Psychic and throw it back." Metagross' eyes flashed and a blue aura surrounded Hitmonchan. The fighting pokemon cried out in pain as it felt a psychic force crushing its body and was then thrown back across the field as Metagross ended the attack.

"Hitmonchan, finish this now! Fire Punch!" The other trainer called out, making a punching motion as he did. Hitmonchan quickly got up and ran across the field. He raised one fist back, which then became enveloped in flames. Hitmonchan stopped when he reached Metagross and punched the steel pokemon across the face. Metagross recoiled from the attack but easily shook off the relatively weak fire attack.

"'Finish this'? He really expected that to be the end of the match?" Melany thought, blinking in disbelief and then letting out a sigh. "Metagross, 'finish this' with Meteor Mash..."

Metagross raised one metal fist back and punched Hitmonchan hard. Metagross flew across the field with Hitmonchan, its fist remaining connected to Hitmonchan's face the entire time and a fiery glow emanating from it. Nearing the opposite end of the field, Metagross dropped down to the ground hard while Hitmonchan kept going and eventually skidded to a stop at its trainer's feet. Unlike her opponent's order to "finish" the match, Hitmonchan really was knocked out.

"Wh-what?! No way! I can't lose like this!" The other trainer exclaimed in disbelief.

"I think its safe to say I'll make it to the next round at least." Melany thought, shaking her head sadly. "Isn't the Battle Frontier supposed to be a place for talented trainers...?"


"Aron, go!"

"Venomoth, go!"

Meanwhile, the battle between Ashley and May was just getting underway as the two released their first pokemon. Deciding to take it easy for the first match, they each sent out a pokemon they had only caught recently. With Ashley sending out Aron, and May calling out Venomoth, many passerbys immediately recognized a battle was about to go down and cleared out of the area so they wouldn't get caught in the crossfire.

"-Wh...where...where am I?!-" Venomoth wondered as he glanced around nervously. As with May's encounter with him in Ilex Forest, Venomoth began releasing spores from its body in its nervousness. The spores made their way toward Aron first and landed on its body, paralyzing it.

"Ha! Bet you didn't see that one coming!" May said to Ashley.

"Cheap shot, having her pokemon ready with an attack as soon as its released." Ashley muttered to herself. "Aron, attack with Take Down and bring it to the ground!" Aron nodded. He took a step forward, shuddering as he felt the difficulty in moving his body. He managed to resist becoming fully paralyzed, though, and charged toward Venomoth. Jumping into the air, he threw himself into Venomoth and tackled the bug pokemon to the ground.

"-JUST WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!-" Venomoth cried out in confusion as he found himself under attack.

"-It's a pokemon battle. You seem to be new to this.-" Aron said to him. "-Allow me to explain. You take orders from a trainer and...-"

"-I KNOW WHAT A POKEMON BATTLE IS I WANT TO KNOW WHY I'M IN ONE!-" Venomoth shouted, furiously flapping his wings.

"Venomoth, attack and knock Aron off with Psybeam!"

"-Why should I...-" Venomoth looked back at May and saw the fiery determination in her eyes as she waited for him to attack. "-U...und...understood!-" Venomoth stuttered in response. Turning his eyes on Aron, he fired a beam of swirling colors and blasted the steel armored pokemon off of him. He then stood up and flapped his wings to lift off the ground. His body was no longer releasing spores unintentionally now that his focus was on the battle at hand.

"-This paralysis is a problem, so now seems to be as good a time as any.-" Aron said, nodding to himself. His body then began to glow and quickly expanded. He grew from a foot in length to almost three feet and the armor plating on the upper half of his body grew ridged along the center of his back and down his now longer tail. When the glowing stopped and Aron's new form was fully visible, Ashley took out her pokedex to see what its new form was called.

"Like that makes any difference!" May thought, scoffing at the evolution. "I'll still find a way to beat it."

"Lairon, attack with Rock Slide!" Lairon rose up on its hind legs and then struck the ground, cracking the paved surface and launching a barrage of rocks toward Venomoth. Venomoth's eyes bulged in shock when he saw the attack coming, but couldn't get out of the way. The rocks struck him and knocked him back onto the ground, pinning his now unconscious body.

"Hmph. Fine. I was just seeing what you were capable of with that pokemon anyway." May said as she recalled Venomoth and placed it's pokeball back on her belt. She smirked as she took another pokeball in her hand. "Now you'll go up against one of my best! Blaziken, go!" May called out, releasing Blaziken. Blaziken let out a screech as he appeared, pumping his fists into the air.

"Blaziken, use Double Kick!" Blaziken dashed over to Lairon and delivered a hard kick to its face. Lairon stumbled back, looking disoriented as Blaziken spun around and delivered a second kick. Lairon cried out as he was struck a second time and didn't have enough strength left to resist the attack fully, resulting in Lairon getting flipped over onto his back and knocked out.

"Looks like you have some strong pokemon afterall. Here I thought this would be boring." Ashley said with a smirk as she recalled Lairon and took out another pokeball. "It just so happens, I held back a bit too. So lets see how you handle this one!" Ashley held out the pokeball. "Poliwrath, come on out!" The pokeball opened up, releasing the muscular tadpole pokemon. Poliwrath was still wearing his Focus Band when he appeared, an item Ashley had given to him back at Cinnabar.

"-Ok! I'll do my best!-" Poliwrath said cheerfully.

"A water pokemon? Typical." May replied with a shrug. "Don't think for a second that having the type advantage means you'll win!"

"Well then, let's see what you've got!" Ashley called back.


"Grr...there's no way using a pokemon like that can be legal!" A male trainer growled after his last pokemon had been defeated by Melany's Metagross.

"I have some other fully legal pokemon that you'd like even less, pal." Melany thought to herself. The boy was escorted out of the arena without another word. "Two more matches and then I face the Arena Tycoon. Wonder if Latias found anything?"

Meanwhile, at the front desk, another trainer was signing up for that very battle facility.

"-Rina, can I go in this time? Pleeeease?-" Pippi begged Rina as the two approached the front desk.

"Sure, I don't see why not." Rina replied, smiling back at her. "I think this time we just battle in one match after another. We won't be able to look around, but when I face the leader here I can ask them for permission."

"-Why this place anyway?-" Pippi asked her.

"Its a fairly big facility, and a palace does seem like a possible hiding place." Rina replied. "If they're not here, we can try the Battle Factory next."

Rina then approached the front desk and signed up for the Battle Arena, registering Pippi, Geri, and Felicia for the battles ahead while Melany was facing her fifth opponent in the arena.


"Interesting how you both seemed to have the same idea." Haruka commented to May. "I suggest you don't underestimate this one at any rate."

"What difference does it make? I'm Hoenn's Champion!" May replied.

"Seems this one will be an interesting battle." Aisha said to Ashley.

"As if." Ashley replied nonchalantly. "I beat the Elite Four, I beat Red, and I beat that Duke guy. Her pokemon might be tough, but there's no way she's on the same level as me!"

"Poliwrath, use Hypnosis!"

"Blaziken, Slash!"

Poliwrath focused on Blaziken, using a psychic power to create a hypnotic effect. Blaziken moved too quickly, though, dashing toward Poliwrath and slashing across its body. Poliwrath cried out in pain and lost its focus, preventing it from getting in the attack on Blaziken.

"That didn't work." Ashley thought. "Fine by me, I prefer a direct approach."

"Poliwrath, use Rain Dance!" Ashley called out. Poliwrath shook off Blaziken's attack and began to dance around. Storm clouds began to gather over the heads of the two pokemon and then released a downpour upon them.

"Well if she's using Rain Dance, we'll take the opportunity to power up too!" May thought. "Blaziken, Bulk Up!" Blaziken let out a screech and flexed his arms. His muscular body bulged slightly, increasing his strength and endurance.

"Like that'll help her any against Poliwrath's water attacks." Ashley thought with a smirk. "Poliwrath, attack with Hydro Pump!"

"Blaziken, hit it first with Double Kick!" Blaziken delivered a strong kick to Poliwrath's chest, stunning him briefly. Blaziken then spun around and kicked Poliwrath a second time, knocking him back and sending him sprawling to the ground at Ashley's feet.

Poliwrath quickly got back up and flexed his muscles, squeezing his body to fire a high pressure stream of water from his chest. Blaziken grunted as the water hit him and pushed him back, eventually knocking him onto the ground before the attack ended. With the boost from the rain falling around the two pokemon, Blaziken had taken a harsh blow. As he stood back up, a red glow surrounded him briefly and flames erupted from his wrists. Poliwrath was also looking pretty weak after having endured a powered up Double Kick.

"Finish it now, Blaziken! Slash!"

"Poliwrath, Hydro Pump!"

Blaziken extended his claws and charged toward Poliwrath. Poliwrath fired another stream of water at Blaziken, but Blaziken quickly moved to the side to avoid it and continued toward Poliwrath. Poliwrath tried to turn to aim at Blaziken's new position, but Blaziken reached him first and slashed him across the side. Poliwrath cried out in pain and fell to the ground in a heap.

"Like I said, having the type advantage doesn't mean you'll win!" May said smugly.

"Oh, we're not finished yet." Ashley replied. At that moment, Poliwrath, supposedly fainted after Blaziken's last attack, got back up on his feet. He was very exhausted, but the Focus Band around his head would keep him in the fight for a little longer. "Poliwrath, use Waterfall!" Poliwrath faced his shoulder toward Blaziken and a veil of water began to form around him.

"No way! That attack should have finished it!" May cried out in disbelief. "Blaziken, Quick Attack! Take it down before it can attack!" Blaziken stepped back, giving himself room to maneuver for his attack, but it was too late. Poliwrath charged toward him, while Blaziken shot toward Poliwrath in a quick burst of speed. Both pokemon were thrown to the ground from the impact, and neither were getting back up again. As if signalling the end of the match, the rain stopped and the clouds Poliwrath had summoned parted. The two girls each recalled their pokemon.

"Grr...you...there's no way your Poliwrath could have survived that last Slash attack!" May growled.

"It happens sometimes." Ashley replied, smiling mischeviously. "Especially when he's wearing a Focus Band." She then thought.

"Well I'm not holding back anymore then!" May said as she grabbed a pokeball from her belt. "Suicune, go!" She held out the pokeball she grabbed and released her pokemon, sending the legendary pokemon Suicune out as her next pokemon.

"Well this is certainly an interesting turn of events." Aisha said to Ashley. "The legendary pokemon, Suicune, is under her command. Of course, I suppose thats to be expected. She has the sapphire, afterall."

"Well, I have a legendary pokemon of my own with me." Ashley thought, taking a pokeball from her belt. "If thats how you want to do this, then I'll see your Suicune and raise you..." Ashley held out her pokeball and released Zapdos, the electric bird pokemon from it. Zapdos screeched and stretched out its wings. "One Zapdos!"

"-One Zapdos? I'm the only Zapdos!-" Zapdos said to her.

"She...she has a legendary pokemon too?" May thought, blinking in disbelief. "Who IS she?!"

"Let's just say you two have a lot in common." Haruka said to her.


"Wh-WHAT?! What the heck is SHE doing here?!" Melany wondered, staring in disbelief as her next opponent took her place on the other side of the field. "She's supposed to be in Kanto, why is she at the Battle Frontier of all places?!"

"Ok, Pippi, you're up first!" Rina called out, pointing toward the battlefield. Pippi, still out of her pokeball, nodded and ran out onto the field. It was Rina's first match in the Battle Arena and Melany had just finished her previous battle as Rina finished signing up. As a result, Rina was battling Melany in her first match.

"Well? Aren't you going to send out your pokemon?" The attendant with them asked Melany impatiently.

"Hold up! There's something I want to ask this trainer."

"Oh...well...I guess you can do that." The attendant replied.

"Your name's Rina, isn't it?" Melany asked Rina.

"What?! How did you know that?" Rina asked, blinking in disbelief.

"You were in a fairly recent news article, alongside Hoenn's regional champion May." Melany explained. "That was in Kanto though...so what brings you all the way to Hoenn?"

"Well...umm..." Rina looked to the side and thought for a moment. "I can't just come out and say I'm looking for the hunters...but then again I guess that's about all I can't say." She thought, then looked back at Melany.

"I came here with May after she was invited here." Rina said to Melany.

"Sh-she's here too?!" Melany thought, a look of fear on her face. "If May sees me dressed like this I'm screwed!"

"What's with him?" Rina wondered when she noticed Melany's reaction. "Why would he be afraid of May? Is he an old boyfriend or something?" Rina thought about it for a moment and gasped. "Wait! He must be Alex! ...I mean, she must be Alex. I mean he's Melany! I mean...I mean..."

"Are you two ready to start yet?" The attendant asked impatiently.

"R-right...ready." Melany replied, regaining her composure as she reached for a pokeball. "Ok, Metagross! Come on out!" Melany held out the pokeball in her hand and released Metagross onto the field. Metagross scoffed when it saw Pippi was its opponent.

"Enemy: Pikachu. Threat level: Low." Metagross thought.

Pippi grinned widely and sparks danced across her cheeks. "-Finally! I was getting impatient!-"

"Ok Pippi, hit it hard with Volt Tackle!" Pippi stood up on her hind legs and channeled electricity around her body. She then took off running, charging straight into Metagross and smashing into its face. Metagross grunted and stumbled back, but easily shook it off while the impact had left Pippi briefly disoriented.

"Metagross, Earthquake!" Metagross raised its forelegs into the air and then slammed them into the ground, sending a massive shockwave throughout the field. Having been standing so close to Metagross, the attack threw Pippi several feet back. The ground continued to shake and crack, bouncing Pippi across the ground until it finally stop. Pippi laid flat out across the ground when the attack ended, unconscious.

"N-no way! It beat her with just one attack?!" Rina exclaimed in disbelief.

"Using Volt Tackle probably didn't help, but Metagross happens to be a pretty powerful attacker." Melany replied.

"I'll have to be careful against this one, I wish I brought Knight with me now." Rina thought as she recalled Pippi. She had one pokemon that could potentially fight Metagross, but unfortunately that wouldn't be her next pokemon due to the Battle Arena rules. She had to use her pokemon in a set order, and the next pokemon she had to use was Geri. Knowing this, Rina took Geri's pokeball from her belt.

"Geri, go!" Rina called out, releasing the vine pokemon out onto the field.

"-Yay! I get to do stuff!-" Geri cheered when she materialized on the field.

"Enemy: Unknown. Threat level: Joke." Metagross thought, rolling its eyes.

"Geri, attack with Sleep Powder!"

"Metagross, hit it hard with Meteor Mash!"

Metagross made a punching motion with one of its forelimbs and then shot through the air, flying across the field like a meteor. While Metagross was crossing the field, Geri released a cloud of Sleep Powder into the air. The powder did little to throw Metagross off as the steel pokemon ploughed straight through it to strike Geri and knock her back with a powerful punch. Once Metagross dropped down onto the ground, though, the powder took its effect and Metagross fell asleep.

"Well at least that worked." Rina thought, breathing a sigh of relief. Knowing she had no time to relax, she quickly called out another attack. "Ok, Geri, now use Leech Seed while its asleep!" Geri nodded and quickly rolled back onto her feet while firing a Leech Seed at Metagross. The seed landed on the top of Metagross' steel body and sprouted several long vines. The vines found tiny gaps in Metagross' body to latch on and begin draining energy from its body.

"Now let's go on the offense! Vine Whip!" Rina called out. Geri moved toward the sleeping Metagross and extended her vines to hit it over the head. Despite repeated swipes from Geri, Metagross didn't even flinch while it slept.

"TIME!" The female attendant monitoring the match called out. "Match winner is Metagross!"

"Wh-what?" Rina said in disbelief. "I forgot all about the time limit and scoring..." She let out a sigh and held out Geri's pokeball.

"Looks like we lose this round, sorry Geri." Rina said aplogetically as she recalled her, then placed the pokeball back on her belt. As she took her final pokeball in hand, Melany's Metagross started to wake up.

"Rina won't be much of a challenge at this rate." Melany thought, then shrugged. "Then again, she won't have to find out the hard way that leading with a pokemon with little durability wouldn't be a good idea in the long run in these matches. I'm not sure what that mass of vines was either but I doubt it would have been able to hold its own either, not with that strategy at least."

"Ok, its all up to you now!" Rina held out her pokeball, calling out her final pokemon. "Felicia, go!" The pokeball in Rina's hand opened and released Felicia the Flareon. Felicia looked over at her opponent and let out a yawn.

"-Just as long as I don't have to get my fur dirty.-" Felicia said, turning up her nose.

"...Conclusion: The Battle Arena is devoid of worthwhile opponents." Metagross thought.

"A fire-type might actually be able to beat Metagross, so let's make this first attack count!" Melany thought. "Metagross, attack with Earthquake!" Metagross raised its forelimbs and slammed them into the floor of the arena, sending a shockwave throughout the field. Felicia cried out as the ground under her suddenly ruptured, throwing her to the side. Chunks of the ground rising up continued to strike her until the Earthquake ended and the ground finally settled back into place. Felicia slowly stood back up, weakened and disoriented by the attack.

"-My fur...is dirty now...-" Felicia mumbled weakly.

"Felicia, use Fire Blast!" Felicia forced herself to focus and opened her mouth to spit out a fireball at Metagross. The fireball expanded as it shot through the air, eventually taking a shape similar to a stick figure. Metagross cried out in pain as the flames grazed over its body. The flames exploded over Metagross' back, pounding the steel pokemon into the ground. It didn't stay down for long, however, and quickly pushed itself back up onto its feet.

"N-no way! Its still standing?!" Rina cried out in disbelief. Metagross then suddenly collapsed toward the right side as the Leech Seed left on it by Geri drained the last of its strength. "Alright! We won!" Rina cheered.

"You won one match." Melany reminded her as she recalled Metagross. "I still have two pokemon left to your one."

"Oh...right..." Rina replied weakly. "W-well we're not giving up anyway!" She then said determinedly.

"Of course." Melany took a pokeball from her belt. "Swellow, go!" She then called out, releasing a green feathered bird pokemon onto the field.

"Felicia, hit it with Fire Blast and give it everything you've got!" Rina called out, still hoping she could win the match.

"Swellow, Aerial Ace!" Swellow flapped its wings and took off into the air as Felicia spat a fireball at it. As the fireball expanded in the air, Swellow dove toward it and maneuvered himself to avoid touching the flames. He then shot down toward Felicia in a blur of movement, slashing across her body with his beak. Felicia cried out in pain and was knocked onto her side.

"Ok, now use Quick Attack!" Melany called out to Swellow. As Swellow came into view from its high speed attack he quickly pulled a U-turn and then shot off again. While Flareon was still trying to get up, Swellow shot into her from behind in a blur of movement. Flareon cried out in pain and collapsed again, fainting from the attack.

"But...we didn't even land a hit this time..." Rina mumbled in disbelief. She then sighed and recalled Felicia. "So much for making a comeback...my pokemon just weren't a match for that thing he started the battle with."

"Good job, Swellow. Return." Melany held out Swellow's pokeball and recalled it, then returned the pokeball to her belt.

"Now I won't get the chance to challenge the leader here." Rina thought in disappointment as she walked away from the battlefield. Before leaving the arena, she looked back at Melany again.

"I can try again later with a different team, but I think I'll wait until he's finished and find out who he really is." She thought.

"Congratulations, Alex. Your next match is against the Arena Tycoon, Greta. Are you ready?" The attendant remaining with Melany said as she took her pokeballs from her.

"Guess I won't have to wait long then." Rina thought, having overheard her, then finally left the arena.


"-If you're here, then I suppose that girl must be Aisha's descendent.-" Suicune said to Zapdos.

"-Good guess.-" Zapdos replied. "-And I suppose she's Haruka's descendent?-" Suicune nodded.

"...Ok then, so what if you have a legendary pokemon too? I'll still win this!" May said with a determined expression. "Suicune, Calm Mind!" Suicune closed its eyes and focused, relaxing its minds to increase its special attack and defense.

"Not like that you won't! Zapdos, Thunderbolt!" Ashley called out. Zapdos spread its wings, crackling with electricity, then brought them together and fired a bolt at Suicune. Suicune groaned as the electricity passed through its body and struggled to maintain its focus.

"Suicune, fire back with Ice Beam!" Suicune opened its eyes and aimed the crest on its head at Zapdos. The crest glowed briefly and a blue beam fired out, striking Zapdos. Zapdos grunted as the ice formed on its body and cried out in pain as it shattered, knocking the bird pokemon onto its back.

"Even if you have the type advantage, that Calm Mind's leveled the playing field now!" May said smugly.

"Oh yeah? Well I think this might un-level it a bit!" Ashley called back. "Zapdos, Light Screen!" Zapdos stood up and shook off the remaining ice. It then spread its wings and focused, forming a translucent pink barrier around its body to protect itself from further attacks.

"D-damn it..." May muttered bitterly. "Suicune, use Calm Mind again until I tell you to stop!" Suicune nodded and closed its eyes again, focusing on clearing its mind to increase its mental capabilities.

"Sounds like Suicune will be busy for a little while, a good chance for us to try out a combination attack!" Ashley thought with a smirk. "Zapdos, charge electricity for a Thunderbolt but don't fire!"

"-Oh, you're so going to get it now.-" Zapdos said to Suicune with a toothless grin, knowing full well what Ashley had planned. Zapdos spread out its wings and gathered electricity through its body, sending sparks coursing across its wings.

"What's she trying to do? Why isn't she attacking?" May wondered. "If she's trying to fire a stronger electric attack then we'll just bounce it back with Mirror Coat."

"Now! You know what to do! Drill Peck!" Ashley called out.

"Drill Peck?!" May thought, blinking in disbelief. "Why would she...?"

Zapdos reared its head back and a vacuum of air swirled around its beak like a drill. It then flew toward Suicune while releasing the electricity from its body, channeling it through its own beak to create a swirl of electricity around it. Zapdos then stopped in front of Suicune and jabbed at the water pokemon with its beak, sending a blast of electricity through its body while drilling it with the air swirling around its beak. Suicune cried out in pain and staggered back, barely able to remain standing after enduring such a powerful attack.

"What the heck was THAT!?" May cried out in disbelief.

"Simple, I combined Zapdos' Drill Peck with an electric attack to deliver the electricity as a physical attack. That way, it also gets past your Suicune's enhanced defenses." Ashley explained to May. "As you can no doubt tell..." She added, gesturing toward Suicune. It already looked like it was barely standing.

"I've...never thought of anything like that before." May said quietly, awestruck by Ashley's creativity.

"Aren't you supposed to be battling her?" Haruka said.

"Right! Even after that though, we're still in this!" May said to Ashley. "Suicune, Ice Beam!" The crest on Suicune's forehead glowed and a blue beam fired out from it. Being so close to Suicune after its previous attack, Zapdos was left with nowhere to run to. The beam struck Zapdos in the chest and ice formed around the bird pokemon's body. Frozen solid, Zapdos fell to the ground. The ice on its body shattered, releasing its unconscious form.

"See! I managed to beat you again while at a type disadvantage!" May said to Ashley while she was recalling Zapdos.

"You didn't 'beat' me the first time, it was a draw." Ashley corrected her, then took another pokeball from her belt. "Anyway, your Suicune won't last much longer at any rate. Venusaur, go!" Ashley held out Venusaur's pokeball and sent him out into the battle area.

"-Well, hopefully this trainer will be more of a challenge than the last one I fought.-" Venusaur muttered.

"-I'm afraid I may...have to disappoint you...-" Suicune replied weakly, knowing full well it wouldn't be able to take another hit.

"Venusaur, Razor Leaf!" Ashley called out. Venusaur leaned forward and released a barrage of sharp leaves from the plant on his back. Suicune growled in pain as the leaves slashed across its body, then collapsed. May, also knowing Suicune wasn't going to survive the hit, quickly recalled it and placed its pokeball back on her belt.

Venusaur shrugged. "-Well, he was honest, I'll give him that.-" He said to himself.

"This time the type advantage will be all mine!" May said to Ashley as she grabbed another pokeball. "Gardevoir, go!" May held out the pokeball she grabbed and released the psychic pokemon Gardevoir to face off against Venusaur.

"-Pleased to make your acquaintance. Do be warned that I will not falter in battle under the command of Lady May.-" Gardevoir said to Venusaur.

"-Lady May?-" Venusaur raised an eyebrow. "-The heck is up with this one?-"

"So you're really not going to recall Venusaur?" Aisha asked Ashley. "That's not like you, keeping a pokemon in battle when its at a disadvantage."

"She's been able to keep up with me in spite of the disadvantage, so now its my turn." Ashley replied. "I didn't come this far as a trainer just to get shown up by her! Her Gardevoir, whatever it is, is going down, and Venusaur will be the one to do it!"


"So, you're Alex then? I heard you made it here pretty easy." Greta, a blonde haired woman wearing a black and red robe over a blue bodysuit, said to Alex while seemingly checking him out. "No offense, but you look pretty weak, are you sure you can handle me?"

"I don't know how to take that." Melany thought nervously, noticing Greta's choice of words could be taken another way. "Look, Pokemon battling has nothing to do with the physical appearance of the trainer. Just because you could knock me flat in one move doesn't mean it'll be the same for your pokemon."

"How true! Shall we begin, then?" Greta replied with a slight smile, taking a pokeball in her hand. "Let's see what kind of skill you really have then!"

"That's more like it." Melany reached down and grabbed a pokeball from her belt. "Metagross, go!" Melany held out the pokeball and released her first pokemon of the match. Metagross, the same pokemon she had started every match with, appeared on the battlefield looking rather bored.

"Shedinja, go!" Greta called out, releasing her lead pokemon onto the field. An empty shell emerged from the pokeball, hovering over the field. Its eyes were completely lifeless, and yet the strange creature still seemed able to function as though it were alive.

"Wh-what?" Melany stuttered nervously. "Of all the pokemon to run into..."

"Judging by your reaction, I'd say you recognize my pokemon and its abilities." Greta said to Melany, smiling to herself. "Shedinja, attack Metagross with Confuse Ray!" A ball of light formed between Shedinja as the strange ghost pokemon made the first move. Shedinja fired the light at Metagross, sending it zigzagging through the air until it reached Metagross and circled around it. Metagross couldn't help but try to follow it and became confused by the spinning and sudden disappearance.

"Ok, I need to relax and think..." Melany took a deep breath, calming herself. "Metagross has to have some attack that can hurt Shedinja, but what?"

"Shedinja, attack with Shadow Ball!" Shedinja formed a ball of shadowstuff between the two claws on the front of its body. Without any movement from it, Shedinja threw the Shadow Ball at Metagross. Metagross flinched slightly as the ball hit it in the face but seemed relatively unconcerned with it.

Melany thought carefully over her next move while Greta issued no further attacks. With just the one Shadow Ball attack, she was guaranteed to beat Metagross in two of the three scoring areas. Eventually, Melany finally recalled a rarely used technique that would be able to hurt Greta's Shedinja and snapped her fingers. "I've got it! Metagross, attack with Pursuit!" Metagross lunged forward as if moving to attack, but then fell flat on its face. "Or not..." Melany muttered, hanging her head in defeat.

"TIME!" The attendant called out. "The winner of this match is Shedinja!"

"It seems you spent too long thinking about what technique to use." Greta said with a smug grin.

"It only failed because of confusion..." Melany thought bitterly as she recalled Metagross. She placed Metagross' pokeball on her belt and quickly took another one in her hand, then held it out to release her next pokemon. "Well this one will make up for it! Swellow, go!" She called out, releasing her green feathered bird pokemon onto the field.

"Swellow, attack Shedinja with Peck!" Swellow flapped his wings and took off toward Shedinja at high speed, striking the ghostly shell pokemon with its beak. The shell fell to the ground with a hollow thud. Greta then recalled Shedinja, looking more than a little nervous and hesitating for a moment with the pokeball still in her hand.

"What's she so worried about?" Melany wondered. "That just makes it a tie, she can't be expecting that much trouble from Swellow, can she?"

"An interesting choice for your second pokemon..." Greta commented with a slight nervous tone in her voice. She slowly reached down and placed Shedinja's pokeball on her belt. "You must have taken your time thinking over what pokemon to use in the Battle Arena..."

"More than I did when I challenged the Fallabor Battle Tent." Melany thought. "Back then, I lead the battles with Minun. I don't think he ever fought harder in any match than he did then. This time I made sure to start with my strongest pokemon, not including Latias at least, but she already defeated that one without breaking a sweat. So why does Swellow worry her?"

"Heracross, go!" Greta called out as she released her second pokemon from its pokeball. A powerful fighting bug pokemon emerged on the field, hands open and shifting from side to side in anticipation of an attack from the Swellow hovering nearby.

"Heh..so that's why." Melany said with a smirk. "Because you knew your second pokemon wouldn't put up much of a fight against Swellow either."

"That won't be for a lack of trying! Heracross, Rock Tomb!"

"Swellow, Aerial Ace!"

Heracross stomped its foot against the ground, causing rocks to jut up from the ground around Swellow and collapse inward. Swellow had already flown up out of range by then, evading the attack while getting into position for an Aerial Ace. Swellow then went into a steep dive, disappearing as it reached top speed and slashed across Heracross' body with his beak. Heracross grunted and collapsed to the ground, feeling a tremendous amount of pain from the attack.

"Now, let's finish this with one more attack! Swellow, use Wing Attack!" Swellow slowed down and flew back to Heracross as the bug pokemon was getting back up on its feet. Swellow dropped down behind it and struck it with his wings, knocking Heracross flat on its face and knocking it unconscious. With a second pokemon defeated and having avoiding taking any hits itself, Swellow then turned toward Greta.

"-Next.-"

"Well, I expected something like that might happen anyway." Greta stated casually as she recalled Heracross. She placed Heracross' pokeball back on her belt and took her final pokeball in hand. "I will just have to make this one count, then! Umbreon, go!" Greta released her final pokemon onto the battlefield, the dark-type evolved form of Eevee known as Umbreon. The expression on its face as it appeared matched that of Swellow's, both looking rather bored.

"Well this one might actually cause some trouble. Might." Melany smirked. "Swellow, let's go the same route with this one too! Start with Aerial Ace!" Swellow flapped his wings, hovering up into the air. He then dove toward Umbreon, gaining a burst of speed to slash across the dark-type pokemon's body with his beak and then turning and stopping after flying by. Umbreon winced in pain but managed to take the hit fairly well.

With Melany's choice of words in mind, Greta considered her next move. "If he's using the same technique again, then we can try our luck with Body Slam when Swellow gets close. For now, we'll attack from a distance." Greta thought, then called out her attack. "Umbreon, strike back with Psychic!" Umbreon's eyes flashed blue and a similarly colored glow surrounded Swellow. Swellow grunted in pain as Umbreon used a psychic power to crush its body. Umbreon then used its remaining focus to throw Swellow onto its back to finish the attack.

"If thats the best she can do, then Swellow should be able to beat this one too." Melany thought. "Swellow, Wing Attack!" Swellow quickly got up on its feet and moved toward Umbreon, then struck the dark-type pokemon across the face with his right wing. Umbreon yelped and staggered back, shaking it off.

"Umbreon, now! Body Slam!" Umbreon jumped forward, knocking Swellow to the ground and then jumping on top of him. Swellow cried out in pain and felt his body becoming paralyzed under Umbreon's weight. Umbreon then moved off of him, leaving Swellow struggling to get back up in its paralyzed state.

"Seems we get a lucky break afterall!" Greta said, grinning.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Melany said to her. "Afterall, paralysis just means Swellow's Guts ability activates. Swellow, give it your all and attack with Wing Attack!" Swellow raised one wing back and limped toward Umbreon to attack but fell over from paralysis before he could reach his target.

"Too bad, looks like I've got this one." Greta said to her. "Umbreon, one more attack! Psychic!" Umbreon's eyes flashed and a blue glow surrounded Swellow, lifting it off the ground. Swellow cried out in pain as the psychic attack crushed its body and then threw it back across the field. Swellow landed at Melany's feet, badly damaged but still conscious. Swellow slowly started to get up, however...

"TIME!" Time was up, as the female attendant soon made it all too clear. "Winner, Umbreon!"

"Good job, Swellow. You still did great out there." Melany said as she recalled Swellow. "Umbreon shouldn't be able to take much more anyway, so my last pokemon will be able to finish it off." She thought. She reached down to her belt and placed Swellow's pokeball on its designated clip, then took her last pokeball in her hand.

"Sceptile, your turn now! Go!" Melany called out, releasing Sceptile from its pokeball. Sceptile made his usual dramatic entrance, appearing in a half kneeling position with one knee raised. His arms were crossed over his knee as if he were holding out a pair of blades in each.

"I likely won't beat this one, but we have to try anyway." Greta thought. "Umbreon, Confuse Ray!"

"Sceptile, Leaf Blade!" Sceptile's arms twitched and a pair of glowing green blades formed from the leaves on each. While Umbreon was forming the ball of light to attack, Sceptile dashed quickly toward it and ran past while slashing Umbreon in the side. Umbreon growled in pain, releasing the light prematurely as one of Sceptile's Leaf Blades dug into its side.

"Ok, run it through now! Quick Attack!" Melany called out. Sceptile quickly turned around and shot past Umbreon on the opposite side in a blur of movement. When Sceptile came to a stop just past Umbreon it seemed completely unharmed.

"It...missed?" Greta said, blinking in disbelief. Sceptile stood upright and raised his arms into the air, deactivating his blades. Umbreon then suddenly fainted and fell to the ground. "Or not..." Greta sighed and held out Umbreon's pokeball, recalling it.

"-Over already? Well that's kinda disappointing.-" Sceptile said, shrugging lightly and shaking his head.

"Well, you might not be tough, but your pokemon sure are!" Greta said to Melany. "Congratulations. I look forward to having the chance to battle you again sometime." Greta smiled at Melany and then left the arena. The attendant, who still remained, approached Melany and handed her a gold badge.

"Here you are! Its the Guts Symbol, you've earned it." The attendant said to her.

"Thanks." Melany replied, nodding. She pocketed the symbol and then held out Sceptile's pokeball. "Good work finishing that quickly, you can take a rest now." Melany said to him. She pushed the button on the pokeball to recall him, then followed the attendant out of the arena. When she arrived at the front desk, she found Rina was waiting for her there with Pippi by her side.

"There's something I want to talk to you about." Rina said to Melany, her arms folded over her chest.

"-And I want a rematch, that was no fair!-" Pippi added, pouting.

"Err...of course, lead the way." Melany hesitantly replied. "Has she figured me out already? Did May tell her who I am?" She wondered as she followed Rina and Pippi outside. Rina then came to a stop just outside with her back

"You're Melany, right?" Rina whispered, then looked back over her shoulder with a serious glare. "Does Ashley know? Because if you're lying to get with her..."

"Err...h-hold up!" Melany held out her hands defensively. "Geez! It figures her teasing would get ME into trouble somehow!"

"Alex!" Latias, in her usual human form, called out as she ran up to the group. "Oh! Is this a new friend?" She asked when she noticed Rina.

"Ah, Latias...find anything?" Melany asked her. Latias blinked in disbelief and looked at Rina.

"Well...umm..." Latias leaned in close to Melany and whispered to her. "Is it ok to talk about it with her around?"

"Of course it is." Melany replied, nodding.

"Huh? Talk about what?" Rina asked, her glare fading in her curiosity.

"Well...I looked all over the arena, top to bottom!" Latias said to them. "There wasn't anything suspicious there at all, and definitely no hidden base or anything like that!" She reported excitedly.

"Wait...hidden base?" Rina blinked, looking between the two. "Then you two were..."

"I think there's been a bit of a misunderstanding." Melany said to Rina, smiling lightly. "Allow me to explain..."


"Ok, Gardevoir, start with Calm Mind!" Gardevoir nodded and closed her eyes, clearing her mind and relaxing.

"I don't think she thinks too much before calling out an attack." Ashley thought, then shrugged. "Oh well."

"Venusaur, attack with Sleep Powder." Venusaur shook the plant on his back, releasing a cloud of green powder. The powder floated through the air and landed on Gardevoir. There was no immediate sign that the powder had any effect, however, as she remained completely stationary as she had been before. Her lack of a reaction was enough for Ashley, however.

"Ok, now attack with Leech Seed and Poison Powder while its asleep!" Ashley called out. Venusaur angled the plant on his back toward Gardevoir and fired a seed at her. The seed landed on her chest and sprouted vines to latch on. Venusaur then shook the plant, releasing a poisonous powder into the air to poison Gardevoir while she slept. Wincing in pain as the seed and poison drained her health, Gardevoir woke up and opened her eyes.

"She seems to have your pokemon against the ropes. Perhaps you shouldn't be so hasty in calling out your first attack?" Haruka suggested to May.

"So what! We'll make a comeback now!" May replied. "You're not the only one who can use a sleep strategy! Gardevoir, Hypnosis!" Gardevoir used her psychic powers to send hypnotic waves toward Venusaur. Venusaur felt his eyes grow heavy and soon dropped to the ground, fast asleep.

"Wh-what?! I didn't see that coming at all!" Ashley thought in disbelief.

"Ok, Gardevoir, attack with Psychic now!" Gardevoir's eyes flashed blue briefly. A blue glow then surrounded Venusaur's body, lifting it into the air a foot. Gardevoir struggled to keep her focus while poison and Leech Seed were affecting her, but held the attack long enough to inflict considerable damage to Venusaur. She finished the attack by flipping Venusaur over and dropping him onto his back.

"That doesn't look like it'll be easy to recover from." Aisha said to Ashley.

"Again, Psychic!" Gardevoir focused, again lifting Venusaur off the ground while crushing him with her psychic powers. Before Gardevoir could even finish the attack Venusaur had fainted, grunting in pain his body went limp and Gardevoir released him. Ashley then held out Venusaur's pokeball and recalled him.

"So much for winning with a type disadvantage." May said smugly.

"I managed a draw at least, I'll be content with that." Ashley replied. Gardevoir then suddenly collapsed, the last of her strength being drained by poison.

"Hrmph...so what if you did..." May held out Gardevoir's pokeball and recalled her, then quickly returned the pokeball to her belt and took another one in her hand. "I still have two pokemon left to beat you with!" May pointed the pokeball out toward the field. "Flygon, your turn now! Go!"

"Oh yeah? Well same to you!" Ashley shot back, likewise drawing a pokeball and pointing it at the field. "Pidgeot, go!" The two pokemon emerged onto the field almost simultaneously, the dragon pokemon Flygon appearing before May and the bird pokemon Pidgeot appearing before Ashley.

"Flygon, attack with Dragonbreath!"

"Pidgeot, Air Cutter!"

Flygon opened his mouth and spewed out a stream of blue flames at Pidgeot. Before the flames could reach him, Pidgeot brought his wings together and then parted them to fire a v-shaped blade of air. The blade split through the flames, causing them to break up before they could reach Pidgeot, and continued on to slash Flygon across the face. Flygon shook it off and growled at Pidgeot.

"Can't use that one from a distance then." May thought. "Ok, Flygon, let's try..."

"Hey! What's going on here?" May and Ashley blinked and turned their heads in disbelief when they heard Rina's voice. While Ashley and May were busy battling, Rina and Melany had managed to find them. The two girls were standing side by side in front of a crowd of onlookers that had gathered to watch May and Ashley battle and their two pokemon, Pippi and Latias, stood next to their respective trainers.

"Rina? What are you doing here?" Ashley asked in disbelief.

"Melany!" May growled. "Just what the heck do you think you're doing dressed like that?!" She angrily demanded, then pointed at Latias. "And who the heck is she?!"

"I think you'll have a looooot of explaining to do." Rina said to Melany, smiling sheepishly.

Melany sighed. "No kidding...but at least she didn't go straight for my throat."

"-Does this mean we're not finishing this battle?-" Pidgeot asked Flygon.

"-It doesn't seem like we'll be continuing.-" Flygon replied, shaking his head.

"-Nuts...-"


Author's Notes: Sorry about the delay, and here I thought I was ahead of schedule with this one. Unfortunately, that train of thought often leads to procrastination toward doing the rest. Anyway...

So, one facility left to go, a 4 vs. 4 battle (essentially, since the 5th round was interrupted) between May and Ashley, and a short battle between Rina and Melany wherein Rina's three pokemon had quite a Metagross weakness. Not much to say other than that I don't think. Its only fair to warn you though, next chapter will probably have a lot of talking. And possibly no battles, I'm not sure yet. I think any battles that would fit into the next chapter would be better placed in chapter 53 instead...

Looking back I think I wouldn't have minded dedicating a chapter solely to Ashley vs. May just to draw out the battle a bit more, maybe include a full 5th round at least, but I also wanted to get the arena out of the way and knew I wasn't going to have a full battle between them anyway before something happened.