Disclaimer: Do I look like a multi-millionaire owner of a massive franchise to you? If you said no, you're absolutely right! I don't own Pokémon, any of the theme songs, or a multimillion-dollar jet. I do own my trusty six-shooter, so lawyers, get lost!

Track 02: Baroque Beat Downs

Opening Theme: Battle Without Honor or Humanity by Tomoyasu Hotei {Kill Bill Vol. 1 Soundtrack}

Sorahime's Theme: Sky High (Bleach Beat Collection)

Taifuu's Theme: Fairy Tail's Main Theme (Metal Version) by Takanashi Yasuharu {Fairy Tail OST}

Pikachu's Theme: My Blade as My Pride (Bleach Beat Collection)

Max's Theme: Red Fraction by Mell (Black Lagoon Soundtrack)

I: Sunrise Scherzo

-6:30 A.M, Offshore of Sennichi no Shima-

Misty yawned as she rode the boat to her first tournament match. The sun was not up yet, and none of Misty's other friends had gotten up to watch her, with the sole exception, surprisingly, being Hikaru. She had expected him to stay in the room, but he had been up and ready when she had left her room an hour before. When she inquired as to why he was up so early, the young trainer merely shrugged and muttered something about "only time I get to myself."

She had been curious, but out of respect for his privacy, didn't comment further.

Misty's thoughts were interrupted when Hikaru's somewhat awed voice came from the bow. "I can see the stadium!"

The red-haired ex-Gym Leader turned toward the front of the small boat. In front of her was one of the most famous pokémon battle sites in the world.

Aquarius Stadium.

A miracle of modern engineering and pokémon power, the entire stadium floated unanchored on the calm waters of the atoll it was centered on. Throughout even the strongest storms, the stadium remained unmoved. For Water-type trainers, the stadium was a dream come true. The entirety of the battle area was water, with the only land being platforms for the trainers to stand on. Natural currents constantly circulated below, and the open-air environment was completely at the mercy of the weather. It was a challenging battle location, but if you knew how to use the surroundings, it was one of the best battle sites you could find.

'And now I get to try it out' thought Misty as the boat docked at the battlers' entrance.

Smoothly, the redheaded trainer stepped onto the dock, and proceeded into the stadium, followed closely by Hikaru.

-5 minutes later-

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WELCOME TO THE AQUARIUS STADIUM! THE STANDS ARE PACKED, EVEN THIS EARLY IN THE MORNING, TO SEE THE EXCITING BATTLES SURE TO COME ON THE SECOND DAY OF THE TOURNAMENT OF CELEBI!"

The MC's words boomed out over the stands, which were, as the energetic voice had pointed out, completely packed. Men, women, children, and pokémon were all present, anticipation so heavy in the air that you taste it. At the center of it all stood Misty and her opponent, facing each other on small platforms that floated in the middle of the watery battlefield.

Misty turned her attention from the crowds around her to her opponent. She was a girl about Misty's age, with long brown hair and eyes, a green jumpsuit, white scarf, and a pilot's goggles and hat. The tournament database said her name was Ohayashi Suzume, and she was a flying-type trainer. She had performed well in the Silver League, making it to the semifinals. She was extremely good with her chosen type; she was also known as Ōkaze no Suzume (Suzume of the Great Wind). She was by no means a weak opponent.

"AND NOW FOR OUR FIRST MATCH OF THE DAY! ON ONE SIDE, THE AIRBORNE GIRL FROM JOHTO, THE GREAT WIND, OHAAAAYAAAASHIIIIII SUZUUUMEEEEEEE!"

The young woman smiled and waved happily to the crowds, her eyes glinting with excitement.

"AND ON THE OTHER SIDE, EX-GYM LEADER OF CERULEAN CITY, THE TRAGIC MAIDEN OF MOUNT SILVER, AND ONE OF THE MOST POWERUL TRAINERS AT THIS TOURNAMENT, MIISSTYYYY WAAATERFLOWEEEEERRRRRRRRRRR!"

The redhead rolled her eyes at the announcer's words. Her status as an ex-leader was unusual, as very few leaders gave up their titles unless they moved up to the Elite Four. She was a powerful trainer, her training in Mount Silver ensured that, but it was the second title that annoyed her. After his death, the news of his sacrifice spread, as well as the news of Misty's affection for him. Many had vied for the chance to "heal" the broken-hearted girl. She had turned them all away, even the ones who had fought their way through Mount Silver to find her. Unfortunately, that had only contributed to her fame as the "tragic maiden". Try as she might, she couldn't shake the title.

"BOTH TRAINERS READY! THE BATTLE TYPE WILL BE DOUBLE BATTLE, THREE POKEMON PER TRAINER!"

The redhead smirked. A Double Battle would work perfectly for her needs.

"BEGIN!"

Misty took the initiative, hurling out both her pokéballs. "Tachiagaru (Rise up), Ryū shinzo! Ichigeki de kiri (Cut in one strike), Ha no Ishi!"

Misty's Dragonite roared defiantly as the light died, with her Gallade perched on the mighty dragon's back.

Misty felt a surge of confusion from both her opponent and the crowd. It was understandable; after all, she had previously been a water-type Leader. The redhead smiled to herself; she had successfully planted a few seeds of doubt into her opponents mind.

Suzume recovered quickly, and threw out both of her pokémon as well. "Shake off the dust, Flygon! Shine, Skarmory!"

The two airborne pokémon took the field, staring down Misty's pokémon, no fear visible in their eyes.

Misty again struck first. "Ryū, boost your strength with Dragon Dance! Ishi, use Skill Swap on Flygon!"

Suzume responded quickly. "Flygon, Dragonbreath at Dragonite! Skarmory, cover him with Swift!"

"Dodge it, then use Iron Tail Throw!"

Dragonite skillfully avoided the stream of energy, then shot up to evade the star-shaped barrage from the Armor Bird. At a lull in the two pokémon's attacks, the dragon pulled its tail back, with Gallade crouched at the end, then with a mighty swing, hurled the Blade pokémon at Skarmory. Misty followed up before her opponent could call out a counterattack. "Psycho Cut!"

Gallade quickly complied, slashing at the metal bird with powerful psychic blades. Unable to get out of the way, Skarmory took several hits, but didn't take much damage.

"Skarmory, fly down and get some space! Flygon, hit Gallade with Flamethrower while it's falling!"

The Mystic pokémon turned to acquire its target, only to find that Gallade wasn't falling.

Down in the stands, Hikaru abruptly realized what Misty had done. "Flygon's ability is Levitate, and Gallade used Skill Swap! That's brilliant!"

Suzume realized the same thing, calling Flygon off and ordering both her pokémon to gain altitude.

"Flygon, keep using Dragonbreath! Keep the pressure on Dragonite!"

"Ryū, dive, then launch Ishi again! Ishi, use Fire Punch this time!"

Her pokémon obeyed, swooping down towards the waiting Gallade, who was already forming the fire attack on its fist. Dragonite braked with its wings, extending its tail out to the Blade pokémon, hooking below it, then slinging the pokémon toward their opponents. Gallade shot towards the Skarmory, who once again was unable to move fast enough to dodge. The super-effective move hit, causing Skarmory to screech in pain. The attack, however, was not enough to eliminate the Armor Bird, although it did almost lose control of its flight. Gallade continued past Skarmory, hovering in place once it ran out of momentum. Suzume's eyes narrowed, as she noticed something about Misty's attack pattern.

"Flygon, gain some more altitude! Shield Skarmory enough to use Sky Attack on Gallade! Gallade can't fall, but it also can't maneuver!"

Misty frowned, realizing the same thing. Levitate didn't allow pokémon to fly, just remain in place, and Gallade couldn't use Psychic well enough to move himself. Her best bet was to try and take out Skarmory before it could land the hit.

"Ryū, use Thunderbolt and knock Skarmory out of the sky!"

Dragonite obeyed, firing the bolt of electricity at the Armor Bird…only for Flygon to move in front of it to take the hit. Being Ground-type, the Mystic Pokémon took no damage. Dragonite readjusted its position to take another shot, but it was too late. Skarmory had already begun its wildly fast dive at the unprotected Gallade, its entire body glowing blue-white.

Misty gritted her teeth, knowing what was coming, and then shouted out her command. "Ishi, use Destiny Bond!"

The Blade pokémon nodded determinedly, and braced itself, sending a ripple of invisible energy at the incoming Armor Bird.

"SKAAARR!"

"GALLADE!"

Both pokémon cried out in pain on impact, as Gallade began to fall out the sky, knocked out. Skarmory wobbled for a moment, then its wings folded and it followed Gallade down, both pokémon plummeting toward the water. Their trainers acted quickly, returning their companions before they hit. "Nice job, Ishi," Misty murmured to the ball containing her pokémon, "Take a nice long rest."

The redheaded trainer put the ball away, then returned her attention to her opponent. Both trainers glared at each other for a moment, before sending out their last pokémon.

"Screech to the heavens, Pidgeot!"

"Kaminari to inazuma to himei o ageru to kōshi, (Strike with the lightning and scream with the thunder), Pikachu!"

Suzume's Pidgeot was the biggest Pidgeot most of the audience had seen, and its cry was loud enough that the water trembled. But even Pidgeot's intimidating cry and size paled in the face of the sheer power that radiated off of the small yellow mouse that had just emerged opposite it. Pikachu was, as Misty claimed, her strongest pokémon. He was so strong, in fact, that when he was in full battle mode, as he was now, storm clouds spontaneously formed overhead, drawn together by the sheer static electricity the pokémon generated.

And now, as rain began to fall on the battlefield, the seeds of doubt that Misty had planted in Suzume's mind began to blossom. The bird keeper was so distracted by Misty's just released pokémon that she completely missed Misty's next command.

"Ryū, use Ice Beam."

The shot of bone-chilling energy struck home, hitting Flygon dead in the chest. The mystic pokémon didn't stand a chance against the extremely super effective move. The dragon/ground-type was knocked out before it began to fall.

Snapping back to reality, Suzume realized what had happened. "Flygon, return."

Misty smiled. She had the bird keeper exactly where she wanted her. "Ryū, return."

Suzume blinked. "What are you doing? This is still a double battle!"

"This battle was over the moment you let yourself be distracted. Pikachu, use Thunder."

Suzume's eyes widened. "Dodge i-"

"PikaCHUUUUU!"

With a crack of thunder that shook the entire stadium, a great bolt of lightning, larger around than the Pidgeot that was its target, ripped down from the black clouds overhead. Pidgeot didn't even have time to cry out in pain. As the bird pokémon plummeted from the fast-clearing skies, the MC called the match.

"OHAYASHI SUZUME IS OUT OF USABLE POKEMON! THE WINNER OF THIS MATCH IS MISTY WATERFLOWER!"

As the crowd roared in approval, Misty held out her arm, allowing the yellow mouse to hop up onto her shoulder, before turning and nodding at Suzume. "Thank you, Miss Ohayashi. It was a most enjoyable battle."

Suzume nodded, mechanically returning her falling pokémon, and watched the redhead turn and walk out of the arena, the first rays of the rising sun illuminating her back.

High up in the stands, a figure in a hood frowned to himself.

'That Pikachu is incredibly powerful...and familiar…but why did I see a younger version of Waterflower-san when she was walking away? Hmm.' The figure nodded to a blue and white pokémon next to him, and both vanished in a brief flash of light.

II. Morning Maestoso

-Terra Stadium, 10:00 AM-

Max swallowed hard as he waited in the darkness of the tunnel. Just a few steps forward was the blinding light of the arena, and his first match. Ordinarily, Max would have been completely psyched, barely able to restrain himself from racing out into the spotlight. Ordinarily, he would have been full of bluster and bravado in front of his friends before they went into the stands.

Ordinarily, Max didn't have Volkner as his opponent.

The young trainer had found out that he had drawn the electric leader just after Misty had returned with Hikaru from her match.

Yugana used Flashback!

-Earlier that morning, Pokecenter-

Misty and Hikaru entered the common area of the center to the sight of Max sitting at one of the computer terminals, staring anxiously at his empty inbox. The younger Maple had been notified of his match time, but had been told that he would be informed of his opponent by eight o'clock that morning.

At the table just behind Max sat Brock, May, and Dawn. May was gently teasing her brother, coming up with different opponents he could be assigned.

"Oooh, what if you get paired up with someone like Steven Stone? I don't think I would know who to root for! I mean, Steven is soooo hot!"

Max turned his attention from the screen to stare anxiously at his sister. "What? Do you think I might have to fight Steven?"

As the young trainer continued to panic, Misty and Hikaru joined their friends at the table. May turned to Misty with a smirk on her face. "Hey, Misty, great timing! We were thinking, if Max has to battle Steven Stone, who would you root for?"

Misty joined in on the act flawlessly. "Steven, of course! Why would I back the losing Rapidash?"

Hikaru added his opinion, a mischeivious grin visible on his face. "I'd root for Steven, too. Seriously, there would be no contest!"

Max groaned. "Hikaru! I thought you were on my side!"

May finally couldn't help herself, laughing loudly at her little brother's expression of betrayal. "Hahaha...M-Max...hahaha...you..you should...haha...s-see your face! Hahahaha!"

The younger Maple frowned at his sibling. "It's not funny!"

Dawn took pity on her best friend's brother. "It's okay Max, they're just messing with you."

Despite the Sinnoh coordinator's reassurances, Max continued to angst about his match. "But what if I do get Steven? He used to be the Champion in Hoenn, and he hasn't lost in years! Or what if I get-"

Max broke off as the computer pinged. The entire group crowded around him as he opened up the message in his inbox.

"Max Maple Selection Round Schedule," read May aloud, "Round Robin Style. Top two of four advance. First match opponent: Volkner. Preferred Type: Electric. Affiliation: Sunyshore Gym, Sinnoh Region. Occupation: Gym Leader."

Everything was quiet for a moment, then everyone's reaction came. "EEEEHHHHHH?"

-One hour before the match-

Max was still panicking as he and his friends prepared to leave for the match.

"What am I gonna do? Volkner is known as the strongest Gym Leader in Sinnoh, and he was offered a spot in the Elite Four twice! I can't do this!"

"Max, calm down!"

"But I-"

Misty placed a hand on Max's shoulder. "No buts, Max. You've taken down plenty of Gym Leaders before, you know you can do this. Trust yourself and trust your pokemon. Even if you do lose, the only way that we will be disappointed with you is if you give up on yourself. Don't hesitate, and don't doubt yourself."

Misty gave a small smile, releasing Max's shoulder. Her last words were a whisper, for her and Max alone.

"Ash would do the same."

Reader woke up! Reader is beside itself with rage!

Max clenched his fist as he remebered Misty's words to him. 'That's right, I'll make Ash proud!'

"AND FACING HIM, WE HAVE THE RISING STAR FROM HOENN, THE BATTLING PRODIGY, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MAAAAAAAX MAAAAAPLEEEEEEEE!"

Taking a deep breath, the young Trainer steeled himself, and moved out into the light of the arena.

As he blinked in the sudden light, the roar of the crowd washed over him. Thousands had come in to watch the match, looking forward to the battle between one of the most powerful Gym Leaders in the world and the brightest star amidst the top rookies.

Max's eyes finally adjusted, and he uncovered them to look across at his opponent. Volkner wore his usual blue clothes and semi-bored expression, which was at the same time annoying and terrifying to Max.

"So you're Max Maple, hunh?"

Max jumped as he realized Volkner was addressing him. "Y-Yeah! I'm the one who's gonna beat you!"

Volkner quirked an eyebrow, an anticipatory grin growing on his face. "Is that so? Well then, let's see if you can give me an interesting fight!"

Max nodded, determination alight in his eyes.

"THE BATTLE STYLE WILL BE SINGLE BATTLE, THREE POKEMON PER TRAINER! THE FIELD TYPE WILL BE GRASSLAND!"

The field shimmered as a carpet of knee-high grass sprouted between and around the two trainers.

"TRAINERS READY! BEGIN!"

"Stand ready, Sceptile!"

"Bristle, Jolteon!"

As the two pokemon emerged, an approving look appeared on Volkner's face. 'Hmm. He chose a type that Jolteon can't counter well. This should be interesting.'

The blonde leader shouted out his first command.

"Jolteon, use Agility to boost your speed, and use Magnet Rise to cover your weak spot."

The lightning pokemon complied, its paws rising a few inches off the ground. Max frowned. Magnet Rise cut off his orginal plan to hit Jolteon with a ground attack. "Sceptile, you use Agility too, then boost your attack with Swords Dance!"

"Jolteon, hit him with Thunderbolt!"

"Dodge it, keep boosting your speed with Agility!"

As the shot of electricity crackled through the air, Sceptile's movements visibly sped up, allowing the forest pokemon to flip itself out of the way. The grass-type continued to move around the battlefield, growing faster and faster, evading the many blasts of electricity from its opponent, for the next several minutes.

"Jolteon, use Rain Dance!"

As the rain began to fall, Max paled. There was really only one reason Volkner would be using Rain Dance.

"Sceptile, ground yourself with Iron Tail!"

"Jolteon, use Thunder!"

Much to Max's relief, his pokemon managed to comply just before the devastating attack ripped from the skies. The young trainer's quick thinking, combined with his pokemon's natural resistance to the attack, reduced the effect of the attack to minimal scorching. Not one to throw away opportunity, Max went on the attack.

"Sceptile, while he's recovering, Ha Senkou!" (Leaf flash)

Sceptile tensed, its elbow leaf-blades glowing white, then disappeared as a brillliant flash lit up the arena, blinding both Volkner and his pokemon. In the next moment, a flurry of slashing sounds could be heard, followed by a pained cry of "Jolteeeoooon!"

As the afterimages of the flash faded from Volkner's vision, he could see Jolteon lying on the ground, knocked out, and Sceptile in a fighting stance in front of his trainer, as if he hadn't moved at all.

'Teleport? Did Sceptile just...teleport?'

Volkner frowned. 'No, it can't have been. Sceptile can't learn teleport. It must have been something else.'

Volkner returned his Jolteon, then sent out his next pokemon. 'Either way, we'll find out...'

"Bite, Luxray!"

The bright eye pokemon yowled a challenge as the light from its release faded. Max, deciding to try and take out the electric cat before it could react, stayed on the attack.

"Sceptile, Ha Senkou Mai!" (Dance of the Leaf Flash)

Again the bright light blinded Volkner, and again a flurry of slashing sounds could be heard. But this time, instead of fading, another flash appeared…and another…and another. Volkner could hear his pokémon snarling in pain, but he couldn't do anything until he figured out…There!

"Luxray, use Shock Wave, and then use Thunder Wave!"

There was a sizzling sound, followed by a cry of "Tile!" When the light next faded, Sceptile was on one knee, electricity crackling over his body. Luxray was panting, but was still upright. Max gritted his teeth in frustration.

'He figured it out…'

"Very interesting attack you have there, Max Maple," commented Volkner, the signs of a smile beginning to creep across his face, "Now what will you do?"

Max's thoughts were racing as he reviewed his current position. Sceptile's Ha Senkou Mai was basically Sceptile using Flash to cover his movements, which were accelerated to maximum speed by multiple uses of Agility. But now that Sceptile was paralyzed, the likelihood that he would be unable to move increased the more he moved. Adding that to the fact that the stress of the speed s at which Sceptile moved during that attack actually damaged Sceptile, the young trainer realized that his pokémon would not be much use in close combat. Deciding to switch to attacks that didn't require movements, Max shouted out his next commands.

"Sceptile, back out and cover yourself with Magical Leaf!"

The Forest pokémon grunted a response, forcing itself back onto its feet, and summoning a mass of glowing leaves, which it sent after Luxray, who began dodging at Volkner's command. The leaves pursued, however, giving Sceptile enough time to back away. Finally, Volkner's Luxray blasted away the leaves with a quick Thunderbolt. The two pokémon faced each other, both panting from their injuries and exertions. Max called his next attack, and what might be Sceptile's last, at the same time that Volkner called his countermove.

"Sceptile, Leaf Storm!"

"Luxray, use Protect!"

"TILE!" came the cry, as thousands upon thousands of razor-edged leaves manifested behind Sceptile, then rushed forward with the full fury of the incredibly powerful Grass-type attack. Luxray just barely managed to erect the protective barrier, which had already begun to show signs of the force that the onslaught was exerting on it.

"JUST A LITTLE MORE SCEPTILE! BREAK THROUGH!"

The green pokémon obeyed, focusing all of its remaining energy into the attack. As the Protect cracked and finally gave way, Volkner shouted something, but it was lost in the roar of the attack.

The onslaught of leaves continued for a few more seconds, then cut off as Sceptile collapsed to the ground, completely exhausted. Max recalled his faithful pokémon with a smile, and turned to see what pokémon Volkner had sent out. The young Maple's eyes widened as he processed what was in front him. Luxray stood, seemingly unharmed, as a copy of the Bright Eye pokémon faded from existence a few meters away.

Volkner sighed. "Phew, if I hadn't had Luxray set up that Substitute before the Protect broke, that would have taken her out. What a strong attack..." The Electric Gym Leader grinned at Max, an approving look on his face. "Send out your next pokémon, Max Maple."

Max didn't reply, electing instead to hurl his next pokémon.

"Bring the dust, Flygon!"

The Mystic pokémon flashed into existence above the battlefield, ready for battle. Volkner's look of approval grew into an excited grin.

"Flygon, use Stone Edge! Let's get some damage done!"

"Luxray, use Iron Tail to deflect it!"

The electric cat's tail glowed white in response, and blurred into motion as the barrage of sharpened rocks homed in. In a matter of seconds, every single rock was knocked out of the air by the scything tail. Volkner wasted no time in calling his next attack.

"Luxray, use Hidden Power, then use Spark on yourself!"

Max frowned. 'Why would you use Spark on yourself?' The young Maple was brought out of his thoughts by the odd chiming sound that signaled a Hidden Power attack.

"Flygon, block it with Heat Wave!"

The Mystic pokémon let out a surge of superheated air, as the spheres of energy appeared to melt under the countering attack. Max paled. Melting Hidden Powers indicated that their type was Ice, which was the worst type Flygon could face. He'd have to be careful with Flygon's maneuvering. The young trainer turned his attention back to Luxray, just in time to see the cat allow the ball of electricity that it had built up disperse across its body. Then, before Max's eyes, the Luxray vanished, leaving behind an arc of electricity. Max frantically tracked the trail of energy around the stadium, trying to predict where the blur would move next.

"Flygon, use Dragonbreath! Try to lead the shot!"

Flygon began gathering purple-colored flames into its mouth, only to cry out in pain as Luxray appeared above the Desert Spirit, slamming an Iron Tail into Flygon, then disappearing again. Then, before Max could blink, Luxray appeared below Flygon, striking it with another Iron Tail, following it up with a third Iron Tail from a forward somersault.

Max gritted his teeth as Luxray pulverized his pokémon, never staying visible long enough for Max to counterattack.

'This is insane! How can any pokémon move that fast without Extremespeed? Not even Sceptile at his best is that fast!'

Volkner looked rather proud. "You like my Luxray's Thunder Coat? By channeling electricity through its muscles, Luxray's speed and strength increase to near-Legendary Levels. It's a very effective attack method, don't you think? Makes it almost impossible to hit her, too, since she can just dodge the attack."

Max growled under his breath. It felt like Volkner was taunting him. "Dodge this! Flygon, use Draco Meteor!"

This time it was Volkner's turn to pale, as the Mystic pokémon charged the ultimate Dragon move. "Luxray, use Hidden Power!"

"Flyyyy-GOOOOOON!"

"LUUUUXRAYYY!"

Both attacks struck at the same time, knocking Flygon out of the sky and slamming Luxray into the ground. When the dust settled, both pokémon could be seen with swirls for eyes, knocked out. As the two trainers returned their pokémon, Max heard Volkner making a sound that he did not ever expect to hear, especially from the Electric Gym Leader. It started low, then built up to a exhilarated shout.

Laughter. Volkner was laughing.

As Max – and pretty much everyone else – gaped at the blonde, Volkner, now truly excited, spoke.

"HAHAHA! YES! SHOW ME MORE MAX MAPLE! SHOW ME HOW STRONG YOU ARE! MAKE ME FEEL ALIVE!"

Without a pause, Volkner threw out his third and final pokémon. "ELECTROCUTE, RAICHU!"

The large orange and brown mouse burst onto the field with a loud cry and a crackle of electricity.

In the stands, Pikachu's eyes narrowed, and the little yellow mouse started radiating killing intent toward the Raichu on the field. With the exception of Misty, nearly everyone backed away from the surprisingly scary mouse. Hikaru, unaware of Pikachu's mood, turned to Misty.

"Wow, that Raichu looks pretty strong, huh, Mis-OWW!"

The young boy broke off as a glowing white lightning bolt-shaped tail slammed into the top of his head. Hikaru sank to the ground, swirls in his eyes and a large bruise already visible on his head. Misty turned to look at him, a slight look of pity on her face. "Didn't we tell you? Pikachu hates Raichus."

Back in the arena, Max pulled out his final pokéball as well, a look of sheer determination on his face. 'Are you watching, Ash? I'll make you proud.'

"Crash down, Gyarados!"

As the great blue beast appeared in the bright flash of light, almost every mouth in the stadium fell open. Here they had expected Max to send out a ground-type, when he instead sent out a pokémon whose greatest weakness was, in fact, electricity!

"What is Max thinking?" exclaimed Hikaru, "Gyarados will be down in one hit!"

May turned to the group's newcomer. "Calm down Hikaru. Max will be fine."

"But Volkner's-"

"It's alright," interrupted Misty, "Max can win this match."

"How?"

The redheaded trainer smiled.

"Just watch."

"Raichu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Gyarados, meet it with your own Thunderbolt!"

Both pokémon unleashed the beam of crackling energy, with an orange-yellow stream emerging from Raichu and a pale blue one issuing from Gyarados. The attacks met middle between the two pokémon, fighting each other for dominance. Abruptly, Max switched tactics, trying to catch Volkner off guard. "Gyarados, dodge to one side and use Twister!"

"Raichu, break off and use Double Team!"

Multiple copies of the Mouse pokémon appeared on the field, hampering Gyarados's accuracy. The Atrocious pokémon launched the whirlwind of wind and energy toward the mass of copies, only to have most of them dodge.

"Boost the attack with an Icy Wind!"

At the command, the blue pokémon shot a blast of superchilled air into the vortex, which abruptly quadrupled in size. The twister raged across the arena, eliminating every single copy until it reached the original, which was hurled across the field, slamming into the wall. While the mouse pokémon struggled to get back up, Max readied Gyarados for their next move. "Gyarados, start using Dragon Dance, and don't stop until you max out!"

Gyarados snarled an affirmative, and a cloud of energy began to whirl around the pokémon, increasing its speed and power. Finally, Raichu managed to get back up on its feet, slightly dizzy from the impact against the wall. Volkner shouted his next command. "Raichu, hit him again with Thunderbolt!"

"Dodge it!"

"Track where he's moving and use another Thunderbolt!"

Gyarados easily avoided the first bolt, but the second bolt, fired before Gyarados could change direction, struck it dead on. "GYAAAAAAAARR!"

"Gyarados!"

The pokémon lay on the ground, unmoving.

"Gyarados, come on, get up! You can still win this! We can still win this!"

The Atrocious pokémon twitched, but did not rise.

Tears of desperation began to form in Max's eyes. "Come on, Gyarados…please…get up…you've gotta get up! Get up!"

The blue and white pokémon twitched again, shifted on the ground…and moved. Slowly, and with every muscle in its body screaming for rest, Gyarados picked its head up. Then its neck. Slowly, excruciatingly slowly, the pokémon lifted itself up. Max's voice rose in volume as his friend rose higher off the ground. "Come on Gyarados! You can do this! COME ON! KEEP GOING! COME ON, GYARADOS…!"

Finally, with one last, wrenching effort, as if breaking free from deep mire, Gyarados came up completely, raising its head in a deafening roar of defiance against its foe.

"GYAAAAAAARRRR!"

"Alright, Gyarados! Now, use Dragon Dance again!"

The dragon pokémon complied, erupting into a blaze of purplish energy. Volkner looked impressed at Gyarados' determination to win. 'That it could even move at all after taking a direct hit from Raichu's Thunderbolt…Truly a strong-willed pokémon.'

"Raichu, take him down again with Double Thunderbolt!"

"Don't fall for it this time, Gyarados! Dodge both shots!"

Just like before, the orange-tinted bolt of lightning streaked toward Gyarados, and just like before, Gyarados dodged it. This time, however, when the second bolt followed in the wake of the first, Gyarados, its speed increased even further by the Dragon Dance, easily evaded the electric attack. The Thunderbolts continued to lance out from the electric mouse, but the blue and white pokemon dodged every single one. Gyarados' speed continued to increase, until it was moving across the battlefield in a blue blur. Every attack that Raichu made, no matter what its type or power, missed, until, exhausted, the Mouse pokemon stopped attacking, panting in short breaths. Spotting his chance, Max cried out his attack, throwing all his hope into the command.

"Gyarados, use Earthquake!"

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRR.!"

On its own, the attack would easily have taken out the exhausted Raichu. However, Gyarados had been boosting its attack with Dragon Dance for the past several minutes. Consequently, the Ground-type attack wasn't just super-effective – it was devastating. Great rifts opened in the arena floor, and throughout the stands, people and pokémon were thrown out of their seats. When the tremors ceased, and everyone looked down onto the stadium, they could see a sight that most of them would have never believed possible. Max's Gyarados stood, triumphant, over Volkner's unconscious Raichu. The audience was silent for a few seconds, and then…!

"RAICHU IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! THE WINNER OF THIS MATCH IS MAX MAPLE!"

The applause was thunderous, a roar of approval for the young trainer's feat. Volkner recalled his pokémon, a genuine smile on his face. "That was the most exciting match I have had in years…my thanks, Max Maple."

The blond Leader turned and exited the stadium, leaving Max to drink in the applause from the crowd. The young trainer looked up into the now-cloudless sky, a content expression on his face.

'Wherever you are now, Ash, I hope you're proud of me.'

III. Lunchtime Legato

-Shima Gai, 11:48 AM-

An hour after his battle, Max was still buzzed over his win. It was understandable, though. Volkner hadn't actually lost a battle in three years, and Max had beaten him in the Tournament of Celebi, in front of thousands of spectators. Already, Max had become a minor celebrity, evidenced by the small pack of fans that had persisted in following the group across the town. Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, Max hadn't noticed his stalkers yet, engrossed as he was with discussing his battle with Misty.

"That move your Sceptile used was actually pretty impressive, Max. Where did you come up with the idea?"

Max beamed "Well, I was training in Dark Cave, and I had taught Sceptile Flash so that we could see, and we got attack by a swarm of Golbat deep in the cave, and Sceptile used Flash to blind them. That was kind of the inspiration for it, and I just worked from there. This was the first time I actually Ha Senkou Mai in an all-out battle, we haven't really mastered it yet."

"I noticed that too," interjected Hikaru, "Sceptile took way more damage from that Shock Wave than it should have."

The younger Maple sibling shook his head. "He didn't. The Shock Wave really wasn't even necessary. When I said we haven't mastered it yet, I meant it. Ha Senkou accelerates Sceptile's speed to near-Legendary levels, and then boosts it even more with the energy release from the Flash. The downside is that Sceptile's body hasn't quite adjusted to the speeds he's moving at. Until then, every time he has to slow down or rapidly change direction, the stress catches up to him. The damage he took was from the Paralysis forcing him to stop."

Misty patted Max on the shoulder. "It's fine Max. You created your own original move, and then created another move that's based on it. Most trainers that make their own move take 10 years to get that far. All you have to do now is perfect it. We'll do some training together if we find some free time."

The boy's face lit up. "Train? With you? Awesome!"

The redhead nodded. "Hikaru can join too, if he wants."

"A training session? Am I invited?"

The entire group jumped at least a foot in the air at the new voice from immediately behind them. As one, they turned to see the hooded figure of Satoshi, a Cheshire grin visible from under the deep hood.

"Konnichiwa (Hello), Hikaru-kun, Waterflower-san," the hooded trainer bowed slightly, then turned to the rest of the group, "I don't believe we've met. I'm Satoshi. Hajimemashite. (Nice to meet you)"

"I'm Brock."

"Dawn Berlitz."

"I'm May Maple."

"I'm Max Maple."

"Yes, I saw your battle against Volkner. I have to admit, it was quite impressive."

Max looked like he might pass out. Satoshi was complimenting him on his battle!

"On the other hand," continued the hooded trainer, "while your Sceptile's move was quite effective, using it multiple times in a row risks exposing the weaknesses of the attack, especially against opponents on the level of Volkner. That was kind of stupid."

Max face-faulted.

"Actually, you didn't really need to use that move against Luxray at all," Satoshi went on, seemingly oblivious to the young trainer's reaction, "Judging by your expression when Jolteon used Magnet Rise, Sceptile knows a Ground-type move as well. You could have hit Luxray with that one right off the bat, since Luxray didn't use Magnet Rise. You have a pretty good battle style, but you seem to get just a little too far into the heat of the moment, and you make some dumb choices because of that."

Satoshi turned back to Max, who was crying anime tears.

"Sorry about that," broke in May, "Max has some self-esteem issues."

"I do not!"

May looked at her brother, a grin on her face. "'Claire is so powerful, and she's beautiful at the same time. How can someone like me ever hope to compare to someone as awesome as her?'"

Max froze, a Stantler-in-the-headlights expression on his face. May continued, enjoying her brother's discomfort. "'I mean, she's been training for battles since she could walk. She's a complete genius. What do I have that can possibly catch her attention?'"

The younger Maple finally snapped. "MAAAAAY! You promised you'd never tell anyone that!"

"Did I? Looks like I lied."

As the exchange between the two siblings escalated, Satoshi turned to Brock and Misty, a large sweatdrop visible on his hood. "Does this happen often?"

"Yes. All the time."

Max and May's quarrel was abruptly interrupted by the collective growling of Misty, Hikaru, and Satoshi's stomachs. All three looked sheepish, even Satoshi, despite the fact that only his mouth was visible. "Ehehehehe…I guess we should get something to eat?" suggested Misty.

-A Short While Later-

Shima Gai (Shima Town), being a tournament town, had many affluent restaurants, so the group didn't have trouble finding a place to eat. They were greeted at the door by the head waiter, who seemed to be barely holding in his excitement at having three celebrities in his restaurant at the same time. He escorted them to a table on the second floor of the restaurant, which Misty was sure was only used for people with a very large account at the Bank of Kanto, and left them to decide what they wanted to order.

For a few minutes, the only conversation was Brock and Misty arguing which of two dishes was better. Eventually, the waiter returned, and took their orders.

"I'll have the kushiyaki," requested May.

"Make that two," chorused Max and Hikaru.

"I'll have the yaki soba," ordered Dawn.

"Gyudon," Misty calmly stated.

"A plate of maki-sushi, please," came Brock's request.

"One bowl of gohan, and some sencha, please."

Everyone turned to Satoshi, the same question visible on all their faces. Simple rice and common tea? The mysterious trainer answered the unspoken question with a shrug. "There was only simple fare where I lived, and I developed a taste for it."

Misty raised an eyebrow, while May jumped at the open window for information. "Really, Satoshi? So where do you come from?"

"My home is in Kami-Kyoku no Yama. (God Song Mountains) I can't really say where."

Brock's eyebrows rose. "The massive mountain range that's north of Kanto and Johto?"

Satoshi nodded. "That's the one."

Hikaru whistled. "No wonder Satoshi-aniki is so strong. Mt. Silver is at the south of the Kami-Kyoku no Yama. Not even the Elite Four go too far into those mountains unless they have to."

Dawn leaned forward, like she was trying to stare deeply into Satoshi unseen eyes. "And why would you be living up there?"

Satoshi grinned. "I live up there because…"

Everyone leaned forward.

"…It's a secret!" He finished, causing the entire table to facefault. "But seriously, I'd rather keep that to myself, if you don't mind."

Dawn and May looked disappointed, but still nodded in understanding. After a few moments of silence, Satoshi turned to Max and asked him a question about his pokémon, and the conversation stayed in that vein for several minutes, until their food arrived. Everyone dug in immediately, with the exception of Satoshi. The hooded trainer reached for his belt, withdrawing a pokéball, and touched the activation button. From the pokéball emerged his Gardevoir, who tensed at the sight of unfamiliar trainers, but relaxed after a gesture from Satoshi. As everyone else watched, Satoshi offered his bowl of rice to his pokémon, not having taking a single bite yet. As his pokémon expressed her thanks, Misty smiled softly at seeing how much Satoshi cared for his pokémon. Everyone else watched as well, until Satoshi's pokémon ate her fill.

Satoshi accepted the bowl from Gardevoir, and placed it on the table in front of himself. Offering a quiet "Itadakimasu," he picked up a pair of chopsticks and dug in.

-Outside the Restaurant-

"Satoshi enjoys simple food," muttered Bonnie to herself as she alternated between peering through binoculars and scribbling in a notebook. "He is also very caring for his pokémon, and very polite. A relationship with him is very likely to be long-lasting and happy."

Next to his sister, Clyde sweatdropped. "Neechan, you're acting like an obsessed fangirl over the objective of our current mission."

"I am NOT! I'm just….um….making observations on Sato- on the subject!" shouted the Rocket agent, shutting the notebook rapidly.

Clyde rolled his eyes, and snatched the notebook from Bonnie's hand before she could react. Ignoring her protests, the orange-haired brother opened the book, and starting reading through what his sister had written. "'Satoshi seems to show an interest in Waterflower. Is it the red hair, or the strength of her pokémon? To Do: work on hairstyle, train pokémon'….Sketches of what Satoshi might look like…neechan, you're definitely obsessed with this guy."

"Niichan! Give that back!"

"No, I think I'll hold onto this for a while, at least until you stop acting like a fangirl." A tick mark appeared on the orange-haired girl's forehead, which her brother, unfortunately, failed to notice. Irate, Bonnie glared at her brother, before pulling a mallet from…somewhere.

'WHACK'

Clyde never saw the blow coming. The strike left him lying on the roof, swirls in his eyes. Quick as a Ninjask, Bonnie reclaimed her stalki- mission notebook, hugging it to her chest protectively. "Satoshi-kun, I'll never give you up."

-Back in the Restaurant-

"Achoo!"

The sneeze from Satoshi prompted a chuckle from Brock. "Looks like someone's talking about you."

Satoshi seemed to grimace. "I've been sneezing like that quite a lot since yesterday morning. Popularity isn't all it's cracked up to be. Don't you agree, Max-kun?"

Max looked at him questioningly. "What do you mean? I've only been really famous for a few hours."

"I'm referring to the mob of fangirls that are waiting outside this restaurant to ambush you."

Max looked out the window. Sure enough, a mob of girls was waiting down on the street, staring back up at him. Max shuddered as he realized what the expression on the faces of the girls actually was – hunger. "T-that's….scary…"

Satoshi nodded sympathetically. "Yes, the greatest pitfall of being powerful and well-known; mobs of stalkers who believe that they can get you to fall for them. I'm sure Waterflower-san feels the same way."

Misty nodded, an expression of pity on her face. "Yes, I do. I've had to deal with fanboys for the past six years, but they never formed…packs…like that."

Satoshi quirked an invisible eyebrow. "If I may ask, what happened six years ago that brought such a plague upon you?"

Abruptly, Misty's demeanor shifted from relaxed to nearly emotionless, with only a slight glimmer in her eyes to hint at the vast depth of sadness underneath. "A very close friend of mine…died."

There's a deep sadness in all of them, Satoshi-kun. Please try to avoid bringing that topic up again when I'm nearby. I don't like feeling that much sadness at one time.

Satoshi sent an apologetic feeling back to the Shiny pokémon, and then returned his attention back to the group. "Sumimasen. I didn't mean to bring up such an unpleasant subject. Please, forget I asked."

Glancing back out the window, Satoshi's eyes widened. "Did that mob just get bigger?"

The group looked with him, and saw that what Satoshi was saying was absolutely true. Their eyes got even wider when they recognized a group of people in the mob. "Th-that's…!"

-In the Street-

"Nice job Winona, we found Satoshi-kun!"

The group of female Gym Leaders had been searching for the object of their affection all morning, and had only just caught sight of the dark trainer entering the restaurant.

"Let's see if we can get in and get a table near Satoshi-kun!" proposed Whitney, marching up to the door of the restaurant.

-In the Restaurant-

"Why are the Gym Leaders here?" cried Dawn. "Max isn't that popular, is he!"

Satoshi sheepishly raised his hand. "Umm…that might be because of me. I did kind of make a big entrance into the tournament."

Hikaru was sweating "This is bad. We have a pack of fangirl Gym Leaders coming into the restaurant! How do we get away without them noticing?"

Satoshi seemed to relax a bit. "Okay, that I can take care of. Brace yourselves."

The hooded trainer turned to his Gardevoir. "Yugana, get us out of here."

The blue and white pokémon nodded, then closed its eyes. In a flash, the entire group disappeared, leaving only the check behind.

A few moments later, the group of Gym Leaders entered, only to look around in confusion. Maylene was the first to speak.

"Where did Satoshi-kun go?"

-Elsewhere-

In another flash of light, the group appeared in the middle of a small clearing. Abruptly, Misty and her companions found themselves lacking the seats they had been occupying moments ago, and fell backward onto the ground. Satoshi, who had been the only person standing, chuckled. "First time teleporting?"

Misty, rubbing her tailbone, gave the dark trainer a half-hearted glare. "You could have told us what you were going to do."

Satoshi grinned. "Now where would be the fun in that?"

Misty huffed, looking away.

Dawn, now fully recovered, looked around the clearing. "Where are we?"

Satoshi shrugged. "This is where I live, for now, anyway. Yugana just went to the first place that popped into her head."

May also looked around, looking for any sign that someone lived there. "Where do you sleep? I don't see a tent or anything."

Satoshi waved his hand dismissively. "I don't need one."

"Eh?"

"When the weather is fine, I sleep on the grass. If the weather's rainy, I sleep under a tree."

Hikaru looked baffled. "What if it's cold? I don't see a fire pit either."

Satoshi gestured behind him. Behind the trees, something huge shifted. "Why would I need to make a fire? All the heat I need is right here."

The shape behind the trees began to emerge from the shadows of the woods. First a snout, then a reptilian head, then a long neck, connecting to a lean upper body, held up by toned legs tipped by vicious claws. Sprouting from the back was a massive pair of wings, currently folded. Following the body was a long, powerful tail, tipped by a bright flame that seemed the very embodiment of heat. As one, Max, Brock, Hikaru, May, and Dawn stepped backwards. They had seen Charizards before, but none this large. Most Charizards were only about 15 meters from nose to tail – this Charizard was at least 30 meters long. The sheer power radiating from it was staggering.

"Mina-san (everyone)," Satoshi finished, "meet Sorahime."

The fire lizard snorted a greeting, lowering her head to look Misty in the eyes, keen intelligence gleaming in the Charizard's eyes.

Misty did not hesitate, returning the gaze, then inclined her head respectfully. "It is an honor to meet you, Sorahime."

The Charizard turned her head to her trainer, radiating approval that even Misty could sense. The red pokémon growled something to Satoshi, who chuckled in response.

"She says she likes you."

Misty smiled, and her companions relaxed. "The feeling is mutual."

Everyone else followed Misty's lead, introducing themselves to the majestic fire pokémon. Satoshi abruptly turned towards his right, as a familiar blue-and-black pokémon entered the clearing.

Welcome home, Master.

As one, the group jumped, slightly startled by the Lucario's telepathic voice.

"Good to be back. Hirumanai, these people are Misty Waterflower, Brock, Max and May Maple, Dawn Berlitz, and Silph Hikaru."

The Aura pokémon bowed. A pleasure to meet all of you.

Satoshi gestured to his Gardevoir, who had been quietly standing off to one side. "You all have already met Yugana."

The Shiny Gardevoir inclined her head, while her partner looked around the clearing. Satoshi looked mildly displeased by something.

"Something wrong, Satoshi?" queried Brock.

"Mm. I had hoped my last partner would come out and see you guys, but he's still pretty antisocial. I apologize."

Misty's eyebrows rose a fraction. "You only have four pokémon? That's rather unusual."

Satoshi offered one of his shrugs. "I really don't need any more than that. My friends are a great team right now. Why would I want to mess it up?"

Brock chuckled. "That's a unique perspective. You must have a lot of confidence in your pokémon."

'Considering how strong the two we've seen are, and how powerful that Charizard is, I'd say he has enough reason to be that confident,' thought Misty.

Satoshi nodded. "I do. They train hard, and they always give their all. I have no reason not to have that much confidence."

May changed the subject, still looking around the clearing. "Where are we, anyway?"

"Only a mile or so away from town. I didn't want to be too far away. Yugana doesn't mind teleporting me everywhere, but taking advantage of her like that is wrong." Satoshi walked over to a tree, flopping down onto to the grass. His Gardevoir and Lucario laid down next to him, and Sorahime rested her head nearby. "I still have an hour until my match this afternoon. Feel free to walk around, I'll teleport everyone back before the match starts."

Finishing what he had to say, Satoshi closed his eyes. Seeing an opportunity, May and Dawn crept closer towards Satoshi, only to freeze as Sorahime's head shot up to glare at them, a growl rumbling in the fire-type's throat.

"Oh, just so you know, Sorahime can be kind of overprotective of me, so if you're thinking of trying to see my face or something, watch yourselves."

"O-Okay," came the cowed response from the two coordinators.

IV. Afternoon Accelerando

-Terra Stadium, 2:00 PM-

The stands were once again packed for Satoshi's match, everyone eager to see the mysterious trainer who was so powerful. The Gym Leaders were all present again, accompanied by the Elite Four. Everyone was eagerly anticipating the beginning of the match.

"AND WELCOME TO THE NEXT MATCH OF THE TOURNAMENT OF CELEBI! ON ONE SIDE, WE HAVE THE STAR FROM THE LAND OF HOENN, YOSHIDAAAAA HIROOOOOOAKIIIIIII!"

From the tunnel on one end of the arena emerged the trainer. Dressed in the red jacket that was characteristic of a Cool Trainer, the trainer sported spiky black hair and green eyes. He wore a confident smirk on his face, with his hands stuck in his pockets. He barely acknowledged the applause from the crowd, the only indication he heard them was an increase in the size of his smirk.

"AND ON THE OTHER SIDE, THE MYSTERIOUS HOODED TRAINER, THE MAN WHOSE SKILLS ARE SAID TO BE ON THE SAME LEVEL AS THE CHAMPIONS, SAAAAAATOOOOOOOSHIIIIIIIII!"

The crowd exploded into cheers, looking forward to another display of Satoshi's devastating skills, but no one emerged from the opposite tunnel. The applause died down, as confusion raced through the crowd.

"Where's Satoshi?"

"What's he thinking?"

Misty and her friends were not exempt from the mystery.

"Why isn't he here yet?" asked Max.

Misty shook her head. "I don't know. He had his Gardevoir teleport us back into town without him, then she teleported away again."

Down in the arena, Hiroaki laughed derisively. "Ha! Satoshi knew he was going to lose the match, so he just ran away instead of being humiliated! After all, only cowards hide their faces like he does."

Abruptly, a wave of killing intent flooded the stadium. Up in the Gym Leaders' box, Maylene was being held off the ground by Sabrina's psychic power. "SABRINA! LET ME GO! I'M GONNA KILL HIM! HOW DARE HE INSULT SATOSHI-KUN LIKE THAT!"

Sabrina sighed. "Calm down, Maylene. Satoshi will show. I saw him battle, and there is no way he would lose to someone like that."

Five minutes later, Satoshi still had not shown up. Hiroaki laughed again. "Satoshi isn't coming. Looks like this match is–"

The trainer's sentence was cut off by a deafening roar, as a large shadow fell over the field. Everyone looked up, cries of alarm coming from many in the audience. Misty and her friends smiled.

"So he did come."

The massive pokémon circled downward, landing opposite Hiroaki, its powerful wings kicking up a cloud of dust, obscuring itself from view. After a few moments, the dust settled, revealing a hooded figure standing next to the head of the Charizard.

"Sorry I was late. It took me awhile to get Sorahime to wake up."

Misty rolled her eyes. "Liar. He just wanted to make a big entrance."

Hikaru and Max ignored her. "Sooo cooooooool!"

In the Gym Leaders' box, there was not a single mouth that was still closed.

Volkner turned to Flannery, Morty, and Flint. "Have any of you seen a Charizard that big?"

Three heads shook. "No, not even the biggest Charizard in the Charific Valley was that big," murmured Flint.

Hiroaki sneered. "About time you showed up. I've been looking forward to humiliating you."

Satoshi did not deign to respond, returning his Charizard and waiting for the MC.

"THIS MATCH BETWEEN SATOSHI AND HIROAKI WILL NOW BEGIN! THE BATTLE FORMAT WILL BE SUCCESSIVE ONE-ON-ONE! THE FIELD TYPE WILL BE ROCK!"

Immediately, the arena floor shifted to a rough, uneven surface of rock and sand, interspersed with massive boulders, two and three meters high.

"BOTH TRAINERS READY! BEGIN!"

"Bite, Manectric!"

The Discharge pokémon appeared on the field, a snarl ripping from its throat. Satoshi paused, then hurled his own pokéball up into the air. "Kakeru (soar), Sorahime!"

In an explosion of fire, the massive Charizard made its reappearance. Compared to the primordial roar that followed, Manectric's snarling sounded as significant as a Kricketot's chirp. All of a sudden, Hiroaki's sneer looked much less confident.

Without a command from its trainer, Sorahime spread its wings, taking flight again with a gust of wind. Soaring upward, the massive lizard circled the battlefield, as if it was waiting for the opponent to make a move. Hiroaki recovered his confidence, standing up a little straighter. "Manectric, use Thunderbolt! Knock it out of the sky!"

The Manectric obeyed, charging and firing a purple-and-yellow shot of electricity at the Charizard. The reptilian fire-type seemed to roll its eyes, and then rolled the rest of its body out of the way, displaying impressive agility for a pokémon of its size. Hiroaki continued his assault, undeterred. "Manectric, keep using Thunderbolt! It can't dodge all of them!"

Again and again the Discharge pokémon fired off blasts of electricity, and again and again Sorahime dodged the attacks. Finally, Hiroaki changed tactics, growing annoyed with the Charizard's impossible agility. "Manectric, use Shock Wave!"

The wave of electricity radiated outward, finally landing a hit on the circling Charizard, causing the massive orange pokémon to shudder slightly in midair, before resuming its normal flight. Hiroaki's sneer came back in full force. "Ha! We hit it! Come on, Manectric, keep using Shock Wave until it falls out of the sky!"

Manectric obeyed, as pulse after pulse of electricity shot out to strike Charizard, each concentration of voltage causing a slight shudder to run through the powerful frame of the airborne pokémon, but the Charizard never lost any altitude. In fact, Sorahime looked almost bored with the constant electric attacks, despite its flying type. Hiroaki frustration was beginning to show. "Manectric! Get going! You should be bringing it down with one hit! Use Thunder!"

Manectric growled an affirmative, focusing its power, then unleashing a torrent of electric energy towards Sorahime. Once again, the Charizard rolled its eyes, and easily dodged the attack, with a snort that could be loosely interpreted as "I'm bored now."

The massive orange pokémon banked, then sucked in a deep breath. In the next moment, as Sorahime swept over the battlefield, it launched out a torrent of flames that could only be described as hellish. The heat radiating from the intense attack alone dried up all water in the stadium, causing water pokémon to cry out in pain. The flames themselves were so bright that they outshone the sun itself. Hiroaki quickly called out his next command. "Manectric, Protect!"

The translucent barrier appeared between the continuous stream of flame and Manectric. Two seconds later, the Flamethrower- for that is what it was- struck the barrier. The barrier held up for less than half a second, then shattered. Hiroaki didn't even have the chance to tell his pokémon to dodge.

The scorching flames slammed into the Discharge pokémon, completely engulfing it. Sorahime kept up the torrent of flames for several more seconds, which was long enough to completely glass any sand in the battlefield, then cut off the attack. As the flames died, Manectric became visible once again. It lay on the ground, heavily burned and unconscious, completely defeated.

"MANECTRIC IS UNABLE TO BATTLE! THIS BATTLE'S WINNER IS SATOSHI! BOTH TRAINERS WILL RETURN THEIR POKÉMON!" The MC's voice boomed over the crowd.

Satoshi shrugged, returning Sorahime without a word. Hiroaki followed the dark trainer's example, glaring at his opponent.

"THE SECOND BATTLE BETWEEN SATOSHI AND HIROAKI WILL NOW BEGIN!"

"Show em' up, Shiftry!"

The dark-grass type appeared, not making a single sound aside from a soft rustling of leaves. In the stands, several younger children shivered, feeling the subtle and malicious energy that radiated off the Shiftry.

"Areru (rage), Taifuu!"

Satoshi's last pokémon appeared, a battle-hungry snarl ripping from its throat. The two large, powerful tails, usually used for swimming, were lashing back and forth in anticipation of the match. Then the Floatzel caught sight of its enemy. Its tails stopped moving, its battle-ready posture slackened, and it turned to its trainer with a look that said 'Really?'

Satoshi chuckled, sounding somewhat apologetic. "I know, I know, you wanted a good fight, but this is all we have available now."

"Floatzel floatzel zel!"

"No, I can't send out someone else, only you and Sora-chan wanted to come."

"Zel, zel float!"

"Okay, okay, fine, you can do it on your own. I won't tell you to do anything. Is that good enough?"

"Zel!"

The pokémon turned back to its opponent, and resumed its battle stance, albeit a much lazier one. Hiroaki and his pokémon just looked confused.

"BOTH TRAINERS READY! BEGIN!"

Before Hiroaki could shout out a command, Satoshi turned and walked away from Hiroaki and his pokémon, and over to one of the large boulders. The hooded trainer, with just a slight bend in his knees, jumped up, landing lightly on the boulder, heedless of the fact that the boulder was several meters high.

In the Gym Leaders' box, several eyebrows went up. For most people, jumping that high was impossible. Several of them could do the same thing, of course, but that didn't make it any less impressive. Maylene squealed, finding yet another reason to be Satoshi's fan.

"Soooo amazing, Satoshi-kun!"

The more empathic Leaders were impressed for an entirely different reason. Satoshi had apparently understood his pokémon's speech perfectly. Even for trainers with years of experience it was difficult to perfectly interpret a pokémon without some form of psychic or empathic ability.

"This is quite interesting," mused Lucian, a curious smile on his face.

"Indeed," remarked Sabrina, remembering the curious phenomenon of Satoshi's psychic signature. "Cynthia, by the way, there's something I need to ask you about after the match."

The Champion nodded, understanding the look on Sabrina's face to mean that the Psychic Leader would fill her in later.

Back in the ring, Hiroaki pointed accusingly at Satoshi. "What the hell are you doing? Get back down here!"

Satoshi simply sat down, unperturbed, lacing his fingers behind his head. "Oh, don't mind me; I think I'll sit this battle out. It shouldn't make a difference in the outcome, anyway."

Hiroaki stood still for a second, mouth hanging open, as he processed what his opponent had just said. Predictably, upon realizing that he had just been insulted, his eyes lit up with rage, and he made as if to rush towards Satoshi. The dark trainer laced his fingers behind his head, looking away from Hiroaki as he continued speaking. "By the way, you should probably focus on your opponent."

Hiroaki stopped moving, confusion evident on his face. "Wha-"

"SHIIIIIIIIIIFFFFT!"

The Hoenn trainer was interrupted by the pained cry of his pokémon. He turned toward where his pokémon had been earlier, only to see it slumped on the ground, panting, with water dripping off of it. A short distance away stood the Floatzel, arms crossed, with a smirk on its face that practically screamed 'Bring it!'

Hiroaki recovered from the surprise attack, immediately ordering a counterattack. "Shiftry, Razor Leaf, and charge up a Solarbeam while he's dodging!"

The pokémon complied, summoning a swarm of wickedly sharp leaves, before launching them at the weasel. In response, the Floatzel jumped several steps backward, then spat three large Water Pulses at the incoming leaves. The first ball of water only slowed the attack down, and the second one stopped half of the leaves. The third one, however, was not aimed at the leaves. Instead, it shot straight towards Shiftry, who was still charging up its next attack.

"Ignore it, Shiftry, it won't do much damage!"

Immediately after the Hoenn trainer's dismissal of the Water Pulse, Floatzel tensed its body…and moved. It charged straight towards the Razor Leaf attack, its tails spinning madly. A second later, Shiftry launched the Solarbeam. At the same time, Taifuu reached the Razor Leaves. In a stunning display of movement, the weasel proceeded to either dodge or deflect the remaining three dozen leaves, some with its gyrating tails, others reflecting off the backs of its forepaws.

Without any hesitation, Floatzel continued forward, directly into the path of the Solarbeam. As the crowd gasped, the water-type's pupils dilated. From Taifuu's perspective, the world seemed to slow down. Just as it seemed the Solarbeam would strike the pokémon head-on, Floatzel stepped, and in one motion, dove forward, rolled directly under the Solarbeam with mere centimeters to spare, and spat an Ice Beam in Shiftry's general direction.

The crowd 'oohed', impressed. Hiroaki's sneer faltered for a moment, but then returned as he realized the Ice Beam wasn't on course to hit Shiftry. On a command from its trainer, the Wicked pokémon summoned another swarm of leaves. Out of the corner of his eye, Hiroaki noticed that the Water Pulse was about to hit Shiftry. He would have dismissed it, but then another motion caught his attention.

Realizing what was about to happen, he turned back to his pokémon. "Shiftry, dodge!"

The pokémon paused, confused, and as a result, was a sitting duck for the incoming attack. A split second later, a large globe of ice, formed by the collision of the Water Pulse with the Ice Beam, slammed into Shiftry, knocking it flat to the ground.

In the Gym Leaders' box, Pryce nodded in approval. "That was a clever use of a combination attack. Satoshi really is a brilliant strategist."

Sabrina shook her head, her eyes wide. "Satoshi isn't doing anything."

The other occupants of the box turned towards her, puzzled. "What do you mean?" inquired Wake.

"Satoshi uses some weird power to communicate with his pokémon during battle, but while he does, he and his pokémon's psychic signatures overlap. Right now, they are completely separate."

"You mean…" began Erika, eyes wide.

"Yes," finished Sabrina, "That Floatzel is battling on its own."

Back in the ring, Floatzel dodged swarm after swarm of sharpened leaves, launched as defense from the injured Shiftry, which was now struggling to its feet. The Sea Weasel pokémon paused for a moment, summoning a vortex of wind around itself, then blasted away the offending leaves with the attack. Hiroaki, attempting to take advantage of the short pause, ordered a different attack. "Shiftry, barrage him with Shadow Ball!"

The Wicked pokémon immediately responded, firing off multiple spheres of malicious energy. Without a moment's hesitation, Taifuu spat out an equal number of Water Pulses, canceling out Shiftry's attack. Hiroaki snarled, then called out the attack he hoped would win him the match.

"Shiftry, Leaf Storm!"

Instantly, a hurricane of bladed leaves exploded into the arena, slashing at Taifuu from all sides. The Sea Weasel dodged as many as possible, but not getting hit was as easy as running through a rainstorm and not getting hit by a single drop. The attack did not subside for a full minute. When it finally died down, Floatzel could be seen, panting heavily and obviously injured. Hiroaki was grinning from ear to ear.

"Ha, not so tough now, are you?"

Taifuu responded by closing its eyes, as if it was meditating. Abruptly, the ground began to tremble, prompting many to wonder where a Floatzel learned Earthquake. Satoshi jumped up, blurring out of sight, before reappearing next to Hiroaki, a hand on the Cool Trainer's shoulder. The Hoenn trainer had no time to respond before both he and Satoshi vanished. An eye blink later, both trainers appeared on top of the boulder Satoshi had been occupying. Not a second too soon. With an awful cracking sound, the solid rock of the arena floor exploded upward, propelled by ton upon ton of frothing water.

Misty's face was the picture of shock. "Impossible…"

Brock paled. "To summon water from that far below and still break through solid rock…what kind of monster is that?"

Shiftry was a Grass-type, and as such was not affected very badly by water and rock type attacks. On the other hand, Taifuu's attack was composed of dozens of tons of water and at least a ton of rock, all slammed into Shiftry at the same time. Really, there was no contest. Once the rock had all settled and the water had calmed itself, the Wicked pokémon could be seen floating on the surface of the now-flooded arena, knocked out. Satoshi jumped from his current boulder to one closer to his pokémon.

"Enough of a workout for you?"

The Sea Weasel snorted. "Float-zel."

The dark trainer rolled unseen eyes. "I'll make it up to you at some point. Return."

"HIROAKI IS OUT OF USABLE POKÉMON, THE SECOND BATTLE AND THE MATCH GOES TO SATOSHI!"

Hiroaki didn't respond to the booming announcement, his eyes still fixed on Satoshi. The hooded victor turned and offered a slight bow to his opponent, before vanishing completely from the arena, leaving only a slight ripple on the surface of the water.

*Crack the Skye runs in*

Ohayo, mina-san. I am sooooooo sorry this took so long to update! I just started junior year, and my life suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks! But that's still no excuse for taking more than two months. *Offers deep bow* Gomennasai!

Anyway, Satoshi's full team has been introduced, and Max and Misty got some limelight; I hope you enjoyed watching the battles as much as I had fun writing them. Wow, +11k words this chapter. I hope that makes up for it being so late. So, names and translations.

Sorahime : Sky Princess

Taifuu : Hurricane

Ryu Shinzo : Dragon Heart

Ha no Ishi: Will of the Blade

Kushiyaki : a kind of grilled and skewered chicken

Yakisoba : fried noodles

Gyudon : bowl of rice topped with beef and onion

Maki-sushi : rolled sushi

Gohan : rice

Sencha : the most common form of green tea in Japan

Itadakimasu : Japanese form of saying "Grace" before eating.

Okay, so Satoshi only has four pokémon. I do have plans for the other two spots, and they will be part of the story.

On a different note, I'd like to introduce my Beta/little sister, The Last Baroness.

*The Last Baroness walks in*

TLB- *bows* Hajimemashite.

Yeah, Baroness-chan will be reading over my chapters to make sure everything flows right, so she really should get some acknowledgement.

Next chapter will feature more awesome from Satoshi, as well as battle for Misty. We will also delve a little deeper into the mystery that is Satoshi. We are moving forward in the story, I hope everyone is enjoying. If you have any comments, corrections, compliments, criticisms, cookies, or queries, please leave a review. Reviews make me happy.

Now, I have to go do physics *grumble*. Hopefully the next chapter will be out sooner than two months.

Ja ne!