In our previous episode, we met a new person named Alex, a self-proclaimed competitive battler. He seemed to show skill as he beat two of our heroes, but he's going to have a nasty surprise waiting for him!

Aaron's and Seth's Groups

Aaron stood in front of the normal type gym, waiting at the entrance for somebody. Clara and Thomas were nearby, also waiting for the person inside of the gym.

Aaron checked his phone. The last message from Seth was about seven minutes ago. The message had told Aaron that Alex's Hippotas had fainted to the gym leader's Smeargle and he'd sent out a Murkrow. Aaron sighed, the battle had already lasted an hour, and Alex had just lost his fourth Pokémon.

"Still no news. This stakeout is taking forever," said Aaron into his phone. He had an ongoing call with Clara and Thomas so he could give them updates.

"Just as well he already caught six Pokémon. We don't even have too much information on them, except for the Pokémon themselves and the clear fact they haven't been trained much." said Thomas.

"Hey, Seth and his team are doing the best they can," said Clara. "We've got substantial information. He has a Croagunk, Kadabra, Charjabug, Hippopotas, Murkrow, and something else. We also know most of their movesets."

"But Alex knows everything about both Aaron and Seth's team!" argued Thomas. "And he's already made it clear he has no interest in battling us 'side characters', but I'm sure it's because he doesn't know our teams."

"Don't worry," said Aaron right as his phone buzzed. "Alex may have knowledge, but me and Seth are definitely better battlers than him. I just got a message from Seth, it says Alex is now using his Cubchoo. His Kadbra just fainted against the gym leader's final Pokémon."

"Well then, you better get ready then," said Clara.

Aaron was waiting near the Pokémon Center. He'd seen Alex go there after beating the gym. He knew that Alex's prideful nature would make him want to battle, despite just healing his Pokémon.

The door slid open, revealing Alex. He ran out of the building, only to spot Aaron.

"Aha! It's Aaron the loser! I'm surprised you made it all the way here. I'm guessing you're here to lose against the gym leader."

"Actually, I'm here to battle you."

Alex's eyes twitched, and then he started laughing. He kept laughing and wiped real tears from his eyes.

"You're joking right? You're actually going to try and battle me again?"

"No," came a voice from behind him. "We're going to battle you."

Alex leapt back in surprise, turning around to see Seth.

"You insulted my Pokémon. I wasn't and I'm not going to let you get away with that. Me and Aaron will battle you. We both use three Pokémon, you use six. It'll still be fair, won't it?"

Alex laughed some more. "Oh, I should have known you'd be here too. Two losers in a pod. It doesn't matter if you gang up on me. Don't you see? I'll always have the advantage. My Pokémon will be better coordinated with yours! I'll battle you because I know I'll win!"

"Alright then, if you're so sure!" countered Aaron. "Go, Chespin!"

"Let's get them Arianna!" shouted Seth.

"Out, Kadabra, Charjabug!"

As all four Pokémon came out of their pokéballs , Seth and Aaron nodded to each other in acknowledgement. They had drawn up a battle strategy previously, and had expected Alex to send out these two Pokémon first.

"Chespin, Rollout against the Charjabug!"

"Arianna, use Bubble Beam and protect Chespin!"

Chespin immediately rolled up and rushed at the Charjabug. Kadbra readied a Psybeam, but a stream of bubbles washed over it and broke his focus.

"Charjabug, Silver Wind"

"Arianna, Disarming Voice!"

"Chespin, get out the way!"

Right before either attack hit, Chespin swerved out of the way. Arianna's Disarming Voice blasted forward, pushing through the Silver Wind and hurting both Kadabra and Charjabug.

"Now Chespin!"

Chespin was already on it. As soon as the Disarming Voice faded, he slammed into the Charjabug, knocking it away.

"Do something Kadabra! Calm Mind!"

Aaron looked over at Seth, unspoken words passing between them. They knew Arianna wouldn't be able to deal much damage against a special defense boosted Kadabra.

"Chespin, continue using Rollou, this time on Kadabra!"

"Arianna, use Aqua Jet!"

"Kadabra, Teleport! Defend Charjabug!"

Kadabra teleported away from Chespin's Rollout, but it wasn't about to teleport in front of a Pokémon they barely knew. Instead, the Kadabra teleported away from Chespin, far away.

Arianna was rushing towards the Charjabug, she dodged a Charge Beam and slammed into the Pokémon.

"Bubble Beam!"

Before the Charjabug could retaliate, Arianna blasted a stream of bubbles, enveloping the Pokémon and blocking its vision.

"Now Chespin, finish it off!"

"Kadabra, Psybeam!"

"Arianna, defend him! Aqua Jet!"

Arianna rushed to the Kadabra as it used Psybeam while Chespin charged at the Charjabug. Arianna, using her speed, smashed into the Kadabra before it could use its move. Chespin avoided yet another Silver Wind and slammed into Charjabug with a boosted Rollout, easily fainting it.

"Damn it you useless bug type!" shouted Alex. He returned his Pokémon and didn't say anything as he sent out his Croagunk.

"Arianna, retreat for now with Aqua Jet!" commanded Seth. Arianna had just been hit by one of Kadabra's Psybeams, and Seth knew she wasn't a good matchup against the Pokémon.

"Chespin, attack the Kadabra with Leech Seed!" shouted Aaron.

"Croagunk, stop it with Poison Sting! Kadabra, attack the seal thingy! Use Teleport and stop it with Psybeam!"

Despite Alex's seemingly jumbled orders, his Pokémon understood him completely. Chespin leaped away from the Croagunk, turning Leech Seed on the Pokémon instead. However, the slight distraction allowed the Kadabra to cut Arianna off.

"Watch out, Icy Wind!" ordered Seth.

Unfortunately, the Kadabra was ready this time. Before Arianna could use the move, Kadabra fired a Psybeam. Due to the Pokémon's move being boosted by Calm Mind and Arianna's initial damage, Arianna wasn't able to take the hit and fainted.

"You did good," said Seth as he returned his Pokémon. "Go, Saigon!"

Out of his pokéball came his Wimpod. Alex took one look at the Pokémon and began laughing.

"Ha! A Wimpod, a perfect fit for Seth the wimp! Let's see how well your cowardly Pokémon can put up against mine!"

Seth chose to ignore him. "Saigon, use Struggle Bug on the Kadabra!"

"Psybeam! Croagunk, use Poison Sting on the Chespin!"

"Dodge the Psybeam!" shouted Seth.

Saigon didn't need to be told twice, he skirted away from the Psybeam, his legs rotating at high speeds. The Psybeam tore through the ground, leaving an explosion in its wake.

"Use it again! Croagunk, dodge the attack!"

Saigon easily dodged the move, then dodged the move again. He moved at high speeds as he constantly dodged the Kadabra's attacks.

"Teleport!"

"Hit him, now!" shouted Seth.

Right before the Kadabra could teleport, Saigon sent a stream of bug type energy, slamming into the psychic Pokémon and lowering its special attack. Kadabra suddenly appeared above Saigon and tried using Psybeam, but the small Pokémon was already running away.

Chespin meanwhile, was having a tough time against the Croagunk. The poison and fighting type Pokémon was barely taking any damage from his grass type attacks.

"Chespin, leap back and use Rollout!" shouted Aaron.

Chespin jumped away from the Croagunk before rolling towards the Pokémon.

"Now, jump and use Vine Whip!"

Chespin used the momentum from the Rollout to leap into the air. He sent out a pair of vines and whipped them at Croagunk.

"Block it!"

Croagunk crossed its arms and raised them in front of its face. The vines slashed his arms and barely fazed the Pokémon.

"Leech Seed!".

Before the Croagunk could dodge, Chespin threw an array of seeds that ensnared the Pokémon.

"Now Chespin, switch out!"

Aaron returned his Pokémon, causing outrage from Alex.

"You can't do that!" he protested.

"You never said we couldn't switch, so I just assumed we're going off basic competitive rules. Two switches each for me and Seth, four for you."

Alex sniffed. "Fine but I'll still win. Kadabra, use Teleport to get away from the wimpy bug and use Calm Mind!"

"If you say so. Go, Hoot Hoot!"

Aaron's Hoot Hoot appeared before the Croagunk. The flying type Pokémon instilled fear within the fighting and poison type Pokémon.

"Ha!" exclaimed Alex. "Do you even know about double super effectiveness?"

"I actually do," said Aaron. "And I know that if I sent out my Espurr, you'd switch to your Murkrow for the type ineffectiveness."

Alex flinched. "How'd you know about my Murkrow?"

"The same way you knew about my team."

Alex started turning red. "That's not fair! You cheated, you're just being petty!"

Aaron gave him a cold glare. "If I'm being petty and a cheater, what does that say about you?"

Alex stopped. "Fine, but I'm still going to win. Re-"

At that moment, his Kadabra fainted. The psychic type Pokémon could only handle so many Struggle Bugs. Saigon still stood, his high speed and Struggle Bug's special attack lowering capabilities coming into play.

"Damn it! Return, Croagunk! Go, Cubchoo and Murkrow!"

Alex's two Pokémon appeared on the field, instantly targeting the Pokémon they had type advantages against.

"Murkrow, use your speed and finish that WImpod with a Peck! Cubchoo, use Powder Snow!"

"Hoot Hoot, fly above it! Then use Wing Attack!"

Hoot Hoot flew above and away from the snowy attack, easily avoiding it.

"You know what, I ain't wastin any time. Blizzard!"

"Watch out!"

The Cubchoo gave a massive sneeze, sending a wild flurry of snow at all the Pokémon. Alex's Murkrow easily flew away, as did Hoot Hoot fortunately. Saigon however, wasn't quick enough.

The force and power of the Blizzard slammed into him. Fortunately for Saigon, his water typing protected him from taking too much damage. Unfortunately for Seth, Saigon's ability triggered.

The cowardly bug type Pokémon transformed into a beam of light as it escaped into its pokéball. The world's best scientist still can't explain how Wimpods and Golisopods are able to trigger a pokéball's return function, but nonetheless, Saigon forced himself into the pokéball, away from sight.

"Alright then. Go, Champ!" shouted Seth.

The Nidorino appeared from the pokéball. He caught sight of Alex and snorted threateningly.

"Murkrow, use Pluck!"

"Horn Attack!"

Both Pokémon charged at each other, the Murkrow flew high in the air, its claws ready. Champ wasn't having any fancy battles, he leaped into the air and smashed into the Murkrow.

"Fly away!"

"Use Poison Sting!"

The Murkrow was able to escape the furious Nidorino, but not without getting poisoned. The Murkrow decided to go on the offensive, knowing he didn't have much time left.

Hoot Hoot was still fighting the Cubchoo. The Pokémon was risking any more Blizzards so as to not affect its team.

"Tackle!" shouted Alex.

"Use Reflect!" countered Aaron.

Hoot Hoot created a barrier of light that protected against physical moves. The Cubchoo rebounded off the barrier and shook its head.

"Get ready to use Blizzard!"

"Now Hoot Hoot, Hypnosis!"

Before Cubchoo could unleash the powerful ice type move, Hoot Hoot flew in and opened its eyes wide, sending drowsy psychic waves at the Pokémon. The Cubchoo was unable to counteract the sleeping effect and fell into a deep slumber.

"Damn it! Return! Go, Hippotas! Murkrow, use Pursuit!"

Alex's Hippotas appeared on the field, the hippo Pokémon snorted and puffed up its body. Suddenly, sand poured out from the pores on its body and whipped around in the air.

"Be careful Hoot Hoot, the sandstorm will make it hard for you to fly in. Better finish this quickly, Wing Attack!"

Hoot Hoot beat against the sand as he flew at the Hippopotas. The Pokémon reared up, ready for the Hoot Hoot.

"Mud Shot! Murkrow, use Pluck!"

"Reflect!"

Hoot Hoot quickly put up the barrier, protecting himself from the Mud Shot. Without breaking pace, he resumed his flight and whipped off the Hippotas' side. Before the Pokémon could react, Hoot Hoot slammed into its side with his wings.

"Bulldoze!"

This time, Hoot Hoot couldn't use Reflect fast enough. The Hippotas slammed into Hoot Hoot, sending the flying type Pokémon sprawling.

On the other side of the field, Champ was still duking it out with the Murkrow. The flying and dark type Pokémon was slowly tiring out, the poison working through its system as it fought the Nidorino.

"Nidorino, use Double Kick!"

"Murkrow, dodge it and use Quick Attack!"

Nidorino rushed at the Murkrow, leaping into the air as he brought a powerful kick aimed at the Pokémon. The Murkrow flew away and quickly turned back, its speed increasing as it charged at the Pokémon.

"Defend yourself, Horn Attack!"

The two Pokémon charged at each other, both in mid-air as they both charged in a head on assault.

The two Pokémon collided. Nidorino's weight advantage sent the Murkrow flying. Because of all the poison damage and battle wear, it fainted.

"Damn it!" shouted Alex. "Go, Croagunk! Hippopotas, target the Nidorino! Croagunk, attack the Chespin! Make sure you defeat the Chespin, it's one of their last Pokémon, we have the advantages. We have to win!"

"Chespin, be careful! Keep your distance with Vine Whip!"

"Champ, charge in with Horn Attack!"

Chespin leaped into the air, avoiding the Croagunk and whipping it with vines, Champ rushed full speed at the Hippopotas, intent on dealing as much damage as it could.

"Hippopotas, use Magnitude!"

Champ didn't shy away from the attack, he instead kept on charging. The Magnitude was weak in power and didn't affect him much.

He leaped above a crack in the ground and slammed into the Hippopotas. The Pokémon snorted in pain before retaliating with a Magnitude. This time, the Magnitude was very strong and slammed into Nidoran and the surrounding Pokémon with a force almost as strong as Earthquake. The force of the attack was too much and caused Champ to faint.

"Fine then. Let's win this Saigon! Go!"

Seth sent out his Wimpod, the Pokémon had already taken some damage, so Seth knew he couldn't play it offensively. He looked over at Aaron, a plan forming in his head.

"Chespin can't win against that Croagunk," said Seth. "But if Saigon and Chespin were fighting together, we'd stand a chance."

"How do you suppose Saigon can beat the Hippopotas?" asked Aaron.

"He won't. If he can distract the Croagunk long enough, then Chespin can beat the Hippopotas."

"If you say so. Chespin, use Leech Seed on the Hippopotas, then slam it with Vine Whip!"

"Saigon, Sand Attack on the Croagunk!"

Alex realized their plan. "Don't let the coward get away! Sand Tomb!"

Saigon avoided the whirling sand and rushed at the Croagunk. He dug his feet into the ground and whirled them, throwing dirt into the Croagunk's eyes. Chespin leaped into the air and threw multiple seeds at the Hippopotas. The Pokémon fought and thrashed as the seeds took root.

"Now Chespin!"

Chespin grew two vines and whipped them down with so much force. The force of the attack caused him to flip over as he slammed them onto the Hippopotas. The Pokémon groaned as dirt erupted around it as it was forced into the ground.

"Damn it! Croagunk, Revenge!"

The Croagunk suddenly seemed to put on a burst of speed as he leaped at Saigon. The Pokémon was about to strike when Chespin used Vine Whip and restrained the Croagunk, throwing it backwards in the process.

"Their moves may be resisted, but if they strike together, they can overcome the enemy's advantages!" said Aaron.

"Alex," said Seth. "You forgot one important thing when you decided to fight us. People work together to overcome obstacles. There may be no 'we' in victory, but that's why Pokémon fight in teams. If you can't understand group effort, then you're wasting your time if you want to become a Pokémon battler! Saigon, use Struggle Bug!"

"Chespin, work together. Vine Whip!"

Both Saigon and Chespin used their moves at the same time. The Croagunk tried in vain to shield himself, but the power of the two moves overcame it. The Croagunk was sent backwards, tumbling over until it laid still, fainted.

Alex stared at his Pokémon, the frown on his face twisting into something angrier. He was about to open his mouth when Aaron raised a hand.

"Don't say anything Alex, especially about your Pokémon. Honestly, you should have won this fight, you had all the advantages. But do you know why you lost, it's quite simple."

"Shut-" started Alex.

"He has a point," said Seth severely, cutting off what Alex was going to say. "We're fighting as rivals, except for our starter Pokémon, our Pokémon didn't know each other. You Pokémon are on a team together, they should trust each other. That gives you the advantages. It's clear your Pokémon don't trust each other! If you want to be successful, you're going to have to work on that! Didn't you see in the final part of the match, when Aaron's Chespin saved Saigon? That's the kind of trust your Pokémon should have!"

Alex was fuming. He wasn't going to admit his own failures. But for once, he was able to swallow his pride.

"Fine! You may have won this time, but I'll come back, stronger than before!"

With that final statement, he turned and left. Before he got too far, a jeep with the Pokéstars logo suddenly screeched to a stop less than a foot away. A man leapt out of the passenger seat in front of Alex.

The man was wearing a white, blue, and red hero-like suit with random colored stripes and splotches on it. He wore blue gloves and boots with metal linings on them. He wore a cape that had a modified Pokéstars logo on it, as well as a baseball cap.

"Pardon the interruption, but are you perhaps Alex Mahogany? The name's Kirlius, don't laugh. Yes, I was named after a Pokémon, but that's another story. Anyways, the reason I'm here is because you're having your screen privileges revoked!"

Alex started, but Kirlius wagged a finger. He looked over at Seth and Aaron, who had confused looks on their faces.

"Ah, let me explain. We allow people to come to the Insulae Region and challenge the gyms here, but we typically don't want them interacting with our stars here. Now some people get special privileges to appear as side characters! Our friend Alex here had said privileges, but his behavior on screen isn't fitting for our age rating, so we're revoking his privileges. Before you claim we're exposing sensitive things online, I'd like to say this part of the footage shall be cut out, but that's not important. Anyways, since your screen privileges are revoked, you can't appear in the show. Of course there's always the slim chance you accidently walked in front of the camera after leaving a gym, so the only thing you can't do is purposely put yourself in front of the camera, or interact with the challengers. Clear? Alrighty then, see ya!"

Before anyone could say anything, Kirlius leaped back into the jeep with an impressive jump. The jeep kicked up dirt as it started off down the road.

"Your ban starts now, so you better get going!" shouted Kirlius as the jeep sped out of sight.

Alex didn't say anything. He instead stormed off, his frown fixed permanently to his face.

Zeke's Group

Zeke and his group were heading towards the flying gym, located on the top of a mountain. They were very close to the mountain, and could see the thick cables the gondolas rode on.

"There!" shouted Zeke. "In the gap through the fog, the settlement!"

Everyone looked at the place he was pointing at in the mountains. Zeke was right, in a gap in the fog, a tower with blinking lights could be seen.

"I wonder what the tower is for," said Carolina.

"We're practically at the settlement. We just need to take the gondola about a hundred meters up the mountain to the settlement. Then, we can do some training before we challenge the gym."

"Come on, you've been training so much these past days, why can't you just challenge the gym?" whined Cyrus.

"You can never be too prepared."

Cyrus, Zeke, and Carolina were in the gondola ride building. Zeke marveled at the way the gondolas went around and up, wondering how they worked. Cyrus sat on a bench, playing games on his phone. Finally, Carolina was getting their tickets.

"Hey Zeke," said Carolina as she walked up to him. "Instead of staring at the gondolas, why don't you ride one instead?"

Zeke smiled. "Alright then. Cyrus! We're not waiting for you."

Cyrus barely looked up from his phone. "Sure you aren't."

Carolina and Zeke looked at each other as the ride started leaving the station. Zeke gave a shrill whistle, causing Cyrus to jump up and look at him in surprise.

"Hey, wait up!"

"Woah, look at that view!" shouted Carolina.

Everyone turned to look at the view. There were bright flowers, lush shrubs, and lots of Volbeat and Illumise. They were all flashing their lights in the light fog.

Cyrus pulled out his phone and took a picture of the view. He laid back in his seat and sighed.

"Man, it was so worth coming on this adventure."

Zeke and Carolina looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah I get, I know it looks like I was dragged into doing this. But I actually wanted to, not just for the popularity. Most of the stuff I've been in were just in Voyanna City. Have you guys watched Shadow Attack? It's basically about this dude who goes around, fighting crime with his special abilities and Pokémon. He can communicate with ghost type Pokémon and unlock hidden abilities within them. I just played as the background dude who supported him technologically. Being able to travel alongside you guys in this amazing adventure is truly a blessing."

Carolina smiled. "Who knew you actually cared."

Cyrus chuckled. "Onwards to the flying gym!"

And that's the end of the chapter. Honestly, I think I'm going to make these chapters under 4.3k words, this is a vast difference compared to my other story, but this story isn't exactly plot heavy.