Chapter 17: Sync Paralysis

Thursday, July 31st, 9:33 AM, Blackthorn City Gym

"Hello? Anyone home?"

The next day had arrived, and the group was now entering the Blackthorn City Gym. They had picked Casey up from the hospital earlier that morning so that she could watch with them. She was especially excited since the gym leader specialized in Electric-types.

Upon entering the gym, the three oldest group members stared at the neon lighting and colorful battlefield in awe. The interior was completely different from when they had challenged the gym. Back when Clair, who was now the regional champion, was in charge, the gym was characterized by detailed, draconic sculptures. Instead of a normal battlefield, there had been a pool, which benefited her aquatically adept Dragon-types.

The new leader would naturally see these designs as uncharacteristic for an Electric-type, so it was natural that the gym would change; Though, the change was still jarring for the three friends. The dirt battlefield had been replaced with multiple square tiles that glowed a variety of colors. The dragon statues were gone, not replaced with anything.

"Is this a Pokemon gym? Or is it a dance floor?" wondered Khoury, with hints of sarcasm in his voice.

The leader was nowhere in sight, so Lyra took it upon herself to grab their attention. "Excuse me!" she called out again, "I'm here for a gym battle!"

Suddenly, the doors to the gym opened, making a creaking sound that turned everyone's attention toward it. Standing in the doorway was a rather attractive woman, probably in her early 20s. She had medium-length black hair tied back into a ponytail, though most of it was obscured by her dark red baseball cap with a thunderbolt design embedded on the front. She had a skinny face with brilliant cyan eyes; both of which emanated a youthful maturity. She had an unbuttoned black jacket with yellow highlights, which she wore over her crimson-colored shirt. On her bottom half consisted of a pair of black, tightly-fitting pants and a pair of black tennis shoes with yellow streaks. Her whole outfit had a weird mixture of standing out, yet still looking rather normal. In the simplest of terms, she looked like she was about to work out.

As they were observing her, she noticed their presence and her eyes lit up; "Oh hey, challengers!" She ran up to them with a pleasant smile on their face; "Sorry I'm late! I was getting some breakfast for myself."

Lyra couldn't help but mirror the gym leader's friendly expression; "Hello! Are you the gym leader?"

She nodded and held out her hand to the brunette girl, "Yes. I'm Katherine Jenkins, the Blackthorn City Gym Leader."

Lyra reached out her own hand and shook the black-haired woman's, "Hiya! I'm Lyra, and I'll be challenging you today!"

"Great!" She turned to the rest of the group, "Any other challengers?"

Jimmy shook his head, "Just her."

"Ah, alright." she said with the tiniest hint of disappointment in her voice. She then turned her attention back to Lyra, "How many gym badges do you have?"

"Six."

"Alright, I'll be back in a minute." With that, Katherine had walked off to the back of the gym, where she would bring the appropriate Pokemon and get a referee.

This gave the group a moment to talk about their first impressions.

"Well, she seems lovely." Marina said, a sentiment that everyone seemed to agree with.

Vincent placed a finger to his forehead, as if he was deep in thought, "Is it just me, or has it been forever since I've last met a gym leader who's actually nice?"

"Alias is probably messing with your perspective a bit there." Jimmy answered. "Outside of him, we haven't really interacted with any of them since we challenged the gyms all those years ago."

Vincent took another pause, "I suppose. It also doesn't help that the last leader I battled during that time was Clair. She was... how should I say this?"

"Rough around the edges?" Marina suggested.

"I was thinking 'sore loser' but I guess your wording is nicer."

Casey finally decided to jump in with her opinion, "That woman is a real Electric-type enthusiast, like myself."

"I would assume so, considering that she runs a gym based around them. I wouldn't say she's 'like you' though." Khoury said with a hint of sass.

"...What are you trying to say?"

Khoury cringed, he was not expecting her to take his statement seriously, "I don't mean any offense. I'm just trying to say that she seems more chill than you. The two of you are different personality-wise."

"Whaaaat? I'm plenty chill!" Casey whined playfully.

Khoury breathed a sigh of relief; she was just playing along after all. "Whatever you say."

Just then, Katherine and another man entered the room. The man walked over to the referee spot on the battlefield and Katherine went up to the group.

"We're all set. Are you ready?" she said to Lyra.

"More than ready!"

"That's what I like to hear!"

The group bid Lyra good luck and went to sit down on the bleachers. The two remaining trainers positioned themselves on opposite ends of the fields. Once they were ready, Katherine called out to the referee: "We're all set!"

He nodded and took a formal stance; "This will be a two-on-two double battle between the challenger Lyra and the gym leader Katherine! The match will be called when both Pokemon on one trainer's side are unable to battle! Trainers, you may now reveal your Pokemon!"

Katherine closed her eyes and grabbed two pokeballs off of her belt; then she did a quick twirl on one foot and tossed them onto the field. "Ampharos, Lanturn, prepare to dance!"

Lyra was momentarily dazed by Katherine's brief performance before she snapped back to the real world. She tossed her two pokeballs in a comparatively ungraceful manner; "Cubone, Blitzle, battle time!"

Out from Lyra's pokeballs came the tempestuous Cubone, and the lively Blitzle, both of whom were eager to battle (one more than the other). Katherine's pokeballs unleashed two Pokemon. One was a yellow, bipedal creature with a white underbelly. Black stripes surrounded its ears, tail, and neck. There were also two red, pearl-like structures on its tail and forehead. This was Ampharos. The second creature was clearly aquatic, and had a mostly blue body. The only exceptions were the bottom of its tail and the skin around its eyes, which were instead colored yellow. Lastly, the creature had two bulbs attached to thin structures that jutted out of its head, both of which exhibited a brilliant, mesmerizing glow. This was Lanturn.

Lyra wasted no time starting the battle, "Cubone, use Headbutt on Ampharos!"

Cubone crouched down and sprung headfirst into the air towards the Electric-type. In response to this, Katherine moved her body to the side, as if she were dodging the attack. "Dodge it! Use Hydro Pump!" she said while making the dodging motion. At the second sentence, she swiped her left arm to the left.

Ampharos swiftly dodged the attack, imitating Katherine's previous motion. Cubone, now without a target, flailed around until he crash-landed into the ground. Then, Lanturn turned its body towards the Lonely Pokemon and spewed pressurized water out of its mouth.

By the way Katherine worded her command, Lyra didn't expect Lanturn to attack as she didn't even call the Pokemon's name. "Jump up and use Bonemerang!" Lyra shouted quickly, frightened by the attack that would be super-effective on Cubone if it connected.

"Focus Blast! Ice Beam!" Katherine shouted in response, throwing both of her arms toward her.

Cubone recovered and leapt up right before the water could reach him. Then he readied his bone club to throw at the Water/Electric-type. Unfortunately, Ampharos had already charged and thrown a Focus Blast, which slammed into Cubone's face, knocking him into the ground again. Even worse, now that Cubone was dazed, Lanturn began to ready a super-effective Ice Beam.

Lyra knew she had to act fast. She suddenly realized that Blitzle had just been standing there for the whole battle thus far. She mentally facepalmed and called out to the Electrified Pokemon: "Use Agility to get close! Then use Spark on Lanturn!"

Blitzle's body pulsated with psychic energy before she raced towards the Light Pokemon, moving so fast that it looked like teleportation. Then electricity materialized, snaking across the Electric-type's body right before she slammed into her target. Unfortunately, Lanturn didn't care about the attack at all; in fact, it seemed to enjoy being struck.

Just then Lanturn fired its Ice Beam, which hit Cubone super-effectively.

Lyra was shocked by the result of Blitzle's attack. Had her strength really been that negligible? Or maybe... Lanturn had an ability that made it immune to Electric-type attacks. She figured it to be the latter, and reminded herself to not use Electric attacks on it. She turned her attention to her downed Cubone, who had a few patches of ice sticking to his limbs, "Use Flame Charge and get Cubone out of there!"

Blitzle's body ignited with flames and she raced towards the Lonely Pokemon. She moved so quickly that she could pass for a fireball.

However, Katherine was prepared to counterattack. She thrusted both her hands forward and shouted: "Dragon Pulse! Hydro Pump!"

Ampharos moved in front of the Electrified Pokemon and fired a dragon-shaped energy blast. Blitzle responded by zipping around her attacker and arriving at Cubone's location. She quickly hoisted Cubone onto her back and dashed away before Lanturn's Hydro Pump could reach them. Blitzle arrived back in front of Lyra, ready to attack.

Lyra took a moment to think of a strategy to deal with Katherine's Pokemon, "Cubone has the super-effective moves to combat these two, but he's a little too slow to get into good attacking positions. I'll have to have Blitzle carry him into battle so that he can get some solid hits in."

"Focus Blast! Hydro Pump!" Katherine shouted as she pointed forwards at nothing in particular.

Both Pokemon charged their respective attacks and launched them at Lyra's Pokemon.

"Both of you dodge! Blitzle, take Cubone up to them once you're out of the way!" Lyra commanded.

Blitzle used her superb speed to easily evade the two moves while Cubone was barely able to get out of the target radius. Even then, the Lonely Pokemon was still blown away by the blast, making him sail for a second before crashing into the ground. Blitzle appeared beside him and offered to carry him on her back; however, the Ground-type appeared to refuse and got back up on his own.

Lyra was a little confused and disappointed by Cubone's stubbornness, but she couldn't reflect on it now; "Fine, Blitzle use Light Screen! Cubone, use Swords Dance!"

A translucent purple screen appeared in front of Cubone and Blitzle and disappeared. Four sword-like projections appeared around Cubone and clanged against each other for a few seconds before disappearing.

"Now Blitzle, use Flame Charge on Ampharos! Cubone, use Headbutt on Lanturn!"

Blitzle rushed towards Ampharos and immediately ran into it before Katherine could respond; the light Pokemon groaned in response but didn't seem too bothered by the attack. On the other hand, Cubone took a good second to brace himself before leaping into the air.

Katherine spread her arms out wide and ducked down, "Discharge! Dodge it!"

Ampharos' red orbs crackled with electricity before it released the energy upon every Pokemon in the battlefield, including its ally. However, not a single one of its targets were affected. Lanturn followed its trainer's command and levitated downward, making Cubone sail over it.

Lyra was prepared for this, though; "Use Stomping Tantrum!"

For the first time during the battle, the black-haired woman looked genuinely afraid. Before she could utter another command, Cubone had readied his club and slammed the ground, still midair. The shockwave ruptured the colored battlefield and hit Lanturn, which sent it away from the Lonely Pokemon.

"Dragon Pulse!" Katherine shouted whilst kicking the air with her right leg and throwing her left hand to her left. Shockingly, she had only uttered one command.

Ampharos kicked Blitzle out of the way and fired a Dragon Pulse at the Ground-type.

"Blitzle! Umm..." Lyra was concerned about Blitzle, but since she hadn't been struck by a direct attack, she could worry about her later. As for Cubone, She knew that Ampharos would be too close for her Pokemon to dodge the attack. That left the less desirable option: "Block it!"

Cubone held his bone in front of him with both hands and took the Dragon Pulse. Due to the attack's large size, one tiny bone couldn't neutralize all of the incoming damage; but combined with the Light Screen Blitzle had set up earlier, Cubone was left way less damaged than he would have been otherwise.

"Bonemerang!" Lyra immediately followed up.

Cubone wasted no time throwing his bone at the Electric-type, which prompted a quick reaction from Katherine; she crouched down far and slammed her left palm to the ground, "Dodge it! Pick it up!"

Ampharos ducked down much like its trainer had, causing the spinning bone to miss its target. Then, Lanturn plucked the Lonely Pokemon off the ground with its mouth. Cubone could only flail helplessly as Katherine uttered her next pair of commands: "Focus Blast! Hydro Pump!" The gym leader held up her right fist and left palm in front of her body and slammed them together.

Ampharos charged a glowing orange sphere that violently pulsed with concentrated energy. No one could see Lanturn's Hydro Pump being prepared except for Cubone, who was struggling more frantically with the thought of taking a super-effective attack at point-blank range filling his brain.

Lyra stole a glance at her still recovering Blitzle and retaliated: "Catch your bone and use Bonemerang on Lanturn!"

Just as Ampharos was about to launch the Focus Blast it was struck in the back of the head with Cubone's returning bone. With the Electric-type's concentration broken, the Focus Blast exploded prematurely right in its face, causing it to stumble back in pain. Then, with one of his feet, the Ground-type caught his bone and struck Lanturn as hard as he could. The Light Pokemon winced and lost grip of Cubone, allowing him to retreat to Lyra's side of the field.

Katherine observed Lyra's Pokemon for a moment; Cubone was panting from its near-fainting experience while Blitzle was standing back on her feet, having recovered from Ampharos' kick. Both of her Pokemon were damaged, but neither were close to giving up. Katherine then looked at her own Pokemon. Ampharos wasn't looking too good after having its own attack literally blow up in its face. Lanturn looked mostly fine, but it was clearly trying to ignore the pain in its lower jaw.

She turned her attention back to Lyra and flashed a well-meaning smile; "You and your Pokemon certainly have a knack for thinking on the fly Lyra. You're no novice."

Lyra wasn't expecting any praise mid-battle, but she accepted the gesture anyway: "Oh, thank you! ...Shouldn't we get back to battling though?"

Katherine offered her signature contagious smile; "There's no need to be so serious. All battles are supposed to be fun, even the important ones. Talking to my opponent is just how I like to have fun."

"...Huh." was all Lyra could say. She'd always be one to be completely focused on a battle, and had never considered talking to her opponent. Even with Katherine's thoughts, she still didn't see the point. Who was she to argue with someone else's battling style, though?

Finding the silence awkward, Lyra just decided to continue with the battle: "Blitzle, use Spark on Ampharos! Then use Flame Charge on Lanturn!"

The Electrified Pokemon obeyed and reached her first target in less than a second. Then her body burst into electrical activity right as she rammed into Ampharos.

"Now Cubone, use Bonemerang on Lanturn!" Lyra followed up.

The Lonely Pokemon readied his club and threw it so that it was spinning horizontally. Around this time, Blitzle set herself ablaze and slammed into Lanturn.

"Your Blitzle sure is fast!" Katherine quickly stated. "Now, Hydro Pump! Zap Cannon!" was Katherine's response. As she spoke, she drove her left hand forward; then, she swung her right arm over her outstretched left.

For once, Lanturn had been the first of the two to attack first. It puffed up its cheeks and spit pressurized out of its mouth, which hit both Blitzle and the incoming bone. Both targets were sent flying backwards towards Lyra's side of the field.

Upon seeing the opposition out of its companion's space, Ampharos charged up a sphere of electrical energy and threw it at Lanturn. The Light Pokemon took the attack easily and felt all of the concentrated energy spread across its body.

"I guess that confirms that Lanturn is immune to Electric-type attacks." Lyra concluded. "That means I'll need Cubone to focus on it, since Blitzle has no good moves for dealing with it."

"Battery Formation!" Katherine commanded as she interlocked her fingers. Ampharos walked over to Lanturn and placed its arms on the Water/Electric-type. Once in position, both Pokemon began to pulse with electrical energy.

Lyra wasn't sure what was going on, but since Katherine explicitly commanded it, it couldn't be good for her. "Cubone, use Stomping Tantrum!"

Cubone rushed forward at his two opponents. However, his lack of speed gave Katherine plenty of time to counterattack. "Dragon Pulse! Ice Beam!" she said while thrusting her still-connected hands forward.

"Defend Cubone with Flame Charge!" Lyra immediately retaliated.

Before either of Katherine's Pokemon had even begun preparing their attacks, a blazing Blitzle had slammed right into them. Then, she rushed back to Lyra's side and watched Cubone execute his attack. The Ground-type raised his signature weapon and repeatedly struck the ground with it, generating a shockwave that caused Katherine's Pokemon to cry out in pain.

Unfortunately, for Lyra, the two stayed in their position. Ampharos created a ball of electrical energy where it held Lanturn, which made the pain Lanturn's face leave almost instantly. In return, Lanturn transferred some its electrical energy to Ampharos, which made the Light Pokemon's wince slightly.

"Did Lanturn just attack Ampharos?" Lyra wondered, "Surely it wouldn't have attacked without reason. One of those two must have benefitted somehow."

Lyra wasn't the only one to make that assumption, as her friends on the bleachers were discussing Ampharos' behavior as well.

"Lanturn probably used Charge Beam in order to increase its attacking power. It can't benefit from using it on Lyra' Pokemon, so attacking its teammate was the only option." Khoury mused out loud.

Vincent nodded and added his own thoughts into the discussion, "Based on Katherine's command though, they're probably used to doing it. Charge Beam by itself is not a powerful move anyway, so Ampharos couldn't have gotten too injured."

Lyra had a feeling that her current situation was only going to get worse. She needed a plan in order to get the upper hand; "Blitzle, use Spark on Ampharos! Cubone, use Swords Dance!"

The sword projections appeared again and began circling the Lonely Pokemon. As this was happening, Blitzle surrounded herself with crackling electricity and slammed into Ampharos almost instantaneously.

"Now, attack Lanturn with Flame Charge!"

"Ice Beam! Knock it away! Dragon Pulse!" Katherine rapidly commanded. As she uttered her words, she swiped her left arm to the right; then used the same arm to swipe in the opposite direction before finishing the string of actions with her right arm swiping to the left.

Blitzle bounced off of Ampharos and sailed over to her next target whilst engulfed in flame. Lanturn fired an icy blue beam in response, which hit the Electrified Pokemon. Blitzle didn't care, though, as she simply rushed through the attack with her blazing body. Lanturn expected this, and now had enough time to quickly turn around and smack Blitzle away with its caudal fin.

The Electric-type flew through the air for a moment before plummeting to the ground. As Blitzle was currently dazed, Ampharos took the opportunity to execute Katherine's last command by charging up a Dragon Pulse.

Lyra stole a look at Cubone and noticed that he had finished his Swords Dance. She grinned with newfound confidence, ready to put Cubone's newfound power on display. "Use Bonemerang on that Dragon Pulse!"

Cubone put on a face that mimicked Lyra's confidence and jumped in front of Blitzle. As soon as the Light Pokemon fired the dragon-type attack, Cubone threw his bone at it. The Lonely Pokemon's beloved weapon easily sliced through the draconic energy and slammed right into its source. The bone then continued a few feet before coming back at Ampharos for seconds. Neither Katherine or Ampharos were quick enough to respond before the bone struck the Electric-type in the back of the head.

Cubone grabbed the bone as soon as it was within his reach again. Then, he raised his free hand beckoned towards his opponents in a provocative manner

For the first time in the battle, Lyra could finally guess Katherine's thoughts. The smile was gone from her face, now being replaced with a mixture of seriousness, determination, and anxiety. She didn't need a genius to figure out what her new priority was.

Taking Cubone out of the match.

Lyra's confidence soared at this observation. Katherine was now going to be battling more desperately until Cubone wasn't able to battle anymore. That meant her moves would have less thought put behind them, and would be easier to punish.

"Lanturn, use Hydro Pump of Cubone! Ampharos, use Focus Blast on Cubone!" Katherine shouted with much more intensity than she had before as she erratically thrusted her arms forward. In her desperation, she had dropped her normal command pattern of only stating the names of the attacks and letting her body do the rest of the communication; now she was talking in a way that was much more predictable to Lyra.

The brunette girl responded clearly and confidently: "Get him out of the way, Blitzle!"

In a flash, the Lonely Pokemon was gone, causing both attacks from Katherine's Pokemon to hit the multicolored battlefield. The black-haired gym leader, now realizing that Cubone was no longer in her line of sight, frantically scanned the field for any signs of him, as if he were a dangerous predator and she was the prey.

Less than a second later, Blitzle appeared behind Ampharos, carrying Cubone in her mouth. After dropping him off, she zipped away once more.

Katherine's unease spiked upon seeing Cubone so close to her Pokemon and immediately shouted a command in retaliation. "Dragon Pulse!" was her command as she frantically swung her right arm behind her.

"Stomping Tantrum!" Lyra called out.

Ampharos charged a Dragon Pulse as it swung around to face Cubone. Unfortunately for it, the Lonely Pokemon had already slammed his bone club to the ground, which created a shockwave that disrupted Ampharos' attack and pushed it off its feet.

Katherine grimaced at Ampharos' pain and quickly moved to punish the perpetrator; "Lanturn, use Hydro Pump on Cubone!"

Lyra, having expected this move from her opponent, grinned in triumph; "Blitzle, use Flame Charge on Lanturn! After that, use Bonemerang, Cubone!"

The Water/Electric-type started charging up a powerful Hydro Pump to get Cubone out of the battle once and for all. However, before it could finish charging, Blitzle slammed herself into it with blazing speed. Since Flame Charge was a Fire-type move, it didn't inflict much damage to the part Water-type Lanturn; however it did stall its attack enough for Cubone to launch his own attack. The Lonely Pokemon threw his bone club at Lanturn and watched it strike his target right in the face. Lanturn groaned in response as the knockback forced it away. To make matters worse for it, the bone turned around and smacked Lanturn in the back, which propelled it face-first into the ground.

"Lanturn!" Katherine cried out as she stretched out her left hand instinctively. For a few seconds, she said nothing while her Pokemon struggled to get back up. Then, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Lyra understandably took this gesture as a sign that the leader had considered herself defeated. She raised a finger and pointed it at Ampharos; "Cubone, use Stomping Tantrum on Ampharos!"

Cubone nodded and rushed over to the struggling Electric-type. Just as he was about to strike the ground, Katherine called out a final, desperate order: "Discharge!"

Ampharos' body ignited with violent energy. It sparked and danced all around the arena, hitting all of the Pokemon in the process. Naturally, Cubone wasn't affected by the attack in any way due to his typing, so he finished his attack by smacking his club to the ground. The earth beneath him fractured as a shockwave vibrated across the room.

Ampharos, being the closest to Cubone, received the brunt of the attack. The sheer power of the impact forced a final scream out of the Light Pokemon before it flew away a few yards and landed with a resounding thud. Neither Katherine nor Lyra needed to see Ampharos' eyes to determine that she was no longer able to battle.

Katherine exhaled and returned Ampharos to their pokeball. She held it up to her mouth and whispered a quick 'thank you' and an apology. She put the pokeball away and turned her attention back towards Lyra, who was trying and failing to not to celebrate too early. The gym leader flashed an encouraging smile in her direction; "You sure know how to make the most of your Pokemon's strengths and weaknesses Lyra. Not everyone that's battled me for a badge is as strategic as you have been."

Though not exactly her style, Lyra chose to respond; "Well, I can't just brute force my way to the Pokemon League. It's better to battle smarter, not harder."

"Wise words, even if I've heard them about a hundred times." Katherine said back to her, slightly amused by her challenger's statement. "But remember, any trainer, no matter how clever or strong or dedicated they are, can surprise you when cornered. Don't underestimate anyone."

And just like that, Lyra's silence returned. She thought she could at least try to engage in the conversation that Katherine had started, but she was still far too hyper-fixated on the battle to respond more than once. It didn't help that Katherine had just given her a piece of advice in the middle of a battle. How was she supposed to respond? Was Katherine alluding to something she was planning for the remainder of the fight?

Not receiving a response, Katherine shrugged; "Alright, let's finish this up then." She moved her gaze towards her remaining Pokemon and thrusted her left fist upwards; "Aqua Ring!"

3 rings of levitating water took shape around the Light Pokemon and rotated around it. After 5 seconds, they disappeared, leaving a slightly more rejuvenated Lanturn behind, prepared to attack.

Lyra knew what those rings meant for the remainder of the battle. In order for her to win, she would need to strike fast and hard, as the Aqua Ring was going to be slowly healing her opponent for the rest of the match. "Blitzle, Flame Charge! Cubone, follow up with Bonemerang!" she shouted, intent on ending the battle as soon as she possibly could.

Blitzle engulfed her body in fire and zipped over to the Light Pokemon. Almost immediately after she left her starting position, she slammed into the Water/Electric-type with all her might. After, Cubone threw his bone at his now dazed target, confident he could end the fight right here.

Katherine knew that at this rate, Blitzle would be much too fast to defend against, so she elected to ignore her entirely and focus exclusively on the number one threat to her. "Move away! Then use Hydro Pump!" she shouted whilst sidestepping nothing and punching her left fist through the air.

Lyra's usage of Blitzle to stun her opponents throughout the battle would end up working against her, as Lanturn had now grown used to the Electrified Pokemon's annoying, but very weak attacks. Lanturn easily snapped out of its stupefied state and 'swam' out of the bone's trajectory. Then, it closed its mouth and expanded its cheeks to charge up a Hydro Pump.

"Gah! Get out of the way Cubone!" Lyra called out frantically. She was not expecting for Lanturn to be able to dodge the attack in time. Cubone turned around and scrambled away as quickly as its stubby body could go. Unfortunately, while he was able to avoid taking the full attack, he was still pushed forward by the splash generated from the Hydro Pump colliding with the ground.

Katherine didn't waste any time continuing her onslaught against the lonely Pokemon. "Ice Beam!" she shouted as she thrusted her left arm forward.

Lyra knew that Cubone was in no position to counterattack, so it was up to his partner to remove the threat; "Blitzle! Attack it with Flame Charge!"

Blitzle lit herself ablaze again, but it took a little longer to start than before, indicating that the repeated usage of the move was making the Electrified Pokemon tired. While she was doing this, Lanturn was swimming through the air over to Cubone, where it could ensure that the Ground-type could not escape its attack.

Once Blitzle was ready, she leapt from her position over to Lanturn and slammed into its face. Unfortunately, the Light Pokemon just ignored her and just kept moving. Blitzle noticed this as she was landing and panicked. She turned around and leapt at Lanturn again to no further success. She would continue this action of jumping back and forth, hitting Lanturn on each leap. She moved so quickly that all everyone else saw was a fireball that refused to leave the Water/Electric-type alone. After each successful hit, she hoped her opponent would just get a little tired from the repeated strikes, but Lanturn just kept moving at its slow pace until it was close enough to begin charging the ice beam.

Blitzle was the first to notice this and increased her attack frequency. By this point, Lanturn had lost count of how many times it had been struck. However, it maintained its focus and fired the Ice Beam directly at Cubone.

Blitzle's brain went into overdrive and instinctively thought to block the attack. She did exactly this and positioned her burning body in front of the attack. While having fire around its body did help mitigate some of the attack's effect, it didn't help as much as was needed since Blitzle was not a natural fire type. Regardless, the Electrified Pokemon would not let itself be moved. Cubone being knocked out would mean certain defeat for them, as Blitzle's only move that could do damage to Lanturn was Flame Charge, which was not very effective anyway. With Lanturn constantly healing itself, trying to win without Cubone was impossible.

Lyra's Electric-type knew that Cubone could not be taken out of the match, and channeled this urgency into her strength. It was her job to ensure her battle partner's wellbeing, especially when the entire match depended on it.

Blitzle's stance was beginning to waver, the rushing cold was extinguishing the inferno that surrounded her through Flame Charge; but she kept pushing back, using the last of her energy to give them a shot at winning.

"Cubone, use Headbutt!" the distant voice of her trainer rang out in Blitzle's ear.

2 seconds of excruciating cold later, the sensation stopped. The Electrified Pokemon breathed a sigh of relief and looked up to see Cubone falling back to the ground after bashing the Light Pokemon in the head with his bone helmet.

Blitzle, thankful for Cubone's assistance, gave a weak bray of gratitude. It was all she could muster after having used up almost all of her energy.

Cubone turned his head around and nodded in acknowledgement, which filled the Electric-type's heart with happiness.

Katherine had no time to wait for the two partners to finish their sentimental moment. "Use Hydro Pump!" she shouted as she jumped up and punched the floor with her fist.

Lanturn recovered and levitated above Cubone, then it faced the ground and prepared to fire an unavoidable waterfall on the Ground-type.

Lyra already knew that Cubone was in no position to dodge, so she desperately called out to her nearly-fainted Blitzle: "Get him out of the way, Blitzle!"

Blitzle, upon hearing her trainer's command, tried to take a step forward. However, that was when it felt like all of her remaining energy evaporated, and she nearly collapsed. The only thing holding her up was determination. There was no way she was going to give up here. Lanturn likely only needed one or two hits from Cubone before being knocked out, even with its constant healing. It didn't matter that she had no energy to save Cubone, what was important was that she had to do it, no matter what.

When the water sprayed from Lanturn's mouth and all hope seemed lost, Blitzle felt an uncontrollable swell of power course through her entire body.

From Lyra's perspective, all hope of winning seemed to be lost. Cubone was about to be taken out, and Blitzle was in no position to help him out. She knew this even when she called out for her. But she wasn't one to give up, not when Blitzle was still standing. If her Pokemon had the will to keep fighting, she was going to have to emulate them.

Then, just as Cubone was about to be enveloped by a cascade of water, he disappeared without a trace. Naturally, both Lyra and her opponents were surprised by this and looked around the battlefield to try and find him. It didn't take very long, as a bright light appeared to attract everyone's attention.

Cubone was by it, yes, but nobody cared about him anymore. Next to him stood Blitzle, overflowing with electrical energy. Most shocking of all, her bodily features were obscured with white, blinding light. The radiance grew in intensity until nobody could look directly at it anymore, before it finally faded. In its place was presumably the Electrified Pokemon, but she was now over double her size, had a longer tail, and was adorned with a much more serious expression.

"Did... did she just evolve?" Lyra's thoughts were shared by every living creature inside the gym. Everyone was absolutely dumbstruck by Blitzle's new appearance.

Lyra knew she had no time to check the Pokedex for information on her partner's new form, after all, she had a battle to win!"

"Blitzle!" she shouted, even though she knew that wasn't her name anymore; "Use Flame Charge on Lanturn!"

Blitzle replaced her electrical mayhem with vibrant flames. Not even a millisecond later, she vanished, only leaving behind her scorched footprints. Just as she left, Lanturn let out a cry, seemingly having been hit by an invisible force. The Electrified Pokemon reappeared behind it, still very much on fire.

Lyra was astonished by her Pokemon's speed. She didn't even see a glimpse of her when she was in motion. "Keep attacking!" she shouted, still a little spellbound.

The Electric-type gave a quick nod before vanishing once again. This time, Lanturn appeared to have been struck a multitude of times in the span of a single second. If this continued , the Electrified Pokemon could keep attacking until Lanturn was out.

Of course, Katherine wasn't going to make things that easy. "Ice Beam!" she shouted while thrusting her fist all the way to the ground.

Even through the constant burning strikes, Lanturn was still miraculously able to focus enough to launch an ice beam. Just as its trainer had signaled, Lanturn fired the Ice-type attack towards the ground. The concentrated ice, upon colliding with the ground, spread out into ice structures that surrounded the Light Pokemon. Lyra's Pokemon continued attacking, only this time trying to break apart the ice shield.

"Use Hydro Pump in the same position!" Katherine shouted, still in the same pose.

Lanturn charged up the water attack and let loose on the ground. The water spread out just like the ice had, rushing up the ice structure like a ramp before eventually spraying outwards. No matter where Lanturn's opponent was at this moment, there was no escaping the incoming downpour.

The Electrified Pokemon was too focused to notice the incoming cascade, and was thus enveloped with water. Her flames diminished significantly and her balance was thrown off enough for her to halt her running.

"Hydro Pump again!" Katherine ordered as she leapt up and threw another fist forward.

Her Pokemon levitated above its shield and aimed another Hydro Pump at the panting Electric-type.

"Dodge and get Cubone! Then go back to Lanturn!" Lyra retaliated.

Despite her condition, the Electrified Pokemon wasted no time leaving the scene, which caused Lanturn's attack to splash harmlessly against the ground. She reappeared by Lyra's other Pokemon partner and crouched down so that he could get on. He hesitated for a moment, not wanting to rely on another to show off his strength, but taking a look at Lyra's pleading face was enough to make him hop on.

As soon as the Lonely Pokemon secured himself, Lyra's Electric-type took off towards her opponent. Though, she went much slower this time since she was now carrying a passenger.

Katherine smirked at the blatant opportunity Lyra had given her. "Ice Beam!"

Lanturn fired a concentrated blast of frigid energy at its two opponents, hoping to end the battle.

Lyra expected this, and countered accordingly: "Toss him off! Then use Bonemerang Cubone!"

The Electrified Pokemon pushed her hind legs upwards, launching Cubone towards their opponent. As he was soaring through the air, the Lonely Pokemon readied his bone and threw it with all of his might.

Lyra's Electric-type ended up getting hit by the ice beam and collapsed from the pain. However, it wasn't a victory that Katherine could celebrate. Just a few seconds later, Cubone's calcium-heavy weapon struck Lanturn between its eyes, causing it to cry out and fall to the ground, unable to battle.

"Lanturn is unable to battle! Victory goes to Lyra, the challenger!"

There was silence for a moment as Cubone landed on the ground, still able to go on. He expertly caught his bone, which had spun in his direction after taking out its target.

Lyra leapt up and raised a fist to the air in triumph; "Yeah! We did it!" She sprinted over to Cubone, scooped him up and spun around, excitement radiating in every cell of her body. "I'm so proud of you Cubone!" she said with overflowing sincerity as she hugged him close to her chest.

Cubone, not being a fan of affection, squirmed around in discomfort. Eventually Lyra noticed and set him down.

Lyra then walked over to her other partner, who may have collapsed but was still conscious.

The girl offered a comforting smile as she placed a gentle hand on her Pokemon's snout. "I'm really proud of you too Blitzle, we couldn't have done this without you." she said with the same tone as she used when addressing Cubone.

Lyra then perked up, realizing that something in her sentence sounded wrong. "Oh, your name isn't Blitzle anymore, is it?" She pulled out her pokedex and scanned her newly-evolved Pokemon.

"Zebstrika, the Thunderbolt Pokemon. They have lightning-like movements. When this Electric-type runs at full speed, the sound of thunder reverberates."

Lyra put her pokedex away, "Thanks for all of your help Zeb… Zen… hold on."

She spent the next two minutes listening to the pronunciation through her pokedex before she finally felt that she knew what it was. "Zeb-strike-ah. That took way longer than it needed to. Who comes UP with these names anyway?"

A voice behind her answered, "If it's that much of a bother, just give her a nickname."

Lyra turned around to see Khoury and the rest of the ground gathered. Her best friend offered an encouraging smile, "Congrats Lyra, that was some good battling out there."

She grinned and (against his wishes) hugged him hard; "Thanks Khoury."

The rest of the group took turns giving congratulations to their friend, though Casey kept trying to butt it when it wasn't her turn. Eventually, everyone had said their piece and Katherine walked up.

"You, Lyra, are an adapter. There were a lot of situations in this battle that you were able to quickly adjust to and benefit from. If you are going to participate in the Silver Conference, then I have nothing but high hopes for you."

Lyra had trouble keeping down her proud grin, "Thank you! I'm glad to hear that I impressed you that much."

Katherine smiled back, "You won, so you deserve what you came for." She pulled out a small pin with two lightning bolt designs on it and handed it to Lyra. "Here it is, the paralysis badge."

The brunette girl graciously accepted the badge and shook the leader's hand. "I think we'll head out now. Thanks for the battle Katherine!"

"You too Lyra. Take care everyone!" the gym leader answered while waving. Then she winked at Lyra before saying, "And hey, if you ever feel up for it, come back when you have all of the badges, and we'll have a battle without gym restrictions."

"I'll keep that in mind! Thanks again!"

Thursday, July 31st, 10:07 AM, Outside Blackthorn City Gym

"Another one down! I only have one to go now!"

The group had exited the gym and were now walking towards the Pokemon Center to get Lyra's team rested up. Lyra was still rather ecstatic about her victory, and was vibrating with enthusiasm.

"Yeah, unfortunately, that gym is Jasmine's." Khoury reminded her.

And just like that, Lyra felt her life being sucked out of her as the cruel memory replayed in her head. "Oh… right…"

He quickly realized his mistake and quickly tried to brighten her mood again; "Luckily for us, we don't have to do it right away. After all, the Silver Conference is still months away. You have plenty of time to get ready for that one. We won't go there until you think you're ready."

Lyra gave a small smile at that, "You're right. Speaking of which, where are we headed off to anyway? I don't feel ready for Jasmine's gym right now, so what are we going to do?"

Jimmy coughed, which grabbed their attention; "I know exactly where I want to head next, but I need everyone's opinion before anything becomes final."

Vincent raised an eyebrow, a little disturbed by his friend's tone; "What's up dude?"

Jimmy took a deep breath before speaking, "I received a message from Whitney this morning. She told me that if we're truly interested in combating Team Rocket, then there's someone that would like to meet us."

"What kind of person is this exactly?" Marina asked, intrigued.

Jimmy shrugged, "She didn't give me a lot of details. All I know is that they're specifically here to bring the organization to justice." He took a pause to give everyone a look of absolute seriousness, "If we want to actually get involved with the Pokemon League's efforts, then this is the person that we should talk to. Instead of just running into Team Rocket through luck, this will allow us to have missions and the like." He paused to let everyone digest the information before continuing, "It's probably going to be more dangerous than what we're doing now, which is why I wanted to know everyone's opinions." He stole a look at Lyra and Khoury, "especially from you two."

The two younger members stiffened. Khoury took a step forward and spoke on behalf of the both of them; "What's your stance on this?"

Jimmy sighed and stared at the ground; "Even if everyone says 'no', I'll be going. I'm serious about this, and a chance to be a bigger help is something I'm not going to miss."

Marina and Vincent spoke at the same time, "I'm going too."

They gave each other weird looks for a moment before they eventually decided to let Vincent speak first; "I'm serious about this too, and even if I wasn't, I'm not letting you walk into this alone. I've got your back buddy."

Marina went next, "Whether you like it or not, I'll be following the both of you to the ends of the Earth. You guys mean too much to me."

Jimmy felt his heart warm after hearing his friends' declarations, and even felt a tear slide down his cheek. He wiped his eyes before turning to the other three; "There's no shame in opting out. This is too much to ask of you three especially, but if you're willing to come along, there will be a place for you."

Lyra stepped forward next, wearing a face that displayed a level of confidence she had never expressed before. "My opinion hasn't changed. This is something I want to do, even if I'm not exactly the most experienced person for the job. I will be joining you, no matter what."

Jimmy wasn't sure about Lyra's decision, given her condition. However, the girl had proven that she was full of surprises. With that in mind, he was confident she would be a valuable ally.

The last two stood in silence, thinking to themselves. Eventually, Khoury stepped forward, with a mixture of confidence and annoyance. "I'm coming too. One, because Lyra is, and I'd feel like the worst friend ever if something happened and I wasn't there. Two, because taking down Team Rocket is going to need every helping hand it can get."

An uncontrollable smile emerged on Lyra's face as she held her hand over her heart, along with a similarly uncontrollable urge to hug her best friend. And that's exactly what she did (again, against his wishes).

Jimmy smiled at the interaction. He knew that Khoury wouldn't allow himself to opt out if Lyra was coming. It was a shining example of the unbreakable devotion the two had for each other.

And lastly…

Casey just stood there, staring at the ground, fiddling with her fingers. Drops of sweat were beginning to appear on her face.

Jimmy sighed and decided to help her along, "Casey, if you want to go home, none of us will think less of you. You're our friend and nothing will change that."

Casey clenched her fists and shouted, "No! I'm coming along too!"

Everyone recoiled at the volume of her voice.

Casey took a deep breath, "S-sorry… I'm… I'm going to come too."

Khoury and Lyra were rather happy to hear that their energetic Electric-type enthusiast would be coming along (Lyra more so, as she tackled Casey in a hug). However, the remaining three all looked at each other with obvious concern. They all three agreed that they would need to talk to Casey about her decision, as she was clearly frightened.

However, they couldn't just forbid her from coming, as that would get the wrong idea across. They just hoped that Casey knew what she was doing…

Thursday, July 31st, 12:49 PM, Unknown location

Whitney had finally messaged him back, and all six people had agreed to meet with him. He smiled, happy to know that he had so many allies.

"RUDY!" an unpleasant female voice rang out in his ears. "Hurry up!"

"Coming!" he shouted, exasperated. Rudy put his device away and jogged to catch up with his companions.

Trainer Card: Katherine Jenkins

Age: 23

Hometown: Cianwood, Johto

Birthday: April 13th 1982

Height: 5'09"

Blood Type: B

Eye Color: Cyan

Hair Color: Black

Trainer Class: Pokemon Battler

Secondary Class: Pokemon Trainer

Other Hobbies: Dancing, Yoga, Talking while battling

Notable Achievements: n/a

Special Conditions: n/a

Titles: Blackthorn City Gym Leader

Pokemon (On Hand)

-Lanturn(M)

-Ampharos(M)

-Jolteon(F)

-Electivire(F)

-Raichu(F)

-Zapdos(F)

Next Chapter: Wish Upon a Star