I know that this one is very late, but things have been getting pretty busy for me lately. I could have submitted a shorter chapter much earlier, but I felt like that would have been doing you all a disservice. I will try to keep getting out a chapter at least once every other week, but there may be some inconsistencies there. I apologize for that, but I do need to focus my priorities on what brings in the money, so I hope you all understand.

Anyways, I hope you are all ready for a wild ride with this one!


A man in a blue coat with rolled up sleeves walks alone out of the Petalburg Gym doors. As he leaves the stadium, passersby congratulate him every few steps. The man wears a bright smile and greets each and every one of them with gratitude. He appears to be the picture perfect example of a grounded and respectful superstar.

This man is Tyson Tetsuya. He is presumed by many to be the most likely candidate to win the Ever Grande Conference this year. On my end, I know for a fact that he was supposed to do just that. That is, before I ended up getting pimp slapped into this world by an errant Dusknoir. That aside, he is my number one competitor and obstacle who I need to overcome in order to reach the first step towards achieving my goals. Before I can take on the world, I need to win the Ever Grande. To do that, I need to defeat the man before me.

With that in mind, I refuse to pass up this opportunity to battle him and see where I stand. He just won his 6th badge, while I only have my 2nd. If the Conference champion was decided by a race to 8 badges, he would have basically won already. Still, I don't think this makes him better than me. I've been taking my time and focusing on building my team. He has a team that has already been established over his five years as a Trainer. I can honestly claim that speed of badge collection isn't really a factor that determines the winner between us.

However, there is something else which is much more crucial here. He has something which I lack on my team, something which represents the exact opposite path as to the one I'm following. Other than Meowth, who is essentially his Pikachu, Tyson's entire team is made up of real powerhouse Pokémon. On top of that, I read a post on the Ever Grande forum recently which claimed that his Metang evolved into a Metagross.

On his team is the pinnacle of power, just below Mythical and Legendary Pokémon. This is the perfect chance for me and Goly to see where we stand. Without even mentioning Steven's Metagross or Cynthia's Garchomp, we need to see how far talent, hard work, and strategy can take us against truly overwhelming force. A Metagross is a true goliath of the Pokémon world. Can my Goliath prove himself worthy of his name when faced with such a force? This is my chance to find out.

I begin walking towards the Pokémon Center, Eris on my shoulder and Goly on my heels. I'm a good distance ahead of Tyson, far enough to only barely see each other, but I'm certain that he will be heading there too, so he will follow me. Now, there is one more important thing to think about before the battle. How should I challenge him?

You may think it silly, but I assure you that it matters. In a world centered around the logic of an animated series, ridiculous and nonstandard behavior is the norm! I've been having a blast acting as the supremely confident and insurmountable antagonist or rival character thus far. Ash's challenge against me even further cemented that image by allowing me the chance to crush his whole team with one Pokémon. Against Tyson, who can be considered more of a rival figure to me than Ash, I need to put on my A game.

Should I adopt the Paul strategy and just claim that he seemed strong enough to be worth battling, then scoff at him after I win? Maybe the Gary approach would be better. I act like I bumped into him by coincidence and battle him as a way to pass the time, winning a crushing victory as if it was nothing. I could also pull a page from an entirely different series and Itachi him, testing the limits of my ability. Truly, a dilemma that needs careful consideration. My reputation as an antagonistic figure depends on this. Before reaching the Pokémon Center, I only have about 5 minutes to figure this out.

As I continue trekking towards the Pokémon Center, hand on my chin and deep in thought, I fail to notice Goly's unusual actions at my side. The deviant of a Linoone was constantly stopping and turning back to look at Tyson behind us. Had I noticed this behavior, I would have promptly returned him, all too aware that any abnormalities in Goly's behavior are a sign that he is about to bring me trouble or ruin my plans. Still, as I failed to notice this, there was never any hope for me from the start.

With a brilliant plan formulating in my mind, I turn to my partner in crime to relay our next course of action. At least, I turned to where my partner should have been. Only now do I see that Goly is currently nowhere to be seen. Panicking at the thought of all my scheming going to waste, I look to my shoulder to ask Eris where Goly ran off to. This leads to a discovery that makes my stomach sink. Eris is also gone! I firmly believe that there is no situation that can't be made worse by Eris and Goly showing up together!

Before I can even begin to look for the dynamic duo, a startled shout comes from behind me and I know that all my planning was for naught. I take off running towards the sound and see the red light of a Pokémon being called out from its Pokeball. My mind is racing a mile a minute and the scene begins to unfold before me as I grow closer.

On the far side stands Tyson. His blue coat is covered in dirt and there is a muddy imprint in the ground behind him. The warm smile I saw previously is nowhere to be seen. Instead, a scowl mars his face as he glares at the two Pokémon standing across from him. Between him and those two stands a metal behemoth. A sturdy body of blue steel supported by four massive legs. The red eyes behind the silver X glare at the two Pokémon who assaulted its master. Metagross is not happy.

As for who those two Pokémon are, do I even need to say it? Goly glares back at Metagross with the venomous look of a short tough guy challenging a 6'7" giant in a bar. Standing next to the angry badger is a miniature purple goblin.

"Sasasa!" Eris covers her mouth with one hand as she laughs haughtily at the man's plight. However, it is her other hand that interests me more. To be precise, it's what she has in that hand. Held up before her jewel eyes, Eris examines a small silver and purple piece of metal in the shape of a dumbbell.

That's right! My two little trash bag Pokémon just robbed this man of the badge he had just earned!

Faced with this scene, I see two choices for myself.

First, I can continue running to the scene to arrive as soon as possible. This will ensure that Eris doesn't eat the badge and cost me a lawsuit. That's an obvious positive for this choice, but there's a problem with it too. My first impression will be me looking desperate and distraught, like a Trainer who can't handle his own Pokémon (I can't). In this way, my reputation as the competent antagonist will be as good as dead. Instead, I will be the ditzy comedic relief rival. This cannot happen!

This leaves me with my second choice. Luckily, everyone is so focused on the scene of the crime that nobody has noticed me yet. I slow to a walk and take a deep breath to bring my breathing back to normal. I can only pray that Eris won't eat the badge as I casually waltz on over.

With Pokémon like mine, I never would have been able to pull off the cool antagonist vibe that Paul and Gary had. My Pokémon are trashy delinquents through and through. I can either reject that and look like a fool, or I can embrace it and make that my identity. Like it or not, I'm the leader of this band of miscreants and it's about time that I start acting like it. Rather than a cool antagonist, I will follow the path of Team Skull instead. Besides, who doesn't love Team Skull? Time to become a full-fledged delinquent.

Pushing through the slowly forming crowd, I can easily make out the sound of Tyson's voice as he tries to reason with my Pokémon: an impossible task. He doesn't know that he's wasting his breath. He'd be better off just sending his Metagross on an all-out offensive.

"Sableye, can I please have my badge back?" His voice is strained. Just from hearing it, I can tell that his face must be twitching with barely restrained anger. "I don't see your Trainer, but I don't think they will be very happy about you stealing things."

A useless concern. When has Eris, the queen of selfishness, ever cared if I was happy if she doesn't stand to gain something from me?

"Sable, Sableye! Sasasasa!" Eris laughs in his face.

"Meta." A deep rumble fills the air as Metagross voices its dissatisfaction.

I finally push through the crowd and arrive on scene, just in time to see Goly step forward and snarl at the pseudo-legendary Pokemon.

"Noone!" It looks like Goly fully intends to pick a fight here. Watching Tyson's Gym battle must have riled him up something fierce.

"Easy there, Goly," I interject and everyone's eyes focus on me. "Calm down a bit. Nothing good will happen if you're so over-eager like that. This isn't an opponent you can beat with a hot temper."

Goly looks back at Metagross and visibly releases some of the tension in his body. Tyson seems to take this as a sign that the situation is beginning to diffuse, judging by the way that his face relaxes, but I know better. Goly isn't leaving here without a fight. He simply realized that he can't afford to be rash if he wants to beat this opponent.

"Are you their Trainer?" Tyson smiles in relief and starts to walk my way. "Your Sableye played a bit of a prank on me and snatched my badge. I admit that she really got me good, but I can't get her to give it back now."

I don't respond immediately, instead, I look over at Eris as I consider how to proceed. The little gremlin princess stares back at me petulantly, no doubt challenging me to just try and take her loot from her.

"Eris, bring the badge over here," She immediately starts to protest, but I cut her off before it gets out of hand. "Trust me, Eris, it will be even more fun this way."

The promise of enhancing the fun is something that her Ghost-Type nature can't resist. After a short wait while Eris deliberates her options, the badge is in my hand and the culprit is on my shoulder.

"Thank you so much," Tyson sounds genuinely relieved, but it's a bit premature. "Against a Ghost-Dark combo, I truly thought I might never get that back!" He starts advancing towards me again, passing his Metagross in the process.

I hum to myself and toss the badge up in the air repeatedly as I consider how much of an ass I will be if I go through with what I'm considering. It doesn't take long for me to decide that it is within the acceptable range of douchebaggery. After all, this is the anime world where people like Paul and Gary wander without repercussions. I've long since decided to always act in the manner which seems the most fun at any given moment.

"Now, hold on a minute," I catch the badge that I had been tossing and hold out my hand to stop Tyson in his tracks. "When did I say I'd be giving it back for free?"

The response is instant. Tyson's face turns dark and I can tell that he is truly angry now. Before, he had been annoyed and frustrated with my Pokémon's antics, but seeing that the Trainer acts just as bad has finally tipped him over the edge.

"Are you blackmailing me right now?" His voice is low and dangerous. He backs up just enough to be standing side by side with the titan of steel known as Metagross. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't an intimidating sight.

"Blackmail, huh? I guess you can call it that," I answer with a goading smirk on my face. I can't help but think I'm doing a pretty good job of portraying a small fry villain. "You see, I happen to have heard a bit about you and this is a good chance to verify it."

"By acting like a low-life criminal?" Yep, he's pissed alright.

"Sasasa!" Eris seems to be enjoying this, but let's ignore her for now.

"Precisely," But why should I care if he's pissed? Let's keep poking the bear. "I happened to read the Ever Grande forum a few days back and I saw something quite interesting. Care to guess what it was?"

"No," He bluntly refuses to play along with my antics. "I think you should just give me back my badge before you regret it."

"Ummmm, no. What I read on the forum was that people are considering you to be a shoe-in for this year's Conference champ!" I put on a face of mock surprise. I kind of feel like an ass, but it's also somehow very fun and liberating to let my inner delinquent take control like this. I feel like one of those throw-away villains who only lasts a single filler episode. When villains like that become recurring characters, they become fan favorites. Just look at Buggy from One Piece and Guzma from Pokémon. "Can you believe it? Even though I'm competing this year, there are still people who think that someone else might win!"

"You care that much about what people say online?" Tyson's voice is laced with disdain. "I let my actions speak for me. Predictions, favorites, dark horses, none of that means a thing when the battle starts."

Damn, that was actually pretty cool. Guess that means it's time to lay off the two-bit villain act and lean into the child prodigy part.

"That's exactly what I'm here to do!" I straighten up my posture and cross my arms to declare myself. "I'm Reid Redwood, and I will be winning this year's Ever Grande and defeating the Elite Four and Steven right after! I challenge you and Metagross to a one-on-one battle for your badge. Goliath! Introduce yourself!"

"Linoone! Lin, Linoone. Noone!" Goly puffs himself up like a peacock and babbles out some gibberish, looking quite proud of himself.

While the humans all look at him like he's a fool, the Pokémon give very different responses. On my shoulder, Eris chuckles a bit in her precocious manner, but nods along with his words. Metagross, on the other hand, narrows its eyes and stares deeply at my starter.

"So, you're that Reid Redwood?" Tyson breaks me out of my thoughts when he says my name with some recognition. "I've heard that you were a problem child, but to think it's this bad. Looks like you need someone to deflate some of the hot air filling that big head of yours."

"I don't deny that, but you think you're going to be the one to do it?" I ask with a challenging lilt. "Then let's get to it. No more delays!"

"Just one moment," Tyson stops me. "You realize that even if you take my badge, it won't count on your record, don't you? The badge is just a physical token of what you accomplished. What matters is what's on your league record."

"Of course I know that," I dismiss him with a wave. "Why would I need your badge for my record anyway? I'll be winning my own soon enough. I only took yours because I'm worried you didn't quite earn it with that narrow win. Did you plan on scraping by like that?" I ask like a true hypocrite.

"Hah," Tyson lets out a heavy sigh and massages his temples as he walks back behind his Metagross. "Fine, fine. I get now that talking with you is a waste of time. Let's just do this."

I smile viciously and Goly does the same. Acting like that biggest douche I could think of really paid off here. For a moment, a cold sweat hits my back at the thought of Tracy catching wind of my behavior here, but it quickly passes as the lust for battle takes over.

"I knew you'd come around! Goly over here," Goly trots over to stand in front of me, it seems that Pikachu truly wasn't enough to sate his appetite for battle. Before continuing, I point into the packed crowd around us at a figure that just recently arrived on scene. "Officer Jenny, would you do the honors of being the referee for our battle? You can make sure that things don't get out of hand that way?"

A woman in a police uniform with a tight pencil skirt pushes her way through the crowd. She has hair that I don't know if I should call blueish-green or greenish-blue, but what matters is that she's downright smokin'! What really stands out at the moment, however, is her facial expression. She does not look pleased with me at all. I called her out to bring her to center stage before she can start acting on her own, but what now?

"A thief asking an officer to keep the peace so he can steal without escalating things," Her tone is exasperated. "My cousin in Mauville did send out a region-wide warning that we might have to keep an eye on that Linoone of yours, but I didn't think you'd be worse. Now, hand Tyson his badge back and come with me. We can end this with a warning if you don't resist."

Now, how am I going to get through this one? It's a bit shocking that the entire region's police force have been warned about me, or rather, about Goly, but it's not like I don't understand it. While running the Zigzagoon gang in Mauville for eight months, Goly had more run-ins with the cops than I care to count. Still, while I understand it, it's not a first impression that will help me in this situation.

"Please wait a minute, Officer," My savior comes from an unexpected direction when Tyson speaks up. "While I agree that what he is doing is reprehensible, I think this battle needs to happen after all. Please, let us carry out our battle and leave it at that."

"Oh, you're the victim here. Why would you stand up for a kid acting like a punk like this?" Jenny reasonably questions.

"From what I've heard, Reid is a boy genius at Pokémon battling." He starts with an unexpected compliment.

"Oh, stop it," I smile and wave off the compliments, playing up my reaction. "Flattery won't make me go any easier on you."

"Because everyone thinks that, he's got a big head and acts out like this," Tyson ignores me and continues talking to Jenny. "I haven't seen a case as extreme as his, both the good and the bad, but I've seen plenty of talented Trainers ruin themselves that way. He doesn't think he needs to take being a Trainer seriously because he keeps winning anyways. I think beating him here is the best thing I can do to help him."

"Hey, Mr. Nice-guy," About halfway through his little speech, my mood took a quick turn. I'm not in the mood to keep up this stupid punk act. "Who are you to judge how seriously I'm taking this? I get that I'm acting like a fool, it's all good fun for me, but if you think that you can use that to label me as a failing Trainer, you're going to regret it. More than anyone else, I'm putting everything into becoming the best in the world. I'll prove it to you right now. Let's start."

"If you don't want to be looked down on, then you and your Pokémon need to behave responsibly," Tyson responds, undeterred. "I've already heard that you're strong, but if you are seriously challenging a Metagross with a Linoone, even if it knows a crazy move like Extreme Speed, then I can still only think of you as overconfident and irresponsible."

"Of course I'm overconfident!" I shout out in agitation. "I'm overconfident, arrogant, and completely unrepentant about it. Taking Pokémon like mine to the top of the world; to be the strongest team in history? It sounds like a bad joke, no matter who I tell it to. If nobody else has confidence in us, I'll just make up for it by being unreasonably overconfident in them myself. I will prove to the world that my arrogance is actually just pride in knowing the heights that we are capable of reaching."

"That's a sentiment that would be much more convincing if you didn't say it while acting like a common criminal." Tyson's relentless in countering my points. The worst part is that I can't even really deny them. How can I sound convincing if I say that I'm just acting like a small-time villain for fun. "Confidence is great, but you need to look at what's happening in reality. In reality, you are not acting like a dedicated Trainer, and in reality, you are putting your Linoone out of its depth by challenging a Metagross with it."

"Alright, that's enough," Jenny, who had been silently observing our argument, finally steps in before I can respond. "I think I agree with Tyson here. The best solution is to let your two battle it out and hope that you grow from the experience. I can tell that any more talking is going to lead to more arguing for you two and more headaches for me. I'll be the referee, let's get started. This is a one-on-one battle between Metagross and Linoone, right?"

We both nod and direct our Pokémon into position to start the battle.

"Thank you, Officer." Tyson bows slightly to Jenny.

"Don't worry about it, this way gives me the least work too. Besides, I get the feeling that this will be quite the spectacle too." Jenny smiles softly as she accepts his thanks.

Meanwhile, the crowd begins to get fired up. Most of them had just left the Gym from watching Tyson's battle with Norman, so this is like getting an extra show for them.

"No way, a battle between Tyson and Reid right after that crazy Gym battle?" A young girl, probably just below the age where she can start her own journey babbles excitedly from the sidelines.

"The top contender versus the super rookie! Who do you think wins this?" A blonde boy of a similar age at her side responds with interest.

"Tyson of course," The girl responds. "He's been to the Ever Grande four times now, and he was also called a genius when he was first starting. He has more experience and a stronger Pokémon. How could he lose?"

"That's true, but have you watched Reid's battles?" The boy doesn't sound convinced. "There's something special about him, something that makes you think he can't lose. Tyson's a genius, sure, but he's never been even close to as ridiculous as Reid is."

Similar conversations are occurring all around me. Thankfully, none of them seem to be focused on my outburst. Everyone is so preoccupied with their excitement for the battle, that everything else is being overlooked. Even Jenny looks like that. This just proves my earlier thoughts. As long as you are a good enough battler, people in this world don't care how you act. Still, I'm feeling a bit of leftover embarrassment. I didn't expect to lose my cool like that. I've noticed that I've been much more easily swept away by my emotions ever since I entered this new body. I guess that's hormones for you.

"This will be a one-on-one battle between Reid Redwood's Linoone and Tyson Tetsuya's Metagross," Jenny's voice cuts off my stray thoughts. "This battle will continue until either side forfeits or is judged unable to continue. Trainers, are you ready?" We both nod once again. "Then, let the battle begin!"

"Extreme Speed!"

"Reflect, 75 degrees."

Goly disappears at the start of the battle, moving far too fast for even a blur to be seen. He's grown used to our typical blitz battle style and reduced the delay in starting the move significantly. However, when he appears again, it isn't after making contact with Metagross. Instead, he stumbles across the ground to the right of his target, having narrowly missed and being forced to land awkwardly.

It doesn't take long to figure out what happened. It only appeared for an instant, but a light blue, see-through square appeared in the air between Goly and Metagross in the same instant that Goly had disappeared. The square was angled such that it was almost facing the entirely wrong direction. I suspect that has to do with the 75 degrees part of the order. As a shield, it wouldn't have blocked anything, but instead it forcibly corrected Goly's path when he slid along it, just enough that he missed Metagross.

Absolutely crazy! Is this what a high level Psychic-Type can do? He created the screen at the perfect angle and in the perfect spot to intercept Goly, all this quicker than Goly could reach him with Extreme Speed! I don't doubt that they came up with the plan and were ready to execute it before the battle even started, but Metagross still set it up in less than a single instant!

"Bullet Punch." Tyson takes advantage of my momentary stupefied state to launch a rapid attack of his own.

"Double Team." Thankfully, Goly is no slower to react than Metagross, even if he can't be as precise. Metagross's outstretched claw phases harmlessly though one of the illusory clones. I stomp on the ground with minimal movement to signal our next move. "Extreme Speed, all."

Immediately, all the clones start to disappear and then reappear somewhere else on the field. Metagross sits still in the middle of the field, not even trying to look for the real one among them. I only need Tyson to call out his attack before I can send Goly up out of the ground to attack with our tried and true Dig and Shadow Claw combo.

"Earthquake." Tyson breaks the silence with a call that proves they hadn't been fooled from the start.

"Out! Now, Goly!" I shout to abandon the attack and get back above ground, but it may be too late.

"This is what it means to be experienced," Tyson remarks. "You may be a prodigy, but even you can't afford to look down on Pokémon battling."

Metagross lifts its front leg and a brown, earthen energy surrounds the steel limb. When that hits the ground, this battle could end. After all, Goly is fully specialized in offense. He may have a lot of grit, but, in front of a powerhouse move like Earthquake, his actual defenses are flimsy at best. The leg of steel comes down and my heart is in my throat.

Just in time, Goly bursts out of the ground, directly below Metagross's leg! Instead of fleeing, he decided to meet the attack head on. It takes less than a tenth of a second for me to understand what he's planning.

"Protect!" I unnecessarily shout out what he was already planning to do.

Metagross's leg stomps down on the green sphere with immense force. However, Earthquake is a move that was never meant to be used directly on an opponent, or on anything other than the ground, for that matter. While Goly, having been forced out of the shattered protective sphere, is sent rocketing back underground in the hole he had emerged from, Metagross is in an unexpectedly bad position.

Using the move Earthquake on something as solid as a sphere of Protect means that all of the vibrating energy that was meant to shake the earth had nowhere to go. As a result, those vibrations were transferred back into Metagross itself as recoil damage. It isn't badly hurt by any means, but it is enough unexpected damage to stun the steel beast for a short moment. That's all we need.

"Now, Dig to Shadow Claw!" I shout out with excitement. My blood feels like it's boiling inside my veins! This is truly the best!

"Metagross, get a hold of yourself! Iron Defense!" Tyson sounds flustered.

Metagross shakes off the recoil and starts to shine with an even brighter metallic sheen, but it isn't fast enough. Before the behemoth's entire both is covered in the silvery defensive energy, a furry white figure leaps out of the same hole he had previously emerged from and rams into Metagross's side with a super effective hit. That attack is instantly followed up with two swipes with purple claws, as Goly twists his body midair to angle his underside towards his colossal foe. Unfortunately, when the second Shadow Claw connects, a loud clanging noise rings out and I know that Iron Defense kicked in.

"Hammer Arm!" Tyson yells out his counterattack.

"Jump into Protect! Let him create some distance for you!" I give a nonsensical order to my nonsensical Pokémon.

As Metagross's massive arm swings down at Goly, the crazy bastard jumps to meet the attack in a protective sphere once again. This time, instead of smashing Goly down, the sphere is launched like a baseball off a bat and Goly lands back on my side of the field, unscathed.

At the brief respite from the action, the crowd bursts into thunderous applause. Nobody, not a single person in the crowd, had ever seen such an outrageous sequence of action as that in person.

"I've never battled someone as crazy as you two," Tyson comments from the other side of the field. He really is true to his role as an anime character with how much he likes to chat during fights. "You aren't called a prodigy for no reason. It's too bad that it didn't amount to much. Look at Metagross, that amazing counterattack didn't deal any meaningful damage. No matter how talented, a Linoone's offense isn't able to pierce a Metagross's defense. I'm not saying that you can't make a Linoone strong, after all, I have a Meowth on my team. Your Linoone is already incredible too. What I'm saying is that if you want to take being a Pokémon Trainer seriously, you need to consider things like matchups and the capabilities of your Pokémon. Even if you are a genius, you can't just make anything work out in battles."

"You done?" I look at him with disdain in my eyes. Unfortunately, I'm not an anime character. I have no plans to wait around for an answer and have a lengthy chat. It's true that Metagross took only a negligible amount of damage from our attacks, but so what? That just means we need to hit harder. Goly's got his breath back now, so it's time to take this seriously. "Belly Drum!"

Goly's maw curls up in a smirk at the order and he stands on his back legs and slams his paws, filled with vibrating energy, into his midsection. Once, twice, three times. With every successive hit, Goly's muscles swell and his body radiates pressure. His face curls in pain, but the smirk remains. He's loving the chance to go all out.

"Goly, this is one of those freakishly powerful Pokémon that people say a Linoone like you can never beat. It's time for you to prove to the world why your name is Goliath! Prove that you are not the underdog!" I give a quick pep talk to get my partner fired up and ready to accomplish the impossible. He still isn't able to use Extreme Speed at the same time as any other offensive moves, so we need to do the next best thing. Even fully boosted, a Normal-Type Extreme Speed won't do decisive damage to a Metagross. There is something we have been practicing in our nightly agility training that might work, but Goly hasn't been able to do it yet. Even though he has failed every time until now, all I can do is trust that he will do it now. After all, that's what being overconfident is all about. "We're going with 'Stop and Go' this time. Go out and win this."

"Lin!" Through gritted teeth, Goly yips in excitement at the challenge.

"Flash Cannon." Tyson seems to have decided that it's time to start things back up.

Metagross wastes no time charging and firing a beam of silver light at Goly. However, both Goly and I were taken completely off guard by what happened next.

Goly jumps to the side, aiming to dodge the beam with minimal wasted effort. After all, it's easy for a speed-based Pokémon to avoid a straight line cannon like that. Unfortunately, Metagross and Tyson aren't such easy targets. Flash Cannon's beam bends sharply at a slight angle when it reaches halfway across the battlefield, righting itself such that it points directly at Goly's new position. Goly startles a bit, but doesn't hesitate to jump out of the way once again, this time leaping much further out of the way. When the beam sails past him, we relax and begin to scan the field for footholds to use during our 'Stop and Go' offensive.

However, Metagross's Flash Cannon still can't be avoided. The beam makes exactly 6 more slight turns until it has done a complete 180.

"Dodge left!" I shout in a panic, with no time to explain what he is dodging.

Goly leaps to the side, trusting me completely. Unfortunately, even that wasn't enough. The beam simply turns once more.

"Noone!" A cry of pain escapes my partner as Flash Cannon hits him directly in his side. Goly is sent tumbling to the ground, but he quickly rolls to his feet.

The only saving grace of the situation is that Flash Cannon lost about half of its original power with all those turns. As for how it could turn, I've already figured it out. Metagross made a series of Light Screens in front of his Flash Cannon attack, each screen was tilted at a very slight angle, just like how he used Reflect to defend against Extreme Speed. This allowed his Flash Cannon to turn, bit by bit, in the direction Metagross wanted it to.

This is a strategy that is only possible due to Metagross's supernatural processing power being combined with precise control and rapid use of his Psychic abilities. Metagross must have been setting it up and doing calculations while Tyson and I were talking. Absolutely brilliant. This is the might of a pseudo legendary Psychic-Type.

"Again, Flash Cannon." Tyson doesn't want to give us the chance to take back control over the pace of the fight.

"You've got a good idea of the field now, right?" Goly nods. "Then begin: Extreme Speed."

"Reflect!" Tyson immediately gives up on his attack and swaps to defense when he hears my call.

He is right to do so, though. Extreme Speed can't be defended against by reacting, you need to be ready for it before it comes. At least, he would be correct, if we were attacking.

Metagross allows the second Flash Cannon that had been charging to fizzle out and builds another light blue wall in the air in front of him. However, nothing hits it. Instead, Goly appears at the very edge of the battlefield, behind Metagross. He only appears for less than a fraction of a second before disappearing again. This time Metagross turns its massive body to face its left, where Goly again appears, but the impossibly fast Pokémon has already disappeared from there too.

This continues for a few seconds. Metagross swings its massive body round and round, trying to keep up with an impossibly fast foe that is constantly on the move. It's a strategy similar to our very first battle together, all that time ago when we fought Beedrill. After using our speed to confuse the opponent about our position, we find the opportune moment to strike.

Goly appears directly below Metagross, who's still looking desperately around the edges of the battlefield. The pseudo legendary monster is three steps behind my partner.

"Shadow Claw!" I had been watching below Metagross the entire time, knowing that I wouldn't be able to keep track of Goly if I wanted to. I knew that, if he succeeded, he would eventually appear there.

"Metagross! Below!" Tyson, who had also been trying to follow Goly with his eyes, only now notices that we have already closed in. It's too late.

Goly's muscles bulge and he puts the force of his entire body into a massive uppercut, dragging his Shadow Claw from one side of Metagross's underbelly, all the way across to the other and leaving a deep furrow in the metal giant's steel body. So much strength is put into the attack that Metagross's thousand pound body is lifted into the air and sent tumbling out of control.

"Gross!" For the first time, the steel titan voices its pain.

Goly, too, is shaking fiercely. The downside to this strategy is that, unlike when simply blitzing an opponent like Pikachu, the stops here need to be dead stops. Goly can't afford to take that second to reorient himself before disappearing again. Against an opponent like Metagross, that second will be fatal. Furthermore, we can't attack with Extreme Speed. It would be ineffective and would expose us to dangerous counterattacks.

As such, Goly needs to stop and change moves before attacking. To ensure that we have time to do that, we need the enemy to lose track of us. The result is that Goly needs to go from a full speed Extreme Speed to a complete, no motion dead stop, to Extreme Speed again, over and over. That is 'Stop and Go'. The stops are so unbelievably straining on his legs that Goly has never been able to do it in practice. Frankly, the only reason he can do it now is that he is boosted by Belly Drum.

"Follow with another Shadow Claw!" I can't afford to drag this out. Goly won't be able to keep up that pace for long.

Goly charges at the falling Metagross and stands on his hind legs to prepare a powerful downward swing of his claws. When his claw begins to glow purple, our opponents regain their senses.

"Intercept with Meteor Mash!" Tyson yells.

"Meta!" Metagross is quick to respond, unwilling to take a one-sided beating.

Faster than Goly's claw can come down, one of Metagross's heavy limbs slams into his gut and rockets the Normal-Type away like he was shot from a cannon. The attack didn't come free though, as Goly proved his battle sense once again. When he realized that he couldn't avoid Metagross's attack, Goly changed his target from the body to the leg. Shadow Claw raked a deep furrow into the steel titan's leg, even as Goly was being hit.

Goly heavily lands on his side with a wince of pain. I figure that hit probably cracked a rib at the least, but he can't afford to be distracted by it. Though, it would seem that my trusty starter knows that well enough, as he scrambles back to his feet.

"No breaks. Extreme Speed."

Goly takes a single, deep, and shaky breath, then he's gone. Once again, Goly zooms around the edges of the battlefield.

Metagross rights itself back on its feet, though it has its right foreleg, the one that was attacked by Goly, raised in the air. It reminds me of the way that a spider lifts up a broken leg so that it doesn't affect its movement. Metagross still swings its body back and forth, attempting to follow Goly's movements once again. It would seem that even the great Psychic-Type monster gets flustered when faced with something too fast to process.

"Metagross, stop trying to keep up," Unfortunately, the Trainer isn't so easily thrown off. "Set up as many Reflect screens as you can around the edges."

So he's trying to create obstacles to force Goly to either collide or stop. Too bad for him. If you give up on trying to find us, you need to focus all your attention on waiting to counterattack, otherwise, we'll strike.

Goly appears under Metagross again, much sooner than he had last time, but the opponents still haven't noticed.

"Strike and get out." I keep my order brief, he knows what to do.

Goly charges up a Shadow Claw and starts to swing his paw at the same wound he inflicted earlier. The entire attack is so quick and unexpected that Tyson only now realizes what's going on.

"Jump and blast Psychic below you!" Tyson frantically cries out.

Metagross leaps straight up without a moment's delay, but Goly's claw still slashes it in the same spot as the previous attack. However, the jump did mitigate some of the damage, forcing the attack to be a bit more shallow.

A moment after Goly's attack made contact, a surge of pink energy slammed down with immense force, creating a circular indent in the ground below Metagross. Goly had already cleared out after his attack, and the Psychic attack only hit the air and the earth.

*Boom*

Metagross lands heavily back on the ground and we are back where we started. Goly is circling the field at an incredible speed, too fast to be seen. Metagross stands in the middle, a mouse in a trap. If there are any differences, they would be that Metagross is looking shaking, barely standing and that Goly is forced to do much shorter bursts of Extreme Speed due to all the Reflect screens. He is appearing much more frequently, which is making it even harder to keep up with him, but also means that the strain on his legs is much higher.

This battle will end soon.

For now, we need to wait just a bit longer to launch our final attack. Tyson and Metagross appear to be entirely focused on waiting for Goly to appear. We need them to get uneasy first. For this last attack, a regular Extreme Speed will finish it. They can't react to that.

"Not coming?" Tyson speaks up from the far side and I get a bad feeling in my chest.

"Extreme Speed, now!" I shout out to end it.

"Earthquake to wide range Psychic!" Tyson shouts out another combo with two powerful attacks.

The next flurry of action happens all in an instant. Metagross stomps the ground and everything starts to shake fiercely. I widen my own stance and slightly squat to stay on my feet, but I can see plenty of the spectators crashing to the ground.

Goly seems to have avoided damage by leaping in the air for the last bit of distance in his Extreme Speed rush. The living bullet slams into Metagross's side with unbelievable force.

"Gross!" The behemoth cries out in pain and topples over. Just when I think the beast is out, a sharp look of determination fills its eyes and they begin to glow pink. "Metagross!"

A spherical dome of pink energy expands with Metagross at its center. In the blink of an eye, the dome pushes out to the edge of the battlefield before stopping, inches before making contact with me, Jenny, and Tyson. Everything that was on the battlefield was forcefully pushed out: all the grass, every rock, and, of course, Goly too. The attack launched Goly out of the arena and into the side of a nearby stone fence in an instant. Looking at the perfect circle of dirt that now exists where the battle had taken place, I can't help but think that it was an attack reminiscent of Pain's almighty push from Naruto.

Regardless, both Pokémon are currently down, unmoving.

"Come on, Metagross!" Tyson cries out in encouragement. "Get up! You can do it!"

"Goliath!" I yell out my partner's name. "Is this all your dream is worth? Is this enough to keep you down?"

After several seconds, neither Pokémon has moved an inch. Jenny steps forward to announce the result.

"Both Pokémon are…" Loud gasps and exclamations of shock from the crowd cut her off.

Goly has stood up. With a battered body and broken bones, with a pseudo legendary steel titan as his opponent, with nothing but his sheer willpower alone, Goliath the Linoone stands up while Metagross remains on the ground.

"A prodigy, huh?" Tyson's face morphs from one of complete disbelief to one of acceptance. "I can only see you as a complete monster. Regardless of how you act, I can't say you aren't serious after a battle like that."

Jenny stares for a moment visibly shocked, then revises her announcement.

"The winner of this battle is R…"

"Wait." This time, I'm the one to cut her off. "It's my loss." I throw the badge across the field to Tyson.

"What?!" Tyson is the first to respond after catching the badge out of the air, but similar exclamations can be heard all around the field.

"Why do you say that?" Jenny asks, looking just as disbelieving as all the spectators. "Your Linoone is the only Pokémon standing."

"Standing isn't the requirement to win a battle," I respond, bitterness leaks into my voice unintentionally, but I refuse to take a win that I don't feel like I've earned. "The requirement to win is that your Pokémon needs to be able to continue while the other Pokémon isn't," I announce the obvious. Without explaining further I begin walking towards Goly. "Goly, look here."

There is no response.

When I arrive before my starter, I look directly into his foggy, unfocused eyes and can see clear as day that he's out cold. Eris hops off my shoulder and walks up to his face, waving in front of his eyes. When he doesn't react, she pokes his nose. Still no response. While Eris occupies herself by poking and prodding at the unconscious fighter, I return my attention to the referee, Jenny.

"See, Goliath's out cold." My words are the only thing that can be heard in the dead silence of the surroundings.

Then, a single click noise of a camera rings out. Soon enough, the noise multiplies as several other pictures are taken. Then the crowd grows louder and louder as the spectators excitedly discuss the unbelievable events before them.

"Quiet!" Jenny silences them so that her decision can be heard. She looks back at me. "You aren't wrong, but Metagross has been unconscious ever since it launched its Psychic attack. If your Linoone, Goliath, stood up, that means that he was conscious for longer than Metagross. By League regulations, that means you win."

"I can't accept a win like that," I stubbornly refuse. "In a regulation battle, it wouldn't be one-on-one. If Goly got a double knockout in a battle with our full teams, we would lose the full battle since I only have three Pokémon. Accepting this as a win won't help me or Goly to grow stronger."

"Even so, I can't lie about an official battle's result," Jenny shakes her head, though the way she looks at me shows a lot more respect than when she first appeared here. "At best, I can call this a draw."

"Nope," Tyson walks up to us both and puts a hand on my shoulder. "That won't be possible, officer. I've already logged it into my account as an official loss. You wouldn't make me commit a crime by falsifying my record, would you?" He smiles at us.

My Poketch vibrates as it updates my record and I know that I've lost the argument. I look away in displeasure as I am forced to give up on it. While the battle was incredibly fun, it's not a victory that I can feel good about. After all, this just confirmed that I would lose a full battle against Tyson. With only three Pokémon, I need Goly, as my strongest, to be capable of taking out more than just one of Tyson's team.

I need to fill out my team. The sooner the better.

"The winner of this one-on-one battle between Tyson Tetsuya and Reid Redwood by knockout is Reid Redwood and Goliath the Linoone!" Jenny takes her chance to announce the result, uninterrupted.

Loud cheers shake the air as the crowd shows their appreciation for the phenomenal battle they just witnessed. In the center of all this attention, Tyson pats my shoulder and hands me five one hundred Poke bills.

"You will accept it, right?" He smiles teasingly at me. "After all, Officer Jenny is right there and I'd rather not become a criminal. Oh, I will keep my badge though, if you don't mind."

"I don't have a choice but to accept it," I sigh as I take the money. "The one who won't accept this is Goliath. He's too prideful to be happy with a win that he earned on a technicality."

"Even so, you said it right there. He earned it," Tyson looks over at the immobile Linoone, even as Eris continues to mess with him. "Even that technicality wouldn't have been possible if he didn't push himself to stand up. After all, Metagross wasn't able to do that." He looks down at the Pokeball in his hand, having already returned the ace of his team.

"You're right, but Goly needs to do better than that. If we want to be the best in the world, I can't have him being satisfied with a glorified tie. In a full battle, I would have lost to you today."

"Maybe," Tyson agrees. "But it wasn't a full battle, and you don't even have a team to have a full battle with anyways. You may be the most incredible super rookie to have ever appeared in Hoenn but don't forget that you are still a rookie. You can't have everything from the start. It took me five years to build my team to this point. Don't feel so rushed."

"Hmph, I guess you've got a point," I begrudgingly concede. "Still, I can't afford to take it easy or be happy with where I'm at. In five years, I plan on being the strongest Trainer in history, so I can't take things slowly. For now, I'll settle for building a team that can crush yours in one year. I'll see you at the Ever Grande." I audaciously reach out for a handshake after throwing down the gauntlet like that.

Tyson's eyes momentarily widen at my crass attitude, but a competitive smile soon takes over his face and he takes my hand.

"I'll look forward to our next battle then. It looks like I'll need to step up our training intensity until then. I get the feeling that you are going to be an entirely different kind of beast by the time the Conference starts. I'll need to push the team extra hard if we want to keep up with a monster like you. But," His fierce smile momentarily falters and a look of concern takes over his face. "Do try to work on your behavior a bit. I'm worried you'll get arrested or join some kind of sketchy organization before we get the chance to battle again."

"Oh, piss off!" I turn away from Tyson to walk towards my Pokémon.

"Hahaha!" He breaks out in laughter behind me. "If only your personality was as good as your skills! Hahaha! I'm heading to the Pokémon Center. I'll see you there."

I don't acknowledge him as I crouch in front of Goly and take a Sitrus Berry out of my bag. Using my thumbs, I tear it open so that the scent permeates the area and hold it under Goly's nose.

The first reaction he has is to stick out his tongue and lick it. Then his eyes come into focus and his head lurches forwards and chomps down on it. I barely manage to get my fingers and hand out of the way in time.

"Sasasasa!" Eris breaks out in laughter at the scene.

After he swallows the berry in a gluttonous frenzy, Goly collapses on the ground, deep in slumber. I sigh at the sight before returning him to his cozy little Premier Ball.

When I get up to head to the Pokémon Center, I am stopped by the crowd one after another, they heap on praises and congratulations. Each of them seems genuine in their appreciation and excitement, unlike the common reporters and journalists, so I take the time to talk with them all. We chat about my Pokémon, my goals, when I plan to battle Norman, and any other topic they ask about.

Eris isn't one to be trusted in a crowd like this, so I return her, but I release Mirabelle in her place. Mirabelle adores people, ever since staying at the orphanage, so she preens under the attention. The sweet dinosaur meanders through the crowd, offering fruits to whoever she comes across and gravitating particularly towards the younger members of the crowd. She truly is my resident team mom.

Anyways, after spending close to an hour just casually interacting with the locals of Petalburg, I finally make my way to the Pokémon Center and hand Goly off to Nurse Joy. I am, once again, reprimanded for pushing him too far, but I'll spare you all the details of that particular lecture. Just know that it was long and unpleasant. Something about having women as kind as the Joy family mad at you really feels like a kick in the sack.

Not in the mood for conversation, I sit outside with my back resting against Mirabelle and with Eris in my lap as I wait out Goly's treatment. I had been told that she will need to care for him for three hours before she can give him back to me, but he won't be back to one hundred percent for four or five days. Apparently, our 'Stop and Go' tactic put even more strain on his legs than I had thought.

Nurse Joy had asked what caused such damage to his legs, so I showed her my recording of the battle and talked her through exactly what Goly was doing. She recommended against using that strategy until Goly's leg muscles are far more developed. She even said that it was something that should be impossible for a Linoone in the first place, claiming that even an Arcanine would have a hard time pulling off that tactic.

Regardless, I wait out the three hours in peace with a pair of headphones over my ears and some Roxy and the Toxics playing. Mirabelle and Eris nap contentedly alongside me.

After the three hours pass and I pick Goly back up from Joy's assistant Chancey, I decide that it's time to fill Goly in on the results. I return the whole team and venture into a forested area at the outskirts of Petalburg City. I don't think where I'm at is far enough to count as part of the Petalburg Woods, but it might be. Either way, what matters is that it is secluded enough that we're alone.

I release the entire team. It's time to check in with them about our goals. After all, with two badges down, this can be considered to be a quarter of the way through the season. It's a good time for a team meeting.

"Tropius!" Mirabelle is the first to react to our surroundings, crooning happily at being back in the beauty of nature.

Eris doesn't say anything, instead opting to stare blankly at me with the giant crystal eyes. I swear she knows that that unsettles me.

"Lin? Noone?" Goly, on the other hand, looks at me with a very serious expression. His head is tilted in a questioning manner.

"They declared it as your win." I bluntly give him the results.

"Noone." Instead of the fierce and rabid outburst I had expected, his response is unexpectedly bitter. It almost sounds melancholy, a word that I never would have used when describing my lunatic of a starter.

"There's nothing for it, you were standing and Metagross wasn't. That means you won," Goly looks down at the ground, his head sinks even lower. "But it looks like you understand that that isn't good enough."

"Lin." Goly nods, but the movement is slow. Apparently, he's feeling really torn up about this one.

"I can't say there's any shame in your performance today," Goly looks up at me in surprise, he seems to want to protest my words. "That was a battle that should have been impossible for you to win. You're a Linoone who is only around a year old. Your opponent was a member of one of the strongest Pokémon species in the world with a combination of the absolute strongest defensive typing and one of the best offensives types. Winning a battle like that, even with a double knockout, is something that most of the world would consider a miraculous victory."

"Noone. Linoone." Goly quietly protests my words. While he knows that what I'm saying is true, he can't accept it.

"Right, I agree. That means nothing." I nod along, somehow understanding my Pokémon's words completely. "What the rest of the world thinks or considers miraculous means nothing to us because we exist to turn their expectations and preconceptions upside down. Today, you battled a phenomenal battle for an underdog Pokémon. However, I need more from you than that. I need more from myself than that. I named you Goliath because I am certain that you will become far more than an underdog story. Today, we won the battle, but we lost against our own expectations. If we're content with just winning, we'll never reach the top of the world."

"Linoone." Goly looks at me with a hardened look. I can see the flames of desire burning in his eyes. Goliath wants, more than anyone else, to reach our dream. Maybe he even wants it more than I do.

"Goliath the Linoone," I call out his name to get his full attention, even though I already have it. "That Metagross was the strongest Pokémon of the strongest Trainer in Hoenn's Ever Grande Conference. We need to be able to absolutely crush Pokémon of that level by the end of the year if we want to move on to challenge people like the Champion who crushed us earlier. Can you do it? In less than a year, can you become strong enough to turn today's tie into a dominating victory?"

"Linoone!" Goly yells out in determination.

"Good," I grin at my starter who has regained his spirit. "Next, Mirabelle!"

"Tropius." Belle stands at attention after hearing her name.

"Today has shown me that we can't keep relying solely on Goly when we're outclassed," Goly begins protesting, but I grab his muzzle to force him to be quiet while I continue looking at and speaking to Belle. "When our opponents have their own powerful ace in the hole, Goly isn't yet at the point where he can crush any opposition. He will get there, but it is still a ways off. I can't keep waiting for you to play the catch up game anymore. We are going to get you to reach the same level as Goly, or higher, as soon as possible. Expect your training to become brutally difficult from here on out."

"Trop!" Instead of fearing even harder training than the grueling work she is already putting in, Mirabelle looks excited at the prospect of catching up to her senior teammate who has always appeared unreachable to her.

"Eris! We're going to change our plans a bit."

"Sable?" Eris tilts her head in confusion when my message to her is different from what she had imagined.

"Instead of battling the Gym here, then rushing straight to the Contest in Rustboro, we will be focusing the next two weeks of your training primarily on contest prep. We're going to put off Petalburg Gym until after the Contest and Gym battle in Rustboro. By then, Mirabelle should be able to fly us back and forth with no problems, so we won't lose any time. That means winning your Contest is the next thing on our schedule." I announce my last minute change in our plans to my team.

"Sabe! Sable, Sableye!" Eris jumps up and down in excitement before diving at me in a wide arm hug. While she's adorable and I'm enjoying the uncommon affection from the Ghost, it's time to remind her of reality.

"While it's good that you're happy, this means that the next two weeks will be dedicated entirely to two things: Training and finding a new team member." I bluntly announce the reason for our change in plans. "We've all had some great battles in the last couple weeks, but it's time to put in some dedicated training to solidify our growth. These two weeks will be the opposite of a break. I hate to ruin your joy, but this is going to be hellishly difficult. Are you all prepared to go through hell to become stronger?"

"Lin!" Goly yips challengingly. Daring me to find a task too difficult for him to accomplish.

"Tropius!" Mirabelle cries out in excitement. It would seem that she has already forgotten all the times she's cried during her training.

"Sable!" Eris is off in her own world, walking down an imaginary runway and striking poses to an imaginary audience.

I can't help but grin with childish glee at the sight of my unconventional team. We may be a band of misfits, but we're the best damn band of misfits I could ever ask for!

Unbeknownst to me, an entire swarm of black and white eyes stare down at us from the tree canopies. Too many fangs to count are pointed towards me and each and every member of my team.


Reid Redwood

Badges: 2

Pokémon: 3

Goliath (Goly)

Linoone

Abilities:

Gluttony, Pick Up, Quick Feet

Moves:

Slash, Shadow Claw, Headbutt, Double Edge, Dig, Pin Missile, Iron Tail, Extreme Speed, Covet, Flail, Thunderbolt, Protect, Rest, Belly Drum, Double Team, Growl, Sand Attack, Tail Whip

Mirabelle (Belle)

Tropius

Abilities:

Harvest, Solar Power

Moves:

Air Slash, Magical Leaf, Sunny Day, Protect, Whirlwind, Razor Leaf, Gust, Leaf Storm, Leech Seed, Curse, Growth, Stomp, Sweet Scent, Wide Guard

Eris

Sableye

Abilities:

Prankster, Keen Eye

Moves:

Attract, Thunder Wave, Flatter, Sucker Punch, Shadow Sneak, Shadow Claw, Fury Swipes, Taunt, Detect, Disable