I was in a very good mood when I woke up the next morning. It certainly helped that I'd managed to have a pretty decent sleep, after my talk with Michelle.
I was currently in Michelle's hotel room with her as we both waited for our friends to finish readying themselves for the day.
I smiled as I remembered how today was the day that Jason would have his gym battle with Juan. Already, I couldn't help but wonder how it would all unfold. Hopefully, Jason would be able to win his Rain Badge on his first try, like I had.
"Hey, Adam?"
I turned my head towards where Michelle was currently lounging in relaxation on her bed.
"Yes?"
"There's something that I was recently wondering about." Michelle said as she rolled onto her side, looking directly my way. "Specifically, I was wondering how your Aura training has been going since we last met?"
"Pretty well, actually." I responded with a smile. "Granted, there was an incident in which I lost control, but I've been working hard on maintaining control since then."
Michelle raised her eyebrow with a concerned look and said, "Dare I ask?"
"Well, to make a long story short, we had a particularly unpleasant encounter with Hunter Mya while engaging in a short period of travel alongside Trevor." I explained. "I went berserk with my Aura and the aftermath left me worried that I'd need to leave Jason and Megan, and travel solo for their own protection. Fortunately, Megan was able to talk some sense into me and we were able to work out a system to better train and control my Aura from there."
Michelle leaned her head forward, the rest of her body still lying comfortably on the bed. She looked eager to hear more.
"Megan told me that she could help me control my Aura by sharing memories and feelings with me through her own Aura. She even allowed me to view her memory of her first contest victory during our travels together, to prove her Aura-sharing ability. She certainly proved helpful in assisting me that way. I'm now able to create small Aura spheres and sometimes sense people's feelings. And as I'm sure you can attest, that's more than I was capable of doing with my Aura during the time that you spent traveling with me."
Michelle nodded in agreement and asked, "Could I potentially...be able to share my Aura with you, too?"
"I...hadn't thought about it. But I do share an Aura Bond with you, like I do with Megan and Jason, so it's possible. I suppose there's only one way to find out." I admitted as I walked over to join Michelle on the bed.
We sat across from each other, cross-legged on the bed, our eyes closed as we concentrated and held onto each other's hands. Currently, I was at able to detect Michelle's Aura and connect it with my own.
"Just focus on the memory that you want to share." I stated. "And visualize it in your mind to your absolute best ability, make every detail as clear as you can. That will make it easier for me to sense."
Michelle followed my advice very quickly, as her Aura soon started to brighten. Then white light filled my vision before an image started to take shape. And as the image in question fully developed and became clear, it wasn't long before I recognized it as the interior of Misty's house, back at Cerulean City.
I heard Ross's voice say, "Well, here we are, Robyn. Welcome to your new home."
And in that instant, none other than a very curious-looking Robyn came slowly walking into my line of sight from behind me. I was seeing this memory through Michelle's eyes, of course.
This must be the day that they first brought Robyn home, after adopting her. I thought to myself.
As I watched Robyn slowly walking through the house, I noticed that I was starting to also feel Michelle's emotions from that memory, just as I'd done with Megan's memory of her first contest victory. And in that moment, Michelle was very excited and joyful that her family had adopted Robyn. But at the same time, I could also detect just the smallest part of her that felt nervous about how Robyn would feel about the matter, not to mention of whether or not Robyn would ever truly fully accept her, Misty, and Ross as her new family. And that small part of her continued to burn quite brightly in Michelle's mind, despite its small size throughout the time she watched Robyn explore the house and allow herself the chance to start settling in.
But then, a few minutes later, Robyn came to a stop directly in front of Michelle before suddenly hugging Michelle around the waist. And in that moment, Michelle had just enough time to feel a brief twinge of surprise before Robyn spoke.
"Thank you so much for letting me into your family, Michelle. You're gonna be the best big sis ever!" she said.
The sound of this was all that Michelle needed to hear, as I felt all of her lingering doubts instantly vanish after Robyn spoke those words. And as if to further hammer in how little need there would be for Michelle to worry, Robyn then turned her head towards where Misty and Ross were still standing.
"Wanna come and hug us too, Mommy? Daddy?" she asked.
Ross chuckled, already stepping over towards them, and wrapped his arms around Michelle and Robyn.
"Of course we'll hug you, sweetie." Misty said as she came over and added her own embrace into the mix.
And in that moment, I didn't even need to detect Michelle's own joy in that moment to feel similar happiness of my own as I watched the whole scene unfold.
Then my vision suddenly turned pure white once more as the memory ended, and I opened my eyes, with Michelle opening her own eyes at the exact same time. For about a minute, we panted and gasped to regain our breath from the energy we'd expended for the sake of our little Aura experiment.
"Well, Adam...I guess that answers my question." Michelle stated.
"Yep." I replied, letting out one last brief cough. "What I achieved with Megan definitely wasn't something limited to her. It can work with anyone with whom I have a strong Aura Bond."
Admittedly, that meant that, assuming I ever spent enough time around Amber, I'd probably be able to perform a similar feat with her as well. That would mean that there would still potentially be a decent bit of difficulty in choosing between her and Megan, depending on how things unfolded in the future between us.
But in that moment, my happiness of feeling just how strong of a connection I was still able to form with Michelle through our Auras - despite the way that things had ended between us back in Altomare - made me push those thoughts aside.
Michelle then asked, "I take it that you liked the memory that I showed you?"
I looked meaningfully at Michelle, nodding my head with a proud smile on my face.
"I saw right away yesterday just how close you and Robyn are, and the love that you have for each other as sisters. But now I've actually felt that love for myself through your Aura, and I can tell for certain just how genuine it is. Robyn is lucky to have you as a sister, and Ross and Misty as her new parents."
Michelle's smile widened as she said, "Well, that's good to hear."
Suddenly, we heard someone knocking on the door to the room, effectively ending the moment.
"You guys done in there?" Megan's voice asked from outside the door. "Jason and I are ready to head for the gym."
"We're good!" I yelled.
"Just give us a second to grab our bags." Michelle added.
Jason's POV
I was in a very good mood. At the very least, I was feeling confident that, one way or another, I would successfully win my badge today. Admittedly, I wouldn't have quite as big of an audience, compared to Adam, but I didn't mind that. After all, the only audience that I really needed was my closest friends, and I certainly couldn't deny that such an audience was exactly what I was getting today.
We were all gathered in the main battle area of the gym, with Adam and the girls seated in the bleachers to watch the battle, Sebastian standing at his post as the referee, and Juan and I positioned on opposite ends of the pool for our battle.
"At this time," said Sebastian, "Jason shall do battle with gym leader Juan, starting with a double battle!"
Juan nodded his head and declared, "You're certain that you're ready, Jason? Because once I've sent out my Pokemon, there will be no turning back."
I chuckled, a confident grin on my face as I drew out the two Pokeballs containing the Pokemon that I intended to use for the double battle.
"Oh, I'm definitely ready, Juan." I said. "I'm not scared."
"Have it your way, then." Juan said, swiftly drawing out his own two Pokeballs for the double battle.
"Seaking, Sealeo, spotlight!" In a flash, both Pokemon were released into the pool, with Sealeo quickly climbing aboard a pool pad while Seaking remained in the water.
"Tangela! Weavile! I need you now!" Both of my Pokemon were promptly released from their Pokeballs and onto their pool pads, both of them squealing in anticipation as they readied themselves for battle.
"Sealeo, open up with Ice Ball against Tangela! Seaking, be on standby with a Horn Attack!" Seaking dove under the water while Sealeo opened its mouth and prepared to use Ice Ball.
"Tangela, see if you can smack the Ice Balls away with Vine Whip!" I called out. Tangela caused two of its vines to extend into the appropriate size for Vine Whip and proceeded to use said vines to successfully swat away all three of the Ice Balls that Sealeo spat out.
But then, Seaking then suddenly lunged out of the water and banged into Tangela with Horn Attack!
"Always keep your eyes open for as many possibilities as possible." Juan said as I gritted my teeth at the sight of Tangela being temporarily knocked off of its pool pad and into the water. "Too much focus on one element can easily leave you blindsided by another."
Shaking my head to clear my thoughts and stay calm, I looked to Weavile while Seaking swam away from Tangela and allowed the grass type to use its vines to clamber back onto its pool pad.
"Weavile, use Dark Pulse on Sealeo!" Weavile snarled determinedly, already preparing a Dark Pulse between his claws before he shot the resulting beam of black and purple energy rings towards Sealeo...only for Seaking to suddenly burst out from the water in between Sealeo and Weavile and deflecting the beam away with Horn Drill!
"You'll have to try harder than that, Jason." Juan said patiently. He then gestured towards Tangela once more. "Sealeo, use Blizzard!"
"No you don't! Weavile, block that with Metal Claw!" I yelled. Weavile jumped in between Tangela and the incoming Blizzard, his claws glowing white and silver before becoming encased in enlarged blade-shaped auras as he proceeded to parry the Blizzard with an x-shaped slash, sending the icy mist billowing across the center of the pool and forming a layer of ice across the water directly beneath himself in a way that allowed it a clear path to skate across the water towards Sealeo.
"Hurry, Weavile! Run up to Sealeo and use Night Slash!" Weavile snarled, his claws now glowing with light purple energy as he prepared his Night Slash. And this aura was still present as he began rushing head-on, straight towards Sealeo.
"Seaking, destroy that ice path with Horn Drill!" Juan ordered. Seaking, its Horn Drill active, suddenly erupted from the ice directly underneath Weavile, sending him flying up into the air.
"Now, Sealeo! Aurora Beam!" It was too late for me to do anything before Tangela got hit by the Aurora Beam and knocked into the water, with Weavile also landing in the water with a loud splash seconds later.
"You certainly appear to be in a bit of a bind right now, Jason." Juan stated sympathetically as both of my Pokemon slowly managed to clamber back onto their respective pool pads. "But nonetheless, I'll be very interested to see how you handle things from here."
"You and me both." Adam said as he watched from his seat, alongside Michelle and Megan.
As much as I didn't want to admit it, Juan wasn't wrong. Clearly, much like Adam, I'd need to rethink my strategy a little. Especially considering how, from one look at Tangela, I could tell that I could soon be reduced to having just one Pokemon fighting against two if I didn't find a way to turn things around.
Then my eyes widened as I realized something important that I could use to my advantage.
"While you may have dealt a lot more damage to my Pokemon than I've dealt to yours, we're technically still somewhat evenly matched." I stated.
"Really now?" Juan said, raising his eyebrow in curiosity. "How so?"
"You've got your Seaking acting as the unofficial defender for your Sealeo. But I've also got my Weavile to act as an unofficial defender for my Tangela. I mean, considering what I was able to have my Weavile pull off against your Sealeo's Blizzard, you can certainly see truth in such a claim, right?"
"Hmm, I suppose you're not wrong there." Juan admitted. "But why tell me this?"
"Simple. If you're so confident in how difficult you've now made it for me to beat you, then why don't you make things even easier for yourself by sending your Seaking after Weavile?"
Hearing this, Megan looked to Adam and Michelle in clear confusion.
"What the heck is he up to?" Megan asked.
Adam shrugged and said, "Beats me."
"Your guess is as good as mine." said Michelle.
"I'll admit, I do have my suspicions as to why you're so freely offering me a means to go ahead and make it potentially even easier for me to beat you. But I suppose that, in the event that I actually do succeed in what you're suggesting, then high risk does come with high reward."
He then pointed at Weavile, declaring, "Seaking, show Weavile a good show with Horn Drill!" Seaking dove under the water and went speeding off in Weavile's direction before lunging straight at my Pokemon.
"Weavile, deflect it with Metal Claw!" Acting fast, Weavile used Metal Claw just in time to effectively block Seaking's rapidly rotating horn right at the tip before initiating an x-shaped slash that caused Seaking to be sent flying backwards and into the air. In that moment, with Seaking unable to easily defend itself, I was quick to follow up with an additional move.
"Alright, Weavile! Now's your chance! Jump up and let Seaking have it with Dark Pulse!" Weavile snarled and jumped up into the air before blasting Seaking back down into the pool with a loud splash with Dark Pulse. The whole thing was done so quickly that Juan barely even had time to react before Seaking landed in the pool. And when the resulting splash cleared, Seaking was revealed to be now completely out cold.
"Seaking is unable to battle." said Sebastian.
"Not bad, Jason." said Juan. "But please don't mind if I return the favor. Sealeo, use Aurora Beam on Weavile!"
"Quick, Weavile! Counter with Ice Beam!"
Thankfully, Weavile had just landed back on his pool pad by the time I gave that command, and he obediently unleashed Ice Beam in time to clash it against Sealeo's Aurora Beam, directly above the center of the pool. The two beams began to push back and forth against each other in a reverse tug-o-war situation.
As this happened, Juan seemed very focused on Weavile. His eyes narrowed as he watched the unfolding duel as if silently hoping for Sealeo to gain the upper hand. But in that instant, he was now forgetting a crucial detail. One that I was now eager to exploit!
"Tangela, use Wrap!" Tangela extended its vines and coiled them around Sealeo, who promptly stopped its Aurora Beam in surprise, with Weavile stopping his own Ice Beam to avoid the risk of hurting Tangela.
"Now follow up with Giga Drain!" Tangela's vines glowed green as it began to swiftly absorb energy from Sealeo. As this happened, I directed a confident smirk towards Juan.
"Looks like you forgot your own advice." I stated. "You got so focused on dealing with Weavile - even after Seaking had fainted - that you left yourself open to an attack from Tangela."
"A mistake that I shall hopefully learn from and avoid repeating in the near future." he stated, then lifted a finger as if to emphasize a point that he was about to make.
"But I can still counter this current little trick of yours easily enough. Sealeo, use Blizzard! Full power!" Groaning weakly, Sealeo opened its jaws and spewed out the icy Blizzard, causing Tangela to squeal in surprise and pain as it found itself forced to withdraw its vines and getting its healing from the Giga Drain effectively cancelled out.
"And just like that, your Tangela's healing is undone." Juan stated.
"That may be true. But it didn't undo the damage that Tangela dealt to Sealeo for the sake of said healing." I replied.
In that instant, Juan's eyes widened as he realized the valid point I'd just made.
"Now, Weavile! Use Night Slash!" Weavile jumped at Sealeo and used Night Slash as ordered, knocking Sealeo off of its pool pad and straight onto the floor spot directly to Juan's left, out of the pool. It briefly attempted to get back on its feet before collapsing.
"Sealeo is unable to battle. Jason shall now proceed to continue his clash with Juan in the second round of this challenge!"
Juan and I both nodded as we returned our respective Pokemon to allow them the chance to rest.
"You fought well." said Juan. "But you'd best hope that you can keep it up if you wish to have the same luck against me in the second round that you ended up having in the first."
"I'm sure that I won't disappoint you." I chuckled.
The pool was then converted into its designated form for the second round of the battle, and the second round was ready to begin.
"At this time, the match shall continue with a three-on-three battle." said Sebastian.
"Luvdisc, curtain!"
"Let's go, Gengar!"
In a flash, Luvdisc and Gengar were released from their Pokeballs, with the former landing into the water with a small splash while the latter started swiftly floating through the air.
"Luvdisc, use Sweet Kiss!" Juan yelled. Luvdisc hummed obediently before firing off the heart-shaped projectile that came with use of Sweet Kiss.
"Counter with Shadow Ball!" I yelled. Gengar chuckled eagerly and fired a Shadow Ball. The orb of darkness crashed into the Sweet Kiss projectile, bursting into pink light fragments and hurtling straight at Luvdisc, sending it flying backwards!
"Don't get too cocky now. Luvdisc, use Water Pulse!" Luvdisc, recovering from the Shadow Ball, spat out a large orb of water. The attack flew right at Gengar at surprisingly high speed for something of its size, and especially coming from a Pokemon as small as Luvdisc.
"Gengar, counter with Dark Pulse!" Gengar fired off its Dark Pulse in time to cause the Water Pulse to harmlessly burst into water droplets well before it had the chance to hit...only for the massive bunch of water droplets to start falling down upon the water like rain. And it was in that instant that my eyes widened as I realized what I'd just done.
Juan chuckled in amusement and stated, "You shouldn't have done that."
At that very moment, Luvdisc proceeded to start rapidly swimming in circles through the water in the lake. And with the high speed at which it was now moving, large amounts of water went flying up towards the ceiling before subsequently falling down back to the lake in a way that was just similar enough to rain to keep Luvdisc's Swift Swim ability active for even longer!
"Oh no..." I muttered as I realized just how much more difficult things would now be.
"Luvdisc, lunge up at Gengar and give it a good dazzle with Water Gun!"
"Dodge that!"
Unfortunately, my command came too late, and Gengar was sent flying back with a shriek as it got hit right in the face by Luvdisc's Water Gun!
"Luvdisc, another round of Water Gun ought to make a nice crowd pleaser, don't you think?" Juan asked. Luvdisc moaned in agreement and spat out another stream of water for its Water Gun attack.
But as the Water Gun headed towards Gengar, I was ready to enact what was a very risky plan that I now had in mind for hopefully defeating Luvdisc.
"Gengar, counter with Shadow Ball! And don't worry about the potential rain simulation effect! I know what I'm doing!" I shouted. Gengar was uncertain, but did as asked. And as the resulting backlash from the deflected Water Gun began raining down upon Luvdisc, I was very quick to get the next step of my plan at the ready.
"Gengar, get a Shadow Punch ready, and quick!" Gengar raised its right arm, purple sparks traveling up to its right fist before it threw that same arm downwards and sent what looked like a giant fist of shadowy energy down into the floor directly beneath it.
"Don't forget that my Luvdisc is now more than capable of pulling off impressive feats in a hurry in its own right, thanks to Swift Swim." Juan declared.
"Luvdisc, lunge up at Gengar and use Sweet Kiss!" Luvdisc lunged out of the water and went rocketing right towards Gengar, eager to use Sweet Kiss.
But right as Luvdisc reached the halfway point between its original position and Gengar's current position, I eagerly yelled, "Now, Gengar!"
And in that moment, by sheer luck, I'd gotten my timing just right. With a triumphant chuckle, Gengar caused the shadowy fist that had descended into the floor beneath it to erupt up from out of the water directly in front of it. And by continued sheer luck on my part, said shadowy fist slammed right into Luvdisc from underneath, just as it reached the ideal position for its planned usage of Sweet Kiss!
Squealing in surprise and pain, Luvdisc went rapidly rocketing up into the air, completely unable to defend itself. And I was more than eager to take full advantage of that!
"Now, Gengar! Fly up and send Luvdisc back to Juan with a nice Dark Pulse!" Gengar did as asked and just like that, Luvdisc was sent flying back down to Juan by the Dark Pulse, losing consciousness upon landing in the water directly in front of the gym leader.
"Luvdisc is unable to battle. Gengar wins!"
Juan nodded his head and returned Luvdisc to its Pokeball.
"Not bad." he stated. "But don't get too comfortable. As I'm sure you're well aware from Adam's battle yesterday, my remaining Pokemon are much hardier." He drew out another Pokeball and threw it. "And that includes you, Whiscash! Spotlight!"
I nodded my head, already having a feeling that I'd really need to make sure to not let my guard down, due to how Adam had already taken advantage of his own Gengar's invulnerability to all but one of the moves that Juan's Whiscash had at its disposal, which would therefore likely mean that Juan had figured out a way to work around that limitation.
"Stay on your guard, Gengar." I said. "Juan may still have a trick up his sleeve."
"And you'd be correct to think so." Juan stated, pointing up towards the ceiling above the indoor lake in the center of the landmass between him and I.
"Whiscash, levitate yourself all the way up to the ceiling and then slam down into the lake's center with a Rock Smash!" Whiscash coated itself with a yellow aura and levitated itself all the way up to the ceiling directly above the center of the lake.
My eyes narrowed warily as I kept my eyes focused on the high altitude that Whiscash had now levitated itself up to in preparation for using Rock Smash. And while I had no idea as to just what Juan hoped to accomplish, I was not about to let my guard down in the slightest.
"Be ready for anything, Gengar." I stated. "Whatever Juan's got in mind right now, things might soon get pretty rough."
Gengar nodded in understanding. But mere seconds later, all was revealed when Whiscash slammed itself down hard upon the center of the lake with Rock Smash from its high height and all of the water in the lake erupted into a massive geyser!
"Now, Whiscash! Use Surf!" Juan shouted. Whiscash used Surf and caused the entire geyser of water to come slamming down on us all. When the water finally cleared and receded back to its rightful position, we all noticed that Gengar was lying on the floor, out cold.
"Gengar is unable to battle. Whiscash wins!"
"You did great, Gengar. Take a good rest." I said, returning it to its Pokeball.
I looked back to Juan and Whiscash. At this point, I now had no choice but to use a Pokemon that, while much weaker and smaller than Whiscash, was the best option that I had.
"Treecko, I choose you!" I shouted confidently as I released him from his Pokeball.
"An interesting choice." said Juan. "But of course, even the smallest and seemingly weakest of Pokemon can possess surprising strength and courage. Whiscash, test Treecko's resolve with a nice Rock Smash."
"Dodge that with Agility!"
Treecko dashed aside just in time to avoid getting crushed under Whiscash when it slammed down on where Treecko had been standing.
"Good job! Now follow up with Quick Attack! And combine that with Pound for good measure!" Treecko rushed at Whiscash at blinding speed before slamming into it while also smacking his tail against Whiscash's head with his Pound attack.
"Not a bad start." Juan stated as Whiscash levitated itself back to its original position on the battlefield. "But it will take more than that to bring down my Pokemon. Whiscash, use Surf!"
This time, I had no chance of getting Treecko to dodge in time, and the little Grass Pokemon got blown backwards towards the bleachers after getting hit by the wave. And while not a particularly large amount of damage appeared to have been done, thanks to the type advantage, he did seem knocked for a loop.
"Treecko, heal yourself with Absorb!" I ordered. Treecko raised his hands, firing a red beam from both of them that struck Whiscash, causing it to glow red as energy was drained out of it and into Treecko to heal him. Treecko chirped after the healing was completed, feeling good as new.
"Whiscash, use Rock Smash!"
"Dodge that with Agility, Treecko!"
Treecko once again dodged Whiscash's Rock Smash. And naturally, I responded with the same retaliatory move I'd had him do the previous time.
"Now rush back with Quick Attack, combined with Pound!" Treecko did as requested, slamming into Whiscash at blinding speed while also slapping it right in the face with his right hand for his Pound attack for good measure! Unfortunately, Juan was ready this time.
"Whiscash, use Tickle!" In a flash, Treecko found himself caught in Whiscash's whisker tendrils before he could rush back out of reach. He started hissing and laughing in equal parts amusement and discomfort as he started getting tickled.
"Whiscash, try using Rock Smash again. This time, I have a feeling you'll get much better results." said Juan. Whiscash did as requested, letting go of Treecko at the exact same moment that he was slammed back down to the floor from Rock Smash. Treecko went bouncing backwards across the floor, groaning in pain as he eventually skidded to a stop.
"Don't worry, Treecko. You can still do this. See if you can heal yourself with another Absorb." Treecko did as requested. But while he did seem to be a bit better than before, he wasn't quite as fully rejuvenated as he'd been the first time he'd used Absorb in this battle. Nevertheless, I was determined to have him continue fighting, not willing to admit defeat just yet.
"Use Quick Attack!"
"Whiscash, block that with Tickle!"
By sheer luck, Whiscash successfully caught Treecko in its tendrils before Treecko could slam into it with Quick Attack, and it started tickling him once more.
"Hurry, Treecko! Bust out of there with Pound!" Hissing, Treecko slammed his hand into Whiscash's face with Pound, startling Whiscash enough to cause it to let go of Treecko and allowing him to hurriedly rush back over towards me.
Juan nodded his head as this happened, evidently not too put off at him managing to escape the Tickle.
"That should have his defences lowered just enough." he stated. "Whiscash, time for a real showstopper. Prepare your Hyper Beam!"
Groaning determinedly, Whiscash started charging up its Hyper Beam.
"This definitely doesn't look good." said Adam.
I gritted my teeth. Nevertheless, I couldn't give up now.
"Treecko, use Absorb again. Try to regain as much energy as possible!" Treecko used Absorb once more. Hopefully, that would be enough.
"Now, Whiscash!" With a triumphant bellow, Whiscash unleashed its Hyper Beam, the massive beam of energy flying so fast in Treecko's direction that I had no time to give a command to dodge or counter before he got hit and sent flying. Treecko slammed right into a wall, and then slid painfully down to the floor, groaning in pain upon landing.
"This isn't looking good." I whispered under my breath.
But miraculously, Treecko managed to get back to his feet. And he suddenly became encased in white light as he began to increase in size and change shape in the distinctive fashion that came with evolving. And within seconds, a newly-evolved Grovyle stood in Treecko's place!
"Wow!" Megan yelled, clear awe on her face.
"You sure got lucky there." said Adam.
I chuckled nervously, hiding it with a seemingly prideful smirk. But even so, I knew better than to waste the opportunity that now came with my newly-evolved and rejuvenated Grovyle coming into play.
"Grovyle, use Pound!" I cried. Grovyle leaped at Whiscash, whipping the long leaf on his head against Whiscash's side. And judging by the loud bellow that Whiscash unleashed in response, the blow clearly must have hurt.
"That's right, keep it up!" I yelled. "Give it all you've got!"
Grovyle lifted his right arm, which was now glowing with a distinctive green light, indicative of a Leaf Blade, slamming it down right on Whiscash's head!
"Alright! Great work, Grovyle!" I yelled.
"Not so fast." said Juan. "Whiscash, use Surf!" Grovyle got caught in the subsequent wave that Whiscash summoned and rode. But thankfully, Grovyle didn't seem too badly affected this time around.
"We can still do this, Grovyle! Use Quick Attack, combined with Pound!" Grovyle obediently did as requested, slamming Whiscash in the face with his head leaf.
"Whiscash, grab him with Tickle!"
"Dodge!"
Grovyle jumped backwards just in time to avoid getting caught in Whiscash's tendrils. Evolving had made him become much faster!
"Good job! Now prepare another Leaf Blade!"
"Whiscash, prepare another Hyper Beam!"
At this point, it was now or never!
"Don't let it finish charging that up, Grovyle! Attack now with Leaf Blade! Give it all you've got!" Grovyle leaped into the air and flew at Whiscash, his right arm already rising up and becoming encased in the green leaf-shaped glow. And then, right as he was seconds away from landing directly in front of Whiscash, he slammed his arm down upon Whiscash's head and a loud 'BANG' echoed through the room as a dust cloud erupted from the area where Whiscash and Grovyle were positioned as a result of the impact.
As the dust cleared, I sighed in relief at the sight of Grovyle standing tall and Whiscash being out cold. Evidently, the strongest Leaf Blade that Grovyle could muster had been too much for Whiscash to handle at that particular moment.
"Whiscash is unable to battle. Grovyle wins!"
"You did well, my faithful friend. Take a long rest." Juan said, returning his Pokemon. He then drew out his final Pokeball.
"Well, I always save my best for last. Time to bring down the house, Milotic!" And just like that, Milotic was unleashed upon the battlefield, bellowing in anticipation as she glared towards Grovyle.
I pointed at Milotic, shouting, "Leaf Blade! Now!" Grovyle leaped straight towards Milotic's face, a Leaf Blade already charging up for a hopeful blow to Milotic's head.
"Now, Milotic! Show him a proper opening act with Hydro Pump!" Juan shouted. Grovyle, helpless to dodge in the midst of sailing through the air, was completely engulfed by the Hydro Pump that came blasting out of Milotic's mouth and was sent right into the wall behind him. When the Hydro Pump ended, Grovyle landed on his hands and knees, groaning in pain. Clearly, the sheer force of the attack, combined with that painful slam against that wall, had really done a decent amount of damage, despite him not being naturally weak against Water attacks.
"Milotic, put Grovyle out of his misery with Iron Tail." Before I had the chance to even try to tell Grovyle to dodge or counter, the Iron Tail slammed into him and knocked him out cold.
"Grovyle is unable to battle. Milotic is the winner!"
"You did good, buddy." I said as I returned him. "Take a good rest. You've earned it."
I then took out my last Pokeball, saying, "It's all up to you now, Lanturn!" Lanturn was released into the water of the indoor lake, a determined grin on its face as it stared up at the bigger Pokemon.
"Lanturn, use Spark!"
"Dodge that and retaliate with Iron Tail!"
Milotic did as requested, moving her head and neck aside just in time for Lanturn's Spark to fly harmlessly by. No sooner had this happened, she smacked Lanturn with Iron Tail.
"Okay, so Milotic's a bit faster at dodging than I thought. But I can work around that." I muttered to myself.
"Lanturn, use Thunder Wave!" Lanturn charged up electricity on the front orb on its head, and then fired a burst of paralyzing electricity at Milotic. This time, Milotic was unable to dodge in time, and she became paralyzed.
"Excellent work, Lanturn." I stated. "Now follow up with Spark!" Lanturn did as asked and judging by the pained moans that came from Milotic afterwards, it clearly did a good amount of damage!
"Again!" Lanturn obediently launched another Spark, once again causing a sizable amount of damage to Milotic. Unfortunately, the paralysis wore off after that.
"Good showmanship there, Jason." said Juan. "But I'm not going to take those two Sparks lying down. Milotic, use Twister!"
"Brace yourself!" I yelled, just in time to allow Lanturn to brace itself before the subsequent Twister caused it to briefly be launched into the air before landing back in the water with a loud splash.
"A quick Recover, if you please." Milotic did as requested, getting her energy rejuvenated just enough so that she wasn't quite as close to collapse as she'd been before. Unfortunately for her and Juan, I knew the perfect move to use next.
"Lanturn, use Discharge!" Lanturn unleashed multiple bolts of electricity from various directions, zapping Milotic in a quite dazzling fashion. Once the Discharge was over, the now visibly exhausted and charred Milotic let out a low moan of exhaustion and pain before collapsing upon the lake bed.
"Milotic is unable to battle. Lanturn is the winner! The winner of the match is Jason!"
Juan nodded, returning Milotic to her Pokeball even as he had a proud smile on his face.
"You fought well." he stated, taking out a Rain Badge. "Come on over, and it's yours."
Nodding my head, I walked proudly over to claim my Rain Badge. As I did so, I could already hear my friends applauding.
"Good job, Jason!" Adam yelled. "I knew that you could do it!"
"Three cheers for Jason!" Megan yelled.
"Good work, Jason!" Michelle yelled. "I had a feeling that your skill at battling hadn't diminished, once I saw how well Adam did yesterday!"
I chuckled. It certainly felt good to have won my badge on the first try. And of course, I now had all of the badges that I needed to join Adam in the Hoenn Pokemon League. I already couldn't wait to compete there!
Michelle's POV
After we returned to the hotel and entered the lobby, Amber met me there, saying that she had to talk to me privately. It had to have been something really important and personal. So Amber took me to her hotel room and locked the door.
"So," I said nonchalantly, a serious look on my face as I looked at Amber. "What did you want to talk about?"
Amber clasped her hands together as a small blush and an awkward half-smile appeared on her face.
"It's...about Adam." she admitted.
"Go on." I said, raising my eyebrow in curiosity.
"Well, the thing is..." She then brushed the back of her head, fingers curling through her golden yellow hair. "I think that I like him...as more than a friend."
"Is that so?" I asked, a visible smile on my face. "Well, I suppose I can't really say that I'm surprised, especially considering just how taken with him you seemed to be after he helped save us from Team Rocket last year. Have you told him yet?"
Amber shook her head sadly.
"No. I'm too afraid of him possibly rejecting me if I do tell him."
"And why's that?"
Amber sighed and explained, "Well, that's kind of where you come into the picture. I mean, considering how he feels about you...well, what kind of friend would I be if I were to get in the way of your own potential happiness with him?"
Hearing this, I couldn't help but make a silent realization and nod my head. Clearly, Adam hadn't yet allowed word of our talk the night before to spread enough to allow Amber to know the full story of our current standing.
"So to put it simply, if I'm to hypothetically tell him about my feelings, I'll need to know exactly where you two stand...and if I have your permission to pursue him." Amber finished.
I placed my hands on Amber's shoulders, a confident smile on my face as I looked into her eyes.
"Thank you very much for being so considerate of my own feelings. As your friend, I really do appreciate it. And since Adam clearly hasn't yet had the chance to talk about it enough for you to become aware, he and I talked yesterday after his gym battle, and we've both mutually agreed that we view each other only as honorary siblings. And with that being the case, I'm sure you'll be quite happy to know that I 100% give you my full blessing and permission to pursue a romance with Adam."
Amber smiled warmly at me, saying, "Thank you so much, Michelle. But even so, what if he still rejects me, even without having his eyes set on you? I mean, considering how he's one of the few boys I know who accepts me, even with full awareness of my family's history and connection to Team Rocket, I honestly can't help but worry what it would say about me if Adam were to still reject me as a romantic partner, despite otherwise accepting me as a friend. Or for that matter, whether or not I'd ever find anyone else that I could ever feel that way towards if he didn't reciprocate my feelings."
"And that's a fair concern. But look at Adam. It took a few months for his family to get him back on his feet and willing to go out into the world once more after wallowing away in sadness and self-pity over me rejecting him, after he'd been so certain that I was the one for him. And yet, here we now are with both you and Megan clearly having eyes on him under the hope of taking him as a boyfriend, not to mention confirmation from Adam himself that either of you could yet be worth him taking a chance on. Granted, that's not quite the same thing as what you're bringing up, but my point still stands. If Adam can find someone new to set his sights on after a rejection, I'm sure that you can, too.
"But at the end of the day, you'll never know either way if you don't take those brave first steps and tell him directly in spoken words how you feel about him. After all, as informative as it can be for him to use Aura, there's nothing quite like allowing someone to actually say something out loud to add an extra sense of legitimacy."
Amber thought to herself, and then eventually nodded her head in understanding. She then gave me a tight hug.
"Thanks again, Michelle." she said. "You're a really great friend."
I chuckled, eagerly reciprocating her embrace with a warm hug of my own.
"You're welcome, Amber. You're a really great friend, too."
And I meant it. Amber had truly been a great friend to me ever since we'd first met each other in Kanto, and I couldn't be prouder of the idea of her and Adam potentially being a couple. As much as I viewed Adam as an honorary brother, I certainly could see why Amber would find him so appealing as a potential boyfriend.
But in that same moment, I couldn't help but briefly find myself allowing some mild intrigue to rise in my mind as I once again remembered how Megan herself also seemed to be holding a torch for Adam, plus the fact that Adam himself seemed equally open to either one of them.
I have to admit, it ought to be quite interesting to see how this little love triangle plays out. I thought to myself.
Once the time was right, preferably after the Grand Festival, it would be very interesting to see just how things ended up unfolding between Adam, Megan, and Amber. Would he pick Amber? Would he pick Megan? Would he pick someone else entirely? Or, crazier still, would he pick both Megan AND Amber?!
Author's Note: Michelle helps Adam control his Aura by sharing a memory with him, like Megan has done. The memory of when her sister first started living with her and her family, no less.
Like Adam, Jason also defeats Juan and wins his eighth gym badge, meaning that both boys have qualified for the Hoenn Pokemon League!
And Amber has a talk with her best friend Michelle, making sure that she has her permission to pursue Adam, knowing how strongly he felt about Michelle in the past.
But being afraid of him possibly rejecting her in favor of Megan, will Amber find the courage to tell him the truth about how she feels?
And with the gym battles over, the Wallace Cup is up next! Who will emerge triumphant in that tournament?
Let us know if you have any guesses, and stay tuned as the Wallace Cup begins in the next chapter of Pokemon NG!