By the time Apollo and I left the Rustboro Trainers' School it was late, and our scheduled gym match was bright and early at nine in the morning. Roxanne had ushered us off the campus with warm wishes on our upcoming gym challenge and good fortunes on our travels. Apollo seemed to be quite pleased with whatever he and Lunatone had discussed during their time together, going so far as to bow to Lunatone as though he were his mentor.

As we walked back to the Pokécenter, I tried to ask Apollo about what they had discussed but he was adamant that it was a private conversation, so I let it be and didn't press him further. He was in exceptionally high spirits and seemed to be feeling rather confident, so I supposed he must have gotten just as much out of his private lesson as I did.

Although I was eager to begin reading Telepathic Tendencies, I quickly wrapped up the night by giving my team their vitamins and declaring it bedtime, reminding them that we had a big fight in the morning. They both seemed more than up for the challenge, and I could tell that Duran was especially eager for it to be over so that he could molt and rid himself of the discomfort of his cramped shell. I confirmed that it wasn't so uncomfortable that he couldn't wait until tomorrow, once again reminding him that if he felt like he couldn't wait he could do it now. He seemed determined to put it off so he could put his strength to the test, and Apollo confirmed that he wasn't feeling any pain so I saw no reason to forfeit the match.

Duran did request that he be allowed to sleep in his Net Ball though. If it helped him have a more comfortable night of rest, I was happy to comply.

After setting the alarm on the clock next to the bed, I laid in bed for a while but found myself unable to fall asleep. My mind constantly drifted toward my first gym battle and I wondered not only what kind of Pokémon we might face, but what kind of strategies we could employ against them. I'd done no research at all for the gym and didn't even know who the gym leader was. All I knew was that it was a rock-type gym, and they were bound to be exceedingly defensive.

I was too nervous to sleep and was unable to calm my racing mind, so I decided to recruit Apollo for help.

"Hey Apollo, would you mind using Hypnosis on me? I can't sleep," I muttered, gently nudging him with my foot.

Uncertainty. Hesitancy.

"It'll be fine, it's just for tonight. I need to be rested for our match tomorrow. At this rate I'll be a zombie during our battle, and that could mean making mistakes that get you guys hurt. Please?"

"Rules."

"Nurse Joy won't find out, and it's not that big of a deal. Just this once, I really need help here buddy."

"Once."

Apollo sat up and looked at me, his horn glowing. I gave an appreciative smile and leaned my head back on the pillow as I felt my mind grind to a halt, darkness quickly consuming me.

*BZZZZZZZZZ*

I jolted upright, quickly turning off the alarm as a startled Apollo looked around the room in a panic, seemingly ready for a fight. I couldn't help but laugh at his expense for a moment before rubbing his helmet soothingly, apologizing for not warning him that was going to happen.

I released Duran and decided to feed him a light breakfast to ensure he had plenty of energy for what I knew was going to be an especially hard day for him. Not only was he going to be key to winning the upcoming battle, but he was going to molt afterward and I knew it was going to be extremely draining for him. I laid out a few pellets of kibble from both bags, unsurprised to find that he ate both types when I got back from taking a shower. When I asked him which he preferred though, he indicated that the meat-based kibble was his favorite, so I mentally noted that for future reference before deciding to hold a quick team meeting.

"Alright guys, today's a big day for us; we're going to be taking on our first gym. It's a rock-type gym, so they will be extra tough defensively. I know you like to fight up close Duran, but Vice Grip won't be of much use to us here except for grabbing onto our opponent; your claws are strong but trust me when I say it won't be able to hurt opponents this sturdy. The key to victory is going to be keeping our distance and attacking from range."

Duran looked a bit crestfallen that he wouldn't be able to brawl, but I rubbed his shell and continued.

"We should be more than strong enough for this fight, but don't let your guard down or underestimate your opponent even for a second. Be swift and decisive. Take your opponent down as quickly as possible, before they have a chance to turn the tables. This is going to be recorded and people all over the world are going to be able to see this online, so let's give them a show and prove we aren't to be taken lightly."

"Corphish Co-Cor!"

Determination. "Win."

I gave a warm smile and rubbed them both affectionately before pulling out their balls, "Be ready for a fight when you're released. Do your best, I know you'll both do great."

They both dematerialized with resolve etched in their posture and faces, and I knew we were as ready as we could hope to be.

It was time to make our debut, and I planned on making a showing of it.

After grabbing a quick bite to eat from a street vendor I found myself sitting in a waiting room. I'd arrived ten minutes early just to be safe, but was now regretting it as I found myself with nothing to occupy my time but thoughts of our impending battle. I had half a mind to release Apollo so he could keep me company, but I didn't want to ruin the mindset I'd left him in by distracting him with my turbulent thoughts.

Despite knowing we'd surely fought tougher battles than what we were about to face, this felt different. This was an official gym battle against a trainer that the League had recognized as a being among the best of the best. I knew they'd be using younger Pokémon that hadn't been through the same training rigor their primary team was put through, but they were still trained by an expert nonetheless. As much benefit as I knew my team had gotten from our training, I was still a complete novice winging it, and I was growing increasingly worried that I had focused too much on developing their moves at the cost of completely neglecting their physical conditioning.

"Leader Georgia is ready for you."

My head snapped up to see a boy my age wearing a referee's uniform and gesturing for me to follow him, and I quickly made my way over as he led me through the doors and into a long hallway. My palms were sweaty and I suddenly wished I'd brought a bottle of water, but otherwise I was as ready as I could be.

"Few minutes early, isn't it?" I can't help but ask nervously.

"True, but why wait? She's ready, you're ready, may as well get this show on the road."

I stepped into an absolutely massive arena and was led up a set of stairs and into the challenger's box. I was struck by how empty the room was; despite being able to fit hundreds of people there were only about ten spectators scattered about, and although it was difficult to see most of the ones further back I did recognize two people; Samantha sitting beside Roxanne, someone I hadn't expected to see. I would have thought she'd have been busy holding a lecture or class of some sort at the academy, but perhaps her position at the school was more of a leadership and management role.

Even more surprisingly, there was a smaller Pokémon I couldn't quite make out in the seat on the other side of Samantha. They were quite a ways away and there were no lights on them so I couldn't see too clearly, but I could make out a faint red glow coming from the Pokémon's head.

The boy clipped a small wireless microphone to the collar of my shirt, and after a quick audio test and showing me the switch to mute the microphone if needed, he warned me that the mic was live as he wished me good luck before taking his spot in the referee box.

I stood there awkwardly for a moment, not really sure what to do. There was no gym leader in the box across from me, so I took the opportunity to give the gym a closer look since it was my first time being in an arena.

There were countless powerful spotlights shining on the arena from all directions, so much so that I could feel their warmth. The arena itself was dirt and with plenty of rocks and boulders I thought might be of use.

Another thing I noticed was a Kadabra sitting just below the referee's box, although it looked terribly bored. I imagined it was there to not only help keep the crowd safe but also to ensure there was no foul play from outside forces. Considering Samantha was allowed to have a Pokémon out to spectate the match, it made sense that they would need a psychic to verify there was no interference. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a ghost or dark type lingering around with the same kind of duties, but I wasn't able to spot anything.

"Welcome to our first challenge of the day! Our challenger today hails from Petalburg City, and according to League records is currently undefeated! Will they be able to maintain their win streak, or will a gym leader's might prove to be too much to handle? Although only a trainer for about a week, they seem to think they've got what it takes to earn their first badge. Let's find out if they're right; give it up for Daniel Ingram!"

I was a bit surprised to find that the referee was also the announcer but supposed it wasn't too strange considering the type of match this was and the amount of people in the stands. I dumbly waved, and although most of them did clap for me it was slow and unexcited. That is except for Samantha, who saw fit to stand with her hands cupped and shout at me that I've 'got this in the bag'. While I appreciated the support I found it more embarrassing than anything, and clearly so did Roxanne as she grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back to her seat.

"Our gym leader needs no introduction. You know her, you love her, give it up for Leader Georgia!"

A woman stepped out of the hallway directly opposite the one I'd come in, and compared to me the applause she got was much more excited, giving me the impression nearly everybody in the stands was there to see her. Although her outfit reminded me vaguely of a teacher or business professional it was her demeanor that struck me. She carried herself with a poise and confidence befitting a gym leader, and as she took her place in the box across from me she gave me a critical look and a subtle nod to acknowledge my presence, but nothing more.

Perhaps I was reading too much into the situation, but I couldn't help but think it was a bit cold of a welcome for a new trainer to the gym circuit. The look on her face told me that there would be no pleasantries or words of encouragement and that we were going to get right down to business.

The referee gave her a moment, seemingly expecting some words from the gym leader, but after none came and she gave him a look he continued.

"This will be a first-badge level battle, so it'll be a two-on-two with no items or substitutions. The battle will continue until a combatant is declared unable to battle or recalled. Any attacks aimed at anybody other than the opponent will result in immediate disqualification and possible League sanctions, as will the use of excessive force with the intent of permanent injury or death. Leader Georgia, please send out your Pokémon."

She nodded, grabbing a ball from her clip and releasing a Geodude onto the field.

I grabbed Duran's Net Ball and released him, deciding that this was as good of a matchup as he could possibly ask for. I had no doubt he'd be able to handle this fight and only hoped that he wouldn't sweep the entire gym so Apollo could have a chance to shine. I'd feel bad if I deprived him of the opportunity to participate in our first gym battle, but I could always just recall Duran if needed.

Duran took to the field, and although he looked eager for the impending battle I couldn't help but notice him shifting uncomfortably due to his cramped shell. I felt a bit bad, but I needed him to pull through for a bit longer then he'd be able to molt and rest for as long as he wanted.

"Leader Georgia has chosen Geodude, and the challenger has sent out a Corphish. Despite the obvious type disadvantage, don't make the mistake of counting Georgia out of the fight just yet!"

I looked over to my opponent and saw a smirk that felt strangely out of place. I had been expecting to see something like worry or annoyance at the obvious type advantage I held, but she seemed surprisingly pleased. I suddenly wondered if it was possible that she knew my team and had baited this out, but the logical side of my brain told me that couldn't possibly be true. I was a nobody, and there had to be a rule against gym leaders researching their challengers ahead of a fight and planning for it.

Even then, it wouldn't make sense. Geodude was extremely vulnerable to water-type moves due to its rock and ground typing, and I just couldn't see how this could be a good position for her. It wouldn't surprise me if she had some sort of answer to water-types, but even then she seemed far too calm.

"On my mark," The referee raised a hand and began counting down, and both Duran and I got ready to begin taking action.

"Three, two, one, GO!"

"Harden, Duran!" I bellowed, deciding that starting with a defensive boost was the smartest thing we could do.

Duran's shell began to gleam as my opponent called out her first move.

"Geodude, start off with Sandstorm!"

My eyes widened as the Geodude planted its hands into the ground and focused, summoning a wide and powerful dust devil that swirled across the arena, flinging sand and greatly obscuring my vision. I could still make out Duran and the Geodude, but it was difficult to see and I could barely make out the gym leader on the other side of it.

It struck me as a particularly brutal tactic to start out with against a trainer with no badges, and I began to wonder if I'd done something to draw the gym leader's ire. Thinking about it wouldn't do me any good though; we needed to act.

"Bubblebeam! End it as fast as you can!" I shouted as loud as I could, worried he might not be able to hear me.

Thankfully he did, as he leveled a claw forward and snapped it open, releasing a vortex of bubbles right at the Geodude.

"Rollout!"

The Geodude quickly curled itself into a ball and began rolling, swinging wide to avoid the Bubblebeam as it gained momentum. Not that it particularly had to; the sandstorm was strong enough that the majority of bubbles were popped from the swirling sands by the time they reached him.

The sandstorm was extremely effective at reducing the range and power of Bubblebeam, and I realized this fight wasn't going to be nearly as easy as I had thought.

I cursed under my breath as I saw Duran tracking his foe as it released a couple more Bubblebeams, but couldn't get a bead on the Geodude and wouldn't have done much even if he could land a hit. It was surprisingly mobile, and every time it almost got it it would do a short hop and slightly pivot in the air, carrying its momentum but redirecting it just enough to divert course and evade. I struggled to comprehend how it knew where Duran's attacks were aimed; I couldn't imagine that its vision or hearing was very reliable while spinning at such a rapid rate, and I had a hard time believing that it could pick up such accurate information from vibrations in the ground.

"Wait until it gets closer; your Bubblebeam isn't working at long range!"

Geodude was now seemingly content with the momentum it had built up and began charging right at Duran, who shot yet another Bubblebeam right at the oncoming bolder.

Rather than a short hop, it slammed itself into the ground and launched up a few feet, sailing over the attack and heading right toward Duran.

"Dodge!" I shouted frantically, knowing that even the strongest Bubblebeam wouldn't be enough to stop the incoming impact.

Duran hopped to the side and barely avoided the heavy slam, holding up both claws and unleashing two exceptionally powerful Bubblebeams right as the Geodude landed. It wasn't enough to break the Geodude from its Rollout, but I heard a grunt of pain as it got knocked back a bit and lost most of its momentum from the slam into the ground.

"Make space and refresh the Sandstorm!"

It rolled away to gain distance as I saw Duran flinch uncomfortably as sand continued to pelt him. As the Geodude uncurled and faced Duran, I was suddenly stricken by just how crippling this Sandstorm was to us.

Perhaps if we had Water Gun or some other water move it wouldn't have been such a problem, but the tiny grains of sand whipping around with such force was brutalizing Duran's bubble-based attacks. Bubblebeam was effectively cut off as a ranged option, and we couldn't even use our obscure strategy to get up close. It would be destroyed almost immediately, and there was no way Duran was going to be able to get a good hold or do damage with a Vice Grip.

I felt completely helpless, and all I could do was try to get Duran close enough for Bubblebeam to have some sort of effect. I had no doubt that it had done some damage when it last landed, but the only way I saw it being enough was if we could somehow get a point-blank blast to the face.

"Close the distance! We need to get a good hit in with Bubblebeam when it's not curled!" I shouted desperately.

As the Geodude's hands were planted firmly on the ground and channeled more power into the Sandstorm, Duran scuttled forward through the whipping sands as it took damage.

I shielded my eyes and could hardly see Duran as he waded deeper into the sand, and although I couldn't see my opponent I could hear the smug satisfaction in her next command.

"You've done your job Geodude. Finish it with a bang!"

"Geooooooo!"

*BOOM*

I couldn't see clearly what was happening through the dense Sandstorm, but I saw a bright light flash quickly and felt a concussive blast wash past me. While the Sandstorm had been neatly contained in the battlefield, whatever attack had just been used was indiscriminate as rocks flew out in all directions, and I saw the Kadabra's barrier flashing as it absorbed impacts of rubble and kept them from peppering everybody in the stands.

I finally spotted Duran as he was flung back towards me with great force, tumbling end over end before coming to a stop and lying completely still. I could tell he was definitely unconscious, but more importantly, I could swear I saw fractures running across his shell.

I felt a rising panic and all I could think to do was to recall him to keep him as safe as possible until I could get him to a Pokécenter. I could make out a light from the other end of the Sandstorm and knew that Leader Georgia had also recalled her Geodude.

"What a display! Both Pokémon are out after a devastating Self-Destruct by Leader Georgia! If that's how the beginning of this match is going to go, I can't wait to see how it ends!"

I stood in shock as I tried to process what I'd just heard. Self-Destruct? Since when were Sandstorm and Self-Destruct considered a fair challenge for somebody with no badges? Although I'd never seen a first badge gym challenge, I was positive that this was not normal. This was supposed to be a novice-friendly gym, the recommendation for new trainers to conquer first, and it felt as brutal as some of the elite-level tournament matches I'd seen on television growing up. I knew I wasn't truly fighting at that level considering it was a Geodude, but it still felt way too aggressive.

I clenched my fists, trembling as a mixture of anger and fear began to overtake me. This felt dangerous, and if this was the kind of fight Apollo could expect I didn't know if I wanted to put him through it. The Sandstorm was already going to be much harder on him than Duran, and finding himself the target of something like that Rollout or Self-Destruct would put him at risk of being seriously injured.

A part of me wanted to believe that the gym leader only went that hard because Duran was a water-type with a tough shell that could handle it, but another part told me that this was some sort of grudge match. I was sure I'd never met this woman, so the only thing I could think of was that sending out a water-type had somehow offended her. But it didn't make sense, surely she was used to having opponents that used type advantages in their favor. In fact it should be applauded, as it showed a trainer had a basic understanding of battling and matchups.

"You should forfeit. Your Corphish had no answer to Geodude's strategy even with a major type advantage. It's clear you aren't ready to earn your first gym badge."

As I heard the voice boom through the speakers, I looked up and could faintly make out Leader Georgia through the Sandstorm, which was still going strong but slowly losing its momentum. She had her arms crossed and was giving me a stern look, but I could swear I saw the faintest hint of a self-satisfied smirk.

I gritted my teeth, my anger overcoming my fear. Did she somehow find this amusing? Bullying new trainers with advanced strategies and telling them they should just give up? She was of course right about one thing; Corphish and I didn't have any good answers to the Sandstorm. That was something we'd need to figure out, and I had no doubt it would resolve itself over time as we learned more moves and gained more mobility.

"Challenger, do you forfeit?"

This time it was the referee, and I cast him a glare and shook my head. No way in hell was I going to be belittled by some bully, especially when my only 'crime' was using common sense and sound matchup strategy.

"Challenger wishes to continue. Trainers, send out your next Pokémon!"

Leader Georgia shrugged, grabbing another Pokéball and releasing a small Pokémon that made my heart sink.

It was an Aron, and it immediately rang alarm bells in my head as I realized that all of Apollo's moves were going to be resisted by its steel typing. There was a possibility that she always used this for first-badge challengers, but I couldn't help but think this was picked specifically to counter us. There was simply no way that a gym advertised as the best place for new trainers to earn their badge would regularly use steel types.

Perhaps I was just being paranoid, and perhaps seeing Self-Destruct and Sandstorm used against us had upset me more than it should have, but I was seething and convinced that she wasn't playing fair.

"Challenger, send out your final Pokémon!"

I ignored the referee, content to wait it out until the last moment as I glared at my opponent. If she wanted to play dirty, I was going to run out the clock as much as possible on this Sandstorm before sending Apollo out. I needed the time to calm down anyway; I knew I wasn't thinking straight and needed to ground myself before subjecting Apollo to me being the angriest I could ever remember being.

Took a deep breath, clenching Apollo's Pokéball as I tried to push away the anger. I thought about my first day traveling; how calm I had been looking out at a vast and endlessly powerful sea, and how good the sand had felt between my toes when I waded into the water.

I couldn't help but draw the parallels to my current situation. I was getting my first glimpse into serious competitive battling, and although I had only just waded into the proverbial waters, I knew that the deeper I went the scarier it would be. This was by no means fun or enjoyable, but perhaps if we could somehow manage a win despite the odds I'd be able to look back at this memory with fondness as well.

"Challenger, you have ten seconds! Send out your Pokémon or you'll be disqualified!"

"You can do it Daniel!" Samantha shouted from her seat, and I gave her a quick nod of acknowledgment before closing my eyes.

I took deep breaths as I cleared my mind and counted to eight.

Then, I opened my eyes and released Apollo, determined to put this bully in her place.

Apollo materialized into the Sandstorm, and although it wasn't nearly as strong as it had been when Duran was fighting I could see him being pelted by sand as he instantly looked uncomfortable.

I felt his presence return in my mind, and although I'd tried my best to calm down he clearly picked up on my emotional state.

Worry. Reassurance.

As the referee began to announce which Pokémon would be battling and giving his usual showmanship for the crowd, I ignored him completely and focused on feeding Apollo information. I quickly thought of what had just transpired, deciding there was no reason not to share it with him. I thought of how helpless Duran and I had been, and how the moves being used against us were not only unusually advanced but also dangerous. I recalled just how hurt Duran had been, to the point of his shell cracking. I ran through my thoughts on why I thought this match was unfair, and how she seemed to be picking strategies specifically to negate all our hard work and make us look like we didn't belong here. I remembered Leader Georgia taunting me into quitting, and how dismissive she had been of all our efforts not only in battle but to get here.

But most of all, I thought about how much I detested being belittled by people who thought they were somehow better than me. I fed him my overwhelming desire to show her exactly who we were and prove that our efforts weren't for nothing. I wanted Apollo to completely and utterly decimate his opponent, and I wanted him to sever his connection with me to read Aron's mind to do it. His attacks weren't going to hurt much, so he was going to need to keep his distance and keep hammering it with attacks until it couldn't fight back. Harass, Double Team, heavy usage of Teleport along with his attacking moves were all on the table, and it was up to him to use them as he saw best. I didn't even want to give the opponent the courtesy of knowing what we were going to use by calling out attacks, and our limited non-verbal cues weren't going to cut it in this situation.

I wanted him to be too fast to touch, an unrelenting force that gave our opponent no choice but to submit. The sand was something we knew from experience we could turn against them with Disarming Voice, and if we got lucky we might even be able to get confusion or sleep on our opponent.

"Trainers, on my mark!"

I thought of the trust I had in Apollo, and the pride I'd always feel no matter how this ended. I didn't care if we lost anymore, the match was rigged against us anyway. All I wanted was to try our best and show the world we weren't to be pushed around.

"Three, two, one,"

Understanding. Trust.

"GO!"

Leader Georgia wasted no time, "Aron, Rock Tomb!"

I fully expected Apollo to sever our link so he could get in the Aron's mind, but he didn't.

Momentarily wondering if my thoughts had gotten lost in translation or if Apollo was freezing under the pressure, I watched with increasing nerves as the opponent concentrated and some of the nearby rocks began to levitate, gathering above Apollo.

He needed to move, and fast. If those rocks came down on him he'd be seriously hurt and it would be as good as over.

Trust.

The rocks shot down toward Apollo, and I clenched his Pokéball ready to recall him at a moment's notice. But Apollo seemed to have something up his sleeve and was asking for my trust, so I was willing to give it.

He Teleported a few steps out of the way right as the rocks landed around where he'd been, and I was shocked by just how efficient it had been. It was just far enough to get him out of the way of the move, and he'd waited until just as the rocks were about to land before doing it so they couldn't be redirected.

I saw his horn glow brightly and could visibly see a faint purple energy surround the Aron as it took a powerful Confusion, causing it to flinch a bit. To my dismay it didn't seem to do too much damage, and I could tell by the look of annoyance in its eyes that it hadn't gotten confused.

Leader Georgia looked decisively angry as she shouted her next move, "Rock Slide!"

The same rocks that had just been used against Apollo levitated into the air again, but this time they converged over the Aron before he began to shoot them at Apollo one by one.

He Teleported a couple of feet in front of Aron as the first one was about to strike, and he unleashed a Disarming Voice point blank, not only washing the fairy-type sound waves over his opponent but also blasting it with sand.

The Aron growled in anger as it quickly sent a couple more rocks where Apollo was, and I got to see our 'harass' technique used in battle for the first time as he quickly Teleported to the other side of the Aron, rinsing and repeating as his opponent tried it's best to land a hit but was unable to.

I was wrong; Apollo had definitely gotten the message, but I still couldn't understand how he was doing this when I could feel him in my head. The rocks were too fast and he was too close for him to be reacting this quickly, so he had to have been reading the opponent's thoughts.

Then it hit me. Apollo had been unusually secretive after his session with the Lunatone, and he must have figured out how to maintain more than one link at a time. I had no idea what kind of concentration it would take for him to be able to not only read the thoughts of two other people at the same time, but also manage his own on top of that.

Aron shrieked angrily, sending the remaining rocks under its influence all around him in an attempt to get the assault to stop, creating a haphazard wall of stone encircling him. I'd expected Apollo to Teleport back to gain some distance, but he surprised me by getting even closer to the enemy as he stood right in front of him with his horn once again glowing.

"Headbutt!" Leader Georgia bellowed, a note of panic in her voice.

The Aron fully committed and lurched forward, but phased right through a clone and broke through the side of a few erected rocks of its wall. It was then that I saw Apollo was actually behind where Aron had just been, blocked from view by the rocks that had encircled the Aron.

Apollo's horn continued to glow, and I realized that he was actually using Hypnosis to tire his opponent out. I could see it slowly working as our opponent was getting increasingly sluggish, but it managed to stand nonetheless.

"Mud Slap!"

It planted its hind legs and shoveled its front deep into the ground, flinging a mixture of dirt, sand and mud at Apollo, who returned it back with a fully powered Disarming Voice. He must have been taking deep breaths just as the Aron was beginning its attacks, a luxury afforded by reading its thoughts. The Aron fell back as from the force of both attacks washing over it, and Apollo's horn resumed glowing as it tried to influence its mind into thinking it was time to sleep.

"What the hell is this!" Leader Georgia demanded with no slight amount of anger hidden in her voice as her Pokémon struggled to stand before collapsing, slowly falling into a deep sleep as Apollo's horn continued to glow.

I shrugged, unable to hide the smirk creeping across my face, "A taste of your own medicine. How does it feel to be helpless?"

"I'm not stupid, you're cheating by using telepathy! You haven't given a single command, and it's reading Aron's mind to avoid attacks!"

I scoffed as I mentally instructed Apollo to switch to Confusion now that Aron was asleep. Disarming Voice had a high chance of waking it up, so it seemed to be the best move at our disposal for now.

"Telepathy is a natural ability of the Ralts line. There's no rule saying we can't use it, and it's not as if I was using it to command my Corphish."

"It's dishonorable, and it spits in the face of the spirit of this challenge! I can't properly test you if you know attacks before they even happen!"

I shrugged before adopting a feral grin as an opportunity presented itself I simply couldn't pass up.

"You should forfeit," I said mockingly, reciting a variation of the same words she had spoken to me. "You have no answer to Apollo's strategy even with a type resistance. It's clear you aren't ready to defend your gym's honor,"

I'll admit that it was childish, but it felt so incredibly satisfying to say.

I could see her shaking with anger, but as she looked at the battlefield she must have realized it was her only option. She scowled as she recalled her Aron, and I had Apollo Teleport to my shoulder to get him out of the lingering Sandstorm. Although he hadn't taken a hit from the Aron I could see that Apollo was pretty banged up from being subjected to the torrent of sand for so long, and I suddenly regretted not bringing my backpack so I could spray him with a potion.

"Uh… Leader Georgia has withdrawn her Aron, victory goes to the challenger, uh… Daniel Ingram."

The crowd was completely silent, all except for Samantha who was doubled-over in her seat loudly cackling in delight. Everybody else seemed stunned, even Roxanne.

The lights normalized, the spotlights on the stage dying down and the rest of the stadium lighting up as Kadabra worked to fix the field and dispel the weak remnants of the Sandstorm.

Only now that the lighting was better did I catch a glimpse of a familiar face as they stormed towards the exit.

Preston Livingston.

Suddenly things began clicking into place; he had to be the reason that Leader Georgia had been so hard on me. I had no idea how or why she would agree to it, but it was the only thing that made sense to me.

The referee came over to remove my microphone and I praised Apollo for his incredible performance, letting him know just how impressed I was with not only his battling but also his ability to maintain two links at once. Now that I got a closer look at him I could see he was covered in scratch marks and was clearly exhausted, but just like the Linoone he hadn't let it show until the battle was over.

"Sorry for getting a bit… heated at the end there. That was an impressive battle and you are surely worthy of earning your first badge."

I turned my attention away from Apollo to find Leader Georgia beside me, her hand outstretched with a small badge on her palms. I couldn't quite place the look on her face, but it was no longer anger.

Embarrassment. Shame.

I took the badge without a second look and pocketed it, not sure where I should keep my badges but resolving to figure it out later.

"Your Ralts is very advanced. I'd wager it won't have much trouble for the next gym or two, especially if it evolves," she supplied, seemingly trying to make small talk.

I wasn't sure if it was Preston's absence or the realization of her actions that had changed her demeanor, but I didn't really care. She had wronged me and I had no interest in being friendly with her. Besides, I suddenly remembered that I had a wounded Corphish to attend to thanks to her.

"I gotta go to the Pokécenter. Money transferred to my account I assume? Anything else?"

She sighed, giving a solemn nod before walking away as I made a dash for the door and ran to the Pokécenter, promising myself that I'd find a way to make her and Preston pay if my Corphish wasn't alright.

It hadn't been the way I imagined our victory would go, but we'd succeeded. Not only in earning our first badge but in teaching the world that our family wasn't going to be pushed around and belittled by anybody, no matter how affluent or powerful.

TRAINER ID
Name: Daniel Ingram
Age: 16
Badges: 1
Account: 6,991 credits

POKÉMON
Ralts (Apollo) - Male
Corphish (Duran) - Male

AN: There we have it, Daniel's finally got his first badge and the drama continues to flow. Some might remember Schoolkid Georgia as a gym trainer from the Omega games. She's come a long way, and I wonder if she didn't realize or just didn't care that her old mentor Roxanne was in the stands watching. Duran got done dirty, but it was for a good cause that'll pay dividends for the story down the road. Daniel showed a bit of his vindictiveness, and Apollo's telepathy has slightly leveled up. Don't worry, telepathy isn't going to be abused for easy wins. Not only is Daniel reluctant to resort to it, but there are plenty of strategies it can't overcome and more experienced Pokemon will know to resist it. With the gym battle now behind him, it's time for Daniel to wrap up his stay in Rustboro and continue on his journey.

Thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, or reviewed.

Shoutout to TysonG for beta-reading this chapter.

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