TRAINER ID
Name: Daniel Ingram
Badges: 2
Account: 12,115 credits
Location: Lavaridge Town

DANIEL'S TEAM
Ralts (Apollo) - Male
Corphish (Duran) - Male
Eevee (Orion) - Male
Trapinch - Female

OWEN'S TEAM
Makuhita (Bronson) - Male
Graveler (Roxy) - Female
Shroomish (Misha) - Female
Slakoth (Omar) - Male
Machop (Bruno) - Male

Though the pre-battle nerves of a gym battle were something unavoidable, it was greatly reduced by the fact that the Lavaridge gym wasn't nearly as bustling as Mauville's. Both of the gyms I'd been to before were grand stadiums that could easily hold thousands of people, but Lavaridge probably only had capacity for a hundred or so, and I suspected it very rarely filled those seats.

Looking back, I was a little surprised that my match in Rustboro hadn't had very many spectators, considering the size of the city and gym. I couldn't remember exactly when my challenge had been, but I was pretty sure it had been in the middle of a weekday, so that likely helped explain the lackluster turnout.

That, and the fact that I was a complete nobody challenging my first gym, which probably didn't do much to draw the interest of the masses. But even so, my gym battle in Rustboro had more spectators than what I ended up seeing in the stands of the Lavaridge gym when I was escorted from the waiting room to take my place in the challenger's box.

The battlefield itself was much the same as what I'd come to expect from gyms – dirt and stone with a few protruding rock features to give the arena character and tactical options. There was one unique aspect though, and that was a few geysers along the battlefield's edge that occasionally spewed steam, which resulted in the arena being mildly hazy and uncomfortably warm. It was a far cry from the heat I had experienced in Fiery Path, even if it was enough to slightly obscure visibility and had me on the brink of sweating.

Luckily, I had come prepared and was wearing the same thing I had in Fiery Path, expecting to deal with sweltering heat and possibly even lava pools. Part of me was slightly disappointed that it wasn't quite on par with what I'd expected for a fire-type gym that was located along the side of a volcano, while another part of me was happy that the heat wasn't likely to be detrimental to our battle, but more for atmospheric and aesthetic purposes.

It made sense though. I could see why a gym might not want to perfectly replicate the oppressive environment of Fiery Path, particularly since they had to account for spectators. I imagined that the uncomfortably warm air was partially to blame for the lackluster turnout, but highly doubted that it would have been drastically different without it.

Thanks to how few people were watching, I was able to make out Owen and Bronson, who had front-row seats as close to the middle of the arena as they could get. I gave them a mareepish wave, and both responded with a reassuring grin and thumbs-up. It never ceased to amaze me just how in sync the two seemed to be, almost carbon copies of one another just in different bodies. That, or Bronson had just spent so much time with Owen that he had adopted many of his mannerisms and personality traits, but regardless I found it amusing.

Unfortunately, they weren't the only two familiar faces I saw in the stands; Preston and Ana both sat as high up and secluded as they could manage. While Preston didn't appear to have any Pokémon out, Ana had a blue Pokémon sitting beside her that I vaguely recognized. It had two eyes coming off the top of its round body that lacked any noticeable head, a white stomach with a swirl, and short arms and legs. I was fairly certain it was either a Poliwhirl or Poliwrath, though I didn't know enough about the species to accurately identify which it was.

When I noticed them, Ana gave a friendly smile and waved, but Preston pretended to be too preoccupied with his phone although I saw his eyes glance up at me. I simply nodded in acknowledgment and chose to ignore them for the rest of my battle, deciding that it wasn't worth giving them any of my attention and figuring that Preston wasn't likely to cause trouble with Ana present.

For a gym battle, the proceedings were remarkably casual, which I found myself preferring to the usual fanfare and theatrics. Lavaridge didn't appear to be big enough to merit having both a referee and an announcer, as it quickly became apparent that the woman who had escorted me from the waiting room was going to be fulfilling both roles.

She introduced me as the challenger, quickly mentioned that I was from Petalburg and was challenging for my third badge, and then wished me luck. Flannery didn't even get introduced as she made her appearance and walked toward her box, only drawing a few scattered cheers and claps from members of the audience. I found it a bit strange that she didn't get any formal introduction at all, but Flannery seemed completely unconcerned and I could only suspect it was a result of a request or demand she had made.

Whatever the case, I found myself appreciating it. I much preferred the idea of not having to tune out an overdramatic announcer, and it made it feel as though the entire point of the event was to have a good battle, rather than to entertain those in attendance.

The announcer quickly recited the rules, which were the same as Mauville; three against three with each side getting one switch. She then asked us if we were ready, and I took a deep breath to steel my nerves, nodding before I remembered something I'd wanted to ask.

"I have a quick question," I said as I raised a finger requesting that she wait a moment.

"About the rules?" the referee asked in clear confusion as I noticed Flannery put her hands on her hips and raise a brow in interest out of the corner of my eye.

"Sort of, more of a request. I have a team member who's never seen a gym battle, I'd like them to watch if that's alright. I'm not using them in this battle, and they won't interfere."

The referee frowned, "I'm sorry, but rules say–"

"Let him," Flannery interrupted, much to my relief. "As long as it isn't a psychic and you aren't using them for this battle, I'm fine with it. Just make sure they stay in your box. If they interfere or help you whatsoever, you'll be immediately disqualified. Is that understood?"

I nodded seriously, trying to hide the creeping doubt I felt at what I thought was a great idea possibly turning catastrophic. I couldn't be completely certain that Trapinch wouldn't Bite me when I wasn't looking without the looming threat of my team being around me, and I didn't know how she might react if she had to watch Duran take a beating or get knocked out. But I still needed to win Trapinch over, and the time for her to decide if she would stay with us or return home was rapidly approaching. As things stood, I could see it going either way, but I hoped that seeing the kind of battles she would someday get to participate in would help sway her.

It felt like the right thing to do, and I had just enough faith in her to behave that the potential reward outweighed the risks.

I released Trapinch beside me, who looked around confusedly before focusing on me as I knelt down to address her.

"We're about to have our gym battle, you can watch as long as you stay there and don't interfere, no matter what happens," I said as I realized that even my hushed voice was booming through the room for everyone to hear. Though there was more I wanted to say, I decided that would have to do as I stood up, watching Trapinch as she resumed looking around the room in interest.

I heard a few murmurs as Flannery gave Trapinch a considering look. She seemed tempted to say something, but the referee took the reins.

"Leader Flannery, please send out your first Pokémon," she prompted.

Flannery nodded, reaching to her belt and unclipping a ball without a moment's hesitation, releasing what turned out to be a Numel.

Just as I'd hoped, and something that I was confident Orion had a good chance of beating. Numel were slow, not particularly intelligent, and not so bulky or sturdy that Orion wouldn't be able to inflict damage with Quick Attack. Though one thing that I found mildly alarming was that, unlike the largely aloof Numel I'd encountered in Fiery Path, this one seemed decidedly focused and alert, at least when compared to the average member of its species.

I chalked it up as a product of being well-trained, and hoped that its speed and reflexes were more familiar to what I was used to seeing from the species.

I sent Orion out and he instantly stood at the ready, glaring down his opponent with a deadly seriousness. I'd told my team at the hot springs that the next time I sent them out, it would be in our gym battle against their opponent, and it seemed that Orion had used his time in his Luxury Ball to put himself in the right state of mind. He didn't so much as glance around the stadium, and the fact that there were so few people meant that the odds of him feeling stage fright were minuscule.

He was entirely focused and intent on winning, and I planned on making this gym battle a success for him.

"Leader Flannery's Numel versus the challenger's Eevee. Trainers, on my mark… Begin!"

"Setup," I commanded. Orion Growled threateningly, then immediately followed it up with a Tail Whip, just like we'd planned.

"Fine then, we'll take the initiative," Flannery said as she crossed her arms in disapproval. "Use Ember!"

"Quick Attack," I countered, causing Orion to take off as the Numel began spitting a series of Embers at him.

Orion easily evaded the attack, charging toward Numel in a wide arc before launching himself head-first into the side of the Numel's face, who was far too slow to hope to dodge. Though the Numel was twice Orion's size and many times heavier, the vast majority of that mass was in the lower part of their body. Their neck and head were a much more viable target, and Orion's hit was plenty hard to cause the Numel's head to whip to the side from the impact.

"Swift," I shouted as Orion landed with a slight stumble, wanting to take advantage of the Numel's temporary disorientation.

Orion spun to face the Numel and barked in confirmation as he planted his feet and focused, launching a series of projectiles toward the Numel who winced as it took the blows, shaking its head to overcome its disorientation as it regained its focus.

"You aren't messing around! I like that," Flannery said with a grin, "Turn up the heat! Flamethrower!"

The Numel sucked in a breath as it continued to get hammered with projectiles, and though they were causing it to wince in pain it wasn't enough force to stop it from blasting a stream of fire right at Orion, instantly dissolving the projectiles as flames rushed toward him.

"Protect!" I shouted urgently, barely in time for Orion to stop using Swift and quickly erect a barrier. I watched with bated breath as flames roared around the barrier, able to feel the heat of the attack even from where I stood but confident that Orion would emerge unharmed.

"Don't let up!" Flannery encouraged, much to my dismay. Protect was best used to quickly block an attack, but holding it was an incredibly draining task. It was even more difficult to do so when strain was being applied by an attack, and although Orion was proficient in the move it was far from his speciality.

After a few seconds of unrelenting flames, I noticed the barrier begin to flicker and realized that Orion was about to lose the ongoing endurance standoff, so I decided to order a retreat.

"Back, quick!" I ordered, hoping that Orion would be able to manage to get distance fast enough to avoid getting completely bathed in flames. I knew that it wouldn't take much to get outside of the attack's range, and hoped that if Orion was quick enough he wouldn't be injured too badly.

Orion twisted his body and leaped back, largely avoiding the plume of fire that washed over, though I noticed the tip of his tail was on fire as he landed. This fact wasn't lost on him, as he quickly wagged his tail into the dirt furiously and put it out fast enough, much to my relief.

"Good decision. Protect isn't suited to take long-lasting attacks; Numel's Flamethrower definitely would have outlasted it," Flannery praised, nodding in approval.

"Didn't expect you to keep the pressure up," I admitted, taking advantage of the momentary lull in the battle to glance down at Trapinch. She was completely transfixed by the battle, staring wide-eyed between the Numel and Orion, likely thinking about how out of her league both of them were.

Good – the gym battle seemed to be having the desired effect on her. But we were still in the first round, and if she thought what she had seen was impressive then she was in for a surprise.

"Your Eevee has spunk, I almost feel bad singeing his fur after he let me pet him. But I have to uphold the dignity of my gym, I hope you understand," she half-apologized before pointing at Orion and calling for an Ember, resuming the battle.

I reflexively called for a Quick Attack, knowing that Orion needed to move and wanting to land another big hit as he had before. But I instantly knew I'd walked right into a trap when she smirked, shouting a command right as Orion went to leap for another headshot.

"Earth Power!"

Numel slammed a foot into the ground and groaned in effort as the earth erupted, shooting rocks and soil up between him and Orion with enough force to push Orion up and over Numel's head, missing his target entirely as he went tumbling on the Numel's other side. I silently cursed at having walked right into her trap, and looked at Flannery to see a huge smirk on her face.

"Gotcha! Can't expect the same thing to work twice," she said, amused.

"Fair enough," I nodded in acceptance as Orion got to his feet, a little shaken but far from out of the fight. It was only the first real hit he'd taken, and I felt confident that all things considered, we were still winning this battle.

"Try this then – pinwheel!"

Orion began to run in a circle around the Numel, a steady Quick Attack that wasn't his full speed but kept a pace that was difficult to track. As he did so, he launched Swift projectiles at the Numel, pelting it from all sides as it kept trying to keep a bead on Orion, clumsily turning its body but unable to do so fast enough to keep up.

I'd gotten the idea for the combo from when Orion was showing off for Trapinch, an idea he'd come up with all on his own. All I'd done was given it a name, one that I felt suited it quite well.

Flannery frowned, watching in contemplation as Orion continued to pin her Numel in position with an onslaught of Swifts from all sides. I'd expected her to call for a Flamethrower to try to stop Orion from circling, but he would have easily been able to dodge it with a burst of speed or slight adjustment to his path. One of the big benefits of the move was that it kept Orion mobile and allowed for him to make quick adjustments to dodge any sort of counter-attack, keeping up the pressure with only minor focus on evasion. We'd also discussed that he was able to go info a strike with Quick Attack if he ever saw a major opening, but Orion seemed wary of doing so after being struck by the Earth Power.

"Lava Plume!" Flannery eventually called out, causing my heart to sink.

Numel ignored the glancing blows it continued to receive, planting its feet in a wide stance as it groaned in effort, smoke beginning to bellow from the miniature volcano on it's back.

Though I was unfamiliar with the move, I could guess what was about to happen and had zero interest in allowing Orion to get hit by anything even remotely resembling lava. I was torn between having him attempt to dodge it with Quick Attack or ordering another Protect, and decided to put my faith in Orion to choose what was right in the moment.

"Don't let it hit you, Quick Attack or Protect, whatever is best!"

The Numel roared as it started to erupt, spewing globs of molten-hot lava all around the battlefield. It covered a surprisingly large area, both near and far, and was undoubtedly an effective way to stop a circling opponent from wanting to go anywhere near it.

Though it had a wide area of effect, there was an advantage given in that it arced upward before falling, giving Orion time to track and react to any that were coming near him. If the Numel had been able to point it's volcano directly at Orion we would have been in a lot of trouble, but Orion was nimble enough to leap and sidestep out of the way of the magma that threatened to land near him.

I watched with anxiety as Orion cautiously evaded, and let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding when I saw the Numel finally relax as the eruption came to an end. I could immediately tell that the move had taken a lot out of the Numel, and decided to capitalize and hopefully bring this match to an end.

"Pivot strike, finish this Orion!"

Orion charged directly at the Numel, quickly gaining speed as the Numel took a readied stance.

"Bulldoze!" Flannery shouted, causing me to grin.

The Numel slammed the heels of its front feet into the ground and lowered its head, lurching forward with its back feet while shoveling earth forward as it charged toward Orion just as he got within striking distance. It was a powerful counter-offensive that I had no doubt would have stopped Orion dead in his tracks if he were attacking head on.

But that only left it even more exposed on its flank. Orion leaped to the side, kicking up a feeble amount of dirt compared to that of the incoming Bulldoze, but immediately followed up with a powerful Quick Attack right to the Numel's side. Considering the Numel's head was largely protected while being tucked between its hooves I could understand why he had chosen to take a body shot, but it had me worried that the move wasn't going to be nearly as effective as it had been with the previous hit to the head.

To my surprise and delight, the Numel was hit with enough force to get knocked onto its side with a pained grunt, but only barely. It was almost surely only possible thanks to the fact that the Numel didn't have its feet squarely planted on the ground, though undeniably aided by the force that Orion had put behind the hit. He didn't even have half of the body weight that the Numel did, of that I was sure. Yet he had fully committed, putting every ounce of strength he had into the attack and leveraging his weight as best as he could, and it had paid off.

The Numel kicked feebly, grunting and pressing its now exposed head against the ground as it tried to right itself. But Orion was instantly on him, taking advantage of the opening to Bite onto the back of the Numel's neck, hard. The Numel thrashed, trying to shake Orion off, but he held on as Orion growled viciously and dug his fangs deeper into the Numel, presumably pumping in dark-type energy although I couldn't specifically see it through the dust and haze.

A few tense moments later, and the Numel went limp. Orion released his foe and took a couple of wobbly steps back, panting heavily from the effort but looking extraordinarily pleased with himself, his rapidly wagging tail leaving no question of that fact.

"Numel is unable to battle!" the announcer proclaimed, raising an arm in the air. "Leader Flannery, please send out your next Pokémon."

A few claps came from the crowd, with Owen and Bronson being the most animated and loud by far. I glanced down at Trapinch to find that she was staring wide-eyed at Orion, seemingly entranced by what had been unfolding before her eyes. I couldn't help but grin in satisfaction, both at Orion's performance and at how beneficial this all seemed to be in furthering my relationship with Trapinch, and looked up to see that Flannery looked equally happy as she recalled her Numel.

"That was great! I had no idea your Eevee was so vicious, I'd have never guessed. I hope you'll forgive me if I crank up the heat, I do have a reputation to uphold after all."

As Orion pranced back to his starting position with his head held high, Flannery released her next Pokémon – a Torkoal. It was too perfect, exactly what I had expected her to use, and so far I had even guessed the correct order. What I hadn't anticipated was the sunlight coming through the top dome growing in intensity, which I assumed would serve to make fire-type attacks all the more powerful.

Not that it would matter much if the Torkoal couldn't even land a hit on its opponent, which was not going to be Orion.

"You did great Orion, take a well-deserved rest," I praised as I recalled him, knowing that he had no chance of doing any meaningful damage against this particular foe. Orion had been unable to bring down a Torkoal in Fiery Path, and this one unsurprisingly looked even more formidable than the one he had battled. They were simply too bulky, both due to their weight and the added protection of their shell, and that wasn't even considering the fact that Orion had used quite a bit of his stamina.

"The challenger withdraws his Eevee. Challenger, send out your next Pokémon," the announcer ordered.

I nodded, deciding that this should be a battle that Apollo would win handily as I sent him out. Though I typically liked to use Apollo last, I felt like he was more likely to be able to deal with a Torkoal while taking minimal damage. It would undoubtedly be a much harder battle for Duran, and a Torkoal wasn't exactly the ideal opponent for his preferred style as a brawler. Besides, I felt like Duran was on par with Apollo in terms of reliability, and his type advantage meant that he would likely be able to come out victorious against whatever the final opponent might be.

He had earned the right to be the closer of a gym battle, and what better gym for him to do it at than this one.

As Apollo materialized I instantly felt him connect to my mind, curiosity plain through our link.

"Orion won, this one is all yours. I know you'll do me proud," I sent, feeling a mixture of relief and pride in response as he readied himself for battle.

"Leader Flannery's Torkoal versus the challenger's Ralts. Trainers, on my–"

"I don't think so," Flannery interrupted.

Torkoal suddenly vanished from the field as it was recalled, and I peered up at Flannery with a questioning look.

"You aren't getting off that easy," Flannery chided, clipping Torkoal back onto her belt as she grabbed another Pokéball and released it.

I withheld the urge to groan as my plans and preferred matchups were thrown out the window, realizing that Duran was likely to end up going against the Torkoal. But I was up for a challenge, and I had faith that both Duran and Apollo would pull through for me. Besides, it was probably for the best that Apollo was given an opponent that could actually put up a fight.

My eyes widened as I saw our new opponent – a Flareon. I'd remembered Flannery mentioning she had one, but I hadn't expected us to actually face it in battle. I'd thought that the final Pokémon would likely be the evolved form of a Pokémon that could be found nearby, like a Magcargo or possibly a Rapidash. But this wasn't exactly an insurmountable task, at least as far as Apollo was concerned. I was more concerned for Duran's upcoming fight against the Torkoal, but as long as Apollo was able to take care of the Flareon and allow Duran to without exhaustion from finishing this foe, I was confident things were still in our favor.

"Flannery has used her switch. Flareon versus Ralts, on my mark… Begin!"

"Slow it!" Flannery instantly ordered as I mentally instructed Apollo to use Calm Mind until my mark.

Flareon suddenly looked menacing, glaring with a look that sent shivers down my spine. My guess was that the move was Scary Face, but Apollo's eyes were closed as he focused on his Calm Mind, focusing his energy with a Teleport destination already set as he awaited my order to evade.

"Damn it, Quick Attack!" Flannery quickly commanded, causing the Flareon to launch itself at Apollo in what was nearly a blur.

"Evade in Disarming Voice," I sent through our link.

Apollo Teleported out of the way and drew in a deep breath as the Flareon quickly pivoted and corrected course, keeping up the pressure. It seemed to get even faster than previously, reaching Apollo just as he let loose his Disarming Voice at nearly point-blank range, though it wasn't enough to stop the incoming impact. Apollo was sent sprawling, and though he had managed to hit the Flareon I had no doubt that we'd come out the losers in that particular exchange.

"So fast," I muttered as Orion got to his feet while the Flareon shuddered, shaking off what I imagined was a strange sensation brought on by the fairy-type attack.

"Fire Fang!" Flannery shouted the moment Apollo was on his feet facing down the Flareon.

I could already guess what her strategy was, especially considering her attempted opening move. It was no secret that Ralts do best fighting from a distance, she knew that the last thing we wanted was to allow Flareon to get close and turn it into a physical battle. She was trying to wear us down, slow us as much as possible, and put us on the defensive.

Luckily, we had a response to that sort of tactic that was equal parts offense and defense.

"Harass," I sent.

There's a near-unmatched sense of satisfaction from watching Apollo popping in and out of existence randomly around his opponent, hammering the opponent repeatedly as they desperately try to get a bead on his location only to instantly lose it. Although I knew it took quite a bit of stamina to pull off, it dealt damage and sent a very clear message – back off.

"Fire Spin!" Flannery ordered during the onslaught, causing Flareon to spit an expanding vortex of flames.

Apollo kept the pressure, distancing himself more and more as the wheel of flames expanded outward. To my dismay, his Disarming Voice wasn't enough to extinguish them or stop the ring of fire from growing larger, though we were able to keep dealing damage all throughout. Still, I found myself impressed with the Flareon's ability to spit so much fire, especially all while taking damage.

Apollo ran out of breath much sooner than normal, having to expend more air to send the attack farther and compensate for the increased distance he had to keep. When he was out of breath, he Teleported far out of reach, panting slightly as he caught his breath.

"Catch your breath, Psybeam on my mark," I sent him as I watched the wall of flames slowly die down, Flareon having realized that the attack was over.

"Daniel," Flannery suddenly said, drawing my attention to her. "Your Ralts is really impressive. Is that your starter?"

I nodded, "Apollo has been with me from the beginning, and he's come a long way. But we plan on going much further."

She gave me a feral grin, "I see. Thanks for that bit of info. I didn't want to do this, I'm really sorry."

Before I could process what she might be apologizing for, she blew me a kiss, and left me momentarily stunned as my confusion only deepened. It was very performative, with her kissing her fingers as she held them over her mouth with an over-emphasized smacking sound, and then quickly extended her hand with a dainty blow for dramatic effect.

She was looking right at me the entire time, and even followed it up with a wink and a wide grin. I have to admit that it momentarily broke my focus from the battle and confused me, though I'd like to think I brushed it off quickly enough as some sort of taunt. Still, it did occupy my attention for a second or two before I pushed it out of my mind and refocused on the battle, but by then it was too late.

Apollo looked unfocused and drunkenly unsteady as Flareon crouched low and swayed her hips rhythmically while her tail wavered in sync, a look of innocence and curiosity on her face. I'm not sure if the Flareon had done anything before that I'd missed while looking at Flannery, but the feelings I could feel emanating from Apollo over our link only cemented to me what had happened.

Apollo had been infatuated, and I'd just let it happen. Not only that, but she'd tricked me into revealing his gender, using banter to her advantage.

"Apollo!" I shouted, trying to get his attention since I could feel that his focus was not on our link.

Longing. Euphoria. "...Stella."

Shit. I instantly knew that things were really bad if he was somehow relating it to Stella. It made sense – she had surely been on his mind lately since he missed her, and Flareon was another Eeveelution. I knew that infatuation during battle was bad, but it could usually be momentarily overcome given enough willpower. But it struck me that Apollo was likely particularly vulnerable to it, given the context. Hell, he had been practicing his telekinesis just so he could have something to impress Stella with and something more that they could share in common.

"Apollo, that isn't Stella! Snap out of it!" I shouted.

"Seal the deal," Flannery said as she looked at Apollo in amusement.

Flareon went from crouching to laying, her tail curled around her body as she tucked her head down between her front paws, her eyes peeking out still looking at Apollo as she began… crying?

A sniffle and pitiful whine as tears began to flow confirmed that yes, the Flareon was indeed crying… Fake Tears.

Sadness. Pity. Empathy.

Apollo Teleported in front of the Flareon and hesitantly approached, his arm outstretched with the clear intent of wanting to comfort her.

"Get back Apollo! Snap out of it!" I yelled frantically, but he seemed to be completely fixated on the Flareon's award-winning act.

I would have thought that an empath would be able to see that this was all a ruse. I knew he could sense emotions without a telepathic link, but either the Flareon was putting off very believable emotions or he was simply not in his right mind to even realize it was all a ploy.

"Get in her head, you'll see that isn't Stella!" I called out.

Confusion. Concern.

The feral grin on Flannery's face told me everything I needed to know – the Flareon knew how to close herself off from telepaths. Apollo wasn't listening, or at least not fully and with clarity, because he still seemed to be under the impression that something was wrong with 'Stella' and wanted to comfort her.

Just as Apollo's hand made contact with the top of Flareon's tucked head and he began to pet her soothingly, she erupted into flames and leaped through him, tackling him in center mass with enough force that both were carried in the air a short distance until Apollo was slammed into one of the arena's nearby rock features.

Flame Charge or Flare Blitz, if I had to guess.

As Apollo slumped against the rock, slightly smoldering with what I knew was a pretty nasty burn on his stomach, I couldn't help but wonder if Apollo was out for the count. But he shakily got to his feet, and I could feel over our link that it hadn't been enough to snap him out of his daze.

Sadness. Hurt. Betrayal. Confusion.

"Apollo, focus on our connection," I tried sending him, trying a different approach in an attempt to break him of the Flareon's bewitching.

"Do… wrong? Why attack? Try help."

"Apollo, that is not Stella. She's in Fallarbor, remember? Stella would have let you into her mind, and she wouldn't hurt you like this, especially with fire," I tried to reason with him, grateful for the speedy efficiency that communicating telepathically granted us.

"Flamethrower!" Flannery ordered, clearly not intent on giving us time to work through things now that Apollo was on his feet.

"Focus! Teleport and Psybeam!" I sent to Apollo as Flareon took a few steps forward with her head raised high, sucked in a deep breath, and began spewing a stream of fire toward Apollo.

Thankfully, he seemed to have gained enough clarity to be able to Teleport out of the way, and I saw his horn begin to glow as he prepared to unleash a Psybeam. But he recoiled and held his stomach, and I could feel hesitance through our link.

Between the burn he was suffering and the reluctance being caused by Attract, I couldn't get him to commit to an attack.

Flareon swiveled her head, the flames sweeping across the arena as she continued her attack and relocated Apollo.

"Protect!" I sent, feeling relief wash over me as he managed to erect the barrier just as he was doused in flames.

Flareon wasn't letting up, and soon the barrier began to flicker as I tried desperately to get him to Teleport away, both through our link and verbally. But he wasn't in his right mind and couldn't focus enough to Teleport while holding a Protect that was quickly giving way.

"Can't… Stella… Why…"

I palmed his Pokéball as I kept trying to get him to pull off some sort of miracle, but to no avail. His barrier shattered and flames engulfed him as I recalled him with a heavy heart. I knew that he was only going to hurt himself more if he continued, both physically and emotionally. I wasn't even convinced he could continue after taking a Flamethrower head-on like that, Attract aside.

I sighed as I clipped his ball to my belt, deciding that I really disliked infatuation moves. A small part of me wanted to be angry at Flannery for winning in such a way, but I pushed it aside. It was a valid battle strategy, and she'd gotten exceedingly lucky that it was particularly effective on Apollo due to how close he was with Stella. Besides, the Flareon knew how to close her mind off from telepathy and was quick, and if she had kept up the pressure she was doing before the chances were high that she would have eventually tired Apollo out enough to catch him anyway.

Fact was, I couldn't confidently claim that Apollo would have won that even without Attract. It was a bad matchup, made worse by circumstances she wouldn't even know about. It was humbling, since I always viewed Apollo as the ace up my sleeve that very few opponents had an answer for.

Well, Flannery did, and she had clearly known that given she'd exchanged Torkoal for Flareon using her switch.

"I did warn you against using Protect against moves that apply prolonged pressure," Flannery said cheerfully, though with a hint of disapproval.

I simply gave her a short nod, choosing not to comment on the exchange. Though I felt some annoyance and disappointment at how Apollo had been beaten, I couldn't afford to dwell on it. As much as I was tempted to be mad, I found myself grateful that we were getting our first seriously challenging gym battle, and it was still far from being a lost cause.

"Challenger, send out your next Pokémon," the referee's voice rang through the arena.

I couldn't help it – a chuckle escaped me as I unclipped Duran's ball and released him. It was hard to pinpoint exactly why, but a few reasons came to mind. Enjoyment at how difficult this gym turned out to be, possibly an expression of how nervous I was beginning to feel that we might lose.

But mostly, because I had a sudden realization. Samantha had poked fun at me for having a 'boys club' for team members until I caught Trapinch, and although I hadn't planned for it to be that way I was realizing just how bad that could be for battling. All of the Pokémon I was using to battle could suffer the same crushing defeat Apollo just had, though the infatuation would likely be much less severe than it had in Apollo's case due to his special attachment to Stella.

Despite that, I was increasingly confident that the next round was going to be a resounding success, because on top of having a type advantage, Duran had the one counter I could think of to Attract. Sure, I could have tried to trick Flannery by calling him Durlene or casually lying that Attract wouldn't work since my Corphish was a girl, but there was a much simpler solution to the problem.

"Duran, that Flareon just tricked and humiliated Apollo, robbing him of a fair fight," I yelled out as he materialized, deciding to impress upon him the seriousness of the situation while playing to his protective nature. As solitary as Duran tended to be, he viewed Apollo as family and considered him the more capable fighter, so I had no doubt that dropping that would motivate him not only to avenge Apollo but also serve as a way he could finally prove he was stronger.

"We still have another opponent after, so wrap this up quick. Go all out," I ordered as Duran glared daggers at the Flareon and widened his stance.

"Corphish versus Flareon. On my mark," the referee called out with a raised hand before bringing it down in a quick chop.

"Begin!'

"Taunt into brawl," I ordered immediately with a smirk, dashing any hope that Flareon had of using Attract on him.

Then, just as I had predicted, Duran launched forward with Aqua Jet to deliver righteous vengeance for his fallen brother.

Admittedly, Duran's victory wasn't quite as clean and decisive as I'd have liked, but it was still a very solid win all things considered. It was a far cry from the near one-hit knockout he'd performed in Mauville, since Flareon was fast and still in relatively good shape after batting Apollo, but Duran was relentless and his type advantage was far from irrelevant. Taunt made it so the Flareon was too aggravated to play it safe, and it made minimal attempts to keep distance or evade, only doing so while trying to find a good angle of attack for a counterattack. It took a few pressuring Bubblebeams and Water Guns, a couple of chasing Aqua Jets, and a well-timed Double Hit into Razor Shell, but he felled the Flareon after about a minute of explosive aggression with only minimum direction from me.

Not only was the battle too fast-paced for it, but he really didn't need it. He was a battle junky on a mission who knew exactly what to do – he only needed to wear out the Flareon enough to force a brawl that he would inevitably win. Even with the lingering effects of whatever Torkoal did to the sun, her fire moves were completely insignificant when matched against Duran's water-type attacks.

"That Taunt was smart and crippling. Guess I deserve that after resorting to Attract," Flannery admitted with a sigh as she recalled her fainted Flareon.

I simply shrugged, glad she didn't take offense and not wanting to engage in banter to break my focus since we still had one final opponent. Duran had expended more effort than I'd have liked, and although he'd been able to handle a Torkoal in Fiery path I wasn't sure how well that would hold up against one trained by Flannery. I was hesitant to order a brawl – even though it was a slow opponent, it had a hard shell I was almost sure it could withdraw into while still attacking.

Flannery sent her Torkoal out, and I was forced to shield my eyes as the sun once again gained intensity. I made a mental note to bring sunglasses if I somehow lost this battle and had to rematch Flannery, and wished that Vito had included that bit of advice when Owen asked.

"Corphish versus Torkoal… Begin!"

"Smoky Defense," Flannery ordered immediately before I could decide if using Taunt again would be a wise decision.

The Torkoal withdrew into its shell as it noticeably gleamed, likely fortifying itself with Iron Defense. It then began to bellow smoke out of the holes in its shell, covering the battlefield and shrouding itself.

Our opponent had a better version of our obscure technique, likely an even harder shell, and a lot more body weight. I wasn't sure quite how heavy a Torkoal was, but from the deep thump that accompanied its shell dropping to the ground as it withdrew, I was confident it weighed even more than me. Our only advantages were in respect to Duran's type and superior mobility, so I knew that I'd likely need to find a way to maximize those if we were going to have any chance at winning.

"Bubblebeam," I ordered, deciding it best to start things off and hopefully clear some of the dense smoke. It was getting increasingly difficult to see Duran, and Torkoal was completely obfuscated, but I was sure it hadn't moved from its position since smoke was still emanating from the same location.

Unfortunately, Bubblebeam only served to temporarily part the sea of smoke between Duran and Torkoal, but it did at least confirm that it hadn't moved as the bubbles rolled over the shell, some popping from the force while others simply skipped off. I could instantly tell that it wasn't dealing any noteworthy damage and quickly ordered Duran to switch to Water Gun as Flannery called for Rapid Spin.

The moment I saw him blasting Torkoal with Water Gun to almost no effect as it crept towards him, I instantly knew we had no chance of stopping, flipping, or redirecting the heavy opponent with water. I also knew we were in for a bad time if I tried to have him physically attack, so I quickly changed tactics.

"Keep your distance. Aim for the holes and see if you get a reaction," I shouted as a tornado of smoke began to form and slowly made its way toward Duran.

At least, it was slow at first. As Duran kept blasting water, trying to aim for both the holes on top as well as those along the side, Torkoal continued to spin faster, both rotationally as well as the speed it was able to move. It continued to emit smoke all the while, and the tornado of smoke eventually turned into an arena-wide vortex of fog, layering on top of the mist the arena's geysers spewed. I couldn't see much through the swirling haze, but could tell that even Duran was having difficulties tracking Torkoal's movement except for when it got close. The entire arena was layered with heavy, swirling smoke that only offered me brief glimpses of our opponent, Duran, and the water he was blasting haphazardly.

I trusted Duran to his task and tried to give him time to make some headway, but it soon dawned on me that the faster the shell spun, the less water we were able to get into the holes. As Duran's leaps out of the way began to turn into retreating Aqua Jets, it became clear we were making no meaningful progress. I suspected that if we could get a large quantity of water in the holes on the top of Torkoal's shell, possibly at high pressure, that might do something. But that was simply impossible as things stood, and the water we were getting into the head hole was probably annoying at best.

"Get on top of some rocks and keep aiming for the top holes," I shouted, remembering that there were a few rock features and thinking that it was probably the only way we could stay out of harm's way. I heard Duran use a quick burst of Aqua Jet to launch himself on top of the nearest rock formation, and he continued blasting Water Guns at his foe.

While I knew that we were dealing minimal damage, if any, I'd hoped that Duran being out of reach might cause the Torkoal to switch tactics.

Sadly, that didn't end up working. The sound of rock shattering soon rang out, and I caught a glimpse of Duran as he was launched into the air from the explosion of stone beneath him before once again disappearing into the sea of smoke that was most dense at ground-level.

I realized that the rock formations were probably made with Torkoal in mind – they weren't particularly big, and if Torkoal was able to obliterate one, the same was likely true for all.

I silently cursed, racking my brain for a solution. I needed to figure out not only how to stop the Torkoal from spinning, but I also desperately needed to be able to see better if I was to provide any meaningful guidance. It occurred to me that Dig would be ideal in a situation like this, and vowed to attempt to teach it to Duran at some point in the future. It could be a good training exercise to do with Trapinch that would let the two bond, and I was sure she'd enjoy the rare opportunity to flex something she was better at.

"Swap to Mud Shot, coat it in mud. Top holes first, then try to get the head," I shouted nervously as I heard yet another retreating Aqua Jet. My hope was that we could clog the holes in the Torkoal's shell to at least stop the smoke, and possibly even cause it to overheat. I assumed they served as a vent or propulsion of some sort, and was hopeful we might be able to force it out of its shell.

It took a very long and tense minute, but Duran eventually pulled it off. I could only tell because the smoke eventually started to settle, and I was finally able to make out a heavily panting Duran and the mud-covered Torkoal as it stood facing my crustacean down, finally out of its shell.

"Mud Gun! Aim for the head!" I shouted as Flannery ordered a Take Down. Duran blasted the charging Torkoal in the face with a pair of Mud Shots that he followed through with Water Gun, and for the first time it felt like we were dealing meaningful damage as the head jerked from the impacts accompanied by pained grunts.

Yet it did little to stop the freight train of a Torkoal, and Duran only barely managed to leap to the side in time to avoid the attack. He was sluggish, more than I could ever remember seeing him, and I knew that the battle was coming to a close.

"Obscure, wait for Razor Shell," I shouted as the lumbering Torkoal turned to face Duran to attempt another Take Down. Duran raised his claws and began to spew bubbles around him, but my eyes widened when I saw just how few bubbles he was able to create.

A nightmare situation coming to life before my eyes, Duran ran out of water and his bubbles ceased. Between the bright sun drying him up and how much water he'd expended against both the Flareon and Torkoal, he was all dried up and unable to continue using water-type moves effectively. His dehydration was even evident on his shell, which was more coarse and pale than usual.

I didn't even have time to order a Protect, but he attempted it on his own as the Torkoal plowed directly into him. He barely got it up in time, but between how exhausted he was and the weight behind the Torkoal's attack, it shattered and he was body-checked.

Duran was forcefully slammed into the ground, and I knew it was over before the dust even began to settle. Even if he could get up, he would have to rely on Vice Grip or Double Hit, and he was far too sluggish to enter a brawl with an opponent many, many weight classes over him. The fact that he'd lasted so long while going full-tilt against two opponents was a testament to how far he'd come, but even my battle-hungry crustacean had limits, and he'd undoubtedly reached his.

All that aside, a water-type being dehydrated was dangerous. He needed to be returned until he could soak in some water, otherwise he was at serious risk.

I sighed as I returned him through the cloud of dust, feeling the sinking feeling of failure begin to set in. I'd thought Apollo could handle the Flareon and that Duran would find a way to deal with the Torkoal, but I'd overlooked the potential ways they could be countered. The matchups had simply not been in our favor, both for Duran and Apollo, all because Flannery had used her switch to deny us what would have been a highly advantageous battle against the Torkoal and had taken him out of commission with an equally clever and unfortunate application of Attract.

But then again… speaking of switches, hadn't I technically used mine for Orion? He was surely a bit tired, but far from out for the count – he deserved the chance to try, especially since Duran had crippled the Torkoal's capabilities with his mud.

As the dust dissipated and Torkoal stood proudly alone on an otherwise empty battlefield, the announcer began to call the match. "Torkoal is the winner, which means–"

Orion materialized onto the field as I quickly released him, cutting off the referee and drawing a confused look. Orion glanced back at me with a questioning look of his own, surely not having expected to be called into battle again, and I just nodded reassuringly before turning to the referee.

"I have a Pokémon that's fighting fit, and this is a battle with a switch allowed," I said matter-of-factly.

She raised a brow, "I'll allow it, but in the future please remember to announce when using your switch to avoid any confusion."

I shrugged, "Flannery didn't announce her switch either, it was just much more obvious than mine. I'll try to keep that in mind for the announcer's sake, but it's easy to forget formalities when focused on a battle."

Flannery snorted in amusement, "Well said! I'd say this is a lesson more for you than anyone, Lacey. If you need an action clarified then ask, don't assume. You know what they say about assumptions…"

I nodded to Flannery in thanks. Honestly, I'd embellished the truth a bit since I truly hadn't expected to send Orion back out, thinking that Duran and Apollo would tidy things up nicely. But I was going to do everything I could to turn the battle into a win, and I was confident Orion would too.

The referee sighed but raised a hand. "Eevee versus Torkoal. Final battle… Begin!"

"Pinwheel, aim for the head," I ordered instantly, wanting to keep Orion mobile. Though I was pretty confident we wouldn't have to contend with Smokescreen or Rapid Spin, I still wasn't fully convinced that Torkoal was unable to use its fire-type attacks.

I was proven correct almost instantly as Flannery ordered Flamethrower. Thankfully, Torkoal had a serious issue tracking Orion, unable to turn nearly fast enough to keep up. Swift projectiles slammed into the Torkoal's head, and after a couple failed attempts at landing Flamethrower it roared in frustration.

Yet I noticed something odd – the Torkoal looked uneasy, possibly nauseous, and it seemed to have difficulty focusing on Orion even when he was in eyesight. But I don't think Flannery noticed this because it was facing our way.

"Make it rain!" Flannery ordered, and to my horror the Torkoal was able to spew a shower of molten hot flames with enough force to dislodge Duran's mud from the shell's central hole in what I guessed was Lava Plume.

"Protect!" I shouted, not wanting to count on Orion's ability to dodge the incoming hail of lava. Orion stopped moving and focused on his barrier, and to my great relief it managed to hold despite the flickering that occurred as sizzling lava landed and rolled off of it.

The Torkoal quit erupting sooner than I'd have expected and its legs buckled, causing it to fall to its knees. I saw the look of surprise and concern on Flannery's face as she began to realize what was happening, and I could only assume she had likely never had an opponent do what I knew we had.

Torkoal was internally overheating, its shell unable to properly vent with the holes clogged. The top hole wasn't enough, and even a fire-type had limits to what its body could handle. With a literal roaring volcano powering his fire-type moves, each use was putting undue strain on the body as the internal temperature continued to climb, and it was quickly deteriorating.

I watched anxiously as the Torkoal shakily tried to get back on its feet, but finally collapsed from the effort. It feebly attempted to get up one last time, only to slump into unconsciousness.

"Torkoal is unable to battle. The winner of this battle is the challenger, Daniel Ingram!" the referee declared as Owen began losing his mind in the stands, soon followed by more restrained applause.

Orion fell back onto his hind legs to sit as he panted, his tail swaying furiously and his chest puffed out in pride as he held his head high. I couldn't resist the urge to run out onto the field and scoop him up, hugging him tightly to my chest as I laughed like a maniac.

"You were spectacular, Orion! You beat not one, but two gym Pokemon! You won the whole thing for us!"

He barked triumphantly between panting, and I held him close while scratching behind his ears and making my way to the middle of the battlefield to meet with Flannery as she approached.

"What a battle! Can't say I've ever had anybody clog one of my Torkoal like that! I was already impressed that it was enough to stop Smokescreen and Rapid Spin, but I wouldn't have imagined you'd overheat a fire-type!" she said excitedly as I accepted her handshake with my free arm.

"Best battle I've ever had, hands down," I said with a grin.

She beamed, "No hard feelings about using Attract, then? I chose Flareon because she knows how to close off against telepaths and is quick enough to put ranged attackers on the defensive, but I decided to play a little dirty when I realized things might not go our way. Can't say I've ever seen Attract be that effective though, I felt a bit bad about how crippled it left your Ralts."

"His best friend is a female Espeon and we recently had to split up, so there were some parallels and feelings are still rather raw. I don't blame you though, it's a valid tactic and taught me a few lessons – about being goaded into giving information to my opponent mid-battle, that gender isn't as irrelevant as I always figured, and that I hate infatuation."

She chuckled, "Beats having your Pokémon get frozen or put to sleep, trust me. Even confusion is more reliable. Taunt was an excellent answer, not that I would have ever used Attract against two of your Pokémon. Even I'm not that cruel."

She reached into her pocket and held out badge shaped as a wisp of fire, and I accepted it graciously with a slight bow of my head.

She smiled happily, "Congratulations on earning your third badge, you've more than earned it." She turned her attention to Orion, scratching under his chin before quickly leaning down to kiss the top of his head, which caused Orion to fold his ears back in only mild displeasure at the surprise attack. "You're quite spunky, aren't you cutie? Sorry I singed your fur in a few spots, but it could be worse and you should wear it as a badge of honor. Taking down a Numel and a Torkoal, even with help, is an amazing feat for an Eevee your age. Be proud, little one. You'd make a wonderful Flareon, shame you didn't get the chance to meet mine. I'll gladly set up a playdate if you ever want to ask her any questions. No pressure though, you take your time and go with what feels right."

He seemed to consider the offer, then barked happily, apparently deciding he didn't hold a grudge against Flannery for having his fur blemished.

"Thanks for the great battle Flannery, I'll never forget it. I need to get to the Pokécenter though, my other two partners are in pretty rough shape," I said, anxious to get them to Nurse Joy.

"Don't stress about it. I'm somewhat of an expert in these matters, and I can guarantee they'll be fine. Your Ralts just needs some burn heal and a good night's rest, and your Corphish will be right as rain after a long soak. It doesn't even look like your Eevee got a proper burn from what I can see. I'll hand your Pokéballs off to my assistant for her to run to the center with, since she's going with mine anyway. Your friend is up next after I take a break to cool down, go celebrate and hype him up. Tell him I'm expecting an even better showing from him, since he's battling a badge level higher."

I nodded in thanks, returning Orion and handing her my Pokéballs.

Well, all but one, since I suddenly realized that I had completely forgotten Trapinch was still back at the challengers box.

I quickly jogged over to find her still staring blankly at the battlefield, taking in the scorched, rubble-filled arena that a Kadabra and Graveler were already in the process of restoring. I grinned, kneeling down and getting her attention.

"Pretty cool, huh? Someday that could be you out there, if you train hard enough."

She stared at me searchingly for a long moment, but didn't offer any response. I got the feeling that she almost couldn't see herself out there, but decided to give her time for things to sink in.

"You know, Owen is having his battle next, after a little break. It'll probably be even more impressive, since he's challenging a badge level higher than me. You can watch if you want, but you'd have to sit in my lap and promise that you'll behave. Unless you'd rather just return to your ball and–"

An instant and furious shake of the head was my answer, and I smiled happily as I cautiously reached down and picked her up. I could tell she was uncomfortable with it, but she made no move to Bite me.

Victories, both big and small – for me at least. In less than an hour, Owen would accidentally find himself somewhere you really didn't want to be.

On Flannery's bad side.

A/N: Whew! Even glossing over Duran stomping Flareon, this chapter still hit 10k words. I couldn't bring myself to split it up though, even if I could really use the additional week to rebuild my suffering chapter queue to safer levels. I'm quite happy with how this turned out, and I hope you all enjoyed.

I thought about having Attract be Synchronized, but it wouldn't have changed the outcome and only would have made the chapter even longer. I know it doesn't work in the games, similar to same-type status effects like the burn, but since I'm portraying it as an empathy thing I think it could go either way – not inflicting an actual burn but sharing the sensation of it so long as Apollo is still battling. I kind of hate how useless Synchronize is and may employ these changes at some point, but it was unnecessary here. Perhaps I'll come back to this and add it someday, but we'll see how things go. Curious about your thoughts on this though.

I think I'm getting much better at writing battles, so I'll try to start doing them a lot more =p. There's a lot of plot stuff incoming though, hence my backlog being in shambles, so it'll probably have to wait a little bit. See you next week when we finally begin the major plot escalation that's been teased. Stay cute!

Shoutout to Trix and Feanix for beta-reading this chapter, and to everyone who's read this far.

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