King: I'm back~!

Knox: Where to this time?

King: Where do you think, my guy?

Knox: ... Um... where?

King: ... Right then. Let's begin! Gotta' Catch 'em All!

Inspiration: Pokémon

/\

That last world was a series of ups and downs. Let's see what we get this time!

The world opened to a view down upon a massive stadium. The city around it was lighting up as dusk was fading into the land. They could hear a crowd cheering in a thunderous uproar. The camera moved to the stadium and through a cloud to transition inside. Standing on one side of the arena was a girl dressed in a red tank top, black jeans, sneakers, and paired with a red rose har pin in her dark hair. This was the challenger, Ruby Rose.

Yang grinned and pulled her sister into a one armed hug, "That's a fun look for you, sis."

Ruby tried to free herself again, but Yang was still freakishly strong.

Ruby looked upward slightly and toward a massive snake-like creature, shimmering in the lights around her. Its body was seemingly made of steel-plated boulders, with one in the middle of the body with two protrusions on either side. Even its teeth appeared to be made of metal.

Qrow nearly fell out of his chair, "What the hell is that?!"

The world behind the creature froze and swapped to blue as various stats appeared around it. They also heard a mechanical voice playing, "Steelix: The Iron Snake Pokémon…"

"Poke-what-now?" Nora was excited about the creature, but had no idea what was going on.

Knox appeared with a glowing gold to explain it, "It's what's called a Pokémon, short for pocket monster. They are creatures that life alongside humans in this reality. This one in particular, as the voice said, is called Steelix. These creatures will often battle each other while being led by a human Trainer."

Ilia looked up toward the strange creature, "That sounds kind of…" she waved her hand, searching for the right word.

Weiss was the one to offer one, "Suspect?"

Ilia was still iffy about agreeing with a Schnee, but she had to concede this time. "Yeah. That. Like a dog fight of something."

King popped back with a shimmering silver effect surrounding him for a moment, "Not quite. It's more similar to a fighter and their… well… trainer. The Pokémon naturally fight one another, being their primary method of growth and transformation/evolution. However, if they ally themselves with worthy trainers, they gain this power faster. Such battles are fought until the Pokémon either faints or is knocked out, like a boxing match. It's a mutually beneficial system."

Knox snickered, "Yeah. A boxing match with creatures the size of cars that can breathe fire. No big deal."

The voice continued, "… A Steel and Ground type. This Pokémon will chew through boulders with its massive jaw. It's believed that iron deposits within these boulders are the reason its body have become so dense."

The world returned to normal to show Ruby frowning up toward the creature. She was the last chance she and her Pokémon had to win the match. It was one on one now. She took a breath and grabbed a small orb from her belt. She touched a button in the center and it expended to fit into her hand.

"What is that thing?" Ruby asked the two fireballs.

But, they were remaining quiet this time. The viewers just had to see it in action.

Ruby tossed the ball up a moment and tossed it into the arena. The ball burst open and a bright light flowed out like a bolt of lightning. The light then seemed to reshape and form into a body far larger than the ball should be able to hold. When it was done forming, what looked like a 5 foot tall emperor penguin with a trident forming over its beak and face was standing in the area. Its stomach had a white lace-like design and its wings were tipped like blue blades.

Weiss blinked at the moment, a part of her rational mind just breaking down, "That doesn't make any sense! How is that even possible?"

Knox just started to laugh a bit at Weiss's outburst.

The scene moved to the information again with the mechanical voice, "Empoleon, the Emperor Pokémon. A Water and Steel type. This Pokémon can swim as fast as a speeder boat. Its wings are capable of cleaving through large ice drifts."

The world returned to normal as Ruby's Pokémon puffed out its chest. It grinned up toward the Steelix, seeing a weakened opponent.

Ruby thrust her hand forward and pointed toward the Steelix, "Empoleon! Metal claw!"

The Pokémon's wings started to glow before shimmering like steel. It charged forward as the Steelix's tail tried to intercept it. Empoleon jumped over the attack and struck at the large metal snake's center.

"Steelix!" The trainer on the opposite side was now visible, revealing it to be James Ironwood. He was dressed in a steel-grey military uniform with a few medals on his chest. It was more akin to a ceremonial uniform than a combat uniform.

Ironwood nodded lightly to himself, liking the look. But, to be fair, it wasn't too different from what he was wearing right now anyway.

"Smack that bird down a peg with earthquake!"

The large snake reared its tail back before slamming it back onto the ground. The world around them started to shake. Empoleon was knocked down to one knee.

"Now!" Ironwood swung his hand to the side, "Iron Tail!"

His Pokémon's tail began to slow and swung back for a bit hit.

Ruby, however, was just grinning, "Now Empoleon! Hydro Pump!"

The penguin smirked and its mouth opened, unleashing a stream of pressurized water straight into the Steelix's face. The weakened Pokémon was knocked back and slammed into the ground, its tail flying far from its target. The Steelix's eyes seemed to shift to a pair of swirls.

The announcer to the side raised a flag toward Steelix, "Steelix is unable to battle! The winner is the Challenger!"

Yang cheered for her sister's counterpart and her Pokémon, "That was awesome!"

Ironwood wasn't as ecstatic, but he didn't really mind it either.

The Ironwood on screen returned his Pokémon to its ball before starting to laugh a little. After a moment, he fell to a sitting position, laughing jovially.

This got Qrow to bust out laughing. "Oh my gods, he can laugh!"

Ironwood glared toward Qrow for ruining his mood.

James stood again after a few seconds to laugh and brushed himself off, "That was quite the battle! You and your Pokémon have a great sense of trust and teamwork. I'd say you earned this win. Congratulations Ruby Rose. You have bested the Elite Four."

The massive screen above them lit up with four portraits. They appeared from left to right: Winter Schnee, dressed in an ice white military uniform reminiscent of a winter coat; Emerald Sustrai, dressed in a black crop top and black capri pants with both having yellow rings at the base of her neck and around her legs; Sienna Kahn, dressed in a sleeveless Gi with a black belt around her waist; and James Ironwood, as described previously. These were the Elite Four, four of the best Trainers in the region, bested only by the reigning champion.

The four felt a certain pride in knowing they were the best, minus one person above them. That said, it was bitter moment when they realized that Ruby had just defeated the fourth member and therefore beat all of them previously.

The crowd went into a frenzy as the scene faded to show a set of six pokeballs in a machine, glowing slightly. When the machine dinged, the balls were removed and placed onto a tray. A woman with pink hair handed the group to Ruby, "All healed up~"

Ruby took the six and they shrunk down again as she placed them on her belt. "Thank you." Ruby spun around and started to run outside. Her traveling companions Weiss, Blake, and her sister Yang were waiting for her.

Yang grabbed her sister in a one-armed hug, "This is so awesome! My sister is about to be the Champion!"

Blake shook her head slightly, "She's not champion yet. She still needs to beat the current holder."

The Blake in the audience nodded, "That's a good point. But who is this champion?"

Coco chuckled, "You get three guesses."

Blake thought over why she would say that, eventually remembering the rules of the screen. "Fair point."

Ruby grinned and looked back over to the stadium. This was going to be the hardest battle she's faced. She had to be ready for anything, especially now that she's reached the champion. She only knew him by reputation. She knew she couldn't fall back on old battle footage since he always changed his team. He wanted people to earn their win, not that anyone did. She was going to have to be careful.

The scene moved to the inside of the stadium. Lights were blaring as night fell on the area. This was the climax of the day, the week, the year… It was rare for trainers to climb their way through the Elite Four and challenge the Champion. This was going to be something to watch. The camera moved to the stands to show Weiss, Blake, and Yang cheering for Ruby before she even entered the stadium.

They then saw Port standing on a small platform at the edge of the arena. He held a microphone up to him mouth and held his hand out to the audience, "Welcome one and all! Tonight! We shall witness a great battle between two great trainers and their teams of Pokémon! Now, to introduce the Challenger!"

One of the doorways opened with a glowing red fog effect. After a moment, Ruby walked out toward the center.

"From the small town of Patch, Ruby Rose! She's fought her way through the eight gyms of the region and finally bested the Elite Four! But now, she must face her greatest challenge!" Port gestured to the other end of the arena.

As he did, the lights on that side dimmed and music began to play. It was a triumphant symphony the audience in the stands can only hear in battles like these.

King: Think the Championship theme for Lance.

Yang let out an impressed whistle, "Give him this, Jaune knows how to make an entrance."

Tai chuckled, "Watch it not be your friend and this has all been a setup."

"Nah, he has to show up in these. It's kind of the point to them."

The doors opened slowly, but, instead of the usual entryway, the area split to reveal a set of stairs leading up to a throne. Sitting atop the marble seat, Jaune was leaning slightly to the side, resting his head on one hand. He was dressed in formal attire, almost like a warrior king. He stood and grinned down toward Ruby. He slowly started to descend the stairs toward her. In time, and with the roar of the crowd at his back, he stood opposite Ruby in the arena. This was the challenge Trainers dream of, a chance at the Championship title. And he wasn't about to disappoint. Not the viewers, not his challenger, and certainly not himself.

Port chuckled jovially, "An excellent outlook! Especially for something of this spectacle."

Jaune grinned toward Ruby, "That was quite the story. You're a long way from home, and you've accomplished so much. You should be proud of that."

Ruby smiled toward her opponent, "Yeah. Of course I am. My Pokémon and I have come a long way." She pointed up toward the throne behind him. "And we're going all the way." Despite the confidence she tried to show, she was nervous. This was the ultimate challenge and Jaune was the best in the entire region. She took a discrete, deep breath and tried to keep her confident face on.

Port raised a hand between them. "Alright! Release the first Pokémon!"

Jaune, as the Champion, had to select his Pokémon first. He picked a ball from his belt and tossed it to release a green and white creature that seemed to possess a spiked shell, almost like a thick piece of armor. "First up is Chesnaught."

I think you get the idea of what happens by now. "Chesnaught, the Spiky Armor Pokémon. A Grass and Fighting type. By defending itself with its shell, it is capable of withstanding a bomb. A single tackle from this Pokémon can knock over a 50-ton tank."

Yang laughed a bit at the description, "Holy crap! That thing is a beast!"

"More like a tank." Ironwood grinned. "It would be rather helpful, that's for sure."

Chesnaught slammed its fists together and looked ready for a fight.

Ruby had to think this one over. She couldn't send out Empoleon, since he would have a major type disadvantage.

"What's that about?" Blake looked up to the fireballs.

King was the one to explain it, "Each Pokémon has one or two elemental types. These types have natural advantages or disadvantages against other types. Water beats fire, fire beats grass, that kind of thing. Empoleon is Water and Steel which are weak to grass and fighting types respectively."

Nora thought that over for a moment, "So… it's like rock paper scissors?"

"More or less. Just more complicated with 17 distinct types."

"How does anyone keep track of all of that?"

"It's easier if you grow up with it. And you'll still mess it up now and then."

But she did have an option. She pulled a ball from her belt and tossed it out to reveal something akin to a large black dog, only with bone white horns, what looked like a rib cage ridges on its back, and a spade tipped tail, a literal hell hound.

This got Blake and Kali to hide behind Gira. But Gira wasn't taking the creature's appearance well either. A normal dog, he can handle. A Grimm, sure. A demon dog, however? Now that's a different story.

"Houndoom, The Dark Pokémon. A Dark and Fire type. Its fire burns using toxins from its body, causing permanent burns to its prey. Its howl was once believed to be the call of the Grim Reaper."

Blake leapt up, her hands resting on her father's shoulder, "I knew that thing as evil!"

Knox snickered, "I mean… the Dark type is considered the Evil type. Eh? King~"

King moved over and slapped Knox upside the head. "You got something to say about my favorite type?"

"Who? Me? Of course not."

Houndoom snarled toward Chesnaught. Ruby grinned, her Fire type having the advantage against the Grass type of her opponent. However, the Fighting typing had the advantage over Houndoom's Dark typing. She took a breath and waited for Port.

Port's hand fell between them, "BEGIN!"

Ruby wanted to capitalize and get that tank out of the equation, "Houndoom! Flamethrower!"

Her Pokémon's mouth opened slightly, flames licking at its lips. When its mouth opened fully, a torrent of fire flew off toward Chesnaught.

Jaune snapped his hand up, "Spiky Shield!"

Chesnaught brought his hands together and a green shield of grass and thorns formed in front of him. The fire impacted the shield and flew out harmlessly away. The Pokémon trust its arms wide again and the fires flickered out of existence around him. The Grass type seemed to smirk toward his opponent.

"This is pretty crazy!" Nora was bouncing side to side in her chair.

"It does seem rather interesting." Ren liked the aspect of preparedness and the balance between the elements.

Houndoom snarled, his eyes glancing back to Ruby.

But Ruby was smirking, "Now! Fire fang!"

The hound grinned and his pointed teeth beginning to produce a heat effect before his mouth burst into flame. He charged forward and leapt onto the juggernaut, biting down on his arm and creating a burst of fire.

Blake was hiding from the beast again, "THAT THING IS EVIL!"

Yang laughed her ass off and fell from her seat.

Chesnaught started to stumble back, but Jaune didn't seem too worried. "Chesnaught! Hammer arm!"

The green paladin reared its arm up, with Houndoom still hanging by its jaw, and slammed its arm, and Ruby's Pokémon, into the ground. This created a massive impact crater into the ground.

Ruby watched as Houndoom continued to dig its jaw in and keep its grip. "Houndoom! Inferno!"

The hell hound growled as fire licked at its lips. The flames started to burn brighter before erupting out and engulfing the two in a massive flame. When the fire faded out again, Houndoom stood over the Grassy knight, triumphant. It let out a roar of victory out over the arena.

Yang cheered with a fist pump, "Nice! Ruby goes in with the advantage!"

Blake and Kali were still hiding behind Gira. Kali hopped up, using his shoulder to lean over, "But hasn't that dog taken a lot of damage?"

Houndoom was taking deep breaths, the hammer arm from before did a serious number on it, being weak to fighting type moves. But he held firm. He wasn't backing down for anything. The bond between Trainer and Pokémon is one of trust, and he trusted Ruby to make the best call, even if it meant he would have to lose to knock his opponent down for the next member of his team.

Port nodded, "A good strategy at times… and an amazing show of trust."

Jaune returned to Chesnaught to its Poke Ball. He was down to five Pokémon now. He grabbed another from his belt and expanded like the first. However, this one was blue with two small red sections on the top.

Kali glanced toward the purple fireball, "What's that?"

King created a small fireball that took a similar form as the ball on screen, "This is a Great Ball. It's an improved version of the Poke Ball." The red and white ball appeared again. Another joined the group, one decorated in yellow and black, "Then there's the Ultra Ball, which is better than both of them. Different versions have certain advantages when catching various Pokémon."

Jaune tossed the ball up and into the air. When it popped open, a large green creature on two legs. It had short arms and a tail that seemed to spike out before the end. It stomach was a purple indenting, almost indicating the body on either side were armor. The creature resembled a dinosaur, not that they knew what that was.

"Tyranitar, the armor Pokémon. A Rock and Dark type. This Pokémon traverses mountains in search of worthy opponents to fight. Weak opponents are ignored."

Weiss chuckled a bit, "Sounds like Yang."

Yang just shrugged, "It's no fun if they just go down in a punch or two. Besides, I'll take it as a compliment. That thing is awesome."

Tyranitar roared, making Ruby bite her lip nervously. Tyranitar was a strong Pokémon and its Rock typing put Houndoom at a severe disadvantage. She held up her ball, "Return!" Houndoom's body reformed into a red laser and returned to the ball. A grass type might be the best option. She grabbed another ball and tossed it out.

The creature that appeared was a bipedal being, its body was green and seemed to possess a cape. Its face seemed to be covered by a mask. At the end of one was what appeared as a bouquet of red roses, while the other hand had blue roses. Its 'hair' seemed like white rose petals.

Ruby gasped with a giant grin on her face, "Oh my gosh! That's so cool!"

Tai smiled and ruffled his youngest daughter's hair, "You would pick a rose creature."

"Roserade, the Bouquet Pokémon. A Grass and Poison type. It lures in prey using a sweet aroma and movements like that of a dancer. When close, it attacks with poisonous whips."

Roserade seemed to brush a hand over its bangs and stood with an air of confidence.

Ruby pointed toward the giant green goliath, "Roserade! Magical leaf!"

Roserade spun around like a dancer, petals flying off around her. When she stopped, she held a rose-covered hand up as the petals around her floated in the air. When she levelled her hand toward her opponent, the petals flew off like a storm of mystical blades. The attack followed Tyranitar's movements, unable to miss.

Jaune had to plan a counterattack, "Tyranitar! Sandstorm!"

Tyranitar let out a massive roar to the heavens as the dust, sand, and rock around them flew into the air, creating a vortex of wind and sediment. The vortex smacked the rest of the petals aside and surrounded the two.

Sun took in a sharp breath through his teeth, "Really glad that's not a thing in this world. Normal sandstorms suck, but being able to just make them happen whenever… That's just messed up."

Blake was confused a moment before remembering something important, "Oh right, you grew up in Vacuo."

"Yep!" Sun grinned, remembering those old days. "They weren't the best days, but they made me what I am."

Roserade tried to cover her eyes. The sand and rocks were buffeting her over and over. She looked around, unable to see. The scene moved back to show a silhouette of Tyranitar formed behind her, his blue eyes glowing through the winds.

The scene evoked monster movie imagery. It was as if this creature was a force of nature, rather than a single piece within it.

Jaune grinned, "HYPER BEAM!"

Roserade heard that through the wind and spun around, seeing a glowing aura from Tyranitar's mouth. The Armor Pokémon leaned forward a bit and a massive beam of energy flew out from his mouth and slammed into Roserade, temporarily causing the storm to stop before the ground erupted into an explosion from a point-blank laser beam.

Ruby had to shield her eyes from the force of the impact, "ROSERADE!"

Roserade flew through the air and slammed into the ground, rolling across the stone-like flooring of the arena. She weakly rose back to her hands and knees before returning to her feet.

Ruby cheered as her proxy Pokémon stood again, "Yeah! Go get 'em! Show that thing who's boss!"

Ozpin shook his head ever so slightly, "After a hit like that at point blank… I don't know what else it can do."

Tyranitar roared again, but Roserade just grinned.

As did Ruby. After a hyper beam, the Pokémon was vulnerable, unable to use an attack. "Now! Petal blizzard!"

Roserade's attack seemed similar to last, except that all the petals remained red. She charged toward Tyranitar to ensure he couldn't dodge the attack. She seemed to fly through him as the petals swarmed around him in a storm of floral blades. Tyranitar cried out in pain as the Grass type move dealt massive damage. When the petals scattered again, Tyranitar started to sway.

Ruby's body swung up in a triumphant pose, "Yes! That's how it's done!"

Jaune blinked for a moment. There had to be more to this. Hiding in the sandstorm for a heavy attack was too well planned. There's no way that was it.

The Jaune on screen folded his arms and grinned, "Flamethrower."

Tyranitar snapped around to face Roserade and unleashed a torrent of fire onto the Grass type. The flames petered out, showing Roserade's blank eyes, having passed out from the attack.

Port swung his hand toward Jaune's side, "Roserade is unable to battle!"

Ruby's triumph was cut short and she fell to her knees on her chair, "NO!"

Ruby groaned and returned Roserade to her ball. She grabbed another and tossed it out to release Empoleon again. Tyranitar was breathing heavily, his stamina sapped. He remained weak to this new challenger, and he'd taken too much damage. Empoleon puffed out his chest and seemed more than ready for a fight.

Ozpin tapped his chair, looking over the situation, "They might be even again, but if that… what was it called? The green one."

Knox floated closer as he answered, "Tyranitar."

"Right. Tyranitar. If it remains in the battle, Ms. Rose will have the advantage again."

Ruby knew this as well, and was ready to capitalize on it, "Empoleon! Aqua jet!"

Empoleon charged forward as water surrounded his body, creating a pressurized stream pushing him faster. When he slammed into Tyranitar, the water burst out in a powerful impact and pushed the larger creature onto his back.

Port moved a hand to Empoleon, "Tyranitar is unable to battle!"

Jaune sighed, recognizing his situation as he returned Tyranitar to his ball. "Okay." He took a breath and tossed another ball into the air.

When this Pokémon appeared, it showed as a canine-like blue, black, and yellow creature. A set of four hair like protrusions on its head seemed to vibrate for a moment. The backs of its hands and the center of its torso had steel-grey spikes. It let out a small huff of air and stared down its opponent.

Yang's eyes widened slightly at the Pokémon, "Ooh? What's that one?"

"Lucario, the Aura Pokémon."

"Aura?!" Ruby sputtered, "They have aura?!"

"That would make sense." Blake glanced to her team leader. "We did see one of those Pokémon tank a laser-induced explosion at point blank."

Weiss nodded, "That is a good point."

"A Fighting and Steel type."

Yang chuckled, "No wonder I like this one."

"This Pokémon can perceive the aura of all living creatures within a half-mile radius. It has also learned to control this aura for combat."

"So… kind of like us?" Nora thought out loud. "Just… without the half-mile thing. Though I guess Ren is pretty good at that. Maybe if he trained a bit more…"

Ren shook his head, "I doubt I can be that precise."

Lucario cracked his neck before adopting a fighting stance.

Jaune grinned and pointed toward the penguin, "Aura sphere!"

Lucario brought his paw-like hands together. As his hands separated again, a blue sphere formed with a strange effect radiating out from it. After a moment, he reared the ball back and threw it straight toward Empoleon.

Ruby called out to her Pokémon, "Empoleon! Dodge it!"

The penguin kicked off and into the air as the ball of energy flew passed.

"Nice!" Ruby celebrated. A bit too early.

Jaune smirked, his Lucario's four hair-like protrusions were standing on end to either side of his head. Lucario seemed to be smirking as well. The ball of energy bounced off the ground, then to the wall around them, and into Empoleon's back. Lucario can use his ability to sense aura to predict simple movements, ensuring that Aura Sphere will never miss.

Sun chuckled a bit, "That would be so awesome! Maybe I can figure out how to do that."

Yang grinned and pumped her fist, "Yes! We need to figure that out!"

The two then shared a quick high five in solidarity.

Ruby growled at the hit, "Empoleon! Hydro pump!"

Jaune swung his arm forward, "Lucario! Extreme Speed!"

Lucario's body seemed to disappear and reappeared directly in front of Empoleon as the penguin was charging his attack. Lucario placed his palm on the penguin's chest.

Ruby gasped in amazement, "Oh wow! That's so cool!"

Jaune's hand swung around to snap his finger, "Force Palm!"

Lucario's hand started to glow before pushing Empoleon back. A shockwave shook the air around them as Empoleon was sent flying backward.

Ruby's excitement fell off as she remembered the situation on screen. "That looked bad."

Empoleon spun across the ground, the impact of the attack dealing a large amount of damage. The penguin tried to stand but fell to one knee. He could still fight, and the battle continued, but he was hanging by a thread.

Neptune grinned, "He's a fighter at least."

Empoleon's mouth opened again and water started to form before shooting out in a pressurized torrent. Lucario held his hand up and used his aura to mitigate the damage, allowing him to stay in place. But he did take significant damage from the attack. He grinned as another sphere formed in his outstretched hand. Jaune snapped his finger and the sphere flew off and hit the penguin square in the jaw, knocking him back and out.

Port raised the appropriate hand, "Empoleon is unable to battle!"

Ruby groaned, not liking the outcome as it happened.

The Ruby on the screen had a similar reaction as she returned the Pokémon to its ball. She took a new ball from her belt and threw it into the air. The ball popped open to reveal a giant seemingly made of Roman armor. Its body was like clay and rock, a large steel seal resting across its aqua chest. A strange energy radiated from the cracks in its body like a ghostly aura.

"Golurk, the Automaton Pokémon. A Ground and Ghost type. It is believed this Pokémon was created by ancient civilizations as a laborer. Removing the seal on its chest will cause it rage without any regard for its surroundings."

"A ghost?" Weiss raised an eyebrow, "That's an odd sentiment."

Ruby remained positive, "At least it's a friendly ghost. Mostly."

Golurk let out a cry similar to a ghostly moan as heard through a device. Golurk stood like a statue before the arena.

Jaune's eyes narrowed. This one could be a problem. Golurk was a ground type, which had advantage against steel types, and a ghost type, which was unaffected by fighting types.

Ruby grinned and swung her arm to the side, "Now! Use Phantom Force!"

Golurk's shoulders perked up slowly as its arms rose. The shadows beneath it started to seem to form a portal as it sank into the ground.

"What's going on?" Ruby asked.

Oobleck adjusted his glasses before answering, "According to legends, ghosts possess the ability to solid matter. One could assume that they could pass through the ground as well. This is likely a sneak attack of some kind."

Lucario looked around for a moment, his eyes failing him. He closed his eyes and took a deep inhale, the protrusions on his head standing on end again. The ground behind him started to turn dark as Golurk rose up from the ground again. Lucario spun around, hoping for a counter, but only found a massive fist slamming into his face. Lucario flew off and into the wall. The fighting type shook himself off and growled.

Jaune, however, wasn't going to let that continue, "Lucario! Return!" He returned the blue fighter to the ball and shrunk it down again. He needed a new strategy. He grabbed another ball and took a breath. This was going to be a crazy gamble. He tossed the new ball into the arena.

When the ball popped, a bipedal, dark brown rabbit creature appeared. The ends of its hands, legs, eyebrows, and long ears were tipped with cream colored fur. It's fur seemed very well taken care of.

Velvet blinked in surprise.

Coco started to snicker before bursting out laughing. "What is that~?"

"Loppuny, the Rabbit Pokémon…"

Coco snickered, "You don't say~"

"… A Normal type. Its ears appear to be very delicate. However, if they are handled roughly, it will retaliate with an attack with its powerful kicks."

Coco tapped her chair for a moment, "Hey Velvet, did you ever consider taking up a kicking fighting style or are you just going to do what you usually do?"

Velvet had considered it but had no one to learn from. She just shook her head and continued to watch.

Normal and Ghost types can't effect each other, so they would both need to use other moves. And thankfully, Jaune was ready. "Ice Punch!"

Loppuny swung her ears aside as she jumped toward Golurk, her fist reared back and fogging with a cold mist around it. When she hit the large golem, a force of ice erupted from the point of impact. Golurk staggered and slowly fell onto its back. The Ground type Golurk was weak to Ice attacks.

Ren tapped his chin in thought, "Interesting… It seems each of the weaknesses are based on actual elemental interaction."

Jaune nodded, "Like how water puts out fires."

Ruby spun around to the two, "But why the ice against ground? Why is that better?"

"I think its supposed to be the effect of Winter on the ground." Oscar offered, "When its too cold, the ground becomes brittle and unusable."

Ruby growled, "Golurk! Use Earthquake!"

Golurk's arms rose up over its head, hands balled into fists.

Jaune snapped his hand upward, "Loppuny! Dodge it with Bounce!"

Lopunny crouched before taking off, leaping as high as the stadium. When Golurk's arms fell, there was no target to hit as the ground shook and rumbled. Lopunny started to fall again and spun into an attack run.

Jaune's hand fell back down and toward Golurk, "Attack with Ice Punch!"

Loppuny's attack swapped to a chilly punch slamming into Golurk's face, breaking into ice again. Golurk stumbled back again and fell to the ground. It slowly shook its head and stood again.

But Ruby knew staying with Golurk was going to backfire. She raised the ball and returned the giant to its rest. She grabbed another ball and tossed it in the giant's place. What appeared resembled a red colored, bipedal bug with a pair of pincers at the ends of its hands.

"Is that going to be a better option?" Ruby tried to distract herself from the fact that the bug on screen was taller than she was.

"Scizor, the Pincer Pokémon. A Bug and Steel type. Its body is like steel, most attacks bouncing off as a result. Its large pincers are more suited to smashing attacks than grabbing something."

Ruby blinked then laughed a bit, "Sounds a little like Yang."

Her sister gave her a playful punch for that one.

Scizor raised its claws to threaten Lopunny.

Jaune chuckled, "Alright. A decent pick. But let's see if it does you any good. High Jump Kick!"

Loppuny crouched before flying forward with her leg outstretched for a powerful kick.

"Scizor!" Ruby shouted to her Pokémon, "Intercept it with Vacuum Wave!"

Scizor reared a pincer back and slammed it forward, the air in front of the attack pushing away as a vacuum effect pushed toward her opponent. The effect slammed into Lopunny and pushed her away from her course, dealing good damage, and causing her to barrel to the side and crater into the ground, causing more damage. Lopunny winced on impact and clutched her leg in pain before she could stand normally.

Tai winced at the moment of impact as well, "That's got to hurt."

Lopunny staggered back up, only to be wrapped in a red laser effect as she returned to the ball. Jaune had a face that held respect, but also a certain grim truth. He'd been holding back. "I'm impressed. Let's see if you can keep it up." He grabbed a new ball and tossed it into the middle.

The Pokémon that appeared resembled a golden sword with a single eye at its large hilt. A pair of dark tassels behind it folded like a pair of arms behind its back. The whole form rested within a circular shield.

Jaune blinked in surprise. "Is… that supposed to be Crocea Mors?"

Ruby was geeking out about a Pokémon that was also a weapon. "Oh my gosh! That's so cool! Please tell me I have one of those too! What's it called?!"

"Aegislash, the Royal Sword Pokémon."

Jaune sighed. He was lucky that his friends didn't get hanged up on the High Prince thing since they learned about it a while back. For now, at least.

"A Steel and Ghost type. It can detect the qualities of leadership in those around it. It is said that anyone this Pokémon bonds with is destined to become a king."

Jaune felt a little better at the sound of the Pokémon's ability to gauge leadership. Ever since taking over as team leader, he would question if he was really qualified. Ruby's pep talk, which he has dubbed the Nope Speech, was good to get him in gear and start really acting like a lead for his team. However, in the back of his mind, he was always questioning if he really should have been the leader of the team.

Pyrrha knew the look on his face and placed a hand on his shoulder. She gave him a reassuring smile to say You're a great leader, Jaune.

Aegislash looked around before noticing the Scizor.

Jaune swung an arm to the side, "Aegislash! Use Swords Dance!"

Aegislash's body seemed to glow as etherial swords formed around it. This wasn't a damaging ability, but rather increased his attack potential.

Ruby wasn't going to let that slide, "X-Scissor!"

Scizor crossed her arms and charged forward.

Jaune snapped his finger, "King's Shield."

As Scizor reached Aegislash, she swung her crossed pincers to either side in an X, only to be met with the Pokémon's shield. Scizor's eyes sagged a moment, energy sapped from her body.

Ruby was a little worried now, "What's going on?"

Knox popped in, mimicking the robotic voice that introduced the Pokémon, "King's Shield. A Steel type defensive move that protects the user from incoming attacks. If the opponent makes contact with the shield it drops their attack stat."

"That's… That's a thing?"

"Yep~ It's like Spiky Shield dealing damage with contact and similar abilities."

"So that's why she started with flamethrower." Nora realized, "It doesn't make contact."

"Bingo."

Aeislash pushed Scizor back as Jaune cried to him, "Sword's Dance!" The swords appeared again, making the bladed Pokémon even stronger.

Mercury laughed a bit, "He's setting up a quick win. Probably to sweep the rest of her team."

Ruby was a little worried now, "Scizor! Use Night Slash!"

Scizor shook her head and tried to get herself together again, aiming her attack toward the center of the Pokémon, using the shield as reference. This was a mistake. Her attack flew across the air, the camera revealing that Aegislash had removed the shield from its blade and was now wielding it in one of its arm-like tassels.

Nora started to laugh at the sight, "A sword using a shield!" She was trying to get herself under control, but failed.

Scizor's eyes went wide at the realization.

Jaune grinned, "Night Slash."

Aegislash's body floated around with a heavy slash into Scizor's head, slamming the bug type into the ground. The attack in question focuses on dealing massive damage through weak points in the opponent. A critical hit, if you will. And with a boost of two Swords Dances, that was a massive hit. As a result, Scizor faceplanted into a small crater, knocking the bug out.

Port swung his arm around, "Scizor is unable to battle!"

"NO!" Ruby cried out. "Dang it."

The Ruby on screen remained composed. She pulled a ball and released Houndoom again. "Use flamethrower!"

The hound released its flame once more.

Jaune called out to his Pokémon, "King's Shield!"

Aegislash blocked the attack as fire flew to either side.

Ruby grinned, "Keep up the heat!"

The fire continued, growing hotter. Aegislash's defense started to crack gradually. The attack made no contact so Houndoom remained unaffected by the debuff. The King's Shield cracked before bursting apart as fire engulfed the blade and his shield. The Steel type took heavy damage from the fire-based attack. Thankfully, he was in his defensive form, so the damage was mitigated slightly. Aegislash was covered in soot with small smoke trails rising from his body. Jaune called out to his Pokémon for another attack. Aegislash shook himself and rose his blade up, for a second Night Slash.

Ruby snapped her finger, mimicking Jaune's actions through the match, "Foul Play!"

Houndoom attacked with a powerful assault against the Ghost type, the Dark type ability dealing more damage. What's more, the attack used Aegislash's attack stats, boosts and all.

Yang took in a sharp breath. "And after those two boosts…"

King appeared again, "Four."

"What?"

"There's an odd quirk where Sword's Dance is a double boost. Aegislash's attack was boosted by four stages."

They were quiet before Qrow chuckled, "This will hurt."

The attack sent Aegislash barreling into the wall.

Port's arm raised, "Aegislash is unable to battle!"

Jaune returned the blade to the ball and took a deep breath. "Okay… Not yet." He rereleased Lucario, the best option for the battle. "Now! Aura Sphere!"

One sphere of unmissable aura shot the still damaged Houndoom down.

Then Golurk returned, smacking Lucario into the ground.

Loppuny returned next with a powerful Ice Punch in revenge.

Ruby was down to one Pokémon left. She took a deep breath and held her last Pokeball. She nodded and tossed the ball.

Yang grinned, "10 Lien says it's the sword Pokémon from before."

Ruby was giddy at the idea, "Please!"

The ball opened to show a quadrupedal creature with white fur over its body except its face and a small dark section on its forehead. Its tail resembled a blade-like design and the side of its head had what seemed like a scythe growing from it to counter the white fur on the other side.

"Absol, the Disaster Pokémon."

Qrow froze mid-drink and had to cough up from the liquid trying to go down his throat.

"A Dark type. This Pokémon can sense disasters before they appear and will appear to warn nearby humans. This has given it the reputation of a bad omen and the cause of such events."

Ruby pouted loudly, "That's not fair at all!"

Qrow sighed with a slight chuckle, "You have no idea, kid…"

"What?"

Absol shook her head and a small orb on a necklace fell out from her fur. Ruby placed a bracer on her arm with a similar orb at the center. Both orbs started to glow before Absol was wrapped in a sphere of crystal. She broke out with what appeared like wings of fur. Everything from fur to claws extended and the blade took on a more pronounced form.

Nora gasped, "What was that?!"

Knox popped in, "Mega Evolution. A temporary boost of power. At the end of the battle, the Pokémon returns to normal. Until then, the Pokémon gains a massive stat boost."

"That's so cool~!"

Jaune pointed toward the opposing Pokémon, "Use High Jump Kick!"

As the opponent jumped up, Ruby swung her arm and called out to the Pokémon, "Sucker Punch!"

Absol swung her body and slammed into Lopunny's gut with a powerful hit. The bunny recoiled in surprise before flying off course and slamming into the ground, knocking the rabbit out.

Port's hand rose again, "Lopunny is unable to battle!"

Velvet recoiled with sympathy for the Pokémon. She could only imagine how much that had hurt. It didn't help that she felt a certain connection to the creature.

Jaune returned the Pokémon to her ball and took a breath. He looked up toward Ruby, "You've done very well to get here. And now I only have one Pokémon left. You've backed the Champ into a corner, something no one else has accomplished. You should be proud of that."

Ruby smirked, "You make it sound like I'm about to lose."

Jaune held up a ball with a purple top with two pink sections on either side of the section. A single white M was placed in the center.

"Okay." Emerald thought back to the explanation of the balls before. "What's that one do?"

King appeared in a flicker with the same color scheme as the ball, "The Master Ball. A guaranteed catch, no matter what you're catching. It's the most powerful ball you can get and the rarest. There's maybe one or two at most in an entire region."

Jaune tossed the ball into the air and it popped open into the sky. A bright light shined down upon the arena. The light descended before they saw the creature radiating such effect. It was similar to a white horse-like being. Its feet ended in points rather than hooves, the back of its head seemed like a stationary, flowing mane. A golden cross-like wheel with green gems protruded from its body.

Everyone was in shock at the creature's appearance. It was commanding, powerful, and giant. It's light made it seem beyond mortal comprehension.

"Arceus…"

Nora snickered, "Arc-eus? Really?! It's perfect!"

Jaune chuckled a bit too, finding it pretty funny. As did many others.

"… the Alpha Pokémon. Current type: Normal."

Yang raised an eyebrow with a slight smirk, "Alpha Pokémon? What the heck does tht mean?"

"It is believed this Pokémon has existed before the universe. Myths address it as the creator of the world."

Laughter died down hearing that.

Ozpin blinked in amazement, "Mr. Arc… Captured a god?"

King flew in, "The god of the Pokémon World. Creator of all and the mightiest being of their world. Not including mega forms for other legendary Pokémon. Well… two, anyway."

Ruby slammed her hands against her chair, "How is that fair?!"

Jaune was stunned at the idea alone, but the fact that it was actually happening that he had apparently captured a god! This was just crazy.

Arceus glared down toward Ruby and Absol. Everyone in the arena was amazed at the sight. A real legendary Pokémon and it was ARCEUS! Jaune raised a finger to the sky. "You are the first to see my great partner. You deserve more praise than you will likely feel in a moment. Arceus! JUDGEMENT!"

Arceus reared back onto its hind legs before slamming back into the ground. The screen went white from the attack. They could hear Port in the background, still reeling from the reveal, "A… Absol is unable to battle! The winner and still champion is Jaune Arc!"

Ruby just groaned and fell back into her chair. "Dang it…"