The morning passed without any further incidents. I once more ordered a meal to be brought up to my room before changing clothes and heading to the gym to work up a light sweat. I tried to make it as close to my normal routine as possible.
Before a light lunch, I called home. The family was fine. Honestly, they were more than fine. With my going away to battle Lance, they had all set up in the lounge room with a whole plan for the day leading up to the match. I couldn't help but laugh. They couldn't demonstrate this level of planning while I was there; remove me and they had a three-act series of games before the match. I was impressed but was also realistic enough to know they'd start the first game and forget about all the other acts with some kids wanting to do other things or becoming hyper-focused on the first game. Rematches would surely be demanded. Forrest just didn't understand how little kids were.The match was scheduled for early in the evening, which gave me just enough time to worry over my team choice. I had six pokemon line up with how I expected the match to play out. Now I could only worry over small details that could determine so much. Titan, Sanchez, Don, Shin, Bertha, and Selene. Each of them had a role to play. I didn't pull any of them out of their pokeball due to the chances of them being spotted. Anyone that was competent would be able to review my history of pokemon battles and expect certain pokemon on my roster. Some of them would no doubt be hard to find but there were videos in circulation for most of them. Sanchez, Shin and Don were going to debut in the eyes of the battle scene for actual televised events though. Titan and Bertha both had experience, while Selene had her own debut during gym matches.As it reached three, I decided to go and familiarise myself with the arena. While I walked, I did so with a focus on the stadium that loomed over everything else in the region. Part of the stadium housed the Champion's office. I could almost imagine him sitting in his tower, looking down at me as I approached.Lots of people noticed me. I could feel a great weight of focus settle on me. If anyone called out, I didn't notice. I kept walking forward to the stadium. On arrival, I wondered if they might turn me away as a ploy to mess with my mental state. The guards nodded, however, and waved me through. I was led to a prep area that was for me and a 'team' of other specialists. I had left all of them in Pewter. The room itself was large enough to house even the largest of pokémon. It served as a final checking area but it was also painted in flat, neutral colours that were likely meant to calm people down. It was a very neutral appearance with the walls having a few posters of 'Place your best foot forward!' and 'Bowing out results in less injuries! Consider your pokemon's long term health!'. I blanked it out. I'd had something similar when I'd matched up against Lindsay in the Orange islandsIn the corner, a small computer rested with a transfer station on offer for those that wanted to perform any last-minute changes. Off to the side, a lounge and a basic television rested. I headed for that. Outside, parades were in action with lots of people being wowed by their daring displays of skill. Today wasn't a day for the competitors to fight but rather for shows to be put on. People were prowling around and enjoying a festival-like atmosphere. I couldn't allow myself to slip into that mindset; I'm here to win. I didn't need something loud that would have me reflexively looking around for my siblings out of habit. I needed quiet relaxation where I wouldn't be hassled.I turned on the television to watch some daytime tv. The perfect, everyday normal event to set me at ease. Perfect to while away a few hours. I ended up leaving it for the computer area where I idly ran through some last-minute research on moves and pokemon that Lance might be able to call on. I was almost certain I knew which ones he would use, but it still niggled at me.Half an hour before the starting ceremony began, an official entered with a very serious looking Officer Jenny. They both gave me their identification badges before Jenny stepped away to offer me some privacy. She remained in the room though as the League official spoke with me."Gym Leader Brock, we received your payment earlier." He had a list that he was ticking things off from. His pen fell to the next item on the list."I am here to lodge the six pokemon that you will be using to battle. As both yourself and the Champion have extended carrying capacities, you must lodge your claims. Do not ask what pokemon the Champion has lodged, I do not know and I cannot tell you. The team list is protected and placed in view of our team of security experts." He offered a humourless smile while glancing towards the stern Jenny. "Please record your pokemon, the order you release them is entirely up to you but you must not deviate from the six you record." I'd expected this, having been talked through the process with Surge.I looked the form over, the question of 'what if you had more than one type of pokemon' dying as I saw a line next to pokemon name with registration numbers. I nodded. This was fairly standard for high stakes exhibition, championship or tournament matches. If others didn't have the license for a larger pokémon roster like myself, I would have an advantage over others that were maxed out at six pokemon. For fairness' sake, I had to pre-record my team roster.Sanchez, Selene, Don, Shin, Bertha, and lastly Titan. These were the pokémon that were my strongest for this match. As I was representing Pewter City, I needed to do so with Rock-type pokemon. Otherwise, that list might have included some very different names.When that was done, I was directed onto the actual battlefield, or rather, just off to the side of it to await the Opening ceremony. I sat to the side of the main battlefield in a shaded bunker waiting for the ceremony to be over and the match to be called for. I was very much out of the sun but on display. The people that had come for their seats early noticed me. I waved at a few but otherwise settled in to wait.There was the usual Growlithe and Ponyta show first however, with people and pokémon from all over the Kanto and Indigo regions appearing. When they entered, they did so with abundant pomp and flare. Growlithe leapt through rings, or hopped along on their hind legs for the crowds' entertainment. Ladies and men in skimpy clothing rode forth on various mounts, most of them Ponyta and Rapidash. People cried out or cheered at each pass. Particularly pretty pokemon or people got some catcalls and there was an air of cheer in the air as the performers worked their magic.Others came in demonstrating skills such as the flying pokemon who performed synchronised aerial acrobatics to get things underway. The people and pokémon representing the various types marched forth with a variety of fashion displays on show. I happened to know — thanks to Yolanda's keen interest — that each year a variety of different local fashion designers were selected. They did it for the honour while also boosting their brand's exposure. Watching from the sidelines as they paraded, sashayed and galavanted in, I was suddenly much more thankful to Erika, Surge, and Sabrina for helping me update my wardrobe.I got to watch a few large blimps, looking like balloons of various pokemon, be paraded forth. Pikachu was always a strong favourite but Jigglypuff also drew some cheers this year.Thankfully, no Jigglypuff with their notorious sing ability actually appeared. I considered that a small mercy, or a sign of the Jenny's and other police personnel's dedication in patrolling the stadium grounds. Rare and shiny pokémon trotted along, their trainers smiling widely. Most of them I recognised as travellers from Hoenn so they weren't all that unfamiliar to me.Fire pokemon paired up with fire acrobats and breathers in breathtaking synchronicity as they danced their way in, gouts of flame artfully unleashed at key intervals. A drummer marching in their centre made the entire stadium feel the beat as he pounded in time with particularly large tongues of fire.A number of key League officials marched after them and waved as people applauded and thanked them for their efforts in contributing to the League and the conference. And then an announcer called for the competing pokemon trainers to enter.It reminded me of the Opening ceremony for the Olympics to a degree but I knew it didn't have the same breadth. That would be saved for the World Championships, which was a tighter, more exclusive field. Still, the trainers, much like the Olympic athletes of my previous life, marched forward.They didn't do it in city-states or even previous nations but as a single large cohesive unit. In the stands, people were crowded in. Normally there wouldn't be this many due to only being the opening ceremony. An event that was more a formality than actual entertainment.The League's announcement of the exhibition match with Lance had resulted in more interest, which was probably their intention, but I had since learnt that my actions had made the exhibition match tickets one of the most in-demand items. Hawkers congregated out the front of the stadium and were even now selling their tickets in live bidding wars. There would be a lot of people watching through their televisions though, so the League and tv companies stood to gain the most from this event.Now the match seemed to loom over the actual conference. Everyone shifted and I could tell there was more desire to simply get the ceremony over and done with. I eyed the assembled trainers and was amused how they had found exactly two hundred and fifty-two trainers.Typically the best trainers were those that went on the journey to collect badges. It was the cheapest path to become a trainer but also offered the best experience. In the Indigo League, you could journey through either Kanto or Johto before competing at the joint tournament. People that completed the entire Indigo 'set' for big eight badges, from either Kanto or Johto, held a lot of prestige that served them well for later offers of employment. The badges weren't the only method of entering the League, however.Some trainers could choose the more sedate, studious option of the Pokemon Academies or Colleges. Pewter city had a nearby establishment by the name of the Pokemon Technical College.The last method, which I always forgot, was the League's own Admission exam. The difficulty of which could raise or lower depending on how many trainers completed the circuit with eight badges.This always made the actual circuit the best method to guarantee a spot at the end. Even that wasn't a sure bet though. I hadn't experienced it yet, but Surge had told me of years when more waves of trainers descended on regions en masse, causing overflow and strain to the system with too many combatants for the final conference to be fair. For those situations, seedings and preliminaries were called into use. People that completed the circuit got preferential treatment, with the badges they earnt earning them more 'weight' to their seeding and chances of progressing to the tournament proper.I waved when Celia walked into the stadium, making her smile even wider. When everyone was set up, the announcer for the event took to his microphone and everyone turned their eyes to the now entering runner.With one arm raised high, they carried a fire that symbolized the flame of Moltres. A pokemon that was said to embody the conference's virtues of passion and friendship. The Pokemon League's Competition President —A title I found far too grandiose— stepped forth and from his giant bushy beard, a smile emerged."Welcome, one and all! I'm Charles Goodshow and I'll be your competition host for the conference. We shall begin with the time-honoured tradition of the pledge! Please follow along after me!" He led the trainers through a slow but still short pledge, mainly stating they would act with honour and seek to better themselves and their pokemon while acting in good faith towards their competitors. As the last trainer finished speaking, the runner threw his flame into the giant torch.The torchfire lit up with an audible whoosh and the crowd cheered their approval. I drew in another deep breath before exhaling. As slow and controlled as I could make it. The moment was almost here.Charles nodded at everyone. "Thank you, trainers, for participating in this tournament! You more than anyone else will make this an event to remember! Now! I must ask for you to clear the battlefield. For those with tickets, please seek the north and south sides of the arena to reach the seating area. For those others… Well, you best run to get in front of a television!"Celia turned to give me one last wave only to see me gesturing to her. She grabbed another person and dragged them over to me, making me chuckle as she approached "Learned about the companion rule, did you?""The what? I just didn't want this one to run off and get a good spot in front of the tv before me!"I laughed, "Don't bother. You're one of my sponsored trainers so I'll vouch for you to sit in my bunker and watch the fight." I glanced towards the other trainer who'd barely had a chance to be angry at Celia before becoming startled at my presence. Her facial expression flickered through from shocked to thankful. "You can call me Brock…" I trailed off leadingly, watching as the brown-haired girl tugged on her ponytail in a nervous tic."June… My name's June, from Celadon…"I nodded. "Well, enjoy the perks of your friend knowing the Challenged tonight, you're going to get better than front row seats. You're getting bunker seats." I patted the long seats. "Come and claim a spot."Celia had no trouble dragging June into the bunker. "Oohhh this is nice!""Yeah, perks of getting to take part in a high-level match," I said as Celia helped herself to the minifridge to the side. She tossed a bottle of water at June who yelped. Celia then sat but didn't drink, fidgeting instead."Are you ready for this?"I nodded, giving her a confident smile while my stomach flopped about, "Sure am!" She nodded before licking her lips and settling down. It looked like she wanted to talk about something else but I didn't prompt her, instead looking back to Charles Goodshow who was amusedly watching the last trainer leg it out of the arena."Well now Ladies and Gentlemen!" He said after another minute of waiting, "We come to the final event of the night, and no doubt the thing you've all been waiting for!"The crowd roared their approval as my face appeared staring straight at Lance. I recognised the image. It had been captured during our stare off when I'd announced my counter challenge. We looked like boxers squaring off. A giant flaming 'vs' appeared between us and I rolled my shoulders. "Wish me luck."I received a singular boisterous and shy 'Good luck!" from both girls as I was announced. "THE CHALLENGED IN THIS EVENT IS THE PEWTER CITY GYM LEADER! THE HOLDER OF THE TRADITIONAL FIRST GYM OF KANTO'S CIRCUIT! THE ROCKY RUMBLER! GIVE IT UP FOOOOOOOOOORRRR" He dragged out the word like a pro, "BROCK!"I emerged from the bunker fully and was hit by a solid wall of noise. I lifted a hand and felt the world slow down as I began to hyperfocus on the smallest things. My arms felt heavy even as I waved them to the crowd. Each action performed slowly, as my legs worked like automation, causing me to walk steadily forward towards the podium that would raise up to give me a good view of the field my pokemon would be fighting on.Even the lights that were dancing on and off around the stadium weren't enough to distract me. They had spotlights on me but I could see past them. I could see people going nuts in the stands with their cheering. It appeared there were a lot of Pewter residents in the crowds as banners and flags with the boulder badge, or my face, were waving about. I directed a number of waves and even a small bow in their direction. This only made them louder.I let my head turn and I noticed a section for Indigo Gym Leaders. There was a clear divide between Johto and Kanto Leaders with a wide gap in the middle.From Johto, Claire from Blackthorn, Pryce from Mahogany, and Chuck from Cianwood watched me closely. Faces inscrutable, until Chuck shot me a huge thumbs up, which appeared to gain him a tongue lashing as Claire noticed and laid into him.On Kanto's side I saw more in attendance. Blaine held the central spot followed by Giovanni, Sabrina, Surge and finally Erika. Oddly, Surge looked rumpled, his waves also looked rather stiff to my eyes. He had a tight smile as he waved back at me. Erika had bags under her eyes that I could just make out and also seemed tired. I was surprised to see Giovanni out in public as the man was rather reclusive. The same could be said of Sabrina in truth but she nodded at me. I directed a double-handed wave in their direction.In the gap between both groups, slightly raised up above the Gym Leaders, sat the Elite Four. Or as it currently stood, the Elite Three. Agatha watched me with a smirk, behind her, a shadow twitched. It shifted into a strange shape and back again so fast if I didn't know better I would have doubted my eyes.Bruno sat, body rigid and watching me stoically, his face akin to a mountain in winter as his eyes tracked me.Lorelei sat primly and had what could only be described as a resting bitch face. That or she had smelt something off and was annoyed by it. Which wasn't impossible with how well known it was for Bruno to train. It wouldn't surprise me to learn the man might have forgotten to shower before coming.Beneath them, the official that had stood between myself and Lance during the press conference was seated with two cases that clearly held the wager of this event. I noticed that they also had a plaque that made me think of a C.E.O's nameplate, but for some reason, it had fallen and didn't appear to show the man's name. I shrugged my head and turned to the front as I reached my destination."AND THE CHALLENGER IN THIS CASE! YOU KNOW AND LOVE HIM AS THE GRUELLING TRAINER THAT DEFIED THE ODDS! THE DRAGON MASTER HIMSELF! YOUR CHAMPION OF THE INDIGO LEAGUE!!!" The lights once more swept the arena before locking onto the entrance, just in time for his arrival. "LANCE! BLACKTHORN!"Unlike me, Lance didn't wave. He stalked forward with his long cape flapping dramatically behind him. Each step caused a small puff of dust. He didn't wave to the crowd or indeed even acknowledge them. He only had eyes for me. I locked onto him as well and felt something stirring within my gut. My lips tugged upwards until I was baring a sharp grin.When he reached the podium, I saw him select his pokeball. I felt my own hand drift down. For a long moment, I held it there toying with what would happen. Thankfully the battleground didn't have to be a factor against me as a bare field was the accepted arena for this confrontation.If I had been a Water specialist or otherwise, I might have filed for the arena type to be shifted but I had not needed to. The standard League challenge arena would suit my needs more than Lance in truth. I just had to use that small advantage and build on it. His starter was what I needed to worry about. Some of Lance's pokemon might be not as strong but I couldn't rely on that.I had a plan for a certain run through of pokemon. I'd done the research on what he could bring to bear, along with theoretical pokemon for when he might be pushed.It was possible that he'd bring out his Dragonite. A pokemon that is widely, and correctly termed a monster. It flattened organizations, let alone teams of pokemon. I'd never known about the Roughriders from the games. Nor the Raider Clan, or the Burning Men. Lance had wiped them out before challenging for the Championship role.Should I deploy my best chance of countering that pokemon first? Or stick with my research? What did my gut tell me?I took in a breath and considered the issue. Titan could and should be the one to face his Dragonite. It would take a heavyweight to match him. I knew this. Titan was my best shot. The best shot I had at sending a statement to all that looked at my gym and proclaimed it 'weak'. It would see each one of my siblings puffed up with pride and not looking so defeated. That was not to dismiss the rest of his team. though. Lance possessed pokemon that could and should roll through a team of Rock types. If he stuck with that thought process then his first choice should be his Gyrados.So what was it going to be? Titan or Sanchez. Which should I throw out first? I watched Lance and noticed that he had reached towards his waist, and not his necklace where the very symbolic 'Strongest pokemon' was resting. That made things slightly easier.Now I just needed him to play for keeps with what should be his best chance.I grasped my choice and held it out. "Trainers, are you ready!?" shouted Charles Goodman from the centre of the arena.I nodded, enlarging the ball in my hand with a deft touch of the button on the front. "Release together on one!" He turned towards the crowd and raised his hands, "Here we go, ladies and gentlemen. Let's start the countdown!""Three!" Lance and I locked eyes once again."Two!" We both drew back our arms, pokeballs and our first pokemon ready to go."One!" I planted my foot and hurled my pokemon out onto the field. Sanchez emerged with a mighty roar, arms spread wide like a luchador. "Go-go-golem!" He said before tweaking his moustache.I looked up to see a large towering blue serpent rearing up before him. It bellowed out an inarticulate sound. A pressure swept through the arena as the mighty serpent pressed outwards with its aura claiming the territory with its emergence.I grinned as I crossed my arms and settled into my pose."OH! AND LANCE LEADS OFF WITH HIS GYARADOS! SOMETHING SURE TO GIVE BROCK SOME TROUBLE! BUT BROCK COMES OUT WITH A VARIANT OF GOLEM!" I couldn't help but hear the announcer screaming his head off. I smirked, it probably looked cocky as all hell but it felt good to be right. The first matchup was in my favour.During my journey, I hadn't made it as far as Alola. The lockdown of most regions saw to that. I doubted the League even started reaching out to the region yet. They existed, obviously, but were very hard to reach. You needed to chance out and risk life and limb to make it to new regions as an explorer. Some people dedicated their time and lives to rediscovering old routes to regions thought lost but it wasn't something that could be quickly achieved. It demanded huge manpower and hours of dedicated, institutional, attention to secure trade lanes with forgotten regions.But that didn't stop me from trialling methods to get variant typings for 'regional' pokemon.Having money truly was a superpower on its own. One that I had levered into a specialised breeding/rearing area for pokemon that I knew would benefit from exposure to higher voltages or constant magnetism. A specialty diet was added just to push things further.Sanchez might have been the youngest pokemon on my team but he was also one of the best surprise shock punches I had. He'd also been able to handle the workload demanded of an Elite top six pokemon. From them, I expected their best, and he'd delivered. He took the beatings I had to give and rolled back in looking for more.I doubted more than a handful of people in the stadium, or indeed currently those watching, would have any idea of what this golem represented. They'd learn soon enough.The referee checked the descriptors I'd lodged just prior to the match of my selected team before nodding to indicate everything was above board. Then he raised his hands. A hush fell over the crowd as Sanchez and the Gyrados eyed each other off. Sanchez made sure to constantly toy with his moustache while smirking, which seemed to only aggravate the serpent.I readied myself as the referee clenched his fists before dropping them swiftly. "Fight!" shouted the ref and Lance and I called our moves."Hydro Pump!" said Lance with a sweep of his hand.At the same time, I ordered, "Dig into TP Sanchez!"Both pokemon were already moving before we had even finished speaking, a clear sign of their 'level' of training. They barely needed orders, having gone through and experienced a lot with their respective trainer."Gyarados use Sur—" before Lance could flood the field Sanchez emerged with a loud "Golem!"His fist crackled with lightning and I saw the look of painful realisation sink in on Lance's face as a move that was four times as effective than a normal move slammed home right into the serpent's head. That would have to be a critical in game jargon. The thunder punch impacted, causing a thwap to sound out even as a surging electrical zap carried over the stadium.Lance's pokemon reeled back from the hit and fell backwards, writhing as electricity arced around their body. When it hit dirt, a thoom sounded throughout the stadium as air blew out from around it. Dust blew out and settled in the aftermath. The Gyarados was large enough not to be obscured. It surged back, a roar escaping it before twitching. It flinched and its mouth shut in a grimace. It tried to push on only to collapse as another arc of electricity coursed through its body. It lay still and the referee assessed it, waiting only a few moments before raising a green flag in my direction."Gyarados is unable to battle! The first point goes to Brock!" For a heartbeat, silence filled the stadium before the crowd went ballistic. Lance raised a Pokeball. Red light shot from it to Gyarados. The Gyarados was absorbed into it and I observed my opponent as he looked at the pokeball for a moment before nodding at it, accepting the defeat.He looked up to see me watching. He'd been stoic until now but a slight frown had slipped in. His hand tracked to another pokeball before switching to a different one. I suspected that the ball held his Seadra, or if I was unlucky, he might even have a Kingdra. It was tough to judge which Lance would have but I suspected the second option as the most likely.It fit his Dragon Mastery, and also should stack up well against my Rock-type.The crowd continued to cheer and shout throughout it all but I ignored them.Lance drew back his second pokemon and the crowd instantly fell silent as a Dragonite took centre stage.
14
While the crowd started to furiously clamour with each other over Dragonite's appearance, I relaxed slightly. This was not the Dragonite that was considered one of, if not the, strongest pokemon in two regions. One on one, many pokemon would find themselves losing. I hoped I had the answer in my own starter pokemon. I'd promised as much, but that was for later.Still, I could relax slightly. This Dragonite didn't have the size, or the majesty that the other did. It was more juvenile. It still snorted and eyed off Sanchez with some contempt.I had to keep my head in the match. Sanchez had taken an early lead with his one-two combo on Gyarados, but I needed to extend that. Like any other sporting match, you needed to continue to keep on the pressure. Dictating the pace was often one of the crucial elements to winning.People began to murmur as they realized that this couldn't be Lance's beast."AND LANCE FOLLOWS UP WITH ONE OF HIS DRAGONITE! A POWERFUL SECOND MATCH UP!" The announcer's voice boomed over the crowd. The referee once more nodded and dropped their flags."Start!" It was a small space but if you were smart about using such breaks they could mean a lot. I knew people that deliberately tried to drag these switch outs as long as they could, having just used a costly technique like Hyper beam. It was a potential method for me to use and abuse but I had other options open for now."Soar high Dragonite!" Called Lance as he swept his hand upwards. Dragonite ascended and I clicked my tongue. Tactics shifted into place as I weighed what I could do."Stealth Rock," I said. Lance's frown deepened at the order. Sanchez dutifully obeyed.Rocks appeared along the edge of the battlefield and began to hover just slightly. They became a small threat for the next match. Lance's eyes flickered up and down from my Golem to his Dragonite and I felt an inkling of understanding take root.There was likely a chance this pokemon was more suited for speed than others of its kind. This could be applied on the battlefield in a multitude of ways. I eyed the circling dragon wondering if this theory held; It certainly appeared that way. It held distance at the absolute limit that the arena match would allow. This was mandatory to give the damage absorption mechanisms room to work."Aqua Tail!" Lance, it seemed, didn't want to wait for me to keep building up more stealth rocks."Rock Throw!" I shouted as the flying pokemon tilted as if on a hinge instead of flitting around at furious speeds. The Dragonite's body tilted as if on a dial while its wings fluttered minutely. It lined itself up with my pokemon. Then plummeted out of the sky, allowing gravity to claim it before snapping its wings shut and accelerating even faster.Rocks tore themselves out of the ground around Sanchez as he directed them upwards. "Go-go-golem!" he chanted as more and more rocks took flight. I could almost imagine him serving as an old artillery commander with the over the top moustache and his bombastic attitude.Rocks ripped through the air. The Dragonite expertly juked and barrel-rolled in response. It would have avoided a lesser pokemon's barrage but I had not allowed my Golem to be anything but exemplary. There would be no denying the onslaught that Sanchez was unleashing. Rocks rifled through the air with some hidden in the visual gaps of others, resulting in a harsh wall of stone that should have cut the dragon out of the sky.The Dragonite proved its skill though, choosing which rocks impacted it and avoiding the worst. It continued to dive, taking glancing hits that allowed it to close. Sanchez held his position, glaring up in defiance as it closed. For a moment it looked like Dragonite would miss entirely only to slam into the ground and throw itself like some parkour sprinter straight at my pokemon. It whipped its body into a controlled spin and brought about its tail. A tail laced with water that whipped around to nail Golem.Sanchez skidded to the side and shook the arm he'd raised to handle the strike. There was a divot that let me know that hadn't simply been shrugged off. Still, Sanchez was more than up for the fight, roaring his battle cry, "GO-GO-GO! LEM!" I relaxed my gritted jaw, pleased to see that our work had paid off. I nodded at him as he stood and pumped his arms back and forth. "Golem!""Rock thr—'' before I could finish the Dragonite accelerated out of close range, likely knowing that it would be destroyed without the speed to let it power through having boulders tossed at it. I hadn't even heard Lance give a command. With the Dragonite retreating, I decided to make the most of the reprieve by changing the order. "Stealth rock!"Lance snarled slightly as his pokemon took a few moments to reach its previous soaring height. Time, that let me get off another potential trap. I observed the Dragonite, comparing its speed now to what it had previously demonstrated; It was roughly the same but as I watched I noted a slight hitch in its wingbeats. A tremor in its body. It was only a small sign but that was enough. Dragonite wouldn't be able to accelerate as quickly.Looking at Sanchez revealed to me he hadn't gotten out of his two fights scott free. His body shook, with a slight tiredness now showing through in how he tracked the dragon."Sanchez go for another—" Lance punched his fist directly at my pokemon. His Dragonite was probably too far away for even a shouted command to be effective over the noise of the crowd but that didn't stop it from understanding the order. As soon as I saw the rapidly building ball of energy in Dragonite's mouth, I shifted gears."Dig! Now!" Sanchez dropped into the ground. I relaxed slightly before bracing myself as Lance's Dragonite discharged the hyper beam. The arena held its breath as the beam impacted. Dust and small bits of earth flew up, causing everyone to lose sight of the arena and for the extractor fans to kick in. I turned my head slightly and shut my eyes, using other senses to detect any developing changes in the battlefield.I felt a few small rocks knock into my body but I was used to harsher attacks from training with my pokemon. All trainers at this level were given damage absorbers but they were notorious in being limited due to a close proximity with the danger zone. It said a lot about this Dragonite's strength that they hadn't felt a secondary effect against myself or Lance would hurt us. They'd keep the podium's absorbers for the true heavyweights.The second I felt the wind dying down, I looked back to the field with narrowed eyes. A large crater was now in the middle of the field. It wouldn't result in any pause with the match though.That would come later.I looked further up. spotting the Dragonite still high in the air, huffing and puffing, now visibly spent. My pokemon popped his head up as he'd been trained to do if he couldn't sense a pokemon actually touching the ground. It had been interesting to learn that teaching a pokemon dig didn't just convey the ability to burrow under the ground but to also detect where another pokemon was due to the minor vibrations that came from standing on the ground. Flying or levitating pokemon obviously had a much easier time evading Dig.Sanchez stood fully and twizzled his moustache while watching the flying pokemon.I needed to get moving. "Sanchez! Stealth Rock!" I could imagine the confusion that this command brought on from anyone watching but a cursory inspection of the field revealed that Lance hadn't been able to have the beam scour deep enough that it might have had an effect. He should have been targeting the sides of the field, to break up some of the floating rocks.With this move, I had prepped the field to keep later matchups in my favour as much as I wanted to.It wasn't a well-used technique with most people seeing it as useless due to the time required. I had the team to make it viable, so I capitalized on it. From the battles that I'd observed, Lance didn't face many trainers that utilised field effects. Something I planned to test. For now, he ignored the floating rocks, sweeping his hand forward, "Descend on it again Dragonite!"If he was going to try his hand again I was more than happy to show him the definition of insanity. "Rock throw Sanchez!""Goooooooolem!" Once more Artillery commander Sanchez called for the cannons, unleashing entire sections of rock. Something that was easier than last time due to the broken arena floor, thanks to Dragonite's Hyperbeam.This time the Dragonite circled, zigged and zagged but the earlier tribulations had clearly taken their toll. It avoided the Arcanine's share of attacks except it wasn't fast enough to avoid them all. Rocks began to not only hit in a glancing manner but fully impact with body strikes, causing the Dragonite to wail before losing control of its flight. It crashed into the ground throwing up more ground as it caused a crater. crashing into the ground. The crash landing would have had to have only worsened its condition. I stared hungrily at the still dusty cloud where the Dragonite would have beenThe stadium filled with a groan as the crowd of thousands leant forward in their seats. The air shifted as they drew in a breath and waited.I held a hand up to Sanchez to signal a halt for the moment.We all waited as the dust was blown away to reveal a downed Dragonite on its side. It shifted, its wings beating feebly as it tried to stand. Its body twitched and spasmed its mouth opened to bare its teeth.For half a moment, I thought it was about to roar its defiance as it rose on a single, wobbly limb. Only for the limb to give out on it. It slammed into the ground with a hard thump. It now only gave out a sad cry as it slumped further into the crater, unable to rise.It couldn't and Lance was once more forced to withdraw one of his pokemon."AND ANOTHER POKEMON GOES DOWN!" Again there was a lull as the crowd became more than just part of the scenery. I held in a chuckle as I recalled the old games I had played on my Gameboy that even featured such calls from the crowd and announcer. Those had been long, glorious hours as a child. The old memory reminded me that I really was living the dream. I glanced about and smiled, letting my stern expression shift from pleased to actually happy."Excellent work Sanchez!" I directed my feelings toward my first pokemon out and he happily cheered back at me."Go! Go-lem!" He waved happily, even making finger guns at a few sections of the crowd."TWO POKEMON DOWN! I DON'T THINK ANYONE EXPECTED THIS WHEN THE CHALLENGE WAS MADE CLEAR! BROCK IS SHOWING UP AND CLEANING UP! HOW WILL THE CHAMP RESPOND!?"Lance gritted his teeth and his hand twitched towards his necklace before stopping. I wondered if he truly thought leaving his best for last would be his smartest move. I didn't know his team but I did know there was a certain prestige in simply forcing Lance to field his strongest, let alone beat it. I had to aim for that. Two to zero was a good start but I was nowhere near clear."Charizard!" Lance shouted as he tossed his next pokemon.The crowd went nuts. I chuckled, knowing that while it looked like a dragon and knew dragon moves, it wasn't really a true dragon… Unless Lance had access to mega evolution. I licked my lips as a cold chill broke out. Then I shook myself and looked within to the darkness. I centred myself once more before looking up.If he had something like that, I had options. I highly doubted he did as of yet, but I definitely had options. Mega evolutions weren't a game over but merely another obstacle. Mega evolved Charizard was still something to keep in mind. I hadn't heard anything regarding that and held to the belief that I would have if it ever occurred. Then again, he had ten million reasons at least to bring it out right now.I didn't see any bracelet on his wrist though, and the only necklace I saw was holding a greatball.With Charizard taking the field, stealth rock activated. The referee was forced to instantly call match start as the trap began to impact the fire-type. It tried to take to the sky to avoid it but the move was dogged and quick enough to hit. It roared in annoyance but didn't take enough damage to truly injure it.Lance seemed more annoyed as the rocks showed it wasn't able to ignore a move considered 'weak' by most trainers. It obviously pricked Lance and his pokemons' pride, enough to draw their ire. "Fire blast!" shouted Lance.I grinned. "Explosion." Sanchez cackled even as the signature first generation fire move closed. He lit up and I locked eyes with Lance as he gaped. I had to hold myself from cackling along with my pokemon. As the explosion took hold, the damage absorbers on my podium and around the stadium lit up.This was enough to force them to activate and I had to blink back stars even though I had looked away from my golem before it detonated. "OH!!! A CHEAP MOVE OR A WELL-TIMED SACRIFICE PLAY FROM GYM LEADER BROCK?!"I scoffed at them even thinking the move was classified as 'cheap'. The only times it was not allowed or punished was if it was your last pokemon. Then it was seen as poor sportsmanship, or if your opponent was also on their last and had lost them, the win went to them. Anywhere else in the battle circuit? It was fair game."Go! GO! GOooooo….lem," said Sanchez before he fell to his knees, spent. He shot me a look and I raised two thumbs up. He smiled weakly and tried to reply with one raised hand only to fall. Before he hit the ground, I withdrew him."Great work buddy," I said to his pokeball. I looked up to smile at the Charizard that was embedded into the ground. It had obviously not taken well to the explosion that swept the field. It must have crashed from the explosion. I grinned at my pokeball, Sanchez had done amazing. He'd even taken out the opponent with— Charizard stumbled forward but instead of falling down it took one step that turned into another. Then it flared its wings and roared out in rage, the flame on its tail blazing even stronger than before.I whistled, impressed despite myself. It had taken a stage three stealth rock followed by an explosion and been able to walk it off. I could respect that. I'd respected it so much I'd bring out something special to counter it.I withdrew a second pokeball for the next match. Time to show the entire world that I had prehistoric pokemon."AND NOW! We will pause for intermission as the arena floor is replaced. This replacement is brought to you by—" I stumbled and recalled that yes, after three pokemon were knocked out there was typically intermission in these exhibition matches.I glanced at Lance and saw he too was rather annoyed at the forced pause. It might suit him a little more but not as much as if he'd been able to get off a hyper beam or something else. The effect wasn't exhaustion so much as damage. If anything, he wanted to take his charged up Charizard and meet my next pokemon now.I nodded at him and turned toward my bunker where Celia and June were staring open-mouthed at me. I nodded at them before stalking towards the fridge built into a wall. I grabbed a towel and rubbed off some dirt before taking a long gulp of water. Celia looked from me to the field, a dry sounding croak working itself loose."That was incredible," June said, her voice barely a whisper. I hummed."It was a solid start. Sanchez really brought everything I needed of him, and more." My body didn't want to settle and I sat only to feel a nervous tick demanding that I bounce my leg. I stood instead and walked around, working my arms through stretches as I forced myself to breathe. "Damn, I'm all worked up now."I clenched my hands and relaxed them before shaking myself loose. I didn't want to be here, I wanted to be back out there throwing down with my pokemon against Lance's team. I looked over and saw Lance was much the same. It appeared Claire had made her way down to his bunker and was talking to him even as he stalked back and forth. His Charizard sat before the podium still on the field. Very pointedly still on display and on the field.As a still 'active' pokemon with this match's rule, he wasn't allowed to go out of sight unless Lance was forfeiting him. There had been too many people that had switched out pokemon or used potions on them when they were out of sight. As a high stakes match, there was no way I or the League could let it happen. There was also the issue of reactivating the stealth rocks if Lance tried it. Said Stealth rocks were actually rather pitiful now that I looked. I'd need to have another pokemon reactivate them, which would cost me time. I played that over in my mind as I assessed the damage to my trap move.I watched Machoke and Machamp haul broken rocks out of the way. The pokemon and the workers were extremely careful to not affect the few remaining floating rocks nor get close enough to cause themselves to become targets. It would probably make them work slower which was another reason that higher tier matches usually didn't see the trap move utilized. I had no doubt that the announcers and sponsors could run with the long break caused by slower reconstruction though. They seemed to be filling the screens scattered around the arena with highlights of the match so far interspersed with adverts."How are you able to stand up there like that? Can't you feel it?" Looking at Celia, I noticed how she had her hands curled around herself. The small hairs all over her forearms stood at attention as if she'd been watching two powehouse electric types fight rather than Lance and I.June seemed confused. I merely nodded at Celia. "Ah good, you're able to feel that? That's a subtle effect of battling someone like Lance.""Is this what Elite trainer battles are like?" said Celia. "Do I need to be this level for the tournament?""Planning on taking on the champ when I'm done?" I smirk before shaking my head. "No, not actually. This is a bit of a slugfest with pokemon that can take and dish out beatings. There's strategy involved, obviously, but the methods vary depending on the trainers and the pokemon that they have access to. Don't rush into it. We'll talk about what you are feeling now after the tournament. It isn't something to worry over for now. Focus on what's before you.""Play to my strengths, not my weaknesses?" I agreed with a nod before turning my hand over to show she was mostly right before switching topics. While June was Celia's friend, I wasn't going to talk about Aura in front of her."What do you think of the match so far? I was hoping to take out his Charizard with Sanchez's sacrifice.""Why'd you even sacrifice him? He was doing great!" demanded Celia as June nodded in hesitant agreement.I considered that for a moment before waggling my hand. "I didn't think he had the legs to do as much damage to the Charizard. While on paper, it would appear to be a better match up with fire-flying, his Charizard was his second strongest pokemon. It shows up in most of his matches and will not be something easy to take down. I was hoping the stealth rocks would have been enough to soften it up. If he had brought out anything else, I wouldn't have made that call.""I think it was a mistake."I shrugged. "Perhaps. I didn't get what I wanted so maybe you're right. I didn't want to have Sanchez get forced underground though as I know Lance can take over the field with that Charizard and set himself up. So instead, I forced the issue.""How… how would his Charizard have taken over?" said June. I gestured towards the field."If Sanchez got forced underground, I would have had more issues as Charizard could melt the upper layers of the arena. Which isn't a big issue but it would have been able to get rid of my Stealth Rock." Unlike the games, some moves could force the trap field effects to be wiped, as demonstrated by my own explosion. It just took more concerted effort to actually affect the field.Celia and June seemed to mull that over. "Huh, you've thought about this a lot."I nodded. "The momentum started back when I announced my challenge. There's not a ton of information about my team compared to Lance. I have a list of pokemon he can draw on with suspicions on some more. Being at the top is harder, with people being able to work out counters. That being said, Lance didn't get there because of a fluke.""AND THE ARENA IS READY ONCE MORE! THIS BREAK WAS BROUGHT TO YOU—" I turned, ignoring the advertisements. I palmed my pokeball and locked eyes with Lance once again. I grinned at him. For a moment he grinned back, seemingly just as eager to return to the match as I was. I felt his aura sweep over but I continued to stride forward undaunted as his Charizard flared his wings and roared.I waited for the podium to raise me up to level. The referee gestured to me and I drew back my arm for my next pokemon to take to the field.15"Go Shin!" I hurled my pokeball with accuracy born from long hours of experience. It didn't seem like a large aspect of a pokemon match but you could set quite a lot up depending on where on your side of the field you deployed your pokemon. There was also the bounce-back feature that you needed to work in. It was actually possible to throw your pokeball and have it shoot back to a position nowhere near you. My Kabutops took to the field with a quick one two-step before flourishing his scythes.The commentators instantly jumped on my choice. "OH! A POKEMON FROM ANCIENT TIMES! A KABUTOPS! THIS IS CERTAINLY A RARE SHOWING FROM THE PEWTER CITY GYM LEADER!"Shin was raring to go. Across the field, Charizard grunted and blew out a flame before flapping its wings. The referee checked with us both before raising his flags and dropping them."Rock polish!" "Ascend!" Lance and I ordered over the top of each other. Lance clicked his tongue at the missed opportunity."Fire blast!" he tried to change things up."Hydropump!" I said to Shin. The two attacks impact and instantly I can see a potential trap with how the mist blocks sight of his Charizard. Lance doesn't react but I still decide to call out my next order "Dodge!"This time Lance smirked, informing me I'd made a mistake with that call. "Fire spin!" is his answer."Rock polish again!" I call out even as a ring of fire drops from within the mist, grimacing as I do. Shin dodged the flame well but it only took a small tongue of fire to touch and for the burn to impact Shin.I hadn't been able to find an accurate list of potential moves available to Lance's Charizard. I'm sure someone in the future would like to know about it having Fire spin. For now, it was going to bite me. "Shin! Zig-zag firing patterns!"With the mist starting to dissipate, I'd have more of a chance. I didn't have many good options with Lance knowing he'd be able to counter with fireblast for a while. That was a crutch though. It was only for a while. Also, the mist would weaken his Charizard gradually the longer he remained within it. I felt myself relax as my mind began to unravel the potential paths forward available to me.Shin began to streak across the field, pause, fire off a hydro pump before changing locations. This forced Charizard to begin weaving in and out. Lance tried to have him shoot off some Fire Blast back but this made the air more sodden with water. It began to make both my pokemon and the Charizard difficult to target."Switch targets! Get the last of the floating rocks Charizard!" This order caused his pokemon to pause and I almost felt myself become psychic as I knew what would happen next. Shin stopped on a dime and from his mouth a dense ball of water built before launching out at highly pressurised speed.Charizard tucked on a wing and dove low making the attack whiff. I inhaled and felt everything come together as it finally came within range. "Aqua jet!"Lance's hand began to raise as water built around my pokemon. "No! Charizard gain alt—" Shin didn't blur so much as glitch across the space to slam straight into Charizard's side to launch it into the side of the arena.It had taken a three-stage Stealth Rock, an Explosion, Mist weakening, and finally a two-stage empowered Kabutops hitting it like a truck with Aqua— "Chhhaaaaar!!!!" roared the pokemon as it staggered back to its feet . The flame on its tail pulsed from extreme to pitifully weak almost like a heartbeat. The Dragon in all but typing had its eyes narrowed as it stared straight at Shin. It raised trembling hands towards my pokemon. It was obvious it couldn't fight to anyone watching.That didn't mean it was going to just stop fighting though.I blinked in surprise before nodding in respect. This was obviously a Charizard that truly served as an exemplar for its species.The crowd roared and urged it on. I turned to look straight at Lance only to find him looking straight back at me. "Shin, Hydro pump." Shin stiffened,"Kabutops?" he said, obviously concerned."We can't dismiss this dragon." A few people booed me but others heard my words. They held their tongues as Charizard took slow, lumbering steps forward like he was going to build up momentum for a charging tackle. Each step merely looked painfully slow after the earlier aerial acrobatics.Shin bobbed his head once before lining up another shot. The Charizard saw the shot and staggered forward with a raised claw, delirious, but unwilling to back down. I felt something roil in my stomach but I knew I couldn't deny or demand Lance withdraw his pokemon. Some pokemon weren't like that. They abhorred being withdrawn from battle. Some pokemon didn't seem to have fight and flight. They only had Fight responses. To be a good trainer you had to identify them and develop methods for curtailing them.You also had to have a good deal of faith that an opponent would recognise the fact that they wouldn't go down and act for the best. Lance himself was watching on stoically but I thought I had seen him nod in acceptance when I gave the order. For a moment, I'd even thought I'd seen a smile. It really was too much of a beast to ignore. It seemed to be the type that had to be put down rather than it ever ceding a loss willingly.When the dragon dropped to the ground, the stadium went silent. As one, we held our breaths. We watched the downed dragon, shared in hopes of this not being a tragedy.The rise of the pokemon's ribs caused everyone to exhale causing the stadium's dust to stir as a small breeze swept through it at the synchronised action. I gripped the podium and shuddered."Kabu-tops?" said my pokemon. I waved off the concern."Sorry for that Kabutops, that Charizard wasn't simply going to accept going down. One of the issues of using Dragon pokemon. They're prideful beings. Like Don." That got an understanding nod from Shin, well aware of how Don could be. "You've probably got a rival in that Charizard now. If you ever fight it again it's going to try twice as hard to knock you out.""Kabutops!" Shin brandished his scythes. I grinned before looking up at Lance as he stared at the pokeball in his hand."That happen a lot?" I called.Lance nodded, "Yes. Charizard is very much a Dragon in temperament." He inclined his head. "Most people don't like to recognise that in him." His expression turned amused. "And yes your Shin has certainly earnt himself a rival on this day." He pushed the pokeball back onto his belt before sweeping his hand out, causing his cape to flourish. "But don't think I have forgotten my reason for being here Brock!" He tossed another pokeball forward."Go Dragonite!"I held in my groan. Another Dragonite and still not his main? Dragonite's were huge commitments to train and Lance had three at a level he felt was appropriate for his best team? Insane. He was truly insane."OH! IS THIS IT!?" I shook my head but realised that the announcer shouldn't be that embarrassed that they'd mistaken this Dragonite for Lance's brute. I could see the sheen of polished scales and rippling muscle as the dragon idly flexed.Once more the rocks rose up. The ref rose and dropped his flag once more. The stealth rocks swept inwards but before the rocks could hit fully the Dragonite's wings blurred and it shot upwards.I cursed at the rapid acceleration this pokemon was showing out of the gates. It made the stealth rocks work for the hit but they were unrelenting in their pursuit. They impacted and Lance started things off. "Defog!"This time the Dragonite stopped and its wings started to thump as it knocked the air away, beginning to blow away the field effects I'd so arduously set up."Hydro pump!" I watched as the Dragonite outright ignored the hit. "Again!" I ordered when I saw Lance was willing to accept the hit. The Dragonite merely turned in the air and continued to thump at the air with powerful wings.Again and again, I launched more Hydropumps as the Dragonite cleared the field. I glanced at Shin and noted his lack of sheen. The way his scythes drooped and the size of the Hydropumps shot off, all this indicated that the burn from fire spin was taking effect on Shin. Making him weaker and weaker as time progressed."Thunder! Strike it down now Dragonite!" As soon as the last floating stealth rock was gone Lance cut a hand straight at where Shin stood."Aquajet out of there Shin!" I shouted in reply. Lance's Dragonite charged up a rumble of lightning before unleashing it, causing streaks of lighting to arc out in a huge area.Shin was up to the task though and with each arc of lightning, he shot away. Lightning flashed and just as quickly Shin vacated the spots where the attacks were aimed. The powerful move's inaccuracy actually made it harder to deal with, as it denied Shin room to work with.More than a few times I twitched as I watched my water-rock type ancient have to weave himself through the arcs of lightning. People in the crowd were lit up like Christmas lights as the flurry of lightning strikes landed. I couldn't hear anything over the booms of constantly releasing lightning bolts. Thankfully, fighting against Surge had allowed me and my pokemon to get used to the sound at the very least.You mostly had to grit your teeth and hope you didn't get tinnitus. The crowd ohh'd and ahh'd as discharges sounded throughout the arena, unmindful thanks to the damage absorbers once more taking some of the impact out of the sound for them.Neither Lance nor I ordered another move, both of our eyes locked on the weaving, speeding, stutter-stepping Kabutops that shot around the arena. Pursued by lightning. I gripped my arms tight against myself, my heart swelling with pride as Shin demonstrated just why he belonged on my elite six over other options.I bit my lip as I knew I'd only get another shot at the opening I'd trained for. "Now Shin!" his scythes instantly shone and bit into the ground. His momentum caused a huge gauge of rock to be torn up in his wake before he finally came to a harsh stop. He jerked roughly and I knew it had hurt. "OH?! WHAT'S THIS? BROCK IS GOING TO TRY AND ENDURE THUNDER WITH A WATER TYPE?!" shouted the announcer.Around the arena, the crowd inhaled in shock. They stood in surprise as the lightning descended. It struck and Shin grunted as he used his Metal claw to induce a flow through his body and safely to the ground."IT'S DOING IT?! WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT?!""Dragonite! Iron tail!" The Dragon shot forward and forced my hand."Throw the rocks now Shin!" Shin ripped his arms up, lifting the rocks that had been skewered on his blades before flicking them at the charging Dragonite. The Dragonite wailed as it took the hits, only to power through and slap Shin aside.My pokemon rag-dolled before struggling to get up. I almost saw the burn sap more energy from him. I raised my pokeball. Shin wasn't so prideful that he'd resent me for this later. He understood when he'd done enough and I'd make sure to convey that. "Nicely done Shin. That was a great first showing.""AND BROCK WITHDRAWS HIS KABUTOPS AFTER TAKING OUT LANCE'S CHARIZARD! THIS MAKES THE SCORE FOUR TO TWO NOW IN FAVOUR OF BROCK, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!"I smiled before palming my next choice. I just knew Lance was going to be green with envy when he saw this pokemon."Go Don!" My Aerodactyl took to the air screeching in a primordial manner. Dragonite flinched at the screeching dragon before narrowing its eyes while Lance stared openly at the pokemon."Where did you find that?" I merely shrugged my shoulders, then nodded to the referee. The crowd and the announcers were once more losing it as I revealed my third pokemon to be another ancient pokemon."Can you believe this Chuck?" said Brad in the announcer's box for the match as he stared at the resurrected pokemon. Next to him, Chuck flipped through an index on what was listed for Brock."He's certainly pulling out a lot of surprises here and now, Brad. None of the tournaments or the videos have shown him to have either of those pokemon. Nor for his Gym battles with people challenging his highest level Brad!.""Interesting. How many more shocks do you think he can bring though?""Well, I for one wasn't expecting to watch an aerial showdown when it was announced that Lance was going to be facing Brock! Rock types don't make you think ancient flying dragons!""Till now that is!" said Brad before looking to the screen that was being highlighted by a producer. "And it seems the fanbase is starting to swing Chuck! At the start of the week, people were saying it was going to be a clean wash with Lance sweeping the Pewter Gym in our polls! But things certainly have shifted!""Oh? What are they now?""Now, at least forty percent of people think Brock has a chance!"
"Oh! Good odds! I for one still think Lance has this. We've seen him field weaker teams but for the last pokemon! Let's see how that poll goes when his starter takes to the field!"Don held his position as the flags went down. Then I ordered his first move. "Go for it, Don! Stone Edge!""Iron Tail Dragonite!" Lance said as Don surged forward. The Dragonite snorted, shooting forward to whip around and slap Don out of the sky with a harsh thwack. I grunted as the podium shook. Don staggered out of a small crater that he had been launched into and I saw a fire ignite in his eyes as the Dragonite gave another dismissive snort."Dance Don!" I said, knowing that I needed to bring Don up to parity with this Dragonite. Energy instantly swirled around Don. Lance glared as Dragon Dance took effect."Take it out with Thunder!""Sweep low and tear up the earth! Stone Edge!" This time, instead of hamstringing my pokemon, I ordered it to stay low enough that each flap of its wings saw it kissing the arena. In its wake, large hunks of the ground were torn up and the earth was thrown up into the air. Precisely like flak that attracted the lightning.This resulted in lightning blowing the earth apart but leaving Don free. I watched the Dragonite continue to blast away before suddenly stuttering out. In the game, this would have been seen as running out of moves. In this world, Lance had pushed his Dragonite's reservoir of Electric energy too far and it now needed time to recharge."Dragon dance again Don!" I again capitalised on the momentary weakness. More purple energy built up within Don and when he moved now, each flap of his wing caused a harsh wind to blow about the arena. His eyes gleamed as he locked onto the Dragonite and his instinct demanded he attack now."Ice fang!" I ordered, making Lance hiss."Dodge it Dragonite!" This time it was the Dragonite that lost altitude to dive and dip around the landscape of carved rocks that had been leftover from its fight with Shin and now Don. I watched, tense, as Dragonite swept left and right through the field.Only for Don to keep closing on him. I watched, surprised as Don began to gain more and more ground. The rate that he was reeling in the more deftly maneuvering Dragonite surprised me. Perhaps I hadn't needed to use the second Dragon Dance. Were Aerodactyl's better fliers than Dragonites? There wasn't a lot of information on that but it appeared that with Don powered up twice he was easily beginning to catch up to the Dragonite. Something that everyone seemed to notice as more and more people became vocal.Don and the Dragonite only had eyes for each other though as they tore around the arena, pulling hairpin turns that had them spiral upwards before dropping like rocks to then loop-de-loop back around.Dragonite tried to obfuscate the way it was flying by blowing huge dust storms in its wake only for Don to ignore the dust and charge after. It was probably something to do with being a rock type. Professor Oak or another of the researchers around the world would have a more in-depth understanding of the how, but it wasn't an issue for Don to see through the dust.Lance clicked his tongue. "Dragonite! Turn and brawl! Use Iron Tail!"Dragonite spun around, its tail glowing as it spun only for Don to barrel right into the attack with an open maw that had ice built up around it. Both hits connected but I could tell that Don had come off stronger from the attack."Dragon claw!" shouted Lance."Again! Ice Fang!" I was more than happy to meet Dragonite blow for blow here. I had empowered Don and already whittled away at the Dragonite with Shin. Now it became a slugfest with the two pokemon clawing and biting at each other. Don's wings even came into play, slapping his foe about the face to disrupt Dragonite as Don bit forward.A particularly good bite saw Don clamping down. Don held on as Dragonite tried to beat its arms and head down on the attack. I leaned forward much like Don, smelling the metaphorical blood in the water. Lance likewise knew what would happen if this continued. "Dragonite crash land now!"Before Don could unlatch Dragonite plummeted towards the earth, crashing them both into the ground. "Stone Edge!" I commanded, not really able to see what was going on but adamant that Don wasn't out of the fight.Dragonite screeched as it was launched back to tumble before taking a kneeling stance. The dragon heaved in air while glaring at Don as my pokemon righted itself and flapped just above the ground. It seemed both were on their last legs. Lance swept his eyes from me to my pokemon before nodding."Hyper Beam!"I had half a heartbeat to come to terms with the order and plan my next move. I knew a lot was riding on this call. Don wouldn't be able to do much against the next pokemon that was coming out. Heck if this Dragonite was an indicator I truly might have to play for my ace in the hole.I could drag this out by possibly dodging but I didn't want to make things seem hedged. The ten million was a lot but, more importantly, I wanted people to respect me and my team. Here and now I had to earn that by showing that I could match Lance."Match it Don!" I said. Instantly energy built up in Don's maw as he locked onto his target. I tensed and braced myself, knowing exactly what was about to happen. Around the stadium, the damage absorbers flared up in readiness.Dragonite fired off his Hyper Beam and half a heartbeat later Don matched it. Both beams of energy were on target. They slammed into each other and the earth bucked as the two attacks tore into each other.The clash of energy didn't make any noise except the howl of the wind pushing away from the impact site. I watched as slowly but surely the beam of one of the pokemon pushed forward. I grimaced as I realised that it wasn't Don's beam.Don seemed to sense this pressure. Like an inverted tug of war, or more accurately two sumo wrestlers throwing themselves against each other, the attacks impacted against each other. Don dug deep and the shifting balance slowed before stopping."DRAGONITE! PUSH ON!" roared Lance as he noticed how Don was fighting off the attack."DON!" I called out. "TAKE OUT THAT TWO-BIT DESCENDANT!" It wasn't how I'd normally refer to another's pokemon but Don was a crude pokemon that liked smack talk.The beams from both pokemon intensified as more and more energy was poured forth. I looked to the Dragonite. Surely, surely they had to be running out of reserves. And sure enough, one of the pokemon inevitably ran out of energy. I grimaced as Don took the hyper beam and slammed harshly into the wall of the arena.Dragonite stood on the other side shuddering and shaking but still standing. Don stayed down, his chest rising and falling, allowing the grip that had clenched my heart to relax."Aerodactyl is unable to battle, the—" A deep weary groan escaped the suddenly tottering Dragonite. Everyone watched in only for it to catch itself and flare its wings. It landed and more dust rose as everyone watched on. The referee coughed before lowering the flag in my direction. "Aerodactyl is unable to battle! We will now hold an intermission as three pokemon have been defeated!"I withdrew Don and smiled at the pokeball as I idly walked back to the bunker, happy with his performance but dreading how Lance had now brought it to a three vs three match up. I had done well but I could feel Lance's team starting to inexorably pry my grip off control of the match.The last few pokemon had all been able to endure despite having type advantages on them. They'd taken blows that had dropped some of Surge and Sabrina's pokemon. The hype surrounding these pokemon certainly wasn't just hot air. It seemed almost inevitable for Lance to simply outlast me with how things were going.I continued to walk back and forth, not even paying attention to June and Celia. I could recognise that I was in a funk from the way things had slipped but I had to be realistic. Had I been expecting for this to be as easy as the games where you could line up perfect matchups and have stronger pokemon than Lance easily with hours of play? No, and that was a trap I had tried to avoid as I grew up after having my first losses handed to me. Something you could avoid entirely in the game with careful forethought. Still, the trap was there and I occasionally, like now found myself tripping over the difference between expectations versus reality. It was seeping back in and messing up my mental state.I faced away from the girls and clapped my hands together, going through an old anxiety-release method from my past life.When the match was called to resume, Lance looked much more in control of himself. I smiled at the presumed challenge. I'd gone through the stages of thinking I had needed. If this had continued without the break I would have probably had to use my minute delay before releasing pokemon but I was confident now. I could do this. I wasn't out of my depth.If he wanted to bring the big guns, I could do that as well. He'd already brought out his fourth pokemon.Time for me to answer and tear this match back into my grasp.