I resized a greatball from my hip and for half a second Lance perked up. Ah, so he had noticed that Titan's pokeball was a greatball variant, had he? He was twitchy for my 'Ace' to arrive. This match obviously was getting to him a bit if he was on the lookout for my starter pokemon as much as I was for his. Seems I might have shaken his cage with my early success.
"Go Bertha!" I shouted.From the ball a large form emerged from mid-air to land on the ground with a quake rocking the arena.From the light, a large bipedal, grey and rust-brown coloured pokemon emerged. She was a heavy beast covered in rugged armour that shifted with careful steps, each footfall causing a feeling of the world shifting as she adjusted her stance. On her head, two horns buzzed as they whirled to life. You couldn't notice it as much, but her fingers could also spin up like smaller, if blunter, drill rotors. She raised her arms and roared at her entrance."RHY! RHYPERIOR!""OH!? WHO'S THAT POKEMON?!" The commentators were leaning forward in shock. The air in the arena seemed to grow thin as a thousand lungs gasped in surprise.Another commentator took up the silence as an invitation, "WHAT'S THIS!? NOT ONLY DOES HE HAVE ANCIENT POKEMON, BUT HE ALSO HAS AN ULTRA-RARE POKEMON! SOMEONE CALL A PROFESSOR! WHO IS THAT POKEMON!?"I had been forced to spend almost two weeks searching up and down Mt. Mortar during the offseason to have her evolve. I had yet to encounter another trainer to have one so I was probably way ahead of the curve with getting my Rhydon a Protector or, rather as I'd found, a magma alloy hood that sparked her evolution.Lance narrowed his eyes but didn't react otherwise. His Dragonite flourished its head back and forth in agitation. The referee glanced at both Lance and me before raising his flag. "Begin!""Ascend!""Track it Bertha," I ordered.My pokemon lifted her head and slowly swiveled her head around. "Now, Stone Edge," She raised her arms and swaths of stone the size of normal Gravellers rose off the ground before being compressed into mere head-sized boulders. They launched upwards far faster only for Dragonite to dance around them, the dragon easily weaving in and out of danger despite Bertha's best attempts.I scowled at the dancing Dragon. Apparently the break had done it a great favor in allowing it to somewhat regather its energy.Rocks roared through the air but the Dragonite was like a leaf on the wind. Lance allowed this for a long minute before nodding to himself as the barrage stopped."Rest," he called out firmly.His Dragonite didn't question him and instead shut its eyes while in mid-air. Notably, it did not stop flying and instead maintained its altitude."Stone Edge," I ordered. This seemed oddly disrespectful of Lance. The move was good to use in case his pokemon got worn down like Don had achieved but it should have made it a sitting duck.This time the rocks soared up, closing on the slumbering dragon. Only for the pokemon to twitch a wing and fade to the side out of the strike zone.I could only watch on in shock as each wave of Rock that followed was almost as easily evaded.A twitch or flap of the wing that saw it slowly losing altitude. A few rocks scrapped along the Dragon's side but none of the rocks struck cleanly, allowing the damage to actually occur.I looked down to see a very smug-looking Lance watching me. I clicked my tongue.A fusion move.A move that was created from combining two or more moves together. This was a sign of just how highly trained this pokemon was in a speciality. Lance would have had to hone it in this move above all others. I had to admit it was an amazing trump card to pull during a high-stakes match. Then he'd combined it with rest. I suspected it might have been a flying-type move, rest and detect or sleep talk all merged together. There would be entire threads about this reveal on the pokenet later.He must have trained this pokemon extensively to be able to evade in its sleep even to that margin. I could probably continue to fire up at it with Bertha's Stone Edge and get it to where it would be if Lance hadn't achieved Rest but that was not taking into account how much energy it would take out of Bertha.There would be nothing stopping him from getting off another rest. I needed to force his hand.I needed to swing for the stands with a home run.I swept my arm up. "Bertha! Stop the barrage and hang ten!" Bertha snorted, the equivalent of a giggle for her. Around her, small boulders dropped to the ground showing she'd relaxed her control of them. Instead of grasping for rock, water rose up from the grates and surged towards her. The crowd shouted warnings, worried about some form of treachery.Instead of fearing the water, Bertha grinned as she stepped back. Her position dropped into a wide stance as the wave surged up more like a tsunami.It rose high and Bertha popped up on the top with her arms crossed. Her maw stretched wide as she stunned an entire stadium with her unexpected move."THAT ROCK POKEMON IS SURFING! I CANNOT BELIEVE MY EYES!" screamed the commentator over the roaring water."IT'S PUT HER IN RANGE!" cried out the other commentator, having caught what I was aiming for. If the attacks were too easily read and avoided, I simply needed to close the distance. Something that Lance was not going to oblige me with."Dragonite! Awaken!" Lance shouted as my pokemon reached ten meters away from the slumbering pokemon."Dra?" The pokemon replied sleepily."Ice beam," I ordered. This time it was Lance's turn to look at me in shock while I shot him a smug look."Get out of there Dragonite!" He cried out.In front of Bertha, a blue ball of energy built up before instantly discharging. The speedy dragon was quick enough to roll to the side but that didn't stop the ice from clipping it. It roared in pain at the hit and I was pleased to see part of its limb coated in ice.That was going to pay out dividends for me. Dividends I planned to cash instantly."Get under the wave out of range! Hide in the swell!" In another fight and another trainer it might have worked. It was probably a good idea against others. It should have forced me to pick a side that the Dragon might appear from. I didn't want to play that game.I'd fought against Priscilla at Mikan Island Gym's water race. I had shamelessly gotten to steal Ash's move of freezing waves."Aim at your wave!" Bertha instantly turned the ice beam onto the wave beneath her forcing the heavier part to sink even as the ice expanded outward. Now instead of forcing a fifty-fifty split I had entrapped Lance in the wave that was collapsing fast. He could only force his pokemon out of the wave through ice now. Something no Dragon would be able to shrug off.With an idea of the next few sequence of events, I committed myself. "Jump up!" I ordered Bertha before the wave could collapse any further.The frozen wave collapsed more like an avalanche upon Dragonite. "Get out of there Dragonite!"The Dragonite shot towards one of the few openings it had available only for the ice that had frozen on its leg to catch onto the collapsing structure. It spun out into the wave and screamed as more ice collapsed upon it. Lance clenched his jaw."Hyper beam out of there!"Before the ice could fully entomb the dragon and end the fight the hyperbeam punched upward and out, opening an avenue to rise. The attack was short-lived but it would have been enough for Dragonite to get out of danger.Would have been, if not for Bertha sailing in from her previous jump. She performed a perfect unscripted bodyslam and used Dragonite like a stamp to leave an impression in the ground as ice exploded outwards. I honestly wanted to lean back and congratulate myself for everything going to plan."Dragonite! Gain distance!"The smile I gave Lance was feral. Now, his pokemon was in the perfect strike range for my Bertha."Finish him," I said as Bertha raised the Dragonite up in one hand while the other hand's fingers spun up.The finger drills whined as they spun up and she cocked her off-hand before it rocketed through the space and into Dragonite. The roar of pain it gave was high pitched before dying off quickly as Bertha held it up. It slumped in her grasp. In a darker world, I might have ordered another hit.In this world, Lance merely raised his pokeball and withdrew his pokemon.Bertha raised her fists and pumped them up and down before roaring out her triumph for all to hear. The crowd fell silent at the brutal power she had displayed. I grinned at her and nodded when she looked to me for praise."Excellent as always girl," I gave her a big thumbs up which had her pumping her fists more like a happy school girl rather than the giant brute she was. Then I directed her attention back to where her opponent would appear. Lance was now looking very annoyed. I shot him a grin. I'd once more reclaimed the momentum. In doing so, I had revealed one of my aces but this was worth it.But only one of the aces regarding this pokemon. She had another ace up her sleeve that might just carry me through. Even without revealing that ace yet, people understood that she was a powerhouse. Lance continued to toy with his pokeball before lifting his hand towards the greatball on his necklace. I watched this play out for a few more seconds before chuckling."Really, you're dragging?" I said as I glanced towards the ice that was… very slowly melting.Lance gave me a sardonic smile before selecting the pokeball. "It's a valid strategy. I had to use it against Pryce as he kept freezing the field in my bid to become Champion." Lance gestured to the field, "I'm surprised that you haven't had more pokemon use ice attacks so far.""I had other options available for me." I settled into a relaxed pose as my gaze turned towards the clock. "Gonna run out your minute?"Lance nodded watching the ice begin to trickle. The commentators quickly picked up on the tactic and I just knew that the people at home were being forced into an impromptu ad break. I rolled my eyes. Lance couldn't just throw out his pokemon now. It wasn't something typically used but it was certainly a valid tactic. Referees were allowed to give trainers a minute to make their selection between rounds. True field effects like Stealth rock or toxic spikes wouldn't fade over time like a field that had magma or even ice.It was therefore worth keeping your cool and playing out the minute. Other matches wouldn't allow this break, demanding an immediate withdrawal and response from trainers. We didn't have to worry about that. The crowd got a little restless but that was something that you needed to learn to ignore at times. Allowing the whims of the crowd to dictate your pace was just a method of giving away matches.I checked over Bertha and saw that while she had not taken any actual damage she had obviously had to use quite a few moves. She'd been much more mobile than most of her species were known for. She was more of a juggernaut, not that most people would know that with her current rarity."TEN!" I straightened as Lance's minute wore down. The field hadn't lost much of the ice but it had become more of a slurry rather than actual chunks that I might have been able to use."NINE!" I watched him sweep his cape out dramatically and the crowd roared as he worked up his throw to have it landing and discharging moments before he might have been penalized for his late send out.I stared at the pokemon that was revealed instead of paying any attention to the cheering crowd that had enjoyed Lance's showmanship.The Kingdra that appeared I had been expecting, but not this late into the match up. If he'd brought it out against Sanchez I might have been much further ahead now. Apparently, he'd been holding onto it in case I got this far along.I had recalled that it was a water-dragon hybrid and hoped to one-two it with the Gyrados."OH! AND NOW IT'S THE CHAMPION'S TURN TO REVEAL A RARE POKEMON! WHO IS IT!?"I blinked in surprise. Had Lance not revealed his Kingdra before? I ran back through the potential teams I thought he might have access to and I'd immediately added in the Kingdra along with the Aerodactyl. A pokemon that he apparently wasn't going to call out at all. Or did he not have it at all?Had it appeared in the cartoon?I watched the Kingdra bob up and down across from me. It stayed well away from the ice. Apparently, he'd never been shown to use it during a public setting until now. Lance was looking at me with a frown before shaking his head. For once I was glad of my normally non-expressive and narrow eyes that made it tough to cold read me.Mentally, I was pumping my fist up and down. Foreknowledge for the win!"Trainers! Are you ready!?" shouted the referee.I resumed my pose and nodded. Lance copied me."Ready? Beg—!" "Impact driver!" I shouted before the referee could fully announce the start.Bertha perked up at the order. Her feet slid apart and one arm rose up to point right at the ground. The other arm lowered to touch the ground as if she'd just performed a three-point landing.This wasn't just a pose for style though.Ideally, I would not have had Bertha be the one to face Lance's Kingdra. Ideally, it would have been Sanchez or maybe even Shin. That ship had long since been sailed by Lance holding the Kingdra in reserve. Apparently, because he'd never before been forced to call upon it. I hadn't realized that however, and instead thought it might come out as his third or fourth pokemon. Instead, I'd gotten powerhouses in Charizard and Dragonite.Now I had it much later than I wanted it to be, where it might cause a lot of problems for me. Bertha was slow. She was a tank that could handle huge amounts of damage. More than almost any of my other pokemon.Against a speedster like Kindgra I didn't like her chances with having to rely on ice beam. I doubted Surf would work in my favour. I might even lose if I wasn't careful. Unless I bucked up and swung for the stands again. Lance wasn't the only trainer that could create a Fusion move."Use Dragon's dance!" shouted Lance. His eyes locked on the raised arm. He could tell something was up but he obviously wasn't sure how it was going to come into effect.The arm began to hum as it vibrated. The drills on each finger spun up faster and faster as the arm pulsed slightly."Hydropump!" ordered Lance. From the mouth of his pokemon a torrent of water shot forward and slammed into Bertha. I let it, swallowing at the super effective move hammering into my pokemon. I wished I had another option that could see her deny Kingdra it's speed. Instead, I held my pose and watched Bertha tank the hit. I clenched up and willed her to hang on."Hold, Bertha!"She grunted. There was no doubt that she felt the hit but instead of the type advantaged attack knocking her out like it had with Lance's Gyrados, she endured. Her feet were dug in, this was a move I had practised with her time and time again. She just needed to endure the coming onslaught."Again!" shouted Lance as he leaned across the railing. His gaze was locked onto the heavily vibrating arm as a whine filled the air.Once more the Hydropump slammed into Bertha and she groaned, her body trembled now as she shuddered. Her eyes drooped. "BERTHA HANG ON AND THIS FIGHT IS YOURS!"Lance's eyes widened. "Bide? Kingdra! END IT NOW!"I grinned. He only had it partly right. Bide formed only part of the move I was now using. Kingdra inhaled and I decided I needed to pull the trigger."NOW BERTHA! IMPAC—" I didn't get the chance to finish as Kingdra shot out his Hydropump.Before it hit, Bertha unleashed the stored potential energy she had been building up. Her arm drove through the ground and from the impact site a blinding flash of light exploded outwards.The arena rocked. The hit landed more like a meteor crashing home rather than a pokemon move. I braced and leaned into the quake. Lance's cape billowed outwards as he was hit by the shockwave. Around the arena, the damage absorbers shot into active states to take the hits.The arena itself broke as fissures ruptured out from the point of impact. Canyons of the ground had been torn up revealing the underlying metal that stopped pokemon from merely disappearing into the ground during a match. Around the Kingdra, spiked boulders had slammed up and rammed into the pokemon.The Kingdra flopped to the ground. Out cold.The crowd roared to their feet, a clamouring mass of people that had been shaken up from the attack forcing them to stand. I could see some play backs of the crowd getting thrown about with Bertha's attack."OH!!!! BROCK UNLEASHES A ONE HIT K.O!" shouted the commentator.I exhaled in relief, only to hiss as a much larger body hit the ground. I looked up to see a ragged Bertha staring up at me with tired eyes."You did good girl. Better than good, even. Rest now." I raised her greatball and returned her. She shut her eyes as the red beam of light touched her and let herself fall into sleep.I eventually looked up from the greatball to see Lance still observing the field. His eyes roamed across the large canyons of damage, and he toyed with his greatball on his necklace. His gaze comes up to meet me and I can see that I have forced his respect now.We don't make any move to actually deploy our next pokemon.We turn away for the final reprieve. There will be no more breaks after this. The next fight would see us putting our pride on the line. This was a battle of starter pokemon.
17
Celia stared at her teacher as he stepped off the podium. The field behind him was once more torn and cratered as if a series of battles had taken place instead of an exchange of attacks. For all that Brock said this wasn't the 'level' she needed to reach, experiencing it made her realise just how far she and her team had to go. When Shin had been burned, she'd opened a pokeball to hug her Wartortle. June had copied her with her starter, Flareon. It helped knowing she wasn't alone in how… intimidating this was.She'd never seen Brock this intense, this focused. It was surprising to see him rise to this level and force the Champion of the region to acknowledge his strength. She had no idea he was this strong!That being said, she knew the Champion was powerful, but to see him working through the oppression Brock had set up? It was so scary! Trainers could get this strong? Celia was sure she'd seen the damage absorbers around the trainers flicker a little! It was completely different watching a match from the Champion in person instead of through the television.This time when Brock came back to his bunker, he swept in. He'd nodded to acknowledge them but the intensity of his focus was too much. Even simply claiming a bottle of water to drink kept the girls both silent. He'd said nothing, merely sitting with laced fingers before breathing in and out in a controlled manner.The difference this time from the first intermission was only more marked in Celia's mind. The first time Brock had roamed, twitchy and energised. Like a caged Arcanine. Now he sat and thought heavily enough to weigh down even their tongues.She shared a glance with June and swallowed before her eyes inevitably gravitated back to Brock.He'd begun to toy with a greatball that he'd attached to a necklace.That could only mean that Titan was going to be next. She felt herself squirming. The big pokemon was typically a great training partner for her pokemon, and had more than once been used to gauge how strong her team was. There was no doubt that he was strong, and sweet.Brock had a lot of strong pokemon. And he knew how to use them! Arceus did she find that attra… Celia stopped that thought. She shuddered before trying to remember what she'd been thinking. She refocussed on how Brock was taking losing out his last pokemon.She'd have to re-examine her previous ideas on how strong they were. Brock, after all, had more depth so it could only be assumed that his starter would be able to match.She licked her lips and found that she couldn't wait for the next stage to start.Sabrina let her attention shift from the mind of the trainer in Brock's bunker to Brock himself. Sadly she couldn't see him very well from her seating."Brock's doing great!" Shouted Surge with his typical bravado. The man didn't care about the number of bruises that had formed across his neck or arms. Sabrina had been forced to hear people project their views on how Surge had been intimate. This was always accompanied with waves of emotion that muddied the mind. Lust, disgust, disapproval, curiosity, spite, glee. People didn't understand how fast certain feelings could flicker out. It made things very annoying.Erika, merely bobbed her head. Listless, but for the spark of intense interest as her eyes remained forward, waiting like so many others for the next match to start. "He's," a large yawn escaped her lips causing her to throw her sleeve in front of her mouth as she blushed, "He's done well," she said. Surge turned his head towards Erika."Ho? Someone tired? Had a late night?" his eyes wiggled.Sabrina understood this to mean he was implying something sexual.From the context given it likely meant that he thought Erika had slept with Brock and they had stayed up together last night. Sabrina allowed herself a twitch of the lips. The man was wrong. No such event had occurred.Erika shook her head. "I think my room was haunted, I never saw them but some mischievous ghost pokemon kept moving my things about in my room.""Huh," Surge said, scratching his head. "Didn't think the Plateau would have any of them. Better watch out Sabrina. We all know how Ghost types work against your type."Sabrina turned to direct Surge an unimpressed look. "Do not presume such would bother me. I can deal with them." As soon as she said it, Sabrina felt something run a finger up her spine. She flexed her focus behind her but the ghost vanished. Sabrina turned her head to look towards an old woman that was smirking. Sabrina narrowed her eyes at the woman but the old Elite four Ghost specialist didn't look in her direction.When Sabrina turned back to Surge and Erika, she found them discussing the match so far.Erika hopped back and forth. "Brock has done amazingly! He's set up a team and a battle that is going to see him taking a huge advantage against Lance's Dragonite!"Sabrina turned her head further, interested despite herself as Surge rubbed his chin. "Do you think he can win?"Erika opened her mouth before shutting it and chewing her lips in thought.Sabrina wanted to scoff openly. Brock would win. They'd gone through his encounters together. Erika had little idea of the training and behind the scenes work that had gone into preparing for this match.Still, she didn't actually do that. Last night Sabrina could admit to being rather… petty. She had used her telekinesis from Brock's room to float items around Erika's room to give the girl a scare. Something she hadn't done in years. Not since she was young and her mother… Sabrina swallowed. She glanced at Erika's slightly baggy eyes before looking away.She shouldn't have done that. She'd just been… She… She'd… she didn't like what was happening. She pointedly didn't look at Erika beyond small glances. She wasn't sure why she felt small when Erika yawned. It wasn't like anyone was around to catch or scold her.Sabrina had lurked around but as soon as the crowd of excitable reporters had come, she'd had to leave. Too many emotions and thoughts were practically being screamed. So many of them were wrong or contrary to what was actually being said at any one time. She hadn't liked it. But… that didn't make what she'd done right had it?
She'd attend enough calls that she thought she had known what Erika was like. It seemed that phone conversations were not substitutes for meeting with people. She'd hoped to cultivate such methods for developing relationships normally. Not with Erika though. She'd never thought of the girl that way. Or indeed any of the other gym leaders she talked with.Erika had just seemed to be a formal girl. Nothing more and nothing less. Getting to sit next to her had revealed a few things. Sabrina hadn't pried into her thoughts. The girl was actually rather quiet most of the time. Which actually made her not objectionable to sit near."Heh! Well, I have no doubt about my man Brock! I even bet a ton of money on him!""You shouldn't bet Surge, it's not a good appearance for us to gamble! As Gym Leaders, we need to be seen as role models!" Erika chastised tiredly. Sabrina watched them interact. She knew Surge well enough to know that he wouldn't be bothered by Erika thinking poorly of him. But Erika did believe. She tried, Sabrina easily noticed how Erika had ironed her clothes before coming. How she had done her make-up and held herself in a formal posture despite how she mentally complained about how it tired her further. Then she seemed to spiral into self-chastisement for not being able to do it naturally. None of which appeared on her face.It was good that she didn't need to look at Erika to 'hear' her thoughts. Still it was odd to find herself… interested… interested in Erika? She considered that statement.Erika was interesting, Sabrina concluded. She now felt a little bad about how she had acted. Perhaps she could do something for Erika one day?Surge, ignorant as to how Sabrina was watching them, or perhaps quite the opposite and exulting in it, puffed his chest out as he waved his hand back and forth. "Nah! That's all crud! We're people too and it's a way of showing my support! I'm bound to make a ton of money cause I even bet on him before he made his announcement! There's going to be some downright miserable bookies in Goldenrod tonight you count my words!""Why did you bet in Goldenrod?" Erika asked with a tilt of her head.Surge grinned, "So I can take some of those Johto punk's money!"Sabrina glanced between them. Surge was unreadable to her. Erika was apparently worried about it for Indigo relations. Sabrina knew it to also be that Goldenrod had better odds against Brock. Sabrina let the comment pass. She had nothing that needed saying."Brock certainly looks good out there," Erika said, deciding on another conversation. Sabrina nodded her head, lips curling upwards as Erika mistakenly thought she was inadvertently complimenting her.She didn't even need to step into the other girl's mind to know that she was patting herself on the back like an excitable Bellossom that completed a new trick. Truly Brock's earlier suggestions of reading some books to understand relationships and interactions had helped.Sabrina felt like she understood more of the interactions going on despite all the extra information she had. She had her own library at home and even used her knowledge to be able to mend her relationship with her parents after they had… reacted poorly to her psychic skills.With her knowledge built empathy, she'd been able to both talk with them and psychically link with them to make sure that no communication failure occurred. She was a master at getting her point across nowadays, and her parents were cordial with her instead of terrified as they had been years ago.A marked improvement. Even her gym had grown stronger from her increased communication skills. Trainers had learnt more about their pokemon, and her Gym easily was one of the strongest in the Indigo league now.It didn't matter that Erika was one of the most popular gym leaders. That mattered little, and no one really paid any attention to that sort of thing. Sabrina wasn't the worst there, with most people finding Koga's hidebound standards of challenge and the inconvenience of reaching Blaine's gym meant she was third last. It didn't bother her.At all.She could be popular if she wanted.She could make people outright love her if she truly wanted. But she didn't because that wasn't important to her and it didn't bother her.At all."Are you alright Sabrina?" Sabrina blinked as Erika's voice sheared into her thoughts. Sabrina replayed the last minute of the conversation. Surge had been aggrandising himself while Erika had been trying to calm him down. Nothing of value was lost not listening in. But Erika had apparently seen her scowling."Ah don't mind her! She's just miffed Brock hasn't used Selene! Sabrina helped out training Selene and wants to see their pet project throw down!" crowed Surge.Sabrina turned her head. "Selene is not a brute to be thrown out without thought. Brock understands this. He is merely holding her in reserve for the best moment.""You helped Brock train for this?" Sabrina straightened in her chair and let her lips twitch slightly into a smirk."Yes, he asked for my help." There, that would allow Erika to learn of the difference in their standings in terms of her relationship to Brock. She was closer and better understood him than this girl that appeared out of nowhere. Despite her desire to not like the other Gym Leader, she found herself… enjoying her presence? Perhaps it was because it gave Surge another target other than herself to be loud towards?"Wow, that's really amazing!" Erika turned eyes that practically shone with adoration towards Sabrina. Sabrina continued to look away from her, feeling vaguely uncomfortable and slightly guilty about how she had acted last night. It was… nice having Erika looking up to her."He got me to help out as well!" Surge sadly couldn't keep his mouth shut. Sabrina acknowledged him with a stiff nod. Erika made a high pitched noise that reminded Sabrina of a kettle."Eeeee! You three are amazing! Joining up like that! I wish I could have helped out…" She wilted into her large dress and chewed on her lip. Surge pat the girl's shoulder."Hey this match up wasn't a good one for you. Lance has a few moves like that Gyrados and Dragonite knowing thunder that I could train Brock against!" He jerked a thumb at Sabrina and she glanced at the offending limb before he withdrew it. "Sabrina here brought out some curve-balls or some such along with training one of Brock's pokemon in control I think. Other than that, I'm not sure cause her top team is still a mystery. Ain't no one challenging Saffron's Elite challenge. But I'm sure you helped out… in your own way yesterday!" Surge's smirk was missed by Erika but Sabrina noted it with a roll of her eyes. Truly she didn't want to be able to read his mind. It would likely be a filthy place.She did a reflexive sweep of the minds around herself. She always paused on Surge. His own mind stood out for the noted different feel to it. Somehow the man's mind was shielded from her. It felt nothing like another psychic's defences or the aura based defences she'd learnt few others possessed from self-mastery. It felt strangely mechanical. She noted it as an interesting oddity to research. Few people could defend against her mental prowess if she tried, quite a few she could feel right now, such as the ghostly creeping mind of Agatha situated in the Elite Four box. Next to her, Bruno's forged mind through discipline stood out as something she had to be careful around.Then there were the two on the trainers everyone was watching.Lance's mind was not something she dared approach. To her, he felt like a powerful beast suppressed tightly into a small space. She could feel his energy shift about as he sat waiting for the announcement to resume the match.Directing her attention to the other, more familiar mind she found herself running into a rock hard shell that had been built up gradually. Sabrina knew she could tear through it and had done so in the past. She swallowed as she recalled the first time they had met and how much of an anomaly Brock had been to her. She hadn't liked that darkness he held deep within but it worked wonderfully in protecting his thoughts.The absence of thought or emotions or other feelings had been alien to Sabrina. She'd been terrified at first as she'd felt herself grasping about for something familiar. She'd returned to herself and been shaken. At the time, she could admit she had been arrogant. Self-assured in her might only to have Brock appear as if from nowhere. He'd been the first person able to tell her no in a long time. She'd struggled during their match furiously trying to detect what and how he was going to have his pokemon do during their match. Until she'd realised how peaceful the silence was.With her focus on Brock the world had… gotten quieter. Without having half a hundred people's thoughts pushing at her, she had felt herself slowly relax. She'd barely even noticed losing her match against Brock she'd been so distracted.Brock… Brock was important. For many reasons she felt.For now, she had to simply watch and will Brock to victory… she felt her mind struggle under the clamour of the thousands. When the match was done, she'd try and stay to talk with Brock but she knew it would be hard. She had set herself a duty however and she would stand by it.She'd also make sure no one, absolutely no one, tried to cheat him of his victory.Samuel Oak rubbed his chin in thought. To his left, Daisy was actually leaning forward and paying rapt attention to the television instead of messaging her friends. A marked difference from normal televised battles, but Oak had a suspicion as to what was actually holding her attention. In her lap, a typically flighty Abra lay placidly, something not unusual for the girl as she was much beloved by pokemon.To his right, Gary had his hands raised, he was as stiff as a statue and emoting more than most people were used to seeing from the cool kid of Pallet."This is insane!" His grandson shouted. Samuel merely chuckled, causing Gary to round on him. "I thought Brock wouldn't be able to mount a fight like this! He's supposed to be one of the easier people to win a badge off!"Sam gave that proclamation a snort. "That's because most people don't fight him later on. Most people do the traditional route of the Heroes' unification walk." Gary chewed his lip and nodded.Gary waved his hand at the television. "I mean yeah, but still? This strong? It's way—""Do so many people still follow that fudy dudy old story?" Daisy asked.Gary bristled at being interrupted but a raised hand gently patting the air made the preteen subdue himself. "It is not a story it is part of Kanto's history, young lady so many people follow it even if unknowingly. The Pewter city gym should be venerated as the first gateway and tribe to join with the Hero. Many in the past followed this to honour the Hero and the companions he formed along the way." Samuel Oak wavered his hand back and forth, "Buuuut most only associate it with the gym circuit and the museum these days."Gary squirmed and Sam continued on. "And to answer your question, I too am surprised by Brock's showing. He is doing excellently and truly drawing out some surprising pokemon.""That Kabutops! And the Aerodactyl!! And that last one? Rhyperior! What the he—" A stern look from his Grandfather and an amused titter from Daisy stopped Gary in his tracks. He coughed before continuing, "What gives? I've never seen pokemon like that in your lab Gramps! How come?" Gary shouted. Daisy also gave Samuel a look at this."That's because I've never had them in the lab. I think I will be making a visit to Pewter, or be asking for Brock to send over some pokemon, as those are certainly rare specimens. I hope he accepts.""Why wouldn't he?" asked Daisy.Gary beat him to answer this question, "Cause Gym Leaders don't have to give out their pokemon for research like some trainers do. Don't worry though, if Brock says no, I'll find some and catch them for my team!" This drew a chuckle from the older man and he wrapped an arm around his grandson's shoulders, getting a squawk from the young lad. "Not to worry, I think I'll be asking after Lance's Kingdra first. He's often interested in talking with me. A polite young man I've found him to be."Daisy looked back to the television. "Who do you think is going to win?"Gary stopped fidgeting in the hug and looked up, silently waiting for his grandfather's decision."It can still go either way honestly.""Even though it's five to four?" said Daisy sceptically.Sam nodded seriously, allowing his mind to begin picking apart what he had seen and begin to play out the options the trainers had along with what they could have or should have done. "Brock and Lance have both made a number of mistakes with their judgements of the other. As trainers that have not fought each other before, that is to be expected. They don't have a good enough feel for the other to know what they will do. Any subsequent matches between these two will be much tighter, or even more one-sided affairs depending on the work put in."Brock has anticipated Lance wonderfully with his call on Gyrados coming out first. The electric type Golem was a rare variant that paid huge dividends, and could have seen Brock three to one up. I suspect the match from there would have been much more different if that had been the case."Lance has not had the advantage of knowing what pokemon Brock could call up, as Brock actually only has three tournaments to his name prior to becoming a gym leader. In the first, he only had to use a Lapras, a Golem, and a Rhydon. During his match in the Orange Island League he fielded a more diverse team with Noctowl, Lapras, Rhydon, Onix, and Pupitar. We barely have a register for Brock with his journey being cut short. His only Hoenn appearance during a competition, he only made it to the three on three rounds, losing with Noctowl, Lapras, and Lairon.""Brock has a Lairon? Does that mean he has the fully evolved Aggron?!" Gary squawked in surprise, head swelling from the television to his Grandfather. "Is that going to be his last pokemon? Tyranitar or a… what Noctowl, Lapras or Aggron?"Samuel shook his head. "I doubt it. Lance challenged Brock as the Leader of the Pewter Gym so he needs to use pokemon specifically representing his Gym. So Rock Type or rock-themed. Two of those pokemon are not like that." The older man noted both of his grandchildren still watching him, making him feel very pleased as they listened for once."For today's matchup, we still have to see his Onix I believe. This demonstrates that Brock has been very tight with his team line up though. I'd expect an Onix from Brock to be well trained and I expect Lance knows this."He rubbed his chin as Daisy and Gary continued to listen. "Lance has had less time to train his pokemon and prepare them for this match. Something I believe Brock has taken advantage of. Lance also has had to deal with a number of type disadvantages from Brock that most were dismissive of. Brock was actually Lance's second-worst match up in the entire Indigo circuit.""Who was worse?" said GaryDaisy shivered theatrically. "Mahogany town's Pryce." At Gary's look, she rolled her eyes. "Learn your geography twerp or my gift to you when you start your journey is going to be a map. Pryce is located in the mountains that are ice-covered. Ice is the biggest weakness Dragon's have." Gary nodded and Sam smiled at Daisy.Daisy's absolute statement might not have been as true as it once had been. There had been that article that some professors were arguing over, but it needed to see a lot more research before it gained any traction. He'd need to push some of his sponsored trainers into looking out for certain… pretty pokemon. Gary and Ash wouldn't do it, so he might have to rely on Greta for that."—amps?!" Sam hummed and turned back to Gary."Sorry I was lost in thought over something. What were you asking my boy?"Gary huffed, annoyed at being ignored. "I said, is there anything else you can tell us about the match?"Sam nodded. From this match, he could write a number of articles, but he doubted his grandson wanted to read those. He wanted easily digestible facts or insights. Sam made a note to make the pokedex he gave out focus on that for the next update. The current format was too unwieldy, some people preferred scientific facts while others merely wanted snapshot information."Well, both trainers should have had a few more pokemon with attack negators as Lance is notorious for his powerful attacks. Brock has also demonstrated he will use powerful one-shot attacks. If either had used protect or endure at the right time they would have again changed the tempo of the match. I will complement Brock as he has controlled the tempo wonderfully from the outset and when Lance has tried to come to grips, he has evaded or landed a much more devastating blow than Lance was anticipating. Now he has to rely on his strongest pokemon.""The Dragonite, his starter, yeah?""Indeed." Sam looked at the television "It could still go either way. Lance is that powerful with his Dragonite, but Brock has shown he is capable. Win or lose I think he has gained the respect he was owed.""Yeah!" Gary pumped his fists up and down."This is pretty crazy, I never thought Brock would be like this. He's kind of being like… Rawr!" Daisy made the noise while clawing the air playfully. Then she giggled."What's that go to do with anything?" Gary blinked cluelessly. Sam chuckled, suspecting where this would go."It's just kind of crazy to see him all serious and growly. He was sooo much more laid back with the gym a couple of years ago when I challenged him!" She squirmed a little, "Him and Lance were just so intense during their pre-match meeting. They're kind of handsome you know? And both single! Maybe they're even—" Sam coughed loudly as Gary tilted his innocent little head in confusion as to what Daisy was alluding to. Daisy giggled to herself and hugged the placid Abra in her lap before pulling out her phone to message her friends as the intermission continued."Girls are weird," pronounced Gary. Sam nodded seriously and patted his grandson. Perfect, he'd be able to use the cheerleader plan for the security team. Gary would prove far easier to protect than Daisy had been.Agatha tapped her cane as she felt the little brat in the Kanto gym leader section sweep the stadium with her psychic senses. The little fool didn't realise she should also be trying to detect what she couldn't detect. As a powerful ghost-type trainer, Agatha had no doubt she could walk right up to the girl and tweak her nose before she noticed her approach.Psychic types! Pah! All over thinking fools that thought themselves too clever without the wisdom to contain themselves.Next to her, Bruno shifted before cracking his neck from side to side with a hideous pop-crunch. Further down, Lorelei shivered."Must you do that?" the prim girl said.Bruno grunted and clenched his fists to demonstrate that yes, yes he did and he didn't have to really pay attention to what Lorelei wanted."Interesting watching Lance get his butt handed to him like this," said the muscle-bound fool."There's nothing 'interesting' about it at all. He is being led around and looking weak. This will not inspire confidence. He is going to make all of us look weak!""Just means more challengers," Bruno said before putting his knuckles under his chin. "Let em come. I get bored with no challengers."Lorelei scowled. "You're not the first person they will face!""So toughen up." Bruno as ever was eloquent. Agatha smiled as Lorelei scowled. She, and everyone else at the Pokemon League, knew that the girl was on thin ice. Lance was just waiting to make a play. His natural dislike of Ice-types colouring his view of the young woman.Sadly he was also trying to oust Agatha herself, but she at least had a plan for that. An apprentice that was more than ready to step up when she stepped down. It might seem different, but the strings of power would still be hers to tug on. Except now she wouldn't be someone people would immediately turn to. She'd been careful with her accumulation of power, but she'd have more freedom out of the Elite Four these days.She knew Koga was due to be tapped with Blaine having only recently departed. The 'old guard' as it were, stood down finally. Agatha snorted. Only for appearances. But sometimes appearances were enough to cause certain types to rise up like Goldeen that had grown incautious after an Ursaring went still in a pond. The bear was still there but people forgot about it, unaware of the dangers that loomed over them.She'd need to stay vigilant. The bad old days weren't as far off as people really thought they were. It only took a few dominoes falling just so. You just needed to be correctly positioned to know. The big players were always the ones that needed to have the most attention to their surroundings. Often, they formed part of the dominoes that could be targeted to start the toppling effect.She looked at Lance and felt at his now raging Aura as it pulsed and writhed. Soon he'd unleash his most powerful Pokémon and she'd get a taste of his power once more.She turned to the Pewter boy and tilted her head in consideration.Now he'd been a surprise.She wondered who his master was to teach him such basic control. His rock type energy was a strong armour that most wouldn't know of, but he had a certain conscious control. She'd seen a few rocks not caught by the barrier bounce off him during the explosion and leave no mark. He had to have an understanding beyond simply having highly trained rock types.She'd mark him as one to watch and investigate. Karen might even make some overtures. The boy would probably be flattered with a young beauty like her paying him attention. Agatha glanced back as another sweep ran over her. Karen would probably have to chase off some strays, but that sometimes made it more enjoyable.Crushing rivals for a man's attention was sometimes the better payoff in Agatha's opinion. Agatha paused when the boy grabbed a greatball off his necklace and for just a moment another pulse ran through the arena.Oh? Now she sat up fully. "Lance might be in trouble here." That got Bruno and Lorelei to shut their mouths. Agatha began to re-evaluate her plans before signalling a servant for a drink. She might just get to enjoy this.Flint sat at the edge of the Pewter city park party and wrung his hands. His eyes were locked on the big screen where his eldest was shown. Battling Lance of all things. When he'd departed, he'd lashed himself mentally even as he'd finally been able to regather himself and relax from the constant hounding of his family and his gym.He'd come back stronger. More whole. He wouldn't have the flinches that had put him off in his pokemon battles. He wouldn't lock up anymore during crucial moments.He'd trekked out, first to find his beloved wife but the trail had run cold. Perhaps with her there and by his side they might have… He shook that thought away. He couldn't lean on Lola like that. He'd done it before and she'd struggled with his issues while pregnant with the first set of twins. He had to get stronger. That was what stood out to him.When he was young ,he'd been able to handle the intense explosions and sleep like a babe as pokemon fought. When he'd left, he'd felt edgy. It'd gotten so bad, he'd… he shook himself. The nightmares hadn't bothered him in months. He was better these days. He was sure of it. It was just that…He'd spent too long away. It hadn't been something he was even conscious of. Now he was unsure how to come back.Maybe it would have been better if he'd come back with Lola? Then, before he knew it he'd spent roughly two and a half years away from his family.It had been a bit of a gut punch to realise how time had slipped away from him again. He'd first thought it'd be quick, in and out. Find his wife, come back, and relieve Brock. He shouldn't have dropped that on Brock. But it wasn't like he wouldn't have support. The teachers at the schools, and even the pokecenter would have helped out. Surely? Had he left notes for Brock? He'd been foggy about back then, just remembering Brock being angry over the mess.He'd come back expecting to find things much as he'd left them. For Brock to be plugging along stolidly with the family clamouring for his attention as the man of the house. He hadn't had a plan, but Flint felt for sure he'd think of something when he got back to Pewter.Then he'd come back and found the old gym with tape announcing the Gym as abandoned. That had terrified him. A quick word had allowed him to make the track slightly out of town to a much different Pewter gym. Something sleek and new and entirely unfamiliar with the old boulder gym Flint had left behind.Brock certainly hadn't been struggling at all. If anything, Brock was thriving.The gym wasn't a cramped affair, but something that had an entire district of the city practically to itself. Huge fields for free-roaming pokemon and their trainers to relax. There had also been the option for people to rent stable space for themselves during a one year journey! There had been smaller battle arenas to practise in, and a modern stadium with damage absorbers fitted into the arena. There were even trainer rooms for people living at the gym!The building itself was gigantic. It would have had to have been an architect's wet dream to design. Flint never would have paid for that, but Brock had apparently gone all in. There was a dedicated family apartment area near the side of the gym that was fenced off, and even had a garden. Out the back, the gym's dedicated pokemon had their own preserve with caves and canyons to roam through while others nest on the roof or peaks that Brock had set up for them.The insides were all high tech and crisp clean areas. Flint had snuck in during a match to watch Brock lay into a late badge challenge and been proud of how easily Brock seemed to handle it.He'd hesitated then. Unsure what to do. Brock had departed before he'd made up his mind that day. Flint didn't think it wise to pursue his son and instead retreated to camp in a field. He'd come back into town a number of times for food, not able to meet the eyes of a few old ladies that shot him damning looks over his appearance. He suspected a few even saw through it to who he was, which forced him to move further out of town as he tried to work out what he needed to do.He'd decided to wait, only for the challenge to come down from the Champion. That might have offered a window to talk with his son, maybe offer to help train with him, but Brock was always on the go. Busy and focussed. Flint had known just from that what his son was going to do.Now he was seeing that come into effect. It stung to see his son succeed like this. He was soaring so high. What did he need his old man back for? Flint found himself asking that question more and more these days.Maybe he'd approach during the off circuit season. Brock would be free to talk then right?Or maybe… Maybe if Brock los… He grit his teeth. No, he wouldn't wish that upon his son. He knocked on his head driving the thought out. Arceus, he had some issues if he was even thinking that way. He looked up at the big screen as the intermission finally came to a close.In the Pewter park square the locals roared their approval as Brock stepped forward once more, a confident look on his face as he palmed the greatball on his neck. Flint felt the old sting come back. Another failure from him. Brock hadn't needed an Onix, he'd already had something better. Sure it would have taken longer to train up, but Flint knew Brock's starter was strong.He sat down and watched his son march forward.
18
I spun the greatball in my grasp. It was a nervous tick. I knew it, and so did anyone who spent enough time with me. That didn't stop me from doing it. It was a soothing rhythm. A motion that allowed me to centre myself with the memetic action that was practically muscle memory at this point.Obviously, it didn't transfer to the pokemon within. Otherwise, during my first circuit people would have thought my pokemon were drunk with how disoriented they'd have been upon emergence.The inner workings of the pokeball were vaguely understood. The broad strokes of how they worked were taught to the masses, but the small details were far too technical to understand without at least two degrees. It sort of reminded me of how people on Earth understood that phones sent signals, but had no idea how to make them. It was a poor metaphor considering that pokeballs had ancient equivalents with apricorns. Johto liked to claim that they were the traditional 'home' of pokeballs but too many other places also knew of the methods for me to believe that.The history of the apricorn was actually fascinating to learn about. The ability to catch pokemon with apricorn balls had caused a huge cultural shift along with raising the carvers guilds high with prestige and money. Then being able to grant something to help you hold your pokemon close at hand, while lessening the strain of feeding your pokemon to a tenth of what you previously had thanks to the stasis effect? Game-changing.While technology did play a huge role in those early models, most of their capabilities were powered by aura in the end. Old techniques handed down from masters to apprentices.I spun the greatball in my hand and felt the aura that connected me to the ball.Most wouldn't understand that all methods of capture used by trainers allowed for a bond to form using your aura. The only pokeballs I had heard of that didn't have this feature were the illegal balls used by criminal organisations. It tended to make the pokemon wilder. This helped criminal organisations control their minions. You couldn't simply steal the pokeballs as it would instantly flag you as a criminal to any authorities, thus forcing people to double-down, so to speak, with their organisation. The pokemon didn't have loyalty to their "trainers" and typically were more useful to simply point towards a target and release.It also made it so that they didn't register on the pokemon league's network.A network that automatically registered and recorded which pokemon you owned in real time. This had been a new development as of last year.Lance would have to know who my starter was. As the Champion he would have access to my listings that even ordinary trainers, Police, and even Rangers were restricted from seeing. You didn't just give out top tier trainers' best pokemon to the wider public. As a Gym Trainer, mine was more well known but that was something of my own choice. I had created a system that challenged trainers for an appropriate level, but also helped keep me and my pokemon strong.I stopped spinning the Great Ball and enlarged it with a press of a button. I refocused with a quick breath, in and out.The momentum I'd had prior to this match was gone. Double knockouts late into the match did that. It was not ideal. I would have liked to have had the Stealth rock remain in play the entire match, but this was the situation now. I had to deal with that and adjust.Regardless, I still had Lance in a tight spot. That was a big plus. Things had mostly worked out how I wanted them to. Ideally, Charizard would have been taken out with Explosion, but maybe that was asking too much. Shin and Don had done great. Sanchez had performed up to my hopes for him. Bertha had done exceptionally well in her first match against the Dragonite. Then she'd backed up her performance against a huge type and speed disadvantage that should have seen her fall without the counterpunch.Now it all came down to this. I had two pokemon left to face Lance's most elite Dragonite.I tightened my grip on the Great Ball and imagined how this was going to play out. I knew I had another option. I had trained to give myself more options in fact. I didn't ever want to allow myself only one course of action in a battle. Battles were often won or lost by giving yourself as many options while denying your opponent.I thought of it as Game theory. A term I had encountered in my previous life with various games or high-end analysis. It wasn't something yet discussed openly and I was the only person so far to talk about it. Until proven otherwise, I considered it something discussed behind closed doors between Gym Leaders and their trainers. You needed to know what choices had been displayed, play odds, and lean into information. In truth, Game theory was simply a dramatic way of referring to targeted strategy.I was allowing myself to be distracted. I needed to centre myself. At this level of competition, mental acuity was just as important as the pokemon battling.I ran through the reasons I had to push for this. The reasons I had to win.I had ponied up a lot of money for this. Ten million wasn't something to scoff at, I had worked hard for that with my questing for pokemon along with investing in and challenging notable pokemon trainers when I could in the early days.That was a good enough reason, certainly, but not enough to have me grinding my teeth and keeping me up at night. It wasn't the reason I had trained with my pokemon an extra hour at least each day on top of my usual training.Lance had cast doubt on my capabilities and competency. A dangerous thing to do at the Gym Leader level. Citizens looked to their gym leaders as icons and leaders of their respective towns. We were multifaceted; part political figures, part criminal deterrent, part superstars. Having the certifiable biggest and baddest man in Indigo, the king of the hill, say what he did? That was going to cause me issues and I had to react in some way. People in this world were culturally set to rise to challenges; they got glints in their eyes and set their feet more often than not. With my previous life's experience, I was very different from the norm.I always liked to live and let live. I'd been annoyed by Lance's claims but I could work through it. My pride wasn't worth this trouble.But Lance had made my family sad. He'd taken away their smiles and their confidence.…I had climbed mountains to allow them that.I cooked, cleaned, and cared for them. I was a shoulder to cry on when that ache of abandonment reared its ugly head, the guide to look to when they felt lost. I tried to give them enough love to heal over any scabs from our parents ditching us. All in the hopes that they could smile, joyfully and without reserve.I knew I couldn't always make things happy. A teacher I once had mentioned it being important that he didn't want his son to 'always be happy'. One emotion was not a harmonious mental state and simply chasing happiness would have meant them missing out on so many other feelings. But still… It had been gut-wrenching seeing them act so subdued. In truth it was like spending hours making a nice sandcastle and showing it to your siblings only to have the big beach bully come and kick it over.But that was all metaphorically. My 'castle' hadn't been damaged, and really it was laughable.It still pissed me off. I couldn't let them just take this on the cheek and turn the other way. I couldn't let my siblings think that it was alright to simply take that behaviour. Pride to most was a dirty word, but sometimes pride is what got you up in the morning. What made you look after yourself, made you demand more from yourself. Made you put in effort even if no one was watching. There was no one who was going to hand out a medal at the end of all of this and tell me I'd done something right or wrong or grade my work.I wanted a lot of things. I wanted to be a good brother. I wanted them to be proud of me. I wanted to make things right and make the world bright and wonderful for them.I wanted to win.I opened my eyes and the world seemed to grow hyper-detailed to me. The crowd shifted forward once more as the Machoke's finished laying out the last adjustment to the wrecked arena floor.I stood, sensing that the time was now. I knew now was the moment, so I stood.I was right when a moment later, the announcers called out. "LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, THE STAGE IS SET, GET READY CAUSE THERE'S GOING TO BE NO MORE BREAKS! NO MORE DELAYS! THE FINAL MOMENT OF THIS EPIC SHOWDOWN IS NOW!" I started to move towards the exit."You got this!" shouted Celia as she watched me walk out of the bunker. I shot her a look. I knew Celia and June had been kind of freaked out at how quiet I'd been for the last few minutes."Thanks," I gave a nod. It was a small gesture but it made them grin. I'd thank them later for letting me work through my thoughts more earnestly, but I knew that they understood what I'd needed at the time was for calm and quiet.I marched forward feeling each moment stretch out me as the crowd began to chant Lance and my names. I met his gaze and smirked.Lance's aura washed over me and I strode on. The flood of howling, snarling energy parting to my steadfast mountain.I was only ten metres out of the bunker, but the crowd was already the loudest it had been all night. Cameras were flashing out across the stadium, but they went ignored.Across from me, Lance held my eyes as we each approached our podiums before being lifted up. The crowd began to chant the name Dragonite like that of a heavyweight world champion.They'd wanted me to do well, but now they wanted to see the devastation. They wanted to see a beast unleashed and power incarnate. Lance's previous pokemon were strong. Lance's previous pokemon had more endurance than most, if not all, of their species.Not one of them held a candle to the creature Lance was about to unleash."Drag-o-nite! Drag-o-nite! DRAG-O-NITE!"Someone started to stomp their feet and clap creating a stomp-stomp-clap that I recognised as the easiest action to get a crowd behind. I reached toward the podium and tapped my fingers to the rhythm, ignoring how they chanted for another pokemon as I played out the 'we will rock you' opening beat in my head.Part of me found it deeply amusing that they called for the Dragon while channelling a Rock song.Lance drew back his arm. For a second I considered simply letting him take the field first but the demand to match him surged within and I matched him. I drew back my own arm into the classical pitcher position.Both of our arms whipped forward, our voices roaring out our choice over a suddenly quiet arena as both Great Balls rocketed forwards."DRAGONITE COME FORTH!!" "TITAN! GO!!"Twin forms emerged from radiant light. People rose from their seats in excitement as they coalesced into the towering forms of two pokemon.Then they were knocked back into their seats as both Dragonite and Titan took to the field. It would be tough for someone who's never experienced it before, having a powerful pokemon in front of you ready and willing to do battle. Intimidate was a trait pokemon could have as a singular ability in the games but here, in reality, most powerful pokemon simply exude that as naturally as breathing.If you've ever stared into the eyes of an apex predator not confined by a cage and known they were coming for you, you'd have perhaps a hundredth of an understanding of the chills that went down the crowd's spines. That was what having a pseudo-legendary stare you down was like.Having two lock eyes? The crowd had not slunk back voluntarily; they'd done it in shock. They hadn't been expecting me to field a Tyranitar.The instant both pokemon had appeared they'd only had eyes for their opponent. From there, instinct had kicked in and they'd unleashed their auras.Both pokemon's energies clashed for a moment as they took the measure of the other.I felt the world crack as energies most couldn't comprehend came to the forefront.Dragonite's draconic aura exploded out as he leaned in and keened a battlecry. His wings flapped and gale force winds billowed out as dust was blown about.Titan's landing onto the arena floor had sent tremors throughout the entire stricture. Then he'd taken a step forward and everyone had felt the simple mass of him as the earth rumbled at his movement. His tail scraped against the ground and caused deep gouges, more from its natural movement rather than any intent.Around him, dirt began to rise and swirl in eddies of wind that started small and began to grow. His dark eyes remained locked onto Dragonite and vice versa even as their mere presence on the battlefield caused the environment to shift.If the proverb regarding two trainers was something to be mindful of, two pokemon on this level that had come expecting a fight locking eyes was many times as powerful.Titan inhaled and then lowered his head, mouth opening as he did so to unleash a roar that sounded more like a Godzilla than a medium dinosaur. This was no mere pokemon's cry, but something far more primal.Dragonite didn't back down and instead landed to impress his own weight onto the field before leaning in and growling. A thick purple aura emerged and billowed out unconsciously as it worked itself up.Titan matched it. Dark brown energy spiralling up and shooting upwards to stake a claim. They were more like natural forces now than physical pokemon. Their aura impacted and a strain occurred at the junction point. A creaking, groaning noise emerged like glass being scratched by a rock. It was a brittle sound of reality shuddering as two powerhouse pokemon squared off.Lance and I became mere extensions of our pokemon as we both allowed ourselves to simply be.We ignored the gale-force winds and the small rocks that it hurled. Around us, the arena's damage absorbers activated due to the emergence of our pokemon. I knew the league officials were probably screaming into phones to adjust and I could feel a thrum as the backup generators started up in preparation.In front of Lance and I, the shielding spluttered but neither of us cared. You didn't train pokemon like this and sweat the small stuff. If an attack was sent our way we would have to be capable of dodging or dealing with it.You didn't stand on stages like this without being able to handle the heat after all.Titan and Dragonite stopped roaring and the world took in a breath as neither pokemon immediately lunged for the other.Lance and I looked at each other before waiting. The referee proved to be up to the task as flags were raised."T-trainers!" he said with a slightly high-pitched tone. "Ar-a-are you ready?"We both nodded our heads."Fight!" his flags dropped. Lance and I acted instantly."Dragonite Steel Wing!" "Stone Edge Titan!"Dragonite blitzed straight at Titan only for jagged rocks to punch up into him causing him to stagger and slow. He almost reached Titan. Almost being the operative word. "Giga impact!"Lance's eyes widened. "Break!" instead of attempting to continue, Dragonite planted his legs and kicked upwards while his wings swept downwards. Titan merely held his position and chuffed a laugh. I shared a smile with him. I'd trained Titan to not react to that particular command. It was a wonderful way of making other trainers freak out and also test their reactions.Lance scowled at me. "Hyper Beam!" he shouted back as his response.I set my feet and braced for the blowout effects of what was about to come. A gigantic energy ball built up within Dragonite's maw before he jutted his chin forward unleashing a huge orange beam straight at Titan.The crowd watched it descend and again as one drew in a breath."Protect!" I ordered moments before it hit.Around Titan hexagons of energy formed up a sphere and the beam impacted.The air didn't so much blow outward as it did explode outward in a shockwave. It carried with it rock and dirt that once more stopped any sandstorm that had naturally been forming.Earth and small rocks impacted the barriers in front of both Lance and I and once more they flickered. Turning yellow to dark orange as the pressure wave that Dragonite had unleashed caused the barriers to come under strain. I held my stance even as the beam of energy continued to slam home against Titan's shell of hexagons. Wind buffeted me and rocks flew around the barrier to graze me but I didn't mind them. I'd had worse from Geodudes.When the beam finally died out a dust cloud blew upward and dirt began to track back in as visibility dropped away. It wasn't so bad however that you couldn't see the still standing form of Titan glowering upwards as his Hexagon shell fell away.Titan took a step forward to roar his defiance straight at Lance's pokemon. "Stone Edge again!" With Dragonite's energy spent I made my move while it was still weakened from the 'two turn move'.Much like other aspects of my life these days however, the games didn't hold up to how things actually worked. Dragonite flapped his wings and began to weave at its higher altitude as Titan began to blast rocks the size of menhirs upwards. Towering pillars of stone flew upwards and exploded like flak shells trying to blow an aeroplane out of the sky as the dragon weaved expertly through the onslaught.I held on. This was not like with Shin. This Dragonite was stronger and would endure more damage, it was easily as fast as any of the other Dragonites that had come before it. Everyone could see that.But that didn't mean Titan couldn't knock him out of the skies with continued effort. Unlike Shin, Titan was the powerhouse of my team and that meant he had the endurance to keep firing off more and more rocks. He led shots and staggered rocks to make it all the harder for Dragonite to evade.Like a leaf on the wind, it soared, wings flapping or cutting out to allow it to drop. It's form darting and flitting about like a pokemon a quarter its size. It had to take some hits, but it was extremely selective in what it tanked through and what it dodged.The longer it was in the sky however the longer Titan was able to build up his sandstorm."Dragonite! Hurricane!" Lance's order saw his pokemon going into a tightly controlled spin that had it facing straight down. A vortex grew around the pokemon before an outright hurricane formed up, sucking any attacks I launched straight into the vortex and making it impossible to target the Dragonite in the centre.Huge rocks were tossed about randomly and once more the damage absorbers of the arena activated. The crowd must have gotten quite the shock to see rocks hurtling towards them. Thankfully no one was going to get injured today.I considered my options as I watched the hurricane disrupt the sandstorm once more. Lance wasn't going to let this turn into an attrition fight. Or if he was, it was going to be on his terms."Step into the hurricane and knuckle down!" With the wind roaring through the arena my words were carried off, but that didn't stop Titan from following them. I was vaguely aware of people standing up once again as my pokemon strode straight into the storm.Most of the audience probably thought I was making a mistake. Those would be the people that forgot that the eye of the storm is the quietest place to be. Also, as a Tyranitar, Titan was damn heavy. He could take a little bad weather easily enough.It was better to meet the storm head-on than try to dodge. He wasn't quick enough for that and a simple protect wouldn't dissipate the attack. I had to do something else.Titan continued on straight into the hurricane, shrugging off the rocks that swung around to hit him. The winds swallowed him completely and for a moment all anyone could see was the raging hurricane. I couldn't see much with the hurricane in the middle of us. This was an obvious set up from Lance to deny me some options. I couldn't even see if he was directing his pokemon from where he was behind the hurricane."OH! HAS BROC—?!" I merely smiled as the words were heard only to be torn away as the wind picked up.I couldn't see him but I believed in him. He'd know what I was planning even if he couldn't hear me.For a long moment all anyone could see was the hurricane. Then, from the base of the hurricane a dark light shone forth. Like darkness swallowing light at dusk, it raced outward and devoured the space around it causing the hurricane to detonate outward right at the vortex's base. It instantly destabilised the hurricane and the winds shot outwards.I barely even felt the wind buffet me and Lance appeared on our sides of the arena as the hurricane vanished. Behind him, his cape flapped like a flag in the wind. Both of us ignored the wind and rocks that blew around us.I looked and found Titan rising from a crater and scowling upwards as Dragonite floated above him. The rapidly vanishing sheen of metallic energy informed me of a trap I'd unknowingly stepped into."You had your Dragonite waiting in the eye of the storm as well with a steel wing… I can destroy the storm and take a hit or ignore it and be round down eh?" I said to myself.Lance must have set the move knowing I'd either have to endure it or negate it. Either outcome played into his hands. I considered that and began to run through options of what to do if he— "Again!" Lance commanded.If Lance was going to play that game I'd have to try something else. I clenched my toes and grasped the railing in front of me before calling out my move as the winds began to build up once more."Fissure!" Unlike with Bertha, the organisers recognised the move for what it was and a thrum ran through the stadiums as more and more barriers lit up to protect the crowd. They hadn't been able to prevent Bertha's Impact Driver from causing a shakeup previously, but they knew to expect it this time.They likely couldn't let all these attacks through. So far just the collateral damage was proving worse with the area already gouged and cratered in sections.Titan raised a claw and his feet slid slightly apart as we'd practised. Within him, his energy roared to get out. The trick wasn't to let it out straight away but to focus it to a point. His claw swung down.Then, the instant before impact, he spiked his energy into the very tip of the claw that was going to make impact. Titan hit the ground and the earth split like the ocean in the bible for Moses. Everyone became aware of the metal that held the actual training field as it became visible. It groaned hideously but only buckled slightly as the earth around it folded.The earth on either side lifted upwards like two slices of bread between the hands of an invisible being. They rose slightly and then clapped together over the head of Titan with Dragonite right in the middle. The sound was more like a deafening bang than a clap and I had to shake my head afterwards as the two slices of earth crumbled before falling back to the ground in pieces.I looked up and felt a grin slowly building on my face. "Was that…" The resulting dust made it difficult to see, but the arena once more proved it had accounted for this as small fans rose and gently began to shift the air to let the crowd see.First, they saw Titan holding his stance but looking up with narrowed eyes.The crowd held their tongues as more and more dust shifted. Eyes searched the debris field for where the Dragonite was only to find nothing. Worried murmuring filled the crowd but I spoke over them."Titan! Get ready to keep fighting!"That made people redouble their efforts and a few seconds later it was revealed to them what I had seen and Titan had no doubt sensed.A sphere of perfectly round hexagons surrounding a tucked-up Dragonite right in the middle of where the two slices of earth would have met with the most force. I clicked my tongue but nodded. I had hoped he hadn't had that move and the earlier bait and switch had me thinking he didn't. I hummed thoughtfully. He'd tried to bait me with that play by making it seem he didn't. Maybe then I'd commit with an all-or-nothing play and miss.Instead, I had thrown down something that had forced him to reveal his hand."Ooooh? OH! OH MY SWEET PIKACHU! THE CHAMPION EMERGES UNSCATHED FROM WHAT HAS TO HAVE BEEN A DIRECT HIT FROM AN OUT AND OUT ONE HIT K.O! BROCK ROLLED THE DICE HARD AND CAME UP ALL SEVENS! ONLY FOR THE CHAMPION TO HAVE AN ACE UP HIS SLEEVE! OH! WHAT A MATCH-UP!"The crowd found new life and began to chant names. "BROCK!" and "TITAN!" being called out just as much as "LANCE!" and "DRAG-O-NITE!" People called out cheers and jeers that mixed into a roar that was equal to the earlier showing by our two pokemon.Titan and Dragonite eyed each other off before nodding their heads in respect. This only stirred the crowd up more when Lance and I smirked at each other. In some small way, we understood each other more from what was occurring before us. Both pokemon highlighted the dedication and style ingrained within their very being. It was strange to find that… we weren't all that different."I don't think you can do that move again!" Lance shouted to me. "Press the advantage Dragonite, Hurricane!"I was tempted to call out that he underestimated Titan and I, but I knew his pokemon had the high ground and that was just begging for Murphy to step in. Instead, I merely gestured a hand. "Stone Edge, but don't hold back!"Titan leered up at the hurricane that howled before him. Every bit a pokemon staring down something that seemed like a natural disaster. A rock formed up from in front of him, but then more joined it as more energy was pushed into the attack.The crowd gasped as a difference was immediately noticed. Where before Titan was throwing maybe three menhir-sized rocks up at Dragonite, now he launched up to ten at a time. Titan became his own missile launcher."OH! IT SEEMS THE TYRANITAR WAS SANDBAGGING?!" I grinned at the altogether incorrect assessment.Lance frowned, his eyes darting around the rocky field before biting back a curse when he saw my pleased expression. It might have stopped me from using another Fissure, but by breaking the field up I had made it easier for Titan to hurl sections of the ground straight into the hurricane at speed. Now Lance's defence became a target.Instead of ordering his pokemon futilely, Lance plugged his thumb and forefinger into his mouth and whistled sharply. Dragonite instantly stopped the Hurricane. With a wave of Lance's hand it began to weave around the onrushing rocks deftly, speeding up as much as it could."Fill the sky! Force. It. Down!" I commanded. Titan followed through with rocks hurtling into the air, only leaving the area low to the ground safe for Dragonite to hover.I watched the pokemon as it searched the sky for space to escape into should Titan turn his focus on not denying movement. On both pokemon, marks of damage had built up from the attacks they'd used, but I could tell Dragonite had taken a heavier toll. I needed to keep pushing though. I could feel the victory just within reach. I could win this. I could drag it out with Titan using Stone Edge after Stone Edge. Failing that I had another pokemon that was ready to float out and slay a Dragon if I needed her to. Both of these methods would work but it would take a long time and perhaps be rife with potential errors on both of Lance and I's parts.Regardless, this was the most logical and surefire approach. But a part of me, the me that had been raised within the Pokemon world, disliked ending this battle that way. This was supposed to be a moment to prove myself without question.I clicked my tongue as I decided to throw down once more. I wanted there to be no doubt in people's minds. I slashed my hand. Instantly Titan stopped his Stone edge. I waited until the final rock had fallen with a heavy crash. Lance eyed me as I put my arms across my body into my pose. Part of me noted that I had a number of tears across my very new sweater but couldn't for the life of me remember being hit by anything. I'd been too focussed on the fight for mere rocks to bother me."I think I know you well enough now to know you'll never surrender, yeah?" I called out with a grin."Of course!" snorted Lance.I looked around at the crowd. "Want to do this the old samurai way? One strike that we each won't block. Think you can handle it?"Lance looked over my pokemon before looking over the arena which didn't need to be any more in my favour. Even if he knocked out Titan, the field wouldn't reset. He was fighting uphill with the field easier for Rock-type moves. I had the high ground and had no trouble throwing boulders down at him if he decided to go that route.He knew I could take him out by whittling him if I wanted and indeed I had just the pokemon for that in Selene.Instead, I was offering a salve to his pride. Something that would potentially let him turn the tide perhaps. He huffed, "Let's see your best shot then Brock." He swept his hand out and his cape went wide as he called out his best shot. "Hyper beam!"I grinned. My mind screamed that I should just protect and blast him with Stone Edge to finish it. It was a valid move and perfectly suitable to win the match. But that was what villains do, and I didn't want to be a villain. I wanted people to remember this fight for all the right reasons."Titan! Go!" I cast my own hand forth, a grin stretching my face as I shouted.In the face of Dragonite's hyper beam, Titan strode forward. Like a mountain beginning to move it started slow. First a step, like a pebble preceding the boulders. Then, with the boulders came the soil before eventually, the entire cliff face gave out as an avalanche began in force.Titan continued to pick up momentum, and each step caused the arena to quake as he sped up. A quarter of the way across the field Lance's Dragonite unleashed his hyper beam and Titan lowered his head to take the hit square on. He took two more steps as he did so and a corona of energy built up around his body.The Hyper beam punched squarely into Titan and he was briefly stopped in his tracks.The crowd was off their feet having felt the blow such was its power.Despite that, it didn't stop Titan from advancing.Slowly, millimetre by millimetre, he began to lean forward. Around him the corona of energy flickered before solidifying. He leaned further forward millimetres turning into inches as he refused to break here and now.A roar of frustration escaped him as he struggled to put another foot forward.But he did.Then another.And another.And before people could rise from being knocked back into their seats Titan began to charge through the beam. He took each step, slowly building back up as the hyper beam tried to hold him off. From within Titan a glowing orange energy built like an inferno that grew stronger under the pressure. The steps became easier and soon Titan was outright sprinting straight into the beam of energy towards his foe, a roar escaping his jaws as he closed on his target.The beam gave out just as Titan reached Dragonite and with a sudden boom Titan unleashed the Giga impact he had been building straight into Dragonite.Dragonite rocketed back from the hit straight into the arena wall. Around it the damage absorbers flickered a bright red as their maximum threshold was reached.Dragonite lay in the crater, its chest working like great bellows. It stood with a piteous cry of pain, staggering forward to get back onto the arena. With the flickering absorbers, I didn't dare order another attack.Titan raised an arm to me, instructing me instead to hold back. I trusted in him, knowing that he had seen something or understood something that I had missed.The other Pseudo legendary staggered back onto the field and shuddered before locking eyes with Titan. Then it looked to Lance as its wings flapped weakly. Its body shook with tremors and its lungs heaved in breath after breath.The act was done weakly, but I couldn't help but be touched. Despite being so worn down it still held on and looked to its trainer. This was a pokemon that if his trainer asked he would continue to fight.Even if it killed him.Lance smiled and shook his head. "You've done enough today old friend. We'll be ready next time." He raised his Great Ball and called back his pokemon.The arena held its breath, not daring to believe.Titan nodded as his foe vanished into red light. When it was gone he threw back his head and roared his triumph. And like that the referee raised his flags up before dropping Lance's down while raising mine higher."The champion's pokemon is unable to battle! Brock is the winner!!"