"Intermission!" roared the announcers.
They did it before Charles Goodshow could raise his flags, but he merely gave a good-natured laugh and waved for Karen and Steven to take a break.Karen remained where she was while Steven moved back to his bunker. There, a number of people in suits awaited him; he was given a drink, a towel, and a clipboard while they talked with him."Urgh! Intermissions are the worst!" said Tommy as he kicked his feet up. "Why do we have them in these matches at all? No one likes them!"I gestured at the screen where a series of commercials for 'Extreme pokeblock! - Ultra nutrients and ultra electrolytes for your pokemon!' was being advertised. "That's why.""Pokeblock?!" Tommy said, taking me literally.I shot him a look. "What? No, it's companies wanting to sell their products. There's not really a need beyond companies getting advertising options and the League being able to sell the rights for the match. They make a fair bit of money off exhibition matches like these."Flint coughed. "It actually also helps reduce tensions and injury occurrences with pokemon."I considered that before conceding that he might be right. Yolanda shot us both happy looks, and I rolled my eyes at her.Tommy vibrated in his seat. "I still don't like them! No one likes the intermissions!" he stood and threw his hands up, and in doing so, threw his food over the room.Munchlax leapt into the air and devoured half of it before it hit the ground. Then he raced to hoover up all the other loose bits of food."Munchlax no!" Tommy said. When he made to raise his fist, I raised a finger."No hitting, and also— remember the rule," I said, before pointing at the rule we'd put on the wall a few weeks ago.Tommy slumped. "The five-second rule doesn't count for Munchlax…" He shot me a tearful look. "Can I have some more snacks?""Nope!" I said as I tossed some popcorn into my mouth. Tommy spent the next few minutes grumbling and trying his luck with everyone else. The girls didn't even bat an eye at his attempts, instead ignoring him and watching the commentators alternately denounce and praise Karen for her methods of getting two of Steven's pokemon out of commission so quickly.Charles Goodshow then cut through the arguments by announcing the resumption of the fight. "Champion Steven! Please return to the podium!" The camera panned from Goodshow to catch Steven in discussion with one of his attendants. He didn't seem to be aware that the fight had resumed as he continued to talk with her without making any move towards the podium."Champion Stone!" prompted Mr Goodshow once more.This time Steven looked up and nodded before saying something else to the aide. Then he handed back the notepad before marching back out. He looked as though he'd just stepped out of a salon rather than having just lost two of his pokemon against Karen."Urgh! I can't stand that he has aides like that! Isn't that illegal?" said Cindy.Yolanda shook her head. "No, it's not. Even Brock was allowed to have people in his bunker. It's just that you don't really see them used this way."I rubbed my chin "It might cause a trend, and I can't say I'm a fan of it. Supporters for moral support is fine, but it feels like he has an entire analysis team in there going over what happened and what it means going forward. Karen might not just be fighting Steven.""Not just Steven?" Suzie asked with a cute tilt of her head."If you fight someone, you have to think up how you're doing it. Most of the time on the fly. It's why exhibition matches really shouldn't be taken so seriously. You get given way too much time to think things through. That creates different pressures, but it doesn't make everything as spontaneous as a straight championship match can be." I pointed at the aides that were already setting themselves up behind Steven to catch anything Karen did."In a way, Steven has it easier with other people spotting tells or small cues that can be lost in the middle of a fight. Some of the equipment might even allow patterns of movement to be built up. That can make a huge difference at the Elite level."Any further discussion was ended when Steven stood on his podium and Charles raised his flags. "Trainers ready?" he shouted. Both of them nodded and Charles dropped his flags. "Release and fight!""Go Honchkrow, stay in the sky!" Karen said as she released her pokemon up high into the air."Go Aggron!" barked Steven.I whistled and leaned forward. "Now here's a pokemon I want to see."I took in Steven's Aggron. In a word, beastly. The pokemon had thick metal plates that clunked rather than rang when they struck each other. The pokemon was obviously well fed with how large it was, but despite that, there was a bounce to the step. I rubbed my chin."It's had a very controlled diet… the metal that makes up its body is both strong and light, which is incredible." I grimaced. "Can't have been tasty for it though, and it would have taken a lot of sitting on him to make him eat it.""He'd need to continue eating at least a portion of it as well, otherwise the metal shell would become slowly compromised." Flint chimed in. He was also leaning in and scrutinising the powerful pokemon on display.I pointed at the Aggron's head. "The helmet is also slightly different… I think it's been worked on or molded to protect the eyes a little more.""What else can you spot?" Salvadore said excitedly as his pen blurred over his notepad. I shot him an amused look, and he grinned. "The kids in my class will love hearing this sort of analysis! The only way it could be better was if I was interviewing Professor Oak!"Flint and I snorted. "We know more about rock types than him!" we said together.Flint and I shared a look as Yolanda giggled. I held in a shiver. Urgh, that was… weird. Yeah, weird. I refocused as the Aggron started grabbing up rocks around it and hurling them into the air.The Honchkrow dodged the rocks as quickly as it could, while blowing away the Spikes on the ground. Steven wasn't letting that go uncontested, however, and two Ancient Powers hit. Honchkrow hit the ground only to flap about as though in great pain.Steven relaxed, only to blink as he seemed to recall a similar event. His expression hardened as he gave the next order, "Finish it off Aggron."The call instantly caused a number of boos and gasps to ring out from the crowd. Karen merely clicked her tongue, and her pokemon stopped acting and slammed its wing into the ground. "Foul Play!" Karen ordered as her pokemon flipped up and closed the gap with the Aggron.Aggron had already started channeling Ancient Power though and both pokemon slammed attacks home into each other. Aggron stumbled backwards while Honchkrow was launched backwards.Charles Goodhsow and the crowd leaned forward to inspect Honchkrow."Honchkrow is unable to battle!" announced Charles Goodshow as Honchkrow remained motionless.The announcers were quick to set up a replay and point out some key points in how Steven had set himself up for victory with this match-up. Karen returned her pokemon, and I rubbed my chin in thought as the announcer continued talking up Steven's plan."It's a bit deeper than that." I rubbed my chin, as on-screen Karen considered Steven. "Aggron is a beast for Steven and it seems he's baiting her to bring out her Houndoom."Yolanda shot me a look. "What makes you think that?""Because her Houndoom is Karen's strongest. I don't have any doubt she'd be able to beat him.""What about the fact that with its typing, Houndoom is Dark-Fire? Doesn't that allow an advantage as well?" Salvadore asked.I wobbled my hand back and forth. "Aggron, if it was only a Steel would be weak due to that but it's the issue of Aggron also being Rock type. Karen needs fighting, water, or ground. Moves that she's limited with, due to her pokemon roster," I said while privately thinking about all the options she'd have in the future. "If they know most of Karen's team, then they will be pushing her, with a 'best' choice being her most powerful. He is trying to entrap her. Wear her best down.""Urgh come on Karen!" said Cindy as her head whipped back to the tv.I rubbed my chin as I watched Karen run her hand across her pokebelt only for her to smirk."Go Vileplume!" she cried out as she threw her pokeball right up as close to Aggron as she could. I tilted my head. A Vileplume? That was an interesting choice, and the announcers said as much.The flags dropped and Karen's smirk didn't drop as Steven ordered his pokemon in close. "Metal Claw! Shred it!""DP~," singsonged Karen as her pokemon drew back a fist that glowed. The Aggron's claws swept forward that clipped Vileplume and tore through the delicate petals atop its head. Vileplume didn't flinch from the hit though, and instead shot forward under Aggron's guard. Then the fist rocketed forward and straight into Aggron's stomach.Aggron rang like a gong as it slid backward, crumpling inwards over the point of impact. It shuddered before shaking itself and standing tall. The punch from Vileplume had left a small dent in the plate around its chest. The petals atop Vileplume's head healed as the pokemon leaned back and flexed its hands in a 'come get me' gesture while smirking."Aggron, tighten up your stance and shift to more controlled hits! Metal Claw!" Steven said, seemingly unphased at his pokemon taking such a hit. Aggron shook its head and slid forward instead of striding."SS!" chimed Karen when Aggron was in close. From Vileplume's crown a cloud of golden dust drifted straight at the Aggron."Resist it!" shouted Steven as his pokemon swept its claws through the cloud and the Stun Spore latched onto the pokemon. It twitched and struggled through the effects only to fight through its own body fighting itself. Then it swept another claw into the Vileplume."DP again!" ordered Karen as she realised Aggron was going to fight through being paralysed. Vileplume fired off another punch just as the claws swept down. Aggron was tossed back once more but this time it buckled down to one knee."Sunny Day," said Karen as Aggron struggled to get up onto its feet."Solar Beam!" shouted Steven, causing everyone to flinch in surprise. I leaned forward. His Aggron knew Solar Beam? That was an interesting choice.His Aggron opened its mouth only to shudder as its body was wracked by tremors. Karen relaxed slightly, and I chuckled. Heh, she'd been worried that it had backfired on her for a second there."Solar Beam Vileplume," she said haughtily.This time the attack went off without a hitch and Aggron took it. Instead of being blasted back, the Aggron dug in its claws and endured the hit, roaring as it did so, striding in with hate in its eyes only to stumble and be knocked back onto its haunches before finally collapsing onto its side as the Solar Beam finished."A-Aggron is unable to battle!?" Charles said like he wasn't sure. The Aggron vanished in a burst of light, as Steven put it beyond question. He looked at the Vileplume with a curious expression before his hand drifted down to another pokeball.Without waiting for a pause, he hurled out his solution. "Go Blaziken!" he said with a pleased smirk.I cursed. That wasn't a pokemon he was canonically known for, but I couldn't help but think that it made a lot of sense with how he was known to later gift them to trainers that had proven themselves in the games. Also, hadn't Agatha mentioned something about him owning all the Hoenn starters as a power flex?"Fight!" shouted Charles Goodshow, only for Steven to punch straight ahead of himself and his Blaziken to explode into action."Blaze!" it crowed when it slammed a fiery fist into the Vileplume. Vileplume shrieked as it was hurled back. Karen had to draw it back straight away and concede the pokemon.Charles threw up his flag. "Vileplume is unable to battle! There will be an intermission now!" This time neither Karen nor Steven retreated to their bunkers. Karen stared across at Steven while he locked eyes with her. Then he looked past her and smiled at something behind her. The cameras panned to reveal Blaine in the stands, looking murderous."Oh, that's a bit cheeky," I said.Flint stared slack-jawed at the tv. "Cheeky? That's downright suicidal! What does he think he's doing, taunting Blaine like that."I considered the implications before connecting the dots. Right, Blaine had been suing Steven hadn't he? Blaine the fire type Gym Leader of Kanto, and here Steven was using Blaziken. "You don't think it's just a good pick?" I said, more to make conversation than actually believing it."It's that, but the look he shot Blaine? He knows what he's doing and is leaning into it." Flint shook his head.Yolanda shifted. "What about Karen? What does this mean for her?""Nothing good. Blaziken... that's a tough matchup for her because Blaziken is a powerful pokemon with a type advantage over most of her pokemon."Suzie nudged Salvadore, and Salvadore whispered "Fighting-fire" to her."But that doesn't mean she can't beat him right?" Cindy said.I wavered a hand once more. "I think it's keeping her on her toes. Steven has assumed control of this match up."Tommy decided to stand up and make for the kitchen. Without looking I called out, "Only fruit now remember!""Urgh! Brock!" cried Tommy, only for me to ignore his whines. "Dad, can I have ice cream? I didn't have any yesterday!""Hmmmmmmm," Flint considered as his eyes flicked to me, coughing as he took in my less-than-amused expression. "That was then, and this is now. No more snacks tonight, apart from fruit Tommy!"I huffed. Great, the kids were trying to play us off against each other. Urgh! Way to make this feel more like a divorce rather than a dad that ran off and then came back! I grumbled and shot Tommy a glower when he trundled back in with a number of berries in his hands."Let's restart the fight!" announced Charles, causing everyone to perk up. Charles glanced at Karen and she nodded, lifting a pokeball and hurling it out."Go Umbreon!" she shouted. The Umbreon that appeared was glossy black with eyes like gems. It wasn't larger than any other of its kind; it was simply the most well cared for that I had seen. There was something about Umbreon that I was struggling to recall; what was it?"Fire Punch!" ordered Steven, and once more his pokemon rocketed forward. Only this time the Umbreon ducked under the attack."CF!" shouted Karen as the punch swung past her Umbreon."Get room!" shouted Steven as his pokemon leapt back to create space as a purple energy radiated out of Umbreon's body. "Bulk Up!" As he said this, the Sunny Day that Karen had used earlier winked out, causing the fires around Blaziken's fists to dim, only for it to use its move and regain strength. I had to tip my hat to Steven. That had been an impressive display of time awareness."Copycat!" Karen replied, making her pokemon tense up as muscles flexed before relaxing. The Umbreon actually looked fluffier rather than bulked out due to the move. Steven clicked his tongue at the move before twirling his hand about."Special case, Double Kick!" Blaziken nodded before hopping up slightly. Then its legs blurred as it kicked both feet at once before once more closing the distance between itself and Umberon.Umbreon was already in motion. The large eyes had been locked onto Blaziken, and when it moved, so did Umbreon. It almost reminded me of a flinch response with how quick it was, but it was too controlled and too directed. This pokemon had been trained to dodge specifically.It did so, forcing the Blaziken to miss by the barest of margins. Then once more, purple energy radiated out from it, causing Blaziken to stumble."Get out of there Blaziken!" ordered Steven, only for the Blaziken to ignore him and kick out. Umbreon wasn't able to dodge a kick from this distance and was launched back, only to land on all fours with a smirk as Blaziken continued to kick around itself."Nice one Umbreon!" shouted Karen. "Now use Rest!" Umbreon shut its eyes and curled up, much to the confusion of everyone in the crowd. Blaziken continued to kick and shake around before it locked onto the slumbering Umbreon and snarled."Use the aggression, Blaziken! Close Combat!" Blaziken nodded and sprinted forward. This time, the movement was visible. So the trick of using its legs to kick off the ground must not have been possible here. Instead, it closed in with furious intent."Sleep Talk~!" singsonged Karen, causing one of Umbreon's eyes to shoot open and lock on the charging Blaziken. It shut its eye and it looked like the move had failed as a second later Blaziken was on top of it about to deliver a brutal beat down, only for Umbreon to suddenly slam its head into Blaziken's midriff while its front paws began to thrash into the much larger pokemon."Nice!" cheered Karen. "He got off a Copycat!"Both pokemon threw everything they had against the other with headbutts, claws, fangs and limbs flying. With Close Combat being used for both of them, they brutalised each other.Steven frowned. "You're going to have to withdraw your pokemon Karen! There's no way it can last against my Blaziken!""Says you! My Umbreon is a beastie boy that can give as good as he gets!" she trilled back as the brawl continued. Blaziken tried to pin Umbreon down in a headlock only for Umbreon to twist and bite down hard on Blaziken's arm, causing blood to flow.Blaziken held on and slammed a fist into the other pokemon while Umbreon matched him with bites and kicks with his hind limbs.I leaned in. This was a very savage fight, and I was amazed that Umbreon was still able to battle. The fighting type should have laid it out, but Karen's claim was holding up with Umbreon giving as good as he got."Oh, Umbreon are defensive monsters," I said aloud, finally recalling the stray fact that had been teasing at my mind. Yolanda nodded, unable to talk as she stared at the TV, willing Umbreon towards victory.Blaziken finally threw itself into the ground to shake Umbreon off. Umbreon landed on all fours, no longer as shiny, but its eyes glinted defiantly. Blaziken nursed the bleeding arm, and a number of its feathers were ruffled. Both pokemon huffed and puffed, but neither backed down."Flamethrower," Steven ordered instead of having his pokemon close in. This swept over Umbreon and at my side, the girls cried out in fear. When the flames withdrew, Umbreon was still standing, glaring defiantly."Rest," ordered Karen."Bulk Up," said Steven before pointing forward, "Close Combat once again!""Oh, need to get close? I'm game, Sleep Talk!" Once again, Karen rolled the dice and this time a purple energy radiated off the sleeping Umbreon. Blaziken was able to push through and still land a few brutal hits before sweeping Umbreon out of the ring where it landed and tried to get up.Karen raised her pokeball. "That's enough, Umbreon. No one doubts your resolve to keep fighting; rest for now." Her pokemon returned, and the crowd exhaled in relief, glad that she wasn't going to push things. Then they stood and applauded her.I had to nod; that had been an impressive display of defensive skill. Her pokemon could certainly stand toe to toe with the strongest and trip up a number of carefully laid plans.The announcers were eating it up. "And now ladies and gentlemen, it comes down to the final two pokemon for Karen! What will she bring forth?""Go Absol!" shouted Karen whipping her arm forward to release said pokemon."Oh! Pretty!" said Cindy and Suzie together."An Absol?" Salvadore said. "Who's that pokemon?""It's a pokemon thought in times past to herald calamity. Typically, they are thought to appear either before, or after, great events of upheaval. There are some historical texts that cite them and a number of Johto plays even use them as a foreshadowing of something that is about to go very bad for the main character of the play," I said to Salvadore as I looked over the pokemon.I didn't want to buy into the whole calamity myth, but then again, in a pokemon world it was important to keep an open mind."Double Kick!" said Steven to start things off, and apparently finish them quickly."Detect!" barked Karen causing her Absol to dodge quickly. Blaziken skidded past as it turned, and Karen slashed her hand down. "Psycho Cut!" The horn atop Absol's head glowed before being swept forward, causing a pink crescent slash to cut straight towards Blaziken."Protect!" shouted Steven causing his pokemon to cross its arms in front of itself and absorb the blow."Close in and do it again!" ordered Karen and her Absol raced in.Steven chuckled as his pokemon endured another blow behind the Protect's shell. "Now you're getting close to me, no? Blaziken drop the shell and go into Close Combat!""PC! Cut him up Absol!" growled Karen as her pokemon's horn glowed once more. This time Blazekin didn't block the attack and instead leapt into it with his feet glowing white hot. Both pokemon struck each other, and an explosion of force detonated from the two attacks impacting each other.Absol emerged skidding backward but still on its feet. Blaziken stumbled backwards before tripping over itself and collapsing. "Blaziken is unable to battle! The match is now four to four!" shouted Charles Goodshow.Steven inclined his head and tugged the ultraball from his belt. "You've earned the right to face my best I should think Karen!" he said, before tossing out the ultraball. From within, a four-armed metal crab landed on the ground."Metagross!" cried out Steven's starter."Heh! I'm not interested in just that! I'm going beyond!" shouted Karen. "Absol Perish Song!""Hyper Beam!" came the immediate reply from Steven. Before Absol could get more than a note of its song off Metagross fired off a gigantic beam of energy that wiped Absol off the battlefield. It slammed into the barriers and it took a second before the beam stopped.I had to whistle. That had been strong… easily as strong as, if not stronger, than the Hyper Beam Lance's Dragonite had used against Titan and I.When the dust lifted it revealed a shuddering pokemon that Karen instantly recalled. When she lifted her head to glower at Steven, he merely raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Play games like that with me and I'll play them in turn with you." He then turned his back on her and marched back to his bunker, leaving his Metagross on the field as the announcers called for the final intermission."Urgh! I hate these!" repeated Tommy. I nodded and sighed before looking over to Flint.Only to find that he wasn't in the room anymore. "Hey where'd Flint go?" I asked."Oh, he left to go to the bathroom when Umbreon and Blaziken started rolling around!" said Timmy innocently. I blinked and considered that before nodding slowly."Oh, alright then." I turned back to the tv. "He timed that Hyper Beam well enough. I doubt he was just using it then because of Karen pulling Perish Song."Yolanda nodded. "He gets to let his pokemon rest and recharge with the intermission, doesn't he?""Yup!" I said with a pop.Flint leaned into the room from out of the hallway, his eyes flicked over us before looking to the tv. "Oh, Umbreon lost?""Yeah! You missed it! Blaziken and Umbreon had this super rough brawl with kicking and biting and—" Tommy said like it was the best thing ever. Flint turned a shade of green, and I realised he wasn't comfortable."Hey, Tommy, settle down alright?" I said while watching Flint. I hummed. "Hey, Flint want to help me make some hot chocolate for the kids?""Hot chocolate?" he tilted his head. "Don't you mean warm cocoa?"I waved it off and led him into the kitchen to make up the many drinks. "Feeling alright?" I asked."..." Flint ran a hand over his face and scrunched it into his beard. "No… I can't say I am. I never really liked bloody pokemon battles.""No problem. It's really not a good sign that it's reaching that level with Karen and Steven honestly. That Blaziken was a beast, and so was the Umbreon. Neither of them wanted to back down, but yeah, if you're not comfortable, then by all means, get out of the room."Flint stared down at the tub of cocoa mix. "You must think I'm weak for not being able to handle that. I was Gym Leader once."I considered him for a moment. Part of me wanted to snub him, but that was a dark, weak, cruel part of me. I shook my head and bumped him with my elbow. "I'll never look down on you for not liking blood.""...thanks," Flint said before coughing. "Let's get these to—" Flint was startled as he lifted a tray, only to find Yolanda standing there watching us. "Oh! You scared me Yolanda.""Sorry, dad," she said before giving him a hug. "I don't think you're weak for not liking when it gets too violent either," she said into his side. Flint sniffed and patted her head awkwardly. Yolanda then broke off the hug and accepted her mug.When we returned, the kids all accepted their drinks. Eevee shared with Munchlax who begrudgingly allowed it. When Yolanda allowed Terra a sip, the baby Larvitar wiggled and squealed happily.On the TV, the match wasn't featuring the various advertisements but instead showed the crowd, who were on their feet chanting."Meta-gross! Meta-gross!" to Steven who was watching them with some amusement. Karen stood opposite him with a scowl on her features as he smiled and waved upon his return to the podium, once more he was immaculately fresh.He smiled at Karen before raising his hands and tamping down on the crowd. He toyed with the sleeve of his suit. "I must admit I'm somewhat tempted by this chance you've given me Miss Karen… but I think I shall have to deny the world my latest secret, although I am tempted, I have to admit. Karen, you've put up a great display here with your pokemon. See if you can earn it!" he said as he pointed at her.I winched at that as she narrowed her eyes. She gritted her teeth, her eyes noting how his sleeve was being played with. Was Steven Stone going to Mega evolve against her and reveal it to the world? It would certainly be quite the way to announce himself, wouldn't it? My eyes raked over Metagross' frame, and I noted a small band with a glittering jewel on the front right leg.Hmmm he had all the right parts for it, now the question would be if he pulled the trigger.When Charles Goodshow gestured to Karen she raised a Greatball and hurled it out. "Go! Houndoom! Let's show this Rich boy what we're made of!"The girls leaned forward as Houndoom landed and flames burst from its maw. It raised its horned head and locked eyes with Metagross before huffing out a flame."Draw in breath!" Karen ordered, causing her pokemon to take an almighty breath and for flames and darkness to build up around it. "Now, release with Flamethrower!" From Houndoom's maw, a giant gout of flame was unleashed onto the field. The flame roared towards Metagross who stood against it without batting an eye."Metagross take control of it with Psychic!" said Steven with a clench of his fist.Metagross lifted up slightly as blue psychic energy built, before the onrushing flame was clasped and held. Steven grinned before pointing back at Karen. "Return it!"The fire was blown back upon Karen and she stared it down. The camera caught her smile turn into an outright grin that stretched her face. "Take it head on Houndoom!"The flames slammed into Houndoom and the cameras lost sight of it for a moment as the field around it burned and blacked. Throughout it all Karen grinned."What's going on?" Suzie said, obviously aware that something was up with Karen's strange reaction."Shhh, just watch for now," I said, leaning forward as the flames started to die off. From within them Houndoom was revealed with an evil glint in its eye as it stared down Metagross. From around its mouth, flame licked out like it was trying to escape, only to be loosely controlled.Steven had all of a moment for his eyes to widen in understanding, before Karen punched straight at him. "Flamethrower!"This time the flame that roared forth was not like a wave but like a beam. It glowed with the intensity of the heat it was releasing and as it passed the ground blackened. Steven's hand twitched to his sleeve before he aborted the action."Hyper Beam!" Steven ordered suddenly not having much time, and having to force the issue. His Metagross once again unleashed a powerful beam that caused the fires to stop their headlong rush at his pokemon,clashing instead with the energy beam.Having seen how powerful the Hyper Beam had been only minutes ago, it was clear that this Flamethrower was something else with how it held the Beam from advancing at all. But the Flamethrower attack was stalled.When both attacks broke off Metagross was revealed to be heaving from the effort. Houndoom merely huffed once. It had lost the built-up flames that it had moments ago, but it was still raring to go."Close in on it with Fire Fang!" shouted Karen. Houndoom leapt into action and closed in with Metagross."You're going to regret not playing all your cards now Rich Boy!" taunted Karen as her pokemon leapt onto Metagross. The metal crab tried to scurry away, but it was much too tired to evade quickly.Steven merely shrugged. "I trust in my decision. I also trust in my pokemon to handle what you can do to it." He watched as Houndoom closed its fangs over one of Metagross' legs only for the crab to stoically endure it."Earthquake," he said calmly."DP!" snarled Karen and from her pokemon darkness erupted just as the ground broke underneath both pokemon. Metagross staggered while Houndoom clung to the leg it had in its fangs, snarling and releasing yet another burst of dark energy."Hammer Arm," Steven said, causing another of Metagross' arms to swing around and club Houndoom off its limb before it could inflict any more damage. As Houndoom landed it was already inhaling."Flamethrower!" barked Karen."Earthquake again! Buckle the land underneath you and make it miss!" shouted Steven as his Metagross slammed into the ground and caused the arena to quake once more. Houndoom staggered at the hit, while the Flamethrower missed thanks to Steven's maneuver."Use Psychic on the broken earth!" Steven said, following up quickly to hurl small boulders.They wouldn't contain the right sort of energy to really punish Houndoom, but the speed and size would still made them felt."Hop pattern!" Karen knew this, and ordered Houndoom to leap and evade the new dangers. The rocks also broke up the field and offered Metagross and Steven more control over the battle.And just like that Steven edged Karen back with directed Psychic attacks while breaking up the field again and again. Karen could either dodge or use Flamethrower to stand her ground but she couldn't attack Metagross from her position anymore. Metagross had made itself a little bunker that it was using well."Leap up and use Flamethrower!" Houndoom flexed before throwing itself into the sky. It inhaled and at its zenith, the move looked like it would be Karen's answer.Steven grinned. "Hyper Beam!"Metagross swung its arms forward and fired a third and final Hyper Beam that ended the fight, as Houndoom was nailed in the air and sent careening out of the battlefield.I sighed. "Damn, that had been closer than I thought," I admitted. Karen had almost gotten Steven to Mega evolve at one point; I was sure of it, or to at the very least, consider it.Tommy and the boys nodded, with Tommy turning to Cindy. "Alright she's not bad! You can like her, and I won't tease you!""I was going to do that anyway! I don't need your permission!" snapped Cindy.Flint raised a hand and indicated he'd take care of it. I watched the post-match interview, and while everyone had been entertained, all of the hosts had noticed Steven alluding to having something up his sleeve. They speculated it was a new Ace on his team. A pokemon strong enough to supplant his Metagross. Some even wondered if he'd caught himself a Legendary.When the cameras got in front of Steven they were quick to ask just that.He smiled affably and shook his head. "Oh, I couldn't say without giving it away. A reveal needs to be done properly, after all. Perhaps I'll get a strong challenger in the future, one worth showing my new ace in the hole for."Karen got some screen time and was rather smug with her ability to make Steven Stone sweat. Right up until they pointed out he had a pokemon left that many were suggesting was a Legendary. That got Karen to snort loudly but I could see she was annoyed by that line of questioning, especially when one reporter mentioned that Karen had been deemed not 'worth showing my new ace in the hole'. That got her gritting her teeth and shooting Steven Stone a furious look.Eventually, some enterprising reporter got a microphone in front of Blaine of all people."What did you think of the match tonight Gym Leader Blaine?" the reporter said eagerly."Feh! It was nothing but a school yard scuffle!" Blaine said derisively.He glared towards Steven, who still had a throng of reporters waiting to get to him. "If I had been allowed to fight Steven Stone there wouldn't be any question of his needing to use his Ace in the hole! Feh! Such drama! And empty pomp! I've fought those types of trainers before and I know how to handle them. If it is anything worth a damn? Well, I have a few answers for such special pokemon," he said, toying with the pokeball on his necklace.The reporter chuckled. "I'm sure your Magmar would have done wonderfully!" he said with a tone of one actually saying, 'Sure gramps,'."Yes… My Magmar," said Blaine with an amused lilt to his words.I paused in getting the kids to bed. Had he just hinted at having evolved his Magmar into Magmortar? That… that would be a very powerful upgrade. Blaine's Magmar was known to be one of the most powerful fire types around… if he'd been able to evolve it… how strong had he gotten?Karen was shown approaching, and Blaine nodded once to her at the end of the interview. "Keep working on your pokemon's fire attacks, lass; you've got a lot further to go than just a simple Flamethrower!" he said as he marched off."Heh, gotta keep some things up my sleeve for when I take my Champion run old timer!" she called after him.I chuckled as the girls preened that their new role model was apparently going to go all the way. Cindy tugged on my sleeve. "Can you get her autograph for me? You know her, right?"I sighed. Urgh, one of my many weak points. An earnest request from my little siblings. This was going to make Karen unbearable for months, if not years.An idea formed in my mind, and I turned to Suzie. "Do you want me to get you Sabrina—""I already have it!" she said producing a picture of herself and Sabrina. Both of them I noted had signed under their own images. Suzie's was naturally a mess of scribbles.I chuckled. Excellent. This would curtail some of Karen's… Karenness.I sent the kids to bed and laid down. I only had one more day to rest and relax before resuming the grind of the Gym circuit, and I was going to make the most of it by doing little beyond planning out the week to come.With Karen's match against Steven Stone done, I knew a lot of attention would be turning my way.The media would probably run with Karen and Steven's fight for the next few days, until the next big issue.For pokemon Ace trainer fights, that meant Will and I would be the hot topic.Next weekend couldn't come fast enough for me.
123
"Kleavor!" said Gawain as he batted away Shin's blades. He allowed himself a moment of smugness before he had to shift backwards as Shin retaliated."Gawain! You need to keep the pressure on! Don't let Shin have that moment to recover. Patting yourself on the back can wait until the fight is done! Never during it!" I barked."Vor!" he growled as he found himself under pressure from Shin. I nodded and moved towards where Quirinna and Selene were changing up the landscape against Bertha, Titan, and Knight. "Work hard Knight! You're one of the pokemon I'm looking to for the coming match against Will!""Agg-ron!" he barked as he moved his feet as fast as he could with the shifting landscape.I ran across the moving earth, Bertha took a swipe at me with her tail to trip me up which I swatted her for. "I know you don't like this, but it's important girl! Show the young ones how it's done!" I said, pointing towards where I had Yolanda holding Terra and the newest pokemon to the Gym with Salvadore.Professor Oak and his team were there as well, documenting my Cranidos, Anorith, and Tirtouga. Salvadore was wearing pads all over his body as he grappled with the tiny Cranidos. It had been extremely enthusiastic to join in the training my Elites went through, but as a baby pokemon I wanted none of that.With its inability to join the training session, it had turned to other methods of practise. Namely headbutting, biting, and stomping on Salvadore until he'd handed the pokemon over to Elm who'd taken the abuse with barely a comment while jotting down notes about the force of the blows.Anorith had tried to latch onto Stephen's face only for his half-grown beard to cause it to decide Bianca was a better option only for her to snatch it out of the air and play with its belly until it settled down.Tirtouga had merely laid near the water's edge while observing the fights. At first glance, he looked uninterested. But his eyes tracked the various fights and he hadn't turned away since we'd started despite being the first observer of everyone to arrive.I turned towards Jormungandr and found him working on his Rock Throws against Zephyr and Don as they dove and evaded the flying boulders. "Jorm, Don, Zephyr! We'll stop there and cycle you into some cooldowns. I might be looking to use Don and Zephyr for any other challenges we have this week."Don growled at that while the others accepted it. I stared him down until he looked away, cowed and willing to follow my lead. Sadly he locked onto the young fossil pokemon and perked up. A sadistic gleam entered his gaze."No, leave them," I said instantly causing Don to attempt an innocent look that I wasn't impressed by. On a scale of one to Suzie and Munchlax pretending after getting into the chocolate cake, it wasn't very effective.I spent some more time working with Hypnotoad, Shrek, and Tide to make sure I was comfortable with them. By the end of the training session, I felt confident we were back to one hundred percent."Hypnotoad, I'm looking more and more in your direction with the coming match. I think you've made some good progress. Tide, I don't think I will be calling you out but I will have you anchor this week's Ace battles before Will."Tide trilled happily at that, accepting that this might not be a match for him. Shrek stayed still before I nodded. "I'm probably going to call you up Shrek, you're still one of my most consistent pokemon.""Go!?" said Sanchez in shock as he walked past. He clutched a hand to his chest and I rolled my eyes at his antics."I said one of, not my most consistent." Sanchez stood gleefully and I smirked at him. "That would be Titan after all." Sanchez raised a claw and opened his mouth but no noise came out as my pokemon laughed. Sanchez joined them a moment later, more than happy to laugh at himself.I collected Salvadore and Yolanda for breakfast. When that was done I met Alexa on the way to the Gym. "Gym Leader, ready for the return to the circuit?" she said semi-teasingly even as her eyes swept over me.I nodded and shot her a grin. "So ready, first up is a double battle no?""Thought we'd keep you on your toes," she replied."Heh, bring it!" I said happily marching out for the resumption of the circuit. When I made it to the arena there was already a young lass standing on the podium staring straight ahead. Fixedly staring ahead. She seemed very relieved when I entered and I had all of a moment before I understood exactly why that might be the case."Go Go! Gilly! Go Go Gilly!" cheered what looked like a sizeable crowd of people hanging over the railing as much as they could while ignoring Rachel trying to get them into their seats.I glanced at Gilly and found her blushing furiously. "Your… family?" I asked carefully.She stiffly nodded. "They decided to surprise me by coming to Kanto for a holiday… all twenty of them." I tilted my head. She had a Hoenn accent if my ears weren't wrong. Which meant she must have thought she was safe from being hovered over by her family. And here they were, loud and proud."Ah well, think of it this way, do well, and you'll have all the training needed to not be bothered by loud crowds or people shouting things during your matches in future." I offered a shrug. "It might not sound like much,h but a lot of people find fighting on the big stage a much different beast to deal with than simple matches."Gilly glanced at the sizeable arena my Gym had and snorted. "Yeah, simple," she said before rolling her shoulders and raising two pokeballs. "I'm not here for them or to talk, though! Are you ready to fight!?"I raised two of my own pokeballs. "Certainly!"From the referee's podium, Missy raised her flags. "The Gym Leader is not allowed to return his pokemon, and only two pokemon may be on the field from each trainer at one time! Release your pokemon!""Go Lileep and Geodude!" I said. I was more than happy to start things off with one of my signature pokemon along with what was fast becoming a stalwart pokemon for me to use in the lower tier matches."Go Corphish, and Lombre!" Gilly replied.I whistled. Those were good pokemon to send out against my usual roster. They'd synergise rather well, but there was the one hiccup in her plan with my choosing an Alolan Geodude. Something Gilly seemed to be aware of as she shot the rougher ridges of my Geodude a dubious look before narrowing her eyes."Begin!" shouted Missy.Gilly punched forward. "Let's go team! Use Water Gun on that Geodude! Focus fire on that one!""Geodude use Rollout to get out—" Before I could finish the order, both Water Gun attacks angled around to slam into Lileep without my ancient pokemon seeming to take any damage.Both Gilly and I gaped at Lileep who wiggled happily."Huh. Would you look at that," I said.That made two of the Lileep that had Storm Drain as their ability. I knew I had good odds with the colony I looked after here, but it still came as a surprise. A very nice one for me and, sadly, a tough hurdle for Gilly.Geodude use Defence Curl," I said to give Gilly time to regather her wits. "Then follow up with Thundershock on Corphish!""Lombre! Intercept that attack and use Mega Drain on Geodude!" Gilly said quickly as my pokemon started to spark up."Lileep use Confuse Ray on Lombre!""Corphish use Dig so that Lileep can't use its roots!" I had to blink in surprise. That was a good move, and actually showed she'd done some research before showing up. Not many people would be used to seeing Lileep use Ingrain to root itself to the ground and become much tougher to overcome. Another tick for Gilly.Lombre took the thundershock and the Confuse Ray causing it to totter around only to lay down and have a nap while holding its head. That was an interesting reaction to being confused. Have a nap. I noted it as a novel response and that it pretty much put Lombre out of the fight for the moment as Corphish threw Lileep into the air."Use Double Hit Corphish!" Gilyl said as my pokemon came down."Wrap," I replied, more than happy to have Corphish in close."Cor-phish!" shrieked the small crayfish pokemon as my pokemon ensnared it before it could bring its two pinchers to bear."Lombre stop goofing around and use Mega Drain on Geodude again!" Lombre tilted its head back and considered the state of affairs before standing and headbutting a rock. "Tch! Fine, return Lombre!" Gilly said before quickly tossing out another pokemon. "Go Linoone!"The crowd went wild, and a few even stepped forward wearing Linoone masks. Linoone itself waved to the crowd and chased its own tail. It seemed like her family knew about this pokemon and it knew of them."Lileep continue to use Wrap on the Corphish," I said forcing Linoone to stop playing around and realise that a teammate was in danger.Gilly nodded. "Linoone go for that Lileep with Pin Missle! Free Corphish!""Nooooooooooooone!" shouted the ferret as it sprinted at Lileep."Rollout and intercept!" I said to Geodude. My pokemon tucked and rolled, only for Linoone to bend around the attack, forcing Geodude to slam into a boulder and crack it apart. Linoone continued on and broke Lileep's hold on Corphish with pins fired from Linoone's mouth to set Lileep back.Corphish followed through with the aborted Double Hit from earlier, and Lileep went down. Both pokemon then turned towards my Geodude who put up a good fight but wasn't able to match how evasive Linoone was, or handle Corphish's Water Gun.I was more than happy to hand Gilly the Boulder badge to the adoring cheers of her family. "That's a very gifted Lioone you have there.""Thanks! He's my starter and has always loved to run and play around. That ended up leading to him being super hard to hit! He has a great move pool as well, what with being a normal type!""Good, that you've embraced a lot of his strengths. He needs to be a bit more focused, however as he played around too early while Corphish was in danger," I said, glancing down at the Linooone that was sheepishly rubbing the back of its head.I gave it an unimpressed look. "Just remember, talent is only potential at the end of the day. So often, that can mean people will not train as hard as they should. You're a good little pokemon, but this is just the start of your journey."I looked back up at Gilly. "You've started on the right foot, though, with having a plan in place, researching matches ahead of schedule, and preparing accordingly. Train yourself to react to something unexpected faster, and you'll go a long way," I said.Gilyl bowed seriously and happily took a picture with me, only for her entire family to surge onto the field to join her. I hustled them off and then turned to Rachel. "Alright, one down, lots more to come!" I said this as I cracked my neck and prepared for the next trainer.Two more singles matches, and then a few kids running the gauntlet before rounding it off with an Ace match at the end of the day. Perfect."Zephyr! Return!" I returned my pokemon and reached for another as, across from me, my opponent's Graveler knuckled down and grasped the ground in preparation for my next pokemon."Go! Tide! Fill the field!" I was more than happy to end it with a solid pokemon like Tide.Tide took one look at the Graveler and clapped his flippers together, causing a tidal wave to build up behind him that he rode over the top of the Graveler."Protect!" ordered my opponent."Hydro Pump!" I ordered a follow-up move, causing Tide to bend his neck backwards and fire off two powerful gouts of water that slammed into Graveler as the protective shell dropped away. It was knocked out from that and I nodded to myself.My opponent gritted his teeth before sighing and shaking his head. "I only got your Aerodactyl and Steelix… While you got four of mine… I don't have an answer to your Lapras… I concede," he said glumly."Trainer Morrison concedes the match! Gym Leader Brock is victorious!" Salvadore announced happily. He'd finished up at his school and come home in time to take over refereeing for the late afternoon session.The podiums lowered, and the crowd that had gathered rose to applaud the match as I waved to them. Tide happily swung his neck around in celebration. It wasn't often that he got to be my last pokemon out, and it was always amusing to watch people enjoy the experience of a new pokemon being there.Sanchez always hyped the crowd up. Bertha would pirouette and dance around. Titan was stoic and powerful, with his roars echoing throughout the arena. Tide liked to wiggle and clap his flippers happily before rubbing his neck against me while I tried to talk with my opponent."Good match," I said, trying to dig my feet in lest I be knocked over."Heh, I couldn't believe you just accepted every challenger... seemed a good chance to jump a lot of people. Should have known your ranking wasn't a fluke," he said as he shook my hand."Oh? I can't say I track my Ace trainer ranking."He stared at me. "You're in the top fifty trainers in the Ace rankings for the Indigo area, and you don't?""I'm fifty?" I said, surprised by this information.He pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're forty-first actually. You aren't really moving up the ranks cause the people you're facing are too weak to give more than a single point when you win. Whereas if someone like me were to win I'd jump…" he did some mental calculations. "Fifty ranks at least. Might even get enough attention for a sponsorship deal…" He kicked the ground.I tilted my head and scratched at Tide's neck while reinforcing my legs with rock energy as he threatened to knock me over. "You said earlier that most people in my position don't accept every challenge?""Oh yeah, me challenging someone in the top fifty ranks would be a waste of time for them unless I ponied up a huge purse." He rubbed his nose. "That or I really annoyed them, but that's a great way to end up with your team injured. Those guys and girls are the best in the League bar the Elite Four and Champion for a reason.""Huh, that's interesting to know. I… well, I open myself to Ace challenges to offer locals different matches while also keeping my best team as strong as possible." I said with a shrug. "I guess I sort of achieved that through my Elite challenge in the past."The other trainer grimaced. "I didn't mess up something good did I? You're not about to shut your doors to lower-ranked challengers, are you?""Heh, no," I said with a snort. "This is a Gym; my purpose is to help make people stronger."He nodded his head before glancing up at the referee's podium. "So… I knew Missy before she signed on here. I thought it wasn't a good move not signing onto the Ace circuit at the end of last year and instead taking this job but now I'm rethinking that… Do you have any openings?"I nodded and directed him to Alexa before raising a hand. "Oh, and due to League security measures, if you want to work here, you need to submit yourself to a Psychic interview.""Interview?" he said, his face flashing with concern.I waggled my hand back and forth. "It's not as invasive as an interrogation, but you will have a Psychic specialist making sure you're not planning anything." Specifically Sabrina."Huh…" he said. He tilted his head. "They don't look into anything like… your search history, do they?" he whispered quietly.I snorted and laughed before locking eyes with him. "But seriously, they might. So just own it… unless it's illegal." I tensed in case he confessed to anything seriously illegal. I was more than ready to take him down.He shook his head quickly and said, "Nope! Nope! Just you know, chains and whips and such! Nothing l illegal! I swear!" I nodded slowly, and he coughed before departing with a conflicted expression.I hummed, watching him walk off. I might have another Ace trainer if he applied, which might be nice. I'd check to see if Missy actually knew him, not that it would spare him the interview. The Gym had gained a lot more security measures since the whole Daniel incident.More patrols with some pokemon already out of their pokeballs. The Duckpond had gotten a few extra servers with increased storage and processing power. The dark projectors to stop someone teleporting in had been upgraded, and a training seminar on security protocols had been required for all staff, myself included. Bethany now knew to never give out a pass to a helpful young lady in a janitor's outfit. All tours were to be supervised.If the young man did sign on with us, there would still be lots of perks. Sadly, not as many as usual, as I had only really gotten to have two training sessions a week with Missy instead of the normal three or four a regular circuit would allow.I walked up to Salvadore and wrapped an arm around him. "You looked good up there, little brother. Nice work, that was some clean referring today.""Thanks!" He beamed up at me. "It got a bit tricky with that Ace Challenge, as I'm more used to you and them not withdrawing pokemon. It was pretty crazy for him to send out a Graveler against you like he did!"I snorted. "Some people don't have the luxury of having a horde of Graveler to help them evolve naturally.""Naturally?" said Salvadore, catching onto the implied other method with my wording.I rubbed my chin. "Some people try to use less pokemon with cables and transference of energy. The big companies like Silph Co think its a potential future method for evolving pokemon like Graveler, Haunter, Machoke, and Kadabra, to name a few.""Woah!" Salvadore said before grinning. "Which other pokemon would evolve using this method?"Ah, I'd dug myself quite a hole here, hadn't I? Most pokemon that in the games needed to be traded to evolve, were also accompanied by an item, which in this world was enough to see them evolve most of the time. That, or they were pokemon like Boldore or Gurdurr that hadn't been discovered yet."Oh I just mentioned them… I… don't think there are any others?" I said, deciding to just fall back on not knowing."Oh," said Salvadore. I held in my grimace as I held back information. I wasn't being a bad brother, I just wasn't going to be able to skate around how I knew of those pokemon. This was not like Diancie, who I used as a storytime pokemon for Suzie. Diancie, I could handwave s a mythic pokemon.Actually, I'd probably get a bit of scrutiny if I ever did get one and Suzie ratted out that I knew… damn past me! Oh well, that was something for future me to worry about… hopefully far off in the future.Yup, no way that could backfire on me. I scratched my chin. What other methods of evolution had I casually told the kids that weren't well known. Hmmm, suddenly the story of the Ugly Feebas didn't seem such a good idea.I sent Salvadore into the office to complete some write-ups about the matches he'd refereed for. He'd be able to use the Gym's playbacks to make the reports easier, but it was an interesting addition that Dennis had enacted now that he was my second in command with Rocko away.Potentially, the referee would see things that I or even the crowd might not. And slowly but surely, more and more information would accrue for me and my gym trainers. It added an extra ten minutes at the end of the day, but it was a good idea, so I allowed it to go into effect.I meanwhile turned my attention to having my pokemon checked over by Chansey, locking up the Gym, and then feeding my pokemon.I was just settling into writing up some paperwork myself when a beep alerted me to something being wrong. My transceiver only got a message that announced my need to check my holopad. I opened the drawer containing the holopad only for a red light to sweep the room and a robotic voice to speak up. "Secure the room! Emergency! Emergency! Secure the room Brock!"I stood and locked the door before activating the dark energy projectors to further lock down the room. The Guardian Holopad performed another sweep of the room with red light pulsing from it before it relaxed. "Stand by for an Emergency call from—" It stopped speaking for another voice to add their name."Koga," said Koga. In another setting, I'd think it funny that the Guardians had such an old setup for their message system, but then Koga was projected onto the space above the holopad.I sat up and hissed with surprise.Koga looked fatigued, and at his side, I could see his Venomoth and Muk carefully watching his back; both were clearly highly agitated. It made sense, with Koga looking so beaten and weak. Koga blinked slowly, and I realised worriedly that one of his eyes was still slightly dilated, indicating he had a concussion.On the side of the hologram, other windows appeared, as Sabrina, Karen, Lucy, and Janine all appeared. Janine stiffened and vanished a moment later, with her window disappearing."I apologise for this appearance, but I must speak before I seek medical attention from a secure facility. Do not seek me out, as I will not be traceable. Do not talk with my daughter. Any attempts to find me will be rebuffed or treated as a threat to me." Koga swallowed."It is not my state that I am sending this message out for, sadly. I call to announce that Agatha has slipped into a coma." On screen, he grimaced and put a hand to his ribs."Agatha and I attempted to attack a facility that had been discovered a few weeks ago. This facility was not like any of the others that were raided at the time." He took a moment to draw in a steadying breath."It was, after all, an old base from the war. It should have been broken down when Kanto demilitarised, as there were a number of traps and chokepoints that are extremely dangerous. Agatha and I were able to handle these traps."He took a shakey breath. "We were also able to deal with the Rocket Grunts, and Executives that were at the facility. We had begun extracting information from the computers, only for a new threat to appear."Koga stared straight ahead. "It was a pokemon like none I'd ever seen before… It stood upright like a man and had a long purple tail… and yet it was armoured and masked… But it was powerful."I leaned forward and rubbed my eyes. Shit. I knew a pokemon like that. I had warned Agatha and Koga about that as a potential risk! And its appearance had still caught them off guard, it seemed.Shit! Was this my fault for not giving them more information?What was I supposed to say to them though? That I had knowledge I shouldn't thanks to being reincarnated from a world where pokemon are cartoons and games for children? Would they lock me up if I said such things?It was a secret I'd held onto for a long time, but here and now, it might be a secret that caused Agatha to go to the grave.It sounded like she'd run face-first into Mewtwo of all pokemon. A Mewtwo that Giovanni still controlled."—had to have Weezing sacrifice himself to get Agatha and myself out… it was only thanks to his sacrifice that we escaped," Koga was saying.I looked up and found Koga being tended to by Janine. He looked composed but also... touched? I think I got that right with the slight curve of his lips as his daughter fussed over him. Obviously, Janine knew where to find her father when he took shelter."Agatha will be in a League care facility. Karen… you know that Agatha does not want you to reveal your connection with her.""Piss on that!" she snarled. "I'll reveal myself on my terms. She can't say shit if she's in a coma! Where is she, so I can gloat over her? T-that'll have her up and about quick enough!" Karen said heatedly.I noticed but didn't comment on the slight hitch in her voice that showed she was worried about her… grandmother? I still wasn't entirely sure of their relationship.Koga sighed and relayed the location.I sighed. "I'm sorry. I found that site and—""Do not take this onto yourself, Brock. You found the facility, yes but we knew that it would be dangerous going in. Agatha and I were the best and perhaps the only two that could have gotten in like that." He locked his gaze on me, and I met his guiltily."Brock, I have fought more than one pokemon of Legendary strength before. I have survived them just as I have survived this encounter. Agatha is the same, she will make a recovery in time!"I ran a hand through my hair. "I suspected Giovanni had a Legendary though!""Hmpf…" Koga shut his eyes and wobbled slightly. "As much as it pains me to say this, I am self-aware enough to know that I was not certain of your claims prior to this… It was true but with your youth, I thought…" He sighed and shook his head. "Regardless, I have been proven wrong in the worst of ways.""Agatha was worse," said Karen as she threw things into her backpack in preparation to depart. "Kept talking to me about young people not really understanding the true power of a legendary pokemon." She paused to scowl at something before tossing it into the bag as well."That's not the point!" I said while pounding my fist into the desk.Koga swallowed. "What proof did you have? Have you faced this pokemon before or witnessed it being ordered about by Team Rocket? How powerful is its attacks? What type is it?""No… I just suspected that the resurrection machine that Blaine has created could do more than just resurrect fossils. Maybe it would be Psychic? Aren't there reports of them hunting for information regarding the Legendary pokemon Mew?" I gave the same reason I had to Sabrina months ago, along with another rationale.Koga drummed his fingers. "A nebulous link… that must now be reexamined.""I'll say!" said Karen. "Can't believe I was all chummy with that fucky chromedome! If he had something to do with the old woman dying I'll…" Karen clenched her fists and growled."Blaine should not be approached idly," Sabrina said, speaking up for the first time. "This pokemon, was it psychic? What moves did it use?"Koga blinked slowly, returning to the conversation. "It had to be Psychic. Especially with how it levitated debris around the base without any strain. It also unleashed Psychic and fired balls of Psychic energy that destroyed the facility where they struck… It did almost more damage to the facility than we did."Sabrina frowned. "I am not familiar with any move that uses psychic balls of energy…" Sabrina tilted her head, her eyes narrowed. "Is the timing of this strike linked to Karen's match last night?"Koga sighed. "Clever… too clever. Yes, while lots of attention was put on Karen Agatha and I infiltrated the facility. It had been a few weeks since the last Rocket base raid. If they had still been operating under wartime protocols, they would have relaxed their guard. Karen fighting Steven Stone might make any watchers laxer as they paid more attention to the match."Karen straightened angrily. "That old bitch! She used me! I was all annoyed that she wasn't there to watch, and she was damn well using me! Urgh! That is just so… her!" Karen shook her head. "If she dies and becomes a Gengar I'm so catching her so I can stick her with a ditto!" she muttered under her breath.Koga coughed while I gave a half-hearted laugh. Koga then shifted as Janine probed his arm, revealing a limb now in a cast."Be still father!" hissed Janine.Koga's lips twitched upward as he settled down. "Regardless. Agatha and I will be unable to fight for some time. You should all be very careful at this time. For all that Team Rocket has taken a number of losses, it appears they have more than enough depth and backing to not be toppled easily." He narrowed his eyes. "They have however jumped up our priorities. They cannot be allowed to wield a pokemon with that amount of strength! This I promise!"The rest of us nodded and agreed to keep our heads down. The Holopad winked out, and I slumped back into my chair.Shit.That just happened.Sabrina appeared next to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "Do not blame yourself Brock.""Kind of hard not to in this instance," I said rubbing my chin. "Maybe I should have gone along. Me and Karen. With our Dark Types we might have..." I trailed off, unsure what to say.Sabrina shook her head. "Brock, while you would have had a type advantage, a pokemon that has been deemed as Legendary in strength is not to be trifled with. While I have never faced one, I have read extensively. They typically take entire teams of pokemon to drive off, let alone defeat.""Well, it might be something we can't avoid. With Giovanni and Team Rocket confirming for us that he has this Legendary Psychic… Well, I think we have no choice but to get ready to fight them."Sabrina squeezed my shoulder. "As long as I am there to help you. Do not attempt to fight it by yourself."I shot her a smirk. "I'm not about to run headlong into that sort of fight." She nodded in acknowledgment before I sighed. "And I thought the biggest thing I was going to deal with this week was facing Will…" I ran a hand over my face. "Damn, this... I'm not sure what this will do. I hope Agatha and Koga recover."I was also intensely curious to know what had happened.