Lilith went home and crashed before heading to the Gym. It was still early, but both Sam and Levy were already sitting in the waiting room. It took a short while, but Sam’s name was called. He was pushed through as he denoted them as spectators. Normally, no one was allowed to watch a match other than the participants and a judge, who had sworn an oath to never speak of the battles they oversaw. A person could bring people in if they so choose. Spectating was considered as an act of trust. They didn’t let just anyone have the honor.

Sam walked out into the arena without any Pokemon. He looked much more solemn, his usual happy go lucky attitude was gone, replaced by something different. It appeared he was serious.

The Judge walked out into the center of the field with Sam. There wasn’t any audio, but the screen beside the glass lit up. It showed the spinner Sam was being shown in the arena. All the potential combinations of Pokemon he could roll were present. One spin would represent the first Pokemon, with the choices morphing for the second.

He tapped the big button in the center as a wheel spun round. It went on for a while before ultimately stopping on a particular Pokemon. Patrat zoomed in and filled the screen before he tapped the button a second time. His next roll summoned up a Deerling, locking in his challenge. Sam had gotten just what he wanted.

The Judge walked back to the sidelines with a Healer on standby. Her Audino stood beside her, as the proper Helper was called. They worked with many different combinations of Pokemon at any given time, and not all Helpers had the correct mix. It took some time to get the exact match

The group had to wait about 10 minutes before a Helper finally appeared in the arena. He walked up to Sam as they shook hands and exchanged a brief word. The rules had been laid out and the defender was present. All that there was left to do was start the match.

The judge raised his arm before lowering it swiftly. The signal was given, so Sam and the Helper both sent out their Pokemon at the same time. To Levy and Lilith’s surprise, Joltik appeared in a flash of light across from Patrat. It appeared he was taking a different strategy than the surefire one Lilith and Levy had proposed the day before.

Sam appeared to get his funk back as he smiled his usual smile.

Joltik shot his string toward the small meerkat as the sticky substance tangled his body. Patrat took the opportunity to use a status move of his own. Leer and String Shot exchanged, lowering defense and speed respectively. Joltik took his chance, as electricity formed along his silk. He tossed the Electro Web around the slow moving Pokemon. The combination proved lethal as Patrat’s movements were slowed even further.

Joltik had obviously practiced the combination. His transitions were flawless as he scrambled up to his opponent. Electric types in general had high speed, so it wasn't very shocking when his small claws descended onto the small Pokemon.

Fury Cutter struck with a vengeance. The damage done was high, but not enough to finish the battle. Patrat had barely participated before he was on his last leg. He nibbled at the string binding him before taking a bite at the fleeing spider. Bite landed on Joltik just before he could achieve victory.

Joltic stumbled backwards from the damage before he pulled at Patrat’s energy. Absorb stole what was left of his membrane, achieving victory. The move dealt the final blow and also restored a small part of his own reserves. The Helper called back his Pokemon as the judge called the match. He then sent out his second and final Pokemon. One Deerling stood before Sam and his first Gym Badge.

Her hoofs landed on the field and immediately set off. Dust and dirt coalesced around her as the arena was cleaned. She then directed the cloud around her towards the tiny spider. With no time to dodge, Joltik was covered with sand. His Electro web went wide, landing on the ground, unused.

Deerling’s Sand Attack visually impared her opponent as she charged forward on all fours. Double Kick landed as each hoof stomped onto him. Each kick was more powerful than the last, and their difference in power became obvious. Joltic was knocked out, not even being able to put a status condition onto his foe.

“He should have used our strategy…” Levy mumbled.

She was a little disappointed that her Rival had gone into the battle so unprepared. Joltic was now down, so it was a 1v1 with Deerling practically untouched. Joltik was replaced by Darumaka in a flash of light.

The Judge restarted the match.

Daumaka fell back into her usual strategy. Grass types like deerling were easy prey for a Fire type like her. Embers were spat from her mouth directly towards Deerling as she stood unmoving.

“What is that idiot doing?! Did he pay attention to anything we said?!” Levy stood up and screamed at the glass.

Deeling’s coat flashed a light brown, matching the exact color of the arena’s floor. The Embers struck her as Sam watched in surprise. Camouflage had turned her into a Rock type, allowing her to resist the flames. Darumaka was caught by surprise as she repeated the same strategy. Deerling’s natural speed allowed her to move much before her opponent.

Tackle landed on Darumaka but the difference in their energy was too large. Little damage was dealt as she had a chance to counter attack. Bite landed easily due to the proximity of her Tackle. She was well into the 1st Star, while Deerling had much less experience. Darumaka still did more damage despite being caught off guard.

Levy was fuming as she watched the rest of the fight. The only word she could describe the fight overall, was sloppy. Darumaka had won in the end, but Sam had almost lost to a team well below him. It should have been an easy victory, but instead, was an unneeded struggle.

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The duo left the spectating room to join their compatriot in his victory.

“What were you doing?!” She shrieked while punching his arm.

She expected her rival to perform at least to her standard, if not better. She pushed herself hard and was disappointed Sam had acted opposite to what she normally expected from him.

“I wanted Joltik to get more experience!” Sam tried defending himself.

Lilith simply raised her eyebrow at the two of them. If he really wanted more battle experience then he could have just battled them during their usual bouts.

Levy calmed down quickly as it was close to her turn. She went over last minute preparations with Axew to settle her nerves. It would still be a while, but Sam’s battle had thrown her off her normal calmness. Sam joined Lilith in the booth as they waited. The group had scheduled in advance that they were all a party. It was made specifically for Trainers who journeyed together, so they too could watch the matches.

It took some time, but the new judge walked out and Levy joined her. The same process was completed, as she pressed the spinner to decide the matchup.

Minccino and Pidove were arranged for her fight. Levy let out a breath of relief. They were definitely some of the much easier Pokemon in the raffle. They had some time, so they tweaked their battle strategy slightly while waiting for their Helper.

It wasn’t long before the two faced off against each other.

The Helper unleashed Minccino as the judge called the match. Axew was called out simultaneously, raring to go.

The team started off with the only move they could. Taunt took effect before Axew’s opponent could use Baby Doll Eyes and lower his attack. If he was crippled now, there would be no chance for the Pokemon that followed. He was on his own and couldn’t be switched out.

The move backfired on her as Axew was already transitioning into his second move, Slash. Dragons were feared for a reason. Their overall physique was above average when compared to all other Pokemon. The move was his newest, but also his most deadly. The claw destroyed Minccino’s defenses as she fell back immediately. Axew had finished her off with one hit.

“AXEW!” He let out a victory cry.

He knew that the first Pokemon had to be brought down hard and fast, and that's exactly what he did. No punches were pulled, as he dominated the match. The Helper looked slightly startled at the outcome as she swapped Minccino out for a Pidove. He took to the skies right as he was freed from his ball, the one strategy that they feared the most.

Axew had no special moves that could be used at a distance. Pidove used the same strategy against him, as black light seeped out of both parties. Now neither could use status moves. Axew was still at a disadvantage as a Gust of wind rushed across the arena. It picked up his tiny body and threw him across the ground. The damage was minimal, but with the aerial advantage, Pidove could chip away his energy with enough time.

One of the topics covered in class was how to approach aerial Pokemon. It was something Levy had put a lot of time and effort into. An immediate solution didn’t present itself, but with Lilith’s help they came up with a solution, if not a brutish one.

Axew had been waiting for the Gust of wind, as it powered up his Assurance. The extra energy boost allowed him to jump in the air especially high. Pidove was caught off guard once the tiny dragon hurtled towards her. Axew aimed for one of her wings and followed through. There wasn't any permanent damage, but the bird would not be flying for the rest of battle. It wasn’t a competition any longer, the outcome had been decided.

Levy too received her first badge. Lilith went down to congratulate the stunning victory. Her planning had been immaculate and every step of the battle was controlled leading to her inevitable victory.

The two swapped positions, as it was time for her battle. The judge came over and explained the rules to Lilith. It was nothing she didn’t know, but was a good refresher all the same. Lilith tapped the button two times, sending the wheel spinning in a circle. Her heart stopped as the matchup was revealed.

Buneary and Herdier. It was easily the worst case scenario. Lilith waited with nervous breath as a Helper was called to be her opponent. Minutes went by as the Partners went over their last-minute plans, adjusting to the matchup they had been given. Sweat formed around her hands, slightly nervous for what was to come.

The door creaked open, and to her surprise, she recognized the Helper. Sandy walked into the room with a slight smile behind her glasses. They threatened to fall from the tip of her nose as she strut inside.

“Fate’s a funny thing aint it.” she said.

Lilith could only nod and prepare herself. She returned Absol to her ball and got ready for the start of the match. The referee called the start as Absol and Buneary appeared on the field. The pair knew they needed Buneary gone fast, so Absol used her fastest combo. Absol would have to emulate Axew’s victory, but without Taunt, or the Power to back it up.

They had no defense for what was coming, as Absol darted towards her opponent. The attack landed right before Buneary’s status move could take hold. Quick Attack did lasting damage, but Baby Doll Eyes had lowered her attack for the rest of the battle. The one status move had decreased their chances of winning greatly.

‘Damn it all…’ Lilith thought.

Despite the setback, Absol’s fangs sunk into the small rabbit as the Referee called the match. Absol’s strength was incredible despite the small setback.

“Wonder if I can turn this around?” Sandy smirked.

She had witnessed Absol’s growth first hand, having helped weeks ago. Her strength had come a long way since the last time they had met. Their connection didn’t detract from her fighting spirit. Quite the opposite in fact, Sandy pushed herself even harder. Herdier was sent out in Buneary’s stead.

“Continue!” the referee restarted the match after the switch.

Herdier jumped up as Absol tried distracting him. Their only chance was to dodge the incoming attack they all knew was coming. Hours of preparation led them to map out the moves their opponents were most likely to know. Under the current situation, it wasn’t hard to read what was coming next.

Double Team made a clone identical to Absol as she ran in two different directions. It was all down to luck. Herdier had a 50% chance to hit the real copy. He charged in anger, ready to take revenge for his fallen ally.

His previous team member had been defeated, increasing his next move's power twofold. Retaliate landed on Absol’s body, knocking her out in one hit. The difference between their power levels combined with special battle conditions led to Absol’s defeat.

Lilith had lost her first Gym battle.