"Excellent! Then I suppose you don't mind we give it our best to bring you down." There was something different about the Gym leader's tone. It was just as cold, but much less calculated. More jagged, sharp. Wild. "Go forth, Abomasnow! Let us unleash all of winter's wrath on them!"

"Fucking dork," whispered Inyssa.

"Aurora Veil!"

Their reaction was not only immediate, but equally panicked. Memories of their battle against Cynthia flashed before their eyes, and Inyssa found herself raising her hand and declaring an attack before her mind had even processed it.

"Shadi, stop her!"

The Kricketune was gone in a flash, a mini-hurricane of wind clearing the hail in the spot where she'd previously been, followed by the trail she left behind as she jumped. She brandished her scythes, imbuing them with dark energy.

"Niss, wait!" yelled Barry. "We gotta…!"

"Psycho Cut!" yelled out Maylene, a devious smile forming on her lips. "Just like we planned."

Gallade dashed straight toward Shadi, his own scythes brandished at his side. The Kricketune prepared to parry the blow, but just before the crash, her opponent jumped high in the air, past her, toward the middle of the arena. Just like he had done before, he twisted upon himself mid-air, then began to spin like a top.

However, unlike before, he did not fire a volley of disconnected psychic shards. It was a single, continuous attack. A disc of jutting, sharp psychic edges grew from his body at an alarming speed, forming an entire barrier that went from one side of the stadium to the other, completely cutting it in half.

"What the…?"

And that's when she realized the Abomasnow had stopped charging her previous attack, and was waiting for Shadi with one arm wound back.

"Wood Hammer!"

Inyssa gasped. Not only were their Pokemon now completely separated, but Shadi couldn't stop her momentum now. Even if they switched places, one of them would be taking the hit.

"Amber a Capella!" she screamed out, desperate. "Block the–!"

"No; Ally Switch!"

It happened in an instant. Despite knowing what would happen to him, Kitsune extended both spoons forward and linked himself with Shadi, using his powers to instantly switch places with her. The Kricketune crashed against the ground where her ally had been standing a second ago. All the energy from her attack vanished due to surprise. Kitsune materialized only a few inches from his opponent, whose massive arm was already swinging his way.

"Psychic!"

Kitsune tried, but even he wasn't fast enough to perform such an instantaneous attack. By the time he'd raised his hands, he'd been hit. Abomasnow's arm connected, lifting him off his feet as though he weighed nothing and then swinging down, nailing him against the ground strongly enough to make it crack form under him.

Both young trainers shared a similar look of horror. Even through the thick of the hailstorm, there was no doubt Kitsune had been knocked out instantly. A single one of Abomasnow's claws was as long as the Alakazam's torso; a Wood Hammer from her could knock out cold anyone they sent against her.

But she's slow, thought Inyssa, angry at herself. Which is why they tricked us into rushing straight to her.

"I… I'm sorry," Barry said beside her. "I shouldn't have done that without asking."

Her nose crinkled at that. "Not like you had much time to warn me."

"Shadi might've actually blocked that," he argued. "I think I panicked and threw away one of our Pokemon for nothing."

She shook her head. "There's no way. Even if she could've absorbed it, that much energy would've torn her apart from the inside," she said. "I should've realized that… I'm the one who fucked up."

"You gotta stop being so hard on yourself." He raised his hand to return Kitsune, producing a Pokeball on his other hand. "Save it for the guys we're fighting against."

Another explosion of light shook the stadium, momentarily letting them see more of their surroundings. Inyssa squinted. She could have sworn she saw a flash of red somewhere in the audience. In any case, there wasn't much time to look away as Barry's Pokemon emerged from the light, standing tall and proud, its glistening golden horns shining under the light reflected by the ice shards flying around them.

"Bringing out the big guns, eh?" Maylene's voice could be heard from the speakers. "Good! It wouldn't be fun to beat you otherwise. Gallade, Shadow Ball!"

"Blizzard!"

A gigantic wall of frozen wind and ice shards rose from the already violent hail like a wave from the sea, crashing against their Pokemon a second after. Within it, barely visible, a hint of dark could be seen.

"Protect!" Barry bellowed.

"Swords Dance!" Inyssa followed.

Pedri took a step forward and raised his hands, the weight of his glare enough to make even forces of nature shiver in fear. As he raised a dome around them, Shadi began to move. Their opponent's attacks, coalesced into one, crashed against the barrier with such force that Pedri began to shake under their weight, and still Shadi danced. Faint music flew off each crash of scythe against scythe, as though she were playing an instrument. Finally, once the blizzard subsided, they both moved in unison, turning toward each other.

Inyssa and Barry yelled out the name together. "Royal Song!"

Just as they had done once before, Shadi slammed her scythes against the thickest part of Pedri's fins, linking them together and interlacing the buff she'd just received. It was a shame it was only an offensive one, though. Without Pedri having been able to perform his part, they wouldn't count with any extra defense.

Good enough, she thought. The best defense was a good offense.

"Go!"

"Attack!"

They dashed forward in unison, each one heading toward a different Pokemon, the shared aura of power linking them together.

"Gallade! Don't let that one get close to Abomasnow!" Maylene yelled out, pointing to Shadi.

He didn't wait for his trainer to finish the sentence, a swirling gust of wind trailing behind as he ran at his opponent with both arms wound back, covered in psychic en–

"Aqua Jet!"

And just like that, Pedri was there. Boosting himself with an explosive stream of water, he appeared between his foe and Shadi. Gallade stopped in his tracks, eyes wide. The look the Empoleon was giving him was one of pity, or so he imagined, as it only lasted for a moment before he swung at him with his fin.

While they were busy exchanging blows –somewhat one-sidedly– Shadi threw herself under an oncoming Wood Hammer and spun on the ball of her feet, slashing under the Abomasnow's arm strongly enough to leave a substantial scratch, dirt and snow flying off by the force of the attack.

"BAAAAA!"

The behemoth swung again, but this time Shadi crossed her scythes in front of her and stopped the arm mid-air, instantly absorbing the attack's momentum. A second after, said arm flew back as though pushed by a spring. A grunt of pain left Abomasnow's mouth.

"Ingrain!"

Stumbling in pain, Abomasnow took a step back, making the ground crack under her weight, and through the crack slithered a multitude of vines running up and down the Pokemon's leg. They burrowed deep, blooming in a circle under the ground. Shadi felt the vibrations under her just in time as a few dozen vines exploded upwards, throwing mounds of dirt and snow high into the air. The vines remained there for a moment, coiling upon themselves as though they were tentacles, before falling upon Shadi with the speed and force of whips.

"Cut them down!" yelled Inyssa.

Shadi danced amidst the slashing vines. Long pieces of stem and plant matter flew everywhere as she cut them down one by one, and yet for every one she sliced two more seemed to take its place. As though that weren't enough, a silvery white glow caught Inyssa's attention. The Abomasnow was hanging back, a ball of swirling white energy forming between her hands. Another Blizzard, one they wouldn't be able to dodge this time.

Inyssa breathed hard, feeling time slow around her, the sheer cold enveloping the stadium raising her senses to their limits. Or perhaps it was the fact that her eyes were glowing gold.

Those ice shards from the hailstorm are already whittling Shadi down, she thought. She can't absorb the impact from those and concentrate on the fight at the same time. We gotta end this quickly.

"Can you keep the Gallade at bay for a little longer?" she asked Barry.

His only response was a raised eyebrow and a smile. "You heard her, Pedri!"

The Empoleon cut his opponent off once more as he attempted to rush toward the others, slashing at the air with his fins and forcing him to retreat. The two seemed locked in a stalemate for the moment. Pedri was much healthier and a bit stronger, but Gallade held the type advantage.

Good enough for now.

"Shadi, let's bring a classic back, shall we!?" She gestured forward with an expression she could only hope showed confidence. "Reaper's Waltz!"

The Kricketune stopped on her tracks and looked back at her, the tips of her mustache quirking up into a smile. Just then, a few dozen vines closed in around her.

"Shoot!" yelled Candice.

"BAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Abomasnow unleashed the energy she'd been gathered into a single point, a stark maelstrom of sheer cold exploding in a cone in front of her, swallowing the vines whole and tearing them apart as though they were made of paper.

Inyssa greatly enjoyed the look on her face as she realized Shadi wasn't under them.

"Belelee!"

Shadi appeared a few feet above the beast, spinning wildly. The storm cleared in a whirlwind around her, its stark white a great contrast with the blood red energy coating the Kricketune's scythe, making her appear like a gigantic saw from hell.

Candice's mouth gaped, eyes wide as plates.

"What in Mew's name…?"

Flashes of red and white streaked back and forth, the sound of slashed stems and skin echoing through the storm as Shadi danced around her opponent, slicing her over and over. The behemoth thrashed about in agony, grabbing at the air with her massive hands in a futile attempt to catch her opponent.

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"That is some crazy shit," Maylene's voice echoed through the stadium.

"No! Abomasnow, get her off you!"

But she wasn't fast enough. No matter the weight and power of her blows, Shadi always ducked under them at the last second, jumping back to keep slashing at her. However, Inyssa didn't know for how long that would be the case. She could see the energy coating Shadi grow duller and weaker with every second that passed. This had to end now.

"Use everything!" she yelled out. "Bring her down, no matter what!"

She heard Maylene sneer. "Like hell! Candice, we gotta…"

"Yes. I know."

The Gym leaders exchanged a quick glance, and whatever silent conversation seemed to occur between them, Inyssa knew she wouldn't like it.

"Alright. I trust you," said Maylene, taking in a deep breath. "Gallade! Time to fold'em; use Close Combat!"

Barry gasped. "Use Protect!"

Pedri crossed his fins in an X, a translucent green barrier forming around him just as Gallade fell down upon him. The young trainers felt their jaw drop. The insane flurry of kicks and punches was fast and brutal enough to make the shield shake violently, small, thin cracks beginning to spread throughout its surface. He was putting everything he had into that attack.

But why? Thought Inyssa, confused. Maylene knows that Pedri can use Protect, so…

Her answer came before she could react to it.

"Abomasnow, use Leaf Storm!"

"No!" Inyssa screamed, eyes flying wide. "Shadi, stop her!"

But there was nothing to be done. Shadi fell upon her once again, slashing incessantly at her back with whatever strength remained in her, but the beast had stopped fighting back, and her resilience meant she could take such a punishment for the couple seconds it took her to charge the attack.

"Pedri!"

It was too late by the time the Empoleon looked over his shoulder. A gigantic hurricane of sharp, frozen leaves fell upon him from behind, instantly shattering the barrier and swallowing both Pokemon whole, making them disappear amidst the green and white storm. Their shrieks were the only thing they could hear over the sound of the attack.

After a few seconds, the hailstorm settled along with the clouds of dust and snow covering the stadium. Inyssa lowered her hand from her face, squinting. She could see Gallade laying unconscious against the right wall near the stands, having been dragged there by the attack. Pedri had held on, but not much better. He was on one knee, panting heavily. His steel type resistance made it so the Leaf Storm hadn't been as devastating as it could have otherwise, but it still had been one hell of a hit.

"Shit…"

And, somehow, Abomasnow still stood, though she looked to be on her last legs. Her massive body looked smaller now that she was kneeling, one hand uselessly trying to push her back to her feet, her entire body shaking and covered in cuts and bruises. Shadi stood before her, completely bare of the energy she'd previously absorbed.

Inyssa clicked her tongue. "Well… it's something. Want me to do the honors?"

"No," said Barry. He frowned in that very attractive way he rarely did, clearly pissed off by what had happened. "This one's ours. Pedri!"

He didn't need to say anymore. Letting out a roar that perfectly echoed the beast's wounded pride, Pedri boosted himself with an Aqua Jet and slammed himself against the Abomasnow's side with enough force to knock her back a few yards. She let out a scream and rolled over, finally defeated.

Candice's sigh of disappointment was hard to hear over the thunderous applause and cheers from the people in the stands. Some of the younger kids were going a little nuts. They slammed their hands against the rails, jumping up and down as though their feet were made of springs, looks of awe and excitement on their faces.

Inyssa smiled to herself. They would always be able to count on them to put on a good show.

At the other side of the arena, Candice returned her Pokemon to her ball and looked down at it, shoulders stiff, lips pursed tight.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Guess there's a reason I'm one of the lowest ranked Gym leaders."

Maylene scoffed, swiping at the air with one hand as though to push the idea away. "Nonsense, babe. You put in some serious work there, and there's no shame in losing against a stronger opponent. Besides…"

A red beam connected with the unconscious Gallade, returning him to his ball. Then, instead of grabbing another one from her pocket, Maylene bit down on her thumb and index finger and let out a sharp whistle. The cheers ceased, and everyone looked her way, confused.

Then, from their side of the arena, a long, slender shadow rose like a pillar of black, framing a humanoid, familiar shape. Inyssa and Barry looked up in unison, squinting at the strong sunlight. They barely caught the glimpse of someone standing on the edge of the open roof before the figure jumped down.

"…I've got this one in the bag."

Dust exploded into clouds around Lucario as he landed, one paw against the ground, head slightly down. Classic hero pose. Then, rising to his feet, he simply crossed his arms and opened his electric blue eyes, the full weight of his paralyzing glare falling upon his opponents.

The crowd exploded in even more crazed cheers. Inyssa and Barry exchanged an identical look, their bodies suddenly feeling stiff. Their Pokemon didn't look much better. All four of them were more than aware of the full capabilities of Maylene's strongest Pokemon, as he had been so kind to beat said information into them for almost a week straight, back in Veilstone.

Candice smiled at her partner, then walked off the arena. Maylene raised her hand, and the stadium fell quiet, all eyes on her. The look on her face was one Inyssa would have recognized if she'd ever looked in a mirror during a heated Pokemon battle. There was something savage and hungry about that smile of hers.

"Now, you two might have the advantage in numbers, but I think we all remember how this match-up went the last time," she said. "Think you have what it takes now?"

Inyssa glared daggers at her, fingers curling into fists. Barry scoffed.

"What do you think we've been preparing for?" he asked.

"Oh, and that training you said we needed to finish in order to be strong enough to beat you?" Inyssa threw her hand forward, a stalwart determination taking over her expression. "Done, twice over. So prepare to get your shit wrecked."

"Aqua Jet!"

"Brick Break!"

There was an explosion of force and Pedri was there in an instant, fin wound back, body coated in swirling water.

"Force Palm!"

Lucario lowered his knees in preparation and extended his palm just as Pedri's claws fell down on him, a faint, almost invisible blue sheen covering his body. A blast of force exploded from his palm, sending shock-waves all around them. The water coating Pedri flew off him in an instant and the force was strong enough to completely stop his swing, even pushing back the arm a few inches. Pedri grunted, falling back a step, out of balance.

Shadi appeared behind them in a flash. Joining her scythes as one, she slashed with all of her strength but Lucario had sensed her, and ducked just in time, letting the attack pass less than an inch over him.

"Again!"

He raised his remaining palm toward her, releasing another burst of concentrated aura point-blank, sending her flying. Inyssa let out a gasp. That is, until she noticed that Shadi veered in mid-air, wings flapping as she tried to stop her momentum. She didn't look much more hurt than before.

Outside of her resistance to fighting-type attacks, I'd wager he uses that one more to gain some distance than to do harm, she thought, frowning. So he's trying to…

"Now finish the Empoleon off!"

"Shit!" Inyssa was right; he wanted to pick them off one by one. "Get back in there, Shadi! Stay close to Pedri!"

"Counter with Metal Claw!" yelled Barry.

Lucario attacked too fast for Pedri to be able to dodge, so he didn't. Raising his left fin, he endured the flurry of punches as he gathered energy into his other arm, then swung as fast as he could, the silver energy coating his claws whistling as it cut through the air with ease.

"We got h–"

He caught the fin between his paws, stopping the attack completely. Never before had they seen such a look of shock, anger and fear cross Pedri's expression, made only worse by the slight quiver at the corner of his opponent's lips. Almost a smile.

"Belelee!"

Shadi came down on him like a storm, twisting in mid air, putting all of her body weight into the next slash. Lucario caught a glimpse of her, and moved. He let go of Pedri's fin and ducked in an instant, both attacks passing over him as he placed a paw against the ground and spun quickly on the palm, kicking his opponent's shins and making them trip backwards.

"Now!"

He shot another burst of energy from the palm holding him up, propelling him a few inches off the floor in an instant. His opponents were too busy trying to regain their balance. In the moment before landing, he extended both legs and delivered a pair of devastating kicks to their chests. Gasps of pain left their mouths as they were thrown back as though they'd been hit with a cannonball, landing flat on their backs at Lucario's sides.

"Shit!" Inyssa clenched her teeth. "Shadi, get up!

"This isn't working," said Barry. "I think… I have a plan. Just go with me on this one, okay?"

She glanced at him, lips pursed, and nodded after a moment.

"Alright…"

Their Pokemon had gotten to their feet, but it was clear there wasn't much fight left in them. Lucario stood amidst them with eyes closed and arms crossed. Utter boredom exuded from every part of his body.

I'll make you eat dirt, asshole, Inyssa thought, furious.

Barry threw his hand forward. "Time for our secret strategy! Rock Slide!"

"Get out of there, Shadi!"

Pedri brought down his arms with all the strength left in them, giving Shadi just enough time to fly away before the ground erupted. Jagged spires of rock exploded in a circle around him. Dust and stones the size of his head flew in all directions as though a bomb had been let loose in the middle of the stadium, forcing trainers and spectators to cover their faces and brace themselves as to not be thrown away.

By the time the dust settled, the stadium was completely unrecognizable, though not quite as destroyed as it had been after her fight with Byron. Barely a straight spot of rock remained. Aside from the enormous crater in the middle, surrounded by jutting stones that covered a third of the arena, at least a dozen person-sized rocks were littered all about.

"…Really?" Maylene's voice was heard through the speakers. "That's the trick you go with?"

Lucario hadn't moved an inch. Despite having been right next to Pedri as he unleashed his attack, the jagged stones that had been thrown his direction had done little more than irritate him. The fur on his right leg and side was slightly dirty and bruised, but he barely seemed to notice.

His opponents were nowhere to be seen. Yet no worry showed on his face.

"Lucario can pick up on everyone's aura around him, remember?" asked Maylene, a dangerous edge to her voice. "Your Pokemon can't hide from him."

Barry let out a laugh, running a hand through his hair as he looked up at Maylene.

"Not the plan."

Lucario moved before the sound of creaking stone was even heard, reacting just in time as one of the boulders behind him was cut into four jagged pieces and launched at him. He dodged the two above and spun on the ball of his feet, still kneeling, to kick the remaining two out of the way. Shadi appeared from behind the cloud of dust, scythes gleaming and eyes wide with fury.

Next to her, Inyssa noticed Barry bouncing in place, hands practically shaking from excitement. His grin was so wide it almost reached from ear to ear.

Not his strong suit, subtlety, she thought with a smile.

"Here it comes…" he whispered with an exulted tone.

Lucario's eyes flew open. Whatever Pedri was doing, he'd sensed it, and it shocked him so much that he turned around toward where he was, hidden behind one of the enormous rocks. In his shock, however, he'd forgotten about Shadi.

"Belee!"

He moved to act, aura spiraling around his arms toward his paws, but just then Shadi fell down on him. She didn't slash at his back. Instead, she reached over his shoulders and pressed the sharp of her scythes against his chest, trapping him in place. Lucario instinctively drove his elbow into her stomach, but she did not budge.

"Rhaaw!"

Letting out a snarl, he expelled aura from every pore in his body, spinning in place so fast that Shadi was thrown off her feet. And yet, she did not let go.

A light shone behind the rock where Pedri hid. A second after, it was blown apart like it'd been hit by a cannon.

"Shit; Lucario…!"

But she was too late. Barry was already calling out the attack, the boom of his voice hard to hear over the sound of the torrent.

"Hydro Cannon!"

Pedri was thrown back by the force of his own attack, the gigantic beam of water swirling like a hurricane as it fell upon the two Pokemon, dust and debris spiraling around it as the air itself was bent by it.

"Aura Sphere!"

Unable to move, moments before the impact, Lucario threw both hands forward and let out an air-shaking roar, eyes flying wide open as a ball of swirling aura was launched before him. The two attacks connected, and for an infinitesimal moment, stopped each other's momentum. Then the water began to advance.

For the first time, Inyssa saw fear crept up Lucario's face.

The sphere of energy evaporated. Pedri's attack hit Lucario head on, swallowing him and Shadi whole as it kept going and slammed against the opposite wall of the arena. It was as though a geyser had been let loose. Water exploded in all directions, flooding the arena and raining down buckets on everyone on the stands, obscuring their view for a few seconds.

Inyssa couldn't help but shiver, cold water reaching up to her ankles. It began to settle, either swallowed by the soil or the multiple cracks across the arena, until they could finally see the result of the attack.

"Holy…"

"…Crap," Barry finished her sentence, eyes wide in disbelief. "That was…"

Lucario was on his knees, one paw holding him up. He was soaked from head to toe, though that didn't seem to be bothering him as much as the bruise covering most of his chest. His face was twisted in pain and his arms shook violently.

Behind him, Shadi was slumped against the cracked wall, unconscious. Inyssa felt a pang of guilt at the sight. Though it was far overshadowed by the pride bursting in her chest, her lips curling into a loving smile.

You did so much…

Silence hung in the air as the audience realized what had happened, and for a second it seemed as though another set of cheers and applause would break out. Until Maylene spoke, that is. She was no Candice, but at the moment there was a strength to her voice that was hard to ignore.

"…Well played, you two."

Lucario rose to his feet, letting himself breather for a second before relaxing his posture, aura rushing from his pores to cover him once again. There was no more boredom in his eyes as he looked up at his opponent.

"But it wasn't nearly enough."

Despite still being conscious, Pedri couldn't move an inch. He was down on his knees, struggling to even keep himself up, every inch of his body shaking from the recoil from his last attack.

Lucario didn't need to be given the order. Expelling a great amount of aura off his feet, he rushed to Pedri's side in an instant, paw curled into a fist, eyes narrowed in anger, seeking retaliation. In that moment before the hit, the Empoleon looked up at him, and gave him a smug smile.

Everyone cringed at the sound of the punch. Pedri fell like a stack of bricks, and did not move again.

And now the cheers erupted. Barry and Inyssa sighed, letting down their tensed up shoulders in unison.

"Guess it's up to you, Niss."

Hearing that from Barry cemented it. She took a deep breath and swallowed down the knot trying to form in her throat. Then she looked at him, and smiled.

"Just like in Eterna," she said. "Now it's my turn to win this for the both of us."