Out of all the things Rowan expected to see that day, his two most promising pupils engaging in a clandestine Pokemon battle was not one of them.

"Huh… look at those lil' bastards." Byron let out a chuckle next to him. "Those are the two everyone's talking about, right? Your students? Didn't peg them as a couple a' goddamn idiots."

Rowan set his jaw, his mustache twitching. He hadn't either, to be honest.

"There must be some kind of mistake," he said, turning toward the man. "They… well, they're reckless, yes, but this doesn't seem like something they would do… I think."

"Wow, have a lotta faith in your students, don't you?"

He scoffed. "There's ought to be a good reason for this… which doesn't mean it's an acceptable thing to do. Don't you worry, I'll stop them right now and…"

However, as he took a step forward he found himself halted by the handle of Byron's shovel, who had extended it to the side to stop him. As he stared at the man with a clear look of befuddlement on his face, he noticed that familiar, trouble-making smile stretch across his lips.

"So those are the two twerps who've been making such a ruckus around Sinnoh, huh," he said. "You know what… I'm feeling kinda curious now. I wonder if they're as good as people say they are."

"You… can't be serious. Byron, the park…"

"Pfft. What's a park good for anyway, besides picnics and gawking at dumbass flying Pokemon?" asked Byron, shaking his head. "Don't you worry, whatever those two do to the park, I'll take responsibility for it."

"Then you really mean to…"

"Yah." Byron hoisted the shovel on his shoulders once more, grinning from ear to ear. "Let them fight. I wanna see what those twerps are made of."

----------------------------------------

A drop of sweat ran down Barry's face as he screamed out his last order to an almost defeated Razen.

"Aqua Jet! Try to hit him one last time!"

Despite how much he'd boasted, despite the fact that Niss was clearly not well and her skills as a trainer had dwindled, she was still giving him one hell of a fight. Steven had defeated Kitsune without even breaking a sweat, his superior speed and access to U-turn being more than enough to deal with the Kadabra, and now it seemed like Razen would soon fall, too.

"Dodge and use U-turn!"

The Buizel shot himself up at his opponent with a whip of his tails, his body covered in a mantle of swirling water. However, just before making contact Steven folded his wings and vaulted over him with speed and precision which should have been impossible from that angle. Now in mid air and defenseless, Razen could do little to avoid the slash of his opponent's wings on his back, sending him crashing toward the ground.

A sigh escaped his lips as he returned his friend to his Pokeball. He had underestimated Steven; whatever the Staravia had gone through in his fight against Shadi's Pokemon, it had changed him for the better. And to think just a few months ago he'd been such a shy, unassuming Starly.

Barry couldn't help but form a proud smile, one which, he noticed, was not reflected on Niss' face. Her stance and expression were firm, but disinterested. She didn't look smug or happy in the slightest that she had defeated one of his Pokemon.

His fingers gripped his next Pokeball. That needed to change too.

"That was a really cool move, Niss!" he said. "After I win, do you think you could tell Steven to teach it to one of my Pokemon?"

A small crease formed on his friend's forehead. "Just send your next Pokemon already."

"…Tough crowd, huh?" He gulped, forcing himself to smile. "That's okay. I'm gonna get you to enjoy yourself in this fight even if it's the last thing I do!"

The ball in his hand flew through the air, and as he saw it open he heard Mesprit's voice in his head.

"Not to rain on your metaphorical parade, but I don't think your strategy is working."

Barry let out a small chuckle as the explosion of light took form.

"Don't worry, it'll work. I just need to bring out the big guns."

The ground seemed to shook as Pedri landed on the field, a slight, metallic gleam reflecting off every part of his body. Across him, Niss flinched ever so slightly. Not much, thought Barry, but it was a start.

Their audience went wild; Barry could barely hear his own thoughts over the booms of cheers and the powerful waves of excitement crashing over him. Judging by their age, most of them were probably trainers. Which meant they'd probably seen the footage of his Empoleon evolving mid-battle and defeating one of Crasher Wake's strongest Pokemon. No wonder they sounded so excited.

Now, if only Niss could show as much emotion as them…

"You think that having the type advantage is gonna win you the fight?" He barely heard Niss ask. "Did you forget that only one of them can fly? What are you going to do, try to shoot Steven out of the sky with Scald or Water Gun?"

"Yeah, about that…" He allowed himself a cocky smile as he threw his hand forward. "Pedri, use Rock Slide!"

He saw with satisfaction as a gasp escaped Niss' lips. Wasting no time, Pedri raised both of his metallic fins over his head and then slammed them with every ounce of his strength against the ground, sending a shock-wave of energy through it.

"Shit! Steven, try to…!"

Her words were cut off as hundreds of small rocks were uprooted by the explosive force of Pedri's attack, shooting up toward Steven like bullets. Despite his momentary surprise, the Staravia extended his wings to their full span and did his best to avoid the storm of rubble, slipping in between the incredibly small openings between each projectile and flying at full speed to escape their range. However, even with his speed it would have been impossible to avoid all of them. As he escaped the width of the attack, Barry noticed a few dark spots on his wings and the right side of his body, where the rocks had scratched him.

"Hmph. If he knows Rock Slide then…" He saw Niss frown and bite her lip, a hint of frustration on her face. "Steven, you'll have to fight from up close!"

The Staravia did not need to be told twice. Gritting his beak to endure the pain, he shot himself toward Pedri, his wings effortlessly cutting through the air. Barry felt the anticipation coming from his starter, as he wound back one of his fins and waited for the opportunity to strike.

"Now! Feather Dance!"

Pedri slashed the air as soon as his opponent was in range, but all he hit was empty air. Steven stopped himself just in time, the enormous fin rustling his feathers, and with a flick of his wings he shot himself up and vaulted over Pedri. He didn't attack like he'd done before, however. Instead as he flew over him, Steven spun on his own body and released a small bundle of feathers which fell on his opponent's body, sticking to his arms and torso and emitting a weak glow.

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Barry didn't need to be an empath to notice the effect they had on his starter. As soon as the feathers touched him, Pedri let out a pained grunt and fell to one knee, his limbs shaking and his breathing becoming harsher. Those feathers seemed to be sapping his strength, making him weaker.

Despite it being bad news for him, Barry couldn't help but smile. That was the kind of strategy he expected from Niss; little by little, even if she didn't realize it, she was starting to act more like herself.

"Come on Pedri; don't let that bring you down!" He screamed. "Hit him back with Aerial Ace!"

"Dodge and do the same!"

A deep, proud roar shook the air as Pedri threw himself at Steven, both his fins covered in a powerful gleam. He slashed at the air in an X, but the Staravia barely avoided the attack and hit him back in the face with the fortified tip of his right wing, flying a few feet away as soon as he landed the hit.

"Keep it up Pedri!"

"Don't give him an inch!"

The ensuing exchange of blows couldn't have lasted more than thirty seconds, but it was so frenetic and breathtaking that it felt like minutes to Barry. It was like a dance. Pedri's slashes tore the air in half with their power, but most of them were ultimately too slow to hit Steven, while the latter's attacks landed every single time, but did little to no damage against his opponent's fortified body.

The exchange ended when Pedri, having analyzed the way Steven dodged, slashed at the air at his right, but then stopped himself and raised his leg to kick at his left, hitting the Staravia right in the stomach and sending him tumbling a few feet back.

"Now, Scald!"

Steven was too startled to react as the torrent of boiling water fell upon him. His body was expelled with tremendous force toward the edge of the park as a scream of pain rang through the air, mostly drowned by the sounds of surprise and excitement coming from the audience.

In that short moment, Barry saw as Niss' hands curled into fists, a tinge of red tinting her cheeks. She parted her lips and screamed out an order just before Steven hit the ground.

"Fly as high as you can!"

Despite the searing pain all throughout his body, Steven forced himself to roll to the side and stopped his fall with both wings, slamming them against the ground as he took flight once more. Barry frowned; what was Niss planning? Not only was Steven badly wounded, but with his wings and body covered in scalding water there was no way he could fly at the speeds he could before.

Well… guess I should see for myself.

He swiped the air as he yelled. "Rock Slide!"

Once more Pedri hit the ground with all his strength, sending a storm of sharp stones flying up toward his opponent. Too fast to dodge, too sharp to try and endure the hit.

However, it looked like he wasn't done underestimating Steven quite yet.

"Now!" He heard Niss cry out, the smallest hint of nervousness in her voice. "Brave Bird!"

Barry couldn't help but gasp in excitement. High above, Steven narrowed his eyes and folded his wings, the water covering his body evaporating as steam rose from his every feather.

Then, he was gone. An explosion shook the air, a sonic boom. Steven shot down with enough speed to leave a trail of air bursts behind him, his body glowing a strong azure as if he were engulfed in flames. The sheer power of his descent bent the air around him, stopping every single stone in mid-air and making them swirl around him like a cyclone, avoiding all damage.

"Hit him!"

Inches from the ground, Steven swerved up and shot himself straight at Pedri, the Empoleon's own attack surrounding the Staravia's body as he approached with tremendous speed.

Barry would have swooned if he had time to, almost too impressed to act. Instead, he simply cried out:

"Don't let him throw you back!"

Pedri nodded solemnly, planting his feet firmly on the ground and raising both fins to stop his opponent. Then, a second after, the impact came.

It sounded like a bell being hit by a missile. Barry had to cover his face as a cloud of dirt and rubble exploded in a circle around both Pokemon, covering almost the entirety of the park. The cyclone of stones soon followed, carried by the tailwind of Steven's flight. Several smaller gongs rang, until silence fell once more.

The entire park held its breath as the dust settled. In the middle, holding the wings of a now unconscious Steven, Pedri stood shakily, his entire body bruised and his eyes hidden by shadows.

His knees wobbled. For a moment, it seemed like he would fall as well. Barry grit his teeth, hearing his own heartbeat in his ears.

The Empoleon tumbled back, but he barely caught himself with his left foot. Then, taking in a deep breath, he raised his chin and formed a small, confident smile as he let his opponent fall to the ground.

Niss said something on the other side of the field, but her words were buried under the deafening boom of the audience's cheers. Though, past all the waves and waves of excitement crashing on him, he felt something else, barely. A speck of fear. Building up slowly, very slowly.

"That was, I mean… just wow!" He yelled as soon as the cheers died down, trying his best to keep his smile up. "I've never seen that move in action! That… it's the strongest flying type move, right? It was so amazing to watch!"

He got no response. Niss simply returned Steven to his Pokeball and grabbed another one from her belt, holding it in front of her stomach for a few seconds.

"Come on, you can't tell me you weren't excited too! After all the work and care you put into training Steven–"

"What are you doing?"

Barry froze, the tone with which Niss had cut him off sending a shiver down his spine.

"W-what do you mean?"

Niss barely raised her chin, the dull green of her eyes almost invisible from that distance. "This… thing you're doing. Why? What's your plan? You think you'll convince me by being all cute and cheery and acting like nothing's wrong?"

There was a second of silence, and Barry's smile dropped.

"That's not what I'm doing."

"It is." she snapped back. "You want me to ignore all that's going on and try to have a good time instead of facing it! It's all you ever do!"

"Yeah?" he asked, feeling heat rise to his face. "That's what you think?"

Mesprit's voice resounded in his mind, a hint of concern in it. "Boy, don't get carr–"

"Yes, it is!" yelled Niss. "And you know what? You're free to keep doing whatever you want, but don't drag me into it. I don't have time to play around or laugh at stupid shit anymore!"

As she said that, Barry saw a Pokeball fly through the air. He squinted at the light that came out of it, pooling on the floor below and forming the familiar shape of Johnny the Quagsire. The creature simply stood there, blinking vacantly and smiling at everyone around him.

"I'm planning on actually doing something about all this," said Niss.

Barry couldn't help but laughing derisively. "Really? That's what you're doing? That's weird, because from over here it just looked like you were being a jerk to everyone and trying to play the cool loner like you always do."

"Oh… boy."

"Shut up! You don't know what I…!"

"Yeah, I think I do." He cut her off, his tone turning harsher and lower. "You're always pulling the same stunt. You think that if you just treat everyone like crap and act like you don't care for long enough then that'll turn into the truth."

His friend's eyes went wide with anger. "T-that's not…"

"But… that's okay." Barry closed his eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath, trying to center himself. Anger was not the way to do this. After a few breaths he opened his eyes and smiled at Niss. "I know you care. So you keep doing this for as long as you want until you tire yourself out and I'll stand here and keep trying to make you smile and have fun with this battle. Okay?"

There were a few seconds in which Niss said nothing, her lower lip slightly quivering and face like that of a Magikarp out of the water. All around them, people began to whisper and wonder. What were they talking about? Why weren't they fighting?

Finally, after what felt like a whole minute, Niss looked down and replied as best she could.

"Yeah well… talk is pretty cheap, right?"

Barry nodded. "Yeah, guess you're right. I'm pretty lucky, I never really had to deal with the same stuff as you and I had a really nice and caring family and stuff." He looked down, rubbing the back of his neck with his palm. "But… we've been friends for long enough that I know that this isn't you. The real Niss is super brave, and I think that the bravest thing you can do when something really bad happens… is to smile and try to be positive about it."

Niss let her shoulders fall, shaking her head slightly. "T-that's it? You think it's that easy?"

"Of course not!" he hurried to say. "I… man, I can't even imagine how hard it must be, especially for you. But like I said, you're the bravest person I know, Niss. If anyone can do it then I'm positive it's you!" Both his hands curled into fists as he raised them slightly, a confident smile on his lips. "And I can help you by convincing you to have fun and go all out against me in a Pokemon battle, then I feel like that's the least I can do. I mean… you did the same for me so many times, so…"

He let the sentence hang in the air, suddenly unsure of what else to say. As the silence swallowed the park again, Barry tried his best not to let his smile falter under the weight of how little he knew what he was doing. Maybe his words would help, or maybe they'd make everything a hundred times worse. Though…

What did you think, Mesprit? He asked inside his mind, hopeful. Did I…?

"Boy, that was by far the worst speech I've ever heard. Ever."

O-oh. Then…

Before he could complete his thought, Niss' voice rang through the park.

"So…" She took a deep breath and raised her chin, locking eyes with him. "…you want me to go all out, huh?"

Barry felt compelled to take a step back, startled by the sudden change in her tone. Her expression was still devoid of any kind of joy or excitement, but something else had appeared there.

Determination.

"…Fine, I'll humor you. Johnny…" Niss threw her arm forward, eyebrows joined over the bridge of her nose. "Use Earthquake."

A single thought ran through Barry's mind as he saw the Quagsire preparing himself to unleash his strongest attack.

Oh… damn.

He heard Mesprit laugh as the ground started to shake.

"It was a pretty terrible speech… but it seems to have worked, somehow."