CHAPTER 200

Maeve had already gone to the waiting room, and it was only us up here. Pauline chatted with Denzel as I sipped on some water as we waited for the battle to begin. Maylene was just like what she looked like in the videos. Deceptively lean, short, and with intense red eyes and short pink hair. She wore gym clothes, fingerless gloves and had a bandaid on her nose. After all this time, I still had no idea what that was for.

"Keep your eyes on her tactics," I told Cecilia. "They won't change against us, she'll only grow more ruthless and less merciful."

"I will," she nodded. "I hope we see a Toxicroak, Mienshao or a Hitmonlee."

"I thought you already saw them?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I did, but I'd like to see them more. Those might be a little too tough for this battle, but who knows, maybe Maylene keeps some weaker ones around—"

"ATTENTION!"

Maylene yelled loudly into her microphone, creating a sound so obnoxious that all of the spectators stopped talking. Denzel covered his ears and grimaced with a swear.

"Come on people! We do this every time! Stay quiet during battles!" She said. "Welcome, challenger! This will be a four-on-four with two switches allowed. As Gym Leader, I reserve the right to use any Pokemon in my arsenal, and murdering a Pokemon will get you disqualified from the Circuit. Send out your Pokemon!"

"Was that necessary?" Cecilia whispered, her face scrunched up.

"Talk about loud…" Denzel said.

It was only now that I realized that Maylene's battle videos were always quiet because she demanded a silent audience. It was in line with the behavior I'd come to expect. She probably wanted her challenger to be as focused as possible. Louis sent out his Vulpix, and I smiled when Maylene sent out a Machoke. The species was a staple at her gym and she had many going from the third gym level all to way to the seventh. Machamp was always reserved for the eighth gym badge. Still, even if it wasn't the one I had a risk of fighting, I knew that Maylene trained all of her Pokemon in a very similar way, so any extra knowledge would help. Seeing battles in the flesh was always better than on a video screen.

Harsh sunlight began to press down on the arena. The referee slashed down with her arm and signaled the start of the battle.

"Flamethrower!" Louis immediately barked.

"Rock Tomb and get close!" Maylene said.

Vulpix opened her maw, and a surprisingly large stream of flames powered by Drought flew toward Machoke. The fighting type broke into a run and dashed toward the Flamethrower. At the last second, a stomp of her foot raised a rock twice her size in front of her. The flames burned the rock until it glowed red, and some of the fire still sizzled at Machoke's skin, but she was largely unharmed by the attack. My eyes narrowed when I saw that Machoke wasn't continuing on her path.

"Throw it at her!" Maylene yelled.

The fighting type's fingers dug into the rock, and she ripped it out of the ground before throwing it at Vulpix with all of her strength.

"Extrasensory!"

Vulpix's eyes shone bright pink as she altered the path of the Rock Tomb. The rock was so heavy and was flying by so fast that she was forced to roll to the left in order not to get hit. Machoke was already running again. The point hadn't been to actually hit her, but to buy time, and she'd done it perfectly. Louis bit his lip when Machoke approached and simply ignored the other Flamethrower that Vulpix hastily threw at her.

"Confuse Ray," he said through clenched teeth.

"Punch it!"

A strange light left Vulpix's head and entered Machoke's body, but the fighting type's punch still went through. It hadn't even been a move. Her arm just flexed, growing nearly twice its original size as she slammed a fist against Vulpix's head. The fire type went flying back, rolling on the ground and kicking up dust and rocks. She coughed as she stood up with trembling legs. Machoke bared her teeth, yelling at nothing and slamming her head against the floor until Maylene recalled her, using her first switch. The Gym Leader had a sinister look on her face as she grabbed her next Pokeball.

"He shouldn't have done that," I sighed. "Now she's going to hold back less."

"What would you have done instead?" Cecilia asked. Her eyes narrowed in interest when Maylene sent out a Mienfoo.

"With Vulpix? Try to hold Machoke back with Extrasensory instead. More risky, but it has a lower chance of blowing up in your face."

"Wonder what this little guy'll do," Denzel muttered.

"That's a girl," I corrected.

"Fake Out!" Maylene ordered.

Mienfoo blurred impossibly fast, appearing in front of Vulpix and slapping her so hard that the sound reverberated across the arena. The fire type barely had time to register what happened before Maylene spat out her next series of commands. Mienfoo seized Vulpix's throat, lifted her off the ground and slammed her face-first in the dirt. The beatings continued with simple punches, but Mienfoo only aimed for Vulpix's joints to stop her from getting up, and it worked.

"Stop it with Extrasensory!" Louis yelled.

Through the pain, Vulpix somehow managed to focus enough to use the move. She altered the air around Mienfoo, splitting them apart and pushing both of them away from each other. I smiled when I realized that Maylene's face had basically given her surprise away. She might have been holding back, as was very evident, but she still hadn't expected Vulpix to be able to concentrate and push through the pain.

"Flamethrower! Give it everything you have!"

"Bounce!"

Mienfoo's legs contracted, and she jumped high into the air, leaving a small crater in her place. The flames missed as well, but Vulpix followed the fighting type and kept the attack going. The fire intensified the closer it got to Drought's strange light, but Mienfoo was too far up to be hit. As if she'd been pushed by a sudden gust of wind, the fighting type instantly rushed toward Vulpix in a blur of motion, leaving behind a streak of disturbed air. Mienfoo's feet split the Flamethrower apart and she crushed Vulpix's head with a vicious kick from the air. The fire type was out for the count.

"I do not condone the use of Confuse Ray," she declared, her eyes staring right at Louis.

As the referee asked him to send out his second Pokemon, we all winced at the fact that she was kind of screwing him over just like I'd said.

"Talk about a bitch move," Pauline snarked with her hands crossed. "What kind of Gym Leader complains about a move? It's a damn battle!"

"You did it to Grace," Denzel said. "In Floaroma?"

"Oh. Right."

Louis sent out his Gabite, whose scales shimmered under Vulpix's Drought. He hadn't really had much of a choice. The fire type's ability would take a minute or two to fade, meaning that Prinplup would have been weakened. Even an amount of time that short was everything in a battle. Mienfoo squared herself and motioned for the dragon to come at her.

"Don't underestimate it," Louis said. "It's stronger than it looks. Sandstorm!"

Gabite roared, kicking up an enormous Sandstorm that blocked the view of the battle. Multiple groans ran through the audience, as they always did when something stopped them from seeing what was going on.

"Dig and Dragon Claw!" Louis yelled.

"Focus Punch."

I heard Gabite burrow as a single bright light began to shine where Mienfoo had just been. The next thirty seconds were silent, with only the sound of the raging Sandstorm to keep us company, but we knew that Gabite struck when we heard a loud rumble. Then, a crack, and the Sandstorm faltered, finally allowing us the see what was going on. Gabite struck at Mienfoo with glowing claws while the small fighting type struggled to dodge. The dragon was faster in a Sandstorm, it was also slowly whittling Mienfoo down. Mienfoo struck at Gabite's leg, and the ground type buckled, but a push and a sudden burst of speed allowed him to catch Mienfoo in his mouth.

"Dragon Breath!" Louis ordered.

A blue light overtook Mienfoo, and the fighting type crashed on the side of the barrier. Gabite was relentless and didn't allow her to rest, using his short wings to gain enough speed to overwhelm Mienfoo. He wouldn't be able to fly until he was a Garchomp, but he could already glide for short periods of time. Gabite sunk Mienfoo in a pit of sand and finished her off with a Dragon Claw.

"Not bad," Maylene said as she recalled Mienfoo. "You are taking this seriously after all."

It wasn't something I would have said, but it was true that Vulpix was getting outpaced by Gabite and Prinplup. I hadn't seen Pawniard fight, but I assumed that it was the same there. Louis would need to give her a Fire Stone if he wanted her to keep up.

Maylene sent out her Machoke again, probably hoping that her bulk would allow her to stop Gabite from throwing her around. Gabite's chest appeared to have been hit by Focus Punch due to it being slightly… concave, but apart from that, he seemed raring to go.

"Sand Tomb! Trap it!" Louis said.

"Rock Tomb!"

The ground under Machoke's feet turned to mud, but she rose a rock from the ground, this time under her feet. The fighting type sat on the rock cross-legged, leaned against a fist and awaited for Gabite to come to her with her sharp teeth bared.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Take it slow," Louis warned. "Dragon Breath."

Gabite snarled, clearly disliking the order, but he listened. A powerful blue stream of draconic energy flew toward Machoke, who avoided it by falling backward behind her rock. Louis tried to trick her by using Sand Tomb again, but the fighting type's reflexes were on point, and she avoided or blocked both attacks every time Louis threw them her way.

"Twister!"

A tornado began to form around Machoke, and this time, the fighting type couldn't dodge. What she did do, however, was throw the rock at Gabite to throw him off. I was surprised the trick had worked on Louis twice. Gabite took the Rock Throw head on, and the boulder broke against his tough scales, but Machoke was running toward him. The same thing that had happened with Vulpix was happening here.

"Dragon Claw!"

"Submission!"

Machoke's legs flexed as she dove, tackling Gabite to the ground with as much force as she could muster. The two slid against the ground as Gabite dug his claws into her flesh as quickly as he could, but Machoke grabbed his neck, putting him in a chokehold. The same thing Mienfoo had done.

This time, Machoke didn't throw Gabite's head against the ground. She kept him there, squeezing on him as much as she could. The sheer amount of pressure being applied made some of his scales pop right off his body, and while Gabite was hitting back and not letting this happen for free, the position made it incredibly awkward for him to do so. His Dragon Claws could merely hit the fighting type's arms while she stayed safely behind him.

Louis winced as he recalled Gabite. It'd been the smart choice. I had expected Machoke to overpower Gabite, but I thought the fight would be more equal than this. Louis stalled for a few seconds and then sent out his Prinplup as the Sandstorm slowly abated.

"Icy Wind!"

His command came out like thunder. As soon as the water type was out of his ball, the words had been coming out of his mouth. Prinplup honked as he beat his wings, and a frigid wind enveloped Machoke, who'd been too close to raise a protective boulder with Rock Tomb. Hell, even with the move, the wind would have affected her. The fighting type shook, her teeth shattering, but Maylene stomped a foot.

"Toughen up and Strength!"

Machoke somehow gained even more muscles and amassed unimaginable quantities of power. She was slow, but she could still move, and she ran as fast as she could toward Prinplup.

"Transition into Ice Beam!"

The Icy Wind narrowed until it was only a small ray of ice that pierced Machoke's chest. From the impact, frost grew and overtook the fighting type until she was covered in ice. Not frozen, but slow enough to never hope to reach Prinplup. Small icicles grew at the bottom of her chin and hugged her entire body. The water type stepped back, inhaled, and hit Machoke with another Ice Beam to finish her off. Louis wiped the sweat off his brow and sighed.

"This is kind of underwhelming," Pauline said.

"What?" Cece scoffed. "Are we looking at the same battle?"

"I dunno, I know Maylene is good, but it's… not as flashy as I thought it'd be."

That was what the fighting type was all about, at least around our level. They did not manipulate the elements, nor did they create mindbending effects on the field, but they were difficult to deal with and consistent. Had she not seen what had just happened to Gabite? A single mistake, and he got grabbed and restrained. If Louis hadn't had a switch, it would have been over.

I eyed Maylene as the referee finished talking, and she sent out a… Combusken. Against a water type, and when Louis had a Gabite in the back? I hadn't expected that at all. I ignored my friends and bit my lip as I tried to decipher what she was thinking. Her face wasn't one of someone who was deliberately holding back, but then again, maybe I couldn't read her that well yet.

"Water Pulse!" Louis ordered.

"Bulk Up! Stand your ground!" Maylene said.

The ring of water exploded against Combusken's body, drenching him in the process, but he didn't even flinch or get knocked back. A thin wave of energy emanated through his skin as he opened his eyes again. His body hadn't changed, but there was something different about him. Bulk Up had made him stronger and more resistant to attacks.

"Flame Charge!" The Gym Leader commanded, pointing at Prinplup.

Denzel gasped. "Holy fuck—"

Combusken was faster than I'd expected from something with legs that short. It was quicker than even Mienfoo and speeding up as he ran. Louis hurriedly barked, and Prinplup spat out another Water Pulse. Combusken side-stepped to the left, kicking the ground with his leg to spin himself around. Another push, and he was right next to Prinplup.

"Double Kick!"

Combusken jumped and dropkicked Prinplup, leaving red imprints on the water type's gut. Prinplup fell back, barely registering what had happened.

"Now Slash!"

"Water Pulse!" Louis stammered.

Dealing the most damage he could before Prinplup went down was the correct choice, at least if Louis wasn't switching. Combusken raked his claws against Prinplup's body, exposing the flesh below the skin while he desperately tried to fight back with Water Pulse. The ring of water crashed against Combusken's face, but the fire type didn't relent. He clawed Prinplup apart until…

Well, until he evolved.

Light overtook Prinplup as he grew into an Empoleon, and Maylene ordered her Combusken to stop. She was too honorable to keep attacking during such an important moment. Blue metal grew at the tip of his fins, but also split the front and back of his body in two and hid his neck. His beak extended and hardened into a crown that shone like gold.

"Congratulations," Maylene said. "Are you ready to resume?"

"Uh, yes."

"Very well, then. Double Kick!"

In an ironic twist of fate, Empoleon's evolution might have screwed Louis more than it had helped him. It had bought him a moment of respite to gather his thoughts and to get Combusken off his back, but Empoleon was slower than Prinplup had been, his body now held down by heavy steel. Not only that, but his steel typing also meant that fighting type moves would hurt him a lot more.

Combusken lifted a foot and kicked Empoleon twice in quick succession.

"Run away! Create a path using water!" Louis yelled.

Empoleon spat out a low-powered jet of water in a line all over the floor and staggered as Combusken hit him again, this time in the back. He flopped on his belly and slid across the field, but the fire type was right behind him.

He was still speeding up.

"I get it," Denzel snapped his fingers. "Speed Boost. It's a super rare ability that Torchic can get."

"Does that mean it continuously speeds up?" Cecilia asked. "Is there a limit to it?"

"Well, there is limit, but… uh, what's the opposite of exponential?"

"Logarithmic," she answered.

"Exactly! The ability grows less and less potent the more it's used in battle. It exhausts the Pokemon pretty quickly too, but I guess Maylene worked on that endurance factor."

"Turn around and hit him!" Louis said.

Empoleon flipped himself and started to slide on his back instead, but that meant that he'd be running out of water in just a few seconds. The newly anointed steel type quickly used another Water Pulse that grazed Combusken's rectangular head. It was a lot more powerful than before, but Combusken was quicker now.

Empoleon ran out of water to slide on, and his escape came to a screeching halt as the steel dug itself into the ground. Combusken sidestepped and kicked his flank, finally finishing him off. The fire type heaved and was noticeably tired, but he would probably be able to keep going for another battle like this. Louis wiped his mouth as he sent out his Gabite again.

"It's weak! Use Sand Tomb and finish it off!"

"Run in!" Maylene ordered with a sweep of her arm.

I was on the edge of my seat. Literally. Gabite turned vast swathes of the ground into a quagmire, but Combusken was too fast to get caught.

"Switch it up! Dragon Breath!"

This time, the dragon swept the arena with the attack. Twice. Combusken jumped over the first one, but Gabite anticipated a jump the second time and finally hit his opponent, slowing him down if only slightly. Before Louis could even say anything, he used the opportunity to sink Combusken into the floor and rushed forward, his claws glowing blue. He tore apart Combusken with a Dragon Claw as the fighting type used a desperate Ember to deal as much damage as possible before going down.

Maylene cracked her fingers as she sent out her final Pokemon. A shorter-than-average Gurdurr carrying a massive steel beam that was a silver grey, unlike the stereotypical red that I usually saw them with. Gurdurr flipped the beam with one hand and planted it against the ground.

"Sand Tomb!" Louis said.

I doubted that it was going to work this time, and I was correct. Gurdurr grappled onto his beam and then swung himself forward using the sheer momentum his strength had given him. He ran, dodging the attack with the same method.

"Dragon Breath!"

This was a battle of repetitions, it seemed. Gabite opened his mouth, spewing forth another powerful stream of draconic energy.

"Block it!"

Gurdurr flipped his beam, holding it horizontally as he ran. It shielded him from the majority of the damage, but his fingers and lower body were still damaged by the attack

"Dig—"

"Swing!"

I heard a massive clang as Gurdurr hit Gabite's head with his steel beam. The dragon type reeled with a vicious snarl as he bit down on one of Gurdurr's arms. The fighting type simply flexed to expel his teeth out of his member, and then slammed his steel beam against Gabite again, this time hitting the ground type's neck. Louis desperately ordered Gabite to Dig, but Gurdurr grabbed one of his arms and kept him on the surface.

Louis recalled his Gabite again, using his last switch of the battle. He'd been on the verge of tunnel visioning and losing hard here, but he'd made the smarter decision. The blond man hesitantly grabbed a Pokeball, then clipped it back to his belt, then grabbed it again. He sent out his Combee into the fight.

The bug type was so small we could barely see her different heads from the stands.

Maylene yelled, "Rock Throw!"

"Gust!" Louis snapped.

Despite being tiny, Combee's Gust was deceptively strong. Not the most powerful one I'd seen by any stretch, and weaker than what you would usually see at a fourth gym battle, but the goal here was obviously to whittle Gurdurr down for Gabite to finish him off. The wind swirled around Gurdurr, who grunted, but still summoned a jagged rock from the floor and threw it up at Combee one-handed. The bug type used her small size and easily avoided the attack, beating her wings as quickly as possible to further harm Gurdurr.

"Shred the rocks and do it again!" Maylene said.

This time, Gurdurr planted his beam on the ground and crushed the next rock using both his hands, reminding me of the same tactic Roark had used against Buddy with his Geodude all those months ago. His veins popped as he threw the rocks toward Combee—

"Sweet Scent!"

And the rocks went wide. Maylene clicked her tongue.

"Enough playing, Gurdurr. Defog and finish it off with your beam."

Ah. It was in moments like these that the fact that this was work to them sunk in. Once again, Maylene's emotions got the better of her and she held back less. Gurdurr grabbed his steel beam and swung it all around himself, dispelling Combee's Gust like it was nothing. Then, he threw the beam with a lot more precision and a lot faster than he'd done with any Rock Throw. The steel hit Combee's three faces and sent her crashing into the barrier, finishing her off in one hit.

Unfortunately, Combee would be extremely weak until she evolved, but all in all, she hadn't been a bad choice, especially when Pawniard probably would have gotten destroyed by a Pokemon like Gurdurr. His reach with his beam was unmatched when compared to other fighting types, and he would have made quick work of Pawniard.

Louis wiped the sweat off his eyes as he sent out his Gabite. Both Pokemon were tired, having suffered damage from previous battles. This could be anyone's game.

"Dig," Louis exhaled.

This time, Gurdurr hadn't been close enough to keep him from burying. The fighting type anxiously scanned for any disturbances in the ground.

For twenty seconds, there was silence. Louis leaned against his knees and fought for air while Maylene simply stared with an intense look on her face.

Gabite unburrowed below Gurdurr with incredible momentum that I hadn't seen from him before. He practically flew, bringing the fighting type into the air with him as he clawed at his torso. Gurdurr kept a tight grip on his steel beam and pushed it against Gabite, throwing the dragon type off of him. Both of them landed with a loud crash that kicked up enough dust to be mistaken for a small Sandstorm.

Both also stood up. Both Pokemon circled each other as they slowly closed in. Gabite was too close now to use Dig again. Maylene and Gurdurr would punish him instantly and use another headlock, and that meant defeat.

"Bulldoze!" Louis commanded.

Gabite slammed a foot against the ground, and it began to shake. Gurdurr planted his beam on the ground and perched himself on it, but that was what Louis had been waiting for.

"Rush it and knock it off!"

With another burst of speed, Gabite glided toward Gurdurr as he became a blur. The fighting type's eyes widened as he tried to take refuge behind his steel beam, but Gabite was too quick. The dragon rammed into Gurdurr, digging his two claws into his shoulders as he finally tore the fighting type away from his weapon. With a primal roar, Gabite slashed with Dragon Claw and Gurdurr fought back with punching attacks that I couldn't place.

Only Gabite remained afterward. He stood up from Gurdurr's unconscious body and roared once more, sending spittle everywhere and slamming a claw against his chest. Maylene somehow recalled Gurdurr and then his metal beam as Louis sighed in relief. It had been dangerously close, but he'd won even though Empoleon's evolution had almost screwed him over.

A detrimental evolution. Wasn't that a funny thought?