CHAPTER 206 - Psychological Warfare

Three days had passed since the interview, and it had apparently been a smashing success. Or at least that's what Melody told me. She spoke of ratings going up for the SGNC and other terms I didn't really care about. I was personally just glad it was over. The interview itself hadn't been as bad as I thought, but what came after still bothered me somewhat. Mallory's irrational hatred for trainers looked so visceral to me in that moment when we spoke that it gave me the creeps. Too bad her stupid hate overtook her other good points.

The people at the Poketch Company had tentatively agreed on the raise if I kept up doing good work for them, so that was even better news. Hell, I even got a message from Candice complaining that I hadn't told her that I'd be on TV. I felt bad for leaving her hanging and we spoke for the first time in a while. The ice-type Gym Leader hadn't changed one bit, and she was happy she was going to get more challengers soon now that the worse of winter had passed.

My friends were all proud of me, and Denzel even thanked me for not throwing him under the bus during the interview. I could have spoken about his Budew— hell, I even could have talked about Scyther, but I kept to my own experiences. So long as they had learned and wouldn't do it again like I would, then bygones could be bygones. Plus, Roserade had forgiven Denzel, even if she still gave him a hard time sometimes and Scyther and Cece were making progress.

Yes, Roserade. He'd bought her a Shiny Stone, and now he was completely broke and decided to do more streams to fill up his coffers again. Little Swablu was kind of an enigma for me. She seemed to dislike everyone except Denzel, and even he sometimes wasn't spared by her wrath. One time, he'd tried to put her on the sidewalk and off his head and she bit his finger in retaliation. She was a real cleanliness freak and considered everything that wasn't her trainer's hands dirty.

At least he was treating her right.

"Hello, I'm here to sign up for a gym battle?"

I'd entered Maylene's gym, and I was finally ready for the battle. The soonest I got was in four days, but that was perfectly fine. That was more time to prepare, and Chase hadn't even had his battle yet. We'd have to wait for him before leaving anyway, since we were all traveling together. Mira had handily won her own battle, and Porygon had seen some fighting. The normal type wasn't as powerful as her other Pokemon yet, but the amount of move variety she brought to the table couldn't be underestimated.

I spent the next four days isolated and preparing as much as I could, and the day of the Gym Battle came in a flash.

—

"You ready for this?"

Togetic nodded firmly with a fire lit in her eyes. I caressed her cheek and placed her forehead against mine, and we lay still there for a minute. I heard the cheers of the crowd, signaling that Maylene had probably lost. I was too busy to look at whoever came back in the waiting room. I took deep, slow breaths as I recalled Togetic and she melted in a sea of red around my hand. The Gym Trainer outfitted me with the usual microphone, and I made sure my Poketch Watch was fully visible. Couldn't let my bosses be unhappy.

When I opened my eyes, it was as if I was looking at myself. An objective view of the situation presented itself before me, and I was the calmest I'd ever been. The touch of my clothes against my skin, Tangrowth's Pokeball I had unconsciously grabbed or the feel of my steps against the floor, all of that was gone. It was like I was in a sensory deprivation chamber, and I had only one goal in mind.

What did the girl want?

To execute each step of the strategy flawlessly and win.

What did the girl need to reach that point?

To come at this with the most pragmatic, objective view of the world possible. Maylene was no longer a person. She was an obstacle.

So I felt lighter as I made my way onto the platform. With a step, I shed my morals. With another, I shed my last doubts. With the last, I shed my worries about what people might think of me if this went wrong. I had not come here to play. I came to win using every tool at my disposal, and I would have gone further had I had no monetary or social concerns. Maylene walked onto the platform with a spry step and began to speak.

"Welcome Challenger…"

I ignored her speech and looked at her fingers instead. Not twitching, so she must have had a good time during that last battle. Not good. Her body was relaxed, although it was a little tough to see from here. There was the faintest hint of a smile on her face. She was starting high, so I'd have to bring her crashing down. Annoying. The battle would be a five-on-five with three swaps, as usual. I immediately released Tangrowth onto the field, and Maylene brought out a Sawk. The blue Pokemon flexed and squared himself.

Sawk. Grappler, Aura user, quicker and bulkier than he looks, I recited in my head. Little move variety, most likely brought out to scout out my capabilities. Good at complicated Aura techniques, but might not use them yet.

There were two endings to this battle. Two branching paths, and they were not defeat or victory. They had to do with Maylene's state of mind. Either she would be pushed toward the brink, or she would wake up and realize that there was more to battling than staying inside of her comfort zone. I hoped that it would be the latter, but I would not stop myself if it was the former.

"Begin!" The referee yelled.

"Go ahead, baby," I said, my eyes unmoving.

Tangrowth began to trudge along, slowly at first, but he was continuously speeding up. The base of our first pillars rose out of the earth as his eyes shone with Ancient Power. He'd trained so much with the move that he was capable of raising two at a time, and soon the first row was completed.

"Don't let them set up! Go in and Brick Break!" She yelled.

We'd planned for this, of course. I would have been a fool to think Maylene would just let us alter the arena. Angel finished raising the first four rows and crossed into Maylene's half the arena as Sawk sprinted toward him.

"Stun Spore," I said.

Maylene's eye twitched the moment the words left my mouth, but Sawk retreated before the cloud of yellow spores could reach him. His reflexes were just as good as I'd seen, and it was a shame that I hadn't paralyzed him, but just me being able to zone him off of Angel was fine. Tangrowth zigzagged through the arena, and rows G, F, and E quickly erupted from the ground, but Sawk was following close by. Not close enough to get hit or grabbed by Angel, but close enough to keep us on our toes and have Tangrowth in his line of sight.

"Aura Sphere!" Maylene yelled.

"Block it with vines."

Sawk flexed his body, extended his arms and a pale blue ball flew out of his hand. Tangrowth tied as many vines he could into a knot and brought them forward. The Aura Sphere exploded after nearly shredding through the majority of the vines and Tangrowth continued on his path. After another minute, he had created all of their bases. The first fifth of the actual height I needed them to be.

"Enough playing around," Maylene hissed. "Aura Lance!"

Already? I must have been annoying her.

Which meant her mood was souring already. Good. A blue light extended out of Sawk's hand reminiscent of Lucario's Bone Rush, and the fighting type began to wield it like a spear. I already knew that it was capable of extending at least threefold, and it'd easily be able to stab Angel like Lucario had during my battle with Chase. Either way, Tangrowth's job was done for now, so I recalled the grass type. I made sure to wait until right before Sawk hit him with his lance, of course. Taking the joy of striking Tangrowth down from Maylene would make her angrier, especially when she'd only missed by an inch.

I silently sent out Princess and watched as she got to work. Her eyes shone, and with a grunt, the first tower began to extend, as if someone had pinched the top of the structure and pulled it upward. Her sculpting, her masterful control and her intense training had all come to this. Maylene barked out an order, and Sawk sent out a series of Aura Spheres flying toward Togetic, but she fluttered her wings and manipulated the wind to gain quick bursts of speed and dodged, but she unfortunately got hit twice. Both times on her chest. Most of the towers didn't reach the desired height of thirty feet, but the ones closest to Maylene did.

"Wish," I said.

"Will you ever attack?!" Maylene yelled. She stomped a foot on the ground and recalled Sawk as a bright light flew out of Togetic's body and into the sky.

I let her words slide for now and reveled in her anger. If I'd been good enough, I would have mimicked sadness or faked flinched, but unfortunately every time I pretended to act one way, it still looked terribly fake, so I opted to stay calm instead. I wouldn't talk back. Not yet. Maylene sent out an Infernape. I had figured she'd use at least one fire type against me because of Togetic and Tangrowth, and she hadn't disappointed. Infernape wasn't great at Aura, although it had mastered Force Palm. If I had to guess, Maylene had brought her out to attack at a distance. That means Heat Wave, Flamethrower, Focus Blast, I recited in my head.

"Climb those pillars and Flamethrower that Togetic out of the sky!" Maylene yelled.

Infernape sank behind one of the towers and a cry from Togetic let me know she was currently on C2. I saw a glimpse of him jump one row ahead, and it soon became apparent that the fire type would be able to fight in the air thanks to our pillars. That hadn't been according to plan, but I had grown.

No panic came.

I waited until the fighting type stopped. She hung on a pillar supported by a single hand. As soon as she opened her mouth and flames lit up her throat, I sprung to action.

"Ancient Power, make her fall."

Togetic's eyes shone as she flung the small ledge Infernape had been hanging onto. The fire type tumbled and desperately tried to get a grip to stop her fall.

"Air Cutter."

The air below Infernape sharpened like blades and rushed upwards, cutting into the fire type's fur and skin until she bled from a dozen deep cuts. Infernape crashed into the floor and grunted in pain as she scrambled back to her feet. She rolled to the right, narrowly avoiding another Air Cutter and she retreated behind a pillar.

"Strike behind B4," I said.

I internally smiled when I heard her scream again. I hadn't seen the attack, but it had hit, and even Maylene was surprised. After all, Princess was hiding behind one of the towers out of Maylene's line of sight, and she hadn't expected her to be so versatile.

"Fine then," Maylene said. "If you're going to be a coward, I'll stop pulling my punches."

Now the real battle could begin. Twice now, she had spoken, and twice I had ignored her. I would not do so the third.

"Acrobatics and Heat Wave!" Maylene yelled with a sweep of her arm. "Stick to the middle corridor so I can see you!"

Infernape grunted and began to climb twice as fast, flipping and jumping in between pillars while Togetic tried to hit her with Air Cutter. The fire type front flipped and snaked around a tower as the air around her became sweltering. With a slight wave of a hand, it rushed forward and burned all in its path. Princess cried out and quickly hid behind one of the columns, but that wouldn't be enough to protect herself from the wind. She quickly raised a psychic barrier and although some of the hot air slipped past the transparent shield, it protected her from the worst of the damage.

Infernape wasn't stopping, of course. The Heat Wave was continuous and Princess had to focus everything she had on defense.

"Go in and Psychic."

Maylene's eyes widened as Princess exposed herself to the scorching temperatures and flew toward Infernape. I struggled to retain my calm persona when her short fur began to darken and burn, but she wasn't taking damage for no reason. I hadn't forgotten about Wish, and neither had Maylene.

"Flamethrower!" She yelled.

"Extrasensory,"

The air between the two Pokemon grew strange and blurry. The Flamethrower did not simply pass through. Instead, it loosened and became less concentrated. Less potent. Togetic dove through the flames with a mad stare and grabbed Infernape by the throat with Psychic right as Wish returned to her body and healed some of the damage she had taken. Togetic ransacked through Infernape's brain and the fire type bled's nose began to bleed—

I stared at Maylene, my eyes unblinking. Her arm was twitching— hand approaching Pokeball!

"Put her behind a pillar!" I yelled, my words barely coherent. I'd broken my demeanor for the first time.

Togetic grunted and slammed Infernape against one of the stone towers. Maylene had grabbed her Pokeball to switch out, and she did try, but the homing system didn't work that well. It wouldn't be capable of making a turn that sharp. The red light helplessly washed up against the stone.

Maylene's Infernape slowly lost consciousness away from her view. All Maylene could hear was her small groans of pain and Princess finishing the job. She was powerless to do anything. All she could do was watch.

Just like her life outside of this gym.

"Infernape is unable to battle! Leader Maylene, send out your second—"

"You're a terrible person," Maylene interrupted. "Not only are you a coward, but you're a shell of a human. Do you think I don't see you taking pleasure in what you're doing? That Togetic took longer than what was needed to take Infernape down!"

Princess ignored her and simply threw Infernape toward the middle of the arena like a rag so Maylene could recall her, and I didn't miss that tight clench of her fist. She wasn't exactly wrong. Princess had taken longer to finish off Infernape, just like I'd told her to before the battle. Plans were fluid, but beating one of her Pokemon while preventing her from switching out had been my goal from the start. Making her hear the pained noises of her Pokemon was simply a means to an end.

Third time, and another personal insult, I mused. Now I could finally speak. Rebuke her firmly, but politely. Don't rise to her level, make her look like the bad guy. Gaslight, but do not obstruct.

"You've been insulting me and my way of battling since the start of the battle, Leader Maylene," I said. "I'm just trying my best to win the battle. Sorry if I've offended you."

"You—" She spat, but then stopped as she recalled her Infernape and her shoulders sagged.

Now, one of her strongest was going to come out right away to take revenge on Princess. She disliked any Pokemon that didn't fight within her rules, but what I'd done went beyond that. I had essentially assured that she would want to take down Togetic as soon as she could and right away. I rolled my neck when she sent out her Conkeldurr. The hulking fighting type carried two concrete cylinders larger than me in both hands. Not what I had expected, but it made sense. It was one of the most powerful fighting types she had at this badge level and Air Cutter would do terribly against him. Plus, he was so heavy that Princess would never be able to restrain him with Psychic, even if it would deal damage.

And I recalled Togetic immediately. Maylene's face fell.

If you want to play like this, I will not give you an ounce of satisfaction this battle, I thought to myself. It was like I'd pulled the rug from under her. I released Jellicent, who rose high into the sky and instantly summoned a Night Shade. The shadows intertwined until they became a clone, and while the real Jellicent seeped into one of the pillars after a small drop of water fell next to my side of the arena, the Night Shade remained in full view.

Maylene clicked her tongue. "The Night Shade's a distraction. Watch out for the real one! Bulk Up!"

Conkeldurr flexed, and his muscles bulged, growing even further as a dozen veins popped out from under his skin. One thing was for sure, one hit from that and Buddy would disintegrate. We had to play fast and loose with him, which was the plan in the first place. With a silent, ghastly whistle, the Night Shade flew forward and spat out a Water Pulse at Conkeldurr, who raised one of his concrete pillars in front of himself.

The ring of water blew up against the concrete and only dealt minimal damage, but that was fine. The goal of the shade was just to provide support, harass and distract. My eyes drifted to the right side of the arena, where Jellicent had left the tiniest part of his body. The water circled on the floor, meaning that the ghost type was close to his target. Maylene probably believed that she'd be able to see him approach, but she was horribly mistaken.

Maylene's face swung to her left, and I assumed Jellicent was out of the pillar and right behind Conkeldurr.

"Hydro Pump," I said.

I didn't see him actually use the move, but I did see the enormous high-pressurized jet of water dig into Conkeldurr. The fighting type grunted, protecting his face with his huge arms and the Night Shade began to pester him with weakened Shadow Balls instead. The ghostly energy hit the fighting type, but my eyes widened slightly when I saw that Conkeldurr was still moving.

"Throw!" Maylene ordered.

Conkeldurr throw one of his concrete columns at speeds that looked impossible toward Buddy. I didn't see what happened to him, but I did see his remains splatter all over the floor, pillars, and barrier. The Shade quickly floated toward Conkeldurr with a hiss and blew up against the fighting type to buy Jellicent some time to reform. All of the water type's fragments desperately crawled back together and he slipped into the pillars once again.

"Keep your distance," I said.

Attacks like Hydro Pump were the strongest the closer we were, but as it stood, Conkeldurr's throws were faster than they had seemed on camera.

"Rock Slide!" Maylene yelled.

There it was, I internally cursed. The first move I hadn't known about. The tower Jellicent had retreated into collapsed in on itself and forced him out into the open, after which Conkeldurr threw his other concrete column and blew the ghost type up again. Rock Throw would never have been enough to collapse our pillars, but Rock Slide was another story entirely. There were still thirty-five left standing.

"Come back," I said.

Buddy's fragments slowly returned to my side of the arena, and Maylene used the opportunity to order Conkeldurr to go pick up his concrete columns again. As if each glob of water was alive, it rose into the sky and formed into Buddy, who apologized for his weakness. It wasn't exactly his fault. We were going against a Bulked Up Conkeldurr, which was one of Maylene's most physically strong Pokemon. Even if he solidified his body, he would have blown up.

"Another Shade and make it continuously use Poison Sting," I said. "We're using Drown."

I finished the order by flicking my finger downward twice.

Jellicent let out a series of clicks to agree and another Night Shade came to life. The ghostly construct wasted no time and began to spit out sharp darts dripping with poison. Conkeldurr had done away with A2, A3 and B3 when the first darts arrived. Only a few buried themselves into his arm before he retreated behind one of the pillars, but the Shade quickly circled around as many columns as it could to get a good angle on the fighting type. We were forcing him to move and shield himself using his concrete pillars so he wouldn't throw it at Buddy instead. Maylene didn't want to run the risk of one of her strongest fighters being poisoned.

I hadn't even seen where Buddy had gone, but I did know he was somewhere under the floor. I bit the inside of my lip when one of Conkeldurr's pillars almost grazed the Night Shade.

"Enough of this game!" Maylene yelled as she recalled the fighting type.

I stayed silent.

"You think you're real cool, don't you?" She huffed. "Lucario!"

The bipedal fighting type appeared on the field in a flash of red.

"This is serious. No holding back," she added.

Lucario blinked, but then a blue light surrounded him. It danced and spun around his body, as if he couldn't contain the amount of Aura he had at his disposal. This was thankfully a badge-appropriate Lucario, but that didn't mean much when the fighting type was going to go at us like his life depended on it. I contained my excitement as best I could. She expected to steamroll me now, but if I took down Lucario? I would damage her psychologically to such an extent that she would never behave the same way during this battle again.

The Poison Stings from the Night Shade refused to enter Lucario's skin, so the ghost switched up to Shadow Ball instead. A blue bone grew out of Lucario's hand and the fighting type split the attack in two. It didn't even explode. It dissolved with an infuriated scream.

"Drown," I said again.

Jellicent appeared below Lucario's feet and enveloped the fighting type's body as his head swelled to three times its size. It had been a technique we'd developed to take down Team Galactic grunts and Pokemon. Of course, we were using the non-lethal version, where Jellicent wouldn't forcefully enter Lucario's lungs and instead would just swarm him using water TE. The fighting type thrashed inside of Jellicent's head, but Maylene stomped her foot.

"Aura Burst!"

Buddy exploded for the third time, but this time, he didn't reform right away. Instead, the pieces of his body spluttered and squirmed against the floor as if he'd been confused. Damn it, even while drowning, he could do that? Aura required a Pokemon's concentration, so I hadn't expected him to be able to use the damn thing.

"Wait until it gains shape again and Vacuum Wave," Maylene said with her arms crossed.

I stood still until Jellicent regained most of his body mass, and I recalled him before he could be hurt further. Maylene clicked her tongue. She could have Vacuum Waved earlier, but that ran the risk of a part of Jellicent's body reforming elsewhere while she was distracted.

"Cut down these pillars with Bone Rush."

This came with no surprise. I'd known that Lucario's Aura-infused Bone Rush could cut through rocks like butter. No matter how much I'd racked my brain, I hadn't figured out a clean counter for this Lucario. What I had instead was a contingency plan, but first, Honey would have to do some work. The electric type roared, spinning his arms around as electricity crackled like whips all around him. B2, B3 and C2 had all collapsed into rubble.

Even if Vacuum Wave would either weaken or disintegrate elemental attacks, they still served a purpose. I ordered Electabuzz to use Thunderbolt, and Lucario had to stop destroying the pillars to counter the ray of electricity.

"Go in and keep using Thunderbolt," I said.

Electricity roared brightly as Lucario countered each strike with another Vacuum Wave. When we got close enough, the tail-end of the attack actually hit him, leaving us with the perfect opening. All that training had paid off.

"Cross Chop."

Honey put his arms into an 'X' shape as they shone and slammed down on Lucario's shoulders. The steel type grunted with widening eyes, and Maylene nearly gasped in surprise, but they both recovered quickly.

"Force Palm!"

Electabuzz quickly blurred back, but Lucario's Force Palm brimmed with so much Aura that the attack burst forth and extended past the normal range and erupted like a volcano. The attack went through Honey's body, but it did not actually stab him. It probably felt like it had, though, and the electric type buckled, doubling over as he clenched at his chest and sizzling fur.

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"Bone Rush!"

"Protect and Fire Punch," I commanded.

Honey didn't even raise his hands. The barrier appeared around him unconsciously and Lucario had hit so hard that the blue bone nearly bounced out of his hand. Electabuzz's fist lit ablaze within the confines of Protect, and he punched Lucario in the leg while the fighting type managed to strike his ribcage. Lucario simply hissed in pain, but Honey went flying backwards and grabbed at his ribs when he stood up.

"Feels broken?" I asked.

He answered by saying that he didn't know, but it hurt when he drew breaths too quickly.

"Lucario, go in and finish him off!" Maylene yelled.

"I'm out of switches, Hon, I'm sorry," I softly said. "Do you want to be taken out of the fight?"

I was out of switches, but his health took priority. Electabuzz shook his head and flexed. He would not go down without a fight. Somehow, me ignoring the Lucario running at us had angered Maylene further and she looked like she was about to pop a blood vessel. I just needed to push her over the edge a little more. Lucario was faster and stronger than Chase's, but Electabuzz had already had a run-in with the species.

"Thunderbolt," I ordered.

The electricity zapped Lucario, but the fighting type didn't even blink. He pushed forward with a bone in hand and slammed against another one of Honey's Protects. The electric type's fist caught on fire again, and it looked like it'd be another hit for hit.

Instead, I said this. "Discharge."

Electricity so bright I had to cover my eyes exploded all around Electabuzz. He'd improved leaps and bounds with the move, and the floor shook under my feet as the attack ran its course. Lucario blinked rapidly and swung his bone around in an attempt to blindly hit Electabuzz while he regained his vision, but the electric type sidestepped and slammed Lucario with another Cross Chop. Unfortunately, that had alerted the steel type to his presence, and he swatted Electabuzz away with an aura-infused slap.

I waited a few seconds to see if Honey would stand up, but he didn't. He'd done more than he knew, and Lucario was obviously tiring—

And… convulsing?

My eyes widened and I had to stop myself from laughing like a madwoman. Static had come into effect, and Lucario was paralyzed. The steel type leaned against a knee and grunted to Maylene, who snarled with a loud scream. I knew that was unusual when the referee had to ask her to remain calm after he announced that Electabuzz was unable to battle.

"Are you alright?" I asked. "I'm sorry if I—"

"Send out your Pokemon," she hissed.

"Okay. Sorry."

Her anger was music to my ears. That satisfaction from having taken one of my Pokemon out had been completely ripped away through a stroke of bad luck. It wasn't like Lucario was unable to fight, however, and the situation was still relatively equal on the field. We'd both lost one Pokemon, but to Maylene, it felt like she'd been on the backfoot the entire battle, and she was losing it. Now would she learn, or would she sink further?

Since Lucario was paralyzed, the contingency plan had changed. Originally, Togetic would have finished Lucario off, but now…

I sent out Jellicent again this time. Now that Lucario was paralyzed, we were better equipped to deal with him. I didn't want to risk Princess or Angel yet, and we'd made a plan to address Buddy's explosive ways that ought to work, especially when Lucario was paralyzed. Now was the perfect time to reveal it to sink Maylene further.

"Hydro Pump," I said smoothly.

Water exploded outward in a tight cylinder and barrelled toward Lucario. The steel type groaned as he stood, aiming a hand forward and—

Too slow. The water hit him like a truck and sent him sprawling on the floor. Maylene clenched a fist.

"Forget Vacuum Wave, strike back with Aura Sphere!"

Lucario's movements were sluggish, as if the Pokemon had barely woken up and he was sometimes overtaken by a spasm, but he was powerful enough to push through. Buddy spat out another Hydro Pump, but Lucario managed to get an Aura Sphere out. The ball of concentrated Aura as large as my torso split the pressurized water apart. Jellicent easily dodged with a Water Sport, but my eyes widened when I realized that Lucario was speeding up. The ghost type kept narrowly dodging Aura Spheres and striking back with Hydro Pump until Lucario was back at 90% of his speed.

Steadfast, I guessed. Could be Inner Focus as well. He'd learned to either focus or push through the paralysis.

I could possibly get Jellicent to hide away, but that meant Maylene would order Lucario to take down pillars, and those were still essential to Angel and Princess' performance. Then again, her taking down one or two wasn't much of a problem, but they'd be able to collapse them way too quickly for my liking.

One of Lucario's Aura Spheres struck Jellicent, but he'd reflexively solidified and lost a chunk of his body instead of exploding everywhere. The missing part of his head quickly regenerated with Recover, much to Maylene's displeasure. Buddy was my most annoying Pokemon to fight because it looked like you made no progress whatsoever when you attacked, even when that was the furthest thing from the truth. I knew him, and I knew he was slowly tiring. Hydro Pump still took a lot out of him and left him vulnerable whenever he charged it up.

It was time to go back to the tried and true, then.

"Use Brine as close to the ground as you can."

Clouds materalized right above Lucario's head and raindrops stabbed into the steel type until he roared in anger and purged the entire move. The shock wave caused Jellicent's body to ripple and the water type clicked in discomfort. Just how long would he last? Lucario was getting more powerful the closer he got to fainting.

Calm down, I breathed. You're fine. Grace is fine.

"Make it higher, then," I continued.

This time, more rain fell onto him like bullets out of range for the Aura Burst trick Lucario had used, but he raised a palm up and used Vacuum Wave. The attack did not stretch up enough to dispel the clouds, but it did completely ruin Brine's offensive powers.

"Bomb him with Night Shade."

Half-formed, misshapen horrors appeared all around Jellicent, and it was as if their mere presence dimmed the room. These wouldn't be able to use moves and were weaker than if he focused on one, but I was willing to try anything to finish off Lucario as fast as possible. The shadows rushed Lucario, who clenched his teeth and exploded with Aura again upon Maylene's order, causing a chain reaction in the shades that made them all explode.

"Again, space them out," I said.

I would probe, probe and probe until the dam broke and I punched through her defenses. Lucario huffed and could barely stand up straight after dispatching of the first two with Bone Rush, but the rest made contact. The shadows swelled, their eyes glimmered and they exploded right next to Lucario. When the purple smoke cleared, the steel type had finally gone down.

"Lucario is unable to battle! Leader Maylene, send out your third Pokemon!"

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Maylene asked.

"I am, I love battling."

"You call this battling?" She said as she grabbed her next Pokeball. "You use nothing but tricks. There's no hard work behind your tactics. You hide away until you win."

No hard work? I'd spent countless hours preparing for this, every detail, every single possibility, every minute of this battle, every word out of my mouth planned to meticulous detail.

"I don't think a Gym Leader should behave like this," I said, ignoring the fact that I'd been the one who turned her this way. "I've never seen any other Gym Leader insult their challengers this way."

The teenager flinched, recoiling as if I'd physically slapped her. Yes, think about what your friends would think when they saw this. Let it eat you up inside.

Maylene said nothing and let out a short, unassuming pink Pokemon. I knew better than to underestimate Medicham. She was as big of a threat as Lucario, or possibly bigger against Pokemon like Buddy. If I could have, I would have switched, but alas, I had to deal with what I had.

"Night Shade and Shadow Ball," I said.

"Detect and Calm mind!" Maylene ordered. There was a lot less zest in her voice now.

I knew Medicham to be an excellent user of Aura, so there was no point sending Night Shades to explode on her. The fighting type's body bent unnaturally as she dodged both Shadow Balls and her eyes shone. Calm Mind had brought her clarity, and her powers would be increased for the remainder of the fight.

"High Jump Kick is coming," I warned. "Keep attacking, don't let her Medicham breathe."

"You think you knowing changes anything? Go ahead Medicham!"

The psychic type silently jumped, leaving not even a small disturbance on the ground. She spun and coated a fist in Aura as she disintegrated a Shadow Ball with a tight jab and she pushed against one of the pillars, propelling herself at incredibly high speeds.

"Poison Sting!" I ordered.

The sharpened darts flew out of Jellicent and his Shade's mouths, but Medicham waved a hand and stopped all of their momentum, leaving them to fall to the floor as the psychic continued her jump. Jellicent moved out of the way with Water Sport, but Medicham grabbed onto him—

She didn't. She grabbed onto nothing and dragged him down with her psychic powers as they crashed toward the floor. The fighting type immediately stood and clenched a fist, and Jellicent rippled as she kept him locked in place.

"Force Palm."

It came as a gentle touch. Blue light glowed from her palm until it extended like a spear and stabbed into Jellicent's body. Unlike the others, this Force Palm was refined and nearly silent. The water type's eyes dimmed and he finally went down. He'd pulled his weight during this battle, that was for sure.

I released Angel next for a flurry of reasons. One, he wouldn't be able to deal with Conkeldurr or Sawk on his own, so it was better to have him be useful here. Two, his heavy weight meant that Medicham wouldn't be able to throw him around. She'd still be able to move him or restrain him, though. After all, Medicham had dragged Jellicent down with her, and he was heavier than he looked even in his more liquid form.

But three, we had Knock Off and Sunny Day. Now that Maylene had locked in her five Pokemon, she wouldn't be able to trap me with a fire type like Zachary had and four, it was finally time to start using the pillars again.

"Sunny Day," I ordered.

"Psycho Cut!" Maylene barked.

Medicham cut horizontally across the air and weaved an arc of psychic energy that flew toward Tangrowth. The grass type raised a boulder in front of him, but the psychic force cleaved through the rock like a leaf and slammed into him, interrupting his attack.

"Don't let them set up and stay at a distance!" She yelled. "Keep using Aura Sphere or Psycho Cut!"

"Go and hide, Angel."

The grass type ran off behind a pillar, using his vines to speed up while Medicham pressured him with his attacks. An Aura Sphere buried itself deep inside of Tangrowth, causing his vines to writhe in pain, but he soon managed to get behind one of the columns. Medicham hadn't stayed idle during this. The psychic skulked through the stone forest, determined not to let Tangrowth get any respite.

"Go in now!" I snapped.

The whiplash on Maylene's face was delicious, and it was now that I realized how valuable Zachary's advice had been. Going from hiding to attacking right away had been like a metaphorical slap. Tangrowth wrapped thick vines around two pillars and catapulted himself forward.

"Psychic!" Maylene ordered. But she'd been so slow. She was more passive than she'd been at the beginning of the battle, which was more proof I'd been getting to her. There was a key thing about Maylene every challenger missed no matter what level they were at. She was not used to being pushed in battle because everyone wanted an easier time against her. If you broke her rules, Maylene would strike back any way she could by using stronger moves and techniques, but push her enough and she would also start slipping and making mistakes.

Angel slowed, and then dropped like a rock in front of Medicham. His eyes twitched as the psychic applied force to his brain and squeezed it like a grape.

"Knock Off," I said.

Void consumed five of Angel's vines as he jutted them forward, easily breaking out of Medicham's psychic hold. He wrapped them all around Medicham, but focused on her head and neck. The closer the darkness was to a psychic's brain, the more jumbled their thoughts would get. The fighting type shivered as the alien force interfered with her powers. My eyes snapped back to Maylene, and I saw her arm move.

"Drag her behind a pillar quick!"

Angel stumbled through the arena and tried to stop Maylene from using her last swap by extending the vines that bound Medicham behind one of the columns, but she managed to get the fighting type back into her ball. Barely.

"Get that Sunny Day off," I said, not missing a beat.

A second sun appeared high in the sky, above even the tallest of stone towers and Angel shook in anticipation. Maylene bit her lip and hesitated on what Pokemon to send out next. I bet she was wishing she still had a slot for another fire type. A thousand what-ifs ran through her mind and after twenty seconds, she finally sent out Conkeldurr. Doubt had seeped into her mind like a poison. What if she wasn't a good Gym Leader? What would the other Leaders say? What would her father say? This was just work. A routine battle. Yet in her head, it had transformed into a fight to defend her way of running the Gym.

"Restraining him won't work," I quickly warned. "Run off and hide."

Make her mind race, I thought to myself. Make her stew in her worries about what I have planned.

"Bulk Up and then follow Tangrowth! Don't let it get away!"

It was impressive, how fast Angel was with the power of the sun at his back. He was going as fast as a truck with a driver slamming down the gas pedal, and Conkeldurr had very little hope of catching up. The grass type settled behind G3 and faced me.

I craned my neck. "A3, going down the corridor. D3… he's gone to the fourth row, I can't see him anymore."

"Stop. Talking!" Maylene yelled.

Angel's vines dropped and the slithered across the ground behind him. They were sensors. They extended fifty feet and twitched like worms. Tangrowth waved at me twenty seconds later.

"Wrap it around his feet and Giga Drain," I said.

I couldn't exactly see what was going on, and neither could Maylene, but the annoying grunts from Conkeldurr were a good sign. The fighting type could easily crush the vines or tear them apart, but he'd be slowed and we'd whittle him down. Angel quickly ran away when Conkeldurr got close enough, leaving a trail of spores behind him as he retreated a few rows away.

"Rock Slide! Force them to come to us!" Maylene snapped.

To be honest, I'd been surprised she hadn't just done that right away, but maybe she was just that focused on beating the hell out of my Pokemon. Conkeldurr grunted, and G3 collapsed into rubble. Then G2, then F2. Instead of following us, he was content to clear the way for him to simply throw his concrete pillars at Angel. I doubted the grass type would be able to counter them in any way, shape, or form.

Luckily for me, all of these collapsing twenty to thirty-foot pillars had kicked up dust that hampered everyone's visibility, but I could still guess where Conkeldurr was through which one of them went down, while the reverse wasn't true. I waited until I saw a sign of Angel, and I smiled when I finally noticed him at the edges of the debris. Walking was growing difficult for him on all of this rubble, but the sun still meant he was nearly twice as fast.

"Stay where I can see you and probe with your vines—"

I flinched when a huge concrete pillar slammed into Angel's back with so much force it sent him rolling forward.

"Leech Seed in that direction!" I ordered. "Keep that column away from them."

It was at times like these that Angel's excellent multitasking came to the forefront. Seven of his vines wrapped around Conkeldurr's pillar and threw it at the corner of the arena. A series of seeds flew out of his body toward where the fighting type had just thrown his pillar from, and dozens of vines slithered forward to actually sense and find Conkeldurr. All at the same time. He was my damn baby, and he was the best Tangrowth in the world.

"You keep that little toy away from him at all costs," I said, more childlike than was necessary.

"Defog!" Maylene said.

Now that the bad visibility wasn't to her advantage, Conkeldurr used his last remaining pillar to clear the air around himself. A powerful gust of wind pushed the dust outward and revealed that two Leech Seeds had landed on Conkeldurr and were slowly draining his energy.

"Good," I said. "Now keep your distance and Power Whip."

Now what, Maylene? I thought. Angel's vine glowed neon green as it slammed into Conkeldurr's shoulder. She couldn't reach us thanks to our speed from the sun, and she couldn't throw her last column to attack at a distance because Angel would simply put it out of reach. The fighting type grabbed onto one of Tangrowth's vines as it dug into his arm, but the grass type simply detached his vine before he could be pulled too far in.

Maylene ordered him to run forward, but Tangrowth always kept his distance. Close enough for him to hit, but not enough for him to get hit.

"Throw the pillar," Maylene muttered. Her arms went limp. She unclenched her fists and her posture slouched a little. Disappointment and dejection transcended annoyance and anger.

I'd done it.

She was broken.

And yet it hurt to see her this way. I finally realized what I'd done, but I would push through. She could still come back from this. She could still grow.

Angel quivered in agony as the last pillar slammed into him at full force, but he threw the structure away from the fighting type and into the opposite corner, just for good measure.

"Collapse the remainder of the towers. As many as you can," she exhaled.

Tangrowth followed, harassing the fighting type as he sent the remainder of the second and third rows crumbling to dust. By the time he was done, deep, bloodied lashes had marred his entire back, arms and face. Conkeldurr used the last bit of strength he had attempting to manipulate the rocks to bury Angel, but he countered his influence with Ancient Power. No longer was he clumsy with the move. His massive amount of practice had brought him far.

"Conkeldurr is unable to battle! Leader Maylene, send out your fourth Pokemon…"

The referee trailed off by the end of the sentence. Maylene wiped her eyes and sluggishly grabbed onto her next Pokeball. I hadn't even brought up her father yet— well, maybe it wouldn't be necessary, then. Plus, pulling out that card naturally would have been a challenge.

"Are you good?" I asked. Tangrowth grabbed Conkeldurr's pillars and threw them in the middle of the arena for Maylene to recall them as well.

"As if you care," she sighed, grabbing her next Pokeball. "I can't have anything, can I? The only time of the day when I try to feel useful, you rip that away from me."

"Look, it's just a twenty-minute battle. Sorry if you feel that way, but someone that you can fit into a box will come along soon."

My words were actually genuine this time, and I was disappointed with her. I understood that all of the stress of being a Gym Leader added up. Hell, I had studied it in detail. Part of me just couldn't understand how she hadn't learned to adapt and have fun— or at least not be brought to the point of tears after one and a half years as a Gym Leader, but I wasn't the one in her shoes. And yet, deep down, I'd wanted her to change from this. To maybe realize that—

"You put me down. They all put me down and think I can't do the job because I'm too young. Because I try to keep people from battling a certain way. Because I'm Maylene. You think you've got me all figured out. All of you. You think you've won, but that's far from being the case," she said. My eyes widened at the sudden burst of life in her tone. Her back straightened, her muscles tensed and blue wisps swam around her as her eyes turned icy blue. "It just makes me want to beat you even more. I'm done crying."

My persona broke and I smiled, interrupting the referee before he could even speak with an outstretched hand.

"Bring it on, Leader Maylene."

She sent out her Sawk once again. He was relatively short, but I knew we wouldn't be able to restrain him. The only reason we'd succeeded with Medicham was because of dark type energy. Sawk would just rip the vines apart. If I could, I would have started setting up to raise the pillars again, but that'd tire both Princess and Angel too much.

"Aura Lance!"

The thin, blue spear manifested in Sawk's hands, and Maylene swept an arm.

"Bulk up and go in. Cut its vines apart!"

"Keep your distance, Angel. Leech Seed."

Tangrowth spat out a dozen little bulbs toward Sawk, and the fighting type's lance extended threefold as he slapped them all away from him with incredible dexterity. Not even one had hit its mark. Sawk flexed, and its rocky segmented skin ground against itself as he massively gained in strength. He turned toward his trainer and saw her state, but quickly spun back to counter the next set of Leech Seed that Angel had thrown out.

A burst of aura exploded at his feet and he blurred forward. Tangrowth took a step back, but he quickly realized that he would get outsped even in the sun. Instead, he ejected every kind of spore out of his body. Purple, green and yellow powder exploded out of Tangrowth, but Sawk didn't even pause.

"The lance extends further than that," I warned. "Slow him with Bind and Giga Drain when you can!"

A dozen vines burst out of Tangrowth's body and snaked toward Sawk. The fighting type spun his lance around like a baton and minced most vines apart, but he grabbed onto one and blue light quickly spread through the appendage like fire. Tangrowth hurriedly detached it and it writhed on the ground until it turned to dust.

"Come on, Sawk! Forward!" Maylene screamed.

There it was. Adapt to your opponents, don't force them into compliance. Another push came, and Sawk slammed Tangrowth's side with his lance. The grass type silently screamed and grabbed onto Sawk's shoulder.

"The weak point is through its vines!" Maylene yelled, causing me to bite my inner lip. Did she know because she'd fought other Tangrowth, or was it something else? "Low Kick!"

Sawk grunted as he flexed and tore through Tangrowth's hold. He hurriedly crouched, held his breath and closed his eyes as he approached. Somehow, he could still see Tangrowth. The fighting type swept his feet and made Angel stumble, then fall before he stabbed him with his lance. Tangrowth squirmed, his eyes darting back and forth wildly as the lance seeped into his true body. He fought harder than I'd ever seen him, slamming Power Whips against Sawk's body and draining as much energy as he could to remain standing.

"Leech Seed!" I yelled.

Sawk broke the vines apart and backflipped away from Tangrowth's limp body. He slammed him with the lance again before too many seeds could pose a risk. The sun weakened, and Angel fell unconscious.

"Tangrowth is unable to battle. Challenger, send out your fourth Pokemon."

I sent out Togetic, who seemed disappointed that most of her pillars were gone. Row 1 and 4 at the edges still remained, however, and so did the majority of the pillars on my side of the arena.

"Fly up and hide!" I ordered.

"No you don't! Collapse the rest of the towers!" Maylene said. "Watch out for— behind you!"

Sawk spun around and narrowly avoided the Air Cutter that Princess had set up. Sawk began to turn the remaining pillars to dust, and I knew something had to change when every Air Cutter was either avoided or dismantled. Maylene managed to catch them every single time, even through pillars. She'd done something related to Aura with her eyes, and she could see Pokemon and attacks even when they were hidden. A mad grin stretched across my face. My entire strategy was null and void, and it was so much fun.

"Thunder Wave!" I ordered.

Togetic fluttered her wings, and thin electric energy flew toward Sawk. The fighting type's body tensed as he glanced toward Maylene, but she did not complain.

"Rock Smash!" Maylene barked.

A blue fist slammed against the ground and rubble, rocks and earth erupted from the impact. The Thunder Wave caught in the debris, but Maylene wasn't done.

"Pole Vault!"

Sawk broke into a sprint, each step propelled by small Aura explosions. He summoned another lance and anchored it across the ground, sending himself barrelling through the air so quickly that he reminded me of her Blaziken or Gallade. I'd underestimated Sawk, but that was fine!

"Submission!"

"Psychic and Dazzling Gleam!" I yelled.

Sawk slowed in the air, but he still reached Togetic and sent her crashing toward the ground. Light emanated from the fairy type as she slowly exploded with a brilliant Dazzling Gleam. The light seared Sawk's skin, but he didn't let go. Both Pokemon fell into the rubble.

"Don't let it back in the air! The wings are a trap, just hit it as hard as you can!"

His body still smoking, Sawk sprung toward Togetic—

"Fairy Wind! Full Power!"

"Aura Sphere!"

The pink wind spluttered as it came to life, but it was so strong that it blew Sawk away. The fighting type planted his lance on the ground and grunted. Fairy Wind was not a constant like we used to do, but it was a series of blasts as powerful as we could make them. Sawk extended a hand, and then a finger. He pointed toward Togetic as a ball of Aura grew from his fingers until it was ten feet wide and then condensed into a single point.

"Moonblast!" I yelled.

A sphere borne of lunar power materialized in front of Princess and dragged stones and dust along with it. The rubble orbited around the attack like satellites as pink dust shimmered around the bright ball. The two moves did not hit each other right away. In fact, both were ridiculously slow, and I knew that to be one of a non-perfected Moonblast's main weaknesses. Aura Sphere and Moonblast joined into a dance and spun around each other, captivating all of us. The space between the two narrowed, and narrowed, and narrowed—

"Move! Get out of there!" I said, snapping out of my daze.

"Endure!" Maylene ordered.

I covered my eyes, and the world screamed.

Pink and blue weaved into each other and created a deafening explosion that broke against the land. All of that rubble from broken pillars flew off in every direction and destroyed everything in sight. The last remaining columns collapsed and a deep crater opened upon the land. I could almost feel the strong gust of winds blow past me, even through the barrier somehow. Princess lay there, burned and unconscious while Sawk stood on his last thread of stamina. The referee went on his usual spiel, but my ears were ringing so loudly I could barely hear him.

"You're up," I said, sending out Pupitar onto some intact land beyond my side of the arena. The rock type shivered inside of her cocoon, excited to finally be in her first gym battle. "Stay focused. Rock Slide."

It didn't take much to finish off Sawk. He'd been barely standing, and the rocks buried him before he could strike back. The final fight would be Pupitar against Medicham. We had the type disadvantage, but type grew less and less relevant as the months passed. What we had that Medicham did not? Weight and size.

"Stomping Tantrum," I ordered. Better start slow and ramp up, slow down the tempo, make her worry and lure her into a false sense of security. We teetered on the edge of defeat, but I would battle like I had all my Pokemon left.

"High Jump Kick!" Maylene yelled. She was smiling, tasting victory. Having fun. "Its weak points are between its segments!"

Sweetheart screamed, and the floor began to shake as Medicham jumped higher than before.

"Smack Down!" I ordered.

The rock came out of the ground like a bullet and broke against Medicham. The fighting type lost her balance and fell to the ground, but it recovered quickly. The problem for Maylene was that Stomping Tantrum had begun again, and the ground type energy exploding below Medicham's feet would slowly whittle her down.

"Psybeam, then Psychic!" Maylene commanded.

I swallowed and wiped the sweat off my face. Medicham instantly raised a hand and summoned a rainbow that slammed into Pupitar's shell. The fighting type kept approaching, braving the harshness of the Stomping Tantrum, but her approaching was good. I waited, waited and waited until Medicham was close enough to strike.

"Fly, Sweetheart."

With a loud hiss reminiscent of a jet engine, the rock type blurred forward as her body shimmered with Iron Defense. Maylene's eyes widened.

"Dodge with High Jump Kick—"

We were too fast. The fighting type wouldn't have time, and she extended her arms instead. A pink light surrounded Pupitar, but the psychic force did not even hamper her. She slammed into Medicham, and I heard a crunch. The fighting type flew off like a ragdoll and crashed against Maylene's side of the barrier. Pressurized gas hissed out of Pupitar's vents as she masterfully landed, skidding across the ground and rubble.

"Medicham is unable to battle! Victory to the challenger!"

Maylene stared at the ceiling and recalled Medicham. The wispy Aura around her disappeared and she struggled to breathe for a few seconds, only being able to inhale small huffs of air. Sweetheart screamed in celebration, and I let her have her moment before I recalled her. I once again became aware of the world around me. Beyond the battle. The usual cheers rang out. What a battle that had been.

Maylene and I stared into each other's eyes for at least thirty seconds. I saw the faintest hint of a smile when she turned away and began to walk up to me on the side of the arena. I did the same. The adrenaline left my body the closer I got to Maylene. She was just as short as I was, and it was easier to empathize with her now that she stood right in front of me and she wasn't just a person on my screen. Maylene tapped on her microphone to make sure it was off and outstretched a hand.

"Congratulations, challenger," she said. I shook her hand. Her grip was strong. "May I have your ID and Pokedex?"

I had already pulled it out, so I handed it to her. She fiddled with the Pokedex, and grabbed a card of her own as well and an orange disk.

"You are now the owner of the Cobble Badge, and I've transferred thirty thousand Pokedollars into your account. I've given you access to the Drain Punch TM, in its unlimited form as well."

"Thank you."

"Grace Pastel," she said. "I still stand by what I said. You used my worries and anxiety against me, and it near got the better of me even if I knew what you were doing, and that pisses me off. I don't think that's an appropriate way to fight. But."

I froze in anticipation.

"I think that I had fun… at the end there. And I apologize for any outbursts and personal insults I threw your way. You did not complain when I used Aura to fight, and I think I should learn to be a better Gym Leader. You were waiting for me to wake up, right? You smiled when I went all out. You even stopped Jason."

I assumed that was her referee. The poor man had had to walk all around the arena to actually see what was happening throughout the battle. "I don't know. My intentions weren't as pure as you think, Leader Maylene. I did use you, and I vowed to continue whether you gave up on the battle or not."

"But you were happy when I did not."

"I was."

Maylene sighed. "Off you go, then. I don't want to see you ever again!"

"Just one thing. Sorry about your Infernape. I think I might have gone too far, my head wasn't all there. I was tunnel visioned on winning."

Maylene's neutral expression turned into a deepset frown, and then a disturbed look as she stared at me like I wasn't human. "Now I really don't want to see you. Your practices disgust me… but thank you for opening up a new door for me. Now go. I despise people like you. You're a manipulator, and you're being rewarded for it. Ugh."

"It is what it is. I'm sorry," I apologized again before leaving.

Unfortunately for me, my win hadn't been as impressive as the one against Fantina. Or maybe it had? I didn't really know. Executives cared more about what the score was after the battle instead of what had gone on during the fact. I could have made the battle easier than it was by adhering to her standards and probably won with a better score, but where was the fun in that? On one hand, she'd almost given up at one point and me screwing with her had made her slip up and make mistakes. On the other, she had come at me with everything she had with Sawk and Medicham. Preventing her from switching bordered on the taboo as well. I walked into the waiting room and sighed.

Princess' Shiny Stone would probably have to wait a while longer.

This fight had been fun from start to finish, but I couldn't deny it had been ugly. People most likely wouldn't know, but I'd essentially become an emotionless monster during the fight. I doubted I'd be able to do the same against other Gym Leaders, which I was grateful for because I didn't know if I'd be able to stop myself. Maylene had just been the perfect storm for me. What better than a teenager unable to fill her shoes left by her father to torment? None of the other Gym Leaders shared her insecurities. Roark apparently had, once upon a time, but he was grown now and I'd already beaten him anyway.

This was the closest I'd come to returning to how I'd been in Shiftry's domain, and that had been the goal, but maybe it would be best to leave battling that extreme to people that had wronged me. This was a sport for people and Pokemon to have fun, after all. Infernape hadn't deserved to get hurt those extra few seconds for my benefit. She had done nothing wrong.

Still,

Beyond the psychological games I'd played on Maylene?

I had learned and grown leaps and bounds.