CHAPTER 260 - Battle Against a True Hero

If there was one compliment I could give Crasher Wake, it was that he could entertain a crowd. I had never heard the spectators be this loud in the waiting room in any other Gym. Another three days had passed since I had given a speech to Pastoria's City Council, and now I was waiting for my Gym Battle to begin. I was used to this now. The nerves were there, but only in the background. I recited Wake's Pokemon's moves and techniques under my breath over and over, like a ritual. I had good reason to be worried, even if I was not. After all, I had never studied a Gym Leader this in-depth, mostly because every time I learned, I grew just a little more efficient at retaining information and making plans with that information. Pauline had unfortunately lost to Crasher Wake, the final tally being 4-5 when Charizard had failed to take down Wake's Swanna. This was a disastrous result for her, especially when she had needed to win to get to the Conference with time to spare. Louis had won, scraping a victory like Maeve had thanks to his Vespiquen carrying the fight and pulling out a win that had seemed impossible. I was finding that Louis had a knack for those kind of wins. Justin had not fought yet, wanting more time to prepare himself, but he had a good team and head on his shoulders to deal with Wake's tactics.

Now? A choice presented itself in front of Pauline. Either leave now and fly to Canalave, or give up, but it wasn't that simple. Not when she knew we were planning on doing something against the poachers. I hoped she would leave, personally. Better she be in Canalave than stay here, with all the danger lurking about. Denzel could fly on Cece's Golurk instead when the time came instead of using Braviary, and Emilia could just grab a flight to join her in Canalave. Louis would even be able to fly on her Braviary since he'd gotten his badge.

But honestly, it would take a miracle for her to make it to the Conference, and that didn't look likely, not only because she would have to one shot the eighth gym, but because of the huge distance between here and Snowpoint. She'd better odds of winning the lottery.

Today isn't about that. I couldn't afford to be worried about Pauline, not with this fight ahead of me.

Another roar from the crowd muted by the thick walls of the waiting room filled my ears, and this one felt final. Like the battle was finally ending. The referee said something I couldn't make out, and a Gym Trainer came to outfit me with a microphone, and a minute later, a sweaty teen with the brightest smile on his face passed through the waiting room, paying me no mind as I fiddled with one of my Pokeballs.

My plan was set, and so were my many contingencies. I was ready. My Pokemon were ready. I could only throw everything I had into the battle and never look back. With a thin smile, I stepped through the arched corridor and into the Gym as soon as Wake's break ended—

"...have another wonderful battle for you today, ladies and gentlemen. On the left, we have a trainer that has taken Sinnoh by storm. There's nothing she won't order her Pokemon to stab, no bones she won't break, no opponent she won't maim! Don't let her meek, innocent frame deceive you! This trainer is so cunning she might as well be downright evil! She gets into her opponents' heads and dismantles them piece by piece. The legendary, elusive, wicked, unblinking… GRAAAAAACE PASTEL!"

Oh, Legendaries, I restrained a groan. Most people cheered, but there were some boos too. I had come in planning to ignore the referee and the crowd, but I had underestimated how loud he was. The referee was shirtless, just like Crasher Wake would be, and he had a deep, commanding voice that I felt was perfect for this kind of game. I stepped onto the platform, Pokeball already in hand. Four large screens stood atop the arena that would continuously show the score of the battle. I cringed when I saw that they'd used my Trainer ID picture. That hadn't been my best one. I'd been nervous as hell about starting this entire trainer thing.

"On the right, we have our wonderful Gym Leader, as always! Rumors say he's wrestled a Gyarados barehanded, he's ripped beyond compare, can bench as much as a Machoke, and I guess he's also a good battler— "

The crowd laughed at the roast.

"—He's smarter than an Alakazam and prettier than a supermodel, our one and only CRASHEEEEEEEER WAAAAAAKE!"

The referee's words were synced to the exact moment Wake finished stepping onto the platform. Smoke and small sparks had followed his steps for effect. The Gym Leader flexed, waving to the crowd with a wide smile revealing perfect teeth. His pectorals moved individually, and he backflipped in place to the crowd's acclaim. I hadn't expected someone in their fifties to be able to do this before I'd watched the videos. Wake wore his mask, as always, and had his ridiculous haircut that wrapped around the side of his head until they reached into a white unibrow. He struck a dramatic pose and pointed right at me.

"WELCOME, CHALLENGER!" Wake boasted. Somehow, he was even louder than the referee despite being further away. "This'll be a six-on-six with three switches allowed! I reserve the right to use any Pokemon in my arsenal that I deem fit, and killing any Pokemon will get you disqualified from the Circuit. Now, Grace the Wicked, SEND OUT YOUR POKEMON!"

The Wicked, I noticed. I didn't take offense, not when I knew how Wake's Gym operated. Sometimes, when he battled… controversial trainers, he made them into a villain. A heel was the proper term for wrestling. I was sure he'd prepared that title ahead of time. It was all a game, really. A game I had not particularly felt like entertaining…

But…

Wouldn't it be fun?

To have an excuse to let loose and be the person who desperately tried to claw her way to the surface every day, but couldn't because of social norms? If it was all a game, then the Poketch Company wouldn't be able to complain. This was a show. A performance. A performance with gravitas, yes, but one nonetheless.

I let a feral grin stretch across my face. "I'm disappointed," I said. "If you wanted to give me a title, I would have expected it to be a lot better than wicked. Maybe Grace the Impaler," I mused, tapping a finger against my chin. "That one has a nice ring to it."

Wake mimicked indignation, but couldn't hide his joy that I was rolling with this. "I won't let you spread your evil ways any longer, wicked trainer."

"By the end of the battle," I said, "I'll show you why you should have called me Impaler."

Princess appeared in a flash of red, soaring high in the skies. The referee rambled about her numerous accomplishments— mostly her stabbing things and most recently playing with lava. They knew me, I realized. I'd come so far that people knew about my Pokemon, even when it was my first time battling here. Wake answered by releasing a Golduck. Starting with something basic, as all Gym Leaders except the eighth do.

The arena itself was just how I had studied it. Four islands at each corner, fifty feet in diameter, while the one at the center was a hundred feet in diameter. Wake's arena was slightly wider and longer than the norm so they could all fit. The entire arena was not an artificial pool, but had been made to look like a natural lake or sea, save for its rectangular shape. That meant that the shores of the islands were a gentle slope, and there was material under the water. Things to build with.

"It's been a while since Golduck has seen a battle like this one. Let's see if he can bring Togekiss to heel and stop Grace the Wicked in her tracks!" The referee commented. "Three, two, one, LET'S RRRRRRUMBLE!"

I spoke first, "Ancient Power, as we planned."

"'As we planned," Wake snorted. "Only villains talk like that! Golduck, Rain Dance and into the water!"

I'd gotten used to battling peers when it came to the weather, so even though I had studied Wake's Pokemon, it still came as a surprise when one second, the skies were clear, and the next, it was pouring. The calm waters turned agitated, and waves crashed onto each island. Thunder boomed in the dark clouds, but that was fine. Princess was staying close to the ground anyway. Faster than she'd ever been, she flew around the arena, pulling wet mud and sand from below the water and turning it into compact rocks.

"Ice Beam!" Wake screamed.

Now in the water, Golduck peeped his head through the surface, but a rock instantly slammed into the side of his head as soon as he made himself known without Togekiss even having to look at him. She could feel where Golduck was at all times thanks to her empath powers. The beam of ice went wide, and Princess kept building up rocks on the central island. My eyes bulged when I saw how fast Golduck had gotten. In an instant, he swam to the left to avoid another set of rocks— drills and spears this time.

"Impaler she may have called herself, but she isn't succeeding very much at the moment," the referee noted. "Our brave Golduck is fighting against evil itself! Should he lose, then who knows what suffering Togekiss could inflict on his teammates?!"

"Force her hand!" Wake ordered. "Hypnosis!"

And it would be from under the water, I knew. There was an eerie light below the surface, and Princess started to slow—

"Charge Beam!"

The Charge Beam coalesced into a ball, then surged toward Golduck, who went deeper into the water to dodge the spread of the electricity. Thankfully, that meant the Hypnosis was too far to work on Princess, and she had only slowed. They might try to catch us off-guard with that.

"Catch her!" Crasher Wake yelled, snatching nothing out of the air with a hand.

Enormous jets of water that were even larger than a Hydro Pump rose like twisters, all aiming to take down Princess. Fly too high and the thunder from the clouds will get us. Too low and the water will. Barriers would help, but they wouldn't stop Princess from getting dragged into the water. Togekiss weaved between the columns of water, burying and lodging the rocks deep into the island so they wouldn't get swept away. One of the jets twisted ninety degrees, bending to slam against her like a sledgehammer. Her Psychic shield didn't break under the water's massive weight, but it did crack, and it was only one hit. Gone were the times when she had been this impregnable fortress. Our opponents' offense had caught up to her psychic powers.

"Moonblast!" I yelled. "Aim directly at him and rip him away from the water!"

"Converge the blasts!" Wake ordered.

All of the water bent in an attempt to swarm Princess, and one didn't have to be a battling genius to know that her barrier wasn't going to withstand that many gallons of water flying at her that quickly. We were going to go tit-for-tat, then. The ball of light formed in front of her mouth, growing larger and larger. Right before the water hit her, Princess cried out, and a huge gust of wind came to life around her to push the liquid back, buying her a precious few seconds—

Then she let it loose.

The moon's gravity diverted most of the water jets, but some still hit Princess. Her barrier shattered with a deafening crack, and she drowned below the massive amounts of water. The Moonblast fell down into the sea, warping air and water around it until all started orbiting the attack. Golduck was nowhere to be seen, and I was actively muting my empathy powers in order not to cheat. I wouldn't use them when one of the Gym's entire gimmicks was hiding underwater. My victory would be earned through my own means. I waited for a few seconds, and I saw Princess fall into the water, but I grinned when I saw a flash of red. Golduck's red gem. The water type had been pulled into the Moonblast. The entire arena was swirling with water, including the skies. It had displaced so much water and pulled so much into its grasp that escaping it was impossible for Golduck.

"What an incredible display of power! This battle is truly a clash of titans! Will our good man Golduck make it and manage to vanquish this horrifying Togekiss?!"

The red gem shone brightly, and the Moonblast exploded so loudly my ears rang and the barriers rattled. The water dropped back to the sea, generating enormous waves, and Golduck was knocked into the barrier, the remains of a shield having shattered around him.

"Nail him!" I instantly said.

Princess was still hovering in the water, but she pulled spears from the dirt under the surface. I clicked my tongue when Golduck held them in place as he slid down into the raging waters.

"Out, out, out!" I screamed.

Holy shit, Golduck was fast. His body undulated as he blurred through the water to beeline it toward Princess. She barely managed to get out thanks to our training—

Wake cackled. "Waterfall!"

Another burst of water carried Golduck upward, and he slammed into Togekiss, who hadn't had time to bring her barrier back up. She cried out, but I saw opportunity.

"Psychic and Thunder Wave."

Princess' eyes locked onto Golduck, and she snatched the water type out of the air. The Thunder Wave didn't come, however. Golduck's gem shone, his eyes did as well, and Princess' wings started to jitter. They were locked in a battle of the minds, but we were better. Togekiss snarled, a sound that I'd never heard out of her, and Golduck's arms went flat against his sides. Electricity finally came to life and entered the water type's body. I had thought that Wake would switch, but he was content to let Golduck get paralyzed.

Not that it did much. The lapse in concentration to pull out Thunder Wave allowed Golduck to pull water upward, submerging both Pokemon. He then dashed into her with all of his might, pushed by his own current, and Princess went flying back and out of the water column. Golduck was slower now, and his body was rattled by the occasional convulsion, but he still had Swift Swim and it was pouring. The referee said something, but I was too focused to care. Leaning into being a villain was enough.

"Water Twister!" Wake said.

The water was slower to come, now. The column Golduck was in bent down and twisted toward Princess. I grinned.

"Charge Beam!"

The electricity traveled through the column at speeds Golduck was no longer capable of working with. The water type tried to run, but he was racked by continuous electric shocks. Still, not enough. Togekiss remedied that instantly now that the water tower had collapsed. She'd caught herself before falling into the water, and a spear blurred until it stabbed into Golduck's shoulder and leg. Should have broken a bone or two during Psychic, I thought to myself. Even now, Golduck was attempting to swim away, and he wouldn't have been able to with a broken leg or arm, or at least not as effectively. Golduck quacked in pain as he pulled out the spear from his shoulder and retreated into the depths.

"Moonblast."

"Back up, Golduck! Hit her with everything you've got!"

Thunder clapped in the skies, and Golduck jumped out of the water with an Ice Beam that tore through our half-formed moon and caused it to explode. Another column of water followed behind him, bending to his psychic powers. A second Ice Beam harmlessly washed over Princess' barrier, but it was hard to miss my daughter's harsh breaths. She beginning to tire, but Golduck was worse. Not Moonblast, then. Too slow when they're expecting it.

"Rush in and grab him," I ordered.

With a howl of the wind, she blurred toward Golduck, twisting around an Ice Beam. She shed her barrier for speed, and for the first time, I could truly call Princess a speedster. Before I could blink, she had closed the distance and seized Golduck with Psychic. She pushed him toward the barrier until he crashed into it and finished him off with a Charge Beam. I exhaled, tension leaving my body and ignored the crowd's boos. This was a game, and also a lesson. The crowds at the Conference were known to be ruthless, especially with someone who fought like me and with fans having picked their favorites far before the battle began.

"Our brave Golduck has lost and is unable to battle!" The referee screamed. He arched himself back and held a hand in front of his eyes as if he was sobbing. "Who will stop this tyrant from destroying the sanctity of our Gym? Leader Wake, send out your next Pokemon!"

"Oh, you can boo all you want!" I exclaimed. "You motivate me to keep going. I'm just getting started."

"Golduck might not have been able to stop you," Wake muttered. "He tried his best, but the brutal tactics employed against him were too much for him to bear."

Oh please, I hadn't even done anything bad yet. He was building up to something. I could feel it in my bones.

"The only Pokemon that can vanquish such foes are Pokemon with brutal tactics of their own," Wake continued with a rumbling voice. He grabbed his next Pokeball. "GYARADOS, YOU'RE UP!"

The scarlet light from the Pokeball built, and built until it left us with thirty feet of thick, armored scales battered down by the rain. The water type was flying with surprising grace, hovering slightly above the sea. Gyarados' eyes instantly locked onto Princess and narrowed.

"Gyarados! Hurricane—"

I recalled Princess into her Pokeball, but the wind.

It whipped around the entire field, carrying water, rain, sand and dirt from the islands. It was so loud that the referee knew not to say anything, because no one would hear anyway. The rocks I had wedged onto the center island went too, so fuck my lava plan, I suppose. I could have just built up the islands with Ancient Power, but that would have been far too slow and demanded far too much focus from Princess. We had tested things at the beach, and it would have left her too open to any attacks. Still, Gyarados would have destroyed Princess, and it wouldn't have even been close.

"YOU MUST BE QUAKING IN YOUR BOOTS, VILLAIN!" Wake yelled. Somehow, his voice made it through the wind.

"I'm quaking in excitement at the opportunity of taking down such a giant!"

No reaction. Blegh, I couldn't yell that loud. I sent Honey out onto the central island, and he had to anchor his tails to the ground not to fly off due to the Hurricane. He dropped on one knee and gripped his hand into the sand. Rocks that Princess had raised now pelted him from all sides. Wake said something, and I internally sighed at the fact that he wouldn't loudly announce them through the Hurricane. Gyarados gathered a huge glob of plasma in front of his mouth. Holy fuck, that's Hyper Beam. My throat went dry as the huge ball of orange energy grew, and then exploded out of Gyarados' mouth—

So loud! My ears popped and rang from the noise, but Honey had been designated as our Gyarados counter, so he already knew what to do. At the last moment, he pulled up a shimmering Protect. I couldn't see what had happened due to the burst of light, but the areas surrounding Honey had created a giant crater half the size of the central island. The few palm trees caught on fire from the proximity to the blast even through the rain, and water turned into vapor. When the dust settled, there was just a small strand of intact land where Honey stood, smothered in remains of smoke and mist. That would have beaten us in one hit, or close to it.

"Thunder," I smoothly said.

Gyarados was powerful beyond compare, but we were as well. I didn't know if Honey heard me or not, but electricity coiled around his arms. The stones stopped hitting him, instead hovering close, as if they couldn't touch him. Gyarados was still catching his breath, and the Hurricane slowed slightly. Not that he could have dodged this anyway.

Honey brought his arm down, and like a hammer, Thunder struck down Gyarados from Rain Dance's dark clouds. The water type roared, thrashing all around the arena. Honey nearly got hit by the mindless thrashing, but a smooth dodge from Radiant Leap got him away from the flying type's tail. Flying and water type Gyarados might have been, but his thick scales still meant that it would take multiple of these to bring him down.

"Again!" I yelled.

Wake yelled something that I couldn't hear through the Hurricane, and Gyarados came back to his senses. Water poured out of Gyarados' mouth, and it slammed against Honey, enveloping his entire body and pushing him off the island. The Thunder still hit, though, this time spreading through the Hydro Pump and coursing through Gyarados' body. Wake flexed as he switched out Gyarados without a word. The Hurricane instantly finished, like it had never been there in the first place.

"Get back to land!" I screamed.

Something appeared in the water, dark blue and relatively large. Thankfully, Wake was there to straight up tell me what she was.

"You fell into my trap," he boasted. "You couldn't have thought I would just let your Electivire wreak havoc, did you? WHISCASH, DRAG HIM DEEP!"

I would have had a witty answer, but by the time he was done, Whiscash was already up to Honey. No swimming lessons would have been enough to outspeed Whiscash, and electricity wouldn't even tickle her. The water seemed to grow muddy around her, as did the rain. Whiscash had a custom Rain Dance that empowered her even further. Honey grunted as the ground type rammed into him at full speed, snatching him by the hand with her huge mouth. She could hit Pokemon with Earthquake if she brought them to the sea's floor, I remembered. This wouldn't be sustainable. I grabbed my Honey's Pokeball and recalled him through the surface. If we had managed to grow the island, this wouldn't have happened. Electivire wouldn't have gotten pushed into the water. The thought of my main strategy having been reduced to dust gnawed at the back of my mind, but I had contingencies for a reason. I still had a lead, I was winning, things were going alright.

"And Whiscash forces Electivire back into the deepest pits of hell! Who will our challenger send out next?!"

Whiscash seemed to love to gloat unlike Golduck, she jumped high out of the water and flipped, much to the crowd's amusement. She seemed to love the attention.

"I'll make you wish Honey was still on the field," I hissed for effect. I pulled out Angel's Pokeball. "Angel will cut you to ribbons."

This time, Wake answered. "A grass type to take on my Whiscash? Hah! How boring! I say…"

The crowd yelled as one, pumping their fists with each word. "GET! BETTER! MATERIAL!"

I sent a passing glare at the right side of the spectators and sent out Tangrowth on the corner island on my side. Wake was somewhat right, however. Whiscash had a plethora of ways to deal with grass types. Not as many as Swampert or Quagsire, but still a hell of a lot more than was normal.

It was a good thing, then, that I knew exactly what was coming.

"Sunny Day and Ingrain," I said.

There was only a glimpse of the sun above the torrent that was Crasher Wake's Rain Dance— or Mud Dance, in this instance. The murkier waters wouldn't work in my favor here, but at least we should have weakened it by around thirty percent… or not? It seemed just as strong, somehow, which wasn't what I expected. Vines glowed white, and stabbed into the ground. Then, Angel's other vines grew, extending over the entire small island. A nice proof of concept, I mused. More extended into the water, snaking their way past the surface. Whiscash had approached, but not deigned to get close. I saw Wake open his mouth.

Chilling Water or Icy Wind?

"Chilling Water!" Wake yelled.

"Wall!" I countered.

Water frosted at its surface, but it was still a liquid. Whiscash had dove back down into the depths and was nowhere to be seen, but the Surf-like attack crashed into Angel's island with such force that I saw him buckle. His vines raised into a wall, but they instantly froze in place. That was fine. The Ancient Power wall underneath the mass of vegetation held, and had already turned to hard stone.

"Earthquake!" Wake ordered.

Whiscash jumped out of the water with the grace of a Magikarp, that was to say none at all. She intended to land onto our island. I knew from the videos that Whiscash had learned Earthquake this month, and even then, it would have wreaked havoc on us, vines or not.

I faked a bit of panic, not for the audience or any performance, but to fool Wake himself. "Sna— snatch her out of the air, now!"

Arceus, I'd gotten good at that.

Vines converged toward Whiscash, crawling over the sand, the wall, and even from the water. The ground type spat out small pressurized jets of water to dodge the first wave, but there was no escaping Angel's grasp with his extended range from Ingrain. Tangrowth wrapped a dozen vines around her and brought her deeper into his grasp. Deeper into his lair.

Next up was, Ice Bomb.

"Ice Bomb!"

Frost leaked out of Whiscash's skin, and then exploded with a loud series of cracks. Earthquake had been the bait to scare me shitless. This had been Wake's true strategy. All of the vines around Whiscash froze, allowing the water type to simply break them and continue on her path. The fact that the ones that had been using Knock Off did as well had not been a part of the plan, but that was fine. Things could continue as planned.

"Solar Blade and Sleep Powder!" I yelled.

A single Solar Blade had been hidden below Angel's tuft of vines and had been charging up all along. It rushed toward Whiscash, skewering her before she could slam into the island and the mass of vines with Earthquake and potentially knock us off. I couldn't see it, but Sleep Powder was being deposited directly in Whiscash's bloodstream. The ground type's eyes struggled to stay awake as an Ice Beam charged in her mouth, but the attack died in its crib.

Whiscash was asleep.

"Told you you should have called me the Impaler," I gloated. "Giga Drain."

I waited to see if Wake would recall his Pokemon, but instead, he just gritted his teeth. An act, I knew, but it was still weird to see such an emotive Gym Leader after having battled Volkner. Wake did not switch. He let Whiscash faint on Angel's vine. None of her ice tactics had worked, because we'd planned for every single one.

"Looks like my material was good after all," I added. Arceus, I sounded so full of myself, it was hard not to cringe.

"Can anyone stop Grace Pastel? Our beautiful Whiscash was skewered like a common fish! This injustice cannot stand, can it?"

The crowd roared. "NO! IT! CAN'T!"

"Leader Wake, send out your next Pokemon!"

I felt a sudden surge of dread. A shiver down my spine. Wake slowly grabbed his next Pokeball, and for a second, I thought Palafin would come out. Wake knew, I realized. He stared me down, as if he was toying with me.

Thank the Legendaries, I sighed as Gyarados appeared above the water once more. It was funny, how I felt relief at the monstrous serpent. Wake ordered a Hurricane once more, and the attack drowned out the last remaining bits of sunlight Angel had at his disposal. The Gym Leader barked out a command, and frost tipped Gyarados' massive fangs.

There was no use even trying, I realized soon enough. Honey was the only Pokemon capable of taking down Gyarados. I used my last switch of the battle before Gyarados could lunge at Angel, and all of the vines on the island disappeared. I sent out Honey back onto the field on the central island—

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The Hydro Pump was nearly instantaneous. Electivire barely had time to blink, but he still side-stepped it with Radiant Leap. The attack clipped him on the shoulder, and I was pretty sure it dislocated his shoulder because of how powerful it was. The electric type held onto his shoulder as electricity coiled around every fiber of his being.

Keep it simple, I told myself. When you have a bomb, just blow it up. "Thunder!"

Gyarados retreated into the water this time, but he was so massive the attack still hit the tail-end of his body. Missing his huge form under the water was impossible with the waves he generated, and Honey kept pestering him with as many Thunderbolts as he could. I froze when I saw something deep blue and yellow shimmer below the muddy surface, however. Dragon Dance. Shit—

"Protect!" I cried out.

With speed that should have been impossible for a monster that size, Gyarados slammed into Honey with Waterfall. Water exploded upon contact, but the Protect kept him shielded from any damage. Still, Honey was swept away from the island. Waves followed Gyarados wherever he went, flooding the damn thing anyway. So much for not flooding the islands, I clicked my tongue. Gyarados continued on his warpath, another Hyper Beam generating in his mouth.

In the water. Protect? Won't work. No footing. Attack? No!

"Dive!" I yelled.

Electivire let himself sink below the water, and Gyarados let loose his massive Hyper Beam. The water type was a force of nature, truly. The concentrated beam of energy left behind a trail of exploding steam, and I could only hope Honey had been spared from the worst of it. Water was dense enough to weaken most attacks, including Hyper Beam. Wake wouldn't let me rest, however. Gyarados waited the ten seconds or so it took for him to recover— not enough time for Honey to swim back with the Hurricane being so strong— and then rushed toward Electivire with another Waterfall-Surf combination.

I didn't have to say Thunder twice. Gyarados convulsed as he slammed its full weight into Honey. The electric type gritted his teeth and grabbed onto his opponent's head instead of flying off. Even Wake was surprised at that— genuine surprise— and pride swelled up in my chest. Through a dislocated shoulder, he held on for dear life as Gyarados dove underwater in hopes of getting him off. Thunder after Thunder ransacked the flying type's body, and at the fourth one, he finally fainted.

I breathed a sigh of relief. That one had been close and dangerously so. The Hurricane ended with a whimper as Wake recalled his Gyarados. Honey could barely swim, and he crawled back onto one of the corner islands, coughing water out of his lungs.

"Another one of Wake's Pokemon goes down!" the referee yelled, filling his voice with fake anguish. "This is a disaster! Can this villain not be stopped?"

"I haven't even done anything bad yet," I snorted.

"Yet?! Do you hear that, ladies and gentlemen? More torturous methods will befall Leader Wake's remaining Pokemon! Is it over? Can evil truly not be beaten?! IS THIS GYM DOOMED TO FALLING TO HER WICKED WAYS?!"

"No."

Wake did not yell, but his voice did carry far. In a single moment, he grabbed the attention of the entire arena. Even mine.

It was at this moment, I realized, that I had messed up.

In most heroic stories, the antagonist started out by nabbing a few victories here and there.

Then, the protagonist slowly started clawing his way back up, inch by inch. Gyarados.

Then, there was a pivot. A change in the air. Crasher Wake released his fourth Pokemon.

Palafin didn't look like much, but that didn't stop me from cursing what felt like a thousand times in my head. Blubbury skin so turquoise it looked green under the right angle, pink and blue eyes, and a very cute smile. I had fucked up. Not because I hadn't at least considered the possibility of a Palafin, but because I realized that Wake had baited me. The battle that had gone on before this very moment had been a singular goal in mind. To make me run out of switches.

It wasn't like he hadn't tried to win. Wake never threw battles to let Palafin transform. The reason he hadn't switched was to gain a tactical advantage over me later down the line, and he had come to collect his due. Now every time I threw something at Palafin and it didn't work, well, too bad. I would have to commit to and suffer the consequences. Not only that, but the rain. It was stronger than usual, pouring so much that the islands were actually flooding slowly. By the end of the battle, the four corner islands would be completely submerged. Had each subsequent Rain Dance stacked on top of the previous one? He hadn't pulled that off before, but I assumed that was why Sunny Day hadn't weakened it. How strong would Palafin be, then?

Wake cracked his neck, and then spoke.

"Take a look at the screen, Palafin," he said, pointing a thumb upward. The score was 0-3 in my favor. A change was needed. "Do you feel it? That shift in the air? We need you. The tide must turn."

Palafin angled his head up, and when he saw the score, something shifted in his eyes. He dove down into the depths, spectators started to rhythmically stomp their feet, filling every inch of the arena with the sound, and there was light—

"Thunder!" I snapped.

It would be slow to charge with how tired Honey was, but I wasn't going to take any chances. After five seconds, electricity boomed out where Palafin had been, but there was no sign of whether he'd been hurt or not. I bit my tongue as my eyes scanned the water. The light was gone now, but—

Palafin emerged back a changed Pokemon. His skin was now a dark blue, and he wore foam-like gloves that could punch as hard as a Machoke. The crowd cheered for Palafin, who flexed his muscles and bowed as he floated up in the air.

"Legendaries! Has our savior appeared in our darkest hour? What happened to our dear Palafin? Our Hero is here to save us once again!" The referee cackled.

"HERO!" Wake bellowed, pointing at me. "This trainer is wicked! She impales Pokemon for fun, breaks bones for sport and likes inflicting the maximum amount of pain in battle—"

"Thunderbolt."

Faster this time, the beam of electricity hurtled at Palafin, who easily dodged as he glared at me.

Wake scoffed. "Hey! You can't interrupt us during my exposition speech, that's illegal! HERO, USE FOCUS PUNCH AND VANQUISH HER!"

He moved like lightning.

Palafin blurred as if he was using Radiant Leap and slammed a glowing fist deep into Honey's chest. The electric type barely had time to retaliate with a weak Thunderbolt before he was uppercutted into the sky. He landed in the water and sank, signaling that he was down for the count. I gulped as I recalled him.

Palafin was the game changer, and it was time to pull out all the stops. I had made a plan just in case this happened. The problem was that Wake had two other Pokemon other than this, and Honey had been my best counter to any of his Pokemon. If he sent out Wailord now, I was essentially fucked unless the contingency I had worked on with Sunshine and Angel worked.

"COME AT US WITH ALL YOU'VE GOT, GRACE THE IMPALER!" Wake yelled. "WE'LL TURN YOU BACK EVERY TIME, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HEROES DO!"

Palafin flexed, and water coiled around him. He was completely silent, I noticed, only communicating with the smallest grunts. Probably to keep the whole secret identity only he thought he had. He wasn't fooling anyone else.

Focus, I snapped at myself. I grabbed Buddy's Pokeball and released the ghost type. His eyes dimmed when he saw Palafin, and a piece of him stuck to the barrier like usual. He knew what had to be done. His only job?

To burn him with Will-O-Wisp.

I hadn't felt like this since facing Candice's Galarian Darmanitan.

"Hero, Double Hit!" Wake ordered.

Palafin flew with a fist pointed forward, and he crashed against Jellicent with all of his might. There was no point in trying to outrun him. He was faster out and inside of the water. Hero raised a palm and slapped Buddy with deafening hits twice, each disintegrating parts of his head— not scattering, but disintegrating. The ghost type already knew what to do, but I whispered the order anyway. Shadowy flames appeared close to his skin, and Palafin immediately let go, throwing him away like a discarded rag. The Will-O-Wisps chased him, but he was way too fast to ever get hit and soon enough they died with their usual screams. Damn it, baiting him close hadn't worked. Buddy recovered, and—

Palafin stared at me. No, not at me. At the barrier. A thin beam of ice froze the transparent piece of Jellicent's body, and Palafin flew toward me, slamming a fist into the barrier to shatter it. I flinched at our sudden proximity, which he seemed to love. How the hell had he known?

"Your villainous tactics won't work here," Wake smirked. "Hero, eyes on the prize. Freeze the ghost!"

Here goes nothing. "Water Cloak!"

Buddy had been close to the water due to being hit around so much, so what came next took minimal effort. Water rolled onto his skin in a thick layer, and then darkness seeped into the attack just as the Ice Beam hit. The attack still hurt, but we didn't get frozen! I resisted the urge to pump a fist at our first complicated foray into pure TE manipulation being so successful and yelled.

"Night Shade and Will-O-Wisp! Buy yourself time!"

Still in his dark cloak, Buddy summoned two shades—

One immediately exploded when Palafin punched it with something akin to Lauren's Water Punch, but stronger. Jet Punch, I recognized. The explosion from the shade caught Palafin off-guard, so at least we were dealing damage. The second shade tried to hit Palafin with an Ice Beam, but Palafin simply slapped it away. What the hell was that interaction? Buddy summoned another set of Will-O-Wisps while he gave himself some distance and had his Shade change to Shadow Ball.

"Now for the finisher! ASTONISH!" Crasher Wake yelled.

The fact that a move as weak as Astonish could be considered a finisher spoke to Palafin's strength in the rain. Shadows came alive around Palafin's shoulders, then his hands. He clapped them together, creating an explosion as he gathered more energy, and then rushed toward Buddy. He barely hovered over the water, but it came alive around him as if he was using Wave Crash or Surf. He punched through the Shadow Ball, taking the force of the attack head-on, then dove under the water to go even faster to swim past the Will-O-Wisps.

"Acid."

The remaining Night Shade tried to slow Palafin down with Ice Beam, but the attack didn't deal much damage. I grinned when poison bled and roiled through Buddy's skin. Palafin grabbed onto the ghosts' head, but grunted when the poison tore through the skin of his hand. More Acid flew in a line directly at Palafin's chest. It didn't have that big of an effect, but it was hard not to feel pleasure at the sight of their damn superhero getting hurt. I was the damned villain, and I let the role fill my very being.

Still we weren't actually burning Palafin. Something had to change.

"Into the water," I breathed.

Buddy had spent the last minute trying to fully regenerate, and he hadn't had the opportunity to do so each time because Palafin was so damn quick. The ghost type pushed himself back with Water Sport while Palafin followed close by. At this point, Wake had fully implemented his long-term plan, and he was just punching things hard. Now, I had to figure out a way to take advantage of that. I waited for a few seconds, but they felt like a lifetime. Not having Buddy there to tell me exactly what was going on was like fighting without an arm.

"Water Cloak and Ice Beam!" I yelled.

There was light under the raging waters. Ice Beam would instantly freeze all of its surroundings under the water, including Jellicent himself, had we not had Water Cloak.

"Punch through the ice!" Wake yelled.

Another ten seconds passed, and Buddy emerged from the water unscathed. It wasn't long until there was a dull crack and Palafin emerged with bits of ice still clinging to his body as well. Think outside of the box, I internally screamed. While Buddy was resistant, we couldn't sustain this. Hit hard enough, and Palafin would exhaust all of our Recovers, and Wake was smart enough not to use water type moves on anything but Night Shades. Palafin rode another wave, then surged upward with a fist wreathed in Ice. He was hoping to punch through Water Cloak, I instantly realized.

The remaining Shade had fled to follow Buddy, and it threw itself in between the two, exploding in a single hit. He followed up by stabbing a fist into Jellicent's head, but when the ghost didn't freeze, he punched three more times until the Water Cloak shattered while we could only retaliate with point-blank Shadow Balls. Palafin was so aggressive—

Aggressive.

Frost spread through Jellicent's body like cancer, and he fell down onto the island they were floating above like a rock. The fact that he could just punch harder until our techniques broke was so Arceus damn unfair.

"Water Spout!" I barked out.

"ASTONISH!" Wake yelled.

The first Water Spout barely cracked the ice. The second destroyed the outer layer. The third allowed Buddy to free himself from his prison. Astonish was one of the slowest moves Palafin knew because of his unfamiliarity with ghosts, which had left us a precious few extra seconds to break out.

"Taunt," I ordered, my voice clear and crisp.

Taunt was not just a move that prevented a Pokemon from using non-attacking moves. At its heart, it was a move that left only aggressive emotions within an opponent, forcing them to attack, at least the first time it was unleashed. Buddy's eyes dimmed as darkness seeped into them, and Palafin hurled all of his body into the ghost, carrying him across the island and repeatedly punching with Astonish until the crashed into a palm tree. That was fine.

"Will-O-Wisp."

Buddy summoned a third set of cold, purple flames. Palafin only had eyes for Jellicent, at the moment, and he didn't notice the flames enter his body until it was too late.

We'd burned him.

Palafin grunted in frustration as an enormous transparent purple flame overtook him. Jellicent was more of a puddle on the ground at this point, but a Shadow Ball— nevermind, Palafin just punched through it and finished off Buddy with the last remaining ghost TE he'd carried over from Astonish. I exhaled, and tension left my shoulders. The first step of the contingency was complete, but Palafin was still a force to be reckoned with. The water type floated up as he glared at me.

"And Grace Pastel's second Pokemon goes down after taking the beating of a lifetime!" The referee celebrated, along with the crowd. "The tide has turned, ladies and gentlemen! Fear not, because our Hero is here! Challenger, send out your next Pokemon in your league of villains!"

"I have thirty seconds, and I plan on taking them," I said with a haughty smirk. Internally, I was still panicking, but it was good to vent some steam. "I've always enjoyed seeing my opponents burn. Not as much as stabbing, but y'know."

I was surprised to hear the crowd laugh at my joke. I honestly thought they'd boo me, but this was refreshing too. After spending all of my time, I released Princess again, hoping that her small rest in her Pokeball had been enough to get herself back in form. The fairy type instantly fled away from Palafin, since I had warned all of my Pokemon ahead of time. She gathered rocks, forming them into a thick ring around her while Wake yelled.

"Ice Punch! Get yourself some water!"

What Golduck could do, Hero could do better. Columns of water rose faster into the sky, and then Palafin cut them off and molded them into huge spheres the size of Lehmhart. He was doing what Slowking had done during his battle with Maylene, but with pure TE manipulation instead of psychic powers like him or Golduck.

And honestly, he made them look like children playing with Play-Doh.

"Charge Beam," I said, wanting to test the waters.

Palafin stopped in the air and flicked his wrist. One of his six balls of water instantly moved in front of him, catching the Charge Beam and letting it diffuse there. Fuck. No time for Wish, he's already halfway there.

"Mystical Fire! Make some steam!"

When we had worked on my first true custom move in that cave on route 215, I thought it to be a game changer. That was, in retrospect, hilariously incorrect. The move was too difficult to set up for the small returns I would get out of it, and it wouldn't actually deal that much damage. Still, I watched as flames clung to Princess' ring of rocks, creating steam everywhere she flew. Some of it, she just half-haphazardly threw everywhere else, and it quickly turned into steam due to the rain or the sea. Palafin was going so fast he was a blur, but we were fast too.

"Hydro Pump!" Wake yelled, realizing he was wasting time. There was still a time limit to these Gym Battles.

I wanted to yell dodge, but she already knew what to do. Enormous jets of water burst out of Palafin's six spheres and all rushed toward Princess. These weren't normal Hydro Pumps. They bent to the water type's will, twisting and turning as they hunted down Princess like a pack of hungry Mandibuzz. She dove down, avoiding two, then twisted around another one coming from below, and spread her flaming ring of stones into a wall to block another, creating a burst of steam—

I winced when the Hydro Pump punched through the Ancient Power like it had been cardboard and slammed into Princess. She tumbled down, but then caught herself before she could land in the water. Against Palafin, the water meant an instant loss. Looks like it'll only be evasive maneuvers, then. Princess circled around the arena and flew back toward the water type.

"They're plannin' something!" Wake warned. "But you'll punch through. You're a hero! The Hero!"

Palafin flexed, ignoring the constant pain from the Will-O-Wisps as ice danced within his palms. When he closed a fist, he placed both of them into two of his bubbles, and they immediately froze over. They did not drop, however. With a grunt, the water type retracted his Ice Punch from the enormous balls of ice and punched them with a glowing fist, shattering them into a thousand sharp pieces that instantly honed in on Princess. That was the problem with fighting Pokemon this strong, I internally groaned. They're so fucking powerful they can pull any tricks out of their asses, and we were just starting to catch up in that regard. The four remaining spheres of water continued with Hydro Pump, of course. Arceus, the rain was making him so much more powerful than he had any right to be.

I waited with bated breath until Princess got in range—

"Bubble Blast!"

Steam and flames condensed next to Palafin, and in a second, it blew up with a loud pop. Scorching steam singed the water type's body, and he grunted as he covered his face with an arm. There was another explosion, then another, and another as Princess kept her distance. The shards of ice still came for her, stabbing deep into her fur and coating it with blood. Still, she cried out and a Charge Beam came into being, hitting Palafin in the arm. A gust of wind made her gain in altitude, and she narrowly dodged another Hydro Pump. The jet of water grazed her, still, and she winced.

It was time to kick things into high gear. I wasn't going to win by playing nice, and she was in range. It was one thing to do this on accident in battle and another to straight up give the order.

"Break his arms."

Palafin's eyes bulged when Togekiss gripped him with Psychic. The problem was, I realized, that he was so strong that in a second, he broke out of her hold and barrelled toward her with unending rage. Shit.

"Focus on his arm!" I yelled.

Not the entire body, but one limb. Palafin always flew with an arm outstretched like in a comic book, and the audience winced when an audible crack rang out and it bent ninety degrees sideways. Palafin screamed, but not in pain. He raged as he slammed into Princess with all of his might, the remaining water spheres collapsing behind him. The Hero dragged Princess under the water as she desperately tried to electrocute him with Charge Beam.

"Psychic! The other arm!" I yelled as they sank under the surface.

Twenty seconds later, Palafin threw Princess' unconscious body back onto the island. Palafin emerged with not another broken arm, but it was swollen and I could tell he couldn't move it properly.

The referee spoke. "And Hero equalizes the battle! He might be beaten, battered, but he never gives up, does he? He NEVER breaks! WHY?"

The audience yelled as one. "BECAUSE! HE'S! HERO!"

"Challenger, send out your next Pokemon!"

"Let's see what Hero can do when he can't punch properly," I taunted, then grinned when I saw anger course through Palafin— not through empathy, but just from the way he glared at me. He hated me, I realized. I was everything he stood against and he wanted to send me packing. Verbal taunts work, then. I sent out Sweetheart onto the central island, and she quickly let out an excited scream at all of the water and rain around her.

"I'll have you know," I spoke to him directly, "that your time is coming to an end."

"DON'T LET HER GET TO YOU, HERO!" Wake bellowed. "HYDRO PUUUUUUUUMP!"

"Fly and Aerial Ace," I instantly said.

For all Hero was an unsurmountable wall, he was not invincible. He was tiring from two fights in a row, and the Will-O-Wisp was chipping at him little by little. The water type didn't move his arms this time when he pulled water from the sea, and for that, he was slower. Sweetheart was already flying with streaks of blurred air appearing all around her, and she faced the Hydro Pump head-on.

What Hero did not expect was for her to push through it. Her flying at all had caught him by surprise, but he didn't think Sweetie would be able to push past a Hydro Pump. A small, echoing grunt escaped her mouth as she entered the water and more air bubbled out of her jets. Palafin flew back, and even though he was slower, he could still outspeed her.

"Dragon Pulse," I exhaled.

The turquoise energy burst out of the rock type's mouth, traveling through the water until it hit Palafin in the shoulder. The impact sent the water type tumbling down as if he'd lost control of his flight, but we were hot on his tail. A delicious crunch sounded out through the rain when she slammed further into his chest, knocking all the air out of his lungs. Had he been able to use his arm, a few punches would have made quick work of us, but he could not.

Or I thought he couldn't. Wake barked out an order, and Palafin moved his broken arm through sheer force of will, hitting Pupitar with a Jet Punch as he cried out in pain. The rock type snarled, and her shell cracked after each hit, but she caught onto him with Crunch as they both crashed in the water.

"Stay up," I said.

While he could push past the pain to hit us, Palafin would be hard-pressed to wrestle a Pupitar when he was this weakened. Sweetheart flew out of the roaring sea, preserving as much gas as possible by pushing herself with Aerial Ace while there was no sign of Palafin anywhere. He doesn't have healing moves, so him waiting is to my advantage. Sweetie landed on the central island, which at this point was half of its original size.

"Catch your breath," I said. "Keep an eye out."

We were close. So close to beating him. A jet of water rose from nearby and nearly covered Sweetheart, but a quick burst of air got her away from the threat. Next, a wave washed over the island, taking with it the few trees desperately hanging on for dear life. Pupitar floated up so she wouldn't get swept away by the wave.

"So this is how it ends, huh?" I taunted. "Hero? Hiding in the depths and striking at us in the dark while our backs are turned?"

Surprisingly, Wake did not banter back or offer Palafin words of support. Instead, he stared down into the water with focus he hadn't had before. The referee picked up the slack, calling me a bunch of funny names and saying that I was a coward for breaking bones.

"It's just smart," I continued. "Although he did manage to punch Sweetie anyway. Funny how that works. Apparently your hero's had enough of fighting, though."

As another thirty seconds passed with sporadic attacks, It dawned on me. He wasn't coming. Wake grinned, as if he'd been testing Palafin, and not just me. He was, I realized, not only teaching me to fight on an unfair field, but also how to keep my cool during a paradigm shift. He'd also been teaching Palafin not to rise to my taunts. Hero, the crowd chanted. The majority of the people in this room wanted to see me lose, but somehow, I was still not the underdog, as if I was living in his story. They all called his name, louder and louder until—

The water moved as one.

It did not take a shape. Not exactly. It was more like the entire sea itself was rising, inch by inch. The water grew more agitated, foam built up in every single wave until the entire surface was covered in the same substance that Palafin's gloves were made of.

"Into the sky, now!" I yelled.

I didn't have to say it twice. With the hiss of a jet engine, Sweetheart left for the skies, leaving behind a trail of sand and dirt. The foam built and built until it all surged upward. Gallons of it. Enough to fill the arena two times over, all of it converged toward Sweetheart, and Palafin was still nowhere to be seen. The noise from the spectators reached a crescendo—

Then, it all collapsed.

The water returned to normal.

Palafin had washed up onto an island. The burns from Will-O-Wisp had finished him off.

The referee said something, but I was too busy registering what had happened. That move… the amount of control it would take to make it happen was incredible and went beyond everything I'd seen from Palafin. I gulped, and Sweetheart landed back on the ground.

"You did well, Hero," Wake said. "Rejoice, for this battle has made you grow beyond your means."

"I think," I gasped, "that it's about time to transfer him to the 8th badge."

With so many stacked Rain Dances, he had been nigh unstoppable. Without them? I was pretty sure he'd be able to easily hold his own when transformed, at the very least.

Wake grinned. "He does pack a punch, doesn't he? ESPECIALLY AGAINST OPPONENTS LIKE YOU!"

He raised both of his arms and basked in the crowd's cheers. For all this could have been boasting, I knew Wake was right. Palafin thrived against opponents like me. People he saw as evil and unfair pushed him past his limits because he truly believed he needed to stop me. A few moments later, he sent out his Sharpedo. I breathed a sigh of relief when good old hydrokinesis made a return, and water clung to the dark type's skin to help him float. While his mastery over it was far better than Volkner's Lanturn had been, it still looked hilariously clumsy compared to anything Palafin had been capable of. This is one of Sweetheart's worst matchups, I acknowledged. Sharpedo's skin was tough enough for her hits to be dulled. The Rain Dance did not strengthen, but it didn't wane either. This wasn't over, but at least the islands wouldn't flood even faster.

"INTO THE WATER AND OUT! LIQUIDATION!" Crasher Wake bellowed.

Sharpedo dove down like a missile, and as soon as his skin touched the sea, he sped up and gathered momentum. He didn't go deep. I could still see his dorsal fin peeking above the surface. Water built up like a wave until the dark type jumped out of it and it followed him. The liquid around Sharpedo was shaking, with bubbles and ripples going through it as if it would explode on contact.

And I knew it would.

"Iron Defense," I ordered.

Running away from Sharpedo? Impossible, not when Wake had Agility in his backpocket. I knew for a fact that he wanted to make me run so that he could catch me off-guard, but I knew all of Sharpedo's tricks. Sweetheart's skin shimmered brightly as Sharpedo crashed nose-first into her. Water exploded, puncturing holes into her shell.

"Payback!" I grinned.

This would only work once, but oh boy, did it work. Sweetheart moved unnaturally quickly as darkness slipped from her shell, and she slammed her full weight into Sharpedo so strongly that half of his teeth fell out. Sharpedo slid across the island, then lifted himself up back into the water.

They'd only stay at a distance from now on, even if Sharpedo's expertise was in a melee. There were scant few rocks to use here, but the Ancient Power from Angel still remained. Crumbled stone in the island on the right corner that was barely still above water any longer. Thank fuck I'd played the long game. Hurricane from Gyarados might have washed most of them into the sea, but some were still gathered around the corner and she could pick them up from under the water.

"Switch islands! To my right!" I ordered.

Sweetheart flew, skipping across the water like a stone until the reached our corner. Wake barked out for an Agility, and then a Hydro Pump. He still followed, but kept his distance now.

"Dodge right! Left! Left again!"

Her eyes were back to the attack, so she followed my voice and narrowly avoided all but the last Hydro Pump. She was on her last legs, but we needed this. Any extra damage would go far in helping the rest of the team. I leaned against my crutch as Sweetheart beached herself on the island and quickly turned. The only counter was—

"Smack Down!" I yelled.

A rock shattered under the water, then flew toward Sharpedo, who dodged by ducking under the water. Perfect. The rock moved ninety degrees down and slammed into his skull through the water. Not much damage, but it's something. Sharpedo roared— something that sounded more like something that should have come out of a dragon's mouth— letting loose another Hydro Pump that broke through a hastily made wall with Stone Edge and finished the rock type off. Ancient Power would come in handy for her at some point. I recalled Sweetheart after thanking her for her performance. Only she had the tools to finish off Palafin, and she had used them perfectly.

I released Sunshine onto the center island, and he immediately grunted in displeasure. Rain turned to steam as it hit his shell.

"Sunny Day."

The bright light left Turtonator's snout and grew until he peered through the clouds. It wasn't much, but it was something. Crasher Wake barked out another order, and Sharpedo continued pestering us with Hydro Pump. He was keeping his distance, then. Sunshine lifted an arm to protect his face, but there was only so much he could do to actually dodge.

But this was fine. I let a third Hydro Pump hit him. Then a fourth. I told him to use Dragon Pulse, which Sharpedo easily dodged. Lure them into a false of security, then strike. I would only be able to do this once.

"Scale Shot!" I called out.

In one smooth motion, Sunshine turned toward Sharpedo, his shell already humming and glowing with Shell Trap's power. Dozens of glowing red scales from his back flew toward Sharpedo, who tried to dive to dodge. The first explosion stunned him, then there were dozens more, like cluster bombs, one going off had triggered all of the others.

"Fly."

Flames danced around Sunshine, hugging his body in a warm embrace. The Flame Charge sped him up until he jumped and slammed an Iron Tail against his shell. Then, he retreated into it and used it again.

He didn't land on top of Sharpedo, because we didn't manage to extend the range of the island. Even when flooding due to the rain, it would have given him more space to gather momentum, but that was fine. Another Shell Trap, and he swam toward the still-stunned Sharpedo, grabbing onto his tough skin. Vapor rose high into the sky and water evaporated from him just being there. A Dragon Pulse gathered in front of Sunshine's snout—

Wake recalled his Sharpedo before he could burn, and wasted no time or pleasantries sending out his last Pokemon. Kingdra. The dragon type hovered over the sea, and for some reason, the storm ended. The rain itself continued, but the sea was completely calm. And we were in the middle of the water. Shit. They'd pulled the rug from under me.

"WHAT NOW, IMPALER? KINGDRA, DRAGON PULSE!"

"You've got this," I exhaled. "Shell Trap out of the water."

I inhaled sharply when Kingdra opened her eyes for the first time and spat out her Dragon Pulse. It was weaker than Sunshine's by far, but it would still hurt. The dragon ducked under the water to tamper the hit as if he was one of Wake's own Pokemon, then exploded— twice— thrice in a row in less than a second and launched into the air with very little control except his general direction. He sprawled out at the edge of the island, and it was hard to notice the top of his shell starting to splinter.

"Twister!" Wake yelled.

It was a small tornado at first, and then a cyclone. The air was chock full of draconic energy as it spun faster and faster. Kingdra rumbled, and the Twister fell onto the island like a force of nature. And she was making another one. I told Sunshine to start off a Flame Charge again, but jumping onto Kingdra when we'd just made the same play against Sharpedo would be impossible. It was a good thing that he had other tricks up his sleeve.

"Scale Shot!"

"Watch out—" Wake yelled out, but it was too late.

They wouldn't just explode in the water. Small, flaming scales flew off of Sunshine's shell as soon as he used another Shell Trap, and then exploded all around Kingdra. Kingdra was powerful, only second to Palafin and Gyarados, but she was also slow, and had nowhere to retreat to. Both in or out of the water, we would get her. Sunshine let loose a flaming Dragon Pulse that completely enveloped the water type. He kept it going for as long as possible until the Twister grew to such an extent that he couldn't avoid it. The attack had grown using water and now overtook the entire island.

"You've got this," I breathed. "Keep going."

And keep going he did. Kingdra aimed her Dragon Pulses using the red hue beneath the Twister, but hers were weaker than ours. Sunshine finished off Kingdra with an angry roar. Her scales were burned, and smoke still emanated out of her. Sunshine didn't boast even though I knew he wanted to. We still had work to do.

"Leader Wake is down to one Pokemon!" The referee yelled. "Can Sharpedo do it? Can he bring it home and end this battle?! Leader Wake, send out your last Pokemon!"

Wake released the dark type as far away from us as he could, but that was fine too. Little rays from the Sunny Day occasionally peered through the clouds and onto Sunshine's scales. The dragon type drew on heavy breaths.

"Solar Beam."

Months ago, he had used Solar Beam in the middle of a Smokescreen during our first training bout. While I hadn't brought it up again, I knew it would be key here and practiced the same set up as much as we could with Angel.

A smokescreen masked more sunlight than storm clouds.

It burst out of his snout like a flashbang, so loud that even Wake had to repeat his order to get under water twice. Not that Sharpedo had waited for him anyway. The water type was quick, but he no longer had Agility set up. The Solar Beam was larger than a Snorlax and evaporated the water under it. So powerful it created a dent in the sea fifteen feet deep like we'd split the water in half. Sharpedo used Hydro Pump— the Solar Beam brushed past the attack after a second of struggle and reached the dark type.

When the Solar Beam done, Sharpedo was down for the count.

"Victory to Grace the Impaler!"

Holy shit. Holy fucking shit, I'd won, and it hadn't been particularly close. Wake's entire strategy had revolved around Palafin, and we had countered it despite our difficulties. The rain slowly abated, leaving only the sun to peer down on Sunshine. This time, he gloated, letting out a Flamethrower high into the sky. I let him have his moment, of course. He'd just gone toe-to-toe with a Kingdra in the middle of a makeshift ocean and in the rain, even if that Kingdra wasn't particularly that strong. Granted, everything looked weak in comparison to Palafin. The crowd was cheering for my victory now that the 'act' was done, although of course there were leftover boos, even if they weren't many. The vast majority of people were regulars at the Gym and knew it was all a game.

I carefully stepped down the stairs with my crutches and made my way toward Wake, but he was nice enough to motion at me to stay where I was so I wouldn't have to walk too long.

He spoke first. "Looks like you've won your title," he said with a wink. Even outside of battle, his voice was loud. "Congratulations, impaler… or maybe bonebreaker would be more appropriate. Quite the brutal way you took down Palafin. He isn't used to people coming at him that way."

"I would have lost if I hadn't. Three Focus Punches at full strength, and Swee— Pupitar goes down."

"That's fair. You should probably expect someone to fight you the same way at some point, but at the very least, Gym Leaders tend to be more lenient with the way we battle. I hope you didn't mind the little fun we had. I try to do it for every battle, but most of the time I'm the heel."

Lenient? Had he not seen that Hyper Beam from Gyarados? I thought, smothering a smirk.

I already had my ID and Pokedex out for him, and I handed them over. "It was a lot of fun. It felt good to let loose, in a way."

"Right? You clicked on pretty fast, so that was nice. We gave our spectators a good show."

He fiddled with my Pokedex first, then my ID. "You've got the Fen Badge now, and an extra 50k in the bank. Oh, and also the Scald TM."

Good for Buddy, that one.

"I hope you've learned many lessons here," he said, somewhat ominously. "Because the eighth will be much harder than this."

I stopped myself from gulping and nodded firmly. How to not panic if you start losing, how to fight on a field that's blatantly unfair and think outside of the box, improvements on how to think on my feet, I need to get my ass into gear and focus more on things like TE manipulation, and more that I probably wasn't looking at right now. Still, now wasn't the time to be gloomy.

I had kept my nerves. I hadn't panicked. I had stared the Hero in the eye and hadn't blinked.

And Legendaries, that had been so much fun.