INTERLUDE - SECOND WIND

"Maybe doing this was a bad idea."

Grace rolled her eyes on Cecilia's phone screen and faked offense. "What do you mean? Are you saying I've ever had any bad ideas, Cece? You wound me!"

Cecilia leaned against the edge of Canalave's drawbridge. "You? A bad idea? Of course not," she said, not bothering to hide her sarcasm. "But this ruins the surprise you'll have when you get to the city."

"I mean, I'm seeing it right now, aren't I? Point the phone a little up."

This wasn't exactly a date. More like a conversation on the phone that had derailed until Cecilia had begun to rant about how great bridges were and their symbolism, linking two wholes together into one community. Grace had then suggested that Canalave had a bridge and that Cecilia should go and show her because she'd never been despite basically living right next door her entire life. The only place she'd been on vacation as a child was Sunyshore, which still baffled Cecilia. It was evening now, and the drawbridge was packed with people crossing to and fro in the rush to get back home after a hard day's work. The bridge itself was a colossal structure wrought of stone and wood, positioned over the city's central canal, and yachts hugged both sides of the city canal in a way that reminded Cecilia of the docks in Castelia, though several times less grand. The salty wind whipped around her hair, which nearly blinded her.

A day had passed since they'd reconnected, and they'd passed almost its entirety on the phone, save for when they were busy studying or training. It wasn't something Cecilia wanted to make a regular occurrence, especially when they'd just been learning to function when apart, but they did have a lot to catch up on, and talking to her after so long felt like a blessing. All of their adventures, their worries and their troubles they'd missed.

Cecilia had to admit, there had been a certain uncomfortableness when she'd heard about Grace forcing love upon Mathilda, but you often did not have the luxury to choose when you were about to die, and she understood the decision. Luckily, it hadn't been permanent. Cecilia hoped that she'd be able to be fine, when they met in person. She trusted Grace, but… it was still somewhat difficult to imagine the full extent of her capabilities. Chase had been a part of the discussion for a few hours, but he was secluding himself somewhere on route 218, pushing his team in hopes of making it past the eighth badge in one attempt.

"Aw, man. I thought we'd be able to see the Iron Islands from here," Grace sighed.

"Obviously not. They're too far away, and the ferry ride takes hours," Cecilia said, flipping the camera back toward her face. "Anyway, what do you think?"

"Yeah, it's great."

Cecilia pouted. "Spoilsport."

"Okay, in my defense, anything I'd say would sound like that compared to what you had to say," Grace said. "I mean, to be honest, a bridge is cool, but it's a bridge, y'know? Though I'd definitely be more into it if I was there."

"May I remind you that this was your idea? You just said you didn't get any bad ones."

"Harsh, but fair," her girlfriend laughed, in a way that made Cecilia want to grin too. "By the way, nothing from Mira, still?"

Cecilia pushed herself off the railing. "Nothing at all."

"I thought she might have been ignoring me for… obvious reasons," she muttered. "But I guess she's ignoring everyone. I would have hoped to see her in Solaceon, but I knew that was unlikely."

"She's probably already through by now, with Alakazam to Teleport her," Cecilia said. "Lauren passed through a few days beforehand, too."

"Oh, she's no longer in Sunyshore? Did she tell you what she was doing there?"

"You know Lauren. The only way to get her out of her shell is battling," Cecilia smiled.

"Well, I guess Sirris has gotten good at Teleporting," Grace said. "Arceus, I want a Teleporter so bad."

"Don't let Princess hear you say that. She'll get jealous."

"She's sleeping right now. And taking up all the space, too, but she deserves it after that performance in the Lost Tower."

"Like mother, like daughter."

"Huh? I don't take up all the space when I sleep!"

Cecilia let the silence speak for itself as she started making her way off the bridge, ignoring Grace's cute whining until she couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"It's not that funny— actually, it's not funny at all. You like it anyway, you're the one who always pulls me close because your awful family touch starved you your entire life."

"Hmm, debatable. Do I pull you close, or do you throw yourself into my arms?"

"I can't believe my girlfriend is gaslighting me."

"Let's just call it a tie."

This felt good. Her body felt lighter, now that she had someone to lean on in moments like these. They were not back to how they used to be quite yet, but this familiarity was something Cecilia had dearly missed.

Grace grumbled under her breath. "Fine, it's a tie. Did you hear Barry Lane won against Candice on his first attempt?" she said after Cecilia reentered the well-paved grey streets of Canalave. "I watched the battle earlier. It was a nail-biter. 5-6, with his Rapidash barely standing by the end."

There was a hint of envy in her voice, but also the fire of competition, Cecilia noticed. It was not as if she was immune to it as well. Unlike Grace, she was no rival to Barry, and had never even spoken to him, but she did consider him somewhat of a peer, and him having eight badges while she still had six left a bad taste in her mouth. He was the only first-year to already have eight badges as well, leaving him ample time to train in secret for the Conference and come up with new techniques. The closer to the end of the Circuit a trainer got their eighth badge, the more up-to-date the information on them would be, unless you were someone like Craig Goodwill, who was good enough to win his battles without using everything he had come up with.

"Basically, she tried to out-Barry Barry, and it almost worked. They were throwing out some wild stuff by the end. Her Frosmoth did a weird thing where they created ice constructs that spread cold throughout the arena that looked so real they might as well have been Double Team clones, and they were indistinguishable from the real thing even after getting hit. Anything other than a fire type would have frozen over there, and it was so cold they basically smothered Rapidash's flames."

That sounded very interesting. She'd probably give the video a look as well, despite not having any ice types. The notion that fire beats ice had been ingrained into her mind since she'd been a child, yet she knew now that battling wasn't that simple.

"What Pokemon on her personal team did Candice use?"

"Abomasnow. Maybe I'll message Chase so he can take some inspiration," Grace hummed. There was regret, there. Cecilia knew Candice and she hadn't spoken since the raid, neither deigning to contact the other. Cecilia had not stayed in contact with the ice type Gym Leader like Grace had, but they'd still spoken a little. When she'd asked if Grace wanted her to reach out, she had fervently denied her. "How're you feeling for your own battle?"

"Confident enough," she said. Her battle was tomorrow, and she'd brought information about Byron to learn about him in the Iron Islands. "I'm still wondering how many Pokemon he'll use that are stronger than seven badges. My team is beyond that level already, and Zolst, well… he's the one I'm certain is already at the eighth."

Though all of her Pokemon save for Croagunk were beyond what a Gym Leader would expect for the seventh, too.

"One or two," Grace instantly answered. "You're a first-year with no baseline for your Pokemon's strength. Byron will have to play it safe, even if you lost against Wake. Plus, I doubt he expects you to have trained in the Iron Islands."

"I figured. He'll want to counter Zolst, that much is assured."

"Can I see him? Pretty please?"

"He's not allowed in cities, and you know it," Cece said. "And I can't take off in the middle of a city with Lehmhart, so I'd have to walk all the way to the gate if I wanted to get on a route."

"Blegh. I get it… can I see Scizor, though?"

The Unovan agreed, releasing the steel type as she neared her Pokemon Center (she'd booked the one closest to the drawbridge for obvious reasons). He squinted at her, his eyes full of exasperation. He must have been resting, then.

"Sorry. Grace wanted to see you?" Cecilia said— or it was more like an ask. She was still atoning for the way she'd treated him, despite them being close these days. Their time in the mines had finally brought them to something akin to companions. Scizor sighed with a metallic trill and nodded.

"Scizor! Scizor! Hi!" Grace yelled, waving at her phone camera. "Legendaries, you look so cool! Wait, you always looked cool, but you look cooler now."

The sleek, crimson exoskeleton glimmered in the streetlights. Scizor's carapace, adorned with serrated edges, was steel, now. No longer would attacks simply penetrate it or break his wings. He had traded speed for defense, of course, though with Agility he was still a Pokemon Cecilia considered a speedster. He could fly in short bursts, but hovering in the air for too long was impossible, and his wings were mostly used to adjust his body temperature and to keep him from overheating. It had taken a lot of getting used to, but there was nothing like combat to get a Pokemon used to fighting in their new form. His two scythes had been replaced by sharp pincers capable of crushing instead of cutting.

He accompanied her into the Pokemon Center, growing more irritated at Grace complimenting his sharp edges in a way only she could get so obsessed with. Cecilia drew eyes, though not as many as before. Give it enough time, and anything will fall out of public attention, she thought. Once she revealed Hydreigon into the world, Cecilia was sure she would attract more, which this time, she would be pleased by. She needed Unovan Professors to notice her, after all.

"To counter Hydreigon, I was thinking either one of his Steelix, Corviknight or, well, his Scizor," Cecilia said, awkwardly turning toward her own. He didn't seem to care. "All of those make sense to me."

"Scizor gets melted by Flamethrower. He won't go for it," Grace said. "Steelix or Corviknight are more likely for his eight badge Pokemon, I've been learning about them, little by little. His Steelix is basically a weaker version of the one on his personal team, and Corviknight is a bruiser built to take hits and dish out just as many. He knows some weird reflective move, too."

"Some kind of Mirror Coat, but not psychic," Cecilia confirmed. She'd heard about it. "Somehow, steel TE is capable of reflecting anything, if you put your mind to it, and Corviknight is specialized in this."

"And he has Roost. Hydreigon won't be able to take him down easily," she said.

Cecilia unlocked her room and entered it with Scizor. "I'll deal."

"You're lucky he doesn't have a Forretress of an appropriate level. Now that'd be difficult to deal with," Grace said. "Or unlucky, depending on the the way you look at things. The challenge would be fun, I think. Byron's Forretress all have ways to counter fire type moves."

"I think I would have enjoyed it, personally. I was looking forward to battling a Duraludon, too, but it turns out he has none."

"Byron's a little old school. Uh, he mostly owns Pokemon native to Shinwa, and Unova after Cynthia went there for a year and their relations warmed."

Cecilia nodded. "Combine that with a Gym having fewer higher-leveled Pokemon, and you get this. Well, that's okay. I just thought a clash between dragons would have been elating…"

"Right?! We'll have to do it, sometime! Or maybe Zolst against Sweetheart! I could find a mountain or remote area for it. I doubt that the barriers they have in the average public arena would be enough, these days."

Cecilia sat on her bed as Scizor hissed with a displeased tone. She relented, placing him back in his Pokeball before lying down on her bed.

"The Conference," she said. "I don't want to show my hand early, and by the time you get to Canalave, I'll be in Pastoria." Cecilia paused, rolling on her stomach. "You know, this might be a little cheesy, but you better not lose until we fight."

Grace answered with a blush and by muttering some gibberish under her breath. Legendaries, she was cute.

"Zolst will be quite useful for my foray into Unova," Cecilia continued, switching the topic.

"Um, I don't think I got that right. We're trying to change for the better, right?"

"It's not anything you're thinking," she sighed. "It has nothing to do with hurting anyone. Remember when I told you I was looking into getting sponsored by a Professor when we were in Sunyshore in New Wave's building?"

"Oh! Right, you said that they'd be inclined to sponsor you if you had rare Pokemon. I guess Zolst counts."

"He does! And if I do manage to get my Spiritomb, it'll be an even more lucrative option. I was looking at a few names… Bradley Jordan, Lesley Espinoza, Aurea Juniper are the ones that might be open to working with me."

"What's special about 'em? I mean, other than the fact that they're super smart."

"That they operate outside of politics, mainly. All of them live in small towns and keep to themselves, so I doubt that they'd mind sponsoring me. They're all based in Numeva or Aspertia. Numeva's kind of like Twinleaf— well, it's more like two Solaceons in terms of population, but—"

"No need to brag about how big Unova is, Cece. When you get into it, you never stop."

"Right. Anyway, I've been branded puppet of Cynthia, so that gives me a black mark that I needed to circumvent with people that put science over politics."

Cecilia had money, but it would be running out at some point, and sooner, if she was going to spend the money she wanted to on TMs and items for the Conference. It was nigh time to stop relying on the money she'd taken from her father and she become truly independent.

Grace smiled. "You're daydreaming."

Right.

First, she had to focus on the now instead of the future.

—

Byron's arena was not the pure stretch of stainless steel, ready to be molded to his desires as Cecilia had expected before she'd begun looking up the Gym Leader. Her eyes gazed across the Gym Leader's battlefield and did find steel as a base layer, but it was anything but pristine. It was rough, worn and battered. Holes deep enough for her to fall in and small hills wrought of iron stretched across the entire surface and made it difficult to flood in its entirety, save for the two usual ponds at each edge. Jagged steel spikes, each ten feet in height, covered much of the field in a way that was obviously meant for Byron to manipulate and use to his advantage. Cecilia quickly found the best area to release her first Pokemon in, but she gave Byron a good look first. Wild, purple hair that looked like it hadn't been combed a day in his life and a thick, scruffled beard that stretched down from the side of his head down to his chin. Byron's body was toned, with clearly defined muscle that was visible through his thin, sleeveless white shirt. He wore old, disheveled pants covered in rips and tears, and a worn dark cape that looked like it'd fit right on a child playing superhero back in the Iron Islands. His dark eyes stared into hers, intense and burning as he slung a heavy-looking shovel on his back and grinned.

"Welcome, challenger," he said with a deep, grave voice. Like a smoker's, though Cecilia knew it was from his early days working in the mines. The smoke and ash had damaged his lungs. "This'll be a six-on-six battle with three switch-ins 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 League Circuit. Go ahead."

Close to the exact words and inflection Roark had used, Cecilia noticed. She didn't bother to keep him waiting, releasing Croagunk onto the field next to one of the steel spires. There were doubtful murmurs within the crowd, and even Byron raised an eyebrow, when he saw the small fighting type land near in one of the grooves in the iron floor, next to one of the ponds. He was right to be surprised. Croagunk was, after all, not at a level where she would be able to come close to winning despite her intense training in the Iron Islands. Cecilia had sent Croagunk out to lose, as they had agreed to during their stay near Falkirk.

For her, it would be trial by fire.

Byron's microphone picked him up cracking his neck, and he sent out an Escavalier without comment, their lances gleaming and sharp. Grace would be a fan of those, she instantly thought. Escavalier was one of Byron's most offensively-minded Pokemon, though its defenses were still tough to breach. Cecilia too, had begun to study her opponents in preparation for the Conference's arduous and spy-filled environment. She'd gotten a taste of it once, before the Solaceon tournament, and had resigned to the fact that talent could only bring her so far.

The referee seemed to be as interested in the battle as the spectators was, which was part of the culture in Byron's Gym. She slashed across the air and yelled out at the battle to begin—

"Brick Break and Fling," Cecilia calmly spoke.

They did not have the power to break past Escavalier's defenses, but they could make it sting, at the very least. Croagunk's hand went white as she jabbed it at the steel spire, shattering it in two quick hits. While she hurriedly grabbed the debris and flung it toward Escavalier at breakneck speed, Byron called out.

"Lance!"

The order resonated across the field like the clap of thunder, and the bug type brought one of its spears forward. For a second, Escavalier hung in the air as the lance glowed bright white. Two pieces of steel rammed into its hard shell, but the third, Croagunk managed to land on its soft body within, eliciting a pained grunt. Escavalier rammed an arm into the air and blurred impossibly fast toward Croagunk.

Cecilia barely had the time for her next order. "Mud Slap."

Croagunk might not have the power to stand up to Pokemon like Escavalier yet, but she was fast, and she fought dirty to attempt to bridge the gap. The fighting type's cheeks swelled before she spat out a mouthful of mud into Escavalier's eyes and inside its armor, barely giving her time to dodge by rolling out of the way. The attack still grazed her arm, but she recovered quickly, sliding in a small hole as Escavalier cumbersomely turned back toward them and nearly crashed into one of the steel spires in the process.

"Screech and Lance again," Byron said. "Fire, this time."

The steel type stopped dead in its tracks, hovering carefully in the air as it brought its two lances together and generated an obnoxious keen that made Cecilia wince. The sparks somehow generated a flame that spread throughout once out of its hands despite the fact that it was a bug and steel type, and this time, it seemed faster than it had been seconds earlier. The jet of flame behind its elbow is used as propulsion, Cecilia instantly noticed, and the fact that he was specifically aiming for Croagunk's Dry Skin made her skin crawl. In all of the depictions of Byron she'd heard, he was described as a brute who simply used an impenetrable defense to find openings to defeat his challenger.

The flames stretched across the arena with a deafening woosh, burning red and blue as their light illuminated the steel floor. The hole wouldn't be enough to keep the poison type protected, and she knew it. The attempt to get deeper was futile, and Escavalier lanced Croagunk in the shoulder faster than she could react.

"Mud Bomb," Cecilia ordered.

The flames dried the mud as soon as it left Croagunk's mouth, exploding into thick, dry chunks that hurt her more than it did Escavalier, but that was fine. She was learning. While her skin wrinkled and the moisture was sucked out of her, her shoulders bled and Escavalier carried her across the field, her feet swung upward using the momentum she carried, kicking Escavalier's with a Low Sweep. Unfortunately, the impact didn't make the steel type change trajectories, and he slammed her into one of the spires, breaking through it and throwing Croagunk on the ground. Instead of rolling, she caught herself by anchoring her body by jabbing a Brick Break into the ground.

"Fell Stinger," Byron said.

Escavalier angled its lance toward Croagunk, and a sharp burst of energy molded like a spike flew toward her. She jumped out of the way at the last second, pelting her opponent with more Mud Bombs as she did so. Escavalier shot them out of the sky with more stingers before he could get hit, but some of the scorching mud exploded onto his armor, creating a satisfying hiss. For twenty seconds, they played this game. Byron was content to let his Escavalier take more damage, so long as it took down Croagunk with Fell Stinger to increase its attack by the end.

One was bound to hit, eventually. The neon green spike hit Croagunk in the gut and threw her back. She stumbled in an attempt to keep standing, but she only managed to take a single step back before fainting.

"Croagunk is unable to battle! Challenger, send out your second Pokemon."

"You gave a satisfying performance," Cecilia smiled as she recalled her.

They still had a lot of catching up to do. Escavalier did not shine, nor did anything on its body shift, but its eyes sharpened and its body tensed. Taking down Croagunk with Fell Stinger had not been ideal for her, but it was a sacrifice Cecilia had been willing to make.

She grabbed her next Pokeball, releasing Zolst onto the field, and a ripple of tension spread across the arena. Spectators went silent as all of Hydreigon's heads let out an infuriated scream and sent spittle forward.

Hydreigon was eight feet in height, and his six, claw-like wings were longer still. His darkened scales seemed to absorb all light, and from her tests, he was her toughest Pokemon, now. Six crimson eyes shimmered under the Gym's harsh lights, the two heads he had for hands lashing wildly at any movement and drooling all over the ground until Zolst snarled at them, and they went still. The low, haunting rumble from the depths of the Hydreigon's throat echoed through the stillness. The heads were not sentient, not exactly, but they could still sense light from dark and tended to be a lot more aggressive than the main head despite being subservient.

And while she had dealt with the worst of Zolst's rage, that did not mean he did not share the average Hydreigon's temperament. The dragon was known as the Brutal Pokemon for a reason.

All of their work had led to this. All of their trials, their training, and their close brushes with death had culminated in this single moment. This was the true beginning of her Gym Battle, and she would destroy anything standing in her way.

"Metal Burst and X-Scissor," Byron said.

Shards of metal broke off the ground and turned into a maelstrom of steel, loud, and clanking together as Escavalier's lances glowed neon green. It glided across a few inches above the floor, manacingly raking one lance against it before bringing it up in a sharp motion that cut across Hydreigon's chest—

The right head's mouth snapped shut with Fire Fang around the other lance and dug into the steel while the central and left head blew a searing Flamethrower at Escavalier. It enveloped the steel type completely and disturbed the air until both the dragon and Escavalier were but flickering figures of dark and gray in the heat. The flames melted some of the steel on the floor, causing it to trickle down into pools and sizzle as smoke rose high into the sky. Shadows danced within the fire, and Cecilia was certain she would have heard a screech had the flames not drowned out every other sound.

Escavalier could not escape from the Fire Fang's grasp, but it didn't take its demise lying down. Cecilia saw hints of a fight, though it was meaningless. Hydreigon let go of its unconscious body, blackened by ash and soot, and Escavalier crashed to the ground with the heavy thud of steel.

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"Escavalier is unable to battle! Leader Byron, send out your second Pokemon."

"Impressive," Byron smiled. "It looks like your training in the Iron Islands was fruitful."

He'd heard about that? Cecilia kept her face still, waiting for him to release his next Pokemon. She'd been expecting at least one eight-badge level Pokemon to counter her Hydreigon, at the very least, and she was not disappointed to see the massive Corviknight materialize in the air. Thanks to Grace's last-minute advice, she'd known the flying type to be one of Hydreigon's main counters, given the fact that it knew some version of Mirror Coat that didn't need psychic powers to counter Flamethrower.

"Nasty Plot," Cecilia grinned.

"Steel Hurricane and Iron Defense," Byron countered.

Small… Spikes fluttered out of Corviknight's wings, but they never fell to the ground. Instead, the flying type flapped its wings, generating winds so strong they began to chip at the steel in the arena and empty the pools of water at its edges. The steel obscured the bird, but only a blind woman would have missed the glow in its armor. A scheming glint appeared in Hydreigon's eyes as he no doubt imagined finishing this entire battle all on his own with only a massive crater left on the field by the end of it.

Zolst's role, however, was not simply to destroy, even if he was really good at it.

"Earth Power, in a circle, like we planned. Keep up the pressure with your heads," Cecilia ordered in quick succession.

"Steel Coat and Brave Bird. Find an opening," Byron said.

Roaring flames exploded out of Zolst's hands, trailing onto the floor and leaving a massive dent before swinging upward and surging toward Corviknight. The steel type was actually quite slow compared to the Pokemon she was used to fighting, and the attack struck its chest, instantly bouncing back twice as strongly, and crashing into the barrier. The psychic wall shook, shimmering as Kadabra visibly strained to contain the attack— no the entire arena was shaking. The ground exploded in a circle as scorching, molten iron sprung up high into the sky thanks to Earth Power. While Corviknight could reflect attacks, it couldn't reflect the heat itself, even if it was a lot more resistant than Cecilia had given it credit for.

Hydreigon created a ravine chock-full of molten iron.

That was step one done—

Blue flames engulfed Corviknight as its eyes lit up in fury. The hulking steel type lunged at Hydreigon with a Brave Bird with a defiant squawk. What had been the opening? Cecilia thought, her mind racing. There wasn't enough time to figure it out, but Corviknight altered its course, seemingly to be aiming at—

The floor. Corviknight crashed into the molten iron like a meteor with no care for its own well-being. The liquid metal surged upward like water, but Corviknight's Brave Bird created such friction in the air that it had generated more heat as well. Hydreigon was still a clumsy flier and could only awkwardly float out of the way as molten steel clung to his scales and his left hand.

"Focus Blast," Cecilia said.

There was the crack of lightning, and then energy concentrated into a single point in both of Zolst's hands. Hydreigon sent them flying toward the general impact area with a roar, but Corviknight was nowhere to be seen—

"Below you!" she called out.

Drill Peck was a move of many uses. Hydreigon's wings wriggled, and he rose higher into the sky right as Corviknight burst out of the ground spinning so quickly the Pokemon had become a blur.

"Use Head Smash, now! Flamethrower!" Cecilia called out.

Legendaries, she'd have to come up with a system to call out which head did what, and soon. The momentum carried Corviknight up, but the steel type extended its wings, stopping dead in its tracks as the metallic storm kept raging. Thankfully, Zolst understood the command, and his two hands solidified, turning as hard as rock while he kept using Flamethrower. Corviknight, with reflexes beyond what should have been possible, triggered another Steel Coat with Drill Peck still active, and the flames bounced back. Cecilia winced as she heard a crunch, Zolst's two hands smashing into the side of Corviknight's armor while it rammed into the dragon.

Something shifted in Hydreigon's eyes, and he began whaling at Corviknight with everything he had, smashing into the steel type, biting it with Fire Fang and keeping it in close quarters. A trainer with weak nerves might have yelled and ordered Hydreigon to stop, or recalled him in a panic out of fear of killing. Cecilia did no such thing. Instead, she watched for ten seconds as the dark type brutalized Corviknight from up close until Byron pulled out his Pokeball and recalled the flying type to safety. Hydreigon drew upon heavy breaths, but he was not even close to done. He had not trained in Falkirk's abandoned mines and faced down that Steelix with the others for nothing. The damage the molten iron had done to his scales was substantial, but not catastrophic. The steel storm slowly subsided as Byron pulled out his next Pokeball. It had been more useful in obscuring vision than dealing any damage.

What now, Byron? Cecilia thought, analyzing the Gym Leader's face. She knew Corviknight owned Roost, and that Byron had understood that Hydreigon would never let it heal. It had also been one badge ahead, and there weren't that many of those he could use when fighting a first-year with seven badges. Byron smiled, sending out an assortment of gears that somehow made up a whole entity. Despite being a species native to Unova, Cecilia had never seen a Klinklang before.

"Iron Defense, Autotomize."

"Focus Blast!"

Klinklang shone bright white until the edges and gears were indistinguishable as three spheres of orange energy flew off toward it. The steel type's gears disassembled, splitting apart and letting the blasts pass through where its red core had just been.

"Elemental Barrage," Byron said.

From each piece of Klinklang, either ice, electricity or fire launched in the form of a beam toward Hydreigon. Cecilia swept her arm, ordering Hydreigon to use Hyper Voice infused with darkness, but as powerful as the dragon had grown, he had lungs, and Klinklang did not. Each piece of him kept up the attack indefinitely, speeding away from any attempts at retaliation when Cecilia switched up her strategy and called for a Flamethrower. Those that did get hit or narrowly dodged felt it, at least. Even with Klinklang's defenses up, Zolst packed a punch, and she wished she could have seen him destroying the arena forever. Each crater, each ravine, each blow filled her with a satisfaction she could not explain.

She could not dawdle, however. Cecilia snapped back to reality and recalled Hydreigon. Perhaps he could eke out a win in a battle of attrition, but he'd be needed, if that Corviknight ever came back. Her hands comfortably found Talonflame's Pokeball. If Klinklang was going to be difficult, then she would blast all of its pieces away. So long as the circular ravine she had created stayed intact or extended, it would not be a problem, but she would have to make use of Slowking next to start reaping what she sowed.

The Tailwind and Flame Charge to speed up came naturally to Talonflame, these days, though the former was already infused with Heat Wave from the get-go. Cecilia noticed the little pieces of Klinklang act as some sort of hive mind, hiding inside of craters, ravines or behind spires to hide from the worst of the heat. Still, some of them always had an angle, and Talonflame weaved in between numerous electric blasts that the steel type seemed to have automatically begun instead of using ice and flame. She was too fast, of course. She dropped down to the floor with her wings flat against her body until the air itself began to whistle as if she were a missile.

"Flaming Feathers, darling."

She spread her wings with a screech, and a hundred feathers coated in flames burst from them. They did not do so in a random matter, however. As Talonflame sang, she commanded her feathers, using her own flames and wind currents as scaffolding to carry them. They were already sharpened with Steel Wing, of course, and they hunted down the divided Klinklang like prey.

"Combine and Trick Room," Byron said.

Multiple orders in a row again. Braving the Heat Wave and the… less-than-stellar conditions below, Klinklang reassembled, clicking together again like magnets. The feathers all homed in toward the steel type, but the air around it shifted, and the feathers slowed until they came mere inches from its body, and they froze in place.

Klinklang too, was frozen. The gears had stopped turning, and it was simply suspended a few feet above the air. Trap, she instantly thought. There was no need to go in, if it fell onto Byron to make the next move. Cecilia ordered Talonflame to intensify her Heat Wave as her eyes narrowed toward the Klinklang. What now? You're slowly taking damage, so you're going to have to do something.

Suddenly, the Trick Room expanded to the entire arena, turning the red hue shining off the molten iron to pink. Talonflame slowed to a crawl, and while Klinklang was also slower due to Autotomize, it was faster than the flying type in a Trick Room because it was still slower outside of it. It was beautiful, if not morbid, how the Thunder formed in slow motion in front of Klinklang's red core. It began as a low rumble reverberating through the air unnaturally slowly. Then and only then, the incandescent spark of energy coalesced, birthing the electric beam. Heat Wave itself seemed to freeze as the electricity slowly surged forth, Klinklang having opted to get hit by the fiery feathers in exchange for this hit. It was a correct calculus, really. Talonflame was fragile, and despite them having developed techniques to remedy that weakness, there was not much that could be done. Any order she would scream out would come as a garbled, slow-motioned mess, so all Cecilia could do was trust in Talonflame.

She deserved to prove herself. This was as much a test for her as it had been for Croagunk and Hydreigon, and Cecilia had gambled that her Pokemon were strong enough to win regardless. Still slow-moving, a burst of white-hot, flaming air exploded out of Talonflame, twisting and altering the Thunder's path— even weakening it some— but not enough, Cecilia winced. Talonflame had barely moved ten feet since Trick Room had begun by the time the Thunder hit her chest, and the move collapsed with Klinklang showing visible signs of exhaustion. The gears turning weren't as smooth, and its red core had dimmed.

Talonflame did not fall on the ground, however. She caught herself beforehand, her training with Chase's Vikavolt coming to fruition. Byron's eyebrow raised as he looked on with amusement.

"Throw off one piece and Discharge," the Gym Leader said.

Cecilia smirked. "Agility and Flare Blitz!"

She understood now, why Grace kept moves hidden until they were needed. There was a booming explosion around Talonflame as she instantaneously blurred toward Klinklang at the speed of sound, crashing into the steel type before it could even react. Klinklang's red core instantly turned off as the gears themselves begun to melt from the constant exposure to Heat Wave and now Flare Blitz. It was another way she'd found to counter moves like Iron Defense. Heat softened metal, and softened metal was weak enough to bash in. With the denting and rupturing of the steel came a satisfaction deep within her chest, like a primal desire to burn and destroy anything that stood in her way.

"Klinklang is unable to battle! Leader Byron, send out your third Pokemon!"

The wind was at her back, but it was best if she did not get carried away. Byron sent out an Aggron next— the seven-badge level one, and not his personal one, thankfully. She could tell by the lack of scars running all over the rock type's body. Technically, Byron couldn't use Pokemon on his personal team for the seventh badge, but Candice had used that Darmanitan on Grace, once upon a time. Being mentally prepared for one wouldn't hurt. Cecilia instantly used her second switch despite Talonflame still being battle-worthy, finally letting Slowking out to battle. The psychic type immediately crafted a shield for himself to stand on so he wouldn't burn his feet in the pit of scorching metal that had become the arena. Spires had sunk into the ground, not as sharp as they'd been before, but the holes and hills were still there, at the very least.

And so was the ravine she'd set up.

"Let's begin, shall we? Fill up that ravine."

Byron called out for another Iron Defense and a Rock Polish as Slowking lazily lifted up a hand and flicked it around. The air above the ravine condensed into moisture, and that moisture seamlessly turned to gallons of water that hissed as it came into contact with the superheated metal.

"Metal Edge," Byron called out.

Aggron slid on the floor at speeds it had no right to be going, pulling up half-melted spires from the ground and shedding at their edges to sharpen them. With a metallic roar, the steel type sent them flying toward Slowking. Too quick and too large to stop with Psychic.

But with a little bit of help…

"Chilly Reception," Cecilia said.

Slowking grinned, and she was sure he would have bowed if he had enough time.

You know, it's really rude to go around steel-ing those huge spires to throw at me—

Wisps of ice left Slowking's mouth with each word until ice condensed and spread all around the psychic. The Metal Edges slowed as they entered the zone of frost before falling off the wayside away from Slowking, shattering into a dozen pieces of ice and skidding across the floor while the water type finished filling the ravine with water. Aggron just jumped over the chasms to approach, as she had expected. Lauren's own Aggron had done the same thing to her, when she had lost in Veilstone.

"Avalanche!" Cecilia said, deciding to chain her commands.

The chunks of ice answered to Slowking's will, rising from the floor and coming together until he threw them at Aggron, who grunted as the ice hit his steel plates with minimal effect. That was fine, seeing as she was baiting him in.

"Head Smash!" Byron yelled.

Aggron lowered his head, speeding up as he approached Slowking in hopes of taking him down in one hit. And Cecilia was sure it would have. No barriers would stop this charge, and Slowking's movements were lethargic and made him incapable of dodging. Few Pokemon could resist an Aggron's Head Smash powered up by Iron Defense. The steel type was steady in its steps, not slipping despite the Rock Polish and the massive craters that Hydreigon had wrought. What Byron did not expect, however, was for Slowking to start floating.

It was the culmination of his work on barriers throughout the months. Him having created all of them during their training sessions, learning to craft mental shields, creating bridges to walk onto and prioritizing barriers above all else had led to this. He was not floating as much as he was manipulating a barrier to stand on and sending it skyward. With his hands calmly placed behind his back, Slowking landed on the island of his creation, in the middle of the circular ravine he had filled with water while Aggron skidded across the floor and stopped with a mighty impressive controlled slide. More shimmering barriers— five layers in total appeared in spheres around him as the water rumbled.

Here he was, surrounded by water and barriers. A defense that was nigh unbreachable for Aggron, because they would not let him get close in the first place. They had created a fortress.

"Water Cutter," Cecilia smoothly said.

Ten small spheres of water rose from the makeshift river and squeezed until thin pressurized lines exploded toward Aggron, managing to dent the steel.

"Metal Edge."

Try as you may, it wouldn't work. It was a nice test from Byron, to check if Slowking could still use Chilly Reception to stop and slow the iron while focusing on maintaining five barriers. A test that he passed flawlessly. Only one of the projectiles hit the final layer of the barrier and failed to shatter it. Next, the Gym Leader tried to use Metal Sound to have Slowking lose his focus, but something in the barrier shifted, and no sound was let in just like they'd decided they'd do before leaving Pastoria. Cecilia covered her ears, but the psychic was sitting pretty.

"Head Smash. Break through," Byron grunted.

"Disable," she countered.

Slowking's eyes flashed grey, and Aggron snarled in frustration, opting to use Heavy Slam instead. Heavy Slam worked in Cecilia's favor. The point of impact would be spread instead of a singular point like Head Smash and the barriers would be more resistant. There was no plan to just let it happen, though. Cecilia ordered for another Chilly Reception as Slowking this time spread water on the ground around his fortress and beyond the ravine. After another terrible joke that Aggron heard, ice spread outward and made him slip. The rock type stumbled, shattering the ice on the floor and denting the metallic floor. Water Cutter wasn't very effective at penetrating steel, but by focusing on the same spot over the course of seconds, even the toughest of hides could be breached.

And breached, it was. Aggron let out an ear-piercing scream as the Water Cutter started digging into its tough, grey flesh. Byron used his second switch of the battle and recalled Aggron before more damage could be done. The rock type simply did not own the tools to fight Slowking. There were usually no seven-badge psychics this powerful. There were no holes in his defense, or at least no holes that Aggron could have breached. A Magnezone came out next— the expected choice, and for good reason. Slowking was excellent at taking down Pokemon that enjoyed fighting up close, but a Magnezone would be able to breach his barriers if given enough time, and she was not one to stall.

Cecilia recalled Slowking as well, letting the barriers collapse instead of having him expend energy on maintaining them past his presence. Instead, she sent out Hydreigon to counter Magnezone, but she had not expected Byron to recall Magnezone right away, and suddenly, she felt like she had been trapped. No, she had been trapped. Out of switches while Byron could pick whoever he wanted to beat Hydreigon. Would it be another Pokemon that routinely battled at eight badges like Corviknight? Zolst's hands snarled, snapping at each other while the Gym Leader carefully rubbed his chin.

Then, his Corviknight appeared again as far away from Hydreigon as possible. Again, she'd been caught off-guard, but why—

Byron smiled. "Roost."

"Flamethrower!"

Forget the Nasty Plot, they had to prevent Corviknight from getting any healing off. Even without the setup move, Hydreigon's Flamethrower rivaled Turtonator's, with all heads combined. Corviknight bunkered down, covering its face with its wings and stabbing its talon into the metallic floor as its body shimmered. Cecilia frowned when the stream of blue flames bounced off Corviknight's wings. She too, had been surprised that it could use Roost while defending itself with whatever that Mirror Coat was. The move was so energy-intensive…

But if Slowking could multitask, others would be able to do it, too. Corviknight was slow, but Hydreigon was clumsy, and the steel type rushed toward the dragon with the sound of steel against steel as Byron pointed his shovel at the dragon. Corviknight launched into a spin until it was nothing but a blur and a sharpened beak. There was no avoiding this, and Corviknight was healthier than Hydreigon was, now, despite the heat from the Flamethrower.

"Body Press!" Byron yelled.

"Fire and Thunder Fang!" she cried out.

Hydreigon, with its three menacing heads, bellowed a guttural roar that echoed through the arena. In response, Corviknight spread its wings wide, a silent proclamation of the impending challenge. The first strike belonged to Hydreigon, one of his serpentine heads lunging forward with feral ferocity, aiming to clamp its flaming jaws around Corviknight's armored frame. The second strike was an impact that resonated across the arena with the shattering of scales as the steel type rammed into Hydreigon's chest with its full body weight, and continued ramming into him until they both crashed into the barrier.

Zolst was too enraged to care about pain. His second head aimed for Corviknight's wing, spreading electricity throughout his metallic body. The steel type convulsed as its beak elongated, sharpened like a sword, and struck at Hydreigon's weakened scales. How long was he going to survive this? Hydreigon ripped apart chunks of metal with his teeth. There were no fancy techniques at play, here. No metallic storms other than the occasional burst of sharpened steel flying out of Corviknight's wings like bared fangs, no burying into the ground. Just steel against scales, beating each other into a pulp until only one Pokemon would be left standing. Teeth and blood were knocked out of Hydreigon's mouths while Corviknight's armor began to melt as they clashed on the ground like madmen who'd forgotten that this was a battle and not a real fight out in the wild with lives at stake.

But in the end—

"Corviknight is unable to battle! Leader Byron, send out your fourth Pokemon!"

It'd probably take over a week to heal that Corviknight, she thought. Hydreigon was a mess of flesh and scales. One of his hands was unresponsive and its eyes had been torn out, while he barely managed to hover on the ground. By all accounts, this had been a tie. Corviknight disappeared in a sea of red, and Byron sent out his Magnezone without waiting.

"Lock On and Flash Cannon," he ordered.

She tried to have Hydreigon retaliate with another Flamethrower, but the flames were so weak they lost the clash of power with Flash Cannon, and the beam of light slammed into Hydreigon's chest, knocking him out for good. Magnezone was quite a good counter to her, giving it some thought. Talonflame was severely hurt, and so the electric type might win against her. Slowking would lose as well, and Lehmhart would just have Magnezone wait high in the sky while it pestered him with Flash Cannon. She was sure that he'd be able to clean up afterward, however.

The onus fell upon Scizor, then.

The bug type screeched as soon as she released him, being in a foul mood as always, but he quickly smirked when he realized that it was time for the Gym Battle and not another one of her pre-battle meetings that she'd tried to implement to improve their team cohesion. Scizor was a Pokemon of action, not planning, and his wings fluttered in excitement as he sized up his opponent. Agility was second nature to him, now, but he had other tools at his disposal as well.

"Bullet Punch," Cecilia said. "Stick close at all costs."

Scizor blurred across the arena faster than Magnezone could react, expending so much energy that his metallic skin started glowing red. His wings fluttered as he leaped into the sky, hissing hot smoke escaping from the few holes in his exoskeleton as he slammed a glowing claw against Magnezone, sounding a loud clang across the arena. Magnezone let out a series of frustrated beeps, a beam of fire from Tri Attack hitting Scizor in the arm and forcing him off.

"Keep moving. Bullet Punch again."

He was but a red blur that warped the air around him, hitting Magnezone with occasional jumps, but the electric type retaliated with Discharge each time before Scizor could weave out of range. That was fine, she thought. What she was looking for was happening right in front of her eyes. Scizor leaped over Slowking's ravine, avoiding the water like the plague and angled a pincer upward. A glob of light appeared inside, releasing a Flash Cannon that barely scratched the Magnezone. They were buying time. Time for this.

Scizor's body overheated, and the steel type caught on fire.

"Go ahead, darling," Cecilia smiled.

A blink, and Scizor was on top of Magnezone. He savaged the steel type with fiery punches, uncaring for his body heating up until it glowed with the brightness of a sun. Byron's lips stretched into a maddened grin as he swept his shovel forward.

"Gyro Ball and slam into the ground!"

Magnezone started spinning, it and Scizor turning into a ball of flame. Spikes borne of control over metal rose from the ground, glowing white, all angled to stab into Scizor, who screeched through the roar of the flames and kept slamming his pincers into Magnezone over and over.

They crashed with an explosion, kicking up debris and billows of shredded metal up to the ceiling. Scizor's wings beat so quickly they became a blur, rapidly lowering his inner temperature until he ran to take a plunge in Slowking's river while Magnezone tiredly levitated back in the air, its shell dented and heated to the point that normal hits would now dent it further.

"Brick Break," Cecilia said.

With an exhausted sigh, Scizor rolled his neck and climbed out of the water.

"They won't be able to do that again," Byron said. "Magnetic Prison."

He had assessed that rather quickly, Cecilia mused. Magnezone's magnets spun, and metal burst from the ground, clinging to Scizor like he was a magnet until the grey rocks buried him.

"Now, Thunder."

The iron prison cracked as a Flash Cannon broke through, but the supply of metal in this arena was endless. Thunder cracked, flashing down and running through both the rocks and Scizor, but the attack was so powerful it left them an opening— an opening that was closed within a second and that Scizor was in too much pain to exploit. The second attack charged up, the electric energy humming along Magnezone's body.

"Scizor," Cecilia said, her voice quivering in her throat. "You can do this."

The words mattered, because there was a linking of a bond that had not been present before. It was not as solid as it was with her other Pokemon, but it was there. She had nurtured it, toiling to atone for her sins for months for what she'd done. It was no coincidence, that her battles with him had gotten more successful as they'd grown closer. At the heart of battling was the bond between Pokemon and trainer. Another Thunder hit Scizor, and the steel type instantly slid forward, jumping into the sky with a metallic screech as a torrent of iron followed him like it had a mind of its own.

"Lock-On and Tri-Attack!" Byron ordered.

Scizor's claw shone bright and true.

He slammed a Brick Break at the center of Magnezone's head, and it fell unconscious, the stream of metal crumpling to the ground like a puppet without strings.

"Magnezone is unable to battle! Leader Byron, send out your fifth Pokemon," the referee said.

"You did excellently, Scizor. Thank you," Cecilia said.

The bug type spared her a look and shrugged, though there was a hint of a smile on his face. She had no more switches, unfortunately, so he would have to go down fighting. He fanned his wings, cooling down his body while Byron sent out his Aggron. A terrible matchup for Scizor, possibly among the worst. Effective moves like Brick Break mattered little in the way of biology, and Scizor simply did not have the brute force to punch through his armor. There were, however, a few holes that Slowking had punctured through.

"Fill up that river, Aggron. Rock Slide," Byron said.

Something he could have done as soon as Slowking was out of the field, but had left open to see what I was planning and closing near the end of the battle to see how I reacted, Cecilia thought. She'd gotten good at probing and noticing the tests Gym Leaders laid at her feet, as one often was at her level. The pool filled with rocks, flooding onto the arena as it emptied, but there was not enough water to do anything but create some puddles. Scizor just watched as he recovered his stamina.

"Iron Defense—"

Now! "Flash Cannon inside the breaches of his armor!"

"—and Curse."

Curse? Scizor's aim was true, but it only had minimal effects on the rock type. As the ghostly aura took hold, Aggron's movements became deliberate and ponderous. Its colossal frame seemed to carry the weight of a hundred spirits and echoed deep from within his frame. He was heavier, now each step carrying the burden of those poor lost souls and creating a small crater in the earth. It was no small feat, for a non-ghost type to master this move and use it like this, and it had weight to it. It was a commitment, not easily undone by another setup technique like Rock Polish.

"Keep blasting him with Flash Cannon," Cecilia said.

"Metal Edge."

Damage was damage, no matter how small it may be. Two twin Flash Cannons hit Aggron's weakened defenses as pillars— not sharpened edges, but pillars, this time— were ripped up of the earth, leaving massive cylinder holes in the ground. Scizor dodged the first, weaving left as it crashed into Kadabra's barrier, but there was only so much the steel type could do. His overheating technique was a double-edged sword that tended to cut him particularly deep. Little inches of exhaustion had built up until he was no longer capable of dodging. He was thrown back as one of the pillars hit him, his body limp and unresponsive.

"Scizor is unable to battle! Challenger, send out your fourth Pokemon!"

So much progress had been made today. The uncharted path that had been her and Scizor's relationship was now lit up, and she knew how to proceed, now. She grabbed her next Pokeball and did not fight her lips tugging upward in an eager smile.

Lehmhart stretched tall— taller than the massive Aggron, and he played a little tune to announce his presence.

"Lehmhart, use Scorching Sands."

Golurk raised a hand as Aggron raised another three pillars. The ground under the steel type ripped into more pillars. At this point, Byron's side of the barrier was riddled with holes large enough to fit his Aggron twice over. The ground under the steel type's feet turned to liquid, and then superheated quicksand that glowered with a sinister red, for they had long grown past the need to have actual dirt to work with. Aggron sank one foot into the ground, groaning in agony as the hot sand seeped into his chipped armor and scorched his flesh. A loud hum left Lehmhart as he caught the first pillar under his armpit. He tried wielding it like a club to hit the others away, but he was too slow. The first hit his knee, causing him to buckle low enough for the last to hit his face. The ground type stumbled back, but he stayed standing.

"He is trapped," Cecilia smiled. "Hammer Arm."

Were they simply going to walk up and hit Aggron with the most powerful attack they had?

Yes.

Was it going to work?

Try as it may, Aggron was not equipped to escape Lehmhart's trap. The ghost type winked out of existence with Phantom Force, disappearing faster than Cecilia could blink, and she imagined him slowly lumbering forward with silent steps. More pillars came, but those that might have hit only went through him— causing damage, yes, but not actually stopping him from getting closer.

His fist was angled upward and glowing behind Aggron, when he reappeared, and it fell down like a bolt of thunder on Aggron's head. The steel type's eyes went blank as dozens of widening cracks spread from top to bottom. Trap and destroy. A simple strategy that they'd refined and that Cecilia knew would be useful against Byron's heavy steel types. Even if Aggron had used Rock Polish instead of Curse, it would not have mattered.

"Aggron is unable to battle! Leader Byron, send out your last Pokemon!"

Looking mighty pleased with himself, Byron sent out a Durant. Barely a single foot in height, the tiny ant-like Pokemon was a comical sight next to Lehmhart, but she knew it could not be underestimated. Small opponents were something Lehmhart actually struggled with. Honestly, Cecilia would have rather fought a Steelix instead. Each part of Durant's body moved at once, its legs and antennas continuously shifting, its crimson eyes rapidly blinking and glancing in every direction in a way that made Cecilia uncomfortable.

She called out for a Scorching Sands, trapping Durant as she had Aggron, but the steel type gave in and simply buried underground before Lehmhart could bring down a Hammer Arm onto its small frame. Why bury, when we can just use Stomping Tantrum? her mind raced. Because they have a counter. This was not a mistake, but a trap, or something akin to it.

But she was three Pokemon up, and at the end of the day, she had the numbers to spend to sniff out the trap.

"Stomping Tantrum!" Cecilia yelled.

In one smooth motion that betrayed what he used to be capable off, Lehmhart brought down his foot and the area around him shattered—

Then forcefully melded itself back together, iron binding itself to more iron, as if the attack had not happened at all. Durant burst from the ground, its pincers still snapping through metal as if it was paper, and climbed on Lehmhart's body as it chewed into his outer skin all along his leg.

"Resonance!"

A dim purple light enveloped Golurk, accompanied by a low melody that rose and rose until it quite literally burst out of the ground type so loudly that the barrier trembled from the sound waves. Durant went completely still, and Lehmhart brought down his arm to grab the steel type from the back of his waist, but Cecilia's eyes narrowed when the move only worked for a single second.

One second. They had practiced night and day for with this, and theory crafted until they came up with something akin to Perish Song, for less… sport-like circumstances. It was still in the theoric stage, but that still meant it was among Lehmhart's most powerful tools.

So why was it that Durant was chewing through him right now?

Durant dug into Lehmhart's insides and the ghost type's core started to dim and flicker.

"Phantom Force!" Cecilia called out.

But he still had the focus needed to use that move, thank the Legendaries. Golurk disappeared, leaving a flailing Durant covered in wet clay to fall back onto the floor. As soon as it did, Golurk reappeared and stepped onto the ant with a glowing foot as his full weight crashed onto the ground with a loud rumble, sending more debris flying up. There were so many missing chunks to the field that had Lehmhart not been so used to this form by now he would have fallen over at least once. When he raised his foot again, Durant was nowhere to be seen. Buried again—

"On your back!" she screamed.

"Crunch!" Byron ordered.

"Fall!"

Darkness swelled across both of Durant's pincers, and Golurk threw himself backward. The steel type let out a frustrated screech as it clung to dear life by digging inside of Lehmhart, but there was a quick flicker, and suddenly Durant was chewing through air.

Lehmhart reappeared lying down on the ground, and Durant was still falling.

He snatched Durant out of the sky and squeezed.

Victory had rarely tasted so sweet.

"Victory to the challenger!"