Lombre was out next, but it wasn’t a fight. The pokemon was obviously Zil’s most recently acquired, and despite being larger and heavier than Sneasel, Lombre was at a serious disadvantage. Slowed by the Sticky Web that Zil never managed to clear, Sneasel had free reign over the battle, peppering the poor pokemon with Ice Shards and dodging its counter attacks until Zil ordered it to close the distance in desperation.

That was what Cashe was waiting for, not wanting to risk Sneasel getting caught in Araquanid’s webs. Lombre stumbled out of them, the poor pokemon covered with the stuff. Sneasel pounced at Cashe’s orders, claws glowing with dark energy as he used Knock Off. Lombre didn’t have an item, but it didn’t matter, Lombre was tossed to the side from the attack, tumbling to the ground in a heap.. Cashe followed up with a pair of Ice Punches, Sneasel attacking before Lombre had a chance to recover, and the fight was over.

The league official was on point, as usual, stopping the match as Zil returned Lombre to its pokeball and Sneasel returned to Cashe for praise and further instructions.

“Only Exeggutor left now, shouldn’t be too much trouble,” Cashe said, rubbing Sneasel on his head in congratulations. The pokemon was already coming out of its ball. Exeggutor resembled a rather short coconut tree. It stood around seven feet tall, with a plume of leaves adding a few feet to that, with thick, brown skin that gave the impression of bark. Its body was armless, its torso solid and round like a tree truck. Three heads hung from the top of the torso, yellow and each wearing a distinct face. Two stout legs held the entire thing upright, but the pokemon shook precariously as it marched itself onto the stage.

“Bit disappointed it's not Alolan,” Cashe muttered. It would be interesting to see a forty foot tall pokemon, not to mention both Alolan Exeggutor’s types were weak to ice.

Like all of Zil’s pokemon before it, Exeggutor got tangled up in Araquanid’s Sticky Web as it entered the battlefield. The webs only managed to cling to its feet and lower torso, however, slowing it less than Lombre or Cinccino before it.

The official made sure both trainers were ready to fight, dropped his hand, and resumed the battle.

“Eggy, Sunny Day!”

“Taunt.” Cashe shouted in response. He wanted none of those shenanigans.

Exeggutor shook in place as it began gathering energy around it, power welling from the pokemon as it attempted to use Sunny Day. Sneasel moved before it had a chance, however, stepping forward and letting out a mocking cry that was layered with dark type energy. Taunt hit and Exeggutor shook again, the leaves on top of its head shaking, the sound almost like that of a rattlesnake’s tail.

“Ice Punch!” Cashe ordered.

“Leaf Storm!” Zil shouted.

Sneasel shot forward, sprinting to the edge of the thick webbing and taking a giant leap. As he did, leaves erupted from Exeggutor;s trunk-like body taking to the air in a great flurry. It was as if a hurricane passed through a deciduous forest in autumn. The entire stage was covered in leaves, whipping through the air, animated by the power of Exeggutor’s attack.

The leaves swirled in the air, Sneasel somehow weaving through them, untouched, as he closed the distance. Ice gathered around his clawed fists, forming a jagged edge. He tore his hand through the air, colliding hard with Exeggcutor. Energy blossomed before the impact, cascading away from the pokemon in a wave. In the air around them, a great swath of leaves suddenly went limp as the energy from the impact passed over them, drifting through the air in uncontrolled chaos.

Sneasel spun from the impact of the attack, flipping past Exeggutor and landing on the ground, caught in the thick webbing Araquanid lay down as he did so. Exeggutor teetered from the impact. Where Sneasel’s fist connected against its body was a bloody dent, its chest buckled like a tin cane hit with a bat. Ice formed over the great wound in a thick layer, freezing the air and causing a mist to rise from it, so cold was the temperature of the attack. Slowly, Exeggutor collapsed, teetering - a great tree’s felling in progress.

Exeggutor crashed to the ground, his impact lessened by the webs that lay there. The webs clung to Exeggutor, wrapping him ever more tightly as he struggled to rise to his feet again.

“Sneasel, Ice Shard.” Cashe ordered.

Sneasel whipped a hand through the air, a blade of ice forming in it. It shot from Sneasel and into Exeggutor. The tree-like pokemon groaned in pain from all three of its heads and shuddered on the ground. He struggled for several seconds, trying to get back to his feet, but failed to do so. The ice caked over Exeggutor’s torso cracked and groaned under its efforts, but the wound was too much.

Zil swore under her breath as the official raised his hand in the air, returning Exeggutor to its pokeball. Cashe grinned letting out a deep breath of satisfaction. Sneasel straightened and put his hands on his hips, grinning back at Cashe like a child who had just done something particularly clever.

“Exeggutor is unable to battle. Trainer Zil, choose your next pokemon.”

“What?” Cashe snapped out of his reverie, head whipping over to the official. His hand was still in the air and he was looking over at Zil with obvious expectation. Cashe followed his gaze to see Zil giving him a half hearted grin and a small shrug. She still had another pokemon.

“Sneasel, to me,” Cashe said.

Sneasel looked up from where he stood and hurried back to Cashe, hearing the urgency in his voice. Sticky Web still covered his legs, clinging to the thin layer of fur that covered his body.

“Sneasel?”

“It’s not her last pokemon,” Cashe bit his lip, “She only ever used five in all of her previous battles. Even in her losses.”

“Sneas?” Sneasel looked up at Cashe, gaze undeterred. He had the utmost confidence.

“I don’t know what’s coming,” Cashe said, “Just be careful.”

Zil threw out her final pokeball. It opened, flashing her as the light emerged from it, taking the form of a pokemon. The light balled into a small lump on the ground, around two feet tall and in an odd shape. As it faded, Alolan Dugtrio was revealed. The pokemon was covered in short, dark brown fur and had three, mole-like heads that poked up from the ground. A small ridge of rock and dirt rose around the base of it, indicating that the pokemon was at least partially buried in the stage. Long, shining, golden hair rolled off of each of the heads. It was stiff and barely moved as Dugtrio looked around the stage.

Zil bent over to whisper to her pokemon, a grim look on her face. Cashe couldn’t blame her. Even if she had a surprise sixth pokemon, she was still on her final team member. He still had Sneasel, Ivysaur, and Primeape left.

“What the hell?” Cashe bent down and touched the stage, noticing something strange. The stage was the same rubberized material as before, similar to that of the all weather track and field tracks from Earth. He glanced back at Dugtrio. There was definitely rock and dirt around the base of the pokemon. Was that part of the pokemon? Was Dugtrio not buried at all?

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

He watched as Dugtrio made its way across the stage, moving into position. The rocky edge around the pokemon moved as if it was truly digging through the arena floor, but the stage behind it was undisturbed, apart from the webs that now hung off of Dugtrio.

“No wonder no one has ever seen its lower half,” Cashe grumbled. The pokemon wasn’t underground at all. It just used some weird pokemon magic to appear that way. Or it was, and the pokemon magic was letting it move through the arena like it was loose dirt while somehow not disturbing the structure at all. He frowned at the small pokemon.

“Trainers, ready?” The official called out.

“Shit, Sneasel get out there. Don’t worry.” Cashe said.

Sneasel nodded, heading out on the stage without a plan in place, taking a ready position. The official’s hand came down and the battle resumed.

“Dugtrio, Iron Head!”

“Sneasel, return!” Cashe tossed out Sneasel’s pokeball, returning him to it in a flash of light, just in time. Even slowed by the Sticky Web, Dugtrio was fast, darting across the stage, his entire head shining with steely light.

Across the stage, Zil grimaced as Dugtrio’s attack hit nothing but air. Cashe switched pokemon quickly, tossing out Primeape’s pokeball.

“Dugtrio, Bulldoze!”

“Primeape, incoming attack!” Cashe shouted in warning as she emerged.

Primeape heard his warning and braced for the attack as she came into being, but she wasn’t able to dodge the attack. Dugtrio released a wave of ground type energy across the battlefield. The stage shook under the pressure of it, knocking Cashe off balance as it cascaded across the ground. The energy slammed into Primeape, just as she took form, perfectly timed so that she could not dodge it. She was pushed back, her feet sliding across the rough surface of the stage, the force of the attack not knocking her off her feet, but causing her legs to buckle underneath her. Energy plumed around her as the attack slowed her down, activating her Defiant ability. She jumped back to her feet, her eyes already glowing red from her building rage.

“Cross Chop, Primeape, take him out!” Cashe ordered.

Primeape ran forward, screeching her fury into a battle cry. Dugtrio let her come, unflinching as fighting type energy built up around Primeape’s fists, her hands glowing an ominous pale brown as she sprinted across the stage. Zil waited until Primeape closed most of the distance before responding.

“Sucker Punch!”

Dugtrio disappeared as Primeape finished her attack, flitting out of sight at the last second, moving at unbelievable speeds to avoid her fists. Dugtrio reappeared behind her swinging around so that his head and hair slammed into Primeape’s back. She stumbled forward, spinning around as she fell with her hands, her glowing fists flying at Dugtrio’s head. He pulled back, but he was too close from his attack and Primeape managed to scrape him with hers, even as she collapsed onto the ground.

Dugtrio staggered from the power of the attack as Primeape kipped back up to her feet.

“Low Kick!” Cashe shouted.

“Iron Head!”

Primeape lashed out with a leg as Dugtrio halted his retreat, his head glowing steely once again. Primeape’s leg erupted in energy at the same time clashing with Dugtrio’s three heads and getting tangled in his golden hair, but it was not enough. Dugtrio’s head-butt broke first, the steel type energy unable to stand against Primeape’s fighting type.

Her kick crashed through Dugtrio, sending him skidding across the stage. Somehow he stayed upright, the dirt around his base moving with him as the attack knocked him off balance.

“One more time!” Cashe shouted.

Primeape dashed after her staggered opponent, lashing out with a kick once again, before Dugtrio could recover. This time there was no counter attack.

***

“Took you long enough,” Emilia teased, greeting Cashe as he made his way off the stage with a grin.

The ending to the fight was swift, with little fanfare. The barriers around the stage dropped and Zil’s family broke out in encouraging cries and consolations. Cashe only stayed long enough to give a word of appreciation for the match to Zil and get confirmation from the official that there was not another surprise pokemon on hand.

Lindon and Emilia were both already finished their battles and waiting for Cashe in the tunnel exit of the gym. Emilia’s all white outfit was stained with a bit of ash and dirt, while Lindon’s horrendous fashion statement was unfortunately unblemished.

“How did your fights go?” Cashe said as he approached his friends.

“We won!” Lindon shouted.

“Obviously,” Emilia said with a smirk as Cashe joined them. She threaded an arm around the crook of Cashe’s elbow with one hand and placed another on Lindon’s head, giving his hair a firm rub as they turned and made their way down the tunnel exit, “There was never any doubt.”

“I got to use Trick Room!” Lindon said, hopping up and down in excitement, “I was so cool! Slowpoke was so fast! It was like someone pressed fast forward on the universe.” Lindon paused and stretched his chin with a frown, “Well, someone pushed fast forward on Slowpoke and Goomy. All of Herschel’s pokemon were moving through molasses. I caught him completely off guard! He wasn’t able to do anything.”

“I’ll have to watch the recording to see,” Cashe smiled down at Lindon, who nodded vigorously in response.

“You’re not going to ask about my battle?” Emilia said with a faux pout.

“I’m sure you won in an appropriately one sided fashion,” Cashe said with a small shrug.

“One sided indeed.” Cashe looked up. At the end of the hall stood Gym Leader Kev, his arms crossed over his large chest. He raised a single hand beckoning Cashe, Lindon and Emilia to follow.

***

Back in Gym Leader Kev’s bare office, the three trainers sat down at his desk. Kev let his body fall into his desk chair, the worn piece of furniture protesting with a loud squeak at the man’s weight.

“I have two things to speak to you about,” Kev said, wasting no time getting started, “Well, one thing really. You’ll understand.”

“What will we understand?” Lindon said, squinting at Kev in mild suspicion.

Kev grinned at him, “The first is congratulations. I won’t pretend I’m not a little disappointed that my trainers, and especially my daughter, were so handily defeated, but you have earned what I promised. You will be able to proceed to Tapu Village.”

“Is your trainer still missing?” Emilia asked.

Kev nodded, smile dropping from his face, “It appears he may be missing in truth. We’ve had no response from him and even if he did manage to destroy his pokedex, he should have returned by now.”

“We’ll keep an eye out for him,” Cashe said. Lindon and Emilia nodded in agreement.

“You’ll do more than that,” Kev said, “If there is a powerful pokemon wandering through the area, you need to find it and take care of it. Either capture it or defeat it in battle and scare it off. Either way, I won’t be opening up the route until it’s done.” Kev reached under his desk, placing three pokeballs in front of them, one for each of Cashe, Emilia, and Lindon.

“What’s this?” Cashe said, looking down at the pokeballs.

“The road is tricky. It will take you at least three days to get down there on foot,” Kev said, “I raise Mudsdale as a hobby. These three should be able to get you over there today, if you leave within the hour.”

“Thank you!” Lindon said, gaping at the pokeballs. He picked up the one in front of him, holding it in reverence, “I’ll take good care of him.”

Kev smirked, “You’re borrowing those, kid.”

“I-I know that,” Lindon blushed, squirming in his seat under the gaze of the gym leader, “I’ll still take good care of him.”

Kev nodded. “That brings me to my second point,” He crossed his arms, fixing the three trainers with a stubborn gaze, “I’m not opening up the routes to Third Circuit trainers.”

“You promised you would let us by,” Emilia said, meeting his gaze with crossed arms of her own, “You’re lending us Mudsdale. What do you mean you’re not opening the route to us?”

“I’m not opening up the route to Third Circuit trainers, it’s too dangerous. The Rangers agree with me.” Kev said again. He held up a hand as Emilia opened her mouth to protest once more. He reached under his desk and took out three badge wallets, like a police officer might use back on Earth.

“Badges?” Lindon said, face full of confusion.

“Not badges,” Kev said, “Trainer IDs.”

*****