“So?” Emilia said when Cashe told her about his interaction with Steven Stone III. They were in the training gym. The space was cleared for the day’s matches with all the area given to training dummies and target practice reallocated to additional stages for battle.

Pokemon League officials and Kadabra dotted each arena, directing trainers and setting up barriers respectively. There was barely any room between each area, but there was room, and trainers not participating stood in the margins, observing the trainers who were battling.

Pokemon clashed with gouts of fire and blasts of water. Cries rose up from each stage, the barriers doing nothing to bar the shouts and sounds of battle. The gym was hectic, chaotic, and barely organized, but it worked. The entire thing a symphony conducted on a knife’s edge, all the more impressive due to how close it was to failing.

“So, I don’t want to get eliminated in the first round,” Cashe said as he waited outside his designated arena for his first match.

Emilia scoffed, blowing a strand of dark hair out of her face and crossing her arms, “You would have to face him eventually anyway, what’s the problem with beating him now instead of later?”

“I don’t know if I can win against a top trainer so easily,” Cashe said.

“You’re coming in the top eight,” Emilia said simply, “That means you’re going to beat him.”

“Oh, thanks, I didn’t think of it like that,” Cashe said, rolling his eyes, though Emilia’s utmost confidence in him did feel nice.

“You shouldn’t be thinking about him anyway. You have a match to win before you even face him. Focus on that.” Emilia said, “After, we can go cheer on Lindon. Then you can think about Mr Stonehead.”

“Right, I’d better get up there then,” Cashe said. An official was waving him up to the small stage. He stood, a surge of adrenaline shooting through his veins with the action.

His opponent was already on the stage. Steven Stone III had called her ‘Dumpy Beth’, and while she was neither dumpy, nor named Beth, Cashe was not impressed with her. He looked her up as soon as he was assigned his match, of course. Her name was Darla, and she was a low ranked trainer from Johto. She fought with a Hoppip and a Krabby and had a record that sat around the .550 in win percentage.

Cashe entered the stage. It was simple, just a dirt field with a dividing line across the center of it. There were no cameras present either, none of the battles taking place in the training gym were being filmed, unless one counted a few people with their phones.

Darla had a pokeball in hand that she gripped so tightly her hand was shaking. She scowled across the stage at Cashe with a furrowed brow and a small frown, her dark hair tied back in a tight ponytail. Her eyes looked worried, however, she kept glancing from the official to Cashe and back and her mouth was pitched and tight.

Cashe’s hands weren’t shaking, but his finger felt clumsy as he removed Bulbasaur’s ball from his belt. Kadabra shifted, and a barrier rose up around the small stage. The official moved to the center of the stage and faced Cashe. She was around Cashe’s age and had a professional look on her face.

“Apollo Cashe?” She said, facing him.

“Yes.”

She turned around, “Darla Lee?”

Darla nodded.

“Good,” the official nodded, “This is a two versus two, single format battle. Once pokemon are unable to battle, they will be withdrawn. Once all available pokemon are unable to battle for a trainer, that trainer loses. I determine when a pokemon is unable to battle. Is this clear?” The official paused, giving Cashe a look.

“Yes, ma’am.”

The official turned to Darla again. Darla nodded.

“Good.” The official said again, “You may switch a pokemon out, but the action will count that pokemon as being unable to battle. Now, choose your first pokemon and release them from the ball on my count.”

Neither Cashe nor Darla moved. They were both already holding their first pokemon.

“Three, two, one, release!” The official chanted.

Cashe tossed out his pokeball. Bulbasaur emerged from a flash of red. “Okay, buddy,” Cashe said to him, leaning down to give him a quick scratch, “Try not to get too injured out there. We need to be in tip top shape for tomorrow.”

Bulbasaur murmured an affirmation, leaning into the scratches.

Across from him, Darla’s Hoppip appeared as well. It was a strange looking pokemon. It had bright pink skin and a tiny body, somewhat akin to a large radish with cat ears. A pair of long, green leaves were growing out of its head. They caught the air as it came out of its pokeball, slowly lowering the pokemon to the ground.

The official held her arm in front of her, pressing buttons on a device attached to her wrist, “Everything checks out,” she said, backing out of the stage. “Trainer Darla, are you ready?”

Darla nodded again. Her Hoppip chirped in confirmation as well.

“Trainer Apollo?”

“Ready,” Cashe said. Bulbasaur tensed in place, lowering himself and facing Hoppip, preparing to move.

“Trainers, prepare to battle,” the official raised a hand over her head and swiped down, “Begin.”

“Hoppip, Fairy Wind!” Darla yelled.

“Acid Spray!” Cashe shouted at the same time.

Hoppip moved a moment faster, firing off a wave of pink energy that moved through the air like a breeze.

Bulbasaur didn’t even flinch at the oncoming attack, spraying a stream of dark purple acid across the battlefield. Contrary to expectations, the attacks clashed, the pink wind from Hoppip exploding in a cloud in contact with Bulbasaur’s acid.

Bulbasaur’s Acid Spray won out, continuing on its path towards Hoppip, the poison type move having advantage over the fairy type. The clash slowed down the attack just enough, however, and Hoppip managed to dodge out of the way, just in time.

“Box her in, Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip,” Cashe shouted as Hoppip darted into the corner of the arena.

Bulbasaur cried out in confirmation and closed the distance, his vines flying out from his bulb.

“Dodge Hoppip! Don’t get hit!”

Hoppip moved out of the way as one of Bulbasaur’s vines crashed into the arena, kicking up a small cloud of dirt. The second came a moment later, and Hoppip avoided it as well. Despite this, Cashe grinned. The attacks wouldn’t do much to Hoppip if they actually hit. As a grass/flying type, Hoppip heavily resisted Bulbasaur’s attack, but by dodging, Darla had forced her pokemon into a corner.

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“Acid Spray Bulbasaur!” Cashe shouted.

“Dodge again!” Darla cried, “Use Splash!”

What the hell? Splash?

Bulbasaur charged up another Acid Spray, dark liquid gathering in his mouth and flying off at the Hoppip. Hoppip flopped to the side with an erratic movement, throwing itself into the air, but Cashe didn’t see the point. It wasn’t going to be enough. Bulbasaur’s attack would hit as Hoppip came back down.

Except Hoppip didn’t come back down.

Air caught under the leaves on her head and they billowed, her descent halted. Her leaves spun, and she darted through the air and across the stage, landing in its center. The move put Bulbasaur on the back foot.

“Hoppip, Absorb!”

Bulbasaur spun around to face his opponent, but the sudden maneuver from Hoppip left him a second too slow. Green energy flew from the Hoppip and slammed into his side, turning golden and returning to Hoppip.

“Bulbasaur, you okay?” Cashe called out.

“Bulba.” Bulbasaur nodded. The attack had done almost nothing to him, the trickle of energy that left him was even less than that which came from his Leech Seed, and Absorb only hit once, instead of constantly.

“Hoppip, Bullet Seed!” Darla cried.

Hoppip fired a stream of seeds from its mouth, but this time, Bulbasaur was ready, he dodged to the side, avoiding them.

“Bulbasaur, Hoppip’s slippery. Use Poison Powder, like we practiced.”

“Bulba.”

Hoppip continued its attack, firing off streams of high velocity seeds at Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur dodged and dodged again, the seeds scraping off his skin as he moved and kicking up dirt as they slammed into the ground.

On the final shot, however, as Hoppip planted itself to fire off another stream of seeds, Bulbasaur struck. He charged forward, attacking through the blast of seeds as if they weren’t there, bringing himself in close range of Hoppip.

“Get back!” Darla shouted, as Bulbasaur closed the gap, but it was no use. Hoppip, caught in the motion of its attack, couldn't get out of the way in time. Bulbasaur shook violently, sending up a cloud of dark powder in a plume around him. Hoppip shot out of the cloud a second later, but it was coughing, hacking up small clouds of toxic powder with each little squeak.

“Keep up the attack, Bulbasaur, Acid Spray again!”

A spray of acid erupted from the plume of powder, which was slowly spreading over the entire battlefield. Sight blocked by the cloud, and distracted by its coughing, Hoppip was unable to fully dodge the attack, a stream of liquid catching Hoppip as it jumped to the side.

The effect was immediate. The spray didn’t throw Hoppip across the arena, though it did toss the lightweight pokemon a small distance. Instead, the acid soaked into the Hoppip. Hoppip cried out in pain as it did, moving through the air with a noticeable wobble. It lost its elevation, falling to the ground where it lay, unable to move.

“Hoppip is unable to battle!” The official announced, raising her hand, “Bulbasaur is the winner!”

Darla bit her lip, returning Hoppip to its pokeball. She reached to her hip and produced a second, tossing it out.

A large orange crab appeared from a flash of red light, about a foot tall and twice as wide. Krabby had two dangerous claws raised in a defensive position. It clacked as it shifted back and forth on the stage, eyeing Bulbasaur with a serious expression.

“You got this Krabby!” Darla said, “He’s already weakened for you.”

Cashe frowned at the pokemon. Bulbasaur was nearly fresh and held the type advantage, but he could switch him out just to be sure he was in good shape for tomorrow. Mankey was almost certainly faster than this Krabby and could hit hard with Thunder Punch and Thunderbolt.

Cashe glanced at Bulbasaur, “How you doing, buddy, can you go another round?”

“Bulba.”

Cashe nodded, “Okay. Keep your distance then. Just like fighting the Golduck.”

Darla blanched as she heard the word Golduck, but steadied herself. She gave the official a nod signaling she was ready to begin.

“Trainers, prepare to battle,” the official raised a hand over her head repeating the same words and actions from earlier. She swiped down, “Begin.”

“Leech Seed, now!” This time it was Cashe who acted first. Bulbasaur sprang into action, immediately firing a hail of seed in a long arch at Krabby. Krabby skittered to the side, but Bulbasaur had spent a long time over the past week in the practice range of this very gym, and the seeds landed true. They buried into Krabby’s shell, little roots digging and twisting as they clutched to the river crab pokemon.

“Get in close and Crabhammer!”

It was Cashe’s turn to blanch. Krabby was a great physical attacker and Crabhammer was a powerful attack.

“Draw him back,” Cashe shouted, “Counter with Razor Leaf!”

Krabby rushed forward, charging Bulbasaur, its claws glowing with a bright blue light. Bulbasaur backed off, firing a rush of leaves from his bulb as he did so.

“Krabby, Protect!” Darla shouted, just in time.

The glow from its claws dimmed, but a translucent barrier of energy appeared before Krabby, blocking the oncoming leaves. They did no damage, exploding into a shower of green energy as they crashed into the conjured shield, leaving Bulbasaur backed up against the edge of the stadium. The only damage Krabby received was from the steady stream of golden energy leaving its body and entering Bulbasaur.

As soon as the attack ended, the shield dissolved, and Krabby’s claws brightened back to their full power. Krabby continued towards Bulbasaur, finishing its Crabhammer attack. It shot across the battlefield, closing the distance between it and Bulbasaur in a flash.

“Bulbasaur, tank it! Use Acid Spray!”

Bulbasaur grimaced, throwing itself against the oncoming attack. The twin claws of Krabby Crashed into Bulbasaur throwing him against the psychic barriers of the arena. As they struck, a huge jet of acid exploded from Bulbasaur, propelled even faster by the ferocity of Krabby’s attack.

The acid slammed into Krabby and soaked into its shell. The large crab pokemon screamed in displeasure retreating instantly back across the battlefield, golden energy still streaming from its shell and into Bulbasaur.

Bulbasaur pulled himself to his feet, shaking off the attack and taking advantage of the small reprieve created by Krabby’s instant retreat. Two large spots marked Bulbasaur’s side where the Crabhammer hit, but Cashe could already see them starting to heal up thanks to the energy drain from Leech Seed.

“Draw it out, Bulbasaur,” Cashe said, “just a little more and you win.”

“Bulba.”

Across the battlefield, Darla grit her teeth in frustration. She could hear Cashe’s words and she knew they were true. Crabhammer had not done enough to Bulbasaur and the longer the match went on, the larger an advantage he would have over Krabby.

“Krabby, you need to get in close again, use Mudshot!”

“Krabby!” Krabby spat a mouthful of water into the dirt of the arena. It soaked it unnaturally fast, creating a large patch of mud in no time at all. Krabby dug a claw into the ground, filing a ball of mud at Bulbasaur.

“Counter with Razor Leaf!”

Bulbasaur shot another rush of leaves out from his bulb, catching the ball of mud in mid air and destroying it. But it was a distraction, the ball exploded, sending dirt and mud everywhere, and obscuring Krabby as it ran towards Bulbasaur. A few leaves made it through the mud, striking Krabby and slowing him down.

“Keep your distance, Bulbasaur!” Cashe cried as Krabby burst through the cloud of dust. It was flagging, clearly injured now, especially with the constant drain of energy from Leech Seed, but it did not slow.

Bulbasaur rushed to the side, using Vine Whip without instruction to help maneuver around the cluttered battlefield. Cashe clenched his fists as Krabby oriented itself and continued its charge. Just a little longer. He needed to finish this before Bulbasaur got hurt.

“Vine Whip, Bulbasaur!” Cashe shouted as Krabby neared, “Slow him down more!”

“Protect!”

Bulbasaur’s vines flew at Krabby, but bounced off the shell of Protect harmlessly. It bought him a few seconds, however, as Krabby had to stop to use Protect.

Gold light continued to leave Krabby, and it came out of the Protect on its last legs. It only had seconds now.

Except Bulbasaur’s use of Vine Whip left it in a corner with no way out. Cashe grit his teeth. This was his fault. Emilia had warned him to instruct more precisely, but in the excitement of battle, he slipped into bad habits.

“Krabby, Flail!”

“Stay away!” Cashe shouted, “Don’t tank it! It does too much damage!” Bulbasaur tried to dodge, but Krabby had him backed against the psychic barriers of the arena. There was nowhere to go. Krabby’s entire body was glowing white as energy swirled around it. It spun, throwing itself recklessly at Bulbasaur.

Cashe braced for the impact. It never came.

Just as Krabby was about to bring its claws down onto Bulbasaur's side, it collapsed, the last of its energy spent, the golden light from Leech Seed dwindling to a trickle.

The official was on it instantly, ripping the Leech Seed from Krabby’s shell so the drain wouldn’t accidentally kill it. She made no announcement, there was no great final blow, but the battle was over.