Chapter 12- Toxic Battle!

“sigh…”

Seraphina sighed for what seemed to be the hundredth time today. Today was the day of the gym battle against Roxie. She had tossed and turned during the night, so she was pretty sure that she looked terrible. Despite that she felt fine. The stress was still present but less so than against Cheren.

Luxio and Litleo had deserted their beds during the night and snuck onto her. She was thankful for the autumnal chill, otherwise she would have suffocated from their body heat alone. They both sat on the bed looking at her, resolute. It brought a smile to her face, and she relaxed a bit more. That’s right, she was not alone.

Taking advantage of the burst of courage from her companion, she jumped off the bed to get ready. While it was only 2 P.m, even though the match was at 6, she was supposed to meet her teammate soon.

By the time she was done prepping herself, it was 3 in the afternoon. Her parents were still at work having gone early to get off early for the match. The other two nightmares were still in school, but her parents would bail them out later to make sure to be at the arena. She knew that they would not miss it.

Moving out of her house, her two pokemons trotted behind her, having refused to be returned or exited by themselves until she relented. Arriving at the pokemon center, she found her two companions waiting for her, both of them aloof in different ways. The jolly ranger was always easy going while Nexon felt more restrained, almost cold, but she knew the truth.

“Took you a while Sera.” Nexon greeted her and she already regretted inviting them to her place just for that nickname.

“Of course I did! You think it’s easy to look like this.” She bragged while throwing her hair behind her shoulders. “Just so you know it’s a rethorical question and if you answer that you will get zapped.”

The sparking fur of Luxio seemed to get the point across. His finger lowered and his mouth shut. Good!

In the end they could not take it much longer and started laughing. They had grown really close thanks to the training over the week, and she liked it better.

“Right right, come on let’s go already!” Mathew said, putting his arms on both our shoulders and pulling us along.

The stress and fear were still here and frankly, she did not think it would change in the coming gym either. but it did not matter because she was not alone anymore.

Seraphina and I were in the waiting room for the gym. There were other trainers present of course, but everyone seemed to keep to themselves. There were groups of course, but we seemed to stand out because our conversation revolved around a shared strategy.

Sure enough there were comments when Billy came to fetch both Seraphina and I at the same time. A certain green-eyed brat was particularly vocal about how unfair it was and how this should not be allowed. And just as expected, it did not go over well.

“Ohh, so you want to say that the decision made by a league official is incorrect and unfair? Well go ahead but you better have proof of said unfairness…” she surprisingly left it at that but his face paled and the others that supported him moved away.

Oh well, that was his own damn fault. Seriously what was that guy’s problem? For someone I did not even know the name of, he seemed weirdly insistent.

Putting that guy out of my mind I focused on the upcoming match. I was about 60% confident that we were going to win. The remaining 40% were because of the unknown pokemon and Roxie’s viciousness.

She is known to be relentless and merciless. As soon as an opportunity arises, she would strike. In that aspect she was much like the type she specialized in, relentless, merciless and striking down at any sign of weakness.

But I was also counting on her personality to help us during the battle. More specifically, her pride and arrogance. She easily got overconfident which is a boon if you know how to use it. Easy to take advantage of. Our week-long training might have been short, but we took advantage of every opportunity we had.

The training with Mathew and his stronger pokemons allowed us to practice our team work efficiently. We also met with Cara and Craig a few more time after our first defeat and slowly but surely managed to made our way to one win. Against the gym trainers, we managed to have ample training against poison type.

The only downside to that was that our finances took the hit for us. We had to pay for the gym trainers, regardless of victory or defeat. And the losses against the twins also added up before we decided to dial back the amount to 250 pokedollars per person. To counter act this, we also took some solo matches because why not. On the results side, they spoke for themselves. All the moves were learned to various degrees and Nike even picked up a new move.

I thought that she picked up Disarming Voice very quickly but compare to the speed at which she learns Psychic type moves, it might as well be a snail’s pace. Regardless of why, we will take full advantage of that.

Soon we were outfitted with our microphones and made to wait for the announcer. Seraphina looked less tense than she was for the last battle which is a positive sign. I would be next to her to snap her out in case.

“And today, we have a special battle for a gym challenge!!! The gym leader will face not one but Two challengers at the SAME TIME!! And not only that?! She will also use two pokemons against the four of her challengers! So make some noise for our beloved and rocking Gym Leadeeerr, ROOOOXIIIEE?!!!”

The announcement resounded through the speaker and the reaction of the crowd was absolutely wild. The cheers were so loud that we heard them coming not only from the speakers but from the arena itself. Seraphina stiffened and even I was stunned for a second.

That sounded like a lot of people.

Glancing sideways I could see Seraphina performing one of those stress managing trick. I tapped her on the shoulder and gave what I hoped was an encouraging nod when she looked at me.

“And now, from the challenger side, coming respectively from our own Virbank City and the neighboring Aspertia Town, Make some noise for Seraphina and Nexon!!?? Both of them are challenging the poisonous arena for their second badge of the gym circuit in a rare duo match!”

At that, the platform we were led onto started to rise with us on it. The ceiling which was in fact a trap opening slid to the side until the platform sat flush with the ground. light was the first thing that entered my eyes given that there was a projector pointed at us.

I instinctively covered my eyes until the projector moved and then I understood why there was so much noise. There was a literal crowd cheering and chanting as we made our way up. A second gym badge fight had no business getting that many people.

But then I looked opposite us, and there she was, Roxie, playing to her heart content with Billy playing by her side and a bald drummer in the back. It seemed that battles here doubled as a concert.

With one final stroke of her guitar, Roxie finally fixed us with her gaze. “Welcome once more to the Virbank gym! You guys have no idea how impatient I was for this match! Now come on, let’s get Rock and Rolling!”

As she said that the different preparations were finished. The screen displayed mine and Seraphina’s profile with two pokeballs symbols in front of each one of us. Then the league official acting as a referee went to the midpoint of the arena.

Finally, it seemed that we would have a barrier for this match as a Gothitelle teleported opposite the referee. Then again, it makes sense seeing that we don’t want the attacks to reach the spectators, more so the poison ones.

“As mentioned, this will be a 2 on 4 multi battle between gym leader Roxie and Challengers Nexon and Seraphina for their 2nd gym badge of the circuit. The match will end when all the pokemons on one side are unable to battle. The challengers will have one switch each. Are both sides ready?”

Seraphina and I quickly exchange a glance before nodding. “Ready!”

“Come on let’s go already!” Roxie exclaimed while stroking her guitar.

“Let the battle begin!” shouted the referee.

The tension that was building until now reached its peak as the four balls flew through the barrier and released their occupant onto the field. The starting duo from our side was Luxio accompanied by none other than Nike. Starting with her was a risky move but one that was worth it, nonetheless.

My eyes gradually moved to the other half of the court. I wanted to scream in happiness when I saw what pokemon was on the other side. A Whirlipede and a freaking Toxtricity! I saw Seraphina clenched her fist and honestly, I Am impressed by myself. On the screen above, the pokeballs were replaced with the pokemons on the field leaving only two hidden.

After she sent her pokemon on the field, Roxie started to play some guitar, and soon enough the purple lizard with blue accent started to claw at its own chest, joining in the performance. But while it was enjoyable the match had already started.

Thankfully the rest of my team was not busy wasting time and Luxio’s ability already took effect, striking an instinctive fear in the opposing pokemon. The Whirlipede was a bit harder to notice due to its wheel shape but still noticeable.

“The first matchup will be Toxtricity and Whirlipede against Hatenna and Luxio!

“Luxio start with Leer on Toxtricity!”

“Nike, Disarming Voice!”

With our order given our pokemon jumped into battle. Luxio quickly jumped in a position behind Nike, making sure she was out of the way before using her move. My starter for her part took a deep breath before she let out a loud scream. Thanks to the barrier, the audience was fine but the same could not be said about the opponents. At least one of them.

While Whirlipede seemed to be having trouble, what with not having arms to plug its ears and all, the Toxtricity seemed wholly unbothered by the sound. Thankfully Nike’s move was not strong enough to cover our voices.

“Punk Rock” I told Seraphina and she nodded. I took time to tell her of the potential ability from what I remembered.

This one was the most likely ability. It boosted Toxtricity sound based move while halving the damage it would take from it.

“Nike switch to Confusion on Whirlipede.”

“Luxio, follow up with Thunder Shock on Whirlipede as well!”

“I think that’s enough.” Roxie’s voice finally cut in. “Toxtricity Taunt! Whirlipede use Toxic Spikes!”

While both of our pokemon were readying their attack the opponent finally moved. Toxtricity got close to Luxio way too fast for her to react but stopped just before. When she was about to swipe at the poison type, it retreated while emitting a mocking laugh, infuriating Luxio who lashed out with a Thunder Shock.

“Luxio listen to my voice!”

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While Seraphina calmed Luxio enough to give her command I had Nike focus on the Whirlipede. The bug type did something I did not expect. The part of its chitinous carapace that was where you would expect a head slid open, revealing the pokemons mouth. Out of it came flying several hardened spikes of poison that it tried to scatter on our side.

Tried being the key word. Unfortunately for Roxie this will not work as the Magic Bounce of Nike activated, sending the projectile back to her side where they embedded themselves on the ground.

“What ?!” Roxie’s eyebrow shot up before she tried to compose herself.

“Yes!” I exclaimed. This was the exact reason I opened with Nike instead of Skoll. No entry hazard here.

While our exchange occurred, Luxio apparently managed to push Toxtricity back with a well-placed Tackle. As it stood the four pokemons stood on the field glaring at each other. The match was essentially at a standstill. But that did not mean we did nothing.

I tugged on my connection with Nike, just enough to let her know what to do. From my side, I could feel her mind straining to go unnoticed, yet the change occurred. Underneath her bangs, her eyes were glowing in a pale blue light due to the focus. Soon, Luxio’s fur also started to pop and spark.

Using the lull in the battle, both of them started to boost their prowess because we were seriously going to need it. Luxio continued to Charge while Nike continued to use the move she picked up as if second nature. Calm Mind.

But of course, Roxie will not let this go. The changes in Luxio were far too visible to go unnoticed.

“Tch! Whirlipede Rollout to Luxio! Toxtricity use Thunder Shock on Hatenna!”

All of a sudden, the Whirlipede started to rotate at a speed so high that the only static point was the eye. I was tempted to ponder hos that was possible but Toxtricity grating on its chest and the building sparks dissuaded me.

“Counter with Psybeam!” I shouted.

“Dodge to the side then Spark!” Seraphina ordered.

Bolts of electricity met with condensed psychic power while two pokemon chased after one another in a weird tag like situation. Unfortunately, the difference in power quickly started to show.

More and more often, some of the bolts got closer than the others and eventually Nike was not able to shoot them all down. Electricity flew and contacted with the psychic type sending her on the ground amidst screams. Similarly the clash between Luxio and Whirlipede ultimately ended in the victory for the poison type due to the momentum it kept accumulating.

Both of our pokemons were on the ground and the difference in power was now clear to see. It was time to switch tactics, but before that…

“Nike!” I made a show of waiting before giving my order with a smirk. “Misty Terrain!”

As soon as I said it, it was like a switch was flipped on Roxie.

“Do not let her. Taunt Wide! Whirlipede Poison Tail!”

Ok, I did not expect that reaction, but it was perfect. While Nike focused for her ‘move’, the Toxtricity emitted a mocking laughter, clearly provoking Nike. Whether Roxie was not aware or simply forgot the existence of Magic Bounce in her hurry to counter a move detrimental to her strategy, the one who ended up taunted was Toxtricity, showing why psychic type could be a nightmare.

As for the Whirlipede rushing toward Nike, she simply ignored it and charged her most powerful Psybeam as of yet before firing it toward the Toxtricity. She did not care about preserving energy and put everything toward the pokemon that was now recklessly charging her. The Whirlipede? This was a duo Battle.

Before it even got close to Nike, Luxio was already on it with its fur quite literally Charged. The Spark hit the bug pokemon from the side, sending it caroling hopelessly off course and a bit more toasted than it was the instant before. Its course ended against the barrier lifting a cloud of dust.

The Toxtricity also took the Psybeam directly, which sent it backward clearly hurt. Before Roxie could make another move, I spoke up.

“I am using my switch!”

The referee nodded and the barrier was lowered on our side allowing me to recall Nike in her Premier ball and tossing Skoll’s pokeball. Leaving one pokemon on the field was never a good idea. On the screen the second pokeball next to my picture was replaced by a picture of Skoll.

All the while I was grinning in excitement. Nike doesn’t know the move misty terrain. But I knew that Roxie liked her poisoned status effect and misty terrain would have countered that so she obviously would not let this happened even if she had a countermeasure. I was not expecting her to go for a Taunt after the failure of Toxic Spikes but I guess magic bounce is a pretty uncommon ability.

I also had to thank Cheren for giving me the idea with his Psychic/Psychic Fang mix up he used against Skoll back then. He made me realize that the battle was not only between the pokemon on the field but also between the trainers. Getting in your opponent head and dictating the rhythm of the fight was just as important as ordering the right move.

My stroke of luck was that because her Toxtricity did not have time to get closer to Nike, Roxie called for a wide area of effect and hopefully, Nike was able to redirect it at the Whirlipede as well. In that way I won’t have to worry about Toxic Spike or Toxic. As for Luxio, she was already under the effect of Taunt to begin with.

With Skoll now on the field, the battle was ready to resume. Roxie on the other side of the field looked completely stunned. It seemed like she did not even expect this sequence of events. Then she smirked.

“Ok, that was a nice trick, I’ll give you that.”

I could not keep the smile off my face despite wanting to. And Seraphina was not fairing any better next to me. All of her nervousness for the match seemed to have been melted away by the excitement of the match. And truthfully so was I.

“Toxtricity use Poison Jab finish Luxio! Whirlipede use Rollout to stick to the Riolu.

As if we would let that happen. “Skoll intercept with Bullet Punch.”

“Luxio cover fire with Thunder Shock!”

As soon as my order was given, Skoll shot forward like… well, a bullet and intercept the Toxtricity. With the speed he exhibited the Toxtricity was not able to react in time and change direction. Not until the first metal coated fist crashed onto its face. While in its running stride, Skoll appeared next to him and introduced his fist to its face.

The Whirlipede was also unable to make its way toward the slugfest that was happening, force to constantly changed direction due to the rain of lightning. Luxio was technically more offensive in terms of physical force, but due to Whirlipede potentially having Poison Point as an ability avoiding contact was the safest bet. After all, making contact with it will risk Luxio getting poisoned.

And so Skoll was engaged in dance of punching, getting punched, dodging, and feinting with Toxtricity while Whirlipede was chased around by the electricity shot by Luxio. But once again the stalemate was broken by the difference in power.

Once she noticed that Whirlipede will not be able to go past Luxio, Roxie switched its target to the offending pokemon. And with it rolling toward her and dodging obvious shots, the Rollout connected once more with the feline.

“Finish it with Pin Missile!”

Just as its trainer commanded, greenish darts manifested around the Whirlipede before they were sent flying at the prone Luxio. Despite her efforts to stand up and avoid, the damage she received from two Rollout from a more powerful pokemon ended up fainting her.

“Luxio is unable to battle! Challenger Seraphina, you have 30 seconds to send out your next pokemon.”

“Skoll pull back!” I commanded and he hurriedly ducked under one last punch before nimbly backing up.

My little guy did his best to keep the opponent busy but unfortunately, he still took some hits, and despite using some Counter during the brawl he still took considerable damage and was already panting. And to make things worse, he was already poisoned from the exchange and fell to one knee shortly after disengaging.

I greeted my teeth when I saw that. Sure, it was expected when fighting Roxie and if anything, it is a small miracle that we managed to hold that long without getting poisoned. But that didn’t mean I have to like seeing it.

“What should we do?” Seraphina asked quickly.

I thought before sighing. “I think we’ll have to go for plan B.”

She stiffened but quickly nodded and pulled her pokeball. We could not give Roxie too much time. Or so I thought but she was playing a tune already with her guitar while her band and even the Toxtricity on the field joined her. But ultimately with Skoll poisoned and the taunt likely to wear off soon -if that was not the case already- time was very much against us.

“Go Litleo!” The screen above changed as the little lion materialized on the field next to Skoll.

But nothing happened. So far when his ability activated, there was a visible sign such as puffing up. I don’t know if that was on purpose or if was just his way of showing his trainer, but nothing happened, meaning…

“Both of them are female?!” Seraphina exclaimed my thoughts out loud.

I cursed under my breath. But there was nothing to it. This was the worst case we imagined for if Litleo was on the field.

“Skoll, go wild!” I simply called pointing forward, knowing he would understand me.

And he did, despite his weakened state, the small fighting type Dashed forward leaving a white trail. With his battle instinct he would know what to do.

“Litleo it’s your time to shine.” Seraphina followed suit.

Sure enough, the pokemons understood our intention and the tuff of mane on top of Litleo could be felt growing hotter while a faint steam rose due to its Work Up. It did not go unnoticed by Roxie but unfortunately, I just sicked a battle nut onto her pokemons. Every time they wanted to do something he would dash toward the pokemon. Even when they were moving together, he did not hesitate to get into the way of the attack.

In short, he was fighting like a madman. Yet despite the gasp from the audience, I noticed how he changed the position of his body at the last moment, let himself be carried by the blows or deflect them partially. All the while, Litleo continued to power himself up. By now his mane was practically ablaze while Roxie grew more frustrated.

“Enough! Both of you Venoshock!”

Oh shit! Before I was able to give him the order to back off, globes of poison emerged in a circular cage around him before smashing toward him. That was completely overboard! I went to grab my pokeball and retrieve him in an emergency, but before my hand made contact with the device, Skoll appeared in front of me.

He was disoriented and still poisoned but well and truly conscious. I looked up and the Gothitelle from the league was fixing Roxie intently. The gym leader seemed to have realized too late what she had done and mumbled an apology.

“Skoll the Riolu is unable to battle under technicality. Challenger Nexon, you have 30 seconds to send out your next pokemon.” The referee said after hesitating a bit.

“Skoll return! Sorry buddy, you worked hard now rest and leave the rest to us.” The ball in my head weakly shook before I sent Nike back out.

While she had lost the effect of the calm mind, she was also free from the mental exhaustion of the concentrated Psybeam fired before she was returned. On the screen above, the pictures of both Skoll and Luxio were greyed out, leaving four pokemon on screen. Toxtricity. Whirlipede. Nike. And Litleo. This was the final match up with no do overs.

I took a deep breath. So far everything has worked with a fully powered up Litleo and an (almost) uninjured Nike. On the opposite side, both pokemons were quite exhausted. While Skoll wouldn’t have done a lot of damage, he still peppered them with fast hitting attacks like Quick Attack and Bullet Punch. Toxtricity in particular took a couple of Counter which must have hurt quite a lot. It was time for the big guns.

I sent a subtle sign to Nike so she could at least get one stack of Calm mind and fiddled with my collar to signal it to Seraphina. She noticed and immediately covered for us.

“Litleo, Ember! Focus on Whirlipede”

For the first time in the match, the fire type made a move, and what a move it was. It took him longer than usual but in the end, the size of the cloud and the temperature it emitted might as well be the same as a Flamethrower.

I wonder how many cycles of Work Up he got in.

Even Roxie seemed to be surprised by the power behind such a basic move.

“Dodge to the side!” she shouted and both pokemon darted in opposite directions.

Litleo took another breath before aiming for the Whirlipede once more. Nike, her, followed my command and fired a Confusion at the Toxtricity. With at least one calm mind she was able to keep up.

“Litleo, Noble Roar!”

“Nike support with Disarming Voice!”

“Toxtricity show them a real roar! Whirlipede Toxic on Litleo!”

Clearly the taunt wore off. The saving grace was that with no more switches we avoided a entry poisoning. The two directed soundwaves clashed against each other before one of them crash on Litleo. It seems like even if it was not an attacking move it was still affected by the Punk Rock ability. It didn’t help that Litleo took longer to unleash his move.

The Whirlipede had more trouble shrugging off the Disarming voice but nonetheless managed to shoot a concentrated ball of poison that drenched Litleo. He stumbled briefly but soon after he stood up unbothered. Seraphina smiled and Litleo spit out what remained of the berry hidden in his mouth. This was also the reason the Ember and Noble Roar was slightly delayed.

“A Pecha berry? Not bad. Toxtricity moved to Hatenna with Acid Spray!”

“Nike don’t try to dodge, grab it with Confusion!” I shouted.

As ordered, the acidic liquid spit out by the Toxtricity was stopped midair by the psychic waves before being forced to the ground where it sizzled for a bit. Poison was really a nasty type. She did not stop there as another confusion headed straight for the Toxtricity even if it twisted away.

By now both pokemon had regrouped to the side and were panting from exertion. Even with being more evolved and more powerful, fighting four pokemon at once was not easy and it shows. On our side, both pokemon were still healthy but their energy reserves were getting lower. We needed to finish it as fast as possible.

“Nexon they won’t hold for long at this point and if Litleo get poisoned once more we will be in trouble.” Seraphina whispered to me after muting her mic.

“Yeah, but do we really want to take a gamble now?” I whispered back.

“I think we don’t really have a choice…”

I didn’t like the uncertainty, but in the end she was right. We wouldn’t be able to win this without taking risks. I nodded at that.

“It seems you guys are done talking. But I think it’s about time we wrapped the show. Toxtricity Poison Jab on Litleo. Whirlipede use Pin Missile, aim for Hatenna!”

“Nike intercept with Disarming Voice!”

“Dodge and use Fire Fang!”

The barrage missile fired by the Whirlipede met mid air with the pink sound waves emitted by Nike Creating a staccato of explosions while Toxtricity dashed unbothered but the chaos. Litleo manage to avoid the punch and bite down on the side of Toxtricity, causing the latter to burst into flame amidst screams. Yet the bipedal pokemon did not deter and managed to hit Litleo on the stomach, sending him rolling. Nike also got hit because she had to take a breath.

The poison types were clearly reaching the end of their rope and were panting next to each other. As for us, both of our pokemons were on the ground next to each other as well. This was the perfect situation. A smirk was plastered onto Roxie’s face… and froze there in the next moment.

“Litleo! Give it your all! Full power Ember!” Seraphina shouted.

“Nike… Mystical Fire! Use It!”

With both of her pokemon exhausted and bunched up together, the chance of them avoiding this was slim. Granted our pokemons were also in bad shape, but as long as they pulled this one off, they would get a well-deserved rest. This was the final gamble.

Both of our pokemons were expecting the signal and did not lose a second. Even if the Noble Roar weakened Litleo, he clearly had more than one Work Up stacked, meaning the cloud of ember was significantly more powerful than normal and he did not hesitate to make use of it. Plus, without the berry hidden in his mouth there was no charge time.

As for Nike, she did not act as fast as Litleo. Instead, she used her power to take out her Held Item. Yeah, Seraphina was not the only to give her ace for this match an item. And her item was of course none other than the Fire Gem. It was much duller than before but the power it held was undeniable. Combine with the Calm Mind…

She was late but all went very fast. The Embers did not even reach their target that a ball of purplish-red flame manifested on top of her hat and shot toward the opponents in a continuous stream. She made sure to aim it a bit to the side to not interfere with the embers and slowly closed in.

With the Ember already on them and the Mystical Fire closing in, both pokemon had no choice but to brace for the hit…and the heat. It took a few seconds for the attacks to let off with both of our pokemon panting, Litleo for breath while Nike from mental fatigue.

Smoke still covered the area where the pokemon were standing and I realized that perhaps for the first time since the beginning of the match the crowd was completely silent. All eyes were fixated on the slowly dissipating smoke, as if wanting to see the result even one second earlier.

The smoke finally dispersed enough to reveal the outcome. Two pokemon laid in the center of the attacks. Unconscious. The crowd remained silent for a few beats before bursting into cheers. I myself clenched my fist in excitement when I saw the results and Seraphina looked like she needed to be rebooted.

“Both Toxtricity and Whirlipede are unable to battle! The winners are challengers Seraphina and challenger Nexon, with their Litleo and Hatenna!!”

Cementing the announcement, the screen finally greyed the picture of both poison type marking the end of this particular gym Challenge. My heart thundered in my chest and Seraphina finally processed the event and was bouncing up and down.

As soon as the barrier was lowered, we dashed to our respective partners and scooped them up. Next to Nike laid a crystalline powder of what used to be a gem, but I could not care less about that. Litleo was busy licking Seraphina while Nike opted for a much more subdued hug before bouncing and kicking her legs while on my head.

Our celebration was interrupted by two flashes of red followed by the footstep of Roxy. She wore a bitter smile, but I could tell that she was actually more surprised that we won.

“I guess taking on the two of you at once was too much even for me. Congratulations on your victory. With this you earn the right to the Toxic Badge.”

Saying so, the bald guy from her group pulled out a case with the two identical badges sitting in it. It looked like five bubbles of poison rising to the surface with the final bubble having four protrusions at the diagonal giving it the look of an ‘X’ that marked dangerous components. Similarly to the Aspertia badge it had golden trims giving it a premium look.

“Now before you go and grab your goodies, how about a bit of advice from yours truly’ She said with her chest puffed out. Sure enough, once we nodded, we were led through to back doors where there was privates rooms.

“Nexon you can wait here for a while. You know what they say, ladies first.” She said after we reached a door, leaving by pushing Seraphina.

“Yeah that was not weird at all…” I muttered as I stood with my hand hanging.

Regardless of if she wanted to give us individual advice there was nothing to do even if I thought it would be better if we were together. I mean it was a dual battle, right?

I walked toward the room and the door slid open to reveal a kind of lounge that was much more luxurious than I had anticipated. I stepped inside but ended up freezing up as soon as the light turned on to reveal more of the room.

The Gothitelle that put the barrier for our match was standing next to a sofa, her eyes fixated on me. But she was not the reason I froze. No, I froze because of the diminutive figure that was laid on the Sofa asleep. She wore what I could only describe as a pajamas with Muna on it. Her long blond hair sported some heart shaped ornaments. With the light one, she slowly blinked her eyes open and stretched while yawning.

“Hmmmm~~. Hi~ care for a chat?” she half spoke half mumbled.

I was still frozen because who in their right mind would not recognize her.

Elite four member, psychic type specialist and one of the most powerful psychic in the world. She sat, calmly looking at me through half closed eyes.

Caitlin.