It couldn't be more night and day since the last time I was at the Veilstone Gym.

There is no longer a crowd of people chanting that Maylene is the worst gym leader ever, and that she needs to be replaced. The outside of the gym has been spruced up; the stairs have been swept, the hedges trimmed, and it actually looks like it's in use.

Which is good, because today is the day.

The receptionist is, as expected, another black belt karate man. "Welcome! We have been expecting you."

"I suppose you still need my trainer card, though," I say, sliding it over. "And my Pokédex too?" I ask, hoping it's not the case and I can hold onto it.

No such luck, though. He nods once. 'That's correct. I'll make sure I keep an eye on it until you're all done." I sigh and hand over my bright pink Pokédex as well. But the receptionist clears his throat when I try to make my way down the hallway to where I assume the arena is. "Is there more?" I question him in annoyance.

He's unperturbed. "Yes, you cannot wear shoes while you are inside the gym. You can leave them there." He points to a simple wooden frame behind me, though there are only one pair of shoes left there. "That applies to your friends, too."

I glance back at Ursula and Lucas, who seem just as bemused as I am. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," confirms a familiar voice. Reggie strolls up from inside the gym, with only his socks on. "Maylene's done a marvelous job the past few days, wiping the floor with a few other wannabe gym leaders, so you're going to have to follow the rules if you want to take on the Veilstone Gym."

Well, I am here for a fight, after all. I kick off my shoes as a response, and after a moment, take off my socks and stuff them inside before shelving them. The receptionist is happy to let us follow Reggie inside as soon as Lucas and Ursula do the same.

"Did you invite Reggie, Luna?" Lucas asks me, though I don't get a chance to respond.

"I actually needed something from the gym, funny enough," Reggie responds. "They do a lot more here than battle." We pass a massage parlor, where Reggie says one of the Pokémon under his care is getting a strong-handed massage, a training room, where Pokémon and trainers are pounding away at punching bags and lifting weights.

One of them is actually Jackie, the battle girl who Maylene had first defeated, shadow boxing with her Hitmonchan. I increase my pace to make sure she doesn't notice me.

"And I suppose that this was the most convenient day for you to do that," Ursula comments sarcastically, to which Reggie grins at us and winks.

Eh, I can't be too mad at the guy. He's helped me out tremendously, and if I had a brother in the circuit, I'd probably want to get all the info about his competitors and pass that knowledge along too. It's a shame that it has to happen to me, though, and not people like Tobias and Lawrence. The average person needs all the help they can get against those two.

The actual room that the battle is being held in is not what I'm used to. It's extremely minimalist; no rock pillars, no grass, no open ceiling, and nowhere to hide. It's plain, packed dirt, with white paint. There's not even bleachers or benches for an audience to sit and observe. Instead, they've got simple straw mats for you to sit cross legged on. They don't even have the usual camera crew. I wonder if that's to protect Maylene because her position as gym leader is still so delicate, or they are just that traditional.

Interestingly enough, we're the first ones here, not Maylene and whoever is on her side. It seems there is a little commotion on their end. A sliding door opens, and a woman, wearing her karate uniform, of course, comes out and bows to me.

"Apologies. We're having a bit of an issue and a discussion right now," she tells me, which explains nothing.

Please tell me that Maylene's not having more issues, and I need to reschedule the match. There's kinda a big thing happening tomorrow!

Luckily, it seems that I'm in the clear. Maylene and Lucario come out of the same door, looking extremely calm, followed by a few other black belts and battle girls, and one familiar face.

Old Master Yasu notices that I'm the challenger, but he takes his seat on the mat with the rest of them. "No need for concern. I'm simply here to watch the gym leader battle."

It seems he's finally started to get his head out of his ass, because that one statement speaks volumes. Not that I'm going to give him too much credit. He was the one that dug the hole and threw Maylene in, after all.

"Let's get this started," Maylene begins, in an extremely confident tone. She gestures to one of her subordinates. The man hops up eagerly and bows, before moving to the simple circles painted on the ground indicating where the referee and their Pokémon should stand.

He's tossed a Pokéball, and summons a Medicham, which I actually think is Master Yasu's by the look of it, and starts laying out the rules.

"This will be a three-on-three battle between Luna the challenger and Maylene the gym leader! Victory will be achieved when all three Pokémon on one side are unable to battle! Only the challenger is allowed to stop and substitute mid-battle! Is that all clear?!"

I nod in concert with Maylene, but I'm playing those words over in my head. I'm pretty sure U-turn is still on the table, based on that last statement. If she brings out her Mienfoo, or something like a Monferno, I need to keep that in mind.

The referee holds out his arm towards Maylene, as Medicham puts up psychic protection for us and the audience. "Gym leader, make your first selection."

It's not going to be Lucario, because Maylene brings out a Pokéball from her pocket. Before she starts the battle by sending it out, she addresses me.

Her face softens a bit from the seriousness she had going on. "I remember and appreciate the support you have given me, but as gym leader, I cannot hold anything back. Please do the same!"

Luckily, or unluckily, depending on how one views it, I have no intentions of losing here. "I wouldn't dream of it," I reply honestly.

Maylene cracks a smile. "Then let's make this battle one to remember!" She flings her Pokéball into the air. "Go, Pangoro!"

This Pokémon looks like if the Kung Fu Panda was actually the villain in the film. It's mean-looking, bulky and muscled, and is rolling a twig around its mouth. I was actually anticipating something like a Scrafty from her, considering Dark-types deal with ghosts and psychics pretty well, which are two types most Fighting-types would struggle with. This Pokémon fills essentially that same role.

There is one typing that's strength against fighting is doubled against a Pokémon like this, and while I don't have a Pokémon of that type…

"Bellossom, let's do this!" It's kind of hilarious, seeing a hulking Pokémon on one side versus a short and dainty one on the other, but we've got the power to take this thing out.

Do I go for it though? I eye the enemy Pokémon as Maylene offers me the first move as the challenger. I did receive some advice to go for it and battle aggressively…

"Moonblast!" I shout suddenly, and her eyes widen. Bellossom builds a gleaming silver ball that looks somewhat like the moon over her head before hurling it at Pangoro.

"Iron Head!" she calls hastily. The top of Pangoro's head is suddenly glowing white, and it makes no mistake. Its headbutt shatters our attempt at a quick knockout into sparkling fairy dust.

That's what I get for listening to Paul, I suppose. Now Maylene's aware that we can seriously threaten her Pangoro. Which means I need to create an opening.

"Stun Spore!" I order next. Bellossom tilts her head down and produces a cloud of paralyzing spores from the two flowers on her head.

"Hold your breath, Pangoro, and use Darkest Lariat!" Maylene counters. Her Pokémon sucks in a huge amount of air, holds its arms out, perpendicular to its sides, and starts spinning, like a tornado. The dark funnel dissipates our Stun Store safely, and it's surprisingly not wobbly for having spun so much.

That gives me another idea for disrupting our opponent. Let's see if we can get it dizzy. "Teeter Dance!"

Bellossom starts dancing in a silly pattern, tottering around like she's had too much to drink, in a motion designed to catch the attention and charm the opponent into following her. But as soon as she starts, Maylene has something to counter us, yet again.

"Hammer Arm on the ground!" she shouts urgently, Her Pokémon brings its two fists down powerfully, and the resulting shockwave is enough to trip up Bellossom, ending the dance before she can confuse Pangoro.

Hmm. Weirdly enough, even though she's doing such a good job of answering whatever move we try and make, Maylene's not really pressing the offensive herself. Is she trying to get me frustrated enough that I lose my cool and make a mistake so she can punish me?

My mind settles on a different conclusion, actually. I think, even though that first Moonblast didn't work, it's still having an impact. Maylene has seen that we have a huge haymaker, in fighting terms. She has to keep that in the back of her mind, and she doesn't want to leave Pangoro exposed.

Also, Pangoro doesn't seem that fast, either. Fighting-types often fall into the nimble graceful fighter, or the muscled hulking powerhouse, and Pangoro definitely seems like it's in the second category.

I can work with that. Bellossom turns to me for a split second while that battle has lulled, and I issue the next command. "Sunny Day!"

To be honest, we've never tried to use this move indoors. When Bellossom throws up the ball of light, it hangs in the air, suspended like a mini-sun that lights up the whole battlefield. Perfect.

"Sludge Bomb!" Maylene calls warily. Her Pokémon breathes in deeply before sending a volley of explosive poisonous blobs our way.

Bellossom twirls out of the way easily, without me having to say anything, now that her special ability is activated, and her speed is vastly improved. "Growth!" My Grass-type raises her arms to the sky, soaking in all of the light she can before another Sludge Bomb makes her get out of the way.

I could get greedy, since Maylene is starting out the battle so defensively. In fact, I think I will. The sun isn't going to last forever. "Quiver Dance!"

The lightbulb goes off in Maylene's head as she realizes that her defensive opening has given Bellossom and I the opportunity to really accrue some power. "Bulk Up!" she calls, trying to take the time to match it. Pangoro flexes its muscles, but I'm pretty confident we've got this one.

"Weather Ball!" The attack ignites and doubles in size before Bellossom hurls it at Pangoro.

"Mega Punch!" The enemy Pokémon cocks its fist back to wind for a huge punch that shatters our attack, though it still winces in pain as the flames lick at its body.

"Magical Leaf!" I order next, not wanting to let up the pressure. "And put some flair into it!"

Flair is one thing Bellossom has an endless supply of. When she sends the rainbow colored leaves at Maylene, the gym leader calls for Ice Punch, armoring its fists with ice to take the brunt of the attack. But when Pangoro holds out its fists to block the attack, Bellossom curves Magical Leaf upwards sharply, and then brings them raining down on Pangoro's head instead.

I immediately put the pressure on with a follow-up attack. "Weather Ball!"

Pangoro is starting to wear down, and this time it isn't able to totally punch through Weather Ball. It misses by half an inch, and our attack explodes into a gout of flame that has the enemy Pokémon stumbling backwards.

Maylene already has her Pokéball out, and I allow myself a small grin. The mini-sun we put up there fades away, but I think our opportunity to land the big punch has come. "Bellossom, Moonblast!"

"Parting Shot!"

Pangoro slams its arm into its chest and gives us a short but very loud shout that startles both me and Bellossom. That split hesitation is all Maylene needs to recall her Pangoro, and slash her hands through the air. Lucario bounds into the arena as Bellossom throws the Moonblast, and it rips through our attack with Metal Claw.

Well, this I did not expect. Bellossom needs a Fire-type Weather Ball to really threaten Lucario, so my first command against our new opponent is to use Sunny Day once again, but something odd is going on. Maylene has become strangely silent. She scratches at her armband, and Lucario brings the two steel spikes on top of his fists and starts scraping them together, producing a horrible metallic sound that has me wincing for Bellossom.

I'm mostly protected from sound thanks to the barrier, but she has to clap her hands to the side of her head to try and block it out, which means that we aren't able to put up Sunny Day.

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see Maylene throw a quick jab, and Lucario is rocketing towards us like a bullet, slugging Bellossom in the chest and throwing her back.

This pace is so different from the deliberate, counterpunching style Maylene had with Pangoro it's giving me whiplash. We need to slow this down!

"Stun Spore!" I shout urgently. Bellossom sends a yellow cloud out at Lucario again, but it brings its two fists together and slides them outwards, and a blue, glowing bone appears between them. Lucario twirls its new weapon like the blades of a helicopter, spinning away our Stun Spore harmlessly. It rushes my Pokémon, bone in hand.

Bellossom really has to wear her dancing shoes to dodge the onslaught of attacks Lucario throws at her, from an overhead two handed downswing, a crouching low sweep that she has to hop over, to a powerful jab aimed with the butt of the bone at her midsection, where she has to do her best Matrix impression to avoid that one.

We get no respite or indication of when Lucario is finally finished, though. It swipes the bone into the ground, kicking up dust into Bellossom's eyes, and then it lights up like a camera before that energy is cast forth from Lucario's chest in a beam.

The Flash Cannon sends Bellossom spinning for a second before she regains her bearings. This is so frustrating! I have no idea what attack is coming, and to top it all off, Maylene hasn't said anything the whole time! What's going on here!

"Magical Leaf!" I shout, voice cracking, as I try to regain a foothold in the battle. This time, Bellossom keeps the leaves low to the ground before condensing them all into a spearhead, thrusting it upwards at Lucario.

Maylene and Lucario both kick at almost the same time, but Lucario's is a blazing kick that burns through our attack easily. I make a face as Lucario brings its hands back, cupped like a shell, and finally I know what attack is coming. The one we can't dodge at all.

"Moonblast!" I command preemptively. Bellossom hurls the attack, which busts through Lucario's Aura Sphere, but it already is lighting up for Flash Cannon as soon as the first attack is released.

Obviously, Flash Cannon will destroy our Moonblast, so I immediately call for another attack. "Petal Dance!" If this goes badly and she gets confused, I'll call her back, but for now I really need to figure out what is going on here.

Bellossom twirls round and round, summoning a massive storm of petals for her to manipulate. I think she's feeling as irritated by this silent smackdown we're receiving as I am, because she turns all those petals into a massive sword. She grips the hilt and brings it straight down on Lucario's head as it's dealing with Moonblast.

It tilts its chest upwards to redirect Flash Cannon at our Petal Dance, and the explosions from all those attacks colliding cover the battlefield in an pale but opaque smoke cloud.

I shift uneasily, keeping one eye on my Poketch, since the timer for Petal Dance is running. Isn't Lucario like that Crobat we fought the other day, in that it doesn't need its eyes to sense things? Bellossom brings the petals back to swirl around her defensively, while we wait for this smoke to clear.

Right as I'm about to send the petals back out into the smoke, to flush Lucario out, it emerges, tearing through our defenses with Metal Claw to put a palm on Bellossom's chest. She looks up at the taller Pokémon before it smirks and the palm explodes, sending her flying back.

The smoke clears enough for Maylene to kick out again, and that means Blaze Kick is coming, isn't it. "Dodge this!" I shout to Bellossom, but she struggles to stand up as static crackles all over her body. I curse whoever invented paralysis mentally. "Aromatherapy! Then get out of there!"

Bellossom tries to spread her flowers and produce that gentle, healing scent, but it's too little, too late. Lucario hits her with a powerful roundhouse Blaze Kick that sends her flying into the psychic barrier, where she slides down onto the ground and doesn't move.

I groan internally as the first battle is called for Maylene and Lucario. This is not how I wanted to start off, losing the first Pokémon! I bring Bellossom back to her Pokéball. "Really well fought, Bellossom. Get some rest." I put her Pokéball back in my pocket and palm Charmeleon's because he's my pick against Lucario, but I hesitate.

Is Lucario still going against Maylene? Is that why it's attacking without seemingly any direction from her? She seems so calm and unperturbed by it, though.

What other explanation is there? They're talking in each other's minds?

…Wait. That's it! Maylene is giving orders to Lucario, mentally! I bet they grew up together practicing all these moves, that's why Maylene makes a similar motion every time Lucario attacks!

Of course, it also puts into perspective how deep the rift was between them. Lucario wasn't just giving her the verbal mental treatment, the Fighting-type was literally blocking Maylene from its mind. No wonder she was in such bad shape when I first arrived.

Still, there's a couple of seconds delay from Maylene thinks it, acts it out, conveys it to Lucario, and then her Pokémon executes the attack. If I really hone in, I can predict what's coming based on her movements.

It's not going to be easy, but this can be done. The problem is achieving perfect synchrony with my Pokémon, like Maylene and Lucario have.

I send him out as the referee clears his throat to get me to act. "Go, Charmeleon!" His flame doubles in size as he views the opponent I promised him.

He's not happy with the first move I call, predictably enough, though. "Smokescreen!"

He actually turns around and whines at me, at a time like this. I can already see Maylene and Lucario making the motion for Bone Rush to spin the smoke away, but if we don't use it, I have no doubt they'll attack instead.

"Make it a big one and get over here!" I rebuke him sharply, making my hands into a T, the universal sign for timeout. "I'm going to tell you something, and you're going to listen."

My tone surprises him enough to do what I say, though he's still grumbling as he comes over. I have one eye on the giant smoke cloud, because I have no doubt that Lucario can sense through it. I'm hoping that they're blowing the smoke away because he can't hold his breath forever, or that they won't attack an opponent with their back turned, because of Fighting-type honor, or whatever.

It's times like this I really wish Charmeleon really had an ear for me to grab. "Our opponents can communicate within their minds, without saying anything. That means their attacks come out," I snap my fingers repeatedly, "Like that. I think I'll be able to predict them, but the only way this will work is if you listen to and obey every word I say. No whining, no complaining, and no freelancing. Understood?"

He nods once, and I allow myself a small smile. "Last thing. There's one move where Lucario puts its palm right on your chest, and it explodes. That's Force Palm, and it can paralyze you. Do not let that happen. Bellossom has gone down, so there's no Aromatherapy to bail you out."

The smoke's mostly cleared, and Lucario is advancing, twirling the bone in its hands as it does, creating a bit of a defensive shield in front of it. I keep my eyes on Maylene for indications of what's to come.

Her first motion is a sharp forward thrust. "Dodge to the right!" Charmeleon avoids the jab, but this is no time to celebrate. Now she's sweeping her arms up high. "Duck!" The bone whistles past Charmeleon's head by an inch. Maylene's winding up, and that means we have a chance.

"Fire Fang on the bone!" Lucario takes a very long motion for some added power, and that gives Charmeleon time to duck inside and catch the bone in his jaws. He shatters it a moment later, and I fist pump, because this is working.

Lucario disguises any surprise it might have well, backflipping away from Charmeleon. Maylene cups her palms at her side and thrusts them forward. Aura Sphere, then.

"Flamethrower!"

Charmeleon blasts through the Aura Sphere with Flamethrower, but Maylene does the same motion again. This time, Lucario charges up an even bigger Aura Sphere, and this second one is able to stop our attack.

The collision turns into an explosion, but there's no time to think. Maylene ducks her head before throwing several punches. Lucario does the same a moment later, neatly side stepping our next Flamethrower, closing distance with its fists glowing green.

"Cancel and Use Fire Punch!" I shout. Charmeleon is more than happy to trade blows with Lucario, both of them landing several punches on each other. I am a bit surprised that Lucario isn't a little worse off, considering Fire Punch is super effective on it.

I mentally go through the list of punching moves in my head, and it clicks when I realize what move the gym used to give out after beating it in the game.

Drain Punch. Lucario is healing itself with every blow, even though we might be doing more damage. I have to remind myself that we're down one Pokémon, and thus I can't let Charmeleon take too much damage, because Maylene has one completely healthy one in addition to a somewhat worn down Pangoro in the back.

We both tense and Maylene brings her closed fists together again, the indication that she's calling for Bone Rush. This time, she makes a throwing motion instead of attacking like she actually had a staff in her hands.

"Watch the rebound!" I shout, as Lucario spins and hurls the glowing bone at us. Charmeleon avoids the initial shot, but he makes sure to look behind him as the bone continues its spin and starts boomeranging back. He snatches it out the air, sneers, and breaks it over his knee.

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I wonder if someone around here had a Marowak, that Lucario picked up that technique from. Whatever the case, I think I see a hint of respect in its expression for Charmeleon's fighting spirit. I definitely see it from Maylene. She doesn't immediately call for another attack, instead tensing her body so I can see the cords of her muscled arms.

This is almost certainly a power-boosting move. "Use Dragon Dance!" I call. Charmeleon starts channeling his dance as we watch Lucario copy Maylene, flexing its muscles in what is likely Bulk Up. Neither of us make any move to attack before the other is finished, instead letting the energy settle inside our Pokémon's muscles and bones.

If Maylene thinks I'm in the business of fighting fair and square like I'm sure most of her training partners do, then she's dead wrong. That might be the one thing to give us a leg up.

"Fire Punch!"

Our opponents are happy to match our fiery blows with Drain Punch again, and though I keep my eyes out for Lucario trying a sneaky Force Palm, it doesn't seem like either of them want to go for it. Us, on the other hand…

Rookie mistake by the rookie gym leader, not paying attention to a Fire-types mouth! Charmeleon senses it too, because he's done this before. I don't care if he goes for Fire Fang, or Flamethrower, or even Ember, as long as he manages to connect, but right as he opens his mouth, Lucario's eyes grow wide and it hastily jumps away before we can spit fire in its face.

It growls and looks at us through narrowed eyes, holding a palm out. Stupid Lucario, talking in its trainer's head, sensing our bad intentions like that! It would have worked on anyone else!

Maylene does a quick jab for Bullet Punch, but I catch the palm thrust she makes after, and that means Force Palm is coming. "Get out of there," I tell Charmeleon, who actually doesn't try and match Lucario, instead listening to me and avoiding the comboed attacks altogether.

Whatever. There's no use crying over spilled milk, and I shouldn't dwell on a failed strategy. I need to come up with something else, because I'm on the right track. The only way I can throw off their harmony and synchrony is by injecting a little chaos into this.

Unfortunately, there's nothing to create that chaos with. Charmeleon's non Fire-type attacks that I'd consider using are Metal Claw and Dragon Rage, and they're not very effective or fairly weak, respectively.

As far as environmental factors, I look to every corner of the arena, but there's nothing, other than wooden walls and dirt floors and people sitting cross-legged, watching Charmeleon and Lucario circle each other warily.

All the dojo people have perfect posture. I suppose when you put as much emphasis on discipline as they do, you're able to sit still for long periods of time. On my side, Reggie and Lucas are fidgeting. Only Ursula, with that proper lady torture training that was drilled into her, is able to maintain her posture.

My eyes fall on her and she stares back at me quizzically. Hmm…

It might work, actually, if we sell it well enough. I start doing my best sales pitch. "They're really strong, right Charmeleon? Let's show them how strong you can be too. Hit them with your Dragonflame!"

Maylene's eyebrows immediately raise in alarm, and she makes the motion for Aura Sphere, which is exactly what I want.

Last time, she countered our Flamethrower with a larger than normal Aura Sphere. If she thinks we're using a stronger attack, Lucario will take more time to charge up that Aura Sphere to deal with it.

Charmeleon's Dragonflame isn't even close to the one Gabite and Ursula used to defeat Glaceon and I at the Solaceon Contest. All he can manage is a blue-tinged Flamethrower. But Maylene doesn't know that.

My Fire-type makes a big show of swallowing and choking down his Dragon Rage with Fire Fang. Lucario eyes him, channeling Aura Sphere to what he thinks is the power necessary to meet this attack.

But whereas Gabite would let this Dragon Rage mature in his stomach for a little, Charmeleon's unable to hold it. Smoke starts rising from his nostrils, and he opens his maw to spit out the river of blue and orange fire almost immediately after, way before either of our opponents are ready.

Lucario roars in pain and its Aura Sphere fades in its palms as it takes a direct hit from the Dragonflame. It goes down to one knee, but neither Charmeleon nor I are in a merciful mood. "Fire Punch and Fire Fang, go!"

In an instant, both of Charmeleon's fists and his mouth are on fire, and he rushes forward with his three weapons. I see Maylene make the motion for Bone Rush and swipe at the ground. That's the Sand Attack she used against Bellossom!

I won't let it happen this time. "Jump!" Lucario lashes out at the ground with the bone that materializes in its hands, kicking up a spray of dust that Charmeleon hops over. He lunges out, and while Lucario blocks the first punch with its bone, that breaks the weapon, and Charmeleon sinks his fangs into Lucario's shoulder, making it grit its teeth.

Lucario's pain tolerance is super impressive, because it manages to block the second Fire Punch with Drain Punch again. I almost make the mistake of taking my eyes off Maylene, but I catch her thrusting her palm out again.

"Get out of there now!" I roar at the top of my lungs. Charmeleon breaks off and scrambles away right before Force Palm manages to connect. I point victoriously at the weakened enemy Pokémon. "Flamethrower attack! GO!"

Bone Rush appears in Lucario's grasp again, and it spins it like a fan, trying to stave off the flames, but Charmeleon digs in his claws and puts some extra heat in this Flamethrower, overpowering Lucario's defenses and hosing enemy Pokémon down, pinning him to the barrier with flames.

Eventually he has to let up and take a huge breath, but the damage has been done. Lucario slumps to the floor, smoking, singed, and defeated.

Whew. All that work to take down one Pokémon. I'm still under the impression that Lucario is Maylene's ace, which makes me feel a little better. She recalls Lucario and presses the Pokéball to her forehead, no doubt conveying a mental thank you.

Her next words have me frowning, though. "It seems that Lucario and I still have much work to do on our synergy, if you were able to counter us so effectively," she directs at me with a wry smile.

Imagine getting every single thing wrong. They're actually so in sync that Maylene and Lucario were fighting in concert! I'll have to correct her after I win. If I lose, I'll keep it under wraps until I do get that badge.

I'm anticipating Pangoro to come back out, and that's exactly what Maylene does. I don't think either of us want to show our third Pokémon before we have to, and I leave in Charmeleon when I have a chance to substitute.

Against Bellossom, Pangoro demonstrated some impressive physical prowess, and a variety of moves, but it also showed that it was a bit slow of foot, and I wasn't that impressed with its ranged options.

There's also Parting Shot, which I need to keep in the back of my mind, but again, I don't think Maylene wants to switch Pangoro out, especially if it gets even more worn down.

But I suppose we'll find out. "Flamethrower!" I command, as soon as the battle restarts.

"Rock Tomb into Brick Break!" Maylene counters.

Oh? It seems that Pangoro has much more to show. Pangoro blocks our attack by creating a wall of stone in front of it, and then starts smashing away at it, sending shards of rock flying at Charmeleon.

"Metal Claw!" He extends steel-hard claws and slashes the stone flung at him into dust, until Pangoro's Rock Tomb is nothing but fine gravel. I guess she didn't show Rock Tomb previously, knowing it would be useless as a defense against Bellossom.

"Fire Punch, but be careful," I warn Charmeleon. "I think you and I can both tell that Pangoro hits harder than you."

He huffs, but doesn't disagree, lighting both fists on fire and charging forward.

Maylene's response is Darkest Lariat. Pangoro turns into a dark whirlwind of fists, spinning forward, and Charmeleon screeches to halt, struggling to find an opening to attack without getting smacked first.

"Wait it out!" I advise him. "Pangoro will stop and get dizzy at some point."

The gym leader chuckles. "You underestimate our training!" she boasts. "We won't let something as trivial as that stop us!" True to Maylene's words, Pangoro looks no worse for wear after finishing its attack, and they're happy to keep up the offensive. "Bulk Up! Then Darkest Lariat again!"

As Pangoro flexes its muscles, I consider what to do. Dragon Dancing again isn't going to help us, I don't think. We're already faster than Pangoro. Either we need a way to avoid getting hit by Darkest Lariat long enough to get an attack in, or we need to punish it for attacking in such a manner.

One of the best ways to punish physically inclined Pokémon is with something like Static or Poison Point. Charmeleon doesn't have Flame Body, but maybe we can simulate it.

The only problem with that is I know that Charmeleon wants more than anything to cover himself with fire and throw himself at the enemy with wild abandon, so I've been avoiding it. But I don't think I'm misplacing my trust this time.

"Charmeleon, go ahead and cover yourself in flame. Let's see how Pangoro handles the heat!"

My Pokémon gives me a giant grin, before letting flames flow out of his mouth, and from his closed fists, though they don't stop there. The cascade over every inch of his body until he's literally on fire. I jerk my head over to where Pangoro is done bulking up and is starting to spin.

These two go at it like there's a million dollars on the line. Charmeleon gets hit in the head, but smashes Pangoro in the knee, causing the taller Pokémon to stumble. He jumps up and lands a fiery uppercut on the Dark-type's chin, but takes a powerful gut punch in retaliation. But I can't say for one second that Charmeleon is out of control.

Both of them are gritting their teeth through the pain, especially Pangoro, because it's getting burnt every time it lands a blow, and they're quickly slowing down, sucking in wind with every breath as their blows get softer and slower.

"Remember your speed, Charmeleon!" I urge him on, as the flames on his body die down because he's too spent to sustain them. Pangoro, likewise, has stopped spinning for its attack, and has traded its Darkest Lariat in for Drain Punch, to try and restore some energy, though its not having much effect with the attacks being so weak and Charmeleon not having much gas left in the tank.

He hears me, and as a wild punch is thrown by Pangoro, he leaps onto the offending arm, scrambling over the enemy Pokémon and raking a Metal Claw down its back.

"Low Sweep!" Maylene shouts, and Pangoro lashes out with its back foot right as Charmeleon lands, and my Pokémon falls on his back.

"Hammer Arm!"

"Flamethrower!"

Pangoro brings its two fists all the way above its head, behind its neck before bringing them down like two anchors falling downwards. Charmeleon blasts the upright Pokémon with his Flamethrower, trying to achieve a knockout before the hammer can be brought down.

They stay like that for several long seconds, Pangoro trying to Hammer Arm Charmeleon while my Pokémon gives everything he's got to stave off his opponent.

Finally, it's Pangoro who gives a monstrous roar and breaks through, bringing those large arms and massive fists down on Charmeleon, leaving a sizable crater in the ground where he was hammered down. That done, Pangoro staggers, holding an arm to his scorched chest before slumping and collapsing in a heap next to my Pokémon.

A double knockout, huh? I'll tell Charmeleon when he wakes up. For now, I thank him and return him to his Pokéball.

Maylene does the same, before she turns to me. "This has been the best battle I have had in a long time." She leaves out the part where it was because she wasn't battling up to her own standards, which everyone in the room knows. "It's so good that I'm going to make sure we have another! Go, Hawlucha!"

She sends out her final Pokémon, as the gym leader always has to choose first, and it's revealed to be not a bird, or a plane, but a masked fighter, whose cape is actually a pair of wings, allowing it to soar in the sky.

I catch Reggie's eye and he winks at me. Funnily enough, this does open the door for me to use Glaceon as my last, but I promised this battle for someone else. It certainly doesn't hurt that this is exactly what we practiced, as well.

"Let's do this, Vivillon!"

Even though the final match of this has turned into a sky battle, it's different from the ones we had on that mountain a couple of days ago. Hitting the ground here doesn't mean elimination; the only way to win is to knock your opponent out.

We've got the moves to do that, but the same can be said for the other side. This is going to be a dogfight. Literally.

"Air Cutter!" I lead off with, as soon as the battle resumes. Vivillon throws blades of wind at Hawlucha.

"Dodge with Acrobatics, and then use Thunderpunch!" Maylene shouts. Hawlucha is not quite as fast as the Crobat we fought the other day, but is still extremely quick. It soars up to the top of the psychic barrier and uses that as a launching pad, screaming towards us with a fistful of electricity.

That is certainly an interesting way to gain momentum, and still take advantage of a Fighting-type's martial prowess. I'll keep that in mind. For now, we can't get hit by this. "Psybeam!" Vivillon sends a rainbow-colored beam from his eyes to intercept Hawlucha.

"Drop!" Maylene orders. The electricity fades from Hawlucha's fist as it quits flying to fall to the floor. "Now, Bounce!" As soon as it hits the floor, it springs back upwards.

"Acrobatics!" I call urgently. Vivillon does a full backflip to avoid Hawlucha springing into him, but this isn't over yet.

"Flying Press!" As it reaches its apex, Halucha spreads its limbs and starts falling down again for a follow-up attack.

"String Shot on the wall to pull yourself away!" Vivillon does his best Spiderman impression to get out of there, using the psychic barrier like Hawlucha did as an anchor.

We have Flash and Protect in our back pockets, but something is screaming at me that we need to save those moves. As impressive as this opening display has been from Maylene and Hawlucha, I don't think we've seen anything yet.

"Hone Claws!" Maylene commands, and her Pokémon spins upwards, slashing its claws together to hone their edges. They glow orange as their attack power increases.

"Quiver Dance!" I match after a second of hesitation. Vivillon starts charging the air with energy as he dances a pattern in the sky. I really wanted to go for Hurricane while Hawlucha was using Hone Claws, but I was afraid of missing and giving it away.

Time to find out if that's going to cost me. "Double Team!" the gym leader says next, and suddenly Vivillon is surrounded by two dozen Hawlucha.

"Spread out Pollen Puff to find the real one!" Vivillon scatters pollen spores and scales every which way, which fizzle and pop the fake ones into dust. But I think Maylene was testing the waters to see how I would react.

"Stone Edge!" she shouts, and my heart misses a beat in response. Three white rings appear around Hawlucha, which coalesce and harden into sharpened stones.

"Get ready, Vivillon," I tell my fluttering Pokémon. "We have to dodge every single one."

For once I'm the nervous one, while he's super determined. Hawlucha sends the volley of stones rocketing through the air at us. Vivillon dodges with grace, but we're nowhere near being out of the woods.

"Redirect!" Maylene says, and Hawlucha's eyes glow. The Stone Edge, which was on the verge of crashing into the arena barrier, turns around sharply, though not every rock survives, to make a second run at Vivillon.

You have to be kidding me. At least I know how to deal with it now.

"Full speed to the other side!" I shout. Vivillon takes off, with the stones racing behind him. I think he understands as well what we need to do. Hawlucha is stationary, other than keeping itself aloft, I assume because it needs all its concentration to direct these stones.

Ideally, we'd hit this thing with an atack, but there's not a second to spare. Vivillon's just about to hit the barrier.

"Dive!"

He manages to avoid the wall with centimeters to spare, twisting into a steep dive. I can see the strain on Hawlucha's face as it forces its Stone Edge to do the same thing. Again, some of the rocks crash into the psychic protection.

It doesn't lessen the burden on our shoulders, though, considering not one rock can be allowed to connect. We pull off a similar maneuver as Vivillon approaches the ground. He levels out beautifully to skim the surface of the battlefield, and Hawlucha does its best to match with Stone Edge, redirecting most of the rocks to match Vivillon's flight path.

As well as he's flying, we can't do this forever. But looking at Hawlucha, I think I know how I want this to end.

"Turn upwards!" I order, and Vivillon changes directions one last time, this time angling towards Hawlucha. Maylene catches on quickly.

"Set course and meet them with Thunder Punch!" Hawlucha does just that, directing the Stone Edge one last time before charging up a fist and soaring towards us.

"Flash and then String Shot!" Vivillon takes one second to fire the sticky threat to the roof of the barrier, before blinding Hawlucha with a luminous display. He pulls himself upwards without a second to spare, and what remains of the Stone Edge smashes into the blinded Hawlucha.

"Psybeam!" I shout, trying to take advantage. Vivillon breaks off from his string and launches the attack at Hawlucha, sending it into a freefall and pinning it to the ground once it gets there.

But Maylene has one more card left to play. "This isn't nearly the end for us! Fling!" she commands. A dark aura appears around Hawlucha as it focuses its mind, shielding itself somewhat from our attack. I try to warn Vivillon of what's coming next, but he's a bit too focused on his Psybeam, so he doesn't realize that Hawlucha condenses that aura of negativity into a ball that it flings at him for a direct hit.

With its mind unburdened, Hawlucha is now moving around at lightning speeds. "Acrobatics!" Maylene orders, seizing the opportunity for a turnaround.

"Get out of there!" I yell to Vivillon, who uses his own Acrobatics to try and avoid his opponent, but while he managed to avoid the Stone Edge with deft movements and quick changes of direction, this is a completely different level of speed we're facing.

It even surprises me how fast Hawlucha catches up to Viivllon. I can't even react as he's struck out of the air and sent spiraling downwards. He bounces a few times before recovering somewhat to hover at a much lower height.

That was a really big hit, but Maylene has an even stronger one on hand, sensing weakness and the potential end of this battle. "Finish this!" she shouts, with a jumping high kick that reaches several inches over her own head. "Brave Bird!"

Hawlucha soars up high, strikes a flashy pose, and does a couple of backflips to gain momentum. Violent, brilliant blue energy crackles around it, covering it before it rockets towards us like a bolt of lightning.

Obviously, letting that connect can't be allowed. Outflying Hawlucha when it's this fast isn't an option, which means we only have one defense left.

"Give it everything you have, Vivillon! Block that attack!"

Our opponent slams into Vivillon's Protect shield with all the force of Thor bringing down his hammer. The barrier instantly warps and caves in upon impact, but Vivillon holds it there with all of his might, willing it to stay whole and not break against this onslaught.

After several agonizing seconds, the Protect rebounds like a trampoline, snapping back into shape and whipping Hawlucha back, sending it into a series of backwards somersaults. It can't right itself because it's in serious pain from the Brave Bird it used.

Maylene is stunned. "All that time you had Protect and you didn't use it?" she questions me incredulously.

I don't have time to respond, because we've been saving something else too. WIth Hawlucha struggling to keep itself aloft through the pain, I don't think there will be a better opportunity, either.

"With all your might! Vivillon, Hurricane!"

He flaps his wings as hard as he can to send those tree-toppling winds screaming at Hawlucha. They wrap around the masked fighter and converge into a cyclone, battering the unfortunate Pokémon from all directions, tossing it every which way, until the storm finally dies down when Vivillon is too tired to continue.

Our opponent drops to the floor, facedown and prone. I throw my head back and sigh in relief.

"Hawlucha is unable to battle! As all three of the gym leader's Pokémon have fainted, the victors are Luna and Vivillon!"

As my Pokémon turns to me, I shake my head. "Wipe that surprised look off your face, Vivillon. I told you you could do it. All it takes is a little belief."

We walk to the center of the battlefield to meet Maylene after she's done recalling and thanking her Pokémon.

"I'm not happy that I lost," she tells me as she shakes my hand. "But that battle brought out the best in me, and for that I thank you. I am extremely proud to confer upon you the Cobble Badge."

She hands me a diamond-shaped badge, with four rectangles inlaid in it. I can't help but smile, despite its humble appearance. "Thank you. I don't think you have anything to worry about. That was as difficult a victory as I've earned against any gym leader. And I think they," I gesture to the people sitting on her side of the arena, "are extremely impressed with you as well."

Honestly, I'm super pleased with the way everything has turned out. I have no doubts that Maylene is only going to get better, and that she has the makings of a fantastic gym leader.

But it's also great to win, too.