Do you guys remember, how I went on and on the other day, about how there is such a proud tradition for Fighting-types in Veilstone City, dating back to when it was carved out of a mountain?

Well, I have news for you. There is actually one more typing associated with the city, which has to do with its high elevation, which has led to a unique style of battling, which has become famous in Kalos, of all places.

I'm talking about sky battles, which involve only using Pokémon that can soar through the sky. Veilstone is also famous for its Flying-types, and since I have a Flying-type that needs more battle experience, and because Maylene asked for some time in between solidifying her title as gym leader and our match, this is a perfect opportunity for me.

Monthly tournaments are held on the outskirts of the city. Reggie, being the bigtime figure in the city he is, knows all these things, and he was nice enough to give me all of this information free of charge.

The place in question has a cable car to take you to the top, which is lucky considering I wouldn't want to hike up to the top before a big tournament. When I get to the site, there's already a cluster of people there, and a little bit of a debate going on.

The bird keeper in charge of this whole operation seems a bit on edge, as he starts to lay down the law. "Listen up, you lot! I'm not sure how much you know about sky battles, but not any Pokémon can participate in them, even if they're a Flying-type! So, if any of you thought you could participate with a Doduo, or a Farfetch'd, I'd suggest you take in the views before getting on the next cable car down the mountain."

A man curses behind me, and leaves without further incident. The bird keeper rolls his eyes. "Maybe this will make it more clear," he says, gesturing us to follow him, whilst turning around.

Eventually, he leads us to a spot where the ground dips sharply into a bowl. I assume it was carved out by a glacier or something, hundreds of years ago, because it looks natural. "This," he gestures with his arm proudly. "Is the arena. Landing on the ground isn't allowed, but the entire space in between is yours to battle in."

Lucky for me, that I don't have to stare at the ground in this type of battling, and I can keep my focus on the air in between, or I could kiss my lunch and my chances in this tournament goodbye. The bird keeper continues to explain the rules.

"All of you will be using the same, singular Pokémon throughout the battles!" we are told. "And it has to be able to make it from one side to the other, and then return to this starting point, without using any moves. I'll be having my Pokémon create some obstacles as well, in order to make it more challenging."

Wait a second. The only rule is that you need to make it from one side to the other and back? That opens the door for a whole host of Pokémon that aren't Flying-types. I raise my hand. "Question!"

The bird keeper couldn't look more annoyed. "What?"

"So, if the only criteria is being able to navigate the arena without touching the ground," I ask, "Then in theory you could use Pokémon like Weezing, or Flygon, or Mismagius, right?"

Now that I think of it, certain Pokémon would have a huge advantage. Solrock and Lunatone, for example. Steel-types like Bronzong and Skarmory would also be pretty decent. Aerodactyl and Archeops would be borderline broken, even if they only allowed Flying-types, since they satisfy that rule, and their Rock-types moves would send other flyers scurrying.

There's also a couple of Electric-types from Unova that I know could be strong. There's the super discount version of Zapdos, Emolga, but there's also one more.

"Every fucking time," the bird keeper man huffs under his breath. "Someone has to ruin the spirit of this noble competition, by bringing those types of Pokémon into it." He sighs moodily. "Yeah. Them's the official league rules for sky battles. It's not based on typing. Only if you can complete the obstacle course."

We assemble into something vaguely like a line, as the head bird keeper sends out his Xatu, to occasionally send an Air Slash or a Psybeam or a Shadow Ball at our Pokémon. The first girl sends out her Bronzor, which funnily enough actually is Heatproof instead of Levitate, so it falls most of the way into the arena. She gets yelled at, and I snicker at her misfortune, before I get tapped on the shoulder.

I assume it's one of the other referees, or medical staff on hand, telling me off, but it's not. "I thought I recognized you!" a young brunette lass says cheerfully, when I turn around. "This time, Fletchy and I are going to get you!"

You know, I didn't recognize her until she told me that name. My face breaks out into a smile from the squinting expression I had earlier. "Madeline? I haven't seen you since all the way back near Oreburgh!" This was the girl who was playing gatekeeper in the Oreburgh Tunnel back before I even had one gym badge. I had a hunch she was pretty good, and seems like she's progressed pretty well.

We catch up for a bit, but then we both jump as a creepy voice interrupts our conversation. "My, my. And here I thought I'd be the only familiar face you would see, hehehe."

Not Ursula's creepy tag partner! Conway's glasses flash as he leers at me. "Nice to see you again, Luna."

"I can't say the same," I reply, leaning back away from him. Madeline, not being acquainted with Conway, somehow gets the incredibly wrong impression that we are somehow friends.

"Does everyone have their Cobble Badges? I got mine!" She waves it in front of my face.

Conway pulls out his own to match, and now I'm feeling a bit left out, as a Crobat silently flits its way across the aerial battlefield. "My match is later this week, actually. It should be interesting."

I hear a scoff sounding a little away from me. "Honestly. How pathetic is it, bragging about beating such a weakling gym leader. Even for someone as unserious as you, this gym should be a pushover."

Well, I know that voice too. Reggie, you sly dog, sending me over to this tournament that your brother was participating in. Paul is basically the same sourpuss that I remember him as. It seems being around his family has not lightened his mood at all.

At this point, I'm looking over my shoulder for Barry to literally run smack into me, or Nando striking up a musical tune on some type of instrument, but it seems not every one of my acquaintances is here. I take the opportunity to fire back at Paul, even though I'm mentally rolling my eyes at his insults.

"How am I unserious? And even if I were, what does that make you, for losing to me twice?"

He's about to answer, when the head bird keeper calls him up impatiently. Paul sends out the same Murkrow that must be haunting Maylene, and his Pokémon easily clears the obstacle course.

Madeline heads up next and sends out her Fletchinder, and Paul returns to answer my questions. "Any loser who participates in a Pokémon Contest clearly isn't serious as a trainer. And neither of my losses to you were my fault. Both times I was using weak Pokémon, and the second I was saddled with a worthless tag partner to boot. If we match up here, the outcome will be much different."

Thankfully, Conway doesn't comment, because he goes up next after Madeline and Fletchinder when they ace their test with, wait for it, flying colors. The super nerd chooses his Gligar, the one he had shown to us earlier, not the Skarmory he had used in the tag tournament. I suppose he, like me, wants to get his Pokémon battle experience.

"Ok, but that doesn't explain why you think contests are worthless. I entered because Fantina, the Hearthome Gym Leader suggested it, as a way to get stronger. And I think I learned a lot participating in it."

"Imagine trying to emulate Fantina's contest style because you lost to her," Paul says dismissively, figuring out my result against Fantina without me outright telling him. "It and her ghosts stood no chance against me and my Pokémon."

This guy is so annoying, I swear. "You have a Murkrow, and a Weavile, and probably another Dark-type, knowing you. What is it? A Cacturne? Your own Spiritomb? Is that big Drapion at your brother's place yours?"

"Of course you met Reggie," Paul grumbles. "And no. That one is his, though I do have one of my own."

"So you have three Dark-types, and you're bragging about having an easy time against Fantina." Now I actually roll my eyes. "Excuse me for not being impressed. I only have one Pokémon that has a favorable matchup against ghosts. I have to be a little more careful with how I play mine."

"Well, maybe that's your mistake," Paul insults me. "Playing too safe, when you should be pressing the advantage you do have."

I open my mouth and close it without saying anything, because I think Paul may have, unintentionally, given me some decent advice. I know a broken clock is right twice a day, but how I utilize Absol is the key to achieving victory.

"Wow, we've sure got some spirited trainers out here," another voice says, this one unfamiliar to me. Paul and I look over to see an older, green-haired trainer with the cockiest smile I've ever seen on his stupidly handsome face. "Imagine getting so heated about finishing second!"

We both turn to glare at him. On closer inspection, he smacks of an ace trainer, from his hair, to his outfit, to the amount of confidence he exudes, as if he just knows that he's better than you. "And what makes you so certain that you'll get first?" I challenge.

His grin grows even wider somehow. "Watch me!" He swaggers up and throws out his Pokémon for the flying test, which turns out to be a magnetic UFO, that would be an absolute demon to fight in this tournament.

The Magnezone dips like the first girls Bronzor, but unlike that Steel-type, it recovers nicely to float across the arena. Madeline wanders back over to me and asks the question that I'm thinking. "Are Magnezone able to float like that normally? I thought they stayed pretty close to the ground."

"He's using Magnet Rise." I manage not to jump at Conway's voice, though Madeline does. "See, the air under it is distorted with magnetism. If he can pull the wool over the judge's eyes, it would give him a huge advantage."

Unfortunately for him, the head bird keeper notices, and yells at him to bring his Magnezone back. "Is this a joke? Do you think I can't see you trying to ruin the sanctity of this competition by using a Magnet Rise Magnezone?!"

"I was only checking to see if you noticed!" the ace trainer says jovially, holding his hands up. "You've got a real Keen Eye! This is my real contestant." He returns his Magnezone and sends out another Pokémon in one fluid motion. This one is a Flying-type, and while its wings are small, its power is immense.

My jaw drops as the Dragonite he sends out soars through Xatu's attacks with incredible speed and finesse for a Pokémon of its bulk. Reggie mentioned that a trainer with a Dragonite had beaten Maylene badly recently. Is this him?

I'd say it's pretty likely, considering not everybody has the skill to raise a Dragonite. No wonder he has so much confidence. The bird keeper can find no faults with Dragonite, and its trainer passes the test as well. His scowl does return, however, as I take my place on the arena edge.

"You," he says disgustedly. "You started all of this. Send out your Solrock, already, and let's get this over with."

His expression totally changes when I reveal my Pokémon for this tourney is Vivillon. I instruct him to fly across the arena and back, and to dodge any of Xatu's attacks. We've taken some Acrobatics lessons from Lucas and Monferno in preparation for this, and while Vivillon doesn't have the physical strength to make it a proper attack, the added aerial agility is always nice.

"I did not expect to see a Bug and Flying-type here today," the bird keeper tells me, in a much kinder voice, as we watch Vivillon tackle the obstacle course.

"I'm getting him ready for the gym," I reply, letting our past misunderstanding go. "I assume that's because Bug-types do poorly against Flying-types?"

"Yes, but also I expected every trainer with a Bug-type that can fly to be getting ready for the festival, instead."

"Oh, I heard something about that," I say, as Vivillon shows off his new Acrobatics to dodge a volley of Air Slashes from Xatu. "When is it? And why would anyone need to get ready for a festival?"

The date ends up being the day after my gym battle, which is the only good news I receive. Because the bird keeper's next words have my heart sinking in my chest.

"It's actually a festival where trainers release their Bug Pokémon. You see, there's a place called Flower Paradise Island way to the north and east of here. The east leg is easy, because you can land on the peninsula past the Pokémon League, but then it's straight north for days, with no food to speak of. But the rewards are living on an island once blessed by Shaymin, full of flowers and free from strife. Most trainers try to find a partner for their Pokémon, so they can make it together."

"Ah," I manage weakly. "That's nice." That sounds a little bit too much like Ash's Butterfree moment for my comfort.

He looks upon me with pity as Vivillon returns to me after passing his flying test. I somehow congratulate Vivillon, but I can't bring up what I've learned to him, even though he deserves to know, originally being from an island. Especially because that is a place where he could live in peace.

Vivillon notices my down mood, but someone else does too. "What's wrong?" the ace trainer from before asks me. "Don't tell me my Dragonite scared you. You look worse than I felt in Sunyshore!"

I decide to humor him to distract myself. "What had you so down in Sunyshore?"

He despondently shakes his head. "It's absolutely terrible down there," he confesses. "Volkner's converting the whole city to solar power, so it's like you're in Oreburgh, with all the construction going on. And when I went to the beach, it was closed because a dead Wailord had washed up! It took up the whole shore!" He holds his arms out wide for emphasis.

The ace trainer wrinkles his nose. "The smell was like being face to butt with a Skuntank, you feel?"

His dramatics get a chuckle out of me. "That's pretty unlucky, actually."

"No kidding. I figured I was safe, because there was a pirate near Pastoria hunting Wailmer, but they caught him a while back," he says thoughtfully. "But this Wailord didn't have any signs of poaching," he mimes, throwing a spear or harpoon. "Actually, it didn't have any visible injuries, it was like the life had been drained out of it."

That's odd. I wonder what could have done that. But he isn't done telling me about how awful a state Sunyshore is in. "And you know what? That's not even the worst thing that happened to me."

He pauses dramatically and I gesture for him to go on. "One day, I stopped for lunch at a concession stand, and do you know what they served me?"

Um. "Food?" I guess.

"They gave me cold nachos!" He looks so offended by the memory that I can't help but start laughing. Every detail he gives puts me closer and closer to tears. "The chips were actually potato chips, and they had those plastic, unmelted cheese slices on top! The topping was hot dog relish, and the salsa was ketchup!"

The mental image is killing me right now. He laughs along with me before giving me one last piece of advice. "So, no matter how bad things get, it could be worse. You could get served nachos like that. Oh, I'm Lawrence, by the way."

"Luna," I introduce myself through wheezes. "Nice to meet you." My first impression of this guy was not good, but it was really nice of Lawrence to come over and make me laugh. "You didn't have to do that, you know."

Lawrence shrugs. "Well, call us even for taking some of the heat off of me, so I didn't look like a total jackass up there. I was wondering if anyone else would realize that other Pokémon than fliers would be legal here. You've got some potential, Luna. A little time under my wing, and you might amount to something!"

This guy is so cocky, it's ridiculous. But I suppose it's warranted, if he's as good as I think he is.

"We've got fifteen," the head bird keeper shouts over the chatter of the crowd. "Anyone else that still needs to take the test?"

"I haven't gone yet," says a calm, male voice from the back. The owner is revealed to be a rather unimpressive man, about the same age as Lawrence, with disheveled dark blue hair, covering one eye, wearing some weird red cloak.

"Well, what are you waiting for! Get up there and send out your Pokémon!" The mystery person silently makes his way to the edge of the arena. My new acquaintance nudges me.

"Doesn't look like much, does he?" He chooses not to wait for my response. "Looks can be deceiving. That right there is who everyone considers the number one contender this year, a man who's never lost a Pokémon in a battle."

"Toby? That's him?" I'd say Lawrence cuts a much more impressive figure than this guy.

The ace trainer chuckles. "Whoever told you his name has a couple of screws loose." Considering it was Barry, Lawrence is spot on with that. "His name is Tobias. It's gotten so insane that people would consider even taking one Pokémon off of him a victory."

Time to see what he has, then. Tobias silently throws up his Pokéball, revealing a Pokémon I'm pretty familiar with. It's an electric eel, and though the bird trainer's face starts to get red, unlike Lawrence's Magnezone, this Pokémon doesn't need Magnet Rise to be able to fly in the air.

I cannot believe someone is actually out here with an Eelektross. It aces the test easily to give us sixteen contestants, and a bit of time is taken to create the bracket.

"Taking one Pokémon off Tobias isn't your goal," I guess. I'm pretty confident because Lawrence is drilling a hole into the other trainer with his eyes. He finally peels them away and gives me a nod.

"Correct. I'm gonna beat all six of that guys' Pokémon in a battle, to prove I'm the best in Sinnoh. To be honest, winning this competition is whatever, as opposed to learning about Tobias. He's so secretive that most of what I know is secondhand. Like him beating the Veilstone Gym with an Alakazam."

That answers the second question of the other trainer to smash Maylene before Paul. I was not expecting people like this to be battling today. I'm just here trying to get Vivillon ready to face Maylene. Still, Lawrence's thought process on battles is pretty similar to mine. Maybe I could learn something from him.

If nothing else, he's quite nice to look at.

The first battle is announced, and one of the battlers is me, actually. Lawrence imparts one last word of wisdom before I go up there. "There's one more rule that some people might have missed. If you can figure it out, it would give you a big advantage."

With that in mind, I take my place one one side as my opponent takes his place on the opposite side. I don't remember what he has, and he's returned his Pokémon, unlike me and some others, but it doesn't really matter. There was one person with a Chimecho, but other than that, Vivillon is going to be at a disadvantage in every battle.

After some urging from its trainer to stop staring into the sun, Xatu puts up the standard psychic barrier, and I'm afforded a little time to go over things with Vivillon.

"We have to maintain distance as much as we can," I tell my Pokémon. "Protect is there for when things get dicey, but we also have Acrobatics now, so remember you can use that to dodge as well."

For whatever reason, Vivillon's very motivated today. Maybe that will make the difference against this Crobat we're up against.

Crobat is a pretty well rounded Pokémon, but it does have one outstanding attribute, which we quickly find out as soon as the battle starts and I call for Psybeam.

That thing is super fast. It dodges our attack like we were using it in slow motion. "Cross Poison! Its trainer shouts, and Crobat streaks towards us with its wings dripping purple.

"Acrobatics!" I order, and Vivillon uses the move to deftly dodge Crobat as it slashes at him.

"Now, Air Cutter!" Once Vivillon puts some distance between us and our opponent, he throws blades of wind at the Crobat.

They match us. "Air Slash!" Crobat replies with its own, similar attack, and neither of us make any progress.

"Use Heat Wave!" Crobat's trainer orders, as soon as we're done trading Flying-type attacks. It takes a deep breath and breathes out super-heated air, furling it by flapping its wings.

It's covering such a wide area that I don't think we have any choice this time. "Protect!" Vivillon summons that green bubble that prevents him from getting scorched.

I can see my opponent frown, as he tries to think up a plan to get through our defense, but I'm feeling similarly. This Crobat has a lot of strong moves, and it's faster than us too, not to mention the type-advantage. How are we going to win this?

My mind goes back to what Lawrence mentioned to me earlier. What's the other rule that I need to keep in mind?

There's not that much time to think, because our opponent is on the move again. "Confuse Ray!" he commands, having decided on his approach.

A sinister light begins to shine from Crobat's eyes. "Look away or close your eyes!" I shout to Vivillon, before averting my own. "And use Pollen Puff!" I add. Two can play at this disorienting game.

Our opponent takes the opportunity to go for the attack, knowing Crobat isn't really bothered by a Bug-type move. "Cross Poison!" His Pokémon soars through the spores and scales at high speed again.

"Flash, Vivillon!" When the flash of light hits all the particles in the air they all pop with light flashes as well, forcing Crobat to close its eyes lest it get blinded from the display. Strangely enough, its course isn't changed though, and we're forced to use another Protect to save ourselves from the Cross Poison.

It circles around, eyes closed, for another attack. "That won't work against us!" our opponent calls over snidely. "Crobat's sense of echolocation is even better than his vision! We can hear Vivillon's wings beating!"

Right. Duh. What a nice guy, telling us his secrets. I suppose we'll have to take that thing out then as well. "Use Air Cutter on the ground then!" I order. The sound of the wind blades striking the ground, kicking up dust and rock that fall back to the ground, adding to the cacophony of noise in this bowl shaped arena. Now, we have Crobat spinning around, not sure where it is.

Plus, I now know what the win condition is going to be for us. The head bird keeper did say it in his opening spiel. "Get above Crobat and force it to the ground!"

We've basically given up on using Gust in battles, because it's a pretty weak move. It clears away things like Stun Spore and Smoke Screen fairly well, but that's about it. I think Vivillon knows that it is going to take much more to force Crobat to the ground. I was hoping for something akin to Whirlwind, but like I mentioned earlier, Vivillon's extra motivated today.

The wind he sends downwards is the kind that uproots trees and tears roofs off of houses. Crobat stands no chance. It gets hurled straight to the ground, and while it isn't knocked out, its trainer gawks and complains loudly at the call that's made.

"Vivillon is the victor!"

"What?!"

"I said that you weren't allowed to touch the ground," the head bird keeper says as he shrugs. "This is a sky battle tournament. If you can't stay in the air," he jerks one thumb behind him. "You're out."

Harsh, but even my opponent can't say anything to counter that logic. He leaves without another word, while I rejoin the rest of the contestants, praising Vivillon as I do. "That was great! I don't know if that was a new move, or you just blowing Crobat away, but it looked like Hurricane to me!"

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Vivillon seems very happy, but it isn't my praise that he's looking for, it seems, because his eyes aren't on me.

"It was Hurricane," Lawrence tells me, distracting me from what's going on with my Pokémon. "Pretty good showing, in all honesty. You figured out that second rule quickly. Most people probably would have assumed that using Roost was illegal, when touching the ground at all is what they meant."

"Normally, Pokémon need large wings to be able to produce the amount of wind needed for Hurricane," Conway says from behind me. "That more focused stream Vivillon produced goes to show that size doesn't always matter."

There's a dirty joke waiting to be made there, but I'm gonna let it go. "I like that there's another element to the battles though," Madeline adds in. "It means there's more room for creativity, in how you're going to win!"

Paul is next up, but he can't resist saying something snide as he walks past. "A victory like that doesn't prove anything. Strength is the only thing that matters."

We all watch him and his opponent take their places. "What's his problem?" Madeline asks rhetorically.

You know, I still haven't figured that out myself. I would guess though, after meeting his brother, that it's definitely related to Reggie's abrupt end as a trainer.

In any case, Paul gets the perfect opportunity to show off his strength, because his opponent is one of those creepy hex maniacs, who are always mumbling incantations under their breath. Her Drifblim tries to go for Will-O-Wisp to weaken Murkrow, but it promptly gets Taunted, and then battered down with super effective moves like Night Slash and Dark Pulse.

If this bracket is set up like I think it is, Paul might be my next opponent. I suppose we'll see how it goes with one of the Pokémon that's firmly cemented in his roster.

The next battle is one that would make all these stuffy bird maniacs proud, as an Unfezant and a Fearow go at it in a true aerial dogfight, until the Unfezant finally pulls out the victory. Lawrence is up next.

He winks at us. "Watch closely and try to learn something!" he tells us in his confident, borderline arrogant way. His opponent brings out a Pelipper, and this might actually be a challenge for Lawrence and his Dragonite. Water-types are a decent pick against Dragon's because they can usually take a couple hits, and because…

"Ice Beam!" Pelipper's trainer calls, as soon as the battle starts.

Almost all of them learn Ice-type moves. Despite Dragonite's severe weakness to Ice, Lawrence isn't worried. "Flamethrower!" he orders, and Dragonite's river of fire easily pushes back the Ice Beam.

Of course, Pelipper isn't bothered by the Flamethrower, but its vision is obscured by the flames as they cover it, and letting that happen is a big mistake. While still using Flamethrower, Dragonite charges up an electric punch that Pelipper barely gets a chance to see before Thunder Punch drops it like a stone.

Even if I beat Paul, it seems that the competition is not going to get any easier. Lawrence might like to joke around, but his battling style is straightforward and ruthless. And extremely effective, with Dragonite's power backing him up.

The other end of the spectrum is shown in the following battle. Conway, the methodical battler that he is, gets the girl with the Chimecho. He eventually beats it with his Gligar, with a combination of Toxic, Protect, and Substitute. Unfortunately, Chimecho knows Recover, so it takes what feels like an eternity for the Psychic-type to finally faint from the poison.

Madeline then gives the people what they want, taking out a Staravia with her Fletchinder in the next battle, and then the bird keepers get even more pleased, when a Skarmory destroys a Cryogonal. Finally, it's time for Tobias to battle with his Eelektross, against a Togetic.

This one is even faster than Lawrence's. Immediately, Togetic is hit by an Acid Spray, and as it wails in pain from the Poison-type move burning its skin, it gets fried by a Thunderbolt.

Togetic's trainer recalls her Pokémon with tears in her eyes and runs off. I shudder involuntarily. We've got guys out here taking down opponents without even hardly raising a finger.

But I don't have much time to dwell on it, because Tobias's quick victory means we're starting the quarterfinals, and that means I'm up next, against Paul.

I'm the one who has to take the long walk to the other side of the arena this time, but I take the opportunity to instill Vivillon with some confidence. "We can win this," I try my best to convince him. "Paul has it out for us because of the last two times. That'll make him too eager to get a victory, and we can use that against him."

After all, that's how Maylene finally won back her gym and the respect of the people around her. Jackie had so much pent-up frustration, that it bled over into her boxing, and Maylene took advantage of that.

Paul takes the first move as soon as the battle starts, but it isn't to attack, like I expected. "Use Haze!" he calls out to his Pokémon. Murkrow breathes out a black cloud of smoke and dives inside it to obscure itself. He doesn't say anything further.

This I did not expect. But if he's going to hide, that's an opportunity for us as well. "Quiver Dance!" Vivillon flutters and quivers in the air, as it thrums with energy, but we don't have much time. Murkrow emerges from the haze like a rocket, with a massive amount of energy around it.

They used the Haze cover to charge up their move! There's only a couple of Flying-type moves that take a while to use, and I'm pretty sure Murkrow isn't using Bounce or Razor Wind. "Hurricane!" I shout urgently.

My use of our most powerful attack is warranted, because we need that power to match Murkrow's Sky Attack, and stop the crow in its tracks, despite how hard it tries to muscle through.

This opening salvo is a good reminder. Despite how distasteful Paul is, he's a damn skilled trainer, and I'd do well to remember that.

He calls for Dark Pulse next, and I match with Pollen Puff. Instead of scattering it everywhere like Vivillon usually does, he condenses all the particles into a tight ball and sends that at the attack to beat it back.

Paul isn't worried. "Heat Wave!" Murkrow cancels Dark Pulse as Pollen Puff pushes through it and melts through our attack with a fiery wave of hot air. "Taunt!" he orders next.

I have Vivillon try to look away, like we did with Crobat's Confuse Ray in the previous round, but I don't anticipate Murkrow's Taunt not being a visual one. It produces an infuriatingly mocking sound from its throat, and I see the red haze start to surround my Pokémon, indicating that he's been Taunted.

Vivillon's not really the type to get angry, but even he is susceptible, it would seem. With Protect and Flash no longer options to disrupt Murkrow, Paul presses the offensive. "Aerial Ace!"

"Acrobatics!" I call worriedly, and for good reason. Even with the agility of Acrobatics, Aerial Ace is too fast to dodge, and Vivillon gets sent into a tailspin. Paul isn't the type to let his opponent recover, either.

"Night Slash!" Murkrow circles around for another go at Vivillon, this time with one of its black wings glowing. I don't think dodging and playing defensive is going to save us. We've gotta go for this.

"Hurricane!" Vivillon recovers in time to see Murkrow racing in with Night Slash. He flaps his wings furiously and sends out those mighty winds once again.

Predictably, Paul isn't concerned for Murkrow, and his Pokémon races straight at our attack. For once though, I'm the one in trouble.

Because Hurricane just… misses. I don't have an explanation. Maybe Vivillon was still a little woozy from that Aerial Ace, or maybe it's too powerful of a move to be precise, or he needs more practice, but Murkrow glides over it with ease and slams its wing straight into Vivillon, sending him downwards.

"Use Gust to keep yourself up in the air!" I shout urgently, because he's losing altitude fast. It's all we can do, but it's all too easy for Paul to take advantage, with a move that I know well.

"Sucker Punch!" As soon as Vivillon tries to use Gust towards the ground, Murkrow is there, taking a cheap shot that interrupts my Pokémon at the critical moment. He lands on the ground in a cloud of dust, and that means one thing.

We've lost.

I'm a little frustrated, I'm not gonna lie. I didn't come here to lose, especially not to Paul. The whole point was to give Vivillon some confidence and me some momentum going into this gym battle.

Now, he seems so downcast with his defeat that I don't know how I'm going to raise his spirits to be ready for the gym battle. But, if he picks up on my own disappointment, he'll feel even worse. I let him eat a Sitrus Berry out of my hand and try my best to shrug this off.

Which I do by going over and offering my hand to Paul once we're back amongst the other contestants. "Good match," I say.

He considers me for about twenty seconds before finally taking it and giving me a limp, halfhearted handshake. "Whatever," he mutters under his breath. "Next time don't use a Pokémon that you're about to release."

"What are you talking about?!" I question him hotly, to which he scoffs, and points behind me to a rock.

"Go look behind there and then come back to me."

Well, whatever it is, it certainly has Vivillon's attention. He talks up a storm and tries to distract me, but I gently nudge him out of my face, because he's still recovering. "No, I want to see."

I don't know what I expected, but I was not expecting to see another Vivillon behind that rock, this one's wings a brilliant shade of green. I numbly scan it with the Pokédex, and I get a sinking feeling in my stomach as it tells me this one is a garden pattern, and is female.

It's like finally finding the missing puzzle piece. "You two met in Hearthome, didn't you?" I ask rhetorically. "And then when we left, you were so sad, so you went back there and convinced her to follow you, is that it? Every time he leaves, it's to visit you."

Meowth's explanation about Vivillon meeting a friend becomes crystal clear as well. No wonder he was so sympathetic, as another Pokémon who was once in love, and possibly still is.

But I don't need a talking Pokémon to tell me that my Vivillon and this green one are enamored with each other. It's clear from how they look at each other, and how long this romance has lasted.

As much as I don't want to say these next few words, I'd never forgive myself if I didn't. "Listen, you two. I learned something earlier that you should know. Remember that festival for Bug-types I mentioned a while back? It's actually a sending off party, of sorts. There's an island paradise to the north and east of here that people send their Pokémon off to, with this as the starting point."

My heart hurts as I say the next words, and they taste like ash in my mouth. "I think… I think you should go. It won't be any easy journey, but you'll have company. Plus, It'll be the life you always should have had, the one you deserved, before it was stolen away from you."

The wild green Vivillon looks extremely excited, but mine is torn. "What's the problem?" I ask, giving him a small smile, despite how conflicted I am inside. "If you're worried about me, don't be. The only thing I want for any of you is for you to be happy. And it's clear to me that being with your friend here makes you extremely happy."

That doesn't have the intended effect I wanted. "Or is it about the gym battle? That's no issue either; I'm sure Glaceon would be happy to take your place."

Vivillon finally slumps midair, and as he looks at me with his big eyes, I understand. It's the problem that's always stuck with him, even after he's evolved. His lack of faith in himself. "You don't think you can do it."

I suppose that's the reason we came here in the first place, after all. To give him that confidence. It was for the gym battle, but that would have definitely carried over to a life changing event like striking out on your own.

Not that these battles had the intended effect.

Which means I need to find words to do it instead, which is infinitely harder for me, as someone who isn't very gifted with them. As I rack my brain for something inspirational to say, I watch the green Vivillon try her best to cheer mine up, talking loudly and fluttering every which way.

As much as I want to resent this Pokémon, for potentially taking Vivillon away from me, I can't find it within myself. It's so apparent what a good influence this wild Vivillon is.

And that does give some inspiration. "You believe in him, right?" I ask, addressing her for the first time.

She's a bit startled by my sudden question, but there's no hesitation in her answer, which is a resounding yes.

"That makes two of us," I say emphatically. "So Vivillon, if you can't believe in yourself, then don't. Have faith in us, and our belief in you instead."

I'm not a hundred percent sure that made sense, but he relaxes and looks thoughtful. "You two should discuss this more, but whatever decision you come to, Vivillon, I'll support. One hundred percent. I promise you that."

Leaving them to it, I head back to where the battles are taking place. It seems Lawrence and his Dragonite have already beaten the Unfezant trainer but he's laser focused on preparing his Pokémon for facing Tobias, so I find myself standing next to Paul instead.

Neither of us say anything about Vivillon, instead watching the battle between Madeline and Conway, though I break the silence with a comment.

"Who's winning?"

Paul takes his time to answer. "Your friend is." At least he knows that I don't have an affinity for Conway. "She's used Will-O-Wisp to burn Gligar, and is preventing it from poisoning Fletchinder with Toxic by using Taunt. She's been using Bulk Up as well, and is deflecting Gligar's Poison Jab with Steel Wing."

Seems like Madeline has this well and truly in hand. "I cup my hands around my mouth and give her a cheer. Paul scoffs at my display. "She has no chance in the next round against Eelektross. And besides, Conway will always look weaker than he is in anything less than a full battle. He needs his whole team for his strategy to be effective. Not to mention this battling style with Gligar is useless until it evolves."

I can't really dispute that, because all birds have a terrible time versus Eelektross, and Fletchinder is no exception. But… "Speaking of not having a chance, do you actually think your Murkrow has a chance against Dragonite or Eelektross?"

"No," Paul tells me shortly, reaching into his pocket. "But that's why I have this." He pulls out a stone as long as his hand, as black as the night itself. A Dusk Stone.

"Reggie gave this to me to evolve Murkrow before the gym battle, but I didn't bother, when I learned how weak the gym leader actually was. But I've finally found opponents worth evolving for." He holds out the stone above his head, as Murkrow swoops down from its perch on a nearby ledge and sneers at me. "Got something to say?"

I watch as Murkrow clutches the stone in its talons and immediately lights up white as it flies off, growing larger and bulkier, and much more imposing. The plume on its head turns into a mafia-style hat, and Honchkrow's triumphant cry as it flies through the air is deeper and more fearsome than it was previously.

No," I reply simply. "It was your decision to make. I don't agree with a lot of what you do, but I understand it."

"Hmmph," he says, observing his Pokémon's flight. "At least you know not to stick your nose in other people's business."

Madeline finally beats Conway with a Brave Bird attack, and then it takes about fifteen seconds for Tobias and his Eelektross to roast the enemy Skarmory with Flamethrower like a holiday turkey.

Which means it's already time for the semifinals. "Helping out my opposition, are we?" Lawrence asks, walking up with his Dragonite. "And here I thought we had a connection!"

He acts like I've betrayed him, holding a hand to his heart, to which I snort. "As if Paul here would listen to anything I'd say."

Lawrence waves it off. "Ah, it's no big deal. Dragonite and I need a warm-up! Right?" His Pokémon strikes a power pose by flexing and eagerly agrees with his trainer.

As they head off to the arena, Madeline takes their place. "Is it okay for me to root for Paul, even though I don't like him much? I don't know if Fletchy and I can beat Eelektross and then Dragonite back-to-back."

I assure her that's perfectly fine, but I doubt the words even as I say it. Paul and Honchkrow are strong, but I don't know that they're on Lawrence's level.

He's definitely on a mission to prove that he is, though. Paul's first attack is Night Slash, showing no fear of Dragonite's power, as he commands Honchkrow to go straight at it.

"Waterfall!" Lawrence commands. In a second, Dragonite is covered with water, and it rushes Honchkrow with the speed and power of a raging waterfall. The two of them smash into each other in a series of explosions of energy and water, but as they finally emerge after several rounds, it's Honchkrow that's flying way worse than before.

"Waterfall shouldn't have done that much damage," Madeline says slowly, squinting to try and get a better view. The answer of what happened comes from an unexpected and unwelcome source.

"He was simply getting Honchkrow wet," Conways says from behind us. "Wet feathers make it difficult for a Pokémon to keep itself in the air, because of the added weight."

And water slides right off Dragonite's scales as well, huh. That is something I didn't consider. By the look on Paul's face, it seems he didn't, either.

"Use Heat Wave to dry yourself off!"

"No chance!" Lawrence shouts. "Dragonite, Iron Tail!"

As Honchkrow is trying to evaporate the moisture from its feather's Dragonite does an aerial somersault, bringing it's thick tail down, right onto Honchkrow's back. With a loud squawk, Honchkrow is flung downwards into the ground, signifying it and Paul's defeat.

Paul doesn't exactly praise his Pokémon as it picks itself off the ground and comes to him, head bowed. "Your speed and stamina still need a lot of work," he tells it brusquely. "But going blow for blow with a Dragonite shows me the power is there. That means," he raises his voice weirdly, "I'm going to use you as aggressively as possible when you have an advantageous matchup, before you start to wear down."

He leaves after that, but I think that was his roundabout way of giving me advice. Such an odd guy, Paul. I suppose only time will tell if his unorthodox approach is superior to mine and others.

Lawrence makes a finger gun and mimes blowing smoke off of it. I shake my head at his antics, as I wish Madeline good luck, but she needs divine intervention to win this match. Thirty seconds later she comes stomping back.

"I knew that thing was an Electric-type, but does it really need to know Liquidation too? And it knows Flamethrower! How many types of moves can Eelektross use?!" she bemoans her defeat.

"That thing learns every type of move, I think," I try to console her. "It truly doesn't have any weaknesses."

Now we're finally down from sixteen to two, with probably the two trainers that an outside observer would have picked to reach the finals. Lawrence is all seriousness, staring across Tobias as unreadable as ever.

I think every Flying-type enthusiast here is pulling for Dragonite, but it's definitely not going to be an easy win. Lawrence knows it, too.

"Dragonite, Dragon Dance!"

"Coil, Eelektross."

Both Pokémon power up in their own ways, Dragonite by flying a pattern in the air, while Eelektross curls into a tightly packed ball, charging itself up with energy.

"Dragon Claw!" both trainers shout. Their Pokémon's claws glow red and they start slashing at each other, though Dragonite is taking the worse end of the exchanges, partly because it's weak to the attack and Eelektross is not, and also because Coil increases your defenses.

"Disengage and use Flamethrower!" Dragonite breaks off and puts distance between itself and Eelektross with its superior speed, and breathes in deeply before sending a stream of fire the Electric-type's way.

"Liquidation," Tobias says simply. His eel covers its arms and water and holds them in front of its body, as a sort of defensive shield for the attack. "Dragon Pulse!" he calls for next, once Dragonite is finished.

Eelektross shoots several orbs of dark blue energy at the flying dragon. "Iron Tail them back!" Lawrence orders, as his Pokémon's tail glows and it hits the Dragon Pulses like a baseball player, forcing Eelektross to dodge its own attacks.

This is like watching the clash of two titans. The level of skill and power… well, I'm not going to say it's Cynthia caliber, but it's the closest I've seen to her.

"Flamethrower!"

"Liquidation."

"Ice Punch!" Instead of repeating the same tactic, Dragonite cuts off its attack halfway and soars in with frozen fists, maybe hoping to freeze Eelektross while it's covered with water. That's something I might have tried, actually.

"Acrobatics!" Tobias orders. Eelektross until this point has been floating around, not really demonstrating any aerial prowess, partially because it wins its matches so incredibly quickly. But it flips over Dragonite, who's stunned by the display, and now Tobias has an opening.

Though I can't believe what he uses to take advantage of it. "Wrap!"

Wrap? The move Bellsprout uses? In flash, Eelektross is wrapped around Dragonite, binding its arms to its torso, and the eel has its fangs uncomfortably close to the dragon's neck. Tobias surprises me again with his next move.

"Zap Cannon," Tobias says softly. His Pokémon starts building a ball of electricity in its maw.

Point blank, it's going to be impossible for even the notoriously unwieldy Zap Cannon to miss. Lawrence realizes it too. "Superpower!" he shouts. "Break out of there!"

Dragonite roars as it glows a dark orange, trying to peel Eelektross off of itself with sheer willpower and strength, because it doesn't have use of its arms. Even getting hit By Zap Cannon, it manages to succeed and get itself unwrapped. Of course, Dragonite is paralyzed now, which is a whole new issue.

Already, it's starting to lose altitude, as it struggles to move with electricity crackling all over its body. Still, Dragonite grabs Eelektross by the neck and hurls it downwards, though not into the ground for a victory.

"Get as high as you can!" Lawrence shouts to his Pokémon. Dragonite pushes through the paralysis and starts climbing upwards.

"Wild Charge," Tobias calls, as his Pokémon covers itself with electricity as it rebounds from being thrown. It goes straight up to chase Dragonite.

Only Dragonite isn't running away. It's gaining momentum. Once it reaches its apex, it turns around and starts falling downwards, putting out so much energy that it looks like a meteor falling.

"Now, finish this!" Lawrence roars. "Giga Impact!"

"Charge!" Tobias says, somehow still staying cool in the face of one of the most powerful attacks there is. Eelektross summons a field of electricity to further power up its Wild Charge, as it meets Dragonite head on.

Boom!

When all the smoke and dust from the massive explosion clears, one Pokémon is floating over the other. Floating being the operative word. It makes for a very awkward winning ceremony, because the bird keepers who organized this are not happy about giving a trophy to an Electric-type.

Maybe Lawrence is at the point where the only thing that matters to him is winning the Pokémon League, but I'm not. I still have to take things one step at a time, and that means dealing with what's right in front of me.

I head back to where I left Vivillon and ask him the all important question.

"Have you decided on what you're going to do?"