Suzie's outdoor battlefield felt nearly identical to those found at a Pokemon Center. Seemed to be the same size and length, with the same kind of pavement as well. The surrounding buildings served as a backdrop, particularly the skyscrapers outlining the area of the city.

Suzie had taken a seat on the bench to the side of the arena, with Vulpix and Tyrunt joining her as she wished Ash and Janine luck.

Ivysaur seemed to be exchanging some words with Pikachu and Valiant at their respective trainer's feet while the two rookies both turned to each other.

"So…" Janine's cheerful mood had vanished, giving way to prepared formality, although a mild eagerness managed to seep through her eyes. "You issued the challenge, Ash, so how many Pokemon?"

Ash combed his thoughts for a moment. They both had six Pokemon, although he wasn't looking for a match too serious. Nothing held back, of course, but the nature of the challenge was primarily meant to be casual. Friendly. No personal stakes. Still, he also wasn't looking for something as limited as a one-on-one fight.

"How about…" his foot tapped against the ground. "Three-on-three?"

A nod. "That sounds good. I look forward to seeing your capabilities."

He blinked at that. It seemed she wasn't the most casual when it comes to battling. Brushing that aside, however, he grinned and gave her a thumbs up. "Alright! You two ready?" Pikachu and Valiant both nodded as he glanced down at them.

As both groups separated, Janine and Ivysaur took their place on the far side of the battlefield as Ash, Pikachu, and Valiant arrived at their spot and turned to face them.

Janine's posture was confident, straightened, bold. She gazed across the arena with crossed arms, purple eyes meeting Ash's own as Ivysaur stood beside her, wearing the same expression of assertiveness.

A rush of excitement found its way to his chest as he locked eyes with her. 'Something about the way she carries herself is…' The vibe she gave off only heightened his anticipation. It almost reminded him of how Misty's fiery passion felt. Janine's general coolheadedness was obviously a lot different, but it had a similar effect, nonetheless. The competent glint she promoted gave him a surge.

His brow furrowed. He knew she was going to be good. Much like Misty, Gary, and Paul, she was going through her career at the same exact pace that he was. And unlike himself, she seemed to have everything all together from the very start…

His hand clenched a Poke Ball on his belt, before loosening up a few moments later as his eyes directed themselves to Pikachu, who stood evenly by his side, arms crossed for a moment before sinking onto all fours, cheeks beginning to lightly spark. "Pikachu, wanna go first?" His starter grinned, prompting one from Ash in return. Standing at the young boy's other side, Valiant confidently nodded in encouragement at Pikachu just before the mouse sprang out onto the battlefield.

"Alright Ivysaur," Janine knelt down to place a hand on her own starter's head. "I'd like you to kick things off." Ivysaur took just enough time to lightly lick her hand before positioning himself in front of his trainer, locking eyes with Pikachu as the grass/poison type's knees began to bend.

Ash eyed Janine's partner carefully. The Bulbasaur line was casually known for being the easiest to raise among the three traditional Kanto Region starters (at least, it was the popular opinion among most researchers and breeders alike), but they were hardly any lesser for it. They were known to excel in trapping tactics amongst high-level competition, alongside their talent in inflicting different types of status conditions or energy drains to cripple their opponent. And of course, there was also their respective usage of the move Vine Whip, a move so closely associated with the species you'd be forgiven to forget anybody else could learn it.

Of course, they were certainly powerful on top of that, but if Blastoise had gotten their reputation for defensive prowess (as Gary's constant gushing had long since made him more than well aware of), and Charizard for their offensive prowess, Venusaur and the line that they came from were known for their tactical potential. The seemingly endless opportunities for combos are their various, crippling tactics stacked on top of their opponents. Perfect for wearing foes down in a battle of attrition.

'Keep a lookout for those vines, Pikachu." Ash spoke up as Janine began offering advice to Ivysaur. "You know they'll be using them, after all. And try not to stand still too long; they'll capitalize on any momentum that we lose." Satisfied with Pikachu's affirmative nod, Ash locked eyes with Janine one more time, an exchange of nods signaling that both combatants were ready.

"Iron Tail!"

"Body Slam!"

Pikachu kicked off the ground, Quick Attack carrying him across the arena as his tail turned to metal. As he advanced, two vines sprouted from around the bud on his back, pressing against the ground as the grass/poison type sprang forward. Almost like a slingshot, his body rocketed ahead as he shifted himself, his upper-side angled in front for the upcoming collision.

Pikachu's approach was rapid, and Ivysaur's own offense was occurring at a speed that the young mouse hadn't quite accounted for. Before he could swing his tail, he had already collided with his opponent headfirst. Although Ivysaur let out a somewhat pained grunt from Pikachu's Quick Attack, the grass/poison type's bulk overpowered the electric type's momentum, sending Pikachu rolling away with a painful series of bounces. Ash's starter clutched his head as he stopped in a sitting position.

Janine's voice was stoic despite the high volume. "Anesthesia Blast!"

As Pikachu began to pick himself up (remembering Ash's orders to never stay in the same place for too long), Ivysaur bent his body forward for his now opening bud to directly face the young mouse. The moment the bud opened, an onslaught of glowing seeds rocketed outward, coated in a shiny, white powder.

Scrambling onto all fours, Pikachu dashed to the side as the Bullet Seed struck the barriers in front of Ash and Valiant, while the trainer cupped his hands.

"Double Team, one copy!" He didn't want to risk pushing Double Team or Agility too early, as tiring Pikachu out too quickly would make it all the more easy for Janine and Ivysaur to capitalize on his condition and subdue him. Nevertheless, they couldn't pull all of their punches, as being too conservative would cost them by leaving him vulnerable anyway.

A clone of Pikachu emerged from the mouse's running body and broke off in a separate direction. The two angled themselves to approach Ivysaur from separate angles, but Janine was unfazed.

"Ailment Mix!"

Looking between his two targets for just a second, Ivysaur bent his knees as both pikachu began to approach him. As his bud opened once more, a cloud of powder erupted outwards. A mixture of white and bright purple.

Sleep Powder and Poison Powder… at the same time. Sleep Powder could come in either white or light blue colorations, but there was no mistaking Poison Powder. If Pikachu breathed that combo in, he'd be subjected to debilitating toxins and fatigue all at once.

Pikachu had thankfully picked up on the dangers, however; halting his forward momentum and throwing himself into a backwards jump even as he allowed his clone to fizzle away.

Ash watched Pikachu land on his tail, which he propped himself on while positioning himself in front of the trainer and Valiant. Keeping another eye on Ivysaur, the powder was descending onto the arena floor.

"Thunderbolt!"

Pushing himself off the ground, Pikachu curled up into a ball and let out a battlecry as the bolt of lightning exited his tail. Ivysaur, not taking his eyes off the mouse, dodged with a sideways leap before breaking off into a run, slowly curving to face Pikachu for an advance as his powerful legs carried him forward.

Pikachu was rushing forward the moment his lightning attack ceased and he landed on the ground. Once more, his tail became coated in metal as he slipped into Quick Attack.

Pikachu was much faster than Ivysaur, but the grass/poison type still saw him coming the moment he began his advance. Angling himself to face the approaching mouse in full, he took aim as a vine extended from the side of his bud, and quickly lashed out at Ash's starter just as the electric type was closing in.

With his momentum unable to be fully halted, Pikachu leapt to the side, his trajectory interrupted as the vine retracted back into Ivysaur's bud. The seed Pokemon ceased his dashing, turning around even as he slid across the arena floor and past the mouse.

"Venom Leaf!"

The bud on his back opened once again, a barrage of sharp, bladed leaves flying out towards Pikachu. Each leaf was coated with a familiar, bright-purple powder. Pikachu tried to change direction once more, having just resumed his run, but a few of the leaves connected with his side. As small, burning cuts formed, Pikachu blinked back tears as he nearly lost his balance, just in time for a second vine to lash out and wrap around his tail.

"Pikachu!" Ash called out to his starter as Ivysaur dragged him across the arena. "Fight back!"

Sliding on his back, Pikachu turned himself over and attempted to dash in the opposite direction, slipping into Quick Attack while Ivysaur strained himself to maintain his hold. As the grass/poison type began to slowly slide forward, grinding his feet against the pavement in an attempt to remain stationary, a second vine shot out from the other side of his bud, wrapping around Pikachu's tail and halting his momentum as the mouse scrambled his paws against the arena floor, Ivysaur once again retaking control as he slowly dragged his backwards.

"Slam him!" At Janine's orders, Ivysaur began straining himself upwards in an effort to lift the struggling mouse. After a moment or so, Pikachu was a few feet into the air, before smacking chestfirst down onto the pavement.

Ash and Valiant grimaced at the thudding sound of the impact, but as Janine ordered her partner to repeat the tactic, his starter struggled to fight off the sore achiness while redoubling his efforts against the seed Pokemon's pull.

As Pikachu's body began to angle upwards once more, but still not quite airborne yet, Ash chewed his lip. At this point, Janine was giving them little choice.

"Agility!" As the light-blue aura appeared around Pikachu's body, ivysaur suddenly found himself lurching forward with a series of staggers as the young mouse's momentum amplified. After a few seconds of scrambling his feet across the pavement, the grass/poison type successfully managed to right himself, his momentum slowing to a halt. His body showed clear signs of strain, however, muscles bulging as he fought back against Pikachu's own resistance, struggling to pull back the mouse. Even as he did, the glowing electric type continued to run in place, occasionally forcing his opponent forward a bit as the vines themselves began to strain.

Janine's brow was furrowed, but her voice didn't lose much composure. "Energy Ball!"

Ivysaur's mouth opened to reveal a slowly growing emerald colored orb. His effort to produce the sphere, however, was subtracted to the strain he put on his muscles to pull pikachu back. Now met with less physical resistance, Pikachu's retreat amplified in speed, and Ivysaur was only dragged forward a moment before the vines snapped. Between the forward momentum of Pikachu's own pull, and the backwards momentum of trying to pull back, the quadruped found his balance momentarily discombobulated as he fired the half-complete Energy Ball.

The aura of Agility lightly coating Pikachu's body evaporated as the young mouse rotated around to face his opponent once more, his lingering momentum sliding him backwards until he stopped with his back directly to Ash and Valiant. As he turned around, his tail became encased in another coat of metal as he prepared a third Iron Tail. Swinging forward, he whacked the steel type move against the Energy Ball, batting it right back into Ivysaur's face. Although he grunted from the impact, Janine's starter sustained no more than a small bruise as the collision forced him back. He nearly toppled over, having been struck before he could properly regain his balance, but halted himself halfway through, before firmly planting his forelegs back onto the arena floor.

As Pikachu sucked in a quick gasp of air, Ash took the moment to briefly assess his starter's condition. The cuts he had received from that Venom Leaf were minor, but surely at least a little of the poison had to have made it into his friend's system. And the cuts themselves had to have been burning a bit… he couldn't see it, but the electric was indeed blinking back some forming tears as his eyes began to water.

With Ivysaur in front of her, Janine's posture hadn't noticeably changed, her arms crossing in front of her chest as her eyes dug into Ash once more.

"You two aren't half bad, Ash. I can see how you've gotten this far with him in such good shape. Her lips curved up. "I hope you're done warming up, however. We still have plenty to show."

Her etiquette was both relaxing and unnerving, and Ash was even more unnerved that it felt as though he was experiencing both at the same time. What was the word for this?

'She's the real deal, alright.' He combed his brain as his inner thoughts brought him back to the battle. 'I have to get serious if we want to find a way through her.'

"We're just fine, I can assure you." he smiled as the familiar, fiery sensation filled his chest. He'd never get tired of this.

Ash couldn't see it, but there was a flame in her eyes, as well. "Glad to hear it." she responded as her hand rose into the air. "Now, Ivysaur, Injection Blast!"

Putting on a competitive grin, Ivysaur bent forward to stick his opening bud out to Pikachu, releasing an onslaught of glowing seeds coated in bright purple powder. In response, Pikachu coated his tail in metal once more, holding it out in front of his body as the projectiles bounced off of the surface. Just before he ceased firing, Ivysaur began to bound forward, two vines beginning to stick out.

"Agility and Static Tail!"

The moment the seeds stopped, Pikachu's still metallic tail erupted in lightning as his body once again became lightly coated in blue. Just before Ivysaur had time to lash out, the young mouse had closed the distance between them, smashing his tail into the side of the seed Pokemon's head.

Ivysaur almost toppled to the side as the blow sent him sliding a yard or two away, but regained his footing as the vines began to retract, briefly shaking his head with closed eyes to reclaim his bearings. Ash wasn't sure how effective the Thunder Wave's electrical properties would be at paralysing a grass type like Ivysaur, but the Iron Tail had left a satisfying bruise on the point of impact, mildly singed by the lightning.

With some added seriousness, Janine held a fist in front of her chest as she called out to her young starter. "Concoction Barrage!"

Turning back to face Pikachu again, Ivysaur broke into a run, bud reopening as he took aim at the mouse. The electric type retreated as a decently sized ball of powder, mixed in white and bright purple, emerged from the opened bud, followed by several others.

Ivysaur's aim was fairly precise, Pikachu barely dodging the first couple projectiles to the side before increasing his speed to avoid the others. As they collided with the ground, the powdery spheres left traces of their substances behind on the ground as ivysaur passed over them.

"Double Team, two copies!" Ivysaur's eyes narrowed as Pikachu split into three, two of them darting off to either side while the remaining one slid backwards and turned around to face Janine's starter. "Agility and Slam!" The increase in speed would give the real pikachu away, but would Janine and Ivysaur be able to register it in time?

"Jump, Ivysaur!"

Just as the three Pikachu began to rush for him, two vines sprouted out from either side of Ivysaur's bud, and slammed firmly into the ground. Pressing them downward, ivysaur launched himself up into the air like a slingshot, just in time for the real Pikachu to pass by underneath him.

Ash couldn't help his grimace. If he hadn't already battled Erika just yesterday, he'd have likely been surprised.

Janine's head angled upwards for just a split second as she watched her starter soar into the air, before returning her attention to the battlefield. "Seed Bomb, Body Slam after you land!"

Angling himself so his once again opening bud faced downward, Ivysaur grunted as a large barrage erupted from it. These seeds weren't like Bullet Seed, they were bigger, round, and hard-shelled. Keeping his clones in the arena, Pikachu dodged to the side as the projectiles exploded against the pavement, but with his opponent's position given away, Ivysaur already had his eyes locked on him as he neared the ground. A second pair of vines pressed firmly against the pavement as the seed Pokemon slingshotted himself towards the mouse, who raised a metallic tail to block.

Although Pikachu felt no pain in his tail, and Ivysaur couldn't help but grunt from the collision, the impact still bowled the young mouse over, sending him bouncing backwards, and Ash's starter barely had time to catch himself on his tail before a vine lashed out from the pursuing grass/poison type and smacked him in the face.

By now, Pikachu's clones had fizzled out, although Ivysaur wasn't focused on them as he watched Ash's starter catch himself on his forepaws, a visible bruise on his cheek as he flipped over and landed back on all fours. A second vine lashed out at the electric type as the seed Pokemon fully closed the distance, but Pikachu leapt over it, positioning himself directly above his opponent as a growing orb of electricity appeared at the tip of his tail. Ivysaur leapt to the side just in time for Pikachu to swing his tail downward and launch the Electro Ball, which exploded against the pavement, releasing shockwaves that mildly disrupted his opponent's balance.

Not wanting to give Janine any opportunities, Ash capitalized. "Iron Tail, now!"

"Merry-go-round!"

Ivysaur reclaimed his balance a lot more quickly than Ash had given him credit for. Just after Pikachu landed on the pavement and took off running, two vines spread out from either side of the seed Pokemon's bud. Janine's starter twirled around as the two vines lashed out in a clockwise motion. With little distance between him and his opponent, and his sprinting already nearing top speed, Pikachu passed directly over Ivysaur as he leapt to avoid the vines.

"Ugh," Ash groaned as he tried to regroup. "Thunderbolt!"

Landing on his tail, Pikachu turned around to leap into the air, curling his body as a bolt of lightning exited his tail. In response, Ivysaur turned in the direction of the electrical blast, a barrage of glowing seeds erupting from his bud. As the two attacks collided, eliciting a small explosion and brief cloud of smoke, Ivysaur broke into a run. His speed was limited by the weight of the bud on his back, but he was quick enough to charge through the smoke before it cleared up.

"Body Slam!"

Pikachu hadn't even landed yet as Ivysaur once again pressed two vines into the ground and launched himself forward, carried even further by the momentum from his run. Although Pikachu swung an iron Tail downward to intercept his opponent, the seed Pokemon had momentum and bulk on his side, and roughly shoved the young mouse back upon impact. Now falling backwards, Pikachu caught himself on his paws to save the top of his head from a collision, but as he flipped over, the sudden pressure left both paws aching, the pain briefly distracting him as he mildly stumbled after landing on his feet.

"Ailment Mix!"

This time, instead of forming into a cloud, the mixture of white and bright purple powder that escaped from Ivysaur's bud came out like a straightforward blast. Pikachu cringed as he returned to all fours, galloping to the side on his still slightly pained paws to avoid the assault, which stopped just short of the barriers. By now, there were a few spots on the battlefield with patches of lingering powder.

Although his mild adrenaline rush remained, Ash could still feel the first signs of sweat on his cheeks. "Electroweb!" He wasn't sure how well the move would hold a grass type, but they needed to find some manner of catching Ivysaur, and with his vines and ailments, they were being drained of options.

Pikachu slid backwards as he halted his sprint, turning to face Ivysaur before performing a tiny hop and swinging his tail outward. Sparks of lightning shot out, forming into a small net that closed in on the grass/poison type, only for a familiar barrage of bladed leaves to slice through it, sending the sparks of electricity scattering in every direction before finally fizzling out. Just as Pikachu landed and began to take off once more, Ivysaur had already begun an advance of his own, a vine lashing out and grazing the young mouse's two left legs. Now off balance, pikachu's momentum worked against him, sending him toppling away before he caught himself on his tail, but now facing Ivysaur.

"Ailment Mix again, Ivysaur!"

Pikachu had just begun to push himself off of his tail and leap to the side when the blast of powder collided with him. With no time to cover up his nose, his eyes quickly grew heavy as a wave of fatigue smashed into him, all the while a burning sensation filled his nostrils, and watered up his eyes. He quickly clamped his paws over his nose, desperately trying to prevent any further substance from being breathed in and entering his system, but as his bruised body began to weaken, Ivysaur was already upon him.

"Energy Ball!"

With Pikachu stumbling backwards on his two hindlegs, desperately trying to reclaim his dwindling bearings, Ivysaur opened his mouth to reveal a small, glowing, emerald sphere that expanded in size with a steady progression. With a powerful shout, the Energy Ball rocketed into Pikachu's torso, exploding against the young mouse's body and smacking him backwards, leaving him to bounce across the arena floor and stop just in front of the corners of the barriers as his body threatened to go limp. Pushing his still sore paws against the pavement, he tried to push himself off of his chest, only to stop halfway through before he could get into a standing position, and collapse face first.

Ash recalled his friend. Taking the time to watch Ivysaur start heading back to Janine's side of the battlefield, he shot a consoling smile to his own starter's Poke Ball. "Great work out there like always, Pikachu. Rest easy." After clipping the ball back onto his belt, his eyes returned to Ivysaur, who Janine knelt down to briefly pet once he reached her. He could see her mouth moving, but couldn't make out what she was saying. Likely praising her friend.

It had been starter vs starter, and sadly, Janine's side was the one with the edge.

As the girl straightened herself back up to once again lock eyes with Ash, her raised voice stretched out across the arena for him to hear.

"We're ready when you are, Ash." straight to the point. No gloating, no reassurance, no banter. Just down to business.

With an acknowledging nod, Ash surveyed Ivysaur before his eyes traveled across the arena. The patches of powder were still scattered about, not that they worried him any. They would likely be losing their substance soon, and would no longer be harmful.

He hadn't been expecting disappointment from the duo, and so far, Janine and Ivysaur had not given him any. He had been hoping that Pikachu's mobility and usage of Double Team would overcome the seed Pokemon's near-guaranteed tricky fighting style, but seeing the grass/poison type's capabilities in action had shut those desires down.

And what's more, it didn't seem like he'd be out of fighting shape anytime soon, either. Pikachu had certainly left his mark, but from where he was currently standing, Ash detected no signs of fading strength from Janine's partner. It meant that she might even keep him around for the next bout, rather than substituting him, although no guarantees could be made.

The surge in his chest didn't go away. This was going to be one heck of a challenge.

Tyrunt was a definite no. Although his Fire Fang would surely cripple the quadruped, the girl's starter had far too many options to keep him at bay, that Ailment Mix combo certainly not being the least of them. Tempest would also be risky for similar reasons, and although the damage left behind by Pikachu might increase Eevee's chances, Ash was hesitant to call on one speed based battler where another had already failed. Especially since Eevee sadly didn't have Agility to utilize as a trump card.

That left Nebula and Valiant. On one hand, Nebula's chances were likely the best, but that would just prompt Janine to perform a substitution. It would mean that they'd have a break from fighting Ivysaur, but they would still have to find a way to defeat him at some point if they wanted to win. And after seeing how fearsome he was, Ash wanted to do the job as soon as possible, before the rest of his team got worn down.

Grinning a bit, Ash exchanged looks with the young psychic type at his feet. "You ready, buddy?" With a nod, Valiant shot his trainer a smile before positioning himself in front of him in the arena.

"Do your best, Valiant!" Suzie called out to the young Kirlia as Tyrunt let out a squeal. Valiant waved to them both before locking eyes with Ivysaur, the latter of whom began to tense.

A few moments later, however, Janine, wearing a thoughtful expression, held up her starter's Poke Ball and returned him. Ash felt a mild wave of disappointment at the action, albeit not too much surprise.

'Maybe she knows I would have preferred for him to stay out.' he thought to himself. Ash wasn't quite sure what the rest of her team was like, but with ivysaur being as formidable as he was, it's possible that she was planning to save him for later to clean up the remains, now that she had already gotten some momentum going.

"It's been fun so far." she called out, reclipping his Poke Ball to her belt whilst pulling out a new one. Though her facial expression conveyed neutrality, there was an air of cheerfulness in her voice as her next Poke Ball enlarged. "Let's keep it up, shall we?"

A Beedrill emerged from the light, hovering in front of her as two large stingers tapped against one another. As Ash combed his brain, he remembered that Janine had mentioned something about a Weedle when they first met.

"Your psychic powers should be fairly useful against that Beedrill, Valiant." Ash spoke up as Janine began talking to her latest partner. "But you already know how dangerous those stingers are going to be, right?" A nod. "Good. Fire punch should work pretty well, too, but try to minimize close quarters. That's likely the situation that they want us to get in. Don't approach unless you're willing to use Shadow Sneak, and Teleport away whenever things get dangerous. It goes without saying, but don't forget your barriers."

WIth an understanding expression, Valiant's muscles tensed as he sank into a stance.

Starting things off, Janine raised a hand into the air. "Approach with Pin Missile!"

Wings buzzing, Beedrill began to advance at a fairly rapid pace, although it did not look as though she was flying as fast as she could. With her stingers glowing, especially at the tip, she pointed forward with both of them, unleashing a barrage of spikes that were quickly deflected by the erected wall of glass in front of Valiant's now outstretched hands. She continued to fire even as she closed in, only to suddenly cease as one of her stingers turned orange, raised and reared back to strike.

Valiant dropped the Reflect immediately, teleporting behind Beedrill as she swung forward into the air. Eyes flashing, he quickly fired a rainbow beam at the bug/poison type Pokemon, only for her to whirl around and slash her stingers diagonally, forming a bright, greenish-yellow X for the Psybeam to crash into. As the X-Scissor deflected his attack, Valiant took the time to take a small leap backwards, creating a bit more distance between both combatants as the glaring poison bee Pokemon held a stinger out in front of herself in a challenging motion.

Ash watched carefully. Those bug type moves gave Janine and Beedrill a convenient means of defense. Psychic attacks were their best bet at damaging Beedrill, yet she would likely have the easiest time blocking them…

Janine didn't give Ash time to contemplate. "Pin Missile again!"

Another barrage of spikes erupted from the tips of Beedrill's stingers. Instead of erecting another barrier, Valiant evaded the onslaught with a quick leap to the side before breaking into a run. Ceasing the opportunity, Beedrill quickly ceased her fire and rushed for the psychic, both stingers glowing purple and dripping with venom.

Valiant's eyes widened at the assault as Beedrill's first stingers thrust forward, threatening to puncture his body. With the second stinger still lying in wait, the Kirlia's eyes flashed blue as he swung a flaming fist in an uppercut, pushing the Poison Jab upwards and deflecting the attack. Although Beedrill felt a burning pain in her first singer, it did not stop her from rearing back her second one, before lunging forward in a slashing motion. With her movements telegraphed by Telepathy, Valiant leaned his upper body backwards, just barely ducking under the blow as the venomous stinger passed mere centimeters above his eyes, which began to glow rainbow.

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Sensing a counterattack, Janine spoke quickly. "Double Team!" Just as Valiant was about to fire the point-blank Psybeam, Beedrill split in two, with both the real one and the copy moving to either side of the emotion Pokemon. Looking between them in frustration, Valiant slowly allowed the multicolored glow in his eyes to subside as he struggled to differentiate the two. He was able to do against Gary's Meditite by distinguishing which one was feeling emotions, but Ash had a feeling Janine and Beedrill wouldn't be giving him the time to do so.

"Teleport away, Valiant!" With an affirmative nod, Valiant heeded Ash's advice, and flashed several yards away from Beedrill and her clone, both of whom turned to glower at him before the clone suddenly fizzled out.

"Aerial Ace and Poison Jab!" Janine seemed mentally undeterred by their actions, simply giving orders in response rather than a sense of feeling threatened.

Ash immediately caught on to what she was doing. With Aerial Ace boosting her momentum, and the overall power of her stingers, who knew how much damage Beedrill would do? She'd stab right through Valiant, not only leaving a bad wound, but inviting a great deal of toxins into his system at a rapid pace. At the level his friend was currently at right now, it would be over for sure.

"Block it with Reflect!"

Beedrill crossed her stingers as they filled themselves with poisonous energy, before sticking them outwards in Valiant's direction. As she did so, her body lit up in the pale aura of Aerial Ace that was now currently surrounding her, before rocketing forward. Valiant had already outstretched his arms, erecting a large, glass wall that intercepted the blow. As Beedrill crashed twin-stinger first into the barrier, a shockwave spread across the surrounding areas of the battlefield while cracks quickly formed onto the shield, small shards scattering in each direction. Squeezing his eyes tightly shut and grinding his teeth, Valiant could feel his feet sliding backwards as he and his barrier were smacked away by the impact.

Just as he stopped a few feet in front of the barrier at the side of the battlefield, Janine raised her voice yet again. "Once more, Beedrill!"

Ash grimaced. Valiant's Reflect wouldn't survive a second attack, and he'd be smacked back-first into the barriers. The physical and mental whiplash would be too great for him to not be left vulnerable to a finishing blow. "Teleport, and Thunderbolt!"

His expression steeling, Valiant watched Beedrill coat herself in the pale aura once more as his barrier began to drop. The moment she charged forward, he had flashed away, appearing just a yard or so behind as she barely managed to halt herself in front of the barriers. A determined glint in his eyes, he raised his hands as they crackled with lightning, before firing the electrical blast towards his target.

Beedrill turned around in time to raise another X-Scissor, but could not produce the move in full prior to the Thunderbolt striking. Ash grinned as the bolt knocked her back, electricity dancing along the poison bee Pokemon's stingers and upper-torso. X-Scissor had still blocked part of the blow, so she hadn't gotten hit at full power, but it didn't provide the same defense against electricity that it did against psychic energy, and Beedrill hadn't had enough time to utilize it at full power anyway.

Seeing his opponent off-balance, Valiant immediately capitalized by sinking into Shadow Sneak. Rushing over in Beedrill's direction, he quickly exited his shadow as his fist became covered in flame, driving it into her stomach. As Beedrill was smacked sideways, Valiant wanted to give chase, only to find himself in need of catching his breath. Bedrill quickly capitalized on that herself, however; powering through the pain, she extended a glowing stinger in Valiant's direction, firing off a barrage of golden spikes just before she managed to cease her own backwards flight and fully right herself. The Pin Missile quickly bombarded Valiant, who, with no time to raise another Reflect, promptly crossed his arms as he cried out in pain from the assault.

"Valiant!" Janine gave Ash little breathing room, however, already issuing her own partner with another order.

"Focus Energy, then Fury Attack!"

As Valiant was knocked backwards by the spikey barrage, catching himself on his hands to flip further back and onto his feet, Beedrill held her stingers out in front of her torso, tips facing skyward as both stingers became radiated in bright, white energy. Just as Valiant had looked up to see her coming, she was already upon him, thrusting forward. With his eyes glowing, he hastily read the telegraph of her bodily movements, dodging to one side, before promptly dodging to another as her next stinger thrust forward. She didn't stop there, however, continuing to slash, stab, and lunge as Valiant backed away, repeatedly ducking, taking tiny hops backwards, and swaying to the side.

Ash could feel the sweat returning. She was giving them no time to respond, and had them trapped in a close-quarters combat situation, where she surely knew they'd be the ones on the backfoot. Valiant could read Beedrill's movements by relying on his ability, but he was no martial artist. How long could he continue responding to them until-

He quickly got his answer as a forward stab caught the side of Valiant's shoulder. As the emotion Pokemon's eyes squeezed shut to hold back a small amount of tears, his backwards motions began to stumble.

Ash sadly wasn't surprised when Janine capitilied once more. "Brick Break! Then Poison Jab!"

Beedrill's stingers did not lose their bright, white glow, but one was quickly accompanied by an orange glow as the bug/poison type combatant raised it over her head. Ash winced as she lunged forward and smacked Valiant's forehead. Fighting Type moves were of little issue to his friend, but Janine and Beedrill had both clearly utilized Focus Energy to specifically power up those stingers. Even with the plentiful resistance, the added force behind the blow would surely knock Valiant off balance, and that meant…

He was right. Valiant was sent soaring a good two feet through the air before he finally caught himself on both his hands, and even as he painfully pressed them into the ground to flip backwards and back onto his feet, he was immediately greeted with a sharp to his abdomen upon landing, as Beedrill's other stinger, cloaked in purple, plunged into him.

His head leaning back involuntarily, Valiant gasped for air as a sharp burning filled his stomach. Barely registering Ash's frantic shouts to fight back, he could feel a wave of nausea begin to overtake his body as Beedrill pulled out her bladed stinger, revealing the bloody gash left behind by her toxic stab.

Nausea was quickly accompanied by adrenaline, however, and even with the gradually increasing, sickly feeling in his body, the now-glowering Kirlia summoned the focus to flash his eyes rainbow as a Psybeam pounded Beedrill square in the chest. Janine's eyebrows raised in surprise as her partner, with a pained cry, was blown backwards, raising a stinger to her chest as she finally righted herself.

With Beedrill seemingly taking a breather, Ash quickly seized the opportunity to look over Valiant, eyes shooting past the poison bee and towards his partner. One hand clutched the Kirlia's abdomen as his breathing grew heavy, legs shaking a bit every now and then, and threatening to sink.

Janine's Beedrill was about as ruthless as he thought she was. With stingers like that, it would have been borderline impossible to fully utilize her assets without being merciless and unrelenting. Most poison types were like that.

It didn't seem like Beedrill was any longer at full strength after that surprise blow to the chest, but Valiant clearly wasn't either. He wondered if he should substitute…

'She would just do the same.' He quickly realized. Now that Beedrill seemingly had the upper hand in this fight, Janine would likely just save her for Valiant. What's more, if Ash let out his third and final Pokemon first, before she did, she could make her upcoming decision directly around his own, and still have a greater chance of maintaining the advantage as a result.

"You good, Beedrill?" Janine's question brought his mind back to the battle. His time for thinking was beginning to run out. As Beedrill lowered her stinger and nodded, before promptly raising both stingers ahead of herself, the young boy cupped his hands and called out to the Kirlia.

"Hey Valiant, what about you?" It took Valiant a bit of a moment to respond, gripping his knees tightly for a split second or two before standing up straight in full, the expression in his eyes familiarly turning to steel as he offered Ash an affirmative nod.

'That poison is only going to get worse over time.' he quickly reminded himself. Each moment, those toxins were burning Valiant from the inside, and he could only ignore such a thing for so long, regardless of determination or adrenaline rushes. 'We'll need a comeback immediately.'

Janine held a fist in front of her chest. "Venoshock!"

A small part of him had wondered if she would go that angle. After all, what better way than to ensure that Valiant couldn't ignore the pain of the toxins, than to amplify the pain itself?

Thankfully, he already knew how Valiant would react, and watched as a golden barrier was erected in front of the Kirlia, which the blast of liquid crashed into. As the Venoshock harmlessly slid down the Light Screen, however, Beedrill was already rushing forward, stinger glowing with a familiar orange aura.

Dropping the Light Screen before his opponent could prematurely shatter it, Valiant leaned downward to the side, deftly avoiding her blow before lunging outward and driving a flaming fist into her stomach. As Beedrill lurched backwards, Ash promptly capitalized.

"Thunderbolt!"

Taking a bold step forward, Valiant slowly began to channel electricity through his palms. It took a bit longer to gather the attack than usual, but with the stomach pain from the Fire Punch exacerbating the lingering discomfort in Beedrill's chest, he also had a bit more time.

"X-Scissor!" Janine sounded a clear bit more nervous than usual, but her voice wasn't panicked.

Beedrill crossed her stingers just in time for Valiant to fire off his Thunderbolt. Although the large X of energy that was formed by her flashing motions intercepted the bolt, she still found herself staggering back from the small explosion. Doing his utmost to ignore the sense of burning inside of his body, Valiant rushed forward and whacked her with another flaming fist while she was still off balance. As he promptly pressed his hands against the ground to gasp for air, Beedrill rolled across the pavement, stopping herself on her stingers.

Ash watched Valiant slowly rise up as the poison bee grunted in pain. Normally, he would want to finish this with Psychic, but with the poison overwhelming him, Ash doubted that Valiant could summon the concentration for such a move. He still already wasn't able to use it very easily as it was…

"Valiant, finish this with a Psybeam!"

Taking a deep breath, Valiant nodded as he closed his eyes for a moment, before they shot wide open, progressively taking ona rainbow glow.

"Pin Missile!"

Just as Valiant successfully fired the multicolored blast from his eyes, Beedrill had managed to raise her stinger, the barrage of spikes exiting the tip at the same time. The Psybeam collided with her head, almost instantaneously causing her to see white, only for Valiant's chest to be pelted at the same time. Even as Beedrill was bowled over, stopping at the barriers in front of Ash as her body went limp, the trainer bit his lip as he watched his partner collapse onto his backside.

Neither made any attempts to rise.

Letting out a somewhat guilty sigh, Ash raised Valiant's Poke Ball to return his friend as Beedrill disappeared in front of him. "Thanks again, Valiant." Reclipping the Poke Ball back onto his belt, he raised his head to meet Janine's eyes from across the battlefield, just after she finished giving Beedrill's Poke Ball a few words of her own.

"Good comeback." She confessed, running her hand across the Poke Balls on her belt as if attempting to make up her mind. "You turned the tide pretty quickly."

'We still didn't win.' Ash briefly told himself before swiftly shoving the thought aside. They had prevented the worst case scenario, and sometimes not losing something could be just as good as gaining something.

Nonetheless, they were still on the backfoot. Beedrill was down, but Ivysaur was still in the game, as was whoever Janine's final Pokemon was. They still needed to turn the tide for real.

It quickly occurred to him that Nebula was the only available option for him at this point. Even disregarding Janine's final Pokemon, the young Staravia was the only one other than Valiant that the rookie found himself comfortable using against the grass/poison type. She was their best chance at winning.

Taking the Poke Ball off his belt, Ash observed Janine holding her next orb out in front of her.

"Alright." he called out. "I'm ready."

Nodding affirmatively, Janine lightly chucked her own sphere into the air. Out of the bursting flash of light emerged a Golbat.

'That's right, she did have a Zubat back in Viridian.' Ash eyed the airborne creature as it flapped its wings just above the young girl's head. Face glowing with confidence, Janine's arms were proudly crossed against her chest as she stood tall, eyes radiating with anticipation. Just a moment ago, she had been somewhat unnerved by the abrupt comeback that he and Valiant had made against her and Beedrill, but that was all gone now.

Allowing a light grin to make its way to his lips, Ash tossed Nebula's poke Ball into the air, exchanging smiles with his feathered friend as she appeared above him.

"Hey, you're the last one left." he quickly announced. Nodding over to Janine and Golbat, he added. "She has her Golbat and an Ivysaur. Think you can handle it?" he wasn't surprised by her affirmative nod, even less so by her energetic chirp.

They needed to find a way around Golbat while still having enough left to take down Ivysaur. Hopefully, Nebula could put her fundamental advantages to good use if she was still in fair enough shape to take on Janine's starter, but Ash highly doubted that Golbat would be any less formidable than Ivysaur and Beedrill had been.

Nonetheless, his friend's behavior reminded him not to worry too much about the odds. This was a battle for fun, and they'd keep on powering through it until the end.

"Great to hear it, Nebula. Now let's win this!"

Janine grinned as Nebula squawked loudly at Golbat, who returned her call with a powerful shriek of his own.

"Steel Wing!" The orders were simultaneous as both fliers shot higher into the air, flying upwards in a straight line before suddenly changing trajectory, straight ahead on a collision course with one another.

Nebula crossed the halfway point just before the two attacks met, metallic wings slamming together as a shockwave spread throughout the air. Despite her seemingly, slightly greater speed, Golbat exhibited the strength to not budge from the impact, something that she herself ended up perfectly mirroring. As the two separated, both retreated diagonally upwards, before once again making a charge for one another, Golbat ducking under a glowing wing before changing course and charging after the now retreating Staravia, who deftly swerved to the side to avoid the clutches of his fangs.

An aerial dance ensued amongst both competitors. As few movements as possible were wasted as the two fliers simultaneously formed into near blurs while zipping across the area above the arena. Never staying in one place, the two constantly changed directions, charging, dodging, blocking, and regrouping. Most offenses were dodged, as one flier took aim at the other, only to have their strike deftly avoided, abruptly finding themselves dodging a counter strike mere moments later. Occasionally, two Steel Wings would collide against one another, usually when one finds themselves on the receiving end with no opportunities for evasion. Sometimes this would happen when the attacker had notably more momentum going for them than the defender did, resulting in the one on the defensive successfully blocking the blow without harm, but still being knocked back as a result.

As Ash observed the display with his head angled upwards, the even grin that eventually spread across his face could not be stopped. Nebula was beautiful in the air, traversing and battling with deft grace, and he almost found the sight of the aerial showdown entrancing. The nonstop action taking place overhead was enough to quicken the hearts of everyone present, and for a moment or two, he forgot that he was supposed to be giving orders.

That's right, they had to break this stalemate soon.

With the most pleasant of adrenaline rushes coursing through him, Ash cupped his hands to his mouth. "Air Cutter!"

The high-octane harmony was broken as Nebula ceased her flight, turning upwards to face the Golbat slightly, diagonally above her, and launched a barrage of blades of air in his direction. Janine had already called for a Double Team, her aerial partner promptly splitting into four, and although Nebula had done her best to spread out the assault in order to cover as much fo the nearby area as possible, two of the Golbat still succeeded in evading the barrage, while the two who were struck immediately evaporated out of existence. Nebula responded in kind, splitting into two Staravia while rushing forward with a mighty, high-pitched squawk.

The duo of Golbat did the same, both twosomes colliding head on. The real Nebula, however, crashed into the fake Golbat, passing through as the clone evaporated. The same occurred between the real Golbat and the fake Nebula. With both combatants realizing, with some frustration, that they had mutually duped one another, they immediately swerved around with U-Turn, wings coated in steel as they sought to try again.

"Supersonic!" Just before the two were beginning to near one another, Golbat's eyes widened as a barrage of soundwaves erupted out of his throat. Instinctively, Nebula's own eyes widened as the excruciating noise pounded against the insides of her eyes, her midair balance momentarily failing her as the metal encasing her wings threatened to fade away. As her speed waned, Golbat collided with her, metallic wing smacking into her chest and sending her back upwards. "Air Cutter!"

Golbat immediately began generating his own onslaught of windy projectiles, but Nebula had recovered quickly, responding in kind as two separate barrages of bladed wind collided with one another. As the last of the blades exploded against one another, the two resumed their earlier dance, Golbat making a mad rush for Nebula, who quickly swayed to the side to avoid his Steel Wing, only to have her own ducked under, the young Staravia quickly pulling back as the bat chomped forward with purple fangs.

This didn't last as long as it first had, however, as just a few moments after the two fliers once again began weaving around the air above the arena, Janine had already cupped her hands for her partner's next set of instructions.

"Foggy Gale!"

Positioning himself somewhat above Nebula, Golbat began to flap his wings like a madman as a series of dark-blue clouds escaped his open mouth. As he did so, his movements generated a rapid series of wind gusts that merged with the clouds and hurled them forwards. Observing the combination of Haze and Whirlwind, Ash didn't have time to tell Nebula what to do, the young bird shrieking unpleasantly as the wind smashed into her, and the fog covered her.

Even with his partner obscured from view, Ash promptly countered, cupping his hands and shouting out over the winds. "Wind Blast!"

Nebula had some difficulty performing what she was ordered with the winds pushing against her, and forcing her backwards, but just before her back could collide with the barrier, she fought against the current and began flapping her wings in a similarly fanatical manner to that of Golbat, producing a powerful, condensed blast of air that tore through Golbat's wind (and parted the clouds) before making its way over to him. With her view obscured, the young STaravia had no way of knowing whether or not her aim was true, but thankfully, Golbat hadn't had time to move, and was promptly struck cleanly by the blast of air as his own barrage forcibly subsided.

Ash capitalized by calling for a Steel Wing, but Nebula was already in the process of doing so, blitzing forward towards her enemy as he was painfully knocked back, and driving a metallic wing into his forehead. Aiming her strike somewhat downwards, she propelled him away with the assault, and although he managed to right himself a few feet in front of the barriers, he was immediately forced to raise a metallic wing of his own as she dive bombed after him. Although he received no harm from blocking her second strike in a row, her momentum smacked him backwards once more, and it was only a hastily reflexive Steel Wing into the barriers that prevented a possible concussion.

As he bounced off the barriers, Golbat bared his fang with a vengeance, teeth coated in a venomous purple as he prepared to chomp down onto Nebula's nick, only to find himself biting into her metallic wing instead. He ignored the pain as she tossed him away.

A fiery glint made itself known in Janine's pupils as she raised her voice above Nebula's squawk. "Air Slash!"

Still soaring backwards from Nebula's toss, Golbat reared his wing backwards, before lashing out to produce a giant blade of wind that tore through the air and in Nebula's direction. The Staravia had already begun to give chase, but was forced to cross her wings and coat them in metal yet again, the dual Steel Wings absorbing the impact of the large projectile while she, albeit unharmed, was forced back by the collision.

Now Golbat was back to rushing for her, wings glowing and at the ready, only for a prompt U-Turn from the Staravia to position herself behind him, now ready to charge. Golbat did the same, however, and once his own U-Turn had once again reversed their positions, he kept flying forward, as a series of combinations of Aerial Aces and U-turns on both sides struggled to outmaneuver one another. By now, the clouds from Haze had all but cleared up, the lingering few being quite small, and scattering about whilst breaking apart as the two fliers passed through them amidst their contest.

As tempted as Ash was to witness a third display in a row between the two, he knew that they had a battle to win. Grinning from ear to ear, he called out to his friend. "Double Team, three copies!"

Her own smile widening, Janine promptly responded. "Same for you, Golbat!"

About a split second or two after Nebula had split into four, Golbat had done so as well, eight fliers now weaving around the area over the arena as both rookie trainers inclined their heads upwards to watch.

Speeding up, Nebula drove a glowing wing into one of the Golbat, only for the clone to fizzle out of existence upon collision. Several yards away, Golbat saw the same results as his Poison Fang briefly sunk into one of Nebula's own clones, just before the copy disappeared from the blow.

As both fliers turned themselves around to reassess the situation, none of the six remaining figures in the air ceasing their movements, Janine's voice once again filled Ash's ears.

"Haze!"

The real Golbat momentarily gave away his position as the stream of dark-blue clouds of fog escaped from his mouth, but the moment he ceased spreading it across the air above the battlefield, there was no time to distinguish as both trios of fliers collided with the vision-obscuring clouds. The fog parted and moved every which way as Nebula and Golbat tore through it, trying to maintain the high-speeds of their flight despite the limited visibility. Golbat took a shot at what turned out to be one of Nebula's clones, the copy evaporating upon being slammed into by the Steel Wing. As he turned around, he fired a series of golden stars towards another Staravia. This one turned out to be the real one, her Steel Wing carving through the Swift as she made her way over to him, only for a quick U-Turn to thrust him back into the clouds, the fog now obscuring him from view for just long to reignite the confusion once he had finally reappeared.

Ash couldn't help but chuckle nervously, yet in amusement as well. An aerial brawl between two fliers who could split themselves into four was already near-guaranteed to be chaotic, but Janine had found a way to take the confusion a step further by introducing Haze into the equation. No doubt Golbat was far more accustomed to these types of circumstances than Nebula was; that was Janine's advantage. They couldn't play by her rules.

"Air Cutter!" Nodding promptly, Nebula quickly positioned herself, before madly flapping her wings in place. The blades of air sliced through the clouds, causing the dark-blue fog to part as two of the three remaining Golbat evaded the onslaught, only for the one that was hit to suddenly fizzle out of existence.

"Golbat, you too!" Just as Nebula was upon one of the Golbat, Janine's voice filled the air. As the last of Golbat's clones dissipated from the impact of the young Staravia's Steel Wing, the bat set his sights on the now revealed normal/flying type. With her true position given away, Nebula didn't even bother trying to make her clone dodge the attack, which she weaved around, moving in and out in an effort to reach the poison/flying type.

Just as she approached him, and took a swing with her Steel Wing, a quick U-Turn from her opponent positioned him directly behind her, swinging downward with a Steel Wing of his own. Quickly realizing what was coming, Nebula was swift to respond, turning around and lashing out once more as the two metallic wings clanged against one another.

"Supersonic!"

Ash's eyes widened. "Get out of there!" It was too late, however, and Nebula quickly found herself shrieking off balance as the horrible noise emitted from Golbat's mouth.

Taking a tiny step forward, Janine hollered. "Air Slash!"

Flying back in an upwards motion just a few feet away, Golbat reared his wing back and sent the large blade of air plummeting down atop Nebula's chest. With a shriek, she was propelled back towards the ground, unable to use Steel Wing in time to break her fall.

As Golbat took the moment to finally catch his breath, Ash winced as Nebula collided with the pavement. Although she began to pick herself up soon after, the bruises and sores on her body were apparent, as were her deep breaths.

"You okay?" he offered a light smile upon her affirmative nod, although continued to comb through his brain.

'They have more options than we do.' he realized with an inward frown. Golbat was too versatile for Nebula to keep up with on equal terms, despite consistently matching him in the physical department.

He didn't want to do this with Janine still having one more Pokemon left, but the only way to make eup for Janine and Golbat's versatility advantage, was to create an advantage of their own.

"Nebula, use Reckless!" The Staravia's eyes perked up as she was given the order, before nodding in understanding. With a mighty shriek to the heavens, the familiar crimson glow outlined the exterior of her body and feathers, coupled with a brief surge of electricity of the same color. As her now blood-red eyes murderously gazed up at her opponent, Ash took a deep breath.

This was it. They would have to end this quickly, before she ran out of steam, and then do the same thing to Ivysaur.

"Steel Wing!" he called out to her.

Upon mentioning the ability, Janine had taken a somewhat surprised step back, but quickly shook off that surprise as the brawl continued. "Supersonic, Golbat! Hurry!"

Spreading her wings out with a loud, continuous battle cry, Nebula took off into the air, wing stunning to metal as she tore her way upwards. The familiarly horrific noise slammed into her, filling her ears and leaving her balance and stability shaky, but her adrenaline continued to push her upwards, as though a catapult had launched her body against her will.

A loud smacking sound could be heard as her Steel Wing hit its mark, sending a deafeningly screeching Golbat sky-high as the merciless Staravia continued to give chase. Gradually, her balance began to return to her, although she was already upon her opponent before it did. Trying to right himself as quickly as possible, Golbat was just in the midst of shooting himself downwards when his own metallic wing collided with Nebula's, a somewhat sharp pain filling his wing upon impact as the collision sent him upwards yet again.

'If this keeps up, Golbat's not going to last very long.' Ash told himself. He doubted it would, though. Janine had an answer.

"Double Team and Haze!" she sounded threatened for sure, but her tone of voice still didn't seem too panicky. No doubt, if she was aware of how dangerous of an ability that Reckless was, she also knew that it came at a price.

Three separate clones consecutively split off from Golbat as the fog flowed from his mouth, covering the air above the arena once again. Pretty soon all four bats were flying about in every direction, surely trying to confuse the aggression-filled Nebula as much as possible.

Ash knew that Nebula wouldn't have the patience for elaborate tactics in this state. They needed to make use of her raw power and speed to overcome Janine and Golbat's trickery. "Do a quick Air Cutter, then blitz them!"

Although Nebula was grinning, her eyes conveyed rage as she flapped her wings harder than she ever had throughout the battle up to this point. Large blades of wind tore through the fog and diced two of the clones, but as she took off with her wings glowing, Golbat was already in the process of replacing both of them. No doubt the consecutive usage of Double Team would be taxing for him, but it certainly wasn't nearly as bad as what Nebula would be putting herself through if the battle became too prolonged.

The four bats tried to evade Nebula, but her superior speed easily carried her across the air, smashing one clone to pieces before turning towards the remaining targets in frustration.

Sweating a bit, Janine cupped her hands. "Catch it!"

The real Golbat found himself on the receiving end of Nebula's next charge. With widened eyes, the determined bat. Coated his wings in metal, and performed a clapping motion. As Nebula's outstretched, metallic wing neared him, her strike was suddenly stopped in its tracks as the poison/flying type's own two wings abruptly sandwiched hers. Her momentum did not cease, however, barely slowing down as she pushed the bat towards the barrier.

A feeling of dread beginning to well up within Ash's chest was promptly vindicated upon her next command. "Confuse Ray!"

There was no point in warning Nebula. There was no time. Golbat's eyes flashed, filling her vision with a disorienting light that halted her efforts, as what was once an aggression filled mind became jumbled and scrambled into a brief state of senselessness. Pulling back, Golbat reared his wing behind him and whacked her in the face, prompting the normal/flying type to roll several feet away.

Janine watched the Staravia's unstable balance for just a split second before she took a step forward and cupped her hands, voice filling Golbat's ears just before the Staravia had a chance to right herself.

"Brave Bird!"

Brave Bird was a deadly flying type move of a similar caliber towards Double-Edge, even with the same recoil aftereffect towards its own user. It was generally considered to be a high-level move, but it was now clear to Ash that Nebula wasn't the only flier in this fight with an Egg Move.

Pumping his wings out with a holler, Golbat became coated in a crimson aura that quickly turned blue. Nebula had just regained her balance and stopped her midair roll as he charged forward. Carried by the attack, the bat tore through the air with a blinding showcase of speed. With no time for anything else, she coated her wings in steel and crossed them in defense.

SMASH!

An agonizing pain engulfed Golbat's head as he crashed face-first into the metal exterior of Nebula's defenses. With a gigantic shockwave spreading out around the two rivals, the whiplash of the impact briefly left Nebula reeling backwards, before their balance simultaneously failed them, both slipping into freefall and colliding with the pavement below.

Both bird and bat bounced off of the arena floor before rolling onto their backs, faces scrunched up in pain as the two attempted to lift their heads. Nebula's aura began to flicker in and out as she rolled over a second time, pressing her wings against the pavement in an effort to force herself up, whilst Golbat did the same.

Ash chewed his lip as he watched the display. With pokemon Pokemon merely a few feet from one another (and closer to his side of the arena as well), the bruises and gashes left behind by the exchange came into full view. Neither trainer gave their Pokemon encouragement, instead opting to grip their Poke Balls for when the time came.

Letting out a painful cough, Nebula tried to take a deep breath before pushing against the ground higher. Slowly, her body began to rise. Seconds later, Golbat began to pick himself up as well, although it seemed like Nebula was gaining pace just a bit faster-

Just after passing the halfway point, she collapsed beak-first into the arena floor. After shaking for a moment, Golbat performed one final push and rose to his feet, only to collapse backwards onto his bottom a split second or two later, the bleeding gash on the top of his head fully coming into view. Unable to stand, but barely conscious.

It took a moment or two before either rookie could fully register the scene. As the adrenaline rush left their bodies, Ash let out a deep sigh before holding up Nebula's Poke Ball with a defeated smile. As she disappeared into the device, he could spot Janine from the corner of his eye, making her way towards Golbat.

An aerial battle between two flying type Pokemon of near-equal prowess was unarguably a spectacle to behold, but Nebula's trump card just barely fell short of compensating for the vaster arsenal at Golbat's disposal.

"Rest up, girl. You did great." The sensation of disappointment in the back of his head was nothing overwhelming. Certainly not absent, but he was already thinking back to how fun the battle had been.

The sound of footsteps raised his head as he returned Nebula's Poke Ball to his belt. Janine stopped in front of him while tucking away Golbat's own.

"I wasn't expecting that at the end." she admitted, with a somewhat uncharacteristically sheepish tone. She smiled before shaking off the mild embarrassment. "That was fun."

His grin becoming a bit more genuine, Ash nodded at her. "Definitely, thanks." Perking up all of a sudden, he quickly pulled out his Pokedex. "Oh yeah, here." Touching a few icons on the screen, he prepared to transfer some money to Janine's account. Since he didn't have much left, he wasn't losing too much either. The two tucked away their devices after Janine accepted.

A childish chatter brought his attention to Tyrunt, as the young royal heir Pokemon stopped in front of him and smiled. "Hey there, buddy. Did you enjoy the show?"

"He certainly did." an approaching Suzie spoke up and rested a hand on their shoulders as the small dinosaur nodded along happily. "I can see how you two have come so far. Make sure you keep it up."

Nostalgia surged through Ash's chest at that. "Thanks."

"Here, if you two want, I can send your teams to the Pokemon Center myself. We have a transport device here." the breeder offered. Giving thanks, the two rookies each handed her three Poke Balls."I'm gonna have to reopen the salon now." She announced as Tyrunt rejoined Ash near his legs. "But if you two stick around, I can take you to lunch later. My treat."

"I'll look forward to it, thank you." Janine nodded. As the woman returned inside with Vulpix, leaving the two alone with Tyrunt, the purple-haired girl turned back to Ash. "You have a nice team. I got a lot out of that, so thanks."

"You're not the only one." Ash assured her, mind tracing back to the match. Janine hadn't at all been concerned about the common weaknesses her team shared, and so far, it seemed to have paid off for her. That kind of proactive thinking… it was something he needed to hone. "I'm glad we did this. Thanks again." he offered a hand to her, which she quickly accepted. Although her grip was firm, he was quick to adjust his own.

"In that case, I'll be sure to have my eye on you." Although her response was good natured, it carried a somewhat analytical tone to it. "I'd be happy to have a rematch another time." she added on as the two began to separate.

Ash's lips curved up. "Why, because you won?"

"Only partly." she teased before turning to the door. Looking back at him and Tyrunt, she offered a polite wave. "I'm going back in for now. Let me know if you want to talk." Ash and Tyrunt waved back before she disappeared through the door.

Letting out a deep sigh, Ash looked down at the rock/dragon type with an almost tired grin. "Guess we got our work cut off for us, huh? We're not the only ones who are doing this well." the dinosaur's tail brushed against the pavement, as he nodded, before he leaned downward to accept Ash's pat on the head. "We'll enjoy our time here while we can, because once we leave and get back to work, our gloves are coming off." The duo made their way to the door.

Two months was a longer time than it sounded, but it was a passing second to any veteran looking back at the past. A simple footnote in a long career.

Everything that had happened so far had all been the simple, opening pages of a book. The beyond rocky start, the travels through forest, roads, and cavern and the encounters along the way with four fellow rookies that all, in different ways, had something that he didn't. Something that he needed. Each experience was all so fundamental, yet the longer time flew by, the more they would feel like a passing second.

Because two months was only a fraction of a year. And the remaining Season to come, and the gigantic tournament that awaited at the end, would simply be the prologue to a legend.