Chương 47: Gold

These Silver Eyes

"Congratulations on making Top 8, Silver," Lorelei said warmly, pulling me into a firm hug. She squeezed me gently, placing a kiss on my forehead. I rolled my eyes.

"I take it you missed me?" I asked in amusement, watching the way she shamelessly showed her cheek. With little thought, I just kissed her, getting a pleased smile out of my aunt.

"Of course. I've been watching all your battles, and I'm impressed, but now you face the toughest challenge yet." I nodded readily.

"My opponent is Gold… he's a tough one, with a primarily aggressive style of fighting. I have my work cut out for me." The battle between Gold would be fast, because that's just how they tended to be. Battles against him tended to end the quickest in our group, whether that be because he won or the other did. One thing was for sure: fighting Gold was always a banger.

"I will not hold you for long. I would just like to discuss your behavior in this league. Striking interviewers?!" she questioned in mild amazement, mild horror, lots of disapproval.

"It's good, no? This way, I can build an image of someone who requires good questions, or they won't get anything outta me… not that they'll get anything outta me, anyway." Lorelei grasped her head and let out a slow breath.

"I suppose if that is your brand… it is acceptable. Not to mention, you've become a crowd favorite. You invigorate the crowd in your own way." I huffed in amusement.

"It's entertaining. Some boos are genuine, but a lot of them are doing it for fun."

"Only you," Lorelei murmured. I chuckled.

"You've been enjoying your time with Mars?" I asked. My aunt readily nodded.

"I love her as much as I love you! She's adorable… It's obvious to see she longed for affection and family, so I will shower her in it." Lorelei looked conflicted for a moment.

"I thought of giving her a starter for the beginning of her journey, seeing as I'm her sponsor, but do you think that would be too overbearing? She'd already have a third…" I snorted.

"I think it's fine. Besides, considering how much you've been pestering me, you can just knock out an ice type for her early in her journey," I informed her. Lorelei flushed slightly.

"I still can't believe you don't have a single Ice type. Don't you love your aunt at all?" she questioned. She got a groan out of me.

"Of all the things to guilt-trip me about… my lack of an Ice type is what you focus on? There are a few ice types I wouldn't mind having, but I haven't gone out of my way to search for one," I assured her. Lorelei stared at me.

"So it's not that you hate the Ice type, it's just the specific one you would want isn't something you'd find easily?" I nodded thoughtfully. My primary choice for an ice type was Sneasel, which was probably not the best choice anymore. After that, it had been Swinub, until I realized I could not stand ground types. Now? I didn't particularly care. With my primary options out of the window, the Ice type wasn't one I was paying too much attention to. Lorelei nodded.

"I already identified the ice type Mars would have the best synergy with… is that fair?" she asked curiously.

"Aunt, it's fine. You'll be a great sponsor to Mars, and you're overthinking it. You managed to win me over, so everything else should be way easier," I chuckled. To think of all the things that would get Lorelei nervous, it would be this. She had plowed through every obstacle in her way of getting to know me, but finally being at the stage where she had family to accept her had thrown her for a loop.

"You're right, I'm overthinking it. I will bring up the idea of giving Mars a starter and see if she's fine with it. She already has two pokemon, so a third would give her half a party already… I understand most trainers would prefer to catch their own... and three pokemon can be a bit much," she muttered thoughtfully.

"I had 5 pokemon before officially starting my journey," I supplied helpfully.

"Not helping, Silver," she sighed. I chuckled.

"Mars isn't as independent as I am. She'll appreciate the help, trust me." Lorelei nodded strongly.

"Right… okay, you're right!" I pat her head.

"So, what did you get her? A Lapras?" I mused. My aunt shook her head.

"No… that is simply a tradition my family likes to follow. I was lucky that Lapras and I were a perfect match, but truthfully, I wouldn't even give you a Lapras. I've secured her a Snorunt." I felt my eyes widen slightly.

"Oh? A Snorunt from your Froslass?"

"Precisely. I believe Mars and Froslass would be a wonderful duo." Man… Mars really was a nepo baby. Getting a Snorunt hatched from a master-level Froslass… and not just any master-level Froslass, one that belonged to an Elite 4 member. Good for her. My twin would be strong. Regardless of what pokemon she had, I would ensure it.

"I've held you long enough. Gold is someone you will need intense preparation for. I know you aren't scouting them, but still, some time to yourself is necessary," Lorelei murmured, pushing me off. I chuckled.

"It'll be a banger, that much is true. Gold will be my toughest challenge by far... maybe even in this whole tournament. If you get sucked into his style, the match'll be over in an instant." Lorelei nodded.

"But you've prepared for it?" I smiled.

"Of course I have. Will it work 100%? Probably not... but I've got a strategy for Gold, and I'll stick to it... until he throws things outta sorts at least."

"I'll be rooting for you, Silver. You've already made me proud with your performance, but continue to prove that my hunch was correct," Lorelei said proudly. I shot her a fond look, pulling my aunt into a tight hug.

"Did you seriously buy an entire island for a family of 3? What's wrong with you?" I asked. She twitched.

"Get out! You're so random!" I laughed mockingly, letting her push me out of the room.

"If it isn't my little tyke!" Gold made it a point to groan, despite the smile forming on his face, as his mother dragged him into a tight and affectionate hug.

"Mom... you actually showed up!" he exclaimed.

"What? You didn't think your old lady would come watch her son put on a show?!" Amber asked, removing her son's hat to ruffle his wild hair.

"Ugh! Stop that," Gold complained, shoving her hand away.

"Nah. I haven't seen my son in the flesh for how long now? I'll do what I want!" Amber said, casually bulldozing his efforts to push her away. She hoisted him up with a sharp grin, effortlessly holding her son up. Gold struggled feebly. His mom was way too strong for her own good.

"Put me down, Mom! This is dehumanizing!" he hissed.

"Who taught you that word?!" Amber asked in surprise, eyes wide in genuine disbelief.

"Shut up!" he hissed. She cackled loudly.

"You know, your father used to say the same things!

"Oh, Amber, you're so emasculating. I wanna name our son Ethan, wah wah wah. What about Jimmy? wah wah wah!" I'm the one who held you for 9 months, we go with my name!" Gold groaned.

"Maybe he had a point bailing..." he mused. Amber chuckled deeply.

"Is my little squirt planning on turning tail, too?" she asked curiously, placing her son down and inspecting him head to toe. The woman quickly came to a decision.

"Nah, you're my son through and through. You ain't no coward!" Gold rolled his eyes.

"As if I could leave you behind. You'd tear the world apart looking for me, and then you'd tear me apart..." he sighed. The two paused for a brief moment before breaking out into twin cackles. They even laughed the same. Amber sobered up and pulled him into a far more tender hug.

"You alright, kiddo?" she asked quietly, showing a side of herself that was reserved exclusively for her son. Gold wavered ever so slightly before letting out a deeper sigh.

"I'm hanging in there. I've got a lot to talk about after the League," he admitted, sinking into her as he dropped his defenses. Amber could tell her son wasn't completely okay. Gold was as proud as she was, scarcely showing weakness... but he was still her son.

"I get it... You and your gang have been through a lot," she soothed, raking a hand against her son's hair with a soft expression. He nodded in her direction.

"My gang's hurting, and we've all been fairly silent about it... But at least I can try to keep the mood light until we reach the point where we can talk." Amber exhaled. Gold had always been an intelligent fellow in his own way. He was unique like that, something she had never discouraged.

"Don't think you're too old to talk to your mom. After this League, I'll be there too, alright?" she said sternly. Gold took a deep breath.

"I missed you, Mom." Amber smiled with no teeth before saying, "I missed you, too, Squirt." Heartfelt reunion out of the way, Amber took a step back and cackled, fiery personality on display once more.

"Now you've got a battle to prep for, don't you?! You're up against a member of your gang!"

"Last time I battled Silver, I was stronger than him... but I'm not dumb enough to think he hasn't caught up. He's a freak when it comes to training, inventing strategies that he always shares with us. Thinking he hasn't caught up will end up with me losing... so I'll go all out from the start!" Gold assured, grinning savagely. The two had matching grins. It was equally wild, teeth gleaming but paling in comparison to the golden and yellow eyes both possessed.

"Silver's tough. He's gonna use that brain of his to slow me down, but I've got him as scouted as he's got me! I may not know all he learned... but he hasn't learned everything about me either!"

"That's my boy! Give 'em hell! Focus on the victory now, and then the hard stuff later!" Amber encouraged.

"You bet I will!" Gold exclaimed. The two hugged each other once more, excitement coursing through them at the upcoming battle.

"Explotaro." The Typhlosion glanced up, meeting eyes with Larvitaro. The Tyranitar glanced at him, imposing as always.

"Hm?" Explotaro questioned.

"Don't allow your fondness for our opponent to cloud your judgment like last time we faced them," he warned.

"Explotaro is a true warrior, Larvitaro. Do not condemn him for hesitating against an ally in distress," Scytaro interjected immediately. Ataro leapt atop Larvitaro's shoulder, patting the unamused pokemon's back.

"Yeah! We can't blame him for holding back against Gaia. The whole reason we came here is because of her, so of course, Explotaro wouldn't wanna go all out against her." The Tyranitar scoffed.

"That's why I'm telling him. There's no excuse now. We're going to win against Silver and win this entire thing."

"You're speaking to the wind, Larvitaro," Wartaro chimed helpfully, curling into himself. The Braviary's eyes twinkled in amusement, staring at the belligerent Tyranitar with mischief.

"Indeed. We will win," was Kintaro's simple response. Larvitaro did not look content with their words. If anything, the Tyranitar looked even more displeased.

"Larvitaro." He paused, turning towards the utterly relaxed Explotaro.

"We got Gaia and Silver back... and the respect I have for those two prevents me from holding back in a competition like this." The Typhlosion let loose a gentle exhale of fire. Balancing a lavender flame atop his paw.

"Let's win this battle," he said. Larvitaro grinned fiercely.

"Spoken like a true leader! Let's win this war!" Kintaro scoffed, eyes brimming in excitement.

"We will do what we are required. This will be a battle worthy of history! Let us all do our part in cementing it!" All the pokemon let out their own fierce cries, all united under the same goal.

"You alright, Gaia?" Gaia perked up, turning towards Loki with a curious expression.

"Why do you ask?" she questioned. Loki smiled in mild amusement.

"We're going against your friend. I just wanna see if your head is in the game." Gaia scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Of course it is! This won't be like last time... Now, I wanna battle them, and I'll go all out if I have to!" A vine snaked out of her and poked the visibly amused Loki warningly.

"Don't test my resolve, Loki! We're gonna win this battle, so focus on yourself!" she hmphed.

"Right, right... my apologies, your highness," Loki said dryly.

"Stop messing with me!" Gaia exclaimed.

"Loki's messing with Gaia? Seems like we're definitely gonna win if he's this playful!" Freyja crooned, eyes gleaming in excitement at the prospect of battle.

"You doubted before? Of course you would. It seems the weakness you possessed as a mere fish still plagues you," Ares scoffed, sneering in contempt. Freyja's eye twitched. The Milotic regally turned towards the only pokemon of the team who could claim to be close to her size and hissed balefully.

"You should be glad that we've been so focused on winning this whole thing. I can't wait to teach you a lesson." Ares snarled in return.

"If not for the fact that I respected my Vassal so, I'd have eviscerated you on the spot." No one would mention that even Ares feared an upset Silver. Getting their trainer peeved was something they all avoided doing.

"This will likely be one of the more difficult battles. Do not be afraid to diverge from the plan if the battle against the golden one grows rowdy," Metagross reminded.

"Yeah... Gold's eccentric. The match will be fast and brutal if he has anything to say about it... so look alive," Loki added.

"Fighting Gold is stressful. It feels like you either win in 5 seconds or lose in 5 seconds," Oberon sighed.

"That's because that's how they are," Gaia nodded. Ares grinned in a feral manner.

"That is why the battles against him are most enjoyable. Let us savor this fight as my Vassal no doubt will."

"We'll win this!" Gaia shouted excitedly.

"Yes! We'll win this battle!" Freyja nodded eagerly.

"Excellent. I need not say anything else, then," Metagross rumbled, ignoring the dancing Arachne.

"Win, Big Spider!" she beamed.

"Naturally," Metagross replied.

"Good luck, you all!" Apollo cheered.

"Kick his ass!" Ifrit jumped happily. Loki chuckled, only for his eyes to focus on the figure in front of him.

"Good luck, Teacher," Achlys bowed. He smiled, tapping her head with a single claw.

"Watch us and learn. All of you little ones will be right next to us sooner or later," he assured. Achlys nodded strongly. The other little ones followed suit.

"I'll become one of the strongest. Watch me!" Ifrit swore.

"We'll get there, bro!" Apollo cheered.

"Arachne will become powerful!" Arachne danced in agreement. Metagross scoffed.

"Indeed. There is nothing else to say." Gaia nodded happily.

"Let's prepare then!" Mars: I know you ain't watch em, but just thought you should know Crystal and Green both won their matches 6-4 and 6-3 respectively. You: Thanks. You'll be watching my battle? Mars: I'm in the crowd for this one right next to Jasmine and Janine. Tear the roof down, alright? You: Watch me. I pocketed my Pokegear, taking a deep breath. For this battle, I was in the first outfit I woke up in, decked out even in those violet pants. Was I a fan of them? Not really... but this felt fitting.

My opponent was Gold, my counterpart... my reluctant brother from another mother. This battle was going to be fun because all my battles with Gold were always fun, even when I lost some of them. But there was no losing this one. I wanted to win. I wouldn't kid myself into thinking this was fair. Gold and I at minimum deserved a Top 4 match... but that was just how things happened. Either of us could have easily won this entire tournament, but the world didn't know us yet.

All that was left was to battle it out and win. Then, the world would know exactly who we were. I stood up. My head ran through dozens of thoughts, my body went through all sorts of motions, and I grinned in actual excitement. This is what I was waiting for, so there was no more stalling. It was time to start the Top 8 in earnest.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! ARE YOU READY FOR THE FINAL MATCH OF THE TOP 8?!" The stadium trembled with life, every seat jampacked with thousands of fans. It was like a colony that was in complete harmony with one another, all drawn to the luster of pokemon battles. This crowd felt different. I could see shoddy signs, hastily made due to the sudden surge in our popularity:"Go Go Gold!"

"Get them Silver!"

"SHOW US GAIA!"

"WE WANNA SEE ATARO!" It was fascinating. The air was utterly electric from humans and pokemon alike. Vendors trudged down the aisle, offering their products to whoever was interested. Pokemon of all types leaned forward in anticipation, mimicking whoever brought them to witness this. A Pachirisu here, a Cleffa sitting atop someone's head... a Tyrogue leaning forward to the point where it nearly fell. Similarly, I could see all manner of devices out, ready to record the upcoming battle to their heart's content.

At the railings, where no seats were available, I could see trainers, both young and old, watching with a disturbing amount of focus, Pokémon right next to them to learn as well. Whether it be to learn, or to understand what made us different from other rookies... This wasn't like the previous rounds. This was the Top 8, a proper main event that required a seemingly proper crowd. And their definition of proper was to be absolutely ballistic.

They reacted like a single organism, all here for one thing and one thing only... The main eventers. Standing across from me, basking in it all with a confident grin, was my counterpart. Gold. We were both confident in our own ways. All of us were exceedingly confident if you really thought about it... We just had different ways of showing it. Gold's confidence lay in his mannerisms: the easygoing grin, the leisurely stance, the glimmer in his eyes. He was someone who would let the crowd build his momentum.

My confidence also lay in my mannerisms; how I didn't show anything, my insults, the self-assuredness that bordered on arrogance. I was able to easily ignore the outside noise; that's why I encouraged the booing. Made things more interesting. We were very similar, just on different ends of the spectrum. Gold's loud confidence could be perceived as cockiness, while my cold bite could be viewed as arrogance. A fine line... one that rested on the person to prove.

His goggles rested neatly on his weathered backwards cap, quiff sticking perfectly through the hole. Like me, he was wearing his default outfit, the red of his jacket glowing a little brighter than the one that had been worn out from journeying all around. His golden eyes stared me down, shining even brighter than the lights above us. The pulse in the air coursed through me as our eyes met, and we both smiled in our own way, his grin and my smirk.

"You know... I always envisioned us meeting in the finals! Gold and Silver... fighting for first and second," Gold said easily, eyes flashing. At his words, the rambunctious crowd all stopped. The noise would never go away completely, but they did their best to hear every word we had to say. I nodded in agreement.

"They made a mistake pairing us this early... so let's show them." Gold cackled.

"You and me... we really are thinking the same thing! Win or lose, we'll make them realize that they messed up making us battle this early." My smirk widened.

"Yeah they did, Hero. This battle is one no one is going to forget."

"You got that right!" Gold turned to the crowd, eyes glowing with that effortless charisma of his. He was the best at that in our gang, wielding a boundless confidence matched with a personality that didn't come off as obnoxious... unless you were me. By sheer personality alone, Gold was a favorite in this tournament. He was like the Lances of the world, able to sway a crowd to his cause with charisma alone. If he ever chose to be a Champion, he'd take to it like a fish in water.

"Watch closely, all of you! We'll show you exactly what Colors is made of... and afterwards, any doubt you had is gonna be silenced!" he assured cockily. I adjusted my gloves idly.

"This era belongs to us. Step aside or get trampled underneath... Colors is a name the whole world will know about," I said confidently.

"What a bold declaration of war by Gold and Silver! Is this the confidence of truly exceptional trainers... or the brash words of children?!" the announcer asked boldly. Gold and I both rolled our eyes.

"Just wait and see," we said in unison. With that, the referee stepped up.

"This will be a six-on-six match to determine who will advance to the Top 4!"

"On the red side, hailing from New Bark Town, Gold Hibiki!" The announcer chose that moment to speak.

"Trainer Gold has had one of the most impressive showings of this tournament! He holds the record of the fastest Top 16 battle, only utilizing three pokemon the entire tournament to get to this stage!" Gold basked in the crowd, a small grin on his face. The noise they made for him was deafening, almost all cheers filling the arena.

"Yeah... I'm fired up!" he exclaimed, eyes blazing in excitement.

"On the green side, hailing from Viridian City, Silver!"

"The ever-controversial Silver! Growing as many critics as fans, he's blazed his way through this competition with a level of comfort that shows he hasn't even warmed up yet! Equipped with smart strategies and an even smarter mouth... will Silver's tactical mind be a match for Gold's unrelenting aggression?!" Much like the announcer stated, my controversial status was met with a cacophony of cheers and boos, all vying for dominance to the point where I could not tell who was coming out on top.

My reaction, while not as positive as Gold's, was even louder. Controversy got reactions after all... and I might have been the most controversial trainer in recent times.

"C'mon now. Have some of you been converted into fans? You've been losing to the cheers," I sighed. A smirk made its way to my face.

"Why, I can't help but think you guys want me to win." The reaction was immediate.

"GET HIM, GOLD! PUT THAT COCKY BRAT IN HIS PLACE!" Gold let out a boisterous laugh.

"Is this what you've been doing all tournament, you dick?! No wonder so many people talk about you!" I showed a small grin myself, only part of my teeth showing.

"You saw the interview; I've gotta enjoy myself somehow. I'm not free entertainment for these assholes after all."

"THIS IS WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT! HE'S SO ARROGANT!"

"WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!" I chuckled shortly, bouncing on the balls of my feet slightly, but not enough to make it obvious.

"Trainer Silver, you will release first!" I nodded easily. In an instant, the air between Gold and me sharpened into that competitive spark that not even the electric crowd could match. There was nothing like facing off against someone you truly considered your rival. It was a different kind of thrilling, the one that got your blood pumping as you prepared to fight for your life. I palmed a Luxury Ball easily, eyes narrowed into something dangerous.

Without any hesitation, I launched it forward, watching as my choice burst out of the ball.

"Oberon," I decided eventually, my Ursaring bursting out of the ball. Gold's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. He clenched an Ultra Ball before nodding to himself.

"Let's do this, Ataro!" Sending out his first pokemon... eh?

"Both contestants are set; Ambipom vs Ursaring... Begin!" Gold scoffed.

"Yeah, right! Ataro, use Fake Out!" I sucked my teeth, expecting that. Ataro blurred forward at tremendous speed, reaching Oberon before he could even act. The Ambipom grinned cheekily, tails reaching out and clapping together. The ensuing shockwave caused the air to shudder before the illusion dissipated, revealing the flinching Loki beneath. He only looked mildly displeased that the jig was up already, having faced Ataro countless times.

"Ingenious by Gold! Revealing the Illusion underneath... he certainly had Silver scouted!" Ataro leapt away immediately, a glint in his eyes as he avoided Loki's slashing claws. My eyes narrowed slightly as my Zoroark pursued. While Loki was my most agile pokemon, even he paled in comparison to how tricky and slippery Ataro was. The moment my first pokemon lunged, Gold's first was already on the move. Loki slashed downward, something Ataro twisted out of the way of.

It utilized its tail-hands to balance itself on the ground, choosing to lean into Loki's guard instead of backing away. Ataro raised one of its tails, gleaming with steel energy to bat it against Loki's head... to no success. Loki immediately leapt backwards, huffing with a small frown. Ataro was not a pokemon we wanted to fight up close. That was its element. Attempting to hit the Ambipom was a surefire way to pissing yourself off. Those tails gave it far too much dexterity and agility.

The Ambipom was a pokemon that consistently had Loki's number... not to mention.

"You're resisting Taunt to some degree," I pointed out. Ataro was using Agility to outpace Loki as well. Gold and Ataro grinned.

"You didn't think we'd just idle by and let you do whatever you wanted, right?! Taunt is the most frustrating aspect about facing Loki, so of course, we'd train for it." I expected that. Loki and I were still working on Imprison as well... I imagine not all of his pokemon were as resistant to Taunt as Ataro was, but for now...

"U-Turn," I decided eventually. Loki huffed in agreement before lunging at Ataro. Gold's eyes widened in some surprise at the move, not expecting it. Ataro wasn't either, crying out in surprise as Loki suddenly leapt into him. Before the Ambipom could retaliate, Loki flew to his ball, which I strapped to my arm. There was already another ball in my hand.

"Gaia." Cheers immediately rang out as Gaia burst out of the ball. She stamped the floor a few times, eyes narrowed as her vines snaked out.

"Due to the use of move, Zoroark is still a participant in the battle, but the contestants are now Ambipom vs Meganium... Begin!"

"Move, Ataro! Power-Up Punch whatever gets too close!" Gold barked. The Ambipom only had a moment to follow the order before a flurry of vines lunged at him. Agility was his saving grace as Gaia attempted to snatch him up and end the battle in an instant. Ataro hissed and batted one of the vines away, ensuring it didn't get a firm grasp on him at all. His tails continued to glow, batting away the vines.

The increase in power was notable, but there was nothing Ataro could do about it if he couldn't land a hit on Gaia. In an instant, the monkey slammed the floor with one of its powerful tails, halting its mad dash. The force not only stopped it from running into the column of grass courtesy of Grass Pledge, but it also allowed the Ambipom to leap over the lunging vines... Temporarily. Gaia was a wrecking ball of force who excelled against melee combatants.

Case in point, Ataro could only watch with wide eyes as a flurry of heat-seeking leaves attempted to cut through him. Evidently, Gold had had enough of the runaway strategy, but there was little he could do to get Ataro out of this situation... Or so I thought.

"Baton Pass, Ataro!" Gold barked, already holding out two Ultra Balls. My eyes widened in disbelief as Ataro glowed white, his body being sucked towards the Ultra Ball by a mystical force. The little shit of a monkey put his little stub of an arm under his eyes and stuck his tongue out. Then he disappeared into his ball. Both of Gold's Ultra Balls glowed white before he immediately released his next pokemon. Baton Pass was a strange move.

It was one of those moves that was only classified as a normal-type move because it was fucking confusing as hell. There were also a ton of psychic properties in the technique. That was the only explanation as to how the move could seemingly transfer "buffs" to another pokemon. It was a strange move, well on the line of esoteric. I watched grimly as Scytaro the Scizor burst out of the ball.

A white sheen covered it immediately before vanishing as quickly as it came, but judging by the gleam in her eyes, Scytaro was very pleased by what she had just gotten. Suddenly, all those Power-Up Punches were a lot scarier.

"And there it is! The strategy that Gold has utilized to make quick work of his competition! These two are clearly testing the water with each other! I wouldn't expect such tactics from rookies!" The announcer roared, his reaction causing the crowd to go ballistic.

"Seems like we both learned a couple of neat tricks, eh?" Gold asked, eyes glinting as Scytaro menacingly pinched its red claws. I huffed in mild annoyance.

"Seems like it. I'm impressed you had a similar thought process to me." Gold put up a peace sign.

"Your ideas help us think more! It's fun!"

"Due to his use of a move, Ambipom is still a participant in the battle, but the contestants are now Scizor vs Meganium... Begin!"

"Reflect!"

"Bullet Punch!" Scytaro, piggybacking off of both Ataro's Agility and Power-Up Punch, was a genuinely horrifying matchup for Gaia. I didn't expect Gold to utilize a substitution move as well. It wasn't something that quite went up his alley, but Ataro had always been his trickiest fighter. The Scizor moved at speeds that contradicted its normally slow pace. She moved forward with a single-minded focus, a sheen covering her claws. It took her no time at all to reach Gaia, who had already conjured a Reflect.

I clenched my jaw as that single Bullet Punch nearly shattered the shield. Ataro was a tricky one, but Scytaro definitely embodied Gold's bread and butter of relentless aggression.

"Sweet Scent." As Scytaro reared back to deliver another blow, she suddenly lagged from the powerful aroma filling the field. She hissed, shaking her head strongly and going through with the powerful Bullet Punch. Gaia wasted no time wrapping a flurry of vines around her. My Meganium hissed and spat out a Leech Seed, watching as it took root and began spreading across Scytaro's body. The Scizor only looked mildly disgruntled.

With no hesitation, she cut through Gaia's vines with a brutal chomp of her pincers before lunging forward again. This time her arms were crossed, and my eyes widened.

"That's right, X-Scissor, Scytaro!" Gold cheered, eyes glinting madly.

"Power up the aroma, Gaia! Knock it off balance!" I barked in warning. Two things happened. Gaia strengthened her Sweet Scent in hopes of slowing down the rampaging Scizor a little, while also conjuring a column of leaves, courtesy of Grass Pledge. Of course, it hardly did a thing, but it was just enough to veer the X-Scissor off course. Judging by Gaia's wail, though, it still hurt like a bitch. She was sent flying backwards, the sheer strength of Scizor bodily lifting her off the floor.

"A decisive hit that may have just turned the tide of the battle! Will Silver and Gaia be able to respond to Scytaro's overwhelming might?!" Gaia struggled to her feet, only to hiss in a panic as Scytaro blurred in front of her once more.

"Gaia, just toss it away!" I demanded, head running with ideas. She winced as another Bullet Punch sent her reeling backwards, but Gaia followed my orders. She wrapped a flurry of vines around Scytaro, and before the Scizor could cut through, my Meganium heaved and launched the bug type backwards.

"Don't let that slow you down, Agility! Get back in there and hit her with an X-Scissor!" Gold instructed loudly.

"Slow it down; Earthquake! Then use Sunny Day!" At my demand, Gaia bellowed fiercely, eyes narrowed in contempt. She reared backwards and slammed her forelegs on the ground, sending a shockwave through the floor that left it shaking. Scytaro's mad dash was interrupted by the trembling ground. The Scizor's wings flapped madly, eyes narrowed in annoyance, before immediately shifting into alarm as the sun above grew several degrees warmer.

"Synthesis!" Gold's eyes widened.

"We won't let her do whatever she's planning! Pick up the pace, Scytaro; Agility into Fury Cutter!" Scytaro made a mad dash to Gaia, whose body was glowing brightly, enhanced by the beaming sun above. She reached Gaia, eyes gleaming menacingly, and managed to cut into her once before I struck.

"Now, Gaia! Wrap the wings up!" I demanded. Gold's eyes widened in horror as the battered Gaia lashed out.

"You little sneak! You're trying to overheat her!" Scytaro hissed in distress, panic immediately coursing through her quickly heating body because Gaia was preventing the Scizor from flapping her wings. Without the ability to flap its wings, a Scizor couldn't regulate its own body temperature, which caused it to heat up quickly. Extreme cases even suggested that Scizor's melting point would be reached if the temperature were hot enough. They'd probably hate Hoenn's weather as much as I do.

But I digress, Scizor needed to flap its wings or its metallic body wouldn't be able to keep up... and considering I just activated Sunny Day, it was quickly going to reach critical levels of danger.

"Drain it, Gaia," I muttered. Draining the metal carapace of a Scizor would hardly give her any energy back, but it was better than nothing. Gold suddenly grinned.

"Razor Wind: Version 1!" Razor Wind: Version 1? I blinked in genuine confusion at that, only for my eyes to shoot open as more of Gaia's vines were shredded. She let out a shout of distress, while Scytaro immediately launched itself back, wings flapping erratically. All around her, a whirlwind stirred, the Scizor glaring harshly at my Meganium.

"C'mon, Silv! You aren't the only one who can think of stuff!" Gold teased, wagging his finger.

"Of course, I know Scytaro is weak to the heat! This is our counter to that!"

"What an incredible strategy! It's obvious that not only has Trainer Gold prepared for Scizor's weaknesses... he's prepared for Silver as well! These two are rivals in the truest sense of the word!" I was genuinely impressed by how genius a maneuver this was. Razor Wind was a move that stirred up whirlwinds that you could then fire off. But Gold and Scytaro weren't doing that... they were utilizing the initial phase of Razor Wind to not only form a barrier of sorts, but to help cool the Scizor off.

I could see its potential already. In the future, that move would be able to snuff out fires if mastered enough. Scytaro took a deep breath, satisfaction rolling off her in waves as the winds shredded the Leech Seed wrapped around her body. Not even the sun above seemed to be too much of a problem for it anymore.

"How long can you keep that up for, I wonder," I thought to myself. At this rate, Gaia would be overwhelmed by Scytaro. She was probably the biggest counter to my Meganium that Gold owned. Tough shell that was almost impossible to drain from, amazing type to resist everything Gaia could throw at her... This Razor Wind would probably chip away at Gaia once it got back to close range as well. It was a nightmare matchup... Well, before. There was a reason I placed so much hard work into Gaia.

It was for matchups like this.

"Get in there, Scytaro! Bullet Punch!" Gold roared.

"Reflect!" I barked right back, eyes gleaming wildly as Scytaro blazed forward, whirlwind shrieking as it followed. Gaia conjured the sheen, expecting it to be shattered in an instant this time. She hastily stepped backward, watching as Scytaro cracked it once more with a swift punch. She made to take another step, but shrieked instead as her opponent released a vicious Bug Buzz that ignored the Reflect.

"That's it! Break through and finish this! X-Scissor!" Gold demanded, eyes gleaming. Scytaro clicked her pincers menacingly, eyes narrowed like a true predator. It crashed against the barrier a second time with its shining claws—"Burn it." —And got a faceful of fire for its efforts. Gold's eyes widened in horror at that.

"W-What?!" he gaped, watching as Scytaro screeched in agony. The Scizor reeled back, immediately collapsing on the floor as the stored winds enhanced the flames Gaia fired at her. She huffed in exhaustion, panting with a victorious glimmer in her eyes as her opponent howled on the ground.

"You'll need to power up those winds more if you wanna put out flames instead of powering them, Gold," I advised, a smile on my face as the Scizor writhed about. In the future, Gold would be able to utilize that strategy to neutralize some flames fully. But Gold, and all of us, were still young. All of our ingenious strategies wouldn't bear fruit for a while, still fresh as they were, but they would. But I was also thinking of ingenious strategies that were slowly bearing fruit.

Fire did horrible, horrible things to Scizor beyond the pokemon being naturally weak to it. The wings it desperately flapped to keep itself cooled, were useless in the face of the tremendous temperatures, causing the pokemon's armor to heat up at speeds that were crippling. Anything heat-related was truly a Scizor's worst nightmare. Eventually, a beam of light hit Scytar, the stunned Gold returning her to the ball.

"Scizor is unable to battle! The winner of this round is Meganium!"

"There it is again! Trainer Silver is having Gaia utilize flames of all things! I've never seen a Meganium using fire, but it's super effective!"

"You're always cooking up something weird," Gold commented, pocketing Scytaro's ball with a small frown.

"I'll tell you about it after the battle. I've got a lotta fun things to share," I informed him, smiling as Gaia trotted back to my side, exhaustion running deep. I know she wanted to use Synthesis right now, but that was illegal. Using moves during the small intermission wasn't allowed. It allowed me to see just how roughed up she was. Scytaro had done a number on her to the point where I could see the faint glow of Overgrow.

"Even an intense battle won't get in the way of these two's friendship!" Gold seemed to be mulling something over, hand gliding over his Ultra Balls as he stared down Gaia. Finally, he came to a decision. He grabbed a ball and launched it forward with narrowed eyes.

"Explotaro, let's finish this fast!" I clicked my teeth a little, but my reaction was nothing compared to the crowd's as Gold's starter materialized.

"WHOA?! I CAN'T BELIEVE MY EYES!" The announcer shouted, his voice suggesting he was in genuine shock.

"What type of Typhlosion is this?! There have been rumors circulating that Trainer Gold has a strange Typhlosion... but we've not seen it since it was a Quilava!" Explotaro showed no reaction to the crowd's shocked shrieks. The relaxed fire-type merely locked gazes with Gaia and me before offering us an excited wave.

"It's good to see you, Explotaro," I greeted, waving right back.

"Ganium!" Gaia called out, eyes shining despite her tired expression.

"Ty," Explotaro said quietly, lavender flames billowing gently.

"Even the flames look different! They look similar... but I think we are witnessing something similar to Trainer Silver's Sneasel! Is this perhaps a never-before-seen variation of Typhlosion?! Just who are these trainers from Colors?!" Whispers exploded at the thought, people muttering to themselves. I saw dozens of pictures snapped in an instant, cameras rolling from professionals and bystanders, all trying to capture Explotaro's strangeness. Gold looked utterly at ease.

"Ready, Explotaro?!" he asked. The flames surrounding the Typhlosion billowed far more harshly, signifying that the strange pokemon was more than ready for battle.

"Both... Both contestants are set! Meganium vs... Typhlosion? Begin!" I ignored the rattled referee, eyes lasered in on the Typhlosion that was Gold's starter. This was the beautiful thing about battling my rivals. Gaia and Explotaro were our starters, yet we were throwing them out second. Similarly, we both threw out Ataro and Loki first. There was no bias on either of our sides. We were simply using the pokemon with the best odds of winning the battle.

It was something we all quickly learned, training nonstop at Saffron. Winning meant throwing out the best choice in a situation. Being greedy was a surefire way to lose. It's why I didn't hesitate to throw out Gaia against Ataro.

"Earthquake!" I barked immediately, eyes narrowed.

"Not on my watch! Airborne maneuvers!" Gold retorted. Gaia bellowed violently, rearing backwards to stamp on the ground. Her Earthquake was the weakest of the members of my team who knew the move, but my future visions for Gaia's use of it didn't truly care about the power... it would just be a welcome bonus. As the ground shook from the impact, I watched as Explotaro leapt into the air.

Part of me wondered what exactly airborne maneuvers meant, but I quickly found out as the Typhlosion launched itself even higher up with its explosive flames. Just the sheer firepower that a Typhlosion possessed was formidable, and Gold was utilizing it for more than just firing. It was a miniature Eruption... Gold was using miniature Eruptions to propel Explotaro upwards. Gold really wasn't fucking around. My Rival was utilizing techniques and strategies that I hadn't given him any advice on.

The Typhlosion looked utterly at ease, airborne like this. With no hesitation, it wagged one of its paws and conjured a flame, the same as the flames on its back. Most Typhlosion attacked very violently, firing flames from their mouths, or even the flames on their backs... but Explotaro almost seemed too refined for that. The pokemon was far more ethereal than his counterparts; the only sign he was attacking was the flames on its neck igniting. That wasn't to mention his flames were different too.

While he could fire the same explosive flames that a normal Typhlosion could, he much preferred those strange magenta flames that seemed naturally filled with just as much distortion as fire energy. Explotaro was honestly horrifying to face. It was also incredibly funny that all three of our starters were practically our polar opposites.

"Light Screen!" Gaia didn't even need the order. She summoned the mystical barrier, wincing as Explotaro's flames crashed right onto it. The Flamethrower, powered by the sun, shattered the Light Screen like glass, hitting my Meganium if she didn't already anticipate that. She had long stepped away, huffing tiredly.

"Keep up the pressure, Explotaro! If you don't, she'll heal!" Gold demanded. Explotaro was in full agreement. Flickers of flames formed around the pokemon before they chased the exhausted Gaia down. She wasn't given any time to think, just forced to move away from that strange move that Gold's Typhlosion had been capable of doing since evolution. My eyes narrowed as one of the flames tagged her, causing her to falter slightly.

"Grass Pledge around yourself! Block the flames!" I instructed.

"Fire Pledge, Explotaro! Use it to your advantage!" I ground my teeth in mild annoyance as both of them fired off the matching attacks. Grass Pledge was one of the few moves that could shield Gaia enough, but Gold was smart enough to use it to his advantage. Almost immediately, a sea of fire engulfed the entire battlefield as the two special moves clashed in a stunning display.

"I can't believe my eyes! Fire Pledge?! Grass Pledge?! These aren't moves you see or hear about every day... and you definitely don't see them both in the same match!" It was impressive that the announcer knew about the moves, but I imagine you needed a good bit of knowledge for that. Still, this was very aggravating. Gaia looked highly uncomfortable, shuffling away from the flames with a weary expression.

"Let's wrap this up, Explotaro! Shut her down!" Explotaro hissed in agreement, flames growing more violent. Without hesitation, his flames exploded outward, far more reminiscent of the standard Typhlosion. He got on all fours and fired an enormous Eruption, his healthy status ensuring the move was delivered with full power. Gaia had no place to run, as the enormous geyser of fire appeared from the sky. Fire, molten rocks... all of it careened towards her with intent to finish this, and I narrowed my eyes.

There was no way outta this situation so...

"Gaia, fuck it! Just use Frenzy Plant!" I barked, eyes glowing.

"Frenzy what?!" Gold gaped in surprise. The vivid green aura around her brightened, and Gaia set her feet, clenching her teeth even as the Eruption grew closer. Gaia and I had not mastered Frenzy Plant whatsoever. We had plans to visit Erika periodically, but for now, the move was fairly incomplete... Under normal conditions. Gaia and I found a loophole, though. Under the effects of Overgrow, she could fire off a far more complete version.

Right before the Eruption hit her, thick and massive roots, each adorned with vicious spikes, formed and fired off. They ripped the ground asunder, seeking to destroy everything in its path. Explotaro watched with wide eyes as the vines careened towards him, caught off guard by the technique. They smashed into him at the same time the Eruption collided with Gaia, getting twin shouts of agony out of them both.

I didn't have any belief that Gaia was surviving that one, just returning her to the ball with furrowed brows. While resistant, Explotaro was still as frail as a Typhlosion, and a move like Frenzy Plant was not something many pokemon could shrug off.

"Meganium is unable to battle! The winner of this round is Typhlosion!" The crowd, stunned by the usage of such crazy moves, took a moment to catch their bearings. Eventually, though, they roared their approval, chants of Gold's name ringing through the arena at his victory. But there were also people shouting in awe at the havoc that Frenzy Plant unleashed.

"I can't believe my eyes! Are these truly rookies?! Frenzy Plant is a move that only the highest calibre of trainers possess! Not just any grass type can attempt that move, but Gaia unleashes an utterly vicious one right before defeat!" Explotaro huffed, eyes smoldering a little at the injuries littered over his body. As a fire and ghost type, I could imagine that having him lose his temper might be even worse now.

"You really didn't slack off on your training," Gold commented, a glint in his eyes.

"Nope... I trained even harder than normal," I replied, grabbing a ball.

"Loki," I eventually decided, launching him out. Gold huffed at the sight of my Zoroark.

"No illusion?"

"Wouldn't have worked on you." He snorted.

"Yeah... that illusion wouldn't. You probably aren't talking about the rest, though." Loki and I had matching smirks, watching as Explotaro's gaze sharpened. These two had a bit of a rivalry, stemming all the way from my and Gold's first battle. This one was going to be intense...

"Explotaro, let's take him out here. He'll be tricky to face down the line," Gold said confidently, a grin on his face. Explotaro growled, crouching on all fours as the fire blazed even harsher. Loki huffed, eyes glinting as he prepared for the intense battle ahead.

"Make sure that doesn't happen, Loki," I told him calmly.

"Both contestants are set; Typhlosion vs Zoroark... Begin!" No orders were given before both Explotaro and Loki started moving. They were both blazingly fast, beginning their battle with a bang. Copies of Loki filled the fields, all perfect replicas. While not on the level of Double Team, something I would be teaching him later, it was impossible to tell which was the real one. Explotaro did not let it faze him.

Wispy embers formed all around him, crashing against every single copy of Loki and revealing that every single one of them was fake. His droopy ears twitched for a moment before fire engulfed the entire frame of his body. Utilizing the speed from the Flame Charge, Explotaro immediately dashed away from something that wasn't there. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Then, the Typhlosion exploded in every direction, Lava Plume reaching far and wide.

Loki hissed, Illusion faltering as the pain distracted him. The Lava Plume tagged him, singing his fur slightly and forcing my Zoroark to dash backwards. With no hesitation, he outstretched his arm and fired off a Dark Pulse, the purple wave careening towards Explotaro, who retaliated with a magenta Flamethrower. The two beams crashed into one another, neither making enough headway to keep the exchange going. Loki cancelled his technique first, darting away while balancing two Shadow Balls in his palms.

Explotaro hissed, standing upright and conjuring his own Shadow Balls. The two launched the murky orbs of distortion, watching as they once again cancelled each other out. I sucked my teeth in mild annoyance. Explotaro wasn't giving Loki an inch. All illusions just got bathed in fire until the real one was weeded out. Taunt didn't work out much either because, in the first place, Explotaro was hyper-aggressive. His calm stance did nothing to hide how perfectly he embodied Gold's philosophy.

"He doesn't wanna keep it close, Explotaro! Get in there with Wrecking Ball!" Gold demanded. My eyes narrowed.

"Agility, Loki. Make sure he doesn't do what he wants to do." Wrecking Ball? What the hell was Wrecking Ball— My eyes widened as Explotaro exploded in its usage of Flame Charge... but that wasn't all. That damn weasel curled perfectly into a ball, the flames still going, and charged. That clever bastard. Wrecking Ball was an aptly fitting name because the last thing I wanted to happen was getting hit by a flaming rollout that was going to get disgustingly fast.

"Move!" I barked, watching Loki lunge past the speeding bullet of hell. His eyes were wide in disbelief, a hiss of surprise escaping him as Explotaro blazed past him. That combination of Rollout and Flame Charge was horrifying. Explotaro wasn't even a close-range combatant... so I didn't think Gold would lean into that aspect of him. If I didn't stop this snowball, it would grow to catastrophic sizes. Explotaro pivoted easily in his ball shape, picking up even more speed as he attempted to bulldoze the wary Loki.

My Zoroark slipped into Agility, dashing swiftly to the left and hissing as the flames licked his fur.

"Dark Pulse!" I shouted, eyes narrowed. The worst part was that I couldn't even stop it with Torment. Gold completely thought up a counter for Loki's style. I knew the day would come, but for him to think of this made me view my rival in an even more positive light. The Dark Pulse halted Explotaro for such an insignificant amount of time, it wasn't even worth mentioning.

By now, the Wrecking Ball had ramped up to a level that was reaching critical, and it was beelining towards my Zoroark at speeds that were becoming increasingly difficult to dodge, both from the ramping Rollout and Flame Charge. We needed to stop it somehow... Explotaro careened towards Loki once more, speed reaching critical levels. It smashed directly through Loki... and flew right through the Illusion. The real Loki appeared a ways away, blood in his eyes as he pulsed with a crimson aura.

He didn't quite stand in Explotaro's way, just in the direction it would eventually zoom past. Explotaro's speed was a curse, due to not being able to stop himself at such high velocities, but it was also a blessing because it only barely got clipped by the massive dome of Night Daze. Thankfully for me, the impact was enough to send it spinning out of control, the Typhlosion hissing in dissatisfaction at getting interrupted before it could reach max velocity.

He glared at the huffing Loki, panting himself at the slight damage taken from the Night Daze... Explotaro unexpectedly howled. Gash marks appeared on its midsection, and the ghost stumbled backwards, only to howl as another gash appeared on its back.

"What's this?! Explotaro seems to be sustaining random injuries! Could this be the work of Loki?!"

"Loki's invisible, Explotaro! Watch out!" Gold shouted in concern. Explotaro gazed around wildly, exploding in flames to ward off the invisible foe... but the Typhlosion simply let out another shriek as a Dark Pulse crashed into its sternum. The explosion of flames didn't fail; Loki simply weathered the damage. He phased back into existence from the pain, panting with singed fur. Despite that, he lunged forward once more to deliver a strike.

He quickly aborted that plan, however, backing away as Explotaro erupted in magenta flames. I frowned grimly, watching the orange aura surrounding Gold's starter. In the games, the starter's abilities weren't all that, but here, they were so fucking troublesome.

"Alright, Explotaro! We're all fired up, huh?!" Gold grinned, eyes blazing in time with his starter. Explotaro growled lowly, eyes focused on the burned Loki. Loki just huffed, weaving more illusions of himself. Without any hesitation, he summoned a barrage of those Magenta flames, firing them indiscriminately. They attempted to pick out every Zoroark with prejudice. I sucked my teeth in annoyance as they crashed all on the battlefield. I knew Explotaro was going to be troublesome, but this was too troublesome.

"Loki." I didn't say anything else, but every Loki nodded. Right now, it was time to leave this battle to someone else—"Not so fast, Silver! Explotaro, now's the perfect time, use Heat Wave!" Gold shouted victoriously. My eyes widened in dread as Explotaro followed the order with no hesitation. The Typhlosion glowed a vivid shade of orange before erupting in a gust of wind that went out in every direction. Loki had no hope of dodging the attack.

Powered by Blaze like it was, the Heat Wave covered the entire battlefield... not to mention the invisible U-Turn had launched him directly into Explotaro's path. Mayhem struck; every illusion was wiped from the face of the earth by the all-consuming Heat Wave, revealing the lone Loki who could only yowl as the attack showed him no mercy. His fur singed, something that would probably take more than a few days to grow back, and he collapsed as the Heat Wave finally let up. Explotaro panted.

The calm demeanor of the Fire-type was gone; his fur stood on end, his eyes wild as his aggression peaked, and he looked oh so similar to his counterpart. But the battle was over.

"Zoroark is unable to battle! The winner is Typhlosion."

"Unbelievable! What an amazing battle between Loki and Explotaro! The two threw everything at each other, but the strange Typhlosion has come out on top!"

"Alright! That's our first victory against Loki, buddy! Feels good, doesn't it?" Gold grinned, pumping a fist. Explotaro panted, the orange aura still glowing around him. Despite that, he nodded, a satisfied glint in his eyes. I clenched my jaw, holding out my ball and returning Loki. I didn't expect Explotaro to be so troublesome. Loki had always been able to win comfortably against him, but this time had been different. Explotaro's skillset in this battle had completely countered Loki...

and Gold even goaded me into using U-Turn.

"Troublesome Hero," I muttered, grabbing another ball.

"Everyone knows Loki's your most annoying pokemon. I know that the most!" Gold cackled, eyes flashing. I scoffed, tossing my next ball.

"Oberon." Gold's eyes narrowed as Oberon roared his arrival. The Ursaring's eyes lit up for a moment, and he waved at my opponent, quickly shifting into a more serious nature as Gold waved and smiled back. Seeing that Gold and I didn't have anything to exchange this time around, the Ref immediately put up his flag.

"Both contestants are set; Typhlosion vs Ursaring... Begin!" Explotaro hissed, immediately belching out a flurry of flames towards Oberon. The vivid orange aura blazed brightly, contrasting the Typhlosion's magenta flames in a stark, unique way. Oberon immediately roared, ripping up a boulder and placing it in front of him. The Flamethrower splashed against it, heating the rock but failing to do anything else.

"Bulldoze!" I barked, eyes narrowed. Explotaro needed to faint now. He was putting in far too much work.

"Vault it!" Gold shouted immediately, eyes narrowed as the ground shuddered from the impact. As Explotaro utilized its lithe and flexible body to avoid the Bulldoze from hampering it, the fire-type suddenly let out a yowl of surprise as the same rock it attempted to burn through smashed directly into its midsection. The Typhlosion gagged in surprise, his body falling towards the floor like a bird that had been picked out of the sky.

Much to my disbelief, Explotaro slowly pulled himself to his feet, prompting me to narrow my eyes.

"Earthquake," I said firmly.

"Will-O-Wisp!" My eyes flew open at the command. Right as Oberon smashed his fist onto the ground, a frustratingly familiar magenta flame hit him square in the stomach, immediately causing patches of his fur to darken. I watched with a clenched jaw as almost all of Oberon's focus was shattered at the activation of Guts. He let out a roar, eyes bulging in time with his muscles.

"Typhlosion is unable to battle. The winner of this round is Ursaring!"

"And finally, Explotaro goes down! What an incredible display by that strange Typhlosion! I still don't have the slightest idea of what it is! But I do know one thing, he's a formidable foe!" I sucked my teeth.

"Breathe, Oberon! Focus on my voice to the best of your ability!" Considering he was still fresh, it helped... But Oberon was steadily going to lose control of himself. Even with Guts activated, it was more of a double-edged sword. He'd get a tremendous boost in strength, enough that he'd be able to ignore the burns on his body somewhat, but Guts spiked his adrenaline. And we didn't quite train in keeping calm under Guts. Considering Gold so boldly burned Oberon, despite knowing he had Guts...

I had an inkling who was coming out next. I clicked my teeth in annoyance, as true to my belief, Gold chose Ataro to take the field. The Ambipom looked far more pleased to be facing Oberon, regardless of the boost he got from Guts.

"Both contestants are set! Ursaring vs Ambipom... Begin!" Ataro launched himself forward with a boost of his tail. Streaks followed after him as he slipped into Agility.

"Swift!" I barked.

"Not a chance! Fake out!" I clenched my jaw as Oberon's stars were temporarily dodged by Ataro, the monkey leaping at him and unleashing a shockwave that temporarily stunned him. Then, he somersaulted, launching out an even larger array of stars that clashed with Oberon's Swift. Technician, one of the many, many reasons Ataro was so insufferable to fight against. His playful and silly demeanor was mostly a hoax because in battle, Ataro was clinical, and Technician was the reason why.

Pokemon with Technician were practically born for battle. They saw better, moved easier, channeled their energy better... It made them so adept at battle that they could even power up moves that were typically weaker. It was like comparing a brawler to a martial artist. Technicians just knew how to utilize their moves better. That's why Loki had such a difficult time fighting him close ranged. Ataro launched himself at Oberon with a confidence befitting Gold's first pokemon.

If he was afraid to be facing my monster of a bear in close quarters, he didn't show it. It was for good reason, too. If Loki couldn't land a proper hit, Oberon almost didn't stand a chance. Oberon swung a glowing Brick Break, and Ataro seemed to read the maneuver as if it were in slow motion. As the fist neared, the Ambipom shifted ever so slightly, fist grazing past fur instead of crushing bone. His tails immediately lashed out in a Double Hit.

One hit the overextended arm, hitting a particularly sensitive spot that caused Oberon to roar in confusion and pain. The other tail gut checked my Ursaring. The hit was not strong... but precise, and that was the core issue of facing a Technician user. I clenched my jaw.

"Scary Face, Oberon. Slow it down!"

"Nope! Taunt, Ataro!" Gold said. There was playing with fire, and there was shoving your entire arm into it. Gold was lava bathing. Pissing off Oberon to such a degree was a calculated risk that he was taking because the guy was confident he could maneuver around it. The reason battles with Gold tended to end so quickly was that he was a real-life limit tester. No sane person would goad an Ursaring with anger issues like this. But Gold wasn't the most sane around... It worked out well for him.

Oberon's veins bulged. With the Taunt active, trying to get him to rein in his temper was a hopeless endeavor. The agile monkey deftly avoided every single blow, Ataro playing on a fine rope as he just barely managed to avoid each hit every single time, retaliating with a glancing blow that only further served to infuriate him.

"Keep up the pressure, Ataro! Step back and Thunderbolt!" I grit my teeth.

"Guard up, Oberon!" No dice. He ignored my order and took a step forward, only for a bolt of electricity to stop him in his tracks. I needed to work around this. This was impossible.

"Oberon! Switch tactics! Grappler!" I barked, hoping my voice could pierce the fog of his rage. My raging Ursaring lunged, only for Ataro to leap over the tackle. As he hovered above Oberon, the Ambipom immediately slapped one of his metallic tails directly onto his back, temporarily flooring him.

"Ataro is running circles around Oberon! What can he do?!" Oberon let out a hellish snarl from the Iron Tail, rage masking the pain he was in. Without any hesitation, he raised a fist and slammed it on the ground. The effects were immediate. Oberon had the strongest Earthquake of my team after all. Not even Ataro was capable of keeping his balance during the tremors. He slipped for half a second, hissing in shock as Oberon capitalized on the situation.

If not for the difference in speed, Ataro would have been flattened onto the ground, but the Ambipom just barely, this time with actual exertion, dodged the attack. Oberon was relentless; he continued swinging wildly at Ataro, who was weaving between each attack like they were instant death. There was a more frantic air to the Ambipom as Oberon placed him on the back foot.

"Alright, Ataro! Brick Break, you're faster!" Gold demanded, eyes narrowed. Ataro leaned in, tail glowing. With a startling lack of fear, he lunged forward, landing another solid blow directly onto Oberon's gut and doubling my Ursaring over. The Ambipom grinned fiercely, only to furrow nonexistent brows as it ran into a particular problem. That being it could not recall the tail buried in Oberon's gut.

It took a brief second for the horror to settle in, but Ataro's grin finally fell off his face in favor of terror as Oberon grabbed his tail. The expression on Oberon's face looked more befitting of a serial killer than my gentle little bear.

"Ah shit," Gold said for both of them, getting a gasp of shock out of the crowd. Before he could even think to let out an order, Oberon hoisted Ataro off the floor. His muscles bulged, and he slammed Ataro on the floor so harshly that I felt a little surprised he didn't perform another Earthquake at the impact. The force bounced Ataro off the floor with a piercing cry, but Oberon was far past the point of mercy.

He began the process of treating Ataro like a toy, dangling him by just the tail and repeatedly slamming him on the floor. The crowd winced back at every impact, pity in their eyes at the thrashing Ataro was being put through.

"Oberon, you need to finish this with Brick Break!" I barked, eyes narrowed. Oberon snarled, ignoring my orders and making my eyes narrow even further.

"Oberon!" I said firmly. He tensed before begrudgingly following my order, he hoisted Ataro up, fist poised to decapitate the monkey nearly—"Ataro, now! Screech!" Gold shouted. Oberon let out a roar at the piercing screech, dropping Ataro on instinct. His hands reached up to grab his ears, dropping his guard for a second too long.

"Let's finish this while we have the chance! Last Resort!" Gold roared. A battered and bruised Ataro howled his agreement. He looked like he had seen better days; one of his eyes was shut, and cuts littered his entire body. But that didn't prevent him from glowing a brilliant shade of gold. The monkey was putting its all into this attack.

"Oberon! You gotta hit him!" I demanded grimly. As if recognizing his costly mistake, Oberon gained a hint of clarity in his eyes. As Ataro gathered the necessary energy, Oberon gained a burst of energy and charged him, ignoring his own exhaustion in the process. The moment was tense and packed with high energy, my Ursaring lumbering after Gold's Ambipom with a vengeance. Right as Oberon's fist landed on Ataro's face, a massive star launched him backwards.

It carried him away from Ataro, not that such a thing was needed because even a glancing blow was enough to lift the Ambipom off the floor and send it flying in the opposite direction. I clenched my jaw as the Star finally exploded, the Last Resort doing a devastating amount of damage to my Ursaring. Ataro had dredged up a deep reserve of energy for that, fueling the Last Resort with sheer exhaustion.

Oberon collapsed on the floor; at the same time, Ataro shakily pulled himself up, huffing with enough force to shake his entire body.

"Ursaring is unable to battle. The winner of this round is Ambipom!"

"What a thrilling battle! Just like that, Silver is already down 3 pokemon! Will he mount a comeback, or will Gold take over?!" Gold huffed.

"I expected that to be easier. No offense, but we knew how to deal with Oberon... Didn't expect him to still be able to listen, though." I raked a gloved hand through my hair. Oberon was gonna feel guilty about that later on... but that was fine. Ataro was one of Gold's most underrated fighters for a reason. He was a nightmare for Oberon, even worse than for Loki. At least he got some hits in. He did far better than I expected, and the avenue for victory had actually been possible... That was okay.

Oberon was still learning how to control himself, and Gold took advantage of it. My rival was not above such things, little shit that he was. Well, that was fine. As the Hero of this story, Gold lacked the things that I, as the Antagonist, did. Aka, a phase 2. My gang could be the heroes of this game... I'm content with being the final boss.

"Ares." I watched Gold clench his jaw at that, a severe frown forming on his face as Ares howled her arrival to the heavens. She grinned wildly, wings flapping with no real force.

"And there she is! After devastating 3 of Ash Ketchum's pokemon, Ares has made her reappearance! Will this giant Salamence turn the tide?!" Ataro stared at Ares. Based on the look on his face, he was probably thinking that he didn't get paid enough for this.

"Both contestants are set; Ambipom vs Salamence... Begin!"

"Baton—,""Aerial Ace." Before Ataro could even think to swap out and restore his energy for a later battle, he was summarily lifted off the floor by the cruise missile named Ares. In an increasingly familiar sight, he splatted against the wall with a sickening thud, body peeling off of it before collapsing on the floor. Ares growled lowly under her breath, eyes trained on the unconscious Ataro with a predatory gleam.

I watched her muscles bulge up, but to my surprise, she had a far easier time getting it under control. I suppose experience really was the best teacher. Repeated applications of Moxie would help her better control it.

"Damn, was hoping to swap him out so she didn't get Moxie," he muttered.

"Ambipom is unable to battle. The winner of this round is Salamence!" Sending out Ares was a bit of a gamble, but I was hoping to goad Gold into releasing Larvitaro here. That was by far his most problematic pokemon to deal with because Tyranitar was just that fearsome a pokemon. Thick armor that even helped it against super effective moves, terrible strength... and a temper to boot that amplified all its strengths. Alas, Gold didn't fall for the bait.

I watched with surprise on my face as he sent out a familiar avian. Or well... it was supposed to be familiar.

"L-Ladies and gentlemen... You may find it difficult to believe, but seeing is believing, and I believe Trainer Gold has revealed yet ANOTHER variation of a pokemon we've never seen! Is that a Braviary?!" The announcer practically shrieked.

"What type of Braviary is that?!"

"I've never seen one before!"

"I'm telling you, these kids were made in a lab! Things are just lining up too well for this to be natural!"

"That's one way to get all eyes on you," I commented idly, staring at the unmistakable form of Wartaro. It was darker, the underside adorned with gray feathers instead of the original's blue. Similarly, the Braviary's striking red top feathers had been replaced by a shade of white akin to snow, giving it the appearance of a pokemon adjusted to the winter. Wartaro looked significantly larger than the average Braviary, a detail that was accentuated by the voluminous mane of feathers.

What was probably the most significant change was what looked like purple flames adorned with two blue markings. The goggles rested easily on said mane, the Braviary staring at us with a gleaming eye. So this was what Gold meant when he said something weird happened to Wartaro.

"I guess you have something to do with this," I noted.

"I'm surprised you're asking. Do you require information?"

"Hell no. I'll figure it out." Wartaro floated, feathers catching the night and enhancing its appearance as a type of winter bird.

"Let me tell you, man, preparing with Wartaro was a task and a half... but I've got it figured out!" Gold grinned. Wartaro cried in agreement. What was normally a bold, piercing screech was instead a low, echoing call. I shuddered at the noise, staring at my opponent with narrowed eyes.

"Three never-before-seen pokemon, all shared between these two young men! Who are they?! This is unimaginable!" I may have undershot how famous we were going to become after the League. I knew it was gonna happen because of our performances, but I didn't fully account for our Hisuian pokemon. Hm. Well, nothing to do but adjust. The referee honestly looked tired of being confused. I noticed that he was the guy who called all my matches. My heart went out to him... he was starting to look stressed.

"Both contestants are set! Salamence vs... Braviary. Begin!"

"Up." Both pokemon followed our orders, Ares reaching her domain first as she blazed through the sky. Wartaro's wings flapped, but it honestly didn't look like they were being used much for flight. I could tell they were, but it really looked as if the bird was floating. First things first... figuring out its typing.

"Tailwind!" Gold ordered.

"Match it," I muttered. The howling winds picked up, both the flying types summoning a wind. To my annoyance, it looked like Wartaro had a better mastery of the move than Ares did.

"Dragon Dance." She huffed, body coursing with turquoise energy as she swayed to a beat only she could hear.

"We won't let you do that for free! Calm Mind, Wartaro. Then, do that move you learned!" Gold grinned fiercely. Move he learned? Not to mention, I'm very sure Braviarys couldn't learn Calm Mind. My eyes narrowed as Wartaro glowed slightly. But that wasn't the end. Ares and I watched in equal levels of surprise as Wartaro let out a piercing cry, a torrent of violet and pink energy surging from its body. The bird spread its wings, the air shifting around it from the movement.

It rippled ever so slightly, the vivid energy causing the area to distort from the pressure. Finally, that energy converged onto the wings of the Braviary; Wartaro let out another deep cry before firing off a flurry of crescent blades. They soared through the air at tremendous speeds, getting a startled howl out of Ares, who zipped out of the way. She watched the blades fly by in confusion before her eyes narrowed. My head was running with thoughts, but Ares wasn't content to wait for me to come to my realizations.

She blazed forward at tremendous speeds, a trail following her as she attempted to mow Wartaro with an Aerial Ace. Wartaro shrieked, activating its own Aerial Ace. Salamence was kind of a Braviary's worst nightmare. They were physically more powerful and faster to boot. If the two ever encountered one another in the wild, the Braviary would have to be with its flock to stand a chance... But there was something strange about this Braviary.

If my hunches were correct, this thing had sacrificed its physical stats to dabble more in the mystical arts. Not to mention, it was far faster than a Braviary had any right to be. I would never expect one to be able to keep up with Ares; the gap in their proficiency in Tailwinds wasn't enough to close that gap. So how was Ataro able to avoid the Aerial Ace? Was it that move it did? I could still see bits of that pink aura around its wings...

"Ares, it's a psychic type," I said confidently. She twitched at my observation, not reacting any more than necessary to that.

"Not surprised you figured that out so fast. You're such a nerd," Gold muttered, eyes narrowed in contemplation.

"That's Crys," I drawled. He mulled it over and nodded.

"Yeah, you're right. Wartaro, Air Slash!" So like I suspected... Wartaro was not only a psychic now, but his physiology had also changed, leaning more towards emitting attacks. Dozens of blades of wind soared through the air, Wartaro playing keep away because no one wanted to get hit by a Salamence. Ares huffed, weaving the blades like they were second nature. She had genuinely become great at flying, to the point you'd think each of her forms had wings except her final form. Wartaro didn't let up.

He howled and fired off even more blades of wind, only to squawk in surprise as a litter of Dragon Pulses smashed into them. He glided out of the way, only for a Dragon Breath to smash into his gut. Ares took her opportunity like a shark, focusing the beam of draconic energy on the Braviary. Wartaro shrieked in annoyance, wings flooding with even more energy. He exploded in that storm of energy once more, dispersing the Dragon Breath with the raw power of that strange move.

Ares cut off her attack, already poised to move out of the way of the incoming crescent of blades. As she made to move away, she suddenly let out a cry of surprise, her body seizing up just long enough for the crescent blades to carve into her. Psychic? Tch, even now, Sabrina was haunting me. My Salamence let out a furious snarl, that strange attack gouging deep wounds into her. That didn't look painless at all, and I chanced a glance at Gold, eyes narrowed.

"Little sneak is using a psychic connection with Wartaro... those psychic abilities are the real deal," I muttered to myself.

"Ares, Rage." Rage was a move that I really didn't want Ares using as a Salamence. She already had a nasty temper, so willingly invoking it, especially while she was under the effects of Moxie, was a bad idea. Wartaro was a big boy, though; I didn't have to fear hurting him as badly as, say, one of Ash's pokemon. Ares' eyes pulsed, glazing over ever so slightly before she forcefully reapplied the Focus Energy as well.

"Wartaro specializes in ranged attacks, girl. Closing the distance is our best bet... but it won't make that easy," I muttered. Ares snarled in disagreement, snarling once and taking off towards the bird.

"Not so fast! Whirlwind!" Gold shouted aloud, for no reason other than to piss Ares off, I bet. A strong gust of wind coursed through the air, holding Ares at bay. Thankfully, it didn't force swap like its counterpart in the video games. It just prevented you from closing the distance depending on the strength. So this was Gold's answer to my Salamence... or Crystal's Dragonite. He really was the luckiest guy around because his normal Braviary would have been eaten alive by those two. I sucked my teeth slightly.

"Scary Face. Try to slow it down a bit." My command didn't really do anything. The heavy winds did a great job of blocking Ares' face, leaving Wartaro wholly unaffected. Hm... my eyes narrowed, and I waited for the right moment... the moment where the Whirlwind would get just a little weaker... Now.

"Fire Blast!" I barked suddenly. Ares howled in approval, flames licking her mouth. Without any hesitation, she unleashed the giant Fire Blast, sending it careening towards the waning winds. I watched with a glimmer as the already sizeable flames exploded into something mesmerizing for all arsonists. Wartaro, who had moved out of the way, squawked in shock at the size of the flames, enhanced by the waning winds. What was used as an attack to keep Ares away was something I turned to my advantage.

The Braviary shrieked as the attack connected in a blaze of glory; Ares grinned in a feral manner, flexing her wings and vanishing instantly. As Wartaro summoned a gale of wind to banish the fire, he was suddenly tackled out of the air by a giant Salamence.

"Crunch!" I barked, a violent gleam in my eyes. Gold's eyes widened at the order.

"Fly outta there, Wartaro! Don't let her grab you!" Wartaro let out a sharp cry at that and attempted to move, but the small window it took to clear the flames gave Ares ample time to reach her target. The look on her face as she approached the Braviary looked akin to a child receiving presents on Christmas. Ares eagerly clamped her shrouded teeth around Wartaro's neck, getting a shriek out of the bird. The size difference was appalling.

Braviary tended to outsize Salamence, and this variation looked even larger than that... but Ares was a real behemoth. She was noticeably larger than Wartaro, something she made evidently clear as she effortlessly wrangled the giant bird. I watched with a tiny grin as my opponents visibly panicked. Ares was currently having her way with the Braviary, shaking her head like Wartaro was a particularly fun chew toy.

"Nice, Ares. Dragon Pulse," I commanded. Gold's eyes widened even further.

"Superpower, Wartaro! Break out and then fling it down!" My eyes narrowed at the order. Was it still physically capable? The answer seemed to be yes because Wartaro glowed orange, growing larger as it channelled the Superpower. Ares let out a surprised growl of pain as Wartaro let out a herculean cry and forcefully launched her away with a particularly powerful beat of its wings. A trail of blood followed my Salamence, but that was also blown away as a powerful gale launched her further down.

To my surprise, Ares actually looked like she took a fair amount of damage from the Superpower... Enough where it was cause for concern. Braviary not only looked less physically dominant, but Superpower wasn't supposed to be effective against my Salamence.

"Was that Adaptability? No... I'm convinced it's a psychic type. Technician? No, Superpower is too strong for that. Then, Tinted Lens? Those goggles looked a little weird, and I can't think of another ability that would let a physically lacking psychic do moderate damage with a move that shouldn't be effective," I frowned. Tinted Lens was an ability that changed a pokemon's perception to a neurological level.

It allowed them to view the structural weaknesses of any pokemon it faced, giving it avenues to deal great damage. As a result, it allowed them to use what would normally be "not very effective" moves to a greater degree. I was willing to bet that this Braviary had Tinted Lens; I was also willing to bet that those goggles on its head weren't just for show.

"Perfect! Now, use Hurricane!" Gold roared. My eyes jolted open. It was as if Gold and I had been training our flyers in the same move... but his flyer just seemed a bit more adept at the moves.

"Protect!" A green barrier conjured around Ares just in time to defend against the utter mayhem that was Hurricane. Enhanced by the Whirlwind, which was probably why he was able to fire off the attack in the first place, the flying type move ripped the area asunder. While Ares was being protected, the winds didn't give her any avenue to move. Hurricane was a devastating move to deal with, which was exactly why I wanted to learn it. There were so many applications for it. Using Whirlwind to enhance it?

"Break that barrier, Wartaro!" Gold roared, eyes flashing. I grit my teeth as Wartaro surged with that same psychic storm. The battered Braviary shrieked its name to the heavens before unleashing a torrent of crescent blades towards Ares. She also grit her teeth as the first two formed cracks in the shield before the torrent of blades shattered it completely. We both snarled in annoyance at the plethora of blades carving into her tough body.

"Rock Tomb, Ares! Protect yourself!" I attempted to shout over the cacophony of noises. With the cutting winds, howling gale, and furious roars of both Ares and Wartaro, I wasn't even sure she heard me. But to my slight relief, I watched her massive tail smash down on the ground, shooting up giant rocks from the force. Ares wasted no time placing one of them in her path, avoiding getting any more cuts for the time being.

"Missiles!" I barked, eyes narrowed. There was a wild gleam in Ares' eyes, her blood pumping even harder than mine. Refusing to show any weakness from the concerning amount of injuries on her, my Salamence opened her mouth and unleashed a salvo of Dragon Pulses, all aimed at Wartaro.

"Dodge!" Gold demanded. Wartaro visibly panted, eyes narrowed at the attacks flying towards him. He swerved to the left, only to let out a shriek of annoyance as a stray Dragon Pulse clipped his wing. Undeterred, the Braviary continued to weave between all the attacks. Left, right, barrel rolling, utilizing psychic abilities... eventually, the Braviary got sick of it all and conjured another powerful gale of wind, blowing away the rest of the orbs.

So intent on blowing the rocks away, Wartaro didn't see the giant boulder careening towards him until it scored a direct hit. I watched the wind get knocked out of Wartaro, the force of the boulder stopping it dead in its tracks. Ares stared up, eyes pulsing a vivid shade of red. She flapped her wings once before taking off. I watched with a wild gleam as she summarily vanished, appearing directly in front of the winded Wartaro.

"Psychic, Wartaro!" Gold said urgently.

"Latch on!" I countered. Ares lashed out with her tail, wrapping it around the bird to ensure it couldn't get away. She squirmed slightly at the psychic pressure pushing at her, but held firmly. Then, she reached out and raked a vicious set of claws, laced in draconic energy, across his chest. Wartaro shrieked in a panic, struggles intensifying. They only grew more frantic as Ares dragged his body underneath her. She snarled at him, activating Scary Face and causing the bird to freeze for long enough.

Then, Ares began to descend at breakneck speeds. It really was a good thing pokemon were such durable creatures because I watched as Ares caused an Earthquake by the impact of her crashing Wartaro's body onto the ground. She landed with a thunderous boom, pieces of the ground shooting up from the force.

"Wartaro!" Gold shouted in concern. A plume of dust clouded both our visions, seeping through even the barrier to try and force a cough out of me. The cloud persisted for a few more seconds before finally dispersing to reveal the triumphant Ares standing over the unconscious Wartaro. I huffed in satisfaction as Ares stood tall. Her pride was too much to show just how tired the battle left her, and I watched her stare at Wartaro with a satisfied gleam that matched my own.

"Braviary is unable to battle! The winner of this battle is Salamence!" Ares' muscles bulged, and she hissed to herself, stamping her feet on the ground as Gold returned Wartaro to the ball.

"AND JUST LIKE THAT, SILVER HAS RECLAIMED THE LEAD! ARES IS UNSTOPPABLE!" the announcer roared. The deafening crowd was something I was able to ignore, keeping my eyes on Ares instead. Her tail trashed around repeatedly, she snarled to a worryingly loud degree, and her body bulged up, somehow increasing her already prominent size even further.

"Ares, I still need you... C'mon, girl," I said softly, very softly... softer than I normally ever spoke. It worked like a charm. If there was one thing about my team, they were just as whipped as I was, Ares and Freyja especially so. Ares stopped struggling to turn towards me. She was met with my soft expression, a very out-of-turn expression for me to be making. I would staunchly ignore the cooing of the crowd at the face I was making. I had ample time to establish my personality.

Right now, winning was important. Ares did not melt as that would be far too unrefined for her. She definitely did not melt into putty at my staring... but she did manage to rein herself in. I smiled confidently.

"We've still got some hell to give out." She roared in agreement, turning to face the mulling Gold.

"Alright then... we're reaching the finale. Let's do this, Kintaro!" he decided, launching the ball forward. Out of it burst a Kingdra, the large seahorse floating regally in place.

"And Gold sends out a Kingdra! Few would dare mess with one in the ocean. People of all kinds consider this pokemon royalty, and in the hands of trainer Gold, I imagine he'll show us why!" A Kingdra... one of the few pokemon who could actually claim to be a rival to Dragonite. They were some of the apex predators of the sea, few water types wanting to match them.

"Tough battle, Ares," I murmured, eyes focused on the water type. Kingdra were a lot bigger than you would think. Kintaro towered over both Gold and me, just a little over six feet. She curled her eyes up as she met my gaze, the only sign that she was happy to see me, before it immediately shifted into a focused look. The two dragons locked onto each other, that familiar spark forming as they assessed their threat levels.

Dragons loved battling other dragons; it's why the type was super effective against each other. They were basically vying for dominance at every single turn.

"Both contestants are set; Salamence vs Kingdra... Begin!" Gold struck first. He put out a fist with a wild grin, not even slightly bothered by the lead I had taken.

"Dance, Kintaro, Dance!" he cheered. A shudder crawled down my spine, no doubt because of the sheer annoyance that specific quote elicited from me. Only Gold could bring out a cosmic reaction in me, quoting a game that didn't even fucking exist here, by the way! The Kingdra trumpeted once, glowing with the tumultuous draconic energies that signified a Dragon Dance. But that wasn't all.

The sky above darkened, and droplets of water began to fall, getting a familiar growl of annoyance out of Ares as she began to get bombarded by the rain. Kintaro let out a sigh of bliss. A Kingdra would always feel at home in the water, but this heavy rain was a good enough substitute.

"Dragon Breath." Ares puffed up before inhaling a gargantuan Dragon Breath. Its size was truly fearsome, belying just how deep the exhaustion ran in Ares. She exhaled the attack as easily as breathing, but Kintaro wasn't going to sit there and take it. The Kingdra hastily darted away, blazing through the fields with a speed that let me know that it definitely had Swift Swim.

"Dragon Pulse!" Gold retorted, eyes blazing competitively. Kintaro stopped on a dime, to the far left of the wary Ares. The Kingdra bulged up slightly before unleashing a massive turquoise ball. My eyes widened at the size. Without having to give out the order, which would be too slow, Ares puffed up and fired out her own massive ball of draconic energy. An explosion erupted from the impact, clouding my vision ever so slightly... And lingering far longer than it had any right to.

Just as I noticed, Kintaro burst out of the smoke—"Yawn!" —And yawned in the surprised Ares' face. A single bubble hit her, causing her to roar furiously. Worryingly, it had far less volume than she normally did. I sucked my teeth. Gold was pulling out all the stops. He was never this sneaky before.

"Ares! Go all out! You don't have a lot of time!" I just demanded. Kintaro's eyes turned wary at the furious bellow of Ares. The Kingdra hastily stepped away, a strangled noise erupting from her as Ares tried to gouge a hole into her midsection with the furious Dragon Claw. A flurry of bubbles hit Ares' face, annoying her more than doing any actual damage. They popped in her face, distracting her ever so slightly and giving Kintaro time to dash away.

She tried to lunge forward, only to let out a truly furious roar as Kintaro spat out an oily substance. The Smokescreen erupted on her face, prompting the most furious noise out of Ares yet. She howled before leaning back and raising both her forelegs in the sky. Without hesitation, she slammed them down, causing a complete catastrophe. While Oberon had the strongest Earthquake of the team, not even his could compare to a boosted Ares. The ground nearly crumbled from the force, rocks shooting up in every direction.

The spectators screamed in shock as even they felt the earth-shattering blow. Kintaro hissed in surprise at that, levitating slightly higher to evade the worst of it. So busy was she, she almost didn't notice the speeding missile of death rocketing towards her. Almost. As Ares closed the distance, claws raised to punch through even the tough armor of a Kingdra, Kintaro exploded in water, surrounding herself with a whirlpool that pushed back Ares just far enough to evade danger.

"Now, Twister!" Gold roared. Kintaro unleashed a regal trumpet, a torrent of draconic energy surging upwards and combining with the Whirlpool. My eyes widened in genuine surprise at the combination attack, watching as the Kingdra fired off both the Twister and Whirlpool towards the lagging Ares. Ares spread her wings to fly away, but faltered as the Yawn began truly taking effect.

"Ares, just fire off as many Dragon Pulses as you can!" I shouted, sensing that the end was near. She hissed, unleashing the salvo of dragon pulses. Most blew right through the incoming tornado of water, wind, and dragon energy, but that did not stop the Twister from reaching its destination. I didn't even get to hear Ares' howl because of the crashing water and the heavy winds. Her body vanished, causing me to suck my teeth in annoyance.

Meanwhile, the few Dragon Pulses that burst through were unsuccessful in hitting their target, Kintaro weaving between them with a grace befitting her line. I could do nothing but wait for the attack to let up, hoping for the best, but knowing it was unlikely. Eventually, the waters waned, flying off in every direction and splashing against the barriers to reveal Ares beneath. She sagged underneath her own weight, panting ever so slightly.

Ares tried to take another step, but eventually she nodded off, eyes shutting as the Yawn took effect. I huffed, holding out her Luxury Ball and returning my Salamence.

"I'm forfeiting Ares," I said finally. She was as good as out of the battle anyway. Kintaro was going to pick her off. The referee nodded.

"Salamence has been forfeited. As a result, the winner of this round is Kingdra!"

"And just like that, the score is even once again! I can't believe what type of match we're experiencing! These two boys are throwing blow after blow, and neither side is faltering!" By now, the crowd was as invested in the battle as we were. Even the rambunctious noise only seemed to happen when a side fainted. They were leaning forward in anticipation, gaze enraptured by Gold and I's enthralling battle. Gold exhaled.

"Man, even after all that, she was still gonna keep going? Ares is a real monster," he complained. I snorted quietly, inspecting the environment with a narrowed gaze.

"That Whirlpool Twister tech was genius. You've added a lot of strategy to your books," I noted. Gold rubbed a finger against his nose.

"Talent ain't enough dealing with you three. I've gotta throw in some thoughts," he declared cheekily.

"Makes my life a lot harder," I sighed, grabbing my 2nd to last Luxury Ball. This was the final stretch. 2 pokemon left on each side... it was time to end this battle.

"Freyja," I said finally, launching the ball forward.

"There she is! There she is!" The announcer shouted in excitement. Freyja crooned, a little surprised that rain was already gracing the field upon her arrival. She glanced around in mild confusion, only to lock eyes with the staunch Kintaro. Both their eyes curled up to signify their happiness at seeing the other, only for Freyja's to widen in shock at the deafening cheers.

"FINALLY!"

"IT'S FREYJA!"

"I've never seen a Milotic in person!"

"Wallace's shows are so expensive!"

"Freyja! Freyja! Freyja!"

"The crowd is excited and for good reason! It took until the Top 8... but Silver has finally revealed Freyja in all her glory! One of the few trainers alive to even own a Milotic... how did he do it?!" I rolled my eyes.

"Like I'd tell any of you. Look alive, Freyja." Freyja glanced at the crowd for a moment longer before a regal scoff escaped her. She turned towards me with obvious adoration, nodding strongly. She crooned loudly, getting a collective sigh to escape the crowd. The noise was enough to silence all of them, allowing Freyja to focus on the upcoming battle. Way to talk about presence. Freyja's long body curled into itself as she idly floated. Her friendly demeanor was all but gone, making way for the confident empress.

"Man, they really love you, eh, Freyja? Must be nice being so popular!" Gold chuckled. She huffed at Gold, shaking her head furiously. He just laughed again. The referee coughed.

"Both contestants are set; Kingdra vs Milotic... Begin!" Almost instantly, the rain above strengthened. It began pounding harshly against the floor, puddles forming in the cracks caused by Ares' Earthquake. Both Freyja and Kintaro looked elated at the amount of rain, but it was all a matter of who could utilize it better.

"Dragon Breath!" It was dawning on me that with her pseudo typing... Freyja and Kintaro were fairly similar. That would explain why they were now glaring at each other with all the fierceness in the world. This was dragon-on-dragon combat. At once, the two unleashed twin Dragon Breaths that met in the middle of the battlefield. They both glared fiercely, the rain not doing anything to temper their moves or attitudes. They both cancelled their attacks at the same time, a challenging gleam in both their gazes.

"Focus Energy!" Gold demanded.

"Aqua Ring," I retorted. That was the only order Gold and I gave out before the two water types seemed to tire of it. That damn draconic pride of theirs... Freyja shot forward, her latent Swift Swim from her time as a Feebas coming in handy. Unfortunately, Kintaro also had Swift Swim. The two sped across the battlefield, testing attacks against each other. Freyja launched a Dragon Pulse from the far left before darting to the right to fire another one.

The first flew right past Kintaro, who was charging her own Dragon Pulse to fire at the second. It connected with pinpoint accuracy; her massive Dragon Pulse was powered by the concentration that Focus Energy gave her in such a fast-paced battle, allowing it to bowl over Freyja's more hastily conjured one. That was the true value of Focus Energy. Sometimes, you didn't have the time to fully power up a move, but the technique helped tremendously, allowing you to reach the threshold of maximum power.

Freyja didn't look very deterred by that. She just shot to the left again, water dripping off her scales in a dazzling display I'd have to tease her about later.

"Icy Wind!" I barked over the pounding rain. It was getting difficult to convey my voice over the noise, so I could only throw out some key words here and there and trust her to handle the rest. Freyja unleashed a cold gust of wind that spread across the field. Kintaro, seeing the attack, had a smug twinkle in her eye and unleashed the exact same attack.

"Wow! It's almost as if they're the same pokemon! They're both showing off the same attacks! This must be a result of all the training Gold and Silver do together!" the announcer exclaimed. Both the Icy Winds chilled the temperatures of the battleground, eliciting an annoyed shudder out of both of them. I felt my eyes twitching a little. In terms of ranged attacks, Kintaro and Freyja had the same moveset. They were at a standstill... and something was going to have to break that up.

Freyja was definitely my pokemon because she evidently came to the same solution. My Milotic coiled up slightly before rocketing towards the Kingdra, eyes narrowed as she closed the distance. Kintaro wasn't making it easy. She conjured another Twister, this one absorbing the heavy rainfall, and fired it towards the speeding Freyja. Her eyes narrowed, and she stopped abruptly before unleashing a tidal wave of water.

It surged out of her at impressive speeds, amplified by the heavy downpour, and gave her enough water to dart to the right. With an actual source of water to swim in, no matter how temporary, Freyja shot forward at incredible speeds, appearing directly to the side of Kintaro. Her tail glowed, causing a grin to form as she aimed her tail at the stunned Kingdra. Milotic were a very powerful species of pokemon... but I couldn't help but notice that they sorely lacked moves that boosted their stats.

Coil was the only one they even learned naturally... So to compensate, I decided to teach her another attacking move. Eventually, I'd have her learn Dragon Dance, and then she'd be a real menace, but for now, Scale Shot was just fine. Said scales glittered and exploded like shrapnel; they tagged Kintaro multiple times, getting a pained cry out of the dragon, but before it could retaliate, Freyja dashed away. Well, at least she made it seem like she was dashing away.

My Milotic immediately appeared behind Kintaro and unleashed a powerful battle cry, slamming a Breaking Swipe directly onto the tough armor of the Kingdra. My grin widened at the speeds she was moving at. Scale Shot was an interesting move. By firing off the scales, most dragons shed enough to move noticeably faster, but at the cost of their durability... which wasn't the end of the world because Freyja was a sturdy girl. As for Breaking Swipe...

Dragon Tail was a surprisingly difficult move to learn, which said something considering Freyja typically had an easier time learning moves than my other members. That's when I remembered my battle against that cursed fucking Fraxure, who I hoped was rotting. You get the point. That battle reminded me of Breaking Swipe, which was significantly easier than Dragon Tail.

Freyja needed a lot of concentration to get Dragon Tail right enough to forcefully swap a pokemon, concentration that Kintaro was absolutely not going to give her. Kintaro was launched away, crying out in surprise at the power behind Freyja's blow. I could tell that Gold was stunned that my Milotic was engaging in close quarters, but I was a trainer of versatility.

My pokemon would naturally have weaknesses, but I absolutely would stamp them out to the best of my abilities, and Freyja's weakness was that she was too comfortable at a distance. Before the Kingdra could fly too far, Freyja's tail lashed out and wrapped around her tough armor, squeezing down. Kintaro struggled feebly, forming a Dragon Pulse at the exact same time as Freyja. The two cared very little for their proximity, eyes glinting with the feral bloodlust of a dragon.

They both fired in unison, and they both felt the ensuing explosion that took place. Freyja released Kintaro from the wrap, flying backwards closer to my side and allowing me to stare at her. My eyes narrowed in mild confusion as Freyja panted harshly, her Aqua Ring glowed gently, but there was a purple sheen on her body... Poison? But how? Ah, damn it. Kintaro's ability as a Seadra had been Poison Point, something that had not gone away with evolution.

With Poison Point, a Kingdra's tough armor was seeping in a toxin that few predators wanted to bother with when it was a Seadra. As a Kingdra, though? You'd be a fool trying to hunt a Kingdra down as a predator, but one that had evolved from a Seadra with Poison Point, which also meant it was going to have Swift Swim... yeah, good luck. But I digress, Freyja had been poisoned. It was annoying, but that meant Marvel Scale was active... which wasn't all that bad, actually.

"Tough it out, girl," I said soothingly, staring at the huffing Kintaro. In a war of attrition, Gaia was my strongest pokemon, but Freyja was not far behind her, and she was far more difficult to deal with.

"She's poisoned, Kintaro! It'll wear at her stamina, but she'll have tougher scales." True to Gold's observation, Freyja's scales were strengthening as the poison settled, fighting back against any internal invader while protecting their body in the process. Gold's eyes were narrowed, biting his lip in mild concern. Eventually, he nodded to himself.

"Evasion tactics, Kintaro!"

"Stalling Freyja won't work, Hero," I drawled, eyes narrowed as Kintaro kept a healthy distance from Freyja. Freyja was in full agreement. She opened her mouth and unleashed a flurry of Dragon Pulse. They flew towards Kintaro, tagging the speedy Kingdra in any way. Kintaro hissed, spitting out a thick oily substance that erupted and covered its entire location.

"Be careful for Yawn, Freyja," I muttered, eyes narrowed with a frown. As the Smokescreen spread, part of it was blown apart by a massive twister, no Kintaro in sight. While Twister had been an easy move for Freyja to learn, Kintaro already seemed to be utilizing the move in all the ways I wanted to. Freyja hissed, summoning her own Twister to counter the one shot by Kintaro. As the attacks clashed, I waited for the Kingdra to do something... only for nothing of the sort to happen.

Even as Freyja glowed with the effects of Recover, Kintaro did not respond. No one ever wanted Freyja to heal... so what the hell was going on? That sent a small warning bell through my head.

"Freyja! Clear that smoke!" I demanded, eyes narrowed. She nodded, sensing the urgency in my tone. Another twister formed, courtesy of my Milotic, which was then fired in the direction of the smoke. It ripped the fog apart, clearing the way and showing off a Kingdra... who just snapped its eyes open from what could only be sleep. Kintaro trumpeted vigorously, bruises vanishing in an instant as it rejuvenated itself.

"Two can play at that game!" Gold put up a peace sign, grinning in that insufferable way that made me and Janine want to punch him more than anything. I rubbed the bridge of my nose. At this rate, this battle would drag on until the poison became too much for Freyja. Poison didn't deal a set amount of damage, like how it acted in the games. All types of poison would eventually grow worse; it was just a matter of speed.

Techniques like Toxic ate through your body at incredible speeds, while something like a Kingdra's poison would go slower. I could use Flip Turn... but Metagross in these conditions wouldn't be optimal against this rather demonic Kingdra. I underestimated Kintaro the most out of all of Gold's pokemon. This was a pokemon of my rival; they'd all be crazy strong.

"Back to square one," I exhaled, watching as Freyja's body began to take a more purple hue. We'd have to start learning Refresh after this. It wasn't a difficult move to learn by any means for Milotic, but I had focused on other things. I clicked my teeth at that.

"Dragon Breath, Freyja."

"Match it!" Kintaro didn't just match it, she bulldozed the attack. She was almost fully energized now, her usage of Rest paying off in dividends. Freyja scrambled away, barely dodging the attack. She panted with narrowed eyes, staring down the fresh Kintaro with a contemplative look.

"No Recovering anymore, Freyja. It'll speed up the poison," I warned her. We'd just have to rely on the Aqua Ring. Life Dew would have been more useful than Recover here... hm.

"Get close. You have the advantage in close quarters," I told her. Freyja nodded in acceptance. Utilizing her enhanced speed, she shot across the field again. Kintaro didn't idle by, unleashing her own flurry of Dragon Pulses that Freyja weaved through. She was tagged by some, but her tough scales weathered them well. Kintaro was undeterred. A Dragon Breath cut through the air, meeting another one that it plowed straight through. The Dragon Breath hit nothing, though.

Freyja refused to stay still, unleashing another salvo of Dragon Pulses that Kintaro growled at. Much like at the beginning of the match, they were at a standstill... though that wasn't quite accurate. It was more accurate to say that Kintaro was steadily gaining the advantage. The poison was coursing through Freyja's veins even more, Aqua Ring putting in overtime to keep her sturdy. Slowly but surely, Freyja advanced, closing the distance between her and the Kingdra.

I couldn't see Gold's expression over the heavy rain, but he wasn't idle at all.

"Kintaro! Push her back with Hydro Pump!" Kintaro's entire body bulged up before erupting in a torrent of water. A huge volume of water exploded forward, compressed to make it all the more dangerous. It crashed ruthlessly into the approaching Freyja, and while it did negligible damage, the force of the attack was an entirely different matter. Freyja let out a surprised cry as she was launched backwards from the pressure of the attack.

That cry turned into one of pain as a truly massive Dragon Pulse finally connected with her. The attack exploded ruthlessly, causing her to writhe from the super-effective damage.

"That's it, Kintaro! Keep it up! Don't let her get close! Dragon Breath!" I snarled in annoyance as a beam hit the rattled Freyja this time, pushing her even further backwards. The purple tint was growing more prominent, and while it was helping her weather the attacks, the poison was doing a wonderful job at sapping her stamina. Alright then...

"Freyja, Surf!" I demanded, running through a plan in my head. Freyja panted tiredly before her eyes narrowed. A burst of adrenaline hit her, she let out a fierce cry, and unleashed a giant tidal wave. The force launched her upwards, well out of the way of the stream of Dragon Breath. Coupled with the first surf and the heavy rain, the battlefield was practically a pseudo water field. Kintaro's eyes darted in every direction, searching for the missing Freyja.

She immediately summoned a Whirlpool, surrounding herself in it as a shield in case Freyja tried anything. The Kingdra braced herself, right as Freyja burst from the water. She immediately turned to face her opponent, Dragon Pulse at the ready to combat Freyja's own. They collided at point-blank range, another explosion ensuing at the impact that caused both of them to cry out.

"She can't keep that up, Kintaro! Keep attacking!" Gold roared. My eyes glinted.

"Confuse Ray, Freyja." Gold's eyes flew open.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" he shouted, getting a gasp of disbelief from the crowd. He flew into a flurry of swears that were definitely being censored as an ominous ray connected to Kintaro. The effects were immediate; Kintaro roared at an unseen enemy, unleashing a Hydro Pump that propelled itself backwards and hit nothing.

"Kintaro, listen to me!" Gold shouted in concern.

"Go all out, Freyja! You won't get another chance!" I snarled, eyes blazing with madness. Freyja's gaze reflected my insanity. Her full dragon was out, and she reared back, unleashing salvo after salvo of Dragon Pulse on the helpless Kintaro. The Kingdra howled frantically, angling its head and shooting its own flurry of Dragon Pulses, but aiming at nothing. Mini explosions riddled Kintaro's body as Freyja continued firing with no hesitation, causing dents to appear on the pristine armor.

Freyja dodged the stray beams, firing off a Dragon Breath in the process that launched Kintaro backwards. The Kingdra howled, only to lock up as a long body wrapped around it. My Milotic forced Kintaro to seize up, eyes glowing mystically as she controlled the Kingdra into gazing at her. Kintaro swayed back and forth, the Hypnosis taking root easily, and eventually, she nodded off.

"Damn it," Gold exhaled, returning her to the ball right before the Dragon Pulse mowed her over. Freyja panted tiredly, eyes drooping but brimming with the energy of someone who had won.

"Kingdra is unable to battle! The winner of this round is Milotic!" the referee announced. The results were immediate.

"WHAT A THRILLING ROUND! I'M IN AWE AT BOTH KINTARO AND FREYJA'S PERFORMANCE!" The announcer screamed. He took a deep breath, settling down slightly in that moment.

"An unbelievable back and forth... those two left it all on the field and gave us an amazing battle!"

"What a war," I exhaled, raking a hand through my hair as Freyja sagged close to me. Her body was riddled with dark spots, the poison practically coursing through her entire veins.

"How do you feel, girl? Can you keep going for a little longer?" The concern in my question was obvious. Freyja was resilient, but I wouldn't put her through this if I could help it. Freyja crooned quietly, exhaling in contemplation. Finally, she nodded her head and turned away from me, eyeing the grim Gold.

"With just one pokemon left, will Gold mount a comeback?! Can he defeat his rival? Who will he use?!" Gold clicked his tongue, grabbing his final Ultra Ball.

"All this water is gonna piss him off, but oh well," he sighed. Finally, he launched his ball forward.

"Let's finish this, Larvitaro!" A staunch silence befell the crowd, replaced by the horrifying roar. Everyone could feel it in their bones, the spine-chilling feeling of knowing that you were being tracked and hunted by an apex predator... And Larvitaro was that predator. The Tyranitar was massive, nearing 7 feet in height. It had a perpetual scowl on its face that only seemed to deepen as it noticed the state of the battlefield.

As if sensing his ire, air began blowing out of the holes of his body, sandstorm forming by its sheer presence alone. The Tyranitar almost seemed like he wanted to force his element to take over the rain, but settled for having it shield him instead... just like the last time we saw him. The miniature sandstorm looked razor sharp, forging that armor into something far more formidable.

"And Gold's final pokemon is a Tyranitar! One of the most fearsome creatures to encounter, you never want to get on a Tyranitar's bad side! And look at that! A unique variation of Sandstorm?!" Larvitaro's temper flared the moment he laid eyes on Freyja. He stamped his feet against the ground, snorting in excitement at the upcoming battle.

"It's just you, buddy. Ready?" Gold asked confidently. The Tyranitar looked nonplussed by that detail. He snarled lowly, eyes focused on Freyja. The sandstorm blew ominously, clashing harshly with the rain and causing clumps of grain to stick to the Tyranitar.

"Look alive, Freyja," I murmured warily. If possible, Larvitaro looked even bigger than the last time I encountered him when I was still part of Team Rocket. Tyranitars were powerhouses, some of the most fearsome pokemon you'd ever encounter in the wild. Mountains were claimed entirely by that pokemon alone, none daring to get in its way. Tough armor that guarded them from all manner of attack, monstrous strength that could restructure landscapes...

and a homefield advantage in nearly all locations because of that raging sandstorm, stored inside its body and ready to be expelled at the slightest aggression. The tension could be cut through with a knife, but the referee would have to do for now. Sensing our eagerness, he shouted, "Both contestants are set; Milotic vs Tyranitar... Begin!"

"Surf!" I barked immediately, wanting to make the situation as unfavorable for Larvitaro as possible. Larvitaro gazed at the approaching tidal wave with a baleful scowl. He roared fiercely, stamping a foot on the ground and causing a solid dome to form all around him. I sucked my teeth in annoyance at the familiar-looking move. It was exactly what Giovanni's Rhyperior was capable of, though not quite on that level of control. Tyranitar wasn't really a pokemon that showed such fine control...

but knowing one that did was a whole different kind of terrifying. The Surf crashed against the dome, splashing it in every direction. The barrier cracked once, twice, before shattering into dozens of pieces. They flew towards the weary Freyja at ludicrous speed, who could only hiss and dart to the left. A looming figure appeared directly next to the lunging Freyja, the Tyranitar looking as if it came straight from a horror movie.

Freyja recoiled in surprise, only to cry out as Larvitaro smashed a giant rock right against her. She was sent flying backwards, recovering slowly with a wince. Larvitaro moved at suspiciously high speeds, one that alerted me to something being wrong. While in that dome, he had done a move to enhance himself... Dragon Dance, if I had to take a guess.

"Freyja, snipe him!" I snarled. She hissed and unleashed a thin stream, one sharp enough to pierce even the Tyranitar's powerful armor.

"Don't let that pierce your armor!" Gold roared, long after the Tyranitar leapt away. His landing caused tremors to shake the battlefield, annoyance firmly on his face. He turned, only for boiling water to slam against his chest, eliciting a howl of annoyance from the behemoth. He stamped the ground again, causing a rock to shoot up that he grabbed and held. Freyja was forced to cancel her attack early as Larvitaro not only used that boulder to block the stream of water, but also attempted to mow her over.

As she moved away, a tremor struck the battlefield, water splashing in every direction as rocks shot up from the force. Freyja barely dodged a spike trying to spear through her, but a stray tagged her. It bounced off her scales, eliciting a whine of annoyance from her, which turned into a shriek as Larvitaro bounded.

"Confuse Ray!" I shouted hastily.

"No chance! Crunch!" Gold barked. Freyja attempted to shoot the ray of distortion, but she let out a shriek instead as Larvitaro clamped his fangs around her neck. The beam instantly fizzled out as my Milotic began struggling harshly against the grip. Even her toughened scales would struggle to resist the Tyranitar in this state. His power was too tremendous.

"Aqua Tail! Try to dislodge it!" I shouted, seeing that she couldn't crane her head to aim at him. She was at her limits. The poison had done its damage, and in a short time, Larvitaro was doing even more. Despite that, she conjured water at her tail and slapped Larvitaro right across the face... To little success. All it did was infuriate Larvitaro. He dislodged Freyja promptly and let out an ear-piercing screech that caused her to seize up, before clenching his fist and smashing her to the ground.

The ensuing Earthquake nearly parted the fields in half, getting shouts of panic out of the crowd. I watched grimly as the sandstorm expanded, devouring the petering rain. It billowed harshly, battering against the barrier with no remorse. Much to my displeasure, even the water filling the battlefield made way, seeping into the cracks, being absorbed by the sand... Tyranitar was a pokemon that had a preference for where they preferred to inhabit... and if that preference didn't get met, they'd make sure it was.

Larvitaro let out a pleased snarl at his attempts to get rid of the water. He looked none the worse for wear, body vanishing into the steadily growing Sandstorm. Fucking hell.

"Milotic is unable to battle. The winner of this round is Tyranitar!"

"Shut down! Freyja wasn't able to do anything impactful before Larvitaro closed out that battle! Her grueling battle with Kintaro was too much!" I clicked my teeth in annoyance.

"Down to the wire, eh?" I mused.

"A good ol one-on-one! Let's do this!" Gold grinned. My body thrummed.

"How will Silver combat this Tyranitar! Just what is his final pokemon?!" The choice seemed so obvious to Gold and me, but then again... it had been a while since we last showed on broadcast.

"Let's wrap this up, Metagross," I said, launching my ball forward. Gasps of excitement rang through the arena as my final pokemon appeared. Metagross landed on the ground with an audible thud, rumbling ominously as it locked onto the Tyranitar across from them.

"WHAT A SIGHT! SILVER'S LAST POKEMON IS A METAGROSS? GOLD'S IS A TYRANITAR! A BATTLE OF TWO TITANS!" Both Tyranitar and Metagross were just as effective against each other. Metagross was one of the pokemon that could pierce the strong armor of the armor pokemon. At the same time, Tyranitar's nature naturally conflicted with a Metagross, by virtue of being a dark type. This was the perfect matchup. Even I could admit to being excited at the prospect.

"Do not let excitement cloud your judgement. It is time for us to win this battle," Metagross intoned, not at all excited that this was his debut match. I huffed in amusement, eyes glowing ever so slightly.

"Always so dramatic. Let's win then, yeah?"

"Of course." Metagross and I stared coolly at the excited Gold and Larvitaro. Sparks flew between us, even as the referee raised his flag to signify the final matchup.

"Both contestants are set! Tyranitar vs Metagross... Begin!"

"Earthquake!" Gold roared immediately.

"Magnet Rise!" I retorted. Tremors struck the entire field, an Earthquake of epic proportions striking the battlefield. It felt even stronger than what Oberon was capable of, attributed to the fact that Tyranitar was practically three types. The only reason Tyranitar was classified as a dark type was due to how volatile that pokemon was. With their explosion in strength and malicious thoughts, the pokemon actually gained an incredible boost when it came to channeling the power of dark types.

At the end of the day, dark types were strengthened by intention. Loki intentionally nerfing his personality was horrible in the long run. Conversely, a pokemon as volatile as Tyranitar thrived with dark types. But I digressed, Tyranitar's ground typing didn't quite go away... it just got bulldozed by the Dark Type due to how dangerous the pokemon had become. Its control over ground-type moves was still there. The result? A monstrous Earthquake ripped through the field that Metagross had long avoided.

My Metagross floated out of the way of the Earthquake, unfazed by the raging Sandstorm trying to chip at him. Metagross didn't need Magnet Rise to float, able to tuck in his legs and do that... but it wasn't very useful for combat. As such, we were mastering moving with Magnet Rise active.

"Spotted him?" I asked, eyes roving over the field in search of the Tyranitar.

"No. I struggle to believe that rambunctious creature is capable of stealth."

"Gold pulled out all the stops against us. Underestimating him will guarantee a loss."

"I underestimate nothing. That is far too illogical for me."

"Hmph. Counter strategies then." Funnily enough, even though Metagross and I couldn't find Tyranitar, the crowd could see everything just fine. Wouldn't make for a good battle otherwise. Both our eyes darted in every direction, seeking the hidden Tyranitar. It didn't take long for things to get hectic; a massive dark beam rushed directly towards Metagross, who stepped away from it.

My behemoth turned in the direction it came from, firing off an experimental Flash Cannon that sailed through the air and crashed into the barrier. Another Dark Pulse fired off in the opposite direction, tagging Metagross once and causing our connection to splutter slightly.

"Smack Down!" Gold roared over the sound of the raging Sandstorm. Almost immediately, a rock smashed into Metagross, flooring my final pokemon and destabilizing the Magnet Rise.

"Find him," I said coolly, unbothered by the attack. Metagross made an ominous noise, metal grating metal in a low hum. He stayed still for a staunch moment before mechanically turning in a certain direction.

"You see it?"

"Yes... like a murky spot in a clear ocean. Not even this raging sandstorm can hide them from me." God, Miracle Eye was a fantastic technique. No orders needed, Metagross vanished from his spot, appearing moments later in front of the surprised Larvitaro. The Bullet Punch carried him far and fast, my final pokemon raising a claw and slamming it into the Tyranitar's midsection. Larvitaro let out a disbelieving grunt from the force, stumbling backwards slightly.

He gazed at Metagross with wide eyes, almost not expecting physical strength to damage its armor. Then an excited glimmer entered his eyes. Larvitaro reared back, fist clenched, before delivering a vicious Payback that sent my Metagross flying. The sheer power needed to uproot him was noteworthy, and if not for the Iron Defense applied, Metagross would have taken a significant amount of damage.

"What monstrous strength! A Metagross getting launched back by sheer power is something you don't see every day!" Metagross did not react to his impromptu flight. I watched him adjust before forcefully halting it, digging his claw into the ground and stopping immediately. He rumbled in annoyance, the humming noise going slightly erratic at the sheer power behind the Payback. Larvitaro was not idle. The Tyranitar clenched another fist before slamming the ground and causing another Earthquake.

Metagross countered with his own, shockwaves ripping each other and the battlefield apart. Payback was a nasty move to carry. It was the move used to defeat Metang during that battle on the S. S. Anne, and it was fierce in the hands of a Tyranitar.

"Stay fast. You have the speed advantage, but he has the power advantage with that Dragon Dance activated."

"Noted." Metagross blazed forward, Agility powering him to levels that made it difficult to track my steel behemoth. Larvitaro hissed, forgoing stealth tactics and jumping straight into his preferred method of battle... Rocks were smashed through effortlessly, Metagross crushing them like he didn't even notice the attacks. He appeared directly behind the Tyranitar in an instant, mouth open and glowing. A Flash Cannon erupted, the beam smashing into his opponent's back.

Larvitaro roared in annoyance, stumbling forward from the force of the attack. He turned around and lunged, fist raised to crash into the steel type. He snarled ferally as Metagross effortlessly sidestepped the attack. Before his overextension could be punished, he angled his fist towards the ground and smashed it with raw force. I heard Metagross' grunt in my head as the tremors of the Earthquake pushed him back. He raised a claw to catch the Tyranitar's fist, a power struggle ensuing from the action.

Larvitaro snarled and broke the hold, opening his mouth in the same movement and firing off a Dark Pulse that met a point-blank Flash Cannon. The two moves exploded against one another, Metagross taking advantage of the smoke and lunging right through.

"Bullet Punch, Rapid Style," I instructed, eyes narrowed. Quite frankly, the battle was moving at a pace far too quickly for either Gold or me to guide properly. We could only wait for openings and sway the tides in our favor. Metagross stopped right in front of Larvitaro and began delivering a flurry of punches all over the armor of the rock type. The Tyranitar howled in annoyance, a fist glowing dark with the energies of Payback.

He attempted to strike downward, but one of those blazingly fast fists diverted the attack, anticipating it well in advance. Gold clenched his jaw as Larvitaro took a step back from the rapid blows on his midsection.

"Larvitaro, Fire Blast!" He roared. My eyes shot open at that. Larvitaro let out a truly furious roar, flames licking his lips. He noticed that Metagross tried to back away and clasped the claws that were digging into his armor, clutching down with enough force to reduce rocks to dust. With no hesitation, the menace unleashed a fiery, point-blank explosion that erupted in both their faces. Metagross roared from the flames, ripping itself away from Larvitaro, or attempting to.

The Tyranitar lunged forward, eyes glowing with malice as he refused to release Metagross. His tail glowed dark with the effects of Payback, and he slammed it directly onto the dome of Metagross.

"Don't stop! Keep it up!" Gold demanded, eyes glowing at the opportunity.

"Metagross, if he isn't letting go, give him a reason to! Iron Head his stomach!" I shouted, eyes gleaming madly. Metagross lunged forward, bowling through the tail that was attempting to strike him once more. With ruthless precision, he smashed the X directly on the Tyranitar's armored stomach. A crack resounded through the arena before Larvitaro unleashed a roar of pain, launched backwards from the force behind the attack.

"Stomping Tantrum!" Gold demanded rapidly, eyes wide at the attack.

"Not on my watch! Gravity, Metagross!" I demanded. As the Tyranitar attempted to stamp around and wreak complete havoc, it suddenly let out a howl of surprise as it was brought down to a knee. The force of its drop caused it to sink slightly into the ground, causing my eyes to glow madly.

"Wrap this up, Metagross. Meteor Mash!" Metagross roared in time with my order, slipping into the Agility with ease. Soot covered his metallic body, but he did not let it affect him. His only thought was finishing off the Tyranitar.

"Larvitaro, Iron Defense! Then use Payback!" Gold shouted. My eyes narrowed.

"Full throttle!" I roared. A sheen covered Larvitaro, even as Metagross rushed him. He snarled furiously, daring my pokemon to go through with the attack. I didn't miss the excitement in his gaze at the prospect of putting it all on the line right here and now. Come and defeat me, he seemed to roar. My eyes glowed, excitement coursing through my veins as Metagross reached their target. His claw glowed so harshly that I felt my eyes water due to the sun reflecting off it.

At the same time, Larvitaro raised his own tremendous fist, glowing dark with the energy of a Payback for the ages. Finally, Metagross smashed the claw directly onto Larvitaro's midsection, uprooting the Tyranitar and launching him backwards. He skidded before his tail lashed out and dug into the ground. The Tyranitar grinned menacingly. The dark energies around his fist surged with new life, devouring the light around as it encased the entirety of the Tyranitar's arm.

"I can't believe Larvitaro is still standing after that. Look at the power in his arm! If that Payback hits, I think we'll feel it!"

"Finish this, Larvitaro!" Gold shouted. The Tyranitar matched it, roaring furiously before taking a single step- And freezing as the armor in his midsection shattered. Larvitaro looked down in confusion, almost not believing what he was seeing.

"Metagross and I have been targeting one spot," I revealed, watching the Tyranitar collapse onto its knees once more, this time due to registering its injuries.

"That nice little blue part of your armor. We've been hitting it over and over again." Larvitaro tried to pull itself up, wheezing in disbelief. Gold's expression matched it, mouth opening in shock at the abrupt shift.

"Get up, Larvitaro!" He strained to push himself up, pushing a fist off the ground with a roar of exertion. I shut my eyes and let out a deep breath.

"Bullet Punch." Metagross appeared right in front of Larvitaro, with a single fist raised. Instead of the pummeling combo from earlier that had allowed us to begin the process of weakening his armor, he simply tapped the Tyranitar once in the midsection. Larvitaro wheezed, eyes rolling to the back of his skull as he collapsed.

"Hit one spot enough, and not even armor will protect you," I said softly, eyeing the stunned Gold.

"Tyranitar is unable to battle, and as a result, Trainer Gold has no more pokemon able to battle. The winners of this match are Silver and Metagross!" For half a heartbeat, there was a stunned silence. For such a thrilling battle, it was difficult to believe that it was over. But once they realized, the noise crashed down all at once. Thousands of voices collided with the other until they melded into a single, thunderous roar that shook the stands, rattled the railings, and tested my eardrums.

Applause rolled outwards, sharp and frantic until they harmonized into a single sound. There were whistles, cheers, and feet stamping the ground... flashes went off, this moment being immortalized by the excited crowd.

"What a thrilling battle! I can't believe this was only a Top 8 match! This could be a Top 4... No, this could be a final match of any conference! Both Gold and Silver fought with all they had in what was no doubt the most thrilling battle of the Top 8! Give it up for both of these young men!" The cheers amplified, the crowd shouting both our names to the best of their ability. Despite all the noise, I focused on Gold. His eyes were shut, and he took a deep breath.

Finally, he opened his eyes and returned Larvitaro to the ball, smiling wryly at my questioning gaze.

"That was a great battle, Silver! I think we showed them what we were able to do!" he said finally, rubbing a finger against his nose. I smiled in relief, knowing that I'd be talking to him later regardless.

"Yeah, we did, Hero. That battle should have been reserved for the finals and nothing else."

"Well done, Metagross," I murmured, returning him to the ball.

"I have just done my duties to ensure victory. It is nothing that deserves thanks." What a battle... Gold was a monster, one that I had to prepare for carefully. But clearly, he prepared for me too, and the result was that massive battle that went down to the wire...

"I could watch these two battle all day, but unfortunately, this marks the end of Trainer Gold's Conference journey! Be on the lookout for that young man... because I sense a League victory sooner rather than later!" The announcer shouted encouragingly. At once, to the point where I was genuinely impressed, the crowd started chanting Gold's name in unison. Fan favorite was a nice way of putting it; the crowd absolutely loved his charisma, and for good reason.

"THAT WAS THE REAL FINALS!"

"YOU TWO WERE ROBBED!"

"DO A REDRAW!" Gold looked up in shock before laughing to himself.

"This just shows that only someone in Colors could take me out. Otherwise, I'm unstoppable!" He exclaimed. The crowd roared their agreement. Chants of Color began ringing through the arena, and I exhaled, taking a step back after sharing one last look with Gold. I'd let him cool down for now, then I'd visit him later. Losing was a terrible feeling, something that Gold and I felt more than the others in the gang... But for now, it seemed like I had an interview to do.

"Trainer Silver! Trainer Silver!" the lady called, the widest smile on her face yet. Her excitement was visible; the lady was practically shaking in place. It was easy to see that much like everyone else, this lady loved nothing more than a good battle.

"I know you want to soak in your victory and treat your team, but I just couldn't help myself! Please allow me to interview you!" she practically begged. I nodded. Winning felt good, and I was admittedly in high spirits.

"Sure, but make it fast," I finally decided. She grinned in joy, coughing slightly and stepping into as professional a state as she could be.

"Hello everyone, this is Anchorwoman Lydia here as the official representative of the Indigo League, and today we're here to interview the winner of his Top 8 match, Silver!" I didn't smile or wave for the camera, just breathing evenly as I leaned against the wall.

"I have only one word to describe what we just witnessed... Phenomenal! You and Trainer Gold put on a show that many people are considering to be the best battle in recent years! If not in general, then undeniably for a top 8 match. I struggle to believe that either of you would be eliminated from this battle! How do you feel?!"

"Like Gold and I made a point," I replied honestly.

"There's no doubt in my mind that we stole the show, exactly like we said we would. Gold was my toughest battle yet... and if anything played out differently, he could have easily won instead of me," I admitted. She nodded excitedly.

"Toughest battle indeed! A 6-5... this is clearly the battle that both of you fought the hardest for, and it makes your claims all the more believable! You two fought a war out there. Considering Trainer Green and Crystal won their matches so soundly, many people are beginning to believe that Colors is the real deal!" I huffed in amusement.

"That's what I said, isn't it? The four of us are really good. Any of us could have been the #1 ranked trainer of this year... and any of us can win on a given day. Maybe if I battled Gold tomorrow, I'd lose." I shrugged.

"At the very least, we ran into each other in a place where we could battle 6 on 6... but Gold and I aren't a Top 8 match, and now the world knows that too." She nodded exuberantly.

"Top 8 does you no justice! That's a match I would expect to see in the finals!"

"That's how it goes for Colors. All of us are final worthy matches." Lydia beamed.

"One more question. Your next opponent is Maria Ward, the favorite of the veterans to win this tournament. It appears you two know each other?" I raised a brow.

"We met before, yeah." My interviewer nodded eagerly.

"Tell me, how are you feeling? She is considered the #1 trainer of this tournament, so this can't be an easy match!" I tilted my head.

"How do I feel? What do you mean..."

"Huh?" she tilted her head. I snorted.

"It's the matches against my gang that are exciting. This is just business."