Chương 48: Crystal I

"Superb!" Elm cheered, having watched the battle with a sparkling gaze.

"Indeed! What an outstanding battle!" Oak praised.

"The way their styles clashed, the maneuvers, their talent... why, I feel something special!" Oak gazed at the young professor with a smile.

"You are proud of them. They are all your trainers after all! You are the first professor in history to have all 3 of your sponsees in the Top 8. That is a feat that is unheard of!" Elm jolted at that.

"Why... yes, you have a point! They are technically all my trainers... though I doubt I would be given credit for Silver." Rowan chuckled gruffly.

"I must applaud both of them, Gold for conjuring such a storm, and Silver for weathering it. It is incredibly difficult to navigate a battle when your plans have been smashed at the very beginning, but he did well." Oak nodded in agreement.

"It was evident that whatever strategy he thought of was immediately picked apart by Gold, but he recovered in the second half and managed to mount a comeback."

"A rare trait for a rookie. Most would crumble after such a situation," Rowan muttered, cupping his chin slightly. Elm chuckled.

"Seems like Chiko really did find the right trainer for her. You could not imagine my surprise when she managed to defeat that powerful Scizor." Oak nodded eagerly, a gleam in his eyes.

"This is why I want him as my student! His Meganium is manipulating techniques it should not be able to learn! What are the intricacies behind it? Based on the fact that he is utilizing the sun, he is using Weather Ball to some degree... or perhaps something else? Nature Power, maybe?"

"It is most fascinating. I was also not aware that Trainer Gold had a modified Braviary as well," Rowan noted. Elm chuckled nervously.

"That's just Gold for you. Unlike Crystal, he won't go out of his way to verify something. He was likely too focused on training!"

"And it nearly served him well. Navigating new pokemon is difficult as well. He is in uncharted territories, but knowing that boy... he'll be able to pull it off," Oak said, smiling at the thought.

"Wonderful," Lorelei smiled, utterly pleased. Was she pleased about the battle? Not necessarily... No, Lorelei was pleased about the very high-quality picture of Silver with a soft expression. She even had a video recorded! The battle? Oh, yes. A wonderful job by Silver.

"You're genuinely a little sick, Aunt," Mars said, shaking her head in mild amusement.

"Please don't make me ground you. Silver already is," she reminded, still pleased despite her words. Mars put up her hands innocently. It was best to just let Aunt be shameless when it came to them, less hassle that way. That's what Silver told her at least. Gold fell flat on his bed with a sigh. He lost to Silver on the big stage. It was close, anyone's game... but Silver's adaptation had been faster. Agh... Silver had always been the group's planner.

He'd definitely come up with an idea on the fly to edge out the victory. But damnit, Gold had him figured out from the start! He threw Silver off his game from the beginning, ruining any plans he had. He could tell that most of what Silver was doing had been hastily thought up in the middle of the fight while he struggled to swing the battle in his favor. Hell, Gold even had the element of surprise! Silver didn't know about a lot of his pokemon... But Silver also had the element of surprise.

He thought Larvitaro had it in the bag, but Metagross was able to spot him immediately and turn the tide. Silver knew the perfect way to battle him was to rob him of his aggression, but even then, Gold managed to break through...

"Agh! How was I supposed to know Gaia could control fire?!" he complained. He tugged at his spiky hair, his hat somewhere on the bed. That had really thrown him for a loop. Gold was expecting Scytaro to win that comfortably, and then it would drag Ares out... but no, Gaia actually won! Even with his plans in disarray, he still thought of stuff on the fly. Ridiculous. That no scouting rule hit Silver the hardest because without it in effect... Ugh, he wanted to battle him again. That match was so fun!

His team was currently with Nurse Joy. They had taken a hell of a beating; recovery was mandatory. The boy's eyes shifted over to the gentle knocks on his door.

"Come in." As the door opened, Gold felt his eyes widen at the person on the other side.

"Mom? Since when do you knock so gently?!" he asked incredulously, watching as his mother calmly stepped into the room. Amber rolled her eyes.

"I'm making sure my son is doing alright. C'mon, even your old lady has some tact." Gold smiled.

"To be honest, losing sucks... but I'm not that upset about it. I'm just looking forward to the next time we battle... I can definitely beat him!" Amber grinned, pulling her son into a side hug.

"That's my boy! One loss ain't enough to keep us down! Any fool with a brain could see you two deserved more than a Top 8 match!" He ruffled his hair with a small grin.

"Yeah... sorry for making you come all the way here just for you to see me lose my first match." She snorted, raking a hand through those black spikes with a fond and sharp grin.

"Like I care about that. My son is one of the best trainers at this tournament, and he's gonna become one of the best trainers in the world! There isn't a soul disappointed in your performance, because everyone knows the truth. You and your gang... Colors are the next big thing, and you went toe to toe with the boy who's the favorite to win this whole thing!" Amber ruffled her son's hair.

"It was a battle of inches, squirt. You could have won just as easily as you could have lost. You forced him to react to every play you made... and a few surprises caught you off guard. You two are complete opposites stylistically... and it made that battle all the better to watch." Gold stared at his mother in surprise before a softer smile appeared on his face.

"Who the hell taught you what sentiment was?" he joked, punching her shoulder with no force. Amber barked out a deep laugh.

"You did, you little rascal! Becoming a mother changed me more than I like to admit!"

"You're saying you were worse than this?! You're the same lady who made me drink alcohol when I was like 7!" Gold asked incredulously, laughing as he leapt away from her hand.

"You were the one being so damn grabby! Best to let you regret your decisions by having you taste, than dealing with your temper tantrums," Amber shrugged. Gold snorted easily.

"Yeah, right. Do you still have that "How to be a proper mother?" book lying around? You might actually have to read it this time!"

"Who taught you how to talk back so effectively, huh?" Amber questioned with narrowed eyes.

"A demon in human flesh!" Gold continued to cackle. I put my hand down, smiling to myself and taking a step away from the door. It seemed like Gold was doing just fine. Honestly, I was worried about my friends. Everyone had seen Green's interview, and it was one of the biggest red flag interviews I had seen in a long while. Part of me almost discarded that whole "no talking until after the league" rule the moment I saw it... But I know it would just be worse to do that.

Crystal and I had a long talk after that, but decided to save the discussion for later. Now, I was just making sure things didn't get worse for us all. I was glad Gold was doing okay. I'd let him spend time with his mom. I glanced up from my Pokedex as my door was promptly pushed open. Before I could instinctively curse Gold out, I was instead subjected to the yellow gaze of an adult woman.

"So you're Silver," Amber mused, stepping into my room like she owned the place. Well, it was abundantly clear where the fuck Gold got everything that made him Gold from.

"If I couldn't tell you were Gold's mom, the sheer audacity clued me in," I said dryly, pushing myself up to stare at her. She let out a barking laugh.

"My little squirt told me you had a smart mouth on you that you aren't afraid to use. I like that!" I rolled my eyes, inspecting her from top to bottom. Gold's mom was attractive, in a feral animal kind of way. It made sense she was good looking; she looked like an older female version of Gold... and hater I may be, I was an honest slanderer. She was tall, really tall, with a set of sharp, yellow eyes that glimmered with an abundance of confidence. Seriously, were we all going to look like our mothers?

She was Gold in the same way I was Ariana. I took one solid look at her and felt a piece slot into place, confusion blooming in my chest at the realization.

"Are you a Wataru?" I asked in disbelief, staring the woman down. Yellow eyes, tall as shit, attractive in a wild sort of way... and Gold told me she had a goddamn Haxorus. Amber raised a brow, raking a hand through her messy, jet-black hair.

"Partially. Surprised you noticed," she pointed out.

"You're telling me people haven't?" I retorted in confusion.

"My stupid son has never once asked me if I had their blood running through me," Amber pointed out. Huh, well yeah, never mind, that made sense...

"My granny was a Wataru. Married out of the clan and got shunned for it. I've never considered myself one; I just happen to have inherited plenty of their traits. I'm not a trainer; Haxorus has been my familiar since she was an Axew. Found her in the forest when I was 6, and we wrestled," she replied, shrugging with an uncaring look. Suddenly, everything made sense. No wonder Gold was the way he was. My counterpart's confidence was out of this world because he unknowingly picked up some damn Wataru traits.

"Bah, that's fine with me! Being part of some stuffy clan isn't my jam. I prefer the freedom." I smirked.

"Amber. I'm Silver." She clasped my hand easily, causing me to raise a brow. Amber was pretty damn strong.

"My squirt's told me all about you, Silver. Said you were his brother from another mother!"

"With how much I wanna kill him, but he still lives another day... He might be," I exhaled. Gold's mother let out a barking laugh. It was loud and carefree, not a noise I'd ever expect to hear from the other mothers I knew. Just from our brief convo, I could easily conclude that Amber was cool. My expression turned serious.

"Is he alright? I came here to check up on him, but I let him be because I heard you two." Amber snorted.

"Nothing keeps that squirt down for long. He's fine," she assured. The lady placed a hand against my head in an infuriatingly familiar manner.

"Thanks for keeping watch of my kid, Silver. I know he's a headache and a half, but I love that boy with my whole heart. He told me what you did for him at Saffron," she admitted, taking a seat by me. I shuffled awkwardly as the woman sighed.

"I'm not a sap like Marina or anything like that, but just know that if you keep this up, you and Gold won't just be siblings from another mother," she grinned, pulling me into a rough side hug.

"Pass unless you plan on marrying my aunt," I dismissed. Of course this damn woman adopted me already. I wasn't even surprised. The Mothers of Colors were unhinged. Amber opened her mouth before shutting it, a contemplative look on her face.

"Your aunt is Elite 4 Lorelei, right?" she asked randomly. I glared at her.

"Don't even think about it, woman. Now I know why Gold's a pervert." Amber held her hands up at my sneer.

"You sure ain't afraid to speak your mind!" she chuckled, pushing herself up with ease.

"We'll talk more after this league business. I've been wanting to know the little gang that's got my rebellious kid so enamored!" I nodded.

"I've got a couple of other people I want you to meet. A bunch of single mothers, just like you." Amber paused.

"Who said anything about me being single?!" she asked incredulously. I stared at her. She stared back... before grunting in defeat.

"I changed my mind. Rude little brats like you should learn when to stop talking," she sneered. I laughed mockingly.

"You'll love them. They need someone with a bit of bite because they're genuinely too nice, and I don't need anyone taking advantage of them. I'm relying on you to whip them into shape or to kill anyone who tests you." Amber scoffed.

"And I thought I was audacious. The balls on you... Alright, whatever. I'm overwhelming, so don't blame me if they hate me. Only Marina tends to be able to handle me, but that woman is psychotic."

"It's impossible. You'll understand in due time," I said cryptically. She stared at me, snorting and dropping the topic.

"That reminds me... be careful when you meet Crystal's family." I blinked owlishly.

"Why? I didn't do anything."

"Yeah... you didn't actually do anything. You'll understand eventually," Amber warned, waving with a single hand.

"You'd better not lose after knocking out my son! Study till you drop." With that, she shut my door, leaving one very confused Silver... who was me. I was Silver. What the fuck did I do?

"Crystal's family? Lyra and her mom?" I muttered in confusion. What could I have possibly done that would warrant a warning from Amber? Ah, well, I'd figure it out later. Gold barged into my room in the middle of my studying.

"What? Too cool to visit me?" he asked, leisurely falling back first onto my bed with a grin. Metagross and I looked up, prompting Gold to blink owlishly.

"Glasses?" he asked in confusion.

"Screen's too bright sometimes, and I do a lot of research, plus Sunny Day is bright. Bought these since they're made to shield my eyes from stuff like that," I grunted, gesturing towards the clear glasses. Gold approached curiously, fiddling with my hair.

"And what about your hair? You look like Lorelei!" he teased.

"Considering the things you probably think about her, don't ever say that again," I murmured, not even flinching as he messed with my messy bun.

"It was getting in the way. I either put it in a bun or ponytail if it gets too annoying, then I take it out before I see Mars, else she'll try to kill me." Gold nodded thoughtfully.

"You look girly as hell."

"Gold."

"My bad." I faced my counterpart, idly pushing strands of my hair out of the way.

"I was gonna visit you, but you were chatting with your mom. Didn't wanna interfere and was giving you space." Gold rolled his eyes.

"Didn't we already agree that the only one who would be a sore loser is you? I'm good, man," he said, accentuating his point by punching my shoulder.

"That battle was everything I was looking forward to!" I felt a small grin form.

"Who woulda thought that aggressive, limit testing Gold would add strategy. You seriously messed up my flow from the start," I mused. He laughed loudly.

"Limit testing is fun as hell, but against you guys, I actually have to think. Strategizing against you was pretty enjoyable... but my team didn't enjoy it very much besides Scytaro and Kintaro," he sighed.

"Just bully the rest into enjoying it. It's what I did... though considering I wasn't able to use much of any of my plans against you, Ares might start protesting again," I replied, smiling in amusement. Gold put his hands behind his head, kicking off his shoes as he got properly comfortable.

"I gotta ask... how did you catch up to us? The gap between us was pretty big when you were in Team Rocket," Gold pointed out. I nodded in agreement.

"Gravity." He blinked owlishly.

"Gravity?" he repeated slowly.

"Mhm. I used it to accelerate the training of my team," I replied. His eyes widened in disbelief.

"Holy shit." I snorted at that.

"I needed to catch up. It was very effective. You'll see how effective it is soon." Gold shook his head in exasperation.

"Not gonna lie, Silv... we're gonna have a lot more battles after the League. It's a good thing we're all going to Johto. I just wanna have another!" he admitted. I nodded readily.

"That was the most exciting battle I've had in a while. You really made me work for that win... it could have easily gone either way," I mused.

"That's the beauty of a rivalry! We can all take matches off the other, so we have to keep improving!" Gold cackled. He leaned closely in excitement.

"How many views do you think we'd get if we did that streaming business for our sparring days?" I smirked widely.

"You've already got the instinct. We'll have to lean in slowly to that. Tease em a bit, so that they want more." Gold nodded eagerly.

"I get it! Always give them something to look forward to! A battle between Colors isn't something we can show them every day!" I knew Gold was going to make it big as a streamer. He had it down to a T.

"Am I getting in the way of your studying?" Gold asked suddenly.

"Nah. I've basically got it all figured out. Our battle is probably going to be way harder than the one I'm about to have," I admitted truthfully, turning towards the stats on Maria with a curious expression. Metagross rumbled something, prompting Gold to stare at him. He snorted.

"I'm glad we made the no scouting rule, you cheater. After this, we should all watch the replays of our battles." I mulled that over.

"Good idea. We can also identify areas for improvement." Gold shook his head in amusement.

"Always thinking of ways to improve. No wonder our whole gang is so freakish. What group of 12-year-olds takes training this seriously?" he chuckled.

"There's a reason we're the strongest at this tournament. I'm making it to the top, and since you guys are so persistent, you're coming with me."

"And that's why you're the leader," Gold teased. My eye twitched.

"Bastard," I muttered. He let out that infuriating cackle again, turning his gaze towards the screen.

"So, tell me about this Maria chick." I nodded.

"She's a good trainer with a strong team. Definitely a cut above the rest; I can tell that she'll get scouted by Ace after this tournament." Gold tilted his head.

"But she's not quite on our level, right? I felt that this whole tournament, even up against that Rank 4 girl." I nodded.

"Most of the trainers in their later years, who haven't been recruited by Ace... likely hit some form of stagnation."

"Maria is a good trainer, though, based on how old she is, she doesn't have many videos. Ace will probably help her when she's recruited... I guess I could also give her tips cause she's not beating me," I muttered. She had good fundamentals and solid pokemon, but she was lacking something that would push her to the next level. Not to mention, her team didn't seem as old as I imagined they would be. I didn't really do a character search of her beyond watching her battles and what members she had, but still...

"Giving her tips, eh?" Gold wagged his brows suggestively. I shot him an annoyed look.

"You and your mom are the same level of pervert. How do I get allegations when you exist?" His brows shot up this time.

"Huh? Wait, who the hell is calling you a pervert? You don't ever appreciate any girl I point out— You met my mom?!" he asked incredulously.

"She barged into my room without knocking and practically adopted me off one talk." Gold tilted his head.

"Why's she a pervert?" he asked in confusion.

"She looked like she wanted to say something about Lorelei that I wasn't a fan of," I drawled.

"Can you blame her?" Gold replied with a severe frown.

"You're out of the tourney. I'll kill you."

"My bad." Gold huffed in amusement.

"My mom's shameless, so she's never been afraid to speak her mind. I'll have to warn her that any comments on Lorelei might get her killed..." he muttered, a disturbed expression on his face. I rolled my eyes.

"You Wataru and your personalities. Insufferable." My counterpart blinked owlishly.

"Wataru? The hell are you talking about?" I stared at him in genuine disbelief. He really didn't know? Even though it didn't quite hit him... Gold's mom looked so much like a Wataru that I was baffled, and Gold looked so much like her that one look in the mirror had to give him some idea. How was her grandma the only one from that clan?

"Your mom is part Wataru. Gets it from her grandma, who was part of the clan," I informed him. Gold blinked. Then his jaw dropped.

"I'm part Wataru?!"

"Barely," I replied. He frantically shot up in confusion.

"Why the hell did my mom not tell me this?! How am I even finding this out from you?! You've known her for like 5 minutes!" I shrugged.

"I just find things out easily. You can mention it to her tomorrow... I've studied enough, and Crys and Green are preparing hard for their battle, so let's play a game or something." Gold's eyes lit up.

"I'll go get the system then. Try not to lose too badly!" he laughed, dashing off. I watched him go with a small smile. Even if I always wanted to fight him, that just came with being siblings. Brother from another mother. I snorted. Seems he really was my counterpart, alright.

"Mars. Janine," I greeted, watching the two walk up to me. There was a wild grin on my twin's face, and for the umpteenth time, I noted our similarities to each other. To my surprise, Mars strongarmed me into a hug.

"That battle was awesome! You two were tearing the roof off! It was the best battle I ever watched!" she gushed, a manic gleam in her eyes. I laughed.

"There's just something about battling Gold that always gets my blood pumping," I admitted honestly. Janine shook her head in disbelief.

"I struggle to believe you two have improved so much in such a short time. It was only a few months ago that we all trained at Saffron together. Before, I was confident in my ability to defeat each of you... Now I fear that a battle may be far closer than I anticipated," she murmured.

"Nothing to do but up your own training. If you start slacking, we'll blow past you." Janine nodded in determination.

"Such a thing seems inevitable, but I won't make it easy for any of you." I nodded proudly.

"Don't worry. If Achlys ever has an egg, you're the first person I'll give one to." Janine's eyes... didn't quite turn into stars, but I swear there was something there!

"That's a promise! I'll hold you to that, Silver!" she gushed. I rolled my eyes. I had already planned on it; this variant of Sneasel really was a perfect fit for her"You think I can catch up to you guys?" Mars asked curiously, tilting her head.

"I wanna have battles like that against you all! That was so damn awesome! You shoulda seen the look on Sneasel's face!" I snorted.

"Trainers progress the most in their first year, and then slow down. It won't affect my gang that much, but we'll eventually slow down enough for you to bridge the gap. If you keep hanging around us, you'll catch up in no time," I assured. She nodded with force.

"Right! If I'm a nepo baby, might as well take full advantage of it!" I chuckled genuinely, patting her head.

"I'll make sure of it." Janine smiled at the two of us.

"Mars is my friend, so I'll help her as well. I've been explaining many things to her while we've been here." I shot her an appreciative glance.

"Even though I heavily disapprove of your friendship, I can acknowledge your uses." Mars immediately stepped in front of Janine, pushing her backwards with an exasperated expression.

"Gee, thanks so much, Dad. I'm so glad you're policing my friends too," she drawled, glaring at me.

"With no regrets. I'm the one who found you, so it's my job to protect you," I drawled right back. Now it was her turn to glare at me. Even as her pale cheeks dusted a shade of red at my words.

"I'm gonna kill you one of these days," Janine promised, letting Mars push her backwards. I smirked insufferably. God, I loved irritating Janine.

"You guys showing up right before my battle, huh?" I questioned, adjusting my fingerless gloves. I typically used full gloves, but I was experimenting these days. My coat was a darker shade of purple today, with a black outline where the red spots usually were.

"Yup! We'll be in the front rows!" Mars looked excited at the prospect, eyes glinting. I smiled at her.

"It might not be as exciting as my battle with Gold, but it should be fun regardless." Janine sniffed.

"It's just a placeholder for Crystal and Green's battle. That's the only reason I'm watching you of all people."

"I hope I hear your boos," I retorted. We both glared at each other before Mars sighed, dragging Janine away.

"Hurry up before you're late! We'll go get our seats!" I watched them go with an amused smirk, shaking my head. How unfortunate that I couldn't watch Crystal and Green's battle. I bet those two were just as disappointed that they couldn't watch Gold and mine's. Ah, well, they'd tear the house down just like we did. That was for later. For now, I had a battle to prepare for.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Top 4 of the Indigo Conference! Are you ready for our first thrilling battle of the day?!" A coy grin greeted me on the other side of the battlefield. Maria waved cheerfully, prompting me to roll my eyes.

"Wave back!" A member of the crowd shouted. My response was to flip them off, getting a resounding gasp of horror from all of them. Of course, the booing came right after.

"Trainer Silver sure doesn't hold his punches!" The announcer laughed nervously. Evidently, he was wondering if it was worth mentioning my antics or if it would get him in trouble. I'm fairly sure parents were not a big fan of either Gold or me. The two of us were very bad for their ears after all. I offered Maria a short nod, tightening my gloves out of habit.

"Just business, huh?" Maria teased. My head cocked slightly.

"That's right. Nothing personal... there are just more things I'm looking forward to," I said honestly. She winced playfully.

"Ouch, you really know how to hit it where it hurts, huh?" Maria mused.

"It's my special talent," I drawled.

"This will be a 6-on-6 match to determine who will qualify for the finals of the Indigo Conference!"

"On the red side, hailing from Aquacorde Town, Maria Ward!" Maria waved cheerfully at the crowd, eyes glimmering as the crowd roared her name.

"The favorite to win this entire tournament... Maria Ward has cruised through the competition with a level of competence befitting her! After her easy win against Derek, can anyone stop her from claiming the title?!"

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

"It's only fitting that the favorite to win it all... is facing against perhaps the only other trainer who can stop her! Trainer Silver seems unstoppable, but will his confidence be met with a wall here?!" I quirked a brow. I was the only one who could stop her? Surely he was lying to prop up the importance of this match. I didn't consider myself ahead of anyone in my gang right now. This was all propaganda... Well, I'd have to stamp that in the mud.

I listened to the mixed reactions with a hum, my gaze sharpening as I felt the telltale signs of a battle about to begin.

"Trainer Maria, you will release first!" the referee announced. She nodded, eyes narrowed as she grabbed a ball. The cheerful smile on her face was gone, replaced by a competitive, albeit eager smirk.

"I've been waiting for this moment, Silver! Let's have a good battle!" With that, she launched her pokeball forward. Maria was an experienced trainer with a wide array of pokemon. What she lacked in power, she made up for in variety. In a way, she was similar to Ash. I couldn't quite perfectly predict for her team, but I knew some things and prepared accordingly. Maria was a Veteran with a lot of options... but she hadn't managed to make it past that threshold of power that would propel her to another level.

As the Magnezone materialized, I stared at its big eye with a contemplative frown. I expected this one. I didn't have many answers to Magnezone. The Charcas and Achlys were a little too weak at the moment. So I had worked on it a little.

"Gaia," I decided, sending my starter out. She burst out with a bellow, stamping her feet on the ground. My grass starter glared at the Magnezone with a narrowed gaze, vines already snaking out of her body.

"Gaia already?! Wow!" Maria awed, looking pleased. I huffed.

"You sure are excited."

"How could I not be! It's not every day you get to defeat a gang of prodigies!" she cheered. I smirked in mild amusement.

"You're right. It's not every day... and it isn't happening today either."

"Both contestants are set; Magnezone vs Meganium... Begin!"

"Sunny Day."

"Magnet Rise!" The sky brightened from Gaia's efforts, sun beaming down on us with a vengeance. I idly slipped on the same pair of glasses that Gold caught me in, refusing to wear a hat outside of disguising purposes. I could have sworn I heard a few flashes. Hm... My eyes honed in on the Magnezone floating even higher above the ground, electricity carrying it well out of reach of the devastating ground-type attacks that would signal its doom. I hummed.

"Safeguard, Gaia. Then go on the offensive," I decided. Maria's eyes widened at my command, a small frown forming as the white barrier formed around Gaia. Her plan with Magnezone was standard. It was a machine in battle, utilizing a mock Lock-On to fire deadly attacks, with Zap Cannon being its favorite. Afterwards, it would take advantage of your paralysis and pick you off from a distance. Naturally, I wasn't allowing that to happen. Poor Gaia was fighting a lot of steel types.

They absolutely sucked as a source of nourishment, with tough bodies that protected them well enough from her viny onslaught. But everyone had seen what she had done to Scytaro. Now, all eyes were on Gaia's unorthodox strategies. Regardless, Gaia was the best bet against this Magnezone that liked to render foes useless. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Gaia let out a battle cry before unleashing a salvo of sharp leaves that aimed directly for the airborne Magnezone.

"Discharge! Destroy them! Keep an eye on the Meganium!" Maria instructed immediately. The Magnezone whirred before exploding in electricity, tagging and burning the Magical Leaves to a crisp. Gaia was undeterred by the initial failure. Her eyes narrowed, and she launched her vines through the air, attempting to grab the magnet. In retaliation, Magnezone created another barrier of electricity, which caused her vines to wither and fall limp to the ground.

"Flash Cannon! She'll do this all day!" Maria shouted, finally deciding to take initiative.

"Solar Beam." A white beam of energy collided with green, the two fighting for dominance. Eventually, the raw power of the Solar Beam won out, blowing through the Flash Cannon and careening towards the Magnezone, which shifted to the left— Right into the waiting arms of Gaia's previously limp vines. They lashed out like they had a mind of their own, gripping tightly around the Magnezone. Maria's eyes widened.

"Discharge, Magnezone! Quickly!" Her order wasn't fast enough for the pace of the battle. I didn't need to tell Gaia what to do; she already knew. With a bellow, Gaia slammed the Magnezone onto the ground, forcefully destabilizing its Magnet Rise. Her eyes glimmered with the malice that matched mine, and before the Magnezone could do anything, she reared back and slammed the ground with tremendous force.

Much like with the Venusaur at New Island, the Earthquake did tremendous damage due to Gaia forcing the Magnezone to absorb all of it. She sneered at the electric type frantically whirring, but mercilessly held strong until the whirring weakened to nothing. Maria looked stunned at the quick change in events, prompting me to smile thinly.

"The difference between my battle with you and Gold is that I studied for one," I said confidently. I was no longer holding back as I had been in the previous rounds of the Conference. Now that I was in the last hurdle, it was go time. Now that I was aware my opponent was either going to be Green or Crystal, both of whom were not allowed to scout me... I could go all out. Maria would be the first and only opponent in this tournament, whom I would be scouting with the intentions of using my full power.

My planning was the best in the gang; it was as simple as that. Giving me the ability to scout and research my opponents was honestly the most overpowered thing you could give me. All I did was plan for enemies that had stupid plans that I'd need to stamp in the mud. Knowledge is power, after all. And I was cursed with an abundance of it. I almost felt bad for Maria... but she would still put up a fight, so there was no need.

"You were so worried about Gaia using one of her fire-type attacks that you assumed Magnet Rise would keep you completely safe," I pointed out, grinning sardonically.

"Learning new things about your opponent is as much a curse as a blessing. Causes you to tunnel vision on that shiny new detail and forget previous things."

"Magnezone is unable to battle. The winner of this round is Meganium!" The referee announced.

"SHUT. DOWN! Gaia made that battle look too easy!" The announcer roared, energy infecting the crowd.

"Oh wow," Maria said, playfulness wiped away in an instant as she returned Magnezone to the ball. I stared evenly at her, my smirk widening at seeing her expression turn far more serious. It was a little unfair. The four of us had practically cheated by getting assistance from such notable figures. Hell, I had been training nonstop with Mewtwo's clones, all while the psychic applied a perfect level of Gravity to each of my members.

I was even capable of fainting some of Sabrina's weaker members, same with Jasmine... I was a bit too overprepared for this tournament.

"Talonflame, get ready!" Maria shouted, launching her ball forward. A falcon burst out of the ball, red-orange plumage covering its head, wings, and most of its chest. Its underside and hindquarters were gray, while the tips of its long, pointed wings were black. The Talonflame shrieked loudly, basking in the sunlight provided to it by Gaia. The fiery bird glared at Gaia in contempt. A stream of wind shifted in time with its flapping wings, confirming something to me regarding its ability. Gale Wings.

A troublesome ability exclusive to the Talonflame lineage, giving them enough control over the wind to enhance their speeds to dreadful levels. It was a move that required proper energy to maintain; too much damage and they'd lose the fine control over the winds around them.

"I admit it was stupid of me to underestimate you, even a little... but the real battle begins now!" Maria said confidently. I cocked my head ever so slightly.

"I wonder if that'll be enough. I'm just getting started, after all," I mused. This Talonflame would be troublesome while it was healthy. Chipping away at its energy would be ideal.

"Both contestants are set; Meganium vs Talonflame... Begin!"

"Magical Leaf," I said immediately, wanting to get that chip damage most easily.

"Flame Charge!" Maria retorted. As Gaia shot out the massive tracking leaves, Talonflame exploded into flames. The leaves burned up before reaching the bird, who rushed Gaia with malicious intent.

"Reflect," I retorted. Talonflame diverted its path right before crashing into the Reflect, angling itself and soaring back into the sky.

"Tailwind, Talonflame, don't let it catch you at all costs!" I sucked my teeth in mild annoyance as the already swift Talonflame grew even faster. It was a bullet, speeding through the air with no intent of getting hit by Gaia. Gaia stared in annoyance at the Talonflame blazing through the air, streaks of orange following its flaming body. She conjured a Light Screen that blocked the Flamethrower before shuffling in annoyance at the Fire Spin surrounding her.

She wasn't my most mobile fighter, but Gaia was still a girl who liked to move around in her battles. Limiting her like this was difficult to maneuver around, especially considering her opponent was an exceptionally quick bird. My eyes narrowed slightly. Our hands were mildly tied at the moment. She prepared well for Gaia... Alright, time to improvise.

"Earthquake, Gaia. Uproot the ground," I decided, eyes narrowed slightly. Maria's eyes narrowed in confusion as Gaia winced at the flames but stamped the ground with excessive force.

"Keep up the pressure, Talonflame! Air Slash!" I nodded to myself and said, "Make yourself a shield and hold it above you." Gaia growled in pain as the Air Slash connected to her back, lashing out with her vines to lift an absurdly large piece of the ground above her head. Maria's eyes widened at the action, panic swelling further at the sound of me calling out, "Synthesis."

"Don't! Brave Bird!" she barked, eyes narrowed in concern. While I had been hoping to goad the Talonflame in with the threat that Gaia could not truly be damaged with this big slab above her, I severely underestimated just how fast Gale Wings made a pokemon. Fair, considering this was my first time battling a Talonflame... but holy shit.

I watched with slightly wide eyes as Talonflame vanished from their spot way up in the sky and crashed their entire body into Gaia in seconds, plowing through the Reflect like it was made of glass. The force was so great that the size difference between the two played no role whatsoever. Gaia was still launched far back from the attack. She squealed in pain, tumbling backwards from the power behind that Brave Bird.

"Quickly, Use Roost!" Talonflame attempted to do so, only to squawk in surprise as the giant piece of ground nearly crushed it underneath. It stepped backwards, only for it to let out a shrill shriek of horror at a single vine wrapping around its talon.

"Oh no you don't! Burn that off!" Maria shouted frantically. Gaia panted in annoyance as Talonflame immediately burned the flames off, body igniting once more and reducing the vine to cinders. It took off into the sky, noticeably slower but fast enough that we still couldn't really do anything about it. I sucked my teeth in mild annoyance, gazing at the injured Gaia with narrowed eyes.

"This is annoying. Magical Leaf again," I decided, frowning.

"Agility! Acrobatics!" The Talonflame screeched, whirling to the right and avoiding the leaves just barely. Much like an acrobat would, the falcon began swerving between every leaf currently soaring through the air. Angling itself barely to the left to avoid the returning leaves, soaring above another salvo... Eventually, my opponent grew tired of avoiding the persistent leaves, realizing that they weren't going away until they were personally dealt with.

Talonflame was not a pokemon with a lot of resilience, and it had not recovered from that reckless Brave Bird earlier. Maria's goal for this Talonflame was simple... completely off the rail offense, supplemented by incredible speed and Roosts to keep it going for as long as possible. It was a glass cannon that didn't like being shattered. Annoying without the proper answers... and right now, Gaia was lacking those options.

Talonflame angled itself and soared towards my Meganium, continuing to perform acrobatics to avoid the leaves that were steadily picking up momentum. In an instant, the bird appeared in front of Gaia, once more, its white streaked body crashing into her with ruthless force.

"Slow it down." Gaia cried out, but I smiled proudly as a fierce glint entered her eyes. With a furious bellow, she unleashed the full brunt of her aroma, and Talonflame visibly sagged. Then, she fired a flurry of seeds at the bird, not even waiting to watch them take root before she crushed the Talonflame under her full weight. You didn't hear this from me, but Gaia was a heavy girl, especially in comparison to a Talonflame.

She had gained hundreds of pounds from evolution, muscles condensing into something that made her physical strength far more formidable. Before, her Body Slams were only really useful against foes that didn't weigh much. Now? Yeah, now they were actually very threatening. The panicked shrieks of the Talonflame made that evident. The combination of being smothered by something almost quadruple your weight, along with the heavy aroma, should have been more than enough to end the match.

I was reminded, however, that this was a Veteran trainer I was up against as an explosion of flames erupted from underneath Gaia. Gaia howled in surprise, shuffling backwards as her body was immediately burned. Talonflame let out a furious shriek, flames covering its entire body. With an almost reckless level of abandon, the falcon leapt at Gaia with all the fury of a maniac, slamming into her with the full force of a Flare Blitz. My eyes narrowed as Gaia cried out from the power.

"Gaia. Earthquake," I said grimly, knowing she was probably done for after this.

"Don't let her Talonflame! You have to finish this! Overheat!" Maria shouted desperately. Gaia's attack never came out as the Talonflame glowed a violent shade of red before erupting in an even more violent display of flames. I sucked my teeth in annoyance, holding out a ball and returning her before she could suffer even worse injuries.

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

"And on the brink of a 2-0... Talonflame manages to bring it back and defeat Gaia, evening up the score!" I watched Talonflame hobble back to its position.

"Freyja," I murmured. My Milotic appeared with a gentle croon, a steady downpour of rain appearing over her body. She glanced coolly at the Talonflame, who stared back with narrowed eyes. Maria bit her lip, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Both contestants are set; Milotic vs Talonflame... Begin!" Talonflame immediately spread its wings and took flight, shakily launching itself into the air—"Snipe it." Talonflame didn't even get to find perch in the air before a thin stream of water pierced one of its wings effortlessly. The bird let out an ungodly shriek at that, one wing rendered useless in an instant. It immediately began losing its elevation, careening towards the floor. Freyja sniffed once, nonplussed by the shriek.

She conjured a ball this time and ruthlessly launched the Water Pulse, watching it explode in the Talonflame's face. The bird tumbled backwards from the force and collapsed.

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

"And just like that, the score is 2-1 in Silver's favor! He's comfortably in the lead right now! How will Maria mount a comeback?!"

"She won't," I thought grimly. Metagross and I had workshopped together what team she'd probably put together to beat us, and based on her first two pokemon... I think we knew the rest. God, Metagross were such cheaters... I loved it. We had gone through a bunch of simulations of the battle, and while it wouldn't play out perfectly, it was good enough to strategize around. As Maria pursed her lips and released the Ludicolo, I nodded to myself.

The Ludicolo danced about, a grin on its face that didn't lessen at the slightest upon seeing Freyja. A good matchup for Maria. If not for her draconic properties, Freyja would despise the Ludicolo matchup... But it's not like anyone really knew about Freyja's affinity with the dragon-type. She still looked like a Milotic, after all.

"Both Contestants are set; Milotic vs Ludicolo... Begin!"

"Fake Out!" Maria shouted immediately. I smirked in amusement. It was the same thing Gold had done to test if it was Loki he was facing. While the chances were far lower now, it always helped to check. Freyja flinched as Ludicolo sped across the field with deceptive levels of speed. The dancing water type clapped in front of Freyja. It relished in Freyja's selfish rain.

Some of the liquid was immediately stored atop the little sombrero on its head, but the more annoying thing was the little seeds it shot out that took root in my Milotic's body. Ludicolo danced away from Freyja's lashing tail before a Dragon Pulse immediately erupted in its face. Freyja sneered at the Ludicolo, nonplussed by the roots sapping her abundance of energy. She surrounded herself in the familiar Aqua Ring, conjuring another Dragon Pulse to fire.

The carefree pokemon recovered and danced to the left hastily, avoiding the speeding bullet of dragon energy. At the same time, rain conjured over the entire battlefield, scuff marks on the dancer already vanishing. I narrowed my eyes before a smile appeared on my face.

"Freyja." Freyja turned to stare at me, nodding at the look in my eyes. She crooned, coiling up and gathering the necessary energy, then turned towards the Ludicolo, who was preparing an Energy Ball to fire. With the rain activated, Freyja shot off at tremendous speeds. She immediately began firing a litany of Dragon Pulse, forcing the Ludicolo to move constantly lest it start to get peppered.

The Energy Ball it intended to fire blew past one of the weaker Dragon Pulses, but had long missed my Milotic, who was now summoning a giant twister that absorbed the rain above. She fired it at the Ludicolo, distracting it just enough to implement her real attack. As the Ludicolo launched itself away from the Twister, it suddenly shouted in surprise at seeing my Milotic in front of it, tail glowing a vivid shade of turquoise.

Before it could properly defend itself, Freyja smashed the Dragon Tail against the Ludicolo's midsection. It barely registered the pain before the odd properties of the technique forcefully sent it back to the Pokeball. Maria watched, dumbfounded, as a Hitmonchan was forcefully released from the ball, standing in a daze.

"Oh my! Silver has utilized Dragon Tail to swap out Ludicolo for Maria's Hitmonchan! What a strategy by this rookie!" The Referee blinked in surprise.

"Ludicolo has been forcefully substituted. While still eligible for battle, the contestants are now Hitmonchan vs Milotic. Begin—""Flip Turn." Freyja winked cutely, something that made the crowd coo all at the same time, before morphing into a ball of water that crashed into the unsuspecting Hitmonchan's midsection. I smirked insufferably, attaching her ball to its slot before releasing another one.

"Metagross." Maria bit her lip even harder as Metagross appeared out of the ball with an ominous thud. My complete exploitation of the rules was likely to be checked on in the future, but for now, I would take full advantage of it. The referee coughed awkwardly.

"Due to Trainer Silver utilizing a move, Milotic is still in the battle, but the contestants are now Hitmonchan vs Metagross... Begin!"

"Fake Out!" Maria shouted. Hitmonchan leaned forward, lunging forward to deliver the very annoying attack... and failing completely as a sheen covered its body. Metagross hoisted the Hitmonchan in the air and dragged it close to him, before practically impaling the fighting type onto its claws. Maria's stance was frantic now, the battle slipping quickly out of her hand as Hitmonchan shrieked.

"Counter, Hitmonchan!" she shouted urgently, thrown for a loop at the pace I was taking. Considering I had done the complete opposite against Gold, it was understandably surprising, but hey, why would I ever try to outpace Gold? That was just asking to lose. I grunted in mild annoyance as Hitmonchan dislodged itself by delivering a vicious counter onto Metagross, launching my pokemon backwards. The ground trembled as Metagross landed upright, staring at the Hitmonchan with a neutral gaze.

"That had to hurt."

"It did notable damage." Hmph, what a showoff.

"Do what we practiced."

"Naturally." Hitmonchan only had a moment to lift its fist before Metagross sped at it like a bullet train. The momentum pushed the Hitmonchan back a great distance, only for a psychic sheen to cover it once more, not allowing the fighting type to take a single step.

"Pursuit, Hitmonchan! Break that hold!" Dark energy shrouded the Hitmonchan, freeing it from the psychic and allowing it to lunge forward freely this time. A darkness-enshrouded glove slammed against Metagross before Hitmonchan ignited its other glove to deliver a fiery punch this time. Metagross retaliated by opening his mouth in a rare display and clamping his vicious jaws around the glove, eliciting a wail of agony from the Hitmonchan.

I could tell with complete confidence that there was no chance Hitmonchan was freeing its arm, lest it risk losing it altogether. The Psychic Fangs did tremendous damage; Hitmonchan was still screeching from the crushing force of having a Metagross bite you. While I had him learn it for any Light Screen and Reflect shenanigans... this was also pretty effective. Metagross were predators, after all; it used its tremendous strength to pin down foes... and then ate them with its mouth.

"I prefer metals and minerals, not flesh."

"You're so fucking creepy, Metagross. Don't talk to me while you're eating someone's arm."

"I will show you how I consume at a different time since you seem so invested. I delight in rock-type pokemon quite a bit." What a freak. Metagross didn't even hunt. He was totally fine eating what I cooked for the team.

"Revenge, Hitmonchan! You have to free yourself!" Maria shouted urgently, eyes wide in horror. Hitmonchan reared back, the force of the revenge no doubt about to inflict a devastating amount of damage... Well, up until Metagross clamped down even tighter, effortlessly shattering its concentration and eliciting an even louder shriek out of the Hitmonchan. It collapsed onto its knees, weakly delivering the revenge to the cross on Metagross.

It was finally put out of its misery as Metagross released the fist and slammed into the poor fighting type with a vicious Zen Headbutt. Hitmonchan flew backwards from the force, one of its arms dangling uselessly as it crumpled to the floor. Getting into a physical battle with a Metagross was reckless at best and suicidal at worst. Maria's goal was to use Hitmonchan for Oberon/Loki, but I had put it in one of its worst matchups.

The League's rules and regulations were designed to ensure that no battle was dragged out longer than necessary. This doubled as entertainment after all. It didn't always used to be like this until one battle took almost an hour because the two sides kept swapping their pokemon. That was when the no-swapping rule came about. After that, not many people tried to abuse the rules... Well, up until me. I wasn't a stand-up kinda guy like these people.

If you give a criminal such an easy exploit, of course they'll take it.

"Hitmonchan is unable to battle! The winner of this round is Metagross!" The referee announced, looking just as thrown for a loop as Maria was. The crowd was just as stunned. I smiled in amusement at the looks on all their faces. I couldn't really do this strategy against Gold because Freyja had been the 2nd to last pokemon I used, while I had been confident that Loki could beat Explotaro... but now?

I wasn't so sure this strategy was going to be the most optimal choice against either Green or Crystal, but against Maria... who only had clips to learn from? It was disastrously effective. Only my close friends really knew what the hell was going on in my head, and that wasn't even with a 100% success rate. Hell, Gold and I had even learned some similar things that we showcased.

"This... isn't what I expected," Maria said honestly, brows furrowed as she slowly returned Hitmonchan. It was easy to see that she was rattled. For the overwhelming favorite of the tournament to be put in this situation was unexpected, even if you didn't pay too much attention to stuff like that.

"It's nothing personal. Just haven't really been able to use this strategy, and I don't think my next battle will allow it... so I decided to try it on you," I said honestly. Metagross said nothing, staring ominously at her. Facing a Metagross was not fun... at all. It was actually one of the worst pokemon to face in the world. It was with that detail that I was sure she had a counter for it...

"Don't think it's over just yet, Silver! It's time for a comeback!" she shouted, throwing the ball forward. What appeared made me scowl ferociously. A Flygon sang its arrival, the lovely tune only serving to piss me off.

"Do you ever intend to tell anyone besides myself and the trickster of your hatred for the ground type?" Metagross intoned.

"It's not relevant," I bit out. Metagross rumbled in mild amusement.

"It is objectively a terrible idea to limit yourself by ignoring an entire type. We will discuss later what ground type suits you. I will avoid anything that your father has used."

"What are you, my mom?"

"You have enough. My goal is to make you the strongest, and that means eliminating any issues you may have." I scoffed, glaring at the Flygon. This wouldn't be an easy battle. Despite not showing it, that counter did do a lot of damage because my Metagross did a lot of damage.

"And Maria sends out her Flygon! Will this pokemon begin the start of a comeback?! Or will Silver propel the lead even further into a 4-1?!"

"Both contestants are set; Metagross vs Flygon... Begin!"

"Magnet Rise," I intoned.

"Sandstorm! Then Dragon Dance!" Maria exclaimed. Are you fucking serious? Was I just facing Larvitaro again? I huffed in annoyance.

"You know the deal."

"It will be mildly more difficult considering this one flies." Metagross activated Miracle Eye just in time to see the Dragon Pulse. It barely moved him as it connected, but Flygon didn't let that deter it. The sandstorm swirled violently, transforming into a tornado-like phenomenon that surrounded Metagross. Magnet Rise was not all-powerful like in the video games. It did not immune all ground-type attacks, just like how a flying type wouldn't be immune to an Earthquake if you forcefully held it to the ground.

I sucked my teeth as the Sand Tomb surrounded Metagross, eyes narrowed slightly. Metagross didn't let the Sand Tomb bother him too much, just opening his mouth and unleashing a Flash Cannon that Flygon soared away from.

"Gonna have to sacrifice your limbs to fly easier."

"Agreed." When retracting its limbs, a Metagross was capable of flight, but its physical abilities suffered as a result. With Magnet Rise activated, Metagross didn't need to tuck in his limbs to fly about... but it would still be a worse option than just putting away their legs. But we could work around it. There was a reason I trained Metagross in ranged options. Metagross tucked in his legs and rumbled before launching himself through the air at tremendous speeds.

Flygon's eyes widened at that, flitting away to avoid the speeding missile. Metagross was relentless. Without missing a beat, he shifted and fired off a Flash Cannon that Flygon attempted to move away from, only for a familiar psychic sheen to wrap around it long enough for the Flash Cannon to connect. Flygon hissed in pain, the singing noise shrieked ever so slightly as it flapped strongly. It spat out a wad of mud that Metagross weaved, the Mud Shot sailing into the barrier.

A flurry of Shadow Balls soared towards it in retaliation, prompting a shroud of darkness to converge around Flygon's mouth preemptively. It flew out of the way of one, crunched another, and mowed down as much as it could with a giant Dragon Breath. Metagross took full advantage of the distraction. My substitute UFO launched itself through the air at dreadful speeds, using the Shadow Balls as cover to hide its movement.

I winced slightly as my behemoth slammed into Flygon with the full force of a thousand-pound death machine. The takedown nearly caved the dragonfly completely because getting hit by a Metagross was a guaranteed way to turn into mush if you weren't a high-level pokemon. Luckily for us, Flygon was fairly resilient. Unluckily for them, that was still a Flygon getting full-body tackled by a Metagross.

I couldn't hear Flygon's wheeze of agony from the wind being knocked out of it, but I did see its body rocket through the air until it collided brutally with the barrier. It plummeted rapidly to the floor before catching itself just barely. It wheezed, hacking rapidly as the Sandstorm dispersed. Metagross floated downward, a healthy distance away from it. His legs ominously slithered out from their pockets, thudding onto the floor once more.

"Wrap this up. Bullet Punch and then Psychic Fangs," I muttered. Maria clenched her jaw as Metagross launched itself across the field.

"Flygon, Supersonic!" I watched with wide eyes as the Supersonic completely froze Metagross in his tracks, brows furrowed in mild confusion, before horror hit me like a tidal wave. Shit. Clear Body. Metagross was a machine, one whose physical structure and internal energy were perfectly regulated. It was incredibly difficult for outside forces to mess with its performance. It's one of the main reasons why Metagross were so feared in battle.

They did not feel fear; they could not be intimidated; their bodies were internally balanced down to ridiculous levels... But some moves could... destabilize them. Confusion was the optimal way to send a Metagross' internal structure into disarray. And we didn't practice countermeasures for it. Not enough time. Goddamnit. I winced backwards as a deafening sound resounded in my head, akin to an ungodly static. I grabbed my head, hissing to myself as an unintelligible garble persisted in my head.

"Oh my! That Supersonic was incredibly effective! Even Trainer Silver was affected by it!" The announcer shouted, but I couldn't even hear it.

"Metagross! Stabilize yourself!" I hissed, wincing as a strong headache bloomed. The downside of being so connected to Metagross was moments like this.

"Take full advantage of this, Flygon!" Maria shouted urgently. It was difficult to tell just how badly Supersonic had affected Metagross on the outside, beyond the fact that he was completely frozen in place, his body desperately trying to regain control from the scrambling. Flygon roared, slamming the ground with a thunderous Earthquake that dislodged Metagross. I glared at her, wincing once more as Metagross attempted to communicate with me, only for a screeching noise to sound out.

Was I in that fucking Five Nights game? What the hell was this ungodly screaming? Without any hesitation, I pulled out his Luxury Ball and returned him to the ball right before the Earth Power could hit him.

"I'm forfeiting Metagross," I groused, holding my head and exhaling. Note to self. Immediately think of countermeasures to that bullshit. If that went on any longer, I wouldn't have been able to direct the rest of the match. It wouldn't have been worth it to wait for Metagross to snap out of it, either, considering Flygon was doing an all-out assault. I took a deep breath, ignoring the voices around me rattling off about Metagross being unable to battle. Then I opened my eyes, decidedly more annoyed by this battle.

"Ares," I decided, sending out my next pokemon. She roared fiercely on arrival, turning to face me. At the sight of me nursing my head slightly, she snarled. At the sight of who she was facing, she nearly turned feral.

"Trainer Silver, are you alright?" The referee asked, blatant concern on his face as he gazed at me. I waved him off.

"I'm fine. Continue the battle." He nodded.

"Both contestants are set; Flygon vs Salamence... Begin!" Flygon hissed, summoning a Sandstorm immediately. Ares hardly looked phased by it, just rocking her head to a beat that she could hear. Due to evolving from a Shelgon with Overcoat, sources of weather did not affect her like her Intimidate counterpart. Even the cold was more tolerable, though she hated it all the same.

"Tailwind," I instructed, eyes narrowed. The billowing sandstorm began angling away from Ares as she summoned a wind to blow against it. Her eyes appreciated the sudden vision she was granted, and my Salamence snarled lowly, gaze darting until a Dragon Breath attempted to crash against her. It met a green barrier, Ares' gaze snapping in the direction of where the attack came from before she opened her mouth and unleashed a salvo of Dragon Pulses. At the sight of a figure darting, she tensed up.

Aerial Ace was quickly becoming one of Ares' favorite moves to use. Its ability to immediately close the distance was one she appreciated very much. Flygon was visibly exhausted, which left it completely vulnerable to being full-body tackled once again by a way too heavy Salamence. It wailed at the force behind the Aerial Ace before screeching as Ares mercilessly raked her sharp claws against the Flygon's midsection.

It soared backwards with brutal marks across its body, retaliating with a violent screech to buy it some time. Ares howled at the reactionary Boomburst, eyes flooding with even more rage. She opened her mouth and mowed down the wailing Flygon with a relentless Dragonbreath. She did not let up until the Flygon's body fully collapsed to the ground, panting in fury as the adrenaline rush hit her.

"Flygon is unable to battle. The winner of this round is Salamence!"

"And Silver extends his lead once more! Despite recalling his Metagross early, he hasn't lost a step!" I mulled over her options here. She had two more pokemon and one of them was the Ludicolo I sent away earlier. I knew from research that she also had a Gengar and a Slowking. Neither of those would do too well against the rest of my pokemon, something I'm sure she was aware of, so what was her plan? Maria looked surprisingly confident for someone on the ropes, and I racked my brain for the reason why.

"This is technically this fella's debut... but he's more than ready. Let's go Baxcalibur!" she shouted, throwing the ball forward. Ah. That was her last pokemon... the one she won from the S. S Anne. It had slipped my mind that she would technically have this pokemon. A dinosaur popped out of the Pokeball, predominantly navy blue in color. It had hexagon-shaped ice patches near its chest, kneecaps, and underneath its tail.

Long muscular arms, each donned with three sharp, white claws that matched the daggers on its feet. Baxcalibur... the apex predator of the Paldea region. It was unmatched in strength, formidable even against the other apex predators of their respective regions. Its Ice-typing was the reason for that. This wasn't an ice-type I'd mind having because I was 90% sure it was a pseudo-legendary. I raked a hand through my hair. It was a good thing I asked Lance about Charcadet when he first hatched...

because that conversation made me research what a Baxcalibur was. I still didn't know too much about it, but what little I did would have to be enough. Ice/Dragon type with ridiculous physical strengths... it was one of the few pokemon that I'd be wary of pitting Ares against.

"Oh my! I can't believe my eyes! Maria has opted to use a Baxcalibur of all pokemon! As fearsome as it looks, Baxcalibur is native to the Paldea region, where it has no equal!" Maria grinned.

"This is my trump card, Silver! I've been spending my time training this fella up!" I grunted, head running through possible scenarios of how to best handle this. As an ice-type pseudo, this pokemon was my Salamence's worst nightmare. In fact, Baxcalibur was a lot of pseudos worst nightmare.

"Here I was thinking this was gonna be a wash," I mused, sighing as the battle grew slightly more complicated.

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

"Missile Strike! Keep your distance!" I barked.

"Dragon Breath... then use Snowscape!" If Baxcalibur looked bothered by the flurry of Dragon Pulses, it didn't show it. The dragon opened its mouth and unleashed a massive Dragon Breath that mowed down as much as it could. While some tagged the dragon, it didn't look overly bothered, summoning a flurry of snow that took over the battlefield. It wouldn't really affect Ares, but it was still annoying as hell.

"Dragon Dance! Ice Shard!" Maria pressed.

"Move!" I retorted immediately. Not even Ares was fast enough to dodge the speeding bullets of ice, augmented by Baxcalibur's ridiculous physical strength. She hissed in agony at the pain, retorting with a giant Dragon Pulse that bulldozed towards her enemy. Baxcalibur responded by slashing apart the Dragon Pulse with glowing turquoise claws. It roared, conjuring sharp blades of ice before launching the Icicle Crash upwards instead of downwards.

Ares made a violent noise, spreading her wings and soaring away from the ice. She opened her mouth and fired a stream of turquoise flames as she moved. The Dragon Breath crashed into the floor, missing its target, but Ares was relentless. She angled her head upwards, adjusting the trajectory of the Dragon Breath and having it move in time with her. Baxcalibur wasn't fast enough to dodge it, roaring unexpectedly as the Dragon Breath crashed against it.

Ares was relentless, opting to bathe her fellow dragon in the beam until the Baxcalibur bulldozed through it with another fierce Dragon Claw. I knew part of the reason it hadn't taken much damage was due to the snow protecting it, but it was still annoying. Baxcalibur snarled violently, conjuring more shards of ice that it fired off at incredible speeds. Ares anticipated it this time. She slipped into Aerial Ace, vanishing from her spot and appearing behind the Baxcalibur with murder in her eyes.

She lunged, raking violent claws across the back of the ice-type's neck. Baxcalibur roared in pain at that, but Ares underestimated how much the snow was helping it in withstanding the damage. The monster whirled around with venom in its eyes, catching Ares by surprise before she let out a howl of agony as it lunged forward to clamp icy fangs around her neck. Ares screeched as the ice flooded her veins, eyes bulging. I clenched my jaw.

"Ares, free yourself. Dragon Claw to its chest!" Ares reached out and practically plunged her claws into the Baxcalibur's chest, eliciting a roar of pain that dislodged it from her. My Salamence was incensed, with no regard for her own safety, she summoned a gargantuan Dragon Pulse and blew it up directly into her opponent's face. The proximity damaged her as well, but she bulldozed through. Baxcalibur, evidently, was just as willing to match her level of psychoticness.

It exhaled a gust of wind that stuck to Ares before lunging forward, turquoise aura surrounding its body. The Dragon Rush slammed brutally into her, launching her backwards with a guttural roar. It was rare to see someone able to toss Ares of all pokemon around, but that was a testament to Baxcalibur's strength.

"Yes, Baxcalibur! Keep it up! Ice Beam again! Don't let her get away!" Maria pressed, pointing forward dramatically. I sucked my teeth.

"Ares, Fire Blast!" I didn't realize the mistake I made until I saw Maria's winning grin. Even as the Fire Blast bulldozed the Ice Beam and smashed into Baxcalibur with unrelenting force, her smile never went away.

"That's it, Baxcalibur! Glaive Rush!" A figure somersaulted out of the smoke caused by the Fire Blast, launching itself at the surprised Ares with a level of speed that left us both stunned. Baxcalibur flew at Ares back-first, sword coated in snow. With brutal efficiency, it slammed the blade into her, connecting solidly with Ares' midsection and piercing her tough scales. The screech Ares let out was deafening.

Her eyes went blank, and she sagged, sliding off the blade and collapsing onto the floor with a thunderous thud.

"Salamence is unable to battle! The winner of this round is Baxcalibur!" The crowd made a deafening noise at the sight of something finally making Ares faint. Baxcalibur snarled in respect, gazing at Ares before lumbering over to the ecstatic Maria's side. My brows furrowed in confusion as I returned Ares to her ball. I couldn't tell you what happened. One second, Ares and Baxcalibur were trading blows, and the next, Ares had nearly been pierced through by the bulging Baxcalibur. Dragon Dance? No...

too little time had passed. My eyes narrowed. Baxcalibur was a problematic pokemon. It had earned its title of pseudo, but the good thing about fighting pseudos... is that they never backed down from a challenge. While Ares had been torn up from that battle, Baxcalibur was also a bleeding mess... I nodded.

"Oberon." Oberon appeared without making a scene, though he did jump in surprise due to the excited crowd. He gazed at them before focusing on the Baxcalibur.

"It just beat Ares, Oberon. Look alive," I drawled. He nodded, a slow snarl forming on his face as his fur began standing on end.

"Both contestants are set; Baxcalibur vs Ursaring... Begin!"

"Rock Tomb." Oberon roared, ripping a massive boulder out of the ground that he mercilessly launched at the Baxcalibur. Much to my further confusion, the dragon made no move to dodge it, the attack slamming into his midsection with concussive force. Baxcalibur howled in agony, body turning inside out as the Rock Tomb folded him in half. I furrowed my brows in even further confusion. Why didn't he dodge? What was wrong with this pokemon?

"Keep it up, Oberon; Bulldoze." The ground cracked as Oberon stamped on it, but Baxcalibur suddenly didn't seem keen on being a target dummy anymore. In an instant, it fired off those wicked fast Ice Shards, each one lodging itself in the surprised Oberon's gut. Oberon snarled in annoyance, stamping the ground with more force and causing a tremendous shockwave towards Baxcalibur.

Baxcalibur lost its footing, snarling furiously at the action and opening its mouth to fire off a Dragon Pulse that Oberon had well scouted. It crashed uselessly against my Ursaring's favorite defensive barrier before the rock was punched with enough force to uproot it. It crashed mercilessly into Baxcalibur's gut before a flurry of stars followed suit. Oberon roared and lunged at the Baxcalibur while it fended off the Swift.

I had to give it to him; the thought of going against the physically dominant pseudo-legend didn't deter him in the slightest. Baxcalibur saw the charging giant and roared his own challenge, bustling forward to meet him head-on. The two crashed into each other with thunderous force, arms clasping against each other. I grinned. Maria saw it and immediately grew wary.

"Baxcalibur, hold on! We're falling into his trap!"

"Gut check." Oberon snarled, fist glowing orange with the effects of Brick Break. He abruptly released one of Baxcalibur's hands before delivering a brutal punch to the gut. Baxcalibur nearly keeled over from the raw power behind it before the dragon's eyes bulged in rage. It raised its free arm and raked a sharp claw against Oberon, which made Oberon's eyes bulge in a similar amount of rage. Baxcalibur wasn't finished.

The dragon curled its fist and lodged a vicious Ice Punch onto Oberon's gut, only for its body to cave as Oberon retaliated with a violent Payback that lifted it off the floor. With no hesitation, it lunged forward and clamped its dangerous jaws right onto Oberon's shoulder, eliciting a roar from my Ursaring as the Baxcalibur bit down with force that told me it was trying to render that arm useless. My eyes narrowed.

"Not again. Suplex it." Maria blinked.

"Huh?" she said slowly, only for her eyes to widen as Oberon reached out to grab the stunned Baxcalibur's neck in a vicious hold before lifting the dragon's entire body over his head, brutally slamming him on his back sword first. The sword buried itself into the ground, really making the pokemon live up to its name. Oberon roared in the trapped Baxcalibur's face, mercifully yanking him out of the ground with raw strength alone.

"Clothesline." Though that mercy wasn't for long; Oberon yanked Baxcalibur upright into a Play Rough empowered clothesline, which rocked the dragon's head back at dangerous speeds and floored the stunned pokemon once more. Baxcalibur roared in agony at the fairy energy, summoning a hail of sharp ice directly over Oberon and having them crash down. Oberon howled in surprise at that before Baxcalibur let out a tremendous roar, and bum rushed my Ursaring back first.

I grit my teeth as that ridiculous Glaive Rush move made itself known once more. Baxcalibur lodged its sword directly into Oberon's midsection, causing my Ursaring to shriek. Oberon's eyes went red, and before the pseudo could pull back, he gripped the sword with enough force to make his muscles bulge even through the dense amount of fur. Baxcalibur tried to get away, but Oberon was unrelenting. Without any hesitation, my rage-filled bear ripped the sword out, keeping a firm grip on Baxcalibur.

His muscles bulged even further, and he tossed the stunned dragon into the air with a thunderous roar. I watched with a slightly stunned gaze as Oberon tensed up before leaping up after him. He tensed up, his entire arm glowing orange with the effect of Hammer Arm, before he reached the airborne Baxcalibur and jammed the arm into its midsection. The effects were immediate. Baxcalibur rocketed towards the floor like a comet, crashing into the floor with enough force to cause a plume of dust to erupt.

Oberon landed moments after, falling onto a knee with a snarl. He shook his head rapidly, ignoring the blood and pulling himself up. The unhinged roar caught us by surprise. Baxcalibur howled, no trace of sanity in its gaze as it burst out of the plume. The hexagonal patterns on its body looked more than a little broken, one of its claws was bent, and there was a copious amount of blood over the dragon, to the point where I'm sure the battle was being censored now.

Its icy mask was chipped viciously, but that did nothing to hide how furious it was. It lunged at Oberon with a turquoise aura surrounding it, but anger didn't suddenly give it a boost. The pokemon was on its last legs. Oberon huffed, tensing up. Right as Baxcalibur was about to connect, my Ursaring just barely sidestepped it, getting tagged on the shoulder. He didn't let that stop him, however, lunging forward to grab the Baxcalibur from behind.

"Sleeper hold," I decided. Oberon howled, ignoring the sword poking his battered midsection. His arms glowed once more with the effects of Hammer Arm, and he ruthlessly put Baxcalibur in a rear-naked chokehold.

"Baxcalibur! Try anything! Dragon Claw, Icicle Crash, anything!" Maria shouted in horror. Baxcalibur tried to roar, but a weak wheeze came out instead as Oberon continued to choke him out. He battered his tail against my Ursaring, but Oberon just squeezed tighter, until the tail slaps weakened. The pseudo raised its arm in a final moment of defiance before it went limp. Oberon snarled and tossed the unconscious body to the side, gingerly holding his midsection.

"Baxcalibur is unable to battle! The winner of this round is Ursaring!" The crowd roared in approval at the slugfest, even with the copious amount of bleeding that had happened earlier.

"What an intense match! I've never seen an Ursaring move like that! What unique moves it displayed, nothing like its previous matches!" Oberon looked at me, eyes glittering at the proud grin on my face.

"Look at you go, buddy!" I praised, nodding in approval.

"I bet you felt a little disappointed about Ataro, huh?" Oberon nodded sheepishly, lumbering over to my side. I snorted in amusement, holding out a ball to return him. He made no protest at that, not resisting the pull at all.

"I'm forfeiting Oberon," I informed the ref. He nodded understandingly.

"Silver has forfeited his Ursaring! As a result, he only has two remaining pokemon!"

"You heard it, folks! Silver has two pokemon to Maria's one! How will this match unfold? Who will become the victor?!" Maria bit her lip as the ref shot her a look. She grabbed her final pokeball, launching the Ludicolo forward with a determined expression. I stared at it, quickly coming to a decision.

"Freyja." Freyja crooned, arriving with a small smile. A small cloud appeared over her as per usual, a predatory gleam as she laid eyes on the Ludicolo. Maria took a deep breath.

"Let's do this, Ludicolo! I'm relying on you!" I said nothing, eyes narrowed on the Ludicolo. While I wasn't too worried about it, grass types were pesky in that they could replenish a lot of their stamina. Combine that with this Ludicolo's Rain Dish, and you have quite the survivor at hand.

"Both contestants are set; Milotic vs Ludicolo... Begin!"

"Dragon Pulse."

"Rain Dance!" Ludicolo began doing a happy little dance that stopped as soon as an orb crashed into it. It stumbled backwards, but caught itself in time to see Freyja speeding at it. Her eyes were narrowed, and she crossed the distance in record time, swiping with her tail and causing a gash to form on the shocked dancer.

"Leech Seed!" Maria shouted urgently. I huffed.

"Taunt." Ludicolo tried to shoot out the seeds, only to get stopped abruptly as "Freyja" sneered at it. It gained a tick mark instead, forgoing the seeds to fire off a Hydro Pump instead... That flew right through the body.

"Night Slash." Loki burst out of the shadows with a glint in his eyes, raking vicious, sharp claws against Ludicolo's back and drawing a wail out of the grass type. It stumbled forward, only to cry out as its body glowed a sickly purple. Maria's eyes widened.

"P-Poison? But how?"

"Toxic while in his illusion. Never even noticed when it hit you," I supplied helpfully, smiling in amusement.

"This almost doesn't seem fair to face!" the announcer shouted.

"It isn't. U-Turn." Loki chuckled in amusement, sickly green aura surrounding him, and slammed into the poisoned Ludicolo with no remorse. The grass type cried as it was launched through the air, body slamming onto the wet ground. As he flew back into my ball, I promptly released Freyja, who summoned her own rain.

"Freyja, use Attract." Freyja smiled, swaying gently before winking coyly at the Ludicolo. The dancing pokemon stopped for a moment before its eyes morphed into hearts that completely neutralized it.

"Oh no," Maria groaned.

"Normally, this is the part where I swap repeatedly between them until Ludicolo runs out of energy trying to fight two enemies at once..." I mused before waving my hand.

"But that seems a little cruel." Then I thought about it some more.

"Wait a second, I just realized who I am," I chuckled. Freyja let out a joyous laugh, body morphing into water as she slammed into the struggling Ludicolo. Loki appeared once more, rolling his eyes in amusement at my antics. Ludicolo looked on in confusion, only to let out a shout of joy as the Freyja he was infatuated with materialized once more in the form of an illusion. Maria looked on in disbelief before shaking her head with a small smile.

"What a rotten person you are... I'm forfeiting Ludicolo," she said softly, holding out a ball and returning the struggling grass type.

"Maria has forfeited her Ludicolo! As a result, she has no more pokemon available to battle. The winners of this match are Silver and Zoroark!" I raked a hand through my hair at the deafening noise. There was disbelief, excitement, cheering, and a lot of booing.

"What a battle! An impressive victory of 6-4... Silver has replicated a feat that very few have, being a rookie in the finals! What a performance by him!" I hummed to myself, returning Loki to the ball with a small smile. I nodded once to Maria, turned on a dime, and walked away without much prompting.

"Trainer Silver! Trainer Silver!" Lydia called out excitedly. I put up a hand and stopped her.

"I've got one more battle left... No matter who it is, I look forward to it."

"Crystal... Green. I won't wish either of you luck because you don't need it. We've already proven our point this tournament, so the only thing left is for one of us to win it all... and that's going to be me." I walked past Lydia with a confident glimmer.

"I guess you could consider me the final boss of this whole thing. The big bad villain that the hero has to stop... except I'm not interested in letting the heroes win. The final words of the tournament will be "And the winner is, Trainer Silver," and that'll be the end of that." With that, I waved my hand.

"See ya, Lydia. Good interview." Lydia gazed at my back with a stunned expression.

"But I didn't even ask you anything... and wait a minute, you know my name?!"

"I've watched all my gang's interviews, and you introduce yourself every time. Attention whore much?" I asked blandly. She colored slightly in mortification.

"THAT'S MY JOB!" the anchorwoman shrieked. I laughed mockingly, continuing my gait with a wave. I wasn't the most surprised to see Maria. She was smiling at me, shaking her head in some type of exasperation.

"What? Too cool for words?" she teased, walking up to me with her hands stuffed in her jacket pocket.

"I've learned in recent times that I'm very abrasive, so even after a good battle, I shouldn't say anything," I offered. She rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"You just found that out?"

"Nah, I just started remotely caring about it for people I don't hate," I admitted, staring curiously at her. I nodded in some respect.

"That was a good battle." Maria raised a brow.

"It was a battle I was expecting to win, you know. Instead, you kinda made fun of me," she pointed out. A shrug was all she got.

"You would have won this tournament if my gang and I weren't part of it. No shame in your loss."

"Seriously, a rookie shouldn't be speaking like this," Maria laughed, shaking her head disbelievingly. I smiled.

"You rely on fundies a lot. It's not bad at all, but unexpected tactics catch you by surprise easily. I imagine you'll get recruited by Ace after this; they can help you out a bit, but if you contact me at another time, I'll give you advice." Maria gazed at me with wide eyes. She opened her mouth, then shut it, just nodding to herself in the process. A coy smile made its way to her face.

"Is that your way of asking for my number?" she teased. She immediately shouted out a "Wait!" as I turned on a dime and began walking away from her.

"I was just teasing! Jeez, don't be such a stiff!" she complained. I eyed her with thinly veiled annoyance.

"You're too friendly. It's giving Gold the wrong idea, and I hate when Gold has the wrong idea."

"But when you say things like that, it just makes it more fun to mess with you," she laughed. Figured.

"You're a good trainer, but you haven't been one for long. How come?" I asked with a frown. Maria laughed softly.

"I'm 17, but you're right. I became a trainer at 15." I raised a brow, prompting her to continue.

"I'm from the Kalos region. Over there, you aren't allowed to become a trainer until you're 18 and have finished your studies. My parents found a job opportunity in Hoenn when I was 15, so because of that, I was suddenly eligible to get a pokemon a lot earlier." She laughed.

"There are some benefits to starting as a trainer at an older age. You're far more prepared, you know better ways to train your pokemon... less likely to die in the wild," she listed. I nodded. I heard about how Kalos trainers couldn't start until they were 18. It was because of some war they had a long time ago... I think with the Galar region? It really wasn't that much of a difference if you thought about it... Unless you met some exceptions, you would quickly find out that kids were stupid.

Starting your journey with an actually developed brain worked wonders. That left me wondering if X and Y were around the same age as my gang and me. They had to be right? Hm. I know the starting age for Unova was 16 as well... while the other regions generally had the same range of 12, with Galar being 14 as one of the exceptions to that. Interesting stuff.

"I'm sure Ace is gonna scout you out. Or did you plan on going back to Kalos?" I questioned curiously. She shook her head.

"If I wanted to go back to Kalos as an official citizen, I'd have to give up my team until I'm 18... which I don't really fancy doing. Kalos is pretty, but it's... not the greatest region to be in," she admitted with a small frown. I clicked my teeth. That didn't surprise me. One of their Elite 4 members was literally an Admin of Team Flare. That meant that at best, Diantha was a fucking idiot... and at worst, she was grossly incompetent to the point where that region was only growing more corrupt.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that Elite 4 Malva was extremely beneficial to the Team Flare that didn't quite fully exist yet. Not to mention, Lysandre was a very successful philanthropist, a fact that was also likely amplified by Malva supporting him. Fucking hell, I don't think Lysandre was actually the biggest threat in Kalos. I think it was the trainer who could probably beat his and my ass at the same time. Malva was a problem. She needed to go.

"You seem annoyed about Kalos?" I raked a hand through my hair.

"Just sounds like a hassle of a region. I'll be visiting it eventually, and you're giving me a bad impression of it." In fact, I'd likely visit it sooner rather than later, regardless of when I intended to start my journey. It occurred to me that having an Elite 4 member backing you was a boon, but I didn't actually realize how problematic that was. Just how much success did Lysandre have due to Malva's interference?

Incompetent Champion, corrupt Elite 4 member, stupid idiot that wanted to kill all ugly people or whatever... Well, that sounded par the course. I wonder if it was even worth having a conversation with Diantha?... Nah. I had enough Champions on my radar... meeting one who was probably failing fantastically at her job wasn't the best idea. I might actually become a criminal. Besides, it's not as if Diantha was visibly failing. All of Kalos loved her due to her diligence in being a champion and an actor.

It's not like I could go "Yo, dumbass, one of your Elite 4 members is a mole for a man that wants to genocide a lot of people." I'd probably have a hard time believing that. Maria laughed.

"You're weird, Silver." I eyed her.

"And you're too happy for someone who lost. Are we done here?" I asked blandly. She nodded cheerfully.

"I'd like that advice you were offering, so here, my number!" she chirped. I glared at her.

"Stop making it sound weird." Maria laughed.

"Nope! You just tried to humiliate me! As if I'd stop bothering you, you little asshole!" I huffed, turning on a dime and stomping off. Some people were so damn annoying.