Cynthia wasn’t worried about the upcoming gym battle, she had prepared more than enough.

  Sure, Riolu might not have even started on his second planned Custom Move.

  And, sure, Queenie still couldn’t use Fire Fang.

  And, well, sure, Roselia might not trust her as much as she wanted.

  But none of that really mattered.

  Why?

  Because the second gym badge wasn’t a challenge.

  Not really.

  She wasn’t the sort of person who looked down on trainers who ended their journey with only two badges, but she understood why some people said the first two didn’t really count.

  Because, honestly?

  They had a point.

  The second Gym was a warm-up, the last badge you could get on a walkover. A test of the basics, if even that, and not some advanced trial meant to separate the good from the great. It even made sense that people had come up with some artificial measure to highlight the trainers who stood out. Of course they wanted people to cheer for, trainers they believed could go far, but sweeping the first two badges didn’t actually prove anything.

  Plenty of great trainers never swept their early Gyms.

  Hell, plenty of champions never did.

  This obsession with proving yourself by sweeping with a single Pokémon was new. A trend that had only caught on in the last decade, a blip in the grand scheme of things.

  A fad.

  Something people probably wouldn’t even care about in another ten years.

  You could even argue the whole concept was harmful. She’d read articles debating whether the pressure to sweep had led trainers to overtrain a single Pokémon, focusing on spectacle over skill. Prioritizing the sweep over actually building a strong, balanced team. After all, pulling it off attracted sponsors, it drew attention, and where money went, people followed.

  So, winning with one Pokémon was just that, an idea. A made-up measure of excellence.

  Not something she should take seriously.

  Not something she should even care about.

  Which meant letting Roselia fight before relying on her more experienced Pokémon was the right choice. Like she had used Riolu when challenging Byron, instead of defaulting to Queenie. He needed the experience.

  And she wasn’t worried.

  She tapped her foot, not quite managing to resist the urge to fidget with the Poké Balls on her belt.

  Really, it wasn’t even—

  Bop.

  Cynthia blinked.

  Myst pulled back the finger which had just playfully touched her nose.

  “Earth to Cynthia, we see you left orbit two hours ago, but Earth requesting contact to confirm you didn’t die.” Myst said, adding odd static sounds every other word, holding a hand over his mouth.

  When she just blinked again, he let out a sigh, letting his hand drop.

  “Seriously Cynthia, you can’t just zone out like that, I was hinting at you to help me out.”

  “Wha—”

  “Where are the words of comfort, Cynthia? I was telling you all about how worried I was, and you just zone out?” He let out a fake sigh, “Here I am, worrying about my first Gym battle, and my friend’s too busy fiddling with her balls to care.”

  Cynthia opened her mouth, paused, then glanced at his face.

  Myst grinned at her like he had just said something spectacular, when all he had said was something spectacularly stupid.

  “Seriously?” She asked.

  Myst forced his face into a wounded expression, taking a dramatic step back.

  “What, can’t I be worried?” He mimed wiping away a tear. “This is my first Gym battle, and my so-called friend won’t even give me any advice. How am I supposed to interpret that? Like you don’t want me to win?”

  Cynthia barely resisted rolling her eyes.

  “You’re fine.” She said simply.

  Because he was.

  For all that he kept downplaying his own abilities, Myst was one of the most talented trainers she had met so far. Rei was a monster, capable of taking on Riolu and winning seven out of ten times… Some of that could, of course, be attributed to Riolu’s feelings on the matter, but even without them Rei probably still held the edge.

  The first badge?

  Everybody could get it.

  It would take a miracle for Myst to lose and even if he did, by some act of divine intervention, lose, he would still probably just be handed the badge anyway.

  Because everybody could beat the first two gyms.

  “I’m fine?” Myst staggered back like he had taken a critical hit, “I thought you felt I was great, but all I am to you is fine.” He turned away, his nose held up in protest, “I see how it is.”

  Cynthia tried to project maximum amount of disapproval into her eyes.

  Then she saw Ralts.

  Ralts glanced up at her trainer, clearly puzzled, before deciding the only right move was to follow his lead. Without another word she harumphed, turning her head to her side.

  Cynthia paused.

  It wasn’t that she found Myst funny.

  Of course not.

  It was just... Ralts.

  Too cute for her own good.

  Myst turned back, a slight grin on his face and Cynthia held up a hand to hide her own smile.

  “You see how it is? Well, at least you can see, since your memory seems to be failing you.” Cynthia teased back.

  Myst gasped dramatically the next instant. “And now you are talking about my memory?”

  Cynthia rolled her eyes, “You know I didn’t mean it like that.”

  Myst paused for a moment, and his smile softened slightly, “Well, yeah, of course I know.”

  For a moment she stared at him, feeling his bright blue eyes dig into her own. Then he looked away, towards the city.

  “Weeeell, two hours until you battle right, feeling ready now?” He asked.

  Cynthia opened her mouth to answer, then paused. Slowly she narrowed her eyes as she stared at his back.

  “You did that on purpose.” She accused.

  Myst turned, the very picture of innocence, “Did what on purpose?”

  “You know what you did, and just so you know, I didn’t need it.” She stated.

  Cynthia couldn’t deny the slightly warm feeling that filled her though, as Myst let out a casual shrug, smiling brightly.

  “Well of course not, but sometimes you don’t get what you need, you get what you deserve.”

  ….

  Most Gym Leader positions were passed down through generations, often staying within a single family. It wasn’t just nepotism. Or, well, it was, but it wasn’t unearned nepotism. A family could hold onto a Gym because they consistently produced powerful trainers, generation after generation.

  Find yourself without anyone strong enough to hold the position?

  Well, you went the way of the Sunyshore Gym, which had famously changed hands half a dozen times. After all, while you didn’t need to be one of the ten strongest trainers in a region to become a Gym Leader, you at least had to rank in the top hundred, something much easier said than done.

  Eterna City Gym was no exception.

  The Natane family had dominated the Gym, and the city itself, for centuries. While they no longer held the same stranglehold they had a hundred years ago, they were still the most influential family in the region. And if nothing else, nobody could accuse the current Gym Leader of being weak.

  Cynthia winced as the challenger’s Starly slammed into Turtwig, the Grass-type letting out a sharp cry as Wing Attack overpowered its attempted Tackle.

  The impact sent it skidding backward, legs trembling as it struggled to stay on its feet.

  Benkara, the Gym Leader, was one of Sinnoh’s premier Ranger Captains. By all accounts, he was ranked just below Byron in terms of strength, placing him firmly within Sinnoh’s top ten. Cynthia knew all of that.

  Which made it all the more surprising that the Gym was notorious for how low-level its battles were.

  “Make it dodge, then heal yourself.” Benkara’s voice was gruff, flat, like he was thinking about something else.

  In an instant, the grass on the field bent unnaturally, forming razor-sharp leaves that shot upwards.

  Starly, anticipating the attack, took off into the sky, letting the Razor Leaf storm scatter beneath it.

  “Finish it off with Quick Attack!” The challenger’s voice rang out.

  Starly burst into a white blur, diving straight through the falling leaves like a blade through silk.

  Too fast.

  Too strong.

  It crashed into Turtwig just as the Grass-type began glowing with the telltale light of Synthesis.

  Too late.

  Turtwig crumpled to the ground.

  Cynthia pursed her lips, as Myst nudged her arm.

  “Is it just me, or was the Gym Leader a little…” Myst trailed off, hesitant, unsure how to phrase it.

  “Unimpressive?” Cynthia finished for him.

  He nodded, his eyes still fixed on the battlefield.

  “Yeah. I mean, I get that this wasn’t exactly an easy matchup, Starly had both a type and mobility advantage, but Turtwig could still have done a lot more. Like, it kept fighting at range instead of trying to bait Starly in or something. Just one Bite, and maybe it could’ve held on, stopped Starly from escaping and ended the fight just like that. Honestly, I get using Razor Leaf at first, but after the third time Starly just dodged, you’d think Benkara would’ve noticed it wasn’t working.”

  As Benkara walked over and handed the challenger their badge, Cynthia caught the way the enthusiasm drained out of said challenger.

  Not that she could blame him.

  Anyone would look like that if they’d just won a badge and the person handing it over looked like they were fantasizing about vanishing into the mountains to avoid dealing with people entirely.

  “You’re right,” she said quietly. “Not just about this being unimpressive, but about how he could’ve done more. He’s famous for disliking the new, or well, semi-new rules. Especially the ones on the first two Gyms.”

  Myst glanced at her, “Rules?”

  Cynthia sighed slightly.

  “The current Champion thought early Gym battles were too hard, since grassroots trainers don’t have the same resources as, well, you know.” She hesitated, then continued. “So, yeah, they put restrictions in place. No setup moves. No weather effects. And no moves outside of your Pokémon’s typing. That’s what lead to sweeping a Gym being pretty much the only way to stand out now, if they won’t let the Leaders go all out, the challenger has to show off some other way.”

  Myst shot her a look, like he was waiting for her to say gotcha at any moment.

  She didn’t.

  Both eyebrows raised from his face.

  “Really?”

  Cynthia sighed again.

  “Yeah. It’s not exactly public, or well, not public public, but it’s still common knowledge…” she paused, “well, more or less common knowledge.”

  Myst hesitated, glancing down at his belt where, uncharacteristically, both of his Pokémon remained in their Poké Balls. "That… that feels wrong, no? I get making Gym Leaders use different teams for challengers, but banning certain moves? That’s… crazy. How are you supposed to get anything out of the first two Gyms at that point? They're meant to be tests, right? What are they even testing if the Leader can’t hit back with proper moves? That the challenger has caught a Pokémon with a type advantage?"

  Cynthia just nodded. “I agree. But even then it’s doubly bad for Benkara. He’s known as the best Sun Team specialist in Sinnoh, but like ninety percent of the challengers he gets during a normal circuit are fighting him when he’s not even allowed to set up the sun. I even read somewhere he almost retired on the spot when the rules got introduced.”

  Myst cocked his head, “Most people face him first right? Or well, him or Byron I guess. Start in Jubilife and go Oreburgh into Eterna.”

  “Yeah. That’s probably the most common route. Because Jubilife’s the biggest city in Sinnoh, and also the cheapest to get to, so most people start there and go to Oreburgh. Eterna is the next logical step, if you don’t want to go through the mountains twice anyway.”

  Myst furrowed his brows at her answer, glancing at her. “Then why were you even worried? I mean, if Turtwig’s his ace, I think Ralts has a good shot at sweeping, never mind Roselia.”

  Cynthia glanced down at Benkara as he stepped back onto the battlefield, three fresh Poké Balls now clipped to his belt.

  “First, that's his ace for first-badge fights. And second, sweeping's different. You’re not just winning, you’re winning with one Pokémon against what’s usually three. More than that, Gym Leaders almost always toss in something way stronger than the usual badge strength to stop it. Like, the most common way a sweep ends is with a countersweep, not with the challanger’s victory.”

  “Huh, good to know I guess.” Myst said simply.

  For a beat he didn’t say anything, simply watching gym trainers clear up the field, before he glanced back at her.

  “I’m kind of surprised though, you seem like you don’t care at all about—"” He stopped talking and nodded towards the field.

  Cynthia grinned and shrugged. “Well, I guess I just realized that sweeping shouldn’t be that much of a problem.” Her smile softened. “And even if I fail, it’s not like it’s the end of the world.”

  Myst raised an eyebrow. “I mean, I’m not doubting you, Cynthia, but I was kind of referring to the fact that you’re next.”

  Cynthia froze.

  Her eyes flicked down the battlefield.

  Her heart skipped, then slammed back into motion.

  Just then, the speakers crackled to life: “Cynthia Shirona, please make your way to the battlefield.”

  Her fingers brushed her Poké Balls without thinking.

  ……

  “You’re Carolina’s granddaughter?”

  Benkara wasn’t particularly tall, but his presence was immense. With his dark orange hair and his green and orange Ranger Captain uniform, he seemed to claim the entire space around him.

  Cynthia nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  He paused for a moment, looking her up and down, taking her in.

  “I saw your battle against Byron. He took a real beating. Even sent out his Durant to try and stop your Riolu, but it still got smashed into the ground. You made it look easy.” His voice was calm, but Cynthia could hear the ghost of a smile, as though he found the fact that Byron lost so dramatically intensely satisfying.

  “Well, I wouldn’t say it was easy,” Cynthia tried for a shrug, but it came out as an akward stutter motion instead. “But… I had it planned out.”

  At that, he actually smiled. “Well, couldn’t happen to a better guy. Honestly, him supporting...” Benkara cut himself off with a sigh. “Nevermind. You here for your second badge?”

  When she nodded, he let out another sigh. “Well, I guess we do standard rules then? Considering you’ve got, eh,” he pulled a note from his pocket, glancing at it quickly, “three Pokémon registered for the challenge, we’ll do three-on-three?”

  “Yeah, sounds good.” She replied stiffly.

  Benkara sighed again and looked up at the stadium. It was early, Thursday morning, and the stands were nearly empty, save for half a dozen spectators. His shoulders slumped slightly as he turned to walk to his side of the field.

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  Then he paused.

  “How would you feel about doing something a little different?” he asked suddenly.

  Cynthia stopped mid-turn. “What do you mean?”

  “Since you’re Carolina’s granddaughter, you know about our restrictions, right?”

  Cynthia nodded slowly, “Sure.”

  He glanced at the nearby camera, recording silently. Then he stepped closer, dropping his voice just enough to feel conspiratorial.

  “You’ve gotten a lot of attention lately. Almost impressive, how you managed to flare up that debate again.” His eyes locked onto hers. “So your plan was to sweep me, right? Hoped to get the public on your side for once. Prove you’re the real deal, not just some rich girl who bought her team.”

  She froze.

  Sure, the plan had been to sweep him, but…

  It felt wrong to hear those words come from his mouth. She nodded slowly, feeling like it was the only right option.

  Benkara grinned, his eyes lighting up just slightly. “Then how about this? You know as well as me that people won’t care if you sweep me, so lets do something more serious. We forget those stupid restrictions, let’s do a real battle. I’ll use a team built for someone going after their fourth badge, and you bring your best. Three-on-three, no holding back. The way these battles were meant to be.”

  Cynthia stared at him.

  Then she clenched her fist. It wasn’t like she hadn’t thought about doing something like this, she had, but…

  She hadn’t been sure.

  Would it help, really, to ask to challenge a Gym Leader’s higher-level team? It wasn’t like it was unheard of, especially when a trainer came over from another region. They often asked to fight a Gym Leader’s real team, not just the ones tailored for newer challengers.

  It was just that they could prove they were strong enough to handle it, usually having eight badges from their own region. When a new trainers asked, somebody without anything to show for it? Well, it was frowned upon to say it lightly.

  While Pokémon rarely got hurt, Aura protecting them, there were limits.

  If you challenged someone far stronger than you, and their Pokémon were way beyond your own, a single move could cripple your team. That had been a huge issue in the first few years after they changed the Gym system. Too many overconfident trainers had asked to fight stronger teams to prove themselves, and ended up with badly hurt Pokémon for the trouble.

  Hell, that was half the reason people came up with the whole sweep idea.

  Either way, from what she knew, in recent years Gym Leaders usually gave one unequivocal answer when asking to challenge higher-level teams.

  No.

  So even though she flirted with the idea, it simply hadn’t registered as a real option. She let a single finger brush over the Poké Ball that contained Queenie.

  Her heart settled slightly as she took in Benkara.

  He was imposing.

  His question should have been something she would have to think about.

  But she didn’t need to.

  A slight grin crept onto her face. It was almost odd.

  She hadn’t been nervous, not really.

  But when she arrived at the battlefield?

  It was like the world quieted down, like some part of her shifted into place. Every time she was getting ready to battle, it felt like this. Like some missing part of her slotted back in.

  Cynthia tilted her head up, just slightly. “Bring it on then.”

  …….

  “At the request of the Gym Leader, this battle will take place at fourth-badge level strength. It will be a three-on-three, a single switch allowed, but with no additional rules.” The referee’s voice rang out across the field.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Cynthia saw the shift ripple through the stands, the way heads turned, postures straightened, and murmurs spread.

  People realizing something was different.

  “On the right side, we have our challenger, Cynthia Shirona, from Celestic Town,” the referee continued, raising his right hand. “And on the left, Gym Leader Benkara Natane of Eterna City.”

  Cynthia drew a Poké Ball from her belt. It expanded in her palm, cool and solid, grounding her. Across the field, Benkara smiled, mirroring the motion.

  “Trainers, release your Pokémon!”

  “Roselia, let’s show them how legends are made!”

  “Grotle, let them see how scary the forest can be!”

  With twin flashes of red light, the Pokémon burst onto the field.

  Roselia landed with the grace of a stage performer, one foot forward, red scruffy scarf fluttering like silk caught in the breeze. One flowery hand swept into a bow, the other tucked behind his back like he’d stepped out of a play.

  Grotle’s paws thudded against the dirt as it materialized, squat and sturdy, leaves rustling as it let out a low growl.

  Grace and bravado versus grounded strength.

  Cynthia narrowed her eyes, her fingers twitching toward her Pokédex, but she stopped herself. She didn’t need it and using it now would just look like showing off. Grotle was the Grass-type in Sinnoh. She didn’t need a digital voice to tell her what she already knew.

  The referee stepped back.

  “Let the battle begin!”

  Roselia didn’t wait for Cynthia’s command.

  He raised one elegant, flowery hand—

  And launched a burst of Poison Stings in a wide, sweeping arc. Violet thorns glittered in the sun like shards of glass.

  “Withdraw!” Benkara barked.

  Grotle responded instantly, tucking into its shell-like armor just in time. The Poison Stings clattered harmlessly off its hardened carapace, pinging away in every direction.

  It was solid defense, letting Grotle avoid the attack with nary a scratch.

  But it also bought Roselia time, which was all he wanted in the first place.

  All Cynthia wanted.

  “Growth!”

  Roselia halted mid-pose and dropped to one knee, hands pressed to the ground. Green energy surged up through his body a heartbeat later, vines of light flickering across his body and scarf.

  “Disrupt it!” Benkara called out.

  Grotle didn’t bother moving close.

  It didn’t even bother being fast.

  Where Roselia went for tricks Grotle answered with brute force.

  A single foreleg slammed into the dirt.

  The ground heaved.

  A wave of light-brown, rippling energy exploded outward, shaking the battlefield. Roselia faltered, caught mid-Growth, as the Ground-type move forced his body down, green energy crackling and twisting under the weight of the surge.

  Bulldoze.

  Cynthia narrowed her eyes.

  Roselia staggered as he tried to right himself, forced low by the rippling tremors. The weight behind the attack dragged at his limbs, the Bulldoze wasn’t just a strike, it pressed, like gravity itself had thickened around him.

  And Grotle didn’t hesitate.

  Before Roselia could recover, the bulky Grass-type was already charging. Each step a heavy thud across the torn-up battlefield as dark energy pooled around its jaws.

  Roselia lifted one trembling hand.

  Not to block.

  To strike.

  Every blade of grass and loose leaf ripped from the battlefield in response, whirling into the air like a cyclone.

  Magical Leaf.

  The attack burst forth in a whirling storm, slicing through the air like flying daggers. The sheer volume overwhelming, forcing Grotle to slow and shut its eyes against the storm of glowing blades.

  But it wasn’t enough to stop it.

  Cynthia forced herself to not smirk.

  It didn’t need to be.

  Grotle powered through, eyes snapping open at the last second as it lunged, jaws clamping down hard.

  They hit.

  But found nothing.

  Grotle’s fangs sank into leaves.

  Roselia’s form flickered and dissolved into a flurry of shredded foliage.

  It was probably Roselia’s signature trick at this point, a Custom Move he had figured out even before Cynthia had started training him.

  A seamless blend of Double Team and Magical Leaf.

  Grotle let out a grunt of confusion, then its eyes locked onto the real danger.

  The real Roselia stood just beyond the fading illusion, one hand raised, fingers curled elegantly around a shimmering, poisonous leaf.

  Grotle’s body tensed.

  “Protec—t!”

  Too late.

  Roselia blew gently on the leaf, and it sailed forward like a razor-edged dart.

  The moment it struck, the poison seeped into Grotle’s body, its aura flaring green, then dimming, tinged with an unnatural, sickly purple.

  Cynthia smiled slightly.

  When they’d first started training, Roselia had relied almost entirely on his Grass-type attacks. He’d used powder moves to inflict status, setting up elaborate traps before finishing opponents with a grand, decisive blow.

  That was a problem when challenging a Grass-type Gym.

  Powder moves simply didn’t work against fellow Grass-types, and even ignoring that, they were notoriously bulky and had some of the best recovery tools of any type. Trying to finish them in one hit with a not-very-effective move was a fool’s errand. Which was why she had focused on honing his Poison-type skills, specifically.

  Grotle let out a cry as its aura contracted, the poison already starting to burn.

  Toxic.

  Bankara’s eyes narrowed.

  “That was…” He paused, then shook his head. “Never mind. Grotle, you’ve got a curse on you, you’re on a timer. Time to step it up a notch!”

  Roselia adjusted his scarf slightly, opening a single eye, like he was checking if they were actually saying something that cliché.

  Apparently, they were.

  Grotle let out a growl, but just didn’t do anything.

  Cynthia blinked.

  The Grotle was just… standing there? Its body trembled faintly, legs shaking, the poison clearly working through its system.

  And yet it made no effort to defend itself.

  Roselia hesitated, glancing back over his shoulder toward her, confused. Then, with a shrug, he dipped low and let the green light of Growth surge through him once more.

  Cynthia’s stomach dropped.

  At the sight of that glow, of Roselia wasting time instead of finishing the battle, her brain clicked into place.

  Oh shit.

  “Finish it off, NOW!” she shouted, voice sharper than she meant it to be.

  Roselia, tilted his head, then paused for a moment.

  That split second—

  “BULLDOZE!”

  —was all it took.

  Grotle heaved its leg like it was dragging a mountain.

  Roselia raised a hand, purple energy already forming into a Venoshock.

  The ground ruptured beneath him as the Curse-boosted Bulldoze detonated across the field.

  Cynthia stumbled, dust clouding her vision.

  And Roselia’s cry of pain tore through the haze.

  Cynthia lifted an arm against the dust, eyes straining through the swirling field.

  He was still standing.

  Barely.

  Both flowery hands were braced against the ground, breath ragged as the slowing effect of Bulldoze dragged at him, heavy and punishing. Sure, the boosts were still there. But sweeping the rest of the gym?

  Not happening. They’d be lucky to take out even one more Pokémon.

  Her chance at a clean win was gone, over before it had even begun.

  She’d expected it, of course. This wasn’t a second badge Gym anymore. His team right now was meant for trainers challenging their fourth. Bankara wasn’t holding back on strategy or move choices.

  Still, it stung to see Roselia drag himself upright, wobbling from the blow.

  “Grotle is unable to battle, may the Gym Leader release their next Pokémon!”

  Because she realized the truth.

  This was her fault.

  If she’d understood Bankara’s goal a moment earlier, if she’d called the attack a moment earlier. Roselia’s hesitation wouldn’t have mattered.

  “You did a good job, Grotle. Return.”

  Bankara’s voice was soft as he recalled his Pokémon, the red beam pulling the exhausted Grotle back into its ball.

  When Cynthia glanced at him, he was already looking at her.

  “Your Roselia’s clever. Skilled, too.” His deep voice was calm, but she could see the slight smile on his face. “But it looks like you two aren’t fully in sync yet?”

  He tilted his head toward Roselia, who was using the brief pause in battle to catch his breath.

  Bankara nodded once. “Well, he’s well trained, if nothing else. Would’ve been a clean battle if I hadn’t pulled a trick of my own.”

  He reached down and plucked another Poké Ball from his belt, letting it expand in his hand.

  “But I guess I’ll need to turn up the heat a little, give you a proper challenge.”

  With a casual flick, he tossed the ball onto the field.

  It burst open in a flash of light, and the form that materialized—

  “Sunflora!”

  Cynthia gave the Pokémon exactly one second to orient itself.

  And as it locked onto Roselia she figured that was enough.

  “Don’t let it set up!”

  This time, Roselia didn’t hesitate.

  He raised a hand, and poison-tinged energy gathered around him like lances, sharp and thrumming. With a flick, they fired straight at Sunflora.

  “Trailblaze!” Benkara’s voice rang out just as the attack closed in.

  Sunflora was slow by nature, but even slow Pokémon could move fast if they had the right incentive. Green light erupted at its feet, wrapping around its limbs. The grass beneath it shimmered, seeming to lose all resistance.

  With a single graceful step, Sunflora slid just out of the path of the toxic blast.

  Shit.

  Cynthia felt her thoughts race as she realized that trying get Roselia to hit Sunflora with his current condition would be almost impossible.

  They needed an edge.

  “Get cover!” Cynthia shouted.

  Roselia raised his still trembling hands.

  Then he clapped.

  Golden spores burst from his body, thick as fog, Stun Spore, blanketing the battlefield in a cloud of drifting paralysis.

  It wouldn’t paralyze a fellow Grass-type.

  It also wasn’t the point.

  She didn’t need the spores to affect Sunflora, she just didn’t want it to see. Of course, every tactic had a cost.

  “Set up the sun for us!” Benkara called, grinning.

  A red-tinged beam of energy cut through the fog, firing skyward from somewhere within the clouded battlefield.

  It burst overhead like a flare.

  Instantly, the sky shifted, washed in a deep, heated red. Cynthia felt the change as if a lens had dropped over the sun itself.

  The air turned hot.

  Heavy.

  Fire-type energy surged across the battlefield in waves, coating the field in invisible flame.

  A lot of young trainers made the mistake of thinking that letting a Grass-type set up Sunny Day was foolish. Boosting Fire-type moves against your own team?

  Rookie error.

  They had never encountered a Solar Power Sunflora.

  Because sometimes—

  “Petal Blizzard!”

  —raw power was enough to sweep everything aside.

  The fog exploded in an instant, shredded by a spiralling hurricane of gleaming leaves. A storm of petals, sharp as blades, roared across the battlefield. The sheer force of the move tore into the ground, ripping deep gashes in the dirt. Any Pokémon caught in it, especially one weakened like Roselia, should’ve been obliterated.

  Key word: caught in it.

  Benkara scanned the field, eyes narrowing. But he couldn’t find Roselia.

  “Wha—”

  Cynthia didn’t answer, didn’t look at him.

  Her gaze was locked on Sunflora, who, for the record, looked just as confused.

  So that was how I looked, I guess.

  As the cloud of golden spores was ripped from the air by the storm’s winds, Cynthia spotted him, floating in the uppermost layer of the dispersing mist.

  Roselia hovered in the sky, wings of shimmering leaves spread wide, his body backlit by sunlight.

  In his hands: a single lance of Poison-type energy.

  A Venoshock, condensed to a needlepoint, pulsing with the energy of multiple Growth boosts.

  The leaf-wings dissolved.

  Roselia began to fall.

  Any other trainer might’ve hesitated, might’ve frozen, let the final strike land before they realized the danger.

  Benkara wasn’t any other trainer.

  His eyes never even flicked upward.

  “SOLAR BEAM STRAIGHT UP!”

  Cynthia’s mouth opened in shock.

  It was too late.

  Normally, the move would take time to charge. Normally, it needed prep.

  But not in sunlight.

  Not with Solar Power.

  A searing green laser exploded skyward, blasting into Roselia mid-drop. The impact sent him spinning, the light flinging him higher before gravity reclaimed him.

  Cynthia choked back a scream, arm shooting forward. The red light of the Poké Ball absorbed Roselia in midair, just before he crashed to the ground.

  She let out a sigh of relief, placed the ball back in her belt, and glanced up.

  Sunflora stood proud, but its left arm drooped, slightly curled in pain. Poison laced along the petals.

  The lance had hit.

  Somehow.

  “You did fantastic, Roselia,” Cynthia whispered, before speaking loudly, “I retire Roselia!”

  The referee nodded slightly, “Roselia is unable to battle, may the challenger please release their next Pokémon!”

  Cynthia didn’t hesitate, not wanting to give Sunflora a second longer than needed to recover.

  “Take him out fast.”

  Riolu materialized onto the field, his eyes locking onto Sunflora in an instant.

  “Magical Leaf!” Benkara’s command came out the moment Riolu's stance shifted toward Sunflora.

  Green energy ignited around the Grass-type like wildfire. With a sweeping motion of its arm, every leaf scattered across the battlefield glowed, each one coated in brilliant Grass-type energy, like miniature daggers of light.

  “Leaf Defence!” Cynthia barked.

  The glowing storm surged toward Riolu.

  But he didn’t flinch.

  His eyes narrowed, flashing blue for a heartbeat.

  His paws shimmered, lengthening into long, shining claws.

  For a single breath, Riolu wasn’t a Pokémon anymore.

  He was a lawnmower.

  He stepped forward, not dodging.

  But slicing, deflecting, dancing through the torrent of flying leaves. Each claw met its mark with perfect timing, cutting a glowing trail through the air as he carved through the barrage with mechanical precision.

  From the other side, Bankara let out a thoughtful noise.

  “A Custom Move?” he said, voice low and impressed.

  Cynthia blinked, half-focused on the rhythm of Riolu’s motion. He hadn’t said anything about Roselia’s version. Did he really not—

  “To think you’ve managed to train two different Pokémon to do something like that,” Bankara continued, arms crossing as he watched.

  His smile turned wide, teeth gleaming under the artificial sunlight.

  “That’s impressive.”

  Then he feel silent, watching as Riolu slowly crept closer.

  Five meters.

  Three meters.

  One meter.

  Only when Riolu was right there, nearly touching, did Bankara speak again.

  “Weather Ball.”

  The shimmering energy holding the scattered leaves aloft collapsed in an instant, dropping them harmlessly around the combatants.

  Sunflora’s hands glowed red, a sphere of pulsing Fire-type energy formed between them.

  Riolu surged forward, fists shifting to a frigid blue as Ice Punch ignited along his knuckles.

  Sunflora looked up.

  Their eyes met.

  And then—

  Sunflora grinned.

  Ice Punch slammed into its face.

  The Weather Ball in its hands exploded.

  A flash of white-red flame engulfed them both.

  The heatwave alone forced Cynthia to shield her eyes. When the light faded, she opened them again, and frowned.

  Sunflora was worse off, way worse off.

  But it should’ve been a clean exchange. Riolu was fast, too fast for Sunflora to ever truly match. More than that his Leaf Defence was near perfect for countering ranged Grass-type attacks. He shouldn’t have taken real damage.

  She just didn’t anticipate Sunflora blowing itself up alongside Riolu.

  Still…

  Sunflora was worse off.

  “Press him, Riolu!”

  She barely needed to say it.

  Riolu was already moving, flickering forward in a streak of light, Quick Attack closing the gap that had formed in a heartbeat.

  Sunflora tried to do something, it was just—

  Too slow.

  Riolu’s palm lit up gold and Force Palm smashed square into Sunflora’s midsection.

  Sunflora staggered back but still managed to snap out a half-dozen glowing tendrils of green.

  Riolu’s eyes flashed blue, and he spun through them like water around stone, untouched.

  Force Palm slammed into its gut.

  Ice Punch cracked against its arm.

  Low Kick swept its legs out from under it.

  As Sunflora began to fall, Benkara saw the writing on the wall.

  He raised his hand.

  “I retire Sunflora!” he called, voice firm.

  A red beam snagged the falling Pokémon mid-air, returning it to its ball before it hit the ground, just as Cynthia had done with Roselia earlier.

  "Sunflora is unable to battle. May the Gym Leader release their next Pokémon!"

  This time, Benkara didn't say anything. He simply threw his ball into the air, and with a roar, Tropius materialized from the red light. Instantly, without any movement from the Pokémon itself, Cynthia saw the Grass-Type energy swirling around Tropius' body, the sun’s rays amplifying it.

  Most of the energy spread lightly around its form, but there was one spot that caught her attention.

  Where its body shimmered—

  Its legs glowed.

  Cynthia narrowed her eyes.

  It probably had both of its abilities.

  That was what made Grass-types under the sun so frightening, how well their abilities synergized with each other. Tropius was already a formidable opponent, but with both Chlorophyll and Solar Power? It didn’t matter that it was usually a defensive Pokémon, it was still going to be absurdly fast and hit incredibly hard.

  Cynthia let her eyes glide over to Riolu. He stood tall, but it was hard to say if he could take on Tropius. The Weather Ball had done some damage, and as good as his Leaf Defence was, he had also taken hits from Magical Leaf.

  Of course, the optimal move might still be to let him fight, but…

  Cynthia’s gaze dropped to her side, where Queenie’s Poké Ball rested untouched. It had been far too long since she’d had a reason to battle alongside her oldest partner.

  And this?

  This felt like an opportunity.

  "I use my switch!" Cynthia called out, and the referee nodded, acknowledging her decision.

  She raised a hand and returned Riolu.

  Then, with a quick motion, Cynthia grabbed Queenie's Poké Ball. A flick of her wrist, and her oldest partner emerged onto the field.

  Queenie didn’t make an entrance with a dramatic roar or any flashy display of dominance. No, she appeared with a grunt, casting a glance over her shoulder at Cynthia, as though asking, Why am I out here now?

  "Change of plans. You’re up, Queenie," Cynthia said calmly.

  She couldn't help but smile as her heartbeat quickened. Her eyes flicked toward the stands, where Myst was watching. His eyes were locked onto Queenie, and even from here, she could make out his lips moving, mumbling something under his breath.

  Cynthia felt her smile became a grin, and she had to force herself focus back onto the battle.

  “Want to show Myst how powerful you really are, Queenie?” Cynthia asked, her voice low and quiet, a challenge hidden within.

  Queenie simply grunted in response, taking a single, deliberate step forward.

  Benkara’s gaze narrowed, "Solar Beam, full power!"

  Tropius roared, its wings flaring as a blinding light gathered within its mouth. The Solar Beam charged within a second with the energy of the sun, even starting to hum as it’s barely contained power desperately tried to break free.

  If any of her other Pokémon were on the field, Cynthia might have felt a flicker of concern.

  But Queenie?

  No.

  Queenie was something else.

  Cynthia’s voice was quiet but resolute. "Destroy it."

  Queenie’s eyes sparked with anticipation. Her body tensed, the energy building inside her. She let out a low grunt, and her talons began to shimmer with the glow of pure draconic power.

  She didn’t need to be told anything more.

  She was already in motion.

  Tropius unleashed the Solar Beam with a roar, the massive beam of green light hurtling toward Queenie like a comet. The ground below cracked and splintered as the energy carved its path through the air, a devastating force tearing through space.

  Queenie just grinned.

  Her movements were a blur, too fast for the human eye to track. She darted forward with a burst of speed that seemed impossible for something so large and as Tropius’ Solar Beam hurtled toward her, Queenie raised her claws, her talons glowing.

  Dragon Claw.

  With a sound like thunder cracking the sky, Queenie met the Solar Beam head-on.

  And Solar Beam lost.

  The beam was cleaved in two, the energy splintering like glass under the force of Queenie’s strike. It’s destructive power evaporated into nothing as Queenie’s talon tore through it, the two attacks dissipating in the air.

  Tropius froze in shock, its mouth still agape from the now-destroyed Solar Beam, a brief flicker of confusion in its eyes.

  “Chase.” Cynthia’s voice rang out.

  Without missing a beat, Queenie surged forward, her body a streak of motion.

  "Take off!" Benkara barked.

  Still too late.

  Tropius, still reeling from the destruction of its Solar Beam, tried to lift off, its wings struggling to catch the air.

  Queenie was already on it.

  White energy surged down her limbs, shaping into massive, gleaming claws. Queenie slashed forward in a blur, grabbing hold of Tropius’s left wing. The strike was like a cannon going off, air burst around the impact point as Tropius roared in pain, forced downward by the sheer weight of Queenie’s blow.

  But it wasn’t down yet.

  With speed that bellied it size, Tropius forced itself away, just long enough to form two massive leaves, then hurled them with brutal force straight at Queenie.

  It was probably the most powerful Razor Leaf Cynthia had seen.

  It still wasn’t meant to be.

  Queenie’s mouth opened wide, and blue flames erupted from her throat, roaring like a dragon’s fury. The Dragon Rage hit the leaves head-on, its intense power shredding them to ash in an instant.

  Tropius wasn’t done yet, though.

  Its body turned brilliant white, energy crackling as it charged forward, Body Slam aimed to crush Queenie beneath its full, terrible weight. The field trembled with every step, the air shaking as Tropius threw everything it had into one final, devastating charge.

  It was the last mistake Tropius would get to make.

  Queenie didn’t move.

  She planted her feet. The earth cracked beneath her talons. She braced.

  And Tropius hit her like a runaway train.

  BOOM!

  The impact rang out across the field.

  But Tropius stopped.

  Its charge came to an immediate and violent halt, like it had slammed into a wall that refused to yield. The energy of its momentum vanished in an instant.

  Queenie didn’t flinch.

  She let out a low, satisfied grunt, her talons dug into the battlefield like anchors. The earth beneath them had shaken, but Queenie stood tall, completely unfazed.

  Tropius, stunned by the failed attack, hovered in momentary shock.

  Queenie didn’t waste it. In one swift, clean motion, she lashed upward with her Dragon Claw. The gleaming talons arced through the air, catching the light as they carved straight toward Tropius’s throat.

  The blow landed.

  Tropius was driven down hard, crashing into the battlefield with a thunderous slam.

  And the ground?

  The ground was where Gabite hunted their prey.

  The fight was decided just like that.

  …

  As she sat down, Cynthia couldn’t quite stop grinning.

  “You look creepy,” Myst said.

  Considering his own grin was just about as creepy, Cynthia decided he wasn’t allowed to throw stones. Still, she forced her mouth into something resembling a straight line.

  “Well, you look like you forgot.”

  Myst blinked, suspicious. “Forgot what?”

  Cynthia tilted her head toward the battlefield, eyes gleaming. “That you’re next.”