Like No One Ever Was (Pokemon SI)

[Lillie Jones]

Thanks for the interlude

 

[unlawfulwaffle362]

So there does exist some modicum of sense in Mom and Pop Glitteratti. It's just overridden by their desire to spoil their children.

 

[Skyfyre]

Brassius sent out a message calling for the Gym staff to come and officiate our match. They likely got the word out as well, given the large crowd gathering all around, but they were hardly the only ones.

My sister waved at me from a large group of Uva students that she was directing towards the arena. "Show him what you're made of Nims!" She shouted at me, and I smiled. Guess she got tired of the people online disparaging me.

I directed Miles to go and drop the phone off with her before floating back without an object to possess. That picked up a few whispers from the crowd, the students especially wondering if I was 'giving away my strategy'. I snorted.

Hardly. Brassius knows everything Hassel does, at the least. But we've got a few new tricks that neither of them have seen yet. Having Cyan around is handy for recording my match, but I'll probably need a permanent solution to that. Maybe I could ask the Gym staff next time?

When the crowd had gathered to the fullest extent they could on the massive circular platform the arena rested on. It was far smaller than Alfornada's, however, and with space to walk underneath it - no secret vaults here! I could hear and see others gathered around the outside as well, peering in. Many people were recording the match, and from what I could hear, some people below that couldn't see it were watching the streams from those above.

Brassius saw the staff taking their places and moved off to his own side. "Sorry you don't get to jump down from the windmill to dramatically start our match off." I said to him, too low to be heard by the crowd.

He smirked. "A shame, but my knees thank you for it." Then he walked over to the other side, his demeanor becoming serious. I opened my bag for Miles to possess the right Form.

The referee cleared their throat, holding up a microphone. "This will be a six-on-six match with up to four switches allowed for each Trainer. Battle Items and an Enhancement effect are allowed." That set off some whispers and excited discussion amongst the crowd. Four switches is a fair amount, usually reserved for the longest and toughest matches. Some people might have known about me online, but for a lot of the festival goers, this would just seem like a match for the start of the Treasure Hunt season.

"Gym Leader, Challenger, are you ready to begin?" Brassius raised a Pokeball off of his belt while I pulled Miles in Boombox form out of my bag. Miles took to the field, the sleek black boombox floating in the air, surrounded by a gray plasmic field, out of which extended two thin limbs. The 'hands' of the limbs were actually slightly asymmetrical, the right a disc with a hole in the center, while the left was rectangular with two holes spaced evenly from each other around the middle. CD and cassette player modes.

The referee glanced at Brassius, looking to see if he wanted to change his Pokemon out before he would release it. The Gym Leader frowned, staring intently at the unusual Rotom Form before shaking his head. He probably had a solid starter ready to deal with most anything I could throw at him, so they'll be just as good at dealing with a Rotom Form no one's ever seen before.

The referee gave the signal for Brassius to send out his Pokemon, and the man released a tall, thin Pokemon. She had two legs sticking out from a bark-like slim 'skirt' that led up to their leafy upper half. The leaves covered her long, outstretched arms and chest, as well as the top of her head, leaving only her round, pale face bare. Along her arms were several dark olives, and peeking out amidst the foliage on her right arm, I spotted a yellow berry peeking out.

Sitrus Berry. I'm sure she has Seed Sower, but could Brassius have trained her to have Harvest as well? That'll be a problem if she does. Arboliva is bulky enough and could outgrind us.

"Are both Trainers ready?" The referee asked, and we both nodded, the crowd's excited chattering dying down as everyone watched in eager anticipation. "Then we will start the battle in three, two, one… begin!"

"Thunder Wave," was my first command. He's expecting some big attack from the start, I'm sure.

My assumption was correct, as he called out "Mirror Co- Safeguard!" His attempt to course correct came too late, the thin bolts of electricity covering the Olive Pokemon before the Safeguard could come up. Arboliva twitched, Paralyzed by Miles' attack, and dropped some olives off her arms in response, which seeded the ground, spreading out in a lightly glowing green field around the arena.

"Hyper Voice, strafe." Miles zipped around, already capable of moving much faster than the Grass Type, now easily able to stay behind her, blasting her with powerful soundwaves. Wow, that's strong. Having a Life Orb and the Normal Type lets him do tons of damage. Wait, that's not just random noise; that's my music they're playing!

Indeed, Miles was playing 'Megalovania' from their boombox body, cranked up to eleven. The barrier made the sound less damaging for the audience, and I saw a few of them bobbing their heads along to the beat.

Brassius wasn't going to just sit back and let us defeat him, however. "Fill the air with beauty, Petal Dance!" Raising her arms up, she spun around, petals flaking off of her and spinning around, then regrowing and flying off again.

Miles was able to stay ahead of her but couldn't avoid the attack as it started to fill the entire arena. "Discharge!" A burst of lightning erupted all around them, frying the petals before they could touch them. The Electric Type attack did little damage to Arboliva as it reached her, but it protected Miles.

She tried to continue the attack but faltered, her body seizing up. "Hyper Voice!" I shouted, seeing our opening to lay more damage on her. She flailed about, waving her long arms around wildly, Confused. Despite that, I could see vines growing off her arms, carrying the Sitrus berry towards her mouth.

"Trick!" Miles' eyes flashed, and then the Sitrus berry Arboliva had been carrying to her mouth was replaced with the hard Life Orb that Miles had concealed in their body. Pulling the berry out of their cassette slot, Miles quickly chomped down on it with their plasmic mouth, healing almost all the fatigue the Life Orb had cost them so far.

Brassius frowned for a second before a delighted look took his face. "Clever use of my item, but I can make grand use of your gift as well. Terrain Pulse!" Any confusion that had hampered her snapped as she drew energy up from the terrain she had created. The orange ring in the reddish Life Orb glowed in Arboliva's grip as they unleashed a massive blast with the gathered energy.

Miles gave a grunt as they were knocked to the side. Damn, that hit hard. But we still need a little time till Safeguard ends. "Protect," I called out as they tried to fire out another blast, the beam of green energy deflecting harmlessly off of the barrier Miles had conjured around themselves.

Despite the terrain, which was boosting her attack and also rejuvenating her, it wasn't enough to keep up with the damage I'd already dealt, not by far. The Life Orb was also draining her with each attack. Something Brassius was keenly aware of as he switched tactics.

"Synthesis," his voice carried out over the field at the same time as the transparent shield that had been protecting Arboliva flashed out of existence.

Here's our opening! "Get in close!" I cried, the signal for Miles to use the new signature Move of this form. Speakers beating out music once again, Miles switched to a different tune, playing 'Oh the Places You'll Go,' this time.

Arboliva swayed back and forth before collapsing on the ground, asleep. Brassius gaped, looking shocked. "They know Sing?!" The Life Orb slipped out of her grip, and Miles scooped it back up.

"That's right! Now, Nasty Plot." The track changed again, playing 'You're Gonna Go Far Kid.'" Right, we didn't make a full song of that one, but we did do some recordings before deciding it wouldn't fit in the first album.

"Switch!" Brassius shouted, recalling his Pokemon and forcing Miles to stop their Move while Brassius chose a replacement. He's got fast reactions, I'll give him that. Miles probably only got off enough for an extra quarter increase in power from the Nasty Plot, when if they had been able to fully use the Move, they would have been twice as strong.

"What artful tactics! But the greatest of art breeds… imitation! Go, Breloom, Spore!" He called out as he released the bipedal mushroom Pokemon. Underneath their mushroom cap head, he had avian-like features with a beak-like nose. His pale neck led to a green body with powerful legs and short arms, two red claws on each limb.

The Breloom's long tail was the most noticeable feature, however. Mostly because he shook it back and forth, and from the green clover-looking end, spores started drifting across the field.

"Killjoys, make some noise!" Miles repeated those lyrics, but far louder, making a racket with Uproar. The sound was so loud that even as the Spores hit them and Miles' eyes started to droop, they couldn't fall asleep, their own sound jolting them awake.

It was far worse for Breloom, the Grass Type screeching in pain as the attack hit them hard. "Mach Punch!" Brassius shouted over the din, and I barely had time to wince before he had rocketed forward, slamming a claw into Miles with a screeching sound that came from the metal being dented and not Miles' music.

They didn't stop, however, continuing to blast out those tunes at Breloom, doing significant damage. Something my opposite noticed as well. "Those sound Moves, all so strong, and Mach Punch doing so much damage… Your Rotom Form is a Normal Type!"

I slipped my right hand into my Tera Orb case, tightening my grip. Yeah, he figured it out quickly. Miles is stuck in Uproar mode, so they won't be able to block your next move. The question is, how much do you commit from this discovery?

"Close Combat!" There we go. Capitalizing on a weakness you found was a major part of being a good Trainer. It was something you had to be careful about, however, as sometimes the discovered weakness… turned out to be a trap.

"Dazzle with electrifying power, Terastalize!" I chanted as I tossed the Tera Orb above Miles' body. It burst open, forming that glowing Tera symbol in the air for a scant second, then making a pillar of crystals around them.

Breloom smashed through, kicking, punching, and even swinging his tail through the crystal to hit Miles. To little effect, as they emerged with the lightbulb Tera 'hat' above their head, the powerful Move did only as much damage as Mach Punch had done before.

Staying in close only left the Breloom more open for the Uproar to blast into him. With one last screech of sound, the enemy was literally knocked off his feet by the attack, falling unconscious. I was actively protecting my ears with Aura, as well as the barrier diminishing the sound coming my way, so I could still hear the crowd cheer wildly as they saw me score my first knockout.

Brassius furrowed his thin eyebrows in concentration. "It appears I'll need to spice this work up; go Scovillain!"

His latest Pokemon was a bit shorter than the others, just under a meter tall. They had a solid bipedal dark green body with two thick legs and two fingerless hands on the ends of their short arms. The most distinctive feature though was their two heads, one red and on a lighter green than the body, each vaguely pepper-shaped.

Scovillain, Scovillain… It's a Paldean native Pokemon, makes sense he'd have it. Grass/Fire Typing covers a lot of weaknesses, what else- Insomnia. He's prepared for my Sleep attempts, and I can't Burn him either.

Brassius started the latest bout off, shouting, "Sunny Day!" The red head tilted back, mouth facing skyward, gathering a glowing ball of light in it that would serve as a miniature sun.

Seeing his Move, I decided to try buffing up as well. However, no sooner had I called out "Nasty Plot," did Brassius' Pokemon react, the second head spitting out a cluster of spices that got caught in Miles' body, aggravating them. What Move was that? Some kind of debuff, probably. At least the irritation sped up Nasty Plot.

Scovillain had released the sun up above them and started racing towards Miles, their speed obviously boosted from the sunlight. With a lunge, they jumped, snapping at Miles with one head, just barely missing as my Pokemon dodged out of the way, blasting them with a Hyper Voice on their way out.

Nice try, but Miles is the fastest out of all my Pokemon and second only in overall strength to Dun. Even the sun boost won't be enough.

"Bullet Seed, Flamethrower!" Brassius called out, quickly but still calm and unworried. His Pokemon angrily stomped the ground as the two heads tried shooting him down with seeds and fire. This time, the attacks came much faster, and the long necks let the Scovillain heads cut off angles of escape. What? But there were no other boosting Moves used, why did Scovillain get so much faster- Ah, I can't worry about that; I just gotta deal with it.

"Volt Switch!" Miles flew down at our enemy, a ring of electricity encircling them as they struck the Grass Type. Curving around, they narrowly avoided the attacks from the Scovillain and zipped back to me as I returned them to their Pokeball.

"Nemona has used her first switch! Challenger Nemona, please choose your next Pokemon!" I bit my lip as the referee talked, weighing my options.

Nightwing is fast, can probably at least match the Scovillain for speed while the sun is up, but not this even faster speed they have right now. She won't resist their Moves either, and her best Flying attack is Acrobatics, which means either ditching the Toxic Orb too early or trying to draw things out for time. No, not with their dual attacks and speed. If I can't go fast then...

"I'll go slow," I muttered, and Brassius turned, cupping an ear to try and hear me. "Ah, nevermind, I said, I choose you, Notch!" Pressing the button on their ball, I sent Notch out onto the field.

"Bullet Seed!/Reflect." We both called out. A few of the bullets shattered against Notch's rocky frame, chipping away at them but didn't do too much damage before Notch could raise a barrier.

"Even the harshest critic can be worn down with enough persistence - and coming at a piece from a different angle! Solar Beam!"

"Light Screen," I ordered, a smile growing across my face. I thought so! Each head has to use a different Type, he can't just double down on attacking power. I'm betting he's holding off on the Fire Moves to give the red head a chance to recover and regain strength.

Pokemon were magnificent, versatile creatures, but even those best designed to do so had difficulties using more than one Move at a time. At least while keeping the strength of all the Moves up. I'm sure Dun or Riolu could do three or even four Moves at once, but they'd all be really bad versions of each. Usually just better to focus.

With the sunlight shining brightly, Brassius fired off a Solar Beam quickly, digging in and cutting a small gouge into my Rock Type. Despite the super-effective blow, Notch held on, conjuring another barrier around themselves.

The Gym Leader clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed by my sudden shift to a defensive strategy. "Run around, Flamethrower."

"Power Gem, blast him!" Notch did their best, firing the Rock energy beams all around the arena, but Scovillain whirled around, too fast to be hit. Even as they tried to predict where the Fire Type was headed, Scovillain was able to react in time and dodge them.

The head that wasn't spitting fire at my Pokemon was laughing maniacally at our failed attempts. The flames themselves hardly hurt Notch, given their superior defenses, Type advantage, and barriers, but also cost Brassius nothing to do.

"Trick Room." There isn't any point trying to hide or conceal this Move; it takes too long and is too obvious for anyone skilled not to see it coming. The question is if he has any answers to deal with this.

The answer was that he did, and it was to stop using Scovillain. "Switch," he said, returning his Pokemon. He sent out his next one almost immediately, his Arboliva once more taking her place on the field. In this case, that place was lying on the ground, still asleep as Trick Room finished setting up around them.

Sometimes, Pokemon would wake up in their balls and be ready to hit the ground running when sent back out, but most of the time, situations like this happened where the Pokemon remained just as asleep as they had been before being put in their ball. A consequence of their design; they're meant to be comforting by nature and only sense outside stimuli if they put effort into doing so.

"Nice try," I said to Brassius before giving Notch their next command. "Stealth Rocks." There, that should give a bit of chip damage to all of Brassius' Pokemon and an especially nasty hit when he puts Scorvillain back in.

After the rocks were scattered about, I called, "Body Press." Carbink flew high above in the air, twirling as they slammed themselves down towards Arboliva. Unfortunately, our downed foe woke up at the last moment, and with the speed of Trick Room in their favor, narrowly rolled out of the way.

"Petal Blizzard!" Hmm, no Solar Beam while the sun remains up? His Pokemon are strong, but I guess he hasn't had the time to train them in a wide variety of Moves while pushing them to this level.

Opting to take the hit rather than go for a more defensive option I said, "Psychic, hold her in place!" The leaves she was flinging around cut into Notch, doing significant damage, even with the barrier from Reflect. Damn, she hits harder than I thought.

Notch lifted her slightly off the ground and held her in place, telekinetically squeezing her. It might have stopped a lesser Pokemon from completing their Move, but the Arboliva was able to command the leaves to continue firing off her arms and into Notch, even as they were held still. Holding her up did give us an opportunity that neither of us was going to waste.

"Body Press!" Notch threw themselves once more at the Arboliva, and this time she was unable to dodge in mid-air. They had to drop the Psychic to use the Fighting Type Move, but just as Arboliva touched the ground, Notch crashed into her.

The blow drove the olive Pokemon into the ground, leaving a small crater from the impact and knocking her out. As she fell unconscious, a few olives rolled off and seeded themselves around the arena, renewing the Grassy Terrain that had long since faded away at some point.

The next Pokemon Brassius sent out was his ace, Sudowoodo. The crowd cheered wildly upon seeing the Gym Leader's strongest Pokemon, especially the locals. There aren't many obvious differences between this one and the ones he uses for lesser matches, but looking closely, I can see the chips in his skin that look like bark ridges, the way he holds himself. This one is strong.

The fact that he didn't flinch as the rocks hidden around the arena pelted into him. This Sudowoodo also had a small gray stone hanging off a cord around his neck. Hard Stone, boost the power of Rock Type Moves. Something that Brassius put to good use right away with, "Head Smash" as his first command.

Charging in a reckless headbutt at Notch, he was moving faster than my Pokemon could react to with most Moves. "Protect!" Was faster, though, and able to shield them from an attack that made a shockwave when his twig-looking antenna smacked into the honeycomb barrier Notch had made.

No recoil for Sudowoodo either; must have whats-it-name Ability that stops that. Probably Sturdy too, from how tough he looks. "Body Press," I tried, hoping we could squish the Rock Type, or at least force out his Terastalization. Instead, they dodged out of the way, and as Brassius swung his arm out, Sudowoodo did the same, catching Notch in a heavy blow with his whole body behind it.

As they continued to dart around, now moving even faster, I was sure the Move they had used was Hammer Arm. Ok, decently clever to use my Trick Room against me, but the thing is, I set it up. And I can...

"Shut it down." The arena began to glow again as Sudowoodo built up more space for another charge towards Notch. Brassius' eyes darted looking for some method to try and deal with it, and for a second he was lost.

He wasn't a Gym Leader for nothing, however, and quickly recovered to at least stay the course. "Smash through the block before you!" Sudowoodo made an odd 'X' motion with his hand before charging ahead to smash into the Notch, this time the blow connecting solidly as the distorted dimensions returned to normal.

They gave a whimper as they spun through the air, falling to the ground... before just catching themself, barely holding on. Brassius's gaunt eyes bulged a little, seeing all the punishment Notch had taken and kept on fighting. Those barriers helped a ton, but part of it is just Notch's natural toughness. It takes a ton to put them down.

Sudowoodo raised an arm to try and smash into Notch, only to be blasted aside by a Power Gem. "Body Press!" I cried viciously, the speed advantage firmly in Notch's favor now. Spinning around Sudowoodo, they rose, ready to crash down on them.

"Substitute!" Brassius ordered, his hand going for his Pokeball. Sudowoodo split, making a copy at the last moment to absorb the blow for him, the fake getting pounded to smithereens by Notch. Before we could make any more attempts, the Gym Leader used his penultimate switch, recalling Sudowoodo.

"Show the beauty of nature, Lilligant!" Brassius' next Pokemon was, expectedly, Lilligant. She was a squat, flowery creature, with leaves for arms and legs, with an orange flower blooming slightly askew on her head, akin to a hat.

The Stealth Rocks once again rose up to smack into her, but Brassius was ready, immediately calling out "Petal Blizzard!" The stones struck into her, causing some damage; however, as they bounced off, looking to hide among the field once more, her petals struck out. The Grass attack blasted the rocks away - a clever method of removing my field hazard.

"Moonblast," I tried, hoping to use the opening provided by her being caught up in removing the hazard. However, she snapped out of the attention-consuming Move at Brassius' next command.

"Grassy Glide!" Zipping across the slowly fading grassy field, she struck Notch, knocking them down before they could finish the Move. That same terrain had slowly helped my Pokemon recover from some of the injuries they had taken, enough that with the Reflect just now slowly fading out of existence, they were able to hang on.

Finishing their Move, a giant blast of pink light crashed into the Lilligant, blasting her backward. In response, the Gym Leader called out "Giga Drain!"

Dashing forward, I caught the glimpse of a root object hanging from around her neck, underneath the yellow petal ring just below her head. Arms gripping deceptively gently onto Notch, she started draining their energy, the Carbink shaking and struggling before their ears drooped and they fell to the ground, defeated.

"You did good out there," I told Notch as I recalled them. "Alright, let's get back in there, Miles!" The return of my Rotom (and the music, Live and Learn filling the arena) got some whoops and cheers from the crowd. Underneath their noise, I could hear the buzz of electricity, Miles' Terastalization still going strong.

"Quiver Dance," Brassius tried, hoping to get a quick buff off.

"Slow her down, Thunder Wave!" Miles was faster than her, though, and easily able to shock her before she could complete her dance. Though the motions were less graceful and elegant, on shaking limbs she managed to execute the Move.

Her Special Defense is up now; just trying to blast her would be a slog. I really wish I could use Confuse Wisp, but she'll be immune to half of it, better save that card for later. "Sing a pleasant tune for the lady, will ya?" I mockingly asked.

As Miles swooped in, playing 'Eat Your Young,' Brassius started furiously cracking his whip. "Ignore it! Petal Blizzard!"

His Pokemon tried hard to follow his commands, but as she danced and threw petals all around, her eyelids started to flicker. At one point in her twirling, her limbs seized, and she fell to the ground. Trying to get up, she shot a few more sharp petals into Miles but couldn't muster the energy to stay awake, slumping to the ground, asleep.

"Switch," Brassius called out, swapping her away before she could be blasted into defeat. Or more likely, reading my intentions and knowing we would have gone for major setup there if he let us.

Without fanfare, he tossed his ace back into the fray. Sudowoodo makes a tempting target here for Thunder, making the most of our Terastalization but he'll just Terastalize in response... though maybe I should do that anyway? Yeah, best to get his Terastalization out of the way now when it won't be super effective against us. Plus, I can use him going Grass Type against him as well.

Thinking quickly, I called "Thunder!" At the same time, I pulled out some Pokeballs, getting ready for my latest ploy.

Brassius was making his own plans, tossing his Tera Orb out high above the Rock Type, even as he was running towards Miles. "I hope this work can live up to your expectations, Nemona. Be reimagined as Truelewoodo!"

Bursting out of the crystals that had surrounded him at the same time as he was struck by the Thunder, Brassius' ace continued his charge at my Pokemon. Raising an arm for a powerful Wood Hammer, I called on my switch.

"Switch! Go, Rotwo!" I then recalled Miles and waited a moment to send out Phantasm, giving her time to prepare the illusion. Appearing like another copy of Miles, down to the same Rotom Form, she stepped onto the stage (though the illusion floated a meter or so above where she actually stood).

The audience was muttering something fierce while Brassius looked shocked. Guess he hasn't heard about her from Kathy then. "Rotwo, make some noise!" She made the plasmic eyes gleam as her Hyper Voice screeched across the field, eliciting a wince from our foe.

Glad I didn't try and pull a fast one to make it look like it was still Miles on the field. I'd have to have used an extra switch and some sleight of hand to pull that off, and the trick would have failed as soon as she did that. She's got a good handle on the Move, but she can't weave in song lyrics to it naturally like Miles can, not yet at least.

"Art can often be a race against the clock; let us see if you can keep up with this new pace! Trailblaze!" Sudowoodo dashed across the field, surrounded in a glowing green energy. The attack passed through the illusion above, but Sudowoodo's stumpy legs still kicked Phantasm as he went by, tripping slightly.

She was able to hold on to the illusion, thankfully, but I was pretty sure the next hit they landed would undo it. Sudowoodo is staring suspiciously at the ground as it is. "Hex" was our codeword for Bitter Malice, which Phantasm used, surrounding the Sudowoodo with dark tendrils, sapping at his strength.

"Rock Head!" Was Brassius' next command, and I readied to tell Phantasm to 'dodge it,' only for the words to die on my tongue as I saw Sudowoodo stop. Rather than follow his trainer, Sudowoodo shook his head vigorously, waving at the ground with branch-like hands.

He's on to us! "Hex Hex Hex!" I cried, hoping to get some debuffs and damage while we could. Phantasm trains hard, but she just has so much less experience than the rest of my team. If a Gym Leader sees through our tricks... well, I won't say that she doesn't have a chance, but it'll be a miracle for her to pull through.

The Gym Leader quickly changed tactics. "Rock Slide, wide spread!" Even as the Bitter Malice assaulted him, Sudowoodo hefted a large stone out of the ground, chucking it in the air above Phantasm. It cracked there, splitting into several large chunks that rained down on her.

She gave a yip of pain as she was knocked to the side, one of the rocks clipping her back left leg. My Pokemon also became clearly visible to all, the illusion breaking from pain.

There was a moment of stunned silence from the crowd before jubilant cheers and delighted cooing over erupted from the gathered audience. My opposite looked surprised for a second before grinning. "What a delightful surprise, a new coat of paint on an existing masterpiece!" Then, as if as an afterthought to his artistic appreciation, he told his Sudowoodo, "Hammer Arm."

I smirked as the hot-dog-tree-looking Pokemon waddled up, arm raised high. Right! He doesn't know about her Typing yet; he's treating her like a regular Zorua! "Yours is the hatred that burns! Bitter Malice!"

It felt nice, for some reason, to call the Move out by its proper name. I suspected that Phantasm felt the same way, as this time the Distorted tendrils that wrapped around Sudowoodo's body practically engulfed him completely. That or she's upset about the Rock Slide.

Brassius' Pokemon managed to push through the attack and still swing his arm down at her, only for it to pass right through. "A Ghost Type?!" Brassius shouted, shocked.

"Haha, that's right!" Just not the full story. "Now-"

"Copycat!" Was his reaction. Oh wow, forgot that Sudowoodo learned that Move.

Bitter Malice surrounded my Pokemon, doing absolutely nothing. "Show him how it's done!" Phantasm gave a happy cry as she once again tormented the Gym Leader's ace, sapping his strength and life further. The Tera Grass Pokemon fell to the ground before, nearly defeated.

"Sucker Punch." Or not, I thought as the Sudowoodo lashed out, punching Phantasm with a Dark Type attack that sent my Pokemon reeling back. Even after all that, he can still hurt her that much? I get that she's on the frail side, and it was Super Effective, but still. I guess that goes to show how strong a Gym Leader's top Pokemon can be.

Sudowoodo straightened back up, and I prepared to call her back, thinking that Phantasm wouldn't be able to finish him off. Then, as she angrily pushed herself back to her feet, she started glowing.

It felt like the entire arena drew in a sharp breath as one, then all of us gasped as we saw her evolve. Even knowing what was coming, it was still a sight for me to behold as well. She started by growing so much taller and larger, her body still a silhouette surrounded by the light she exuded. Phantasm shifted to a more humanoid form, standing on two legs and growing short, sharp claws on the ends of her hands and feet. As the light faded, some more details could be made out, like a few red bumps covering arms and legs as well. Her eyes became yellow with red pupils, but the most drastic change was to her mane, the fur growing and becoming truly wild and far more red, covering one half of her face completely.

"Zoroark!" She triumphantly shouted, racing towards Sudowoodo. For his part, he tried to Sucker Punch her but hit only air as she ran past him, cutting a deep gouge into him with her claws. And illusion? No, she's just that much faster now!

"Hyper Voice!" I shouted, and she shouted louder, her voice shaking the arena. The sound crashed into Sudowoodo and knocked him off his feet. He flopped towards Brassius, his Terastalization shattering as he fell unconscious.

"Ha! You did it! Great job- wait, stop." I said as I noticed Phantasm stalking towards her fallen foe. She ignored me, continuing towards him until I said louder. "Stop!" Whirling around to face me, I saw hatred burning in her yellow eye. Part of me wanted to flinch, to set my shoulders up as fight-or-flight instincts kicked in, but I pushed those all aside, remembering the adorable little kit I had taken in a few months ago.

"Stop it, you've won." I said softly, but no less firm. The hatred dimmed in her eye as recognition took hold, and she looked ashamed of herself. She's still the same Phantasm as she was before; she just has some things to work out in regards to her new instincts.

While that happened, Brassius recalled his Sudowoodo, sending the last Pokemon I had yet to see on his team, Tsareena. She had three long green petal-like strands flowing off the top of her head down behind her and very long, dangerous-looking legs.

Rather than risking anything starting, I called "Switch!" Returning Phantasm to her ball. Before I put it away though, I whispered to her in the Pokeball, "You did great out there, I'm proud of you."

In a louder voice, I said, "Miles, I choose you!" Throwing his ball out on the field, they popped out (and I barely managed to catch the Pokeball as it came back, fumbling it in my hands).

"Make majestic art, Trop Kick!" Without hesitation, she jumped up, trying to land a heavy kick down upon Miles' head. Impressive; most Tsareena would think that Miles was a Steel Type from their appearance, and they can get prickly about Trainers telling them to use ineffective Moves. Of course, as good a bond as they have, they can't beat ours.

I waited, readying myself for as she descended closer before shouting "Foul Play!" Miles responded before I'd finished saying the second word, spinning around mid-air around the blow, then up around and hitting her on top of her head with one end of their boombox body, driving her down to the ground.

"Hyper Voice!" My order came fast, not wanting to let up here. They cranked up 'I Beg to Differ' and hit her hard with the attack.

Miles was floating well out of reach from her, wary of a counterattack, but she surprised us by turning around at her Trainer's order of "Power Whip!" Lashing her 'hair' out to an insane length, it whistled by my Pokemon, Miles just barely dodging.

It can be hard to spot with the appliance bodies Rotoms possess and all, but the glow around Miles is growing dimmer. They can't last much longer. Part of that was just due to the Life Orb they carried, making them hit so much harder but draining their own energy each time they attacked. "Let's end this," I said solemnly. "Hit it as loud as you can!"

They complied eagerly, diving down and turning up the volume as high as they could, attempting to blast Tsareena into submission.

I saw Brassius mouth 'Trop Kick' rather than heard the words over the din Miles was making. She was able to see him and follow through though, landing a powerful kick that cracked almost straight through their new boombox body. Miles dipped in the air, and while the system was too damaged to make music at the moment, they let out a screech that ripped through the air, taking Tsareena out.

That was their last Move, however, as their body continued to sink to the ground, even Levitate slowly failing them as they fell unconscious. Recalling them, I said, "That was magnificent, you did great out there."

Then, before the referee could announce who had to send out their Pokemon next (which would usually be Brassius), I pulled out Dun's Pokeball, releasing him. "Wow, that was great! You've been the first person to get me down to my fourth Pokemon so far."

He let out a chuckle of his own. "And I can see that dear ol' Hass was not downplaying your strength in the slightest either." That earned a few excited whispers, at least from the members of the crowd who realized that he was talking about a member of the Elite Four.

The artistic man sent Scovillain into the fray once more. He was still injured from the previous bouts but raring to go as he saw Dun. "Flamethrower, Bullet Seed!"

Two Moves huh? Let's match him! "Ancient Power, Air Slash!" While even Dun couldn't do the two Moves at full power simultaneously, he was able to fire the rocks at Scovillain quickly and then switch Type energies immediately to flap scythes of wind through the air at our foe before the rocks even met Scovillain's attack.

Ancient Power pushed through the Flamethrower, getting deflected by the high-velocity seeds that cracked into them. That only cleared the way for his Air Slash to cut into the Grass Type. Combined with his other injuries, the Scovillain fell quickly, leaving Brassius down to his last Pokemon.

"Liligant, wake up!" He puts his all into the fight even when backed into a corner like this, that's admirable. Brassius' desperate plea worked, and his Pokemon blearily opened her eyes as she was released onto the field. Not that it will save her.

"Hurricane!" Dun started slithering around her, whipping the air into a frenzy. She tried to use Petal Blizzard, and to her credit, the petals were amplified by the whirling winds. While less accurate, the ones that did hit cut deep into Dun. He just grunted with the blows though, easily tanking the attack as she was buffeted around by the wind and carried up into the air.

"Finish this, Hyper Drill!" Lifting up and flying through the updraft he made, Dun spiraled through the air towards the helpless Liligant stuck there. She sent a barrage of petals at him, all ground to mulch by his spinning drill tail before it connected with her, striking her down.

As they both landed down, the referee said, "Gym Leader Brassius has no more useable Pokemon! Challenger Nemona is the winner!"

Spoiler: A/N:

Three Gym Badges down! I know that they had Arven use Scovillian in the games because food theme, but I feel it really fits Brassius well, being a Moody Grassy Type. I'll add the new Rotom Form here and in an informational once we're all caught up. Alright then, hope you enjoyed the battle (because that's really all that could fit in this chapter haha).

Boombox Form:
- Electric/Normal Type
- Gives access to the Move Sing while Miles Possesses it
- Same Ability, Stats, and other traits as per usual for Miles

 

[Lillie Jones]

Thanks for the chapter

 

[Skyfyre]

"Avant Garde! Truly!" Brassius declared loudly as he passed me the badge I had earned. I opened the (super special, custom, gold) case my parents had bought me for my journey, snapping it in place alongside the others. Three of eight, plus a flip-side fit for Unovan badges when I eventually challenge them. Right now, just have Clay's 'unofficial' badge sitting there.

"You weren't too shabby yourself," I said, putting the case away and shaking his hand. "For someone who was only a Gym Leader for a year, you did quite well." Not that I'd be gauche enough to say it, but I'm pretty sure Oberon was hitting me with his full force in our battle too, and I swept him far easier.

Cyan quickly ran up, passing me back my phone. "That was awesome! You've gotten even stronger, Nims."

"Of course," I replied, flexing my arms as if that had anything to do with the 'strength' she was talking about. Naturally, I got an eye roll in response. More sincerely, I continued. "I'm impressed with Phantasm's growth as well."

"Is that the name of your Zoroark?!" A familiar, slightly chubby boy pushed through the crowd, asking me intently.

"Uh, yeah, it is. Hohma, right?" The boy nodded his head, and I internally sighed, knowing I had remembered him and hadn't mixed him up with someone else. That's always so embarrassing.

Answering that seemed to open the floodgates, as a large portion of the crowd rushed me like a horde. So many of them were talking, shouting over top of each other with questions or phrases of praise that it was somewhat overwhelming. Jeez, I hadn't expected this kind of reaction.

Cyan tried to tell them off. "Hey, give her space!" When that failed to work, she released her Kingdra, the appearance of her Dragon making all of them take a step back. The Smokescreen afterward gave us perfect cover to escape, especially since as the smoke cleared, they were all looking along the ground while we had flown away, her atop Kingdra and me with my Aura.

Brassius was the only one who spotted us, and I gave him a cheeky wave as we flew off, landing down behind the new hedge maze. "Thanks," I told Cyan, who nodded, returning her Pokemon.

"No problem; you seemed like you were getting a bit uncomfortable."

"Yeah, nothing like that happened to me before." It might have, at Oberon's Gym, if I hadn't run off. "Did you ever experience anything like that?"

My sister shook her head. "I got a few fans and fellow classmates cheering me on by about my fifth badge, but nothing that big. Then again, I never had a big six-on-six battle in the middle of a festival while showing off a brand new Pokemon and evolution," she retorted with her hands on her hips.

Yeah, guess that is somewhat my fault, though I didn't know that she'd evolve then. But that is the biggest concern I had; mostly all those people were trying to ask questions about Phantasm. We still need to talk before I show her off.

"Maybe they were just fascinated to talk to the author of such a famous and well-respected comic book series?"

"Wha- how did you- Brassius," my sister quickly determined.

"Yup. He actually told me about it being entered in the fair." The stern glare I gave her was only about 40% fake.

"I- I just wanted it to be a fun surprise for you," Cyan pouted, the singular red bang of her hair flopping about.

"That's fine; it's not a big deal. Just, tell me in the future. I don't need a big surprise."

"I suppose I should have known." At my curious look, she said, "At your birthday party? You kinda flipped out over… whatever happened with Friede that led to you getting Phantasm. Are you going to tell everyone where they can find more like-"

"No," I said flatly, my tone indicating I wouldn't budge on this issue. "I do plan on showing her off to the world, even if it means dodging some tough questions, though. Speaking of…" Looking around, I saw that there was no one nearby since we were on the edge of Artazon. "Mind giving us a moment to talk? I can meet you by our comic book display."

She nodded, wandering off back to the fair while I released Phantasm. She stood, taking in the change in scenery, her body slightly hunched over. Is that just natural for her now, or because she's feeling nervous? It fits the game images, but those aren't always fully indicative.

"Hey, let me get a good look at you." She obliged my calm words, slowly turning around. "Wow, you look gorgeous!"

"Really?" I blinked, surprised at the 'words'. They were just an illusion, I knew, but it was an impressive upgrade from before, where she'd have difficulty making the sound that precise. Sounds a bit like me, but slightly deeper in tone.

"Yeah! You look awesome, and those illusions—those are incredible too. People are going to be all over you." There was an awkward pause, and I caught a flash of frustration and confusion in her eyes; her long mane lifted slightly so I could see both of them.

"I made a promise to let people adore you and marvel over your magnificence, etcetera, and I'm going to live up to it. Just means that I'll seem like a jerk when they ask where I got you or how you came to be that way but- but that is fine." I stressed, in response to the low growl she made, clearly upset at even the idea of random strangers thinking badly of me.

Slowly, I offered my hand, and at her acceptance, I ran it through her mane, shivering slightly. Still has that unusual chill to it; gotta test more Ice Type TMs with her. "Your instincts might lead to aggression and hate easier, and that isn't bad, but you do need to learn to control it, ok? Save the viciousness for the truly bad people like those poachers."

She bristled slightly but nodded. "Are you ready to go out and see the world? Or rather, have the world see you? It's ok if you aren't…" Her expression was still somewhat unsure and I added "I'll have your Pokeball on hand if anything flares up, but you seem fine just talking with me."

Admittedly, I'm a lot closer to her, but this is still a stressful topic. We'll take it slowly, just start to get her used to other people and Pokemon outside of battle first. And for the next few Gyms, I'll just have her train with the team, who she knows and can stop her if she goes too far.

"Ark," she replied, standing up a bit straighter. My words seemed to reassure her and now she was eager, mane waving happily.

"Alright then, let's go check out the art. I don't think I even showed you the comics Cyan and I made back when we were home. It's about Spinarak-Man, an average man bitten by a mutated Spinarak who gains incredible powers, and the amazing foes he fights."

Explaining the lore of the series we had adapted, I led her through the festival. Almost the instant we got around the maze, people were pointing at Phantasm and whispering. "They're saying only good things; don't worry," I told her as I noticed her movements get a little stiffer, suddenly nervous.

A little girl (ok, only a few years younger than I was) ran away from her mom and up to us. "Hey, can I pet her?" She asked excitedly. Glancing at Phantasm, I saw her nod, so I gave her the go-ahead. She did so cheerfully, cooing over her and being a bit surprised when she felt how cold Phantasm's mane was.

There were plenty more like her on the way to Cyan. A few people did seem a bit wary or disturbed by Phantasm's appearance, but they were in the minority. Most of them seemed quite impressed, especially the children. A lot of the Uva students would pepper me with questions about how strong she was, or what Type she was, and most of all…

"How can we get a Zoroark like her?" A group of three older boys demanded of me, cornering me as some others got their photos taken with her.

"Sorry, can't say." Was my entirely unapologetic response. The other questions are easy enough to answer - no one here is asking questions anyone couldn't find out just by reviewing the fight I just had with Brassius.

They didn't seem happy with that, the lead boy stepping up to tower over me. Then, suddenly, the three of them flinched, turning to stare at Phantasm, who was balefully glaring down at them. Without another word, they ran off.

As we moved on, I asked her in a low voice, "What illusion did you show them?"

["Just a growl. Didn't even need to do anything like that bitch did."] It took me a moment to get over my surprise at her precise auditory illusion-speak and realize that she was talking about Raifort's Zoroark. Well, I guess I don't have any right to tell her not to hate Raifort - she definitely fits my description of very bad people.

I noticed she would cast a baleful glare at those boys a couple of times as they ran away, though there was little anger to her. It feels like she'll make and keep grudges easier, but it's more hatred than anger. I kept things like that in mind as we wandered about, taking in the sights of the impressive festival.

To help protect the donated art pieces from the elements, a great number of large tents had been set up in the open, grassy sections of town. There, people and Pokemon could wander around and view the pieces. We found my sister in one of these, showing off the book.

"Nemona!" She called out, waving me over. "I was just telling my classmates about the comic book we made.

"You wrote this?" Asked one of the older girls. "But you're so young." I didn't really know how to respond to that, so I just shrugged.

"Yeah. We wrote more than just this; we actually have quite a few of these comics at home."

"How many?" Another kid asked excitedly, the young boy not much older than me.

"Uhh, we got up to issue thirty two, I think, so thirty one more." My sister nodded, agreeing with my memory.

"We had ideas for hundreds of issues more, but someone got too busy with Training."

Frowning at her, I said, "Training is important too. You should know, given your own badges. And I'd say it was time well spent." Phantasm had been ever so carefully flipping through the pages as we talked, reading our story. As I gestured to her, she gave a toothy grin before conjuring an illusion of a Spinarak descending from the ceiling. Just like the iconic scene from the comic where Peter Parkour got his powers.

That distracted most of the other students, who began eagerly calling out different scenes they wanted her to make. My Pokemon took great joy, reveling in the new power and control she had with her illusions. That'll be useful for battles, but I'm glad to see her getting to do stuff like this too. She's a great storyteller, and it brings her a lot of joy.

Eventually, the other students left, going to check out some of the other art displays. Before they did though, the young boy (whose name I learned was Adrian) asked, "If you have ideas for tons of more comic books, why don't you just make them already?"

I chuckled at that. "Easier said than done. Making the comics takes a lot of time, to sketch them all out, color them properly, and actually write the dialogue and narration. And even if we have general outlines of the plot, writing the details in between the plot points is what brings the story to life. Plus, not everything goes as planned; sometimes, the story evolves in ways you didn't expect as you make it."

He nodded and followed after the older students, animatedly chatting about the book. Turning to my sister, I said, "Thanks."

"What for?"

"For putting our comic on display. I would have been hesitant, but it's really cool to see a bunch of people like it, even amidst all this professional work."

"Well, not all of it's professional. Think there are a few other amateur pieces people volunteered here. Oh, that reminds me! They've got a portrait station where you can make your own piece of art. Let's go check it out; I'm sure Smeargle will love it."

"You got one?" I asked excitedly as she dragged me along, Phantasm loping behind us.

"Yes, yes," she reapplied, waving me off with her free hand. "Turns out Alisha has a Purugly, so he was able to sketch that Move you wanted."

Yes! One step closer to my plan. A lot of red tape to cut through for us to get our shot, but I'm really hopeful about this one.

My mind turned away from schemes as we approached the do-it-yourself portrait station. There were also several professional artists nearby offering sketches and portraits for a modest fee. We went in the line-up to try our own hand at it - or rather, for Cyan and her Smeargle to try their hands (and tail) at it.

"You sure you don't want to try too?" Cyan asked, and I shook my head vigorously.

"No thanks; we both know I'm pretty bad at this kind of stuff." Occasionally I had drawn things for the comic book to give Cyan a better image of what I had envisioned, and it often ended with me having to explain a bunch of details and nuance that I had failed to illustrate for her.

"Smearg?" The Smeargle by her side asked, talking with Phantasm.

"Oark, zor." Was her response. Hmm, getting only one half of the conversation, less really with Phantasm's evolution giving her new cues and body signs, but I think they're talking about Grafaiai? They're the resident painting Pokemon of Paldea, and I see a few of them around here. Pokemon were a part of every facet of life, and making art was no exception. Some, like Smeargle and Grafaiai, were naturally predisposed to such, but there were plenty of unusual artists I saw, like a Gallade metalworker, a Falinks dance 'team', and an Eelektross poet.

Phantasm and I took our places, both of us trying to strike dramatic yet easy-to-hold poses. That was easier said than done, but we eventually settled down. I tried to remain still, but chatted a little with Cyan, just about what school had been like and other little things that we'd missed that hadn't made their way onto the group chat, as well as my future plans.

"Are you going to race to Iono's Gym next? She's pretty fun in her streams, but I haven't gotten to see how she performs as a Gym Leader." I chuckled at her words, causing her to scowl. "Don't move around."

"Sorry, just thinking about how much more interested you've become in Pokemon stuff ever since you've gotten your badges. I never would have believed it, my sister, a Pokemaniac." That only got her to scowl harder.

Graciously shifting the conversation, I continued. "Nah, not gonna rush ahead. Kinda blitzed through the last three, wanna to take a bit more time to explore the land. Maybe backtrack a bit and check out the Secluded Beach."

"Oh right, that's one of the ten sights. I picked up Toxapex not far from there, actually." I resisted the ingrained instinct to nod my head at my sister telling me something I already knew. I remember how you bragged about getting Mareanie to join your team and then begged me until I gave you tons of advice on how to best integrate her into your team.

After they finished, we looked at their portraits. "This is- I look…" Fierce, powerful, and confident. Like a champion ready to take on the world, and not just a little girl. "Thank you."

Cyan blushed at her praise, while Phantasm delicately passed me her portrait before grabbing Smeargle in a bone-crushing hug. I can see why; this looks great! Not sure why he chose to use a snowy background for this, considering it's a bright sunny day, but it helps add to the flair of 'mystery' and dims the sense of danger radiating off of her.

"You're welcome-"

"Ok, now do one with the whole team!" I shouted, releasing the rest of my Pokemon.

"Hey, I didn't agree to that! I was just going to do one portrait-"



***



['Still looking at that picture your kin drew for us?'] Phantasm didn't speak often through illusions, human language a bit odd for her. If she tried to make the illusion too fast or her mind drifted to the emotion she was trying to convey, the illusion would get messed up. Still, does make it easier to understand her and how exactly she's feeling.

"Of course!" I replied to Phantasm brightly, thrusting my phone in her face. She looked annoyed by the action but held back from swatting it away in a remarkable display of control. Or perhaps the fact that Miles is inside it, and they can still kick her keister, even with her evolution.

I pulled back when I realized she wasn't looking. Being fair and honest, she had dutifully looked at it the first dozen or so times I had shown it to her, as well as being there when it was made. The picture isn't quite as good as the real thing, but the large portrait would have taken up space in my bag and is better hanging up in my house.

Despite her denials, Cyan eventually (with Smeargle's help) agreed to make a portrait for the whole team. It was a bit tricky to get everyone in a tight frame, but we managed. Dun lay curled up in the center, with me sitting atop. Notch floated directly above my head while Miles was in front of me, not possessing any appliances but sticking out with their blue glow. On my left was Phantasm, and on my right stood Riolu, with Nightwing hovering above her.

This is awesome. I love little things like this to remind me of how great the journey can be. I've stumbled a bit and ran into some trouble, but as a whole, I'm glad we've gone on it. It also made for a nice distraction from the gloom around me.

The secluded beach was, surprisingly, actually secluded when I arrived. Ever since it had been called one of the 'Ten Sights of Paldea,' there had been tons of tourism to this spot. Today, however, the sky was quite overcast, hovering on the precipice of precipitation.

"Honestly, this place is pretty boring," I said, voicing my thoughts aloud.

['Do you think all the Ten Sights will be like that?'] Phantasm asked. Making illusory sounds was great for communication, and it doubled as training for making complex and subtle illusions in battle.

"Nah, I think we've just had bad luck. Well, at least with the Olive Field. I grew up on a beach, at least in this life." Though I hadn't been that far from the water in my first life, even if I didn't have a beachside mansion to grow up in then. "So this place probably wouldn't be that impressive for me even when it's warm and sunny. Must be the same for any citizens of Levincia and their 'million-volt skyline."

That being said, I can totally see how this would be fairly impressive. Got that magnificent waterfall from the river that flows down from above, and the beach itself is kept quite clean. Here and there, I spotted signs of Rangers or their presence. A 'lifeguard' tower that doubled as an outpost, from what I recognized in my Explorer training.

Phantasm cared little for that, and the Finizens, Wattrels, Clawitzers, and the like here hadn't the strength to challenge her. ['K, I'm going back to rest in my ball.'] Which she promptly did.

What to do now? We could carry on to Levincia and get our challenge to Iono done, but I did say I wasn't going to rush things. Looking around, I brightened up as I saw the cliff looming over the beach.

"Hey, Notch." They tilted their body after I released them, making some questioning chiming sounds. "Want to explore the marsh over there?"

They rotated in the air, their gaze following my finger pointing over the cliff. Without a sign of interest or the opposite, they started simply floating that way. Laughing, I followed her, jumping up as easily as she ascended, despite gravity's lacking hold on her. Aura really is awesome.

Atop the cliff, we stared down at the marsh on the other side. The basin was muddy, with large puddles of water covering much of it. Within them splashed Woopers under the watchful eyes of Clodsires while Mareanies lurked within the surface, only the purple tips of their heads sticking out of the water.

They were hardly the only Poison Types to make their home here, I realized as I caught sight of a Croagunk scooping a Skrelp out of the water. The Skrelp managed to shoot out a Water Gun and push itself out of the Croagunk's claw, flipping back into the water with a splash and hiding amidst the silt churned up.

There were some non-Poison Types as well, with stubborn Chewtles and oblivious Psyducks wandering around; however, the strongest group of Pokemon seemed to be the Flamigos, who strutted around as if they owned the place.

Considering I can see a Tera Bug one off in the center of the marsh, I guess they kind of do. I wonder if they can deal with all this toxic water because their long legs are resistant to that? I remember Flamingos in my world having something like that. I think? Maybe other birds had resistance in their talons, like one with red talons that could hunt snakes? And they'd trick the snakes into biting their legs, and they'd be fine? I don't know. Guess I can't find out, and it doesn't really matter anyway.

With a sigh, I jumped off the ledge, gently floating down to the marsh. My Aura helped me land lightly, but then I made the mistake of letting go of it once I touched down, causing my feet to sink into the mud.

"Gah!" Wrenching my feet free took a bit of effort, and it felt terrible, the mud sinking into my shoes, coating my socks and feet. "Ughhhh!" I whined, kicking the mud away as if that would help anything. I hate getting mucky and dirty like this!

So too did the Goomy that I accidentally hit with my little tantrum. That, or they thought it was an attack, and so rearing up, they let loose a stream of purple fire at me. On instinct, I raised my arms up to shield myself from the blast and yelled in pain from the Dragon Breath.

It didn't last long, luckily, as Notch summoned a mighty Moonblast to send the offending dragon slithering away, disappearing amongst the reeds. They moved to pursue, but I waved them down. "It- it's fine," I said, wincing. My nerves feel like they're on fire. God, that stings. I can see why Pokemon can have trouble just pushing through it.

Notch returned to stand guard over me as I pulled out a Parlyz Heal and, with shaking arms, sprayed myself with it. "Ahhh." That's better. Not perfect, but better.

It was still a struggle to climb out, my muscles moving sluggishly as I scurried back up the cliff before lying down in a heap. Bright blue eyes stared at me from above, Notch floating nearby, wondering how they could help.

"You already are."

They looked confused as I took off my shoes and socks and got Miles to wash those articles of clothing and my feet off with their Wash Form. "No, really, you helped tons. Not just in protecting me, but in stopping me from just moping around. I know myself well enough to know that if I was by myself and hurt and dirty and grumpy, I'd just waste a bunch of time feeling bad for myself before I got on with what needed to be done to fix the situation."

I frowned as I thought about it a bit more. "At least, that's how I used to be. Not sure that I am that way anymore. Is it because I'm Nemona now, or just a result of growing up again here?"

Shaking my head, I said, "It doesn't matter. I'm me, and I'm so glad to have your help on this journey." Miles had already switched to their Heat Form to begin drying off my clothes. Yeah, I wouldn't make it anywhere near as far without them.

To Notch, I finished by saying, "That's why I wanted to show you someplace new and exciting. The marsh doesn't seem like the greatest choice, but is there anywhere else you want to explore?" That, and they're the quietest of the team. I want to make sure they get to do some exploring here too.

Notch thought about it for a few minutes as I dried off and put my now clean socks and shoes on again. It was difficult not to be impatient, but I did my best, not wanting to rush them. Man, stories hardly ever go into these things, huh? It's just dramatic dialogue and the scene cuts to the action, never covering the little difficulties of day-to-day life on the road. The games certainly never showed how mucky it was to travel across the countryside. And I have it fairly easy, all things considered, with six supernatural beings by my side and tons of expensive gear to make things easier.

Some chiming sounds alerted me to where Notch was pointing, their ears directing my gaze up and up and up. Across the river bank on the other side were the canyons, but amidst the trenches and hills of that land that separated Mesagoza from Artazon, one feature stood out. A massive pillar of stone that rose well above any other. That was where Notch was pointing.

Delighted, I grinned. "That's where you want to go? Alright then, let's reach the peak! Nothing can stop us." My stomach decided to speak up at that moment, reminding me of how hungry I was. "... After lunch, nothing can stop us after we've had lunch." The chiming this time sounded like laughter, and I couldn't blame them.



***



I had thoroughly restocked by the time I left the festival, so we had plenty of food for lunch. The team was rowdy as usual, eagerly digging into their meals and conversing. Phantasm is getting bolder now, pushing her limits more. Which is a good thing, but she snaps back easier than the others, getting more upset for real way faster than the others. Might have to have a chat with her if she's not seeing it herself before Riolu puts her in her place. Or maybe Nightwing, she's getting antsy too.

Most of the talk was general chatter and banter, but some things of great importance were discussed when I had the whole team out to eat and socialize.

"Dudun." Dun firmly stated.

"Bzzt, I firmly disagree. The main theme is friendship and cooperation."

"Sparce, un." Dun rebutted Miles.

"That arc is practically filler, bzzt! And even if not given its dubious canonicity for happening in the Dream World arc, the tragedy of following orders blindly hardly shows up again at all."

Dun dug in further, both literally and metaphorically, his tail grinding against the grassy hill. "Un dun, dunsparce."

Miles actually rolled their plasmic eyes. "The ending does show hints of those darker elements, but I believe that was just a way to ratchet up tension, bzzt. Also to distract from the fact that the writers were too cowardly to put Espeon and Umbreon together, despite the clear chemistry they had."

My starter nodded his head, the waggle of his tail showing he agreed with Miles' latter point, but still had things he wanted to argue on the first. I had just finished my deconstructed 'sandwich' however, so I decided to cut things short.

"Guys, a show can have more than one major theme." I paused for a moment before continuing, "But sorry, Dun, Miles is totally right. Eeveelution Ranger Rescue Squad is a kid's show, of course, friendship and comradery are the main themes!"

Talking overtop his angered hisses, I offered an olive branch to smooth over his feelings. "That's not to say they don't have elements that more mature watchers can't enjoy, like shipping characters together or darker themes that show up occasionally. And if you want to explore that more, that's great; that's what fanfiction is for."

"Iolu."

"Yes, you can write and find fanfics where Leafeon doesn't get Worfed every major battle."

"Ri? Riolu! Lu!" She asked, then vehemently protested. This girl. Acting like she isn't glued to the screen or her Aura doesn't light up whenever Leafeon takes out a mook. Of course, such things were 'too immature' for her to enjoy… despite how she would always 'happen' to find herself in the room and out of her ball whenever it was on.

"A character being 'Worfed' is a term from my world. It came from a series, well several series actually, called Star Trek. Worf was actually in a lot of the different series; however, in Next Generation, where he premiered, he was a tough security officer. However, to show how tough the enemy of the week was, Worf would often lose to them despite his supposed strength, to hype up how tough the threat was. That's where the term comes from," I explained.

I wisely refrained from pointing out how such a term might be called 'Leafeon'd' in this world to avoid an argument flaring up again. Notch chimed in, curious about details from my world.

Packing up the picnic (really just a large blanket for us to lay on and a basket; no whole-ass bench and table as they got in the games), I answered Notch's question. "Well, I don't remember a ton about the series, to be honest. It was one of the main Science Fiction franchises in my world, alongside Star Wars. I was more into Star Wars than Star Trek, but I'll tell you what I remember. Trek starts with Captain Kirk, serving aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise…"

As we began our hike, I regaled Notch with tales of some of the stories of my world. Crossing the river was easy enough with my Aura, but the climb began to take its toll as we ascended. While there were a few ledges to rest on, most were fairly flat, meaning I had to climb or fly my way up. And there's no way I'm flying up this whole thing, not with my Aura as it currently stands.

The ledges served at least as nice places to rest and recuperate. I'd drink water and sit for a bit before getting back up and continuing the climb. Notch helped as well, with me reluctant to have them carry me up (and thus cut out any effort in the climb), but they were able to pull rock chunks from the sheer cliff face, making hand and foot holds for me to ascend.

As the climb progressed, I moved from my stories on Star Trek (which had a surprising deal of breadth to them from general osmosis, though little depth on much of the series) to Star Wars (which I knew better but still had several series or books I hadn't read and only had a partial picture on).

Eventually, I mentioned fanfiction, of which I had read a fair bit. "It likely colors my opinion of some of the- urk - the stories, admittedly. In most series I tried to read the main work first, but sometimes I got introduced to them through a crossover or some recommendation."

Grunting, I pulled myself up to another ledge, wiping sweat from my brow. Gathering my Aura, I tried to revitalize myself, long having forgone using it to just float up. Easier than climbing, but it exhausts me so quickly.

"I wrote some fanfic in my old world. Not much, just one big story that I ended up dropping and a one shot that wasn't very popular. I liked it though; it helped sharpen my skills as a writer. At least, I felt like it did." Cringing at your past work is a sign you've improved, right? And hopefully liking the vision and idea that was there under the poor prose and bad grammar means you had an idea worth writing in the first place.

Notch chimed along, and I took a drink of water, my throat feeling parched. Attempting the climb in silence would be worse, though. Need something to distract me from how tired I feel.

Getting back up, I continued. "What I was really proud of, or at least hopeful about, were my original works. Stories I had made up all my own. Never managed to get them to any publishers; only tried with one. Got distracted with work, life- hah!"

Nearly slipping with one hand, I tightened my grip with the other, wrenching myself back up. Notch had immediately hovered down beside me, ready to catch me with Psychic if need be, and eyed me warily as I continued.

"Life, gaming groups, card game hobbies, etcetera. Those were fun. I should try making those games here." Suddenly I frowned, remembering what games I was talking about. "Then again, maybe not. No one needs to be subjected to knowing the difference between 'when you can' and 'if you can' effects."

Even Notch didn't know how to reply there, and I just shook my head. "Anyways, it was fun to make those stories. Maybe I'll try my hand at writing some other original stories later." My companion chimed a question, and I understood it well enough to respond.

"Why not those stories I never got published? Well, most of them were fantasy stories. But they don't really translate well to a world with Pokemon." At more insistent chimes, I explained, "Writing a story without Pokemon? Here? Wouldn't work."

I paused, both to think on it more and to catch my breath from the climb. "I mean, there were things of speculative fiction in my old world, something where there were no humans or equally fundamental as no Pokemon could work here but then-" I cut myself off, trying to find the right way to explain it.

"The thing is, hup," I pulled myself up once more. "A work of fiction like that usually just explores that one change. Writing some other magic system or fantastical elements amidst it feels… weird."

Notch hovered nearby, shaking their body/head, chiming insistently, and I paused to look at them. "You think I should anyway?" Then they pulled out the Diancite. "Oh. I didn't give up on your dreams, so you aren't going to give up on mine."

Some happy chimes informed me my assumption of their meaning was correct, and my eyes watered. "Thanks, Notch," I said softly before resuming the climb.

"Ok, so I could write something like that. Maybe under a pseudonym? And an online handle, as a Faller. That could explain why I had those ideas and why I made that kind of story. Of course, if I'm doing that, I won't have my family's resources to call upon in pushing it. But maybe that's a good thing. I'll get to see how my stories will stand on their own. And even if they don't sell, it'll be a project more just for me. Getting some readers who enjoy it will just be a happy bonus."

The climb had continued past the setting of the sun and well into the night. Notch made worried sounds, motioning that maybe I should take a break on a nearby ledge. Tempting, that spot would be spacious enough for me to set up the tent. But…

"It might be dumb, but I want to make it up here by dawn. It's gonna look great, I'm sure of it." I was not, in fact, 'sure of it.' However, I thought it was very likely, and I wanted to believe it. Want to push myself as well, go past my limits.

Notch nodded, eyes gleaming with determination as they exuded a pink, misty energy around them, lighting up our side of the cliff face, making it easier for me to see where to go. "Thanks!" With renewed vigor, I continued my climb.

That extra strength couldn't carry on forever, though. I noticed my strength flagging again, my breaks taking longer and longer to regain the energy for the next climb as the night carried on. On the other hand, the distance to our goal got shorter and shorter too, and just as the light was coming back to the world, we crested the top.

"We did it!" I shouted tiredly before lowering my voice as I saw a Vigoroth shift in its sleep nearby. Luckily, it stayed asleep, not being bothered getting up at this time of day, so I slipped away.

The top of the pillar was very flat, with a few spikes sticking up above the large, rocky surface. Walking to the edge, I put on my goggles and sat down, waiting for the sun to rise. I didn't have to wait long, as inexorably, the sliver of light grew larger and brighter.

Watching it, shining over the horizon, the sea shimmering out as far as even my eyes could see, I could only think: This is the real sight of Paldea. There's so much beauty and wonder to this land.

From the wide-eyed, awed, and reverent look Notch gave the view beside me, I knew they felt the same. Ha, I knew this was the right call. The sky looks so pretty like this, so deep and blue… think I'm just gonna lie back and…



***



I woke to the sound of my phone ringing. "Huh? Who is it?" Miles screens my calls, so this must be someone important. My groggy thoughts were interrupted by the realization of just how close I was to the cliff's edge, and I scrambled backward instinctively as if that would help me be safer.

Gah, stop spazzing out and- Hassel? Floating in front of me, Miles possessing the phone showed me who was calling. Pressing the button to accept, I said, "Hey Hassel, what's up?"

The man appeared on the screen, looking the same as he ever did, save for perhaps being a bit more tired, with some slight bags under his eyes. Not that I'm one to talk, I must look like a raccoon right now.

"Greetings Nemona. I would say you are. My colleagues have been buzzing with news of your exploits." His colleagues- oh, right. Gym Leaders work for the League, so they work along with Elite Four members.

"Yeah, I'm taking on the Gyms and stuff; I gotta work my way up to face you again. I'm guessing Brassius told you about our battle?"

"He did. And Oberon had much to say about you as well." Hassel's tone hardly shifted at all, his expression remaining much the same as well, but there was a steely glint in his eyes.

"Aha, yeah, got into some trouble there. But all's well that ends well, right?" I tried, with my most innocent, childlike smile.

The Elite Four Dragon Trainer, having known me for years at this point, did not buy it for a second. "Where are you? I was thinking we might talk in person."

"Ah, well, I'm really high up. It's kinda remote. I'm on top of that big rocky cliff beside the canyons in South Province, and it's hard to get to- is that…" My voice trailed off as I looked around. Those markings on the big rocks nearby, they're very weird but familiar. The familiarity came from how much I had studied them, interested in this particular Pokemon.

Looking around in the light of day confirmed my suspicions. Many Pokemon wandered around the open area, from Litleos pouncing on each other to Flittles flitting by. What caught my eye, however, were a few small, stubby, green, tusked Pokemon waddling about.

"Did you know that there were Axews here?!" I exclaimed excitedly, unable to contain my exuberance. "Oh man, I think I see some Bagons too!"

"I… was not aware of them in that location, no. I'll-" he paused, someone offscreen talking to him. "We'll be there soon." He hung up, but I barely noticed, running up to the adorable little Axews.

As I neared them, I slowed down, trying not to scare them. "Hi, I'm Nemona," I said, waving tentatively at one. The little gal turned around, looking confused at me for a moment before smiling and mimicking my gesture, waving back. The action nearly unbalanced her, and she dropped some of the berries she was carrying in her little arms.

Crouching down, I picked some up, passing them back to her. She happily warbled in thanks and began marching off. Without anything better to do as I waited for Hassel, I followed her. We walked a long way around, twisting past a few small sections of stone or mini cliffs, winding our way to a set of truly ancient ruins.

Whoa. I wonder who made these? There aren't any records of a civilization here, not even any watchtowers like there are down in the canyons, so who put these crumbling stone walls here?

My first thoughts were quickly overtaken with caution as I spotted the large eagle-like bird roosting atop the ruins. The Braviary glanced over at me with one piercing eye before turning away, the great bird more focused on the young Rufflets flapping about, making awkward hops on the ground. Though I imagine her nonchalance will change if I go near her young.

The Axew didn't lead me that way though, but around, back behind one of the walls, where I saw a bunch of Axews gathered around, playing together and eating. Off in the corner, huddled up by himself, was a larger figure. He had light green scales on the upper half of his body, his legs, and his face a light black. His feet and claws were blue, as were his eyes and the tip of his tusks.

The Fraxure looked surprised at my presence, nervously taking me in. For a moment he squared up, ready to fight me if I was a threat, until he saw the Axew that led me there, excitedly pointing at me and talking to the others. Well, perhaps a bit too trusting on the Axews' part, but maybe they're just good judges of character. But why is that Fraxure acting so oddly? And their coloring…

I didn't have time to worry about what to do, nor were any of us concerned about appearances as heavy wing beats heralded new arrivals. The Braviary spotted them and, in a surprising(ly intelligent) display, hopped down from her perch and gathered her children, flying away immediately.

Not that I think they would have hurt us. Those riders are pretty familiar. Well, Hassel is pretty familiar, the other guy I only have heard about. However, I think she was more worried about the Pokemon they're riding in on.

Hassel sat atop the back of his Dragonite as usual. Slightly ahead of him was a man in a pristine blue suit jacket, with a red tie tucked firmly in, matching his red dress pants. In contrast to his professional attire, his hair was a tangled mess that looked only slightly worse flying atop the back of his Salamence than it did in official press releases.

The pair landed down in the opening in front of the ruins, and I stepped out to meet them. "So you're the young girl who's taking Paldea by storm, are ya? Nice to meet you, Nemona." He said with a smirk, sticking a hand out to shake. On his middle finger was an unusual ring that looked to be carved out of stone. Probably because it was, given it's a Key Stone.

I shook the offered hand firmly. "Nice to meet you too, Miguel Worthington, current El Primero of Paldea."

Spoiler: A/N:

A wild Champion appears! And with Nemona on her journey so much earlier, it is not Geeta she'll be facing (don't worry, Geeta's got her own stuff going on). Thank you all for your support, it means a lot.

Nemona's Current Team:

-'Dun' (Dudunsparce, Male, Normal Type, Starter)
- Tera Type: Normal
- Held Item: Expert Belt
- Abilities: Run Away, Serene Grace
- Moves known: Flail, Mud Slap, Rollout, Glare, Body Slam, Poison Jab, Earthquake, Bite, Yawn (Invisible Version)*, Last Resort, Hyper Voice, Protect, Thunder, Hex, Agility, Air Slash, Giga Impact, Tailwind, Roost, Ancient Power, Drill Run, Hyper Drill, Triple Yawn*, Ice Spinner, Solar Beam, Lunge, Flamethrower, Aqua Tail, Coil, Hurricane, Outrage, Smart Strike

- 'Miles' (Rotom, Genderless, Electric/Form dependent Type)
- Tera Type: Electric
- Held Item: Life Orb
- Ability: Levitate
- Moves Known: Astonish, Confuse Ray, Thundershock, Double Team, Hyper Voice, Protect, Thunder, Rain Dance, Will O' Wisp, Nasty Plot, Hex, Sunny Day, Substitute, Foul Play, Trick, Discharge, Shadow Ball, Eerie Impulse, Reflect, Light Screen, Uproar, Confuse Wisp*

- 'Nightwing' (Gliscor, Female, Flying/Ground Type)
- Tera Type: Water
- Held Item: Toxic Orb
- Ability: Hyper Cutter, Poison Heal
- Moves Known: Poison Sting, Sand Attack, Harden, Knock Off, Fury Cutter, Acrobatics, Bulldoze, Quick Attack, Psychic Fangs, Poison Tail, Slash, Gunk Shot, Dig, Ice Fang, Lunge, U-Turn, Protect, Tailwind, Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Night Slash, Sand Tomb, Crabhammer

- 'Notch' (Carbink, Genderless, Rock/Fairy Type)
- Tera Type: Fighting
- Held Item: Light Clay
- Ability: Clear Body
- Moves Known: Harden, Tackle, Guard Split, Flail, Ancient Power, Light Screen, Reflect, Iron Defense, Body Press, Stealth Rocks, Psychic, Smack Down, Trick Room, Dazzling Gleam, Rock Polish, Power Gem, Stone Edge, Protect, Spikes, Stomping Tantrum, Moonblast

- 'Phantasm' (Hisuian Zoroark, Female, Normal/Ghost)
- Tera Type: Ghost
- Held Item: Lax Incense
- Ability: Illusion
- Moves Known: Leer, Scratch, Torment, Hone Claws, Shadow Sneak, Curse, Swift, Aerial Ace, Snarl, Double Team, Taunt, Bitter Malice, Knock Off, Shadow Claw, Slash, U-Turn, Spite

- 'Riolu' (Riolu, Female, Fighting)
- Tera Type: Fighting
- Held Item: Clear Amulet
- Ability: Steadfast
- Moves Known: Endure, Quick Attack, Feint, Metal Claw, Counter, Work Up, Detect, Rock Smash, Trailblaze, Vacuum Wave, Screech, Quick Guard, Circle Throw, Force Palm, Drain Punch, Swords Dance, High Jump Kick, Aerial Ace, Poison Jab, Copycat, Ice Punch, Close Combat, Final Gambit, Reversal, Dancing Sword*, Howl, Earthquake, Brick Break

*Custom Moves

 

[unlawfulwaffle362]

I wonder how good this Champion is. Comparatively, Geeta's strength and reign as La Primera is kinda the weakest compared to all the other Champions. So how would her predecessor fare?

 

[Lillie Jones]

Thanks for the chapter

 

[Skyfyre]

I wonder how good this Champion is. Comparatively, Geeta's strength and reign as La Primera is kinda the weakest compared to all the other Champions. So how would her predecessor fare?

Click to shrink...

Not sure. As the DLC shows, Geeta can actually be pretty decent, just by swapping her team order around a bit (well okay, and by changing up how she uses her Tera and a couple of the less impressive Pokemon on the team too). To me, it feels like despite her words, she just isn't trying her hardest there.

As for the predecessor, it's highly head canon, but I theorize that the reason why they have Gym Leader and actual child as some of the Elite Four in the games is that some disaster or incident happened which cost them a lot of the usual Elites they would have, which would explain why Geeta is both the Chairwoman and the 'top champion'.

 

[Skyfyre]

He returned the handshake just as firmly before letting go. "Oh? You know who I am?" His skin was fairly tanned, with messy dark brown hair. Though his question was light, there was a sharpness to his green eyes as he examined me.

How to approach meeting a Champion? Aaaah, I don't know. I guess just be a cocky shit? Worked for the Gym Leaders so far, right? "Well, I am aiming for your spot; I felt it was only polite to learn your name."

Apparently that worked, as he guffawed heartily. "Ha! Just as spirited as you said, Hassel."

The man in question was rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Yes, she is indeed a spirited young lass." Then turning to me, he said in a softer tone, "I'm glad to see you are doing well. I was horrified by what I heard had happened to you."

My own smile grew brittle. "Nothing happened to me, more Oberon you should worry about." Honestly. Not sure how all that would have shaken out in the original timeline. Would the poachers have been destroyed by the Tera Dragonair if they hadn't been exhausted from fighting me? Would they have succeeded and gone on with Raifort's plan only to be betrayed later? Would Raifort just have stolen the key by herself with her Zoroark and evaded notice?

I couldn't guess at any of those things, but I did know that several years from this point in canon, he wasn't the leader and Tulip was. Those blue gloves he's wearing, they look familiar… I think they're something the last top Champion wore, and Geeta wears in the games.

The rampant speculation on my part helped distract me from any trauma I was ignoring, and I continued blithely. "This place is amazing! So many cool Pokemon all around," I said, spreading my arms out wide. "Swablus, Axews, Bagons… all here. And there are Goomys and Skrelps down below! I can see why Paldea is called the land of Dragons."

"You remembered that? You always were quite the sharp student," he commented fondly, before his yellow eyes grew sharp. "I look forward to facing you once again."

"Wait, hold the phone!" Miguel exclaimed. "Now give the phone back to me. You already got to fight her? Not fair," the grown man whined to his (ostensible) underling, much to the latter's embarrassment. Hassel just gave me a flat look, as if to say, 'See what I have to put up with?'

I just laughed. "That's, uh, definitely a side I didn't get to see of you in your matches or statements to the press." Not that there are too many of those. Paldea is just not as battle hyped as places like Sinnoh or Kanto, plus we have a multiple Champion system, so getting a new El Primero isn't a big news deal.

It had still made the front page for at least a day or two, and I'd made sure to study his battle against Blake Hogan religiously during that time. There had been some minor controversy online and hinted at in the news coverage about Miguel using Mega Evolution instead of Terastalization, but I thought he did fine. Certainly better than Blake, that guy was the epitome of why Paldea doesn't make it big in tournaments internationally.

He sighed heavily. "Being the top Champion is a lot less fun and games than it looks."

"I can imagine," I said, nodding sympathetically. All that politics and bureaucracy must have been why Geeta held onto the position after Nemona beat her in canon. I suppose that a government that is at least in part based on how good someone is at battling might have some flaws.

Miguel became more pensive, staring at me. "You really can, can't you?" He asked rhetorically, and I stiffened up a bit. He's good at reading people. Makes sense for a Champion-tier Trainer, but I shouldn't underestimate him just because of his occasional bouts of goofiness.

"Alright, I want to battle you!"

His sudden declaration had me and Hassel going, "Huh?" However, half a second later I had recovered and said, "Yeah, sure. What rules?" While Hassel was still stammering.

"That's a good attitude," he said while we both stepped forward, taking our places in a general approximation of what an arena would look like. The El Primero released his Rabsca off to the side, having them raise barriers around to stop stray attacks from hurting us. That's a smart idea. I should teach Notch and Miles how to do that too.

"I was thinking we'd just have a one-on-one, nice and quick." He gestured at his Salamence, who stepped into the arena. His Ace Pokemon, that's a clear sign of respect. Logically, Notch is the best counter to them, but…

"Go, Dun!" I called, tossing Dun out onto the field. Ace Pokemon-vs-Ace Pokemon, let's go.

"Dudunsparce!" He cried, fearlessly staring down the Dragon. The Salamence craned her long red and blue neck down to glare at the snake before her, roaring. My starter shivered; the Intimidating presence of this pseudo-legendary was not something even he could shake off, but he didn't back down, and I saw a glimmer of approval in her (and Miguel's) eyes. These two are going to take us seriously.

Hassel had recovered from his surprise and took a position as referee. As it was a one-on-one battle and we had both released our Pokemon, he skipped the preamble. "The battle will commence in three, two, one, begin!"

"Coil!" Was my first Move, and Dun began tightening into a circle. We need to get Dun's power back up after that Intimidation, and the Defense boost will help him resist her attacks.

"Tail." Miguel's clipped response had his ace blitzing forward, flying so fast she was a slight blur even to me. Spinning around as she approached, she knocked Dun aside with a lash of her long tail. Dragon Tail could knock an opponent out of bounds or far away in the wild, but this one was performed in a controlled manner, just to disrupt Dun.

Unfortunately for them, we had trained not having such Moves get stopped with our Roost practice, so Dun finished the buff. We need to do some damage back and limit their movements. The moment this becomes an aerial battle, we lose. "Body Slam!"

Dun flipped himself on his head, flinging his body tail first over Salamence. As he did so, I tossed my Tera Orb above him, creating a great crystal eruption around him. The suddenness of my action slowed her retreat for a split second, and combined with the extra height from the new Tera Jewel 'hat' atop his head that he was lying on as he burst free from the crystals, Dun's Move connected with her right wing.

She gave a wince of pain and Paralysis as she turned away, taking to the air. Dun rolled around and spun to face her. Off on the other side, Miguel raised an eyebrow. "Terastalization? This early?"

Of course, it provides a boost, and there's no trick I have to hide his Tera Type. It could be seen as tiring, but… "If you think you can beat us in stamina, go ahead and try," I laughed, covering my mouth.

Dun read my hidden signal, letting out an invisible Yawn, but Miguel caught onto that instantly, either somehow spotting it or just acting off instinct. "Flamethrower!"

Wheeling around, Salamence let out great streams of fire, joyously burning the rocky ground around Dun. A quick "Protect!" Shielded him from harm, but I could feel the heat rising off from that Move. Damn, I forgot how strong pseudos were everywhere. Even as a more physical attacker, she could still turn the ground under him to magma. She hit the Yawn too, so no sleep incoming.

"Hyper Voice!" With a deep intake of air, Dun screeched, his piercing voice causing his foe to cry in pain.

"Dragon Pulse," Miguel called, switching it up from random destruction to more precise bursts, the STAB helping him do more damage. That, and the Dragon's Fang she has tied against her left foreleg. Dun grunted in pain as a purple energy blast rained down into him, cracking scales.

"Agility." She's still Paralyzed, if we can speed up, Dun might dodge some of those blows and-

Miguel countered easily. "Scary Face." The fearsome visage and roar his Pokemon gave caused Dun's Psychically assisted acceleration to slow down, and he was just moving at normal speed.

"Roost," I called out, hoping to buy time. Which worked, as Salamence seemingly ignored Miguel's next command to use Dragon Pulse and instead flew around above us. I didn't miss that wince or how hard she had to flap with her left wing to stay aloft there! That was the Paralysis kicking in.

With my starter now healed up, I called out, "Hurricane, ride the wind!" Dun grinned widely, flapping his wings hard to whip up a giant storm in the arena. He placed it just so, with himself on the very edge, using those air currents to ascend, rising up to the Salamence caught in the storm.

Not caught for long, however, as Miguel said, "Hurricane, counter spin." With a few beats of her wings, the violent storm was easily dispelled by a reverse Hurricane formed in the same area, countering our previous Move and canceling each other out. He followed up with, "Dragon Rush."

That Move is kinda hard to use; it's easy to dodge the all-out rush if you know what you're doing. He saw that we had less maneuverability in the air and capitalized on it immediately. We weren't out of options, however, and as she approached, I cried, "Outrage!"

Thrashing about in midair, Salamence dove into Dun, smashing the side of his body. Writhing around with his large, segmented body, he bashed right back into her, the two of them covered in Draconic auras as they raged through the sky.

Rather than continue to duke it out, Miguel called, "Sub." In a puff of smoke, two Salamences floated in the air. Dun unfortunately carried on his rampage against the fake, bashing through the Normal Type construct while our foe got away.

Dun's rampage came to an end, and he looked around Confused, not flapping his wings nearly as hard as before. Given his size, he started plummeting to the ground.

"Snap out of it!" I shouted while Miguel had his Pokemon hang back, coating herself in an Iron Defense. Smart, an immediate enemy nearby assaulting Dun might give him something to focus on and possibly snap himself out of this. Desperately, I started singing a note I had heard before, trying to utilize my Aura to shape the sound right.

It wasn't exactly like what the Yellow Flute in my bag would have made, but it was enough. That or he just pushed through with enough willpower on his own. In any case, at the last moment, Dun snapped out of it, gently lowering himself to the ground. Yes! And he's going right into Roost as well, that's smart.

"DRACO METEOR!" Miguel suddenly shouted, his hands clenched tight as he saw us turn things around. With a loud cry, Salamence summoned dozens of burning rocks around her and then fired them down on us.

The psychic barrier shook from the impact, and that was mostly just the ones that broke against the ground and rebounded against the shields. The majority of the meteorites hit Dun, slamming into him with tremendous power. Dun was battered and cried out, and even as his healing Move finished, he was covered in nasty bruises and scrapes.

Despite his wounds, Dun defiantly warbled, saying something akin to, 'That all you got?' Salamence gave a frustrated screech in response, but I noticed a weakness in her voice. That Draco Meteor took a lot out of her; she won't be able to do another Move like that again any time soon.

"Ancient Power." I ordered, and Dun quickly responded, lifting a bunch of stones from the ruins behind us, his power surging as he tossed them at her.

"Iron Head," Miguel said, his tone cold and calculating, with a passion lurking under the surface as our battle reached its final stage. Diving down, Salamence pulled her wings and limbs in tight, using her head covered in Steel Type energy to smash through the rocks chucked at her and then into Dun.

He grunted, but the Move did little damage to him given his defensive boosts. Which is a damn good thing, as he's too hurt to take much more of this, and she's shaken off the Paralysis.

Part of me was tempted to go for a Roost and heal up, but with her being so close to the ground, the opportunity to finish this was too good to pass up. "Ice Spinner!"

Dun rose up on his tail, surrounding himself in icy shards as he spun around. With a roar from both opposing Dragon and Trainer, Salamence met it with an Outrage. The two of them tore into each other, her fangs and claws rending Duns scales, while the ice he made did the same to her.

Dun spun past her, and Salamence continued her rage-fueled charge past him, blindly slamming into my side of the arena and crashing down, unable to rise on ice-coated wings. On the other, Dun wobbled, his spinning becoming erratic before he flopped down with a heavy thud.

After a moment of silence and no motion from either combatant, Hassel called out authoritatively, "Neither contestant is able to battle! This match is… a tie."

The El Primero of Paldea stared on the scene in shock for a second before laughing loudly. "Haha, that was great! Haven't had a tie in ages!"

Striding across the field, we each tended to our Pokemon, healing them up and congratulating them for their efforts. "That was incredible, Dun. I couldn't be prouder. Rest up; you've earned it," I said, recalling him.

Miguel finished spraying some Hyper Potions on his Ace but didn't recall her (likely because she was his way off of this rock) before marching over to me. Sticking out his hand, I shook it once again. "Thank you for that match," he said sincerely. "You've got a ton of talent, you'll go far someday."

Despite his sincerity, there was a hint of wistfulness in his tone. The things he didn't mention were clearly on his mind. The fact that 'someday' will be sooner than most people would realize, or that it means me taking his spot. A position that, for all its frustrations, he hasn't held for too long.

"Thank you as well, that was incredible. And we still have a ways to go; Dun Terastalized while you didn't Mega Evolve," I pointed out.

He nodded. "That was my bad. She doesn't like to Mega Evolve, so we save it for the big battles. Of course, if I'd realized you were going to push us this hard, I'd have done it sooner." The Pokemon in question let out a quiet roar as well, her head dipping to stare me in the eyes. And it looks like she agrees; next time we fight, I gotta be ready to take on Mega Salamence.

The Champion-ranked Trainer turned to talk to Hassel for a moment, discussing schedules and meetings, how to arrange the rest of their days. Boring stuff, even if it is kinda funny to hear Hassel trying to not quite criticize his ostensible 'boss', but still chew him out for this little unplanned field trip. Would be more effective if he wasn't also practically glowing with exuberance at having witnessed our battle.

Turning from them, I addressed a wild Pokemon. "Hey there, you can come out now; I know you were watching our battle." The Axews and Bagons had all eagerly gathered from the start, with even Skiddos and Pawmos watching openly from the smaller cliffs above. They weren't the one I was talking to, though.

Tentatively, the Fraxure stepped out from behind the corner of the ruins where he had been poking his head around to watch the battle. He held himself nervously, but there was a level of awe in his blue eyes, lingering from the fight he had just witnessed, which pushed past his shyness.

"Did you like that fight?" Slowly he nodded his head, smiling as he spoke.

"Raxure, ax." As he spoke, he did a little pantomime of some of the attacks we had used.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool. I bet you'll be doing stuff just like it some day. Really," I insisted at the look of disbelief on his tusked face. "You'll be all cool and strong and tough, well, more than you are already."

My words aren't convincing him, or rather, they aren't hitting the right area. He's the only Fraxure nearby, so even for their line being more even-tempered than most, you'd think he'd be reveling in his strength.

"This evolution was pretty new for you, wasn't it?"

"Fra," he agreed.

"But I bet you've seen others evolve occasionally too."

This time it was met by a much sadder "Fra."

"So, correct me if I'm wrong, but you've been kinda worried about looking different than those other Fraxures, right? Thinking that you're somewhat weird?"

"Ra-Rax," he replied, blinking.

"Well, don't be! You're amazing, just the way you are. Doesn't matter if your scales are a bit paler, skin darker, or spots blue instead of red. You're still a mighty Dragon."

Hassel, having heard our conversation, strode over. "That's quite the deduction, Young Miss- ah forgive me - Nemona."

I waved him off. "Not that hard. Shiny Axews look pretty similar to regular Axews, so I figured he mostly blended in before his evolution. Hey, mind releasing your Haxorus?" I asked the man before turning back to the wild Dragons.

Many of the curious Axews had gathered around, and their eyes grew wide as they beheld Hassel's Pokemon. The Haxorus towered above all of them, his entire body covered in thick, polished, yellow-green scales, armoring him. His tusk didn't stick straight out like his pre-evolutions, but instead curved around like axe blades, each lined with red, the same as was on his claws.

"So, that's what you guys are going to look like someday." And you are all way too cute for me to think about untimely deaths or lack of resources or anything else that will stop you from reaching your full potential in the wild, or else I would catch all of you.

Then to Fraxure I said, "You're going to look slightly different. When you evolve, you'll have scales that are black, like the color of his skin or tusks, but a shade paler."

"Fraxure…" The Dragon whispered in awe, looking up at his elder, who nodded. There was a note of disbelief in his voice like…

"Of course you too can be a Haxorus!" Wherever did he get the idea that he couldn't? "You'll be just as strong as him when you evolve; heck, maybe even stronger! Those tusks of yours look sharp and well-maintained, that's super important for a Haxorus."

It's a large part of why Haxorus are as rare in the wild as most pseudo-legendaries. They learn to break and regrow their tusks constantly as Axews, but when they become Fraxures, their most potent weapons become a weak point that can cripple them if they aren't careful. Most instinctively are, but still, accidents happen, especially in the wilderness.

Behind me, Haxorus snorted and rolled his eyes, the thought of anyone being stronger than him not taken as an insult but seen as laughable. The fact that Hassel trained him well also helped.

The man in question was watching the scene unfold, bemused, before clearing his throat. "I need to apologize for misjudging you."

"Hmm? Didn't we already go through this? It's fine, you've recognized my potential as a trainer now." I tried to wave him off, but he stubbornly shook his head.

"Not about that, or rather I didn't apologize for the offer I gave you those years ago." I frowned trying to remember what he was talking about before an Axew bumping up against my leg reminded me of what he had done. When he offered me an Axew to train, back when I only had two Pokemon on my team.

"Ah, right," I said awkwardly, not entirely sure where he was going with this.

"You're aware that I left my tribe to search for my dream, to make art." I nodded, as it was something he had long ago confided in me. In the background, I noticed Miguel's ears perk up, this little tidbit was something the Champion-ranked Trainer clearly hadn't heard about his co-worker.

Though even in self-imposed exile, I only know vague details. Without the games, I probably wouldn't be able to guess that his tribe lived in seclusion among the Dragons that were so common off in the North Province, to the East of Glaseado Mountain. He did let slip that his father was the chieftain once, so I could have figured out that he used to be the heir, and from his position in the Elite Four, it wouldn't be a leap for me to 'guess' that his family wants him back if any of them come around and start pestering him.

"Despite my… disagreements with them," he said, so lightly and casually that it had to be a topic of much deeper distress for him. "They taught me many lessons. About Paldea and our land. One of the greatest of these was to be wary of the Great Crater. At a certain point in a Trainer's life, if they get strong enough, they will seek out ever greater challenges. And in Paldea, that means the Great Crater. And to one and all, any who have ventured deep enough within it…"

"... have met their doom," I finished. "And I'm guessing that's part of why all the Gym Leaders and Elite Four have such… diverse interests, so prominently displayed for the public." It's not like powerful Trainers in other regions don't have hobbies and whatnot, but few of them make their challenges and battles so centered around those interests.

After a moment of silence, I prodded further. "What changed then?"

"My own trips down to the Great Crater. It's a remarkable place…" There was a wistfulness to his tone that made me wonder how all those conquerors and adventurers of the past had died. It looked beautiful and fantastical from across a screen. I wonder how enchanting it would be in real life? Maybe some of those explorers didn't get overwhelmed but just decided to stay there.

I frowned before shaking my head. If that were the case, there'd be other signs of habitation down there. Kings marched whole armies into the place. Likely, they just got tricked into traveling further, just a bit further than they had planned, before being destroyed.

My head motion brought Hassel's own attention back to the moment. "Ahem. It has been quite dangerous, but with proper planning and cohesive effort from the League, we've been able to support the research ongoing down there."

It was almost painful not to wince there, with what I knew of what was going on. Do I just spill the beans now and hope they- He continued, heedless of my train of thought. "It's been difficult, but we have managed it, and one day you will too. And that day is coming very soon, given your performance against Miguel."

"Too true, to both parts," the man in question chimed in. "Been such a headache to organize and rotate our people through," he groaned. "Still, should be interesting to see what the Professor can come up with. We're already learning tons about the place."

"Yes. And so, on that note, I'd like to apologize formally for not having enough faith and dangling that offer in front of you to try and bar your path."

"Ah, it's fine-"

"No, no, it isn't. I can see your clear love and appreciation for this- this line of Dwagons! And sho, I give my full permisshon to use them as a-" his sobbing made his voice unintelligible, so the El Primero stepped in.

"What my friend here is trying to say is that you can have that Fraxure as your seventh Pokémon; no need to go rotating them around. And hey, train them up hard enough, and you can have a match against Hassel and his Haxorus. Show us how far you've grown."

I gaped openly. "Uhh, that's incredible, I really appreciate it. Umm, but Fraxure, I haven't asked yet if you even want to join m- oof!" As the Fraxure joyously bowled me over in a crushing hug, I gave a grunt. Looks like he's a hugger; that's actually great, though hopefully in the future I'll have the chance to stay on my feet.

"Frax! Fraxure!"

Pushing myself up, I returned the hug before pulling out a Pokeball and catching Fraxure right away. It clicked for a complete capture almost immediately. I released them again, and they hugged me once more, jumping for joy.

"This is awesome! You're awesome!" Fraxure made a happy clicking sound, which I equated to laughter as we floated down, my newest team member looking on in awe at my power. Really not a big deal compared to what you can do.

Hassel had recomposed himself, but I could tell he was on the verge of tears again at my display of 'exuberance and wonder'. Miguel just grinned. "Yeah, it is. We're looking forward to seeing what you can do."

He half turned to his Salamence before my words had him turning back. "You betcha! And next time, we're gonna get to see your Mega Evolution too."

"Oh? You're interested in that?" He asked a little too casually.

"Of course, Mega Evolution is great," I cheered. To prove my point, I grabbed Notch's Pokeball and released them. "Go on, show him."

With great care and a bit of Psychic assistance, Notch shook loose the Mega Stone from their fluffy mane, displaying it proudly for the Elite Four and Champion Trainer. Miguel, in particular, leaned in, studying it intently.

"Wow, looks beautiful. What type of Mega Stone is this? I hadn't heard of Carbinks being able to Mega Evolve."

I shook my head. "Carbinks can't, but one day, we're going to turn Notch here into a Diancie! Then their Diancite will let them Mega Evolve." Both of them looked shocked at that, though Hassel recovered faster, more keenly aware of how rich my family was.

"That's incredible. How are you going to do that?"

"I… have no idea!" My dramatic pause for effect, then the anticlimax, had both of the men nearly face-faulting, and I laughed uproariously (Fraxure did so as well beside me, but I didn't think he actually knew why it was funny).

"Nemona!" Hassel reprimanded, and I tried to stop laughing.

"Sorry, it was just too good to pass up." I didn't succeed well at my first attempt, but after a few moments I did calm down. "I don't know how to change them yet, or I would have already done it. That being said, I do have things I've tried and some plans for the future that seem promising."

I outlined the best plan I had so far, and the El Primero nodded, considering it. "Well, I certainly wouldn't have thought of anything like that, but it sounds like it could work. Have you tried getting in touch with any of the known Diancie enclaves for the plan?"

"Yeah, but I haven't had much luck. No word yet from the Kalosian or Alolan Leagues about my requests." Possibly could have used my parents to apply more pressure to let this happen, but we had other methods to try before this plan, and things were too hectic once I was starting my journey, and I forgot to ask them since. And even then it would be difficult; Legendaries are League protected Pokemon no matter which region you go to. Asking for a chance to visit them with a plus one is a big ask, even if you have a lot of money.

"Well, I can see what I can do about greasing the wheels," Miguel offered, much to my surprise.

"Really? Wowzer- er, thank y-"

"Don't thank me yet. Here, take this too." He reached around in his bag and tossed me a small piece of rock. One very similar in size and texture to the one around his finger.

"Is this a… a…" My voice caught as I cradled it in my palms.

"That's right; it's a Key Stone! Didn't have a chance to shape it into anything nice, but it'll still work."

"I can- I mean, this is almost too much. I don't know what to say." A Key Stone?! A freaking Key Stone!? Who gives these out? Well, I think Stephen does in the remakes, so ok, maybe it is somewhat normal-ish to get a Key Stone from a Champion, but still.

"Say you'll use it against me when you fight me. As I've said in interviews before, I have nothing against Terastalization, but I love Mega Evolutions. It'd be nice to fight against someone else who shares that view here."

Huh, he must have gotten more grief over this than I realized. It must be tough; the papers say he moved back to Paldea a few years ago, getting ready to take what he'd learned in Hoenn and use it here, only to find most others had moved to something else.

"I will. Not sure if Notch will be ready by then, but Riolu and I definitely will, so you'll face a Mega Evolution one way or another." That brightened him back up, and the two men got back on their Dragons.

"It was great to see you again, Young M- Nemona. Stay out of trouble," Hassel sternly warned, clearly not having forgotten the beginning of our conversation and why he came here, even if he didn't have time to lecture me further. And then they were off, soaring through the skies again.

Spoiler: A/N:

Fraxure joins the team! And we got a look at the current top Champion of Paldea. I was worried that him appearing out of nowhere and giving her a Keystone might be a bit much, but then I remembered that Stephen does pretty much the same thing in ORAS, so I figured it was fine. What do you all think?

This is where I took a break, so hopefully the quality of the next few updates will be at least as good as the stuff before it. And on that note, it does mean we only have a few updates left until the update rate does drastically slow down, I am sorry to say. Still, I'm getting out a consistent chapter once every other week on this, and my other two stories now, so at least there is some consistency.

Nemona's Current Team:

-'Dun' (Dudunsparce, Male, Normal Type, Starter)
- Tera Type: Normal
- Held Item: Expert Belt
- Abilities: Run Away, Serene Grace
- Moves known: Flail, Mud Slap, Rollout, Glare, Body Slam, Poison Jab, Earthquake, Bite, Yawn (Invisible Version)*, Last Resort, Hyper Voice, Protect, Thunder, Hex, Agility, Air Slash, Giga Impact, Tailwind, Roost, Ancient Power, Drill Run, Hyper Drill, Triple Yawn*, Ice Spinner, Solar Beam, Lunge, Flamethrower, Aqua Tail, Coil, Hurricane, Outrage, Smart Strike

- 'Miles' (Rotom, Genderless, Electric/Form dependent Type)
- Tera Type: Electric
- Held Item: Life Orb
- Ability: Levitate
- Moves Known: Astonish, Confuse Ray, Thundershock, Double Team, Hyper Voice, Protect, Thunder, Rain Dance, Will O' Wisp, Nasty Plot, Hex, Sunny Day, Substitute, Foul Play, Trick, Discharge, Shadow Ball, Eerie Impulse, Reflect, Light Screen, Uproar, Confuse Wisp*

- 'Nightwing' (Gliscor, Female, Flying/Ground Type)
- Tera Type: Water
- Held Item: Toxic Orb
- Ability: Hyper Cutter, Poison Heal
- Moves Known: Poison Sting, Sand Attack, Harden, Knock Off, Fury Cutter, Acrobatics, Bulldoze, Quick Attack, Psychic Fangs, Poison Tail, Slash, Gunk Shot, Dig, Ice Fang, Lunge, U-Turn, Protect, Tailwind, Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Night Slash, Sand Tomb, Crabhammer

- 'Notch' (Carbink, Genderless, Rock/Fairy Type)
- Tera Type: Fighting
- Held Item: Light Clay
- Ability: Clear Body
- Moves Known: Harden, Tackle, Guard Split, Flail, Ancient Power, Light Screen, Reflect, Iron Defense, Body Press, Stealth Rocks, Psychic, Smack Down, Trick Room, Dazzling Gleam, Rock Polish, Power Gem, Stone Edge, Protect, Spikes, Stomping Tantrum, Moonblast

- 'Phantasm' (Hisuian Zoroark, Female, Normal/Ghost)
- Tera Type: Ghost
- Held Item: Lax Incense
- Ability: Illusion
- Moves Known: Leer, Scratch, Torment, Hone Claws, Shadow Sneak, Curse, Swift, Aerial Ace, Snarl, Double Team, Taunt, Bitter Malice, Knock Off, Shadow Claw, Slash, U-Turn, Spite

- 'Riolu' (Riolu, Female, Fighting)
- Tera Type: Fighting
- Held Item: Clear Amulet
- Ability: Steadfast
- Moves Known: Endure, Quick Attack, Feint, Metal Claw, Counter, Work Up, Detect, Rock Smash, Trailblaze, Vacuum Wave, Screech, Quick Guard, Circle Throw, Force Palm, Drain Punch, Swords Dance, High Jump Kick, Aerial Ace, Poison Jab, Copycat, Ice Punch, Close Combat, Final Gambit, Reversal, Dancing Sword*, Howl, Earthquake, Brick Break

-'Fraxure' (Fraxure, Male, Dragon, Shiny)
- Tera Type: ?
- Held Item: None
- Ability: Mold Breaker
- Moves Known: Bite, Scratch, Leer, Assurance, Slash, Dragon Claw, Scary Face, Breaking Swipe, Focus Energy, Dragon Pulse, Dual Chop

*Custom Moves

 

[Spearow]

hope she gets a non cannon mega

 

[unlawfulwaffle362]

Nice shiny.

 

[AshKing]

Awesome chapter