Chương 50: Green

"Hey." Crystal jumped slightly, turning to face me with wide eyes.

"You scared me, Silver!" she admonished, accepting the Pupitart out of my hand.

"My bad," I said insincerely. She rolled her eyes and unwrapped the pastry, smiling in delight at the slight steam wafting off of it, and digging in immediately.

"You even heated it for me!" I snorted, biting into my equally warm one. Crystal and I preferred ours warmed up, and even though I wasn't the biggest fan of sweets, I could still eat them.

"How ya feeling?" I asked curiously. Crystal mulled my question over.

"I won't lie... I'm a little frustrated. I made a couple of mistakes that ultimately lost me the battle, but it's more exciting being able to pinpoint those mistakes so easily," she admitted. I nodded.

"I get that. Battles between us really do come down to too many accumulated mistakes. It was down to the wire, huh?" Crystal nodded in agreement.

"After this... I want to watch some tapes. Join me?" I snorted.

"I was planning on doing that too, plus I dragged Gold into it. We can go over it together then," I decided.

"Great! Since I'm out of the tournament, I can tell you now that the Hisui pokemon I had was Archeree. He evolved into a Fire and Rock type. I'd show you, but he's with Nurse Joy," she explained. I mulled that over. Her Arcanine had changed?

"Indeed. It even required more tampering from me than normal." Huh...

"I'll tell you guys why we're getting weird evolutions after this whole thing. It's really funny," I promised. She beamed, spiked, high ponytail moving in time with the movement.

"Mars did a good job with your hair," I praised with a chuckle.

"S-Shut up. Anything to get you to stop making fun of it," she grumbled, crossing her arms and turning away. I just laughed harder, only to jump in surprise as Crystal's door was banged open.

"That's enough flirting with my daughter, you ruffian!" My eyes were wide in confusion, Crystal letting out a groan of annoyance that matched the timing of my turning to see who said that. It was a pretty woman, with the same blue hair that Crystal had, draping down her back in waves. Light blue eyes were narrowed as the woman stared at me, arms on her hips. Crystal was almost certainly her mother's child, alright. Jesus Christ, were we actually all created in labs? I tilted my head in confusion. Me? Flirting?

In what universe?

"Mom! What are you even talking about?" Crystal chastised, glaring at her.

"I know what I heard! It's no wonder you're part of a gang now that I've heard this hooligan speak! That darned silver tongue of his!" The lady, whose name I was pretty sure was Marina, was glaring at me like I had committed a crime, which... I definitely did, but not in front of her.... Huh?

"Mom! Silver's not even the one who thought of it! He's actually been the most resistant to joining!" Crystal scolded.

"Another lie! He's good at those, isn't he?!" Marina decided, glare deepening even further.

"She's not listening to a word I'm saying," Crystal hissed quietly to me. I nodded thoughtfully.

"I got this," I whispered back. She shot me an astonished look.

"No, wait, you do not have this! Do you know who you are?!" I stood up, brushing myself off and approaching the woman, heedless of Crystal's warnings. Marina stared at my approach, a protective glare on her face because, for some reason, she thought I was flirting with Crystal... and I had coerced her into joining a gang. Just another day.

"Hello, Ms. Marina, my name is Silver... and I'm one of Crystal's best friends," I greeted politely, ignoring the audible gasp Crystal let out.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Crystal didn't do you any justice; you're even more beautiful in person. I almost thought you were her sister." I grabbed her hand and shook it gently, shooting her a winning smile. After some thought, I decided to lean in and plant a quick kiss on the hand I grabbed, to really sell the beautiful comment. Even though Crystal never once mentioned her mom's looks, it was always nice to compliment them.

"What the?! Who are you?! You can be polite?!" Crystal gaped in horror. Marina trembled slightly, not releasing my hand. Her harsh expression never lessened as she shook in place. Then, the woman let out an abrupt squeal.

"Oh, he is just the cutest little thing ever!" Marina gushed, switching her tune in an instant. It was actually kinda disturbing to see how fast she switched, but I was used to dealing with psychopaths. Without any hesitation, the short woman yanked me into a hug and began planting kisses on my forehead as if she hadn't just met me for the first time, like 2 minutes ago. I accepted it easily, deducing in that instant that of all the mothers, Crystal's mom was by far the craziest.

As she peppered me, I just shot Crystal a thumbs-up.

"I told you," I mouthed. Her mouth was slightly ajar.

"I can't believe you actually handled it."

"Crystal, you didn't tell me your boyfriend was such a sweetheart! Oh, I just knew being in a gang would be good for you!" Marina gushed, squeezing me with a large smile. Crystal's jaw dropped in confusion.

"W-What? You were just... you... he's not my boyfriend!" she shrieked.

"That's Gold," I supplied helpfully.

"SILVER!" Marina tilted her head, placing a palm on her cheek.

"That's true... Oh, but this is fine too! My little Ly has a crush on you!" she beamed, clapping happily. Both Crystal and I paused at that.

"Huh?" I muttered in confusion.

"H-Huh?!" Crystal muttered in horror. Marina nodded cheerfully.

"Oh yes! You should have seen her. She was watching little Silv with the biggest stars in her eyes. You two would just be so cute!" she gushed.

"... Huh?" I muttered once more, bewildered.

"Huh?!" Crystal grew louder, horror deepening to an offensive level. Marina clapped once.

"You must meet her. She seemed so excited at the prospect of seeing you! I'm sure she'll be thrilled!" Oh my god, Crystal's mom was completely deranged. What the hell was she talking about?

"I'll... meet her after this tournament? I want my sister to travel with her through Johto," I said, scratching my head. Marina clapped happily.

"It's a date!" I watched, dumbfounded, as the woman waved cheerfully, kissed Crystal on the head, and whisked herself away like she was never here. Almost as soon as she shut the door, Crystal leapt in front of me with a protective glare.

"Silver... I love you, but stay away from my sister," she warned. I scratched my head.

"But I need to visit Mars during the journey through Johto," I countered.

"I'll come with you," she said decisively.

"... Every time?" I replied slowly.

"Every. Time." I'm so confused. What did I even do? I've never even seen Lyra before!

"Well, luckily for you... I'm not interested in dating a person I've never met before in my life," I said dryly, polishing off the rest of my snack. Crystal huffed, crossing her arms.

"I understand... but Lyra is a little um... naive, and you're well, you," she said. I rolled my eyes.

"Crys, do you really think I want to talk to anyone more than I have to? You should be keeping an eye on Lyra. I'm only interested in making sure Mars is okay," I said bluntly. Crystal opened her mouth and shut it, sheepishly rubbing her hair.

"You're right... I shouldn't be worried about you at all. I forgot you're you."

"Hey." She laughed.

"Don't you have preparing to do?" I rolled my eyes.

"There's only so much preparation I can do for an opponent I'm not scouting. For now, I've done enough. I need to rest my mind too," I said honestly. She nodded with a smile.

"Okay! Let's go hang out then. Auntie Amber took Gold, but we can probably get him back... eventually."

"Sure," I drawled, pushing myself up. As we were about to move out, I suddenly paused.

"Did you say you loved me?" I asked suddenly. Crystal shot me a strange look.

"Of course I do! You're one of my best friends and our ever-reliable leader!" she said matter-of-factly. I mulled that over before pulling her into a headlock with a small smile.

"Whatever you say, dork. I guess I love you too."

"Agh! Silver, let me go! Why do you have to be a demon about everything?!" she protested. Green beamed, exchanging an ecstatic group hug with Whitney and Jasmine.

"You did it, Green! That battle was amazing!" Jasmine praised. Whitney nodded eagerly.

"Yeah! You two were going at it like crazy!" Green laughed and rubbed the back of her messy hair.

"I... thought I lost," she admitted, head running through so many thoughts. Her smile disappeared for a minute. She lost to Crystal. Green had given up at the end, but Saury did not... She had won by luck. Right before she could...

"At the end there... I didn't have anything to do with that win. I thought Saury was down for the count." Jasmine smiled reassuringly.

"He must have wanted to win as badly as you did. Saury has always been competitive."

"Yeah..." Green trailed off, a pondering expression on her face. Whitney jumped up and down.

"So you and Silver in the finals, huh? You two traveled together, so you must know each other the best!"

"Yeah... we've battled a lot, but this will be the most serious battle yet," Green murmured, gazing at her hand.

"I can't cheer for either of you... But I'll be happy no matter the result!" Jasmine beamed, pulling her into a hug.

"Good because I'm going to win!" Green said confidently. Whitney clapped.

"I believe in you! You've got this, Green!" Green smiled.

"Watch me!" This was it. This was the moment Green had been waiting for. Silver and Green in the finals... she would win this. She would win this. She would never fail Silver again... so she'd have to crush him to show them both that she was strong.

"You're at ease," Lorelei pointed out.

"Do you even know how to feel nervous?" Mars mused. I leaned into my seat.

"I'm more excited than nervous. I mean, I've got almost everything I wanted out of this tournament. There's just one thing left, and I'll be fully satisfied." Lorelei shook her head, idly parting my bangs.

"Most rookies would be content just making the Top 8. Yet you want to win the entire thing, and you are thinking of the benefits of the tournament for the future." I shrugged helplessly.

"I've unfortunately made myself more famous than I intended, but on the bright side, Gold and Crys have their own weird pokemon so the attention will split." My aunt chuckled.

"This is the result of your performance. You have been the most captivating part of the Indigo Conference. It's only natural that you would attract so many eyes." I stared at her.

"I'll need your help to navigate some things. I'm expecting sponsorships and whatnot... and while I'd normally ignore them, there's some use to be gotten out of it," I decided. Lorelei's gaze lit up. My aunt looked visibly excited at my words and nodded vigorously.

"As your sponsor, I'll gladly help you. I was expecting all these offers to go through me regardless. You've made quite a name for yourself..." she trailed off, expression pondering.

"Do you have an email perchance?"

"Green made one for me a while ago," I replied easily. She nodded.

"Hm... we'll make a business email for you. I imagine it will be very necessary." I mulled that over. If things got too out of hand, I'd probably need an assistant, wouldn't I? There was no way I was going to saddle Lorelei with all that work.

"Maybe we'll get a team assistant in the future. I can only see us growing more famous, and I don't want you doing all that work," I decided, groaning at the idea. Lorelei's cheeks flushed, a pleased smile on her face.

"I don't mind, but I love the initiative you've taken. I also have an assistant who works for the League that filters those things for me."

"I'll figure something out." I sighed morosely, prompting Mars to laugh.

"Maybe if you didn't wanna be so famous, you'd keep your mouth shut and stop bringing attention to yourself," she advised. I exhaled, deciding against assaulting her at the moment.

"You're gonna get famous by leeching off Lorelei and me," I drawled. She twitched at that.

"Shut up, bastard!" Lorelei sighed.

"Language." I laughed easily at her annoyed look.

"Hey, Mars... Crys and I have been thinking about having you and her sister travel together." Lorelei and Mars both perked up at that.

"You won't travel with her?" Lorelei asked with a curious expression. I rolled my eyes.

"I knew you'd say that... and no. We coddle Mars enough; we have to let her walk on her own two feet... but I still worry for her, so letting her travel with another rookie should be good," I explained. Mars looked surprised by that before nodding easily.

"It's recommended to have a travel partner, right? If it's Crystal's sister, I can't ask for much better than that. I've got no complaints," she said finally.

"We'll visit you on occasion; I just want you to have fun making mistakes on your journey. Builds character. Most nepo babies cruise easily until they crash into mediocrity. I don't want that from you. I need you to struggle so that you have the urge to climb faster," I said honestly. I wouldn't let her die, of course. But struggle built character. Having everything be easy for you was a great way for failure to devastate you. Mars and Lyra would be perfect for each other.

They could struggle and grow together like Green and me, and like Crystal and Gold. Lorelei smiled.

"You've thought about this... and I'm sure you'll visit her enough to not be overbearing. You're right in that she should experience her first journey on her own... right, I'll limit my visits as well then." Mars gazed at the two of us, smiling slightly.

"I appreciate you two," she said honestly, pulling us into a hug on her own volition. My eyes widened in some surprise at the action before I patted her head.

"I'll drop by and give you any pointers you might need... and if you're ever in trouble, don't hesitate to call," I said idly.

"Yeah, yeah, worrywarts," Mars grumbled. Lorelei had that familiar twinkle in her eyes.

"Let's leave Silver alone for now, Mars. It's almost time after all." Mars nodded.

"Make it a fight worth watching!" she demanded. I huffed.

"It will be, don't worry. After I win, you'll get to cheer your little heart out."

"Who said I was rooting for you?!" Lorelei and I laughed in unison. I adjusted my gloves with a hum, slowing in my gait ever so slightly to regard one Ash Ketchum.

"You're still here?" I mused, tilting my head at the thought. Ash said nothing for a long while, prompting me to pause. He looked like he was struggling with something, and I scratched my head at what that could have possibly been. Finally, the Pallet native took a deep breath and said, "After you're done with your stuff... we need to talk." I blinked, puzzled.

"Huh? You breaking up with me? I didn't even know we were dating," I drawled. He twitched.

"What are you talking about?! You know what I mean!" I snorted to myself.

"I'll find you. We can talk about it then." He nodded his head.

"I hope Green wins. I'm not rooting for you."

"It'd be more strange if you were," I replied idly, walking past him with a single wave.

"Last match," Vee told them all, idly stretching his entire body and mewling in satisfaction.

"Yay! One more battle to win!" Larvee cheered.

"Let's do our best," Lapee encouraged softly. Dree watched with a smile as Draky and Dory let out excited shouts from being shot out of their pockets.

"I really wanna beat Silver, and it'll make Green happy if we win, so let's win!" Togee scoffed.

"Obviously, we're gonna win! We've got this in the bag!" A deep rumble silenced them all.

"Don't be foolish," Saury scolded, opening an eye and regarding the team. They gazed at the Venusaur in surprise. It was rare for Saury to join the conversation, but whenever he spoke, they listened.

"We nearly lost to Crystal. The only thing that kept me standing was Green's distress, and even that could be considered a miracle. Don't think for a second that we'll be able to afford a repeat against Silver of all people." They sobered up at that.

"Saury's right... Though I wish he could have said that a little nicer," Vee exhaled, turning towards them.

"Our opponent is Silver, the most ruthless member of the crew. He doesn't believe in miracles... he believes in mercilessly stomping out any chance of a comeback." Lapee nodded.

"If you aren't prepared, he'll catch you by surprise... so we'll prevent that from happening." Togee huffed.

"I know how much of a bastard he is, but we'll win. If we don't think we'll win, then we've already lost," he said matter-of-factly. They regarded the Togekiss in some surprise at that. Saury snorted, shutting his eye.

"And here I thought it was just your arrogance speaking. You've grown, Togee."

"I'm so proud of you!" Lapee praised, nuzzling him with a pleased smile. Togee turned his head.

"I don't needa hear any of that! Shuddup!" he demanded.

"Togee is embarrassed!" Dory pointed out.

"So embarrassed!" Draky cheered.

"The most embarrassed!" Larvee giggled.

"Don't tease him, he'll start shouting obscenities," Dree chastised in amusement. Vee gazed at them all with a smile. This was the calm before the storm. Soon, they'd be battling Silver in the finals of this whole thing, and fighting him was never fun... so let them enjoy themselves a little right now.

"We're at the final hurdle, guys!" Gaia cheered, vines snaking out to pat everyone on their heads.

"Just one more battle to win and we'll be the champs of this thing!" Freyja beamed, nuzzling the vine.

"We all did great so far. We should be proud of what we've done!" Ares scoffed, accepting the vine with a curt nod.

"Of course you'd be content stopping here. As expected of you."

"You always have something to say, you loud-mouthed little dragon!" Freyja snarled.

"Little?!" Ares gaped outrageously. Loki rolled his eyes.

"One more battle and you two can finally settle this in an actual battle," he reminded. The two snapped to attention at that, shooting each other one last glare before disengaging. Oberon beamed.

"I'm excited! We're going against Green! I love battling her!" Ares gazed at the Ursaring with a raised brow.

"Hoh? So the gentle little cub is capable of excitement at the idea of warfare?" she questioned. Oberon flushed.

"You keep calling me little cub! I'm not a baby anymore," he complained.

"I struggle to see you as anything but," she sniffed. Freyja rolled her eyes.

"That's just her way of saying she worries for you. Even the dishonest little brute actually cares about little Oby."

"Not you too!" Oberon complained.

"Do not make up lies," Ares snarled. Freyja sniffed.

"Oh, so I guess I didn't see you flying Ifrit and Apollo around after they begged you!" Ares gaped.

"T-They were pestering me! I merely wanted them to be quiet!" Ifrit and Apollo both beamed.

"It was so fun! Can we go again?!" Ares steadfastly gazed away from them.

"I merely respect that they hunger for battle, unlike a certain bottom feeder!" The two began snarling at each other once more, sparks flying between them.

"Seriously," Gaia exhaled, shaking her head.

"We're a team first, you know," she reminded.

"What she said," Oberon added. Gaia beamed brightly at the Ursaring, nuzzling him.

"That's my little Oberon! Don't be like them, okay?!"

"Seriously, I'm not a kid anymore!" Oberon cried out. Metagross watched them with a neutral expression.

"We will win this battle. That is what we have strived for recently, so that is what we will achieve. This is just the first of many victories we will experience." They straightened at the words, a competitive gleam in their eyes.

"Silver's done a lot for us, so as thanks... let's give him the trophy of this event," Loki decided with a small smile.

"Hmph, one trophy is not enough for my Vassal, but it will have to do for now. Soon, his treasury will be decorated in countless spoils of war!" Ares grinned. Oberon nodded eagerly.

"I want to help him like he helped me... so I'll do everything I can to win!"

"That's the spirit, Oberon! Let's kick their asses!" Gaia praised. Freyja giggled.

"I do feel a little bad that it's Green we have to win against... but she'll understand."

"It matters little who it is. We have but one job," Metagross said.

"Win." I found it very peculiar how, since this whole thing started, there had been no inflection in the weather. Considering this entire tournament seemed to be blessed by Moltres, it made sense. It was as if Indigo Plateau existed in its own bubble; there was no rain, no snow, no fog... just clear skies above and the ever-present noise of the ever-present crowd. I was so accustomed to the noise that after this tournament, I might have to take some time to adjust to not hearing them.

Today, they seemed to want to set a new record on how deafening they could be, every corner of the stadium showing their excitement for the upcoming battle. It only seemed to grow louder as Green and I stepped onto the field. Unlike my battle with Gold, where there were scattered amounts of people holding posters and signs to show their support, it seemed like every person here was trying to show support in some way.

Posters with my name, Green's name, a drawn image of me scowling, a drawn image of Green's serious demeanor... Even I could admit it was a little stunning to witness. Hell, it was even a little intoxicating. Today, I decided to switch it up. My signature coat was predominantly white, the lining streaked in silver instead of red, while my pants were jet black. In my right ear was the earring Green had gifted me, the jewelry hidden by my long hair. It looked pretty good... though I wasn't a fan of the lack of gloves.

I stared at my bare hands with a frown, deciding to grab a pokeball to distract myself. I idly spun it atop my finger, as if it were a basketball, and staunchly ignored the crowd oohing and awwing. Glancing up, I gauged Green, eyeing her with some surprise. This was definitely the first time I was seeing her in an official battle without her signature outfit. She was donned in a long black dress that stopped just above her knees.

It flowed beautifully, with gentle green leaves decorating various parts of the outfit in a mesmerizing display. Her white bucket hat was replaced by a black one; the same green accents adorned it as well. Unlike me, she had on a set of black gloves. All in all, the outfit looked both impressive, while not compromising the movement that trainers needed.

"I've never seen this outfit. You look good," I commented idly.

"I could say the same to you, in both regards," Green replied with a small smile. I snorted.

"Decided to dress in something a little different. It's the finals after all." Green laughed.

"Funny... I was thinking the same thing."

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" The stands only grew more electric as the familiar voice of the announcer surged to life. I didn't even know how he looked, but he had a lot of energy.

"Are you ready for an electrifying finals?! For the first time in history, two rookies will be battling it out for the right to claim themselves as champion of this conference!"

"And not only that! These two trainers are making history themselves! No rookie has ever won the Indigo Conference, and today we are guaranteeing that one gets crowned! Aren't you excited!" I'm sure if the Indigo Conference existed when Oak was a rookie, he'd probably have won it. The crowd roared their agreement with the announcer. Chants of "Colors!" began ringing through the arena.

"That's right, folks! This mysterious group of rookies known as Colors has taken the tournament by storm! They told us to watch them for good reason! Any of them could be standing here right now, but alas, there can only be two representatives and one winner!"

"On the Green side, hailing from Pallet Town, we have the most dominant Rookie of the tournament, Leaf Green!" The crowd shrieked, all cheers filling the arena as Green stared ahead, eyes partially clouded by her hat. She took a deep breath before reaching to push it up, those brilliant green eyes staring me down.

"Calm, poised, and utterly unstoppable, only one trainer this entire tournament has given her trouble... and it was a member of her group! Leaf Green is a force to be reckoned with! Equipped with numerous techniques that give her all manner of advantage, will she claim the title as the first rookie to win the Indigo League?!"

"Green! Green! Green! Green!" The crowd cheered, waving posters that were related to her. Green ignored it all, staring straight ahead through the shadow that her hat cast.

"And on the Red side, hailing from Viridian City... The rebel, the villain, a prodigy amongst prodigies, Trainer Silver has torn his way through every opponent he's up against with no remorse! Equipped with strategies as dangerous as his personality, it's difficult to doubt his claims that he is the Final Boss of the Indigo Conference. He certainly feels like it!" I smiled in amusement at the cacophony of noise. Much like Gold, Green got all the cheers, but the noise I received was far louder.

I abruptly caught the pokeball, which I never stopped spinning, in my palm, arm spread across my chest, before I slowly withdrew it. My little display was met with cheers, prompting me to roll my eyes.

"You'll have to bear without my quips. I've got a battle to focus on," I informed them, pocketing the ball and smiling even wider at the jeers and boos. Green hummed, not nearly as impressed by my display.

"I hope you're taking this seriously, Silvy." I tried to fiddle with my gloves, only to realize I wasn't wearing any, and raised a brow.

"Do you think I'd ever treat a battle with you as anything less? I still have to get my revenge," I said calmly. Green looked satisfied with my claim.

"Good. I don't want this to be too easy," she said. My eyes widened before I smirked wide enough to reveal teeth.

"I hope you can back up your words, Leaf." Oh, how I loved it when someone matched my confidence. Green pushed her hat up a little further. It was in that moment that I realized just how similar she was to Red.

"Call me Green," was all she said.

"Trainer Leaf, you will release first!" Green nodded, grabbing a ball and launching it forward. I watched as it materialized into an Espeon, Vee letting out a happy meow at seeing me. I smiled at the psychic evolution of Eevee, hand on my ball. Loki appeared as himself, no illusion in place. He met Vee's gaze immediately, the two smiling competitively at one another.

"Deja vu," Green mused.

"You're telling me," I chuckled.

"Both contestants are set; Espeon vs Zoroark... Begin!" Vee began immediately, firing off a flurry of stars that honed in on a random spot. Loki snarled loudly, firing off a wave of dark energy that destroyed the Swift. Loki summoned a murky orb, launching the Shadow Ball in return. He didn't expect it to hit, so he was unsurprised to see Vee effortlessly sidestep it. Vee retaliated with a cry, glowing slightly and unleashing a rainbow blast of energy that converged upon the whole field.

The Dazzling Gleam covered an amazing distance, forcing Loki to jump high above the attack. Vee didn't let that maneuver go unpunished, gem glowing as he aimed at the airborne Loki and unleashed a Power Gem. Loki flung his arms in front of him, a poor attempt to block the shrapnel. Marks appeared from the attack, and he huffed in annoyance, landing on the ground with a narrowed gaze. He stretched out his arm and snarled, firing off a Dark Pulse that Vee dashed away from.

The Espeon yelped as Loki just angled his hand, directing the beam of darkness towards the psychic. Vee immediately slipped into a Quick Attack, dashing from the attack until it eventually spluttered out. He whirled on a dime, unleashing more Swifts that honed in on a random spot that wasn't the Loki firing off the Dark Pulse. Loki hissed in annoyance as Vee constantly fired off a Swift whenever he suspected illusions were in play.

"Get close... but play it smart," I instructed, eyes narrowed in contemplation. He snarled in agreement. In an instant, his whole stance shifted, something that made Vee stiffen, and Loki got on all fours, rocketing forward at incredible speeds. Vee weaved away from the first slash, yelping as Loki gave him very little time to react. His claws, shrouded in that same dark energy, continuously tried to hack away at the flexible Espeon, whose gem was glowing frantically in his attempts to get away.

My eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Was Vee getting faster? No, that was definitely the case. Vee was matching Loki's speed with nothing but Quick Attack, but that shouldn't have been the case... because Loki was in Agility. But how?

"Night Daze!" I barked. Loki was far ahead of me, crimson aura already shrouding his body. To my disbelief, Vee landed on the floor and vanished, rocketing away at even higher speeds than I had anticipated. The Espeon practically vanished, appearing by Green's side once more even as the dome covered the middle of the battlefield. Loki looked surprised that Vee was able to dodge it after being so close to him, but that turned into an annoyed howl as a Swift smashed into him, pushing my Zoroark backwards.

"You're resisting Taunt," I called out, eyes narrowed in contemplation. Green smiled.

"You didn't think I'd just let Loki run amok, did you? Taunt is the most annoying thing about him, so I've prepared my own countermeasures."

"Huh... Gold said the same thing," I mused, racking my head with theories. Seeing Vee stand there, poised and controlled. My eyes narrowed at the faint glow in both his and Green's eyes.

"Calm Mind. You're using it to circumvent the effects of Taunt," I muttered, eyes narrowed in contemplation. Green's smile widened.

"I expected you to find that out... but I'm still surprised how fast it was." I hummed, Loki warily prowling the field as he stared down the neutral Vee. That didn't answer the question as to how the hell Vee was moving so fast. Vee's eyes darted in every direction, relying more on his senses than his psychic energy to detect Loki. His tail flickered, and he jumped upward, dodging a Shadow Ball that sailed harmlessly past.

He returned fire with a flurry of stars, eyes darting over the battlefield even as the Espeon remained midair. The Espeon's eyes narrowed in confusion as the stars angled down, only for the realization to hit him. Standing directly underneath him, Loki aimed a claw up at the Espeon and unleashed an enormous Dark Pulse. It sailed upwards, crashing into Vee with pinpoint precision. Vee wailed at the pillar of darkness.

His eyes flashed momentarily, and he propelled himself through the air with a raw dose of psychic energy. He landed on shaky legs, panting at managing to avoid the full brunt of the Dark Pulse. Loki clicked his teeth in annoyance, glaring at Vee all the while. If not so deeply under the effects of Calm Mind, I imagine Vee would be glaring as well. To my surprise, it seemed like Vee opted to be the aggressor this time.

I watched with wide eyes as the Espeon blazed across the field, my mind still racking on how it could possibly be so fast. Did Espeon also learn Agility? That didn't sound right... Green complained more than once that Vee was unable to learn it. So then how the hell was Vee running circles around Loki like this? They chased each other across the field, firing attacks repeatedly at one another.

Loki was never able to set up an illusion because as soon as he did so, Vee would fire off a Swift that would track him down. It was during this exchange that Loki slipped up. So focused was he on destroying the stars that he didn't notice Vee glowing until it was too late. The Espeon immediately fired off a Dazzling Gleam that struck him. He howled at the highly effective attack, all his illusions shattering as a result of it. My brain racked before it suddenly hit me.

"Loki... go completely wild," I said, eyes shooting open. Loki hissed maliciously, bloodlust entering his eyes. Vee only had a moment to react before a flurry of Shadow Balls converged on his location. He dashed away with narrowed eyes, only for Loki to cut off his escape route. There were no illusions anymore... Loki had completely discarded the idea of defense to launch an all-out assault on Vee instead.

He snarled, releasing a shockwave of darkness that Vee leapt over before launching forth a beam of darkness that the Espeon pushed himself out of the way of. Vee's gem glowed, firing off a Power Gem to push Loki backwards, but he pursued relentlessly. Bruises were forming on his body, but he persisted, launching another wave. The Espeon's eyes were narrowed as he slowly but surely got sucked into the violence of the battle. My eyes glinted at the genius of Green. Psych Up. That wasn't a move I ever thought of.

The reason Vee was so goddamn fast was that he was copying Loki with Psych Up. It was brilliant... Absolutely genius, even, but now that I figured it out, I knew exactly what to do.

"Taunt!" I demanded. Green's eyes narrowed before widening in realization.

"Wait, Vee! Cancel!" Vee ignored her completely. There was a baleful scowl on the Espeon's face as the Psych Up copied Loki's completely feral nature, reducing the effects of the Calm Mind and instead adopting the effect of Nasty Plot. While it would allow him to fire off stronger techniques, his psychic ones would suffer as a result... but against Loki, that was a fine thing. But with that enhanced aggression, it left Vee susceptible to something very important. Something like say a Taunt.

Loki grinned wildly as Vee's poised demeanor was completely shattered. The Espeon lunged forward, but Loki was faster now. He carved a darkness-enshrouded claw directly into him, snapping Vee directly out of his rage and getting a wail out of the psychic. Vee staggered back, but Loki was relentless. He snarled loudly, firing off a shockwave that crashed into him. Loki was relentless. He lunged forward once more, crimson aura already rolling off of him. My Zoroark cackled with a violent gleam.

"Vee, Dazzling Gleam!" Green shouted in concern. Vee glowed frantically, firing off the Dazzling Gleam right as Loki erupted in another Night Daze. Green bit her lip as Vee's body flew out of the eruption, his body tumbling across the ground. Loki hissed, bruised and battered, but victorious.

"Espeon is unable to battle! The winner of this round is Zoroark!"

"Vee was vital for Green against me. For him to get shut down so quickly..." Crystal murmured. Gold nodded.

"I bet Green wanted to use Baton Pass eventually, but Silver completely shut it down. She got cocky when she realized Vee was keeping pace," he mused. Jasmine nodded in agreement.

"Without Vee, the battle has become all the more difficult for her." They all watched the battle with enraptured gazes, waiting for the next move.

"AND FIRST BLOOD GOES TO SILVER! What will Green do?!" Loki and I watched Green slowly return Vee to the ball. She had a frown on her face that hid just how rattled the Espeon's defeat left her. She took a deep breath and launched her next ball forward. I watched with interest as a Togekiss appeared, letting out a cocky laugh. His eyes lit up in recognition, and he failed miserably at hiding how excited he was to see me.

"Well, look at you, Togee. You've gone and evolved," I praised. He puffed up at that, eyes gleaming with pride. Then that customary sneer appeared, all friendliness wiped away in an instant. Loki stared at the Togekiss with a proud smile before his gaze narrowed as well.

"Both contestants are set; Zoroark vs Togekiss... Begin!"

"Aura Sphere!"

"Shadow Ball!" I sucked my teeth as I heard Green's command. She really, really didn't want me using any type of illusion tactics. The Aura Sphere and Shadow Ball did not collide with each other. The two spheres of energy phased through one another in a fascinating display before continuing their course. While Togee easily weaved away from the Shadow Ball, the Aura Sphere mercilessly tracked Loki, locking onto my fox with a level of vindictiveness that matched the Togekiss.

Loki lunged away, hissing in annoyance and summoning a Dark Pulse that clashed with the Aura Sphere. The orb clashed with the beam, steadily gaining distance but losing more power as a result. Togee's eyes flashed smugly. Without hesitation, the Togekiss summoned a flurry of rocks, sending them forward and having them surround Loki.

"Watch out, Loki!" I shouted warningly, watching his ears twitch. Regardless of my urgency, there wasn't much he could do. The rocks came rushing forward, and in a moment of quick thinking, Loki cancelled his Dark Pulse and jumped at the last minute, causing one of the rocks to crash into the Aura Sphere that was hellbent on hitting its mark. While he had evaded the issue of the Aura Sphere, that still left the countless other rocks surrounding him.

He tried to maneuver around them, but Togee was controlling the Ancient Power with his psychic abilities, forcing even the ones he evaded to come back and crash into him. To make matters worse, that lucky bastard began glowing, benefiting from the boost that Ancient Power granted. I sucked my teeth.

"U-Turn!" Loki snarled, his body turning sickly green before he morphed into an orb that launched at Togee. Togee hissed balefully, angling himself to the right to avoid the attack but scowling as his counter was negated. Before he could even think to unleash hell, Loki flew back to his Luxury Ball. I grabbed Loki's ball easily, eyes narrowed as I stared at the Togekiss.

"Freyja," I decided eventually. She appeared with a croon, a look of delight on her face at seeing little Togee flying around. Togee responded with an annoyed shout as it began raining harshly. Green huffed.

"Looks like we all had the same idea, huh?" she mused. I raised a brow at that.

"Freyja, Ice Beam."

"Ancient Power!" Freyja shot a thin beam of ice that collided with more floating rocks. The rocks shot forth, aiming for Freyja, who responded with a massive surge of water. It rendered the rocks useless, while Togee shrieked as he was forced to move. Togee was given no respite. Freyja mercilessly struck him with an ice beam the moment he stopped moving. Her aim was true from hours of shooting at an insufferable Ares who taunted her in the sky. Needless to say, she had quite the aim even on moving targets.

The Togekiss shrieked in annoyance. He conjured a pink ball of energy and fired it off with no hesitation. It was very quickly dawning on me that Togee was one of Green's biggest threats for my team. To think that little Togepi had grown into this... Freyja did not falter at the Moonblast. She just summoned another torrent of water and mowed it down, dispersing it with her overwhelming supply.

"Attract!" I demanded, eyes gleaming. Green sucked her teeth.

"Not a chance! Baton Pass, Togee." Now it was my turn to suck my teeth, watching Togee glow white before flying back to his ball. It was just in time as he barely evaded the certain doom known as Freyja winking. She let out a croon of sadness at that, getting the crowd to shout words of encouragement for her. That wasn't good. Togee had gotten that omniboost from the Ancient Power earlier... which meant whoever was being sent out next was going to be a major issue.

Freyja and I watched, gaze alert as Green swapped Togee's ball with another in an instant, launching it forward with narrowed eyes. I huffed in annoyance, watching the next headache reveal itself. Did Green's entire team fully evolve? I don't think I had to say this, but of all the members of Colors, Green's team countered me the hardest... and Dree was a big part of that as well. He was big, much bigger.

The Dragapult appeared with a hiss that sounded more akin to a rumble while Draky and Dory both perched in their slots on his horn, both having an Everstone necklace. A Dragapult. Fucking hell, Green's patience paid off. The two of us had been playing the long game for a while, with full knowledge that at some point, our teams would be nearly unstoppable. Well, it was time to find out which one was more dominant. Dragapults were beasts. Equipped with a fantastic typing, incredible power, and even better speed...

There was a reason they were the apex predators of the Galar region. They were unmatched. Fitting for the only pokemon to share a typing with Giratina. Dree looked ecstatic to see me, the dragon lighting up in glee. I offered him a small wave, watching the ludicrously long tail wag.

"Be careful, Dree. Don't look her in the eyes," Green warned. I stared at the Dragapult with a thoughtful expression. So this was what Green meant when she said we all had the same idea. I didn't realize my friends would be so willing to exploit the rules as well... Good.

"Dragon Pulse." Dree didn't even let the attack fly before vanishing from his spot. He appeared directly behind Freyja in a nauseating burst of speed, charging his own Dragon Pulse. Due to the rain, however, Freyja's senses were enhanced far more than they normally were, and she turned, firing off her own Dragon Pulse. An explosion ensued, and neither of us waited for it to settle.

"Dragonbreath; Thunder Wave; Infestation!" Green barked swiftly. I set my jaw.

"Icy Wind." Dree was the only one fast enough to fire off the attack. The Thunder Wave and Infestation failed, as Freyja unleashed a devastatingly cold wind that the rain only amplified. Freyja and Dree both hissed as the attacks struck true. My Milotic recovered quickly, launching herself backwards at incredible speeds while firing off scales that Dree barely flew away from. She was undeterred. As if realizing that Dree was too quick, she summoned a massive twister, sucking in a vast amount of water from the rain.

Turbulent winds and water engulfed half the battlefield, Dree hissing in a panic as it attempted to suck him in. He flew against the suction, utilizing his incredible speed to do so, but Freyja made him pay for the slight distraction by firing a Dragon Pulse that crashed into his midsection. Green's eyes narrowed.

"Lock-On. Rapid Assault." Dree hissed, laser focusing on Freyja even through the rain. He shot out Dory and Draky from his helmet, the two Dreepy flying through the air at incredible speeds. Freyja attempted to dodge, but it was as if they predicted her movement, crashing into her long body immediately. She cried out in surprise, only for it to be drowned out by the screaming of the turquoise flames. It did not stop there.

Draky shot a thin beam of electricity that connected to Freyja and immediately hardened her scales... At the same time, Dory spat out an Infestation that attempted to get through those tough scales. As Dree made his presence known once more, I clapped.

"Surf!" All three cancelled their attacks as the area around Freyja exploded with water. While Dree was fast enough, Draky and Dory were partially caught by the torrent of waves. Dree hissed in worry, instinctively flying over to them to make sure they were okay.

"Flip Turn." The distraction was what I needed to substitute Freyja. I still needed her, but she'd lose at this rate, regardless of the amount of damage she'd inflict on Dree. As I strapped the ball to its slot, I grabbed another one. I watched Dree shudder instinctively at the deafening howl that announced the arrival of Ares. My Salamence roared, eyes lighting up in glee at seeing a dragon on the other side.

"I can barely get proper words in at the pace of the battle! Green and Silver aren't slowing down for a second! It's unbelievable to imagine that only one pokemon has fainted so far!" the announcer shouted, not that either of us was paying attention. Everything was background noise, even the normally distracting crowd. My eyes glinted in excitement. A faceoff of two dragons... both the apex predators of their regions. It was an incredible sight, Ares and I... against Green and Dree. A Dragapult and a Salamence...

"Be careful, Ares. He'll try to paralyze you as soon as possible to slow you down. He already has the speed advantage, and he got even stronger cause of Togee," I warned.

"Remember what we discussed, Dree," Green said softly, eyes lasered on Ares. Both our dragons snarled and hissed respectively. At once, both the dragons began swaying to a beat that no one but they could hear... Then the battle began. It was like watching two jets in action. Ares and Dree both vanished from their spots, appearing high in the sky and bathing it in beams of draconic energy. They cared little for the rain losing power, the Dragon Breaths clashing with one another and causing a massive explosion.

My Salamence soared through the smoke, claws glowing turquoise as she attempted to carve into the Dragapult. Despite her speed, Dree was faster. The Dragapult hissed balefully, none of the friendliness in his eyes, as the other dragon caused his competitive streak to peak.

"Thunderbolt!" Green shouted, deciding to utilize the waning rain to her advantage.

"Aerial Ace." Lightning streaked through the air as Dree unleashed the bolt of electricity, but it never met its target because Ares suddenly appeared directly behind her fellow pseudo in a truly frightening burst of speed. Green's eyes widened.

"Agility!" Ares' claw raked Dree just barely as the dragon sped away with even more speed than he showed before. I clicked my teeth.

"Tailwind."

"Incredible! Keep your eyes peeled, folks. Even if you don't blink, you might miss it!" A breeze of wind brushed against Ares, and her sneer widened before she flexed her wings. Dree tensed up, and they began anew. The two appeared in the middle of the battlefield, clashing glowing claws against one another. Right as Ares was about to win the exchange, Dree promptly vanished.

Ares glanced around wildly, mild confusion on her face that transformed into a roar of pain as Dree burst from the shadows and crashed into her unsuspecting sides. She swiped wildly, only for the Dragapult to vanish once more. I clicked my teeth.

"Phantom Force! He's disappearing and showing up at your weak spots!" Green was avoiding direct confrontation between the two at all costs, utilizing Dree's superior speed to ensure it happened. Case in point, Dree appeared directly behind Ares, charging a Dragon Pulse that he immediately fired. Ares howled as the force sent her careening through the air. She whirled around, but Dree flitted away at incredible speeds. Ares pursued relentlessly, only to snarl in annoyance as a flurry of weak stars crashed into her.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"Missile Strike!" Dree let out a panicked hiss, descending from the sky as a flurry of miniature Dragon Pulses lit up the sky. Ares cut off her attack and vanished, appearing directly in front of the surprised Dragapult. Her fangs were shrouded in darkness, and she lunged, clamping down on the triangular head of the Dragapult. Ares had a venomous gleam in her eyes at the shriek Dree released.

With her unforgiving grip, she lashed out, carving sharp claws into the Dragapult that evoked a roar out of her fellow dragon.

"Now, Draky!" Green shouted, eyes wild. Draky unleashed a thin stream of electricity that connected directly with Ares. My jaw clenched as she seized up, giving Dree the opening to free itself from her clutches. The Dragapult's eyes were just as wild as Green's, and he hissed. Dealing with three pokemon like this was insufferable. Dory fired off a weak swift, which did nothing but amplify the dreadful Assurance that followed up. Ares roared as Dree's long tail sent her plummeting to the ground.

"Dragon Darts!" As Ares plummeted to the ground, Dree took aim, snarled, and fired off both Dreepies at dreadful speeds. They flew forward, surrounded by the draconic energy provided by the Dragapult. Ares gagged in surprise as she was struck twice by the Dreepy, only for her to finally wail in pain as Dree burst from the shadows once more to unleash a devastating Hex. She writhed, falling to the floor and shuddering as the dangerous ghost technique wracked her body.

Draky and Dory flew back into their spots, but not for long. Dree aimed once more, honed in on Ares.

"Dragon Darts!" Green pushed. My eyes blazed.

"Hurricane! Make sure those damn Dreepy go down!" Green gaped at my sudden order.

"Wait, Dree!" Dree had already fired off Draky and Dory long before Green demanded that he stop. Ares snarled, gazing up with a furious gleam in her eyes even as she periodically surged with pain. The Hex had done an unimaginable amount of damage to her, but Ares was a stubborn girl. The conditions to use Hurricane right now for Ares were very specific... One, she needed to have Focus Energy active to gather the necessary power for the move more quickly, and it needed to be raining.

Coincidentally, Freyja's rain hadn't vanished just yet... a testament to how powerful her ability in summoning it had become. Ares always had Focus Energy active, so both conditions were met. Draky, Dory, and Dree had no idea what hit them. The wind shifted first, not growing stronger in nature... but sharper. The rain suddenly stopped descending, arcing sideways before spiraling upwards as a vortex began to take shape. The sound changed from the steady rainfall into a rising roar, as if the sky were inhaling.

Then, the attack struck true. Dree could have avoided it with Phantom Force, but Draky and Dory were as much a double-edged sword as they were a boon. The Hurricane's target was more than just the three pokemon. It was the entire battlefield. It attempted to wreak havoc upon the arena, the only thing stopping it being the barrier that seemed to shimmer from the power behind it. Puddles were sucked into the winds, the ground was torn slightly from the impact, and the howling wind blocked out three pokemon's shrieks.

Ares panted at the energy required to fire off the move, watching her handiwork with some pride. The Hurricane vanished almost as soon as it appeared. The wind peeled away, the petering rain fell once more, and silence followed suit... Before a grief-filled rage resounded through the air, Dree nursed both the unconscious Dory and Draky before locking furious eyes with Ares. He ignored his bruised body and shot off like a rocket.

Ares flexed her wing and attempted to fire off a Dragon Pulse, but Dree promptly vanished, utilizing that infuriating Phantom Force.

"Aerial Ace!" I shouted. Ares hissed at my command. As soon as Dree popped out of the Phantom Force, she lunged. Her giant body crashed into the Dragapult, pushing him backwards, but Dree matched her, lunging forward with glowing claws that he raked across her face. My eyes widened at the surprising maneuver, gritting my teeth as Ares let out a truly vicious, unruly roar. One of her eyes was shut, blood dripping, and I hissed at the move.

"Crunch!" I demanded. Ares was paralyzed, with one good eye at the moment, and Dree was filled with enough rage to ignore the devastating damage done to his own body. Ares lunged forward, but with only one good eye, her depth perception was ruined. She'd be fine after a trip to a Center, but right now it was downright detrimental. Dree sidestepped the attack, an orb already forming as he dodged. He unleashed the Dragon Pulse and slammed it directly into Ares' side.

"Missile Strike!" I ordered, head reeling with ways to salvage this. Ares faltered ever so slightly, but opened her mouth to release a salvo of Dragon Pulses indiscriminately. She didn't aim at anything in particular, simply hoping the move would land in some capacity. Dree hissed vehemently, dodging to the best of his abilities. He activated Phantom Force and vanished, only for me to yell, "Behind you!" which caused Ares to turn her head immediately and begin firing even more.

Some orbs crashed into the surprised Dragapult, but he was finally given respite as Ares seized up from her rapid-fire assault. Sparks ran across her body, and she grit her teeth in annoyance as the paralysis made itself known. Dree took full advantage of it. The Dragapult saw his opening and rushed Ares with a rage-filled gleam, turquoise energy flowing off his body in troves. The Dragon Rush uplifted my incapacitated Salamence.

Ares was launched through the air from the force of the powerful dragon technique, body landing with a harsh thud.

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

"Nothing like watching two dragons duke it out!" Lance exclaimed, an excited gleam in his eyes. Clair huffed, forcefully stamping her own excitement at the sight of draconic warfare.

"Ridiculous... losing with an Alpha Salamence." Lance rolled his eyes at his cousin.

"So you just ignored the entire battle and focused on the end result. That's very Wataru-like of you, Clair. Not a good trait to have at all." She glared at him.

"I would not have lost."

"You would have lost even worse, and you're allowing your bias against Silver to cloud you. Don't be foolish," Lance scolded.

"Do you know how infuriating Dragapult is to face? And Green is utilizing all 3 to their fullest. Not to mention Ares was blinded at the end there, and Dree had the boost from Togee," he pointed out. Clair twitched, a hellish snarl appearing on her face.

"Even you would doubt my capabilities, cousin?!" Lance stared at her with his sharp yellow eyes that always made her squirm slightly.

"Can you at least appreciate a good battle without being so grouchy? Those two just had a great battle." Clair crossed her arms and turned her chin up.

"The girl did exceptionally well; the Salamence did well despite her trainer's lack of skill. She would likely find far more success with me." The strongest of the Wataru stared at her in exasperation.

"Don't ever comment on that again, Clair, especially not in front of him. What has gotten into you?" he asked incredulously. Clair sneered, despite the way she faltered at his severe stare.

"Nothing is wrong with me! I merely can't stand arrogant children!"

"Very ironic coming from you," Lance accused.

"You almost sound as if you prefer this boy over your own flesh and blood," Clair said bitingly. Lance waved her off casually.

"Who I prefer doesn't mean you can act however you please, Clair. If you're being childish, it's my job to call you out. Besides, If I didn't like you, I wouldn't be trying so hard to give you advice on how not to go gray early. You're too much of a stiff, Clair," he said. She glared at the redhead on the field.

"He is nothing impressive. If he chooses to target me, I will prove it."

"I look forward to it," Lance said honestly, turning his gaze back to the field. Her funeral. He really did try for Clair, but she was a stubborn one.

"And Ares goes down! Incredible by Green and Dree to neutralize such a massive threat!" I was mildly stunned by the outcome of the battle because Ares just straight-up lost. I returned her to the ball with a surprised expression. It was rare for Ares to participate in a battle without fainting at least one opponent, granted Dree had gotten boosted and was one of the few who could probably match her. I clicked my teeth and returned her to the ball.

Dree had gotten a rage boost and then blinded Ares in a rather underhanded move... After this League, we'd have to start thinking up countermeasures for all the cheap tactics used against her. Dree was fretting over the sleeping Dory and Draky in his helmet, hissing something to them. Green was back to a picture-perfect calm, no doubt thinking about her next course of action. I muttered something under my breath.

"Freyja," I said coolly, tossing the ball forward. Freyja crooned on arrival, small raindrops dropping over her. She winced back as small sparks raced through her body, but was otherwise battle-ready. Green's eyes narrowed at that, while Dree's gaze snapped up.

"Both Freyja and Dree are back again! It's time for round two!"

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

"Dragon Pulse!" Both commands were followed swiftly. Both the orbs collided with each other before exploding. Freyja crooned, unleashing a torrent of water that the Dragapult dashed away from, eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, he vanished into the shadows, causing Freyja to glance in every direction. It didn't take long for Dree to pop out once more. The Dragapult burst from the shadows directly behind Freyja... And ate a Night Daze for its efforts.

Green's eyes widened as the illusion of Freyja was forcefully dispelled by Loki exploding in a crimson dome. Dree had no time at all to react, expression quickly hidden by the Night Daze engulfing his body. The move ended as quickly as it began. Loki licked his claws with a grin, gazing at the unconscious Dragapult with a gleam in his eyes.

"Dragapult is unable to battle! The winner of this round is Zoroark!" The referee announced, not missing a beat. Karen leaned back with a satisfied grin.

"That Zoroark is going to be the most annoying pokemon to face in the world."

"As expected for Silver's first pokemon. It's fitting that it'll be," Joy mused over the line, slowly chewing some popcorn as she watched the battle.

"I'm jealous. Maybe if he ever has an egg, he'll give it over to me," the Elite 4 member mused.

"Probably not. You'll have to win him over some more," Joy said dryly. She groaned.

"Win that kid over? No thanks, I'm not you. I'd probably have more luck actually looking for a Zorua."

"I'm crying for you. The woes of never having a Zoroark," Joy said insincerely. Karen twitched at her tone.

"No wonder you two get along." The Nurse chuckled mockingly.

"Who we thought was Freyja... was actually Loki this entire time! Trainer Silver keeps fooling us! How are we supposed to know?!" Green fiddled with her hair slightly.

"You even had him pretend to be paralyzed," she said. I quirked my lip slightly.

"I mumbled it to him right before sending him out. You're a smart girl... you'd notice something was up. And if you didn't, it's best if I remind you that poor Freyja's been paralyzed, so you could use your superior speed to capitalize." Green pursed her lips, realizing that was exactly what had happened.

"Togee," she said finally.

"Oh?! Another rematch!" The announcer roared, watching the Togekiss burst out of the ball. The referee, who always seemed to look more annoyed when doing one of my battles, raised a flag.

"Both contestants are set; Zoroark vs Togekiss... Begin!"

"Safeguard!" Green demanded immediately. The order wasn't necessary. Togee was already glowing with the white aura of Safeguard. While it didn't fully neutralize Taunt, I'd bet my money that Togee was also under the effects of Calm Mind, so the combination must have made him pretty difficult to rile up. Not to mention, I had wanted to throw a Toxic at him right before Loki either fainted or swapped out. Hm.

I wanted to swap immediately, but there's no way Green would let that U-Turn connect without blasting Loki wide open. I'd have to find an opportunity.

"Extrasensory." Loki's eyes glowed before he unleashed the beam of psychic energy. Togee hissed vehemently at the attack, conjuring a murky ball and firing it off. The Shadow Ball mowed through the Extrasensory, but Loki had long moved.

"Flamethrower!" Togee fired off the wave of flames, prompting Loki to retaliate with his own. They met in the middle, splashing in every direction before cancelling each other out.

"Aura Sphere!" Green said, finally opting to use that incredibly annoying technique. As Togee summoned the orb of aura and fired it, I sneered.

"Psychic, Loki. Toss it to the ground." Loki's stance relaxed in an instant, his eyes glowing before he captured the Aura Sphere and plunged it straight to the ground moments before it connected. Despite his affinity, Loki was not a natural psychic. Hell, his psychic affinity didn't even actually come from a psychic pokemon... But Ninetales was a psychic in all but typing, and Loki inherited that aspect.

He leapt backwards from the explosion caused by the Aura Sphere hitting the ground, conjuring a Shadow Ball in the same movement and launching it at Togee. Togee snarled in annoyance. The Togekiss let out a shout before unleashing a Fire Blast. It flew through the air at ridiculous speeds, crashing onto Loki's spot with no remorse... and causing the illusion to shatter. A psychic sheen wrapped around Togee. Loki, who was directly underneath the Togekiss, yanked with force, dragging him down. Green scowled.

"Dazzling Gleam!" As he flew downward, the Togekiss glowed pink and unleashed the glittering attack in every direction, prompting Loki to release him.

"Aura Sphere!" Togee summoned another orb and launched it, forcing Loki to focus his attention on the attack once more. My eyes widened as Togee shot a star into the sky.

"Loki, he's trying to heal the damage with Wish!" I shouted urgently. Loki hissed at my warning. He leapt over the Aura Sphere, eyes locked onto Togee, and unleashed a flurry of Shadow Balls. They connected squarely with Togee, getting an annoyed hiss out of him. The Aura Sphere did not suddenly vanish. It pursued Loki relentlessly and forced my Zoroark to pay attention to it once more. His eyes glowed blue, wrapping around the orb and plunging it to the ground. I sucked my teeth.

"U-Turn." Loki turned into an orb of green and launched himself at Togee, only for a force to suddenly crash directly into his back. I didn't even see the Togekiss move, its body having blurred across the battlefield in an instant. Loki howled as the force launched him forward and directly into the Aura Sphere. An explosion erupted, but ruthless little Togee didn't let it end there. He reared back, summoning a pink ball of energy that he fired off into the smoke.

He didn't wait to admire his handiwork, taking flight into the sky and allowing the star to descend on his body. The few injuries he conjured healed right back up, making me scowl in annoyance.

"Zoroark is unable to battle! The winner of this round is Togekiss!"

"To think Togee would evolve into this little beast," Gold commented with an awed grin.

"He's become incredible!" Crystal praised with a small smile. Janine nodded in agreement.

"To think he would become such a threat. It felt like only yesterday he was a little Togepi causing mayhem." The three nodded sagely. The fairy that had adopted Silver's personality was fully unleashed, floating in midair with that same cocky smirk.

"I have Archeree to thank for neutralizing him. He's currently giving Silver quite a lot of trouble," Crystal noted.

"He'll figure something out!" Mars said confidently. They nodded in agreement, turning their focus back onto the battle.

"And Loki finally goes down! What a performance by that Zoroark!" I returned Loki with a hum, rubbing a thumb against the ball with a small smile on my face. Then, I eyed the cocky Togee with a furrowed brow. With Freyja paralyzed, she wouldn't be as ideal. Togee was causing me a lot of issues, so I needed to stamp him out now.

"Metagross." Green's gaze locked onto Metagross immediately, expression slightly wary. My second pseudo rumbled on arrival, watching as Togee's smirk was wiped off his face.

"Both contestants are set; Togekiss vs Metagross... Begin!" Immediately, Green put out a hand.

"Baton Pass!"

"Gravity. End this fast." Togee glowed white, but shrieked in surprise as he was suddenly dragged from his vantage point in the sky, straight towards the ground. He flailed helplessly, feebly trying to fight against the weight dragging him down. Green's eyes were wide in some confusion.

"Togee?! Finish the Baton Pass!" Togee tried, but any idea of utilizing the technique was quickly shattered as Metagross sped across the field at tremendous speeds. He reached his destination in record time before delivering a flurry of blindingly fast punches that made Togee wail. The Togekiss attempted to move, but the effects of Gravity were too detrimental. He opened his mouth and tried to fire a Flamethrower, but Metagross sidestepped it, ending up behind the grounded Togee.

Without any hesitation, Metagross raised one of his legs and smashed it onto the floored Togee's back, eliciting a sharp howl of agony out of him. His struggles increased, but he was effectively trapped. Green bit her lip in a panic.

"Togee! Ancient Power!"

"No," I said bluntly. The rocks rose into the sky, prompting Metagross to press down just a little harder. The results were immediate. Togee shrieked and lost focus on the technique, writhing in place as the sharp claws, along with the immense weight, of the Metagross bore onto him.

"Wrap this up. Meteor Mash," I said bluntly. Metagross rumbled, its other claw already glowing. He raised the leg that was holding down Togee but didn't allow the Togekiss any respite, smashing his other leg down with brutal force. Togee's shriek emitted no noise. His eyes went blank before he slumped over. Metagross mercifully released him, lumbering back to my side without glancing backwards.

"Togekiss is unable to battle! The winner of this round is Metagross!" Steven watched the screen with a small frown.

"Ruthless and efficient. As expected of a Metagross," he murmured, gazing at both the Metagross and its trainer. He had been keeping a close eye on this Silver since the start of the tournament. Despite having gone missing for a while, he still showed up and was eligible to participate. Steven did not know what strings had been pulled, but Lance allowing this boy to participate without a recorded 8th badge battle, despite him somehow having his 8th badge, was beyond suspicious.

"Surely you don't still believe that Metagross is from your colony?" Wallace asked in amusement, watching the battle with an enraptured gaze.

"It does not even look like any of your normal Metagross! Look at its pigment!" Steven resisted the urge to hiss. He had almost, almost, forgotten Wallace was here.

"I know it is, Wallace. I cannot explain the pigmentation, but I know," he said firmly. Wallace rolled his eyes.

"Very well then... I suppose he also stole the Sneasel, which no person alive has ever seen or heard of? Or perhaps he has dragged his group of friends, who happen to be sponsored by the professors, into his antics and had them also steal a vast majority of their rare pokemon!" he said cheerfully. Steven twitched harshly.

"I will admit, the more that is revealed about him... the more it appears that he does just seem to know where certain pokemon may be, but I'm certain his knowledge of where a Beldum could be was my colony!" he insisted.

"Mhm. I suppose it would make sense if all four of them invaded you. It's a group effort after all, so the chance for success is far higher," Wallace said cheerfully.

"Wallace!" Wallace laughed freely.

"Look how much emotion his Metagross has. There's no way they would come from such a dull group like your colony!"

"What are you even talking about? It acts like every other Metagross!" Steven insisted.

"No, no dear friend. You can tell in its battle style that it is practically flowing with emotion," Wallace countered.

"Why, I think if he did steal it... he did it a favor! I do think your colony would enjoy a little more spice in their life."

"Wallace, he committed a crime. A crime! This is no joking matter!" Steven could not believe that, after all this time, he was still even entertaining Wallace's nonsense. He had been entirely too frustrating throughout this entire ordeal. Wallace shrugged.

"You've hoarded those Beldum for how long? If Metagross refuses to return with you, what will you do? Arrest the trainer and confiscate it regardless? If our good friend did indeed steal just that single Metagross and nothing else... then it is obvious to me that he just wanted a Metagross," he replied seriously.

"Those two do not want to be separated; they are a great duo, and I'm seeing an expressive Metagross for perhaps the first time. Beldum is indeed a difficult pokemon to catch... so perhaps he just had no choice. It's not as if you own every Beldum." Steven shot him an astonished look.

"Are you defending his crime?!"

"I'm giving context to why he might have done it. Honestly, I'm more impressed he managed to evade a colony of Beldum. Judging by the fact that he's a rookie in the finals... we should be far more interested in how talented this boy is." Steven crossed his arms.

"If he had just asked me and shown me his passion, I would have no problem giving him a Beldum."

"You are the Champion of Hoenn. How would he have done that?" Steven opened and shut his mouth.

"He must answer for his crimes, Wallace... and depending on that, I will think of how to move forward." Wallace huffed.

"Right...

"crime", Steven." Steven glared at him.

"You were just defending him."

"All hypotheticals, of course!"

"Get out of my room," Steven said stonily. Wallace let out that insufferable laugh, somehow getting even more comfortable in his seat.

"Shut down in an instant! Togee put up a tremendous effort, but Metagross crushed any resistance!" The announcer shouted. Green looked mildly stunned at the ease with which Metagross had dispatched Togee. I was glad he managed to take him out so fast... especially considering he had just healed himself. That was going to be a real problem if left unchecked. I was proud of Togee. He had come a long way from Green's weakest pokemon to that beast that could have singlehandedly lost me the match. Speaking of which...

looks like Green was sending out another of her "weak" pokemon. The heat amplified ever so slightly as my companion launched her next ball. I watched with a glimmer of excitement as the Volcarona manifested with a cry akin to an erupting volcano. Larvee was magnificent. Her wings unfurled, the vast appendages radiant and patterned like a living sun. The wings held a body inside, pale and delicate... Of course, the awe I felt was ruined by Larvee excitedly wiggling at the sight of me.

She let out a happy cheer, wings flapping in her joy, and I smiled at the Volcarona.

"This is gonna be a hard battle, Metagross."

"I'm well aware." Volcarona was a pokemon few ever wanted to encounter. They wielded some of the most intense firepower of all fire types. There was a reason this pokemon was praised as a substitute for the sun. It would have been up there in notoriety with the pseudo-legends of the regions, if not for how rare the pokemon was. Volcarona was a pokemon you scarcely ever encountered, even in its native region of Unova. As far as I was aware, Champion Alder was the only trainer alive with a Volcarona.

His current one was not his original... but it wielded so much power you'd be fooled into thinking it was. I guess you could add Green to that very short list. I can't believe she was complaining about not having a Hisui pokemon when she had this. What boundless greed she had. I waved at Larvee, getting a giddy wiggle out of the Volcarona, then focused on the upcoming battle.

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

"Quiver Dance!"

"Stealth Rock." As Larvee began to dance, the highlighting of her wings making it all the more mystical, Metagross fired off a flurry of rocks that took root on Green's side of the battlefield. Most melted into the ground, but others remained visible, floating in the sky. I should have set these up against Togee, to be honest... but I wasn't used to using Stealth Rock, and I wanted the Togekiss eliminated immediately before it could swap out with Baton Pass. Still...

this was my first time using it in battle after all. I needed to grow accustomed to throwing them out more often. Larvee glanced warily at the rocks before immediately turning towards Metagross to unleash a stream of flames. The speed at which they were conjured left me mildly surprised, but my pokemon was already on the move. Metagross sped across the field without hesitation, avoiding the Flamethrower easily.

He raised a claw and slammed it against the ground with thunderous strength, the Earthquake quickly making itself apparent. Larvee flew up at that, evading the ground-type attack easily... only to let out a cry of surprise as an invisible force dragged her to the floor. The Earthquake made the Volcarona squeal before her gaze snapped to attention. She pulled herself up with a herculean effort, only for a Flash Cannon to bowl her over.

Gravity was an absurd technique, one that offered numerous benefits, which I was going to exploit to the fullest. Metagross would be a monster with the technique; it was his gateway to true dominance, like Gaia and her omnitype goals. Larvee chittered in annoyance before the sun above shone violently. The Volcarona glowed brightly before unleashing a devastating Heat Wave that filled the entire battlefield.

An immense heat washed over me, piercing even the barrier, and I instinctively unzipped my coat, revealing a black tee underneath. Metagross roared, shielding himself to the best of his ability with Iron Defense. That didn't help much against the Heat Wave, and I quickly realized the timer we were on with Larvee able to shoot off such widespread attacks.

"Psychic." Metagross huffed, some burns appearing on his body, and captured the surprised Larvee in a sheen of psychic energy, launching her swiftly towards the floating rocks that shuddered before launching at her. The noise Larvee let out was far more shrill, the Stealth Rocks embedding into her scales with ruthless precision.

"Oh no! Larvee!" Green shouted in concern, watching the devastating damage she took from the attack.

"Push your advantage!" Metagross launched itself across the field at tremendous speeds, its dome glowing with the effects of a momentum-based Zen Headbutt that would break the Volcarona if it connected. Judging by Green's worry, she noticed the same thing.

"Fiery Dance!" Larvee cried out, glowing a vivid shade of red. I'm sure she would have begun to dance as the name suggested, but Gravity was still holding her down. It did not stop her from quickly conjuring the necessary energy to fire off the attack. A ring of fireballs formed around her that she launched directly at the speeding Metagross, moments before it connected. Most of the flames lingered on Larvee, which fueled the next salvo and more.

It was as if the sun itself was enraged, retaliating with pieces of itself. Massive fireballs bombarded Metagross, somehow growing even larger as Larvee continued to power the attack. I grit my teeth. Fiery Dance was an incredibly dangerous move. Not only did it hurt like hell, but the dance powered up Volcarona something fierce, cloaking them in flames that only strengthened the pokemon. By now, Metagross' charge had been stopped in its tracks. He roared as Larvee tried to melt him.

"Metagross, just unleash a strong blast of psychic energy in front of you and then back off!" I wasn't sure if he heard my order, but to my relief, a practical wall of psychic energy temporarily stopped the fireballs, allowing Metagross to speed away. He looked like he had seen better days, scorch marks all over his metallic body.

"Earthquake! Fuck it!" I demanded. I just needed to inflict as much damage as possible at this rate. This was stylistically a bad matchup for Metagross. Volcarona could fire off techniques like nothing else, and Metagross still preferred close-quarters combat. He roared in agreement, raising his leg and slamming it down. Larvee's dance stopped at that, the Volcarona crying out as the tremors left her unbalanced. She was immediately grabbed in a psychic sheen, but Green was far more ready this time.

"Bug Buzz!" The hold was almost immediately broken as Larvee released a wave of sickly green energy. Metagross leapt away from the attack, barely avoiding the attack while staring ahead at the Volcarona.

"Amnesia!" Green demanded. I sucked my teeth. Green was limiting Metagross's options to a clinical degree. Get close, get burned.

"Rock Tomb," I snarled. Metagross let out a rumble in my head that sounded much like my snarl, conjuring an absurd amount of rocks with his psychic prowess. Larvee squealed as a salvo of the boulder-sized rocks attempted to crush her. Urgently, the Volcarona flapped her wings and summoned a powerful gust of wind that pushed Metagross back ever so slightly. It slowed the rocks down ever so slightly, but Larvee glowed once more and unleashed a Heat Wave that collided with the Whirlwind.

My eyes widened as pandemonium struck the battlefield. A bead of sweat dropped as a massive gust of heat washed over me, stronger than any other before. A typhoon of fire engulfed the battlefield, giving us no room to run. I watched with wide eyes as the flaming winds consumed all in their path, including Metagross, whose roars were drowned by the howl of the winds and the hiss of the fire. I didn't even wait for the attack to finish, holding up a ball and returning him.

There was not a chance in hell he was making it out of that conscious. Eventually, the attack settled, revealing a sagging Larvee. To my immense annoyance, while Metagross had been getting bombarded, she took the time to heal up with Morning Sun. The Volcarona let out a small whine of relief as the Gravity finally eased up.

"Metagross is unable to battle! The winner of this round is Volcarona!"

"Woah! Grandpa, look at that! She has the same pokemon as you!" Benga awed, stars in his eyes. In his lap, a tiny Larvesta gazed at the screen with an enraptured gaze. Alder ruffled his grandson's hair with a grin.

"It's rare to see someone with a Volcarona! I wonder how she managed to get her hands on one?" he mused. He eyed the Volcarona on the screen with a wistful smile. The Champion of Unova could easily tell when a pokemon had a strong bond with a trainer, and Leaf Green's bond with this Volcarona was powerful.

"Do you think we'll be that strong?" Benga asked curiously. Alder didn't even hesitate to answer, throwing his head back with a powerful laugh.

"If you put your mind to it, you'll be even greater than me, Benga!" The child cheered excitedly.

"Yeah! I wanna meet her! Leaf Green? She's cool!" Alder nodded his head in agreement.

"I'd like to meet her, too! She's a real interesting one!" Larvee moved easily, hardly any of the notable damage we did to her showing.

"What an attack by Larvee! I couldn't even see the battlefield!" the announcer roared in disbelief.

"That attack was something," I murmured, grabbing another ball.

"I learn from the best," Green replied. I huffed in amusement.

"Freyja." My Milotic crooned on arrival, ignoring the sparks racing across her body. Her eyes curled up in joy at hearing Larvee greet her, and she smiled at what used to be one of the babies of the team.

"Both contestants are set; Volcarona vs Milotic... Begin!" Freyja, after taking a quick look at the blazing sun, summoned a downpour of rain. Larvee cried in dissatisfaction, steam rolling off her scalding body from the droplets.

"Surf," I instructed immediately.

"Fly up!" Green demanded. Larvee soared upwards immediately, taking off at tremendous speeds and barely avoiding the tidal wave that threatened to consume her, along with the entire half of her battlefield. Freyja watched her fly with a narrowed gaze, conjuring another swell of water to fire at the Volcarona. As she aimed, the sparks made themselves known once more, stopping her in her tracks. Green took the opening like a shark in the water.

"Giga Drain!" she barked. Larvee shot forth tendrils that latched onto the slow Freyja. Most failed to pierce her tough scales, but managed to drain her nonetheless, eliciting a cry of annoyance from my Milotic.

"Water Pulse." Freyja's eyes narrowed at that. She summoned an orb of water that she immediately fired, launching it through the air at tremendous speeds. It immediately connected with Larvee, who squealed as she was launched back from the force. Green's eyes narrowed.

"It's raining, Larvee. Hurricane!" My eyes widened as Larvee did the exact same maneuver as Ares earlier, summoning a typhoon that quickly grew in strength as it absorbed the pouring rain. I shot my gaze over to Freyja.

"Twister all around you! You won't overpower it, but try to protect yourself!" Freyja nodded urgently, summoning the massive twister around her own body. My eyes glimmered at the potential behind that, watching the technique steal as much water as it could from the ramping Hurricane. I watched as a shield of water was conjured around Freyja before the Hurricane came in like a wrecking ball of force. My eyes practically glimmered as Freyja valiantly stood against the Hurricane.

This usage of Twister was utterly genius... shielding her as well as it could against a natural disaster. But all that mattered was that Freyja was spared from it. My grin widened as the Hurricane and Twister both waned, revealing a glowing Freyja restoring the few injuries she acquired. Twister was even more useful than I thought. Larvee looked stunned to see Freyja escape the Hurricane with even fewer injuries than when she started...

but the Volcarona didn't get to be shocked for long as a thin stream of water traveled through the air at speeds too quick to react to. It pierced right through her midsection, and she immediately collapsed towards the floor in time for a tidal wave to crash over her. The crashing waves silenced the Volcarona's cries.

"Coil; Aqua Tail," I commanded. Sparks ran across her body once more, but Freyja coiled up like a spring before launching herself forward, relying on her Swift Swim to carry her at a reasonable pace.

"Don't let her get close, Larvee! Whirlwind!" Green demanded in worry. Larvee struggled up, flapping her wings to steady herself. She saw Freyja rapidly approaching and frantically summoned a strong set of winds that halted my Milotic in her tracks.

"Iron Tail, embed yourself," I advised, right before the winds truly struck. Thank God for TMs. Freyja rooted herself immediately with a shimmering, wincing as the heavy winds attempted to upheave her from her perch.

"Twister! Capture it in the water!" I shouted, hoping she could hear me over the gale of the winds. Unfortunately, she could not. Fortunately, Freyja was a very smart girl. She gazed at Larvee with glowing eyes, capturing the Volcarona's gaze quickly.

"No, look away, Larvee!" Green shouted desperately, but she was too late. In a stroke of genius, Freyja activated Hypnosis long enough for Larvee to stop powering the Whirlwind, dislodged herself from the ground with a surprising amount of force, and used said force to launch herself forward, the silver gleam replaced by a watery shroud. Larvee wasn't able to snap out of the Hypnosis fast enough before Freyja reached her, water flowing off her tail like an extension that she used to smash against the Volcarona.

The force, fueled by the momentum of the rush, embedded the Volcarona directly on the floor. Freyja hissed as steam immediately erupted from her tail, barely avoiding getting burned because of the water protecting her. Sparks continued running through her body, but she swam back to my side with a victorious expression. Steam wafted off Larvee's body, the Volcarona lying in a puddle of water that quickly evaporated on contact.

Despite the incredible body heat she was still radiating, she did not move from her spot, wings resting limply on her back.

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

"Magnificent! Steven, I think I may love this trainer!" Wallace gushed, standing up and clapping heartily.

"Sit down, Wallace! The match isn't over yet," Steven chastised.

"Oh, but did you see his usage of Twister? Why, based on what I've seen, his Milotic seems to have embraced her draconic affinities quite well! It's such a fascinating contrast, considering I have opted to rely more on my Milotic's fairy techniques. Perhaps he is a fan of Cynthia?" Wallace mused. Steven twitched.

"Oh, I know! We must all let our Milotics have playdates! It's rare for them to see more of their species. I'm sure they'd appreciate it," he decided. Steven finally groaned. He was sure that even if this Silver had killed someone, Wallace would find a way to defend him. His friend was too far gone. Cynthia watched the battle with a glitter in her eyes, her entire team accompanying her.

"Look at that Milotic! She prefers dragon techniques just like you," Cynthia pointed out. Milotic crooned at that, looking pleased to see another of her species on the screen.

"And that Togekiss sure had a nasty personality, huh?" she asked her own Togekiss. Togekiss nodded with an almost mortified expression. He almost couldn't believe someone of his species could be so ruthless and cocky. Cynthia grinned. This was even better than she thought! Silver was not the only interesting trainer... his entire gang had an assortment of rare to never-before-seen pokemon in their collection! The one named Gold even had two never-before-seen pokemon! She wanted to meet all of them!

This wasn't a normal group, and Cynthia would meet them at all costs right after the Kanto League finished.

"I wonder how Lance is doing... I hope he doesn't mind if I visit," she mused. It had been a long while since Cynthia had been so interested in something that wasn't her research, but she just couldn't resist the urge to visit the group known as Colors!

"Should I bring gifts for all of them? That seems like a good idea... Silver doesn't seem like the friendliest person," she mused.

"You are the champion of a region. I'm sure they will be eager to meet you," Lucario reminded. Cynthia laughed freely.

"Something tells me that might not be so effective." She would dwell on it more later. For now, she had a battle to continue watching. This was one of the most fun Leagues she had watched in a while! This new generation was something else... she looked forward to seeing how they would match up to the current generation of monsters. Green gnawed on her lip, returning Larvee to the ball with a pensive expression. I stared, utterly at ease.

With the defeat of Larvee, that meant all 3 of Green's most troublesome pokemon for me, that being Larvee, Togee, and Dree, were defeated. All she had left was Lapee and Saury... We were in the final stretch of this battle. It was only a matter of time before a winner was crowned. I needed to ensure that it was me. I could see it already. Green was nervous.

"Lapee," Green said softly. The Lapras hummed on arrival, wincing slightly as the Stealth Rocks mercilessly crashed into her. She huffed at that, shaking off the slight pain and sitting straight. Freyja let out an excited noise, one that Lapee mimicked. The two beamed at one another, immediately shooting off into their own conversation.

"Focus, Lapee," Green said tersely. The Lapras nodded, smiling one last time at Freyja before focusing on the task at hand. She basked in the heavy rainfall with a soft sigh.

"No water techniques, Freyja," I reminded. She nodded, her expression shifting as tensions settled.

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

"Dragon Pulse."

"Mist!" Freyja cried out, launching a Dragon Pulse directly at Lapee with pinpoint aim. It collided slightly with an almost solid fog, losing a bit of power but plowing straight through nonetheless. Lapee shuffled as the attack connected, weathering it with only a tiny grunt. She opened her mouth and unleashed a thick beam of ice that Freyja immediately shied away from. The Ice Beam sailed past her, but Freyja didn't pay much attention to it, firing off a Dragon Breath in retaliation.

The Lapras was not content to just weather the attack this time, matching it with a Water Pulse. Despite the collision, Freyja's attack quickly won out, smashing into Lapee with less force than she had fired it with. Green's eyes narrowed.

"Ice Shard." Freyja cried out as the chilling blades immediately connected. Her tough scales weathered them well, and she hissed instinctively at the chilly temperatures.

"Scale Shot, build some speed," I grunted. She nodded, aiming her tail at Lapee and unleashing a salvo of scales. They flew through the air at blinding speeds, repeatedly clashing with Lapee, who cried out in annoyance.

"Thunder," Green said bluntly. My eyes widened at the command. Before I could say anything, Lapee shot a bolt of electricity into the sky, causing it to shriek loudly. A massive bolt of lightning crashed from above and connected directly with Freyja at speeds too fast to react to. It homed in on her location as if it were a heat-seeking missile. Freyja shrieked in both surprise and agony as the bolt connected. If not for her draconic lineage and Marvel Scale, she'd be suffering far more.

"Again," Green said coldly.

"Wrap!" I retorted with a violent gleam in my eyes. As Lapee geared up to fire another Thunder into the sky, Freyja fought through her pain and rocketed over to her opponent's position. The moment I shouted Wrap, Green knew exactly what my plan was, but Lapee was a good soldier and immediately followed through with the order. Freyja hissed, wrapping tightly around the stunned Lapras. Her scales dug into Lapee's long neck, curling around repeatedly, and making her fellow water type squirm uncomfortably.

"Lapee, get her off you!" Green shouted desperately. It was not to be. Much like earlier, the Thunder crashed down at ferocious speeds, connecting squarely with both of them and getting a shrill shriek to escape them both. Green grit her teeth at my maneuver, her expression cracking more and more. Both Freyja and Lapee sagged slightly, the Lapras having taken more damage from the second Thunder than Freyja did. Freyja hissed, not having released her grip at all.

Even as sparks raced across her body in troves, she just used the paralysis to her advantage, digging incredibly tough scales into the faltering Lapee.

"Hypnosis!" I shouted, seeing my avenue. Green grit her teeth.

"Freeze-Dry!" My eyes widened in horror at the command, shock on my face as Lapee unleashed a frigid gust of air at Freyja, who had been a moment too slow to capture her in the Hypnosis. The results were immediate. Freyja let out the loudest shriek yet, immediately releasing Lapee and collapsing onto the floor as the Freeze-Dry connected. Freeze-Dry was the worst possible move Freyja could get hit with. Not only was it the only ice-type move to be super effective against water pokemon... Freyja was part dragon.

Freyja wailed in agony as the attack struck true, writhing on the floor as the Freeze-Dry devastated her insides. Lapee panted, wincing backwards as sparks raced across her body. She sprinkled some water overself, healing up some of her injuries, before mercifully putting Freyja out of her misery with a well-timed Ice Beam. Freyja's struggles stopped as her body iced over. I scowled as she transformed into a pillar of ice. The referee took one look at her and raised a flag.

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

"Using Freeze-Dry against Freyja at the vital moment... clever, especially considering Freyja's augments," Lorelei praised, watching the battle intently. The counter to Thunder was well thought out, but Lapee had been a little too fresh for the attack to incapacitate her fully... Not to mention, Freyja's paralysis had slowed her at the vital moment of the Hypnosis, giving Lapee enough time to fire off her attack first.

It was evident in every maneuver that Green had specially prepared to battle Silver, but in that same vein... Silver seemed well-equipped to deal with her. It was impossible for Lorelei to tell who was going to win this battle. She watched with an enraptured gaze, invested in this battle much like every other viewer was. Lorelei wouldn't be surprised if the majority of the world were watching this battle. A figure sat alone in a dark room, arms crossed over knees pulled up to their face.

The only source of light in the room was the television. They watched the battle with a half-lidded gaze, eyes locked onto both the trainers in a fierce struggle. Two friends battling in the finals, four friends all pushing themselves... all of them having the time of their lives....

"They look like they're having fun. I'm so jealous of them," they murmured, burying their head into their knees. I returned Freyja with a frown, pondering my choices. That Life Dew had been troublesome, but on the bright side, Lapee had been paralyzed by her own Thunder. Nodding to myself, I grabbed a ball and launched it forward.

"Oberon," I murmured, watching Oberon burst from the ball with a powerful roar. His eyes lit up, and he waved at both Lapee and Green. Lapee's own gaze lit up, and she happily greeted Oberon despite her condition. Green smiled and waved at the bear, expression quickly smoothing back over. Oberon's own gaze turned serious, and he growled lowly. Lapee let out a deep breath, focusing on the Ursaring with a weary gaze.

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

"Bulk up; Earthquake," I said immediately.

"Ice Beam!" Green shouted at the same time. Oberon's muscles bulged with exertion before he immediately slammed a paw onto the ground with earth-shattering force. Lapee let out a squeal of surprise, offshooting her Ice Beam as the Earthquake dislodged her. Water splashed everywhere, seeping into cracks formed from Oberon's strength. As Lapee steadied herself, she let out a squeal as a boulder slammed right against her.

The force sent her skidding backwards before more boulders landed around and cut off room for escape.

"Bulldoze!" I demanded. Lapras were pokemon that preferred combat in the water. It wasn't the fastest on land, but it could move around. By reducing its movement options even more... it would be very beneficial for us.

"Surf!" Green shouted suddenly. Lapee immediately summoned a tidal wave, smaller in size than Freyja's but no less intimidating, and fired it. Oberon let out a cry of surprise as it floored him, fur sagging under the weight of the water.

"Now, Thunder!" Lapee fired off the bolt of lightning to the sky once more before the enormous Thunder honed in on Oberon with ruthless efficiency. He shrieked, body lighting up at the merciless attack. I noticed the Lapras panting in exertion, eyes narrowed in contemplation.

"You alright, Oberon?" The concern in my voice was visible as I stared at my Ursaring. He huffed, glaring murderously at Lapee. He immediately grabbed another massive boulder and launched it at the Lapras, charging behind it. It smashed unforgivingly into Lapee, making her wail at the force. Her eyes widened in panic as she saw Oberon approaching, and she immediately fired a Water Pulse that he punched right through.

Lapee hissed as sparks ran across her body, leaving her vulnerable for a split second that my Ursaring gleefully took. Lapee tried to fire off an attack, but Oberon dashed any hopes of that by lifting her above his head and suplexing her to the ground. She let out a cry at that before it devolved into a pained wheeze at the massive fist planting itself on her face. Green grit her teeth.

"Lapee, Confuse Ray!" I tried to yell out an order at that, but at that proximity, there was no hope. Lapee strained but fired off the orb. She scrambled away as Oberon suddenly roared. Goddamnit. Green hissed.

"Ice Beam!" Lapee reared her head back and unleashed the beam. It connected directly with Oberon's midsection, getting him to roar furiously.

"Listen to me, Oberon! Earthquake!" I demanded. I'm not sure if he actually heard me, but Oberon did actually slam both his fists onto the ground. Lapee squealed as she was sent tumbling, the noise causing Oberon's gaze to snap towards her. Even in his confused rage, he lunged. Lapee saw the approach and immediately blasted him with a Water Pulse, pushing him backwards.

"Bulldoze, Oberon!" I shouted. No dice. Oberon snarled and lunged once more, only to howl as Lapee once more launched him away. I was getting really sick of people taking advantage of Oberon's temper.

"Oberon, listen to my voice! Stop letting them take advantage of you!" Oberon twitched at my voice. He was soaked to the bone, sagging due to more than just the water now.

"Brine, Lapee!" Green demanded. Lapee cried out, shooting an orb of water into the sky. It burst immediately, attempting to drop water droplets on the Oberon, who had dodged the attack. Wait. Green and my eyes widened at the same time as Oberon avoided the attack before returning fire with a barrage of stars that made Lapee wince back. Then, a flurry of boulders landed around her, cutting off any chance of escape.

"You snapped out of it?!" I asked in surprise, gazing at my Ursaring with wide eyes. He snarled, clearly as fed up with his temper being taken advantage of as I was. His arm glowed a vivid shade of orange, and he lunged at Lapee. The Lapras had wide eyes and tried to fire another Water Pulse that Oberon plowed straight through.

"Finish it, Oberon!" I demanded. Green's eyes were wide in horror.

"Perish Song, Lapee!" I set my jaw at that, watching as Lapee unleashed a hauntingly horrific noise that slowed Oberon for a single second. Naturally, he didn't stop completely and delivered the brutal Hammer Arm directly onto the neck of the Lapras, uplifting and ragdolling her. But the damage was already done. Oberon was on a timer now because of that Perish Song... I sucked my teeth in annoyance. Lapee let out a strained breath. She tried to lift her head, but went limp as the pain rendered her unconscious.

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

"Go Oby!" Sun roared, pumping both his fists up. Bulbasaur cheered as well, waving his vine around.

"Go Oby," Moon said quietly, relying on Squirtle to cheer for the both of them.

"You can do it, Green!" Yellow shouted. Charmander wanted to cheer for Silver... but he loved Yellow too much. The blonde flinched at the two other children staring at her.

"Traitor!" Sun accused.

"Big traitor," Moon said severely, staring at her.

"I love big brother Silver... B-But I want Green to win," Yellow stammered nervously. The two children continued staring at her.

"Don't let them change your mind, Yellow!" Maple encouraged, standing up. She cupped a hand around her mouth.

"GO, MY LITTLE LEAFY! KICK HIS SMUG BUTT!" she roared. Yellow, boldened by Maple's cheers, leapt up as well.

"GO GREEN! YOU CAN DO IT!" she cheered. The twins immediately stood up.

"GO, BIG BRO. YOU GOT THIS!" Sun shouted.

"Go, big bro!" Moon said, slightly louder than normal. Solari watched Maple, feeling a bead of sweat forming from her antics. She felt that bead of sweat drop as Maple's screams emboldened the crowd to start cheering for Green as well. Then, she saw her twins turn towards her with expectant faces.

"Well... I did tell him I'd root for him since the other mothers would root for their children," she mulled. She hardly ever raised her voice... but Solari would admit that the high energy was affecting even her. Sighing, the woman stood up, cupped her mouth, and screamed, "GO SILVER! WIN THIS MATCH!"

"YEAH! GO, BIG BRO SILVA!" Sun shouted eagerly. Solari didn't miss the startled look Maple shot her. She just smiled, satisfied that her shouting had kick-started cheering on Silver's side as well. The woman's smile widened at the sight of Moon staring at her with a smile of her own. She pumped her little fist slightly, not even enough for anyone but her to see, but the sight made her heart warm. She turned towards the exciting battle with an eager expression.

Solari wasn't the most excited about battles, but this one was so thrilling! She wondered if it was because she cared about both the contestants.

"I didn't know you could get so loud," Maple murmured. Solari giggled.

"Well, how could I not with you right here?" Maple laughed sheepishly.

"Sorry, I can't help it. I got too caught up."

"I understand," she said soothingly. Maple twitched.

"Hey, you're the youngest of us mothers. Stop that," she scolded. Solari giggled even louder. Despite being down to one pokemon, Green suddenly looked quite calm. It was easy to tell why. After all, her last pokemon was—"Saury," she said confidently, throwing her final ball forward.

"With her back against the wall... Can Green and Saury pull it off once more?!" Saury rumbled, looking even bigger than the last time I saw him. The Venusaur was massive, but its presence was truly enormous. It loomed over even the crowd. He was a real Final Boss. A perfect opponent for me.

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

"He's on a timer, Saury, take it slow!" Green demanded.

"Go crazy, Oberon! Earthquake! Destroy his side of the battlefield!" I barked. Oberon howled, smashing the floor with thunderous force. It trembled from the power, getting Saury to let out a rumble of discontent as he remained rooted to his spot. He took a single glance at the waning rain before banishing it altogether with the blazing sun. He seemed to visibly relax at that before blindingly fast vines shot out of him, aiming towards Oberon with relentless precision.

They quickly latched onto him, attaching themselves to my Ursaring without much trouble. My eyes narrowed at that.

"Grab him, Oberon!" Oberon snarled loudly; he latched onto the flurry of vines with a glare, prompting the Venusaur to yank him... Or, at least attempt to. Saury looked very surprised to be met with resistance before letting out a roar of surprise as Oberon yanked him with raw power. I watched with a wild grin as the massive Venusaur flew through the air.

"My word! Oberon's strength never ceases to amaze me!"

"Double-Edge, Saury! Use the momentum!" Green roared.

"Match it, Oberon! Hammer arm!" I demanded. Saury glowed, adjusting to his temporary flight and positioning himself for a full-body tackle. At the same time, Oberon's arm glowed a vivid shade of orange. Saury practically mowed him over, pushing Oberon back several feet, but letting out a rumble as he realized his airborne flight had been stopped. It only took the stunned Venusaur a moment to realize he had been caught.

Oberon winced at the pain, body nearly crumbling under the weight, but instead, he slammed Saury to the ground and brutally crashed his hand on the Venusaur's head. He panted harshly, only to roar as the vines wrapped around him began glowing, draining him quickly of his energy.

"Payback!" I shouted. Oberon's fist was enshrouded in darkness before he delivered a brutal blow that dislodged Saury completely, sending him flying. A majority of the vines wrapped around Oberon snapped right off from the force of the punch. As the bruised Saury landed, Oberon took a single step before abruptly stopping. He let out a terrible shriek, collapsing to his knees. I sucked my teeth, returning him with zero hesitation as the Perish Song finally took root. That was okay... he had done enough.

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

"That's that then," Surge grunted. The sisters raised a brow, turning towards him with looks of confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"That squirt's last pokemon is his Meganium. She won't stand a chance against that Venusaur," he said matter-of-factly.

"Ah!" They said in unison.

"Yeah... she's scary, but that Venusaur is something else," Lily murmured.

"I think it's over," Violet replied.

"Super over," Daisy exhaled. A giggle caught their attention, prompting them to turn towards Erika, who was smiling.

"You might find yourselves surprised," she said softly. Koga nodded in agreement.

"He seems to have planned for this." Sabrina scoffed.

"As eager as I am for Green to finish this battle, even I would not be foolish enough to think Silver will go down easily."

"Never underestimate a boy as vindictive as Silver," Erika advised, looking utterly pleased. Flashback"So... Silver, is there a reason you want Gaia to learn these moves? What set you down this path?" Erika asked curiously, sipping a cup of tea. Silver grunted and turned towards her.

"My original plan was to learn Weather Ball after I battled you. It just evolved into my current thought after I saw Gaia revive a plant," he replied honestly. Something so simple had caused him to try to create an entirely new technique? Erika was already well aware that Silver was different... but he was so odd! Then, she latched onto something peculiar.

"Hold on, Weather Ball was the technique you wanted to learn initially? Not Natural Gift?" she asked in blatant curiosity. He nodded.

"I wanted Weather Ball for Saury."

"Saury?!" Silver grinned in a sardonic manner.

"My first battle against Green was a stomp once she sent him out. He crushed Gaia... and neither of us ever forgot it." Erika gazed at the psychopath with wide eyes.

"Hold on... this technique is just an evolution of you wanting revenge?" His vicious grin widened.

"Vengeance is a powerful tool. It's served me pretty well over this past year," he said knowingly.

"I promised Gaia one thing and one thing only... We will be getting a win against that damn Venusaur. I guarantee it."

"Gaia," I said coolly, releasing my starter from the ball. Gaia bellowed on arrival, eyes lighting up in joy at seeing who her opponent was.

"And there she is! Silver's final pokemon is Gaia, the ferocious Meganium! But her opponent is the indomitable Saury. Can a Meganium really beat a Venusaur?!"

"Shut the fuck up and keep your bias to yourself, announcer man. I don't need you to doubt Gaia; I need you to do your damn job," I said bluntly, ignoring the gasps that rang through the arena at my harsh words. The announcer stammered at that, caught off guard by me calling him out.

"M-My apologies!" he shouted. I scoffed.

"It's a one-on-one, Gaia. You against Saury." Green looked utterly at ease at the matchup.

"Deja vu," she said softly. I smirked, peering at the blazing sun above.

"Not quite." Saury and Gaia stared at one another with two different expressions. There was that ever-present seriousness that the Venusaur was well known for, while Gaia glared ferociously, determination set on her features. Perhaps I had been a little too harsh on Ash... after all, this matchup was basically me doing exactly what I scolded him for. But Ash just wasn't as vindictive as I was. I'd break the laws of the world just to get my well-deserved vengeance.

"It's the final matchup of the Indigo League! Will Silver claim the title as the Final Boss, or will Green climb and slay this impossible villain?!"

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

"Light Screen."

"Growth!" Neither Gaia nor Saury began with an attack, setting up before the war began.

"Safeguard," I said coolly. Green's eyes narrowed at the order, watching the white sheen surround Gaia's body.

"Sludge Bomb, Saury." Saury rumbled, opening his mouth and firing off several brown globs. The projectiles were launched at violent speeds, crashing into the Light Screen and making Gaia hiss as some of it spilled onto her.

"Earthquake," I decided. She bellowed again, rearing back and slamming the floor. More cracks formed from the impact, and Saury snarled in annoyance as the shockwaves struck him. He glared at Gaia slightly, tensing up... And vanishing from his spot. The Venusaur began speeding across the battlefield, the sun above boosting both his speed and power to an absurd degree.

"Sweet Scent, Gaia. Calm him down." Saury appeared to the human eye once more, stopping in his tracks as Gaia filled as much of the battlefield as she could with her powerful aroma. He swayed a little at the scent, eyes half lidded... I grinned.

"Grass Whistle." Green's eyes widened in disbelief.

"No, Saury! Don't listen to that!" It was a hopeless endeavor. I learned that grass-types were particularly susceptible to Gaia's aroma. It was a nice boon for her. Allowed me to land certain techniques more easily. Gaia sang a melodious note, sound waves racing through the air and lulling the Venusaur to sleep slowly but surely. Saury tried to resist, but not even the serious Venusaur was immune to everything.

"You know something, Leaf?" I questioned, watching as Saury fell asleep.

"People are treating you like the underdog of this match." Green gnawed on her lip as Saury's eyes shut, eyes wide in dread.

"I've never once considered you the underdog. To me, you've been Player 1 the moment you defeated me... and one of my ultimate goals for Kanto has been to beat you. You seemed very confident about Saury beating Gaia... but you of all people should know I'd never let that first defeat slide," I said honestly.

"Gaia, Weather Ball."

"What?!" Green shouted in horror. Gaia grinned fiercely. A clear ball formed in front of her that swelled quickly, turning a vicious shade of orange. It sparked slightly before flames formed around it. With a vindictive level of glee, Gaia fired the Weather Ball directly at the slumbering Saury, connecting squarely with the Venusaur. His gaze snapped wide open at the hit. Saury unleashed an excruciating roar, stumbling backwards as the Weather Ball practically ignited him.

"Shatter his footing!" I barked.

"Saury, focus!" Green shouted desperately, an urgency entering her voice that had not been there at the start of this round. Gaia was merciless; she reared back and slammed, creating another Earthquake that made the already stumbling Saury lose his footing. Her vines instantly lashed out, grabbing his forelegs and tipping him over.

"Flamethrower!" I demanded.

"Huh?!" Green spluttered. Nature Power didn't normally work with the weather... but Gaia and I had tackled it with ferocity born from a mutual desire to get revenge. With the help of Weather Ball, Gaia had gained a somewhat better understanding of weather phenomena. While not perfect — we didn't even make much progress with Natural Gift — she had connected Weather Ball and Nature Power to a degree that allowed her to draw some energy from the sun. It's how she was able to fire Flamethrowers like this.

It wasn't perfect by any means, but it was progress. I grinned wildly as Gaia conjured a set of flames in front of her, firing off the stream and scoring a direct hit with the struggling Venusaur. Green bit her lip with far more force.

"Get up, Saury! Sludge Wave!" Saury pulled himself up, wincing in agony at the severe damage he had taken. In comparison, Gaia looked completely fresh. She eyed the Venusaur with a predatory gleam, even as he summoned a giant wave of poison that threatened to consume her.

"Gaia, grab a boulder from the cracked earth! Protect yourself!" Her vines snaked out rapidly, sneaking into the large cracks with blinding speed. She bellowed, ripping up part of the ground and holding it like a shield. What got through the Light Screen clashed against Gaia's secondary protection. Saury had to speed away from another gout of flames, huffing as Gaia put him through the wringer.

"Don't let up, Gaia! Burn him!" I demanded, eyes gleaming.

"No! Run Saury! Avoid it!" Green urged. Saury tensed up, racing away from the flames and closer to Gaia... only for the Venusaur to trip on a set of vines.

"The bigger they are, the better it feels to drop em," I said confidently, watching as the battle completely unraveled for Green. As Saury collapsed to the floor, Gaia mercilessly summoned another Weather Ball, firing it and having it crash into the Venusaur. Green watched in despair as the attack sent Saury flying backwards, the loudest roar yet escaping him. He landed on her side with a thunderous noise, smoke ominously wafting off him. I raked a hand through my hair.

"Everyone loves to underestimate Meganium, calling them weak and useless in comparison to other grass-types." I scoffed.

"I think you're just all fucking trash. If you aren't good enough to make it work, just accept that you aren't instead of making excuses. I'll rake in the benefits on my own." Lyra's eyes turned into stars.

"5 stars! 5 stars! He's so cool! He's so freaking cool!" she cheered. His Meganium was unlike any Meganium she had ever seen. While more powerful, Erika's own Meganium didn't fight like Gaia! She would know; Erika was her favorite celebrity! Marina turned towards her daughter with a coy smile.

"Oh? When are you going to ask him out?" Lyra didn't even register her mom's statement. She continued staring at the collected Silver with an unhinged gleam in her eyes.

"He'll become my teacher! I can learn so many things from him! I'll ask him after this tournament!" Marina clapped happily.

"Perfect because I've already set up a date between you two!" Lyra whirled around in horror.

"WHAT?! YOU MET HIM?!" Her mother nodded cheerfully.

"He is just the sweetest little boy ever! I think you two would get along great!" The youngest daughter held her head.

"Oh no... if he met you first, he'll never accept me. You just ruined it for me," she moaned sadly. Marina actually looked offended.

"I'll have you know that I helped you!" Lyra just groaned louder. She was going to lose. Leaf Green was going to lose. Again. She was going to lose to Silver again. No... no, no, no, no. Why? Why wasn't she good enough? How could she lose again? First with Mew... and now with Saury? Was she... not strong enough? She beat Crystal by miracle... but miracles didn't work against Silver. Silver took miracles and smothered them with his cold exterior. There would be no miracles to save her from this defeat.

Green looked at Saury's body with a clenched jaw, watching him slowly push himself up. He was badly injured, with scorch marks on his green body, burning some of the leaves on him. Green was strong. She had to be. She needed to be stronger. So she would be. Green wouldn't wait for a miracle to save her... She would not hesitate like she had done so against Crystal. She didn't want to use this... but Green needed to win. She needed it.

"Saury..." she said softly. Saury turned towards her with a pained rasp. They locked eyes before Green shut her own.

"... We need to take it to the next level."

"Saury, we need to take it to the next level." My eyes snapped open at that. A chill crawled down my spine at Green's tone... and a blizzard coursed through my body at the words she used. Take it to the next level...? What the hell did she mean by that— I watched with a stunned gaze as Green placed both hands against her hair before she pushed it back. Her expression was unlike anything I had ever seen, a raw desperation mixing with a clinical resolve.

As she pushed her hair, she eventually revealed her ears that were almost always hidden. An earring dangled, the same one that matched the one I currently had in my ear. The one she gifted me. The orb dangled back and forth, like a clock swaying to determine when certain doom would take place. But no, that wasn't the issue. The issue was that there was a similar orb in Green's right ear. If the earring in her left swayed like a clock... then this one had already reached doomsday.

Because Green's right ear wasn't holding a regular earring. No, it was a keystone. A boulder settled in my stomach. Wait a second. Don't tell me... Could Saury— No sooner did I think that did Green's keystone begin glowing. At the same time, a similar glow erupted from inside Saury's flower.

"O-OH?! WHAT'S THIS?! TRAINER GREEN STILL HAS A TRICK UP HER SLEEVE... BUT WHAT IS SHE DOING?!" I watched in horror as Saury began glowing white. He grew another foot, the flower on his back grew more prominent, and a small pink flower bloomed on his forehead. His legs grew sturdier, likely to compensate for the size increase of the flower, which now had additional leaves next to it with their own woody stems. Finally, dark markings appeared between a set of red eyes that never left the wary Gaia's form.

Saury took a deep breath. Then, he released a deafening roar.

"VENUSAURRRRR!" he bellowed. I watched with a clenched jaw. Things could just never be that easy, huh? The gym leaders looked on in disbelief.

"Oh. I did not expect this," Erika said for all of them.

"Oh, look! She's doing the thing you did!" Mew cheered, spinning next to the shocked Mewtwo. The clone looked at the ongoing battle with a stunned expression.

"She has a pokemon capable of that strange phenomenon as well?" While Mewtwo had not believed he had been the only one capable of such a thing, as evidenced by Silver already having a name for it, he was still surprised a normal pokemon was capable of such a thing. Mega Evolution... Mewtwo knew nothing about it, but Mewtwo did know that when he had transformed with Silver, he had felt truly invincible.

A large part of him wanted to experience that high again, the high of knowing everything, wielding an unbelievable amount of power. If Saury gained anything even remotely similar to what Mewtwo had... then Silver might be in a monumental amount of trouble. Mew giggled.

"Isn't it so fun how the tables have turned?!" Mewtwo thought of the question.

"It is rather ironic." The situation was almost startlingly familiar. Silver had dominated Green, only for her to reveal a trump card. Much like Mewtwo's battle with Mew, where Mew had dominated him until he revealed an unknowing trump card. He focused on the girl's expression, eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"The climax of the battle is approaching," he murmured.

"It's been so fun! Go Green!" Mew cheered. The psychic summoned two Energy Balls and began waving the green orbs like they were pompoms. Mewtwo shook his head in exasperation. He was not sure why, but while watching the ongoing events of this tournament, Mew had suddenly appeared and made themselves at home. Mewtwo had been watching the entire event with his clones, along with his original. From start to finish. It was odd... but he did not dislike it. I ignored the stunned crowd, gazing at Saury with wide eyes.

The Mega Venusaur. I tore my gaze off him, glancing at Green. She did not meet my eyes, expression as severe as the Venusaur on the field. Despite that, those bright green eyes blazed. I clenched my jaw.

"Be ready, Gaia. We're gonna win this." The shellshocked Gaia straightened at my words, nodding in determination. She glared at Saury and bellowed, summoning a Weather Ball once more that she launched. Saury gazed at the attack as if it were a nuisance, a far cry from his reaction earlier. Thick vines, as thick as trees, lashed out to catch the fiery ball. My jaw set even further as the Weather Ball clashed with the vines instead of burning right through.

To my further dissatisfaction, as the fire attack lost power, I realized it was never going to break through. Fucking hell. I finally think of a counter for Saury, and he goes and does this. Mega Venusaur's ability was Thick Fat, giving it far more resistance to fire and ice techniques.

"He's not fast anymore, Gaia. He's a lot harder to beat, though," I warned. Green finally spoke.

"So, not even this surprises you. You really do know everything," she said softly. I clicked my teeth.

"Not everything; just enough. Earthquake!" Gaia slammed down furiously, the ground moving in time with her action. As the ground trembled, Saury didn't budge an inch. The Venusaur rumbled, voice even deeper than before. Those tree trunk vines lunged at ridiculous speeds, latching onto the surprised Gaia and constricting around her. She cried as they hoisted her in the air with startling ease, treating the Meganium as if it were a baby Chikorita all over again.

The enormous constructs slung her through the air at blinding speeds as if the boost of Chlorophyll never went away. Saury rumbled and summoned a tidal wave of poison. Unlike before, this one looked like it could match Freyja's Surf. I watched in horror as the poison threatened to consume the battlefield. What a massive fucking wave.

"Light Screen!" I demanded. Gaia struggled in her captivity, but summoned a Screen to protect herself. It was a very moot point. The overwhelming wave of poison consumed the screen in an instant, crashing into Gaia with unforgiving cruelty. I didn't even hear her wail, gritting my teeth as the tides of the battle completely shifted.

"You alright, Gaia?!" I urgently asked her that question, gnawing my lip as I thought of a solution to this. She struggled, drenched in poison. Before she could reply to me, the vines made themselves known once more. They ignored the poison seeping off her, dragging her through the air once more with a mind of their own. Saury and Green watched in utter silence. They had matching expressions, both severe as they sought to end this battle. I glanced around, head wracking with anything I could think of.

"Gaia! Flamethrower! Aim everywhere you can!" I demanded. Gaia panted, wincing as her body threatened to collapse under the weight of those ruthless vines. She cried as Saury pushed her back down, allowing the poison to further seep into her.

"This is unbelievable! After transforming in the middle of battle, Saury is absolutely dominating! I-I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON?! WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO SAURY?! HE'S EVOVLED?!"

"You can do this, Gaia!" I encouraged. Gaia's eyes snapped open, and she roared. A green aura surrounded her before massive vines shot out of her. They shoved the Venusaur's equally massive vines right off, much to the surprise of Saury and Green. There was a wild gleam in both of our eyes as Overgrow activated. Her vines, while not as thick as Saury's, had grown tremendously, finally able to free herself from his unforgiving grip. Gaia snarled and unleashed a violent Flamethrower.

She aimed it indiscriminately, and the purpose for that was proven soon as the puddles of poison left behind by Saury suddenly ignited. Both the grass types shuffled at that, looking distinctly uncomfortable from the flames, but I was undeterred.

"Power Whip all around you, Saury!" Green demanded.

"Grass Pledge! Fill the field!" I demanded, eyes glimmering with madness. As Saury whipped those massive vines around, the flames actually began to lose their strength, the raw size of them putting them out. Then, a column of leaves erupted from underneath the Venusaur, catching fire immediately. As this happened, a noxious gas began filling the air, murky and visible as a result of the toxins burning. Gaia snarled as a glob of poison bowled her over, courtesy of Saury firing a Sludge Bomb at her.

While surrounded by flames, he was more focused on taking out Gaia. By now, his vines had put out most of the flames, too thick to be burned by them, and even the distraction of the burning Grass Pledge didn't stop him.

"Enough, Saury! Finish this! Venoshock!" Green demanded. My eyes glowed madly.

"Gaia! Combustion! THEN PROTECT YOURSELF WITH FRENZY PLANT!" Gaia grinned, an insane grin on her face as well. She had not been idle at all, even on her last legs. No, Gaia had been spreading a Poison Powder mixed with a Sweet Scent through the air. The near-invisible gas had been shrouded by the noxious gas of the burning sludge, but it was there, scattered all over Saury's side of the field. Then, Gaia unleashed a stream of fire directly into it.

At the same time, the ground around her exploded, massive tree trunk vines shooting out as she poured her all into this next action. What followed next was pure pandemonium. I covered my eyes as an explosion ripped through the entire battlefield. The noise was deafening, like repeated cannon fire being launched directly next to you. My ears pulsed, a ringing noise constant as I finally removed my hand. A cacophony of colors greeted me, the most primary being the nearly blinding white light.

A dark plume followed next, crashing against the barrier in every direction. I could not hear anything; my body buzzed with the aftereffects of the explosion, I tasted soot on my lips, and I had to blink the stars out of my eyes more than once. My vision started to clear at the same time the explosion began to settle. The first thing I saw was the utterly panicked gaze of Green on the other side, her eyes locked onto the field as well. The second thing I saw was Saury. He looked like he had been through a warzone.

Burn marks from flower to toe, the Venusaur had both its eyes shut by no choice of its own. All around, his thick vines lay burnt and immobile, blackened by the explosion that had taken place. Even a trip to the Center wouldn't restore his wounds immediately; he'd need to rest for a very long time. But Saury was still standing. He was battered and bruised... but he was standing because he had protected himself to the best of his ability with the thick vines. The same could not be said for Gaia.

My Meganium was curled into herself, shivering for what could be a plethora of reasons: the poison in her system, the explosion, the Venoshock, the energy sap from using Frenzy Plant... She had burns on her body as well. There was no coming out of that explosion unscathed, even with the shield of Frenzy Plant... The tense silence was finally broken by the stunned referee shakily raising his flag.

"Meganium is unable to battle! As a result, Trainer Silver has no more pokemon left for battle. The winner of this match is Leaf Green and Venusaur!" The awed referee announced. There was a tense silence... and then Saury glowed white and transformed back into his default state, collapsing on the floor without further prompting. That single action opened the floodgates. The entire stadium trembled. What started as a single roar instantly became thunder.

Thousands of voices exploded, all trying to comment and only adding to the noise. People leapt to their feet, arms were thrown high, applause ringing through the arena... But one thing remained constant—"GREEN! GREEN! GREEN! GREEN!" I sagged slightly, shutting my eyes with a small sigh. A large part of me suddenly sympathized with my mother. Even without an inferiority complex, this was probably one of the worst feelings I've ever experienced. If no one had really checked up on her...

Maybe I could see why she went down the road she did. This was what the loser had to deal with. That's all there was to it. I raised my ball and returned Gaia with a frown.

"There's no shame in that defeat, girl. You did amazing. We almost had him," I murmured, attaching her to her slot. How unfortunate. I had been so close, but Green was still one step ahead of me. I stared at her. She was taking in the crowd with a stunned expression, her head swiveling back and forth as they shouted her name in unison. As if feeling my gaze, she looked at me. It was the first time she had looked at me since she had Mega Evolved Saury. I shook my head, ignoring the bitterness at my loss.

"You got me. Of all the things I prepared for, this wasn't one of them," I said dryly. Green opened her mouth and shut it, no words coming out. I huffed. This was just another thing I'd have to prepare for. My goal of crushing Saury with Gaia would have to wait for now.

"It's your win, Green... but not for long," I said finally. Winner of the Kanto Indigo League: Leaf Green"Professor? When did you give her such a thing?!" Elm asked Oak with wide eyes. Oak hummed, a slightly unreadable look in his eyes.

"I had no intention of even revealing I had it in my possession. Young Green approached me with full knowledge of what a Mega Stone was, had a Keystone of her own, and she was aware that Venusaur was capable of Mega Evolution." Rowan turned to him next.

"And you parted ways with it?" Oak laughed softly.

"I have one for Charizard and Blastoise as well. A gift from my good friend Mr. Pokemon. I just never expected Green to be aware of it. I originally never planned on giving it to any of them until the time was right, but the look in her eyes told me she would not take no for an answer." Elm looked nervous.

"Are you sure it was wise to give it to one so young? We don't quite know everything about Mega Evolution yet."

"It is experience that builds such knowledge," Oak countered. Rowan stroked his mustache.

"While I trust your judgement... that girl is volatile. You've always been better at understanding pokemon than humans," he replied.

"I've learned that in recent times... but I'm trying to better myself," Oak replied softly. The professor of Sinnoh nodded.

"Good. Age is no indication that one should stop changing."

"Though I will admit that she informed me she wished to use it against any possible threats. I did not imagine she would use it against her allies so soon," he revealed. Elm frowned at that.

"I see... regardless, that was a spectacular battle... what a marvelous tournament!" The three professors were in full agreement on that statement. Steven and Wallace gazed at each other with wide eyes, speechless.

"How on earth does she have access to that?" Steven hissed in disbelief. Wallace opened and shut his mouth.

"Perhaps she stole it?" he said coyly, a small smile on his face.

"Get out, Wallace! I'm tired of you!" he barked. Wallace smiled.

"But this is quite the serious matter. Mega Evolution is not something the public knows about, but I suppose it was only a matter of time before the Delcatty came out of the bag." Steven held his head with a groan.

"Well, we now have another reason to visit Kanto. Leaf Green being able to Mega Evolve a pokemon is noteworthy. We must meet her." Wallace nodded in agreement.

"But that will have to wait after the Ever Grande Conference! Afterwards, we must look at this young group of children. They are very... abnormal," he noted. Steven looked disturbed.

"I dread the day they come to Hoenn. I can't help but think they have something to do with the tumultuous state of Kanto."

"Much like you think our dear Silver stole your Beldum?" Wallace baited. The water master finally fled the room as Steven's face took a fascinating shade of red. He laughed all the while. Cynthia stared at the screen with wide eyes.

"Huh?" she said dumbly. Mega Evolution? Why did that child have access to Mega Evolution?

"Leaf Green..." she murmured. Gold, Crystal, Silver... and Green. What a strange group of children.

"We're setting up a trip to Kanto asap. I need to meet them," she decided. Even her research wasn't plaguing her mind right now. Cynthia's desire to see these children trumped that, something that came as a shock to the champion of Sinnoh. It was rare for anything to trump her research...

"How exciting!" she laughed, running through her head all that she'd need to do before going to Kanto.

"Ms. Diantha, we're shooting again!" a crewman shouted. Diantha ignored him, eyes focused on the screen with wide eyes. Any thoughts of further shooting were far gone from her mind at the battle she had witnessed. While it had been utterly superb, there were far more pressing matters. Who exactly were these strange children? Rare pokemon, never-before-seen pokemon, and even Mega Evolution?

"Diantha will cease further shooting for today. Her mind is no longer focused," Gardevoir informed the entire crew, promptly vanishing with the Champion of Kalos before protests could ring out.

"Thank you, Gardevoir. I don't think I could continue that after what I learned today," she muttered, accepting the bottle of water. Weren't they only rookies? That was the only reason Diantha had tuned into the Kanto League. Even if acting was her passion, she was still a battler, and hearing that a group of rookies had stormed a league had piqued her interest, as it no doubt did the entire world. But not even Diantha had been expecting what she saw.

"How am I supposed to continue shooting after seeing that?" she asked, smiling softly. What an interesting group of children. She would like to meet them one day.

"Cousin. Explain," Clair demanded. Lance shrugged, just as surprised as her.

"I had nothing to do with her receiving that."

"Then why does she have it?!" she practically shrieked.

"Maybe the Professor gave it to her. Oak is a very famous man with many connections outside of the League." She scowled, taking a seat.

"Absurd." For once, Lance agreed with her. He sighed, preparing himself for the closing ceremony.

"Someone should at least become the champion of Johto or something. How have 4 kids made my job so much harder?" he thought disbelievingly, a small grin on his face. This was going to suck, probably. He couldn't imagine how many eyes had been on this match. Well, let the trouble come. Those kids were his, so he'd protect them to the best of his ability. Gold, Crystal, and Jasmine stared with wide eyes at what just happened.

"Is that what I think it is?" Janine asked, just as stunned as they were. They nodded mutely.

"Damn," Gold said for all of them.

"Good thing that talk is coming up... it just seems like we keep adding more and more topics," Crystal said weakly.

"What the hell did I just witness?" Mars asked dumbly.

"... Just another day for Colors," Gold informed her with a nervous grin. Silver's twin said nothing for a long while.

"... I think I want out of this gang," she said finally.