20

Five days passed quicker than I expected. I spent them going over strategies with my Pokémon, resting, splurging, and looking up what Drake's team was capable of.

He religiously kept to a specific team of six, five of which were used to help him win the Indigo League three time in a row. He was unable to beat Lorelei, the first member of the Elite Four when he challenged them, but his Dragonite was able to single handedly take out her Cloyster. It was an Elite level Pokémon, certainly deserving all of its praise.

And now, as I stared out at the open arena from inside a tunnel situated on one side of the stadium, my side, waiting for the announcer to do his damn job and actually introduce me, I felt nervous.

I wasn't the type to have stage fright, certainly not with my acting background, but I hadn't expected the stands to be completely packed. And yet, they were, with over five thousand people in attendance. More than that, people I actually knew were sitting in lower level stands, meaning I had even more to worry about. I hadn't even thought anybody would show up!

Well, no. I thought the Brinks family might come around due to their being close by, but I hadn't expected them to bring Nurse Joy along for the ride, nor did I expect Aunt Claire. The Moore's were entirely unexpected, too.

I tried my best to ignore them, only scanning them at the corner of my eye. Dutifully, I ignored their wild cheering since nothing had even happened yet.

My brow twitched in nervous aggravation. What a poor combination.

"Welcome Pokémon fans!" The announcer boomed, causing the stadium to break out into loud chair and my body to startle like a motherfucker.

Hooooo, did not expect that. I hadn't flinched that bad in years.

"Pummelo Stadium is absolutely pulsing with excitement! And why wouldn't you be? The first challenge Drake has received of the year! ARE YOU READY?!"

The crowd went wild, cheering and clapping and having a blast. There was a group in the stands that held up a series of signs, coming together to say PUMMELO WIN!

Jesus, these people are off.

And why does nobody tell me anything? I'm the first match of the new year?! It's been almost two months! I mean, I get it. The Orange League is geared to people that already have established teams, and since they aren't a League recognized operation, less trainers with more established parties come. But really, not a single challenger?

Bullshit.

"And now! Entering the stadium is the man you've all been waiting for! The Orange Crew's Supreme Gym Leader of Pummelo Island, give it up for DRAAAAAAKE!"

I couldn't really see him properly, but the large screen at the center of the stadium made it so I didn't have to. I watched as a man made his way onto the field, easily ignoring the wildness of the crowd. No joke, people went crazy. A group of girls in the front row even flashed him.

And I could understand why they would, dude looked good. He was tall, easily over six feet, and was well muscled to boot. With a mop of thick black hair and an easy smile to add to the mix, anybody could see Drake as an attractive man. I'm comfortable enough int my sexuality to admit such. I cared far less about his looks than I did his accessories, the necklace wrapped around his neck holding his Dragonites Poké Ball being very noticeable.

From within my tunnel, a green light blared. I adjusted my microphone slightly and clenched my fists. It was time for me to take the field.

"Opposing him is Jon Snow, a native of our own Shamouti Island! Jon comes to break Drake's winning streak, earning himself the coveted winner's trophy!"

I walked forwards, the crowd clapping along, though not nearly as loud as they did for Drake. Fine, whatever. Homefield advantage.

Scanning the screen, I admit that I looked good. To prepare a little further for my first televised event, I bought a new outfit. It was similar to my old one but was certainly nicer to look at.

I now wore a pair of grey-brown cargo pants and a black long-sleeve sweater. My sleeves were rolled up, showing a white strip of cloth strapped to my left arm. I also now wore a pair of boots, the kind meant for heavy treks through mountains.

All in all, I looked a little more put together than I did in my sweats and hoodie. Which was the whole damn point.

I finished walking, stood at the middle of the arena. Drake was right in front of me. I offered him a smile.

He did not return it.

"The trainers will begin with the tradition handshake!"

Shut up.

Have I ever spoken of how useless I find announcers to be? No? Well they're fucking useless. I remember back when the Olympics were on, I was watching figure skating. Really cool routines and dangerous stunts? Yeah, my type of thing. But of course, the entire thing was ruined for me by the announcers that wouldn't shut the hell up during the show. I spent more time yelling at my tv for them that day than I did for the Superbowl.

And now? Now that I am in their direct attention?

It's even more annoying.

Drake took my hand, his grip like iron. "I've heard about you," he said, his voice low and harsh. "Making light of my League. Those tricks you used before? They won't help you here. This is a proper battle, no loopholes for you to exploit. Try anything like that and I'll show you what I do to cheaters."

Is-… Is this guy serious? He's like, in his twenties and he just threatened me. Were this a normal circumstance I would be able to handle it, small I may have been but I could fight when it was needed. But this isn't normal. I am ten right now.

This guy has some issues.

I know how to deal with this. The mantra of sticks and stones is entirely right here, especially since I didn't plan to fuck with him. Much. Certainly not in a way that defeated the purpose of the match.

And so, I just smiled at him. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

He bloody well sneered at me, tightening his grip on my hand in such a way that made my knuckles involuntarily pop. Ow. Then, he abruptly released my hand and stomped back towards his podium. I walked towards my own, blowing air onto my closed first in an attempt to ease the discomfort.

We took our positions. A referee made his way to the edge of the arenas center and spoke.

"This will be a full six on six Pokémon battle." He said, gripping a red flag in his left hand and a green one in his right. I was to his left, which meant I was the red trainer. "When three of one trainers Pokémon are unable to battle, there will be a field change. This will occur only once."

He kicked something on his platform, something that caused the ground in front of me to shift. Cogs and gears sounded, the cranking growing steadily in volume, and I watched, dumbfounded, as the flat dirt surface gave way to a thick patch of brown sand that looked supremely difficult to walk in.

Luckily, most of my Pokémon didn't need to walk.

"The battle will begin on a desert field!"

"The Gym Leader is forbidden from switching Pokémon during battle, but the challenger may do so at any time." The ref continued, studiously ignoring the announcer. I wish I had his composure. "This match will begin once both trainers have released their Pokémon. Drake, as the defender, you will release first."

He clipped the ground with his foot once more, and my neck began to emit status. So, the ref was the one that turned on the microphones. Probably smarter that way, all things considered. A ref would be the first to know when a trainer was about to breech the codes of conduct that was expected of them, and to ensure that children and sponsors didn't hear them, would just silence them for the trouble.

Once again. Smart.

Drake wasted no time, grabbing a ball from his belt and releasing the beast it contained onto the field, An Electabuzz took form, its large body furred and crackling with electricity.

I smiled and released Thoros.

"And Drake chooses his Electabuzz! The challenger chooses his… yes? His Gliscor! I am told it is a Pokémon native to the Sinnoh region!"

Seriously? You announce for Pokémon tournaments and you don't have the list of Pokémon in your head? It's you job.

Like I said. Useless.

"Electabuzz, let's start things off easy." Drake grinned. "Hit it with a Thunder Shock!"

His Electabuzz did just that, a small surge of electricity sent right at Thoros. I did nothing. The electricity struck Thoros dead on, but instead of pain, nothing occurred. Thoros just laughed, flying around as the arcs of Electabuzz's Thunder Shock wore away.

Electabuzz looked perplexed. Drake adopted a look of understanding. Must have realized Thoros was a Ground type.

But his Pokémon was confused, and I took advantage of said confusion.

"Thoros, Sludge Bomb!"

He cackled and raced downward, divebombing Electabuzz with a mouthful of acidic mud. The Electric type made to dodge, but the thick sand made it so he could not move quick enough, thus letting the attack his dead on.

Electabuzz cried out in pain. Drake just hummed. "Ground and… Flying, right? Not Dragon. Huh. Guess I'll have to try something else. Electabuzz, use Quick Attack, and lead that into an Ice Punch!"

Electabuzz picked up speed, his feet trailing white energy as his hand turned teal. I did not worry, however. Thoros had an advantage that he never would.

Namely, the ability to fly.

He just lifted into the air, high and far away from Electabuzz. It was close, when it jumped higher than I expected, but Thoros was too agile and Electabuzz just plummeted into the sand, trapped. It roared its aggravation.

Thoros just shat on its head while it was stuck, laughing all the while.

The stands tittered and laughed at the Electric types misfortune. Drake turned red.

"Use Swift!" He roared.

Ah, shit. Swift never missed a target, not unless that target was outside of reach. Guess it's time to adjust my strategy.

"Dodge and then dive down for Dig."

Thoros weaved through the golden stars expertly, claws outstretched as he burrowed into the floor of the arena. The remainders of the Swift attack hit his hole, burying it further, making it so Thoros couldn't be tracked.

My Gliscor took his time. He liked to play games, especially when underground. During this, Electabuzz righted itself, slowly moving around the arena, panting.

"Keep a lookout, Electabuzz." Drake ordered, staring me down.

Probably wasn't happy about the shit thing.

"Buzz lect," mumbled the Pokémon, its eyes surveying the sand with scrutiny. It moved methodically, stepping to the sides with some type of energy encompassing its foot.

Then it stepped forward, and a purple claw grabbed it by the ankle.

Electabuzz struggled, but Thoros didn't give him an option. He grabbed the other ankle and pulled the Electabuzz into the sand, lower body completely submerged. Thoros then surfaced, sinking a shining claw right into Elactabuzz's gullet. Metal Claw, nice.

Electabuzz was a tank, though. It wasn't done just yet. It fired another round of Swift at Thoros.

"Get behind Electabuzz. He can't attack you there." I ordered. Thoros complied, swerving through the stars of Swift as best he could. Sadly, he couldn't dodge forever, and was hit with four stars.

"Iron Tail it in the head."

Tail glowing, Thoros performed a midair front flip and slammed his shimmering appendage onto Electabuzz's scalp. It fell further into the sand, its head being the only thing visible.

This time, it was down for the count.

"Electabuzz is unable to battle, Gliscor is the winner!" The ref called, raising a red flag. The crowd cheered wildly. I heard a distinctive You got this Jonny from both Aunt Claire and my Nurse Joy. I did my best to ignore that one.

Primarily because I did not like being called Jonny.

"Electabuzz is down!"

Fuck that's loud.

Drake clicked his tongue and returned Electabuzz. Thoros glided over to my side of the arena. We both awaited the next opponent.

A Gengar took the field.

"And Drake has chosen his Genger as his second Pokémon! Will the challenger use a different Pokémon as well?"

Nah. Thoros was injured, sure, but only a little. And, all things considered, I didn't have a good counter for Gengar. This wasn't a horrible matchup.

"Gengar, start this off with your Hypnosis." Drake began.

"Ge-e-e-e-e-en Gar-en!" The Ghost type cackled, waving its arms at Thoros in a very suggestive manner.

"Thoros, Dig again. Lead into a Dark Pulse."

Thoros let out his own cackle, diving right into the sand. Gengar growled at the evasion and went intangible, diving down into the ground.

Wait. Really?

Shit.

It wasn't long until Thoros cried out from his tunnel. He was essentially punted out from the sand, bruised and battered and forcibly asleep by way of Hypnosis."

"Gliscor is unable to battle, Gengar is the winner!" The ref called, lifting a green flag. I grit my teeth. That was being asleep, not unable to battle. Thoros could wake up.

Sure, I understand that in some cases a sleep Pokémon is considered unable to battle. Pokémon were living, breathing creatures, and accidents happen. Rare though they might be, death was a possibility, more often than not happening when status effects are ignored.

But this? It was an instant thing, the ref just called it before I could do anything. This stinks of favoritism. Drake's like the New England Patriots, buying off the ref like that.

There was nothing to do, however. I returned Thoros and released the white and red form of Umber. I hadn't planned on using her just yet, she was supposed to help me with Dragonite, but beggars can't be choosers. Valyrian was being a pain in her state of heat, so I just transferred her to Oak. He knew not to let her out until either the heat passed, or she found a partner to knock her up.

"And Gliscor is down! In its place, the challenger has brought out a Delibird as his second. What could he have in mind?"

I don't care how repetitive I sound. Shut up.

"Umber, use Ice Beam!"

"Gengar, Night Shade."

Umber's beam of teal met Gengar's own beam of purple, and somehow, their contact didn't explode. No, instead they seemed to absorb into each other, forming a large sphere of crackling energy from their mixed typing's. It imploded, an earthshattering effect that Gengar took face first. Umber was smart enough to try and fly away, however she wasn't fast enough and also got caught up in the sphere.

The implosion caused a billowing cloud of smoke and sand to rise throughout the arena and the stands. Nobody could see the aftermath of what had just occurred.

"We're sorry for the poor visibility. But, in a moment we will see what's going on! This is all thanks to the new fan system that was installed during New Year's."

Shameless advertising. Wonderful.

Still, at least it wasn't a totally useless waste of Pummelo's tax money. The smoke and dust scattered in a matter of minutes, and upon clearing the result of what had just occurred was plain to see. Both Gengar and Umber were sprawled on the ground, unconscious.

"Delibird and Gengar are both unable to battle!" Called the ref, both his flags raised towards us. The crowd exploded. My ears hurt.

"What a shocker! Both Pokémon are out for the count!"

Drake and I both let out nonsensical grumbles and returned our respective Pokémon.

"This is turning out to be a good battle," Drake said, sounding genuinely surprised by his admission.

"Yeah, same for me." A good battle was a good battle, and just because we didn't necessarily like each other didn't mean we couldn't enjoy our sanctioned cock fight.

"I doubt you'll be able to get past this guy, though!" Drake announced with a grin, releasing his Ditto onto the field. The one for combat, unlike his horde of them in storage. It flexed and moved around like rubber, and I felt my own grin grow on my face.

It wanted to showboat? I'd send it up against a Pokémon that Drake's Dragonite would be nervous to deal with.

"Nagga," I snickered, negligently tossing his Poké Ball onto the field.

There sheer surprise that the stadium let out, crowd and Drake and my own stands included, was music to me. Nagga was genuinely massive, his release visible even past the arena, his roar heard across the whole of the island. He was too large to fit into the arena properly and had to coil his body around to make space. Ditto had certainly stopped flexing at this point, staring Nagga down with a healthy amount of skepticism.

"Drake released his Ditto, and Jon responded with what might be the largest Gyarados the world has ever seen. Look at the size of that thing!"

Nagga preened.

"Well, it won't matter!" Drake said, getting out of his stupor. "Ditto, use Transform!"

Ditto did indeed take Nagga's form, but could not copy his size. Ditto did not posses the King gene, and studies have already been done to acertain how large a Ditto can go. Nagga was so far past that point it wasn't even funny. Instead, Ditto took the form of a normal, if slightly larger, Gyarados.

The field became even more squished, so Nagga backed away further.

"Start this off with a Hydro Pump!" Drake cried, only to balk as the transformed Ditto did nothing.

This was due to two things. One: Nagga didn't know Hydro Pump, which meant Ditto didn't have a move to copy. Two: Ditto took Nagga's form and typing, but not his ability. Intimidate was powerful, its power increased further by the genuine fear Nagga's massiveness brought forth.

And, well. I wasn't going to give him the chance to react.

"Thunderbolt."

Nagga's tri-pronged horn lit up like a Christmas tree, a massive bolt of lightning hitting its target easily. Gyarados as a species were shit at dodging on land, and Ditto was furthermore unused to that form, which made it even slower.

Taking the bolt to the face, combined with the dual Electric type disadvantage that all Gyarados possessed by way of being Water and Flying type, it was no wonder that Ditto was knocked out in that instant.

"Ditto is unable to battle, the winner is Gyarados." The referee announced, keeping a wary eye on Nagga. Belatedly, he raised the red flag towards me.

The cheer from the crowd was dwarfed by Nagga's roar of victory. He uncoiled himself and rose his head high, far past the point of the nosebleed seats of Pummelo Stadium. Louder than he was upon being released, I was positive he caused from problems for the islanders outside.

"What an explosive first round! With the defeat of Drake's Ditto, he has now lost three Pokémon while Jon has lost two. Since Drake has lost three Pokémon, we will take a short intermission while the field changes."

I returned Nagga and Drake returned his Ditto, and we made our way to the viewing area. As I walked, my mic clicked off. My area was taken up by a group of dumbstruck peoples, gawking at me like fools.

It did my ego something good.

"Jon," Aunt Claire purred, being the first to break out of her stupor. She gave me a firm hug and led me towards my bench. "Why did you never mention you had captured such a Pokémon?" Her voice was sweet, but I detected the hint of something in her tone that made me wary. So, I spoke honestly.

"It slipped my mind," I admitted, watching amusedly as Flannery tried to get me a water, only for Melody to rudely snatch it. Then she gave me the bottle, which had the Hoenn native steaming.

Her ire cooled quickly. "I've never seen a Gyarados that large," Flannery breathed, getting close.

"It possesses the King's nature, my dear." Brent explained. He then gave me a look. "A King Gyarados and a Shiny Charmeleon, along with two dragons. You've some rare Pokémon at your disposal. Tell me, does the King know any Fire type attacks yet?"

I shook my head. "He's partial to Electric type attacks right now, which works well for me. They're his biggest weakness. I'll deal with that before moving on to other things."

And I certainly would.

He hummed. "Sensible. If you ever come to Hoenn, stop by the Lavaridge Gym and I'll show you a thing or two."

"Will do." The plan was to visit the Gym in any case, not only for my badge but to hang out with Flannery. She was a really cool girl, super nice too. One of those people that you just can't help but gravitate towards.

Tobias opened his mouth, about to weigh in on the conversation, when the sound of the arena's gears went off once more. I looked towards the arena, the sand giving way to grass, a ring of water making up the Poké Ball symbol in the middle of the field.

"The intermission has ended! The rest of the battle will occur on a grass and water field!"

"Good luck," Carol said. Her sentiment was echoed by everybody. I took a long swig from my water bottle and stood, making my way back over towards my podium.

Drake stared back at me, eyes narrow. We waited for the referee to give us the okay.

"The battle will now resume!" He announced, turning our microphones back on.

Drake chucked a Poké Ball onto the field, releasing an Onix. It was larger than my Crystal variant, with thicker rocks and a meaner look. Defensively, I didn't have much to go with, but offensively I had a decent retort.

Wordlessly, I released Viserion. The Dragonair took the field, preening at the oohs and aahs the crowd let out.

"Drake starts the second round with his Onix and the challenger releases a Dragonair in response!"

"Onix, Slam!" Drake ordered. He looked legitimately angry. Maybe because he wasn't the only one that'd have a Dragonite?

I don't know.

"Dodge but stay close. Then Water Pulse."

Onix was already halfway across the field when Viserion zipped around. The sphere of highly pressurized water was killer on the rock snake, especially when accounting for how fast Viserion was. The Rock type groan in pain, using Dig to escape another hit.

"Viserion, stay high. Water Pulse when it surfaces. As many as you can." I ordered. My Dragonair went even higher into the air, zipping around like nobody's business. She was high enough to be able to escape Onix no matter what, unless he followed up his Dig with a long-range attack. Based on the amount she was moving, it would miss.

Sure enough, that was exactly what happened. Onix surfaced with a sphere of light green energy escaping his maw. Dragon Pulse. A surely dangerous move for Viserion, had Viserion not been constantly moving.

He basically bunny hopped the thing, firing a Water Pulse right back. Onix hissed as it hit, shaking wildly in an attempt to get the water out. Viserion fired another Water Pulse for good measure.

This time, Onix fell. The Water Pulse hit him square in the jaw, knocking him backwards. His eyes held nothing, no pupil to be seen. He was KO'd.

"Onix is unable to battle, Dragonair wins!" The referee announced, red flag raised. As the crowd cheer, Drake returned the rock snake, frowning.

"Drake has lost yet another Pokémon! Four losses to two! What a surprising turn of events! Will he finally release his Dragonite to even the odds?"

Why are you so useless?

Viserion settled down in front of me. To be on the safe side, I returned him. There were plenty of strategies that involved a Pokémon having a move prepared for the moment it was released.

Drake continued to stare at the Poké Ball holding his Onix, before returning it to his side to grab a new ball. "This is turning out to be a really good match." He said. He then released a Venusaur, the large Seed Pokémon rumbling onto the field, vines fiddling with the grass appreciatively.

I released Drogon.

"For their fifth Pokémon, Drake has brought out his Venusaur while the challenger has chosen a Charmeleon in response. Though, er… it seems to be colored oddly. Is it sick?"

…Really?

This announcer, man… This guy was worse than I thought. It was one thing to not know about Thoros, Pokémon from different regions are excusable. And Nagga, well, Kings are their own thing all together. But Drogon? Shiney's are common knowledge.

Drake actually covered his face with his hand, pink leaking out from his cheeks.

He recovered quickly, though. "You've got got a few rare ones," Drake commented, smiling wryly.

I shrugged. "I got lucky. You're the one with the Dragonite."

He rolled his shoulders, grinning at my retort. "True."

Then he shouted towards the field. "Poison Powder!"

Yousonofabeesh!

From the large flower atop its back, a great plume of purple was expelled. The spores went all throughout the field, and Drogon let out a shiver as it reached him.

"Flamethrower!"

Drogon roared, ignoring the power that wrapped its way around his body. He let out a billow of flame that raced towards Venusaur.

"Safeguard!" Drake shouted. A dome of green surrounded Venusaur. It blocked half of Drogon's flames, the remainder licked at the Grass types legs. It winced.

Luck was on my side, at least. The fire raced its way up Venusaur's body, catching a blaze on its leaves. If Drogon was to be poisoned, then Venusaur would be burned.

"Solarbeam," Drake said, grinning wildly. The massive flower atop Venusaur's back began to glow, particles from the sky increasing the light.

"Smokescreen."

Drogon let out a hacking cough, curtesy of his poising, but dutifully did as I bade. A black smog escaped his maw, blacking the audience from view of the battle. More importantly, it blocked the sun from Venusaur.

"Very smart," Drake commended. "Using Smokescreen to black the sun from Venusaur. However, just because the sun is blocked doesn't mean Venusaur can't still absorb its rays."

The smokescreen turned white, a bright beam streaming into the foray. An explosion lit up the field, dust replacing smoke.

When the dust settled, Venusaur stood there, looking right as rain save for the burn damage.

And Drogon…

He was fine.

His body was surrounded in a green sphere of energy. Though looking pained by way of his poisoning, he was able to guard himself.

I did a good thing teaching him the Protect TM.

Originally, I intended to give that to Rhaegal. She was slow and it only made sense to have her be my tank. However, when I tried to have her learn the TM, it wouldn't work. Generally, that meant a Pokémon could learn a move, but I knew that Shelgon's could use Protect.

Further research gave me the answer. When a Bagon evolves, the Shelgon that appears learns a new move on evolution. This move is always Protect. Rhaegal couldn't use the TM because she already knew the move.

That left me with a bit of a conundrum. Of my Pokémon, that left six that didn't have Protect. I eliminated Valyrian from that list quickly due to her now knowing Iron Defense, and I didn't want Nagga going defensive just yet. This left me with Thoros, Winter, Drogon and Viserion.

Viserion was still figuring out her new body, so she opted out. Thoros was better served improving on his own moves. That left Winter and Drogon. And like the maniacs they were, they solved it in their own fashion.

I still don't know how they chose who got the move, no battle happened as far as I'm aware, but in the end, Drogon was picked to learn Protect.

And clearly, it was a good thing he did.

When the shield from Protect dissipated, Drogon shot out another Flamethrower. Safeguard was still up, but the attack was able to splash Venusaur's face, earning me a pained yowl from it.

"Okay, fine." Drake groaned. "Fine. Venusaur, Frenzy Plant."

Saywhatnow?

Venusaur dug his vines into the grass before us, thick, thorned branches that acted similar to vines growing from the ground. They snaked towards Drogon, and try as he might, he could get away. He made to use Protect, but the defensive ability fizzled out on him. It wasn't meant to be used twice in a row.

And- yep. Venusaur knocked Drogon out of the arena with that, slamming him right into the wall next to Carol. My Charmeleon, golden scales covered in soot and al, was unconscious, his jaw hanging limply, drool dribbling.

"Charmeleon is unable to battle, the winner is Venusaur!" The ref said, raising a green flag. His voice was nearly drowned out by the crowd, even with it being amplified by way of a microphone.

With a sigh, I returned Drogon. I had hoped his type advantage would net him a victory, but alas it was not meant to be. At least he weakened the Venusaur.

I had three Pokémon left. Both Viserion and Nagga had been used, and I was saving the best for last.

"What a battle! Drake has just shown us why his starter Pokémon is not to be messed with! What will the challenger respond with?!"

Nagga.

My Gyarados, massive and foreboding as he was, coiled around Venusaur. The Grass type was panting quite heavily, exhausted by way of the Frenzy Plant it just used.

"Vine Whip!" Drake called out.

"Tank it and use Ice Fang." I countered.

Venusaur tiredly let out its vines, slowly whipping them to and fro. Nagga didn't care, he dove at the Grass type with an open mouth and teal teeth. He closed his eyes as his face was slapped by the Vine Whip, but bit down on the Venusaur in any case.

Lifting Venusaur into the air, Ice Fang still in use by the sounds of the Seed Pokémon's wails, Nagga began to thrash like a dog with a brand new toy. He then released Venusaur, throwing the Grass type onto the outside of the field. Now it was down for the count.

"Venusaur is unable to battle! The winner is Gyarados!" Called the ref, red flag raised.

The crowd did not cheer. Instead, they began to chant.

"Dra-go-nite. Dra-go-nite. Dra-go-nite. Dra-go-nite. DRA-GO-NITE! DRA-GO-NITE!"

God, but they just kept going.

Drake smirked, soaking in their attention happily. He returned his Venusaur and then grabbed the Poké Ball attached to his necklace. Enlarging it in his palm, he tossed it onto the field with a level of confident unconcern that I needed to figure out how to emulate.

Dragonite appeared then. It was large, naturally, but not nearly as large as Professor Oak's behemoth had been. There were a scant few scars on its tan underbelly but it seemed clean as a whole.

Dragonite let out a bark of greeting towards Nagga, not bothered at all by his size, and the crowd erupted in enthusiastic applause.

"AND THERE IT IS! Drake's last Pokémon, the legendary Dragonite! If Dragonite goes down, this battle is over!"

"Nagga! Dragon Rage!"

"Let's use Thunder then, Dragonite."

There was no way Nagga would be able to dodge that. As he slowly built up energy, Dragonite released a grand blast of electricity from its antennae. Thunder struck its mark well and true, and Nagga screamed and convulsed.

Shit. As was seen by way of Ditto, the natural weakness a Gyarados felt towards Electric attacks was a serious problem. Normally speaking, in Nagga's case, he could handle it. Sure, he'd be in pain, but most Pokémon didn't have the ability to summon electricity strong enough to do him in.

But Dragonite was different. Drake's Dragonite was an Elite level Pokémon, one known for taking down two members of Lorelei of the Elite Four's team single handedly.

Nagga is strong. Supremely strong and has the potential to exceed those of Legend. But he's young, still basking and experimenting with being a Gyarados in the first place.

Dragonite has no such issue.

I groaned and returned Nagga. Better he be out of pain than anything. He might have been able to go on longer, but I might lose his trust in turn.

I held up my hand to the ref, and he got my memo. He turned to Drake, raising his green flag. "Jon has forfeited his Gyarados! Dragonite is the winner!"

"A quick defeat! Dragonite has shown that size does not mean strength! The challenger is now down to his last two Pokémon. What will he use?!"

I released Viserion. He'd not taken a hit at all when faced against Onix, but I wasn't feeling like this would go well.

Dragonite perked up mightily at seeing a member of his own line. He barked out a cheer, waving his forearms wildly in greeting. Viserion warbled his own introduction, certainly with less enthusiasm.

"It looks like this will be a battle of Dragons!"

"Let's start this simple," Drake said, putting his hands in his pockets. "Dragonite, use Dragon Rush."

Dragonite lit up in draconic energy and raced towards Viserion.

"Thunder Wave."

Though Dragon Rush hit, due to the close proximity that both dragons were in towards one another, Thunder Wave was impossible to dodge. Viserion was essentially punted, but Dragonite's body began to spark with paralysis.

Sadly, Viserion was down for the count. A super effective move from an Elite Pokémon was a serious thing.

I grit my teeth and returned him, the ref raising a green flag. I was hoping there was more he could have done, but it appears as if that was just a fanciful hope. Viserion hadn't even been evolved for a week though, so I couldn't really complain.

But he set me up. With Dragonite paralyzed, I had a chance. My secret weapon had an even better chance. Drake might have heard rumors of this Pokémon from the rest of the Orange Crew, but I doubt he was properly prepared.

I released Baelish.

"The final battle has officially begun! Drake's Dragonite versus Jon's Natu!"

Oh, hey. The announcer finally remembered my name wasn't challenger.

Dragonite greeted Baelish same as he did my other Pokémon. Baelish was silent, my Focus Band wrapped around his body.

Drake locked eyes with me. He motioned to Baelish and spoke with pity. "Why don't you take the first move? It looks like you'll need it."

"Oh, thank you, idiot meat boy." Baelish chirped, casually ignoring a loud gasp from pretty much everybody. "I think I'll do just that!"

"Did that Natu just talk?"

He then Teleported right on top of Dragonite's nose and used Flash.

Dragonite screeched in surprise, covering its eyes, flailing around helplessly. Baelish then Teleported behind Dragonite and used Nightshade on its back. The attack didn't do much damage, but it connected solidly, and when Dragonite responded with an Ice Beam in the direction that Baelish had just attacked from, he Teleported one more, this time below Dragonite, and used Peck on its ankle.

This was what we practiced. This was my secret weapon. When it came to power and common battle, Baelish was weak. However, his strengths and stature allowed him opportunities that few other Pokémon could ever hope to imitate. Using Teleport to get inside an opponent's personal space, using Flash to blind it, and then Teleporting in every direction while attacking simultaneously. It was mean, a cruel strategy that widdled away at my opponent bit by bit, but it worked.

Dragonite had taken to the air by this point. Baelish just Teleported onto its back and used Peck once again. Dragonite screeched, performing a midair twirl in an attempt to grab Baelish. Baelish had already Teleported away by then.

Nightshade, Teleport. Nightshade, Teleport. Peck, Teleport. Nightshade, Teleport. The pattern continued, over and over and over again, and every now and then he would Teleport right in front of Dragonite's face and use Flash, just to make sure that the Dragon type remained blind.

Added with the paralysis that slowed Dragonite down, the strategy was a roaring success. It took time. Over five minutes of this grueling, torturous battle, until finally, Dragonite let out one last screech, feebly using Slash towards its left. Baelish Teleported to its right and fired one last Nightshade. Dragonite toppled over and blacked out.

The ref looked genuinely confused, like the world had lied to him, as he lifted the red flag. "Dragonite is unable to battle. The winner of this competition is Jon Snow!"

Baelish then Teleported onto my scalp and made a nest of my hair, settling down daintily. I grinned, stroking his feathers as gently as I could, and for once he didn't make a comment. We partnered up on the condition that I would show him how to win, and this victory against one of the strongest Pokémon around certainly showed him my seriousness.

"The- The challenger wins the match? …The challenger… wins the match… THE CHALLENGER WINS THE MATCH!"

For what seems to be the first time since entering the arena, I do not mind the announcer. The crowd roared, getting to their feet, giving me a standing ovation.

Yes. Praise me you plebeians.

I then started heavily when an unfamiliar weight tackled me to the ground. Baelish was thrown from my head and complained up a storm. I looked down and saw Melody was straddling my stomach. Slowly, ever so slowly, she inclined her face towards mine with eyes closed and lips puckered. I covered her lips with my hand.

Not today jailbait.

Aunt Claire approached by that point, shooing Melody by to her laughing sister and relieved grandfather. My aunt had a proud smile on her face as she helped me from the ground.

"You did fantastic," she said, hugging me. I received similar praises from Carol, Tobias, Nurse Joy, Flannery and Brent. Melody was just staring at me sullenly from Carol's side, as if she couldn't believe I didn't want a victory kiss. It's not that I don't want a kiss, it's just that I don't want one from somebody that was years away from an acceptable age range.

Drake approached us, trophy in hand and a strained smile on his face.

"I've never seen Teleport used like that," he said conversationally. "I'll have to look out for it, come up with countermeasures. Maybe get me a Pokémon that can Teleport for myself."

"We are the best," Baelish agreed, returning to my scalp. "But none are better than I."

This was indeed true.

Drake stared at Baelish, contempt mingling with fascination. "How did you even learn to talk?"

"I was taught."

"Bye Jon?"

"What?" Baelish choked, chortling at the suggestion. "My human isn't near smart enough to do that!"

I would have normally flicked him for such a horribly accurate statement, but my mind held firm on his new title for me. My human. I wasn't the meatbag any longer, I was now his human. Baelish was with me 100%.

Perfect.

"Then from who?" Drake asked, starting to get into it.

"Secret," I piped up. The Slowking of Shamouti was no secret, not really. Not like the Birds were. But he was an important part of our more recent culture, protected by the islanders. His talents and skills were unique. The less that knew about him, the better.

Plus, even if I trusted Drake, it hadn't escaped my notice that my microphone was still on. No way was I going to spill the beans for all of Pummelo Stadium to hear.

Drake grumbled, handing me my trophy without another word. The Nurse Joy of Pummelo walked onto the field then, her Chansey by her side and a pair of Machokes carrying a large slab of still drying concrete from just behind her.

It wasn't hard to figure out what they wanted. I released the team I used for the match and watched as both the Pummelo Island Nurse Joy and my own Shamouti Island Nurse Joy went to town on them, their Chansey's casting Heal Pulse after Heal Pulse at the same time. The Pokémon that were knocked out regained their consciousness, Nagga was healed, Thoros awakened and Drogon unpoised.

They then huddled all around me, wildly cheering over their hard-fought victory. The Machokes brought the slab over and leveled it before us.

We then took out turns with the stone. I put my hand in the middle, Nagga taking up the whole top with his tail. Thoros happily snatched the bottom right corner. Drogon pressed his palm to the left of my handprint, so Viserion pressed his tail to the right of my handprint. Umber took the bottom left corner, and then Baelish decided that since he won the match for he he'd just walk across the whole thing.

Nagga did not appreciate this. With a whisker, he slapped Baelish face first into the concrete. The Natu sputtered and whined, but that was his imprint. There were no redoes.

At least Chansey was kind enough to remove the excess concrete from his body before it hardened.

The Pummelo Joy had us line up for a picture in front of the slab. Once it was taken, I returned my team and found myself bodily dragged away by Aunt Claire. She apparently had more questions to ask than I could answer here.

Still, as she carried me out of the stadium by way of her shoulder, the surety of what had just happened washed over me.

I won.

Winter/Pidgeot – Male

Moves: Tackle, Gust, Sand Attack, Agility, Double Team, Whirlwind, Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Steel Wing, Twister, Fly, Hyper Beam, Sunny Day, Heat Wave, Attract, Rest, Sky Attack, Aerial Ace

Ability: Keen Eye

Umber/Delibird – Female

Moves: Present, Icy Wing, Peck, Rest, Attract, Ice Beam, Hail, Blizzard, Sky Attack, Double Team, Aerial Ace

Ability: Hustle

Thoros/Gliscor – Male

Moves: Sludge Bomb, Slash, Poison Sting, Metal Claw, Dark Pulse, Dig, Guano, Attract, Steel Wing, Iron Tail, Sandstorm, Ice Fang, Crunch

Ability: Sand Veil

Drogon/Charmeleon – Male(Shiny)

Moves: Growl, Scratch, Ember, Ancient Power, Attract, Iron Tail, Metal Claw, Sunny Day, Bite, Flamethrower, Dragon Rage, Dragon Claw, Dig, Protect

Ability: Blaze

Rhaegal/Shelgon – Female

Moves: Rage, Headbutt, Ember, Dragon Rush, Attract, Skull Bash, Protect

Ability: Rock Head

Viserion/Dragonair – Male

Moves: Leer, Wrap, Thunder Wave, Water Pulse, Attract, Water Gun, Fly

Ability: Shed Skin

Baelish/Nate – Male

Moves: Peck, Leer, Night Shade, Calm Mind, Protect, Teleport, Flash, Confuse Ray

Ability: Synchronize

Nagga/Gyarados – Male

Moves: Splash, Tackle, Bite, Leer, Thunderbolt, Thunder Wave, Ice Fang, Crunch, Body Slam, Headbutt, Iron Head, Twister, Dragon Rage

Ability: Intimidate

Jon Snow – Male

Date: Feb 23

Orange League: Complete

Held Pokémon: Pidgeot, Delibird, Gliscor, Charmeleon, Shelgon, Dragonair, Natu, Gyarados

Stored Pokémon: Skarmory, Onix

Currency: 12,740