149-152

The New Normal – 8-3 – The Daily Life in Sinnoh

The next week in Sinnoh were mostly ones of idle exploration, where Cynthia continued to show me the ropes of how I could get the most out of my time in the caves. She did not hold my hand, instead pushing me to do better and to go deeper yet always remaining close by in case she needed to bail me out of trouble.

Over these past few days, I learnt two things about Cynthia. One, she was actually an excellent teacher. No doubt she had picked up some skills from her grandmother, but she was very patient and educational about it. She knew when was the right time was to hold your hand and to provide guidance and when was the time to let go and allow you to work things out independently for yourselves.

It was only through her excellent teachings that we managed to explore further down as far as we did. She had showed me a few of the other ruins that they found, and I was still constantly amazed by both the historical significance of these ruins as well as the plethora of rare Pokémon that could be found near them.

However, none of them really caught my interest for me to add them to my team. Even the occasional Lopunny I stumbled across were far too feral and guarded for me to even consider them. Had I caught them, it would take me too long to try and discipline them – especially when they were already so set in their habits.

It just wasn't worth it.

The second thing I learnt about Cynthia was that not only were her Pokémon very formidable, but I had underestimated just how efficient her training schedule was. She maintained an organised but flexible schedule where she frequently woke up before sunrise to train with her team or study other's matches. She was making the most of her current lack of responsibilities to train up herself to an insane degree because she knew she would have less time later.

While many trainers also trained as hard as she did, she was the one of the few that managed to be efficient and disciplined about it.

Seeing how strong she was, I spent some time researching her reputation here in Sinnoh. I stumbled on a few small articles labelling her as a 'genius' and that she had won the Sinnoh Conference two years prior, but little else.

The fact that she wasn't in the Elite Four was baffling, considering her strength. Though, judging by a few of our conversations that we've been having, and a few details she let slip, I suspected that it was only a matter of time until she made her move. She had very ambitious plans that she kept close to her chest.

Watching her train so hard also inspired me to push myself a little harder too. Both with training my Pokémon and with my obligations and responsibilities that I needed to uphold as a representative of Indigo. After all, I couldn't just ignore what was going on back in Indigo.

Cynthia had unintentionally done me a favour there as well, helping to invite some other prominent names in the scientific community over to Celestic Town to meet and discuss possible future developments with me. They were all very excited to meet with me, and we turned the whole thing into a bit of a public event with pictures and everything. The whole thing was on the news.

That was why today I had to unfortunately beg off from another day of dungeon diving, since after my morning training I was now waiting for a call from both Will and Lance so that we could discuss current events. We had actually intended to make this call yesterday, but we were distracted by Lorelei's sudden challenge from Gym Leader Surge.

Karen had informed me about it, and I instantly went to do research on what I could find on Surge and the strength of his team.

From what I've see, he would give Walker a good run for his money, partially due to his type advantage, but I wasn't blown away by his chances. I suspected that he was only challenging Lorelei out of some form of national pride, maybe also due to some lingering resentment against Pryce, rather than as a calculated decision.

No offense meant to Surge, but he really didn't seem like the type of guy that thought very hard about his chances before taking action. He was like an Electrode, all explosive energy and little of much else.

Sure, Surge's team of Electric types were considered to be one of the harder ones to face off against amongst the Kanto Gym Leaders, but I wasn't quite sure if that would be enough here. Certainly, compared to Bruno, Surge was nothing.

I would be more concerned for Lorelei's sake if someone like Blaine had challenged her; not that he would. From what I hear he's been very happy playing around with his new project.

Before I could think on that for much longer, my phone started to ring. Seeing who it was, I carefully propped my phone up on the table and picked up, turning on the video.

I was immediately greeted by two other faces, as Will and Lance appeared on my screen.

"Good to see the both of you." Lance began, a small smile on his face. "How are you finding your work-holiday? I hope you're having fun there."

I allowed Will to speak first, "Things have been going excellently." He shared with a grin, and I didn't think he was boasting this time. "Many of the financiers of Sinnoh have been eager to accept the many opportunities that the opening of borders brings to them. They tell me that the Sinnoh markets have been stale recently, and they're very keen on bringing their unique goods and services to a foreign market."

"Would they invest into Indigo?" Lance asked, getting a quick nod from Will.

"Absolutely. Though they would have to do their due diligence first." Will replied, "But you can expect to see them investing into both Indigo and Hoenn soon. I believe some of the bigger businesses are considering entering into negotiations soon."

"Did you hear anything about Galactic company?" I asked, a little more forcefully than I intended.

Will shook his head, "I didn't hear anything about them, nor did I meet any of their representatives. Why'd you ask?" He shot me a curious look, and I had to fight down an instinctive frown at his answer.

Despite having spent most of my time here dungeon diving, I was not foolish enough to forget the threat that Team Galatic represented to the world at large.

Their public image was of "Galactic Company", which on paper was nothing more than a successful company that helped produce a lot of fancy tech for Sinnoh as well as help develop new and more innovative ways of energy generation. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Similarly, their CEO, Cyrus, was nothing more than an ordinary businessman that managed to hit it big with a few lucky successes. There were no scandals, no nothing. He wasn't overly elusive either; his lack of public appearances were treated as merely an introverted inventor hard at work.

Overall, they were the stereotypical ordinary big business.

And that was the problem. Galactic company was a pillar of Sinnoh's economy. I could not just level accusations against them without some serious proof, and even then, it might not be enough. It would be like levelling accusations against Silph Co or Devon Corp. Both were so vital to their regions that it would take a heavy amount of evidence to actually be able to implicate them.

When Silph Co was framed by Team Rocket, even with all the sensationalism and false rumours thrown around by the news, it didn't take a lot of effort to be able to shut down those rumours for good. I had no doubt it was the same for Galactic company.

Plus, as a foreigner, I would not be able to gather enough support to shut them down. Not even with Lance's support, if he even gave it to me.

Trying to break them by force wouldn't work either. As strong as I was, I was not going to be able to one-man-army the entirety of Team Galactic by myself. I would eventually be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

It was impossible for a single trainer to fight an entire region by themselves and win. Not without a Legendary – and even then, it was still a toss-up.

Unfortunately, I was once again forced to be reactive rather than proactive when it came to the dealing with Team Galactic. But I refused to remain idle; I would keep a watchful eye on them for any possible opportunities to expose them and do my best to think of alternate methods of fighting against them.

Returning to the conversation, seeing that no answer from me was forthcoming, Will moved on, "Though I would like to point out that the ongoing protests taking place around the region have really been hampering my efforts." He complained, "The lack of trustworthy leadership in Sinnoh has really scared a few potential investors and businesses from investing here."

"What about the Elite Four? I thought they had a handle on things?" Lance asked.

"They're doing their best." Will replied, "But the members of the current Sinnoh Committee are all very new, and there are many vacant spots still. They're not functioning as they should, and all the political power are practically in the hands of the Elite Four. They're doing a remarkable job managing everything, but they their ability to make decisions and pass policies is still limited."

Lance frowned, "That's frustrating, but not outside of our expectations." He tapped his finger on his table, "Well anyways, you dd great work there, Will. Good job." Lance complimented, making Will's smile grow wider. Then Lance turned to me, "So, what about you, John? Making friends over there? I saw you in the papers."

"Well, yes, but admittedly I've been having a bit too much fun with simply exploring the caves here." I said sheepishly, realizing that Will had accomplished a lot more than I had. "They're all very exciting to see, and I may have gotten too absorbed with them. I haven't even explored much of the region outside of Celestic Town!"

Lance chuckled and waved me off, "That's fine. There was a reason I sent the both of you and had you do different things. You both appeal to a different audience. I'm sure the more casual members of the public would find John's activities more relatable, while the more serious and business-minded folks would care more about Will's activities. It's a good balance."

"But how are you getting on with them?" He asked again, "Everything seemed good on the news, but you know how trustworthy they can be."

"They were very friendly." I answered, "Like what Will said, they all seemed very eager to share discoveries with Indigo and Hoenn. More than that, they're just happy to have access to more things to research about."

"Oh that's right!" I suddenly exclaimed as a thought popped into my head, "Will, you brought it up just now, but how were the other members of the Elite Four? I only saw Lucian when we arrived."

"Yep, they all came around to shake hands, though they didn't stay for long." He replied with a nod, "I was surprised at how young they all were, but in hindsight they're just around our age as well. Though I guess they do have Bertha, but she isn't here right now."

"Feels like every Elite Four just has to has one person that's been there for some time, huh?" Lance observed with a smirk, "We have Agatha. Hoenn has Drake. Sinnoh has Bertha."

I laughed, "I didn't see it that way. But that's very true." I turned to Will, "How were they? Friendly?"

"Very much so." Will nodded, "Even though they currently have a lot of pressure on them, they've still greeted me with friendly smiles that I could tell were real and wanted to get to know me better. They're all very close knit, and I feel like they all see each other as friends. Oh, and John, they said they would visit you soon as well."

"That's nice to hear – I would love to see them too." I nodded.

"Well, I'm glad you're all getting along nicely." Lance added, "But have the both of you heard any rumours about who the next Champion is going to be? That's my primary concern at the moment."

"Not a clue." Will shook his head, "I asked Flint when I saw him. He said they didn't have anyone on their mind at the moment, though I have an inkling that might not be the whole truth. But I knew they meant it when they said they didn't want to nominate any of themselves. I knew Lucian's name was thrown around as a potential candidate, but he refused because he didn't think he was strong enough to hold or deserve the position."

Lance sighed, "That's a shame, but I guess that's what I expected too. Let me know if that changes. That goes with you too, John."

We both nodded. "Well, thank you for the update. Let me go through what's going on here in Indigo…"

Lance gave us a rundown summary of what was happening back home. The only real thing that caught my attention was Lorelei's proposal about the anti-corruption bureau, which I expressed my support to, but that proposal would probably be delayed until Lorelei won her challenge.

A little surprisingly, Will expressed his support for Lorelei. He felt that she would "stomp over this reckless challenger". Lance agreed, stating that he knew Lorelei had been training heavily since her win against Walker. She had certainly not been slacking off.

What was a bit more shocking was when Lance revealed that Pryce had contacted Lorelei as soon as he heard about the challenge.

"…And how does that make you feel?" I asked Lance, knowing that he greatly disliked Pryce. Which I also did.

Lance had a complicated expression on his face, "I'm not sure. On one hand, Pryce is her uncle, and I have no right to interfere with familial relations like that. On the other, I'm wary about Pryce trying to spread his influence once again, though I hear he is mellowing out. But I trust Lorelei, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for now."

"While I was not there when Pryce was Champion, so I do not share both your feelings about him, I feel that this could be a good opportunity for her." Will added, rubbing his chin. "For what it's worth, he's undoubtedly an excellent trainer and capable politician. Or at least he used to be. Still, there is much he could teach her."

I nodded, somewhat reluctantly. "I can't deny that. Let's just hope he teaches her the right things."

"I have full confidence in Lorelei to separate what's right and wrong to do, both in battle and in politics." Lance stated. "She won't allow herself to be guided down the wrong path."

"Oh, and one last thing regarding Sinnoh." Lance remarked, "Sinnoh is planning on opening their borders in stages. First to representatives like the two of you, then to businesses, then to the general public. They should be opening up to businesses shortly. THAT is assuming nothing bad happens."

We both nodded in understanding. It made sense for them to do it this way. Opening up Sinnoh directly to the larger public seemed like a bad idea to start off with.

We chatted for a bit longer before Lance eventually had to go to attend his next meeting. Though before he left, I expressed my concerns about the criminals and our lack of progress regarding them. I urged Lance and Will to keep a constant lookout regarding them; reminding them of the danger they posed to everyone. They both nodded in solemn agreement, promising to stay vigilant.

With the call over and done with, I met up with Cynthia once again in the cafeteria for lunch, where she was staring at me with a curious look.

"I don't mean to pry, but how are things going back in Indigo?" She asked as we sat. "Any need for you to be reassigned elsewhere?"

I smiled at her question, "Thankfully not. I much prefer to stay here if possible. I don't envy Will's task of mingling with the businessmen. This is much more my style."

"I have to do that on occasion as well…though I agree it's not my cup of tea." She nodded, taking a bite out of her food before she perked up once again, "Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, Flint says he's coming over later today to say hi to you. So is Lucian."

My eyes widened slightly, both at what she just said and the fact that she didn't include their title. "Already? It was just mentioned in the call just now."

"They both must want to meet with you again." She shrugged, "And you ARE all members of the Elite Four. It's only natural."

I nodded, continuing to chow down on food. "So does that mean no exploring today?" I asked.

"Probably not. Best not to keep them waiting." Cynthia responded.

"That's fine, I need to crack down on some training anyways." I replied, "Can't let myself slack off on that respect. Especially since you've been itching to battle me." I said with a challenging grin.

She met it with one of her own, her eyes alight with anticipation and excitement. "Likewise."

We met each other stares for a moment, revelling in our shared ambition to win. It was an amazing feeling to be able to battle against someone you KNEW was strong; especially when there were little stakes involved.

Soon enough we ended our staring contest and polished off our meals. We split off after that, both of us heading to different training grounds to undergo routine training of our Pokémon. I made sure to prioritize my relatively weaker Pokémon's so that they would be more capable of at the same level as my trio of bruisers.

I worked especially hard on Klaus, partially because of the fact that we were in Sinnoh and I wanted to show him off, but also because I felt that his Psychic abilities, like Teleport, could be expanded on even further. Being able to Teleport around in fights, like Will's Gardevoir could, was an amazing advantage that I previously neglected.

We had already been training on this for some time, and now Klaus was just about there.

I didn't know how long I spent training up my Pokémon, but I was interrupted by the sound of someone's whistling. Turning, I saw a man wearing a yellow shirt with a red afro that honestly clashed horribly with the surrounding greenery.

"Yo! Good work out there. Those are some impressive Pokémon - no wonder you won all those matches." The man who could only be Flint greeted with a wide and friendly smile, "I'm Flint, of the Sinnoh Elite Four. It's a huge pleasure to meet you. I've heard tons from Bertha."

Flint's friendliness was infectious, and I found myself breaking out into a smile as I immediately stopped what I was doing and went over to greet him, shaking his hand. "Thank you, Elite Flint. It's my pleasure as well. Thanks for coming over to meet me like this; I've been a little too wrapped up in the wonders of the underground."

He laughed cheerfully, "That's no matter. I'm used to stuff like this." His smile turned fond, "Volkner's like this too when he gets interested in something. Sometimes I can't pry him from the lighthouse."

He looked around at my team, "Anyways, like I was saying, this is a mighty fine team you got here. I'm not ashamed to say that it'd probably make mine look bad if we ever fought."

"Indeed. Will had told me, but seeing this is something else. Wyrdeer are a very unique type of Pokémon." Another voice cut in from the side, and I turned to see Lucian approaching with Cynthia walking next to him.

"Good to see you again, John. I hope you've been enjoying Sinnoh. Though from what I hear from Cynthia, that does seem to be the case." He greeted.

"I am." I nodded. "Cynthia's been an excellent host."

Cynthia's grin widened a little bit, and Lucian just chuckled, "THAT, I had never any doubt with. When Bertha told me about your arrangement in Sinnoh, I was confident that it would work out well."

"Are you close with Professor Carolina?" I asked curiously.

"Not as close as Bertha is, but yes. I would consider myself to be so. Same with Cynthia," Lucian replied, gesturing to Cynthia, "We both share similar academic passions, so it was natural for us to start conversation."

"Lucian is an excellent conversation partner about history." Cynthia commented, "AND a strong trainer. Though we haven't had much time to battle because of our respective duties."

I nodded in understanding.

"Speaking of battle, care to test yourself against one of us?" Flint leaned forward excitedly, "I know what I said earlier, but I'm raring to go for a battle against someone new and strong."

"Sorry, Flint, but I've already promised a battle with Cynthia soon." I replied, nodding to Cynthia, "Maybe next time." I told him apologetically, but instead of looking down, Flint grew even more excited.

"Woah! Already?! Sick! Can I watch?!" His eyes flashed with eagerness.

I shared a look with Cynthia, who merely shrugged. "I don't mind. There'll probably be reporters there as well to take some photos of the fight."

"That would be good." Lucian spoke up, "The public always loves a good fight, which I'm sure this will show off the strength of both regions to each other. And against Cynthia, I'm confident you'll both give us a good fight. It's a win-win."

I looked at Lucian curiously, wondering how he knew that Cynthia was a strong trainer. Even Flint simply nodded his head like he agreed with Lucian, implying that he knew about Cynthia's strength as well. Did this mean that she was already on people's radar of significant trainers already?

In hindsight, that shouldn't be all that surprising. You couldn't hide being THIS strong without someone catching on, unless you absconded yourself into the wilds like a certain someone I knew. Furthermore, considering that Lucian and Cynthia seemed to be friendly acquaintances, I guess he would have some idea of her strength.

"We could have the match for tomorrow." I finally said, "If everyone is happy with that."

"I'm fine with that." Cynthia replied, crossing her arms. "I can even get the news out to the reporters if you want a crowd."

I nodded, "Sure. As Lucian said, it'll be good for everyone. But what kind of format do you want it in? 3v3? 6v6?"

Cynthia tapped her chin in thought, "…3v3 sounds the best for me." She said after a moment. "We don't have to get too serious. I'd like to keep a few tricks up my sleeve."

"Sure, fine by me." I replied easily, wondering what kind of tricks she might have. I was beginning to suspect that she was saving those 'tricks' for a very important occasion.

Flint jumped up into the air excitedly, "ALRIGHT! I'll definitely be there to check out the fight. I think I'm going to be very pleasantly surprised by what I see." He looked pointedly at Cynthia, who only smiled back.

"Unfortunately, I probably won't be able to make it tomorrow. I have meetings to catch up on." Lucian said with a slight frown, "But perhaps Aaron could make it? I'll let him know."

"Oh, definitely get him to come; he wouldn't want to miss this." Flint nodded, "Maybe I could even drag Volkner away for a moment to get him to watch. He's been needing a spark of inspiration these days." He took out his phone and started tapping on it.

"Speaking about watching matches, are you going to be heading back to Indigo to watch Lorelei's match against Surge?" Cynthia asked with a tilt of her head, "Supporting your fellow member and all that."

"Yes, I heard from Bertha that the relationship between the Indigo Elite Four is quite close." Lucian added, with Flint nodding in agreement. "Always nice to hear people getting along."

"I won't be." I shook my head, "It'll be too inefficient. I'll probably just watch it in my room."

"No need for that. If you need a bigger TV, I have one set up in my room if you want to watch it there." Cynthia mentioned, "It's definitely better than the miniscule one you have in your room."

"Oh, sure. Thanks for this." I replied, slightly surprised but thankful. Watching the battle on a bigger screen was always better.

"Welp, I'll probably leave you two to your training. Can't wait to see what you guys deliver to us tomorrow." Flint spoke up, "Gotta head back soon anyways."

Lucian said the same, and we quickly exchanged a few more words before we made our goodbyes. Cynthia informed me that she would make the call for the reporters will come for the match tomorrow.

I wandered off back to the training fields and used whatever time I had left to continue training with my Pokémon, letting them know of the impending match tomorrow. I spoke more specifically with a few of my Pokémon that I had chosen to bring for tomorrow's battle, based on what I knew of Cynthia's team.

I suspected that this was going to be a tougher fight than most people anticipated for me. But I knew not to underestimate Cynthia and would be going into this battle with both eyes open.

After all, it was a rare opportunity for me to fight a future Champion.

The New Normal – 8-4 – INTERLUDE – Janine

"Urghhhh…." Sabrina moaned on the bench as she tried her best to recover from seasickness. Despite the fact that this was the second time taking the ship from Johto to Kanto, she didn't seem any more used to it.

"There, there." Whitney patted Sabrina soothingly on the back, only to receive further groans of discomfort from their resident Psychic specialist. Janine just hung back; she was less touchy-feely than Whitney, though she never saw her friend's affectionate nature as a bad thing.

She knew that Whitney was being a bit more exaggerated with her displays of friendships recently because she was bummed out that she had narrowly missed her brother's departure to Sinnoh as they hung around in Johto for too long. Hopefully her spirits would be able to buoy back in time.

"Do not worry, we still have plenty of time to reach Saffron City for our match." She said instead, "And I am sure your parents wouldn't mind waiting."

Sabrina moved to nod, but that only caused her to emit another groan. Janine and Whitney shared a small helpless smile at their friend's condition; Sabrina really needed to work on her physicality.

The three of them loitered around for a little while to allow Sabrina to recover. Before long, they all took off on their respective flyers. A Noctowl, Xatu, and Golbat took to the air as they carried them to Saffron City, where their 6th Gym Badge awaited.

Janine never regretted leaving Fuschia City to accompany Whitney and Sabrina on their journey, but it still astounded her to see how right her Father was. She had truly grown much as a result of her journey, and her time in Johto was no different.

Not only had she acquired a Nidoran, which was already a Nidorino, her Pokémon got in plenty of training that she hoped would further sculpt them to be powerful enough to clear through the remaining Gyms in one go.

Their first stop was going to be at Saffron to collect the Marsh Badge. While the Psychic types would normally pose a significant threat to a team of Poison types, Janine was confident that her experience training with Sabrina had given her enough insight that she could handle Samson's team without too much issue.

Truthfully, she felt Giovanni's Gym was going to be a far greater problem for her. But that was for future Janine to deal with.

It didn't take long before the three of them landed on the outskirts of Saffron City; careful to avoid the prying eyes of snooping reporters that liked loitering around the Gym. Sabrina was too recognizable as the daughter of the Gym Leaders, and they would very much prefer to avoid the attention.

They had gotten lucky in Johto that they hadn't been recognized, even though they were freely out in the open. But in Kanto, and in Sabrina's home city no less, there was no chance of that same anonymity.

They quickly dismounted from their flyers and moved into the Gym, where they had already reserved a slot for their fights. As agreed, Janine would be up first. She had a sneaking suspicion that Sabrina's parents had intentionally cleared out their schedules to allow the three of them to challenge them back-to-back, though she wasn't going to call them out on their generosity.

Her father was no different, even if he tried to hide it under a layer of stoicism.

As soon as the trio entered the Gym, they were immediately greeted with the smiling faces of Sabrina's parents.

"Sabrina!" They both greeted with smiles, pulling their daughter into a tight hug and completely destroying whatever 'powerful' image people had of them as Gym Leader. Janine simply watched this happen with a slight smile as Sabrina tried but failed to wiggle out of the hug, her face flushed with embarrassment.

She was thankful that her Father was less prone to public acts of affection – she would probably faint from the shame. That was not to say that he did not care for her as much as Sabrina's parents did, merely that he had a different way of showing it.

His affection was more subtle. But their existence was never in doubt, nor hers for him.

The family eventually broke out of their hug, and Samson turned back to her. "Right then, I think you're up first, aren't you? Watch out though, we won't hold back just because you're friends with Sabrina!"

Sabrina smirked, "You will lose hard if you hold yourself back, father. We have been training hard."

"I'm sure you have, dears." Katrina smiled indulgently, "We knew you wouldn't come back until you felt you were ready to clear through all of the remaining badges. You might be the better Psychic, daughter of mine, but we're still your parents."

Sabrina blushed, and they all shared a chuckle before Samson looked at Janine. "Come on now, let's get to your 5-Badge challenge. There's no need for you to deal with the Gym Trainers – it'd just be a waste of time."

Janine nodded, and the two of them waved their goodbyes before they split off from the group to get themselves ready for their fight. Unlike her friends, who would be challenging for their 6-Badge challenge, she was challenging for the 5-Badge one because she had yet to defeat her Father. As she brought up before, she was saving him for second last.

"How has Sabrina been really getting on?" Samson suddenly asked her as the two of them walked to the arena, "It's hard to tell sometimes from phone calls and texts alone."

"She has been doing well." Janine responded, a fond smile forming on her lips. "I'm very happy to call her my best friend."

"Then is Whitney not your best friend?" Samson replied with a chuckle as they walked.

"They both are." She replied firmly, honesty and appreciation leaking in her voice. The smile that appeared on her face must have been infectious because Samson smiled too.

"…I'm glad then that our daughter has such good friends in you and Whitney. It's clear that you greatly trust each other, which is extremely relieving." He said, letting out a reassured breath. "I said it before, but it's really taken a weight off both my shoulders and my wife's."

Janine refused to meet his eyes as she felt heat rush up her cheeks, but quickly shook away all other thoughts out as they arrived at the battle arena. Samson patted her twice on the shoulder, before moving to his side of the arena. She proceeded to move to hers.

As soon as she got in place, the referee began his announcement.

"THIS WILL BE A 3V3 BATTLE FOR THE FIFTH GYM BADGE BETWEEN CHALLENGER JANINE VERSUS GYM LEADER SAMSON! THERE WILL BE ONE SWITCH ALLOWED!" He declared, the audience cheering at the announcement.

Janine cleared her mind of any extraneous thoughts as Father had taught her. Both her father and Whitney had said the same thing.

"Hesitation is defeat." Their voices echoed in her head.

"TRAINERS, ARE YOU READY?!" The referee shouted out once again, getting nods from both trainers.

"THREE...TWO…ONE…BEGIN!!" They both released their Pokémon.

"Weezing! Prepare yourself!"

"Exeggutor! Get ready!"

Her Weezing came out of her Pokéball with a hacking cough, letting out small plumes of noxious gas that slowly wafted its way to the top of the arena. Further clouds of poison released themselves from its many holes, polluting the nearby air with its toxic fumes.

In the meanwhile, her opponent stood tall and alert, its dopey faces a mere façade for its cunning intelligence, hidden within its many sharp eyes. But while Samson's Exeggutor was very clearly trained, Janine had seen greater threats in her studies. She had prepared herself and her team to fight against Giovanni's team of 8-Badge Pokémon. This Exeggutor simply couldn't match up to that level of strength that she had been training for.

"Smog, Weezing! Flood the arena!"

"Ingrain! And Stun Spore, Exeggutor!"

Weezing's mouth grew wide as it started to belch out a huge thick cloud of noxious gases that started covering the entire arena like a tidal wave of poison. The thick noxious fumes spread rapidly across the arena floor, spreading its poisons into every nook and cranny. Exeggutor was no exception, and its many faces took on a sickly pallor as it became poisoned.

In return, Exeggutor had planted itself in the ground with strong roots that absorbed the nutrition out of the very ground, constantly healing itself up. Samson must have been looking to offset the very likely Poison damage that he knew his Pokémon would be accruing over time.

However, Exeggutor's retaliatory Stun Spore was ineffective. The spores were hardly able to travel a few meters before they disappeared into the heavy cloud of poison, never to be seen again. After all, a few lone spores were nothing compared to the ocean of poison that was being spewed out constantly by Weezing.

"Leech Seed, Exeggutor! Drain it!"

"Taunt, Weezing! Stop it in its tracks!"

Exeggutor opened its mouth wide, a few seeds with large hooks forming in its mouth. But before it got an opportunity to fire them off, Weezing cut off its constant discharge of Poison to fire off a quick burst of Dark energy with a Taunt, rapidly engulfing the Exeggutor. Irrational rage filled its many eyes, interrupting its attempted Leech Seed.

Samson frowned, and Janine was quick to jump on the opportunity.

"Toxic Spikes! Scatter them around!"

"Psychic! Clear them out!"

Her Weezing let out a grunt as it tossed a scattershot of toxic barbed spikes into the air, launching them onto Samson's side of the arena. But before they could land, Exeggutor's eyes glowed blue as it tried to hold them in the air with a Psychic, threatening to send them back.

"Sludge Bomb, Weezing!"

Weezing flanked around and let out another hacking cough as a huge globule of raw poison was grotesquely formed in its mouth, before Weezing lobbed the condensed orb over. The orb shattered onto Exeggutor's face, showering Exeggutor in a vicious bath of poisonous liquids. Exeggutor reeled back in pain, disrupting its concentration as the toxic spikes scattered themselves around Samson's side of the battlefield.

If Exeggutor was merely poisoned before, then it was certainly badly poisoned now. Even the healing it received from its Ingrain would become insufficient at staving off the ever-increasing Poison damage.

This was exactly the position she wanted to be in. Like her Father always said, when your opponent knew they were on a timer; they got reckless, more prone to making mistakes. It was only a matter of waiting for the opportunity.

And judging by the growing frown on Samson's face, she knew that she had successfully riled him up.

"Psychic again, Exeggutor! Blast it!"

"Flamethrower, Weezing! Burn it!"

Exeggutor's eyes flashed blue as Weezing opened its mouth once again; both Pokémon seeking to blast the other away. Unfortunately, the raw power of Exeggutor showed itself at this moment, as Weezing's Flamethrower was rapidly overpowered by the Psychic; the flames being held back by pure Psychic will alone. The blast of Psychic energy continued forward, completely pushing past the Flamethrower and blasting Weezing in the face.

Weezing let out a groan of pain as it floated backwards in the air, spinning slightly as it lost control of its levitation.

"Psychic again, Exeggutor! Don't waste this chance!"

"Protect, Weezing! Shield and reorient yourself!"

Exeggutor fired off another powerful wave of Psychic energy. Except this time, Weezing managed to stabilize itself and form up a Protect shield that blocked the incoming attack.

But it was at this time that the haze of anger was slowly lifted from Exeggutor's eyes; the effect of the Taunt wearing off. Both trainers realized this, and they both moved to act on Exeggutor's recovered ability to make use of non-attacking moves.

However, Janine had not spent so much time around Sabrina for nothing. As someone who trained alongside a fellow Psychic specialist, she knew what Psychic specialists were capable of when they regained access to their extremely large pool of utility moves. It was one of the Psychic types greatest strengths.

So even though Exeggutor was slowly ticking down due to being badly poisoned, Janine knew she would be in a huge disadvantage if she allowed all those supporting moves to be set up.

It would ruin the matchup for all her other Pokémon.

She could try for another Taunt, but they weren't as effective as she'd like them to be. Nor did her Weezing have enough attacking power to overwhelm its defences and stop it from setting up. She certainly needed to train up more in that regard.

Her mind flashed to her Father, and what he would do in this scenario. She wasn't as decisive as him, but even she realized what the best move was here. Hesitation was defeat, and so, with renewed resolve, she commanded Weezing to end the fight.

"Light Screen, Exeggutor! Set them up!"

"Explosion."

"!!!" Samson's eyes widened with alarm, but he didn't get a chance to change his order. Without any hesitation, but still nowhere near as fast as her Father's Pokémon, her Weezing stared at Exeggutor with eyes filled with hardened determination as it rapidly glowed with a bright white light.

Exeggutor had no time to react before Weezing detonated itself in a deafening Explosion, scattering a huge wave of force that managed to cause the Psychic shields to flicker and the spectator stands to wobble slightly. Janine was forced to cover her face from the dust and loose pebbles that were whipped up from the explosion.

Even though her Weezing was healthier than the Exeggutor, she knew it was the right move to do. Her Weezing would only prove to be more of a liability the longer the battle went on, and she had already set things up in her favour for the upcoming fights. She just needed to keep up the momentum.

It was one of her Father's favourite tactics. She hoped he would be proud of her match today. She hoped he was watching.

As the cloud of dust and rock cleared, Janine saw the expected result. Both Pokémon were down, exactly as she had hoped for.

"BOTH TRAINERS' POKEMON HAVE BEEN KNOCKED OUT, PUTTING THE SCORE AT 1-1!" The referee announced, "BOTH TRAINERS HAVE 30 SECONDS TO SEND OUT THEIR NEXT POKEMON!!"

She withdrew her Weezing over the loud cheering from the crowd, already planning for her next Pokémon.

"WOOOOOO GO Janine!!" She heard Whitney shout out amidst the crowd. A rueful smile grew on her face; she never knew where Whitney got that energy from.

Putting that aside for now, she readied her next Pokémon. From her studies of Samson's previous fielded teams, she felt she had an idea of what it would be.

"GO! Ariados!"

"Gain us an advantage, Jynx!"

Okay, not what she had expected, but not completely unworkable. She thought Samson would send out his Espeon, but this was fine too.

As Jynx landed on the battlefield, the many toxic spikes scattered around the field impaled themselves into her, causing deadly toxins to course through her. Janine smiled; Jynx would be starting the fight already badly poisoned.

In theory, with Jynx already badly poisoned, some trainers would choose to merely try to stall out the fight, patiently waiting until Jynx eventually succumbed to the poison. However, that was not how she liked to fight, nor what her Father and friends had taught her.

Surprisingly, it was Whitney that put it best.

"Don't give up the advantage." She had said to her in the past, "John always says that it's best to keep up the pressure once you have a significant advantage. Giving your opponent an opportunity to fight back is just exposing you to being knocked out by an unexpected attack."

She intended to follow through on that advice.

"Pounce and String Shot, Ariados! Get close to it!"

"Psychic, Jynx! Blast it back!"

Her Ariados skittered rapidly across the arena, before leaping into the air as it shot out a thin yet sturdy rope of string towards Jynx. In response, Jynx did what she did best, unleashing a powerful blast of Psychic that ripped through the air.

However, by attaching the String Shot to Jynx, Ariados was able to utilize the surprisingly sturdy rope of string to swing around and dodge out of the way of the Psychic, only taking a glancing blow. Her Ariados still let out a pained shriek, but this move allowed her to maintain the momentum and put Ariados into an excellent position to quickly follow up with a Pounce onto Jynx.

With Jynx's speed now heavily lowered by both attacks, she nowhere to run. She was forced to fight or Teleport away, and Ariados had no intention of allowing to create more distance.

"Leech Life, Ariados! Hit it hard!"

"Teleport away, Jynx! And Psychic!"

Jynx's form started to shimmer as she began channelling a Teleport, but Ariados quickly punished her as it sunk a deadly fang deep into her, draining her with Leech Life. Jynx let out a cry of pain as her health was suddenly sapped away, rejuvenating Ariados in equal measure. Yet the Jynx maintained enough discipline to fire off a weaker blast of Psychic in retaliation before Ariados could sink another sharp fang in.

This time, without tethering itself to Jynx, Ariados was sent flying backwards a small distance as the Psychic crashed into it from an unexpected angle.

Her Ariados' frailty was becoming very obvious; despite the healing from Leech Life, being hit by the two Psychics had visibly taken a toll on her Bug Type as her injuries began to pile up. Ariados' back legs wobbled unsteadily as they became unable to support its weight.

However, Jynx was doing no better – especially since Jynx was also a frail Pokémon.

Janine knew that they had already entered the most crucial moment of the fight. Once again, she had to end the fight now before the incredible range of Psychic support moves could be setup.

Luckily, it was what her training was specifically aimed for.

"Pin Missile, Ariados! Finish it!"

"Psychic again-!"

Before Jynx could react, Ariados rapidly unleashed a short burst of sharp needles that impaled themselves into Jynx.

It was her favourite finisher move and a very reliable staple of her Ariados' move set for finishing off weakened opponents.

And Jynx proved no exception to this rule. Having been badly injured already, Jynx immediately collapsed as the barrage of pins struck her; the Psychic that she was charging up instantly dissipated as she fainted.

"AND THE GYM LEADER'S JYNX GOES DOWN, LEAVING HIM TO HIS FINAL POKEMON. THE SCORE IS NOW 2-1!" The referee shouted out. "THE GYM LEADER HAS 30 SECONDS TO SEND OUT HIS FINAL POKEMON-"

"Hypno! Your turn!"

Samson didn't even let the referee finish as he immediately sent out his next and final Pokémon. His Hypno emerged on the field, quickly becoming badly poisoned as the Toxic Spikes had yet to be removed from the battlefield.

Despite the poison, Janine instantly refocused herself as she stared warily at the Hypno. She knew better than to underestimate it. Sabrina had forced it into her mind that Hypno were exceptional at making use of a huge variety of status moves to completely cripple a Pokémon, or an entire team, if left unchecked.

That wariness turned to alarm as Hypno's eyes suddenly flashed blue despite Samson not giving any commands. Were they communicating telepathically like Sabrina was? Flashing blue eyes were a tell-tale sign that a Psychic type had just made an attack, but her mind currently came out blank with what it was.

She didn't have time to dwell on that for now, as much as she wanted to. She had to make a move.

"Shadow Sneak and Leech Life! Hit hard!"

Her Ariados fell into its shadow as it dashed towards Hypno. However, as if it had predicted Ariados' movements, Ariados was immediately struck by a dazzling ray of light that instantly caused confusion to set in – there was no time for it to even react.

Once again, there was no command, confirming to Janine that Samson was communicating telepathically.

"Snap out of it, Ariados! Focus on my voice!"

Struggling against its confusion, her Araidos lashed out randomly as she slashed down with another Leech Life, only to strike air.

Therefore, it was utterly helpless as a Psychic suddenly detonated itself from behind, launching Ariados in the air as it let out a cry of pain. Yet that was not the end of it, as a second Future Sight suddenly detonated while Ariados was still careening helplessly through the air, adding insult to injury.

There was no way her already-injured Ariados was going to be able to endure past those two moves. As expected, it just fell out of the air, completely knocked out.

Ariados didn't even manage to land a scratch on Samson's Hypno.

Janine held back a frown from showing on her face as she withdrew her fainted Ariados, patting on its Pokéball comfortingly. At this point, she was well within her rights to stall for as long as possible, to allow Hypno to continue racking up Poison damage to give her as big of an advantage as possible.

But she didn't do that. That would be a dishonourable way to win. And she would be shaming herself and her Pokémon if she made use of such tactics.

No, she intended to win fair and square. And that's why she sent out her final Pokémon as well.

"GO! Golbat!"

Her Golbat emerged with a loud screech as it immediately took to the skies, picking up speed as it circled around the lone Hypno. Knowing she couldn't afford to give Samson a single moment, she immediately went on the offensive.

"Taunt, Golbat! Now!"

Her Golbat dove through the air as it released another cloud of Dark energy that shot towards Hypno. Another powerful Psychic tore through the air, but her Golbat proved too mobile and quick in the air, easily being able to dodge out of the way of the incoming attack.

With the Taunt successfully taking hold, it gave Janine a brief moment where she could attack without fear of being crippled by one of Hypno's many annoying status moves.

"Brave Bird, Golbat! Go all out!"

Hypno's eyes flashed blue again, and this time Janine didn't need to guess to know where Samson had placed his attack. However, it was a gamble she had to take. She knew that Hypno was the strongest out of Samson's current team, but she remained confident in her Golbat to get the better of this exchange.

With a screeching dive, her Golbat cut through the air like a speeding bullet as it dove straight into the Hypno. As her Golbat approached, a loud explosion of Psychic energy detonated just in front of Hypno, blasting her Golbat with a concentrated wave of Psychic force. But even with the powerful supereffective attack, her Golbat was scarred but undeterred, as she hoped, and crashed into Hypno with an all-out Brave Bird.

Hypno staggered backwards, almost dropping its signature pendulum as it took the full brunt of the attack. However, that wasn't the end of Golbat's assault.

Without needing Janine to say anything else, her Golbat pivoted in the air and sliced into Hypno with a flurry of Aerial Aces, slashing at it repeatedly with a barrage of attacks as Golbat refused to give Hypno any opportunity to recover.

At one point, her Golbat had even managed to latch onto the Hypno and sink its two large menacing fangs into Hypno, draining its life with a surprise Leech Life.

If this had been a more trained Pokémon, it would have been capable of fighting back against Golbat's reckless assault. However, this was just a Gym Pokémon, meant for easier fights. Therefore, Golbat was able to continue to assault it with a ruthless flurry of attacks, completely overwhelming Hypno.

It didn't take long before Hypno succumbed to its rapidly growing injuries – and the incessantly building poison - and was knocked out of the fight.

"…WITH THAT, CHALLENGER JANINE PROVES VICTORIOUS! CONGRATULATIONS!" The referee congratulated, sparking many of the audience to cheer at her victory.

Janine made sure to return a small smile and wave at her friends as they cheered for her victory. However, her mind had already turned to breaking down the fight, trying to figure out where she could do better.

As she replayed the fight in her mind, she let out a small frown as she realized that the fight was much closer than she thought it'd. Perhaps it was her Type weakness, but Samson's Pokémon hit a lot harder than she had anticipated. If his Pokémon had perhaps been just slightly stronger, then she might have lost this fight. If this had been an 8-badge challenge, then Samson would have likely won this match.

The endurance of her Pokémon was something she really needed to work on.

She quickly shook off those thoughts as she noticed Samson walking up slowly to her with a bright smile on his face. This was no time for moaning, even if she realized that her goal of achieving all 8 badges was harder than she first expected.

However, she had always known that their goal of achieving all 8 badges during their first circuit was going to be an uphill challenge. So she wouldn't let herself be discouraged if she failed to achieve it. But she would do her best to ensure that she would be able to reach her friends' high goals.

After all, it wouldn't do to disappoint them.

The New Normal – 8-4 – Interlude – Lucian

"You have an intense look in your eye again, Lucian. What're you thinking about so deeply about?" Flint asked him with his hands in his pockets as he usually did.

Flint always liked to put up an air of casualness to raise the mood, which Lucian appreciated. He tended to drift into more melancholic thoughts if he was left alone, so he was grateful for Flint's cheerful personality.

"Just thinking about the future." He answered a little vaguer than he intended.

"Come on, you have to give me more than that." Flint pestered, "I saw how you were looking at Cynthia. What's up with that?"

This time, he hesitated before responding. He wasn't sure how much he wanted to reveal – but he was sure he could trust Flint. After all, he considered him a close friend, just like the rest of the Elite Four.

"Her strength; what did you think of it?" He asked in lieu of answering.

"I dunno, haven't seen much of it yet." Flint shrugged, "But she holds herself confidently. And she didn't seem like an overeager and overconfident trainer when she challenged John, so she must have something up her sleeve. Why?"

"I suspect you'll be very surprised by her strength in tomorrow's match." He responded carefully. "…I've seen her train, more than once or twice. Cynthia is a genius of a trainer. And I do mean without the slightest exaggeration."

"You mean because she's a generalist? I heard." Flint asked curiously, "But we occasionally see the high-level generalist every once in a while. They often make a small splash before fading into nothing. I don't have anything against Cynthia, but that's just how it goes."

"And I would normally agree with you." Lucian nodded, "But Cynthia…actually I'll just let you see it for yourself. I don't want to overhype or alter your expectations in any way."

"Fair enough. Though you've certainly spiked my curiosity." Flint replied with another shrug, "Anyways, that can't have been all that you were thinking about. What did you think of John? He's very different from Will. Honestly, they kinda act like you and I do."

Lucian smiled, "You mean the intellectual and the fool?" He joked.

"Hey! I'm smarter than I look! I could've been Gym Leader too if I wasn't trying to instil some sense of responsibility into Volkner." Flint protested, but there was no heat in it. "If not for his laziness, I could've been Gym Leader and he could've been in the Elite Four!"

"He would probably quit as soon as possible if he had to handle the committee meetings like we do." Lucian chuckled, "There's no way someone as lazy and impatient as Volkner could endure through those."

"Hey, you said it, not me. But you're right." Flint smiled, and they shared another chuckle before Lucian returned to his original train of thought.

"Moving on…what were your thoughts on John?" Lucian asked, "You seem to like him."

"Course I do. Both him and Will I found to be very friendly, though in different ways." Flint responded with a friendly smile, "I thought Will to be some kind of braggart at first, based entirely on how he dressed, but he turned out to just be a smart man with much to demonstrate. He certainly knows his way around businessmen."

"That was a pleasant surprise, yes." Lucian agreed, "I was afraid that Indigo may have sent over a pair of muscleheads." And Will was far from that. In fact, it was nice to finally be able to speak with someone that shared the same intellectual pursuits; he didn't even need to explain the basic concepts of finance!

The fact that they were both Psychic specialists was just icing on the cake. He admitted that he was very fond of Will and hoped to speak more. Maybe they could even have a sparring match? Something to consider if he could find the time for it.

"But John is very different." Flint continued, unaware of Lucian's thoughts. "I thought he was one of those that got into the Elite Four with pure strength alone; especially considering his young age. But while he still has a bit of that childish enthusiasm in him, he's quite intellectually minded."

"Don't forget all of his scientific accomplishments. There's a reason Professor Carolina was gushing about him." Lucian pointed out.

"That's true. It's hard to see him as the person who made all those discoveries, though. He looks nothing like a scientist." Flint said.

"And you look nothing like an Elite Four!" Lucian couldn't help but chuckle, "You look like you're a manager at a fast-food chain!"

"Hey! I resemble that comment!" Flint jokingly protests, chuckling along.

"…When are Hoenn coming over again? I forgot." Flint asked after a moment, scratching his head.

"Bertha said probably in a week or two." He answered, "She'll be heading over to visit Hoenn as they do."

"Damn. I'm jealous of all her exploring. Totally regret not signing up." Flint groaned, "Beats dealing with all these idiots in the Committee. Seriously, how hard is it to just make a decision!?"

Lucian nodded, sympathising with his colleague. It was why he was desperately looking for a Champion. Without some kind of formal leadership, the committee were in a constant state of deadlock.

But such a decision could not be rushed; nor could he simply allow the committee a free hand at simply CHOOSING a Champion. No, the selection had to be very careful. Choosing the wrong person for the job would spell disaster for Sinnoh; especially considering how unstable and volatile everything still was.

It was why he was so interested in a certain blonde trainer and her Garchomp; the strength of her team left an unforgettable impression deep in his mind, even if he had only seen in her action once or twice.

There was no forgetting that strength; nor that unyielding and determined gaze filled with ambition.

He knew what Cynthia was. His intuition screamed at him that she was the Trainer that could potentially be the greatest that Sinnoh had ever seen. So while that potential had been previously hidden from the world, Lucian strongly suspected that the world was about to be awed by what would soon be revealed.

And perhaps…Lucian had found his Champion, after all.

The New Normal – 8-5 – Cynthia's Rise

I shouldn't have been surprised at the large turnout, since a match like this was bound to attract attention. Especially since it was known that members of the Sinnoh Elite Four would be watching.

However, I was more impressed at the work that the Research Centre had put into create a makeshift battel arena, with everything practically being set up overnight. I was a little ashamed that they didn't ask me to help out, because I knew Cynthia and many workers at the lab had been running around late into the night trying to get this all organized in time while also publicizing the event so that people would come.

Despite ALL of this, when I saw her this morning at breakfast, she still looked completely hale and hearty, with not an inch of tiredness on her. She was her usual pristine self.

At least it was clear that her efforts paid off, because we were just able to accommodate the huge crowd of people who had specifically come over to watch our battle, despite the very short notice.

I was sure most of them were here because of the novelty of watching a foreign Elite Four member in battle. For all the success that I knew Cynthia would have in the future, at the moment she was still an unknown. With not much popularity outside of the niche scientific community.

However, that would all change by the end of this battle. I was sure of it.

As Flint had mentioned yesterday, he was in attendance alongside Elite Four Aaron, but I hadn't managed to meet them yet. He must be somewhere in the crowds, though I failed to spot him. Will told me that he was unfortunately unable to attend, as he and Lucian were busy discussing a big deal together regarding trade between our regions, but he wished me the best of luck and to "create a display worthy of our newfound cooperation between Indigo and Sinnoh".

So with that thoughtful comment in mind, I headed over to the training fields where our battle was going to take place. It was a slow journey, as I was frequently accosted by many members of the public who were REALLY interested in getting to meet a foreign Elite Four member. I could have ignored them, but instead, I did my due diligence and made sure to shake hands and take pictures as appropriate.

This match was supposed to boost the idea of unity, after all, so I may as well do my part.

It took some time, but I finally arrived at my side of the arena. Cynthia had been patiently waiting, looking completely at ease about the battle to come, and she shot me an anticipatory grin as she saw me take my place opposite her.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" One of the scientists turned temporary referee announced, "WE HERE AT CELESTIC TOWN HAVE BEEN PROUD TO BE HOSTING ELITE JOHN FROM INDIGO IN OUR FINE HALLS! BUT TODAY! WE HAVE THE GREAT HONOUR OF HOSTING A BATTLE BETWEEN HIM AND ONE OF OUR ESTEEMED RESEARCHERS AND PREVIOUS WINNER OF THE SINNOH CONFERENCE, CYNTHIA!"

The crowd cheered loudly, and the shouts of my name drowned out the immediate surroundings. Unsurprisingly, I received most of the attention, but Cynthia looked completely unbothered by it.

"AND NOW, ENOUGH RAMBLING FROM ME! LET'S GET RIGHT INTO THE BATTLE! THIS WILL BE A 3V3 MATCH WITH ONE SWITCH ALLOWED!" The referee explained, his voice turning slightly hoarse with all the shouting that he was clearly not used to, "TRAINERS, ARE YOU READY?!"

The cheers and screams of the crowd got even louder, but Cynthia and I zoned them out and simply nodded, our eyes locked onto each other. Despite myself, a small anticipatory grin split across my face, as the same happened with hers.

Neither of us could have trained very much in preparation for this battle, as we both barely had any advanced notice. Even though we both knew this wasn't going to be a very serious match, with both us agreeing to hold back, we were both buzzing with excitement and anticipation as we prepared to face off against each other.

Cynthia's whole demeanor had changed. Gone was the nerdy and passionate scientist. Gone was her façade of being an eager and diligent student, making use of every opportunity to learn.

Instead, the eyes that stared at me were those of a Champion.

"THREE!" I shoved those thoughts away for now, my mind now entirely focused on the battle ahead.

"TWO!" I clutched my Premier Ball tighter, hoping that I picked the right choice for my lead. Even if this battle wasn't going to be very serious, I would NOT underestimate Cynthia.

"ONE!" We both released our Pokémon at the same time.

"Start off strong, Luna!"

"As we trained, Spiritomb!"

As I suspected, a small looking rock emerged and plopped itself into the ground opposite my Clefable, before large ghostly tendrils suddenly exploded out of it, revealing an ocean of cackling faces that were attached to each limb.

Despite the display, I inwardly cheered. This was exactly what I was hoping for.

"Moonblast, Luna! Blast it!"

"Shadow Sneak, Spiritomb! Get close!"

A glimmering orb of blinding light formed above Luna, shooting forwards like a ball of destruction as it flew towards Spiritomb. In response, Spiritomb dived into its own shadow, disappearing from the field entirely as it rushed forwards, simultaneously dodging out of the way of the Moonblast.

But I was ready for this.

"Calm Mind, Luna. Start setting up."

"Reappear and Taunt, Spiritomb! Before it sets up!"

Luna closed her eyes as she began channeling her inner energies, but she didn't make much progress as Spiritomb quickly emerged from its shadow and emitting a burst of Dark energy that drove Luna into a rage, cancelling her attempts to set up.

"DAZZLING GLEAM, NOW!"

Instead of being momentarily disoriented by the Taunt, Luna surprised Spiritomb by suddenly exploding with a brilliant light that unleashed a swift torrent of Fairy energy around her. Taken by surprise, the many ghosts that composed Spiritomb's body let out a wailing cry of pain as the surge of Fairy energy ripped through them.

The ghosts comprising Spiritomb flickered and wailed, but the vortex of ghosts that made up Spiritomb pulled itself back together quickly – a demonstration of its tenacity and its training.

Despite this, the small frown on Cynthia's face was a good indicator of her surprise. Did she expect her Spiritomb to have been tankier?

"Pain Split, Spiritomb! Heal yourself!"

"Ignore it and Moonblast, Luna! You'll out damage it!"

Spiritomb fired off a beam of energy towards Luna, latching onto her and rapidly splitting their health between them. However, just like I ordered, Luna simply ignored this interaction and instead fired off another huge orb of concentrated Fairy energy. The Moonblast sped forwards before detonating in a shower of Fairy energy that sent Spiritomb reeling back.

A distorted cacophony of wails and cries came out from the many spirits of Spiritomb; its avatar drooping slightly as its spinning vortex of ghosts now spun slower and with far less enthusiasm from before. It's once haunting visage had been cowed into something far more pathetic.

Luna continued to dominate the match. Pain Split might be able to equalize their health, but Spiritomb was too slow and passive to really threaten Luna. Both Luna and Spiritomb fought in a similar way, relying on self-healing moves and their natural endurance to outlast their opponents.

Unfortunately for Cynthia, Luna was just better.

Spiritomb tried, but it got battered over and over again with an overwhelming barrage of Fairy attacks that it failed to heal through. Furthermore, to make matters worse for Cynthia, the haze of rage had now faded from Luna's eyes as the effects of the Taunt wore off, returning a huge plethora of options for Luna to make use of once again.

"Shadow Sneak and Confuse Ray, Spiritomb! Disorient it and get close!"

"Safeguard, Luna. Take no chances."

Spiritomb dove back into its shadow once again, sneaking closer to Luna as it simultaneously fired off a ray of dazzling light that flew towards Luna. However, Luna shut down that attempt as a blue barrier formed around her, engulfing her protectively from the attempted status move.

I had plenty of experience fighting against a Spiritomb from all my training with Karen. I was going to take no risks as I shut down Cynthia's options one by one. This would be no great victory, but a methodical destruction of Cynthia's Spiritomb that slowly allowed Luna to make use of her inherently powerful Fairy type moves to beat Spiritomb.

But Cynthia was nothing if not persistent. She knew she couldn't switch out; a switch would be too costly for her and would only make the situation worse for her as it didn't deal with the problem of Luna.

What followed was a series of attacks by Cynthia to try to penetrate Luna's defences. Yet Luna refused to fall, serving as the impenetrable Fairy wall that blocked all of its attempts. No matter what she tried, her Spiritomb just wasn't strong or flexible enough to break through Luna's innately high defence.

And, as if to insult to injury, Luna was able to simply heal off any of the damage that WAS inflicted with a Softboiled. From an outsider's perspective, it would have looked like I was utterly crushing Cynthia in this battle.

But I knew better. It was only like this because Spiritomb was a completely terrible matchup against Luna.

Eventually, after a dozen more exchanges, the battle finally reached the tipping point.

"Phantom Force again, Spiritomb! Smash hard again!"

"Dazzling Gleam when it gets close! Blast them away!"

Despite the depth of exhaustion that it must have been feeling, Spiritomb still vanished into nothing as it prepared a Phantom Force. In the meanwhile, Luna stood tall as she always did, alert and waiting for the right moment to strike.

And then Spiritomb suddenly appeared right in front of Luna, slamming into her as ghostly energy struck from all sides. But Luna only stumbled slightly before unleashing another Dazzling Gleam that tore through what remained of Spiritomb's health, causing the mass of ghosts to let out a piercing wail of pain.

But Cynthia had one last trick up her sleeve.

"DESTINY BOND! BRING IT DOWN!"

"LIFE DEW! HEAL IT UP NOW!"

With its last bit of energy, Spiritomb let out a final weak cackle as its many eyes flashed an eerie purple. Purple light shot out from its eyes as they engulfed Luna, hoping to bring her down with its last-ditch attempt.

But I was not some inexperienced trainer that had never fought a Ghost type before. I saw this coming ever since Cynthia struggled and failed to break through Luna's defenses. It was the most obvious way for her to eke out a knockout with her Spiritomb. Which was why I was prepared.

Luna released small droplets of water that splashed onto Spiritomb's collapsed avatar, forcing it to heal up against its will. But only just enough so that it wouldn't be able to bring Luna down with her Destiny Bond.

Cynthia's pursed her lips as she watched her last-ditch attempt fail to accomplish anything. And without any ceremony, as soon as the Destiny Bond wore off, I ordered Luna to finish Spiritomb off with a final Moonblast.

"OH! THAT MUST BE THE POWER OF THE FAIRY TYPE! WHAT A DOMINATING DISPLAY FROM THE INDIGO ELITE FOUR, KNOCKING OUT CYNTHIA'S SPIRITOMB AND BRINGING THE MATCH TO 1-0!" The referee called out over the overly excited crowd, "THE CHALLENGER HAS 30 SECONDS TO SEND OUT THEIR NEXT POKEMON!"

"…I had underestimated the effectiveness of your Fairy type attacks against my Spiritomb." Cynthia admitted to me as she withdrew her fainted Spiritomb, "Normally, Spiritomb is capable of enduring through far more punishment than that. That's the first time I've seen it overwhelmed like this; guess I need more practice dealing with the new type."

"I'm sure you can think of someone to bring down my Clefable." I replied with a shrug, "Bruno managed it with a Fighting type, after all."

"Funny you should say that, because I have just the thing in mind…" She said with a smirk as she threw out another Pokéball, causing a Roserade to emerge on the field, her prickly and poisonous thorns gleaming in the morning sun. Despite being smaller than Luna, Roserade's eyes were confident and menacing; her every intention seeking to avenge her fallen teammate.

Luna immediately tensed up, as did I. We both knew we did not hold the advantage in this match. Could we afford to switch?

In a real match, I would have. But not in a showmatch like this. It was time for an uphill battle.

"Growth, Roserade. Start setting up."

"Flamethrower, Luna! Scorch it!"

Roserade closed her eyes as a green orb formed on the crown of her head, causing further orbs of green to gather into her as if they were nutrients being absorbed into the roots of a plant, and Roserade flashed green as she became empowered. In response, Luna unleashed a stream of fire that shot forwards like a lance, engulfing Roserade in a torrent of flames.

However, Roserade did not dodge nor flinch. She simply endured through the attack by relying on her impressive Special Defenses and the grueling training Cynthia must have put her through. Despite the scorching flames searing through her health, she continued channeling her Growth – remaining in full concentration in spite of the pain she was in.

All the while, Cynthia had a completely calm look in her eye, as if she had already expected this outcome. Had she already analyzed how strong Luna could hit to know that Roserade could pull something like this off without consequence? If so, then her ability to analyze her opponent's Pokémon was truly terrifying.

And now with her offences boosted, Cynthia moved to fight back.

"Leech Seed, Roserade! With something extra!"

"Calm Mind, Luna! You can ignore it!"

At first, I thought Cynthia was making a mistake. With Luna's Magic Guard ability, Luna would have been immune to the Leech Seed; allowing Luna the time to boost up her Special Attack and Special Defense.

However, when the seeds landed and took root on Luna, I barely caught sight of an extra seed that somehow planted itself into Luna – and instead of the Leech Seeds bouncing off harmlessly, they instead took root and latched themselves onto Luna.

Alarm bells were ringing in my head, and my eyes shot to Cynthia, who only smirked at my expression and didn't give anything away.

But then, as Luna continued setting up with Calm Mind, I saw the telltale signs of a Leech Seed sapping away Luna's health, draining away her health into Roserade. That was when the gears clicked into my mind, and I was both impressed and annoyed at myself for what had happened.

Yes, Leech Seed would usually be completely ineffective against Luna's Magic Guard ability. Instead, Cynthia had sneaked in a Worry Seed into her Leech Seed, switching Luna's ability from the useful Magic Guard to the near useless Insomnia; meaning that the Leech Seeds were able to implant themselves into Luna and slowly drain her health away.

Worse, Luna was now extremely vulnerable to being badly poisoned from a Toxic or from Poison attacks in general. I didn't know whether to applaud Cynthia for her deception or to grimace, because Luna was now in a terrible spot.

Knowing that I could no longer remain on the passive, I waited for Luna's boosts to settle in before I went all-out on the offense.

"Flamethrower again, Luna! Keep up the offense!"

"Grass Knot, Roserade. Trip it up."

Luna opened her mouth and let out another lance of searing flames that speared towards Roserade. However, with a level of agility not usually seen in grass types, Roserade spun out of the way, dodging the flames for just long enough to form a thick tendril of grass that latched onto one of Luna's legs, taking Luna by surprise as she tripped over.

"Sludge Bomb now, Roserade! Hit it hard!"

"Protect, Luna!"

A Protect shield quickly shimmered into place as Luna fell onto the ground, forming just in time to block the heavy orb of Poison from crashing directly onto Luna. Yet, as the large orb of Poison exploded 'harmlessly' on the Protect shield, the thick and viscous liquid filled with potent poisons didn't dissipate instantly, instead lingering around for long enough that it still splashed all over the Luna.

My frown grew as I saw that Luna had suddenly turned pale, a tell-tale sign of her being afflicted with Poison. This was bad. But it didn't change my plan. Luna was just on a more desperate timer.

"Psychic, Luna!"

"Giga Drain, Roserade! Heal yourself!"

"GRAVITY!"

As Luna fired off a blast of Psychic energy, Roserade once again tried to spin out of the way before it fired off its own Giga Drain. However, this time, Roserade was caught unaware as gravity suddenly intensified, the newfound crushing force causing her to crash down onto her knees. Completely unable to move.

Before Roserade could even realize what was happening, the powerful blast of Psychic energy exploded in her face, sending her stumbling back with a cry of pain as she was forced onto her back.

"Psychic again, Luna! While it's down!"

"LEAF STORM, ROSERADE! PUSH THROUGH THE GRAVITY!"

Luna grimaced, but pushed through the growing pain from the Poison as she unleashed another surge of Psychic energy. However, Roserade was not anywhere near as hurt as she seemed, and her eyes flashed a bright green she fired off a hurricane of leaves formed that shot forwards like a storm of green knives.

It spoke volumes about Roserade's ability to manipulate Grass energy as her Leaf Storm managed to overwhelm BOTH the crushing weight of the Gravity and the incoming blast of Psychic – and the whirlwind of leaves tore through everything in their path, leaving a trail of complete destruction in its wake as it transformed the surrounding area into battlefield of cuts.

"PROTECT, LUNA! NOW!"

A Protect shield rapidly formed around Luna, just in time to protect her against the incoming storm of leaves that battered against her. Luna's face became strained as she struggled to maintain the Protect shield, but the overwhelming power of the attack was pushing her to her limits.

Yet just as it seemed like she could hold on for no longer, the vortex of leaves suddenly scattered apart as the attack faded out, giving Luna a chance to breathe as she finally allowed the Protect shield to drop.

But that was all just a trap. The MOMENT Luna's Protect shield came down, the seemingly fallen leaves rapidly formed into another destructive storm, catching Luna completely off-guard as the leaves swallowed her up into its hungry maw.

I could barely hear her pained cries as the storm silenced all other noises; the only thing I could hear was the deafening howl of the wind. My fists clenched reflexively as I hoped that Luna's boosted Special Defenses would be enough to endure through the attack.

It wasn't.

As the tornado of leaves eventually faded away, all that was revealed was the unconscious body of Luna, cuts littering her body. She wasn't getting up from this.

"WHAT A DISPLAY – I NEVER KNEW CYNTHIA COULD FIGHT WITH SUCH STRENGTH! I THOUGHT THAT SHE WAS ONLY A RESEARCHER! BUT WOW DOES HER POKEMON HAVE SOME POWER IN THEM!" The referee said with considerable surprise, "BUT NEVER MIND THAT; THE BATTLE IS NOW AT 1-1! ELITE JOHN NOW HAS 30 SECONDS TO SEND OUT HIS NEXT POKEMON!"

The crowd let out shocked gasps of disbelief at Luna's defeat, surprise filling their eyes. Many of them had seen my battle against Bruno, so to see my Luna take out two of Bruno's Pokemon, and yet lose to an 'unknown' trainer's Roserade was something that completely stunned them. Especially after how easily I had taken out her Spiritomb.

I did not share their surprise at Luna's defeat. But I WAS impresssed at how deceptively and intelligently Cynthia could fight. That was an excellent bait.

But I could admire Cynthia's team later; I had a battle to win. And a plant to squash.

"Smough! Squash that plant! But don't eat it!"

My beloved Smough emerged onto the field with a threatening roar, causing the fallen leaves to shake on the ground from the volume alone. Smough glared at his opponent, his challenging eyes meeting calm ones. It had been some time since he had fought in a proper battle, but I had not neglected his training.

Roserade would not able to tank through Smough's attacks, that was for sure.

"Earthquake, Smough. And charge forwards!"

"Leap into the air and Energy Ball!"

Smough charged forwards as the ground cracked apart at the seams; the Earthquake ripped through the makeshift stadium with powerful tremors exploding out from the ground as the earth shattered around him. Roserade managed to dodge out of the way by jumping into the air while firing off a volley of Energy Balls that rained down on Smough.

However, with its Special Attack harshly dropped due to its earlier Leaf Storm, Smough merely let off a dismissive grunt as he allowed the Energy Balls to detonate harmlessly on him. Smough's Special Defense was even higher than Luna's – these Energy Balls weren't going to do anything to him.

"Stun Spore, Roserade! Paralyze it."

"Fire Punch, Smough. Ignite the spores!"

Realizing its attacks were ineffective, Roserade switched tactics and let out a huge cloud of yellow spores that fluttered towards Smough. However, before they could land and paralyze Smough, he waved a flaming fist in the air, leaving behind a trail of fire that simply scorched all the spores before they could paralyze him. Even the secretly hidden Leech Seed, which I initially didn't even realize was there, was also burnt up and turned to ash before they could implant themselves in Smough.

All the while, he continued charging forwards, getting ever closer to reaching Roserade.

"Retreat further and Grass Knot Roserade! Don't let it catch you!"

"Seismic Eruption, Smough! Trip it up!"

Roserade continued to back off, understanding that she was screwed if Smough ever got close enough to reach it. In the meanwhile, she tried to form a large tendril of grass around Smough's legs to trip him up, but Smough moved first.

Letting out a bellowing roar, Smough did a small hop and crashed loudly into the ground, causing the ground to shatter apart once again. Huge cracks spiderwebbed from his landing point as explosive tremors ravaged the arena, spreading destruction wherever they went. Roserade, caught off-guard, was only barely able to leap into the air in time with her pure reaction speed.

However, that was when huge spears of rocks suddenly shot up from the ground, impaling the surprised Roserade and pinning the Roserade in the air in a cage of stone. To Roserade's credit, she immediately summoned a storm of razor sharp leaves as she tried to both cut her way out of the stony prison that kept her trapped while also firing some off at Smough to deter his approach.

It was a clever, if desperate, tactic that may have worked against other opponents, but it wasn't able to distract Smough for long enough before he reached his target.

Roserade let out as strangled gasp as she suddenly found herself crushed within Smough's vice-like grip, before that gasp turned into a pained cry as Smough ruthlessly smashed the much smaller Grass type into the ground.

Cynthia grimaced as I smiled. With Roserade trapped in Smough's grasp, we both knew that how this would end.

"SPORE! NOW!"

"Zen Headbutt, Smough! RAM IT!"

In desperation, Roserade hastily tried to put Smough to sleep by emitting a small cloud of spores, but she was barely able to create any before Smough brutally smashed their heads together with a devastating Zen Headbutt that impacted with such force that it even cracked the ground beneath them.

The small spores did managed to land on Smough, but Smough was always sleepy and lazy. He didn't even realize the status move had even landed.

"SNORLAXXX!!" Letting out a powerful roar, Smough pummeled the helpless Roserade with a savage and brutal barrage of Fire Punches that smashed Roserade deeper into the ground, as if burying her further into the ground with each slam of his fists.

A sneaky tendril of grass tried to trip over Smough, but Roserade failed to execute the Grass Knot as she flinched repeatedly from Smough's violent assault.

"Earthquake, Smough! Finish it off!"

"That's enough! I'm withdrawing Roserade from the fight."

Smough was about to jump and crack the ground once again with another Earthquake, but Cynthia quickly intervened and moved to withdraw Roserade before the attack could land. She knew that Roserade would not be able to fight any longer.

"AND JOHN'S SNORLAX TRIUMPHS OVER CYNTHIA'S ROSERADE WITH A DEVESTATING ONSLAUGHT OF ATTACKS! ROSERADE DIDN'T STAND A CHANCE WHEN SNORLAX GOT CLOSE!" The referee shouted out, "THIS PUTS THE MATCH AT 2-1! WHAT A BACK AND FORTH FIGHT WE'VE GOTTEN SO FAR!"

"BUT NOW CHALLENGER CYNTHIA IS ON HER LAST POKEMON! CAN SHE MAKE A REVERSAL?! SHE HAS 30 SECONDS TO DECIDE WHO SHE'LL BE USING!"

This time, Cynthia fell silent as she stared at me thoughtfully, obviously deliberating on what her final Pokémon would be. I could see her mind whirling as she continued to sneak repeated glances towards Smough, eying up my Pokémon with a piercingly analytical gaze.

What did she see in Smough? And what was she prepared to reveal to counter him?

After all, this was only a showmatch. If Cynthia had the ambitions I thought she did, then she would be wary of revealing all of her tricks in a battle like this. This was a battle with most of the known world watching, so her performance here mattered greatly for her reputation. But this was ultimately still a battle for no stakes.

If she revealed too much, she might regret it later. It was a fine balance between a show of strength and showing too much.

Either way, I was excited to see what she would be bringing out last.