Chapter 192 (Patreon)

“Get away!” I yelled.

Since Gardevoir was on Cynthia’s side of the field when Garchomp was sent out, the Dragon Type appeared right next to him.

Cynthia’s Garchomp was big—taller than Gardevoir—and it rippled with muscles underneath its scales. A maw of sharpened, shark teeth filled its mouth, and the fins on its arms promised both a streamlined speed and devastating slicing. The Pokémon's thick tail swished back and forth as the Dragon Type glared at the Mega Evolved Gardevoir with an expression that spoke of an assurance of its own power.

“Metal Claw,” Cynthia ordered.

Of course it knows an anti-Fairy Move.

“Dazzling Gleam!” I yelled.

Gardevoir didn’t have a chance to escape. He couldn’t have a chance to escape. A glint formed in Garchomp's eyes that soon sharpened into a predatory gaze. Two claws, hardened by Steel Type energy, shot forward in a slice as fast as a blink. Gardevoir yelled out in pain as the attack tore across his chest, and the focus he had been building for Teleport completely dissolved away.

Then, Garchomp lunged, and Gardevoir was forced to pour an incredible amount of energy into Teleport just to escape in time. The Dragon Type’s sharp jaws bit down around nothing but air, and Gardevoir appeared back across the field, panting after that second-long exchange.

The crowd’s screams were deafening.

Cynthia isn't messing around. Her ace Pokémon is so much stronger than the rest of her team. Can we even take Garchomp out? With her fighting like that?

I didn't expect to have more than Azumarill for this. Maybe, if we're clever—

"Garchomp," Cynthia said, not needing to say anything else as an order.

To the continued, fervent yelling of the crowd, Garchomp cocked its head back as it analyzed Gardevoir before it lunged forward into a horizontal glide that caused it to accelerate over the field. As it held its finned arms out to its sides, energy pulsed out of its scales, trailing behind it like the flames of a jet.

I recognized the move.

Dragon Rush.

"Defense—terrain!" No time to get into the details of my plan. Garchomp was already on him.

Dragon Rush was a Dragon Type move, which Fairy Types were immune to. However, Garchomp wasn’t using the move as an attack, rather, it was using the implicit power involved to more quickly travel across the field.

A Reflect popped into existence in front of Gardevoir only for it to shatter like glass under the force of the impact. Gardevoir pulsed with mist for Misty Terrain at the same time, our specialty terrain carrying the effect of weakening Dragon Type moves. Unfortunately, the base capabilities of Garchomp seemed unaffected.

It snapped forward. Jaws just barely missed Gardevoir as he flashed back several feet. A stomp from Garchomp’s clawed foot caused the ground to burst up into a shockwave. The Bulldoze caused Gardevoir to lose his balance, falling backwards, completely vulnerable.

I could already tell this was over.

Claws gleamed with the silvery light of Metal Claw, and it was like the world moved in slow motion. Garchomp didn’t have any special expression on its face, but Gardevoir was looking up in fear.

For a moment, the briefest of moments, I felt the faintest bit of pressure on the edges of my mind. It was warm, apologetic, frankly terrified, but also, determined.

I wasn’t able to scream out another command. Everything was happening too far, and I was too exhausted. Gardevoir began to glow right when the Metal Claw was inches from his body, and then, he burst.

Unlike normal, there was no world-recoloring flash. My eyes prevented me from seeing any explosion of pink or white as my vision went black due to a wave of lethargy.

Misty Explosion, a self-sacrificing move, was painful to experience when maintaining our bond. My mind flashed back to Steven being knocked unconscious when his Metagross used Explosion against Rayquaza, but I had more Mega Evolution practice with Gardevoir now than Steven did with Metagross did back then.

Gardevoir poured all of his remaining energy into this attack, and I was forced to clutch onto the platform’s railing to not fall. It was like a faucet had been attached to my chest and turned to full blast, but, somehow, I hung on. Despite not being able to see while the attack happened, I could tell it was really something else.

Blinking, my vision slowly returned, and I stared down at the motionless Gardevoir and the Garchomp towering over him.

Where Gardevoir was completely fainted, Garchomp looked healthy—somewhat. At first, I thought it took no damage, but then it turned around to lumber back to Cynthia’s side of the field. Like the shadow of the moon shining onto its body, one half of Garchomp had been singed and burned. The Fairy Type energy was acidic to a Dragon Type like Garchomp, and while it had clearly been able to use a reflexive Protect, it hadn’t used the move fast enough.

A small grin formed on my face as I returned Gardevoir.

“You did it,” I whispered. “You hurt Garchomp. You did what you could.”

Gardevoir had been on the back foot that whole encounter, so it was amazing that he managed to land even a single attack. Fighting a defensive battle was one thing, but his decision to use Misty Explosion in the end had at least secured us a slight advantage:

Garchomp was now preferring its healthy, right half of its body when it walked.

I had to breathe for a few moments before I sent out my next Pokémon. Gardevoir’s sacrifice not only revealed just how fast Garchomp's reaction time was, but it also gave me time to think and recover while considering the switch. I knew from seeing its Protect that single, all-encompassing attacks were likely to be blocked.

With how this match was going, it was becoming increasingly likely that we wouldn’t see any other members of Cynthia’s team for the rest of this match. However, if we applied the proper strategy, we could prove to the world that we could stand up to her ace. Cynthia’s Garchomp was regarded as one of the strongest Pokémon in the world for a reason.

"Whimsicott," I said, announcing my next Pokémon. "Full evasion."

I sent a silent apology Azumarill's way. She would get a chance to fight soon.

In the air, Whimsicott bounced back and forth in place, and Garchomp strained its neck upwards to look at its flying opponent.

As it did, I yawned.

God, I'm tired.

I forcibly stifled a second deep gasp for air as Whimsicott began to follow the commands I gave him. It was hard to keep focus after supporting two simultaneous Mega Evolutions, but the sheer amount of adrenaline coursing through me was at least giving me enough energy to stay on my feet.

Whimsicott, somewhat injured from his earlier Substitutes, used a quick Sunny Day to give him the energy of the sun to rely on for this match.

His Chlorophyll ability would help him better match Garchomp’s speed, too.

"Stone Edge," Cynthia ordered.

Garchomp swiped an arm through the air, and sharpened daggers of stone flew out from underneath its fin. Whimsicott yelped in surprise at that barrage, but speed granted to him from Prankster let him set up a Tailwind that zipped him away.

"Again," Cynthia said.

Whimsicott wasn't so lucky the second time.

Still eyeing Garchomp, he wasn't able to use another move before one of the numerous, sharpened rocks jabbed right into his gut. The impact caused Whimsicott to cough, and, when he did, several oversized seeds came out. An unexpected Leech Seed flew forward and grew its vines in the air. Just to add more difficulty to dodging that attack, thick globs of Toxic were then spat out to follow behind them, too.

Garchomp didn’t need any orders to avoid this, unfortunately.  A quick push off the ground, and the dragon dashed to the side. Its eyes never left where the incoming attack flew through the air, and it opened its mouth as flames licked out from between its teeth.

It didn’t use Flamethrower. No, that would be too simple for the Champion's Pokémon. It demonstrated that it wasn’t just strong with physical moves but special moves, too, and a literal fireball, a Fire Blast, exploded out of its mouth.

The Leech Seed was incinerated when it was consumed by the flames, and the Fire Type move continued through it to turn the Toxic globs into dissipating, disintegrated gas. Still puffing up its chest with energy, Garchomp then turned its head to face Whimsicott once more. My Pokémon blinked, surprised and scared, before hollering out in fear as another Fireblast was sent his way.

After that, another, then another. Many explosive, Fire Type moves were sent after Whimsicott like anti-aircraft artillery, and he was forced to use all his wind control and maneuverability just to dodge.

"Get the terrain! Ball games!" I shouted through my exhaustion.

Garchomp was already demonstrating that no matter how well Whimsicott avoided its attacks, it would only take a single slip-up to properly take him out.

The Misty Terrain, faded near the start of this fight, was refreshed as Whimsicott fell from the sky, ducking under a sky of exploding flames. Garchomp saw this and was about to rush forward, but it paused when a puff of Stun Spore claimed the space around Whimsicott.

(Though, it wasn't like the move would have done anything. Misty Terrain prevented status conditions, which, to me, proved the Champion’s Pokémon could still make mistakes.)

At that lucky delay, Whimsicott made his move. Nature Power allowed him to conjure dozens of spheres of light that raised up from the field.

They launched forward. Garchomp slashed and roared, breaking apart the Moonblasts that Whimsicott sent its way. Just like the Fire Blasts, it was a tireless assault, except, this time, the assault was against the Dragon Type on the field.

However, Garchomp didn't need to do anything special to withstand the attacks. It demonstrated the sheer amount of training it had gone through by slashing and disrupting the incoming attacks. A few did slip through, though, burning Garchomp's scales like weak, sparkling brands. They mostly hit its weakened left half of the body, but, even then, it didn't even blink at that minimal yet compounding damage it was taking.

I glanced over to Whimsicott.

"This isn't enough," I said.

He gave me a happy, smiling nod.

Once again, my Pokémon seemed to come to a decision on their own, and Whimsicott suddenly rocketed forward. With his Tailwind and Chlorophyll combined, I didn't have even a second to shout for him to hold back. He went all the way up to Garchomp, but that only meant he was easily carved up by a quick Slash sent his way.

To make matters worse, Garchomp didn't let Whimsicott escape or block, snapping down with a flaming mouth. Teeth sparking with flames once more, this time, it used Fire Fang, securing Whimsicott in its mouth as the heat burned into his form.

A moment’s pause as Whimsicott grit his mouth through the pain. Then, a slight grin from Garchomp, and it shook its head back and forth like a dog with a new toy.

That took Whimsicott out. He was released, flying through the air before gently drifting down to the floor. He was unconscious, but in a way, he won. Despite appearing to have done nothing but let himself be attacked, he had actually weakened Garchomp with two moves at once.

First, that Slash had carved through the fluff Whimsicott had as hair, allowing a hidden Leech Seed to wrap around Garchomp’s arm and dig in beneath its scales. Second, Garchomp could barely move its jaw. When it bit down on Whimsicott, its mouth became all gummed up thanks to Cotton Spore.

"Clever," Cynthia said.

"He always is," I said, both sad and proud, as I returned my Pokémon.

I only had one Pokémon left. Cynthia had four. Her Garchomp was out, injured and weakened, but we could potentially make this work. Gardevoir and Whimsicott had given everything to ensure it was properly prepared for my final team member. With one last chance to do something, I went ahead and sent Azumarill out.

Let's make this count.

A blue, blobby rabbit appeared on the field. Two tall ears twitched as the announcer said something meaningless over the field. She crossed her arms and glared at Garchomp, already impatient to resume the match. As her resting, angry gaze moved to her opponent, a single sound left Azumarill’s mouth.

“Tch.”

Despite my tiredness, I laughed. Only Azumarill would look into the face of such a threatening foe and roll her eyes.

"And the challenger has sent out their last Pokémon! Will this be it for Alex? Will Cynthia sweep yet another trainers' team?" I heard the announcer continue.

I wanted to say no, to make some public statement here, but doing so would just be a waste of energy. All I did was look at Azumarill, who answered that question with a single stomp of her foot against the ground.

"Resume," the referee said.

They were off.

Neither Azumarill nor Garchomp waited a second. Both of them launched themselves over the field to clash in the center. Azumarill propelled herself forward via Aqua Jet propulsion, whereas Garchomp glided via a Dragon Rush once more.

"Spin," I said hoarsely. My voice wasn't audible over the sounds of the audience.

Thankfully, Azumarill knew what to do.

Aqua Jet didn't collide with Garchomp. Instead, she angled her propelling water ever so slightly to bring herself into a wild spin forward. Garchomp moved to slash into her with a, well, with a Slash, but all that rang out was a loud CLANG! as Azumarill solidified with Steel Type energy.

Pink fog and mist were sucked up into her, all of the remaining, ambient energies on the field now being used. Azumarill was like a spinning vacuum that glowed a Steel Type grey, one of her newly learned moves being used as a powerful, opening attack.

The impact of Steel Roller carried with it an insane amount of force, as the entirety of the fading Misty Terrain was used to fuel this attack. That bit of required set up meant that when Garchomp's claw bounced off of her spinning body, she had plenty of energy to keep going and slam into Garchomp's exposed stomach.

The arena fell silent for a single moment.

Garchomp was pushed back.

It was only a single inch, but the Champion's ace had to dig its feet into the ground not to be brought further away.

"Yes!"

I forgot my own tiredness at the sight of that minor victory. A second later, and I couldn't hear anything else over the screams of the audience. Cynthia hummed, whereas I just shouted to give my support as much as I could. A malicious grin stretched across Azumarill's face, and the massive dragon replied with a simple snort.

The match continued.

Limited to its claws thanks to Cotton Spore keeping its mouth stuck closed, and focusing on its good side thanks to the injury from Misty Explosion, Garchomp ended up being matched by Azumarill. Fin over paw, paw over fin, the two Pokémon attacked and attacked and attacked. Azumarill bounced around, circling the dragon to unleash a series of Play Rough jabs and Liquidations, and Garchomp countered with its own Slashes and Metal Claws. Each counter and attack caused Azumarill to wince due to Garchomp’s Rough Skin, but the worming Leech Seed from Whimsicott helped offset the damage. Each Pokémon was wearing one another down, and with everything that had happened earlier, Azumarill had more options, which gave her the advantage. Cynthia noticed that, and she called out a change of technique.

"Rock Tomb!"

Garchomp roared and poured Rock Type energy into its claws. Two boulders, each larger than Azumarill, appeared in its hands and were jabbed forward.

Azumarill was forced to jump back. The two rocks would have crushed her if she hadn't jumped.

For that moment, Garchomp was out of sight, blocked by the presence of the Rock Tomb on the field. Hidden, a thump rang out, and then a wave of dirt for Bulldoze extended from underneath the two stones.

"Dodge!" My voice felt hoarse, but I yelled anyway. Thankfully, Azumarill still managed to use Aqua Jet to get to the side.

However, that was when, in almost slow motion, Garchomp revealed itself. It bolted out from behind the rocks with one of its claws extended forward.

"Poison Jab," Cynthia ordered rather cockily.

I could feel the pressure of defeat.

Azumarill's eyes went wide, not expecting that unexpected move, and a purple-coated claw jabbed into her chest.

As a Fairy Type, the attack was super effective. Cynthia had hidden that card well. Azumarill took the jab head on and was sent flying back, but the thick fat of her body made her react like rubber as she bounced over the field. Within a few bounces, she was able to reorient herself and use her spongy tail to help soften the fall. Splash ensured she knew how to land, but after everything else, she was panting.

Azumarill looked to be about to faint.

"It's over,” Cynthia said. “Garchomp, finish her off.”

At that, I filled with anger. Not necessarily my own, but I thought in line with Azumarill.

All of this effort, all of this practice and training, and for what? To faint two of Cynthia’s Pokémon? Sure, we could consider this match a success, as we were doing even better than Elite Four Aaron, but both Azumarill and I wanted more.

One more success.

One more victory to have in our favor.

Poison Jab hadn’t poisoned her—we weren't on a timer. We could still fight. The odds weren’t stacked against us, as we had one more trump card to win us the match.

"Azumarill!" I screamed. "Belly Drum!"

Cynthia flung out her hand to the side to order her Pokémon to stop, and the sound of her coat alone was enough to cause Garchomp to halt.

Azumarill should not have been able to use Belly Drum. She simply didn't have the remaining vitality. The self-damaging move would faint her if she used it in almost every single case. However, when I pulled back my arms and began the movements for a dance, the audience chuckled, then murmured, then screamed with excitement when Azumarill glowed with an unfamiliar force.

"Z-Belly Drum," I said.

A thump. Azumarill struck her own stomach. The full force of a Z-Move sent shockwaves through her, both invigorating her and maximizing her strength. I felt my own stamina pour out of me as I collapsed to a knee, myself. I could barely move, yet Azumarill was suddenly back on her feet.

This was it. This was our plan—one last trick up our sleeve. It was a strategy I had lovingly dubbed "Phase 2," after classic boss fight mechanics I’d seen in the past.

Z-Belly Drum was special; sure, it didn't have any extra offensive effect, but in a battle where Garchomp's Protect would make singular attacks worthless, it was our number one option to pull off a win.

See, Belly Drum hurt the user, but Z-Belly Drum healed the user of all wounds first. In exchange for my own energy, Azumarill was refreshed, reinvigorated, and now only suffered from the damage from Belly Drum rather than any of the previous damage of Garchomp's attacks.

Do it.

Azumarill couldn't hear my silent voice, but she moved regardless. Once more, she tore over the field with Aqua Jet, and once more, she moved into a spin.

This time, the attack was different.

If there was a terrain up, the attack would have removed it, but it didn't need to gather the field's energy to function. Rather, the water Azumarill had been using to push herself forward solidified and froze, becoming Ice Type enhancements that slammed into Garchomp.

Protect saved it again, but the Pokémon was moved back even farther than before. Azumarill not only had her maximized physical power to push it forward, but Ice Type moves were four times effective against Garchomp. It took these weeks of practice alongside Ninetales and a few others for her to learn how to use this Type of energy, and now, actually in the battle, Ice Spinner tore into Cynthia’s ace.

Kick after kick of icy impacts went Garchomp’s way. Its intense weakness to the cold meant it was forced to focus entirely on defense. The fins on its arms were brought up to block Azumarill’s attacks, and it used Protect wherever and as often as it could. With the sheer amount of energy Azumarill had from that Z-Move alongside her maximized strength, Azumarill was achieving the ridiculous feat of actually fighting the Champion’s ace Pokémon on even ground.

...

No.

This was something more.

Azumarill wasn’t just fighting Garchomp on even ground. She was fighting with an advantage, and she was winning.

I could feel the energy of the crowd escalate around us. The people of Sinnoh rooted for Cynthia—practically worshiped Cynthia—but, at the same time, people always looked forward to an upset. If Cynthia lost here, that would be a first in Sinnoh’s history. To say the excitement was palpable was an understatement.

But, like all good things, it did not last. Cynthia brought up an arm and casually adjusted the sleeve of her coat as if nothing was going wrong.

A hush fell over the audience as the excitement dimmed. Her simple action was enough to cut the burgeoning moment short.

"That was a good attempt, Alex, and while I applaud Azumarill's power, you’ve failed to realize that we have a trump card of our own."

No.

"I didn't expect to be forced to use this here, as not even members of my own Elite Four have pushed Garchomp this far."

Please, no.

"Congratulations, Alex," Cynthia said, throwing up her arm. "After all this time, behold! Mega Garchomp."

Cynthia held high that same arm she had been fiddling with, and she let her sleeve fall back. A rainbow stone glowed with a brilliant light that caused the entire arena to freeze. Azumarill had been furiously spinning against Garchomp, hopping back and forth with Splash to duck under its retaliations and unleash several of her own. Now, she was forced to cover her eyes to hide from the blinding light, and, within moments, Garchomp was reborn.

The already large Dragon Type grew even further, and it arched its back due to its claws. The fins on its arms shifted to merge with its hands, forming red-edged scythe to use its primary attack. Not only that, spikes grew out around its chest, and its scales hardened and grew sharper. The Leech Seed from before was eviscerated, as Azumarill’s one defense against Rough Skin was removed and the ability itself enhanced.

When the light broke, Garchomp moved around its jaw: square, thick, and filled with even sharper teeth. It chewed for just a moment before spitting out a wet glob of fluff, and then it leaned down and grinned.

The crowd was cheering, but Garchomp was louder than everyone else here. It stabbed its scythes into the ground before roaring inches away from Azumarill’s face, and, with that act, little bits of sand, like spittle, flecked onto her skin.

Azumarill didn't attack right away—one of Garchomp's abilities was Rough Skin. Instead, she used an Aqua Ring to coat herself with moisture and prepare herself for the upcoming clash.

"Sand Tomb," Cynthia ordered calmly.

The pair of scythes were dragged through the ground as Azumarill hopped back. She let out a quick Bubble Beam just to splash water on Garchomp’s face in the same way it had spit sand onto hers. Unfortunately, even though Azumarill was trying to escape, the enhancements of Garchomp’s Mega Evolution was too much, and a tornado of sand burst from the ground to completely encompass her form.

I could see her silhouette spinning and spinning as Garchomp moved back to eye its prey. It lifted up one scythe to ready itself an even stronger Poison Jab, but then it paused.

Azumarill’s form was suddenly much harder to see within the sand. It was amorphous, unknown, and then she burst out with water.

A hastily conjured Surf freed her from the sand and Azumarill launched herself right at Garchomp. Even with its Mega Evolution, she was completely unintimidated, roaring at the dragon as she readied herself one final, Play Rough punch.

Then, sand kicked up in an instant, and I knew it was over.

Garchomp didn’t retaliate with a quick, weak move. It could have easily done so to take Azumarill out, but, no, it decided to do something else.

Its entire body glowed with light as sand kicked up into a Sandstorm around it. Its ability, Sand Force, meant the weather enhanced its attacks, and it used that boost to launch itself forward.

This was no Hyper Beam, but it carried the same power as the special move. Where Azumarill sailed over the field, Garchomp met her punch head on. A blinding Giga Impact crashed into her in the middle of the air, and a wide shockwave seemed to flatten the practically ruined field as she was sent flying back.

A thud—Azumarill smashed into the field’s barriers. Her eyes flicked up for one last glare as she tried to push to her feet.

"It's over," Cynthia said.

Azumarill shook with strain as she tried to continue the fight, but, after everything, and I really meant everything, she fell to the ground, unconscious.

"And that's it! Cynthia wins again!" the announcer yelled.

Cheering. Clapping. I stared unblinking at my unconscious Pokémon. We had lost, but we had performed well. We might not have got the faints we wanted, but, together, we achieved something greater:

We forced Cynthia to Mega Evolve her ace.

At this point, I felt like if I closed my eyes, I would end up falling unconscious, too. Slowly and robotically, I leaned back up and returned Azumarill to her Dive Ball. The rest of my team's Pokéballs felt heavy on my waist as the outcome of the battle fully set in.

"Everyone," I said under my breath. "We didn't win, but we were close. I... I'm so proud of you all."

I knew how they felt. Shame at our loss yet pride at how far we'd come. From where they used to be just a year ago, we had somehow managed to put up a decent fight against one of the world’s strongest Champions.

Chest puffed up despite our loss, I left the trainer platform and strode across the field to meet up with Cynthia. Her Garchomp was no longer Mega Evolved, but it remained on the field just long enough for her to pat its side before she returned it to its ball.

We shook hands. We waved to the audience. The cheers were no longer just for Cynthia. Now, they were for both of us.

“Good job, Alex,” Cynthia said quietly with out mics off. “I think you managed to prove just how strong your Pokémon are.”

“I’m glad,” I replied. I held back a yawn. “But, uh, I think I need to sleep before we can properly celebrate.”

She chuckled as we continued to wave, and, under the watchful gaze of what felt like the entire world, the pair of us walked off the field. As we left, I knew there’d be people out there calling me and my team weak, saying that since we didn’t win, we weren’t strong.

But, it didn’t matter. I didn’t care. After all, there was only one proper way to respond to that.

We knocked out two of Cynthia’s Pokémon. We were able to maintain two Mega Evolutions at once. Almost every single remaining member of Cynthia’s team were brought to near fainting, Garchomp included, and we forced Cynthia to Mega Evolve her ace.

A loss, but it was still a victory in its own way. Leaving the field, I felt satisfied.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

I fell asleep the moment I could. Once I ensured my team had been safely handed off to be healed, I found a comfortable chair in an empty dressing room, and the world faded to black.

Two simultaneous Mega Evolutions and a Z-Move on top of that was a feat in itself, even when accounting for my loss. My team, however, deserved all the credit, as everyone had contributed in the end.

Carbink, once again, had shown they were a defensive wall. Ninetales had managed to wield her Ice Type moves to the fullest, and Gardevoir and Mawile both got to fight in their Mega Forms. Whimsicott managed to let loose one final, incredibly powerful trick, and Azumarill proved to the world that she was strong—strong enough to put Cynthia's Garchomp on the backfoot, even if it was just for a moment.

My Pokémon were handed back to me several hours later, after I woke up with the same bewilderment that came from an average, midday nap. They were all refreshed, bandaged, and excited to have had such a fun match. A smile formed on my face when I saw them all once again, and Ninetales rushed forward to rest her upper body in my lap.

I ran my fingers through the chilly mane on her head.

"That was incredible. I don't even know how to explain just how impressed I am."

They cheered. Ninetales let out a howl. To the side, Gardevoir gained a slight smirk, and Mawile crossed her arms as she tried to hide a smile of her own.

"A loss, but against the Champion? Whatever. Critics will be critics. To me, we won in my books. Not just anyone can perform as well as we did, and you two, Azumarill and Whimsicott—"

Looking over, Whimsicott was holding onto Azumarill's head. He was shaking her excitedly as she tried to bat him away with a scowl. However, her attacks were lackluster at best as he simply giggled and easily dodged each hit.

We both knew that without his clever use of Cotton Spore, Garchomp would have been able to use Thunder Fang, and that might have ended the match. Thanks to his efforts, Azumarill was able to fight more freely, and the outcome was all the better for it.

Praise continued for a few more minutes, and my Pokémon preened under my words. I promised them rewards—promised everyone rewards in the form of a deliciously unhealthy meal—and then there was a knock at the door.

"Hello?"

I recognized the voice on the other side.

"Come in, Cynthia,” I said, laughing slightly. “I was just telling my Pokémon how great they are all.”

The door creaked open to reveal the Champion herself walking in. She had a proud smile on her face as she entered the room as well a pair of plastic containers in her hands.

“Congratulations on a battle well done, everyone,” she said. “I brought ice cream as a celebration.”

Ninetales practically rushed her.

Bowls were passed around, ice cream was plopped down into scoops. Everyone on my team greatly enjoyed the chilly, sweet taste as Cynthia sat down on another free chair in this dressing room.

“Overall, wonderful,” she said, sliding a big glob of ice cream into her mouth right after. “One might get a similar challenge from the Elite Four. A slightly different situation, and I imagine you might have garnered more knock-outs in the end. I do try to keep them conscious in case I need a finishing attack later on, unfortunately for you."

"Like with Gastrodon and Togekiss?" I asked through my own bites.

Cynthia nodded her head, pausing briefly to swallow.

"Yes. Though, in the future, you might want to practice battling Ghost Types a bit more."

The thought of her Spiritomb made me shiver, but, glancing to her front pocket, its core stone didn't seem to be here. Cynthia saw my slight sigh of relaxation and chuckled slightly as she continued to dig into her bowl.

“On the topic of sweet treats,” she said, putting her spoon down. “How would you like to take a short vacation, Alex?"

I blinked at the sudden, unexpected question.

"I’m sorry, what?"

"I mean what I said."

Cynthia adjusted her sleeves, stretching as she did. For some reason, I got the image of a satisfied cat relaxing after a long day, and my team looked up from their own meals to start paying attention to our conversation even more.

"Each year, I find time before the Lily of the Valley Conference to take a short break,” Cynthia explained. “It's not consistent, but I do try to find time to relax in my schedule when I can. After this battle, I feel as if it is best to let the media stew. Have them pick up the discussion, replay the highlights, and Lucian will step in if things get out of hand."

"A vacation," I repeated after her words. "Don't tell me—"

"I own property in Unova, Alex. A small vacation home right on the beach. I know it might not compare to Alola, but, personally, I don't enjoy the heat."

I stared at her blankly as Cynthia's smile grew and grew.

Oh.

Oh no.

She wasn't offering a vacation. She was presenting me with a problem. Specifically, this was a problem I'd warned people about in the past.

"Ash is in Unova," I said, muted.

"Yes," came her reply.

"And, if I’m remembering this right, I warned Steven of a certain event involving the region's Legendaries that was set around this time, didn't I?"

Cynthia gained an innocent look on her face before the facade broke into an excited grin.

"Oh, but imagine what it'd be like! The Legendary Meloetta! Preserved ruins! Recovering a stolen artifact! And, if we're both prepared, Giovanni won't put up much of a fight!"

That's when it hit me: Cynthia did think this event would be a vacation. The one time I knew where and when Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket, would personally appear in an attempt to control a set of Legendary Pokémon, Cynthia thought his capture might be fun.

“I have to get back to Alola—”

“It will only take a handful of days,” Cynthia interjected.

“But when it comes to Lillie—”

“From what you’ve shared with me, I trust Hope, and you can always send a few of your Pokémon back to travel with them for a while, too.”

“But when it comes to Giovanni’s strength—”

“Alex,” Cynthia said, shaking her head ever so slightly. “I am the Champion of Sinnoh, and your team has just given mine a great challenge. We are going into this prepared and ready. No matter how strong his Pokémon are, he cannot handle two elite trainers at the same time. This situation is the exact situation the Wandering Elite were created for. Surely you can see why I would invite you?”

I felt my lips press together as I honestly considered her proposal. I didn’t want to leave Lillie for even more time, but Cynthia was completely right that I could send a few members of my team to help defend her. Not only that, but Hope was still there alongside an Ultra Beast—Kartana—and the entire region’s focus would still be on Akala until next month, as the beginner trainers taking part in the Island Challenge weren’t scheduled to move on until then.

Lusamine would be a fool to make any moves, and I got the sense that she was no fool.

"Maybe. Probably. I’ll think about it," I said.

I’ll talk to Hope and Lillie about it, too.

Cynthia, however, treated my reluctance as a confirmation, and she stood up and clapped her hands as if to declare this conversation finished. "Great! I'll set up the plans and contact Alder. I've been waiting for this for ages!"

She then moved to leave the room before pausing and retrieving her bowl of ice cream before she did. I leaned back in my chair, letting out a sigh and looking around at my Pokémon. In return, they stared back at me, curious, as I knew I had told them about this exact threat in the past.

"So," I said. "A fight against Giovanni. Meeting back up with Ash. Meeting another Legendary, too, and the entire mess that would entail. Who’d be interested, and who’d be interested in potentially traveling with Lillie?"

Ninetales made the immediate decision to stick with me. No offense to Lillie, but Alola was uncomfortably warm. The rest of my team took a bit longer to make a decision, but most of them seemed to be in favor of the potential tough fight.

Y’know, even though we just fought Sinnoh’s Champion a few hours ago.

“I’ll talk to everyone else at home and see what they want, too,” I said, rubbing my head. “But, as the votes stand, we’ll probably end up spending a few days in Unova soon.”

Some cheered. Some just looked like they wanted to rest. Honestly, Cynthia did have a point that I had a duty to see this through.

I wasn’t just a member of the Wandering Elite. I was the person who warned the League of this potential years in the past. If Cynthia was already planning for this, it seemed the butterfly effect had left Giovanni’s plans untouched.

The Team Rocket Boss was a worldwide threat, and his criminal organization had its fingers in many dangerous and illegal pies. Striking at him here was a chance to capture him, and, not only that, even if we failed, it might ensure he would be much, much less willing to make such extreme moves in the future.

But we needed power to do it. I know Cynthia said she was confident in going there with the power of two elites, but I knew Legendary Pokémon would be involved. After seeing what some of them were capable of, I knew there were so many ways this could go wrong.

Unless...

My eyes stared at nothing at all as dozens of connections formed in my head.

What if we had backup?

When fighting a Pokémon with Legendary power, the best counter was a Pokémon with its own Legendary power.

Slowly, as my Pokémon chatted among themselves and finished off their ice cream, I pulled out my Holo-Caster and gave Professor Sycamore a call.

I'd heard from him that Diancie had been itching to see another region. Given the situation, she might be willing to do that and more.

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Author Note:

You are, in fact, correct! The coming chapters will be very, very stupid, but they’ll be so in a good way!

Poor scheduling on my part made this chapter difficult to write. I visited friends I hadn't seen in years, so the entirety of this was both written and published on my phone. I usually use my computer for editing and setting up chapters, please give me a heads up if anything seems off!

Pokémon mentioned in this chapter (contains spoilers):
Garchomp
Meloetta
Metagross
Rayquaza

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