Dr. Nendal Lacroix's Story

Outside the grand and magnificent stadium, a man in a lab coat walked forward. He had a smirk on his face that was smug; confident. He strode forward with a confident gait and a slight hunch, his eyes set on his nefarious goals. As he approached the entrance, he walked through whatever lines may have existed and indeed walked right towards the entry gates, almost as if unconcerned by whatever was required of him before entry. It was almost as if he was daring someone to stop him. If unopposed, he'd simply enter the stadium as he pleased.

But of course someone was there to stop him.

"Excuse me, sir," a guard stepped forward, halting him in his path, "This path is for Employees Only. Spectators line is right over there."

He pointed towards the line that was snaking around the front of the stadium, indicating the spectacle that was this event. This was for the title of Grand Champion after all.

The scientist stopped and turned to face the guard. His voice was unusually calm.

Hmm. Well, that poses a problem. I'm in a rush, you see, and I have important matters to settle with Iris. Either you can kindly remove yourself from my path, or I can force you out of the way in a battle. Simple choices, really.

He adjusted his glasses before placing his hands into his pockets as he awaited the response he was already expecting. One more guard to the tally would not faze him in the slightest.

The security guard narrowed his eyes at the scientist as he registered the threat. His hand went to the radio as he tapped on the button, "Requesting assistance at the employee entrance due right of the main gate. We've got a potential streaker."

He simply walked forward and stood in his way. The scientist was tall with an average build, but the guard was taller and very much above average in build. He had a good fifty or sixty pounds on this guy and had the muscular definition that stated he could probably bench press him for fun if he wanted to. There were no PokeBalls on his belt though.

"The Grand Champion is preoccupied at the moment," he said with some smarm, "And you're not gonna be the one to interrupt her. You're no better than anyone else here. You can get in line with the others. Otherwise, we're gonna escort you off the premises...by force if we have to."

And in that time, a few more guards showed up, taking in the situation at hand and lining up hear the entrance so as to prevent him running around the guard and rushing his way in. Some had one or two PokeBalls, others did not.

Very well then. We'll do this the hard way. I'll battle the lot of you. An experience no doubt to prove riveting for my own ends. I wonder how you'll react when you face defeat.

---

With an evil grin, he pulled his gloves tight and brandished a Poke Ball, tossing it forward.

Diancie. Take command. I am curious about our enemies.

In short order, the Poke Ball released a dark-purple, sylph-like Pokémon that had a black chest and arms that resembled a dress. It also had a headdress, which consisted of purple crystals; the four short ones cresting along the top pointing upwards, and two long ones on each side of its head, pointing downwards, with an additional diamond-cut centerpiece framed by its slim dark-purple ears. A smaller purple crystal was also embedded in the back of its head, and a red nugget was embedded in its forehead. Its eyes were black with pale-purple irises, and a red crescent circles its neck, with each end joined by a rhomboid gem. Its lower body resembled a large oblong chunk of stone, with a large purple crystal protruding from it.

Something immediately seemed off about the Diancie, aside from their general rarity, the chance of someone having one is astronomical. It almost seemed to have a malicious aura about it, and it looked quite cross expression-wise. At this time, Nendal reached for his Pencil using his right hand while a device unfolded and extended from his left wrist, transforming into a functioning Wonder Launcher. He seemed to already know what he was going to do.

The Diancie looked ready to rumble, and awaited Nendal's orders, and her would be opponents.

I'll fight all of you at once if you wish. Do not be concerned for my well-being. I can handle it, I assure you all.

He didn't care who was bearing witness to this event.

The appearance of the Diancie was intriguing to those that recognized the rarity of said Pokemon. A few made gasps and awe-filled sounds as the Jewel Pokemon graced them with it's presence. But most weren't fazed by the creature and none of them recognized the strange, foul aura emanating from it. Those that had Pokemon to contend with brought them out, not by the enticing of the scientist, but rather to end this sooner rather than later. This was less about fair fights and more about preventing a law from being broken, after all.

There were seven different Pokemon in total to start out with: A Blitzle, a Panpour, a Throh, a Cinccino, a Swanna, a Klinklang, and a Mienshao, extending in the level range from around the twenties to around the fifties. The security personnel that were controlling the Pokemon hung back to issue commands and the like. But that wouldn't be the only issue to contend with.

Those that didn't have Pokemon to fight with barreled right past the Diancie and proceeded to bring down the scientist. Like blitzing the quarterback, a good five others surrounded Dr. Nendal in their U-shape and closed the gap rather quickly, attempting a multi-pronged tackle from each and every end they could think of.

Meanwhile, the assault on the Pokemon began at the same time, distracting it. The Blitzle took to striking first with Flame Charge. The Mienshao struck next with a closely followed Jump Kick. The Panpour and Swanna struck from afar with Water Gun and Air Slash, respectively. Throh Bulked Up and Klinklang Charged. Finally, the Cinccino placed in a Substitute to prevent status effects from being had.

---

From inside, the battle between the two imposing and important figures of the Unova Region continued. No one was really paying attention to the skirmish happening outside as the fight inside was definitely more interesting to them and had much larger implications on the future. Well...except for one individual whose job was to supervise any and all Ruula Grand Stadium happenstances that could happen at such an illustrious event. The duty naturally fell to her since she was the closest person with authority to the stadium to begin with. Even Iris performed most of her duties in the Ruulan capital of Castelia City.

"Elesa, there's a battle taking place outside the wall."

The Nimbasa City Gym Leader sighed in slight annoyance as she parted her perfectly trimmed bangs from her ear and held the radio she had up to it, "Is security present?"

"Yes ma'am, but this seems to be a more pressing issue than the surface may imply."

"How so?"

"The suspect has only one Pokemon out and is goading the security on the scene to attack him at once, but he's only got a Diancie out."

Elesa frowned, "Seems like he's fairly confident in his capabilities."

"More worrisome, however, is his intentions, which has something to do with Grand Champion Iris."

"What does he want with her?"

"He didn't say, but judging by his demeanor, it can't be good."

"Hmm..." Elesa thought for a moment, tapping her chin, before asking, "Do you guys think you can handle this and keep it a low-publicity incident?"

"We're not sure, ma'am. I'm afraid he might be holding back some kind of trump card if he's this confident to try and blaze past security."

Elesa nodded, "Alright. Give me a second. I'll be right over."

Seeing the group of guards forgo Pokemon and rush at him instead, Nendal activated his Pencil.

Now, let's begin the experiment. Diancie, just as we practiced.

Yes. As we practiced... I am Diancie, princess of the dark! Bow before me, or be shrouded unending!

The words were spoken by telepathy to all those nearby, and immediately, a glow began emanating from the Diancie's centerpiece gem, enveloping its form in a mystical veil that began changing its form. When the glow faded, a new Pokemon stood in the Diancie's place, though it looked incredibly similar, almost as if it simply evolved. It retained the Diancie's color scheme but instead possessed a dress-like structure made of purple gems and a larger gem replacing the large chunk of rock. The rhomboid gem on the back of its head had become more rounded and two smaller gems grew from it at the bottom. More red pieces supported the large diamond at the lower body. Its centerpiece became heart-cut instead of diamond-cut, and it also gained two ribbon-like structures that were growing from the two small gems on the back of its head, each tipped by two small floating rhomboid gems for each ribbon. The two long purple crystals behind its head shrank into one, and two more of these hung from the centerpiece, also tipped by a small floating rhomboid gem for each. A larger red crescent also circled its torso. It was a beauty to behold, noble in design, but dark, and with a malicious intent.

As the Blitzle closed in with Flame Charge, the Diancie generated a sword made out of the purple crystals, creating the blade with relative speed as she gave it a solid swing, ready to defend.

Not I!

Assuming a blocking motion, she took the hit from Flame Charge with little noticeable effect as she moved sideways, dodging Mienshao's Jump Kick in the process. Panpour's Water Gun seemed to be slightly more effective than the Flame Charge was, but the Air Slash accompanying it from Swanna appeared to be almost entirely ineffective at phasing the Diancie. As the others charged themselves up and raised their power, the Diancie swung her sword in a demonstration of dominance and would await an order.

---

Getting ready to fend off the guards rushing him down, Nendal gave an order.

Diancie, let's see how weather affects their spirits. Use Shadow Sky.

Having given his order, the scientist, unassumingly light on his feet, rushed forward to meet one of the guards mid-tackle, hoping to plant an elbow into the guard's gut at a surprising speed unnatural for normal Ruulans. Whatever the result, he then immediately twisted his body as he leaped airborne, to let the rest of the guards tackle into each other while he landed behind them safely, drawing forth several needles from within his lab coat.

What poor sports. So this is how people respond when their own edicts are broken. How riveting.

---

Looking to the Pokemon as she repositioned herself, the Diancie giggled darkly as she held her sword before her. In telepathy, the Pokemon and Trainers in the area would hear her speak.

The light of day is ghastly. Don't you agree?

She then raised her sword into the sky, channeling a dark energy that shot into the air. Once it reached a sufficient altitude, it erupted as a shadowy aura filled the sky. As the shadowy aura permeated, it caused bursts of light to shower down onto the Pokemon and Trainers battling, with the flashing lights striking all in the area who were not Dr. Nendal himself, or the Diancie, for a small amount of damage. The Diancie seemed to revel in the shower of bursting lights as if it was empowered by them. She then returned to Nendal's side, ready to protect him, but adopted motions that were almost challenging each of the Pokemon and Trainers on the field to fight her. Then, a voice was heard to each, a voice through telepathy. It was feminine and regal as should be expected, but it was also mired in a dark tone, cynical and bitter, closed, perhaps even a bit heartless.

Pokemon. Trainers. Your fight here is now against me. If any of you so much as try to attack the doctor again, you'll be lost to the dark. Such is the fate of any who stand in the doctor's path.

Suddenly, it seemed the situation had grown a lot more serious. Nendal put the needles away and returned his hands to his pockets as he stood behind the Diancie, the evil grin never leaving his face.

Well said, Diancie. Yes, this too is part of the plan. The data collected so far has been wonderful, but we're not done yet.

"No indeed."

The clicking of high heels signified her presence through sounds, but that was merely one note on a fashionista's elegant entrance. As would be true in a model's life, she wore many dresses, but today's choice was overwhelmingly staggering. The theme of electric blue rang through her tight-fitting dress, accentuating all the curves on her body. There were bright yellow sparkles sprinkled within to give her the air of authority she definitely carried. Every finger was slender and seemed to glitter a metallic silver. Every hair strand streaked silver with highlights of electric blue and yellow was in place and perfectly formed. Her bright blue eyes seemed to zap through every person she looked at, as if sapping their strength with an imposing aura that came with the beauty.

But there was no pageant's wave. There was no award-winning smile. She came to do business.

The guards that had been quaking and shaking from the emergence of the power house that was Diancie turned back as the words she stated were clear and light, yet raged with power and strength. Their hope was recaptured and they continued to stare at her for one reason or another, be it her sizzling beauty or her calm face.

"Keep guard of the entrance," she commanded, "Make sure no one else sneaks through while we do our thing."

They nodded with newfound determination as they took a defensive stance behind Elesa, covering the entrance. Meanwhile, her eyes rested on the Mega Evolved Diancie with the shadowy aura.

"Well, aren't you threatening," she commented, running a single finger down her left eyebrow, "And that aura you carry definitely isn't something natural." Her gaze rested on the scientist, her finger eventually finding it's way down her cheek and onto her chin. She let a coy smile slip through, "Of course a mad scientist would be behind it all. You probably did horrible things to such a lovely creature to make it feel so cold and heartless. Did she even get a chance to enjoy life or was she your beloved test tube baby?"

The doctor gave a small chuckle.

My my, Elesa, you are a perceptive woman. That's exactly what happened! A scientist, myself! A Pokemon, Carbink! The results were satisfactory! Rest assured, however, that her choice in this matter was entirely her own. I merely offered her a chance to wield a new and formidable power; an offer that she took readily. The new power in action... How riveting! Fortunately, I avoided the need for a testing vat. Carbink are useful enough as they are, without the need for further experimentation.

The Diancie held its serious glance. In its eyes was a calm and controlled fury, keeping a lust for battle checked.

"You should learn what consent means before you go twisting the story like that," Elesa snapped, "Half truths are not truths, no matter how hard you argue and say that it is. And even if you were being honest, that doesn't make it okay for you to be messing with nature the way you are."

Her eyes seemed to be taking him in, his appearance, his loadout, and any kind of "special" equipment that could be seen as unfair use in a Pokemon Battle. Most notably, her eyes rested on the pencil in his hand that seemed to be glowing. Whatever that thing is, it doesn't look good, she mentally noted.

"Now, what exactly is it you want with the Grand Champion?" she inquired, "And why can't it wait until after the match is over?" A thought clicked in her head and her lead lifted slightly and added, "Are you looking to captivate an audience?"

"I simply wish to battle her. I'll explain to her the reasons. They do not concern you, Elesa. I tire of these questions you're asking, as they don't lead to any progression in this experiment. Please step aside before I make you do so. Unless you wish to face me down."

The doctor was eerily confident and unperturbed by anything Elesa was saying. As he stared her down, the Diancie prepared her blade as if she would be attacking very shortly.

"As a matter of fact," Elesa narrowed her gaze and drew out three of her PokeBalls, "It does concern me. It concerns my stage and it's participants and it's audience. You forget who runs this arena and that is me. And according to my standards, your experiment is a non-factor to anyone in attendance today. And if you've got a problem with that...then you can take it up against my team."

She tossed the PokeBalls forward, reveaing a Stunfisk, an Emolga, and an Ampharos as the Diancie's first opponents.

Keep an eye out for any special tricks, she mentally noted. This Diancie's something really dangerous...

"Ampharos, use your Signal Beam! Try to land a confusion on that Diancie. Emolga, hit 'em with Charm. And Stunfisk...let's go for a Scald."

The three worked as a team, like they were accustomed to. Emolga ran forward first, giving a charming grin and a wink as it flew by. The Ampharos's head started to glow until a beam of light shot forward, aiming directly for the Diancie's forehead while the Charm was setting in. All the while, Stunfisk let loose a steaming hot blast of water aiming for it's midsection. Elesa grinned with that award-winning smile.

"Come on, hot shot," she goaded him, "Let's see what you've got."

The Diancie seemed off-put by Emolga at first but held its ground. As Emolga tried to Charm the Diancie, it would find that it was only looking at itself as if a mirror was between it and the Diancie; Magic Bounce's effects activating as the charming gesture worked its charm on the Emolga instead, leaving Diancie unfazed.

As Emolga's Charm was reflected, the Diancie raised its blade to absorb the Signal Beam incoming, taking little damage from the attack that wasn't very effective to start, being not very effective in common parlance, despite the pretty colors. Unable to block the blast of water in time, the Diancie took the hit directly. It seemed to tank it relatively well, as, despite the advantage that Water had against her, the Diancie looked barely harmed.

Is that all? Your feeble tricks will not work on me.

The Diancie looked ready to fight.

Hrm. I'm afraid I've already shown what I have. Tsk, tsk. Now, Diancie, let us prepare the next experiment. Will you be able to handle Elesa?

She will be no issue to I, Diancie! I will have the total obedience of all as you promised! Stay back, doctor! Prepare yourself for the Grand Champion battle we will have! I cannot lose!

It seemed the Diancie would fight this one.

The doctor's eyes were intimidatingly obscured by light reflected in his glasses. He pulled a glove tighter as he clenched a fist, looking up at Elesa with a confidence that wasn't shaken by whatever she was saying. He would let the Diancie handle the opposition this time. His experiment was coming along perfectly as he brandished his notepad and begun writing notes with his peculiar pencil.

In kind, the Diancie prepared herself, speaking to Elesa and the now released Pokemon.

Out of my sight, unwashed peasants!

Empowered by the shadowy aura filling the sky, the Diancie raised her sword high as it began glowing purple. Enlarging in size as it absorbed energy, she brought it forth to bear, slamming the ground with the enlarged blade as several shadowy diamond-shaped spikes of energy shot forward at rapid speed to deal damage to all three Pokemon at once. The spikes dogged the Pokemon rather well and were incredibly effective; Super-Effective as many would say, and likely to deal large amounts of damage, further increased in potency by the shadowy aura that was absorbed into its very power.

The display was immense, and the power demonstrated was almost unheard of. It was clear this Diancie was not normal by any means. After the attack, bursts of light showered from the shadowy aura, further dealing damage to the Pokemon, and possibly Elesa and the other Trainers. Nendal and the Diancie were both unaffected, however.

Seizing the advantage in speed it had as a Mega Diancie, it proceeded to prepare another attack, the sword once more glowing.

All who oppose me will hang! Prepare yourselves!

Elesa frowned in thought when she saw the reflective effect her Emolga's Charm had when it was used. Magic Bounce, huh? she pondered. That'll make things tough...

What was worse was the adverse effect the Diancie's response to such a flood of attacks were, which was the cavalcade of shadow spikes that shot towards them. The Ampharos had the worst go of it, being knocked out immediately. But while the spikes struck both the Stunfisk and the Emolga, they would survive the blow due to their ability to fly/hover. However, they couldn't take another hit like that. The Stunfisk resorted to eating it's Sitrus berry to hopefully tank another hit.

Elesa was in full focus mode as she had no choice but to recall her fallen Ampharos. She growled in frustration as she glanced around at the sky, now a shadowy purple. The air felt heavy. She had a hard time breathing and spent most of her time gasping for air. More than that, she couldn't shake this icky feeling that continued to creep down her spine, the results of this dark magic that the doctor was wielding. That Diancie seemed to be relishing in the atmosphere around them, using it to their advantage. Was this a Dark-Type? Psychic-Type? Or something else entirely?

"Emolga, return!" she called out as she held the ball out, encapsulating the Pokemon within, "I may need you down the stretch!"

The PokeBall in her hand was swapped with two more, "Zebstrika! Luxray! I need you two!"

The familiar forms of the Pokemon Elesa was iconic with appeared, side by side. The one on the left was a horse-like creature with a wild white mane, black and white stripes all over it's body, and a gristly blue-eyed stare that gave them an intense look. The one on the right had predominantly black fur with blue accents, a star on it's tail, and an intense yellow-eyed stare that gave off an Intimidating feature. Of course, the Magic Bounce would take effect, but the Guts the Luxray showed only seemed to further fuel his intensity.

"We've gotta land some rapid punches, guys! Give 'em Quick Attacks! Stunfisk, let's try Earth Power this time!"

The two blitzed forward, smashing head-on into the Mega-Diancie with everything they had. It was less about the damage and more about interrupting that pivotal strike before it fell upon them, which would be supported by another super-effective move courtesy of Stunfisk as a fissure opened up and closed the distance just as rapidly as the Shadow Rave had.

But even with this, Elesa knew this wasn't looking good. She was going toe-to-toe with only one of this twisted man's Pokemon and it was looking like it could wipe her. She could only prolong the effect, but she had to have a contingency plan put into place. Quick as a whip, she pulled out her phone while the barrage happened and pressed a sequence of buttons. Let's hope this works... she thought as she pushed the final digit. She didn't know all the adverse effects of the atmosphere around her, but she did know she had to try something.

The interruption was a success, and the Diancie swiftly positioned its sword to help block the Quick Attacks. While they seemed to have little real effect, the Earth Power was slightly more effective, perhaps even super-effective, and certainly, the strongest blow any of her attacks were so far. However, the Diancie still seemed to be in great shape as it responded with a wide sweep of its sword, sending forth several wicked blades of air, each formed of shadowy auras. These blades of air rushed forward, each one intent on slicing through Elesa's Pokemon for super-effective damage, and each seemed especially potent, threatening critical strikes in their precise aim.

Nendal continued to take his notes down, noting the moves used, as well as responses to, and from, Elesa's Pokemon. He glanced at the sky. The shadowy aura rained more bursts of light for further damage, the adverse weather prompting many bystanders to recall their Pokemon and/or seek shelter under roofs or other objects to avoid the painful lights.

As if being barraged by a wave of shadowy swords, Luxray and Zebstrika took the majority of that attack since they were too close to dodge anything. However, that meant there was less for Stunfisk to evade, which meant only a stray slice here or there would strike. The Luxray and Stunfisk were hanging on by a thread, but the Zebstrika went down instantly.

Damn... she thought as she recalled her iconic Pokemon, I need a little more time...

Her gaze shifted to the scene around them, making sure everyone else was okay. For the moment, people seemed to be taking the storm in stride. Most found cover under the massive archways of the Grand Stadium while others ran into buildings and vehicles, seeking cover. The guards were already blocking the entrance, meaning them and their Pokemon would be safe from the storm's effects. She was feeling the effects, but her adrenaline from the battle was in ample supply. And she was about to unleash it.

One more blitz. For all the marbles.

Her confident and charming smile broke through as she elegantly drew another one of her PokeBalls, "That attack was barely even a scratch. Let me show you what I can do!"

She flung the PokeBall forward, unveiling the floating Eel-like fish that was Elektross. It's mouth was gaping, it's fin wiggling in anticipation above the Choice Band wrapped around his head. While it did have fins underneath him that functioned as feet, he did prefer to Levitate, bobbing up and down slightly as he hovered. His arms were poised and ready.

"Let's do this! One more effort, guys! Luxray, strike with Wild Charge! Stunfisk, hit her with Earth Power again! Elektross, let's go for a Brick Break!"

All stronger moves would charge towards the Diancie at a blinding pace. Luxray was closest, unleashing his Wild Charge first. It would surely knock him out, but it was all about doing damage at this point. Stunfisk distance strike would be the next to collide. And all of that to cover for Elektross's massive whallop of a chop that tore through defenses like Protect and Light Screen. What was more, it was strengthened further by the Choice Band on it's head, making an already Super-Effective move more powerful.

Elesa would recall her fallen Luxray as she surveyed the damage. Surely, she had to be getting close now.

Nendal observed carefully, interested in seeing what Diancie would do. If his calculations were correct, she'd move before all three could. Elesa was so confident.

Of course it was barely a scratch. Diancie won't need more than that to accomplish her goals. She is that powerful; perfected! Now I just need to see what happens when she reigns over her kingdom as every Diancie does! What a riveting experiment that will be!

I tire of this interruption! Behold my Diamond Storm! An attack without equal! With this... drown in darkness!

Sure enough, the Diancie took initiative, outspeeding the trio attempting to attack her as she created hundreds upon hundreds of gems of shadowy energy around her form before launching them in a cone in front of her at the three attacking Pokemon, in a twisted version of what would normally be called Diamond Storm. It was an attack aimed at wiping all three out before they could land any hits on her, a decisive battle ending attack.

And it surely did that. The three succumbed to the shadowy strike and fell beneath it. At the same time, Elesa was starting to feel the effects of the air around them getting to her. It was hard to stand...hard to breath. She felt nauseous, like she could throw up at any given moment. She wasn't pale, as her super modeling days allowed her to control her skin tone and keep it perfect throughout these conditions, but she was definitely sweating bullets...in that perfect way that made her face glow with elegance and beauty. She recalled her fallen team as she stood taller than ever, gasping for air.

"You say the word 'riveting' too much," she panted as her hand went to her last PokeBall. A badly injured Emolga was all that remained of her team against a Mega Evolved Diancie that seemed to grow in power with every second that passed. To say that the odds were stacked against her would be an understatement. But she couldn't give up now. She wouldn't let these two walk over her. It just wasn't in her spirit. She would see this through to the end. Maybe something lucky would happen, or maybe fate would turn in her favor somehow. It was a long shot, but what else did she have left to do?

"Alright, then. This is it. Let me show you-"

"Save your strength."

The calm and elegant voice Elesa was so accustomed to hearing made her sigh as she turned around to face him. Of course, he didn't have much of a fashion sense, but he definitely had his own icon to his appearance. Red hair that fell messily around his head, green eyes that always seemed to twinkle. An evergreen cape fluttered in the wind to accent a light green shirt. It was the pants that really started to become an eyesore for the Nimbasa City Gym Leader's tastes, a salmon color with a green stripe tapered up and down each pant leg. And of course that butterfly belt buckle that was as much of an icon as he was. His smile was thin and polite, yet ever so relaxed, even in the plight of the scenery around them. But that made sense. Out of all the gym leaders in all of the regions, the Castelia City Gym Leader had probably experienced the most turmoil through his reign.

"Burgh," she gave a charming smile back, "Always good to see you...mostly."

Burgh managed a chuckle, "I'll take that as a compliment, then?"

"We can talk about your fashion sense again later. Right now there's..." her voice trailed off as their eyes turned to the enlarged Diancie looming over them.

"That..." Burgh finished her sentence, "Anything I should know?"

"Don't use status effects. It's got Magic Bounce. Also it's...harnessing a different type, I think. It's like a Dark-Type, only...well, different. It's using moves I've never seen."

"Any weaknesses?"

"Not sure. Ground and Water moves seemed to work. That scientist up there created it, but he doesn't like sharing his secrets on how to beat it."

"Would you?"

"Not helping, Burgh!"

"Alright, fair enough," he commented as he stepped forward. "I'll pick up where you left off."

"Then I'll go ahead and evacuate the premises. He wants to fight Iris. We can't give him that benefit," she replied as she walked towards the overhang, "Be careful, alright?"

Burgh gave her a curt nod before turning his focus towards the Diancie, "You're quite the special creature, I've been told." He noted with a charming grin. "Let's see how special you really are."

"Hold your horses, Burgh!"

A gruff voice called from above as Burgh turned to see who it was. But it only took one glance in their direction to figure out who he was. As if the cowboy hat wasn't a dead giveaway, the get-up he wore screamed the western influence all over. Preferring the colors of tan, orange, and turquoise, the large burly man was hard to miss being carried by the Flygon. As they touched down next to Burgh, the bushy mutton chops and serious all-business stare came into focus.

"Clay," Burgh greeted, "I was expecting you to come from below, not above."

"Flygon's quicker than every Pokemon I got," the Driftveil City Gym Leader countered, "It was an urgent request by Elesa. Gimme a rundown."

"That thing is our opponent," Burgh started.

"Ah, good ol' Diancie," Clay rubbed his fingers together, "Gem of the planet right there. I've always wanted to fight one a 'dem things."

"You know this creature?" Burgh's eyebrows flared.

"Course I do! That there's the pinnacle of Pokemon down underground. It's a Fairy/Rock Type."

Burgh went on, "Apparently it has a third type that Elesa couldn't identify. And new moves."

"Let me guess," he flared his nostrils as his gaze went towards Dr. Nendal, "It was created by that modern-day hooligan lookin' ta change the world with his fancy experiments."

"I mean..." Burgh shrugged, "I'm not gonna assume anything."

"Ya shouldn't be messin' with nature like that, boy!" Clay yelled at the scientist, despite Burgh's warnings.

"I don't think he cares, Clay."

"Well, he at least ought'a know," he grumbled. "Anyway, Steel's our best bet of beatin' this thing. Got any of those?"

Burgh grinned, "I may have a few."

Clay smirked back, "Then let's show 'em a thing or two!"

Six Pokemon would appear in front of the Diancie in a flash. Controlled by Burgh was Durant, Escavalier, and Crustle. Controlled by Clay was Mamoswine, Golurk, and Flygon. All six of them stood their steady ground against the mighty Diancie, eyes steeled for the fight ahead.

"Escavalier, Durant! Iron Head for both of you! Crustle, use Earthquake!"

"Let's wrangle her in, boys! Flygon, use yer Earth Power! Golurk, set up a Substitute! Mamoswine...let's go with Fissure!"

The Pokemon followed orders precisely. Despite a slow speed and mobility, the Escavalier charged forwards rather quickly, as he was accustomed to do, head leaned forward to smash into Diancie. The Durant would flank from the other side to do the same thing. Crustle, Flygon, Golurk, and Mamoswine didn't have to go anywhere to do what they set out to do. Crustle simply stamped it's feet to cause the mighty Earthquake while Flygon flung her fissure-like projectile. Golurk set up the copy of itself in front, so as to take the brunt of the next wave of damage. And Mamoswine had the most critical role of them all. All in all, these moves collectively would do a ton of damage, despite the several buffs the Diancie had upon itself. But if Mamoswine's move connected, it would be lights out for her, regardless of what anyone else did.

What...what the hell was going on? First there was a disturbance, then they had to stop the match and get the battlers back to their waiting rooms...now there was some sort of ruckus going on?

"Let me out."

"Miss Touko, we cannot. The Gym Leaders so far have been doing their best..."

"I said let me out. They were there to cover me when I stormed the Plasma Castle. It's time I repaid the favor."

"I must protest against this, but if you insist...I cannot stop you."

"That's more like it." All pretense of enjoying the fight for its own sake were gone. It was time to fight for the future of the region...and the world. It was moments like these that Trainers prepared for all their lives.

---

"Minna! Totemo baka! All Gym Leaders, stand down!"

This was the commanding aura of a true hero. "I'm only going to say this once. This foe is well beyond any of you. You're better served flying back home and awaiting orders from whoever comes out on top here. I have a feeling that it would behoove everyone if they were carried out in a timely fashion."

Those blue eyes flashed to steel-blue...or maybe it was a trick of the light from the Shadow Sky move? "Burgh. Remember when you gave me that tip? I found the person I was looking for. I heard she was off in Kanto mentoring their new champion. She will be very interested in this development, as will the ninja of Fuchsia. Elesa, Clay, keep the infrastructure and the crowd in one piece. There's no guarantee even this would hold up if I let my guys go all out."

A deep, dramatic breath to focus her swirling energy. Iris was probably well tucked away in another safe room elsewhere in the structure. "Fly, you fools. You have your orders. Go. I will face him."

With that done, the young woman turned to face Nendal and his pet freak. "I don't know what you've done to Diancie, but such strength...there's no way a Pokémon can get that strong on its own. Staging a coup is bad enough, but...it's like you've sealed away its heart or something to turn it into a living weapon. Whether you're evil or you just don't care who gets hurt, that kind of corruption is something I cannot forgive. Here I go! Katsu zo!"

"Minna! Totemo baka! All Gym Leaders, stand down!"

Burgh, Clay, and Elesa all stopped and turned to the sound of the voice they recognized...the voice that belonged to the savior of this Region several times over and the challenger to the Grand Champion title.

Burgh spoke up first, "Miss Touko-"

"I'm only going to say this once. This foe is well beyond any of you. You're better served flying back home and awaiting orders from whoever comes out on top here. I have a feeling that it would behoove everyone if they were carried out in a timely fashion."

Clay stamped his foot in frustration, "Aw, but I was gettin' warmed up! I coulda taken him, no sweat!"

Burgh calmly approached, "Are you sure about this? You speak as if you're not sure you can win. Think about what that could mean for the world. If he claims the title...the people could rebel. Wars could start. Are we ready for the consequences we might face?"

She did not answer, but went on, "Burgh. Remember when you gave me that tip? I found the person I was looking for. I heard she was off in Kanto mentoring their new champion. She will be very interested in this development, as will the ninja of Fuchsia."

Burgh nodded, "As you wish then. I will inform Winter of what is happening here. He may pass this along to Titania and the one you speak of in Fuchsia City."

She turned to the other two, "Elesa, Clay, keep the infrastructure and the crowd in one piece. There's no guarantee even this would hold up if I let my guys go all out."

Elesa nodded, "I will evacuate all spectators and send them to their homes."

Clay grunted, "I'll keep the buildin' from fallin' down."

Touko breathed to focus before she said, "Fly, you fools. You have your orders. Go. I will face him."

Clay and Burgh recalled their Pokemon while Elesa took off in high heels towards the control deck, where she could access the microphone. The Bug-Type specialist brought out Heracross, who fluttered her wings as if ready to fly.

As he began to mount, his green eyes flashed, turning to Touko with a serious glimmer, "No matter what happens, no matter the outcome...you come back to us, alright? Unova needs it's heroine."

And with that, he took off, leaving Touko and Dr. Nendal left to duke it out. For the fate of Ruula.