Clay the Driftveil City Gym Leader's Story

Maxin understood what it was the Gengar wanted, given that he was pointing down the path they wanted to go, "Sounds okay to me. You guys check down the north path. I'll head down the east path and see if it takes me there. Best of luck to you!"

From there, Maxin and Radegast split ways. Radegast backtracked his way to the original intersection once more and proceeded up the unchecked path. Another three-pronged crossroad lay in wait for the team, but given that Maxin had told them going left would lead nowhere and going up would lead to an unnecessary trainer battle, the choice was obvious.

Taking the right, the next platform seemed to only have one direction: north. But it would be the keen eye of Elder, who was on the lookout for those secret platforms, who would catch the lowered bridge leading south. Two directly linked platforms and one more secret bridge later, they were standing in front of Clay.

His eyes seemed to be perpetually cast in the shadow of his large cowboy hat the big man elected to wear. A closer inspection would reveal dark, cutting eyes. The hat itself was tan with a yellow square pattern that looked like gold stretching across the top part of it. His mutton chops were relinquished on the sides of his face in all their abashed glory. His tie was the same turquoise color as the accent stone on the front of his hat. His undershirt was a brick red while his vest and pants were brown. He looked exactly like a cowboy.

Maxin had not caught up yet, meaning it would be Radegast to take him on first.

“So yer the Reginald boy. Elesa tol’ me about ya. Ya and yer strange methods.” Like a cowboy right out of a film, the large man in chaps and matching vest drawled. Radegast stiffened. He wondered if the public chewing-out by his mother was included in that message from the electric gym leader. Clay seemed to notice, and gave a sly grin. “Guess I’ll be leavin’ it at that then. Ya ready for a bad time, kid?”

“I think it’s you who’s ready for a bad time,” Elder returned.

“Wow, didn’t know you were into trash-talking,” Radegast laughed.

“It is true then,” The large man rose his chin to regard the boy down the bridge of his nose. “Ya don’t command your Pokemon. Well now,” Clay tilted his hat backward and produced the first pokeball. “I’ll be showin’ ya just how humans contribute to a battle.”

The first pokemon unleashed formed into a beast standing on all fours. The red silhouette warped as the form solidified, and stood up on two legs. A long, narrow snout signified that the beast that stood on the other end of the arena was a Krokorock.

Elder’s grin did not waver. He glanced at the resting Crystal, and tapped a finger on a pokeball. Rage burst from his pokeball, and his sunken, bloodshot eyes met the beady black eyes of the Krokorock.

“YOU KNOW NOT WHAT YOU FACE!” Rage bellowed.

Clay laughed, “A Fighting-type? We’ve got ourselves a regular glass cannon shootout, boy! Bulldoze that ape!”

Radegast tilted his head in puzzlement, apparently seeing something no one else was seeing. Elder’s grin widened as Rage burst forward. With a stamp, the faster Primeape launched himself over the Krokorock.

The jump was rather low, which allowed Rage to grab the Krokorock by the shoulders and pull him back towards Clay. With a heave and a blood-curdling shriek, Rage spun the Krokorock around and slammed the creature down into the arena floor. The impact left a dent in the floor. One would think such a terrifying Seismic Toss would do in the Krokorok.

However, Clay had shouted something over the ringing sound of the impact, and sand began to swirl around. The energies required to kick up the Sandstorm began billowing from the beast’s maw.

“NO YOU DON’T!!” While the Krokorok was in the floor, Rage brought down a devastating chop with his hand. It was too late, however. The sandstorm was already forming on it’s own.

“Rage, get back!” Elder called. The Karate chop had slammed true, and the Krokorok was down for the count. While being buffeted by the storm, Rage retreated to the edge. Elder tapped on another ball, and Chrome emerged from the ball. Chrome hovered into the sandstorm, completely unaffected, and levitated higher. In the storm, a long, jagged silhouette appeared. Before Chrome could identify the target, Elder called “Watch out!”

Being used to running, and thanks to the training with the Drillbur, Chrome managed to zip to the side just in time, as an Onix burst into view. Due to the noise of the sandstorm, it’d have taken some pretty good ears to have heard Clay call for another Bulldoze. Elder had such ears.

The Gengar’s mind raced as he considered his options. Radegast tapped on Elder’s shoulder. “It’s pretty obvious, dude,” Radegast jabbed with a smirk.

Elder nodded. “Crystal, you’re up.”

Radegast produced Chrome’s ball and pulled the Metang away. Crystal hovered into the sandstorm, her smooth pearl-white skin began to get buffeted by the storm. Regardless, she immediately fired an Aqua Jet at the Onix.

Ground and Rock. Both types were weak to water. However, the Onix’s high defence allowed it to endure by a miniscule margin. The great stone snake was launched by the high-pressure laser of water, sprawled against the ground, and rapidly coiled and righted itself. Clay’s command was once more drowned out by the sandstorm, but Elder knew that a Rock Slide was coming.

Crystal fired some jets at some stones, but was hit regardless. While she could fly, she lacked the acceleration or the training that the Metang had. She grit her teeth, and a flare of some sort of terrible light emitted from her otherwise darkened eyes. She shrugged off that attack, since it was only double-effective. She silently sent the Onix back to the ground with an Ice Beam.

“Pit stop!” Elder called to Crystal. The Dewgong’s eyes brightened as she rushed back to Radegast, who had a Lemonade ready. The Dewgong nabbed the bottle and drank the beverage with a flipper, much to Radegast’s amusement. The hydration was absolutely required in such a dry area such as a sandstorm.

“Thanks, Lord-Regent,” Crystal nodded before her eyes darkened once more. She turned to see a familiar silhouette. A Sandslash, identical at a glance to the one that headed that slaver camp.

“It’s not the same, buddy,” Radegast noted, “I wouldn’t wanna overdo it, you know?”

“True,” Crystal said, “At the same time, I admit I’m getting a little impatient.” Radegast rose an eyebrow, and then nodded.

The Dewgong returned to the field and fired an Aqua Jet. The Sandslash was a lot quicker, and managed to dodge the jet. The Sandslash closed the distance and performed a particularly heavy swing of it’s claws. Crystal felt a crushing force on her side, where the Sandslash had struck.

However, this closed distance made dodging impossible. Before the Sandslash could follow up, a blast of water at close-range sent the spiked mouse flying out towards the arena edge.

“Eesh,” Elder noted, “Crush Claw. Crystal’s defence took a hit there.

Indeed, the Dewgong seemed to wince as if a stinging sensation filled her side. Her ability to brace herself for taking a hit was certainly hampered. The Sandslash took advantage of this and jammed it’s claws into the ground. With two swipes, a blast of rocks flew in Crystal’s direction.

Crystal dropped to the ground and covered her head. The rocks pelted her savagely.

“Come on, you got this, buddy!” Radegast called, “Absolute’s relyin’ on you, remember?”

Crystal’s eyes turned pitch-black as the final stone bounced off from her. Severely weakened, but not beaten, she fired another Aqua Jet. The high-pressure water laser struck true, and the Sandslash was sent spiralling out of bounds. Clay recalled the Sandslash before it could get close to rolling off the platform edge.

Radegast felt a sudden pecking. Suros was awake. “Sup, buddy?”

Suros jabbed her beak towards the arena.

Radegast nodded thoughtfully. “Elder,” He tilted his head slightly toward the bird.

“Really?” Elder asked, incredulously.

“I need to vent,” The Fletchinder flapped her wings and flared her feathers to air them out.

Radegast pulled Crystal back via her ball, and released her once more on the bench. “A well-earned rest.”

“But still,” Elder noted, “Rock-type attacks are around.”

“Let them try to hit me,” Suros chirped threateningly, which sent a chill down Elder’s spine, of all people.

Clay’s final Pokemon, still blurred-out by the sandstorm, had a particularly unique silhouette. Radegast recognized it immediately, but Elder noted it looked similar to Dalia, Maxin’s Drilbur friend.

The sandstorm began to die down a little, but remained strong enough to render the boosting effects onto the Excadrill. When Clay saw that it was Suros who had moved into the arena, he laughed. “In this sandstorm, my Excadrill’s rock-type attacks gain a boost in power! I know about your bird, boy! Fire and Flying don’t fare well against rock.”

“Ain’t my bird, pal,” Radegast smirked as Suros’s eyes flared in fury, “She’s my friend.”

“Rock Slide!” Clay boomed, “Let’s wipe this kid’s team.”

The Excadrill’s huge claws tossed up enormous rocks, similar to the Sandslash before. Before long, a hailstorm of stones was flung in Suros’ direction.

However, the bird had already darted around, out of the way from the rock slide, and closed the distance. She blasted a white-hot ember directly in the Excadrill’s face. The combination of the fire damage and the blast of light from such close proximity to the flame sent the Excadrill onto it’s back in utter surprise.

Suros didn’t let up, however. Her wings flapped to make steady distance. As she moved away, ember after ember pelted the poor Excadrill. Like the bullets of a machine gun, Suros peppered the mole pokemon with small, white-hot blasts of fire- the same shots that- when fully powered- had pierced the hide of Demonbreath.

Fortunately for the Excadrill, these shots were not at full power, and did not pierce flesh. Unfortunately for the Excadrill, it was a partial Steel-type, and didn’t take the heat all that well anyway.

The onslaught made Clay shudder. He was forced to recall the Excadrill as soon as he managed to fumble a pokeball into his hand. “Boy… what are you playing at?”

Radegast shrugged, “It’s not me who’s playing.”

The Aegislash hovered forward. “Such power in such a small form,”

“What’s up, Reggie?” Radegast asked.

“She lives up to her legend.” The Aegislash flatly stated, loud enough for Clay to hear. “The Demonslayer is truly among us.”

“Demonslayer?” Clay asked. Evidently he had no idea what the title meant.

“I’m not a legend anymore,” Suros swooped back onto Radegast’s shoulder, “I just needed to vent…”

“When Master Tarma heard about a particularly powerful Dragonite terrorizing the region, we had only heard bits and pieces from witnesses. We had seen the body… but I didn’t believe you were the very same until witnessing your power just now.”

“Yeah yeah, tell that to someone who cares,” Suros huffed, “I want to be with the Lord-Regent, to be free from that reputation. Let’s just get that badge and piss off.”

The Aegislash was silent for a long while. It did not seem offended, nor did the latent psychic energies fluctuate in any way.

Radegast stood up, and stroked the top of Suros’ head. She chirped happily as Radegast stepped towards Clay. Elder hovered up to Clay with a wide grin on his face. “I think I’m getting better at this duelling tactics stuff,” Elder noted as he held out a stubby arm. “So we’ll be taking that prize money then. We got supplies to get together.”

Clay wore a stern frown, "That fight left a baaaad taste in my mouth, boy. Not makin' callouts or anything of the sort. It ain't illegal, but it be a cheesy way to win a battle. That bird got some power to 'er, that monkey has some rage, and that purty lil' gem got some gumption, but you got nothin' to ya. I'd expect more from a teenager, a Reginald no less!"

He sighed, rubbing his chin in thought, "But...a deal's a deal. I'm a man of my word and I'm gonna stick to it. So here."



As well as giving him the Quake Badge, he also gave him a bag containing 4320 Poke and a TM labeled Bulldoze, a very useful move for a Primeape and a Metang to learn. As he was handing them to Radegast, Maxin was running onto the platform with Snips directly behind him.

"I heard the sound...of a battle and figured...you'd found him," Maxin panted as he leaned against the railing, "I guess you won, huh?"

"That's a stupid question," Snips rolled his eyes as he walked forward, unfazed by the sprint the two of them took to get here. "Of course they won. He wouldn't be handing them the badge if they didn't."

Luckily for Maxin, because of the PokeSpeak barrier, he couldn't quite process the words the Servine was saying. He could understand the snarky, smart-aleck tone, but he was used to that at this point. It was kind of how they worked. The ten year old walked up to Clay and gave him a greeting, "Hello, Clay! Nifty place you got here."

Clay narrowed his eyes at his next challenger, "Mhm. I reconstructed it so that it works as a mine as much as it does a Gym. Now I can run both from one place. But you're only interested in the Gym part. So I reckon you wanna battle now, right?"

"Yep!" Maxin gave him a thumbs up, "I'm here to earn my fifth badge out of eight so I can write my name in the history books as a Champion!"

Clay gave a chuckle, "You've got heart, kid. But let's see if you got some smarts and strength to ya, boy!"

Already, the Gym Leader had three different PokeBalls on his belt, switched out in the case Maxin being less experienced than Radegast. Maxin clenched his fist, readying his four PokeBalls as he squared his stance and took on an intense look...the look of a strategist.

“Yeah, well,” Radegast shrugged as Elder took the price money, disc, and badge, “That’s just your opinion, man.” Everyone differed, as did opinions. He didn’t need Elesa’s approval, or even his family’s, let alone the approval of some random joe like Clay. Radegast had a friendly smile on his face regardless

Elder hovered in front of Radegast and handed him the satchel of Pokke and the TM.

Rage burst from his pokeball, where he and Elder exchanged the badge. After Rage pinned the badge on his person, the two similar-looking pokemon jokingly flexed and bellowed victory cries.

“VIC-TO-RY! VIC-TO-RY!” The two of them chanted comically. The chanting had woken up Crystal- who joined in. “VIC-TO-RY! VIC-TO-RY!”

“Anyway, I’m gonna watch Maxin’s fight, how about you guys?” Radegast asked.

“Of course!” Elder melded into Radegast’s shadow. His red eyes and toothy grin formed within, and watched the arena as Radegast returned to the bench. Crystal and Rage- both having earned a rest- returned to their pokeballs.

The Aegislash hovered silently back to the bench. The single eye in the guard of the blade continued to stare at the lazy Fletchinder.

“Got something to say?” Suros asked.

“It is unusual. Everyone I have known- everyone I have met- has made it a goal to make something of themselves,” The Aegislash hummed, “Even your friends… but not you, nor the young master. It’s unusual.”

“The Lord-Regent is my goal,” Suros replied, “He gets me.”

“So you fight for him?”

“Why do you protect the family?”

The Aegislash’s eye widened only slightly, and then it shifted to the arena, where Maxin steeled himself to take on Clay. “I “get” you.”

The platform for the battle between Maxin and Clay may have been underground approaching late afternoon with the rain still falling, but just from the intense look on the combatants' faces, it may have been high noon, the sun at it's peak, a tumbleweed blowing in between them. Maxin had a grin of tactical advantage while Clay had the stare of an experienced trainer worthy of his position. And for the most part, he was.

The cowboy hat wearing Gym Leader sent his first out, another Krokorok. He was similar to the one Radegast had just fought, except slightly weaker. Maxin didn't have to pull out a PokeBall to match this as Snips was already in the arena, ready to take another opponent down.

"Let's do it Snips! Leaf Tornado!"

The Servine whipped his tail around, sending a flurry of leaves spiraling around the Krokorok in a matter of moments. The Krokorok did the best it could to not take a whole lot of damage, crossing his arms and lowering his head so as to cover it's vitals. In the end, the damage dealt was still massive. However, the Leaf Tornado lacked the capability to one shot the creature, giving Clay a chance to retaliate.

"Yer lil' cyclone was purty good," Clay commented, "But nowhere near the power of mine. Krokorok, Sand Tomb!"

It was the Krokorok's turn to whip his tail around and send an elemental cyclone towards Snips. The Servine lifted it's arm in front of him as if trying to keep sand out of his eye and nothing more. The attack, despite it's triumphant power, didn't do too much damage to Snips. But Maxin knew what was up.

Sand Tomb had a long term goal rather than a short one. It lacked power overall, but it made up for it by becoming a constant adversary for Snips to battle, as if being in a Sandstorm. It would continue to drain his health until it dissipated, but it would take some time to do so. And just as he suspected, the sandstorm continued to rage in Maxin's side of the field.

But there wasn't a need to worry yet. Snips was highly resistant to Ground-Types after all. It was his gym to win.

"Snips, retaliate with Vine Whip!" Maxin shouted over the whipping winds.

The vines shot forward, smashing into the Krokorok and knocking him out. Two shot KO on a Gym Leader's Pokemon wasn't bad, but it was the long game Maxin was thinking. The Sand Tomb would begin to take it's toll on Snips as time went on and he'd want to make sure Snips could take down all of Clay's Pokemon. He had a back-up, but would rather try to do this as efficiently as possible.

Clay smirked as he repealed his Pokemon, replacing the red and white orb with another, "That's one of three, kid. Don't get yer hopes up! Sandslash, let's go!"

Out popped the spiky Mouse Pokemon, it's claws waggling menacingly in front of it. It currently held an offensive stance, as if it was ready to sprint towards Snips out of the gate. This prompted an immediate response from Maxin.

"Let's hit 'em with Leaf Blade, buddy!" he pointed, wanting to KO this one.

Snips shot forward, the leaf-like appendage on his tail glowing with energy as it sliced forward to strike the Sandslash. But the Sandslash had already dodged to the left, ducking under the tail so fluently, Maxin had to blink to make sure he was seeing it correctly. That in itself was a hard thing to do with the grainy sand particles flying around due to the Sandstorm that still lived there. In fact, it limited his hearing to the point where he could barely make out the call outs Clay was shouting.

"Sandslash, hit 'em with Fury Cutter!"

Did he just say...Fury Cutter?

Before Maxin could process this, the Sandslash had already struck due to Snips getting close by way of Leaf Blade. The impact sent the Servine reeling in shock and pain as he tumbled back to Maxin's side of the field. The Sandstorm didn't help that either. Snips was picking himself, coughing as he did so.

"It knows Fury Cutter?" Snips muttered in disbelief. He wouldn't have guessed that. He was already weak from the series of blows delivered.

Now Maxin was worried. The constantly pressing suffocation of Sandstorm had more effect that he realized as he could already see Snips straining from effort. But the Sandslash knew Fury Cutter? A Bug-Type move? Both he and Snips knew how dangerous those were against them, especially recently given the Servine's spar battle with Operative Joltik. He wasn't sure how this was going to pan out suddenly.

But Maxin had a back-up plan, just in case. Just a quickly, he knew the next move to be made, "Use Mega Drain, quick!"

Snips already had his arms outstretched, pulling energy from the Sandslash and adding it to his own supply. Unlike in his usage of it against the Operative, however, this would do a lot of damage to the spiky Sandslash as it visibly recoiled from the pull of energy. Just as quickly, Snips has the upper hand once more.

But Clay was already shouting for the Sandslash to use Fury Cutter again. As if nothing had happened, he shot forward and closed the distance between him and Snips. The Fury Cutter sliced into Snips again, and another knock back was applied. Visibly cringing from the blow, the Servine landed on it's feet this time, more effort needed to do so. Meanwhile, Maxin was already hopping ahead in strategy. Snips could tank the hit, then apply another Mega Drain to likely finish the Sandslash off. After that, it would be smooth sailing to the finish line. That was the plan.

That was until Snips collapsed to the floor unconscious.

"WHAT?!" Maxin literally froze in shock as he backtracked the previous fight between the two. Fury Cutter didn't do nearly as much the first time it hit. In fact, even with a steady decline, Snips should've been able to tank three or four of them before he went down. But this knocked him out on the next possible strike. So what happened?

Clay had a brow raised in amusement, "C'mon, boy! You're a smart fella. You should've known Fury Cutter gets stronger with each hit in a row!"

Maxin's jaw dropped open. That's right. he thought, Fury Cutter does get stronger with each consecutive hit. How did I overlook that?

He clenched his fist in anger and embarrassment as he did something he never thought he'd have to do...place Snips in his PokeBall without his consent. As the red beam surrounded the knocked out Servine and retrieved his Pokemon, Maxin's eyes lowered to the ground. He didn't think ahead properly. Clay had caught him completely off guard with that Sandslash knowing Fury Cutter, but it was ultimately the Sandstorm that dealt the final blow. He didn't think much of it from the beginning and when the time came, it took away that second opportunity he needed to deal another good hit on the Sandslash. Now he needed another tactic.

Dalia wasn't much better than the opponents she would be facing and Smashball was downright unequipped for this gym...which left only one other on his team.

"Alright, Liam. Looks like it's up to you!" Maxin shouted as he sent forth the Cinccino from the PokeBall. Liam dazzled onto the central stage, almost shining through the sandstorm that was still raging. Clay snorted at the sight of the thing.

"I see you took a page from Cheren, huh?" he crossed his arms, "Well, you should know I beat him almost every time we've fought in the World Tournament together. That Cinccino ain't nothin' special. And I know just how to deal with that thing. Sandslash, Bulldoze that varmit!"

But before Sandslash could begin charging up the attack and stomping the ground, a gushing sound permeated the air. When the Sandslash looked up, an Aqua Tail was there to meet him, splashing against his face with the right mixture of solid and fluid. It sent the Sandslash skidding back to Clay. Once it came to a stop, the Sandslash clenched it's paws into fists as it struggled to get to a standing position. That strike had taken a bad toll on him.

"Monologues won't help you here," Maxin jabbed, his eyes narrowing as he let the shock register on Clay's face that he'd let a call out slip from his ears. This proved to anger the Gym Leader considerably.

"That was a cheap shot, boy!" Clay narrowed his eyes and lowered the brim of his hat as the Sandslash proceeded to smash the ground around him. Liam strafed between two of the earthly projectiles sent his way, but the sheer overall effect of Bulldoze proved to be too much for him to handle and he eventually got hit. But Maxin was quick with the bounce back, giving a shout for Iron Tail to finish the Sandslash off. Clay tried to counter with Bulldoze once more, but even with the decrease in speed the first Bulldoze gave Liam, he was still able to rebound quickly enough to take him down before any call could be made.

Two down, one to go.

Clay found himself glaring at Maxin as his second went into the Pokeball and he whipped out the final Pokemon, "This is it. My final Pokemon. Let's see how ya measure up to Excadrill!"

His hand shot forth and the future evolution for Dalia appeared, it's own hard look set on it's face. It's arms were outstretched, showcasing it's massive claws to dig with. It had a similar appendage on it's forehead. But it's eyes were what made this thing intense and unnerving. The small red markings on it's cheeks looked more and more like war paint. But Maxin refused to let this get to him. He'd hope Liam would do the same.

"Excadrill, start things off with Metal Claw!"

"Liam, kick things off with Aqua Tail!"

Water met metal, and the clash between the two strikes echoed across the Gym, which wasn't too hard to imagine considering they were in an underground mine. Neither managed to get incredible hits on their respective opponents. Excadrill got a passing slice against Liam while the Cincinno's Aqua Tail hit the Excadrill's leg in a sweeping motion. But they were hits nonetheless. The result was a knock back comparable to Dragon Ball Z in which both were sent to their respective sides of the battle field.

Liam got up, much worse for wear than Excadrill was. But he knew one decent strike against that Excadrill would knock him out. He just had to avoid being hit. Maxin was also aware of this. And so he wanted to get the first strike in.

"Liam, go at him again! Aqua Tail!"

The Cinccino was already charging forward, another strike poised. But Clay had seen everything he needed to. The speed sap Bulldoze had taken gave him the edge in this fight. Liam was just slightly too slow to match the speed of the Excadrill. Now the goal was to keep Liam from getting too close to land another hit.

"Rock Slide!" he bellowed, the Excadrill following suit. Liam once again began to dodge the rock projectiles, but their number became too cumbersome. One good smack from a rock to Liam's face was all it took to wipe him out. And Maxin was out of advantages.

Gritting his teeth, Maxin recalled the Cinccino and considered his options. He had two Pokemon to choose from. Dalia was outclassed in this fight for sure, since she would be fighting her evolution. But Smashball was just a bad type to go against the Excadrill in general. He was slow and bulky, giving the Excadrill the first shot every time. Clay would waste no time tearing right through him. Not to mention he was sure the Boldore didn't have a move capable of taking it down before he fell. At least Dalia would have the chance to dodge and maybe pull out a victory.

"Alright Dalia, you're up!" he called as his third Pokemon shot into the arena. "I believe in you!" he added as sort of a good luck charm.

Now Clay burst out laughing when he saw the Drilbur standing her ground and poised to attack, "You think you're gonna take out Excadrill with a Drilbur?! That's a hoot!"

Despite his nervousness, Maxin managed a chuckle, "Don't underestimate this one. She's stronger than she looks."

Clay seemed to analyze the small Drilbur in front of Maxin, "Then prove yerself! Excadrill, Bulldoze!"

As the Excadrill began stomping around with much fury behind his strikes, Maxin crossed his fingers and shut his eyes. He left tactics to the wind and relied on faith to carry him to victory in this fight. Please, please, please, Dalia. I believe in you! You got this.

There was a flash of white, then a hell storm of impacts that literally shook the platform.

"What in tarnation?!" came the cry of Clay. Maxin peeked out of his left eye, fearing the worst. But his peek became a gaze of awe as he realized that Dalia was not in front of him. The impacts were that of Clay's Excadrill, as Bulldoze shook the entire platform. But Dalia wasn't there to take the hit. Despite Maxin not giving a call out, she seemed to act on her own accord and disappear out of thin air.

What?

"What kind of cheat you tryin' to pull this time?" Clay accused, pointing a fat finger at the ten year old.

"None," came Maxin's honest reply. But then the ground began to shake slightly. Maxin's glance peered down just in time to see a small hole forming below the Excadrill's feet and get wider. A massive claw broke it's way through, smashing into Clay's Excadrill from below. It never stood a chance against it, becoming knocked out from the strike easily. From there, the claw rose higher large thick arm in possession of it. The rest of it followed suit, revealing...

Another Excadrill.

Maxin, Radegast, Clay, and everyone had missed Dalia's evolution, which took place right as she burrowed underground. Her massive speed made her barely faster than her counterpart as she had just enough time to Dig underground before Bulldoze encompassed her. From there, the evolution happened and her new Excadrilled self popped out to deliver the final blow. Maxin didn't even know the Excadrill was his own until she made her way over to him, a claw raised in triumph. To which Maxin responded with the widest grin and his arms out to embrace her.

"Dalia, you did it!" Maxin cried happily, referring to her evolution as well as her victory against Clay. The two hugged, Maxin noticing the difference in size right away. Clay recalled his third Pokemon, scratching his chin and looking up to the ceiling in thought.

"How'd your tiny Drilbur outspeed my Excadrill?" he argued, "And how'd it know the wherewithal to use Dig in a situation like that? I didn't hear you makin' callouts."

"You underestimated more than Dalia's speed," Maxin got up, giving Clay a shrug as he spoke matter-of-factly, "You underestimated her cognitive ability. These aren't mindless drones we control, Clay. These are creatures able to think as well as we humans can, if not better. Sometimes the strategy rests with us...sometimes with them. Sometimes, it always rests with them." He gave Radegast and his Pokemon a passing glance before continuing, "You've been a Gym Leader for many years and you still didn't figure that out?"

Clay breathed, his lip tightening in the wise words the ten year old was saying, "Hmm..."

"I'm not saying change your strategy," Maxin reached a hand out for the Gym Leader to shake, "I'm saying be more mindful of how others approach this kind of challenge."

There was a moment of silence between the two. Maxin stared at Clay awkwardly, unsure if he was going to shake his hand or not. He guessed the latter and quickly went to lower his hand. But before he could, Clay grabbed it and gave it a firm squeeze.

"I dunno what it is about you two. Maybe you guys got more smarts than I gave ya credit for. I guess this is that moment in my life where the teacher learns from the student or some hoo hah like that?"

He presented a bag of money to Maxin as well as the Quake Badge and the Bulldoze TM. Maxin's grin couldn't be surpressed, "Thank you, sir."

"You earned it. And Radegast...I guess I owe you an apology after what I said to ya. A battle is a battle, no matter how ya go about doin' it."

"Right," Maxin said, approaching Radegast while he placed his fifth badge in it's respective carrying case, "I think we both need to stop at the Pokemon Center before we catch up with Skyva, huh?"

"The lift's over there," Clay pointed out towards the red button behind him, "It'll take ya to the surface.Apparently some hooligans and runnin' about, causin' mischief at the Drawbridge and makin' one mess for the construction workers to deal with. So y'all be careful now."

Maxin couldn't help but let a mischievous grin form on his face as he walked towards the button. Luckily he was turned away from Clay, "Are they? We'll keep our eyes out for any suspicious activity and let you know if we find anything."

Clay gave a curt nod, "Good boy."

“Hey,” Radegast rose a hand, “No harm done, man. Far be it for me to tell you how to do things.” Radegast then stood up and shook hands with Clay.

At the mention of the sabotage on the bridge, Radegast’s poker face that had hidden any trace of his legacy shone strong. “Yep, we’ll keep an eye out,” he added to Maxin’s promise. He then stepped after Maxin onto the lift, along with Elder and Reggie.

“About this bridge,” The Aegislash said as they rode the lift, “The Master has asked about it, and was told that the computer system was fried and requires a replacement motherboard among other parts.”

“Interesting,” Radegast said, “Don’t know anything about computers- is that bad?”

The Aegislash eyed the ever-chill sixteen-year-old. “Your aura is hard to read,” it gave up and turned back toward the door.

“I bet if you were a psychic-type, you’d read me better,” Radegast lightly jabbed an elbow into the Aegislash’s uniquely designed shield, “A Xatu read me just fine.”

“This is the first time I have heard of this invasion of a Reginald’s privacy.” The air rippled dangerously around the Aegislash as it spoke suddenly angrily. “I will find the one responsible and-“

“Nah it’s all good,” Radegast said, “Nothin’ my buddies don’t already know anyw-“

“You misunderstand,” The Aegislash said, “I will find this Xatu. If it has a trainer, neither will escape from this transgression.”

“Y… Yeah, I’m not telling you who it was,” Radegast became visibly unnerved.

“You will truly know how I function for the family. It is better sooner than later,” The Aegislash said… and then paused, “The Master knew, didn’t he?”

Radegast didn’t respond. However, the elevator doors opened.

“Agent X… of course… Tarma… you let slide what no Reginald would have allowed.” The Aegislash almost seemed to glow red in anger. Before Radegast could do anything, the Aegislash seemed to flicker out of existence. The double-doors on the far end of the room suddenly burst open, and flopped back closed.

Suros was shaken awake from the sudden bang at the doors. “Whuzzat?”

“Holy shit,” Radegast’s wide eyes followed the doors as he stood paralyzed inside the elevator. “Holy shit…”

“Just as I thought,” Elder hovered in front of Radegast, “We really wouldn’t get along.”

“To be fair,” Radegast said, “I was really pissed when that Xatu read my past.”

“… Yeah,” Elder nodded, “Well, looks like Reggie isn’t gonna accompany us for the rest of today. Let’s go meet Skyva.

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.

Nendal smirked as Elesa's Pokemon went down.

"You say the word 'riveting' too much,"

Well, now. Pardon my manners! But I assure you, all of this is quite useful information for me. Keep struggling. I appreciate every moment.

Taking note when Burgh arrived, Nendal observed as Elesa and Burgh had their chat. During this time, Nendal activated the machine on his left wrist, clearly identifiable as a Wonder Launcher, apparently preparing it to launch something. Before he could use it, however, the Diancie turned her gaze back to Burgh as she listened to his comments.

"Let's see how special you really are."

You have the great privilege of viewing my special form as it is. That you aren't a stain before me upon the floor should prove the special status alone! But if you want another display, I'll gladly give you one. Those who stand before my future throne, Pokemon or Human, will relinquish their petty existences!

As she prepared to face Burgh and his Pokemon, she stopped to look up at Clay as he came down. Nendal's attention was caught by this development as well, his own hands sliding to his pockets as brandished a small communicating device. Pressing a single button upon it, he then slid it back into his pocket and replaced its presence with a Poke Ball of his own. His Poke Balls appeared to be Repeat Balls and Timer Balls exclusively, as well as a third unrecognizable type of Ball.

"Ya shouldn't be messin' with nature like that, boy!"

At Clay's commentary, Nendal chuckled.

I messed with no nature. Diancie is here of her own choices. I merely gave her the opportunities this world would not. You see, science has a way of fixing the unfortunate errors that we run into daily. Small injustices. But I doubt you would understand. Science is truly a field for only the highest of intelligent minds.

When Burgh dismissively disregarded his reply, and urged Clay to not bother, Nendal chuckled. At this moment, the fourth surprise arrival.

--

Following a rather grand display that left but the girl before him, Nendal smirked and once again pocketed his Poke Ball. Seeing the girl before him and the Diancie, he responded to her fighting words.

So you cannot forgive discovery? An absurd notion. Well, I wouldn't call this a coup either, so perhaps you're just ill-informed. Regardless, your efforts will prove most useful to my research.

The Diancie swung her sword before her in a menacing display.

You dare disrespect me? Sealed away my heart? A living weapon? Is that all I am to you? Insolent peasant! I'll have your head for such a mockery!

Before either side could fight, however, Nendal walked forward.

Hold, all of you. My research is related to what happens here, so I need even testing conditions. Allow me to ensure both sides are fully prepared.

Nendal finally activated the machine on his left wrist, the Wonder Launcher revving.

First, hold still, Diancie! The doctor has a special gift for you, to honor your efforts to now. This challenger seems quite the opponent.

From the machine, clearly identifiable as a Wonder Launcher, Nendal launched a bright neon green and yellow disc at the Diancie that erupted into a conical spray of medicine, healing most of the wounds she had received to that point. Swinging her sword to the side, she looked behind her at the doctor before looking at her arms and her self.

You do me honor, good doctor! Bestowing me with strength unmatched, and with recovery unending, you will rewarded royally within my dominion.

He then approached Touko.

Now, here, allow me.

With a special machine he procured from his coat pocket, he quickly gave the effects of a Max Revive and Full Restore to each of Touko's Pokemon that needed either. Their stamina for their moves was also replenished to full fighting capacity. Once the process was done, he returned to his original position.

How riveting! When both sides are at full strength, that ensures the fairest playing field, and thus, the most accurate and useful data. Please, begin your conflict whenever ready. I'll be right here taking notes.

As he noted on his pad, he looked to the sky; Shadow Sky was still in effect. So far, his devices were working as intended. He then awaited Touko's first moves. Once she released a Pokemon, it was on.

The first thing Touko did was...check the direction of the wind. "What the hell? That weird weather effect from before is still active! You talk a big game about getting all this data, even going so far as to heal my guys from their skirmish with Iris...and yet you refuse to start without a level playing field? We're not starting until that wears off."

And Touko did just that. She waited, trying to get Nendal to become impatient, hoping it would bleed over into his battle tactics. Once the skies cleared up, it was on.

"Zekrom! Time to fight for our future!"

The air didn't change, but it started to smell like ozone as a vast black dragon hit the field and flexed its muscles, the generator in its tail producing vast amounts of electrical power.

"Zekrom...this guy is the toughest thing we've ever had to go up against. We can't come out swinging, not yet. So let's start with Tailwind!" But she was caught off guard when Diancie's mighty sword swung around and sent the beast reeling, barely able to stand after that Shadow Slash. "What...what the hell is that?"

A demonstration of my power. Continue to oppose me and your existence will end!

Diancie taunted back, but it didn't seem to faze either Zekrom or Touko.

"Now! Bolt Strike!" Thanks to the Tailwind, it was actually able to move first.

"What?!"

The Diancie was hammered with the full force of Zekrom's electrically charged body.

Insolent peasant! You are nothing before me!

The second Shadow Slash was certainly more than enough to finish off the legendary dragon, and down went the first one.

"I wasn't expecting just him to get the job done. That's why I had him set Tailwind. You like your weather, I like mine. Now come on out, Claw!" Clay would probably be proud of her for picking up his ace. "She looks like she gets stronger with every knockout, we have to finish it here! Use Iron Head!" "You got it boss!" grunted the Excadrill right back as instead of drilling along the surface, he ran along the ground, using those powerful claws to pull himself forward and sidestep attacks on the way into melee range, before delivering another shattering blow directed at Diancie's exposed crystalline body.

"I am a hero of justice just like the Ability Warrior, Poké Ranger! I'll never give up, no matter how strong the opponent!"

Bow before me, or I shall end your existence!

Diancie exclaimed in a fervor before pummeling Claw with Shadow Gem. Touko even had to dodge out of the way of a stray projectile, stunned into silence. It's not that she was intentionally targeted. Diancie just didn't seem to care. Now two down, she was on the back foot.

"What is going on...he's not giving any commands at all? He's just sitting there and taking notes. What is this guy's deal? I have to win so I can figure this out!" Pounding the dirt at her feet, Touko rose again, calling forth Juggernaut the Haxorus, sending a powerful seismic tremor through the ground at Diancie's base before meeting the same fate. One graceful Shadow Slash and it was over.

The other three...Drifter, Volcarona, even Nike, the avatar of victory itself...they didn't even get a chance to defend themselves as Diancie seemed to get stronger and faster with every knockout, all dispatched with graceful but deadly accurate swings of her blade.

"You were right. You were too powerful for me to stop. But...I had to try. And I learned a few things about you in the process. Hopefully you learned a few things about me as well. It's these bonds that let us work together to overcome anything we put our minds to...but right now, we have official business to take care of. It's time to crown a champion."