The New Normal - A Pokémon Elite 4 SI by CartecFF

Chapter 36: 141-143

The New Normal – 7-14 – Darker yet Darker

The two didn't wait long until they sent out their next round of Pokémon.

"Weavile! Speed up!"

"Shiftry! Fan out!"

Two figures rocketed out of their Pokéballs as they dashed together in a pair of black blurs. Without any preamble, a battle of speed suddenly broke out as the two Pokémon rushed around each other, each of them trying to out-speed and out-position the other.

"Razor Leaf, Shiftry!"

"Ice Shard, Weavile!"

Razor sharp blades of leaves shot forwards from Shiftry, only to be slashed apart by the incoming piercing shards of ice that cut through them effortlessly. However, Shiftry easily darted out of the way just as the Ice Shards sliced through its previous location.

Yet the Ice Shards were merely a distraction as Weavile suddenly blinked forwards, rapidly closing the distance between himself and Shiftry. Shiftry did its best to match Weavile's speed, but it quickly became obvious that there was no comparison.

Weavile was just faster.

And then Weavile's figure suddenly flickered into existence right in front of Shiftry. Taken by surprise at Weavile's sheer agility, Shiftry was barely able to muster up a desperate parry with a Leaf Blade that narrowly deflected the would-be supereffective attack. But Shiftry had still taken a glancing blow, and small patches of frost gradually began to spread across its arm.

Shiftry immediately tried to try for a counterattack, but Weavile snaked his other arm past Shiftry's defenses and smashed another brutal Ice Punch straight towards its face.

The impact caused Shiftry to stagger backwards, though it retained enough discipline to slash downwards with a powerful Leaf Blade that would have punished any attempted follow-up attack. But Weavile had not gone for one, cautiously choosing to hang back and scout things out.

And now, with a better idea of Shiftry's abilities, Karen shot Sidney a feral smile as she went on the offense.

"Weavile, full offense! You have this!"

"Shiftry! Prepare yourself!"

Understanding that it couldn't hope to match Weavile's agility, Shiftry instead stood its ground as it prepared itself for Weavile's incoming onslaught, with his Leaf Blades gleaming threateningly in the afternoon sun.

Clearly, Sidney had been hoping to use Shiftry's inherent training to weather the storm of Weavile's assault before being able to punish it for its overextension. But if that was what Sidney had been thinking, then he had seriously underestimated Weavile's abilities.

The two Pokémon crashed against each other, a fist of ice meeting a blade of leaves. The wielder of the leaf tried to retaliate with a wide slash, but its opponent had already dashed backwards and fell out of range. Now exposed, a quick barrage of Ice Shards slashed through the vulnerable Shiftry, leaving a litany of cuts across its body.

Not wanting to be left purely on the defensive, Shiftry attempted to catch Weavile off-guard with a surprise Vacuum Wave, yet it was barely even able to start gathering up Fighting energy before it felt its legs were kicked out from under it with a Low Sweep from Weavile.

Completely losing its balance, it was unable to defend itself as Weavile followed up with a ruthless Ice Punch that critically smashed into its face. A cry of pain came from Shiftry, and even a desperate attempt at a Sucker Punch was dexterously parried as Shiftry was pummelled by another vicious Ice Punch that slammed into its stomach.

Shiftry was being completely overwhelmed by Weavile. It was just outmatched. But then, Sidney made a surprising decision.

"Shiftry, return. Sableye, come!"

A red light shot out from Sidney's Pokéball before it engulfed the pinned Shiftry, quickly returning it to its Pokéball. Karen, taken by surprise at the sudden switch, was quick to recover and ordered Weavile to start setting up.

"Swords Dance, Weavile!"

Taking advantage of the time needed to switch, Weavile calmly boosted itself up even further as its already high Attack was now doubled, turning Weavile's already punishing strikes to hit even harder.

As soon as he had finished boosting himself up, he instantly took off with a dash at the newly switched Sableye; his eyes locked onto his opponent as he got ready to smash it apart.

"Night Slash, Weavile! Punish it!"

"Fake out and Taunt, Sableye!"

But Sableye was ready for that. Remaining completely unfazed by the incoming Weavile, Sableye smashed its hands together just before Weavile could reach it, causing a shockwave that flinched the charging Weavile and interrupted his charge. Instantly, before Weavile could recover, a maddening shroud of darkness enveloped it, causing Weavile to narrow his eyes as rage began to cloud them.

"Thunder Wave now, Sableye! Disable it!"

"Back off and Ice Shard, Weavile!"

Yet Weavile showed off his incredible mental discipline as he forced away the enraged compulsion from the Taunt and dashed backwards just as a burst of electricity narrowly missed it. Weavile retaliated with a burst of Ice Shards, but Sableye just sank into its own shadow and avoided the attack.

Sableye quickly re-emerged seconds later as it launched a barrage of flaming wisps towards Weavile. But Weavile was no easy target. With a feat of exemplary dexterity, he ducked, dived, and dodged past the incoming Will-O-Wisp with seeming ease.

Then, thinking that the attack was over, Weavile burst forwards towards the exposed Sableye.

"Mud Slap."

Completely unphased at the buffed Weavile charging towards it, Sableye punished Weavile's recklessness by suddenly throwing a surprise globule of mud straight into Weavile's eyes.

Weavile stumbled, nearly tripping over as it became blinded by the mud. I could see a flash of uncertainty appear on Karen's face, and she instantly ordered for a retreat.

Weavile instantly fell backwards, relying purely on his trust in his trainer as he remained blinded by the Mud Slap. Sidney immediately moved to punish this by having Sableye continue firing of another volley of Will-O-Wisps, trying to catch and burn the Weavile now that it was blinded.

And then Karen made yet another surprising choice.

"Return, Weavile! It's your turn, Honchkrow!"

Her Honchkrow emerged onto the field, her magnificent coat of fur shining in the sun. It looked majestic and noble, which only seemed to add to the power that it unconsciously radiated out of it. Its powerful wings looked like they could knock the frail and far smaller Sableye out with a single strike.

"TAUNT!"

However, Sidney was ready for it. As soon as Honchkrow fully emerged from her Pokéball, she was instantly encased in a cage of dark energy, instantly cutting off any opportunities for Honchkrow to make use of non-attacking moves.

Karen frowned. With Honchkrow affected by the Taunt, she was no longer able to stop Sableye from its spam of status moves with her own Taunt.

But Honchkrow still had plenty of options.

"Hurricane!"

With a powerful flap of her wings, Honchkrow unleashed an enormous tornado that was completely infused with Dark energy, forming a terrible pillar of wind where light failed to shine through. The Dark Hurricane ripped through the battlefield, completely shredding the arena as loose rocks were violently thrown around as the attack left a trail of destruction in its wake.

Yet it failed to catch the evasive Sableye as it fell into its shadow and dodged out of the way.

But the Hurricane was merely a cover for Honchkrow's real attack, and she charged through her own Hurricane as she dove rapidly out of the sky, her wings glowing a menacing midnight black as Dark energy coalesced threateningly with them.

"Power Gem, Sableye!"

However, despite the threat of Honchkrow's meteoric descent, Sableye remained unfazed as it fired off a small barrage of rocks towards Honchkrow, with Sableye's blank gemstone eyes remaining locked onto Honchkrow.

With dismissive ease, Honchkrow easily dodged past the incoming barrage of rocks and channelled even more energy into her wings, ready to unleash a devastating slash across Sableye's small frame.

Except Sableye, instead of trying to dodge, merely continued staring idly at Honchkrow. Waiting.

And waiting.

And waiting.

Until Honchkrow was mere feet away from it, and Sableye's eyes flashed.

"Thunder Wave!"

A small shock of electricity shot out of Sableye's eyes, and with Honchkrow so close, she was completely unable to dodge the attack. A paralyzing wave of electricity forced itself into Honchkrow.

But the paralysis was not enough to stop the momentum of Honchkrow's attack as her heavily infused wing collided like a meteor into the small frame of Sableye, sending it flying through the air and into one of the psychic barriers from the impact alone.

Sableye's body slumped on to the floor, its arms twitching slightly from the pain; that one attack had nearly knocked it out.

However, it wasn't out just yet, and Sidney knew it. Thus, with the confidence of an experienced trainer that knew EXACTLY how far he could push his Pokémon, Sidney stayed utterly calm as he continued to give directions.

"Recover, Sableye! And get ready!"

With significant effort, Sableye managed to pull itself off the floor as it began to channel its inner energies, its wounds visibly healing as it did so. In the meanwhile, Honchkrow was not so fortunate.

The Thunder Wave was clearly no ordinary one, as Honchkrow struggled to even flap her wings as the paralysis locked her muscles up in an iron grip of electricity. Honchkrow could hardly even move, let alone fly. Honchkrow was completely trapped!

This was looking really bad for Karen. And Sidney was about to make things even worse.

"Sableye, Mean Look! Don't let it escape!"

Temporarily cutting off its use of Recover, Sableye's eyes flashed a haunting blue as it stared straight at Honchkrow. A shudder seemed to course through the big bird as the Mean Look took its hold, preventing it from escaping. And now Karen was locked into this situation for good.

But Karen was not one to give up either..

"You have to struggle through this, Honchkrow! This is nothing you've not dealt with before!"

With her entire face warped into one of intense struggle, Honchkrow forced her mouth open as she let out an affirmative squawk and forced Dark energy to gather in her wings before it finally began to break through the paralysis to unleash a Dark Pulse at Sableye.

Unfortunately, her hard-fought Dark Pulse was for naught as Sableye quicky burrowed into the ground to avoid it with a Dig.

"Confuse Ray, Sableye. Cripple it entirely."

Sableye emerged from its tunnel and ruthlessly fired off a ray of dizzying lights towards Honchkrow. The confusion quickly took hold as Honchkrow's eyes lost all of their focus, immediately destroying any chance of Honchkrow ever breaking free from the paralysis – undoing all her effort and sealing her fate.

Honchkrow already needed to exert immense amounts of effort to break through even the once, so with the confusion furthering hindering her, it was a lost cause.

Unable to move, unable to react, unable to retreat. Sableye had expertly manoeuvred Honchkrow into a position where she was little more than a sitting Psyduck. And both trainers knew it.

"Power Gem, Sableye. Time to bring it down."

Even with Honchkrow practically completely disabled, Sidney took no chances, choosing to wear Honchkrow down instead patiently at a safe distance with a steady barrage of supereffective rocks. Some within the crowd started to boo as what they saw was un-sportsmanship like behaviour. Sidney just ignored it, as would I.

In Sableye's gleaming eyes, there was no remorse. No mercy. It was completely focused on the full and systematic dismantling of Karen's starter. Thus, without a single opportunity to fight back, Karen's starter fell.

The seemingly weak-looking Sableye had just brought her down.

"...WHAT A FIGHT!" The announcer said after a short pause, "ELITE SIDNEY SHOWING OFF HIS EXPERIENCE AS HIS SABLEYE BRINGS DOWN KAREN'S POWERFUL STARTER! BUT ONLY AFTER COMPLETELY CRIPPLING IT SO THAT IT WAS COMPLETELY UNABLE TO FIGHT BACK! WOW! HAVE YOU SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT BEFORE?! I CERTIANLY HAVEN'T!"

"THIS PUTS THE SCORE AT 3:2! ELITE SIDNEY TAKES BACK THE LEAD WITH THAT STELLAR PERFORMANCE!"

The crowd cheered as they usually did, but I zoned them out as I instead focused on Karen's expression. She was frowning hard, and I could see that she was biting down on her lips. Her face was one of bitterness, and I could relate. That was not a fun way to see your starter go down.

I had to give Sidney credit. This was a well-deserved victory. Sidney had completely outplayed Karen. From the moment that Sableye landed that Taunt on Honchkrow, Sidney had been able to dictate the fight. That was a very impressive feat.

"...So, any thoughts about that?" Steven spoke up, hoping to clear the awkward air that had settled in the VIP booth. Agatha just shot Steven an angry glare.

"Oh, don't try to be nice. That was quite the beatdown. I would have laughed if it wasn't my apprentice getting the shit kicked out of her." Agatha fumed in annoyance, "I KNEW it was a bad idea to switch out her Weavile the moment I saw it. She should have just brought down Sableye with her Weavile! Never let the opponent dictate how you want to fight!"

"Sidney IS the far more experienced trainer, so mistakes like that are understandable." Steven placated, "But it's no wonder such a normally weak Pokémon is on Sidney's Elite team."

"It would lose to overwhelming strength though." I pointed out, "If Honchkrow's first attack managed to fully knock it out, then it would've been a fairly easy victory, if still a little hollow due to that paralysis. Still, that would still be a better outcome than this one." Or perhaps Karen didn't train up her paralysis resistance enough in her Flying type Honchkrow. But considering Agatha's already bad mood, I didn't voice that out.

"And now Karen has no choice but to sacrifice another Pokémon against it." Agatha let out a defeated sigh, "I fear for her chances."

And true to Agatha's words, with visible frustration growing on her face, Karen was beginning to lose her calm as she sent out Weavile back into the fight.

"Bring it down, Weavile! Enough games!"

Not wasting a single second, Weavile quickly took off into a sprint as he rushed to avenge his fallen teammate.

"Taunt it and Thunder Wave, Sableye. Don't let it setup!"

"Fake out, Weavile! Interrupt it!"

Thinking that Weavile wanted to set up on Sableye like he did previously, Sableye instantly released another Taunt at Weavile and moved to paralyze him. Just like it did with Honchkrow.

However, with his incredible speed, Weavile blinked right in front of Sableye. Brushing off the Taunt that had just landed, Weavile clapped his hands together in a Fake Out that flinched and just barely interrupted Sableye's attempts to Thunder Wave him.

Taking advantage of Sableye's momentarily flinch, Weavile followed up by slashing through Sableye with a razor-sharp Night Slash.

"Drain Punch, Sableye! Fight back!"

Sableye tried to retaliate against by throwing out a would-be supereffective Drain Punch against Weavile, but compared to Weavile's nimble and agile attacks, Sableye's attempts only looked clumsy in comparison.

Weavile easily deflected the attack with a well-positioned parry before eviscerating Sableye with an onslaught of Night Slashes, turning into a hurricane of violence as he tore through Sableye's health.

Clearly, Karen was giving no opportunity for Sableye to get up to any of its shenanigans and intended to use Weavile's vastly superior speed to utterly overwhelm Sableye before it could fight back.

Even a hastily formed Protect shield by Sableye was quickly and ruthlessly smashed apart by Weavile. And with Sableye not being a particularly durable Pokémon, everyone knew that there was no way that it could stand up to this onslaught of attacks for much longer. Even now, its once immaculately polished gemstone eyes were now ruined by cuts and scars.

It almost seemed like Karen had full control of the situation, and that Sableye was about to be knocked out. Except Sidney revealed that he had one last trick up his sleeve.

"ENDURE AND THUNDER WAVE, SABLEYE!"

"FALL BACK-! No, ignore that, COMMIT AND KNOCK IT OUT, WEAVILE!"

Despite its litany of cuts and injuries, Sableye's eyes suddenly regained their focus and lustre as it mustered up every last inch of determination that it could, granting it the mental discipline needed to just tank through another devastating Night Slash that ripped across its side.

Sableye stumbled to the side in pain, but quickly righted itself and fired off a small pulsating spark of electricity that flowed into Weavile.

I could see Karen gritting her teeth as her Weavile became paralyzed. While the effects of this paralysis wasn't nearly as debilitating on her Weavile then it was on her Honchkrow, this was the one situation she wanted to avoid. It was why she was unwilling to use her Weavile against Sableye initially, yet it looks like the final results were the same.

However, this time, it seemed like she had shook of her earlier hesitation.

"ICE PUNCH AND FINISH IT, WEAVILE!"

Forcing itself to not be crippled by the paralysis, Weavile shot forwards, slower than it used to but just fast enough to reach Sableye before it could do any more harm, and slammed a final Ice Punch right into the centre of its face. A critical hit.

The impact caused Sableye to tumble through the air, putting up no resistance as it had finally succumbed to the extent of its injuries.

The menace that was Sableye was finally out of the fight.

Sidney only nodded with calm acceptance as he returned Sableye into its Pokéball.

"ANNND KAREN TAKES REVENGE WITH A POWERFUL BARRAGE OF ATTACKS FROM HER WEAVILE, FINALLY TAKING OUT SIDNEY'S SABLEYE AND EVENING OUT THE SCORE ONCE AGAIN! IT'S NOW BACK TO 3:3! BUT WILL ELITE SIDNEY MANAGE TO GAIN BACK THE ADVANTAGE?!"

The crowd cheered wildly at Karen's quick victory, but to a more astute observer, the victory rang hollow. And from how Karen's lip curled into a deep frown, it was obvious that she was greatly dissatisfied with how that went.

I could understand. Her earlier mistake of returning Weavile instead of committing ended up costing her starter, and now she had a paralyzed Weavile as well. I would be pretty frustrated too in her position.

However, instead of lingering on it, I watched as she deliberately uncrossed her arms and unclenched her fists as she took deep breaths to calm herself down.

"Good." Agatha spoke up as she watched Karen forcefully relax herself, "She can't allow Sidney to get into her head like that."

"At least Sidney's Sableye is down though." I commented, "That thing was a real pain in the ass."

"If that wasn't my apprentice in that fight, I would be cheering for the Sableye." Agatha lamented, "That was an excellent display of the power of a Ghost type. I do it better, obviously, but I'll admit that Sidney is no amateur." I rolled my eyes at her boasting.

Steven elected to stay silent, instead staring intently on the battlefield as he fell into deep thought. I knew he was trying to analyse something specific about the fight – maybe he was trying to think of how he would beat Sidney's Sableye in his own fight? I wished him luck on that.

Before I could try to further decipher Steven's inner thoughts, Sidney sent out his next Pokémon.

"Finish it off, Shiftry."

And as I expected, he sent out his Shiftry again. And this time, with Weavile crippled and slowed by the paralysis, it should have no problems out-speeding it.

And that was exactly what happened. With its leaf blades gleaming in the afternoon sun, Shiftry rushed menacingly towards Weavile. In a complete reversal of its earlier fight, Shiftry now had the speed advantage and was able to dance around the once-speedier Pokémon.

Leaf blades and claws smashed against each other, each one trying to parry the other's attacks. The fight rapidly devolved into a whirlwind of attacks, with Shiftry trying its best to use its now superior speed to overwhelm Weavile in this clash of skill and speed.

The two Pokémon did whatever they could to gain an advantage. There was the occasional sweep of the leg, the sudden Sucker Punch when one Pokémon had slightly overextended themselves, and they even tried to mix up a few Special Attacks in there to hopefully throw the other off balance.

They didn't even need their trainers to command them. At this point, they were both fighting on pure instinct and technique.

But even with Weavile being paralyzed, he was still putting up a good fight. He was used to bringing down opponents much stronger than him, so he actually had the strength advantage over Shiftry, even if he was now slower than the Grass type. They both had the technique, and were both masters at what they did best.

And yet it was that paralysis that made up all the difference.

With Weavile's movements no longer being as fluid as they would normally be, Shiftry was slowly but surely able to gain an advantage. A swipe from Weavile that would normally land successfully was instead parried, giving Shiftry the opportunity to step forwards and strike at Weavile with a quick slash of his Leaf Blade before stepping aside and dodging past an attempted retaliatory Ice Punch that came an inch too late.

And it was at this moment that Weavile's muscles tensed ever so minutely as the effects of paralysis once again showed itself. It was almost unnoticeable, but Shiftry's eyes had been locked onto its target ever since the start of the fight. It wouldn't miss a moment of weakness like this.

With Weavile's arm momentarily locked in place, Shiftry slipped past Weavile's failed attack while its arms began to gleam white. Seeing what was coming, Weavile's eyes widened, and he forcefully pushed through the paralysis as he swung his arms around in a desperate attempt to parry the incoming attack.

It was too late. Weavile's arm was barely inches away from landing an Ice Punch into Shiftry's face before Shiftry brutally smashed into him with a critical Brick Break. Letting out a shrieking cry of pain, Weavile tumbled backwards, clutching its chest in pain as it was struck by the 4x supereffective attack.

Weavile was sent skidding limply across the floor of the arena. There was no need for any follow-up attack from Sidney. It was clear to everyone that Weavile wasn't getting up.

Karen accepted Weavile's defeat with a stoic nod, returning it with a blank expression on her face. I watched as she let out a breath, and I even tuned out the announcer as she seemed to fiddle with a new Pokéball that appeared in her hand.

I knew what was coming.

"TYRANITAR! SHOW THEM YOUR MIGHT!"

Tyranitar landed onto the arena with an audible thud, cracking the ground from his sheer weight alone. Dust and sand slowly began circling around his figure, gradually forming a sandstorm that centred around himself.

"TYRAN! TYRANITAR!!" He shouted out, letting out a magnificent roar that managed to scatter the flowing sands even further across the arena. Pulling himself to his full height, Tyranitar absolutely towered over the far smaller Shiftry. Strength radiated out of him in waves; there was no doubt in anyone's mind that this was a pure beast of destruction.

His presence demanded your attention.

Even Sidney was taken aback by the appearance of such a monster. He might not have expected Karen to have managed to evolve her Pupitar. But Sidney quickly pulled himself together, not letting himself be intimidated by the presence of such a towering creature, and the battle began in earnest.

"Razor Leaf, Shiftry. Keep your distance and scout it out."

"Flamethrower, Tyranitar! TORCH THEM!"

Shiftry took off with a sprint as it began circling around the stationary Tyranitar, all the while firing off a barrage of Razor Leaves to test Tyranitar's defences and slowly wear him down. But with a dismissive scoff, Tyranitar responded by roaring a blazing column of fire from its maw, instantly incinerating Shiftry's attacks.

The column of fire swept across the battlefield, pursuing after the now fleeing Shiftry, scorching the howling winds of sand as it did. Gradually, the sandstorm itself was ignited, making the whole thing look more like a firestorm than a sandstorm.

Shiftry was doing its utmost to avoid the column of flames. It made full use of its superior speed to just stay one step ahead of the incoming stream of fire, narrowly avoiding being completely incinerated by it. But the scorching sands were slowly starting to take its toll, and while it avoided being hit directly, the residual damage from the searing sandstorm was starting to bite into Shiftry's health.

Yet Tyranitar could not sustain its Flamethrower indefinitely. It only had a limited amount of Fire energy to make use of. And seeing that Shiftry proved a little too agile to be torched by Tyranitar's Flamethrower, Karen swapped tactics.

"Stone Edge, Tyranitar! Smash it!"

"Grass Knot, Shiftry! Trip it!"

Cutting off the column of flames, Tyranitar let out another roar as huge pillars of rocks suddenly erupted from the ground all around Shiftry, each one threatening to impale through the smaller Pokémon. But, showing off its signature mobility once again, Shiftry was a whirlwind of spins, jumps and dashes as it narrowly avoided each and every pillar that shot out of the ground.

And it was so good at this that it even had a moment to create a small, yet sturdy, tendril of grass that latched onto one of Tyranitar's legs. Not realizing the attack, the tendril suddenly pulled hard on Tyranitar's legs, completely destroying his sense of balance and causing him to fall over.

Seeing the lumbering titan tumble down onto the ground, Sidney took this moment to finally push onto the offensive.

"CHARGE IN! LEAF BLADE!"

Shiftry exploded forwards, both arms gleaming a brilliant green as it charged up to land a devastating Leaf Blade on what appeared to be a vulnerable Tyranitar. And why wouldn't he be? The Grass Knot had caused Tyranitar to trip over and fall onto his face.

It was too enticing of a target for Shiftry to ignore. Quickly closing the distance, Shiftry fully committed to the attack and sliced into Tyranitar's exposed back with a fierce double Leaf Blade that gouged deeply into Tyranitar.

Tyranitar let out a groan of pain, as he seemed to collapse on to the ground. Thinking that he had scored a lucky hit, Sidney ordered Shiftry to move in and further punish the Tyranitar for his misstep.

But the calculating gleam in Karen's eyes and the bloodthirsty smile on her face said it all. I knew that Sidney had just sprung Karen's trap.

Tyranitar was no weakling to be brought down by a single move. Tyranitar were meant to be kings of the mountain. Titans that required a whole group of trained Pokémon to be brought down. And this Tyranitar had endured far more than this in his training sessions against his rival, Vordt.

For all of its training, Shiftry hit nowhere near as hard as Vordt. This Tyranitar would not be brought down by a single move like that. Critical hit or not.

Tyranitar still had way more left in the tank. And Sidney was in for a rude awakening.

"STONE EDGE NOW! AND GRAB IT!" Karen shouted, her voice almost turning hoarse for a moment from how loud she shouted.

"GET OUT OF THERE!" Sidney tried to order, yet it was too late.

Before Shiftry could react, a pillar of stone suddenly shot out from the ground and crashed into Shiftry, tripping it up and breaking its charge. Before it could regain its balance, Tyranitar's arm suddenly shot out and caught the stumbling Shiftry in his grasp.

Shiftry immediately unleashed a wide slash as it tried to break free from Tyranitar's iron grip. But Tyranitar only snarled menacingly at the trapped Shiftry, not even reacting at the cut that he had just received.

The tables had turned. Deprived of its mobility, Shiftry was left at the mercy of Tyranitar. And he had little to give.

Tyrnaitar let out a roar and ferociously SMASHED Shiftry into the ground with such force that it shattered the ground beneath them. At the same time, an enormous pillar of stone came crashing down onto Shiftry, crushing him into the ground and brutally trapping him underneath the prison of rock.

"LEAF BLADE AND CUT YOURSELF OUT!" Sidney tried, worry evident in his voice.

Struggling against the punishment it had just taken, Shiftry forced itself up as it used what remained of its energy to unleash a flurry of slashes that sliced through the avalanche of stone that kept it pinned down, barely managing to make enough room for Shiftry to scramble free.

However, Tyranitar had not been idling about.

"FLAMETHROWER, TYRANITAR! TORCH IT!"

Shiftry immediately tried to bury itself underground just as searing torrent of flames came spewing out of Tyranitar's mouth. But choosing to Dig underground to avoid the flames ended up sealing Shiftry's fate.

"EARTHQUAKE, NOW!"

Tyranitar instantly retracted his stream of flames before mercilessly stomping on the ground, splitting the arena with an audible crack as the ground began to shake heavily. Powerful tremors spread across the arena, and a huge spiderweb of cracks began to form on the surface of the arena as the ground crumbled and split around him.

With this single Earthquake, Tyranitar proved why their species was known as destruction incarnate.

As the Earthquake ended, all you could see amidst the carnage and ruined arena was the lone figure of an unconscious Shiftry, who had been spat out by the vicious tremors ripping through the ground.

It stood no chance.

As the announcer called out Karen's victory, I couldn't help but shoot Agatha a smug smirk – I trained that beast! She just rolled her eyes at me.

"Yes yes, you helped train her well. But what kind of Tyranitar can't take a hit anyways?" Agatha replied dismissively. I simply grinned at her.

"I never even knew she had a Tyranitar. That's not something I really expected from a Dark type trainer." Steven commented with a frown, "Normally Dark type trainers have Pokémon that are more...squishy."

I shrugged, "Just like everything else, Dark type Pokémon come in all sorts. Tyranitar is far from the only exception."

Steven shook his head, "That's not what I meant. I obviously knew that Tyranitar were Dark type, but it's just not a Pokémon that you expect to see with Dark specialists. You expect tricks and status moves, not raw power like that. It's just a little unusual."

"Which was why having something on her team that could fight like that was something Agatha and I both emphasized for her." I explained, "Sometimes, you get opponents you can't beat with one strategy, so you have to make use of another."

"Yes...having the flexibility always proves useful." Steven said, thinking deeply once again. "That might be something for me to work on..."

"Though, isn't it ironic that in this battle between Dark specialists, they have hardly used any Dark type moves over this entire battle?" Steven pointed out amusedly, "It seems incongruous that they are competing for the title of being the unofficial 'best' Dark type trainer, and yet they are mostly using moves outside of their specialty."

"Huh. Never thought of it like that." I remarked, "But I get it – if they're trying to win, using moves that their opponents are resistant to is not going to be smart."

"Bah. Any good type specialist knows that you need to have moves outside your own type. Unless your name ends with 'Blackthorn'." Agatha scoffed, "Being able to master a multitude of types and fighting styles that compliment your own is a mark of any good type specialist. Just being able to fight with your own type means you're a shit trainer."

I nodded, agreeing with Agatha. Any good Normal type specialist would know better than to just focus on Normal type moves. One of the main advantages of the Normal types was their access to a huge range of moves, and not taking advantage of that was idiotic.

But that was enough wool-gathering from us, because Sidney had finally made his decision about who he would use to bring down Karen's dominating Tyranitar.

And it certainly wasn't what I expected.

"Sharpedo! Bring it down!"

A large shark ripped free from its Pokémon ball. Its mouth snapped open, the most prominent feature of its entire body, revealed its menacingly sharp teeth that glistened in the afternoon sun. Its serrated teeth looked sharp and deadly enough to puncture anything they latched onto.

Despite there being no water for it to swim in, it seemed perfectly at home on land, its mobility not even being affected.

In response, Tyranitar let out a challenging roar that shook the ground as if he was daring Sharpedo to fight him.

And the Sharpedo was eager to obey.

"Aqua Jet, Sharpedo! Focus up!"

"Stone Edge, Tyranitar! Shatter it!"

Huge spears of rocks began circling around Tyranitar once again before they shot out like heavy javelins that flew towards Sharpedo. Yet if Tyranitar thought that Shiftry was a hard target to hit, then Sharpedo was even faster. Sure, it didn't have Shiftry's agility and technique, but it made up with that with pure speed.

And boosted by its Aqua Jet, Sharpedo was almost invisible as it blurred around the battlefield. Its Speed Boost was only causing it to go even faster. It didn't matter how many chunks of rocks that Tyranitar was blasting its way, he had no hope of hitting the Sharpedo.

Realizing this, Karen tried something else.

"Earthquake, Tyranitar! Go wide!"

"NOW! LIQUIDATION!"

The ground, which had already been heavily damaged from the fight before, was shattered once again as Tyranitar unleashed another destructive Earthquake that transformed the already broken arena into something consisting of barely held together pieces of rubble.

Yet Sharpedo cleverly avoided the attack by shooting itself upwards with a plume of water, before blasting forwards and smashing into Tyranitar with the speed of a rocket. Tyranitar stumbled backwards, swiping blindly with his arms as he tried to grab hold of the Sharpedo, but the Water type had already rocketed away and circled around for another blow.

"Liquidation AGAIN! DON'T LET UP!"

Shooting around the battlefield, Sharpedo unleashed another geyser of water to quickly pivot around in the air and crashed full speed into Tyranitar once again, this time following up the attack with a powerful Crunch to the shoulder. And once again, Tyranitar was barely unable to respond in time as Sharpedo quickly retreated out of range.

After all, how could you hit a target that you could barely even see?

And Sharpedo was making clever use of its ever-increasing speed to amplify the damage of its Liquidation by colliding with Tyranitar with that much more force, smashing Tyranitar repeatedly with an onslaught of devastating supereffective Liquidations over and over again. There was hardly a second in-between attacks.

It was a blur of devastation, Sharpedo having fully streamlined every little aspect of itself so that it could hit as hard and as fast as possible. Tyranitar's attempts to catch Sharpedo merely looked like confused flailing – that was how much faster Sharpedo was in comparison.

Large rocks were shot forwards, Dark Pulses were fired, but none could hit the jet-like Sharpedo.

And the brutal Liquidations were taking its toll. No matter how bulky Tyranitar was, or how good it was at taking attacks, no Pokémon could tank through such a powerful blitz of attacks for too long.

Karen grimaced. Her mind likely awhirl with thoughts as she tried to figure out how she would catch the impossibly fast Sharpedo. But Sidney was giving her no time to think; his Sharpedo was an unceasing and uncaring threat that constantly pummelled Tyranitar; each attack ripped through more and more of Tyranitar's health.

The great Tyranitar, the supposedly unstoppable pinnacle of the Dark type, was being brought low by a 'mere' Sharpedo. In seconds, Tyranitar had transformed from this sturdy titan into a hobbling beast that was cradling his wounds. His breathing came heavily, and his once gleaming scales were now battered and bruised. He could not hold out for much longer.

The king of the mountain was being beaten down by a land-locked shark. It was a humbling testament to what you could achieve with enough raw speed.

But when I turned to Karen, instead of seeing a look of panic that I was expecting, her expression was one of pure focus, like a hunter waiting to catch its prey. Her Tyranitar might already be on his last legs, but he still wasn't out of the fight just yet. Just like Sidney had done previously with his Sableye, Karen looked like she was waiting for the right moment to strike.

And in the brief moment just before Sharpedo pivoted around in preparation for another attack, in that single moment where Sharpedo would not be able to make use of its speed to dodge out of the way, Karen struck.

"CRIPPLE!"

An eerie wave of pulsating Dark energy exploded from Tyranitar, instantly enveloping the Sharpedo. Sharpedo stumbled in its attack, recoiling back as if it had flinched. It tried to recover, but then its eyes rapidly grew enraged, then confused, then enraged again as its mind was assaulted by a bombardment of different status effects.

And crucially, during this moment of mental affliction, Sharpedo was not moving.

"AQUA JET BACKWARDS, SHARPEDO! GET OUT OF THERE!" Sidney shouted out, alarmed by what was happening.

"Thunderbolt, Tyranitar!"

To Sharpedo's credit, the voice of its trainer was enough to momentarily snap it out its mental ailments, but just as a veil of water formed around Sharpedo, a spear of Lightning came ferociously crashing down, causing Sharpedo to collapse to the ground as its muscles started freezing up with paralysis.

And now the tables were turned.

"Stone Edge! Keep it pinned!"

"Protect, Sharpedo!"

The Protect shield that Sharpedo hastily threw up did nothing to block the devastating bombardment of heavy rocks that came crashing down on it. With a sharp cry of pain, Sharpedo was pinned painfully to the ground like it had been speared through by the avalanche of rocks.

"FINISH IT!"

"DESTINY BOND!"

"TYRANITARRR!!" Tyranitar let out a roar that and unleashed all of his built-up frustrations with a singularly punishing Brick Break that struck with such force that it shattered and cracked the ground below the enraged Sharpedo. Not satisfied with that one attack, Tyranitar followed up with another vicious Brick Break that finally ended the threat that was Sharpedo.

Sharpedo never even got the opportunity to fire off a Destiny Bond. Not that it could have, not if my guess about the effects of Karen's Cripple was correct. I had seen her train with it – it was supposed to be a combination of Taunt, Torment, and the flinching effect from Dark Pulse all in one. I supposed this was the final product.

Tyranitar let out a victorious roar to the sky above as he finally conquered his opponent, only to wobble heavily as the adrenaline quickly fled his body and its spread of injuries made themselves known once again. Tyranitar's eyes suddenly dimmed slightly, and then he fell onto his knees as his legs failed to support him.

Karen quickly withdrew Tyranitar before he fell over, not wanting to tarnish the image of his victory, and declared that she was withdrawing him from the battle. After that, I watched as she whispered something to Tyranitar's Pokéball with a pleased smile on her face, likely praising him for a good job.

Tyranitar had seriously pulled his weight, and he had done an incredible job for its first big battle after his evolution.

But now – it was all down to their final Pokémon. Their respective aces.

Even the VIP room was silent as we were all engrossed in the tension of the battle. None of us wanting to speak up and ruin the mood that we were all feeling. Right now, it was anyone's battle.

Karen and Sidney stared each other down. A silent message being communicated between the two of them before they both nodded and released their last Pokémon together.

"Houndoom."

"Absol."

And just like it was at the very beginning of this fight, two quadruped Pokémon emerged from their Pokéballs. One was snarling, possessing a face of restrained aggression and ferocious fury. Small embers of flames flickered menacingly in her mouth as Houndoom locked eyes with her opponent. Her eyes glared with the vicious ferocity of a beast in the dark.

In the meanwhile, Absol was as silent at the night. Its gaze was wise, yet sharp. It had not adopted a threatening posture, but its crescent horn still gleamed dangerously, ready to cut down any foe that dare approached it like a deadly blade in the dark.

This was it. The final showdown. The deciding match. And it kicked off with a bang.

"Flamethrower, Houndoom! Keep your distance."

"Quick Attack to the side and get close, Absol!"

Houndoom instantly released a huge funnel of black flames that scorched the ground into a burning black as she tried to incinerate Absol. But Absol dashed to the side with a Quick Attack before leaping across the previously destroyed arena while rapidly closing the distance against Houndoom.

"Heat Wave, Houndoom! Torch it!"

"Protect and keep rushing forwards, Absol!"

With a furious howl, Houndoom unleashed a searing wave of heat that spread across the arena, turning the battlefield into a furious sea of black flames that seemed to linger dangerously on the ground. But Absol did remained unconcerned, casually forming a Protect shield to block the attack while continuing to rush forwards as it danced over the flames with practiced grace.

Then, as it continued to get closer, Absol's form suddenly split into a huge army of afterimages, completely concealing its true position as they all charged towards Houndoom. The afterimages were perfect copies of the original, making it impossible to tell which was the original.

Houndoom had to disperse them.

"ROAR, HOUNDOOM!"

"QUICK ATTACK NOW, ABSOL! CLOSE COMBAT!"

Houndoom unleashed a deafening Roar that quickly dispersed the afterimages, leaving all but one. That single remaining figure suddenly blurred forwards, catching Houndoom off-guard and crashing into her with a critical slash with its crescent horn that cut deep into the ground.

A single slash, and a grim reminder of Houndoom's frailty.

Houndoom slid backwards with a groan, and Absol was a whirlwind of disciplined aggression as it swiftly followed up with unrelenting flurry of powerful strikes from its claws and horns. Each hit was aimed with deadly accuracy to target all of Houndoom's weak points, savagely shredding through Houndoom's health with each respective critical hit.

Yet the Fire type did not sit helplessly, instead she let out a defiant growl and released a huge explosion of dark flames that scorched everything around her, leaving only a lingering aura of malice and flames.

Unlike Absol, there was no precision. Only sheer, raw, and all-consuming destruction.

Absol valiantly tried to slice through the flames, but it was a useless effort. The explosion of fire and darkness overwhelmed Absol, causing it to flinch and forcing it away.

Its once pristine fur was now singed and scorched as black flames danced across it.

To make matters worse, no matter how much Absol tried to extinguish the flames by patting at it with its paws, the flames would not go away. The burn was here to stay.

The flames even lingered on the ground, forming a small puddle of dark embers that seemed to burn with malefic energies - as if they were fuelled by the very Dark type energy they were combined with.

However, Houndoom was no better from that exchange either. In that short clash, Houndoom had found herself severely injured by the devastating critical hits from Absol. Each fierce cleave of Absol's had torn out a large chunk of Houndoom's health.

Their respective advantages was clear. Absol possessed a devastating offence, with the precision to critically strike with each powerful slash of its horn that shredded through Houndoom's health. On the other hand, Houndoom had access to searing flames that covered a wide area and didn't seem to be easily extinguishable. The former wanted to get close, the latter wanted to wear her opponent down overtime and take control of the battlefield before rushing in for the finishing blow.

But now the former was burnt, and the latter was badly injured. And neither had the opportunity to heal up. My gut was telling me that this was not going to be a long battle. Neither Pokémon were suitable for it.

And then, almost in sync, both trainers made their move.

"Sunny Day, Houndoom!"

"Air Slash and rush in, Absol!"

Houndoom unleashed a beam of light into the air just as the cutting blades of wind ripped into her skin, cutting deep into Houndoom and causing her to flinch.

Absol burst forwards, becoming an almost invisible blur of darkness as it moved faster than it did before and leaped towards Houndoom, its crescent horn glowing a dangerously blinding white as Fighting energy began stored within.

Houndoom instantly fired off a column of flames at the approaching Absol, but it simply cut through the flames with a single slash of its horn as it charged through the dispersed flames. Just as Houndoom began to dash backwards, Absol slashed down hard once again with a perfect strike that left a deep gouge in the ground.

Houndoom fell onto all fours as her legs collapsed from under her as she let out a whimper of pain. A ruthless gleam flashed through Absol's eyes as it immediately tried to pounce on top of Houndoom's fallen figure, another slash poised to strike.

But then Houndoom's eyes suddenly shot open. Her head lifted slightly so that she was staring straight at Absol's face, a huge orb of fire barely being restrained in her mouth. The previous attack had only been a glancing strike - she had faked her injuries!

"PROTECT, ABSOL!"

The order was useless. A torrent of fire exploded from Houndoom's mouth as it enveloped Absol in a sea of searing flames. Boosted by the sun, the heat of the flames was so intense that it managed to scorch the ground even without touching it. Unable to retreat in time, Absol was subjected to the full power of the violent torrent of flames.

Yet, with incredible discipline, Absol still had the presence of mind to react with a sweep of its horns that managed to land a painful cut into Houndoom's side.

The flames were instantly cut off as Houndoom staggered backwards with a howl of pain, falling onto her knees once again as the wounds took their toll. This time she didn't seem like she was faking it.

But no follow up attack came, as Absol was busy trying to put itself out as the flames scorched its body. Absol almost looked like a Fire type with how its entire body was wreathed in fire, and both of its eyes were sealed shut as they had been terribly scorched by the attack.

There was not an inch of it that wasn't covered in burns.

Despite being so close together, and both looking like they were on their last legs, neither of them were in any state to counterattack at the moment. It had been a ferocious and violent battle, but both trainers knew that this was the end.

Whoever landed the next attack was going to win. And they both believed it was going to be them. Therefore, they moved to fire off the fastest attack that their Pokémon both knew.

""DARK PULSE!""

Weakly, both Pokémon pulled themselves up and fired off their respective Dark Pulses, unleashing two streams of Dark energy out of their mouths. Crippled by their injuries, neither Dark Pulses were particularly noteworthy or powerful, and were a mere fraction of their true capabilities.

But that was enough. All they needed was one final blow to knock the other Pokémon out.

The two pulsating torrents of darkness met each other in the middle. The two streams of energy pushed against each other, moving back and forth as both Pokémon devoted the last of their energy and determination into this final attack. Straining themselves to the utmost limit as they channelled whatever vestige of energy they could into their attack, looking to finally overwhelm the other.

They both let out a growl of exertion as they taxed their bodies over their limits, using energy and strength that they shouldn't have, pushing everything they could into their most proficient move.

Both Pokémon were determined to do their trainer proud. They were their trainers most trusted Ace, their most powerful companion. They had achieved everything alongside their trainer. They would not fall. They would not disappoint. They would not LOSE!

Their determination blazed up to the skies. And yet, there could only be one.

One beam of Dark energy finally overwhelmed the other and struck the other Pokémon head on. That Pokémon wobbled. That Pokémon stumbled. That Pokémon collapsed.

In one of the tightest margins ever seen, with the other Pokémon seconds away from collapsing, the battle was finally over.

The crowd erupted into huge cheers as many stood in their seats, applauding, and screaming their support. The three of us in the VIP room stood as well, clapping hard at this well-deserved victory. Even if it was closer than many of us had expected.

"ANNNNNNND WE HAVE A WINNER! THEIR FINAL POKEMON GOES DOWN IN WHAT WAS AN INCREDIBLE FINAL ATTACK FROM THE BOTH OF THEM! BUT NOW, THE BATTLE IS OVER, WITH THE FINAL SCORE AT 6:5!! AN EXTREMELY CLOSE BATTLE THAT REALLY COULD HAVE GONE EITHER WAY!!"

"NONETHELESS, PLEASE GIVE A HUGE CHEER AND APPLAUSE FOR OUR WINNER, KAREN!"

The New Normal – 7-14 – Interlude – Whitney

The three of them sat huddled in her room, all of them staring intently at the TV screen as they watched the final few moments of Karen's fight against Sidney. They were still at the Safari Zone Gates at the local Pokémon Center, figuring that it would be a great place to continue training up their new captures before they eventually returned to Kanto.

And they were making good progress on that. The three of them had come up with great ways of motivating their own Pokémon to want to get stronger, and each and every one of them had been slowly but surely building up their teams to become the best versions of themselves.

It might be overly idealistic of them, but they were looking to be strong enough to directly challenge all of the remaining Gym without stopping. They wanted to ensure that once they DID return to Kanto, they would be able to collect all 8 Gym Badges before this year's circuit ended.

It was an ambitious goal, and would certainly not be an easy task, but Whitney believed they could do it. They were deliberately aiming higher as a means of pushing both themselves and their Pokémon even further. They wouldn't be disappointed if they failed, but they felt like they should at least try.

Because they all trusted in each other to be able to do it. As a trio.

Regardless, thoughts about their training progress were pushed aside as Whitney refocused herself on the fight between Karen and Sidney taking place on the screen. She had seen some of John's battles in the past and had especially studied his battle against both Drake and Bruno very carefully, but this was the first battle that she could see where both trainers were so equally matched.

"The people on the forums are commenting that Sidney had the advantage right now." Sabrina pointed out as she scrolled through the comments of the livestream on her phone, which was being held up via telekinesis. "They are now doubting Karen's chances of winning now that her Tyranitar has gone down."

"I still can't believe she had a Tyranitar." Janine mumbled, "I know it's a Dark type, but that's really not something I expected from her."

"The comments went wild when she revealed it." Sabrina nodded, "They never thought a trainer that wasn't even an official Gym Leader could have such a powerful Pokémon."

"John didn't say anything about it either." Whitney mentioned idly, her eyes not leaving the fight.

"And for a Pokémon like that to be brought down by a Sharpedo of all things...is this the level of an Elite Four? Will we ever reach that level?" Janine muttered curiously.

That snapped Whitney away from the fight, as she turned her focus onto Janine, "Of course we will! Why all the self-doubt all of a sudden, Janine? Haven't we all been training hard?" She asked her, with Sabrina nodding in support.

"Even after all this training, I know Father is much stronger than me." Janine stated as she wilted slightly, "I wish to reach his level...but I am slowly recognizing the sheer gulf between us. I fear that I will not be able to live up to his expectations." Bitterness laced her tone as she hung her head morosely.

Whitney moved to encourage her, but Sabrina spoke up first, "We are still in the stage of nurturing our potential. Do not think this is the limit; we still have plenty to grow. I was not this strong as a Psychic or as a trainer when I first started, and yet, in the span of a few months, I have grown to a level which I had not thought possible before. You will be the same."

"Yeah! And besides, your Father is much older than you. It's not fair to compare yourself like that; and you still have plenty of time to grow!" Whitney nodded in agreement, "And even Karen and John took time to get to where they are now. It might not be now, but if we just keep working hard, and keep training together, I'm sure we'll be able to become strong and proud trainers as well!

She patted Janine on the back, shooting her a beaming smile. "So cheer up, Janine! Because we're all in this together!"

Janine nodded, her posture straightening as she took in the compliment. But before she could say anything, their attention was forced back onto the battle between Karen and Sidney as a sudden explosion of flames spread across the arena; Houndoom had just unleashed a torrent of flames that caught Absol off-guard.

The three of them stared silently at the battle for a moment, enraptured at the fight. Eventually, Whitney spoke up.

"Hey...don't you think that it's strange that in a battle between Dark specialists, we're mostly seeing attacks from other types?" She asked.

"That is something I have observed as well." Sabrina agreed, "I believe that this is more of a fight to display their versatility with types OTHER than the Dark type."

"They're really putting it to good use, though." Janine commented, "They're really showing that there's more to being a specialist than just mastering your single chosen type."

"Is that what we should be doing as well?" Whitney questioned consideringly, "I mean, I know my Miltank is proficient in the elemental punches...but now I'm thinking that I should train my other Pokémon to make use of a wider variety of attack types too."

"That would be prudent." Sabrina nodded, "I think this fight is a very good demonstration of why type flexibility is important. There is much we can learn from it. My Kadabra, for example, really ought to make use of its large movepool. I will make a note of this for future training sessions. I think that–"

But whatever Sabrina was going to say next was cut off as another explosion of flames filled the screen. Whitney watched with clenched fists as she nervously awaited the result of the attack. She knew she was biased, but she really hoped Karen would win this.

As the dust settled, revealing both Karen's Houndoom and Sidney's Absol on their last legs, she had a feeling in her gut that the moment was about to arrive.

She almost forgot to breathe as she witnessed the two's final attack against each other, a final clash between two Dark Pulses that felt like the perfect ending to such a fight. And as soon as Absol finally collapsed to the ground, Whitney leapt into the air.

"WOOOO!!! CONGRATULATIONS KAREN!!" She shouted at the screen, just as the announcer declared Karen to be the victor.

In the corner of her eye, she saw that the comments section of the livestream was going crazy. Tons of comments flooded in, both expressing their shock and surprise at Karen's victory and disdain at Sidney's performance. However, by that same token, some were calling out Karen for relying on brute force as a Dark specialist.

Yet many others expressed their support, thinking that this was the beginning of the rise of another Dark type specialist.

However, with Karen's victory, Whitney felt a sense of relief flood into her. While she knew that there was no actual correlation, she felt that if Karen were to succeed in her goals, then Whitney and her friends could too.

All of them had huge hurdles ahead of them. She was fully aware that despite all her optimism, the path to clearing all of the remaining Gyms before the end of the circuit was not going to be an easy task.

Yet Whitney knew she had many good people looking over her. She knew that they all wished her the best, and she was going to ensure that she honoured their wishes. Her brother had already paved his own path to glory, and she didn't intend to be left behind. She WOULD get her fair share of it as well.

But she wouldn't be doing it alone. Because her friends would be accompanying her every step of the way.

The New Normal – 7-15 – Victory Celebration

Karen had won. She had done it. Even if this was only a charity match, she had demonstrated her prowess by defeating a member of the Hoenn Elite Four.

"HAH! I knew she could do it!" Agatha shouted out proudly, her face lined with excitement and pride, "THAT'S MY GIRL!"

Steven and I shared an amused look as we stared at Agatha's uncharacteristic display of enthusiasm. But Agatha quickly cottoned on to our expressions and rapidly reeled in her emotions.

"What are you two looking at?! Stop gawking and let's get out of here. We have to congratulate the winners." She barked indignantly, grumbling all the while. But that only caused Steven and I to break out in chuckles before we followed after her.

We exited the VIP room and made our way down to the arena, where we found Karen and Sidney already engaged in conversation. All around us reporters were clamouring to try to get an interview from the two trainers, but fortunately Steven had arranged for security in advance to temporarily hold them back.

As we approached the two trainers, they both cut off their friendly conversation and turned to us with wide smiles.

"Did you three enjoy the show? Even as the loser, I still thought that it was a great match." Sidney remarked with a smile, looking unbothered about his loss.

"We did. Even Agatha here was very much entertained, wasn't she?" Steven pointed out as he turned to her, causing her to scoff.

"I was only trying to show my support for my apprentice, don't be mistaken." She said, but Karen and I only chuckled at her words. Annoyed at being made fun at, she was quick to change the topic, "So how are you feeling, girl? You won."

"...I'm not sure actually. It still doesn't feel real yet." Karen admitted.

"Well, you better figure out soon, because you're about to get swamped with questions from those incessant reporters." Agatha said as she gestured to the crowd of reporters being held back by security. "This is your first real opportunity to show yourself to the larger world. Go make the most of it."

Karen nodded seriously, but Steven cut in, "Don't worry, you still have some time before that happens. I didn't hire those security guards for nothing, after all."

"They seem to be doing a good job so far." I added.

"And you have my thanks for hosting all this, Steven." Sidney spoke up, getting nods of agreement from Karen, "Although I did end up losing, nothing gets your blood pumping more than fighting in a stadium. It's really a different experience all together. I really can feel the rust shaking off of me."

Karen blinked, "You fought like THAT and you consider yourself rusty?"

Sidney smiled, "I won't make excuses; you beat me fair and square. But this loss has only sparked a further desire to try new strategies. I think I've been relying too much on tricks. I think I'm finally beginning to understand Drake's way of thinking. Just having powerful Pokémon able to muscle through problems can be invaluable."

"Your Sharpedo is still quite something." Karen muttered.

"How did you feel about this battle?" I asked the two of them, "Was it strange fighting someone that shared your type speciality?"

The two of them shared a glance briefly before Sidney answered, "It was...difficult. We couldn't use the same strategies that we normally used because we both knew that they would be ineffective. Out of all my Pokémon, only Sableye fought like I would want to."

"And you managed to take out my starter with it. So I'd say that went very well for you." Karen exclaimed, "On my end, fighting Sidney was very unusual. It was like fighting a better version of myself. I knew he was better than me at my own speciality, so I had to try to overwhelm him with other methods."

"It was a very close fight." Steven nodded, "A slight mistake or a lucky hit could have led to a different victor."

"Bah! Karen, we'll be going over your match with a fine-tooth comb when we get home. I saw plenty of mistakes that you could have fixed up on!" Agatha lectured, and Karen only nodded in silent acceptance. She seemed very used to this.

"You know, I don't think we've formally met, Elite Agatha." Sidney pointed out, extending a hand, "You're very different to the other Ghost type specialist I know."

Agatha stared at Sidney's hand for a moment before eventually reaching out to shake it, "Feh. I would hope so. There's only room for one of me here."

"Because the world would likely implode if there were two of you." Karen muttered under her breath, but just loudly enough for everyone to hear it. Everyone but Agatha broke out into slight smiles.

"Right, enough of this." Agatha grumbled, "Karen, you better fix up your appearance and get ready for your interview." She turned to Sidney, "You probably should get a move on too."

Sidney shrugged, "They're going to want to do the winner's interview first. They aren't in a rush to interview a loser like me."

I frowned, "Would this loss affect your reputation in Hoenn?"

"Probably, but I don't care that much about the loss." Sidney admitted easily, "Drake likes to challenge the other Elite Four quite often to 'keep us in shape' - and I never win those battles. I've gotten used to it now. Besides, it's not like the strength of my team will be affected by this. We know our worth."

"An admirable sentiment. I do sincerely hope you can maintain that attitude when it becomes my turn to challenge you back in Hoenn." Steven spoke up with a challenging smile on his face.

"I have always expressed my respect for strong trainers. Nor am I one to cry salty tears when I lose. If you can make your way through the Hoenn Conference, then I will be happy to fight you." Sidney replied, meeting Steven's stares with one of his own.

"If that's enough posturing from the men, the reporters aren't going to be held back for much longer." Agatha said snidely, "Better get ready to answer those questions."

"You both ready?" Steven asked the two trainers, before getting nods from the both of them. "Alright then. Good luck to you both."

===========

?[KAREN WINS! A NAIL-BITING DUEL BETWEEN THE TWO MOST PROMINENT DARK TYPE SPECIALISTS IN THE WORLD! YOU HAVE TO SEE THE ENDING!] by BattleCast.

[Picture of Karen on the winner's podium. Agatha, Steven, Sidney, and John can be seen just over to the side.]

We here at BattleCast were so excited and hyped by the fight that just took place that we didn't even have time to publish our usual highlight reel of the fight, which we promise will come soon.

But instead we really just want to go over what just happened, because Karen WON! BARELY! It really could have been anyone's fight!

Though we haven't finished editing our highlight reel yet, anyone who had watched the fight would have known that the real MVPs of the fight were Karen's Tyranitar and Sidney's Sableye – two Pokémon that could not be more opposite. And it's very fitting, considering HOW they won.

The performance from Sidney's Sableye was incredible, and almost academic to watch. It was a beautiful display of the true potential of Dark type Pokémon. Through very clever and tactical use of its status moves, Sableye was not only able to cripple Karen's Weavile, but it was able to completely shut down and knock out Karen's Honchkrow entirely. It must have been a frustrating and humbling moment from Karen to see her being outplayed so hard in her own specialty.

On the other hand, Karen's Tyranitar not only withstood against the seemingly unstoppable and unrelenting onslaught of attacks from Sidney's Sharpedo, but it also managed to bring down his agile and dexterous Shiftry! It was a monstrous show of force that managed to claw Karen's chances back into the fight, being an indispensable part of her victory.

Tyranitar served as an earth-shattering and dominating reminder that just because Dark types are known for their tricks, doesn't mean that they must solely rely on them. And we don't know what that Dark type move she used was; but it must have bee a nasty surprise for Sidney!

Following this, upon her victory speech, this was what Karen had to say:

"...I do not consider myself to be the best or greatest Dark type specialist in the world. 'There is always someone better than you' is a phrase that my friend is fond of saying, and I completely agree. My victory against Sidney today was by very narrow margins; who's to say that the results will be different in a rematch? He certainly is an extremely formidable trainer, and despite my victory today, I still have plenty I could learn from him. If anything, I still consider him the better trainer."

"Furthermore, as you all know, Agatha and I will be stepping down from our positions as temporary regent of Pewter City in a few days' time. It is a sad moment for me; I have greatly enjoyed my time working with the Pewter Gym, and I am proud to have seen its future Gym Leader, Brock, grow into the capable man I know him to be."

"However, this does mean I have more time for my real plans...which is that I WILL be aiming to challenge the Indigo Conference. And I will be expecting nothing less but victory."

An ambitious statement from our recent winner! But was this a statement born out of confidence, or simply an overly eager statement announced in the heat of the moment? It will be up to Karen to back up her own words!

Not only that, but those who thought that Sidney would be distraught following his loss will be pleasantly surprised, as he looks nothing of the sort. Our on-field reporters have all stated that he looks happier than he did despite his loss.

And the reason why could be found in his speech:

"For those of you curious about my bright outlook despite my recent defeat, I have a question to ask all of you. Why would you think I would be upset about losing against a fellow Dark type specialist? Do you know how rare it is to have another Dark type specialist to challenge yourself against? I've waited years for this very moment, and I'm ecstatic that Karen turned out to be as strong as she was."

"I've moaned frequently to Phoebe about having no one to compare myself to. But now I do. I have a target. A rival, if you will. I now have someone I can finally measure myself against and learn from. Sure, I might have lost, but I have gained something even more valuable."

"I was rusty before this battle. I admit it. My winning streak against challengers have left me stagnant. And the lack of true Dark type specialists to compare myself against has unknowingly turned me complacent. But that time has now passed. I now know what I must do to improve. And let this be a warning to all those who would challenge me for my position – you won't find me to be an easy prey."

The confidence in his eyes do not lie. THIS is the mental willpower that all trainers ought to have. Sidney has turned his defeat into a learning moment for him; using it so that he may strive to do better in the future. It's no wonder he's in the Elite Four with such a productive mindset!

What do you guys think about the whole battle? Did you enjoy the fight? Let us know what you think in the comments!

Comments

FutureAce

Woah...this one battle has almost convinced me to become a Dark specialist. I always thought Dark types were cool – but to see them fight like this is a whole new experience.

I think I want my own Dark type now if they have the potential to fight like this.

TangelaThoughts

I predict that we will definitely see a distinct rise in Dark type trainers in the near future as a result of this match, though I don't foresee this being a long-term change. That was truly a masterclass demonstration of how to make use of the Dark type. And proof that Dark type specialist CAN make fight at an extremely high level.

Overall, and despite Karen's victory, I actually think Sidney is the better traditional Dark type specialist. But Karen is the more well-rounded trainer.

KantoRepresent

Some good ol' reminder of why Kanto produces the best trainers. Even the Hoenn Elite Four, no offense to them, are unable to stand up to our newbies.

Good job!

SlugmaBalls

I'm disappointed at Sidney for losing to an unknown trainer. But let's hope he really isn't lying and has shook off his rust. I expect his next battle to be better!

But @KantoRepresent you have to chill it with those backhanded comments. Just because one rising star defeated a member of our Elite Four doesn't mean you can generalise like that.

Sure, I'm sulking that Sidney lost. But Karen couldn't beat Drake!

ANormalFan

@SlugmaBalls Yes, but John did.

Anyone else realized that this possible surge of new Dark type trainers couldn't have been more poorly timed? John literally just explained to the world how to better use Fairy types; a powerful counter to Dark type Pokémon.

John again making those 9000 IQ plays.

FearTheRat

By that same token, Karen's Dark types might not be as weak to the Fairy type as her future opponents in the Indigo Conference might expect. Her friendship with John is well-known, so it's very likely she's used to fighting against John's Fairy types.

StoneCollector

Congratulations to both battlers for that exciting battle! I'm grateful for both your efforts in making the event as big of a success as it was! The amount of money we raised was truly staggering, beyond even my expectations. Incredible!

NotThatMuchWater

Woah is that Steven Stone!? The diamond spoon man himself? Deigning to comment on a lowly forum like this? Woah!

Sarcasm aside, thanks for arranging the battle! It raised a ton of money! Hope to see more from you in the future!

SeaDrake (Verified POG)

HAH! I TOLD you that power is a strength of its own. Well at least you know that this old man was right for once. This is why you should listen to your elders, Sidney! Heh!

I'm just kidding of course. Good fight! You did Hoenn proud!

==========

?With the battle over, and with it already being rather late in the evening, the group eventually split up. Both Steven and Sidney had other plans for the night, leaving myself, Karen, and Agatha as a group.

Karen invited us to the Pewter Gym since both her and Agatha were about to retire from their temporary positions and wanted to spend a bit more time there.

I was happy enough to oblige; and I always wanted to speak a little with Brock.

Thus, the three of us made our way to the Pewter Gym. We had a quick pitstop to buy some takeaway for dinner before we got back. At least, that's what Karen and I did, Agatha just told us what she wanted and then teleported herself directly to the Pewter Gym.

As soon as she left hearing range, Karen joked that it was because Agatha needed her nap. We both chuckled before a Gengar whacked us on the head, disappearing back into the shadows directly afterwards.

Still, with dinner bought, we entered into the little side addition to the Pewter Gym where the living space was, and I found myself greeted by Brock and ALL of his siblings. Agatha was there too, but she was just rocking idly in a granny chair. Very fitting.

The little ones were all a little curious, and a little shy, at my appearance, so I plastered the friendliest smile I could on my face as I went to greet them.

"Hello. I'm John. It's very nice to meet all of you." I began as I intentionally left out my title in my name. I didn't want to scare them off. "I'm just here to join Karen for dinner."

"Oh yeah, you're that Elite Four! She talks about you a lot!" Yolanda spoke up, recognition flashing in her eyes. The others, especially the younger ones, were still giving me wary looks, but at least they weren't filled with hostility.

"Yep, but please just call me John." I nodded, making sure to keep the friendly smile on my face, "But never mind about me - Karen has just won her match against Sidney. Did you all see her match?"

"We did! She was so cool!" Forrest said excitedly, leaping in front of Karen with sparkles in his eyes "It was such a close battle! But we all saw you win in the end! That was so COOL!!"

The conversation immediately devolved as Karen was swarmed with words of congratulations from the many siblings. Questions were immediately bombarded her way as they asked her about this and that. Leaving her to it, I began setting up the table as I arranged all of the food that we bought for them. To my complete surprise, Agatha helped out a little as well, but I just told her to sit.

"They're a lovely family, aren't they?" Agatha suddenly muttered aloud, "Not at all deserving of the burden that's been thrust upon them."

I sighed, "Unfortunately, it happens all of the time. And, at risk of sounding callous, they seem to be doing okay at the moment. It could be a lot worse for them."

"We helped out where we can." Agatha agreed, "Caustic as I may be, I haven't sunken so low as to insult children. Not these ones at least. They do not deserve to deal with something like me."

I smiled at her, seeing how Agatha did care about them despite clearly trying not to. But then a sad thought came around, "What happens after you and Karen leave your roles at Pewter?"

She frowned, "Hopefully, things will continue for the kids on the upward trend that they are currently on. Both Karen and I have promised to check up on them from time to time, and we'd make sure they were living well. Though whether they can keep the Gym...that's up to Brock and his efforts. We can't do any more than what we already have."

"Lots of responsibility to put on someone so young." I pointed out, slightly hypocritically. Still, I did feel bad for Brock. Their house wasn't small for an ORDINARY family, but for this many kids? It wasn't big enough. It was barely manageable now while most of them were still children, but once they grew up, this would be untenable.

For all my poverty, I still had a big house to live in. Even if it was decaying and empty. This was the complete opposite of that.

Seeing the living situation that they lived in made me want to help them. But I wasn't sure how. I couldn't just GRANT them the Gym; that was beyond my authority as an Elite Four. I could donate money, but any direct gifts of money would be seen negatively if anyone found out about it. It would seem like a bribe.

...Then I realized the obvious solution in front of me. I just had to frame it in a way so that it wouldn't seem like I was simply giving money away for seemingly no good reason.

With the answer in front of me, I just had to suggest it to Brock. But first, we had dinner to serve.

"Okay! Enough chatter guys! Dinner's ready!" I shouted out, pulling them away from Karen's storytelling about the fight. As soon as they saw the food on the table, the younger ones immediately clambered over into the chairs and tried to shove food into their mouths. Their over-enthusiasm had to be quickly stopped by the older ones, who were working like a well-oiled machine as they moved to temper the younger siblings' antics before they accidentally knocked everything over in their excitement.

It was clearly a routine that they were used to. It slightly saddened me to see kids barely in their teens already forced to act like parents. And while Karen was trying to hide it, I could see that she felt the same way.

The dinner went smoothly, or as smoothly as one could with so many hyper-energetic children to take care of. Karen was even helping out at some points with disciplining them, another sign of just how close she was to the kids.

It was a very lively dinner, mostly dominated by the kids asking Karen more about her battle. That was all they wanted to know, and Agatha and I were both politely ignored.

Eventually, dinner was over. The elders, minus the elderly, went to help clean up the table. After that, Karen went to help put the younger ones to rest, while Agatha had Teleported home to sleep, leaving just myself, Brock, and Forrest in the living room.

The two of them were eyeing me nervously, as if they wanted to say something. Not wanting them to feel uncomfortable, I quickly spoke up.

"It looks like you have something to say to me." I began. "Please, don't be shy. I'm not here on any official business."

They looked at each other for a moment before Brock let out a cough, "Sorry, we just wanted to know if you knew anything about how Pewter Gym would be evaluated in the future."

Ah, I figured they'd ask something like this. "Unfortunately, I don't. It would be very unfair if we could influence evaluations like that." Unless your name was Pryce, "But from what I do know, it'll be up to your efforts alone to please whoever the League appoints as the regent until you reach your majority."

I leaned forwards, "If you can impress them, and the evaluators they send, then you'll probably keep your position. It's very rare for the League to force a Gym to change its leadership without something extraordinary happening."

"But could you do something to help us out? We'll work very hard for this! Promise!" Forrest asked, a little hopefully. Shocked by his words, Brock quickly moved to silence Forrest and apologize for his bluntness, but I simply waved him off.

"It's fine. I don't mind the honesty." I replied, "And the answer is yes and no. No, because I'm really not able to influence your evaluations like that. That would be a huge scandal if it ever came out."

The two frowned, though Brock looked like he had expected something like this. I continued before they could feel any worse, "BUT! I do have a proposal I'd like to offer you, if you would like to hear it."

"Please, go ahead." Brock answered immediately, sitting up attentively. Good.

"From what I've heard from Karen, your main problem is that your recent successes are built upon a shaky foundation? Because you don't have the funds in case of an emergency?" I asked them, getting nods in return, "Then I have a suggestion. I will sponsor the Gym directly through my family business. This should provide you with a much-needed safety blanket in case something goes wrong. You can store these funds and use them on a rainy day." Their eyes both widened, understanding the possibilities of what I had just proposed.

"In return, until the end of the next circuit, I want my family Moomoo milk to be the ONLY milk exclusively advertised at this Gym. I expect both posters and stalls set up around the Gym selling our product. It would be a great advertising opportunity for us because of how many young trainers come through your Gym, and being the official sponsor of your Gym would do wonders for our brand in Pewter." I explained.

Forrest looked a little confused at the latter half of my proposal, but Brock was deep in thought. I allowed him to think as I sat back and took a sip of water.

Eventually, he spoke up, "How MUCH are you willing to give us? And can you authorise such a deal?" He asked prudently. I smiled at his question.

"I assure you that I can, though I will double check with my parents before confirming it. As for your first question, why don't you go look through the numbers after this, and YOU come to me with a figure that you'd like. I'll see if I can match it." I proposed, "Of course, the more you ask, the more I'll expect from you."

Truthfully, I didn't want to make our deals so mercenary like this. But this was a lot of money to be 'giving away', so I had to get something out of it. Of course, I wouldn't exploit Brock's situation, but I still needed to be accountable to the business. We weren't a charity.

After a moment, Brock nodded. "I'll be happy to discuss things with you further, Elite John. Thank you for this opportunity."

"Please, call me John." I replied, "And yes, I hope this can be a very fruitful deal between us as well. Here's my contact number, feel free to contact me whenever."

I extended a hand, and he shook it firmly. As the deal was struck, he couldn't hide the bright and relieved smile on his face.

And for that, I knew it was worth it.