6:52 P.M. June 27, Saturday, 106 PH (Post Hoopa Event)

Events: The Preliminaries for the Joint Kanto and Johto Indigo Summer League have concluded; 105 Trainers and their Pokemon have advanced from Bronze to Silver. The day has come for the Summer Round Robin Cup, where the top of Kanto and Johto’s advancing Trainers will compete to be named Seasonal Best. Rhea started her journey on the 9th of June—she’s been a Trainer for 19 Days (18 Officially; 19 since getting Maya and Nova).

Franky’s haunting voice sounded across the area. “Begin!”

Roxie darted to the right, kicking up sand on her way to the lakeshore; her sharp pink eyes remained on the Mudbray as her opponent stood tall, troubled gaze fixated on her.

He’s strong, so I need to … Hmm? The Donkey Pokemon didn’t move, silently watching her. What are they waiting for?

Karen cheered them on as Grimsley spoke softly to Rhea’s dad about how difficult the match would be. Still, they needed to win—Roxie needed to win for Lori.

Stopping just before reaching the wet sand, she gathered Mallory’s sent energy while listening to her Trainer’s voice grow more serious; she had the Pokedex website open, analyzing the information on Mudbray.

“The shine and extra width to his hooves indicate he has Stamina, meaning we need to be careful how strong our attacks are against him—uh … hmm, he isn’t attacking—mmh, don’t attack; if our Moves are too strong, it will also increase his Defense.”

Yeah, but he’s just looking at me… Roxie mumbled, holding onto as much energy as she could as Lori’s preemptive gift slowly faded; the Mudbray’s inaction put her off.

Their mock battles against Rhea and Amira’s Pokemon were always so fast paced, especially against Alice. Roxie’s thumping heart started to still, and she didn’t like it.

Kimo released a somewhat annoyed sigh, expression dulling. “Are you going to attack?”

Roxie licked her nose, pawing the soft sand to test the resistance. A flock of Pidgey and Sparrow were gathering on the telephone poles near the houses up the bank, watching the stalled match. He’s waiting for me to attack? Do they just want me to get closer to pull some fast Move?

Franky poked his head out of the earth; the lake water rushed around his smirking eyes while observing them. “Mmh?”

“Hmm…” Lori’s gaze was on the Trainer. “I think I know what’s going on,” she growled. “Heh, okay, we can work with this.”

Gables hissed. “Yeah, he’s looking down on Roxie … He’s trying to make a point.”

What point? Roxie asked, thoroughly confused; she didn’t want to rush in and get caught off-guard in such an important battle, but it didn’t even seem as if the Mudbray was taking this fight seriously. Is he saying I’m not worth it?

“Ggrrgh,” Miky rattled around in his pokeball. “Me don’t likes him!”

“No. No. That’s fine, guys,” Lori mused. “For real, though, this really is hopeless … typically, but battles aren’t always so clean cut, and you’re not just any Rockruff. No worries. Drop his Defense and keep your distance.”

Got it!

A gust of wind pressed against her fur as she prowled to the left, feeling the grains of sand between her toes as the sun gradually fell across, tinting the sky; the salted breeze tickled her nose and sharpened her mind.

Roxie leered at the Mudbray, tracking every twitch her opponent made; she wouldn’t miss with this Move if he was in sight. Her eyes flashed white, transferring the assaulting energy to the frowning Mudbray; it took far more effort to affect him than Alice. At least she could drop his Defense, unlike Mya.

A long stream of air shot through Kimo’s nose as he shook his head. “Really, is there any other strategy you can use?” he dryly asked, tail flicking to the left in annoyance. “Kekoa figured you’d want to play the slow Stat drop game like every other Rockruff back home … Disappointing. It’s a shame it’s not going to work against me.”

“Oh, cool!” Roxie whispered, prowling to the left as a silver sheen flared across Kimo’s fur, pulling in to provide an aura-like coat. “What’s that?” She was feeling a little better as Lori relayed their strategy in their given time; they only had one shot.

Kekoa cleared his voice, drawing everyone’s gaze; the boy had his arms folded across his chest, a disgruntled tone in his voice. “Okay, look, Mallory, I don’t know how you usually do things in Unova, but … Grr-mmgh…”

“Go ahead!” Lori said. “Iron Defense is pretty awesome! Eh, but pretty costly, I’d say to make a point.”

The boy’s eyebrows lifted, bottom lip sucking in to make a short sound. “Mm-hmm … so you do understand—I’ve been taking this Kanto battle thing seriously—we all have, and, I’m not trying to be rude, but don’t you think you’re being arrogant? I’m being real here…”

He cut off, hissing air through his teeth while unfolding his arms to scratch the side of his head, ruffling his hair. “I hoped you’d be able to read your opponent better than most of the Trainers—it’s just, you were so awesome in the Gym Battle, and you even got that Encrusted Badge—I’ve been going over your team’s Pewter Gym matches for the past five days because they were incredible, but come on!”

Roxie’s eyes fell to the sand, pondering the human’s words. Why’s he so upset I’m fighting him? I’ve practiced really hard with everyone.

“Don’t give him any mind,” Gables absently muttered. “Just stay focused.”

Yeah…

She couldn’t help an uncomfortable shiver passing through her muscles as Kekoa gestured at her, though. “Seriously, Alola is my home—the home of Rockruff—and I know every Move yours should know. For real, I’m kind of mad,” he admitted, and Roxie could see the scowl on his Pokemon’s face, too.

Mallory wasn’t concerned though, helping Roxie draw strength in her confidence; all she wanted to do was start the match, but it seemed there was some kind of issue that needed to be resolved first.

Can I attack?

Miky’s malevolent snicker passed through their connection. “Yes! Yes! Sneak attack! Get ‘em good!”

“Woah! Woah!” Gables chuckled. “Hold up a bit, guys; let’s have some class! It’s gonna get so much better!”

Roxie turned her head to see Mallory put a hand on her hip, a small smirk on her lips. “Tell me how you feel.”

Kekoa’s jaw tightened, giving Lori a dirty look as the onlookers laughed. Roxie couldn’t block out the doubt from the crowd, though; her ears fell back a little at the negativity spreading across the beach—every group thought she didn’t stand a chance.

“It doesn’t matter—at all!” Kekoa rolled his eyes. “There’s no chance you can win with a Rockruff, and I wanted to have a real battle—and you even accepted a 1,500 credit bet … I don’t get it—mmg-mhm—it’s like you're mocking us, and I don’t like it!”

Miky was going off about him mocking them, but Mallory quieted him. “What do you want then?” Mallory casually asked. “Roxie needs experience, and while you don’t believe she can win, that’s the struggle of battling. If you can win, take it and the prize—”

“You don’t understand!” Kekoa growled through locked teeth.

“I see … So, he’s really here to improve … good.”

Roxie shifted to look at Kimo as he spoke. “We’re really not trying to put you down, Roxie,” he said with a reassuring smile. “It’s just that we were preparing to fight your team’s strongest Pokemon, and not to be rude, but Gables is just far more experienced and more powerful.”

“I’d debate that!” Gables reflected. “Keep sharp, Roxie.”

Everyone’s looking down at me, though … I just want to have a good time … I don’t want to cause a problem.

“Don’t worry,” Lori soothed. “It’s hard—very hard, but not impossible—we got this.”

“I get it,” Lori said, brushing her braid over her shoulder while glancing around at the restless crowd. “You wanted to fight Gables because of my Pewter City match. Still, I chose Roxie—I trust her—and I’m not disrespecting you. Wouldn’t you say you’re the one being arrogant? Judge her by her performance, and if you win, we’ll have a rematch tomorrow when we’re all rested. Deal?”

Kekoa’s focus drifted to her, his vision hardening. “Sure, whatever, but everyone should be able to see how one-sided this will be!”

“Oh … Everyone … You think so?” Lori asked, tongue sliding across her lips while looking at the group of whispering Grandmasters. “What do you think my chances are, Dad?”

Kekoa fell silent, feet shifting a bit nervously as Grimsley’s calm and smug blue irises slid from Roxie to Kimo; all the gathered Trainers and Pokemon stilled to hear his opinion.

“Mmh … Darling, if I’m being quite honest … heh, it’s nigh impossible. Of course, Christie would know best.”

All eyes centered on Rhea’s famous mother as a twinkle moved her sky blue eyes; the woman leaned forward, focused on Roxie. “I’d love nothing more than to boast—actually, I think I will—I wouldn’t count Roxie out.”

“Interesting,” Keith mused, rubbing his chin. “You’ve got me excited!”

Kekoa coughed. “Excuse me, but … Mmgh, fine,” he muttered, glaring at Lori. “If you think we’re that weak…”

Roxie’s heart elevated as Kimo launched forward, his serious expression causing chatter.

Alright, Lori, I’ll do my best!

A dark red aura erupted around the Mudbray’s frame as the silver faded and he jumped into the air—Iron Defense was a higher tier Move that couldn’t be maintained at this level for an extended time—his hooves smashing against the sand, spraying debris everywhere as a zig-zag pattern launched toward her.

Paying close attention to the attack, Roxie giggled, finally feeling the pulse of battle spur her heart; she vanished into shadow, pulling liberally from Mallory’s reserves.

Roxie appeared from darkness beside Kimo’s head, making him stumble in surprise as her smoky paw slammed against his cheek. “Let’s have fun!”

Thrown to the side by the heavy Sucker Punch, Kimo quickly flipped back to his feet in a haze of sand, but Roxie could pull energy much faster through her unrestricted bond to Lori—flames sparked in Roxie’s mouth as flaring jaws expanded around Kimo’s stunned face—Fire Fang closed around his snout.

An eruption sent the Mudbray stumbling back into the rushing waves, flinging the surf in every direction as Roxie darted back, tail wagging.

“W-What are—ewagh! It burns!” he screamed, burying his inflamed nose into the wet sand and water. “Mmgm!”

“You doing okay?” Roxie asked, hopping back to keep him in view while gaining distance. “Yes! I got a clean hit!” she laughed, pride welling up in her breast; this was her first real battle.

“I can’t—it won’t stop!” Kimo stumbled to his feet while shaking his soaked head. “Gah! It burns…”

Roxie settled down as Lori hummed. “Good job! Still, it didn’t do that much damage, but we got the important bit … Heh, he’s pretty tough, but he’s not Sturdy!”

They chuckled at their Trainer’s joke, and Roxie could hear the opinion of the throng swiftly change.

Mallory’s serious tone returned as a white glow surrounded the Mudbray. “Stamina giving him a temporary +1 Defense. I guess Sucker Punch and Fire Fang were just enough to activate it … Heh, not that we’re attacking. Ah, there it is!”

She smiled at Kimo’s Trainer as his face went white, watching his Pokemon rub his burning snout in the sand and water. “Fire Fang and Sucker Punch … How did you…”

“Use them so close together—have both Moves?” Lori finished. “I wonder … Do you still think we were being arrogant? And yeah, water isn’t going to help you,” she snickered. “That’s what you get for underestimating us and thinking we didn’t have a chance.”

“We’re not done,” Kekoa muttered, sounding far less assured. “Let’s go, Kimo!”

The Mudbray’s big eyes narrowed, soaked mane shaking with his head before glaring at her; Roxie just sat on the ground, tail weaving back and forth, throwing sand while keeping her heart’s tempo to Lori’s music through their link.

“Check!” Lori cheered. “Let’s not celebrate yet, though … It’s time to dance, girl!”

Arrogance gone, Kimo dashed forward, one eye closed from the nearby fire energy continuing to burn through his defense matrix. “Don’t think you have a chance!”

Roxie was back on her feet, barely dodging the vicious red illuminated hooves of the donkey as he flipped to meet her face; she didn’t have the energy to waste on Moves after taking so much of Lori’s energy to land their first combo; her Trainer wasn’t accustomed to such a rapid draw.

Ducking close to the ground, she positioned to Kimo’s side, swiping her paw against the sand to throw some into his one good eye; it wasn't a Sand Attack, so it wouldn’t stick, but every second mattered.

He thrashed, trying to headbutt her as she ran away, yet Roxie was already outside of his blinded range; they were pretty even on pace because of her high base Stats, IVs, EVs, and speedy nature, but a single mistake would be her end.

“Where are you going?!” Kimo yelled as she flipped around, running to the water.

“Away from you?” she called back, laughter in her voice. “Chase me if you can!”

Roxie jumped into the surf, sound dampening as she entered the alien world. Bubbles and a strong current met her, pulling Roxie in as Gables helped navigate her into a riptide. He-he-he! He almost got me!

“Don’t celebrate yet!” Lori cautioned, yet she could feel the thrill in her Trainer’s thumping heart. “He’s jumping in, and he’s got longer legs than you—hustle, girl, but make sure you can go up for air!”

The dirty and bubbling water cleared up as she made it past the shallow areas, catching sight of many Pokemon, but Franky was already ahead of them, clearing the general area.

“Make way—make way! We’re havin’ a battle; make bets on who’s gonna win!” he called, but just his presence was scattering the Wild Pokemon.

The various Water Pokemon stopped further up after the initial panic, watching her struggle to the surface in the strong currents; they were drawing the lake crowd now.

Breathing out just before exiting, Roxie broke the surface and sucked in air—the lake was slightly charged with weak natural Water-Type energy, which slowly drained her defensive matrix, but it wasn’t all that bad and bought her precious time; in addition, the Mudbray would be affected, causing more chip damage.

Crashing waves, squawking Bird Pokemon, and a few humans on long floating boards were nearby, pointing at her while nudging their friends.

“There she is!”

“Woah, is she okay?”

“For real—she’s a Rock-Type, right?”

“Should we help—”

“Oh, uh … Okay…”

They froze in fright as a dark aura surrounded them and Franky—the Ghost now wearing a white and black striped shirt—pulled them away with a few lingering Pokemon.

“A match, huh?”

“Good luck!”

Mallory’s comforting voice kept her calm in the lapping waves. “Just a bit more—this should restrict some of the Moves he can use! Okay, flip around, Roxie; he’s coming!”

Ducking back into the surf, she kicked her small legs to turn and spot the chasing Mudbray; he was ten feet from her, but in the next second, a light brown aura gathered around Kimo’s frame, and a big smile twinkled in his eyes.

Lori, what’s he…

“Endeavor!” Lori screamed.

Wha…

Roxie powered the Move as a torrent of her Trainer’s fortitudes rushed into her, and a mud-colored pulse exploded from the Mudbray; a rapid discharge of water changed the lake’s current, shoving away from the Ground Pokemon.

Luckily, her attack landed as a force wave of water and energy rattled her bones; all the air in Roxie’s lungs escaped, and the world blinked off and on as she was sent further into the lake. Water filled her lungs as Roxie recovered; Gables, Miky, and Mallory’s voices dulled in her mind.

“Swim up! Up!”

“Up, Roxie! To the light.”

“Rox! Ups! Ups!”

Lightheaded and water filling her airway, she tried stabilizing herself in the turbulent water and saw light ahead. Pushing on, Roxie made it to the surface; breaking through, she coughed and spat, trying to remain afloat. She was still being dragged to the center, and her energy matrix was nearly depleted.

“Woah … That was crazy…” Cracking up her teary eyes, Roxie saw a Poliwag floating beside her. “You okay?”

“Y-Yeah…” she coughed; her whole body burned. W-What was that? she asked, catching Franky out of the corner of her eyes, protecting many weak Pokemon from the blast. Glancing back, she winced. Oh, no… She’d been thrown reasonably far away from the shore. Where is he?

“Going after you,” Lori sighed with relief. “Holy Muk, that was a scare … Magnitude, and a pretty strong one. Luckily, you got that Endeavor as it went off; even if it broke, it saved you by taking a good chunk of his defense matrix as yours fell.”

Gables gave a nervous laugh. “Yeah, wooh, just relax a bit—man, I’m tight—heh, he doesn’t know exactly where you went, it seems—so try to make your way back. How close until he’s out of energy?”

A short snicker came from Lori. “Judging by the look on Kekoa’s face—pretty soon—he’s totally freaking out inside and asking how you pulled through that. Still, that really could have ended the match, and if he used that at the start … Yeah, we really did get lucky, guys…”

Roxie took slow, even breaths while paddling to the shore; the Poliwag lazily weaved its tail, following her with curious eyes.

Wow … I’ve never been hit by something that hard. I can’t even remember how I got here.

“Are you still fighting that weird-looking horse?” the Poliwag excitedly asked. “He’s pretty scary!”

“I-I’m trying to s-stay up,” she struggled to laugh, bobbing up and down.

“You can’t float? Some Pokemon are weird,” he mumbled, looking up at the sky while keeping pace with her. “So, you’re one of the Pokemon that can’t breathe underwater, huh? Weird…”

“Uh-Oh!” Miky groaned. “He sees you! He sees you!”

Lori hummed. “It’s fine, Miky—ugh … Wow, Rhea’s not wrong—I’m already feeling the burn in my chest … Umm, oof, he’s actually goin’ pretty hard toward you…”

Where?

The Poliwag dipped under before appearing on her opposite side, looking to her right. “Eek—he’s coming! Uh … What are you going to … EEEK!”

He disappeared as a pair of big red eyes poked out of the water, carrying him into the air. “You should get to a safe place! He-he-he-he…” Franky vanished overhead, and it was then she saw Kimo swimming toward her; he was blocking the shore.

“Gotta go hard if you wanna win; ugh … make that water whip—all or nothin’!” Lori shouted, clutching her chest.

A little concerned but trusting her Trainer, Roxie gathered her given energy; her defense matrix was just about out. The last dance!

Light brown light surrounded Kimo as shadows enclosed Roxie; she appeared at his side just before the Mudbray’s attack—her fist struck first—his eyes rolled back as her fist broke past his defenses and the far stronger Pokemon sunk under the waves. She’d won.

Power infused every fiber of Roxie’s body as the world hazed and went black.

* * *

Loud clapping came from the sidelines as Karen, Grimsley, Keith, Sabin, and Katelin deliberated the play, and Lori fell to her knees, sweat breaking out across her brow.

“Excellent,” Grimsley congratulated, “and quite literally your only possibility of victory.”

Her mother squealed. “Kass is going to love it!”

“Gah—a battle this short shouldn’t make my knees weak!” the exhausted girl laughed, giving Rhea a thumbs up; the Mudbray and Roxie soon broke through the surface of the lake, Franky bringing them back to the beach. “For real—three Moves, girl—how do you do it?”

Rhea forced a smile. “Well, you don’t use them that quickly! Pace it out—even just a little. Are you okay?”

“Pfft!” Lori waved her hand, her heart practically jumping out of her chest but forcing herself up to accept her knocked-out Pokemon. “Y-Yeah, totally good! I want to dance, but heh, my legs say no!”

Laughter came from the crowd, and she glanced down at her sopping wet Rockruff; Miky and Gables were hugging the little girl’s spirit. You did so well … Eh, yeah, guys—I don’t know if any of you can be out for a while—I’m trying my best not to fall on my face.

Vanity, Christie’s Bellossom ran over, motioning for her to return to the ground; Mallory happily complied, and the flower Pokemon performed a quick heal; she did the same for the Mudbray.

Roxie’s big pink eyes struggled open to look up at her, adding a weak smile to her cute face. Yeah, of course, you did amazing! We’re both not that fit to dance, but we’re totally gonna party after this—you went hard, and we got credits to burn now! Oh, you got stronger, too! Nice!

Kekoa’s cheeks puffed up as air whistled through his lips; he was kneeling beside his Pokemon, rubbing the Mudbray’s back. “Thanks, Bud … I just—how is that even possible…”

Sabin walked over to kneel beside the pair, stroking the rousing Pokemon’s head. “If you took it seriously from the start instead of getting caught up at how weak your opponent was, you would have won; Mallory knew if you saw Fire Fang, she wouldn’t get another chance to use it and decided to go all-in from the start.”

“I just … How could she use those Moves so fast?” Kekoa asked, looking up at her for Lori to return a smug shrug. “It doesn’t … seem possible.”

“That’s the lesson,” Karen smiled at Lori and winked. “Always expect the unexpected. Mallory is the daughter of two Grandmasters, Dear—obviously, if she kept Roxie in, even with near-impossible odds, then she would have a plan, and you should discover what that is.”

Silver chortled. “Don’t be hard on him; quite frankly,” he frowned at Christie, “Pokemon of this caliber shouldn’t be in Bronze-tier; by all metrics, Kekoa had the proper mental state. Fire Fang is not a commonly bred Rockruff Move since it can be seen as a waste; a breeding Move would be better suited for a non-TM variant in a top-tier bred Pokemon.”

“Should it really be, though?” Christie asked with a slight smirk. “Why settle for one or two when you can have all of them?”

“Mom…” Rhea groaned, blushing while nudging her side. “You’re not normal—we’re not normal…”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Christie asked, pulling her daughter to her side and making Lori laugh.

“No, for real! I’m totally beat—ugh…” Getting up, she forced her protesting legs to carry her to the Alolan Trainer’s side; his comrades were standing a bit away, muttering to one another. “Well, thanks for the match—I’ve never felt so tired before—not even for that badge!”

Kekoa’s focus went from her open hand to Roxie in her other, giving them a weak chirp. “Hmm … I still don’t know how you did that, but … Yeah, thanks, I’ll try—no, next time, I’ll beat you!” he finished, accepting her hand; his Mudbray nodded, seemingly saying the same to her Rockruff.

Amira broke her silent study of the exchange to walk over to them. “An excellent strategy, Lori—reckless, but there wasn’t another option,” she smiled. “I learn something every time I watch you battle.”

“Daww, don’t go soft on me, Red!” Lori snickered, winking at her.

It took a second, but a sudden realization made her focus snap to her grinning mother. I totally got that bad habit from her! Muking Mom’s wink!

Roxie, Gables, and Miky laughed, attention quickly going to Amira as she turned to the two serious Alolan boys, mumbling to one another about the unexpected turn to the match.

“I suppose we’re next, Kekipi … Why don’t we take it to the water?” She released Serenity from her pokeball to float beside her. “I suppose you already know who I will use.”

Kekipi rolled around his shoulders, seemingly working off little sleep; to Mallory, he seemed to be more of the silent type, but there was a fervent focus in his eyes. “My starting Pokemon isn’t suited for it, so I’ll use my newest friend, as well.”

He opened an Ultra Ball to toss it into the ocean; a Horsea poked out of the surface, a serious gaze fixated on the Feebas.

A welcoming smile moved the redhead’s flaming eyes. “Are you ready?”

Kekipi stretched out his chest and nodded. “Whenever you are—500 credits?”

“Done.”

Mallory dropped to her butt where she stood, staring at the Horsea. What do you guys think? Hmm … Yeah, me, too … We aren’t going to see a thing, are we? Haha!