Entry #11: Change of Plans 1

While being self-aware of the inherent anime-like nature of the universe is certainly a huge booster to… pretty much everything, some recent revelations have forced me to try and cut back on the conscious involvement of tropes. Lulu, as usual, is the best grounding force around. She asked me, "If you can manipulate the world with tropes, what's stopping the world from manipulating you with tropes?"

Short answer? Nothing.

I feel kind of stupid for not realizing earlier, but Arceus, man. There's an old proverb that (fittingly) came from Japan saying, "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down." I think trying to push reality to do what I want with all the subtlety of a Tauros in a china shop is definitely "sticking out".

That in mind, I'm… Well, I'm not going to outright stop, but maybe save invocations and other bullshit for emergencies. It's not like we're hurting for power right now. My pokemon are both incredible. Aniki is a living force of nature and has a heart made of gold. Lulu, meanwhile, is… She's Lulu. She's the best.

We've also got Paul and his team, none of whom are slouches, and Zoey, who is a career coordinator and Dawn's equivalent to Paul, if that makes any sense. For now, we'll just let things happen naturally. Being hammy just for fun would make for a change of pace.

I'm still going to make a mindscape, though. Not only do I want to try and recall all of the old pokemon media I've forgotten, I don't want anything to have the ability to influence my thoughts, not even ██████. With any luck, I can construct some mental defenses and failsafes so that I remain Me, no matter what.

"A Keystone and Lucarionite." Professor Sycamore's face is alight with awe on the other side of the videophone feed. "Incredible, absolutely phenomenal!"

Sitting in one of the small, private videophone booths in Oreburgh's Pokémon center with Lulu hovering over his shoulder, Julian levels the camera of the videophone with a grin. "Was there ever any doubt?"

"I hate to sound rude, but I did find myself a little skeptical after our call yesterday," Sycamore says, smiling sheepishly… Or, at least, Julian thinks Sycamore comes off as sheepish. With the man so far away, there is no aura to read. "No offense intended, of course, but what are the odds of a young trainer and his Lucario reaching out to me with all the tools necessary for Mega Evolution?"

'Considering you're like, 'the guy' when it comes to Mega pokemon, is it really that big a surprise?' Julian wonders. Outwardly, he shakes his head. "No offense taken. I would be kind of leery if someone called me out of the blue and wanted to know some kind of pseudo-secret knowledge that I was privy to," he says, leaning back into the uncomfortable plastic chair underneath him. During the lull in the conversation, Julian takes the time to inspect the regional professor on the screen.

Prior to the meeting, Julian took a page out of Paul's book and decided to read up on Professor Augustine Sycamore, leading the blonde to the Wiki / forum / chatroom / imageboard / literally-everything-pokémon-battling website of BattleNet. Since the man is an important academic figure over in the Kalos region, it didn't take long to find a biography filled with his achievements. If everything that Julian read is accurate, then Sycamore is, at minimum, an Elite trainer with a collection of powerful pokemon, his most notable being a set of fully evolved Kanto starters. Rather than stick to the gym circuit or any one thing, Sycamore dabbled in a little bit of everything in his youth, much to the exasperation of all the different Pokémon-oriented organizations that wanted to lay claim to him.

Looks-wise, the first thing that jumps out to Julian about Sycamore is how difficult it is to place his age. The professor has a delicate, aristocratic face, kind eyes the color of blued gunmetal, and wavy brown hair devoid of any gray. If not for the slight wrinkles beneath his eyes, Julian would swear that the man couldn't be any older than his late twenties. It's hard to believe that the professor celebrated his fortieth birthday just a few weeks ago, according to his online biography. All in all, the guy looks like a million bucks.

'It's no wonder the guy has his own fan group on BattleNet made of nothing but girls. Sycamore must slay mad amounts of pussy.' Julian smirks before remembering what kind of world he's in. '…Or maybe he awkwardly turns down girls with Heart-Eyes and no concept of the word "rejection". One or the other.'

"Mega Evolution isn't necessarily 'secret', per se, but it's simply not caught the public eye yet, mostly due to the rarity of the stones and the steep requirements to utilize it," Sycamore says, once more training his gaze on Julian's necklace. "If you don't mind me asking, where did you and Miss Lulu get your Keystone and Lucarionite?"

Julian's first instinct is to deflect the question, wanting to keep the secret to himself, but he stops and looks over his shoulder, meeting Lulu's eyes. "Should we tell him?"

The Lucario taps one of her hindpaws on the floor, visibly mulling her answer over. "I don't see the harm in doing so," she finally replies. "If we're wishing for the professor's time and help, I think it's only fair to be honest."

Expecting nothing less, Julian nods and turns back to Sycamore, who looks quite intrigued with the exchange he just witnessed. "They were gifts from Lulu's father."

"Her father?" the professor asks, crossing his arms and tilting his head.

"A pack of Lucario found me during a…" Julian pauses, double checking his words to ensure he's honest without giving away too much. "…Rough patch in my life some time ago. Since my family isn't in the picture anymore, they took me in and cared for me. Lulu and I grew into best friends—"

Lulu's aura grows warm next to him, and Julian's keystone shines, something Sycamore does not miss.

"—during that time. When we decided to set off and see the world, Pops—erm, Lulu's father, I mean—" the teen stutters, hastily correcting himself, "—gave us this necklace and Lulu's gauntlet." He leaves out how Pops and his late trainer were the last users of the stones, as it's not his story to tell.

Sycamore's interest near instantly turns to pity, and Julian can't help but scowl in response. "Oh… I apologize if I dredged up any unpleasant memories, Mister Angelo," he says, radiating remorse.

Schooling his expression, Julian waves the man off. "Don't worry about it."

Nodding, the professor clears his throat. "Well, seeing is believing, as they say, and I'm a pretty firm believer now." He smiles a smile fit for a movie star.

"It's been a long time since I've had the opportunity to work with a team with the potential for Mega Evolution," Sycamore continues, his excitement almost palpable. "What a fascinating thing it is, how the bonds and relationships between man and pokemon can influence a pokemon's growth. Countless academic institutions over the years have tried and tried again to understand the minutiae of this beautiful phenomenon only to fall short. My young friends, it's no exaggeration to say that Mega Evolution may be the key to finally putting the mystery to rest!" Sycamore is practically vibrating in place now. "With so few data points, however, all of the ones we do find are critical!"

'Man, how fucked up would it be if I told Sycamore the truth? 'It works because God said so' would be a punch to the gut to a scientist like him.' Julian tries not to shift uncomfortably in his chair.

"So I would be delighted to assist you two on your journey and whatever way I can," Sycamore continues, smiling once more. "I'll forward you my email address and connect with you on BattleNet, assuming you have an account...?" When Julian confirms that he does with a nod, the professor continues. "Excellent! Miss Lulu, Mister Angelo, this sounds like the beginning of a wonderful partnership!"

Lulu taps Julian on the shoulder. "Ask him what he will need from us, and how we can best provide it," she says.

"Professor, what do you need from us in exchange?" Julian relays, crossing his arms. "I'm going to assume reports and stuff, and that's fine, it doesn't bother me writing them, but what do you want in those reports?"

"Hmm…" Sycamore raises a hand to his chin and taps a finger in thought. "Ideally, I would like written reports that touch on a number of data points, such as the ongoing relationships between you and your pokemon, training and physical performance data, emotional response observations, interaction observations between team members, and any anecdotal experiences that don't fit neatly into any criteria. I don't expect everything to be perfectly neat and professional, this is a study largely based on emotion, after all. Give me what you think is most important, and if need be, I will ask for additional information."

Julian nods, but, inwardly, he grimaces slightly. 'That's a bit more than I was expecting.' He shakes the thought and returns his attention to Sycamore. "That's doable. Is there anything else?"

The professor shakes his head. "If I think of any additional data I might require, then I'll relay my request to you promptly."

Nodding, Julian tries to steer the conversation into what he's truly interested in. "Sounds good, Professor. May I ask what resources I'll have at my disposal for this ongoing study? I've been attempting to secure private sponsorship, but my efforts on that front are slow going…" He lets the statement hang.

Sycamore nods. "Of course. I'll be happy to provide funds and materials required for requests of mine, and if you require special equipment, I will do my best to source it for you. Anything left over is yours to keep."

A beat passes, and when it's clear Sycamore is done speaking, Julian hides his frown and pushes a little harder. "I see. I'm sorry if this comes off as rude or ungrateful, but seeing as how I am a lone trainer attempting the gym circuit, I was expecting… You know? A little more?"

Smile becoming brittle, Sycamore takes a moment to reply. "I understand that what I'm offering is… a little underwhelming, but there're some unfortunate politics at play here. As you may or may not know, I am the regional professor for the Kalos region, and many of my contemporaries would be less than supportive if I sponsored a foreign, unproven trainer out of the blue, no matter how much promise he and his pokemon show." Sycamore sinks in on himself slightly. "I do not mean to disparage you or Miss Lulu, Mister Angelo, but the first thing the Kalos League is going to ask is 'how do you know they can use Mega Evolution' if I offered you sponsorship. Without a concrete answer, it would strike a blow to myself and my laboratory."

As annoyed as Julian wants to be, he can't so much as muster a scowl as he watches Sycamore's face fall and his shoulders slump. The other man seems genuinely bummed out that he can't do more.

'Sycamore is upset that he is potentially losing a test subject, not that he can't pay you,' a cynical voice in the back of Julian's head whispers. 'You've seen this before. Remember the electronic store you worked at in college? Remember how they tried to guilt trip you? They said working there was a privilege all its own, that they couldn't afford to pay you more, just so they could screw you out of your rightfully earned money.'

Now a scowl comes to Julian's face, but before he can say anything, Lulu's paw falls in his shoulder, radiating a soothing warmth. He looks up.

Gentle ruby eyes stare back down, and the beautiful aura beneath blue and black fur douses his temper.

'People… aren't like that around here,' he reminds himself, letting out a sigh. 'Still, we could really use the money and the lifeline a connection to Sycamore offers. More income means less worrying about my team potentially going hungry or having to do without supplies. We've got no weekly paycheck or the security that comes with employment, so if worst comes to worst…' He doesn't want to even think about it, but the thought still plays out. 'If worst comes to worst, Aniki and Lulu would starve themselves before they let me skip a single meal.'

Such a thought hurts.

Head in a cooler place, Julian sighs once more. "Okay, I get where you're coming from, Professor. You don't want to put so many eggs in one basket, and that's perfectly reasonable. What if I sweeten the deal on my end? Do something to prove to you that we are worth the risk?"

The man on the videophone blinks curiously. He looks at Lulu, then back to Julian. "I'm all ears, Mister Angelo."

Looking back up to Lulu, Julian rouses his own aura, silently asking her opinion on what he is about to do.

The Lucario squeezes his shoulder and smiles. Everything from her stance, to her eyes, to her aura, is naught but unwavering support.

Smiling, Julian returns his attention to the videophone only to stop himself short. Maybe a demonstration is better?

Slowly, he raises his hand, palm up, to face the camera. Taking a deep breath, the teen centers himself and pushes his aura down his arm and into his hand. His hand glows a faint blue, then before the eyes of everyone present, a palm-sized Aura Sphere flashes into existence in Julian's hand. The sphere crackles and dances with cobalt light, casting a glow over the room.

A gasp leaves Sycamore's mouth, his eyes almost bugging out. "Mister Angelo? What am I looking at? That's not what I think it is, is it?" he asks, standing and drawing closer to his camera with open captivation.

"Are you thinking of aura, professor? Because that's exactly what this is." Julian raises the ball a bit higher. "It's life force in its most raw, primal state."

Sycamore's jaw drops.

Julian releases his breath and grasps the sphere in his fingers, re-absorbing as much of the precious blue light as he can. A second later, and the rays of cobalt vanish from between his fingers. He drops his hand back down to his side. "I learned a lot from my new family in Lulu's pack, and I believe it's left me with an understanding of pokemon that few can surpass. Earlier, I saw that you noticed the exchange between myself and Lulu, and whatever wild theories you likely had about how much I understand her are right." He crosses his arms, projecting his confidence as best he can. "Thisis why you won't be disappointed in supporting us."

"No… No I don't think I will…" The professor sits heavily, nearly rolling his chair into a bookshelf behind him. "Well… This certainly changes things. I never thought I would meet a natural aura user, let alone one so young."

'I don't know about this 'natural' business. Lulu is the one who unlocked it for me…' The blonde doesn't voice his thoughts.

"Aura Guardians are a secretive sort, and it's almost unheard of to see an aura user outside of their order," Sycamore continues, leaning back in and resting his elbows on his desk. "Mister Angelo, I…" He pauses. "You are competing in the gym circuit, yes?"

Julian nods.

"Good. I think this all can work out quite swimmingly then!" The professor's smile is back on full blast. "I assume you would like me to keep your capabilities as an aura user on the down low, correct?"

"If it's not too much trouble, I would appreciate it, at least until my team and I are good and established," Julian confirms.

"In that case, I think I have a compromise that will please all parties here," Sycamore replies with a smile. "When is your first gym match?"

"Today. I'm in Oreburgh and scheduled to face Roark." Julian raises an eyebrow. Where's the professor going with this?

Sycamore's smile is almost splitting his face. "Fantastique!" he says, clapping his hands together once. "Let's make a deal, Mister Angelo. You'll find that battle performance is a near-universal factor in the opinions of many League officials, and we can make use of that to soften any blowback. Once you have your first badge in hand, I'll be willing to offer you anything short of being one of my Laboratory Trainers. The better your showing, the less my decision to support a new, foreign trainer will be questioned, and the more I can do for you now and in the future. Perhaps I will receive a few complaints in the short term, but I believe it's worth it to work with a trainer of your skill set." He nods, smile still in place. "Does this sound agreeable?"

'Go ham and get rewarded for it? Where do I sign up?' Julian grins in response. He turns his eyes to Lulu. "What do you think, Lu? Ready to kick some ass?"

Lulu smiles back, and in her eyes is a competitive glint. "I believe you already know the answer."

"Professor?" Julian smirks and turns back to Sycamore. "By the end of the day, we're gonna show you that your faith isn't misplaced, and that's a guarantee."

Exiting the private phone booths and heading back into the Pokémon Centers lobby, Julian stretches his arms over his head and yawns. "Ech, those shitty plastic chairs in those booths are murder on the back," he grumbles. Thankfully, the Pokémon center is rather deserted at this early hour, meaning he can speak freely to Lulu.

"You could have stood if your back was hurting," Lulu chides. Nonetheless, Julian feels her paw rub his back, and a half-second cast of Heal Pulse banishes the ache.

"You're the best, Lulu."" Julian smiles at Lulu, who smiles right back. "So, we just need to show off our stuff in the Gym today, and that sponsorship is as good as ours. I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting to be able to land one so early in our career. This is going to open up a ton of doors for us."

The Lucario hums under her breath. "Professor Sycamore mentioned an organization of aura-sensitive humans. Do you know anything about them?"

"I… Not really," Julian admits, scratching his chin. "I know that the Aura Guardians exist, but they were kind of a throwaway idea in the Pokemon media. Sir Aaron and another guy I forget the name of were the only notable ones… Besides Ash, that is." Then a question strikes him. "Lulu? Can a Lucario awaken the aura of anyone? I can't be a natural, I know that for certain, yet you awakened mine."

Lulu shakes her head. "No. Aura is life, an expression of the soul itself, and it will resist the touch of strangers. Were we not such close friends, then any efforts to unlock your aura would have been doomed to fail."

Even if he already knows how highly Lulu holds him, hearing it spoken makes Julian's day. He doesn't hide the pleased, affectionate flutter within his aura, which puts yet another smile on Lulu's muzzle.

Lulu goes to say something else, but the sliding glass doors at the front of the Pokémon Center opens and interrupts her. Through the doors step Paul and Zoey, the latter of whom is groggily nursing a steaming, styrofoam cup.

"Took you two long enough," Julian comments snarkily, grinning. "Lulu and I are finished up here, so we're ready to hit the Gym when you two are."

"Mmm…" Zoey takes another sip from the coffee in her hand, still not totally awake. "What kind of call required you to get up so early?" She asks.

"Lulu and I were talking terms with a potential sponsor. I won't go too far in the details since nothing is finalized yet, but if we put on a good show at the gym today, then we've got a good shot at landing it." He rests his hand on his hip and drums his pokeballs with his fingers. "I'll have to tell Roark that it's nothing personal."

Paul rolls his eyes, but Zoey perks up. "Wow, a sponsor this early?" Zoey asks, seemingly impressed. "It took me forever to get one. Over a year, in fact, and I barely beat out the other coordinator they were considering."

'Zoey has a sponsor?' Julian blinks. "Really? Who sponsored you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't mind at all," the redhead smiles. "The cosmetic division of Lysandre Labs have been sponsoring me for a year now, after I won a contest they were watching." She swells with pride as she explains. "We won by just a hair, literally! In the finals of that last round, Glameow could barely stand up to the other coordinator's Jynx, but Jynx was letting herself get torn up like some kind of brute, and Glameow's Shadow Claw unraveled the hairstyle she used to pass the appeals round. It came down to a tense judgment call that we won." She breathes out a tense breath, as if reliving the moment. "After that, an L.L. representative emailed me, we went over some contractual stuff, and now I get their pokemon beauty products practically for free as long as I keep competing."

"That must greatly ease the financial burden of being a traveling coordinator," Lulu muses aloud, with Julian nodding along.

Silently, Julian wonders where he's heard the name Lysandre before, but when nothing arises, he dismisses it.

Paul, however, turns and looks at Zoe appraisingly.

After giving Zoey a moment to finish her coffee and trash the cup, the trio of trainers and single Lucario exit the Pokémon Center, heading back out into the streets of Oreburgh.

In the early hour, there are few people on the streets. They do pass a number of men in gray jumpsuits with reflective safety stripes sewn into their outfits. The men are often accompanied by large pokemon, mostly grizzled Aggron, who all have safety stripe magnets stuck to their armor.

'Must be miners on their way to work.' Julian watches another group pass.

It doesn't take long before the monolithic Gym comes into sight. As they turn down the street, Julian's limbs are suddenly filled with excited jitters. They're about to step into their first Gym battle! This is a moment everyone who loves Pokemon has daydreamed of at least once, and here he is, about to actually do it!

'Calm down, man.' Julian takes a deep breath, stilling himself. 'This is exciting, but you gotta keep calm and stay focused. That sponsorship will make the team's lives easier, and all we have to do is kick ass, take names, and look cool while doing it. We got this in the bag.'

"Nervous?" Zoey asks, looking at him with sympathetic eyes. "I was nervous at my first contest. It's nothing to be worried about. Just do your best and nothing else matters!" She turns to Paul. "Right, Paul?"

Paul just clicks his tongue. "It's a Rock-type team versus a Fighting-type team. There is no reason to bellyache over a foregone conclusion."

A guffaw bubbles out of Julian's mouth at Paul's dry response. "Is that Paul trying to reassure his best buddy Julian? Why, I'm touched." He levels Paul with a smirk. "I didn't think you had it in you. I'll be sure to cheer the loudest during your match."

The younger boy pinches the bridge of his nose between two fingers, not dignifying Julian with a response.

Finally, Julian looks to Lulu, only to find himself surprised by what he sees.

The Lucario is practically bouncing with each step, a fang-bearing smile on her face and her eyes literally alight with burning Fighting Spirit. If Julian's excitement is a seven or eight, then Lulu's is dialed all the way to eleven. She eventually notices him staring and freezes.

Raising a paw and clearing her throat bashfully, Lulu tries to school herself. "Ah, I hope this is a good battle," she replied with a sheepish smile, her words a bit stilted.

"You can be hyped up, no one is going to judge, least of all me." Julian wishes he had pulled his phone out and snapped a picture. Seeing his partner so amped up was a unique sight.

Lulu lowers her paw, but Julian can still feel faint threads of embarrassement in her aura. "I just feel as if I was getting ahead of myself; I was not worried about judgment." She meets Julian's with her own, and the ruby orbs are practically twinkling. "Our first real test… I can hardly wait!"

They're only a dozen yards away from the large, red doors of the Gym now, so Julian takes Lulu's ball from his belt. "Neither can I," he replies with a grin. "Let's save the best for last, okay?"

At Lulu's nod, Julian recalls her back into her ball in a flash of red.

"Must be nice to be able to talk to pokemon," Zoey idly comments as they reach the door.

"It's cool when they aren't badly flirting with you," Julian jokes back, making Zoey flush red and lay a hand on Glameow's wiggling ball.

Pushing the door open, the trio is met with a sparse, but still comfortable lobby with a wraparound desk situated in the corner. Behind the desk, a middle-aged man with long hair sits typing away at a computer. As the three teens approach, the man looks up with a polite smile. "Good morning, you three. I'm Ian, and I manage the Gym for Roark. What can I do for you?"

"Nice to meet you. Julian Angelo is the name, and I'm here to challenge Roark."" Julian steps up to the desk with Paul and Zoey on either side of him. "I should be the first one slotted to battle him today."

"Let's see…" Ian looks back down at the computer screen at his desk. After a few keystrokes, he smiles and looks back up. "Yep. One Julian for the 8 AM spot. You're in luck, Julian. Roark had to cancel every other match today to deal with some issues down in the coal mines."

Beside Julian, Paul sighs in exasperation. "Wonderful…" he grumbles. "Can you schedule me for early tomorrow?" he asks, addressing Ian. "I was scheduled to battle after Angelo today."

Ian looks down at his computer. "Paul Shinji, correct? I sure can. It's the least we can do for the inconvenience. Yours will be first thing tomorrow."

Paul nods, accepting the delay with grace. "Thank you."

Ian then leads Julian through some standard preparation before the gym match. Some paperwork, scanning Julian's ID, and a rundown of what to expect. When they reach the matter of Julian's team, however, Ian levels Julian with a remorseful look. "Sorry, Julian," Ian apologizes, "but Roark insists on three-vs-three single battles. If you don't have three pokemon, then you can't compete."

"What?" Julian blinks. Before he can get upset, he reminds himself to remain calm. Maybe he can twist this into his favor? "Well, it's Roark's Gym, and he can run it however he likes… but are you certain I can't enter and fight two-vs-three?" Julian slyly asks. "I don't have any problems with doing so."

If he and his pokemon walk into a stacked match and win, it'll keep Sycamore's hecklers at bay for supporting them. Hell, maybe Sycamore will have a reward for them! 'Delightfully devilish, Julian.'

"Are you sure that's wise?" a new voice cuts in.

As one, Julian, Zoe, Paul, and Ian turn their heads to the front door of the Gym, just in time for Roark to walk in.

Roark is dressed like every other Oreburgh mine worker, with a gray jumpsuit fitted with safety stripes. The jumpsuit is partially unzipped, letting Roark's black undershirt breathe. On his head of dark red hair is a hard hat, and square framed glasses sit up on his nose. The man can't be any older than twenty.

'Yet he's already a Gym Leader.'' Julian's eyes sharpen, and he reaches his sixth sense out, silently gauging the man and the pokeballs on his belt. There is a weight to Roark's aura, one that makes it stand head and shoulders above most everyone Julian has met thus far, with Professor Rowan and Ash being the only exceptions. The Gym Leader is clearly a man of significant talent and resolve.

The pokeballs on Roark's belt match and surpass him. Each one is powerful, yet below that power is a tempered, steady will, something that Julian has noted many Rock-types have.

"I'm confident in my pokemon," Julian replies, turning to face Roark. "Are you Roark?"

Roark nods, raising a gloved hand to adjust his glasses as he does so. "That I am. It's good to see that you have such faith in your pokemon, but maybe you should wait until you can match me numbers-wise. If you'd like, I can recommend some good places around Oreburgh to hunt for pokemon," he says rather good-naturedly.

"Thank you, but I'm pretty picky when it comes to pokemon," Julian answers, smirking. "I'd like to challenge you with the team I have now."

The Gym Leader raises a concerned eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Roark is silent for a moment, drawing his mouth into a thin line as he considers Julian's words. "If you insist, I'll allow it," Roark sighs. "It kind of makes me feel like a bully, but I don't want to bend the rules,since it would be unfair to other competitors. I'll still be using three pokemon for our match." He gives Julian a searching look. "Are you sure that you're sure?"

Julian says nothing, merely crossing his arms and leveling Roark with a resolute face.

"Alright…" Roark seems genuinely reluctant. "Ian? Can you show our other guests to the stands?"

In the Gym's battle arena, Julian waits with bated breath.

Roark and Ian lead them deeper into the Gym, and when they arrived at the arena, Julian couldn't help but feel a bit let down that there were so few spectators. Besides Paul and Zoey, there are a few gym employees, a few miners likely under Roark's employ, and a small handful of spectators from off the street in the stands. Off to one side of the arena is a camera crew, though they only have one camera. The camera crew is paying attention, but their auras voice their lack of enthusiasm loud and clear.

'I get it, we're still nobodies and we got the early bird slot, but is there no one else coming to watch?' Julian frowns. 'We'll draw a crowd next time,' he promises himself, scanning the battlefield once more.

The rectangular field in the arena is composed of hard packed dirt and a number of boulders scattered around, making it bland but certainly the home turf of Rock-types. Then a mechanical whirr and a sudden influx of light makes Julian look up.

High above, the domed ceiling splits into two pieces and pulls away on unseen tracks, filling the Gym with natural light.

As Roark situates himself on the other side of the arena, Ian steps up to the referee box at the side of the arena and clears his throat. "The Oreburgh City Gym battle between Julian the challenger and Roark the Gym Leader is about to commence!" he begins thunderously, raising a hand high. "The battle will be a three-on-two, as the challenger Julian has decided to battle with a handicap! Once all pokemon on one side are unable to battle, the challenge is over! Only the challenger may substitute pokemon!"

The revelation that Julian and his pokemon are walking into the battle with a disadvantage draws the attention of the few spectators, with some of them leaning forward. 'Watch closely, folks. You're about to see some shit.'

Julian draws Aniki's ball from his belt just as Roark takes a pokeball from his. Raising the ball to his mouth, Julian quietly whispers to the Machoke within. "We've got a sponsorship and a badge riding on this match, Brother. We'll stick to the usual; fight how you see fit and I'll make callouts as needed. I might have a few more than usual since this is a Gym battle, so sorry if I come off as pushy. Give 'em all you got."

The ball wiggles in his hand, and Aniki's aura beams in confidence. 'Hell yeah!'

"Are both trainers ready?" Ian looks between Roark and Julian, and when neither protests, Ian chops his hand down. "Begin!"

"Geodude, let's go!" Roark's ball flies high in the air with the aid of a powerful throw.

"Aniki, no mercy!" Julian mirrors Roark's throw perfectly.

Geodude's ball snaps open a second before Aniki's, and from the beam of light that strikes the ground, a common Geodude takes shape. If not for the healed-over marks and discolored knuckles of the Geodude, he would be indistinguishable from another of his species. The living rock raises his arms, ready to rumble.

Aniki's ball opens at the apex of its flight, and Aniki materializes midair before dropping like a lightning bolt. He hits the ground in a crouch, sending a shock throughout the entire arena. Standing to his full height, the Machoke theatrically cracks his neck and raises his fists, leveling Geodude with a smirk.

On the other side of the field, Geodude's fists fall slightly. "Dammit, Roark…" the rock-type grumbles, eyeballing Aniki warily.

There is a frazzled thrill that runs through Roark's aura at seeing the huge Fighting-type, but the man's face doesn't betray his emotions. "Oh? You're a bit more prepared than I expected. It's not every day you see a second-stage pokemon with a new trainer." Before Julian can banter back, Roark thrusts a hand forward. "Geodude, Rollout!"

Geodude curls up into a ball and rapidly spins up like a car tire without traction, kicking up an impressive cloud of dust behind him. Then, as if a switch has been flipped, he's racing towards Aniki with speed that no one would expect a Rock pokemon to have.

'No. He's not heading for Aniki…' Julian narrows his eyes, reading Geodude's aura as best he can. Nowhere in the Rock-type's intentions is striking Aniki, at least not now. Julian's eyes focus on a sloped, ramp-like boulder that Geodude would only need a minor turn to hit. 'He's trying to get airborne!'

"Scary Face!" Julian orders the instant he figures out Roark's game.

Aniki's face screws itself up into a terrifying, snarling visage, one that looks completely out of place on him. It's not his face that is frightening, though. No, that honor goes to the drowning wave of Killing Intent that blasts from him. With his sixth sense, Julian can practically see the hostile wave travel across the ground.

When it hits Geodude, he falters and swerves into the wrong boulder, driving himself into the rock with a painful crunch and a plume of dust.

"Focus Energy while you have time!" Julian calls out next.

"Geodude, pull back and get to cover!" Roark doesn't miss a beat, but the worry within his aura speaks a story contrary to how calm he looks.

Balling his fists and taking a deep breath, Aniki grits his teeth and flexes his muscles, crackling white arcs of energy surging up and down his body. Beneath his feet, the ground groans and cracks as an unseen wind ruffles the colorful legs of his shorts.

'…I just realized I don't know how critical hits work here. Is it just random like in the games? Either way, Focus Energy should up Aniki's ability to land a crit, and that can't be bad.' Julian resolves to research a bit better in the future.

Meanwhile, Geodude pulls himself from the stone he smashed into and hops backward with a noticeable tremor to his movements. He leaps behind a boulder, taking cover.

"Karate Chop right through his hiding place!" Julian shouts and smiles, knowing that this is going to look damn Co-

'Nope. Don't overthink it. Just let it happen naturally.'

"Here goes nothin'!" Aniki grins. His right hand enveloped in a violent cloak of Fighting energy, he runs forward like an Olympic sprinter, and before Roark or Geodude can react, he brings his knife-hand down like the blade of a guillotine.

Crash!

As if made of dried dirt rather than stone, the boulder that Geodude is hiding behind provides almost no resistance to Aniki's chop. The stone explodes and Aniki's hand continues its devastating course downward. There is a split second before impact where both Julian and Roark get to witness Geodude's disbelieving face, then Aniki's hand smashes into him, driving the Rock-type into the dirt with such force it kicks up a gale of wind filled with dust, forcing everyone to raise their arms and shield their eyes.

Julian remains standing with his arms crossed, no matter how much his eyes itch. 'If that wasn't a crit, then I don't know what is.'

When the dust clears, everyone is treated to the sight of Aniki standing above Geodude, who is out cold with a deep crack running down the middle of his body. Aniki himself is unharmed, not even so much as scratched by the fragments of stone thrown everywhere.

It takes a few seconds of stunned silence, but Ian raises an unsure hand. "Geodude is unable to battle! Round one goes to Julian and Aniki the Machoke!"

Roark blinks, then takes off his glasses and rubs his eyes before replacing them. "Jeez…" he murmurs, lifting Geodude's ball. "Geodude, return!"

As Geodude is beamed back to his ball, Aniki pumps a fist and turns around, giving Julian a cheesy wink and a thumbs up. "How was that, Jules?"

Julian can't help it. He throws his head back and laughs. "Knock-out performance as usual, bro! Do you have another one in you?"

The Machoke slams a fist into his open palm, smiling. "I could take 'em all at once."

Julian looks around, taking in the reactions of everyone around. What he sees makes him smirk.

The previously bored gym workers and miners are bored no longer. There is animated chatter between a few small groups, and more than one person has a cell phone ready to capture the next fight. Julian shunts a bit of aura to their ears to hear what they have to say.

"– Just one hit! What the hell was that match?"

"It's like he knew what Roark and Geodude were planning. How di –"

"–choke hit Geodude so hard I swear you could feel it on the other side of the gym!"

It feels good listening to the praise and bewilderment. Finally, Julian gives Paul and Zoey a sidelong glance.

Paul is as stoic as ever, but there are fading remnants of surprise in his dark aura. The younger boy sits leaning forward with his pokedex open in his lap, clearly paying attention. 'Did he not expect how fast that was?'

Zoey seems as disbelieving as the rest. She looks between Julian, Aniki, and the crater in the ground where Geodude met his elimination. 'Stick around, Zoey. It only gets wilder from here.'

"I have to say, I wasn't expecting that," Roark says after a near minute-long lull. "That was the shortest, cleanest round I think a challenger has ever gotten from me. Your faith in your pokémon is certainly not misplaced." Contrary to what Julian was expecting, the young Gym Leader's aura isn't bitter at the loss, just deeply surprised and a touch anxious.

Julian shrugs. "We're aiming to be the best, like no one ever was, and excellence is all we know."

"No joke." Roark smiles thinly. "Okay, let's get this show on the road!" He draws his hand back, another ball ready. "Onix, let go!"

The pokeball soars up high, and then snaps open to let a humongous beam of white shoot to the floor. When the light dies down, Roark's side of the field is nearly filled by a rocky snake of titanic proportions. His segmented body is made of boulders, each one the size of a man, and when the Onix rears back with the sound of stone grinding over stone, he is nearly thrice the height of Aniki.

"Oh?" Onix's voice is as deep and rough as an avalanche. He takes in Aniki without a hint of apprehension. "Maybe you'll put up a better fight than the last one."

Aniki merely crosses his arms, staring up at Onix's resolute eyes.

"Second round! Begin!" Ian calls from the ref box.

Roark wastes no time. "Onix, use Stealth Rock!"

Onix roars and rears his head back, countless motes of light manifesting around him, The lights solidify into jagged, spear-like stones that then shoot down to the ground.

Aniki tenses and raises his fists, only to find himself looking around in confusion when all of the rocks impact everywhere but him.

'Already planning ahead, huh?' Julian frowns. "Aniki, Scary Face, then Karate Chop!"

Once more, the Machoke's face is drawn back into a bowel-loosening snarl, and another debilitating wave of Killing Intent races across the ground.

Onix stiffens, a sweat seemingly breaking out across the rock snake's head. The slowdown is minute, but it gives Aniki ample time to cross the field in a dead sprint, hand alight with a crackling coating of energy.

"Screech, Onyx!" Roark quickly counters.

Roark's pokemon opens his cavernous mouth and draws in a deep breath.

'What? Are you going to scream at him?' Julian scoffs. 'Hitting him with a debuff isn't going to help when he's right on top of –"

Onix screeches, and the sound is absolutely ear shattering. The air itself is distorted around his maw, and Aniki is forced to stop, driven to his knees as he is battered by sheer sonic energy. The Fighting-type covers his ears with a howl of pain that is lost to Onix's assault.

The noise is so horrendous that everyone in the audience clasps their ears, cringing, and it's all Julian can do to not join them. 'Fuck me, my ears!' He channels aura to his vocal cords and prepares himself for the inevitable sore throat later. "Aniki!" he roars, just barely audible over Onix. "Revenge!"

Julian is sure Screech is a debuff attack, and Revenge's "deal more damage after being struck" effect should only activate after being physically hit, but Arceus damn it, Onix's Screech has to be causing real damage!

Aniki cracks one eye open and, with Herculean effort, takes one of his hands away from the ear it was covering. He draws his fist back, and a rolling sheet of red energy envelops his arm all the way up to his shoulder. With a warcry that goes unheard, Aniki pushes himself back to his feet and charges Onix.

"Abort and dodge!" Roark's voice somehow carries over the din.

Onix shuts his mouth and ends Screech. He coils his body to push himself to safety, but is just a bit too slow. Aniki's fist impacts one of Onix's middle body segments, and...

Kra-boom!

A shockwave rattles the bones of everyone present as Aniki's fist spiderwebs the segment Onix was too slow to move.

Onix's eyes bug out, and the rock snake is lifted right off of the floor, thrown back nearly 10 feet and smashing through a dozen boulders on the field. Onix sucks in a wheezy, whistling breath as he shakily rears back up.

"Not good," Roark mumbles. "Onix, we've got to turn the momentum around! Double-Edge!" he says with a pointed finger.

Rocky brows meet in anger as Onix glowers down at Aniki. "You're not winning after just one shot!" Onix growls, his entire body glowing with a light so concentrated, it's as if it's solid. With an uncharacteristic burst of speed, Onix surges forward like a tsunami.

'Shit!'

Aniki, still disoriented from Screech, can only cross his arms and brace himself as Onix hits him like a runaway train, lifting Aniki right off of his feet and throwing him all the way to Julian's side of the field. The blow is so discombobulating that Julian's pokemon can't correct himself midair, and instead lands in a breathless heap.

"Oh, my shoulder…" Aniki grasps the shoulder he landed on and rolls to his back with a grimace.

Julian's heart leaps into his throat.

On the field, Aniki painfully tries to rise back to his feet, spitting out a big glob of blood on the ground and holding his chest. Under his hands, his entire front is rapidly turning into an ugly bruise.

"Don't let up Onix!" Roark's smile finally returns. "Hit him with Slam!"

Onix bellows again, coiling around himself and lifting his tail to use as a car-sized bludgeon.

'Shit shit shit!' Julian grits his teeth. 'All or nothing, give me this last one, Aniki,' Silently saying a prayer, Julian flares his aura, once more infusing it into his throat. "Aniki! You can win this! I believe in you!"

Aniki's eyes sharpen into narrow slits.

"Catch him and use Seismic Toss!" Julian roars with such volume that the dust around his feet is scattered.

As Onix's tail rushes down to crush Aniki, the Fighting-type reaches up and catches the tail between his hands, stopping it dead.

Roark's smile falls. "I'm sorry, what?"

The ground beneath Aniki's feet is reduced to a pair of craters, and his entire body trembles, but Aniki holds Onix's tail between his two hands. Then with a rolling grunt of exertion, the Machoke pivots his body around, forcing Onix to follow.

Onix cries out in alarm as he's dragged against his will, but he goes ignored by the Fighting-type who has his tail. The snake pokemon tries to bite a boulder to stop the throw before it can begin, but the rock is pulled right up out of the ground with him.

Gasps break out among the handful of spectators.

Aniki turns faster, picking up speed, and in only half a rotation, Onix is picked completely up off the ground. All the Rock-type can do is flail and panic to no effect, for he isn't strong enough to overcome the centrifugal force on his body. One, twice, three times Aniki turns, kicking up a monstrous wind with Onix's body. On the fourth turn, the Machoke spreads his feet, lifts the tail in his grasp, and swings downward with an echoing roar of exertion. "Graaahhh!"

Onix whiplashes around, smashing headfirst into the ground, throwing up a storm of dust and rock as well as shaking the Gym all the way down to its foundation. Above, the dome ceiling groans worryingly.

As the dust begins to clear, two things are made abundantly clear.

Aniki is still conscious.

Onix is not.

Roark's Onix is lying face down in a monster-sized crater, and only the rock snake's pained groans let everyone know that he has survived the insanity subjected to him.

Panting and barely standing, Aniki rises back to his full height. After a moment, he raises both his arms in a practically instinctual flex "YEEEEEEEAAAAAHHHH!"

"You son of a bitch, you did it!" Julian can't help himself and jumps high, pumping a fist. He doesn't need to touch a hand to his chest to know that his heart is absolutely racing. "C'mere, you!"

Gingerly, Aniki walks back to Julian, and as if reading each other's minds, the pair clasp hands, Aniki's larger one engulfing Julian's smaller one.

"Thanks for doing the hard part, bro, you pulled through big time!" Julian exclaims, grinning. "I'd hug you, but something tells me your ribs wouldn't appreciate that."

Aniki laughs, then winces and lays a hand on his chest. "Yeah. Yeah you're right on that. Onix was not a pushover…"

"Here, get some rest, man." Julian withdraws Aniki's ball and holds it up. "Regardless of how the last match goes, we're definitely celebrating that crazy win you pulled."

A snort finds its way out of Aniki. "You're saying that like the boss lady might lose." In a flash, the Machoke is recalled to his pokeball.

"Uh…" Once more, Ian seems stunned, as does Roark, who is just now calling Onix back to his ball. "Onix is unable to battle, so round two goes to Julian and Aniki the Machoke!"

If there were murmurs before, there is an uproar now, even with so few people in the stands. It's all so mixed together that Julian can hardly pull the words apart into sentences that make sense. Cell phones are out in force, cameras poised to catch the action.

Roark takes a bit longer to find his words as he rolls his final pokeball between his fingers. "Julian…" He stops. "You… are certainly something. I could practically feel the conviction and belief in your voice when you gave your Machoke that last order. You've done amazingly well to even the odds here, but I have to warn you…" He raises the ball in his hand, palming it so Julian can see the front. "Most trainers usually reserve their strongest pokémon for last. With Machoke so banged up, you're going to have an uphill battle against my Ace. Go!" He winds up his hand and throws the ball on his grasp. "Cranidos!"

The pokeball opens, and from its customary flash comes a Cranidos. Once the light around him vanishes, Cranidos snorts and paws at the ground with a hind leg.

The pokemon roughly resembles a bipedal dinosaur, with raptorial legs, short arms, a short tail, and a large head with a steel-blue, domed skull that his species uses as their primary weapon. If Julian is remembering correctly, then Cranidos' species is extinct, and the only way to get one is by using DNA taken from a fossil and dropping it into a cloning machine.

'Are there any Fighting fossil pokemon? I forgot.' Julian banishes the idle thought and holds up Lulu's ball. He can feel her inpatient aura seeping into his fingers. "I'm going to have a tough time, huh?" he replies to Roark. "Who says Aniki was my Ace?"

His aura jumping in alarm, Roark can't quite hide the widening of his eyes.

"Lulu, let's show them what you can do!" Julian throws Lulu's pokeball into the arena, barely able to withhold his excitement. He can practically taste that badge!

The ball snaps open with a flash, and before the eyes of everyone, Lulu's crouching form materializes. Slowly, she stands, flicks one of her ears, and snaps her glowing red eyes open.

As Lulu's pokeball flies back to his hand, Julian rapidly pulses his aura in an unseen message that only Lulu will receive. Entry hazard. Be wary.

Her eyes shoot to the spear-like stones littering the ground, and her own aura pulses once in confirmation.

On the other side of the field, Roark sighs. "A Lucario, huh? I knew I was tempting fate. We're not about to give up, though!" he exclaims, his Cranidos growling along with his words.

Just as Roark says that, seven or eight of the Stealth Rocks littering Julian's side of the field wiggle themselves out the ground and levitate. They quiver in place for a split second, then shoot towards Lulu like missiles.

The first stone whistles through the air and, mere inches away from striking the side of her face, Lulu leans back, letting it pass with inches to spare. Then she twirls on her hindpaws, letting one approaching from behind fly wide. She weaves around each stone as if dancing, flowing from one movement to the next seamlessly. Her red eyes, filled with supernatural clarity, leave red trails as she moves.

'Detect works on entry hazards, does it?' Julian watches Lulu's eyes, noting Detect's distinct light trails. 'Interesting.'

As the last rock misses Lulu by less than an inch and hits the ground, Roark's aura dips, but despite being disheartened, it doesn't show on his face. "Cranidos! Let's start this off right! Zen Headbutt!" the Gym Leader orders.

Cranidos growls incomprehensibly. He lowers his head, which is overtaken by a wavy, blue glow, then he blasts forward with such speed that his shape grows blurry.

'That has to be as fast as Aniki in a full sprint! Who said Rock-types were slow?' Julian thinks, his eyes widening. Quickly, he pulses his aura again, relaying as many messages as he can in the limited time they have. Psychic move incoming. Strong point: Head. Weak point: Legs. Evasion recommended.

Acknowledged,Lulu pulses back. She brings her paws together, and between them, an orb of aura takes shape. The orb stretches out and solidifies, turning into a solid bo-staff. 'Bone Rush. Good choice, Lulu.'

Lulu gives her staff a twirl, and right as Cranidos is bearing down on her, she thrusts her staff out, catching the knobby end on one of the spikes framing Cranidos' skull. With a push, she redirects the dino right into a boulder beside her.

Kra-boom!

The rock explodes into tiny shards, throwing dust everywhere and obscuring both of the pokemon. Despite not being able to see, Julian only needs to touch Cranidos' aura to know the prehistoric pokemon isn't rattled at all by the impact. Hell, he barely even noticed it.

"While they're blind, Cranidos, use Flamethrower!" Roark calls, regaining his smile.

'Sorry, Roark. That's not going to work on a Lucario.'' Julian smirks and reaches out with his sixth sense. Sure enough, he already detects Lulu feeling out her surroundings with her aura.

Glowing blue outlines of Cranidos and Lulu become visible in the dust to Julian as he keeps his aura sense on high alert, and it lets him watch Lulu cross the distance between her and her foe in a split second. Lulu brings a flying knee up into Cranidos' chin when the dino's Flamethrower is nearly ready to be fired.

Thwack!

Cranidos' head snaps backward from the brain-rattling blow, and his jaw is forced to shut right on the building Flamethrower in his throat.

Boom!

To make matters even worse, Cranidos' Flamethrower backfires, exploding in his mouth with a dull boom. He doesn't get any time to recover, however, as Lulu is given free rein to swing her bo-staff right into his side, throwing him off of his feet and out of the dust cloud.

"Cranidos!" Roark cries, his whole body tensing.

Cranidos rolls across the ground, dragging a shallow trench behind him, but he manages to dig the claws of his hindlegs into the dirt and slow himself to a stop. He stands shakily and coughs wisps of black smoke, eyeing Lulu with simmering anger as the dust cloud fades.

Lulu meets his gaze steadily, falling into a ready stance with her staff pointed forward.

"It's been a long time since I've been driven into a corner like this, and from only one exchange as well," Roark comments during the lull in the battle. Even from so far away, Julian can see the sweat on the Gym Leader's forehead. "I've noticed that you haven't given your Lucario any orders so far, Julian. Why is that?"

'Ah. Here's the exposition portion of the fight.'

"I'm just the trainer. I take care of everything behind the scenes." Julian begins, crossing his arms. "Lulu is the fighter. She knows herself and her own capabilities. I train my pokemon to operate as independently as they can and make callouts only as necessary. Aniki and I are still working on things, but Lulu?" He shakes his head. "I don't need to say a word to her."

Roark frowns, his aura dipping even lower. He looks between Lulu and Cranidos, focusing on Cranidos' unmarked skull "I see. So that's why she hasn't struck Cranidos in his armored head yet? She already knows better?"

Julian nods before continuing. "Eliminating that split second of processing the pokemon needs when given instructions and negating the other trainer's ability to effectively counter is huge. It requires a lot of special training and twice as much trust, but the results speak for themselves. Just watch." Silently, Julian pulses his aura in sequence again. Re-engage?

Acknowledged. Lulu bounds upward and forward in a great leap, her staff leaving a glowing trail behind her.

"Not good! Cranidos, Flamethrower! Catch her mid-air!" Roark hastily barks.

Cranidos rears his head back, bright orange flames licking the edge of his mouth, but before he can blast Lulu with a gout of fire, the airborne Lucario grips her Bone Rush staff in one paw and throws it downwards like a javelin.

The staff flies true and smashes into Cranidos' throat before shattering, leaving the dino pawing at his neck with his short arms and gasping for breath. His Flamethrower sputters out, leaving him defenseless.

High above, Lulu curls her right paw into a fist, her aura surging to such heights that it bleeds from her fur in a corona of azure. Around her fist, the aura whirls and transforms into a stark silver flecked with shiny motes of gold. The silver fist shines like a second sun with Lulu so high in the air.

'Meteor Mash, Lulu's strongest move!' Julian grins, having never seen the move used on another pokemon. 'She's going in for the kill! Get 'em Lu!'

"C'mon, Cranidos! You can do this!" Roark raises a clenched fist, his expression severe. "Head Smash!"

His eyes gaining killer focus, Cranidos roars. His whole body is overtaken by a violent torrent of blue energy. He tenses his legs, and Julian picks up the sheer amount of aura Cranidos is burning.

'This is going to be a nasty one.' He taps his aura again. Strong attack incoming. Frontal. Do not clash.

Acknowledged. Lulu smiles down at him, then angles her body down, her silver-clad fist screaming like an actual meteor.

Cranidos practically explodes from the ground, flying up at Lulu like a rocket seeking to escape orbit. The distance between them shrinks in the blink of an eye.

Fifty feet.

Roark crosses his fingers.

Ten feet.

Julian bites his lip.

Five.

All the spectators lean in.

One.

At the last second, Lulu twists her body midair, letting Cranidos miss her by such a narrow margin that Head Smash's violent cloak of energy singes her fur.

As if in slow motion, Julian watches Cranidos' eyes go wide, and Lulu's narrow. The Lucario draws her fist back, then drives it into Cranidos's back like a sledgehammer.

The dinosaur pokemon's eyes bug out, then, like a streak of lightning, he shoots straight into the floor as little more than a dinosaur-shaped flicker.

KRA-BOOM!

The entire gym is shaken right down to its foundations again, and once more a burst of dust overtakes everyone's vision. Chips of stone rain down for a second, and Julian swears he saw a few pieces escape the open dome above.

Lulu lands silently on the ruined floor of the arena in a crouch, then slowly stands and brings her fists up into a ready stance.

Releasing a breath he didn't realize he was holding, Julian reaches his sixth sense out towards Cranidos, and smiles at what he feels.

As the breeze from the open ceiling above blows away all of the dirt and dust, the crater where Cranidos lies completely unconscious is revealed. The dinosaur is embedded partially in the ground, and his eyes roll blearily behind their lids. Every part of him is covered in scuffs, cuts, and scrapes, and one of his legs looks to be especially injured with how he lies on it awkwardly.

In the referee box, Ian lowers his arms, which were shielding his face, and surveys the scarred battlefield with befuddlement. "Holy heck… What are kids feeding their pokemon these days?" He shakes his head and raises an arm. "Cranidos is unable to battle! Round three goes to Lulu the Lucario and Julian! Julian Angelo wins the challenge!"

At the announcement, the handful of spectators in the stands all rise with cheers and standing ovations. Zoey stands with a bright smile as well, cupping her hands around her mouth to whoop in celebration. Beside her, Paul sits with a loose jaw, seemingly unsure as to what he has witnessed.

As Roark, who is visibly shocked to the core, recalls his wounded Cranidos, Julian jumps down to the field and jogs over to Lulu.

Lulu lets out a surprised yelp when Julian hugs her from behind and spins her around once. "You did it! That was spectacular, Lulu!" He releases his partner so she can turn around to face him. "I knew you had this in the bag, but that was something else! Look at you, there's not even a scratch on you!" he says, dusting some dirt off her shoulders. "Just like that, we have our first badge and we did it in style! That sponsorship is as good as ours!" Julian hugs her tightly again, not caring about her chest spike poking him. "I could kiss you!"

The Lucario blushes a faint pink and looks away as Julian releases her. Lightly coughing into her paw, she takes a moment to think of something to say. "I'm glad that you found my performance so pleasing. I wasn't about to let you down… or disrespect Cranidos by holding back," she says, looking up at him with a small smile.

Breathtaking, radiant Friendship shines in Lulu's aura, enveloping Julian in its warmth. Beneath that Friendship is a twinge of the same mysterious Thing he felt from Lulu just a few days prior, the Thing that both makes him want to shy away and desperately dig for more. As quickly as it comes, though, it vanishes.

"This is the first time I've ever had a newbie trainer win a challenge in just three rounds."

Both Julian and Lulu turn, seeing Roark step over an upturned stone to walk to them. The redhead takes off his helmet and wipes his brow with the back of his hand. "Whew. Now that was a workout," Roark begins, giving the teen and his Lucario a tired smile. "I said it before, and I'll say it again. Your faith was definitely not misplaced in your pokemon, and that's a fantastic trait to have. You have more than earned this, and I look forward to following your journey." Roark extends an open hand, and Julian's excitement returns.

In the extended hand is a shiny Coal Badge, the symbol of victory over the Oreburgh gym.

Gingerly taking the trophy in his fingers, Julian smiles down at the reflection of himself in the badge, but… Something isn't quite right. He looks to the edge of the badge, where he sees an indistinct smear of blue and black in the polished metal.

Oh. Duh.

"Hey, Lu? Can I see your hand?" he asks, turning to Lulu.

With a curious blink, she wordlessly holds her palm out, only to be confused when Julian drops the badge in her grasp.

Without bothering to explain, Julian places his hand on the back of hers and gently squeezes, making her fingers wrap around the edge of the badge enough for a good grip, but not enough to obscure it. With his free hand, Julian takes Aniki's ball from his belt and hits the button, popping the ball open.

Blinking his eyes, Aniki looks down to Julian, to the badge in Lulu's paw, then to their joined hands. "Jules?" he asks, idly rubbing his bruised ribs.

The blonde smiles. "Get over here and get your share of the glory, bro."

It takes a moment, but Aniki understands Julian's words. With a smile, he steps in and places a large hand over Julian's.

"Alright, ready?" Julian turns his head to Lulu.

Lulu's eyes light up in delight as it all clicks for her, and as one, she, Aniki, and Julian thrust their joined hands high, showing the badge to everyone gathered.

Even with so few people, the cheers are as loud as a full house.