Entry #12: The Competitive Scene

You know, I was really surprised to find out that regular sports exist here. Stuff like baseball, soccer, golf, and just about every Earth parallel I can think of exists here in some capacity. Not too long ago, I overheard Zoey call her parents for a check-in, and despite how bored she looked, she politely listened to her dad gab at her about a golf game his company took him on. I can’t believe it took me this long to hear about the existence of entertainment that isn’t related to pokemon. Then I realized why.

Pokemon battling, without a doubt, is the biggest spectator sport in the entire world.

Duh, of course it is! Anyone can tell you that. The point I’m trying to get at here is that it’s such a cultural powerhouse that it drowns out everything else to a hilarious degree. You can add up the viewers of every other sport that has ever existed, and it still falls short of anything pokemon-related. Even miscellaneous pokemon sports like ‘mid-air paintball’ or whatever overtake anything strictly between humans.

The only real exceptions are matters of regional pride, like how underdog Holon (I’m just now realizing how many Arceus-damned regions there are, too. I haven’t heard of half of these places) snatched gold medals from other regions at the last human Interregional Games. Holon is a pretty small region without a gym circuit or official Pokemon League and it surprised everyone that they performed so well. Really, their only claim to fame is accidentally causing an ecological disaster with some giant electromagnet device while trying to track legendary pokemon (Apparently that resulted in some mutated ‘delta’ pokemon from the radiation? I’ll look that up more later). It was later revealed that the Holon athletes were using banned stimulants. They covered their tracks well… Until a janitor found some odd residue at the bottom of a locker that a Holon gold medalist used.

Oops.

The residue was tested by a suspicious Games Commissioner, and they confronted the Holon team, who caved and confessed. That apparently caused a huge outcry, and Holon is still getting dragged for the offense years later.

That revealed a pattern to me I think I’ve been overlooking. The competitive scene for anything is taken seriously in this world, pokemon battling most of all. There is a pretty stark divide between the attitudes of casuals who battle for fun and professionals who make a career out of it, but cheating is a cardinal sin for both. Honor, truth, and moral integrity are held in high regard here, and I suspect that ███ █████████ prefers to keep it that way when it can. The long and short of it? Cheaters Never Prosper.

That’s fine, I guess. Being underhanded is looked upon dimly by most, but it’s not something that you’ll be ostracized over, so I guess I’ll have to limit myself to just being a dick sometimes. I’m not really sure where the line between “asshole” and “resourceful” is, but at the very least, Lulu doesn’t view the creative application of aura as cheating. If she considers it fair, it’s probably safe to say that anyone would.

Not that I’m going to cheat. It wouldn’t feel right if we didn’t pull wins on our own. I don’t want to rob Lulu, Aniki, or any of my pokemon of that feeling of success. Sweet victory is what keeps the improvement machine running.

“Good morning, kids!” Ian greets Paul, Zoey, Julian, and Lulu as they step inside the lobby of the Oreburgh Gym. “You’re here quite early! I just unlocked the doors a couple of minutes ago.”

Paul merely nods, acknowledging Ian’s words without a direct answer. “Is Roark in?”

An apologetic smile forms on Ian’s face. “Well…”

As Ian explains to an annoyed Paul that Roark was called away to the mines for some big discovery, Julian yawns and stretches his arms over his head. After both of his shoulders pop satisfyingly, he glances over to the two girls in the group.

Zoey’s face is miserable. The poor redhead looks like the risen dead, and even forcing down some free (and frankly vile) hotel coffee after rolling out of bed has done little to rouse her. Paul had to kick her bedframe to get her up, and she rose like a robot with molasses slathered in its joints.

Lulu, meanwhile, doesn’t look all too disturbed by being up at the crack of dawn. It’s the way she’s operated since she could walk. She definitely sent Paul a cross look for having the audacity to set the alarm clock to ring before sunrise, though.

Julian himself just thought it was funny. Try as he might to be a cool hardass, Paul is still a fourteen-year-old boy on the road to being a big-shot athlete, or at least the equivalent of one. The younger boy’s aura is colored by prickling nervousness and persistent excitement, even if neither reaches his face. Being woken up so early didn’t bother Julian, as he could barely sleep in the first place.

Why was that? The answer is simple.

Professor Sycamore.

Sycamore sent Julian an email yesterday evening after the gang retired to their hotel room for the night, saying to expect a phone call in the next few days. The professor apparently needs time to draft up all of the paperwork for Julian’s sponsorship and run it by his lawyers and financial advisors. The anticipation is absolutely driving Julian up the wall. If not for Lulu’s body heat lulling him to sleep after hours of staring at the wall, Julian may not have gotten any sleep at all. Whatever sleepiness remained when Paul awakened everyone was chased away during Julian and Lulu’s morning meditation.

Somewhere in Oreburgh’s outskirts is a powerful, distinctly Fighting-flavored aura, one that wasn’t there yesterday. There are a couple of similar auras near the coal mines, probably belonging to pokemon who work there, but they don’t have the feel of dedicated fighters. It’s such a fine difference that Julian doesn’t even know how to describe it. It’s like blindly sampling two glasses of the same wine from the same maker but from different vintage years. You just know they are different, somehow.

Julian hasn’t been totally idle in searching out potential new teammates for Lulu and Aniki, he’s merely been matching his effort to the amount of funds they have available. With a sponsorship coming down the pipe, having a nice, balanced team of three to work with sounds grand, so the first order of the day after watching Paul’s Gym battle?

Track down the mysterious aura, and see if it’s a wild pokemon looking for new opportunities.

Julian is abruptly yanked from his thoughts when he senses four auras he’s dedicated to memory suddenly enter the edge of his sixth sense. Beside him, Lulu shoots him a knowing glance.

Ash and his friends have arrived.

‘Hell, they’re walking towards the gym now.’ Julian sends a look over his shoulder towards the door. ‘They’ll be here any minute.’

“Again, I’m really sorry.” Ian smiles apologetically and steps out from behind the front desk. “Roark really gets carried away sometimes, but we promised you a battle and a battle you will get. Maybe if we all go down to the mines together, it’ll motivate him to put the pedal to the metal.”

Paul nods, sighing once more. He’s doing an admirable job hiding his annoyance in Julian’s eyes. “Perhaps,” Paul grumbles. “Let's get moving, then.”

Paul turns to lead the way, with the group parting around him and following, letting Ian bring up the rear. As they approach the door, it slides open automatically, revealing a surprised Ash, Brock, and Dawn just beyond.

“Paul?” Ash asks, his Pikachu blinking in sync with him. He seems genuinely surprised to have run into Paul.

“Zoey?!” Dawn seems even more shocked than Ash. She takes in the red-headed coordinator with a dropped jaw.

“Do I know you?” Paul’s reply and scowl are both ice-cold.

“Hiya, Dawn.” Zoey smiles, her sleepiness forgotten.

Julian and Brock share a look, and each can see the other wonder if they should add to the outbursts as a gag.

Let’s not, Brock's eyes say. Someone around here should be mature.

Julian smirks, and Brock’s face falls. “Jeez, Brock. If you stare at me any harder, I’m gonna blush. If you’re mirin’”—the blonde flexes his arms and strikes a pose, one that presses his abs against his too-small shirt—“then I can give you some workout tips. Babes love free admission to the gun show. Ask me how I know,” he finishes by throwing his arms over Lulu and Zoey’s shoulders.

Lulu’s palm meets her face so hard that the sound echoes off of the rockface that the Gym is built into.

Zoey, meanwhile, sighs in exasperation and gently pries herself free. “Really, Julian? You were doing so good at beating the muscle bro stereotype…”

A cheesy grin rising to his lips, Julian lets Lulu go and crosses his arms, only for his expression to become strained when Glameow’s ball wiggles on Zoey’s belt. The sphere radiates… envy.

‘I really don’t know how I should feel about that,” he thinks, casting a narrow-eyed glance at the twitching pokeball. ‘You stop that.’

Brock, however... He looks as if he’s actually considering Julian’s words, as he rubs his chin thoughtfully.

“These friends of yours, kids?” Ian cuts in, seemingly unbothered. The man must deal with squabbling child trainers a lot.

“No way.” Paul’s denial is as instant as it is vehement. He looks up at Ian with an ‘are you serious’ expression, as if such a thought is inconceivable.

Zoey turns her nose up at Paul’s words. “Speak for yourself, Paul. Dawn and I are friends,” she says, pulling a bright smile from Dawn.

Before Paul can turn and reply, Ash steps in, his eyes glued to Paul. “You must have just fought a battle. Did you get a badge?” the boy asks, taking a step forward.

Paul clicks his tongue. “That’s none of your business.”

Likely sensing the coming clash between Ash and Paul, Ian once more steps in. “You must be here for a gym battle, right?” he asks Ash. “I can tell just from the look of you.”

“Yeah, actually,” Ash says, once again smiling. “I’m Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town. This will be my first gym match in the Sinnoh region. It’s great to be here!”

“Yep!” Pikachu chimes in from Ash’s shoulder.

Ian smiles and nods along. “That’s quite a long trip all the way from Kanto. We’re always happy to see new faces here in Sinnoh, so let me be the first to welcome you to the Oreburgh Gym, Sinnoh’s temple for Rock pokemon!”

Pokemon’s titular hero… blinks cluelessly. “This Gym is for Rock pokemon?”

Julian hears Paul choke on nothing, and he’s tempted to follow suit. Lulu and Zoey control themselves better, but their auras are both utterly befuddled.

‘…No, no. Don’t comment on it.’ Julian screws his eyes shut. ‘This is early-episode jank, and being clueless is just an exposition vehicle. Just let it go.’

Ian, to his credit, doesn’t trip a bit. “Indeed. Our Gym Leader, Roark, was called away by his other job in the coal mines. My name is Ian, and I’m the manager of the Gym,” Ian says, introducing himself. “We were actually on our way to retrieve Roark for Paul’s battle if you kids would like to come with us.”

“That sounds swell. Thank you!” Ash agrees, much to Paul’s visible chagrin.

Needing no other prompting, Ian takes point and motions for everybody to follow him leading them all into the town. Ash’s friends follow closely, while Julian and the others trail behind a few steps. A few minutes into the walk, Dawn slows herself down so she can settle next to Zoey.

“Zoey? Why are you hanging out with a jerk like Paul?” Dawn whispers quietly, making Julian shunt a bit of aura to his ears so he can eavesdrop. “He’s so rude to everyone, his pokémon included!”

“You’ve met him before?” Zoey whispers back, giving Dawn her attention.

The younger girl nods vigorously, making her blue hair bounce. “Yeah. We met him and Julian in Sandgem, and he was treating us like dirt, Ash especially!” she hisses. “He told a Starly he had for only one day to get lost after it won! I don’t get what his problem is.”

“Paul… isn’t all bad,” Zoey weakly defends. “His methods are just… What’s the word? Draconian? Besides, I was more interested in traveling with Julian. Paul is just along for the ride, in my opinion.”

That quiets Dawn down and puts a thoughtful expression on her face. “How did you meet Julian?”

Zoey lets out an embarrassed laugh. “Ah. I got a bit lost in Jubilife, so Julian and his pokemon came to the rescue and helped me find my way to the Pokemon Center. He’s got some refreshing takes on pokemon coordination, so we chatted for a bit, and then did a few double-battles together to win some spending money.” The redhead smiles. “I did my last journey solo, so I decided to change things up a bit and travel with friends this time. Julian seemed like a good choice, and Paul isn’t so bad once you get to know him.”

As she speaks, Zoey’s aura glows with nothing but truth. She really does consider Julian to be a valued friend after only a week and some change of knowing each other. It puts an unsure smile on the blonde teen’s face. ‘I’m never going to get used to this.’

“So, Paul, are you looking forward to your Gym battle?” Ash, bless him, still tries to make small talk with Paul. The young hero slows down to fall in step with the other boy. “The first Gym in a new region is always the most exciting!”

“Hmph.” Paul answers exactly as Julian expected him to: staring forward and with a single word.

Ash wilts slightly, and instead looks over to Julian and Lulu. “How about you, Julian? Are you excited about your battle? Even with a Fighting -type like your Lucario, it could still be really tough!”

Julian smiles back. “Actually, we already had our battle yesterday. We managed a fairly clean win in my opinion.” Having expected this question, Julian slipped his Coal Badge into his pocket this morning, and lo and behold, Ash has asked just as anticipated. Julian takes the badge from his pocket and shows Ash and Pikachu, and both gaze at the bronze trophy with childlike amazement. “It got hairy here and there, though. Roark isn’t a pushover.”

Behind him, Zoey scoffs. “What is this talk about ‘fairly clean’ and ‘getting hairy’?” she asks, drawing the group's attention to her. “Julian’s match was a complete blowout. Roark lost without taking a single round. Lulu didn’t even get hit when she fought.”

“Really?” Brock asks the question on everyone’s mind, sending a glance toward Ian.

The Oreburgh Gym manager sighs and runs a hand through his long hair. “Yes. It was the worst loss that Roark has suffered in a while. The last time he was beaten so soundly was when Professor Rowan’s Lab Trainer—Lucas, I think his name was—blew through town. That boy battled like a machine.”

‘Lucas, as in Bob’s grandson?’ Julian blinks. ‘Yeah, so he’s a hotshot trainer, kind of like a… A videogame protagonist… Oh shit,’ he curses to himself and hopes he’s not dealing with some kind of anime / game hybrid universe. ‘If there is anything on this beautiful green earth worse than Ash’s Plot Armor, then it’s definitely the Hyper Competence of a videogame hero. I hope Ian was just being hyperbolic with the whole ‘battles like a machine’ quip …’

The comment about Lucas isn’t what everyone else focuses on, however, as Dawn, Brock, Ash, and Pikachu all look at Julian and Lulu.

Where the exclamations and the amazement of the small crowd gathered within the gym arena yesterday sent Julian’s spirit shooting to new heights, the scrutiny of Ash and Co is distinctly less enjoyable.

Beside him, Lulu remains unworried by the stares, so Julian focuses on how steady his partner’s aura is to ground himself. “What can I say?” he begins with a shrug. “We’ve prepared quite a bit for the gym circuit, and we were fighting with type advantage. I doubt it’ll be that easy next time.”

“Tch…” Paul scoffs and mumbles under his breath. “It was a steamroll. Why are you acting like it wasn’t?”

Despite Paul’s voice being low, Ash definitely hears him, as the Kanto-born trainer’s eyes take on a fierce, competitive light.

‘Dammit, Paul. I was hoping for a full team before Ash turned his attention to me.’

The rest of the walk to the mine is passed with idle chatter, the majority of it coming from Dawn and Zoey, along with some one-sided conversation between Ash and a rather annoyed Paul. During part of the stroll, however, Brock pulls up next to Julian.

“So, about those workout tips, were you being serious?” Brock asks, giving Julian a hopeful look.

“Now look at what you’ve done, Julian.” Lulu shakes her head when Julian looks to her for an answer. “Don’t look at me! You’re the one who got his hopes up. Give him some starting points.”

Julian scratches his chin and turns back to Brock. “Do you have a piece of paper or something I can write this down on?”

Brock reaches into his back pocket and withdraws a small notebook. After flipping to a clean page, he hands the notebook over to Julian, along with a pen.

“Thaaank you.” Julian takes the offered notebook, and with a no-good smirk, writes down a quick, day-by-day routine for the tanned teenager next to him. “There we go!”

Taking the notebook back eagerly, Brock looks down at the page only for his smile to swiftly transform into confusion. “This just says ‘Monday through Saturday – Pick Fights With Pokemon’.”

“And that Sunday is a rest day!” Julian cuts in. “The rest day is important! What are you looking at me like that for? I’m not joking!”

Brock hangs his head, sighing in defeat. Behind them, both Dawn and Zoey erupt into giggles.

The rest of the walk to retrieve Roark is rather uneventful. Once they arrive at the mines, a hard hat-clad supervisor wielding a clipboard tries to head them off, but pauses and lets them pass without a word when he sees the myriad of pokeballs everyone is carrying around. The fact that he takes notice of the pokeballs before he does Ian is a striking reminder of just how highly trainers are regarded by regular folk.

‘Heavy equipment moving, pokemon carrying large loads, and we’re let in with no hassle.’ Julian’s eyes scan the various hazards all around, remaining wary even if he knows deep down nothing is going to happen.

After that, the group is just in time to witness Roark and a team of men emerge from the mines, pushing a mine cart carrying what is obviously a large pokemon fossil, on account of the domed shape framed by spikes. As they all approach, Roark looks up, sees Paul’s irritated face, and laughs nervously. “Oh, it seems I lost track of time again. I’m really sorry about that, Paul!” he says, patting the fossil with the same tenderness a parent might a child. “When the guys said they uncovered a pokemon fossil in a tricky spot within the mine, I had to come and help. It would have been a huge loss to both the mines and to the Oreburgh Museum if this fossil here hadn't been extracted in one piece. You understand, right?”

Paul closes his eyes, looking as if he doesn’t care one way or another. “It’s fine. If your business is concluded here, may we return to the Gym?”

Roark nods, his smile relieved if his aura is anything to judge by. “Sure thing. Let’s get going.”

Back in the Oreburgh Gym, Julian, Lulu, Zoey and Ash’s crew all settle in the arena’s spectator stands as Paul and Roark take their positions on either side of the rock-filled battleground. Above, the domed ceiling splits and begins to slide open just as it did with Julian’s Gym match. The delay in the battle has given spectators more time to claim seats, as there are more people here than there were yesterday during Julian’s bout. It’s far from a full house, but it’s still a noticeable increase that Julian forces himself not to be petty or bitter over.

“I can’t believe I have to wait ‘till tomorrow before I can battle Roark…” Ash sighs, morose, as he flips the dated appointment card Ian provided to him just a few minutes ago between his fingers. He passes the card up to Pikachu, who helpfully stuffs it into a side pocket of Ash’s backpack.

“Early bird gets the Wurmple and all that,” Brock comments, tearing his eyes away from an attractive young woman sitting a few rows down.

“It’s just one day, Ash. It could have been worse,” Pikachu soothes, his boyish voice still so strange to Julian. The iconic mouse pokemon not saying ‘Pika pika!’ remains a shock to the senses. “At least we get to see how Roark battles.”

“You guys are right.” Ash bounces back quickly and regains his cheer. “It’s still fun to watch, that’s for sure!”

‘How well does Ash understand Pikachu?’ Julian can’t help but wonder. ‘It’s gotta be a substantial amount, but it’s not word for word, is it?’

Beside Julian, Lulu hums and smiles, folding her paws in her lap. “It’s certainly quite different being up here rather than down there,” she says. “Let’s see how Paul and his team stand up to a foe who is a cut above the rest. Who do you believe he will use for this match?” Lulu asks, turning her head to her human.

“Paul caught that Azumarill a few days ago, so Azumarill is a likely bet,” Julian speculates aloud. Azumarill, being so new, hasn’t really opened up to anyone yet, which makes gauging her difficult, but she performed well enough in Paul’s training. “Torterra and Lairon would be the smart choices, but it’s hard to tell what Paul is thinking sometimes. He might think of some wack-ass strategy and come at this match from a direction no one expects.”

Lulu’s brows furrow. “Chimchar and Elekid?”

The Lucario’s words make Pikachu turn on Ash’s shoulder and stare up at her. “A Fire-type and an Electric-type against Rock-types?” he asks incredulously, making Ash turn to watch the exchange curiously. “Lots of Rock-types have Ground as a second type, and let me tell you, you need a lot of juice to hurt a ground pounder with electricity. Fire is just as bad a choice since it’s weak to both Rock and Ground!” Pikachu exclaims, waving his little arms for emphasis.

‘Arceus, I know you are listening to me, so please don’t tell me that the rat is the more analytical of the two destined heroes,’ Julian prays, putting his hands together and everything.

There is no answer, but Julian swears he hears a laugh, faint and phantasmal, echo from somewhere.

The dull roar of conversation within the arena comes to a halt as Ian approaches the edge of the arena. Once the last voice dies down, Ian raises his arms, a serious expression on his face. “The Oreburgh City Gym battle between Paul the challenger and Roark the Gym Leader is about to commence! The battle will be a three-on-three! Once all pokemon on one side are unable to battle, the challenge is over! In addition, only the challenger may substitute pokemon!”

The anticipation begins to mount, and Julian finds himself leaning forward. Paul, despite being a prick, knows his stuff when it comes to pokemon. Watching him battle trainers from off the street in one-sided slaughters yields nothing, but this?

This is prime learning material. Any tricks Paul or his pokemon might have to offer Julian’s pokemon will be shamelessly adapted and adopted.

“Are both trainers ready?” Ian asks, getting twin nods from both Paul and Roark, who each palm a pokeball. “Begin!”

“Geodude, let’s go!” Roark opens with the same pokemon he did yesterday, throwing the ball high.

“Azumarill, standby!” Paul answers, setting his face into a focused scowl.

On Roark’s side of the field, Geodude appears from his pokeball in a flash of light, looking as if he didn’t get his lights knocked out by Aniki just yesterday. The Rock pokemon raises his fists, ready for an order.

Azumarill’s ball snaps open a second later, depositing the water mouse on Paul’s side in a flash. As the light of the pokeball fades, Azumarill blinks her eyes and stares down Geodude with a frown.

Dawn makes an excited noise and pulls out her pokedex, scanning both pokemon as Ash and Brock both comment on the Water vs Rock-type matchup, but Julian is too focused on the fight about to break out to pay their words much mind.

Paul doesn’t wait around for Roark to start and thrusts a hand out. “Azumarill, Water Gun!”

Azumarill tenses, then jumps up so the rocky terrain doesn’t foul her aim. She takes a deep breath, then from her maw shoots a spiraling column of water that speeds towards Geodude.

“Geodude! Hidden Power!” Roark counters, hardly a second later.

‘Hidden Power?’ Julian blinks. ‘Hidden Power’s type changes depending on the pokemon using it, so what is Geodude’s?’ He closes his eyes and reaches his aura out, feeling Grass energy of all things building around Geodude. ‘Damn. Azumarill wasn’t a surefire choice, then.’

Geodude crosses his arms and begins to glow a faint green. Then with an explosive exhale, he thrusts his fists forward as if punching the air, shedding his glow. The green light splits up into countless tiny orbs and rushes to meet Water Gun.

Water Gun and Hidden Power meet, and it’s no contest. The green globes tear through Water Gun and fly right toward a shocked Azumarill.

Bang bang bang bang!

Paul’s pokemon is battered by Hidden Power, each orb exploding against Azumarill’s hide, and all Azumarill can do is cry out as she’s dashed across the ground by the force.

“Rollout!” Roark orders, viciously pressing his advantage.

“Azumarill, get up and reposition!” Paul orders, his scowl deepening. “Get on top of one of the rocks!”

The Water pokemon tries to rise to her feet, but Geodude is already curled into a ball and speeding towards her like a runaway truck tire. With a wince-inducing thwack, all the air is driven from Azumarill’s lungs as Geodude crashes into her, and she’s thrown straight up into the air from the impact.

Geodude doesn’t even stop, instead turning around a large boulder, weaving between several small outcroppings of rock, and bouncing off of an angled stone, launching himself up at the airborne Azumarill like a cannonball.

Azumarill’s eyes widen, and that’s all she’s given the chance to do before Geodude hits her like a rocket.

Thwack!

Like a spiked volleyball, Azumarill zooms towards the ground and crashes into the hard-packed dirt at a ridiculous velocity. She bounces once, then slides across the ground. When she comes to a stop, the mouse pokemon is out cold.

“What?!” Paul’s eyes bug out, his face scandalized.

Geodude lands back down on the ground, and with Rollout still spinning up faster and faster, he turns and beelines back to Roark’s side of the field, spinning in place as if he simply turned off his traction.

Ian raises a hand and counts down from three on his fingers. Once no fingers are left, and Azumarill still doesn’t stir, the match is called. “Azumarill is unable to battle! Gym Leader Roark and Geodude win round one!”

Cheers and applause greet Ian’s words, with the off-duty miners in the crowd cheering the loudest.

“Yeesh, poor Azumarill got taken down hard and fast.” Zoey shakes her head. “I really don’t see the wisdom in giving a new pokemon the trial-by-fire treatment in a Gym.”

“Sometimes, one’s truest potential is brought to the surface with dire circumstances,” Lulu quietly comments, watching the proceedings in the arena carefully. “Some are more receptive than others, however.”

“Uh, sure?” Zoey smiles awkwardly. “I don’t speak fluent Lucario like Julian, so…”

Julian throws the poor girl a bone. “She said trial by fire is what works best for some pokemon, but not everyone is fireproof, if you get what I mean.”

Down in the arena, Paul recalls Azumarill to her ball and gives the capsule a disgusted look. Over the crowd, it’s difficult to tell what he’s saying to the unconscious pokemon, but his lips look like they are saying something – good for nothing – something.

“Ugh, that creep!” Ash voices his distaste, telling Julian that he’s not the only one who can lip read… Or that Ash has sharp ears. “Just because a pokemon lost a battle doesn’t mean they’re good for nothing!”

Paul, visibly fuming, reaches for Torterra’s ball, only to stop himself just before his fingers can wrap around the pokeball. He turns his head…

…And Looks Julian right in the eye with an unreadable expression.

The younger boy’s aura twists into something jagged and defiant, with a touch of jealousy discoloring the mess, and it’s enough to make Julian’s skin crawl. A second later, the odd mess abates, tempered by something cold and calculating, leaving Paul’s aura as still and clear as a pond on a windless day.

Rather than grab Torterra’s ball, Paul instead takes Elekid’s and throws it without a second thought. “Elekid, standby!”

The pokeball pops open at the apex of its flight, and in a flash, Elekid is dropped onto the field. The small pokemon’s face remains confident, but his aura is painted with surprise.

“Elekid?” Zoey questions with an uncomprehending blink. “Paul’s not throwing the match because of one loss, is he?”

“No…” Julian begins, looking between Elekid and Paul. “This… I’m not quite sure what this stunt is, but Paul is up to something.”

‘I can practically feel it. Paul is getting that Underdog advantage now. What’s his game? Where is he going from here?’

Roark seems surprised by the choice, but rather than underestimate Paul, the Gym Leader instead seems wary. “Well then.” Roark rubs his chin, scrutinizing Elekid. “An interesting choice.”

“Round two! Geodude versus Elekid! Begin!” Ian chops his arm down.

Without needing a word of instruction, Geodude rushes down Elekid, moving faster than ever before after having so much time to build up Rollout’s speed.

“Elekid, Brick Break with an uppercut!” Paul orders, his eyes never leaving Geodude.

Out on the field, Elekid raises a club-like arm and clenches a fist, one that crackles with arcs of off-red Fighting energy. Just as Geodude rolls into range, Elekid throws his fist up in a wicked uppercut.

“Take this!” the little Electric–type growls out.

Elekid’s fist hits Geodude like a battering ram, stopping the living rock and throwing out a shockwave that can be felt in the chest of everyone in the audience. When Julian sees what Paul did, the blonde is silently amazed.

Elekid’s knuckles found purchase on Geodude’s ridged brow, both stopping Geodude and transferring every bit of Brick Break’s kinetic force right to the rock pokemon’s skull.

‘Arceus, that was brilliant. I was wondering why he called for such a specific punch.’

Time seems to slow down for a split second, then Geodude rockets away from the force of the punch, thrown all the way to Roark’s side of the field. Geodude comes down like a carelessly dropped bowling ball, hitting the ground without a bounce, and with his eyes rolled in the back of his head.

Gasps and pointed fingers overtake the spectators. Seemingly no one can process what just happened. "Did Geodude really just get knocked out...”

“…In one hit?” Dawn breathes, as if she can scarcely believe her eyes. Beside her, Ash, Pikachu, and Brock are similarly shocked.

‘God damn, that was Cool.’

Roark takes off his glasses, rubs them on his jumpsuit, and replaces them. When nothing before his sight changes, his shoulders slump. “Wow. What a hit…” He sighs. “Between the Machoke yesterday and Elekid today, this really isn’t Geodude’s week.”

Down at the side of the field, Ian raises a hand, counts down from three, and when Geodude fails to move, he shakes his head. “Geodude is unable to battle! Challenger Paul and Elekid win round two!”

The cheers and applause are easily twice as loud this time, with some people even standing up, Julian among their number.

“A single hit, though?” Dawn is still disbelieving. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pokemon defeated in one hit.”

Julian mulls over whether or not he wants to explain and take a turn as Mr. Exposition. After a few seconds of internal debate, he begins speaking. “Paul maximized Brick Break’s impact like a Pro,” he says, getting the attention of the rest of the group. “He had Elekid throw an uppercut using Brick Break to counteract Geodude’s rolling and even turn it against him. When Elekid’s knuckles hit Geodude’s protruding brow, Geodude’s rolling came to an abrupt stop, kind of like a car crash. The thing about crashes is that it’s not the speed that hurts you, it’s the”—Julian makes a fist and punches the palm of his other hand—“sudden stop. Combine that with the opposing force of Brick Break coming from an opposite direction, and Geodude was cooked.” His piece said, Julian quiets back down. ‘You better be grateful that I’m talking you up like this, Paul.’

“Wow…” Ash looks back to the arena, staring at Paul with an intense expression.

After such an explosive pair of matches, Julian’s memory of the anime is jogged a bit, and the rest of the battle loses some magic as it plays out much as he remembers it going. Roark sends out his Onix, and Elekid avoids harm with his superior speed and a few clever casts of Protect, but is still struck by a horrific Double Edge from Onix.

Onix, however, suffers from touching Elekid, as the electric pokemon’s ability, Static, paralyzes the gigantic rock snake. His movements jittery and impaired, Onix casts Stealth Rock and prepares to keep fighting, only for Paul to recall Elekid for later and send out Chimchar.

Even with a warning from Paul before his ball opened, the little ape pokemon can’t totally avoid harm, and is struck by one of the Stealth Rocks, drawing a displeased growl from Paul.

With Onix slowed so drastically by his paralysis, Chimchar uses Dig at Paul’s direction and wreaks havoc on the larger pokemon, popping out of holes under the ground and throwing super effective strikes before vanishing again like a guerrilla trooper. Onix can only last so long under the assault before a lucky strike to the head knocks the colossus unconscious, netting Chimchar a win.

As Onix is recalled, Paul even crosses his arms and nods. “Not bad, Chimchar. Better than I expected.”

The chimp pokemon’s eyes literally shine at the hard-earned praise.

Alas, nothing good can last, for Chimchar is felled by Roark’s Cranidos, who is just too fast and too fearsome. Chimchar puts up a good fight, even activating his special ability, Blaze, and nailing Cranidos with a devastating Flame Wheel, but it’s simply not enough.

To his credit, Paul withholds any snide comments about Chimchar’s loss as Chimchar is recalled to his ball. Finally, the last round commences between Elekid and Cranidos.

Cranidos is without a doubt the physical superior between the two pokemon, and that is not lost on Paul, who has Elekid get in close and land a critical Brick Break on Cranidos’ leg. Even with Cranidos’ special ability, Mold Breaker, preventing Cranidos from being immobilized by Elekid’s Static, the fractured bone in the dino’s upper thigh isn’t something that can be ignored. Crippled, Cranidos is left with only his Flamethrower to keep Elekid at bay. Flamethrower doesn’t do much good, however, as Elekid braves the flames to sock Cranidos right in the face with Brick Break, leading to now.

In the arena, Cranidos and Elekid are both panting harshly, each one so exhausted that they can barely breathe. Each pokemon sways on their feet and refuses to look away from the other, both silently demanding that the other give up, and take the loss that they are destined to have.

One falters.

With a groan, Cranidos falls over onto his side, unable to stand any longer. He tries to rise, but between his weariness and his injured leg, all he can do is flop.

Elekid’s smirk is so overpoweringly smug that it’s like a mental flashbang to Julian’s aura-sense. If Elekid was any more satisfied with himself, it would fill the air like a fog.

With Cranidos on the ground and clearly not in fighting shape, Ian raises a hand. “It's over! Elekid and Challenger Paul are the winners!”

Paul and his pokemon get standing ovations from everybody in the bleachers. Someone in the crowd even holds up a hastily made sign with Azumarill, Chimchar, and Elekid on it, shaking it around.

Rubbing a hand down his face, Roark looks just as exhausted as the pokemon are. Lifting the pokeball in his hand, he points it at his fallen Cranidos. “You did an excellent job, Cranidos. Return!”

The fossil pokemon retreats back into Roark’s pokeball in a flash of red, before the ball is shrunken to its travel size and stowed away.

Paul, likewise, raises Elekid’s ball. “Acceptable work, Elekid. Return.”

Face locked in a content expression, Elekid returns to his ball, and retakes his place on Paul’s hip.

As Paul and Roark both walk to meet in the middle of the arena, Lulu sighs. “Distaste for his attitude aside, I must admit that Paul and his pokemon are more effective than I expected,” she says, dredging up some grudging respect for the win. “I still wish he would be kinder to his team, though.”

Julian bumps her shoulder with his. “I like to think he’s getting better. Slowly.”

Lulu just nods, not really agreeing, but not outright disagreeing either. Together, they watch Paul and Roark meet in the middle of the field, and Roark withdraws a badge from his pocket.

“Congratulations on your win, Paul.” Roark smiles, passing the badge to the younger trainer. “You’ve earned it.”

Paul cooly nods, keeping just how pleased he is off of his face. “Thank you very much, Roark. I enjoyed the battle,” he says, politely inclining his head and dropping the badge in his pocket.

With the fight over, the spectators all get up and begin to exit, talking excitedly all the while. In an unexpected act of courtesy, Paul waits for Julian, Zoey, and Lulu by the door that lets out into the lobby. As the group comes together again, with Ash and Co on their heels, Ash holds out a hand to stop everyone from walking out yet.

“Hold on a sec,” Ash says. “How long are you guys going to be in town for? I’d really like it if you came to watch me battle tomorrow,” he says, looking between Paul and Julian as he speaks.

‘Shit. I think I’ve become a third-wheel rival. This is way earlier than I wanted,’ Julian muses, withholding a frown. Closing his eyes, he reaches out with his sixth sense, and is relieved to find that the powerful aura he sensed earlier is still near the town. ‘Hopefully, Paul can keep Ash busy for the next couple of encounters while I build my team up.’

Paul is as quick as a striking Seviper with his retort. “Why would we want to watch you lose?” he asks, raising an incredulous eyebrow.

“Ugh.” Zoey reaches out and pokes Paul in the shoulder. “You don’t need to be a sourpuss all the time, Paul. We aren’t going to leave until the day after tomorrow, so what’s the harm in coming by to watch?” She plants her fists on her hips and gives Paul a critical look. “Do you have something planned?”

“Not wasting my time was the plan for tomorrow,” Paul grouchily replies. He then looks at Julian, as if silently asking him for his opinion.

“Were we doing anything tomorrow?” Julian, in turn, asks Lulu.

“Do I look like your planner book?” Lulu dryly asks. Nevertheless, the Lucario touches a paw up to her chin in thought. “… Other than our usual training, I don’t believe so. We still have that phone call from Professor Sycamore to wait for, and I imagine that we will need to make time afterward, but the only way I see something pressing being added to our agenda is if the meeting with the owner of that aura signature isn’t accomplished today. Oh! We should probably write a letter to Robert letting him know about our Gym win. I don’t believe we’ve sent him anything yet, and I do not know the hours of the post office. It may be prudent to check.”

Oof. Shit. Guilt suddenly stabs Julian for forgetting Bob, and he resolves to put that next on his list.

Nodding, Julian turns to Ash. “I’m expecting an important phone call and have errands that might run over today into tomorrow, but I’d say Lulu and I have a fair chance at showing up. Just don’t hold your breath.”

Ash smiles, clear and bright.

‘Your battle against Paul back in Sandgem wasn’t all too impressive, Ash.’ Julian homes in on the pokeballs dangling from Ash’s belt. ‘Do you have any new tricks or strategies? That’s what I’m most curious to see.’