(Grey's POV)

  We entered the arena for the second match against Trainer Sharon. As we took our positions, she informed me that this would be a 2-vs-2 match.

  She released a Tangela, and I brought out Shellder. I immediately told Shellder to use Icicle Spear. He fired the jagged ice shards, but Sharon was ready. She told Tangela to use Vine Whip to knock off the incoming spears. It launched four distinct whips, swatting the projectiles out of the air before they could land. I was genuinely impressed; it was an innovative use of Vine Whip. To be frank, the move itself is incredibly versatile—even Ash used it creatively with his Bulbasaur and Bayleef back in the day.

  I decided to set up Spikes to prep the field, but she completely ignored it and told Tangela to use Ingrain. Crap. That thing planned to stay on the field and stall me out. I told Shellder to use Water Gun in "burst mode"—firing rapid-fire pulses of water—but Tangela did the same thing, using its Vine Whips to knock the attacks away. I realized I had to do something creative, as Ingrain was already starting to heal Tangela's minor scrapes. The one disadvantage it had was that it couldn't move from that spot, and I needed to exploit that.

  Sharon told Tangela to use Vine Whip followed by Constrict. The vines wrapped around Shellder, but I told him to use Rapid Spin. He broke the whips as he spun, and I realized that the rotation speed was the key—it was enough to tear the vines, but I had to get in close. I had an idea and smirked.

  "Shellder, use Water Gun in the opposite direction to fly toward the Tangela!"

  Shellder smirked too and did exactly that, propelling himself like a cannonball toward his opponent. Sharon told Tangela to use Vine Whip to intercept, but I commanded a mid-air Counter Shield. It worked. For the first time, the Counter Shield manifested, but offensively. Shellder looked like a giant water Destructo Disc; the vines got wrecked on contact, and Shellder slammed onto Tangela. The force uprooted Tangela from its Ingrain and sent it flying across the arena.

  I told Shellder to stop and fire Icicle Spears. He hit his spiked body against the ground to kill his momentum, came to an instant stop, and fired. Tangela was still mid-air, hurtling toward the wall. Sharon tried to tell it to deflect, but it was too imbalanced after that slam. It was hit with a super-effective barrage of spears to end the match.

  Sharon withdrew her Tangela and sent out a Roselia. I was surprised to see a Hoenn Pokémon in Kanto. I withdrew Shellder, which shocked her—most trainers would stay in with a winning streak—and sent out Exeggcute. She was even more surprised to see a Grass-type being used against her, but the moment the match began, Roselia took damage from the Spikes I'd laid down earlier.

  She used Sludge, and I told Exeggcute to use Reflect combined with Confusion to stop the sludge mid-air, which it did perfectly. She then told Roselia to fire off Magical Leaves. They spiraled toward us, but I told Exeggcute to use Confusion on itself to levitate out of the way. To be frank, I could have stopped the leaves, but I wanted to surprise her a bit more.

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  She told Roselia to use Sunny Day, and the arena brightened as the sun intensified. With the sun up, she told Roselia to fire Sludge again. The attack seemed much faster now. I told Exeggcute to dodge using its psychic abilities and zoom in toward Roselia. It did so immediately. Sharon suddenly realized that the speed at which Exeggcute was levitating was due to Chlorophyll—her own weather condition had boosted both Pokémon.

  As Exeggcute flew toward her, she called for another Magical Leaf. I told Exeggcute to use Confusion on the leaves and send them back with even more spin. The leaves stopped in their tracks, reversed their rotation, and were sent back at Roselia. She tried to get away with her increased speed, but I told Exeggcute to hold her in place. She was locked down by Confusion as her own leaves slammed into her. I then told Exeggcute to use Confusion to slam her into the wall and the ground repeatedly until the rose lost consciousness.

  Sharon returned her Pokémon, looking a bit upset, but she switched moods quickly and congratulated me. I told her it was a great match and that her Vine Whip usage was quite innovative. To be frank, it was a close match, even though it might not have looked like it. Confusion was the only move Exeggcute knew that could actually damage her; it couldn't use Leech Seed, spores, or Toxic effectively. Luckily, I had trained Exeggcute exclusively on psychic usage. Having six seeds to "multi-think" helped immensely—it could stop Roselia and the leaf attack and fire back all at once.

  I went to treat my Pokémon once more. My final trainer match was scheduled with Casey in 15 minutes, again at Arena 3.

  After healing, I met Casey, who told me the rules would be mended a bit. Initially, it was a 2-vs-2, but one of her Pokémon had evolved that morning, making a 2-vs-2 too difficult for this badge level. The new rules were that she would use only one Pokémon, while I could use any number of mine. She gave me a minute to strategize after she released hers.

  She released a Breloom. That explained the leeway; a Breloom is at least a 3-to-4 badge level Pokémon. I thought about using Exeggcute to stall with Toxic and Confusion—that was the easiest answer. But a part of me realized that if I didn't let Axew face this challenge, he'd be mad. Even if he lost, I could send Exeggcute in to finish it.

  I sent out Axew. Casey was surprised to see a dragon, and the moment Axew saw the Breloom, he had a feral grin. She went for a Mach Punch the second the match started. The Breloom zoomed in with incredible speed, but Axew just took the hit and stood his ground. I told him to land a Dual Chop, which he slammed into Breloom's face.

  Breloom moved back, saw Axew, and smirked. Both Pokémon were battle junkies. She told Breloom to use Stun Spore, but I told Axew to launch a barrage of Dragon Rage to shut it down. Axew fired while moving toward the Breloom. The moment Breloom dodged the barrage, Axew zoomed in with a scary expression and landed a Slash at its face. Casey tried telling Breloom to get distance, but we weren't having it. Axew kept attacking with Slashes and Dual Chops.

  It was astonishing to see a Fighting-type struggling in a close-up match, but I realized it had barely evolved—only its natural instincts were guiding its new typing. Eventually, we found a loose guard in Breloom's stance. Without even my command, Axew landed a Cross Slash using both arms to send Breloom flying. It hit the ground hard. Axew got ready to end it, but he suddenly seized up—paralyzed.

  Effect Spore. Breloom got up, ready to fight. Casey tried to switch to a distance game with Absorb, but Breloom shook its head at her. It wanted the close-up match; its new fighting instincts were screaming for it. Axew and I realized it midway—Breloom wanted to improve its brawling and beat Axew at his own game. I told Axew to stay defensive and wait for an opening, and he nodded, his speed lowered by the paralysis.

  Breloom charged for a Mach Punch rally while Axew used Dual Chop. Despite the height difference, it looked like a boxing slugfest. Casey and I both stopped commanding; the Pokémon were enjoying themselves too much. Breloom was improving, giving fewer openings now, while Axew was getting better at defending since he couldn't stay on the offensive.

  But all things end. Axew looked like he was about to flinch from the paralysis, and Breloom charged in for the finish. Out of sheer stubbornness, Axew recovered, dodged the attack, and caught Breloom with its arm extended. He left his guard open for a split second, and Axew landed a quick Cross Slash right in the gut. Breloom stood there, looking at Axew. Both smirked before the mushroom Pokémon finally fell.

  The referee signaled the end. I scooped up Axew, congratulating him. In my mind, I realized he had truly grown stronger. Casey withdrew her Pokémon and congratulated me. I healed Axew and went to the receptionist.

  "Your match is scheduled for the day after tomorrow, Grey. It will be a broadcasted match. You can invite anyone you want to see it."