Days passed.

  Lucas wasn’t entirely sure what N and the Shadow ninjas were up to… well, he supposed that wasn’t entirely true. The request for a few of his heart scales made it sort of obvious what they were doing, but given N’s attitude towards battles, Lucas didn’t much see the point in visiting that weird guy’s place.

  He wasn’t about to ask, either. In the first place that would require him to actually have some sort of conversation with them on something that ultimately didn’t matter to him, but there was also the matter of his team’s training. Cynthia might have left them behind, but that didn’t mean Lucas was prepared to march right up to Crasher Wake once more just to lose again.

  Today he was here to win.

  The water sloshed against the sides of the pool, and Lucas eyed up the man across from him, eager for his rematch.

  “I was starting to think you’d moved on from Pastoria!” Wake called out from the opposite end of the battlefield. “Normally trainers who want a rematch do it the next day if they aren’t planning to loop back around after visiting some other gyms!”

  Lucas let Wake’s words go in one ear and out the other. He was here to win, he couldn’t let anything distract him.

  “You really are a man of few words, huh? FINE! BE THAT WAY!” He mumbled something about the color red, but it was surprisingly quiet for the man known for his volume.

  And then, just like a few days prior, Ludicolo appeared before him.

  Lucas didn’t make the same mistake as last time. He would need Torterra later, he was sure of it. Instead…

  Porygon2 announced… well, something or other. Without the speaker of his Pokedex to talk through, the sound came out more like static from an old set of speakers than anything comprehensible. His somewhat familiar but now rounded form materialized above the water’s surface, keeping afloat with a quick Magnet Rise that left a slight hum of electricity in the air but wasn’t nearly enough to do any real damage to anything.

  “Colo?” Their foe tilted his large hat, confused by the Pokemon that Wake’s team hadn’t had to face in their last match.

  Another hiss of static sounded out.

  Lucas heard Wake sigh from the other end of the field. “A Porygon2 as well? Cynthia must really like you…”

  Lucas wasn’t entirely sure what the man was on about, but it didn’t matter.

  They had a battle to win.

  Porygon2 started things off with a Signal Beam, the strange beam of off red-ish light cutting across the field. Ludicolo cried out in pain as it hit just below his beak, not fast enough to dodge without the rain boosting his speed like in the first battle.

  Lucas had been reluctant to use Porygon2. The more he had thought about this match, though, the more he had found himself thinking that the benefits outweighed the risks.

  “Focus Blast!” Ludicolo opened his mouth, an orange ball of energy quickly forming and being launched at the Normal type, only for it to go wide, crashing into the water far to Porygon2’s left.

  Porygon2 hadn’t shown any behavior that Lucas thought odd. There were no sudden “must submit to Galactic” outbursts. Porygon2 seemed to have control of himself.

  A soft sheen of purple light overtook Porygon2 for a moment, and in the next instant he was off to the right of the pool, the momentum from Agility causing no problems for the Pokemon’s aim as he shot off another Signal Beam.

  Porygon2 was the only Pokemon on his team that could actually hit Ludicolo supereffectively, thanks to Signal Beam being a Bug type move. Add the fact that his defensive profile wasn’t something to scoff at, and the maneuverability of Agility, and you ended up with a Pokemon that, frankly speaking, Lucas would be a fool not to use.

  Ludicolo failed to dodge again, this time taking the attack on his side, grunting as he tried to focus. Apparently realizing that he wasn’t going to accomplish anything like this, he set off a Rain Dance without Wake’s input, hoping to better match Porygon2’s speed, even if Swift Swim couldn’t reach the heights that Agility was capable of.

  Beyond those obvious physical benefits, however, Lucas liked the idea of using Porygon2 because of what made him unique from the rest of his team. His digital nature. They’d been able to spend hours upon hours drafting plans based on what they’d seen in the previous attempt against Wake. Porygon2 had an encyclopedic knowledge on the members of their opponent’s team that had been revealed, and even the ones they hadn’t seen yet. And in the event that all of the pre-loaded knowledge failed, Porygon2 had Lucas watching closely and ready to give orders as a backup system.

  Wake’s immediate “ICE BEAM!” follow up probably should have been expected, but Porygon2 barely managed to veer out of the way in time, leaving a wake behind as he flew just a bit over the water to the other side of the pool. The glow of Agility returned, and Porygon2 became fast enough that Lucas couldn’t even properly see him. There was just a blur of red over the blue of the water, circling around Ludicolo and blasting another Signal Beam into the Grass type’s back.

  Swift Swim had been an annoyance last time. It put a smile on Lucas’ face to see their opponent being the one struggling to keep up this time.

  He could see the frustration on Crasher Wake’s face. The grit teeth, the hard set jaw, the way his fists clenched. It probably had something to do with the fact that, despite the fact that Lucas’ eyes could barely keep up with the action, it was clear that Ludicolo was flagging a bit. A moment to pant for breath before rushing off in a different direction wasn’t something you’d see in a fresh Pokemon. “Mega Drain!” The man shouted, clearly hoping to sap away some of Porygon2’s vitality to replenish Ludicolo.

  The soft green light of the attack barely had time to form in Ludicolo’s mouth before the next Signal Beam hit the Water type right in the face. And yet, despite the blow, the Mega Drain went through, wisps of light pulling away from Porygon2 and moving back towards Wake’s Pokemon.

  The Normal type stuttered for just a moment. The brief bit of training that Lucas had drilled into him over the last few days had been the entirety of Porygon2’s experience in battle over the Pokemon’s lifetime. It was hardly enough to get him used to taking hits, especially ones from a Gym Leader’s Pokemon. Mega Drain wasn’t exactly a powerful move, however, so it shouldn’t have been that big of a deal…

  If not for the fact that Ludicolo capitalized on that brief stutter in Porygon2’s otherwise insane movements, firing off a half-baked Focus Blast that actually managed to land.

  Not being fully prepared, it wasn’t enough to actually take Porygon2 out of the match. Really, Lucas thought that the Normal type might be able to take two of the fully powered ones before he went down, but nonetheless it had an effect on his Pokemon.

  Porygon2 crashed into the water, sinking beneath the surface before Lucas could actually assess what sort of damage had been done.

  “YEAHHHHH!” Wake roared out. “THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT, LUDICOLO!”

  Lucas scowled. With the way that the man was celebrating finally landing a hit, you’d think the match was already over.

  Porygon2 proved them wrong by flying up out of the water from behind Ludicolo, a Signal Beam hitting Wake’s Pokemon at almost point blank range.

  That proved to be too much for Ludicolo, as he fell face forward into the water with a groan, making a splash before Crasher Wake sighed and recalled him.

  Porygon2 didn’t look any different than he had before taking the hit, but Lucas knew better. The Normal type had a physical form, yes, but there was hardly anything normal about it. He’d never shown the damage dealt to him in their training, and apparently that hadn’t changed now.

  Apparently the Pokemon wanted to keep him informed, however, flying back to their side of the field as Wake selected his next Pokemon. Touching his rounded beak to Lucas’ Pokedex, he transmitted the data to speak through it. “Well, that was quite unpleasant. I must endeavor to improve on my reactions if that’s what it gets me. I’m at roughly… thirty percent of my full operating capacity right now?” There was a hum for a moment. “Would it be unsportsmanlike to use Recover while I’m the only Pokemon on the field?”

  Lucas didn’t get a chance to enthusiastically respond before Wake sent out his next Pokemon, making the point moot.

  But, either way, the soft white glow of Recover overtook Porygon2 as Lucas analyzed their next foe.

  A Floatzel.

  This was a new one. He had run into one during his training, apparently the mom of some of the Buizel his team had been beating up who was none too happy with him, but he hadn’t actually gotten a chance to battle against one before now.

  That was probably a bad thing, given how the surprise Ludicolo matchup had turned out.

  Floatzel was a pure Water type, just like Buizel. In Lucas’ eyes, they were basically a fatter version of their prior form, the “big” differences coming in the blue fins on their arms getting bigger and the float sac that was a mere ring around Buizel’s neck becoming a huge ring running around the entirety of its back.

  “Well, let’s get back to it, shall we?” Porygon2 darted across the field, sending up a spray of water as he closed in on Floatzel.

  “Let’s get an Aqua Jet for maneuverability!” Crasher Wake called out, and in an instant the Water type was overtaken by a rushing surge of water. Rather than trying to reposition himself at all and come in at a different angle, he charged straight at Porygon2, slamming his body into the Normal type and immediately following up with the inky black glow of a Crunch as he bit onto Porygon2’s right foot, whipping his mouth back and forth at great speed, the Aqua Jet still active all the while and chipping away at Porygon2.

  A Shock Wave sent electricity coursing through the water of the Aqua Jet, forcing Floatzel to loosen his jaw and retreat for a moment.

  Clap, okay symbol, snap, clap, snap, clap.

  Lucas knew that Porygon2 probably wanted to prioritize Recover right now, but a Conversion 2 would serve them better long term, in Lucas’ eyes. He didn’t like the slightly random aspect to it, in that the converted typing wasn’t something that they could explicitly choose, but a random type that resisted Floatzel’s moveset was probably better than just taking all of them neutrally.

  Though he wasn’t really sure what counted as the “last hit” in the context of Floatzel’s simultaneous Crunch and Aqua Jet. That left… what, five types that Porygon2 could have become? Maybe six, but he doubted Fairy was an option.

  Crasher Wake wouldn’t know either, however, and that meant their opponent may very well send resisted moves their way without even realizing it.

  Porygon2 only just had the time to change types before Floatzel crashed into him again, another Crunch flowing out of his fangs as he bit down on Porygon2’s tail this time, once again treating the no-longer-Normal type like a chew toy.

  Porygon2 let out a quick hiss of static, and Floatzel’s eyes narrowed, or at least Lucas got the impression of that through the rushing water, as he failed to react before another Shock Wave predictably sent a spasm down Floatzel’s spine, and Wake’s Pokemon let go.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  As far as Lucas knew, the move didn’t have any real chance of setting paralysis into a target, but Floatzel clearly didn’t find the sensation pleasant, his Aqua Jet falling apart for a moment, the fat Pokemon twitching here and there as he glared at Porygon2, electrical burns casting a blackish tint onto his orange fur coat in a lightning-like pattern.

  Porygon2’s beak lit up with the psychic glow of what Lucas expected was a Psybeam, but before he could get it off another Aqua Jet brought Floatzel in close, the light blue glow of an Ice Fang closing around Porygon2’s neck.

  Lucas clicked his teeth. Their Agilities weren’t really holding any significance in this matchup, but once Floatzel–

  His eyes went wide as Floatzel spat Porygon2 out of his mouth, the digital Pokemon not moving, just floating on the water’s surface like a rubber Psyduck.

  “THERE WE GO FLOATZEL! SHOW THEM WHO’S BOSS! A GIFT FROM CYNTHIA MEANS NOTHING TO US!”

  Lucas let out a sigh, ignoring Wake’s shouting. At least he’d gotten them through Ludicolo.

  A beam of red returned Porygon2, and another beam released him at the boy’s side, allowing Lucas to tap his Pokedex against the Pokemon and hear his voice.

  “Seems I wasn’t quite up to the task. We might have been able to scrape a victory over Floatzel out of there, but luck wasn’t on our side with that Conversion 2. I rolled Dragon, and Crasher Wake seems fond of Ice type moves for coverage.”

  They could work with this. Standing here wishing Porygon2 had gotten further wouldn’t accomplish anything.

  “Might I suggest Espeon in my place?”

  Lucas frowned. The reveal of Crunch would be a problem for Espeon, but… he could see the logic behind it. Ice Fang with that speed would make short work of Torterra, and he needed to ensure his starter was around for Gastrodon. Bibarel would be able to tank Floatzel’s hits better, but the offensive output just wouldn’t be enough with how fast this thing was. Even if Bibarel had a new trick up her sleeve, he didn’t think it would be enough for any one of Wake’s Pokemon besides Gastrodon specifically…

  His new Psychic type landed on the floating platform with a beam of red light, and Wake’s eyes widened.

  “Well you’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?! I hope you don’t think that evolving your Pokemon is going to get you anywhere, though! Take it out quick, Floatzel!”

  Swift.

  An Aqua Jet had the Water type closing the distance quickly, but Espeon was responding to the attack before Wake’s Pokemon had even moved from his starting position. A flurry of white stars flew into Floatzel’s path before it could cross the distance. Some were swept away by the flow of water, but most hit Floatzel right in the face, causing him to stop short, falling into the pool. As he was recovering from that, the ones that had been swept away by the water circled around, hitting him in the back.

  Psybeam.

  Floatzel’s tails spun like propeller blades as it moved through the pool water. Espeon’s gem began to glow as Floatzel approached the water’s surface, and as soon as it broke through a colorful beam of light was released from Espeon’s gem.

  Rather than trying to avoid or deflect it, this time Floatzel sought to overpower it, his mouth opening wide to accept the Psybeam head on, mouth overflowing with the Dark type power of a Crunch.

  Jump right and then follow with–

  Espeon flinched and let out a pained yelp as the Crunch snagged his left ear, Floatzel’s sharp fangs tearing into the sensitive skin and leaving a bloody mess behind as a close range Swift knocked him off of Espeon and back into the water.

  “Oh dear. I know that certainly stings,” Porygon2 informed him, and on good word at that being that he’d just suffered similarly.

  Lucas hissed.

  While Espeon’s telepathy was no doubt going to be an amazing tool, the few days they’d had to work with it just wasn’t enough to work out all the problems with it. If Lucas focused intently on one or two word instructions, then Espeon could pick that out of his mind and use his own judgement on how to best follow along with Lucas’ plan.

  Any more than that, however, and the concentration needed to understand let alone obey was just too much for the freshly minted Psychic type.

  Lucas had forgotten about that in the heat of the moment, but if he was being fair with himself he wasn’t sure any command that actually went through would have saved Espeon’s ear either.

  Blood dripped down from Espeon’s mangled ear and onto his face as he stood tense, waiting for Floatzel to resurface. Thankfully the rain dance from earlier was diluting it a bit and washing the worst of it away before it could get into Espeon’s eyes and blind him.

  “Not bad!” Wake called out from his end of the pool. “I know Espeon have a good reaction time, but only letting Floatzel nick your ear in the rain? That’s pretty impressive for a Pokemon that only just evolved!”

  The compliment felt like a distraction. What reason could Floatzel have for hiding under the water for so long? They’d been all for an all out offense before this, and even this brief moment of reprieve felt like an eternity.

  The water’s surface rippled with every drop of rain, but none of it looked like enough of a disturbance to single out where Floatzel was moving beneath it.

  “Would it be cheating to inform you of Floatzel’s current location? I can’t seem to find details on Porygon2 assistance in any online rulebooks…”

  That… was a good question. Lucas would need to look into it. For now, though…

  Swift.

  Psybeam was nice because it gave Espeon a move to go along with his new type. While Swift had been more of an add on, something to give Espeon more range that could actually hit a Dark type, two counterexamples notwithstanding, he couldn’t deny that it was useful in a situation like this.

  Espeon’s tail flicked the glowing stars out, the attack flaring out in a fan shape before… doing a quick turn down beneath Espeon’s platform?

  Lucas’ eyes widened.

  JUMP!

  Espeon got the message, but too late to really do anything about it. The platform was pushed up from directly below, launching it into the air and sending Espeon tumbling into a freefall.

  “Can’t use that reaction speed if you don’t have anything to push off of!” Wake called out from the other end of the pool.

  With the platform being pushed out of the way, Floatzel’s form was made clear as an Aqua Jet tore into the air. His jaw glowed black with a Crunch like one of those documentaries with a Sharpedo trying to snatch a Wingull out of the air.

  Espeon twisted his body, trying what he could to control his fall, but it only took a split second for him to realize that was pointless.

  Falling straight towards the approaching Crunch, Espeon shot out another Psybeam, aiming for Floatzel’s spinning tails so that it wouldn’t be lessened by the Dark type move.

  As Floatzel’s teeth started to close down around Espeon’s torso, a red beam of light recalled the Psychic type.

  Lucas knew that he wouldn’t be able to take a hit like that. No point in letting it happen if the outcome was certain.

  N would never let him hear the end of it.

  “Unfortunate, but probably the right call,” Porygon2 tried to reassure him.

  “YEAHHHH!” Crasher Wake shouted. “I TOLD YOU! A MEASLY EVOLUTION ISN’T ENOUGH TO STOP US!” He let out a hearty laugh. “Floatzel are what I’m known for, none of mine will go down easily!”

  And Lucas hadn’t even come up against one in the last match. How depressing.

  Floatzel’s Aqua Jet sputtered out, and the Water type landed on the platform floating on Wake’s side of the field. The one that had been upended by the surprise attack finally landed on the water’s surface with a heavy smack.

  Lucas sighed. What could he do? He’d already seen Ice Fang from Floatzel. Did he need to send Bibarel out and hope for the best?

  Floatzel looked to be wheezing a bit, clutching at his chest a bit, but… hm. Why was it staring at the wall like that, spaced out almost?

  “Are you aware that Psybeam has a small chance of causing confusion in the target?” Porygon2 chirped. “I thought a fun fact like that might cheer you up.”

  Torterra landed on the platform in a flash of red light, causing it to dip beneath the water for a moment before rising back up.

  “Ice Beam or Ice Fang, it ends the same way!” Wake taunted.

  Floatzel was apparently aware enough for the Ice Fang to form, but rather than charging at Torterra, he bashed his frozen fangs against the platform beneath him.

  Wake’s eyes widened. “Oh–”

  Lucas didn’t hear the rest of it, too focused on the clap, three fingers, snap, snap, clap that signaled a Mega Drain.

  Torterra obeyed immediately, the green wisps of light sapping away at Floatzel, even at this distance. The water type staggered, glaring at Torterra in a moment of lucidity, but when Wake yelled out “AQUA JET!” he shot himself up into the air and then right back down into Torterra’s platform, now having bashed his face against both of them but not his opponent.

  Clap, peace sign, snap, clap, clap, three fingers, snap, clap, clap–

  Lucas ran through command after command, wanting to make the most of the opportunity Espeon had given them.

  The pool’s water was dragged up Torterra’s legs and over his shell, forming a thin protective layer. A stomp of his foot and a swing of his tree sent blade-like leaves Floatzel’s way. Orange fur turned red as it was cut through, blood seeping out in revenge for Espeon’s ear. Seeds were shaken out of Torterra’s branches, wrapping up Wake’s Pokemon in vines that continuously drained him. Those fangs took on a Dark type glean as Floatzel tried to bite the Leech Seed off to no avail, too out of it to focus on them properly.

  And then, finally, Floatzel was recalled.

  Crasher Wake stared at him from across the pool. Not saying anything more a moment, just looking at his eyes in a way that frankly creeped Lucas out.

  “You know… part of me really wants to send out one of my Gyarados right now. That’d really put you in a bind, wouldn’t it?”

  Lucas grit his teeth. That would be… a challenging matchup, to say the least. Porygon2 wasn’t in fighting condition, and without Shock Wave…

  Wake threw his ball, and Gastrodon appeared.

  Wake laughed. “I had you for a second there, didn’t I?! I already upped the difficulty for you and you’ve put the effort in. Now, let’s see if your Torterra can stand up against our Blizzard!”

  A Shadow knelt, his head bowed in deference, and listened to the argument that occurred because of his report.

  “Involvement with Interpol of all groups? I know that our King is… kindhearted, but surely that is a step too far!”

  “A warning was given rather than a silent investigation. Is that not a sign of respect?”

  “Only you could call a warning like that a sign of respect. It’s clearly a threat! They’re onto us and think so little of us that they would taunt us! The nerve!”

  “We should recall Lord N immediately. It’s clearly too risky to have him doing whatever he wants in Sinnoh!”

  “Recall Lord N? After all the attention he has brought on himself? It would be as good as inviting the League to walk up to our doorstep, wondering where he has gone!”

  “Perhaps, then, the other plan should be put into place. A bit earlier than expected, perhaps, but that only gives us more time to cement things before parts need to start moving.”

  The Sages truly were an… interesting group. The Shadow was never quite sure what to make of them. So many different outlooks, differing opinions… Truly there were only two things they had in common, at least in his eyes.

  A desire for power, and the knowledge that they could obtain it by clinging to Ghetsis.

  They were silent as they wanted for him to speak.

  “...our King must be allowed to explore as he pleases. It serves our purposes in that he may gain support on the outside to legitimize our movement.”

  Some Sages sighed at that decision, but none voiced their concerns any further, taking his word as law.

  “However…” Ghetsis continued, “I do believe that I gave instructions to my Shadows previously.”

  He felt sweat bead on his forehead. “Yes, Lord Ghetsis.”

  “Would you be so kind as to remind everyone of what those instructions were?”

  His heart beat faster, and he felt Banette’s frown in his shadow. “To not draw attention to ourselves, Lord Ghetsis.”

  Ghetsis hummed. “Quite.” A pause far too long for comfort left the large room feeling claustrophobic. “I believe that Sage Ryoku has the right idea. Collect the others and return to Unova. N seems to be handling himself… well enough. You will be departing on a new mission soon, so prepare yourselves.”

  “Of course, Lord Ghetsis.”

  Hopefully he could get his hands on a C-gear before leaving…

  As Lucas walked out of the Pastoria Gym, a Fen Badge slotted into his case, he considered the fact that there were only two empty spots left in it.

  Not much left until he was going to the Lily of the Valley.

  He just needed to go to the coldest place in Sinnoh first. Wade through snow and a ton of Ice types. Beat an Ice type gym leader.

  Lucas hung his head.

  This was going to suck.

  All of Crasher Wake’s team used here have an Ice type move because he’s a torterra hater. (Gastrodon used Blizzard in the first match if you forgot)

  Porygon2 can’t fly, as is stated over and over and over in the Pokedex, but a simple Magnet Rise at the start of a battle does wonders.

  We all know Gastrodon gets stomped.

  Next chapter will much more heavily focus on N and Mimikyu. I wanted to have some of their shenanigans in this chapter but the gym battle just kept going on and on and on.

  As always, feedback is appreciated. (If you’re actually looking for a response, discord is the place to be)