Act I: The First Casualty

It was immediately relaxing for X to be home in his familiar streets. He had taken the night to rest after the long journey back to Fiume, but was now standing at the front door of a dream. He had spent countless days in the crowds of the Fiume City gym watching trainers hone their skills to challenge the gym's leader, Olivia. Now it was his turn.

He took a deep breath, calmed himself, and knocked. A few minutes later the door was answered by a Wartortle, who saw X inside. He approached the enormous, watery field and the room opened up before him. It felt surreal to be standing here on battlefield, across from the leader he had watched for years.

"Leader Torpid." X addressed his adversary.

"Not exactly, but they'll manage." He replied, exhilaration flushing through his veins.


X challenging Olivia Torpid, Singles 4v4

"Alright then. Jingles! Start us off!" The diminutive fairy was smaller than it's opponent's body, let alone the intimidating cannon it was lugging around, but floated defiantly a couple feet from the surface on which the Clauncher floated.

"I see. Looks aren't everything." Olivia mused. "You know the routine Clawitzer!"
"Put on the breaks Jingles!"

The Klefki released a pulse of static electricity the instant X's words left his mouth. Almost before, it seemed. After making contact, the attack dispersed harmlessly across the water, but the effect permeated through the Clawitzer. Whatever attack it had been preparing never happened and the pokemon was left bobbing, muscles seizing. "Got him!" X cried in excitement, "Now go to work!" The fairy began to draw black energy from its opponent, which it then expelled back at it as a hard, black mass. It was a solid hit. Whatever pain its foe endured was not easy to tell, as it was already wincing and struggling just to move. "You can do this Clawitzer!" Olivia coached to her pokemon, "Just think slow and deliberate!"

It was no use. The Clawitzer floated helplessly as it's foe hammered it relentlessly and repeatedly until finally, the pokemon fell limp.

"Well, well. You do know a thing or two." Olivia smirked as she withdrew her Clawitzer from the battlefield. "Go! Starmie!" The pokemon sliced through the air as if Olivia had thrown a Shuriken.
"Do it again Jingles!" Once more, with precision timing, the tiny fairy pulsed electricity. The Starmie stopped mid-air, seized, and fell back into the water. As it sank, X withdrew his Klefki. "Let someone else have a chance buddy." X said, looking like a Sawsbuck in fall. "You've got it Haze!" The Gengar stood upon the water's surface grinning and ready. "I've got this easy!" X thought in premature confidence. The water upon which his Gengar stood began to pull back into a towering wave. Just as it was about to break, the Starmie rose from the depths below it, the gem at its center gleaming with purpose.

"That's it." Olivia spoke calmly, "Slow and deliberate."

The wave came crashing down to bury Haze before swallowing her in its abyss. For a moment X was speechless as he peered into the pool for any sign of his pokemon. Haze bubbled up to stand upon the surface again, frowning in disdain. X's relief was almost immediately replaced with a new found sense of urgency. "Hit it back!" X declared. The Gengar threw up a wake as it raced the width of the pool and threw its arms forward toward its aggressor, summoning sinister flames that burned angrily into the Starmie's body. At this Olivia withdrew her pokemon. "That's enough, you." She cooed to the pokeball in her hand. "Take over Mantine!"

The large ray dove straight out of its pokeball into the pool beneath it. "Alright Haze, let's do this!" Haze snarled at the mantine beneath the waves and was answered by a spray of scalding hot water. She shouted in hurt and surprise before X returned her to his side. "Alright then, I've got something for you. You've got it Flicker!" The Chandelure emerged from its pokeball and hung menacingly over the battlefield tracking its foe as it swam. Olivia raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"Energy Ball!" X called out. The Chandelure collected energy in front of it before releasing launching the ball on a collision course with the Mantine. It was answered by a spray of scalding hot water.

X couldn't believe the Mantine had survived. Flicker was the hardest hitter he had. It didn't make sense unless... "Forgetting my Mantine's typing?" Olivia chided like a motherly teacher. At this, her Mantine launched from the water and began to soar around the building. "Damnit!" X thought. "That was stupid." Olivia's Mantine doused Flicker once more before X gave up and withdrew her from the battle. "Alright." He muttered. "Time to do this right. Jingles! You're back up!"

The Klefki proudly reentered the field of battle to challenge the enormous kite soaring before it. "Let's do it again!" The fairy pulsed electricity, slowing the mantine, but not stopping it, and was blasted with hot water just like its predecessors. The fairy already looked unhealthy, but X needed it to endure. "Now really toss things up!" He called. The Klefki danced an awkward, erratic dance in front of its foe, who in trying to track its movement, became dizzy and infuriated. "Now fix yourself up!" X continued coaching. Jingles responded by tailing the Mantine whilst it struggled to turn, its muscles locking up. Once the Klefki reached its target, it collided lightly with it, and from that touch, drew upon the Mantine's energy. The Mantine responded by jerking around suddenly to blast the nuisance away.

"Come on Mantine! You can do this!"
"Keep it up Jingles!"

X's Klefki returned to strike the Mantine again, drawing the from it the strength to continue fighting. The Mantine banked to face its opponent, but couldn't complete the motion in time. Its dizzy flying and stiff muscles failed it and the pokemon careened into the ground at the side of the pool before continuing on into the wall not far beyond its initial point of impact. "You've very nearly won this for me." Olivia reassured the Mantine as she called it back. "So this is it. This is where you prove just how hard you've worked. Let's see if it's been enough. It's all up to you Cloyster!" The heavily armored shellfish splached into the water and immediately sank to the bottom where it was most comfortable.

"Jingles! You know what to do!" This time the Klefki actually did act before X had finished. It dipped below the surface and pulsed its static through the pool, which locked the Cloyster in place. The bottom dweller retaliated with five ice shards shot like bullets, all of which struck their bull's eye size target with flawless precision. The fairy reeled and began to sink. "Oh, I guess you've earned a break." X smiled and spoke to Jingles as he called him out of danger.

X called forth his final pokemon, an ethereal pink jellyfish, to sit comfortably on the water's surface. "Well, I guess one of them swims." X said. The gym leader smirked back at him and said nothing.

"Let's finish this Plasm!" The pokemon flung its tentacles towards its enemy. Before the Cloyster could turn to take aim strange flames took hold of it and licked it with intense, searing pain. They seemed to almost meld straight through its armor and by the time they had dissipated, the pokemon sat motionless.

X victorious, shocked, and thrilled. He had done it! He had actually beaten a gym leader! This wasn't and exposition or a trial run. It wasn't some unsanctioned street contest that could be waved aside by a scorned opinion. He was about to receive a gym badge which would stand as undeniable proof of his accomplishment. This moment was his, and nothing could ruin it for him.

Alexander knocked on the gym door, Remus and Gengar beside him. He had watched X go in a few minutes before, presumably to challenge Olivia for her badge. Alexander was hoping the aspiring young trainer would take out most or all of her Pokemon, so that Alexander's life could be made easier. Shortly after the knock, the door was opened by Olivia's Wartortle helper. Alexander wasted no time in kicking it full in the face with the flat of his foot, sending the Pokemon sprawling backwards. Remus slipped in the gym in front of him and Gengar, as his shadow, shut the door behind him. He noticed the small badge in X's hand and started clapping.

"Well done, X!" he exclaimed, his claps echoing across the gym. "I knew you could do it, a talented man like yourself."

The Wartortle was struggling to get back up, so Alexander kicked him back down and shifted his gaze to the gym leader. "Olivia, I'd like to have a word with you."

Sniffling, Alcher jumped down from the dumpster, having found it a depressing stew of old food. Nothing fresh. Löwenmaul whined lowly at her feet, and she ruffled her nose, patting the lion's nose. "Yeah," she grumbled, rubbing her stomach. "Me too." Heavy lidded and a bit down trodden, Alcher turned from the alley and led her lanky partner out and towards the inner part of the city. It didn't seem too busy today, but the people that passed her still gave her those odd looks she'd grown so used to. Turning a corner, she spotted an abandoned jacket on a bench, and leaned in to swipe it casually. She ducked into another alley, pulling off her old shirt and putting on the new jacket, zipping it up. "How do I look?" she asked and Löwenmaul simply rolled its eyes. Alcher stuck her tongue out.

An upset voice caught her attention and she gazed across the walkway, watching a man in a nice suit kick his way into a building. Blinking, intrigued, she slunk across the street after him and stood outside, peering in through the window pane. She tilted he head. Was he going to challenge her? That would be fun to watch. Alcher had rarely seen real Pokemon battles. Smiling, she re-positioned herself so that she could see in through the window. "This'll be good," she grinned.

The door shut behind X as Alexander finished wiping off his face. X was being smart, not helping either Alexander or Olivia, and he could respect that. He'd just have to ensure X's loyalty later. 

Alexander spread his arms wide, a mocking smile stretching across his face. "Olivia, there's no need to be s--"

His gaze fell on the Pokeball in her hand. "Wait. Why do you still have Pokemon? You-- you two didn't fight with all six Pokemon? Dammit X! You had one job! I had a whole speech prepared and everything!"

Alexander threw up his hands in frustration. "No, fine, fuck it, we'll do this the stupid way."

Alexander challenging Olivia Torpid, Singles 2v2

Alexander was quick to react. He unleashed his Gengar, mega-evolving it as soon as it came out. It flashed as it came forth from its Dusk Ball, its haunting laughter sending a shiver down Olivia's spine. She didn't show it however, as she ordered the Kingdra forward. Gengar moved quickly, diving into the water and latching onto its opponent. "Fight it off!" Olivia ordered. The Gengar unleashed a series of horrors in the Kingdra's mind, and Olivia watched helplessly. Kingdra was going to go down, and soon.

"Kingdra, please, get the rain started!" Olivia pleaded with her Pokemon, hoping to capitalize on some sort of advantage before the Kingdra would faint. Luckily, her words broke through the mental horrors, and a rain cloud formed above the gym pool. Within a few moments, however, the Kingdra was down, and Alexander smiled sardonically at the gym leader. Olivia ignored the trainer, hoping this last strategy might work.

"Go, Swampert!" she called out, as the Swampert burst out and into the pool. Olivia grabbed the whistle dangling around her neck, and blew it hard. The stone on the side of the whistle glowed as it interacted with the jewel on Swampert's arm brace. It dove under water, and a flash of light filled the room. Out from the water burst Mega Swampert, diving back down with incredible speed.

There was no way Gengar could out-speed her Swampert now. "Swampert, attack!"

Olivia was wrong. The Mega Gengar moved first, unleashing a nasty ball of shadows on the Water-type. Swampert took a heavy amount of damage, and reeled back, as the Gengar latched onto him. Olivia cringed. She needed to act, fast.

Gengar is part Poison, and he's Shadow Tagged on to Swampert, Olivia realized. "Swampert, Earthquake!"

Enduring the Gengar, Swampert dove under water. The two Pokemon were on the bottom of the pool, and Swampert slammed itself on the ground, cracking the foundations of the pool. Dark canal water leaked in from outsde, but Gengar floated to the surface of the pool, fainted.

"What do you have now?" Olivia smiled. Her Mega Swampert appeared at her side. Alexander retrieved his Gengar, and let out his Houndoom.

"A Fire-type?" Olivia laughed. "You better start running."