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Pokémon:

Quest of a True Master

Chapter 7

"Alright, think you're all set now?" Randy asked the young boy as they walked back to the gym.

The boy, whom had introduced himself as Nick, eagerly nodded back to Randy. "Yeah! I think I understand everything you told me," he replied. "I'm going to raise my Pidgeotto into the strongest Pidgeot ever! And I'll get lots more Pokémon too."

"I'm sure you will," returned Randy, patting Nick on the head. "Anyway, I should get back to my friend."

"Tell him I hope he kicks the Gym Leader's butt, okay?"

"Will do," assured Randy, waving goodbye to Nick as he ran off, heading to train in the Viridian Forest with his Pokémon.

With that, Randy hustled over to the gym entrance, hoping he hadn't missed anything as he ran to the door, opening it and stepping in. He arrived to see the battle was underway, but had arrived just in time to see Fang soaring through the air and slamming into the wall above the door. Randy watched in shock as the Mightyena dropped down from the ceiling, Mark attempting to catch him only to get knocked down too in a burst of dust. Despite some scrapes, Mark was back up promptly. "Fang; you okay boy?" Mark asked.

The Mightyena made no response to his trainer; he lay there with labored breathing, whining in pain and unable to move. Mark promptly recalled the Mightyena into his Poké Ball, letting him take a rest, before he turned to face his opponent. "What was that? It can't have been a Psychic attack; Dark-types are immune to that kind of power."

"That was Focus Blast," replied the trainer Mark was battling, which could only have been Blue Oak himself. "It's a Fighting-type Special Attack; very inaccurate, which is why I had Alakazam allow your Mightyena to get in close before I unleashed it. When it hits, it's a very devastating attack."

"Focus Blast? But how did you teach it that?"

"With a technical machine, of course; I ordered specially from Hoenn, and since Alakazam can learn any kind of Special Attack I knew it was perfect to teach him, especially since using Dark-types against Psychics is a very common strategy. So, he needed an attack that would beat a Dark-type easily, and that was it. When he baited your Mightyena in close, it was all a matter of timing, landing Focus Blast before you could land your Crunch attack -which I admit, would've been pretty damaging if it had landed."

"And you say you had Alakazam let Fang get close?" Mark inquired further. "How did you tell him to do that? I didn't hear you call out to your Alakazam throughout the battle."

"I didn't have to," replied Blue, raising a hand and tapping the side of his head. "He can sense brainwaves and, as a result, hear my thoughts, thanks to Mind Reader."

Randy saw Mark jerk as if struck, while the other trainer himself, despite not even being in the battle, felt a wave of worry wash over him. He had missed part of the battle, and didn't know where Mark stood in the battle so far, but clearly he was at a disadvantage. He could see the sense of imminent loss on Mark's face, and knew his confidence was slipping. If he didn't find a way out of this, he was going to lose; as he watch Mark, he even saw him mouth the words, 'I have no way to win...'

"Yes you do!" Randy barked at him, making Mark jump and peer over his shoulder.

"Randy?" He asked. "When did you get here?"

"Just when Fang hit the wall," replied Randy. "Now look, just because his Alakazam can read his mind doesn't mean he's unbeatable; you just have to do something he won't think of -do as I do, outmaneuver him!"

Mark listened attentively to Randy's words; it sounded like a good idea, but what could Mark do? Palm Tree might be able, but Mark needed him to take on Blue's Blastoise. Vitesse was out of the question completely; no matter how strong she was, that Alakazam had the capacity to take her out in one shot as well, and then there was Tanker; Psychic attacks had little effect on Steel-types, and his Ground sub-type would make him immune to Alakazam's Charge Beam, but that Focus Blast could take out Tanker too...

It occurred to Mark at that moment that Alakazam was likely even stronger than he was thinking; Charge Beam was a powerful electric attack, but it had a secondary effect -each time it was used, it had the potential to raise the special attack strength of its user even more. One hit from this Alakazam could mean any one of his Pokémon would be out of commission in one attack... this didn't help his confidence much. And how did Mark know that Alakazam wasn't reading his mind too?

He decided to voice this question. "Hey, Blue!"

"You giving up?" Blue asked.

"No, but tell me something," began Mark. "Is Alakazam reading my mind just as it is yours?"

"No," Blue replied plainly. "Using Mind Reader on Pokémon Trainers is strictly prohibited by law; violating this law would result in my Alakazam being forced to either forget Mind Reader, or he would be taken away from me."

"Taken away?" Mark echoed. "Do they really have to go so far?"

"It's a strict law, like I said," replied Blue. "So, my Alakazam will not read an opponent's mind, not even if I order him to, because he knows we'll be taken apart if he does."

"I see," returned Mark. "Okay..." Now that I know that, I'll have to come up with something unconventional, or maybe just so simple it might work... but what? Even knowing his Alakazam isn't reading my mind doesn't help that none of my Pokémon can beat him. He gets one clear shot and they...

_ _ He paused... A sudden idea struck him. The Alakazam had displayed it knew Charge Beam and Focus Blast; powerful and threatening attacks, but not unavoidable ones... if Mark could hinder Alakazam's accuracy, and get in close enough to score a clean hit, then he had a chance to take it down before it eliminated another of his Pokémon.

And he had only one Pokémon that could do this.

"Coal, go get 'em!" Mark declared, casting forward his next Poké Ball. Out of the ball, Coal emerged, the Charmeleon growling with anticipation. Few lingering marks remained of his injuries from his battle aboard the S.S Julia, thanks to an extended visit to the Pokémon Center in Vermillion before they left town, and Coal was ready for action.

But something unexpected happened. At the sight of the Charmeleon, Mark noticed Blue twitch; even from afar, Mark could see the trainer's tension rising as he saw the Charmeleon, his expression turning to that of one reliving a pained memory. But why? Mark couldn't understand why the elite trainer would be so angered by the mere sight of a Char...

Red.

Of course... Blue must've still been haunted by the memory of Red defeating him at the League. After seven years could the trainer still be holding such a grudge against his rival? Regardless, the trainer was distracted; Mark wasn't one to take advantage of a trainer if their head was not in the game -he'd never cheated at Pokémon Battles in his life, and he wasn't going to start now when he was on a journey to find out how good a trainer he was, not how much of a coward he was.

"Hey Blue!" Mark called. "Are you alright?"

Blue snapped out of his trance, and looked back at Mark, then at his Charmeleon and again at Mark. "Yeah... I'm fine." He raised his voice a little. "Just fine; worry about yourself! That Charmeleon isn't going to help you!"

"We'll soon find out," Mark stated. "Ready?"

"Bring it on!" Blue retorted. "Alakazam, use Psybeam!"

"Coal, Smokescreen and dodge, hurry!" Mark commanded.

Alakazam charged up its attack. But Coal was quicker, breathing in exhaling a cloud of smoke; the dark fog expanded rapidly, obscuring the Charmeleon, and when the beam fired, there was no cry of pain from the smoke. It had missed. And then, Mark's voice sounded from beyond the smoke; "more Smokescreen, Coal!" Mark commanded.

The fog became bigger, rushing towards Blue's side of the gym. Before long, Alakazam was shielding his eyes from the oncoming smoke, coughing slightly and looking around, trying to spot his quarry. Blue was back far enough the smoke didn't reach him, but even he couldn't see Coal either. "You going to hide in that smoke all day?"

"You wish," Mark retorted. "Coal, Dragon Pulse!"

At that second, out of the smoke, the Charmeleon emerged right in front of Alakazam, startling the Psychic type; Blue tried to give an order, but Coal was faster, opening his mouth and unleashing a blast of pulsing energy from his maw which sent Alakazam skidding across the floor, groaning in pain from the surprise attack. He quickly recovered from the hit, and at Blue's command, launched another Psybeam at Coal, but the Charmeleon rolled back into the smoke; the beam hit nothing, and once more Coal had vanished from sight.

"One more Smokescreen, Coal!" Mark called.

As before, the fog expanded further. Now even Blue was caught in the smoke, just as it had begun to clear and now it was thick again. Blue coughed and stepped back out of the smoke, covering his mouth; now he could barely even see his Alakazam in that smoke, just a faint visage of it. "Alakazam, Recover and Calm Mind!" Even if he couldn't see Coal, if Alakazam healed himself, he could take another hit from Coal's Dragon Pulse if he used it again.

But then Blue saw it; the tail flame of the Charmeleon rising up behind Alakazam. As soon as Blue saw it, Alakazam read it in his mind. Alakazam spun around just as Coal received the order from Mark to use Slash; being no slouch in speed itself, Alakazam was able to narrowly evade the claw swipe from Coal -not that it was very difficult, thanks to Coal not being much of a close-range combatant, unlike Vitesse. Of course, that wasn't Mark's plan; now that he was in close and caught off guard once again, Mark gave the next order.

"Now, Fire Blast!" Mark commanded.

Alakazam started to use Light Screen, no doubt another mental command from his Trainer, but he wasn't quick enough; Coal hit Alakazam point-blank with the wade of fire, and when it burst into the five-pointed form, it not only amplified its damage, Alakazam was carried through the air and slammed into the wall, followed promptly by a small explosion from the impact of the Fire Blast, blowing away the lingering smoke and mixing some of it with dust. With such a point-blank impact, the blast was a critical blow to the Alakazam, and despite its natural defense against Special Attacks, the Alakazam was knocked clean out by the Fire Blast.

"You got him!" Randy cheered, pumping his fist into the air.

"Coal, you are freakin' awesome!" Mark called to his Charmeleon.

_"Rawr-rah!"_Coal replied with vigour, returning to his position on the battlefield while he and Mark waited for Blue's next Pokémon.

Recalling Alakazam to its Poké Ball, Blue set it on the machine and turned back to face Mark. "That's a pretty tough Charmeleon you have there, I have to admit," he stated. "He kind of reminds me of Red's Charmeleon the first time I battled it; strong, quick to respond, quick to react, and full of energy."

"Thanks. I'm quite proud of Coal myself," Mark replied. "This is only his second major battle, and he's done a fantastic job."

"Well I hate to disappoint you," Blue began as he readied his next Poké Ball. "But your pride in him is about to take blow when he sees what I've got waiting for him!" He cast the Poké Ball forward, and from its depths emerged a massive bird Pokémon, big enough to carry a man through the air, with a body of light brown feathers and an undertone of a white-yellow, with a crest of feathers extending from its brow, over the top of its head an angling down behind it, a crown of yellow with an outside line of red, and black markings shaped like curved claws angling down from its eyes, and stopping at the neck.

Mark had not actually seen one before, but he was certain this was a Pidgeot. But he'd never heard of one being so large! It's beauty as a Pokémon was certainly undeniable but he could tell just by looking at it that this bird was going to be a powerful opponent, and another he couldn't use Vitesse or Palm Tree against because of it being a Flying-type; the weakness of Grass and Fighting-types. He could use Tanker, but maybe Coal could defeat it first...

"Alright, Coal; ready for round two?" Mark called.

_"Grah!"_Coal returned in confirmation.

"Then let's clip that bird's wings!"

Blue grinned deviously. "Pidgeot, show them who's clipped with an Air Slash attack!"

Pidgeot cried out in response, its shrill shriek making Mark wince slightly from the volume of its voice, but Mark didn't hesitate. "Coal, Flamethrower!" Mark instructed.

Coal responded quickly, inhaling and exhaling a cone of flames just as Pidgeot beat its wings several times, sending a visible distortion through the air -a distortion like something unseen slicing through the very air itself. It met Coal's Flamethrower, and pushed its way through for a while before it was eaten away by the fire, but by then Coal was out of breath and had to stop exhaling.

"Not bad," Blue admitted. "But you'll need a much hotter fire than that to stop Pidgeot. Go, Tailwind!"

Pidgeot started beating its wings feverishly, creating a large gust of wind -not in the manner as a Gust attack, but like a heavy wind across prairieland, carrying dust and forcing Coal to put up his arm to protect his eyes. "Now, ride that wind into a Quick Attack!" Blue added.

"Quick, Coal, move!" Mark called, but with the wind blowing in his direction his voice was distorted, and Coal didn't catch his order right away. Not that he would've had time to carry it out; Pidgeot used its own Tailwind like a jet-stream, blasting forward at blinding velocity far too great for Coal to avoid; the Charmeleon was struck, and sent spinning off of his feet, face-planting into the dirt-covered floor, dazed by the impossibly fast hit.

"Now, Pidgeot, use Hurricane!" Blue concluded his onslaught.

Pidgeot turned about in midair, facing towards Coal again, and once more beat its wings feverishly, creating a windstorm in the confined spaces of the Pokémon Gym. Coal looked up as the gale started, and shut his eyes as the air rushed around him, digging his claws into the floor as he tried to anchor himself. Mark tried to call out to him but the wind was too harsh for Coal to adequately hear him, and Mark could do little else but shield himself from the powerful wind as well with his arms over his face, obscuring his voice even further in the process.

Finally, Coal lost his grip; he clawed at the ground as he tried to get it back, but missed and was carried into the air. He braced himself for impact with the wall, but no such luck; the wind was so harsh that he bounced off the ball and was carried off by the rebounding air, soaring off towards the side, spiralling through the air so roughly it made him dizzy. Again, he struck a wall, and again, and again, and once more, until he finally spiralled back down to the ground, skidding through the dusty floor and tumbling until he landed at Mark's feet. Only then did the hurricane finally subside.

"Coal!" Mark cried, concerned. He knelt down by the Charmeleon, turning him over; he was dirty, dusty and a little bruised up by the powerful Hurricane attack. He was still conscious though, but all of that flying around bashing into walls had knocked the wind out of him, making him only able to reply to his trainer with a cough. Mark smiled and petted his neck. "Good try, boy, but sometimes air DOES beat Fire," he said as he produced Coal's Poké Ball. "Now, you take a good rest," he said as he recalled Coal into the ball.

As Coal vanished, Mark turned to Blue. "I got just the thing for dealing with that Pidgeot," he stated as he readied his next Poké Ball. "I've seen your firepower and the brains of your group, but now it's time you meet my armour division!" He threw the ball forward. "Come on out, Tanker!" He bellowed.

The ball opened, and the light energy emerging from its depths rapidly grew out to a form more than thirty feet long. When it materialized, Tanker was revealed, and he unleashed a roar, like the sound of a train engine at full throttle, so loud that it seemed to shake the ceiling before it turned its gaze on Blue's Pidgeot.

"Whoa! A Steelix!" Blue exclaimed. Know his Flying-type Pidgeot stood no chance against such a monster of a Pokémon, Blue recalled his Pidgeot, and produced a new Poké Ball that he threw out to the field. "Machamp, go!" He declared.

Out of the ball emerged a four-armed figure, which besides the additional limbs resembled a pale Machoke, sharing the same musculature and wearing the same kind of legless black tights, eye colour and cornrow top, but now it had a tan colouring around its mouth, and each of its bulging biceps on its four arms was as big around as Mark's leg; just looking at the big Pokémon, which he recognized as a Machamp, made Mark -a bit of an athlete himself feel oddly inferior...

But no less confident in Tanker.

"Go, Machamp; use Karate Chop!" Blue commanded.

"_Graaaahh!"_Machamp bellowed as he charged at the Steelix.

"Tanker, Iron Head!" Mark called.

Tanker unleashed that low train-engine roar of his as he lunged at Machamp, dust billowing around him in plumes as he charged. Machamp brought back its four arms, bringing down the lower two on Tanker's head as they collided, but to Blue's dismay it was Machamp who went flying, and Tanker was barely fazed. Blue watched in clear surprise as Machamp flew back and hit the wall behind him, leaving an impression of himself in the stone before falling away from it, but catching himself on his multiple hands.

Blue looked back at Mark. "How'd you do that? Steel-type is supposed to be weak against Fighting-type, yet your Steelix just knocked my Machamp aside like a ragdoll?"

"Steel-types are weak against Fighting-types," said Mark. "But as you showed with your Arcanine and Alakazam when they respectively beat Siren and Fang, any weakness can be overcome if you train a Pokémon in the right way, and Tanker has his own way to beat his weakness. We trained hard together; I fed him only food brimming with Iron-rich vitamins and facing the harshest conditions we could find. All of that effort made his body as strong as Titanium and he's got the endurance of a steam locomotive; he can take damage like no other Steelix can." Mark smiled at Tanker, who glanced back at him with an approving look -or at least as close to one as a face made of metal could make. "He's an unstoppable force."

Blue stared at Tanker with awe for a moment before glancing at his Machamp to confirm the four-armed humanoid Pokémon was still ready to go. He looked at Mark, flashing him a smug grin. "So you trained your Steelix with physical attackers in mind, particularly Fighting-types because nine out of ten fighting-type attacks are physical..." He chuckled. "If I had known you had something like that I'd have saved my Arcanine to take on your Steelix." He pumped his arm with anticipation. "Well then, let's put your ultimate defense to the ultimate test!"

"We're ready for you!" Mark retorted, Tanker roaring in confirmation again.

"Machamp, get in and use Low Sweep!" Blue ordered.

"Tanker, use Double-Edge!" Mark instructed, knowing a Normal-type move would do regular damage; even if Double-Edge, as its name implied, was a risky move, Steel-type attacks didn't do much damage against Fighting-types, nor did Rock-type moves, so that left Mark with Normal and Ground-type attacks to use against Machamp, but even Tanker had limits to how much damage he could take, and Mark wanted to take out the Machamp before he'd be forced to that limit.

The two collided; Machamp backhanded Tanker's head away before lunging under his guard and swinging his other two arms at Tanker's lower body, knocking it clean out from under him. Tanker went down hard, and once down, Machamp prepared another Karate Chop to strike him with, but Tanker swung himself around and bludgeoned Machamp with his steel-encrusted head, knocking him back.

"Tanker, use Sand Tomb!" Mark instructed.

With a mighty sweep of its tail, Tanker sent a dust devil rushing towards Machamp as it came at him again. Machamp stopped as the little sand tornado encircled him, forcing him to bring two hands over his eyes to keep it from getting in and blinding him. Now he was trapped, and Tanker, at Mark's command, lunged in and swung into the dust devil with Iron Tail, catching Machamp off guard and sending him flying; he hit the ground a short moment later, catching himself on his upper arms and hand-sprinting back onto his feet. Tanker turned to face him again.

"One more Double-Edge, Tanker!" Mark called.

Tanker charged, heading straight for Machamp with his head lowered and ready to hit him with all of his weight.

"Machamp, Strength!" Blue called.

Machamp braced himself, putting up his four arms and catching Tanker by the head as they collided. His feet dug into the ground as he was pushed back, resisting the weight of the Steelix even as Tanker continued to push him. But after a short skid, they stopped in the middle of the floor, and simply glared into one another's eyes.

"Now, Vital Throw!" Blue called.

Machamp seized Tanker by his head, and with an impossible show of strength, he pulled the Steelix towards him, raising his head and swinging him around; Tanker's tail left the floor as he was swung about wildly by the Machamp, spinning twice before he hurled Tanker through the air; the Steelix hit the floor seconds later with an utterly thunderous crash that shook the entire Gym to its foundations.

"Tanker! Can you get up?" Mark called.

The Steelix curled, and after rolling somewhat, he managed to elevate himself back up on his tail again with some effort; Tanker was running out of steam, but Machamp looked fairly worn out himself. It all came down to what they both did next, and who struck hardest. Mark grit his teeth; the battle was about to reach its conclusion, and he had to make sure it was Tanker who won.

"All or nothing now," stated Blue. "Machamp, one more Karate Chop!"

Machamp charged forward, drawing back all of its arms and keeping its hands perfectly straight, bellowing out a fierce battlecry as it aimed to finish this fight once and for all...

"Tanker, Dig!" Mark called.

As Machamp neared, Tanker launched himself off of his tail with all of his strength, and dove head-first into the floor nearby, avoiding Machamp's attack as spun itself into the soil like a giant metal drill, tunnelling under the ground, vanishing into a dark hole.

"Drat!" Blue cursed. "Now where's it going to come from? Machamp, if you feel the ground shaking, dodge as fast as you can; he's going to come up under you!"

"You wish!" Mark declared. "Tanker!"

The ground behind Machamp exploded, making the four-armed humanoid jump as he felt the presence at his back; he spun around, and looked up in time to see Tanker emerging from the ground behind him.

"Now Tanker, Iron Tail with all of your strength!" Mark called.

"Q-Quick Machamp, dodge it!"

But Blue was too slow, and just before Machamp could listen, he was struck full-force by Tanker's tail, sending him flying once more through the air; Machamp spun around above the Gym floor for a moment before dropping head-first down to the ground, landing with a loud thud, and falling limp to the floor. Blue watched in stunned silence for a moment before elevating his gaze to face Mark.

"Well this outcome, I did not predict."

"Good job, Tanker," Mark called out, raising the Poké Ball of the Steelix and recalling him. "Rest up big fella, I may need you again." He said to the ball before pocketing it. "That's three down for me and three down for you. What're you doing next?" Mark inquired.

"Well one of your Pokémon is banged up but the three I got left are still raring to go," said Blue, producing his next Poké Ball.

"Then it's time I step up my game," stated Mark, also holding his next one.

"Go, Exeggutor!"

"Vitesse!"

The Blaziken appeared first, and from Bleu's side, a Pokémon that looked more or less like a brown-barked palm tree with legs appeared; a coconut tree with multiple heads instead of coconuts surrounding the crown of palm leaves growing from the top of its body. Three heads with smiling faces, but varying degrees of emotion; the left head looked goofy and like it was ready to start laughing, the second -the middle head- looked mystified, almost drunken, and the third and last head looked ready to fall asleep, a lazy expression on its features.

"Now that... I have never seen in my life," Mark stated, reaching for his Pokédex and popping it open, holding it up and letting the scanner identify the strange tree-like Pokémon. With a beep, it began to give him the details:

"Exeggutor, the Coconut Pokémon; Exeggutor evolves from Exeggcute by use of a Leaf Stone. It is known for living in large groups, earning it the nickname of 'Moving Tropical Rainforest', and it is said that when the heads fall from the Exeggutor's upper half, they become Exeggcute once again. Exeggutor is best known for its powerful Psychic and Grass-type attacks, and specializes in Hypnosis and Barrage."

_ _ "A Grass/Psychic type?" Mark asked, looking at the data. "Well, we both have one advantage over the other, then."

"I've got two," stated Blue, grinning. "My Exeggutor is excellent at distance fighting, and I happen to know Blaziken are mainly short-range fighters."

"You better hope he's a crack shot then, because otherwise Vitesse will reach him in just two seconds flat," Mark stated.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," replied Blue. "Okay, Exeggutor, do your thing!"

The three heads chuckled ominously and in perfect sync -actually making Mark's spine tingle a bit- as if they shared a brain... which they probably did, Mark realized. The Exeggutor began to shake its head from side to side, making Mark quirk his eyebrow as he wondered what it was doing...

And then, with a forward toss of its head, something popped out from amidst the leaves; a round object, closely resembling either a coconut or a giant egg, flew off of its head, arcing through the air before falling towards Vitesse, who put up her arm instinctively to block it; the ball hit her in the arm, and burst, making her recoil in pain. It left no visible damage, but the concussive force it had exploded with closely resembled a Police-issue concussion bomb meant for disorienting suspects. If Vitesse took too many of those, she'd be knocked senseless or outright unconscious.

And with every toss of its head, the Exeggutor lobbed another one towards Vitesse.

"Strafe!" Volcan called.

Immediately, Vitesse complied, running to the side to evade the next 'bomb' for lack of a better term; it exploded as it hit the ground, but Vitesse was out of its effective range. However the next one was already coming, and soon she was moving and dodging multiple bombs, leaping away to escape their blasts or even kicking them aside if she got the chance. This had to be the 'Barrage' attack mentioned in Mark's Pokedex; he'd never seen an attack anything like this before, and Vitesse wasn't used to getting bombarded by such an onslaught. Exeggutor was more dangerous than it appeared...

Vitesse may have known Flamethrower but with the Barrage attack bombarding her every second, he knew she'd be hit the moment she tried to use it. She had to close the distance somehow and land a knockout blow as soon as possible. But he knew nothing about this attack; he'd battled hundreds of Pokémon and this was the only one he'd seen with an attack like that. He looked back at Randy for a brief second, who was still watching Vitesse evade for all she was worth.

Mark had an idea. "Vitesse, Bounce!" He called, hoping he was right.

Vitesse gracefully kicked another bomb into the next one coming her way, breaking both of them, and then jumped, successfully evading the next bomb that came, and the three that followed. Mark pumped his fix gleefully; he'd been right. Barrage was still susceptible to gravity, and now Vitesse was out of range of the attack.

"Oh not good!" Blue exclaimed.

Vitesse came down, screeching with battle-fury as she landed on the Exeggutor, stomping with both of her legs before jumping off of its head. Exeggutor stumbled back, slightly dazed, but seemingly only experiencing slight harm; this wasn't a surprise to Mark, as he hadn't counted on Bounce doing any real damage, since it was a Flying-type move. But now Vitesse was at a range she excelled; in close, and ready for maximum impact.

"Vitesse, use...!" Mark began, but Blue bellowed his order first at the top of his lungs, drowning out Mark's voice.

"Grass Knot, now!"

Exeggutor chuckled again, and suddenly, from the ground, blades of grass erupted, rapidly growing and entwining Vitesse's legs. She looked down as she felt them wrap around her limbs, and then squawked in surprise as her legs were suddenly yanked out from under her, sending her tumbling onto her back. The grass blades retracted once she was down, and Exeggutor stepped on her stomach before she could sit up.

"Now, Hypnosis!" Blue ordered.

The middle head of Exeggutor looked at Vitesse's face, and its drunken eyes began glowing, beginning to case its spell...

"Vitesse, Flamethrower, hurry!" Mark called.

Vitesse didn't comply; her gaze had already been caught in the Exeggutor's, and she couldn't look away as the effects of the Hypnosis struck her. "Now, Exeggutor, make her nice and sleepy... and then use Thief!"

"Thief... wait, no!" Mark exclaimed, looking at his keystone.

"Oh shit!" Randy barked.

As soon as Vitesse was out of it, Exeggutor reached down with one of its palm leaves and pulled off the shoulder strap containing her Mega Stone, casting it aside to the far end of the room behind Blue; without it, Vitesse could not Mega Evolve.

"You think I didn't know what that was?" Blue asked, grinning. "Red has a stone like that in a collar that his Charizard wears; if you think I'm going to let you pull that super evolution on me, you've got another thing coming."

"That's 'Mega' Evolution!" Randy called.

"Whatever," Blue called back.

"This isn't good..." Mark whispered.

"You don't need Vitesse's Mega Form to beat this guy!" Randy declared. "Come on, Mark; get your head back in the game."

Mark turned back to the battle, seeing Vitesse pinned under Exeggutor, already starting to drift off under the spell of Hypnosis. Mark felt himself starting to sweat a little; if Vitesse didn't break out of that spell he had little doubt that Dream Eater was going to be next; a common but effective one-two punch strategy in the use of Hypnosis -by using Dream Eater Exeggutor would be able to heal itself and simultaneously damage Vitesse in her mind.

Mark wouldn't let it; not when he was this close!

"VITESSE!" Mark bellowed at the top of his lungs. "Snap out of it, girl!"

At the sound of his voice, Vitesse suddenly jolted awake, her eyes shooting wide open; she saw the Exeggutor standing over her; it immediately tried to put her back under the spell, but Vitesse averted her gaze as she brought up her left arm for a Fire Punch, striking Exeggutor in the leg and making it stumble off of her. She drew back her legs and kicked upward as she jumped back to her feet, glaring at the Exeggutor, its grinning faces now showing some concern.

"Now, Blaze Kick!" Mark called.

Vitesse lunged forward, twirling about before she kicked out with all her might, her foot ablaze as she attacked; the kick hit home, striking Exeggutor right in the upper torso below its middle head, and sent it flying back, eliciting a dizzy, three-voices scream as it was launched back ward, landing the top of its body right next to Blue, who dodged out of the way just in time to avoid getting flattened under his own Pokémon. Exeggutor toppled over, letting out a low, pained moan, and lay still.

"Yes!" Mark hissed. "Nice comeback, girl!"

_"Chaaak!"_Vitesse returned, pumping her arms triumphantly.

"Quite a personality that Blaziken of yours has," Blue commented, walking over to the machine behind him after he recalled his Exeggutor, placing four Poké Balls into the machine -the four Mark had defeated so far, he assumed, and then picked up the one he'd left. "I hate to admit it, but this has been quite the battle so far; first it seemed like I was winning, and now it's come down to this; you have three left, I have two." When he turned back to face Mark, he was grinning widely, as if excited. "Now, things really get real!"

Here it comes, thought Mark; the very moment he'd been waiting for.

"Let's show 'em what we really got!" Blue declared, throwing his Poké Ball as if he were the pitcher at a baseball game.

The ball popped open, and from the light formed a giant turtle, standing up on its hind legs; a turtle with blue skin, short limbs and a fairly large head, with a mouth ending in a downward-pointing tip. Its shell was red-brown in colour, covered with the marks of countless battles, and from that shell, over its shoulders, emerged two cannon barrels, popping out from gaps that opened in the shell, letting them jut out in full view. What startled Mark was that the Blastoise was enormous; Mark heard that the average Blastoise roughly matched the average adolescent human in height, but this one was almost as tall as Vitesse, easily standing six feet two inches!

"Oh mama," muttered Mark. "That's a... very big turtle."

"Meet my Blastoise," stated Blue, still holding that grin. "The one who is going to end this battle."

The gears began to turn in Mark's head; the mere sight of Blastoise had him rethinking his strategy. Even with Palm Tree coming in at full strength, I'm not so sure he can beat Blastoise; I'm going to have to wear it down somehow... He looked past Vitesse and Blastoise, spotting his Blazikenite and its shoulder strap lying at the opposite end of the room. Vitesse could do it, but it'd be a lot easier if she could mega evolve. Blue planned ahead for that by having his Exeggutor steal it, almost like he was waiting for me to bring her back out. He must've seen her Mega Stone when she knocked out his Arcanine. Can think on his feet, I'll give him that.

_ _ His gaze shifted to his jacket as he continued thinking. I still have Tanker, but can I risk it? He'll not only have a type disadvantage but he doesn't have much experience with using his Mega form, and Blastoise's water attacks are Special Attacks, not Physical ones, so Tanker's defense strength would count for nothing. Of course, Vitesse's fire attacks aren't much use here but thankfully she's two types, and has a large repertoire to choose from. He sighed. I don't want to do this to her but we're too close to winning now; I need everything I've got.

"Alright, Vitesse; I'm counting on you," said Mark, the Blaziken nodding back to him.

"You're actually pitting a Fire-type against a Water-type?" Blue asked, his grin fading to a scowl. "You're as reckless as he was that day."

"Who?" Mark asked.

"Who do you think? The one trainer who I can't beat," replied Blue, scornfully. "I'm talking about Red. He used his Charizard that day he won the title from me, and by some miracle he actually beat my Blastoise." Mark promptly noticed Blue seemed to be suppressing some angst as some memories he clearly was not happy with began to emerge, clenching his hands into fists. "But that lucky win isn't happening again."

"We'll find out," returned Mark. "I've heard a lot of good things about your Blastoise, but Vitesse's the toughest Blaziken in the world; I have faith in her."

"Then I'll just break that faith!" Blue stated angrily, before he pointed at Vitesse. "Blastoise, Hydro Pump!"

Blastoise angled its cannons forward, massive streams of water erupting from them and heading straight for the Blaziken with bone-crunching force.

Vitesse leapt to the left, avoiding the streams of water, and at Mark's command, she charged, aiming to close the distance on Blastoise to get to where she excelled. Blastoise followed her with its cannons, the stream continuing in a constant blast, leaving deep impressions in the ground as it swept across the floor in pursuit of Vitesse.

"Vitesse; High Jump Kick!" Mark commanded.

The Blaziken stopped, jumped up and backflipped over Blastoise's attack, before she turned towards the turtle and charged. Blastoise brought its cannons back and blasted her again, but she once more leapt over the streams, launching herself high into the air and dropping down at an angle towards Blastoise with her leg outstretched.

"Blastoise, Withdraw!" Blue called.

Blastoise complied promptly, pulling its head, limbs and cannons into its shell. The kick struck the hard outside, but did no damage; Vitesse leapt off, shaking her foot a little as she landed, until Blastoise popped back out of its shell.

"Now, Bubblebeam!" Blue ordered.

Blastoise produced its cannons once more, both of them firing a large stream of bubbles that swarmed over to Vitesse. She put up her arms in defense, trying to block some of them, but they hit home, striking nearly every inch of her body and soaking her to the skin, making her feel a little heavier in the process, aided by the soapy substance the bubbles were made of that clung to her feathers as well.

"Nice hit, Blastoise; do it again!"

"Vitesse; Dual Chop!" Mark called.

Vitesse lunged forward, ducking under the stream of bubbles before they could hit her; unlike before, Blastoise didn't try to angle its guns towards her as she got right in close -it occurred to Mark then that Blastoise's water cannons likely couldn't aim at anything right in front of it due to their placement, which meant at point-blank range, it was helpless. I might be able to win even without Palm Tree! He thought confidently.

Though that thought was quickly broken by what happened next. Blastoise took two hits in the face from Vitesse's outstretched hands, the second striking it in the cheek, but Blastoise barely recoiled from either of them, simply glaring at her and giving her a devious grin.

"Now, Blastoise; Skull Bash!"

Blastoise launched forward just as Vitesse tried to back away, only to be hit square in the chest by Skull Bash, knocking her onto her back.

"Finish it off with Hydro Pump!" Blue concluded.

"Hurry Vitesse; look out!" Mark called, but it was too late.

Blastoise fired both guns, powerful streams of water striking Vitesse before she could stand, pushing her back into the dirt floor, and through it.; she left a groove in the soil all the way to the floor as she was pushed along by the water cannons, shrieking in pain as she was nearly crushed between the high-pressure water and the solid floor.

"Vitesse, return!" Mark called, raising her Poké Ball and recalling her to it, saving her from the painful attack. He looked at the ball solemnly. "Sorry about that girl... but great job. I will make this up to you, I promise." Putting it away he reached for the next one; Palm Tree's Poké Ball, which he held up, glancing at it before looking at Blastoise. "All comes down to this... just really hope that Blastoise doesn't know Ice Beam..." He muttered, and then hurled the ball forward, releasing Palm Tree.

The Tropius let out a loud hiss as it emerged, spreading his palm leaf wings wide as he spotted Blastoise.

"Huh... never seen that Pokémon before," Blue called.

"He's a Tropius," Mark introduced. "I call him Palm Tree, for obvious reasons."

"He certainly looks healthy," admitted Blue. "But there's no way he can defeat Blastoise."

"We'll just see about that," said Mark. "Palm Tree, you ready?"

"Hsssssst!" The Tropius replied, flapping his wings in anticipation.

"Then take flight!" Mark called out.

Palm Tree flapped his wings several times, lifting himself off of the floor, and began to fly through the gym, circling over Blastoise repeatedly. Both Blastoise and its trainer watched the Tropius flying over them, before Blue gave a smug grin, and gave his next order. "Blastoise; Hydro Pump! Knock that flying fruit tree out of the air!"

Blastoise elevated its cannons, taking aim and shooting streams of water from the two barrels; Palm Tree strafed to the left to avoid the cannons, diving to stay under their range before making a sharp right turn, flying past Blastoise and getting out of its range by getting behind it.

"Palm Tree; Seed Bomb!" Mark called out.

Palm Tree craned his neck towards Blastoise's back as he turned about, opening his mouth and spitting five large seeds from his maw; each seed exploded upon impact with Blastoise's hard shell, stumbling it somewhat and dealing tremendous damage due to being a Grass-type attack. And, it was a Special Attack; Blastoise clearly had a strong physical defense, having taken direct hits from Vitesse and barely batting an eye, but it seemed its defense against Special Attacks was significantly less. Mark could use that to his advantage; and it was his last chance to do so. His only other special attackers were Coal and Siren, both of whom had already lost; Palm Tree was his best shot at winning.

"Blastoise, try Hydro Pump one more time when he comes around!" Blue instructed. "Don't rush it; be sure of your shot!"

Blastoise angled its cannons once more, watching Palm Tree carefully as he came back for another run. Blastoise couldn't get a clear shot though, and immediately ducked into its shell as Palm Tree unleashed another Seed Bomb attack, bombarding Blastoise with the exploding seeds for a second time and weakening it further. Once the strafe ended, Blastoise revealed itself from inside its shell, and resumed its previous stance, taking careful aim at the Tropius as he once again circled around to attack...

It saw its chance, and fired both cannons. Palm Tree tried to evade but this time he failed, and was launched up towards the ceiling, hissing in fright as he was carried involuntarily on the column of water. He hit the ceiling with a loud bang, and then dropped back to the floor when Blastoise stopped shooting, stunned by the impact of the Hydro Pump.

"Holy crap, how could a Water attack do that much damage to a Grass-type?" Randy asked in disbelief.

"That Blastoise is more powerful than any other Water Pokémon I've ever fought," stated Mark. "I knew Type advantage wouldn't be enough... C'mon Palm Tree; you can still win! Use Synthesis; heal yourself!"

"Oh no you don't!" Blue called defiantly. "Blastoise, Skull Bash!"

Blastoise broke into a run, charging across the floor towards Palm Tree; he wasn't very fast, but speed was not the issue when using Skull Bash; only accuracy mattered, and with Palm Tree unable to get out of the way, the Tropius was doomed.

A direct hit set Palm Tree skidding across the floor, nearly slamming into Mark and kicking a cloud of dust up into his face; Mark covered his eyes with his arms until the dust subsided, and lowered them to check on Palm Tree, kneeling down at the side of his Pokémon. "Hey, you okay boy?" He asked.

Palm Tree gave him a weak hiss in reply, lifting a wing up to pat his shoulder with it before he cringed. "Easy, boy; good try," he said, producing Palm Tree's Poké Ball and recalling him. "You'll get 'em next time."

"Well, looks like I win," Blue stated. "Another one bites the..."

"Not so fast," Mark stated. "This match isn't over yet. You recall, I still I have one Pokémon left." He held up a Poké Ball. "I still have Tanker."

"Your Steelix? But he can't beat my Blastoise," Blue stated arrogantly. "Don't think I don't know he's got a Ground sub-type. Besides that, he got battered up by his fight with my Machamp."

"He does," stated Mark. "But I know he won't fail me, because he's not out of tricks yet either." He drew back his arm. "This battle is decided here!" Mark declared, throwing the Poké Ball forward, and once more calling out the Steelix.

Tanker had gotten his second wind, but he still looked fairly banged up from the previous battle, the dents left in his steel body from Machamp's attacks still visible, but he was holding on, maybe at half strength, Mark hoped. But he was betting everything on a Pokémon that was at a disadvantage... he hated to do this to Tanker, but he was so close to the first step in their new journey!

Tanker, as if sensing Mark's unease, slowly turned and looked back at him, his red eyes fixing on Mark's blue eyes. Mark gazed into those orbs for a moment, wondering what the Steelix was trying to say. Tanker rumbled low, tilting his head back and showing the Mega Stone worn on a belt wrapped around the uppermost section of his body.

Mark looked at the stone, and then at Tanker. "You want to do that?" He asked. "You sure you're ready to try again?"

Tanker nodded his large head, and Mark could feel it; his Steelix wanted this first victory just as much as Mark himself did, and was willing to use a power even he wasn't quite sure of yet. If Tanker was willing to take that chance, why should Mark do any less than the exact same?

Mark smiled. "Alright," he said to Tanker, holding up his keystone. "If you're willing, then so am I, big guy."

Blue was watching the scene unfold, and when he saw the bracelet containing Mark's keystone, he laughed. "What're you plotting? Your Blaziken is out and her stone is over here," he taunted, gesturing to the discarded shoulder belt at the wall behind him. "You can't use that super evolution."

"MEGA Evolution, Dr. Ditz!" Randy corrected.

"Butt out!" Blue shot back.

"Vitesse's not the only Pokémon I have that's capable of Mega Evolution," Mark stated firmly as he held up his bracelet. "I'm putting everything I got into this."

"Wait, you mean Steelix can...?!" Blue demanded.

"Tanker... Mega Evolve!" Mark called, tapping his keystone.

Both his stone and that of Tanker's began to shine with bright light; seconds passed, before Tanker was enveloped in a light, forming into a violet crystal for several seconds before shattering, and exposing a new form to the Steelix. The first noticeable difference were the spikes along his elongated body, which had turned from metal to diamond, jutting out broader and wider than they were before; every second section of Tanker's body had this, including a replacement for the spike at the end of his tail.

At the front, his head was larger and shaped differently, with the addition of two new additions jutting out from his lower jaw; steel blades shaped almost like webbed fins, and his eyes had turned from red to blue. And the last, most noticeable difference of the entire change, were the dozens of metal and crytalline fragments floating in a circle around him, like an asteroid belt orbiting a planet, with no clear source as to why these pieces were gravitating around him.

"Holy crap," Randy breathed.

"Is that... your Steelix?!" Blue demanded.

"This is a Mega Steelix now," stated Mark. "And his name is Tanker."

Blue stared in awe at the Steelix for a moment, completely blown away by the magnificence of the Mega Evolved Pokémon. And then, he clenched both of his hands into tight fists, once more grinning. "Things just got interesting," he said, smugly. "Alright, Mr. Hoenn. Both Blastoise and your Steelix are sitting at about the same strength. This battle won't last very long, but I'm not going to lose to you now."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," stated Mark.

"I don't," returned Blue. "Alright Blastoise, Hydro Pump!"

"Tanker, Sandstorm!" Mark commanded.

Tanker was the only one who moved; Blastoise stepped forward and angled its cannons, but nothing came out of them; they didn't shoot, and Tanker reared up and began to spin like a giant top, sending dust, dirt and sand from the gym floor crevices of his body flying everywhere, filling the entire gym interior with a cloud of dust that whooshed all about.

"Whoa! Someone open a window in here!" Randy jested, covering his eyes.

"Blastoise, what's wrong?" Blue asked.

"Your Blastoise used Hydro Pump too many times!" Mark called over the howl of the sandstorm. "All attacks have limits to how many times they can be used!"

"Don't talk to me like a rookie!" Blue shot back. "I know all that! Okay, so Hydro Pump is out of power; he's still got his other attacks!" He pointed towards the whirling object in the middle of the storm that could only be Tanker. "Use Bubblebeam!"

Blastoise angled its cannons once more, firing the stream of bubbles from both guns towards Tanker. However, the bubbles didn't get far; debris from the sandstorm shot through the bubbles, popping them and making the attack fail uselessly against the power of the sandstorm.

"You'll need something a lot more powerful than bubbles to get through this storm! And I'd hurry if I were you!" Mark called.

Blastoise put up its arm defensively as he was buffeted by the sandstorm, scratching his body irritably where some of the debris hit him. Blue knew he could counter this ability if his Blastoise could use Rain Dance, but that attack, as well as Sunny Day, didn't work while indoors; Sandstorm only worked because the gym was designed for Ground-types originally, and had an adequate field for them to use.

"Now, Tanker; Iron Head!" Mark called.

Out of the sandstorm, Tanker emerged, and rammed into Blastoise with his large head, launching him through the air a short distance. The attack had done far more damage than it should have, even for a Mega Evolution, thanks to Tanker's newfound power; while a Sandstorm was active, his Steel, Ground and Rock-type attacks were bolstered by an ability known as Sand Force, making him even stronger.

"Blastoise, Water Pulse!" Blue called.

Powerful spheres of water blasted from Blastoise's cannons, punching through the sandstorm enough that they managed to find their way to Tanker, and he recoiled from the hits, eliciting a long machine-ish whine in reaction, but he didn't drop, nor suffer confusion from the after-effects as he glared at Blastoise. With Mark's command, he attacked again, lunging and slamming into Blastoise with his head, sending him reeling and falling onto his stomach, stunned.

"Now, Tanker, finish this with Double-Edge!" Mark called.

Tanker charged, his body leaving gouges in the floor as he rushed towards Blastoise. The turtle Pokémon tried to get up, but was too slow, and was rammed by Tanker with such force he went skidding across the gym until he hit the farthest wall, bounced off, skid back in the same direction until he hit the second, and once again ricocheted off, on the back of his shell and spinning as he slid over to the center of the gym. With that, he didn't move a muscle, completely out cold from the onslaught he had faced.

The sandstorm subsided, and Tanker was sitting tall and triumphant over the downed Blastoise, who was laying completely still, breathing but out cold, in the middle of the floor.

"I can't believe it..." Blue whispered.

"YES!" Randy cheered, jumping for joy and cackling.

Mark breathed a sigh of relief. "Whoa... that... was close," he whispered.

Outside of the gym, a few moments later, the three trainers stood gathered outside the front door, ready to part ways after an extended battle. It had gone on for much longer than anticipated; the sun was already starting to set in the west, casting a red glow through the sky and painting the clouds a light, fluffy pink, like cotton candy. The light was warming to Mark, who was still letting the adrenaline from his near-loss flow out, tense but not overly, as he exchanged some final words with Blue.

"That was quite a match," stated Blue. "I feel you pulled that win outta nowhere, but, a win is a win."

"Well I wouldn't call it a complete win," Mark stated, very sportsman-like. "You still had your Pidgeot; I didn't beat that one, and it kind of beat Coal without much difficulty. You still could've called that out, couldn't you?"

Blue shook his head. "She wouldn't have been able to take on your Steelix; I'm not so foolish as to believe that she could have. One rock throw from your powered-up Steelix would've knocked her flat." He flashed a grin at Mark. "You're quite a good trainer; if you ever want a rematch, swing by anytime. I'm sure I could fit you into my busy schedule." He said with a wink of jest.

Mark chuckled. "Same to you; if you're ever in Hoenn, look me up." He offered a hand to Blue.

The two trainers shook hands, giving one last nod to each other, before Blue gave Mark a two-fingered salute, turned on his heel and walked away. "Smell you later, Mr. Taylor," he bade as he tucked his hands into his pockets and walked away, leaving Mark and Randy to recap on the events of the battle.

"Man, Mark; that was some battle!" Randy exclaimed. "And I had no idea your Steelix could Mega Evolve too; how many more of your Pokémon can do that?"

Mark chuckled. "None; it's just him and Vitesse," he replied. "I admit, I was a little nervous using Tanker's Mega form; he hasn't had as much time to practice with it as Vitesse has, and I was worried it'd affect him somehow. But, now he's got some experience with it; I'd say I can safely use it more often from now on."

"Right on!" Randy exclaimed. "So, now we head to Pewter City, right?"

"Right," replied Mark. "But, first thing's first; we should head to the Center and get my team healed up."

"Good call," agreed Randy.

As the two began walking away from the building, Mark was walking slower than usual. His thoughts kept drifting back to the battle, knowing there was something he could've done differently in that battle... he had entered that battle believing his strategy would be all that he needed, and it had nearly cost him the battle. "Seems I underestimated Blue a little," he remarked.

"What's that?"

"That battle," said Mark. "It shouldn't have been that difficult."

"You're battling Kanto's best, Mark; you can't expect them to be easy," said Randy.

"I'm one of Hoenn's best; that fight should've been even, but Blue was dominating me until I pulled a couple of fast ones with Coal and Tanker," said Mark. "That shouldn't have happened. From now on, I have to go all out or I'm never going to beat these guys. I didn't use Mega Evolutions because, against someone who doesn't have them, I thought I wouldn't need them, and I was proven wrong. I won't do that again."

Randy shrugged. "If that's what you think is best," he remarked.

Mark nodded. "I'm sure it is," he said. "These guys are coming at me with their best. I shouldn't do any less." Mark still could feel something nagging at the back of his mind, but already he believed he knew what he had to do as he kept walking, forcing himself to go at a quicker pace, even if at the back of his mind, he wasn't certain he was looking at this the right way.

He forced those feelings aside to a dark corner of his mind, wanting to focus on the task at hand...