The Type Specialist

I spent that night going over strategies with my team, and went to challenge Winona the next day.

I could have spent more time training, or taken the time to ensure everyone on my team learned their remaining TM moves, but honestly, I felt like we were ready. My seventh Gym Battle in Mossdeep had gone extraordinarily well, and I had spent plenty of time training since then. The gap between Gym Battles hadn’t been the longest gap I’ve ever had, but after everything we’d been through, I trusted my team to get through this.

I had already preemptively grabbed Altaria’s Love Ball as Winona’s and my platforms were slowly lifted off of the floor. There wasn’t that big of an audience, mostly just a few people spread about, watching challengers in their spare time. A man being carried by a Drifblim caught my eye, not just because he had the same basket as I had, but also because that Pokémon was rare within this region.

Winona was completely unfazed and was eyeing my platform with a face of pure focus. I rolled my shoulders to relax myself, feeling the slightest bit of soreness where I had been bitten. Other than that, I was ready to take on her eight-star team.

The referee went over the rules as we ascended. Six team members, a fight until everyone faints, and five switches allowed each. I hoped that Winona would live up to the mobility of Flying Types and switch her team members frequently, as I planned to have Mawile’s Stealth Rocks set up to punish that tactic specifically.

When the platforms reached their maximum height, they jerked in place and stopped moving. The referee called out from below, his voice coming out from a speaker in our platform, and I glanced down at the floor far beneath us.

Since this is a Sky Battle, any moves that take advantage of having solid ground won’t have effect. Altaria will need to win without being able to heal himself with Roost.

Soon, the referee finished speaking and we both tossed out our first Pokémon.

My final Hoenn Gym Battle had started.

“Take to the skies, Tropius!”

“Altaria, you have this!”

Winona’s Tropius appeared in the air opposite of Altaria, and I already noticed something different about it. Tropius was a dinosaur-like Pokémon that had large leaves on its body that it used to fly. Additionally, as a Grass Type, it had a set of berries growing from under its chin. Winona’s Tropius in particular seemed to have a Sitrus berry nestled within the bunch.

“Start off with Leech Seed!” Winona ordered, starting off the battle.

A series of large seeds shot out of Tropius's mouth and opened up into a net of vines that sailed towards Altaria. With a shout from me, Altaria followed my command to burn them away with Flamethrower, then continued to breathe those flames towards Tropius.

Tropius defended itself by twisting its tail leaves and spinning in place, creating a Whirlwind around it that blew the flames away. It took advantage of Altaria’s short recovery period after the move to fly forward as it tilted its head back.

Altaria managed to fluff himself up with Cotton Guard just in time to block Tropius’s neck and head as they careened forward with a Dragon Hammer attack, which bounced off his feathers. He then managed to get in a close-ranged Flamethrower, dealing super effective Fire Damage and forcing Tropius back at the same time.

Tropius wobbled in the air for a moment as the large leaves on its back that helped its fly were now severed, but it focused underneath today’s clear sky as a Synthesis let those leaves regrow.

The two Flying Types cautiously circled around each other in the air as they both recovered from that hurried exchange.

Winona’s Tropius is clearly more defense oriented, considering how many healing effects it has. Leech Seed, Synthesis, and based off of the Sitrus berry growing from its neck, most likely the hidden ability “Harvest,” to let it regrow the berry after it eats it.

...Wait, the Harvest ability? Oh, Winona. If the ability works how I think it works, you made a mistake sending Tropius out against Altaria.

“Get in close! Don’t stay at range!” I yelled.

Altaria flapped forward after only giving a brief squawk of confusion, as he didn’t understand why I was suddenly telling him to get close when he was a special attacker. Tropius didn’t bother pushing him back with Whirlwind, but instead slammed down with its neck using another Dragon Hammer. Altaria was still relatively unphased.

Tropius's leaves cut into Altaria with Leaf Blade as he latched onto Tropius with his talons. He was still unsure what my plan was, but suddenly recognized the berry on Tropius’s neck.

I didn’t even need to tell Altaria to use Thief.

Altaria’s beak snapped down to dig into Tropius’s chin and steal the berry away. He held it in his mouth as Tropius used Altaria’s close position to it to use Leech Seed, causing the draining vines to twist around Altaria’s body.

Now close, Altaria bit down on the Sitrus berry and swallowed it mostly whole, healing himself of a few small wounds, and with another command from me, used Flamethrower at close range.

Tropius realized its mistake and finally tried to push Altaria away with Whirlwind. It only barely worked.

Now free of Altaria’s gluttonous assault, Tropius began to fly away. Altaria chased after him.

“Interrupt its flight with Air Slash!” Winona shouted.

“Hyper Voice!” I called out.

Tropius tilted up and looped in the air over and around Altaria, using its leaves to carve blades of wind in the air as it did so, and sent them sailing into Altaria. The attacks cut through his Cotton Guard, hurting Altaria. However, at the same time, Tropius wasn’t flying faster than sound and Altaria’s Hyper Voice caught up to it.

Altaria was now a bit hurt from both the ongoing Leech Seed and the cuts from Air Slash, so I called out for him to heal.

“Thief again!”

I was correct that Winona had trained her Tropius to have its hidden ability, which meant the berry was already regrowing.

Altaria had hunger in his eyes as he stared directly at his target, and as much as Tropius tried to push him away with Whirlwind, he just kept going after it. The berry hadn’t fully regrown when Altaria finally caught up, but he gobbled it down anyway and a follow up Flamethrower that burned the Grass Type.

Tropius didn’t even have time to pull off another Synthesis before it fainted to Altaria’s assault.

Winona returned her Pokémon before it fell too far, and with a sudden lurch, our two platforms slowly moved towards the ground. Altaria flew over to sit down my platform’s railings to rest while the battle was on pause. Winona shouted at me in the meantime.

“Your Altaria is impressive! ...and honestly a little scary too. What do you feed him?”

I glanced over to where Altaria was now preening his cloud-like Cotton Guard. His action wasn’t really doing much, but he was moving it around to cover up the spaces where Air Slash had cut through.

“Well, I just feed him cans of Flying Type food, but I also mash up Rawst Berries as a side since those are his favorite. I don’t tend to buy Sitrus berries that often due to their enormous cost, but clearly I need to do that more often.”

As the platforms neared the ground, Winona smiled and grabbed her next Pokémon.

“That’s kind of you to work your Pokémon’s preferences into their meals. As strong as your Altaria is, my first Pokémon is always a tier lower than the rest of my team to give trainers more of a fighting chance. I hope you don’t expect everyone else to go down that easily.”

I shook my head.

“Already prepared for it.”

The platforms shook as they landed, and Altaria took off over the battlefield. The referee shouted for us to continue, and Winona sent out her second Pokémon of the battle, the first truly eight-star Pokémon we encountered.

The Pokémon she sent out was rare to Hoenn, but had been moved here recently. It could be found in the desert of Route 111, and looked like a decorated sphere with yellow wings and a pair of similarly-colored tails. It had two eye-like marks on its body, but its singular, true eye was attached to a black spike that extended out on the top of its body. The Sigilyph floated in the air on Winona’s side of the field, not flying with its wings, but with its Psychic ability.

As the battle started, Winona ordered her Sigilyph to set up a Light Screen to defend it against Altaria’s ranged attacks. Rather than letting Altaria fight, I returned him.

Mawile appeared after I used my first switch.

The second the battle resumed, I didn’t have to give Mawile any orders as she followed the plan we discussed the night before. Chunks of stone grew off of her jaws, forming with Rock Type energy, and she flicked them forward to cause them to be implanted in the ground. The stones changed colors to blend into the terrain, as Stealth Rock is wont to do, and Winona shook her head sadly.

“Ah, Stealth Rock. The bane of any Flying Type specialist. I’d commend you if I didn’t already have a countermeasure. That hazard would have ravaged my team otherwise, but it was still a good choice.”

Mawile used Taunt next and I smirked.

“Countermeasure? What countermeasure?”

Winona smirked right back at me.

“It wasn’t Sigilyph you needed to worry about. Go, Psychic!”

Sigilyph’s eye glowed blue where it floated in the air, and Psychic Type energy surrounded Mawile. Despite her Steel Type resisting the move, she was locked in place and began to shed tears of frustration.

Sigilyph’s Psychic wavered ever so slightly after seeing Mawile’s Fake Tears, and she was able to break out.

“Sweet Scent into Stone Edge,” I instructed.

A faint pink mist emanated from Mawile’s jaws and filled the area with the smell of sugar. Sigilyph’s movements slowed imperceptibly as the comforting smell caused it to relax, reducing its adrenaline.

Taking advantage of the ever so slight drop in its guard, Mawile started to form stones around her to shoot out with Stone Edge, but the move took long enough that Sigilyph had plenty of time to retaliate.

It used its control over the wind to create cuts in the air that sailed forward from Mawile’s position. Each one individually wasn’t as strong as a full power Air Slash, but there were enough of them to interfere with Mawile’s strategy.

Her Steel Type body resisted the damage, but the attacks disrupted her focus and caused the Stone Edge to be released a little too soon. Most of the shots went wide, but due to Sigilyph relaxing from Sweet Scent, it was just barely too slow to dodge and one caught it in the chest.

The strange Psychic Type wailed mouthlessly as the super effective attack hit it, and it angrily tried to get Mawile stuck in another Psychic attack, still under the effects of Taunt.

Unfortunately, the move took hold and Mawile became stuck once more. Stuck in one place, Mawile shifted all of her focus to try to make Stone Edge come out more clearly.

While the Psychic attack was causing Mawile constant pain, she managed to create the attack through it thanks to her Steel Type resisting the move. This Stone Edge created more stones than before, and since Sigilyph was still relaxed due to Sweet Scent, it was too slow to properly dodge all of them and took more damage.

Psychic was released and Mawile fell to the ground, panting and injured, while Sigilyph didn’t look much better.

Winona suddenly perked up when she noticed that Sigilyph looked less angry than before, and I suppressed a groan, understanding what that meant.

“Gravity!” she called out.

Mawile was suddenly forced to the ground as the Psychic Type increased the force of gravity now that the Taunt had worn off. She tried to create another Stone Edge attack, but the stones just arced into the ground without reaching Sigilyph. Her movement speed was slowed as she was forced to crawl, and a few weak Air Slashes later, Mawile was knocked out.

I returned Mawile to her Heavy Ball.

“You did an incredible job for a Pokémon with such a disadvantage against fliers,” I whispered to the ball. “You’ve put us in the perfect position. Thank you Mawile.”

I carefully considered my options as Winona eyed me warily. Realizing something funny, I sent out Cottonee.

Winona raised an eyebrow at that choice.

“Air Slash, take it out,” she ordered.

Instead of multiple Air Slashes being sent forward, Sigilyph just created one large one that went towards Cottonee. Cottonee was still a bit underleveled, and couldn’t move him out of the way, so it was a good thing he knew Protect.

Already a bit tired from using such a draining move, a faint shimmer appeared over his cotton and the Air Slash crashed harmlessly into it. He released the shield and Protect broke off into sparkles that spread out around him. The shimmering dust floated throughout the field, and Sigilyph didn’t move out of the way, thinking it was just a quirk of Cottonee’s Protect.

It was correct, but it was also a way Cottonee was disguising his Stun Spore.

Sigilyph slowed down as its body locked up, and Cottonee shot out a Leech Seed that it didn’t bother dodging. When the expanding vines wrapped around Sigilyph, I noticed the move had no effect. My face showed my confusion and Winona succinctly explained what was going on.

“Magic Guard.”

Ah.

Magic Guard was an ability that prevented a Pokémon that had it from taking damage from non-attacking moves, as well as damage from other effects. Leech Seed wouldn’t hurt Sigilyph since it wasn’t a move that directly attacked the foe. Cottonee would be forced to use his weak Fairy Wind and Mega Drain moves if he wanted to hurt Sigilyph.

Recognizing my plan to shut down Sigilyph with Cottonee was flawed from the start, I used my second switch to send out a Pokémon I knew would win.

Ninetales.

Immediately, a hailstorm appeared around the battlefield, but neither Pokémon was affected. Ninetales ignored the Ice Type damage as an Ice Type, and Sigilyph’s body was protected by a faint barrier from its Magic Guard. Ninetales didn’t need my orders as she set up an Aurora Veil, and Sigilyph mimicked her by refreshing the Light Screen it had put up earlier.

Both Pokémon would now take less damage from special attacks.

Ninetales bounded forward in her snow, enjoying herself in the cold air around her, and several quick Ice Beams shot forward. Sigilyph was still more calm than normal, thanks to the Sweet Scent from earlier still affecting it, and that combined with the Paralysis meant all of Ninetales's attacks hit. Sigilyph was unable to retaliate before fainting.

Winona didn’t say anything as she sent out her next Pokémon: a Mandibuzz.

Mandibuzz were Dark Type, vulture-like Pokémon that I knew excelled as support. This was the Pokémon she alluded to having a countermeasure to Stealth Rock, and I could already figure out what that move would be: Defog.

However, Madibuzz didn't get a chance to use that move before the Stealth Rock activated. A series of hidden stones detached themselves from the floor and sailed towards its position. It tried to move out of the way, but was forced to avoid an Ice Beam from Ninetales mid flight and took the entry hazard dead on.

The stones dug into its body, but it managed to use Defog after that. Its wings glowed light blue and winds blew out, pushing the stones out of their hiding spots and shattering them against the ground. In addition, the winds cut apart and shattered both Ninetales’s and its screen, removing Aurora Veil and Light Screen from the field.

Rather than taking advantage of its sudden loss of defense, I had Ninetales reset her Aurora Veil. That was a mistake.

Mandibuzz spat purple gunk at Ninetales, and while most of it missed thanks to Snow Cloak, a few splatters got on her fur and she stumbled where she was running in her storm. It was Toxic, and Mandibuzz just put a timer on the battle before Ninetales would faint to poison.

"Full Ice Beam, as much as you can."

Mandibuzz spiraled, barrel rolled, and flipped in the air to avoid the onslaught of Ice Type attacks that followed. It still took damage from the few times it was clipped, but in the process of dodging, it also set up a Tailwind to increase its speed.

Ninetales wobbled in place as Mandibuzz's wings lit up with Steel Type energy. Ninetales’s Aurora Veil reduced the impact of the Steel Wing that hit her, but it was doubly super effective, and she had already been poisoned.

I used my third switch to return her before she could start taking too much damage from Toxic.

"I told you I had a countermeasure," Winona replied.

I responded by sending out Florges.

Mandibuzz sailed around the battlefield as Florges paid attention to it carefully. I didn't say a thing, because I knew this was what she'd been practicing for, and she would want to focus.

A dense ball of pink energy formed in her hands as she eyed Mandibuzz carefully. It reinforced its wings for another Steel Wing as the image of the Moon appeared behind Florges.

A Moonblast shot towards Mandibuzz as it launched forward, intent on making the most of Florges's weakness to melee attacks. It twisted its body midair to just barely dodge the orb, but that was what Florges was waiting for. She commanded the orb to suddenly jerk to the side, and it slammed into Mandibuzz's chest. It dug into the Dark Type, dealing super effective damage, then it careened off course and into the ground below.

An extremely quick but still super effective Fairy Wind finished it off while it was getting up.

"Aromatherapy, please," I asked.

Florges used the status condition curing move as Mandibuzz was returned, curing Ninetales of her toxin within her Premier Ball.

And the best part is, Aurora Veil is still up.

When Winona sent in her fourth Pokémon, the hail stopped and rain began. The pelican Pokémon Pelipper used its hydrokinesis to create the new weather effect, overwriting the old one. At the same time, Aurora Veil was still in place. It only required hail to come into effect, rather than to be maintained.

Florges stood off against Pelipper, ready to go, only for Winona to immediately switch it out and send in Pidgeot instead.

Shame that she removed Stealth Rock. I can tell her team is built around switching.

Winona commanded her Pidgeot to attack, and it did so. The rain around it twisted and spun, creating a whirlwind of violent winds enhanced by the weather that was sent forth at Florges. She braced herself against the Hurricane, and recognizing Winona was using the weather to her advantage, Florges used one of her new moves to counter it.

As Florges withstood the special Flying Type damage, a small flaming orb formed and appeared in her hands. She tossed it up in the air, forcing Pidgeot to dodge, but it wasn’t an attack. The rain clouds immediately began to evaporate as the orb lit up and seared the field, creating harsh sunlight. Winona clicked her tongue as Florges took advantage of Pidgeot adjusting to the new weather condition to use Synthesis, completely restoring all of her wounds thanks to the extra energy provided by the sun.

Pidgeot was forced to change up its strategy, as it was no longer supported by the rain.

“Supersonic Brave Bird!”

That was clearly a codeword for some sort of special strategy, as a Tailwind picked up behind Pidgeot, and it soared through the sky. Florges let out an absolute barrage of Fairy Winds that it was forced to fly through, hurting it in the process. At the same time, Pidgeot began to use Agility to increase its speed even further, and I realized what Winona was doing.

She’s enhancing Pidgeot’s speed to insane levels to make Brave Bird hit with insane force! Considering she called this “Supersonic,” I wonder if she was inspired by the Alolan Z-Move, “Supersonic Skystrike.”

I blinked a few times to refocus on the battle, preventing myself from getting lost to my musings, as Florges continued to use Fairy Wind. Her practice specifically against fliers was paying off here as Pidgeot was taking constant damage as it flew around in the air and moved faster and faster. Unfortunately it was taking so long to attack that the Aurora Veil faded. Florges would be taking the full force of Pidgeot’s attack.

When Pidgeot was nearing the limits of how fast a Pokémon could move (creating near-deafening screeching noises that a nearby Xatu had to muffle), I called out a new command for Florges.

“Brace yourself and use Wish!”

Florges lowered herself to the ground and clasped her hands together almost like prayer. A healing star formed far above her head, and slowly drifted down.

That was when Pidgeot struck.

In the blink of an eye, both Pokémon were launched to the back of the field. I jumped back in shock as a brilliant Psychic barrier flared into existence in front of me, blocking off the field due to the bright white light from the sheer amount of energy being pumped into it to protect me.

A normally silent nearby Xatu wheezed from the strain, and the barrier faded in color once more, revealing the knocked out forms of both Florges and Pidgeot.

I returned Florges, and spoke to her Heal Ball with a bit of mirth in my voice.

“You just completely ruined Pidgeot’s strategy. You weakened it so much with Fairy Wind, that Brave Bird’s recoil just flat out fainted it. Incredible job, Florges.”

I clipped it back to my belt, and as Pidgeot was returned, I grabbed a familiar Premier Ball.

What happened next was a little hard to follow.

Both Ninetales and Pelipper were sent out at the same time. Darkened clouds formed over the battlefield as both of their abilities attempted to create a different weather condition. Slushy snow dropped from the sky, the hail soaked with water. Both Pokémon held their ground, Ninetales bracing herself and Pelipper flapping its wings midair, as they tried to will their ideal weather to form.

Ninetales had already been weakened from her previous battle so Pelipper seemed to have the upper hand, but Florges’s Wish from earlier floated down and entered Ninetales’s body. She was reinvigorated, and that sudden boost of energy caught Pelipper off guard. With one more push, Ninetales’s Snow Warning overtook Pelipper’s Drizzle.

“Surf, Pelipper!” Winona called out, not willing to let Ninetales capitalize on her victory.

“Freeze the wave with Ice Beam! Remember Mossdeep’s beach!” I shouted as well.

Pelipper used the wet ground and air around it to assist it in gathering up and conjuring a wave of water behind it. It was a large attack but took a while to form, giving Ninetales time to put even more energy into her Ice Beam than usual.

In an attack reminiscent of how Glacia’s Pokémon froze Kyogre’s waves in Mossdeep, Ninetales sent forward a powerful ray of ice in front of her as the wave neared. Pelipper managed to just barely abandon the attack as the water completely froze. The temperature noticeably decreased as she did so, and my mouth dropped open.

She’s been practicing Ice Beam for a while. I should have realized how powerful she’s become. I wonder if it's finally time to teach her Blizzard.

Pelipper didn’t give Ninetales a moment to rest. It opened its mouth to shoot out a barrelling burst of Hydro Pump, which Ninetales just barely managed to dodge thanks to Snow Cloak making it hard to see her. She followed it up with Confuse Ray, which caused Pelipper to attack the frozen Surf instead, shattering it and sending chunks of ice everywhere around the field.

Pelipper continued to attack in the wrong direction as Ninetales used that to her advantage and hit it with a few Moonblasts from tricky angles in response. It didn’t last much longer.

With Pelipper down, Winona had one Pokémon left. I had to be careful, as even though I had significantly more Pokémon left, most of my Pokémon were injured or tired. If she played it well, she could still sweep.

I returned Ninetales before Winona sent out her last Pokémon, and she looked at me with interest.

“Going in blind?” she asked.

“Kind of. I know you are either going to use an Altaria or Skarmory as your ace, as both of those Pokémon tend to be used in your high level teams. Considering you know I’m a Fairy Type trainer, I imagine you recognized that using Altaria wouldn’t be that challenging for me, so since this is the eighth Gym, you’d go with the more challenging Skarmory instead. Of course, I could still be wrong, but I’m betting on Skarmory.”

Winona chuckled and shook her head.

“You’ve certainly done your research. Go, Skarmory!”

“Cottonee, it’s time!”

The two Pokémon appeared back on the field, and Winona just looked amused.

“I didn’t expect to see Cottonee again. I’m a bit wary of what it can do, but I’m pretty sure I can predict its tricks as well as you predicted Skarmory.”

I shrugged.

“Just because you expect them, doesn’t mean they won’t work.”

“Wing Attack, Skarmory!” she called out, not bothering to banter any further.

Skarmory shot forward far faster than any other member of her team and I blinked. Its wings practically carved into Cottonee, attacking too fast for him to use Protect, and he sailed back.

This is so much stronger than any other member of her team. What’s going on?

“What, do you think I’d use a basic Pokémon in an eighth Gym Battle?” Winona said to me in amusement. “No, this is my personal Skarmory. You’ve done pretty well so far, and with how many Pokémon you have left, you definitely have the advantage. But can your numbers withstand a Pokémon from a ten-star team?”

I grimaced.

This is above and beyond what normally happens. I need to carefully plan my next moves.

I returned Cottonee from where he fainted, and whispered a quick thanks when I noticed he did manage to get Stun Spore off on Skarmory again. The impact had hidden the move, but Skarmory’s speed had slowed down as its reaction to the spores inflicted it with the paralysis condition.

My Pokémon that were left were Altaria, Ninetales, and Azumarill. Azumarill was completely healthy, but I doubted she’d be able to withstand a Pokémon that was as strong as Winona’s personal Skarmory. She was powerful, of course, but not ten stars powerful. I needed to figure out a way to weaken it further to set up for Azumarill, which would take extra planning on my part.

Neither the referee or Winona called me out on taking longer than normal to send out my next Pokémon, which I appreciated. This was clearly an unusual challenge, so I was being allowed some extra leniency.

In the end, I sent out Altaria. He’d probably only get a chance or two to do what I wanted.

“Cotton Guard. Burn it.” I ordered.

Skarmory was already rocketing towards Altaria the second he was sent out, but its speed was slowed thanks to Cottonee’s Stun Spore. Altaria had just enough time to set up Cotton Guard before Skarmory slammed into him with a same type attack bonus boosted Steel Wing.

“Flamethrower, now!”

In an attempt to mimic how Wally’s Flygon burned Pidgeot in the past, Altaria breathed out fire at close range to try to burn Skarmory. I thanked Arceus this wasn’t the games, and Pokémon could suffer multiple status conditions, but my heart dropped when I saw Altaria fail to inflict the status.

Skarmory knocked Altaria into the Psychic barrier at the edge, then flew up to dive back down at him.

I had the choice between telling him to use Roost or Flamethrower, but I knew that even with Cotton Guard in place it’d be unlikely for him to heal fast enough to stay conscious. I called for Altaria to use Flamethrower again before he fainted.

Unfortunately, Skarmory wasn’t burned.

I frowned and returned Altaria as I considered my options. This time, I didn’t have time to think as Skarmory sat on the ground and used Roost to heal itself.

I hurriedly reached to grab Ninetales’s Premier Ball at my side, wanting to preserve Azumarill, but paused.

I’m doing it again. This is just like Petalburg. I’m putting all of my hopes into Azumarill while sacrificing my team members for her success. This mindset isn’t going to lead to a victory.

My hand shifted spots to where Azumarill’s Dive Ball was attached to my belt, and Azumarill was sent out instead.

Skarmory casually continued to Roost on the ground and barely glanced her way, not seeing her as a threat. Azumarill’s constantly angry glare grew more intense as she let out a “tch.”

“Work Up, Azumarill.”

She briefly glanced back at me to consider why I would have her use that move instead of Belly Drum, but used it anyway. She breathed in and out in a regular pattern, building herself up, and managed to use Work Up twice before Skarmory was finally willing to continue the battle. The bird stood up on its legs then launched itself into flight, hurtling towards Azumarill with another Steel Wing.

Thankfully, she would resist the move thanks to her Water Type, but that didn’t mean it was any less threatening.

I only had moments to give my next command, and I made sure to phrase it in a way that Winona wouldn’t understand but Azumarill would.

“Taunt.”

I couldn’t see Azumarill’s face, but I knew she was smiling maliciously. Skarmory was almost instantly on her, and though Azumarill was clipped by its sharp wings, she managed to partially defend herself from the attack, pat Skarmory on the side in the process, and make an offensive sound in Skarmory’s ear.

Skarmory was enraged. Winona realized what Azumarill had done.

“Skarmory, listen to my voice! Snap out of it!”

Skarmory wasn’t listening to her, infuriated by Azumarill’s Swagger. Skarmory was now more than willing to put the full power of its attacks into its actions, but at the same time it was blinded by rage and could barely consider what actions it was taking in the meantime, affected by confusion.

Azumarill was getting some kind of sick joy at seeing a strong enemy fall to her move, and bent down to ready herself to attack.

Skarmory didn’t use Steel Wing this time, but looped around in the sky for a Brave Bird and I let loose a sad smile.

It’s going to use Brave Bird and take recoil damage, but it’s a much stronger attack and I doubt Azumarill will be able to withstand it.

In accordance to my prediction, that was exactly what happened. However, Azumarill didn’t go down without a fight. She coated her entire body with the water of Liquidation, and the second Skarmory was near, she launched forward with Aqua Jet. With the force of both Brave Bird and the sped up Liquidation, both Pokémon took an insane amount of damage. Skarmory’s tough body let it resist the physical attack, but it was putting its entire body into its move and took more recoil damage than necessary. Azumaril, meanwhile, managed to dent Skarmory’s steel feathers from the sheer force of her attack before she fainted.

When I returned her, she had a smile on her still angry, unconscious face.

I sent out my last Pokémon before Skarmory could Roost again. With Azumarill fainted, Skarmory blinked a few times and faced Ninetales, snapping itself out of its confusion. We weren’t going to let it stay that way, however.

“Confuse Ray, keep it up. Force it to hurt itself.”

Ninetales disappeared into the snow storm she conjured and a beam hit Skarmory’s face. Winona looked more amused than annoyed, and I was unsure if she was amused at my failing attempt, or amused at my upcoming victory.

Skarmory took to the air under Ninetales illusions, and stumbled as it tried to keep its balance. I noticed that the dent Azumarill had inflicted on it was right on its shoulder, and that combined with Ninetales’s efforts was preventing it from flying properly. For such a tough Pokémon, Skarmory had been seriously injured.

It collapsed onto the ground and was forced to stand up on its sharp talons. It seemed to realize flying wasn’t the answer, and stalked through the hail, its yellow eyes darting every which way to find Ninetales.

Soon, Skarmory saw a shape in the snow and my heart dropped. With the speed of a massive bird of prey, it jumped forwards, its claws out as it tore into what it saw in the snow. I heard the sound of ice cracking, and paused.

Was... was that not Ninetales?

I hadn’t seen Ninetales set anything up, and looking closer I saw that Skarmory had not torn into Ninetales, but rather one of the clumps of ice from Pelipper’s frozen Surf. Skarmory stood up proudly and looked around, smirking at me as if it had just finished off my last Pokémon.

Except it hadn’t. It was still under the effects of her illusions.

Skarmory didn’t notice when the ground opened up nearby, and didn’t notice as Ninetales popped her head out to use Ice Beam. The Ice Type move caught it on its side and it stumbled. It looked over to the hole and screeched, then charged forward.

Skarmory ran right over the hole, its leg getting stuck as it crashed to the ground. In its confusion, it flailed in anger, which only served to hurt it further.

Ninetales emerged from another hole behind it, and finished off the injured Pokémon with Ice Beam.

Ninetales climbed out of the hole she created with Dig and slowly approached me. She was tired, but she had fought off three different Pokémon in this battle and had come out victorious. Even more, with the help of everyone else, she managed to finish off Winona’s personal Skarmory, with a little bit of trickery involved.

This time, it was me that ran forward to tackle her.

“Ninetales, that was incredible! You used your Dig, your snow, and your illusions masterfully! I’m so proud of you!”

Ninetales was too tired to properly respond, but she nuzzled her head into my shoulder as I pet her just the way she liked and tried my best to get as much dirt out of it as I could. My hands were near freezing by the time I stood up, but Ninetales’s tails were rapidly wagging back and forth in joy.

With one last pat on the head, I returned Ninetales to let her rest, and approached Winona in the center of the field. The hail had faded while I was petting Ninetales without me noticing. It seemed she had purposely controlled the ice to prevent chunks of hail from hitting me while I gave her the affection she deserved.

Just another way Ninetales showed how great she was.

I reached where Winona was waiting for me, and shook her hand the second she held it out.

“That was a great battle, Alex,” Winona said, a wide smile on her face. “I don’t often send out one of my personal Pokémon in a Gym Battle, but when I do I’m always impressed by the challenger that faces it. If there was anyone who deserved a Feather Badge, it’d be you. Congratulations on your victory, and let me be the first to congratulate you for earning all eight badges.”

I smiled back, warmth and pride filling my heart.

“Thank you. Your Skarmory is incredibly tough, and I’m incredibly proud of my Pokémon for defeating it. It really was a great battle.”

We said goodbye, and I started to walk down the staircase that led back into Fortree. I expected to just go to the Pokémon Center to let my Pokémon recover, and to brag to all of my friends, but a Gym Trainer flew down with her Swellow and stopped me before I did so.

“Alex, right? I got something for you. Supposed to give it after the battle.”

I nodded and took the envelope she handed over, and she flew off immediately after. I went to the Pokémon Center first before I bothered checking what it contained.

When I had time to myself in my room, with all of my Pokémon healing and knocked out from the sheer amount of food I bought them in celebration, I finally opened it up. It was a simple letter with a few documents included, and when I read them over, I became extremely excited.

This was my reward from Steven, and it was something I hadn’t even known I wanted. An invitation to spend the few weeks left in the League at the Weather Institute, receiving one-on-one training from an Ace Trainer there.