Like No One Ever Was (Pokemon SI)

[Skyfyre]

Wow I'm sure this ain't going to backfire in anyway at all.

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Yeah. As it's been pointed out on other sites, defeat or victory, it would look bad for them either way.

nemona is going to spawn an evil team of haters, like a reverse team yell

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Haha, hadn't thought of it that way, but kinda, yup.

Nemoma spurts the Academy club members why again?
Although, Nemoma building her power base isn't a surprise either, besides that coddling is going bite in the ass again usual or just Atticus biased pov from his perspective.
Thanks for the update on your Break.
The Journey continues
Cheers!

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Mostly inadvertently. She's had a couple poor interactions with Elsa, including the latest one where she ditched because the egg was hatching, then there's this Atticus guy who was supposed to invite her in but didn't and the rest of the club doesn't know.

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Yup, the bad first impression (and Atticus doing a piss poor job with the the second) really didn't help things.

And now, time for me to post a couple of omakes! One that ties in with the past chapter, and the other... I forgot to post here from a while back, whoops.

 

[Skyfyre]

Spoiler: Skyfyre Note

Not the author note, as I'm not the one who wrote this. This piece was done by King crimson, the wonderful author of Lex Sedet in Vertice, a Quest on SV following Lex Luthor's rise to power. Its an awesome story that I've really been enjoying reading, and I love the crossover idea they pitched about Cassandra Luthor from that quest, in my story (who is very different from the Cassandra from the League Club, btw). They've already written another part of this before, so go check it out if you haven't (and if you've got the time, maybe check out their quest too)

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A/N: So it took a fair bit to get things done but here's the second part of this battle/omake. It's a doozy but I had a lot of fun writing this crossover omake.

I'm not going to talk too much about things as I want to let the omake speak for itself but I did want to note that you'll start to get to see a bit more of Cassandra's issues. I also want to comment on her issues with mega-evolution a bit.

Obviously people familiar with pokemon know that people aren't lying about bonds being necessary for mega-evolution. That being said Cassandra doesn't have the outside perspective of knowing the truth.

To kind of put yourself in her shoes, imagine you're a young girl without much social interaction with peers your age and a bit of a nepobaby. You have a super special pet that's been with you for a very long time. This pet was made just for you and you love this pet. This pet is arguably your best friend in the whole wide world and you do everything to make sure the pet is happy and healthy. You don't doubt that your pet loves you as much as you love it and it's the closest thing you have to a partner.

Then you find out that there's a super special secret involving this pet/partner. You buy the necessary materials and attempt to access the secret. Only you fail and you can't do it. When you ask experts they tell you that you failed because you don't have a close enough bond with the thing you are arguably closest to in the whole world. Isn't that utterly infuriating? Isn't it much easier to conclude that said experts are lying to you and keeping secrets rather than that either you or your pet/partner don't love each other enough?

That's kind of Cassandra's situation with mega-evolution. I'll leave further speculation on her character for later but suffice to say I do plan on explaining the situation and the dynamic by the time this omake series is done. Hope you guys enjoy!

Like No One Ever Was Crossover omake Part 2
Nemona Glitterati
I was honestly having a ton of fun with this battle. I had no idea who Cassandra was but she was really good for her age. It felt a bit weird saying that, but she genuinely was a cut above most kids our age. Unfortunately it wasn't enough.

It was easy to write Cassandra off as being just some rich kid throwing around the best mons money could buy with no idea what she was doing, but she was genuinely pretty good, I'd been forced on the back foot and she'd legitimately managed to lock down the best responses to her intended moves.

She'd caught me off guard with the use of the move roar to forcibly switch out Notch, and while Athena had come out on top, she'd taken heavy damage and needed to mega-evolve. When Nightwing and her Scizor battled, Cassandra's strategies had completely prevented me from using fire fang, the ideal counter to a bug and steel type pokemon like Scizor. I was winning but it would be a mistake to say that I wasn't working for it.

That being said I was still confident I was going to win this. Cassandra didn't seem to have a ton of experience in pokemon battles. She was good but she tended to panic when her plans got disrupted and tunnel visioned too hard on what she wanted. She was too complacent against Athena, figuring she'd sealed the deal, and when Nightwing and the Scizor clashed, she'd completely neutralized fire fang as an option at the cost of leaving herself completely open to earthquake instead. I was pretty sure that if she got a bit more practice or I was less experienced the match might go another way, heck I was still cautious of what she might try and pull after having been caught off balance with Bahamut, but I felt pretty confident in saying that Cassandra's lack of experience was going to cost her the match.

The other thing that I picked up on was that Cassandra seemed to take things personally. If I hadn't had aura to enhance my hearing, I might not have caught her apologizing under her breath to her Pyroar about how it was her fault that they lost, essentially blaming herself for it. It put a few things into perspective.

Cassandra didn't blame me or her pokemon or insist that something was wrong, she blamed herself when things didn't go her way. She took the time to tell her pokemon that she was sorry. Maybe I was reading into things too much but I couldn't help but see that as a sign of her being not that bad. She didn't seem particularly friendly, but neither was Amethio and I got along with him just fine. I could afford to have fun with this match and hopefully Cassandra would take this as a learning experience. Win or lose you were supposed to have fun with a pokemon battle and it seemed like Cassandra was having a hard time with losing.

As Cassandra sent out an absolutely massive Gyarados, maybe an alpha Gyarados of some kind, I couldn't help but grin wider. I could use U-turn to pivot out of this match-up but I chose not to. Cassandra used pokemon in wierd niche ways, a special attacking Scizor was not at all normal, getting a sense of how she was going to use her Gyarados would give me a better sense of how to counter it.

"Smash them to pieces!" Cassandra said, her voice rising in both tempo and fervor even as she did her best to stifle it. She seemed to be really getting into the battle. I wasn't sure quite how that was going to play out, but considering how previously she'd been either stoic or smirking, I could expect a change of pace. She was off balance and I was going to make use of that.

The Gyarados let out an enormous bellow as it surged forth surprisingly scary. I wasn't too worried but there was some animal part of my brain that couldn't help but get a little freaked out when a massive sea serpent started flying at me.

I didn't lose my cool however and promptly ordered Nightwing into the sky directly over the Gyarados, hoping to make use of flight to catch it off guard and hit it from a potential blindspot. The Gyarados wasn't quite quick enough to catch Nightwing and the momentum had turned in my favor.

"Coilspring" Cassandra commanded, catching me off guard as her Gyarados promptly landed on the ground and coiled itself like the worlds largest, bluest, angriest rattlesnake. I didn't have much time to think before the Gyarados promptly launched itself up into the air, shaking the ground with the force of its jump.

The massive Gyarados was already on top of Nightwing before I could get another word out.

"Aqua Tail!" Cassandra shouted, the Gyarados responding to the other girl's order by swinging the full force of its massive tail, now coated in a watery aura, downwards onto Nightwing like a hammer onto a nail.

"Protect!" I cried out, hoping to shield Nightwing from the hit. Hopefully Cassandra's commitment to this attack would leave an opening when the aqua tail was blocked. A green orb of energy shimmered around Nightwing mere moments before the attack could connect.

The green orb cracked but didn't quite break under the weight of the blow. I was stunned. I'd specifically trained up Nightwing to be able to block a big hit with her protects and the Gyarados was already cracking it in just one hit. Just how powerful was this Gyarados? I knew that dynamaxed pokemon could pop protects but this was just an abnormally large Gyarados, not a dynamaxed one. This discovery tilted the whole usual pace of the battle, where normally Nightwing could use protect to stall, now it was clear that Cassandra could break protect if given the opportunity. Still this fight wasn't over by any means and I still was going to hold onto u-turn a bit longer.

"Time for spite, Drakul" Cassandra aggressively stated as the massive Gyarados then let out a black wave of ghostly energy. Nightwing didn't have time to react as the black wave washed over her and she seemed to grow ever so slightly more tired. It didn't seem to do any damage but from what I knew of the games, spite would make it so that using protect would tire Nightwing out faster. Almost no one in the competitive circuit used spite at all so it was another weird niche attack.

I felt like I had a sense of Cassandra's strategy now, Gyarados had a type advantage so in a fight with Nightwing the only issue would be protect. The Gyarados would've popped a normal protect and even when Nightwing's defenses still held spite would ensure that I couldn't use the move to block hits for long. It was similar to her previous plan to prevent Nightwing from using fire fang against her Scizor, a multi-step plan to pick apart the seemingly most optimal option. However I wasn't going to panic just because I had my best path forward cut off. I let out a smile instead, this battle was fun.

The obvious solution would be to u-turn, but then Cassandra would either dragon dance, use roar or dragon tail or some other forced pivoting move, or use her remaining switch. I knew exactly what her Gyarados would be going for and so I could battle around that and overcome the strategy.

The next strategy I came up with was going to be dependent on what I'd observed. Cassandra had made her Gyarados jump at Nightwing, instead of flying which suggested to me that doing so was easier and faster than flight. Furthermore, the jump had been straight up. I'd thought that by positioning Nightwing in what was a typical blindspot, I'd managed to put her at a disadvantage where she couldn't hit me. However, it seemed that if she used the spring trick that counter intuitively, placing Nightwing low to the ground would actually make it harder for Cassandra to hit her. It was way easier for a coiled spring to fite off of a flats surface instead of an angled one, so by keeping Nightwing low to the ground I'd actually make it so that Cassandra was less likely to be able to have her Gyarados close the distance in an instant.

"Nightwing, fly underneath the Gyarados and fling!" I ordered, hoping that my observations were right and looking forward to seeing what move Cassandra would make next as Nightwing glided directly under the massive sea serpent. Nightwing barely managed to get off hurling her toxic orb at the Gyarados when an aqua tail slammed into her like a massive hammer blow, sending her tumbling down to the earth.

The hit was powerful enough that I was confident that even with the passive healing of Nightwing's ability, Nightwing wouldn't be able to take another hit like that. I briefly mulled things over. I thought I managed to get the toxic orb to connect, which would've badly poisoned the Gyarados. Now I needed to play for time since Nightwing couldn't eat another hit. Still it wasn't like Cassandra was going to give me a ton of time to come up with any clever plans beyond just stalling.

"Waterfall" She ordered and the Gyarados shot straight down. I had a moment to react and I wasn't going to waste it.

"Time to dig to get out of there!" I told Nightwing, who promptly complied, managing to easily make it into the earth before the Gyarados slammed into the ground with all the force of a freight train. The ground shook and I caught myself before I stumbled and fell.

Cassandra appeared unphased but when Nightwing popped out of the ground unphased a scowl briefly flashed over her features before she once more attempted to set the pace.

"Scald hole" Cassandra ordered and the Gyarados promptly unleashed a blast of boiling water straight into the hole Nightwing had created. I immediately ordered Nightwing to fly towards me. Cassandra's trick was clever but it wasn't good enough. Using the tunnel Nigtwing had dug as a tube to redirect an attack so that it came up from beneath Nightwing to make it less easy to intuitively dodge was clever but it wouldn't work if it didn't catch you off guard. Furthermore, it left her Gyarados open for a few seconds.

I promptly ordered Nightwing to use gunk shot, and she near instantly followed through, launching a large dripping ball of toxic sludge at the Gyarados's head. I wasn't sure if the toxic orb had connected or not so I figured I might as well try to guarantee that the giant pokemon was poisoned.

The Gyarados lifted its head just in time for the attack to land right in its eye. The Gyarados roared in pain as it was half blinded.

"Waterfall!" Cassandra yelled, "Focus on hurting them back!"

The Gyarados promptly surged forwards and like the world's greatest matador, Nightwing promptly rolled to the side, skillfully avoiding the raging pokemon's attack.

"Aqua tail!" Cassandra followed up, seemingly eager to connect with the attack. I wasn't going to use protect this time.

"You know what to do Nightwing, dodge it with dig"

My Gliscor let her mischievous grin grow wider as she dug into the ground, easily avoiding the blow. However I noticed that Cassandra was also smiling, an ear to ear intense rictus grin spread across her face the moment she heard my command.

"You made my mistake" She giggled before composing herself again, a smile still on her face "Earthquake, Drakul"

The Gyarados let out a roar as its tail smashed into the ground, sending out a powerful shockwave of ground type energy that promptly launched Nightwing out of the earth and into the air. It'd actually been a while since I'd been caught up in a situation like this, it hadn't been since the very start of my career that this situation had occurred. In the games the flying type pokemon would take no damage even while underground but I'd since learned that in actual battles the submerged pokemon did still take some damage, albeit reduced from what you might expect. It was actually kind of funny that it seemed like my first battle and what I suspected was Cassandra's first battle would share a moment like that.

Nightwing quickly righted herself as the Gyarados came barreling down towards her.

"Sand attack then a quick attack escape!" I said. Nightwing hurled sand into the Gyarados's eyes and promptly shot off, avoiding the attack. Even with the situation turning somewhat in my favor, things could still swing back the other way. The Gyarados was a threat that needed to be handled carefully.

I could still have Nightwing u-turn out but that would require getting close and risking an attack from that oversized Gyarados connecting. Any direct water type attack would knock out Nightwing if it connected. I couldn't block hits with protect, and I couldn't dodge hits with dig. The hits with earthquake would have their damage reduced but with the damage Nightwing had already taken, I couldn't afford to eat many more hits for free. It was genuinely tricky.

As Nightwing narrowly dodged another attack I came up with a plan of action. Nightwing was hurt but she was healing over time, and the Gyarados seemed to be shrugging off the poison damage for now but it would add up over time. Cassandra was grinning, seemingly happy that her plan was working. My best bet was to play along with it for now, let Cassandra think she'd won and let the toxic damage rack up over time. Then an opening would present itself.

"Nightwing use stone edge and keep your distance" I yelled. Nightwing promptly flung several stone shards at the Gyarados and backed away. The Gyarados merely batted them down with an aqua tail and then once more attempted to close the distance to Nightwing.

I promptly ordered Nightwing to use sand attack as cover as she dove away from the Gyarados and continued to lead it on a chase.

"I'm tired of your sand cover, and your running away" Cassandra growled "I'd like some scalding rain, Drakul!"

The Gyarados promptly began undulating as it fired up a massive geyser of steaming hot water into the air. clouds gathered round the apex of the water blast's arc. Then droplets of boiling water promptly began falling from the sky.

The forcefield protections for both myself and Cassandra promptly began flickering to block the boiling rain and I could see Nightwing let out little winces as the droplets landed on her. It wasn't enough to do significant damage but Nightwing wasn't healing any more. Worse yet with all of this water in the air, sand attack was almost certainly not going to work as it normally would as the sand would near instantly turn into mud and fall to the ground.

Cassandra smiled and the Gyarados charged forwards once again as it's tail glowed with a watery aura. I let out a command for Nightwing to use quick attack to get under the massive tail swing. Nightwing managed to weave around it but it was still far too close for my liking.

"Quick attack towards its head!" I ordered, hoping that the plan would work. It might've seemed counter intuitive, but the head was actually the point where it would be hardest for the Gyarados to swing its tail around towards.

"Muddy water" Cassandra replied back, seemingly ready with an answer to this latest move as the Gyarados immediately let loose a massive flow of dirty brownish water from its mouth. Nightwing wasn't going to be able to dodge in time so I needed to gamble. Gyarados typically was a much stronger physical attacker than it was a special attacker. As such protect should work against a move like muddy water.

"Protect" I called out, to which Nightwing immediately reacted, cutting her attack short and forming a protective barrier to block the oncoming attack. The move seemed to hold but when Cassandra immediately called for a waterfall, I once more had to call for Nightwing to avoid it with quick attack.

The pattern continued for a while, the Gyarados unleashing devastating attack after devastating attack, and Nightwing either barely avoiding them or blocking the special attacks we could afford to take. The boiling rain had dissipated but it had kept Nightwing from healing. The only relief was that the Gyarados was slowing down as the poison seemed to be ticking away and dealing more and more damage.

Cassandra seemed to be noticing this as well if the way the scowl grew on her face was any indication. This match was going to turn on the next few moves and so I intended to use u-turn to change things up and hopefully throw off Cassandra even more. I'd seen enough of how the Gyarados was going to be used that I felt confident going for it.

"Nightwing, time for-"

"Drakul final venture!" Cassandra called out interrupting me. The Gyarados immediately responded, charging at Nightwing. It didn't seem like a water type attack so I made the call to try and go for a thunder fang. I hadn't used it all match and Cassandra seemed to have gotten confident that I wouldn't ever contest the Gyarados.

There was a genuine chance that Nightwing might go down here. Cassandra's Gyarados was a major threat and while I had other pokemon that might match up better into the giant sea serpent, Cassandra had more switches then me. If I pulled out now, there was a good chance that Cassandra would switch out the Gyarados and bring it back in when Nightwing hit the field again and after both sides were more whittled down. Plus there was the fact that Cassandra very clearly wanted this match-up in particular. She was aggressive with the Gyarados, confident she'd come out on top. I likely wouldn't get another opportunity to trade like this again. There was an unfortunately high chance Nightwing would go down, but I wasn't confident switching out now would prevent me from being in the same position as I was now, only without the opening to make the trade. I didn't like it but I made the call to try and bring down the Gyarados, at the potential cost of Nightwing also going down.

"Thunder fang!" I shouted. The two pokemon collided in the air. Nightwing fell to the ground, tumbled a bit and slowly but surely righted herself, getting steadier on her feet before rising into the air. The Gyarados meanwhile finally collapsed, spent from the slowly ticking toxic poison, the few scattered hits I'd landed and the final super effective blow.

Cassnadra returned the Gyarados back into a luxury ball. It might've been a little rude but I used my aura to enhance my hearing to listen into what she was saying.

"I was stupid, I missed the toxic orb and didn't close things quick enough" Cassandra muttered "I'm supposed to be better than this, I'm not going to lose this. You did everything you could and I won't throw that away."

Cassandra seemed to really be taking the fight personally. I got that it was a battle and I knew full well that sometimes when you got competitive you could beat yourself up when you made mistakes but Cassandra had to learn to relax a bit. I was having fun and since I was probably her senior in terms of battling, I figured I could try to teach her a thing or two. I was no Hassel, but I figured that I knew a thing or two about battling.

"You're Gyarados was really impressive" I said, causing the dark haired girl to glower at me "I almost thought you had us"

The other girl took a deep breath before responding.

"So did I" Cassandra ground out "I'd planned on beating your Gliscor with her, and yet I still lost"

I was of the opinion that she needed to loosen up a bit. Yeah her plan hadn't worked but she'd done serious damage to Nightwing. On paper I was ahead, but both Athena and Nightwing didn't have a lot of gas left in the tank. It was probably frustrating to come up short twice, but if she played things smart she might still be able to turn things around. I wasn't going to let her win but I did at least want to encourage her a bit.

"Battle's not over till the last pokemon" I jubilantly stated, hoping to try and convey to her that it wasn't over yet. I was having fun still and I didn't want her to take it so personally. She was actually doing really good, this was the first time someone my own age had really pushed me like this and I wanted to see just how far she could go.

"You're right" The other girl placidly stated as she readied herself once more. "It's not over. Don't think you're going to win just because you've surprised me once or twice"

Cassandra promptly sent out her next pokemon, a Roserade named Ivy. The grass type pokemon trilled a bit as it stood atop the now thoroughly torn up ground. While the stealth rocks and spikes had by and large been scattered, I didn't miss the minute wince that it let out. It probably wouldn't continue to effect the fight much longer if the battlefield kept getting torn up but it was nice to know that Notch's work had paid off.

Regardless, I was excited. Roserade weren't pokemon native to Paldea, which meant that it might try things I'd never seen before. In general Cassandra liked using weird out of the way strategies that denied intuitive answers to the match-ups she chose to fight. I was looking forward to seeing just how far this could go.

Cassandra Luthor
Cassandra was absolutely livid as she saw Nemona still smiling at her, enjoying the battle like it didn't matter at all, like she wasn't overturning every plan and studied stratagem Cassandra had overcome. It infuriated to see the seeming carelessness with which all of her work was being overturned.

Cassandra had always been exceptional at body reading, she could tell when someone was lying or what they might be thinking from the minute twitches in their body language. It was far more applicable to a fight than a pokemon battle, being able to read the direction of a punch was easier and more actionable then knowing that the opponent was going to shout a command, and yet it was still useful. Everything about Nemona Glitterati's body language screamed that she was having fun. Fun!

Cassandra was throwing everything she had at Nemona, had actively studied the other girl's teams and tactics and devoted her time, effort and resources into ensuring she came out on top and Nemona was having FUN ruining everything again.

At least what the other girl said was true, the fight wasn't over yet. Cassandra did her best to stay calm and composed, at least outwardly, as she prepared herself for the battle to come. It wasn't over yet. Not by a long shot.

The battle began with Cassandra promptly calling for an energy ball barrage as Nemona in turn instructed her Gliscor to dodge and make its way closer. The bat-like pokemon had fire fang so Cassandra was going to hold off on setting a sunny day, even if it would allow Ivy to freely fire off powerful solar beam attacks with minimal charge-up time.

Ivy happily complied with the order letting out happy cries as she freely fired off countless balls of glowing green energy. The Gliscor swooped around and managed to avoid the attacks for the most part. Annoying but Cassandra could deal with that in its own time. Drakul had done enough that all it would take was one good hit. One good hit and Cassandra could begin to turn things around. It'd need to be a powerful blow to prevent the Gliscor from healing, anything less than a knockout blow would give the gliscor time to heal up, but if Cassandra could land that devastating blow she'd be able to come out on top.

"Nightwing, quick attack!" Nemona commanded, seeing some kind of opening in Ivy's attacks. The Gliscor swooped forwards but Cassandra saw it coming. Maybe she didn't need that powerful devastating blow. With Nemona oh so conveniently closing the distance, Cassandra could command Ivy to make use of a move that would prevent the Gliscor from healing up.

"Leap and Leech!" Cassandra retaliated. Ivy promptly leapt over the charging Gliscor and fired off a series of seeds directly into the Gliscor's back. Cassandra's Roserade grinned primly as the leech seed attack began its work and sprouted into a series of vines which drained energy from the Gliscor. Whatever healing it might've managed to get was now completely cut off and Ivy would be the one recovering over the course of the fight.

"Get in close Nightwing!" Nemona shouted. Cassandra didn't have time to think, instead ordering Ivy to fire off a retreating bullet seed. The attacks connected and Cassandra could see that the Gliscor was weakening but wasn't slowing down. Cassandra assumed that Nemona was going to try and get off an extremely powerful acrobatics to do as much damage as possible before letting the Gliscor go down.

The Gliscor closed the distance when Cassandra heard three words that made her heart sink to the bottom of her stomach.

"Gliscor use U-Turn" The black and green haired Glitterati called out as the Gliscor finally got close to Ivy. Cassandra didn't have time to react and the move hit allowing the injured pokemon to return to its ball and escape the trap Cassandra had thought was completely inescapable. Again Nemona ruined everything.

How did that Gliscor have U-Turn? Why hadn't she used it at all during the fight with Drakul? It didn't make sense, the stupid girl in front of her didn't make sense! Cassandra wanted to scream at the other girl but kept herself composed. She had an image to maintain and she wasn't going to lash out just because that stupid airheaded, worthless little plan-ruining, nonsensical moron kept overcoming her every move and was having fun doing so!

Cassandra was meant to be the best! Father had adopted her solely because she was the best. Cassandra had proven it time and time again. Science, business, diplomacy, everything and anything related to being the perfect Luthor heiress and worthy daughter Cassandra had excelled at and proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Even pokemon battling was something she was good at with every tutor praising her skills and calling her a prodigy. And yet when it came to battling Nemona, Cassandra just wasn't good enough.

Even if Cassandra won, this match was a humiliation, showing only how Cassandra wasn't good enough. She'd had every advantage, she should have been better than this! Cassandra was glad she'd decided not to record the match as she'd fantasized before the battle. Far from showing Cassandra as the dominant superior, it would've shown Cassandra trying her hardest and losing or getting outsmarted far too often for her liking.

Cassandra calmed down. This was fine, Father didn't have to know the details. Cassandra was just going to win the match and report that. Then he wouldn't have any doubts about adopting her and no one would question the best. People might question if she'd actually beaten the Glitterati girl, but Cassandra would shut them up by crushing them totally and utterly. Yes, Cassandra could work with that. She had this.

Cassandra almost came back to an equilibrium when Nemona sent out her next pokemon.

"Go Athena" The other girl called out. Cassandra seethed as she saw that the stupid mega evolving Lucario was back. Cassandra didn't think that Nemona was making fun of her, but she still couldn't help but imagine a little mocking voice behind the grin plastered on the other girl's face.

"Look what I can do that you can't" the mocking little voice said "Look at all the ways I'm better than you."

Cassandra did her best to shut out the voice but it still kept on mocking her.

"After all you can't mega-evolve can you?" The voice mocked "The best Luthor heiress would've figured out the secret to it by now, maybe your father made a mistake adopting you"

Cassandra clenched her fist so tightly that her nails began to dig into her hand. If she hadn't been wearing gloves, Cassandra probably would've drawn blood. Cassandra growled as the fight started back up. She wasn't going to lose. She wasn't. She refused to.

Cassandra immediately used her tera orb to change Ivy's typing. A large crystalline candelabra sprouted atop Ivy's head as the Roserade changed to a fire type . She wasn't going to give Nemona and her Lucario time to ruin anything.

"Surprised?" Cassandra taunted, hoping that her voice hid exactly how angry she was "I might not be from Paldea but I managed to acquire one of these handy little terra orbs you all came up with."

"A little bit" Nemona guilelessly admitted. Couldn't the other girl have been a little bit taken aback? Cassandra had needed to put in a good amount of work and burn a solid amount of resources to get a tera orb as a foreigner to Paldea well before they were in common circulation. It would've been nice if the other girl could've at least been impressed by what Cassandra managed to pull.

"But I'm more excited than anything else" Nemona said "You're really good so I look forward to seeing how you make use of the type change, especially with a pokemon like Roserade"

The other girl was so annoying, just a happy fun loving smile and a declaration that no matter what Cassandra pulled she'd knock her down. Fine then. Cassandra would prove that she wasn't second best.

"Well then it looks like it's all sunny days from her on out!" Cassandra snarled, doing her best to keep a smile on her face as covertly ordered Ivy to change the weather using the sunny day attack. Cassandra privately wondered why she even bothered, it didn't matter what she seemed to do, the other girl would probably keep that dopey happy-go-lucky grin on her face regardless.

The other girl seemed to take this as a signal to refocus entirely on the battle as Ivy launched a bright ball of energy that hung high in the air and shone like a miniature sun.

"Athena, extreme speed!" Nemona called out. The jackal looking pokemon blurred forwards and struck Ivy but that was fine.

"Weather ball" Cassandra respond as Ivy rolled with the blow and near instantly righted herself before launching out three massive high speed fire balls.

The Lucario managed to roll passed the first weather ball but wasn't ready for the second which clipped it and set it up to be hit by the third.

"Endure!" Nemona called out right as the Lucario was once more engulfed in fire. It was an unfortunately familiar sight but Cassandra wasn't going to let Hunter's loss be for nothing. She'd learned since then.

"Leech seed, pronto!" Cassandra commanded. The Lucario was winded enough that it didn't have the strength to avoid the seeds and Cassandra was thrilled when she saw them sprout. The same trick wouldn't work twice, Now if Nemona wanted to try and stall the fight, she'd still lose due to the leech seed.

Nemona seemed to realize this as her next move was to call out for an earthquake attack. Cassandra promptly ordered Ivy to jump into the air to avoid the shockwave that would've been a super effective hit otherwise, thanks to Ivy's type change via terastalization.

"Force whip, reel it in!" Nemona ordered. Cassandra quickly put together the intended plan. Roserade was not a pokemon that could fly. With Roserade now in the air, it should theoretically be a sitting duck for the force whip attack. By then pulling Ivy into melee range from the air, Nemona's Lucario could land a drain punch, which would now be neutral, and recover enough health to keep on fighting.

Cassandra felt jubilation at finally being able to get one over on the other girl. She hadn't prepared this trick for the Lucario, but she could pull it out now to blindside the other girl.

"Ivy, two point solar rocket" Cassandra gleefully stated as Ivy let out her own grin at finally getting to cut loose.

Cassandra's Roserade promptly fired off a solar beam from its left hand, sending it flying backwards due to the recoil and out of range of the force whip. Then with its right hand it fired a another solar beam at an angle to use the recoil to further reposition itself, this time right behind the Lucario's head. To the naked eye, it locked like Ivy had rocketed around the battlefield in an instant using energy beams and now it was directly behind the Lucario which was turning around too slow to avoid the next hit.

"Weather ball" Cassandra cheerfully demanded and the ensuing fireball connected with the pokemon right as Nemona called for the Lucario to use endure one more time.

After the smoke cleared, the Lucario was still standing. It was clearly in pain and its fur was singed, but it remained standing. Cassandra was more than a little irked but unlike with Hunter, this time the Lucario was going down. The Lucario took one trembling step forward. Then another. Then another.

And then before Cassandra needed to make another move, the Lucario promptly collapsed, the Leech seed having done enough chip damage over time that even with the constant use of a move like endure, which would prevent a knockout via a direct attack, the pokemon still ultimately went down. Nemona recalled her Lucario without much fanfare

Cassandra bared her teeth in joy. She wanted to run up to Ivy and give her a hug but she had to maintain decorum. Besides it would be both rude and foolish to celebrate victory early. Nemona had surprised her too much for Cassandra to want to call this a win, but she'd finally managed to turn the tide. Things were in her favor.

Nemona returned her pokemon, seemingly unshaken by the loss of her mega-evolved pokemon and prepared for the next fight, sending her Carbink Notch back onto the field. This was why Cassandra couldn't relax. She might've beaten the Lucario, but in her eagerness to crush it, she'd set things up so that what was previously an advantageous match-up for Ivy was now one slated in the Carbink's favor. Still Cassandra wasn't going to let up even a little bit.

Nemona was better than even Cassandra's research had indicated, but that didn't mean she was unbeatable. Someway, somehow, Cassandra was going to prove herself superior.

"Alright then" Nemona calmly said, still smiling despite the fact that her mega-Lucario, the pokemon that had ruined Cassandra's plans went down. "Notch you're back up to battle!"

The dinky little Carbink once more popped out of a pokeball with a flash of light. Quickly Cassandra realized the issue. Normally Ivy would've had the advantage in a fight like this. Carbink's were rock and fairy type pokemon, which mean that Ivy's natural types, poison and grass, would naturally resist attacks of the type said Carbink was most proficient with and have an offensive advantage via super effective grass type moves. However because Cassandra had terrastalized Ivy and changed her type to fire, Cassandra's Roserade was now vulnerable to rock type attacks.

Cassandra didn't regret making the play to put down that stupid plan-ruining Lucario, but she was realizing that Nemona might've outmaneuvered her. It was incredibly annoying. Cassandra was supposed to be better than this.

She'd studied Nemona and by all metrics Cassandra should've been able to run circles around her. The other girl wasn't stupid by any means but she shouldn't have been able to outmaneuver Cassandra even half well as she had. Cassandra had put herself through the most intense coursework possible on tactics and strategy and worked hard to succeed. Nemona meanwhile had seemingly faffed about and done nothing. So it didn't make sense that she was able to outmaneuver Cassandra so consistently.

It all came back to that stupid irritating grin. Nemona hadn't broken when she should've and she was irritating enough that she'd managed to throw Cassandra off her game. She wasn't outmaneuvering Cassandra because she was better than her, she was doing so because Cassandra wasn't good enough. Well then, that meant Cassandra could still win this. It wasn't over yet. She might've made some mistakes but she was still going to win this.

"Notch, power gem!" Nemona ordered, starting the battle back up again.

"Solar sweep to intercept it" Cassandra ordered in immediate retaliation.

The Carbink's launched stony projectiles were immediately shattered as Ivy let out a sweeping beam of light that obliterated anything it came into contact with. The little geode-like Carbink was forced to duck out of the way of the blast. Still this exchange was a loss for Cassandra. Sunny day wouldn't last forever and then Cassandra would be relying on the far weaker energy ball for damage and her solar rocket trick wouldn't work. It meant that she needed to make an opening now.

"Close the gap" Cassandra ordered, which in turn prompted Ivy to promptly sprint at Nemona's Carbink.

"Psychic!" Nemona called out. The stony little Carbink began glowing but Cassandra wasn't going to let that move connect.

"Solar rocket three points" Cassandra commanded and Ivy complied, firing enough solar beams to rapidly reposition and effortlessly avoid the psychic attack that no doubt would've increased the distance between Ivy and the Carbink. However this time Nemona seemed ready for the trick.

"Notch, set up the sandstorm and cut out the sun" Nemona shouted. That was a rather simple counter. without sunny day active, Ivy would need to take time to charge each solar beam and thus wouldn't be able to use them to rapidly reposition by firing off several in succession. It was irritating even if Cassandra had a counter for it.

"Keep the sun shining Ivy" Cassandra snarled, irritated at this match not going quite how she would've liked it as she was forced to abort the three point solar rocket early. The sandstorm was promptly extinguished as Ivy's artificial sun ensured that the Carbink wasn't able to have the sandstorm self-perpetuate but now Ivy was hovering in the air and hadn't gotten much closer. This merely meant Cassandra might have to switch gears.

"Sludge bomb" Cassandra retaliated, hoping to keep the momentum. Ivy promptly launched numerous globs of thick viscous poison. Cassandra's grin didn't fade even as Nemona had her Carbink intercept the blows with a power gem attack. The stones tore through the sludge bombs but this just resulted in the clumps of poison shattering into many little droplets that rained down on the field below. The ensuing attack was underpowered, but it meant that the Carbink would still take damage.

"Light screen!" Nemona ordered, even as Ivy twisted in the air to avoid a few of the oncoming rocks. The Carbink promptly set up a screen of energy upon which the splatter of the sludge bomb promptly fizzled out. Ivy landed neatly, even if she winced a bit as she landed on one of the spikes that had been scattered, but Cassandra was irritated at how things were going. She was losing this battle.

"Iron defense!" Nemona called out, likely wanting her Carbink to exploit the fact that Ivy still hadn't closed the distance in order to raise its defenses. Ivy's change to a fire type via terrastalization meant that Cassandra would likely have to be far more wary of body press attacks now as well.

"Growth" Cassandra retaliated. Ivy took in the energy and promptly enhanced her offensive capabilities. On paper this was a stalemate but Cassandra didn't intend to keep it that way. It meant she had to use a different kind of attack.

"Magical leafstorm" Cassandra commanded. The trick was relatively simple, combining two moves into a single attack. Magical leaf was a traditionally low power move that traded raw offensive potential for a homing property. Leafstorm meanwhile was an incredibly powerful attack that usually weakened the special attacking capabilities of the pokemon that used it due to the exhaustion it generally induced. By combining the two moves, Ivy was able to create a massive swarm of leaf-like projectiles, that while weaker than a traditional leafstorm despite having the same offense reducing drawback, could home in like a magical leaf attack despite being significantly stronger even if their homing wasn't quite as good.

A torrent of leaves shimmering with irridescent energy promptly bloomed out of Ivy and then in a moment surged forwards. Cassandra though wasn't going to let up on the offensive pressure either and promptly ordered Ivy to close the distance. This way even if Nemona wriggled out of this attack somehow, Cassandra would still be in position for a follow up. Yes Ivy's special attack had been lowered by the attack, but the earlier growth attack had ensured that Ivy had at most reset back to where she was the start.

Cassandra was completely unsurprised when Nemona called out for the Carbink to use protect. After all if you couldn't dodge an attack it only made sense to block it. However Ivy was closing the distance more than quickly enough while the Carbink was pinned down in a glowing green bubble as the magical leafstorm attack shattered against it.

It took five whole seconds for the attack to drop. Five whole seconds in which the Carbink was forced to expend energy and effort to ensure that nothing went wrong. It didn't sound like much but five whole seconds was a long time in a pokemon battle, even more so when it came to the duration of protect against a powerful move as that required power and concentration. It was impressive that Nemona's Carbink had managed to hold the protect for five whole seconds. But it was also five whole seconds in which Ivy was able to close the distance, and Cassandra doubted that the Carbink would be able to block or dodge this next attack.

"Power whip!" Cassandra screamed. She probably broke decorum but her plan had finally worked. She'd managed to trap Nemona and there was no way for her to avoid what came next. Cassandra caught the slight hint of panic on Nemona's face. That was what she wanted to see. It had taken a while but the other girl wasn't unbeatable. Cassandra would inevitably come on top.

Unfortunately Cassandra didn't get to bask in the moment as Nemona swiftly composed herself.

"Stone edge" The girl with the two-toned hair called out, turning the attack into a trade. Green tendrils extended out from Ivy's flowers as they slammed into the Carbink but an instant later, a series of rocky pillars slammed into Ivy dealing massive damage right back. Unfortunately for Nemona though, Ivy was faster than Carbink and in much closer range.

"Solar beam!" Cassandra followed up. Nemona relied on another protect to block the attack but she and her Carbink were definitely on the back foot.

As soon as the protect dropped Ivy once more began to pummel the Carbink with power whips, this time getting two hits in before a stone edge connected and forced her back a bit.

Both pokemon were taking damage, but Ivy was far better at dishing it out than the Carbink was at taking it and could move faster. For every blow the Carbink scored, Ivy managed to land two or three more and was hitting harder. Normally power whip would have the drawback of being inaccurate due to its unwieldiness, but at this range that drawback had more or less been mitigated. The match was Cassandra's. Of course as per usual Nemona wasn't finished yet.

"Trick room!" Nemona ordered commanded. The Carbink let out a cry of determination and the dimensions of the nearby area promptly warped. This was bad. Trick room created an area of unusual space. Father had studied the physics of the area but the exact details of how it worked were beyond Cassandra. What she did know was that broadly speaking, faster pokemon became slower and slower pokemon became faster, likely due to some kind of inversion. Where before the advantage had been Cassandra's due to Ivy's superior speed, now that dynamic had been flipped in favor of Nemona's Carbink.

That being said Cassandra had specifically prepared for trick room strategies. She was well aware of her own preference for fast, aggressive, overwhelming pokemon and even an amateur would see trick room as a natural counter to that. Considering the fact that Nemona's Carbink was known to have trick room as a move it could use, Cassandra had prepared multiple counters for such an eventuality. Ivy's counter involved two little considered technical details of how trick room worked.

"Solar rocket, sky-high bombardment!" Cassandra commanded, right as the Carbink launched a power gem attack. The Carbink was incredibly fast under the conditions of trick room and it was close enough that there was next to no time to dodge, while Ivy moved like she was buried in some thick viscous liquid. Despite that Ivy was able to avoid most of the attack, at most getting clipped in her foot.

This was because the speed and strength of projectile attacks themselves didn't have their speeds altered in trick room. In other words something like the beam of a solar beam attack wouldn't have its speed affected. Furthermore, because of this Ivy's method of propulsion using solar beams wouldn't be slowed down at all. After all if the speed and force of the beam was unaltered, then the kinetic energy imparted to Ivy's motion via simple physics of equal and opposite reactions remained the same and she moved at the same speeds.

There was still a delay on how long it took Ivy to aim, and such a tactic wouldn't work with a pokemon that couldn't self-propel itself with its own attacks, but after a good amount of training Ivy managed to get it to work and it allowed her to move at incredible speeds even within trick room. Admittedly though it wasn't that effective as Ivy would only be able to move in linear directions and with the increased amount of time it took Ivy to move her hands to aim the solar beams, her movement would be erratic and somewhat predictable for any opponent with sense. That was where the second exploitation of a technical detail came into play.

Nemona recovered quickly from her surprise and had the Carbink launch more power gem attacks, but Ivy managed to aim her flowery hands directly downwards and fired another solar beam to launch herself even higher into the air. Ivy rose to such heights where even Cassandra struggled to see her with the harsh sunlight of the sunny day attack streaming in. At such heights, Ivy was outside of the trick room and could easily fire off solar beams to counter any projectiles launched back at her.

The exploit was simple. Obviously trick room had a range limit, otherwise a single use of the ability would affect every pokemon on the planet. Furthermore while Cassandra was fairly certain some psychic type specialists could alter the properties of the move, trick rooms were locked in place and not on the pokemon. A simple experiment found that pokemon who used trick room and moved around within the altered space did not shift the trick room, as it would have if the trick room was an effect affixed to everything within a set radius of a pokemon. Further testing involving pokemon on a moving vehicle showed that it had not fully locked into a set coordinate, if it didn't account for some degree of relativity than a pokemon using trick room on a moving train would have the move immediately become useless as the train moved out of the location.

Putting all of that together, Cassandra understood that outside of a few talented specially trained, most pokemon using trick room, mentally designated a set area as the room, and then once they set it could not move it. The move was tied to the pokemon's mentality as many psychic attacks were, hence why relativistic physics didn't wreak havoc on the move, but broadly speaking, once the room was set it couldn't move. And since there was a range limit in turn, a pokemon moving fast and far enough could escape the trick room simply by staying outside the set range.

Such a trick wasn't relevant in most official pokemon battles with closed off arenas, and Cassandra doubted Nemona had ever had to consider something like this, but in an open air environment, pokemon could easily ascend outside of the trick room's range.

Cassandra had debated the use of the tactic, anyone with sense would decry someone who set up a challenge and then exploited the field condition to have their pokemon run away at such a distance where the battle couldn't be conducted effectively, but Cassandra felt this was different. After all Ivy was still remaining in the designated battle area as best as possible and was only going to such heights to avoid an attack from an opposing pokemon. And besides Ivy was still going to be fighting.

Beams of blinding light struck the ground every so often as Ivy remained airborne. They weren't well aimed at the Carbink, and as such it was able to avoid them, but Ivy was at such a height where aiming an attack from such a distance was difficult.

"I hadn't planned on doing things this way" Cassandra stated, hoping to distract Nemona. Cassandra couldn't issue commands to Ivy anymore but Nemona still could issue orders to her Carbink. Drawing her into a conversation thus meant that it would only negatively impact Nemona.

"I would've preferred not to rely on such a trick that wouldn't work in most official formats, but trick room is too big a threat to take lightly"

Nemona seemed to mull it over before responding.

"I don't mind much" Nemona said "A battle's a battle and it's not like you're cheating or something. Weird tricks and tactics are all fair game in a friendly match like this"

Cassandra couldn't find any lie there. It irked her a little bit but apparently the other girl didn't see Cassandra as a threat. Even though Cassandra was trying to undermine Nemona's reputation as a young prodigy by proving that she was a more skilled battler at a younger age, the older girl appeared to view Cassandra's challenge as "friendly". Cassandra didn't view this as "friendly". Friends could only be friends when they weren't threats. Someone who pushed Cassandra so far in a battle when by all means Cassandra should be the greatest meant that Nemona as she currently was, was a threat.

It didn't matter that Cassandra had superior scientific knowledge and had been excellently trained to take over the most important company in all of Unova and was certainly Nemona's superior in any actual martial art. The world placed value on pokemon battles and so Cassandra needed to also be the best battler. Without that extra bit of legitimacy, people would always look at her as weak and seek to exploit such weaknesses. As such Cassandra needed to win.

She'd already failed enough that she wasn't going to show the results of this battle to anyone else. She'd made too many mistakes for this to be anything but a humiliation. It didn't matter that Nemona was skilled or clever or a prodigious battler, Cassandra should not have been second best.

"Well then far be it from me to disappoint you" Cassandra mocked as more solar beams tore up the ground and the Carbink occasionally ineffectually launched power gems or set up light screens to try and lessen the blast. "Just don't cry when you lose"

"I've lost before, it's no big deal" Nemona fired back, irritating Cassandra with how the other girl dismissed her. Cassandra wanted the other girl to take her seriously! She wasn't a friend or some worthless fangirl, she was a threat! Nemona should feel challenged or intimidated or something, not taking things so lightly that she was able to brush off Cassandra's potential victory as no big deal. This should have been a very big deal.

"It is a big deal" Cassandra hissed. "Don't you want to be the best? To show the world that you can take on anything they throw at you? Where's your pride in yourself and your pokemon? Are you telling me that seeing all of the grueling hours of training and studying and struggling and overcoming be wasted when you're not good enough is no big deal?"

Cassandra probably should have kept her thoughts to herself, but Nemona was absolutely infuriating. How dare she say that a loss here wasn't a big deal. That Cassandra's struggles and feelings and efforts to match her weren't worthwhile. It was disgusting seeing someone who had pushed her so hard and managed to put Cassandra on the back foot so many times spew such mediocre worthless sentimental tripe. This was important!

"I'm not sure if you've heard this before" Nemona quietly retorted, "but there's always someone better. Even if you're the greatest trainer ever and you've never lost a match before, eventually someone'll challenge you for your spot and if you don't know how to handle defeat, you'll never come back from a single loss"

"You don't get it" Cassandra angrily responded "I'm not going to lose. I'm not here to be your friend and to smile and shake your hand after everything is over. I'm here to prove I'm the best. I worked hard for this. My team worked hard for this"

Cassandra struggled to get her thoughts out.

"Stop trying to tell me how I need to learn how to lose. Stop smiling at me like my best isn't worth taking seriously. Stop insulting me and acting like I can't win just because you caught me off guard a few times" Cassandra screamed.

"Take me seriously already and fight your hardest!" Cassandra continued "Spout whatever nonsense you want when the battle's over, but until then, stop treating me like a little kid you need to teach a friendship lesson and take me seriously, because I'm here to prove I'm the best"

Cassandra calmed down for a second. The other girl had a frown on her face. Good. Cassandra hopefully hadn't gone too far but the other girl had seriously pissed her off. This wasn't fun, and Cassandra didn't want the other girl to have fun. This was a fight and treating it as anything less than that was disrespectful. Cassandra wasn't going to tolerate that.

"I'm sorry to hear that" the other girl somberly answered "I'll save the advice for the end of the match then. I hope you know I genuinely wasn't looking down on you or trying to make fun of you"

Cassandra stared at Nemona.

"Even if I'm having fun or smiling that doesn't mean I'm not taking you seriously" Nemona stated. I'm having the most fun when I get pushed to the edge in a battle. You've managed to do so in a way barely anyone else has up until now."

Cassandra didn't care anymore. She turned her attention back to the field. The Carbink was holding up alright. While the conversation had distracted Nemona, it hadn't turn the tides all that much. Unfortunately it also meant that Ivy was likely growing tired and things had turned in Nemona's favor.

The artificial sun created by sunny day began to wink out. Ivy had trained extensively to make the artificial sunlight last as long as possible, but eventually it was going to run out. Ivy began to plummet as the solar beam took longer to charge up. This was bad

Cassandra cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted at the top of her lungs "USE SUNNY DAY!"

Ivy complied but as soon as she did Nemona and her Carbink retaliated.

"Sandstorm!"

This time the clouds of sand smothered the artifical sun and ensured that the sunny day attack was smothered before it could alter the weather in any meaningful manner. It was problematic as it meant that there wasn't anything Cassandra could do to counter it and Ivy would keep falling down into the trick room, where the Carbink could pummel her with long range attacks.

"SOLAR ROCKET DESCENT!" Cassandra commanded. She couldn't avoid the trick room any longer so she'd run out the rest of its time by going on the offensive.

The trick to the solar rocket descent was relatively simple. Since there was a sandstorm up, Ivy needed to charge up her solar beam attacks rather than being able to fire them off instantly. However unlike basically every solar rocket beforehand, Ivy was falling in the air and working with gravity rather than against it. Ivy would already be accelerating downwards due to gravity and the ensuing solar beam propulsion would add to that speed, making it arguably the faster than more conventional solar rockets that worked against gravity. Admittedly it wasn't the instantaneous meteor strike it would've been if sunny day was still active, but it was still fast and the greater acceleration meant that the solar rocket descent actually hit harder.

After a few moments of charging, Ivy rocketed downwards to wards the Carbink at blistering speeds.

The Carbink threw up a protect, only possible due to the delay caused by the sandstorm forcing Ivy to charge her solar beam rather than firing it off instantly, and blocked the blow but Cassandra had a follow-up ready.

"Magical Leafstorm!" Cassandra cried out as the sandstorm raged and Ivy was buffeted by the heavy winds and hurt by the ensuing scraping sand. The Carbink's protect flickered out and the leaves launched at the Carbink.

"Notch, stone edge, finish the fight!' The Carbink launched its own move and promptly both moves collided with the opposing pokemon. The Carbink remained upright, hovering a little bit above the ground.

Ivy meanwhile collapsed to the ground as the crystalline candelabra above her head shattered into countless pieces, a clear sign that she would not be able to continue fighting. Cassandra promptly returned Ivy to her ball, promising Ivy that she'd done well enough.

"It's not over" Cassandra murmured "I'll prove that we're the best, Ivy"

The trick room was still up, though it'd be going down soon. As such there was only one option left on who to send out.

Nemona Glitterati
I felt kind of bad about how things had gone. I was still having fun, but somewhere along the way it appeared Cassandra had stopped having fun. She'd dropped some of the more formal stuff and just gotten mad. I hadn't meant to be demeaning or mocking or anything but apparently in attempting to give her advice while we were battling, the other girl had felt like I was looking down on her.

I didn't mean it and I still felt like my grasp on Cassandra was pretty accurate and the advice was warranted, but she wasn't taking it well. She had some messed-up views about battling and respect and I didn't agree with her, but watching a little kid freak out and get angry because they felt like they were being mocked wasn't exactly what I was looking for.

Cassandra was good. She was really good and I had fun battling her. At the same time though she felt like I was making fun of her and her efforts when I didn't take her 100% super seriously or told her that the match wasn't a big deal. It genuinely wasn't a big deal, I doubted this battle was going to affect either of our futures in any meaningful way, but Cassandra was a little kid who wanted to be taken seriously so she reacted badly to my comments.

She was kind of a brat but she wasn't malicious or anything. I wasn't going to stop having fun, but I'd at least try and tone down the advice till after the battle was over. Hopefully she'd learn something from this match and grow from it. I was kind of hoping she could be a rival later on down the line. I'd certainly learned a thing or two from this match and hopefully as Cassandra grew she'd only be able to push things even farther. Despite Cassandra's anger and annoyance, this battle was still fun.

Cassandra recalled her Roserade and sent out her Scizor again. The match up more or less made sense. I was tempted to say something but decided to bite my tongue. Cassandra was kind of emotionally unstable right now and while I wasn't opposed to some banter, I also didn't want to set her off accidentally. It was a downside of battling a genuine child genius I guess, they were going to be a little immature, especially when it seemed like I was the first opponent whom Cassandra didn't immediately roll over and win against. I kind of wondered if someone like Poppy might've also acted like Cassandra before she got more experienced.

"Notch, power gem!" I called out. This was a bad match-up considering how vulnerable Notch was to steel type attacks, but I was out of switches. The best I could do was lay some screens and deal some chip damage to set up for the next round of the battle.

"Ravager, bullet train" Cassandra ordered, causing the Scizor to begin rapidly moving around the trick room in a somewhat jerky fashion. It was a similar trick to what she'd done with her Roserade to counter the trick room.

Priority moves like bullet punch retained their speedy property even in the trick room. As such the attack could be used to rapidly reposition, even if the Scizor should be slower than Notch in the trick room. It was a clever trick.

Suddenly the the trick room flickered out of existence and the speed advantage was back in Cassandra's favor.

"Bullet punch" Cassandra growled out.

"Protect then screens!" I responded. Notch blocked the punch and then promptly set up both a light screen and a reflect to try and prevent anything from occurring. I would've normally gone for another iron defense, but Cassandra's Scizor had proven weirdly proficient at using special attacks rather than the more typical physical attacks. Hopefully, by throwing up both screens I'd be able to reduce the effectiveness of Cassandra's Scizor even if it behaved atypically like it did before.

"Brick break" Cassandra fired back. The Scizor's right claw glowed with fighting type energy as it shattered both the light screen and the reflect and landed a solid blow on Notch, sending them tumbling back. I pointedly didn't grimace as things went wrong. I'd made the mistake not knowing Cassandra's Scizor had brick break, but it was still annoying to know that I'd overthought things and would've been better off going for iron defense rather than trying to cover all options and failing anyways.

"Bullet punch" Cassandra commanded once more. I called out for another protect but Notch wasn't quite able to right themselves in time. The fight against Cassandra's Roserade had taken a lot out of them and Notch was still mid tumble when Cassandra launched her follow up. As such the Scizor was able to land a bullet punch before Notch could get off the protect.

I grimaced a bit as I recalled Notch. There was no point in dragging this out. Cassandra was grinning jubilantly. I was tempted to say something but figured I could let my pokemon do the talking. This was far from over after all.

"Nightwing, you're up!" I called out. Cassandra immediately scowled. Apparently she didn't like this match-up all that much. I didn't mind that she'd stopped keeping her poker face, it made her easier to read. Nightwing was still a bit injured but she wasn't so badly injured she'd be liable to get knocked out in a few hits from a normal pokemon and she could heal over time. Maybe if the Gyarados was still around it'd be a one touch fight, but against the Scizor, Nightwing could take a few hits and keep fighting.

Without much more waiting the battle resumed once again. We'd both seen what happened before so we weren't eager to replay that song and dance.

"Nightwing, quick attack!" I commanded, causing my bat-like pokemon to leap forwards, hoping that Cassandra.

"Air slash to interrupt" Cassandra retaliated, causing the Scizor to fire off razor sharp blasts of wind as it rose into the air. Nightwing managed to weave past the attack this time and the quick attack connected. It didn't do much, but that wasn't the point of this move. Now that Nightwing was in close, I could pile on the pressure to Cassandra.

"Fire Fang!" I calmly ordered my Gliscor. Panic briefly flashed across Cassandra's face as she made her own response. That seemed to clear up why Cassandra hadn't gone in for the knockout immediately with the Scizor, she was very afraid of a fire fang crippling her Scizor.

"Bullet Punch behind it!" She cried out. The Scizor promptly shot around Nightwing, managing to rotate to get behind Nightwing such that my Gliscor couldn't connect with a fire fang. Cassandra's Scizor was remarkably fast for the big red bug pokemon. Admittedly some of that was likely based in how Cassandra seemed to be using bullet punch not for offensive purposes but to rapidly reposition in incredibly fast bursts of speed. It was abnormally fast as a baseline and every time Cassandra called out for bullet punch, it's speed grew exponentially for a few moments, making it even harder to pin down and hit. Still though that was fine.

"Breaking swipe" I called out. Cassandra had her Scisor promptly block it with its claws and didn't take much damage but its offensive output would be reduced due to the attack connecting. Cassandra notably didn't call out for her Scizor to dodge it via bullet punch. I'd seen it use bullet punches consecutively to navigate Notch's trick room at high speeds, but such a trick was likely tiring. The Scizor had been battling long and hard enough that it was likely already a bit fatigued and couldn't simply spam bullet punch to reposition anymore.

"Aerial ace" Cassandra responded, causing her Scisor to lunge forward before tackling Nightwing. The blow slammed Nightwing into the ground. Nightwing tumbled back and quickly righted herself but the damage had been done and Cassandra had regained some space, pushing Nightwing away from her Scizor with that aerial ace attack. "Now swords dance"

Apparently Cassandra wasn't going to let me weaken her Scisor through debuffs to her offensive capabilities. Well then that just meant I had to catch her off guard a different way.

"Quick attack!" I called out hoping to get Cassandra caught into a similar pattern to what had happened before.

"Air slash" Cassandra calmly commanded "Then rise into the air"

It appeared Cassandra was wary of a follow up earthquake or something. Not quite what I'd been planning on setting up, but it did show that she was wary of some kind of trick. Nightwing didn't manage to avoid all of the air slashes this time, taking a hit or two, but she did manage to close the distance.

"Fire fang!" I called out once we were close. Cassandra appeared to get really annoyed that she couldn't figure out what I was doing.

"Second verse same as the first, bullet punch behind" Cassandra ordered. This time though I was ready.

"Flip over!" I yelled. See Cassandra's tactic of positioning her Scizor behind an opponent using fire fang was a good one. Most pokemon couldn't rotate their heads 180 degrees to connect the attack and thus so long as her Scizor stayed in that position, the most dangerous attack couldn't connect. However Nightwing could fly and was maneuverable enough that she could flip upside down in mid air.

Something like a Skarmory or a Noivern, big pokemon with massive wingspans that could fly, needed too much space in order to flip upside down quickly. Completely grounded pokemon couldn't do something like this at all. But Nightwing was fast and maneuverable enough as a Gliscor that she could near immediately flip upside down, which in turn meant that she could practically immediately land a fire fang even if Cassandra's Scizor remained directly behind her. Cassandra's Scizor meanwhile was tired enough that it couldn't whip out another bullet punch, and wasn't fast enough to stay in Nightwing's blindspot unaided by bullet punch once Nightwing didn't need to fully turn around.

The Scizor let out an immense shriek of pain as Nightwing latched on with a powerful fire fang. There likely wasn't enough space for Cassandra to use U-turn either. Nightwing wouldn't be able to hold on forever but the longer the fire fang could last, the more likely we'd be able to score a burn and thoroughly cripple the Scizor.

"Ravager, return!" Cassandra called as a beam of red light emerged from her luxury ball, returning Scizor to it.

"I'm using my last switch" she mulishly grumbled. Using U-turn probably would have been better practically speaking but breaking free of Nighting's grip might've taken long enough that Cassandra wasn't willing to risk Scizor going down and went for the guaranteed but suboptimal play.

"Snowy, it's up to you" Cassandra called out as she sent out her Annihilape.

"Nightwing fly high up" I ordered. Cassandra grimaced as she quickly realized what I was doing. Annihilapes typically didn't have great ranged options. As such by having Nightwing sit outside of the range where Annihilape could comfortably fight her, I could let the poison heal build up over time and restore Nightwing's health.

The Annihilape quickly howled and screamed with rage as it realized that I was denying it a fight entirely. I let Nightwing do a few loop-de-loops and laugh at the Annihilape as she healed, hoping that taunting the ghostly monkey would exploit its naturally raging tendencies and cause it to make mistakes.

"Smack down" Cassandra bit out. The Annihilape shrieked with a malicious sort of glee as it began tearing up the ground and hurling chunks of earth at Nightwing after imbuing them with some rock type energy.

Smack down wasn't an incredibly offensive move but it was capable of temporarily grounding a pokemon that it connected with. Preventing Nightwing from flying would make the ensuing fight far easier.

I decided to continue to stall things out. Where before Nightwing had been on her last legs, now she seemed to have recovered somewhat. She wove around most of the attacks before eventually one of the rocks connected and knocked Nightwing down.

"Ice punch" Cassandra angrily demanded, as her Annihilape charged towards Nightwing.

"Protect!" It called out and Nightwing managed to get up the shield in time. However it quickly wavered. It appeared the spite attack from Cassandra's Gyarados had taken its toll and now Nightwing wouldn't be able to use protect anymore. Still I'd gotten what I needed.

"U-turn" I ordered, as Cassandra screamed in frustration for another ice punch. Nightwing was able to connect first though and promptly returned to her ball. The Annihilape was utterly enraged at having been denied a fight thus far and promptly beat its chest in rage. Howling and screaming but not moving.

Despite it being a berserker of sorts it appeared pretty well trained. Unfortunately that wasn't going to be enough.

"Phantasm, you're up!" I stated as I tossed out Phantasm's pokeball. Phantasm didn't bother with a disguise this time as she howled up to the air. The battle resumed in an instant.

"Shadow ball!" I called out, hoping to keep making use of the distance between our two pokemon to wear down Cassandra's Annihilape. Phantasm launched an inky black sphere of ghost type energy.

"Phantom Force" Cassandra responded, her eyes slightly manic "We're not going to let them win!"

The Annihilape promptly disappeared, allowing the shadow ball to continue on unimpeded before colliding against Cassandra's forcefield projector. The other girl appeared unmoved, though she looked slightly manic now. I didn't want to say anything for fear of setting her off further but she didn't seem that well put together. Where before she'd been somewhat calm and put together, now she was glaring at me with wild eyes and appeared a few inches away from screaming her head off. It was more than a little uncomfortable but hopefully it was just her being really competitive and not anything more concerning.

The Annihilape promptly reappeared behind Phantasm and launched a brutal swing attack. Phantasm promptly ducked it before using double team to create numerous illusory copies. Phantasm also used the opportunity to turn herself invisible as the Annihilape charged towards her double team after images.

"No illusions!" Cassandra shouted "Rage Fist for a dust cloud"

The Annihilape let loose another rage filled shriek as it slammed a glowing fist into the ground, kicking up a massive plume of dust. If there were any spikes or stealth rocks left, they'd probably be thoroughly cleared by now.

"Shadow Ball" I called out. If Cassandra was going to figure out Phantasm's position the same way she had at the start of the match then I figured it might be better to launch an attack while the Annihilape was still likely blinded to some degree.

"Phantom force to dodge" Cassandra responded, getting her Annihilape out of the dust cloud and able to avoid the attack. However this time when the Annihilape reappeared it was in front of Cassandra.

"Shadow sneak" I followed up, causing Phantasm to shoot forwards and connect. "Bitter Malice to follow up!"

Phantasm let out a ghostly wail of energy that promptly connected with the Annihilape. However instead of weakening the Annihilape as expected, it appeared to get even more enraged and powerful. The Annihilape probably had the Defiant ability.

"Brutal Swing", Cassandra commanded gleeful at the opportunity to turn the tide. The Annihilape managed to connect a vicious hook directly into Phantasm's gut and slammed her into the ground, creating a crater. That single hit was enough to do massive damage.

Phantasm wasn't out of the fight yet, promptly launching a shadow ball directly into the Annihilape's face when it attempted to follow-up before retreating with mincing steps. Phantasm didn't seem to be too badly hurt but I couldn't afford to have her take another hit like that.

"Smack down time Snowy" Cassandra called out, causing her vicious monkey pokemon to once more tear up the ground and launch massive chunks of rock. Phantasm wove around them, before shattering one with a shadow ball.

"Shadow sneak" I ordered. Phantasm followed through and rushed forwards. The Annihilape took a half step back.

"Brutal swing" Cassandra retaliated.

"Detect into Icy wind" I replied in return. Phantasm dodged the Annihilapes vicious attack and promptly blasted it with icy particulates.

The Annihilape grew angrier and and angrier, launching attack after attack after attack. All it got for its troubles though were more icy winds as it slowed down further and further. Every blow got stronger and stronger but the Annihilape was now too slow to connect even a single blow anymore.

Cassandra it seemed had grown deeply irritated by this as she realized that her Annihilape couldn't land anymore attacks.

"Snowy" Cassandra seethed "Curse"

The Annihilape let out a baleful howl before promptly collapsing. Still the Annihilape had done its job as I saw Phantasm wincing from pain. The curse had gone off. The battle wasn't over yet though and I had a three two lead.

"Ravager" Cassandra bitterly snarled, seemingly out of energy. The Scizor came out but it was clearly worn down. It winced a bit it looked at the area where Nightwing had landed the fire fang. Apparently the bug had been burned. For a second Cassandra looked mournful.

"I'm sorry, I messed up" She whispered, seemingly holding back tears. I wanted to say something but also didn't want to set her off or let her know I could hear her with my aura enhanced hearing.

"Do your best" Cassandra continued. "I just need a little more. A little more and me and Nibbler can finish this. We're going to win and prove your the best. I won't let our hard work be for nothing"

The Scizor seemed to trill in affirmation. Cassandra steadied herself and let out a vicious glare.

"Flash cannon" She ordered and the Scizor promptly launched brilliant beams of metallic energy from its claws. I was ready for this however and promptly ordered Phantasm to dodge it.

"Bullet Punch" Cassandra commanded, waiting for the exact moment when the curse kicked in and Phantasm flinched from the damage it dealt. The red bug rushed forwards and connected a gut check against Phantasm. Phantasm promptly rolled one the ground and created an illusory copy that got up just a little bit faster in front of her.

When the Scizor followed up with another bullet punch, the blow faded right through it. Unlike before where Cassandra had her Annihilape kicking up dust clouds to help her figure out what was and wasn't an illusion, her Scizor didn't seem suited for that.

"Hex" I called out and Phantasm promptly complied. The move did massive damage to Scizor thanks to its burn. Things were going to be over soon one way or another.

"Bullet punch Ravager" Cassandra now that she had Phantasm's location. I had Phantasm launch a shadow ball, but the Scizor plowed right through it, connecting the blow and managing to stand above it.

"Steel Beam" Cassandra commanded and the Scizor promptly gathered energy in both of its claws before firing downwards with barely a moments hesitation. A blinding silver light fired out and by the time it cleared up, Phantasm laid on the ground before Cassandra's Scizor, knocked out cold completely.

The Scizor took a stumbling step forwards and then collapsed as well, knocked out by the recoil of the steel beam attack. I recalled Phantasm, who thankfully wasn't too injured.

Cassandra was getting desperate and she was down to her last pokemon. Whatever came next it was going to be rough.


Cassandra Luthor
This was all wrong. Everything was wrong. It wasn't supposed to be this way.

Cassandra refused to lose. She couldn't give up now. She couldn't stop. She was going to win. She was going to win. She was going to win! The battle wasn't over yet. Cassandra felt the anger flowing through her. She hated Nemona in this moment. Every move was countered, every strategem disarmed. The other girl was looking down on her calling her a failure.

"You are a failure." The voice in Cassandra's head whispered. "I'm not smiling anymore but that's because you've gone from being a funny joke to being just kind of sad. Your father would be so disappointed."

Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!

Cassandra let the emotions buoy her. Rage, desperation, and more. All of it fuel for what she had to do next. She was going to win no matter what it took. Cassandra wasn't supposed to do this, but she didn't care anymore.

You're not good enough, you're not good enough" The voices laughed "You're a failure because you're not good enough"

Cassandra abandoned thoughts of the future. She abandoned thoughts of the past. None of it mattered anymore. All her plans, her schemes, her composure. It was all worthless right now. None of it was enough to let her win and she was going to win. She was the best. She was Cassandra Luthor. Cassandra abandoned everything about herself that she didn't need for this fight.

The voices went silent. The rage flattened into a dull throbbing burning background. There was only the instant. No more talking. No more thinking. No more pain or worry or fear. Only violence and the goal.

Cassandra tossed out her luxury ball and in a burst of white light, her first partner emerged with a vicious roar. Cassandra echoed him, letting instinct overtake her.

 

[Lillie Jones]

thanks for the chapter

 

[Spearow]

That was dark

 

[Skyfyre]

Spoiler: Skyfyre Note

Hello, this is another omake from the wonderful King crimson! Enjoy

What if a different Cassandra was part of the League Club?
Entering the League Club was always a breath of fresh air, and even more so at the moment, with none of the other members milling about, only the Elites and our Champion. The room was spacious enough, with lockers to one side, Macho Braces and other training equipment to another, desktops in the corner, and a large meeting table in the center. The entire room was painted in light blue and white, with faint silver snowflake designs painted all around. I remember how much work getting the remodel done was. Our dear Champion insisted upon each snowflake looking different, no easy staple work for the remodelling club.

I did take the time to make myself presentable at least, changing out of my tracksuit and into a nice Summer Blueberry Uniform. The only adjustment from the standard was a patch sewn in marking my rank as one of the Elite Four of the League Club. The others, who had already arrived before me, were wearing a much more eclectic set of 'uniforms'.

Cassandra, the youngest of the group, had pale skin, though not nearly as pale as our Champion's. Cassandra was the daughter of the wealthiest businessman in Unova and apparently she felt the need to show it off with how she dressed, wearing not a uniform proper but instead some kind of business casual outfit composed of black slacks, a purple collared shirt and black vest alongside combat boots. She even had a ridiculous black and white tie with motifs of the two legendary dragons on them. The junior CEO look honestly made her seem more ridiculous than anything else. And frankly if anything the fact that she was perpetually uninterested in doing anything but the bare minimum to hold onto the weakest seat in the Elite Four proved that even if money could take you far it couldn't make you the best.

Ares, the buff boy a year my senior, sneered at me as I entered. His naturally red hair was done up in a mohawk, and he wore a punk shirt with some rude catch phrases on it. The ripped jeans and sunglasses he constantly wore helped sell the 'rebel' look I knew he had spent a surprising amount of Pokedollars on. Ironic, for someone who comes from one of the top 500 wealthiest Unovan families.

Charlotte Linlin was eating noisily at the table, barely paying attention as I entered. The girl's tan had faded slightly in her time away from Alola, but it was still visible. Her choice of dress was Blueberry tank top with a sheer, flower patterned overshirt, and a shockingly short skirt I did my best to steer my gaze away from. For all her… wildness, Charlotte is a powerful Trainer. I can't underestimate her.

Finally, there was Elsa 'Es' Death. She sat at the head of the table with a commanding presence. Her uniform was a paler white than usual, the top and long skirt going together almost like a dress. She had a short, dark blue jacket over top to cover her shoulders. Her icy white hair was done in a half-Kalos braid.

"Atticus, you're late," she reprimanded me.

"It was rather last minute this meeting you called, I was out in the field, running my sector." I replied, to take the bite out of any of the jeering glances or smirks directed at me from the rest of the Elites. Yeah, that's right, I know that none of you take anywhere near as much effort as I do to keep your biomes running smoothly. Charlotte barely even keeps up her arena!

Sitting down, I was about to ask why we were here until I was cut off.

Charlotte's noisy snacking was immediately cut off as Elsa began to start her meeting.

"Enough." Elsa's icy tone brought the pink haired girl to a halt. "Yes, as an Elite Four you are granted certain privileges, so you can eat in this club room, but not while I'm calling a meeting. Put it away." The Champion ordered the highest ranking Elite Four. Charlotte gave her superior a baleful look before defiantly shoving the rest of it down her gullet in two massive bites. How Charlotte keeps her figure, I have no idea.

Elsa gave her a disgusted look, but since the pink-haired glutton brought out no more food, she clearly considered the matter settled. "I've called you all here to talk about a threat to our club." Her Rotom Phone floated up, presenting the Trainer ID/record page of Nemona Glitterati, the young girl smiling in her account picture.

Ares snorted. "That pipsqueak? She doesn't look like much."

"And you look like an incompetent troglodyte but somehow you've managed to prove halfway competent" Cassandra dully responded. Ares flushed red as he began to puff himself up to get into a fight. Really he should know better than to pick fights with a literal child but Ares was barely a step above one himself so I suppose it was only right he bicker with someone on his level.

Before those two could devolve into another bicker-fest that derailed things further, I interjected. "Nemona's the strongest Champion of her region; I think regardless of our opinions of how she accessorizes, she's strong." I pointed out, and while Cassandra frowned, thinking it over, Ares just laughed.

"If she's so strong then why hasn't she challenged us?" His words were meant less for me and more for Elsa.

"Not challenging us is the point," the white haired teen replied. "She has students going to her for help on battle strategies, to her for training tips, to her for what they need." Elsa's control slipped a fraction, and I noted how my breath was making small puffs in the air from how cold it was. "If she was just a part of the club, then even if she was the strongest," the disdain in her tone made it clear how unlikely Elsa thought that was. "It would hardly be a threat to the club as a whole."

"You've been completely incapable of getting her to battle?" Cassandra glowered, suddenly much more invested in the meeting. "I owe you an apology Ares, you're not the most incompetent person in the room"

Elsa scowled as Cassandra deliberately instigated a fight. I was quite curious to see how things would play out. Cassandra didn't normally pick fights like this and she'd never challenged any of the other elites. I'd considered that a sign that she knew her place amongst the pecking order and couldn't be bothered to push further but clearly something was off. Perhaps I could glean something from her style if it escalated further.

With my mind made up I didn't interject to try and deescalate things even though I could have.

"I'd remind you not to overstep your bounds" Elsa reminded, frustration leaking into her tone as her fingers tapped against the table, a clear tell that she was angry. Now if only I could get a table placed in front of her when I challenge her. Such an event would be a way off in the future, but it never hurts to be prepared.

"I'm only taking my rightful place" Cassandra dully stated as she stood up. "I joined this school solely for a rematch with Nemona. I deliberately took the lowest ranking elite position so that I could fight Nemona first and when I beat her, force her to challenge me again and again every time you childishly antagonized her and she wanted to fix things"

The room had gone silent as Cassandra fully stood up.

"And now I find you're too incompetent to even get her to want to battle? You've run out of use for me Elsa" Cassandra continued, her voice remaining placid "Consider this an official challenge for the title of champion and leadership of the club. When I'm done we'll be doing things my way"

Elsa angrily sputtered but ultimately accepted the challenge full of rage and bluster, promising to make Cassandra regret it. Cassandra for her part merely replied that she looked forward to having as passionate a subordinate as Elsa.

"Oh Charlotte, Atticus and Ares before I forget" Cassandra continued, a thin mocking smile on her face "When I'm done with Elsa you all better make sure you do your best to get Nemona to battle me, one of you will be losing their position regardless but I'd rather not have to purge more than one of you for incompetence"

Just who does she think she is? Just because daddy paid for her to have the best team money can buy doesn't mean she can come out on top. I did my best to calm down as Cassandra acted out while Charlotte and Ares joined Elsa in fuming at her. I was more than happy to push for a rematch with Nemona and if Cassandra didn't prove delusional I was confident I'd be better off than Ares or Charlotte. This was just another opportunity.

"You're all little Wishiwashi, thinking you're tough because you're the biggest in your pond" Cassandra said grinning from ear to ear "You're swimming with Sharpedos now. Get me my rematch or I'll make a meal out of you"

Eventually the others filed out of the room, though I stayed behind for a moment longer. Cassandra had never gotten this passionate before. She was lazy and content to coast and so I was curious what about Nemona spurred her to push this hard.

"You're not going to make any friends acting like this" I dryly state. Cassandra just laughed, the notes sharp and clear. It was the first time I had heard her laugh.

"You're not my friends" Cassandra responded "Why waste time with trash when I can befriend Nemona instead?"

"That's what this is all about making friends with a girl your age?" I fired back, not letting the insult get under my skin "I get that you're excited to have a talented classmate your own age but isn't this a bit much?"

"Nemona's actually a bit older than me" Cassandra responded before tutting.

"Atticus, Atticus, Atticus you really don't get it do you?" She mocked "Friendship is a phenomena that observably makes pokemon stronger and thus makes trainers stronger vice versa. Casting it aside is just making yourself weaker"

Cassandra deliberately stepped into my personal space as her eyes lit up with delight.

"Nemona beat me so she's worth becoming friends with. Prove yourself and you can be friends as well and I'll make you stronger. Fail or disappoint me and I'm sure I can help some other friend take your position as well" Cassandra happily threatened "Do we have an understanding?"

"Crystal" I responded. The meeting had not gone how I thought it would but this sort of shake-up could only be good. I didn't think Nemona was worth all the fuss but if Cassandra was going to start throwing around resources to satisfy her fixation then I'd be more than happy to take her for all she was worth. Far be it from me to teach a spoiled little girl about the real world.


A/N: Hello, I'm very excited to see where this goes. This latest arc holds a lot of potential in my mind and as I was reading the latest chapter, I saw we had an antagonist called Cassandra. She's very different from the Cassandra I write in the crossover omakes so I thought it would be fun to play with that a bit and write this. Hope you enjoy!

 

[Iwannareadfanfics]

Man i love the omakes but i cant help but hope for more like the game ones, maybe smth about nemona in the anime? Cus shes definitely main character material in the anime

 

[Spearow]

the other omake was better, being left hanging in the cliff was pretty cruel

 

[Skyfyre]

Spoiler: Patreons:

I'd like to thank my 63 Beginner Tier Patreons, and an extra special thanks to RageLord, Nodal_Gravity, ExaltedRequiem, HanShotFirst, and Garreon LeFay, my Ace Tier Patreons! Your support means so much to me.

"Nemona," A voice rang out across the canyon, and I snapped my head up to the unfortunately familiar sound. Stepping out from the shadows at the other end of the wooden bridge was Elsa Death in her pale League Club uniform. I feel deja vu for some reason.

Brushing a hand through her long hair, she strode towards me, meeting me in the center. "Elsa. Any particular reason why you're here?" I asked, trying to be as polite as I could be. The Blueberry Quests I'd done today hadn't been too tiring physically, but they had been a bit monotonous and I really didn't feel like dealing with this girl. Unfortunately, I could tell she was here with a purpose, and her next words confirmed it.

"To challenge you to a fight. Six on six, here and now," Elsa declared, her Rotom phone floating up beside her. "And we can stream it so the whole school can see your defeat," she finished with a malicious grin on her face.

Here? "And what if I don't feel like fighting you? Or just don't feel like it right now?" I asked rhetorically as I tried to get past her, only for the older girl to put her arm out to block my way. "What?" I snapped.

"That won't do at all. We worked hard to arrange it so all of us Elites could fight you and your friends at the same time."

"What? Why?" I demanded, my head snapping around on instinct. From what I remember, Kieran, Carmine, and Lacey are out in the Terarium right now. Maybe Drayton too. I don't know where Sally, Chumley, or Judai are though.

"I desired to see all of you humiliated simultaneously, and didn't want any of you to tip off the others. It rather ruins the shock and awe of it all, don't you think? As for why- why not? Why would I not wish to see the girl I've tried to challenge repeatedly, the one who has everything yet sees fit to take from me, utterly crushed and humiliated?"

There's a lot to unpack there. I wasn't sure how much of it was actually aimed at me; I didn't remember her challenging me repeatedly, but it was possible she took things like me not entering her tournament as a personal insult. "And if I say no to your offer of battle?" I challenged. How far is she willing to go with this?

Surprisingly, she retracted her shapely arm and shrugged. "I suppose I cannot force you to fight me. If you refuse, you refuse."

"Excellent," I began, starting to step past her, only to be stopped by her next words.

"Of course, I'm so wound up, I might need to train and cool down. But surely that won't be a problem for you or your little colony of Dragons?" She asked, mockingly.

Whirling around I snarled, "You bitch!" I can already picture it. Even if she never set foot on the Goomy enclosure, an Ice Type specialist like herself could easily torment and freeze the whole place over. If she's as strong as she is confident, it might even be doable even without it ever being directed their way. In any case, it'll make things hellish for the Goomys and any other Dragons there. I could complain about it after the fact, but it would still suck for them in the meantime, and with teachers like Dr. Crowler, I'm not sure I'd even be able to resolve it.

"Such language, I expected better from a vaunted Champion," Elsa jabbed, but I saw the delight in her eyes as she knew she had me.

"Alright, what are the rules?" Elsa raised an eyebrow at me asking something so basic. "Just to make sure there's no mix-ups. I'd hate for you to call foul after I win." The older girl laughed, and I noted how unfair it was that she was such a terrible person yet had such a pretty laugh.

"Don't worry, there's no chance of that, but I will explain the rules. Six Pokemon versus Six Pokemon, double battle style, Unovan standard." Which was to say 'Blueberry Standard' as the Academy had codified much of the Double Battle rules. "Each Pokemon can enter with one Battle Item, no outside items allowed. One Terastalization is available for the battle, but I'll let you use a Mega Evolution instead, if you feel you can't win without it."

I grit my teeth at the subtle dig there. While most people online had felt I'd used Terastalization well enough in the Gauntlet, there were still those who made questioning comments given neither Miguel nor I had used it in our final bout. She knows it too. Still, I won't let myself be manipulated; if I have to use Mega Evolution, I'll use it.

Elsa readied her Pokeballs and I did the same. On an unspoken signal, we released our four Pokemon. I sent out Nightwing and Miles (currently in Boombox form), while Elsa released a pale blue Sandslash, alongside a Vanilluxe. At the release of the double-headed ice-cream cone like Pokemon, the air turned chilly, not that cold seemed to bother my foe.

"I had hoped I'd get to see your starter, Vanilly had been looking forward to proving her might against him." Elsa's own starter chimed in with agreement.

"Vanill," The crooned, and snow drifted gently down all around us, making the cold worse.

"You'll get to see him too - if you make it that far." My boast was undercut by the chattering of my teeth. Elsa smirked but had nothing else to say, waiting for her Rotom to count us in. On the signal to start, we both leapt into action.

"Sing, loop around and Fire Fang!" I shouted to my team. Miles took the vanguard position, floating down along the bridge to get close enough to lull the enemies to sleep with their song while Nightwing went under the bridge and around to attack from the rear. And good thing she moved immediately or the Ice Beam Vanilly sent out would have struck my Gliscor hard. Elsa's Sandslash moved with incredible speed however, rolling across the wooden bridge and leaving great gouges in the wooden boards where her spines passed by.

"Shards and Blizzard!" Elsa's voice carried, echoing across the canyon. Her Sandslash fired out a flurry of sharp ice, pelting into Miles, while the Vanilluxe breathed forth a Blizzard, not at Miles, but over her own Sandslash! Of course, this was to carry past her Pokemon and towards Nightwing who was swooping in for another pass. Only my desperate signal for a downward Quick Attack and her own sharp reflexes got Nightwing out of the way, while the Alolan Sandslash weathered the friendly fire easily thanks to his double resistance.

Shivering from the cold, I called out, "Screens and Tailwind," changing up my strategy. Unfortunately for me, the Champion of the League Club was capable of doing the same.

"Taunt, focus fire," she ordered out just as quickly. Her Vanilluxe caught Miles before they could set up a Light Screen, sticking her tongue out at my Pokemon and enraging them, right before Sandslash's attacked slammed into Miles. Repeatedly. Icicle Spear hit five times, doing considerable damage, and as I looked closer, I saw the pair of icy blue colored slanted dice hanging on a thin string around the Steel Type's neck. Her Vanilluxe has an Icy Rock too, meaning this storm won't be put out any time soon.

On the bright side, Nightwing's Tailwind was set up without issue, so she'd be able to outspeed them easily now. Returning Miles, I ordered, "Up through the boards, grapple them close!" Nightwing followed with glee, smashing through from underneath the boards to latch onto the Alolan Pokemon. As they struggled in the air, I said, "You're up, Radiance!" While releasing Phantasm.

"Get in close and finish them!" Elsa shouted, looking desperate - but not feeling it. Everything about her Aura screamed 'smug confidence.'

"Back out of there!" I shouted, abandoning my gambit. And good thing I did, as Phantasm flipped herself through the ropes holding up the bridge and around to the other side, avoiding the Ice Typed Weather Ball Vanilly released where they had been.

Elsa laughed. "Did you really think that I'd be so desperate as to stop one of your little Legendaries with an Explosion? I hardly need that Move to beat you." I wanted to snap back, but then I saw our other Pokemon crash back to the bridge.

The Sandslash was covered in fiery gouges, clearly burnt and badly poisoned, but somehow, still fighting, struggling to his feet. A few meters away, Nightwing wasn't doing much better, her wings frosted over. Icicle Spear would cause that and he wouldn't have had room to use that as they grappled - Ice Punch then? Elsa must have given a hidden order to her Sandslash at the same time as she directed her Starter to use Weather Ball. I disliked the girl greatly, but could feel some grudging respect for her as a Trainer.

"Focus Punch," I told Phantasm on chattering teeth, trusting her to be able to fool the Vanilluxe with her illusions enough to land the blow. "Crabhammer," was my direction to Nightwing. The Move should be enough, but I wish I'd taught her High Horsepower. Earthquake is stronger, but would disrupt Phantasm here.

"Stealth Rocks," Elsa called out, accepting the hit on her already weakened Pokemon to toss out an entry hazard… that failed to land, no real space for the rocks to settle on the narrow bridge. The Sandslash was rocked back by the powerful blow from Nightwing's right pincer, but somehow stayed conscious, his naturally high defenses bolstered by the Snow enough for him to keep on fighting, despite all the damage he'd taken.

Vanilluxe failed to connect with a barrage of Weather Balls (though I noted a few of them were close things and might have hit were it not for Phantasm's Lax Incense), and my Pokemon leapt forward, landing a powerful punch that cracked the Ice Type's cone. She rebounded off the blow and back to the bridge, but Elsa followed the sound and shaking of the bridge as well as I did, ordering a final attack from her Sandslash at that spot.

"Steel Beam," she called cooly, and her Pokemon let out a blast that knocked himself out, but clipped Phantasm hard, breaking her illusion for a moment and had her clinging onto the edge of the bridge. Elsa's unconscious Pokemon was recalled before he could finish slumping over, and she sent out her next one, a Frosslass. Immediately, the Ghost type blended in with the snow, becoming almost impossible to pin point.

Elsa's Starter was harrying Phantasm, so I called out, "Poltergeist," trying to not sound as frustrated as I felt. Phantasm is a great counter against Froslass, but she's stuck on this end of the bridge playing keep away against the Vanilluxe. On the other end, I directed Nightwing to attack the enemy Ghost Type, but her Fire Fangs hit nothing but empty air and drifting snowflakes.

"Shield," Elsa whispered, but my sharp ears picked up on it nonetheless.

"Taunt!" I shouted, hoping Nightwing would be fast enough. Thankfully, it was, and Froslass couldn't lay down an Aurora Veil. But that just had them switching onto the offense, a massive Blizzard sweeping across Nightwing. She put up a Protect in time, blocking the attack, but I knew the onslaught would continue if nothing was done.

Phantasm was winning her fight against Vanilly, but oh so slowly. My Pokemon did her best to make up for the lack of flight with her illusions and impressive mobility, swinging around the ropes that held up the bridge, but it was still a challenge. The Ice Type was no slouch either, using her dual heads to launch an array of powerful Ice attacks to keep Phantasm at bay. Poltergeist was still used to great effect, however, tossing the Vanilluxe about (and through) the boards that made up the bridge by the item she held.

"Phantom Force," I called out to Phantasm, indicating with a jerk of my head for her to go after the other Ghost Type. Vanilluxe picked herself up from where she had been thrown around, laughing at Phantasm, which caused my Pokemon to snarl but she still followed my orders, disappearing into the Distortion World.

I expected Froslass to let up on her assault to protect herself or avoid the Phantom Force, and she did, but in a way that surprised me. "Nasty Plot," Elsa called out while holding a hand up and crossing her fingers. Her Ghost Type powered up, a smirk that almost matched Elsa's appearing on her face. As the portal opened up in front of her and Phantasm started to leave, there was a flash of psychic energy and suddenly Vanilly was in her teammate's place, taking the hit.

Nightwing didn't waste any time, latching on with a Fire Fang into the ice-cream like Pokemon, but quickly let go, howling in pain as a Blizzard from Froslass washed over all three of the other Pokemon. Both of my Pokemon were badly hurt by the attack, especially Nightwing, but with the healing she'd accumulated from the Toxic Orb, she just managed to stay in the fight.

Thinking desperately, I ordered a Shadow Sneak on Froslass, Phantasm zipping across the field to hit her, while drawing my Pokeball to switch her. Nightwing, I don't think I can afford to switch you here. I knew she'd understand as I ordered her to use, "Fling! Then Knock Off!" At Vanilluxe.

She did so with glee, tossing her Toxic Orb at the pure Ice Type, leaving a nasty purple stain that spread throughout her ice cream scoop heads, and then striking through to send the Icy Rock held within her body down far below. Vanilluxe weathered the blows with an almost manic glee, casting up a light that wove itself across the battlefield, shielding her Pokemon. Aurora Veil, like a Light Screen and Reflect while the Snow is up, which is already boosting their physical defense. Luckily, I had an answer to that.

"Sunny Day!" I called out victoriously as I switched Phantasm out and Miles in. They let out a glowing orb of light to bring forth an artificial sun… that fizzled out. "What?!"

"Did you really think that some simple TM taught Move was enough to overpower my Starter? You really are a fool, Nemona Glitterati. But I shouldn't expect much more from a child. Explosion," she added, almost as an afterthought, and I was a moment too slow to order a counter or stop it, watching in horror as Vanilly glowed with a bright let, then let out an enormous blast, one which knocked out both of my already weakened Pokemon… and snapped the frost covered bridge in two, the halves falling apart as we dropped down.

"Ahhhh!" I screamed for an instant before calling on my Aura, floating down to the ground hundreds of meters beneath us. Elsa, on the other hand, cackled maniacally, conjuring a curved slope of ice to slide down in a circle to the water and miniature islands on the ground. She landed on a ring of land attached to the other pillar, opposite of the side I had landed on. Around her, without much structural support, the icy ramp soon crashed around her, fading away into mist.

Froslass (who looked surprisingly injured, likely hit by an Overheat Miles must have gotten off at the same time as the Explosion), drifted down last, Psychically holding the three Pokemon for us.

"Are you crazy?!" I yelled as I recalled my Pokemon. "You could have killed us!"

Elsa exhaled dismissively. "Don't try to sell that malarkey; as if you would have died to something silly like that. You're fine, so there's nothing to get so upset about." At the end of her sentence, I noticed how she was breathing harder now. That ramp of ice wasn't as easy as she made it look. Ice has its uses, but it's not as equipped for gentle landings as Flying Aura is.

The older girl must have sussed out what I had figured out and frowned, clearly disliking me picking up on her 'weakness.' To distract from that (or possibly her actually being that impatient), she demanded: "Now, stop yer chin wagging and get ready to fight! Release your Pokemon in the next ten seconds or forfeit." She didn't send out her own next Pokemon, waiting to see what I would choose.

Her Rotom had floated down by this point and began counting down 'helpfully.' "Ten, bzzt, nine…" My mind raced, taking in the new environment. Vast pillars of stone jutted up into the air in the background, but much of the space down here was open and filled with water, though it wasn't deep. Both a boon in that it'll be easy to move around in and a bane in that she'll probably be able to freeze it solid easily too - we might be out of the snow zone and she's lost her weather setter, but I'm certain her other Pokemon can use Snowscape too.

Realistically, I knew which Pokemon to send out here, two of my strongest and the best equipped to take advantage of her Type specialization and who could fly and wouldn't be bogged down by the terrain. I hesitated however, as it felt like she had planned everything out up to this point, and yet, as the Rotom counted down to "Two, bzzt," I didn't have a choice. Releasing Notch and Radiance from their Pokeballs, I readied myself to take up the fight again.

Two things happened immediately after, before I could even give off my first command. Firstly, was Elsa laughing as she released her first non-Ice Type, a dopey looking Quagsire. Secondly, a number of sharp rocks burst out of the water, the first few slicing into Notch and Radiance until the former recovered from their surprise and stopped the rest with a flick of the wrist. She set up the Stealth Rocks for this from the getgo? That's crazy!

"Gambit four," Elsa called out, and her Pokemon leapt into action (though that might have been an overstatement for the Quagsire). Froslass conjured a ghostly flame that floated towards Notch, while Quagsire launched a glob of Toxic at them a moment after. Without hesitating, I held up my Keystone ring, Mega Evolving Diancie. In a show of light as dazzling as it ever was, Notch's gems grew larger and more ornate, the dress lengthened out, and we could all feel the power they had. Alright, I've got this now.

Elsa had a different reaction, turning her head slightly from the bright light at first before staring back with an eager grin. "Yes! Glad to see we're done with the tosh. Show me something Ace, I want a real challenge!" Big words from someone who's down just as many Pokemon as I am. I noticed her accent slipped up as she got more excited, but I didn't bother bantering with her any more, focusing my attention on the battle playing out before us.

Bursting with power, the Mega Evolution sphere had the unintended effect of dispersing their attacks, which normally would have been beneficial, but here stopped Notch's new Ability from reflecting the attacks. Radiance at least was able to land a powerful Fiery Dance that had Elsa's Froslass reeling, while powering the Paradox Pokemon up.

"Diamond Storm, Fiery Dance!" I shouted. That Quagsire is a problem, Diamond Storm will only do some chip damage against him due to his Ground Typing. But both of those Moves can do heavy damage to Froslass and might power up my Pokemon.

"Sword and Shield," was Elsa's next play, and a pretty simplistic, if effective strategy. Froslass covered herself with a Protect, the hivecomb, spherical barrier blocking out both my Pokemon's attacks, and the one sent by her partner. Quagsire flopped down to slap the water, making a large wave rise up and wash over all of the others.

"Quag," the Water Type said proudly afterwards, earning a glare from Radiance.

She can't shield herself forever so her next choice will be- right, that trick. "Radiance, bring the sun, Notch, Mega Punch the Quagsire." I wasn't one hundred percent sure in my estimation, but I breathed a sigh of relief as I heard Elsa's next call, a split second after mine.

"Destiny- no, blanket the sun in ice, Earth Power!" Radiance was the first to move, shooting up a burning orb of light, heating up the area faster than Froslass could respond. Notch moved faster than Quagsire or even the speedy Froslass, flying in with an arm pulled back and landing a hefty haymaker straight into Quagsire, sending the Water Type back a few meters and had him groaning.

"Solar Beam!" I shouted, triumphantly, pointing at the prone Quagsire. Radiance extended their wings, gathering energy from the fake sun on the tips of all six before bringing them together in a beam that cut through the earth before impacting the Water Type with a powerful attack that should have knocked him out, but somehow, he warbled and got back to his feet, just as snow started blanketing the field again. Did he eat a Berry just now? Could have been a Rindo, or maybe even a Sitrus Berry back when Notch punched him. Still, odd that it did so little even with that, given the boost Radiance has from their Fiery Dance.

My body was starting to feel strange, the sudden changes in temperature not feeling great, but I pushed through it, determined to finish this. "Sandstorm, chip away at them," I told Notch, my voice a little hoarse. "Fiery Dance!" I snapped a half beat later, pointing at Froslass, hoping my misdirect would catch Elsa off guard.

In a way, it did, with her going for another Surf from Quagsire, but it appeared she had given up on protecting her Froslass any longer, opting for an Icy Wind. The Move was fast enough to chip Radiance, slowing them down slightly, but Froslass then fell to their fiery wings. That drop is canceled out by the Booster Energy, and Radiance's base speed is incredible.

As they swooped back to my side, they easily avoided the Surf that crashed towards them, cresting just above where the water rushed by. Notch was ready too, but they were still clipped by the waves, which thankfully only lightly lapped at my feet as they hit the shore. There was one trick left though, as this attack contained a bubble which popped to the surface as the water died down, a yellow cloud drifting up to envelope Radiance from below.

Is she mocking me? Normally I wouldn't think such things of a trick my opponent used, but to hew so closely to the kinds of Moves I'd developed with Dun… I narrowed my eyes. Mostly because of the Sandstorm raging around us, kicking up motes of particulate matter, admittedly, but also to glare at the vague shape of Elsa across the ruined battlefield.

While her form was hard to discern, her words were not, and they sent a jolt of fear through my heart. "Belly Drum!" The teenager announced, calling for the Move and not declaring her next Pokemon. The sparkling, white furred and pale green gorilla like Pokemon was easy to make out, the Galarian Darmanitan cheerfully pounding her belly the moment she was released from her Pokeball.

"Sludge Wave, Diamond Storm!" The Darmanitan had already shifted forms, becoming an odd snowman like figure. There was a flame sticking out of the top snowball, showing off the King's Crown sitting there, with patterns like eyes on that top sphere. The real eyes however, where on the bottom snowball, highlighted by a magenta mask, two large hands, seemingly bereft of arms, stuck out on either side of this mound.

Elsa pulled out her own Tera Orb, tossing it above her Darmanitan's head, crystals forming around the Zen Mode Pokemon, then shattering to reveal an even more sparkling Tera 'hat' jewel in the shape of a fist. While the diamonds beat rather ineffectually against the now Fighting Type Pokemon, the Sludge Wave at least caused the Galarian Darmanitan to hiss in anger and pain (though it also did the same to Notch, but my Pokemon dealt with the attack much more stoically). Quagsire took the hits the best, Recovering from them and the damage he'd already been dealt.

"Earthquake!" Elsa called out, and I hastily recalled Radiance, both to avoid that attack and to deal with how they were already drooping in the air from the Yawn. The waves of earth rose up high, battering into Notch hard, only the layers of diamond armor they'd already accumulated enough to stop the super effective attack from taking them out. Once more though, I noticed that her Quagsire tanked the hit remarkably well.

How- dammit, he has Unaware! I cursed myself for not recognizing it earlier, but with Notch hurt and facing off against two foes, there was no time for self recrimination.

"Dun, you're up!" I called, tossing out his Pokeball. My Starter gave a fierce cry as he emerged from his Pokeball. At the same time, mentally I reached out to Notch. ['Trick Room, and rise out of Earthquake range.']

Notch did so easily, showing off their control by being able to set up the tricky Move even while moving. Dun tried to Glare at his opponent right away, but Elsa said "Eyes shut," and her Darmanitan closed his eyes tight.

"Earth Power, knock out that glittering eyesore. You know what your problem is?" Elsa asked, in between directing her Pokemon. "Icicle crash, 25 meters out, 44 degrees."

Dun flinched from the powerful spears of ice, and Notch wobbled in the air but remained standing (or well, hovering). "What?" I grit out, hoping she wouldn't notice the Trick Room going up.

"You're a predictable prat," she declared imperiously. "Glare as your quick fire debilitating Move when you're spooked, and now Trick Room," she declared as Notch's time-bending Move lit up across the open space. "'Cause you can't win with speed and power. Trick Room special," she called out, and Quagsire performed a little bow towards his partner, one arm pulled in, the other pointing out at my team. Suddenly, in defiance of the rules that should have governed the space they were in, Darmanitan raced ahead, blazing a trail behind her as she rushed up to Dun and began mercilessly smacking my Pokemon about with a strong Superpower.

"Dun!" I cried as my starter screeched in pain, the powerful attacks beating him hard. Scales were broken, and even his incredibly hard drill tail got cracked when he tried to interpose it between the attacks.

['Get lost!'] Notch screamed telepathically, lifting Elsa's Galarian Darmanitan up and tossing her hard with Psychic. I scrambled to try and recall Dun, but he surprised me, by managing to give out a loud, pained croak, that was as much a cry of pain as it was an attack, the Hyper Voice ripping across the air and taking down both of Elsa's Pokemon. Somehow, despite all the power, Terastalization, Zen Mode strength, everything, that she threw at him, Dun held on. As he finished, he gave a weak warble, turning to me and I was so proud of him.

There was a moment of silence after, and I huffed, breathing hard as the Sandstorm died down. Elsa, on the other side, had her hands over her ears but let go as the sonic attack abated, recalling her unconscious Pokemon, while I took the chance to look at Dun. He's certainly not doing great, but the crack sounded a lot worse than it was. I don't think he should fight any longer, but a week off and some calcium supplements and he'll be fine.

With that confirmed, I calmed down a little. "You done with this yet?" I asked, affecting a bored tone. In truth, she's not that bad, but after that stunt at the bridge and what she threatened me with, she doesn't deserve any resp- Elsa's pretty laughter echoed around the canyon, as if I'd just told the funniest joke she'd ever heard.

"Done? Not even close!" Elsa declared, drawing her last Pokeball. I wanted to shake it off as the deranged laughter, but her eyes sparkled too clearly for that. Does she really think she can pull it off? I have a Legendary and a Paradox Pokemon, plus Phantasm! Even without Dun I'd win-

"Time for your grand debut, Glastrier!" Elsa tossed the Pokeball up, high in the air, where it burst open to reveal an intimidating form. A pale white horse, with ice for their mane and hooves, spikes of the substance covering their face and lower legs, obscuring the details so all I could make out underneath it were the glowing golden eyes, balefully glaring out at me. On their body, covering their flanks and the sides of their legs was a set of white and blue barding, clearly a very customized variant of an Assault Vest.

Their presence was such that I would have known them for what they were even had I not vaguely remembered them mentioned online from a DLC I never played. Likely even if, by merely exiting their Pokeball, the ground did not instantly cover over with frost, what remained of the water and muck freezing, and then cracking from where the Pokemon landed, I still would have known this Pokemon for what they were (though all of that did add to the impact of their arrival). A Legendary.

I had a Legendary of my own, I had Pokemon as strong as Legendaries, so it shouldn't have been so shocking, but the sudden appearance threw me off for a moment, which was long enough for them to charge in, icy chunks of earth and water torn up by their hooves.

I recalled Dun out of the way in the nick of time, but they quickly (yet ungainly - a combination I expected was due to the Trick Room) swiveled to charge down Notch. Without needing an order, Notch pulled up a Protect to buy some time while I sent in Radiance. "Diamond Storm, Overheat! Give no quarter!" I would prefer to start with something like Acid Spray and weaken such an obviously defensive Pokemon but-

There was no time. In the Trick Room, Radiance moved so slowly Elsa had ample time to call out "High Horsepower," and see Glastrier literally stomp the Paradox Pokemon into the dirt. The Move dealt massive damage to Radiance, but Notch struck with dozens of diamonds, ripping into Glastrier while delicately avoiding hitting Radiance, who was just hanging into the fight. An explosion of flame and heat burst out from the Paradox Pokemon, enough that I had to shield my face for a moment…

… and when I looked again, I saw that Elsa's ace had finished the job, stomping on Radiance a few times and utterly defeating them. The Legendary Ice Type neighed loudly and I shivered. Part of me wants to hold out on sending in Phantasm, at least until Trick Room is done, but then Notch is stuck in the same spot. No, there's no point not going all-in here! We'll finish this with everything we have!

"Phantasm, Bitter Malice!" I called out as I recalled Radiance and released my Ghost Type. Phantasm gave a wild, hateful howl as she hit the field, glaring at the enemy. For a moment, I thought her rage was so great she wouldn't hear (or heed) the subtle call as I twisted the air to carry my voice only to her. "Protect," I told her, and she managed to pull up a barrier to block the horse's charge - mostly.

There were many different ways to train Protect (to train any Move, really). For my team, I trained Protect as an emergency 'get out of attack free' card. It wasn't very maneuverable when summoned, couldn't be used to trap others inside the barrier, and they couldn't spam it in a row often or it would likely fail. But I trained speed and power. So I was shocked when I saw the Icicle Crash Glastrier sent Phantasm's way cracking through the barrier, even a little bit.

I had no time to fret or worry though, as we needed to go on the attack, now that our defensive window had ended. Notch had pulled off an Iron Defense while Glastrier and Phantasm were busy fighting, and at my mental prompting, moved to land a Body Press on the obnoxious horse.

Her Ace had taken the other attacks fairly easily, but Elsa (rightfully) feared this one, so ordered her Pokemon to: "Dodge the Diancie, Lash Out at the illusionist." With the Trick Room still active, they did just that, prancing around Notch's attempts to pin them. Phantasm launched a Bitter Malice, the shadowy tendrils reaching up from underneath and sapping the strength of the Legendary. Almost immediately after they reared around blindly, and on seeming sheer luck, slammed out with a Dark coated hoof, knocking Phantasm out with a sickening crunch.

They neighed loudly upon their victory, and once again, I felt a deep chill strike me to the bone, one that had less to do with the weather and more with the power of that great beast. It didn't escape my attention however, that the temperature dropped down once again, a sign of the strength gathering within the Ice Type.

The faint purple tile-shaped gleam around the air showed that we'd finally run out the clock and Trick Room was finished. We have the edge, but is it enough? Notch has taken a heavy beating. Recalling Phantasm away from the field of battle, I called for, "Ancient Power, keep your distance!"

Notch attempted to do so, but it proved trickier than anticipated. Glastrier proved themself to not be slow, ramming through the ancient rocks Notch conjured and threw their way and slamming into them with a High Horsepower. Glastrier attempted to finish the job, much like they had with Radiance, but Notch grabbed onto the offending leg with Psychic, twisting it and throwing them off. Given the immense weight and power of the Ice Type, it was likely a Move that wouldn't have worked, had Notch not trained to be so precise with Psychic (most non-Psychics would have simply tried to grab the whole Pokemon, and failed because of it).

As Notch flew away, I adjusted our strategy. "Power Gem and strafe." Plenty of Pokemon that have a low 'speed stat' are decently quick, in a straight line at least, with build up time, but have terrible maneuverability. I'm betting Glastrier is the same. My prediction seemed likely to be true, as Elsa changed her strategy instead, rather than try and challenge us there.

"Glacial Lance." Glastrier bore a painful beam from the heart shaped diamond on Notch's head, and gave a broad grin showing their tombstone teeth as they retaliated with a volley of massive ice shaped polearms. I distantly noted that they were all different kinds of polearms, and that either Elsa or Glastrier (or both) were likely weapon aficionados. Most of my attention was taken up by worry for Notch as the extraordinarily powerful Ice Type attack hit them, and for myself, one of the lances landing half a meter away from my feet.

"Up high, beams and mirrors!" I shouted, my voice cracking. Glastrier was proving themself to be monstrously tough, but each hit we landed added up. So too did theirs however, Notch's body looking as chipped and worn as I'd ever seen it. My Pokemon flew up, conjuring planes of diamond, angled to let the Dazzling Gleams they fired off hit Glastrier. It's likely that the 'Glacial Lance' Move can still reach up here, but hopefully it won't have the same range of coverage, letting Notch slip through if they try it.

"Ascend, show them there's no escaping the bitter end!" Elsa declared dramatically, pointing a finger up to the sky. Glastrier jumped up high, the impact shaking the ground almost as much as an Earthquake would have. Notch expertly positioned the Dazzling Gleam to burn away at multiple points as the Ice Type soared upwards, but had to give up that angle of attack before long, darting to the open air.

Stuck in the air, an equine based Pokemon like Glastrier should have had no hope of pursuing Notch, but they were a Legendary for a reason. Our foe left my Pokemon with no time to escape, conjuring platforms of ice to leap off of towards their quarry. Notch raised a hand, pulling apart the diamond mirrors and into a hurricane of razor sharp rocks, flying up like a brilliant reverse waterfall at Elsa's Pokemon. The sharp gemstones sliced hard into Glastrier's fur joining a litany of other cuts and bruises that covered their body by now, but they pushed through, jumping through the air until they reached Notch, hitting them down hard with a Smart Strike in the form of a headbutt.

Icy head met diamond armor, and diamond armor gave way, shattering before the strike as Notch crashed into the ground. My Legendary wasn't defeated yet, despite all the punishment they'd taken, the Babiri Berry greatly helping in letting Notch withstand that last attack. Elsa was keen to see that determination undone, ordering another Smart Strike.

Notch was on the ground, Glastrier bearing down from on high, when my Pokemon pushed themself up on one arm. ['I- I can't lose. Not here, Nemona needs me!'] Notch declared defiantly, pivoting off the ground and swinging with the other hand. The powerful arm hit Glastrier hard in the side of the neck, knocking the Ice type away before they could land their finishing blow.

Elsa's Pokemon landed in a heap in front of her, and I thought that we had finally done it, but then, Glastrier's eyes snapped open. "Glacial Lance! Finish this! NOW!" Elsa screamed. Half rising, Elsa's Pokemon slammed a hoof against the ground, conjuring a vast spear of ice and sending it flying over. Notch attempted to rise, but they were exhausted and battered, unable to get away from the attack. It shattered into them, breaking into a million shards of ice and diamond, Notch reverting from their Mega Evolution as they fell back down with a sad chime. I dropped to my knees.

We lost.

Spoiler: A/N:

And here we are, at the fight I've been building to for a while now (twenty chapters or so, I think?). Originally, I had planned on splitting the battle into two parts, but ultimately decided that it was better to just have all the aftermath stuff take place in one chapter after and all the battle stuff here.

Unsurprisingly, there's going to be a lot of aftermath to deal with, what with this being Nemona's first loss in a long time. I knew in the Blueberry Arc there would be some controversial chapters, and I expect this will definitely be one of them. Not many people like to see the protagonist lose, but hopefully this battle and subsequent loss made sense and didn't come completely out of nowhere (Elsa had seen Nemona's battles, on video and first hand, and in the last interlude went into this believing she had a shot at winning this).

I understand though that it may be a bit shocking though, and that's fair, as Elsa's prowess comes as a surprise to Nemona herself. We generally see the world through her eyes, and for a couple of reasons, she was caught quite off guard by this. I do plan on revealing more about Elsa, her situation, and the rest of the League Club, in time. They are going to be important characters moving forward for the Blueberry Arc, and it should be interesting to get a bit more in-depth with what they're all like.

Oh, and because I anticipate some questions, Quagsire used After You to let Darmanitan strike before Nemona's Pokemon in Trick Room, and the attack that Glastrier used isn't actually Glacial Lance. It's a custom spread version of Avalanch. As for other questions, hopefully many of those will be answered in the next chapter, which will be up immediately.

Thank you all for reading, and for following me 100 chapters into this story (not including the Interludes). I never thought I'd get this far and it's awesome to have reached this milestone. I really appreciate all of you and the care you have for this story. I hope that despite having a negative moment here, you'll trust in me and this story you've followed so far and give me the chance to let it unfold fully. While I can't promise only happy moments, I can garauntee that most things will get a happy ending. Pokemon is a world filled with optimisim and joy, even through the tough times, and i hope to reflect that with my story.

 

[Skyfyre]

Spoiler: Patreons:

I'd like to thank my 63 Beginner Tier Patreons, and an extra special thanks to RageLord, Nodal_Gravity, ExaltedRequiem, HanShotFirst, and Garreon LeFay, my Ace Tier Patreons! Your support means so much to me.

What could I have done differently? Where did I go wrong? Those thoughts plagued me as I trudged over to the central court. The few students there pointed and stared, a few snickering at me as they looked at their phones.

Clearly, word of my defeat has spread fast. Despite that, none of them came up to mock me directly as I walked up the ramp to the healing machine. Placing my Pokeballs within it I watched as they were healed, at least as best as they could be. None of the damage my team had taken was permanent, but the readings on the machine confirmed what I had expected; it would take a bit of time for some, like Dun, to be back in fighting shape.

With my team looked after as best as I could at the moment, I lay down on the edge of the platform. The Ditto Blocks were hard and not super comfortable to lie on, which felt fitting for the mood I was in. I let one arm dangle over the long edge, replaying every moment of the fight in my head.

A million different strategies whirled through my head in that moment, different tactics I could have tried. I didn't send out Athena even though she has a great Type match up against most of Elsa's team. Or would that have just prompted her to use her Darmanitan early? But I might have handled that one better if she didn't have Quagsire backing her up. I totally missed the Unaware Quagsire had, why did I make such a basic mistake? I should know this! And her Froslass was frail, I could have used Bahamut and perfect accuracy moves like Aerial Ace and just overwhelmed her! If Torkoal was strong enough, I could have used her to counter the Snow as well - but maybe if I'd spent more time helping train my current team they'd have the Moves to counter Elsa's team. Solar Beam took too much set up against Quagsire. Can Iron Moths learn other Grass Type Moves? I've focused on control and speed, but clearly I need power too…

On and on it went, different ways I could have fought, different ways in which she might have countered me. I was so lost in my own mind I barely noticed Kieran saying, "Hey Nemona," in a dull tone. Flopping my head over to the side, I saw the young Kitakami boy sitting in the corner with his arms wrapped around his knees. Lacy paced back and forth, hands clenched so tight into fists at her sides that I saw a drip of blood running out from them. Lying beside the ledge I was on was Drayton, looking almost like he usually would, if not for the tightness of his jaw and the fact that his hands weren't planted behind his head but instead lay rigid at his sides.

They clearly got thrashed just as badly as I did. I wanted to ask them how it went, say… something. Anything. But I couldn't muster the will to do so. What would be the point even?

Not everyone shared our gloom, or restraint, as Carmine strode up the ramp, a spring in her step as she approached the healing machine. "I just had an epic match- whoa, what gives?" She asked, the joy dimming slightly as she took in not just our presence, but also our miserable state.

"Didn't whoever fought you say? The League jerks came to fight all of us at the same time," Kieran spat out, an uncharacteristic venom in his voice.

"And they beat all of you? Even you, Nemona?" Carmine looked shocked, and I winced.

I think that's what makes this loss sting so hard. Perhaps it's egotistical, but I thought I was above this kind of thing. I beat the strongest Trainers in Paldea, back-to-back! Who could beat me in a fair fight? Oh sure, if I fought and lost against Ash Ketchum or some other character I knew from my past life, I might be able to rationalize it away, but Elsa Death? She was a nobody, in my eyes.

"Yeah, I lost." I said, perhaps a bit harsher than I'd intended. Clearing my throat, I acted like my aggression hadn't gotten the best of me and added, "Elsa was stronger than I imagined. Far stronger than any of the League Club members in class." But of course she is! Why did I suspect that the Champion, the best in the school, would be on the same level as any of the first years in my battle classes? Because I fought one of the Elites who was obviously holding back and I didn't find him to be that hard? Stupid, stupid Nemona.

Drayton chimed in next. "I fought Ares. He was a bit thick, but tougher than he looked. I- I really thought I had him beat for a moment there, but his Falinks just kept on going and rolled us. I didn't think they'd be that durable."

Kieran's head raised slightly. "The pink haired girl," he said, as if spitting out a vile curse. "She crushed my team. Dipplin fought so hard, but then she did this weird dance and her Dragon - never seen anything like it before, big and black and scary, with arms poking out of it's big mouth - did some kind of super move and wiped Dip out. I thought they were going to eat him!" He rubbed his Pokeball in a reassuring fashion which was shaking slightly.

The description was disturbingly familiar to me, and while not technically a Legendary, an Ultra Beast with a Z-Move backing them up was nothing to sneeze at. These other Elite Four don't sound like pushovers either. I- could I at least beat them? I wanted to think I could, but doubt lingered.

"Atticus said I should just give up on my team, that they were worthless!" Lacey suddenly shouted. "As if the fact that they're cute means they're weak! My Pokemon are strong and cute! Stupid, smug, bastard-"

"Whoa," Carmine said before Lacey could reveal some of the more inventive curses she had offhandedly mentioned (but never divulged before) she had learned from her father's miner friends. "Sounds rough." Carmine's yellow eyes caught mine and I turned away. What do you want me to say? I got my ass beat too?

"The girl I fought, she had bright blue hair, and a really strong Minior. She was talking a bunch of smack, something about wanting to 'put us in our place' because we were helping other students? I didn't really get it, but my team managed to beat her!" I saw the tall girl try to give us a reassuring grin, but when that failed, she slumped a bit and went over to the healing machine. A glance at the readout showed that her team was all in pretty rough shape too, indicating that even though she won, it must have been a near thing.

I felt like shit, doubly so for the loss, and the way I was behaving. Carmine doesn't need to be dealing with all of this. None of them do; I'm supposed to be an adult, for Arceus' sake! Why is this loss getting me down so hard?

Pulling myself upright to a sitting position, I focused, trying to think on why it was, rather than getting lost in could-have-beens. Okay, so first off, Elsa has been a bitch since day one. She's had a chip on her shoulder, constantly challenging me in subtle ways, and even when I'm not involved, she's just pretty rude. Losing to someone like that always stings more than a loss against someone you respect. There's more to it than that, though.

This is the first time I've legitimately lost to someone around my age. The few other losses I'd been dealt always came at the hands of Trainers who had decades of experience on me. Elsa was a bit older than my physical body, but not by much, and a lot younger than I was in mind. It made me wonder if what some detractors said online was true - that I was only a big fish in the small pond of Paldea's battling scene. That I won't be able to cut it in the wider world.

Apparently, Athena had enough of my wallowing, as she made her displeasure clear, popping out of her Pokeball. "Ario." She growled, her arms crossed, which basically meant 'How long are you going to sit here.'

"I dunno, as long as it takes for me to figure out what went wrong," I snarked back. My friends watched on with mild amusement, before she stomped a foot so hard it shook the landing pad we were on, jostling everyone.

"Ugh," Drayton moaned before picking himself up. "She's got a point though; sitting around here isn't doing us any good." That caused all of us to share in shock at the Dragon Trainer, Lacey even gasping.

"You are going to get up?" She asked, and he nodded.

"Only way to get stronger. I might prefer to lie around in the sun, but I want to make sure that if that jerk ever challenges Duraludon again, we give him a shock. And I think I know just the way to do so…" he trailed off, lost in his own thoughts before waving goodbye to us. This (or being disrupted by Athena) invigorated the rest of the group.

"I'm going to train as hard as I possibly can," Kieran said, a slightly crazed look in his eyes. "We're going to find out how to evolve Dipplin, and then we'll fucking crush that girl!"

"Kiki…" Carmine said, reaching out a hand to her brother, but he ignored it as he stormed off. Didn't he kinda go crazy at the end of the Teal Mask DLC? I thought it was supposed to be because of that mystery Pokemon that manipulated the Loyal Three but… maybe it's just Kieran. I should really check in on him later and make sure he's okay.

Lacey gave a fierce nod, determined not to be outdone by the boys. "I'm going to ask my dad for some tips."

"You didn't before?" Carmine blurted out. You might be a strong Trainer and sharp academically, but tact is not your strong suit, is it?

The pink-clad girl didn't take offense, however. "Dad is a Ground Type specialist. I- I wanted to be just like him, but lately, I've been adding more and more Fairy Types to my team. I was worried he might be disappointed or something," Lacey's voice dropped off as she said those last words. "But I was just being silly; Daddy will love me no matter what, and he's learned from tons of Trainers all around the world. Besides, he can help me with Drillbur - I might be training mostly Fairies, but Drillbur is always going to be a part of my team."

I was a little stunned by how bright and mature Lacey was. It might seem foolish to have been worried at first, but she's just ten, and she's handling it very well. Makes me wonder what I'm doing with myself.

As she left, Carmine turned to me, placing a hand on her hip. "So? What are you going to do?"

"I… don't know yet. But I'm going to keep moving forward," I said, standing up. "Thank you," I said sincerely, nodding to both Carmine and Athena. "I needed a kick in the pants."

"You can always count on me to kick your pants," the taller girl said, pointing a thumb proudly at herself. Athena and I stared for a second before she snorted and I laughed loudly. "Hey!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I said, the words rather undercut by being between giggles. "It's just- who says that?"

"But I- you- you were the one who said I gave you a kick in the pants in the first place!"

"Yeah, but no one ever says they'll kick someone else's pants! Hahaha, oh man."

"Wha- you make up the weirdest sayings! I'm not weird for saying it, you are!" Carmine declared, blushing harder. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw her smiling faintly. It might not be an answer to everything, but this moment right here, it's a start.

***

The good feelings left from that meeting faded away as I was left to stew in my own thoughts. Admittedly, hearing the kids point and whisper in the halls doesn't help. The video had well and made the rounds by now and there was gossip a plenty to be had about my showing against the League Club Champion. I'd even heard students I'd helped before making fun of me. It burns, but kids can be cruel. Besides, maybe they're right, and I am only a 'Paldean Phony.'

Admittedly, there were also those trying to say nice things about me, commenting how far I'd gotten against Elsa, or cursing her. Some are pointing out how dangerous the video seemed, but many just seem to not like her in general (and I can see why). Hearing those comments should be nice, but I just hear the disparaging ones ringing in my head. Even the words that don't mean to be, like the ones worried about what will happen now that Elsa's won just seem to hammer home my defeat.

Sally was the first student outside my fellow defeated friends to approach me, finding me in the dormitory hallways as I trudged towards my room. "Nemona, I saw what happened and…" I didn't know how to respond as she trailed off. Say 'I'm sorry?' Or maybe warn her to stick clear of the League Club since clearly I can't protect her from the bullies and jerks there.

Luckily, I didn't have to as she opted to hug me instead. "That looked crazy Elsa was so scary and-"

"It's fine," I said reflexively, patting the smaller girl's shoulder. Behind her, I saw Chumley standing nearby, looking like he wanted to be supportive, but wasn't sure what to do.

"I just saw your match, and it was awesome," Chumley added, trying to be encouraging.

"Awesome is not the word I would use," I responded ruefully.

"Yeah, losing sucks," he admitted. "Take it from someone who knows what it's like. A lot. But the battle itself was amazing! I've never seen so many cool Moves before! Everyone said how cool it was you were a Champion but I didn't really get it till I saw that match."

"Thanks," I said, trying not to feel too rueful over my mistakes. Yes, there's things I could have done better. Before the battle, I could have recognized she was a larger threat and investigated, not gotten complacent and distracted with my own projects. And there's always ways to improve in a battle. But I can't let that drag me down.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Judai asked guilelessly, waving as he approached. If it was anyone else, I'd think they were just having a go at me, but no. He really must not have seen it. How though?

A bit of questioning revealed that his tablet was out of charge and he just hadn't been paying much attention to the gossip in the hallways. It also made him eager to watch the 'super cool battle' for himself, so I invited the three of them into my room and we began watching the whole thing.

It's so odd to see it from this perspective, I mused, watching the battle go down. It wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, though admittedly, having friends cheer me on from the screen helped a lot. And I'd have had to review this extensively anyways, if I'm to get better than her. Already, I can see that my Pokemon were stronger than hers, but she had more skill for double battles than us. Well, weaker except for that Legendary.

It had been so shocking before, and while I still burned with curiosity over how she got a Legendary on her team, I realized it wasn't so impossible. Plenty of people in the show had Legendaries, and it's not like Ash didn't meet a million over the course of his journey. The Explorers told me of how some great hero a hundred years ago had a Shiny Rayquaza, and he was hardly the first. Yeah, Legendaries are rare, but hardly impossible to obtain. Just because I hadn't heard of her before doesn't mean she couldn't do that. I did, caught two, by the perspectives of most people in the world. And I can plan a way to beat her too.

"You're gonna beat her?" Judai echoed, having caught the words I had inadvertently spoken allowed. "Sweet! Can't wait to see your rematch." The others cheered similar things, and I gave an awkward smile.

"Thank you, but I don't think it'll be any time soon. This match showed I have a lot to work on. Though… I do have some targets in mind to practice on."

"Uhm," Sally spoke up, fidgeting slightly. "Will you still have time to teach us? You offered some pointers, but Trubbish and I still have a long way to go… I understand if you'll be busy," she said with a forced smile on her face, likely from how I froze at the question.

"No, I can still do it," I said reflexively even as I worried. That'll take away time, time I could be spending training. But do I just discard time with my friends? I mean, I need to take breaks too so I could try to fit that in. Though there's my other hobbies, and other friends, and schoolwork, all to balance too…

"Hey, if you're too busy training up for your rematch, I can always take over for ya!" Judai said, pointing a thumb at himself proudly. He's also trying to give me a way out, recognizing my heart wasn't in it at first, which is kind of him.

"Thanks so much, big bro," Sally said to Judai before turning back to me. "But you aren't abandoning us, right Nemona? Judai is great but he doesn't quite have your drive… or scheduling capabilities." I don't get why she calls him 'big bro,' since they aren't related, but it seems to be a sign of respect. At least she doesn't call me 'big sis,' that'd be really weird, what with being the little sister of my family.

"I think Miles takes most of the credit for that, I said, letting go of some of the tension which had gripped me. "And I believe I'll definitely have time to teach you guys a thing or two. Might be less time and less hands-on than I thought, but I can make it work," I said, this time with more surety." Yeah, it'll be a lot of work, but I've got time. More of it now that the Goomy enclosure is set up and if I cut back on all the Blueberry Quests. It'll be tough, but I'm sure I can manage that much.

***

A day later I got a call into the Director's office over the PA system. Elsa got called in as well, so there's only one thing this could be about. The only real question is what is Cyrano's take on our fight? Some of the teachers clearly favored the League Club, while others were neutral, but it was hard to get a sense of what the founder of Blueberry Academy was feeling at the best of times.

Unsurprisingly, the Director's office was wall to ceiling blue. Different shades and varieties, all done very tastefully, but nonetheless, blue. The bookshelf to the side, painted a dark blue, with all the various books on it in different shades of blue jackets (save for a copy of the Violet Book, which merely had a very dark violet outer cover), including ones that I didn't think came in that color usually. The coffee desk near the entrance, a light blue, his computer and desk a rich blue. The cabinets to the side which must have contained important paper records, made of a blue metal alloy. Even the view outside his window behind his seat was blue, though given this was one of the few places within the academy above sea level, that one was probably more nature's fault.

"Nemona," Director Cyrano greeted me warmly. "Please, have a seat." He gestured at one of the two chairs placed in front of his desk. I did so, trying not to fidget. He doesn't sound angry with me, but he might just be waiting for Elsa to arrive to really lay into us. Not that I had done anything, but being called to the principal's office was always nerve racking, and some people in authority just liked to blame everyone involved in an incident.

It didn't take long for Elsa to arrive, the girl giving me an icy glare before settling down in the seat beside mine, tapping a finger impatiently. "Director," she greeted the man who had called us here.

"Yes?" He asked, and we both had an 'anime sweatdrop moment.' Did he seriously forget wh- "Oh right, why I called you here! Something came to my attention recently," he stated, his blue cased Rotom phone floating up and swiveling around to show us the fight Elsa had recorded. Expanding to tablet form, we saw in high definition the moment Vanilly exploded.

The scene was a bit confusing from the point of Elsa's Rotom which had been recording the battle, but it did float down in time to catch me yelling at Elsa and her brushing off what I said. The video paused there and Cyrano spoke up, his voice far more serious than I'd ever heard before.

"I love a good battle as much as the next Trainer, but this right here looks reckless, Miss Death. We have numerous battle courts around the school and in the Terarium for a reason. I'm glad to see that both of you appear uninjured, but why would you do something so dangerous?"

Elsa's lips twitched for a moment before she crossed her arms, saying, "Nemona had her Aura, and it's Flying aligned too. She was fine."

The Director didn't seem fazed by her mention of Aura or the implications of what mine could do, simply turning to me and asking, "Is this true? Did your Aura have enough strength to save you from that fall? Did Miss Death know that?"

This is it, my moment, if I want it. I could get her kicked out of her own club - heck, I might be able to get her expelled, if I press hard enough. It still depended on Cyrano's opinion in the end; I wasn't how hard I could press it given he was the ultimate authority here.

In any case, I could make life quite difficult for Elsa Death here, and from the way I saw her tightly gripping her chair arms, frost running down them as her Aura slipped, she knew it too. The tapping before might have been more nervousness than irritation too. Part of me was very tempted to do so… but I had another plan in mind, so turning my gaze back to our Director, I said:

"She's not wrong in that I was safe during the fall. I have some training in Aura, and she knew that. I can't say how great her knowledge of my skill was, but she had her Froslass hold my Pokemon and lower them down gently after they fainted from the Explosion. I suspect that even if I'd had some difficulty arresting my own fall, she would have been able to ensure I wasn't unduly hurt from that." Hmm, had Miles been in their phone case at the time, they could have stopped my fall too. I should talk to dad about training the Rotoms at the company to help people that are falling and stop them from splatting against the ground, I'm sure most of them would be fast enough to do so.

It was nigh imperceptible, but my ears did pick up the slight sigh of relief Elsa let loose. I'm not letting you entirely off the hook though. I quickly added, "I do take a bit of an issue with the lance that almost speared my foot, however," I pointed out, which caused the teenager to get defensive.

"Wha- you were fine, it didn't even touch you! Not like your Hyper Voice! My ears are still ringing," she crossed her arms and pouted. The Director decided to intervene here.

"Then it sounds like you both got a wonderful lesson on the importance of proper safety equipment while battling. I know it might not seem as dramatic, or 'ruin the mood' between young rivals, but it's for your own good."

"Right/Yeah," we both said and he clapped his hands together.

"Wonderful. And as the head of the League Club, you can go around and give lectures to the other students, reiterating exactly why they're important and where all the proper arenas are around the school." Cyrano declared, turning to face the other girl.

It may not have been stated directly as a punishment for her general conduct, but Elsa, the Director, and myself, all knew it for what it was (especially since I did not get any such orders), so the girl grit her teeth, but nodded her head. I can't feel too bad about that. Yes, we both went a bit far at the end, but she did start this whole thing.

"Yes, sir. May I be excused?" He nodded, and she turned on her heel and began marching out. Just as she reached the door however, she stopped. "I'm sorry."

"What?" I said, a little shocked.

"What I said at the beginning of the match, before I started recording it. That was… wrong of me." Then, without waiting for a response, she continued out the door, leaving me alone with the Director. She phrased it such that she could pretend it was just an insult and avoid harsh punishment for what she actually did, threatening the Goomys under my care. Still, at the end of the day, she is apologizing for it, and I sense true contrition in her tone. I'll keep an eye on her, but it does make me feel better about the path I've settled on.

"Was there anything else you needed me for?" I asked, not expecting there to be anything when the man snapped his fingers together.

"Ah, right! You applied for a permit to bring on a film crew to the Terarium for your music video." He stated and it took me a moment to remember I had indeed applied for that special request months ago, my mind occupied currently on Elsa and her ilk. "Consider it approved! Let the staff know the exact date and locations a week in advance and we can clear the area for you. It'll be uhhh, 300 BP, he said.

I'm kinda surprised that he dealt with this kind of stuff directly… then again, it is an unusual request. It's not anything standard you can apply for, and it's not a research related issue either, so the scientists wouldn't handle it. The number seemed quite low for what I wanted, and I wondered if he was trying to be kind to me because of what happened with Elsa, or if he just picked a number at random without thinking too hard about it.

"I- Thank you, sir." I wasn't sure if he could see the internal conflict I was feeling, and I ducked my gaze to avoid any further scrutiny from the Director. I'll figure out that later. For now, I have a plan to enact.

***

I discussed my plan with my friends, and it didn't take much convincing to get them on board - they were as keen for revenge as I was. With that settled (and a bit of surreptitious surveillance from my stealthier Pokemon to ensure that all our targets would be in the room when we entered) we arrived at the League Clubroom doors.

They slid open to reveal the Club, looking pristine as ever. The icy theme (and massive ice throne at the end of the large table in the center) made it clear who the (currently) undisputed leader of the club was.. A dozen or so lower ranked club members milled about, chatting, using the equipment here, or just generally hanging out. These were the first ones to notice the entrance of, Kieran, Carmine, Lacey, Drayton, and I.

The sudden silence caught the attention of the League Elites and Champion, turning their attention away from the Rotom Phone currently running a video of our defeats, likely to be arranged into a 'highlight reel' or the like, just to further rub our defeat in our faces. As they saw us, all of them got out from their chairs to confront the five of us, a mixture of wariness and anticipation written on their faces. Fighting in an environment like this would be risky, but it was clear they didn't fear us. Not nearly as much as they should.

"What are you doing here?" Elsa asked coldly, her eyes running over all of us, as it to gauge the threat each of us posed.

I stepped forward. "After some thinking, I decided that you were right; general battle advice should come from the League Club. You were just wrong about who should be giving out that advice."

"Huh?" Ares asked, clearly not getting the implication, so I spelled it out for him.

"We're going to kick your butts and take your place as the new Elite Four and Champion," I dramatically said, waving my arms out to gesture at my friends. The background club members gasped in shock, while Elsa narrowed her eyes.

Charlotte Linlin laughed loudly. "We just beat you black and blue, and you're ready for more? Fine then, let's go!"

"Bring it on you pink-haired-" Kieran began before Cassandra interrupted him.

"Whoa, whoa, why are we letting these losers into the club? I thought the whole point of what we did was to show them their place." The teal haired girl turned to Elsa, though it was Atticus who answered.

"It's rather bold of you to say what 'we' did, when you're the only one who lost," he said witheringly. "Besides, if they wish to join, that fulfills our ends too. Though," he added haughtily, "Given past performances, I believe only one of us will be at risk of losing their place among our ranks."

Slowly, Elsa nodded. "That's correct. If they think themselves strong enough and want to work within our system, then they can earn the right to challenge us, just like any member of the League Club." Cassandra scowled but didn't speak up against her leader.

Marching up to Elsa, I passed her the registration forms we'd all signed earlier today. She took them, quickly skimming through before placing them down on the big desk. Her elites had stepped up behind her, glaring, sneering, analyzing, and smirking at me, and my friends, who had stepped up behind me to match them.

The Champion of the club held out a slender hand, I shook it, each of us doing our level best to crush the other in our grips. "Welcome, Nemona Glitterati, to the League Club."

Spoiler: A/N:

So this was hard. Honestly, really hard. Went over a few revisions to get things so they feel right, and even now I'm not certain. I do hope that this explains most things that people had issue with from the previous chapter, or at least makes them more understandable.

I know it begins on a bit of a negative note, but it felt necessary with where the last chapter left off. She's in a better place now and with a new mission in mind. The future should have some catharsis, and epic battles. With this set up, I also don't need to do them one after the other like with the Gauntlet, so we'll get to have some breathers in between her big fights as well and have some time for school and character moments.

Oh, and I'm sure there will be some complaints about how Nemona is handling this too, and that's fair. It's not meant to be a perfect justice system or punishment for what Elsa did, even if she's planning on giving her (and all of the Elites in the club) their comeuppance. But it felt right for her, and as I said, should hopefully lead to some good moments. Thank you for reading, I really appreciate how much people care for this story.

 

[Nmiller]

I get why you had nemona lose, but it does feel like she should have won that battle

 

[thatlurkerinthecorner]

Yeah, it really didn't feel like a deserved loss. Felt a bit railroady at the end also, but anything that pushes the plot towards more interesting things i guess

 

[AshKing]

I feel like threatening the goomy would have gotten a stronger response from the school

 

[Lillie Jones]

Thanks for the chapter
The Journey continues
Cheers!