I'm alive folks! It's been a long time coming, but this request for Lord Sylph is finally done. We travel to the Unova region again, our first battle in a cavern. Gotta love Victory Road. Anyways, let's get into it, shall we?

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Note: Italics usually mean the Pokémon is speaking, unless noted otherwise

Unova Region, Victory Road

Victory Road was always a place that held a reverent air to it. This was a grueling challenge for Trainer and Pokémon alike, the final test to see if they were worthy of challenging the Pokémon League. Every region worth its salt had a Victory Road, and while there were some minor differences between them, each Victory Road was effectively the same. From the varied maze of caves to the myriad of tough Trainers, while many would argue about the minor differences, from the water-filled caves of Hoenn to the compact nature of the Kanto Victory Road to the frigid climate of Mount Lanakila in tropical Alola, they all could agree on one thing; Victory Road was not for the faint of heart.

A lone Trainer slowly made her way past some boulders, emerging from the dark tunnels into a much larger cavern. She was a slender individual, her biker shorts clinging tight to her frame, revealing her well-toned legs. Life as a Pokémon Trainer helped to keep one very much in shape. She brushed her long black hair out of her face smiled as she saw the exit to Victory Road just another one hundred yards ahead. A few Durant skittered away as she stepped forward, eager to escape the maze of Victory Road. A cave opening to her left revealed the ruins of the old Victory Road. Due to constant landslides, the Unova Pokémon League had taken steps to ensure Trainers didn't end up in a hazardous situation beyond their control. One such step had been to isolate the areas constantly being eroded away by the underground rivers that flowed through the mountainside that made Victory Road, ensuring Trainers didn't emerge in an area with a high risk for a landslide.

"Stop right there!" a harsh male voice rang out. The female Trainer paused, relief leaving her face as she felt a sinking sensation. Of course it wasn't going to be this easy. When she'd woken up this morning in the caverns of Victory Road, she had hoped her three-day adventure through the caves would've come to an end before lunch. At least her Pokémon were rested. The Durant that prowled through Victory Road constantly had learned quickly not to mess with her.

"Alright Amber," she said to herself, her exotically slanted brilliant violet eyes shining in anticipation. "You've come this far, you can take on one more Trainer."

"This is as far as you go," the man informed Amber coolly, holding an Ultra Ball in his hands as he advanced towards her. As Amber got a closer look at him, she couldn't help but feel as though there was something familiar about this individual. He stood about half a foot taller than her, by her estimation, and was obviously as fit as one could be, as evidenced by his muscular form. He wore dark gray combat pants and black combat boots, a gray shirt underneath his trench coat, the sheen given off informing Amber that his coat was made not from leather, but from dragon scales, most likely a Hydreigon given the fuchsia and blue colorations throughout the trench coat. What stood out to Amber was the futuristic looking pair of glasses the man wore. The right lens was completely blacked out, but the faint glow she saw told her that this was not a mere eyepatch. The other lens was clear, and the dull gray-blue eye that glared out from behind it sent a shiver down her spine. This man was not playing about. "Your Victory Road challenge ends here."

"So you're the man they call the Vanquisher," Amber said, keeping her composure. "The man that's kept people from challenging the Elite Four for the past two years."

The man nodded. "We'll now battle and I'll end your pathetic little challenge here and now!" He stopped about twenty yards away, the Ultra Ball held in his fingerless-gloved hands enlarged and ready.

Amber smiled cheerfully. This was what Victory Road was all about. Trainers testing each other to find one that'll rise above the rest, just like the current Champion Black did over five years ago. "Or maybe I'll end your little reign of stopping Trainers from trying to reach their goal!"

He snorted. "Better Trainers than you have tried." He tossed the Ultra Ball in front of him. "Engage!" There was a flash of light, nearly blindingly light to Amber after having been in the darkness of Victory Road for the longest time. With a deceptively soft thud, a huge bipedal silver and black armored Pokemon appeared, long tail twitching with anticipation. The soft glint of a black armband around one of the Aggron's arms told Amber that he held a Mega Stone. She didn't see the Keystone on her opponent anywhere. Could it be a bluff?

The Aggron roared a challenge at Amber, ready for battle. He turned to his Trainer. "How was that?"

"So you're out as Behemoth now," the man said softly, knowing his Pokémon could hear him while his opponent couldn't. "Not bad."

"An Aggron, huh?" Amber noted. "My friend had a Lairon once. Anyways, I know just how to take it down!" She grabbed a Pokéball out of her backpack and threw it in the air. "Let's go Archy!" With another flash of light, a colorful dinosaur-like bird appeared. A small sack of powder which gave off the occasional glimmer was tied around its neck as it landed on a nearby boulder.

"Me ready for battle!" the Fossil Pokémon cried.

"This is gonna be a tough one, but I know you can do it!" Amber said encouragingly. The Archeops nodded and turned and faced his opponent.

"Toxic!" the man commanded quickly. The Aggron, Behemoth apparently, inhaled deeply and spat out several globs of a sickly purple substance at the Rock/Flying type.

"Up!" Amber barked quickly, adopting a more serious tone. Archy leaped off his boulder, the Toxic narrowly missing as it splashed over the boulder with a nauseating hiss. "Now use Earthquake!"

"You got it!" Archy shouted as he flipped in the air, landing tail first on the ground in a powerful impact, sending shockwaves through the ground, sending most of the power of the Ground type attack at the Aggron. The man didn't appear fazed. He snapped his fingers and the Iron Armor Pokémon jumped impossibly high for an Aggron.

"What the?!" Amber gasped as she and Archy both followed the arc of the Rock/Steel type through the air as he grabbed a stalactite near the ceiling, using his arms to dig in. "How?!" She'd never seen that before, as she'd figure the weight of an Aggron, usually around eight hundred pounds on average, would be more than enough to bring down a simple stalactite.

"Nasty Plot," the man said. A devious face came over the Aggron, a sight that Amber wished she'd never seen.

"Wait a second," she said to herself, "Aggron can't learn Nasty Plot." Her purple eyes lit up in realization as she put the pieces together. "Archy, we're not fighting an Aggron! That's a Zoroark!"

The First Bird Pokémon landed on a boulder and glanced back at its Trainer, confusion on his face. "What's a Zoroark?"

Her opponent scowled. She was one of the faster people to pick up on his Pokémon's illusions. She always had been. He recognized those eyes of his opponent immediately. No matter. His Pokémon was ready to strike. "Use Night Daze!" With a roar, the fake Aggron let go from his perch on the ceiling, arms covered in a dangerous crimson aura. Upon slamming into the ground, a shock wave of the same crimson aura burst out from the hidden Zoroark.

Amber thought quickly. "Use Dragon Claw to cut through it!" Archy didn't stop to argue, he saw the attack headed his way and quickly formed green aura shaped like claws by each of his wings. The First Bird Pokémon slashed at the attack, using the energy of the Dragon Claw to slash through the attack. With a growl, the Rock/Flying type charged, catching a surprised "Aggron" off guard as Archy delivered a ferocious uppercut. The illusion shattered, revealing a bipedal gray-brown foxlike Pokémon with a large red mane, a Wide Lens attached to her face and covering her right eye. Shaking her head, the Zoroark growled at Archy, who growled right back and began to glow with a sky-blue aura.

"Don't worry about the disguise Bandit," the man snapped, using the actual nickname of his Pokémon this time. "Use Focus Blast while he's charging!"

"I didn't say to use Sky Attack just yet!" Amber cried, alarmed at the sudden turn in the battle. Her Archeops had a tendency to get overeager during battle and would sometimes take his own initiative, for better or worse. The Rock/Flying type jumped into the air, gathering more power about him. Sky Attack was the most powerful Flying type move a Pokémon could learn, but there was a serious drawback to it in the charge time. Some Trainers were able to alleviate that with a Power Herb, but Amber couldn't find one, so she had to make due with what she had. Usually she'd order the attack while the opponent's Pokémon was discombobulated through some combination of attacks from Archy, but here he had left himself wide open.

"All too easy," Bandit said to herself as she charged a large bright blue ball of energy in her forepaws. She kept her sharp eyes on her target as he glided towards her. At this close range, it would be impossible to miss even with the hard to control Focus Blast.

"YAAAHHH!" Archy screamed, trying to startle his opponent. His slight shift caused the Brightpowder around his neck to tilt and gleam brightly, surprising the Dark type down below as she was blinded by the dazzle suddenly coming from the First Bird Pokémon. Bandit thrust her hands forward instinctively, trying to stop her opponent while she couldn't see, but the Focus Blast went wide and the Archeops came crashing into her with the full force of a fully charged Sky Attack. Archy came tumbling along the ground before he caught himself with his claws, hackles raised as he watched his opponent slam into the wall, clearly out for the count. For all the tricks a Zoroark could play, they weren't able to take attacks well, especially a direct hit from one of the most powerful attacks in all of Pokémon.

The man blinked several times as the breeze from the attack stirred his dark-brown shaggy hair. This was not what he'd expected. He recalled his knocked out Zoroark swiftly. He met the gaze of Amber, who was rubbing the head of her overjoyed Archeops. "I suppose fortune will favor the bold from time to time. But luck can only carry you so far!"

Amber hesitated as she and Archy prepared for the next round of the battle. She'd heard her friend talk about how luck shouldn't play that big a role in battles. She knew she'd gotten lucky thanks to the Brightpowder she'd given her Pokémon, she wasn't going to deny that. Her friend William had disappeared two years ago, on the anniversary of his brother's death when the Opelucid City Library had been burned down. He'd sworn that it was the work of Team Positron, some remnants of the old Team Plasma trying to assassinate the current Champion as revenge for foiling their attempted takeover several years ago, and when he mentioned going into exile to train she'd begged her childhood friend to at least take her along so that he wasn't alone. Of course, with William being the stubborn boy that he was, he'd left in the middle of the night and Amber hadn't seen him since. The way this man carried himself, it reminded Amber a lot of her old friend. She wasn't certain yet, and she didn't want to throw out a false accusation, so she bit her tongue and merely motioned for her opponent to continue.

The man grabbed another Ultra Ball from inside his trench coat, throwing it in one smooth motion. "Time to clean up, Believe!" With a flash of light, a quadrupedal blue Pokémon with large red wings appeared, hovering over the ground as the Salamence snorted at the other Flying type across from her.

"I find it hard to believe that this is the ancestor of all Flying types," she growled at her Trainer.

"Dragons and birds have different lineages," he responded. "Don't worry about this fossil, just focus on sending it back into extinction." The Dragon Pokémon nodded and flapped her wings a couple times to rise higher into the air. "Use Steel Wing!"

'That's just like William,' Amber thought to herself as the Dragon/Flying type rose even higher, near the ceiling, her wings glowing a fierce silver color. 'Bringing in a Pokémon with a supposed disadvantage, just to use a move that's super effective against his foe!'

Archy looked back at her for guidance. 'What do I do?!'

"Use Stone Edge," she answered quickly as the Salamence dove towards her Pokémon. Archy nodded and began concentrating. Twin rings of stones appeared around him before the First Bird Pokémon cried out, sending the Rock type attack at the incoming Believe. She twisted and turned through the attack, letting some of the Stone Edge clang off her Steel Wing or land on her exposed but armored underbelly. It was thanks to a last second duck by Archy that he escaped the worst of the attack, but it was still enough to send him sprawling on the ground.

"Stupid dinosaur," Believe grumbled as she wheeled up for another pass. She'd seen her Trainer stomp his foot once, which meant to attack against with the Steel Wing. Concentrating, she felt her wings tense up against as the Steel Wing powered up again.

"Watch out!" Amber cried as she watched her Pokémon shake out the sudden influx of cobwebs into his skull. "Use Stone Edge again!" The First Bird Pokémon calmed down at the sound of his Trainer's voice, concentrating as he formed the Stone Edge again. Looking up and catching sight of the Salamence above, he fired the Stone Edge again, saving one rock for a special shot. Once again, Believe began to fly through the Rock type attack, dodging what she could and taking glancing blows on non-vital areas and swooping down to attack.

Archy grinned. "Gotcha!" he yelled triumphantly as he used his wings to launch the last stone of his attack at the Dragon/Flying type, who was too close to avoid it and took the rock right on her forehead. With a roar of pain, the Salamence crashed onto the floor in front of Amber, spraying dirt all over her bright green shirt as Believe grabbed at her now aching head.

"Nice one Archy!" Amber congratulated as she shed her black jacket with pink highlights, so as to avoid getting it too dirty during the battle, "Now use Dragon Claw while you got the upper hand!"

"Use Dragon Claw yourself!" the man snapped, clearly displeased by the turn of events. "Now!" The harshness in his tone cut through the din of the battle, getting the Dragon Pokémon's attention. Her eyes snapped open as her head cleared, her Trainer's command giving her strength. Green aura in the shape of claws appeared around the forelimbs of both Pokémon as they charged at each other. Believe roared a wordless challenge, which was met by a screech from the Archeops as the two Pokémon lunged for each other. Despite his speed, Archy was met by the claws of Believe first, getting launched skywards by the powerful Dragon type attack while his own attack clipped the side of the Salamence's head.

Amber winced as Archy landed with a thump in front of her. That was a strong blow he'd just taken. The red aura that appeared around his frame briefly confirmed her suspicions. Defeatist had activated. While Archeops were great Pokémon to start out with, once Defeatist activated battling with an Archeops became that much harder. Archy looked around in fear, trying to keep the flying Believe in sight while he kept a boulder in between himself and the Dragon/Flying type. "Great."

Unseen by either Trainer, a slight blur appeared within the cave, the only sign that something was there. It seemed to glance between the two battling Pokémon, then made its move. With speed that few could keep up with, it zipped to both the Salamence and Archeops, tapping them gently on the flank before zipping away, finding a hiding spot away from the line of sight of both Trainers. A faint red and yellow aura appeared briefly around both Pokémon, so faint that neither Trainer noticed the change in Pokémon.

"Hang in there Archy!" Amber shouted, trying to keep her scared Pokémon steady. "Use Stone Edge once more!"

"Finish him with Steel Wing!" the man commanded. What happened next was something neither Trainer could have predicted. Archy created the twin rings of energy around himself, only the rings were easily three times the size of what they had been, completely the opposite of what Amber had been expecting. Meanwhile up in the air, the Steel Wing that formed around the Salamence's wings was also thrice its original size. Neither Pokémon seemed to care about that, focused as they were on the battle. The First Bird Pokémon screeched another battle cry as the rings formed into large boulders orbiting the little Rock/Flying type. With a flourish of his wings, the massive Stone Edge flew forward, but was cut through by the massive Steel Wing of the Salamence as she dove towards Archy. There was a loud crash and the room was filled with dust as the two Pokémon collided.

"What was that?" Amber coughed as she covered her mouth with her pink and black jacket to keep the dust out.

Her opponent was silent, not flinching at the display of power that had just been unleashed on their impromptu battlefield. The dust settled after an agonizingly long wait, revealing both Pokémon to have been knocked unconscious by their attacks. He recalled his Salamence as soon as he'd seen the Dragon/Flying type down on the ground, preparing his next Pokémon. If he knew his opponent as well as he thought he knew her, then he knew exactly which Pokémon she was going to go to next.

"You did good Archy," Amber said, recalling the First Bird Pokémon and stashing his Pokéball back in her bag. She brought out a Luxury Ball and threw it in a smooth motion, mirroring her opponent as he threw a Great Ball onto the battlefield. "Let's go Verde!"

"Skelabra, engage!" the man said coldly. On Amber's side of the field, a silver Pokémon resembling a flattened durian fruit appeared, three long green vines tipped with spiked metal disks appeared. The Ferrothorn turned towards her Trainer and extended one of those vines out for a hug.

"Not right now," Amber said, leaning away from the spiked appendage. It was unfortunate that one of the spikiest Pokémon out there was also one of the most affectionate. She glanced at the Pokémon that had appeared on her opponent's side of the field and gasped. What appeared to be a purple and black floating chandelier had appeared in front of the man, a purple flame at each of the tips of the Chandelure's 'arms' and from the top of his head. A Shell Bell hung from one of the Luring Pokémon's arms, glinting in the dim cavern lighting

Her Thorn Pod Pokémon looked at the Fire/Ghost type and back to Amber. "I know I'm good as a defensive Pokémon, but I don't think I can deal with that."

"Agreed," Amber said quickly, "I just had to test something."

"What on earth could you be testing by sending me against a Fire type?!" Verde asked, a little incredulous.

Amber ignored her chatty Ferrothorn and met the gaze of her opponent. "Will?" When he looked away, the last of her doubts were wiped away. "It is you! What are you doing here?!"

"Becoming stronger," Will replied, as though that were the most obvious thing in the world.

"But why keep people away from the Pokémon League?" she asked, fighting back a wave of emotions. Happiness at seeing her childhood friend once again. Anger at having been abandoned by him. Sadness at learning that her old friend was the Vanquisher. Confusion as to why he was the Vanquisher. "Why ruin so many people's dreams? Why get people thinking that the Unova Victory Road was the hardest in the world since the League hasn't been challenged in so long? Why haven't you contacted me in nearly two years?!"

"They were weak, not worthy of reaching the Pokémon League," William argued. "I refuse to let anyone unworthy through! I've yet to be beaten in two years, each day getting stronger, faster, better! I need to do this!"

Amber paused, hearing his words as she thought back to the grief-stricken young man she'd consoled the night after his brother had died in that Opelucid Library fire. He'd been adamant that it was the work of the supposedly new villainous team in Unova, Team Positron. With little to no evidence connecting them to the crime, much less that they existed, Amber had doubted him at the time, which had been the wrong move. Now she had a chance to make it right. "This is about your brother, isn't it?"

"It's more than just about my brother!" Will snapped. "I'm not going to let anyone else fall to Team Positron's schemes. I know you may not believe they exist, but I know!"

"I believe you," Amber said quietly.

Her childhood friend looked up. "What was that?"

"I believe you!" Amber repeated, much louder. "While you've been training here, I've been traveling the region, collecting the badges and seeing the wider world for myself! I believe you."

Will was silent as he absorbed that information from her. "They struck again, didn't they?"

Amber nodded. "Last year, they made an attempt on Champion Black. It was really subtle, made to look like an accident. One of the support pillars nearly fell on him, and it was only because of his Reuniclus that he was able to get away with his life."

"How did nobody suspect that something foul was afoot?!" Will exploded, enraged that he'd not been there to stop Team Positron.

"Because a couple more pillars fell, making it look like an accident, but it wasn't an accident," his childhood friend replied. "I knew the guy who helped build the stage, and Mr. Kazumin would never have allowed that kind of sloppiness in his work. He'd said he'd hired some new people recently, and that they'd disappeared after the ceremony, which made me really suspicious since they had worked on the three pillars that had fallen! I remembered what you'd said and shown me on that flashdrive your brother had left you and realized that you were right. You were right all along!"

Will nodded, absorbing that information silently. He'd missed his friend and had been stung by her 'betrayal', and now that she'd accepted what he'd realized long ago, perhaps he could use an ally in his lonely crusade. Still, she had to be strong. His brother had been a powerful trainer, yet he'd still perished in the Opelucid Fire. "Fair enough. Now let's continue this battle."

Amber blinked. "What?"

"You heard me," Will said. "You defeat me, and I'll leave Victory Road with you. I win, you turn around and leave Victory Road, I'll let you try again to defeat me."

Amber considered that. A chance to take down the Vanquisher and end the blockade on the Pokémon League, as well as getting her friend back. She couldn't back down. "Alright Will, you're on! I've come too far to back down!"

Will nodded approvingly. "Then let's even the odds. Skelabra, use Flamethrower!"

"About time you two resumed the battle," the Chandelure grumbled, flames building in his body. "I felt like my flame was going to go out while waiting for you two to stop yakking. Now let's light this place up!" The Luring Pokémon tilted his head forwards, allowing a stream of purple flames to come streaming forward Verde and Amber.

Amber made a snap decision, holding up the Luxury Ball. "Get back here Verde!" The familiar red light zapped out and recalled the Ferrothorn before the powerful Fire type attack could strike. The Flamethrower splashed harmlessly on the cavern floor in front of her, sizzling out quickly. She fished out a Net Ball from her bag and threw it. "Ramoth, it's your turn!" A large moth-like Pokémon with blue compound eyes and black abdomen appeared, six leaf-like wings buzzing as the Volcarona floated above her Trainer. A King's Rock sat perched on the Bug/Fire type's head.

The Sun Pokémon eyed her opponent calmly. "This should be interesting. This was the crazy Lampent you told me about, yes?"

Amber nodded, knowing her Bug/Fire type could sense it. "Might as well fight fire with fire, now use Quiver Dance!" Ramoth began to weave a pattern in the air, slowly speeding up in her pattern.

Will remained calm. One Quiver Dance wasn't the end of the world, but he was going to have to end this quickly. "Flamethrower again!"

"With pleasure," Skelabra cackled, sending another stream of flames at Ramoth, who took it stoically and continued her Quiver Dance. "Burn you stupid bug!"

"I'm part Fire type, I can't be burned," the Volcarona replied, a hint of amusement in her tone. The Ghost/Fire type spat out a purple flame on the ground, where it burned itself out harmlessly. "Much like this arena."

"I know!" growled the Chandelure as he spat out a Shadow Ball at Ramoth, who was so amused by his reaction that she forgot to dodge.

"That's enough setting up," Amber said, noticing the Shadow Ball's secondary effect take hold. Losing that Special Defense boost from the Quiver Dance was annoying, but the Special Attack boost would have to do. "Use Hurricane!" The Sun Pokémon buzzed into the air, all six wings flapping as hard as they could as Ramoth created a howling gust of wind that launched the Chandelure backwards.

Skelabra recovered quickly, realigning himself in midair with flames frothing around his body. "Alrighty then, you wanna play with fire? You're going to get more than you bargained for! Take this!"

"Skelabra, use Flamethrower," Will ordered. "Enhance it with Psychic."

The Ghost/Fire type cackled as more purple flames began to swirl around his form. A blue glow came into his eyes, a similarly blue aura appearing around the flames.

"Blow it out with Hurricane once more!" Amber shouted. Once more, Ramoth's wings began to flap once more, the gale starting again in the cavern.

"You asked for it!" the Chandelure shouted. "You're going to burrrrrn!" With a spooky wail, the Luring Pokémon fired its attack, the Flamethrower meeting the powerful Flying type move and creating a firestorm within the cavern, purple and orange flames forming a beautiful, if deadly conflagration that engulfed both Pokémon. It died down quickly, leaving both Pokémon smoldering.

Amber was quick to the draw. She knew that Chandelure didn't have the Flash Fire ability, which was ironic considering just how much of a pyromaniac that Luring Pokémon was. "Quick, use Wild Charge to finish it!" Yellow electricity began to spark around the Sun Pokémon.

"Let's put a shock to that system," Ramoth joked as she flew forward, tackling the dazed Skelabra. All the electricity surrounding the Volcarona discharged into Skelabra and the Luring Pokémon slammed into the wall, clearly unconscious.

"Nice one Ramoth!" Amber celebrated, pumping a fist in excitement.

Will recalled the fallen Chandelure wordlessly, reading the information on his glasses swiftly. It was giving him data on the battle, the odds of success depending on which Pokémon he sent out, and more. Given the current scenario, he figured that it would be best to bring out his younger, if not quite as battle-hardened Pokémon. Time to strike with some power. He tossed a Dusk Ball in front of him. "Behemoth, engage!" For the second time this battle, a huge bipedal black and silver Pokémon appeared and landed on the ground with a resounding thud, vibrations reverberating throughout the cavern.

"I see this one is the real Aggron," Amber noted, smiling. The Aggronite gleaming on his right arm was a little worrisome, but nothing her Volcarona couldn't handle.

"You want me to squish this bug?" the Aggron asked his Trainer.

"Yes, but first things first," Will said, touching the back of his left glove three times rapidly. A small compartment popped open on his glove, revealing a Keystone gleaming in the dim light.

Amber took that information in stride. "Ok Ramoth, this is going to be tricky, but we can do this!"

Will touched the Keystone, multi-colored streams of energy beginning to emanate from the stone. The Aggronite on the armband of Behemoth began to glow and extend its own streams of energy in response to the Keystone. "Time for you to experience a true titan of power! Mega Evolve!" Rainbow-colored energy surrounded the Aggron as Behemoth began to grow, gaining armor on his body and tail. With an explosion of energy, the now Mega Aggron roared as he felt the power coursing through his veins.

"I won't let you down Boss!" Behemoth shouted, punching his fists together with a fierce clang.

"Use Fiery Dance!" Amber ordered. Ramoth nodded and cloaked herself in flames, bobbing in a pattern through the cavern. Fire began to stream towards the Mega Aggron as the Sun Pokémon flapped her wings.

"Iron Defense into Head Smash," Will commanded. A silvery sheen came over the Iron Armor Pokémon's body briefly before a blue-white aura surrounded Behemoth. With a wordless roar, the Steel type charged straight through the flames, relying on his Filter ability and the still active Iron Defense to shunt away a good chunk of the damage. It still stung, as losing his Rock typing meant that Fire type moves were that much more effective against him.

"What the-" Amber gasped as Behemoth charged through the flames, out of sight of Ramoth who was focused on maintaining the Fiery Dance. "Watch out!" Her warning came a split second too late as Behemoth jumped and slammed headfirst into a very surprised Volcarona, knocking the Sun Pokémon to the ground as nearly a thousand pounds of a very powerful Mega Aggron came crashing down on top of the Bug/Fire type. Amber got out Ramoth's Pokéball, as she knew as soon as the Head Smash connected that Ramoth that her Pokémon was done. As soon as the smoke cleared, she recalled the flattened Sun Pokémon in a flash of red light.

"Knowing your other three Pokémon, you're going to struggle to get past Behemoth," Will said, a hint of warning in his tone. "So, what'll it be?"

"I'll be beating you, that's what," Amber said cheekily, sticking her tongue out at Will playfully. "You're not the only one who's been training these past few years!" She grasped a Premier Ball and tossed it in the air. "Empress, you're up!" In a flash of light, a bipedal humanoid red, white, black and yellow Pokémon appeared, blades protruding from her head, arms, and ribcage.

The Bisharp raised her hand and placed a pair of Blackglasses over her eyes. "You may be big and bulky, but you're going down!"

Behemoth snorted. "You're welcome to try."

"Use Earthquake," Will commanded.

"Right away Boss!" the Mega Aggron shouted, slamming his thick tail on ground and creating several shockwaves that rumbled throughout the chamber.

"Use Magnet Rise to get above that!" Amber yelled. A yellow aura appeared around the Dark/Steel type as Empress rose into the air, over the Earthquake attack and out of harms way.

"All is right in the world," Empress decreed, peering down at Behemoth over her Blackglasses. "The nobility rise above the common rabble."

Amber rolled her eyes in amusement. "Just use Night Slash."

"Time to cut you down to size!" the Sword Blade Pokémon declared as the blades on her arms began to grow, covered in a dark purple energy. Using her Magnet Rise, the Bisharp flew down towards Behemoth and reared back to strike.

Will's counter was swift. "Iron Defense!" The silvery sheen from before materialized on the Steel type's body and Behemoth raised his arms to block.

"That isn't going to help you!" the Steel/Dark type yelled. With a mighty slash, the Bisharp used one arm blade to knock aside the protective arms of the Mega Aggron just enough for the other to land right in between the twin horns on Behemoth's head.

"Can't take too many direct hits like that," Will grumbled to himself as his glasses informed him that it was indeed a critical hit, which sliced right through the Iron Defense boosts.

"Keep it up!" Amber cheered, "Night Slash again!"

"When you see an opening," Will began, then clapped his hands together, one of the many non-verbal commands he'd worked out with his Pokémon. Behemoth nodded as the Sword Blade Pokémon came diving back in, fists beginning to glow white.

Amber noted the change in Behemoth's stance and stared at the arms of the Iron Armor Pokémon, trying to identify the attack. "Empress, use Iron Defense quickly!"

"Please, like this commoner will have anything to hit me with up here," the Steel/Dark type scoffed. A silver sheen came over her body regardless of the Bisharp's protests as Empress dove back in once more.

Behemoth grinned as he saw his chance. "I may surprise you!" He swung his fist upwards and caught Empress right in the gut, knocking the wind out of the Sword Blade Pokémon as she fell to the ground, gasping for breath.

Amber blinked as she finally recognized the attack. "When did you teach him Brick Break?"

"When we had an encounter with a nasty Bouffalant," Will answered. He raised an eyebrow as Empress slowly got to her feet. "Impressive. Most impressive."

Amber was relieved that Empress got the Iron Defense up before the Brick Break had struck. "You see Will? I can handle myself! Now Empress, use Iron Head!"

"Counter with Iron Tail!" her childhood friend commanded. A silver light engulfed the Bisharp's head while a similar light manifested around the large tail of Behemoth. The two rushed at each other and the two attacks collided with a titanic clang that echoed around the chamber, causing Amber to cover her ears from the metal sound.

"Follow it up with Night Slash!" she shouted into the din. At least, she hoped she shouted it. The clash of Steel type attacks was deafening.

Will either had earplugs in or he just didn't care. Given the amount of Durant that scoured the caverns of Victory Road, Amber figured he was probably used to it. His next command was calm, as though he hadn't just been subject to the clash of two powerful Steel type attacks. "Brick Break!"

"Take this you oversized lump of metal!" the Bisharp shouted as she broke off the Iron Head, purple blades of Dark-type energy extending out from her arms. The Aggron didn't ready his fists like Will expected, instead flinching and holding up his arms protectively. Empress smirked as she landed on the ground and slashed twice on the exposed Iron Armor Pokémon's underbelly.

"Iron Head again!" Amber yelled, ears still ringing a little, though she was working her jaw alleviate the pain. Empress nodded, the purple blades disappearing as quickly as they appeared, a silver aura once more appearing on the Dark/Steel type's head.

"Stop her with Iron Tail," Will barked out, his special eyeglasses feeding him information as the battle progressed. That Bisharp had to be on her last legs.

"Right, sorry boss," Behemoth said quickly, spinning as fast as his massive frame would allow, bright silver tail catching Empress right in the gut and slamming the Sword Blade Pokémon into a nearby boulder. Will nodded approvingly, then clapped his hands again.

Amber caught the non-verbal command this time. "Quick Empress, use Night Slash to block!"

The Steel/Dark type shook herself, trying to clear the cobwebs that had seemingly formed in her skull after it had an unpleasant encounter with the boulder. "Ugh…right, that." The dark purple blades formed once more on her arms as Empress looked up to see the Mega Aggron towering over her, fists glowing white. Her glare screamed defiance. "Not like this!"

Unseen by either Trainer once again, a little blur darted out from its hiding spot, patting both Pokémon currently in combat on the flank and dipping back out again, finding another hiding spot behind a boulder where it could observe the battle. The blur disappeared and revealed a small cream and red furred rabbit like Pokémon, long ears in the shape of a V. The bright blue eyes of the Victini shone as it watched the two Trainers going at it. The red and yellow aura appeared around both Pokémon ever so briefly, barely even registering in the Trainer's vision. Will made a mental note to review the footage as the two Pokémon clashed once more, the energy from their now-powered up attacks exploding with the ferocity of several tons of dynamite.

"What?!" Amber gasped as the Mega Aggron practically flew across the room and thudded into the wall, a brief flash of orange as the Iron Armor Pokémon reverted back into his base form. If the attacks had enough power to do that, she glanced at her Pokémon and instantly got her answer.

"Another double KO," Will noted somberly as he recalled Behemoth in a flash of red light. Just what he needed, as if he played his cards right then he just needed one more Pokémon to finish this match. He had two fresh Pokémon left, compared to her three, but his brother's old Pokémon would hopefully be the only one he required. He glanced around the chamber. Something was influencing this match, as this was the second time both Pokémon had received a massive power spike which resulted in the double knockouts. He decided to keep one eye peeled for whatever was causing this.

"Four to three," Amber said with a cheeky grin. Her grin faltered a little as she remembered what his last two Pokémon were, but she was determined to win this. She had the moves to win this, she just had to play smart. She recalled Empress to her Premier Ball and brought out the Luxury Ball in one smooth motion, tossing it in front of her. "Verde, you're up!" Once more, the Ferrothorn appeared in a flash of white light, tendrils digging into the rocky terrain as she prepared for battle.

"Alright! Let's do this!" Verde said excitedly. "Now that the Fire type is outta the way, I'd like to see anybody get past my defenses!"

Will smirked as he read the translation off his special glasses. He grabbed a Pokéball, tossing it firmly in front of him. "Ignite, engage!" With a flash of light, a bulky bipedal pig-like Pokémon appeared, flames covering the front of his neck and shoulders. With a loud crack of his neck, the grizzled looking Emboar peered down at his opponent. A Fist Plate was embedded on a gauntlet on the Mega Fire Pig Pokémon's right arm.

"Oh come on…" the Ferrothorn groaned, clearly exasperated.

"No hard feelings," Ignite said simply, holding his arms up as he prepared for combat. Verde's response was best left untranslated.

Will snapped his fingers. A crimson aura appeared around the Fire/Fighting type's body as his muscles grew.

"That's Bulk Up," Amber noted grimly. "Fine, Verde use Curse!" A purple aura appeared around the Thorn Pod Pokémon's body, slowing the Grass/Steel type but boosting her Attack and Defense.

"Use Flare Blitz," Will said simply. He knew the recoil was going to hurt, but Ignite had long since trained to get used to the recoil of one of the Fire type's most powerful moves. Light blue flames engulfed Ignite quickly, obscuring all but his head as he rocketed towards Verde like a missile.

Amber composed herself quickly. Hopefully her Ferrothorn was up to the challenge. "Use Bulldoze to slow him down!"

"Right," the Grass/Steel type said quickly, feeling a little sluggish from the aftereffects of the Curse. Still, the sight of a giant man-bear-pig covered in flames hurtling towards you was enough to give anyone an adrenaline boost. She slammed two of her three vines down on the ground in quick succession, an orange aura disappearing into the ground as it began to shake violently, causing Ignite to stumble a little. He still crashed into the Thorn Pod Pokémon at half speed, flames shooting everywhere. The Emboar stepped back from the attack, wincing as he felt tried to dislodge a couple of the iron barbs that had gotten stuck in his shoulder where he'd struck. Then the recoil hit and the Mega Fire Pig Pokémon stood stoically as red sparked coursed over his body.

"Verde?" Amber called as the smoke began to clear.

"I'm…still…here!" Verde answered slowly, clearly shaken by the attack.

"Nice job," Amber said reassuringly. "Hang in there and use Gyro Ball!"

Will had other ideas as the Thorn Pod Pokémon began to spin, a silver sheen covering her body, stomping the ground once and snapping his fingers. The Fire/Fighting type nodded and jumped over the approaching Ferrothorn, a ball of flames engulfing his body. What looked like a miniature sun came crashing down onto the unfortunate Grass/Steel type, hiding her in flames once again. Amber held no hopes of Verde taking that assault, though she was glad to see Ignite stagger away with a few more thorns in his body. Verde's special ability was helping to rack up that recoil damage on one of Will's more dangerous Pokémon.

"Come on back Verde," she said simply, recalling the scorched unmoving Thorn Pod Pokémon back into her Luxury Ball. Ignite met her gaze, the stern eyes of the Emboar looking at her with a mixture of determination and pity. She'd known that Emboar well, having seen it grow up under Will's brother's care, and knew that while he didn't have any room for mercy, the Emboar still wasn't particularly enjoying fighting a friend. But his loyalty came first and as such, Amber had to try her best to take him down.

"You have your Metagross and your Serperior left, don't you?" Will asked, blinking twice to pull up Amber's last known team briefly in his special glasses.

Amber nodded. "And you still have your Haxorus, don't you?" Will tilted his head in affirmation. "Then I've got all I need to win this!" She pulled out a blue and silver Heavy Ball from her bag, remembering Will giving it to her for Christmas and how pivotal it had been in capturing one of her most reliable Pokémon. She threw the Heavy Ball into the air. "Let's do this Cray!" In a flash of light, a large turquoise robotic Pokémon appeared, four large legs thudding into the ground and supporting its disc shaped body. The Metagross' red eyes glared out at Ignite, who returned the glare unflinchingly.

"ANALYSIS:" the Iron Leg Pokémon droned. "YOUR WEAKENED STATE SHALL SOON BE DEFEATED!"

"Just keep talking," Ignite muttered. "It makes you all the much easier to hit." He punched his fist into his palm, flames surrounding his frame briefly.

"Alright Cray, use Iron Defense!" Amber shouted.

"PREPARING THE DEFENSES!" the Metagross intoned as a silver sheen briefly came over its body.

Will raised an eyebrow. "If you're going to boost your defenses, then it's time to increase our attack. Bulk Up once more!" Ignite nodded and flexed his muscles, a red aura appearing around him again.

"Keep using Iron Defense until he attacks," Amber said as the silver aura disappeared from Cray's body.

"ACKNOWLEDGED." Once more, the Steel type energy of the Iron Defense covered the Iron Leg Pokémon's body.

"Stop that with Earthquake," Will commanded. He knew that Iron Defense would increase the already powerful defenses of a Metagross faster than Bulk Up could increase the attack of his Emboar, so he had to strike now before Amber decided to go on the offensive. She was always great at playing a defensive game, which could lead to openings in one's strategy if not careful. Ignite nodded and punched the ground, a golden yellow aura flashing around his body for a split second. The ground in the cavern began to rumble as shock waves reverberated throughout the room.

"Use Magnet Rise to get above it!" Amber snapped as soon as she'd hear Will's order. A bright yellow aura appeared around the Steel/Psychic type as Cray rose into the air.

"DEFYING GRAVITY," the Metagross hummed as the Earthquake rumbled by underneath harmlessly.

Amber grinned even as her legs felt like jelly from the aftershocks. "Meteor Mash!" Cray's front two legs began to glow white as the Steel/Psychic type flew towards the Mega Fire Pig Pokémon.

Will remained calm, as the Steel type move, while powerful, wasn't going to be very effective against a Fire type like Ignite. "Intercept with Heat Crash!" Flames began to swirl around Ignite's body once more. It was a spectacular sight, as it looked as though a small sun was colliding with a bright blue meteor. The explosion that resulted was incredible, forcing both Trainers to cover their faces. Will took in the information from his glasses quickly, realizing that Ignite was approaching Blaze range.

"Hang in there Cray," Amber called encouragingly. "Use Zen Headbutt!"

Her childhood friend seized the opportunity as a bright blue circle of energy appeared on the Metagross' head. "Use Flare Blitz!" He calculated that the recoil would be enough to push Ignite into Blaze range, and that would basically allow him to one-shot the Metagross and Amber's Serperior if his attacks connected. Blue flames appeared around the Fire/Fighting type as the Mega Fire Pig Pokémon charged at Cray, the two attacks colliding once more in a fiery explosion. This was truly a clash of two heavyweight Pokémon.

Amber's eyes grew wide as what appeared to be two giant balls of fire emerged from the explosion, crashing down in front of each Trainer. "Cray!" Her words fell on deaf processors, as her Metagross was unconscious in a splayed heap. She looked across the battlefield and was relieved to see that the recoil damage from the Flare Blitz in addition to the super effective Zen Headbutt was enough to put Ignite down as well, the Mega Fire Pig Pokémon curled up out cold in front of her old friend.

William snorted. He'd underestimated the power of Amber's Metagross. Or perhaps the Steel/Psychic type had gotten a critical hit. Either way, it was down to a one on one battle. He wasn't surprised. Amber had always been feisty. The well-built man recalled his brother's old starter Pokémon and reached back for another battered Pokémon, this one mark with several bite marks of an Axew. Even without his brother's best Pokémon, Will had his own ace in the hole. Amber may have saved her best for last, but so did he. "This ends here Amber." He met her violet eyes with his grey-blue eyes and saw her resolve. She wasn't backing down, despite knowing she was at a disadvantage.

"I know Will," she said, smiling sweetly at him. "You're going to be coming home with me once I've taken you down!" Amber reached into her bag and brought out a Pokéball. It was well kept, as shiny as the day she had gotten it all those years ago. No doubt evidence of the vanity of the Pokémon within. "Severusa! Let's do this!" With a flash of light, Amber's last Pokémon materialized onto the field. She stood nearly eleven feet long, a green and white serpentine body all coiled up and ready for action. The Serperior glared at her opponent across the field, piercing red eyes glowering from within the coils.

"I see we're facing William for the first time in forever," Severusa commented, sounding as though she were merely talking about the weather.

"Yup!" Amber chirped. "And you just gotta beat one Pokémon!"

"Oh really?" the Grass type said, raising a well-maintained eyebrow. "And who would that be?"

"You're about to see," Amber said as Will held up his last Pokéball, savoring the moment. Pokémon battles were a way for people to get to know one another better. He always enjoyed that aspect of battling, as it revealed a lot about a person. Here was a person he'd gotten to know well growing up, yet had fallen out of contact to continue his training here in Victory Road. Now he'd felt as though he'd come to learn who Amber was as a person once more. She hadn't changed much since he'd seen her. She was still the same kind person that Will had grown to like, though there was a new steel in her that he hadn't seen before.

Now it was time to test that steel. Will threw his battered Pokéball in one smooth motion. "Scale! Standby for battle!" With a flash of light, a bipedal dragon with large black and red tusks appeared, growling all the while. Light sparkled off his black scales, the different coloration compared to the normally dark yellow-green scales of a Haxorus indication he was a rare Shiny Pokémon. A black Expert Belt was tied around the Dragon type's waist, nearly invisible in the dim lighting.

"Let's go," the Axe Jaw Pokémon said simply, sizing up his opponent. Will nodded, snapping his fingers twice. Scale began to dance, an enthralling dance that held the power of dragons.

"Use Leaf Storm while he's Dragon Dancing!" Amber said once she realized just what the Dragon type was up to.

"As you wish," Severusa said, eyes glowing green as she reared up, leaves swirling around her body. With a wordless cry, she landed back on her belly and the literal storm of leaves darted forward, slicing at the dancing Haxorus. He took the attack silently, finishing his Dragon Dance with a final stomp, power flowing into his body.

"Contrary's working fine, right?" Amber checked. Her Serperior glanced back at her, a mischievous look in her eyes. "Alright, then use Leaf Storm again!"

Will frowned. Contrary was a dangerous ability, and if allowed to keep firing off those Leaf Storms would create a Serperior that not even a Legendary Pokémon would be able to stop. "Poison Jab!" He stomped his foot in addition to his command and Scale nodded. A sickly purple glow appeared on his clawed fists and the Axe Jaw Pokémon charged through the Leaf Storm, ignoring the powerful leaves scratching and scarring his battle-worn body. Scale had been through many battles defending his Trainer, some Grass type attack wasn't going to stop him.

"Use Reflect to deflect that attack!" Amber shouted as Scale roared a challenge while punching his way through the Leaf Storm.

"So uncivilized," the Grass type noted dryly as Scale lashed out at her, a light blue force field appearing around her and absorbing a lot of the power from the Axe Jaw Pokémon's attack. The raw power of the Dragon type however was enough to send Severusa sprawling as only a snake-like Pokémon could.

"Quick, get up and use Aqua Tail!" Amber encouraged, watching Scale warily. That Pokémon was fanatically loyal to William, keeping him safe by any means necessary. She wouldn't put it past the Dragon type to try and attack her if he deemed her a threat to Will. Severusa probably had the same idea as she used the momentum from her fall to roll over quickly and get up, a light blue glow surrounding her tail as streams of water swirled around it. Quick as lightning, the Royal Pokémon slithered forward and spun, using a bit of whiplash to add even more speed to her strike.

Will clapped once. Scale nodded. "Whatever it takes," the Dragon type murmured to himself as he braced himself. The Aqua Tail slammed into his shoulder rather painfully, but he endured it, using the extra speed granted to him from his earlier Dragon Dance to grab the Serperior's tail.

Amber blinked in surprise. "What?!"

Will grinned. "You should've taught her Dragon Tail, not Aqua Tail. Scale, now!" The Axe Jaw Pokémon roared as he used his leverage to slam Severusa into the cavern wall, then throwing the Grass type starter over his shoulder into a boulder with a nasty crunch. The blue shimmer of Reflect appeared before each strike, but Severusa was still knocked for a loop. "Scale, finish this! Dragon Claw!" The Shiny Haxorus nodded, green draconic energy forming into the shape of three claws around his hands.

"We're not done yet!" Amber shouted, looking at her first Pokémon. "Quick Severusa, use Toxic!" The Grass type remained unmoving, appearing as though she were still stunned. "Severusa!" Scale approached, standing over the Royal Pokémon and raised his claws to strike.

The Serperior flipped over with lightning speed, a purple glow in her normally red eyes. "Gotcha!" She spat out a purple liquid right into Scale's face, blinding the Dragon type and allowing her to slither out from the enraged Haxorus' blind strike. The Dragon Claw destroyed the boulder behind her, but Severusa escaped relatively unharmed.

"You're alright!" Amber exclaimed, relieved to see her first Pokémon still moving. She'd hate to have lost the last round that quickly.

"Don't worry dear, I was quite fine," Severusa said to her Trainer. "I was just setting a little trap for our unfortunate friend Scale over there. Now it's time to let the Toxic take hold." Purple sparks coursed over Scale's body as a sickly purple hue remained on his face after he furiously wiped away the sludge that the Grass type had spray on him.

"You're going to pay for that," he growled, a red aura starting to appear around his body. He glanced back at William, who nodded, whistling three notes that signaled for him to start his attack. A red glow came into Scale's eyes as he roared, shaking the entire cavern.

"Watch out for that Outrage!" Amber shouted, focusing back on the battle. "Use Reflect again!" Her Grass type Pokémon's eyes began to glow blue again as the light blue force field appeared around her, absorbing the first few blows from the enraged Haxorus. Severusa tried to slither away, but Scale just kept on coming, ignoring the Reflect and raining powerful blows down on the Serperior.

"Finish her!" Will commanded, his voice cutting through the haze of the Outrage in Scale's mind. With another roar, the Axe Jaw Pokémon stomped forward, intent on ending the battle.

Amber though quickly. "Quick, use Giga Drain to wear out the Outrage!" Severusa acknowledged by creating several bright green tentacles around her neck. Those tentacles reached out and latched onto the enraged Haxorus, drawing him closer to the Grass type while concurrently draining his energy. Severusa could feel the peculiar sensation of being damaged and healing simultaneously. She held onto the Giga Drain for as long as she could before a particularly ferocious uppercut severed the connection. The Big Root hidden in her tail glowed green as it boosted the effects of her attack, which was the only way Severusa was maintaining consciousness at the moment. The Giga Drain dissolved as Severusa flew backwards once more, but more importantly the red aura surrounding Scale faded, leaving only the red glow in his eyes as the Dragon type staggered about. Purple sparks appeared as the Toxic within Scale surged. The Axe Jaw Pokémon staggered over to a boulder and slammed his head into it to try and get rid of the pain while Severusa composed herself back in front of Amber, breathing heavily from the endeavor.

"Scale, snap out of it!" Will barked, uncrossing his arms. Outrage ending a round early was unlucky, probably caused by the Giga Drain, now it was up to the spirit of his Pokémon to overcome the confusion.

Amber smiled. "Severusa, why don't you help him with Aqua Tail!" The Grass type nodded, a little too tired for words. She was starting to reach her limit, as Scale was a fierce opponent. Her tail turned a light blue again, water beginning to churn around it. With the speed her species were blessed with, Severusa slithered forward and delivered another blow to Scale's head, knocking the Dragon type to the ground.

"Scale!" Will called, watching his Pokémon expectantly. The data in his glasses suddenly chimed an alert, and he smiled. His Haxorus opened his eyes and revealed they were no longer glowing red with confusion. "Poison Jab!"

Amber took the news in stride. "Finish him with Leaf Storm!" Leaves began to swirl around the Serperior again, the storm tripled in size compared to the last time Severusa used that move. Scale leaped to his feet, both hands glowing purple once again. With a roar, the Shiny Haxorus charged, punching through the Leaf Storm as Severusa fired off the Leaf Storm, trying to keep Scale away. Her eyes went wide as Scale abandoned all pretense of trying to defend himself and dove, the Poison Jab connecting with Severusa's Reflect and shattering the defensive move. Scale moved through the remains of the Reflect and delivered a jaw shattering blow to the side of the Serperior's head, knocking the serpentine Pokémon into another boulder. The small Fire and Psychic type hiding behind the boulder flinched, ducking under cover to avoid detection.

Will watched the biometric data stream into his specialized glasses, taking it in stride. Scale was on his last legs, the Toxic poisoning doing a number on him. If he didn't administer an antidote within the next minute or so, the Dragon type would collapse. Amber's Serperior, luckily for him, was in much worse shape. "Looks like I win."

Amber's face was a mix of emotions as she recalled her unconscious starter Pokémon. She'd lost the battle, but she was seemed happy. "Nice battle!"

Will returned Scale to his Pokéball, allowing the technology to stabilize his Haxorus before he had to administer medicine. "You battled well."

"Listen, Will," Amber began, striding towards him with a purpose in her step. "There's a Pokémon Center not far after Victory Road. Please, let's go to it together. You don't have to go at it alone anymore." She touched his well-muscled arm, looking up at him imploringly. "Please."

Will hesitated. That his old friend would push him to his absolute limits like this, though he had a suspicious feeling that this battle's outcome would've been different had it not been for a certain Pokémon. He was going to have to analyze the data, remembering the sudden spikes in biometrics before the amazing display of power from their Pokémon during the battle. Will resolved to redouble his training, though if he had nearly lost to Amber, then perhaps Victory Road wasn't the place to train anymore. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Amber took his silence as a negative. "Look, you don't have to be the Vanquisher anymore. The Unova League is probably getting weaker since it's not getting any new challengers anyways. We can gather evidence against Team Positron together! I can do things that you probably can't and we can do this together! We can-" Amber was silenced as Will placed a single finger on her lips.

"We should go," he said, moving towards his camp. "The Durant will be here soon looking for potential scraps from the battlefield. With neither of our teams in fighting shape, we don't want to be here when the swarm arrives."

Amber stood where she was for a moment, stunned. Even though she'd lost, she'd managed to get through to her friend. Now that she'd saved him from the darkness that had no doubt been consuming his heart, maybe she could finally help him move on in his life. "Will!" she said happily, skipping to catch up to him. No matter what was going to happen in the future, one thing was for certain though, they were going to do it together.

Peering out from behind her boulder, the Victini smiled. She'd been trying to subtly convince Will to leave Victory Road for years, but now that he was leaving, the Fire/Psychic type could finally move on to her next goal. Her little fluffy tail wagging happily, the Victini cloaked herself once more, using her psychic abilities to fly out of Victory Road. There was more work to be done.

And there we have it, another battle in the books. This was the first battle I've written mostly on stream, and yes I do stream, on twitch, nuttybuddy792, and I stream a variety of things, so please, come hang out! Lord Sylph, I hope you enjoyed your battle.

Feel free to message me about a potential battle, I do like discussing Pokémon with y'all. Guidelines are laid out in Chapter One.

Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Reviews are always welcome, as is any and all constructive criticism. As an author, I'm always looking to improve. Until the next battle my friends!

From your Nutty Buddy,

The Eagle Nut