Alex flinched at the volume of the girl's voice. The forested area had been so quiet that her sudden exclamation felt like it echoed through the trees.
"Not particularly, no. I feel neutral about trees," he replied honestly.
The girl's shoulders slumped, but almost immediately, her expression twisted into irritation.
"Trees are great! You have no reason not to like them!" she huffed.
"I never said I didn't like them."
"Grrr... You never said you did like them!"
"I—" Alex started to respond, but the floor coordinator stepped in.
"This is Kimmy. She's a Gym Trainer," the coordinator explained calmly. "If you two want to settle this, you can do it with a battle."
"Great idea!" Kimmy exclaimed, spinning on her heel and running off in the direction of what was likely a nearby battleground.
"Thanks," Alex said, giving the coordinator a small nod before heading after her.
They passed through a grove of trees, eventually arriving at a clearing nestled in the heart of the forest. A standard battleground was laid out among the roots and foliage, blending naturally into the surroundings.
Alex stepped into position and reached for a Poké Ball.
He sent out Ceruledge.
She needed more experience in official battles—particularly duels. While she had a sharp sense for exploiting weaknesses and predicting things like Protect, real battle experience was invaluable. There might come a time when she had to fight alone, without guidance, and rely entirely on her instincts. For that, she needed to sharpen them.
Kimmy sent out Rillaboom, and Alex practically groaned. Of course. It was one of the most popular Pokémon in official battles—great for setting up terrain and scouting an opponent's team.
"Singles Battle, 3v3. Gym Trainer Kimmy versus Challenger Alex. Begin!" the referee called.
Even before the first command was given, Grassy Terrain bloomed beneath their feet, bathing the battlegrounds in vibrant green energy. Rillaboom's ability, Grassy Surge, had been activated.
"Swords Dance," Alex ordered.
"Fake Out! Then U-turn!" Kimmy followed up immediately.
'Typical,' Alex thought, already anticipating the play.
Rillaboom moved with startling speed, clapping its enormous hands inches from Ceruledge's face. She flinched, unable to execute her move.
Without hesitation, Rillaboom's fist lit with Bug-type energy as it delivered a U-turn punch before vanishing back into its Poké Ball. Kimmy was already ready with her next choice—releasing Appletun onto the field just as Ceruledge shook off the flinch and completed her Swords Dance.
"Poison Jab," Alex commanded.
Ceruledge shot forward, her blades glowing with toxic purple energy.
"Reflect!" Kimmy called out, but she was a second too late.
Ceruledge's Poison Jab slammed into Appletun, dealing massive damage and nearly taking it down in a single strike. It wasn't quite enough—Ceruledge had only just reached Expert rank and lacked the raw power to finish off a sturdier opponent like Appletun in one blow.
But the next hit would do it.
Suddenly, Appletun was healed by both the Grassy Terrain and its Leftovers, restoring a solid chunk of its health—it now hovered at around a quarter.
"Protect!" Kimmy shouted, hoping to buy more time.
Unfortunately, Alex read her like a book.
"Swords Dance," he commanded calmly. If they wanted time, he'd give them time.
"No fair!" Kimmy exclaimed as Protect faded and another round of healing boosted Appletun to 35%.
Meanwhile, Ceruledge had completed her second Swords Dance and stood at full health. Kimmy was in trouble.
"Poison Jab," Alex ordered.
Panicking, Kimmy recalled Appletun before the finishing blow could land and sent out Rillaboom instead. The Poison Jab slammed into it, but Rillaboom tanked the hit like a champ, dropping to half HP. Grassy Terrain immediately healed it back up to 60%.
"Flare Blitz. Keep using it—sweep her whole team!" Alex declared.
"Fake Out! Protect! Earthquake!" Kimmy fired back.
Alex added, "Reflect instead!"
Rillaboom used Fake Out again, making Ceruledge flinch. It followed up with Protect, healing slightly from the terrain. Meanwhile, Ceruledge managed to get off Reflect, just in time to soften the incoming Earthquake. Not that it would've done much—Grassy Terrain already reduced Earthquake's power.
Then came the real hit.
Rillaboom struck first with Earthquake, dropping Ceruledge to 70%. The level gap was starting to show.
Ceruledge retaliated with a full-powered Flare Blitz, engulfing the battlegrounds in flames and knocking out Rillaboom in one hit. The recoil, however, dropped her to 30%.
Kimmy sent out Appletun again. One last desperate Protect stalled for a turn, giving Ceruledge a bit more healing too. But after that, a single Poison Jab ended Appletun.
Her final Pokémon hit the field—Trevenant.
Normally, Trevenant would've been a nightmare to deal with, sporting Harvest, a Sitrus Berry, Grassy Terrain, Leech Seed, and Ingrain. But it never got the chance. Ceruledge outspeed it and ended the match in one decisive blow with Poltergeist.
Its own Sitrus Berry, ironically knocking out the Harvest Trevenant.
Kimmy's downfall had started the moment she gave Alex the time to set up. From the second move, the battle had already slipped out of her hands.
"Winner, Challenger Alex," the referee declared.
Suddenly, Kimmy's lips trembled—and then she bolted, tears streaming down her face as she wailed and vanished into the forest.
Alex stood there, stunned.
'A grown-ass woman crying over a lost battle… and she was a gym trainer, no less,' Alex thought.
He didn't know what to say.
"Don't worry about it," the referee said casually, stepping behind him. "It happens more often than you'd think."
Alex sighed, brushing off the emotional whiplash of making a girl cry, and turned his attention back to exploring the garden.
Alex made his way to the back of the garden, where the air grew damper and the shadows deeper. Emerging from the tree line, he came upon a cave entrance—and in front of it, seated on a mat and sipping tea, was a woman with long orange hair, dressed in a green kimono tied with a yellow sash.
"Pardon the intrusion. Are you a gym trainer?" Alex asked the woman seated calmly in front of the cave.
She gave a quiet nod in response.
"Would you mind a battle?"
"Are you sure? I don't believe I'm the best option among the gym trainers for battling," she replied softly.
"Is there a problem?" Alex asked, turning to the floor coordinator beside him.
"This is Kimiko. She specializes in the use of Spores—and, well, some trainers complain about her strategies," the coordinator explained.
"No problem, then. I can handle a loss."
"Very well," Kimiko said as she stood, gracefully making her way to a field nearby—apparently the designated battleground.
Once in position, Kimiko released her Amoonguss, while Alex sent out Frosmoth.
Her confidence had been low lately, especially after seeing how powerful Forretress had become (how disinterested he seemed in her). With this battle, she wanted to prove her worth to the team (to him).
"Singles Battle, 3v3. Gym Trainer Kimiko versus Challenger Alex. Begin!" the referee called.
"Spore," Kimiko commanded.
"Substitute," Alex countered.
"Very good. Most forget how effective Substitute is against Spores," Kimiko noted calmly.
"Thank you."
Amoonguss released a cloud of spores that spread across the field—but they failed to reach Frosmoth, who was protected within a shimmering energy clone.
"Sludge Bomb."
"Quiver Dance."
"Amoonguss has Clear Smog, you know," Kimiko warned.
"I know."
Frosmoth glided in an elegant aerial dance, shimmering with Bug-type energy. Amoonguss hurled a Sludge Bomb that splattered against the Substitute, shattering it.
"Clear Smog."
"Ice Beam."
Frosmoth unleashed a beam of frigid energy that hit Amoonguss squarely, knocking it out in one clean shot.
Kimiko blinked in shock. She hadn't expected that much power. That meant Frosmoth could very well sweep her entire team.
"It seems I underestimated you. I apologize for my hubris—I'll take this battle seriously now."
"A bit late for that, but no problem," Alex said with a smirk.
Kimiko released her second Pokémon—Toedscruel.
Alex recognized it immediately. If left unchecked, Toedscruel could guarantee sleep with its ability, Mycelium Might. Still, the match was already in the bag.
"Ice Beam!" Alex called quickly.
"Giga Impact!" Kimiko countered.
Toedscruel charged forward with blinding speed, landing a devastating hit that sent Frosmoth crashing to the ground. She recovered quickly, however, and responded with an Ice Beam that knocked Toedscruel out cold during its recharge phase.
Sighing, Kimiko released her final Pokémon—Shiinotic.
"Ice Beam."
Frosmoth fired, and the final opponent was taken down just as swiftly.
Kimiko hadn't bothered to issue a command. The result was clear.
Toedscruel's Mycelium Might allowed it to bypass protections like Substitute and Safety Goggles, making Spore almost guaranteed to land. But the trade-off was that all its status moves lost priority. As such, Toedscruel had to survive at least one turn to win—and it didn't.
With the boost from Quiver Dance, Frosmoth's Ice Beam had sealed the match before status moves or defensive strategies could even come into play.
Shiinotic, while durable under different circumstances, was simply too slow and too weak to mount any meaningful resistance.
Frosmoth had secured the win the moment she survived long enough to get off her Quiver Dance.
"Winner, Challenger Alex," the referee declared.
Kimiko gave a polite bow. "I apologize for the lackluster battle."
"No problem. Frosmoth needed the boost in confidence, so I thank you for the win."
Kimiko nodded silently before returning to her tea mat outside the cave.
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