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Flame Wheel finished in one final burst as Dicer jetted away. The user acted as a counter weight to the force of the attack, making agility difficult while it was in operation. With his Flame Wheel extinguished, Demo was able to dodge sideways, spinning as the spray from Aqua Jet shot past, and landing low in a skid.

He had barely a second to rest when Bridgette ordered her mud volley. The first Mudshot was easy enough to weave around, but the second caught Demo in the gut, bending him forward with a grunt.

'Bang bang?' Aipom squinted. 'This chick's a maniac.'
Wayne sighed. 'I always get stuck with the weird ones. Okay, Demo! Round 2!'

[Aw, what the heck?] the Typhlosion whined, looking down at his muddied front. [Mud. Really? That's not even a good move. You just got mud all over me.]

'Smokescreen!'

Demo shook himself off, his fire roaring to life, mightier than ever. He powered forward, his flames hissing smoke that flooded the area. Even in the open air, the smoke hung thick, providing a nice cover for the fire type to move around in. To others, most notably rock/water types and their trainers, the smoke would make their eyes sting and make it hard to see much of anything.

Wayne stood far enough back not to be affected. He smiled, confident that Demo knew what to do next without being told. They'd done it enough times. First came Smokescreen to hide their movements, and next came Dig. The opponent would be too busy trying to hit a target that wasn't there to expect an attack coming from below.

Unless Bridgette figured it out in time, Demo would rip up from the earth at Dicer's feet, crashing into it for a super effective blow that would likely bowl it over. If that went through, the follow up would be a barrage of Power-Up Punch that'd aim to keep Dicer off balance, or pinned to the ground at Demo's mercy, unable to use its scythes properly while Demo grew stronger from the attack.

Demo smashed through Dicer's Brine on the way to landing his Dig attack. By taking to the air, Dicer had put fair distance between itself and Demo, which meant that Brine would land before Dig did. So rather than achieving full power, the unwounded Dicer's Brine was only at half strength, and coupled with its weak special attack, it meant that Demo was able to tank the blow without major injury.

Their bodies untangled with Dicer's Rapid Spin. Again, a weak attack, but stripes of blood seared across Demo's chest where he'd been caught by Dicer's scythes. If Dig had done as much damage as Wayne thought, another full-on Brine would be enough to end this.

He now had the Kabutops where he wanted him; on the back foot and at the mercy of his Power-Up Punches. They fell like hailstone, smashing every loose inch of Dicer's body, stoking Demo's Attack power. The Low Kick came swiftly to his groin, but the Typhlosion only grinned while keeping up his assault. [Ha. Joke's on you. My d**k's eternal!]

'Earthquake!' Wayne commanded and, unless Dicer stopped him, Demo would end his Power-Up Punches with a final hit and use it to launch himself backwards into the air. He'd spin, then cup his fists and drive them into the earth as he landed, letting off shockwaves that would rupture the earth and batter Dicer into submission. With Demo's Attack raised a stage, and considering the damage Dicer had taken to this point, the Earthquake would be the final blow.

Meanwhile, Aipom gaped incredulously. 'It's "internal", you idiot!'

'Aha-ha! We kicked some butt!' Wayne and Demo charged each other and grappled in a hug. Wayne swung Demo around, then pushed away as fast as possible. 'Eww, you're all wet. And muddy.'
[I knowww,] Demo groaned, looking his chest over. His eyes went wide. [Please don't make me take a bath.]
'I have no idea what you just said,' Wayne grinned and walked off, waving his hand. 'Aipom use Translate.'

'I'll use Double Slap if you say that again,' Aipom grumbled, scurrying down Wayne's back and up to Demo. The Typhlosion leant forward until his nose was an inch from Aipom's face, and sniffed.
'Play nice, you guys!' Wayne shouted. He'd headed over to Bridgette and held out his hand. 'Good battle. But I'd say you failed your test. Actually that sounds kinda mean. What I meant to say was: if your pokémon's got badass scythe-hands, it should use them. Special moves only really work if you're good at special moves.'

He wiped his eyebrow with the tip of his finger, smiling. 'Sorry, sorry. I get compelled to coach people I've beaten. I am, after all, a pokémon master.'

Cyllage City Gym - The Arena

When Salieri reached the summit of the gym's central climb, she would discover a smooth plateau atop the rock. Arena markings had been carved and painted black, but were the only decoration. There were no walls to this battleground, and the only thing awaiting challengers who fell from the edge was the long fall to the start of their challenge. Standing on his side of the arena, glugging on a branded sports bottle, the monitor displaying his magnified echo on the wall far behind, was gym leader Grant.

His tall, lithe body consisted of tightly packed bundles of muscle, yet he moved with gentle ease, like grass in the wind. When he saw Salieri, he put his bottle at his feet and met her with a smile.

'Another challenger so soon,' he remarked, showing no sign of strain from the day's battling, 'You've done well to make it this far. My name's Grant. I'll be your opponent.'

Battle Chateau - The Courtyard

The match began at long last. Elizabeth brushed Juliet's attack aside with ease. She felt the pressure behind her opponent's swift movement along the length of her blade, and it triggered adrenaline. Something awoke when Elizabeth entered a duel, something raw and primal yet utterly serene. Her body moved as if possessed, her senses honed and focused, calculating each lunge and swipe, responding precisely. She felt like an observer in her own eyes. Juliet was testing her, and she allowed it, mirroring her weak strikes with weak parries, betraying neither hesitation or zealousness.

Her movements were fluid and expert, the very picture of control. Elizabeth became a mountain for Juliet to scale. She needed to be pushed much harder before showing any cracks.

---

Jullien watched these opening few seconds, his eyes narrow slits. Then after some unseen signal, he turned. Cloak billowing in an arc behind him, he returned to the chateau.

Sycamore Research Lab

Sycamore's mouth opened into an o, which he turned into a friendly grin.

'Actually, that's precisely what we were about to discuss.' He gestured to Zack and Helena. Zack was leaning against a table with his arms folded, wondering if he was frowning too much or not enough. When Sycamore pointed him out, he stood up a little straighter. 'Zack and...' he made a popping sound as he pointed at her, 'Zack's sister were at Route 9 when it all went down. We're taking their account of what happened inside Glittering Cave. Perhaps you'd like to sit in? With any luck it'll shed some light on what caused the pokémon to rampage.'

Cyllage City Gym

"You ever get the impression that she doesn't like people all that much?" Grant asked Benedict once Salieri was gone. "I knew a girl like her in school. Sweet as candy, as long as she was getting what she wanted."

He looked over toward Benedict. "Did you want a battle, too?"

Sycamore Research Lab

"Run away? But I came here to rescue you," Helena whispered back. She ran her hands along her belt. "Oh no, my Pokemon are gone. I guess we're screwed."

Lysandre's hair, Helena decided immediately, was ridiculous. There was an idea of fashion in Kalos that Helena didn't understand. Some people seemed normal, and other people were silly and somehow both sides felt that all of this fit seamlessly together.

As the discussion began to progress, Helena felt a part of her drifting back to yesterday. Uncomfortable, she hooked the tips of her thumbs into the pockets of her shorts through her dress and waited for Zack to speak up first - hoping that he would.

Route 14 - Gate To Lumiose City

"Did you know that your Aipom talks?" Bridgette pointed out. She was initially upset about losing, but the entire idea of a talking Pokemon took her out of that mindset. Instead she was staring at the little monkey.

"Because I don't think that's possible."

Cyllage City Gym - The Arena

Grant pointed to his hair with the same easy swish that went with all his movements. 'Oh these?' He smiled at the jet-propelled camera that hovered just outside the arena, catching the action when the action happened. Behind him, the big screen zoomed in on his face, his teeth too-white. 'They're Devon HairGems™ - Everybody's Wearin' 'Em!'

His attention went back on Salieri, his TV smile becoming one of calm superiority, like a sports star watching amateur league. 'So Salieri, is it? Let's make this a two on two battle. It'll give you a chance to catch up.'

As he spoke, a machine at the edge of the gym's ground floor whirred, aiming a tube at the top of the indoor mountain. It clicked, then shot two pokéballs with loud gushing noises, which soared toward the arena. When Salieri entered the gym, her trainer card was scanned and her gym challenge progress loaded into the system. Grant's machine then selected the pokémon most suited to her number of badges and the number of days passed since the first was attained. It was a system designed to ensure that a gym challenge would be challenging without becoming impossible. Grant held his hands casually over his head and caught both balls without looking, as if they'd been placed gently in his palms. He held one at his side and tossed the other into his half of the arena where it popped open, flashing bright.

His white Amaura yawned when it was released, stretching its long, sturdy body from top to tail. Its fins flickered as it stretched, a green tint floating along their scaly surface. It looked cute, like a girl's plush toy, but Grant acted as if he'd unleashed Arceus.

Battle Chateau - The Courtyard

When Juliet switched hand and threw her own technique back at her, Elizabeth nearly slipped off the beam. She contained her surprise, matching blow for blow, foils clashing with steely tinks. She'd been right to be suspicious of the Nostrad. Juliet changed. Her moves followed no pattern, and nothing repeated, creating an endless flow of attacks that forced Elizabeth to her limit in order to keep up. Her breathing became shallow amidst the overwhelming feeling that she was about to drown.

Sycamore Research Lab

'Well it was all very traumatic,' Zack said. He stopped leaning on the table and stood to his full height. Apart from Lysandre himself, he was the tallest one in the room. And he was sure that in that moment, everybody realised it. 'So I'd appreciate it if we could make this quick.'

'Uh, very well,' Dexio said. He pulled a notebook out of his pocket and cycled through some pages until he found what he wanted and began reading aloud. 'Ahem. We at the Pokémon Association Research Institute, Lumiose City Southern Branch, would very much like it if-'
'Yadda yadda yadda,' Sina snatched the notebook from Dexio and scanned the page. 'First question: was Team Flare in the cave when you got there?'

'Yeah,' Zack said, nodding. He glanced at Helena, then back to the room. 'When I got there, the first thing I found was this idiot called Jump Einatz. He kept going on at me about women and Funkadelic... whatever that is.'

Zack paused, remembering the encounter, fighting off the urge to rake his face in frustration. 'God, he was stupid. Anyway, I got on a mine cart with him because I figured he'd lead me to whatever was causing the rampage. Turned out he was a member of Team Flare. Things escalated.'

Route 14 - Gate To Lumiose City

'You gotta learn to use your eyes more, Bridgette,' Wayne said, holding out his arm for Aipom to run up and sit back on his shoulder. Instead the monkey pokémon used his tail to mime an obscene gesture and stayed with Demo. Wayne dropped his arm and turned back to Bridgette as if nothing had happened. 'Or ears, I guess in this case. Unless this is the most elaborate case of candid camera I've ever seen, Aipom can talk. I think he might be magic but I'm not sure.'

The trainer stretched, rocking his feet from ball to heel. 'So you heading to the city? Cause I'm like a 1000% hungrier than I ought to be. We should totally hit up the pokémon center for Waffle Day. Last time, I had this huge stack and I was like "Where am I gonna put it all?" and then you'll never guess what happened next. I ate it. Crazy, right? Demo was there, he can tell you.' Wayne paused, scratching his head. 'Or nod and make noises. Cause Aipom's the only talking pokémon here, I think.

Route 14 - Gate to Lumiose City

'Yessss!' Wayne punched the air. He grabbed his pokéballs and recalled Demo and Ronin, who had drifted off to sleep while the battle raged on. They went to his belt, and he grabbed Bridgette around the shoulder, leading them into the gatehouse. The giant doors slid open onto the route's dirt track. Thick and heavy, they were designed to ward off any wild pokémon that might try to break into the city, and they towered over the two teenagers.

People buzzed inside the gatehouse. Guards stood watch while civilians used the public services. There was a reception desk below a bar of flying letters that spelled out the headlines, while a large monitor displayed muted news broadcasts. This was one of the more deserted gatehouses Wayne had seen, but there were still plenty of people visiting the various independent shops that lined the walls. Locals, probably. Trainers wouldn't come this far without visiting the Route.

'Whoa, check it out,' Wayne gasped when he saw what was on TV, hurrying over to get a better look at the big screen display. Scenes of devastation, like a bomb had wiped out a whole town. People picked through the wreckage wearing special suits, and a reporter explained something but her lips made no noise. 'I feel like I might have missed something.'

Route 14 - Gate to Lumiose City

"Jeeze," Bridgette said as she looked at the wreckage on the screen. "Every time I get lost for a few days something terrible happens." She was speaking to herself, and grew a bit quieter as she began to list off the times, starting with the divorce of her parents.

She'd reached her seventh finger when she looked back up at the screen. "We're lucky that we weren't there when that happened, huh, Wayne?"

Cyllage City Gym - The Climb

Raijin began to dance as Grant spoke the order into the ear piece. The sand came over him, and he held his breath and closed his eyes as he went through the motions. It would leave him open temporarily for Francis' next attack, but it would also bring the rain down to wash away his first.

When Raijin finished the motions, the rain had begun to fall, coating their arena and turning the pillar, bit by bit, into a wet mess. It was possible that the arena above might also be affected, but Grant paid that no mind.