The Poké Ball arced high above the stage and cracked open in a burst of red light. From its glow emerged a hulking figure cloaked in yellow fur patterned with black stripes. A dark spot marked its forehead, and two thick, antenna-like tendrils jutted from either side of its head, their rounded tips faintly sparking. Spiky fur jutted from its cheeks and shoulders, wild and untamed. Its dual black tails curled behind it, the red orbs at their ends pulsing softly.
The Electivire's red eyes remained closed. It was sleeping even though its body radiated raw power.
Wild said nothing. He turned his back to me and walked slowly toward the edge of the stage, each step heavy with something unsaid. Without a word, he dropped to a sit on the edge, his guitar placed beside him with a soft clack.
A small chuckle slipped from my lips.
Oddy glanced up at me, unsure about fighting a unserious foe. I gestured for him to follow, and together, we took slow steps across the battlefield. I joined Wild at the edge, sitting opposite him with nothing between us but the hum of tension and a murmuring crowd. Oddy sat at my side, his leafy head just below my arm.
Wild looked at me, surprise flickering across his face. Then he sighed, resting his elbows on his knees.
From the stands, whispers grew like rustling leaves.
"What are you doing?" Wild asked, eyes flicking from his napping Electivire to me.
"I'm doing whatever you're doing," I said with a grin.
He didn't laugh. He just looked disappointed. But he reached for his guitar anyway, adjusted the mic next to him, and swept his fingers across the strings with a smooth, practiced swing.
The first chord rang out like lightning in a clear sky. The notes echoed from the speakers, washing over the arena like a wave.
I froze.
So did most of the crowd.
And so did Electivire.
Its eyes shot open in a blink. With a growl, it pulled its legs beneath it and rose to its feet in a single motion. Sparks leapt from the orbs on its tails, lighting the floor with a crackling glow.
The music kept playing, more urgent now.
"Well, fuckyou too!" I muttered, standing quickly as Electivire locked eyes with me and charged.
The thunder roared beneath its feet, trails of yellow light arcing across the floor. Electric Terrain surged to life, and the crowd joined in, lighting up the stands in a blaze of gold.
"Oddy, Leech Seed! Go!"
I scooped him up in both hands and throwed him into the air.
Oddy twisted in the air, startled but caught himself just in time. With a determined snarl, he spun, launching a volley of seeds from the snarling mouths atop his head.
Electivire stopped short and grabbed its twin tails, driving them into the floor. A jolt of power surged through its body and then exploded outward.
A dome of electricity burst from its core.
Discharge
The blast scattered the seeds like dust. It struck Oddy mid air with a crackling snap, and his body spinned in the air, electricity crawling across his frame.
"Oddy! Vine Whip! Swing to the pipes!"
Oddy barely responded just flung one of his whiplike mouths upward. It latched onto one of the metal beams above the stage. With a grunt, Oddy bit down, using his momentum to yank himself up just before he crashed into the floor.
But Electivire was already moving.
It stepped beneath the pipes, reached up, and gripped the base of the metal structure.
I understood what it was trying to do a second before it happened.
"ODDY, JUMP!!"
But it was too late.
Electivire's body pulsed with a deep blue light as it channeled power directly into the pipes. Electricity surged through the metal with terrifying speed.
A shockwave tore through the ceiling.
Oddy was still clinging to the pipe.
The moment the charge hit him, his body spasmed violently. Electricity wracked his limbs. His leaves and petals flared open with a shriek of pain. His mouths twisted, his eyes wide.
He slipped.
And began to fall as the Terrain Changed to Grassy Terrain.
Oddy's eyes snapped open for a split second, a brilliant jolt of life bursting behind them. With an unexpected roar that was far too fierce for his small frame he surged back to consciousness. His body dropped from the air, landing solidly on both feet atop the glowing Grassy Terrain. The leaves atop his head looked sharper now, tinged with a deeper green, their edges glowing faintly with energy.
"The hell just happened…?" I murmured, stunned.
Wild's hands hovered above his guitar strings, the melody cut short. His gaze locked on Oddy not with the calculating eyes of a Trainer in battle, but with curiosty.
Across the stage, Electivire turned slowly, its crimson eyes narrowing as it faced Oddy once more. A grin curled at the corners of its mouth as both fists began to chill, freezing over with crystalline sheen.
IcePunch.
"Oddy, don't let Electivire close the gap! Giga Drain, now!" I shouted.
Oddy gave a snappy cry before leaping backward, narrowly avoiding the swing of a freezing fist. The attack landed on the stage with a heavy crack, the floor frosting over in jagged white lines. Mid-air, Oddy conjured a glowing green orb between the mouths atop his head and sended it forward.
Electivire responded by coating one fist in icy blue and the other in crackling electricity, steam rising where the opposing auras met. It charged head-on, throwing a flurry of ice and lightning punches flashing in rhythm.
Oddy ducked and weaved, but it was clear he couldn't keep dodging forever. I bit the edge of my glove, mind racing.
Then.
"Oddy, return!"
Oddy nodded once and vanished in a flash of red light. I clipped the ball to my belt and unclipped another. Its surface was cool in my hand, and I didn't hesitate.
The ball burst open in a wave of crimson light.
The light reformed in midair, spiraling down into the shape of a ghostly figure. Floating just above the ground, she descended silently. Her long violet hair drifted as though underwater, hiding much of her pale face except for the gleam of two scarlet eyes that mirrored my own.
"Aria," I called softly.
She let out a graceful, haunting cry, her wispy form shrouded in mist. I raised my arm and swung it wide.
"Double Team! Then surround Electivire with Teleport! Go!"
With a shimmer, Aria split into dozens of copies spinning into existence across the stage. The air filled with soft pink light as they blinked in and out of sight, teleporting around Electivire with dizzying speed. They closed in from every direction, a silent swarm of illusion.
But Electivire wasn't fazed.
Its grin held steady as it grabbed both tails in its fists and slammed them into the ground.
A shockwave erupted outward.
A dome of golden energy roared across the stage. Discharge again.
Every clone vanished in an instant.
The real Aria was blasted back through the air like a ragdoll, her body catching the full brunt of the shock. She hit the floor hard, skidding across the stage. She tried to rise then collapsed.
I ran towards her in instant.
In three long strides, I was at her side, dropping to my knees and scooping her into my arms.
From the stage center, Electivire stood triumphant.
Wild rested his hands on the guitar, his voice soft but clear as he addressed me.
"Double Team is a powerful move," he said, his tone nowhere close to mocking. "But the more clones you use, the weaker the real body becomes. Each clone has only one health. That makes it useless against wide-range attacks… like Discharge." He explained.
I didn't respond. Just nodded faintly and returned Aria to her ball with a small, careful movement. The light pulled her back in with a chime, and I stood up slowly.
Then I pulled Oddy's Poké Ball back from my belt once again.
"Round two," I whispered.
With a flick of my wrist, I sent him back into the stage.
Oddy reappeared in a flash, blinking as his feet touched the Grassy Terrain again. He looked around, confused then turned to me.
"Sorry," I said, crouched. "But I'm going to have to count on you for this gym. Is that okay, buddy?"
Oddy let out a low, determined cry and raised a stubby arm.
I met it with a gentle fist bump and rose to my feet, standing tall across from Electivire.
Wild watched from behind his guitar, saying nothing now. Just waiting.
I raised my arm.
"Oddy, Vine Whip! Attack!"
Oddy jumped, launching into the air as his leafy mouths lashed forward. Green tendrils snapping through the air like whips.
Electivire didn't flinch.
Its arms, still frosted from the previous attack, came up like shields. Blocking the vines with a dull thud, sparks flying with every strike.
Oddy let out another fierce roar as he swung his vines with a renewed fury and struck Electivire's forearms. The ice coating them shattered on impact, sending shards flying as Electivire's stance buckled under the force.
Oddy dashed in.
With a sharp whip of his vines, he struck Electivire square in the chest. The blow landed with enough force to send the towering Pokémon crashing backward on to the Grassy terrain, landing flat on its back with a thunderous thud that shook the stage.
"Now! Leech Seed!" I commanded, slashing the air with my arm.
Oddy leapt onto Electivire's chest, his stubby legs pushing off with surprising strength, and scattered glowing seeds over the stunned opponent. They latched on instantly, tiny roots digging into its fur. Oddy jumped back and landed beside me, breathing heavily but still burning with energy.
Electivire rose with effort, growling as tiny green sprouts bloomed across its fur. It clenched a glowing fist, sparks crackling as electricity surged through its body. With a roar, it burned a handful of the vines but they only grew back faster, wrapping tighter with every try.
Frustrated, Electivire let out a roar and charged forward, its right fist icing over once more with Ice Punch, while its left glowed with a hot, focused blue aura Brick Break.
"Oddy, dodge! Don't let any of those hit!" I shouted, panic rising in my throat.
Oddy turned and sprinted, his legs pumping as fast as they could go but Electivire was way faster than him.
It caught up in a flash and drove the icy fist into Oddy's gut. The impact sounded like a falling Avalanche. Oddy's body shot through the air, spinning once before crashing onto the Grassy Terrain.
I clenched my fists as his body shuddered, drawing energy from the very terrain beneath his feet. I watched in awe as the grassy field pulsed around him, feeding into his form. His leaves sharpened, his posture straightened, and his eyes gleamed with wild power.
"He's… pulling strength from the terrain?" I muttered to myself, half-laughing. "How the hell is he doing that?" I said with a smile before focusing on to the battle once again.
"Let's try something... Oddy Giga Drain!" I yelled, cutting the air with my swing.
Oddy nodded and dashed forward, locking his gaze on Electivire. The larger Pokémon met his charge, clapping its fists together, blue aura dancing between them, preparing for another brutal Brick Break.
Oddy summoned a green sphere, radiant and pulsing with energy. He hurled it with a speed that blurred the air behind it, aiming straight for Electivire's chest. But Electivire, undeterred, charged forward and struck again! His Brick Break colliding with Oddy mid attack.
Oddy was sent flying once more, slamming into the steel pipes at the edge of the arena. The impact rang out like a bell before he dropped, limp, to the Grassy Terrain again.
Then once again,Oddy rose!
With another guttural cry, he stood tall, leaves glowing, sharper than ever. The terrain lit up beneath him, pulsing with his breath. His body hardened, rooted deeper. Stronger.
He wasn't using the Grassy Terrain just for healing.
"Oddy… you're incredible," I whispered, while grinning. "Alright! Vine Whip! Wrap him up!"
Oddy's head-mouthed vines lashed forward, fast as arrows. In the blink of an eye, they coiled around Electivire's torso, binding him like a net. Electivire grunted, straining to tear them off but couldn't. He roared in frustration, struggling like a wild beast in a snare.
"Sleep Powder! Now!"
Oddy dashed in close, skidding under Electivire's arms as he released a puff of shimmering white dust. The powder coated Electivire's face and shoulders in seconds.
It stumbled.
Grunted.
Tried to roar.
Then its legs buckled.
The titan dropped, slamming to its knees before collapsing fully, a final roar of desperation echoing toward its trainer. Vines still wrapped tight, its body finally stilled.
Wild stood calmly while the crowd around us fell into stunned silence.
"Now! Finish it while Electivire's still sleeping! Giga Drain!" I shouted, my voice echoing over the quieted crowd.
Oddy let out a triumphant cry and launched another sphere of green energy, then another and another. Each blast of Giga Drain struck the immobilized Electivire, draining what little strength it had left as the glowing vines around its body pulsed with each hit.
Before the next attack could land, the referee raised his flag and stepped forward with clear authority.
"Electivire is unable to battle!" he announced, voice booming through the stadium's speakers. "Gloom and Alex Carter wins!"
The moment the words hit the air, the crowd erupted. Hundrets voices called out my name. Chanting it over and over like a war cry until it nearly swallowed me. And for a moment, I wasn't standing in a concert themed gym in this strange world. I was back in my own. Back on that stage, holding a title I hadn't believed I could win.
"It feels like that was just last week…" I joked to myself
Across the field, Wild walked over to fallen Electivire and stood quietly in front of it. He said nothing, but after a moment, he crouched and gently rested his hand on its head. A silent exchange. Gratitude, pride, maybe even apology. Then, with a quiet breath, he rose and walked back toward me, drawing his hand away from the Pokémon.
"Congratulations," he said, quiet but sincere.
I stretched my arms and shoulders, my whole body aching with stiffness. "Thanks," I said I replied calmly, offering him a faint, exhausted smile. Oddy wobbled beside me, clearly drained. So I gently returned him to his Poké Ball while still trying to process what exactly had just happened back there with him. That power surge... It didn't feel like just a terrain boosts.
Wild reached into his pocket and pulled out the badge shaped like a jagged thunderbolt, gold with a shimmer that caught the moonlight. He held it for a second in his palm then stepping forward and offering it to me.
"This is the Thunder Badge," he said. "With it, all of your Electric type attacks will be boosted by ten percent."
Before I could even lift my hand, he throwed it toward my chest. I fumbled, catching it mid-air with both hands just before it could hit the ground. I looked down at the badge, then up to the moon, holding it high like a trophy.
A sharp jolt of light zipped through the air toward me. I turned just as a familiar voice rang out
[Congratulations, Alex Carter! You're now one step closer to becoming the Champion!!]
Rotom's plasma-like form buzzed in front of my face, its grin practically electric. The Pokédex with it blinked and whirred as a side panel slid open, revealing an empty, badge-shaped slot. Perfectly fit for the Thunder Badge.
I chuckled, caught off-guard by the floating ghost. "Nice timing."
Carefully, I slotted the badge into place. As it clicked in, a red holographic screen flared to life in front of me.
[Congratulations for Defeating Gym Leader Wild: Reward Adjusting the Size of Held Items — Completed!]
I barely registered the words. My eyes drifted back to the center of the stage, where Wild silently returned Electivire to its Poké Ball with a soft thud.
I crossed the field and extended my hand to him.
"Sorry for annoying you at the start," I said honestly, meeting his gaze.
Wild looked at me for a long second, then cracked a grin. "No big deal. I'm just going to take it out on my father instead."
Then he crushed my hand in a handshake that reminded me too much of Surge's iron grip. I let out a squeak without meaning to, causing Wild to chuckle as he let go and returned to center stage.
He raised the microphone, energy returning to his voice. "NOW! ARE WE READY TO FINALLY HAVE SOME FUN!?!"
The crowd answered in a single, deafening roar.
As the music roared back to life behind me, I slipped into the backstage area, Rotom floating along at my side.
[Alex Carter, aren't you going to stay for the concert?] it asked, buzzing excitedly.
I spotted Khan waiting for me, slouched and exhausted. looking just as exhausted as I felt. My feet dragged as I approached to him.
"Nah," I muttered. "It feels like I've been here for days… and it's only been two hours. I reallyneed to rest."
Without another word, I dropped into the seat beside Khan and exhaled long and slow. Finally letting myself breathe after the long day.