Demolition's End

[VoidlitAudino]

I've been working on this pretty much ever since I finished my first playthrough of Reborn e19! It's based on a real battle that happened at the end of that playthrough, though obviously I embellished quite a bit. Also, Shelly's Pinsir didn't have a nickname in-game, so I gave him one. Unfortunately, the formatting didn't come out how I wanted after I copy-pasted from Google Docs, but it should hopefully still be relatively readable. Contains spoilers for the entire game. I hope y'all enjoy!

Spoiler

Demolition's End

By VoidlitAudino

 

"...And that's that. Well done, Shelly."

 

Bennet smiled as he recalled his fainted Charizard. Shelly Citra, recalling her Pinsir, was smiling even more brightly. After three failed attempts - two lost against her best friend Heather, and one against fellow Bug specialist Bennett - the young lavender-haired girl had finally triumphed over the Elite Four. Even knowing how much she had grown since leaving Lapis, she could still scarcely believe she was actually standing here, illuminated by the multicolored glow of the butterfly-wing patterns adorning Bennett's chamber. She knew she had gotten much stronger, certainly - strong enough to help protect her friends, and the world, first from Team Meteor and then from the Anomalies they left behind. But actually triumphing over the absolute strongest Trainers in the region? Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined she would come this far.

 

"I'm quite impressed by how quickly you learned from our previous battle," Bennett continued. "My team had the clear advantage, yet you masterfully outmaneuvered me. I clearly still have a great deal left to learn."

 

"I-" I probably just got lucky, Shelly quickly stopped herself from saying. She was determined to break her habit of always assuming the worst of herself. "Y-yeah, thanks!" she said instead. "I did a lot of reading on speed tiers after last time! I figured out exactly who I needed to protect until the end in order to beat your Charizard. Looks like it worked, hehe!"

 

"Ah, yes. I suppose I have yet to fully understand the capabilities and limitations of the new Fire-type additions to my team," Bennet admitted. "I may know more than almost anyone else about arthropod biology specifically, but you're much more well-versed on a wide variety of subjects, aren't you?"

 

"I guess so!" Shelly said. "But, I mean… It's never too late to start learning, right?"

 

"Naturally," Bennett said. "After all, before all the Meteor-related chaos began, were you not one of the region's lowest-ranked Gym Leaders? And I, for my part, was both much weaker and far less morally developed. Yet look how far we've both progressed within such a short time."

 

"Yeah!" Shelly said. She then briefly paused and glanced downward, hesitating before sharing the thought that had entered her head. "I guess… We've both gone through a fair amount of ecdysis, huh?"

 

Bennet's eyes, and smile, widened. "Yes, exactly! I mean, I had been thinking of it as apolysis, but they are simply two facets of the same biological process!"

 

"Oh, you actually thought of the same thing?" Shelly said, relieved. "And here I was worried you'd think it was stupid!"

 

"Stupid? How could I?" Bennett asked. "You're probably one of the few people in the entire region well-read enough to be casually familiar with such terminology! Decibel is the only other person I've spoken to recently who had even heard of apolysis before!"

 

"Oh, really?" Shelly asked. Her smile then slowly faded. The excitement she had felt since her victory slowly gave way to aprehension. She glanced downward and began nervously tapping her right foot against the ground.

 

"Ah," Bennett said, sensing her shift in mood. "I suppose they are your final opponent, are they not?"

 

"Y-yeah," Shelly said. Decibel, reigning Champion of the Reborn League, savior of the region multiple times over, inexplicably frequent victim of Darkrai attacks, and one of the most important people in Shelly's life. Watching their unflinching determination in opposing Team Meteor, and standing up for all those who couldn't protect themselves, was one of the things that had set her on the path to gaining confidence and coming out of her shell. As a friend, they were almost unfailingly reliable in times of need.

 

But as an opponent? She almost shuddered at the thought. She and Decibel had fought several times over the course of their respective journeys. Their first battle - when she had taken on their challenge as a Gym Leader - had been utterly lopsided in their favor. They had used two Telluric Seeds to avoid damage on the first turn of battle as they set up Stealth Rocks and stat boosts, then immediately switched in their Vulpix to eliminate both the rain she had set up and the field she relied upon in one fell swoop. The match hadn't lasted much longer after that. They had had a few battles in the Nightclub since, where she had tried out various experimental teams against them, and they had triumphed every time. And although she had only heard about it secondhand, apparently they had fought her and Cain together while she was under the PULSE-Hypno's influence - and defeated both of them at once, singlehandedly.

 

"I suppose it's understandable you'd be nervous," Bennett said. "But in your place, I would not be so quick to dismiss my chances of victory. After all, conquering the Elite Four already marks you as one of the region's most skilled Trainers of all time, does it not?"

 

"Well, yeah, but… I mean, this is Decibel we're talking about!" Shelly said. "I mean… Have they ever lost a battle? Like… even once?"

 

"I… Suppose I cannot recall an instance where they have," Bennett admitted. "I suspect the root cause of their consistent success may be something more than mere strength or skill. Though, what that cause might be, I couldn't begin to hypothesize."

 

"Yeah… And, well…" Shelly's mouth twisted nervously. "Just before I battled you… Elias, um, said something kind of weird…"

 

"Ah," Bennet said, their expression shifting to something resembling disdain. "I would encourage you to pay no mind to what that old man says about… Well, really about anything, but especially about Decibel specifically. He's deluded himself into believing that they are an avatar of his deity - of course he would have an unfounded degree of faith in their infallibility."

 

"Um, I don't know if that really… Applies to… Um, nevermind," Shelly said. "My point is… I feel like, no matter how strong I get, I'll never stand a chance against them. So… Why am I even trying, really?"

 

Bennett paused to consider how to respond. "Well…  I think there can still be much to gain from attempting the seemingly impossible," he eventually said. "I mean… For a long time, I never thought it would be possible to move beyond my, er, less courteous behaviors, or my misplaced loyalties. Much less earning any form of forgiveness from those I had wronged during the time those traits defined me. And…"

 

Bennett sighed dejectedly. "Well, I don't believe I was entirely wrong about that. Luna still doesn't wish to speak to me anymore. No amount of self-improvement can undo the harm I caused her."

 

"O-oh, yeah, she, um, told me about that…" Shelly said timidly. "I'll admit, I was a bit nervous about talking to you at first, because of that. I was worried you would… I don't know…"

 

"Ah!" Bennet exclaimed as he recoiled from her, a remorseful look on his face. "I had no idea! Shelly, rest assured, even at my most juvenile, I would never have considered behaving lecherously towards someone of your age! I deeply apologize for ever having made you uncomfortable."

 

"No, no, it's fine! I mean, I don't feel that way anymore!" Shelly reassured him. "And… I think I see what you're getting at. Even if you can't make everything perfect, trying still made you a way better person than you used to be. Right?"

 

"Ah… indeed," Bennett said, still seemingly trying to tread more carefully around her now. "Luna may never forgive me - nor should she - but my efforts have still earned me both Laura's and Decibel's forgiveness, as well as generally having a positive impact on my mental health. Not to mention the fact that I was able to play an essential role in Team Meteor's downfall. All of which was ultimately motivated by an effort to become someone better than the person who hurt her."

 

"So… Even though it might not be possible to win against Decibel, I can still learn a lot and become stronger by trying anyway!" Shelly said.

 

"Which will help you direct your personal metamorphosis as you desire," Bennett said. "Er… Are you certain you no longer feel unsafe in my presence? If speaking to me is causing you discomfort, I can-"

 

"No, really, you're good!" Shelly said. "I mean, if I can forgive Cal for hurting me, then I can definitely forgive you for hurting someone else, right? And it's obvious you feel terrible about what you did, and you're doing everything you can to, um, fix the future. Right?"

 

"...Well, I thank you for giving me a second chance," Bennett said, relieved. "Though, regardless, I suppose I've kept you long enough, haven't I? After all, you've come this far for a reason."

 

"Right," Shelly said. "I guess it's time."

 

An opening was torn open between the luminous lepidopteran wings behind Bennett, revealing the stairs leading into the Champion's chamber. They ascended upwards before fading into the darkness.

 

"All right, I'm going!" Shelly declared, striding forward towards the exit. Just before reaching the staircase, she paused and glanced back at Bennett.

 

"Um… We should hang out again sometime, though!" she said. "I'd love to have someone to talk to about entomology stuff who, um, actually knows what I'm talking about!"

 

"And I'm certain I would have a great deal to learn from you as well," Bennett said, smiling once again. "Let's make a point of it, then."

 

"Great! I'm looking forward to it!" Shelly said. "Um, wish me luck!" And with that, she turned back towards her destination and began to ascend the staircase.

 

As the light of Bennett's chamber began to fade behind her, Shelly smiled and closed her eyes. She pictured all the invisible strings that Anna had once told her about - the ones that surround everyone at all times, connecting them to the people who care about them. There was a time in the not-too-distant past when she would've believed that not a single such string was connected to her. But now, after making so many friends on her journey, she pictured dozens of gleaming white strands, weaving their way around her, leading off to all corners of the region. And now, with her and Bennett becoming closer, yet another beautiful strand had formed.

 

Those strings - those bonds with the people she loved - meant more to Shelly than anything else. Their love had pulled her out of her self-loathing and allowed her to accept herself - and then to grow into someone brave enough to support them in turn. And now, she could feel a kind of energy flowing into her through those strings, empowering and emboldening her to take on the seemingly impossible challenge before her. Most of the strings were gathered behind her now - but a single one lay directly ahead.

 

She may not be able to win, but she was still going to give Decibel a battle she could be proud of. She opened her eyes and stepped through the door into the Champion's room.

 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

 

Pitch darkness. Shelly could see almost nothing around her as she felt her way through the narrow entrance corridor. Beginning in darkness and moving into light was a theme for many of the Elite Four's chambers, but none of them had been this uncomfortably lightless. Shelly couldn't imagine that the Champion's chamber was built this way by default. Had Decibel made modifications? Set up their own custom battle chamber, like the Elite Four? Perhaps she should have asked some of them what to expect. Her mind raced with countless possibilities… And her heart raced with fear and apprehension. Far though she had come, she was still a child, and it did take some effort for her to act in spite of her fear of the dark.

 

As she considered what might lie ahead, another thought bubbled to the surface of Shelly's consciousness. After she had defeated Elias, she had asked him whether he thought she had what it took to become Champion. She hadn't really expected much of a response, honestly - either encouragement for her to keep going, or critique that would help her improve. But what he had said instead surprised and confused her.

 

"Unfortunately, dear child, I am afraid I cannot answer that question without depriving you of experiences you ought discover for yourself."

 

Naturally, she had no idea how that could make sense as a response to her question. She was just asking for his opinion on something nobody could know for sure; why was he talking like it was some kind of secret knowledge? But what he said when she asked for clarification had made even less sense.

 

"The lord Arceus, incarnate in our friend Decibel, has a plan for us all. It is not my place to reveal yours to you. I will say this, however; place your faith in Decibel, accept the trial they have designed for you, and the many colors of your fate shall unfold before your eyes. Lucet futurum tuum, dear child."

 

Bennett was probably right, Shelly thought. Elias was probably just talking nonsense, based in his weird insistence that Decibel was an avatar of Arceus. (Hadn't they caught Arceus?) Still, she had a difficult time getting his words out of her head. He made it sound as though Decibel had prepared some kind of test for Shelly specifically. But that didn't make any sense, did it? Lots of people had begun to challenge Decibel for their title in the past few months, most of them other friends of theirs. What reason would they have to single her out?

 

Her train of thought was interrupted by a dim flash ahead of her. Though she couldn't initially see its source, a flickering light source was illuminating some of the steps, revealing rough concrete that was cracked in a few places. Nothing like the clean plastic steps used by the Elite Four before her, meaning that it must have indeed been recently installed. Which meant, Shelly quickly realized, that the concrete being cracked must have been a deliberate choice on Decibel's part, making the newly-crafted stairs appear old and dilapidated. Where were going with this?

 

Her answer came, at least in part, when she passed the low ceiling that had been obstructing her view. The flickering light was coming from an industrial lightbulb on the ceiling of what appeared to be the top of the staircase. Both the bulb and the concrete ceiling itself were coated in patches of grime and mold. The walls, just as grimy, were made of red-brown brick, and covered in many places with various forms of graffiti. The floor, as Shelly saw as she neared the top, was covered in uneven dark-gray floor tiles, many of which were cracked or missing to reveal the concrete beneath. There even appeared to be a few shards of broken glass around the walls.

 

These broken, dilapidated surroundings were immediately familiar to Shelly. While she hadn't exactly been a frequent visitor to the Obsidia Slums, she was still familiar with their dirty, run-down hallways, with the neglect they and their inhabitants faced from the city. Decibel had recreated the aesthetic of Reborn City at its lowest point - the point when Team Meteor had driven it closest to ruin.

 

Suddenly, a piercing static screech emanated from somewhere within the corridor. Shelly spotted a rusted intercom box embedded into the left wall.

 

"Shelly," Decibel's familiar voice greeted her through the speaker, distorted by the deliberately outdated system. "Welcome. I'm glad to see you've made it this far."

 

"O-oh! Hi, Decibel!" Shelly responded nervously as she reached the top of the staircase. There appeared to be another staircase leading downward after a short flat section, with only infrequent flickering bulbs illuminating the way. "And, um… Yeah, thanks! I worked really hard to be here!"

 

A grainy chuckle came through the speaker. "You don't have to tell me, of all people. I've seen that hard work firsthand. Remember our first battle?"

 

"Of course!" Shelly said. "That, um, didn't exactly go too well for me, hehe… But it was a great learning experience! I learned not to rely too heavily on the rain after that…"

 

"Right. I'm glad I had a role to play in your growth as a Trainer," Decibel said. "I remember you telling me about your brother, back then."

 

Shelly paused. She realized that it had been a long time since she had thought of her brother, Bugsy. It was her desire to be like him, to prove herself worthy of his attention, that had initially driven her to move to Reborn and become a Gym Leader. And his constant rejection in spite of that - seemingly refusing to acknowledge her existence at all - had caused her a great deal of anguish and self-hatred over the course of her life. Being made to think about him again made Shelly slightly anxious.

 

"You told me that you didn't think you would ever live up to his expectations," Decibel said, their voice even and unreadable. "After how you've come, I'm curious to know… Were you wrong?"

 

"U-um…" Shelly stammered, thinking back. There were a few points over the course of her journey when she had expected, or at least hoped, that he might reach out. The times that she had been in mortal peril - the Yureyu ruin, the glass workstation, the sadistic tournament in Labradorra. The times when she had made a visible contribution to protecting the region - the conflict atop Ametrine Mountain, her recent efforts in keeping the New World anomalies in check. She had hoped that he would be impressed, or worried for her, or show some sign that he remembered that he had a sister. But…

 

"N-no… I guess I wasn't," she sighed. Complete radio silence, every time. Bugsy was once her entire world, and yet it seemed that nothing she did could change the fact that he couldn't care less about her existence.

 

"I suspected as much," Decibel said. "Now, here's a better question. Does it matter?"

 

"Oh," Shelly said, considering it. "Well… No, I guess not. I mean, I think I'll always be sad that I'll never have that kind of connection with my family, but… I have so many other friends now, who do care about me. Including you! So… I didn't even realize it but… I guess I've moved beyond needing him!" Realizing this lifted her spirits a bit.

 

The descending staircase turned sharply to the right. Around the corner, parts of the walls and ceiling were broken, and filled in with clusters of thick vines and roots. There were a few places where they consumed the corridor completely, covering even the stairs Shelly was walking on. She examined one of the vines more closely, revealing it to be plastic, though the detail was quite convincing at first glance. The inspiration for this section was obvious - a recreation of the devastating effects of the PULSE Tangrowths on the Jasper and Beryl Wards.

 

"Good," Decibel responded. "You've been talking a lot about proving yourself to everyone else, showing us how much you've grown. I'm glad you're at least not still judging yourself based on someone who will never return your attention. After all, his lack of acknowledgement has less to do with either of you personally, and more to do with your non-canonicity relative to him."

 

"Non… What?" Shelly asked, having absolutely no idea what that meant.

 

"Eh, don't worry about it," Decibel said quickly. "My point is, I hope you realize that the only person you need to prove yourself to is, well, yourself. Don't measure yourself against anyone's standards but your own."

 

"Well… I guess," Shelly said. "But… I think I still want to at least try to prove myself to all of you guys, too. I've already succeeded by my own standards, so now I want all my friends to see me the way I see myself!"

 

"Fair enough!" Decibel said. "I guess it'd be a bit odd if we were still treating you like a helpless child in need of protection from the world. Well, I'm certainly looking forward to seeing your resolve firsthand!"

 

"Of course!" Shelly said. "You'd better be ready for - U-um."

 

Shelly had reached a new section of the corridor. Countless steel cages lined the walls, piled on top of each other. They varied greatly in size, and most of them were small enough that it was obvious they were intended for Pokemon rather than humans. Even still, the claustrophobic corridor of cages brought back uncomfortable memories for Shelly, reminding her of the time she was held captive by Team Meteor at the old Yureyu building. A few of the bars even displayed splashes of deep red paint. The walls and ceiling appeared even more dilapidated than before, with nothing but dirt beneath the almost-completely-absent black tiles beneath her feet. And the stairs just kept going down.

 

"I've, um, been meaning to ask…" Shelly said, "What exactly was the idea behind this whole entrance corridor? I mean, I'm definitely impressed by the detail, but, um… Did you have to make it so… Um…"

 

"Uncomfortable?" Decibel asked. "Yeah, sorry about that. You're definitely not the first challenger to complain about it. I should probably tone it down a bit - at least get some better lighting in there. But, well, I was so impressed by the Elite Four's personalized chambers when I first came to Charous Hall, I knew I had to design one for myself. And I think this one does a pretty good job of getting my point across."

 

"Huh? You point?" Shelly asked.

 

"Right, I was meaning to get to that," Decibel said. "Shelly… Why do you want to become Champion?"

 

"What?" Shelly was a bit confused. "I mean, you know why, Decibel. I want to prove to you, and to all my friends, that I'm strong enough for them to depend on, the way I've come to depend on all of you. I want to prove that I can make a difference."

 

"Alright, that's certainly why you want to become strong," Decibel said. "And I suppose, by definition, the Champion is the region's strongest Trainer. But is that really all that being Champion means to you? Being the strongest?"

 

"Huh…" As Shelly considered the question, she reached what seemed to finally be the bottom of the staircase. The corridor opened up into a wider chamber, most of which was filled with water. The liquid was a sickly brown, immediately familiar as the color of Azurine Lake at its most polluted. More water was constantly pouring into the room in thin streams from circular openings in the wall. Grimy piles of garbage protruded from beneath the water's surface in a few places. The walls and floor had gone from tile to dark metal, and the only way forward appeared to be thin metal grates over the toxic fluid.

 

"Well… I guess there's more to it than that, isn't there?" she answered as she began making her way across the grates, careful to maintain her balance. "Even as a Gym Leader, I have a responsibility to be a force for good in my community. It's why I let anyone who wants to use my gym as a library! And… I guess, as the Champion, you must have that same responsibility, but for the entire region…"

 

"Exactly," Decibel said. "Look around you, Shelly. This is Reborn City, before I arrived. This is the desolation that Team Meteor created, the scars they left on the city and the lives of all who lived there. Scars that, because of my efforts, were eventually able to heal."

 

"Yeah," Shelly said, "you were already living up to that responsibility long before you became Champion, huh? Pretty much as soon as you got to the region, even."

 

As she said this, she finally stepped onto solid ground at the other end of the room. Ahead of her was one final staircase, leading up a short distance. Even as she left the room behind, she could still hear running water through the walls all around her.

 

"Yes," Decibel said, "and it's that responsibility that I wanted to impart to you. If proving your strength and confidence was all you wanted, you've already done that many times over. But when Adrienn first asked me to become Champion after what happened to Ame, it wasn't just because xe believed I was the region's strongest Trainer. Xe recognized that I was willing to step up and protect Reborn in its greatest time of crisis."

 

At the top of the stairs was another short hallway that initially appeared to lead to a dead end. Shelly quickly noticed what appeared to be a set of metal sliding double-doors on the left wall. As she approached, the doors opened automatically, revealing the replicated interior of a train car. Even in the uncomfortably dim lighting, Shelly still recognized the warm brown tones and soft red cushions that immediately identified it as the traditional model of train used for almost all trips between Reborn and the surrounding regions. Interestingly, unlike the rest of the chamber, nothing within the car appeared damaged or time-worn in any way.

 

Suddenly, another set of doors opened at the far end of the car. Two figures stepped out to greet Shelly. One, of course, was Decibel. They stood about a foot taller than Shelly, clad in a stylish black suit with white highlights. Their white hair fell over their left shoulder in a side ponytail, and their bright blue eyes shone like clear water. Their expression was stoic and difficult to read, and their posture as they strode towards Shelly seemed to betray no signs of weakness or hesitation.

 

The other figure was about half Decibel's height - an Audino, smiling warmly as she entered the room alongside her companion. Shelly immediately recognized her as Ally, Decibel's constant companion throughout their journey. She was carrying a small notepad and pen in her right hand, having taken cues from the Smeargle who worked at the nightclub.

 

"Audi audi!!!" Ally called out in greeting. Seeing the kind and cute Pokemon relieved Shelly's discomfort a bit.

"Good to see you, Ally!" Shelly replied cheerfully. "I guess I'll be seeing you in action today, huh?"

 

"Au…" Ally said, shaking her head apologetically. She held out the open page of her notepad, which already had a message written on in pristine handwriting.

 

"I'm afraid I won't be battling today," it read. "But I'm certainly looking forward to seeing your performance! I'm certain you have what it takes to succeed!"

 

"Oh! Well, thanks! I'll definitely do my best!" Shelly responded, a bit of nervousness trickling into her voice. She was far less confident in her chances at actually claiming Decibel's title.

 

"Heh," Decibel chuckled, faintly smiling at seeing Ally and Shelly interact. "I'm looking forward to it. But before we battle, Shelly, I'd like to know. Are you ready to take on that responsibility? To use your position as Champion to make the region a better place?"

 

"Um… I mean, I guess so???" Shelly said nervously. "To be honest, I hadn't really thought that far ahead. I mean… Let's be honest, I don't actually stand a chance at beating you. I just wanted to push myself to improve, but…"

Decibel looked slightly annoyed. "Really, Shelly? After everything you've done to make it this far, how much you've grown both as a Trainer and a person, you're just going to count yourself out like that? I thought you had moved beyond that kind of self-doubt."

 

"But…" Shelly began, before stopping herself. "...No, you're right. You're right! I don't care if you've never lost a battle before! You'd better believe I'll be the first to defeat you, right here and now!" She still didn't fully believe her own words, but she knew she would need to be confident in her abilities if she wanted to stand a chance against the region's strongest Trainer.

 

"That's the spirit," Decibel agreed, smiling confidently. "Out of all my friends who've challenged me so far… You're the one who I think just might have what it takes to dethrone me."

 

"Au audi!!!!!" Ally cheered affirmatively.

 

Shelly blinked in surprise. "H… Huh? I mean, I appreciate it, but… Out of all our friends, me? Why?"

 

"Heh. Actually, that's a bit of a long-" Decibel began, before their expression suddenly shifted to surprise. "Um."

 

Shelly was confused at first… But then she felt a cold presence behind her. She slowly turned her head, and flinched in surprise when she saw the dark figure who had silently appeared directly behind her. She quickly recognized Shade's pitch-black coat and hat, and the featureless void occupying the space where their body should have been. By the time she registered who it was, though, Shade was already fading back away into nothingness, and within less than a second, he was gone.

 

"W-what?" she stammered. "W-why was he…?"

 

"Well, I guess we have taken long enough to get here," Decibel said nonchalantly. Had they been expecting him to show up? They grabbed hold of one of the metal bars along the train car's ceiling, and smirked. "Shelly? I strongly advise you to hold onto something."

 

"H-huh?" Shelly asked, though she did as Decibel suggested, grabbing hold of the bar nearest to her.

And that was when the train car broke in half.

 

A burst of chaotic movement suddenly rocked through Shelly's surroundings. In an instant, her body was forcefully flung in the direction of the car's right wall. Her arm snapped taut between the bar and her torso, flashing with pain for a brief moment, and her grip on the bar was almost dislodged. Thinking quickly, she grabbed hold of the bar with her other arm as well, stabilizing her and allowing her to ride out the next few seconds of unpredictable motion. The car swung violently up and down and left to right, though it seemed to be moving backwards at a constant rate. Shelly was also faintly aware of her surroundings becoming slightly brighter.

 

After ten seconds or so, the jerky movement slowed to a halt. Shelly exhaled the breath she had been unconsciously holding, and released her grip on the bar. Her heart was still racing as she looked out ahead of her. The other half of the train car had completely disconnected, with a break that appeared  jagged and chaotic, but that Shelly knew must have been cut beforehand. Decibel and Ally's half of the car was now about thirty feet away, and the Champion gazed resolutely back at Shelly from the other end.

 

Between the two cars was a massive pool of the same polluted water from the room prior. Waves of sickly brown lapped at various jagged rocks and stray pieces of metal within the pool, and the liquid appeared somewhat viscous as it lingered on the debris for longer than it should have after each wave. Ringing the pool were the facades of dilapidated skyscrapers, in Reborn City's distinct architectural style, seemingly stretching hundreds of feet into the air until they terminated in a small ring of dimly-lit, smog-covered sky. Whether they were really that tall or it was just an optical illusion, looking at the false buildings rising above her made Shelly feel incredibly small. Many of the windows on the facades were broken, and from a few of them, yet more toxic water cascaded down from on high.

Shelly looked down at the pool once more, and spotted a few spaces that were visibly darker than the rest, forming an immediately recognizable pattern. A rectangle stretching between the two halves of the train car, bisected by a line, with a Pokeball design in the center.

 

"This is how we arrived in Reborn, Shelly!" Decibel called out from across the murkwater arena. "In a violent train crash that, by all rights, we should never have survived! And from the moment Ally and I set foot within the city, we were assaulted on all sides by the forces that sought its ruin! Every step we took from that point onward was a challenge! A challenge we rose to meet, as we marched onward and fought back the forces that threatened the region!"

 

They grabbed a single Pokeball from the bright blue belt around their waist.

 

"You think you can claim our title, Shelly Citra!? After everything my Pokemon and I have been through together, every odd stacked against us that we've beaten, you still believe you and your Pokemon are stronger!? That you're better suited to lead Reborn to a brighter future!? Then prove it!! Go, Medea!"

 

Decibel flung their Pokeball forth, and Shelly watched it burst in midair. Emerging from it was a large, amorphous shape of shifting green, pink, and yellow. The Alolan Muk let out an intimidating cry, her crystalized poison teeth faintly glistening in the dim, smog-filtered light.

 

"Aud-aud-audi!!!" Ally cried encouragingly from one of the cushioned seats on Decibel's side of the train. She held her notepad above her head, having written "Good luck!!!" in large letters across the page.

 

"I…" Shelly hesitated, paralyzed with apprehension now that the long-awaited battle was finally in front of her. After all her talk, could she actually believe that she stood a chance here?

 

But it was only for a moment that she hesitated. There was no turning back. Even if she lost, she would learn from it and grow, like she always had against Decibel. And if there was a chance she could win, however small? Then she owed it to herself to take it.

 

"I… I will!" Shelly shouted. "Now that I've finally made it… You, my brother, and everyone else… I'm gonna prove how strong I can be now! Anna, let's go!"

 

She tossed her own Pokeball, and the battle truly began.

 

Out of the ball emerged Anna, Shelly's Ribombee. Her fluttering translucent wings just barely held her aloft above the tumultuous corrosive water below. The Focus Sash around her neck waved behind her, its rapid movements in the air making it appear to flicker like a flame. She briefly glanced behind her, giving her Trainer a confident smile. Shelly's team had fought their way through the Elite Four already; they knew exactly what was at stake, and it appeared they were behind her all the way.

 

Anna was, of course, named after one of Shelly's most important friends. It was Anna, with her vision into the beyond, who had seen the multitude of invisible strings around Shelly, and who had convinced her that there were people who cared about her. Anna and the other kids from the orphanage were some of Shelly's first real friends in Reborn, and despite the dangerous circumstances, the time she spent on the run with them was something she would treasure forever. When Anna had made her wish to stop Lin, and succumbed to Dreamsickness as a result, almost everyone had forgotten her - Shelly included. But the Ribombee she named after her helped her remember, and hold onto the connection they shared. And it was that connection - and her connections with all her friends - that Shelly drew her strength from. 

 

"Medea, Gunk Shot!" Decibel shouted. "Aim high!"

 

Medea closed her mouth, and her amorphous form began to ripple and bulge. The water around her seemed to become deeper brown - it seemed as though she was drawing in pollutants from her surroundings to empower her attack.

 

"Anna, dodge!" Shelly said. A split-second later, a massive blob of grime, sludge, and white toxic crystals was expelled from Medea's mouth, hurtling in Anna's direction. Anna quickly fluttered downward in an attempt to avoid the blast… Only to find herself far closer than she'd like to the toxic water. She arced upward just as a wave of putrid brown crashed in the spot where she'd just been, only barely avoiding both the water and the Gunk Shot.

"Keep the pressure on her! Remember to lead your shots!" Decibel coached their Pokemon. Medea began to quickly ready another Gunk Shot, and Anna continued to quickly swoop through the air, hoping to make herself as difficult a target as possible.

 

Shelly surveyed the battlefield, trying to think her way out of this situation. With her type advantage and strong special bulk, Medea would be almost impossible for Anna to defeat on her own. And the murkwater was already proving to be quite the dangerous obstacle. Anna could fly above it, if only barely, but most of Shelly's team didn't have that luxury. She had a few Steel-types who could resist its corrosive effects, but even they would be slowed down considerably by the water resistance. Decibel had obviously built their team to take advantage of the field, meaning they'd likely have no such difficulty moving about the pool. So, if she wanted to win, she'd have to find some way to overcome that speed issue. Of course, there was a reason she had led with Anna… But was that strategy still possible on this field?

 

She glanced around Decibel's side of the arena, making note of a few things that she might be able to use. The rocks and bits of debris poking out of the water, and maybe even the sides of the train car… It wasn't ideal, but it was probably her only shot.

 

"Anna, see all the debris?" she shouted. "Use it to set up a web!"

 

Anna nodded, and held her arms out by her sides. Spheres of lime-green magic formed above her tiny, ovaloid hands - less like an insect spinning silk, and more like a fairy casting a spell, though the effect would be much the same.

 

"Don't give her the chance!" Decibel barked. Medea let loose another Gunk Shot, which Anna had to suddenly slow her momentum in order to avoid. Anna quickly recovered and flung her hand in the direction of one of the protruding rocks, and a strand of gossamer silk shot forth from the magic orb, anchoring itself to the stone. She flew circles around Medea, who had already begun preparing another attack, and flung dozens more silken strands onto rocks, debris, and even the building facades on the far edges of the pool. Within seconds, Decibel's side of the field was almost completely covered by a massive Sticky Web suspended just above the water. Faint bands of lime-colored light danced across the strands - a lingering bit of magic that would re-form parts of the web when they were torn, ensuring it would remain in place for the entire battle.

 

Just as she was putting the finishing touches on the web, though, Medea finally managed to connect an attack. The high-velocity ball of gunk slammed directly into Anna's frail body, and she cried out in pain as it knocked her out of the sky. Her Focus Sash briefly flashed bright red before slowly crumbling to dust around her, having saved her from being completely incapacitated by the impact. However, the item's effect ended up accomplishing very little, as she was immediately sent careening into the murkwater below, sinking beneath the grime with a resounding splash. Her tiny form rose to the surface but a second later, face up and completely unmoving.

 

"Sorry!" Shelly said, holding up Anna's Pokeball. "You did well, though! Return!" The Ribombee was absorbed into the ball's light and recalled.

 

"Not a bad strategy," Decibel said, examining the Sticky Web. "But you'll need more than speed control to defeat us, especially given that you're already down a Pokemon. Now, what's next?"

 

Shelly considered her options. Medea's oozing mouth had twisted into a grin after her successful KO, and she was looking at Shelly expectantly, as though waiting for her to bring out the next victim. As a Poison/Dark type, Alolan Muk was ordinarily only weak to Ground. But Ground moves were nearly impossible to use on the water's surface, meaning that she effectively had no type weaknesses at all - an excellent choice for this field, to be sure. That didn't mean she couldn't be countered, however - a Steel-type would be immune to her powerful Gunk Shots, and might be able to whittle her down. Muk had much higher special defense than physical, meaning the best choice would be…

 

"Alright! Go, Titania!"

 

Out of her next Pokeball emerged an imposing insectoid Pokemon with an exoskeleton of bright red metal. She had a vespine body plan, but sported a pair of crustacean-like claws, with false eyespots making them appear like extra heads. She sunk into the murkwater down to her waist, but her metal plating warded off the corrosive effect, and she let out a battle-ready cry.

 

Titania was a relatively recent friend of Shelly's, with the two of them only really spending time together after Team Meteor's defeat. Though Shelly had been afraid to approach the blunt, intimidating Steel leader at first, they had ended up hitting it off better than either of them had expected, bonding over their shared love of literature. Titania had taken it upon herself to take Shelly under her wing and teach her to be more assertive. While her tough-love approach wasn't always what Shelly wanted, it had certainly helped, and Titania's encouragement was a major factor in her decision to challenge the league. So far, Shelly's Scizor had been no less stalwart and unflinching in the face of peril than her namesake, and had carried Shelly through more than a few challenging battles.

 

Seeing Titania enter the arena, Decibel looked contemplative for a moment. "....Tch. Medea, return." Medea looked slightly disappointed as she retreated back into the Pokeball.

 

"Titania, get ready to Bug Bite whatever comes out next!" Shelly called out. Readying herself, Titania held her right claw wide open, the edges of which began to glow lime-green and morph into a more jagged, mandible-like shape. Scizor may not have a large, powerful mouth to bite with, but the "mouths" of her two false heads worked just as well for the purposes of the attack.

 

"Acrux, brace yourself!" Decibel shouted as they threw their Pokeball. Out of it burst a large, hulking frame of silvery blue metal, with four massive clawed arms, connected to a central body marked with a silver "X" shape, and gleaming red rings for eyes. The Metagross sank into the murkwater, their arms tangling into the threads of the Sticky Web around them, just as Titania rushed forward through the grime with her biting claw at the ready.

 

Heeding Decibel's warning, Acrux quickly tore one of their front arms free from the web and held it protectively in front of their face. Titania's claw rapidly snapped shut on the arm, the jagged magic-formed edges piercing through their thick metal plating. As she did so, there was a brief flash of purple from somewhere within her other claw - her Life Orb activating to empower the attack at the cost of a small amount of her vitality. Acrux roared in pain, but quickly shook off Titania's claw and flung her away. She landed about ten feet off, within her teammate's web, and quickly positioned herself to move within its strands, as she had been trained to do.

 

Shelly could see slightly-glowing bite marks on Acrux's arm. The attack hadn't done much damage to their metallic exterior, but the Bug-type energy seemed to have done a fair amount of internal damage. A few more solid hits might be all she needed!

 

"Don't let up, Titania! Another Bug Bite!" The Scizor's claw began to glow once more, and she lunged forward, deftly navigating the Sticky Web's strands. 

 

"We won't fall so easily!" Decibel shouted, holding up their right arm. Around their wrist was a black band with two different powerful crystals on each end - a coveted Mega-Z Ring. They raised their left hand up to the ring and pressed down on its Key Stone with two fingers. A deep purple light began to emerge from the stone, as well as from Acrux's body. There was a bright flash of white as they harnessed the power of Mega Evolution.

 

Titania lept towards her transforming target, only to be caught in midair by an enormous metallic claw. Acrux's new form was massive, with four thick, powerful arms in front and four more smaller ones in the back. The X-shape on their body was now made of solid gold, and their expression was even more monstrous.

 

Unfazed even by being seized by her opponent, Titania let out a war cry as she unleashed her Bug Bite on the arm grasping her. Acrux grunted in discomfort, but was obviously far less affected than they had been by the first attack.

Decibel's expression tightened with resolve. "Now, Thunderpunch. Into the murk with her."

 

Another of Acrux's claws began to crackle with electricity. They tossed Titania into the air, then rapidly struck downward, a massive heavy column of electrically-charged metal slamming into her and plunging her into water below. There was a resounding crack as she was crushed against a submerged portion of one of the piles of debris. Shelly involuntarily flinched, feeling the heavy impact secondhand. Jagged yellow bolts arced all around the water, no doubt exacerbating Titania's pain.

 

"Bullet Punch," Decibel quickly ordered. "Finish her before she can move."

 

All four of Acrux's front claws briefly flashed with a silvery light. Then, moving far faster than their bulky frame would suggest was possible, they unleashed a series of rapid punches onto the location where Titania had submerged. Just one punch from a Mega Metagross's enormous claws could easily inflict debilitating injury on any human, and Titania was being forced to endure dozens of them in rapid succession.

 

"Titania!" Shelly called out in concern. Obviously, it was inevitable that Pokemon would be hurt over the course of any battle, but Decibel's battle style thus far had seemed particularly ruthless. Even Ally was looking down at Titania's location with concern. Even the field Decibel had chosen, murkwater, was one that was actively painful for most Pokemon to even stand in. And yet, their expression remained resolute, showing no signs or remorse. Shelly recalled seeing that same expression in Blake's apartment in Ametrine. She had begged them with tears in her eyes to give up the Ruby Ring if it meant saving Heather's life, but they had refused to even entertain the idea. Heather turned out fine in the end, but Decibel had still demonstrated that they were willing to risk letting her die if it meant keeping Team Meteor from achieving their destructive goals. They were a good, caring friend under most circumstances, but Shelly occasionally received uncomfortable reminders like this of their ruthless dedication to success at all costs.

 

The onslaught of Bullet Punches had ended. Acrux backed away from the spot where Titania had fallen. Seconds passed. There was no movement within the murk.

 

"Hmph," Decibel scoffed. "And that's two Pokemon down already. I had really hoped you'd put up more of-"

"Sciiiiiiz!!!" a cry pierced through the arena. Suddenly, Titania burst forth from the water in a massive splash of brown, lunging straight for Acrux's torso. Acrux was too startled to react in time as both of her claws opened, shining with green energy, and clamped down hard on the X-shape on their face. They roared and writhed in pain as the soft golden material bent under the powerful force of her attack.

 

After a few seconds, the Metagross slumped over, their arms coming to a rest within the murk as their eyes closed. Titania released her grip and stumbled backwards. Shelly could see scorch marks from the electricity all across her exoskeleton, as well as a few concave sections from the force of the punches. She was clearly in great pain, but she was still standing, and Acrux was not.

 

Shelly broke into a grin "You were saying!? You'd better not underestimate us again!"

 

Decibel smirked as they recalled Acrux. "Noted. It seems you'll be putting up a fight after all." They plucked another ball from their belt and tossed it into the fray. "Spamton, you're up!"

 

Emerging from the ball was an orange, rectangular shape surrounded by an aura of blue plasma. A circular blue hatch was embedded in the center of their body, above which was a mischievous smiling face with oval-shaped blue eyes. The Rotom chaotically vibrated in place just above the Sticky Web, bypassing its entangling effect. She would have to keep in mind that they would likely outspeed many of her Pokemon. It was clear that Titania couldn't take another hit… So she would have to get in one final attack while she still could.

 

"Titania, use your own Bullet Punch!" she called. "Stay strong just a little longer!" Titania nodded resolutely, and clamped both of her claws shut as silvery Steel-type magic flashed through them. In an instant, she buzzed through the air and appeared directly in front of Spamton, her atrophied wings just barely holding her in the air long enough to unleash a lightning-fast barrage of strikes. She ended the combo with a jab towards the center of their washing-machine body, leaving a small crack on the door. They briefly hovered backwards, dazed from the impact, as Titania's legs found purchase on the Sticky Web's strands. She immediately grasped her side in pain, and the faint purple glow from her right claw reminded Shelly that her Life Orb was rapidly draining her already-nearly-depleted health.

 

"Finish her," Decibel said simply. Spamton smiled as they clamped onto Titania's thorax with their clothespin-shaped plasma protrusion. Suddenly, there was a low rumble far above. Shelly turned her gaze upward and saw arcing bolts of yellow within the smog-covered circle of sky. In a flash, one of those bolts rapidly traveled downward, attracted to the orange spike on Spamton's head. A bright flash of light filled the arena, followed by a shower of sparks, as the full force of the Thunder attack surged through Titania's body. She went stiff for a moment, then collapsed backwards out of Spamton's grasp, gently splashing into the murkwater. Spamton giggled mischievously.

 

"Great job, Titania!" Shelly said nervously as she recalled her. "Though, um, Spamton, I don't think you needed to hit her quite so hard… She was already pretty hurt…"

 

"Sorry about that," read the open page on Ally's notebook. She smiled apologetically as she held it up. Spamton emitted a low, melancholic hum as they looked down sheepishly.

 

"She'll be fine once you get her back to a healing machine," Decibel said in a neutral tone. "Now, think the rest of your team can handle Spamton's power?"

 

"Hm…" Shelly thought for a moment. It was true that not many of her remaining team members would be able to take a Thunder attack like that, especially with the conductive murkwater amplifying its damage. That final Bullet Punch had weakened them a bit - it might be possible to finish them off with one more strong hit. Unfortunately, with the murkwater slowing her team down, and Spamton unaffected by the web, it was doubtful whether she would be able to hit them before they hit her. Wash-form Rotom was only weak to Grass attacks, which unfortunately, none of her current team members possessed. Her best bet would be a powerful same-typed move. And the team member who would be best able to use such a move, while also standing a chance at outspeeding Spamton even through the murkwater, would be…

 

"Got it! Go, Serra!"

 

Out of Shelly's next Pokeball emerged the slender frame of a beautiful extradimensional cockroach. They had thin, white limbs connected to a torso lined with conical frills, delicate elongated antennae, and fused, membranous wings in place of hair. They let out an uncomfortable cty as they perched themself on one of the protruding rocks, evidently disgusted by the polluted water that they were about to be fighting in.

 

"Sorry, but I really need your help here!" Shelly said. "Quick, hit them with a High Jump Kick!"

 

Serra furrowed their gold-encrusted brow in annoyance, but still nodded in agreement. Seeking to maximize their jump height, they first leapt up onto the roof of the train car, prepared to spring towards her target.

 

Serra, Reborn's Ice leader, was another more recently-formed friendship, though they'd grown quite close even in that limited time. They'd first met when Serra rescued her from being consumed by a black hole within one of Team Meteor's bases. After that, she had acted caring and protective toward Shelly - she'd later admitted that she wanted to make up for the mistakes she made in caring for her own son, Bennett. After living on her own in another region for the past few years, Shelly appreciated having someone like Serra care for her like that. And she certainly appreciated Serra supporting her when she took on Lin and the rest of Team Meteor during the raid on Labradorra.

 

The Pheremosa leapt upward several dozen feet, performed a graceful midair twirl, then began a rapid descent towards Spamton, the sharp golden tip of her foot outstretched. Decibel, however, wasn't about to let Spamton go down so easily.

 

"Return!" they called out, using one hand to recall them and the other to immediately ready a new Pokeball. "Mortasheen, block it!"

 

Directly into the path of Serra's kick appeared a deep-blue dome covered in toxic barbs. The Toxapex's twelve arms thrashed in surprise upon landing in the Sticky Web, but he quickly regained composure and braced himself for the incoming attack. An instant later, Serra reached their new target, but the kick bounced harmlessly off of Mortasheen's bunker-like exterior, thankfully landing between his venomous spines. Having expected far less resistance, Serra flailed backwards through the air, landing in the toxic water and crying out in equal parts pain and disgust.

 

Mortasheen lifted his two front arms, revealing the luminous yellow eyes and jagged, toothy grin on his main body, tiny in comparison to his arms. His grin widened even further as he held up a small object he had clasped in one of the arms. Shelly squinted to make out what it was, and quickly recognized the small white-and-pink sphere as a variety of Elemental Seed. He tossed it downward toward the murkwater, where it immediately burst into a flash of bright pink. Reacting to the seed, polluted water surged upward and enveloped Mortasheen, its toxins nourishing his poisonous body. The part of the Sticky Web he was caught in rapidly corroded away, and he splashed down safely into the water.

 

"Toxic," Decibel ordered.

 

Before Serra or her Trainer could react, Mortasheen thrust one of his arms forward into the water, and a stream of even darker fluid shot towards his opponent. Serra cried out as the venom spread upward through their hemolymph, visibly darkening their white body. Shelly winced sympathetically - between the poison in her system and the corrosive water around her, it seemed like Serra would be quickly worn down by residual damage.

 

But this was no time to give up. "Stay strong!" Shelly encouraged. "Use Throat Chop! Try to find a weak spot in his defenses!" Serra, shuddering in pain, nodded back to her, prepared to fight to the end for their Trainer. They rushed towards Mortasheen as fast as the viscous water would allow, a black aura beginning to gather around their delicate clawed hands.

 

"Block their strikes! Stall them out!" Decibel shouted. Mortasheen's arms once again completely covered his fragile inner body, and his spines seemed to grow even longer and sharper. Serra wasted no time in unleashing several Throat Chops on various points throughout his bunker, aiming for the thin gaps between his arms. The aura of Dark-type magic strengthened their blows, spreading through the area around the impact and leaving dark bruises behind. Even still, Mortasheen barely seemed to feel the impact, his impregnable defense still holding strong. The toxic Aqua Ring surrounding him was gradually healing his wounds, fortifying him even further. And Serra was rapidly looking worse for wear, their body growing darker by the moment.

 

But then Serra did something that Mortasheen wasn't expecting. Pushing down on top of his bunker, just between his topmost layers of spines, they performed a graceful frontflip over him. He shifted his arms in confusion, his bunker blocking his view of what exactly they were doing. And Serra was ready to take advantage of that confusion, igniting a Dark-type aura around one of her feet and swinging downward from midair. Mortasheen was slammed down beneath the water, his bunker momentarily collapsing from the impact. Serra attempted another quick strike with her other leg, but they couldn't aim well enough within the murky pool, and he deflected her blow before restoring his prior defensive position. Still, that surprise attack seemed to have done quite a fair amount of damage.

 

"Keep that up!" Shelly said optimistically. "He can't block your attacks forever!"

 

"No, I suppose he can't," Decibel admitted. "Fine then. They're weakened enough; end this with a Venoshock!"

A pink glow began to build at the tips of Mortasheen's arms nearest to Serra. They attempted to get in one last strike, but his Aqua Ring almost seemed to enhance and quicken his movements, and he unleashed his attack first. He thrust two of his arms upward, and two curved lines of Poison-type magic arced around Serra, surrounding her. When Mortasheen thrust the arms down and out, the magic surged upward, seizing direct control of the toxins both in the surrounding water and within Serra's body. Spikes of brown sludge erupted all around them, and dark fluid arced throughout their hemolymph as they cried out and convulsed in pain. Then the sludge fell back into the water, and Serra collapsed backwards into it, no longer moving.

 

"Return!" Shelly said as she recalled them. "Sorry for putting you through that!" Mortasheen raised his front arms once more, a soft cackle emerging from his toothy maw as the Aqua Ring continued to gradually undo Serra's hard work. But Shelly already knew exactly how she was going to wipe that grin off his face.

 

Toxapex was a highly defense-oriented Pokemon, almost always dedicating most of its moveslots to status moves. That meant it was unlikely that Mortasheen had any type coverage beyond just Poison and Water, if that. Even if he knew Scald or something similar, she knew the murkwater would transmute it into a partial Poison typing. As impenetrable as his defense may have been, he was completely useless against any Steel-type adversary. And unfortunately for him, Titania wasn't the only Steel-type Shelly had brought with her into Charous Hall.

 

"Your turn, Saphira!"

 

A sleek metal-plated form emerged from Shelly's next ball, sinking up to their thorax in the murkwater. Their glass-covered red eyes, reminiscent of the headlights of a car, glowed menacingly in the dim light. The enormous energy cannon attached to their back hummed ominously, ready to fire off at a moment's notice. The Genesect shot a grin back at Shelly, clearly ready to wreak some havoc.

 

Shelly and the titular Dragon leader weren't too close of friends, but Saphira had still been an integral part of Shelly's journey. When they had met in Tanzan Cove, Saphira had barely even acknowledged Shelly's existence, not even bothering to learn her name. Yet Shelly had still admired her from afar, particularly her unwavering determination to protect those closest to her. Shelly decided that she wanted her friends to be able to rely on her the same way - one of the many precipitating factors in her overcoming her passivity and self-doubt. When they met again at Labradorra, Shelly had demanded Saphira remember her properly, to which she acquiesced. Even if she could never get her brother to do the same, earning Saphira's respect had been an encouraging sign of how far she'd come. And when Shelly had helped defend the city from a swarm of Genesect after the New World anomalies first began to appear, she decided there was no more fitting namesake for the one and only Bug-type Legendary than the unstoppable force herself.

 

As soon as Saphira entered the field, Shelly's eyes flicked over to Decibel. Sure enough, they were already grabbing a new Pokeball from their belt. As she had suspected, Mortasheen had no way of harming Saphira, so they were getting ready for yet another substitution. She was down three Pokemon while they had only lost one - if she wanted to turn the battle in her favor, she needed to make this attack count. Psychic would no doubt be Saphira's strongest attack against Mortasheen, but would it be against whoever Decibel switched in? Probably not - though it was hard to judge what would be her safest attack option, especially given that they still had two Pokemon Shelly hadn't seen yet. Given so many unknowns, she decided to simply go for the strongest same-type move Saphira had at their disposal.

 

"Mortasheen, return!"

 

"Saphira, get a Flash Cannon ready!"

 

A robotic laugh exited Saphira's mouth as they leaned forward. Thin strands of silver light raced across the length of their cannon, concentrating into a radiant orb at the tip. The Life Orb inserted into the back of the cannon emitted a faint violet glow. Mortasheen disappeared into their Pokeball, and Decibel tossed out a new one - a familiar one.

"Medea, get ready to deflect!"

 

The Alolan Muk emerged once more, landing on the Sticky Web and slowly beginning to ooze through the gaps between its strands. The instant she materialized, Saphira unleashed their Flash Cannon, a massive beam of silver light piercing through the air towards her. It impacted in the center of her forehead, beams of light scattering off of her in every direction as she reeled back. But, when the light cleared, Medea barely seemed fazed, the crater from the impact already filling back in with colorful grime. Shelly was startled and disappointed by this - even with special defense as high as Muk's, shouldn't a blast like that from a Legendary like Saphira have done more damage?

 

Then, just before the impact crater on Medea's brow fully disappeared, Shelly caught a flash of something deep red within. Something made of plastic? Shelly thought for a moment before recognizing where she'd seen the material before. It was the thick, magic-resistant synthetic material utilized in Assault Vests. It seemed that rather than visibly wearing a vest, Medea had one suspended within her fluid body, so that she could reposition it to block attacks as needed. In that case, Saphira might have more difficulty against her than Shelly had anticipated… But, being immune to her powerful Gunk Shots, Saphira shouldn't take too much damage from Medea's attacks either. Neither of Shelly's other two remaining partners could safely switch in on Medea - she would just have to hope that Saphira could whittle her health down faster than she could whittle theirs.

 

"Keep blasting!" Shelly commanded. "And look out for something red and plastic - she's using it to block you!" Saphira nodded, and their synthetic eyes seemed to focus before they began charging another Flash Cannon.

 

"Oh? Well spotted," Decibel complimented her. "But I'm afraid it won't keep Saphira standing much longer. Medea, you already know what to do."

 

Medea roared in acknowledgement, and began slowly making her way forward, struggling to get the more solid parts of her body through the web. Both the web and the water were slowing her down, but Shelly definitely didn't want to find out why Decibel was so confident she'd be able to win. Neither did Saphira, as they fired off another silvery blast into Medea's right side. Yet again, the blast scattered off with minimal impact, and once again, the Assault Vest material appeared at the point of impact. Saphira tilted their head and let out a brief chuckle. Shelly heard something reconfigure within the interior of their cannon. Medea was now halfway across the arena, having fully made it through the web and currently oozing through the murk towards her target.

 

Suddenly, Saphira loosed a rapid volley of short, concentrated bursts from their cannon. About a dozen bolts of silver light impacted Medea's body at different points. She was able to block a few of them with the vest, but most of them passed all the way through her, leaving small holes in the sludge as she recoiled and howled in pain. One of the blasts hit directly in the center of Medea's right hand, which immediately lost cohesion, splattering into inert sludge and leaving the arm an oozing stump. Medea cried out, then glared at Saphira with burning fury in her eyes. Shelly would've felt awful about her Pokemon inflicting such an injury, were she not aware that Muk were able to regenerate their amorphous bodies with relative ease.

 

"Submerge!" Decibel shouted. "They can't aim well through the murk!"

 

Medea heeded their words, flattening her body and sinking beneath the toxic water, becoming little more than a slightly darker patch of grime. As she swam ever-closer, her form rippling beneath the waves, Saphira charged up another volley and began firing. As Decibel had predicted, though, only a few of their shots were able to find purchase within the opaque liquid, and Medea didn't seem to slow down at all. Her dark shape flowed around Saphira, and she surfaced behind them in a mighty burst of water. Shelly took a few steps back into the train car, worried she would be splashed by stray drops of acid. Medea's hand had already regenerated from absorbing sludge from the pool, and she raised it high above her head… Where it ignited, swirling with bright red-orange flame.

 

Oh. She knew Fire Punch. Well then.

 

Shelly looked on in resignation, knowing there was nothing she could do as Medea's burning fist swung down and slammed into the back of Saphira's cannon. Violet metal glowed white-hot and crumpled beneath the fist's impact, the cannon tilting to the side as the punch knocked it out of alignment. Warning sirens from within Saphira's cybernetic armor blared, announcing their defeat as they crumpled into the water. Shelly was able to make out another unfortunate sound as well - the sound of an insect's exoskeleton cracking, as it seems the punch was strong enough to cause internal damage even through the armor.

 

"R-return!" Shelly said, recalling yet another defeated team member. She had almost started to feel confident in her abilities after taking down Acrux, but she was already down to her last two Pokemon. The Champion, meanwhile, had only lost a single one. By substituting their Pokemon at critical moments, they had been able to counter everything Shelly threw at them with minimal difficulty. There was one of Shelly's remaining Pokemon who could probably finish off Medea relatively easily… But even if she sent him out, Decibel would just switch Pokemon again, wouldn't they? She had been right before - even if she was strong enough to overcome the Elite Four, Decibel was on a completely different level in terms of skill. She wasn't anywhere near good enough to stand a chance against them. She lowered her head in resignation, still clutching Saphira's ball.

 

"What, already admitting defeat?" Decibel called out to her. "Hmph. I expected more from you. Were you right about yourself, then, back when I first met you? Are you simply too weak and useless for anyone to waste their time with you?"

 

"W-well… No! Of course not!" Shelly cried. She could tell Decibel was trying to encourage her, in their own way, but their intensity was making her rather uncomfortable. "But that doesn't mean I'm strong enough to beat you! Nobody is!"

 

"Maybe so," Decibel said. "But then again, for a very long time, nobody was strong enough to beat Lin, either. Nobody should have been strong enough to overcome half the challenges I have over the course of my journey. And I certainly didn't get this far by giving up and walking away when things looked bleak."

 

"I… But…"

 

Before she could finish her thought, Shelly's attention was caught by a new message that Ally was holding up on her notepad. It was difficult to read from across the arena, but Shelly could still barely make it out.

 

"I know the Pokemon who have brought you this far are still behind you!" it read. "If you can't believe in yourself, then believe in your friends!!"

 

Shelly paused, thinking of those friends. Her team had gone through so much effort and pain to get her to this point. If she gave up now, all that effort would have been for nothing - they'd be disappointed to no end. But even more than them, she thought of all the human friends who had encouraged her along the way. Every Leader she had defeated over the course of her recent League challenge had given her high praise and words of encouragement, especially those closest to her. When Heather lost to her just four battles prior, she had been adamant that Shelly go all the way this time.

 

"If you're good enough to go from one of the lowest-ranked Leaders out there to being strong enough to take down me, then there's obviously nothing you can't do! So don't let that Bennett creep think for a second he's a better Bug trainer than you! Kick his butt, and then kick Decibel's butt! Trust me, Shell Bell, if there's anyone who stands a chance against someone like them, it's gotta be you!"

 

Of course, Heather was Shelly's best friend, so of course she would have kind words for her. But even so, Shelly couldn't just let her down by giving up, could she? And every friend she had made throughout her journey, every invisible string she had tied… She couldn't just let their belief in her be wasted. Even if she did end up losing, she owed it to them to see this challenge through to the end.

 

"...Right. Right!" Shelly said, her confidence renewed. "If we didn't attempt the impossible, how would we ever know our true limits!? My friends' belief in me can carry me further than this!!"

 

"Perhaps it can," Decibel said, a faint smile forming on their lips. "But it's still up to you to prove that. Now, are you sending in your next Pokemon, or not!?"

 

"You'd better believe I am!" Shelly exclaimed. She picked out her penultimate Pokeball, containing her only remaining team member who could threaten Medea. The Muk had known Fire Punch all along, yet Decibel had still switched her out against Titania… Meaning that she must be highly vulnerable to physical attacks. So, Shelly's best hope against her was the strongest physical attacker she had. She had taken a while to think of a nickname for him, but she had settled on one recently before the challenge. He was really more of Decibel's friend than he was hers, but he had nonetheless always been kind and encouraging to her on the occasions they'd spoken. And he and the Pokemon shared at least a few important things in common - a love of high places, a certain fire behind their eyes.

Shelly tossed the ball straight up. "Taka, get ready to fly!"

 

The ball burst open about twenty feet above the pool, and out of it popped a squat, brown-carapaced Pokemon with massive mandible-like horns atop his head. A war cry exited his elongated sideways mouth as he began to plummet towards the field. Of course, Shelly wasn't just going to let him fall. She grabbed hold of the Mega-Z Ring around her right wrist, focusing her will into the Key Stone embedded therein. The stone responded to her desire, emitting a bright violet glow just as Decibel's had earlier. The Pinsirite clutched in Taka's claw reacted, enveloping him in a sphere of radiant white. About five feet before he hit the water, he burst out of the sphere transformed, sporting even spikier horns, intense golden eyes, legs with elongated claws pointed straight forward, and orange-bladed elytra that opened up to reveal translucent yellow wings. Those wings fluttered rapidly, creating ripples in the water below as they slowed Taka's descent to a halt. His mandible-horns clicked together as he hovered above the pool, ready to tear his foes to shreds.

 

"They're probably about to switch Pokemon, so get ready to hit whatever comes out with a Return!" Shelly advised him. In response, Taka began to spiral upwards, gaining height so that he could swoop down at maximum velocity.

"That predictable, am I?" Decibel mused. "Though I don't have many other options at the moment. Alright, Medea, get back! Mortasheen, incoming!"

 

Medea was recalled, the red light from her Pokeball shooting across the arena to bring her back to Decibel's side. The Toxapex took her place, once again landing within the Sticky Web's entangling threads. Many of his wounds from his encounter with Serra had faded - the healing effect of his powerful Regenerator ability. However, this time around, he lacked the Elemental Seed he had used to escape the web earlier, and was struggling to make his way down to the water.

 

As Taka reached the apex of his flight, gears turned in Shelly's head. One of the reasons Serra had had such a difficult time against him was his defensive position within the murkwater. It was difficult for most Pokemon to aim their attacks through thick pollutants, and the upper parts of Toxapex's bunker were near-impossible to break through. His inner body was still vulnerable, though, and with him suspended in the web like this…

 

"Arc upward when you strike! Flip him over!" Shelly shouted up at Taka.

 

"What!?" Decibel shouted in alarm. "Quick, get into the water-"

 

But Mortasheen had no time to take up a more defensible position. Taka descended with blistering speed, crossing the length of the arena in less than a second. A powerful wind whipped around his legs, the attack's Aerilate boost propelling him forward even faster. Shelly felt a comforting tug at something deep within her soul - Taka drawing power directly from the strength of their bond. Before Mortasheen could even protrude his spines, Taka's spiked legs had already pierced into his arms, thrusting him upward. Taka quickly released his grip as he flew back up, letting the momentum of the strike carry Mortasheen onto their back. Their arms flailed uselessly within the web as their  upside-down main body cried out in desperation.

 

"Tch, flip back and use Recover-"

 

"Don't give him the chance! Another Return!"

 

Deftly navigating between the Sticky Web's strands, Taka looped back around and descended for another strike, this time slamming down directly onto the center of Mortasheen's body. All of his momentum transferred into Mortasheen, launching him straight through the web and crashing down into the murk as a wave of powerful wind pulsed out from the point of impact. A second later, Mortasheen floated back up to the surface, his twelve arms limp.

 

"Clever," Decibel said, smirking as they recalled Mortasheen. "Let's see how long you can keep that up, though." They thumbed through their remaining Pokeballs, evidently contemplating who to send in next. Shelly was worried about what their next choice would be - for as strong as Taka was, Flying attacks were all he could use on this field, so it would be easy for the right opponent to shut him down. For now, Shelly's biggest advantage was that Decibel didn't know Taka's moveset. She just had to hope they would send out something he could still handle.

 

"Well, then," Decibel said, "let's see how your strongest attacker thus far fares against mine. Xibalba, it's time!"

 

They threw their Pokeball, and light burst out… And then back inward, swirling and concentrating rather than forming into a Pokemon. Shelly suddenly noticed the light from the ceiling dim - the clouds becoming a much darker shade as a few raindrops began to fall into the pool. The swirling light took on a bright blue hue as it began to crystalize, taking the form of an enormous radiant sapphire with a golden "∝" within its core. Shelly knew exactly what this meant - a foe she was already dreading having to face.

 

The ethereal sapphire burst, and out of it emerged a colossal cetacean as deep blue as the ocean itself. Bands of golden energy ran across their body, forming alpha-shaped patterns on their brow and flippers. The Primal Kyogre landed on, and immediately tore through, the Sticky Web, crashing straight through it and hitting the murkwater with a resounding splash. Above, the rainstorm they had summoned was already building into a torrential downpour, decreasing visibility and making Taka struggle a bit to stay aloft. Xibalba let out a primal roar, and as though in response, the cascades of toxic water around the building facades began to gush out faster and more powerfully than before. Before they had even used an attack, the water throughout the arena was already beginning to bend itself to their will.

 

Despair flashed through Shelly's mind. She had a Legendary Pokemon on her team as well, of course, but Genesect didn't even begin to approach the primordial power of the creator of the seas. And unlike Saphira, Xibalba was on a favorable field, able to bend the murkwater to their will like no other. They weren't resistant to Taka's attacks as she had feared, but… Could she even stand a chance against such a deific foe?

 

Shelly shook her head, reminding herself that it didn't matter. Giving up would be a far greater insult to everyone who believed in her than mere defeat. No matter the odds, she would see this battle through to the end.

"Origin Pulse!" Decibel barked. "Strike him down from the sky!" Xibalba lowered their flippers into the murk, and lines of azure light coursed all throughout it. The light pooled into a circle at a point just beneath where Taka was in the air.

 

"Dodge!" Shelly shouted, though she doubted Taka needed to be told, as he was already rapidly flying away from the pooled light. Not a second after he escaped its radius, a massive column of water shot straight upward out of it, brown grime mixing with bright blue Water-type magic. The column went dozens of feet upward, likely higher than Taka was capable of flying, especially with the rain hampering them. The lines of magic within the pool reconfigured as Xibalba swam towards Taka, their golden eyes trained on him.

 

"Focus on dodging! Try to get in Quick Attacks when you can!"

 

More Origin Pulses erupted from the pool, and Taka spiraled around the arena avoiding the blasts. When he saw an opening between shots, he rapidly swooped down, wind propelling them downward at speeds that shouldn't have been possible. His spear-tipped legs left shallow gashes in Xibalba's aqueous hide, and they recoiled slightly from each impact from each impact. She could only hope that he would be able to wear them down like this, and avoid getting hit in the meantime. It was clear that taking even a single Origin Pulse would end him.

 

But it seemed that Xibalba wasn't going to wait around for their health to be whittled away. They raised their flippers and let out a roar, and the entire pool began to ripple around them. Waves almost as tall as the pool was deep traveled inward towards the Kyogre, thick bands of murkwater wrapping around their body and flippers. Suddenly, with a phenomenal crash, the water surged upward, taking Xibalba along with it. A polluted tidal wave carried them straight towards Taka, directly on his heels. Pale light began to build up within their mouth, and the blue magic was still surging through what was left of the pool, preparing for yet another volley of Origin Pulses.

 

"Ah! Just dodge, attacking is too risky!" Shelly warned. "I'll, um, think of something!" Taka shot her a panicked glance, just before dipping underneath the pale, translucent Ice Beam that shot from Xibalba's mouth. The beam hit one of the building facades, jagged ice crystals forming within a large radius around the impact. Only a second later, another Origin Pulse erupted from below, this time grazing the back of one of Taka's elytra. He let out a pained grunt as he wobbled in the air, struggling to maintain control over his flight path. It was obvious he wouldn't last much longer amidst this onslaught.

 

Shelly's mind raced, desperately trying to come up with a solution. There was no possible way her final Pokemon could defeat Xibalba; if she was going to have any chance at victory, Taka would have to be the one to do it. She knew that Kyogre's physical defense, while not low per se, was at least relatively manageable. If Taka were able to get a strong Return off, it would likely deal significant damage… But, enough to finish them off already? Doubtful, with something as overwhelmingly powerful as a Kyogre. And even if it were enough, how could Taka possibly get any room to breathe? Xibalba was directly on his tail, and it would be nearly impossible to build up the momentum for a full-force attack without leaving himself vulnerable.

 

But… If they were following him so closely, perhaps he could lead them somewhere advantageous? A semblance of a plan began to formulate… But its chances of success seemed low. It would only buy Taka enough time for a single strike - would that truly be enough? And would it even work to hold him in place? The corrosive water bent to Xibalba's will, after all. Even now, a suspended wave was holding them at least 20 feet aloft, wrapping around them with-

 

Shelly froze in sudden realization. Her eyes focused in on the parts of their body that the murkwater had touched. In the half-second that the water recoiled, she saw them - acid burns. Of course! Kyogre wasn't Poison or Steel-type; though they may be able to control the water, that didn't mean they were immune to its pollutants. Fighting within it granted them incredible power, but at the cost of slowly eating their stamina away. That meant they had already taken considerably more damage than Shelly had anticipated - perhaps even low enough that a Return could finish them. Shelly nodded to herself - this might actually work. It was now or never.

 

"Taka, angle to the left and keep going!"

 

The Pinsir glanced back at her quizically, but he clearly knew he was in no position to question it. He changed his flight path, barely weaving around another Origin Pulse as he sped in the direction of Decibel's side of the field. Xibalba followed, as predicted. Decibel's eyes narrowed, no doubt trying to guess what Shelly was planning. She wished she could give Taka clearer directions, but she couldn't risk Decibel and Xibalba catching on to her plan too early.

 

She had to time this perfectly. Taka was 40 feet from the wall… 30… 20…

 

"Now, straight down!"

 

Decibel's eyes widened. "Wait, Xibalba, don't-!"

 

But it was too late. Taka had immediately swerved downwards, and Xibalba had immediately followed… Directly into the myriad strands of the Sticky Web. While Taka was small and nimble enough to deftly weave between the threads, Xibalba's colossal form crashed into the tangling threads far faster than they could react. They hit a much larger section of it than when they had first been sent out - their weight snapped the first few layers, but they were slowed to a halt before they reached the pool. The wave they had been riding fell away, the surprise of the trap having broken their concentration. The azure light producing the Origin Pulses lost cohesion, too unfocused to form a proper attack. They roared and struggled, but the threads they had broken were already starting to reappear, entrapping them even further. They had been immobilized by the hazard that Anna had sacrificed herself to create - the strings of Shelly's friendships made manifest.

 

Shelly broke out into a grin - she could hardly believe that worked. But she wasn't out of the woods yet.

"Now, give me a full-force Return from above!" she shouted. "Quick, before they break free!" Taka cried out excitedly as he ascended, eager to turn the tables on his tormentor.

 

"Urgh, no time to break free!" Decibel cautioned. "Quick, charge up a Thunder!"

 

Xibalba looked directly upward, their eyes seeming to glow an even brighter yellow for a moment. Shelly followed their gaze to the cloud-covered apex of the arena. She heard a low rumble, before flashes of yellow light began to build up within the clouds. This wasn't good - though the combination of STAB, heavy rain, and field boost made Origin Pulse the stronger option, Thunder was still powerful and super effective, able to immediately strike Taka down. And, strengthened by the downpour they had summoned, there was no chance it would miss.

 

"Hurry!" She warned Taka. The Pinsir stopped their ascent early and immediately kicked up a burst of wind that carried them straight down, hoping it would be strong enough. Shelly felt the tug of her bond with Taka again, and though she had no idea if it was within her power, she attempted to will even more of her power through the connection than normal. The crackling energy above had reached a fever pitch, mere instants away from unleashing a powerful bolt identical to the one that had finished off Titania.

 

Empowered by the Aerilate winds, the oppressive rain, and the power of friendship itself, Taka slammed down into Xibalba's head. The incredible force of the blow broke the web and slammed Xibalba down into the painful corrosive water. A wall of brown splashed outward, obscuring the two Pokemon for a few tense seconds as both Trainers awaited the result.

 

The water fell away. Taka hovered just above Xibalba, who was almost completely submerged in the grime. They were no longer moving.

 

Shelly's expression turned to pure elation. "That was incredible! Taka, you did it!" Taka cried cheerfully and did carefree summersaults above the pool. The crackling electricity above had dissipated, the toxic cascades around the arena returned to their previous velocity, and the torrential rain was beginning to slow to a halt.

 

"Heh… Hahahahahah!!"

 

Shelly looked out towards her opponent in surprise. She had expected Decibel to be frustrated by losing such as powerful team member, but he was laughing and grinning from ear to ear right along with her.

 

"It was incredible!" they exclaimed. "Finding a path out of a seemingly impossible situation… This is exactly the kind of skill and determination I'd expect from a Champion!"

 

"Huh? I…" Shelly began, the realization taking a few moments to set in. She had taken out two of Decibel's Pokemon with just one of her own. And Taka had barely even taken any damage in the process, while two of their team members were already weakened from having been sent out previously. As lopsided against her as the odds had seemed just moments ago, she had already just about evened them.

 

A beam of light suddenly illuminated the previously darkened room. Looking up, Shelly saw that not only had the clouds thinned after Xibalba's rainstorm faded, but there was now a break in them as well. Bright blue was visible through the gap - though Shelly couldn't tell for sure from this distance, it looked like the real sky. The lone sunbeam sparkled against the toxic water, a single point of beauty amidst the shattered cityscape.

 

Shelly stared into the sunbeam, still struggling to process what this meant. For all her effort and confidence, she had never for a second expected to actually win this fight. But, for the first time, it seemed possible to her that she might actually become Champion today.

 

She was overwhelmed by the very thought, conflicting emotions surging through her head. But for now, the emotion she chose to focus on was the rush of adrenaline. If she really did have a chance, she was not going to waste it. She would win this.

 

"Heh, that's right!" she called back to Decibel, her grin widening. "That title's as good as mine! Looks like you're not so unbeatable after all, huh!?"

 

"Maybe so," Decibel said, grinning just as much as her. "But don't think for a second I'm going to make it easy for you! Mayneth, I need you!"

 

They tossed out their final Pokeball, sending out a small, roughly humanoid Pokemon made of centuries-old clockwork. Their arms and legs ended in blunt points, and a bright white cog surrounded their head, from which their large, innocent red eyes gazed out onto the field. A ballgown-like covering obscured much of their legs, and it was attached to their small, spherical torso, the core of which shone with blue and pink light from their artificial Soul-Heart. The Magearna landed within the Sticky Web, delicately balancing on the strands and making no effort to escape. They glanced back at Decibel and Ally. Decibel gave her an encouraging nod, and Ally cheered brightly, holding up a page reading "Good luck, May!"

 

"Judging by the moves he's used so far, I'm guessing Taka doesn't have much coverage," Decibel said. "So, just how are you going to get past Mayneth's defenses?"

 

A valid question, unfortunately for Shelly. Taka's Flying attacks were unlikely to do any significant damage to Mayneth's metal exterior. Her final Pokemon had a significantly better matchup here… But could she risk switching him in without knowing what coverage Mayneth had at their disposal. If she lost him too early, she'd have no way to deal with Mayneth at all - or Spamton, for that matter. It wasn't ideal, but with the information she had, she decided her best move was to keep Taka in and hope to whittle them down. It might still be possible for him to defeat them if he played his cards right and dodged Mayneth's attacks like he had Xibalba's.

 

"Taka, ready for another Return?" Shelly asked, still smiling confidently. "Be ready to dodge at a moment's notice, though!" Taka, full of confidence as well after his last victory, began to slowly ascend, slowly circling the arena's perimeter as he did so.

 

"Hold for now," Decibel told Mayneth. Their gaze was followed Taka along his flight path, following his every movement. He reached the apex of his flight path, and began to rapidly descend towards his target once more. But, seconds before his claws made contact…

 

"Now! Fleur Cannon!"

 

Of course, they had been waiting for Taka to strike before attacking themself! They would tank the hit, and with his momentum, he wouldn't be able to dodge in time. Shelly silently chided herself for not anticipating this. She and Taka could only watch as Mayneth's pointed arm opened up like a flower in bloom, and radiant magenta light began to build within the cavity.

 

Taka made contact. The force of the blow knocked her back about a foot within the web, but she still stood strong. A mere moment later, a massive beam of magenta light erupted from Mayneth's arm, blasting Taka away with full force. The Fleur Cannon carried him straight across the arena, slamming him into a building facade. Once the beam dissipated, leaving luminous sparkles in its wake, he began to plummet, tumbling helplessly through the air, clearly no longer able to battle.

 

"Come back! You did great out there!" Shelly said, recalling him before he hit the water. Losing Taka was unfortunate, but not too unexpected. In that case, it was all up to her final Pokemon - who also happened to be the Pokemon she had named for one of the first friends she had made in this region…

 

"Cal, it's up to you!"

 

Emerging from her final Pokeball was a lepidopteran Pokemon with white fur and red horn-like antennae curled around his dark face. His four-paneled compound eyes were bright blue, and six bright-orange wings radiated out from his back, shining like the sun. The Volcarona fluttered just above the pool, beautiful embers dancing about his wings.

 

Besides Heather, Cal had been Shelly's oldest and closest friend since coming to Reborn. They had found themselves similar in a surprising number of ways - both cast aside by a brother who received all the attention. Of course, she had learned the hard way that they were different in a great deal of ways as well. Him striking her in thoughtless anger was one of the lowest points of her life. She had blamed herself for a very long time afterwards, concluding that she must have been a horrible friend for him to lash out at her like that. But when they met again in Ametrine City, and he had unequivocally assured her that there was no excuse for him hurting her, it was one of the greatest turning points in her journey. It was when she had truly internalized that she didn't need to spend her whole life pleasing others - that her feelings and desires were worth something. It was that realization that had truly turned her into the person she was today - someone confident and driven enough to do the impossible and defeat an undefeated Champion.

 

"It's time to win this, once and for all!" Shelly shouted. "Charge up a Fire Blast!" Cal began to concentrate, and a small sphere of white-hot flame began to writhe in front of their mouth, burning brighter with each passing moment.

 

"Mayneth, get back!" Decibel shouted, recalling them. "Medea, brace yourself for something big!"

 

Medea emerged once more, just before the burning sphere launched itself towards her. Shelly saw the flash of red plastic just before the sphere made contact, detonating into an enormous, blazing "大" shape. The flames burned away large portions of the Sticky Web in an instant, sending Medea down into the water as well. Despite the blast's incredible size and power, when the flames faded, Medea was still standing, glowering towards her opponent. But, between the blast and the Flash Cannons she had taken earlier in the battle, she was clearly looking worse for wear, her form beginning to lose what little cohesion it had to begin with. All those substitutions may have helped Decibel keep their Pokemon standing in the short term, but they also meant that now, at the battle's end, their team was severely weakened. Shelly believed that she and Cal could sweep through them no problem.

 

But Shelly wasn't the only one determined to fight to the end. Decibel smirked as they surveyed the battlefield.

"Medea, you remember what that Genesect did with their Flash Cannons earlier, yeah?" they asked. "I want you to do the same thing with your Gunk Shot!" Medea roared affirmatively, and began to take in grime from the surrounding water.

 

"Trying to keep us from dodging again, I see!" Shelly said. "But why would we need to dodge when Cal can just incinerate you here and now!? Get another Fire Blast ready!"

 

Another sphere of flame appeared before Cal, growing even hotter and brighter than the first. Medea's body bulged with accumulated gunk. At almost the same time as Cal unleashed his Fire Blast, Medea spit out a dozen or so gunk balls in his direction. He deftly twirled through the air, avoiding a good number of them… Until one of them struck the center of his upper right wing. He cried out in alarm as he lost control over his flight, unable to stop himself from falling straight into the murkwater just beneath him.

 

"Cal, no!" Shelly cried, though her voice was drowned out by the Fire Blast exploding against Medea. Cal quickly poked his head out from under the murk and attempted to fly back up. But it was no use - Cal's wings, like the wings of most Bugs, were fragile, and Shelly could see that the corrosive water had already eliminated the burning, powdery scales that he needed to fly. He shuddered in pain - Shelly knew his Flame Body made him even more vulnerable to damage from the toxic water. And it seemed as though he was likely to be stuck within that water for the rest of the battle, his vitality rapidly draining away before her eyes.

 

But all was not lost. Across the arena, between the charred, slowly-healing strands of the web, Medea was struggling to re-form her body after taking the second Fire Blast. She held up her arm one last time… Before it fully lost cohesion, dissolving into a puddle of green, yellow, and pink along with the rest of her body. Incredible though her Special Defense may have been, not even she could survive so many powerful hits in one battle.

 

It may have only been a matter of time before Cal succumbed to the constant water damage. But that just meant that he would have to take down Decibel's last two team members before that happened. Shelly had not come this far just to lose now.

 

"Cal, I know it hurts, but stay strong just a little longer!" she called. "We can still win this!" Cal whimpered in pain, but still nodded, responding to his Trainer's determination.

 

"Ha! Even now, you can see a way forward?" Decibel said, beaming. "Show me, then! Spamton!"

 

The Rotom emerged from their ball once more, grinning mischievously as they zipped above the pool. Shelly was dreading facing them again - a Hydro Pump from them would be powerful enough to finish off Cal in an instant, and with their Levitate ability, they weren't slowed by the Sticky Web in the slightest. And with Cal rendered flightless by the murkwater, it would be nearly impossible to dodge their attacks. But there was still hope - Shelly could still see the crack on their washing machine door left behind by Titania's Bullet Punch. With any luck, they would be just damaged enough for Cal to finish them off in a single hit of his own.

 

"Hydro Pump! Finish him!" Decibel shouted. Spamton zipped away from the web, settling inches above the water's surface. They dipped the tube on their right side into the murk, rapidly sucking it into their body. The bright blue within their door turned putrid brown, whirling more and more rapidly.

 

"Wait for it…" Shelly said, narrowing her eyes. Cal tensed up in anticipation.

 

The door slammed open, and a column of toxic water burst forth, hurtling towards Cal. It was significantly smaller and less powerful than Xibalba's Origin Pulses, but still more than strong enough to finish off a Fire-type like Cal in an instant.

 

"Dodge, then Bug Buzz!!" Shelly shouted. She had no idea if he even could dodge something like this, with the murk slowing him down so much, but there was little left for her to pin her hopes on. She had to believe this would work.

 

Luckily for her, Cal was ready with a plan. The instant he heard Shelly's voice, he angled himself perpendicular to the blast, then flapped his damaged wings as hard as he could. Light briefly flashed from them as he unleashed a Hidden Power attack into the open air. The recoil from the attack pushed him about two feet back - though he could neither fly nor swim, he was still able to muster this one burst of movement. He was propelled out of the way just an instant before the Hydro Pump reached his position, high-pressure blast barely an inch from his face.

 

Spamton whirred nervously, their smile morphing into a frown as they anticipated the incoming Bug Buzz. They shut their door, aborting their failed attack, and began to withdraw his tube from the pool. But it was too late for them to dodge - Cal had turned towards them, his four short legs glowing a bright lime hue. He rapidly slid them against his thorax, and the arena was suddenly filled with a deafening cacophony of orthopteran chirps.

 

The noise was loud enough through the entire room that both Shelly and Decibel plugged their ears to avoid it, but only the air directly in front of Cal, glowing with waves of Bug magic, was vibrating intensely enough to inflict any actual harm. And inflict harm it did - Spamton was violently thrashed about within the column of lime green, the plasma coating their body rippling and losing cohesion. When the noise finally faded, Spamton hung in the air for a moment before falling over backwards into the pool, unmoving.

 

"Brilliant!" Decibel said as they recalled Spamton and readied Mayneth's ball. "You and Cal both! But can you hold out until the end?"

 

They had a point. The water was wearing Cal down much faster than Shelly had anticipated - his wings had dimmed almost completely, and he was struggling to keep himself above the surface. Mayneth was the only Pokemon Decibel had left, and Cal had the clear advantage over them. But she had almost no time left before Cal was overwhelmed by the arena. If Mayneth survived a single hit, or dodged, or got off an attack of their own, it was over. Shelly had absolutely no room for error.

 

"Mayneth, we've got one last chance!" The Magearna emerged from their ball and landed within the web once more. Their scarlet eyes locked with Cal's bright azure ones. Shelly's eyes ran over the scene one last time, making sure nothing was out of place. The entangling web should keep Mayneth from moving fast enough to dodge. And Cal's raw power and type advantage, plus the damage from Taka's earlier attack, should be enough to guarantee that they go down. But the murkwater was keeping Cal from moving too, and his Hidden Power trick wouldn't work twice. It was solely a matter of who could land an attack first. The next few seconds would decide everything.

 

The beam of sunlight in the center seemed to shine even brighter.

 

"Fire Blast!!"

 

"Fleur Cannon!!"

 

Cal channeled the last of his energy into one final ball of flame, even hotter and brighter than the rest. Mayneth's Soul-Heart gleamed magenta as their floral arm bloomed once more. Shelly held her breath, frozen with anticipation.

 

Cal unleashed the Fire Blast first, sending the fireball hurtling forward. Mayneth fired off their Fleur Cannon just before it reached her. The two attacks collided, and the fireball burst apart in a chaotic explosion of flame and soul. There was a sudden burst of light so bright that Shelly was forced to shield her eyes.

 

The light faded. There was a moment where everything on the battlefield was still.

 

Mayneth teetered for a moment, then toppled over backwards into the web.

 

And Cal, scarred by corrosion though his body was, was still standing.

 

Shelly let her breath out slowly, taking a moment to process it had actually happened. Her hands were trembling involuntarily. She blinked several times, discovering that her eyes had tears in them.

 

"I…" she breathed. "I… Won?"

 

"You won!" Decibel said. "You won!! You did it!!!"

 

The arena suddenly got significantly brighter. Shelly, still dumbstruck, turned her gaze upward, and saw that the smog above had cleared. The sun was shining in the blue sky above. Around her, the toxic cascades stopped flowing… And then returned with a flow of pure, clean water. The grime in the pool below began to drain - Shelly barely had the presence of mind to withdraw Cal before he was swept away - and was gradually replaced with brilliant, sparkling azure. From within the cracks in the building facades, and even some of the rocks in the pool, there were flashes of bright green, and patches of beautiful multicolored flowers appeared, reminiscent of the flora planted during Reborn City's reconstruction. In just a few moments, the run-down, hopeless aesthetic of the arena had been transformed into something beautiful.

 

From the newly purified water, something was rising - a metal bridge, stretching across the arena and connecting the two halves of the train car. The Sticky Web in the way of its ascent quickly disappeared, automatically cleared away by the arena's field-maintaining functions. Even before it reached its maximum height, Decibel had already jumped down onto it and rushed towards Shelly. A wide grin covered their face - they seemed almost more elated to have lost than Shelly was to have won. The bridge became even with the train car's floor just as Decibel reached it, and they ran straight into Shelly, wrapping her up in a tight hug. Shelly was still too stunned to react.

 

"You did it!!" they cheered. "Ha ha! I'm so, so proud of you, Shelly!!!"

 

Ally was slowly crossing the bridge behind Decibel. "Congratulations!!!!!" read her notepad, surrounded by hearts and stars.

 

"I… I never thought…" Shelly attempted to put her thoughts into words. "Even after coming this far, even after everything I said, I… You… I never thought I could…"

 

"What did I tell you?" Decibel said. "You were the one who had what it takes to win. All you had to do was believe in yourself."

 

"I…" Shelly's shock finally gave way to pure joy. "Yes!! I did it!! I'm… I'm the Champion!!" She enthusiastically returned Decibel's hug. Tears of joy were flowing freely down her face.

 

After a few seconds, the two released their grip on each other. Shelly's eyes turned once again to the newly cleaned-up arena, truly taking it in for the first time.

 

"It's so beautiful," she said. "You really set all this up just in case someone managed to beat you?"

 

Decibel chuckled somewhat nervously. "Well… Really, I set it up for when I lost to you. I… Kind of already knew you would do it sooner or later."

 

"Huh?" Shelly asked, looking up at them. "But… How could you know for sure? Especially after you've beaten me so many times already?"

 

"Heh," Decibel smiled back at her. "Do you remember when Elias and I went to the future with Celebi?"

 

"Oh, right!" Shelly said. "I remember, you said you met my future self! Don't tell me…"

 

"That's right," Decibel said. "You were the Champion then. And from what you, and everyone else in that future, told me, Reborn flourished under your care. After that, I knew that my successor couldn't be anyone but you."

 

"Oh!" Shelly exclaimed. "I just realized! Elias, um, kind of implied that you had set up some kind of trial for me. I guess he knew, since he was there too, huh?"

 

"Yeah," Decibel said. "I never thought he and I would end up getting along, but that trip through time really changed him for the better. I'm glad."

 

"W-wait!" Shelly exclaimed with sudden realization. "If you were planning on losing to me all along… Decibel, you didn't let me win, did you!?"

 

"Come on, of course not," Decibel assured her. "I mean, you saw how close I got. If Cal hadn't dodged that Hydro Pump, I would've won."

 

Shelly felt a tug on her skirt, and looked down to see Ally smiling slyly, holding up her notepad. "Bel should probably mention that they generously elected not to use any of their enormous supply of Full Restores and X-Items. Or F12."

 

"Wh- hey!" Decibel said as they read the note. "She doesn't have access to any of that! It was a fair fight! I was still trying my best within those limitations!" Ally giggled at their defensiveness.

 

"I guess that makes sense…" Shelly said. "Um… What's 'F12,' though?"

 

"Uhhhh, don't worry about it!!!" Decibel said nervously. "But… Honestly, though, it's a bit embarrassing how much I've relied on that stuff. It's not like I'm a pushover without my items or anything, but…" They sighed. "I guess I'm just not used to being able to afford to lose."

 

"Oh… You mean, when you were fighting Team Meteor?" Shelly asked.

 

"Right. The Anomalies, too," Decibel said. "With stakes like that, I had no reason to feel bad about using cheap strategies. And even League battles, and casual battles with friends, felt just as urgent back then. The sooner I won, the sooner I could get back to saving the region, after all."

 

"I mean, that makes sense," Shelly said. "If you hadn't been so unbeatable, the whole world - all of us - might've all been overwritten by Lin's messed-up toybox. You did a really great job protecting the region!"

 

"I know," Decibel said. "But, I've realized… Protecting the region, defeating whatever opponent is put in front of me… That's all I've really ever been good at. Charlotte was on point when she called me a wrecking ball. All my demolition was exactly what Reborn needed in its time of crisis. But now that the crisis has passed?" They locked eyes with Shelly. "Now, I think Reborn needs someone else."

 

"And that's me, huh?" Shelly said, sheepishly averting her gaze. "You really think I have what it takes? To lead Reborn to prosperity?"

 

"Come on! What do I keep telling you?" Decibel said, smiling and patting her on the shoulder. "I know you have what it takes. Your future self was proof enough of that. Even if your decisions aren't exactly the same as hers, I'm certain the region will flourish under your care."

 

"I…" Shelly began. The realization of her new responsibility was a bit overwhelming. But, well, she hadn't come this far just to back down from this new challenge. She smiled and nodded, determination in her eyes.

 

"I can't promise I'll live up to whatever amazing future you saw," she said, "but I definitely promise to do my best! I have so many friends who helped me get this far… What better way to return the favor than building a whole better future for them to live in?"

 

"Glad to hear it." Decibel said. "I look forward to - Um." They turned their head to the side quizzically.

 

"What's- Eahhh!?!?" Shelly jumped back when she saw a sinister smile enter her peripheral vision. Shade was slowly drifting through the air next to her, lying down in a "seductive" pose. Shelly's shock immediately turned to nervous laughter at the absurd contrast between the Ghost Leader's eerie, spectral appearance and his current position.

 

"Oh yeah," Decibel said, "I asked Shade to help out with this whole setup. His Rotoms are handling all the technical stuff behind the scenes. Plus, I needed him to show up before the fight, since he appeared to me and Ame just before the big train crash. Gotta complete the reference, y'know?"

 

"Oh!" Shelly said. "Um, thanks for your help! This whole room was a pretty cool experience!"

 

"..." Shade exclaimed emphatically.

 

"Right on!" Decibel said, grinning. "C'mon, put 'em here!" They held their fist out to him. Slowly, deliberately, Shade righted himself, then raised up his own arm. His fist phazed into Decibel's, where he held it for a full second before withdrawing it just as slowly. Decibel threw their arm back and laughed, acting as though they had just received a perfectly normal fist bump. Shelly and Ally both giggled at the scene.

 

"Oh, hey!" Decibel said. "While you're here, you got any cryptic yet poignant advice for our new Champion?" Shade slowly turned his head to meet Shelly's eyes before he spoke.

 

"Doubt not the pith of strings unseen / Though myth and erudition aim / Drones and workers trust their queen / Know them well, and do the same."

 

"OK…" Shelly said, taking a moment to interpret the riddle. "OK! You're basically just saying to have faith in my friends, right? And not to feel like I have to do everything for them now that I'm Champion."

 

"..." Shade explained astutely.

 

"Well, it's certainly good advice," Decibel said. "Champion or not, don't feel like you need to take on all that responsibility yourself. You've got all your friends behind you, me and Ally included!"

 

"Audi audi!!" Ally affirmed.

 

"Well, thanks!" Shelly said. "I really wouldn't be able to do any of this without everyone's support. But together, I know we can build a Reborn Region that we can all be proud of!"

 

"Of course," Decibel agreed. "But that's all still a long way off. For now, you still need to head down to the Hall of Fame and make this official. And after that…" They grinned. "How about a party at the nightclub to celebrate your victory?"

 

"A party sounds great!" Shelly said. "Though, admittedly, I'm not the biggest fan of the nightclub's, um… Loudness… Hehe." She thought for a moment. "Um… Actually, I've been curious about Titania's gym for a while. It's, like, a huge fairy-tale castle with a big library, right? That might be a fun place for a party!"

 

"You're the boss," Decibel said with a grin. "I'll make sure everyone's invited." They turned to Shade. "You're gonna be there too, right, buddy?"

 

"..." Shade replied affirmatively, before slowly fading into nothingness.

 

"All right!" Decibel said. "Now then…" They held out their hand to Shelly. "Shall we, Champion?"

 

Shelly nodded, smiling as she took their hand. The two of them began walking across the bridge together, towards the end of the Hall of Champions. She closed her eyes, imagining everything that came next. The wave of congratulations she would receive at the party from Heather, Cal, Anna, and everyone else. The challengers she would meet in this room, and the countless possibilities for how she might personalize it. Reborn's future, and the people she and all her friends might grow up to become.

 

Shelly had just opened up an incredible new chapter of her life. Everything was going to be different for her from now on. But she was certain that one thing would never change - the invisible strings she could still feel all around her, giving her strength even now. It was the unbreakable strength of those strings that had allowed her to accomplish the impossible. And she believed that even more would be tied as she and her friends strode into the future together.

 

The new Champion opened her eyes, and took her place in the Hall of Fame.

 

[Lord Drakyle]

5 hours ago, VoidlitAudino said:

I've been working on this pretty much ever since I finished my first playthrough of Reborn e19! It's based on a real battle that happened at the end of that playthrough, though obviously I embellished quite a bit. Also, Shelly's Pinsir didn't have a nickname in-game, so I gave him one. Unfortunately, the formatting didn't come out how I wanted after I copy-pasted from Google Docs, but it should hopefully still be relatively readable. Contains spoilers for the entire game. I hope y'all enjoy!

  Reveal hidden contents

Demolition's End

By VoidlitAudino

 

"...And that's that. Well done, Shelly."

 

Bennet smiled as he recalled his fainted Charizard. Shelly Citra, recalling her Pinsir, was smiling even more brightly. After three failed attempts - two lost against her best friend Heather, and one against fellow Bug specialist Bennett - the young lavender-haired girl had finally triumphed over the Elite Four. Even knowing how much she had grown since leaving Lapis, she could still scarcely believe she was actually standing here, illuminated by the multicolored glow of the butterfly-wing patterns adorning Bennett's chamber. She knew she had gotten much stronger, certainly - strong enough to help protect her friends, and the world, first from Team Meteor and then from the Anomalies they left behind. But actually triumphing over the absolute strongest Trainers in the region? Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined she would come this far.

 

"I'm quite impressed by how quickly you learned from our previous battle," Bennett continued. "My team had the clear advantage, yet you masterfully outmaneuvered me. I clearly still have a great deal left to learn."

 

"I-" I probably just got lucky, Shelly quickly stopped herself from saying. She was determined to break her habit of always assuming the worst of herself. "Y-yeah, thanks!" she said instead. "I did a lot of reading on speed tiers after last time! I figured out exactly who I needed to protect until the end in order to beat your Charizard. Looks like it worked, hehe!"

 

"Ah, yes. I suppose I have yet to fully understand the capabilities and limitations of the new Fire-type additions to my team," Bennet admitted. "I may know more than almost anyone else about arthropod biology specifically, but you're much more well-versed on a wide variety of subjects, aren't you?"

 

"I guess so!" Shelly said. "But, I mean… It's never too late to start learning, right?"

 

"Naturally," Bennett said. "After all, before all the Meteor-related chaos began, were you not one of the region's lowest-ranked Gym Leaders? And I, for my part, was both much weaker and far less morally developed. Yet look how far we've both progressed within such a short time."

 

"Yeah!" Shelly said. She then briefly paused and glanced downward, hesitating before sharing the thought that had entered her head. "I guess… We've both gone through a fair amount of ecdysis, huh?"

 

Bennet's eyes, and smile, widened. "Yes, exactly! I mean, I had been thinking of it as apolysis, but they are simply two facets of the same biological process!"

 

"Oh, you actually thought of the same thing?" Shelly said, relieved. "And here I was worried you'd think it was stupid!"

 

"Stupid? How could I?" Bennett asked. "You're probably one of the few people in the entire region well-read enough to be casually familiar with such terminology! Decibel is the only other person I've spoken to recently who had even heard of apolysis before!"

 

"Oh, really?" Shelly asked. Her smile then slowly faded. The excitement she had felt since her victory slowly gave way to aprehension. She glanced downward and began nervously tapping her right foot against the ground.

 

"Ah," Bennett said, sensing her shift in mood. "I suppose they are your final opponent, are they not?"

 

"Y-yeah," Shelly said. Decibel, reigning Champion of the Reborn League, savior of the region multiple times over, inexplicably frequent victim of Darkrai attacks, and one of the most important people in Shelly's life. Watching their unflinching determination in opposing Team Meteor, and standing up for all those who couldn't protect themselves, was one of the things that had set her on the path to gaining confidence and coming out of her shell. As a friend, they were almost unfailingly reliable in times of need.

 

But as an opponent? She almost shuddered at the thought. She and Decibel had fought several times over the course of their respective journeys. Their first battle - when she had taken on their challenge as a Gym Leader - had been utterly lopsided in their favor. They had used two Telluric Seeds to avoid damage on the first turn of battle as they set up Stealth Rocks and stat boosts, then immediately switched in their Vulpix to eliminate both the rain she had set up and the field she relied upon in one fell swoop. The match hadn't lasted much longer after that. They had had a few battles in the Nightclub since, where she had tried out various experimental teams against them, and they had triumphed every time. And although she had only heard about it secondhand, apparently they had fought her and Cain together while she was under the PULSE-Hypno's influence - and defeated both of them at once, singlehandedly.

 

"I suppose it's understandable you'd be nervous," Bennett said. "But in your place, I would not be so quick to dismiss my chances of victory. After all, conquering the Elite Four already marks you as one of the region's most skilled Trainers of all time, does it not?"

 

"Well, yeah, but… I mean, this is Decibel we're talking about!" Shelly said. "I mean… Have they ever lost a battle? Like… even once?"

 

"I… Suppose I cannot recall an instance where they have," Bennett admitted. "I suspect the root cause of their consistent success may be something more than mere strength or skill. Though, what that cause might be, I couldn't begin to hypothesize."

 

"Yeah… And, well…" Shelly's mouth twisted nervously. "Just before I battled you… Elias, um, said something kind of weird…"

 

"Ah," Bennet said, their expression shifting to something resembling disdain. "I would encourage you to pay no mind to what that old man says about… Well, really about anything, but especially about Decibel specifically. He's deluded himself into believing that they are an avatar of his deity - of course he would have an unfounded degree of faith in their infallibility."

 

"Um, I don't know if that really… Applies to… Um, nevermind," Shelly said. "My point is… I feel like, no matter how strong I get, I'll never stand a chance against them. So… Why am I even trying, really?"

 

Bennett paused to consider how to respond. "Well…  I think there can still be much to gain from attempting the seemingly impossible," he eventually said. "I mean… For a long time, I never thought it would be possible to move beyond my, er, less courteous behaviors, or my misplaced loyalties. Much less earning any form of forgiveness from those I had wronged during the time those traits defined me. And…"

 

Bennett sighed dejectedly. "Well, I don't believe I was entirely wrong about that. Luna still doesn't wish to speak to me anymore. No amount of self-improvement can undo the harm I caused her."

 

"O-oh, yeah, she, um, told me about that…" Shelly said timidly. "I'll admit, I was a bit nervous about talking to you at first, because of that. I was worried you would… I don't know…"

 

"Ah!" Bennet exclaimed as he recoiled from her, a remorseful look on his face. "I had no idea! Shelly, rest assured, even at my most juvenile, I would never have considered behaving lecherously towards someone of your age! I deeply apologize for ever having made you uncomfortable."

 

"No, no, it's fine! I mean, I don't feel that way anymore!" Shelly reassured him. "And… I think I see what you're getting at. Even if you can't make everything perfect, trying still made you a way better person than you used to be. Right?"

 

"Ah… indeed," Bennett said, still seemingly trying to tread more carefully around her now. "Luna may never forgive me - nor should she - but my efforts have still earned me both Laura's and Decibel's forgiveness, as well as generally having a positive impact on my mental health. Not to mention the fact that I was able to play an essential role in Team Meteor's downfall. All of which was ultimately motivated by an effort to become someone better than the person who hurt her."

 

"So… Even though it might not be possible to win against Decibel, I can still learn a lot and become stronger by trying anyway!" Shelly said.

 

"Which will help you direct your personal metamorphosis as you desire," Bennett said. "Er… Are you certain you no longer feel unsafe in my presence? If speaking to me is causing you discomfort, I can-"

 

"No, really, you're good!" Shelly said. "I mean, if I can forgive Cal for hurting me, then I can definitely forgive you for hurting someone else, right? And it's obvious you feel terrible about what you did, and you're doing everything you can to, um, fix the future. Right?"

 

"...Well, I thank you for giving me a second chance," Bennett said, relieved. "Though, regardless, I suppose I've kept you long enough, haven't I? After all, you've come this far for a reason."

 

"Right," Shelly said. "I guess it's time."

 

An opening was torn open between the luminous lepidopteran wings behind Bennett, revealing the stairs leading into the Champion's chamber. They ascended upwards before fading into the darkness.

 

"All right, I'm going!" Shelly declared, striding forward towards the exit. Just before reaching the staircase, she paused and glanced back at Bennett.

 

"Um… We should hang out again sometime, though!" she said. "I'd love to have someone to talk to about entomology stuff who, um, actually knows what I'm talking about!"

 

"And I'm certain I would have a great deal to learn from you as well," Bennett said, smiling once again. "Let's make a point of it, then."

 

"Great! I'm looking forward to it!" Shelly said. "Um, wish me luck!" And with that, she turned back towards her destination and began to ascend the staircase.

 

As the light of Bennett's chamber began to fade behind her, Shelly smiled and closed her eyes. She pictured all the invisible strings that Anna had once told her about - the ones that surround everyone at all times, connecting them to the people who care about them. There was a time in the not-too-distant past when she would've believed that not a single such string was connected to her. But now, after making so many friends on her journey, she pictured dozens of gleaming white strands, weaving their way around her, leading off to all corners of the region. And now, with her and Bennett becoming closer, yet another beautiful strand had formed.

 

Those strings - those bonds with the people she loved - meant more to Shelly than anything else. Their love had pulled her out of her self-loathing and allowed her to accept herself - and then to grow into someone brave enough to support them in turn. And now, she could feel a kind of energy flowing into her through those strings, empowering and emboldening her to take on the seemingly impossible challenge before her. Most of the strings were gathered behind her now - but a single one lay directly ahead.

 

She may not be able to win, but she was still going to give Decibel a battle she could be proud of. She opened her eyes and stepped through the door into the Champion's room.

 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

 

Pitch darkness. Shelly could see almost nothing around her as she felt her way through the narrow entrance corridor. Beginning in darkness and moving into light was a theme for many of the Elite Four's chambers, but none of them had been this uncomfortably lightless. Shelly couldn't imagine that the Champion's chamber was built this way by default. Had Decibel made modifications? Set up their own custom battle chamber, like the Elite Four? Perhaps she should have asked some of them what to expect. Her mind raced with countless possibilities… And her heart raced with fear and apprehension. Far though she had come, she was still a child, and it did take some effort for her to act in spite of her fear of the dark.

 

As she considered what might lie ahead, another thought bubbled to the surface of Shelly's consciousness. After she had defeated Elias, she had asked him whether he thought she had what it took to become Champion. She hadn't really expected much of a response, honestly - either encouragement for her to keep going, or critique that would help her improve. But what he had said instead surprised and confused her.

 

"Unfortunately, dear child, I am afraid I cannot answer that question without depriving you of experiences you ought discover for yourself."

 

Naturally, she had no idea how that could make sense as a response to her question. She was just asking for his opinion on something nobody could know for sure; why was he talking like it was some kind of secret knowledge? But what he said when she asked for clarification had made even less sense.

 

"The lord Arceus, incarnate in our friend Decibel, has a plan for us all. It is not my place to reveal yours to you. I will say this, however; place your faith in Decibel, accept the trial they have designed for you, and the many colors of your fate shall unfold before your eyes. Lucet futurum tuum, dear child."

 

Bennett was probably right, Shelly thought. Elias was probably just talking nonsense, based in his weird insistence that Decibel was an avatar of Arceus. (Hadn't they caught Arceus?) Still, she had a difficult time getting his words out of her head. He made it sound as though Decibel had prepared some kind of test for Shelly specifically. But that didn't make any sense, did it? Lots of people had begun to challenge Decibel for their title in the past few months, most of them other friends of theirs. What reason would they have to single her out?

 

Her train of thought was interrupted by a dim flash ahead of her. Though she couldn't initially see its source, a flickering light source was illuminating some of the steps, revealing rough concrete that was cracked in a few places. Nothing like the clean plastic steps used by the Elite Four before her, meaning that it must have indeed been recently installed. Which meant, Shelly quickly realized, that the concrete being cracked must have been a deliberate choice on Decibel's part, making the newly-crafted stairs appear old and dilapidated. Where were going with this?

 

Her answer came, at least in part, when she passed the low ceiling that had been obstructing her view. The flickering light was coming from an industrial lightbulb on the ceiling of what appeared to be the top of the staircase. Both the bulb and the concrete ceiling itself were coated in patches of grime and mold. The walls, just as grimy, were made of red-brown brick, and covered in many places with various forms of graffiti. The floor, as Shelly saw as she neared the top, was covered in uneven dark-gray floor tiles, many of which were cracked or missing to reveal the concrete beneath. There even appeared to be a few shards of broken glass around the walls.

 

These broken, dilapidated surroundings were immediately familiar to Shelly. While she hadn't exactly been a frequent visitor to the Obsidia Slums, she was still familiar with their dirty, run-down hallways, with the neglect they and their inhabitants faced from the city. Decibel had recreated the aesthetic of Reborn City at its lowest point - the point when Team Meteor had driven it closest to ruin.

 

Suddenly, a piercing static screech emanated from somewhere within the corridor. Shelly spotted a rusted intercom box embedded into the left wall.

 

"Shelly," Decibel's familiar voice greeted her through the speaker, distorted by the deliberately outdated system. "Welcome. I'm glad to see you've made it this far."

 

"O-oh! Hi, Decibel!" Shelly responded nervously as she reached the top of the staircase. There appeared to be another staircase leading downward after a short flat section, with only infrequent flickering bulbs illuminating the way. "And, um… Yeah, thanks! I worked really hard to be here!"

 

A grainy chuckle came through the speaker. "You don't have to tell me, of all people. I've seen that hard work firsthand. Remember our first battle?"

 

"Of course!" Shelly said. "That, um, didn't exactly go too well for me, hehe… But it was a great learning experience! I learned not to rely too heavily on the rain after that…"

 

"Right. I'm glad I had a role to play in your growth as a Trainer," Decibel said. "I remember you telling me about your brother, back then."

 

Shelly paused. She realized that it had been a long time since she had thought of her brother, Bugsy. It was her desire to be like him, to prove herself worthy of his attention, that had initially driven her to move to Reborn and become a Gym Leader. And his constant rejection in spite of that - seemingly refusing to acknowledge her existence at all - had caused her a great deal of anguish and self-hatred over the course of her life. Being made to think about him again made Shelly slightly anxious.

 

"You told me that you didn't think you would ever live up to his expectations," Decibel said, their voice even and unreadable. "After how you've come, I'm curious to know… Were you wrong?"

 

"U-um…" Shelly stammered, thinking back. There were a few points over the course of her journey when she had expected, or at least hoped, that he might reach out. The times that she had been in mortal peril - the Yureyu ruin, the glass workstation, the sadistic tournament in Labradorra. The times when she had made a visible contribution to protecting the region - the conflict atop Ametrine Mountain, her recent efforts in keeping the New World anomalies in check. She had hoped that he would be impressed, or worried for her, or show some sign that he remembered that he had a sister. But…

 

"N-no… I guess I wasn't," she sighed. Complete radio silence, every time. Bugsy was once her entire world, and yet it seemed that nothing she did could change the fact that he couldn't care less about her existence.

 

"I suspected as much," Decibel said. "Now, here's a better question. Does it matter?"

 

"Oh," Shelly said, considering it. "Well… No, I guess not. I mean, I think I'll always be sad that I'll never have that kind of connection with my family, but… I have so many other friends now, who do care about me. Including you! So… I didn't even realize it but… I guess I've moved beyond needing him!" Realizing this lifted her spirits a bit.

 

The descending staircase turned sharply to the right. Around the corner, parts of the walls and ceiling were broken, and filled in with clusters of thick vines and roots. There were a few places where they consumed the corridor completely, covering even the stairs Shelly was walking on. She examined one of the vines more closely, revealing it to be plastic, though the detail was quite convincing at first glance. The inspiration for this section was obvious - a recreation of the devastating effects of the PULSE Tangrowths on the Jasper and Beryl Wards.

 

"Good," Decibel responded. "You've been talking a lot about proving yourself to everyone else, showing us how much you've grown. I'm glad you're at least not still judging yourself based on someone who will never return your attention. After all, his lack of acknowledgement has less to do with either of you personally, and more to do with your non-canonicity relative to him."

 

"Non… What?" Shelly asked, having absolutely no idea what that meant.

 

"Eh, don't worry about it," Decibel said quickly. "My point is, I hope you realize that the only person you need to prove yourself to is, well, yourself. Don't measure yourself against anyone's standards but your own."

 

"Well… I guess," Shelly said. "But… I think I still want to at least try to prove myself to all of you guys, too. I've already succeeded by my own standards, so now I want all my friends to see me the way I see myself!"

 

"Fair enough!" Decibel said. "I guess it'd be a bit odd if we were still treating you like a helpless child in need of protection from the world. Well, I'm certainly looking forward to seeing your resolve firsthand!"

 

"Of course!" Shelly said. "You'd better be ready for - U-um."

 

Shelly had reached a new section of the corridor. Countless steel cages lined the walls, piled on top of each other. They varied greatly in size, and most of them were small enough that it was obvious they were intended for Pokemon rather than humans. Even still, the claustrophobic corridor of cages brought back uncomfortable memories for Shelly, reminding her of the time she was held captive by Team Meteor at the old Yureyu building. A few of the bars even displayed splashes of deep red paint. The walls and ceiling appeared even more dilapidated than before, with nothing but dirt beneath the almost-completely-absent black tiles beneath her feet. And the stairs just kept going down.

 

"I've, um, been meaning to ask…" Shelly said, "What exactly was the idea behind this whole entrance corridor? I mean, I'm definitely impressed by the detail, but, um… Did you have to make it so… Um…"

 

"Uncomfortable?" Decibel asked. "Yeah, sorry about that. You're definitely not the first challenger to complain about it. I should probably tone it down a bit - at least get some better lighting in there. But, well, I was so impressed by the Elite Four's personalized chambers when I first came to Charous Hall, I knew I had to design one for myself. And I think this one does a pretty good job of getting my point across."

 

"Huh? You point?" Shelly asked.

 

"Right, I was meaning to get to that," Decibel said. "Shelly… Why do you want to become Champion?"

 

"What?" Shelly was a bit confused. "I mean, you know why, Decibel. I want to prove to you, and to all my friends, that I'm strong enough for them to depend on, the way I've come to depend on all of you. I want to prove that I can make a difference."

 

"Alright, that's certainly why you want to become strong," Decibel said. "And I suppose, by definition, the Champion is the region's strongest Trainer. But is that really all that being Champion means to you? Being the strongest?"

 

"Huh…" As Shelly considered the question, she reached what seemed to finally be the bottom of the staircase. The corridor opened up into a wider chamber, most of which was filled with water. The liquid was a sickly brown, immediately familiar as the color of Azurine Lake at its most polluted. More water was constantly pouring into the room in thin streams from circular openings in the wall. Grimy piles of garbage protruded from beneath the water's surface in a few places. The walls and floor had gone from tile to dark metal, and the only way forward appeared to be thin metal grates over the toxic fluid.

 

"Well… I guess there's more to it than that, isn't there?" she answered as she began making her way across the grates, careful to maintain her balance. "Even as a Gym Leader, I have a responsibility to be a force for good in my community. It's why I let anyone who wants to use my gym as a library! And… I guess, as the Champion, you must have that same responsibility, but for the entire region…"

 

"Exactly," Decibel said. "Look around you, Shelly. This is Reborn City, before I arrived. This is the desolation that Team Meteor created, the scars they left on the city and the lives of all who lived there. Scars that, because of my efforts, were eventually able to heal."

 

"Yeah," Shelly said, "you were already living up to that responsibility long before you became Champion, huh? Pretty much as soon as you got to the region, even."

 

As she said this, she finally stepped onto solid ground at the other end of the room. Ahead of her was one final staircase, leading up a short distance. Even as she left the room behind, she could still hear running water through the walls all around her.

 

"Yes," Decibel said, "and it's that responsibility that I wanted to impart to you. If proving your strength and confidence was all you wanted, you've already done that many times over. But when Adrienn first asked me to become Champion after what happened to Ame, it wasn't just because xe believed I was the region's strongest Trainer. Xe recognized that I was willing to step up and protect Reborn in its greatest time of crisis."

 

At the top of the stairs was another short hallway that initially appeared to lead to a dead end. Shelly quickly noticed what appeared to be a set of metal sliding double-doors on the left wall. As she approached, the doors opened automatically, revealing the replicated interior of a train car. Even in the uncomfortably dim lighting, Shelly still recognized the warm brown tones and soft red cushions that immediately identified it as the traditional model of train used for almost all trips between Reborn and the surrounding regions. Interestingly, unlike the rest of the chamber, nothing within the car appeared damaged or time-worn in any way.

 

Suddenly, another set of doors opened at the far end of the car. Two figures stepped out to greet Shelly. One, of course, was Decibel. They stood about a foot taller than Shelly, clad in a stylish black suit with white highlights. Their white hair fell over their left shoulder in a side ponytail, and their bright blue eyes shone like clear water. Their expression was stoic and difficult to read, and their posture as they strode towards Shelly seemed to betray no signs of weakness or hesitation.

 

The other figure was about half Decibel's height - an Audino, smiling warmly as she entered the room alongside her companion. Shelly immediately recognized her as Ally, Decibel's constant companion throughout their journey. She was carrying a small notepad and pen in her right hand, having taken cues from the Smeargle who worked at the nightclub.

 

"Audi audi!!!" Ally called out in greeting. Seeing the kind and cute Pokemon relieved Shelly's discomfort a bit.

"Good to see you, Ally!" Shelly replied cheerfully. "I guess I'll be seeing you in action today, huh?"

 

"Au…" Ally said, shaking her head apologetically. She held out the open page of her notepad, which already had a message written on in pristine handwriting.

 

"I'm afraid I won't be battling today," it read. "But I'm certainly looking forward to seeing your performance! I'm certain you have what it takes to succeed!"

 

"Oh! Well, thanks! I'll definitely do my best!" Shelly responded, a bit of nervousness trickling into her voice. She was far less confident in her chances at actually claiming Decibel's title.

 

"Heh," Decibel chuckled, faintly smiling at seeing Ally and Shelly interact. "I'm looking forward to it. But before we battle, Shelly, I'd like to know. Are you ready to take on that responsibility? To use your position as Champion to make the region a better place?"

 

"Um… I mean, I guess so???" Shelly said nervously. "To be honest, I hadn't really thought that far ahead. I mean… Let's be honest, I don't actually stand a chance at beating you. I just wanted to push myself to improve, but…"

Decibel looked slightly annoyed. "Really, Shelly? After everything you've done to make it this far, how much you've grown both as a Trainer and a person, you're just going to count yourself out like that? I thought you had moved beyond that kind of self-doubt."

 

"But…" Shelly began, before stopping herself. "...No, you're right. You're right! I don't care if you've never lost a battle before! You'd better believe I'll be the first to defeat you, right here and now!" She still didn't fully believe her own words, but she knew she would need to be confident in her abilities if she wanted to stand a chance against the region's strongest Trainer.

 

"That's the spirit," Decibel agreed, smiling confidently. "Out of all my friends who've challenged me so far… You're the one who I think just might have what it takes to dethrone me."

 

"Au audi!!!!!" Ally cheered affirmatively.

 

Shelly blinked in surprise. "H… Huh? I mean, I appreciate it, but… Out of all our friends, me? Why?"

 

"Heh. Actually, that's a bit of a long-" Decibel began, before their expression suddenly shifted to surprise. "Um."

 

Shelly was confused at first… But then she felt a cold presence behind her. She slowly turned her head, and flinched in surprise when she saw the dark figure who had silently appeared directly behind her. She quickly recognized Shade's pitch-black coat and hat, and the featureless void occupying the space where their body should have been. By the time she registered who it was, though, Shade was already fading back away into nothingness, and within less than a second, he was gone.

 

"W-what?" she stammered. "W-why was he…?"

 

"Well, I guess we have taken long enough to get here," Decibel said nonchalantly. Had they been expecting him to show up? They grabbed hold of one of the metal bars along the train car's ceiling, and smirked. "Shelly? I strongly advise you to hold onto something."

 

"H-huh?" Shelly asked, though she did as Decibel suggested, grabbing hold of the bar nearest to her.

And that was when the train car broke in half.

 

A burst of chaotic movement suddenly rocked through Shelly's surroundings. In an instant, her body was forcefully flung in the direction of the car's right wall. Her arm snapped taut between the bar and her torso, flashing with pain for a brief moment, and her grip on the bar was almost dislodged. Thinking quickly, she grabbed hold of the bar with her other arm as well, stabilizing her and allowing her to ride out the next few seconds of unpredictable motion. The car swung violently up and down and left to right, though it seemed to be moving backwards at a constant rate. Shelly was also faintly aware of her surroundings becoming slightly brighter.

 

After ten seconds or so, the jerky movement slowed to a halt. Shelly exhaled the breath she had been unconsciously holding, and released her grip on the bar. Her heart was still racing as she looked out ahead of her. The other half of the train car had completely disconnected, with a break that appeared  jagged and chaotic, but that Shelly knew must have been cut beforehand. Decibel and Ally's half of the car was now about thirty feet away, and the Champion gazed resolutely back at Shelly from the other end.

 

Between the two cars was a massive pool of the same polluted water from the room prior. Waves of sickly brown lapped at various jagged rocks and stray pieces of metal within the pool, and the liquid appeared somewhat viscous as it lingered on the debris for longer than it should have after each wave. Ringing the pool were the facades of dilapidated skyscrapers, in Reborn City's distinct architectural style, seemingly stretching hundreds of feet into the air until they terminated in a small ring of dimly-lit, smog-covered sky. Whether they were really that tall or it was just an optical illusion, looking at the false buildings rising above her made Shelly feel incredibly small. Many of the windows on the facades were broken, and from a few of them, yet more toxic water cascaded down from on high.

Shelly looked down at the pool once more, and spotted a few spaces that were visibly darker than the rest, forming an immediately recognizable pattern. A rectangle stretching between the two halves of the train car, bisected by a line, with a Pokeball design in the center.

 

"This is how we arrived in Reborn, Shelly!" Decibel called out from across the murkwater arena. "In a violent train crash that, by all rights, we should never have survived! And from the moment Ally and I set foot within the city, we were assaulted on all sides by the forces that sought its ruin! Every step we took from that point onward was a challenge! A challenge we rose to meet, as we marched onward and fought back the forces that threatened the region!"

 

They grabbed a single Pokeball from the bright blue belt around their waist.

 

"You think you can claim our title, Shelly Citra!? After everything my Pokemon and I have been through together, every odd stacked against us that we've beaten, you still believe you and your Pokemon are stronger!? That you're better suited to lead Reborn to a brighter future!? Then prove it!! Go, Medea!"

 

Decibel flung their Pokeball forth, and Shelly watched it burst in midair. Emerging from it was a large, amorphous shape of shifting green, pink, and yellow. The Alolan Muk let out an intimidating cry, her crystalized poison teeth faintly glistening in the dim, smog-filtered light.

 

"Aud-aud-audi!!!" Ally cried encouragingly from one of the cushioned seats on Decibel's side of the train. She held her notepad above her head, having written "Good luck!!!" in large letters across the page.

 

"I…" Shelly hesitated, paralyzed with apprehension now that the long-awaited battle was finally in front of her. After all her talk, could she actually believe that she stood a chance here?

 

But it was only for a moment that she hesitated. There was no turning back. Even if she lost, she would learn from it and grow, like she always had against Decibel. And if there was a chance she could win, however small? Then she owed it to herself to take it.

 

"I… I will!" Shelly shouted. "Now that I've finally made it… You, my brother, and everyone else… I'm gonna prove how strong I can be now! Anna, let's go!"

 

She tossed her own Pokeball, and the battle truly began.

 

Out of the ball emerged Anna, Shelly's Ribombee. Her fluttering translucent wings just barely held her aloft above the tumultuous corrosive water below. The Focus Sash around her neck waved behind her, its rapid movements in the air making it appear to flicker like a flame. She briefly glanced behind her, giving her Trainer a confident smile. Shelly's team had fought their way through the Elite Four already; they knew exactly what was at stake, and it appeared they were behind her all the way.

 

Anna was, of course, named after one of Shelly's most important friends. It was Anna, with her vision into the beyond, who had seen the multitude of invisible strings around Shelly, and who had convinced her that there were people who cared about her. Anna and the other kids from the orphanage were some of Shelly's first real friends in Reborn, and despite the dangerous circumstances, the time she spent on the run with them was something she would treasure forever. When Anna had made her wish to stop Lin, and succumbed to Dreamsickness as a result, almost everyone had forgotten her - Shelly included. But the Ribombee she named after her helped her remember, and hold onto the connection they shared. And it was that connection - and her connections with all her friends - that Shelly drew her strength from. 

 

"Medea, Gunk Shot!" Decibel shouted. "Aim high!"

 

Medea closed her mouth, and her amorphous form began to ripple and bulge. The water around her seemed to become deeper brown - it seemed as though she was drawing in pollutants from her surroundings to empower her attack.

 

"Anna, dodge!" Shelly said. A split-second later, a massive blob of grime, sludge, and white toxic crystals was expelled from Medea's mouth, hurtling in Anna's direction. Anna quickly fluttered downward in an attempt to avoid the blast… Only to find herself far closer than she'd like to the toxic water. She arced upward just as a wave of putrid brown crashed in the spot where she'd just been, only barely avoiding both the water and the Gunk Shot.

"Keep the pressure on her! Remember to lead your shots!" Decibel coached their Pokemon. Medea began to quickly ready another Gunk Shot, and Anna continued to quickly swoop through the air, hoping to make herself as difficult a target as possible.

 

Shelly surveyed the battlefield, trying to think her way out of this situation. With her type advantage and strong special bulk, Medea would be almost impossible for Anna to defeat on her own. And the murkwater was already proving to be quite the dangerous obstacle. Anna could fly above it, if only barely, but most of Shelly's team didn't have that luxury. She had a few Steel-types who could resist its corrosive effects, but even they would be slowed down considerably by the water resistance. Decibel had obviously built their team to take advantage of the field, meaning they'd likely have no such difficulty moving about the pool. So, if she wanted to win, she'd have to find some way to overcome that speed issue. Of course, there was a reason she had led with Anna… But was that strategy still possible on this field?

 

She glanced around Decibel's side of the arena, making note of a few things that she might be able to use. The rocks and bits of debris poking out of the water, and maybe even the sides of the train car… It wasn't ideal, but it was probably her only shot.

 

"Anna, see all the debris?" she shouted. "Use it to set up a web!"

 

Anna nodded, and held her arms out by her sides. Spheres of lime-green magic formed above her tiny, ovaloid hands - less like an insect spinning silk, and more like a fairy casting a spell, though the effect would be much the same.

 

"Don't give her the chance!" Decibel barked. Medea let loose another Gunk Shot, which Anna had to suddenly slow her momentum in order to avoid. Anna quickly recovered and flung her hand in the direction of one of the protruding rocks, and a strand of gossamer silk shot forth from the magic orb, anchoring itself to the stone. She flew circles around Medea, who had already begun preparing another attack, and flung dozens more silken strands onto rocks, debris, and even the building facades on the far edges of the pool. Within seconds, Decibel's side of the field was almost completely covered by a massive Sticky Web suspended just above the water. Faint bands of lime-colored light danced across the strands - a lingering bit of magic that would re-form parts of the web when they were torn, ensuring it would remain in place for the entire battle.

 

Just as she was putting the finishing touches on the web, though, Medea finally managed to connect an attack. The high-velocity ball of gunk slammed directly into Anna's frail body, and she cried out in pain as it knocked her out of the sky. Her Focus Sash briefly flashed bright red before slowly crumbling to dust around her, having saved her from being completely incapacitated by the impact. However, the item's effect ended up accomplishing very little, as she was immediately sent careening into the murkwater below, sinking beneath the grime with a resounding splash. Her tiny form rose to the surface but a second later, face up and completely unmoving.

 

"Sorry!" Shelly said, holding up Anna's Pokeball. "You did well, though! Return!" The Ribombee was absorbed into the ball's light and recalled.

 

"Not a bad strategy," Decibel said, examining the Sticky Web. "But you'll need more than speed control to defeat us, especially given that you're already down a Pokemon. Now, what's next?"

 

Shelly considered her options. Medea's oozing mouth had twisted into a grin after her successful KO, and she was looking at Shelly expectantly, as though waiting for her to bring out the next victim. As a Poison/Dark type, Alolan Muk was ordinarily only weak to Ground. But Ground moves were nearly impossible to use on the water's surface, meaning that she effectively had no type weaknesses at all - an excellent choice for this field, to be sure. That didn't mean she couldn't be countered, however - a Steel-type would be immune to her powerful Gunk Shots, and might be able to whittle her down. Muk had much higher special defense than physical, meaning the best choice would be…

 

"Alright! Go, Titania!"

 

Out of her next Pokeball emerged an imposing insectoid Pokemon with an exoskeleton of bright red metal. She had a vespine body plan, but sported a pair of crustacean-like claws, with false eyespots making them appear like extra heads. She sunk into the murkwater down to her waist, but her metal plating warded off the corrosive effect, and she let out a battle-ready cry.

 

Titania was a relatively recent friend of Shelly's, with the two of them only really spending time together after Team Meteor's defeat. Though Shelly had been afraid to approach the blunt, intimidating Steel leader at first, they had ended up hitting it off better than either of them had expected, bonding over their shared love of literature. Titania had taken it upon herself to take Shelly under her wing and teach her to be more assertive. While her tough-love approach wasn't always what Shelly wanted, it had certainly helped, and Titania's encouragement was a major factor in her decision to challenge the league. So far, Shelly's Scizor had been no less stalwart and unflinching in the face of peril than her namesake, and had carried Shelly through more than a few challenging battles.

 

Seeing Titania enter the arena, Decibel looked contemplative for a moment. "....Tch. Medea, return." Medea looked slightly disappointed as she retreated back into the Pokeball.

 

"Titania, get ready to Bug Bite whatever comes out next!" Shelly called out. Readying herself, Titania held her right claw wide open, the edges of which began to glow lime-green and morph into a more jagged, mandible-like shape. Scizor may not have a large, powerful mouth to bite with, but the "mouths" of her two false heads worked just as well for the purposes of the attack.

 

"Acrux, brace yourself!" Decibel shouted as they threw their Pokeball. Out of it burst a large, hulking frame of silvery blue metal, with four massive clawed arms, connected to a central body marked with a silver "X" shape, and gleaming red rings for eyes. The Metagross sank into the murkwater, their arms tangling into the threads of the Sticky Web around them, just as Titania rushed forward through the grime with her biting claw at the ready.

 

Heeding Decibel's warning, Acrux quickly tore one of their front arms free from the web and held it protectively in front of their face. Titania's claw rapidly snapped shut on the arm, the jagged magic-formed edges piercing through their thick metal plating. As she did so, there was a brief flash of purple from somewhere within her other claw - her Life Orb activating to empower the attack at the cost of a small amount of her vitality. Acrux roared in pain, but quickly shook off Titania's claw and flung her away. She landed about ten feet off, within her teammate's web, and quickly positioned herself to move within its strands, as she had been trained to do.

 

Shelly could see slightly-glowing bite marks on Acrux's arm. The attack hadn't done much damage to their metallic exterior, but the Bug-type energy seemed to have done a fair amount of internal damage. A few more solid hits might be all she needed!

 

"Don't let up, Titania! Another Bug Bite!" The Scizor's claw began to glow once more, and she lunged forward, deftly navigating the Sticky Web's strands. 

 

"We won't fall so easily!" Decibel shouted, holding up their right arm. Around their wrist was a black band with two different powerful crystals on each end - a coveted Mega-Z Ring. They raised their left hand up to the ring and pressed down on its Key Stone with two fingers. A deep purple light began to emerge from the stone, as well as from Acrux's body. There was a bright flash of white as they harnessed the power of Mega Evolution.

 

Titania lept towards her transforming target, only to be caught in midair by an enormous metallic claw. Acrux's new form was massive, with four thick, powerful arms in front and four more smaller ones in the back. The X-shape on their body was now made of solid gold, and their expression was even more monstrous.

 

Unfazed even by being seized by her opponent, Titania let out a war cry as she unleashed her Bug Bite on the arm grasping her. Acrux grunted in discomfort, but was obviously far less affected than they had been by the first attack.

Decibel's expression tightened with resolve. "Now, Thunderpunch. Into the murk with her."

 

Another of Acrux's claws began to crackle with electricity. They tossed Titania into the air, then rapidly struck downward, a massive heavy column of electrically-charged metal slamming into her and plunging her into water below. There was a resounding crack as she was crushed against a submerged portion of one of the piles of debris. Shelly involuntarily flinched, feeling the heavy impact secondhand. Jagged yellow bolts arced all around the water, no doubt exacerbating Titania's pain.

 

"Bullet Punch," Decibel quickly ordered. "Finish her before she can move."

 

All four of Acrux's front claws briefly flashed with a silvery light. Then, moving far faster than their bulky frame would suggest was possible, they unleashed a series of rapid punches onto the location where Titania had submerged. Just one punch from a Mega Metagross's enormous claws could easily inflict debilitating injury on any human, and Titania was being forced to endure dozens of them in rapid succession.

 

"Titania!" Shelly called out in concern. Obviously, it was inevitable that Pokemon would be hurt over the course of any battle, but Decibel's battle style thus far had seemed particularly ruthless. Even Ally was looking down at Titania's location with concern. Even the field Decibel had chosen, murkwater, was one that was actively painful for most Pokemon to even stand in. And yet, their expression remained resolute, showing no signs or remorse. Shelly recalled seeing that same expression in Blake's apartment in Ametrine. She had begged them with tears in her eyes to give up the Ruby Ring if it meant saving Heather's life, but they had refused to even entertain the idea. Heather turned out fine in the end, but Decibel had still demonstrated that they were willing to risk letting her die if it meant keeping Team Meteor from achieving their destructive goals. They were a good, caring friend under most circumstances, but Shelly occasionally received uncomfortable reminders like this of their ruthless dedication to success at all costs.

 

The onslaught of Bullet Punches had ended. Acrux backed away from the spot where Titania had fallen. Seconds passed. There was no movement within the murk.

 

"Hmph," Decibel scoffed. "And that's two Pokemon down already. I had really hoped you'd put up more of-"

"Sciiiiiiz!!!" a cry pierced through the arena. Suddenly, Titania burst forth from the water in a massive splash of brown, lunging straight for Acrux's torso. Acrux was too startled to react in time as both of her claws opened, shining with green energy, and clamped down hard on the X-shape on their face. They roared and writhed in pain as the soft golden material bent under the powerful force of her attack.

 

After a few seconds, the Metagross slumped over, their arms coming to a rest within the murk as their eyes closed. Titania released her grip and stumbled backwards. Shelly could see scorch marks from the electricity all across her exoskeleton, as well as a few concave sections from the force of the punches. She was clearly in great pain, but she was still standing, and Acrux was not.

 

Shelly broke into a grin "You were saying!? You'd better not underestimate us again!"

 

Decibel smirked as they recalled Acrux. "Noted. It seems you'll be putting up a fight after all." They plucked another ball from their belt and tossed it into the fray. "Spamton, you're up!"

 

Emerging from the ball was an orange, rectangular shape surrounded by an aura of blue plasma. A circular blue hatch was embedded in the center of their body, above which was a mischievous smiling face with oval-shaped blue eyes. The Rotom chaotically vibrated in place just above the Sticky Web, bypassing its entangling effect. She would have to keep in mind that they would likely outspeed many of her Pokemon. It was clear that Titania couldn't take another hit… So she would have to get in one final attack while she still could.

 

"Titania, use your own Bullet Punch!" she called. "Stay strong just a little longer!" Titania nodded resolutely, and clamped both of her claws shut as silvery Steel-type magic flashed through them. In an instant, she buzzed through the air and appeared directly in front of Spamton, her atrophied wings just barely holding her in the air long enough to unleash a lightning-fast barrage of strikes. She ended the combo with a jab towards the center of their washing-machine body, leaving a small crack on the door. They briefly hovered backwards, dazed from the impact, as Titania's legs found purchase on the Sticky Web's strands. She immediately grasped her side in pain, and the faint purple glow from her right claw reminded Shelly that her Life Orb was rapidly draining her already-nearly-depleted health.

 

"Finish her," Decibel said simply. Spamton smiled as they clamped onto Titania's thorax with their clothespin-shaped plasma protrusion. Suddenly, there was a low rumble far above. Shelly turned her gaze upward and saw arcing bolts of yellow within the smog-covered circle of sky. In a flash, one of those bolts rapidly traveled downward, attracted to the orange spike on Spamton's head. A bright flash of light filled the arena, followed by a shower of sparks, as the full force of the Thunder attack surged through Titania's body. She went stiff for a moment, then collapsed backwards out of Spamton's grasp, gently splashing into the murkwater. Spamton giggled mischievously.

 

"Great job, Titania!" Shelly said nervously as she recalled her. "Though, um, Spamton, I don't think you needed to hit her quite so hard… She was already pretty hurt…"

 

"Sorry about that," read the open page on Ally's notebook. She smiled apologetically as she held it up. Spamton emitted a low, melancholic hum as they looked down sheepishly.

 

"She'll be fine once you get her back to a healing machine," Decibel said in a neutral tone. "Now, think the rest of your team can handle Spamton's power?"

 

"Hm…" Shelly thought for a moment. It was true that not many of her remaining team members would be able to take a Thunder attack like that, especially with the conductive murkwater amplifying its damage. That final Bullet Punch had weakened them a bit - it might be possible to finish them off with one more strong hit. Unfortunately, with the murkwater slowing her team down, and Spamton unaffected by the web, it was doubtful whether she would be able to hit them before they hit her. Wash-form Rotom was only weak to Grass attacks, which unfortunately, none of her current team members possessed. Her best bet would be a powerful same-typed move. And the team member who would be best able to use such a move, while also standing a chance at outspeeding Spamton even through the murkwater, would be…

 

"Got it! Go, Serra!"

 

Out of Shelly's next Pokeball emerged the slender frame of a beautiful extradimensional cockroach. They had thin, white limbs connected to a torso lined with conical frills, delicate elongated antennae, and fused, membranous wings in place of hair. They let out an uncomfortable cty as they perched themself on one of the protruding rocks, evidently disgusted by the polluted water that they were about to be fighting in.

 

"Sorry, but I really need your help here!" Shelly said. "Quick, hit them with a High Jump Kick!"

 

Serra furrowed their gold-encrusted brow in annoyance, but still nodded in agreement. Seeking to maximize their jump height, they first leapt up onto the roof of the train car, prepared to spring towards her target.

 

Serra, Reborn's Ice leader, was another more recently-formed friendship, though they'd grown quite close even in that limited time. They'd first met when Serra rescued her from being consumed by a black hole within one of Team Meteor's bases. After that, she had acted caring and protective toward Shelly - she'd later admitted that she wanted to make up for the mistakes she made in caring for her own son, Bennett. After living on her own in another region for the past few years, Shelly appreciated having someone like Serra care for her like that. And she certainly appreciated Serra supporting her when she took on Lin and the rest of Team Meteor during the raid on Labradorra.

 

The Pheremosa leapt upward several dozen feet, performed a graceful midair twirl, then began a rapid descent towards Spamton, the sharp golden tip of her foot outstretched. Decibel, however, wasn't about to let Spamton go down so easily.

 

"Return!" they called out, using one hand to recall them and the other to immediately ready a new Pokeball. "Mortasheen, block it!"

 

Directly into the path of Serra's kick appeared a deep-blue dome covered in toxic barbs. The Toxapex's twelve arms thrashed in surprise upon landing in the Sticky Web, but he quickly regained composure and braced himself for the incoming attack. An instant later, Serra reached their new target, but the kick bounced harmlessly off of Mortasheen's bunker-like exterior, thankfully landing between his venomous spines. Having expected far less resistance, Serra flailed backwards through the air, landing in the toxic water and crying out in equal parts pain and disgust.

 

Mortasheen lifted his two front arms, revealing the luminous yellow eyes and jagged, toothy grin on his main body, tiny in comparison to his arms. His grin widened even further as he held up a small object he had clasped in one of the arms. Shelly squinted to make out what it was, and quickly recognized the small white-and-pink sphere as a variety of Elemental Seed. He tossed it downward toward the murkwater, where it immediately burst into a flash of bright pink. Reacting to the seed, polluted water surged upward and enveloped Mortasheen, its toxins nourishing his poisonous body. The part of the Sticky Web he was caught in rapidly corroded away, and he splashed down safely into the water.

 

"Toxic," Decibel ordered.

 

Before Serra or her Trainer could react, Mortasheen thrust one of his arms forward into the water, and a stream of even darker fluid shot towards his opponent. Serra cried out as the venom spread upward through their hemolymph, visibly darkening their white body. Shelly winced sympathetically - between the poison in her system and the corrosive water around her, it seemed like Serra would be quickly worn down by residual damage.

 

But this was no time to give up. "Stay strong!" Shelly encouraged. "Use Throat Chop! Try to find a weak spot in his defenses!" Serra, shuddering in pain, nodded back to her, prepared to fight to the end for their Trainer. They rushed towards Mortasheen as fast as the viscous water would allow, a black aura beginning to gather around their delicate clawed hands.

 

"Block their strikes! Stall them out!" Decibel shouted. Mortasheen's arms once again completely covered his fragile inner body, and his spines seemed to grow even longer and sharper. Serra wasted no time in unleashing several Throat Chops on various points throughout his bunker, aiming for the thin gaps between his arms. The aura of Dark-type magic strengthened their blows, spreading through the area around the impact and leaving dark bruises behind. Even still, Mortasheen barely seemed to feel the impact, his impregnable defense still holding strong. The toxic Aqua Ring surrounding him was gradually healing his wounds, fortifying him even further. And Serra was rapidly looking worse for wear, their body growing darker by the moment.

 

But then Serra did something that Mortasheen wasn't expecting. Pushing down on top of his bunker, just between his topmost layers of spines, they performed a graceful frontflip over him. He shifted his arms in confusion, his bunker blocking his view of what exactly they were doing. And Serra was ready to take advantage of that confusion, igniting a Dark-type aura around one of her feet and swinging downward from midair. Mortasheen was slammed down beneath the water, his bunker momentarily collapsing from the impact. Serra attempted another quick strike with her other leg, but they couldn't aim well enough within the murky pool, and he deflected her blow before restoring his prior defensive position. Still, that surprise attack seemed to have done quite a fair amount of damage.

 

"Keep that up!" Shelly said optimistically. "He can't block your attacks forever!"

 

"No, I suppose he can't," Decibel admitted. "Fine then. They're weakened enough; end this with a Venoshock!"

A pink glow began to build at the tips of Mortasheen's arms nearest to Serra. They attempted to get in one last strike, but his Aqua Ring almost seemed to enhance and quicken his movements, and he unleashed his attack first. He thrust two of his arms upward, and two curved lines of Poison-type magic arced around Serra, surrounding her. When Mortasheen thrust the arms down and out, the magic surged upward, seizing direct control of the toxins both in the surrounding water and within Serra's body. Spikes of brown sludge erupted all around them, and dark fluid arced throughout their hemolymph as they cried out and convulsed in pain. Then the sludge fell back into the water, and Serra collapsed backwards into it, no longer moving.

 

"Return!" Shelly said as she recalled them. "Sorry for putting you through that!" Mortasheen raised his front arms once more, a soft cackle emerging from his toothy maw as the Aqua Ring continued to gradually undo Serra's hard work. But Shelly already knew exactly how she was going to wipe that grin off his face.

 

Toxapex was a highly defense-oriented Pokemon, almost always dedicating most of its moveslots to status moves. That meant it was unlikely that Mortasheen had any type coverage beyond just Poison and Water, if that. Even if he knew Scald or something similar, she knew the murkwater would transmute it into a partial Poison typing. As impenetrable as his defense may have been, he was completely useless against any Steel-type adversary. And unfortunately for him, Titania wasn't the only Steel-type Shelly had brought with her into Charous Hall.

 

"Your turn, Saphira!"

 

A sleek metal-plated form emerged from Shelly's next ball, sinking up to their thorax in the murkwater. Their glass-covered red eyes, reminiscent of the headlights of a car, glowed menacingly in the dim light. The enormous energy cannon attached to their back hummed ominously, ready to fire off at a moment's notice. The Genesect shot a grin back at Shelly, clearly ready to wreak some havoc.

 

Shelly and the titular Dragon leader weren't too close of friends, but Saphira had still been an integral part of Shelly's journey. When they had met in Tanzan Cove, Saphira had barely even acknowledged Shelly's existence, not even bothering to learn her name. Yet Shelly had still admired her from afar, particularly her unwavering determination to protect those closest to her. Shelly decided that she wanted her friends to be able to rely on her the same way - one of the many precipitating factors in her overcoming her passivity and self-doubt. When they met again at Labradorra, Shelly had demanded Saphira remember her properly, to which she acquiesced. Even if she could never get her brother to do the same, earning Saphira's respect had been an encouraging sign of how far she'd come. And when Shelly had helped defend the city from a swarm of Genesect after the New World anomalies first began to appear, she decided there was no more fitting namesake for the one and only Bug-type Legendary than the unstoppable force herself.

 

As soon as Saphira entered the field, Shelly's eyes flicked over to Decibel. Sure enough, they were already grabbing a new Pokeball from their belt. As she had suspected, Mortasheen had no way of harming Saphira, so they were getting ready for yet another substitution. She was down three Pokemon while they had only lost one - if she wanted to turn the battle in her favor, she needed to make this attack count. Psychic would no doubt be Saphira's strongest attack against Mortasheen, but would it be against whoever Decibel switched in? Probably not - though it was hard to judge what would be her safest attack option, especially given that they still had two Pokemon Shelly hadn't seen yet. Given so many unknowns, she decided to simply go for the strongest same-type move Saphira had at their disposal.

 

"Mortasheen, return!"

 

"Saphira, get a Flash Cannon ready!"

 

A robotic laugh exited Saphira's mouth as they leaned forward. Thin strands of silver light raced across the length of their cannon, concentrating into a radiant orb at the tip. The Life Orb inserted into the back of the cannon emitted a faint violet glow. Mortasheen disappeared into their Pokeball, and Decibel tossed out a new one - a familiar one.

"Medea, get ready to deflect!"

 

The Alolan Muk emerged once more, landing on the Sticky Web and slowly beginning to ooze through the gaps between its strands. The instant she materialized, Saphira unleashed their Flash Cannon, a massive beam of silver light piercing through the air towards her. It impacted in the center of her forehead, beams of light scattering off of her in every direction as she reeled back. But, when the light cleared, Medea barely seemed fazed, the crater from the impact already filling back in with colorful grime. Shelly was startled and disappointed by this - even with special defense as high as Muk's, shouldn't a blast like that from a Legendary like Saphira have done more damage?

 

Then, just before the impact crater on Medea's brow fully disappeared, Shelly caught a flash of something deep red within. Something made of plastic? Shelly thought for a moment before recognizing where she'd seen the material before. It was the thick, magic-resistant synthetic material utilized in Assault Vests. It seemed that rather than visibly wearing a vest, Medea had one suspended within her fluid body, so that she could reposition it to block attacks as needed. In that case, Saphira might have more difficulty against her than Shelly had anticipated… But, being immune to her powerful Gunk Shots, Saphira shouldn't take too much damage from Medea's attacks either. Neither of Shelly's other two remaining partners could safely switch in on Medea - she would just have to hope that Saphira could whittle her health down faster than she could whittle theirs.

 

"Keep blasting!" Shelly commanded. "And look out for something red and plastic - she's using it to block you!" Saphira nodded, and their synthetic eyes seemed to focus before they began charging another Flash Cannon.

 

"Oh? Well spotted," Decibel complimented her. "But I'm afraid it won't keep Saphira standing much longer. Medea, you already know what to do."

 

Medea roared in acknowledgement, and began slowly making her way forward, struggling to get the more solid parts of her body through the web. Both the web and the water were slowing her down, but Shelly definitely didn't want to find out why Decibel was so confident she'd be able to win. Neither did Saphira, as they fired off another silvery blast into Medea's right side. Yet again, the blast scattered off with minimal impact, and once again, the Assault Vest material appeared at the point of impact. Saphira tilted their head and let out a brief chuckle. Shelly heard something reconfigure within the interior of their cannon. Medea was now halfway across the arena, having fully made it through the web and currently oozing through the murk towards her target.

 

Suddenly, Saphira loosed a rapid volley of short, concentrated bursts from their cannon. About a dozen bolts of silver light impacted Medea's body at different points. She was able to block a few of them with the vest, but most of them passed all the way through her, leaving small holes in the sludge as she recoiled and howled in pain. One of the blasts hit directly in the center of Medea's right hand, which immediately lost cohesion, splattering into inert sludge and leaving the arm an oozing stump. Medea cried out, then glared at Saphira with burning fury in her eyes. Shelly would've felt awful about her Pokemon inflicting such an injury, were she not aware that Muk were able to regenerate their amorphous bodies with relative ease.

 

"Submerge!" Decibel shouted. "They can't aim well through the murk!"

 

Medea heeded their words, flattening her body and sinking beneath the toxic water, becoming little more than a slightly darker patch of grime. As she swam ever-closer, her form rippling beneath the waves, Saphira charged up another volley and began firing. As Decibel had predicted, though, only a few of their shots were able to find purchase within the opaque liquid, and Medea didn't seem to slow down at all. Her dark shape flowed around Saphira, and she surfaced behind them in a mighty burst of water. Shelly took a few steps back into the train car, worried she would be splashed by stray drops of acid. Medea's hand had already regenerated from absorbing sludge from the pool, and she raised it high above her head… Where it ignited, swirling with bright red-orange flame.

 

Oh. She knew Fire Punch. Well then.

 

Shelly looked on in resignation, knowing there was nothing she could do as Medea's burning fist swung down and slammed into the back of Saphira's cannon. Violet metal glowed white-hot and crumpled beneath the fist's impact, the cannon tilting to the side as the punch knocked it out of alignment. Warning sirens from within Saphira's cybernetic armor blared, announcing their defeat as they crumpled into the water. Shelly was able to make out another unfortunate sound as well - the sound of an insect's exoskeleton cracking, as it seems the punch was strong enough to cause internal damage even through the armor.

 

"R-return!" Shelly said, recalling yet another defeated team member. She had almost started to feel confident in her abilities after taking down Acrux, but she was already down to her last two Pokemon. The Champion, meanwhile, had only lost a single one. By substituting their Pokemon at critical moments, they had been able to counter everything Shelly threw at them with minimal difficulty. There was one of Shelly's remaining Pokemon who could probably finish off Medea relatively easily… But even if she sent him out, Decibel would just switch Pokemon again, wouldn't they? She had been right before - even if she was strong enough to overcome the Elite Four, Decibel was on a completely different level in terms of skill. She wasn't anywhere near good enough to stand a chance against them. She lowered her head in resignation, still clutching Saphira's ball.

 

"What, already admitting defeat?" Decibel called out to her. "Hmph. I expected more from you. Were you right about yourself, then, back when I first met you? Are you simply too weak and useless for anyone to waste their time with you?"

 

"W-well… No! Of course not!" Shelly cried. She could tell Decibel was trying to encourage her, in their own way, but their intensity was making her rather uncomfortable. "But that doesn't mean I'm strong enough to beat you! Nobody is!"

 

"Maybe so," Decibel said. "But then again, for a very long time, nobody was strong enough to beat Lin, either. Nobody should have been strong enough to overcome half the challenges I have over the course of my journey. And I certainly didn't get this far by giving up and walking away when things looked bleak."

 

"I… But…"

 

Before she could finish her thought, Shelly's attention was caught by a new message that Ally was holding up on her notepad. It was difficult to read from across the arena, but Shelly could still barely make it out.

 

"I know the Pokemon who have brought you this far are still behind you!" it read. "If you can't believe in yourself, then believe in your friends!!"

 

Shelly paused, thinking of those friends. Her team had gone through so much effort and pain to get her to this point. If she gave up now, all that effort would have been for nothing - they'd be disappointed to no end. But even more than them, she thought of all the human friends who had encouraged her along the way. Every Leader she had defeated over the course of her recent League challenge had given her high praise and words of encouragement, especially those closest to her. When Heather lost to her just four battles prior, she had been adamant that Shelly go all the way this time.

 

"If you're good enough to go from one of the lowest-ranked Leaders out there to being strong enough to take down me, then there's obviously nothing you can't do! So don't let that Bennett creep think for a second he's a better Bug trainer than you! Kick his butt, and then kick Decibel's butt! Trust me, Shell Bell, if there's anyone who stands a chance against someone like them, it's gotta be you!"

 

Of course, Heather was Shelly's best friend, so of course she would have kind words for her. But even so, Shelly couldn't just let her down by giving up, could she? And every friend she had made throughout her journey, every invisible string she had tied… She couldn't just let their belief in her be wasted. Even if she did end up losing, she owed it to them to see this challenge through to the end.

 

"...Right. Right!" Shelly said, her confidence renewed. "If we didn't attempt the impossible, how would we ever know our true limits!? My friends' belief in me can carry me further than this!!"

 

"Perhaps it can," Decibel said, a faint smile forming on their lips. "But it's still up to you to prove that. Now, are you sending in your next Pokemon, or not!?"

 

"You'd better believe I am!" Shelly exclaimed. She picked out her penultimate Pokeball, containing her only remaining team member who could threaten Medea. The Muk had known Fire Punch all along, yet Decibel had still switched her out against Titania… Meaning that she must be highly vulnerable to physical attacks. So, Shelly's best hope against her was the strongest physical attacker she had. She had taken a while to think of a nickname for him, but she had settled on one recently before the challenge. He was really more of Decibel's friend than he was hers, but he had nonetheless always been kind and encouraging to her on the occasions they'd spoken. And he and the Pokemon shared at least a few important things in common - a love of high places, a certain fire behind their eyes.

Shelly tossed the ball straight up. "Taka, get ready to fly!"

 

The ball burst open about twenty feet above the pool, and out of it popped a squat, brown-carapaced Pokemon with massive mandible-like horns atop his head. A war cry exited his elongated sideways mouth as he began to plummet towards the field. Of course, Shelly wasn't just going to let him fall. She grabbed hold of the Mega-Z Ring around her right wrist, focusing her will into the Key Stone embedded therein. The stone responded to her desire, emitting a bright violet glow just as Decibel's had earlier. The Pinsirite clutched in Taka's claw reacted, enveloping him in a sphere of radiant white. About five feet before he hit the water, he burst out of the sphere transformed, sporting even spikier horns, intense golden eyes, legs with elongated claws pointed straight forward, and orange-bladed elytra that opened up to reveal translucent yellow wings. Those wings fluttered rapidly, creating ripples in the water below as they slowed Taka's descent to a halt. His mandible-horns clicked together as he hovered above the pool, ready to tear his foes to shreds.

 

"They're probably about to switch Pokemon, so get ready to hit whatever comes out with a Return!" Shelly advised him. In response, Taka began to spiral upwards, gaining height so that he could swoop down at maximum velocity.

"That predictable, am I?" Decibel mused. "Though I don't have many other options at the moment. Alright, Medea, get back! Mortasheen, incoming!"

 

Medea was recalled, the red light from her Pokeball shooting across the arena to bring her back to Decibel's side. The Toxapex took her place, once again landing within the Sticky Web's entangling threads. Many of his wounds from his encounter with Serra had faded - the healing effect of his powerful Regenerator ability. However, this time around, he lacked the Elemental Seed he had used to escape the web earlier, and was struggling to make his way down to the water.

 

As Taka reached the apex of his flight, gears turned in Shelly's head. One of the reasons Serra had had such a difficult time against him was his defensive position within the murkwater. It was difficult for most Pokemon to aim their attacks through thick pollutants, and the upper parts of Toxapex's bunker were near-impossible to break through. His inner body was still vulnerable, though, and with him suspended in the web like this…

 

"Arc upward when you strike! Flip him over!" Shelly shouted up at Taka.

 

"What!?" Decibel shouted in alarm. "Quick, get into the water-"

 

But Mortasheen had no time to take up a more defensible position. Taka descended with blistering speed, crossing the length of the arena in less than a second. A powerful wind whipped around his legs, the attack's Aerilate boost propelling him forward even faster. Shelly felt a comforting tug at something deep within her soul - Taka drawing power directly from the strength of their bond. Before Mortasheen could even protrude his spines, Taka's spiked legs had already pierced into his arms, thrusting him upward. Taka quickly released his grip as he flew back up, letting the momentum of the strike carry Mortasheen onto their back. Their arms flailed uselessly within the web as their  upside-down main body cried out in desperation.

 

"Tch, flip back and use Recover-"

 

"Don't give him the chance! Another Return!"

 

Deftly navigating between the Sticky Web's strands, Taka looped back around and descended for another strike, this time slamming down directly onto the center of Mortasheen's body. All of his momentum transferred into Mortasheen, launching him straight through the web and crashing down into the murk as a wave of powerful wind pulsed out from the point of impact. A second later, Mortasheen floated back up to the surface, his twelve arms limp.

 

"Clever," Decibel said, smirking as they recalled Mortasheen. "Let's see how long you can keep that up, though." They thumbed through their remaining Pokeballs, evidently contemplating who to send in next. Shelly was worried about what their next choice would be - for as strong as Taka was, Flying attacks were all he could use on this field, so it would be easy for the right opponent to shut him down. For now, Shelly's biggest advantage was that Decibel didn't know Taka's moveset. She just had to hope they would send out something he could still handle.

 

"Well, then," Decibel said, "let's see how your strongest attacker thus far fares against mine. Xibalba, it's time!"

 

They threw their Pokeball, and light burst out… And then back inward, swirling and concentrating rather than forming into a Pokemon. Shelly suddenly noticed the light from the ceiling dim - the clouds becoming a much darker shade as a few raindrops began to fall into the pool. The swirling light took on a bright blue hue as it began to crystalize, taking the form of an enormous radiant sapphire with a golden "∝" within its core. Shelly knew exactly what this meant - a foe she was already dreading having to face.

 

The ethereal sapphire burst, and out of it emerged a colossal cetacean as deep blue as the ocean itself. Bands of golden energy ran across their body, forming alpha-shaped patterns on their brow and flippers. The Primal Kyogre landed on, and immediately tore through, the Sticky Web, crashing straight through it and hitting the murkwater with a resounding splash. Above, the rainstorm they had summoned was already building into a torrential downpour, decreasing visibility and making Taka struggle a bit to stay aloft. Xibalba let out a primal roar, and as though in response, the cascades of toxic water around the building facades began to gush out faster and more powerfully than before. Before they had even used an attack, the water throughout the arena was already beginning to bend itself to their will.

 

Despair flashed through Shelly's mind. She had a Legendary Pokemon on her team as well, of course, but Genesect didn't even begin to approach the primordial power of the creator of the seas. And unlike Saphira, Xibalba was on a favorable field, able to bend the murkwater to their will like no other. They weren't resistant to Taka's attacks as she had feared, but… Could she even stand a chance against such a deific foe?

 

Shelly shook her head, reminding herself that it didn't matter. Giving up would be a far greater insult to everyone who believed in her than mere defeat. No matter the odds, she would see this battle through to the end.

"Origin Pulse!" Decibel barked. "Strike him down from the sky!" Xibalba lowered their flippers into the murk, and lines of azure light coursed all throughout it. The light pooled into a circle at a point just beneath where Taka was in the air.

 

"Dodge!" Shelly shouted, though she doubted Taka needed to be told, as he was already rapidly flying away from the pooled light. Not a second after he escaped its radius, a massive column of water shot straight upward out of it, brown grime mixing with bright blue Water-type magic. The column went dozens of feet upward, likely higher than Taka was capable of flying, especially with the rain hampering them. The lines of magic within the pool reconfigured as Xibalba swam towards Taka, their golden eyes trained on him.

 

"Focus on dodging! Try to get in Quick Attacks when you can!"

 

More Origin Pulses erupted from the pool, and Taka spiraled around the arena avoiding the blasts. When he saw an opening between shots, he rapidly swooped down, wind propelling them downward at speeds that shouldn't have been possible. His spear-tipped legs left shallow gashes in Xibalba's aqueous hide, and they recoiled slightly from each impact from each impact. She could only hope that he would be able to wear them down like this, and avoid getting hit in the meantime. It was clear that taking even a single Origin Pulse would end him.

 

But it seemed that Xibalba wasn't going to wait around for their health to be whittled away. They raised their flippers and let out a roar, and the entire pool began to ripple around them. Waves almost as tall as the pool was deep traveled inward towards the Kyogre, thick bands of murkwater wrapping around their body and flippers. Suddenly, with a phenomenal crash, the water surged upward, taking Xibalba along with it. A polluted tidal wave carried them straight towards Taka, directly on his heels. Pale light began to build up within their mouth, and the blue magic was still surging through what was left of the pool, preparing for yet another volley of Origin Pulses.

 

"Ah! Just dodge, attacking is too risky!" Shelly warned. "I'll, um, think of something!" Taka shot her a panicked glance, just before dipping underneath the pale, translucent Ice Beam that shot from Xibalba's mouth. The beam hit one of the building facades, jagged ice crystals forming within a large radius around the impact. Only a second later, another Origin Pulse erupted from below, this time grazing the back of one of Taka's elytra. He let out a pained grunt as he wobbled in the air, struggling to maintain control over his flight path. It was obvious he wouldn't last much longer amidst this onslaught.

 

Shelly's mind raced, desperately trying to come up with a solution. There was no possible way her final Pokemon could defeat Xibalba; if she was going to have any chance at victory, Taka would have to be the one to do it. She knew that Kyogre's physical defense, while not low per se, was at least relatively manageable. If Taka were able to get a strong Return off, it would likely deal significant damage… But, enough to finish them off already? Doubtful, with something as overwhelmingly powerful as a Kyogre. And even if it were enough, how could Taka possibly get any room to breathe? Xibalba was directly on his tail, and it would be nearly impossible to build up the momentum for a full-force attack without leaving himself vulnerable.

 

But… If they were following him so closely, perhaps he could lead them somewhere advantageous? A semblance of a plan began to formulate… But its chances of success seemed low. It would only buy Taka enough time for a single strike - would that truly be enough? And would it even work to hold him in place? The corrosive water bent to Xibalba's will, after all. Even now, a suspended wave was holding them at least 20 feet aloft, wrapping around them with-

 

Shelly froze in sudden realization. Her eyes focused in on the parts of their body that the murkwater had touched. In the half-second that the water recoiled, she saw them - acid burns. Of course! Kyogre wasn't Poison or Steel-type; though they may be able to control the water, that didn't mean they were immune to its pollutants. Fighting within it granted them incredible power, but at the cost of slowly eating their stamina away. That meant they had already taken considerably more damage than Shelly had anticipated - perhaps even low enough that a Return could finish them. Shelly nodded to herself - this might actually work. It was now or never.

 

"Taka, angle to the left and keep going!"

 

The Pinsir glanced back at her quizically, but he clearly knew he was in no position to question it. He changed his flight path, barely weaving around another Origin Pulse as he sped in the direction of Decibel's side of the field. Xibalba followed, as predicted. Decibel's eyes narrowed, no doubt trying to guess what Shelly was planning. She wished she could give Taka clearer directions, but she couldn't risk Decibel and Xibalba catching on to her plan too early.

 

She had to time this perfectly. Taka was 40 feet from the wall… 30… 20…

 

"Now, straight down!"

 

Decibel's eyes widened. "Wait, Xibalba, don't-!"

 

But it was too late. Taka had immediately swerved downwards, and Xibalba had immediately followed… Directly into the myriad strands of the Sticky Web. While Taka was small and nimble enough to deftly weave between the threads, Xibalba's colossal form crashed into the tangling threads far faster than they could react. They hit a much larger section of it than when they had first been sent out - their weight snapped the first few layers, but they were slowed to a halt before they reached the pool. The wave they had been riding fell away, the surprise of the trap having broken their concentration. The azure light producing the Origin Pulses lost cohesion, too unfocused to form a proper attack. They roared and struggled, but the threads they had broken were already starting to reappear, entrapping them even further. They had been immobilized by the hazard that Anna had sacrificed herself to create - the strings of Shelly's friendships made manifest.

 

Shelly broke out into a grin - she could hardly believe that worked. But she wasn't out of the woods yet.

"Now, give me a full-force Return from above!" she shouted. "Quick, before they break free!" Taka cried out excitedly as he ascended, eager to turn the tables on his tormentor.

 

"Urgh, no time to break free!" Decibel cautioned. "Quick, charge up a Thunder!"

 

Xibalba looked directly upward, their eyes seeming to glow an even brighter yellow for a moment. Shelly followed their gaze to the cloud-covered apex of the arena. She heard a low rumble, before flashes of yellow light began to build up within the clouds. This wasn't good - though the combination of STAB, heavy rain, and field boost made Origin Pulse the stronger option, Thunder was still powerful and super effective, able to immediately strike Taka down. And, strengthened by the downpour they had summoned, there was no chance it would miss.

 

"Hurry!" She warned Taka. The Pinsir stopped their ascent early and immediately kicked up a burst of wind that carried them straight down, hoping it would be strong enough. Shelly felt the tug of her bond with Taka again, and though she had no idea if it was within her power, she attempted to will even more of her power through the connection than normal. The crackling energy above had reached a fever pitch, mere instants away from unleashing a powerful bolt identical to the one that had finished off Titania.

 

Empowered by the Aerilate winds, the oppressive rain, and the power of friendship itself, Taka slammed down into Xibalba's head. The incredible force of the blow broke the web and slammed Xibalba down into the painful corrosive water. A wall of brown splashed outward, obscuring the two Pokemon for a few tense seconds as both Trainers awaited the result.

 

The water fell away. Taka hovered just above Xibalba, who was almost completely submerged in the grime. They were no longer moving.

 

Shelly's expression turned to pure elation. "That was incredible! Taka, you did it!" Taka cried cheerfully and did carefree summersaults above the pool. The crackling electricity above had dissipated, the toxic cascades around the arena returned to their previous velocity, and the torrential rain was beginning to slow to a halt.

 

"Heh… Hahahahahah!!"

 

Shelly looked out towards her opponent in surprise. She had expected Decibel to be frustrated by losing such as powerful team member, but he was laughing and grinning from ear to ear right along with her.

 

"It was incredible!" they exclaimed. "Finding a path out of a seemingly impossible situation… This is exactly the kind of skill and determination I'd expect from a Champion!"

 

"Huh? I…" Shelly began, the realization taking a few moments to set in. She had taken out two of Decibel's Pokemon with just one of her own. And Taka had barely even taken any damage in the process, while two of their team members were already weakened from having been sent out previously. As lopsided against her as the odds had seemed just moments ago, she had already just about evened them.

 

A beam of light suddenly illuminated the previously darkened room. Looking up, Shelly saw that not only had the clouds thinned after Xibalba's rainstorm faded, but there was now a break in them as well. Bright blue was visible through the gap - though Shelly couldn't tell for sure from this distance, it looked like the real sky. The lone sunbeam sparkled against the toxic water, a single point of beauty amidst the shattered cityscape.

 

Shelly stared into the sunbeam, still struggling to process what this meant. For all her effort and confidence, she had never for a second expected to actually win this fight. But, for the first time, it seemed possible to her that she might actually become Champion today.

 

She was overwhelmed by the very thought, conflicting emotions surging through her head. But for now, the emotion she chose to focus on was the rush of adrenaline. If she really did have a chance, she was not going to waste it. She would win this.

 

"Heh, that's right!" she called back to Decibel, her grin widening. "That title's as good as mine! Looks like you're not so unbeatable after all, huh!?"

 

"Maybe so," Decibel said, grinning just as much as her. "But don't think for a second I'm going to make it easy for you! Mayneth, I need you!"

 

They tossed out their final Pokeball, sending out a small, roughly humanoid Pokemon made of centuries-old clockwork. Their arms and legs ended in blunt points, and a bright white cog surrounded their head, from which their large, innocent red eyes gazed out onto the field. A ballgown-like covering obscured much of their legs, and it was attached to their small, spherical torso, the core of which shone with blue and pink light from their artificial Soul-Heart. The Magearna landed within the Sticky Web, delicately balancing on the strands and making no effort to escape. They glanced back at Decibel and Ally. Decibel gave her an encouraging nod, and Ally cheered brightly, holding up a page reading "Good luck, May!"

 

"Judging by the moves he's used so far, I'm guessing Taka doesn't have much coverage," Decibel said. "So, just how are you going to get past Mayneth's defenses?"

 

A valid question, unfortunately for Shelly. Taka's Flying attacks were unlikely to do any significant damage to Mayneth's metal exterior. Her final Pokemon had a significantly better matchup here… But could she risk switching him in without knowing what coverage Mayneth had at their disposal. If she lost him too early, she'd have no way to deal with Mayneth at all - or Spamton, for that matter. It wasn't ideal, but with the information she had, she decided her best move was to keep Taka in and hope to whittle them down. It might still be possible for him to defeat them if he played his cards right and dodged Mayneth's attacks like he had Xibalba's.

 

"Taka, ready for another Return?" Shelly asked, still smiling confidently. "Be ready to dodge at a moment's notice, though!" Taka, full of confidence as well after his last victory, began to slowly ascend, slowly circling the arena's perimeter as he did so.

 

"Hold for now," Decibel told Mayneth. Their gaze was followed Taka along his flight path, following his every movement. He reached the apex of his flight path, and began to rapidly descend towards his target once more. But, seconds before his claws made contact…

 

"Now! Fleur Cannon!"

 

Of course, they had been waiting for Taka to strike before attacking themself! They would tank the hit, and with his momentum, he wouldn't be able to dodge in time. Shelly silently chided herself for not anticipating this. She and Taka could only watch as Mayneth's pointed arm opened up like a flower in bloom, and radiant magenta light began to build within the cavity.

 

Taka made contact. The force of the blow knocked her back about a foot within the web, but she still stood strong. A mere moment later, a massive beam of magenta light erupted from Mayneth's arm, blasting Taka away with full force. The Fleur Cannon carried him straight across the arena, slamming him into a building facade. Once the beam dissipated, leaving luminous sparkles in its wake, he began to plummet, tumbling helplessly through the air, clearly no longer able to battle.

 

"Come back! You did great out there!" Shelly said, recalling him before he hit the water. Losing Taka was unfortunate, but not too unexpected. In that case, it was all up to her final Pokemon - who also happened to be the Pokemon she had named for one of the first friends she had made in this region…

 

"Cal, it's up to you!"

 

Emerging from her final Pokeball was a lepidopteran Pokemon with white fur and red horn-like antennae curled around his dark face. His four-paneled compound eyes were bright blue, and six bright-orange wings radiated out from his back, shining like the sun. The Volcarona fluttered just above the pool, beautiful embers dancing about his wings.

 

Besides Heather, Cal had been Shelly's oldest and closest friend since coming to Reborn. They had found themselves similar in a surprising number of ways - both cast aside by a brother who received all the attention. Of course, she had learned the hard way that they were different in a great deal of ways as well. Him striking her in thoughtless anger was one of the lowest points of her life. She had blamed herself for a very long time afterwards, concluding that she must have been a horrible friend for him to lash out at her like that. But when they met again in Ametrine City, and he had unequivocally assured her that there was no excuse for him hurting her, it was one of the greatest turning points in her journey. It was when she had truly internalized that she didn't need to spend her whole life pleasing others - that her feelings and desires were worth something. It was that realization that had truly turned her into the person she was today - someone confident and driven enough to do the impossible and defeat an undefeated Champion.

 

"It's time to win this, once and for all!" Shelly shouted. "Charge up a Fire Blast!" Cal began to concentrate, and a small sphere of white-hot flame began to writhe in front of their mouth, burning brighter with each passing moment.

 

"Mayneth, get back!" Decibel shouted, recalling them. "Medea, brace yourself for something big!"

 

Medea emerged once more, just before the burning sphere launched itself towards her. Shelly saw the flash of red plastic just before the sphere made contact, detonating into an enormous, blazing "大" shape. The flames burned away large portions of the Sticky Web in an instant, sending Medea down into the water as well. Despite the blast's incredible size and power, when the flames faded, Medea was still standing, glowering towards her opponent. But, between the blast and the Flash Cannons she had taken earlier in the battle, she was clearly looking worse for wear, her form beginning to lose what little cohesion it had to begin with. All those substitutions may have helped Decibel keep their Pokemon standing in the short term, but they also meant that now, at the battle's end, their team was severely weakened. Shelly believed that she and Cal could sweep through them no problem.

 

But Shelly wasn't the only one determined to fight to the end. Decibel smirked as they surveyed the battlefield.

"Medea, you remember what that Genesect did with their Flash Cannons earlier, yeah?" they asked. "I want you to do the same thing with your Gunk Shot!" Medea roared affirmatively, and began to take in grime from the surrounding water.

 

"Trying to keep us from dodging again, I see!" Shelly said. "But why would we need to dodge when Cal can just incinerate you here and now!? Get another Fire Blast ready!"

 

Another sphere of flame appeared before Cal, growing even hotter and brighter than the first. Medea's body bulged with accumulated gunk. At almost the same time as Cal unleashed his Fire Blast, Medea spit out a dozen or so gunk balls in his direction. He deftly twirled through the air, avoiding a good number of them… Until one of them struck the center of his upper right wing. He cried out in alarm as he lost control over his flight, unable to stop himself from falling straight into the murkwater just beneath him.

 

"Cal, no!" Shelly cried, though her voice was drowned out by the Fire Blast exploding against Medea. Cal quickly poked his head out from under the murk and attempted to fly back up. But it was no use - Cal's wings, like the wings of most Bugs, were fragile, and Shelly could see that the corrosive water had already eliminated the burning, powdery scales that he needed to fly. He shuddered in pain - Shelly knew his Flame Body made him even more vulnerable to damage from the toxic water. And it seemed as though he was likely to be stuck within that water for the rest of the battle, his vitality rapidly draining away before her eyes.

 

But all was not lost. Across the arena, between the charred, slowly-healing strands of the web, Medea was struggling to re-form her body after taking the second Fire Blast. She held up her arm one last time… Before it fully lost cohesion, dissolving into a puddle of green, yellow, and pink along with the rest of her body. Incredible though her Special Defense may have been, not even she could survive so many powerful hits in one battle.

 

It may have only been a matter of time before Cal succumbed to the constant water damage. But that just meant that he would have to take down Decibel's last two team members before that happened. Shelly had not come this far just to lose now.

 

"Cal, I know it hurts, but stay strong just a little longer!" she called. "We can still win this!" Cal whimpered in pain, but still nodded, responding to his Trainer's determination.

 

"Ha! Even now, you can see a way forward?" Decibel said, beaming. "Show me, then! Spamton!"

 

The Rotom emerged from their ball once more, grinning mischievously as they zipped above the pool. Shelly was dreading facing them again - a Hydro Pump from them would be powerful enough to finish off Cal in an instant, and with their Levitate ability, they weren't slowed by the Sticky Web in the slightest. And with Cal rendered flightless by the murkwater, it would be nearly impossible to dodge their attacks. But there was still hope - Shelly could still see the crack on their washing machine door left behind by Titania's Bullet Punch. With any luck, they would be just damaged enough for Cal to finish them off in a single hit of his own.

 

"Hydro Pump! Finish him!" Decibel shouted. Spamton zipped away from the web, settling inches above the water's surface. They dipped the tube on their right side into the murk, rapidly sucking it into their body. The bright blue within their door turned putrid brown, whirling more and more rapidly.

 

"Wait for it…" Shelly said, narrowing her eyes. Cal tensed up in anticipation.

 

The door slammed open, and a column of toxic water burst forth, hurtling towards Cal. It was significantly smaller and less powerful than Xibalba's Origin Pulses, but still more than strong enough to finish off a Fire-type like Cal in an instant.

 

"Dodge, then Bug Buzz!!" Shelly shouted. She had no idea if he even could dodge something like this, with the murk slowing him down so much, but there was little left for her to pin her hopes on. She had to believe this would work.

 

Luckily for her, Cal was ready with a plan. The instant he heard Shelly's voice, he angled himself perpendicular to the blast, then flapped his damaged wings as hard as he could. Light briefly flashed from them as he unleashed a Hidden Power attack into the open air. The recoil from the attack pushed him about two feet back - though he could neither fly nor swim, he was still able to muster this one burst of movement. He was propelled out of the way just an instant before the Hydro Pump reached his position, high-pressure blast barely an inch from his face.

 

Spamton whirred nervously, their smile morphing into a frown as they anticipated the incoming Bug Buzz. They shut their door, aborting their failed attack, and began to withdraw his tube from the pool. But it was too late for them to dodge - Cal had turned towards them, his four short legs glowing a bright lime hue. He rapidly slid them against his thorax, and the arena was suddenly filled with a deafening cacophony of orthopteran chirps.

 

The noise was loud enough through the entire room that both Shelly and Decibel plugged their ears to avoid it, but only the air directly in front of Cal, glowing with waves of Bug magic, was vibrating intensely enough to inflict any actual harm. And inflict harm it did - Spamton was violently thrashed about within the column of lime green, the plasma coating their body rippling and losing cohesion. When the noise finally faded, Spamton hung in the air for a moment before falling over backwards into the pool, unmoving.

 

"Brilliant!" Decibel said as they recalled Spamton and readied Mayneth's ball. "You and Cal both! But can you hold out until the end?"

 

They had a point. The water was wearing Cal down much faster than Shelly had anticipated - his wings had dimmed almost completely, and he was struggling to keep himself above the surface. Mayneth was the only Pokemon Decibel had left, and Cal had the clear advantage over them. But she had almost no time left before Cal was overwhelmed by the arena. If Mayneth survived a single hit, or dodged, or got off an attack of their own, it was over. Shelly had absolutely no room for error.

 

"Mayneth, we've got one last chance!" The Magearna emerged from their ball and landed within the web once more. Their scarlet eyes locked with Cal's bright azure ones. Shelly's eyes ran over the scene one last time, making sure nothing was out of place. The entangling web should keep Mayneth from moving fast enough to dodge. And Cal's raw power and type advantage, plus the damage from Taka's earlier attack, should be enough to guarantee that they go down. But the murkwater was keeping Cal from moving too, and his Hidden Power trick wouldn't work twice. It was solely a matter of who could land an attack first. The next few seconds would decide everything.

 

The beam of sunlight in the center seemed to shine even brighter.

 

"Fire Blast!!"

 

"Fleur Cannon!!"

 

Cal channeled the last of his energy into one final ball of flame, even hotter and brighter than the rest. Mayneth's Soul-Heart gleamed magenta as their floral arm bloomed once more. Shelly held her breath, frozen with anticipation.

 

Cal unleashed the Fire Blast first, sending the fireball hurtling forward. Mayneth fired off their Fleur Cannon just before it reached her. The two attacks collided, and the fireball burst apart in a chaotic explosion of flame and soul. There was a sudden burst of light so bright that Shelly was forced to shield her eyes.

 

The light faded. There was a moment where everything on the battlefield was still.

 

Mayneth teetered for a moment, then toppled over backwards into the web.

 

And Cal, scarred by corrosion though his body was, was still standing.

 

Shelly let her breath out slowly, taking a moment to process it had actually happened. Her hands were trembling involuntarily. She blinked several times, discovering that her eyes had tears in them.

 

"I…" she breathed. "I… Won?"

 

"You won!" Decibel said. "You won!! You did it!!!"

 

The arena suddenly got significantly brighter. Shelly, still dumbstruck, turned her gaze upward, and saw that the smog above had cleared. The sun was shining in the blue sky above. Around her, the toxic cascades stopped flowing… And then returned with a flow of pure, clean water. The grime in the pool below began to drain - Shelly barely had the presence of mind to withdraw Cal before he was swept away - and was gradually replaced with brilliant, sparkling azure. From within the cracks in the building facades, and even some of the rocks in the pool, there were flashes of bright green, and patches of beautiful multicolored flowers appeared, reminiscent of the flora planted during Reborn City's reconstruction. In just a few moments, the run-down, hopeless aesthetic of the arena had been transformed into something beautiful.

 

From the newly purified water, something was rising - a metal bridge, stretching across the arena and connecting the two halves of the train car. The Sticky Web in the way of its ascent quickly disappeared, automatically cleared away by the arena's field-maintaining functions. Even before it reached its maximum height, Decibel had already jumped down onto it and rushed towards Shelly. A wide grin covered their face - they seemed almost more elated to have lost than Shelly was to have won. The bridge became even with the train car's floor just as Decibel reached it, and they ran straight into Shelly, wrapping her up in a tight hug. Shelly was still too stunned to react.

 

"You did it!!" they cheered. "Ha ha! I'm so, so proud of you, Shelly!!!"

 

Ally was slowly crossing the bridge behind Decibel. "Congratulations!!!!!" read her notepad, surrounded by hearts and stars.

 

"I… I never thought…" Shelly attempted to put her thoughts into words. "Even after coming this far, even after everything I said, I… You… I never thought I could…"

 

"What did I tell you?" Decibel said. "You were the one who had what it takes to win. All you had to do was believe in yourself."

 

"I…" Shelly's shock finally gave way to pure joy. "Yes!! I did it!! I'm… I'm the Champion!!" She enthusiastically returned Decibel's hug. Tears of joy were flowing freely down her face.

 

After a few seconds, the two released their grip on each other. Shelly's eyes turned once again to the newly cleaned-up arena, truly taking it in for the first time.

 

"It's so beautiful," she said. "You really set all this up just in case someone managed to beat you?"

 

Decibel chuckled somewhat nervously. "Well… Really, I set it up for when I lost to you. I… Kind of already knew you would do it sooner or later."

 

"Huh?" Shelly asked, looking up at them. "But… How could you know for sure? Especially after you've beaten me so many times already?"

 

"Heh," Decibel smiled back at her. "Do you remember when Elias and I went to the future with Celebi?"

 

"Oh, right!" Shelly said. "I remember, you said you met my future self! Don't tell me…"

 

"That's right," Decibel said. "You were the Champion then. And from what you, and everyone else in that future, told me, Reborn flourished under your care. After that, I knew that my successor couldn't be anyone but you."

 

"Oh!" Shelly exclaimed. "I just realized! Elias, um, kind of implied that you had set up some kind of trial for me. I guess he knew, since he was there too, huh?"

 

"Yeah," Decibel said. "I never thought he and I would end up getting along, but that trip through time really changed him for the better. I'm glad."

 

"W-wait!" Shelly exclaimed with sudden realization. "If you were planning on losing to me all along… Decibel, you didn't let me win, did you!?"

 

"Come on, of course not," Decibel assured her. "I mean, you saw how close I got. If Cal hadn't dodged that Hydro Pump, I would've won."

 

Shelly felt a tug on her skirt, and looked down to see Ally smiling slyly, holding up her notepad. "Bel should probably mention that they generously elected not to use any of their enormous supply of Full Restores and X-Items. Or F12."

 

"Wh- hey!" Decibel said as they read the note. "She doesn't have access to any of that! It was a fair fight! I was still trying my best within those limitations!" Ally giggled at their defensiveness.

 

"I guess that makes sense…" Shelly said. "Um… What's 'F12,' though?"

 

"Uhhhh, don't worry about it!!!" Decibel said nervously. "But… Honestly, though, it's a bit embarrassing how much I've relied on that stuff. It's not like I'm a pushover without my items or anything, but…" They sighed. "I guess I'm just not used to being able to afford to lose."

 

"Oh… You mean, when you were fighting Team Meteor?" Shelly asked.

 

"Right. The Anomalies, too," Decibel said. "With stakes like that, I had no reason to feel bad about using cheap strategies. And even League battles, and casual battles with friends, felt just as urgent back then. The sooner I won, the sooner I could get back to saving the region, after all."

 

"I mean, that makes sense," Shelly said. "If you hadn't been so unbeatable, the whole world - all of us - might've all been overwritten by Lin's messed-up toybox. You did a really great job protecting the region!"

 

"I know," Decibel said. "But, I've realized… Protecting the region, defeating whatever opponent is put in front of me… That's all I've really ever been good at. Charlotte was on point when she called me a wrecking ball. All my demolition was exactly what Reborn needed in its time of crisis. But now that the crisis has passed?" They locked eyes with Shelly. "Now, I think Reborn needs someone else."

 

"And that's me, huh?" Shelly said, sheepishly averting her gaze. "You really think I have what it takes? To lead Reborn to prosperity?"

 

"Come on! What do I keep telling you?" Decibel said, smiling and patting her on the shoulder. "I know you have what it takes. Your future self was proof enough of that. Even if your decisions aren't exactly the same as hers, I'm certain the region will flourish under your care."

 

"I…" Shelly began. The realization of her new responsibility was a bit overwhelming. But, well, she hadn't come this far just to back down from this new challenge. She smiled and nodded, determination in her eyes.

 

"I can't promise I'll live up to whatever amazing future you saw," she said, "but I definitely promise to do my best! I have so many friends who helped me get this far… What better way to return the favor than building a whole better future for them to live in?"

 

"Glad to hear it." Decibel said. "I look forward to - Um." They turned their head to the side quizzically.

 

"What's- Eahhh!?!?" Shelly jumped back when she saw a sinister smile enter her peripheral vision. Shade was slowly drifting through the air next to her, lying down in a "seductive" pose. Shelly's shock immediately turned to nervous laughter at the absurd contrast between the Ghost Leader's eerie, spectral appearance and his current position.

 

"Oh yeah," Decibel said, "I asked Shade to help out with this whole setup. His Rotoms are handling all the technical stuff behind the scenes. Plus, I needed him to show up before the fight, since he appeared to me and Ame just before the big train crash. Gotta complete the reference, y'know?"

 

"Oh!" Shelly said. "Um, thanks for your help! This whole room was a pretty cool experience!"

 

"..." Shade exclaimed emphatically.

 

"Right on!" Decibel said, grinning. "C'mon, put 'em here!" They held their fist out to him. Slowly, deliberately, Shade righted himself, then raised up his own arm. His fist phazed into Decibel's, where he held it for a full second before withdrawing it just as slowly. Decibel threw their arm back and laughed, acting as though they had just received a perfectly normal fist bump. Shelly and Ally both giggled at the scene.

 

"Oh, hey!" Decibel said. "While you're here, you got any cryptic yet poignant advice for our new Champion?" Shade slowly turned his head to meet Shelly's eyes before he spoke.

 

"Doubt not the pith of strings unseen / Though myth and erudition aim / Drones and workers trust their queen / Know them well, and do the same."

 

"OK…" Shelly said, taking a moment to interpret the riddle. "OK! You're basically just saying to have faith in my friends, right? And not to feel like I have to do everything for them now that I'm Champion."

 

"..." Shade explained astutely.

 

"Well, it's certainly good advice," Decibel said. "Champion or not, don't feel like you need to take on all that responsibility yourself. You've got all your friends behind you, me and Ally included!"

 

"Audi audi!!" Ally affirmed.

 

"Well, thanks!" Shelly said. "I really wouldn't be able to do any of this without everyone's support. But together, I know we can build a Reborn Region that we can all be proud of!"

 

"Of course," Decibel agreed. "But that's all still a long way off. For now, you still need to head down to the Hall of Fame and make this official. And after that…" They grinned. "How about a party at the nightclub to celebrate your victory?"

 

"A party sounds great!" Shelly said. "Though, admittedly, I'm not the biggest fan of the nightclub's, um… Loudness… Hehe." She thought for a moment. "Um… Actually, I've been curious about Titania's gym for a while. It's, like, a huge fairy-tale castle with a big library, right? That might be a fun place for a party!"

 

"You're the boss," Decibel said with a grin. "I'll make sure everyone's invited." They turned to Shade. "You're gonna be there too, right, buddy?"

 

"..." Shade replied affirmatively, before slowly fading into nothingness.

 

"All right!" Decibel said. "Now then…" They held out their hand to Shelly. "Shall we, Champion?"

 

Shelly nodded, smiling as she took their hand. The two of them began walking across the bridge together, towards the end of the Hall of Champions. She closed her eyes, imagining everything that came next. The wave of congratulations she would receive at the party from Heather, Cal, Anna, and everyone else. The challengers she would meet in this room, and the countless possibilities for how she might personalize it. Reborn's future, and the people she and all her friends might grow up to become.

 

Shelly had just opened up an incredible new chapter of her life. Everything was going to be different for her from now on. But she was certain that one thing would never change - the invisible strings she could still feel all around her, giving her strength even now. It was the unbreakable strength of those strings that had allowed her to accomplish the impossible. And she believed that even more would be tied as she and her friends strode into the future together.

 

The new Champion opened her eyes, and took her place in the Hall of Fame.

 

i loved reading that and makes me wonder, what will we do after being dethroned? Maybe go to 

Spoiler

The New World where Cosmog is found

and build something there? A blank slate ready for something new to be built.

[SilverAngelus]

Absolutely love this~

This is written so well and

Spoiler

I just know Reborn will flourish under Champion Shelly's care.

I'm also curious about the party in Titania's castle. I can visualize our cast of Reborn characters having the best time celebrating Shelly!

 

P.S. I love the F12 and excess Full Restore reference and the inclusion of Audino communicating through English on the notepad!

 

I also feel that @Candy and @Evi Crystal would appreciate this story too!

(Just note that it contains spoilers for the whole story, as VoidlitAudino mentions)

[Evi Crystal]

I'm so proud of my butterfly daughter and this was a truly wonderful fanfic you wrote  

Also thanks for the mention @SilverAngelus, because at first it got me a little caught off guard. But regardless thank you for the suprise

[Candy]

22 hours ago, SilverAngelus said:

Absolutely love this~

This is written so well and

  Reveal hidden contents

I just know Reborn will flourish under Champion Shelly's care.

I'm also curious about the party in Titania's castle. I can visualize our cast of Reborn characters having the best time celebrating Shelly!

 

P.S. I love the F12 and excess Full Restore reference and the inclusion of Audino communicating through English on the notepad!

 

I also feel that @Candy and @Evi Crystal would appreciate this story too!

(Just note that it contains spoilers for the whole story, as VoidlitAudino mentions)

Hehe you know I like anything Shelly-related :) Awesome fanfic~ and at a length that I could read too which is noice for smol brain candy uwu