Pryce was an Ice Type Master who knew how to best test trainers in his Gym Battle. His Pokémon’s overwhelming moves would force opponents to fight in freezing conditions and on top of treacherous terrain. However, the man had been doing this for years and had settled into habit. Either out of carelessness or as an intended opening, certain facts about Pryce’s chosen team always remained the same.

  He always led with a Water Type. He never brought more than two Water Types. He rarely bothered to use weather conditions. At least half of his team were local species. His final Pokémon was always a surprise.

  Redi frequently chatted with other trainers to exchange information, and she had given Sam a list of Pryce’s potential team members. The man could draw from only so many species, and Sam knew his team’s priority was to take out the Water Types. Sam didn’t plan to just win this battle, he planned to sweep through this battle, and the Pokémon he wanted to use to do so needed to not be at risk of such wide-ranging attacks.

  Although, technically, Blizzard would always be a threat, but after training on the Sinjoh Ruins’s mountain, Sam was confident his planned Pokémon could withstand at least one such attack and retaliate with a stronger move of her own.

  “Forest’s Curse!”

  Dewgong and its Surf were the threats Sam was most worried about. Pryce’s other Water Type would be either a Cloyster or a Lapras, and Sam really hoped it’d be a Cloyster. He still had plans for either of them, but to start this battle, Trevenant’s Forest Curse would create the perfect opening for a different member of his team.

  Across from Trevenant, Pryce’s Dewgong brought up its fins, and its seal-like body was carried along in a chilling tidal wave that rushed over the field from behind it. As a Water Type move, Surf didn’t pose much of a threat to the Grass Type Trevenant, but it would cover the already slippery field of ice with water, leaving dangerous puddles and an even smoother surface than before.

  But, with Sam’s shouted order, Trevenant ignored that incoming wave. His red eye bore into Dewgong and only Dewgong, and he stabbed his claws into the ground to send forth a line of roots that churned up the ice-covered floor.

  They burst from the field, piercing through the wave to lash out and wrap around Dewgong. But the Surf was not interrupted; in fact, it slammed into Trevenant and continued until it hit the Psychic barrier that surrounded the field. However, Trevenant’s move squeezed Dewgong, inflicting it with a bandolier of stabbing roots that cursed it into gaining a temporary, additional Grass Type.

  “Return,” Sam said, bringing back Trevenant in a flash of light. Dewgong slid to a halt where the Grass Type once stood, wincing from the thorns that now jabbed into its chest. “Perfect job for your first battle, Trevenant. Thank you. For the rest of this, watch closely to see what your new friends can do, alright?”

  Pryce rocked his jaw back and forth while narrowing his eyes. Forest’s Curse didn’t deal damage, but it was a constant presence that would remind Dewgong of that ongoing effect. Recalling Trevenant so early probably put a pin in Pryce’s plans to get this over with quickly, too. After all, Sam had no plans to leave out a Grass Type weak to Ice Type moves.

  ...But he did plan to send out someone weak to Water Type moves.

  “Typhlosion!” Sam called out next, and his starter announced herself with a roar.

  Flashing onto the field, Typhlosion appeared only a few feet away from Sam, almost on top of where Dewgong had come to a rest after its Surf. The dual Water and Ice Type should have been all but guaranteed a victory here given that it was a Water Type with no special weakness to Fire, but Trevenant’s curse gave Typhlosion the perfect opportunity to take it out as fast as she could.

  We can’t underestimate even one of Pryce’s Pokémon. I don’t want to deal with Surf. It covers too much area. Haunter and Misdreavus won’t be able to avoid it with how it can flood and drown out any shadows on the ground.

  Sam was ready to have Typhlosion resume the match, but the battle didn’t continue as expected.

  “What is that?”

  “I— What?”

  Typhlosion’s flames burned around her neck, causing the freezing air to turn to mist in a cloud drifting up around her. Purple light flickered slightly as she glanced over to the referee, and the referee stared agog right back.

  “It’s a Typhlosion. A variant. Clearly,” Pryce said. “Now stop gawking and continue the match!”

  Blushing slightly, the referee laughed awkwardly while rubbing her head. Momentarily, Sam realized that he somehow hadn’t expected this. He’d spent so long worrying about Trevenant and trying to plan for this match that he’d almost forgotten that Typhlosion’s appearance would be a surprise for most people.

  Two weeks can go by fast, huh?

  “Yes, yes. Of course.” The referee uncomfortably adjusted her thick, icy blue sweatshirt before bringing up her arms. “Apologies for the interruption. Resume the match!”

  “Icy Wind!”

  “Flamethrower!”

  Dewgong reared its head back at the same moment that Typhlosion’s flames grew even brighter than before.

  When it came to the current state of the field, Double Team and Quick Attack weren’t viable as sudden movements would only see a Pokémon trip. Pryce’s shout for Icy Wind told Sam that the Gym Leader planned to win this battle by restricting movement alone. He didn’t care about damage if he was using an Ice Type move against a Fire Type, but he clearly cared about the speed-lowering effect of Icy Wind.

  If Typhlosion’s movement became so limited, then she’d be easy pickings for any move of Dewgong’s choice.

  For this exchange, Dewgong showed its experience by releasing its attack first. Even through Typhlosion’s fire, the subsequent Icy Wind hit and left frost on her body, chilling her, weighing her down, and reducing her speed.

  Still, Typhlosion easily exhaled her Flamethrower, and the licking flames chased Dewgong as it used the ice to slip and slide around Typhlosion in a tight circle, a perfect dodge.

  “Mines!” Sam shouted.

  Typhlosion sucked in a breath to stop her Flamethrower and change her onslaught. Quickly, many purple wisps sparked up in the air and spread out similar to how Typhlosion had once revealed a certain tree’s spirit.

  “Stop,” Pryce ordered, his voice clear and calm.

  Despite the lack of friction, Dewgong came to an immediate halt, stopping a mere inch away from where a few flaming motes floated in the air.

  As Sam had ordered, her move created a minefield. Since Dewgong was using the slippery ice to its advantage, Typhlosion instead used that speed to her advantage. If it had chosen to keep circling her, it would have crashed right through most of her attack without her needing to aim. The Infernal Parade mines forced the Dewgong to stop, but more importantly, without the chance to slide, Dewgong could no longer dodge.

  And Pryce has never seen an Infernal Parade before. He can’t order his Pokémon to do anything if he doesn’t know what Typhlosion’s move can do.

  “Flamethrower!” Sam shouted again. Typhlosion had created the perfect situation, and Sam planned to take advantage of it.

  Pryce frowned—slightly more than usual as he was always frowning—and tilted his head before giving another command.

  “Ice Beam. Cut through.”

  Pinned by Typhlosion’s floating field of fire, Dewgong’s short horn glowed before unleashing cracking blue energy that froze the air around it. Typhlosion unleashed her Flamethrower, but just like Icy Wind before it, the Ice Beam pierced right through as if not bothered by the super-effective energy.

  Typhlosion was struck, and Sam had to wonder why Pryce would call for a resisted move here instead of one of Dewgong’s super effective Water Type attacks. However, his answer came in the form of the hardened ice spreading across Typhlosion’s arms.

  Pryce planned to freeze her. Damage didn’t matter if he had his own way of eliminating her from this match.

  “Ignore it! Keep going!” Sam yelled.

  He had faith in his Pokémon, even as the Ice Beam’s freezing effect caused more and more of Typhlosion’s body to become locked up. Dewgong didn’t bother to dodge because it didn’t need to; not only did its Water Type negate its Ice Type weakness to Fire, but its ability was also Thick Fat, which reduced the damage of Typhlosion’s move even further.

  Forest Curse technically helped offset that, but like Pryce, Sam wasn’t going for damage here. Typhlosion’s attacks all only carried a chance to burn, but if her targets just happened to be wrapped in dry, flammable wood...

  “Now!”

  Trevenant’s Grass Type curse ignited. The stabbing roots caught aflame and burnt Dewgong’s side, causing it to jolt from the unexpected and unfamiliar pain.

  Immediately, Typhlosion changed her attack. Though half her body was now frozen, she still had a single paw free, and she brought it up and clenched it to finish Dewgong with a previous move.

  Every mote of her Infernal Parade minefield collapsed inward at once. Surrounding Dewgong, they joined with the fires to sear into the Pokémon, doubling their potency when combined with the burn and causing Pryce’s first team member to finally collapse.

  “Phew,” Sam breathed.

  The flames turned to smoke as Dewgong fell unconscious, the Forest’s Curse withering away.

  “Dewgong is unable to battle,” the referee said.

  “I can see that.” Pryce grunted and returned his Pokémon.

  With Dewgong disappearing into red light, Typhlosion closed her eyes as she smiled, though a shiver passed through her from the ice that kept half of her body completely still. Dewgong was by far the largest threat in this match, and as “predictable” as Pryce was, Sam didn’t want to underestimate him. Forest’s Curse was necessary to inflict a burn, as Will-O-Wisp would have been too easily snuffed out by practically any Water Type move. The Ghost Type Infernal Parade was their best solution, but Sam had needed Pryce to not figure out that move if he wanted to create the lead they needed.

  “Haven’t seen a strategy like that in a few years,” Pryce commented. “Better than the pure-heat strategy most Fire Types try.”

  “Thank you,” Sam said. Typhlosion’s flames seemed to burn brighter out of pride.

  “Hmph. I wasn’t complimenting you.”

  One of Sam’s eyes twitched as Pryce threw his next Pokéball forward.

  When the second Pokémon appeared on the field, Sam had to fight against pumping a fist. Forming out of the Pokéball’s light was a small, spherical Pokémon protected by a massive, spiked shell. Sam's biggest worry had been Pryce’s Lapras, but if Cloyster was coming out as Pryce’s second Water Type, he no longer had worries about the rest of the match.

  He had won.

  “Return, Typhlosion!” Sam shouted.

  Pryce pressed his lips together. Sam struggled to not smile.

  “Come on out, Haunter!”

  As Haunter appeared, he stretched a grin with his fingers to blow a wet raspberry toward Cloyster before glancing back at Sam.

  “You know the move you’ve been helping Misdreavus with?” Sam whispered.

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  Haunter paused for a second before nodding excitedly.

  Yeah, he knows the plan.

  The referee called for the battle to continue immediately after.

  “Withdraw. Rapid Spin. Icicle Spear.” Pryce listed off moves as if detailing a grocery list. There was no lack of confidence in his voice that his Pokémon would follow.

  “You already know what to do, Haunter,” Sam said. “I’m not going to nitpick.”

  He didn’t need to; Haunter was trained. And, for this match, since Haunter levitated, he didn’t walk. The slippery field beneath him meant nothing as he shot forward right through the air.

  Cloyster tracked Haunter and slammed its shell closed to protect itself with a Withdraw before Haunter could even get that far. To meet him in the center, it then fell onto its side and exploded into a Rapid Spin that sent it skipping across the field.

  The two Pokémon met in the exact middle, where Cloyster peeked open its shell to fire out a spear made out of pure ice. This move was its specialty with some Cloyster being known for consistently landing every single icicle they ever fired. However, though skilled with Icicle Spears, it clearly didn’t expect Haunter to rush in. Haunter were supposed to be special attackers, and they were rather frail, too.

  It was genuine insanity for Haunter to dash right up to its face.

  It was even greater insanity for him to slip in when Cloyster attempted to slam its shell shut for protection once more.

  “Attack, you fool!” Pryce shouted.

  Cloyster didn’t open up. In an attempt to defend itself, all it had done was seal Haunter within.

  The field fell silent, and Cloyster didn’t move. Neither Pokémon were visible inside of its shell.

  “Fine, then,” Pryce said, scowling. “Return.”

  Unfortunately for Pryce, the light of Cloyster’s Pokéball failed to bring back his Pokémon. The red glow broke, and Cloyster was left unmoving on the ice.

  Sorry Pryce, but Haunter’s Mean Looks isn’t going to let your Pokémon escape that easily.

  Silence lingered for a bit longer until a knocking sound echoed out. Cloyster’s shell slowly creaked open, allowing Haunter to squeeze through and slip out. He was wet, dripping with salt water, and even as a Ghost Type, he rubbed himself to warm up in an attempt to fight off shivers.

  Beneath him, however, Cloyster wasn’t moving—but it hadn’t fainted. Now open, it was pretty obvious that Cloyster was sound asleep.

  “...Sleeping,” Pryce grumbled. “You don’t plan to finish the job?”

  “This works better for us,” Sam replied. As quick as he could, he recalled Haunter while whispering praise, sending out his next Pokémon without even a moment’s delay.

  Misdreavus needed only a single glance to recognize the situation and subject Pryce’s Pokémon to one more Mean Look. Though Cloyster was currently too unconscious to see her glare, her move still contained enough energy to prevent it from escaping.

  From there, Misdreavus proceeded to use the very move that would let her fulfill her role as the “sweeper” on Sam’s team. Since Cloyster was asleep, it couldn’t attack, which meant she was free to use Nasty Plot as much as she wanted before her opponent woke up.

  “Pryce,” Sam said as Misdreavus empowered herself with her move. “My Pokémon is using Nasty Plot. All of her attacks are going to do maximum damage. I’m telling you now, this battle is over. It doesn’t make sense to hurt your Pokémon if they don’t need to be hurt. We should end the match here.”

  Sam spoke genuinely. He wasn’t a fan of Pryce, but Pryce’s Pokémon didn’t deserve to get hurt if they didn’t need to. Nasty Plot filled Misdreavus with Dark Type energy that maximized her special attack. Every special move she used with it in effect would be perfectly aimed to cause the most harm, multiplying her damage and turning her into a dangerous combatant that could easily “punch upwards.”

  Also, Pryce’s main strategy was to limit the movement of grounded Pokémon, and Misdreavus was immune to that given she could float. Currently, nothing about the field did anything to slow her down.

  But Pryce seemed unbothered by Sam’s current plan.

  “That softheartedness will get you nowhere in life!” Pryce shouted, immediately dismissing Sam’s concerns. “You think too highly of your strategy and your Pokémon. You really think my team has no counter?”

  Misdreavus managed to finish setting up with Nasty Plot by the time Cloyster woke. The shelled Pokémon attempted a surprise attack by suddenly snapping itself open, but the cruel, cleverness imbued in Misdreavus meant its Icicle Spear never hit.

  A single, quickly made Shadow Ball shot out from in front of Misdreavus’s mouth. Cloyster’s frozen projectiles shattered from the attack’s force, and the move slammed right into its now-exposed face to take it out.

  “Cloyster is unable to battle!” the referee shouted.

  She looked to Pryce expectantly, but he was already reaching for his next Pokémon.

  “Sneasel,” he named once Cloyster had been returned, “use Feint Attack.”

  Pryce’s Sneasel appeared in the middle of a dash, and its clawed feet let it charge across the ice without slipping even once.

  Feint Attack cloaks its user in darkness to allow it to land a near-guaranteed hit. Misdreavus is already charging a Shadow Ball to take it out before it reaches her, so even though Sneasel can probably faint her in one hit, I don’t see why he thinks this is a counter.

  Sam paused.

  Unless...!

  “Stop, Misdreavus!” Sam shouted, yelling as fast as he could. “Use Confusion! Hurry!”

  Her eyes widened as she snapped her mouth shut, the Shadow Ball fading to smoke right in front of her face. Pryce’s Sneasel carried a cloud of dark mist around it, the shadows hiding the exact origin of its impending Feint Attack.

  However, it wasn’t Feint Attack that it was using. Sneasel jumped into the air to reach Misdreavus, and her eyes glowed blue at the same moment it tried for a jab.

  Sucker Punch would always land before any attacking move hit. That strong, Dark Type attack took advantage of a Pokémon’s need to build and aim damaging moves.

  Thankfully, Misdreavus wasn’t using a damaging move here.

  Just like how the shout for a Feint Attack had been a misdirection, the same was true for Sam’s command. Misdreavus might have known Confusion, but the Psychic Type move would have been useless against a Dark Type Pokémon—and she had correctly recognized that. Instead, she used a status move, pulling back without the same wind-up a direct attack would entail.

  The Sucker Punch failed when Sneasel struck nothing at all, and as it fell back to the earth, Misdreavus used Confuse Ray, inflicting confusion instead of using an attack called Confusion, leaving Sneasel trapped within a confounding world of illusions.

  Pryce grumbled to himself as Sneasel landed and slid forward. Unable to find Misdreavus, it tried to look around, but it couldn’t find where Misdreavus was hiding directly above it. A single Shadow Ball was all that was needed to send it crumpling to the ground.

  “...I see,” Pryce grumbled.

  Sneasel was even more fragile than Misdreavus. It was no longer able to battle.

  Seeing the fallen body of her opponent, Misdreavus cackled as she took in the fainted Sneasel with obvious glee.

  Nasty Plot is affecting her more than I thought. Man, she’s going to be so embarrassed about this later.

  Pryce unhappily returned his Pokémon, unceremoniously releasing the next member of his team right after.

  “Jynx,” the Gym Leader said.

  “Shadow Ball,” Sam replied.

  Thanks to Will, Sam’s team already knew how a Jynx might fight.

  Pryce returned that fainted Pokémon, too.

  “If you sent out a Psychic Type against us, I’m guessing you don’t have a better answer,” Sam quipped.

  “Don’t get ahead of yourself. This battle isn’t over,” Pryce growled. “Glalie! Double Team.”

  A flash of light saw a horned ball of ice appear in the air.

  Pryce’s fifth and final Pokémon was one not native to the region; Glalie was Pryce’s “surprise” final team member like Sam expected. Morty had mentioned Gym Trainers were allowed to branch out to different species in high-level matches, and Pryce frequently rotated between Ice Types foreign to Johto for the final member of his team.

  As Glalie appeared, it scowled with an expression that wasn’t unlike the one on Pryce’s face. Following his command, it shook in the air, a dozen illusory duplicates spreading out to its sides.

  “Blizzard,” Pryce ordered next. “Then, pin and Crunch.”

  Sam wasn’t able to tell which Glalie was the real one, and when it used Blizzard, it looked as though every duplicate was sending out that freezing wind at once.

  “Misdreavus, catch it out with Psychic!”

  The gale of ice and snow almost immediately consumed Misdreavus, pushing her back in the air to ice her over. She bent to try to resist the wind, but the chill was worse than even what they had experienced back when trying to reach the Sinjoh Ruins.

  Her eyes glowed for a proper Psychic Type move this time around, and her telekinetic grip did manage to disrupt a few of the illusions charging her way. Unfortunately, six Glalie at once managed to reach her, and their large mouths opened up in preparation for a devastating bite.

  “On the left!” Sam yelled.

  Only one Glalie was using a real move; its smooth and solid teeth flickered with visible Dark Type energy.

  Misdreavus turned, but she was covered in ice. Even with the benefit of Nasty Plot, her Psychic wasn’t able to come out before Glalie tore her right out of the air with its Crunch.

  “...Return,” Sam grumbled.

  The super effective move was too much for her to handle. Sam returned her, hating how smug Pryce currently looked.

  “Challenger Samuel, please send out your next Pokémon,” the referee called out.

  “I know, I know. Just need a few seconds,” he said.

  Sam had his whole team remaining, but Typhlosion was half-frozen and no one else was a great counter to Glalie. Trevenant was weak to Ice Type moves. Haunter could get caught out by Double Team and Crunch just like Misdreavus had. Primeape might have been healthy, but he could be countered solely by Glalie harassing him at range.

  The whole point of setting up with Misdreavus was to take out Pryce’s team members before they could take her out. Ice Types weren’t known to be the sturdiest Pokémon around, but they were great at dishing out strong attacks. Many trainers taught their Pokémon Ice Type moves for that very purpose.

  “Well? Are you going to send out your next Pokémon, or are you going to surrender here because you don’t want your Pokémon to be hurt?” Pryce said, almost mockingly. “Pokémon battle. They take hits. Combat is where they thrive. Telling your opponent to give up early is nothing more than an insult to their pride!”

  Sam forced his expression to stay level as he grabbed his next Pokéball. Out of all of his team members, one had the greatest chance to win—but it’d be a risk no matter what.

  Appearing for the second time in this match, Typhlosion returned to the field.

  “Predictable,” Pryce said with the expected frown on his face.

  Above Typhlosion, images of Pryce’s Glalie spread through the air as it used Double Team several times over.

  “Typhlosion. You just need one solid hit. Glalie might be strong, but you’re fully evolved now. A single Fire Type move should be—will be enough.” Sam heard Pryce scoff across from him. “But you’re already hurt. You can't let yourself get hit even once, either. I know you deserve to rest, but you’re also our best chance to win.”

  Ignoring the ice that covered part of her chest and one of her arms, she nodded firmly. She brought her eyes up to the sky, taking in the dozens of Glalie that filled the air. The fire on her back burned; she had at least one advantage when it came to her injuries in this fight.

  Her ability was still Blaze, unchanged from her previous forms. Her Fire Type moves were stronger than ever thanks to the adrenaline coursing through her.

  Sam’s speech might have given Glalie a chance to repeatedly use Double Team, but he knew Typhlosion could do it. Somewhat similarly, Pryce looked confident, though that confidence came from experience rather than anything “simple” like mere faith in his Pokémon.

  Between Glalie's dark horns, lightning crackled, and both Sam and Typhlosion knew it was readying an Ice Beam.

  “Darkness!” Sam shouted.

  Pitch-black shadows erupted in a circle around Typhlosion, her Night Shade sealing her off from the battlefield’s light. All around her, Glalie and its duplicates fired off their Ice Beams. When they struck, the impact saw the smoke from a hidden Smokescreen be pushed out all over the field.

  “Blizzard. Blow it away,” Pryce ordered.

  Glalie shouted, its voice echoing in a cracking rumble.

  From Glalie’s body, a freezing wind blew, but more and more smoke left Typhlosion’s Night Shade to spread even further around the field. Even though the psychic barriers sealed the battlefield away, Sam still shivered. He couldn’t imagine how cold it must have been within the battle space, but he also knew that Typhlosion was completely prepared to use her fires to keep her warm.

  “There!” Sam shouted.

  Since Blizzard pushed around the Smokescreen, the air was filled with smoke. Double Team conjured illusory duplicates and not physical duplicates, so it became blatantly obvious which Glalie was the real one given the gap that formed beneath it.

  The Night Shade fell. Purple embers glowed from within the Smokescreen. Leaping out was a spinning wheel encased in red-purple flame.

  “Adjust,” Pryce ordered calmly.

  The sole real Glalie changed the direction its Blizzard blew. Unexpectedly, Typhlosion’s Flame Wheel served as an unintentional counter.

  She couldn't run across the floor; no, too much ice weighed her down, and the slippery ground would just cause her to fall. Jumping with Flame Wheel avoided that risky form of movement, but it carried the downside of exposing her in the air to Glalie’s powerful Ice Type attack.

  But Flame Wheel wasn’t just a mad charge forward. It was a fast-paced spin of heat and flame that churned up the air around it. Instead of the Blizzard striking Typhlosion and sending her flying back, her Flame Wheel almost grabbed Glalie’s move, spinning it around her and giving her an open path to bounce her attack right off of Glalie’s face.

  It cried out, allowing Typhlosion the chance to uncurl herself in the air. Both Pokémon readied their moves, but Typhlosion was faster.

  It was a simple Ember that took Glalie out in the end.

  When Typhlosion landed, she was breathing heavily. The amount of damage she’d taken was nothing she could have withstood as a Quilava. Her evolution had seen a drastic increase in power that had been on display for practically this entire match.

  As she leaned back to take a deep breath, Glalie crashed into the ice just ahead of her.

  The field became silent. The only noise was that of Typhlosion’s breathing. Before the referee said anything, Typhlosion reared back to roar out her name to declare her victory.

  The referee finally spoke in the second after.

  “Gym Leader Pryce has no more usable Pokémon. Challenger Samuel wins!”

  Sam let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

  While he was pretty sure his team would have eventually worn down Pryce’s last Pokémon, that final strike with Flame Wheel had all come down to luck.

  Misdreavus took out almost all of Pryce’s team thanks to Nasty Plot. But she didn’t. I wasn’t fast enough with my commands, and we only won at the end thanks to how Blizzard and Flame Wheel interacted.

  At this point, the Smokescreen had all but dissipated thanks to Blizzard spreading it out to become so thin. Typhlosion looked back at Sam, and she sent him a thumbs up.

  He laughed.

  Yeah, okay, sure, the end was up to chance in the end, but Typhlosion still managed to take out the two biggest threats on Pryce’s team. She’s even stronger than I thought. Flame Wheel canceling Blizzard might not have been intentional, but I can’t ignore just how much effort she put in for this win.

  Nor could he ignore Haunter’s efforts or Misdreavus’s efforts or even Trevenant’s key use of Forest’s Curse. Even Primeape had been important, as having a perfectly healthy Pokémon in pocket let him more confidently take risks.

  Smiling at his Pokémon, Sam returned Typhlosion to her Pokéball and whispered a thanks. He looked down at his belt, where he knew all of his team was listening, and felt himself be filled with relief.

  “Thank you. Everyone. You all did an incredible job,” he said quietly. “We couldn’t have won without working together. Even you, Primeape. You might not have directly fought, but just knowing you were there let me call for risks I wouldn’t have otherwise taken.”

  On the opposite side of the field, Pryce just shook his head and returned his Pokémon. He put the ball in his pocket without even a word and began walking over, crossing the ice-covered floor without losing his balance in the slightest.

  “Here. The Glacier Badge.” Once Pryce reached Sam, he pulled out a small, cloth-covered item from a different coat pocket.

  Within the cloth, Sam found a metal pin shaped like a hexagonal snowflake. It shone in the battlefield’s bright lights, and he moved to pluck it out and put it away, but—

  “Are you daft? Leave it in its cloth! Don’t touch freezing metal in the middle of a refrigerated room!”

  “Oh. Right. Sorry.”

  Pryce just scoffed.

  Sam pocketed the badge, cloth and all, claiming the physical proof that his team had bested Pryce in his Gym.

  He waited to see if Pryce had anything else to say, but all the man did was look him up and down. Usually, Gym Leaders traded words of advice or compliments after a battle, but Pryce didn’t seem to be one to do such a thing.

  So, Sam just turned around and began walking away. Pryce stayed where he stood, and Sam got halfway to the door before he heard Pryce’s voice call out behind him.

  “Boy.”

  Sam froze. The sudden, icy tone shook him to the core.

  I knew it. I shouldn’t have had Haunter put Cloyster to sleep. Pryce knows what we did. He probably recognized Trevenant, too. He’s put two-and-two together to figure out it was us who messed with his plans, and now he’s going to—

  “Your Typhlosion. How long have you had her?” Pryce asked.

  Cautiously, Sam checked over his shoulder to see that Pryce was staring at him. The Gym Leader was frowning, like usual, but it felt different for some strange reason.

  “Years,” Sam said after taking a second to recover. “We’ve been together since she was a Cyndaquil, but she only evolved recently.”

  Sam stood with his back straight and at attention as Pryce refused to look anywhere but his way. The old Gym Leader’s gaze was sharp, but there was also something else there.

  ...For a single instant, Sam could have sworn he saw Pryce’s expression soften.

  “So you evolved her yourself, did you? Impressive, but be careful with new evolutions. There are those out there who’d do anything to claim a rare Pokémon for themselves. You never know how the wrong person might react if they find out.”

  “Y-yes sir!” Sam said. He wasn’t sure why he saluted.

  “And... No, forget it.” Pryce turned and shook his head, but he stopped before stepping away, speaking just above a whisper. “But... a final word of advice. Try not to get too attached. All it takes is a single loss for a Pokémon to think they’ll be better off elsewhere.”

  Sam frowned. He couldn’t see the Gym Leader’s face. Even the Gym Trainer referee looked away as if she recognized that Pryce didn’t want anyone seeing him right now.

  Typhlosion would never leave. What?

  ...Wait, is that why he’s so surly? Because a Pokémon ran out on him?

  But Sam knew now wasn’t the time to ask further questions. He just nodded once, pretended to heed Pryce’s “advice,” and he quickly left the room.

  He stayed silent as he parted from the Gym, but he brought his thoughts to the future. Once Redi won her match here, they could finally leave Mahogany Town and leave the entire place behind them.

  There was nothing for them here, but there was everything for them still ahead. There was the Conference. Learning more about the New Pokédex. A new team member, probably. And, in the near future, Morty was waiting for them in Ecruteak City.

  Alongside the promise of a Ghost Type-related talk, the Gym Leader had outright said he was preparing a surprise.

  Interesting that Pryce didn’t use a Piloswine in this battle.

  There’s a pretty major inconsistency in this chapter in that Sneasel can’t learn Sucker Punch, but its inclusion is intentional just for that moment. The only Ice Type Pokémon that can learn Sucker Punch are Froslass, Mr. Mime, Mr. Rime, and Chien-Pao.

  Sam’s Team:

  Badges Earned: 7 (Mineral, Fog, Plain, Hive, Zephyr, Rising, Glacier)

  Approximate Team Strength: 6 Stars

  (Fire / Ghost Type, Female, Timid Nature +Spe/-Atk)

  Abilities: Blaze

  Held Item: Charcoal

  Moves: Tackle, Leer, Smokescreen, Ember, Flame Wheel, Curse, Will-O-Wisp, Incinerate, Detect, Quick Attack, Swift, Flame Charge, Flamethrower, Double Team, Infernal Parade, Confuse Ray, Hex, Shadow Ball, Night Shade, Shadow Claw

  (Fighting Type, Male, Impish Nature +Def/-SpA)

  Abilities: Anger Point, Vital Spirit

  Moves: Scratch, Leer, Low Kick, Karate Chop, Fury Swipes, Assurance, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Cross Chop, Curse, Brick Break, Rock Smash, Rock Slide, Bulk Up, Rage, Rage Fist

  Haunter (Ghost / Poison Type, Male, Naive Nature +Spe/-SpD)

  Abilities: Levitate

  Moves: Hypnosis, Lick, Confuse Ray, Spite, Mean Look, Hex, Shadow Punch, Night Shade, Acid Spray, Ominous Wind, Shadow Ball, Dream Eater, Nightmare

  (Ghost Type, Female, Hasty Nature +Spe/-Def)

  Pokéball: Friend Ball

  Abilities: Levitate

  Moves: Growl, Psywave, Astonish, Confusion, Confuse Ray, Mean Look, Night Shade, Shadow Sneak, Shadow Ball, Nasty Plot, Psybeam, Will-O-Wisp, Psychic

  Trevenant (Ghost / Grass Type, Male, Quiet Nature +SpA/-Spe)

  Pokéball: Moon Ball

  Abilities: Harvest, Frisk (Developing)

  Moves: Horn Leech, Tackle, Confuse Ray, Astonish, Growth, Ingrain, Leech Seed, Forest’s Curse

  Redi’s Team:

  Badges Earned: 5 (Mineral, Plain, Hive, Zephyr, Rising)

  Approximate Team Strength: 5 Stars

  (Normal Type, Male, Adamant Nature +Atk/-SpA)

  Abilities: Guts, Quick Feet

  Moves: Scratch, Fury Swipes, Fire Punch, Baby-Doll Eyes, Slash, Ice Punch, Focus Energy, Thunder Punch, Hyper Beam, Rock Slide, Swords Dance, Giga Impact

  Porygon (Normal Type, Genderless, Quirky Nature +-n/a)

  Abilities: n/a

  Moves: Tackle, Sharpen, Conversion, Psybeam, Thunder Shock, Charge Beam, Discharge, Tri-Attack, Charge, Teleport, Recover, Thunder Wave

  (Dragon Type, Female, Rash Nature +SpA/-SpD)

  Abilities: Shed Skin (Developing)

  Moves: Wrap, Leer, Thunder Wave, Twister, Slam

  Auxiliary Pokémon: x2 (Tibia and Fibula), a decent number of wild (variable)

  At Home (non-battlers): ,

  Pokémon (and people) included in this chapter:

  Cloyster

  Pryce

  huge thank you to everyone reading! Your support keeps this story going.