Nothing to Cage 4

After their outburst of shock, Aspen, Serena, and Onym snapped their attention back to the one named Alder, the former Champion of Unova. Everything about him looked so eccentric. That was saying a lot, especially on the brother twin’s part due to his sister’s wardrobe.

Alder’s wild hair of red-orange and faint orange was in a ponytail. He had a cream colored poncho lined with the same color like his hair. The poncho also had a black collar, which the color moved in the middle at the front of it. If they looked carefully, they could see a black, tight short-sleeved undershirt. His long, white pants were scruffily cut pass his knee revealing his shoe ware as black sandals. The most interesting thing of Alder was, just like Cage, held more than 6 Poke Balls; 9 to be exact. 3 of the capsules were position at his waist and the last 6 were attached to his poncho front with 3 on the left side and 3 on the right side.

The former Champion let out a hearty laugh. “Yes, my name is Alder. I gave up the title of Champion to become a trainer with a keen interest in the world. One of my goals is to tell people about how wonderful it is to walk towards the future together with Pokemon.”

“Wow,” Serena whispered in admiration of the older man’s words.

“May I ask for your names?”

Aspen was the first one to step up, “I’m Aspen.” He felt something crawl up his back then perch on his shoulder. “Snivy.” The white haired teen smiled lightly, “And this is Lily.” A rub against his pants leg caught his attention along with a purr. “And this is Jade.” “Purrloin-purr.”

His twin then immediately jumped in with an awakened Osho in her arms. “I’m Serena; and this is Osho!” The Mijumaru looked up at the former Champion and gave a still tired wave. “Miju-mijumaru.”

Onym slowly stood up while holding Flaretusk, “Um, I’m Onym and this is Flaretusk.” “Tepig!” Though still a little loopy from getting hit by water, the Fire Pig Pokemon was able to snort some flames as his greeting.

“Ah! I thought I recognized you; you’re Skyla’s child right?” The 13-year-old seemed to tense for a moment when the question was asked. His answer was a meek nod. “Hahaha, I remember you now! Skyla was very happy when you were born.”

“Skyla? As in Skyla the Gym Leader of Mistralton Gym, Skyla?” Cage questioned with some surprise in his voice.

“The one and only,” the man chuckled.

“Wait! Your mom is a Gym Leader?!” the sister twin gawked.

“Y-y-yeah,” the 13-year-old stuttered while staring at the ground with hidden distress.

“That’s awesome!”

“Serena, volume,” her brother deadpanned while rubbing one of his ears to show his discomfort. The girl let out an apologetic chuckle and sweat dropped to her twin.

The older trainer did another enthusiastic chuckle before placing his hand on the youngest boy’s shoulder. “Whether you believe it or not, Onym is the son of Skyla.” Said boy continued to stay quiet and look at the ground like there was something interesting about it.

“Huh, I didn’t know Skyla had a kid. Though, I do vaguely remember seeing a kid, no older than 8, watching me battle her 4 years ago. He did have some qualities of her,” the snowboarder-looking trainer commented.

“Hm,” Alder turned his head to Cage, “you battled Skyla 4 years ago?”

“Yup!” the third oldest male chirped with a goofy grin. “Her team of lovely ladies was tough, but I somehow managed.” “Ja/On/Zor/Swa/Vul!” his Pokemon cheered minus Diablo the Charmeleon.

“Hm, I do recall a chat with Skyla with her telling me about a trainer from Kanto, who challenged and won at the end with a very peculiar sight.”

“Peculiar sight?” the twin duo echoed in curiosity. This also caught Onym’s attention as a fuzzy memory of him watching his mother battling a faraway region trainer came to him. The 13-year-old couldn’t recollect if the face belonged to Cage, but he definitely remembered of what resulted of the battle.

“Skyla’s Swanna is considered her strongest Pokemon out of the Flying-types she owns. She had used Swanna as her final Pokemon while her opponent also used a Swanna.”

“That doesn’t sound much of a good matchup to me,” Serena piped in.

“True in some ways, but it’s interesting to find out which one is far more skilled despite being the same species,” the former Champion explained with a small chuckle.

When the white and black haired teen thought of it that way, she couldn’t help but smile in confidence. “Then I’m not gonna deny to let Osho challenge his own kind!” “Miju-miju,” the blue otter seemed to agree with his trainer.

“So, what was the result of this gym battle? Were both of the Swanna evenly matched?” Aspen urged lightly for a continuation.

“They weren’t evenly matched, due to Skyla having more knowledge with Flying Pokemon. However, the challenger’s Swanna was able to last against her Swanna. She was able to push the other Swanna almost to exhaustion until the Kanto trainer apologized about ending the match then cracked his knuckles.”

All 3 teens’ eyes widened when the last part was said. They all turned their attention to Cage, who was smiling without a care in the world while tottering on the ball of his heels. In both battles, he asked for forgiveness and was suddenly followed by an unknown cracking noise with his Pokemon executing moves that defeated Osho and Flaretusk. His face seemed to be taunting playfully showing off an I-know-something-that-you-don’t-know look. Onym’s eyes narrowed slightly at the skateboarder-looking male as the memory of that day became clearer as Alder spoke the tale.

“Skyla didn’t like how he sounded and quickly ordered Swanna to perform Aerial Ace. Now, if you don’t know, Aerial Ace is a move that confounds with the target with speed, then slashes. The upside of this attack is that it never fails to miss.”

“But something happened to stop the final strike didn’t it?” Serena inquired with an anxious voice.

The fiery haired man nodded. “Correct; before Skyla’s Swanna could even slash at the other Swanna, the other Swanna swiftly used Toxic, which caused both of the White Bird Pokemon to be obscured from view.”

“Mother became quite discouraged when she couldn’t see Swanna or the other Swanna,” the 13-year-old stepped in to continue. “However, her opponent stayed unfazed with a confident grin. Then suddenly, a Swanna fell out of the black cloud. Unfortunately, the Swanna that fell was hers leaving the one still in the sky the winner.” He then looked over at the still smiling 22-year-old. “You’re telling the truth then. You’re the one who defeated my mother 4 years ago.”

“Yup,” the young man simply answered.

“Now that you mention 4 years ago,” Alder said while pulling at his chin like he had an imaginary beard with a thoughtful face. “The other Gym Leaders did describe of a similar trainer, who cracked his knuckles whenever he was in a tight jam or wanted to finish along with an apology.”

“That’s definitely me,” Cage claimed proudly as the sister and brother teens gawked at him. They both knew from just by watching and battling him, he was a strong trainer. On the other hand, hearing him beat the Gym Leaders of Unova brought that opinion higher!

“Strange, with all the traveling I’ve done around Unova, I would’ve expected of bumping into you. Especially 4 years ago,” the former Champion stated in puzzlement.

Cage laughed bashfully as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, you see, after defeating Drayden of the Opelucid Gym for my last badge, I left.”

“WHAT?!” Serena cried out while Aspen and Onym stared at him bizarrely. “WHY?!”

The young adult took a dramatic, playful offense to the question. “I was homesick; is that a crime?” he pouted childishly receiving sweat drops from the teen trainers.

“But, but, but, but you didn’t even challenge the Elite Four or enter the Unova League!” the female twin recovered while pointing accusingly.

“So?”

“The Unova League is where the best of the best trainers enter, and battling the Elite Four is an honor,” she critically explained.

“Well, I’m sorry to say I really didn’t care much for them. In fact, for every region I entered, especially my home region, I never participated in any of the Leagues or challenged the Elite Four,” Cage admitted casually like he answered this question every day of his life.

“But why?”

The 22-year-old ruffled his hair as he tried to find an answer that wouldn’t sound like a lame excuse. This was one of the few times that he was asked that. Each time was a different answer, or at least an answer similar to the one before it. “I guess I was just trying to find an answer of what I really want to do with my life besides battling to become stronger.” With a sigh, Cage stared into the sky with a longing look. “I don’t want power; I don’t want fame. I just want to do something with my life that makes my family, friends, and Pokemon happy.” “Char/Jalor/Nokus/Zoro/Swa/Vulgi.” His daze broke when he found his Pokemon crowding around him. Each of the creatures had some sort of understanding and appreciated smile for their beloved trainer. The third oldest male could only smile back in return. “This may be just me spewing out my version of a mid-life crisis, but,” he brought his gaze to Aspen, Serena, and Onym, “this is how I want to live my life until I find what I’m looking for.”

The younger trainers and their Pokemon stared in respect and wonder of Cage’s speech. Alder beamed at what was said before walking over and placing his hands on the 22-year-old’s shoulder. “Seeking an ideal and seeking a truth; what a fine goal you have. And you’re having your Pokemon walk with you to the future. Very admirable.” “Arigato,” the younger man and his team bowed their heads to the former Champion of Unova. “I also find it quite interesting that you never mentioned facing the Champions of the regions. You have admitted of not entering Leagues and not challenging the respective Elite Four, but not the Champions.”

The assumption only caused Cage to grin impishly. “Actually, I have faced Kanto Champion Blue, Johto Champion Lance, former Hoenn Champion Steven, Hoenn Champion Wallace, and Sinnoh Champion Cynthia in all unofficial matches and won.” Onym, Serena, and Aspen stayed silent before all of them reacted. “WHAT?!” the girl yelled as she almost dropped her Oshawott. “Wow,” the boy twin muttered with his Snivy and his Purrloin concurred. “N-no way,” the son of Skyla stuttered lowly as his Tepig had an astonished face.

Alder raised an eyebrow at the claim. “All of them?”

“All of them,” the snowboarder-looking male chirped with a still impish grin. He then removed himself from the older man’s grip and walked to the clear field. His Pokemon followed and stopped when their master reached the center. Cage immediately turned around and bowed to Alder. “Please have a 1-on-1-battle with me, Alder-sama!” He raised his head to look into the eyes of the man before him with determination. “It would be an ultimate honor to face the former wandering Champion of Unova.”

The teen trainers and their Pokemon were looking back and forth at the 2. All of them were anxious of what the answer was going to be of their friend’s challenge. The stillness was very intense. After a few moments, the older man laughed energetically. He stopped and gave a vigorous nod in approval. “I accept the challenge! May I have the name of the trainer I’m going to face?”

Cage stood up right then gave a salute with his ever so present mischief smile. “I’m Kaiser Cain. N Abel Anketo; mostly known as Cage to everyone; Pokemon Trainer of the Kanto region; given the less known, famed title, Knuckle Tamer!”


“Aspen?”

“Yeah, Serena?”

“Why did Cage say not to record or take pictures this battle? If we tape this, we can learn many things and prove we met the former Champion of Unova,” Serena explained with slight exasperation. “Miju-miju,” Osho sagely nodded from his trainer’s lap.

“Well,” the twin brother looked over at Cage who was talking to Diablo the Charmeleon, “he said that in order for a battle to be memorable, you must watch and feel it be ingrained into your body.”

“Huh?” His twin sister and her Oshawott stared at him.

“I guess he’s saying that we’ll remember this battle because the most unforgettable moments will always stay with us.”

With those words, the white and black haired teen turned her attention back to the battle field. She and her friends were currently on the sidelines waiting for the upcoming match that would happen soon. The girl looked to her right seeing Alder waiting patiently. He had his arms crossed over his chest and was holding an eager smile. She then looked to her left seeing that Cage seemed ready with his Charmeleon standing proudly beside him. ‘So, he’s going to use Diablo.” Serena returned her gaze back to the older man. ‘I wonder what Pokemon he will use.’

Onym eyed the former Champion and the now so-called Knuckle Tamer. This was a chance of a life time, watching one of the strongest trainers of Unova battle. No offense to his mother, Skyla of not being strong or anything, but this is THE Champion of Unova we’re talking. It doesn’t matter if he’s now ex-Champion. The 13-year-old remembered those past conversations with his mother. He vaguely recalled being told about Alder. It was mostly likely that the young teen simply forgot the name, not the description of the previous leader of the Elite Four. ‘I want to see with my own eyes what you and the other Gym Leaders see in him, Mother.’

Aspen’s hands were twitching. They were tempted to grab the electronics to record, or the notebook to write. The brother twin was always the very technical person of the family. He needed to be least close to some kind of technology due to his mind being very concentrated. He was the kid who looked at details to the finest point. However, the 15-year-old wanted to stay true to Cage’s words. ‘If I want to remember this battle by simply memory then I can’t be distracted.’ The shaking within his hands stopped. He calmly took a breath and walked to the center of the sidelines.

“The battle between Alder, the former Champion of Unova, and Cage, the Knuckle Tamer of Kanto will now commence. The rules are the same and simple. This shall be a 1-on-1-battle. The last Pokemon standing shall be the victor. Bring forward the Pokemon that will battle.”

The older man pulled a 1 of the 6 Poke Balls from his poncho, “Let’s battle, my friend.” He tossed the capsule into the air then opened releasing a blue, sparkling beam of light. The light took form then broke away to reveal a buffalo-like Pokemon with large horns that had 2 golden circlets on each one. The most bizarre feature about this creature was that it had a large dark afro of where the horns protruded from. “What’s that Pokemon?” Aspen muttered as he took out his black and red Pokedex.

Dexter:
Bouffalant, the Bash Buffalo Pokemon. Bouffalant is powerful and destructive, wildly charging and headbutting everything in its path.

Bouffalant stood there calmly as his eyes adverted to who would be his opponent. The Lizard Pokemon stepped on to the field and gave a respecting salute to the Normal-type. The Fire-type seemed to have a playful smile on his lips while chewing on his senbon. The brown buffalo snorted lightly in return, steam coming from his nose.

“That Bouffalant looks really strong. Do you think Diablo can handle this? I mean, he’s only in the first stage of evolution,” Serena pointed out.

“Well, who do you want to win?”

The sister looked at her brother then back at the 2 battlers. After a few moments, she gave a confirmed nod and smile. “I want Cage to win to be honest.”

“Onym?”

Onym stayed quiet then stared at the ground like the answer he was going to give made him guilty. “Alder.”

“We won’t know the result until it happens,” the white haired 15-year-old said then turned his gaze back to the field. “Battlers ready? BEGIN!”

“Diablo, let’s show them something very interesting,” Cage spoke with a mysterious smile. The Charmeleon just smirked and raised his arms from his side slowly and fluidity. He stopped his arms until they were over his head. The Fire-type stared into the sky for a moment then suddenly began to move his limbs like a blur!

Alder’s and Bouffalant’s eyes widened. As the swift movements of the Lizard Pokemon halted, he was in a strange battle stance. Diablo’s arms were now beside his head, but bent backwards simulating horns. His right foot was back and his left root was forward. However, there was more than that. Behind the red lizard seemed to be a ghostly image of another Bouffalant!

“Um, guys? Do you see what I see?” the female twin asked with a mind-boggled tone.

“I-i-if you’re r-referring to a-a-a Bouffalant behind C-cage’s Charmeleon then y-yes,” the son of Skyla flabbergasted. “Te,” Flaretusk stared at what he was seeing.

“It’s transparent,” Aspen added in as his eyes narrowed at the figure. “It must be some sort of illusion attack.” He was sorting through Dexter for an answer, but none could be found.

“Shokei-ken! I’ve only seen this technique by Marshal and his Fighting Pokemon, and a few Blackbelts and Battle Girls! But never by other Pokemon types!” Alder exclaimed in astonishment.

“Let’s just say I know people,” the 22-year-old cheekily grinned. “Ready?”

The ex-Champion broke from his euphoria and raised a fist. “Oh! My heart jumps for joy! Well then, prepare yourself for battle! Kiai!” He threw a punch into the air.

“Charge!” “Chaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!” Diablo and the phantom Bouffalant roared and dashed forward!

“Charge!” “Buffron!” Bouffalant snorted and also dashed forward!

“They’re going to collide!” Serena screamed jumping out of her seat along with Osho. “MIJU-MIJU!” the Sea Otter Pokemon panicked.

BAM! The Bash Buffalo Pokemon and the Lizard Pokemon smashed into each other! Most would think that since Bouffalant are bigger and heavier, whopping at 5’03” and 208.3lbs, they would easily knock down a 3’07” and 41.9lbs Charmeleon. That wasn’t the case. Diablo was actually holding on to the horns of Bouffalant while his feet grounded in place! The spectral Bouffalant showed to be copying the user’s movements by pushing its horns against the other horns.

“I can’t believe Diablo stopped Bouffalant in his tracks!” the black and white haired girl yelled. She was double shocked. First it was Cage’s Charmeleon showing off a supernatural technique, and now this! A small lizard standing toe to toe with a bulldozer-size buffalo!

Onym’s and Aspen’s eyes were nearly as shocked as Serena along with their Pokemon. Both boys were very tensely concentrated on this battle. ‘Cage was right. This battle will be forever ingrained into us.’

“Char,” the Fire-type growled. “Buff,” the Normal-type growled back. They were both trying to push each other back. With every effort, their feet dug into the grass making trenches.

“Your Charmeleon is quite strong!” the fiery haired man praised.

“Your Bouffalant ain’t that bad either,” the third oldest trainer playfully countered.

“We’ll see more; Megahorn!” Bouffalant’s horns began to glow red and with an underhand motion, he flipped Diablo, the ghostly Bouffalant disappearing, a few feet into the air! “Fury Attack!” “Buffro.” The brown Buffalo repeatedly crashed his head and horns on the fire lizard. The 5th strike knocked the Charmeleon in the chest and flung him into the dirt.

“Rock Tomb!” One of his claws glowed before he slammed them into the ground. A rumbling was heard as large rocks shot up around Bouffalant! “Rock Slide!” Diablo immediately ran to the encirclement of boulders then used one of them as leverage to jump. He was over the Normal-type with his claws glowing and spinning circles. Multiple white rings of energy appear high in the sky as rocks started to rain from them onto the Bash Buffalo Pokemon.

“Stone Edge!” Bouffalant’s eyes glowed white as the once falling grey stones surrounded him as 2 orbiting rings. He then stomped his feet causing the shards to fly in numerous directions! The rocks knocked down the tomb and nicked Diablo along the way. The Charmeleon landed back to his side of the field and stared at his opponent. “Earthquake!” The Normal-type trudged again, but this time causing the whole ground to shake violently!

The teens and their Pokemon tried to stay stable from where they were. “Take it easy! Bystanders here!” Serena cried out. “Miju-miju!” her Oshawott protested along. Onym held his Tepig close knowing of how Ground moves are effective against Fire-types.

“Jump!” With a mighty leap, the Charmeleon was airborne. He then tipped forward to fly at an angle to Bouffalant. “Shadowing Charge!” The Lizard Pokemon’s body was suddenly covered in flames while his claws were surrounded by an eerie energy of black and purple.  Diablo began to spin causing the two forces to combine into a blazing-like drill!

“Counter with Head Charge!” The afro of Bouffalant glowed red with the front glowing yellow. He stood his ground and stuck his head out allowing the Fire-type’s attack to collide. KABOOM! An explosion occurred because of the force, causing smoke to fly. Everyone, minus Alder and Cage, had to shield their eyes from the smog that blew to them. THUD! “Buffro!” THUD! “Buff!” THUD! “Fro!” “Bouffalant!” the older trainer called out.

The smoke cleared to reveal a remarkable sight. Bouffalant was bucking trying to get Diablo off who was holding on to one of the horns while punching at the Bash Buffalo Pokemon’s snout with a glowing claw fist! “Char!” THUD!” “Buffron!” “Keep up Rock Smash!” the 22-year-old cheered. “Meleon!” THUD!” Buff!” “Mel!” THUD! “Fro!”

“Wild Charge!” Bouffalant stopped struggling as his body suddenly began to static. The Fire-type realized what was about to happen and quickly let go. However, before he could even reach the ground, he was rammed from behind with a heavily electrical surrounded brown buffalo!

The attack sent him flying face first into a tree! The Normal-type recoiled back slightly while twisting in pain from the electricity. As the Bash Buffalo Pokemon gradually recuperated from the Wild Charge, Diablo turned to face him. The Charmeleon seemed to be fine as he rubbed his snout from the impact. Miraculously, his needle was still in his mouth. However, both Pokemon were now showing signs of fatigue; more from the red lizard than Bouffalant.

“They’re both tired,” Aspen commented as his attention went between the Pokemon.

“But, Diablo looks the most worn out,” Serena pointed out in worry. “Why doesn’t Bouffalant seem to be exhausted?”

Aspen
Dexter:
Even if Bouffalant is dealt with a violent headbutt, its tufty afro-like fur absorbs the damage.

“Don’t forget that Bouffalant also received less hits from Diablo. Diablo has been hit more.”

The girl twin looked over at Diablo, who was staring down at Bouffalant while keeping his head tall. “Do you think Diablo will last?”

“It’s Cage we’re talking about.” The twins turned their attention to Onym. “Remember the story we were told,” he muttered as he kept Flaretusk close. “He was backed into a corner by my mother’s Swanna, until he silently commanded that defeated her and her Swanna.” He looked at the brother and sister with confident eyes. “I may want Alder to win, but I know Cage will somehow pull through.” The 15-year-olds stared at one another before giving each other smiles of encouragement.

“Come on, Diablo! You can do it!” the female teen rooted loudly. “Miju-miju!” “Snivy.” “Purrloin-purr.”

Cage smiled lightly at the supportive calls before turning to Diablo. “You want to go for few more strikes?” The Charmeleon just smirked as he went in front of his trainer and took a battle ready position. “Alright, few more then we can go.” “Char.”

“Woooo! Your inexhaustible fighting spirit! Impressive! But I’m not overpowered yet! I will overpower you!” Alder heartily yelled.

The 22-year-old gave his usual impish smirk then snapped a forward punch! “IKE!”

(Insert “Be an Arrow” by Rica Matsumoto)

Tsuppashiru yajirushi hitotsu!
Shinayaka na yajirushi hitotsu!
Kangaeru yajirushi hitotsu!
Sore ga ima no ore-tachi!

Diablo instantly jumped into action and ran with incredible speed! A white energy outlined him as he went for Bouffalant. “Bouffalant! Horn Attack!” The Bash Buffalo Pokemon charged. Before his attack could connect, the Charmeleon easily evaded to the right and jumped over the Normal-type! He then landed a chop with his arm on the brown buffalo’s back. “Buff!”

Midori no yama o koe masshiro na kumo o nui
Kouya o irodori susumo yajirushi I natte!
Totsuzen magattemitari nejiritari furuetari
Hanarebanare ni naru koto mo nai wake ja nai

“Fire Punch and Thunder Punch!” The Fire-type instantly clung to Bouffalant’s back and cocked his free arm back. “Char-char-char!” Diablo yelled as fire and electricity engulfed the arm then he swung repeatedly at the Normal Pokemon’s back. “Buffron!” his opponent cried out in pain and annoyance and began to buck wildly.

Wakariaenai mama ichinichi ga oware nante
Mappira gomen da ze kokoro miseao!

“Keep going!” “Mijumaru!” “Jalor/Ono/Zor/Swa/Vul!” The match was rising intensely. Aspen for once in his life actually felt like shouting to cheer on both sides of the field. He continued to keep himself composed, but his eyes betrayed his actions. They were practically pulsing in anxiety as every moment that Bouffalant and Diablo took, increased the wanting to see how this battle would end. Onym was feeling the rush too as he held his orange pig closer and paid very close attention that was at hand.

Iwa yori mo yajirushi tsuyoku!
Sora yori mo yajirushi takaku!
Nani yori mo yajirushi yasashiku!
So sa itsuka ore-tachi!

“Bouffalant! Hyper Voice!” Bouffalant halted his “rampage” and endured the punches to execute his move. “Buff-buff-buff!” the Normal-typed echoed loudly making blue sound waves come out of his mouth. The waves made Diablo fall off while he held his claws to his invisible ears from the irritating noise. “Stone Edge!” The Bash Buffalo Pokemon glowed a faint orange as a ring of light formed above his head. The ring transformed into a circle of multiple sharp stones that spun and flew to the Charmeleon.

Akubi ga dechau yon a yuruyuru no gogo mo aru
Soredemo kakegoe hitotsu de taba ni nareru ze!
Bibitte Supido Daun nante no mo aru keredo
Kigatsukya katte ni kono ashi ga mata hashitteru!

“Dodge and counter with Flamethrower!” Diablo recovered quickly from his earache and moved away before the rocks pierced him. He opened his muzzle to unleash a powerful stream of fire to disintegrate the shrapnel. “Flameburst!” The Fire-type increased the intensity of his attack that suddenly turned into a fireball coming towards Bouffalant. The ball of flames then burst sending multiple streaks of fire in different directions!

Ima no mama de ii no ka hitori yoru no hoshi o miru
Dakedo honto wa sonna no gara ja nai!
“Yume o shinjite susumeba kitto kimi wa daijobu”
Nakama-tachi no kono kotoba kamishimete!

“Protect!” Bouffalant stomped his front feet as an orange orb surrounded him. As soon as the wild flames came in contact, they went out. “Poison Jab!” The Normal-type broke away from the protective ball and dashed with the tips of his horns glowing purple.

“Iron Tail!” Diablo’s tail began to gleam like steel as he jumped back to stay away from the poison. He then spun to smack his tail upside the brown buffalo’s head. The teens and their Pokemon cringed when they saw that. ‘Ow, that gotta have hurt and left a mark.’

Tsuppashiru yajirushi hitotsu!
Shinayaka na yajirushi hitotsu!
Kangaeru yajirushi hitotsu!
Sore ga ima no ore-tachi!

“Surf!” A wave of water suddenly emerged from beneath Bouffalant! The Charmeleon immediately ran back to his side of the battlefield to escape from the blue liquid. His desired escape fail as a torrent of streaming water from the surfing Bash Buffalo Pokemon came over him!

Sono saki e yajirushi susume!
Ima yori mo yajirushi hikare!
Yume ni tsukisasare!

The water steadily started to disperse. Serena was dreading to see a knocked out Diablo. ‘Water moves are very effective against Fire Pokemon like Diablo. Please be okay.’ Aspen’s eyes stared over at Cage, who was completely calm. ‘What are you going to do now, Cage? Is this the end for you?’ ‘Where is your surprise?” Onym thought in half disappointment. ‘Were you all talk when you said you defeated Champions, both current and former?’ When the water went away, the sister twin jumped up in joy while her brother smiled lightly and shook his head in disbelief. ‘You are full of surprises.’ Standing there not soaked was Diablo holding up a red protective shield that seemed to be the move Protect.

“Excellent!” Alder laughed heartily as the Fire-type let go of his ball shield. “Your Pokemon is doing his best for you! But now, what will you do? Your Charmeleon and my Bouffalant are almost at their limit.” Everyone could now hear the 2 breathing heavily with the marks of their battle were now visible to see. Bouffalant shook off his fatigue, and stomped the ground and snorted with his head held high. He wasn’t ready to back down yet.

Michi ga mienakunatte tokidoki toho ni kureru
Dakedo soba ni wa koitsu ga itekureru!
Mabushii taiyo de sae toki ni wa kumo ni kakureru
Dakedo deai ga itsudemo hikari o kureru

Cage stayed hushed before letting out a mischief grin. He then brought his right hand into a fist and placed it into his left palm. “Gomenasai,” the 22-year-old chided then cracked his knuckles. Diablo spat out his needle then unexpectedly reached for the ring at the front of his black collar and pulled down. CLICK! The Charmeleon flung the collar with ease next to him. However, something surprising happened. As soon as the collar came in contact with the ground, a 2 feet diameter crater formed beneath it! After that, everything was a blur.

“CHARMELEON! Diablo exceedingly roared to the heavens as his flames turned from orange and yellow to blue and light blue! His body began to glow orange and an orange light appeared inside his chest. The glow faded away then a ball of orange energy appeared in his mouth. The Charmeleon fired the ball into the air and exploded, releasing many orbs at Bouffalant.

Atsusugiru yajirushi hitotsu!
Kisoiau yajirushi futatsu!
Tasukeau yajirushi mittsu!
Dakara kokoro orenai!

“Draco Meteor,” Alder mumbled in astonishment as the large orbs collided with his Bouffalant creating an explosion. Aspen, Serena, Onym, Lily, Jade, Osho, and Flaretusk were all mesmerized of what escalated. They were first dumbfounded when Diablo’s collar dented the ground when he flung it. The collar was actually a weight? The next thing was the Charmeleon’s end tail flame turning into 2 shades of blue. The finally moment was falling orbs of orange energy from the sky that were like meteors. The smoke cleared showing a fallen, unconscious Bouffalant.

Sono saki e yajirushi susume!
Ima yori mo yajirushi hikare!
Sono saki e yajirushi susume!
Takusan no yajirushi hikare!
Kimi mo sono hitotsu!!

The white haired twin was the first one to break from his daze. “Bouffalant is unable to battle! The winner is Diablo!”

The said winner took in a deep breath before falling back. He stared at the blue sky then chuckled tiredly in content. Cage walked over to his drained Charmeleon and smiled. “You’re definitely a descendent of a dragon,” he cheekily commented. Diablo snorted at his trainer’s words, but gave a playful salute.

The previous Champion went over to Bouffalant, who was now awakening weakly. He kneeled down to his friend and petted his head. “You did very well, my friend,” the older man praised with a chuckle. “Buff,” the Bash Buffalo Pokemon snorted in gratitude before returning to his Poke Ball.

“That was totally wicked!” Serena ran up with Oshawott as the others followed along. “You guys were awesome!” “Miju!” She immediately turned to Diablo and Cage. “You two especially!” Diablo sat up with a help of Irene and simply smirked at the girl’s comment.

“Indeed!” Alder walked up to the 22-year-old. “Well done! You certainly are an unmatched talent!”

“Arigato,” the snowboarder-looking male bowed his head, “Alder-sama.”

“What happened to your neck?” Everyone turned their attention to the son of Skyla, who was staring at Cage’s Charmeleon’s neck. Like a necklace, scar-like holes were embedded around the Fire-type’s neck. Onym’s eyes then widened when he looked to the possible source of those old wounds. On the inside of the weighted collar were shards of some kind of stone. The point bit of them was facing outward.

“Oh those,” Cage said casually. “Those are from the Everstones that are embedded on the inside of Diablo’s collar.”

“Everstone?” The female teen tilted her head in curiosity.

“Everstone is a type of evolutionary stone,” Alder explained. “However, it’s a type of stone that prevents Pokemon from evolving; not to promote evolution.”

“You put those there?” the 13-year-old gritted his teeth as his left hoodie sleeve was twitching faintly. Flaretusk stared at his trainer in confusion. He was sensing some kind of fury from Onym.

“Nope.”

“You lie.” Aspen and Serena looked at the younger boy in shock. The boy that they knew who was shy was someone that was angry.

The 22-year-old just put his hands behind his head and stared at the son of Skyla unfazed by the accusation. “If you don’t believe then you don’t have to,” he retorted nonchalantly.

Onym seemed about ready to lunge only to be held back and be calmed by the former Champion, who placed his hand over the younger trainer’s shoulder. “You can explain to us of how they got there,” the older man said with a nonthreatening smile.

“I didn’t find out about this until I was journeying through Johto,” the younger man started then pointed to Diablo. “He’s the one who did it.” Diablo turned his head away bashfully while rubbing the back of his neck in a sorry manner. The 13-year-old’s rage went away as he saw how the Charmeleon acted. “It was his doing and his decision to stop evolving. I had no say in it,” Cage stated.

The son of Skyla looked down before looking up at the 22-year-old. “I’m sorry,” he said apologetically and guiltily.

“Apology accepted; I get that a lot,” the 22-year-old explained with a goofy smile. “So, you’re not the first one to accuse me of abusing my Pokemon.” Onym blushed while the others laughed lightly.

“However, there’s one thing I must ask,” Alder added in with a very serious voice that caught everyone’s attention.

“I believe I know what you’re going to ask.” Cage sat next to Diablo and lay back against Irene’s long body.

The ex-Champion nodded then looked at the Charmeleon. “How does Diablo know Draco Meteor?”

“Draco Meteor?” the teens repeated.

“Draco Meteor is considered one of the most powerful Dragon-type moves. However, there’s a downside to it.” The younger trainers moved in closer to hear of what was wrong with this powerful attack. “It can only be taught to Dragon-type Pokemon.”

“Wait!” Serena jumped in. “It can only be learned by Dragon Pokemon? But Diablo is a Fire-type!”

“How is that possible?” Aspen added.

Everyone turned their heads to the 22-year-old and the Lizard Pokemon, who were relaxing with their Pokemon friends. Cage just grinned at them. “If I simply say that Diablo was special bred for Draco Meteor, would you believe me?”


“So, we’re heading to your hometown, Floccesy Town?” the twin sister asked as she put her final item away into her bag.

“Yes; you trainers,” the former Champion pointed to Onym, Aspen, and Serena, “have fine-looking Pokemon! But you’re not exactly seasoned Trainers yet!” The 3 unseasoned Trainers reacted differently at the fiery haired man’s comment. “I’ll train you a little!”

“And I’m comin’ along,” Cage added in while returning Diablo to his Poke Ball. “We’re all packed now.”

“Follow me!” Alder laughed heartily as the team followed with small smiles on their faces.