Hybrid: Topaz Edition by LuxBeacon (Pokémon)

Latest Update: March 5, 2023

Summary: story centers around Topaz Heart, nephew of Volkner. He has set his sights on becoming a gym trainer worthy of the Sinnoh League, but in order to do that he takes risks. So many risks. Assaulting smugglers, beating up gang members, infiltrating terrorist bases, actually crazy rivals, getting lost underground and being a huge nerd. And he wouldn't have it any other way.

Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13669354/1/Hybrid-Topaz-Edition

Word count:369k

Chapters:34

Chapter 1: Arc 0 - New Region Order (Ch1)

Sinnoh, the land of the gods, famous for its myths, culture and cold weather. This is where our story shall begin and take place. It is a tale of strife and pain, but also happiness and adventure. There are centuries long mysteries waiting to be resolved and it befalls a select few individuals and all their allies to make it happen. To change Sinnoh- no, the planet, Regiearth, forever. In this epic, we will be following the life of Topaz Heart and his allies as they travel the Sinnoh region to solve its mysteries and to defeat the evil that dwells within it. Before that we must address his origin, how Topaz and his friends came to be. Welcome to the prologue, Arc 0: New Region Order.

~~Sunyshore City, May Year 8520~~

The storm was intense that night. Lightning cascaded across the sky and the waves roared with a furious passion. Most pokemon and humans were nestled away in their dens and homes in an attempt to escape the intense downpour. Wingull huddled within small coves to shelter themselves. The aquatic pokemon sunk deep within the ocean to avoid the worst of the roiling sea. The famous solar panel walkways of Sunyshore still shone, a subtle luminosity highlighting the paths for those misfortunate enough to be stuck outside seeking shelter. It was past midnight, so most of the city's denizens were fast asleep, allowing the pitter patter of the rain to lull them into a deep slumber.

If only I were so lucky.

I clung onto Mother's hand as if I were holding on to dear life, which very well have been the case. It was frigid, soaking wet, thunderous and terrifying. Daddy always said it's dangerous to run around during thunderstorms without protective gear since electric types come out and they aren't always careful when they eat the lightning strikes. The city has countermeasures for this, but he said to still be careful or I'll get shocked. I also felt really dizzy for some reason, barely able to keep my footing.

"Mother, Daddy said it isn't safe to be out in the rain like this!" I yelled over the sound of roaring thunder and constant splashes of our feet in the puddles.

She didn't answer, simply choosing to tug on me to move faster. In the distance I saw a Munchlax and two Aipom running in the distance looking for shelter. The Munchlax tripped, but his Aipom friends turned back to help him up before they all continued running.

I hope they find somewhere safe to hide.

I was pulled from my thoughts once again when my mother began running through a park dodging past several of the playground structures. I could barely keep up compared to her longer legs, having to jump up all over while she continued to drag me. We then began to climb a long concrete staircase in which I slipped and nearly fell on my face, catching myself before I fell. I scraped one of my hands and I think my knees, but I knew complaining too much would probably upset her even more so I stifled my tears. Mother has been gone for awhile, so I don't want to upset her by crying.

Climbing all the stairs made my dizziness intensify. My head felt like it was spinning too fast for me to handle, causing me to lag behind even more.

"Mother, can we go slower? I don't feel good," I lightly pleaded.

"If you make us wait in the rain you certainly won't get any better. This is for your own good, trust me. We are almost there, just hold on," She retorted.

If you say so…

She allowed me to properly stand up before we made off once again into the night. It was dark, but I was beginning to recognize landmarks of which part of the city we were in. The beach house district close to the ocean where I could see the water crash against the beach rocks with a ferocious intensity. Most of the houses were perched on cliffs far from anything short of a tsunami, so I think they should be okay.

A sizzling bolt of lightning shone through the sky. In the distance I could see crowds of Electabuzz, Magnemite and Pikachu awaiting the next bolt of lightning to strike one of them. Another bolt descended upon the horde of Electabuzz stirring them into a bright, whirling frenzy. A stray bolt made one of the street lamps shudder and pop, glass splintering everywhere. My curly hair flattened over my face as I closed my eyes and clung onto Mother's arm hoping she'd protect me.

"Let go of my arm," She chastised me wrenching her arm from me and grabbing my hand. "If a threat is imminent the smart thing to do would be to flee, not hang on my arm and impede our progress increasing the chances of both of us acquiring injury."

She muttered to herself a bit more dragging me along. The blinding flashes didn't help with my disorientation, but I coped in fear of another tongue lashing. We continued our way onward and my vision only blurred more and more. The cold rain soaked through my clothes. Mixed with the exhaustion from running around the city made me feel uncomfortably wet. My will to go on was diminishing with my every step, but my desire to not disappoint Mother kept me standing.

I don't wanna be yelled at again… but I miss my bed. Where are we going? Why did it have to be now?

My thoughts must've been running faster than my legs because my brain couldn't handle the disorientation and tripped, sprawling on the solar panel tiles. It felt as though I stepped off a cliff with how it felt like I was plummeting to the ground in a sprawl. I could vaguely hear Mother curse before hoisting me up. She looked me straight in the eyes and snapped her fingers, but I barely noticed. With a huff she took my hand and we kept on going, with me too dazed at this point to protest anything.

"There it is, we are finally here," I heard Mother exclaim. My vision had gotten a lot woozier the more we progressed and even more so after I fell, but even I could tell where we were. A modest beach home perched atop a cliff, surrounded by various palm trees. There was ample space and it was obvious how much training had been done in the backyard.

"Uncle's house?" I softly asked. She practically dragged me to the front steps before kneeling in front of me and holding my head.

"Mother has to go now, you'll be staying with your grandparents and uncle, understood?" She spoke quickly.

I-why!? Where is she going? Where's Daddy?

"But Mom-Mother, where are you going? I wanna stay with you and Daddy!" The tears were nigh immediate. I was feeling a lot of things right now and none of them were good. Abandonment was the breaking point.

"Hush child. Mother and Father have errands to attend to, but we will come back for you soon. All of us. Until then I need you to be good and study hard, you are my son, correct? You have a sharp mind, but you must hone it. It does not befit our family for you to grow up to be anything short of exceptional. Come now, stop crying and answer. You'll grow up to be exceptional, correct?"

I stifled a cry when her cold eyes began to sink like daggers. "...I promise. I'll train and study hard! I'll become so smart you and Daddy will be jealous, but you have to come back!"

"That'd be a feat. We shall see in due time, dear child," She said before caressing my face. "Be well, my dear child."

"I will. I love you... Mother," I said with a slight giddiness. She's not usually like this, that's strange. At the same time, I haven't seen her in a long time. Daddy said they were taking a break, so maybe she got nicer during the break.

She gave a curt smile before ringing the doorbell and fleeing through the rain. I watched her dash away much faster than she had with me, so even if I wanted to catch up I had no chance in my condition. As she grew smaller and smaller in the distance the urge to cry came once again.

In the corner of my eye I saw lights flicker on from within the house. The rain was too loud to hear what was going on, but they must've heard Mother pushing the doorbell so many times. A few short moments later the door opened, revealing a boy over twice my age with short blonde hair and very tired blue eyes looking around. His eyes fell upon me. Out of the corner of my eye I could see his Electabuzz, Roland, with a pajama cap looking over.

"Topaz!? What are you doing here in the rain at 4am?" Uncle demanded pulling me.

"Uncle Volkner… Mother… she left me… here," I staggered after each word falling into my uncle Volkner's arms, having difficulty regaining focus. I was so tired, I could barely move anymore. "She said… she had… to go…"

"Oi Topaz! Wake up! Mom! Dad! It's Topaz! Come on, wake-" Those were the last words I heard before I closed my eyes. I couldn't focus anymore, I wasn't sure if I was still crying or not due to being completely soaked, but I just couldn't stand any longer. Everything faded into a swirling black cloudy night.

~3 Days Later~

I couldn't move.

I was pretty sure I was awake, but I wasn't sure if I could move. I could feel a warm light gently caress my face, but it didn't motivate me to move an inch.

It must be morning…

I dared myself to open my eyes, but even that was a trial. I stared directly into the morning sun, yet I could feel nothing. Everything was a blur.

I couldn't move.

Some time passed I think until I heard vague voices. It was all echoey and slurred, so I couldn't understand. My eyes moved to look at who was talking to me, but everything was too jumbled.

I felt someone push a pill into my lips and hold a cup of water to my mouth. The same ritual they had done yesterday and the day beforehand. I swallowed both and after a solid 5 seconds everything became a bit more clear. I turned my head to face the nurse who gave me a small smile.

Oh right, I'm at the hospital… but even with the medicine everything is still blurry.

The nurse handed me a tray with a small cup of nutrient jello. It took me 5 seconds to even remember what jello was, but I could not find the energy to bring the spoon to my lips. Even scanning the tray made the world spin. I closed my eyes to make it stop.

Everything won't stop spinning. Please make it stop.

The nurse brought the food to my mouth and out of instinct I managed to eat. I kept my eyes closed though. The dizziness made it harder.

It's still tasteless.

When I finished I could hear her try and speak to me. She probably tried earlier, I was just too dizzy to tell. Even with the medicine and my eyes closed, every word she said… it was too much. I wanted to beg her to stop talking. Everything hurt, but I couldn't make the pain stop. All I could do was close my eyes harder.

Mother… Daddy… make the pain stop. It hurts.

Everything was silent once again. I could feel a gentle hand brush across my face, wiping away the tears I had managed to squeeze out. The nurse gently laid my head back onto my pillow before saying something soothing. I could sense her leave the room before closing the door. My consciousness began to wane as well.

I'm so tired. I want to move again.

I couldn't move.

Mother never came back, not a word from Dad either. The night after I collapsed at my grandparents' place they investigated my house finding signs of conflict, but otherwise it looked like a home invasion. The police questioned me asking me what I could remember and I told them all I remember is running away from the house and my mom leaving me with my grandparents. Everything else was too foggy. Everything still felt numb.

What the police must've wanted to do was have a psychic type look into my brain to find out what actually happened, but apparently psychic type interference on a developing brain can be pretty damning even with the slightest mistake, so in Sinnoh it's illegal to do it on minors and forbidden for children under 12.

Granddad Vito, the Sunyshore gym leader, set up search parties all over the city looking for my parents, but they couldn't even pick up a scent so they figured the invaders teleported out. When they brought psychic types to investigate they smelt dark type energy ruining the signal. They asked my grandparents and uncle a bunch of questions, but the answers didn't help.

I wanted to feel sad, but I felt empty. Like I had lost something and I couldn't get it back. I was spiraling and there was no way out...

~~Luminous Beach, Sunyhore City June 8520~~

I sat down on the warm beach sand and stared out at the sea.

It's been a month and they still aren't home.

Living with my grandparents wasn't bad, just different. My granddad is the gym leader of Sunyshore City and my uncle Volkner is training to take his place soon. Volkner and his Electabuzz, Roland, would pick me up from school to take me to the gym while they trained. Usually I just sat on the sidelines and watched since I didn't feel like doing all that much else and watched.

Ever since my parents left I just didn't feel the same anymore. There were so many people and pokemon around me all the time now, yet I never felt like talking to anyone. I wanted to talk to my parents, but that was it. Grandma said I'd get used to it, but I wasn't all that sure.

I miss home… I miss… feeling...

"Yo Topaz. Dinner is ready," Said the familiar voice behind me as I turned around to see Volkner standing above me with his usual expression: apathy. Ironically enough I found him more approachable than anyone else because of it.

I wonder why… is it because he acts like me? He's so relaxed about everything...

"Hi Uncle," I said quietly before staring back at the ocean. He didn't say anything for a whole minute. Uncle Volkner isn't that much older than me, I'm 6 and he's 12. A pretty big gap, but he was still nice to me. Quiet too, and sometimes I needed that.

We watched the waves cascade in the distance. Mantyke leaped through the waters as the sunset painted the environment in an orange hue.

The ocean is so pretty today. The water, the light, the pokemon, I should be feeling something now. The medicine should've worked, so why am I still like this? Why do I feel so hollow and empty? I can't even get mad… what's wrong with me?

I started feeling woozy after thinking so hard, so I tried to cut out all my thoughts. They hurt my head too much.

"Do you think I'll see my parents again?" I asked him innocently. Volkner wouldn't lie to me.

There was a long pause.

"Dunno," Was all he said.

I exhaled. That's the best answer I could expect. He didn't lie, he just doesn't know. I stood up and brushed off the sand.

"What's for dinner tonight?"

"Lasagna. Hurry up before Roland eats it all, he fought in 10 battles today, he's starving," Volkner informed me with his constant neutral expression before turning away. I could feel my heart beat a bit faster at the thought of lasagna before the joy vanished.

Grandma's lasagna is amazing. Maybe today I...

I pushed down my hopes before replying. "Coming."

I looked at the sea one more time before chasing after him.

The lasagna was tasteless.

~~Sunyshore Gym, Sunyhore City July 8520~~

I was sitting inside the gym, watching Volkner and Roland demolish another potential challenger effortlessly. They both had a semi dissatisfied and bored look, but that wasn't a sign of carelessness. It was mercy. Roland using all his energy in this fight would be a waste.

"Roland, catch Donphan and then use Ice Punch," Volkner said with his arms crossed.

The opposing trainer commanded his Donphan to use Rollout, barreling right into Roland's open arms. Contrary to popular belief, Electabuzz aren't very big at all- less than 4ft tall typically- but for pokemon size rarely matters as he easily caught Donphan without even a grunt of distress.

"Don!?"

"Buzz!" Roland smirked before he encased the poor Donphan in ice, freezing him.

"Donphan? Donphan can you move?"

There was a slight shake of acknowledgement as Roland placed the Donphan down, enjoying his little trick.

"Recall them, we're done here. Try again when you know what you're doing," Volkner yawned as he recalled Roland to his pokeball. "Another easy win…" He said to Roland's ball before pocketing it.

The trainer ran over to their frozen Donphan, recalled them and ran to the pokemon center looking like they were about to cry.

Didn't he say he had 8 gym badges? That's what you get when you lie about your skill huh…

Volkner stretched and walked over to me. "Pretty boring right?"

I nodded. My action figures had a more exciting battle than that.

Not like anything really exciting ever happens. It's been over two months and everything still feels so muted.

He sat down next to me. "I've traveled the whole region and now I'm in a rut. Got all these pokemon who want strong challengers, but all we keep getting are these weak trainers who want to fight the electric gym thinking it'll be easy with ground types. It might be time for us to start traveling again…"

I looked at Volkner quizzically as I fiddled with my Munchlax action figure. The main reason why he hasn't gone out traveling is because he's lazy. That's what my grandparents say anyway.

I don't think you're lazy at all. You're always working with the pokemon and taking on challengers as a gym trainer. It's just that sometimes you don't have energy like me.

"I'm gonna get a drink, ya want an apple juice or something?"

"Mango punch."

"Of course ya do," Volkner said before walking off to go get it. The gym was pretty quiet at the moment. We haven't been busy in awhile so most of the gym trainers are in the back taking care of the pokemon more than anything else. I didn't mind, all the battles I've seen are kinda overrated.

I waited in silence for a bit just looking at the relatively untouched battlefield. I began curling my dark hair absentmindedly.

I'm so bored. Not the best feeling, but it's better than nothing.

That is until I heard the gym entrance open up. In walked a girl around Volkner's age with long blonde hair and an even longer black coat. Actually, everything she wore was black including her hair accessories. I looked at her and noticed her focused gray eyes looking around for the gym trainer or puzzle that was supposed to be in here. Lots of trainers have that look.

I wonder what the receptionist tells them before they enter?

She raised an eyebrow before looking at me, smiling a bit when she saw me. "Hello there. Am I missing something, or is there no particular puzzle or pathway here?"

"Nope. Just some fights. My granddad is old fashioned. The reinforced glass ceiling is new though," I said pointing at the ceiling before returning to my toys. "My uncle should be here any second now."

And just as I said that Volkner came in with two glasses of mango punch, one for me and him. After he handed me mine, he looked at the girl.

"I'm guessing you're a challenger right? The name's Volkner Beacon."

She nodded, bowing slightly. "I am. My name is Cynthia Valkyrie, and I'd like to issue a challenge." She tilted her head slightly. "You're a bit young to be a leader, but you're quite strong aren't you?"

Volkner raised an eyebrow at that. I wonder why.

"I've been through my fair share of fights during my journey, but now I'm just a gym trainer. My grandfather is in the back, he's the leader…" Volkner looks at Cynthia proper. "How can you tell how strong I am?"

"You carry yourself with the air of earned confidence." She gave a bit of an awkward smile. "I just saw an example of relatively unearned confidence running out of here. It's subtle, but you give off this aura of knowing what you're doing."

"Ah him. That kid wasn't anything special, nothing to write home about," Volkner stated, but even he looked annoyed. Easy fights always make him feel sour. "Anyway, my team is on lunch break and all the other gym trainers are busy. Might as well fight my dad, he's got nothing better to do."

She gave a nod of affirmation and shifted slightly on her feet. "Should I wait while you go get him, shall he be coming soon, should I get him myself…?"

"He's just in the back, give me a sec," Volkner said before turning around to the back to go get Granddad. I finished my juice and continued playing with my toys before I turned to Cynthia.

"Do you have any electric types?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Not yet. I don't know what the future will hold just yet, though they certainly are fascinating. It's quite rare for Pokemon to only be innately weak to one type, and electric types have a number of interesting aspects about them." She started a bit, shook her head and smiled. "Sorry, I have a habit of going on to myself. I don't believe I caught your name?"

"Topaz," I said simply before holding up my toys. "This is Munchy the Munchlax and Blitz the Blitzle."

A flash of a grimace crossed her face before she smiled kindly and extended a hand. "A pleasure to meet you and your friends."

I shook her hand before returning to my toy battle. A few seconds later Volkner came out with Granddad Vito. He smiled at Cynthia before walking over and extending a hand in greetings. "Welcome to Sunyshore gym. You must be Cynthia Valkyrie correct? A pleasure to meet you."

She gave him a smile as she shook his hand. "I am indeed, and likewise. I take it you're the gym leader?"

"Indeed I am. My name is Vito Beacon, I specialize in electric types and my family is responsible for creating the solar panel walkways that brought you here. It was actually my son Volkner's idea in order to provide bountiful renewable energy to the entire city. Did you know-"

There he goes.

My grandfather liked to introduce himself by hyping up the accomplishments of Sunyshore. Volkner coughed loudly to prevent him from getting too off track.

"Oh my apologies, I tend to ramble on. I haven't actually seen too many challengers lately, Volkner scares them off."

Volkner huffed before the attention focused back on Granddad.

"So, how many gym badges do you have? We can determine how we fight from there."

She pulled out a small case, and upon opening it it held the Snowpoint, Eterna and Veilstone gym badges. "This would be my fourth gym, however." Her face hardened. "I have a request to make. I would ask that you come at me with your strongest team members."

I immediately looked up. Both Granddad and Volkner's eyes widened a bit at that remark.

Have I ever even seen Granddad's strongest team fight?

"Are you sure? It sounds like you aren't too far in your journey… ah wait, you must have strong pokemon from past journeys, of course," Grandfather rationalized.

She shook her head. "This is my first journey. That does not change the fact that my younger sister was taken two months ago and I have every intention of becoming Champion to fix things. I don't expect you to believe blind bravado, however." Her hand went around one of the four Pokeballs on her belt, and she took a couple steps back. "Reginleif? It's time to fly."

She threw the ball into the air, it bursting open with a brilliant light before forming the largest Garchomp I'd ever seen. They stood well above Granddad and were far taller than Cynthia, with fins worn smooth and a determined, prepared look on her face. She gave a small smile to her companion before turning back to Granddad and Volkner. "I would also hope you don't think I'm so foolish as to expect I'll win simply because Reginleif is a ground type. Types may be fundamentals, but fundamentals must be expanded upon."

Granddad was speechless a moment before he collected himself. "Seems I underestimated the youngsters of today. Your Garchomp appears young, but she is quite large and exudes power. Fine then, I shall fight you with my oldest needs to get the blood pumping anyway. Volkner would you care to referee?"

He nodded, still staring at the towering dragon.

Garchomp… I've never seen one in real life before. The strongest dragon type in all of Sinnoh and Cynthia has one in only 3 badges.

Volkner walked over to me with the referee flags.

"Volkner, Garchomp are super strong right?"

"They are devastating. Some of the most dangerous pokemon a trainer can use due to their sheer diversity and overwhelming power, especially within sand. Any battle with a Garchomp has to be worth watching."

I gripped my toys tighter as I watched Cynthia and Granddad go to the opposite sides of the field. My heart was pounding out of my chest, harder than it had in a long time. The confidence in her walk, her expression and focused eyes. She wasn't doing anything all that special, yet I was filled with anticipation.

She's so intense… I think I'm… excited. How does she fight? I need to know.

"This will be a 4v4 battle between Leader Vito and Challenger Cynthia. Only the challenger may switch pokemon and she will also have the first move. She's already sent out her pokemon though, so I guess you just send yours out next, Dad," Volkner stated.

Granddad nodded, unclipping an old pokeball from his belt releasing Electivire, his oldest partner. He was relatively big, but you could see his age with his graying fur around his face and battle worn body. Despite all that he looked healthy and ready to go.

"You have the first move, Challenger Cynthia."

She didn't respond, simply staring at her foe. She tapped the ground gently with her foot, nodded slightly to herself and then looked to her Garchomp. "Reginleif? Avalanche."

Isn't that an ice type move? Garchomp can't learn that. Right?

Reginleif, the moment that was said, roared in affirmation and burrowed into the ground in a burst of dirt and stone. There was a slight rumble before huge rocky spires started blasting up from the ground, lodging themselves in various spots around the arena and closing in on Granddad's Electivire.

"Interesting approach. Electivire, dig your tails into the ground to figure out where the spires will emerge next! Dodge accordingly and smash through with Dual Chop!" Electivire roared back, and stuck their tails into the ground. They looked confused though, and simply stood where they are. No spires actually came up right underneath or even particularly around them. No wall made of them or anything of the sort. The furthest ones were out of arm's reach.

After a quick moment where no more spires were shooting up from the ground, a torrent of sand came cascading out from the hole Garchomp had dug. The battlefield was quickly covered in a thick sandstorm, but there was no time for that. Behind a pillar in Electivire and Granddad's blind spot, she came bursting up from the ground, tore a pillar from the ground and launched it towards Electivire. Followed up quickly by three more, and then herself.

Electivire's tails twitched as he reflexively turned to where Reginleif emerged from the ground in a battle stance.

"Shield yourself with Magnet Rise, she's coming through, make sure to push her back with Ice Punch!"

I remember this strategy. Magnet Rise would catch the debris and Electivire would take on the opponent. I've watched Roland do it a few times against other ground opponents. Something about rather than making the pokemon float, it creates a levitate-like field around them.

With a flick of his tails Electivire was surrounded by the Magnet Rise field as his hands began to cool with Ice Punch's wrath. The shield barely caught the debris as even he was surprised with how much force she had thrown at it, having to strengthen his guard to prepare for his counterattack. After the fourth spire, rather than waiting for it to hit Reginleif was inside the spire itself. Using it as both an attack and a shield, she clamped onto Electivire's arm with her mouth and flew into the air. Cynthia chuckled slightly. "Apologies, but we're from Snowpoint. We've trained specifically against ice." As if to punctuate this, the frost slowly forming on Reginleif's head was shattered as she blew Electivire back down to the ground with a point blank Dragon Pulse before going for a dive attack.

"Electivire!" Granddad yelled as he witnessed the carnage that transpired. Electivire had a look mixed with pain and 'I'm too old for this' as he laid on the ground looking fairly charred as he slowly got up looking at Reginleif come crashing down. "Outmaneuver her! Quick Attack!"

Electivire huffed as his body cloaked himself in a white light before moving out of the dive attack and charging straight into Reginleif with a Quick Attack mixed in with some Bulldoze.

Electivire's Quick Attack looks even slower than I remember. Is his age getting to him?

A smile crossed Cynthia's face. "You know what to do." Reginleif simply roared, slammed her massive tail against the earth and sent a powerful Earthquake shattering through the battlefield. The huge amount of spires still left over crumbled to form sharp stones that littered the ground, not to mention the ones currently falling every which way. And while Electivire was too busy trying not to have an avalanche fall on him, Reginleif used the opportunity to send a huge pillar of raw Earth Power right underneath him.

"That won't be enough to stop this old boy!"

Electivire continued running through the Earth Power and before it could blow he stepped on it and the energy was curbed.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Electivire used Bulldoze to destroy everything on and under the ground, including Earth Power. He's going to charge straight on through."

And charge he did, slamming into Reginleif with normal and ground energy clashing. Cynthia's eyes lit up, having seen something she was unfamiliar with before she called out. "Reginleif! Fly!"

She roared, clamped her claws onto the charging Electivire, and took off into the air. In just a moment though, she came right back down dragging Electivire through the ground with draconic energy sparking across her body. Stones were jutting out of the ground in front of the two as they flew, making the keelhauling that extra bit more impactful.

I watched Reginleif drag Electivire through the battlefield wincing at how much that must hurt, but enthralled. Volkner's breath hitched as he noticed something.

"Barrier," He whispered.

"Yeah, we're standing behind one. If we weren't dirt would be everywhere."

Battle barriers are so convenient.

"No, look at that sheen at his back. It's taking the brunt of the rocks. Some of them get by, but it's mitigating the damage," Volkner pointed at how Electivire was holding on for dear life, but there was a subtle psychic barrier surrounding his body shielding him from the worst attacks. As well as…

His tails are all over her body! What's he gonna do?

I leaned in, tapping my feet on the ground anxiously waiting for the next move. We watched as Electivire's tails, while he was being attacked, had moved all over her body before he inserted the tips deep within her scales breaking through to her tissue.

"Watch closely Volkner! This is what Electivire can truly do!" Granddad shouted. "Thunder!"

What!?

"But that's an electric move and ground types are immune and she's a dragon type! Isn't that like super immune?"

"That's what I thought, but we can't underestimate Electivire and their electricity. Pokemon's insides aren't totally vulnerable and there have been reports of Electivire taking down ground type enemies by inserting electricity straight inside them. Guess this must be what they were talking about," Volkner answered, shaking with excitement.

Even he's smiling…

Reginleif seemed to take notice of the unexpected piercings she just received as she began to slow down. Electivire seemed to notice and seized his chance as his tails began to constrict around her and inserted deeper inside before he let loose a ruthless thunder. Volkner stood in front of me as we both covered our eyes to the blinding light. I heard a loud smash and turned to see Electivire had thrown Reginleif into the ground with all his strength with a vicious Hammer Arm, shoving her neck deeper and deeper into the ground so she could let loose another dragon pulse as he just kept shocking.

Pokemon battles… they are so violent, but I… I can't not look. My imagination hasn't been trying hard enough. I should make my toy battles more like this. This is the best thing ever!

Cynthia flinched, her eyes darting before they focused once more. "Reginleif! You've got this! Make that your own and finish this!" There was a roar from the ground as she grabbed onto his arm with her claws, red and black lightning began to mix with the yellow and she didn't resist the Hammer Arm. She went with it. The sudden shift in balance threw of Electivire just enough for her to turn it around and start burrowing through the ground, still getting shocked. Cynthia though just glanced upwards. When I followed her gaze, I found a huge meteor growing above the stadium.

Oh.

"Now!" As the meteor had reached a critical mass and began to fall, Reginleif burst forth from the ground, still with Electivire held in front of her, and sandwiched him between the oncoming meteor and herself while shielding herself from the draconic energy with Electivire. She then tossed him to the ground, snarling and shuddering before the electricity left her system. She'd come out of it with some burn marks and a couple injuries, but nothing that kept her from standing strong.

The dust cleared and we saw Electivire flat on his back looking like he had just been sandwiched between two incoming trains. No wait, that'd prolly hurt less than what just transpired. He seemed to just stare into the ceiling lights, barked something before his eyes went all squiggly. His body was charred and bloody with some patches of fur missing. Just to make sure I checked his tails and luckily they were still there and-.

How long are those tails? I never knew he could extend them.

Volkner's mouth was agape in awe, stunned, before I coughed breaking him out of his hypnosis.

"Ahem, Electivire is unable to battle, Reginleif wins!" He said, raising a flag.

I rolled my eyes as Granddad recalled Electivire. "You sure showed those whippersnappers. We'll get you fixed up, right as rain."

He turned to Cynthia with a more serious expression.

"Your strategies are nuanced and your Garchomp fights like a demon possessed. If I didn't know better I would have thought I was fighting the dragon master Lance himself. Electivire hasn't been pushed that far in years."

She was beaming back at him as she gently stroked Reginleif's scales, her slowly calming and feeling less shocked to the Distortion World. "You praise me too much, I've only done as much as I can. Reginleif deserves the credit far more than I. Though I have to thank you for teaching me during that match; I didn't know there was a way to stamp out Earth Power, or that ground types can still be affected by electricity if you inject it. I'd wondered about utilizing Magnet Rise the way you did, but haven't had the opportunity to attempt it with any of my team. I learned a lot from that, but this match isn't over yet is it? I hope to learn much more from the coming bouts."

"You are an ideal trainer. Learn from every experience, yes and as an elder gym leader I shall teach you. It's not a well known or easily performed tactic, but if injected directly electric type moves can do damage albeit it is still lessened. Ground types are unused to the shock though, so they tend to recoil more than necessary. There are strategies for other types as well."

She put a hand to her chin and looked deep in thought for a moment. "Perhaps it was because of prior training…" Then her gaze turned to Reginleif. "Reginleif, was that similar to when we were training against ice? Of course different, but the same concept."

She nodded, and Cynthia's eyes brightened. "So learning how one elemental weakness affects you and counteracting it makes future training of that sort easier…" She started again and laughed awkwardly. "Sorry, I tend to do that. I doubt you want me to keep you while I theorize."

"I never knew battling was so complex…"

"When you're older you'll understand. There are so many factors to look into for a fight and contingencies you have to prepare for. Every battle is a learning opportunity and you have to take it into consideration when raising your own pokemon. Their strengths, weaknesses and theoretical immunities," Volkner explained a tad giddily. "The best pokemon trainers are the ones who think the hardest after every new strategy."

"Oooh. Hm."

Training pokemon. I wonder if I'll be any good at it.

"No worries young lady, take your time. It's been awhile since anyone was willing to listen to advice," Granddad says as he takes out a pokeball. "Unfortunately, the rest of this battle may not be as interesting. Electivire is by far my most powerful teammate, if he couldn't win, I'm not sure what the others can do even at their best. Even with Reginleif in that state."

I turned to Reginleif curiously. She looked fine when I last looked at her, but upon closer inspection you could still see the marks where Elecitivire's tails constricted her, slight bruising around her neck and deep holes where his tails broke through her scales. Despite it all she stood strong, ignoring whatever pain she must've felt.

She's so cool...

She raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't count yourself out just yet. And there's always something new to learn from any battle. However, I believe you wouldn't mind if I swapped who's out? I would prefer Reginleif doesn't get injured too badly, and she's quite frankly the most experienced member of my team. I have another in mind who could do with a properly challenging battle."

"Of course. Switch to whomever you like. In my case… Electrode, go!"

Electrode landed with a whir. I don't know how old he is or if they even age.

Cynthia meanwhile had pulled out Reginleif's Pokeball. "Take a rest, my friend. You've more than earned it." Reginleif gave a gentle roar of thanks, and her shoulders slumped a bit before she was recalled. She fastened the ball back to her belt before taking off another one, her face a bit more serious. "Hel, you're up."

As the ball opened, a sudden ghastly pressure swept throughout the room. A simple rock formed with some strange markings shaped vaguely like a face, before a purple and green swirling mist coalesced into a jagged sawlike circle. The eyes looked loathing and an odd screech rung through the air. And yet…

Cynthia just looked to… him? Her? Them? "Tell me if you'd prefer to rest soon, alright? I won't force you." The whirling seemed somehow less intense for a moment before they stared down at the Electrode facing the two.

Feeling concerned, I walked up to Volkner and pulled on his shirt. "Did Cynthia catch Hell?"

"Huh? What? No, that's what I assume is their nickname. That looks like… a Spiritomb. Never seen one in person before… or really heard of anyone having one."

Granddad rubbed his chin. "Spiritomb hmmm. That's an exceedingly rare, but dangerous pokemon you have."

The Spiritomb made a threatening noise while Cynthia nodded. "Please refer to them as an entity all their own. They don't much like being treated like an object. But yes, I found them and after helping calm them down they decided to come on my journey with me. They're the second newest member of my team, and as such them getting some experience would be best." Her gaze turned to Hel. "I take it you want to get on with this?"

Hel simply made another noise, sounding vaguely like dozens of distorted voices talking at once, before a purple black mist spewed forth from the strange stone they projected from. Almost nothing was visible, and Cynthia simply stood there and waited to see what her opponent would do.

"Battle begin!" Volkner announced.

~~3 Rounds Later~~

Cynthia didn't need to switch out Hel for anyone else. Electrode, Manectric and Luxray put up good fights, but Hel kept using Hypnosis and Dream Eater to keep going, disrupting their attempts to use Electric Terrain which forbids sleep. The battles were cool, but not as noteworthy as the first round, but I know they tried their best. They are are much older pokemon and don't move so well anymore. Volkner on the other hand looked more giddy with each passing fight.

Granddad returned Luxray and sighed.

"Luxray is unable to battle. Gym Leader Vito is out of usable pokemon which means Challenger Cynthia and Hel are the winners!" Volkner announced. Granddad made his way over to him, which is when Volkner handed him a box with the Beacon badge inside. I can't actually remember the last time I saw them give a trainer this badge.

It feels more like Cynthia is an overseer rather than a trainer. None of her orders are direct and her pokemon tend to do what they want to do. I wonder how many plans they have? Isn't it hard to remember them all? It's bad enough that trainers have to remember so many moves and add strategies to the mix? Yikes. Can I remember all that?

Cynthia smiled and bowed to Granddad. "Thank you for the gym badge and the battles." She then turned to Hel. "And thank you for battling. You deserve the praise for this, not I." She then turned back to Granddad and Volkner.

"Your pokemon are a force to be reckoned with at this stage and you only have 4. I like to think I'm a competent trainer, but it looks like I need to stay on my toes with kids like you and my Volkner running around."

Volkner simply nodded at that before turning to Cynthia proper. "Hey if you don't mind, I'm sure you're busy and want to get your pokemon to the center, but I wouldn't mind a quick shot at ya."

I knew this would happen.

She smiled at him. "Of course. I shan't be using Hel or Reginleif though, as they both have more than earned a rest. A quicker bout then?"

He removed Roland's pokeball from his belt and he had that eager look on his face. "But not an easy one," Volkner said, clenching the pokeball with an excited expression. As for me, I had the same one.

Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13669354/1/Hybrid-Topaz-Edition