The energy in Celadon city had been electric the past few days. As the top shopping destination in Kanto, this wasn’t exactly new.

  Exclusive deals, flashy new trends and the import of goods that had gained popularity in foreign shores had been common occurrences in the green city. Celadon natives would even pridefully claim that such things were dreadfully dull to them, part and parcel of what it meant to live in Celadon City where something new always happened.

  Recently, however, anticipation for something completely different were making waves in Celadon: Gray Oak had come to the city to challenge Celadon gym’s personal team. More exciting was the obvious bad blood between the two.

  Erika, known for her beauty and for being the fruit of Celadon gym’s efforts each generation, was first to speak out against Gray Oak. She had questioned his family (the highly prolific Oaks!) and brought up Gray’s embarrassing past with a Top 128 finish in his rookie year as a trainer.

  Staying true to his blood, Gray Oak had clapped back with a warning that he would make an example of the grass type gym leader for her disparaging comments.

  The barbs, wagging of tongues and hostility between the two would surely guarantee an exciting match!

  While shopping was what Celadon City was known for, pokemon battling was universally beloved. The chance to watch an elite match between two powerful trainers was the Cherrim on top, so it was not surprising that people had scrambled for tickets for the battle.

  It had not taken long for tickets to be sold out, and it reached a point where savvy individuals began to resell their tickets for a far higher price. With so many wealthy people visiting Celadon, money was of little concern, causing the price for scalped tickets to reach an all-time high.

  Celadon admin staff had no choice but to swallow their indignity, lamenting that they could have been the main beneficiaries had they had the foresight to price the tickets higher.

  Regardless, tickets for the match unofficially sold far beyond its original price were caught by blood-smelling reporters. Coverage of the phenomenon added to the hype for the match and anticipation for it spilled beyond city limits and to the entirety of Indigo.

  Experts from all around the region scrambled to cover the event, analysing the likelihood of victory between both parties, predicting match ups and generally contributing even further to the buzz.

  A mere battle for a gym badge became an event to look forward to, the rivalry between the two trainers raising the stakes of the match beyond normal parameters

  When excitement of the match peaked, some began to ask: Would Gray Oak crumble under the pressure?

  The name on everyone’s mouth strode into Celadon gym on the day of the match. With a mere hour left until the starting time, many people had already made their way to the gym to secure the best seats.

  While entry tickets to the event were limited, no assigned seats were given. The first come first serve nature made the most eager spectators come early. For their efforts, they were rewarded with the sight of Gray Oak entering the gym while he fussed over his nephews.

  Two boys followed behind the man, graciously letting their uncle repeatedly check on their masks to ensure they were on correctly. The bottom half of their faces both obscured and protected their face from the nose down. Sylveon and Azumarill followed behind them, a similar contraption on their faces but sized to fit them perfectly.

  Gray had insisted on the masks to protect the boys from the foul smell of Celadon gym, and it only took the mention of ‘Ninjas wearing masks too!’ to get both his nephews on board. He neglected to mention that it also worked in keeping the boys’ identity hidden, a likely futile attempt considering how prolific being connected to an Oak was. He was content enough to not have their young faces plastered for all to see.

  A female usher in a silk kimono approached Gray. The fairy trainer noted that it wasn’t the same rude receptionist that had welcomed them earlier.

  “Welcome, Mr Oak. I will first lead you to your waiting room before bringing the boys to their seats. Please follow me,” she said neutrally. Gray thought her a better actress than her rude receptionist colleague here because he couldn’t sense hostility.

  “Thank you, but I’ll be bringing the boys to their seats first.”

  Gray made a move towards the audience entrance. The gym usher had to scramble to walk in front of Gray to lead him the right direction.

  Choosing to say nothing, Gray let her lead them to where they were supposed to go. He focused on keeping an eye on the boys properly to make sure they wouldn’t be lost in the crowd.

  Frankly speaking, however, there was little need. The crowd naturally parted for Gray when they noticed him. A few fans shouted out their well wishes, the crowd buzzing when Gray threw back a thankful smile for the greeting.

  He was content to maintain his calmness, conserving his energy for the match, and he was perfectly on track to do so. Unfortunately, the female usher made a serious blunder not long after.

  The seats they had been led to were decent, but they were far too deep into the audience for Gray to make out from his position on the battlefield. The recently christened uncle was not willing to leave his charges beyond his line of sight, so these seats were unacceptable.

  Even worse, Leaf was seated on one end, Daisy beside her. The mother had no scruples talking over her daughter’s head to a man accompanying them. Before Leaf registered Gray’s presence, he suspected that Leaf was flirting with the man.

  Gray wasn’t opposed to letting Leaf do whatever made her happy; it was her life. But he drew a line at flirting right over Daisy’s head, so he didn’t hesitate and approached his niece, pulling her to stand and bringing her under his protective hoard.

  Recognising her uncle, Daisy let herself be led.

  “Wh — Gray Oak! What are you doing with my daughter?!”

  Her shrill voice managed to attract the attention of the crowd. Previously, people had taken to stealing glances at Gray, hesitant to openly stare at the man in fear of making him uncomfortable. Leaf’s shouting gave them a proper excuse, so they proceeded to look their fill.

  “These seats are not appropriate, my charges need to be within easy sight for me. We’ll need to be closer to the field for that,” said Gray to the usher, ignoring Leaf.

  “Mr Oak, we don’t have such seats reserved. Unfortunately, we are not able to accommodate. Leaf is a fellow gym trainer and a parent to her son; our gym leader allocated these seats with that in mind.”

  “Then I’m telling you now I’m not satisfied with these seats. Who’s to say Leaf won’t be too distracted speaking with her beau? No, I’ll be bringing the boys and my niece elsewhere.”

  “Gray Oak! You have no right to take my daughter away from me!”

  Sylveon shifted, drawing Leaf’s attention. He stared down the human fearlessly, daring her to keep her tirade going. Leaf felt an energy prickling her skin, not enough to cause active harm but it made her nervous regardless.

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  She turned to the man accompanying her, giving him a look of pleading for assistance.

  The man, however, said nothing. Joining Leaf to watch the match was one thing, but he had no intention of crossing someone the likes of Gray Oak. He had already cursed his luck being in Gray’s presence, not expecting the man to follow his charges to the audience seats. Gearing himself for the pushback, he ended up meeting the Fairy trainer in the eye. Gray gave him a polite smile.

  “It’s good that at least someone here has their head on top of their shoulders. Thanks for not inserting yourself into this situation, man. Your taste may be questionable but hey, no one’s perfect.”

  Gray nodded at him before walking away, choosing to also ignore the usher’s stuttering.

  “It’s nice to see you again, Daisy. You’ll be sitting with boys for the match, you don’t have any objections do you?” said Gray, fishing for a mask within his jacket.

  He offered one to Daisy who took one to put on. It would seem that even she who was presumably in Celadon gym often would welcome relief from the smell.

  “Thank you, I’m fine with it. Good luck in your match, sir.”

  “No need to call me sir. I’m your uncle! Sooner or later you’ll be giving me headaches like the boys, but I’ll still do my best to keep your mischief hidden from Blue,” teased Gray.

  Daisy lightly laughed at her uncle’s antics, a bell-like noise that ended abruptly when she paused, as if she surprised herself for laughing.

  Gray marched to the seats closest to his side of the battlefield, visible enough that the children would be in his line of sight with a turn of his head. Like the usher claimed, this area was crowded, all the seats occupied with a head turned to Gray in shock.

  “Like I said sir, we didn’t allocate seats for you here.”

  “Hello everyone! Is anyone willing to vacate their seats? I really need to keep an eye on my trouble children. They’re too playful to be left unsupervised!”

  Gray’s greeting received no response, the people too busy staring in shock at one of the battlers for today’s match. They had come early to get the best view of him, but they had not expected an up close and personal experience before the match even began.

  “Hmmm, how about in exchange I’ll sign something for you?”

  A group of teens hurriedly stood up and loudly offered their seats. Others followed, but Gray was already making his way towards the teens with thanks.

  He graciously allowed them a few photos on top of giving them his signature, grateful for their willingness to sacrifice on behalf of his charges.

  Once Gary, Ash and Daisy were properly settled, Gray released Clefable and assigned him to Daisy. Clefable sniffed at his trainer before turning his attention to Daisy and greeting her with cheer.

  This reminded Gray of yesterday when he had made the announcement on who was going to battle today. Some of his battle hungrier pokemon like Clefable were vocal in their displeasure at not being chosen.

  He wasn’t surprised when they formed a coalition against their trainer. They banded together, demanding compensation in treats for being unable to fight today, so Gray expected being sniffed at until he delivered.

  With Sylveon, Azumarill and Clefable, he was more comfortable with leaving the children.

  “Sir,” said the usher with a grievance in her voice when she finally managed to find her words.

  “Look, I’ve already managed to settle everything. Must you really choose to be difficult now? Is this your gym’s underhanded attempt to unsettle me right before the match or something?”

  He didn’t shout his words, but Gray was clearly audible to the people around. They turned to the gym usher in suspicion, well aware of Celadon gym and Gray Oak’s ongoing conflict.

  Powerless to do anything now, the usher began to lead Gray to his waiting room as she was tasked to do.

  Gray followed after her, his shoulders loose and gait steady, stifling a yawn.

  “Introducing our challenger. Representing Pallet Gym, we have Gray Oak from Pallet Town!”

  The crowd cheered as Gray sauntered his way to one side of the field. As he walked, Gray couldn’t help but be reminded of the lukewarm reception he had gotten in Pewter City. Thankfully, the two matches he had were enough for him to capture the attention of Indigo.

  He waved around with a genuine grin on his face, producing more cheers.

  In this match, he and his team had promised to make it different for the crowd. Unlike his previous two gym fights, he was fully prepared to giving them a show worth remembering.

  “Defending Celadon, we have the flower princess herself, Erika!”

  Wearing an elaborate green kimono, Erika floated towards her trainer box. Eager to see her, she received the unwavering support of her home crowd.

  Erika’s trainer box lifted her up as soon as she stood in its centre. Elegant, she was a vision amongst the flowers and trees that made up the gym’s battlefield. She looked in control from up high, a towering tree overlooking her domain.

  She regarded Gray emotionlessly when he was finally more or less level with her from across the field. While she looked professionally calm, Gray could feel her disdain prickling his skin. He knew that Erika regarded him as an insect crawling on a forest floor, miniscule compared to the forest around it.

  Still, he did not let her affect him. He stayed tall and confident. Feeling inspired, he did his best to channel his cocky brother, turning to a camera and saluting at it with two fingers and a wink.

  The audience screamed in approval. Most of everyone recognised those actions — it was Blue Oak’s signature move.

  Erika squinted at the choice before dismissing Gray further. She inwardly scoffed, knowing that he was likely emulating his older brother, not only because of his natural arrogance, but also to remind Erika of his misgivings with her claims.

  “Trainers, are you ready?”

  Erika gingerly reached into her billowing sleeves to take out a pokeball. “Ready,” she said calmly.

  With that question, Gray began his performance.

  He slumped forward, taking a few steps till he was pressed against the trainer box’s front railings. He sagged bonelessly against it, arms folded.

  He reached into his belt for a pokeball, kissing the metal with a wink towards the camera. He yawned before breathing out a “Ready.”

  The crowd murmured at Gray’s actions in confusion and delight. Was his arrogance already getting the better of him?

  They had looked forward to this match, the media dubbing it a strong clash of wills and rivalry. So why did Gray Oak look like he wasn’t about to fight a battle of high stakes?

  “Begin!”

  Both Erika and Gray released their pokemon at the same time.

  Bellosom appeared on the forest floor first. “Bel-losom!” she danced a few quick turns, releasing a flourish of petals that gracefully spiraled around her as they fell slowly to the ground.

  Upon release, Whimsicott beelined for the sky. When he reached his desired height, he danced a few quick turns and released a gentle Tailwind. The gusts of air took control of Bellosom’s petals, rows of pink were manipulated to gracefully spiral around Whimsicott as they fell from up high.

  “Whim-sicott!” On his final turn, Whimsicott carefully created an Energy Ball and burst it gently. The addition of the move added tails of green falling along with the petals, creating a beautiful display.

  The audience marveled at both Bellosom and Whimsicott making flashy entrances. But it was curious that Whimsicott followed Bellosom’s entrance to the letter.

  His movements and words were exactly the same, but it couldn’t be denied that Whimsicott made the dance much more appealing because it was done from the sky with added Energy Ball sparkles.

  Furthermore, It was too practiced and clean, making it clear that Gray’s pokemon had trained for it.

  Long time fans recognised that this was a trick Bellosom did every time she started a match. Shrewder observers concluded that Gray and his pokemon prepared well for this match.

  Erika was taken aback by the sequence of moves. It was ultimately meaningless in the grand scheme of things, not even particularly difficult to do. But she caught Gray’s message hidden behind pretty twirls and falling petals — we’ve prepared for you and whatever you do, we can do better.

  “Sunny Day!”

  Bellosom followed her trainer, unsurprised by their common set up to make use of her Chlorophyll ability to increase her speed in the sun. As if Erika’s words were a command from his own trainer, Whimsicott used Growth, his body increasing the slightest bit in size.

  Inside, his well of energy also increased, making it easier for him to launch special attacks or bolster the energy against special moves, improving his special defence.

  Each pokemon’s move happened eerily in tandem.

  “Petal Dance!”

  Bellosom used her feet-leaves to launch herself at Whimsicott, the shortened distance increasing her chances of landing a hit. Unfortunately, Whimsicott darted back with Erika’s command, graceful, unbothered and, most importantly, maintaining the original distance with his opponent.

  “Bel-lo-som!” The flower pokemon released her move anyway for the widespread attack had a high likelihood of hitting her opponent.

  Using her hands for a quick jive, Bellosom’s petals quickly spiraled around her three times before a turn in her body lobbed the petals at her opponent.

  “Whim-si-cott!” Whimsicott carefully jived his arms, summoning Tailwind to snatch control of the petals making their way towards him. They arced around his body four times, once more than Bellosom, before Whimsicott did a twirl. As soon as he was back to facing his opponent, he released a wave of Gust to accompany the redirected Petal Dance.

  The combined move battered into Bellosom, hitting her for Super Effective damage as she crashed to the ground.

  She hurriedly scrambled up to react to Whimsicott’s next move, fearing that the fairy would take advantage of her temporarily downed form to weave in another attack.

  To the surprise of both Bellosom and Erika, Whimsicott did nothing of the sort.

  Instead he was dancing in the air, twisting and turning in ways that were suspiciously familiar to Bellosom. Bellosom narrowed her eyes and stared deeply before coming to a realisation — this was her dance. The exact same movements she liked to do in battle whenever she managed to use Petal Dance successfully against an unsuspecting opponent.

  It dawned on her that she was being mocked.

  ‘Whatever you can do, I can do better.’