She could feel it. His approach could never be masked no matter how much he tried to suppress that aura of his. It wasn't just his aura she sensed, but his resolve to win. A smile formed on her face as she stared ahead at the doors. Sweat trickled down the side of her face as she saw the doors of the Tower of Mastery open to reveal the princess... and Seth.

Sparks flew between them as their eyes met, and the thrill of the fight that was about to commence, took hold of the two combatants. Allie shifted her gaze to Seth, giving him a curt nod before finding a place to stand on the side, just above the action, Furfrou following at her heels.

"Finally decided to come back huh?" Korrina called out across the expanse of the arena.

"Was there any doubt that I would? you of all people ought to know that I don't pass up a good challenge," was Seth's reply as he readied himself for his toughest challenge yet.

Gurkinn, who had been waiting for his return, stepped onto the arena floor and assumed his position as judge.

"As the both of you have been through this once before, I shall keep this short. This is an official gym battle! Each side will use three Pokémon each! Gym leaders will not be allowed to switch out, however the challenger may do so as he pleases. Seth will have the honor of first move! ready? begin!"

"Since you like challenges so much, why don't we get you reacquainted with Mienshao!? time to rumble!" Korrina roared, unleashing the bane of Seth's team from her spherical home.

Seth narrowed his eyes as it appeared, remembering the havoc she wreaked upon his team the last time they battled. This time however, he had a few tricks up his sleeve. With a slight glance in Allie's direction, Seth reached down and snapped off his first choice.

"Combee, battle's on! engarde!" Seth called out in a commanding voice.

The little beehive Pokémon burst forth from his chambers, a loud buzz filling the air upon entry. As the smiling insectoid hovered aloft, Korrina began to question Seth's choice in her mind.

Okay... in our first match he sent out Carbink, which made sense since it was a Fairy-type and had a farily sturdy body that could take punishment. Now he sends me a Combee... and a male one by the size of it. Is he even taking me seriously!?

"Tailwind!" Seth commanded firmly.

Combee flapped his wings furiously, stiring up a fierce whirlwind that dramatically increased his speed and flight capabilities. It was then, that Combee began to zip around the arena, his body gliding along the winds steadily as he increased speed. It was then, that Korrina understood his choice, however...

"Bounce and use Aerial Ace!" Korrina ordered calmly.

Mienshao utilized the power of her legs to launch herself high into the air, powering her whiplike arms up in the process to deliver the first blow, or so she thought. Without warning, Combee began to manipulate the winds around him and whip up a maelstrom of intense winds around his body, repelling Mienshao towards the ground and sliding along the arena floor. On the ground, Allie dawned a smug grin.

So that's why he used Combee. For a moment I couldn't see what was going on, but now I get it. He knows Combee can't outmuscle Mienshao, so he's using a counter shield... of wind... Seth you clever bastard. Okay, if I can't get in close, I'll have to hack away at you from a distance!

"Mienshao, let's try a little target practice! Stone Edge!" Korrina cried out fiercely.

That's right Korrina, keep your distance. It'll be tough to hit Combee if you can't bypass the wind, Allie mused to herself as she watched Mienshao slam her arm into the ground, causing stones of massive proportions to surface, causing Combee to weave and dodge around them as he closed in on Mienshao.

"Combee, keep moving! Bug Buzz!" Seth commanded.

"Aura Sphere!" Korrina fired back.

Combee unleashed a flood of soundwaves that penetrated the air, causing Mienshao to cringe as she prepped her Aura Sphere. The pressure on her ears was nearly intolerable, causing her to launch her sphere hastily in an effort to stop the noise. The blast missed narrowly as Combee dodged around it and flapped his wings once more, kicking up a heavy gust of wind that pushed Mienshao back a good distance. Wincing from the cutting winds, Mienshao regained her composure and shifted her stance before taking off at blazing speeds, whiplike arms aglow with a white aura.

"Aerial Ace!" Korrina belted out, determination evident in her voice as her cry rang out.

Gotcha...

"Gust, now!" Seth commanded hastily.

As Mienshao closed in, Combee unleashed high pressure winds from his wings, blasting Mienshao clear across the arena floor, tumbling end over end until she landed face up in front of Korrina, knocked out cold. Gurkinn's hand went up.

"Mienshao is unable to battle! Combee wins the round!" Gurkinn delcared.

"Well color me impressed, Seth. I wasn't sure what to think when you sent that little guy out there," Korrina called to him, earning a slight laugh from him in return.

"To be honest, I wasn't sure about it myself," Seth replied, shifting his gaze towards Allie who frowned at his words, feeling slightly insulted that he even so much as doubted her advice. "But I can't exactly argue with the results now can I?"

Allie crossed her arms. Damn right you can't!

"Now that I know you're serious, why don't we continue this rematch? Machoke, time to battle!" Korrina shouted powerfully, launching her next companion onto the field.

As soon as Machoke made his entrance, Seth could immediately tell that he was dealing with something far stronger than her previous Pokémon. He still had Tailwind in play, however, that wouldn't last too much longer. Knowing what needed to be done, he reached for Combee's ball and recalled him.

"Take a break, Combee," Seth stated, placing the little bee back onto his belt before calling upon Cerise.

The crimson blade detached herself from his back and presented herself before the hulking tower of muscle that was Machoke.

"That's strange... why did Seth take Combee out?" Shauna wondered aloud. "He has the advantage doesn't he?"

"Not exactly," Trevor began, "see while Combee might be faster and able to outmaneuver Machoke, this particular Machoke is equipped with a variety of countermeasures, whereas Mienshao was limited to what it could do to Combee," Trevor pointed out.

"Ah! that's right, it took out two of mine without so much as breaking a sweat. It's nasty," Shauna remembered, shuddering at the thought of what it did to her team.

"What I want to know is, if he knows that Machoke has the edge on Combee, why is he using Cerise? Machoke has several fire attacks in his arsenal, so what is he thinking?" Serena said to no one in particular as she continued to watch the match.

I know you have your strategies Seth, but I can't help but wonder what goes on in that head of yours sometimes... then again, I should be used to this by now...

"I must say, I'm somewhat disappointed I didn't get to have a crack at Mienshao again. I guess I'll have to take my frustration out on this big lug, oui?" Cerise mused, adjusting her bladed body so she was at a slanted ready position.

"Sorry, but Mienshao needed to go. I couldn't chance what happened last time happening again," Seth replied as he fixed Korrina with a determined stare.

"Shadow Sneak!" Seth cried out.

Diving into the shadows, Cerise slithered through the arena floor at blinding speeds, and shot out of the floor towards Machoke, slashing him across the chest with her sharp edge. As she came in for a followup, she found herself trapped between Machoke's hands, much to Seth's surprise. Now it was Korrina's turn to grin.

Dammit, foresight! Seth cursed mentally as he watched Machoke's body erupt with a golden aura.

"Revenge!" Korrina commanded loudly.

Machoke roared menacingly and kept his grip tight on Cerise with one hand while cocking his free hand back and forming a fist as he swung, slamming his knuckles hard into Cerise, sending her sailing through the air and crashing along the ground, spinning wildly before coming to a stop. Cerise slowly rose off the ground and shakily regained her composure.

"Okay... OUCH!" she complained, pointing her body towards Machoke in a ready position once more.

"Don't let up! Fire Punch!" Korrina called out, pressing her advantage.

"Aerial Ace!" Seth fired back hastily.

A loud bang echoed through the Tower of Mastery as Machoke and Cerise clashed, both strikes hitting home due to their abilities being the same. Machoke growled in pain as he was slashed several times, causing him to drop to one knee, wincing while he watched Cerise crash to the ground after being struck a few times by his burning fists.

"Honedge is unable to battle! Machoke wins!" Declared Gurkinn as he saw that Cerise had been knocked out.

As he'd anticipated, Machoke was a great deal stronger than Mienshao, which meant that it would take more effort to overcome him. Still, he'd done a significant amount of damage to him, meaning he'd softened him up for his team to finish the job. At least, that's what he hoped for. With great reluctance, he recalled Cerise into her ball so she could rest. He knew she didn't like it in there, but... needs must.

"Sheesh, it looks like she got stronger! she really did a number on us!" Korrina exclaimed, excitement evident in her eyes as she fixed her gaze on Seth who was now reaching for his next teammate.

"I did a little more training with her before this rematch, so you'd be right about that. However... it appeared as though my calculations were off about your Machoke by just a little bit," Seth remarked, priming Combee's ball again. "But that won't matter now. Combee, come back out!"

For the love of... I hate this no switch rule! Korrina grumbled mentally, knowing exactly what Seth was up to with that little annoying bee of his.

"Tailwind!" Seth commanded firmly, earning a grimace from Korrina as the winds began to pick up again.

Meanwhile, Allie seemed to be watching, eagerly waiting to see what Seth would come up with now that part of his plan had been derailed. It was but a small hiccup, but she was certain he could recover if he stuck to what she'd told him. He was going to owe her, should he happen to win of course.

"Machoke, stand your ground! Rock Tomb!"

"Gust!" Seth countered quickly.

Machoke extended his arms above his head and drew in silver energy between his hands. The energy began to collect rapidly and form a silver sphere that continued to expand at a rapid pace, growing larger than Machoke himself until it was completed. The energy dispersed to reveal a boulder of elephantine proportions which was forcefully hurled at Combee. The little bee flapped his wings with all his might and stirred up a strong gust of wind to counteract the boulder. However, even with the winds at his side, his power wasn't strong enough to completely deterr the boulder from striking him. Combee sailed through the air after being struck hard on one side by the boulder that was thrown at him.

Struggling to stay aloft, Combee wobbled in the air, doing his best to stay aloft while Machoke prepared yet another boulder above his head. Without hesitation, Seth recalled Combee and sent Pawniard into action as the boulder crashed into where Combee would have been floating. Korrina breathed a sigh of relief as Seth withdrew the little nuisance. She knew he'd be back, but for now, he would be recooperating. Now she had another problem.

"Pawniard, Aerial Ace!" Seth barked.

"Getting careless are we? Machoke may be weakened but he's got more than enough power to take you on! Cross Chop!" Korrina roared.

Hook, line and sucker... Allie thought as Machoke wound up for the kill.

As Pawniard was in reach of Machoke, Seth sprung his trap.

"Double Team!"

Machoke's hands went straight through a copy, right as it was formed, shattering it where it stood. With widened eyes, he began to look around at the fast moving copies that Pawniard had formed. While they weren't necessarily a huge problem, what they were preparing definitely was. A violet aura lit up Pawniard's head blade, and with little hesitation... he fired off a volley of Psycho Cuts.

A series of small explosions resounded as blade after crescent blade struck Machoke in the torso, flattening him and putting him out of commission. Gurkinn's hand went up.

"Machoke is unable to battle! Pawniard wins the round!"

"Magnifique! that was splendid, wasn't it Furfrou?" Allie beamed, earning a snicker out of the canine.

Placing her hands on her hips, Allie huffed.

"D-Don't you be getting any weird ideas. I'm simply saying he did well, even if it wasn't perfect," Allie stammered, crossing her arms and looking away.

Meanwhile, Seth had heard her excitement, and was pleasantly surprised. Seeing her light up in this way, and get excited over a battle was something he didn't expect to see. The way she smiled and got all worked up made her seem, in that moment, attractive... cute even.

"Now this was worth the wait!" Korrina exclaimed excitedly, reaching for the third and final ball at her hip. "To be honest with you, Seth, I was a little disappointed the first time we battled. I felt like you weren't going all out. But now? well... I'm stoked to go full tilt! Lucario, let's rumble!"

Bursting from his sphere was what Seth had been eager to battle ever since he met Korrina. The feel of the aura emanating from the body of the jackal was enough to invoke his own. The Fighting-type rose up from one knee and met Seth's gaze, excitement blazing in his eyes as it was finally time.

"And there's that Lucario..." Tierno said as he watched the powerhouse make his appearance.

"She took out my entire team with that Lucario. Frogadier didn't even put so much as a scratch on it..." Serena frowned.

"I wonder how Seth plans to battle him. Pawniard is at a complete disadvantage here," Trevor observed.

"I'm sure he has some trick of his sleeve, right?" Shauna said nervously.

"It's a longshot, but if he doesn't mess up here, he'll be in good shape," came Allie's voice, prompting the others to turn toward her.

"And just what makes you say that? You act as if you know better than he does," Serena said sharply.

Allie shook her head. "You presume too much. But if you are going to go there, then I suppose you could say you are right, considering I gave him some tips, which is probably a lot more than any of you have done..."

"Now wait just a—"

"Mega Shinka!"

An enormous pressure overtook the room as Korrina immediately set to Mega Evolving her Lucario.

"What!? already!?" Shauna exclaimed in disbelief.

"Why would she do that so soon?" Serena blinked, forgetting for the moment, her remark to Allie as she focused on Seth and what he would do next.

Allie grew somewhat nervous as she watched the events unfold. Furfrou, however, continued to watch with intrigue.

"When you said all out, you meant it, didn't you?" Seth mused, grinning like a loon as he felt the aura flooding the room.

Korrina smirked at his expression and pointed at him. "See! there's that grin again! you're ready to brawl aren't you?"

Seth held his hands up and laughed. "Guilty as charged," he shrugged, fixing her with a determined stare, his own aura flaring to life a little due to the excitement that was mounting.

"Let's get this show on the road then! Lucario, Bone Rush!"

"Shadow Claw!" Seth countered swiftly.

Two glowing, iron bones materialized in Lucario's paws as he channeled power through his body. Gripping them tightly, he exploded forward, bones to the side as he charged. Pawniard's blades were shrouded in an ethereal glow as he burst forth, leaping at Lucario as he closed the distance. As their weapons met, energy crackled between them as they struggled against one another. With his head blade aglow, Pawniard proceeded to fire off a Psycho Cut, only to be met with the full force of the bone in Lucario's free paw, launching him backwards, causing the attack he'd prepared to fire off into the ceiling. Unrelenting, Lucario flashed forward and hammered Pawniard into the ground while he was still a few feet off the ground.

"Double Team, quick!" Seth called out as Lucario swung once again.

Pawniard hastily replicated himself, barely escaping the deadly strike headed his way. Regaining his footing, Pawniard and his duplicates launched an onslaught of Dark Pulses towards Lucario. The Aura Pokémon stood his ground and closed his eyes. Though he knew that several beams of energy appeared to be heading his way, he knew that only one carried any life force. Utilizing his aura, he traced the energy he felt to the source and subsequently flickered from view, faster than the eye could track. Pawniard didn't even have time to defend as he was hammered with a Blaze Kick that sent him skidding across the ground.

Seth clenched his fists as Pawniard shakily rose to a stand. As stubborn as his trainer, Pawniard was not willing to quit just yet. Burned, battered and scraped up, Pawniard was a mess. Meanwhile, Lucario didn't even have so much as a scratch on him. Readying himself, Pawniard prepared for his next attack.

"Pawniard, Psycho Cut!"

"Vacuum Wave!"

Pawniard fired off a volley of crescent psychic blades that sliced through the air towards Lucario at rapid speeds. Crossing his arms, Lucario channeled aura through his frame and thrust his arms outward, releasing a blast of intense aura infused wind towards the oncoming assault, cutting right through it and blasting Pawniard off the ground. Time seemed to go in slow motion as Pawniard flew through the air, only to bounce twice before passing out on the ground.

"Pawniard is unable to battle! Lucario wins the round!" Gurkinn declared.

Now he was in a pinch. Pawniard, despite his best efforts, just couldn't compete with the raw power of Mega Lucario. Maybe if he weren't in his transformed state, the match would have been closer, but against odds like what he was facing, Pawniard didn't stand a chance. Now he was torn... torn between continuing the match or conceding to preserve his dignity. That was when he caught a glimpse of Allie. The whole reason he was doing as well as he was in the first place, was because she had given him a strategy to use... a strategy that started falling apart at Machoke, and was now near impossible to use again due to the state of his remaining teammate. Still... she was a big help, and part of him was slightly disappointed that all of that effort will have gone to waste here.

Even if I can't win here... giving up now isn't an option. I've come way too far!

Taking a deep breath, Seth recalled Pawniard and whispered a note of thanks before putting him back on his belt and grabbing Combee's ball.

"I know you're still injured from Machoke..." Seth sighed, the battle Combee had been fighting running through his mind as he voiced his thoughts aloud. "Others don't see you as a strong Pokémon because you aren't able to evolve. But I don't really care what they say. Strength isn't always determined by how many forms you have, but by how strong your resolve is. So let's show them ours! Combee, come on out!"

It all came down to this. Korrina held all the cards in her favor at this point, and all Seth had was a tiny injured bee that was only slightly better than what he was before being released onto the battlefield. And even thought he was faced with overwhelming odds, Combee was determined to win. All three faces were fixed in a determined expression.

"So it's come to this huh? to be honest, I was hoping Pawniard would be the final bout, but this Combee will do as a substitute," Korrina stated, her focus tightening as she concentrated on her next move.

Seth smiled faintly and looked over at his little friend. Though he was roughed up, he seemed ready to keep going.

"Ready, partner?" Seth asked him, getting an affirmative buzz in return. "Alright then, let's kick things off with Tailwind and Gust!"

Fast moving winds gusted about the arena as Combee flapped his wings to summon them. As he unleashed his combination, it was evident to everyone that Combee had gotten stronger after the last two battles he endured. Though his stamina was low, his power had increased significantly. The change was noticed the moment Lucario slid back a few inches before regaining his bearings.

As the winds continued to push Lucario back, Lucario brought his paws together and began to prepare his own counter assault. A vibrant blue sphere of energy began rotating between Lucario's paws, sparks flying as he gathered in more energy. The ball expanded in size and was soon ready to fire.

"Aura Sphere!"

In an instant, Lucario disappeared from view, the others in the room losing sight of him for a few seconds. Meanwhile, Seth had begun tracing the trail of aura Lucario had left and had a rough idea of what was going to happen. And it wasn't going to be pretty.

Flickering into view, Lucario fired off a point blank Aura Sphere at Combee from behind him, and to Combee's misfortune, behind the gusting winds. In a desperate attempt to shield himself, Combee conjured up a bastardized wind shield which was met with severe opposition as the powerful sphere of energy collided with it.

"Hang on there Combee!" Seth cried out as his partner struggled against Lucario's attack.

Sparks flew as the opposing forces clashed, causing small tremors throughout the Tower of Mastery. Seth knew that Combee needed to withstand this. He was already weak as it was, and if he took a direct hit, he would be finished. Seth clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. As the struggle continued, it looked as though Combee was going to fall prey to Lucario's might... until an eerie verdant glow surrounded his frame, embuing him with renewed strength.

Suddenly, Lucario's attack was launched right back at him, forcefully. Quickly moving out of the way, Lucario repositioned himself to see exactly what was going on above him. Korrina and the others looked on in disbelief as a familiar light illuminated the space above them.

Two, thin but powerful arms burst out of the sides of Combee as a thin upper and lower body was being constructed. Two honey comb-like thighs with thin legs jutted out from the lower body and claws formed on the feet. Finally, a new head and wings were formed to top off the transformation.

"VESPISOOOOOLLLLLL!!!!" came the battle cry of the creature that had formed as he unleashed a burst of wind that forced everyone to hold onto something for support.

"What..."

"... is that!?"

Serena and Allie said together as they both looked up at Combee's new form. Even Seth, who had noticed something off about Combee from the start, was at a loss for words. Scrambling, he reached for his dex and scanned it.

The hologram of a woman dressed like a swordswoman appeared, her eyes fixed on the new Pokémon above her. After a brief scan, she relayed whatever information she could find.

"Vespisol, the Soldier Bee Pokémon. Not much is known about Vespisol because it is rare that male Combee ever do anything other than gather honey and serve their queen. Further study is required..."

"Vespisol huh? let's see here... looks like we have a few new attacks..." Seth said to himself as he looked at his dex. "Not only that, but a fresh new ability too."

"Grandpa? what is that?" Korrina asked as she pointed at Vespisol, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"According to Seth's pokédex, it's called Vespisol. That's about all I know about it. I've never known male Combee to evolve, so this is new," Gurkinn replied with an amused expression.

"Well somebody knew if the dex can put a name to it. Either way, it looks strong. I'm excited now!" Korrina grinned.

I have no idea what just happened, but I'm gonna roll with it...

"Vespisol, Mega Punch!"

"Bullet Punch!"

Vespisol drew back his claw and gathered in power, a white glow surrounding his claw as he sped off towards Lucario at startling speeds. As their attacks connected, a gust of heavy wind rushed around Vespisol's claw, knocking back the blue jackal after contact was made. Lucario dug his back feet in to stop sliding and looked at Vespisol with intrigue.

Vespisol looked down at his claws, the feeling of having them being rather foreign to him. And legs! he had legs. His wings were slightly bigger and his body was more sturdy. Taking a few practice swings at the air with his fists, he could feel the wind with each strike. Testing his legs, he replicated the same action before turning to face Lucario, a neutral expression on his face as their eyes met.

"Vacuum Wave!" Korrina cried out.

"Air Slash!" Seth countered.

Vespisol raised an arm above his head, and gathered in energy until wind began blowing around it. In a swift motion, he swung his claw downward, sending a volley of white, crescent blades towards the opposition. A loud bang resounded throughout the arena as the two attacks collided. Vespisol and Lucario were soon locked in close range combat, trading blows at unimaginable speeds.

Lucario delivered a barrage of steel-infused punches to Vespisol's upper body, only to be struck hard by an wind-powered Mega Kick that propelled him backwards. Lucario dug his back feet in to prevent himself from hitting the wall. Vespisol screeched to a halt in the air and wiped his mouth.

"Lucario, Close Combat!"

"Mega Punch!"

Lucario's aura flared as he exploded from his position at blinding speeds. Vespisol tore off after Lucario, claws infused with the wind as he approached. A deafening boom echoed through the tower, and both Vespisol and Lucario were seen with arms extended, Vespisol's claw slammed into Lucario's face while Lucario had his paw in Vespisol's gut. Both contenders fell over from the force of their heavy blows.

Lucario struggled to stand, his vision blurred from Vespisol's attack. Likewise, Vespisol shakily got to his feet and faced Lucario with a burning determination in his eyes.

"I have to admit Seth, I was not expecting this at all. Vespisol is impressive! he packs a serious punch!" Korrina exclaimed excitedly.

"I'm more surprised than you are," Seth replied, laughing as he rubbed the back of his head. "I wasn't sure what to expect when I caught him, but life is full of surprises isn't it?" Seth added with a smirk, glancing back at Allie and making eye contact for a brief moment before turning back to the battle at hand.

Catching his gaze, Allie blushed slightly while trying to keep a neutral expression. Recomposing herself, she took a deep breath and focused on the match. She was excited. Why that was, she had no idea. Even though she wasn't too fond of him, the way he battled gave her a thrill. And for whatever reason, she found herself wanting him to come out victorious...

Come on Seth...

"How 'bout we wrap this up?" Seth stated, reaching down to his hip to withdraw his sword and point it straight at Korrina in a challenging manner.

"I was about to suggest that very thing," Korrina grinned, beckoning Seth to make his move with a simple hand gesture.

"I hope you're prepared, because we're coming at you with everything we've got! Vespisol, Double Edge!"

"Lucario, time to go all out! Close Combat!"

Lucario and Vespisol's battle cries ripped through the air as their power exploded outward. Without hesitation, both contenders rampaged towards each other, the impact of their attacks causing the arena to shake wildly, kicking up dust and veiling the contenders from view.

As the dust began to settle, two silhouette stood tall, and when it finally cleared, one of them toppled over...

"Lucario is unable to battle! Vespisol wins the round, which means the victory goes to Seth!"