I glanced at Roderick and grimaced. He wore an unamused look as his eyes glimmered purple. Then, a sinister smirk appeared on his face.

"This should be very interesting." he said as he collected his Pokéballs.

His Zoura smiled as it hopped on his shoulder before he walked outside to the battlefield. The others and I were left in shock and confusion.

"So, are we gonna do something about this battle?" Nina asked.

"They're both pretty set on this battle happening right here and now, and Caps is really determined to prove to his brother that he's just as strong as him, if not stronger." Eric said.

"I think the best thing we can do is give Caps our support and encourage him, no matter the battle's outcome." I said.

The others agreed silently. After collecting our Pokéballs, the others jogged outside to the battlefield to see the brothers getting ready.

"Ah, good, you're all here," Roderick said, "There needs to be an audience to witness this." Roderick said.

The others and I stood on the sidelines as Georgia stepped forward.

"This battle will be a 1-on-1," Georgia began, "The battle ends when either side's Pokémon cannot continue. Now, battle begin!"

"Magnezone, I choose you!" Caps exclaimed, throwing a Pokéball.

"Come on out, Absol!" Roderick said, tossing a Pokéball.

At once, the Magnet Area and the Disaster Pokémon appeared.

"Thunderbolt, Magnezone!" Caps said.

The Magnezone warbled before firing an electrical blast at the Dark-type Pokémon. When Roderick nodded, the Absol dodged the attack.

He didn't even say anything.

Roderick glanced at Caps before grinning.

"Flash Cannon!" Caps growled.

The Magnet Area Pokémon warbled a cry before firing a silver beam at the Absol. The Absol growled as its horn started glowing an ominous black. When the attack drew near, the Absol slashed the Flash Cannon in half.

"What is going on?" Nina asked, "Roderick isn't even calling out any moves, and yet his Absol is acting as if he did."

I nodded as I watched Caps and his Magnezone size up their opponents.

He's probably communicating with it telepathically.

When Roderick snapped, the Absol sprinted toward the Magnezone with incredible speed. The older man looked at his brother and smiled.

"Dodge and use Flash Cannon!" Caps said.

When the larger Pokémon moved out of the way, the Absol changed direction and let out a large blast of fire on the Magnezone. The Magnet Area Pokémon warbled a strained cry as it floated away from the fire.

That was Fire Blast! And it was a critical hit, too.

"How did the Absol know Magnezone would dodge in that direction?" Eric questioned.

"And how can Absol learn a move like Fire Blast?" I asked before reeling back, "You know what? I'm in no position to question how that's possible."

On top of that, Caps have yet to land a single hit on Roderick's Absol.

"Are you okay, Magnezone?" Caps asked.

The Magnezone shook off the pain and let out a warbled growl at the Absol.

"Alright, get up close and use Flash Cannon!" Caps said.

The Magnezone warbled before speeding over to the Absol as it charged up its attack. Roderick nodded, and the Absol stood its ground. When Magnezone launched its attack, the Absol jumped out of the way and landed on top of the larger Pokémon.

"Shake it off, Magnezone!" Caps cried.

When Caps said this, the Magnezone started spinning and rocking its body, trying to shake off the other Pokémon, but the Absol held on tight. Then, the Absol jumped up and fired a Shadow Ball on the Magnezone's head, causing it to fall to the ground.

"Magnezone!" Caps cried fearfully.

Another direct hit. I swear, it's like Roderick knows everything Caps is about to do before he does it.

The Magnezone warbled before it started hovering again. The Absol landed and scrapped the ground in a battle stance, like a Taruos ready to charge.

"Still raring to go, eh, Cappy?" Roderick said, reaching into his pocket, "Looks like I have to get serious."

Roderick grinned as he presented a stickpin.

What's so special about a stickpin?

"Notice anything different about father's stickpin, Cappy?" Roderick asked, tapping the stone.

When I took a closer look, I gasped. A familiar rainbow stone shimmered in the afternoon sun's light.

A Key Stone? Does that mean he's gonna...?

When Roderick tapped the Key Stone, it started to glow.

"Now, my stunning Absol, Mega Evolve!" Roderick exclaimed.

The energy from the Key Stone brushed aside the fur on Absol's chest and revealed a shimmering Mega Stone underneath. When the light consumed the Absol, the Disaster Pokémon's features started changing. When the light died down, Absol's horn grew and had wings on its back.

Whoa. Mega Absol looks so majestic and powerful...

I glanced at Caps to see a bead of sweat roll down his cheek.

Is this the reason he can never beat Roderick?

When Roderick nodded, the Absol released a powerful Fire Blast.

"Dodge it!" Caps said.

The Magnet Area Pokémon warbled as it dodged the attack. Like clockwork, Roderick snapped, and the Absol raced towards the Magnezone.

"Thunderbolt!" Caps said.

The Magnezone warbled and fired a powerful electrical blast. When Roderick nodded, Absol used Night Slash and sliced the attack in half before slamming its darkened horn on the Magnezone. The Magnezone warbled a groan as it dropped to the ground.

This battle doesn't seem fair; it doesn't seem right—something about this seems too scripted like Roderick knows what Caps will command Magnezone to do.

Then, the answer hit me.

"He's reading his mind..." I mumbled.

"What?" Kat questioned, turning to me.

"Roderick is cheating, and I know how."

I turned to Caps and called out to him in my mind.

Caps, listen to me!

The self-proclaimed Champion perked and turned to me.

Roderick is cheating. He's reading your mind to predict your moves so he can find an opening to counter it.

"Oh, I already knew that," Caps said telepathically with a smile, "Don't worry; I have him right where I want him."

What Caps said caught me off guard. Caps turned back to the battle with a feigned look of irritation.

"What's the matter, Cappy?" Roderick asked, "Finally slowing down? Is this about to be another win for me in the history books?"

"As if," Caps said, "Get ready!"

Roderick grinned as his Absol got ready to attack.

"Get up close, Magnezone!" Caps said.

The Magnet Area Pokémon warbled before speeding over at the Disaster Pokémon. When Roderick smiled, Absol's horn started to glow black.

"Now, use Lock On!" Caps cried.

The Magnezone warbled before its center glimmered red. Then, a faint red target appeared on the Absol before disappearing.

What was that move? Lock On? What does that do?

I glanced at Roderick, and my eyes widened. The older man had a shocked and concerned look on his face. When Roderick snapped, the Absol pounced with a glowing black horn.

"Dodge!" Caps said.

When the Magnezone moved out of the way, the Absol missed its attack completely. My eyes widened, as well as my smile.

He isn't able to predict Caps's next move any more!

Roderick growled as he clenched his fist. When the older man snapped, the Absol used Fire Blast.

"Dodge it again!" Caps said.

The Magnezone let out a warble-like cry and spun out of the way of the attack.

"Way to go, Caps!" Kat cheered.

"You can do it!" Nina exclaimed.

Caps glanced at us and smiled.

"Now, Roderick, you will witness the power of the Cosmic Champion!" Caps exclaimed, "Get up close and use Signal Beam!"

The Magnezone warbled and rushed over to the Absol. Then, the Magnet Area Pokémon fired a flashing beam at the Absol. When Absol jumped away from the attack, the attack redirected itself and followed Absol's every move.

"That's the power of Lock On, for you," Eric said, "It ensures an attack always hits its target, no matter what!"

When the Absol landed from a leap, the Signal Beam landed a critical hit on the Pokémon, causing it to slide back.

"Signal Beam is a Bug-type move," Kat explained, "So it's super-effective against a Dark-type like Absol! Caps can win this!"

The Absol groaned as it staggered back on its feet.

"Lock On!" Caps said.

When Magnezone's center glinted red, a red target appeared and disappeared on the Absol.

"Fire Blast!" Roderick said.

That's the first time he's spoken during this battle. He must be getting worried.

"Exactly what I want." Caps said telepathically, glancing at me with a smile.

The Absol growled before releasing a large blast of fire at the Magnet Area Pokémon.

"Dodge it!" Caps exclaimed.

The Magnezone warbled before moving to the side and avoiding the attack.

"Let's finish this," Caps said, "Use Signal Beam!"

Magnezone warbled out a cry before firing a flashing beam at the Absol. The Disaster Pokémon tried to jump out of the way, but the attack changed direction and landed another critical blow onto the mega evolved Pokémon. When the smoke cleared, Absol was unconscious and reverted to its original form.

"Absol is unable to battle!" Georgia declared, "The winner is Caps 'n' Magnezone!"

The others and I cheered, along with Libby, Angel, and Caps's Clefiary beside him. We jogged over to the self-proclaimed Champion with wide smiles.

"You were amazing, Caps!" Eric exclaimed, "I knew you could do it!"

"I finally understand why now," Kat said, "When we first met you, your Magnezone's Flash Cannon had redirected itself. I thought your Pokémon had a special ability to do that, but no. You had Lock On all along."

Caps chuckled and flipped his bangs.

"Well, what can I say?" Caps began, glancing at his brother, "Winners never cheat, and cheaters never win."

The older man retracted his fallen Pokémon before walking over to us.

"How?" Roderick asked, "How did you beat me?"

"Simple," Caps began, "After I figured out you were reading my mind to predict my next move, I continued to let you do it but would say something completely different to throw you off your game. Looks like it worked."

What Caps said shocked everyone except for me.

"You have a lot of nerve to do that to your own brother," Nina said, "Reading his mind to predict his next move? How low can you be?"

"And to think you've been doing this for who knows how long," Eric said, "All of the battles you won against Caps were just you cheating."

Roderick sighed and looked away from us.

"You are correct," Roderick began, "I did read Caps's mind to cheat."

Caps retracted his Magnezone before crossing his arms with a disappointed and tired look.

"What I want to know is why." Caps said plainly.

Roderick turned to us, ran a hand through his hair, and sighed.

"I was envious of you." Roderick said quietly.

Our eyes widened at what the older man had said.

"Envious of me?" Caps parroted, "Why?"

"All my life, I convinced you that I had better control over my powers than you do when in reality, you have better control than me," Roderick explained, "For someone to remain vigilant and calm during any battle with powers beyond describing is an ability only you possess. I was only calm and confident because I believed I could pull the same stunt on you as I did all those years ago."

Roderick sighed as he bowed his head slightly.

"I did it to make myself feel better, not realizing how upset it made you," Roderick continued, "I made fun of you for so long and used my powers for a grudge I held against you for being more in control than me. I have no excuse for what I did, and I am deeply sorry."

The others and I glanced at one another before looking up at Caps.

He sounds sincere.

The self-proclaimed Champion uncrossed his arms and walked up to his brother, only to place a hand on his shoulder. The older man looked at his brother in surprise.

"I forgive you," Caps said with a smile, "Ricky."

The older man smiled and straightened his posture.

"You've grown so much over the past years, and I couldn't be more proud of you, Cappy," Roderick said, placing a hand on Caps's head, "You truly are worthy of the title of the Cosmic Champion."

Caps smiled and embraced his brother. The older man chuckled and returned the gesture. I smiled as I watched the two brothers.

"So, does that mean Caps is an actual champion?" Kat asked.

When the brothers parted, they glanced at one another and smiled.

"He is champion level," Roderick said, "So I think that speaks for itself."

We're never gonna know for sure, are we?

Caps grinned at me and winked. Rolling my eyes fondly, the others and I followed the brothers into the Pokémon Center. After Nurse Joy greeted us, Caps and Roderick handed over their weakened Pokémon.

"So, where are you headed now, Roderick?" Kat asked.

"I think I'm going to head to Lavender Town," Roderick answered, "I have an old friend there I want to catch up with."

"Will our paths ever cross again?" Caps asked.

The older man smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Of course they will, Cappy," Roderick said, "And besides, I can always tell where you are, so if you ever want to meet up again, you know how to reach me."

Caps nodded and placed a hand over his brother's.

"Right," he said, "It's all about connecting."

A look of endearment appeared on my face. After the brothers retrieved their Pokémon, we left the Pokémon Center and headed toward Viridian City's southern gate. When we arrived, Roderick grinned and took a step back.

"Well, I guess this is where we part ways," Roderick said, "It was truly an honor to meet with you kids, and thank you all for being so kind to my brother."

"Of course, Roderick," I said, "We may have started on the wrong foot, but it'd be nice to get to know you better soon."

The older man nodded.

"I would like that very much." he said.

Roderick turned to Caps and walked up to him with a smile.

"It's been fun, little brother," Roderick said, "Go out there, explore, and get stronger to keep your title. I know you can do it, Caps."

The self-proclaimed Champion smiled and extended his hand.

"The next time we meet, let's have a proper and fair battle without you reading my mind. No cheating, just pure hard-earned skill," Caps said, "Deal?"

The older man smiled and grasped his brother's hand firmly.

"Deal!" he said.

When Roderick nodded to his Zorua, the Tricky Fox Pokémon let out a yelp-like cry and flipped off his shoulder. In an instant, the little Zoura turned into a Dragonite.

"Okay, that was pretty darn cool!" Georgia exclaimed.

Roderick chuckled as he climbed on the Dragonite-turned-Zoura.

"Until we meet again!" Roderick declared, "And good luck with your goals! I know you'll accomplish them!"

The Dragonite-turned-Zoura let out a roar-like cry before taking to the skies and disappearing into the clouds.

"You know, even though your brother was kinda a jerk in the beginning, he really does care for you," Nina said calmly, "No offense."

Caps glanced at the redhead, chuckled, and shook his head.

"None taken," he said before looking up at the sky again, "But without him, I don't know where I'd be in life right now. I wouldn't be a champion without his guidance,"

"That means you are a Champion!" Georgia declared.

"I thought that was already established."

I looked at Caps to see his signature, confident grin, causing me to smile.

There's the Caps, I remember. Welcome back, Cosmic Champion!