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The Thunderbolt his tremendous damage, must have been a critical hit. But it was not the amount of damage that the attack did that was so surprising, it was Beacon. He was doing surprisingly well, remaining composed, attentive, and by goodness he was actually hitting his marks! Something was different about the Ampharos. Whether it was a fleeting moment, or the Pokemon had acquired brain cells overnight was still left to be seen. But he didn't have time to worry about this, there was a match to win.

Oddly enough, the Rocket smirked after the electricity died down, something Mike was not expecting. "Tauros, now that your attack power is raised, hit it once more with a Horn Attack!" He commanded, punching the air once more.

Attack power raised? What the hell? This battle was getting more confusing by the second! With newfound strength the Wild Bull Pokemon thrust itself forward, propelling its two large horns into Beacon's side. The little lighthouse had to be wary of that Pokemon's heavy hits, he was looking pretty beaten. "Alright Beacon, we need to end this right now, hit it with one more Brick Break!" Rising to his feet, the Ampharos took a labored step forward, then broke out into a run, lifting a powered up flipper high and slamming it down on his enemy. The already weakened Tauros succumb to his injuries and collapsed in a heap on the ground.

"Dammit." The first Rocket grunt snapped his fingers, recalling his first Pokemon. "I've still got one left, and she's no lightweight!" Tossing another Great ball out onto the field, it opened up to reveal a Rhyhorn. The rocky rhino sniffed the air, lowering her body to prepare for battle.

"Well Beacon, you can't compete against that." Mike motioned for his Pokemon to come back, the Ampharos happily waddling over to his side. He knelt down, examining him for severe wounds, but found only scrapes and one bruise. But even though he looked worn, Beacon still smiled his adorable little smile. Mike gave the little spark a gentle pat on the head, even with all his quirks, and at times his utter failures, he was still proud of him. Beacon was a fine Pokemon indeed.

"Um, hello, boy? We still have a match to finish." The Rocket folded his arms, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Would you hold on, I'm having a nostalgic moment with my Pokemon here!" Mike shouted, Beacon sticking his tongue out in retaliation to the rude man.

Kilik's fingers thumbed over his Pokeballs as he watched the battle rage on. He glanced over to see another Rocket strolling past. "Hey! You!" he dashed over to the Rocket, grabbing him on the shoulder. The man turned around. He was very tall and very wide and his mouth was hidden behind a walrus style mustache. His watery blue eyes gazed down at Kilik and he growled.

"Giovanni told me I can battle Grunts to train," he explained, "So. You. Me. Battle. Right now." He pointed to the arena where Beacon and the Tauros were fighting. It'd be a bit cramped but they would have to manage. Nodding, Kilik ran to the other side, adjacent to Mike, grabbing Lairon's Great Ball from his belt.

The walrus man moved to his position, taking a Pokeball from the belt strapped along his chest. Wordlessly, he tossed the sphere into the air. From the light revealed a very large and very hairy Arcanine. The dog let out a loud howl and pawed at the Gym's floor.

"Cake," Kilik smirked, tossing the ball. The quadraped metal dinosaur emerged in a flash, roaring loudly at the opponent. He took a step back, Arcanine's Intimadate ability kicking in. Granted, Lairon knew he was a lot scarier than the dog, but there was just something about Aracanine that shook him. He slammed his metal foot into the ground, shaking the entire floor. "Now then. Let's begin!"

Linlaee took her Pokenav from Biff. She quickly selected Mag and dialed his number. She pressed the 'send' key and awaited. Mag was walking down the hall towards Linalee's room when all of the sudden a loud ringing was heard from his pocket. Mag slipped his hand down and stopped next to Room #14. "Hello?" Mag asked as he listened into the device. "Wait what?" Carley said as she heard the a faint ringing outside her door. She looked through the peep hole to see Mag standing there. HE'S HER FRIEND!? trying not to let her aprehension show, she turned back to Linalee.

"Hurry it up!" She whispered at her. "Hey Mag, um... I had something I needed to do on the Island and I'm already off of the ship. So... Uh..." Linalee paused trying to come up with a codeword or something she could use to alert Mag to her predicament. "I'm a bit tied up at the moment so I have to go. I'll meet you at your grandparents later." She said hanging up before Mag could say anything else. Mag stood in the hall holding his Pokenav staring at it for a moment. "Well that was kinda weird. And strange how she said 'tied up' like that... Well I don't have any more business here so I mine-as-well get off this boat." Mag said with a shrug as he made his way to the docks and disembarked.

"Oddish, absorb!" The dark haired younger girl yelled as she pointed towards Vixy.

The oddish bounced from one foot to the other and it started to glow. As it leaned forward and pointed its leaves at Vixy the glow made a line and enveloped the fox-cat like pokemon as it sucked away some health from Vixy. Maven took a deep breath, she only battled her cousin before, but knew she had to keep an air of confidence. She took a deep breath and pushed her foot back to put herself into a fighting stance. It seemed to help the small Vulpix seeing its trainer ready for this.

"It's okay Vixy! Shake it off. You're doing great! Ready, and Ember!" Maven called out and pushed her hair out of her face and gave a smile.

The small creature leaned back on her hind legs and let out a small squeek as she jumped on all fours and letting out a howl, as the flames erupted from her mouth attacking the grass type.

Both Mike and the Rocket fumbled around at the weight of the Lairon and the ensuing battle next to them. Surprisingly however, Beacon stayed anchored and didn't move an inch. "Figures, at the most meaningless times you show exceptional skill in almost everything." The Ampharos merely blinked, cooing innocently.

"AHEM!" The grunt opposite him cleared his throat, slamming his foot into the ground, a small puff of dust trailed upward, dirtying his jet black pant leg. "You take any longer and I'll send my Rhyhorn to attack your precious whale."

"Three things." Mike whirled around, gripping an Ultra Ball firmly in his hand, narrowing his eyes at the grunt. "Firstly, you will not take that tone with me, I'm no feeble ten year old. Secondly, you will not threaten Beacon. He isn't a whale, he's a...um...well...that's er, that's not important right now!" Clicking the button on the ball, a white light burst forth, forming into a bipedal creature with a mushroom cap: Portabello. The Breloom adjusted his cap and nodded to his Master, sizing up his opponent.

The Rocket looked unphased, raising his eyebrow. "And the third?" He looked at the boy across from him. He growled at the lack of an answer, at least, one that he could hear.

Mike however, smirked, looking at Portabello then back at the grunt. Third, this'll be the single most embarrassing loss you'll ever experience.

"I've had enough of your sass boy." The Rocket fumed, stomping his foot and shouting. "Rhyhorn, Take Down now!" The Spikes Pokemon took its sweet time building up speed for the attack, and even then it wasn't very fast at all, giving our hero ample time to think of a way to deal with it, or make a sandwich, the Rhyhorn was very slow after all.

"Take down again?" Mike whined. "Don't you have any new tricks? This one is so bloody boring." The boy rolled his eyes, moving his gaze to the Pokemon at his side. Portabello, use this heavy girl's weight to her disadvantage, Sky Uppercut.

Yes Master. Thought-spoke the Breloom in obedient reply. Readying himself, Portabello shook out his legs and hands, crouching low to the ground. Shooting off forward, he lowered his claw, dragging it along the floor, scraping against the granite decorated deck, causing sparks as his sharp clawed hands began to glow in a white light. The Rhyhorn hopped in the air, picking up speed and roaring in defiance to the frail opposition that stood in her way. The two drew closer, the tension building between the two trainers as they watched their Pokemon collide with a thunderous crash. Portabello's strike hit its mark, chipping the underside of his opponent's rocky chin. But as physically powerful a Pokemon the Breloom was, he couldn't stop the hefty Rhyhorn with a single punch. He was slammed by his foe's immense weight and pushed back, his clawed toes leaving large track marks in the floor.

Brushing himself off, Portabello looked to his Master, willing to commit to any action he deemed appropriate. Mike light heartedly shrugged, a care free look on his face clearly reading 'What the hell.' Scuttling to the left, he neared his new ally and leaned over in his direction making sure to keep his voice low. "News, when Portabello and I battle, we commune through telepathic means, so if you hear any strange voice in your head," He pointed to his Pokemon, who stood attentively at his side. "His."

The Rocket looked at his co-worker, nodding in agreement to the terms of the battle. "Well now, let's get this over with, I'm hungry." Commanding for his Rhyhorn to dig underground, the Spikes Pokemon (oddly enough) rapidly tore at the arena flooring, easily submerging itself in the dirt.

Aware of Kilik's Pokemon's dual type, he was certain that the Ground based attack was aimed at him. Taking note of the Arcanine for the first time, he sighed. Great, we're paired up against something I'd rather you not be fighting. Read its mind, ready for a Dynamic Punch. Mike tilted his head towards the furry mutt, making a mental reminder to pick himself up a Growlithe next chance he got. Oh, and warn Kilik about the Dig.

Portabello casually turned his head to the tall dark haired boy. Sir Kilik, I do advise you take cautionary measures as the enemy is planning a subterranean strike on your steel plated combatant. Before the boy could react, he turned away, focusing on the Arcanine across from him. His eyes glowed a light blue sheen, pictures and thoughts began flowing through the Grass Pokemon's mind as he predicted the fiery dog's next movement.

Portabello drew his head back at the unfriendly face of the Lairon, making a mocking face when the metallic dinosaur turned around, quickly refocusing on the Arcanine and regaining his warrior-like demeanor. It had started running in his direction, unfortunately it was alot faster than the Rhyhorn.. Oh, hello puppy. He clicked his beak, lowering his body and dashing right towards the dog.

Hit him hard Portabello, knock his block off! Mike crossed his arms, confident that even with the type disadvantage, the Breloom would have no troubles in winning this fight.

Yes Master! He rushed forward, his claws making loud 'tack' sounds on the granite floor. Rearing his hand back into a fist, his powerful appendage burst into a ball of pure energy, which he thrust forward, throwing all his strength into this punch. His arm stretched double the normal length, granting Portabello the advantage of distance in this melee.

While the battle between the red orange furball and the samurai mushroom raged over there, the previously underground Rhyhorn erupted from the ground, swinging a hefty powerful arm at the Lairon.

At Kurine's comment, Aska chirped happily, looking quite pleased with herself. Miharu smiled at the Pidgeotto before turning back to Kurine and beginning to lead the way back to Violet City. "Do you name your Pokemon?" Miharu asked polietly as they made their way north, up along Route 32. The only person she'd befriended so far on her journey was Rin, but they'd parted ways in Azalea, and she'd been alone since. Well, not truly alone; she did have her Pokemon with her, but it wasn't quite the same. "This is Aska," she went on, pointing up at the Pidgeotto as she flew overhead, content to scout the area from the air.