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The couches in the Center were always comfortable, and with good reasoning. Would you want to be a weary trainer, tired from a day full of Pokemon battles and sit down on a stiff run down seat? Of course not. Mike thought, relaxing on one of those same couches. Portabello had wandered into the showers, feverishly rubbing his face with water, the soap discarded on the floor after it was discovered not to be very tasty.

As he waited for his friend, the boy picked up Napalm's Pokeball, thinking carefully. "I just don't have the time to train you at the moment." He said, a little saddened. After all, he loved the little Magby, but he was right. Minimizing the ball, Mike walked over to the PC he had used just recently, entering his information once more. He went through the familiar procedure of swapping Napalm for Titanium. A smile crept up on his face as he saw the little Steelix icon bee bop on the screen, completing the transfer. A Pokeball materialized on the tray, and Mike snatched it up immediately, letting out a giggle. "Titanium's back Portabello!" He shouted, walking to the couch.

Mag smacked himself lightly in the face. The beginning of this fight wasn't going very well. Misty was certainly the most cunning trainer he had battled thus far. But in the end he knew he and his team would pull it off... somehow. Luckily Shining was fast enough to swerve and avoid the water gun for the most part and went onto a different platform to catch her breath. No way she was going to go into the water now that the Staryu was at full health again and her being still worn out from the fighting they had endured. "Wait for it to come out and then try to hit it with something. Try not to get into the water at this point." Mag said to her knowing it would all be over for her and he needed her to last most of this fight or else.

"I'm going to thrash you!!" he roared, nearly crushing the ball in his hand. "You were always cocky at the base! Always!" A vein in Dramon's forehead began to pulse to a bursting point. "When I beat you, I'll take you back to Giovanni to have you locked away!"

"That is...if," Kilik warned, "I've gotten stronger since leaving Team Rocket, Dramon. You should know that." The boy tossed the Pokeball upwards and caught it before it managed to release his selected Pokemon. "Sorry to say it, but you're not even good enough to kiss the shoes I wear and worship the ground I spit on."

"You...little...punk!!" he screamed, veins visibly pulsing in his neck that wasn't hidden behind his beard. He could feel the top of his head growing hot. It was nice that he wasn't bald, otherwise the entire world would see the top of his head and think it was an emergancy light. "You'll swallow those words and eat dirt!"

Kilik shook his head and lifted a hand, "No, no thank you. I'm not very hungry at the moment."

"Enough chit-chat," Kilik sighed, tossing the ball again, "You're boring me with your constant yelling and it's giving me quite a headache. Three Pokemon in a one-on-one battle, got it?"

"Who're you to make the rules?!" Dramon took a step forward and the earth seemed to shake beneath him. "You think you're above me?!"

He sighed again, "Just go with it. Besides...do you even have more than three Pokemon?"

Dramon took a step back and looked away, mumbling something to himself. "Shut up and battle! I'll use this first!" He tossed the ball onto the ground, engulfing himself in a bright white flash. A blue Pokemon appeared before them all, with red streaks going through his muscles. A gold belt was wrapped around his waist and he had three fin-like appendages on the top of his head. "Machoke, get ready to rip him to shreds!"

Kilik blinked and laughed. "Wow. And here I was expecting a Rattata." One last time, Kilik tossed the Pokeball up into the air, letting it expel the contents. From the flash materialized a purple creature. It floated a foot above the ground and appeared like three orbs connected by fleshy tubes. "Weezing. Are you ready to play?" There was a hissing noise - Weezing released a heart shaped gas cloud. "Good. Let's play, then."

Squinting still, Aphrodite didn't even realize she was being attacked until it was too late. She had no time to react to the attack, and the beam blasted against her body with such force that she was knocked to the ground. Victreebel seemed to be more powerful than she was, and that, while factored in with the other battle elements, is what caused her to face. She was recalled a moment or two afterwards.

In a burst of soft sparkles, Krystal was sent out to replace her fallen comrade. She grinned, realizing the bright sun would be giving her just the edge in the battle that she needed. "So, I'll bet that you thought you'd be able to use this weather to your advantage, hmm?" Krystal asked her opponent, whom she heard scream in response. "Well, that's where you're wrong, sweetie." She jetted forward and wrapped her sinewy body all around Victreebel's, and tightened her grasp.

With a grin, Krystal turned her head to look at her opponent, and opened her mouth, loosing a long stream of fire in a Flamethrower attack at the plant Pokemon. She released him as he hopped around in a panic, screaming his head off. Previously weakened from Aphrodite's Ice Beam attack, the fire proved to be too much for the Pokemon. He collapsed on the ground, and was recalled, Krystal floating back over towards Nina.

Out of Raimundo's last Pokeball came an intimidating-looking Kingdra. He floated in place, looking warily toward Krystal.

"Weezing! Attack with Sludge!" he annouced, lifting an arm to point at the Machoke opposite him. With a smile on his face, Weezing floated up into the air and vomited a black substance onto his opponent. It was sticky, almost like tar, and tasted delicious on its way up.

Machoke jumped out of the way and managed to avoid it, watching it land harmlessly on the spot he was standing previous. "Use Seismic Toss!" Dramon called. With a hearty nod, Machoke jumped into the air, directly at Weezing. Extending a hand, the Pokemon wrapped his fingers around one of the tubes connecting the spheres together then threw his foe to the ground, creating somewhat of a crater. Machoke landed on the ground safely, using his momentum to perform a backflip as he hit the dirt.

Weezing floated up slowly, tears welling up in his eyes. He looked over at Kilik and whimpered, his jaw quivering slightly. The boy gulped. Had Dramon really bested him? Could he lose this? He shook his head. No way. He wasn't going to lose to him in front of all these people. "Weezing! Use Poison Gas!" A light purple haze began to flood the area near Machoke. The gas was being released from the holes on Weezing's body and the Pokemon wore the same stupid look as before, all evidence of sorrow erased.

"Blasted boy!" Dramon roared, "Machoke! Hold your breath until the gas disappates!" With that, Machoke took a deep breath, very careful not to inhale any of the gas. Purple smoke swirled around the Pokemon for a minute or so and then disappeared harmlessly. "Now then..." Dramon cracked his knuckles, "Fire Punch!"