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Keegan was a little surprised when Sasha seemed to calm down somewhat quickly, and even more so when she looked at him. He could feel her heart racing and in turn it made his began to pound as well, and he gulped a little as he stared back down at her. Oh no, no, no, you can't be serious! his mind shouted, and he could almost feel the slap to the back of the head he'd give himself if he could. First Mai, now Sasha? What the hell is wrong with you? He felt a second mental slap, and he blinked and glanced over at Mia, who was no doubt more than a little confused by now. "We've had a really rough week," he said with a shrug, but as nonchalant as he tried to be, he couldn't help but sigh heavily and close his eyes. Right, a rough week. Biggest. Understatement. Ever.

Keegan couldn't help but chortle a bit at the 'gentleman' comment, as he'd been called many things, but a gentleman was never one of them. As Sasha pulled away from him, he brushed off his shirt a little, not caring too much about the tear stains that now decorated it. "Yeah, you're a bit spoiled, but it's part of your charm," he said before he could stop himself, and he chuckled nervously and backed away, pretending to be interested in the patterns of the tile on the floor while Sasha cleaned herself up. The idea of picking fights, however, did sound very good to him, though it took a moment for him to realize that she meant Pokemon battles, and not actual fist fights. Even still, it was better than waiting around here. "Sure, let's get out there and show them what we 'outsiders' are capable of." He started for the door, stopping only to look back at Mia to let her know that she was welcome to join them if she wanted to. After all, she may have been monstrously tall, and a bit weird, but she seemed like a nice enough girl.

Nina wasn't sure how long she sat on that bed before it finally sank into her mind that neither she nor Sabrina were capable of running the Gym any longer. Their badges were essentially obsolete, as was their authority. Re-reading the note that had been left for them, the girl saw that it said to contact Lance if there were "extenuating circumstances." After mulling over what she was going to say, Nina dialed the phone number and walked outside. It rang three or four times before someone picked up on the other end. Anna followed close behind.

"Hello?" asked an all-too-familiar male voice.
"Lance. It's Nina," the girl replied.
"Nina, hello! What can I do for you?"
"Well, you can help me get Sabrina's and my Gym licenses reinstated, for one. We just got back to Saffron and I found a note on our Gym door that said our licenses had been revoked due to neglecting our duties."
"You just now got that note? It's been posted there for ages. However, yes, we had no choice but to revoke her Gym license-- and yours, for that matter-- because of numerous complaints from Trainers seeking to battle one of you for a Marshbadge. Initially, we paid little mind to the matter, as we just assumed it was some kids trying to start trouble. After persistent reports, however, a Pokemon League investigator was sent to Saffron City to look into the matter. After finding out that nobody was even tending to the Gym, there was little else to be done with the matter. We had to reinstate the Fighting Dojo's license to Mateo, as he is a reliable person. He accepts all challengers, as a Gym Leader should."

"Lance, do you know why Sabrina has been absent from her Gym so very much lately?"
"No, I don't."
"Okay, then. Allow me to educate you. Quite some time ago, Sabrina and I were in Mahogany Town, investigating the Lake of Rage incident. You were there for a little while with us, should memory serve. What you don't know is that after you left us, a lingering Team Rocket member attempted to assassinate me. Sabrina protected me, and died in my place-- or so I thought. She feigned death, but used her psychic powers to make me believe that she had died, in order to protect me from further harm. I traveled by myself for quite some time, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of what I'd believed I had seen. I was locked away in your Pokemon League, under your care for some time. What I didn't know was that not only was Sabrina alive, but she was acting as a mole, gathering firsthand information about Maorde Menskr. After she and I, shall we say, "reunited," she informed me that she discovered he was an impostor of the real Maorde. After tracking him for a substantial amount of time, with the help of Whitney Amherst of Goldenrod City, we were finally able to find him and put an end to his reign of terror. I would say that those certainly qualify as your goddamned "extenuating circumstances," wouldn't you?" Nina hadn't intended to come off as being so irritated to a friend of hers, but she couldn't help but feel aggressive and defensive.

"Nina, that story is all well and good," Lance replied, "but unless you have some way of proving it to me, there is nothing that I can do. My hands are tied; I'm sorry."
"You want proof?" Nina challenged. "Okay. I've got your proof. I'll meet you in your chamber in five minutes." With that, Nina hung up the phone and walked back inside. Being careful not to rouse Sabrina from her slumber, she borrowed one of her sister's Pokeballs and walked back outside, grabbing her backpack on the way out. She released the Pokemon from its capsule. "Ah, Nina," Oracle said. "What can I do for you?" The girl wore a stoic expression on her face as she adjusted her backpack. "Take me to Lance's chamber in the Kanto Pokemon League, if you would please, Oracle." The Pokemon nodded. "But of course. Do hold on."

Within a flash, Oracle Teleported away, taking Nina and Anna with him.

Nina was beginning to get used to traveling via Teleportation. The nauseating feelings associated with that type of travel were becoming naught but a memory now. She was slightly dizzy, but that faded quickly, and she took in her surroundings. She was inside Lance's battle chamber; he had redesigned it since she had last visited. Golden statues of Dragonite decorated both sides of the room, likely to honor his closest friend. "Ah, Nina," said a voice from behind her, "so very good to see you." She turned around to find the Dragon Trainer a few feet away from her. "Good to see you as well," she replied, with a bit of a smile. "It's been quite some time. A lot has happened since I've seen you last." The older Trainer looked intrigued. "Oh?"

Nina took the time to explain absolutely everything of import that had happened in her life, since last seeing Lance. She went into great, explicit detail in regards to Sabrina's supposed death (and her bouts with borderline personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder as a result), the abduction of Anna, being reunited with Sabrina, battling Mewtwo in Cerulean Cave and nearly being killed in the process, and the tracking down process and eventual capture of Maorde Menskr.

"Yes, you mentioned the formermost and lattermost items in our phone conversation," Lance said. "I know Sabrina, and I'm not doubting for an instant that she feigned her death to protect you. However, the fact that you claim you, Sabrina, and Whitney have put an end to Maorde is something that I can't so easily dismiss." Nina took her backpack off. "I know," she replied, as she began rummaging through it. "I haven't forgotten that you asked for proof of that claim. And I've come prepared to show you that I am not lying to you." She took the doll of Maorde out of her backpack, and handed it to Lance, who handled it as if it were made of china. "As you know, Sabrina is the only person that is capable of turning people into dolls, due to her supremely advanced psychic abilities," Nina continued. "You recall how she turned our parents into dolls. That is very much what she did with Maorde here. If you don't believe me, just hold that doll in your hands and close your eyes. You will be able to feel a very real energy flowing through it. You don't need psychic abilities to feel that." Lance did just as Nina suggested, and sure enough, he was certainly able to feel that the doll had a life force. It was an angry, evil life force, but it was still very present. "That's incredible," he marveled. "But, why isn't Sabrina herself here to tell me about this?"

Nina closed her backpack and put it back on. "Transfiguration is extremely taxing on her body. When Whitney and I were battling Maorde, Sabrina was centering herself and focusing a great deal of her psychic energy for a very long time; she must've been doing that for at least fifteen or twenty minutes straight, if not longer. After the battle was over, Sabrina transformed Maorde, and collapsed to the ground immediately afterward. She couldn't even walk without my aid. She requested that we return to Saffron so that she could get some rest, which is what we did. She was asleep when I left." Lance acknowledged this with a nod. "I see. Well, all things considered, that certainly makes for extenuating circumstances. Generally speaking, you would have to present this case to other Pokemon League authorities, but since you were told to contact me, the decision in regards to reinstating the Gym License to you and Sabrina is mine." He was silent for a moment or two.

"Clearly, you're telling the truth, and you have evidence to back up your claim. It is due to these factors that I have decided to reinstate Sabrina's license as a Gym Leader. She will share the duties with the current Gym Leader of Saffron City; Mateo, the master of the Fighting Dojo. Hopefully, that will put an end to the rivalry between the Gyms, and you will all learn to appreciate one another."
Nina was a bit confused. "Wait. What about me?" she asked.
"Simple: You are to have a battle with Mateo, and win."
"Then you'll reinstate my license?"
"Not quite. Did you not hear me? The Gym Leader duties will be shared. All of the Gym Leaders in every region have fought to earn their titles and badges, and if you wish to split the responsibilities with Sabrina, you are going to have to do the same. You acquired your Marshbadge by default, as nobody else was available to replace Sabrina at the time. So now, you're going to have to work for it."
"Wait. Do you mean...?"

"Yes. After you fight Mateo, you are to fight Sabrina as well."

Train gave a small, sideways smile when Julio fell, a small sweat drop appearing on the back of her head. She glanced at Carlos and motioned for Pikachu to come along as she moved to follow him. She hooked her thumbs in her jeans’ pockets and kept pace with the guitar-playing trainer. ”Actually, yeah, I really just wanna get to Cerulean so I can try for my second badge,” She replied. Though it seemed a bit soon to already be thinking of challenging for her second badge, she did have two Pokémon with type advantages over the gym’s. ”What about yourself?”

It had been a small lifetime since Nina had her last Gym Battle. Should memory serve, her last battle had been against Chuck, another Fighting-type master. She pulled off a victory against him, so she surmised that it wouldn't be terribly difficult to do so against Mateo. She ran over her team lineup in her mind: Anna, Krystal, Pookie, Aphrodite, and Sakura. Anna was her best bet at taking down the Fighting-type Pokemon, as they more than likely would be unable to do anything against her, due to her type advantage. Krystal was another safe bet, due to her extreme versatility. Pookie was weak to Fighting-type attacks, but made up for it with his excellent Defense, but Aphrodite didn't have that luxury. She did, however, have Psychic, which was a nice counterbalance. The only Pokemon of Nina's that didn't seem to have any practicality against Fighting-type Pokemon-- or against Pokemon in general, really-- was Sakura. To be honest, Nina couldn't even remember the last time she used Sakura to great effect. Taking the Bellossom's Pokeball from her belt and examing it, she let out a soft sigh. It's time to stow you away for now, she thought. I'm sorry, Sakura. Running into the nearby Pokemon Center, she logged onto the computer and, before she changed her mind, deposited her Pokemon into the PC.

Exiting the Center, Nina met back up with Anna and Sabrina. "Sorry," she said. "I had to make a necessary cut from the team."
"I'd have done the same. Sakura, unfortunately, really isn't that practical of a Pokemon. She's good for inflicting status effects, but that's pretty much it."
"I have to agree with Sabrina, as mean as that might sound. Are you going to replace her with another Pokemon?"
"Well... there's a few Pokemon that've been on my mind for quite some time. I'd love to get a Porygon and a Smeargle, but who knows when I'll come across them?"
"Odd creatures, Porygon are."
"Mm, Anna's right. They do seem a bit unusual. Are there any others you were thinking about getting?"
"Well, I was thinking about maybe getting a Hitmontop or a Machamp."

There was a very, very long pause from Sabrina. "Are. You. Kidding. Me." She made certain to emphasize every single word. Nina broke out into laughter. "I'm just kidding! The day that I ever get a Fighting-type will be when the world ends." Sabrina did not appear amused.

The girls resumed conversation a few minutes later as they headed back up towards the Fighting Dojo. "You ready for this?" Sabrina asked. "I am. I can do this." Truth be told, it wasn't the battle against Mateo that had Nina worried; it was the one against Sabrina that she was really concerned about. However, she had to keep that out of her mind as much as possible. She couldn't lose her focus, or else her abilities might suffer as a result. She reached for the door, and opened it, walking inside. Anna and Sabrina followed closely behind. She was met by a young Blackbelt almost immediately. "Welcome to the Fighting Dojo!" he said. "My name is Toku. Here, under the leadership of Mateo, we believe in--" Toku paused mid-sentence as his eyes drifted from Nina to Sabrina.

"You," he said. "What are you doing here?" Sabrina crossed her arms. "At ease," she commanded. "I am not here to cause trouble. My sister Nina, who has shared the duties of Gym Leader with me, is here to have a battle with Mateo so that she may have her Gym License reinstated. And, you should get used to seeing me again, as it has been issued by Lance O'Rourke of the Kanto Pokemon League that Saffron City's Gym duties are to be shared between Mateo and myself. I have had my own Gym License reinstated." Toku appeared agitated. "If Lance issued that, then there is little I can do." He looked back to Nina. "If you wish to have a battle with Mateo, you must first defeat me. This will be a Single Battle, and we are permitted two Pokemon each." He released a Primeape from its Pokeball. "Do I make myself clear?"

Nina smiled, reaching for the Ultra Ball at her belt. "Yes. You've made yourself Krystal clear." She released her Dragon onto the field, her smile only growing.

"A Dragonair, eh?" Toku asked. "Interesting. Primeape, use a Brick Break attack!" The Primeape repeatedly beat its fists against its chest before raising its right arm and rushing at a breakneck speed towards Krystal. Nina appeared relatively unimpressed. "Krystal," she began, "don't let that monkey touch you. Wash it away with a Surf attack!" With a quick nod, Krystal flew into the air and summoned up a tremendous wave of water; she unleashed it upon the Primeape, who had no method of escape. As a result, he was caught in the wave, being swept along by the current. "Primeape, get ahold of yourself! Get out of that water, and--"

"Krystal, get that Primeape while it's vulnerable! Thunderbolt, now!" Flapping her head-wings quickly, Krystal's body began flashing from its normal colors, to a bright yellow; it started out a bit slowly at first, but she began flashing faster as more electricity built up inside of her body. Eventually, her entire body glowed pure yellow; it was a second or two after that when she appeared to explode in electricity, loosing a terrific amount of electric energy throughout the Gym, much of it striking the wave of water that had swallowed up the Primeape. When the water had spread and evened out, a knocked-out Primeape lay sprawled out on the Gym floor; Nina couldn't help but feel sorry for it. Maybe I overdid it a little...? Nah. Impossible. Toku recalled his Pokemon, feeling a bit ashamed that it had been taken out so quickly. "Go ahead, my dear," Nina said, Krystal descending and returning to her side. "It's your move." Toku appeared a bit irritated. "Silence!" he said. "I will not have you humiliate me in my own Gym! Go, Hitmonlee!" Releasing his second and last Pokemon, a Hitmonlee appeared on the field.

"Ah, a potential challenge," Nina commented. "Ready, Krystal?"

Sasha frowned at Keegan's comment, which was much more backhanded than she would have liked. "Merci, I suppose." Perhaps Keegan could stand to have some education in manners like Sasha did when she was a child. Then again, if it wasn't gruff or somewhat blunt, it wouldn't be Keegan.

"Au revoir, z'hen." Sasha said when Mia declined the offer to join them. As the girl walked out of the Pokemon Center, Sasha turned to her red-headed companion. "So, where should we go to peek z'his fight?" She placed a hand on her chin and pondered. "Do we just go outside and start sweenging or what?"

------

"W-W-W-W-WAI-WAI-WAI-WAI-WAIT WAIT!" Mike shouted. "I just remembered something really important!"
"Ponyta, halt!" Blaine commanded. The little horse skidded to a halt, looking back at its trainer, confused. "What's the matter, Mike? What happened?"
"I forgot something important." Mike repeated as he rummaged through his bag. "A-ha!" With a disc in hand, the boy hopped down onto the arena and hurried over to his Pokemon. Camerae looked up at his trainer, its eyes full of curiosity. "Heh, you're going to love this." With a chuckle, Mike placed the disc on the Omanyte's head. It began to glow. Camerae's eyes widened as the energy and knowledge from the disc was imparted onto him. "You good? You-yeah, you're good." Mike quickly exited the arena and motioned for the battle to continue.

"What was that move you just taught him?" Blaine asked, raising an eyebrow. Mike shrugged.

"You don't need to worry about it. Just a small move, nothing too importan-Camerae Surf attack."

It was like Mike flipped a switch inside the Pokemon's head. Camerae snapped into readiness, and wiggled its little tentacles as it began to channel its energy. With a loud gurgle like cry, Camerae summoned a wave of water that rose before him and washed across the battlefield. Steam poured from the ground as the watery attack chased after the now fleeing Ponyta. Eventually, it ran out of room to run and was slammed by the wave. Fortunately for both Blaine and the Ponyta, the attack wasn't tremendously strong, and the intense heat from the volcano took a bit of the edge off.

"A bit underhanded, but that wasn't too bad." Blaine nodded in approval. "Ponyta, Stomp again!" he ordered. "That little Pokemon has spirit. I'd like to see it when it evolves."

"Thanks! Camerae, Withdraw!" Mike shouted, knowing that the attack would do next to nothing to his Pokemon's hard shell. He didn't want to get too cocky. Blaine could have very well outfitted this Ponyta with something crazy to put him in his place. After all, he was far from inexperienced.

The two conscious bullying pokemon tumbled back in the cascade of bubbles. Ardah and Kalikea followed in the wake of the wave slamming the corphish with a pair of tackle attacks sending the two rolling back.

"Alright!" Crush exclaimed. "Show these aggros who tha big kahunas really are on this beach!"

The ruffians caught their balance and set their claws in the sand to take the next attacks. Their chitin hardened with concentration just as the bronzor and corsola advanced in for a second set of tackle attacks. There was clap of thunder that followed as the four pokemon collided. The thick defenses of the pokemon sending them each a step back. The corphish launched themselves forward then their powerful claws clamping down on the Crush's pokemon. The third corphish seemed to begin to stir from its sleep.

Crush seeing this pulled a pokeball from his waist bag. "No you don't little cuz." And lobbed it towards the corphish.