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It's time!

Running up to the battlefield, Ken took a spectacular leap into the arena as he somersaulted inside. His master and the challenger were both in place, with the older man shaking his head at the boy's enthusiasm but otherwise remaining silent. He was used to Kens antics. The gym leader smiled sheepishly at him before turning his gaze onto Regal. Now THIS guy looked like he would give him a good fight. He was older than he was expecting, but Ken could tell by the way he held himself that Master Yamamoto had put him through his paces. Guess it was time to get the party started.

"Hiya!" was his cheery response as he cracked his knuckles playfully. "I'm Ken! I've been looking forward to meeting you, Regal! Master Yamamoto says you're real good, and he doesn't say that about just anyone. Let's have ourselves a great match!"

With the introductions out of the way, Yamamoto outlined the rules for the two combatants. It would be a two on two battle, with only the challenger allowed to make substitutions. Standard stuff. He had them bow to him, and then to each other in respect before giving them the signal to begin. The gym leader released his Meditite out onto the arena, but gave no commands just yet. Since Regal was the challenger, he would make the first move. Then he could get started.

"Bring it on!"

Regals opening move was pretty textbook. That Reflect barrier of his would definitely slow him down, and fairy-type attacks like the one he was using would definitely hurt Kens Pokémon if they made contact. That was a big if, though. As the Ribombee began whipping up its attack, Ken has his Meditite use Mind Reader to look ahead into its opponents movements. Then, as the Fairy Wind sailed across the field, he called for it to use Teleport to change positions. His Pokémon then reappeared a moment later above its opponent before using Baton Pass to switch places with its partner, Monferno.

"Give them a Flame Wheel, Monferno!"

Springing into action, the monkey Pokémon curled itself into a ball of scorching hot flames as it crashed down onto the target below it. With Meditite's Mind Reader passed onto Monferno via Baton Pass, the attack was almost certain to make contact. Hit fast and hit strong. Ken was gonna make this a battle that Regal would never forget. The Reflect barrier would soften the blow somewhat, but getting hit that hard at close range was sure to sting.

His master had nothing but praise for the man standing before him, which as far as Ken was concerned meant that he was free to go all out. Yamamoto wouldn't have said anything otherwise. It had been ages since he'd had a good battle, so the gym leader was especially eager. Hopefully Regal would meet his expectations.

Just as Ken expected, Regal was rattled after his Monfernos surprise entrance. He hadn't been prepared for the gym leader to switch Pokémon right off the bat. Rookie mistake. His counterattack was solid though. Kens Monferno was fast, but Regals Ribombee was even faster while also having an extra edge due to its small size. The fire type struck out with Drain Punch against the Aerial Ace attacks to knock them back, but it was still getting welted by the rapid blows while its own attack were walled by Reflect. It helped that the attacks weren't too strong, but Ken could tell that his Monferno was getting annoyed. Even more so after it took a glancing Draining Kiss. As it tried to spray Powder on his Pokémon, Ken called out for new instructions.

"Dodge it with Acrobatics, Monfero!" He commanded. "Then use U-Turn!"

Quick as a flash, the flame monkey nimbly maneuvered around its tiny opponent before leaping back for another switch. Now Kens Meditite was back on the field, and already performing Acupressure to boost its abilities. Ken could tell by the fighting-types signal to him that it had boosted its special attack, so the gym leader went with the flow and ordered it to use Psybeam. A blast of multi-colored light shot out from the Meditites hands and sailed towards its target. Hopefully the sudden change to long-range would keep Regal off balance, Ken commanded his Pokémon to keep firing until further instruction.

That Ribombee would be a pest if Ken allowed it to keep wailing at his team with its super-effective attacks. It wouldn't be able to keep it up forever, though. He was going at Regals Pokémon full throttle from the get go, but his team was still able to catch its breath in between assaults. The trainer was gonna have to find out how to defend himself while keeping his Pokémon healthy. It would be interesting to see how he responded.

Ken watched eagerly as Regals Pokémon dodged the incoming Psybeams with its speed and abilities. It seemed they were finally getting into the groove of things. His Meditites assault still left them on the defensive though, and he had no plans of slowing down to let them counterattack. Despite their efforts, the challenger still managed to pull one over on him. Before he realized it, the air was sweet with the scent of fresh honey, and his Meditites attack began to slow down as it became distracted by the aroma.

Sweet Scent! He realized just a little too late. Fully entranced by the smell, Kens Pokémon left itself wide open to Regals next attack and was knocked off its feet by the unexpected Bug Buzz his Ribombee sent their way. Deciding to cut his losses, Ken had Meditite use Baton Pass to switch back to his Monferno once again. A little time to recover and regain its focus would make all the difference. In the meantime, he and Monferno would give Regal some payback.

"Use Taunt, Monferno. Then Mach Punch!" Turning around, the monkey Pokémon shrieked some choice words at its tiny opponent while slapping its rear. It may have been crude, but shutting down the insects Sweet Scent was worth it. Now riled up, the fighting-type advanced at rapid speed before swinging a high-speed punch at Regals Pokémon. That oughta take them down a peg.

Ken was all smiles as he watched his Pokémon wind up for another punch. This guy was everything Master Yamamoto had promised him. He was already adapting to the gym leaders speedy fighting style, and using Sweet Scent like that had been a great way to deal with his Meditite. And the match was only just getting started! Hopefully he could keep it up, because Ken was starting to get into it as well. What a great battle!

Ken was all smiles as his challenger finally returned his Ribombee. That good mood quickly turned to annoyance however as he observed Regals second Pokémon. A Pidgeotto might not have been as bad as his first choice, but a flying type following the pesky fairy was definitely gonna be an uphill challenge for his team. To make matters worse, it also knew Reflect. This guy had definitely done his homework. It should have been expected since he had trained with his master, but Ken was still annoyed.

Not done rubbing salt in the wound, Regal also used Tailwind to boost his Pokémons speed instead of Agility. Come to think of it, he hadn't used Quiver Dance when battling with his Ribombee, either. Was he being wary of his Meditites Psych Up? How quickly was this guy absorbing the information from his Pokédex? He was like some kind of computer. Well first things first; they needed to push him back.

"We're gonna take him head on, Monferno! Use Power-Up Punch!"

Rallied by its trainers choice of tactics, Kens Monferno swung a heavy punch to clash against its opponents Wing Attack. The two attacks collided against one another, but the fiery monkey refused to be knocked back. Seeing as they were in such close quarters, Ken decided to give his opponent an attack he wouldn't soon forget. "Use Flash and then Thunder Punch!" He instructed. Swinging its tail around towards its targets face, the fire type lit its tail flame bright in attempt to temporarily blind it before swinging with a powerful Thunder Punch with its free fist. That bird wasn't gonna know what hit it.

Ken was impressed to see Regals Pidgeotto avoid his surprise attack, even if it still got grazed. Detect was one of his masters favorite techniques, so it made sense in hindsight that he would have taught it to the trainers Pokémon. He expected the challenger to back off after nearly getting nailed with a super effective attack, but instead Regal and his Pokémon jumped right back into it with high speed attacks instead. Normally his Monferno would be faster, but with Tailwind in effect it was struggling to keep up. After a few rounds of knocking the birds attacks back with Mach Punch, Ken decided it was time for another switch.

"Use U-Turn, Monferno!" He commanded. Recognizing the signal to tag out, the monkey struck one last blow before returning to its ball. The gym leaders Meditite was sent to take its place, and Ken immediately commanded it to use Endure as it took a Quick Attack head on. It stung, but now they had their target in their sights.

"Now use Confusion."

Eyes glowing blue with psychic power, Kens Meditite focused its inner power to halt the Pidgeotto in its tracks. It may have been fast, but even speed had its limits. Now they had them where they wanted them, Ken had his Pokémon try to slam its opponent into the ground. Hopefully that would finally get it to slow down. Regal was tough, but most new trainers were unaccustomed to battling psychic types this early into their journey. He probably wasn't expecting such an attack to come from a fighting-type specialist either, so hopefully the change in technique would come as a surprise. Either way, Ken was expecting the trainer not to know what hit him.

Regal seemed to favor a much more aggressive battling style with his Pidgeotto than he had with his Ribombee from earlier. The bird Pokémons Air Slash was very strong, but luckily his Meditite was able to blast it away with a Psybeam. As the resulting smoke cloud began to disperse though, the gym leader barely spotted its opponent diving in for a fresh attack, and his Pokémon was forced to use Detect to defend itself. Much like Regals own experience, Kens Meditite wasn't able to dodge the high speed attack completely but was able to reduce the damage to a mere graze. Still, it was close. Very close.

"Use Reversal, Meditite!" Ken commanded. It was a practical choice, given that his Pokémon just took damage. Wreathing itself in a golden-orange aura, the fighting type struck back against its attacker. Using the opponents strengths against them was one of the fundamental principles of Master Yamamotos lessons. If Regal wanted to push ahead with offense, then Ken would meet him head on. This was the kind of battle that got his blood pumping.

"Keep up the good work, you guys!" He encouraged them as his Meditite fought back. "I can't tell you how much of a blast I'm having right now. It's been ages since I've had a battle I can really sink my teeth into! Let's both give it everything we've got!"