Lorelei's Gym – Glacier Arena
The world seemed to fall away.
The battlefield stretched wide—an endless mirror of frozen ice and ancient mist.
Above, the shifting colors of an artificial aurora rippled silently.
On one side, Skylar stood—jacket tight against the cold, eyes sharp, every muscle ready.
Behind him, six PokéBalls gleamed at his belt.
The journey to this point flashed through his mind in fragments.
Misty.
Serena.
Cynthia.
Gary.
Everyone he cared about.
Everyone he fought for.
He clenched his fists once, breathing deeply.
Then he looked across the field.
At the far side, Lorelei moved with quiet, commanding grace.
Without a word, she released her first Pokémon.
A pulse of frosty light materialized into a sleek, powerful Dewgong, its white body blending perfectly into the frozen arena.
It raised its head and let out a melodic call—low, deep, echoing through the chamber like a haunting flute.
Skylar felt the cold tighten around him.
Lorelei's eyes gleamed.
"The first step to greatness," she said softly. "Begins with the will to endure."
She bowed her head slightly, signaling him.
Your move.
Skylar smiled faintly.
He knew who would start this battle.
He pulled a PokéBall free.
"Gyarados," he whispered.
He threw the ball high.
With an explosion of white light and water vapor, Gyarados appeared—massive, coiling, the ground trembling under his bulk.
His crimson scales gleamed like molten rubies against the ice.
He roared, the sound thunderous, shaking the frozen arena.
The spectators—few though they were—leaned forward in awe.
A true leviathan had entered the field.
The referee raised a flag.
"Battle start!"
Lorelei moved first.
"Dewgong—Ice Beam!"
Dewgong's mouth opened, a narrow, focused blast of pure ice slicing forward.
Skylar reacted immediately.
"Dodge and Dragon Dance!"
Gyarados twisted with shocking speed for his size, the beam barely missing his snout.
Spiraling upward, he wove a hypnotic dance through the air—his body glowing faintly as speed and attack power surged within him.
Skylar smiled sharply.
Momentum: his.
For now.
Lorelei didn't flinch.
"Dewgong—circle him. Keep firing!"
The sleek Ice Pokémon slid across the frozen ground as if skating on glass, firing Ice Beam after Ice Beam.
Gyarados had to keep moving, twisting through narrow arcs to avoid being encased.
Skylar narrowed his eyes.
He couldn't let Gyarados burn too much stamina this early.
Time to change the tempo.
"Dive under!" Skylar shouted.
Gyarados let out a snarl and slammed his massive tail down.
The ice cracked.
With a roar, he plunged beneath the surface of the frozen lake—cracking it open just enough to slide under.
The mist swallowed him whole.
The arena fell eerily silent.
Lorelei's gaze sharpened.
Dewgong hesitated, scanning the mist.
Waiting.
Then—
The ice exploded upward.
Gyarados surged from beneath Dewgong like a living avalanche.
"Aqua Tail!" Skylar commanded.
Gyarados spun midair, his tail trailing a spiraling cyclone of water—
And smashed down.
Dewgong cried out, flung backward across the battlefield.
It slid across the ice, scraping deep gouges into the surface.
Lorelei raised a hand.
"Dewgong—recover. Encore!"
Skylar's heart skipped.
Encore—forcing a repeat move.
If Gyarados got locked into Aqua Tail, it would be predictable, easy to counter.
Skylar thought fast.
He wouldn't fall into the trap.
"Change it up—Ice Fang!" Skylar barked.
Gyarados's jaws snapped open, glittering with frost as he surged toward the recovering Dewgong.
He bit down hard—
But Dewgong twisted at the last second, taking the hit to the side rather than the throat.
Frost and scales collided.
Both Pokémon staggered back.
Skylar gritted his teeth.
Dewgong was tougher than he looked.
He needed to finish this.
Fast.
He looked at Gyarados.
Breathing hard.
Still burning with the energy of Dragon Dance.
Still burning with will.
Skylar clenched his fist.
"Hyper Beam! Center shot! Full power!"
Gyarados roared—and his mouth glowed with searing orange energy.
The entire stadium dimmed under its intensity.
He unleashed the beam with a deafening roar—
A massive pillar of energy carved across the field, turning mist to vapor instantly.
Dewgong tried to dodge—
But too slow.
The beam slammed into him with cataclysmic force, throwing the Ice Pokémon into the glacier wall behind Lorelei.
The ice cracked loudly under the impact.
Silence.
The referee waited—
Then raised a flag.
"Dewgong is unable to battle! Victory to Gyarados!"
Skylar sagged slightly with relief.
But he knew the cost.
Gyarados, drained from the Hyper Beam, struggled to lift his head.
The fatigue from the forced energy expenditure and the lingering effects of Dewgong's cold attacks weighed heavily.
Skylar grimaced.
He couldn't risk him further.
He pulled out Gyarados's PokéBall.
"You did amazing. Rest."
Gyarados rumbled low in his throat—a sound of deep pride—as he vanished in a beam of red light.
Skylar tucked the ball carefully away.
He looked up.
Lorelei was already calling her next Pokémon.
A shining, armored shell gleamed from the mist.
Cloyster.
Skylar exhaled slowly.
One victory down.
But the Ice Queen had only just begun to show her fangs.