The station smelled of iron and rain, the kind of damp that clings to everything. Steam hissed from the waiting train as porters loaded cargo along the platform. Skyla carried her flight jacket over one shoulder, Trilla walked beside me in her cloak, and Zoey, well, Zoey had taken the form of a dark-haired girl in ripped jeans and a hoodie, earbuds dangling around her neck.
She yawned dramatically. You realize humans pay money to sit in these tin cans for hours, right?
I kept my voice low. "I think you forget that other people just hear you yapping your species name when you talk outside our link. You look like a teenage girl just repeating Zoroark, Zoroark, Zo-Zoroark."
Hey, I'm behaving, Zoey shot back, rolling her eyes. Mostly.
Trilla giggled, hiding it behind her hand. You two argue like sisters.
"Don't encourage her," I muttered.
Is it okay if I spend the trip in my ball? I still feel like I haven't slept in days.
Of course you can. Here.
I retrieved her Poké Ball and handed it out. She tapped the button softly and disappeared in a flash of red energy.
We boarded, finding a quiet booth near the back. The train lurched into motion, steel groaning against steel as the landscape outside began to slide by. The flat plains gave way to stretches of bayou and endless sky.
For a while, no one spoke. Skyla had her head against the window, half-asleep, and Zoey, still in disguise, had one boot propped on the seat, pretending to scroll through a phone that wasn't there.
Zoey, you do realize you forgot to add a phone to your illusion, right?
Oh, shit. Thanks
I chuckled as a phone popped into view to complete her facade.
The rails hummed louder as we crossed a long bridge over water, the sunlight flashing across the cabin windows. I leaned back, letting the rhythm of it lull the tension from my shoulders.
Hard to believe we're actually heading for Miami, Zoey murmured. Feels like forever since Portland.
"Because it was," I said. "And if we're lucky, Miami's the last stretch before things finally calm down."
Skyla opened one eye. "You just jinxed us, you know that?"
I laughed. "Yeah, probably."
She sat up a little, resting her elbows on the small table between us. "Speaking of Miami, I should probably give you a heads-up. Marlon's gym just finished a full renovation about two months ago."
I tilted my head. "Renovation?"
"Mm-hm. You're not gonna find any solid ground in that place anymore.
The entire battlefield's made of water, just a few lilypad-shaped platforms floating across the surface. Marlon designed it himself to push challengers out of their comfort zones."
Zoey looked up from her fake phone, brow raised. You're telling me we have to fight on glorified lily pads?
Skyla, recognizing that Zoey had spoken, asked me what she'd said.
"She's not looking forward to having limited mobility after Roxie's gimmick."
"That's the point. Marlon's the penultimate opponent in the US Gym Challenge. He's also a specialist in Water-types, so that arena gives him an advantage like no other. If you thought Clay's Excadrill was hard to pin down, just wait until you're trying to land hits on something that can dive, strike, and vanish all in one move."
I exhaled slowly. "So, a battlefield that hates me and an opponent that can swim laps around anything I send out. Great."
Skyla smiled faintly. "You'll figure it out. You always do."
I stared out the window as the marshlands blurred past.
"Yeah," I murmured. "One way or another."
Zoey crossed her arms, a small smirk tugging at her lips. I call dibs on the first knockout.
Don't go sinking the platforms for the rest of the team. I said dryly.
No promises.
The train pressed on, the soft vibration of the cabin blending with the rushing tide beyond the window. Ahead lay Miami and our toughest opponent yet.
The air in Marlon's Gym was thick with salt and humidity, almost electric with anticipation. Beneath the glass dome stretched a stadium-sized pool, sunlight refracting through the water in fractured ribbons. Four large lilypad platforms floated in slow circles, each wide enough for a single Pokémon.
I could hear the ocean beyond the walls, the pulse of waves against the marina. It felt alive, like the sea itself was waiting to see who would drown first.
Marlon stood across the water, his wetsuit half-unzipped, hair slicked back. A Key Stone glinted in the shark-tooth pendant around his neck. "Hope you can swim," he called, his voice warm but edged. "This field's not built for land-walkers."
I smirked. "Lucky for me, I've got a team that adapts."
He grinned. "We'll see about that."
He tossed his first Poké Ball. A white burst of light erupted above the pool, wings flashing in the sun. Pelipper. Rain started instantly, the rhythmic patter against the dome like a ticking clock.
I flicked my wrist. "Zoey, you're up."
She emerged on the nearest platform, disguised at first in a human silhouette before her fur bled through, crimson mane rippling in the rain. Her smirk said everything. One bird coming right up.
The referee dropped his flag. "Battle begin!"
"Pelipper, Tailwind!"
The seabird beat its wings with hurricane force, whipping the rain into a gale. The lilypads bucked under the sudden wind shear.
He's trying to boost speed across his whole team, I warned.
Then I'll finish this before it matters.
Pelipper tucked its wings and dove, pulling up for U-Turn, wind curling behind it like a jetstream. Zoey fired three quick Shadow Balls in its path, but the bird banked hard, just slipping past... until the third exploded ahead of it. The shockwave forced Pelipper to veer upward, wings shuddering.
Zoey slammed both of her palms into the platform she was standing on. Another Shadowball began to form, but detonated just before completion. The explosion launched her upward from the pad, claws glowing violet. She twisted mid-air as the rain streaked off her and unleashed a Dark Pulse at close range. The rippling wave slammed into Pelipper's chest. Before he could fall, however, she landed behind him on the next pad and carved through the spray with a clean Night Slash. Pelipper crashed into the pool with a splash that rocked the platforms.
Marlon winced but smiled. "That's one way to clip a wing."
Zoey rolled her shoulders. Next?
"Scizor, your turn!" I recalled Zoey as my muted friend landed with a metallic clang, wings humming, his thrusters steaming against the rain. That was when I saw it. The platform that Zoey had launched from began to fold in on itself, sinking to the depths.
He returned the fainted bird. "Samurott!"
The sea split as the otter warrior surfaced, its bladed crest glinting in its aquatic reflection. Tailwind still whipped the air, turning raindrops to needles.
"Razor Shell!"
Samurott darted forward over the water like it was solid ground, blade flashing.
Cross and counter it! I said, a bit unnerved at Samurott's speed.
They met in an instant. Sparks scattered as Razor Shell met X-Scissor collided with each other. The water hissed into vapor around them.
For once, someone matched his speed. I felt my pulse spike. Scizor had never been matched before.
Keep moving!
He vaulted backward, landing on a slick pad that dipped under his weight. Samurott followed with Aqua Jet, closing the gap in a blur.
The connection was brutal, steel on shell. Scizor's thrusters roared, but I could hear the faint stutter as they clogged with rainwater. Marlon's calm voice echoed: "You see it now, don't you? Balance isn't about speed, it's about flow."
Scizor ducked under the next slash, using his left pincer to parry and his right to strike back with Close Combat. The hit landed and drove Samurott backward through the rain. Both combatants paused, breathing hard. Scizor moved first, flaring his thrusters and vanishing into a streak of red light before striking the final blow.
Samurott's head dropped to the platform, its weight sinking it, and before the water could consume him, I withdrew Scizor.
Marlon recalled him with a nod of respect. "Didn't expect a land bug to duel like that. You're full of surprises."
Scizor had won, barely, and now they were down another platform.
The pool rippled violently as Marlon threw his next ball. A streak of dark blue shot past beneath the surface. Sharpedo.
"Simon, you're up!"
The Flygon appeared above the arena, wings buzzing against the rain. He hovered, tail flicking nervously. Ground moves won't reach down there.
I know. Feel the water instead.
He closed his eyes, and the entire pool vibrated, tiny ripples becoming visible from his hum. Then he matched it, his wings pulsing in rhythm as the surface started to shimmer.
Boomburst!
He didn't aim it toward Sharpedo, but straight down into the water, rolling outward in violent concentric waves. Every droplet became a drumbeat.
Sharpedo screamed as the vibrations slammed into him from all directions, sending him skidding across the pool.
Finish it, Simon.
Then Marlon's pendant flared. "Mega Evolve!"
Sharpedo's form twisted, teeth multiplying as jagged fins erupted from its body. Its eyes glowed red now as aquatic thrusters ignited along its sides.
Oh no.
Sharpedo shot upward like a missile. Simon dove to meet it. Dragon Claw!
Ice Fang!
They crossed paths mid-air in a burst of steam and blood. When they hit the water, both vanished beneath the surface.
Seconds later, only one shape rose. Sharpedo was panting and scarred, its mega form flickering, but Simon didn't move.
I clenched my fist. "Good work, buddy."
Marlon's smile softened. "Hell of a hit."
"Trilla, you're next."
She materialized on a stable platform, the stormlight catching her pale form. He's fast, Atrea.
Then stay calm and try to predict him.
Sharpedo turned, red eyes locking on her, and lunged faster than I could blink.
Crunch!
The impact sent Trilla flying backward, blood at the corner of her mouth. The psychic backlash surged through my head like static, then something changed.
No pain this time, just raw power.
Her Mega form unfolded in a burst of blinding light, gown rippling with starlit energy. She caught Sharpedo mid-charge in a psychic grip and hurled him into the ceiling dome. Before he fell, she detonated a Psyshock and followed with Thunderbolt.
Sharpedo hit the water unconscious, smoke rising from the pool.
Marlon laughed through the steam. "Well damn. That was beautiful."
But he wasn't done. He tossed another ball. "Kingdra, let's dance!"
The dragon burst from the depths, spiraling around Trilla like a whirlpool.
Trilla's eyes burned white. I've got this one.
Kingdra fired Dragon Pulse after Dragon Pulse, each intercepted mid-air by Trilla's psychic aura and crushed into sparks. Despite this, Kingdra moved like water herself, fluid and relentless. Then Trilla's amped Moonblast lit the gym up like sunrise, and when the light faded, Kingdra floated belly-up.
Trilla hovered a few inches above the platform, her chest heaving. Let me face the last one.
I shook my head, voice firm but gentle.
You've done enough. Let him handle it.
Marlon's final Poké Ball opened, and the arena shook as his Gyarados tore into the water in a violent arc, its body coiling midair before crashing down again, waves slamming against the dome.
I squinted up at the serpent as water cascaded around him, each scale gleaming like wet armor, eyes burning with a feral intelligence.
"Let's finish this," Marlon shouted, voice echoing across the gym.
I unclipped my final ball. "Swampert, let's make it count!"
He emerged on one of the two surviving lilypad platforms, landing with a heavy splash that rocked the surface. His stance was low and balanced, the deep scar across his shoulder faintly visible under the waterlight.
Gyarados roared, the sound reverberating through my chest.
Marlon smirked. "Not much footing left for your guy."
"I'll make it work," I said, even as my gut twisted.
He pointed sharply. "Waterfall!"
Gyarados surged forward, its body cutting through the water like a torpedo. Swampert braced as the serpent exploded upward, slamming down in a vertical torrent that swallowed his platform whole.
Counter with Muddy Water
Swampert stomped hard, churning the pool beneath him. The brown surge met Gyarados head-on and threw both Pokémon apart in a wall of froth.
They surfaced on opposite sides of the arena. Gyarados circled the platform like a predator while Swampert hunched low as water streamed off his frame.
He's waiting for you to move first, I warned silently.
He glanced back, eyes glowing with that familiar resolve. Well, I can't exactly stay here.
I looked at the platform below him. It was beginning to sag under his weight, threatening to sink if he remained there for much longer.
Gyrados dove under the surface, his wake slicing toward Swampert like a torpedo trail.
Shit. He's going for your foundation, Swampert
I'll make it work
Swampert jumped off the platform in the nick of time and vanished into the depths. A moment later, Gyrados' attack ripped through the platform and shattered it into debris.
"One left,t" I noted as Swampert clambered up the last platform.
Marlon grinned when he noticed. "You see it too, huh?" he called, voice low but confident. "Let's take away his last step! Gyarados, Waterfall! Aim for the platform!"
The leviathan erupted beneath the final pad, driving up with enough force to crack it clean through the center.
Move!
Swampert leapt sideways just as the platform split, water and fragments raining down around him. Midair, his eyes narrowed, and he spun, coiling his arm back before slamming it down in a brutal Hammer Arm that connected with Gyarados's skull.
The blow sent a visible shockwave across the pool. Gyarados howled, scales splintering from the impact, but he didn't fall.
"Double-Edge!" Marlon commanded.
Gyarados lunged with terrifying speed, his entire body curling and snapping forward like a whip. The impact caught Swampert in the chest, launching him off balance and into the deep water below.
"Swampert!" I yelled, scanning the surface. Bubbles rose, then stilled.
The seconds stretched on for what seemed like an eternity.
Then I saw it, a flash of movement beneath the surface. Gyarados looped through the water, striking again and again, each Crunch echoing off the arena walls.
Swampert's bellow cut through the water like thunder, shaking the dome. The pool suddenly flashed pale blue, then, white as an Ice Punch ignited beneath the surface.
The explosion of frost and vapor roared up like a depth charge had cooked off.
Gyarados's roar broke into silence. He floated upward, frozen eyes glassy. His body was rigid with the ice spread through his fins. The titan sagged back into the pool, sending waves rolling out against the water's edge.
Swampert surfaced next, chest heaving. However, his legs gave out before he reached the shallows. He fell forward into the surf, still smiling faintly, bubbles escaping his mouth as his body went still beside his opponent.
The referee's whistle cut through the ringing in my ears. "Both Pokémon are unable to battle!"
Silence. Then the announcement: "Victory goes to Atrea Morgan!"
Marlon let out a long breath, tossing his soaked hair back with a grin. "Now that," he said, "was a fight worth swimming for."
He recalled Gyarados, glancing at the shattered platforms and flooded arena. "Your Swampert's a monster. He fought like he belonged in the deep."
I smiled, voice soft. "He does now."
Marlon dove into the water and appeared on my side of the field in a matter of seconds. He climbed out of the pool and drew a small badge shaped like a cresting wave from his belt. It shone with a silver-blue that glinted beneath the dome light.
He pressed it into my palm. "You've earned the Tidal Badge. But take this with you, Morgan: balance doesn't mean standing still. It means knowing when to move with the current, and when to break it."
I nodded as I clutched the badge. The water dripped from my gloves as I looked out over the arena. My reflection fractured across the waves, the last remnants of the platforms sinking into the dark.
The medal still felt warm in my hand when we left the gym. Miami air had this way of clinging to you. It was thick and salty, but buzzed with life.
Zoey padded beside me, tail flicking lazily. You look like you just lost.
I'm thinking, I muttered.
Skyla had practically jumped the barrier to get to me, her hair whipping behind her like a red comet.
"You did it!" she shouted, excitedly grabbing my hands.
"Yes, we did. Although his Gyrados and Sharpedo had me a bit worried at first."
Zoey stretched in her illusory shape, cracking her back like she'd just woken from a nap. I'm amazing. Tell her I'm amazing.
You're tolerable. I joked
Skyla's grin faded fast as she seemed to study me with that pilot's instinct for reading storm fronts long before anyone else noticed the clouds.
I noticed her expression change.
"What's wrong?"
"Denver's next," she said quietly. "Drayden."
I shrugged, trying to play it cool. "He's just another gym leader."
Skyla blinked at me slowly. "Atrea... no, he isn't."
"C'mon," I said, nudging her shoulder. "I handled Marlon. I can handle him."
"That's not the same," she insisted, voice dropping. "Drayden is on a different tier. He doesn't just test you, he exposes every weakness you don't know you have. The Elite Four respect him for a reason."
"I'll prep on the way," I promised.
"You won't," she said flatly.
I opened my mouth to argue, then shut it because she wasn't completely wrong. My "research" usually involved winging it until Zoey dragged victory out by her claws.
Skyla took my hand, squeezing once. "Atrea, listen to me. His dragons don't fight like anything you've seen. They can't be intimidated. They don't get baited. And they certainly don't fall for illusions."
Zoey snorted, mane fluffing up indignantly. Yeah, okay. Sure.
"Illusions won't work on him," Skyla repeated, looking right at Zoey.
For a split second, it seemed like she could read Zoey's response, despite not understanding her.
Zoey stuck her tongue out. Very mature.
I tugged Skyla toward the exit. "Relax. I'll adapt. I always do."
"That's what worries me," she murmured, but she followed anyway.
The dusk Miami air was thick with salt and neon as we walked. The stadium lights glowed behind us. I was buzzing with adrenaline, pride, and a hunger for the next challenge. Drayden was just another name on the list. Strong? Sure. Dangerous? Maybe. But unbeatable? No way.
By the time we reached the terminal, Skyla was still trying to brief me on his roster.
"He rotates several different dragons, depending on the trainer's style. You'll never face the same team composition twice," she said. "And his Haxorus..." She gulped
"I'll figure it out when we get there."
"Atrea, please. Just promise me you'll take him seriously."
"I will," I said, smiling.
It wasn't fully true. I respected Drayden, of course, I did. But fear? No. He was just a mountain I hadn't climbed yet.
The intercom crackled overhead, calling our flight. Skyla exhaled slowly, giving up the argument.
"If you won't research," she said, "at least rest."
I bumped her shoulder as we boarded. "Deal."
It wasn't until the lights dimmed and the plane rose over the Miami coastline that I realized Skyla wasn't nervous for herself.
She was nervous for me. I knew he was tough, but soon enough, I'd learn there was a difference between tough... and Drayden.
The wheels hit the runway with a jolt that yanked me out of a half-dream about Marlon's Gyrados launching itself at me like a torpedo. The cabin lights flickered on, and Denver unfolded outside the window. It was a cold, blue night, jagged black mountain silhouettes, and a city that looked sharper than the air it breathed.