"We're finally out," Zander said in exhaustion as he stepped out of the cave and onto the road that was just a mile north of Suntouched City.

"I'm so tired!" Nora groaned, her stomach growling as if to add more to her complaints. "And hungry!" she almost cried.

"We would have been out of there sooner but someone wanted to spar one more time before leaving the cave..." Zander reminded her.

"H-Hey! it was worth it wasn't it?" Nora protested.

Cornered. Once again, Zander had found himself in a situation where his opponent, Nora, was once again holding the advantage. It wasn't even her Vibrava that his Charmander had been wailed on by. No, this was something equally worse, a Quilava in fact. It had devastated Treecko with a combination of Quick Attack and Flame Wheel. Riolu, while having the type advantage hadn't as much experience in battle, resulting in him being bodied by the rampaging fire shrew. And now his Charmander was taking a beating. Every time the bone dragon would slip into the shadows, Quilava would just throw up a column of fire in the form of Fire Pledge, and make it nearly impossible for Charmander to get anywhere near him.

Zander had already battled her several times within the past few hours they'd spent in that cave and he hadn't even managed to tire out any of her team. They were too well trained and he was under-prepared for what he'd be facing after her which was why she was using Quilava in the first place, to get him ready for Orion. Orion used Fire and Grass-types, and while she had Celebi, using him wouldn't make for a fair battle against his team considering the power it held. The battle had gone on for ten minutes, mostly because Nora wasn't quite ready to finish it yet. Charmander was showing signs of getting stronger with every battle she fought against it. Treecko and Riolu were coming along nicely as well, but she wanted to push this Charmander just a tiny bit more.

"Flame Wheel!" Nora commanded fiercely.

Charmander stood his ground as Quilava flared up his fiery quills before leaping up and curling into a ball of searing hot flames. Nearly out of stamina, Charmander had resolved to not run this time. Extending his claws to the side, he snarled at the oncoming freight train that was Quilava while charging his claws with draconic energy. An intimidating growl rumbled in his throat, soon turning into a roar as he charged forward, darkness enveloping his form as he lunged. The bone dragon caught Quilava on the side of his flank while Quilava's fire scorched him on the way by. When he landed, he found that his claws had lengthened and his maw was a good deal more pronounced. Even the ghostly flame on his tail burned a more brilliant lavender hue.

Still... even with the power surging through him, the accumulated damage from the fight caught up to him, and he collapsed in exhaustion. Quilava let out a relieved sigh and inspected the scrape he'd been given by the newly evolved Charmeleon. Had that match gone on any longer, there might have been a different outcome.

"Okay, point taken. Had we not done one more round, I probably wouldn't have a Charmeleon right now so... thanks," Zander said, reaching up to scratch the back of his head as he looked away.

"See! it was worth it. Now you've got something to take on Orion with. Your team even picked up a few new moves along the way so you're better prepared now," Nora said with a smug grin.

Zander rolled his eyes and continued to walk down the road toward Suntouched City. He could see it in the distance, and awe-inspiring was the only thing he could think to describe this city as. The closer he and Nora got to it, the larger it became. There were pillars holding what appeared to be another part of the city in the air. Perhaps the other thing that got his attention was the gigantic golden statue of Jaern that was erected in back of the city. There were statues of this man in other places, he'd imagine, but this one was as over-sized as they came. It must have been at least thirty feet tall.

"It's absurd isn't it?" Nora asked, gaining Zander's attention as she looked in the direction of the statue. "Jaern had it built in his honor, claiming that it would stand as a symbol of hope and a warning to all evildoers who lurked in the shadows. If I'm being honest... his ego is more inflated than this statue..."

"Glad to know I'm not the only one who thinks that," Zander replied with a light laugh, remembering the conversation he'd heard between the two cultists in Telnor Cave. "He's a man of many words and promises..."

"I agree. Something about him just feels off. Some like him, some worship him, and it's weird because he's human like the rest of us, and yet people treat him like a god or something. I get that he's the defender of Torren, but other regions have champions too and they're not worshiped, just respected..." Nora stated firmly, shaking her head at the elaborate statue and looking upward at the second level of the city.

"I hear what you're saying, and I agree... however, there are others who will vehemently defend his honor. Damian seems like one of those people. He wants to be able to defend the region too, but his main goal is to impress Jaern," Zander replied as he and Nora continued into the city.

"Really? I would never have guessed that," Nora said with an arched brow. "Well... everyone has their faults..." she murmured.

Zander glanced around at the multitude of platforms that surrounded the city. Gazing upward, he could see that there were fan-powered lifts that assisted people in reaching the second level of the city. Nora, taking note of the intrigued look in his eyes, couldn't help but chuckle at the childlike wonder that illuminated his normally stoic face.

"Amazing isn't it? Suntouched City is truly a marvelous sight. Tourists flock here from other regions just to see this place. Winona and Skyla actually came here years ago just to try out the lifts. I swear, they spent hours going up to the top just to run back down and do it again. There's pictures of it somewhere on the internet," Nora laughed.

"It does look like fun," Zander replied, glancing down at the map of the town he was pulling up. "So," he paused, glancing upward, "the gym is up there huh?"

"Yep! and you know what that means! we're taking a ride onward and upward!" Nora exclaimed, pointing imperiously at the second floor of the city. "Race ya!" she said as she darted ahead of him.

"So that's how she wants to play it huh? fine by me," Zander chuckled to himself as he took off to catch up to her. 

The two ran to the top of the first platform near them and looked upward at the second level of the city. A giant fan spun was what generated the heavy winds that propelled travelers to the second level. A clear tube was what they would enter and be shot upwards like mail in a pipeline. Both trainers exchanged glances before launching themselves inside and finding themselves almost instantly on the second level within moments. Upon reaching the top, Zander caught sight of a tower that seemed rather out of place in comparison to the rest of the city. It was several stories high, and he was able to see people on multiple floors at desks working feverishly at their computers as well as other jobs. 

"That's the broadcast tower," Nora said as she followed his line of sight. "Every day they put out a report about rare Pokémon sightings and things of that sort. Whenever they find something really rare, trainers clamor to that area in search of it. Makes me wonder what will happen when they figure out that Deltas actually do exist."

"Well... Professor Sylvan did say they tended to keep to themselves," Zander replied with a shrug. 

"Then you must be awfully lucky, because you've got three of them in less than a week," Nora laughed, shaking her head. "Anyway, now that we're here, we might as well head to the gym. It's just over these next few bridges at the very end of the second level." 

Nodding in agreement, Zander followed Nora over the first bridge, all the while admiring the scenery. Small houses sat atop each platform. They were quaint little homes with fenced in yards and red roofs with a chimneys. Some had canine Pokémon sitting in the front yard while others bore smaller statues of Jaern. There was even a clothing store on the second level which Nora insisted upon taking him after his battle at the gym. It wasn't long before they reached the torch-lit entrance of the Suntouched Gym. The orange-roofed structure was tucked away atop the highest point of the city as though it were the city's pride and joy above Jaern's statue. 

Zander had been informed that he'd be facing primarily Fire-type Pokémon making his decision making process easier. However, there was still the chance that Orion would use the Grass-type he has in his possession as that was his secondary Pokémon type that he used to throw beginners off their game. He'd need to proceed with caution so as not to get caught in the trap. Taking a deep breath, he ventured forth, Nora in tow, and stepped into the gym. What he was met with was something he didn't expect. For a gym with a primary focus on the sun and by extension, fire, it certainly had a lot of foliage. While beautiful, it certainly did have the makings of a fire hazard. That was when Zander looked up and saw another platform with a large battlefield on it. 

Farthen in the duo went, their eyes scanning the surrounding trees and shrubbery to see several Pokémon scampering about at play. Reaching the top of the stairs that led up to the arena, Zander and Nora spotted a ginger youth sitting on the ground staring down at a small stone... and talking to it. 

"Huh?" the young boy sad as he looked up from his stone towards Nora and Zander who had just stepped onto the arena, "looks like we have some challengers. We'll talk later okay?" he said with a grin as he stood up. 

"Hi! welcome to my gym! I'm Orion, it's nice to meet'cha!" Orion exclaimed excitedly as he ran up to Zander and Nora and looked up at them. "You two are here for the challenge right!?"

Zander glanced down at the excitable kid and canted his head. A child was in charge of the gym? this wasn't something he was expecting. Then again, seeing how capable the students in Midna Town were, it led him to believe that it wasn't the age of the trainer that mattered, but the skill. And if this kid was the leader, he must be incredibly skilled. 

"Nice to meet you too, Orion. And yes, we're here to battle you. Zander over here is going to go first. He's still a fairly new trainer and needs more experience," Nora replied, earning a side-eye from Zander. 

"What? it's true," Nora giggled into her hand. 

"I think even he could infer that from my low team count," Zander stated, glancing down at Orion who looked up at him with an intrigued expression. 

The boy was a curious one indeed, from what Zander could tell anyway. There was something about childlike innocence that brought a smile to one's face. Zander gave the youth a half smile and then looked past him at the stone that was sitting on the ground at the edge of the arena. As he did, a searing pain rushed through his arm and caused him to grit his teeth and bite down a hiss that threatened to slip from his mouth. Something about that stone was off to him, and he wasn't sure what it was. Once again, as swiftly as the pain had come, it vanished. 

"So, you've got three Pokémon huh? that's fine! Normally I battle with five, but regulations say that I need to accommodate the challenger, which I'm okay with. So I'll battle you with three of my Pokémon to make things fair," Orion explained as he darted over to his side of the battlefield. 

As both Zander and Orion stepped into the trainer's box, a platform rose from the ground on the side of the arena where it would display each side's picture and the number of Pokémon in their possession. 

"Remember what we focused on Zander! you can do it!" Nora cheered. 

Zander looked back at Nora and nodded, turning his focus back to Orion who was already reaching for his first teammate. 

"As the rules dictate, challengers have the honor of the first attack and are allowed to switch out at any time. As gym leader, I'm not allowed to switch out. However, we're able to send out the first Pokémon to give the challenger an opportunity to pick a good contender so, Vulpix, you're on!" Orion bellowed, launching the Fox Pokémon onto the battlefield. 

Vulpix came out and landed gracefully on the ground. Her eyes stared at the opposing trainer with unwavering determination. While Zander knew that he had exactly what he needed to counter this particular Pokémon, there was one thing that worried him a little. The temperature in the room suddenly got a lot hotter. An artificial sun had been created just above the arena floor, ensuring that Vulpix would be much harder to deal with than he anticipated. 

Orion's got the sun up already huh? I haven't had much of a chance to work with Zander on ways to work around that strategy. Then again... he does have one thing he can use to his advantage. Let's see what he does here...

Zander reached down to his belt and snapped Riolu's ball from his belt, primed it and then fired it onto the arena with a shout, "Riolu, come out!" 

The Embalming Pokémon burst forth onto the arena floor and landed in a three point stance before rising to his feet and pinning his opponent with a stare. Orion blinked as he saw the canine emerge from his sphere. Never had he seen a Riolu that looked like that before. 

"Is that what I think it is!?" Orion exclaimed as he admired the little canine with wide eyed wonder. "It's a Delta Pokémon isn't it!?" 

"You... know about these?" Zander asked with a raised brow. 

"Well... sort of... I mean, the broadcast tower had this one segment featuring Professor Sylvan on it. She did this whole talk on Delta Pokémon and how rare it was that any where ever found at all. Most thought them to be made up, but now that there's one in front of me... I don't think that anymore!" Orion said cheerfully. 

If that excites you... I've got two more waiting, Zander thought, deciding on his first move. "Shall we start?"

"You betcha! go ahead Zander!" Orion shouted excitedly. 

"Alright, Riolu start things off with Dark Pulse!" Zander commanded. 

"Flamethrower!" Orion countered. 

Riolu planted his feet and brought his paws in. Dark energy crackled between his paws as a sphere formed between them. In a swift motion, he fired a beam of concentrated dark aura towards the fox-like Pokémon who retaliated by blasting the air with a solar-powered Flamethrower that punched through his beam with ease. Seeing that he was losing the struggle, Riolu abandoned his post and dove out of the way as the retaliating blast struck the ground, scorching the place where he had previously been standing. Staying on his toes, he jinked to the right of an oncoming orb of verdant energy that tore into the grass behind him. 

Zander bit his thumb and narrowed his eyes. Riolu was now on the defensive, unable to get in close enough to do anything effective at the moment. Then again, that was the plan from this point on after seeing how strong that Flamethrower had been. Riolu wouldn't be able to take very many hits from something that strong. He needed a different approach. Fortunately, he had one. 

"Energy Ball again!" Orion cried out. 

"Shadow Ball!" Zander countered. 

Both spheres collided with explosive force, creating a small smokescreen that veiled the contenders sight temporarily. Knowing that he was hiding in the smoke somewhere, Orion began ordering Vulpix to blast him out with Flamethrower. Every blast that was fired off had Zander nervous. It wasn't until Zander saw a hole in the ground where some of the fire had passed over did he realize that Riolu had gone under the arena. A chuckle escaped his lips as he kept an eye on Vulpix. 

"Huh... he's not there. I was sure one of those blasts would have taken him out," Orion said with a nervous laugh, glancing over at the screen to see that Riolu was indeed still in the match. "If I didn't hit him then... where-?"

His comment was cut short the moment Riolu burst out of the ground and nailed Vulpix with a powerful uppercut that sent her rocketing into the air. 

"Now! Dark Pulse!" Zander called out hastily. 

"Flamethrower, quick!" Orion shouted desperately. 

Too little, too late. Vulpix may have been fast, but at the angle she found herself, righting her body in time to counter the attack wasn't something that she would have been able to accomplish as her head was spinning from the force of the blow she'd been dealt. Riolu cocked his paws back and thrust them upward, launching a devastating beam of darkness upward. The blast crashed hard into Vulpix and forced her higher until she spiraled off the beam and crashed into the floor, unconscious. Vulpix's picture darkened on the screen and she was soon returned to her cozy spherical home. 

"That's okay girl, you did your best. Get some rest now," Orion said comfortingly as he reached for his next teammate. "Your Riolu is really something! that combo you used was awesome!" Orion said as he reached for his next ball, "but don't think that it'll end the same way with this next one. Ivysaur, come on out!" 

The Seed Pokémon emerged and landed with a heavy thud. His eyes bore into his foe with intense focus as he stared him down. Ivysaur would prove to be a problem here. They were rather bulky and no easily moved. On top of that, they were also poisonous themselves, making them even more dangerous as an opponent. Zander knew he had to really think on his feet, especially with that troublesome sun still hanging overhead. 

"Riolu, keep your distance. Use Shadow Ball!" 

"Ivysaur, counter with Sludge Bomb!" 

Riolu brought his arm back and conjured up a sphere of ghostly energy and launched it, throwing his full body weight into the projectile. Ivysaur lowered his stance and tilted his bulb toward the incoming blast and unloaded a ball of toxic sludge on the approaching assault, blasting it apart upon contact before lashing out with his vines at the sprinting canine. Riolu leaped high to avoid the vines and shot a Dark Pulse that pushed Ivysaur backward several feet. The direct hit had him stumbling a little, but it didn't shake him up completely. 

Ivysaur growled and shrugged off the groggy feeling he'd gotten after being hit in the face with the blast. As Riolu prepped another one, Orion made his move. 

"Grass Knot!" Orion commanded. 

Suddenly, the grass at Riolu's feet sprang to life and caused him to stumble forward, disrupting his concentration. Furthermore, Ivysaur quickly ensnared him in his vines to hold him in place as he launched a ball of sludge his way. The toxic blast struck hard, poisoning Riolu on impact. 

"Gotcha now! Solar Beam!" Orion commanded. 

Due to the sun's effect remaining on the field, the power that Ivysaur had stored in his bulb was instantly charged and released with explosive force, tearing up the ground beneath it as the beam rampaged towards the helpless Riolu who was caught between two tight sets of vines. The impact of the blast triggered an explosion, veiling the combatants from view and shaking the arena. 

That... had to hurt... Nora thought as she watched the smoke lift to reveal an unconscious Riolu on the ground with steam rising from his body. 

The picture on the screen darkened to show that he was out of the fight. Zander took a deep breath and withdrew Riolu, thanking him silently for a job well done. 

Alright... so we got some damage in. And now that I know his strategy, I can put a Mankey wrench in his plans... 

"Treecko, stand by!" Zander called out as he released his second teammate. 

The venomous lizard erupted from his ball with a hiss, lowering his stance and glaring menacingly at his opponent. Orion was once again dumbstruck at the sight of another Delta Pokémon. Knowing it wasn't the time to get overly excited, he would have to wait until afterwards to question Zander as to how he'd obtained something so unbelievably cool. 

"Treecko, use Sludge Wave!" Zander commanded. 

"Counter it with Solar Beam!" Orion ordered hastily. 

Treecko reared his head back and gargled sludge in his mouth before expelling it from his mouth in a steady stream. The wave of toxins was soon dispersed by the sheer force of the solar energy expelled from Ivysaur's bulb. The beam slammed into the wall behind them, leaving a charred marking in its wake. Orion studied Zander's side of the field to find that Treecko had suddenly vanished, which  meant. 

"Ivysaur, jump back quick!" Orion cried out. 

Out from the shadows beneath Ivysaur came the violet lizard, his body but a mere shadow as he slammed into the face of the unsuspecting opposition. Ivysaur scowled at the lizard and aimed a well placed Vine Whip that batted Treecko away. Tumbling along the ground, Treecko rolled onto his feet only to be bombarded with a Seed Bomb assault that blasted him backwards and sent him tumbling once again. Rising back to his feet he quickly jinked to the side and darted forward. 

"Treecko, close in and use Poison Fang!" 

As the onslaught continued, Treecko charged in, determined to get as close as possible. Dodging the seeds as they exploded around him, Treecko got within striking distance and lunged, his mouth a gape as he sunk his fangs into the forehead of his foe. Ivyasaur snarled and thrashed about as Treecko sunk his fangs in deeper. Poisoning him wasn't the goal considering Bulbasaur was immune to it. Zander had something different in mind here. 

"Payback!" Zander belted out. 

Treecko's tail lit up with dark energies, and with a swift motion, he whipped it downwards and slammed Ivysaur hard in the face, immediately flooring the heavyset Seed Pokémon. Ivysaur had been knocked out, darkening his picture on the screen. 

"Nice work, Zander!" Nora cheered, rather proud of how much he'd learned from their training session. "For only having one day to prepare for this, he's not doing too bad," she mumbled, a self satisfied grin on her face as she watched the fight continue. 

"I'll say! that was fun!" Orion exclaimed, withdrawing Ivysaur and grabbing his final choice. "I hope you're ready, because this one's my strongest Pokémon yet! get ready for... Charmeleon!" Orion roared, flinging Charmeleon's ball onto the arena floor. 

The fire lizard erupted from his sphere with a snarl and a roar, heralding his arrival by beating his chest and shooting flames into the air. Orion mimicked the actions of his Pokémon and grinned happily. Zander had a feeling that this was one fight he wasn't going to win easily. Treecko was tired, and Charmeleon was in his element with the sun still beating down overhead. 

"Dragon Dance!" Orion shouted quickly. 

"Shadow Sneak!" Zander retaliated, knowing that this would not bode well for Treecko. 

Treecko dove into the shadows and shot towards Charmeleon, and dove out of the ground with his fangs dripping with venom. Though Treecko was fast, Charmeleon was faster still, easily avoiding the attack. Fire gathered into his maw as his body glowed with the energy of the sun, empowering his attack even more due to his ability. With a roar, Charmeleon unleashed a torrent of fire that dwarfed Vulpix's by comparison. The stream of fire engulfed Treecko and blasted him against the far wall behind Zander. Treecko had been defeated. Charmeleon winced slightly after launching his attack, but shook it off and focused. 

Zander retracted Treecko and sighed. Seeing the power of that Flamethrower made him realize that his last teammate wouldn't be able to take that head on. He would need to rely on other tactics to beat this Charmeleon which was already outclassing him in speed and power at this point. This, however, wouldn't deter him from winning this match. This Charmeleon had a weakness, and it was exploited right from the start, something he was certain Orion wasn't aware of by how cheesy a smile he was giving Zander. 

My Pokémon may not match him in terms of power... but that doesn't mean I can't whittle him down a bit. If what I saw was correct... that Flamethrower hurt Charmeleon the moment he used it. As long as my Pokémon isn't hit with it, I should be fine... Zander mused as he reached for his own teammate. "Charmeleon, you're up!" 

Expecting a mirror match, Orion was met with something entirely different. What he got was not a red-scaled lizard with a flaming tail, but a ghostly bone dragon with a spectral flame on his tail. Just who was Zander? and where did he get so many Delta Pokémon? he had to know! 

"Charmeleon, let's keep things hot with Flamethrower!" Orion commanded. 

"Dark Pulse!" Zander counterattacked. 

Fire met with darkness as the two empowered attacks collided with one another, resulting in a ground-shaking explosion. Zander smirked in satisfaction as he saw that the strength of his Charmeleon had almost matched his opponents. Though still outclassed because of the sun, Zander knew he would have to continue to stall for time until he could get a good hit in. And he knew exactly how he was going to do it. 

"Draco Jet!" Zander yellowed ferociously. 

Charmeleon spread his arms wide as if they were wings and channeled his draconic power through his frame, causing fiery wings to flare up from his arms, the rest of his body igniting with azure fire as he launched himself toward Charmeleon in a burst of pure speed. 

"Flamethrower quick!" 

Another stream of fire roared from Charmeleon's maw as he attempted to repel his adversary and steer him off course... an attempt that worked well as it made the bone dragon jink to the side and dig his claws into the ground to stop himself. Another blast of fire was shot his way, forcing him to maneuver out of the way once again. Charmeleon grunted as a crimson spark of electricity traveled across his body. 

"Okay Charmeleon, Fire Punch!" Orion shouted, switching up his tactic upon realizing that he wasn't going to get anywhere with his other strategy. 

"Going for close range huh? fine by me," Zander mumbled to himself. "Charmeleon, Dragon Claw!" 

The two Charmeleon's clashed in the center of the arena, striking heavy blows to each other as they battled for dominance. Orion's Charmeleon was much faster and was able to overpower Zander's Charmeleon in close range combat, however... due to his excessive usage of ranged attacks, it was clear that his stamina wouldn't hold out much longer. After a powerful Fire Punch to the bone dragon's stomach, Charmeleon powered up for checkmate. 

"Flamethrower!" Orion confidently shouted, unaware that he'd been had. 

"Shadow Sneak, now!" Zander riposted. 

Fire seared the arena floor as the flames crashed into it, missing Zander's Charmeleon entirely as he dove into the shadows beneath him and rocketed toward his adversary. Exhausted, Charmeleon flinched in pain as the energy he'd used up wracked his body. Before he could even take a step to avoid the shadows snaking toward him, Charmeleon was already upon him with his claws aglow with a vibrant green light. 

"Dragon Claw!" 

Charmeleon's claws cleaved through the air and slashed across the fire lizard's face, smashing him into the ground with a heavy thud. Orion's screen went completely dark and the face of his challenger, Zander, was shown with the victory lights flashing beneath.