Seth remained on the bench as Cecily spun her stories about growing up with Allie, and how she'd been a role model for her to look up to, something that Seth found difficult to imagine with the attitude that little miss entitled carried with her. The lengths he went through to cheer someone up...

"So I have a question for you Seth," Cecily began, tapping her chin as she looked up at him. "You mentioned being in the competition that my cousin is hosting. Does this mean you're competing for her hand as well?" she asked with a hopeful look in her eyes.

Seth mentally groaned at the inquiry as it reminded him of what his mother and sister had tried to imply upon his entering the competition. Not to mention, he had a sneaking suspicion that the queen was hoping this would be the case as well. Carefully thinking about his answer, he took a deep breath before replying.

"That part is still uncertain I'm afraid," Seth answered her, half telling the truth as he himself wasn't sure if the prospect of it was a terrible idea. "As of right now, I don't have any intentions of tying the knot with anyone..."

Cecily frowned slightly at his response and squinted while looking up at him. "But you are considering it, right?" she asked hopefully.

"If I'm being honest? not currently," Seth replied, crossing his arms as he leaned back on the bench. "Not to be disrespectful towards her, but she isn't exactly pleasant company."

"I... can't refute that completely. But she really can be nice! Sure, my cousin is really into herself, but she's always been there for me," Cecily said with a bright smile. "You just have to get to know her better, that's all."

Seth considered her words for a moment. While it was possible he had been quick to judge her, the behaviour she displayed was inexcusable. She would have to start really showing a different side of herself if the princess was to convince him that she wasn't a snobby, entitled brat.

"I'll consider what you've said, for now," Seth replied, getting a gleeful squeal out of Cecily in return.

"Yay! you won't regret it, I promise!" Cecily beamed excitedly.

Sheesh... she's just like Melody. Convincing me to look at the big picture instead of one small detail.

"Hey Seth? are you gonna go to the gym?" Cecily asked hesitantly.

Seth cast his gaze in her direction to notice that she was starting to fidget with her hands. Guessing her thoughts, he smiled and gave his reply.

"You can come with me, I don't mind," he assured her, standing up to stretch.

Cecily's eyes sparkled with delight. "You mean it!? yay!" she exclaimed.

Seth smiled at her cheerful attitude. How he wished he could exude that same cheerful spirit instead of his usual demeanor.

"Wait... those boys might still be there. What if I embarrass myself again?" she worried.

To this, Seth replied, "I wouldn't worry about that if I were you. Just let me handle that."

Cecily smiled nervously, her eyes shifting to the sword at his hip.

"And no, I won't be using it," Seth added as he turned to walk in the direction of the gym.

Relief filled her as Cecily caught up to him. After hearing what Seth had done for her cousin, she could not, for the life of her, figure out why Allie didn't like him.

If it were me, I would have wanted to marry him on the spot! the twelve year old thought with a furrowed brow.

"Yo Trev, check it out!" Tierno beamed holding up a shimmering, transparent yellow stone with a lightning bolt carved into it.

"When did you get that?" Trevor asked, unable to recall when Tierno had any time to purchase the stone.

"Before we went to the movies. Pikachu and I talked it over and we felt it was time," Tierno grinned, taking Pikachu's ball off his hip to release him.

The electric mouse escaped his spherical home and greeted the day with a yawn, followed by a scratch behind his ears. Tierno knelt down to meet the eyes of his friend with a smile.

"Hey buddy, it's time!" Tierno beamed, prompting his
companion to whirl around and look in his direction, his eyes shifting to the stone in his trainer's hand.

Knowing exactly what it was, Pikachu smiled broadly and readied himself for what was to come. He remembered the discussion he and Tierno had earlier in the week, and was now ready to finally take the next step with his friend.

"Okay, it's time we found a new rhythm!"

Excitement rushing through him, Pikachu jumped as Tierno tossed the stone high into the air. Twisting his body mid jump, Pikachu caught the stone and a flash of light erupted around him. Moments after he'd caught it, the electric mouse flipped and landed with a flourish, holding the stone out to the side with one paw while the other arm covered his eyes. Raichu looked up at his trainer and grinned.

Serena and Shauna sifted through the clothing racks of the
Cyllage City apparel shop, searching for any accessories and cute outfits that might catch their eye. Spotting a bright pink dress with puffy sleeves, she pulled it off the rack and held it up to herself.

"What do you think? too ballerina-ish?" Shauna asked, turning to a mirror nearby to see how it looked held against her.

Serena contemplated the dress for a moment and then looked back at the clothing rack for a moment. Spotting another dress, she took it and held it out for her to see.

"That one's rather frilly. This one suits you more and brings out the green in your eyes more. That pink is far too bright. This one is less absurdly blinding," Serena added, getting a nod from her friend as she exchanged the dress she had for the one Serena picked out.

Hearing her holocaster beep, Shauna reached around to her purse and pulled out the device to see the message that was sent to her. It was from Seth.

"Seth's at the gym!" Shauna exclaimed, putting the other dress back and heading towards the door.

"I guess the dress will have to wait til later...?" Serena trailed off as her friend hurried out the door with excitement.

Smiling at her friend's energy, she followed her out towards the looming structure that was the Cyllage City Gym.

Seth and Cecily entered the gym, their eyes looking upward at the lofty ceiling of the tallest structure in the city. A massive climbing wall was before them, showing different colored paths, from red to green, indicating differing levels of difficulty. Seeing a wall of this stature reminded Seth of another lesson Mathilde had taught him. Blissful memories aside, Seth looked down at Cecily who was still looking up.

He could hear voices nearby, and by the look on her face, could tell that those voices made her slightly nervous.

"It appears as though we'll have more of an audience for this match than we anticipated," Seth mused.

"Those boys are definitely still here," Cecily mumbled to herself. "They're probably still poking fun at my earlier failure," Cecily added with flushed cheeks.

Seth tilted his head upwards at the wall to see a lone figure looking down at them. Recognizing the man's standout hairstyle, Seth smirked. It was Grant. The Gym Leader gave Seth a confident smile and motioned for him to ascend the wall.

"Looks like we're going up," said Seth as he relinquished his sword and held it out to Cecily. "Mind taking this in the elevator for me? I'll meet you at the top."

"Umm... okay," Cecily hesitated, taking the rapier from Seth with both hands before making her way towards the elevator that was beside the wall.

"Shall we ascend m'lord?" Cerise inquired of her trainer, a silent nod being her only reply as Seth strode up to the wall he was to conquer.

"It's been a while since I've climbed anything like this. Should be fun," Seth smiled, cracking his knuckles before finding a good starting point. "Though without a rope and a belayer this seems pretty dangerous... I guess that's why they have the elevator..."

"Having second thoughts?" Cerise questioned him, getting a laugh in response.

"Not at all. Honestly it would be shameful of me to turn this challenge down. Just watch my footing for me in case I slip," Seth replied as he began his ascent.

Not long after he'd begun his climb did his other friends enter the gym, their eyes trained on him as he scurried up the path he had chosen.

"Seth, we got your message! we're here to root for you!" Shauna called up to Seth as he continued his climb.

Not letting his concentration falter, he kept his eyes on the last foothold of the wall as he pulled himself up again. Cerise was paying attention to his footing, with the use of Shadow Sneak as he climbed, preparing to become a foothold should he lose balance.

"Shhh!" Serena told her friend. "Let him concentrate. We'll meet him at the top," she added, nodding towards the elevator, signalling her friends to follow.

The gang piled into the elevator as it came down and began to rise to the top where they would meet with Seth. After some time, Seth reached the summit to discover ten individuals waiting at the top, six of whom he knew, and four he had yet to meet.

"Taking the road less traveled by huh Seth?" Grant smiled, crossing his arms as the challenger pulled himself over the platform to rise to a stand.

Having guessed that Grant heard Shauna's loud shouting as he climbed, he didn't bother asking how Grant knew his name. Cecily shuffled over to Seth and handed him back his sword before scurrying back to the sidelines where she could watch the battle unfold. Shifting his gaze to Grant, Seth smirked and stepped into the trainer's box.

"Is that what that route is called? if so, it's a fitting name for the difficulty," Seth replied with an amused smile as Cerise hitched herself to his back by darting out of the shadows after having insured his safety.

The other boys that were at the top went wide-eyed as the scarlet blade wrapped her cloth about Seth like a lover. One of them nearly fainted, half expecting Seth to hit the floor afterwards, while another watched with wonder gleaming in his eyes. Meanwhile, Grant, though surprised, wasn't worried due to him having extensive knowledge on the abilities of Pokémon and their control over them.

"It is fitting isn't it? I named it that because very few attempt it. A lot assume that straight up the middle is the quickest way, but on my wall, it's the hardest way," Grant disclosed. "The red path is not easily conquered, but you managed it in a decent amount of time. A bit faster than the last person who attempted it a week or so ago..."

Seth shrugged and cracked his knuckles. "What can I say? I like a good challenge. It makes things interesting considering the toughest challenge is standing right in front of me..."

"Right you are. Let's see if your Pokémon are as strong as the resolve in your voice. Can you conquer this mountain?" remarked Grant as he motioned for a judge to make their way to the center of the arena.

"Go get him Seth!" Seth's friends cheered.

Seth smiled at their enthusiasm and looked Grant in the eyes. Parting his lips, he said, "we're about to find out aren't we?"

Silence reigned as the judge began to lay down the rules for the match. It wasn't long before his hand went up to signal the start of the battle.

"Trainers, send out your first Pokémon!"

"Since you like challenges, Onix, time to battle!" Grant called out, firing a sphere onto the arena floor.

A deafening roar shook the battlefield as the massive rock snake erupted from his home and rose high above the arena. Seth narrowed his eyes at the towering serpentine monstrosity as it looked over him.

Of course this would be the first thing he sends out. Can't say I wasn't expecting him to use it though. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me.

Seth reached down and snapped off his first teammate's ball and launched it forth, shouting, "Pawniard, en garde!"

The Sharp Blade Pokémon emerged onto the arena and brandished his bladed hands before him in a battle-ready stance. His yellow eyes gleaned as he looked up at his adversary, who rose a good eighteen feet off the ground, the other ten feet being coiled for balance. After a brief stand-off, the judge's voice echoed loudly.

"You may begin!"

"Psycho Cut!" Seth commanded fiercely.

Pawniard planted his feet, powered up the blade on his head with psychic energy, and released a wave of crescent-shaped blasts towards the rock snake.

"Rock Polish!" was Grant's response as the attack approached.

Onix's body began to glimmer momentarily, smoothing out his rough edges in the process. In a swift leaning motion, Onix evaded the oncoming assault that exploded on the ceiling instead. Seth narrowed his eyes.

"Dragon Breath!" Grant retaliated.

"Double Team!" Seth countered.

Heated violet fire spewed out of Onix's mouth, bathing the ground where Pawniard once stood, just moments after he duplicated himself to avoid the assault, a process that was disrupted by a widespread Sand Tomb that blasted the copies away, revealing Pawniard powering up a Metal Claw at the apex of his jump.

"Rock Blast!" Grant shouted powerfully.

Onix opened his jaws and fired round after round at the descending Pawniard who slashed through each rock as it neared, only to be batted down by an Iron Tail that slammed him into the ground. Pawniard rolled aside to avoid a second slam of the tail and fired off a round of Psycho Cuts from his head blade, nailing Onix three times. The servant shook his head vigorously and roared in annoyance.

"Metal Claw!" Seth cried out fiercely.

"Bulldoze!" Grant countered.

Before Pawniard could close the distance, Onix's tail hammered into the ground, pummeling him with massive shockwaves that caused him to bounce along the ground and land flat on his back at Seth's feet.

"Pawniard is unable to battle! Onix wins the round!" the judge declared.

Seth took a deep breath and withdrew Pawniard, whispering his thanks as he prepared his next teammate.

"You saw how he moved right?" Seth murmured to Cerise.

"Oui! I have a grasp of his movements. May I have the honor?"

Seth grinned as he replied, "he's all yours, Cerise!"

"Merci beaucoup, Lord Seth!" Cerise exclaimed with glee as she unraveled her sash from his waist.

The sentient crimson blade brandished herself before her towering opposition with unwavering resolve. Oh how she longed for a day like this where her skills would be tested yet again.

"I was hoping for this. Your Honedge looks pretty tough. I can't wait to see what she can do!" Grant beamed.

"Whoa! check out that Honedge!" one of the spectating boy exclaimed.

"I know right!? it's wicked looking!" said another with enthusiasm.

"Hey Cecily, is this guy your friend?" another asked the young girl, causing a smile to spread on her features.

"Yep! and he's even going to help me win next time around, right Seth!?" Cecily called out.

"Did we say we would, m'lord?" Cerise questioned as she awaited orders.

"We'll discuss that later. Let's just take this thing down shall we? Shadow Sneak!"

"That's it, come at me! Onix, Bulldoze!" Grant cried out again.

As Onix's tail poised itself to strike the ground, Cerise was on him faster than the eye could track, launching herself out of the shadows to carve from the bottom of his serpent frame to his jaw, tipping him off balance before arching her bladed body downward in a swift motion, utilizing the force of her downward swing to drive an Iron Head into the rock snake's skull. The behemoth let out a pained roar before collapsing onto the ground, his energy completely spent.

"Onix is unable to battle! Honedge wins the round!"

With the judge's declaration made, Grant returned Onix and reached for his next team member.

"Amaura, it's time!" Grant belted out, thrusting his next partner onto the battlefield, with a practiced hand.

The Tundra Pokémon materialized into view and locked onto her adversary with a calm and determined expression.
Seth stared down the fossil Pokémon and contemplated what his next decision ought to be. His friends conversed among themselves, wondering what Seth would do next.

"Give it a rest Cerise," Seth commanded, beckoning the sentient sword towards him with a smile.

"As you command," Cerise obeyed, quickly retreating to Seth's side as he reached for his next choice.

"Litleo, time for battle!" Seth announced, launching the fiery feline into the fray.

"Okay, so anyone wanna tell me why Seth is using a Fire-type here?" Cecily asked, drawing the attention of the boys as well as Seth's friends.

"Well, I can think of two reasons," Trevor began. "Speed could be the main reason as Litleo are very nimble."

"And Amaura is part Ice-type too, which means it won't resist Fire-type attacks," Shauna inputted. "Still, why would Seth trade a complete advantage for more of a disadvantage?"

As everyone muttered amongst themselves, Serena studied Seth's face closely. She had seen his previous battles and knew that he was known for adapting to situations like the one he currently faced.

You have a plan, don't you Seth? She smirked, crossing her arms as she watched.

"Ready girl? let's let'em have it with Flamethrower!" Seth commanded.

"Turning up the heat on me huh? fine by me! Amaura, Water Pulse!" Grant riposted.

Litleo's assault was dispersed within moments after making contact with the blast of aquatic energy sent her way in retaliation, bathing the arena in a cloud of steam. Silently, Litleo skunked around the unsuspecting Amaura and without warning, leapt upon her with fangs ablaze.

Litleo sank her fangs into Amaura's neck and managed to hang on a while before being thrown off and sent flying.

"Ancient Power!" Grant called out.

"Flamethrower on the ground!" Seth hastily countered.

As Litleo descended, Amaura called upon her rocky element and produced several smooth stones that hovered beside her. With a battle cry, she launched them towards Litleo, who righted herself in the air and blasted the ground with a cone of fire, rocketing her upwards to evade the assault. As all felines do, she landed on all fours and crouched low, her tail swaying to and fro with anticipation.

"Amaura, Hyper Voice!" Grant demanded.

"Echoed Voice!" Seth exclaimed.

A powerful blast of sound waves erupted from both sides, clashing in the center and creating a deafening boom, prompting everyone to cover their ears and even shiver as particles of ice drifted through the arena.

"Water Pulse!"

"Flame Charge!"

Litleo bolted off towards Amaura who unleashed round after round of spheres of water, her attacks just coming up short as Litleo increased her speed. As she neared, Amaura loosed another blast of water just as Litleo jumped to avoid it, flipping at the apex of her jump, her tail shimmering like steel as she plummeted.

"Iron Tail!" came Seth's cry as his friend brought her tail down hard onto the neck of her adversary, slamming them into the ground with brute force.

"Amaura is unable to battle! Litleo wins the round!"

Grant couldn't help but laugh as he returned Amaura. "I wondered why you chose Litleo for this matchup. By all accounts it didn't make sense at first, but then you revealed your trump card," Grant smirked, raising a brow as a crimson aura outlined Litleo for a brief moment, and then vanished.

"Honestly, I surprised myself with my choice too. Thanks to your Onix, my plans were laid to waste... I had to improvise," Seth disclosed with a shrug.

Wait... Seth improvised!? Serena thought as she watched Grant reach for his last ball. Ah! he probably wanted to use Pawniard for cleanup like last time. I get it now!

"Regardless, it was pretty awesome. And now you are at the summit of your climb in this battle. Prepare yourself, because you will need all your remaining strength to conquer your last challenge. Tyrunt, time for battle!"

And there he is, Seth thought as the dino-dragon crash-landed onto the arena floor with a mighty roar towards the heavens. Really don't like this...

Seth cursed under his breath, regretting his lineup choice at the start of the match. Nothing I can do about that now. Better make use of the boost I have while I have it...

Seth remembered the jump in speed and power Litleo had been given just moments after defeating Amaura. While it put him at an advantage, this time around would be harder. Tyrunt had tough skin and brute strength that was nearly unrivaled at that stage. Seth sucked in air, steeped his nerves and fixed Grant with a determined stare before shouting, "Iron Tail!"

"Stone Edge!" Grant countered quickly.

With a single stomping motion, Tyrunt slammed his foot into the arena floor and shook it violently, giving rise to a line of jagged azure stones that tore up the battlegrounds. As Litleo waved in and around the assault, it was far stronger and faster than anticipated, resulting in her being sent sailing through the air from a stone that jutted out of the ground, nailing her in the abdomen.

Seth caught Litleo just as she passed out.

"Litleo is unable to battle! Tyrunt wins the round!"

Cradling his friend, he stroked her behind her ear gently before returning her to her home. Nodding to Cerise, he beckoned the blade back into battle once more.

"I see now why you reserved me for last. This Tyrunt looks formidable! Magnifique!" Cerise exclaimed as she readied herself to face the Royal Heir Pokémon.

"Honestly it was either you or Pawniard, but this works out nicely," Seth grinned. Though Revenge would have helped a lot here considering Tyrunt love to throw their weight around... Cerise will do just fine though.

"Tyrunt, this is the last stand so give it all you've got!" Grant called out.

"En garde, Cerise! Don't underestimate him. Start off with Shadow Sneak!" Seth bellowed.

"Fire Fang!" Grant hollered.

In a flash, Cerise converged upon Tyrunt and lashed out at the dino-dragon with precision strikes to the face. Coming back around for an upward slash, she was caught as Tyrunt clamped down upon her scarlet edge with his fiery teeth. She was shaken like a rag doll before being slammed on the ground to be stomped underfoot.

"Bulldoze!" Grant shouted powerfully.

"Shadow Sneak!" Seth ordered swiftly.

Tyrunt's foot came hammering down, missing his target as the spectral blade narrowly escaped certain doom, appearing behind him and lashing out with her bladed body.

"Brick Break!" Seth commanded.

"Dragon Tail!" Grant defended.

Steel clashed with stone as the two opposing forces met, forcing each other apart from the sheer power of their strikes.

"Tyrunt, Earth Power!" Grant called out challengingly.

"Iron Head!" Seth shot back.

Tyrunt roared ferociously and slammed his foot into the ground, causing the ground to heave beneath Cerise who flashed forward as the ground erupted beneath her, just missing her by a hair. Surging forth, she was met with solid opposition in the form of the tail of her adversary which drove her towards the ground.

"Bulldoze!" Grant commanded hastily, in an attempt to end the match.

"Shadow Sneak!" cried Seth loudly as Tyrunt's foot crashed onto the arena floor, kicking up smoke and dust.

The arena went still as everyone watched the shadow of Tyrunt with baited breath. All seemed well for the rock dragon, until Cerise's shadow flicked into view behind it, her sheath held out by her sash as her bladed body extended forward. All was quiet until...

Thud! Tyrunt's body crashed to the ground in a heap.