"Wow Arthur, it's only been a day and you're already stirring up that much gossip? I can't leave you alone at all, can I little bro?" 

        "It's not like I asked for it, Claudia. I was just answering the teacher like I'm supposed to," Arthur replied with a frown. 

        "And in doing so, you managed to piss off the popular pretty girl in the process. Not that it's a bad thing because quite frankly I can't stand that type. Though I am wondering how she managed to kick your ass so easily. She must be pretty damn good since the only other person who could mop the floor with you was me," Claudia wondered aloud. 

        "Yeah well, you're in the pro leagues and I'm just getting started," Arthur muttered, staring at his sister on screen as she adjusted her position on her bed. 

        "True, I am in the pro circuit now. It took a lot of hard work to get this far though, but it's nothing you can't handle. You've got the brain for it, you just need to... you know, stop overthinking shit," Claudia said bluntly. 

        "Do I really overthink things that much?" Arthur replied hesitantly.

        "If I'm being honest, yes," Claudia replied. "You're great at coming up with strategies, but your opponents aren't going to wait around for you to carry them out. They come up with things on the fly rather than planning out a battle before it starts."

        "I—yeah I do that," Arthur sighed, palming his face in frustration.

        "Listen, Arthur, you're good. I've seen you and Finn pull some crazy stunts. But you're in Kalos now. It's a completely different ball game over there. The trainers over there are on a completely different level so you're going to have to up your game. You've got the smarts, and your grades show it. But if you want to compete in the Lumiose Conference, and have a shot at the pro circuit, then you need to leave behind the way you did things at Unova Tech."

        Arthur thought for a moment. Claudia had a point. He was too focused on strategies and trying to predict outcomes. The teachers at Unova Tech, while their advice and teachings were sound, put too much emphasis on that particular element of the battle. Remembering the beating Fiametta handed him was proof that any strategy could be dismantled no matter how good it was. She was skilled and didn't spend a whole lot of time thinking about her next move. She moved with the situation at hand, essentially coming up with a counter-strategy on the spot. 

        "Looks like you're right, as usual," Arthur half chuckled, leaning forward in his chair. 

        "At least you remembered that much from what I taught you," Claudia giggled. "I swear, it's like you're hardwired to be a textbook thinker sometimes."

        "Hey, I did take a lot of your advice you know. Like the whole, learning to think beyond the typical battle scenarios which—"

        "So you do remember all of that then! I knew you would eventually take my advice," Claudia said, grinning triumphantly.

        Arthur rolled his eyes at his sister's smug grin. She always loved to rub it in when she was right. He didn't mind it though, considering most, if not all of her advice, worked. 

        "So, when do you think you're going to evolve Finn? you've kept it in its first stage for quite a while now. Don't you think it's about time you gave it an upgrade?" Claudia inquired. 

        "I will do that eventually. I just need to find a shop that doesn't sell it for an arm and a leg. Getting Finn wasn't cheap you know," Arthur mumbled. 

        "Well duh, I was there when you got it. You only spent your entire allowance," Claudia reminded him.

        "It was worth it. Finn's been a great partner. When I can afford to upgrade it, I'll do it. I won't have the funds for about another month," Arthur muttered almost despairingly. 

        "Or, you could just ask your big sister for help you fart-nugget!" Claudia grumbled, shooting him an annoyed glare. 

        "You've helped me out enough already. I mean, if it hadn't been for your advice, I wouldn't have scored as high as I did on the practicum," Arthur protested.

        "That's Tauros shit and you know it, Arthur. You would have been fine. Look, just let your big sis send you the upgrade. I wasn't able to give you a parting gift anyway so it's the least I can do. I won't take no for an answer, you know this right?" Claudia said sternly. 

        "But—"

        "No! Absolutely no buts. Got that mister?" Claudia shot back, putting her face closer to the screen. 

        "Fine," Arthur relented. "I'll let you send it to me. I have a feeling you would have done it anyway sooner or later."

        Claudia smiled from ear to ear and laughed. 

        "Yes! Don't worry Arthur, I'll try not to make this too much of a habit. I know it's only been a few days, but I miss you so much!" 

        "I miss you too, Claudia. Tell mom and dad I said hi. I'm sure they're at work right now and are probably busy," Arthur said smiling. 

        "Well, you know mom and dad, always doing their best to provide for their loved ones. Anyway, I gotta go myself. I have to pick up the stuff for Finn and then I have a match to get to. You'll watch it tonight, right?" Claudia asked hopefully.

        "Do you honestly think I'd miss it? you're my best friend, sis, of course I'll be watching!" Arthur exclaimed excitedly. 

        "You better! I'll bag this win for you, Arthur. You are, after all, my favorite person in this world. I swear to Arceus, if anyone ever hurts you, I'll hunt them down and gauge out their eyes," Claudia said in a serious tone.

        Arthur began to sweat nervously.

        "I feel bad for whoever that fate is forced upon," he half laughed.

        "I don't, they'd have it coming," she said as a matter-of-fact.

        Claudia glanced down at the time on her laptop and sighed. 

        "Okay, I really do have to go now. Love you! I'll talk to you later. Stay safe, and don't do anything I wouldn't, okay," Claudia said, smiling. 

        "Love you too, sis. Good luck tonight!" Arthur replied before the call ended.

        Arthur sighed as he took off his headphones and placed them on his desk. It had been a whirlwind of a day. Looking down at his homework, he furrowed his brow as he recalled the lesson from class. Mrs. Auclair—for such lighthearted individual—did not skimp out on the work load. She was a strict instructor when it came down to it and was not hesitant to scold her students when necessary. 

        "Let's see, if an opponent uses Protect, they are safe from the majority of attacks except for which of the following? be sure to explain your choice on the lines below," Arthur read aloud as he glanced through the multiple choice. 

        "Fly, Phantom Force, Shadow Sneak or Hyper Beam huh? that's not so hard," Arthur mused to himself as he circled his answer. "Phantom Force takes the Pokémon using it into another dimension of sorts, meaning that they could easily place themselves inside the barrier of protection that the opponent has set up. Fly along with the other moves, leaves them in the same dimension physically, making it impossible to penetrate the defenses set up by the opposition..." 

        Arthur set down his pen and glanced over at the time. Within a few hours, everyone in the dorm would be watching the professional matches in the lounge. The students were told that extra credit was involved if they attended and wrote a summary of how the match went and what they observed from both sides. For Arthur, this wasn't just an extra credit assignment. This was another opportunity to watch his sister at work. He fed off her strategies and aspired to one day be on her level of skill. This was just another chance to learn more of her secrets.

        I wonder what you'll teach me tonight, sis...

        Before long, the time had passed and a knock came to the door. 

        "Arthur, you in there man?" Magnum's voice echoed from the other side. 

        "Yeah, one sec!" Arthur replied while standing up and walking to the door to open it. 

        The door opened to reveal Magnum, Victor and Estelle, catching him by surprise, prompting a laugh from the perky brunette.

        "You look stunned. I guess they forgot to tell you that this dorm allows the girls on other floors besides the lobby," Estelle said with a chuckle. 

        "I—I see..." Arthur replied hesitantly. 

        "Oh but don't worry, we're not allowed in the rooms unless it's open house or a special event," Estelle reassured him. 

        Arthur sighed in relief. 

        "Good to know," he said with a nervous laugh. 

        "Sorry 'bout that, Arthur. We're here to see if you're ready to head downstairs. It's about to start and we saved you a seat," Magnum informed him. 

        "Yeah, I was just finishing up when you knocked," Arthur said as he exited his room. 

        "Finished the homework already huh? you must be pretty persistent if you can get that workload done that fast. I'm usually up all night after practice," Victor admitted. 

        "Yeah, mostly because you're talking to me silly," Estelle said with a grin. 

        Victor didn't bother denying it. It was easy to see why he procrastinated so much. 

        "Alright you two, save it for the fountain. The match starts in five minutes, so let's get down there," Magnum said, shooing the couple to the stairs while he headed to the elevator. 

        A moment or two later and the four of them were in the lobby and seated in the front row. Much to Arthur's surprise, quite a few of the female students were in the dorm sitting with friends or, as it were, their boyfriends. A familiar green-eyed ginger sat among them. Her eyes darted toward him as he sat down and then shifted away the moment he took note of her. The head dean of the dormitory, Mr. Dupont, stood in front of the screen with the remote and attempted to gather the attention of the noisy students. 

        "Alright, settle down, settle down!" Mr. Dupont called above the talkative students. 

        As they ceased conversation, he cleared his throat and continued. 

        "In a few moments, we'll be watching tonight's professional match. As you know, this is extra credit, so attendance to this one isn't mandatory. It will be worth ten extra points on your next assignment. Keep in mind that the other matches are in fact, mandatory. I know some of you are excited so I'll just get things started," he said, turning on the massive screen.     

        "We are live from the Battle Dome in Nimbasa City where thousands of spectators are anticipating what is shaping up to be one heck of a match!" one announcer said into the microphone as the camera panned over the audience.

        "And their hype is not unfounded either. We're talking about a match between Claudia "The Circuit Breaker" Armani and Axel "The Incinerator" Crisper. Everyone's been wanting a match between these two for a while and for good reason. Here they come folks!" exclaimed the other announcer excitedly. 

        Strutting out onto the electric blue arena was a tall young woman with wavy, sun-bleached locks and penetrating emerald hues. She wore her signature sea-foam green jacket a camouflage shirt beneath. A locket could be seen around her neck. She wore pink short shorts and white sneakers to match her headphones that hung around her neck. Taking both hands, she pressed her lips to her fingertips and blew several kisses to the crowd and waved excitedly. Several fans in the dormitory cheered wildly as the camera zoomed in on her. Standing across from her was a man around her height wearing an orange jacket with a black undershirt and black cargo pants to match. He had dyed red hair and sunglasses that were also crimson, adding to the reason behind his name further. He received a similar reaction from the spectators. 

        The two shook hands in the center of the arena before heading to their trainer's boxes. Tonight was a one on one battle, and they couldn't wait to get started. A win here would keep either of their winning streaks alive. A judge made his way to the center of the arena and raised his flags, prompting the buzzer to go off to signal the start of the match. 

        "Kaminari, center stage!" Claudia roared, gripping her companion's luxury ball and launching it onto the battlefield.

        The blue and yellow canine emerged from her chamber and crouched into a battle stance, electricity coursing along her frame as she squared herself up for the competition. Spectators—with signs depicting Kaminari's face on them—excitedly jumped up and down as their favorite star's Pokémon materialized. Axel grinned at this display and reached for his ball and fired it with a determined shout. 

        "Ignatious, prepare for battle!" 

        Howling from his sphere was the sinister hell-hound himself. Fire snorted from his nostrils and a snarl escaped his maw as he bared his fangs at Kaminari. All became silent as both beasts circled each other. And then it began, Claudia and Axel reached for their key stones swiftly and sent the audience into a frenzy.

        "Mega shinka!" was the cry that thundered through the stadium as both contenders called upon their bonds with their Pokémon. 

        "And there they are! Kaminari and Ignatious are in their mega evolved forms! time for a real fight!" the announcer roared.

        "Kaminari, Thunderbolt!" 

        "Flamethrower!" 

        Kaminari snapped off an electrical blast of lightning that tore across the arena and slammed into the stream of fire that roared towards her, blasting it apart and creating an arena shaking explosion in the center. Diving through the smoke, Kaminari charged her body with electricity, creating a field of lightning around her as she hammered into Ignatious, forcing him backwards, digging his claws into the floor as he slid to a stop. 

        "Ignatious, Flame Charge!" Axel counterattacked fiercely. 

        Ignatious snarled ferociously and howled as his body was set ablaze by crimson flames. In a burst of speed, he charged Kaminari who responded by rushing at him with an electrical current around her body. The two collided and turned to launch beams of fire and lightning at one another, both landing a blow to the other, sending them tumbling end over end before rising up again. 

        "Fire Blast!"

        "Counter with Discharge!" 

        Ignatious loosed a five-pointed blast of all consuming fire towards his adversary before charging towards her with his newly increased speed. Thunder clouds began to form overhead, and with a penetrating shout, Kaminari blasted the air with a powerful, multi-directional explosion of electricity that tore through the flames and jolted the charging hell hound with several thousand volts of electricity. Paralysis gripped the fiery canine as he attempted to stand once more, his body shaking from the shock he'd just received. 

        "Time to bring it home, Kaminari!" Claudia shouted confidently as she watched her teammate prep for the finale, sending electrical sparks of energy along the arena floor, illuminating it with a bright golden light. 

        "Ignatious, fight back! burn her to a crisp with Inferno!" Axel cried out in desperation. 

        Ignatious planted his feet and grit his teeth as he struggled against the paralysis. Flames began to gather in his mouth as he reared his head back. 

        "Thunder!" 

        Manectric gathered power from the electrical currents racing along the terrain she'd created, drawing them in before expelling them with a mighty roar. A single, massive beam of azure lightning ripped apart the flames and powered into Houndoom with such force that he was knocked off his feet and sent flying off the arena, hitting the psychically created Barrier that was set up by several Alakazam that were guarding the stands. 

        "IT'S OVER! CLAUDIA "THE CIRCUIT BREAKER" ARMANI HAS TRIUMPHED!" 

        Claudia squealed and excitedly danced in place as Kaminari powered down and padded over to her, wagging her tail as her trainer affectionately scratched her side with cries of "who's a good girl!?" 

        Axel sighed in defeat and knelt down beside Ignatious, petting his friend on his head for a well fought match before returning him. Placing the ball back on his belt, he walked over to Claudia as she was returning Kaminari and stuck out his hand. 

        "That was a hell of a fight, Claudia. I expected you to be tough, but damn," Axel admitted with a laugh. 

        "You weren't so bad yourself. Feel free to call me out for a challenge any time," Claudia said with a grin, shaking his hand before turning to the announcer who stepped on stage with her microphone. 

        "Claudia, before we finish up here, I heard that you dedicated this match to your younger brother. Care to say hello before we take a break?" 

        Claudia didn't even need to think about it. With a grin, she snatched the mic and looked at the camera.

        "Hey little bro! I hope you're watching like you promised you would. Who am I kidding, of course you are! anyway, do well in Kalos for me. I'm rooting for you Arthur! I'll always be your number one fan so don't you ever forget that okay? Love ya bro!" Claudia finished, blowing the camera a kiss before handing the microphone back to the announcer. 

        "And there you have it folks, Claudia keeps her streak alive after a rough start. She's won seven in a row and hopes to keep going. To all you viewers out there, keep trainin' hard!" 

        The lounge went silent for a moment as everyone looked at Arthur. 

        "Dude... Circuit Breaker's your sister?" Victor asked hastily.

        "I didn't know she had a brother, oh! oh! can I have her autograph?" Estelle exclaimed.

        Arthur scratched the back of his head nervously, sweat trickling down the side of his face as he was suddenly swarmed by several fans of hers. In the midst of all of this, he could see Fiametta bristling at the attention Arthur was suddenly receiving.