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Description
Haze and Jake admired the evening atmosphere as they walked through the city of Hearthrome. The sun was almost halfway over the horizon, casting tall shadows across the streets. The streets were still fairly busy though, even at this later hour, but much of the crowd was heading in the same general direction. The Contest Hall that had been redecorated for the Gala. All around the PEF members, people and pokemon talked, laughed, and were enjoying the night like it were any other. Many of them were fashionably dressed in elegant dress and suits that gave them an air of high class citizenship.

Even before they entered the Contest Hall, Jake and Haze could hear the ambience and chatter coming from inside. The gala had just begun and people were already filling the hall for the night's occasion. Jake scanned the groups of people and pokemon that flowed through the entrance. All of them looked normal, no sign or hint of Team Sigma; a good sign for now.

"Remember Haze, act normal and only talk to me when it's necessary," Jake whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

"I know, you don't have to keep reminding me," Haze hastily whispered back.

They reached the entrance by now and were greeted by a pair of Heathrome City police officers flanking the glass double doors. At least the city is putting some thought into the PEF's warning. Jake crossed the threshold with a comfortable smile and a quick nod in the officers' direction. They returned the gesture and bid him a good evening. Jake noticed the lobby was spotless as they walked in. There was a constant buzz of chatter as more and more people came in and filed into the practice contest hall further in. After a quick scan of the lobby and its inhabitants, Jake gestured for himself and Haze to follow the crowd into the practice hall where the first half of the gala events took place. Another checkpoint was set up where the pokemon contest competitors would usually sign in. Only it was now being used as a check in for everyone who was attending the gala.

"Welcome to the 7th annual Hearthrome City gala sir," A pleasant young woman greeted Jake as he came up to the check-in station, "May I see you ID and pokemon registries of any pokemon that are with you?"

"Yes ma'am," Jake nodded and pulled his 'ID' and 'Krystal's' registry form.

The woman behind the check-in looked over the paperwork once and typed some stuff on a computer handing the items back.

"Enjoy the gala Mr. Martinez."

"Thank you ma'am, come on Krystal."

Beyond the checkpoint the music inside the gala grew louder and became more discernable. It was a catchy, upbeat pop tune that a lot of guests were enjoying listening to. The entire room had been cleared of the seats that contest audience would normally sit and watch practice matches and was now covered in an attractively furnished wooden dance floor. The left wall of the large chamber was dominated by tables piled with various, decadent finger foods and small entrees. There was even a chocolate fountain that sat near the dessert end which made Jake eye longingly. He promised himself he would have to try it later seeing how he had never tried one before. Of course Haze didn't pass up the chance to make a fat joke when she saw her partner ogling said chocolate fountain.

On the opposite side from the dining tables was a lounge area where an assortment of people from various classes chatted about life among the comfy lounge couches. Up on the stage, a DJ and her Elekid wearing matching blue striped headphones and similar baggy attire bobbed their heads softly to the beat of the music as they set the mood and select new playlists for the night.

Just like the in the Main Lobby, Jake and Haze scanned the room for any obvious signs of Team Sigma. None so far, which was a surprise; but the gala was only getting started, and the auction, Team Sigma's real target, was not set to begin for another couple hours. Jake waved Haze's attention down to him and gestured for them to go over to the Lounge area. With any luck, they might overhear something among the chatty crowds. Though right as they entered the perimeter of the lounge area, a stocky woman who, some would say, wore too much make up stopped Jake and Haze in their tracks with an overexagerrated and somewhat overbearing smile.

"Oh my, you're one lucky kid," the woman suddenly blurted, "It's not very common to see a Blaziken around these parts, especially a female! She's just as darling as my Gem here!"

The woman continued to gush and introduced her Snubbull named, Gem.

"Uh, thank you," Jake stuttered after the sudden approach.

Apparently, more people had overheard this little outburst and now started converging on the scene of the 'uncommon pokemon'. Most of them were collectors or breeders that pumped endless streams of questions about Jake's pokemon. Haze tried her best to appear calm and not look overwhelmed by the sudden attention, but the constant bombardment was making her uneasy.

Jake noticed this and gave her a light brush against the back of her hand following a look that said, 'It's okay Haze, just keep playing along.'

"So where are you from their kiddo?"

"The Hoenn region, from the town of Littleroot."

"And who is this lovely young Blaziken?"

"This is my partner, Krystal. She is my first pokemon I received when I started my journey back in Hoenn."

"You're pretty lucky to get a female as a starter, but this coloration is much richer than any other I've seen. Is it natural?"

"Yes, she was born that way."

On and on the questions came until one guest came up to Jake with not a question, but something else.

"She also looks really strong, I would love to see how well you've trained her in a battle," This particular collecter remarked, spinning a pokeball on his forefinger to emphasize his challenge.

Haze's expression lit up into one of determination and eagerness, ready to take her mind off the anxiety of being the center of attention through a battle. Jake on the other hand was starting to back away, biting his lower lip as he tugged at Haze's arm to pull her away as well.

Haze leaned over to whisper out the corner of her lips, "What's up Jake? How come you won't accept the battle?"

Jake's eyes quickly darted back and forth between Haze and the collector who challenged him. As much as he would love a battle, he didn't want to start drawing unwanted attention to himself, not with an important mission at hand. Though at the same time, he didn't have an excuse to decline the battle…or maybe he did.

"Gee, that does sound like a good idea, but where would we battle?" Jake said trying to raise a valid point and slip away.

The Collector crossed he arms and puffed out his chest, dealing a winning smile, "dude, don't worry about it, didn't you hear? They were setting up the stage to start some battles in the practice hall."

Crap, now Jake really was out of excuses, and Haze wouldn't stop nudging and urging for him to take the challenge. Taking another moment to think, he felt like he was the only one not willing to battle and drawing more attention to himself by refusing the battle. Sure enough, others who had gathered around were boring holes in the back of Jake's head, possibly to see why this trainer would refuse a battle so adamantly.

'Looks like I have no choice,' Jake thought in defeat before exhaling silently and putting on a friendly smile, "Ok sure, sounds like a good idea. Warning you now though, I don't like to lose."

Both the Collector and Haze beamed with excitement and soon the small crowd around began to murmur in anticipation, giving their opinion on who they thought would win. With that, they made their way to the practice hall where another battle was already underway. Both Jake and the Collector watched from the sidelines as an older gentleman and his Bibarel went up against another trainer and his Sheldon.

"Alright Sheldon, let's finish this with a Take Down," the trainer called out.

The Sheldon pawed at the ground and charged with a war cry. The Bibarel didn't move, nor even look like it was paying attention to the battle at hand. It just sat and stared off into space as if there wasn't a pissed off Steel-type charging right at it. Haze looked over at Jake and gave him a look that said that this would be over quickly, but Jake thought differently and merely brushed the look away to watch the battle.

The Older gentleman smiled deviously, "Now Bibarel! Aqua tail!"

The Bibarel's expression swiftly changed from an oblivious, far off stare to one of aggressive confidence. It defiantly looked like it wanted to fight now and wasted no time in charging up its own attack until its tail took on a glimmering hue of light blue. The Sheldon kept charging, unaware of its opponent's readied counter attack. Leaping forward with all its might, the Sheldon forced itself to push as much power behind its attack through the final bound. The Bibarel waited with a glint of concentration in its eye, just up till the last second and whipped its whole body around. Its tail, with a good amount of momentum added to its attack, slammed painfully across the Sheldon's side, redirecting the charging steel-type around it and into the ground. The water-type scoffed triumphantly as it watched its opponent skip across the ground like a ragdoll, skidding to a halt and knocked out. Once the battle was over and obviously won, the Bibarel's expression shifted back to its blank stare into outer space as if nothing had happened a few moments ago. Cheers broke out from the small audience that had gathered to watch the battle. The Sheldon's trainer raced onto the field to check on his pokemon, cradling the small creature in his arms. The Sheldon regained consciousness and snuggled up to its trainer instantly. The two trainers congratulated each other on an exciting battle and a good time before parting ways.

"Cool, looks like the stage is clear for our battle," the pokemon collector who challenged Jake said.

Both he and Jake took to the stage, another small crowd gathering around to watch the battle. Haze bristled and kept flexing her claws in anticipation; Jake on the other hand nervously fidgeted wondering how this battle would turn out and if his cover would still be intact by the end.

"Haze, promise me you won't overdo it here," Jake whispered to his partner, "We still need to keep our eyes peeled for Team Sigma."

Haze rolled her eyes, "You worry too much; I'll beat whatever this trainer has in ten seconds flat."

Jake face palmed, forcing himself to remain calm and neutral, "So what's your name? Thought I'd at least ask, since we're battling and all."

The pokemon collector smiled widely, "I am the one who will be known as the greatest pokemon collector of the century. People will talk about the overwhelming collection of the great pokemon collector, Clark!"

A sparkling glint reflected off the overly glossed spectacles Clark wore, striking a ridiculous pose that made Haze snicker uncontrollably. Jake had to admit, it was pretty hard not to laugh at this too, but he coughed to cover the smirk.

"…Ok, well the name is Trevor. Trevor Martinez, I'm a trainer from Hoenn."

"Trevor eh, I knew a Trevor once. Made a few trades with him to up my collection," Clark fell into a daze as he remembered. He shook the thought away and readied himself with a pokeball from his belt, "Oh well, time to battle. Empoleon, I choose you!"

The pokeball arched through the air, springing open in a burst of bright light. The intense energy dissipated and the water/steel-type stood ready with his bladed fins at the ready. Surprisingly, the Empoleon was wearing a white collar and black bow tie complimented with a silken black top hat. It blended quite well with the Empoleon's physical appearance making him look more sophisticated. Haze, more than eager to get started need no prompt and jumped out onto the field.

"Alright Krystal, let's do this," Jake readied a command, "Use Blaze Kick!"

Haze launched into the air, twirling as her attack charged and created a ring of fire. Her dress glittered brightly against the tongues of flames, showing off the vivid details woven into the fabric against her graceful form as she closed in. As much of a spectacle the attack was, the Empoleon proved it was far lither than it appeared and easily sidestepped the oncoming attack.

"Hold still you," Haze hissed.

The Empoleon merely smirked, "then it wouldn't exactly be a battle now would it."

Haze huffed and charged again, not planning on missing again.

Clark had other ideas though and issued his command, "Empoleon, Drill Peck attack!"

The Empoleon bobbed and weaved around Haze's attacks a bit more, biding its time before pushing his own attack on Haze. Now on the defense, Haze had to keep moving back to avoid the sharp beak of the Empoleon as he pressed further into Haze's circle of reach. Unfortunately, Haze wasn't quite as quick to avoid all of the attacks and caught a few glancing blows along her side. She winced, already feeling the bruises forming against her ribs beneath the nicks in her outfit. The pain was nothing more than superficial though and she recovered quickly, swearing that she'd make the Empoleon pay for ripping her dress.

"Krystal, knock him back! Sky Uppercut!"

Haze had to dodge a couple more attacks, but the patience was worth it as the Empoleon revealed an opening. Haze's attack mad contact, exploding against the underside of the Empoleon's jaw. He staggered back with a few unseen stars obscuring his vision. Though even after the powerful punch, the Empoleon brushed himself off and readjusted his top hat to perch evenly atop his head.

"Woah, feels like you almost broke my jaw there," The Empoleon said as he flexed his jaw a couple times.

"And here I thought I would have to apologize for being too strong," Haze said mockingly.

"Focus Krystal," Jake cut them off, "he's still got some strength left. Hit him with a Flamethrower!"

The torrent of flames washed over the half water-type with little effect. Haze didn't care though, unleashing even more fire to splash in the Empoleon's face.

"Empoleon, let's show them that they are no match for us! Double Team!"

Haze snapped her beak shut the moment the Empoleon in front of her disappeared, but with that, almost a dozen more had taken its place and surrounded the Blaziken. Haze jerked her head from side to side, locking eyes with each of the Empoleons with their bow ties and top hats. Every single one of them wore a satisfied smirk that taunted the Blaziken. Not one of them had a single flaw or twitch that would define it as the real one. It was almost like fighting blind.

The confusion drew a half worried look about Haze; she enough and spat fireball after fireball into the surrounding figures only to have them disappear and reappear a moment later. The Empoleon merely laughed at Haze's wasted efforts as she kept up her barrage in hopes of catching the real one.

Clark grinned, a small glint reflecting off his glasses, "Ok, Empoleon, get her with another Drill Peck!"

Unlike the last Drill Peck attack, this one hit Haze square in the torso before she could have time to retaliate. Another moment later the Empoleon jumped back and split back into its Double Team. Again, Haze was surrounded by a dozen or so doppelgangers with no indications of which one was real.

"Another Drill Peck, Empoleon!"

The Empoleon appeared from the crowd and rammed head on into Haze from behind. Haze cringed and stumbled forward. She didn't take too kindly to this and whirled around with a right hook. The fist only caught empty air after the Empoleon disappeared among the doppelgangers again. Haze breathed heavily, wincing with each breath from the cumulative damage she was taking.

"Coward, why not fight me head on?" Haze cursed her opponent.

One Empoleon smirked, the doppelgangers mirroring perfectly in sync, "Oh? I thought I was."

Haze threw a dangerous glare at one of the doppelgangers only making it and the rest laugh before Haze was hit again from behind. Again and again the Empoleon would be visible for a brief moment among its clones to attack Haze from different angles and faded back in with its clones before Haze could attack back. Jake looked on worriedly, watching in burning frustration that he couldn't help beyond giving commands.

'Come on, think Jake. There's got to be something…Wait, that's it,' Jake's eyes lit up as he watched the battle, "Krystal, there's a pattern and a tell in his attack!"

There was a pattern. Haze just didn't notice it till now, but now that she paid a little more attention, she saw the little flaw that gave the whole charade away. It was his feet; all the doppelgangers' feet moved in a blurry motion almost as if they were a mirage. But one pair of feet stood out among the rest, looking more tangible than the rest as it moved through the surrounding puppets.

With a knowing grin, Jake saw that Haze had figured it out and was ready to finish this annoying fight, "Now Krystal, Flamethrower!"

The blast of fire struck true, stunning the real Empoleon in place and causing the other projections to fizzle out of existence. The flamethrower attack hardly did any damage but it still did what it was meant to do and held the Empoleon still for a brief second; that was good enough.

"Okay, Krystal, Sky Uppercut!"

The Empoleon tried to move out of the way at its master's command, but the last attack still had him moving at a sluggish pace. The clenched fist of the smirking Blaziken hit, another strike to the jaw that lifted the Empoleon right off his feet. The Empoleon let out a final cry of pain before crashing backwards to the ground. His top hat lazily floated down to land on his chest while Clark looked on, jaw dropped and mortified.

Applause and cheers erupted from the small audience that had gathered to watch the battle. Haze, although beaten and tired, stood tall to lavish herself in the well earned praise.

Clark recoiled but recomposed himself, "Return, Empoleon!" The collector recollected his pokemon to the safety of his pokeball, "That was good battle my friend. But you, don't you think you've seen the last of me. For I, pokemon collector Clark, will eventually be known as the greatest pokemon collector in history!"

Jake suppressed another laugh and shook his opponent's hand in good sportsmanship, "Well, good luck with that. You're still a great trainer as it is."

Clark left the stage to go back to conversing with other people who were milling about the practice hall.

*Clap, clap, clap*

Slow and rhythmic was the sound that caught Jake's and Haze's attention. It was a simple clapping of a pair of hands, but it was much more defined than the rest of the audience, as if demanding to be heard. Not only that, the clapping continued in its slow beat even after the rest of the crowd dispersed. Both the PEF members rounded about to face the source of the persistent sound.

Before them stood a portly, middle-aged man, giving a warm grin of approval. He wore a fine looking suit of dark pinstripe brown and a hand carved cane to add to his ensemble.

Description
Haze and Jake admired the evening atmosphere as they walked through the city of Hearthrome. The sun was almost halfway over the horizon, casting tall shadows across the streets. The streets were still fairly busy though, even at this later hour, but much of the crowd was heading in the same general direction. The Contest Hall that had been redecorated for the Gala. All around the PEF members, people and pokemon talked, laughed, and were enjoying the night like it were any other. Many of them were fashionably dressed in elegant dress and suits that gave them an air of high class citizenship.

Even before they entered the Contest Hall, Jake and Haze could hear the ambience and chatter coming from inside. The gala had just begun and people were already filling the hall for the night's occasion. Jake scanned the groups of people and pokemon that flowed through the entrance. All of them looked normal, no sign or hint of Team Sigma; a good sign for now.

"Remember Haze, act normal and only talk to me when it's necessary," Jake whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

"I know, you don't have to keep reminding me," Haze hastily whispered back.

They reached the entrance by now and were greeted by a pair of Heathrome City police officers flanking the glass double doors. At least the city is putting some thought into the PEF's warning. Jake crossed the threshold with a comfortable smile and a quick nod in the officers' direction. They returned the gesture and bid him a good evening. Jake noticed the lobby was spotless as they walked in. There was a constant buzz of chatter as more and more people came in and filed into the practice contest hall further in. After a quick scan of the lobby and its inhabitants, Jake gestured for himself and Haze to follow the crowd into the practice hall where the first half of the gala events took place. Another checkpoint was set up where the pokemon contest competitors would usually sign in. Only it was now being used as a check in for everyone who was attending the gala.

"Welcome to the 7th annual Hearthrome City gala sir," A pleasant young woman greeted Jake as he came up to the check-in station, "May I see you ID and pokemon registries of any pokemon that are with you?"

"Yes ma'am," Jake nodded and pulled his 'ID' and 'Krystal's' registry form.

The woman behind the check-in looked over the paperwork once and typed some stuff on a computer handing the items back.

"Enjoy the gala Mr. Martinez."

"Thank you ma'am, come on Krystal."

Beyond the checkpoint the music inside the gala grew louder and became more discernable. It was a catchy, upbeat pop tune that a lot of guests were enjoying listening to. The entire room had been cleared of the seats that contest audience would normally sit and watch practice matches and was now covered in an attractively furnished wooden dance floor. The left wall of the large chamber was dominated by tables piled with various, decadent finger foods and small entrees. There was even a chocolate fountain that sat near the dessert end which made Jake eye longingly. He promised himself he would have to try it later seeing how he had never tried one before. Of course Haze didn't pass up the chance to make a fat joke when she saw her partner ogling said chocolate fountain.

On the opposite side from the dining tables was a lounge area where an assortment of people from various classes chatted about life among the comfy lounge couches. Up on the stage, a DJ and her Elekid wearing matching blue striped headphones and similar baggy attire bobbed their heads softly to the beat of the music as they set the mood and select new playlists for the night.

Just like the in the Main Lobby, Jake and Haze scanned the room for any obvious signs of Team Sigma. None so far, which was a surprise; but the gala was only getting started, and the auction, Team Sigma's real target, was not set to begin for another couple hours. Jake waved Haze's attention down to him and gestured for them to go over to the Lounge area. With any luck, they might overhear something among the chatty crowds. Though right as they entered the perimeter of the lounge area, a stocky woman who, some would say, wore too much make up stopped Jake and Haze in their tracks with an overexagerrated and somewhat overbearing smile.

"Oh my, you're one lucky kid," the woman suddenly blurted, "It's not very common to see a Blaziken around these parts, especially a female! She's just as darling as my Gem here!"

The woman continued to gush and introduced her Snubbull named, Gem.

"Uh, thank you," Jake stuttered after the sudden approach.

Apparently, more people had overheard this little outburst and now started converging on the scene of the 'uncommon pokemon'. Most of them were collectors or breeders that pumped endless streams of questions about Jake's pokemon. Haze tried her best to appear calm and not look overwhelmed by the sudden attention, but the constant bombardment was making her uneasy.

Jake noticed this and gave her a light brush against the back of her hand following a look that said, 'It's okay Haze, just keep playing along.'

"So where are you from their kiddo?"

"The Hoenn region, from the town of Littleroot."

"And who is this lovely young Blaziken?"

"This is my partner, Krystal. She is my first pokemon I received when I started my journey back in Hoenn."

"You're pretty lucky to get a female as a starter, but this coloration is much richer than any other I've seen. Is it natural?"

"Yes, she was born that way."

On and on the questions came until one guest came up to Jake with not a question, but something else.

"She also looks really strong, I would love to see how well you've trained her in a battle," This particular collecter remarked, spinning a pokeball on his forefinger to emphasize his challenge.

Haze's expression lit up into one of determination and eagerness, ready to take her mind off the anxiety of being the center of attention through a battle. Jake on the other hand was starting to back away, biting his lower lip as he tugged at Haze's arm to pull her away as well.

Haze leaned over to whisper out the corner of her lips, "What's up Jake? How come you won't accept the battle?"

Jake's eyes quickly darted back and forth between Haze and the collector who challenged him. As much as he would love a battle, he didn't want to start drawing unwanted attention to himself, not with an important mission at hand. Though at the same time, he didn't have an excuse to decline the battle…or maybe he did.

"Gee, that does sound like a good idea, but where would we battle?" Jake said trying to raise a valid point and slip away.

The Collector crossed he arms and puffed out his chest, dealing a winning smile, "dude, don't worry about it, didn't you hear? They were setting up the stage to start some battles in the practice hall."

Crap, now Jake really was out of excuses, and Haze wouldn't stop nudging and urging for him to take the challenge. Taking another moment to think, he felt like he was the only one not willing to battle and drawing more attention to himself by refusing the battle. Sure enough, others who had gathered around were boring holes in the back of Jake's head, possibly to see why this trainer would refuse a battle so adamantly.

'Looks like I have no choice,' Jake thought in defeat before exhaling silently and putting on a friendly smile, "Ok sure, sounds like a good idea. Warning you now though, I don't like to lose."

Both the Collector and Haze beamed with excitement and soon the small crowd around began to murmur in anticipation, giving their opinion on who they thought would win. With that, they made their way to the practice hall where another battle was already underway. Both Jake and the Collector watched from the sidelines as an older gentleman and his Bibarel went up against another trainer and his Sheldon.

"Alright Sheldon, let's finish this with a Take Down," the trainer called out.

The Sheldon pawed at the ground and charged with a war cry. The Bibarel didn't move, nor even look like it was paying attention to the battle at hand. It just sat and stared off into space as if there wasn't a pissed off Steel-type charging right at it. Haze looked over at Jake and gave him a look that said that this would be over quickly, but Jake thought differently and merely brushed the look away to watch the battle.

The Older gentleman smiled deviously, "Now Bibarel! Aqua tail!"

The Bibarel's expression swiftly changed from an oblivious, far off stare to one of aggressive confidence. It defiantly looked like it wanted to fight now and wasted no time in charging up its own attack until its tail took on a glimmering hue of light blue. The Sheldon kept charging, unaware of its opponent's readied counter attack. Leaping forward with all its might, the Sheldon forced itself to push as much power behind its attack through the final bound. The Bibarel waited with a glint of concentration in its eye, just up till the last second and whipped its whole body around. Its tail, with a good amount of momentum added to its attack, slammed painfully across the Sheldon's side, redirecting the charging steel-type around it and into the ground. The water-type scoffed triumphantly as it watched its opponent skip across the ground like a ragdoll, skidding to a halt and knocked out. Once the battle was over and obviously won, the Bibarel's expression shifted back to its blank stare into outer space as if nothing had happened a few moments ago. Cheers broke out from the small audience that had gathered to watch the battle. The Sheldon's trainer raced onto the field to check on his pokemon, cradling the small creature in his arms. The Sheldon regained consciousness and snuggled up to its trainer instantly. The two trainers congratulated each other on an exciting battle and a good time before parting ways.

"Cool, looks like the stage is clear for our battle," the pokemon collector who challenged Jake said.

Both he and Jake took to the stage, another small crowd gathering around to watch the battle. Haze bristled and kept flexing her claws in anticipation; Jake on the other hand nervously fidgeted wondering how this battle would turn out and if his cover would still be intact by the end.

"Haze, promise me you won't overdo it here," Jake whispered to his partner, "We still need to keep our eyes peeled for Team Sigma."

Haze rolled her eyes, "You worry too much; I'll beat whatever this trainer has in ten seconds flat."

Jake face palmed, forcing himself to remain calm and neutral, "So what's your name? Thought I'd at least ask, since we're battling and all."

The pokemon collector smiled widely, "I am the one who will be known as the greatest pokemon collector of the century. People will talk about the overwhelming collection of the great pokemon collector, Clark!"

A sparkling glint reflected off the overly glossed spectacles Clark wore, striking a ridiculous pose that made Haze snicker uncontrollably. Jake had to admit, it was pretty hard not to laugh at this too, but he coughed to cover the smirk.

"…Ok, well the name is Trevor. Trevor Martinez, I'm a trainer from Hoenn."

"Trevor eh, I knew a Trevor once. Made a few trades with him to up my collection," Clark fell into a daze as he remembered. He shook the thought away and readied himself with a pokeball from his belt, "Oh well, time to battle. Empoleon, I choose you!"

The pokeball arched through the air, springing open in a burst of bright light. The intense energy dissipated and the water/steel-type stood ready with his bladed fins at the ready. Surprisingly, the Empoleon was wearing a white collar and black bow tie complimented with a silken black top hat. It blended quite well with the Empoleon's physical appearance making him look more sophisticated. Haze, more than eager to get started need no prompt and jumped out onto the field.

"Alright Krystal, let's do this," Jake readied a command, "Use Blaze Kick!"

Haze launched into the air, twirling as her attack charged and created a ring of fire. Her dress glittered brightly against the tongues of flames, showing off the vivid details woven into the fabric against her graceful form as she closed in. As much of a spectacle the attack was, the Empoleon proved it was far lither than it appeared and easily sidestepped the oncoming attack.

"Hold still you," Haze hissed.

The Empoleon merely smirked, "then it wouldn't exactly be a battle now would it."

Haze huffed and charged again, not planning on missing again.

Clark had other ideas though and issued his command, "Empoleon, Drill Peck attack!"

The Empoleon bobbed and weaved around Haze's attacks a bit more, biding its time before pushing his own attack on Haze. Now on the defense, Haze had to keep moving back to avoid the sharp beak of the Empoleon as he pressed further into Haze's circle of reach. Unfortunately, Haze wasn't quite as quick to avoid all of the attacks and caught a few glancing blows along her side. She winced, already feeling the bruises forming against her ribs beneath the nicks in her outfit. The pain was nothing more than superficial though and she recovered quickly, swearing that she'd make the Empoleon pay for ripping her dress.

"Krystal, knock him back! Sky Uppercut!"

Haze had to dodge a couple more attacks, but the patience was worth it as the Empoleon revealed an opening. Haze's attack mad contact, exploding against the underside of the Empoleon's jaw. He staggered back with a few unseen stars obscuring his vision. Though even after the powerful punch, the Empoleon brushed himself off and readjusted his top hat to perch evenly atop his head.

"Woah, feels like you almost broke my jaw there," The Empoleon said as he flexed his jaw a couple times.

"And here I thought I would have to apologize for being too strong," Haze said mockingly.

"Focus Krystal," Jake cut them off, "he's still got some strength left. Hit him with a Flamethrower!"

The torrent of flames washed over the half water-type with little effect. Haze didn't care though, unleashing even more fire to splash in the Empoleon's face.

"Empoleon, let's show them that they are no match for us! Double Team!"

Haze snapped her beak shut the moment the Empoleon in front of her disappeared, but with that, almost a dozen more had taken its place and surrounded the Blaziken. Haze jerked her head from side to side, locking eyes with each of the Empoleons with their bow ties and top hats. Every single one of them wore a satisfied smirk that taunted the Blaziken. Not one of them had a single flaw or twitch that would define it as the real one. It was almost like fighting blind.

The confusion drew a half worried look about Haze; she enough and spat fireball after fireball into the surrounding figures only to have them disappear and reappear a moment later. The Empoleon merely laughed at Haze's wasted efforts as she kept up her barrage in hopes of catching the real one.

Clark grinned, a small glint reflecting off his glasses, "Ok, Empoleon, get her with another Drill Peck!"

Unlike the last Drill Peck attack, this one hit Haze square in the torso before she could have time to retaliate. Another moment later the Empoleon jumped back and split back into its Double Team. Again, Haze was surrounded by a dozen or so doppelgangers with no indications of which one was real.

"Another Drill Peck, Empoleon!"

The Empoleon appeared from the crowd and rammed head on into Haze from behind. Haze cringed and stumbled forward. She didn't take too kindly to this and whirled around with a right hook. The fist only caught empty air after the Empoleon disappeared among the doppelgangers again. Haze breathed heavily, wincing with each breath from the cumulative damage she was taking.

"Coward, why not fight me head on?" Haze cursed her opponent.

One Empoleon smirked, the doppelgangers mirroring perfectly in sync, "Oh? I thought I was."

Haze threw a dangerous glare at one of the doppelgangers only making it and the rest laugh before Haze was hit again from behind. Again and again the Empoleon would be visible for a brief moment among its clones to attack Haze from different angles and faded back in with its clones before Haze could attack back. Jake looked on worriedly, watching in burning frustration that he couldn't help beyond giving commands.

'Come on, think Jake. There's got to be something…Wait, that's it,' Jake's eyes lit up as he watched the battle, "Krystal, there's a pattern and a tell in his attack!"

There was a pattern. Haze just didn't notice it till now, but now that she paid a little more attention, she saw the little flaw that gave the whole charade away. It was his feet; all the doppelgangers' feet moved in a blurry motion almost as if they were a mirage. But one pair of feet stood out among the rest, looking more tangible than the rest as it moved through the surrounding puppets.

With a knowing grin, Jake saw that Haze had figured it out and was ready to finish this annoying fight, "Now Krystal, Flamethrower!"

The blast of fire struck true, stunning the real Empoleon in place and causing the other projections to fizzle out of existence. The flamethrower attack hardly did any damage but it still did what it was meant to do and held the Empoleon still for a brief second; that was good enough.

"Okay, Krystal, Sky Uppercut!"

The Empoleon tried to move out of the way at its master's command, but the last attack still had him moving at a sluggish pace. The clenched fist of the smirking Blaziken hit, another strike to the jaw that lifted the Empoleon right off his feet. The Empoleon let out a final cry of pain before crashing backwards to the ground. His top hat lazily floated down to land on his chest while Clark looked on, jaw dropped and mortified.

Applause and cheers erupted from the small audience that had gathered to watch the battle. Haze, although beaten and tired, stood tall to lavish herself in the well earned praise.

Clark recoiled but recomposed himself, "Return, Empoleon!" The collector recollected his pokemon to the safety of his pokeball, "That was good battle my friend. But you, don't you think you've seen the last of me. For I, pokemon collector Clark, will eventually be known as the greatest pokemon collector in history!"

Jake suppressed another laugh and shook his opponent's hand in good sportsmanship, "Well, good luck with that. You're still a great trainer as it is."

Clark left the stage to go back to conversing with other people who were milling about the practice hall.

*Clap, clap, clap*

Slow and rhythmic was the sound that caught Jake's and Haze's attention. It was a simple clapping of a pair of hands, but it was much more defined than the rest of the audience, as if demanding to be heard. Not only that, the clapping continued in its slow beat even after the rest of the crowd dispersed. Both the PEF members rounded about to face the source of the persistent sound.

Before them stood a portly, middle-aged man, giving a warm grin of approval. He wore a fine looking suit of dark pinstripe brown and a hand carved cane to add to his ensemble.