Challengers crowded into the Prism Tower, each awaiting their turn to battle against the Gym Leader for the Voltage Badge. Collette and Melody joined Seth's friends on the bleachers to watch Seth face off against Clemont. Seth stood in his trainer's box, eyes closed in deep meditation as he went over his strategy for this particular gym. As far as speed was concerned, he knew his team was at a severe disadvantage as most Electric-types were known for their astounding speed. 

"Looks like we've got quite a crowd here," Clemont observed, glancing around at all his soon-to-be challengers. "I've had a lot of tough challenges lately, and I'm sure you won't be the last."

"I wouldn't classify me as tough, but I'll definitely give you a good fight," Seth replied, earning knowing looks from his friends. 

"Tauros shit!" Cerise coughed.

Seth rolled his eyes at Cerise's remark and shifted his attention from the audience back to Clemont. 

"Ready when you are," Seth declared. 

Clemont nodded and looked over at the judge standing off to the side. It was a robot that had similar features to Clemont himself. 

"Clembot, you'll be the judge of this match. Go ahead and start us off!" 

Clembot held its robotic arm in the air and called out, "the Lumiose City Gym match will now begin! both sides will be allowed four Pokémon each! the battle will be over when one side is no longer able to continue. Furthermore, only the challenger will be able to substitute Pokémon during the battle! both of you, please send out your first Pokémon!"

"Emolga, let's go!" Clemont shouted, releasing the Sky Squirrel Pokémon into the air. 

The airborne rodent spread his winglike flaps and hovered aloft, smiling excitedly as he waited for the opposition to make itself known. 

As I predicted, he'd start with something fast like that. Fortunately for me, I have a counter for that...

"Carbink, come on out!" Seth hollered as he launched Carbink onto the battlefield. 

Bursting forth from its chamber, Carbink was surprised to see that it was taking part in another gym match. While it had been training with Seth and his companions for a while now, it still wasn't entirely confident that it could handle a battle after letting Seth down the first time in Shalour City. But if Seth was using it now, that must mean that he must still desire to keep it around. 

"Are you certain I'm a good pick for this fight? n-not that I'm questioning your judgement or anything but—"

"Hey, don't worry about it Carbink. I know you're still beating yourself up about last time, but you've grown stronger since then and I'm confident you'll be able to handle this. You're my key to winning this after all," Seth said with a smile. 

Carbink didn't know what to make of that. How could it be the key to winning a battle of this magnitude? All his other Pokémon were far more powerful than it was, and could probably handle the battle a lot easier than it could. Whether Carbink believed him or not, Seth was its trainer, and he believed in it enough to make a statement like that, and that's all that mattered. 

"If you think I can do it, then I'll certainly give it my all," Carbink replied as it turned around to look up at its adversary. 

"That's what I like to hear. Now let's get that badge!" Seth shouted confidently. 

"Right!" Carbink replied with determination in its voice. 

"Let the match begin!" Clembot shouted, swiping downward with its hand. 

"Carbink let's start things off with Power Gem!" Seth commanded. 

"Blast it apart with Electro Ball!" Clemont roared. 

Carbink steadied itself and drew in power, the jewel portions of its body lighting up as several jagged gems formed around its frame. The gems were soon fired toward Emolga who answered with a sphere of electricity that blew the gems to smithereens. The electrical rodent dove downward, his body sparking with an electrical current as he charged. 

"Reflect!" Seth shouted hastily. 

Carbink's body lit up once again and conjured up a psychic barrier that took the brunt of the assault, cutting the power of the attack significantly. Carbink responded to the offender with a surprise Stone Edge that had Emolga quickly backpedaling to avoid being battered by rocks that were three times his size. 

"Moon Blast!" Seth roared fiercely. 

"Iron Tail!" Clemont countered. 

Carbink loosed a sphere of pink energy from its body toward the speedy sky squirrel, narrowly missing as he zipped around the attack and closed in. Seth smirked. 

"Trick Room!" Seth called out suddenly, earning a baffled reaction from the crowd. 

Carbink's body began to glow a light blue hue, creating a massive rectangle around the battlefield of like coloration. Emolga suddenly felt himself slowing down, as if he had lost all his speed and momentum in an instant, and to make matters worse, Carbink had moved unexpectedly fast away from his tail as it sliced through the air. 

"Now use Rock Tomb!" 

Carbink's body lit up and a white aura outlined its frame as it formed several glowing rocks in a ring around Emolga. The rocks suddenly converged on one another and slammed into Emolga from all sides, forcing the flying squirrel to the ground with a loud crash. When the dust cleared, Emolga was out of commission. 

"Emolga is unable to battle," Clembot declared as he gestured to Carbink, "Carbink wins the round!"

"There you go son!" Collette cheered from the stands. 

"Way to go big brother!"

Seth smiled at the sound of his family cheering for him. It was a wonderful feeling. Though his father wasn't there to see him battle, he knew that somewhere, the match was being aired and that he was most likely watching it as he'd promised. Knowing that, was enough for him. 

"Wow, that... really took me by surprise. Nicely done!" Clemont laughed, returning Emolga to his ball before reaching for a new partner. "Looks like I'm going to have to take advantage of what you've set up for me here."

"Come at me with everything you've got then. We're ready for you," Seth declared boldly. 

"Alright then, Magnezone let's do this!" Clemont called out. 

"Wait, he evolved it!?" Serena exclaimed, her eyes widening the moment the saucer-like Pokémon made itself known. 

"That could be a problem," Trevor observed, sweat trickling down the side of his face as he remembered the tough time he had with it before it evolved. 

"Yeah, Carbink's not going to be able to deal with that kind of firepower," Tierno added. 

Seth knew they were right in that regard. And even though Carbink had the speed advantage due to Trick Room, he knew that Magnezone would utterly destroy Carbink if it got a hit in. With that thought in mind, he made the decision to switch. Placing Carbink back on his belt he reached for something that would still hold the advantage with Trick Room. Grabbing hold of Cerise's hilt, he withdrew her from her hilt and gave her a toss into the air. 

"En garde, Cerise!" he shouted, waking up the crimson blade who called her sheath to her and held it out to the side with her sash. 

"Trying something new with my entry are we?" Cerise said, turning around to face Seth, her single eye narrowing slightly at her trainer. "I'd appreciate a little warning next time you decide to projectile me into the air like that."

Seth chuckled at Cerise who rolled her eye and turned around, shifting gear to a more battle ready stance, ignoring all the stares she and Seth were getting because of what he'd just done. The only ones who weren't surprised were his friends and family. Clemont adjusted his glasses after rubbing them to make sure he wasn't seeing things. 

"That... is not scientifically possible!" Clemont exclaimed, his voice taking on a nervous tone as he stared at Cerise. "How—what?"

"It's a little trick we've been working on. I'd go into detail but it'll take too long to explain," Seth replied, returning his focus to the match at hand. 

"Right, I'll have to ask more about that afterward. For now, Magnezone, use Charge Beam!" Clemont ordered. 

"Shadow Sneak!" Seth countered.

Magnezone snapped off a high voltage beam of electrical energy, barely missing the sentient sword as she shot into the shadows and snaked her way along the ground in a flash. Bursting from the darkness, Cerise sliced upward and nailed Magnezone's left flank with the edge of her blade. 

"Thunderbolt!" Clemont retaliated.

"Flash Cannon!" Seth fired back. 

Magnezone's magnets locked onto Cerise, charging up power before blasting the sky with electricity. Cerise launched a cannon blast of her own into the destructive beam, a struggle that was easily determined by the sheer power behind Magnezone's attack. Cerise was sent spinning through the air by the force of the blast. She faltered in her recovery for a moment before regaining her stability, just in time to avoid several Magnet Bombs that were hurled her way. 

"Brick Break!" 

"Thunder Wave!" 

Cerise rocketed forward and lashed out at Magnezone, her crimson body glowing brightly as she struck the flying saucer hard with a downward slash to the top of its body. The strike forced Magnezone to the ground, pinning it temporarily. Magnezone turned its magnet cannons on Cerise and trapped her with the paralyzing effects of its trainer's command. Cerise cursed aloud as she was bombarded with a Magnet Blast that pushed her away from her adversary. 

"Thunderbolt!" Clemont cried out. 

A loud BANG sounded off as Cerise was struck from the sky and sent plummeting to the ground. Steam rose from her unconscious body. 

"Honedge is unable to battle! Magnezone wins the round!" Clembot proclaimed. 

Seth calmly returned Cerise to her rarely used abode and smiled, offering his thanks before placing her back on his belt and taking his next choice off and expanding the ball. 

"Pupitar, you're up!" 

The blue-gray pupa emerged from her spherical home and fixed her eyes on her opposition, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Oh for the love of Arceus, you're kidding me, right?" Pupitar exclaimed upon seeing Magnezone staring her down. 

"Don't worry about it. I don't expect you to take it down, I just need you to soften it up a little more for me," Seth replied, rubbing the back of his neck with a nervous chuckle.

"I sincerely hope you don't regret this," Pupitar muttered after turning around and facing Magnezone again. 

"I won't, just trust me."

"A Pupitar huh? that makes things a bit more interesting. I'm excited now! Magnezone use Magnet Rise and then hit it with Flash Cannon!" Clemont ordered hastily. 

"Sandstorm!" Seth counterattacked. 

As Magnezone cast an immunity upon itself while both magnets charged up to fire, Pupitar—being faster due to Trick Room still being in effect—spun rapidly and unleashed a heavy Sandstorm upon the battlefield, giving her the terrain advantage. Magnezone fired off into the storm, missing due to limited visibility. That's when Pupitar came bursting through the veil of sand, her body shrouded in an orange light as she hammered home a Superpower, sending Magnezone flying backward. Pupitar landed and launched herself again, her frame gleaming with steel-like qualities as she charged. 

"Magnet Bomb!" Clemont riposted. 

Magnezone peppered Pupitar with a harsh barrage of steel explosives that sent her bouncing along the ground. She tumbled end over end before finally coming to a stop on her side. Before she could even get up again, a cannon blast washed over her, pushing her against the far wall with an explosion following. Clembot's hand went up again. 

"Pupitar is unable to battle! Magnezone wins the round!" 

"That's the way Clemont! show these girls how strong you are!" Bonnie cheered loudly.

"I thought I told you to cut that out!" Clemont shouted back, his face red from embarrassment. 

"Never!" Bonnie called back.

"Seth's really getting hammered out there isn't he?" Shauna said, almost in disbelief of how much of an advantage Clemont had at the moment. 

"That's true. Seth's team, while strong, has several very glaring weaknesses. Fighting and Steel are not his friends, that's for sure," Serena said with a frown. "So why is he insisting on using them against something like Magnezone?" 

Collette giggled and shook her head at her son. "Seth, you sneak. I know what you're up to," she said for the others to hear. 

"I'm afraid I don't follow," Trevor spoke up, taking his eyes off the match for a moment. 

"It's a classic tactic really. While Clemont has the overall advantage in terms of power, Seth has the field advantage and is about to regain the upper hand. If Clemont hasn't figured out Seth's plan yet, he will soon if my son is doing what I think he's doing..."

Okay, I've only got a little while longer before I have to reset Trick Room. All I really need to do is take out this Magnezone, and since I still have two Pokémon left, that shouldn't be an issue...

"Carbink, come back out!" Seth bellowed, calling upon his faithful jewel once again. 

Carbink's ears drooped slightly the moment it laid eyes on what it would be facing. The flying rodent was one thing, but this monstrosity was going way too far! As it turned to inquire as to what its trainer might be thinking, she saw it. The same unwavering confidence Seth had in choosing it to start the match remained in his eyes. Adjusting its expression, Carbink pinned Magnezone with a determined stare. 

"Magnezone, use Flash Cannon!" 

"Light Screen now!" Seth called out. 

Carbink stood its ground and formed a protective barrier around itself which lessened the sting of the steel infused beam of energy that battered against it. Carbink hopped aside as another one was fired off. 

"Magnet Bomb!" 

"Smack Down!" Seth shouted fiercely. 

As Magnezone hovered over it, Carbink angled its body and formed an intense, glowing orange sphere in front of itself and launched it upward at the metallic menace. An explosion resounded, knocking Magnezone out of the air, rendering it unable to hover or even move for that matter. 

"Earth Power!" 

Carbink's body began to glow bright gold. It hopped once and slammed onto the ground, causing the arena to shake as a trail of cracks raced toward the downed adversary. Several cracks formed beneath it before power erupted from the ground and engulfed Magnezone in an upsurge of energy from the earth. Clembot's  hand shot up once again. 

"Magnezone is unable to battle! Carbink wins the round!" 

"I—I did it. I did it!" Carbink said, hopping around victoriously. 

"See what I mean? you can do this. You're more capable than you think," Seth said smiling. 

"I guess I can, wow..." Carbink said, still flabbergasted that it'd taken down something as strong as Magnezone. 

Even though it knew that it had some help from a few other Pokémon, it was still a huge accomplishment for it. Clemont returned Magnezine and grinned. This was definitely one of his more fun challenges so far. 

"Looks like we're even. That strategy you've got going is going to be a nuisance," Clemont said with a slight frown as he grabbed hold of his next partner. "But I think I've got just the solution for it. Heliolisk, time for battle!" 

Hissing onto the battlefield was a yellow lizard with a primarily black head and a neck that had a band of orange triangular protrusions around it. His eyes were an electric blue, and there were orange bands around its legs with triangular patterns in them. His tail swished back and forth in anticipation. Seth studied Heliolisk carefully, fully aware that this was one of Clemont's stronger teammates. 

"Carbink, Moon Blast!" 

"Thunderbolt!" 

Heliolisk opened his mouth, his frills extending outward and lighting up as he charged up and fired a high voltage blast toward Carbink who responded in kind with an orb of Fariy-powered energy. The electricity punched through the orb of pink energy and hammered into Carbink, pushing it back several feet in spite of the Light Screen protecting it from the majority of the power behind the assault. 

"Iron Tail!" Clemont hollered. 

Heliolisk snarled and exploded from his position, coating his tail with steel-like qualities as he charged toward Carbink. 

"Gyro Ball!" 

Carbink began to spin rapidly in place before launching its body at Heliolisk, the effects of Trick Room allowing it to get the jump on Heliolisk with ease. It rammed into the lizard and forced him back a few paces. Regaining his balance, Heliolisk whipped around and slammed Carbink across its body, and even though Reflect was still in effect, Carbink's tough exterior succumbed to its weakness being exploited yet again, knocking it out. 

"Carbink is unable to battle! Heliolisk wins the round!" Clembot declared yet again. 

"Uh oh," Tierno said nervously as he watched Seth recall Carbink. "Seth's down to his last Pokémon and Clemont's still got two left. This doesn't look good!"

"Who do you think he'll use? anything he has will just get demolished one way or another," Trevor analyzed, recalling the moves that particular Heliolisk knew. 

"Relax guys, this is Seth we're talking about here. He's always got a trick or two up his sleeve," Serena reminded them, remembering the countless times Seth had reversed situations similar to this one. 

Collette and Melody chuckled to themselves as they watched Seth place Carbink back onto his belt and reach for his final Pokémon. 

"I know that ball all too well," Collette smiled warmly, catching the look in Seth's eyes as he held his final pick. 

Seth looked down at the ball in his hand and smiled.

"We've got our work cut out for us don't we?" he said aloud as he looked up at Clemont and Heliolisk. "But thanks to our little friend, all the groundwork has been set up! Bisharp, en garde!" 

Exploding from the alchemy empowered sphere was Seth's ace in the hole. Bisharp dug in and gave a sidelong, challenging glance at Heliolisk. Surprised gasps went up among Seth's companions as the Sword Blade Pokémon made his presence known. 

"Alright, we've got him on the ropes. Just one more win Heliolisk!" Bonnie cheered from the crowd. 

"That may be so, but I doubt he'll make it easy on me," Clemont replied, his face dawning a serious expression as he studied the threat before him. 

"You're right about that. Like I said, I'm leaving here with that badge," Seth stated firmly. 

"We'll see about that. I don't plan to make it easy on you either! Heliolisk, Low Sweep!" 

Heliolisk propelled himself forward, still under the restrictions of the now fading Trick Room as he bolted toward the enemy. Sweeping his leg out, he knocked Bisharp onto his back before he could react, sending him skidding backward several feet before rising to a stand. A bright orange light erupted around his frame for a moment, imbuing Bisharp with a boost in strength. As Heliolisk pressed the assault, Bisharp's body took on an even more dangerous golden glow. 

"Revenge!" 

The counter strike pummeled Heliolisk into the ground with such force that it shook the ground beneath, and cracked the arena floor even more. 

"Heliolisk is unable to battle! Bisharp wins the round!" Clembot shouted. 

Clemont returned Heliolisk and let out a satisfied sigh as he secured him to his belt. Snapping off his last Pokémon, he expanded the ball and looked at Seth with a wide grin. 

"And then there were two. The power your Bisharp boasts is impressive. As I said before, this week has been one tough battle after another. But you sir, are definitely one of the toughest I've faced so far which is why it is my duty as gym leader to go all out! Luxray, let's go!" 

The Gleam Eyes Pokémon erupted from his ball with a mighty roar, electricity shooting across his frame as he crouched into a battle stance, his tail swaying to and fro as he stared down his opposition. Seth could feel the power resonating from the great beast, and knew that this would be a challenge he would have a tough time overcoming. Not only that, but the sandstorm had finally petered out.  

"This is the final bout Bisharp, let's give this everything you've got! Night Slash!" Seth cried out. 

"He's strong, so don't underestimate him Luxray! Wild Charge!" Clemont exclaimed. 

Bisharp bent his knees and then broke into a full sprint toward the now charging Luxray, his claws laced with darkness as he closed the distance. The two clashed in the center of the arena, the force of their attacks blasting each other apart, causing both contenders to dig their feet in to stabilize themselves. 

"Shock Wave!" Clemont thundered.

"Psycho Cut!" Seth retaliated. 

Luxray snarled, his fur bristling as he released stored up electricity into a single blast that roared toward his opponent. Bisharp spread his legs shoulder width apart and placed his bladed hands on either side of his head blade. A bright pink glow surrounded the blades on his stomach as well as his head, and from that, several crescent blades were launched, tearing through the assault with relative ease, forcing Luxray to jump out of the way to avoid being leveled. 

Luxray bared his fangs and ignited them with flames and charged once again. Bisharp's claws cloaked themselves in darkness as he rushed to trade blows with Luxray once more. Luxray leaped aside as they came to blows and lunged at Bisharp, sinking his teeth into the metal arm of Bisharp. Hissing under his breath, Bisharp swung his arm hard and threw Luxray ten feet from where he stood. 

Bisharp shook off the sting of the attack and turned to face the fearsome lion with a determined gaze. Luxray's expression changed to one of excitement since his foe as he'd proven himself a worthy opponent thus far. He let out a gruff "Lux," communicating his respect for him. Bisharp gave the feline a nod of understanding and beckoned him with a confident gesture of his blades. 

"Let's hit him where it hurts! Superpower!" Clemont shouted powerfully. 

"Let's put everything into this Bisharp! Night Slash!" 

Luxray loosed an earsplitting roar, his body surrounded by a brilliant orange glow as he rampaged toward Bisharp. The Steel-type braced himself and waited, recalling to mind everything Seth had taught him during their spars. As Luxray lunged, the patient swordsman swiveled his body to the side, the claws of the beast missing him by an inch. In a swift motion, he swung his bladed arm back around and thrust it forth into Luxray's side, propelling the lion into the wall on the far end of the arena. Luxray hit the wall hard and then fell to the ground in an unconscious heap. 

"Luxray is unable to battle! Bisharp wins, which means the victory goes to Seth, the challenger!"