"So which of you kids will be the first to take me on for my badge?"
"I'll do it!" answered Shiranui as he stepped up to the challenger's spot.
"This gym battle is a single battle with no Pokémon limit and no time limit," stated Giovanni. Shiranui raised an eyebrow in response to Giovanni not imposing a limit on the number of Pokémon. "I choose Golem!"
"Fushigi, I choose you!" Giovanni sent out a Golem and Shiranui responded with his Venusaur before checking his Pokédex.
"Golem, the Megaton Pokémon and the fully-evolved form of Geodude. Even dynamite can't harm its hard, boulder-like body. It sheds its hide just once a year."
"Golem, Bulldoze!"
"Fushigi, Worry Seed!" Fushigi launched a seed from his flower at Golem and the seed enshrouded it with plant growths that caused it to worry. Golem stomped the ground and sent a quake that made Fushigi slower.
"Golem, Steamroller!"
"Fushigi, Frenzy Plant!" The Venusaur started glowing a light green as he stomped the ground. Roots shot out and whipped Golem into a one-hit knockout.
"Not bad, kid," commented Giovanni, recalling Golem, "Try your luck with my Rhyperior!" Giovanni sent out Rhyperior and the next round was on. "Rhyperior, Horn Drill!" Fushigi had to recharge from the Frenzy Plant and was a sitting Psyduck as Rhyperior closed in, its horn spinning like a drill.
"Fushigi, get out of the way!" The command came to no avail as Rhyperior nailed Fushigi into a one-hit knockout.
"Fushigi, return; Ryuu, I choose you!" Shiranui recalled his Venusaur and sent out his Dragonair.
"Rhyperior, Earthquake!"
"Ryuu, Surf!" The Dragonair conjured a tsunami and rode it as it crashed down on Rhyperior. Shiranui noticed the attack, while super effective, did not do as much damage as he expected it to do on account of Rhyperior's Solid Rock ability. Rhyperior stomped the ground and caused it to shake the Dragonair for a lot of damage.
"Rhyperior, Rock Wrecker!"
"Ryuu, Draco Meteor!" The Dragonair fired a ball of energy into the air and like a firework, the ball exploded and rained down on Rhyperior, knocking it out.
"Give it up, Giovanni!" said Shiranui, "You can't beat me!" Giovanni chuckled as he stood up.
"Is that your opinion, little boy?" he rebutted, "Perhaps a test battle with my most powerful Pokémon will make you change your tune!" Giovanni snapped his fingers and a door on the wall underneath him opened up, revealing a bipedal cat-like Pokémon with a long purple tail clad in armour. Shiranui tried scanning the newcomer.
"Pokémon unknown. No data exists." The armoured Pokémon let off a light blue glow and Shiranui saw the eyes glowing as well; as Ryuu was sent hurtling towards a wall. The Dragonair fell down KO'd.
"That is one powerful Psychic attack!" Shiranui commented as he recalled Ryuu, "No data on this thing? Could this be the Pokémon we read about back at the mansion?"
"You are free to use more than one Pokémon at once if you are too afraid to lose!" stated Giovanni, "If you do beat it—which you won't—you'll win the badge."
"I'm not afraid at all!" Shiranui rebutted, "Sapphire, Titania, I choose you!" Shiranui sent out his Sableye and Gardevoir. "Titania, Moonblast; Sapphire, Feint Attack! Mega Ring activate!" Shiranui activated his Mega Ring and Titania evolved into her mega form before the opposing Pokémon's eyes started glowing again. Sapphire was not affected by the attack, but Titania was reeling under a mental onslaught; barely surviving. The Mega Gardevoir fired a blast of moonlight that struck her armoured foe. Sapphire gave her foe a sucker punch and did as much damage as Titania's attack. Shiranui was barely holding together as he felt a little fear for the armoured powerhouse.
"Don't waste your time, boy!" said Giovanni, "This is the ultimate Pokémon! It cannot be beaten!"
"Is that a fact?" rebutted Shiranui, "Its attack doesn't work on my Sableye! Titania, Imprison; Sapphire, Toxic!"
"This will make it work!" replied Giovanni, snapping his fingers. Sapphire put her Prankster ability to work and sprayed some poison at her foe, managing to hit some exposed spots and leaving it badly poisoned. The armoured powerhouse used Miracle Eye on Sapphire to nullify the Sableye's immunity to psychic attacks before Titania placed a mental block on all attacks she knew, making the Miracle eye mostly moot, but still in effect.
"I've never seen a mind more malevolent in all my life," the Mega Gardevoir commented, reeling from the things she saw in her foe's mind.
"Don't let it get to you, Titania, use your Wish attack! Sapphire, Shadow Claw!" Nasty-looking scythe-like blades were conjured by the armoured Pokémon and thrown like flying discs at Shiranui's team. The trainer realised it was a Psycho Cut attack. Both Sapphire and Titania got hit and the Mega Gardevoir fell, reverting to her base form and removing her mental block. Sapphire slashed her foe with ghostly claws and the hit was critical, leaving it worse for wear after the poison took effect.
"Don't let that puny ghost get the better of you!" shouted a furious Giovanni as his powerhouse started to prepare a Recover move.
"Not so fast!" Shiranui cut in, "Sapphire, Shadow Sneak!" The Sableye extended her shadow behind her foe and shot a shadowy lance, impaling her armoured opponent from behind with shadowy energy, causing just enough damage to knock the powerhouse out.
"Impossible!" Giovanni said, aghast that his most powerful Pokémon was defeated.
"The badge please," Shiranui (almost) politely requested. Giovanni huffed as he threw the Earth Badge down to the battlefield.
"Your friend will have to wait while I prepare for the next battle," finished Giovanni as he had some men cart the defeated powerhouse away and retreated.