"Very well," Shiranui volunteered.
In the Circhester Gym, Shiranui adjusted his party before his name came up in the fight card. He makes his entrance ninja-style, startling some of the audience. "Hey there. The name's Gordie. I admit I feel a little bad for doing this to a Gym Challenger, but… I'm going to use this match to show the crowd that my Pokémon are unbeatable! So, let's get this over with, Challenger!" Gordie introduced.
"You're not the first trainer I faced to have the hubris to make that claim," Shiranui rebutted with a snappy comeback, "Like everyone else that won your badge, I will prove you wrong!"
"This challenge will be a four-on-four single battle with no time limit," the referee announced, "Only the challenger may switch Pokémon. Begin!"
"Go Barbaracle!" Gordie called.
"Kinoko, I choose you!" Shiranui called, sending out his Breloom. He scanned Barbaracle on his Pokédex app.
"Barbaracle, the Collective Pokémon. A Rock and Water type and the evolved form of Binacle. Seven Binacle come together to form one Barbaracle. The Binacle that serves as the head gives orders to those serving as the limbs."
"Barbaracle, Shell Smash!"
"Kinoko, use Spore!" The Breloom released a cloud of yellow spores that sent Barbaracle to sleep. Kinoko's Toxic Orb activated, rendering her badly poisoned—normally a detriment, but her Poison Heal made the condition favourable.
"Barbaracle, wake up and use Rock Tomb!"
"Kinoko, drop it a Seed Bomb!" Kinoko raised her tail and fired a salvo of seeds into the air. Barbaracle copped some heavy damage from the barrage due to a double weakness, barely surviving the hit. Barbaracle woke up and threw some boulders at Kinoko, not doing much damage but slowing the Breloom down. Kinoko's Poison Heal recovered all the damage she took.
"Barbaracle, give Breloom another Rock Tomb!"
"Kinoko, finish Barbaracle off with a Mach Punch!" Not bothered from being slowed by Barbaracle's Rock Tomb, Kinoko charged in and threw an almost imperceptibly fast punch, knocking Barbaracle out.
"Barbaracle is unable to battle," the referee called, "Breloom wins!"
"So much for 'unbeatable'," Shiranui commented, "You may be good enough to make the rank of gym leader, but you're facing the champion of both the Kanto and Kalos Leagues."
"Well, my next Pokémon will be as hard to crack as a slab of granite," Gordie rebutted, "Go Shuckle!"
"Kinoko, return!" Shiranui called, switching out his Breloom, "Kirigami, I choose you!" He sent out his Kartana.
"Begin!" the referee called, raising both flags.
"Shuckle, Power Split!"
"Kirigami, Smart Strike!" Kirigami charged at Shuckle and delivered an unavoidable hit with a stabbing thrust. Shuckle used a psychic power to average Kirigami's high Attack stat with its own meagre Attack stat.
"Shuckle, Rock Tomb!"
"Kirigami, Laser Focus!" The Kartana focused in on Shuckle's weak spot before getting inundated by a barrage of boulders and suffering a Speed drop.
"Shuckle, Struggle Bug!"
"Kirigami, crack that shell with Guillotine!"
"What?!" Gordie exclaimed as Kirigami jumped high into the air with its blades longer and glowing a bright light blue. An X-shaped cut appeared on Shuckle's back as Kirigami reappeared, striking a pose as Shuckle fainted from the KO move.
"Tcejbo sselhtrow a tuc evah I, niaga ecno," Kirigami commented. Shiranui had heard what Kirigami's strange catchphrase meant after getting a psychic translation after hearing it for the first time.
"Shuckle is unable to battle," the referee called, "Kartana wins!"
"I must admit, that was well executed," Gordie commented, having never seen his Shuckle get so trounced.
"Thank you," Shiranui replied, "I like to think outside the box."
"Well then, let's see how you handle my next Pokémon," Gordie rebutted, "Go Stonjourner!" Gordie sent out a Pokémon that looked like it came out of a henge sporting the elder rune Ingwaz on each of its legs and tall enough to dwarf Saisei in height; and Shiranui scanned the newcomer.
"Stonjourner, the Big Rock Pokémon. A Rock type. It stands in grasslands, watching the sun's descent from zenith to horizon. This Pokémon has a talent for delivering dynamic kicks. Once a year, on a specific date and at a specific time, they gather out of nowhere and form up in a circle."
"Kartana, return; Sogekishu, I choose you!" Shiranui switched out his Kartana and brought out his Inteleon.
"Begin!" the referee called, raising both flags.
"Stonjourner, Body Slam!"
"Sogekishu, Snipe Shot!" As Stonjourner charged at Sogekishu, the Inteleon closed his nictitating membranes, made a finger gun and shot water at Stonjourner. Faster than the blink of an eye, Sogekishu's shot hit Stonjourner in the face for a critical hit at Mach 2. With a mighty crash of more than half a ton of rock, Stonjourner fell over knocked out and Sogekishu blew the pretend smoke from his finger gun.
"Stonjourner is unable to battle," the referee called, "Inteleon wins!"
"Not yet! I'm not crumbling to dust just yet. We can still battle!" Gordie said, sending out his headliner Coalossal. Shiranui scanned Coalossal with his Pokédex app.
"Coalossal, the Coal Pokémon. A Rock and Fire type and the evolved form of Carkol. It's usually peaceful, but the vandalism of mines enrages it. Offenders will be incinerated with flames that reach 1,482°C." Shiranui elected to keep Sogekishu out.
"Begin!" the referee called, raising both flags.
"Like a giant mountain boulder! Hiyah! Gigantamax!" Gordie called.
"Sogekishu, time to test out that soup you had! Gigantamax!" Shiranui called. Both trainers recalled their Pokémon and activated their Dynamax Bands. Gordie's Coalossal came out at a height comparable to a 14-storey apartment building and Sogekishu, although gigantic, lay prone on his own tail at a height one storey shy at the head crest holding a watery harpoon.
"Size means strength! Savor this pain! Use G-max Volcalith!"
"Sogekishu, take your best shot with G-Max Hydrosnipe!" The Gigantamaxed Inteleon took aim at Coalossal and with the precision of a SWAT sniper, fired his harpoon at Mach 7 and in less than a millisecond scored a good hit on Coalossal for enough damage for Coalossal to revert to its normal form and faint from the hit.
"Coalossal is unable to battle," the referee called, "The winner of this battle is Shiranui Tsukiko of Ecruteak City!"
"That was…impressive. Rules are rules. Here, take this Rock Badge," Gordie congratulated.
"Thanks Gordie," Shiranui replied as Sogekishu glided down and landed next to his trainer.