I: Level 53
The crowd was roaring, air buzzing, and sparks were flying around a neon green arena. Mylo's heart was beating so hard that he could feel its pulse in his ears. He and his team had been on fire this time around, and now at long last they had made it into the top twenty of Hoenn's infamous battle tower. Seventeen more floors, and he would be recognized as a Tower Master. But first he would need to wrap this match up. His brain was working double time as he scanned the battlefield, trying to predict upcoming events. The next few seconds would be precious, there was no mistaking it. This battle was about to end.
"Ice punch bring it down!" A black and yellow behemoth of a pokemon charged forward in a blur, a freezing aura engulfing its closed fist as it ran towards a menacing blue and red dragon. Mylo was assured victory. Until…
"SALAMANCE, MEGA EVOLVE!" There was a blistering light as bolts of energy surged outward from Mylo's opponent, connecting him to his pokemon whose own body absorbed the power. Its shape changed dramatically in response, with its razor red wings growing even larger while its limbs retracted underneath its stomach. "crush Electivire with Dragon rush!" The dragons body was cloaked in a purple and blue force as it shot toward Mylo's pokemon. The two collided in a fierce explosion, and the stadium went silent as everyone waited to see who had won. But Mylo knew who had won the second he saw the light of mega evolution. He had miscalculated.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, IT LOOKS LIKE THOMAS WILL BE MOVING UP ANOTHER FLOOR!" roared the announcers voice as the stadium screen flashed the word 'winner' over Thomas's trainer photo. "Tough luck there Mylo, why don't we give him a worthy sendoff ladies and gents!" The crowd cheered in response. Mylo gave a small wave, returned his fainted partner to its pokeball, then left through the stadium door behind him.
Back in the lobby he waited for one of the Tower nurses to heal his team, eyes glued to the instant replay screen. He was right there, on the threshold of victory or so he had thought. Now it was obvious, his opponent had pulled a bluff on him. This was all his fault.
"Hey Mylo right?" Mylo turned to see his opponent from the previous match.
"Yeah, can I help you with something?" Thomas gave a smile while patting Mylo on his shoulder.
"I just wanted to say congrats on making it this far up the tower. You're the first trainer in a long time to climb this high without a mega pokemon on their team. Very impressive."
"Oh. Uhm thank you I guess?" said Mylo feeling his stomach twist itself up into a knot. The vibe he was getting from this trainer was not a good one.
"I mean, who would have thought that anybody without a mega could even make it through the first two rounds of the fiftieth floor? The top twenty always consist of mega trainers though so I guess it was only a matter of time before one of us elites booted you out." Mylo's nostrils flared a bit as he battled to restrain his irritation.
"Well, maybe I will get a chance for a rematch with you next time the Titan Tower Tournament rolls around."
"Ha! No offense buddy, but without a Mega pokemon you might as well just give up any dream you have of winning," scoffed the trainer, "see last time I made it all the way to the top ten. At the rate, I've been climbing, I'd project that I get ahold of a tower crown within the next two tournaments if not this one."
"Mega evolution doesn't mean that you are guaranteed victory in a battle," challenged Mylo, "Like you said I had to beat two other trainers before you that both used mega pokemon, but I managed to take them down with my team. You were smart though, keeping your Salamance's mega stone out of sight. When I didn't see one on its body, I was convinced that Electivire would be more than fast enough to land the final blow. Especially after absorbing that thunderbolt attack."
"Whatever you need to say to feel better. Anyhow, I should head on up to the next floor and get ready to battle. Better luck next time!" With that Thomas was gone, leaving Mylo to silently fume.