Welcome back everyone. Last time we left off the tournament's preliminary round came to a close as everyone except Alain managed to advance into the actual tournament. From there, the first of many twists was implemented; the revelation of a tag-team format and the teams were randomly formed.

Ch 4: A Sticky Situation

Serena woke up that morning as the rays of sun flashed in through the window. Sitting up on the end of her bed, Serena looked around as she quickly remembered that she had spent the night in Astrid's room. Looking around, there appeared to be no sight of the girl at all. Getting out of bed, Serena made her way out of bed and into the room's small kitchen to see Astrid sitting there reading a newspaper.

"Morning," Astrid greeted her teammate as she put the paper down to hand over a plate of pancakes. "They sent meals up for us already. I didn't want to wake you so I left them on the warmer."

"Thanks," Serena replied as she graciously took the plate. Putting a few on a separate plate, Serena then passed the plate back to Astrid who then took some herself. "Today's the big day. The real tournament begins now."

"I know, I'm so excited for it!" Astrid replied while putting her utensils down. "Are you nervous at all?" Serena had been caught off guard by the question. Yes, she told Miette, but no one else should have known.

"Well... Just a little. This is the first time I'll be competing in a tournament. It feels a little overwhelming."

"Just relax and enjoy the moment," Astrid stated sincerely as the duo continued to pick away at their breakfast. Neither of them were really hungry though, the tournament was too much cemented in their minds to even think about eating. "Believe me, you'll wish the week could last forever once the battles begin. This tournament is going to fly by before we know it."

Serena didn't respond at all. Instead she just played with her pancake as she poked it with her fork. Unsure if she was ready for today, Serena let out a silent sigh and decided she had to do her best for not only herself but for Astrid as well. Deciding that she had enough of her now mangled pancake, Serena threw the remains of it away while placing the plate in the sink.

"I'll try to relax. It'll be a fun time for sure though, no matter what happens. But I think I should get ready now," Serena said as she tugged on her pajamas. "I don't think it would look good to show up like this. Where do you want these put?"

"Keep them," the older blonde responded with a wave of her hand. "I've got plenty of extras so one pair isn't going to matter."

Serena quickly thanked the older trainer before grabbing her backpack and heading into the bathroom to change for the day. As she switched her clothes from the sleep wear over to her normal clothes, Serena wondered who Ash's partner could have been.

"So," Miette started to say as she sat across from Ash in the resort's main lobby. It was oddly empty following how packed it was yesterday. "Do you have a strategy planned for us? It would be a good idea to head into the match with a rough idea on how we battle."

"Not really," he answered as Miette seemed kind of shocked by his words. She had assumed Ash already made an idea up last night. "Well, kind of. But it's hard to explain. Remember last night while we practiced?"

"Yeah," Miette responded with a confused expression. What was Ash hinting at with his idea? "What about it?"

"Well, the way our attacks formed together could be the best idea to use." Ash replied as he thought back to what they tried last night.

Back at the banquet hall, most of the new partners had already left to get ready for the opening ceremonies next the day. But, a few stragglers were still behind either eating away or just talking to the other participants. Among them were Ash and Miette.

"I'm glad I was partnered with you," Miette told him as he ate away at the plate before him. It seemed that no matter how much he ate; he could just keep going. "Being partnered with someone like you will make the tournament interesting."

"Thanks, but the person I'm most excited about is that Higana," Ash answered as he put down his food. He wasn't lying either. Someone as strong as her was an exciting chance Ash wanted to have. "If she could beat Alain like that, imagine what else she can do."

"Are you worried about facing her?" Miette asked nervously. If Ash was worried about this person, then they had no chance at winning at all.

"The opposite," he responded excitedly while standing up, fists raised in front of his body. "Facing someone like that will be fun. It'll push us further than before and make us improve!"

Miette couldn't say she was surprised by Ash's response, but it couldn't keep her from smiling. "You really are quite the determined person, Ash. I bet quite a few people admire you for that."

Rubbing the back of his head, Ash let out a nervous chuckle as he looked at Miette. "I wouldn't say that much. I'm just fired up is all! But you know what would really help us? Some training." Ash then stood up as he signaled for Miette to follow him somewhere.

"That sounds like a great idea," Miette responded as she got up and followed him. It appeared as though Ash already had a location picked as he led her all the way up to the roof.

Once outside of the elevator, Miette understood why he had come here. Up on the roof was a practice field so that they could practice for a while.

"You see; I was thinking we could try to recreate that Cotton Spore combo you pulled off back at the dance party. But, add in a little extra to it. Maybe have Pikachu add in an electric move as you launch the attack off. That way it'll immobilize them and inflict some damage."

"But, we practiced that the entire night and it didn't work at all," Miette pointed out as Ash scratched his head in embarrassment.

"Well, even if you fail at something, it's kind of like a step towards getting better at it. Sooner or later we'll get it right," he explained while fixing his hat. "You never look back and wonder what could have been. Just keep moving forward until you find something that works!"

"Well, we better be moving forward towards the stadium otherwise we'll be late," Miette teased as she stood up as well. It was now quarter of seven and so they only had roughly fifteen minutes until they had to be at the stadium.

"You ready for this, Pikachu?" Ash asked excitedly as the Electric-Type leapt up onto his shoulder. Together, there was no one who could beat them. "Our first match is going to be today!"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed as he threw a paw up into the air due to his excitement. It had been way too long since the last time they competed in one.

The duo then left the dining hall as the followed behind their partner towards the stadium. As they passed through the hallway they used last night to get back to the Resort from the stadium, the duo noticed that Higana was standing with the tall man Ash had ran into last night.

"Ah, so we finally meet in person," Zinnia said to the boy as he approached her location. Zinnia had purposely waited in the middle of the hallway so that Ash couldn't walk around her. "I've heard quite the stories about you, Ash."

"You're that powerful trainer from yesterday," Ash responded as he was confused over the fact that Higana waited in the hallway. "And you're that guy from yesterday."

Jinga didn't say anything in response. Instead, he merely huffed in agitation due to his master's interest in the boy. Noticing her partner's rude behavior, Zinnia merely laughed it off.

"You'll have to excuse my partner Jinga," she started to say as a strange smile crossed her face. It appeared to creep Ash and Miette out as they both took a half of a step back. "He doesn't know how to play well with others."

"That's alright, but how exactly did you know who I was?" Ash asked as his interest was piqued. He didn't think that anyone besides his friends would know who he was.

"You have quite the reputation for a boy of your age," Zinnia responded as she narrowed her eyes for a split second. "I guess you could call me your biggest fan. I've been wanting to meet you and luckily we run into each other here," she finished before extending her hand forward.

"Um, well..." Ash muttered, unsure of how to respond to that. He didn't think he had people from Kalos following his previous League achievements. Extending his hand, Ash took Zinnia's into his own and shook it. "Hopefully we get to battle in the tournament then."

"Yes, that would be a privilege. Although I'm perfectly content with just meeting you like this," she answered before pulling her hand back. Zinnia smiled as she looked over her hand. The stories about him were true, he was a very trusting boy. Despite just meeting her, Ash had no doubts about shaking her hand. "Hopefully we meet up again during the tournament."

Turning around, Zinnia soon left the confused boy behind as she walked away with Jinga right behind her. She was happy for what she saw in the boy so far and hopefully she could see more of him in the tournament.

"Master, you never did say what he did that was so impressive," Jinga stated as he was slightly curious about the boy. Despite the obvious problems of placing their hope onto a single boy, he had trusted Zinnia immediately just as the Draconid thought.

"He's got quite a lot of achievements and I don't mean his League rankings of always placing into at least the Top 16 of every League he's competed in. But something even more interesting. There was a rumor I heard one day when I left the village to explore the world."

"While out in the real world, I ran into a woman who I could tell had gone through something tragic," Zinnia continued on explaining as the duo passed by Qawi. Stealing a quick glance, Zinnia looked at the pale man and a feeling of dread crossed over her. Clearing her throat, Zinnia then continued on with her story.

"After talking with the woman, I learned that she had recently been to the Tree of Beginning with a group of trainers. She begged me to not tell anyone out of respect for a Pokémon who gave his life for all of them. But, she had to get the fact that she had been killed off of her chest and told me everything. Everything from meeting an extraordinary trainer named Ash to the way his bonds with his Pokémon allowed Mew to force the tree to revive all of them."

"You must be mistaken, no person, not even a Draconid has returned from the Tree of Beginning. It has been stated that anyone who enters the tree is lost forever!" Jinga practically yelled in shock. It had to be a mistake, no way did he go to the tree.

"It is no mistake, Jinga. I myself didn't believe the young lady. But upon showing me video footage of their time in the Tree, I grew to believe her and her story," Zinnia finished explaining as a cold look crossed her face. It wasn't one of anger but more of determination. One she had seen on his face many times. "That boy is special, as soon as I learned this information I researched the boy. It appeared that although there was no footage to back up local statements, many residents of different towns stated that the boy was involved in different crisis with Legendary Pokémon. Shamouti Island and the Birds of Legend. Greenfield and the Entei of the crystal castle. Alto mare, Larousse City, Alamos Town, Crown City. All the events of those places involved this boy."

"But you yourself stated that there is no proof that it is this boy! It could be a completely different person! There isn't anything special," Jinga continued on although it now sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than he was Zinnia.

"Jinga, after going through the trials to become leader of the Draconids you learn that seeing doesn't equal believing but that believing is seeing. And I believe that this boy is he."

"That was strange, I don't know if we should trust those two," Miette muttered out loud once they were out of earshot. The way they appeared to just be waiting for Ash gave her a bad vibe. "The way they seemed so interested in you out of every competitor just doesn't seem right."

"They did seem strange, but I trust them for now," Ash replied as he thought back to the entire conversation that occurred. At no point did Higana seem hostile to him and instead it appeared that she was quite impressed with something he did. "They didn't do anything wrong at all. But I don't know what they have planned." Ash wanted to think over what just happened, but he was interrupted by the sound of a familiar friend.

"Ash! I thought I saw you here!" The voice cried out as Ash turned to meet none other than Sawyer. "Clemont and I were on our way to the stadium when I saw you... But... where's Clemont? I could have sworn he was behind me."

"I... I'm... I'm right here," Clemont muttered as he lagged behind Sawyer. He appeared to be dead from however far they ran, but Bonnie appeared to be helping him by providing a little push from behind.

"Ughh!" The young girl cried out while pushing her older brother forward. "Clemont you really need to get in shape! You'll never impress anyone if you can't run for five minutes without gasping for air."

"I... I don't need... Don't need..." Clemont tried to say between huffs before giving up. Slouching over, Clemont used this time to take deep breaths until he could breathe a little better. "Okay... So maybe I could improve my health a little."

"There you are, Clemont. Sorry about leaving you behind," Sawyer quickly apologized as he rubbed the back of his head. He had gotten so excited from seeing Ash that he forgot all about his partner. "But now we can all head to the stadium together."

However, Ash didn't appear to be paying attention at all. In fact, he looked to be deep in thought and no one except Miette had any idea what it was about. A little worried about his actions, Clemont decided to try and reach out to him.

"Ash... Are you alright?" He asked hesitantly. If this was something important to Ash, Clemont did not want to be responsible for making him lose his focus.

"Huh, what?" Ash asked as he broke his thought process. He had been thinking back to all of his adventures, but nothing really stuck out as impressive to him. Putting on his familiar smile, Ash responded to the group. "Sorry, I was just thinking about something... Um, Clemont, have you seen Serena? She didn't come back to the hotel room last night."

"No, I didn't see her at all," the inventor answered honestly as he too thought about where she might have gone off to. In all the commotion last night he had missed out on seeing Serena's partner. "In fact, she didn't return this morning either. Perhaps she's already at the stadium with her partner."

"Boys," Miette jokingly interrupted as she grabbed the back of Ash's backpack. "I'm sorry for interrupting your conversation but we are going to be late if we don't get moving!"

"Hehehe, sorry about that," Ash apologized as the group made their way down the hallway and towards the stadium. Deciding to pass the time, Ash picked up a conversation with Sawyer.

"So, Sawyer, how much have you improved? Have you earned anymore badges?"

"Actually, Sceptile just pulled off an amazing victory at the Anistar Gym before coming here. It was hard at first, but once I realized what she had planned I was able to come up with a counter," Sawyer explained before rummaging through his bag to pull out his badge case. Opening it up, Ash noticed the newly placed Psychic Badge sitting inside of the case.

"Wow! Olympia was a hard challenge for Talonflame and Greninja back when he was a Frogadier. It took perfect timing and teamwork to overcome her Future Sight strategy."

"Yeah, I had difficulty in getting the timing down at first. But then the match appeared to get easier once we figured it out."

"That's great to hear" Ash said as he rubbed the back of his head. "Unfortunately I still haven't earned my eighth badge yet. We took a detour so that Serena could compete in the Master Class."

"Once I had heard about this tournament I rushed all the way over here. I figured this way I could continue training against powerful trainers and give my Pokémon some needed experience. And when I got partnered up with Clemont it only made things that much better!"

Having now reached the stadium, Ash and their small group made it the entrance to the stadium from their hallway and paused for a moment. They had just realized they were never told where to head to for the opening ceremonies. Standing around as they were unsure of what to do, the group jumped at the sound of a voice.

"There you are," the announcer from yesterday cried out. He appeared to be out of breath for some reason the others couldn't explain. "We were looking for you to get ready. It's nearly eight. Please, we have to move quickly. The tag-team of Clemont and Sawyer will be walking out of terminal B while the tag-team of Ash and Miette are walking out of terminal C," he explained before signaling them to move along.

"I didn't think we were running that late," Clemont muttered as the group now passed by terminal B. Knowing that this was where they would separate, Clemont and Sawyer said their goodbyes as they went down the hallway in front of them.

Now alone again, as Bonnie had left to sit up in the stands with Squishy and Dedenne, Ash and Miette made their way down the hall in silence as neither of them knew what to talk about. For Ash, he was too busy focusing on what Higana had mentioned early, about how he had quite the reputation. Upon reaching their terminal, the duo quickly ran down it and found the closest attendant.

Sending them in the correct direction, Ash and Miette were soon at the end of a rather long line as they now awaited for their terminal to be sent in. Even from the end of the line, Ash could make out the sounds of the crowd cheering loudly in anticipation.

"Hey," Miette whispered as she caught Ash's attention. Pointing forward, the blue haired Performer managed to show Ash that Zinnia was a few groups ahead of them and she was with Jinga. "It looks like those two got paired together."

"Yeah, but I wonder how good the guy is," Ash whispered back as even in a hushed tone one could hear his excitement. Looking up ahead, he could also make out the pale men from yesterday as well, they were roughly in between where he and Miette stood and where Zinnia and Jinga were positioned.

The two were about to continue on with their little conversation when all of a sudden the floor started to move. Looking around, Ash noticed that the entire terminal was actually part of the field changing mechanism. Rising up into the bright lights of the stadium, Ash and Miette were caught off guard by the sheer amount of people in attendance.

The roars of the crowd appeared to overwhelm them as the duo were both forced to cover their ears for a moment until the cheering died down. Wondering why it became quiet, Ash looked up to see Claude now standing up at the same podium from last night.

"As all of the participants know, today marks the official start of the tournament and the thrill of so many powerful battles," Claude started off as the crowd erupted once more. "32 pairs of trainer will be competing with the title of this year's championship on the line. Now, I don't want to waste much time reiterating things that I explained so if you will, I hereby announce this tournament to begin!"

"Someone's in a rush," Miette joked as she watched the owner get down from the podium to the sound of applause. "They must really want to get this tournament moving."

"Alright all you lovely people! Who's ready to see some breathtaking battles unfold before your eyes?" The announcer from before asked the crowd, receiving an enthusiastic cheer. "That's just what I was hoping to hear from all of you. Now, 32 pairs have entered this tournament and so each day we'll have one round held with the exception of the fifth day where a rest day is awarded to the participants to do as they please. But for now how about some entertainment? The first match will be between Higana and Jinga taking on Colby and Tyke!"

"Hey, let's go find your friends," Astrid offered as the duo were escorted off of the stadium floor so that the battlefield could be chosen.

"Sure," Serena replied as they took off. Walking along the corridors of the waiting area, the two girls made their way through the crowd as the very first match began in the background. Deciding to take glances every now and then, the two noticed just how skilled Higana and Jinga were.

The two partners were making quick work of their opponents and with little difficulty as well. To the crowd, Higana and her Salamence were unbelievable as the duo managed to control the entire match right from the beginning.

"Those two are something else," Astrid finally said as Serena jumped from the sudden noise. "Higana and her partner, it seems like they know each other from somewhere. That gives them an amazing edge in a tournament like this one," she finished explaining as Jinga and his Slowbro took down Colby's Medicham with a powerful Mega Punch.

"If they have a past history, they'll be much more in tune with each other making their strategies that much more deadly," Astrid finished as she placed a hand on her hip. She was now looking forward for the chance to face these two.

"Dragon Rush!" Higana's voice boomed over the TV as her Salamence rammed into tyke's Abomasnow. The Ice and Grass-Type was defeated upon impact, shocking the entire crowd due to how fast it went.

"And that's it!" The announcer declared as he ran down to the edge of the field. "The team of Higana and Jinga advance thanks to their overwhelming brute strength!" Serena continued to watch the screen as Higana appeared to thank her opponents for the battle.

"They're really strong..." Serena muttered, completely unsure if she could even compete at a tenth of their level.

"And we're just as strong if not stronger," Astrid responded with as she raised her arms up to her sides. Serena couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction. Astrid reminded her a lot about Ash at times by how optimistic the girl could be. Speaking of Ash, it sounded like she could actually hear him right now.

"Serena!" The sound started to grow in volume the longer Serena listened. Turning around, the Pokémon Performer saw the boy she liked running over towards her.

"I finally found you," he joked while catching his breath. Serena wondered just how long he could have actually been looking for her, especially since she had spent the night in Astrid's room. "So, you're partnered with Astrid?"

"Yeah, she's a great partner," Serena started to say as Astrid just rubbed the back of her neck out of embarrassment. "She's quite the trainer when it comes to battles and she's planning on competing at the Kalos League."

"You are?!" Ash asked as he locked eyes with the female trainer. He knew Astrid was strong back when they first battled, but he wondered just how much more powerful her team had gotten now thanks to her training. "I guess we might have a rematch there."

"I'd watch out if I were you Ash, Astrid isn't someone to take lightly," Serena joked around as she then noticed that Ash was all by himself. "Uhh, Ash. Where's your partner?"

Ash seemed confused by the question as he looked around. Based on his reaction he must have thought whoever his partner was had followed him here, but he must have lost them on the way over. "That's strange, she was just with me."

"Ash's partner is right here," Serena heard someone whisper into her ear. Turning her head just slightly, Serena could see Miette gripping on her shoulder as she continued whispering. "Being Ash's partner for the week means I'll be spending a lot of time with him. Perhaps I'll finally have that talk."

As soon as Miette said those words, Serena's entire face lit up in a deep blush. There was no way she was letting Miette get the chance to beat her in their competition. Luckily, Serena managed to get her face back under control before anyone saw, or at least she thought. However, Astrid had seen the whole thing and was now wearing a slight smirk on her face.

"Y-You're not serious, are you?" Serena asked nervously as he started to sweat a little. Out of everyone who could have been partnered up with Ash it just had to be her.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to take good care of him," she responded with a smirk while placing a hand on Serena's shoulder. She never got tired of this, Serena was too easy to mess with at times. "Perhaps Ash and I will grow closer from this."

"It's pretty obvious now what's happening," the female trainer thought before introducing herself. Things appeared to calm down after that as everyone made their way off to a nearby waiting room. Sitting down in the nice seats, the group of four waited for their turns. Off in the background, the sounds of the tournament could be heard as the battles continued to move on.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Serena heard her own name be called for a change. "The team of Astrid and Serena will be facing Curtis and Shawn!"

"Serena, we're finally up," Astrid said as she stood up from the chair she was sitting in and made her way to her partner. Together, the duo made their way over to the corridor that would bring them down to the field.

"Yeah..." Serena muttered as she nervously stood up. It wasn't the best timing to learn that Miette was Ash's partner, she would have rather found out following her match.

"Good luck, Serena!" Ash called out as the two girls walked out of the room. Turning around, Serena smiled at her friend as he returned it with a smile of his own and a thumbs up. "I know you'll do great!"

"Thanks, Ash! I'll give it my all out there," she replied cheerfully before walking out in a rush. Making their way back down the hall, Astrid and Serena soon made their way out onto the field much to the crowd's excitement.

"It's time to get this match going!" The announcer exclaimed as two guys appeared across from them standing in the separate terminal. One appeared to be dressed up in a lab outfit while his partner had a normal shirt and jeans on with a leather jacket on top. He also appeared to have a guitar swung around his shoulder.

"This match features a battle of the sexes as the female team of Astrid and Serena faces off against the bros of hard work, Curtis and Shawn! If both teams could select their Pokémon we could then get this show on the road!" As the announcer finished his statement, the four trainers all watched as the field rose up out of the bottomless pit below them.

"And the field is a Glacier field!" And that it was. Looking at the field, Serena saw that the entirety of it was a sheet of ice with large icicles sticking up all over the field. On both sides of it, were two large glacial structures and right in the middle of the field appeared to be a small pool where chunks of ice appeared to take on the form of rafts.

"Go!" The two males cried out simultaneously as an Ariados and Electrode appeared in front of them. It appeared that this battle was going to already be harder than Serena thought due to the two Pokémon chosen and the ice on the field.

Clenching her blue ribbon, Serena could feel her heart start to increase its rhythm as it felt like it was ready to burst out of her chest due to her nervousness. Gripping her Poké Ball with her free hand, Serena couldn't stop her hand from shaking uncontrollably.

"Just follow the plan. Everything will go just fine," Astrid promised before placing a hand on Serena's shoulder. She then reached for a Poké Ball of her own as the duo tossed them forward.

Appearing in front of the girls were none other than their signature Pokémon Absol and Braixen. Seeing that everyone was ready to begin, the referee signaled for the start of the battle.

"Alright, Absol, let's start off strong! Attack with Shadow Claw!"

"Sol!" The Disaster Pokémon agreed before running across the icy field and towards its opponents. Even with the amount of ice located on the field's floor, Absol showed off its years of hard training by maneuvering on top of the ice and using it as a way to increase its own momentum

Reaching the center of the field in an astonishing short amount of time, Absol launched himself over the pool of water and right into the air as his front paws started to glow black. Soon, that energy manifested itself into two large black claws that extended off of Absol.

"You won't get us that easily! Electrode rock their systems with Thunderbolt!"

"Quick, Braixen, cancel it out with Flamethrower!"

The two Pokémon launched their respective attacks and everyone could only watch as the two attacks collided right in front of Absol. Smoke filled the field as everyone wondered what could have happened down on the field.

Then, much to their excitement a loud cry could be heard erupting out of the smoke cloud as Absol escaped it completely unharmed. Slamming its claws down hard onto Electrode, Absol then pushed off of the Electric-Type and soared high into the sky.

"Fire Blast!" Serena's command had come as a complete shock to the two boys. They had become so concerned about Absol, that they forgot about Braixen. Looking up, the boys managed to just catch the end of the attack as the large blast slammed into their Pokémon which sent them flying back.

"And keep them on the run, Dark Pulse!" Astrid continued on as the two girls kept their opponents guessing as to who would be attacking when.

Now that Absol was starting its descent, the Dark-Type opened its mouth and fired off the black and purple beam of energy as it crashed into the icy floor before continuing on and crashing into Electrode. Landing on top of one of the glaciers, Absol stared down at the two Pokémon.

"Hey! You think you'll actually do something!" Shawn yelled over at his partner while Electrode rolled right side up. "You haven't done anything since the battle started!"

"Patience, it takes a while to come up with calculations," Curtis responded as he stared intently at the duo of Absol and Astrid. "Now, the Absol trainer is the one we worry about first. She appears to be the better of the two since she initiated the battle. Meanwhile, Braixen has only been providing support from afar."

"You got something cooking up there?"

"Perhaps, but I'll need a few minutes. Can you last that long?"

"Yeah! We'll rock them with our electrical tenacity until you're ready to roll," Shawn replied as he pumped his left fist into the air. "Electrode, use Light Screen!"

The Electric-Type immediately glowed a shade of yellow for a split second before a large screen appeared in front of the two Pokémon before vanishing just as quickly.

"Light Screen," Astrid muttered as she placed a hand on her hip. This was going to be a lot more difficult if their Special based moves weren't going to inflict the same damage. "Okay, time to try something different since as long as Light Screen is active, our moves won't be as effective."

"What do you have in mind?" Serena asked as the duo waited to see if anything else was going to be used.

"Follow my lead," Astrid responded with a sly smirk. Twisting her arms around before throwing them forward, Astrid issued the next command. "Okay, Absol, get in close and then use Megahorn!"

"Braixen follow right behind Absol and use Scratch!"

Braixen wasn't as skilled as Absol had been when it came to moving on the ice and so the Fire-Type appeared to struggle with her movements as a result of it. Slipping around the field, until finally making it over to the other side of the field.

Both Pokémon now lunged forward as Absol's horn grew in size and Braixen's claws glowed white. The two Pokémon were about to land their blows when Curtis chuckled a little.

"You two were too predictable, Ariados, Sucker Punch!" Vanishing for a split second, the Bug and Poison-Type reappeared in front of the two attacking Pokémon as he jabbed his legs into their stomachs.

"I had a feeling that with Light Screen up, that you would both try to attack from nearby. So, we just had to wait for the time to strike. Now, Poison Jab!"

"Electrode use Thunder!"

Ariados moved swiftly again as the Bug and Poison-Type used his surprise attack from before to smash his now purple appendix right into Braixen's stomach. The Fire-Type was launched backwards from the attack and landed right in front of Absol.

"Quick, get both of you out of there!" Astrid quickly reasoned as Absol tossed Braixen up onto its back before avoiding the Thunder attack. The gigantic bolt of lightning's power surprised both Serena and Astrid as it managed to completely shatter the ice in that spot, leaving just shards of ice on top of some metal.

"That was too close, they're stronger than I originally thought,"

"I'm sorry, Astrid, it was my fault we almost got hit by the Thunder," Serena stated as she squeezed her fists by her sides. "If I had reacted faster, Braixen wouldn't have been hit by that Poison Jab."

"There was nothing you could have done. We were both surprised by it and there was nothing either of us could have done," she explained as Serena looked up. The older girl didn't seem upset at all. Instead she just stood there, hands raised by her sides with a look of enjoyment on her face. This was what she enjoyed, a hard fought battle.

"Now though, we need to find a way to actually beat them. As long as Light Screen is active, our ranged attacks won't do much damage and Ariados makes it nearly impossible to attack from close by."

Looking at the field, a different idea had come to Serena. If they couldn't attack them at the moment, why not use the field to their advantage? Noticing just how close the two Pokémon were to the glaciers, Serena decided to try something different.

"Braixen, use Flamethrower on the Glacier! Break them into chunks of ice!" Jumping backwards and spinning her branch around, Braixen fired off the stream of flames and watched as they smashed into the large ice structure. Cracking the glacier just enough, chunks of ice broke off of it and fell down onto the two Pokémon.

"Great thinking, Serena," Astrid praised her partner who immediately had a light blush on her face. Astrid never would have thought of something like that in a battle. She had to figure out where Serena learned to use the field like that. "I think it's time to end this," she began to say as she moved her right hand.

Curtis' eyes appeared to light up with joy upon seeing her move in that direction. It was just the opening he needed to get everything to work properly. "String Shot, Ariados! Quick! Stop her from Mega-Evolving!"

The sticky substance flew across the field quickly as it appeared from the pile of broken ice. Smashing into Absol, the Disaster Pokémon was carried into the other glacier and was stuck against it. Ariados wasn't finished there though, another round of the substance came forward and smacked into Astrid and Serena of all people.

The substance wrapped around the two girls as they realized immediately what happened. They were tied together and their movements were restricted because of it.

"They just attacked the trainers!" Ash cried out as he jumped out of his seat. He had been watching the match with excitement, clearly proud of how Serena has handling the battle when he saw the String Shot tie around the two girls. "That's against the rules!"

"Haven't you been paying attention?" A strange voice asked as Qawi appeared from the shadows of the waiting room. Ash was surprised at his appearance of even being in this room at all. "It's one of the twists. Everyone noticed it during the earlier battles when the referee didn't disqualify anyone for attacking the other trainers. It appears as long as it is non-lethal it's fair game to try and disrupt your opponents."

"That isn't right! They shouldn't have been able to do that," Ash stated through grit teeth. It wasn't fair to attack the trainer as well. "Why didn't they announce it when it first occurred!?"

"Perhaps if you had read the rules you would have known," Qawi stated in a cold manner as he turned to leave. "It stated that the tournament was not required to explain any surprises if they so choose to. They want to see which trainers can pick up on it."

"Well, everyone should at least have an agreement to not do it!" Ash shot back as he appeared to glare at the TV screen when it showed Curtis snickering. "In a real battle you wouldn't get away with this!"

"This isn't a real battle," Qawi responded with a smirk. He was glad this was in effect since now he could go all out. "Anything goes in a tournament like this. Only the strongest will survive until the very end. Listen, you can complain all you'd like, but it won't matter. The rules are set and they are what they are. So get over it and just shut up," Qawi finished as he walked away from the steaming mad boy.

"Serena..." Ash muttered as he looked on in concern now. He was worried that his friend was in deep trouble now, but a part of him knew better and believed in her. "Win!" He yelled confidently before giving a thumbs up to the TV screen.

"Astrid, are you alright?" Serena asked as she tried to look over at her partner. Unfortunately, they were tied together, back to back and so Serena couldn't see her at all.

"Mhmmm," Astrid tried to mumble out. To Serena's surprise, it appeared as if Astrid had been hit in the mouth as well to avoid her from being able to talk.

Growing nervous, Serena didn't know if she could handle this all on her own. Looking over at her opponents, it appeared that Curtis was snickering away. "What's so funny? Why'd you attack us?" She demanded, yet the boy only laughed away.

"Nothing, just the look on your face. Your expression tells me that you didn't pick up on the fact that we're also in the battle," Curtis answered as he placed his hands in his lab coat pockets. "Every battle before ours involved the trainers somehow being involved in the attacks, yet never once did the officials put a stop to it."

"So that means... We can attack the other trainers as well?" It sounded completely stupid to Serena, but for ratings it made sense. Seeing the trainers being involved as well made it even more interesting.

"My, you're more than just a cute face after all, because your battling skills said otherwise," Curtis spoke as his smirk turned to a glare. "And now that Absol and its trainer are disposed of it'll be easy pickings with you."

"Haha! Time to rock out, Electrode!" Shawn stated before playing a chord on his guitar. "Use Thunderbolt!" The Electric-Type quickly stored up electricity as its entire body glowed yellow before firing off the bolt.

"Dodge, Braixen!" Serena cried out in a rush. Nearly slipping on the ice, the Fox Pokémon managed to barely slide away from the electrical blast as Serena tried to come up with a plan. "Okay, try using a Fire Blast!"

"There's no use in battling anymore. I calculated all of the possible outcomes and your victory is under .02 percent. Just forfeit now and avoid the embarrassment. Now, Hyper Beam!"

Ariados charged up the black beam before firing the blast at full power. Colliding with the Fire Blast, the two attacks caused a shock wave throughout the entire field as the glaciers all cracked. Chunks of ice fell everywhere as they formed what appeared to now be stepping stones while others fell into the water and splashed it onto Ariados.

"Great job, brain boy!" Shawn stated with a smile. "Now, Electrode, Thunder! He began to say, only to be smacked behind the head.

"You, idiot! The area around us is soaked in water. Launching an attack like that will only hurt us as well. Think before attacking next time!" Curtis yelled, obviously infuriated with his partner.

"Alright, how about a Sonic Boom instead?" He asked to receive an affirming head nod. Excited over the approval, Electrode started to spin at a rapid pace as soundwaves started to shoot off of it.

"Quick, Braixen, use those chunks of ice as stepping stones! Avoid the attack by jumping on the chunks, then use Flamethrower!" Jumping right as a Sonic Boom was about to hit, Braixen landed on top of the ice chunks and continuously dodged each and every blast. Then, once she was near the pool of water Braixen jumped high into the air and fired off the attack.

The Flamethrower blasted right into Electrode and the Electric-Type was backwards and lodged into one of the two glaciers. Landing in front of the pool, Braixen twirled her branch as she got ready for another attack.

"You know; I'm getting tired of the same old tunes. Thunder!" Shawn cried out as he threw his arms up over his head. Electrode started to charge up an electrical current once more and Serena saw her chance.

"Hidden Power on the pool! Quick, Braixen!" Twirling her branch, Braixen fired off three spheres into the pool as they a large wave was created. The water then splashed down onto Ariados, drenching the Pokémon as the wave continued to roll on until splashing Electrode.

Shawn tried to cancel the command, but it was too late. Launching off the Thunder, Electrode was unaware of the water and watched in confusion as its attack traveled along the ground and struck Ariados.

"Ariados! Please be alright!" Curtis cried out as his Bug and Poison-Type was burnt to a crisp from the attack.

"Don't forget about us now!" Astrid's voice could be heard as all eyes turned to the two females. To everyone's surprise, Braixen had cut the two trainers and Absol free from their restraints. "Now, Mega-Evolve!"

Touching her right earring, Astrid waited as a bright light shone off of the piece of jewelry and met halfway with a similar light shining from Absol. The Dark-Type started to change shape as its fur became more tuft and two wings formed on its backside.

Letting out a mighty roar, Absol was now ready to end this battle. "Great! Now, Dark Pulse!"

"Braixen you use Flamethrower!"

Absol opened its mouth and charged up the attack while Braixen twirled her branch around. Launching the black and purple beam, Absol managed to hit Ariados directly as the Bug and Poison-Type was thrown into Electrode. The Flamethrower then followed right behind as the Fire-Type attack crashed into the two Pokémon. Serena wasn't finished just yet though.

"Now, Braixen, Fire Blast!" Jumping around on the ice chunks, Braixen performed a little dance before launching the giant blast. Ramming into the two tired Pokémon, an explosion occurred on impact and when the dust finally settled, the match had been decided.

"And that does it folks!" The announcer cried out as he ran onto the field to get a better look. "Electrode and Ariados are unable to battle! Advancing on is the team of Astrid and Serena!"

"We... We did it..." Serena huffed out before dropping onto her knees, exhausted from the stress of the battle. "We... Actually won..."

"Yeah," Astrid replied as she dropped to the ground as well, panting from exhaustion as their Pokémon soon joined them. "It was harder than I thought, but we did it. And we'll do it again next round."

"Yeah, just don't get yourself tied up again. I can't carry our team forever," Serena joked as the duo leaned up against each other and started laughing. That was when a thought hit her, she did just carry them in this match from the moment they were tied.

That one thought led to another as a smile slowly formed on her face. "Maybe I do belong here," she thought to herself as the duo continued laughing.

Well, that was an interesting battle. The whole point of being able to attack the other trainers is in the same sense as how in sports fans try to disrupt the players to make them mess up. It's the same sense, since if you're constantly wondering if an attack is coming for you how are you going to focus on the battle? Plus, it also shows how not everyone here is morally correct since the majority of trainers would never think to do something like that.

Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.