Ethan let out a long sigh as he stared up at the ceiling of the locker room. It was still a few hours before the Pokemon League Tournament started up. He had already seen the bracket, to even get to Crystal, he'd have to take on Jasmine and several members of the Elite Four just to get back there but he wasn't worried. He wouldn't play around this time, no wacky strategies, no relying on tricks...he would just steamroll them so he could confront Crystal. He wasn't looking forward to that though...she might be really angry when she learned he wasn't going to join her and Lyra. She might even really blow up at him and considering the state she was in, he didn't know what that would look like. He knew though he wasn't going to join them...at least not until he could knock some sense into them.
He suddenly felt someone slap the back of his head and he looked up to see Iris standing over him, "What is it?"
"I've been trying to get your attention for the longest! Do you have earplugs on or something?!"
He chuckled, "I guess I've just been lost in thought. Thanks again for coming after me, I appreciate it-"
"Well yeah, whatever...just don't try leaving us again like that! Roxie would probably have my head or something...where did she go?"
"Oh she had something to do-"
"What is with her, she just up and leaves like that? What's so important anyway?"
He pursed his lips, "Well I mean she has a job and all-"
"I see Iris beat me to the punch," Roxie said. He sat up and saw her walk into the room.
"There you are! You should have seen what happened-"
"Ethan told me all about it. And I chewed him out for it big time," she said. To be honest, she was more surprised about the change that had taken over Crystal and Lyra. "Thanks...again for coming to his rescue, I appreciate it."
"But where did you run off to? It seemed really odd that you would just leave us like that-"
Roxie sighed, "To be honest..."
"Iris, has Crystal and Lyra shown up yet?" He said. Iris looked a tad annoyed that he changed the subject so quick.
"No...not yet. Are you really sure you want to confront them again?"
"What do you mean? I won't be alone like last time...or well I'll be alone with them but you guys will be close by this time. Besides, I grew up with them, I have to do what I can."
Iris stomped her foot, "I don't get it!"
He laughed, "Well think of it this way, how would you feel if someone took Axew from you and turned him evil? Wouldn't you do everything in your power to get him back?"
"Ahh...well yes, I would never abandon Axew, we're pals! He's my best pal-"
"Then it's kinda like that...or well the best way I can put it."
Iris looked down at the ground, "Well...I guess when you put it that way...I guess we have to do our best to save them."
"Exactly," he said.
"Well..."
"Can I have a little time to talk with Ethan alone?"
"Huh? Well I guess," Iris said as she left. Homika closed the door after her and sat next to him.
"Are you ready for the big concert?"
"F*** that...I'm still kind of annoyed at you for pulling that stunt."
"Sometimes I just act before I think...and this is Crystal and Lyra we're talking about."
"You never told me what they said to you-"
"Ahhh well it's nothing big, they were just trying to guilt trip me into coming with them. They seemed pretty betrayed that I was working with Iris-"
Homika leaned up against him, "And did Crystal say anything about me?"
He looked away. He really didn't want to think back on what they said, partly because he wasn't sure if they could even be trusted. And what Crystal had said about her was pretty harsh, "Nothing big-"
"Hey don't lie to me!" She said as she sat on his lap, facing toward him. She tapped his nose with her finger, "You are the worst f***ing liar around, you know that?"
He blushed, "W-well...Crystal said that she didn't trust you. She said she figured out you were a celebrity and she said that celebrities treat relationships like they're nothing. She said that you would grow tired of me like-"
"Well then she doesn't know what she's talking about. I'm not one of those people...I barely have any friends...so why would I think about tossing someone like you aside...she's crazy!"
He laughed, "Well that's why I haven't tried to think much about what she said..."
She poked his nose, "Though from what Iris said, you were taking it hook line and sinker."
"Well...okay I was a bit swayed...and if it wasn't for them showing up-"
"I'd have to punch your lights out but instead I get to do this," she said as she leaned in and gave him a kiss as she rested her arms on his shoulders, "And I would be furious for them to take this away from me."
"Well...I won't let them."
She smiled, "Well good...now how about we have some fun?" She asked as she tugged on her zipper to her hoodie.
"Ummm...fun?"
She sighed, "I just knew you were going to ask that. I guess you really are that clueless...I guess it's more fun this way," she said as she pulled down the zipper a few inches and zipped it back up, "Stop looking so nervous-"
"I'm not nervous!"
"You are so nervous, you don't know how to act...this is what happens when you have a girlfriend, I thought me only wearing a towel would loosen you up but I guess you need a little more training," she said as she grasped his shoulders and winked at him.
After the rather explosive opening song from Homika, of which he didn't get to watch seeing as his match was the opening one, he quickly thought over how he would do this battle. Jasmine was his first fight and he was pretty familiar with her. She cared a lot for Pokemon, especially her own and if they were to suffer some sort of status effect, she would be quick to heal them. He tapped the Pokeball holding Chase against his cheek, "Maybe if I have Chase inflict burn on them and then follow up with an attack...well I mean that would be-"
"Ethan!" Iris yelled, breaking his concentration. Wiggler let out an annoyed squeak, mirroring his own feelings. He turned around to look at her.
"I was kinda in the middle of thinking up a plan."
"A plan?"
"To get through this tournament as fast as I can, usually I rely tricks or gimmicks to get through but...I only did that before because my Pokemon were outmatched but now, they're more than capable of fighting straight up," he said. Iris folded her arms.
"You think that's for the best? You don't really have a team built for straight up fighting, you know? Most of your Pokemon are still in their baby forms!"
"Ahhh but they were in their baby forms the first time I was in a tournament, and they held their own then. I'm sure after a ton of more experience, they'd be more than ready."
"Have you even battled like that before?"
"No."
Iris sighed, "Then why would you go away from something that was successful before? Seems really dumb that you would do that on the biggest stage."
He nodded, "It seems dumb but who would be prepared for it? Everyone is just worried about out thinking me, they'd never expect me to just forgo that!"
"So in the end you still-"
"All right folks, it's time for our opening match!" The loudspeaker nearby said. Ethan smiled, as a sense of relief washed over him. Now he could stop worrying about this and that and just get down to business.
"Well...you better not lose! I want to be able to beat you whenever they have the next Champions League Tournament!"
"Is that your way of saying good luck?"
Iris blushed, "Umm...you don't need good luck! Right...ahhh ohhh fine...good luck Ethan!"
As he stepped out onto the arena floor, he could hear the announcer introducing the two of them. Of course the way the guy was putting it, you'd think he had never done anything impressive in his life, "First off, we have the lovely and beautiful, gym leader of Olivine City who moonlights as a caretaker for hurt Pokemon everywhere and is the master of all thing steel, Jasmine! Her challengers hails from...New Bark City...whatever the hell that is and claims to have beaten Team Rocket but everyone just knows him as the eternally clueless playboy of Johto, Ethan!"
He let out a groan, drowned out by the cheers of the crowd. He'd love to shake that label one of these days. He and Wiggler advanced toward the center circle along with Jasmine. She looked up at him and smiled, "Hi Ethan...fancy seeing you here again."
"I thought about skipping out but I figured I could take another shot at becoming Champion."
"Ahhh...well, may the best trainer win," she said as she held out her hand. He gave her soft a hand a gentle shake before stepping back from the circle. He took out the Pokeball holding Chase and looked down at Wiggler, who looked like he wanted to jump in first.
"Not yet, I want you to conserve your energy...I want to be prepared just in case Void crashes the party."
"Let's go Skarmory!" Jasmine yelled as she summoned the steel coated bird first. He kinda expected her go with Magnezone first but they were all very week against fire and Chase would have a field day. He turned and summoned his little Litwick to the stage.
"Oh man, first up we got Skarmory against...a Litwick? Who brings a Litwick to a tournament? I'm telling ya folks, this battle might be over before it even started!"
That announcer really needed to shut up. "Okay Chase, let's focus on keeping burn one every one of her Pokemon...while she's too busy trying to heal, go on the offensive!"
"Skarmory, use Steel Wing!"
Not taking the fight to the air? Seemed like a mistake to him, Litwick were pretty slow...but he wasn't gonna complain. Jasmine's Skarmory flew forward as one of its wings glistened as it prepared to attack. Chase responded with an attack of his own, as the flame on its head grew larger and larger before it sent it flying at Skarmory.
"Ahhh Skarmory, watch out! Fly up, fly up!" Jasmine said. Chase must have figured that one out because he responded by sending a stream of purple flaming in the air above his head. The Skarmory not only got hit with his first attack, which was Will O Wisp but also Flamethrower as well. Skarmory's steel skin gained a red tint as it landed on the ground, letting out a cry of pain. Jasmine clasped her hands together, looking really concerned, "Skarmory! Please wait, I'll take care of that burn!"
Uh no you won't. He still felt like a jerk for what he was about to do, "Chase, don't let up!"
Chase pointed his tiny limbs at his head again as the flame atop his head grew larger and larger, "Ahhh Ethan!" She said but he ignored her as Chase unleashed Overheat on the Skarmory, enveloping the bird in a white hot blast of fire.
"Oh ho wow, look at that little guy go! I tell you, I didn't think he had it in him but this little Litwick is more powerful than I thought!"
Whoever this announcer was, really needed to shut up. Chase let up his attack but the Skarmory was already on the ground, "Ahhh Skarmory...oh come back," Jasmine said in a defeated voice as she summoned him back. She shot a glare at Ethan, "Fine be that way! Let's go Empoleon!"
An Empoleon...well that is one way to take out Chase but he knew how to counter that, "Okay take a break Chase," he said as he summoned him back. He pulled out another Pokeball and let out Bolt. The tiny little Joltik hopped to the ground before her Empoleon and immediately responded by discharging all of the stored up electricity he had stored up with a powerful Thunderbolt attack. The bolt of lightning, which was so big, he almost mistook it for Thunder, slammed into Empoleon and not only knocked the penguin on its back but sent him flying backwards a few feet, all the way back until he lay at her feet. As her Empoleon struggled to get up, Bolt flashed a bright white color as he suddenly evolved into Galvantula, "So you decided it's time to get serious," Ethan said with a chuckle. He looked over at Empoleon but well that looked like that was it for him.
"Come back Empoleon," Jasmine said. She sighed, "This is my last one-"
"Don't you usually have more than that?"
She ignored him as she summoned Rusty, her trusted Steelix. She was probably just really disturbed at how ruthless he had taken this fight. He looked up at the huge steel snake and looked over at Bolt...who seemed to know it was time to go back. He summoned Bolt back and heard a squeak. He looked over at Wiggler, "You want to give it a shot? Okay, do your best," he said. Wiggler bounced forward as Rusty looked down at him with a roar. Normally a Wigglytuff would have a tough time with a Steelix but usually Rusty didn't last very long.
"Rusty use Iron Tail!" Jasmine yelled. Rusty swung its huge tail around several times before it turned and swung it straight at Wiggler. Wiggler put up its little arms and caught Rusty's tail mid swing but the force still pushed him along the ground. It kept pushing Wiggler along the ground until he came to a stop. Having stopped Iron Tail, he bounced back a few times as he he summoned a blue ball of energy between his small arms. He raised it above his head as the sphere of energy grew larger and larger, "Rusty, don't let him finish! Use Stone Edge!"
Too late for that Jasmine. As Wiggler came down from his bounce, he flung the sphere at Steelix, hitting him right between the eyes as a huge flash of light enveloped the entire area as it hit the mark. As the light and dust cleared, Wiggler stood on the ground before the downed Rusty, "Oh wow folks! Talk about a one hit KO! I haven't seen such a powerful balloon since...well ever! Does Jasmine have anything to counter Ethan? So far he's beaten three of her Pokemon without suffering even a scratch! And by the looks of it, I don't think she has anything that will stop him!"
Jasmine sighed, "Ahhh...I'm all out of Pokemon, I guess you've won."
"And that's it folks, the opening round of the Pokemon League Tournament goes to Ethan! What a victory, what domination, I haven't seen a match go that fast...in like ever!"
Ethan walked up to her and held out his hand, "Sorry about that Jasmine. I'm concerned about Crystal and need to confront her about what is going on...and the best way for me to do that is to get through this tournament as quick as I can."
She grasped his hand, "Y-yes, you told me about that...I just didn't expect you to be so ruthless. I knew your team was strong but...ahhh-"
"Thanks but let's hope next time, we can have more of a friendly battle," he said with a smile.
His first two fights went pretty easily. He drew up the unfortunate distinction of having to fight Lance right after Jasmine but Juan and Sam had easily taken care of business, with Sam sweeping four of Lance's dragons with such ease, even Lance was impressed. In fact, everyone in the stands seemed a bit stunned that instead of taking a light hearted and fun approach to the tournament, he had decided to just skip with that and take things seriously. He had looked over at the bracket and his next opponent would either be Bruno or Whitney but if Lance had gone down with ease, what challenge would they provide?
Wiggler let out a squeak and he chuckled, "No, we've got a little break now before our next match. Just relax, you'll get your chance to fight."
Wiggler let out another squeak and he laughed, "I'd prefer we reserve our strength for Crystal...I have a feeling that will be the toughest fight...and even if it isn't...I don't think that'll be the end of any battles today."
He heard the doors to the locker room open but he didn't bother to sit up from the bench, "Ethan! That was really cool! Your Deino was soooo cool, I knew he was strong for a dragon but he held his own even against Lance's Dragonite and Salamence! And he's just a baby!"
He looked up at Iris, "Well you should be familiar with a Deino's strength-"
"I've seen plenty of them but none that could deal with full grown dragons like they're nothing. What do you feed him?"
"I feed him apples...that's about it. He's strong enough where he could evolve to his final form if he wanted but I don't think he feels he's been challenged enough."
"You got the championship in the bag-"
"Hey let's not get ahead of ourselves, I still have to get to the final round and there is no telling what Crystal has up her sleeve now. At least by making this fights quick, we can preserve our strength for whatever Crystal throws our way. Has she been spotted yet?"
"No...I haven't seen her around...or Lyra for that matter. I'm glad, those two are creepy now-"
"Well how do you think I feel? I just hope that I can somehow talk some sense into them."
"I still think something is weird about Crystal-"
"What do you mean by that, aside from the obvious?"
"Well Crystal says she thinks of you like a brother but she sure is possessive of you! Well actually that's what Cilan thinks-"
"Possessive?"
"Cilan was saying that-"
"Cilan was saying what about me?" Crystal asked. He sat up at once and saw Crystal standing by the door, "Iris, take a hike. We need to talk."
Iris folded her arms, "I'm staying right here."
"This is between brother and sister, and no one else-"
"You're just gonna try and get him to join you again with some sort of weird mind control or something-"
"I'm not going to mind control him, even if I could, what good would that be, I want him to join on his own accord but he can't decide for himself with an annoying little voice in his ear," Crystal said.
"And I'm staying so you don't sway him-"
"If you don't get a move on, I'm going to give the word to Lyra to have a little chat with Mei...perhaps she could talk some sense into her-"
"Is that a joke?"
Crystal giggled, "Now is it? How do you know I won't do it?"
Iris looked over at him and then at Crystal with a conflicted look on her face. It seemed like she really wanted to stay but another part of her was worried about Mei too. Crystal probably figured that too, which is why she had left poor Iris in the position she was in. Iris stomped her foot, "Oh great, I'm going to check on Mei but you better not listen to her Ethan! If she asks any questions, don't answer them!" She said as she hurried off. Crystal giggled as she left.
"Silly silly girl. At least she's gone."
"So what are you here for?"
Crystal smiled, "Relax...stop treating me like some sort of stranger, it's me, Crystal. The girl you've known since you were young."
He folded his arms, "I don't remember you being so possessive and dismissive of others before."
"And I don't remember you being so eager to not hang out with us. The Ethan I knew was always happy to be with me and Lyra, going out on whatever adventures we could get ourselves into."
He sighed, "I'm still happy to hang out with you and Lyra. I don't know why you keep saying I'm not-"
She patted him on the shoulders, "Actions speak much louder than words but...I do want to say I was wrong for arguing with Iris like that, you were right."
Well now that was curious to hear, he looked over at her, "I was right?"
"I am the Champion, I should have conducted myself better. Let me ask you a question Ethan...do you enjoy being under my thumb or do you sometimes wish you could have the chance to lead? I have to imagine that is what is happening now."
He turned away but felt her lean against his shoulders. He wasn't always big on being the leader, he always found it a drag and too much responsibility but there had to be a reason why Homika kept pushing him into it. Deep down, he still hated it but felt in the end, he'd have to stop ignoring the pressure and just accept whatever leadership position he had to take, "I don't really want to lead but I kinda feel like I have no choice."
"You do?"
He shrugged, "That's the way it seems to me...and I guess others have noticed that like...yeah well."
She put her hand on his leg, "Then that's on me for not being a better support for you. We grew up together, I supposed to be there for you."
"Well it happens-"
"That's not an excuse you know!" Crystal said as she pulled him close, "Maybe you could give me a chance to make amends?"
"And just how would you do that?"
She laughed, "Well for one, I would let you take the reins more often. It seems to me that sometimes you resent me because you object to how I'm doing something and when suggestions don't work..."
"I feel like I might have to step in but because you don't like to give up the reins-"
"See how easy things are when we just talk them out? If I had known I was part of the problem, I would have helped out!"
So was the real Crystal back? He still wasn't sure though, part of him still felt he should be cautious, "Well I'm glad we got that settled-"
"There is something else I want to say Ethan," she said with a nervous smile. Wiggler let out a worried squeak, "Oh don't worry Wiggler, I won't bite."
Yeah she said that but why did he seem so nervous, what was she about to say? He turned away but Crystal pulled him close again. She pulled off the bands on her hair, letting her blue hair fall to her shoulders, "Ahhh Crystal, what are you-"
"If I want to be perfectly honest, Lyra isn't the one with the crush on you-"
"W-what are you talking about? You mean-"
"It was me the entire time, I just said it was Lyra because I was too shy to admit it. I was happy as long as we spent time together...I should have just said this earlier, it's why I felt so clingy and possessive over you. I was jealous over Homika, I wanted to be where she was and I thought I was gonna be replaced."
"Y-you aren't going to be replaced...where do you keep getting that idea?"
She smiled, "I'm being silly...it's just I worry what happens if you decide to move to Unova-"
"Why would I move to Unova?"
"You're Homika's boyfriend, right? She would probably push for you to move there-"
"I don't plan on going anywhere, I like in Johto just fine. I'm happy where I'm at."
"Happy with me?"
He looked at her with a confused look. He'd be happier with her if she would stop being so possessive and...not being the person he knew, "I want the regular Crystal back, the girl who had the crazy theories, who seemed to find something new to look into everyday-"
She pulled him closer, their noses almost touching, "And I want to have the old Ethan back, the one who would like to hang out with us. That doesn't seem much to ask, no?"
"I will not work with Team Void, even undercover," he said. Now all of a sudden, he was kinda siding with her...and he still didn't know what to think about what she had also said...she was the one harboring the crush all this time? He just didn't know what to think about that...did it really matter? He still saw her as just a friend, a close friend...right? Now all of a sudden he found himself having to reevaluate his feelings about her...ugh, what a fine time for this.
"I'm not asking you to now. I know you need to be getting ready for your match so I'll be going. Let's talk some more again, okay?"
"Ahhh...yea, fine."
"Oh-ho, wow folks! Talk about a stirring battle...or not. I don't think I've seen the Elite Four get so outclassed since...since-"
"Since Cynthia first came in and rolled over you guys?"
"Let's ignore my sarcastic partner Volkner for a sec and get back to the match! It's been a...less that stirring match between Ethan and Bruno. Bruno has the raw and vigorous power...and Ethan just brought a baby eagle. Well he isn't a baby anymore but he's still made mincemeat out of anyone Bruno has thrown at him! Bruno is now down to his last Pokemon, his legendary Machamp but can it stand up to the power of Ethan's Braviary?"
Who knew Flint could be such an annoying announcer? Ethan could hardly remember anything about the match, he remembered Pitch evolving and quickly going through Bruno's Pokemon but right now, his mind was still trying to grapple with what Crystal had told him. He kinda wish she had just kept it to herself, why did he have to deal with this now?
"Oh man, have you ever seen a more disinterested trainer? I think even Ethan is getting bored with how fast these fights are going! I would be too to be honest. What do you say Volkner?"
"Well we've heard that Ethan's team is a lot stronger than they let on. How strong? I suppose we are seeing just how strong...perhaps it's why he's held back all these times, it certainly makes for more closely matched battles but even if-"
"If? Come on Volkner, you can already see the man is going to just waltz his way to the finals. There is no if here, only...will even the Champion be able to stop him? From what we've seen today, the guy just has no equal."
"The Champion is still the Champion, you know that Flint."
"Well of course Crystal is the Champion. Wallace is the Champion of Hoenn but everyone knows who the clear top trainer is! I think we might just see a new Champion today folks...who knew the puny little town of New Bark could produce such talent?"
Ethan looked up as Pitch grasped Bruno's Machamp by the arms and flew him up high into the air. He was kinda strong before but once he had evolved, his strength kinda went out the window. It'd be a bit tougher though for him to hang out on his shoulder now.
"Oh wow, looks like Machamp is gonna take a nasty fall! And there he goes, watch him drop folks! I tell ya, this is a big time mismatch, the big guy just can't keep up with Braviary, and it almost seems like he's toying with him!"
He was fond of that yes but Pitch always liked to use Sky Drop before putting away his foe for good. As he saw Bruno's Machamp fall, he saw Pitch dive at him, his body soon becoming enveloped in a bright white flame. Yup, this was it. Bruno's Machamp crashed to the ground but had used its arms to help break the fall. While it did lessen the damage, it left him wide open and Pitch slammed into him with his powerful Sky Attack. Machamp rolled backwards but Pitch didn't even flinch. He simply landed on the ground and waited to see if he'd need to do anything else. The Machamp tried to push itself up but in the end, he couldn't.
"And that's it folks, Bruno's last Pokemon is down and Ethan has won again! Who can prevent him the Championship? I ask again, who can keep this guy down? He hasn't even lost a single Pokemon, talk about pure dominance folks! Pure and simple dominance!"
Ethan got to his feet as Pitch flew over to him and he smiled, "Good job out there Pitch, though it looks like you've gotten too big for my shoulders now."
Pitch chirped but it sounded like he didn't mind too much now. Bruno walked over to him after summoning back Machamp, "Congrats again but it seems as if you have other things on your mind."
"Sorry, I was a bit distracted there-"
"It would be best to get the distraction out of the way so you can be prepared for what is to come."
"Hah, you're right...I just wish I knew how."
"Are you nervous?" Roxie asked. He looked up from the bench and chuckled, "Well at least you still have your humor."
"I just want to get this over with—I only have Will—ow!" he said as she smacked the back of his head.
"You are nervous! You already beat Will, it went so fast after Chase evolved! What are you nervous about? You think Crystal has a chance?"
Heh, it certainly wasn't that. He was feeling very good about his chances there. The fight itself wasn't what he was worried about. "No, I'm feeling good about my chances...it's just...I don't know what to think about Crystal...she said-"
"Huh, you actually talked with Crystal? I thought Iris was supposed to keep an eye on you, well that's what I asked her to-"
"I was! She just got me distracted one time and I had to check up on Mei. Turns out it was just a way to get me out of the room," Iris said. "What did she talk to you about?"
"She just tried to convince me to join her and all."
Roxie folded her arms, "Liar...she told you something else. Something that you're grappling with."
"I knew I shouldn't have left!" Iris said.
He waved her off, "Trust me, it's nothing."
She sat next to him, "If it was f***ing nothing, you wouldn't be acting like this, okay? Now tell me what she told you."
Ugh, he wanted to say but another part of him told him it was a bad idea, especially when he wasn't sure how to respond, which bugged him even more. Why was he so conflicted about this? He already knew he say her just as a friend, right? "Trust me, it's nothing. I'm more worried about if anything happens after the championship fight-"
"Ethan, you're evading the subject and you're beginning to annoy me. Just tell me what she said!"
Wiggler let out a worried squeak and he shared his sentiment. "Well to be honest...she told me that...she was the one with the crush on me, and not Lyra-"
"And you believed her? Isn't she crazy now?" Iris asked.
"And you told her no, right?"
"I was too shocked to answer but yea, I only see her as a friend-"
Roxie glared at him, "I though you only saw her as a sister-"
"Same deal...next time I see her I'll tell her that...I really didn't expect her to say that."
"Great, now I've got compete with Crystal again-"
"Hey, why are you saying that? I just said I only saw her as a friend and a sister, that's it-"
"Then I expected you to refuse her a lot quicker than that. I can see why you might be stunned but if you really only saw her as a friend, couldn't you-"
"I have to think of a way to put it to her nicely, this is someone I grew up with, not just some random girl on the street."
"Well can you at least understand why I'm worried?"
"I see her as a sister!"
"But did a tiny part of you hesitate because you sort of liked the idea?"
"No, of course not. I didn't hesitate for a second because of the idea that maybe I might like the idea," he said. He knew for a fact he didn't care for the idea...right? "Ugh, I wish she had never even said it!"
"Attention, can the trainers come out, it's time for the Championship round!" The announcer said. He sighed as he got to his feet.
"Well, time to get out there and win this."
"Uh, well good luck! Try not to lose out there, remember, you have to win this so we can battle in the Champions League!" Iris said.
"I hope you wax her...show her who's the f***ing boss," Roxie said.
"And here it is folks, the Championship round...I know you all have been waiting for this one and it's looking to be a great one. This one happens to be a rematch from the last Championship, in which Crystal narrowly defeated the challenger Ethan...somehow. However it looks like Ethan has returned to win the Championship...he probably should have won in the first place. So here we go folks...the final round is set...the Champion Crystal, hailing from the little town of New Bark and the challenger once again, Ethan also hailing from New Bark!"
Ethan twisted his cap around as Crystal approached the center circle. She was dressed in her regular clothes but her hair was still down. She held out her hand, "Are you ready Ethan?"
"Are you?"
He grasped her hand and shook it. She looked up at him and smiled, "If anyone is going to take the title from me, I would hope it'd be my closest friend."
"Likewise."
She let go of his hand and held up a Pokeball to her cheek, "Then let's get started Ethan."
