Chapter 9:

Jubilife Night Showdown

"Protect!"

The hasty command echoed for the umpteenth time since the first battle for the night had started. The audience cheered or booed depending on who they were rooting for as a jagged stream of electricity was halted by the emerald protective bubble. All in all, the status quo seemed way too permanent for Viviane's tastes.

The blonde had the distinct "honor" of being in the first battle of the Battle round- certainly not a thing that helped her to overcome newly returned lack of confidence. Her opponent seemed to go through night and day chanting the mantra "Protect! Lightscreen!". The girl was sick of hearing these commands mainly because- for her unpleasant surprise- luck was on Charles' side. His Magmortar had the uncanny ability of pulling off a successful protect 7 out of 10 times and adding up the fiery-themed bulky humanoid's counter attacks, things were not going good for Vivi. Not that they were going bad either.

And that was what bugged her the most. The last four minutes of her life seemed like a decade and a half with all the repetitive action. She attacked, he blocked and countered. She attacked again, he failed to counter and the cycle continued. The parody of a dance was reflected in their points as well. Neither of them had managed to keep more points than his or her opponent for more than twenty seconds. And her points once again had dropped below Charles' after the last exchange of attacks. The thing was, there was just a minute left. And Viviane didn't intend to lose just because she was dancing the losing part of their dance when the clock stopped. It was time for some decisive action.

"Don't attack this time. Use Charge instead." it wasn't the nervous tone of his trainer but the command itself that confused the yellow rodent. His favorite strategy was clobbering his way through. And since the annoying fire blob on the other side of the field had proved mostly resistant to that particular "strategy", it was an understatement to say the small mouse-like Pokémon detested his opponent. Nonetheless, he obeyed the blonde and after one distinctively feral growl, self-accumulated electricity started to gather in his red cheek pouches.

"Okay, Magmar, now's the chance. Fry it!" Charles, too into the battle to even think why his opponent wasn't attacking like always, was quick to take action. His Fire type partner was as well and not a second too soon a pillar of raging flames was heading towards the yellow rodent.

The smirk on the young coordinator's face was barely visible as she nearly whispered the words "Pikachu, Agility."

The Electric type, glad to be on the offensive again, grinned maliciously and just before the fire scorched the place where he was standing, vanished in a spray of stray sparks.

"What the…" Charles was too dumbstruck by the sudden change in the girl's strategy to hear how she shouted "Iron Tail! The leg!"

The audience and the judges were still trying to comprehend the sudden change of pace as Pikachu swooped in out of nowhere and his glowing tail whacked one of Magmar's legs. The Fire type crashed on the ground just after the rodent had slid below him and had jumped into the air. Viviane, albeit skeptical about this kind of "superstitious crap" as she referred it to, decided to give it a try and crossed her fingers.

"Now to use the jolts you've packed! Thunderbolt!"

Her shout was still echoing as another joined in.

"Magmar, Protect! Now!"

The Pikachu, still in mid-air, let out the augmented lighting out of his body with a sadistic smirk on his face as the still lying on the ground Magmar tried to conjure the protective bubble once again. And succeeded. As the lighting bolt jumped off the energy shield, Viviane cursed under her breath. Figures the Universe would kick her in the rear once she tried giving some positive thoughts a chance. But there was no time for contemplating the ways Karma liked to torture her because Charles had finally reached the conclusion it was time to end this after all.

"Flamethrower, full throttle!"

The Fire type didn't even bother to stand up, just inhaling at maximum capacity and letting out of his beak the infernal stream once again. The smirk finally faded out of the yellow rodent's face once he realized he was in mid-air with no way out.

"Iron Tail! Try splitting the stream!"

His trainer's hysterical shouts, music to his ear like always, managed to give him enough confidence for the nearly-suicidal move. The jagged tail glowed brightly and Pikachu had the time for one single spin to add inertia to his counter attack.

"Chuuuu-pika!"

The flames crashed violently with the improvised blade and to even the Electric type's own surprise, they gave in and split in two. The raging fire engulfed his form and as the emanated heat and stray embers scorched his fur, even the little bruiser was afraid to think what would the result had been if they had hit.

Diiiiing!

The siren unleashed the roar of the audience as Marion announced the winner with the ever-present smile on her face. Scratching between his long ears the rodent now residing in her arms, Viviane threw a look at the screen. Her points were just above Charles'. It appeared he was leading before the last moves were played. "Maybe the Universe doesn't hate me that much," were the thoughts that crossed the blonde's mind as she exited the arena all bridled up and with a distinctive smirk on her face.


"Almost too easy. Almost."

It was honestly surprising for Steven. His battle with Jonathan had come and gone in a flash, like how he used to dream for days what he'd do on Christmas day and then have it all blitz past him in what seemed like mere seconds. For all his shyness, a trait he never liked in his character, Steven knew he was good with Pokémon. A lot so. But nevertheless, the way the boy with the mask and his partner waltzed past the type advantage of their opponent, the fact they were facing a coordinator who had been victorious twice already and a ton of other obstacles, filled him with pride.

A strange kind of pride that felt distant to him. Since he was little, Steven never liked being the center of attention. Not that neither he nor his parents knew why. It was just the way he was. The last kid of the bunch to run and start cuddling a stray Pokémon roaming the streets, the best at hide-and-seek because of the fact that he was used to trying to sink in the ground 24/7 and the one that always stuttered with a face redder than a Flareon when it was his turn to speak at the kindergarten play. Not that he didn't love playing with others or didn't adore cuddly or cool Pokémon- he just liked doing it alone.

And then everything changed when his older brother came barging in one gloomy morning in his room and announced Steven was going to be a trainer. Angered as any incredibly shy boy could be Steven had tried protesting. His sibling however, wanted to hear nothing of it- not that Steven was surprised. Ray was the kind of guy every boy in the neighborhood wanted to group up to be. Smart, good-looking, popular… sickeningly so to Steven. Not that he envied his brother. Not in a million years! Ray's popularity with the girls was the reason the then would-be coordinator let his hair grew long and obscure at least some of his face. Being recognized as the little brother of the resident Prince Charming didn't help being inconspicuous. Of course, the idea ricocheted because now the little sisters of Ray's admirers started dubbing him "mysterious" and "sweet".

Things were getting out of hand and Steven was desperately searching for an exit. In fact, Ray was the one that stumbled upon the shy boy trembling in front of the mirror with scissors in his hands… and a bowl on his head. That kind of wacky hairdo would have surely made the girls doubt he was related to the glamorous Ray. Unfortunately, said Ray didn't like the idea one bit.

And so on the next day, Ray was in Steven's room announcing his and his parent's decision. The journey was a great way for the boy to meet and befriend peers, go to places and if being at least some good at it- catch some Pokémon and earn some prizes for bragging rights. Seeing that even the promise of having a Pokémon wasn't helping, Ray just sighed, admitted their parents still haven't decided on his idea and gestured to something, or rather, someone, to enter the room.

The little green-and-white little humanoid that entered looked carefully towards Steven, or at least he though it did. The Pokémon's eyes were completely obscured by its green bowl cut. The red antennas on its head twitched a little and then it joyfully jumped into Ray's lap. Despite wanting to just spend the following year as an ordinary kid and not journeying around Sinnoh, Steven couldn't help being drawn towards the newcomer. As every child his age, Pokémon sparked a considerable interest after all. The boy slowly lifted his hand to pet the little guy… and said little guy shrieked in his own language and hid behind Ray.

Steven's heart sunk- and he was surprised by it. All his life he had tried staying away from others. And now that someone really didn't wanted hanging around with him, the boy felt a tinge of regret for wishing it. Without even looking at the face hidden behind the raven-colored veil, Ray just placed the little Psychic type on the bed and beamed a smile before leaving.

"Nah, don't worry. He'll like you when he gets to know you."

"Wow, Viv, you never told us you're specializing in Electric types."

"And why do you think I should've told you?" the blonde's tone clearly showed Kale they were back to the starting point. Being under the crushing glare of those clear blue eyes didn't help the bespectacled trainer to answer in a normal way either.

"Well… uhm… we're all… friends, right? And you could've mentioned to me and Jed somethi… oh, for Pete's sake! Trainers specializing in something brag about it all the time! You're ruining traditions here, girl!"

The way Viviane's eyebrows twitched and especially her clenching and unclenching fists showed Kale he and his big mouth had once again crossed the line. Luckily, Jed was there to rescue him. Without even knowing which way was up of course.

"Say, Viv, are his stripes going from the left to the right or are they the other way around?"

The black-and-yellow clad girl just let out an exasperated sigh and slapped away the teen's arm. Scratching Pikachu between his long years, the coordinator cooed in what seemed an impossible way for her.

"My little brave hero is very overprotective of me. He might bite you if you try touching me or him. Isn't that right, my wittle cuddly bear?"

The picture before his eyes made Kale's mind go into blue screen of death territory. It was one thing hearing the usually calm as a raging Gyarados girl say such blasphemous things, but seeing it? The world was seemingly coming to an end- and he didn't even have the chance to win his first badge yet. Bugger! Jed however, used to seeing extraordinary things, usually in his head, just noted:

"Man, those potatoes must have been really out of date."

The crystalline laughter that followed, so different than the usual snicker, didn't help the two boys' mental conditions improve. Jed started thinking that maybe the mushrooms he found in the Beedrill's Pass weren't edible after all.

"Oh my, it's so easy messing with you two. You really thought I was getting mushy?" Viviane's familiar smirk got back on her face before being substituted for a false angelic smile "Oh, please!"

As she batted her eyelashes to make them feel even worse, Kale felt like screaming again. He thought his uncle, coincidently, or maybe not, another Electric type trainer was bad. Viviane wasn't just worse. She was the worst. They were trying to be friendly with her, they cheered her on when she needed it the most and how did she repay them? By mocking them! The nerve of that…

"Nah, I bet you really like to cuddle him. You're a girl after all, you like cuddly little things like him."

Smiling, Jed reached over to pet the yellow rodent. Only to find three of his fingers between two rows of sharp teeth.

"Told ya he bites," Viviane smirked as Jed yanked back his hand and started waving it in circles. The electric rodent just curled tighter around the blonde's shoulders and sniggered. The teen locked his narrowed eyes with the critter and slowly raised his arm. Viviane's eyebrow rose as she considered beating the life out of Jed if he even dared harming Pikachu. Jed suddenly moved his arms with blinding speed.

"STAY AWAY, YOU DEMON!"

The whole room was bewildered as the oddly dressed teen stumbled back making a cross with his fingers and shouting at the innocent looking little Pokémon.

The whole ordeal was forgotten like magic after the coordinators that were still competing heard Marion's familiar reassuring voice.

"What a battle, folks! What a battle! Caitlin showed us how it's really done. She and her Abomasnow advance to the next round like the avalanche they really are. And now, be ready for the next, final battle for this round- Rico versus Rebecca!"

All eyes turned to the loud blond with greasy, slicked back hair, and the young teen dressed in the colors of cherry blossoms, that brushed aside Rico on her way out.


The Tunnel of Fame.

A rather appropriate name in Rico's opinion. The first time he did the Walk, as Marion had referred it to when instructing the debutants, the blond boy didn't have time to think. He was running purely on autopilot back then. No matter how much he liked bragging and showing of, being evaluated in front of an audience by judges and the like for the first time wasn't the most confidence-boosting thing in the world. But he had pulled it of. Somehow. If barely.

No, no, no! He shouldn't be thinking about that. He needed positive thoughts, not doubts that he would screw it up again. He was going to get out there, do his thing and win. At least it was a battle this time. Coordinator or not, he still felt more confident when whacking around his opponent.

As the flickering light illuminated his way, if just barely, Rico thought how far he had actually gone from the knucklehead constantly bugging the old man owning the nearly-dilapidated dojo. The prune juice loving coot was a hard nut to crack but eventually he had caved in. That was, of course, after he made Rico prove himself by filling a bottomless bucket with water. Something about being creative and thinking outside of the box.

Soon it became clear to the overly-eager boy that box or no box, the bucket wasn't going to be filled. He was grounded for a whole month but "borrowing" his neighbour's burner and several hammers did miracles. The bucket was filled. Okay, it was more of a cone by the time he had finished with it and was leaking from more places than a watering pot but that was nothing several meters of duck tape couldn't fix.

The day the old man agreed to teach the boy was the day he met him. Hitmonchan. Actually it was Tyrogue back then. And maybe the way they met was the reason Rico was taken in as an "apprentice". Well, that's beside the point. These words crossed the tux-wearing blond as he clutched the red-and-white miniature sphere in his hand. He could see the stage already- or at least the blinding light at the end of the corridor. There were only two visible silhouettes waiting for him. The taller one, that of a slender woman who he could just picture smiling as always, was apparently talking again. What about, he could only guess. All the words were drowned in the sea of cheers and the loud current of thoughts currently raging inside the coordinator's mind. The other figure was facing his way, hand on her hip, and Rico knew there was an arrogant, superior smirk on that otherwise angelic face of hers.

Well, cute girl or not, she was his opponent now. He owed her a battle. And a good one at that. The old man had thought him to treat your opponent the way you wanted to be treated.

Being a fighter is a way of life. Fighting, true fighting, is a form of art. And we all create our art in a myriad of ways. That was the first lesson Rico's sensei managed to get past his thick head.

He had found his way, his own art. And as an artist, it was high time he created his first masterpiece. The poke ball enlarged with a soft clicking sound. As the comforting feel of the familiar surface left his palm and the sphere flew upwards, Rico knew he was living the dream. He had reached the end of the Tunnel. He had reached Fame.

"It's fightin' time, Hitmonchan!"


"Fire Punch!"

"Defend Order!"

The tan humanoid had jolted forward in a blur, gloved fist literally ablaze, and for a fraction of the second Rebecca thought her partner was too slow to defend herself. The redhead's theory was, fortunately, proven wrong as her yellow wasp-like Pokémon was surrounded by little critters formed by merged beehive cells. However, the defensive wall stood only for mere seconds- when the inertia of the run backed up the tan boxer the living shield shattered into dozens of little Combee.

Mesmerized for a second by the little Pokémon flying around like pieces of a shattered window, the young coordinator forced herself to remember her plan. Five minutes. No more, no less. They both had equal opportunities. The difference was, she thought with a smirk, as a good girl she had done her homework.

One doesn't face an adversary unprepared. Not if you want to win. Despite her tender age, Rebecca realized that most battles were won before they were even fought. Generals, people like her who thought things trough and considered all the possibilities, won. And they were remembered. Unlike the nameless soldiers like the one facing her from across the field, whose best "strategy" was a several-hit combo.

"That's the spirit, dude! Keep it on and make it flashy! Agility into Ice Punch!" Rico's excited shouts, augmented by the numerous microphones around the field, were currently louder than even the roar of the audience. His tan partner just grunted and was once again out in a flash.

Hitmonchan appeared behind the Bug type, his glove this time crackling with freezing energy. The punch he threw was probably going to freeze at least half of her abdomen-if it had connected. Without even turning back or giving any other sign of acknowledging her opponent, Vespiquen just moved gracefully away in what seemed like a pirouette. The Fighting type was more than speechless as he stumbled forward due to the shift of his body weight. Nonetheless, he relied on his superior speed and prepared to just roll over and try again- only to find that he couldn't move.

In the precious seconds after the narrow dodge of their queen, the Combee had all taken hold of his arm and leg. More than surprised by the strength and stubbornness of the little fliers, Hitmonchan tried breaking out of the improvised chains. Only to find that the combined grip of what was left of the defense wall was more than he could handle at that moment.

Concerned eyes searched for help in his trainer's ones and Rico seemed ready to suggest a way out- only to be cut of by the brisk voice of the other coordinator.

"Marvelous dodge, Vespiquen, just like we have trained. Now be a sweetie and demonstrate to Hitmonchan your Toxic attack."

Command given, command obeyed. While Rebecca was flicking her waist long ruby hair just to show off how in control she was, Vespiquen spit out a sizzling bubble from her concealed mouth. The purple glob struck the immobilized fighter head-on, even taking out some Combee in the process as well. The more fortunate ones just left their brethren and returned to circling the wasp queen like some strange version of the Solar system.

The stage was set. And Rebecca once again congratulated herself mentally for a work well done. They had accused her of snooping around but that "snooping" had won her the battle. She just knew it. Like how her father researched, checked bank accounts, questioned former employees and companies and the like, months before even announcing he was planning on buying them or making them go bankrupt for example. Or the way her mother postponed and postponed the case until she had the needed witnesses, evidence or some other seemingly meaningless tiny detail that could change the trial. Heck, even her, mostly mindless if you ask Rebecca about it, sisters did their research about the fortune of the guy and the past of their girlfriends before ripping the couple apart and claiming the trophy. Her family was a family of predators- ones that knew how the strings were pulled and how to make the puppeteer do their bidding.

"Don't give up, Hitmonchan! We're in it to win it! Try Mach Punch and that formation we trained!" by that moment Rico was looking rather disheveled, his hair no longer slicked back due to the numerous times he had run his hand trough it in anxiousness. Beads of sweat started framing his face as he cast glance after glance to the enormous screen. His points were below the ¾ mark. Rebecca's had barely dropped.

The Fighting type, despite the creeping feeling of thousands of needles making their way through his veins and even lungs, just shook his head in an attempt to clear it and pressed on. He and Rico had been in worse jams before. And as always, they were going to pull it through in the end. As long as he and his partner worked together, Hitmonchan was confident in their victory. And so, the brave boxer jolted in an unknown direction again before appearing somewhere around Vespiquen and thrusting forward his glowing hand.

But every time, the bee queen just dodged and glided away in a mocking parody of a dance, circling around every punch and jab. And when Hitmonchan's speed managed to help him be on target, another Defend Order was issued and the annoying pests just absorbed the hit, scattered around and danced along with their queen, before reforming to take a hit once again.

Rebecca's mocking smile grew wider every time she saw Rico's points drop. She had researched every coordinator she knew was participating. Getting to Jubilife several days earlier was well worth it. Rico was an easy one to solve- after all, he was parading in front the Pokémon Center from the moment he had arrived. If she was to face him without knowing his style, Rebecca was nearly sure she would lose. Of all her arsenal, Vespiquen had only one offensive move that was at least partially effective against Hitmonchan. And that move took time to work properly. Rico's partner on the other hand apparently knew all the elemental punches. Some good they were doing- what attack was useful if it didn't hit? Rebecca was thankful her chosen strategy revolved around dodging- after some research, Rico was suddenly the one that she would beat the easiest.

"Give it up, hotshot. Don't you see he's failing? Tiring? Getting slowly, but surely, more and more badly poisoned?" the redhead knew her own words and seeing his Pokémon suffer were more of a poison to Rico than the actual one. Rebecca didn't like causing pain but it was a battle after all- she wasn't responsible if he was foolish enough not to have a defense against that.

As the annoyingly calm emerald eyes locked with his, Rico couldn't help but gulp. Points be damned, Hitmonchan was getting worse and worse out there, without even taking hits. By that time not even his speed helped him land a punch, he was getting visibly sloppy and, what hurt Rico the most, looked in intense pain. Clutching the poke ball, the blond considered giving up, just recalling him and running straight to Nurse Joy at the judges' stands and making her heal him. But… what would Hitmonchan think about him then? What would Sensei think?

"No response? Gee, sweetie, you're even more pathetic than I thought. Not even brave enough to give up? Confuse Ray!"

The Fighting type had stumbled after the last failed attempt to inflict at least some damage and Vespiquen ceased the opportunity. The purple rings that emanated from the jewel on top her head struck silently but the effect was immediately visible. Hitmonchan was now beating himself up. Literally.

"Oh, let's put him out of his misery, kay? Just finish him off cleanly with a Power Gem, dear."

The, oh so sarcastic, voice didn't matter to him anymore. All he could see was the tan humanoid kneeling on the ground, grunting in pain every time his own fists connected to some part of his body. Not even the fact that he barely had any points left or the giant glowing orb forming above Vespiquen's head mattered to him.

"Hitmonchan… Hitmonchan… I…" the stuttered words fell on deaf ears as the yellow sphere was finally lunged towards his partner. His sensei had told him backing down to treat your injuries wasn't shameful… but back then Tyrogue had just scoffed. Hitmonchan was never, ever going to forgive him if he gave up on their first try. Period.

"Pathet…"

"Enough!"

The boy's shout silenced even the audience. And as the word still rung in the air, Hitmonchan's eyes shot open. With a roar rivaling the one of an Exploud, the Fighting type just pulled back weakly one of his hands. And backhanded the Power Gem away, sending it straight to the dumbstruck Vespiquen. The Rock type attack struck directly, the Combee too surprised to react, and after sending the bee queen flying back, the attack finally made a sizeable dent in Rebecca's points.

"You don't humiliate your opponent. You don't poison them and then just run away and laugh in their face as they fall. [I]You face them with dignity and treat them like how you want to be treated! You give them you best![/I]" the calm, yet passionate, words signaled Rebecca her perfect plan was suddenly not so foolproof after all. "And we intend to give you just that. I was saving this for the final round but I guess I'll give you a sneak peak. Hitmonchan, up in the air! Ice Punch!"

The audience, the ones watching on the screens backstage, Marion, even Rebecca, they all gasped. Slowly but surely, the Fighting type rose and threw a somewhat disgusted look at Vespiquen and her trainer. Blue sparks once again danced around his ever-present gloves. And then he jumped.

The redhead didn't know how to react, the sudden change to her once-perfect tactic aside, but seeing him, so badly poisoned that he should be down already, jumping up as a Buneary?! Rico's voice surprised them all once again.

"Earthquake!"

So he did have one ace up his sleeve after all, were the thoughts that crossed her mind as Hitmonchan somersaulted downwards. The Pokemon slammed both his hands, coated in blue sparks, in the ground. The force of the impact was shattering and debris and shockwaves were send outwards, shoving back Vespiquen and striking her hard. And after the initial quake a second wave of sparks followed, this one blue, and it left a frozen path on its wake. By the time Rebecca realized what he was aiming for, her partner was already half frozen and chained to the ground by the ice.

"Thunder Punch!"

The frozen field cracked just by the sheer speed of the Hitmonchan that had jolted forward, his glove this time coated in electricity, and all the Combee that weren't solid ice by then tried to protect their queen. The punch once again connected with the living shield, this time shattering it, and jolts of yellow electricity jumped from one Combee to another, paralyzing them. Rebecca gulped when she realized Rico had neutralized her last defense.

"Fire Punch!"

The flaming left hook broke free Vespiquen of her restraints and sent her tumbling backwards. Rico didn't even bother looking at the clock. He knew he had no time.

"Mach Punch! That'll be the last one!"

Running on pure adrenaline by that moment, Hitmonchan just pulled back his hand… and then disappeared in a flash. Rebecca knew it was over. The soldier had beaten the general. She could say goodbye to her dreams of fame and glory. And just as Hitmonchan appeared with one fist glowing in front of Vespiquen, the siren rang.

The punch sent the bee queen flying. Vespiquen was propelled straight past her trainer and into the wall, leaving a dent and an array of cobwebs behind her. Rico cheered and went to help his, now nearly unconscious, partner to his feet. The blond boy looked at the screen… and froze.

The words "Winners: Rebecca and Vespiquen" were flashing on the screen. He hadn't made it on time.


"Gee, Hollowhead, that's a new low even for you!" Viviane's snide remark was, as the boys feared, just the begging of a tirade that could go on for several centuries before the participants settled on ripping themselves to shreds. Unless there was someone brave, or more appropriately- crazy, enough to come between those two and stop them.

"Well duh, Blondierella, I didn't expect someone like you to understand the meaning of the world strategy," the redhead's increasingly loud voice drew the attention of the small crowd backstage. Some of the seasoned coordinators were used to seeing newbies and even pros crack under the pressure but a full-blown shouting match? That was something you saw once or twice every contest circuit. If you were lucky. "Or do you need a thesaurus?"

Viviane tried playing cool and replied casually while playing with one of her spiky pigtails. The boys, and the rest of the guys backstage, just glanced from one to the other as if they were watching an intense tennis match.

"I don't need a dictionary to define the phrase "foul play", thank you very much," here Vivi let out a fake sigh. "It figures since you have no talent whatsoever you'd try winning by just playing as close to breaking the rules as one can get. Right, guys?"

The small group of young trainers fidgeted nervously around. The blonde didn't like the way Kale seemed bent of wiping away something nonexistent from his glasses or the sudden conversation Steven had struck with the suddenly, and oh so conveniently, out of his poke ball, Kirlia. Jed glanced to both his fellow males and then threw a concerned look somewhere towards the girl's feet. Viviane felt surprised she was taken aback by his next action. Honestly, how many times could one whacko make you think you've seen it all? She should have been getting used to it by then.

"Rebecca, my fair dame, will you go on a date with your humble admirer if he takes your side in this heated war of beliefs?" the teen was suddenly kneeling in front of the redhead, talking with all the seriousness of a knight about to go on that kind of campaigns you just knew ended up with half your army rotting in some forest, and attracting all the attention in the room. Some of them wondered whether the guy was contagious. Any second now, were the words that crossed the minds of the males that knew Viviane and Rebecca well enough.

"PERVERT!"

"TRAITOR!"

Two punches connected with the sides of the unfortunate Don Juan's head and soon he was lying on the floor mumbling something about potatoes and hallucinogenic cactus juice. Viviane pierced Kale with all the authority and promises of pain her eyes could muster. The boy didn't like others thinking he was going to be ordered around by a girl. Did she really think threatening him would make him take her side? But on the other hand, she did punch hard enough to take out a Rapidash. Ah, to blazes with all that, Kale thought- at least he'd die stating his opinion. People in the past who did that had monuments built in their honor after all.

"Honestly, Viv, I kinda like her style. Sure, it may have been a rip-off from the style of a award-winning pro," the redhead threw him a surprised look "but she did bent it enough to call it her own and did what she had to to beat Rico. Hitmonchan just couldn't have been beaten in a head-on charge. You can't expect her to lie down and wait to be squashed, right? Well, the taunting wasn't necessary but…" it was then that he noticed the look the blond coordinator had been giving him "Aaah, look at the time. Mum made me promise I'd call her every day at," he glanced at his blue Pokétch "08:47 sharp. Gotta g…"

"Oh no, you ain't going nowhere!" Viviane's grip on the boy's hand promised to leave some marks. "Don't you care that Rico should have been the one moving on? The friend that, despite being an annoying lech, treated you like he has known you his whole life?" Steven covered Kirlia's eyes with his hand, his partner was too young to see a human's arm being torn off. Sadly, Viviane noticed the action and decided it was Steven's time to be interrogated.

"And what about you? Did she finally impress you by treating you like a deity during drought?"

"Uhmm… I'm kinda with Kale on this one," alas, Steven will to live was very strong that day. "but she did treat Rico very badly. Bad. She was a bad girl!"

"Don't you dare make one of your succubus comments about it!" Vivi barked just as her rival opened her mouth with a smirk. "I'll go somewhere away from all of you traitors and backstabbers to prepare for my next battle, kay? Heck, maybe I'll go see how Rico is holding up."

"Good riddance!" was the redhead "affectionate" answer.

"Uhm, Kale? I don't think Jed's alright," Steven gestured towards the Kirlia curiously poking the unconscious teen on the ground "Maybe we should get him to Nurse Joy."

"Nah, he'll be fine and dandy after a minute or so."

"Seriously, dude, he doesn't seem to be breathing."

"Relax, after all Viviane has put him through so far, he's bound to have some freaky regeneration ability or something."

Just then, a flash of light appeared out of the teen's belt and soon the colorful mess of feathers that was Chatot was circling around. True to his loyalty, the Flying type whacked his beloved trainer up the head. The only response he got was a soft mumble coming from Jed.

"Watch out, Billy Ray! The bluenette's got a gun."

"Told ya so," Kale announced with a grin.


Things were certainly not going as planned for Rebecca. Sure, she had won, if just barely and by pure technicality. And that wasn't even a sure thing as Marion had announced Rico would take her place if Vespiquen wasn't battle-ready for the next match. And since Nurse Joy was not allowed to help in a decisive situation like that, it was up to the emerald-eyed girl to think of something. And fast. Filling the glaring holes on the field in record time was something the staff excelled at after all.

"Now what do we have here? Princess going all emo? Maybe so she could impress not-so-tall, dark and emo over there?"

Rebecca just let out a frustrated sigh and forced herself to face the blond, now back in his usual yellow sleeveless top and baggy camouflage pants.

"Here to try and make sure I get disqualified so you could get your well-deserved victory, am I right? Well guess again before you think I'll give up! I'll find a way to heal her enough and…"

"Cool your engines, hothead, I'm actually here to give you this," Rico beamed a somewhat bitter smile and threw some kind of spray in her lap. "A healing potion. Does miracles when there's no Nurse Joy around. Ain't as good as the actual treatment but it'll keep Vespiquen up to your opponent's level."

Rebecca could just look quizzically to the small bottle in her lap.

"Why are you helping me? I humiliated you, treated you awfully and if I get shafted you take my place. Why?"

Rico's behavior was all she didn't expect from anyone in this situation. If it had been her she would have done anything to earn that second chance. But he? He was not only giving up but helping her? And after his "no surrender" speech earlier?"

"It's really simple," the boy replied with a grin and put his arms behind his head "The point of the contest battle is to knock out or have more points than your opponent by the time the five minutes counter reaches zero. I didn't make it on time. In my book that means I failed the needed requirements for a clean win. Staying just 'cause of a technicality just seems cheap to me."

Rico smiled wider as the redhead's emerald eyes grew bigger and bigger. Plopping on the seat next to her, the boy continued:

"As much as I detest your strategy, you didn't break any rules. You won fair and square in your own twisted kind of way. But that's just me talking. Now take this and go out there and rock! Your next opponent is Viviane after all. I'm in for one big catfight! It's a shame we don't have any mud around."

With a wink, the coordinator left his female colleague to stare at the gift he had left her as he stood up and left.


"Okay, girls, you ready? Cause the audience sure is!" Marion winked playfully and raised her hand to announce the start of the battle. The blonde and the redhead on the opposite sides of the field stood still like statues, their eyes locked seemingly forever. At least their Pokemon showed signs of being living creatures, not decorative gargoyles. Vespiquen was bridled up and the air around her was abuzz, showing the anxiousness of the numerous Combee that used her as a hive. Pikachu on the other hand, looked ready to leap forward and tear the royal bee apart. His tail was twitching in annoyance and his snarls, squeezed through bared teeth, showed his opinion about the irritating lady bent on postponing the inevitable battle.

"Ready? Aaaaaaand go!" Pikachu thanked whoever was the boss up there. That lady was starting to give him a headache. Maybe she would like having her hairdo remade by several hundred jolts of pure torture? He was going to consider it later. For now, he had a battle at hand. And his trainer seemed to consider the red-haired female a special enemy. Boy, was he in for a fun fight…

"Quick Attack!"

"Defend Order!"

No time to think, just act. The yellow rodent's train of thoughts didn't even have time to derail as he jolted forward. The army of annoying pests he had seen earlier on that thing the humans called TV, appeared again. And he just snickered while jolting past them and his sheer speed made them scatter. The Vespiquen took the full force of the hit and staggered backwards.

"Well, figures he'd be fast enough when not poisoned. We'll work on that," the female, the one he had heard others calling "Rebecca", just yawned and signaled her partner "Sweetie, I think it's time to give you fan club an Attack Order."

The nerve of that pest! She dared yawn and wave off his performance, his attack! No one in his forest had dared to do that since the rather unfortunate Barboach and Shroomish made that mistake. And he had made sure those two were inseparable forever. By thunder, he was going to maim that "Rebecca" for sure! But what was that annoying buzzing sound? Couldn't they shut up for a second while he was trying to think?!

Not. Good.

That was the conclusion Pikachu reached when he finally noticed the dome of Combee, all of them preparing to give him the stinging of his live, that had encircled him. Please, Viviane, please, they do deserve to be deep fried!

"Pikachu, stay strong! Use Thunder Wave to put them all down!" Viviane's stern voice reached the long black-tipped ears just in time. Slightly disappointed that he was going to just paralyze and not roast them, Pikachu decided to be happy with what he had in live. The red pouches on his cheeks sparkled wildly and soon enough, just as the mob of yellow stinging pests jolted forward, a wave of erratic bolts exploded outwards. Taken out in surprise, the Combee could do nothing but squeak excuses to their queen and fall on the ground like roasted berries.

Pikachu looked around with pride in his beady eyes. He had and his trainer were obviously no match for the little flying pests. Viviane smiled at him, one of those smiles reserved only for the one closest to her- that being her team most often, and ordered triumphantly:

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt! And make sure she can't dodge!"

Man, he just loved his trainer sometimes! Frying time! He took a deep breath and, with all the power he could muster, let out a mighty bolt that flew upwards. The electric current connected with the tangled webs of wires and frames above the field and as every spotlight shattered, all the electricity in the building followed the original stream. And shot straight down towards the Vespiquen, whose red eyes looked ready to pop out.

Rebecca's face was illuminated along with hundreds of others by the thunderbolt, now the only source of light in the arena. And her emerald eyes showed both fear and resolve. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Vespiquen, Slash the ground with full force! Both hands!"

The wasp queen thought for a second that her trainer must have lost her mind but realizing it was Rebecca that was giving the order, she obeyed. The redhead never tried stupid things that she knew wouldn't work.

The shockwave after the impact sent debris flying around and the groans of the stage crew could have been heard in the total darkness. Marion's voice somehow managed to put an end to the annoyed murmuring of the audience.

"Don't worry, folks," she shouted in the direction she knew the stands were "our stage crew is currently turning on the reserve generator and spotlights."

And soon enough numerous spotlights burst to live and the battlefield was once again visible. Or at least part of it. Viviane's half was nearly whole covered by the constantly circling dome of Combee. Very angry Combee, if one was to judge by the furious buzzing. On the other side, Rebecca herself didn't dare blink in fear of waking up. Vespiquen was still where she had seen her last, now kneeling and arms elbow-deep in the ground. The small crater around her still sizzled with sparks. But the royal bee stood up slowly, but proudly, and her crimson eyes glowed with anger. Everyone watching the battle and seeing her scorched and smoking form couldn't believe Rebecca had thought of something so crazy. Vespiquen had grounded herself before the jolt had hit.

"Attack order!" the words were spoken somewhat unsurely, between heavy breaths.

Vespiquen's eyes glowed even brighter and the mob of Combee formed a stable dome by merging their beehive cells. Viviane wanted to forget who was trapped inside. But the blonde knew that if she wanted to win and Pikachu to be okay, she had to act decisively.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt at full power!"

She could see the yellow hue through the cracks but soon another light, this one multicolored, filled the dome. And then the Combee themselves were thrown back by the force of their combined attack. All that was left of the dome was a crater of Pikachu's own, and the owner himself. Certainly not what I had had in mind for the day, the rodent thought as he staggered back to his stubby feet.

The screen above the field came back to live as well, showing the manually updated score. Both girls' hearts skipped a beat. Two minutes left. Even points.

"Vespiquen, Slash away!"

"Pikachu, it's time for the Thunder Tail combo!"

Just as the wasp queen shot forward with glowing claws, Pikachu once again collected electricity in his tail. But this time, he kept it there and proceeded to jump in the fray as well, absorbing all the collected jolts in the Iron Tail. The result was a glowing, golden tail, which left trails of electricity behind.

The two Pokémon soon engaged in their deadly dance. A literal one for Vespiquen of course. Dodges and strikes, parries and feints, and still as even as they were, Rebecca noticed her points were slightly lower. But of course, the rodent's attack was more attractive than Vespiquen usual strikes. Blondierella had some creativity, Rebecca at least gave her that.

"Vespiquen, grab hold of his tail! Confuse Ray!"

The yellow queen did just that, and despite the jolts that surged through her body, struck Pikachu with the blue glowing rings that had the tendency to jumble up one's mind. And not a second later, to Viviane's horror, Pikachu was biting his own paws and tail and slapping himself over and over.

"Now's the chance! Vespiquen, keep him down and use Power Gem! Come on, sweetie, just a little more."

Despite the redhead's encouraging words, her partner couldn't have done it if not for her servants. The Combee led their queen towards the yellow rodent and the rest of them pinned him to the ground with their own bodies. Seeing the yellow orb grow bigger and bigger in the hand of the Vespiquen menacingly looming above her Pikachu, Viviane knew she had to reach out to him. But she couldn't.

The blonde realized she was shouting his name, encouraging him but not in the way Rico did. Inside, she felt like the little girl she truly was, and wanted to cry and scream his name and go hug him and take the hit. But that would mean caving in, letting Rebecca see she was weak. Letting everybody- Kale, Jed, Rico and Steven, the audience even, to see she was vulnerable. And the blonde wanted to be strong, she had to. But Viviane wanted to help her friend as well.

The blonde opened her mouth and the tiniest of tears started forming in her sapphire eyes. But as they met with Pikachu's empty orbs and Rebecca's emerald ones, Viviane realized she couldn't do it.

"Oh, Pikachu… I'm so sorry."

As the girl wiped her eyes quickly so no one could see her shameful tears, she could have sworn she saw a glimpse of accusation in Pikachu's empty eyes. And then the Power Gem came crashing down and before even time had run out, the judges deemed Pikachu unable to continue.


"Incredible, just incredible, folks! Steven and Kirlia are managing to keep a lead despite the type disadvantage. I wonder how Rebecca's feeling after Steven did a complete 180o for the final battle and copied her defense and attack formations. I've never seen someone using Magical Leaf and Psychic in such a way. Still, Vespiquen has been constantly on the offensive and I doubt Kirlia can keep dodging, deflecting and counterattacking forever!"

"Come inside, you're missing out Steven and Rebecca's battle."

Kale's voice fell on deaf ears as the blonde just continued staring at the flickering lights of the city. The balcony was fairly well-lit, courtesy to the light happily streaming from inside through the sliding doors. Still, it was getting chillier, as all Sinnoh nights tended to be, and Kale didn't think getting a cold would help Viviane one bit. Seconds passed, and realizing the girl wasn't going to follow his advice, the boy leaned on the railing next to her. This just didn't feel right. He was the newbie, he wasn't supposed to be the one doing all the wise talk. Still, he had to do something.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Viv, we all make mistakes. Blace got hurt because I of me. But you don't see me whining, right? I'm just happy he's back with me again and is currently stuffing himself with what Jed calls food!"

Oh man, did that sound too harsh? He wanted to reassure her, not drive her away even more. Viviane just kept on studying the cityscape covered by the gentle veil of the night. Kale clutched the railing and, observing the shimmering lights as well, decided to try a different approach.

"Come on, you'll like it. We can just turn off the TV and enjoy the late dinner. I'm telling ya, he must have bought every potato in the supermarket. He's made potato sandwiches, salads, mashed potatoes, potato juice and potato cake even! Not that I'd try any of the last two personally but hey, maybe you'll like them," the dark-haired trainer let out a nervous laugh and pressed on "You must be starving after running all the way from the Contest Hall! Honestly, we thought you'd get lost and end up headfirst into some lamppost. You did look very uncoordinated after the battle."

What on Earth was he doing?! Cracking lame jokes and bad puns in front of a depressed girl?! She had probably thought he was aiming to mock her or something. Kale expected the punch to come any second. Or maybe a slap- one could never be sure how Viviane would inflict pain to the unfortunate males around. But somehow, the fact she didn't even grunt or look his way bugged him even more. Even a violent reaction would have been some kind of a reaction. So much for his Dad's advice to solve problems with a laugh.

"Hold on to your hats, people, that was some Power Gem. Concealing the attack with a flock of Combee was sure one smart decision. The tide has turned and maybe that was the fatal step that's going to cost Steven the ribbon? Vespiquen servants have gotten hold of him and, in a repeat of the previous match, the queen is getting ready to pass judgment with yet another Power Gem! Any second now…"

Great going, Marion, keep reminding her of the failure. Letting out a deep sigh, Kale turned his gaze to the crescent moon. Nope, no solution there as well. What should he do? Praise her? Try making her view the battle from a different perspective? Finally snap under all the craziness that has been following him around since starting being trainer and slap her? No, no and hell no! The first was an uncertain tactic, the second depended on his experience as a trainer and the last one meant imminent death. Kale doubted the blonde next to him was that unresponsive. Marion's words once again reached his ears from inside the living room.

"Oh my! I bet no one saw that last second Double Team coming! Kirlia is finally on the offensive and with less than two minutes on the clock, things aren't looking good for our female finalist. Just look, the Combee can't keep up with that flurry of Teleports and Magical Leaves! He's just spamming her!"

"Chaar, chim-aa-r!"

The fiery-tailed monkey had apparently sneaked silently through the door. Kale wordlessly picked up the brown Pokémon from his shoulder and placed him on the railing. Judging by the awed gaze, Blace was in love with the view. Figures, the Fire type had never been in a city before and seeing Twinleaf Town from Rowan's hill wasn't something special. As Kale tried to guess what exactly Blace was thinking, the boy once again felt his heart sink at the thought of losing his friend. It surprised the trainer how little time it had taken for him to bond with his starter. By thunder, he wasn't going to let Vivi lose such a connection with one of her partners just because of her pride!

"Look, Viv, I know how you feel. I really do," his uncertain voice trembled, but Kale continued nonetheless "I realize you don't like opening up to others. I realize what it feels like to let down your Pokémon. And the fact that you do feel guilty speaks for itself. I saw you out there, we all did. Your heart must've felt like being torn apart seeing Pikachu like this. He knows you care deeply for him as well. You just need to… talk."

"I'm scared he won't forgive me."

Kale didn't know what it was- the unexpected response, the fact she was talking about her feelings with someone or her sad voice- that took him aback so much. Choosing his words carefully, the boy finally looked Viviane straight in her clear blue eyes.

"I don't know Pikachu well. Heck, I barely know him at all. But I do know one thing- Pokémon know their trainers for what they really are. Pikachu knows why you reacted like that- and I bet he's willing to help you to overcome that obstacle together."

"And where did you hear those wise words, oh Lord of Cheesiness?'

Awesome, a sarcastic response! He must have been on the right track if her quick wit was returning. Kale gave himself a mental pat on the back and grinned widely.

"Actually, it was gramps that said them to me some time ago. That man was like a fortune cookie sometimes."

Observing the smiling fool in front of her, sheepishly scratching the back of his head, the girl raised an eyebrow.

"Was the old coot bribing you with candy or something? You sure have paid him a lot of attention."

"Well, you could say he was a very… influential figure in my life," Kale replied and leaned back on the railing "I do know what's it like to fear failing. You fear 'cause you still doubt you decision. But for me? Well, every member of my family is into Pokémon training. And every single one of them has earned their praises some way or another."

The boy scratched the Chimchar between his ears before continuing. Viviane kept on looking at him with interest in hearing some background.

"Dad has the gym, Mum her contest trophies, Sinnoh's Dancing Seer- that's how I knew Rebecca kinda copied her style," the boy replied to Viv's raised eyebrow " and even my sorry excuse for an uncle has gotten himself a respectful position among trainers. I'm expected to at least win a League or something. Since I'm actually a trainer now, it's every day Numero Uno or bust for me. I can't go back home as a failure. Dad's another story, but Mum won't like it. I know she loves me more than anything in the world but she just wasn't raised to accept defeat. She was thought to always strive for the better."

"And what about the old man?"

"Gramps?" the boy suddenly beamed a smile again "Gramps was a whole other league unto himself. But enough chit-chat! We're talking about you here, remember?"

The blonde glared at him for reminding her. After letting out a sigh, she finally caved in.

"You really think he wants to talk?"

Hazel eyes met sapphire once again and the boy tried to burn into his memory the face behind Viviane's mask. As the city's eyes kept on flickering and the urban noises continued their constant song, Marion's voice reached his ears again.

"Amazing! Kirlia has mixed the Magical Leaf/Psychic combo with the rotating shield of Combee. Vespiquen probably doesn't know on what world she is under that kind of barrage! Marvelous! And… that's it! Time's up and Steven wins with a good several points ahead. Now he'll be awarded the prestigious Jubilife Ribbon!"

"Yes, I do think so. Now have a nice talk with him and come inside so we can see Steven getting the ribbon," the boy turned around and continued in a quieter voice before walking back in "Truth to tell, I'll try everything on the table. Jed's ecstatic and something tells me he has someone to cook for besides Chatot and Munchlax for the first time. You decide for yourself."

The familiar flash in his peripheral vision and the sound of a Pokémon being called out brought a smile on Kale's face as he headed towards his other companion, who was currently sitting on the couch and singing camp songs.