Misadventures of the World Tournament

by Nimondor

When Red arrives in Unova for the Pokemon World Tournament, he expects to participate in a tournament against other champions from all over the world. He doesn't expect two separate criminal organizations trying to resurface simultaneously. He doesn't expect Hilda to come waltzing into his life. He doesn't know what to expect anymore. -games- [discontinued]

10. Chapter 10

A/N: And so the PWT finally begins! If any of the battling is confused, feel free to let me know.

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10

Pikachu

In Kanto, Team Rocket didn't have ninjas or special ninja pokemon or anything remotely ninja-like. They weren't super-human beings that could disappear without a moment's notice and they also couldn't be as silent as a ghost-type pokemon. They also didn't have the invisible walls like Koga's gym did. The point being, we had not expected the Shadow Triad to appear, not in a million years. We hadn't anticipated they would go to Red's mother of all people either but the question that ran through all of our minds was just one word: Why?

It was possible they used his mother to lure us into a trap—which was done splendidly, but you'll never hear me say that out loud—however, it led back to the famous why we all asked each other.

Of all the people competing, why would they go after Red's mother? If they knew Giovanni was relaying information to Red, why keep telling him what they were planning? Why were they even here? Why would they strike during a tournament full of the world's best pokemon trainers?

Although it wasn't a famous why, we also wondered what their true purpose was. Sure, they wanted to rule the world, but was that really it?

With everything that had just happened, I was completely confused and my brain would explode from the stress and unanswered questions filling my head. Why this was happening at all, especially at a time like this, was confusing to everyone. Even Lance, who came as soon as he heard the news of what happened, was left scratching his head. This coming from a guy who was far more intelligent than most was unnerving to all of us. We just figured it was because there were so many people congested in a single area.

Red was up and about nearly ten minutes after Blue had left, clearly wanting to go see his match in person. Charizard was tempted to push him back down but when White agreed to go with him, he gave a long drawn-out sigh, especially when he seemed to share the same feelings as his mother. Neither of them wanted Red to be moving around but they had no choice if they wanted to keep an eye on him and simply followed him out the door. Lance stayed behind to investigate the damage with Wesley, who was everything but thrilled to see damage to the thick walls and paint, mumbling under his breath how much the repairs would cost and what insurance would cover.

The ride to the stadium was mainly silent, I couldn't tell what any of the humans were thinking, but Red's face was serious while his mother's was just full of worry for her only child, while White was deep in thought, looking more and more confused as we reached the stadium in record time. We landed in the front of the gates shortly and Red recalled Charizard soon, quickly leading the way when we heard the cheers proclaiming that Dawn had defeated Nate using Rotom, whatever that was. I heard Red sigh a bit in relief; I'm sure he was glad he could at least make it in time for Blue's battle.

"What in Arceus' name are you doing here?"

I turned my head around with Red, seeing Blue standing near a set of stairs that led to the basement. "Aren't you supposed to be in your room? You did just kinda get knocked out," he scolded.

Red narrowed his eyes in annoyance and White smiled. "It's okay, his mom and I are with him, we won't let him get back into any trouble and if his head starts to hurt again, I have the wonderful magic called pain killers," she said and Blue sighed, looking unconvinced. "Besides, we've already made it clear if he starts to feel dizzy at all, he's going back to bed. Trust me, Blue."

Red blinked. This was the first we've ever heard about this. White looked at us, her eyes letting us clearly know that she was completely serious.

I tilted my head and finally Blue groaned again. "Fine, fine, whatever. You were never one to sit still anyway. I'll be on the Western side, the boxes are up the stairs. I'll see you up there, yeah?"

Red nodded and Blue turned around, giving a backwards wave as he disappeared down the stairs, where a few staff members were waiting for him. When he was gone, White approached a door and opened it, revealing another staircase leading up. "This way, but we have to hurry, the battles are going to start very soon!" she said and ran up said stairs, but not before taking Red's hand.

Red's face turned instantly pink but he went after her as he smiled at her excitement while I looked up at Red's mother as she sighed, but watched her blink when the two teenagers already disappeared up the stairs before she smiled. I tilted my own head. "What's wrong?" I asked her out loud, though she didn't understand as she picked me up.

She calmly walked up the stairs and I caught a hint of a smile growing on her face. She was silent for a few moments, only pausing to let a few kids run past and through a set of doors leading out to the bleachers on the second floor. "I'm not upset at him," she told me when she started up to the third and final floor, as if she knew what I was asking. "I am happy he has found someone else to make him smile. I haven't seen him smile like that in ages. He hasn't smiled like that since the day he left on his journey."

I tilted my head, then looked at the hall on the third floor that led to the box overlooking the field. A door had closed, no doubt Red and White had entered it already without waiting for us. It was rare to hear anything of Red's life before he started other than embarrassing stories and Red would never talk about it no matter how much we would pester him.

"Just make sure he stays that way when I can't, Pikachu." I looked back at her as she scratched my ears. "Can you do that for me?"

I nodded and gave her a thumbs-up. "Of course, I can!"

The door opened again, Red blinking at us and held it open for his mother and I. "You, young man, need to learn to slow down and wait for me," his mother instantly scolded and his face flushed in embarrassment when someone laughed from inside the room.

"Yeah, Red, be more respectful to your mother!" Ethan's voice said and Red shot a glare towards the trainer, who sat near the middle of the seats as he laughed again.

"Be nice, Ethan!" scolded Rosa.

"Ow!" I had come in to see White smack his head but soon his face turned somber and he looked at Red. "Are you sure you're okay though?"

The one with the white cap and a strange green pokemon with a red stripe around its middle—Brendan, I think (so sue me, I always forget his name, I get enough of that from Espeon)—turned as well, and even though he didn't know Red, he looked concerned as he said, "We heard what happened—"

Red gave a sharp nod to cut off the trainer, though he looked irritated and his mother sighed at her son's stubbornness as she sat down in the front row beside him while Black had the seat on the other side of her, leaning back in his seat a bit lazily.

He frowned a bit, watching Red though his eyes quickly averted the moment he spotted the mark on his neck, almost subconsciously rubbing his own neck. I made a sound to alert him and Black blinked at me, then smiled, removing his hand to scratch my head once instead. Well, at least the same cute tactics could work on him just as well as my own trainer.

It made me laugh on the inside. They say the humans were the trainers. I beg to differ.

The box was just an extended platform, shaded from the sun and railings kept from anyone from falling to their doom far below. I couldn't help but notice that a few spectators were talking madly amongst each other and pointing up towards us or to the other side of the arena, where the other half of the champions could sit as well. From here I could see Alder laughing with Cynthia, as well as Calem, who was inching closer to the edge of his seat, knowing Diantha was up next. Surprisingly enough, Joey was also there, though he was chatting merrily away with Serena until the next match would start. Steven, Iris and of course Lance were nowhere to be found.

White sat on the other side of Red in the front row, though she turned her head to watch a slightly disappointed Nate shook hands with a very delighted Dawn, then the two exited through different doors. I sat in Red's mother's lap, not minding it as the announcer's voice suddenly exclaimed, "Champion Dawn will be moving onto round two, who will join her side? Let's find out in a few short minutes! Next up is Champion Blue versus Champion Diantha!"

Not even five minutes later, Nate entered, taking the nearest seat he could and sighed. "Ugh, I messed it up with Carracosta… I could've beaten Dawn!" he said and rubbed his head after taking his visor off briefly. "I was this close, too!" He pinched his thumb and index finger close together.

"Better luck next time?" Rosa said and giggled as he groaned loudly, clearly disappointed.

Cheers suddenly erupted as the two combatants emerged from the rising platforms from the ground and from our position, I could see Blue turn his head up a bit, making sure we were here and satisfied, he returned his gaze to the field, eyeing Diantha as she returned the determined look with a hand on her hip whilst his were crossed. From somewhere in the crowd I distinctly heard a high-pitched voice scream, "We love you, Blue!" followed by several agreeing screeches.

I saw Red roll his eyes as White snickered. "Guess he's a fan favorite, huh?"

I nodded. "Better believe it," I replied.

The announcer cut through the noise once again. "Just like before, this is a full six-on-six battle with no breaks and no items! Trainers are free to switch pokemon at any time. The trainer with the last standing pokemon will move onto round two. Trainers, please release your pokemon!"

I already knew which pokemon Blue was going to send out, grinning as he indeed shouted, "Jolteon, go!"

From the other side and at the same time Diantha cried, "Hawlucha, let's battle!"

Jolteon gave a cry and Hawlucha returned it, soon standing on one leg. I couldn't hear if they were saying anything but I could see many people in the boxes pull out their pokédexes to scan Hawlucha, including Red. "Wow, a fighting and flying type? That's so cool!" Brendan said, smiling but he turned a little red when a few of us stared at him and he immediately scratched his head in attempt to beat away a bit of nervousness. "May says that if I hadn't become a trainer I would become her dad and be a researcher and I think she's right."

I blinked, flicking my ears as Red looked at him with a bewildered look.

"Really?" Ethan asked, causing Brendan to look at him. "Red too. He's always wandering off to study pokemon in his free time."

Brendan smiled and looked at Red as he nodded to confirm it. "You've seen all sorts of pokemon then, huh? Maybe we can go search for more pokemon at the end of the day today? My dad is actually Norman, he's a gym leader and my best friend is May, whose father is Professor Birch. He encouraged me to get out there anyway, so I decided what's better than to just go and explore the area and its pokemon?"

Red shrugged, indicating he wouldn't mind and Brendan smiled like a child in a candy store, looking at the pokemon in his lap. "You hear that, Kecleon? I'm not crazy either!"

Kecleon gave him a bored look. "Yeah, I didn't hear anything 'cause he doesn't say anything. But I've heard he isn't careful around wild pokemon," he said.

I shook my head. "He really isn't. Usually when Red wanders off, he doesn't even take any of us," I told him.

Kecleon sighed then crossed his legs as he looked at me. "Brendan has tried that before. Metagross had to drag him away. With the way these two act, I kind of wonder how the human race has survived this long."

I snickered. The similarities between the two trainers was like a grocery list that was steadily growing with each passing second. I looked at the stadium again, noticing the two pokemon begin to tense.

"You may begin!"

"Jolteon, use Agility around Hawlucha, then Sand Attack!" Blue called instantly, watching as Jolteon burst forward with sudden speed with a cloud of dust quickly following and rising into the air. Hawlucha covered his eyes, giving an uncomfortable sound as he tried to pinpoint Jolteon's location.

Diantha looked annoyed but quickly hid her annoyance under a mask that she smiled with and confidently said, "Hawlucha, close your eyes, don't let the sand get into them! Use Swords Dance!"

Hawlucha obeyed, calming itself and soon faint images of swords appeared then disappeared, raising his attack immensely.

"Jolteon, use Thunderbolt!"

I was impressed. Where Kecleon was voicing his confusion alongside some of the other trainers, Red was smiling, knowing exactly what Blue was doing. This strategy had been used against Charizard once, and was easily recognizable once used.

"Why's he pulling out that trump card now?" I heard Ethan ask no one in particular.

Jolteon gave a loud cry, jumping into the air and sent the electricity straight into the cloud, watching it scatter and disappear among the microscopic pebbles in the air. The sand made it impossible for electric attacks to work, but it worked well as a net.

Diantha hadn't a clue as she blinked in her own confusion. "Hawlucha, use High Jump Kick!"

Jolteon calmly waited on the other side of the sandy dome when he landed, grinning when Hawlucha hit the invisible net. The pokemon gave a cry of pain that could be heard from hear as the bright electricity suddenly found itself the perfect target to hit. As he hit the ground, more dust rose, but after taking a hit and missing a High Jump Kick, I knew he was out for the count. When the dust settled, Jolteon gave a soft snort at the fallen form of Hawlucha.

Diantha looked surprised, not expecting a 1-hit KO but she smiled instead, recalling Hawlucha soon. "You did good, Hawlucha."

"That was amazing! The quickest defeat in this tournament thus far! With strategies like that, how can Diantha win?"

I heard White sigh. "Announcers are annoying," she mumbled and Red nodded in agreement.

"But sometimes they're useful," Rosa said with a grin. "If you listen, they'll give you hints as to what your opponent will do."

"But shouldn't a ground type move make moves like Thunderbolt ineffective? Why did that work?" Nate asked, watching as Diantha pulled out another pokéball. "And why only in one hit?"

"He used Agility to gain speed and when he used Sand Attack to make dust fly in the air. I'm not really sure what the science part of it is but point is, it created a trap that Hawlucha couldn't get out of," Black muttered, almost to himself.

"What's got your panties in a bunch?" White asked him but Black decided to ignore her instead.

"And High Jump Kick is a risky move, if you miss, you damage yourself from the brute force," Ethan explained. "Hawlucha is a flying-type pokemon and is weak against electric attacks so on top of Thunderbolt and High Jump Kick, Hawlucha was doomed from the start. Blue's Jolteon has a mad powerful Thunderbolt. Not that Pikachu doesn't either," he quickly added, seeing my cheeks spark slightly.

"Chu," I said defiantly, crossing my small arms across my chest and Red's mother chuckled quietly, petting my head again.

"Oh. But maybe Diantha has some moves of her own. I mean, she is someone who can mega-evolve a pokemon, right?" Rosa said.

Brendan smiled. "Just mega-evolving a pokemon doesn't mean it's an instant win," he said. "There's still strategy you have to use."

Diantha threw the pokéball that had been in her hand. "Go, Tyrantrum!"

The dinosaur look-alike appeared and gave a very loud and large roar, startling even myself. I'd never seen anything quite like that before, but with Aerodactyl and Kabutops, I should stop being so surprised to seeing extinct pokemon.

Jolteon stood his ground, though he looked slightly nervous, glancing back at Blue and nodded once, their silent communication understood as the electric fox looked ahead, this time just as confident and cocky as his trainer. "Jolteon, Double Kick!"

As Jolteon rushed forward, Diantha grinned suddenly. "Tyrantrum, use Crunch!"

I watched as Jolteon kicked once in Tyrantrum's middle, but before he could land the second one Tyrantrum snatched his leg in the painful Crunch, causing Jolteon to cry out with a loud yelp before being thrown to the side.

"Earthquake!"

Tyrantrum roared again and slammed a large foot into the ground straight for Jolteon, who struggled to get up quickly. "Jolteon, jump!" Blue shouted, then covered his own face as dust flew all around. When the dust cleared not too much longer, Jolteon had managed to ease his way out of the broken ground but even though he was still standing, Blue returned him anyway, not wanting to have his starter incur more injuries.

"What's this? Jolteon is still standing but Blue has chosen to return it!" the announcer shouted amongst the cheers. "Who will Blue choose next?"

I smiled a little as Blue narrowed his eyes and knew he was finally getting serious as he pulled out a second pokeball. I'm pretty sure Jolteon could've taken on Tyrantrum but whatever Blue was thinking he was at least planning ahead. Maybe. He tossed the pokeball, revealing a very strong four-armed pokemon.

"It's Machamp!"

Machamp stood its guard, silent as always and eyed Tyrantrum with a challenging look that seemed to only infuriate the supposedly extinct pokemon. "Machamp, use Bulk Up!" Blue commanded and soon Machamp seemed to look stronger and his skin seemed to harden a little, raising his attack and defense. I watched as Tyrantrum ran towards Machamp.

"Tyrantrum, Head Smash!"

"Dynamic Punch!"

There was no avoiding the punch or the Head Smash as they came barreling at each other, though Machamp seemed to take the attack like it was nothing, as it was one fist that stopped Tyrantrum from going any further. Tyrantrum stumbled back a few steps as it flailed, clearly confused. Blue smirked as Diantha gritted her teeth together.

"It looks like Tyrantrum is confused while Machamp looks like it took no damage at all!" the announcer's voice said amongst the crowd's loud noises.

"Machamp, take this chance and use Focus Energy," Blue told Machamp, who nodded and concentrated, a bit of light coming but it left shortly, leaving Machamp to hop back and forth in anticipation as Tyrantrum continued to flail.

"Tyrantrum, listen to me! You're just confused!" Diantha said desperately, trying to soothe her pokemon. "Use Dragon Claw!" No such luck, the attack hit himself, and Tyrantrum stumbled backwards again, though focus seemed to start to come back.

"Machamp, now's our chance! Use Seismic Toss!"

Machamp ran at the Tyrantrum just as his focus completely returned, trying to use Dragon Claw again. However, Machamp avoided the attack, grabbing a firm hold of his thick, heavy tail with all four arms before jumping into the air. I gaped as Machamp spun in two full circles before slamming the unfortunate dinosaur into the ground, breaking the already broken ground even further. As Tyrantrum struggled to get up, Machamp fell to the ground from above him, his top two fists glowing slightly. "Cross Chop!"

Machamp fell hard and fast, slamming said fists into Tyrantrum. The supposed extinct pokemon didn't get up as Machamp jumped and landed in front of Blue with a triumphant look, looking excited.

Diantha returned Tyrantrum as the announcer started babbling on about how strong Machamp was. Well, I would know. If he beat Snorlax in an arm wrestle, he was most certainly one of the physically strongest pokemon out there. I smiled a bit as Diantha paused a moment, clearly trying to decide which pokemon to use before throwing out a pokéball. "Go, Gourgeist!"

It… it was a floating pumpkin. I blinked, my ears twitching. That pokemon was just a floating, brown pumpkin with a candle on top. But upon closer inspection, it seemed like it was a ghost, making an eerie noise as it grinned. In all honesty, I've never seen a pumpkin look so creepy.

"Gourgeist! One of the ghost types of Kalos!"

Machamp seemed to already know what Blue was going to command next. "Machamp, use Foresight!"

"Gourgeist, Leech Seed!"

Machamp tried to avoid the seeds flying at him but as soon as one hit his lower left arm, it immediately sprouted, clinging to his arm. "Machamp, you still have time, use Cross Chop!"

The announcer seemed surprised. "Doesn't Champion Blue know that fighting type moves can't hit ghost types?"

But the audience was surprised when the Cross Chop slammed into the ghost-type, sending it flying into the ground with a cry. "I'd imagine the announcer would at least know what Foresight does and not just a flashy move," Black said, crossing his arms, almost annoyed.

"Can you at least tell my why you're so pissed off right now?" White interrupted, poking her brother's arm, only for him to roll his eyes at her and push her hand off. Red blinked and looked at Brendan, who shrugged silently.

Diantha held a pokéball up as Gourgeist struggled to get up. "Gourgeist, return!"

Blue blinked as the pokemon disappeared and Machamp narrowed his eyes in anticipation, shaking his arm again to try and get the Leech Seed off.

"Diantha has returned Gourgeist! Who will come take its place on the field?!"

I watched as Diantha opened another pokéball, and the elegant pokemon that appeared made Brendan sit up a bit more, his eyes locked on it. I tilted my head up at him and Red looked just as confused as his mother smiled. "Oh, that's such a beautiful pokemon!" she said.

"That's a Gardevoir," Brendan said. "It's a psychic-fairy type. And you see that stone it wears around it's neck? That's a mega stone."

I sat up, completely excited now. I wanted to see this mega evolution, but when I looked at Blue, he seemed to immediately take notice of the stone as he stiffened slightly with anticipation.

From out of nowhere, I jumped when I heard the announcer say, "Gardevoir arrive on the scene!"

I gave a groan as Red smiled at me, amused. I hadn't expected the voice and then I looked back up as Diantha tapped her necklace.

"Gardevoir! Mega evolution!" Gardevoir hummed something before she started to glow just as brightly as the gem on Diantha's neck. The entire audience was spell-bound, it was likely over half of the people in attendance had never seen a mega evolution before, including ourselves, except for Brendan. He didn't seem to be too impressed, watching with the rest of us as the light died down. Gardevoir looked completely different as soon as the light faded, and even I sensed that her power had nearly doubled. She gave a powerful cry, the pink in the middle extended, the white coat floating about Gardevoir's form made it seem she was levitating off the ground rather than standing on the tips of her toes.

"Wow! A mega evolution! It helps evolve a pokemon even farther than their current states for a limited time during battle!" the announcer said, sounding like he was having the time of his life.

"Gardevoir, Future Sight!" Gardevoir's eyes glowed and opened a portal above her head, sending a blast of kinetic energy into it before it disappeared from sight.

"Machamp, use Knock Off!" Gardevoir tried to avoid being hit but as soon as she was, she gave a cry, and distinctly I heard her feminine voice snap, "Ow! That hurt, four-arms!" followed by Machamp's distinct voice, "It's supposed to!"

I snickered, mostly to myself and watched as Machamp jumped backwards to avoid a strong Psychic. Machamp grunted with pain as the Leech Seed sapped more energy from him and he flexed his affected arm, trying to bring feeling back into it as he listened to Blue command loudly, "Dynamic Punch!"

I knew what he was trying to do; we all knew Machamp wouldn't be able to defeat a mega-evolved Gardevoir, so what better way to give the next pokemon better odds by confusing her? Machamp was quick with his fists, but Gardevoir was faster to dodge, avoiding three in a row before finally being hit by the forth, with the Leech Seeded hand no less. He jumped backwards and looked up as the portal from Future Sight suddenly opened up above him.

Machamp cried out loudly as Gardevoir wavered on her feet in confusion, fighting to regain her focus as Blue recalled Machamp and quickly pulled out another pokemon quickly, not wanting to lose his chance. "Gyarados! Use Dragon Dance! And again!" Gyarados was covered with a vortex of red and black light, raising his speed and attack all at once. Double that and there was an unstoppable angry water lizard already looking pissed at Gardevoir.

"Just as quickly as Machamp fell to Future Sight, Gyarados has taken its place on the field!"

Diantha grunted and looked at Gardevoir as the psychic was still confused, somehow managing to use Magical Leaf against herself. "Gardevoir! Use Wish!" Gardevoir sent a calming power in a star-like shape, letting it disappear into the sky as focus came back to her.

"Gyarados, use Aqua Tail!" Gyarados' tail became encased in water before extending his very large body and slammed his tail into the poor fairy. Gyarados removed his tail and there lay an out cold Gardevoir, in her normal form and Diantha hesitated as she recalled her precious pokemon.

"Gardevoir has fainted! Blue is gaining the upper hand still with five pokemon still able to battle!"

Ethan smiled. "Yea, well, she'd better have some good luck getting rid of Gyarados now. He's got two Dragon Dances on his side," he said. "Even I have trouble getting past that."

"Doesn't anyone?" Brendan asked with a blink.

"Not Red, he and Blue have battled each other since they were ten, they know each other's strategies inside and out."

"Wow. I kind of hope I can see you two battle each other," Nate said with an impressed look.

I puffed out my chest. "Well, me and Red usually win!" I told them and earned a giggle from White as she picked me up from Red's mother's lap.

"You're so cute, Pikachu," she said and I rolled my eyes at her. Cute wasn't what I'd want to be described as and I narrowed my eyes enough to cause her to erupt in another fit of giggles and set me down so I could jump onto the railing, my eyes locked on the match. I saw Diantha toss another pokéball into the air and I could tell she looked a little frazzled, clearly startled.

"It's Gourgeist again!"

The tired pumpkin gave a squeak at its formidable opponent, dodging a quick Dragon Rage. He hummed to itself as Wish took effect, and he looked refreshed, various cuts having healed and he floated confidently into the air with a loud cry as Diantha shouted, "Gourgeist, Leech Seed!"

"Not going for that again, Gyarados, dodge it and use Ice Fang!" Blue shouted. Gyarados avoided the Leech Seed quickly then with icy fangs, bit down hard onto the ghost. It screeched and once released, it hit the ground hard, struggling to get up again.

"Gourgeist, use Shadow Sneak!"

From behind, I barely saw Red give a slight shudder, but he did well to hide it, not even his mother noticed. Gourgeist disappeared into a shadow in the ground, and even though Gyarados was soon hit, Blue commanded a second quick Ice Fang. Gyarados bit down hard and tossed Gourgeist to the side near Diantha, roaring once he found himself unable to get up and fainted, the referee declaring Gyarados the winner.

"Two down in less than five minutes! Amazing! Diantha had better be careful with her last two pokemon if she wants to go into the second round!"

Diantha returned Gourgeist, her plan failed and watched Blue for a moment before tossing out a fifth pokéball. "Go, Aurorus!"

With the appearance of a second dinosaur, I only watched. This one, unlike Tyrantrum, held the graceful aura Venusaur had. The ice-type offered a loud roar himself, the fins on his neck turning all sorts of colors in the light. Even Blue seemed to be impressed. "Another dino, eh?" he said and she smiled. "Gyarados, use Hydro Pump!"

"Aurorus, counter it with Ice Beam!" The two jets of ice and water hit each other, each trying to overpower the other but eventually there was a cold blast, and from the mist Diantha shouted, "Freeze-Dry!" while at the same time, "Dragon Rage!"

Red looked confused, he had no idea what 'Freeze-Dry' and when I heard Aurorus and Gyarados' pained cries, Blue was the one that looked worried while Diantha remained confident. "Gyarados!" he shouted. The mist cleared and Gyarados was still up, panting but stayed up. "You okay, Gyarados?" Gyarados gave a shaky nod.

"Freeze-Dry! A move that is even super effective against water types! Amazing that Gyarados is still up!"

"Good, then use Rain Dance!" Gyarados roared loudly into the sky, the dark clouds covering the stadium as a rainstorm started. Diantha looked annoyed suddenly, the downpour starting to drench them and the field while Blue didn't seem to care, looking confident and it was clear as day that whatever plan he had in mind was coming together.

"Aurorus, use Freeze-Dry! Finish Gyarados!"

"Quick, Gyarados, use Hydro Pump again!"

Gyarados loaded, charged and fired the attack before Aurorus had a chance to even know what hit him. Aurorus fell hard, not moving.

"Diantha has lost Aurorus! This isn't looking good for her! She has one pokemon remaining while Blue still has five!"

I nodded my approval even as the rainstorm stopped, the clouds disappearing. Blue was doing very well for the first round in a champion's tournament. I expected as much, anyway, he had trained very hard and I had myself seen the improvement with Pidgeot when we'd first gotten that hand-delivered letter on Mount Silver. "Go, Goodra!" Diantha said and soon the happy-looking dragon appeared, ooze dripping from its arms.

At the same time, both champions shouted, "Use Outrage!"

At least Diantha knew she would lose, it seemed she only wanted to end it quicker to move on with her day. Goodra shouted in pain alongside Gyarados, though with both fallen on the field and their trainers recalled him, the cheers were loud as the announcer said, "Blue is the victor with four remaining pokemon! He will move onto the next round! The next battle is our local Champion Black versus Hoenn native Champion Brendan!"

Diantha gave a disappointed sigh as the platforms lowered and they nodded at each other, both leaving and going through separate doors again. Blue stuffed his hands into his pockets, disappearing soon enough. Black groaned and stood up with a stretch. "Welp, I'm next," he said. "I'll see you guys later. Wish me lu—"

"No cheating!" White snapped immediately and Black immediately narrowed his eyes as Brendan also stood, looking confused but said nothing.

"I don't cheat!"

"Promise not to use Zekrom?" Now I was confused. Did Black know Zekrom? If Dawn was 'Tamer of Giratina' he wouldn't be 'Tamer of Zekrom' would he?

"I won't, I won't. Zekrom's 'in case of emergency' but the likelihood of that happening now after what happened earlier this morning? Not really high." He rose a hand to wave that White returned as he left with Brendan out the door.

Once they were gone, Ethan was the one who asked, "Just what kind of relationship does Black have with Zekrom anyway? What do you mean he can't 'use' Zekrom?"

White looked at him. "Oh, here Zekrom and Reshiram are legendary dragons. A really long time ago there was a war between two princes and after that they had been asleep in the White Orb and the Black Orb. Zekrom chose Black as its hero, the Hero of Ideals." She smiled. "He bragged about it after he found out too, but when we get a chance, maybe he can introduce you to him."

"What about Reshiram?"

Rosa smiled and perked up immediately, raising a hand straight into the air. "That's me! I'm the Hero of Truth!" she exclaimed proudly. "But, it wasn't originally me though."

Red blinked now, looking curious.

"Not originally you?" Ethan asked, sitting up. "Who was the hero before you?"

"Surprisingly, it was N."

"N?!"

"Yep. I was going to face off against Ghetsis… but he used Kyurem to try to… um… kinda kill me, but then N showed up and saved my life. Kyurem then absorbed Reshiram, and I battled and defeated it. After the Neo-Team Plasma ordeal, I battled N, he released Reshiram and told me that Reshiram went to Dragonspiral Tower and was waiting for me. Sure enough, there he was and he's been the best traveling partner ever."

I gulped inwardly, looking up at Red. I so did not want to battle legendary dragon type pokemon in this tournament.

"But don't worry," Rosa added shortly. "I don't plan on using Reshiram for tournaments like these. I have the team I've always been with on my side!"

She jumped as the door to the box suddenly flew open. "Ha! Take that!" Blue said suddenly, grinning as he sat down beside White, taking Black's empty spot. "Round two here I come! You better not lose against Serena, Red, I swear to Arceus. You and I have a battle to catch up on. That mega evolution was something else though, gotta tell you."

Red rolled his eyes as I looked back at Blue, still perched on my rail-seat comfortably and ignored many looks I received from the excited crowd. "The match after Black and Brendan is Steven against Lance, and since I'm pretty confident Lance will win, want to go for some lunch?" Ethan suggested, while Red's mother smiled at them.

"I can pick something up for you kids if you want me to! It's the least I can do for you after what happened this morning," she offered.

"Oh, you don't have to, we didn't do anything," Nate said, shaking his head as Red's mother chuckled.

She sat up a bit. "Even if you didn't, you would turn down free food?" The twinkle of mischief made Red sigh at his mother, trying not to roll his eyes at her.

"Well, when you put it that way…"

Ethan laughed. "I'm up for food after this!"

"And here they are!" the announcer shouted, the two platforms on the field raising again. "As you two may be aware, this is a full six on six battle! Trainers, please release your pokemon!"

Brendan and Black threw pokéballs at the same time, and from the West side, a very tiny pokemon appeared, giving off an adorable—though I'm sure he tried to sound fierce, "Cast!" Castform floated in front of Brendan and stared at the opposing pokemon with a determined look.

On the other side of the field, a much fiercer pokemon appeared, and completely creeped me out far more than a floating pumpkin. I shuddered to think of why this pokemon existed, it was in the shape of a human coffin, shadowy arms coming out of absolutely nowhere and gave a loud, "Grigus!" Red eyes narrowed, daring Castform to even come close.

White shuddered. "Cofagrigus always freaked me out," she said and looked up at Red and Rosa as he nodded. "At least I'm not the only one."

"Why does Black have a pokemon like that?" Blue asked curiously, not in the least bit creeped out by Cofagrigus like we were. Of course, being Professor Oak's grandson, he's probably seen weirder in his grandpa's lab. "He doesn't seem like the type to have a ghost on his side."

White shrugged. "I have no idea. Maybe it's just some big prank to keep freaking me out. So far, it's working."

"Castform, on the other hand, is completely cute and doesn't even seem to be that scared of Cofagrigus!" Rosa said excitedly.

"But overall, Castform are a weak pokemon. But we've underestimated weak pokemon before," Ethan said and looked at me. I flashed a grin at them, looking back on the field.

"You may begin!"

"Castform, use Sunny Day!" Brendan cried. Castform rose into the air, giving a hum as the sun brightened above the field, and I was a little startled to see Castform's head mimic that of a sun, looking like he was having the time of his life in the sunlight.

"Cofagrigus, use Mean Look!" Black ordered, and Cofagrigus' eyes glowed a bit and soon Castform glowed the same, though he only shook it off, though Brendan didn't look worried at all. "Now use Shadow Ball!"

When Brendan didn't issue another command, I was a little confused but Black was startled and narrowed his eyes when Shadow Ball went straight through Castform. I myself had no idea Castform was a normal-type, and it was clear that Black hadn't known either.

White was watching her brother, her eyes studying him and looked confused and worried. "Wow, Black really isn't trying right now, is he?" she said. "Cofagrigus knows a bunch of TM moves, so why isn't he using them? He should've known Castform's a normal type. Black seems distracted."

I glanced at Red, who was momentarily still. I frowned to myself, knowing that my own trainer was also a bit distracted, but that was understandable. Then I remembered when Black had rubbed his neck a while ago and I sighed to myself. I suppose when bad memories came up anyone would be distracted. I then turned my attention back to the battle, seeing that Cofagrigus was glancing at Black, almost wondering the same thing but snapped his eyes back to the tiny Castform.

"Weather Ball!" Brendan commanded, and a bright ball of white and orange light gathered and the attack was nearly double the size of Castform when it was thrown towards Cofagrigus, though it hit a Protect and once it faded, Brendan gritted his teeth with mild frustration as Black smirked suddenly.

"Cofagrigus, use Energy Ball!"

"Counter with Fire Blast!"

The green ball and star-shaped fire hit each other and exploded in the middle. "Cofagrigus, Toxic!" Black shouted and Cofagrigus raised all four of its arms, sending a deep purple liquid straight at Castform, which gave a cry when he got poisoned.

"Castform, use Hail!" The sunny weather suddenly disappeared and soon the hail appeared though Castform's sunny head disappeared and soon changed forms completely, nearly encased in a green protective substance.

Cofagrigus winced a little at the hail, but he looked more annoyed than anything. "Cofagrigus, use Energy Ball again!"

"Castform, Blizzard!"

Black was quick to respond after Energy Ball had been sent and ordered, "Protect!"

The Blizzard hit in full-force but Cofagrigus' form was protected with a shield in front of him and as soon as Blizzard was over, Protect disappeared, leaving an unscathed ghost type with an exhausted Castform, poisoned and weakening quicker. Brendan was growing frustrated and unable to return Castform, he had no choice but to keep trying to hit Cofagrigus. "Castform, use Hurricane!"

"Foorm!" Castform shouted as near gale-force winds erupted from himself and Cofagrigus looked startled, crying out as he was thrown here and there, eventually being slammed into the ground when the Hurricane was over, though Castform was greatly weakened, this time going to the ground as the Hail stopped and he returned back to his normal form and fainted from Toxic.

Cofagrigus got back up, damaged but otherwise fine.

"Cofagrigus has defeated Castform! Black is now in the lead with six to five!" the announcer said among the cheers.

Brendan smiled a bit as he returned Castform. "You did good, Castform." He pulled out another pokéball, throwing it. "Go, Kecleon!"

Kecleon stood there, having a naturally dopey face but those intelligent eyes snapped towards Cofagrigus, who seemed to groan at the sight of another normal-type pokemon. "Maybe he'll become a normal-type gym leader like his dad?" Rosa asked, giggling to herself.

"Brendan has sent out Kecleon, another normal-type pokemon!"

Black gritted his teeth, looking tempted to recall Cofagrigus, but the ghost shook its head… I think. Does it have a head? I'm not too sure, but it looked like it did. I think I should stop thinking about it, pokemon like Cofagrigus kinda confused me.

"Kecleon, use Screech!" Brendan commanded and soon the high-pitched screech even made me cover my own ears as Cofagrigus stumbled a little, trying to cover something that must have been his ears. And here I thought Charizard had a set of lungs! Red looked at me with slight concern when it was over but I shook it off, giving the trainer a makeshift thumbs up before looking at the field again.

"All right then, Cofagrigus, use Mean Look!"

"Kecleon, Shadow Sneak!"

"What?!"

Even I was surprised as the normal-type disappeared into the shadows, effectively slamming claws into Cofagrigus as it cried out with pain. I had no idea such a small pokemon packed a powerful punch like that and it seemed like Brendan specialized in pokemon that were small and could hit hard. I'm sure if Castform had been fighting a different pokemon of his, the battle would have been his. But with Mean Look, all Cofagrigus had to do was wait for him to faint from the Toxic and it was easy with such high defense. Screech was smart for a physical-attack pokemon like Kecleon.

"Now Shadow Claw!"

Brendan smiled as Cofagrigus fell, fainted and Black looked startled before recalling the ghost as the announcer stuttered about how good of condition Kecleon was in. Black tossed in another pokéball. "Go, Excadrill!"

The steel mole appeared, not making a sound but took a defensive stance, brandishing sharp claws for hands.

"It's Kecleon versus Excadrill!"

Well no shit, Sherlock. I stand by White's statement. Announcers are annoying.

"Excadrill, use Swords Dance!"

"Kecleon, Screech!"

Once again I covered my ears and whined to Red, who stood and picked me up from the railing, going back to his seat with me in his arms as I rubbed my ears in annoyance. Even from here, Screeches were loud and painful occasionally. He gave me a look, one that I recognized and shook my head. He nodded and Nate blinked. "What just happened?" he asked.

"Red and his Pikachu are super close, probably asking if Pikachu wanted to go into his pokéball or something like that," Blue said with a nonchalant wave and Red nodded to confirm.

"Oh. I agree with White, you're too quiet, Red," Rosa added and Red gave a sigh, rolling his eyes at them as his mother smiled a little. "And to think you two are dating."

"They're dating each other?" Nate asked, surprised.

Red and White's faces immediately turned pink. "Eh?" was all Red said.

"We-we aren't dating!" White stammered.

"You're dating each other?!" Red's mother exclaimed.

"No!"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Red shook his head wildly, trying to tell her that they weren't dating.

"Yeah, right. And the sky isn't blue."

Speaking of the color blue, Blue grinned. "Then why were you two hugging the other night? If you admit it, it'll be a lot easier—"

"Shut up, Blue!" White snapped with her face turning redder, smacking his head this time. I could sense White and Red were both nervous, and it was painfully obvious that they both had feelings for each other now, but would they reveal it to each other? I had no idea, Red hardly ever told anyone how he felt about them and I wasn't so sure about White.

I smiled as Blue gave a loud, "Ow! Now I know how Ethan feels…"

"Hey!" Ethan retorted, but he was smiling anyhow. We each snapped our attention to the field again, hearing an explosion that we'd all failed to pay attention to. Red flinched at the sound and Ethan kept smiling, patting his shoulder. "You're still easy to scare no matter where we are, Red," he teased and Red narrowed his eyes at him instantly.

"That was amazing! Kecleon is down and out for the count! Black has taken the lead again with five to four!"

"Aww, we missed the 'amazing' thing," Rosa whined. She set her eyes back onto the battle, intending to pay attention to the match now along with the others.

"Go, Metagross!" I watched as Black blink a little in confusion but quickly hid any trace from his face.

"Brendan has chosen Metagross to take Kecleon's place!"

"Excadrill, use Earthquake!"

Brendan frowned, shouting, "Metagross, use Magnet Rise!" Black frowned but when Metagross remained unharmed from the powerful ground-type move, I started counting down from five more ground-type moves, but it seemed like the other two did as well. "Now use Hammer Arm!"

"Dig, Excadrill!"

Hammer Arm landed on empty ground and Excadrill appeared from the ground on the other side of the field, safely away from any other Hammer Arms. "Metagross, use Bullet Punch!"

Before Excadrill could even dodge, Metagross pounded Excadrill with quick, light punches that made the mole stumble backwards but obeyed another Earthquake that Metagross was immune to for another two moves. Excadrill used another Earthquake and when Brendan ordered a Zen Headbutt, he only dodged with a final Dig.

Black smiled when the countdown was over, knowing that Metagross couldn't dodge another ground-type move. "Quickly, Excadrill, use Drill Run!"

"Metagross, Magn—"

Excadrill burst out of the ground, spinning at an unbelievable speed and hit Metagross hard in the middle before Brendan could finish 'Magnet Rise,' making Metagross cry out in what was clearly a critical hit when it struggled to get back up. "Metagross! Use Psychic! Bring Excadrill close to you!"

Metagross' eyes glowed and Excadrill's body glowed the same color and as he struggled, Black seemed to know what Brendan was up to, gritting his teeth together. "Excadrill, try getting out with Rapid Spin!" He grinned when it worked, Metagross struggling to keep a hold of the rapid form. "Great, now finish Metagross off with Earthquake!"

Brendan shouted something when the dust rose again, but it faded soon and he sighed softly, returning Metagross.

"Metagross is down! Excadrill has taken two of Brendan's pokemon, who will he choose next?!"

That was when I saw Brendan frown, then tossed another pokéball out. "Go, Armaldo!" Another fossil pokemon? How many of them did these people have?

"It's Armaldo! Another extinct pokemon brought back to life!"

Excadrill was panting, growing tired but he seemed confident, as did Black. "Use Earthquake again!" Black ordered.

"Armaldo, Protect!" Brendan smiled when the attack was done then shouted, "Use Brine!"

Water exploded from the bug, shooting straight at Excadrill, who tried to dodge but shouted in pain when he was hit, and it was likely he hardly had any health left when he fainted. Black soon tossed another pokéball and before it had even opened, he was yelling, "Samurott, Retaliate!"

The blue pokemon appeared and quickly slammed its horn into Armaldo, making him slam into the ground near Brendan. "Armaldo!" Armaldo got up shakily, wincing but stayed up nonetheless.

The announcer was growing excited again and I swished my tail in annoyance as he said, "Wow! Retaliate doubles the damage when the previous pokemon has fainted, and Samurott has dealt a lot of damage against Armaldo! How much more can Armaldo take?"

Both Black and Brendan seemed to be ignoring the voice, though Brendan looked at his pokemon. "You okay?" Armaldo nodded and Brendan smiled, looking back at Samurott, his regal eyes glaring down at Armaldo. "Then use Crush Claw!"

"Aqua Jet, Samurott!" Armaldo was too slow, and he was hit by the quick water attack and hit the ground again. "Now use Aqua Tail!" Poor Armaldo stood no chance against Samurott, I could tell Samurott has had a lot of training and was just far too quick for Armaldo, and I blinked, tapping my chin. Samurott and Black acted a lot like Red and I in my opinion. It seemed as if they had been together through many things which included predicting what moves our trainers would use next and remaining friends during the process. I looked up as Red scratched my head, smiling a little. It was easy to tell which pokemon were a trainer's starters, especially at our level.

"Mightyena, go!"

"Black is in the lead still, with four pokemon and Brendan only has two! One of which is Mightyena, the bite pokemon!"

Black eyed Mightyena, and Samurott seemed to already know which move to use as he rushed forward. "Samurott, Mega Horn!"

Brendan grinned suddenly. "Use Sucker Punch!"

Mightyena jumped up out of the way of a startled Samurott, then with two glowing back paws, used one kick to kick underneath Samurott's chin and the second to send him flying. I inwardly winced; that had to hurt. Samurott got up, however, looking like it had been nothing but an annoyance, giving a roar. Mightyena ignored the intimidating sound, playing it cool as she wagged her tail once. She then used Howl to increase her attack when directed to by Brendan.

"Samurott, use Aqua Jet to get up close!" Black said suddenly and I tilted my head. If he used moves that attacked and Mightyena could use Sucker Punch, wouldn't that just mean he was going to get kicked away like before? I watched as Brendan ordered another Sucker Punch, but he looked surprised when Samurott didn't finish the move and instead changed it to Swords Dance. "Now! Mega Horn!"

Mightyena howled in pain, the super-effective move making her shake as she got up. "Mightyena, use Crunch!"

"Use Hydro Pump!"

As Mightyena leaped to use Crunch, Samurott didn't try to dodge as he fired the powerful water move, sending her into the sky and finally she fell, hitting the ground hard and didn't get up.

"Mightyena has fainted! Brendan has one more pokemon left! He needs to be careful now!"

Brendan returned Mightyena while Samurott stood there proudly in front of Black, and finally tossed his final pokéball. "Tile!" the green pokemon cried. Then I noticed a very similar gem that Gardevoir had worn and I blinked. So save the best for last? That was a good idea, I suppose. Brendan rose his left arm, brushing his hand against the small gem embedded into his armband around his wrist and soon the similar purple glow came again. Black's eyes widened a bit, not expecting the mega evolution.

"Mega Sceptile! Has Brendan been holding out on us this entire time?!"

Mega Sceptile gave a loud cry, the many seeds on his back suddenly glowing and fired into the air towards Samurott as Brendan said, "Bullet Seed, Sceptile!"

"Samurott, dodge them!"

"Leaf Storm!"

"Hydro Pump!"

The two attacks collided with each other, though it seemed that Leaf Storm was pushing through the water and finally hit Samurott, who cried out when he was hit and shook his head as he got up again, growing tired.

"It seems like Sceptile and Samurott's power are even!"

Black seemed to notice too, but he smiled soon. "Samurott, jump up into the air and use Ice Beam! Freeze the ground!" Samurott obeyed and Sceptile danced around to avoid being hit with the blast. He seemed to be having a little trouble staying upright, though when Samurott landed on the ground, he didn't seem to find as much trouble on the icy field, using the ice to his advantage to suddenly skate forward. It seemed like they've had practice on icy fields.

Lucky us, we did too.

"Mega Horn!" Black commanded.

"Sceptile, use Leaf Blade! Block it!" The leaves on Sceptile's arm grew sharp and glowed green, quickly blocking the horn and the two struggled to overpower each other before quickly trying to hit each other with their attacks, blocking and parrying in a very sword-fight like dance. It was the ice that hindered Sceptile though, his foot slipping suddenly and his eyes widened as Samurott shouted and slammed the horn in his middle, making him hit the ground hard.

Sceptile grunted as he got up, trying to find his footing as his arm returned to normal and Samurott's horn did as well. "Samurott, use Aqua Jet!"

"Use Detect!"

Samurott was left trying to attack empty space as Detect helped Sceptile dodge the attack though the ground became slippery from the ice, leaving him struggling to regain his footing. "Samurott, finish it with Ice Beam!"

Samurott cried out loudly as he sent the powerful beam and Sceptile shouted in pain, and seemed to hesitate before collapsing, reverting to his normal form. The cheers were loud as Brendan sighed, returning Sceptile and the announcer declaring Black the winner. Black smiled and hugged Samurott, who smiled in return and allowed his trainer to recall him. The two shook hands and went through the same door they'd come out of.

White smiled happily, nodding her approval. "Seems like Black finally figured out he shouldn't be distracted during a battle," she said to no one in particular.

Red's mother smiled as she turned to the trainers. "I'm sure you're all starving by now, so what do you kids want for lunch?"

We looked at the door when it opened soon, far too soon for Black and Brendan to already be there and there stood a very familiar blond trainer, smiling gray eyes. "Oh, hello Cynthia!" Red's mother said cheerfully. "I was just about to go get the kids some lunch for what happened earlier today."

Cynthia blinked but nodded. "And here I was about to invite you to lunch with Diantha and I."

Red's mother smiled, shaking her head. "I'll have to decline today, I have to get them something to eat—"

"You know, we can get our own lunches," White said and smiled as Red's mother blinked. Red nodded at her.

"Yeah, go have fun. Pallet Town is boring and it's rare for someone to have lunch with a champion or two," Blue said with his own nod as Rosa smiled and Nate gave an agreeing sound.

Red's mother looked a little guilty, but soon brightened up, reaching into her pocket. "Then here. Go get yourselves some lunch. Red, I'll be back in time to watch your match, okay?" She handed him the money and he stood up, shaking his head at her and she blinked. "Why not? I'm your mother, so take this and at least take White out for lunch with you."

He instantly blushed and Cynthia blinked, smiling. "Oh, just listen to your mother. A man should take a woman out occasionally."

"We aren't dating!" White shouted again, making everyone else laugh at how dense they were acting.

Red gave a sigh and finally took the bills his mother nearly shoved into his face and put them into his pocket. Even I knew he wouldn't use it and would only give it back to her once we returned to the hotel. Satisfied, his mother left with Cynthia, waving at us with a good luck. I looked at Red as he flinched, Blue's hand landed on his shoulder. "Outside, now." Red blinked and I did as well, following them out the door. Once the door was shut, Blue cross his arms across his chest. "Just do what your mom says and take White out to lunch, I heard you ask her on a date the other night. Consider this a first date."

He smiled as Red's face turned a bright shade of pink, rubbing his head nervously.

"I've never seen you act like this towards someone else, so just listen to all of us and go on the damn date already. It doesn't even have to be today, you could just walk with her to a restaurant, pick up food and come back with extra for us. Your mom did give it to you for that. She can go with you to help carry some of it. That's your excuse."

Red sighed. "Espeon called it 'OGAD,'" he mumbled and Blue blinked.

"Yeah, about that. What does it mean?"

Red hesitated, his face pink again. "She said—well, it means Operation: Get a Date."

Blue stated before bursting out into laughter. "See?! Even your pokemon think you should be dating each other and it's only been a few days!" I bobbed my head up and down in agreement and Red just sighed again. "Just think about it. I can give you other tips if you need them."

My trainer narrowed his eyes, his look clearly saying, 'It's not like you've ever had a girlfriend.'

Blue shrugged as if he could read his mind. "I'm a gym leader, have no time for anything else, really. Besides, I have more social skills than you and girls throw themselves at me so I have no worries." He opened the door and Red sighed, looked at me and went back inside as I snickered, following him. Blue looked at White. "Red's probably going to need help carrying food back and you seem to know all the best places to eat, so why don't you two go and get food? Red's mom looked guilty that she couldn't get it herself."

"Yeah, but she looked exhausted from this morning's events, so I'm glad she's going to relax with Cynthia and Diantha instead," Rosa said and earned a nod from Ethan.

"Have fun, lovebirds!" he said.

"Shut up!" White snapped but got up anyhow, her face red as she left the box, waiting for Red outside. Red walked after her and I followed beside Red, going down the stairs first. We passed Black and Brendan on the way there, each of them saying that they were also hungry and left us be to go back to the box. Red and White were quiet for the trip through the stadium and once outside, she tapped her chin. "So there is a burger joint close by that's good. Let's go there, I guess." She looked up at Red as he nodded, following her.

I nudged Red's leg, urging him to start talking and he looked at me with an annoyed look that I returned. Finally he gave in and looked at White. "I was serious about the other night," he said and watched White's face turn pink again. "After the tournament. Do you want to go on a date somewhere?" He was blushing as he asked, and I smiled, happy that he was brave enough to ask again. He really didn't need to though, I figured he was nervous and had nothing else to say.

She nodded. "I've already said yes, dummy. And I know you've never been to Unova before, so I'll help you plan something fun, okay?"

He nodded. Made sense, even though he was the one asking he had no idea what fun there was to do around here, and I suppose half the fun would be planning it together. Oh, Espeon is going to love this information tonight.

"Tonight after you do your researching or whatever thing with Brendan come to my room. I'm on the first floor, room four. Sound like a plan?"

He nodded again and looked up as they stopped in front of a restaurant. The clerk at the window seemed to be excited to see us, happily taking the order White gave and Red paid for it with his own money like I thought he would, though White noticed, smiling her approval. "You aren't going to use the money your mom gave you?"

Red shook his head. "I have enough of my own from all the battles I had. I don't want her to spend money she doesn't have to." As we waited for the meals to cook, White sighed, hearing the cheering from the stadium as Lance and Steven's battle started. Red rose a brow at her.

"I'm just worried about Team Plasma is all," she said softly and Red frowned and gave her a thoughtful nod. "I'm so confused about them. What are they planning? If they're trying to get Zekrom and Reshiram again, then my brother is in danger, just as much as Rosa."

Red hesitated, looking at the now bright sky and I blinked, then looked up and knew what he was thinking. Sure, we had released the birds of Kanto, and they were probably nothing compared to the dragons of Unova, but two other pokemon he had caught and released were still out there. White noticed the look and became confused.

"What's wrong?"

Red looked at her and then up again. "I caught pokemon I shouldn't have in Kanto," he said quietly. "One was an ancient pokemon and another was a man-made creation. Mew and Mewtwo."

White's eyes widened. At least she knew what those pokemon were. "You caught Mew?!"

"I released her."

White relaxed. "Why?"

"Because she acted too much like Espeon," he said jokingly but sighed. That was partly true, she would always constantly bother us even when we hadn't caught her. She claimed she had only agreed to being caught to avoid being caught by other trainers in the future, as did Mewtwo. "Because she said she had some all important thing to do and Mewtwo wanted to help, so I let them go. I wasn't planning on keeping them either, but they said if anything happened to me, then I could call on them for help. I might be asking for their help. But they're psychics, I don't know how well they'd be able to do to get through the Bisharp."

White grinned suddenly and Red blinked. "Then I guess we need to have Black and Rosa let you meet Zekrom and Reshiram! I'm sure they'll be able to help you with something!"

The clerk at the window called our number, letting us know that the meals were all ready but Red and I hardly heard him the second time. Whatever White had up her sleeve with Zekrom would be interesting, and I couldn't wait to find out what it was.

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