Previously in Chapter 10...

Our heroes managed to keep a winning streak in the Pokémon Spirit Tournament, as they have defeated 3 of the 5 Status Categori Pokémon as well. They're now up against a Zoroark named Livia, who represents the Status Category Speed. The battle is leaving the crowd only in awe, as a Lopunny named Junko and a Pignite named Rigby showing the battle in the news network they work for.

HOWEVER, little did our heroes know that Hitomi the Vivillion had put what could possibly be THE most dangerously powerful Potion ever made, as stated by the Witches who made it (A Delphox named Hikari and a Mismagius named Ellen)- Tragedy Breakdown-er. This is causing Kyosuke the cHesnaught and Jacques the Bisharp to lose their sanity gradually as they are attacking aimlessly at anything- not even Livia knew what was going on.

And now, the battle rages on, Sachiko the Banette only able to hear the situation from Giratina's throne's location...

"UWAAAAAGH!" Kyosuke shrieked like a banshee as his wide eyes twitched whilst he threw his vines toward Ronin, who was barely able to measure his moving pattern when he was trying to evade every attack. The Chesnaught only lashed at the air randomly as he was traumatized by seeing Mako's blood pouring all over her slimy purple skin. It was obvious that the Potion was making Kyosuke suffer a mental breakdown greatly, while Livia was dodging the quick slashes of Jacques's sharp blades. Bane was trying to stop Kyosuke, as the Potion's effects on the Weavile didn't injure his mental health at all. For he had accepted the truth and guilt of his past long before he drank the Potion.

(A/N: To Readers: If possible- YouTube being the best method to perform this next requested action- try playing "Terror Infinitus" from the OST of Madoka Magica Portable- it'll fit this next moment of the story. At least, I believe so!)

Jacques was remembering the sight of Rosalinda's corpse, the funeral, the deaths of his friends... He was going mad in a very short time. The thoughts running through the Bisharp's mind were coming and going, each thought more horrifying than the other, each worse than the previous. Thinking that Livia was the person he wished was the murderer- as she only looked like a living shadow- next to him, Jacques was trying to 'get rid of it'.

"Why art thou so reluctant to stop trying to fight I?! Thou aren't mentally powerful- thou art weakening in mental health! Open thou eyes, Sir Jacques!" Livia tried to get Jacques to snap out of it, as she dodged every slash Jacques threw at her quickly. Livia had no idea about why Kyosuke and Jacques were acting so strangely, let alone acting as if they were mad in their heads.

Bane was bruised all over, his cuts close to becoming infected. He was trying to stumble towards Kyosuke, but he wasn't able to stop wobbling all collapsing on the ground so much. He felt cold and weaker and weaker.

It was obvious about who was winning and losing at this point.

However, Livia wasn't going to accept her victory if she should win this match. Even as a Dark-Type, Livia was a Pokemon who wanted justice, not chaos and evil across the lands, seas, and skies. Clutching her mythril blade in her paw, she tried to LOOK like she was fighting our heroes. In truth, she was trying to get Kyosuke and Jacques' minds from maddening.

Livia was thinking to herself, as she quickly moved from one part of the arena to the other.

"Why art they going mad? Surely this is thy work of a sadistic fiend- but who would be sneaky enough to be able to accomplish something that might be thy cause of this?" Livia thought as she tried to remember last night's dinner, hoping to figure out why Jacques and Kyosuke had their sudden changes in behavior...

~ Flashback to Last Night's Dinner ~

"The drinks're on the house for the champs!" An Emboar declared as he warm-heartedly welcomed our heroes to the tavern within the Ghoulish Stadium. There was jazzy music playing, the type of jazzy music you'd hear in the elevator the second you would step into it.

Sachiko, Hitomi, and Livia were sitting together in a table, drinking tea or beer and having a 'pleasant conversation' with each other. Hitomi had a strange, magenta-hued bottle in the shape of a heart sliced in half next to her cup of rosehip tea. Sachiko took a sip of her Earl Grey as she sneakily glared at the bottle near Hitomi's teacup. Livia was partially tipsy from 2 cups of beer, but she wasn't exactly stoned. She was wearing a white robe and brown leather boots that reached up to her knees at the time, yet she covered her battle armor greatly.

Our heroes were offered the best seat in the house, as the other Pokemon were drunkily cheering and celebrating the victory that our hereos had. But to Kyosuke, it definitely didn't feel like a victory at all. With a frown and eyes still caked with tears, he took a seat in the bar area- alone. The others didn't judge- Jacques KNEW what it was like to lose someone you loved with all of your heart.

When our heroes ordered their drinks, the bartender got to work at once. When Hitomi saw this, she immediately got up and purposely dropped a Machamp's glass jug of wine. "Whoopsies! I'm SO sorry about that, sir!" Hitomi apologized in her fake, childish voice. The Machamp's sighed and asked if the Emboar (the bartender) could clean up the mess.

"If I don't, everyone who passes by will bust their ass in no time! Am I right?" the Emboar joked lightly as he began to carefully pick up the shattered glass. Sachiko glared directly at the Vivillion while she went near our heroes' drinks. She opened up the bottle and poured a HUGE amount of the elixir into each of the four drinks. Closing the bottle tightly, the Emboar saw Hitomi.

"Ma'am, you aren't supposed to be there!" he kindly reminded the Vivillion. "Oh... I guess i didn't see the sign... I'm sorry for that! Boy, am I SO clumsy today! I'll just go back to my table, now!" Hitomi fluttered quickly to her seat, throwing away the bottle as if nobody would be looking...

Bane was rubbing his left foot (that was removed from the shuriken and treated as much as possible by an Audino and Chansey) in exhaustion, his entire foot wound covered by a white yet blood-stained bandage. He groaned as his foot felt sore- he rarely injured himself badly like that nowadays. Ronin was slowly sipping a wine glass filled with rum that was mixed with grape nectar- a sweet and bitterly sour combination he liked, as he hid his crimson eyes. Jacques was about to take a sip of his sangria-like soy rum, when he heard a... seductive giggle of some sort.

Kyosuke was drinking his simple root beer float with a green straw, as he slowly ate his Pocky Treats that he was offered to eat by Livia- she wanted to show the Chesnaught her compassion and sympathy. He heard the seductive giggle, and turned. He saw a drunk Froslass take a seat near him, turning to look at Kyosuke. She 'checked him out' and gave a slight grin.

"Hey there, hunk," the Froslass had greeted the Chesnaught. Kyosuke wasn't in the mood to talk, and he coldly replied "Hello" back. She had asked him "Im Filia- What's your name, handsome?" in a slightly seductive tone. Kyosuke didn't reply. He only ate another Pocky stick, Filia suddenly acting as if she just had nostalgia.

"Ooh, a Pocky Treat! I haven't had those in a LONG time!" Filia had happily stated as Livia then payed no more attention...

~ End of Flashback ~

Livia suddenly remembered- the bottle Hitomi had with her! After she dropped that glass jug, that was the last time she ever saw the bottle... Livia then grew suspicion- could Hitomi have something to do with this? It's not like she PUT SOMETHING IN THE DRINKS...

...Right?

Livia then realized what was going on- Hitomi DID put something into the Champions' drinks! And it was from that bottle she carried with her! Livia then tried to think harder about the elixir bottle. She remembered it being called "Tragic Breakdown-Er"...

...!

Livia gasped as she then remembered something from her visit to a potion shop- she heard a rumor about that potion being what was possibly the deadliest in existence! And the name...! Finally, everything was coming together at last like a jigsaw puzzle.

Finally, Livia realized the horrible truth- Hitomi put the deadliest potion that can cause ANYONE to go mad into the Champions' drinks, which is causing Kyosuke and Jacques' minds to react horribly with the effects of the potion! Then, Livia thought about Hitomi. Giratina WAS right- that Vivillion WAS twisted and deranged, after all...

Knowing that she HAD to stop the potion's effects from corrupting Jacques and Kyosuke fully, she tried to get close to Ronin. She quickly whispered into his ear everything that was going on, but slow enough to be understandable. Gasping, Ronin then tried to help Bane up. Bane was covered in blood, wounds, and was barely able to see. It was obvious that he was in fatal conditions.

Livia tried to use her limited magic to cast a barrier around the Pokemon in the Battlefield- to make it look like they were still fighting each other. She said "Alright- Bane, thou stay here and attempt to breathe. Ronin, thou shalt try to speak to Kyosuke and Jacques in order to snap them out of thy potion's trance. I shalt hold them off for now- GO!" as everyone did what they were told. Bane lied on the ground, weak and desperate for fresh air. Livia nodded at Ronin as he was about to try to save Jacques and Kyosuke.

(A/N: If possible, try playing the song from the Skullgirls OST that plays in the Grand Cathedral Stage! It will help the moment feel more fast-paced and worrisome!)

"Jacques, Kyosuke, hear me out, please! It's me, Ronin the Samurott! Can you hear my voice? Do you recognize my voice?" Ronin began to call out to Jacques who was trying to charge into him, as Livia strived to keep Jacques and Kyosuke from reaching Bane or Ronin.

"Do not be resistant, nor fearful- continue to call out to them! Call out to them as I protect you and Sir Bane!" Livia had reminded Ronin, as she casted a spell that formed a shadowy shield around Bane and the Samurott by folding her paws in a praying pose before breaking her fingers loose from the bondage. Ronin nodded, as he called out once more in a slightly worried tone.

Hitomi was just sipping a spare cup of rosehip tea she had, impatiently waiting for the battle to finish already- not knowing that there was even a battle going on within the forcefield.

"Kyosuke, please stop attacking at nothing with your vines! What's gotten into you?! I know you're still upset about Mako, but you can't let your fearful anger control you- it's not good for your health!" Ronin tried to slightly nag at the Chesnaught for acting foolish, but his words weren't getting to Kyosuke. Instead, they made him ANGRIER! Kyosuke then had thrusted his paws onto the ground and made the entire stadium shake.

The sudden earthquake had caused the Stadium's outer seats to crumble apart massively, everyone screaming in fear. Junko was trying to keep her balance on the stairs of the stadium, Rigby falling down the stairs- WITH THE CAMERA IN HAND! Junko screamed in fear as she worried that Rigby had been seriously injured.

Bane was still on the ground, bleeding and trying to breathe properly. Jacques wasn't attacking Livia anymore, suddenly realizing what he was doing. He stopped and grew a perplexed expression on his face. It was obvious that the Tragic Breakdown-er wasn't working properly, as Jacques's tragedy wasn't at least 2 months ago. Livia was trying to keep herself high up in the air, suddenly remembering she had to help Bane avoid the incoming attack. Unfortunately, the forcefield around our heroes began to slowly shatter apart as if a mirror were breaking, until it completely shattered like glass. Then, everybody was able to see that Kyosuke was about to use what was a deadly Grass Type move- and the most powerful one.

Frenzy Plant.

The dark thoughts that Kyosuke had were extremely deranged, as the Chesnaught heard a voice in his head keep repeating "Destroy everything so that nothing bad can ever happen again!" over and over like a broken record. In his mixed emotions, Kyosuke suddenly screamed in slight pain as he began to turn a little of his blood into more energy to create long, sturdy, and thorny vines. He gritted his teeth when he felt the pain strike all of his nerves like lightning, as the ground began to shake even more violently.

Then, the hellish explosion of vines that were coming from the ground erupted like a volcano releasing lava.

The green and prickly vines were high in the air, then crashed down to the battlefield, Jacques screaming in worry as he tried to avoid the vines. Kyosuke grew a slightly evil grin as he began to make the vines smack the entire battlefield down to size. Livia finally decided to try to slap Kyosuke in his face to stop the madness going on- only to be smacked by the vines and crashing towards the wall.

Then, one of the vines went through Bane, slicing one of his lungs in half on impact- as it made a sound of flesh being squished. With wide eyes, Bane had quivered as the vine that struck him had been kept high in the air, for all to see what happened. As Bane's tightened heart beated at a semi-slow pace, each of our heroes' eyes grew wider and wider as they realized the worst.

Bane was DYING!

The vine pulled itself out of Bane's torso, the blood-stained vine returning to Kyosuke. The Weavile fell to the ground, a bloody puddle surrounding him. Blood was falling out of his mouth like a waterfall as he was choking. He gurgled and quivered as he began to grow lifeless eyes. Livia saw Kyosuke finally snap out of it, as he dashed to Bane's side after his vines returned to him. Jacques and Ronin scurried to his side as well, shocked and worried at the same time.

"No... No... NO! Not AGAIN...! BANE! Please, stay with me- DON'T DIE ON US!" Kyosuke tried to seal up Bane's outer wound, but Livia tapped his shoulder and shook her head.

"I art sorry... But once one's organs art demolished, thy death of one will occur quickly no matter what," she stated whilst hiding her face. Kyosuke then stood still for a split second before he punched the ground, tears beginning to drown his eyes once more.

"DAMNIT!" he shrieked in despair. That was the first time he ever cursed in a long 9 years. He was no longer under the effects of the potion, but he was still having mixed emotions swell up in him. He couldn't react in a healthy way to these situations. Livia thought carefully for a moment, then she finally decided to use a magic spell.

An injury-swapping spell.

She quickly casted it, the broken lung Bane had healed up- along with all of his other injuries. Livia then fell to the ground in Bane's injuries, quickly casting a forbidden surgical spell to fix up her lung. There was a 20% chance of succession, 80% chance of instant death if the spell failed.

It was successful, but barely.

Livia then sighed in relief as the worst injuries were gone. She didn't want to cast the spell on Bane, fearing it'd fail and kill him- so she decided to cast it on herself in order to save Bane, should the spell have failed in worst case scenarios. Kyosuke then had gently stroked Bane's torso, checking if what Livia had done was real. When he felt no scratches, he grew tears of joy and hugged Bane.

"Oh, thank ARCEUS you're okay! Livia, how can I ever think you for-" Kyosuke was suddenly interrupted when he saw a shadow about to attack Livia.

It was about to kill her in one hit, but Sachiko casted a spell that threw Livia into what was originally her true timeline- the Medieval Times- before the shadow could strike. Sachiko, still tied up, knew that Livia was safe- for now and forever, and Hitomi's attempt to kill her failed. The shadow flew to Hitomi's seat, before everyone went quiet in the stadium.

There were emotions mixed between the crowd- relieved, confused, happy, disappointed, and more. Giratina thought for a little while, and finally made a required decision.

"Okay... Since Livia disappeared from the battlefield... I guess our Champions win by default! Umm... What just happened?" Giratina had stated out loudly in confusion.

Our heroes sighed and accepted the victory, Hitomi angrily cursing to herself under her breath.

"The 5th Day of the Spirit Tournament has come to an end!" Giratina quickly claimed before our heroes left the battlefield.

Sachiko thought to herself, sighing. "Livia..." she uttered silently.

NEXT TIME IN CHAPTER 12: The 6th Day of the Spirit Tournament begins, but the battle itself is yet to begin. So, we'll find out secrets about many things that were never discovered before, so read and find out just what these secrets may possibly be in Chapter 12!

Read and Review, please! I'll see you all later!

~KiKi4Japan