Due to tech problems, there was no update last week. Sorry for that. So heres a nice extra long chapter for you, with my plans for the next three chapters merged into one super chapter for you all ^_^

How are you not nervous?"

Serena found herself worried, concerned about the upcoming tag team battles. Not for herself. For Ash. Battling was not her forte, she knew that about herself. It had been two years, and while she had improved in all areas of Pokemon training, her battling was nowhere near the skill of Ash's. She doubted that her skills would ever be that good. That in itself didn't bother her. What did upset her was that her partner was Ash, and her skills could... No, would hinder him. She had utmost confidence in his abilities, but not her own.

She had no doubt that Ash could take on the entire tag team tournament by himself. He had the training, the skill, and the knowledge to do so. There was no doubt in her mind that he could conquer this entire competition himself if he wanted to.

And he had just gotten Serena as his battle partner.

She felt bad, like she was holding him back, hindering him. It didn't seem fair. He was someone who cared about battling. It was his passion, and yet he àwwas forced the partner up with someone who was only in this entire festival so she wouldn't go insane from boredom. Her bringing him here was supposed to have been a surprise for him. Now she felt like she had ruined it. His current casual attitude and demeanour completely bewildered her.

Looking at her, Ash shrugged. "Why would I be? It seems sort of dumb to enter something like this if you don't have the confidence you can win it."

Serena knew those words weren't aimed at her, but all the same, it felt like they slashed at her heart. He made logical sense. Entering a tournament like this without the confidence to succeed did seem like a flawed, and failing premise. A lack of confidence could lead her to make a failing move that could cost her the march, but that wasn't the important thing here. She didn't want Ash to lose, and more over, not because of her own battling ineptitude.

"Besides, I've got you as my partner, why would I be concerned?" Ash added after a brief pause, with a smile on his face. He smiled warmly, and spoke with genuine lightness. He brown eyes were focused on the blonde Kalosian.

Serena looked at him, completely dumbfounded. "I - I'm not a battler! I'm a performer!"

Ash grinned at her. "I seem to recall you did a pretty good battle that time I was delirious a couple years back."

"You know for a fact that was just luck." Serena sighed. She also lightly blushed in embarrassment. She remembered that day rather well.

Ash sighed as well. "Okay Serena, whats wrong? A lack of confidence... It doesn't suit you." She felt her heart increase for a second when he sympathetically put his hand on Serena's shoulder. He knew her too well.

Serena looked at him, sadly. "I feel bad..." She explained her thinking to him. Her concerns. What she felt about this whole battling situation, how she didn't want to burden him. All her concerns spilled out to him. He didn't interrupt the girl as she spoke, simply allowing her to vent her repressed emotions to him without pause or resentment. He didn't break eye contact with her for a second during it. Only to blink.

Once she finished, Ash smiled at her. For a moment, Serena thought he was going to start laughing at her, but he wasn't so callous. "Serena, I don't... Where did you get the idea you were a poor battler?" He asked her, having to clearly keep himself from letting out a huge grin. His smile seemed to go towards one side, puffing his right cheek out, showing his teeth lightly. "Serena, you don't have to be a competitive battler to be a decent battler. You know how to battle enough to make me confident with you as my partner."

"But why?" Serena asked, quietly. "Why are you confident with me as your partner?"

Ash smiled again, this time, more invitingly. "Serena, your not focused on battling. That's true. I won't deny that. Your speciality is focused on the show, the extravagance, but that doesn't mean you cant use those very techniques into battle. You can use your combinations to confuse opponents. I knew people who did that all the time in Sinnoh and Hoenn..." For a second, as closed his eyes, and bit his lower lip, his front white teeth showing. "Look, i guess what I'm saying is, you don't need to worry about this so much. If we lose, its not a big deal. Im here for fun, and to see sights. This was your idea, so you should have some fun too. Besides..." Ash smiled. "This would all be a lot less fun without you here."

Serena blushed lightly, but she refocused her energy towards being more focused and prepared. He was right, and his reassurance made her feel much better about herself. The confidence that he installed into her made her heart warm and fuzzy, a feeling she didn't think she could ever be tired of, or allow to rust away. It was the feeling of being truly, truly content, and appreciative of his support. "...Thank you Ash. You're right, we can do this."

The raven haired Kantoean smiled happily at his Kalosian friend. "Hey, theres the Serena I know." Ash had meant every word he had said to her, not a single word he had spoken had been a lie, a stretch of the truth, or acting on the suspension of disbelief. He truly had confidence in her. She doubted herself, perhaps, but he never doubted her for a second. He turned around and grabbed his cap, and placed it atop his head. He was ready. "Okay then Serena. Lets show these opponents of ours how we fight."

The crowds were as giddy and excitable as they had been last time, cheering and shouting, before Ash and Serena's names had even been declared. Their mere appearance had apparently been enough to send the crowd into a ravenous frenzy of cheers and cries of encouragement. Some of the audience had even gone as far as to create signs and banners, depicting their favourite trainers from the preliminary rounds. It was like a competition between every individual in the audience, fighting with every other person for the loudest cry. There were at least 2000 members in the stands, and possibly more. It was like a between stage of a gym match and a regional league. It was a battlefield stage however, and everyone there was here to see some battling action, just like he was. This raw energy that was coming from every person in. The stadium practically fuelled him, and he loved it.

He walked towards the trainer box he was assigned, with Serena to his right. While he was still concerned for her confidence issues, he knew she was going to do her very best, and he couldn't even consider asking her for more than that. All things considered, he really was thankful that she was his partner for this tournament. It felt like fate. Ash didn't like to think fate existed, that people made their own fates every day of their lives, but if there was one example of fate that he could point to, it was that despite the 400+ odds, she was his partner. Of all people, her. If fate was going to do this to him every time... He looked at Serena, and couldn't help but smile. 'Perhaps I could get used to the idea of fate.'

They reached their side of the battlefield. Serena looked at Ash, and Ash looked at Serena. Serena had a neutral look on her face. Ash nodded at her, his face covered by burrowed eyebrows, focused eyes, and a confident grin. Serena nodded, her face mimicking the same. They were a team.

The announcer called for their opponents, and from the opposite challenger room, out came their opponents, accompanied by an equal greeting of encouragement and energy. Looking at the two of them, Ash saw two very different people.

The first one was a tall, dark skinned male who went by the name of Nils. This guy wore nearly all grey clothing, and a black undershirt. A grey hoodie, which he left unzipped, and grey jeans. He also wore read boots, that looked dulled and damaged, presumably from a long time of traveling, or alternatively, a short time of rapid traveling. Nils also had long hair, but he used gel to make the fringe of his hair at the front go upright. This hair was brown, only a few shades darker than his skin. He appeared to have clear, hazel eyes, which wore a look of nervousness. He didn't seem to have his confidence in total. He looked far more physically imposing, but it was clear he lacked the confidence or the real experience to fully know and understand his own limitations.

His partner however, lacked such traits. This was a shorter girl whom called herself Amaya. This girl could not be more different physically from her partner, to start with. She had long, blonde hair that ran to her shoulders, and had a paler skin colour. She had a slim figure, but she was short with it. She wore what looked to be a martial arts gear, red in colour, and a blue belt around her waist. The contrast hurt Ash's eyes. She kept her long hair in a ponytail. Additionally, she seemed ready to burst with energy and enthusiasm, as she kept punching her fist into an open hand, showing how ready and willing she was to fight. She had bright blue eyes, and a grin of anticipation. Not of confidence, anticipation. It was clear by her posture - She liked both a fight, and a challenge.

Once they had reached their end of the battlefield, the crowds finally died down, as the announcer made the rules clear to everyone. "This is to be a double battle, with two Pokemon per side, that is, one Pokemon per person. Trainers may decide to command both their own and their partners Pokemon if they so chose. The victor will be decided when one side has no Pokemon that are able to continue!" Ash raised an eyebrow at that one particular rule. He was allowed to command Serena's Pokemon if he wanted to? He looked towards her, and shook his head. He mouthed the words 'Last resort' to her, and she nodded in agreement. She could handle herself. He was certain of it. "If there are no objections..." A brief pause in the speech. No objections were made. "Then as is traditional, battle begin!"

Amaya was the first one to call out their Pokemon. She nimbly grabbed her Pokeball, and tossed it into the sky as high as her back-hand underarm throw would allow. "Hariyama, lets fight!" The anxious fighter declared in synch with her Pokemon being released from its capsule home. The bulky fighting type Hariyama appeared, making a stance of aggression. Its toned legs dug into the battlefield, standing strong, ready to begin battling.

Nils went next. He had a firm grip on his Pokeball, and he gently threw his Pokeball onto the battlefield, lacking the same enthusiasm as Amaya had. Regardless, he called out his Pokemon anyway. "Magmortar, I need you!" From inside the Pokeball, the light erupted, releasing a huge and imposing Magmrotar, practically a walking magma lake, onto the battlefield. While Magmortar were normally large, this one in particular seemed to be an exception, and was taller than other of its kind.

Ash grinned to himself and tossed his Pokeball into the air, catching it as it fell down, and then throwing the capsule into the battle. "Gliscor, I choose you!" He declared just before the capsule released his Flying Ground type into the air. Flying out with a battle cry, Ash's Gliscor then landed on its tail, bouncing atop it as the energy landed throughout its tail. The vampiric bat Pokemon brandished its claws, an intimidation tactic it had developed.

Serena however, quickly glanced at her opponents Pokemon, and then at Ash's impressive choice. She had to quickly go over in her head which Pokemon she had would be best choice to both combat her opponents, and support Ash. Braixen wouldn't be much use on account of the opposing Magmortor, which no doubt would be able to out flame Braixen, no matter how pretty Braixen's flames looked. Pancham was out of the question as well. Not only because of the opposing Hariyama, but Serena just knew that Pancham's tendency to show off would just cause trouble. She had experienced that little humiliating during her preliminaries, and she wasn't in a rush to encounter a similar situation. That left Sylveon, whom would have a neutral stance against Magmortor and Hariyama... But it was not a good Pokemon to back up Ash's Gliscor. Ideally a Pokemon that could generate wind, or was at least powerful enough to weaken the opposing forces for aerial attacks. Sylveon lacked both, plus, battling was certainly not her forte. Confidence in performances, thats one thing, but in battling? Slyveon was shy by default. A lack of confidence at that point was certain to leave Ash carrying the team by himself, something that, as established, Serena didn't want. By the time she had reached this conclusion, the battle was waiting on her.

"Pika."

Serena glanced down at her feat. It was Ash's Pikachu, stood at her heel like he normally did at Ash's, when waiting to see if it would be his turn to battle. It had followed her, and not Ash?... Seeing Pikachu stood there, like an obedient Pokemon... Serena glanced at Ash, who nodded at her with a knowing grin in his face. Permission. Was this his idea, or was it Pikachu's? Regardless, it made perfect sense. Pikachu was an ideal choice for this battle, and one Serena has, albeit limited, battling experience with this Pokemon. Pikachu had plenty of experience, and strength to boot, and didn't seem to mind following Serena's commands too much. And technically speaking, there were no restrictions as to trainers using each others Pokemon as their selection choice... She smiled at the electric mouse Pokemon, whom smiled back at her. 'Pikachu, thank you so much.'

"You're sure this is okay, Pikachu?" Serena decided it was wise to double check with her friends Pokemon.

Pikachu nodded. "Pika!"

Serena couldn't help but smile even wider at the small Pokemon at her heel. "Okay then, lets do our best!"

Pikachu let out its cry of agreement, and made his way into the battlefield, under Serena's command. The small mouse Pokemon, like his trainer, had utmost confidence in her ability. He had no issues taking orders from her.

For a few tense seconds, nobody made a move, sketching out their opponents out, looking for weaknesses in their defences. Unsurprisingly, Nils made the first move. "Flamethrower!"

His Pokemon raised its arm, revealing an open hole where its hand would be, and showed inside that its arm, was actually, rather hollow. Next however, a spraying salvo of fire erupted from this hollow arm, aimed directly for Ash's Gliscor. The Ground Flying type used its tail like a spring, and gained massive altitude, dodging the fire type attack, despite the enemy Pokemon raising its flame to chase Gliscor. However, the gliding purple Pokemon had leapt out of range.

"Gliscor, use Stone Edge!" Ash commanded.

Once the order was received, Gliscor began to focus, and rocks from the ground suddenly shot up towards Gliscor, and began orbiting around the Pokemon. The two lines of orbiting rocks overlapped, and began gaining speed rapidly, before being launched towards Magmortar, reaching terminal velocity, slamming into the Fire type with speed and force. Magmortar attempted to defend itself by covering its face with an arm, but this did little to defend it from damage. The impact injured Magmortar. Nils had snapped under the tense atmosphere, and it had cost him the first move.

"Hariyama, use Force Palm on Pikachu!" Amaya made her move against Serena, and her bulking Fighting type also moved along with its commands. The earth seemed to quake underneath the behemoths feet.

"Pikachu, evade it!" Serena told the mouse Pokemon. Pikachu was already on that, however, and was about to use its speed to its advantage. Once the enemy Force Palm came towards him, Pikachu skimmed to the side, and leapt atop the Hariyama's arm, and scurried up to the Fighting types head, using its head as a leaping point on which it climbed high into the air. "Use Iron Tail!" Serena quickly ordered, and Pikachu obeyed. Upon falling back down, Pikachu entered a spin, and slammed its hardened tail into Hariyama's head, hitting the bulking behemoth for large damage. The battle seemed to be going in Ash and Serena's favour, as they had managed to get in two hits to their opponents none.

"Arm Thrust!" Amaya commanded. Hariyama suddenly went into a flurry of attacks, swatting at the small yellow mouse Pokemon. Pikachu used his speed to dodge as many as he could, but eventually, he was slammed by a very powerful Arm Thrust, sending him into the air, only to come crashing down once again. The attack had been hit with ferocity, causing Pikachu to let out a cry upon impact with the strike, and then the ground. While it was hard hitting, it was nothing Pikachu hadn't shaken off before. As such, he was back onto his feet in no time.

"Are you going to make a move?" Amaya asked her partner with edge to her voice. She was pressuring him to make a move.

Nils swallowed hard and called out an attack. "Uh - Focus Blast!" His Magmortar followed this order without question, unshielding its face and launching up a concentration of raw energy towards Pikachu. The yellow mouse Pokemon had only just gotten on its feet when it saw this attack coming, and was back into the air from the blast before it even registered the hit. The blast hurt Pikachu, but resilience was a trait he had adopted. He turned in the air, and began to allow himself to fall, to reach his highest speed before hitting the floor.

Ash gritted his teeth, and called his next target. "Gliscor, use X-Scissor on Magmortar, and cover Pikachu!" With this command, Gliscor allowed itself to fall downwind, picking up speed and rapidly approaching the lumbering Fire type. Gliscor's claws glowed as it powered up the attack, and it let out a loud cry, and them slammed the claws into the side of magma Pokemon. The attack hit with power and speed, but due to its typing, it did little more than injure as opposed to wound the behemoth. The strike knocked Magmortar off balance however, sendings its next Focus Blast high into the sky. It narrowly skimmed hitting Pikachu, but the quick thinking Electric type managed to spin and doge the blast at the very last second.

"Gliscor, standby for a pick up!" Ash called out to his Pokemon, whom was already gliding on the outskirts of the battlefield, circling the combat.

"Pikachu, do it now!" Serena yelled to Pikachu. "Electro Ball!"

This command was ordered about halfway through its power up process. Pikachu had this technique mastered, and this plan as guaranteed to eradicate the opponent from the contest. Charging the electricity into a spherical shape at the tip of its tail, Pikachu allowed itself to spin before launching the pure electrical energy at the lumbering Hariyama, whom looked at the attack in surprise, and resignation. Once the attack hit, a huge electrical surge shot through the Fighting type, bringing it to its knees, and then, flat on its face, knocking it out of the match completely.

"Hariyama!" Amaya called out to her Fighting type Pokemon, to no avail at all. Her Pokemon had been completely knocked out by the fierce power of the Electro Ball. She raised her Pokeball and gritted her teeth.

Pikachu had been picked up by Gliscor before it his the ground, allowing it to land on the Flying types back. The Electric type Pokemon stood on to of the gliders back, like a person when they surfed, riding the waves. Both Pokemon were closing in on the next target, and Pikachu's cheeks were already sparking and crackling with static charge, already powering up its next electrical attack a grin of confidence on the small Pokemon's face showed.

Nils began to order his next command, but he now seemed more confident, more used to the situation. Calmer. More collected. "Use Rock To -"

"Use Flamethrower and keep on their trail!" Amaya practically yelled at the fire type, shouting out Nils's command. She had stolen control of Nils' Pokemon!

The Magmotar let loose a beam of fire, powered by fury and re-found determination to get at least one scorching hit into the team of two flying around it. The fire shot at the two with speed. Gliscor pulled up immediately and skimmed the blast, immediately pulling into a U-Turn, and retreating 360 degrees in the opposite direction to avoid the blast, which as it turned out, simply wasn't enough. The blaze raced towards the two.

"Pikachu, counter it with Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled his command on impulse to clear the threat to both his Pokemon, forgetting for just a second that Serena was supposed to be in command of Pikachu.

Regardless of that, Pikachu complied, and let loose a high voltage Thunderbolt attack. This didn't harm Gliscor, due to it's part Ground type attributions, allowing for Pikachu to allow currents to flow into its mobile platform without concern for his ride, allowing him to aim perfectly. Directing the strike, the electric and fire attacks collided at force, causing an explosion once the two met, pushing back everyone in either side. Gliscor ended up flying straight into the ground, and Pikachu fell of him at speed, causing damage to them both, but this was by far preferable to getting seared by a Flamethrower.

"Sorry!" Ash called over to Serena, with a sheepish but apologetic look on his face. "I kinda went into automatic there."

Serena shook her head. "Pikachu's your Pokemon to start with." She then bowed her head slightly, embarrassed. "Besides, you called right. I didn't think to..."

Looking at the battlefield now, it was an utter wreck. Despite the fact their opponents were one Pokemon down, the last explosion had caused heavy damage to their own side, making it a fairly even playing field. Ash looked at his options, deciding what could be done. Pikachu was fairly injured, but Gliscor looked more able to carry on. It's Ground typing had helped it withstand a lot of the damage done to it. Looking closer, however, Ash noticed something about his injured Ground/Flying type. Electricity. Small sparks crackling on Gliscor's outer plating. These didn't hurt Gliscor at all, but they could still be transferred...

"Serena, I've got an idea." Ash stated with a grin.

"What the hell are you doing?" Nils' voice was loud. The fact it was so loud surprised practically everyone who heard it. His shouting was hoarse, and he sounded very angry with his partner. It became clear that Nils was a more awkward person than he was incompetent or inexperienced. He had needed a few moments to get used to tag battling. Unfortunately for him, those moments had been the majority of his match. Now he was able to push past his personality defect. He seemed in that moment, fiercely protective of his Pokemon, and didn't trust others to command them. Unluckily, that was far too late.

"You don't have a clue what you're doing, back off." Amaya stated to her partner, utterly dismissing him, before refocusing on the battle. As far as she was concerned, Nils was a weight dragging her down.

"You can back off!" Nils shot back. "I'll command my own Pokemon, thank you very much."

"Can you not focus on the battle then?!"

"Gliscor, Giga Impact!" Ash called out his Pokemon's most powerful, and most devastating move. Gliscor used its tail as a powerful spring once again, and shot straight towards the distracted Fire type.

"Use Thunderbolt - On Gliscor!" Serena called out. Pikachu didn't hesitate, nor did it question the order it had been given. He had used this same technique on other Pokemon with Ash, so he had total faith in the order. Pikachu sent a bolt of lightning towards the speeding Gliscor, sending a total shockwave all over Gliscor's armour plated body, charging the entire mass of the Pokemon in a yellow, bolting glow, sizzling with electrical energy.

The impact was immense. The Thunder-Giga Impact had gained so much strength from the speed Gliscor haI d gained, plus the sheer power that Giga Impact had as a move. Additionally, the static charge that it had gained from the Thunderbolt attack had increased the damage immensely. The impact sent Magmotar right off its feet, with a winded cry, sending it onto its back. And right out of the match altogether. It made one final attempt to stand again, but it was a futile effort, as its arms gave up on it, refusing to support its weight, and let it crash down into the ground again with a final thud. The outcome couldn't be clearer.

Ash and Serena had won.

"Drapion, Pin Missile!"

"Meowstic, Use Shadow Ball!"

Hurtling the opposing Conkeldurr into the wall by his trainer, Paul and Miette's own tag match had gone rather well. Paul's battling style was based on power, and not giving his opponents a chance to retaliate, unless it worked to his benefit. The battling style Miette seemed to have was based around suppression, not allowing her opponents to attack her or her partner, and whittling the enemy down slowly into nothing. The two styles worked well together, securing them victory.

The two pairs met in the stands after their respective battles, to congratulate each other, and to watch the remaining battles take place. There were some very impressive battles on display for the group to watch. Some exceedingly aggressive and violent ones, and others were played as mere strategy games

Others, were downright terrifying.

"Our next battle is Freya and Markus..." The audience exploded into cheers. And it was understandable. From what Ash had learned, Freya and Markus were two of the tournaments most frequent participants. They had met in battle many times, and there had been a longing for them to be on the same team since the Revolution Castle tournament tradition had been re-established. Ash had thought the guy with a Salamance had a fearsome reputation. From what he had heard, these guys were practically the poster children for this entire tradition.

"...Versus Sierra and Beta!"

Suddenly, Paul got up from his seat. "I've seen enough."

"What?" Miette spoke up the loudest, sounding both surprised and upset at this declaration.

"I don't want to waste more of my time on this. I saw who I wanted to see. Now I want to train." He said simply. He looked at Miette. Ash could swear his face wasn't as cold when he looked at her. "I'll meet you in the cafe at 7." And with that declaration, he left, his hands in his pockets, and up the steps, away from the group. Miette watched him leave, and looked rather annoyed after he had gone.

"Rude." She muttered.

Attention was then shifted back to the battlefield. The Pokemon had already been released. From Markus, his bulking mammoth of a Blastoise, and from Freya, an imposing and powerful appearing Garchomp. From Sierra, came a sturdy Magnazone, and from Beta, a large Muk. Each Pokemon was clearly trained, battle hardened, and experienced. It was looking to be a very exciting battle.

Ash remembered Sierra and Beta. The attitudes they had had. The loudmouth Sierra and the robotic Beta. He wondered... How strong were they in battle?

The match began. It was over in a moment.

"Garchomp, Dragon Claw!" Freya commanded with a grin on her face. Her Garchomp was away in an instant, lunging at the Muk.

This attack did less than nothing.

The attack took Garchomp's claw into Muk's slimy body, the viscous matter that made up Muk's body enwrapped around the Dragon type's hand, pulling it in further. The Garchomp tried to out its other hand on Muk to help it push away from, but all it did was grab hold of both Garchomp's hands. The more it struggles, the easier it was for Muk to entangle it.

Beta observed the battle with nothing on his face. No anger, no energy, no enthusiasm. Nothing. He was a dead face. He gave his next order coldly and calmly, no wavering in his voice. No mercy in it either.

"Suffocate it."

The Muk followed this order without question, and seemed to pull Garchomp within its body, intending to rob it of air. The Garchomp fought back desperately, but nothing it did was of any use at all, only serving to help ease up the process of its Poison type opponent completely smothering it. When Ash's Muk did this, it never absorbed anyone or anything inside it like this. It wasn't a match anymore, it was a cage fight.

"Blastoise, help out Garchomp, now!" Markus ordered his Water type to help his partners Pokemon. His Blastoise agreed vocally, and physically, making its way over to the scene. Garchomp was completely gone, encased, surrounded by the pile of Muk he had to fight to save his partners Pokemon. It was like a scene from an old action movie.

"You won't interfere!" Sierra commented, a chirp in her tons, as her Magnazone approached the Water type. "Thunder!"

Within a second, a huge bolt of lighting shot the Water type. The screams of pain and anguish was something Ash and Serena never would forget. Utter pain. It was a belly screech. Truly excruciating to listen to, but Ash couldn't even begin ti imagine the sheer pain Blastoise would be in.

But it just didn't stop.

Magnazone didn't stop using Thunder on Blastoise, instead allowing its intensity to increase, forcing more power onto the Water type punching bag, as its yells and cries of pain loudened. People stared at this horror, not even blinking, in true shock at this utter brutality. This ferocity. This... Bloodlust.

Up to a minute had passed before Magnazone finally ended its move. Blastoise was so charged, it couldn't even move. It couldn't even blink. It fell onto the ground and remained rigid, like a statue. Scars of seared flesh showed, and a smoke rose from the unconscious Water type.

"Coming up, served, roasted to perfection, 'astoise steak!" Sierra declared, smiling at her Pokemon's results of nothing but pure bliss. Seeing Markus' horrified face made her smile. She loved this part of her job. "Beta, you gonna keep this up much longer. Toying with them is cruel... But it is fun. Are you actually having fun for once?"

Beta made no movement, no comment. He simply stared at his Muk keeping the Dragon encaged. He felt no joy in this. No pride. No guilt, empathy, sympathy, or mercy. This was merely an order being carried out from a superior to an underling. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Let my Pokemon go!" Freya yelled at Beta and Muk, doing her best to intimidate them using only her voice. But her tone was unmistakable. She was desperate. Scared. Worried for her Garchomp.

Beta said nothing. "..."

"Let him go!" Freya yelled again. Her voice was becoming less demanding and more pleading every second. Wavers, stutters, and words catching in her throat as she tried to pronounce them gave her away.

"..."

"Stop this!"

"..."

"Please stop!"

"..."

"You'll - You'll kill Garchomp!"

"..."

Freya at this point wasn't even able to hide the tears running down her face. She had resorted to outright begging Beta to release her Garchomp. She couldn't even return her Garchomp. It was just totally surrounded by Muk. She was absolutely helpless. Pride shattered, she fell to her knees, and begged. "Please... Please stop... Im begging you..."

"..."

Freya's sobs were the only thing that could be heard at this point. Echoed throughout the entire stadium, to thousands of people. Ash, Serena and Miette watched this scene in absolute horror. Ash's eyes widened. He knew these people were dangerous. Dangerous yes. Psychotic? He hadn't expected such lust for pain from them. Freya was begging for mercy for her Garchomp, and Beta had simply ignored them, without even changing his expression. Not even once. What worried Ash was that there were people like that in the world.

"...Battle resolution is confirmed. Further conflict unrequited. Victory assured." He looked at his Muk and gave a simple order. "Release the Land Shark." His voice showed no signs of remorse, or even slight guilt.

His Pokemon complied, and essentially did what equivocated to spitting out the Dragon Ground type. No oxygen had reached Garchomp in the last two minutes. The result made Garchomp unconscious, and once spat out, it did not move. It was covered in sludge, and looked incredibly pale. It wasn't released gently. More like thrown out, and it hit the ground, and skidded along it before stopping near Freya, whom ran and hugged her Pokemon, crying and in tears. Within seconds, medical attention for both Blastoise was on the scene, stretchers, oxygen tanks, and treatment for paralysis and poison were there. The injuries were brutal. Perhaps fatal.

Ash just watched this whole thing happen, in silence, the nails in his fingers digging into his skin as his fist tightened.

"Both Pokemon are heavily injured, however, I expect them to make a recovery."

Nurse Joy's announcement had brought relief to the many people whom had come to see the condition of the Pokemon. People whom had wanted to offer condolences and support had also received such relief at the news the two Pokemon would be okay.

Markus was present for the news. He started laughing to himself now that such worry was released from his chest. His hands covered his face and he laughed gently. "Oh, thank God..."

Freya looked like a trick had just been raised off of her. Her face showed just how happy she was. Relief. Joy. Gratitude. It did nothing to help her shattered pride, ruined reputation, and her crippling humiliation, but she shed several more tears upon this revelation. A trainer next to her put their arm around her and held her close, offering sympathy to the female trainer, and giving gentle, comforting reassurances.

Ash, Serena and Miette all were thankful. What they had witnessed had been nothing short of brutal. Savage. Barbaric. Horrific. Terrifying. The news that the Pokemon were going to be okay was the only good news they had heard since witnessing the slaughter.

"Nurse." One trainer stepped forward. He had been a winner of his round. He was in a white overcoat, a white beanie hat, and grey jeans. He had long brown hair, and murky blue eyes. His face expressed concern, bordering fear. Serena recalled that his name was Rhodes. "What about those two? Those... Savages?"

Nurse joy sighed. "Technically, their actions were within the rules of the tournament, so their victory is, as much as I disagree with anyone that could cause... This, they will be present in round two."

Rhodes looked haunted. He took a deep breath. "In that case, I drop out."

At this moment, several people began muttering and conversing amongst themselves at this sudden declaration. From what was being said, Ash learned that no one had dropped out of the tournament before. And additionally, Rhodes and his partner were set the battle Sierra and Beta in the second round.

"Rhodes, what the hell?!" A male whom looked like the person Rhodes had fought alongside spoke up, yelling at him, furious. "I don't remember agreeing that we were going to do that, we -"

Rhodes jammed a finger into his partners chest, and glared at him. "Have you seen what happened to those Pokemon in there, Elis? That wasn't a battle, that was a glorified cage match. You want that to happen to your Pokemon, thats fine, thats on you, but I'm not letting that happen to mine!" He removed his finger from his partners chest and stormed off, without another word.

"I'm afraid if your partner has dropped out, you are unable to participate as well." Nurse Joy informed the other trainer, Elis, with an apologetic look.

Elis yelled out in frustration. "Damn it!" He knew however, that fighting the end verdict was absolutely pointless. He made his way out the same door Rhodes had exited through, punching the doorframe as he went. The more he thought about it, Ash couldn't even slightly blame Rhodes for doing what he did. In fact, he sort of respected it. He was unwilling to endanger his own Pokemon against a foe he had no confidence against. Combine that with the brutality that Beta and Sierra used in their fights... It was very easy to walk away. To protect your Pokemon. Looking at Freya again, still a total wreck, Ash had little doubt she would have done the same.

That evening, Sierra found herself waiting in the usual point, waiting with Beta. The girl was sick of all the waiting, all the stealth. The fight had been her only source of entertainment all day, and that was fleeting, done within a few moments. Their opponents had been utterly pathetic. Weaklings. They had won, but it was clear the crowd hadn't supported them. They were shocked by the way her and Beta battled.

'Pathetic' She thought. It was the trainers own fault. They remained weak, blissful, ignorant. And they acted shocked when they came into contact with people who knew the harsh realities. Refusing to acknowledge the brutality and the fierce battle for survival, favouring those laughable distractions.

"Hey Beta, what do you think? Will the crowd be cheering for us tomorrow?" Sierra asked her partner. She smirked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She barely even attempted to engage in conversation with the guy. It was like getting blood out of a stone, but she was going to go insane if she didn't have some sort of entertainment.

"Irrelevant." Beta replied. "That is not our purpose. We achieve our goals. Everything else is irrelevant." Beta stood upright, not even seeming to bat an eye at the question. Just like a computer.

"Everything is irrelevant, huh?" Sierra knew she was grasping straws, but she didn't care, she was going to throw herself off a building if she didn't get something to pass the time. "I don't think you think that. I think you're actually pretty sentimental about me."

"Elaborate."

"If everything else is irrelevant, why did you sabotage the partner selection?" She grinned. "If everything else is irrelevant, then why did it matter that we were together?"

"It is easier to co-ordinate our efforts working as one unit. It is efficient. I hold no sentiment toward you." Beta stated blankly.

"Yes, yes. Nothing holds any sentiment to you, I get it, you freaking robot."

"Clarification - A robot requires the ability to receive commands." Beta then slowly turned to Sierra. His face didn't change at all. It never did. "Do not assume you can command me."

Sierra shuddered. "R-Right... Sorry." Beta's calm threats made her shudder. And she knew for a fact Beta would not state anything he would do to her without being both a hundred percent capable of doing it, and wanting to do it. Any threats he made were promises he would very easily go through with. She had seen it first hand. Iota had never stood a chance.

"Target approaching." Beta stated.

Sierra looked out towards the battlefield. From their hiding spot next to the switched off neon sign in the middle of the night, and in the rain, they went unnoticed, and allowed them perfect sight over all of the stadium. It was near impossible to be spotted, and very easy to spot incoming individuals.

"Callsign." Beta commanded. An order for Sierra.

"On it." She replied, and knelt down. With a pause between them of one second, Sierra clapped three times. The clap echoed through the stadium, only accompanied by the sound of rain.

The hooded figure froze in place, before raising his hands. He then carried on walking, keeping his hands raised. If he clapped back, it could just be a random person, seeing if their claps echoed. No one would normally raise their hands.

"Contact confirmed. It is him." Beta stated the obvious.

'Oh, thank God you're here, Beta.' Sierra thought to herself, sighing. 'Clearly his inate intelligence is what caused him to be in charge of this. Where would I be without him?' The sarcasm behind her thoughts could only be thicker if covered with syrup. "You think?" She said aloud, with an audible sigh. "Whatever, let's get this over with." She jumped down from her perch, landing at the top of the stairs that were below her. The contact made their way to her, slowly, walking up one step at a time. Their face hidden. "Psi, were you followed?"

"No." Came the simple response.

"Good." Sierra replied. "It would be bad if we were found out to have three members in this tournament."

"We'd be less likely to be discovered if you two didn't put on a show of brutality. I saw that entire battle. What the hell were you thinking?" Psi replied, annoyed. "You already got attention called to you when you had that fight with that Kantoean. The plan was to lay low, not become the focus of the tournament."

"Sierra is unable to contain herself." Beta stated, still stood on the ledge above the two conversing. He watched over them, his face still neutral.

"Beta." Psi nodded. "I see you're... Still you. It's really not great having to meet like this." The hooded figure sighed. "I hate tradition."

"Due to partner number limitations, we are unable to work as a full unit." Beta stated. "Sierra and I were partnered together only because I hacked the system. The rest are random. Me and Sierra have experience working as a single unit. You are an additional variable. It is logical to wish to go with a guaranteed result than risk an unknown conclusion." Beta told Psi. "The plan is important. We cannot risk it on unknowns."

"I suppose." Psi nodded.

"Is your partner a potential target?" Beta inquired.

"Unknown at this time."

"Acknowledged. Have any competitors presented themselves as a potential target?"

"Several. Multiple groups are shown to be potential targets. I recommend waiting until later in the tournament. Then we can select the best."

"A logical recommendation." Beta nodded.

"What do we do if we end up fighting each other?" Sierra asked. "We never discussed that possibility."

"Treat it like any other battle." Beta told her, simply. "Show no signs of knowing the other."

"Should I throw the match if we fight?" Psi asked, tilting his head behind his hood.

"Irrelevant." Beta said. "The victor will not matter by that point. Victory will be secondary. Data will be acquired."

Sierra showed her teeth in a cruel smile. "Watch out, Psi~"

Psi paid her no heed. While a relatively new member to their organisation, he had already earned the respect of his superiors. He knew the organisations goals, how it got its funding, and why everyone in there wanted the organisation to succeed. They had their own reasons. Psi's was for power. Regardless of what he wanted, he found Sierra immensely annoying. He also disliked Beta for his robotic speech. Despite that however, they had been paired together. It was wiser to simply not question the orders he had been given. That Would be... Much healthier.

He had to admit, Beta's unique personality helped him remain analytical and ruthless without emotional damage or restraint.

Sierra was just...

"Hrmm? Skitty got your tongue~?"

...Irritating.

"This topic is irrelevant to the meeting." Beta said, putting everyone back on track, in as repetitive, robotic and monotone a voice as ever. "Psi. Are any candidates of particular notice?"

"There are, actually. They knew each other before coming here, and they ended up as a tag team battling pair. Your interfering must have stopped interrupted the shuffle as their names were together. Their Pokemon work well. They're good targets." Psi reported, his main, if not only, reason for being here.

"State their names." Their squad commander, Beta, instructed.

"Ash and Serena."