I always want story cover images for my story, but I'm never able to find them…or get someone to make them, since I suck at it. If anyone can offer their potential drawing skills, I'd be forever grateful! Oh well, Chapter 14 time!

Chapter 14

An Effort

Clemont was on the move, though he wasn't exactly having an easy time of it. Being far less athletically inclined than the rest of his teammates and even his sister, Clemont was huffing and puffing the whole way, driven on only by the prospect of winning the tournament. Thankfully, all of that was worked into their strategy for the tournament. Next to him, Luxray was dashing at a very easy clip, occasionally sending short bursts of Discharge into the air.

Sure, it might have alerted his enemies to where he was, but it also gave his other teammates a chance to know he was still in the fight. Similar spouts of electricity, flame, water, and even an egg were fired off periodically. On the screens that ran along the street Clemont was attempting to run down, Clemont could hears the cheers of the coliseum juxtaposed with the sounds of battle that had begun between Bethany of Team Brutal and Bruce and Trent of Team Trainer. So far, they had only exchanged a list of five moves.

That was clearly about to change.

"Chansey, use Egg Bomb!" Clemont nearly stopped in his tracks at the sound of Brock's voice on the monitor. How fast was he? Clemont had planned it that he would be going after the closest group on the monitors, but somehow, Brock had already managed to find a different group. That led to only a few conclusions: Brock was fast, Clemont's calculations were off and that group was actually closer, or Clemont was really, really slow. He was willing to bank on the latter.

"Brock has joined the party, making this a three-way battle!" Kalas roared out, his own voice indicating how excited he was to everyone.

"How will this affect the timed battle segment?" Sycamore was asking. Clemont started up again, but kept an ear open for the information. Any piece of knowledge was important for learning strategies and defeating their opponents. Just like switching Pokémon out, in a brawl like this, a trainer had to know when to fight and when to retreat.

"Since the Time Battle Zone was only activated by Bethany and Bruce and Trent, they are the only trainers subject to its rules. Remember that only a Locked Battle Zone can't be interfered with completely," Aston explained.

"In ozzer words, zis Brock is able to do as he pleases, while ze ozzer trainers must be mindful of zere moves," Pierre confirmed. Aston made a small noise in his throat to indicate that he was right. That was interesting to Clemont: only those who activated the zone had to be wary of its rules…which meant that if he walked into an already started battle, it was a free-for-all. Up ahead, the sounds of battle came closer.

"Get ready, Luxray," Clemont said sternly to his faithful Pokémon. Luxray grunted and slowed a bit, padding forward on his feet. The blond trainer and his Pokémon stopped on the edge of a plaza and peered into it. He had arrived at the square off between Team Rocket and Miette. Dawn had already retreated to who knows where, and Clemont could admit to feeling a little grateful. He didn't want to face a trainer as skilled as her this early. He figured he might win, but it would take too long and exhaust him before the real battles.

"Slurpuff, use Psychic!" Miette ordered. As Inkay was a Dark type, he was able to stay floating in the air without repercussion. Wobbuffet wasn't as lucky. He started floating up in the air, helpless to the bout of Psychic's blue aura that was gripping it.

"Wobba wobba!" he cried out, flailing his arms rather comically.

"Wobbuffet, hurry up and do something!" Jessie cried out loudly. James stepped forward and took the initiative.

"Inkay, use Psybeam!" Inkay floated forward and fired out its Psybeam. Being in the middle of Psychic, Slurpuff didn't move and was pushed back by the attack. Miette wasn't quite done with her assault. Clemont looked down at Luxray.

"Let's hang back for a moment," he told his Pokémon quietly. Luxray nodded, giving Clemont a chance to look up in the sky. Serena was still firing off her bursts of flame and Gary was responding equally. Brock was still visible on the screen…but Clemont could no longer see Ash's water bursts. Had he gotten into a battle? Judging from the face-offs on the screen, that wasn't possible. Clemont just sighed. "Of course Ash forgot to signal us where he is…Well, I'm sure we'll all know sooner or later."

"Slurpuff, Cotton Spore on Wobbuffet," Miette ordered with a snap of her fingers, as if the command was so simple. Clemont went and looked to see Slurpuff sending out the balls of cotton that surrounded Wobbuffet. The poor Pokémon was flailing around on the fluff, unable to do much since it wasn't exactly an attacking move. "Now, finish with Energy Ball!"

"Quick, Wobbuffet, you need to counter-" Jessie's command was way too late as Slurpuff's tongue lolled out before firing the green spheres from its mouth in quick succession. Clemont almost likened it to a gatling of green spheres that battered Wobbuffet's immobile body and caused the Cotton Spore to poof all over the place, painting the area in dandelion fuzz.

"Wobbuffet is out!" Kalas yelled over the monitors. "Team Performer takes a point while Team Research seems to be hurting."

"Now, let's take care of Inkay," Miette said confidently, a little smirk on her face. Clemont looked down at Luxray and nodded confidently. His faithful Pokémon returned the nod. Time to move.

"James, you better win this!" Jessie yelled, holding the fainted Wobbuffet up who was still swaying back and forth.

"You bet, Jess!" James said confidently. "Now, Inkay, use Tackle!"

"Luxray, use Swift!" Luxray bounded out of the street and into the plaza, leaping into the air at the same time. He whipped his tail around and shining stars erupted outward, slamming into the pair of Slurpuff and Inkay. Miette was taken aback. So was James, but he seemed to hide it better.

"Inkay, use Foul Play on the smart twerp's Pokémon!" Inkay changed direction from sailing at Slurpuff and started hurtling at Luxray, it's flexible arms aiming for the Electric type.

"Wait for it, Luxray," Clemont ordered, stepping out into view. Luxray hunched down on its hindquarters, waiting for the Revolving Pokémon to get closer. Once it's arms were about to reach Luxray, both trainer and Pokémon knew it was the time to strike. "Thunder Fang!"

"Ray!" Luxray roared loudly, it's fangs buzzing with electricity as it chomped down on Inkay. Poor Inkay struggled to get free but was continually electrocuted. When Luxray let go, Inkay was twitching, its body clearly affected by paralysis.

"Don't let Luxray get you, Slurpuff. Psychic," Miette said. Slurpuff's eyes glowed blue and Clemont realized he had the one opportunity to strike. It was risky, but he figured that if the move would do its job, he and Luxray would be fine.

"Wild Charge!" Luxray leapt forward, its body surrounded by crackling electricity that blasted backwards, scorching the street of Ancien City and kicking up the tiles. Slurpuff's blue eyes faded away as it looked at the display of raw power that Luxray was giving off. Even Miette seemed genuinely surprised. Inkay wasn't in much of a state to be surprised when Luxray slammed into the pair of them, with Jessie somewhere in the crossfire. The electricity blasted outward, almost sending out another signal before Luxray bounced back, the convulsions of the recoil consuming its body.

Slurpuff was down and out, having already taken more than enough damage from the previous battles. Then there was Team Rocket.

"I can't believe we're going like this!" Jessie screeched.

"Oh well," James lamented, shrugging as they flew through the air.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" And just like that they were gone, though Clemont had to wonder where Meowth was.

"Well, only one member from Team Research remains in Conway, while Clemont has earned Team Ketchum two points very quickly. Bad luck for Team Performer as well." Clemont looked over at Luxray, who assured him that he was okay. Then he approached the blue-haired Performer that was holding Slurpuff with a resigned expression.

"Your Slurpuff's okay, right?" Clemont asked of her.

"Yeah," Miette assured him. Clemont felt positive about that and he looked around the plaza to see both Portia and Aria sitting with their own defeated Pokémon. "So, where's Serena in all this? I was hoping to face off with her, but obviously that isn't going to happen."

"I'm not sure," Clemont told her, turning his gaze again to the sky as he saw another burst of electricity and fire. Obviously Serena was following a winding path towards the plaza before Ancien Castle. He didn't see fit to tell Miette this as the battle on one of the screens had pulled his attention.

"Cacturne, use Flash!" Bethany said confidently.

"Chansey, look away and close your eyes!" Brock ordered. Chansey did as her trainer ordered her, closing her eyes just as a bright light suddenly eclipsed the screen. Sawk and Pangoro were reeling in a dazed fashion and Clemont noticed that the timer was down to one, meaning that it was a do or die for either trainer before their timed battle was to end.

"Sucker Punch," came the simple command from Bethany. Cacturne's fist was glowing a blackish purple and it rushed forward. Sawk was the first to recover, blinking rapidly to recover from the sudden burst of Flash. It didn't recover fast enough as Cacturne's Sucker Punch hit it in the face and pushed it into its partner. Cacturne's attacks didn't let up, either, consistently smacking both Pokémon as they were up against each other. The counter dropped to zero.

"The winner of the timed battle is Cacturne and Bethany!" a referee called over the announcement system.

"You heard the man!" Kalas said enthusiastically. "Team Brutal takes two points while Team Trainer loses its first trainers in this final day's brawl!"

"Yes, but despite Bethany's victory, Cacturne is still looking tired from that timed battle against two Pokémon, and it still has to deal with Brock's Chansey," Aston pointed out. "This battle is far from over."

"Chansey, Secret Power," Brock said. Chansey bounced forward a little and a pink aura glowed outward from her body. That pink aura became a sphere, expanding ever outward until the still fatigued Cacturne was hit by the attack, throwing it backwards.

"Cacturne, use Flash, quick!" Cacturne's body lit up and the bright light burst forth again. Chansey was unable to close its eyes in time and even Clemont and the other spectators in the plaza couldn't look away even if their eyes shut, feeling the blinding light on their own end. When it finally did recede, Clemont opened his eyes to look back at the screen and felt as surprised as the commentators on the other end.

"Um…it seems that Bethany and her Cacturne have disappeared…" Harry said confusedly.

"A smart strategy. She obviously felt that Cacturne wouldn't be a match for Brock's Chansey and needed to retreat," Sycamore pointed out. Brock appeared to come to the same conclusion because he didn't stay there long and it reminded Clemont that he needed to get moving as soon as possible. He gave one last look over the remnants of Team Performer in the plaza. Aria offered him an encouraging nod.

"Tell Serena to do her best and win," Miette said. Clemont blinked and nodded. This was the way that rivals should have been: encouraging each other instead of resenting their loss. That was something Team Brutal didn't seem to get, but Clemont did.

"Let's go, Luxray!" Clemont said and he began huffing and puffing down another street. Ancien City was far too large for his tastes. The day was far from over, even if it was almost lunchtime. Maybe Ash had taken a break for lunch?

Thinking of, Clemont's own stomach was starting to get hungry, gurgling with the feeling. Luxray didn't share the same kind of feeling considering he was staring consciously ahead, ever alert for signs of movement. That was a positive sign, since it meant that Luxray wasn't too affected by its use of Wild Charge. A few plazas later and Clemont had yet to run into anyone else, so he darted into a nearby alleyway.

"Keep watch with your X-Ray vision, Luxray, I need to recharge myself," Clemont said. Luxray offered a grunt of acknowledgement and he took a seat on a trash can in the area, pulling out a nice sandwich Brock had prepared for them all that morning. Clemont had watched him make it, picking up plenty of cooking tips for the journey ahead. "You know, Luxray, this tournament was a great suggestion from Serena."

"Lux?" Luxray asked, not once stopping his vigilant watch.

"I feel like I've grown a little," Clemont said. He sat back as he chewed on his sandwich a little, staring up at the sun blaring overhead. He remembered reading that there would be a new moon that night, which meant the stars would probably be really nice. He'd have to watch them with Bonnie after winning the tournament. "I don't know why, but I feel like I've made a real contribution, and I've learned a lot. Gary showed the same kind of conviction as Ash, and Brock really is like an older brother.

"I've always been the older one for Bonnie, so being treated like a younger one for a moment was nice. He's taught me a lot just by watching him. That's the kind of brother I want to be. I want to help Bonnie learn and grow and I want to protect her, you know? And for Ash, he's like my best friend. I've never seen him shine brighter than during this tournament. He's something."

"Luxray," Luxray agreed. This time he turned his head, though it didn't seem like anyone else was near to them.

"Let's win this, Luxray, and continue to grow together," Clemont said proudly. Luxray could obviously sense that Clemont meant all of these words from the bottom of his heart because he smiled a little, although it looked a little creepy with his fangs. Clemont finished off the sandwich, ready to go forward and win the tournament. If only I could learn to run faster, Clemont admitted to himself as he set off again.

"It appears that other than the double tag battle between Jael and Kael against Nini and Alice, the other trainers are wandering the city without anyone coming into conflict," Kalas said, his own mouth full of food as the commentators were taking a very clear lunch break. Clemont had to agree with that; the number of trainers remaining was practically staggering. More importantly, though, was that other than Aria, none of the other team leaders seemed to have fallen. Clemont was right in choosing them for those positions. Of course, it was also easy to tell who their leader was, but he currently seemed to be missing.

"Come on, Ash…we agreed to keep in contact," Clemont said under his breath, turning onto another street. Still there was noone near him.

"Speaking of zis tag battle, it would appear both sides are razzer tired," Pierre commented. The observation drew Clemont's vision to the screens where it was showing the only battle that was currently being waged. For a free battle, it was looking like a stalemate. The gears in Clemont's head began to turn and he started thinking about going over there to nab some points for their team.

As luck would have it, that thought was dashed in the next moment.

"Leaf Tornado," called an all too familiar voice from the battle yesterday.

"Travis has entered the field, and at quite the opportune time!" Kalas said. Clemont agreed with him wholeheartedly. He had to wonder if Travis had been waiting in the shadows the entire time, hoping for the two teams to tire themselves out before striking with impunity. As it were now, his Serperior was on the field, spinning its tail quickly as a tornado of leaves erupted in the middle of the battle. All four Pokémon were whipped around by it, flying up into the mess of leaves that was whipped around in a gale.

"Giga Drain!" Serperior let its Leaf Tornado come to an end and it slithered along the ground silently, weaving between the broken road tiles to its falling opponents. Clemont watched the reaction of Travis and noticed that he was emotionless in all of his replies. It was strange for the previously arrogant trainer to be acting this way. It made the blond inventor worry about his true intentions for this final round. At this moment, Serperior had dragged all four of the other Pokémon into its tail and it wrapped them close snugly. All four cried out in pain as their energy was sucked dry from them.

Clemont was almost horrified by the scene, even if it wasn't unexpected. Serperior was obviously just as challenging a foe as Feraligatr, and from the way it downed four (admittedly exhausted) Pokémon at once was both shrewd and powerful. He was not an opponent Clemont wanted to run into again yet.

"And with two attacks, Travis has earned Team Brutal a whopping four points. Now we can only ask what Christopher and Seamus of the same team are up to," Kalas said. "The Fletchinder Cams don't seem to have been picking them up recently."

"The same could be said of Ash Ketchum," Aston pointed out. "Ever since Team Ketchum set off, he's the only one that hasn't been caught on the monitors."

"Please tell us you're okay, Ash," Clemont sighed quietly. On another one of the monitors was the scoreboard, revised.

TEAM KETCHUM 30

TEAM BRUTAL 29

TEAM COORDINATOR 22

TEAM TRAINER 19

TEAM RESEARCH 9

TEAM PERFORMER 13 (X)

Though Kalas hadn't announced it, Team Performer was already taken out of the tournament while both Team Trainer and Team Research were down to single trainers in their teams, although it was their leaders. Most importantly was how quickly that Team Brutal had closed the gap on them. Travis and Bethany were both forces to be reckoned with. Still, Clemont was not giving up. He'd see their team through to the end and earn their team as many points as they could.

Be safe, everyone, he thought as he and Luxray attempted to pick up the pace down another street.

Serena clasped her hand over her mouth, careful to not let a sound escape it. Braixen was just as silent, flattening herself against the wall they were crouching near, attempting to not be seen. As she swallowed the lump in her throat, the honey-blonde Performer began to wonder if maybe she shouldn't have come this way. The reason for it was obvious when she looked into the final plaza before the path to Ancien Castle: Conway and Rocky were standing there, both of their Pokémon facing off against one another.

Not that she could interfere. As it turned out, the two trainers had stepped into a Locked Battle Zone, but she really didn't want the winner (and she had a guess as to who it would turn out to be) to attack her as soon as the battle was over. Per their strategy, Serena knew that she was no match for the powerful Rocky and the Rhyperior that was the strength behind him. It wasn't like Serena was a coward, however; she just knew these kinds of battles were best suited to powerhouses like Ash and Gary. There were still other opponents that she could take on. All she could do for now was watch.

"Rock Wrecker," Rocky ordered. Rhyperior took a stampeding step forward, shaking the area nearby and Serena closed her hands tighter around her mouth. She did, however, peek around the corner to watch the battle without being caught. In Rhyperior's hands that massive rock was forming, shining with a powerful, pulsing red glow. The Ground type then threw the rock at Conway and his Pokémon.

"Dodge it," Conway said. He was, as always, adjusting his glasses as he took a step to the side. Heracross flitted to the side, taking advantage of its wings as the rock slammed into the surface of the ground, making impacts as it bounced across the plaza. For the town being protected from attacks, Rhyperior's seemed to be powerful enough to break through that. "Let's use Megahorn."

"Cross!" Heracross acknowledged. Its horn glowed white and with its wings, Heracross jetted forward, straight for Rhyperior's very exposed belly. The larger Pokémon stood there, not moving a muscle until its trainer ordered it to. Heracross drew in quicker and just before Megahorn was going to collide, Rocky issued his command.

"Stone Edge, now!"

"Perior!" Rhyperior roared, raising its arms above its head. Large stones surrounded Rhyperior and began to whirl around like a shield. Heracross stopped short and pulled back, careful not to get hit by the spinning stones. Just when it gained enough distance, Rhyperior sent the stones flying at Heracross.

"Use Close Combat and beat them back at Rhyperior," Conway said. Heracross stood its ground as the stones came closer. When they were finally at a close range, Heracross punched outward and beat one of the stones back. It wasn't done, either. With every subsequent stone that approached, Heracross would either punch or kick at the stones. Some of them were victims of the Pokémon's horn being used to toss the stone backward. It appeared Conway's strategy was successful, however, as the majority of the stones went flying back at Rhyperior. Although a number of them collided with other incoming stones and dropped to the ground, many of them were still on their way to Rhyperior.

"Use Protect!" Rhyperior's hands fell down, now being held in front of its body. A green shield protruded outwards and Conway began to chuckle menacingly.

"Feint."

"What? That thing knows…" Rocky expressed in surprise. Heracross once more flew forward with its wings. Any remaining stones in the air had fallen to the ground at Rhyperior's use of Protect, allowing Heracross a clear line to its opponent. Once more, its horn was glowing white, although to Serena it now seemed like all of it was white, and not just the end. Heracross finally impacted with the Protect and Serena watched in awe as the indestructible shield broke to pieces and Heracross sliced upward with its horn, forcing Rhyperior, ever immovable, to take a step back.

"Hammer Arm, quick!" Rhyperior regained its balance, reared back and slammed its arm downward, glowing red. Heracross didn't even need its trainer's command to know to dodge it. With a flitter of its wings, Heracross was able to leap to the side as the powerful move slammed into a ground. As it struck, a shockwave rippled outward, tossing dust into the air with it that practically blocked Serena's view of the two of them. "Rock it again!"

"Megahorn!" Heracross soared out of the dust aiming right for the once more descending arm. The two attacks collided with one another, causing red sparks to jump out, a crackling of energy forming where the two were meeting. "Now, into Close Combat."

"Hera!" Heracross acknowledged as its body flipped, allowing its foot to slam into Rhyperior's stomach. The Rock type Pokémon recoiled as Heracross now struck forward with its fists and finished off with its horn driving into Rhyperior. The Pokémon toppled over and Conway adjusted his glasses in seeming victory. At least, he did until Rhyperior stood up. Conway appeared to blink and then waved his arm as if to tell Heracross to do it again.

"Protect," Rocky said. Rhyperior held its arms in front of itself and Conway chuckled loudly.

"You never learn. Feint." Serena had an unfortunate feeling that Rocky, however, had learned. At least, judging from the smirk on his face. Heracross was close now, its horn glowing white again, and just before it struck the shield, Rhyperior dropped it.

"Stone Edge!" Unlike the first time, Heracross was unable to avoid the stones whirling around Rhyperior like a shield. Each of the stones battered Heracross' body as they revolved around the larger Pokémon. Serena turned away. She didn't need to watch to know what was coming next. And when Rocky ordered a Hammer Arm followed by a Rock Wrecker, she was glad she hadn't. She certainly felt it, though, shuddering through the city like an earthquake.

"Conway is out!" Kalas' voice cried out over the monitors. With that, two teams have been taken out of the competition leaving only the top four!"

"Return for now, Rhyperior. Let's find more opponents to wreck." Even though he was quite a distance away, Serena still felt she could hear and feel his footsteps retreating. Her hand back over her mouth, she tried to not even breathe. She even gave an insistent look to Braixen who nodded furtively. When she took a peek around the corner, it was to find that Rocky had at last disappeared. It was now safe to enter the plaza.

"Is Heracross okay?" she asked kindly. Conway looked up from where he was kneeling over Heracross. "Sorry, I just…"

"He's fine. Thank you," Conway said with a gracious nod. He then dug into his pocket and took out a Sitrus Berry. It wasn't much to the hurting Pokémon, but from the way it attempted to give its trainer a small hug, it showed that it appreciated it. Serena smiled a little; no matter the team, it was nice to see a trainer with compassion for their Pokémon. The same could not be said for Rhyperior. "Watch out for that one. Even with my strategies, he still overpowered me."

"Heh heh…yeah…" Serena laughed out nervously, her gaze turning towards the sky. It was now well after lunchtime and she had yet to see hide nor hair of another trainer until now, and even less of the shots of water that were supposed to show where Ash was. She was beginning to worry about him.

That worry was driven away by what appeared on the monitors next.

"It looks like we have a battle set to begin in City Hall," Aston said. At his words coming out of the speakers, Serena turned to one of the larger monitors in the plaza where a shot of the interior of City Hall was projected. She caught sight of the mural and the various other artifacts that had been there two nights ago, and she watched as the familiar head of green hair that was Sawyer walked in, his eyes darting around. At first, she couldn't figure out how that meant a battle was going to start, until she saw someone else approaching Sawyer from the opposite direction.

It was May.

"Well, looks like we've got a different kind of battle setup with May against Sawyer," Kalas announced to the crowd.

"Her Blaziken was quite powerful on the first day. It makes me wonder if she plans on using it again," Sycamore commented as both trainers went for their pokeballs. At the moment that they did so, the field around them began to shine and a strange haze was puffed outward for an instant. Serena felt her brow furrowing, wondering what it was. Aston sated that curiosity.

"Ah, looks like we have our first Inverted Battle on the field, which, as said, reverses all type matchups," he told everyone (including the participants, it seemed). Braixen had turned her own head and looked up at the screen with her partner as the two decided to watch the battle. It was likely that whoever came out of this battle as the victor would be someone Serena would have to face in the future.

"You're Sawyer, right? Sorry I haven't gotten the chance to speak with a Hoenn native like myself in this tournament," May said, tossing her pokeball up and down in the air. Sawyer was just gripping his own, with that trusty notebook in his other hand.

"You're from Hoenn, too! That's so cool!" Sawyer said with a smile. "You must be one of Ash's friends, huh?"

"I am," May told him. From her body language, it was obvious to Serena that she would have shaken his hand if they weren't preparing for a battle. "So, why don't we battle and see who gets to face him in this tournament?"

"Sounds great. Let's go, Sceptile!"

"On stage, Blaziken!" Serena's eyes narrowed. After seeing Blaziken's performance on day one, she was almost sure that May would come out the victor, no matter how much Sawyer had improved. Either way, it would probably be a close battle.

"I wouldn't be too sure of who's going to win," Conway said. When Serena looked at him, she could see that he was standing now, having recalled his downed Heracross. "It's an Inverted Battle, and unless they figure out the rules fast, no power in the world will do them good."

"Blaziken, move in quick with your Blaze Kick," May ordered, a brilliant smile on her face. "And put some spin into it!"

"Blaze!" Blaziken replied with as it leapt onto one leg. It then vaulted forward, its leg wreathed in flames. As it began to spin its leg, May seemed to tighten her bandanna, just before the fast attack struck Sceptile in the stomach. Smoke surrounded the pair before Blaziken leapt back. When he did, however, Sceptile was blinking slightly, as though the attack hadn't affected him at all.

"Sceptile, let's use Dragon Pulse," Sawyer commanded. Sceptile didn't move from his spot, but opened his mouth and let the purple beam shoot out and over to his opponent. Said attack hit Blaziken, who crossed his arms to defend against the brunt of the attack.

"We need to buy some time, so use Fire Spin around you," May said. She looked a little rattled by how little her attack had done to Sceptile, but Serena admired the way she was still able to take charge of the situation and not let her Pokémon down. Blaziken, having barely recovered from the Dragon Pulse, angled its head downward and let loose a torrent of flame. It spun on its feet until the flames were raging around its body like a raging column that no one could see through.

"Sceptile, use Leaf Storm!" Sceptile turned around at its trainer's command, its tail glowing before letting loose a wild mess of leaves, sharp as blades. Those leaves blew out with the wind that was being generated by the attack. Somehow, Serena thought that they might be able to cut through the flames, but that theory was disproven when they burned into a crisp the moment they touched said flames.

"Oh, well, that's handy. Sky Uppercut!" Blaziken emerged from the flames, some of the embers still clinging to his body as he closed the distance between himself and Sceptile. Sceptile had just turned back around to face his opponent once more when Blaziken's fist made contact with his head. The Forest Pokémon flew back and upwards, aiming towards the ceiling of City Hall.

"Bounce off it and use Leaf Blade!" Sceptile twisted in midair to get into a good position. Serena's eyes widened as she saw Sceptile's tail strike against the ceiling; it was just like the move Ash had used with Pikachu the day prior. Sceptile sprung forward, the green blades protruding from his arms.

"Counter with Blaze Kick!" Blaziken kicked upward, just in time for its flaming foot to make explosive contact with Sceptile's Leaf Blade. The colliding attacks sent a shudder through the building, it seemed, as the glass cases rattled. It was unclear who was going to have the upper hand, until Blaziken's foot slipped a little. Sceptile sliced upward and Blaziken cried out before Sceptile rammed into Blaziken's chest with its blade. The Blaze Pokémon fell, colliding into the ground.

"Great job, Sceptile!"

"Don't let them get another hit in, Blaziken. Use Fire Spin, quickly." Blaziken managed to stand and sent the whirling flames out, this time aimed directly for its opponent. Sceptile was falling now, and the flames barely missed him.

"Hit it with a Bullet Seed."

"Tile!" Sceptile screeched, opening its maw again to fire the tiny seeds in rapid succession at Blaziken. Given that the Fire type's moves were still going, making it unable to dodge, the Bullet Seed slammed into Blaziken and forced him to drop to one knee, ending the attack.

Despite the massive damage done, May didn't look concerned. Instead, she looked as determined as Ash did in the final rounds of a gym battle. She had finally figured out how Inverse Battles worked. Serena felt that she had as well. Fire attacks were now useless against Sceptile, while the Forest Pokémon could simply strike at Blaziken with nary a worry. It was certainly a different kind of battle, and Serena now understood why Conway had warned her about making foregone conclusions.

"Overheat," May called out. Blaziken rose to its feet again and this time sent another gush of flames. Only this was no ordinary gush of flames: it was ridiculously large. Despite its power potentially being nothing in the case of an Inverted Battle, the attack still exploded upon contact with Sceptile while May ordered Blaziken to move forward.

"Leaf Storm!" In the midst of the roaring flames that were consuming Sceptile, for the moment, came the rush of wind and leaves that sailed outwards, blowing like a hurricane. Blaziken pushed forward, its flaming leg shooting out once more. Serena finally understood May's strategy: if fire itself wouldn't work, she'd just have to overpower Sceptile in another way. Quantity over quality, it would seem. However, even the mighty Blaze Pokémon was no match for the raging wind and the flames on its leg went out, driving it upwards into the air. To the viewer's eye, it was a complete role reversal from the first exchange of attacks. "Now, use Leaf Blade!"

"Get yourself into a better position by using Overheat on the ceiling and spinning!" May ordered, her hand flying outward. Blaziken turned its head, blasting at the ceiling with another Overheat, but it looked weaker than it had last time. Not that it was like some puny flame, but it didn't carry the same kind of power. Blaziken's blast hit the ceiling and gave him the momentum as he spun in midair, now aiming right for Sceptile at rapid speed. "Sky Uppercut!"

"Blaziken!" the Pokémon cried out, it's glowing fist aiming right for the Leaf Blade. This time there was no explosion, just a locking of fists and blades as Blaziken was suspended in midair. Sceptile was holding its own too, but Serena realized that between these two moves, the Inverted Battle rules hardly applied because they weren't mismatched attacks. And Blaziken was gaining ground.

"Ah, use Bullet Seed!" Sawyer ordered. Sceptile opened its mouth. At the same exact moment, May threw out another command for a Fire Spin and Blaziken mimicked Sceptile. The two attacks collided, blasting the two combatants backward and skidding along the ground. Blaziken kept its Fire Spin up, obviously using it as a rotating shield of flame. "Now Dragon Pulse!"

"Sceptile tile!" the Grass type acknowledged. Ceasing its Bullet Seed, the glowing green projectiles transformed into that purple beam that shot towards Blaziken. Fire Spin wasn't enough to save it as the attack cut through the flames like soft butter and slammed Blaziken backwards. Sceptile began running forward, the green blades protruding once again until it got close enough to its opponent. Then, Sceptile slashed upward, and to the side, and down before running right past Blaziken before it could even blink, green gashes appearing on Blaziken's chest where it had struck before the Fire type fell to the floor.

"Blaziken is down!" Kalas yelled out. "Sawyer takes a point for his team while Team Coordinator has lost one of theirs. Team Coordinator now has only four members left!"

"We still have all five, assuming everyone's okay," Serena said to Braixen who smiled back at her. "We might be able to-"

"Vine Whip!" Serena heard the command well before she saw it executed. She leapt backward, and Braixen copied her movements just as the vine impacted with the ground where they had been standing. Some of the tiles flew about and Serena's heart was beating quickly. She knew she shouldn't have stopped to watch that battle. "Nice dodge, Serena."

"Shauna, I'm not surprised you tried to find me," Serena commented as her rival stepped into view, Ivysaur at her feet. She was wearing a confident smile, even though the type matchup was certainly not in her favor. Serena reached upward, tucking a small strand of hair behind her ear as she surveyed Shauna. Something was off. Sure, there was no shock at the brunette wanting to face off against her rival, but she was just a little too confident. "Braixen, stay close."

"Brai," the Fire type responded, drawing closer to her trainer.

"Can you make a Fire Blast on the ground that fills the plaza?" she asked out of the corner of her mouth. Shauna was taking a step forward but still not making a move, like she was waiting for something. Braixen gave a very small nod of her head. In response, Serena sucked in a breath and then nodded her own head. Braixen whipped her wand out and twirled it around before slamming it onto the plaza tiles. The five pronged wheel of fire spread out like a scorching maze across all corners of the area. Serena closed her eyes for a second, and finally opened them when she heard what she expected.

"Ouch, that's hot!" yelled Tierno's voice from another corner of the plaza. "Put it out, Blastoise!"

"Thanks for blocking it, Charmeleon," Trevor's voice emerged from yet another corner. Serena frowned; she was surrounded by the three of them. Most notable was Tierno who seemed to have had his butt lit on fire and was now cooling it down with Blastoise's water. Shauna sighed audibly.

"Why did you guys wait so long to attack?" she asked. Neither of the boys could give her a straight answer, but did give her a rather sheepish look. "Never mind. Sorry to triple team you, Serena, but we're taking that point from your team. I hope you'll forgive me later."

"Yeah, sorry about this!" Tierno said with an apologetic wave. "I mean, you look as great as usual, but I did tell Ash that we were going to win, and that's what we're going to do! Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!"

"Toise!" Blastoise roared, cocking its cannons before letting off a powerful rush of gleaming water at the pair of Serena and Braixen. Just as the sound of gushing water entered her ears, Serena swore she heard something else: footsteps.

"Electivire, use Protect!" Gary's voice cut through the sound of the water and Serena turned to see the brunet Kanto native at another entrance to the plaza. Electivire, meanwhile, was running in and erecting a green barrier that completely nullified Blastoise's Hydro Pump. The scales were starting to even up a bit as Gary ran to Serena's side. "Glad I got here in time. You and Braixen okay?"

"We're fine. Thanks for the help," Serena said, raising her hand to give a high five to her team member.

"We're teammates, aren't we?" Gary asked with a smirk. "Besides, I'm pretty sure Brock's on his way here, too."

"I'm already here," Brock's voice called out as he ran in, Chansey bouncing at his side. Shauna, Tierno and Trevor were staring at the scene with astonishment; they must not have expected their pincer attack strategy to fail. Now, instead of a one-on-three, it had become a far more favorable three-on-three. Conway had slunk away from the plaza, as well, leaving only the six of them to battle it out. That left only one major question.

"Have either of you seen Ash or his signal flares from Greninja?" she asked worriedly. Brock frowned and gave no answer while Gary shrugged and sighed tiredly.

"Not at all," Gary answered. "He probably forgot about them after a few minutes, but I'm worried that he hasn't shown up on the screens, either. Shows that even with a strategy, a team with Ash on it can't follow it to the letter."

"Neither has Seamus," Brock voiced in concern. That was a coincidence, or so Serena hoped. She didn't want to imagine that Ash and Seamus were trying to battle everything out off-screen from the cameras. "But right now, we have more important things to worry about."

"How about we each take them one-on-one? I get the feeling there are more battle zones around this plaza."

"Sounds good to me," Serena said confidently. She'd have to worry about Ash later; right now, Shauna was the more troublesome objective. Each of the three members of Team Ketchum faced a different member of the other trio and Serena watched as Shauna dropped the smile for another determined gaze. Serena stepped forward and a blue light surrounded the pair of them, the same counters that had popped up when Dawn faced Aria appearing on the blue light.

"Serena and Shauna are about to battle it out in Appeals Battle, while Trevor and Brock are in for a Timed Battle and Gary and Tierno are in for a free battle," Harry yelled out, his voice heard loud and clear to the participants. "Don't look away folks, you won't want to miss this."

Serena adjusted her fedora a little and stared ahead with eyes of steel. The sun was dipping ever lower, but her own confidence rose. Only one little thought entered her head before she could focus on the battle: Be careful, Ash.

Then Braixen leapt forward to begin the battle with Ivysaur.

Author's Note: The final day's turning out long, huh? I hope that I'm doing it justice, however and you don't feel like you're missing anything. Needless to say, the battles will only get better from here and I hope you'll continue to enjoy them. Where is Ash? For that matter, where is Seamus? Who will be the victor? All these answers and more, next time!

As always, I have to thank everyone, particularly MinecraftMew, soulofdragon1, and Amy22Evans for favoriting; Reeves-san and Climax Kid for following; and my heartiest of thanks to ultimateCCC, michmech, MoonfallExpress, king Nintendo, Cottonmouth25, ChE clarinetist, Oyasumi, Ooobserver and 2 guests for reviewing. Every review and favorite brightens my day and keeps me soaring ahead and forging ahead. Please keep it up with me to the very end! In the meantime, Review and Dare to Be Silly.