Misadventures of the World Tournament

by Nimondor

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

21. Chapter 21

A/N: I got Pokemon Sun and I've fallen in love with it haha. I've already beaten the game and I'm going to restart the entire thing, but go slower through it instead of play for almost 24-hours straight (I couldn't put it down) xD Even between Overwatch matches, I'd pick up my DS and keep playing lol. I'll probably write something about Alola in the future, so my question is: does anyone know what the main protagonist's canon names are? In the demo, you're Sun but some people are saying Charles and Brianna, Solene and Luna, Selene and Elio and so forth. Maybe Nintendo hasn't officially revealed it on purpose :3

ThatGuy: Thanks! :)

I also posted something called "Misadventures of the World Tournament: Mishappenings." It's basically just a bunch of shorts and side-scenes of this fic, generally what is going on without Pikachu and co. being around.

Anyway, the tournament continues! Happy reading!

---

21

Pikachu

I can count the number of times on one paw that I have gotten seriously injured in battles or otherwise but it would take at least five or six to count how many times my trainer either got himself hurt or attacked by a pokemon—more if you count the times he didn't tell us about and had come back to us with mysterious cuts and bruises that strangely looked like a pokemon had attacked. Once he nearly broke his arm after falling out of a tree and had used his right hand to try and block his fall and feebly protect himself as best he could. Better an arm than a leg when on the mountain, I guess.

He did sprain his wrist at the time and allowed Blastoise to take care of it and despite the obvious pain he was in with all the prodding, he just smiled as he ignored the water-type's lecturing and demands to know why he was in said tree (according to Espeon, he was trying to help a stuck wild Sneasel out of the tree and the branch broke and he decided to hold the ice-type against his chest with one arm and tried to use the other to break his fall. Luckily, Sneasel wasn't hurt and ran off right after). I suggested afterwards to Venusaur that he put a leash on the human so he wouldn't keep running off but it was quickly shot down.

As fragile as humans are, I saw how hard Suicune had slammed my human into the ground and I was both surprised and relieved that he had only received only bruises and a couple of cuts. However even I was worried about Ethan—but only a little, mind you. The only reason was because what if he wasn't well enough to battle tonight? I highly doubted he'd be able to get up and concentrate on a match, not after that head injury he'd sustained. Sure, it was just a cut but that cut had knocked him out and I was positive Nurse Joy wouldn't want him to go out and do something stupid like battle all-out against us. I nearly laughed when I realized how much like Snorlax I was sounding like.

Speaking of, when I looked over the largest pokemon in the room was fast asleep already, looking quite comfortable where he was. I rolled my eyes at him and stretched. All we could do was wait for Red to return with or without Ethan. I glanced towards the three dogs, seeing the three resting from their mind-control ordeal. I did feel sorry for them but they seemed to be taking it well if they were each sleeping away without another word of complaint about what had happened.

I was admittedly curious about how they had gotten caught by Team Rocket in the first place and I tilted my head slightly. Didn't Blue mention that Suicune already had a pokeball? Why didn't Entei? Since we hadn't seen Raikou when we had first entered the cave with Proton, I assumed she also had a pokeball and it was probably on the Rocket admin. Finally I looked at Mewtwo. He was just as tired as the other legendaries were and since it was so rare I saw him actually sleep, I let him be and decided I would ask him about the pokeballs later. Maybe he'd seen them on Proton's person before teleporting him to the police station.

I stared at the blanket for a while longer until I heard the knob on the door jiggle a bit and I flinched when it slammed open. Mew jumped awake, blinking sleepily at the door with a loud scream that woke the others up as well. "Ah! A monster's come to eat us! Save yourself, Pikachu! I can't go on!"

I ignored her and with a look at the door and a curious blink, I saw a panting and sweating Red rush inside and I stared at him in confusion. It looked like he had been running—perhaps sprinting—and behind him, I noticed a flash of yellow and black run upstairs just as fast. "Was that Ethan?" I asked out loud, tilting my head as Snorlax cracked an eye open.

"I think so," he replied with a large yawn as Red quickly fumbled for the normal-type's pokeball on his belt. He was definitely in a hurry, I noticed, when he nearly dropped the pokeball twice. "But it isn't a good idea to let him run just yet. He'll probably faint. The walk from here to the Pokemon Center isn't a short one."

I snorted. "Whatever. If he faints, it's his fault."

"Don't let it eat us! I'm too small to be a meal!" Mew interjected and yawn, her head promptly falling back onto the covers face-first and she was out again. I sighed at her when I heard a loud snore escape her mouth. It was entirely possible she had slept through the entire thing and wouldn't remember a thing when she really woke up.

Snorlax gave a small shrug before he was recalled and Red motioned for me to follow him. I got up with a stretch, jumped off the bed and darted after him. I stopped at his suitcase as he headed for the door and pointed towards it. "Pika!" I said loudly to catch his attention.

He flicked his eyes towards the suitcase and looked at his tank top. It was a little dirty with a slight tear on the side but with a glance inside, he made a face as he quickly pulled it off to dig for another. When he pulled it on, he scowled at himself and I had to laugh. He was a creature of habit and with just a tank-top on and his vest no doubt ruined for good, I'm sure he felt even more exposed than before.

We both jumped when the door slammed open again, but thankfully Mew didn't wake up again. "What are you doing? We have to hurry!" Ethan yelled. I saw a white bandage wrapped around his head that held a gauze to his hairline, but he seemed to be fine even if he was slightly pale. I noticed he had also changed to clean clothes and had wiped off the mud from his legs as best he could. "If you're worried about the jacket, I'll buy you another one later, but we have to go!" He turned his head slightly and just froze, and the stunned look on his face was priceless when he saw the three dogs. "What are you three doing here?!" he shouted.

As I laughed, holding my sides, Raikou smiled with amusement and answered, "I remember you. You are that trainer from Johto."

"I can't understand you, you're speaking pokemon! You're not being translated—!" He shook his head and turned to my trainer again. "Nevermind! Red, hurry up!"

Red sighed and nodded, running out and I was close at his heels.

"Good luck!" I heard Raikou's voice shout after us.

I was glad the door automatically locked when we exited the room and we ignored a startled Wesley as we sprinted down the stairs and out the door, happy that the guarding Sawk and Throh had good reflexes to open the doors wide enough so we didn't run face-first into it. I ran ahead and waited for the two at the bottom of the stairs as Red descended them quickly, looking at Ethan with a little worry and I understood the silent question.

Ethan, however, was not me and was confused instantly and asked, "What?"

I nearly heard my trainer sigh at the clueless boy. "Are you okay?" he said out loud.

He grinned. "I'm a-okay! I'll let you know if I need to stop, promise. Besides, that run felt good so let's go! It'll get us pumped!"

He started before us and Red quickly started running after him. I wanted to ask him why we weren't flying, but I guessed that we needed to save Charizard's energy for the battle ahead of us. If the officials would let us battle, that is; I sincerely hoped they did.

We ignored the startled pedestrians and I even heard someone ask when they recognized us, "Where have they been?"

A slight bump made Red nearly trip and as we ran, I glanced beside me, seeing a happy and prancing green pokemon, grinning up at us. Why was Deerling, of all pokemon or people, here? "Why are you guys running?" she asked curiously.

"Why are you here?" I blurted.

"'Cause."

Cue eye-rolling. Typical. "That's the most detailed answer in the whole world, thank you for that."

Deerling tilted her head in confusion but I sighed. Sarcasm just went over kid's heads, I shouldn't have wasted my breath on her. "I heard you guys were battling and I wanted to watch again!" she added as she kept pace with us easily. "You should remember that I want to be a part of a champion team someday, too!"

I admired her tenacity about her goal but at the moment I was only getting annoyed as we kept running, the loud stadium finally in view. "That's nice."

I heard Ethan and Red panting for breath as pushed through the crowds and completely ignored the suddenly excited fans, one thing on all of our minds: get the stadium as fast as we could. We reached the front gate in no time and one of the guards posted there turned around just in time to have Ethan in his face and demanded loudly, "Who do we talk to do get our match started?"

The startled guard looked at him and saw Red and I slowly stop behind Ethan. Red struggled to catch his breath as the guard answered simply, "Started? It was supposed to be hours ago."

Ethan grunted in irritation and shook his head. "I know that! What about the old geezer? The one who told us who we were battling the first day?"

"'Old geezer?' You mean the Director?" He motioned towards the door that lead to the stairs. "He's in his office on the third floor, the silver metal door at the end of the hall."

"Come on, Red!" Ethan grabbed my trainer's arm to pull him back into a run. I saw my trainer's face fall a little at the idea of more running and heard Red give a quiet groan of objection but instead of arguing, he ran right after him and I snickered when I followed. I would be sure to tell Charizard that our trainer needed training himself. When I think about it now though, Red has never been much of a runner and still leaves the heavy physical activities usually for us or other trainers if he could persuade them.

We ascended the stairs in record time—Ethan skipped a stair here and there to get up faster and it wasn't surprising that he kept going as Red lagged behind. I snickered when I looked at him. He looked ready to keel over for the rest of the night. I caught up to Ethan as I followed him and we came across a door that had a single guard, but he looked more confused to see us there rather than anything else. "Is the Director in there?" Ethan asked as Red finally arrived behind us, holding his sides. "We need to ask him something!"

The guard nodded. "He was actually expecting you two," he answered and knocked once as Ethan and Red looked between each other and at me with the same look of confusion. The Director was expecting us? I shrugged and when the door opened, I saw the old man sitting in his black leather office chair behind a brown oak desk with a thick eyebrow raised.

"Thank you, Phil." The guard nodded and shut the door behind us, leaving us alone in the cozy office. There was a brief silence, the only noise being the two teenagers trying to catch their breaths. Finally the Director said, "I'm not going to ask where you two were at, but from what I have heard you have both been very irresponsible." Both Ethan and Red looked instantly guilty, and I laughed at their beaten puppy looks. The old man just sighed and continued. "Champion Blue did, however, explain the situation to the best of his ability. He seems to have the most sense of you three and we agreed to let you two battle after Cynthia and White's battle, but you two must promise that you will not do this again. You both do not realize the uproar and panic you created."

Blue actually did something for us, something unheard of! I was just as shocked as Red looked while the younger trainer beside us smiled widely and his face brightened. "I promise! We promise, I mean!" If given the chance, he would have hugged the Director tightly. "We won't do it again! We're sorry, super sorry!"

The Director eyed Red and looked satisfied when he received a nod.

"Very well." He gave a long sigh. "Ah, to be young again. Take life easier, you two. It'll make you happier in the long run, trust me. Now go on and join your friends. We will announce your battle before Champions White and Cynthia begin and you will battle after."

"Yes, thank you!" Ethan walked out, followed quickly by Red and myself. When the door and the guard were out of sight, the younger sighed, putting a hand against his head with a wince that even made myself concerned. "I'm okay," he reassured us. "Just need to sit down for a while, that's all."

Red gave him dubious look but nodded silently.

"Is he really okay?" Deerling asked me with a worried expression. "Humans wear that white stuff when they're hurt, right? I saw Alder wearing some, too."

"He cut his head a while ago, but he'll be fine." I stopped in my tracks when I processed what she said. "Wait—what? You saw Alder? Where? When?" I nearly shouted.

Red and Ethan jumped at my sudden shouting and both glanced at us two, where we had lagged behind the humans. "Uh, what?" Ethan asked with a tilt of his head.

"I saw him yesterday in the forest," Deerling answered with a confused blink. "I saw him wrap that white stuff around his arm and Daddy helped him."

"What happened?"

"I dunno. But it looked like he was kicked by something."

I frowned, rubbing my chin. White had guessed right, he really had gone to run off to be with pokemon but I wanted to know why. "Well, if you see him again, tell us the instant you do. Come find us and tell us where he is. To my trainer and the other humans, he's missing."

"How is he missing when I saw him?" Deerling tilted her head.

"Don't worry about it. Just tell us when you see him next, okay?"

She nodded and trotted after Red and Ethan as they started going down the stairs to head for the nearest box. I followed them both inside and Red sat down in the nearest chair as Ethan took the seat next to him, taking a deep breath. "What happened to you?!" a very feminine voice yelled.

I looked up, blinking. We'd somehow ended up in Ethan's usual box when I figured out Iris was the one who had shouted. I looked around and saw that Calem and Serena were also there, staring at us with shock as well. "Are you okay?" Dawn asked.

"I'm fine," Ethan answered with a grin and gave them all a thumbs-up that made me roll my eyes.

"I feel like I should be the one asking a thousand questions yet I have no idea where to begin." The deep voice made Red scowl at the back of Serena's chair and I looked over on the other side of the rows and refused to turn his head. Lance was sitting a seat away from Ethan and on the other side was Steven, who offered a polite smile and nod towards us and Diantha next to Steven. The dragon master looked at us and then eyed Red specifically with a frown on his face that my trainer ignored. "Don't expect to get out of an interrogation later. Where's your vest and why are you both sweaty?"

I heard Red grumble something under his breath and I laughed at him. He'd get a new vest later and while he only brought one with him during this trip, he had at least two or three others back on Mount Silver. We hadn't really expected to get involved in anything dangerous during our travel, after all.

Ethan spoke up with a large grin. "I made him run for once," he said with a wide smile, looking at him.

"You're not getting out of it, either."

His face immediately fell. "You aren't serious… are you? Lance?"

"Ladies and gentlemen! In just a few short minutes, Champions Cynthia and White shall take the stage and battle each other with dazzling skills! It has also come to our attention that Champion Red and Champion Ethan shall battle tonight, so stick around after this match!"

"Even after getting disappointed they're still so excited to see us," Ethan said. He laughed and looked out at the stadium and the crowds. "At least they're loyal fans, right?"

"After pissing them off? Yeah, they're loyal if they're still here," Calem mentioned and shrugged. "You should've heard them when you were gone."

Serena nodded and glanced at us as she added, "They were all shouting for you both and lots of people left. I'm willing to bet they'll be coming back after that announcement." She then looked between Ethan and Red with a curious look on her face. "But where did you two go?"

To this, Ethan winked at her. "Nowhere."

I saw Lance look at us and the glint in his eyes told me he figured he knew the why of it, but the where was still a mystery to him. I was secretly happy that Ethan wasn't spilling anything to the other trainers even as Serena tried to consistently bug him about it until Calem grew annoyed enough to force her back around in her seat.

"Here they come! Up first is the Sinnoh native and first World Champion, Champion Cynthia!"

The shrieks and cheers from the crowd drew our attention to the stadium as the blond woman appeared on the field on the rising platform, one hand on her hip and smirked as her opponent showed.

"And here is Unova's Champion, White!"

Red stared at the other girl and from here, I could see that she seemed to be upset still but hopefully she would direct all her attention on her battle and focus. I glanced up at my trainer when I sensed his anxiousness and instantly knew that he wanted to apologize to her and I smiled as I nodded reassuringly at him. He would find a way to get himself on her good side again, I knew he would.

"Please release your first pokemon!"

Cynthia instantly tossed a pokeball. "Let's go, Spiritomb!" When a small rock appeared on the field, I was a bit confused until the ghost flew out of the crack in the center, cackling madly.

I noticed Red flip his pokedex open to scan the strange ghost, and blinked a few times. Did I read that right? It doesn't have any weakness? At all? I looked up at Red, who looked just as shocked as me and heard a giggle from the front row. "You haven't had your pokedex updated recently, have you?" Serena looked at us. "Ask a professor to get that done. Spiritomb is weak to fairy-type moves but that's its only one."

White moved, throwing her own pokeball. "Go, Stoutland!" She smiled as the large dog appeared in front of her and offered a challenging bark to the strange pokemon in front of them.

"It's Spiritomb versus Stoutland! This is a full six-on-six battle, no items as usual. You may begin!"

Cynthia moved first, motioning a hand towards Stoutland. "Spiritomb, Confuse Ray!"

The ghost sent out two balls of light that circled around Stoutland and exploded into little lights and it was easy to tell the dog was confused, wobbling on his paws.

White gritted her teeth. "Stoutland, use Work Up!" Stoutland barked twice and pushed through his confusion to use the move and took on a dim orange glow before it faded quickly. "Now try using Play Rough!"

Cynthia looked surprised but she quickly said, "Shadow Sneak! Get out of the way, Spiritomb!"

While the ghost-type move didn't affect Stoutland when he rushed forward, it effectively got itself out of harm's way for a moment. Stoutland, while still confused, seemed to snap out of it without having done any real damage, much to Cynthia's displeasure by the look on her face as the Play Rough was used again, this time the cloud telling us all the ghost hadn't liked that move at all. Spiritomb gave a pained shriek and I shuddered.

It sounded almost like it was more than one voice at once, and I noticed Ethan gulp and go a little pale. "I hate ghosts," he muttered to himself. I wondered what kind of experiences he had with them, or maybe he was just plain afraid of them. I don't blame him—back in Lavender Town, the Marowak ghost was enough to make even Blue scream as we ran out of the tower as fast as our legs could carry us.

Cynthia took the moment for White's next hesitant order and yelled, "Spiritomb, Hypnosis!"

"Close your eyes, Stoutland!"

"What?"

Stoutland instantly obeyed, his ears flicking here and there as he stood in one spot to not concentrate on the ghost. Spiritomb narrowed its two green eyes and tried again, but when it didn't work again, White grinned. "You know where it is, old guy! Play Rough again!"

Stoutland barked and pounced, accurately jumping towards the ghost with another one of those strange fairy moves. He yelped suddenly, however, when a purple fist formed out of Spiritomb's body and slammed into the normal-type with Sucker Punch. The ghost's face returned and this time it was smirking triumphantly and started to cackle again.

"Use another Work Up!"

"And you use another Confuse Ray, Spiritomb!"

With his eyes still closed, the Confuse Ray didn't do much but I could see that Stoutland was shaking his head, trying to get rid of the confusion but kept obedient and his eyes remained closed. He wasn't confused for very long again—but this time he had hurt himself in the process before he used a final Play Rough against the dark-ghost-type. Finally he opened his eyes as Spiritomb was sucked back inside the stone and Cynthia grabbed its pokeball.

"Cynthia has lost her first pokemon, Spiritomb! White is currently in the lead, six-to-five!"

Stoutland howled his victory and Cynthia smirked as she nodded. "He is very well-trained, I commend you for taking out Spiritomb your first try. But I'm afraid your luck is officially gone. Go, Lucario!" The famed pokemon that could overtake entire teams appeared on the field with his own challenging yell, both paws pointed towards Stoutland with a snarl that the normal-type returned. "Swords Dance!"

As the near-invisible blades clashed against each other above his head, White frowned. "Stoutland, be careful. Go up there with Superpower!"

I winced. That is going to be a big mistake, I saw it clear as day and so did Cynthia as she smiled. "Extreme Speed!" Lucario reached Stoutland in the blink of an eye but instead of going in for a direct hit, he jumped high into the air and I could see his fists suddenly turn a bright white. "Now Close Combat!"

"Stoutland, dodge—!" White tried to say but the explosion drowned out her voice and I winced again when I heard Stoutland's pained shout. When the dust cleared, White looked shocked that Stoutland had been taken out in one hit. "W…what?"

Lucario smirked and barked his victory as White recalled her first pokemon. "Like my trainer said: You luck is over," he boasted.

"Lucario has taken Stoutland out in a single hit! Cynthia is living up to her title as the World Champion!"

White ignored the announcer as she grabbed another pokeball from her waist and threw it to the ground. "Go, Seismitoad!"

"Huh," Red said out loud as a large blue frog appeared on the field, staring at his opponent with a heavy glare.

"What? What happened?" Ethan asked him instantly. "What's 'huh' about?"

Red didn't answer but I knew why. Black had suggested she change her team, and with this new pokemon that appeared on the field, she had taken his advice. This was the first time I'd ever seen Seismitoad and figured it was a ground-type when a powerful Mud Shot was flung towards the quick Lucario as he tried to avoid the attack. "Now Aqua Ring, Seismitoad!" White said with a grin.

Ah, so a water one as well. I grinned when I realized this pokemon seemed to be holding his own against the famous fighting-type. "Jump up, Lucario. Use Aura Sphere at the peak!"

Lucario leaped into the air as high as he could go and on the way, a blue ball was charged and released once he was at the highest point though it was too fast for Seismitoad to even hope to try and avoid.

"Now fall down with Close Combat!"

"Not going for that a second time. Seismitoad, Bounce and then Focus Blast!"

Seismitoad leaped higher than even Lucario had, nearly twice the height and as he fell back down, a large and dark brown orb shot towards Lucario. Lucario stood his ground, a blue bone coming to his paws. I stared at it; what else could this strange pokemon do? When the attack nearly hit him, he roared as he used the club to smack it away from him, sending it right back into the unsuspecting Seismitoad. He yelled as he fell into the ground again and got back with a pant.

Cynthia took her chance again, pointing towards him. "Dragon Pulse!"

White grunted. "Counter it! Hydro Pump!" The two attacks met each other quickly and while Dragon Pulse seemed to overpower the Hydro Pump for a moment, Seismitoad pushed and finally it shot quickly into Lucario. Lucario yelped as he was sent flying and hit the ground. He grunted as he shakily got up again, looking more angry than anything.

"Lucario, send another Aura Sphere and follow it up with Extreme Speed!"

"Seismitoad, Bounce! Get out of the way!" White looked up as Seismitoad obeyed but both of them were shocked when the sphere just curved right up and slammed into him and sent him crashing back down into Lucario's waiting Extreme Speed. "Look out!"

The shout was futile, though. Seismitoad was knocked out in seconds after, and as the cheers and announcer were loud about the outcome, I saw White take a moment to think and tossed in her third pokemon. "Come on out, Reuniclus!"

I smiled when I saw the kind psychic, who even offered a polite bow. "I look forward to a good match," he said to Lucario.

Lucario seemed to be impressed, a complete one-eighty from his previous attitude when he'd beaten Stoutland and Seismitoad. "I do as well." I guessed he recognized him as a true opponent, fighting-types were weird about that.

"A match between the famous Lucario and equally famous Reuniclus!" the announcer shouted suddenly.

"Reunclius, use Reflect and then Light Screen!" I nodded to myself. Smart move, raise both kinds of defense before going forward.

Cynthia looked annoyed but she just nodded at Lucario. "Use Dragon Pulse!"

Lucario got into the stance and shoved both paws in front of himself, firing the purple-white beam towards the psychic. There was an explosion but the expected pained cry didn't sound. It wasn't until the dust cleared when we could see the Protect fade away and White grinned. She only nodded and Reuniclus floated higher in the air, far from Lucario's reach. A familiar brownish white orb was sent at Lucario, startling him when there wasn't a voiced command coming from White. Well, Reuniclus was a psychic.

I watched as the Focus Blast slammed into the steel-type and effectively sent him flying into the ground and there he stayed, fainted from the powerful move. Cynthia recalled Lucario, smiling at the pokeball. "Thank you, Lucario." She shot a look towards White, then finally nodded to herself. Milotic, go!"

As Milotic and Reuniclus' battle raged, I stole a glance at the other box across from our own. Black was on the edge of his seat, staring at his sister intently and looked more than happy. I shook my head. I guess it was that easy to make him happy; listen to him and his advice and he'd smile the rest of the day. Rosa and Nate seemed to be the same way and with how Rosa was jumping up and down occasionally, I could safely assume she was cheering for her friend and fellow trainer.

Deerling watched the match with wide eyes and the smile hadn't dropped at all from her face. "I want to become like that someday, Pikachu," she said.

I looked at her and couldn't help but smile. She didn't bother to look at me, her eyes were glued to the match in vivid fascination and wonder. I remember having the same look whenever I saw two trainers battling each other back in Viridian Forest. "With hard work and a lot of dedication, you will be there someday. That's how we all got to where we are now," I told her as encouragingly as I could. "You just have to find yourself a good trainer."

She looked up at me with a hopeful stare. "You really think so?"

I nodded. "Yes. I know you can, just ask your father and he'll tell you the same thing."

She beamed happily and nodded, her eyes darting back to the match when there was a loud explosion. Milotic and Reuniclus seemed to have knocked each other out, though it took the psychic a moment to finally faint as Cynthia released her next pokemon, Roserade.

"It is a double K.O.! Champion Cynthia has sent out Roserade, who will Champion White pick for this next exciting battle?"

"That's an easy pick. Go, Unfezant!" She threw her pokeball high into the air and as soon as the bird appeared, I gaped at it. While he may not have been the prettiest pokemon out there in the world especially with two long pink feathers at the top of his head, he was nearly just as majestic as Blue's Pidgeot was while soaring in the sky. He landed gracefully in front of White, just as silent as Roserade.

"Use Taunt!" White shouted. Unfezant offered a cocky grin on his beak as he stared at Roserade, using his right wing to motion for her to attack first.

I could nearly see the red ticks appear on Roserade's face and she made an angry noise. Cynthia smirked. "Poison Sting, Roserade!"

"Fly up, Unfezant and use Feather Dance!" The hundreds of little pin needles hit the ground harmlessly and the bird got high into the air and flapped several times with a loud screech as feathers flew right for the grass-type on the ground. Roserade made an objecting sound, trying to push away the feathers as Unfezant dove, coating his body in a bright light. "Now Sky Attack!"

"Roserade, dodge it! Petal Dance!" Cynthia cried.

"Hm, she's very good," I heard Steven say. I looked at him as he rubbed his chin and watched the match. "I'm willing to bet now that she will overthrow Cynthia and quite possibly take the World Champion title away from her."

Diantha nodded, also intently watching the match before adding, "She doesn't really seem to have a distinct style, though. It may hurt her in the end."

Ethan leaned forward to look at the older champions. "Do I have a distinct style?" he blurted.

"You haven't noticed?!" I nearly shouted at him.

Lance glanced at him with a sigh. "Yes, you do. If you haven't realized what it is by now, I doubt you'll ever get to find out."

Red suddenly pointed at himself as well.

I wanted to hit both clueless trainers. "You too? Ugh, why am I even surprised?" How could they be trainers for so long and not even realized what their favorite battling style was by now?

I noticed Roserade had fainted, but it was unsurprising seeing how Unfezant had such a huge advantage over her. Cynthia released her fifth pokemon—Togekiss—as Lance pinched the bridge of his nose in his own annoyance at the other two champions.

"Seriously, you two? You may be two of the strongest trainers out there, but you're both incredibly oblivious, aren't you?"

Ethan instantly shoved his finger in Red's direction. "At least I have better conversational skills than he does! He can't even get a date because he's too scared to ask a girl, for Arceus' sake!"

Red's face instantly flared into a blush and he struggled to hide it as Lance eyed him curiously. "A date? With whom?"

"She's actually right over th—ermph!" was as far as Ethan got before Red quickly slammed a hand against his mouth, effectively muffling the answer. "'Ed, ger 'er 'an off!" I heard before he shoved it off. I suppose it translated to, "Red, get your hand off!"

"Oh? You can fight an entire criminal organization, scale the most dangerous mountain in Kanto and Johto, jump off of a Charizard's back and you can't do something easier than all of those combined?" Lance asked, a grin on his face. "You can't walk to a girl and ask her out?"

"It's complicated," was Red's answer of the year.

Ethan groaned loudly. "He said that before but I know better! He's just scared of her reaction and if she'll just reject him completely!" He laughed suddenly. "But after today's events, she's still angry but I think he's still got a shot with her if has the guts to do it." He eyed Red with a narrowed look. "He's just got to start telling people where he's going and when. Right?"

Red ignored them all, favoring to turn his attention back to the match and scratch my cheeks.

By the time I had my own attention fully on the match, I could see White recall Unfezant with a frown on her face. Togekiss looked tired as well though, but she took a deep breath as she took her fifth pokeball and tossed it to the ground. "Finish it off, Volcarona!" she said with a confident nod. "Quiver Dance!"

As its stats were being raised, Cynthia looked at Togekiss. He was on his last legs, panting and multiple bruises were under its feathers, I assumed. With that look on her face, I knew she was trying to figure out what she could do without it getting knocked out. "Togekiss, be careful. Use Air Slash!"

Volcarona flared its own wings open and jumped to avoid the attack, giving a shrill cry as White shouted, "Take it out with Fiery Dance!"

The bug twirled around a few times, fire sprouting from around it and eventually it engulfed Togekiss with a loud screech coming from Togekiss. I winced and watched as it fell to the ground and the fire disappear. Volcarona landed on the ground again, flashing its wings open with a confident, "Even bugs can take out fairies."

I couldn't help but say to myself, "That was a lame line, think of something better."

The announcer seemed just as excited as the other spectators and shouted, "Volcarona has defeated Togekiss! White still has the lead, two-to-one!"

I noticed Red was smiling a little, no doubt proud of White but when I looked at Cynthia, I instantly didn't like the look that crossed her face. It was a dark look of determination and grinned; she seemed like she knew her final pokemon would absolutely destroy the rest of White's team. "All right, Garchomp, you're up next! Let's bring it to them!"

With a loud roar, even I could sense that this was a very powerful dragon as a shiver went up my spine. The last time I heard a roar like that was from Zapdos years and years ago, before Red decided we become hermits in the mountain. Was this pokemon really as strong as a legendary? I couldn't help but watch and even Volcarona seemed a little nervous, its wings twitching.

White frowned and nodded. "Volcarona, use Bug Buzz!" she cried.

"Garchomp, Stone Edge!"

Both attacks hit their destinations, and while Garchomp remained upright, Volcarona didn't fare better at all. In fact, the one hit caused him to collapse, fainted already and White's eyes widened when she glanced at Garchomp when he roared victoriously.

"Volcarona has fainted! Both champions now have one pokemon each!"

White clicked the pokeball, recalling the bug. Volcarona had probably been one of her strongest pokemon, but instead of worrying about it she tossed out her final pokemon, Serperior, a grin on her face. "This battle is fun, but it's time to end it," she said to Cynthia, who returned the challenging gaze.

"Indeed." She looked at Garchomp. "Sandstorm, Garchomp!"

As a sandstorm suddenly whipped up from around Garchomp, I saw Serperior slither back but not before firing a Leech Seed, making me nod in approval. It pretty much canceled out the damage done by Sandstorm, and there wouldn't be a way for Garchomp to get it off. Eventually his health would be sucked away and he would faint, but until then, I knew Serperior just had to hold out and avoid most of the attacks.

"Now, Gastro Acid, Serperior!"

Serperior reared back and a gunk of a green liquid shot from his mouth then promptly covered Garchomp, annoying him instantly but he froze as if something was wrong. "What? What did you do, you overgrown Arbok?" he snapped.

I laughed. He was a part of a champion team and didn't know there were moves out there that could cancel out your ability? I rubbed my head and looked up at Red. "White is going to win this," I told him confidently.

My trainer just stared at me before returning his gaze to the field.

I glared at him as best I could. "You could at least acknowledge me!"

Serperior just smirked and suddenly slithered quickly towards him with his tail glowing a purple-white. Garchomp recognized Dragon Tail immediately and tried to jump away but not before yelping loudly.

I heard Serperior shout out not even seconds later and despite being thrown halfway across the arena, he jumped up and curled into a ball in the air before his tail began to glow again with Dragon Tail, slamming it down as hard as he could onto Garchomp's head. I winced as the dragon's face went right into the floor, cracking it and even though he struggled to get back up, I couldn't detect a hint of nervousness from Cynthia. In fact, she seemed to be resigned to her fate but didn't give up at all.

"You remind me of her," she said to White as Garchomp fell to a knee after another Dragon Tail. I glanced when I noticed movement and saw Dawn trying to hide her embarrassed face.

However, White ignored the statement. "Serperior, you can do it! Use another Dragon Tail!"

"Dodge it, Garchomp, and use Dig!"

She was stalling for time, and as Serperior looked wildly around, the sandstorm stopped and I was able to see their match clearer. The field was nearly just another rocky area, the ground beaten and abused from the entire battle. As soon as Garchomp slammed itself into Serperior from Dig, the grass-type hissed but smirked.

"Leaf Storm!"

There was no way for Garchomp to avoid it and as soon as the two pokemon landed on the ground, both were just waiting to see who would faint first. Finally, Serperior glowed a bit green and it faded as Garchomp grunted, finally collapsing. Leech Seed really did save White and she smiled brightly when she was announced the winner.

"Yes!" She jumped off the podium—a five or six foot fall that she wasn't afraid of—and rammed herself into her starter with a tight hug. Serperior looked just as happy as Cynthia recalled Garchomp, telling the pokeball things I couldn't pick up.

I felt Red's arms circle around me as he stood, keeping me safe from falling and instantly started to walk out without so much as a glanced at the others. I heard Ethan laugh as he quickly ran out as well, but began to head in the opposite direction. "No adventures this time, Red!" he shouted before disappearing down the hall.

When Red and I arrived at the waiting room door, White was walking by and she frowned when she noticed us and stopped. Red held me a little bit tighter out of his anxiousness and he was about to open his mouth and say something when White asked, "You and Ethan really are going to battle? No running away again?"

We shook our heads and I hoped she wasn't as mad as before. Maybe the thrill of defeating the first World Champion made her happy and forget about her anger. "No, I promise," Red answered.

"Good, because I'd have to hit you if you ran away again."

"Hilda, I'm sorry about today."

She was quiet for a moment before she sighed. "I can't keep being mad at you, but… I am disappointed. I'll be frank with you: both sides of the party needs to be honest with each other so I don't want a relationship if you don't tell me when you're in trouble and leaves me only guessing." Understandable. I nodded and Red just looked even guiltier than before. "When you and Ethan disappeared, I thought something horrible could be happening and we wouldn't know where you two were ever again."

"That's pushing it a little bit," I mumbled.

"If you want to pursue something with each other, I don't want to be left in the dark. Can you, in the future, tell me everything? I don't care if it's something as small as you eating the last potato chip or if you're being threatened not to tell anyone something." She motioned towards the field. "I just beat the strongest trainer in the world, I can help you, you know."

Red set me onto the ground as he nodded. When I looked up at them, he had pulled White into a hug, though she returned it and I sighed in a little relief. At least he still had a shot, I guess. "I promise, it won't happen again."

I could see the smile that White hid while in his arms but sniffed suddenly and made a disgusted face. "You stink." She looked up at him and I started laughing, holding my sides. "Like a swamp or something and sweat. Speaking of, where is your vest?"

Red let go and pulled at the tank top he had on. "I'll have more time to explain after the match, but we went to rescue Mewtwo."

She blinked a few times as she led the way into the waiting room, where they both moved to the couch and sat down. "Rescue Mewtwo? Why did you need to do that?"

"Team Rocket managed to catch him and were trying to use that weird machine to control him. Didn't work."

"Weird machine as in the ones Black and the others destroyed in the tunnel?"

We both nodded.

"How many more do they have?"

"I don't know. In the process, my vest was ruined. I used it to help Ethan."

White sighed and rubbed her head. "Blue mentioned something about him being in the Center—you used it to stop some bleeding didn't you?" Red nodded. "Are you sure he's okay enough to battle?"

He nodded again.

"Well then afterwards, I'll take you shopping after you're done and get you some new clothes."

"I don't need any new clothes."

She smiled at him and practically ignored his response. "I'm glad you're okay though. Good luck and make sure you go to the next round!"

I really hoped we did. The door opened and Red winced when he noticed the blue-haired lady. She looked annoyed and crossed her arms and even that Machoke was with her, probably to make sure we couldn't run off. White couldn't stop laughing at both of them as Red got up, letting me jump onto his shoulder again. "Good luck!"

I felt Red nod as we walked out. We would really need that luck.

X-X-X