"From the mountains to the coast, they're here and they're serious about winning it all. Here are Jason and Kristine Kyar!" the PA announcer introduced the twins.
It was the quarterfinals and day four of the Power Duo. Jason and Kristine were set for the second match of the day, playing against two archaeologists who were known for their fossilized pokemon, as well as their fighting duo, Throh and Sawk.
The first two matches went really well for the twins. This time, they were thrown for what they treated as a curveball; they walked out to the floor first. That meant that they make the first calls.
They walked out, being met by cheers across the audience.
"I guess our interview paid off," Kristine said to Jason.
"Yep," Jason agreed.
The two proceeded to the center of the battle floor. There were thousands of spectators filling out the entire lower bowl.
"They've been around the world," the PA announcer continued, introducing the twins' opponents. "They've uncovered fossils and artifacts alike dating back eons! From Raley City, here are Harrison and Steve!"
Two men walked out from the other side as the crowd cheered loudly. One man had pitch-black hair, while the other one had light brown hair. They appeared to be in their 30s, both wearing khaki shorts and white shirts with tan vests.
"They've used Throh and Sawk the first two rounds," Kristine said to Jason. "But we're going to make the first calls."
"We meet them head on," Jason said.
"Are you sure?" Kristine continued to look ahead as Harrison and Steve approached closer.
"What else can we do?" Jason remained confident.
"We've had excellent counters in the first two rounds," Kristine mentioned.
Jason smirked. "Let's try this my way. We fight them head on. They don't have a choice. They know we have Kirlia and Espeon registered for this match."
Kristine also smirked. "Alright, bro. Head on. Riolu and Machop will be stoked."
Harrison and Steve walked up to the twins.
"Looks like we got a couple young adventurers on our hands," Harrison spoke.
"Yes we do," Steve added. "Jason and Kristine, I heard about your father. Let me express my condolences. The community of explorers and archaeologists lost a good man that day."
"Thank you," Jason acknowledged.
"Now let's have some fun, shall we?" Harrison grinned.
The referee walked over to the two opposing sides. "I want a good, clean match as usual," he requested. "You all ready?"
Everyone nodded towards the referee.
"Then take to your sides."
Jason and Kristine took to their side of the field.
"How are we going to effectively combat Throh and Sawk?" Kristine asked him.
"We beat them," Jason bluntly replied.
"We need a plan," Kristine insisted. "And are we really sure they're going to respond with Throh and Sawk?"
"They have to," Jason said. "Their other pokemon are rock types."
"Let the battle begin!" the referee declared.
"I'm following your lead, Jason," Kristine announced.
They both pulled out their pokeballs.
"Riolu, let's go!" Jason yelled.
"Machop, showtime!" Kristine summoned.
"Rio!" Riolu howled.
"Machop!" Machop pounded his chest.
"Jason and Kristine make the first calls by bringing out their fighting pokemon!" the PA announcer spoke.
Harrison and Steve both looked at each other, and faced Jason and Kristine.
"Throh, let's fight!" Harrison yelled.
"You too, Sawk!" Steve yelled.
"Throh!" the smaller, heavier red pokemon in a white karate uniform roared, his voice deep and piercing.
"Sawk!" the taller, slimmer pokemon stood on one leg, honing a balanced fighting stance.
Both Machop and Riolu smirked, and faced their opponents.
"We have a fighting pokemon matchup here, everyone!" the announcer spoke.
"You were right, Jason," Kristine faced her brother.
"Prepare for close quarters fighting," Jason warned.
"Right. Focus Sawk first?"
Jason nodded.
Kristine faced Machop.
"Throh, Focus Energy!" Harrison commanded.
"You too, Sawk!" Steve did the same.
Throh and Sawk pumped themselves up, preparing to fight Riolu and Machop head on.
"Foresight on Sawk, Machop!" Kristine responded.
"Copycat on Throh, Riolu!" Jason smirked. "Let's get you pumped up too!"
Riolu locked onto Throh as his body glowed blue. Then, he pumped himself up just like Throh and Sawk.
"Throh, get in there!" Harrison ordered.
"Close in, Sawk!" Steve issued.
Throh and Sawk charged at Riolu and Machop.
"Keep your footing, Riolu!" Jason commanded.
"You do the same, Machop!" Kristine yelled.
"Storm Throw, Throh!" Harrison yelled.
Throh and Sawk got within close range of Riolu and Machop. Throh attempted to grab Riolu, but Riolu jumped away.
"Force Palm!" Jason yelled.
"Karate Chop, Machop!" Kristine commanded.
Riolu attempted to strike back at Throh, while Machop attacked Sawk. All four Pokemon dodged back and forth from attacks and grabs.
"We have one heck of a close quarters brawl going on, folks!" the PA announcer observed.
Suddenly, Throh managed to grab Riolu and quickly threw him across the battlefield.
"Now Body Slam!" Harrison yelled.
"Throh!" Throh ran towards Riolu.
"Jason, Machop is locked in with Sawk," Kristine informed. "You're on your own."
"I got it," Jason gave a nod. He faced Riolu. "Copycat that Storm Throw!"
Riolu's body glowed blue. As Throh prepared to jump for a body slam, Riolu shot his right leg up into the air to stop Throh's slam. He then grabbed Throh, and prepared a powerful backwards throw. In a stunning move, Riolu used Throh's move against him, throwing him with sheer force against the wall behind him.
"An unbelievable move by Jason and Riolu!" the PA announcer spoke.
"Now help out Machop and Force Palm Sawk!" Jason yelled.
Sawk and Machop continued to fight head to head, with neither one gaining the upper hand. Suddenly, Riolu ran up and used Force Palm, striking Sawk right on his back. He stumbled forward, caught off guard.
"Low Sweep!" Kristine followed up.
Machop conducted a sweep with his leg, knocking Sawk right to the ground.
"Vital Throw, Machop!" Kristine kept the assault going.
Machop grabbed Sawk by the legs and threw him with force. Sawk went flying as Throh ran back towards the fight. Sawk slammed right into Throh as the two were knocked to the ground. Throh pushed Sawk to the side, who was unable to get up.
"Sawk is unable to battle!" the referee declared.
"And Sawk goes down!" the announcer observed.
A round of cheers and boos echoed across the stadium. Meanwhile, Throh stood there as Riolu and Machop approached him.
"Alright," Steve recalled Sawk. He pulled out his last Pokeball. "Here goes nothing. Let's go, Tyrunt!"
The rock dinosaur pokemon roared fiercely as he was summoned. He charged right at Riolu and Machop.
"I got a plan, Jason!" Kristine spoke. "We end this by taking out only two pokemon!"
"Following your lead, sis," Jason acknowledged.
"Then you do what you do best, and take out Tyrunt!" Kristine instructed. "Rock types are weak to fighting types. Make it quick, while I isolate Throh!"
"Got it," Jason complied. "Riolu, engage Tyrunt and Force Palm!"
"Rio!" Riolu charged at Tyrunt.
"Throh, get to Riolu and use Storm Throw!" Harrison yelled.
Throh ran towards Riolu to cover Tyrunt. Just then, Machop made the interception.
"Karate Chop!" Kristine commanded.
Machop struck Throh, sending hum tumbling to the ground. Throh got back up and attempted to grab Machop, who dodged the incoming attacks.
Meanwhile, Riolu ran forward the charging Tyrunt and threw his open palm forward, striking Tyrunt and sending him flying back.
"A true show of force by Riolu!" the announcer observed.
"Keep on Tyrunt!" Kristine suggested. "We take him out, we take Harrison out of the game!"
Jason nodded. "Riolu, close in and finish this with Force Palm!"
Riolu charged at Tyrunt.
"Tyrunt, get back up and use Ancient Power!" Harrison commanded.
Tyrunt roared as he stood back up, and projected rocks from the ground. He managed to direct the floating rocks with his mind, and threw them right at Riolu.
"Copycat!" Jason responded.
Riolu glowed blue, and projected rocks of his own, smashing them into Tyrunt's attack.
"Charge!" Jason yelled.
Riolu ran at Tyrunt.
"Dragon Tail!" Harrison became nervous.
Tyrunt fiercely swung his tail as Riolu got close. But Riolu simply jumped over the sweep, and lunged towards Tyrunt with an open palm. The attack smashed Tyrunt against the wall. It quickly became clear that he was unable to continue.
"Tyrunt is unable to battle!" the referee declared.
"Ugh!" Harrison recalled Tyrunt. "Sorry, Steve."
Steve sighed, but he quickly made sure he wasn't upset at his partner. "This is unlike anything we've faced before, other than the Donnovan twins."
"You got that right. What are you going to do?"
"Throh's going to get surrounded and taken out by two faster pokemon," Steve observed. "I can try to slow them down with Amarua's Thunder Wave, but what of it? She'd be lucky if she can survive two fighting type attacks."
As Riolu and Machop surrounded Throh, it surprised the twins to see that Throh was suddenly recalled.
"Is Steve switching?" Jason asked.
"Must be," Kristine assumed. "Probably seeking a better matchup."
"There's no point putting my pokemon in a fight they cannot win alone," Steve spoke. "I forfeit."
"Very well," the referee acknowledged. "Harrison and Steve forfeit the match. Jason and Kristine win!"
The crowd remained stunned for a moment. Then, another round of cheers and boos erupted.
"An unbelievable show of strategy to isolate Harrison and Steve!" the announcer spoke up. "Just like that, Jason and Kristine go to the semifinals!"
"Yeah!" Jason cheered as he and his sister exchanged high fives.
—-
Later that night, Jason and Kristine watched the highlights of their battle from the comfort of their room at the pokemon center.
"From the Mountains to the Coast, they did it again," Tom announced, with a picture of Jason and Kristine exchanging another high five at the left side of the TV screen. "Twins Jason and Kristine Kyar, who made it clear that they existed long before they entered the Power Duo, made another sweep in the quarterfinals, this time against well renowned archaeologists Harrison and Steve.
"We played really well again," Kristine smiled. "Your call on Sawk –"
"And your call on Tyrunt," Jason finished her sentence.
"We're really in sync," Kristine faced her brother, not paying attention to the highlight reel. "I'm happy we are."
Jason turned to his sister. "Me too, Kristine. I feel like nothing can stop us."
"So far, no one could," Kristine turned her head back to the screen. Jason did the same. "It's only going to get harder from here."
"The Kyar twins join the final four teams of Power Duo 60. The semi finals begin tomorrow, while we're two days away from the finals," Tom continued. "The first battle tomorrow will be the Kyar Twins against the Willis Sisters at six o'clock, while the Donnovan Twins take on tag battle partners Amy and Erin at eight o'clock. You can catch both battles through IPSN's extranet channel.
"Up next, the Kalos Cup is underway. Regarded as one of the world's most prestigious tournaments, some of the world's best have committed to it. Who is projected to go far? Stay tuned to find out!"
"Of course they have to cover the Kalos Tournament," Jason sneered.
"One small step, my brother," Kristine patted Jason on the shoulder. "One small step."
"I suppose we should prepare against the Willis Sisters," Jason said.
Kristine got up and sat down before the terminal, bringing up any information she could find on their opponents.
"Serene and Vera Willis," Kristine researched. "Blonde hair, blue eyed girls. Funny, Serene's 15 but shorter than Vera, who's 13. Vera looks to be pretty tall for her age."
Jason looked at the picture of the sisters. "Still cute."
Kristine raised an eyebrow and faced her brother.
"What?" Jason laughed.
Kristine paid no further mind and faced the screen. "We're in for a tough match," she read further. "Serene Willis has four badges, hitting everything on the east coast except for Team Instinct, since she lost to Spark twice. Vera has one, beating Meeks on the third attempt."
"So Serene is the one with the experience while Vera is learning," Jason rubbed his chin.
"But let's not underestimate Vera," Kristine continued. "She has a strong team, as does her sister. Their team might just be more diverse than ours, actually. They normally don't go for two pokemon of the same type on the field."
"That's something we did all along, and they're going to notice that."
"Precisely. Question is, do we continue that trend or do we switch it up?"
"We've been preparing for dual type situations. It's time we use them."
"Then who do we go with?"
Jason leaned in to see the pokemon the Willis sisters use the most.
"Do you see a trend here?" Jason looked at his sister.
Kristine observed the pokemon that were used in the tournament. "Every match, Serene starts out with Weepinbell to support Vera's offensive pokemon. When Weepinbell went down earlier today, she switched to Staravia while Serene recalled her pokemon and sent out Luxio. So Weepinbell and Luxio are their two main support pokemon, used to weaken and paralyze their opponents while the other sister has an all out attacker."
"We can't predict their all out attackers; they used a different one every time. But we can build a counter to Weepinbell and Luxio."
"Snorunt can do the job. She can slow down Weepinbell and the attacker to keep them occupied. Not to mention Weepinbell will be weak to ice attacks."
"And psychic. I can bring Kirlia out. And Luxio?"
"You bring Jolteon. As long as Jolteon is out, Luxio can't do a thing to him."
"And who will you bring out?"
Kristine faced her brother with a confident look. "Espeon."
"Jolteon and Espeon," Jason liked the idea. "We have to do this."
Kristine seemed happy with the plans, and got up. She looked right at Jason. "No matter what happens tomorrow, I'm happy to make it to the semi finals with you. We did amazing so far."
"You're the one with the brains," Jason complimented.
"Oh please. You're the one with the guts. You're not afraid to get your hands dirty when it's necessary. And it really, really helps execute the overall strategy."
"Winning?"
"Yes," Kristine snickered. "Winning."
"Well, let's do some more of that tomorrow. We're on a roll. Why stop now?"
"Right with you, bro." Kristine got up. "Think they're going to be filling up the upper bowl?"
"Guess we'll find out about that."
The next day, the twins prepared for their semifinal match against two experienced opponents. They found themselves at the hallway to the battlefield by early evening.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" the PA announcer addressed with enthusiasm.
The crowd roared louder than ever. The twins could feel the rumbling around them.
"Woah," Kristine muttered. "There's a packed house out there."
"No kiddin'," Jason attempted to remain calm.
"The semifinal matches kick off tonight!" the announcer continued. "First off, they're sisters aspiring to be the best trainers on the coast! Can they finally break through in this tournament and make it to the final round? Your very own Serene and Vera Willis!"
The audience roared ever so loudly for the Willis sisters as they made an appearance on the battlefield.
"Prepare for a big battle," Jason mentioned.
"And a lot of boos," Kristine added.
"On the other side," the announcer continued. "From the mountains to the coast, they've swept the first three rounds, the only team other than the Donnovan Twins to do so thus far. Jason and Kristine Kyar!"
The twins each took a deep breath and walked out towards the battlefield. They were met with a loud round of applause and boos from the audience.
"As bad as Jessie and James," Kristine snickered.
"Maybe we should come up with an introduction?" Jason played with the idea.
"To the tune of Team Rocket? Why not?"
The twins approached the Willis sisters. Serene was an inch shorter than Kristine, while Vera was two inches taller than Jason.
"Well well," Serene crossed her arms with a smirk on her face. "You came this far. You sure didn't come here to lose."
"Nope," Jason smirked back. "Be in for one heck of a battle."
"Noted," Serene acknowledged.
"We're unlike most other teams," Vera added. "Serene and I have a good track record in this tournament. If you think we'll be pushovers, think again."
"Stay focused, little one," Serene advised.
Jason and Kristine saw the irony in that statement.
"We expect nothing less," Kristine smiled.
Just then, the referee walked over.
"Alright, enough," the referee said. "I want good sportsmanship from all of you. Got it?"
All four contestants nodded at the referee.
"Good," the referee acknowledged. "Take to your positions."
Jason and Kristine took to their side of the field, as the Willis sisters did the same.
A moment later, the referee faced the center of the field. "Begin!"
"And the first semifinal match is underway!" the announcer spoke, followed by a round of cheers.
"Go, Weepinbell!" Serene brought out Weepinbell, as the twins expected.
"Go, Ponyta!" Vera yelled.
"Weepinbell!" the flycatcher pokemon greeted in a deep voice.
"Ponyta!" the fiery horse greeted with elegance, galloping towards the center of the field before running back towards Vera.
The twins faced eachother and nodded with confidence.
"Kirlia, let's go!" Jason yelled, throwing out his pokeball.
"Snorunt, showtime!" Kristine yelled, bringing out Snorunt.
"Kirlia!" Kirlia gave a bow.
"Snorunt," Snorunt looked around to see the masses staring her down.
Kristine realized that Snorunt was getting stage fright. "Snorunt, stay focused!" she tried to encourage her pokemon.
"Snorunt!" Snorunt faced the opponents in front of her.
Serene turned to her sister. "Take down Snorunt," she advised.
"Got it!" Vera smirked.
"Kristine, I have a plan to take down Weepinbell in one shot, if I'm right," Jason said.
"If you can do that, I can keep you covered!" Kristine replied. "Let's do it!"
"Gotcha!" Jason turned to Kirlia. "Kirlia, Future Sight on Weepinbell! Let's go!"
"Kirlia!" Kirlia locked her eyes on Weepinbell. Her eyes then glowed white.
"Future sight?" Serene muttered. "Vera! Change of plans! Get Kirlia, and now!"
"Getting Kirlia!" Vera complied.
"Get in front of Kirlia, Snorunt!" Kristine commanded.
"Snorunt!" Snorunt ran in front of Kirlia.
"Flame Charge, Ponyta! Pulverize 'em!" Vera yelled.
"Ponyta!" Ponyta ran at top speed as her body was covered in flames.
"Fire Stun Spore at Kirlia, Weepinbell!" Serene responded.
"Weepinbell!" Weepinbell tilted her mouth at a high arc and fired a yellow spore into the air.
Just then, Jason's eyes glowed white as well. The audience around him disappeared, and he could see a ball of psychic energy coming down on Weepinbell.
By your will, we will prevail! Jason heard the voice of a teenage girl, presumably Kirlia.
Jason turned over to see a slightly older looking Kristine, looking ever so confident while crossing her arms. He looked over to see Frosslass going into battle.
Then, Frosslass vanished, revealing Snorunt as she unleashed icy wind at the charging Ponyta.
I am at your command, Jason, Kirlia said.
Right, Jason responded. Move out of Stun Spore and protect Snorunt!
Meanwhile in reality, Kristine looked over to see Jason in a trance.
"Jason?" she spoke, but she got no response.
Snorunt's Icy Wind managed to slow down Ponyta's charge, but not by much. Just then, Ponyta's eyes glowed purple as she floated into the air and was flung back by telekinetic energy.
Kirlia conducted a duck and roll to get out of the radius of Stun Spore. She then got in front of Snorunt.
Kristine faced Jason once more, but got no response, no talk of strategy. Then it hit her. Kirlia was covering for Snorunt, while Snorunt can keep Weepinbell in place.
"Fire Ice Shard on Weepinbell now!" Kristine commanded.
"Fire Acid on 'em!" Serene yelled.
"Take Down on Kirlia, now!" Vera issued.
Ponyta charged Kirlia once more. Weepinbell fired an acidic projectile at Kirlia and Snorunt.
Magical Leaf! Jason commanded to Kirlia.
I will keep her pinned down, Kirlia complied. She then projected a barrage of leaves and hurled them at Ponyta.
Snorunt's ice shard struck Weepinbell, briefly dazing her.
"Weepinbell, target Snorunt with Razor Leaf!" Serene yelled.
"Weepinbell!" Weepinbell hurled a volley of leaves at Snorunt.
"Double Team!" Kristine responded.
Snorunt projected multiple copies of himself. Razor Leaf took out most of them, but Snorunt managed to make it through unharmed.
Meanwhile, Kirlia's Magical Leaf did little to stop Ponyta's charge.
I cannot stop Ponyta, Kirlia informed.
Get out! Jason ordered.
I cannot change fate, Kirlia replied.
Jason saw the energy beam fall down on Weepinbell.
"Snorunt, Icy –" Kristine began to yell another command, but she saw a piercing beam come from nowhere and struck Weepinbell head on.
The impact appeared to be devastating, and created a massive cloud of smoke. Just then, Ponyta connected her reckless tackle, sending Kirlia flying back. She tumbled over and over, and was slow to get up.
Just then, Jason returned to reality. "Weepinbell's taken out!" he informed.
"Welcome back," Kristine replied. "I'm sending Snorunt to help you!"
The smoke cleared. It was clear that Weepinbell could no longer fight.
"Weepinbell is unable to battle!" the referee declared.
"A powerful move by Kirlia! The Kyar Twins take the lead!" The announcer shouted.
"Return, Weepinbell!" Serene recalled her pokemon. She pulled out her second pokeball, and faced Vera. "Keep Ponyta out there!"
Vera simply nodded.
Serene tossed out her pokeball. "You're up, Buizel!"
"Bui Bui!" the eager weasel pokemon spoke with confidence.
"Kirlia took a big hit!" Jason said to Kristine. "I'm recalling her!"
"Do it!" Kristine agreed.
"Return, Kirlia!" Jason recalled her. "Good job. Get some rest, you're on standby to fight again."
Jason pulled out his other pokeball. "Let's go, Jolteon!"
"Jolt!" Jolteon barked. "Jolteon!"
"Now let's get Snorunt!" Serene said to her sister.
"Ponyta, Flame Charge on Snorunt!" Vera commanded.
"Buizel, Aqua Jet on Snorunt!" Serene yelled.
"Ponyta!" Ponyta blazed at Snorunt.
"Buizel!" Buizel launched himself in an aquatic stream right at Snorunt.
"Double Team!" Kristine yelled.
Snorunt projected multiple copies of herself.
"Snorunt's not going to last!" Kristine warned Jason.
Jason nodded. "Jolteon, fire Pin Missile on Snorunt's position!"
"Jolteon!" Jolteon fired Pin Missile out of his coat, projecting hundreds of pins into the air.
Ponyta and Buizel rushed right through Snorunt's copies, plowing into Snorunt herself. The combination of fire and water created a massive cloud of steam as a volley of pins came raining down.
Kristine prepared to pull out Snorunt's pokeball. As the smoke cleared, her fears were confirmed as Snorunt was unable to battle. To shed some light on the situation, so was Ponyta.
"Snorunt and Ponyta are unable to battle!" the referee declared.
"A double KO!" the announcer addressed. "This won't be a flawless victory for the twins, but they're still ahead!"
"Return, Snorunt!" Kristine recalled her. "You did great out there."
She then pulled out Espeon's pokeball. "Showtime, Espeon!"
"Espeon!" Espeon greeted with grace.
"Return, Ponyta!" Vera recalled her pokemon. "Go, Luxio!"
"Luxio!" the electric big cat growled.
Jason smirked. "Kristine, have Espeon sit back. Jolteon will take the hits."
Kristine nodded. "Let's win this!"
"Luxio, Charge up!" Vera commanded.
"Buizel, use Swift!" Serene yelled.
"Bui!" Buizel jumped in the air and fired a volley of stars at Jolteon and Espeon.
"Pin Missile! Stop the Swift!" Jason responded.
Jolteon fired a volley of pins, stopping the stars in midair.
"Thunder Wave Espeon!" Vera yelled.
"Luxio!" Luxio projected a thunderous wave that affected Espeon.
"Take out Buizel!" Jason suggested.
"A sound plan!" Kristine agreed. "Espeon, Psybeam!"
Espeon fired a psychic beam at Buizel.
"Get out of there with Aqua Jet!" Serene yelled.
"Bui!" Buizel propelled himself to dodge Espeon's Psybeam.
"Now fire Swift!" Kristine followed up.
Espeon fired Swift, which struck Buizel, knocking him off course.
"Luxio, use Thunder Fang on Jolteon, let's go!" Vera issued.
"Luxio!" Luxio charged at Jolteon.
"Vera, no!" Serene pleaded.
"Run at Luxio!" Jason took advantage of the situation.
Jolteon ran towards Luxio. Luxio bit Jolteon's shoulder with electric force. However, Jolteon absorbed the energy, empowering him.
"What's going on?" Vera seemed confused.
"Oh dear…" Serene sighed.
"Thunder Shock Buizel!" Jason commanded.
"Jolt-eon!" Jolteon fired off such electric force, it knocked Luxio right off of him.
"Espeon, Swift once more!" Kristine yelled.
Espeon fired Swift right at Buizel. Between that and Thunder Shock, there was no escaping the attacks. Buizel was struck, and as the smoke cleared, he was unable to fight on.
"Buizel is unable to battle!" the referee declared.
"And the match is tilting to the Kyar twins' favor!" the announcer yelled.
"Err…" Vera clenched her fist. "Luxio, charge Espeon and use Spark!"
"Jolteon, use Thunder Fang to grab a hold of Luxio!" Jason saw the chance to win.
Jolteon grabbed Luxio by the tail, zapping him.
"Luxio!" Luxio yelped.
"Espeon, Psybeam!" Kristine commanded.
Espeon fired a powerful Psybeam at Luxio. The Psybeam struck him head on. He collapsed to the floor as Jolteon let him go.
"Luxio is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "Jason and Kristine are the winners!"
"Unbelievable!" the announcer shouted under the massive array of cheers across the stadium. "Jason and Kristine are moving onto the finals!"
"Yeah!" Jason threw his fists in the air.
"Finals bound!" Kristine cheered.
Vera recalled her pokemon. "I can't believe we lost."
"Patience, dear sister," Serene replied. "They're unlike anyone we ever faced. They might just take those cocky boys down a notch or two."
Vera sighed, but she faced her sister with a smile. "That'll be the day, huh?"
"Woo!" Jason celebrated as he and Kristine entered the tunnel.
"Haha!" Kristine placed her arms on Jason's shoulders. "You did awesome out there!"
"So did you!"
Just then, Yenela walked up to the twins with her cameraman.
"Jason and Kristine, you just made it to the finals," Yenela addressed, practically shoving the microphone in front of the twins. "How are you feeling right now?"
Kristine glanced up at the flatscreen TV nested in the corner, and realized she and Jason were on TV at that very moment. Oh my gosh, it's live.
"Pretty stoked!" Kristine replied. She wrapped her arm around her brother. "Jason and his pokemon did really well tonight. I can't ask for a better partner."
"Jason, how would you rate your performance?" Yenela asked Jason.
Jason shrugged, struggling to spit out a response. "I-I have to give Kristine credit," Jason wrapped his arm around his sister. "She set me up for some great moves, and I set her up for Psybeam in the end."
"Your display of teamwork is impeccable," Yenela continued. "Earlier in the match, you appeared to go into a trance when you called for Future Sight. Can you give the audience any insight into it?"
Jason couldn't initially muster a response. "It's very hard to explain," he replied a moment later.
"It's Jason's connection with Kirlia," Kristine explained. "That's really all there is to explain. Anyone with a close connection to a telepathic pokemon would understand."
"Very well," Yenela acknowledged. "You'll be fighting in the finals tomorrow. What are you going to do to prepare?"
"Same as we have for all the other matches," Jason responded. "Research."
"From the Mountains to the Coast, everyone," Yenela faced the camera. "Jason and Kristine are in the finals, and they're not letting anyone get in their way! This is Yenela Kreea, reporting from Richland Stadium. Back to you, Tom!"
Yenela listened on her earpiece, while the twins simply looked back at the screen as it cut back to Tom in the studio.
"And we're clear," Yenela faced the twins. "Thanks for the interview!"
She then walked away with her cameraman.
"Talk about an ambush," Jason spoke.
"Live TV…" Kristine muttered.
"Guess we gotta get used to that."
Kristine nodded. "It's going to get worse tomorrow. IPSN is airing the final round on TV screens all over Inventum."
Jason sighed. "Right. Let's get ready for tomorrow."
"Gonna be one heck of a day," Kristine predicted.