Author's Note: Time for the second round. Not much else to say. Oh! The story I had planned to write before I was able to reupload "Light's Adventure" is still going to be written. However, I won't start uploading it until I finish this story, so I will still be concentrating on this story.

Light's Adventures

Chapter 36: The Second Round - Rivalry End

Light woke up inside the dark, sealed quarters of his Pokeball. Yawning, Light got up and waited. Light once again renewed the fact that he disliked the Pokeball. It reminded him too much of his egg, except the area inside seemed smaller. However, Azul had told him that her area seemed just as large as his, meaning the Pokeball adjusted to the size of the Pokemon. Light didn't really care that much as long as he didn't have to go into one. He would have tried to find a way out, but his mind was like in a sedated muck, unable to really concentrate on much.

As he really couldn't tell time inside the Pokeball, he didn't know how long it was before he was finally released. Blinking from the sudden light, Light found himself in the lobby of the large, fancy Pokemon Center of the Pokemon League. Noises abounded in the crowded lobby as people brought their Pokemon up to be healed after battling. He could tell it was late by the lighting being used inside.

Before he could even fully get his senses back, he felt someone pressing up beside him. "You're okay," Cream said, nuzzling his side.

"Hey, Cream," Light replied, nuzzling her back.

"Well, is this the warrior that was able to take down my Ruth?" a voice asked. Light looked away from Cream to see Gabriella crouching down in front of him. An infectious, pleasant smile was on her face, telling Light that there were no hard feelings.

"Yeah, this is my Umbreon, Light," Nick responded, standing beside Gabriella.

Gabriella reached out a hand toward Light, but stopped a little away. "May I?" she asked. Light nodded and she started to pet his fur. "Wow, he's well groomed," she said, standing back up. Light smiled and chuckled a little for it wasn't Nick that groomed him.

Light was distracted from Nick and Gabriella's conversation as a familiar creature came closer. It was Gabriella's Zorua, Ruth. Now that Light wasn't focused on battling, he saw that she looked almost like an Eevee, though a little bigger. The biggest difference was that its pelt was a smoky, dark gray, almost a black; some would even mistake the color for a true black if it wasn't for the actual black mane that spiked a little more than an Eevee's mane. Its tail was only the one color of its pelt and came to two tips instead of one. It had head fur like a Flareon's, and had red colorings on the tip of its head fur and feet, its eyelids, and its eyebrows. Two prominent spikes of fur were on the sides of its face underneath the more triangular ears.

"Hello, I'm Ruth," she said, the same smile as Gabriella, like before.

"Hello, I'm Light, and this is Cream," Light introduced.

Suddenly, Ruth grinned and then then a flip. She flashed pink for a second and seemed to grow slightly. When she landed, Light was startled to see himself there. He heard Cream gasp and press against him. The mirage image of him snickered before flipping as before. This time, Ruth appeared back in her Zorua form.

Ruth snickered again before saying, "My special ability is to be able to make illusions. Your expressions were funny."

"So you're from the Unova region?" Light asked.

Ruth nodded. "Gabriella's really not that much of a trainer. She really doesn't know what she wants to do, yet, so we're just traveling around for now," she explained.

Nick then caught their attention as he asked, "Who's that?" Light looked to where he had pointed to see a teenager, a little older than Nick, sitting on a bench. Though there were several people milling about, Light could still see that the nasty look he had on was being directed at Nick.

"That's Damien. He's one of the other trainers who've reached the first round. In fact, I think he reached the second round as well," Gabriella answered.

"I wonder why he's looking at me like that," Nick said.

"He does seem to be looking directly at you. Maybe he thinks you're someone else," she said.

"Let's go see what's wrong," Nick said, leading them over toward Damien. However as they got close, he stood up and walked away. Nick and Light were the only ones who noticed the finger he slipped them. "Well, he wasn't very polite," Nick said.

"Some people are just like that," Gabriella said.

"Hey, there's Benjamin," Nick suddenly said. Nick headed away, and the rest of them followed. "Hey, Benjamin," Nick almost yelled, the crowded place not exactly quiet.

Someone turned around at the name and Light realized that Nick was right; Benjamin really was here. "Uh? Oh, it's you, Nick. You did pretty well there back in the first round," Benjamin said, shaking hands with Nick as they finally reached each other.

"What are you doing here?" Nick asked.

"He's in the tournament," Gabriella spoke up, catching up. "If I'm not mistaken, he also reached the second round."

"You did?" Nick asked. At Benjamin's nod, he continued, "I didn't know you were collecting badges."

Benjamin shrugged. "Badges are an easy way to attain the respect of other trainers, your own Pokemon, and even other Pokemon. Besides, there hasn't been much that I could help out with at the Police Station."

"How do you two know each other?" Gabriella asked.

"Benjamin's my rival," Nick announced.

Benjamin, however, looked confused. "Wait, rival? When did I become that?" he asked.

"When we first fought," Nick said.

"Oh, well I guess we could be rivals if you want," Benjamin said, scratching his head. Suddenly, Light noticed that Black was sitting quietly beside Benjamin. Light had completely missed him, as he was just sitting there not making a noise. "In fact, we can settle this tomorrow," Benjamin added.

"Tomorrow?" Nick echoed.

"Yeah, we're up against each other tomorrow," Benjamin explained. "Then we'll see who's grown stronger. I've trained a lot in my spare time."

"Okay then, tomorrow it is," Nick said shaking Benjamin's hand again.

Benjamin yawned as he finished the handshake. "I'll be getting to bed, then. See you," he said, walking toward the rooms.

"I think he has a good idea," Gabriella agreed. "Night," she said, holding an arm out at a forty-five degree angle. Ruth nimbly leapt up onto her hand and then up onto her shoulder. Gabriella waved goodbye as she walked toward the rooms, also.

"What do you say, Light? Are you ready to go?" Nick asked.

Light nodded and followed Nick to their room, Cream by his side the whole time. Light comfortably curled down with Cream on the couch, having been reserved by the others for them. Light quickly fell asleep, his thoughts on the next battle.

(0)

The shadow slipped out into the night air. That's exactly how I can get it. It's so simple, it's laughable. Now, just a little push of the strings, and I'll have my revenge in my grasp. They'll never see it coming.

(0)

Light once again experienced the shocking feeling of suddenly stepping into the arena. Nick once again didn't seem affected by it as he waved crazily at the crowd. Light saw Benjamin coming out of the other entrance, only Black outside his Pokeball. Benjamin almost looked the opposite of Nick as he came out cool and collected, only holding up one hand in greeting to the crowd.

Light tried to look for the invisible announcer as he started to talk once again. "Good morning, folks. Welcome to the annual Pokemon Indigo League Tournament. Soon we'll be starting the first match of the second round. On my right, is Benjamin White, the mysterious boy from Lavender Town." Cheers started up as he waved an arm and stepped onto the green podium. "To my left is Nick Davis, fresh from Twinleaf Village." Nick waved his arms wildly as his name was called and ran onto the red podium, almost exactly as last time.

The ground vibrated as before as the podiums rose into the air. The trainers' faces appeared on the screen. Light went ahead and sat down, Cream laying down beside him.

"And now what you've all been waiting for. This match will be a three on three single battle. Substitutions are allowed on both sides. The first trainer to knock out his or her opponent's Pokemon will be the winner and move to the next round," the announcer said. After the pause, he continued, "Now, trainers, release your first Pokemon!"

"Go on out, Ace," Nick said. Ace flew into the arena, ready to battle.

"Go, Sand," Benjamin said, throwing his Pokeball. His Flygon appeared in a flash of red, ready to battle. Light could see that the Flygon was stronger than before. However, Ace was also stronger and had evolved.

"I'll win this, just like last time," Nick boasted.

"We'll see," Benjamin replied.

"It seems Benjamin has started out with a Hoenn region Pokemon, Flygon, while Nick has once again started with Pidgeot. It also seems that these two have battled before. However, which one will emerge victorious this time?" the announcer said. "Now, if our trainers are ready, let's begin the match."

"Sand, use Sand Storm," Benjamin ordered.

"Ace, use Gust," Nick countered.

Both Pokemon started to flap their wings, though sand was being blown up by Sand. The winds pushed up by both of them met and started to swirl around each other. Light watched in amazement as a tornado made out of sand was formed. The winds also swirled around the arena, ruffling all the nearby spectators' clothing or fur. Light tried to cover Cream slightly to block some of rushing wind. Soon, Sand started to show signs of weakening as it had to use more force to blow the sand up.

"You better hold on to your hats, folks, as it seems that the battle is already heating. The battle has started quickly as the two flying Pokemon fight for control of the air," the announcer said, the voice carrying slightly with the wind.

"Okay, Sand, use Dragon Rage," Benjamin commanded, his voice almost lost in the wind.

Still slapping its wings rapidly, Sand formed a dark blue sphere. The sphere was almost as large as Sand. Before anyone could react, it shot the sphere toward the swirling sand tornado. In a loud explosion, the sphere erupted and stopped the swirling chaos, throwing sand everywhere throughout the air.

"Now, Fly," Benjamin ordered.

"Ace, use Agility and then Wing Attack!" Nick yelled.

Ace started to speed up. However, before Ace could start to attack, Benjamin's Flygon promptly disappeared. Suddenly, Ace was rammed in the back by something, though it wasn't clear enough to see.

"There's a reason why Flygon are called the guardians of the desert," Benjamin commented.

"Well, folks, it seems that Benjamin's Flygon is somehow using the sand thrown through the air to increase its speed and evasion. How will Nick deal will this new problem?" the announcer said.

Ace was hit again and barely stopped himself from falling from the impact. "Ace, blow the sand away with Gust," Nick ordered.

Ace started to flap his wings to push the sand away, but the sand seemed to be stubbornly in the air, only swirling here and there in reaction to Ace's exertions. Ace was then hit again, this time losing some altitude before regaining his balance.

Nick grimaced before suddenly snapping his fingers. "Ace, use Aerial Ace with Agility!" he shouted.

Ace shot forward for half a second before speeding out of sight. Flygon was suddenly visible for a second before disappearing again. After about half a minute of tense silence, there was suddenly a cry and then Ace was falling to the ground. Ace fainted upon landing, giving Benjamin the first win. The referee waved the green flag and the crowd started to cheer.

"And Pidgeot is down. It seems that Nick came up with his solution a little late. Flygon is still using the sand as camouflage. Who will Nick choose next?" the announcer said.

"Return, Ace," Nick said, putting Ace back in his Pokeball. Nick closed his eyes in concentration.

Deciding to intervene, Light told him, Use water to weigh the sand down.

Nick nodded and pulled out Azul's Pokeball. As Azul was so large, she had been the only one that had had to stay inside a Pokeball. Throwing the Pokeball, Nick shouted, "Go, Azul." Azul appeared in the arena, ready to fight. She tossed her head a little in preparation.

"Nick goes with his own Hoenn Pokemon, Milotic. As Milotic makes its gorgeous entrance, one must wonder if it has the power it match its beauty," the announcer commented.

"Azul, use Surf," Nick ordered. "Wet the sand in the air."

Underneath Azul, a gush of water spouted and swirled up and around Milotic. The water then started to spread outward, covering the entire arena. Nick's other Pokemon had to quickly get on the benches to avoid being hit. The arena soon became a sea, wetting everything. After a few moments, Benjamin's Sand became seen again. Soon after, the water seemed to just seep into the ground. Finally, most of the water was gone, though the ground was still wet and there were a few puddles left. Sand heavily landed, seeming unable to fly anymore.

"And it does prove it with that spectacular Surf attack. By wetting the sand with the attack, Nick has now removed Flygon's cover and slowed it down some. The tides are now turning toward Nick," the announcer said, snickering slightly at his pun.

"Azul, finish him off with Ice Beam," Nick commanded.

Azul formed a small, light blue sphere in front of her mouth before shooting it off into a beam. Sand didn't even try to dodge and was hit head on, freezing it solid. The referee waved Nick's red flag.

"Flygon is unable to battle, making things even once again. What Pokemon will Benjamin use next?" the announcer asked.

"Sand, return. Go, Rex," Benjamin said, throwing out another Pokeball. In a flash of red, a large green plated Pokemon appeared. The creature was definitely menacing with the spikes on its back and large tail. The armor looking skin only changed with the blue, diamond shaped skin around its stomach. It let out a roar that would make anyone shake in their boots.

"In a marvelous display of intimidation, Benjamin's Tyranitar has appeared, strong and menacing. Will this give Benjamin the advantage?" the announcer said.

"Azul, don't falter. Use Surf again," Nick said.

Once again the water started to rise out of the ground. However, Benjamin interrupted. "Rex, use Earthquake."

Light's seer ability immediately started to warn him of disaster, but he could now recognize that it was fake and didn't panic. Rex roared again and then smashed one foot onto the ground. The ground around it immediately cracked. A large crack started toward Azul, branching out everywhere. The water from Azul's Surf flowed away slowly to fill up the cracks. Soon, the attack reached Azul and a large piece of the arena suddenly flipped upward, ramming Azul hard. The arena was completely ruined now.

"Azul, counter with Water Pulse," Nick ordered.

"Rex, use Berserk," Benjamin said.

Azul started to form her attack, but Tyranitar acted first. Rex rushed toward Azul, its eyes suddenly having no pupils. It was waving its arms wildly as it went berserk. It started to smash the arena near Azul. In its state, it really wasn't aiming as just trying to destroy everything nearby.

By now, Azul had her attack ready and hit Tyranitar. Light could tell that it did damage, but it ignored it and continued attacking. Azul was soon hit by one of the wild swings and fell to the ground from the heavy hit.

"Azul, get up and use Ice Beam!" Nick yelled.

Azul raised up, her serpentine body slithering quickly to hold her up. Azul formed her attack and tried to aim. Azul was shaking slightly, though, from the recent attack and her attack was slightly off. To their luck, one of Rex's arms swung around into the beam, freezing its left arm all the way up to the shoulder.

However, this also got Rex's attention. Rex turned and aimed closer to Azul. Soon, Azul was hit again and fainted, unable to take the disastrous blows. The referee waved a green flag and the crowd started wildly cheering.

"Return, Azul; you did well," Nick murmured as he returned Azul. "Light, you're up next."

Cream nuzzled Light and whispered, "Be careful." Light nodded and stepped into the arena while Nick leaned on the rail to watch.

"And Nick brings in his resourceful Umbreon. It seems Tyranitar is still going wild. Will Umbreon be enough?" the announcer asked.

Rex seemed not to notice Light and was still destroying the area around it. Taking advantage of the situation, Light blasted Rex with a long range Dark Pulse, making sure not to get too close. The Tyranitar took the blow and basically shook it off. After a second Dark Pulse, its attention finally went to Light and it started to chase him around the ruined arena.

After a little, the swaying Rex finally slipped and landed on the ground. Light aimed one final Dark Pulse at the prone figure and it fainted as the attack hit. The referee waved his little red flag.

"Amazing! Nick's Umbreon came in and defeated Tyranitar with simple and calm moves. An impressive feat for any Pokemon," the announcer exclaimed. "We're now down to only one Pokemon apiece. Who will Benjamin choose?"

After returning Rex, Benjamin simply looked down at his Umbreon and nodded. Black jumped down into the arena from the podium. Light grinned, having waited for this match. He didn't plan to just simply tie this time.

"And Benjamin has matched Pokemon for Pokemon with his own Umbreon. We've seen how both are strong fighters, but which will turn out to be stronger?" the announcer said.

Light sped forward with a Quick Attack, but made his path a zigzagged one. Sure enough, two Shadow Balls passed him and turned to follow him. However, they collided and exploded, hiding Light in a cloud of dust and sand. Light slipped down into one of the larger cracks Rex had created and sneaked closer.

As he got to the end of the crack, Light leapt out, his attack already charged. Light took half a second to confirm his target before firing the beam. Black was hit and pushed back, though he remained standing. Taking the chance, Light continued pushing energy into the attack. Black was continued to be pushed back until he finally fell. Light released the energy, using the moment to recover from the attack himself. Continuing an attack like that took large bouts of energy, but Light knew he could land a blow that hard on the Umbreon.

Even having to get up, Black still recovered first and charged at Light. Light held his ground and threw up Protect at the last second. Black bounced off and Light took the chance to land a Quick Attack. Both Umbreon took a second to recover from their exertions, in which time the announcer took to come on.

"And the Umbreon have gone straight into a heated battle! Using a combination of their attacks, they've created a beautiful display of attacks and power. So far, Nick's Umbreon seems to have the upper hand. Will this last?" the announcer exclaimed.

Light saw Black creating a Dark Pulse and made his own. The two attacks hit midway and exploded. The explosion actually blew away the dust and sand that had gotten into the air, clearing the view for everyone.

Black then started to charge again. Light got a sudden idea and quickly used Psychic to trip Black up with a rock on the broken battle field. Taking the moment, Light fired a close range Dark Pulse. Though he was thrown back slightly by being in the proximity of the attack, Black suffered much more and had fainted by the time the smoke cleared. The referee waved Nick's red flag after a few moments of watching Black.

The ground rumbled as the podiums went down and the announcer exclaimed, "And that ends the battle! Nick's Umbreon has shown a powerful strategy and has managed to get Nick into the next round. Let's give a hand to our two awesome battlers today!"

Nick waved wildly as he waited for the podium to lower this time. Light wearily went back to the sidelines and was greeted by congratulations. Cream rubbed up against him after giving him a complete once over to make sure he was okay.

After doing a little bit of his dance, Nick went over to shake Benjamin's hand. Light followed the rest of them as they went back down the entrance, the loud crowd subsiding behind them. All Light wanted to do at the moment was just go and rest. He was definitely looking forward to the cushioned couch.

(0)

"That's the only way we can do it," the first figure confirmed. The conversation was paused until it was translated to the second figure.

"And it has to be during battle?" the second figure asked.

The first figure nodded. "Will you do it?"

"Anything for you. Besides, I wouldn't let them get away with what they've done. And I make sure it's as public as when they did it to you," the second figure said, ruffling the fur of the first. He smiled as he set up his plan.