Hey guys, Embara here. This chapter is completely optional. The only thing that this chapter covers that you WON'T find out in the future is the victor between Iian and Raian. This chapter covers the rest of the battle between them and my brother and I felt that the last chapter had left off so well that we might make this part optional since it had such a good feeling for an ending already. But anyways, enjoy the story and the next episode will be the Season One Finale!
"I remember the feeling I had when I completed my first Pokemon League. It was unlike
anything else in the world. You see, it isn't like that amazing feeling you get when you catch a
pokemon, or when you get a gym badge, it really is something different entirely. All the work you
put in just adds up, you feel so acomplished, yet at the same time you feel sad. All you had
worked on is gone in an instant, win or lose. That's part of what makes being a trainer so hard,
the fact that it always seems there's someone to beat, that you aren't where you need to be.
When you're new you see the gym leaders and know you have to be better to defeat them, you
work hard and make it to a pokemon league just to fight a field of trainers, once that's over with
you fight the elite four, and then the champion. After defeating the champion you know that you
still have other regions, and then the Frontier. It just never seems to end. That's why you have to
love it. It's a dangerous career, and you have as much chance of being stuck by lightning as you
do becoming the top ranked trainer. And honestly, that's what makes it so...wonderful. You're
journey never really has to end, there will always be another trainer, you will always have
someone to surpass and someone else will always be there to try and surpass you. That's why
after my first pokemon league I was overtaken with joy and excitement, sure one chapter of my
life was over, but my book was far from being complete..."
On the battlefield
With a great thud Blaziken went flying through the staircase. Not a second after, Lucario shot
forth and came down with great force. Blaziken rolled at the last second to avoid the landing
stomp, as he did he leapt to his feet. Lucario let out a roar as he threw forth both of his arms,
shooting off an orb of concentrated blue aura. Blaziken wasted no time in leaping into the air to
avoid the attack. As the ball of energy smashed into one of the stone pillars, turning it into dust,
Lucario leapt into the air after Blaziken.
As Lucario flew up he threw forth his fist just as Blaziken threw down its own. The two
clenched hands, talons and paw, met their opponent in the face. Both leaned back with the
intensity of the punch, but Blaziken was a quicker recover. The bird threw forth its arms and
grabbed Lucarios leg. Lucario didn't know what to do as Blaziken began twirling around, spinning
Lucario in a great turn. Lucario began to grow enraged and lifted his arms above his head.
Blaziken let go and threw forth Lucario, letting the wolf shoot forth in the air. As Lucario flew forth
in the air it twisted its body around and suddenly shot forth a great pulse from its pressed
together paws. The pulse was like a beam, it was a pulsating beam of purple and blue energy
which gave off much heat as it shot forth in the air. Blaziken panicked, but could do nothing and
in a moment was struck directly with the attack.
The crowd watched purely awe stricken as Lucario landed on the safety rail of the closest
stadium seats, Blaziken crashing into the metal safety wall, the very same he had struck
Empoleon into. Lucario lifted one of his legs as he threw his two arms out, recollecting himself
and trying to calm down. Blaziken slowly pulled himself off the ground, one of his eyes closed as
he tried to push past the pain.
"You've gotten stronger" Iian said in an unusually calm tone as he turned his eyes from
Blaziken to Raian
"As have you" Raian returned with a smile
"Don't think it's over, because it's far from over" Iian replied as Blaziken adjusted itself into a
calm battle stance
"Oh, I know. A contest always has three parts, the way I figure, we've just gotten to the skill
portion, the last portion that is" Raian replied as he looked up to see the sun poke itself through
the clearing sky
"Contests contests, even on the Pokemon League floor you talk about contests" Iian replied
holding his hand to his forehead
Observation Deck
"...It's part of who we are" Serenity replied as she sat down between Drayden and Cynthia,
the large packed room of leaders all watching the screen "From the moment we are born our
hearts will be as they are. Sure the world hardens us, and sometimes our hearts may break.
When a heart does, it doesn't always grow back the same way it was, it may gnarl. But in the
end, even the most gnarled of hearts retains the same core it always had. It is times like this that
show that core. Look at those two. They came into this battle fueled by rage, envy, greed, lust for
battle, pride...yet look at them now... This is their true selves"
"My little brother is growing up" Mica said wiping his face "The metapod is turning into a
mighty Butterfree"
"You didn't expect him to stay the same little coordinator, did you?" Kiera asked
"He's evolved" Elesa added "Raian is no longer a youngster chasing bugs in the yard, he's an
ace trainer with powerful pokemon, some of which are extremely powerful and difficult to handle"
"Look at the company he keeps...Iian and Josue are both powerful trainers" Skyla replied
"Sort of reminds you of another group of people, doesn't it" Sam asked raising a brow looking
at Mica
"Yeah, pretty much every trainer that's in this room" Arachide interupted "That's how we all
got here. You can't go explore the lands, training wild creatures, by yourself! That's maddening,
you have to have some people with you, poke company alone is fine and dandy, but you need
someone else to accompany you. You need someone to push you to better yourself, to try and
be better than before."
"I disagree" Cynthia said calmly as she watched Lucario and Blaziken clash in mid air "Sure
friends and rivals inspire you to better yourself, but those pokemon you keep at yourside are a
part of you. A true trainer can travel with his pokemon to the ends of the earth"
"Shoots" Marlon replied nodding his head
"No doubt there!" Clay yelled out in his hearty voice
"HAHA, but of course! We are trainers! We and our pokemon are many and one at the same
time!" Crasher yelled out, seemingly trying to top Clay
"Heh, yeah, I guess I couldn't say it better myself" Burgh said with a serene smile
"I'm not sure how I keep ending up in these places, but I do know my pokemon are
responsible" Maylene added with a growing grin "I owe them everything"
"We're trainers, we all do" Viola replied as she snapped a picture from through the window
"Yeah, I mean...we all owe everything to...our...our" Whitney began as she wiped her eyes,
tears rolling down her cheeks
"Yes yes, we owe all our success and some of us even owe our lives to our pokemon" Chili
replied rolling his eyes
"Sometimes you just need to remember where you started from, and who you owe it all to"
Flannery replied as she wrapped her arm around Whitney who continued to cry into her shoulder
"To our pokemon!" Clay yelled out throwing forth his arm which held a large glass bottle of a
deep brown liquid
"Isn't it a tad early to drink?" Cilan asked looking at Clay
"Bah, who's with me?!" Clay yelled out again
On the Battlefield
Lucario threw forth its paw directly into Blazikens face, yet Blaziken was unphased by the
blow. Blaziken pulled its knee up, striking Lucario into the chest. Lucario grabbed ahold of
Blazikens knee and shot its foot forth into Blazikens stomach. The two pokemon skidded back
several feet after the impact.
"Alright, let's see what we can do Lucario" Raian yelled out "Aura Gattling!"
Lucario brought forth a small smirk as it heard its trainers command. Blaziken looked onward
with confusion as Lucario brought its paws together and began taking in deep breaths.
"Blaziken! Ready yourself for a Flare Blitz!" Iian yelled out quickly
In an instant Lucario threw its paws into the air. Blaziken wasted no time in charging up its
energy, steam coming off its body as it did. In each of Lucario's raised paws, several small
glowing orbs of energy began to appear. Blaziken looked a bit confused as it began to catch on
fire. As Blaziken became engulfed in fire, the several glimmers in Lucarios paws began to
expand into blue spheres of aura. Blaziken began to run forth, as he did Lucario threw forth both
paws. First one orb from each paw shot forth, both of which Blaziken quickly avoided. Yet as
Blaziken continued forth more and more aura spheres shot forth. In an instant, Lucario continued
to throw forth orb after orb, each one flying forth with great speed, as each struck the field or the
safety wall, they caused great blasts of air and sand. Blaziken shot forth through the wall of aura
spheres, in a moment of pain and determination the bird tackled Lucario as it threw forth one
great aura sphere into the birds shoulder. The two shot to the ground in the flames, as they
landed they kicked up a great cloud of dust.
Everyone watched for a moment, waiting for the dust to settle. Before the dust could settle, a
great flash of blue came forth from the dust and Blaziken shot out wth great force directly into
one of the half destroyed staircases. The bird struck the case and fell to the ground quickly.
Lucario slowly walked forth from the settling dust cloud, his upper right side steaming, his
breaths very short and shallow.
"Good job Lucario!" Raian yelled out with joy "We've got this in the bag!"
"Blaziken, are you alright?!" Iian yelled to his bird which uneasily rose to its knees
"Blaze!" Blaziken grunted annoyed as it dug its talons into the dirt, its body aching all over
Observation Deck
"Gothorita Goth!" Gothorita yipped out as she took off her scarf
"What? How can you tell?" Josue asked to which he was given an unimpressed look by
Gothorita "Well...then it's going to be interesting"
"What is?" Elsa asked looking puzzeled at the two
"Lucario and Blaziken are running on empty" Josue replied looking intently at the two
pokemon "They both have one, maybe two hits left in them"
"Are you sure? I mean those two are really tough" Anna said turning to Josue
"I'm never sure with these two" Josue replied honestly "Because from what i've seen, they
both should have been out several attack ago"
"Wha...?" Elsa asked
"Lucario and Blaziken have both been beaten to the point any other pokemon would have
been out by now" Josue replied "At this point, I'm amazed that they're still standing...but I know
them, so I know they won't let things end simply. But it will...soon"
"So you're saying it's over?" Anna asked
"I'm saying, in a short time Iian or Raian's time in Unova will come to an end" Josue replied
simply, beginning a small silence before Anna broke it.
"Come on Iian! You got this!" Anna yelled out
"...oh...what the hell" Elsa muttered "Raian! Win this!"
"Ha, amatures..." Josue began while clearing his throat "Let's GoOoOoo! Raian, Iian, Lucario,
Blaziken! Show these people what we're made of! You didn't lose half your damn hand to go
down without a fight, Iian! And Raian, you sure as hell didn't get f^cking stabbed for nothing!
Come on!"
On the battlefield
"Win without boasting" Raian said to himself as Lucario stood upright gathering his energy
"Lose without an excuse" Iian continued quietly as he drowned the noise of the world out
"Losing is an option" Raian said with a final breath of calmness as he slid his hoodie off, the
jacket falling to the ground around his feet
"Winning is a choice" Iian said with a small grin as he pulled off his left glove, revealing the
large missing chunk of his hand
"It comes down to this" Raian continued as he let out one last calm breath "Lucario...my
riend...we made it...The view from here is nice, but we aren't at the top. Win or lose this battle,
we will keep going. My good friend...it's time to end this"
"It's time, keep calm" Iian added "Blaziken, it's been an honor..."
"Lucario!" Raian yelled out the exact moment Iian yelled out "Blaziken"
"End this!" The two yelled in unison once more
Both Lucario and Blaziken sprung forth with a great leap towards each other in air. The two
collided in mid air and quickly began their assaults. It was a close combat fiasco of epic
proportions. Lucario threw forth a punch, followed by another punch, then a kick. Blaziken
blocked, threw forth a kick which Lucario ducked, followed it up with a punch. The two threw forth
punch after kick over and over, each one taking more and more energy. The two had spent so
much time fighting and fighting, years upon years. They were counterparts. They were rivals just
as their humans were. They both knew it was time, and with one great punch from each, both
were struck directly in the face, both flying back into the ground with great impact.
Raian, Iian, Josue, Elsa, Anna, Hillary, Mica, Serenity, Kiera, Sam, and all the leaders
watching were amazed. The two pokemon struck the ground hard, sending up small clouds of
dust. The journey had led to this moment, all the weeks of traveling and struggling. Everyone
watched the two small dust clouds closely...until one pokemon rose through the cloud. The
crowd stood in awe. Raian let a small grin come across his face as Iians lips began quivering,
his eyes watering up.
"The winner!" The referee yelled out with great excitement "Lucario is unable to continue!
Blaziken and Iian wiiiin!"
"Heh...well f^ck" Raian said calmly as he began walking to his unconcious Lucario
"W we...we" Iian began as his tears began rolling down his face, his nose running as well as
Blaziken turned towards him. Upon hearing his trainers voice Blaziken tried standing tall and
proud, yet his eyes began quievering and watering "...We...we woOoooOn!"
The two charged forth and leapt into a hug, both crying overcome with joy at the victory. After
years they had done it, they had defeated Raian and Lucario, and on the Unova League stage as
well.
Anna yelled in excitement as she shook Elsa violently, completely overcome with excitement.
Josue smiled with a calmness about him as he overlooked the joyful scene.
The leaders all went wild with excitement as the screen showed Raian calmly sit down next
to Lucario. Crasher grabbed a chair and threw it up high, smashing it into the roof of the press
box.
Unknown Location
"Impressed?" The helmet wearing shadow figure asked before a loud thud could be heard on
the floor "...they sure are"
"I...am not completly unimpressed" the petite female replied crossing her arms
"I'm impressed, that was amazing!" The extremely large figure replied
"I have to admit, that wasn't half bad" The gruff voice added
"Agreed" The last figure, the red figure, said simply
On the Battlefield
"You were great" Raian said as he threw his hoodie over the unconscious Lucario "I couldn't
have asked for any better...heh...all these years and you still impress me"
As Raian said this he ran his hand across Lucario's head, the poor unconscious pokemon
breathing heavily. It was such a sight for Raian to see, the great contest winning Lucario laying in
the dirt with scorched fur, scratches, and bruises all over it. Lucario had fought hard, he had
fought long, yet in the end he just fell short.
"Ever since..." Raian said before sniffing largely, his eyes beginning to water "...E ever since
you were a pup I knew you would be special...Heh...you know, people said you evolving so soon
was bad, but I ...I thought it was amazing, knowing that we had such a great bond, knowing that
e shared an aura bond, so much so that you evolved...I..I just want to thank you...for
verything...The contests...the battles...and this...taking me to the Unova league, and letting me
be by yourside...M mom...Mom would have been proud"
Raian sat staring at his comrade, tears rolling down his eyes as he placed his hand over
Lucarios chest. The heartbeat of the unconscious wolf could be felt, it was calm and consistent.
It carried on in a calm pattern. Raian sat smiling as tears rolled down his cheeks.
"Hey!" Iian yelled out as he walked up behind Raian. Raian turned slowly to see rival, his
opponent, but more so, his friend.
"G good job" Raian said wiping his tears on his forearm
"Likewise" Iian replied simply placing his hand on Raians back
"You know, now you have to get ready for tomorrow" Raian said as he slipped his arms under
Lucario and began to lift the pokemon
"I've prepared long enough" Iian retorted calmly as he tucked Raians hoodie around Lucario,
keeping the wolf bundled warmly
"You're ready to take on the world right now aren't you?" Raian asked as the two began
walking, the loud noise of their battlefield lowering into the great metal mechanism behind them
"You know it" Iian replied with a smile
"Remember" Raian carried on looking at Iian "This is only one region, we still have another
two coming up"
"Just don't go quitting on me you bloody wanker" Iian retorted "I need you there next League..."
Later that Night
"So my lovely gathering of League Losers, what say you?" Josue yelled out as he stood next
to the small camp fire
"I say I miss the suite" Raian replied with a small laugh as he mixed his stew with his spoon,
Lucario and Glaceon on either sides of him happily eating their food
"Bah, the suite spoiled you!" Anna yelled out in reply as she crawled out of her tent
"Speaking of which..." Raian began as he held up his phone, on the screen was a message,
apparently from Mica, "Mica said we can join him in the Leaders box tomorrow to watch the
matches..."
"The leaders box?!" Josue, Anna, and Elsa poking her head from her tent all said in unison
"Yeah...what?" Raian replied looking back at the three who gave him an odd look
"Which one?" Elsa asked quickly
"What...?" Raian asked confused
"There are five" Anna responded quickly
"The lowest level box has assorted Frontier reps and journalist" Elsa explained
"The next level up has three rooms" Anna continued "The first is for the 'quiet' leaders, which
i'm not sure means..."
"The next two are connected, one is for the 'spirited' leaders..." Elsa added "And it's
connected to the 'rational' leaders box"
"I knew those, but what's the fifth one?" Raian asked
"They say that there's a third level with a very calm, very secure room" Elsa replied
"And they say that extremely high ranking frontier reps go there..." Anna added looking at
Raian in the eyes, her fiery red eyes a bit enchanting
"What that means is unclear though" Elsa added pushing Anna aside, her deep blue eyes
clashing with Annas
"Some say it's some of the top trainers, or hall masters even" Anna continued pushing Elsa
back
"Some say it may even be the Frontier Elite themselves!" Elsa finished pressing against
Anna, both staring so intently into Raian's eyes that he began to feel a bit intimidated
"Well, I guess I can ask..." Raian replied turning to the side a bit as though he was afraid
"Maybe at the Leaders party or Champions Dinner"
"You mean the fancy after league parties?" Elsa asked
"Yeah, invite only, Iian, Josue, and I were invited..." Raian replied before quickly catching
himself and covering his mouth
"Do you get a one plus?!" Anna asked quickly shooting forth at Raian
"Pick me!" Elsa said shoving Anna aside
"No, me!" Anna retorted trying to shove Elsa away, the two pushing against each other
"Uhhh..."
The Next Day
Iian sat watching the tv closely, there all the screen showed was a sword like pokemon
slashing at a Shuckles shell. The sky was clear for once, yet a small layer of snow remained
along the stadium. It was calm, yet the energy was pulsing, after all, it was the final sixteen
trainers. Things were really beginning to get heated.
"You said you have a dream?" A trainer standing behind Iian asked. Iian didn't turn his head,
nor did he show any sign of aknowledgement. He just sat for a moment, focused on the screen
as it showed Hillary
"The important thing..." Iian began as he watched the television "Isn't how long you live...it's
what you acomplish with that life. I want to exist...I want what I do to carry on. If I disappear
tomorrow, I want people to remember me. If it carries on, doesn't it mean that it lives? So isn't
that truly living?"
The two remained quiet for a moment, the trainer standing behind Iian crossing his arms and
letting a small grin run across his face. The screen showed Shuckle being attacked over and
over by the sword pokemon, yet shuckle remained strong in its iron clad defense, making its
presence known.
"You have a good dream kid" The trainer finally managed to say in a calm voice "Make that
dream a reality...I know you can."
Press Box
"Struggle, Struggle, Struggle!" The leaders all yelled in repitition
"I can't help but think the leaders would be more proffesional than this..." Elsa said a bit
shocked as she stood confused in the back of the room.
"I thought so too...until my brother sent me pictures of their celebrations...and gambling"
Raian replied from beside her, his arms crossed with a soda in one hand
"...and out of no where Trainer Hillary and her Shuckle take the victory!" The announcer yelled
out as the television showed a sharp jagged rock rise from the ground hitting the sword pokemon
"Ay!" Several of the leaders cheered in unison as several groaned seeing the victory
"So I take it this is the 'spirited' leaders room?" Josue asked as he walked by holding a plate
piled with food, drumsticks of meat sticking out, his fingers holding a family size bag of chips
"I like it" Anna replied from the air hockey table as she played against Crasher
"You know your friend is up next..." Cilan spoke out from one of the tables
"Oh that's right" Raian said thinking for a moment
"Stay here!" Elesa yelled out as she walked back into the room
"Yeah!" Skyla added walking in from behind her
"After all, you're going to be joining us officially in a few years" Mica said with a large grin
"Right?"
Not too long Later
"...Oh, a great attempt by Ampharos, but it just barely came short!" The announcer called out
as Iian returned his pokemon
"Come on Iian! Get it together!" Anna yelled out slamming her fist into the table
"He's doing just fine, he's just...outmatched" Kiera replied a bit upset as Iian threw forth
another pokeball
"Outmatched?" Raian asked "That's Iian out there, he can't be outmatched!"
"I don't know, i'm pretty sure he was outmatched back when he fought Mica..." Kiera replied
rather sarcastically as she crossed her arms, a tall glass with a small umbrella sticking out of it
"Ooo!" Arachide called out with an arm in the air as Raian stood speechless
"Hey, don't mark him out! How many times do I need to tell you!" Skyla yelled out
"Yeah! It doesn't matter who Iian faces, if he thinks it through and keeps a calm head he can
defeat anyone!" Anna added on as she threw her arm around Skyla's shoulder, the two
becoming quite friendly
"Really? Because it kind of looks like he only has one pokemon left to face the four his
opponent does" Whitney said raising a brow
"That's nothing!" Clay yelled out stomping his large foot atop one of the small stools "Back
when I was a boy..."
"...he lost" Arachide said simply looking at the screen as Blaziken fell to the floor, the same
time as a Swampert fell back
Two Days Later
"Welcome back one and all to the final round of the Unova League! It's been quite a journey to
get here for both of our finalist, and the going has most definitely gotten tough. On one side we
have Ranger Hillary, dubbed The Master of Struggle, or MOS if you ask me. Each and every
battle she's had has been amazing! Beating fan favorites of this league such as trainer Josue
and the mysterious unnamed trainer with locks of green. And her opponent, the one, the only,
Saibot!
For those of you who have been under a cave for the past three years, Saibot is a rising star
in the pokemon world. She is well on her way to the Frontier, and she herself has stated that she
will go to the frontier after this League! Not only is this her third top sixteen league apperance, but
if she can win this, she will be undefeated in any pokemon League! Can Hillary break the
streak?! Which one of these strapping young women can take home the victory? Will it be the
Ranger, making a smashing debut? Or will it be the amazing League expert?
So far Hillary has been up to her usual atics, using her Steelix to start things off, she just like
many before her just could not handle Saibot's Cresselia! That's right, your ears do not decieve
you! Saibot is owns one of the rarest pokemon known to mankind! Hillary sent out her
Sudowoodo hoping to make some progress, but it too fell short. Hillary tried hard, but even her
Forretress couldn't handle Cresselia's power. But Hillary refused to give up, she didn't back
down and it paid off big time! Using her Aggron, Hillary struck hard and managed to finally take
down Cresselia! It was a moment of pure shock to us all! But Saibot wasn't out, she was as
calm as ever and sent out a Wigglyftuff. We were all a little more than surprised when that little
creature showed some strength on an amazing level, taking down aggron! It was a bit of a
match between Wigglytuff and Cloyster, but in the end the little creature fell with its opponent,
taking us to now! Hillary's last pokemon, the Struggle itself, Shuckle! Facing off against Saibot's
third pokemon, we were all amazed to see a Klefki!"
"...So this is what it's come down too...a freaking set of keys fighting a fungus?" Iian asked
rather upset as he watched the screen
"I thought you liked Saibot. Weren't you cheering for her to win the Kalos League last year?"
Raian asked as he set his glass soda bottle down on the table
"Yeah when I wasn't supposed to be in the finals myself!" Iian replied "...bloody cheated by
these daft hobnockers...bloody freaking..."
"Boo hoo, you tried your best, it happens" Anna replied in a mocking voice "I lost the first
round! Don't you think i'm a bit upset!"
"Yeah, lighten up, this was our first league apperance and you did really well" Elsa added as
she stabbed her spoon into the small bowl of ice cream before her
"Plus there's always next year" Josue said with a shrug as he popped open a bag of chips
"Next year?" Anna asked
On the Battlefield
"You're very impressive Miss Hillary, but it's time to end this" The very elegant looking woman
standing across from Hillary yelled out. She was a young woman with nearly flawless pale skin
long straght golden hair, and a very lovely draping blue veil hanging from her breast covering a
purple shirt and short shorts along with very tall golden boots.
"No way! I came here to win!" Hillary yelled back quickly "Shuckle and I refuse to give up!"
As she yelled this out, Shuckle poked its head out of its shell and nodded. Klefki turned back
to Saibot for a moment, its trainer letting a small smile poke out.
Press Box
"You see, we all want to grow stronger, and we want to experience new experiences" Raian
explained looking up at the ceiling in thought "So after a little break we're all going to
Hoenn...seperately...We're going to meet once again at the League, so we can see how much
each other has progressed. Iian already has some Hoenn badges, and Josue will be going to
Hoenn before me, so we will all have different experiences. That's just what we want"
"I like it" Elsa replied with a smile as the television showed a large explosion
"We're going to Sinnoh" Anna said simply as she grabbed ahold of her drink
"Oh! You should go see my grandmothers garden!" Raian replied happily looking over the
room to find Serenity who was nowhere to be seen.
"We'll try to remember..." Elsa said with a grin as the television showed the referee throwing
his flag high into the air towards Saibot.