"Darn it all!" Marcus shouted angrily while punching a wall. Not exactly the best move but he had no other way to vent his anger at the moment. "What the heck was she thinking taking on Venus like that!?"
"I-I'm sure she had her reasons…" Serena had no idea what those reasons could have been, but she was trying to find at least something in this situation.
"Whatever those reasons were, she should've told us!" Marcus was reasonably upset. One of his best friends was publicly humiliated and broken right in front of his eyes and he couldn't do a damn thing about it.
"…." Kasumi's dark aura could be seen fading in and out around her. She was absolutely livid but she couldn't let her emotions boil over lest it cause trouble for everyone in the area. She recalled the conversation she had with Grace last night…and with what she saw prior to that, she was starting to put somethings together. The picture that was being painted really didn't look so good now.
"Kasumi…you're noticeably angry…" Rui pointed out before turning to Wes with a pout. "But you have some explaining to do! I thought we agreed to release Suicune and the others, so why does Venus have it again!?"
"I don't see why you're yelling…" Wes sighed heavily. "It's not outside the realm of possibility that she merely managed to capture it again. I was just as surprised as everyone else when she brought it out."
"Well isn't this wonderful…" Elizabeth sighed. "Way to thrust all this responsibility on me…"
"…Is she gonna be okay…?" Bonnie pouted while staring at the others. She had the least idea of what Venus would do to Grace, but she had plenty of reason to be worried about it.
"…I'm sure she'll be fine…" Serena reassured Bonnie with a soft smile. But truth be told, Serena didn't know either.
"Well!" The host cleared his throat. The tournament did have to continue after all no matter how every match ended. "Onto our next bout!" The screen flickered and this time Marcus was up to bout, though it was going to be a little difficult for him after what just happened right in front of them. His opponent was an unfamiliar face, due to it being one of Venus' cronies. "Oh…I'm also receiving a message from Lady Venus…she says 'anything goes' in her absence! So have fun you two!"
"Agh…I'll try my best." With a heavy sigh, Marcus started to head to the arena. "I can't lose now…someone has to make Venus pay."
Takeba and Scott soon appeared, both frowning after the events. "Man…that kinda bites…" Takeba wasn't exactly the best conversationalist, but she felt as though she had to say something. "That Venus really has to go…"
"Agreed…" Scott quietly stated.
"The concern is appreciated at least…" Lovrina waved a hand. Wait…she was concerned too? Hopefully nobody caught onto that.
Diantha soon appeared before then along with Kayla and Lore. Elizabeth shaped up immediately before the champion could even open her mouth. "Ah…so this is where you all were…."
"Diantha?! What brings you here?!" Yeah…Elizabeth couldn't keep her cool around Diantha as per usual…but she did notice something strange. "Wait…where's Cynthia? Did something happen…?"
"Yeah…" Kayla nodded slowly. "It happened a little while ago…about the same time as uh…Venus beating Grace. Cynthia got knocked out cold during a Chiper ambush in the hallways."
"So that's what those tremors were…" Ash nodded. "I thought it was coming from their battle…but then again it did start before then. Will Cynthia be okay…?"
"We don't know yet…she took a bad hit." Diantha was very regretful on this matter, especially since she was there. "We encountered two Chiper admins…and I started to think…if they are allowed to roam so freely even with the security around here…"
"Then the people Venus brought in are…" Clemont trailed off, but it seemed the general hypothesis was looking more and more likely by the second. "Marcus could be in for some trouble…"
.
"The field for this battle will be…sand!" The host exclaimed as the battlefield changed into a sandy field akin to that of a dessert. Marcus stepped forward with a grumpy expression and his opponent was…Amelia. That same Chiper Peon that was in the attack from the other day, though Marcus didn't recognize her without the mask on.
"Shame about your friend. But I'm sure Lady Venus will take good care of her." Amelia chuckled quietly, and her mockery pushed all the right buttons to get under his skin.
"Shut up." Marcus grunted before tossing a pokeball forward, calling forth his Staravia, which hovered above the battlefield slightly as to not be bogged down by the sand. "Staravia, I'm counting on you."
"Hah…" Amelia snickered quietly before tossing out her Braviary. The bird pokemon was much larger than the opposing Staravia and it was actually someone intimidating.
"Yikes…that's a big bird…but we can take it!" Marcus gave a firm nod to his avian, which squawked in agreement.
"How about we make this one a little more interesting…" Amelia lifted a hand up, halting the ref before he could make the call. "I see bets are the deal of this round…and I would love to join the festivities you see."
"I'm not becoming your lapdog." Marcus spat.
To that, Amelia shook her head. Although she would've enjoyed it for the humiliation she suffered because of Fraxure a few days prior. "No no…let's make this quick and easy. A Sky Battle; one vs. one: Your Staravia vs my Braviary…and if we should win…you give it to me."
Kasumi slammed her hands on the railing. "Stop with these bets, I don't like them!" Like she wanted to see another one of her close friends suffer from the horrid options of these bets.
"And if I win, perhaps you can discuss with Venus about letting my friend go." Marcus narrowed his eyes. It was a bit of a stretch, but he was desperate to help Grace anyway he could.
"That's it? Shame…but I accept your terms." Amelia shrugged. "Lady Venus and I are somewhat close, so I suppose she could bend an ear to me…if you're lucky that is."
"I hate this…" Kasumi pouted. "Bets aren't good…"
"Marcus gets the first move. Begin!" The referee exclaimed.
"Double Edge!" Staravia wasted no time diving forward as quickly as it could towards Braviary, aiming to slam its entire body into it.
"Crush Claw!" Amelia replied with a sly grin. Braviary waited for the last second before shifting its body out of the way, aiming its sharp talons at Staravia. It was a direct hit and Starvaia was sent backwards before recovering from the blow.
"Tch…Aerial Ace!" Marcus replied immediately.
"Aerial Ace!"
Both Staravia and Braviary took off into the air, clashing with one another rapidly while ascending higher into the sky, shockwaves occurring from their collision. The two u-turned away from each other before flying at full force at each other; the second they clashed a massive explosion occurred midair, kicking up a fierce wind storm that forced the two trainers to shield their eyes from the wind kicked up.
"It's your pray. Air Slash!" Braviary proceeded to fly above and behind Staravia. No matter how hard Staravia attempted to escape Braviary was just behind it like a predator whose eyes locked onto its fresh pair. With a cry, it spun its body clockwise and sent several circular saws composed of air towards Staravia.
"Watch out!" Marcus cried out. Staravia anxiously attempted to evade the incoming saws of air, however it was unable to completely avoid the Air Slash and one hit its mark. The collision briefly caused it to fall before recovering. "Great…! Now, use Quick Attack!" With incredible speed, Staravia ascended to the sky once again and slammed its body into Braviary's stomach, causing it to free fall for only a second.
"Did he get it!?" Bonnie's eyes lit up.
"…..Hyper Beam." Amelia clicked her tongue, completely unfazed by the single hit Staravia managed to land. Braviary recovered quickly and twisted its body, unleashing a massive beam of energy directly towards Staravia!
Marcus's eyes widened at the massive incoming beam. "Watch out!" He told Staravia, however it was too late and the beam consumed Staravia. The bird let out a cry of pain before it just fell out of the sky, landing harshly in the sand in the center of the field. "Staravia!" Marcus was about to rush over to help, but it seemed that bird still had a little bit of fight left in it.
"That's quite a good bird you have there…" Amelia snickered sinisterly. "Too bad for you that it'll be mine soon…but…Air Slash." Braviary released yet another Air Slash…only the recuperating Staravia wasn't the target! It was Marcus!
"What the…!?" Marcus crossed his arms, several saws exploding around him in the process and he didn't come unscathed from it. "What's the big idea…!?"
"Did you get the memo? Anything goes." Amelia snickered quickly.
"She's definitely with Chiper…" Serena grumbled. "Another trap…?"
"They really know what they're doing…" Wes chuckled quietly, of course what he found humorous only irritated the others.
"Is seeing my friend's suffering funny to you!?" Kasumi glared at Wes, that dark aura flaring up once again as she shouted. She was garnering some unwanted attention, but it couldn't be helped. "You had that same grin on your face when Grace was taken away…you…you…!" Serena then placed her hand on Kasumi's shoulder to bring her back. Slowly, the aura fizzled away and she let out a heavy sigh, turning to Marcus's fight. "I don't want you to lose either…"
Staravia finally recovered, flying towards Braviary and slammed into it with a fierce Double Edge. This bird pokemon was ready to defend its trainer despite its injuries. However this only amused Amelia more than anything else. "Crush Claw." Braviary quickly circled around Staravia before slashing at it with its sharp talons, sending the weaker avian once again into the sand clear on the opposite side of the field.
"Staravia…!"
Amelia giggled before placing her hands on her hips. "Today's just not your day, is it? Hopelessly watching your friend get destroyed by Lady Venus….and now you can't even win a pokemon battle in what little attempt to save her."
"Ah…" Marcus froze for a second. He had already been feeling weaker than everyone else but this was a nail in that coffin.
"It's okay…not everyone is cut out for this stuff." Shrugging, Amelia pointed a hand forward. "Which is why I intend to put you out of your inferiority-complex misery. Weaklings don't deserve to reside in coming world of shadow…you will all be wiped out eventually. Hyper Beam." Braviary reared its head back before once again releasing an overpowering beam of energy that soared directly towards Marcus at a rapid pace!
"Marcus…get out of there…!" Kasumi was seriously about to vault over the railing to do something.
"This can't be legal…!" Bonnie cried out.
Chiper really had a way of getting under people's skin. Marcus ended up being frozen and just stared wide eyed at the incoming Hyper Beam. His legs didn't want to respond either…maybe he wasn't cut out for this. That was his thought process; however an objecting squawk from his Staravia caught his attention. "Huh…?" The avain weakly flapped its wings before flying forward, attempting to intercept the Hyper Beam.
"There's no way it's gonna make it in time…!" Lovrina grit her teeth.
Although Lovrina said that, she was underestimating Staravia. A fierce blue aura cloaked the avian as its speed increased dramatically, a white light shrouding the bird in the process. Staravia made a sharp turn and its wings collided with the Hyper Beam, cutting through it to save its trainer. The light then exploded around Staravia, or rather, Staraptor!
"A Staraptor…!" Serena wasted no time pulling out her pokedex to scan the creature.
"Staraptor, The Predator Pokémon. This pokemon will courageously fight foes that are much larger than it. Even when injured, it will still attack furiously." The Pokedex was correct about that; Braviary was still much larger than Staraptor, but the injured predator had no problems squaring up against such an opponent, especially since it had the audacity to attack its trainer like that.
"YEAH!" Kasumi threw her hands into the air. "Take it out, Staraptor! Show that bird who's the real boss!"
"Sorry for making you worry…" Marcus chuckled dryly before staring at Staraptor. "I dunno what happened…but if I falter like that I really won't be able to do anything. So…let's try this one more time! Aerial Ace!"
Amelia sucked her teeth in annoyance. "Tch…! It's no use! Aerial Ace!"
Staraptor and Braivary took into the sky once again, clashing with one another in the midst of their flight. Unlike before, Staraptor gained an early advantage and managed to land a hit, causing Braviary to recoil.
"Crush Claw!"
Braivary quickly recovered and aimed its fierce talons at Staraptor once again. Unlike before, Staraptor was capable of evading the Crush Claw with ease and ended up flying away from Braviary, who fiercely pursued it. This was great, Staraptor had great aerial mobility and it was time to make use of this.
"Turn back with Quick Attack!" Staraptor sharply turned, twisting its body around to pivot and rocket at Braviary, slamming into its stomach in a cork-screw like motion, dealing additional damage while sending Braviary down towards the ground.
"Not again…!" Amelia grunted before swinging her arm to the side. "Air Slash!" Braviary quickly recovered, releasing multiple saws of air towards Staraptor once again.
"Dodge it!" Staraptor nimbly evaded the saws of air as they exploded behind it. Its efforts lasted for a while before it was unfortunately struck, falling from the sky after the heavy hit. "Ah…!"
"There! Now, finish it with Hyper Beam!" Braviary saw its chance to finish things. This one was perhaps the largest one yet; the widespread beam rocketed towards the falling Staraptor, looking to finish this Sky Battle once and for all!
"Staraptor! This is it, Brave Bird…!" Staraptor regained its senses just in the nick of time, tucking its wings in as a fierce fiery blue aura flared around its body. It was do or die! Spinning around, the aura intensified and turned into a larger avian as Staraptor clashed with the Hyper Beam. It slowly managed to push through to everyone's surprise and slowly closed the distance between itself and Braviary. "LET'S GOOOO!" With one final push, Staraptor closed in one Braviary and the immediate area exploded violently in a cloud of dark smoke.
Silence filled the area as one bird flew from the smoke. Staraptor returned to Marcus's side, giving a firm nod. As that smoke began to disperse…Braviary was the one lying in the sand KO'ed.
"Braviary is unable to battle! Therefore Marcus is the winner and advances to Round 4!" The referee exclaimed.
"Ah…!?" Amelia's eyes widened at her second defeat because of Marcus. "Damn it! Why do you keep doing this to me!?"
"That voice sounds familiar…" Marcus shrugged before pointing at Amelia. "But that doesn't matter now. You have a deal to hold up, don't you?"
"Agh…tch….!" Amelia shook her head, face red in frustration as she returned Braviary. "T-There's no guarantee that she'll listen. But fine, have it your way!"
"WOOHOO!" Kasumi jumped up and down for joy. "Nice job you two!"
"Heh…" Scott chuckled.
"The way Venus is conducting this tournament is precisely how it was in The Under…the people are so enamored with her they don't even question her rules…" Rui sighed. "I thought this was for fun…not life or death."
"We'll just have to dethrone her again." Wes shrugged. "Done it once, can do it again."
.
From elsewhere in the stadium, Venus was busy giving Grace a makeover while watching the fight between Marcus and Amelia. The end result only made her slightly upset, but nothing that couldn't be fixed by changing…well, everything about Grace. "Hm. Such a shame, I thought these Peons would be able to put up more of a fight. Oh well…I never intended for them to win anyway. I'm going to take all this glory for myself once it's all over…and now I have a new little mascot to cheer me on, isn't that right, dear?"
.
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Next Time: The Storm