Welcome back everyone! Last time, Ash had a little talk with a man who turns out to be his own father and now has a clearer head. Also, the tournament continued as Team Heartbreak managed to win their first match and Team Champion and Team Victory were about to face off.

Ch 53: Little Bit of Teamwork


"And here we go, ladies and gentlemen! The final match of the day is underway as Trip of Team Champions and Astrid of Team Victory get ready to begin!" Freddy cried out to the crowd as both trainers raised their Poké Balls.

"Go, Serperior!" Trip yelled as he chose his trusty partner for the battle. Landing in the center of the town square, Serperior appeared to slither around as he waited for his opponent.

"Hmm, this should be interesting then," Astrid muttered as she gripped her Poké Ball before tossing it lightly towards the field. "Absol, let's go!" The Dark-Type soon landed across from Serperior as they eyed each other with interest. "Trip, let's have a good battle out here. Okay?"

"Sure," Trip responded as he placed one hand in his pants' pocket before pointing forward with his free hand. "Serperior let's start this off with a Dragon Tail!"

"Ser!" The Grass Snake Pokémon shouted as his tail began to glow a light green. Slithering through the town, Serperior was in front of Absol as he swept his tail against the Dark-Type's legs causing them to give out.

"That was fast," Astrid grumbled as she watched Serperior rear his tail back around and try to hit Absol on the back. Though, she wasn't going to let them get too many hits in and was already on the move. "Megahorn now! Push Serperior away from you and then jump up onto one of the houses!"

"Sol!" Absol cried in agreement as the horn on his head glowed a shade of green similar to Serperior's glowing tail before growing in size. Extending outwards, the horn quickly rammed into Serperior and caused the Grass-Type to be pushed backwards. "Absol, sol!" He quickly stated as he jumped up onto his legs before jumping up onto one of the houses.

"Now we've got the advantage. From up here Serperior won't be able to hide from us at all," Astrid noted as she watched Serperior slither around the field as he tried to get up onto one of the roofs. "Please, don't think we'll let you have an easy shot at getting up here. Absol, use Dark Pulse!"

"Serperior, climb up the side of the building to dodge and then spring off of it to get away!" Trip quickly issued as Absol launched off the black and purple beam of energy. Jumping off of the ground, Serperior wrapped his tail around a fire escape before lifting himself up onto a roof right as the blast smashed into the ground. However, the duo had no time to rest as Absol had leapt in front of them and slashed away with a Shadow Claw attack.

"Perior, ser, per," the Grass-Type hissed out while dodging the slashes. Ducking and dodging each of the attacks, both Trip and Serperior waited for a chance to attack, but none were coming.

"I guess we'll have to make do with what we have. Serperior, block the attack with Dragon Tail and then wrap your tail around this nuisance," Trip commanded as Serperior whipped his tail around just in time to block another Shadow Claw. "Heh, they're persistent I'll give them that."

Serperior then managed to overpower Absol and break through the Shadow Claw just enough to smash his tail down onto Absol. Continuing his attack, Serperior moved swiftly as he wrapped his tail around Absol and bound him with it.

"Absol!" Astrid called out in concern as her partner was unable to move as Serperior slammed him into the roof of a house. "Come on, Absol, break free! Use your Megahorn attack!" Absol managed to barely nod as his horn once more grew in size. However, unlike before, he wasn't able to move it at all and so the attack missed Serperior completely as he slammed the Disaster Pokémon back into the ground.

"Come on, there has to be a way to get out of this," Astrid muttered to herself as she gripped at the end of her outfit out of frustration. At the moment, she had no way to break Absol free from this stranglehold he was currently in and things were looking bad for her.

"Just relax," Paul's voice cut in as Astrid looked back to view her teammate. Without her realizing it, Paul had walked out of the dugout and was only a few feet behind the field now as he watched on. He appeared to have the same expression from before, though his eyes seemed a little softer for some reason. "Getting frustrated will only lead to mistakes. Look at the situation fully otherwise you can't win."

"Yeah, sure..." Astrid muttered as she nodded in agreement to Paul's statement. She had been losing her concentration and focus until he had interrupted her thoughts. Taking a deep breath to regain her focus, Astrid managed to now a better view of things as an idea came to her.

"Now, Absol, use your Megahorn attack on the ground before they try to hit you against it!" Astrid called out as Paul nodded in agreement to the idea. Grunting, Absol managed to cause his horn to extend in size right at the moment his head would have hit the ground. Only this time, instead of Absol connecting with the ground, his horn managed to create a spring-like effect as the Disaster Pokémon broke free from his restraints.

"There you go," Paul muttered as he moved back to the dugout and sat down. "Now go and win this."

"Absol!" The Dark-Type cried out as he continued the attack by ramming his horn right into Serperior. The Grass-Type seemed to have been heavily affected by the attack as he was now panting a little.

"I didn't expect you to break free from Serperior's grasp," Trip praised his opponent as he took a quick picture of the battle. "Though, I can't allow you to win. My team and I need this and we can't afford to lose at all. Serperior, use Leaf Storm!" Whipping his tail around once more, Serperior managed to summon a gust storm of wind as leaves soon flew all over the field, the sharpness of them causing parts of the buildings to be sliced.

"Absol, find some cover!" Astrid commanded as she grabbed the bottom of her outfit to keep it from flapping in the wind caused by the Leaf Storm. Jumping off of the house, Absol managed to dodge a few of the incoming leaves as they sliced right through the roof before the Dark-Type landed on the ground gracefully. Seeing nowhere to hide however, both Astrid and Absol knew they needed to do something.

"Sol," Absol grunted out as a few of the leaves soon began to strike him. As they were now, Absol was nothing more than a sitting duck as the storm only grew in strength.

"How about we show them our true strength, Absol?" Astrid asked as she reached up to touch her earring. As she did so, a bright light soon emerged from it as the same light shined from Absol's chest plate. "Absol, Mega Evolve!"

Soon, the entire stadium was filled in light as Absol began to change. Serperior stopped his attack as both he and his trainer were mesmerized by the transformation until it had completed. Now standing before them in the broken down town was Absol, only different. His horn had changed shape and the fur on his mane stood up so that it gave the impression of wings.

"So, you decided to finally use it? I've never battled a Mega Evolved Pokémon before," Trip stated in awe as he realized the battle was just beginning now. He had to be careful as Absol was tough before, but now that he Mega Evolved it only meant he had become even stronger than before.

"Serperior, stay alert. Who knows just how strong Absol has become now."

"Well, why don't we just show you now?" Astrid asked with a light smirk before throwing her left hand forward, her palm facing the ground. "Absol, Psycho Cut!" Rearing his head backwards, Absol flung it forward as a large, purple, crescent shaped blade soared from his horn and sliced through the pavement of the city square.

Now waiting for a command, Serperior slithered away from the attack as he felt the attack nick the side of his body. The attack wasn't much stronger, but the difference compared to before was still noticeable for Trip as he blocked the dust and dirt that had been thrown around the field.

"What power..." he muttered in amazement before a smirk of his own crossed over his face. "It'll just make the battle much better. Now, Serperior, Frenzy Plant!"

"Perior!" The Grass Snake Pokémon shouted out as he slammed his tail into the ground, a swarm of roots soon emerging after. Shooting right at Absol, the Dark-Type jumped up and over the roots before sliding down them and right for Serperior.

Astrid quickly called out for a Shadow Claw attack as Absol's claws became surrounded in a black aura as the Dark-Type slashed forward only to be met with Serperior's Dragon Tail attack. The two attacks clashed, but Serperior gained the upper hand by slithering backwards and causing Absol to get his claw lodged into the vines.

"Here's our opening, Serperior! Beat them up into the sky with a Dragon Tail!" Sweeping his tail underneath Absol, Serperior whipped it straight upwards as the Disaster Pokémon was sent flying high into the sky. "Now! Leaf Storm, go!"

"Ser...perior!" The Grass-Type cried out as his tail lost its glow and instead created a powerful wind tunnel filled with leaves. Instead of the previous time where the attack covered the entire field, this one was much more contained as the storm raised straight up and surrounded Absol.

"We're not going down easily!" Astrid replied as she punched forward. "Absol, use your Dark Pulse attack!" Listening to his trainer, Absol reared his head backwards as he felt multiple leaves clash against his body.

"Sol!" The Disaster Pokémon roared out as the black and purple beam erupted from his mouth as it flew all over the field, ripping up the paved street and roofs of the houses. Astrid watched on in hope that her idea would pay off, otherwise they were done for. All she needed was for just a small bit to actually land.

"Come on..." Astrid muttered to herself while biting her bottom lip. As if listening to her pleas, the Dark Pulse managed to hit right in front of Serperior and cause him to lose his concentration.

"Perfect. Now, Absol, use your Shadow Claw attack now!" Falling down towards Serperior, Absol's claws glowed with the familiar black aura from before as Trip took a defensive stance.

"Meet him head on with a Dragon Tail, Serperior! Then create some space between you two by bouncing off of the clash," Trip ordered as he swept his arm to the left of his body. Jumping straight up as if he were a spring, Serperior approached his opponent with his glowing, green tail.

"Perior!" The Grass Snake Pokémon cried out while clashing against the Shadow Claw. Sparks flew as neither side backed down from their attacks. Retracting his tail, Serperior twisted his body around before slamming his tail up underneath Absol's body as the Disaster Pokémon smashed his own claw on to Serperior's head.

Both Pokémon flailed around following the clash before falling smack into the ground. Getting up slowly, both Serperior and Absol appeared ready to give out as they stared each other down. However, as Absol let out a roar, the Dark-Type followed it up by collapsing and reverting back to his base form.

"Absol is unable to battle! The winner of this battle is Serperior and Team Champions have earned one point!" The referee declared as both trainers recalled their Pokémon to their respective Poké Balls before walking off the field.

"And Serperior manages to hold out just long enough to claim the victory!" Freddy cried out, curious as to how the next battle could even match up to this one. "Both sides matched blow for blow right up until the very end! Now that's what I call a breathtaking match!"

Placing her arms behind her back, Astrid made her way back over to her team's dugout with a neutral expression on her face. "Sorry, guys, I guess they just had a little more left in the tank than we did."

"Don't sweat it," Hugh reassured her as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll beat that Coordinator and then get revenge for us by beating Trip."

"Besides," Paul joined in as he seemed neutral about the entire situation. "You and Absol did everything you could to win. They just had better luck at the end. And plus, you managed to tire Serperior out so when Hugh battles them he won't be able to do much. We couldn't ask for much more," he finished as Hugh just looked on in slight confusion. He had never heard of any story of Paul where he was okay with a loss unless it was to someone leagues ahead of him.

"You two just sit back and watch. I'll be putting our record at a nice two wins and no losses," Hugh stated as he made his way to the field. Looking across it, he could have sworn that his opponent was talking to her teammate. Paying no attention to it, Hugh waited as Dawn sprinted up towards the field with a Poké Ball in her hand.

"Sorry about that," Dawn apologized quickly as she gripped the device in her hand. "Just had to go over a few things before coming out here," she explained as the field rose up to reveal a rocky terrain that filled the center of the field before it evened off into a grassy plain.

"It's fine. Unfortunately, whatever that was so important won't matter in the long run. We'll still be victorious," Hugh replied with a slight smirk. "Liepard, go!"

"We'll see about that. We've got a plan for handling Liepard," Dawn replied as she tossed her Poké Ball onto the field. "Quilava, spotlight!"

Both Pokémon landed on the field with a light thud, both fully ready for this battle to begin. With them both ready, neither side wasted any time to start as they both issued their first commands as a Flamethrower collided with a Dark Pulse as they cancelled each other out. Smoke then covered the field as visibility was practically impossible.

"Now, Quilava, use Swift!" Dawn's voice rang out as a swarm of golden stars flew out of the smoke. Catching Liepard and Hugh by surprise at first as the Swift crashed into Liepard.

"Not bad, better than I expected at least," Hugh replied as he placed his hands into his pants' pockets. Looking across the field, the Unova native watched as the smoke soon turned to a darker shade as it was no doubt a Smokescreen attack. "But, you won't be able to hide forever. Liepard, climb."

"Liepard!" The Dark-Type roared out as he leapt high onto a part of the mountain ridge and continued climbing. Once on top of the mountain, Liepard could make out a slight flame from within the Smokescreen and signaled to his trainer.

"Just like I said. Looks like Liepard has found you," Hugh stated confidently as his partner leapt from the mountain and down towards the flames. "Now, Night Slash!" The Cruel Pokémon appeared to have his claws glow purple as they became shaped like a blade before disappearing into the smoke. However, Dawn wasn't going to sit back and just let him attack.

"Quilava, use Flame Wheel to defend yourself!" Dawn quickly countered as a large orange ball of flames emerged in the center of the Smokescreen. The Sinnoh native listened on in hope that her plan worked, yet instead of the sound of Liepard crying out, the sight of a beam of energy could be seen as Hugh called for a Dark Pulse.

"Quilava!" The Fire-Type exclaimed as his body shot out of his hiding place and landed on the grassy plain. Standing back up, Quilava had no time to react as Liepard slashed across his face with a powerful Night Slash attack. The strike was so strong that Quilava tumbled backwards across the grass before coming to a stop next to one of the smaller mountains.

"You're too predictable. I figured you would try to block my attack and once you did, it allowed us an easy location as to where Quilava would be hiding. I guess that's why you're a Coordinator," Hugh remarked as he appeared to be slightly bored with the battle now. Watching the field, he noted that Quilava had nowhere but the mountain to go when he would try to escape. "Honestly, you're just as bad as that Ketchum kid."

"First off, the name is Dawn," she quickly replied as Quilava's flames began to burn on his back, the Fire-Type now standing back up. "Second, what does being a Coordinator have to do with anything? And finally, Ash could beat your sorry rear end any day of the week!"

"Is that so?" Hugh asked as he moved his hands up behind his head for a moment. "If your teammate is so great why would he abandon you? I don't see him anywhere within the stadium at all yet you're praising him as this great guy. You would at least think that he would be here cheering you on. Still, perhaps he just doesn't want to see you lose in such a quick fashion. Liepard, Night Slash!"

"Lie," the Dark-Type cried out as he lunged forward with his claws glowing purple once more. Quilava had nowhere to run as Liepard slashed hard against his body once more as Dawn watched on.

"Quilava, Flame Wheel!" Dawn quickly called out as the Volcano Pokémon was covered in flames. The speed that he could cover his entire body caught Hugh by surprise as the trainer had no time to call off the attack. Liepard's claw sunk deep into the ball of flames before being yanked back, the Cruel Pokémon crying out in pain.

"You're the one who doesn't understand! Ash would never abandon anyone, no matter who they are. He's just been frustrated due to a few things recently and needed to blow off steam. And I know he's cheering us on right now even if we can't see him, because that's the kind of person Ash is. So I'll show you who'll be winning!" Dawn yelled out as she pointed forward, issuing a Flamethrower attack. Quilava launched off the stream of flames in quick succession as Liepard managed to block the majority of it with his claws.

Still, the fire burning in Quilava was too strong as the Dark-Type soon found himself being overpowered, the flames managing to get around his Night Slash and hit him. Jumping out of the way, Liepard was slightly impressed by the strength of Quilava and watched him just as a hunter watched their prey.

"So I guess there is some fight in you after all. Good, I didn't want to win this too easily. I guess we can step it up a notch now, Liepard," Hugh remarked as his partner crouched low to the ground before pouncing up onto a part of the mountain. "I guess we can still have some fun after all. Liepard, Double Team!"

"Pard," Liepard meowed as he flashed white for a split second before copies of himself surrounded the mountain ridge and Quilava who was at the base of it.

"Come on Dawn! Remember what Trip told you before the battle started!" She silently yelled at herself as she remembered back to her conversation with her teammate.

"You ready to show them what we're made of, Piplup?" Dawn asked her partner as he chirped happily, flexing one of his fins to show his attitude towards the battle.

"I wouldn't use Piplup if I were you," Trip responded as he made it back to the dugout. Casting a glance up at the field, Trip caught the sight of Hugh out of the corner of his eye. "He won't be able to keep up with Hugh and Liepard."

Dawn appeared surprised by that remark as her and Piplup stared back at the boy. "But, Piplup is my strongest Pokémon. If he can't handle it...well I doubt anyone else could."

"And that's because Liepard's on a whole other level than what we're used to. The only way we can beat him is by strategy," Trip explained as he placed his hands in his pockets. "You need to draw him into a false sense of security, make him drop his guard."

"But, how can I do that without someone like Piplup?" Dawn asked as she thought about her perhaps either Mamoswine or Togekiss.

"Well, it's simple actually, though it'll take everything Quilava has to win this," Trip said as Dawn picked up Quilava's Poké Ball from her bag. "His speed can counter Liepard's and take that away from Hugh. He mainly relies on pulling off fast and powerful attacks so you'll have to move quick."

"Now, not to sound crazy, but once he's drawn into a false sense of security then you need to start going full throttle against him. Don't battle like a trainer would though, it won't help you here. You need to battle as you would in a Contest."

"Right. But, Trip, keep a close eye on Hugh. Since if I lose, it all comes down to you," Dawn told him as she flashed a thumbs up at the Unova native. "But no need to worry about that, Quilava and I will handle him just fine."

"Now use Dark Pulse, Liepard!" Hugh could be heard ordering the command as Dawn snapped out of her thoughts. Looking over at the field, Liepard and his copies had all charged up their attack before firing it off at Quilava.

"Alright, Quilava, time to show them all what you're made of! Let's start off with a little trick Ash taught us, use Counter Shield!" Dawn issued as she pointed forward with her index finger. Quilava seemed to understand completely what Dawn was calling for as the flames on his back grew in size.

"Qui...Lava!" The Volcano Pokémon cried out happily as he broke into a Flame Wheel. The heat radiating off of the attack however was much hotter than usual as both Hugh and Dawn were starting to sweat from it. Hugh wondered why this would be, but looking at the field gave him the answer; flying out of the Flame Wheel were streams of fire that were counteracting his Dark Pulse. No doubt a Flamethrower attack being used while Flame Wheel was going on.

"Grrr..." Hugh growled out as he watched all the copies be destroyed before the real Liepard was struck as well. Not stopping there, Quilava now began to roll around the field as his powerful attack covered the entire area and left Liepard defenseless. For the first time in a while, Hugh was defenseless and at the complete mercy of his opponent.

"Alright, keep it up, Quilava!" Dawn cheered on as she pumped a fist up into the air. By the looks of it, the battle seemed to be finally shifting in her direction yet she couldn't take it easy with someone like Hugh. "Now head right for Liepard, let's force them to make a move on us!"

"Quilava!" The Fire-Type shouted in joy as he sped up the mountain, tearing an entire path into it from his flames. Heading right for the Dark-Type, Quilava seemed to pick up speed as his ascent up the mountain didn't tire him at all.

"Liepard, be ready for anything," Hugh warned his partner before Quilava came flying up onto the top of the mountain as flames soared all around and caused Liepard to take a step backwards. "We'll show them what happens when you mess with us! Hyper Beam, let's go!"

"Lie...Parddd!" The Cruel Pokémon screamed in exhaustion as the dark and powerful beam erupted from his mouth. Crashing into the ground before being lifted up right at Quilava, the Hyper Beam dug a trench across the top of the mountain as Quilava was struck hard.

"Lava..." the Fire-Type muttered out weakly as his flames died down. Getting back up, Quilava watched as Liepard slashed another Night Slash across his face and sent him tumbling down the mountain as the Dark-Type followed in pursuit.

"I blew our one shot!" Dawn mentally yelled at herself as Quilava came to a stop at the bottom of the mountain and narrowly avoided another Night Slash attack. Things were starting to get too close and Dawn didn't enjoy it at all. However, watching Quilava spin to the side to dodge a Dark Pulse gave her an idea.

"Alright Quilava, charge Liepard with another Flame Wheel!"

"Qui!" Quilava affirmed as he spun into a ball as his back flames covered his entire body. Charging right for Liepard, both trainer and Pokémon could hear Hugh laughing at them.

"Please, you think that'll work again? I won't be fooled twice, Dawn," he stated in an almost mocking tone as he punched his left fist forward. "Hyper Beam! But aim it at the ground!"

"What!" Dawn shouted as the powerful attack was launched right in front of Quilava. Exploding upon impact, the blast that was caused sent Quilava rocketing up into the sky as he flailed around while trying to regain self-control. "Come on, Quilava, I know you can do it!"

Yet, the Fire-Type was unable to finish the attack and instead landed on the ground with a thud as he skidded across the grassy plain before coming to a stop. Biting lower lip, Dawn had no time to issue a command as another Dark Pulse crashed into Quilava as her partner was tossed skywards once more only for Liepard to be waiting with another Night Slash.

"He-He's too fast for us..." Dawn muttered out as it grew harder for her to breath. The Sight of Hugh before her seemed to grow as both the trainer and his Liepard seemed to be towering over her. Likewise, Quilava was backed into a corner once more as he was cornered between the mountain and Liepard.

"Come on, Dawn! Show him just what your made of!" The familiar sound of Ash's voice called out to her. Looking around, all members of both teams were surprised to see Ash down in the front row of the stands covered in sweat and heaving for air. "You said you were going to win, so show him just what it means to mess with you! There's no need to worry about it at all, I'm sure you'll find a way!"

"So he made it after all," Trip muttered to himself with a slight smile on his face before looking back at the field.

"Ash is right, there's no need or no time to worry right now. As long as Quilava and I stay focused we should be able to win easily," Dawn reassured herself before she gave a thumbs up in Ash's direction, signaling that she got his message fine and clear. "To think I was starting to doubt my chances right now... Alright, Quilava, time to wait it out!"

"Huh? Why would you keep yourself trapped like that? It doesn't add up, but if you're hoping to lose I'll end this swiftly for you! Liepard, Night Slash!" Hugh called out as his partner dashed forward with his glowing claws.

"Now, Quilava, Smokescreen!" Dawn called out as she could have sworn she heard Hugh cry out in confusion. As the Volcano Pokémon released his dark fumes, the entire area was impossible to see as Liepard missed his mark and struck the mountain instead.

"Don't stop there! How about a combination move!" Dawn issued as she threw an open palm forward. "Use Swift and then aim a Flamethrower at them!"

"Quilava, lava," the Fire-Type replied as the golden stars emerged from his mouth only for flames to then follow right behind them as the two attacks merged and created flaming stars. Slicing through the Smokescreen, the attack left behind a trail of light, giving Quilava a straight path to Liepard that which he could see with.

"Now, Flame Wheel!" Dawn commanded as the Fire-Type took off immediately. The duo seemed energized now as they took control of the battle as Quilava slammed hard into Liepard and sent him flying up onto the mountain.

"Come on, Liepard, I know we can take them," Hugh reassured his partner as the Cruel Pokémon got up slowly from the previous assault. Looking down the mountain, both Hugh and Liepard were surprised to see Quilava rolling right for them. "Now's our chance, Hyper Beam! Give it everything you've got, Liepard!" Charging up the powerful blast, Liepard whipped his head around before launching the attack right at the approaching Quilava.

"Stop now, Quilava! And then jump over the Hyper Beam!" Dawn countered as Quilava stopped rolling and instead stood across from his opponent as the blast soared right at him. Waiting for the blast, Quilava easily jumped over the attack before landing safely.

"Hmph...guess I got played big time. Congratulations, Dawn, you proved me wrong," Hugh muttered as he placed his hands back in his pockets and watched on as Quilava stared down Liepard.

"Alright, let's end this now! Flamethrower, Quilava!" Dawn commanded as the Fire-Type attack roared from Quilava's mouth and slammed into Liepard, knocking the Pokémon off of the mountain.

Landing on the ground, Liepard was knocked unconscious as the referee made the call. "Liepard is unable to battle! The winner is Quilava and Team Champions have earned their second point, thus awarding them this victory!"

"That does it folks, Team Champions has won their first match of this tournament and in doing so has caused a six way tie for first after two days. How the rest of the tournament will shape up is anyone's guess, but tune in tomorrow to see!" Freddy told everyone as both trainers left the field as it was lowered down below the stadium.

"Alright, you did it, guys!" Ash called out as he jumped down onto the stadium floor and ran over to Trip and Dawn. "You two managed to pull through big time today... And, Trip..." Ash began to say, pausing only to shift the weight of his backpack. "Y-You were right. I should have trusted you two to be able to pull off a win. I was just in the wrong state of mind this morning and I'm sorry, to both of you."

"Well next time you should listen to us more," Trip joked as the three of them walked away from the field section and out towards their locker room. "You're not the only one who can manage a win after all."

"I just wonder who we'll face tomorrow..." Ash muttered as he threw his hands behind his head, Pikachu nodding in agreement. "But whoever it is, I'm sure we'll do fine."


"I-I can't believe I actually convinced her to come with me. Granted, I had to plead with her but it was worth it. I can't be seen alone by Silver, the guy would chew me out," Nate thought to himself as he looked over at Serena. The girl appeared to be silent now as she walked alongside him with an ice cream in her hand. "I mean, I had told him yesterday that we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves and then I go and win two battles. One of which was against Alain. And Silver is not someone I want to be on bad terms with."

"So," Nate began to say out loud as they took a stroll down the street. "Are you enjoying the evening, Serena? I hope everything has been perfect for you."

"Oh, uh yes, it's been real nice tonight, Nate," Serena replied as she looked around the area they were in. A lot of vendors appeared to be set up here as she glanced at what they had. "Though, I would have preferred to watch the next battle."

"You'll be able to see plenty of battles with three days in the tournament remaining Serena. But how many times can you be treated by me?" Nate asked as he got back into character and wrapped an arm around her. "I mean, look at how much fun we're having right now."

"Yeah...fun..." Serena muttered as she drifted her eyes away from Nate. "Though, you know what would be really fun? Maybe going to find the others. I think they would enjoy all this fun as well."

"I don't think so, Serena," Nate replied as they turned a corner. Pulling her closer to himself, Nate quickly looked around the area and saw no signs of Silver at all to his pleasure. "You remember what you said. Just the two of us."

Serena sighed at that, knowing full well that Nate wasn't going to end this any time soon. However, to her luck, she noticed someone up ahead and immediately ran to them. "Shauna!" Serena cried out as the two girls clasped their hands together as the two boys stood off to the side as Nate walked up to them. "I've been looking for you since the tournament began, where have you been?"

"Well, Tierno, Trevor and myself were all placed onto the same team which we thought was pure luck and good fortune for us. Especially with Trevor's new secret trump card," Shauna began to explain as she scratched the side of her cheek. "However, we ran into a few problems."

"A few is an understatement," Tierno interrupted as Shauna glared at him for butting in on the conversation. Not picking up on her cue, Tierno continued on. "I mean, we ran into a handful of teams right from the start and it seemed like no matter where we went they were waiting."

"So, what happened exactly to knock you out of the tournament?" Nate asked as he wanted to get right to the point. He didn't like staying in one spot for too long, at least not at this point in time with him hiding from Silver.

"Well, we were attacked by this really strong trainer who appeared all by himself," Trevor joined in as Shauna glared at him as well. "We thought it would be easy since it was a three -on-one but even with all three of us battling together, he beat us easily."

"What!? One trainer took all three of you down at once?" Serena asked as she couldn't believe it. How could one trainer be able to take down two of the strongest trainers she knew and one of the best Performers she knew. "What exactly happened?"

"Well, he kind of just overwhelmed us," Shauna explained sadly as the two boys nodded in agreement. "We never got his name, but he had this red hair and was using a Feraligatr that was super strong. It was so strong, it took Ivysaur down in just one hit and soon after that, both Charizard and Blastoise were defeated. The guy was something else."

"I think I know exactly who they're talking about..." Nate thought to himself while a few drops of sweat rolled down his neck. He wondered just how many more people Silver had shown some of his true strength off to.

"It was disappointing, but we all agreed it was still fun even if we hadn't advanced. But now we're all rooting for you and the others, Serena," Trevor picked up the conversation as he watched Tierno spin a little before getting on one knee.

"But of course I'll be cheering you on the most, Serena," Tierno said as he grabbed her hand and held it within his own. "I just know you've got what it takes to win this entire tournament…. Owwwww!"

"And I have what it takes to keep you under control," Shauna taunted as she dragged Tierno backwards by his ear. "How many times are we going to have to go over this? You can't approach someone like that, Tierno," Shauna playfully teased him as she let go of his ear and looked at Serena. "Say, why don't we leave the boys to their own thing. I'm sure us two girls can find something to do on our own. And if not, we can just head back to the Trainer's Village."

"Well... uh, you see," Serena began to say as Nate nudged her. Looking at the boy, she realized that he was signaling for her to go ahead. Mouthing a "thank you" to the boy, she quickly joined Shauna as the two made their way off. The three boys watched on as their two friends continued off to who knew where but they didn't seem to mind.

"Yeah...you two seem like nice guys, but I just remembered I had to be somewhere," Nate responded as he looked at a nearby clock. In his fear of Silver, the young International Policeman had forgotten to meet up with everyone to get an understanding of the entire situation. "If you'll excuse me." And with that Nate was off as he made his way back to the designated meeting spot. As he walked by the vendors and their stalls, Nate could see quite a few of the competitors as Ash seemed to be with his usual friends, though Trip had joined them for tonight and Team Victory seemed to be eating dinner in silence at a nearby restaurant. Nate had a feeling that had to do with their loss today.

"Either way Silver was going to kill me today. I just wasted Serena's time tonight...she probably would have wanted to spend it with her friends," Nate muttered to himself as he felt someone watching him. Paying no attention to the familiar stare, Nate continued on until he was at the familiar apartment he had visited a few times prior on his own.

"So, what was that all about?" Silver's voice asked as he looked at the boy standing at the front door. Both boys stared at each other as neither said a word following Silver's statement.

"Well...I... I might have been caught up in the moment," Nate answered truthfully as Silver just continued to stare. "Dewott wanted to battle and win so I went all out against them only to realize it after the first match was already over."

"And all of that after you told me to tone it back," Silver replied in an indifferent tone before he opened the door. It was at that moment the boy realized this would be the first time they would all be in the same place and wondered just how it would go. Walking inside, Silver held the door open long enough for Nate to follow in behind him before they locked it all up.

"Ah good, you two were able to make it," Looker stated as the duo sat down at the dining room table he was at. "I was unsure if you would be able to get away from your teams, but now let's get down to business. Michael won't be joining us, instead he's working on something else completely. He's busy gathering intel on a possible attack date so we mustn't blow his cover at all."

"The goof should be more than capable when it comes to that," Silver replied as he pulled out a few packets of information he had gathered during his time at Team Rocket's base. Laying it across the table, his two acquaintances looked them over with an eye for detail. "Now that we have some gathered intel, let's start talking."


"Here's to our first victories, everyone!" Ash cried out happily as he raised a glass. Following their win, Ash had decided it was a good idea for them to all go out to celebrate, but also invited others. Sitting with them right now were not only Trip and Dawn but also the likes of Bonnie, Clemont and Brock. They had also invited Sawyer and Janine, but they declined so that they could get ready for tomorrow. "Starting tomorrow, you all better watch out because we'll be coming for each and everyone one of you."

"Turn it down a notch," Trip muttered as he covered his ears. Ash had to admit, he was surprised that Trip agreed to come since he was usually by himself outside of the matches. But he was a welcomed addition to their small group. "I think the people from across the restaurant can hear you."

"Come on, Trip, lighten up a bit," Ash taunted him as he threw an arm over the Unova native's shoulder. "You deserve to celebrate a little, you're plan for Dawn helped us win. Without it we might not have stood a chance at the end."

"Well, you don't have to announce it to the whole world," Trip countered as he sat there quietly as the others chatted away. "Though, for tomorrow, I think it would be best if you and Dawn battled, Ash."

"Huh, you don't want to battle tomorrow, Trip?" Dawn asked as she felt his forehead. "Are you feeling alright, you've always been up for a battle since the tournament began."

"I understand that, but if I battle every day, then the others will find flaws in how I battle and will be able to exert them to their success. I'd rather take a seat if it means helping us in the long scheme of things."

"I just wonder who we'll face off against. There are only three teams remaining we haven't seen. The odds of facing a friend are pretty high," Dawn mused as Piplup jumped onto the table and knocked her drink over. "Oh, Piplup you need to be more careful. Look at what you've done now."

"Pippiplup," the Penguin Pokémon chirped out disappointedly as he tried to wipe the spilled drink up, only to fail at that.

"It's alright, Piplup," Dawn told her partner as she placed Piplup in her arms and stood up. "We'll just go and get some more napkins to wipe it all up. You just need to be more careful from now on. You can't go spilling everything," she explained before standing up. Making her way across the street to the vendor, Dawn noticed Gary sitting by himself in the park.

"Huh? Why's Gary all by himself? Shouldn't he be with his team right now?" She asked Piplup as the Water-Type shrugged in response. "I wonder what he's doing. You think we should go check it out?"

"Piplup, lup pip," Piplup replied in agreement as the duo made their way over towards the park. They noticed that a park of it was all torn up, but decided that it wasn't important at that point in time and instead continued towards Gary.

"Hey, Gary," Dawn said softly as the researcher turned to look at her. "How come you're all alone out here? Shouldn't you be with your team? Or at the very least over with Ash and the others?"

"I'm not really in the mood for anything like that right now. I've just got a lot on my mind," he replied while moving over on the bench so that she could sit as well. "Just a lot of questions I have about everything that's happened and where it will lead me."

Dawn seemed slightly confused by this as she looked at the researcher. "How so?"

"Well, today was just one of the things that's been having me think lately," Gary answered as he looked up at the night sky. "Just, thinking back to it, Ash and I were always equals and yet now he's surpassed me big time. He even managed to win a League now. And myself, well I'm still toying around with being a researcher. I haven't found one specific field of study and even my studies with Professor Rowan feel to be going nowhere sometimes. I guess... I guess what I'm saying is that I'm unsure if I made the right choice for my path. Seeing Nate beat me today really made me question my decision. If I had never retired from being a trainer, would I still be Ash's equal or would I now be in his shadow? It's stuff like that that has me thinking."

"I understand where you're coming from, Gary," Dawn replied as Piplup sat between the two trainers happily. "My mom is a Top Coordinator and my entire life that's all I've ever dreamed of becoming. Yet, when I first started out there was a thought in my head where I wondered if I would ever be good enough. If I could ever get out from my mom's shadow. And I did, I worked hard and put in the effort. Now...now I'm so close to my goal as I finished in the top four in the Grand Festival in Johto and now have four ribbons for Kanto. There was even a time where I thought of giving up due to my failures yet I kept going. And...and I know if you keep going at whatever you want to do, you'll reach it eventually."

"Thanks, Dawn," Gary replied quietly as he cast his eyes over towards the girl. "I may still have questions over my choice all those years ago, but I know one day it'll all pay off. Here, let me thank you with a little something," he said before clearing his throat. "Okay, I just thought of it now so hopefully it's good. Dreams. Hard and tall, just like a wall. Yet, when you reach the top, you've finally made it or so it seems..." he trailed off at the end as he rubbed the back of his head. "I usually leave the poems to gramps, but it was the least I could do."

"It was beautiful, Gary," Dawn stated as the boy now let out a nervous chuckle from the praise. "But, why don't you come back and join us? You know everyone would enjoy having you there."

"I know, but for now I just want to sit and think to myself," Gary replied as Dawn nodded in agreement before grabbing Piplup. Leaving Gary to how he was before, Dawn made her way slowly back over to her friends. She knew that she was nearby once she could hear everyone talking once more and could only smile at their antics.

"There you are, Dawn," Ash replied as he waved her over. "You missed them announcing the matchups for tomorrow."

"Wait, where's Trip?" Dawn asked as she realized the seat next to Ash was now unoccupied. "Did he leave to grab some more food?"

"He said we were getting 'too wild' for him," Bonnie answered as she let out a light yawn. "He told us he would be resting in his room if we needed him."

"And I think that's a good idea for you as well, Bonnie. It's starting to get late now so you should think about heading to bed," Clemont stated as he yawned as well. "I'm also thinking of getting ready myself."

"But I'm not tired, Clemont," Bonnie complained as the duo walked away from the table and back towards the Trainer's Village.

"Those two really care for each other," Dawn remarked as she turned back to Ash. "So, who's facing off against who tomorrow?"

"We're actually the very first match tomorrow against Brock and the other members of Team Heartbreak. Then for the second battle, Team Victory gets to battle Team Strategy and to end it all is a match between Team Lightning and Team Mega," Ash told her as his voice was filled with energy. Dawn could only imagine how in the world Ash planned to sleep tonight.

"All those battles sound like too much fun," Ash continued on as he thought about the teams and their respective members. "Just thinking about it all is getting me excited!"

"Well, perhaps you should burn it off in some way so that you'll fall asleep, Ash," Brock teased as he stood up and pushed his chair in. "I know I plan on doing some late night reading to get me ready for tomorrow. It's been a long time since we last battled."

"Yeah, and this time I won't need sprinklers to win," Ash shot back as the two longtime friends stared at each other, smiles on their faces and a fiery passion for a battle burning inside them.

"Hey, don't leave me out of this you two. Who's to say I don't battle Brock?" Dawn asked the two boys as they both shrugged their shoulders in response before Brock went back towards the Trainer's Village. "Well, Ash, I guess I'm going to call it a night as well. See you in the morning."

"Right, see you in the morning," Ash replied as he was more concentrated on other aspects. For one, how was he going to listen to his dad's advice and listen to these "feelings" that he had according to the man. All he knew was that Serena was special to him. Otherwise he wished it would be easier for him to figure it all out.


And the second round ends in a six way tie for first. And with Team Champions sweeping their match as well, though not without some trouble. With the tournament beginning to enter the back half soon, how it plays out will be anyone's guess. Though, hopefully you'll all enjoy what happens. Not much more happened since otherwise, Nate and Silver met up with Looker and Dawn had a slight talk with Gary.

Also, for those that might have missed it, the matchups for the third round go as follows:

Team Champions vs Team Heartbreak

Team Victory vs Team Strategy

Team Mega vs Team Lightning.

Thank you to everyone who read the chapter and supports this story. Please leave a review letting me know what you enjoyed and how I can improve the story.