The time has come. The grand finale of the Silver Conference tournament, a full 6 on 6 Pokémon battle all in one chapter, and most importantly: no part two. Hard to believe we've come so far. Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon but I do own my OCs.


Chapter 53- Finals vs Allison

Allison walked away confidently as I just stared at her in disbelief. As far as I'm concerned, only Team Rocket scientists previously knew those two terms. Lance and I only know them now because he somehow obtained the papers explaining everything before showing it to me. Nurse Joy in Mahogany Town mentioned a place where Pokémon could be sold outside of Goldenrod City but not a lot of trainers have so much money lying around in a nest egg that they can flat out buy a Pokémon.

Then again, the underground scene must've provided her with all the money she needed to buy those two which in turn explains how she could bet on me. Figuring this out can wait since I have a battle in roughly seven hours. I have to hide the fact that I know all this because I can't get too distracted. But first…

Hey Rui, can you stop by my room around 2? It's the massage thing I told you about earlier I reminded her via text.

Sure! See you then. I found a bench to sit on to take in a few hours of peace here at the Indigo Plateau. Over a two-week span, I've learned so much more than in my other years of existence. Medical jargon that the doctor threw at me will probably be researched when I'm done with this. Win or lose, I want to keep my Pokémon as healthy as possible after what's happened to them in my travels. Eventually I made my way to my room with Rui standing outside.

"Everyone ready this time around?"

"Hope so," I mumbled remembering that Ruby got spooked. "Espeon should go last this time."

"Maybe it's for the best." Another woman got off the elevator carrying two tables to meet us in front of my door.

"Hello. I assume you're the Mitch that Jasmine was talking about? Let's go on in." She set up the tables in the middle of the room then looked at Rui. "Are you with him?"

Rui threw up her hands. "I'm just here to give his Pokémon massages too. I had no idea someone else was coming."

"Ah… I see. Well if he trusts you to handle his Pokémon then so be it. Now I've done some extra research on your team and Gyarados might be a little tougher to work on."

"It's fine," I replied with a blank expression; probably best to leave his tail alone.

"Call out your first two so we can get started." Growlithe and Furret were picked first since they had a tough time against Cory. "Your friend can massage Furret since I don't want to be liable if she gets a burn." Both hopped onto the table before the two ladies went to work.

Growlithe's facial expressions changed every so often as the popping sounds echoed throughout the room. One minute he looked so content while the next one he looked like he was in pain. Eventually he melted into the table while softly humming in pleasure. Rui had an easier time with Furret since its body was essentially a hot dog with limbs which meant less moving around to find tough areas. After both of them were nearly done receiving the massage, they nuzzled each other.

"Oh how cute!" Rui squealed. "How long has this been happening?"

"Not too long actually. They started doing this halfway through my journey out of the blue. You also looked confident when you were working; how do you know where to massage?"

Rui kept her smile. "Whenever Wes caught a Shadow Pokémon that he didn't think he'd use in battle, he would send it to my grandpa in my hometown of Agate Village. The mart there sold colognes that you could rub Pokémon with to help them relax so my grandpa worked with Shadow Pokémon. After Cipher was defeated, both of us went back to Agate to help and Furret was one of the Shadow Pokémon I worked on."

"Did you work on an Ampharos or Gyarados?"

She shook her head. "Unfortunately there was only a Flaaffy." Our masseuse was finally finished with Growlithe.

"That must've been his first massage considering all of the pops I heard; you should do this a little more often if you want to keep their stress down." Sure… because I can just call a masseuse any time I want. Bitch. "So who's next?"

"Ampharos." She was called out while I moved the two from the tables to the bed where they curled up and dozed off. Staying true to her nature, she poked at the padding on the table to test how soft it was. "You know I get nervous whenever you do that outside of a battle, right?" Ampharos just smiled as she maneuvered her way onto the table. I let the professional take care of her as I noticed a sheet of paper on the nightstand. The date on it was from yesterday when I was in Jasmine's room for most of the day. Oops.

Dear Mitch,

Congratulations on getting this far! A few reminders about tomorrow: your match is scheduled for tomorrow at 7:00pm sharp on field one with the roof open. Your press conference before the battle is mandatory and is set for 6:00pm and will end no later than 6:30pm. Also, you are required to attend a meet & greet dinner with our sponsors at 5:00pm inside the stadium's primary luxury suite. Allison will also be on the same schedule as you so both of you will have the same circumstances leading up to the battle. Best of luck tomorrow.

-The Pokémon League

Stupid obligations. "I have to bounce at 4:45 but I don't want to rush anything."

"That's fine," the masseuse answered as if she was in a trance. She continued to work on the electric type until Ampharos was purring with her eyes closed. "I can work on Gyarados outside. Will it sit still for me? They're notorious for being anxious."

I eyed Ampharos. "Oh I think he'll be fine. Come on out buddy!" Gyarados emerged looking very refreshed. "You my friend… are going to get a massage!" He looked confused as I turned to the specialist. "Nothing below the C-52 area if possible. Just let Ampharos talk him into it first; you'll know when to start." All three of them made their way outside to the balcony while I eyed the empty tables. "Let's try this again." Espeon and Umbreon came out looking eagerly at the tables.

"Lie down you two cuties!" Rui exclaimed. This time it was much easier to work on them and neither of them attacked us when we gently dug into their necks. They too nuzzled each other after we were done. "You ever think that it will be more than nuzzling down the road? Especially with those two?"

Little Eevees running around? Huh… "I'll leave it up to them. When she's done out there, I have to get ready for tonight."

Rui gave me a soft hug as soon as the professional walked in and packed up her tables. "We'll be screaming from the sidelines no matter what." Both of them left around 3:15 so I had some time to get organized before the whirlwind of events was set to unfold. I just let the soft snoring of my six Pokémon echo while I prepared their dinner. Sleep well guys. Only 90 minutes before I drag you out of here for the last time.

"Make sure you eat before you go out there. You need to stay focused". I turned to see Espeon's mouth forming a small smile.

Please have chicken parm as the main course.

Being a trainer on a journey with only a backpack of essentials and tent, my wardrobe has always been limited. Unlike the gala, there's probably no rental suit so my best bet was to put on the cleanest short sleeve shirt I had underneath Jasmine's jacket. A little sweat in a potentially crowded room was a small price to pay for concealing the claw marks on my arm to those who didn't watch my presser. Guards were waiting for me inside the lobby entrance along with the hordes of people outside looking for a photo or autograph; I did feel a little bit guilty giving all of them the cold shoulder on my way to the stadium.

The primary luxury suite was nothing like the one we were all in when we got to see Allison take on Lance. Memorabilia from past tournaments lined almost every square inch on each side but the highlight was on the middle of the back wall. A special plaque showed the winners of every single Silver Conference tournament since humans paid homage to the power of Ho-Oh's sacred flames. As expected, Allison's name was the last one on there before a blank space occupied the next spot. No trainer has ever won consecutive championships at the Silver Conference. Mr. Goodshow made his way to the podium to kick off the festivities for about 75 sponsor representatives.

"Hello and thank you all for coming to this sponsor dinner. Without you, the Pokémon League would not be as great as it could be. All of your goods and services provide trainers of all skill levels the chance to make it this far. That being said, the two finalists are in our midst with their fighting spirit behind them. Mitch! Raise your hand for everyone to see." I did at the cost of feeling uncomfortable. "And now where is Miss Allison?" Her hand went up on the other side of the room. "Splendid! If you bump into them in the next hour, give them your support. Now let's eat!"

Catering groups brought out their food and placed their dishes on the long line of tables along the back wall starting with salads and soups before moving on to main dishes then ending with desserts. Letting everyone else get in line seemed like a reasonable thing to do since I wasn't hungry. Instead, I sat in a padded seat facing the eternal flame wondering how to approach the battle. Six feet thumped behind me 45 minutes later followed by a voice.

"You should get somthin' to eat mister!" Only a certain group of people I know speak like that.

"Hey Nick! How's it going?" Nick, Laura, and Marybeth sat in the same row as me in their most formal attire. Nick wore a long sleeve plaid shirt with a Miltank bolo and black work pants while his wife wore a white dress and white sun hat. Marybeth had the same style as her grandmother except her color was a pastel yellow.

"Fine! Farm's bein' takin' care of while we're here."

"I didn't know you guys had that much of an impact since you were struggling with getting a milk stand in the Olivine market."

"We were a little short around that time," Laura answered. "You helped us sell a lot more after the market was over though haha! Now they tell everyone about us before battles here too."

"Uh huh! And now the nice people invited us here and are help on the farm too," Marybeth added. "Come on Mitch, get some food. Pleeeeeease? It's really good!" Oh how I wish I was a child again.

"What should I get?" I playfully asked.

"Everything!"

I smiled. "I'll try to!" Small children are funny not because they try to be, but because they're just honest and innocent. It sucks that everyone grows out of that stage at some point.

Luckily for me, I could take two plates down the line. Salad for the appetizer, steak and mashed potatoes for my main dish, cookies for the dessert, water to drink, but no chicken parm. However, I took some chicken fingers and pasta sauce from earlier in the line along with grated cheese to make my own "poor man's" version. All four of us just talked about life while we ate until Marybeth had to go to the bathroom and couldn't find it so Laura excused herself too. A few other sponsors walked by to wish me luck, but it felt like they were forced into it by their PR departments. Don't really have a problem with it either since I didn't even want to be here. As it got closer to 5:45, Nick offered me some advice.

"Son… trust your gut out there. You didn't get here on just luck alone." He's right. None of my badges were handed to me. None of my wins here were handed to me. "Marybeth wanted you to have this." He pulled out the Growlithe doll I got her after their Growlithe was sent to the hospital in Olivine. "She thinks it'd make a nice good luck charm since you got it for her. She'd sleep with it every night that our Growlithe was in the hospital."

I stared at it analyzing how worn out it was; discolored in a few spots from the tear stains. "I'll have it next to me the whole time." The guards that helped bring me over here told me that I had to get to my press conference. "Tell Marybeth that she was right; the food was delicious."

More people were hollering for me as I was escorted to the side entrance. By this time, the gates had opened and people were just starting to file in. A Ponyta had made its way through the commotion and came up to me. The agents had their hands at the ready to call out their Pokémon until I told them to ease up as it sniffed around my belt before releasing Umbreon from its ball. Umbreon looked excited to see it.

"Hold on… you're that one from Mount Silver aren't you?" Ponyta nodded. "Well I don't know what you want, but I can't take you into battle with me." It shook its head as if I guessed its motives wrong. "I think I have an idea on why you're here." I pulled out my phone to make a call. "Hey Carly. Carly! Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear. We're in the VIP line right now. Something wrong?"

"Not wrong. A Ponyta came up to me and I want you watch it while I battle."

"Is it wild!? What if doesn't obey me?"

Umbreon gave me a look mixed of pleading and seriousness after he overheard her. "It won't. Can you do me this one favor? You're the fire type expert."

"Of course! I did day that I'd be here to help. Where do you want me to pick it up?"

"Side entrance in five minutes if you can. I have to be," *click*. She hung up on me then appeared about 30 seconds later breathing heavily. "You didn't have to push it that much. Anyway, I'll tell you the story about this thing later. Guys, thanks for your help getting me here. Now I want you to make sure my friend doesn't get bothered with too many questions about this Ponyta when she's in the VIP area. Is that okay or am I asking too much? Be honest."

"That's not unreasonable for us to do," one of them relayed back to me.

"Prefect! I have to go in there now. Return now Umbreon!" His smile was beaming as he went back into the ball; guess his friend showed up to watch.

Ashley took me through the double doors to a room filled to the brim with media personnel yet again. I asked her if I could give an opening statement; she said it was okay if I didn't walk out immediately afterward. I stood at the podium and the room went silent.

"Before we start, I just want to open with a statement. My Pokémon and I got here by putting our blood, sweat, tears, heart, mind, and soul into our battles. Every fight was with 100% effort, win or lose. We did so much work for this one moment and now everyone's banged up because of it… they don't care though. I know that they'll risk nothing short of their life for me and they know that I'll risk everything for them. First question."


A clear, 70-degree Fahrenheit night with a waxing gibbous moon were the first two things I noticed as I waited in the tunnel. I then looked up in the stands to see where my friends were and then I looked for Jasmine. Mild gusts of wind occasionally made their way across the field but it'd have no serious impact on the battle. Both our trainers' boxes were painted different colors sporting different patterns and advertisements for more fanfare. The PA announcer ran through the mandatory list of things to say before introducing us; I couldn't hold back a smile as he mentioned the Moomoo Milk farm.

"Lllllllladies and Gentlemen! Tonight we have the finals of the Silver Conference! This trainer hails from Violet City. He's gotten this far on only six registered Pokémon. Every single battle by this trainer has been a grind-it-out type of battle except his last match where he recorded the first 6-0 in Pokémon League history. In the blue corner… Mitch!" The crowd got to its feet as cheers came from all 50,000 people; I knew that having intro music was a dumb idea. I snuck a peek to the VIP box area and my friends were there screaming in support with the Ponyta.

"Mitch! Mitch! Mitch! Mitch," the crowd yelled in sync as I took my place in the blue box. Adrenaline made me start hopping in place as the lights dimmed and an instrumental CD track played softly.

"This trainer has won every single match here in convincing fashion. Not a single trainer has found a way to gain an edge for any given length of time. The reigning champion of the Silver Conference, the star from New Bark Town. Ladies and gentlemen, in the red corner… Allison!" Trumpets rose to a crescendo as an electronic keyboard melody followed on the CD. She walked out with her head held high waving to the audience as the referee ordered us to the center. "Now the referee will go over the rules."

Our referee moved to midfield and had an earpiece microphone. "Congratulations to you two for getting here. This will be a full Pokémon battle with both sides being able to substitute freely. A halftime period will be granted when one trainer has knocked out three of the other's Pokémon. The battle is over when all six of one trainer's Pokémon are deemed unable to battle. A few more notes: no running onto the field until the battle is over, halftime is 15 minutes long, and all my decisions are final. In the event of a tie, the match will be rescheduled 24 hours from the end time of this match. Any questions?"

I took off my jacket and tossed it aside; a few gasps were uttered at the sight of the claw marks. The Growlithe doll would be placed by my right foot once I got back to my box just like I said I'd do. "No sir."

"Nope." Cheering nearly drowned out the referee's instructions.

"Then let's get going." Allison extended her hand and put on a fake smile. I could easily walk away knowing how terrible of a person she is while feeling no shame. On the other hand, it is a respectful gesture and it'd be better for me to keep my promise to Jasmine by shaking it since Allison is showing an ounce of sportsmanship; Allison looked surprised when I shook it before returning to our boxes.

"Allison in the red corner, toss out your first Pokémon." It was odd that she'd be the first one to start since the reigning champion should have the advantage.

"I choose Scizor!" No surprise since it was the measuring stick she used.

"I choose Growlithe!" He was a little intimidated at the noise but shook it off to stand tall. "Looks like the stage is set."

"Scizor versus Growlithe. Begin!"

"Scizor, return!" I knew she wasn't that stupid. "Gyarados!"

She wants to play the type advantage game huh? "Growlithe get back! Ampharos!"

Allison pulled out its ball. "Come back! Go Ursaring!" The referee hadn't even gotten a chance to announce the previous matchup but he raised the flags. "Slash!" Ursaring sprinted straight ahead with its right claw glowing.

"Counter with Thunder Wave!" Weak bolts of electricity surrounded it but it still swung its arm around to land a powerful hit. "Discharge!" Ursaring was too close to jump out of the field of electricity that Ampharos let out.

"Slash!" It didn't seem to feel any pain as it charged again.

"Discharge!" Again, it took a heavy hit. "Charge in with Thunderpunch!" Ampharos threw a nasty uppercut that sent Ursaring staggering.

"Slash attack!" It went down to one knee from the paralysis. "Quick, rest it off!" It lied on its stomach to recover all the damage.

"Don't let up! Wail on it!" She charged in to punch it as much as she could before it woke up.

"Got you now! Wake up and use Thrash!" Ursaring threw its body into Ampharos and returned the favor by punching her wildly.

"Zap it off you!" She let out another Discharge which sent it back.

"Rest again!" It ran around the field aimlessly before slamming into the side wall from the confusion it suffered.

The referee ran over to its side to check but it was clear from my point of view. "Ursaring is unable to battle. Ampharos wins!" Allison didn't seem too worried about losing one of the heaviest hitters in Johto.

"That was good Mitch. Both of us got something out of that round but I think I ended up with the better result if you know what I mean." There's no way she bet on the entire sequence happening, did she? If she did, then she's assuming I'll be smart about how I battle which means I'll be dumb. No! If I make poor decisions, then I'll lose and she gets another shot at the Elite Four and the prize money. Fuck it, I'm going for the win.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night. Ampharos come back. Espeon!"

"Gyarados!"

"Shit! I can't use Ampharos now; she needs to rest. Are you okay to go?"

Ruby looked back at me. "I'm fine. The machine did its job."

"Okay Gyarados, Hyper Beam!" The large blast came in faster than I thought.

"Jump and use Psybeam!" Her timing of the jump made it so the beam missed but she was still off balance when Psybeam was fired; the attack grazed it. "Psychic!" Picking it up wasn't going to work so she fired a ball of energy instead for a solid hit.

"Hyper Beam again! Sweep away!" Gyarados fired the move while moving its head side to side. Ruby tried to dodge but couldn't escape the blast. When the smoke cleared, she was unconscious.

"Espeon is unable to battle. Gyarados wins!"

"Are you okay Ruby!? Ruby!?"

She opened her eyes and began to crawl back to me. "… I… failed… just… like… Cianwood," she panted.

It still made me upset that Sara messed her thinking up this bad. "No you didn't! I knew how to handle Chuck after you went down and now I know how to handle this Gyarados. Take a good rest."

"Wait!" she scooted over faster before falling asleep at my feet. "Now you can call me back."

I gently pet her head then called her back "Well deserved." Our referee looked impatient with how long I was taking, but I already had a plan. "I'll fight fire with fire." My own Gyarados let out a series of grunts while looking back at me as if it was trying to tell me something. Was hers stronger than mine? But he's never intimidated, not even in the face of electric types.

"So you're relying on your imperfect MA-01 to take down my perfected MA-06?" That bitch! Now I know she wasn't kidding about getting Pokémon from Team Rocket.

"Yours still isn't perfect. Trust me."

"Is that so? Thrash attack!"

No way was I going to let that get too close without a defense. "Hydro Pump!" The wall of water kept it at bay as Allison's beast couldn't break through. "Again!" Unfortunately the attack failed to hit its target and my own Gyarados eventually got slammed.

"Keep thrashing!" I bided my time until just the right moment.

"Ice Fang! Bite that tail with as much force as you can!" Ice fang was a move that I rarely used considering it was weaker than the other three, but it threw Allison for a loop when it bit down hard into the opposing Gyarados' tail once it got near its face.

"Get it off with Hyper Beam!" The move failed to hit my Pokémon by veering off into the sky in its panicked state.

"Let go then finish it with your own!"

"Dodge!" Allison's Gyarados tried to move but its tail had gone limp. The lack of mobility made my attack land and sent her Gyarados toppling to the ground with a loud thud and dust kicking up.

"Allison's Gyarados is unable to battle. Mitch's Gyarados wins!"

"…but how?"

I shook my head. "Imperfect… just like mine. The only difference is that I knew its weak point." I waved over to the referee and told him to get a medic. "By the way, it may never battle at 100% again. It's currently paralyzed from the bite point down." An ambulance rushed onto the field and the official ordered her to call back Gyarados so the transport would be easier.

"So this is how it's going to be?" Allison mumbled. "Okay… I'll play along in your game." She's mentally stronger than Sara so intentionally hurting my Pokémon while still focusing on winning is a deadly combination.

"I hope that was money well spent. This isn't a game either. If you hadn't opened your mouth to get inside my head, none of this would've happened. Gyarados, return." She's going to go for the tail next time I use him so keeping him safe for as long as possible would be best. "Come on out Growlithe!"

Her hand slowly moved to her next choice once her Gyarados was taken away. "Raichu!" Both flags went up. "Double Team!" Copies of the mouse Pokémon appeared all over the field.

"Keep calm buddy! Sweeping Flamethrower!" Growlithe's head moved to hit the real one but Allison was a step ahead.

"Slam!" Poor Growlithe didn't see it coming from behind and got smacked with its tail. "Now use Agility!"

"Flame Wheel! Wait for it to come to you!"

"Don't stop!" Growlithe's Flame Wheel acted as a shield while Raichu kept running around until it got tired.

"Now ram into it!" He charged ahead to nail it in the stomach. "Flamethrower!"

"Thunderbolt!" Both attacks collided at midfield. "Agility into Slam!"

"Take Down!" Raichu's added speed made its attack hit harder and Growlithe was tossed to the ground in front of Allison with his eyes closed.

"Growlithe is unable to battle. Raichu wins!" He opened his eyes and staggered the length of the field before rubbing my leg; I returned the favor by petting him everywhere.

Finding the strength to walk back to me twice… and I think everyone else left is going to follow suit. "Very good, boy! You set us up for success. Get some rest now." I turned to the tear-stained toy as a reminder to keep pushing. Raichu is a threat with its speed now that Ruby can't battle; gotta take a risk here on Raichu's abysmal defense. "Gyarados!" It stared down the electric mouse while growling. "It's been awhile since I had you against an electric type but I need every ounce of your power. Up for the challenge?" He nodded while still eyeing his target.

"I knew you'd crack eventually Mitch," Allison jeered. "Pressure getting to you?" She's right for a change; we're almost to halftime and it's 4-4 but she's only revealed Scizor as an alternate option.

"Not at all." That was a lie. "My plan's pretty solid here." That wasn't a lie.

"Raichu versus Gyarados. Begin!"

Allison pointed to the clear night sky. "Thunderbolt! Fry it to a crisp!" Gyarados and I knew what was coming; he gave me a nod sensing my plan. I was hesitant to let him take the hit, but Gyarados' quirk is going to come in handy.

"Hyper Beam! Cover the field!" After taking the hit to get his adrenaline pumping, the Hyper Beams fired couldn't be dodged and Raichu stood no chance to fight after Growlithe weakened it. Gyarados roared as the rush left his body and he fell with his head facing me and was twitching.

"Raichu and Gyarados are unable to battle. The round is a draw!" The crowd roared in appreciation as the scoreboard started a timer to signal the break.

"Watch out for the tail Raichu!" It had gotten up and slammed its tail into Gyarados' while it was twitching. The plan to send out Gyarados on Raichu was twofold: knock it out with a powerful Hyper Beam and a little poke from a Raichu's tail isn't going to shatter its spine unlike Scizor's claws. Nice try bitch; he lives to fight another day. Arguing with the referee wasn't going to do me any good so I just walked back to my corner to plan how I was going to win.

As it stands, we're tied at 3-3 with one extra Pokémon revealed. Allison has a healthy Scizor plus two mystery Pokémon while I have a weakened Ampharos plus a healthy Umbreon and healthy Furret. Lying in wait potentially are: Misdreavus, Houndoom, Dugtrio, Exeggutor, Crobat. Based on only the mystery Pokémon, Umbreon is my best chance since it can take a few hits and poison everyone except Crobat. Furret struggles with Misdreavus yet handles everyone else just fine. Ampharos is a nuisance to all except Dugtrio which works in my favor if I can paralyze something.

"Let's get going," the referee yelled over. I snuck a peek at my friends to see if they were enjoying the battle; they looked like they were enjoying. Another scan saw Nick nodding while every gym leader remained emotionless. Only Lance was absent from what I guessed was the executive suite. "Blue corner, send out your Pokémon."

"Ampharos!" Something's going to get paralyzed.

"Sorry to bust your bubble, but it's not going to be doing anything. Dugtrio!" Wanting to avoid being interrupted like last time, the referee signaled for the battle immediately. "Slash!"

"Dodge and use Cotton Spore!" It moved across the field to hit Ampharos as she sent the sent the cotton balls to Dugtrio; she's done her job. "Come back!"

"Oh no you don't. Pursuit!" Dugtrio rammed into her so hard that she moved out of the red laser's line. "Fissure," she coldly ordered. Our field had split in two as Ampharos fell between the four-foot-deep crack before being sent back to the surface covered in rubble. She only made it halfway to me before she couldn't move anymore.

Talk about responding after Allison made a statement of her own. "It's okay girl; just stop there. I don't want you to hurt yourself anymore!"

"Ampharos is unable to battle. Dugtrio wins!"

"Return Ampharos." I stared at Allison. "Pursuit? Really?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Got it from breeding with a Raticate. Nothing wrong with that." I'll give her that one. "I'm going to enjoy sending your Pokémon into more fissures." Again with the trash talking. She should've placed a bet on how much of that she'd be doing.

"Furret!" Her speed is better than Umbreon's so it's my best shot to keep up with a slower Dugtrio.

"Furret versus Dugtrio. Begin!"

"Underground now Dugtrio!"

"You too Furret!" Bits of the field popped up as the two were trying to find each other deep underground.

Allison flashed an evil smile. "Fissure!"

"Furret, up to the surface and use Quick Attack to jump!" It was a long shot but Furret's speed combined with the soft ground made it easy to come back to the top, find a place to set her feet, and jump as high as she could to avoid the deadly move.

"Slash when it comes down!" It popped up and waited patiently for her to land.

"Iron Tail!" Her tail lit up despite her awkward position and she put enough power to where Dugtrio had to shake the cobwebs off. "Dig away girl!" She looked confused but went for it anyway.

"Follow that damn Furret then Slash away!" Allison was getting more intense; she's sounding like she wants to only injure my Pokémon and losing focus. More divots formed as the two chased each other until Furret popped out.

"Go back in the hole and use Return!" With all the carving they did underground, she had more room to maneuver and loose dirt soon came out of all the holes. "Quick Attack to send it up for the judge for me please." Dugtrio's heads popped out of the hole with eyes closed.

"Dugtrio is unable to battle. Furret wins!" Allison blew it big time with her Dugtrio. She should've switched it out to get its speed back but I'll take it. Gotta love it when people forget how to battle. Luckily for me, I made the decision to win instead of trying to circumvent her betting choices very early in this battle.

"Oh my… it's been a long time since I've been pushed into a corner. I still have two my Pokémon that have been with me the longest. Let me introduce you to Houndoom!" The ref signaled the start of the round as I showed no signs of subbing out Furret. "Crunch!"

No way was I going to let that thing bite down to her bones. "Iron Tail! Break its teeth!" Her tail swung and missed as it ducked on the initial hit; it bit her still glowing tail and she definitely felt it. "Take it for a ride!" Furret was still in pain but immediately used Quick Attack to get it off.

"Use Flamethrower!" Flames engulfed her and she sustained a burn.

"Hurry and go underground!" Hopefully the lack of oxygen smothered it.

Allison was getting impatient. "Smog! Get it to the surface!" Smoking it out of the hole was something that I had no defense for and she popped out immediately. "Charge in with Faint Attack!" Furret was sent in front of me.

Furret could still be good against Scizor since she still has some speed. "Okay Furret… if you've got anything left, use Return. If not, I'll call you back." She snapped up and ran full steam to nail it in the chest.

"That's it! I'm sick of this annoying… thing! Flamethrower!" The force of the attack sent her to my feet unconscious.

"Furret is unable to battle. Houndoom wins!" Just like everyone else, she tried to crawl back even closer to me despite being at my feet when she woke up.

"Get some rest girl. You did more than enough this battle. It's up to Umbreon now." My hand reached for his ball knowing he has so much pressure on him. He was hesitant to come with me knowing he'd lost his previous master in a brutal fashion. He went from wary of me to trusting me. He went from a volatile laboratory environment to a caring one. Most importantly, he went from having nobody to having a full-blown support system where he is accepted and loved. Now it's time for his favorite thing to do: battle.


Mitch's championship battle was nothing short of intense. I had never seen as much skill, finesse, mind games, and quick thinking in a battle. I'm not in Mitch's head so I don't know why he saved me for last. Gyarados has always been the one to finish his battles long before I stumbled into his campsite on that night. My eyes scanned the surrounding area and two things caught my attention.

The first was the giant scoreboard showing I was up against a Houndoom and Scizor of all things. Nobody on our side was in reserve either; I had to do this on my own. Everyone else had done something to put Mitch in a spot to win except me. Now it's my turn to contribute.

The second thing was Mitch's friends in a luxury box. All of them held a nervous look except for the old farmer; he kept a straight face. Red flames came out from behind a girl and the rest of the body followed; a Ponyta. But why was it out of its ball? I'm sure we locked eyes and she winked. Wait… Emily!? How in Arceus' name did she make it here!? Whatever, no time for that. I'm staring down a snarling Houndoom on a mess of a battlefield and the referee just gave the signal to battle.

"Go for Faint Attack Houndoom!" So Mitch's opponent wants a contest of the hardest hitting Faint Attack? She'll get one.

"Toxic!" No Mitch! What the hell!? Well, I trust him so firing the purple blobs at it would make it easier to wear down once they hit. "Charge with your own Faint Attack!" Finally! I ran in only to have my teeth glow and land a weak Bite attack; this cannot be happening. Not now of all times.

"Flamethrower!"

"Get behind it!" I maneuvered around so that I was standing in front of Mitch's opponent.

"Damn Rockets… they did say the experiment could mess it up, but I didn't know to what extent," she mumbled under her breath. Nobody… and I mean nobody mentioned anything of the sort whenever I was battling. Did this person have something to do with me? "Crunch!"

"Quick Attack!" I got lucky this time as I rammed into Houndoom's side. "Faint Attack!" A bit of satisfaction came over me as I leveled it again. It remained on the ground longer that I thought due to poison taking its toll.

"Smog!" The poisonous cloud set my lungs on fire so I ran away to escape further harm. Once I got out, I felt fine and saw Houndoom collapse from my poison.

"Houndoom is unable to battle. Umbreon wins!" Only one Pokémon on each side; I've been waiting for this moment since I was a kit. Mitch's opponent held her last hope in her hand.

"Now that the freak is out here looking a little weak. It's time I put it in its place."

Mitch did not take that very well by the look on his face. "In case you haven't been keeping up, I've been playing to win since the beginning. I'm not scared about your little wager anymore. Now call out your damn Scizor so we can figure out who's going to be immortalized and who's going to go home a loser. It's 1-1 and I'm not playing for a tie."

"Be careful what you wish for. Go Scizor!" The dual type threat emerged without a scratch on it. I wish she had kept it out so Mitch could've landed a hit on it. At least I'll be the one to get that shiny coat dirty.

"Scizor versus Umbreon. Begin!"

"Agility!"

"Keep up with Quick Attack!" It flashed across the uneven battlefield while I tried to hit it or at least keep up with it; damn thing was too fast. "Double Team into Metal Claw!" Multiples of Scizor moved about until one came at me.

"Dark Pulse!" Between the speed it was moving at and the force of my attack, I did some serious damage. "Faint Attack!" Only two steps into my charge, I used Toxic instead. Purple blobs covered it but it just shook the ooze off.

"Scizor can't get poisoned which means you can't stall forever. Now use Metal Claw!"

"Counter with Bite!" Nothing happened as I took its full force hit which made me stumble around. My rings soon started to glow and I felt nearly all my pain go away. If this was a full moon, then we'd be talking but I'll take what I can get.

"Moonlight!? Scizor, use Metal Claw! Keep the pressure on so it doesn't heal!" A barrage of attacks came head on as it was wildly swinging.

"Dark Pulse! Get it away!" My maw had no Dark Pulse to fire and I sprinted ahead with an off balance Quick Attack to chip away at its health.

"Pursuit!" The weak dark type move didn't hurt me too much. "Metal Claw!"

"Grab it with Bite!" Roulette wheel luck had me grabbing one of its claws while the other one struck me a few times. "Quick! Slam it down!" With as much force as I could gather, I flung it to the ground.

"Stand up and use Agility followed by Pursuit! You're better than this freak of a Pokémon!" I guess she doesn't know what happened to the last living thing to call me a freak in the middle of a battle; not like Pinsir's alive to tell her anyway.

"Alright Umbreon, wait it out then go for Dark Pulse," Mitch ordered calmly. This time it tried coming from the side but I was prepared. Unfortunately, my body betrayed me by firing off a Toxic instead.

"Double Team followed by Metal Claw!" No time was wasted as it split into only three and all of them came at me too fast for me to counter.

"Dark Pulse" Mitch quietly ordered. The attack actually came out and forced Scizor to dodge and position itself in front of its master. I took the opportunity to get in front of Mitch.

The girl looked beyond frustrated. "I've think I've had enough of this. Agility into Metal Claw!" I could hope for Moonlight or Mitch better think of a counter since I don't think I can grab a claw at that level of speed.

"Umbreon," he said sternly. "You've worked so hard to stay alive in the face of death. You've worked so hard protecting your mate. You've worked so hard on dealing with all the adversity thrown your way plus getting comfortable on this team. Now I'm going to give you two options: Moonlight or Faint Attack. Pick Moonlight and I'll keep finding a way to win. Pick Faint Attack and I know you'll hit Scizor harder than any other Pokémon you've ever hit before. No matter what you do, we'll find a way to win." With Scizor charging, I crouched down and sprinted ahead with Faint Attack. Just like the hundreds of times before this one, I slightly moved my head so I'd lead with the shoulder.

We made contact at midfield for a split second before I sent the Scizor flying backwards skidding across the ground. I got down on all fours while heavily panting not knowing if I'll be able to stand after the massive hit I took. In the few seconds it took for the ref to assess the situation after the dust cleared, I struggled to get to my feet and stumbled back down. Through all the screaming and gasps in the crowd, I looked around to see Mitch keeping calm before I turned to see Emily pleading with her eyes for me to get up. A second attempt was short lived as I felt too much pain.

"Come on Umbreon!" Mitch screamed now that the attack had successfully landed. "You've worked so hard to get to this point! You're almost at the top Umbreon!" It hit me; Tom's final words just before I was taken away from him. I will always be stronger than my opponent. On the third try, I succeeded in standing up. I howled in a mix of pain and adrenaline for the longest eight seconds of my life to remain standing as the referee made the decision.

"Scizor is unable to battle. Umbreon is the winner! This match goes to Mitch from Violet City!" The crowd erupted as the scoreboard had Mitch's picture in the middle followed by our pictures underneath in the order we came out.

Tom... Quilava... Mitch… I did it. No… we all did it.

We're Silver Conference champions.


I'll admit that it was a tough decision on who would pick up the knockouts on both sides and I forced myself to keep track of the score so that I didn't forget anyone. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and how it flowed. Have a good day and I'll see you all next chapter :)

-W4f