Another sleepless night for Kasumi. While the others were sleeping soundly due to the excitement of the day, she just couldn't. She had a lot on her mind and winning the tournament was at the very top considering the blackmail she was under. Kasumi wandered the beautifully lit Lumiose City, making sure not to stray too far away from the hotel. Finding a bench, she found herself staring up at the sky. It wasn't much longer before Lovrina sat down next to her. "Can't sleep?"
"Oh…hey." Kasumi smiled softly while nodding. "Mhm…the tournament has left me a little antsy. Plus battling you wasn't exactly easy."
"T-That wasn't me…" Lovrina coughed. "Anyway…you shouldn't be out for very long you know."
"I know." Kasumi sighed. "I just wanted some fresh air."
A moment of silence occurred between the two girls before Lovrina spoke again. "Hey so…I have a question. I know this is out of the blue and everything, but…let's say you could be saved with a Time Flute, or something…you know those things are only one-use, right? What if…there was something a little bigger than yourself that needed to be taken care of? Would you want us to help you…or…"
Kasumi didn't have the slightest clue where this question came from, or why Lovrina was asking it. Still, her answer was pretty clear cut nonetheless. "I'd rather you guys put more effort into saving something bigger than me. The world is a much bigger thing than I am, you know? Besides…I don't want you to waste your time with me…."
"…You're pretty selfless." Lovrina tilted her head slightly. "I thought you'd be so sick of things that you'd want to be cured by now…"
"I am sick of it." Kasumi admitted. "Don't get me wrong…I hate all of this. But even I know there are worse things out there with Chiper's activities…it would just be better for you guys to deal with that. I still don't think Venus was the brains behind the operation…but I guess that's just speculation at this point. Say, can I ask you something now?"
"Huh?" What could Kasumi have to ask her?
"Have we…met before…? It feels a little hazy, but I remember seeing you somewhere before…" Kasumi narrowed her eyes while examining Lovrina's face.
"I-I don't think so…." Lovrina proceeded to sweat as Kasumi drew closer. While Kasumi was having trouble defogging the memory, Lovrina remembered clear as day. It was during the beginning research of Shadow Trainers of which Kasumi became the prime test subject. It was Lovrina's research that led to this after all, and now that she'd gotten to know Kasumi as a person…well, she just felt awful about it. "A-Anyway…it's getting late, you know."
"Yeah yeah….I gotta fight Ash again tomorrow. That's going to be tough…" Kasumi sighed once more.
Not too far off, Grace the little eavesdropper was listening in on the conversation. In truth she was just worried about Kasumi, even more so with Lovrina around. But…things seemed to be okay. "…I should get going too…"
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And so, the next morning arrived! The stadium was just as jam packed as it was yesterday for the semifinals! "Good morning Kalos! We are here today for the beginning of the semifinals of the Regional Tournament! After today, there will only be two people left! I know I'm excited!" The host really couldn't get enough of this action. He was really glad this idea didn't fall through like most thought it would.
Malva was at it once again with Team Rocket as her pit crew. "Good morning, everyone! Here live from Lumoise City, the semifinals of the Regional Tournament are about to begin! The semifinalists are Ash, Kasumi, Grace, and Marcus. These four talented trainers will be battling for a spot in the finals!"
"Woohoo!" Takeba dressed up a little extra for the occasion. By that, I mean she was wearing a cheerleading outfit while shaking those pompoms around. …And actual pompoms too. Beside her was…another her. That Ditto of hers also mimicking her actions and cries.
"This is a little….." Serena wasn't quite sure what the word was.
"Disturbing…?" Kayla offered.
"…I don't see the problem here." Lore kept a calm composure, even as Takeba was…well…. bouncing around rather eagerly.
"I don't believe this…" Rui huffed while smacking Lore and Scott in the back of the head's since they were openly staring, even though Takeba didn't seem to notice. She didn't smack Ash, Clemont, or Wes, because they just weren't looking. Ash was just too oblivious, Clemont had to keep Bonnie's eyes safe, and Wes…he just didn't seem to care all that much. "Keep your eyes on the battlefield! Not the…uh…cheerleader!"
"It's kinda hard to do that…when there's four—t-two of them bouncing around like that!" Lovrina huffed while trying to correct her mistake.
"What's going on…?" Ash looked at Clemont. Serena was really glad Ash was as dense as he was strong at this moment.
"Ditto and I go way back, see." Takeba explained. "Doesn't it look just like me!" Both Takeba smiled brightly. "Sometimes I used it to skip class…but you didn't hear that from me."
"I can see the resemblance." Elizabeth leaned in to one of the present Takeba, a sly grin stretching onto her lips. "Ditto's even mastered that somewhat vacant look in your eyes."
"T-That's me…!" Takeba flailed her arms while huffing. Everyone always enjoyed poking fun at her and it got them a laugh too. "You guys are mean…."
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Marcus was waiting on the field, whistling as he spotted Takeba from afar. The big screen may or may not have zoomed in on her for a little bit before the cameras corrected their mistake. "Man…"
"Stop staring!" Grace shouted to catch Marcus' attention. "You're embarrassing yourself! There's more to that girl than her balloons…"
"You sure I'm the one embarrassed?" Marcus pointed at Grace. "Your cheeks are incredibly red right now…"
"That's not the point…" Grace cleared her throat as her cheeks returned to normal. "…What makes it so irritating is the fact I can't even tell if she knows what she's doing or not…"
The field then began to rise from the center. The first field they would be doing battle first was the forest field! Plenty of trees scattered around the area while the referee stood in the center of the field. "This is a full 6 on 6 battle! When one side reaches 3 pokemon, the field will then change. The battle is over when one side's pokemon are unable to battle. Now, send out your pokemon!"
"Right." Grace nodded while tossing her first pokeball up into the air. "Ursaring, let's go!" The capsule opened and the bright white light revealed Ursaring! The bear pokemon yawned while scratching its stomach. Despite lazy appearances this bear was ready to fight.
"Right…" Marcus nodded and tossed his fist pokeball out. "Staraptor, it's all you!" When the capsule opened, Staraptor flapped its wings while letting out a caw. Staraptor's Intimidate would serve useful, slicing Ursaring's physical attack down a stage.
"Grace gets the first move! Battle…begin!" The referee threw his hands down and without further ado, the first battle of the semifinals was set to begin! Marcus vs. Grace: 6 on 6!
"Ursaring, Stone Edge!" Ursaring roared before slamming its fist into the ground. This caused multiple azure stones to rise up sporadically along the forested ground to strike Staraptor.
"Use Steel Wing!" Staraptor flew high into the air, allowing its wings to shine brightly. The avian began to skillfully weave in and out through the rising stones. Any stones that stood in its way were destroyed by its powerful wings! With nothing standing in its way any longer, Staraptor dove right for Ursaring!
"Slash!" Ursaring reared its claws back and extended its arms. Slashing forward, Ursaring clashed with Staraptor's wings while holding its ground, sliding back just slightly from the momentum Staraptor held. "Toss it!" That clash then turned into Grace gaining the initiative, tossing Staraptor onto the ground with force! "Hammer Arm!"
"Get out of there with Quick Attack!" Staraptor fumbled around a bit after it was tossed, but with its speed it managed to dart out of the way just as Ursaring's arm crashed down onto the ground with a tremendous impact! A blue light briefly shone around the bear to show that its speed was lowered after such a move. "Now, attack!" Staraptor flapped its wings before diving down, striking Ursaring from various angles! Ursaring could only stumble in whichever direction Staraptor struck from!
"He's totally in the lead…!" Takeba shook those pompoms – the actual one's mind you – while huffing. She did want Grace to win, but she did admire Marcus' fighting spirit.
"Hm…" Kasumi narrowed her eyes as Ursaring looked seemingly helpless.
Grace didn't usher and command just yet. She just waited for the right moment to strike…and that was when… "Now, use Payback!" Just before Staraptor could strike again, Ursaring slammed its claw into the bird's chest with incredible might! Staraptor found itself flying backwards until it hit a tree!
"Ah…!" And it was then that Marcus realized Grace's plan. Payback's power did double after the user went after the foe. It was almost like Intimidate didn't even come into play with a strike like that. "Are you okay?!"
"Don't let up! Slash!" Ursaring roared once again before sprinting forward as fast as it could, rearing its arm back to finish Staraptor with a fatal Slash!
"Close Combat!" Snapping back into action, Staraptor used its talons to rapidly kick at Ursaring as it slashed! It's abilities were surprisingly adept and the avian flew at a low altitude, aiming rapid kicks at Ursaring who just barely managed to fend anything off! Damage was still being dealt as this assault continued! The final kick did manage in knocking Ursaring off its balance, where the final strike was to come! "Brave Bird!" Wings spread, a fierce blue fiery aura flaring around Staraptor's body as it dove forward and slammed into the unprepared Ursaring! An explosion occurred on impact and Staraptor landed on a tree branch, suffering some recoil as a result.
Ursaring laid on the ground with swirls in its eyes after the Close Combat/Brave Bird combo. "Ursaring is unable to battle! Staraptor is the winner!" That being said, Ursaring's image grayed out on the big screen, leaving Grace with only 5 pokemon left.
"That was awesome!" Ash pumped a fist into the air.
"Hmmm…" Wes was intrigued, of course; purely because he wanted to see if this battle would make or break Grace with the stress imposed on her.
"Thank you, Ursaring." Grace returned Ursaring with a small smile. Overall she was still fine…Marcus was strong, but she was still his senior.
"He must be riding off of his momentum from the previous round." Diantha surmised.
"We're only just getting started." Marcus grinned confidently to Grace while returning Staraptor. "This time…I'm going to beat you! Rapidash, let's go!" Marcus' next pokemon was his trusty Rapidash.
"…I'm afraid I can't let you do that." Grace's expression turned serious and she called out her next pokemon: Electivire. The electric-type allowed lightning to spark around its body as it was battle ready. "Electivire, use Thunder!" Electivire plugged both tails into the ground and released a high voltage bolt of lightning that travelled under the surface, lifting up dirt and sharp rock that sealed off the aerial escape route Bounce provided while the ground was unsafe as well!
"She cut him off…" Scott mumbled.
"Megahorn!" With no choice, Marcus and Rapidash had to risk the ground approach since the air was no longer an open. Rapidash galloped along the grass, grimacing as the lightning gave it a powerful shock to its system. Still, it managed to slam its horn into Electvire's chest to send it skidding backwards.
"Cross Chop!" Digging its feet into the ground, Electvire crossed its arms and lunged forward. Upon reaching Rapidash, the electric type uncrossed its arms to deliver a critical hit across the steed's sternum! The impact was so powerful Rapidash was sent tumbling along the ground before coming to a halt.
"Flamethrower!
"Thunder!
Rapidash recovered quickly and opened its mouth, unleashing a stream of flame towards Electvire. In that instant, Electivire threw its arms forward to counter with a powerful bolt of lightning. The two elements clashed in the center of the field and their meeting ended with an explosion and a cloud of smoke that filled the forest.
"Bounce!" With the air now clear, Rapidash had free reign to take off into the air, firmly landing its hooves onto Electivire's head for a rather fierce impact. Leaping backwards, Rapidash stared onward to see the effects of its attack.
"You must be nervous…" Grace spoke knowingly. "You may have slid past Elizabeth last round, but I absolutely cannot allow you to do that here! Electivire, Earthquake!" Electivire raised its leg before slamming it into the ground. This caused the very earth to tremor in the stadium and Rapidash was unable to keep its footing properly! Although it didn't look like it, damage was surely being dealt and it was super effective at that. "Now, Thunder Punch!" With lightning crackling around its limb, Electvire rushed forward and slammed its fist into Rapidash's face for a resounding impact! Rapidash ended up flying backwards before landing on its side in KO.
"Rapidash is unable to battle! Electvire is the winner!" The referee pointed at Grace. With that, the score was now down to 5-5.
"She made quicker work of that Rapidash than I did…" Elizabeth grumbled.
"Thanks, Rapidash…" Marcus returned Rapidash with a smile. "I knew this was going to be anything but easy…so I guess you could say that. Which is why I hope you'll forgive me for this next move." Marcus' next pokemon was that monster of a Rhyperior! Against Electivire, this matchup should have all but been set in stone.
"Oh?" Grace quirked a brow. "I'm almost insulted you think it's about to be that easy right now. Electivire, Earthquake!" Perhaps this was her pride speaking with the way Marcus spoke to her. Now she just had to show him once again why she was the strongest out of their little trio. Stomping on the ground again, Electivire caused yet another quake that tore the ground asunder! Even though the most was technically super effective on Rhyperior, Solid Rock did its job in ensuring the damage was reduced.
"Delicious. Rock Wrecker!" Rhyperior extended its large arm forward, a boulder slowly forming within its palm. Without any warning, this gigantic boulder was launched towards Electivire at devastating speeds!
"Now's our chance! Dodge it and close the distance with Cross Chop!" Electivire deftly leapt to the side, evading the crushing Rock Wrecker and closed the distance rapidly, preparing to strike with a powerful Cross Chop!
With a sly grin, Marcus issued a single command; "Arm Hammer." Rhyperior slowly lifted up its arm. Once Electivire was in range and prepared to attack, it was quickly struck down by the mighty swing of Rhyperior's incredibly heavy arm! The impact was so strong it caused a tremor on its own, and when the arm was removed Electivire was down for the count.
"Electivire is unable to battle! Rhyperior is the winner!" The referee pointed at Marcus. 5-4.
"Rhyperior's amazing!" Bonnie shouted.
"Talk about a great wall…" Takeba leaned over the railing while her Ditto-self continued to cheer.
"Nice job. Take it easy, okay?" Marcus returned Rhyperior. He was pretty fond of keeping everyone at full strength as best he could.
"Return and take some rest, Electivire." Grace moved her mouth about in an uncertain manner. Why did Marcus have to choose now of all times to be at the top of his game? No, that didn't matter right now. He was going to lose at the end of this battle, that's all that mattered. "Wigglytuff, you're up next!" This was a new face for Grace's team. The Wigglytuff presented waved to the crowd before putting on a rather malicious grin. That Wigglytuff had both Marcus and Kasumi sweating pretty fiercely.
"N-Not the Wigglytuff…." Kasumi shuddered. Clearly everyone else was missing something here.
"Is that thing a shadow pokemon…?" Rui tilted her head but did not detect any trace of shadow energy.
"No…" Kasumi shook her head. "It's just really evil…."
"You monster…" Marcus shivered before shaking the nerves off of him. "Mienshao, help me out here!" Marcus' fourth pokemon was his Mienshao, returning once again from the preliminary rounds earlier! "Swift!" Mienshao created several stars before shooting them all forward towards the supposedly devil Wigglytuff.
"Protect!" A protective barrier formed around Wigglytuff's body, completely shielding it from the Swift with no problems. "Play Rough!" Once the barrier dropped, Wigglytuff scurried across the field and leaped at Mienshao. A comical cloud of smoke formed and Wigglytuff just proceeded to beat the crap out of Mienshao with a series of rough slaps.
"Force Palm!" Mienshao had to get its bearings straight immediately. Mienshao placed its palm upon Wigglytuff's chest and a massive burst of energy shot out, sending the pokemon skidding backwards. The added effect of paralysis plagued the pokemon as well, noted by the sparks dancing around its body.
"Dazzling Gleam!" Wigglytuff grumbled before standing back up. Its body began to shine magnificently before multiple beams of light rained down on Mienshao! Due to tis Fairy typing, the move was just as effective as the last!
"High Jump Kick!" Mienshao shook off the Dazzling Gleam as best it could before leaping forward while rearing its leg backwards, preparing to swing at Wigglytuff with all its might!
"Dodge it!" Wigglytuff waited for the last second before pushing its body away and off to the side.
"Off the tree!" Mienshao reacted quickly to Wigglytuff's evasion, landing on the side of the tree before pushing off once again! This time Wigglytuff had nowhere to run and received a powerful kick to its midsection, sending the pink puff tumbling across the ground before coming to a halt on a crouched position.
"Tch…" Grace held a pokeball out to return Wigglytuff. "Come back for now, this isn't your fight…"
"And Grace has made a withdrawal!" The host exclaimed. "She still has 4 pokemon left, which will she substitute in?"
"Knowing her…she most definitely has Venusaur around…maybe Salamance too…" The benefit to having Grace as a best friend meant that he could predict her choices…but of course it worked both ways; Grace also had the ability to read him like a book should he allow it.
"Pangoro!" Grace revealed her fourth pokemon: Pangoro.
"What's her game…" Marcus was curious as to her decisions so far, but he knew she probably had some sort of a scheme in mind. "No matter, we'll just keep charging in ahead! Swift!" Mienshao waved its paw around, creating an array of stars that it shot towards Pangoro.
"Dark Pulse!" Hands cupped to the sides of the large panda, darkness gathering within its palms. This beam of darkness was shot forward towards the Swift, causing an explosion in the middle of the battle. "Circle Throw!" Pangoro then rushed over to one of the trees, lifting it up off the ground and hurled it at Mienshao.
"Whoa whoa whoa! Acrobatics!" Mienshao darted forward swiftly, nimbly evading the tree that was thrown in its direction before slamming its body into Pangoro for a super effective strike! "And High Jump Kick!" Acting off of its own momentum, Mienshao swiftly slammed its knee into Pangoro's gut.
"Hammer Arm!" That move was being thrown around a lot in this battle. Almost like these two were just going back and forth with it. Pangoro swiftly brought its arm down upon Mienshao's back and crushed it into the ground!
"…My back felt that one…" Takeba grimaced.
"You sure it's not because your front is weighed down?" Lovina replied with a bit of sass.
"Force Palm…!" Mienshao slowly lifted its body up, leaping forward with its palm extended.
"Focus Blast!" Pangoro gathered energy within its fist that took the shape of a yellow sphere. Pangoro thrusted its arm forward as Mienshao did. The two clashed in the center before their energies exploded and both fighting types were thrown back, rendered unable to battle.
"Neither Pangoro nor Mienshao can continue! This is a draw!" With that, the score was 4-3, Marcus' favor. The two trainers returned their pokemon and it was then that the field began to change.
"Grace is now down to three pokemon! This means that the field is going to change from the forest to….the desert plain!" The host explained as the field changed to a large, wide open desert plain similar to the Kalos Badlands.
"Marcus has a strong lead…" Scott commented. "Although two of his pokemon are injured…while Grace only has the paralyzed Wigglytuff and 2 fresh pokemon…"
"….I wonder…" Kasumi mumbled.
"Staraptor, let's go!" Marcus called out Staraptor once again, this bird eagerly waiting to battle.
"Salamance." Grace's fifth pokemon was that dangerous Salamance. This thing made a reputation for itself during the tournament and Marcus had to face this monster once again in the semifinals.
"So, we're getting down to things, huh?" Marcus grinned while issuing the command for the first attack. "Quick Attack!"
"Aerial Ace."
Staraptor flapped its wings and sped towards Salamance with incredible speed! Salamance did the same thing and the two pokemon took to the air, colliding with one another to create a massive explosion and wind current that forced the trainers to shield their eyes. Salamance pursued Staraptor despite its quick, evasive movements.
"Fire Blast!" Salamance gathered flames within its mouth and began blasting large symbols of fire forward at Staraptor within the air!
"Watch out!" Staraptor's eyes widened and it began to evasively maneuver through the series of flames. U-Turns, flips, anything it could do to avoid being scorched to a crisp by Salamance's fire. "Steel Wing!" Staraptor then made a sharp turn, flying headfirst at Salamance to slam its wings into its face! Impact was successful, but whether it was effective or not was a different story.
"Dragon Tail." Salamance quickly recovered from the Steel Wing before gathering green-ish scales along its tail. The dragon ensured the avian wasn't able to go too far before slamming its tail into its back, sending it flying right back down to the ground with vicious force.
"Staraptor…!"
"Fire Blast!" Salamance wasted no time moving from one attack to the next. As soon as Staraptor hit the ground, a large blast of flame was heading in its direction! A fiery explosion occurred on the field, creating a large cloud of smoke in the field. When that smoke cleared….
"Staraptor is unable to battle! Salamance is the victor!" And with that, the score was now 3-3…
"Thank you, Staraptor…" Marcus returned Staraptor with a smile. "You did great. …And now it's your turn. Come out…" It was time for his fifth pokemon. Tossing the capsule into the air, the white light revealed a completely new pokemon: Haxorus! "Haxorus!" Upon being called out, the fully evolved dragon let out a mighty roar that shook the earth!
"Haxorus!?"
"When did Fraxure evolve…!?" Kasumi was also taken aback by this.
"It's so cool!" Bonnie cheered.
"Now we have a showdown here folks! Dragon vs. Dragon! With both sides having only three pokemon remaining, this battle can go either way! Which trainer will come out on top….!?"
"Heh…" Marcus smirked while crossing his arms. "This battle isn't over by a long shot, you know that right?"
"Of course…" Grace nodded slowly. "But I can't let you win this time either. Your momentum stops here."
Marcus and Grace's battle has only continued to escalate. Which of these two rivals will advance onto the next round!? Will Marcus finally surpass Grace, or will Grace's ambitions serve to help her defeat her friend once again!? There's only one way to find out...
Marcus' remaining pokemon: Haxorus, Rhyperior, Gallade.
Grace's remaining pokemon: Salamance, Wigglytuff, Venusaur.
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To be continued….
