Welcome back everyone. Last time we left off, the third round had just begun with Team Champions and Team Heartbreak trading victories. Not much else to say, so let's just get right into the chapter...

Ch 55: A Royal Rumble


"Here we go, Pikachu, one more match and then we'll walk away with the victory," Ash spoke, rubbing behind his best friend's ears. Looking out across the new field, a plain field like the ones used in preliminaries at the League, Ash smiled at the sight of Serena standing there. He wanted to just say something now, but he knew he had to wait. It was for the better that way. Plus, he could see just how everything played out before saying anything.

"Here goes," Serena thought to herself, casting a slight smile over towards Braixen. The duo both knew that Ash would be a hard battle for sure, but she knew they had to win. "Ash, good luck out there!"

"Thanks! You too," he quickly replied, scratching underneath his nose while doing so. He couldn't help it, something about Serena right now made him slightly nervous. But, it wasn't the kind of nervousness he had at times before; this one was much different and it was being caused by perhaps his questioning feelings. Shaking them away, Ash got ready to battle, Pikachu running onto the field with determination in his steps. "Let's give it out all out there, Serena. I want to see everything you've learned on this journey."

Nodding, Serena took a step forward, Braixen leaping out onto the field. "Well, we'll try to keep up, Ash. No matter what happens though, you know it won't be an easy fight against us."

"And let's get this battle going! The final battle of the first match is about to get underway here folks!" Freddy shouted out, the referee signaling for the duo to begin battling. "We'll see which team has the most left in the tank to claim victory and move into first place for the time being!"

"Pikachu, let's start things off with a Quick Attack!" Ash commanded, punching his left fist forward in the process. Bouncing off immediately, Pikachu approached his opponent in no time at all, ramming himself right into Braixen, pushing the Fox Pokémon backwards along the field.

"Let's keep it going!" Ash shouted, Pikachu having jumped off of Braixen and was now airborne. "Thunderbolt, let's go! Give it all you've got!"

"Not this time, Ash!" Serena called out, confidence filling her voice, the tone making Ash smile with happiness. "Braixen, Flamethrower and Fire Blast at the same time!"

The command had caught Ash off guard for a second, he wasn't expecting two attacks at once. However, that was exactly what he received. Braixen, opening her mouth, fired off a stream of flames at the same moment Pikachu fired off his Thunderbolt, the two attacks colliding and exploding upon impact. Then, right through the smoke was none other than the powerful Fire-Type attack, crashing right into Pikachu and sending him falling to the ground.

"Pi..." Pikachu muttered out, landing on all fours and quickly rolling away from an incoming Hidden Power attack.

"They're moving fast and attacking often," Ash thought to himself, realizing that they were trying to trick him into some sort of battle. From the looks of it, they wanted to keep things long range and that would be their advantage with moves like Flamethrower and Fire Blast. "If they keep at this pace though, they'll tire out. She must really want to move this along, knowing full well that the longer we go at it the less likely she is to win," he thought once more, quickly issuing a Thunderbolt attack.

"Pika!" the Electric-Type shouted happily before sparks flew from his body. The attack grew off of his body, spreading across the entire field and cutting off any chance of escaping the blast. Or so Ash believed.

"Braixen, Fire Blast out of the ground!" Serena called out, shocking both Ash and Pikachu. Nodding in agreement, Braixen's branch began to burn, flames being present on the tip of it. But before launching off the attack, the Fire-Type instead rammed the branch into the ground. Fire burst out in the shape of a normal Fire Blast, but this time the field burst upwards, chunks of rock and dirt being merged with the Fire Blast and creating what looked to be a giant shield as Braixen was enclosed by the creation.

Not sitting back, Ash quickly issued another Quick Attack, Pikachu bounding off after Braixen and her strange enclosure. "Once you get in close, use an Iron Tail attack and shatter their enclosure!"

"Pikapi! Pika!" Pikachu shouted joyfully, the white light trailing behind his body soon transitioning to his tail, his speed dropping along with it. Jumping into the air, Pikachu spun his body around so that his tail met the shield head on. Cracks began to form all around the enclosure, yet to Ash, Serena didn't seem to worried.

Breaking through the enclosure, Ash could now see why; Braixen was awaiting them with a Scratch attack. Or so it seemed. However, once the two attacks looked to be colliding, Braixen instead dodged out of the way; dropping onto her back. Smirking, Serena seemed ready to take full control. "Time to take a page from your book, Ash! Braixen, Flamethrower! Do it from both your mouth and from your branch!"

"W-What!?" Ash shouted, completely taken aback by the combo. From the looks of it, the move looked similar to his own counter shield style used in Sinnoh. The two different Flamethrowers merging together, their separate flames spiraling off of each other and trapping Pikachu within the blaze. "She's been using my old ideas, but why? Why go to the length of imitating my old styles?"

"Just a little more, Braixen. We have him right where we want him. I knew using his old strategies might work, he wouldn't expect someone to pay so close attention to older ideas," Serena thought, pointing forward as if issuing a command. "Alright, Braixen, get in with a Scratch attack!"

"Pikachu, heads up!" Ash called out, but was too late, Braixen running through the dispersing flames, claws up and ready to fight. Slicing away at Pikachu, the Fox Pokémon scratched Pikachu's cheek, causing the Electric-Type to roll across the field. "You alright, Pikachu?" Ash asked, his best friend getting right back up.

"Great! We're not ready to give up just yet! Get in close with Iron Tail!"

"Block it with your branch!"

Pikachu bounded forward, tail glowing a bright white once more. Only this time, as he swung it around, it was met with an equally sturdy branch to clash against. Trapped in a close quarters combat, Ash now got ready to call his next attack only to be cut off by Serena.

"Ash, you think we would purposefully let you drag us into a close quarters battle?" she asked, a smile across her face. She had to admit, despite this being the first real time she had ever battled him, it was the greatest feeling she had ever felt when it came to a battle. "Need I remind you that I watched every previous League battle of yours while waiting for the Kalos League to begin?"

"Wait, you don't mean..." Ash began to say, getting his answer from Serena's next sentence.

"Just like in Sinnoh, when you thought drawing your opponent into a close quarters combat would work out, it didn't..." she answered, Ash smiling back at her trick. Quickly issuing a Flamethrower, Braixen launched one from her mouth, sending Pikachu airborne once more.

Staying on the go, Ash quickly issued an Electro Ball, the move crashing down into the ground around Braixen. The attack had kicked dust up, making visibility impossible and the two girls unable to counter Ash's next attack. "Now, Pikachu! Iron Tail!" Within seconds, Braixen felt the metallic appendix clash against her stomach, causing her to skid backwards and land on all four paws.

"Keep them guessing, Pikachu! Thunderbolt go!"

"Not this time," Serena answered, Braixen getting back up, her legs shaking a bit and her breathing heavy. Serena likewise looked exhausted from the match and Ash knew there were clear differences in stamina between all of them. "Jam your branch into the ground, Braixen!"

"Creating another shield?" Ash asked in utter confusion, unsure if Serena thought that the same idea would work twice on him. However, as Pikachu's Thunderbolt struck there was no Fire Blast, no shield, nothing. In fact, Braixen didn't even seem in pain, but instead the electricity all surged right through her body and into her branch, escaping into the ground. "A lightning rod..."

"I told you, I've watched every match," Serena repeated, Ash now getting the thought. It was a mix of her own style of Braixen's branch mixed with Tierno's Hitmontop. Ash couldn't help but feel proud that she watched everything so closely. It only helped with what he already thought. Though, to have the chance to ask, he would have to end this soon. "Now, Flamethrower once more!"

"Brai...brai..." Braixen panted, know reaching her limits. Serena knew this, yet neither herself or Braixen wanted to give up just yet. They wanted to push Ash, they needed to push Ash.

"She's trying so hard for me. Yet, she knows they're at their limits and they won't stop. They just keep going. She really has grown so much since first leaving home and meeting up with us in Santalune. I couldn't picture Kalos without her or the others, but she definitely made it better. I guess it's time to end this and see how the rest goes," Ash thought to himself, watching as the torrent of flames approached Pikachu.

"Pikachu, slice right through them with an Iron Tail!" Ash called out, the Electric Mouse Pokémon following through with the order, his tail stiffening up as it met the hot flames. Spinning in a somersault formation, Pikachu sliced right through the flames and managed to knock Braixen's branch out of her hand, making it skid across the entire field. "And time to end this! Thunderbolt!"

"Pika...chuuuuuu!" the Electric-Type shouted, sparks forming on his cheeks before erupting into large bolts of electricity. The energy surged outwards and enveloped Braixen, shocking the Fire-Type until she collapsed from exhaustion.

"Braixen! Are you alright?" Serena asked, only to receive no response from her defeated partner. "Thank you, Braixen, gave it everything you had and then some," she then stated while recalling Braixen, not waiting for the referee's call.

"Braixen is unable to battle! The winner is Pikachu and so Team Champions has won this match!" the referee declared, the crowd cheering out as the standings were updated to show Ash's team on top.

"And that does it folks! Team Champions has won the match and for the time being are in the lead with a two wins, one loss record! Though by the end of the day, we'll have two other teams joining them in first place!" Freddy's voice crying out, Ash and Serena making their way off to the side to talk for a moment.

"You two gave us a good run," Ash called out from across the field, pausing to only bend over for Pikachu to get on his shoulder. "The fact you also could memorize our old battles and use some of our techniques easily was so amazing. I've never seen anyone use so many of them like you did against myself and Dawn."

"Ahh...well...I guess I just really like your battles. You're an amazing trainer, Ash, your battles are always full of suspense," Serena replied, feeling her cheeks heat up slightly from Ash's words. "Though, even when we tried doing this, we were still a few steps behind you and Pikachu."

Ash shrugged his shoulders at this, feeling his own face heat up slightly. "You two were still amazing. We just have a lot of practice behind us, otherwise you may have beaten us. Though, there is something I would like to ask you. Maybe after we go back to our separate locker rooms, I can ask you a question?"

Serena just stared in confusion, unsure of what exactly Ash could be wanting to ask her. Though, by the way he was letting out a nervous chuckle and rubbing underneath his nose, whatever it was, was making him nervous. Nodding lightly, Serena placed her hands behind her back, smiling at Ash. "Sure, I would love to hear whatever it is you have to say, Ash. How about meeting up in about twenty minutes outside the stadium entrance?"

"That should be more than enough time," Ash replied, making his way back to his team with a nervous step in his walk. He didn't know what it was, but since talking with his father, he was a lot more nervous than normally around Serena. Though, after tonight, he knew he would have his answer to all of it.

Making it back to his dugout, Ash didn't even seem to wait for the others, instead, picking up his backpack he made an immediate exit towards the hallway. Both Trip and Dawn were surprised by this action, looking on in slight confusion as to why Ash would be in such a rush.

"Hmph...guess he's got more important things to get to," Trip muttered, throwing his hands into his sweatshirt's pocket before walking off. "Probably has to do with that Serena girl as well... No reason to make him wait any longer," he finished, walking out the door with Dawn right behind him.


"So, Serena, what exactly did Ash ask you at the end of the battle?" Brock asked, having a good understanding of the entire situation. Especially since Serena seemed extremely nervous by whatever was said.

Placing the last of her belongings back into her backpack, Serena placed it on her back before facing Brock. "He really only mentioned how fun the match was...and that he wanted to ask me something alone."

Raising an eyebrow, Brock seemed slightly interested in this news. Usually whatever Ash had to say, he was fine saying it with everyone else around. So this had to be rather big for him to want this to be kept private. "Well, whatever he wants to say must be rather important for him. And the fact he only wants you to know is big. So, just relax and have fun."

"Have fun?" Serena asked back, though the doctor had already walked out the door. She was confused by that last statement; was there something Brock knew that she didn't? Or was it because he knew Ash so well that he could predict something he would do? It confused Serena slightly, but those thoughts soon left her mind as the TV roared in the background, the crowd sounding like it was in surround sound since she heard them from both the TV and live in the stadium.

"And that does it folks!" Freddy's voice echoed throughout the stadium's hallway, Alexa and Malva appearing on the TV instead. The two female's appeared to be drowned out by Freddy and so Serena muted the TV to get a better understanding of the situation. "Team Victory's Paul has just easily won the first battle of this second match of the day! His Electivire being too much for Janine and her Forretress, defeating the duo in a matter of blows from the ultra-powerful Electric-Type. Honestly, we shouldn't have expected anything less than this from such a powerful trainer like Paul."

"But, it's only been a few minutes since we got off the field...how is he that strong?" Serena muttered to herself, realizing that she was now the only one in the locker room. It appeared to her that Nate must have left some time ago. "No wonder Ash sees him as his toughest rival. I wonder if anyone in this tournament can beat him."

"Serena?" Ash's voice called out, causing her to lightly jump from the shock. Hearing a knocking noise, Serena turned to the door, opening it lightly to see Ash's face standing there. "There you are. I know we agreed to meet in front of the stadium, but I figured it would be better to say it now and get it out of the way," he answered truthfully, Serena noticing that not even Pikachu was with him.

Seeing her confusion, Ash just let out a light laugh, pointing to his shoulder. "Pikachu wanted to stay with Dawn and Piplup for today. Once he's reunited with that little guy, it's hard to separate them. I thought it would be fine if he stayed with them, at least that way he could play with Piplup."

"Oh," Serena replied, sitting down on one of the benches in the locker room, casting a quick glance up at the TV to see Paul saying something to Hugh, the former having a look of slight annoyance on his face from whatever Paul had just told him. Motioning for Ash to sit down, the two trainers found themselves in an awkward silence, only broken by the cheers of the crowd from within the stadium. Finding the silence unbearable, Serena soon turned her head to look at Ash.

"Ummm...what exactly did you want to ask me?" she asked nicely, albeit a bit hesitantly due to her nerves. She couldn't get Brock's last words out of her mind, "have fun," ringing through her mind as she looked at Ash.

Realizing that he hadn't even brought up the reason for talking with her right now, Ash mentally slapped himself. How could he forget to mention it? Though, for him this was something new and slightly strange for him. "Hehe...right, I almost forgot," he answered truthfully, wiping a drop of sweet off of his forehead before swallowing a lump in his throat. "Well, you see...tonight there's going to be something going on at the tournament grounds to celebrate the halfway point of the tournament... And...and well, I wanted to know if you wanted to go do something during it. Just the two of us..." he explained, trailing off at the end so that it was hard for Serena to hear it clearly.

She was slightly confused by Ash's behavior; he was never nervous. Except for that short amount of time before the Kalos League, she had never seen him like this. So to her, she knew this must have meant something important to him. Gripping at her blue ribbon, Serena smiled softly at him. "That would be great, Ash. It sounds like a lot of fun."

Relaxing a little because of her response, Ash let out a silent sigh before letting out his trademark laugh. "That's great to hear. I figured it could be like at the League where we spent time alone. It was really fun then, so I figured it would be fun again now. Glad to know you think so too."

"Of course I would, Ash, I always enjoy spending time with you," she replied, Ash picking up on her words for the first time, feeling slightly happy by them. "Say, why don't we watch the rest of the battles from within the stadium and then after that we'll head back to the Trainer's Village and get ready for tonight. Sound like a plan?"

"Yeah! I just know these battles are going to be amazing, Paul already won with only a few moves. I can already tell that he and Electivire got really strong since we last faced them. But so have I! My Pokémon and I are going to give him a real battle in the finals!" Ash stated proudly, getting a slight laugh out of Serena due to his positive attitude.

"You'll have to get there first. There are four other teams besides your and Paul's teams. Each of us are fighting to earn a spot as well," Serena replied before standing up and stretching lightly. Placing her backpack onto her body, Serena reached down and grabbed ahold of Ash's hand. The sudden sensation felt warm to both of them, yet neither complained. It felt right to them, like it was something missing for the both of them. "Come on, we don't want to miss any more of the battles. Do we?" she playfully asked, dragging Ash behind with her, the duo able to hear cheers from all over the stadium. It seemed as if Hugh's match was heating up now.


"Clemont!" Remo's voice echoed across the locker room as the burly man watched his teammate sit there silently. "You better be bringing everything you have today, this team doesn't only have Alain on it, but they also beat that Ketchum kid on the first day of the tournament. There's no way you'll win, just let myself and Chicken Boy over there fight them."

Clemont paid no attention, instead choosing to watch the match before him. Hugh and his Eelektross were facing off against Silver and his powerful Feraligatr. To Clemont, it seemed like no matter what Hugh tried, Silver was always one step ahead of him. "We never had to face Silver, but just how strong is he? He's making Hugh look like a beginner out there," Clemont thought to himself as Eelektross fired off a Thunderbolt attack, but it was blocked by Feraligatr using an Ice Punch on the field and knocking water all around him, causing the electricity to surge through it and go around him.

"He's something else, that's for sure. We were lucky to only have to face Janine and Sawyer, both of them pushed us to our limits...though Remo will never admit it. But still, with Alain, Gary and that Wally kid...today is going to take everything we have just to try and force a third battle."

"Hey! You listening to me!" Remo's voice shook Clemont, knocking him out of his concentration. Turning away from the TV right as Feraligatr landed a powerful Superpower attack, Clemont realized he was now face to face with Remo, the burly man having his nose practically pushed up against Clemont's.

"Huh? What?" Clemont replied sheepishly. He had no idea that Remo was even talking to him at all.

"Why don't you get your head in the game, Brains? This is the kind of reason we're only one and one instead of having two wins. It's these little things of you not focusing enough," Remo recalled, a smug look crossing his face. "I bet you'd never make it deep into the Kalos League until you start acting like me a little."

"Please, you're too barbaric in your battle style to actually have a chance to win," Clemont responded without even thinking of what he had said. "If you actually listened to others and worked as a team then maybe you could win, but as you are now, you'll never win anything."

Finally realizing what he was saying, Clemont looked up at Remo, the man looking ready to explode with rage from Clemont's words. "Why you! Who do you think you are!? All you ever do is sit around and tinker with your stupid machines! You're never helping us out!"

"That's because you don't take my advice!" Clemont shouted back, Blaziken Mask merely sighing at the sight before him. "It's always 'rahhh! I'm the greatest, stay out of my way puny boy!'! Even when I try to help you don't want any since you don't know how to work with others!"

"I'm seriously starting to question why I agreed to help Sycamore by enlisting in this tournament..." Blaziken Mask thought to himself, a few drops of sweet forming on his face from the usual interaction between his two teammates. "I mean, come on, these two never get along at all. I don't know what Augustine thought by convincing me to come and compete under the guise of it being in the event something happened. So far, the only worry I've seen is that these two might try to kill each other. Kind of funny though, Brain vs Brawn..." Blaziken Mask continued to think as his two teammates continued to go at it. Turning towards the TV to keep himself sane, Blaziken Mask noticed that the trainers had swapped out; Paul was now battling with Electivire against Silver and his Feraligatr. And this time, things seemed to be playing out better with the two being on what appeared to be equal levels.

"Why can't you two act like one of these guys?" Blaziken Mask asked, slightly annoyed by their childish behavior after putting up with three days of it now. "I mean, neither of them seem to get along too well with their teams, yet you don't hear them fighting all the time. At least try to be respectful."

"Well, if Remo actually learned how to do anything other than boast then maybe we could work together!" Clemont explained turning back towards the TV for a split second as Electivire's Thunder Punch connected and sent Feraligatr flying backwards.

"Hey! Don't try to play it off like I'm the only one with problems here!" Remo shot back at his "teammate" as the duo traded stares at each other. Blaziken Mask merely shook his head, the duo not understanding a single word of what he was hinting at.

Standing up, the older man made his way to the door. "Listen, I can't put up with any more of your petty fighting. I'll be outside the field waiting for our match there." Making his way out of the room, the only sound he heard for once was his own shoes clasping against the ground, the silence bringing a smile to his face. "Maybe now they'll at least stay quiet for a few minutes from shock if nothing else," he muttered with a slight laughter.

Making his way around the corner, Blaziken Mask was shocked to see Alain of all people standing by himself in the hallway. "Alain, what are you doing here?"

Looking up, Alain was caught by surprise, he hadn't expected to see anyone else coming by this way. "Oh, Meyer...it's nothing. Just some team issues, but I bet you wouldn't know anything like that. Not with being on the same team as your son."

"Ha! Give me a break, three straight days of nothing but arguments between those two. It seems like they won't give it a rest either. It got so bad I just walked out on them during their latest little spat," Meyer replied, leaning against the wall opposite Alain. "Sometimes I wish Augustine didn't ask me to compete."

"I know how you feel, if it wasn't for him and the possibility of facing Ash again, then I wouldn't be here. My time would be better served searching for Lysandre. Who knows what he's up to right now," Alain replied, folding his arms against his chest out of annoyance. "It doesn't help that my team is filled with people who are going through self-esteem issues right now. You can't say two words to Wally without him growing quiet from his nerves and Gary seems shaken up from his last loss to Nate. Makes me wonder how I would have been had Ash never helped show me the error of my way when Team Flare attacked."

"You know what, I'd take the quietness over those two and their ineptitude for working together," Meyer replied, the two guys sharing a laugh together only for it to be drowned out by the crowd's cheering. "Hmm, something tells me that out match is about to start soon. Good luck out there and with your team issues."

"Yeah, same," Alain replied, walking away from the masked hero, a thought in his head as to what they could do to help their teammates. Watching the young trainer walk away, Blaziken Mask continued on his own way to his team's entrance. It wasn't too far from his current location, yet he was surprised to see the remaining members of his team already waiting for him.

"My, what a surprise, you two haven't killed each other yet," Blaziken Mask teased, the trio entering into the stadium to the sound of thunderous applause. Though they knew it was for the exiting teams. Looking up at the standings, the three could tell that Team Victory had won the final bout, Paul being able to overcome Silver. Though by the looks of it, said trainer wasn't too pleased with Hugh, the duo exchanging some words as they walked by.

"Why do you only seem to give me a hard time and not Astrid?" Hugh could be heard saying as the two teams passed by each other. "You weren't upset when she lost, instead you told her it was fine. Then I lose and you tell me how I should have won. Why the double standards?" his voice trailed off, the members of Team Victory exiting the battlefield.

"They seem to have something going on with them as well," Blaziken Mask muttered, paying no attention to the rest of the situation. Reaching their team's dugout, Blaziken Mask took a seat immediately, watching as the new field rose up out of the ground.

"Now this one looks interesting," Clemont mused, taking a closer look at the field. It seemed to be based off of an old martial arts stadium, the definite giveaway being by the square ring being in the center of the entire field and a bleacher design surrounding the outside while grass and rocks filled in the area between the stands and ring. "I wonder if they'll use a ring out as a way of winning as well."

"Who cares," Remo spat out, watching as Alain made his way up to the ring. "It's all about being the strongest. It doesn't matter how you win just as long as you beat your opponent."

Making his way up to the field, Remo was stopped by Blaziken Mask, the masked hero making his way up to the field. "I think I'll handle this one. You two decide on who battles next."

Seeing his opponent, Alain smiled at the sight before him, yet he also knew what he had planned. "Blaziken Mask, I wasn't expecting you to be my opponent. How about we show them all what a true battle is like?" Alain asked, receiving a nod from his opponent. "Glad you agree, since I have a little request for the League."

"What's this!? It appears Alain is calling for Mr. Goodshow's attention!" Freddy explained to everyone in attendance. Whatever he wanted, it seemed important as neither trainer called out their Pokémon. "Though I wonder if he knows about the little rule with this field. Let's listen in closely to see just what he's asking for."

"Mr. Goodshow!" Alain called out, the League President standing up as he was called out. "I would like to request a special match today. A three-on-three with all members of each team battling at once. It'll help both teams out by improving our trust in each other."

Listening over the idea, Mr. Goodshow appeared to be hesitant to agree to such a match. It would be the first of its kind, yes, but would it work? "Well, I'll approve of your match, as long as your opponents agree to it as well."

"No need to overcomplicate things there, Mr. President," Blaziken Mask spoke up, giving a thumbs up to the man in charge. "We accept, though no teams. Every person for themselves and the one last standing wins it for their original team. Should make things interesting."

"What are you doing!?" Remo shouted out, clearly frustrated by the turn of events. "Why would you be willing to go into a battle with three of them at once!"

"Because there's three of us as well," Clemont responded, fixing his glasses for a second before gripping a Poké Ball. Making his way up towards the field, the young inventor cast a gaze towards Blaziken Mask asking if this was really a good idea. Receiving a smile as a response, Clemont knew it would be alright. "Or there should be, if you choose to battle with us that is."

"Don't give me an attitude," Remo shot back, standing on the opposite side of Blaziken Mask, Poké Ball in hand. "Otherwise I'll beat you too. All we need is just one of us left standing after all."

Freddy appeared to be speechless for the first time all tournament. Even he had never thought of something this large to happen at the tournament, but here they were, about to start a six-person rumble. "A-Alright, everyone, are you ready for this battle to commence!? Because for the first time ever you're about to be treated to a six-way battle! Never before has this happened and who knows if it'll ever occur again!"

Each of the trainers threw their Poké Balls forward, the capture device opening and releasing their chosen Pokémon for this match. To no one's surprise, Blaziken Mask had gone with his Blaziken while Remo chose his Garchoo. On the opposite side, Wally went with his Gallade once more while Alain was finally bringing out his Charizard for this battle. Clemont had Chespin while Gary had chosen Blastoise. It seemed like this match was going to be quite the battle.

"Really? We're trying to win and you choose a Chespin to do battle against the likes of Alain's Charizard?" Remo asked, laughing a little at the Grass-Type, Chespin shouting back at him in annoyance. "At least Chicken Boy and myself can try to win this today."

"Laugh while you can, Remo," Clemont responded, shifting his backpack so that it was more comfortable on his back. "Chespin here isn't someone to take lightly. And we'll just have to show you once it gets started."

As the members of Team Lightning argued back and forth, it seemed as though Team Mega were having their own problems. "Wally, Gary," Alain spoke up, getting their attention. "Don't worry about attacking me, we might be on a team but for today it's every trainer for themselves. Don't hold back either of you."

"Y-Y-Y... Sure," Wally replied, his body language giving off the idea that he didn't want to be battling right now, causing Alain to shake his head in annoyance. It was fun, it wasn't like the world depended on this battle. "T-Though...you know I won't win against the likes of you or Remo..."

"He's got a point, Alain, you're on the same level as Ash when he's at his best and Paul. You three are leagues above us so there isn't much to worry about," Gary replied, getting a glare from Alain.

"I don't know what is wrong with you two, but it isn't about being strong when it comes to being the best. I learned that the hard way and if it means you two have to as well, so be it. One loss doesn't discredit everything else you've accomplished during your travels," Alain spoke out, finally having enough with his two teammates and their confidence issues. "Charizard, fly up high and use Flamethrower!"

"Chespin, Vine Whip on Charizard's legs! Use it to avoid the incoming flames!" Clemont quickly issued a counter, the Grass-Type shooting off his vines as they wrapped around the Fire and Flying-Type's legs. Being picked up, Chespin managed to avoid the deadly flames now that he was airborne.

The others were just as quick to counter, Blaziken Mask issuing his own Flamethrower attack to block the incoming one while Gary and Blastoise used Rapid Spin to block the encroaching flames from striking them. Wally however was too hesitant to counter, Gallade being struck with the attack head on.

"Ha! You think these flames can hurt us!?" Remo shouted triumphantly, letting an arrogant laugh leave his mouth. "Garchoo, slice right through them with a Dragon Claw and then hit him back with a Dragon Rush!"

"Garch!" Garchoo shouted, his claws glowing a bright green, slashing right through the approaching Flamethrower with ease. The attack didn't seem too difficult to handle before the Dragon and Ground-Type jumped into the sky and covered himself in a blue aura.

"Intercept with a Flare Blitz!"

"G-Gallade, join in with a P-Psycho Cut!"

The two commands appeared to be in quick succession, Blaziken jumping skyward while flames burst around his entire body. Catching Garchoo in his hands, the Fire and Fighting-Type grabbed ahold of his opponent before they both were struck by Gallade's powerful blast.

"A-Alright! Keep at it, Gallade, another Psycho Blast!" Wally cried out, starting to shake off his usual shyness. It seemed to be working, the purple and pink crescent blade shooting off from Gallade's point on his head and aiming right for the two interlocked Pokémon.

"Not this time!" Clemont's voice echoed out through the crowd cheering. "Chespin, hang onto Charizard's legs and use Pin Missile on the others!"

"Clemont, hang on for a second," Alain joined in, a smile crossing the duo's faces. "Charizard, spin in midair, give Chespin a good aim!"

As Chespin's spikes stiffened up, the Flame Pokémon soared down towards the ring, his body spinning in a similar way to how Talonflame would for Ash. Giving Chespin a different way to attack, the Pin Missile shot out through the opening from the spin, all of the attacks intercepting with the Psycho Cut and bringing an end to the threat.

"Now Chespin! Vine Whip on Charizard!" Clemont called out, Alain caught off-guard by the sudden command as the Grass-Type slapped his former partner with his vines. The shocking attack caused Charizard to cry out softly, not hurt too much, but the surprise still worked in Clemont's favor. With Chespin now falling towards the ground, he continued with his attack. "Pin Missile, but try to hit everyone!"

"Ches, pin pin!" Chespin cried out, the familiar streaks of white and green trailing through the sky, shooting off in multiple directions as a few struck Gallade, while others hit Blaziken and Garchoo.

Growling out of frustration, Remo bit back a roar of anger, instead he decided to twirl his umbrella around a little before throwing an open palm out towards the field. "Garchoo, enough games, give these guys a true battle! Dual Chop on Blaziken and then send Chespin reeling with another Dual Chop! Hit them with everything you have! Remo shouted out, anger apparent in his voice.

"Chomp!" the Mach Pokémon agreed, managing to break his arms free from Blaziken's hold. Now glowing green, Garchoo smashed them down hard onto Blaziken's head before shooting off straight for Chespin.

"Pin Missile!"

"It won't work on us, Brains! Slice through them, Garchoo!"

Clemont watched as his latest attack was diced into tiny pieces, having failed for the time being. Hearing Chespin cry out in pain, Clemont bit his lower lip, wondering just what he could do for the time being. "We'll try something else then, Chespin, Vine Whip on his claws!"

"And Charizard, use Dragon Claw on the both of them!" Alain's voice called out, shocking both Clemont and Remo. Before either could react, Chespin's vines tied themselves around Garchoo's claws making it impossible for either to properly defend from Charizard. With a swift slash downwards, Charizard's claws smashed hard against Garchoo and Chespin, sending them hurtling into the ring. The duo got right back up, neither ready to give up just yet, their trainers looking the same way.

"Come on, Gary, get a move on. Why am I just sitting here!?" the researcher thought to himself, clearly frustrated at his inability to get into the battle. Looking to his left, it appeared that Wally was getting into it slightly, Mega Evolving Gallade and having him go after the now Mega Evolved Blaziken. The duo appeared to be in a stalemate of sorts while Chespin used his vines to be an acrobat, swinging from Garchoo to Charizard to avoid their attacks and land his own. Yet here he was unable to issue one command at all.

"Now, Charizard, Flamethrower!" Gary heard Alain command, the flames covering the entire ring once more, Chespin and Garchoo having been caught in it the worst. Likewise, Blastoise was caught in the attack, being pushed slightly back in the ring and towards the edge of it.

"Gary Oak get a hold of yourself, who cares if you are not as strong as the others anymore, that has never held you back before! Time to get back into this battle," Gary told himself, Alain smiling as he overheard the researcher getting into it. "Blastoise, Hydro Pump on Blaziken and Gallade! Now!"

The attack was so sudden that neither Pokémon had a chance to get ready. Instead, they were both blasted with the torrent of water, pushed back to the edge of the ring. The attack didn't stop there however, Gary continued on, issuing a Rapid Spin to get Blastoise up into the sky and attack the three up there. Ramming his spinning shell into the three Pokémon, Blastoise landed softly on the ground, cannons raised and ready to go at it.

"Blaziken, Flamethrower!"

"Charizard, you too!"

"Garchoo, show them all what it means to be strong! Draco Meteor!"

"Gallade watch out!"

"Chespin, we'll have to use Remo's attack for ourselves! Jump on top of each Draco Meteor to dodge the other attacks!"

The commands had come quick and in rapid fire succession. All sides were getting into it now as fire sprayed all around the field, meteors fell from the sky and the crowd was entertained. Gary however wasn't ready to back down despite the overwhelming odds.

"Blastoise, get in close and use Skull Bash!"

"Blastoise!" the Water-Type shouted out in joy. Lowering his head, Blastoise readied his body before shooting forward in a blaze of speed. Catching the others by surprise, Blastoise managed to ram himself right through the multiple Flamethrowers and strike Blaziken, sending the Fire and Fighting-Type backwards and onto the grass outside of the ring.

"Ring out! Blaziken has touched the grass and so is disqualified!" the referee declared, only managing to confirm Clemont's suspicions from before. It seemed that if you landed on the grass or outside of the ring, then you would lose.

"Quick, Chespin, use your Vine Whip to toss Gallade! Do it while they're still shocked!" Clemont issued on the fly, wanting to take advantage of this unique rule. Shooting out his vines, Chespin tied them around Gallade's lower body and dragged the Psychic and Fighting-Type across the ring. Tossing him forward, Chespin managed to on the grass and out of the ring.

"Ring out! Gallade is disqualified from the match!"

"So, looks like there's more than one way to win this," Gary thought to himself, Blastoise landing right in front of him, the duo getting into a defensive stance as a precautionary measure. "Blastoise," Gary whispered to his partner, the Shellfish Pokémon listening with intent. "Play defensively for now and when our time to strike comes I'll let you know. Right now, there's no way we can take on either Remo or Alain."

"Alain!" Remo shouted, pointing his umbrella out towards the field. "Let's stop this warmup and get serious! Garchoo, Mega Evolve!" he finished, twirling the umbrella over his head before bringing it down in front of his face and touching the Key Stone embedded in the front of it.

"Alright," Alain replied, raising his own Keystone up to his face. "Charizard, evolve beyond evolution! Mega Evolve!"

Both Pokémon cried out, their bodies changing shapes, light filling the entire stadium making it impossible to see. However, both Clemont and Gary knew that it was going to be even tougher than before with two more Mega Evolutions out on the field. It seemed like the battle was just getting started now that they knew the rules of how this field worked.

"Charizard, start off with a Flamethrower!"

"Don't let him get the attack off, Chespin! Use your Vine Whip to shut his mouth and keep it nice and tight!" Clemont countered, his partner launching his vines as fast as he could. The two small vines shot forward, reaching Charizard's mouth, a few flames having already formed within. Wrapping tight, the Fire-Type found himself unable to launch his attack, the fire instead building up inside of him.

"Great work, Brains!" Remo stated, obviously pleased with Clemont's quick thinking on the matter of the battle. "Now get in there, Garchoo, hit him hard with your Dragon Rush!"

"Gar," the Mach Pokémon replied, jumping up into the sky before being covered in blue aura. Rocketing right for Charizard, the Dragon and Ground-Type was shocked to see his fellow Mega Evolution be thrown right at him, a trail of Pin Missile following right behind Charizard.

"Brains!" Remo spit out, clutching his fists in front of his body in frustration, Garchoo being slammed into by the now falling Charizard and then the trail of Pin Missile. "Why are you attacking us!?"

"No teams," Clemont replied quickly, issuing another Vine Whip, Chespin using it to swing across the field and Tackle Garchoo in the stomach. "And because of that, it's every trainer for themselves."

"I agree!" Gary's voice shot out, the three other trainers being caught by surprise. "That's why I allowed each of you to tire you all out. Now, Blastoise, Hydro Cannon!"

"What!?" the three other trainers cried out in unison, completely caught off-guard. The trio had no time to react at all, Blastoise aiming his large cannons right at their Pokémon before two large blasts of water shot outwards towards his opponents.

"Garchoo block it!"

"Charizard use Blast Burn!"

"Chespin, use your Vine Whip to dodge it!"

The three commands were quick and in succession of each other, all three Pokémon managing to operate within a moment's notice to dodge or block the attack in their own manner. Chespin jumping up over it, Garchoo blocking it head on, and Charizard cancelling it out with Blast Burn, a steam covering the field due to this.

"Heh, nice idea there, Oak," Remo praised, placing his umbrella on the ground behind him to crack his knuckles. "You finally ready to start fighting? Garchoo, Dual Chop on Blastoise!"

"Chespin, trip him with Vine Whip!" Clemont countered, the pesky vines shooting out once more, tripping Garchoo up to the point he slammed into the ground, shaking the entire ring. Slow to get up, Gary took this as his chance.

"Skull Bash, go!"

"Blastoise," the Shellfish Pokémon muttered before ramming forward, his head meeting dead center on Garchoo's midsection, the Dragon and Ground-Type needing to stumble backwards for a section before getting back under control.

"Rarrrwwww!" Charizard's familiar cry came about, Blastoise soon being met with a powerful Thunder Punch attack to his face. Being slightly dazed by the move, the Water-Type stumbled backwards only to be met with a face full of Pin Missile, Chespin being able to scurry around the ring without being noticed thanks to his small size.

"Enough fun and games!" Remo shouted, growing tired of how things were going. Yet, despite how it all seemed, he was smiling and laughing from this battle. As was Clemont. And Gary. And Alain. All of them seemed to be having a fun time down there despite having no clear allies on their sides at all. "Garchoo, Draco Meteor!"

"Well, looks like we'll go all out as well! Charizard, Blast Burn!" Alain shouted as well, pretending to slam his own fist into the ground, Charizard performing the same motion as he did.

"No holding back anymore, Blastoise, Hydro Cannon!" Gary joined in, his familiar confidence back with him. If there was anything he learned from his short moment of weaknesses, it was he had never made a mistake in his path to become a researcher. It was his dream and no amount of second guessing would ever make him change that. He would one day become a well-known researcher, perhaps even a professor of a region one day.

"Chespin, we're not going to sit back and watch! Pin Missile!" Clemont called out, adjusting his glasses, the sun shining off them just perfectly to cover the lenses with its reflection, masking Clemont's eyes.

The four attacks were launched off at the same exact time, their paths all marked for the center of the ring, the perimeter having been broken from their constant fighting as none of the four remaining trainers were ready to back down. Hydro Cannon clashed against Pin Missile as Blast Burn erupted from the center of the ring, exploding upon contact with the crashing Draco Meteor. The four moves appeared to merge together for a moment, creating a white light before expelling outwards in a massive explosion. No one could dodge it in time, instead, the four Pokémon were all shot skywards from the blast.

"It looks like this is it folks!" Freddy's voice called out, everyone keeping their eyes peered on the battle, wondering just who won this match. "That last attack completely took out the ring, that means the last one to touch the ground will be the winner! Let's see who has luck on their side today!"

"Blastoise, slow yourself with a Rapid Spin and Hydro Pump combination!" Gary issued, the Water-Type grunting in agreement before pulling himself into his shell. Starting his rotation, Blastoise managed to slow his descent slightly, but it wasn't enough to beat out the others due to his heavier body. That is, until Hydro Pump kicked in. Creating a typhoon out of water, Blastoise managed to bring himself to a similar pace to that of Garchoo, but it was still falling too fast for Gary's comfort.

"Chespin, time to get your vines working again! Vine Whip on Garchoo, throw him onto the ground!" Clemont stated happily.

"Chespin, pin," the Spiny Nut Pokémon cried out happily, his vines shooting out once more much to everyone's annoyance and amusement. It was kind of a funny sight for those watching, this little Chespin was able to hang in there with the likes of two Mega Evolutions.

Wrapping his vines around Garchoo's wrists, Chespin slammed downward, pulling Garchoo down as he shot upwards and right into Blastoise's torrent of water. While Garchoo slammed hard into the ground, Chespin was thrown across the field, smashing hard into the descending Charizard causing the duo to increase their acceleration.

"Hold on, Charizard! Dragon Claw on Chespin!" Alain issued, Charizard managing to straighten himself out to the point that he could raise his claw. As his draconic features glowed green, the Fire and Dragon-Type smashed them downwards and into Chespin, sending the energetic and pesky Grass-Type hurdling into the ground, defeated. However, Charizard himself had no time to stop himself, instead slamming into the ground before Blastoise who landed softly.

"And that does it! With Chespin and Garchoo landing out of bounds first, Team Mega are the official last trainers standing!" Freddy cried out, not needing the referee's call for this match at all. "And to top it off, it's none other than Gary Oak who is the last remaining trainer in the fight, the others having landed outside of the ring before Blastoise did. Despite two of them being able to fly! Talk about strategy, folks!"

"We won..." Gary muttered, Blastoise being energetic about the outcome. Running a hand through his hair, Gary thanked his partner before returning him to his Poké Ball, both of them fully excited yet hiding it the best they could. "I guess with the right circumstances I can hang with them in battle. Granted we needed a little extra rule to win, we managed to wait it out until an opening emerged."

"We were so close!" Remo could be heard crying out, the burly man having already jumped onto the field to help Garchoo out. "Man, that battle was so good! If not for Clemont at the end, Garchoo could have won for sure!" he cried out before laughing. For someone who usually only cared about winning, Remo seemed pretty laid back.

"No hard feelings, Remo? At the time we weren't teammates after all," Clemont stated nervously. Calling Chespin back into his Poké Ball, Clemont wasn't sure just how Remo would react.

"None at all, Brains," the burly man stated happily, clasping Clemont on the back. "Of course, now that just means we'll need to work even harder for the rest of the tournament to catch back up. We're behind the others and there's only two days left! But...if you battle like this, I'm sure we'll be just fine."

"Sure, let's get going then," Clemont responded, the duo leaving the field with large smiles. Likewise, Blaziken Mask watched on from their dugout, glad that for the time being the duo were done fighting. If only for a few hours.

"Looks like today worked out better than I thought. For the most part," Blaziken Mask muttered to himself, casting a glance over towards Wally, the young boy still hiding away in his shell. Though, there were glimpses of him ready to break out, he just needed a push. "Guess we just need to bring it all tomorrow." With that, the last few members of each team left the battlefield to get ready for tonight. Whatever may await them.


Alright, here we are...only one day late. My reason: snow. Lot's and lot's of snow. Not an excuse, just saying that a lot of my time meant for the chapter to be typed on Thursday went to shoveling. Instead, I had to finish it up today. So, sorry.

Anyways, this chapter finally brought an end to the third day of the tournament. Hopefully the battles were fine. Wanted to do something different with a six person free for all at the end there, even if a few were knocked out early due to a special rule for this specific field. And now we get to continue on to the next day. Oh, and before anyone asks, Team Victory Vs Team Strategy was skipped over for the most part since it was unimportant overall. I mean, how many battles do you all expect to be in one chapter? And so, someone had to be cut out and it was the least influential to the overall story.

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