Secrets of the Night
DISCLAIMER: I Do NOT own Pokemon!
Chapter 56: Scuffle of Legends, Part 3: Clash of Trainers
After healing his team, Neo walked to the stands but didn't go up to where Chase and the others were. Instead, he sat on the floor, his back leaning against Emperor who was lying on his belly like a Sphinx. The Manectric had been like that since the match started and frankly, he didn't seem to mind at all. At first, Neo simply greeted him but Emperor just looked at him for a second before once again resuming his position.
Kashu came down shortly and tended to Neo as usual with a cool glass of water, a towel and a sandwich, all arranged in a tray. The medicine canteen bottle had been refilled prior so all that was left was for Neo to rest and regain his strength. Chase and the two makeshift psychics were still up in the stands, keeping a close eye on their seats and the battle which had yet to begin. There was a 15-minute interval between matches so everyone could take a breather and a new arena would be put up.
Neo closed his eyes for a moment and meditated. He thought back on the aftermath. The once scenic desert terrain had become a remnant of a war zone with scattered ice, scorch marks, and craters littered randomly across the field. He smiled at the thought and was eager to know how far Arc would get in the tournament. Then again, he had to worry about himself more. He just lost his first battle and he was going to battle Kiba, another person whom he had lost to, sooner or later.
And as if by some weird cliche coincidence, the guy he wished to avoid till their match just happened to pass by as he was making his way to the arena. A shadow loomed over him and he opened his eyes with a tinge of regret.
Kiba sneered mockingly as he looked down on Neo. "So even though you used one of my Pokemon you still lost. I guess when you and I go head to head again it'll be an easy win, huh Neo?"
"Wigglytuff!" Kashu puffed up in annoyance, but that only made Kiba more amused, his grin widened as he continued on his way without waiting for a comeback.
It was then that Arana floated over to the scene with Gertrud. When they saw Kiba approach Neo, they hurried down but were still too late to shoot macarons and insults back at the guy so they settled for glaring in Kiba's general direction.
"That guy! He just makes me want to pull my petals out!" Gertrud huffed as she placed her rose arms on her hips.
"...Mean," Arana added, shifting his trainer's look from annoyed to mild shock.
"A-Arana? Did you just use telepathy?" Neo stood up, his eyes glued at his Chandelure. The mind voice was weak but it was different from Gertrud's. It was more airy and soft. "I-I think I heard you."
"Yup!" The proud Roserade confirmed. "Just a few words at a time but she's getting there."
Arana spun happily and looked at her friend. "Teacher…"
Gertrud smiled sheepishly. "Awww... You're a good student, Arana. Don't forget that."
Neo smiled at the two before massaging his temples. Letting out a heavy breath, he could still feel the strain of the earlier battle. He was supposed to be resting before his next match but because of the short confrontation, he was far from the state of calm and relaxed. Picking up his medicine canteen bottle, he took a sip, handed it back to Kashu and decided to walk off the the headache, thinking he'd return soon enough to watch the match.
Kashu made a protesting squeak and bounded after him as Arana followed suit. Thinking it over, Getrud decided to stay with Chase and keep him company. Arana and Kashu would be enough company for Neo.
Neo welcomed the company and bid goodbye to Gertrud and Emperor, promising that they'd find the Roserade a souvenir and if possible, something for the Manectric too.
The trio headed towards the stalls where they were selling pokemon merchandise, tournament commemoratives and snacks. Due to the flood of people, business was booming. Many trainers and tourists were roaming about with their pokemon, happily picking out various delicacies and interesting items. It was a pleasant sight to see people and their pokemon smiling and having fun.
"Anything you two would like?" Neo asked his two companions as they stopped by a colorful stand.
"Nero…" Arana used psychic and levitated a small Gengar plushie with a wide cheshire grin.
Neo guessed she must be missing their playful companion as well. With a warm smile, he agreed and paid for the toy. Arana was filled with glee as she made the plushie float beside her like it was Nero. Neo watched her hover higher into the air before he turned to Kashu to see what she wanted.
"What about you, Kashu?"
The Wigglytuff scanned the wide variety of displays with a serious gaze. She was already full from all the food Chase and the others have bought so she tried to find something more useful. Bouncing from one stall to the other, she almost bumped into a trainer dressed in a boyish attire made up of a blue hoodie and casual jeans.
"What's wrong, Kashu?" Neo walked up and saw the trainer buy an Eevee plushie. For some reason, the individual looked familiar to him. Curious, he approached the stranger. "Hello there."
The trainer looked back at the voice and immediately froze. He stared at Neo fearfully with big brown eyes before taking a couple of steps back.
Neo raised a brow, caught off guard by the mysterious trainer's wary behavior. The guy seemed small and wary. Bits of blonde locks hung from his black cap which was covered by the hood. He was familiar but Neo couldn't put a finger on where he met him. "I'm sorry. Did I startle you?"
The words seemed to snap the trainer out of his trance, making him blink at Neo as if finally seeing him.
"Uh...yeah…" He muttered, stealing glances at Kashu nervously.
Neo thought his voice was kind of strange. "Well, I apologize once again... My name is Neo." He gave a curt bow before motioning to his Wigglytuff. "And this is Kashu." The fluffy pink bunny waved and squeaked softly.
The stranger stared at him suspiciously for a few seconds, as if searching for any ill intentions in Neo's actions. Then he hesitantly introduced himself, "I-I'm Ari."
The strangeness of the trainer's voice was nagging at Neo but he shrugged it off and cast the shorter trainer a friendly smile to try and relieve the tension. "Nice to meet you, Ari."
It was then a blue-flamed chandelier floated behind the blue-hooded trainer. A certain chill settled in the air but was welcomed by Neo. With a small gesture of his hand, he introduced his pokemon. "And this is Arana, my Chandelure."
Ari turned around but Neo hadn't noticed that the younger individual was standing petrified on his spot, face paling considerably, his brown eyes focused solely on the ghost-type pokemon.
"G-G-G-Gh-ghost…" The trainer mumbled softly, eyes wide and face contorted into fear.
"I..uhm… Are you alright?" Neo tapped the individual's shoulder. The trainer's eyes snapped towards him before his hand shot out, slapping Neo's hand off his shoulder, surprising the raven-haired teen.
"Noble!"
As quickly as the words escaped the Ari's mouth, a Gallade teleported to his side. The blade pokemon put one arm protectively before its trainer and glared at Neo heatedly.
At that, Kashu and Arana positioned themselves in front of their trainer, ready to defend him when it came down to it. Neo, on the other hand, wasn't going to randomly resort to violence. He placed a hand on each of his pokemon and told them to back down. "I'm sorry. There must be a misunderstanding of some kind. We don't want to start a fight."
The Gallade stared at Neo before looking down at his pokemon. Its eyes lingered on Arana, before it closed its eyes tiredly.
"Mistress…" A telepathic voice rang in their ears. Neo and his pokemon guessed it was from the psychic-type but what intrigued them more was the Gallade referred to the trainer with a female honorific.
Ari refused to look up, settling for glaring at the ground. "Attack, Noble."
Neo's pokemon were back on guard but the Gallade didn't react the same way. "Is this about ghost pokemon again, Mistress? You can not just attack random trainers because they have ghost-type pokemon…"
Neo and his two pokemon exchanged looks, slightly beginning to understand the situation. All that was left was to figure out why the Gallade was referring to the male trainer as 'mistress.'
"Excuse me." Neo referred to the Gallade, gaining his attention. "Did you just call him… err… her? Mistress?"
The Gallade gave Neo a look. "She is my Mistress."
"Noble! Don't go giving away information!" Ari, who apparently was a girl, quickly recovered, glaring at the psychic pokemon before looking away. "Now my cover is blown."
Neo and his pokemon didn't know what to make of the situation. Why would she go undercover as a guy? Neo cast a look at his two pokemon and motioned his Chandelure behind him before taking a step forward to address the situation.
"I'm sorry if we got off on the wrong foot. We didn't mean to cause any alarm." Neo coaxed in his gentleman personae, his gaze shifting to the blade pokemon and his trainer.
"It is okay, young man. Mistress probably overreacted," The Gallade answered, earning a glare from his trainer. It gave his 'Mistress' a look. "Mistress, be nice." The small girl gave him a growl before scoffing.
"Alright, alright. I also apologize," She said, looking at Neo with a neutral expression. "I...overreacted a little. I just...don't like ghost-type pokemon."
Neo smiled. " It's perfectly fine. Not many are good with ghost pokemon. It's quite understandable."
Arana wailed in disappointment as she peered over her trainer's shoulder. "Not... like?"
Ari gave Arana a horrified look. "Oh my Arceus...it talks!?"
That was probably the limit to the strange cross-dressing petite female, for she bolted away from them, leaving her Eevee plushie and her Gallade behind.
The blade pokemon sighed as if this was completely normal. "I would like to apologize for Mistress' behavior," Noble said with a slight incline of its head.
Neo picked up the Eevee plushie, dusted it off and handed it over to the Gallade. "It's fine. Maybe you should go after her?"
The Gallade nodded before disappearing with a teleport.
Neo and his pokemon stared for few seconds at the spot where the Gallade just vanished.
"That was an odd encounter." Both Kashu and Arana nodded in agreement.
A while later, near the start of the next match, Neo and his pokemon made it back to their seats. Kashu was sporting a silk scarf that matched her nurse's cap. Arana was levitating a Gengar plushie on her left and a Quilava one on her right. She gave the latter to Gertrud, explaining that it reminded her of Blaze with the hair coloration as well as the body color scheme that matched Blaze's clothes.
"Glad you made it." Chase scooted over and allowed his friend to sit beside him. "Kiba's match is about to begin."
Neo wanted to observe his next opponent but knowing it was Kiba fighting in the match, made him more interested in the match. He watched as Kiba took his place at the far end of the field facing him, giving him full view of his smug grin and cocky demeanor. His blood boiled just as Gertrud and Arana shifted in their seats with annoyance.
Even though Neo wanted Kiba to lose he couldn't help but feel curious as to how Kiba would fight. When he had fought Scourge, Kiba seemed to focus on an all out offensive type of battling, leading with increasing his pokemon's attack power before advancing with a constant onslaught of attacks. Would he battle like that again? Or was that just how he fought when he used Scourge?
Neo's attention was immediately turned however when Kiba's opponent, a pretty blonde girl, sent out her first pokemon: a Mightyena with a nasty looking set of fangs. After a few moments Kiba had sent out his first pokemon. Neo was not surprised to see that he had sent out his Hitmonchan who was already bouncing in place ready to fight. fighting-types were advantageous to dark-types.
As the screen adjusted to the choice of pokemon the two trainers and their pokemon waited in anticipation as the referee called for the first round to begin.
"Use Sucker Punch!" The girl trainer had called out as her Mightyena bounded towards its opponent with its front paws glowing a dark purple.
"Agility, Champ! Get out of the way and counter!"
Before the Mightyena could reach it the Hitmonchan seemed to disappear with its increase in speed leaving its opponent standing in confusion. It waited for too long however for not five seconds after disappearing Champ reappeared after uppercutting the wolf pokemon in its chest sending it flying into the air before it landed on its back with a pain filled yelp that seemed to worry her trainer immensely.
From that point on the Mightyena didn't seem to stand a chance. Every time it tried to get close enough to attack physically, Champ would disappear only to reappear seconds later with a painful counter that would result in the wolf being sent flying. After several failed attempts, the female trainer switched strategies.
"Mightyena! Get some distance and use Hidden Power!" she called out to the already exhausted Pokemon, who hastily complied, not at all eager to get sent flying again. As the Mightyena prepared its attack however it was shocked to see the Hitmonchan appear right in front of it after having evaded its reach for the entire battle.
"Bullet Punch, one last hit!" Kiba ordered as his pokemon took its stance.
The opposing training grit her teeth as her Mightyena fell with a pained cry. Returning the Dark-type, she clenched another Pokeball in her hand, before releasing her next choice. "Xatu, you're up!" The dual Flying and Psychic-type landed plainly, staring straight at the Hitmonchan.
Kiba looked with a scowl at the psychic/flying-type pokemon before looking back at his Hitmonchan. Champ hadn't taken any damage in the last battle and his speed was already raised sharply. If he kept to fast and powerful hits, he could weaken the Xatu greatly, if not defeat it all together.
"Thunder Punch, Champ!" Kiba ordered.
Champ's fist started to shake with electrical power before it seemingly disappeared making its way towards the Xatu.
The girl was mostly unbothered as she retained a controlled tone. "Xatu, dodge out of the way and use Future Sight!"
Her green and white bird, with an electricity coated fist flying towards it, merely turned to the side, narrowly avoiding the punch. In that moment, it's eyes glowed an ominous blue, setting into play a future attack.
Seeing as the Hitmonchan was not expecting for his attack to be evaded, the young blonde took full advantage of the surprise. "Follow it up with Dazzling Gleam," she commanded.
Having been caught mid-swing when the Xatu attacked, Kiba's Hitmonchan was unable to avoid the full brunt of the attack as it was sent flying backwards from the powerful Fairy attack, only to land back on its feet with a pained expression on its face.
"Bullet Punch, Champ! Rapid fire until you bring it down!"
Champ retaliated with a flurry of high speed attack heading towards the Xatu and even though its psychic abilities allowed it to dodge several of the attacks it was unable to avoid every hit as it was pounded by several of the attacks.
Cringing every time her Xatu was hit, she collected herself for another order. "Use Psychic! Full force, and don't let those fists hit you!"
Her Xatu responded immediately and disengaged from Champ, flitting away as it began radiating a powerful aura, preparing to unleash the full extent of its psychic abilities. The Hitmonchan's attacks were halted as it was lifted into the air by the Xatu's attack and thrown into the ground with impressive force. To add insult to injury before it could get up again the Future Site attack had chosen to activate as Champ hit the ground forcing the boxing pokemon into unconsciousness.
Kiba frowned as he returned his pokemon to its pokeball. Without skipping a beat, he tossed out another pokeball, revealing a massive Fearow with an equally impressive wing span.
The battle turned one sided after the Fearow was sent out- thanks to its surprising move pool and use of the mirror move attack it was able to counter all of the Xatu's attacks and beat it into submission while barely taking any damage itself. When the girl sent out her final pokemon however, a Floatzel with an attitude, the battle got more difficult as it went on. The Floatzel was easily as fast as the Fearow on land as it was in the sky and had an array of far range attacks like Ice Beam and Swift to force it close to the ground where it had to avoid the attacks by mirroring them perfectly. After a heated and long battle however the Fearow had won the battle, much to the crowds surprise, giving Kiba a victory without using his last Pokemon.
"Wow. That was intense," Chase commented with sarcastic dread rather than admiration. "He didn't even use a third pokemon. Wonder what could it be…"
"We'll find out sooner or later," Neo answered, his narrowed gaze still fixated on Kiba as he left the arena with an obnoxious grin. "But my guess would be that it's a steel-type."
"Huh? How do you know?"
"Before... He mentioned that he beat Scourge only because he had a pokemon that was immune to poison," Neo recalled the initial meeting with a bitter taste in his mouth. "Therefore, his third pokemon is steel-type. If that is indeed his choice for the tournament."
"Nice observation, Neo," Chase complimented with a smile. But then his expression dampened by the lack of reaction his friend was showing.
The raven-haired noble was deep in thought, his mind going through scenarios and strategies in defeating Kiba. He had to. He wasn't going to forget how he almost forced Scourge to kill Genbu and how he punished Scourge for disobeying him. His fists tightened as his blood boiled again. He told himself that Kiba won't get away with that.
Chase and the others looked at the raven-haired noble with concern. The way Neo was glaring at the arena told them how fixated he was in beating Kiba. It wasn't like him. Certainly, they were aware of the whole vendetta against assassins but actually seeing him consumed by a dark ordeal was worrisome. The Neo they knew was calm and compassionate. And the way he fought in the battle against Arc showed that he didn't care for winning. He was there for the thrill and experience of it all.
"Neo?" Arana tapped her trainer's shoulder, drawing him from his thoughts.
Caught off guard, Neo looked at his Chandelure and then at the rest of his companions whom he didn't realize were all staring at him as well. "What's the matter?"
"...Worried," Arana answered, her flames growing dim.
Neo felt like a cold bucket of water had been pour all over him. There he was, taking on the obstacles ahead without fear of repercussions on himself. He had his pokemon and his friends. He wasn't alone to take on the burden.
The sudden rush of emotions gave him a headache. Groaning, he automatically reached out and Kashu handed him the black medicine canteen. After a few generous sips, he calmed down and handed it back with a grateful nod.
"Feeling better?" Chase inquired as he rubbed his friend's back.
"Sort of," Neo replied with a wane smile. "I'm sorry if I made everyone worry."
"It's okay." Chase smiled back in relief as did the rest of the pokemon. "We all know how you feel about him. Just don't lose yourself, okay?" His friend gazed at him gratefully before bobbing his head in agreement. "Why not take a nap for a bit? We'll keep an eye on things."
The trio of pokemon nodded and looked to Neo with anticipation.
Neo nodded back and tried to look for something or someway to take the said nap, given he was sitting up and he can't lie down. Fortunately, Kashu provided the answer as she bounded towards him and sat on his lap. Neo was tired so he didn't really care. He just wrapped his arms around the plush pink pokemon and buried his head on hers. As the softness of the Wigglytuff's fur welcomed him, his eyelids suddenly weighed heavily and he nodded off.
Kashu purred blissfully and nestled in her trainer's arms while Arana looked on with her flames turning slightly greenish. Gertrud consoled her friend with a stifled giggle as Chase took out his phone and snapped a picture of Neo.
"If this isn't blackmail material, I don't know what is." He snickered. Kashu frowned in annoyance but didn't move, not wanting to disturb her trainer's needed sleep. Chase smirked and continued to take snapshots. "Naomi is gonna faint when she sees this."
After the 15-minute interval, Neo stirred from his sleep by the noise of the crowd and the booming of the announcer's voice, declaring that the third match was about to begin. Opening his eyes, he saw that the others had their attention already glued to the arena so they didn't notice him awake. Sleepily, he rested his chin on Kashu and turned his head to the third battle unfold.
A familiar female trainer with light golden hair walked towards one side of the arena. Neo recognized that it was Kaye. And much to his surprise, the opponent she was facing was that odd trainer named Ari. It was then that he remembered why the trainer looked familiar. He… Err… She was in the six-trainer list displayed on the monitor before the match had begun. Ari or rather, Ariann Roman, as the monitor had displayed, was going to be one of his opponents in the future matches.
Curious of their individual ability and choice of pokemon, Neo decided to watch before he would go down and prepare for his own match which would be against Kiba's opponent in the last battle, a girl with a Mightyena, Xatu and Floatzel, he noted before focusing on the battle unfolding in the arena which took the form of a tranquil lagoon with a wide body of water in the midst of clusters of solid gray rocks.
Ari first called out a bipedal dragon-type with a red underbelly and sharp fins on its back and arms while Kaye summoned a fiery bird pokemon with vivid orange feathers and black flame markings. The two let out fierce cries before the match had officially begun.
The world tournament was really living up to its name, showcasing not only various species of pokemon but also the abilities of trainers from around the globe. Neo took out his pokedex and identified each by turn, starting with Ari's.
Gabite
The Cave Pokemon
The evolved form of Gible. It loves sparkly things. It seeks treasures in caves and hoards the loot in its nest.
Dread, as Ari had called her, started off with Sand Tomb which was outmaneuvered by Kaye's pokemon who used a skillful display of Acrobatics to maneuver through the sand storm before following up with Steel Wing, striking down the dragon-type before she was able to use Dragon Rage. Amazed, Neo shifted his pokedex and it beeped promptly, displaying the name and data of orange avian.
Talonflame
The Scorching Pokemon
The final evolved form of Fletchling. Talonflame can swoop at incredible speeds when attacking. During intense battles, its wings give off showers of embers as it flies.
The two speedy pokemon continued to exchange blows with Dread persistently trying to bring down Ignis who, in retaliation, delivered a series of aerial attacks. Near the end of the first round, Ariann's Gabite managed to gain the upper hand, finishing Kaye's Talonflame with a direct hit Dragon Rage, ending the round in the former's victor.
The next match was between two dragons, Ari's Gabite who sustained injuries from the prior match and Kaye's green insectoid pokemon. Neo redirected his pokedex and looked up the information on the pokemon. It wasn't like the pokemon from his past but was intriguing nonetheless. The digital encyclopedia pinged and a picture appeared on the screen.
Flygon
The Mystic Pokémon
Flygon is the evolved form of Vibrava. It's known as the desert spirit because of the song-like voice that emanates from the sandstorms it kicks up.
Apparently, Kaye's Flygon, Harena was a ground-type as well. It was a pretty balanced match with each side sharing similar typing but due to the Gabite's previous injuries, the Flygon had the advantage, plus it could fly. As predicted, after few turns, Harena managed to overpower the other dragon and bring victory to her trainer.
For the third round, Ariann sent out a giant blue sea serpent named Epic. Neo recognized it as a Gyarados, a ferocious and well-known pokemon in the Kanto region. Under Ari's command, it seemed really tamed, intriguing Neo's fascination with the smaller trainer further.
As the match went underway, it proved that typing played a great role in deciding the battle. The two fierce combatants went head to head, unleashing whatever arsenal they had to defeat their respective opponent. Finally, it was an Ice Beam attack that ended the round in Ariann's favor.
In the following match, Kaye sent out her Froslass, Skadi. It was a pretty even match until the ice-type froze the waters with Blizzard, trapping the leviathan and making it an easy target for her attacks, eventually handing the win to Kaye.
And for the final round, a heated battle between Ariann's Gallade, Noble and Kaye's Froslass ensued. Despite the prior injuries it received from the previous match, Skadi overpowered the blade pokemon using a mix of super-effective moves, finishing the round and the overall match with Kaye as the victor.
"Kaye is pretty strong," Neo commented absently, alerting his companions.
"You stayed awake the whole time?" Chase inquired, his surprised expression fading.
"It's kind of hard not to stay awake," Neo informed with his casual smile as his dark gray eyes indicated the booming cheers of the people around them.
"Heh. Riiiight..."
"Well, I need to get ready," Neo said and stood up after Kashu bounced off his lap.
"Good luck out there!" His friend gave him a thumbs up and handed him a refilled canteen bottle.
Neo gratefully took it from him and drank a couple of sips before strapping it to his belt. Exhaling deeply at the gradual calming effects, he looked at Chase and the pokemon trio who all beamed with best wishes for his second battle. Neo couldn't help but smile and feel blessed to have companions like them. Carrying their faith on his shoulders, he descended from the stands and made his way towards the arena to await his turn.
After the tense 15-minute interval, Neo found himself facing the same blonde girl who had lost to Kiba. Memories of her battle with his so-called nemesis played through his mind, reminding Neo of Kiba's power in battle. It made him realize that his performance in the match would determine his standing in comparison to Kiba.
The floor clicked and parted, drawing Neo out of his thoughts. The wide rectangular area before him was now a swamp with murky waters, mossy rocks and dead mangroves overrun with dense hanging foliage. A familiar noise of a capsule opening, Neo looked across and saw the blonde sending out her Xatu who flapped its wings and hovered over the battlefield. Neo, in turn, sent out his shiny Drapion, Scourge who toppled down a couple of tree trunks and stood over them.
The match was very one-sided, given Scourge's immunity to psychic-type moves, leaving only Dazzling Gleam and Energy Ball to inflict any damage to him. But those could only deal as much before the Xatu succumbed to the Drapion's onslaught of Night Slash, empowered by Hone Claws. The win was easy but Neo couldn't help but feel somewhat dissatisfied because Scourge used to be Kiba's pokemon.
Next up, the blonde girl sent out her next combatant, a Mightyena. This time, it posed more of a challenge for Neo because of the wolf-like pokemon's quick movements and unpredictable moves like Sucker Punch and Hidden Power which sent electrical sparks coursing through Scourge's body. In the end, Neo's Drapion fell unconscious after getting caught in the muck of the swamp, impairing his movements as the Mightyena unleashed a series of attacks that won it the round.
Neo's next choice was Genbu, his Wartortle. His strategy began by turning the arena into their favor by freezing the murky ponds and coating the rocks and fallen trees in ice. The Mightyena slipped several times but managed to inflict considerable damage to Genbu using his electricity-typed Hidden Power. Neo's Wartortle retaliated with a mixture of ice and water moves while using Protect to shield himself at certain points in the match. And after some tense moments, Genbu emerged victorious, although visibly weakened after that match.
Given his state, Neo could guess who would win in the next round.
A pang settled in the pit of the young noble's stomach but he forcibly shoved it aside. He knew what it was and hated it completely. It was the feeling when he understood that he fell short in comparison to Kiba's display in the previous match. It was eating him from the inside.
What was it?
Disappointment in himself? Possibly.
Fear that he wouldn't be able to beat Kiba? No, it wasn't that.
...It couldn't be.
Just then, he blonde trainer sent out her final pokemon, pulling Neo away from his inner torment. Looking up, he saw that it was a Floatzel with an attitude that could rival Genbu's stubbornness if he wasn't exhausted and hurt from the prior round.
As soon as the battle went underway, Neo's prediction came true. A few exchanges of Ice Beam, Water Pulse and Swift later, the blonde's Floatzel won the round but Genbu's persistence and will had made their mark on the orange otter-like pokemon, causing a good amount of damage to give Neo's next pokemon the advantage.
Novus was next in line, Neo's final pokemon for the match. By that time, the ebony-haired noble had steeled himself and focused solely on the battle. He masked the raging chaos of doubt beneath his nobleman personae, giving him the appearance of a composed trainer. Using the type advantage of Novus' Thunder Punch, he defeated his opponent and won his second battle in the world tournament.
After shaking hands with the blonde girl, Neo made his way down with Novus floating beside him. He wordlessly headed towards the healing stations, but along the way he caught a glimpse of the person who with a single cocky smirk directed at him, shattered his calm mask. Anger was tossed in the pit of emotions he was feeling, violently clashing with the cold pang that lingered long after the battle.
Fortunately, Novus shifted in between, blocking his trainer from view. With a strong arm around Neo's shoulders, he guided the dazed teen to their destination.
End of Chapter 56
Things are heating up with the upcoming battles.
And now, Neo's getting angst-y because of Kiba.
So much is going on! xD
And Ariann Roman makes her appearance!
Look up Ramaxy's story: Team Epic!
1 win and 1 loss. 3 more battles to go (One left for Day1 and Two for Day2)
Hopefully, Neo will get into his rhythm before Judgement Day.
Read and Review~! Thanks again to my collab-mates. wew.
