Upon seeing that Shuichi was one of their opponents, Reina clenched her fist tightly. "That Tsukamoto again, huh? Looks like those goons from last time didn't rough him up hard enough. I'll finish what they started."
Kumiko was also surprised at this result, but for different reasons. She hadn't heard from Shuichi after he tagged along with those escaping goons wherever they went, so he must have somehow found a way to escape later on. Besides, she had been worried about her childhood friend, so hearing that he was alright made her feel relieved.
"The first battle will begin in ten minutes," Nakaseko announced, breaking Kumiko off her train of thought. "Will the participants of this match begin their preparations?"
"Let's go, Kumiko." Reina remarked. "Our battle is the second-to-last, so we can observe our opponents and strategize while we wait."
Heading up with Reina to the participants' reserved seats, Kumiko still couldn't shake the thought of facing Shuichi from her head. Even though she had always won against him every time they faced each other, Kumiko wondered if he had grown stronger by escaping from those goons, who were giving them a hard time back in the maze.
Arriving at their spectator seats, Kumiko and Reina sat down and immediately found out that they were sitting next to Shuichi and his partner, the seating clearly arranged by the order the participants were facing each other. Seeing the predicament they were in, Reina forcefully stomped on Shuichi's foot after she sat down.
"Ow! What was that for?" Shuichi asked.
"I don't know, maybe TRAUMATIZING KUMIKO?" Reina angrily replied, the rage seething through her voice as Kumiko held back the rabid Reina with a cooldown hug, in hopes of preventing the situation from escalating further.
"Look, we'd better focus on the upcoming battles, OK?" Kumiko consoled her special one. "That's what you said yourself, right?"
"Yes, let's." Reina replied, shuffling back to be closer to Kumiko's side, but not before giving a frostbite-cold glare towards Shuichi, who instantly recoiled at the sight of such a beautiful girl looking at him like that.
Looking down, Kumiko saw the first four participants enter the battlefield, and was surprised when she recognized Nozomi and Mizore standing on one side as a team. After pointing them out to Reina, Kumiko then saw that Nozomi had sent out a Togedemaru and Mizore had sent out a Mimikyu, two Pokémon of theirs she had never seen before.
Once the battle began, the duo leapt into action as Togedemaru spun at high speeds around the battlefield for both offense and mobility while Mimikyu was stretching out its spectral arm to attack their opponents, who seemed unequipped to deal with this all-range strategy. Kumiko noted that Mizore was using her oboe to give commands to her Mimikyu in contrast to Nozomi, who seemed content with just vocally commanding her Togedemaru.
Shortly after it started, the battle drew to a rapid close. Togedemaru crashed into the enemy Umbreon with a Wild Charge, and Mimikyu used an enlarged Shadow Claw to grab the opposing Sylveon and slam it into the ground.
"Homura Akemi and Madoka Kaname of Team 2 have been eliminated. Nozomi Kasaki and Mizore Yoroizuka of Team 1 will advance to the next round."
As the two losers recalled their Pokémon, Kumiko could sense that something or someone was getting closer to her. Being blinded all of a sudden, she could only rely on her sense of hearing for what came next. "Guess who~?"
"Natsuki, is that you?" Kumiko calmly asked, having all the fear robbed from her after Aoi's much scarier jumpscare, which caused the normally playful Natsuki to momentarily flinch. The Kumiko she had known would have cried out and leapt into the air, but the girl whose eyes she was covering with her hands seemed unaffected by all this.
"Geez kid, no need to go all ice-cold on me," Natsuki remarked. "Looks like Kousaka has been rubbing off on you. Maybe in more ways than one, if you know what I mean."
"You were too obvious with your actions." Kumiko replied, having learnt how and why she had detected Natsuki from Aoi's actions. "Even a deaf or blind person could notice the breezes created by your actions, and you're the only sort of person I know who pulls this type of trick on me."
"All right, all right." Natsuki conceded. "I admit defeat. You win this time, Kumiko, but I'll get you even better the next time we meet again!"
"Will you stop with those antics of yours?" Kumiko heard Yuuko's shouting ring in her ears. "We were lucky enough to enter this invitational, and the first thing you do is try and socialize with Kumiko? Get back here and come strategize with me! We need solid battle plans if we want to win!"
Dragging Natsuki away by the collar of her shirt, Kumiko and Reina sweatdropped at Natsuki and Yuuko's behaviour. It seemed that no matter the circumstances, Natsuki and Yuuko would always fight like Growlithe and Mankey.
After Natsuki and Yuuko left, Kumiko remembered something about the battle that she found confusing. Turning to Reina, Kumiko posed her question. "So we can only use one Pokémon for our battles?"
"Correct," Reina answered. "And we can't change what Pokémon we use between battles, so we'd better think about who we should pair up to make the most effective team."
Kumiko pondered for a moment, thinking of the various combinations their Pokémon could be used in, then settled on the most logical option.
"We should use Orpheus and Eurydice, since they're siblings," Kumiko suggested. "Even though we've always used Marcato and Idina during our previous Double Battles, we made those decisions under pressure, so we sent out our strongest Pokémon back then. Besides, Grass-type and Ice-type moves don't really have much synergy between them."
"That's a good idea." Reina was pleased that Kumiko had came to the same conclusions as her. Though all their other Pokémon had more raw power, Orpheus and Eurydice would naturally be more coordinated, and Reina was also eager to test out the results of their training over the past two days.
As the next four battles passed by without much fanfare, Kumiko and Reina became interested in what was happening on the battlefield again when it was Natsuki and Yuuko's turn to battle. With both girls sending out their Meowstic, Reina took note of their strategy.
"So they decided to use their own Psychic-type pair as well," she remarked. "That makes sense, since paired-up Psychic-type Pokémon are mentally linked between themselves, making them more coordinated and cooperative with each other when they battle together."
However, the same could not be said of their Trainers. While Heart and Soul were moving in sync while battling their opponents, Natsuki and Yuuko were butting heads and bickering like they normally did. Strangely, this did not seem to affect their awareness of the battlefield's situation, and even seem to somehow increase it at points, the two calling out attacks in perfect sync.
With such impressive teamwork (despite seeming like the opposite on the surface), Natsuki and Yuuko handily beat their opponents back, their Pokémon's Psychic powers allowing them to pull off tactical maneuvers from two points of attack that would be otherwise impossible.
One simultaneous Psychic blast that slammed both their opponents' Mantine and Lanturn together later, it was clear that Natsuki and Yuuko's bizarre battling method had worked in their favor as their opponents lost.
"Yuu Koito and Touko Nanami of Team 11 have been eliminated. Natsuki Nakagawa and Yuuko Yoshikawa of Team 12 will advance to the next round." the referee announced.
Kumiko was surprised by how deadly and effective Natsuki and Yuuko were when they worked together, but those thoughts quickly vanished from her mind as Reina called her. "Kumiko, it's our time to battle now. Let's show that Tsukamoto that no one messes with us and gets away with it."
Heading down towards the battlefield, Kumiko was a little bit nervous. While she knew how Shuichi performed in battle, she had absolutely no idea about who he was partnering with for this tournament. If he found somebody whose battling prowess surpassed even Reina's, then they were going to have a bad time.
Kumiko prayed that the specialized matchmaking was correct.
Once Kumiko and Reina stepped onto the solid rock of the battlefield, Kumiko immediately realized that unlike the enclosed environments of the Gyms or wide open spaces of nature, this stadium gave their Pokémon a lot of space to move around, but if they got too accustomed to this sudden increase in space, their Pokémon would easily step out of bounds on accident.
Facing Shuichi and his partner on the other side of the battlefield, Kumiko and Reina drew Orpheus and Eurydice's Pokéballs before throwing them out, prompting their opponents to do the same as well. As the two Ralts materialized on the battlefield, a Magnemite on Shuichi's quarter and an Elekid on his partner's greeted them.
"All four Trainers' Pokémon are now on the battlefield," the referee proclaimed. "Battle start!"
"Magnet, Sonic Boom!" Shuichi yelled. Kumiko let out a sigh mentally as she realized that this poor Magnemite was yet another Pokémon subject to Shuichi's horrible naming skills, but didn't notice its attack travelling directly towards Orpheus, still stuck in her thoughts. At the last moment, Eurydice managed to grab him and Teleport them both away just as the attack was about to connect, causing Kumiko to realize what she just missed.
"Why didn't you command Orpheus?" Reina asked, a slight hint of disapproval in her voice. Afraid of making her special one disappointed, Kumiko quickly apologized.
"So-sorry. I was just thinking about Shuichi back then," she answered. Whatever warmth that was left in Reina's eyes quickly vanished, causing Kumiko to flinch.
"The only thing you'll think about Tsukamoto from now on is how delicious his tears of misery will be when we defeat him." Reina's cold tone seemed to translate over to her trumpet playing as she played Ave Maria.
Eurydice fired a blast of Psychic that hit the opponent's Elekid straight on, sending it flying back. Knowing that she needed to get back into the battle, Kumiko decided to use the results of the training she did with Reina as revenge on the person who distracted her. "Orpheus, Fire Punch!"
Using one of the new moves that Reina had taught him yesterday, Orpheus' right arm lit up in flames as he used his Psychic energy to generate friction, heating it up until it combusted. For some reason, he had gotten the essentials of this move quicker than Eurydice, who was still struggling with channeling Fire-type energy.
Stretching his lit-up fist downwards, he then Teleported directly below Magnet and delivered an incendiary uppercut directly at its exposed underbelly, sending the Magnemite flying straight up in the air. As Magnet came plummeting back down again, it didn't make any attempt to readjust itself in the process, meaning that it had already fainted from the super-effective attack on impact.
Sighing, Shuichi recalled his Pokémon in midair and turned to his partner. "Sorry, Chikao. I guess I grossly underestimated how strong my friend was, even after battling against her twice before."
"Don't worry," Chikao replied. "I'll make sure that your sacrifice won't be in vain. Elekid, drop kick!"
Reina was confused as to what Shuichi's partner meant by that as his Elekid rushed towards Eurydice and jumped in the air. Rapidly descending downwards at an angle with both legs aimed towards her, Reina could only give Eurydice a spur-of-the-moment command. "Spread both its legs out with your arms!"
Though the wording was a bit complex, Eurydice understood her Trainer's orders, catching Elekid's legs with the tips of her arms and spreading them out in a split. However, Chikao smirked at the predicament his Pokémon was caught in, clearly having got what he wanted. "You fell for it, fool! Thunder Cross Split Attack!"
As Elekid placed its arms into a Cross Chop, both of them lit up with the Electric energy of Thunder Punch. Shuichi grinned at the sheer audacity of his partner's plan as he realized the genius behind it. "Incredible! This technique allows him to attack and keep his opponent from defending with their arms! It's a perfect offense and defense!"
Unfortunately for Shuichi, his ecstasy was short-lived as Reina gave Eurydice her next order. "Ice Punch, attacca!"
Ice-type energy began to gather on Eurydice's arms, but she channeled it into Elekid instead of focusing it into herself, leaving the Electric-type Pokémon frozen solid in the middle of her arms. Now that their only opponent was disabled, Reina turned to Kumiko, who nodded as she understood what Reina was planning to do.
Looking at Orpheus, Kumiko saw that he was also raring to go, wanting to finish this battle as soon as possible. "Rondo finale, con fuoco!"
Orpheus Teleported and grabbed Elekid from Eurydice's arms, then warped away again and reappeared in the sky above the battlefield. As gravity began to take its toll, he lit up both of his arms with Fire Punch and began to spin around, the resulting effect being a drill of flame in midair.
Before he hit the ground, Orpheus Teleported one final time and ended up next to Eurydice, as they watched the resulting incendiary impact with their Trainers, Elekid trapped inside the whirlwind of fire. Once the blaze had dissipated, it was apparent that Elekid could not continue fighting in its current state.
"Shuichi Tsukamoto and Chikao Takigawa of Team 14 have been eliminated. Kumiko Oumae and Reina Kousaka of Team 13 will advance to the next round." the referee announced.
"See? I told you." Reina addressed Kumiko, who was still looking at the smoking crater in the middle of the battlefield as a Geodude used its lithokinesis to repair the ground. "From now on, you'll only associate Tsukamoto with the futility of always winning against him."
Settling back into their assigned seats after getting their Pokémon healed, Kumiko now noticed that Reina was now facing Shuichi was a smug look on her face. Even as her special one was goading her childhood friend, Kumiko still wanted to know what had happened to him after they had separated a few days ago. "How did you shake off those goons you Teleported along with?"
"Well, they were returning back to their base in this city," Shuichi explained. "But since they were so surprised that I managed to tag along with them, they let me go as an apology, and even gave me Magnet, who they found abandoned in an alleyway."
"Huh, never knew that even goons like them could be so kind-hearted." Kumiko commented, surprised at how events had turned out from there.
"Oh, I just remembered this one strange thing." Shuichi added. "Before I left, I met this girl that looked like you in a ponytail who introduced herself as their boss. She gave me two passes to this invitational and told me to find a friend to join with. Since I didn't know where you were, I decided to invite Chikao, since he lived here in Edian City."
For some reason, Kumiko's mind flashed back to the girl running the lottery stall where she and Reina had won their passes for this invitational. Reina had remarked that they looked quite similar, and Kumiko couldn't help but agree. If the lottery girl and the girl in Shuichi's story were one and the same, then what was this invitational's connection to those goons?
Her mind trying to grasp at straws that may or may not have existed, Kumiko shoved those thoughts out of their mind as her focus shifted back to the final battle of the first round. While she didn't know the participants on one side of the battlefield at all, Kumiko could instantly recognize the two girls on the other team in a heartbeat.
"Hazuki? Midori?" she exclaimed. After leaving them behind in Onic City to go with Nozomi across Reed Forest, Kumiko was surprised that she had been reunited with her first travelling companions by a stroke of fate.
"Who are they?" Reina asked, confused as to why Kumiko called out two random names all of a sudden.
"They're two girls I rescued from a Poliwrath shortly after I parted ways with you at Dacap Town." Kumiko explained. "I journeyed with them all the way to Onic Town, then split up with them after I got my first Gym Badge while they didn't."
"That's interesting," Reina noted. "I recall that Nakagawa told me something about them when we first met, but I'd never expect seeing them here. Let's see how they perform."
As their opponents sent out a Torterra and a Smeargle, she saw that Hazuki and Midori had sent out an Eevee and a Helioptile respectively, two Pokémon they didn't have when Kumiko first met them.
After the battle had begun, Hazuki's Eevee shot Midori's Helioptile four times with glowing red cards, visibly damaging it by a small amount. While the audience was confused as to why there was infighting between teammates, Hazuki's Eevee danced around the battlefield, constantly getting closer towards Torterra. Once it was only a short distance away, Eevee shot one final card at Torterra.
Upon impact, Torterra visibly recoiled at the damage, sending the bulky Pokémon reeling backwards. The audience gasped, shocked that such a small Pokémon like Eevee could pack such a punch.
"That move must have been Trump Card," Reina noted. "It can only be used five times, with the power increasing by 150% between the fourth and fifth from 80 to 200. By having her partner's Pokémon tank the comparatively weaker hits first, Miss Hazuki's Eevee would easily be able to deal a lot of damage."
Torterra stabilized itself again, then stomped its feet on the ground to create a powerful Earthquake. Its teammate Smeargle jumped on its back to avoid the damage, while Eevee jumped on Helioptile's back.
Confused as to why the Pokémon with a weakness to Ground-type moves would be the one receiving the brunt of the attack, Kumiko's question was answered when Midori's Helioptile aimed a Thunderbolt downwards, the resulting discharge knocking the two small Pokémon upward into the air, letting them dodge the attack.
In the air, Helioptile just let itself slowly drift down, its fall being slowed by its opened frill. Meanwhile, Eevee aligned itself in the direction of its opponent's Torterra and glowed a bright yellow before diving towards it, striking it directly on the shell.
The ground underneath Torterra was crushed by the impact as Eevee jumped off it, its retreat covered by Helioptile firing Thunderbolts at Smeargle. Torterra managed to stand up again, but Eevee glowed yellow charged at it once more just as it regained its footing. With that hit, Torterra was knocked out, unable to defend itself against Eevee's level of damage output.
"Last Resort? I get it now." Reina commented, then turned to Kumiko as she explained what Hazuki's Eevee just did. "Last Resort is another powerful move that only works once the Pokémon using it has used all the other moves it knows. If Miss Hazuki's Eevee only knows Trump Card and Last Resort, then she could instantly fire off Last Resort once Trump Card hit one last time, creating a chain of powerful moves."
Kumiko was amazed that someone like Hazuki could execute such an ingenious strategy like that, considering she had lost her first Gym Battle because of poor planning. Even if it wasn't her who came up with it, the fact that such a harmless Pokémon like Eevee could cause so much damage put Kumiko on high alert. If Hazuki and Midori pulled out a win, then Reina and her would be next in line to fall.
As its partner was being recalled back into its Pokéball, Smeargle unleashed its most powerful move upon command from its Trainer. Rushing towards Midori's Helioptile, its Giga Impact was only blocked in time by another Last Resort from Hazuki's Eevee. The two attacks colliding with each other, both Pokémon were now unable to move from the clash, though it was due to fainting in Eevee's case.
Its body recovering from Giga Impact's rebound, Smeargle was stuck in place, leaving it a sitting Ducklett as Midori's Helioptile repeatedly used Thunderbolt on it. After about four or five strikes, Smeargle finally passed out from the repeated electrocution.
"Pribzz and Kiith of Team 16 have been eliminated. Hazuki Katou and Midori of Team 15 will advance to the next round." the referee announced.
Kumiko felt a chill go down her back, then checked to see that none of Aoi's Pokémon were behind her. Though Hazuki and Midori didn't show it when she first met them, they were far more competent than Kumiko had expected. Was either one of them hiding their true strength when she rescued them?
The second round of battles passed by without much fanfare for the most part, as Nozomi and Mizore handily won their match, while Natsuki and Yuuko pulled off what Kumiko considered impossible feats of coordination when their Meowstic constantly used Ally Switch to swap positions with each other during scenarios where the other would be more useful, and won their battle as well.
With three of the four battles now finished, the only one that was left was Kumiko and Reina's against Hazuki and Midori. Discussing strategies with Reina, Kumiko came to the conclusion that whatever they did, they needed to stop Hazuki's Eevee from using Trump Card first. Otherwise, the battle was as good as over.
Just as Reina and her were about to head down, Kumiko heard a cheerful shout from a familiar voice. "Hey, Kumiko! Over here!"
Turning around to see Hazuki and Midori waving at, Kumiko immediately realized that she hadn't seen them anywhere during the first round, even when it wasn't their turn to battle. Were they hiding somewhere to plan?
Disregarding those thoughts for the moment, Kumiko waved back. "Hi, Hazuki. Hi, Midori. It's felt like quite a while since I saw you two."
"That's right!" Hazuki energetically replied. "In that time, me and Midori beat the Gyms in Onic City and Perto City, and captured a few new Pokémon as well! I can't wait to show you how strong we've become! In fact, the strategy that Midori and me came up with-" Hazuki's mouth was quickly silenced by Midori's left hand being on top of it.
"Hazuki-chan, don't spill the beans right now," Midori advised her. "Even though Kumiko-chan's our friend, we're going to be battling her and her partner very soon. If you tell them what else we've planned, then we'll lose the element of surprise!"
Stretching her free arm out towards Reina, Midori looked pleased to see her. "And you are? You must be a good person for Kumiko-chan to trust having you as her partner in this tournament."
Reina took Midori's outstretched hand and shook it, impressed that this tiny girl had such good manners. "Reina Kousaka. You and your friend must be Midori and Hazuki. Kumiko told me a lot about you two, and I'll have to say, you've already made a good impression on me during your performance last battle."
"Thank you very much." Midori politely bowed. "Hazuki-chan and I will make sure to give you a good battle soon enough!"
Stepping foot on the battlefield again, Kumiko was more accustomed to its feel this time. Looking at Reina, her special one smiled at her, confident they could pull off their plan and win. Sending out Orpheus and Eurydice, Kumiko could hear Hazuki and Midori calling out their Pokémon's names.
"Tubacabra, play it loud!" Hazuki called out, her Eevee appearing in front of her.
"Macaroon, sweeten up the scene!" Midori's joyful voice accompanied her Helioptile.
Once all four Pokémon were on the battlefield, the referee signalled that it was now time to start. "Battle begin!"
"Tubacabra! Trump Card, quartet!" After Hazuki gave her order, Tubacabra began to shoot out the first of four playing cards, but Reina was already a step ahead of her. Playing Ave Maria on her trumpet, Eurydice then used Psychic to stop the card in midair with telekinesis.
As his first strike technically wasn't finished yet, Tubacabra was left unable to attack. Seeing the predicament that Hazuki was in, Midori decided to move in her stead. "Macaroon, use Thunderbolt!"
Macaroon fired a bolt of lightning towards Eurydice's direction, but Kumiko had Orpheus Teleport between them and use Thunder Punch to redirect and absorb the attack, this being another new move that Reina had taught him.
His right arm still crackling with Electric-type energy, Orpheus then Teleported in to where Tubacabra was and prepared to deliver the enhanced Thunder Punch, but Hazuki saw what Kumiko was planning to do a split-second before it happened and shouted out a last-ditch order. "Sand Attack!"
Tubacabra dug up some dust and dirt from the ground and flung it in Orpheus' direction in hopes of blocking his field of view, but Orpheus continued on through using his intuition. Trusting his instincts, the supercharged Thunder Punch connected with Tubacabra's face and sent him flying back. With Tubacabra's concentration now being broken, the Trump Card that Eurydice was holding up with Psychic disintegrated in midair.
For some reason, rather than settle back to the ground normally, the dust that was kicked up was attracted to Orpheus' electrified arm as it slowly drained the charge from it, with the debris slowly gravitating towards a single point. Once all the electricity was gone, the collective mass of dust dropped on the ground, now becoming a semi-opaque stone that coursed with an electric current.
"A Thunder Stone?" Reina questioned, then seemed to have settled on an explanation. "It may be possible that the electricity from the powered-up Thunder Punch caused the dust to be electrified as well, and being clumped together turned them into an ad-hoc Thunder Stone."
Even though Kumiko didn't understand much of what Reina said, she realized that a Thunder Stone now being on the battlefield made things more dangerous for them. If Hazuki's Eevee got a hold of it, then it could outspeed and attack them extremely quickly once it evolved into a Jolteon. Knowing what she had to do, Kumiko gave Orpheus his next order. "Get that Thunder Stone back with Teleport!"
As Reina commanded Eurydice to use Psychic on Macaroon with her trumpet, Orpheus warped to where the Thunder Stone was and picked it up, then blinked back to his original position just as Tubacabra was charging towards him.
Seeing that a possible competitive advantage had been nullified, Midori knew they had to get it back if they wanted to win and advance. Whispering to Hazuki, her friend nodded in approval of what Midori was planning to do.
"Use Thunderbolt away from Tubacabra!" Hearing Midori's command, Kumiko was confused as to what she meant when Macaroon fired a blast of electricity below the ground he was standing on, allowing him to escape from Eurydice's repeated Psychics.
The recoil knocked him back towards Tubacabra and sent both Pokémon flying towards Orpheus, who was still holding the Thunder Stone. Seeing that her opponents were now heading towards Orpheus, Kumiko did the only logical choice in this situation. "Use Teleport!"
Just as Tubacabra's head was about to touch the Thunder Stone, Orpheus warped away and immediately reappeared behind them. As he only Teleported a short distance away, Tubacabra and Macaroon were able to catch up to him soon enough, but Kumiko commanded Orpheus to Teleport again, narrowly avoiding danger once more.
This game of Meowth-and-Pikachu continued on several times, with the margin between Orpheus and his opponents slowly getting smaller as repeated Teleports wore him down. Kumiko knew that if she continued to rely on this strategy, then Tubacabra would eventually be able to touch that Thunder Stone once Orpheus was exhausted enough.
For some reason, Kumiko thought back to what Natsuki and Yuuko did in their battle and got an idea. Whispering it to Reina, her special one nodded at her suggestion. Despite the high risks associated with it, it was the most effective way to decisively break the deadlock.
"Orpheus, toss the Thunder Stone up in the air!" Upon hearing his Trainer's command, Orpheus was confused as to why she wanted it in such a vulnerable position, but trusted her anyways, knowing that she had good judgement.
Throwing it straight into the sky, Tubacabra and Macaroon were entranced by the Thunder Stone's amber lustre, sunlight going through it and scattering golden rays all over the ground. Even though she internally questioned why Kumiko had chosen to do that, Midori knew that this could be her only chance to make Tubacabra evolve. "Macaroon, launch yourself and Tubacabra up!"
As soon as their opponent's Pokémon were in the air, Reina seized this chance. "Eurydice! Use Teleport, valse metre!"
Before Tubacabra could get to the Thunder Stone, Eurydice had already swapped positions with it, the stone now safe down on the ground in Orpheus' hands. With both of her opponents now vulnerable and unable to get the Thunder Stone, Reina could now deal with both of them in one blow.
Reina played Ave Maria on her trumpet one last time, and Eurydice fired out a Psychic that flattened both Tubacabra and Macaroon towards the ground. Teleporting back to where Orpheus was, Eurydice held the attack for a few more seconds, then released her Psychic grip to reveal that both Tubacabra and Macaroon had both fainted.
"Hazuki Katou and Midori of Team 15 have been eliminated. Kumiko Oumae and Reina Kousaka of Team 13 will advance to the next round." the referee announced.
Heading over to where the Thunder Stone lay, Kumiko picked it up and walked over to where Hazuki and Midori were standing. As Hazuki looked on in confusion, Kumiko lightly tapped her on the head with it, eliciting a shocked response from the smaller girl.
"Here, Hazuki. You can have this Thunder Stone." Kumiko offered, seeing how desperate her friends were trying to get it during the battle. "I don't have any Pokémon that can evolve with it, and I think your Eevee would make for an awesome Jolteon, given how it was running around the battlefield."
"R-Really?" Hazuki was surprised at Kumiko's kind gesture, but a huge grin then appeared on her face and she tackled Kumiko in a hug. "Thanks a lot, Kumiko! You're such an awesome friend!"
Hugging Hazuki back, Kumiko realized how much she had missed Hazuki and Midori. Even though travelling with Reina seemed like a dream come true for her, Hazuki and Midori's energetic enthusiasm was something that even her special one could not replace.
"Kumiko-chan! Thank you very much!" Midori squealed in delight. "With this, Hazuki-chan will become stronger! I'll make sure of it!"
Seeing this reunion between friends, Reina was reminded of a promise that she had made several years ago. While she couldn't fulfill it with her current abilities, everything she did from that point forward was in service of it, and that included getting stronger.
"Someday, I'll meet you at the top, sensei." she thought to herself.
I'd expect everyone reading this to get at least two references in this chapter (the Madoka and Bloom Into You ones), since they do have quite an audience overlap with Hibike. I hope you like the Pokémon I gave our lesbian couples!
For the less obvious references, Thunder Cross Split Attack is from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, while Pribzz and Kiith are people I know on the Hibike subreddit Discord.
Anyway, chapters will be posted regularly every Thursday from now on, so we're finally back to normal!