Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon and Harry Potter
BloodyKitsune1997: Okay, guys the next chapter will be the last chapter of the Conference and Vali is in the final four which is a big jump, but remember there were other people in the Conference. I'm okay, but personal business sucks! No Corona for me, but my job is lost on me which sucks, but I've got to find a new one which is difficult. So smaller chapter and longer wait, but something right
Words: 12,278
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Chapter 23
"What are you still doing up?" Steven asked Vali and felt a little bad when she jumped a bit.
A clatter sounded and Steven winced knowing her dex had hit the ground though it had definitely suffered worse during their journey together. The worst being that Smaug stepping on it after evolving somehow managing not to break it. The amount of scratches and divots in the surface of the dex spoke of just how rough its journey had been. Vali's head snapped towards him as her hand went to her chest. She about hissed, "Steven, don't scare me like that! You could have given me a heart attack."
"My apologies," Steven told her as he moved further into the room, "I didn't mean to startle you so badly, but normally one of your pokemon would've alerted you to my presence,"
Vali's hand dropped and she bent down to pick up her dex, "Everyone save for Houndour and Litwick is fast asleep. They're all very tired from training and battling so hard recently," She smiled a little as she scooped up the scarred metal device and sat up to look at him, "Houndour and Litwick are playing outside for the moment. I'm giving them another thirty minutes before calling them inside."
"I see," Steven glanced outside and caught sight of Houndour rushing past cashing after a Will-o-Wisp making him smile softly, "So what are you doing up? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"
"I wanted to get some research and strategizing in," Vali held up her dex and he could see her pokenav sitting on the table, "I'm just trying to be prepared, ya know," She looked at him curiously, "What about you?"
"Some paperwork that came up and strategizing as well," Steven smiled a bit, "It seems great minds think alike. I came out here to get some water," He headed towards the kitchen, "Would you like something to drink?"
"Some water," Vali replied as she rubbed her eyes.
Steven got them both some water and handed it to her, "Here you are, Vali. I'm going to head back into my room. Try to get some rest a some point tonight, alright?"
Vali hesitated for a moment before nodding and offering him a light smile. He headed towards his room, but only made it halfway there when she spoke up, "Actually, Steven, would you like to stay out here with me? Just to keep each other company?"
Steven smiled at her request and nodded as he turned his head towards her, "Sure, it's better than sitting in my room alone. I just need to grab a few things."
Vali was used to waking up in a slightly uncomfortable position due to her pokemon moving around her during the night though it was slowly becoming more comfortable as the days passed by. Waking up pressed against the couch with an arm pinned underneath her side and her foot trapped beneath Houndour wasn't comfortable in the least, she definitely didn't enjoy the crick in her neck created from the awkward way she was laying despite the warm from pressed against her back and the arm curled around her. Jerking slightly in alarm, she opened her eyes and found the familiar sight of the cottages couch greeting her causing some of the alarm to fade. A soft groan sounded from behind her followed by a strong rush of air at the top of her head, she recognized it to be Steven and Elrond's mental voice confirmed it, "You apparently fell asleep on the couch with Steven late last night. It's about time you've woken up. Steven is not far behind."
"I see," Vali had enjoyed spending the night just enjoying Steven's company as it had reminded her of their time traveling together.
Elrond sensed her thoughts and emotions takings a melancholic turn. He let out a mental sigh, "Dear one, I have spoken and so have the rest of our odd Pack-Family. In the end, the decision will come only at the end of the tournament. For now enjoy what time you may have left together, it's my only suggestion."
Vali smiled feeling her melancholy lift and she carefully sat up making sure not to disturb Steven too much though it was difficult. Extracting herself from the couch took some help from Elrond, she hugged the Alolan-Raichu gently and pressed a kiss to his cheek, "You've grown from the untrusting Pikachu that only wanted to run away and fry any humans that he encountered save for Nurse Joys. I'm proud to have you as one of my partners and the one that shares my mind most frequently."
Elrond gave a mental snort, but nuzzled her lightly in return, "And you've grown as well, Dear one. You've grown from that skinny little brat that surprised me with that mutt back in the little forest path I'd been abandoned on."
The two of them let out soft laughs and pressed their foreheads together. Vali spoke softly, "No matter what happens, I'm glad that I managed to win you over, Elrond. I'm glad each of my pokemon chose me in the end and we ended up becoming our pack."
"As are we," Elrond murmured and Vali could feel pieces of the others lingering within his mental voice.
Vali pulled away from Elrond and moved towards the kitchen as she heard a door open. Lance entered the kitchen not long after, "Mornin', Vali."
"Morning, Lance," Vali started their breakfast, "Mind getting the pokemon food ready? I've got our breakfast covered,"
"Sure," Lance headed towards the cupboards, "So you were up late last night,"
Vali froze for a minute before continuing what she was doing, "I was working on some last minute strategies and research for my upcoming battle," She glanced at him, "Why?"
"No reason," Lance smiled lightly as he cut up some fresh berries, "I had been planning on joining you until Steven did. I guess you've made a decision regarding going to Hoenn with him?"
Vali shook her head wondering where the bizarre idea came from, "No, I haven't. Last night reminded me of the good times back when we traveled together, I will admit that, but it doesn't mean I'll go to Hoenn with him. Going and seeing Hoenn with Steven would be amazing, I will admit that especially since I really missed seeing Steven while training for the Conference," She admitted to the red head moving to grab some new ingredients for their breakfast, "The idea of meeting new pokemon and seeing so many new things. I can't imagine how many pictures I'd be able to take over there. I'd be able to battle new pokemon, new people, new styles, and try out contests which is something Litwick wants. There are so many reasons to go with Steven, I really want to travel with him, Lance."
"I'm sensing a 'but' in there," Lance glanced at her and she sighed deeply.
Tossing some cut up ingredients into the pan in front of her, Vali looked out of the window towards the stadium in the distance, "For one, the whole thing with Blaine. My dream of becoming a Fire-type master would be helped by him since he'd help my pokemon reach new heights of power and we'd probably find a Magby since Cinnabar has Magmar on it meaning our pack would be expanded. I've never been far from Kanto, Lance, outside of coming here with Sirius and a part of me wonders what will happen if I go too far away as stupid as it may sound," She didn't voice her thoughts about the Lord of Flames, "I don't want to miss out on Ash and Gary growing up like Daisy Oak has. I want to be here when Sirius marries Delia. But the biggest thing is, I want to see how far my pack will grow without being around Steven," She hated to admit it even if it was to Lance, "Being around Steven and you constantly shows us that we've got a long way to grow, we're suddenly facing other people that haven't been around you guys and the difference is noticeable. I just..."
Vali trailed off feeling uncertain about what to say. Lance understood though and picked it up with ease, "You're suddenly noticing that we do have a shadow and you've been under it even if you have shown through," She nodded with a relieved smile, "I get it and Steven will too when you explain this to him. No matter what you do, he'll understand."
"I know," Vali did and was thankful for it, "Even if that doesn't make it any easier, it's going to hurt if I don't travel with him,"
"Hurt?" Lance looked at her in surprise, "What do you mean?"
Vali looked at the food she was making, "Back when we parted in Viridian because Steven had to go to Mount Moon for the dig, it hurt knowing we wouldn't see each other until the Conference even if we'd be able to talk on the phone. This time, it'll hurt worse since we won't see each other for longer. We'll probably be a lot busier too depending on what happens. We'll be an ocean away too," She swallowed heavily at the tightness in her throat and ignored the slight stinging sensation developing in her eyes knowing that there was nothing to be done about it now, "But its for the best that we deal with it now then later, isn't it? I mean it's not like the future is set in stone, but Steven's set on becoming Hoenn's Champion. I'm not going to be staying in Hoenn though and I'll probably end up traveling a lot especially if I become a popular photographer even if it won't be my main thing. I just have to learn how to deal with it and this will be the best place to star-"
Vali cut herself off with a slight jerk as someone hugged her from behind. Lance spoke up with his voice coming from above her head revealing that he was the one hugging her making the tense fire-type master-in-training relax a bit, "Vali, no one is saying that this is an easy decision and I'm betting that Steven's regretting making the offer just a little bit right now if only because it's stressing you out so much. Just take a breath and relax, you're not making any decisions right now save for what we're eating for breakfast and how to help your pokemon relax today, okay?"
It took a few moments before Vali let herself relax into Lance's hold and take a deep breath, "Okay."
Lance was quiet for a few moments as Elrond floated into the kitchen and took over cooking and preparing the pokemon food for them. Vali eventually pulled away from Lance to take over from Elrond and the red head spoke up, "Vali, I'm always here to talk, you know? I don't mean it because you're going to be one of my Elite Four eventually either," He looked at her with a serious expression, "I care about you because you're one of my friends. Seeing you troubled is something that unsettles me greatly, I wish to help you in any way possible if it means ensuring that your troubles are eased. So please come to me even if you're unsure if its a good time to bother me, I'd do anything for my friends," Vali nodded slowly and Lance's familiar grin returned, "Good, I'll go wake up our sleeping beauty and see to it our pokemon follow him since its about time they get up since Elrond seems to have taken over for me."
"Okay," Vali paused a bit before calling out to Lance as he reached the entrance to the kitchen, "Lance?" He turned his head, "Thank you for both the conversation and the offer, I really appreciate,"
"It's no problem, Vali," Lance's grin softened into a smile, "I'm sure you'd do the same for me,"
"I would," Vali would in a heart beat for any of her friends, "And I'm giving you the same offer, Lance,"
"Good to know," Lance nodded to her before resuming his path towards the living room meaning he knew that Steven had spent the night in there.
Vali flushed slightly at the implications and realized that there might be blackmail photos lurking around now even if there wasn't anything to be ashamed of. Shaking her head slightly as she decided it didn't matter, she focused on the matter at hand and worked on getting breakfast ready. By the time everyone got into the kitchen/patio area, Vali and Elrond had gotten breakfast ready with all the pokemon having some extra vitamins since they all had been training extra hard save for Houndour though the baby was growing up thus needed any extra nutrients possible. The trainers sat down after getting their pokemon settled and Steven spoke up after taking his first sip of coffee, "So what's the plan for today?"
"Relaxation with some light training to work on adding any strategies we feel will actually work with our team," Vali answered as she picked up her glass of juice, "Mainly the first part though since everyone needs to rest as much as possible, we've been going at it pretty hard whenever they're not in Nurse Joy's care or following her advice,"
"True enough," Lance nodded his head as he grabbed a few slices of bacon from the main plate, "I'm going to head to one of the nearby parks for half the day. You two?"
"Same," Vali had picked it out on her pokenav's map last night.
"Mhmm," Steven inclined his head, "I'll be going to town afterward for more exploration,"
"I'll be doing the same," Vali just wasn't sure where she'd be exploring though, "I want to get some more pictures for my portfolio and to get more of a feel for this place,"
"Looks like we're going to all be doing the same thing," Lance looked amused, "Guess we should meet up,"
"Only until around three, I'll be heading to the Oak residence after that though. I've apparently come up with a final rough draft he's felt was acceptable for my research paper and wants to go over it with me a bit. Though we'll be focusing on something else first," Vali took a drink from her juice as the two gave her curious looks, "Apparently there have been some questions about my photography skills among his connections thanks to the pictures people saw from those reports I sent him. We're going to be setting something up, so I'm actually starting my career,"
Both of the boys looked at her in shock, Lance snapped out of it first and burst out, "That's amazing, Vali! Even if it's only going to be a side gig, you've already got something like that set up when most people only do it towards the end of their trainer careers."
Steven stared at her in shock and only broke out of it when Lance nudged him somewhat harshly making her wonder what had been going through his mind. He offered her a warm smile, "That's wonderful, Vali. You've taken so many beautiful pictures and now the world will see it for themselves."
"Thanks, guys," Vali blushed at their compliments, "I wouldn't go so far as to say the whole world, Steven. I'd say only a small portion will probably pay attention to it, but it's still exciting. That reminds me, would either of you mind if I put the pictures I've taken of you and your pokemon up? I won't if you say no, but I'd appreciate it if I could,"
"Go ahead," Lance said with a slight grin, "I don't mind,"
"I don't either," Steven shook his head lightly, "I'm sure they won't mind at all,"
"I'll ask each of them too just to be sure," Vali told them, "But thank you,"
Vali felt nervous for the first time in a long time going to see Professor Oak and she clutched the strap of her bag. Elrond float beside her with Aragorn and Houndour trotting along at her feet. Lance and Steven had both offered to join her only to be declined as she wanted to do this herself. Walking into that somewhat big house, she was surprised by the lack of sound and spoke softly, "Elrond?"
"Only the Professor is here, Delia and the children seem to be out," Elrond's left ear twitched curiously, "He bids us to come to his study,"
"Right," Vali swallowed feeling her nerves spike a bit, "Aragorn, Houndour, I want you two to behave yourselves. It'll be a bit boring since the Professor and I will mainly be talking the whole time. Just let Elrond know and we'll see abut you two going outside to play under Balto's watch, okay?"
The two nodded with confirming barks and they started marking their way towards the Professor's study. Unlike at the Oak house in Pallet, the one at Indigo held it's Study on the ground floor though which was both great since it was easily reached and bad as Vali's nerves seemed to grow with each step closer to that door. Pausing upon reaching it, a soft paw touched her cheek and Elrond spoke in her, "What's wrong?"
"Why am I so nervous?" Vali asked mentally not wanting to voice it out loud, "I shouldn't be,"
"It's setting things in motion for the future, Dear One," Elrond replied in a gentle tone, "Anyone would be nervous, but waiting will not help. It is time to take the plunge,"
Vali took a deep breath and nodded with a small smile before knocking on the door. Professor Oak called out for her to enter and she opened the door. The study was in Indigo was done in warm earthy tones with a medium sized desk and a large office chair. The many shelves carried books and a few nick-knacks. A fire place sat towards the back of the room though it was currently inactive at the moment. A computer was set up on the desk and a couple of photos with it. The room lacked the clutter and well-loved atmosphere that Professor Oak's study held back in Pallet though that was mostly due to not being used much. Speaking of Professor Oak, the man himself was sitting at the desk though he was looking at the screen of his computer, "Good Afternoon, Vali, Elrond, Aragorn, and Houndour. How are you?"
"A little nervous," Vali admitted prompting Professor Oak to look up, "But only because this does have to deal with setting things up for my future. I'm eager to get started though especially since you're satisfied with my latest draft,"
"Right," Professor Oak smiled warmly and waved a hand towards the chair in front of his desk, "Take a seat and we'll get started, I just need to pull up your research paper,"
Vali did as asked and opened her bag up, "So are we going to be publishing it soon?"
"Not just yet," Professor Oak chuckled as Vali deflated, "Now that you've finally created a passable rough draft, we can work on making it look pretty. Once that's done, I'll put it through the publishing process and your first paper will be published. The whole process should only take about two weeks as a whole since you've done the leg work,"
"That actually sounds pretty simple," Vali eyed the Professor in distrust since none of this had been simple so far, "What's the catch?"
"Nothing," Professor Oak focused on his computer, "You've done the hard part, Vali, though I will admit to making it quite a bit harder than it needed to be," He clicked his mouse and typed a few things in before turning back to her, "I would apologize, but the paper you've produced is absolutely amazing as a result. And we're going to make it even better, we only need to do the work now,"
"And this will benefit me in the end too," Vali supposed earning a nod, "I know how to write a good paper and you'll be helping me get my name out there too. I'm on my way to making my start as a Master,"
"Indeed," Professor Oak set his hands down on the desk, "So ready to begin?"
"Might as well," Vali had a feeling they'd be there for awhile just working on the paper alone.
Steven looked up when the door opened and Vali walked into the cottage carrying a worn out Houndour in her arms. Aragorn trotted at her feet though the Vulpix looked ready to drop any second and Elrond seemed a little amused. He put down his dex, "Vali, everything alright? You're coming back a bit late."
"Professor Oak and I got caught up in our work," Vali told him with a tired smile, "We didn't even notice the time passing even when Delia dropped off food for us and took my pokemon out to go play with the boys. It wasn't until about twenty minutes ago she realized we were still working and gave us, Professor Oak mostly, a dressing down before sending me home though not before offering me to stay,"
"Did you get everything done?" Steven asked as Aragorn jumped up to settle down beside him on the couch.
Vali carefully took off her shoes before moving to join him on the couch, "Set everything up, my paper is almost finished though we still need to work on it and we'll be doing when there is time. As for my business, we set up a plan for it. Officially speaking, it'll be in Delia's hands to manage until I turn 16 which is when I'll take over. She'll deal with any contracts, job info, and manage the site. I'll help out when I'm not traveling, but my main job is taking pictures. Delia's agreed to act as my manager and as my business grows we'll work out a percentage of the profit gained, but for now twenty percent seemed like a decent amount especially since a majority of it would be going to my pokemon."
"That's good, Vali," Steven smiled lightly as she set Houndour down and dropped onto the couch beside Aragorn, "What's the name of your business?"
"It took a little while, but I eventually decided on Marauder's Rebirth Photography," Vali answered with a slight flush to her cheeks, "Since coming to this world, I've been pretty much ignoring my past unless it's popped up in my nightmares or my thoughts at random," She pressed a hand to her chest where the feather that belong to Fawkes rested, "But I know that needs to stop especially since my magic needs to be trained with the future in mind," She looked at him and smiled, "So I decided to honor my parents, my fathers both past and present, by using Marauder. I chose 'Rebirth' because we came to this world via fire and were essentially given a chance to start anew by whatever brought us here," She looked at him nervously, "What do you think?"
Steven was a little surprise and touched by her question, "I think it's wonderful that you've put so much thought into this and it's a good name," He frowned a little, "How will you train your magic without a wand though? I know it's hard for you to use it without one."
"That's part of what took me so long to come back tonight," Vali reached down to scratch behind Aragorn's ears, "That crystal we got in the Safari Zone can channel my magic and my flames, I just have to learn how to seperate them. Professor Oak is willing to let me take one of the smaller pieces of crystal to experiment with so long as someone is watching me. After that, I'll just have to work hard to manipulate my magic since I'm not going to focus on using words to guide me like Sirius,"
"Is that safe?" Steven felt a bolt of worry run through him at the thought of Vali getting hurt.
Vali offered him a light smile, "It has some dangers, but it's more powerful. The words merely act as a guideline for our magic to follow and it's not like Sirius knows every spell anyway. I also want to learn the Animagus transformation too," She sighed deeply, "Especially since there's no telling if we'll ever have a chance to go back to our old world, I need to find a work around and figure out what my magic can do."
"I get it," Steven reached out and touched her wrist gently, "I'll help where I can even if I don't exactly understand it. Just try to be safe, okay?"
"I will," Vali promised with a light smile.
Vali stiffened and he tightened his grip on her wrist when Lance spoke up from behind the couch, "That's awesome and I totally agree with Steven about you being safe, Vali, I just have a few questions. What the hell is magic, are you really from another world, and why am I only hearing about this now?"
"Shit," Vali hissed softly under her breath.
Where the absolute hell had he come from and why had neither of them realized he'd been there?
Vali finished her explanation to Lance and the red head stared at her with an unreadable and weighed look in his almost black golden eyes. A deep nervousness slid through her stomach as she wait for him to say anything in response. Steven spoke up after a few moments, "Lance, Vali wasn't allowed to say anything. The only reason I was allowed to know at all was due to traveling with her for a long period of time and needing to know if anything popped up during a high stress situation. I'm sure she was planning on saying something eventually or you would've found out from the League upon ascending to the Champion's seat."
"Any Champions seat," Vali offered earning looks from both males and she winced a bit, "Anyone in the Champion levels, Elite Four levels, Ace and Ranger cores once they reach high enough and pass a certain level of trust. I don't know the exact tests though if certain people aren't trust worthy they'll be left out until they prove themselves,"
"But you would've told me eventually?" Lance's face and voice was carefully blank.
Vali nodded with a regretful expression, "I would've, Lance. It would've been in the future when I felt the time was right, but I would've."
"That's all I needed to hear," Lance's expression brightened and the familiar grin he normally wore returned easing the tension in her gut, "So, can you show me some magic?"
Vali let out a soft laugh filled with relief as her head shook lightly in amusement.
Vali's match against Felix Ulyss was the third of the day and the starting field was Water. She inwardly grimaced at the sight of the water though was semi-pleased by it as well since Felix's known pokemon tended to range between grass, water, ice, and normal-types. He had been in the contest last year falling in the first round, but it only meant he'd had more time to prepare. She ran her fingers over the pokeballs on her waist as Aragorn eyed the water in distrust, "Aragorn, eyes on the opponents unless the're in the water. You need to study them and try to remember the strategies being used, okay?"
Aragorn woofed softly in acknowledgement and settled down firmly to watch their opponents. Vali looked at the opposing trainer. Felix Ulyss was only a year older than her with caramel colored hair and brown eyes. Freckles danced across the bridge of his nose, they sloped across his high cheek bones and were just barely visibly above his trainer's tan. He had an impish smile on his face as his black league cap with it yellow bill was twisted back. He wore a faded orange leather vest with a Gyarados pattern shirt underneath and a pair weather worn khaki shorts. He had on boots and a trainer's belt. The boy raised a hand to her, "Hey, I'm Felix! It's nice to meet you."
"I'm Vali and this is Aragorn," Vali returned with a light smile and wave as Aragorn barked in reply, "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Felix. My pokemon and I have been eager to face our next opponent,"
"Yeah," Felix's impish grin widened, "This is going to be so much fun! My guys can't wait to play and have some fun,"
"And with those words, let's get started with the third battle of the day!" The announcer burst out earning a roar from the crowd, "In the green corner, we have crowd favorite, Valkyrie Potter-Black of Pallet Town here in Kanto,"
The crowd roared and Vali waved to them remembering what everyone had said to her, "I hope that today's battle brings you all as much excitement as my others."
"And in the red corner, we have the interesting Felix Ulyss of Cerulean City here in Kanto!" The announcer grinned brightly causing the crowd to cheer again.
Felix gave a fist bump to the crowd, "Glad to be here with you all, my team and I cannot wait to give ya a good show!"
The referee gave the same rules as the last one before giving the command to release their pokemon. as the one to lose the coin toss, she had to send her pokemon out first. Vali eyed Felix for a few moments before deciding to send out Elrond. There was a limit on what pokemon she could pull out without knowing exactly what he had on hand and seeing as they were on the water field, Elrond covered a majority of their problems that Celina couldn't thanks to her lacking variety and Smaug's watery weakness. Felix eyed Elrond carefully before sending out a Quagsire making her inwardly grimace alongside the Alolan Raichu. Elrond spoke as the announcer riled up the crowd, "Thick skinned and dimwitted, we've dealt with this type before."
"We need to end this quick, Elrond," Vali spoke as the Referee shouted out begin, "The battle will be long enough as it is. This one has experience,"
"Quick and efficient, I like it," Elrond murmured in agreement, "The natural defense is going to be annoying though,"
"You'll be able to do it," Vali sent him feelings of encouragement as the battle began with Quagsire spitting out a ton of Mud Shots with more speed than most would expect of its species, "You always do,"
Elrond flashed her a grin as he dodged the rocket like mud that actually caused the psychic shielding to become visible making his grin falter. They both paled a bit and made a mental note that he needed to dodge that. Elrond began working out how to beat their opponent after using Electric Terrain often sending Thunder shocks towards the Quagsire to see how ineffective they really would be. Quagsire shook the attacks off with easy and continued to use Mud Shot with easy going smile seemingly playing with his opponent not even noticing the battle going on around him. It somewhat pissed Vali off though she kept herself calm despite the spark of anger that rose up at the sight and instead used it to fuel the plan. Felix spoke up, "So this is kind of funny, isn't it?"
"Oh?" Vali wondered what he was getting at.
Felix's smile turned into a smirk, "Well ya know, the people came for a big ol' battle and we're just doing little ineffective attacks where nothing really happen."
Vali kept a straight face despite her eyes wanting to narrow and she could feel Elrond's concern at the other trainer's words, "We've just got started and no battle is truly exciting from the start, Felix. But if you want excitement, we'll give you some," She raised a hand, "Elrond, drop him."
Felix let out a laugh as Elrond raced towards Quagsire, "What's he going to do? Your Raichu isn't going to be able to shock Quagsire."
Elrond used a Slam enforced powered Iron Tail into the platform causing it to begin to fall apart earning a shout of surprise from all parties save for Elrond and Vali. Quagsire jumped towards a diffrent platform, but Elrond was ready with a a not quite effective Thunder Punch followed by an Iron Tail to the stomach earning a loud squeal of shocked surprise as he began to fall towards the water. Elrond wisely backed as Quagsire aimed a Mud Shot towards him. As the battle continued with Quagsire falling into the water with a loud splash that probably would've hurt any other pokemon and Elrond proceeded to hit the water with a Thunder Bolt, Vali spoke with a smug grin, "Well Felix, I think this is what the people wanted."
"How did you do that?" Felix asked with a shocked look on his face.
"A girl needs her secrets, Mr. Ulyss," Vali said with a light grin, "The only ones to know will be my friends,"
With a grin, Vali focused back on the battle watching as Quagsire popped out of the water by another platform only to be blasted by Elrond with a Thunder Bolt and hit by an Iron Tail. She chuckled softly as the water/ground-type slipped into the water again with a backwards Mud-shot and frustrated growl. Elrond shocked the water and renewed the Electrical Terrain radiating a cool determination. He spoke as his senses kept an eye on Quagsire, "My attacks are starting to do damage, but it won't be enough to just yet. I might need to use it to truly do damage."
Vali disliked the idea of using so much energy already, but admitted it would be needed if they were to make any true headway against Quagsire, "Very well, my friend. We must take care to ensure it's a direct attack and Quagsire is still in the water otherwise there will be little point."
"Understood," Elrond murmured as his mind began to put together a plan at a pace that she had trouble following.
Elrond used Double Team to confuse Quagsire as he set off the plan and the water/ground-type began using Ice Beam in addition to his Mud Shot. Quagsire slowly got confused and angry as Elrond continued to avoid his attacks while managing to hit him getting ever closer. Elrond sent an Electro Ball into the sky much like he had back during her past match with Zaria. Anytime Quagsire made a certain number of clones disappear, Elrond would increase the number much to the water/ground-types annoyance. He appeared finally got close enough as clouds gathered over head and began drizzle and used a point blank Thunder attack getting them both. With a slight grin, Vali realized that Elrond would be getting some of his energy back from the attack thus wouldn't be suffering as much later on in the battles ahead.
Quagsire was still standing despite the powerful electric-type attack, but it was clearly suffering from the last attack. Burns visibly coated Quagsire's body, the water-ground type's eyes burned with pain filled anger as he slowly rose up from the water and used Mud Shot on Elrond. Elrond dodged the attack and used Electro Ball narrowing his blue eyes, "Hmm, we'll have to work on this one a bit longer. He's made of sterner stuff than most."
The excitement Elrond felt was mutual and they both agreed that this battle was definitely really fun! With a low chuckle, Vali said out loud, "Elrond's really enjoying this, Felix. Quagsire has been raised very well."
"Thank you, but we're not done yet," Felix grinned darkly, "Quagsire, get that mouse!"
Quagsire's pained expression suddenly twisted into a grim smile and he began spitting out icky purple sludge that Vali could smell from her place up on the challengers booth. Elrond dodged making a slight face at the smell and shot off more electrical attack further damaging Quagsire. She wondered at what Felix was planning especially since the water would now be dangerous for his pokemon to enter now. A mental hum of agreement sounded from Elrond as he continued his earlier plan and fired another Electro Ball into the sky to keep the clouds around. He wore down Quagsire until the water/ground-type fell unconscious with one last groan. With a sigh, Felix returned his pokemon as Elrond retreated to her side keeping his eyes focused on their opponent, "I can't help, but wonder what he'll pull out next."
"Be wary, the poison in the water will limit his choices," Vali replied as she eyed Felix watching his fingers trace the pokeballs at his belt.
It would take at least twenty minutes for the filters in the water to clean the pool of poison meaning that any pokemon Felix chose would need to be resistant to poison. Felix finally picked out a pokeball and tossed it into the air releasing a rather large Tentacruel into the pool. It's heavy body sending waves of water splashing upwards and Vali's nose scrunched up at the black smog released into the water almost immediately upon entry into the pool. She recognized the tactic as one often used by young carnivorous water-types to confuse their prey. It was also used by weaker water-type pokemon to avoid grim fates should they attract a predators attention. Seeing it used in the conference showed that Felix had likely trained Tentacruel to abuse the tactic, Elrond spoke as he began shocking the water, "The beast is semi-immune to the poison in the water. What effects are being done to it are minimal at best, my electricity will be the key in the fight unless I can pin point its location enough to pull it out of the water."
Vali shook her head as Tentacruel took its own shot at Elrond. Glowing purple tentacles shot towards Elrond, who dodged them and took the time to use Thunder Punch on the soaked limbs that weren't coated in poisonous energy earning a screech of pained anger. Elrond renewed Electrical Terrain and sped around the battlefield eyeing the cloudy water with a focused look mentally looking around for the Tentacruel hidden within it. Until he got a good grasp of Tentacruel's mind and mental state, it was likely going to be difficult for Elrond to hone in on the water/poison-type. Even with his evolution being months ago, it would be years before his psychic side would be on par with his electrical side and even then, he'd always instinctively grasp for his electrical side first.
"Just be aware that it might weigh a lot considering how large those waves were," Vali warned Elrond earning an absentminded mental nod and she went about looking for the Tentacruel in the water.
Tentacruel continued to try and shoot Elrond out of the sky with various poison-type attacks. Elrond dodged while attacking back with electric-type attacks as well as the occasional Iron Tail much to Tentacruel's increasing annoyance. For all that this was working in Elrond's favor as Tentacruel was being worn down almost completely, Elrond's electrical stores were finite and he was reaching that limit. Tentacruel finally managed to score a hit much to Felix's delight though it cost the Jellyfish pokemon as Elrond finally managed to get a hold of it. Elrond lifted Tentacruel out of the pool of water with only the slightest vibration to the Jellyfish pokemon's body showing just how much he's grown since that match against Blaine. Tentacruel shrieked at Elrond and visibly trembled in an effort to break free of the attack. With a soft grunt, Elrond sent Tentacruel falling through the air towards one of the platforms with a Thunder Bolt following it.
Tentacruel cried out in pain and began forcing its body to crawl towards the water. Elrond lifted it up again with Psychic and slammed it down again with the smallest tingle of regret while keeping his face calm on the outside. Vali spoke as Elrond released Tentacruel, "Felix, I'd suggest returning Tentacruel. Elrond will continue until its unconscious and this will only cause both of our pokemon pain in the end."
Felix grimaced a bit as he looked at the battlefield before raising the pokeball in his hand, "I suppose you're right. Tentacruel has at least done what she set out to do and has put up an admirable fight despite being against such bad odds. Normally I would've avoided sending her out, she still needs work before she's ready to face a pokemon like Elrond, but I didn't really have a choice," Felix smiled sadly and returned Tentacruel, "My next pokemon needed the pool cleared and she held on long enough to ensure it was cleared."
The pokemon he released was absolutely beautiful with silky snowy white fur over a thick layer of blubber. Two onyx eyes peered out of its face, a black button nose sat on its snout and two ivory tusks extended from its upper jaws. It has a streamlined body with two front flippers and a long flowing tail. Even in extremely cold and ice-packed waters, its tail allows it to be a swift and agile swimmer at speeds of 8 knots. On top of its head is a sharp horn, which allows it to cut through the thickest ice floes. Beautiful and dangerous, the Dewgong let out a playful bark upon seeing Elrond and began dancing in the water. When Elrond spoke and wasn't able to mask how tired he was, Vali knew they needed to end this match quickly, "Such a joyful one, I hope our future water-type partner will be like this one."
"I do as well," Vali didn't hide her worry, "Finish this quickly, Dearest. With the poison and your low energy, I won't risk leaving you in for long,"
"I understand," Elrond sent his acceptance towards her, "Just let me go as long as possible,"
Vali watched Elrond carefully as he used Electric Terrain once more for what would be the final time. Dewgong jumped out of the water before Elrond could hit it with Electro Ball and sent a Signal Beam towards Elrond who quickly moved out of the way. Dewgong moved with far more swiftness then she was expecting when launching itself into the air. Dewgong managed to get closer to Elrond with each missed move forcing her partner to move quicker shaving down how much time she'd be able to let him linger in the battle. Even when Elrond managed to hit it with Thunder, Dewgong withstood the attack and managed to freeze part of Elrond's tail with an Ice Beam. Elrond managed to free his tail with an Iron Tail. As the battle continued, Felix spoke, "Your Raichu is something else."
"As is your Dewgong," Vali replied feeling some longing and decided that once Houndour was older she'd look for a water-type in earnest perhaps a Seel.
"But it's starting to lag," Felix looked smug.
Vali felt a little annoyed with him for pointing that out even if he was right. Rather than acknowledge it verbally, she spoke to Elrond, "Elrond, perhaps its time to pull that out."
Elrond felt a little alarmed at her suggestion, "Are you sure? I thought we were waiting until the battle against Steven or Lance."
"Go out with a bang and it'll be a good test run," Vali replied with a mental sigh, "As much as I want to save it, Dewgong is tough and you're starting to push it,"
"You aren't wrong about that," Elrond's eyes glowed slightly as he smiled a bit and nodded, "Very well, let us end this with a bang!"
Elrond began speeding around the field much to Felix and Dewgong's confusion. Felix shouted out, "Dewgong, just take some shots at it. It'll drop soon enough."
Dewgong followed its master's orders shooting out Ice Beams and Signal beams towards the speeding blurs that were her partner. Elrond just kept up his speed managing to avoid the blasts before coming in hot towards Dewgong earning a bark of surprise and the water/ice-type ducking into the water. Elrond continued to dive towards Dewgong whenever it surfaced. As a bit of time passed, Elrond spoke, "Phase one complete. Phase two begins."
"You know," Vali spoke as flickers of green began appearing beneath the water, "Elrond and I really do enjoy battling you. It's fun,"
Vines sprang up from the water and grip a panicking Dewgong, the water/ice-type let out panicked barks as it struggled against the vines. Elrond landed on them close to Dewgong as Felix shouted, "Dewgong, break free of it!"
The vines turned to steel as Elrond flooded them with steel-type energy earning a loud shout of disbelief from Felix. Elrond used up the last of his electrical stores in a final Thunder. When the attack faded Dewgong was barely conscious and Elrond only holding on due to his psychic-typing. He floated upward and used Iron Tail to knock Dewgong out. Felix returned Dewgong as Vali said, "You raised it well."
"Thank you. She fought well though I wished she could've fought longer," Felix replied with a low sigh.
The announcer spoke of the field change and offered them a chance to substitute pokemon. Vali left her trainers box with Elrond in her arms and Aragorn beside her. Nurse Joy smiled at her as she entered the trainer's lounge, "Hello, Miss Potter-Black. Do you have any pokemon for me?"
"Elrond will be going with you," Vali answered as she walked over to the pink haired woman, "He's had a tough couple of battles and deserves some rest especially after draining his electrical stores," She hugged her partner gently, "I know he'll be in great hands,"
"I'll send a message when he's healed up, Miss Potter-Black," Nurse Joy promised as she took Elrond from Vali's arms with a gentle smile, "I'll ensure Elrond is in tip-top shape when he returns to you,"
Vali handed over Elrond's pokeball as she spoke to the tired almost past out Alolan Raichu, "Rest well, Dear One. We can take it from here. You've done your part and ensure that."
A tired and pained sort of contentment filled their bond. Elrond's eyes slowly slid closed as he spoke, "When this is over, I'm going to gorge on so many batteries and berries. No battling for a week."
"A week of rest," Vali mentally promised earning a soft mental sigh.
Vali returned to the battlefield after the ten minutes were up. Upon seeing the grassy green field, she smiled a bit though quickly focused on the referee when he called out, "Miss Potter-Black, release your Alolan Raichu."
"I'm forfeiting him," Vali replied with a light smile, "He's fought enough during the last three battles and anyone more would be pushing it,"
The referee nodded to her before looking towards Felix, "Mister Ulyss please release first. Even if she's forfeited a pokemon, you're pokemon fainted before the field changed."
Felix lips dropped into a frown before he pulled out a pokeball and released a Roserade much to Vali's surprise since she hadn't seen much of the species outside of Professor Oak's lab. Vali released Balto without much of a thought making Felix's frown deep and Roserade shrink back a bit though the grass/poison-type seemed to steel itself quickly. Balto let out a soft bark upon his release. Vali spoke causing Balto's ear to flick back to her, "Be quick, Balto. This one is a poison/grass-type, we don't need anything to happen this early on. Elrond managed to take out three of his team meaning we only need to take out this one and two more. So quickly now, we've got two more after it to face."
Balto barked a lot louder this time and wagged his tail happy that one of their pack members was strong enough to take out so many pokemon on their own. He immediately took off while slipping into extreme speed. Roserade set up a Petal Blizzard only for it to go up in flames moments later as Balto used one of his attack though she was unsure which one. Balto became visible for a single moment in order to use a close up Heat Wave followed by an Iron Tail before disappearing once again as Roserade shrieked in pain while lashing out with what looked like Poison Jab. Balto continued to attack like that adding in Double Team fake-outs and changed up his attack patterns to avoid getting hit. It was truly a bad match up for Roserade and it showed when the poison/grass-type fell to Balto's well placed attacks. With a low sigh, Felix returned his pokemon as Balto returned to his position in front of her.
Felix released his next pokemon which ended up being a Dodrio with a scar running across its right eye on the middle head. The Dodrio's feather's fluffed up and it cawed loudly upon seeing Balto. Felix clicked his tongue before calling out, "Dodrio, only you and on other of our friends remain. We cannot play around, my friend."
Dodrio let out a loud cry upon hearing that and looked at Balto with rage upon hearing that it's friends had been harmed by Balto. Without another word, the bird raced forward as a bluish white aura surrounded it. Balto tensed though didn't move until Dodrio got closer then unleashed one of his powerful Flamethrowers before springing over the three headed bird. Upon landing, Balto disappeared among a group of Double Team clones that quickly spread around Dodrio who squawked and began attacking the clones immediately. Flames seared Dodrio's feather's occasionally as Balto attacked from a distance, Dodrio used Tri Attack and Drill Peck to cleave through the clones in an attempt to find her partner.
Felix spoke as the battle continued, "That Arcanine of yours is just as strong as your Raichu, no, stronger."
"As he should be," Vali replied feeling her fire flare in time with Balto's fire-type attacks, "After all, he's the alpha of my pack and while not my starter, my second ever pokemon. He's been with me the longest out of all my pokemon," She watched as Balto managed to pin Dodrio down long enough to use Heatwave up close after a Flame Wheel and followed up with a Fire Fang, "Your Dodrio must've been with you since your first year,"
"You're right," Felix acknowledged with a chuckle, "She's one of my closest and dearest,"
Dodrio dug one of her beaks coated with dark-type energy into Balto's chest making Vali wince as blood visibly leaked out. She felt a little queasy at the sight even knowing Nurse Joy would easily fix that up. Balto let out a bark and replied with a flamethrower causing Dodrio to pull her beak out of the wound. The battle continued with Balto being careful of the birds pokemon's three beaks and claws while Dodrio worked to avoid the fire. It finally ended with Balto managing to knock Dodrio out with Reversal. Felix returned his fallen Dodrio as Balto retreated to her side of the field. Vali spoke softly wishing she could pet her partner, "You did well out there, Balto. Just one more and we're done for the day. Just stick it out for a bit longer, you can do it."
Balto barked softly in reply as Aragorn yipped out some encouragement. Felix chose his next pokemon carefully with a light smile, "You know, I was going to use this one in the final round, but seeing as its unlikely I'll reach it at this rate, what the hell. Join me on the field, Meganium!"
Vali's breath caught in her throat as a Meganium appeared on the field. The beautiful grass-type let out a gentle cry of greeting upon seeing Balto which returned with a soft woof and tail wag. She looked at Felix and asked, "How in the world do you have a Meganium?"
"My mother lived in Johto and started with one," Felix replied with a shrug, "When her partner finally had an egg, she offered me it and I accepted. I've never regretted it even if there are days when I often wondered if perhaps someone else would be better to raise him,"
"Some days are like that," Vali agreed as she bent down to scratch behind Aragorn's ears as the battle began, "Especially now that I have two,"
"Tough," Felix chuckled softly, "You're braver than I ever was in my first year when it came to baby pokemon,"
"Though one isn't so much a baby anymore," Vali smiled down at Aragorn before turning back to the battle at hand as she stood up and called out to Balto, "Balto, you can do it! We're rooting for you!"
Aragorn howled at her side earning a barking howl from Balto as he dipped in and out of Extreme Speed spitting out Flamethrowers at Meganium. Meganium conjured up a cloud of Magical Leaves mixed with Razor Leaf that she used to cover a Petal Blizzard. Balto used Heat Wave to cut through it and slammed into Meganium with Flare Blitz. Meganium slid back with a loud cry of surprised pain as the flames seared its skin. Before it could really react, Balto followed up with Reversal as he fought against the instinctive way his body wanted to lock up after using Flare Blitz as they'd trained to do much to the shock of the crowd. As soon as he could, Balto jumped away and used Morning Sun and Double Team.
Felix spoke as Meganium shook itself and began throwing out Poison Powder clouds that Balto countered with Flamethrower, "You taught him Flare Blitz already?"
"Balto chose it," Vali replied with a shrug, "My pokemon are free to choose a move within their skill range and Balto was ready for it. He isn't a young pup,"
Balto would need to rest awhile after the match though as Flare Blitz wasn't an easy move to recover from and their bullshitting through the recoil wasn't making it any easier. Nurse Joy would likely have some words for her about it not that Professor Oak hadn't already said them. After getting over his shock about the combination of moves, the old man had hit himself for not thinking of it before. Still though, they wouldn't be doing that move again and they'd be working on finishing the match quickly which was proving harder than expected even with their opponent being a Meganium.
Meganium used Reflect to a beautiful degree that Vali was really regretting not thinking of before. And when Light Screen was added into the mix, Meganium was able to keep Balto's attacks from causing enough damage to fully harm him. Meganium forced Balto to spam Heat Wave and Flamethrower to keep from being poisoned all the while it worked on chipping away at her partner. A Sunny Day was used to boost Meganium as much as Balto even as her partner used it to keep up Morning Sun. Meganium unleashed a powerful Solar Beam after Balto finally managed to cut through his barriers with Flame Wheel. Balto barely managed to keep from getting hit by the beam and used Meganium's inability to move in order to attack. When Meganium was able to move, he struck back with Vine Whip though it was weaker than his previous attacks.
Meganium finally fell as Balto used one last Reversal lined with the flames of Flame Wheel. Felix returned his pokemon, "It looks like I lost another Conference, but at the very least we managed to make it further. It was pleasure to battle you, Vali."
"It truly was a pleasure, Felix," Vali replied as she returned Balto with a grin and a soft murmur of praise over his pokeball, "Perhaps we could battle again sometime,"
"I'd like that," Felix replied with a nod.
Vali walked into the cottage and found Lance sitting on the couch. He looked up and smiled at her, "Hey, Vali. Have a nice battle?"
"It was good. Felix is a great trainer and probably would've been better off against someone else," Vali replied as she dropped onto the love seat as Aragorn hopped onto the couch beside Lance, "You?"
"It was great," Lance eyed her as he scratched behind Aragorn's ears earning a groan of pleasure from the fox, "You don't seem so great though. What happened?"
Vali groaned softly, "Nurse Joy's not exactly happy with me, but when is she ever happy when you're working on new moves with a pokemon."
"Ah," Lance gave her a sympathetic look, "No wonder you look worn," He grinned suddenly, "Steven should be back from his match soon enough. Do you want to go wander around together until it's time for them to announce our opponents for the next round?"
"I'm supposed to be watching Gary and Ash," Vali told him, "Otherwise I'd say yes,"
"We can take them along," Lance assured her, "They're cool kids and it's not that much trouble to have them around,"
Vali considered it for a few moments before nodding as she decided it would be a fun idea and she could get some good pictures for Delia. And Professor Oak, she added as a mental note. Pulling out her pokenav, she told the grinning red head, "Alright, I suppose we can do that if you're sure," She picked out Delia's number and the Ketchum matriarch answered moments later, "Hey, Delia."
"Vali, what can I do for you?" Delia asked with a warm smile, "We saw the match and everyone thought it was amazing. You're moving onto the next round!"
"I'm eager to find out who my next opponent is and Nurse Joy says that the boys should be out of her care by Tomorrow morning," Vali told Delia earning a grin, "Anyway, I was calling to tell you that I'm definitely okay to take the boys with me today. Lance offered to wander around with me while I watch them and we're going to see if we can rope Steven into it as well,"
"Oh that sounds like so much fun," Delia let out a soft laugh, "I'm glad to hear it. I was worried you wouldn't be able to. I know you'd be busy, but the boys have been wanting to spend time with their big sister as well,"
Vali felt a bit bad even if she'd spent a lot of time with Ash and Gary while in Pallet Town. She'd be spending time away from them once the Conference was over regardless of what happened. Inwardly shaking those thoughts from her head, she said, "Well, they'll be able to spend some time with me now. You can enjoy the rest of the day doing what ever and even drag Professor Oak out of wherever he's hiding."
Delia's smile turned sharp as she laughed, "Very true. I'll tell the boys. We'll make our way over to your cottage soon. See you soon, Vali."
"See you soon, Delia," Vali replied and the screen went dark.
Vali put her pokenav away as Lance said, "Delia is definitely one of the scarier women I've met that aren't among my clan."
"Well, she's had to raise Ash pretty much alone until she met Sirius and then had to keep him in line while dealing with my issues," Vali shrugged lightly, "There's also the Oak's being added into the mix, she's had to be scary. You just haven't seen her scariest yet. You don't want to,"
Vali shuddered as she remembered those league representatives that decided to voice the option of taking Vali away to be raised elsewhere or treated like a lab rat. Lance looked slightly concerned at her visible shudder, "Do I want to know?"
"Let's just say Delia has made a name for herself in the League," Vali released Houndour and Litwick earning happy greetings before the two began to play, "She's the reason I wasn't raised away from Pallet or treated as a lab rat," She stood up and headed for the kitchen, "I'm going to get a snack and something to drink,"
Wandering with Ash and Gary was more exhausting than Lance realized, the red head hadn't quite understood just how much he was underestimating the two boys. Even his younger clan members around the same age didn't get into so many things despite having certain dragon-like senses due to their bond to the mythical beasts they lived so closely with. Despite how much he underestimation, Vali and Steven seemed to easily keep the boys in line while looking upon him with amusement whenever he failed to. They settled in a park with their pokemon taking over watching the boys. Lance flopped down underneath a tree as he asked, "How do you two do it? Not even the younger clan members back home are this difficult."
"Probably because they're in awe of you," Vali said with a soft chuckle as she slipped onto the ground beside him and leaned against the tree, "I'm used to the boys and I've taken them to Viridian a few times,"
"I'm following Vali's lead for the most part and using my pokemon to help me," Steven said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Lance understood Vali's answer since the boys were her siblings and she knew how to deal with him. Steven's answer was bullshit save for the first part. Giving the silvery blue haired teen a look, he called the other male on it, "That's bullshit on a whole other level and you know it."
Vali snorted and Steven had the audacity to smirk at him, "It works, doesn't it? And it isn't bullshit, it's merely an intelligent decision that ensures the boys won't get into trouble that we cannot get them out."
"Anyway," Vali spoke up with a shake of her head and amused grin on her face, "Who do you think our opponents will be in the next round? I know one of you will be mine, but who?"
"No idea," Lance eyed her and noticed the far away look in her eyes, "You okay, Vali?"
Vali wrapped an arm around her legs, "The next round will be the last one for my team," Those green eyes of hers followed each members of her team and something flickered through the iris' almost like a flame, "I know it. It isn't something you can tell me won't happen. I can feel it that this is where we'll find our end in this League, but we'll show off our best," The flicker brightened making the green burn bright and her lips peeled back into an almost bestial grin, "Show the world just how brightly our fires burn."
"Vali," Steven spoke reaching out towards her on the left as Lance did the same on the right.
As Lance touch her, a flare of heat sank into his palms almost burning him. He barely kept from hissing as alarm shot through him. Before he could wonder what the hell was going on, Vali broke from whatever trance she was in and shook her head as her arm dropped down. She turned her head towards him, "Lance? Something wrong?"
"Are you okay?"
"Just thinking about the battle ahead is all," Vali said as she eyed him, "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost,"
"Vali, you were in a trance," Steven told her earning a shocked look as her head swung around to look at the steel-type trainer, "And when we touched you, I could feel the heat this time. It was almost hot enough to burn,"
"I hurt you two?" Vali shook slightly, "I-I didn't mean to. I-"
"We know," Steven spoke in a gentle voice filled with understanding, "Vali, it isn't your fault. In fact it was better than the first time you went into a trance like that,"
So it'd happened before? Lance filed that away for later as he focused on the now. Vali swallowed heavily, "But I didn't even notice I was in a trance."
Steven frowned at that, "Do you remember what you said?"
"I said that the next round will be the last one for my team," Vali told him as she frowned, "I know it. It isn't something you can tell me won't happen. I can feel it that this where we'll find our end in this League, but we'll show off our best..." She trailed off and her nose crinkled a little as she focused, "After that, I said..." She closed her eyes, "Show the world just how brightly our fires burn," She frowned softly, "That last part, it was slightly fuzzy,"
"Fuzzy?" Lance asked as her eyes opened.
"The words are there, but coated in something making them slightly hazy unless I focus on them for some reason," Vali shook her head lightly, "It's strange since there's no reason for that,"
"I don't know, Vali," Steven said with a sigh, "Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm okay," Vali told him with a light smile, "Maybe it's all the stress from the Conference getting to me is all,"
"Maybe," Steven and Lance shared a look as Vali turned to watch her brothers as they raced past.
"So who do you think will be your opponent Vali?" Ash asked from Lance's shoulder's while Gary was being carried on Steven's.
"No idea, but either way, I'll battle whoever it is with all my strength," Vali told them, "After all, you've got to when it comes to pokemon battles," They were almost to the area they'd be finding their opponents in, "My pack and I will grow strong that way,"
"Win or lose?" Ash asked curiously.
"Win or lose," Vali told him as they reached the area.
It was a large lounge-like place fit for pokemon and people alike. The fourth trainer in the group, a girl from Kalos, looked up from her book and scowled, "What are those children doing here?"
"They're adoptive little brothers and I'm watching them," Vali told them girl, "They're with me for the moment while my adoptive mom is doing something,"
"They're not allowed in here," The girl said.
"I don't see any rules saying that they aren't and the boys aren't arguing against it," Vali replied as she walked further into the room.
Before much else could be said, the announcer from her previous matches walked in with a grin on his face, "Hello everyone! I'm glad to see you all and happy that you've all made it through your rough battles. You've made it into the top four which is an accomplishment especially for you, Miss Potter-Black."
"I'm only this far because of my pokemon," Vali replied as the announcer nodded.
Before the announcer could speak again, the girl said, "Those kids shouldn't be here!"
"Ah, oh," The announcer blinked a bit and seemed to notice the two boys, "Ah who are those two boys?"
"My two adoptive brothers," Vali explained with a light grin, "I'm watching them for Ash's mother, Delia Ketchum, who's busy at the moment. Steven and Lance don't have a problem with them being here as they've been helping me since Delia dropped them off,"
The announcer nodded while paling a bit at Delia's name, "If the two boys agree to behave, I see no reason not to let them in here for the time being as we won't be long," Ash and Gary nodded, "Now please do sit down all of you, we should get started."
"Right," Vali said as she moved to sit down.
Ash and Gary settled down on either side of her. Lance settled beside Ash with Steven sitting on Gary's side. Aragorn settled on her lap allowing the two boys to pet him and keep themselves occupied. The announcer spoke once they'd gotten settled, "Now that we're all settled, the final three matches are held in the Colosseum which I'm sure at least two of you have dreamed of since you've heard of pokemon battling. So here's the match up, Aimee Bisset against Lance Blackthorn. Steven Stone against Valkyrie Potter-Black. I look forward to seeing your battles."
Vali's heart clenched, dropped like a lead weight into her stomach, and beat faster all at once at that moment. She'd be facing Steven in the next match and somehow that felt all the more fitting for how this portion of her journey would end.
"It's fitting, isn't it?" Vali said hearing the footsteps heading towards her on wooden deck stop, "You being the one to face me rather than Lance?"
The steps resumed as Steven spoke, "I suppose. How did you know it was me?"
"More of a guess," Vali looked at him as he came to stand next to her on the back deck, "So in two days time we'll face one another, My pack and I will give it our all in front of everyone only to lose,"
"You still think that?" Steven asked as he sat down next to her.
Vali snorted softly, "Do you honestly think even with all the training and help we could've gotten in we'd win?" Steven was silent earning a soft sigh and she shook her head, "Steven, it isn't that I don't want to win tomorrow and I know that everyone wants to see if we could triumph against the odds. But look at my team, you know as well as I do how hard it would be. Even if Smaug, Balto, Elrond, and Celina were to push through it all, I don't have anyone else to really back them up right now even with the others doing their best to catch up. I know that I've got to work with everyone on getting stronger and working harder on reaching their highest potentials."
"It's difficult for you what with having to look after two baby pokemon," Steven offered earning a huff.
"Don't blame Houndour and Aragorn," Vali shook her head, "It's on me and I know it,"
Steven sighed deeply, "Vali, you're an amazing trainer and the fact you've brought out so much in Smaug, Balto, Elrond, and Celina shows that. You've done the same with the others as well even with the smaller attack pools."
"We'll do our best, Steven, even if it means failing," Vali smiled softly, "Besides, I made it to the top four. Not many 1st year trainers can say that and I'm proud of myself,"
"True," Steven smiled in return, "You've done amazingly well for yourself, Vali. I'm glad we've traveled together and I've been able to see it so far,"
"I am too," Vali replied as she wondered how far they could've gotten without Steven watching over them.
It was something that left a semi-bitter taste in Vali's mouth that she didn't like and helped push her towards the path of taking Blaine's apprenticeship if he offered it. How far could she get outside of Steven's shadow? She pushed away those thoughts as the backdoor opened and Delia's voice sounded, "Vali, Steven! Come get some cake!"
"Coming!" Vali called out with a low sigh as she slowly began to stand up.
"Hey, Vali," Steven spoke up as he stood up.
"Yeah?" Vali looked at him as they began making their way inside.
"You don't need to accept my offer you know," Steven told her, "Even if Blaine doesn't offer you the apprenticeship," She looked at him in surprise, "I know its stressing you a lot more then you need and to be honest I've been kicking myself. It's still on the table, but we can always set a meeting point up when you want to join me in Hoenn so we'll be able to travel together. While you might not get the full experience, you'll still get some of it,"
Vali was surprised and touched by that. She immediately felt bad for her former thoughts. She hugged Steven and said, "Thank you, Steven. It's still a lot to think about, but much easier now."
Steven hugged her back tightly, "You're my friend, Vali. I'm going to look out for you even if I won't be right there beside you."
"Now let's go get some cake before those boys and Lance take it all," Vali told him as they let go of each other.
They headed inside with Vali lighter in someways, but still heavy in others.
