Chapter 32: The Fated Final Fight Act 5: Eye of the Storm Part II

By the time Yancy makes it to the VIP lounge, the first round of the Champions Tournament has almost concluded. What she does manage to get a glimpse of is Nate battling the Champion of the Kalos Region, Diantha.

"Lucario, use Bullet Punch!" Nate screams to the Aura Pokemon. Immediately, Nate's Mega Lucario complies, getting a devastating hit on the foe's Mega Gardevoir.

*The foe's Gardevoir fainted!*

*Pokemon Trainer Nate defeated Champion Diantha!*

"Wonderful! That was a spectacular display!"

"The winner of the first round...Nate! Well, folks, it looks like Unova's formerly retired Champion still has it."

"About that autograph you requested. You can come see me later at the main hall, and I'll gladly give you a signed portrait."

"Thanks. And uh, could you also help vouch for my girlfriend's casting please?"

"Sure. I'll do just that, since you beat me fair and square." Diantha then leaves the arena, with Nate leaving not long afterward.

Meanwhile, back at the VIP lounge, Yancy notices a familiar face sitting not too far from her, one who was notably absent from the crowd at the reception earlier.

"Elesa?" Yancy asks the Nimbasa Gym Leader. "What are you doing here?"

"O-oh, h-hey Yancy!" She replies back, clearly surprised at the Trainer's presence. "Since you caught me, I might as well come clean…" She then approaches her, in order to whisper something. "(I went here to watch Black's matches in this tournament. And yes, if you're wondering...The relationship between me and Black is more of a friends with benefits kind of thing...But yeah, you could say me and him are dating. Kind of...)"

"(Guess that confirms my suspicions…)" Yancy mutters to herself. "(Don't worry, Elesa. I promise I won't tell anyone about this.)"

With that reply, Elesa is satisfied, with the both of them deciding to continue watching the Champions Tournament seated next to one another.

Back at the participants lounge, Nate meets up with Black, who had just defeated the Galar Champion Leon.

"Black! You made it." Nate says to the older Trainer.

"Yeah, I made it out, alright. Not gonna lie, that Gigantamax is something. From what I've heard, Clay partnered with the Macro Cosmos company from Galar just to get an artificial power spot made for this year's PWT. Without that power spot, the Galar Trainers here wouldn't have been able to pull it off."

"Macro Cosmos? You mean that huge mega corp over there, right? From what I recall, there was a huge incident or scandal a while back involving them. It was all over the news alongside the Shadow Triad Incident..."

"Yup…Their company president almost caused the apocalypse over there. They called it the "Darkest Day", or something like that. Anyways, the guy turned himself in to the police, and the company is currently under new management, specifically that Leon guy I faced. You could say this tournament was partly delayed due to that. That, and the Shadow Triad's own little incident over here."

"Figured as much…It was one thing to increase security here. But that's something else..."

Just then, the announcement for the second round is made. It's here that Nate finally gets what he wants, as the screen shows him that his next opponent is none other than Red. Black, meanwhile, gets to face off against Steven.

"Looks like you're getting what you've always wanted." Black says to Nate. "Good luck out there. You'll need it this time." He then leaves to head to his match.

"(Well, Nate...This is finally it.)" He mutters to himself, clearly nervous about what's to come. "(No point in backing out now. You've been training for this very moment.)" With that, he makes his way to the arena, knowing that everything is at stake here.

"It's the living legend himself, Red! Will he remain victorious this time around?"

"The second round! Red vs. Nate."

"..." As usual, Red refuses to utter a single word, and coldly gazes at his opponent. As a result, Nate says nothing in return, instead staring back at him with a determined expression.

*Pokemon Trainer Nate is challenged by Pokemon Trainer Red!*

*Pokemon Trainer Red sent out Lapras!*

"Go for it, Lucario!"

*Lucario's Lucarionite is reacting to Nate's Z-Power Ring!*

*Lucario Mega-Evolved into Mega Lucario!*

*Lucario used Close Combat!*

*The foe's Lapras fainted!*

*Pokemon Trainer Red sent out Snorlax!*

*Lucario used Close Combat!*

*The foe's Snorlax fainted!*

*Pokemon Trainer Red sent out Charizard!*

Upon seeing Red's strongest Pokemon once more, Nate begins to worry. "(*Gulp* There it is…)" Nevertheless, he continues giving the Aura Pokemon commands, while trying to hide his increasingly worried expression.

*The foe's Charizard's Charizardite X is reacting to Red's Key Stone!*

*The foe's Charizard Mega-Evolved into Mega Charizard X!*

*The foe's Charizard used Flare Blitz!*

*Lucario fainted!*

"Drat…" Nate says, having openly lost his composure by this point. Nonetheless, rather than give up, he decides to press on. "Go, Garchomp! I'm counting on you." Fortunately for the Unova Champion, he sent out the right Pokemon for the job.

*Garchomp used Earthquake!*

*The foe's Charizard fainted!*

"Yes!" Nate screams, his gamble having paid off right in front of him.

*Pokemon Trainer Nate defeated Pokemon Trainer Red!*

"!" Without a word, Red is just as shocked as his opponent, his prized team having been knocked out in a matter of less than 5 minutes.

"The winner of the second round...Nate!" This is immediately followed by the audience cheering in surprise and excitement, given that Nate losing to Red previously had scarred the former's reputation as a Trainer for some time.

"..." Once again, without a single word, Red leaves, apparently humiliated at the fact that he lost so quickly.

Back at the VIP lounge, Elesa and Yancy are still watching the ongoing match between Black and Steven.

"It just knocked out Steven's Metagross like it was made out of cardboard!" Yancy says, having just witnessed one of Black's Pokemon take down a Mega-evolved Pseudo Legendary like it was nothing.

"Well, that's the power of Landorus." Elesa replies. "Given that it's a Legendary Pokemon and all, not to mention that overwhelming type advantage it has."

Ultimately, despite the Hoenn Champion's best efforts, his two remaining Pokemon cannot keep up against the might of the Abundance Pokemon.

"The winner of the second round...Black!"

"(I hope Nate makes it out alright…)" Yancy tells herself. "(If he's got one of those Legendary Pokemon with him, what's stopping him from having another in his party?")

Not long after, the news of the second round results were soon broadcasted at the participants lounge.

"The second round, Steven vs Black...Incredible, folks! Black just wiped Steven's team clean!"

"(So, he made it to the finals too, huh?)" Nate mutters, clearly full of respect for the older Trainer. "(Just what kind of Pokemon did you bring with you?)"

Sure enough, Black himself makes it back not long after. Rather than congratulate him this time, however...

"So, I guess it's just the two of us, then?" He asks Black, knowing what's about to go down.

"Yup…" Black replies. "I had a feeling this would happen. It was going to be either you or Red. And since Red isn't here…"

"I was honestly expecting to fight Red in the last round, all things considered. I guess I should have taken you into account."

"Well, in any case, that doesn't matter anymore." Black then extends his hand out to the younger Trainer. "May the best man win, I guess."

"Good luck to us both, I guess." Nate then extends his own hand out, and shakes.

"With his victory over the Legendary Red, Unova's current Champion is back with a vengeance. Let's give a huge applause to...Nate!"

"Nate!"

"Yeah, show him who's boss!"

"You can do it!"

"(Go get him, Nate!)" Yancy mutters.

"The Champions Tournament! The final round! The opponent is entering the arena!"

"It's the triumphant return of the former Unova Champion! Make way for...Black!"

"It really is him!"

"Go for it, Black!"

"Yeah!"

"(Good luck, Black.)" Elesa whispers to herself.

"The final round! Nate vs Black!"

"Well, Nate. I guess this is it. Just you and me."

"Yup. Pretty much. I guess a grandiose speech about truth against ideals is unnecessary at this point?"

"Right on point."

And with that, both Trainers commence the final, climactic, battle of the Pokemon World Tournament.

*Pokemon Trainer Nate is challenged by Pokemon Trainer Black!*

*Pokemon Trainer Black sent out Samurott!*

"Go for it, Lucario!"

"Lucario, come back!"

"Take him out, Greninja!" Just as he sends out the Ninja Pokemon, Black begins performing an all-too familiar move.

*The foe's Samurott surrounded itself with its Z-Power!*

*The foe's Samurott used Hydro Vortex!*

Thanks to this switch out, the Ninja Pokemon survives the hit, receiving at most moderate damage.

"Darn it!" Black says disappointedly. "Lucky switch out."

"I had a feeling you'd pull off something like that." Nate replies, confident at his next move. "And it wouldn't surprise me that someone like you also had access to Z-Moves given you already have access to Mega Evolution."

"Good point."

*Greninja used Grass Knot!*

*Greninja's Protean changed its type to Grass!*

*The foe's Samurott fainted!*

"Not bad Nate. Not bad." Black says, before grabbing another Poke Ball. "But, I still got two Pokemon left!"

*Pokemon Trainer Black sent out Landorus!*

For a moment, the presence of the Iron Will Pokemon stuns him. "No way…"

"Yes way! After what I've seen you do, I decided to bring out the big one. Meet the Abundance Pokemon in the flesh, Landorus, in its Therian Forme!"

Recovering from his initial surprise, Nate then decides to make his next move quickly, knowing it was now or never.

*Greninja used Ice Beam!*

*The foe's Landorus fainted!*

"Yes! Good one, Greninja!"

"Darn it…I should have expected as much..."

Now done to one Pokemon, Black, now backed into a corner, decides to continue battling nonetheless, still determined to salvage his increasingly desperate situation.

*Pokemon Trainer Black sent out Pinsir!*

*The foe's Pinsir's Pinsirite is reacting to Black's Key Stone!*

*The foe's Pinsir Mega Evolved into Mega Pinsir!*

*Greninja used Ice Beam!*

*The foe's Pinsir fainted!*

*Pokemon Trainer Nate defeated Pokemon Trainer Black!*

"Darn it...I guess I underestimated you, Nate. Thank you for the battle, though. It was fun."

"No problems. Personally, I'm glad I was able to battle you after all this time."

"The winner is...Nate! This is incredible, ladies and gentlemen! Two of Unova's strongest Champions duked it out. We have just history in the making, folks!"

Following Nate's victory, most of the VIP lounge's remaining audience leave for the main hall, leaving Yancy and Elesa the last two people there.

"So, Nate won." Elesa says. "To be honest, I was expecting it to go either way, given how strong both their teams are. Black made some wrong moves in the middle of the match, all things considered."

"I'm just glad the Froakie I traded to him helped a lot, ahahaha!" Yancy replies.

"Huh, so you were the one who helped him get that Kalos Pokemon. I assume it must have some really good Nature and stats?"

"Yup. I even picked one with its Hidden Ability."

"Figured as much." Elesa then stands up. "Anyways, I better go see Black. I promised I'd come see him as soon as this tournament was over."

"I see. Well then, goodbye, Elesa. It was nice chatting with you."

"You too." Just before she leaves, however, the Nimbasa Gym Leader faces the younger Trainer once more, this time with her smile completely gone. "Actually, I'm not in a hurry... Would you...mind if I told you a few things on my mind?"

Yancy, curious as to her companion's mood change, answers "Sure. What's wrong?"

"To be honest, I kind of envy you and Nate..."

"Why, though?" This catches the pink-haired girl completely off guard, but also catches her curiosity even more. Rather than reply further, she decides to listen to her idol's reasons.

"You and Nate revealing your relationship at the Castelia Comic Con like that...I could never do that with Black...Not in our current state..."

"So, you want to confess to him?"

"..."

"Ah, I'm sorry if I-"

"No, you're right. I do...love him...Much as I hate to admit it...He's probably the only person other than my parents, Skyla, and probably you right now, that fully knows about this me, the real me. Someone I can feel comfortable around."

"I'm assuming you want me to help you or give you advice regarding this?"

"...Yes...What exactly should I do, Yancy?"

Excited that her longtime idol is asking her for advice, Yancy enthusiastically whispers to her. At first, the Nimbasa Gym Leader was reluctant to accept it, thanks in no part to what she had told her only minutes prior. Eventually, however, she ends up agreeing, albeit still reluctantly so.

"So you're telling me that I should-"

Instead of replying, Yancy simply nods.

"Alright. I guess it's worth a shot. Thanks, Yancy. I just hope it pays off..."

With that out of the way, both of them made their way to the main hall, which by the time they both arrived, was full of people. Ultimately, the two Trainers decide to part ways, with Yancy looking for Nate, and Elesa leaving the area and contacting Black via Xtransceiver, the latter apparently following the advice the former had given.

"So, Nate, what do you plan on doing now that you've finally defeated Kanto Legend Red?" Christoph asks the victorious Unova Champion in an interview.

"Well, Christoph…" Nate then pauses for a few seconds, before continuing. "I think it might be best for me to retire being Unova's current Champion..."

"I'm guessing this has something to do with your...heh, relationship with my former co-host?"

"Haha...Partly...I also want to focus on my acting career. And I've pretty much accomplished what I've wanted here: to restore my damaged reputation as a Trainer."

"I see, then. Well, thanks a lot for your time once more, Nate. I'll be looking forward to covering you and Yancy again when the time comes." Christoph then gives his cameraman the signal to cut off the tape there. "And don't worry about fans or the paparazzi on your way out. I've already told the security to make sure you two get out without incident."

"Thanks again, Christoph." Nate tells the Celebrity Channel host. "I owe you one…"

"Sure thing, Nate. Just promise you'll take care of my former co-worker for me." Christoph then waves goodbye to him, then makes his way to a few other prominent Trainers still hanging out at other parts of the main hall.

"("Take care of her"? What was that about?)" Before Nate can ponder about this, he's interrupted by a familiar face.

"Here's that autograph you requested." Diantha says as she hands over the autograph she had mentioned earlier to Nate. "And about your girlfriend's casting. I made a few calls, and all she'll need to do is to shoot a test-run of a portion of her film's script. If and when she passes, she'll be immediately accepted."

"Thanks a lot. I'll be sure to hand this over to her and tell her the good news."

Satisfied, the Kalos Champion waves goodbye to him, and makes her leave, with a few paparazzi and fans in tow. Not long after, Yancy, who had overheard the conversation between her boyfriend and the Kalosian actress, runs back to him, but not before briefly shaking hands with one of her idols.

"So...you got it!?" She asks him.

"Yes, in fact." He then hands back her notebook. "Complete with a complementary picture of the Kalosian Champion herself. And not only that, she helped me with your casting."

"Thanks, Nate!" She then hugs her boyfriend before kissing him on the cheek.

"No problem. So, anyway, I take it you won the World Leaders Tournament?"

"Ahahaha, yup!" She replies cheerfully. "I even got to battle Elesa and Rosa!" She then asks him. "I take it you won against Red?"

"Indeed. And not only that, I won against Black and won the Champions Tournament!"

"That's great, ahahaha! We should celebrate."

"Good idea. But where should we-"

Before he can finish asking her, she gives him a place. "I have the perfect restaurant where we can enjoy a good dinner. It's on the top floor of the hotel where we're staying. Would that be good with you?"

"Sure. I honestly missed having dinner dates. And I did want to try that place out one time." Both of them then made their way out of the PWT arena, making sure to avoid any more loony fans or annoying journalists.

Just as they make it to the hotel entrance, however, they find a familiar-looking car parked in front.

"Yancy...Isn't that your family's car?" Nate asks, pointing at the aforementioned vehicle.

"Now that you say it...Yeah. I wonder why, though?"

As they approach the familiar car, the young couple are soon greeted by someone.

"Ms. Yancy, Mr. Nate." The Ruri Family driver addresses them. "Mr. Ruri has asked me to fetch you two at once."

"My dad? But I told him that me and Nate wouldn't be leaving until tomorrow."

"It's urgent, Ms. Yancy. And Mr. Ruri has told me to already make arrangements to pack your luggage and check out ahead, and so I contacted the hotel staff to pack it ahead of your return." The driver then opens the car's trunk, and shows them their aforementioned luggage, neatly packed and arranged.

"Well, if it's that urgent, that fancy dinner can wait." Nate tells her.

"...Okay." She replies. "I'm just glad I didn't reserve anything beforehanD. Dad better have a good reason to call us at this time."

With that out of the way, the young couple get into the car, which then drives them to Undella Town.

Meanwhile, in another part of Driftveil City…

...

"Damn, Elesa." Black says, enjoying his food at the Driftveil Chateau Hotel's top floor restaurant. After finishing his plate, he then asks her "So, why did you bring me up here? And what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

"Would it be fine I just straight-up told you?"

"Hit me with it."

"Black, I think I'm in love with you."

Surprised at what she just said, the Pokemon Trainer almost ends up spitting his drink out at her. Thankfully, he manages to regain his composure in time, and gulps it down instead. Recovering from the initial surprise, he then asks her "Wait, are you actually serious about what you just said?"

"...Yes..Yes I am..."

"Honestly, I'm glad you told me that." He then holds her hand. "I was getting a bit frustrated trying to confess to you, since you kept insisting we remain friends."

Satisfied at her partner's answer, the two of them continue enjoying their dinner, promising to one another to keep this new relationship of theirs a secret for the time being.