Going Nuclear

The three Pokeballs marked next to Blue's profile on the screen were emblazoned with a bold red 'X'. The faces of Skarmory, Porygon2, and Blastoise in the Pokeball image were grayed out. The next picture in line was Arcanine, highlighted with a white outline.

Blue's Arcanine was already on the field, taking a firm stance against his opponent. His plush mane majestically flowed back with the soft, low breeze. He radiated heat, preparing for his turn to attack at the behest of his trainer. The speed that this Pokemon could reach baffled Red when he first witnessed it but he had no time to gawk.

Charizard was in pretty bad shape. His raspy breathing slightly bothered Red since his Pokemon was standing close to his position but he didn't let it get to him. The recent fight was a hard earned victory for both Charizard and Red. For Red, it meant that he broke Blue's chain of Pokemon trained to counter his own. For Charizard, it was a personal rivalry and a significant promise. Both couldn't drop the momentum now.

"Earthquake!"

Blue was caught off guard by Red's sudden outburst, still feeling slightly down by his bitter defeat. "Extreme Speed!" he managed to sputtered.

Extreme Speed gave the user unfathomable speed, but Arcanine got his order a little too late. The Earthquake caused him to trip and fall. A hefty amount of his health was pounded out of him from the shock but the canine sprung back up. Flames flickered in his cream-colored hair right before he took off in an instant. He appeared before Charizard in a fraction of a second but the skillful dragon was prepared.

I'm not going out with such a wimpy move, Charizard thought beforehand, bringing his wing forward. He traded blows with Arcanine, sending each other back. Arcanine bounced across the field, coming to a painful stop on the white Pokeball design on the ground. Charizard was thrown back, forcing Red to leap out of the way. Charizard landed outside of the marked field.

Referee blew his whistle, running towards Red's side. "Charizard has been knocked out of the ring but he has twenty seconds to enter the field to continue the battle. Failing to do so in time will force him to be declared as defeated for the remainder of the match," stated the judge, having already started the countdown on the screen.

The counter fell to ten and Charizard was still struggling to get back on his feet. Red was forbidden to help but he encouraged from the sidelines. A horn blared through the speakers signifying time was up.

-"This is not how I wanted to end my turn,"- Charizard bitterly said, too tired to try and argue with the ref.

"Its fine Charizard," Red acknowledged the ruling. "You have done more than enough. Take a rest."

-"I'm going along with it for now but this will be something I won't let down for a while,"- Charizard showed that he detested the call but was still compliant.

Red returned him back into his Pokeball, facing his opponent again. Arcanine made a speedy recovery, striking a prominent pose.

"It's a pity but don't sweat it too much. He was practically moments away from fainting," Blue tried to sympathize with Red but still managed to come off as being a jerk.

"Vaporeon, we need to win this!"

She appeared with a spring in her step. Her body was ready to take on the next challenge being Blue. She smirked seeing it was a favorable matchup.

Blue took a moment to think. "This won't do. Arcanine, return." Blue decided his best option was to switch. "You can totally take her on, Umbreon."

Umbreon was as tall as Vaporeon. She had a sleek black body marked with yellow gold rings. Her crimson eyes stared deeply in to Vaporeon's glossy black eyes. Her long pointed ears perked at the sound of her trainer's voice. She opened her small mouth revealing a pair of sharp teeth.

-"You should have gone with Sylveon if you wanted to have a chance to defeat me,"- Umbreon shrewdly said.

Vaporeon got of her rump since she wasn't going to take the remark sitting down. She flared her frills in an attempt to intimidate and challenge Umbreon. Her spirit ignited from the sudden anger. –"That would be too easy. I can take you on here and now,"- she barked.

"Cool it, Vaporeon," Red tried to placate her temper. "Don't let her rile you up. Keep a tranquil head and Ice Beam her." Red knew at times Vaporeon's temper could be set off but never this quick. It must have been Taunt, Red figured. He obviously planned for his Umbreon to handle my Vaporeon. I need to play it out to see what he's up to.

-"She's the one who needs to chill!"- Vaporeon bellowed. She froze Umbreon's lower half to the ground. Umbreon's only reaction to the Ice Beam was a shiver and a slight cringe. Vaporeon used Quick Attack to tackle her out of her ice trap.

"You're ready. Full power Payback!" Blue quickly ordered.

Umbreon was tossed back but a single roll got her back on her feet. Her power swelled as a threatening purple glow outlined her body. She brought out the stored up energy she held in her petite body. She dashed at the stunned Vaporeon.

"Water Pulse!" Red cried.

Vaporeon jumped back into reality to dish out a close range Water Pulse. The rings did little to slow her down. Umbreon full body tackled her with all her stored strength. The dark energy was expelled from her body, hurling the Bubble Jet Pokemon up. Vaporeon crashed back down as Umbreon skipped back.

"That was an excellent shot. You got a critical hit," Blue proudly exclaimed. "Now heal up with Moonlight! The sun will set so you might not get that much health back."

She took her special attacks like nothing. She has even greater defenses than my Vaporeon, Red frowned. She can just heal back from her blows…which leaves me little choice.

"Vaporeon, I have to recall you," Red sadly said.

Vaporeon jolted from the announcement. –"I can take her on. Just give me a chance!"- she wailed, recovering from the rough landing.

"You will get your chance to shine," Red promised. "Sorry but I have to." The Pokeball shot a red laser and recovered the agitated Vaporeon. Red threw the ordinary Pokeball.

"You think this guy will be able to get through Umbreon's defenses," Blue snickered. "I've seen him have trouble fighting Emily's little fox. There's no way he is going to defeat my Umbreon."

-"That Zexal guy used moves to help him dodge!"- Nidoking stridently defended. –"But I will definitely put an end to this runt's run."-

"Don't underestimate her. She's an impressive tank. She can take many hits and brush them off with a simple Wish," Red informed Nidoking.

-"That's something I will like to see for myself,"- Nidoking said to Red, flexing his bulk.

"Don't act cocky, yet. Think of her as a bulkier Vaporeon," Red chided his Pokemon. "Aim to get her poisoned. Poison Sting!"

"Umbreon, Protect! We can't afford to get poison," Blue said alarmed.

Umbreon defended herself with a clear, blue bubble around herself. The purple needles bounced off the shield, harmlessly dropping onto the ground and losing their purple glow.

"Ice Beam. Encase her in ice," Red ordered.

Nidoking fired his own Ice Beam that looked slightly weaker than Vaporeon's. The Ice Beam broke the protect that failed to hold up for much longer. Umbreon had her body frozen to the ground again.

"Get her now with a Poison Jab," Red commanded determined to get her poisoned.

"Break the ice! Iron Tail!"

Nidoking approached the dark-type, struggling to break the ice with the stiff tail. She shot a Shadow Ball, briefly startling him. He jabbed his fist into Umbreon, punching her out of the ice. She leaped back up, her coat shimmering from the ice particles. She took a breath that was slightly visible due to the lingering cold. She didn't waver or cringe from the exchange.

"Great you're not poisoned," Blue said reassured. "Get Nidoking for major damage, Foul Play."

Umbreon nodded. –"You have a high enough attack to convert this attack into a detrimental one."-

She charged in close. She avoided the first punch, her body growing powerful as she drew from Nidoking's strength. Her eyes flashed purple before pouncing at her foe. Nidoking instinctually jolted, looking away since Umbreon aim for his face. Umbreon tackled the Drill Pokemon's cheek with the might of a Pokemon twice her weight and four times her height. The Foul Play sent him tumbling back in a dazed state. Umbreon awkwardly landed on her paws.

She copied Nidoking's strength, Red thought bewildered.

Both Blue and Red saw the small scratch marks on her right shoulder, the same shoulder she used to tackle Nidoking. Red realized quickly that Umbreon wounded herself with the two short spikes fixed on Nidoking's cheek. Red also realized that Nidoking's spikes were dangerous to other Pokemon.

"Nidoking, use Thrash! Don't let her heal," Red promptly ordered.

Umbreon tottered over her feet, the virulent poison gradually seeping her energy. She received her order to attack. She let out a shrill cry, her Hyper Voice not stopping Nidoking from clobbering her with his accumulating rage. Pain was ignored in his violent state, fueling his immersive strength. Umbreon was thrown around like ragdoll.

"Protect!" Blue hollered.

Umbreon saw her brief moment and she took it. Her shield successfully blocked the next few hits. Nidoking head-butted the defense, creating a deep crack into the blue sphere. He stepped back, his rage settling after losing his target to dispel his negative energy. A headache replaced the fury, making him stagger backwards.

"Heal Bell! It's your moment," Blue ordered. He didn't have to say since Umbreon used her technique the second she was free to move.

-"Let this toxic be purified from my body,"- Umbreon soothingly said. Church bells rang as blue waves irradiated from Umbreon's body. All status ailments afflicting Umbreon and her team mates were cured.

"Horn Attack," Red commanded. His Nidoking tripped over in his confusion and hurt himself getting a good laugh from the audience.

"Let's hope he keeps messing up before his confusion wears off," Blue brazenly remarked. "Gain back some health back with Moonlight."

-"I can't allow that,"- Nidoking sputtered, thinking clearly for a brief moment. He charged at the occupied Umbreon with his head low. He launched her several feet into the air with his Horn Attack.

"That's it!" Red cheered. "Hit her with a Poison Jab as he comes back down."

Umbreon attacked with a Shadow Ball in an attempt to safely land. Nidoking flinched from the attack but he predicted to where Umbreon was going to land. He struck Umbreon with his glowing purple fist. Umbreon landed arrived at Blue's feet with an astonished look.

-"He really was too strong. Sorry Blue,"- Umbreon grimly apologized.

"It's not your fault. You did everything I asked you to do which is more than enough," Blue meekly said, witnessing his Pokemon blacked out before his sight. Umbreon's picture faded on the screen and received a harsh red 'X'.

Red couldn't hide his small smile. It's great to see Blue treat his Pokemon as equals. From the start, he treated them like objects but he finally came through, Red thought too caught up to realized Blue had already switched his fainted Umbreon for Alakazam.

"This will be child's play for you," Blue boldly proclaimed. "Psychic!"

Red shoved his thoughts out of his mind. "Amnesia!"

Nidoking had to hone his defenses to survive the powerful attack. The Psychic reached him before he could finish. The blast forced him to collapse, knocking him out before he could hit the floor.

-"That's it?"- Alakazam said bewildered. –"I incorporated the type advantage and the Amnesia boost in my calculation but I guess he couldn't make it in time. Such a pity."- He twirled his well-groomed mustache with his two fingers.

"You put up a good fight," Red said, holding up a Pokeball to recall him. He held another to send out his next Pokemon. "Pikachu! Go!" The Pokeball opened up and released Pikachu onto the battlefield. Pikachu lit up seeing it was Blue.

-"One challenge after another. To be facing your rival is pumping me up,"- Pikachu exclaimed, charging his cheeks.

-"It's a shame you had to face me,"- Alakazam sneered, floating above ground with his telekinetic powers. –"I give you a generous five percent chance that you will win."-

-"So you're saying that there is a chance!"- Pikachu exclaimed. Are all of Blue's Pokemon adopting that annoying cocky attitude of Blue's? A content smile crossed Pikachu's face.

"Alakazam," Blue called his Pokemon's attention. "You can't afford to get paralyzed at all costs. It will hinder you. Protect yourself from it with Safeguard."

"You can beat him, Pikachu," Red hailed. "Quick Attack then convert into an Iron Tail."

Alakazam closed his eyes, focusing on his form. His body began to glow, slowly setting up the Safeguard. He was successful in doing so and received a Quick Attack for his effort. He was clonked on head right after. He teleported away to escape further harm.

-"You're incredibly weak if just those two attacks nearly brought you to your knees,"- Pikachu ridiculed.

Alakazam recovered from his shock. –"I am inferior when it comes to physical strength and endurance,"- he admitted, his words echoing in Pikachu's head. –"But I make up for it with my psychic prowess. Have a taste of this."-

Pikachu entered his alert state. He keenly watched Alakazam lift both of his spoons, perfectly straight. To his astonishment the spoons seemed to be bending, twisting in the contorting in the middle. He sharply blinked in disbelief. The spoons returned to their original state as if nothing happened.

-"He seems to have fallen for it,"- Alakazam informed his trainer.

Blue nodded, receiving the information. "If that's the case, then Psyshock!"

Red was confused as to what happened since he didn't see the spoons bend like his Pokemon. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu was left somewhat confused by the ordeal. He fired his Thunderbolt, missing completely by a meter. The Psyshock crushed Pikachu with its sufficient strength. He was discarded onto the ground by the psychic force.

What's this? Pikachu wasn't trying his best to hit land that Thunderbolt, Red thought distraught. I can feel that's he distracted. Does this have to do with that Kinesis technique Blue pulled off? Red didn't bother to learn that move since he heard from Leaf that only a single line of Pokemon can learn it. It turns out that the evolutionary line that know that technique just happened to be Alakazam's line.

"Pikachu, I sensed that you're troubled," Red called out to his Pokemon.

-"Yeah, I can't seem to concentrate,"- Pikachu confirmed Red's suspicions with a simple nod. -"I can't get that illusion out of my head. I know it was an illusion but how did he manage to get in my head?"-

At least he had the brain cells to determine it was an illusion, Alakazam said in his head.

"Shock Wave! You won't be able to miss that," Red said.

-"That's a guaranteed,"- Pikachu agreed. Pikachu sent his Shock Wave in all directions. Alakazam faltered from the blast.

"Agility!" Red shouted.

Blue waited a few seconds before calling out his move. "Psych Up, copy his stats," Blue demanded.

Alakazam lifted his hand at the Pikachu. His intelligent eyes flashed red flawlessly replicating Pikachu's stat increase.

"Let's see Alakazam take on this Volt Tackle. Watch out since he will try to teleport," Red warned.

"Dazzling Gleam, Alakazam."

Pikachu concentrated on his Volt Tackle. It required his full concentration thus dispelling the fiction that what Alakazam did was actually real. He made an illusion that fooled him but he wasn't going to be misled again. He charged at Alakazam, who had his spoons crossed with each other preparing for his chance.

-"I'm not…going to be fooled,"- Pikachu chanted, quickly picking up speed but not fully charging his Volt Tackle. He didn't even go full speed to remain flexible. He dug his feet into the ground, lightning firing from his paws due to the resistance. He leapt behind him, catching the Alakazam teleporting behind ready to surprise him. –"Ever again!"- he finished with a yell. He collided with his foe who managed to release his Dazzling Gleam, blinding everyone in the stadium.

Moments passed before the dust cleared. Pikachu was disoriented, tripping over his own two feet. Alakazam fell on his back, scorched form the electrocution. He rubbed his cranium with the tip of his spoon.

-"I guess my calculation was off,"- he bitterly admitted. –"It's now a fifty-fifty chance on who can get the last hit."-

-"Do always on your numbers during battle?"- Pikachu remarked, stretching his body out.

-"It helps me see my most optimal option,"- Alakazam contently answered. –"And I will take the guaranteed safe approach for this one."- Alakazam lastly said, taking a defensive stance.

Blue was momentarily stunned by his Pokemon's action. "If that's what you think is best…then go for it," Blue in the end accepted the move.

That stance, Red realized what Alakazam was trying to accomplish by closing his eyes in deep thought.

"Pikachu, Thunder Bolt! Don't waste a second more!" Red instructed his Pikachu.

Pikachu fried Alakazam from his spot. He was fairly weak but his dwindling Thunderbolt did the job. Alakazam collapsed and soon his icon was defaced by the red 'X'. It was a victory for Pikachu but the in the back of his mind he felt as if he failed to stop Alakazam from completing his move. He turned to Red to see he was just as disturbed as he was.

"Your strength is needed, Arcanine!" Blue released his final Pokemon.

Clear your mind, Pikachu consoled himself. With a clean slate, he approached the battle with a fresh mentality.

"This getting close," Red pointed out the obvious. "Your Arcanine doesn't look entirely healthy."

"He's more than capable of wiping the rest of your team," Blue proclaimed, his Arcanine following it up with a valiant roar. The crowd cheered for Blue, chanting his name relentlessly.

"Pick him off with Extreme Speed," Blue ordered.

"Electric Field! Leave him no room to dodge," Red said.

Pikachu formed the field in time but Arcanine went through with his order and tackled Pikachu with all his strength, getting electrocuted. Pikachu bounced along the ground, settling meters away from where he stood. He lay limp and did not stir.

"Pikachu is unable to battle!" announced the referee. The stadium broke into a roar of cheering, applauding Blue's victory to even the odds.

And now there is only one, Red thought, believing this match was in his favor.

Vaporeon appeared for the second time. She looked annoyed having been sent out. Her mood flickered between anger and shame.

Are you relying on me as your last hope? Vaporeon thought, seeing the scoreboard had only her and Arcanine left. –"I will surely disappoint you."-

-"You already have,"- Arcanine approached. –"If your will is this weak then this final match won't be much."-

"Vaporeon, use wish since you're going to need it soon!" Red strongly advised.

-"Got it covered, Red,"- Vaporeon blandly said back, giving off an extremely bright flash light.

"Arcanine, you need to recover some health back with Morning Sun," Blue joined in on the plan of healing.

"Don't let him! Water Pulse!" Red acted.

Her Wish was completed and she had her Water Pulse ready. She jumped forward, firing her attack. The Water Pulse soaked Arcanine, howling in protest. He fired a Flame Burst in response, doing little damage beyond singeing her flank.

-"If that's your best water-type attack than I have no reason to fear you,"- Arcanine derided her with a rude snort. –"I'm sorry but this ends her, lassie."-

Vaporeon waned from the verbal assault. That is my best water-based skill, she lamented. I can't do much beyond that! I'm just not good enough as the rest of my team.

Purple lightning bolts unexpectedly shot out from a dark portal opening above Vaporeon. The Future Sight crashed down on the unsuspecting Vaporeon. She cried as the potent psychic move tore at her distraught body. She fell flat on her side, gravely injured. Not a moment too soon, Vaporeon sparkled before flashing white. She was healed back to her previous healthy state. The Wish countered the damage she sustained from the Future Sight.

It was Future Sight that Alakazam pulled off, Red thought pleased. He couldn't risk on taking Pikachu head on so he choose the option to instead cripple my next Pokemon. It was a pretty clever if I failed to recognize it or if I didn't have a Pokemon who could take it and heal herself.

-"I can see why you had me use Wish at the start,"- Vaporeon said, feeling exhausted from the drastic changes. –"But you just delayed the inevitable."-

Red couldn't pinpoint the cause for Vaporeon's sudden depression but he needed her lighten up if they wanted a chance to win. "Vaporeon, we can do this. We need to beat Blue so can go into the finals."

"It looks like she's given up, so you might as well do so as well with such a weak Pokemon," Blue pressured. "If Water Pulse is all she got then she won't be able to win. You shouldn't have save your weakest for last."

Red clenched his fist. Why is he suddenly being unusually crueler than user, now? Red thought furious. The slander lit the fire under him. "I have you know that my Vaporeon doesn't even need her water attacks to defeat your Arcanine," he declared. "She is not the weakest. She entered the team much later but she caught up with the rest of her teammates. She is just capable as my Nidoking, as my Pikachu and even as my Charizard."

-"Charizard? But he's your starter,"- Vaporeon grumpily reproached.

-"I doubt you can match up Charizard since I've seen Blue put a lot of time into dealing with him,"- Arcanine remarked, -"If you were as good as him then my trainer would have put effort into developing ways to deal with you but here I am to clear away the remaining trash."-

Red acted on Vaporeon's growing rage. "We will show you she is a threat that you shouldn't have misjudged," Red proclaimed. "Shadow Ball, Vaporeon. Make as many as you can in the span of ten seconds!"

Vaporeon still felt quite miserable with where her strength lied compared to the team but she pushed all her troublesome thoughts away. Red needed her to win and she needed to focus to do that. Her dilemmas weren't resolved but their priority was lower than to the situation at hand. She shot multiple Shadow Balls, almost all of them hitting their mark.

Red counted eight Shadow Balls which was an impressive feat but he noticed each one was weaker than the last for the sake of a higher rate of fire. "Quick Attack!"

"Beat her with Extreme Speed," Blue countered.

Arcanine easily beat her in speed, tackling her into the ground. –"Had enough?"- he jokingly asked.

Vaporeon was on her side and she rolled onto her back, facing Arcanine with puffy cheeks. She spat out a surprise Sand Attack directly into his sharp eyes. Arcanine howled, leaping back. Vaporeon hopped right back only to go back down with a Dig,

Dig and Sand Attack, Red resentfully thought, not proud to have forgotten she had those moves. As an Eevee, Dig would ruin her pristine fur. Dirt and rocks cluttered in her hair was a pain to clean out so I avoid using it. Sand Attack had no excuse besides simply forgetting. She was now a Vaporeon, not bounded by her old, fragile body.

Arcanine struggled to clean his eyes too busy to bother and jumping out of the way from the Dig attack. It launched him into the air as Vaporeon hopped out of her hole, dirt slipping right off her smooth skin like water.

"Arcanine!" Blue exclaimed, witnessing his Pokemon crash back down. The doglike Pokemon groaned as he body ached when he tried to get up. "We can't dawdle much more. Hit her with all you got. Wild Charge!"

"Wild Charge!?" Red couldn't help but shout. "Acid Armor! Quick!"

His hair was in disarray, ruining the majestic vibe he held at the start. The wild hair crackled with electricity. The energy began to buildup as he ran towards Vaporeon, who was increasing her defenses. The electricity accumulated to the point that Arcanine was cloaked entirely in electricity. He rammed all that energy into Vaporeon. He received a decent amount of resistance from her but he knew his strength was enough to cause serious damage. The collision sent both skidding across the dirt field backwards.

-"How was-that?"- Arcanine huffed, astounded by the heavy recoil damage the Wild Charge came with. His neck and shoulder were incredibly sore and stiff as his legs nearly collapsed under his weight.

Vaporeon had trouble standing. She took half of the damage but it still left her in tears. She let her angered frontage fall for this moment. She finally let Red's words sink into her. She had to believe that what her trainer said was true. She wasn't dead weight.

I need to stop fighting with my wrath, Vaporeon decided. This whole time I needed to prove my worth but he already sees my worth.

"You look out of shape, Arcanine," Blue remarked. "Loosen up by striking her down with your fully powered Reversal technique!"

-"There will be no chance that you will be able to survive this,"- Arcanine growled, burning with power. –"It may seem I'm being cocky but I can assure you that this attack has taken out water Pokemon with higher defenses than you. Prepare to be blown out of the ring!"-

Vaporeon couldn't take the disrespect anymore. She figured she had some worth. -"I will NOT be pushed around ANYMORE!"- Vaporeon bellowed, straining her vocal chords. Water uncontrollably gushed out from her mouth. Clear, pressurized water washed Arcanine out of his Reversal form and out of the field.

"What I thought you said no water attacks!" Blue angrily shouted.

"I didn't order to do it," Red adamantly defended.

Arcanine lay in a puddle, not responding to Blue's yells. The referee confirmed Blue's fears.

"Arcanine is unable to continue! The winner is Vaporeon! Red Ketchum has won this Pokemon trainer battle!" he directed the crowd's attention to the excited Red.

The television screens flashed with Blue's face fading out and Red's trainer picture replacing the entire screen announcing he was the victor. It changed to Red on the field, profusely praising his Pokemon, giving her a joyful pet.

Even in his joyous victory celebration in the stadium, Red could sense the tension in the air. People cheered but it was considerably less than when he made his entrance for this match. He petted Vaporeon before standing back up.

Red looked up to the cameras. He couldn't help but smirk, knowing he just caused the biggest upset in the tournament. Taking out Blue upset the fans because not only was Blue the favorite to win but, also, because they heard of his connection to Red. The audience learned his personal rivalry with Red since they both started as trainers at the same time and in the same town. The supporters would have loved to see their hero, Blue, best his rival in the tournament. But now the same announcer who retold their history had to announce that Red won the match.

He remembered to congratulate Blue on the monumental match. He saw the empty space in front of him. He already left without a single word.

"Please clear the arena," ushered the battle judge. "We have a schedule to keep."

Red apologized and took his leave with his Vaporeon. They both felt the thousands of eyes on their backs as the entered the air-conditioned building. They headed back to the trainer's lounge to only find it empty. The other two trainers were already on their way to their semifinals. Blue didn't show up but someone did come to congratulate him.

Emily appeared at the doorway. She came up to him and surprisingly hugged him. Red was flabbergasted, nearly forgetting to return the hug.

"You really gave that bastard what he deserved in the end. This is my thanks for kicking his fatass," Emily said, into Red's ear. She pulled back from the embrace.

"You really hate Blue that much," Red remarked, brushing off the embrace as if nothing happened.

-"What's this? You two?"- Vaporeon hopped in between the teenagers.

"Vaporeon!" Emily jolted. She pulled on her composed persona before saying, "I didn't notice you…standing right next to Red."

-"I can tell what's going on here,"- Vaporeon cutely cooed.

Emily couldn't handle the idea of being mocked and came forward. "Alright, me and Red have already decided to start dating," she flat out revealed.

"It's 'Red and I' not' me and Red'" Red snobbishly corrected.

Emily finally blushed; a sight that could make Red laugh if didn't just come out from a serious match. "I don't need a lecture on grammar from anyone and especially not from you. I just was…flustered," she explained, looking down at Vaporeon. She bent low as Red's Pokemon approached her.

-"I have no qualms with this relationship,"- Vaporeon purred, giving her sign of approving this bond. She received the gentle scratch behind her ear. She rested on Emily's lap, exhausting all of her energy.

Emily kept still as Vaporeon fell asleep on her lap. "You do realize Blue wasn't being an asshat for the sake of being one at the end," Emily gently said, facing Red who sat down with her on the beige carpet.

"I felt something was off about him at that moment," Red recalled the moment.

"Leaf told me she believed he did it to get your Vaporeon riled up," she exposed, running a slender finger down Vaporeon's dark, blue fin that followed down her spine.

"Vaporeon was acting up, feeling disheartened," Red told her, watching Vaporeon quiver in Emily's care. "It must have something to do with me switching her out on Umbreon. But if that's the case, why did Blue help me by acting like that. Shouldn't he have taken advantage of that?"

Emily shrugged. "It probably had to do with having an excellent battle," Emily softly replied. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

"He seemed to disappear after the match," Red answered, taking a moment to ponder. "Surely you didn't come here just congratulate me and sit here to pet my Vaporeon."

Emily coyly smiled. "I guess you do know me-somewhat," she sarcastically said. Her raised tone caused Vaporeon stir in her slumber. She took the moment to soothe the water type by rubbing her left side.

"It's just that I came to warn you on your next challenge," she whispered to Red. "The trainer you will face will be a much bigger challenge than Blue."

"Don't you have faith that the other trainer will win?" Red had to ask in a hushed voice.

"He's surprisingly strong," Emily admitted, gritting her teeth. She stopped from pampering Vaporeon. "I lied again with my results from yesterday. I didn't come in first place," she came forward clean. "I got second because I lost one match to that guy. He didn't lose a single match."

Red raised an eyebrow. "Please don't tell me you're going to continuously lie to me after today."

"Only if it benefits me," she complacently answered. "I'm of course kidding, Red," Emily said to pacify Red's scorned look. She turned Red's attention to the television. "Just watch the match and you will see what I'm talking about."