-Chapter 9-

-VS. Smoochum!-

Lemon was already on the field as Orange stepped from the opposing waiting room. It was nearly midnight, and both of them were exhausted. But, in competitive spirit, Orange and Lemon shook it off and prepared to give it their all.

"Let's battle our two official starters. My Smoochum versus your Elekid." Orange gave a tired smile and nodded.

"It's been a long night, but the finals are finally here! Orange of Fuchsia City versus Lemon of Valencia Island! These two late entries simply plowed their way through the competition! Let their match begin… NOW!"

"Jynxton, Petal Dance!"

"Buzzgo, Karate Chop!"

The two baby Pokémon executed their commands. Jynxton the Smoochum struck a pose and summoned a barrage of pink petals. She twirled about, and smashed into Buzzgo. Buzzgo whipped around with a sharp, swift chop, and hit her dead on. She squealed and soared back.

"Thunderpunch!"

"Ice Punch!"

Buzzgo's fist surged with electricity as Jynxton's sparkled with a layer of ice. Their fists collided, and they were both knocked back. Buzzgo kicked up dust as he fell into the dirt in a block of ice. Smoochum, completely paralyzed, fell like a statue as well. The two trainers stared expectantly at their respective Pokémon, with zero results.

"Err… Do you… have like a…?" Orange stammered.

"Freeze Heal? I'll give you one if you trade me a Paralyze Heal," Lemon offered.

Orange pulled a Paralyze Heal from his pack. He tossed it to Lemon. She sprayed it on Jynxton, then tossed it aside. "Thanks, loser. Jynxton, Petal Dance!"

"Wait, what?" Orange stuttered.

Jynxton spun around and slammed into Buzzgo's frozen self.

"Lousy cheater!" Orange grumbled.

"Relax, buddy. Here you go." She dug around her bag, then tossed a small capsule to Orange. He sprayed it on Buzzgo and the ice quickly melted.

"Just wanted a bit more of a leg up," she said, shrugging. Smoochum continued her uncoordinated ballet and ran into the shivering Elekid. She suddenly became very dizzy, and fell over.

"Err, try another Ice Punch?" Lemon said, unsure what to expect. Jynxton took an almost drunken jab at the air, then awkwardly fell over. Her HP bar on the screen above, already about half way depleted from Buzzgo's onslaughts, lessened further.

Orange beamed… Lemon pouted. "Fine," Lemon said, "No way I'm going to let Jynxton faint without a reason. Time for a new technique… Jynxton, Perish Song!"

Jynxton shook off her dizziness for a moment and sung a haunting melody. Each note drilled itself into Buzzgo's brain, driving him crazy.

"Now both of our Pokémon will faint in three turns." Lemon said darkly.

Orange frowned. "Okay…? We were gonna split the money anyway. Karate Chop!"

Buzzgo jumped at Jynxton. He prepared to deliver a powerful chop to Jynxton, when she suddenly and accidentally stumbled out of the way in its dizzy confusion. The Perish Song note buzzed in Buzzgo's head… two more turns.

"Try another Ice Punch," suggested Lemon. Jynxton swung at Buzzgo before he retreated from his attack, hitting him square in the chest. Luck was on her side, and he was frozen once again. Orange gritted his teeth… He only had one more turn, and there was no way he could unfreeze his Elekid.

"Any chance I could get another…?" Orange began.

"Not in your life, buddy," Lemon said, laughing, "Looks like we've tied. After this attack, both our Pokémon will faint. Jynxton, Petal Dance!"

The little Smoochum danced around with no prevail, but it still got the job done. A dreadful note throbbed painfully in each Pokémon's head, and the fainted. Smoochum peacefully lay down on the ground, and Buzzgo's icy cage thawed and he did the same.

"Wow! What a battle! Sure it was anticlimactic, but whatchagonnado?" the announcer said.

Both trainers returned their Pokémon to their respective Pokéballs, shook each other's hands, and waited on the field as someone brought them their check.

A little while later, Orange and Lemon had cashed the checks, paid for the hotdogs they took, then dragged themselves to the hotel, where they paid for their rooms, and collapsed into their beds…

Wind whipped up sand, piercing Drake like needles. He took slow steps against it as he made his way to the dark shore of Moro Island. The sea churned and swirled, giving a shattered reflection of the pale moon in the sky. Drake sat down in the sand, and pulled out his iPoké from a deep pocket in his vest. It was almost midnight. It was almost time to go.

-Chapter 10-

-VS. Gengar!-