The two days of rest had flown by like Tedorigawa Mangekyo Junmai Daiginjo on the Yamamoto. Ryan had spent his waking hours training his Pokémon and banging on Kelly's door, and felt more than a little sore.

That morning he had fished a Magikarp out of a tank in the check-in station, and learned that he had been assigned 'B7', the same code given to another trainer named Rotunda. She looked like a roly poly. A young girl, just like my first opponent. Only this one looked mean and rich as a gas station bathroom.

Walking with Ryan towards Indigo Stadium was the balloon boy - Rahul (this joke is that his head is full of air and nothing else, thank you, thank you). Everyone else was waiting in the stadium. Rahul was eating honeyed lemon tarts while sucking on his fingers like a toddler. He looked like a sack of potatoes to Ryan, though not even a very tasty sack of taters. The rather large boy was rambling on about something as they moved down the street, Ryan's form hunched forward, his hoodie pulled up over his head. In the distance, the glowing lights of the stadium were shining out with audacity into the cool evening sky.

He could hear them even from the road.

"And then we trade back!" Rahul bellowed, letting the lemonsweet crumbs tumble down his many chins, down his shirt. "Whaddya say, Ryan?"

"Huh?"

"Listen to me when I speak!" Rahul's voice sounded pretty angry. I wonder how many tarts he could stuff in his big fat mouth.

"Oh, okay."

"Why don't we go now? I don't want to fight my next battle without evolving my Kadabra!" Yeah, yeah, I get it. You already won your match today, so you want to gloat… The boy sighed heavily, trying to steady his racing heart.

Ryan's eyes grew wide. "H-hey… what do you mean?"

"You weren't listening to me, were you?"

"No sir."

Rahul sighed like an irritable Tauros and replied, "Alright, but you better listen to me this time, Ryan. I swear, if you…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, out with it!"

"We can trade our Pokémon to evolve them."

"What do you mean?"

"The trading machine. I only found out about it after dinner."

"Oh." Ryan's cheeks were flushed as a cool wind blew against them. The trees lining the street on either side swayed back and forth, and a few dead leaves fell from the nearest one.

"Kadabra and Haunter can't evolve unless we trade!"

"That's a load of barnacles," Ryan said savagely. "How are they supposed to evolve in the wild if they don't have masters?"

"They don't."

"Now you're just lying," Ryan accused the big man. "There's definitely wild Gengar and Alakazam."

"Suuuuuuuure, Ryan. Why don't you go wander through the forest looking for them?" When Ryan didn't respond, Rahul continued, "If we trade our Pokémon, they'll evolve, and…"

"I'm not giving you my Kadabra or Haunter."

Rahul smacked his head dramatically. "Are you serious?! Ryan," he said jovially, his dark eyes shining wet as butter, "we'll trade them right back. This is just to get our Pokémon to evolve."

"Nice plan." It was a nice plan - a quaint, beautiful thing, like my grandmother's basement. "But there's no time… my fifth round match is about to start!"

"Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that."

Ryan shook his head in annoyance. "Come on, let's go."

The two of them picked up the pace, arriving at the stadium three minutes before 7 o'clock. Ryan went through the special trainer entrance, as usual, walked through a short underground tunnel, and came to a holding area just inside the stadium, with an open door at the far end, looking out across the floor of the Indigo Stadium. There waiting for him were Logan, Alex, his mother, his father, and now Rahul. No Kelly, he thought. I wonder if she'll be in the stands.

They rose to give him last minute words of advice or wishes of luck, as the referee called for Ryan's name over the loudspeaker. His father remained in the background, dark as a mountain, mumbling along with the others, his eyes downcast, his words bleeding in with the obstreperous noise around them. Ryan looked to the man who had fathered him, but that dark-haired, bearded giant did not return his gaze.

Sucking in his breath, the boy moved past the others, up onto the trainer stage outside. The air was growing colder, and Ryan felt the heat evaporating off his cheeks like a furnace on a glacier. The referee was introducing him to riotous applause. All Ryan could think about was the Pokémon he would be choosing. Reaching for a Poké Ball, he noticed his hand was shaking. I'm in the finals, he thought to himself, I won four matches already. I can do this.

"And, all the way from Commerce City… it's Rotunda, the young, beautiful competitor who has won four matches already in her first Indigo League!"

The crowd went wild. Out from the other hallway came a girl who looked like a Muk. She's about half as tall as one. Her hair was straight and black, her face pulled back like a couple collapsed lumps of mashed potatoes. She wore a flashy red-and-black dress suit that sparkled and shined and looked like it was made of plastic. Her ears twinkled with hanging jewels; her face was powdered and covered thickly in makeup. That doesn't help much. In her right hand was a sparkler. In the other was a diamond-encrusted Poké Ball. Following her around with an impossibly-white towel in his gloved hands, was a butler, as old as time. I bet his name is Jeeves. His parents knew when he was born what he'd become. That's why they named him Jeeves, Ryan told himself.

The powdered butterball stepped onto her platform, and it rose into the air. Her butler came with her. I wish I had a butler…

"Oh, Rotuuuuuuuuuuunda…" came a screeching voice, like a sick bird, from behind the girl. Sitting on the bench for friends and family was an old woman dressed all in white silken lace with a frilly hat, what looked like a pirate's shirt, and a pair of massive pink, heart-shaped sunglasses. She was fanning herself with one of those cheap handheld Pidgey fans that you could get from a vendor outside the stadium for like 5 Poké Dollars. "Be a good girl for mama. Win another match, dear! Oh, do put on a show!"

"Quiet, mamaaaaah!" roared Rotunda. Her voice was like a train, impossibly deep and vile for someone of her size and being. Above them, in the middle of the stage, a greasy newspaper drifted through the air, carried by a fading wind.

The referee said a few more things, and yada yada yada, the flags were raised, and the match was begun. Ryan's ears hurt. He swallowed and said, "NaVorro, I choose you!"

"Heieieiiaahahaaaah!" the Bull Pokémon snorted, upon exiting his ball. He landed softly on the brown stone ground and began to pace before his foe.

"Frumple-tootykins, come out and play!" grunted Rotunda.

From her ball was released a Flareon.

"Oh, marvelous! He's absolutely marvelous, isn't he! Precious little animal, so prim and proper, oh look at his bow!" Rotunda's mother gushed from behind her child.

Indeed, the Flareon looked as elegant as a hippy in a tree. His fur was combed and shiny, his colors deep and vibrant, his eyes shining coolly. On his throat was a little pink bowtie, obviously installed by none other than Rotunda. Rotunda looks rather rotund to me. But this Pokémon's legit.

"NaVorro, Earthquake!"

Rotunda shouted something at her Pokémon too, but it was lost in the noise around the boy. He watched as his Tauros ran towards the Flareon, jumped in the air, crashed down upon the ground, and caused the stage to shake violently.

The well-groomed Flareon screamed as it was beaten about. And when it sailed into the air, as lifeless as the ocean floor, Ryan roared with laughter. Crashing onto the ground a second later, the Flareon crumpled into a curled-up position and did not move again.

That's it boy. Let's crush Rotunda and her mother. "Oh heavens me! Oh good gracious!" Rotunda's mother wailed, mock-fainting into the arms of another butler, who caught her with tired care. He's done that a hundred times, Ryan noted.

The next Pokémon Rotunda chose was a female Wartortle that wore a little dress and makeup. "Body Slam that fool!" Ryan ordered his bull, and NaVorro answered the call. The Tauros slammed into the little Wartortle and sent its bruised shell sliding into the far wall. The crowd screamed for more blood, for more, for more, for more. The boy gulped and held onto the railing. He didn't let himself feel satisfied, didn't let himself feel content. Not till the battle's over.

"Wartortle is unable to battle!" the floor referee bellowed, raising the green flag that was Ryan's. Rotunda's second red dot disappeared from below her smug little portrait on the big screen overhead.

"Oh, my word, my aching heart! Bad heavens, evil heavens, curse that strange woman for telling me my sweet pea would win this tournament!"

Rotunda was sweating a little now. She had those peep eyes, that shifting face. She was worried, like a Linoone in the tall grass. Her butler handed her the third Poké Ball graciously, and she snatched it from his gloved palm like Rahul would grab at lemon tarts. She threw it and screamed, "Finish this ugly, stupid creep, Queen Bubble-Aura Erebus Kitsune!"

It was a Clefable, the rarest of all the aliens, Ryan knew. The same species of Pokémon that ended Kelly's tourney. "Okay, boy, you know what to do! Show that Clefable that this isn't a game for frilly little girls!"

NaVorro stamped his foot and charged at Rotunda's last Pokémon. A great dustcloud grew as the two fought, the Tauros trampling about as the Clefable no doubt tried that same move that built the pyramids all those years ago. The crowd was chanting - some of them for Ryan, others for Rotunda. Rotunda was grunting something inaudible and low, like a screamo singer (she sounded about as good as one too) while her mother wailed from behind like a Meowth caught in a tree.

Nothing anyone said made a difference. All their words are wind. When the dust cleared, NaVorro jumped back and revealed to everyone looking on that the Clefable was well and truly defeated - the bold pink little thing had been left in a crater the size of a Nidoking. It was twitching uncomfortably and was covered in bruises and scratches; NaVorro on the other hand looked to be untouched, like a leper in port. The referee ran over, gave the fallen creature a sniff, and raised his green flag dramatically.

I won. Rotunda was screaming like a petulant child, hitting her butler in the stomach with fists of steel. Her mother cried from behind, "Dreadful, cursed mudsuckers! This plebeian filth should be drowned like newborn Growlithe! Oh, neither good nor bad heavens!" She waved her Pidgey fan so hard that it split down the middle and slapped her across the face. The old woman fell shrieking, into the waiting arms of her butler.

"Ryan, from Acapulco, has won this fifth round match! Congratulations, Ryan!" the referee said happily from over the loudspeakers. "Well, folks, that's one more trainer who's made it into the quarter finals! Wow, the field keeps narrowing!"

"Good work, NaVorro," Ryan yelled to his prancing Tauros, whom the crowd was serenading. "Return!"

Descending from the trainer platform and walking back inside the stadium, Ryan thought, he's not wrong. There's only 8 of us left… out of 256. It felt surreal - and even more surreal was the fact that both he and Rahul had made it into the quarter finals.

"Her Pokémon were really weak." That was Alex's voice, deep and quiet. He was the first to reach Ryan. "I don't know how she made it this far in the competition…"

"Yeah, that was weird!" Ryan agreed. "But I guess all that matters is that I won… right?!"

He chuckled nervously and glanced about, landing his gaze on his father, who stood cross-armed at the back of the group. The man's dark eyes studied Ryan. He nodded, curtly. The room felt so cold.

A rush of emotion burst through Ryan's veins. Relief, he wondered? Or fear? The teal-haired trainer couldn't tell which it was he was feeling.

She was sitting on the edge of her pickup truck, her grand-grand-grand pappy's baby momma on her knee. Both of them were working on pixie sticks like feral Arcanine. The older woman - the one who operated this place - looked not a day over 105 and had a face like a Golem's backside. She wore greasy overalls and a red-and-white bandana and was spitting something into a metal bucket at her feet as she sucked on her pixie stick.

Their balls traveled through the tubes and such of the trading machine like beeping dots. When it was over, Ryan held Rahul's Kadabra, and Rahul held Ryan's. I suppose they aren't Kadabra anymore. Ryan had talked this over with Kadabra and Spectre before deciding to go through with it. Both of them wanted to evolve… Spectre especially.

The old woman spat into her bucket and slapped her knee. "We're cookin' now! Now we're cookin' real good!" She had one tooth.

"Now let's switch them again."

"Alright."

And so, through the miracle of trade manipulation, Ryan and Rahul returned their Kadabras to one another, now evolved into Alakazam. Somehow, I don't think whoever designed this meant for us to evolve our Pokémon like this. Ryan didn't care, though. That's what happens when Kadabra can't evolve naturally for some unknown dumb reason.

The old woman watched them trade their Poké Balls, shooting the little red-and-white objects through the bulky, humming machine. She sucked in the air and spit it out again and never blinked. On her knee, the small girl sang to herself and spit sugar on the floor.

Soon, Ryan's Gengar was ready too. Once his new Pokémon were returned to him, Ryan let his fresh Pokébuddies out of their balls to inspect them. The air reeked of car exhaust.

"Alakazam, the Psi Pokémon. A Pokémon that can memorize anything. It never forgets what it learns—that's why this Pokémon is smart."

"Oh great, now you're a genius!" Ryan lamented. "My poor Alakazam!"

"Zam," replied Alakazam lazily.

Walking up to them, he noticed that his new Alakazam was quite tall - not so tall as Ryan or the others, but much taller than Kadabra, or Abra. He definitely can't ride in my backpack anymore. "How do you feel, buddy?"

"Alakazam…" the Pokémon yawned, twirling his spoons.

He never evolved for dad. I wonder why he was so eager to evolve for me. Weird. "Cool. I'm sure that means you're doing great." Moving on to Spectre, Ryan said, "Yo, lookin' good, ghost buster!"

"Gengar geng!" Spectre said with a wide grin.

He looks a bit like Rotunda now. Ryan beamed. "Gengar gengar gengar. Geng geng gengar!" he declared passionately.

"Gengar?" replied Spectre, in shock. "Gengar gengar!"

"Yeah boy!" Ryan said carelessly.

This went on for some time. Alakazam stretched out his fingers and legs and tested some of his psychic capabilities before growing bored and falling asleep against the far wall. Gengar decided to forget about physics and began flying back and forth through walls. Rahul didn't even take his new Alakazam out of its ball. He ran into the corner, took out his phone, and muttered:

"I'm gonna look at thousands of emotional cringe quotes for five hours and share as many of them as I can to my facebook wall," he explained to the old woman sitting in the back of her pickup truck, which, for some reason, was parked inside the room with the trading station.

On the other side of the room were Alex and Logan, arguing aggressively about something. Somehow I don't think they're discussing nuclear proliferation. So since we need a little time between the battles, this is a great time to resolve that burning mystery of the Logan/Alex debate!

"Okay, spill the peas." Ryan's voice was very authoritative. "You guys are always arguing about something, so now I want to know what it is!"

"Oh, okay," said Alex.

"It's none of Alex's business!"

Alex shrugged. "I was just curious." He took out some noodles and began to eat them, but this time he didn't slurp them at all even though he definitely did.

"So what's the deal?" Ryan put his hands on his hips.

"Logan said that he was raised by wild Clefable."

"Well, it's true!" the other boy said earnestly. "I was raised by Clefable until I was six years old!"

Oh here we go. "Logan, you said you used to live in Saffron City."

"Yeah, that was after," Logan said quickly.

Ryan shook his head. "Okay, fine. So what's the big deal?" He directed that question at Alex.

"It's odd, I thought."

"Yeah, it's a bit strange," Ryan agreed. "Clefable are supposed to be space aliens anyways."

"How did you learn how to speak and act like a civilized person?" Alex questioned. "If you really were raised by Clefable, wouldn't you be wild like that boy who was raised by Kangaskhan all those years ago? I read about him once…"

"No, and stop asking me questions!" Logan's voice was strained. "Stop being so rude and prying into my personal life like that!"

"You wouldn't happen to be ignoring important stuff while focusing on trivialities again, would you, Alex?" Ryan asked the Chinese boy.

"No. Alright. Oh, okay," explained Alex.

"Quiet!" Rahul bellowed from across the room. "I'm trying to concentrate on my emotional quotes!" He held up his phone dramatically and pointed at it while petting his goatee. "Ahem," he said, clearing his throat, "Do you ever feel like you're constantly at the crossroads of destiny, shoutout to my friends and co-workers 3 you can't think of a better crew probably cause I haven't met them yet, jk…"

"Shut it down!" Ryan bellowed, causing Rahul to squeal and roll away down the floor, under the pickup truck.

Above them, Spectre blew through the air like a bullet, cackling.

"So you were raised by Clefable."

"Yeah, I can speak their language too." Logan sounded bored.

"Are they really aliens?" asked Alex. "I need you to ask them if the Zerg is still out there, somewhere in space."

"No way!" Logan's apathy turned to anger. "I'm not going back to those freaks! I'm never speaking to a Clefable again."

"Alright," grunted Alex.

"Great talk guys," nodded Ryan. Why do I even bother, he wondered? I knew if I asked, it would be something stupid.

Logan and Alex were still arguing when the old woman kicked them out and told them to go back to their hotel rooms. So the four boys shuffled off into the night (Ryan returned both the sleeping Alakazam and hyperactive Spectre into their Poké Balls). The nights have gotten colder. It's still summer, but it's not so warm anymore… not like at the beginning of the tournament.

Ahead of them, on the road leading towards the main hotel, a hotdog vendor was pushing his trolley. When they came upon him, they saw that he was digging into his own supplies, eating hotdogs with untamed grace. There was mustard and relish smeared on his face, and he seemed like he was crying. Ryan was perfectly content to leave the man to his wanton gluttony, but Rahul just had to open his big mouth. A big mouth for a big man.

"Proud fools talk too much," mumbled Alex, shaking his fine head. But quick, he had to lower his head to return to playing Fire Emblem as the rest of the events unfolded around him. Gotta grind faster, yo.

"What's the matter?" Rahul was saying. "Don't be shy, I have a motivational quote for whatever is troubling you."

"It's just… well, I heard that Giovanni died," the man sobbed, stuffing some bread and ketchup down his throat.

"Who's that?" Logan asked.

"Who's that? WHO'S THAT?!" The man flung himself into the grass dramatically and rolled about a bit before sitting up. "He's only the leader of Team Rocket, for President Goodshow's sake!"

"Oh really?" Ryan's cheeks felt warm again. The cold night air bit at him like a Charmeleon. "That's a shame."

"A crying shame, hence the tears!" the man pointed out, a little too matter-of-factly for Ryan's tastes. Be more subtle. Be more funny.

"What does it matter to you?" Alex asked coldly, not even looking up from his 3DS.

"He was my best paying customer! Do you know how many dogs he ordered a month?"

Everyone shook their heads. "Thousands! I was rich!"

"Well, if he just died, you should still have a lot of money," Ryan said helpfully.

"I have a very expensive apron collection!" the man wailed. "It's all I can do to not go broke buying new fancy aprons for myself… and now without Giovanni, I'm done!"

"Ya blew it!" Logan said. "Now get outta here, you scoundrel, Team Rocket's no good, and we don't care about them!"

"Yeah, go away now," Ryan agreed. "We're never going to see you again, and your sob story isn't even notable enough to make you a character of the week," he explained.

"Curses!" The man tried to stand, but he couldn't. He collapsed back onto the ground and began ripping up the grass around him in obsession and grief. The four boys left him there and didn't feel guilty at all. Indeed, they never thought about him again.

I wonder what that'll mean for Team Rocket… and Jessica, Ryan thought. I guess, the last time I saw her, I left her hanging. They were soon back in the hotel, riding the same elevator up to the same floor. Just like every other day, they marched down the silent carpeted floors, coming to their doors. Alex and Rahul stepped into their room without issue. I bet Alex never tried to put Rahul on the cot. Not that Rahul could fit on it…

He decided to leave Logan at the door and continued the march on down the hallway until he came to the door at the end of the room. For a moment, the boy's fist was curled just in front of the wood, preparing to spring forward and knock. It was late, but not that late. Still, he couldn't bring himself to knock. She's just going to yell at me again, he knew. I'll just make her mad.

Ryan didn't want to make Kelly mad. He brought out Alakazam and said, "Okay, so you're a genius now, right boy?"

"Kah!"

"Tell me what to do about this," he said, gesturing to the door.

"Alakazam, zam zam ka zam!" Alakazam spoke with a lazy drawl. He spun his spoons around and his hands were swinging about like a proper politician's. "Ala, zam alakazam, alakazam, alakazam."

"Huh." Ryan fell to his knees and slumped up against the door he wanted so desperately to break through. "You know, things were a lot simpler when you were an Abra, buddy."

"Zam," Alakazam agreed sadly.

He awoke from a nightmare he didn't remember, sitting up covered in sweat. To the left, pushed away from the bed, Logan lay snoring lightly. The room was completely dark aside from the blinking digital clock at the bedside. Ryan found the remote control and turned on the TV, putting the volume on mute.

Of course, he thought, as he beheld what was on. Rahul's battle against the girl named Lobelia was playing - a recording from earlier that day. The first match of the day, the boy reflected. Rahul was the first one into the top 8. The match had been quick, too. Ryan and the others hadn't been seated for more than five minutes before it was over. It's always his Charizard. He always tries to sweep with Charizard. This time it had been successful. In some of the previous matches… well, Rahul had been forced to bring out other members of his team, but he'd never been challenged very much. He never lost two Pokémon in one match, like I did against Ronny. Here too, in the first round of the finals, Rahul dealt with his foe harshly.

We're on separate sides of the board. I noticed that this morning. I won't face Rahul until the finals, if we both make it that far. Also on the right side of the tournament bracket, where Ryan was, was Ivy, the trainer who had beat Kelly. I'm facing her in the next round. I'll try my best to avenge Kelly. But he was too tired now to think about strategies to beat that girl.

Ryan was drained. From spending all night with the others, to having dinner with his parents, he just wanted some quality alone time. Dinner with mom and dad was so awkward. Dad's still mad at me, and he knows Abra evolved. What am I supposed to do, he wondered? Abra chose me. Getting out of bed, but taking his blankets and pillows with him, Ryan sat down in front of the TV and turned the volume on a little bit.

"And up next is the marquee matchup of the day! Julia versus Alabaster Jene! What can you tell me about these two trainers, Freddy Bob Jr.?"

Freddy Bob Jr., the intrepid reporter, held his microphone like an ice cream cone. "Well, and thanks Jimothy Jane, but I'll tell you guys, this is one crazy matchup! Julia looks like the strongest trainer in the competition - she didn't lose a single Pokémon in any of the four battles she won already, and…"

"What, no way!" Ryan breathed. She swept all four matches?!

"This is of course her fourth year in the tournament, and every year she's gotten further! As you well know, Jimothy, Julia was a quarterfinalist a year ago! And now she's hoping to at least match her deepest push into this tournament by beating Alabaster Jene!"

"Yeah, and I understand Alabaster is a skilled Pokémon trainer as well. Is that right, Freddy Bob Jr.?"

"That's right Jimothy." There was an awkward pause of dead air.

"Tell the viewers at home a little bit about him."

Freddy Bob Jr. pressed at something in his ear and laughed nervously. "Yeah, uh, well, Alabaster Jene is the runner up from last year. A fifth-year competitor in this league, he has only reached the finals once before, and he's looking to avenge his second place finish last year by taking it all this year!"

"Wow, saucy!" murmured Jimothy Jane.

"Haha, yeah, right back at you, Jimothy," Freddy Bob Jr. said in monotone, without a hint of warmth. "Here's a fun fact for you: Alabaster Jene is one of only two competitors in this tournament who owns a Dragonite. Can you name the other competitor?"

"Heh, okay, settle down Freddy Bob Jr.," Jimothy said darkly. "That's really not funny. No one has any idea what the answer to your obscure, ridiculous question is. Really, do I have to give you another lecture about professionalism again tonight?"

"N-no Jimothy Jane!"

Jimothy stared at the reporter with a fiery gaze. "You better not disappoint me again, Freddy Bob Jr."

At that moment, the camera panned onto the stage, where the two trainers were beginning to battle.

"It's me…" Ryan whispered as quietly as he could. I'm the only other person with a Dragonite.

He hadn't watched this match when it had happened - at noon or so that very day. I had been preparing for my own battle. But what he saw from Julia did not disappoint him. She was incredibly professional, ruthless as a Gyarados. She destroyed Alabaster Gene with her Jolteon, taking out his Seaking, Fearow, and Dragonite without needing to switch in a replacement. Another sweep. She's good. He yawned and rubbed his eyes, trying to remember what he had been dreaming about, but all he could remember was the headache he'd had.

She swept last year's runner up, the boy thought, walking over to the mini fridge to get a midnight snack. She's so good… she could beat Rahul, if they meet. But from what Ryan remembered of the bracket, that wouldn't happen until the semifinals, if it did at all. He had more important things to prepare for… like his upcoming match with Ivy. If I win that, I'll be in the top 4. It felt so weird to think about that. He was doing much better than he had ever expected. It's all Alex, though. I'm just doing what he told me to.

Sighing, the boy grabbed his food, climbed into bed, and returned to watching the rest of the day's matches on silent, as he did every night. He didn't watch many of them in person, so this was his best way to keep up on the various trainers, in case he got matched against some of them later on.

Currently, a pale boy named Awabi the Sundance Child was battling a girl named Roseberry Gran. Ryan held up his plate to the Alakazam snoozing next to him and asked, "Kasha?" He wasn't even holding a bowl of kasha, he had just always wanted to say that.

"Zam…" breathed the sleepy Pokémon, so Ryan turned away and ate all the food himself as he watched the battle unfold. A Vaporeon was destroying a Charizard on the screen, much to the awe of the crowd. The teal-haired boy didn't know which belonged to which trainer. And he didn't care, for in the next moment, he fell asleep, a bowl of ice cream in his hand that would surely melt all over the sheets and cause a right mess in the morning. But we don't have to worry about such things tonight, so sleep tight.