The crowd's noises and boos rang in his head.

Red's feet shuffled onto the clay field.

He shifted his trusty hat. His pokeball belt jingled with every step, his belt buckle loose since the time a gang stole it.

The first time he had stepped into an arena was when Delia had beaten him with brains over brawn. Now he had the chance to win with pokemon that had both.

He saw the old woman striding into place with purple-decked swagger. All the lights were on them.

Their eyes, determined and rugged, stared through each other, searching for a break in their morale. She saw him as a nuisance. He saw her as another obstacle.

They each had worked too long to get here; they weren't going to lose then.

The screams got louder. "Cheater! Cheater!"

Red didn't hear Ray and Delia cheer him on from the trainers' box.

The signal from the referee was given; they must choose their first champions to battle. Then the rest of the order was chosen, each one methodically after the other. The referee raised the next signal. His voice was amplified by a microphone on his shirt.

"Trainers! Are you ready!"

Both trainers nod. The world had a deafening silence, each side's fans hushed, waiting for the next move.

The first trainer's tall, gaunt build is tense with excitement. He takes his first pokeball, tips his hat back, and launches it to the middle of the field. It bursts open, spewing out a stream of white energy. A horn and two huge ears appeared as its big pink body started to materialize. The stadium erupted into jeers the moment it roared. He had chosen-

"It's a Nidorino!" The announcer exclaimed on the intercom speaker.

He continues "This is a very popular pick for most of Red's matches. Its powerful body, surprisingly quick speed, and deadly poison-tipped horn make it a fierce competitor for any trainer!"

Red smiled as his pokemon continued to roar. The audience interrupted his pride.

"Cheater's gonna lose! Cheater's gonna lose!"

The other trainer took out her first pokemon and tossed it into the air. It hung for a second, then burst open, as a huge amount of white energy splashed onto the stage. It morphed and folded in on itself numerous times before forming a purple pokemon with an enormous smile and two floating hands-

"She sent out a HAUNTER!" The audience erupted in cheers.

Nidorino dug at the ground, ready to charge. Haunter gave mean looks. The two trainers reviewed their strategies. The crowd was tense, waiting for the battle to begin.

"Nidorino!"

The pink pokemon looked back.

"We fight to the end!"

The referee gave the signal.

"Let the battle begin!"

"Charge in with Leer, then find the right moment to attack!"

The quadruped raced forward, its eyes sent a light towards Haunter, and lowered its defense.

Haunter moved in with swipes to send Nidorino off balance. None tripped it up; Nidorino kept jumping away.

Then Nidorino leaped, as the whole world fell silent.

It's poison-filled horn buried itself into the side of the phantom pokemon before landing on all fours.

Haunter stood up and sent a hypnosis attack straight towards Nidorino.

It always had trouble with hypnosis. Every part of its brain telling it to sleep.

No.

Fight.

To the end.

Move!

The pink pokemon raced away from the blasts, to the surprise of the audience. Nidorino charged Haunter again, only to hit nothing but air. Haunter was too fast, and the poison sting didn't seem to work.

Out of its palms, Haunter produced a devastating Night Shade, a blast of energy that struck true to Nidorino's side. The horn pokemon finally was knocked off of its feet. The crowd cheered something...

"Stop the Cheater! (Clap clap clap clap clap)"

At that moment, Haunter came in with a final Hypnosis, which sent the horned pokemon into a deep slumber. After that, Haunter ate its dreams and the fight was won.

Red turned his hat forward as he collected his hard-fought champion.

Agatha looked at her opponent. She expected him to sweat, shuffle his cap, or shake from his sneaker.

He looked up at her and didn't say or do anything. He just tilted his hat back and unleashed his next pokemon.

The lights dimmed as an electrical dog entered the arena, with spikes of pure energy surging with power.

"Jolteon vs. Haunter. Let round two begin!"

It only needed one more look back to get the plan.

"Stay out of the shadows, Jolteon."

Then two winks and a nod. Surround and attack.

It dug at the ground as sparks of electricity coursed through its body.

Haunter's grin grew across its face.

Jolteon charged ahead as bolts of lightning shot from its mane.

Haunter glided on the arena floor, meeting Jolteon at the center.

Ray and Delia watched from the sideline as Jolteon leaped forward ten feet to send Haunter flying backward. Jolteon had dealt the first blow- a tackle.

Haunter retaliated with a shade that generated out of its hands. Staying in the light, Jolteon evaded the attack.

"Sand attack!"

Sand shot into Haunter's face, lowering its accuracy. Jolteon didn't stay in place to boast.

"Hypnosis!"

"Quick Attack to Dodge!"

Jolteon ran even faster as the wave had no chance of hitting it.

"Thundershock!"

Red barely finished the command. Jolteon could only hold in that much electricity for long. A long bolt of lightning zapped Haunter, sending it flying across the arena.

Ray and Delia cheered from the sidelines, unbeknownst to Red and the thousands of people cheering for Agatha.

"Get up, Haunter, and send this boy PACKING!"

The ghost pokemon rose and intercepted Jolteon, it's hands ready to beam hypnosis.

"Sand attack!"

Another blast of sand smacked Haunter in the face, distracting it long enough for Jolteon to outrun its grasp.

Jolteon retaliated in the most powerful way it could.

It turned around on a dime and shot a thundershock from between its ears.

Haunter flew back again, this time taking longer to get up. The audience held its breath. Even though Red knew it, he still wondered if it would get up.

Haunter picked itself off of the ground, got its feet underneath it, and faced Jolteon with a mighty grin on its face.

But it couldn't stay up long. After a few seconds, it fell back and lay still.

"Haunter is unable to battle. Jolteon wins!"

The audiences' boos couldn't overtake Jolteon's cheerful chirps as it ran circles around Red's feet. He hugged the yellow pokemon as it licked his ear.

"Thank you, Jolteon."

Ray and Delia watched from the stands, drowned out by the boos, as Red stood back up again to face Agatha's newest challenger.

It's wingspan reached farther than its height, a wide, fanged mouth dripping with venom, and two beady eyes. Its body could barely hold itself above ground, but it still looked like death. Agatha's Golbat landed with a soft thud, its wings outstretched in a fury of venom.

"Golbat vs Jolteon, begin!"

The enormous bat lunged forward to meet Jolteon's charge.

"Thundershock!"

The lightning bolt sent it out of the sky, tumbling down before it could send out a supersonic. It got up, but it barely made it to its feet.

"Again!"

Jolteon didn't even need to move closer, as a final Thundershock sent Golbat collapsing to the floor, fidgeting in the electricity.

Agatha returned the pokemon to her collection as he hugged Jolteon again.

This time, what greeted the two of them was a monster that only a woman like Agatha could love. Two hands hovered in the air as a massive, jagged cloud of shadow and smoke grew red eyes and a toothless smile. Haunter roared as the audiences' boos subsided again. Red could feel Ray and Delia watching with bated breath.

"Round three is Jolteon vs. Haunter! Begin!"