Trainers began to disperse from the rings throughout the city. Jason received many pats on the back from the effort he and Riolu put in. Even the burly trainer came up to him, practically whacking the back of his shoulder so hard he almost fell.
"That was a mighty fine show!" the trainer commended. "And you're just a kid too! The world will be yours someday!"
"Thanks," Jason lightly chuckled, somewhat uncomfortable. Thankfully, the trainer simply went on his way.
Jason began making his way back to the pokemon center. He realized a lot of participants were heading back to the suburbs, in the outskirts of Raley City. Good news for him; the pokemon center was going to be much less crowded than before.
He headed back to the pokemon center, figuring he'd be the first between him and Kristine to arrive. He received several more commendations from trainers hanging out in the lobby. His face appeared on the television screen from the local channel, congratulating him on his victory in the competition.
The amount of attention he was getting started to get overwhelming. He retreated to his and his sister's room on the third floor, embracing the peace and quiet.
"Man," Jason sighed. He then laughed. "That was crazy."
It wasn't too long before Kristine arrived. By then, Jason was already in his pajamas.
"Oh hey," Kristine seemed slightly surprised. "I thought you'd be downstairs."
"Got a little overwhelmed," Jason chuckled.
"Yeah? Probably a lot going on in the ring you were just in, huh?"
"Yeah. Riolu was amazing out there. We've taken our opponents left and right, and it was awesome!"
Kristine smiled. "Grats, bro."
Jason could sense some sort of sadness behind that smile. He knew his sister well, after all. "You were really close, by a matter of seconds."
"Yeah," Kristine sighed. "I don't want to take your victory from you, but Machop evolved while we were battling. He lasted until the horn blew, and we were the only ones standing in the ring. I've felt something that I don't think I've felt before. And, I don't know, I really don't want to get in your way."
"I understand," Jason smiled. "You did everything right. Just don't beat yourself up over it. You did your best and you know it."
"Thanks," Kristine seemed to perk up. "Just wish there was more of a reward system, you know?"
Jason remained silent. He believed Kristine knew of the harsh reality, that sometimes life just didn't work like that. Perhaps it was just frustration over her hard work going unnoticed.
"I guess l'll go change," Kristine proceeded to the restroom.
"Hey," Jason caught her attention before she closed the door.
"Yeah?" She faced him.
"It was your heart. What you felt was that thrill in the heat of the moment, just you and Machoke. No strategy, no plan, just your heart."
Kristine gave a nod at him with a smile, and closed the door.
"She'll understand," Jason stretched his arms. He began to mentally prepare himself for the morning. He figured he would bring his three strongest, most battle-ready pokemon. He knew little about Scarlet, but she looked like one tough opponent to beat.
The next morning, Jason shot right out of bed, and changed out of Kristine's line of sight even while she was sound asleep. Putting on his gear, he began to buckle his pokeball belt just as Kristine woke up.
"Ready so soon?" she rubbed her eyes, looking at the digital clock next to her. "You battle in four hours."
"Doing some last second checkups," Jason held Riolu's pokeball before reattaching it to his belt. "And getting an early breakfast. You want anything?"
"Muffins would be good," Kristine leaned upwards.
"Gotcha," Jason headed out the door.
He proceeded downstairs to the first floor, walking up to Nurse Joy's desk.
"I'd like to check up on Riolu," Jason handed her Riolu's pokeball. "I just want to make sure he's battle ready for today's gym battle."
"Certainly," Nurse Joy nodded. "Should take a few minutes."
"Hey Jason!" Jason heard Amanda right behind him.
"Hey Amanda!" Jason turned around. "Did you compete last night?"
"Eh, kind of?" Amanda lightly laughed.
"Amanda, I checked Tyrogue not too long ago," Nurse Joy informed her. "He will be fully ready to go in no time!"
"Thank you so much, Nurse Joy!" Amanda grinned.
"Tyrogue, huh?" Jason seemed intrigued.
"There was this stray tyrogue at one of the rings in the Shopping District," Amanda explained. "I was the first one there, and the girl who showed up like a second later thought Tyrogue was mine. More trainers came in thinking he was mine, and I didn't like how they ganged up on him. So we worked together and beat them!"
"I see," Jason laughed.
"Yep! Then they all got confused when I wasn't racking up points. Afterwards, Tyrogue wanted to join forces with my team. Crazy how things work out, huh?"
"That's for sure, congrats!" Jason commended, but then he became curious. "Just how long have you held down the ring?"
"The whole time!" Amanda boasted.
It occurred to Jason that Amanda could have won the competition, or come really close to winning, if she had Tyrogue officially registered with her team.
Nurse Joy, running Riolu's pokeball through a scanning machine, handed it back to Jason a moment later. "Here you go! Riolu is in perfect fighting condition, good for today's match against Scarlet."
"Thanks!" Jason took the pokeball back.
"Good luck against Scarlet!" Amanda smiled.
"Thanks," Jason gave a nod.
Jason walked over to the confidential breakfast table to grab a giant plate full of bagels, toast, muffins, waffles, and fruit. He headed back upstairs to find his sister already in her full gear.
"Hey," she acknowledged. Then she noticed the plate. "All I asked for were muffins."
"Yeah but everything looked so good!" Jason playfully defended.
"You're not gonna try to eat all of that, are you?"
"Maybe."
"What are you gonna do, burn the calories in today's battle?"
"Well, if I'm allowed to run around too, that would be a possibility. Besides, not all of it is for me. Figured we'd split it, if anything."
"Thank you for bringing it," Kristine at least wanted to show her gratitude for Jason's effort, even if it was excessive. "Just keep in mind, anything we don't eat just goes to waste."
"You won't need to worry about that!" Jason assured her of his confidence in his appetite.
And sure enough, the plate was cleaned off a short while later. Jason had most of the food though. Kristine, who only had two muffins, half a waffle, and some fruit. while commendable in its own merit, was mesmerized by Jason's bottomless pit for a stomach.
"Mom warned me you'd eat more," She mentioned. "But to see it with my own eyes. I guess a growing boy's gotta eat."
"I'm hungry," Jason replied.
"You can't possibly be hungry."
"But I am."
Kristine noticed he was being serious. She didn't know how to respond to that. "And you're gonna be going through this for the next few years? We're not even teens yet."
"Don't we turn 13 in like a couple months?"
Kristine used her head to do the math. "Six weeks!"
"There you go. Six weeks until we're teens."
Kristine sighed. "Gotta love growing up."
Jason and Kristine headed out of the pokemon center a while later, en route to the Team Valor Gym. They entered the Valor District with the dome structure in sight. Passing by the plaza where Jason and Riolu's triumphant stand took place, they ventured deeper into the district, passing by novelty and clothing stores. There were digital displays of Team Valor on the side of almost every building, from the sigil of a moltres to Scarlet herself. Some were still images, while others were vibrant, sometimes rotating images.
"Here we go," Jason said, gazing at an image of Scarlet. He was convinced she was staring right back at him, even as he moved by the image.
"She's one of the tougher gym leaders of Inventum," Kristine mentioned.
"Sure looks like it," Jason had a confident look. "She may be tough, but if we're to win, we need to be tougher."
The twins approached the Valor City Gym. The dome structure was much like the ones in Fort Lexing and Richland Port, only this one was painted white with a red dome. They entered through the sliding glass doors and into the atrium. A bronze statue of a moltres in ascending flight stood before them. It had to be at least ten feet tall with a wingspan more than twice that length.
Jason and Kristine admired the beauty of the statue, walking past it toward the double door to the battle field itself. One man, a Team Valor representative with a black shirt with the Valor enigma and same colored cargo pants, stood guard at the doors.
"Jason Kyar?" He faced Jason.
"That's me," Jason nodded.
The man opened Jason's left side of the double door before turning his head towards Kristine. "Scarlet only wants Jason. But feel free to browse the rest of the gym."
"Splitting us up, huh?" Kristine muttered. She looked at her brother, patting him on the shoulder. "You got this."
"Thanks," Jason smiled with a confident look on his face. "See you in a bit."
Jason proceeded through the open door into the field. The field itself was covered in red dirt, and Jason could look up to see the massive sigil of a moltres embedded across the ceiling. Across from him was a scoreboard, already displaying his face and Scarlet's on opposing sides. And standing at the center of the field was no one other than the Gym Leader herself.
As Jason gazed around, he noticed enough stands to seat at least several hundred people. There were a handful of Team Valor representatives that came to spectate the battle, but he knew Scarlet wanted to keep this one mostly private, having kept Kristine away from cheering her brother on.
Scarlet stood there, sporting an open white jacket with a black t-shirt displaying Valor's sigil, her hands in the pockets of her black slim fit pants.
"Jason Kyar, you're five minutes early," She addressed. "Come here for a sec."
Jason approached the center of the field, the soles of his shoes contracting the red dirt. He stood before Scarlet, who was only a few inches taller than him.
"I've heard about you and your sister well before the playful jab your friend put out there," she snickered, twirling the tip of the red streak in her hair with one finger. "It's kind of humorous how we've covered it. Two kids coming from the middle of nowhere and running rampant down the coast. No one appears from thin air. Everyone has a story, and yours is admirable."
"Thank you, Scarlet," Jason gave a slight nod.
"However, I must apologize," Scarlet continued.
"I think Kristine will understand," Jason assumed that was what the apology was for.
Scarlet scoffed lightly. "No. I apologize that my colleagues and counterparts did not challenge you enough, if at all."
"What do you mean?" Jason seemed confused.
"Your Jolteon underwent his evolution from Eevee before fighting Aria, right?" Scarlet explained. The whole 'bring out the mystic potential in your pokemon' thing has nothing to do with the art of a pokemon battle. Justin challenged you and your sister to a double battle knowing his wonderful wife wasn't much of a battler herself. And Meeks, bless that man, but what on earth was he thinking?"
"How did you know?" Jason was confused as to how Scarlet knew about Meeks giving him and Kristine the Power Badge following their victory in the Power Duo.
"It's easy to figure out," Scarlet tapped the side of her head. "You won the thing and the Power Badge gets registered to your profile the next morning."
"Each badge was a challenge of its own," Jason defended.
Scarlet smirked. "Then as your fourth Gym Leader, it is my duty to be the most challenging yet. You ready?"
"Always ready," Jason had that determined look on his face.
A referee stepped to Jason's left, standing on a platform that rose to an elevation of about ten feet, giving him a clear view of the field. Jason wondered why the referee needed an elevated view.
"I think you'll like this field," Scarlet maintained her smirk as she walked to her side of the field. "Just remember to stay within the white lines."
Jason wondered what Scarlet meant by that. Approaching his side of the field, he saw why, and it was a simple explanation. The trainer's box wasn't just an ordinary box, but a backwards L-shaped boundary that branched off from the trainer's right hand side of the field and extended roughly halfway down. This allowed for more movement and interaction on the trainer's part.
"Today's battle consists of the winner of last night's Rings of Valor, Jason Kyar, and Team Valor Inventum Branch Lead and Raley City Gym Leader, Scarlet!"
A light round of cheers and applause ensued.
"This is a standard three versus three," the referee continued. "First team to knock out all three of the opponent's team wins. Standard rules apply. The Gym Leader makes the first call, the trainer makes the first move. Ready?"
"Ready!" Jason and Scarlet shouted at the same time.
"Then let the battle begin!"
"Oh I was looking forward to this!" Scarlet primed her first pokeball. "I want to see Jason Kyar in action! Fight with valor, Swellow!"
"Swellow!" Scarlet's pokemon greeted, using its wings to hover off the ground.
This instantly reminded Jason of his companion. He began to miss his swellow once more, knowing how much help she could be in this match. But regardless, he needed to move on. He had to see this as a form of test, assuming that Scarlet knew everything about him.
"Swellow are energetic, loyal, fearless," Jason began to prime his first pokeball. "Even with my first pick, I don't expect a pushover. Let's go, Jolteon!"
"Jolt!" Jolteon barked, facing Swellow.
"Bring it!" Scarlet mentally braced for the initial assault.
"Use Agility!" Jason commanded.
"Jolteon!" Jolteon ran around the field, making one full lap has he increased his speed over time. He began to make a second lap as Scarlet made her move.
"Swellow, you too!" she called.
"Swellow!" Swellow flew around the field in the opposite direction as Jolteon.
"Thunder Shock!" Jason followed up.
"Jolt!" Jolteon fired a quick bolt across the field. Swellow narrowly dodged it, the shock going right over him.
"Double Team!" Scarlet responded.
Swellow projected more than a dozen copies of himself, all flying in formation.
"Quick!" Jason ran up the extension of his boundary, pointing at the mirage formation. "Pin Missile all of them!"
"Jolteon!" Jolteon fired off a large volley of pins, striking through the projections left and right.
"Quick Attack!" Scarlet quickly issued.
Out of the mirage formation came the real opponent, soaring right to Jolteon. Swellow's Quick Attack came without warning, nor did Jason have enough time to issue a response. Swellow struck Jolteon head on, sliding him back several feet. Swellow returned to flight.
"You all right, buddy?" Jason asked, his companion merely several feet from him.
"Jolt!" Jolteon assured him he was ready to continue.
"Keep the attack going! Pin Missile!"
Jolteon fired off another barrage of pins at Swellow.
"Double Team again, and follow up with Agility!" Scarlet responded.
Swellow projected more copies of himself, this time appearing all around Jolteon due to the impressive speed coming from two uses of Agility.
Scarlet will use Swellow's speed as an advantage, Jason thought. If I can somehow bottleneck him in, oh yeah, Kristine would love this.
"Pin Missile the entire field except in front of you!" Jason commanded.
"Jolteon!" Jolteon continued his barrage, firing pins off virtually everywhere.
Scarlet ran into her extension of the field, observing the pins as they took out projection after projection. She found an opening that Jolteon left alone. "Get in here and use Quick Attack!"
"Wild Charge! Now!" Jason yelled.
"Jolteon!" Jolteon harnessed electric energy, charging at the open gap just as Swellow swooped down to attack.
"Swellow! Break away!" Scarlet yelled, surprised to be lured into such a trap.
But it was too late for Swellow. Jolteon lunged at him, striking him with devastating force. The electric attack rendered it super effective against Swellow, throwing him back. He was unable to recover, tumbling until he was within just a few feet shy of Scarlet.
A round of applause ensued, showing admiration for Jason's unexpectedly witty move.
"Swellow is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "Jolteon wins!"
"Yeah!" Jason jumped once in the air. "Good going, Jolteon!"
"Return, Swellow. Nice effort," Scarlet recalled her pokemon. "Very impressive to say the least, Jason."
"I took a page from my sister's playbook," Jason replied.
"You know why I separated you two?" Scarlet primed her second pokeball.
"Something about individual strength?"
"There will come a time where you will be fully independent from one another. Strength comes from the individual and the individual alone. Your bond is admirable, even cute. To be the best, you must draw your potential from within. I see you fight with heart and with wits. I don't want you to let that go for a second!"
Scarlet threw her second pokeball. "Hitmonlee, your turn!"
"Hit!" Hitmonlee took a fighting stance, conducting warm-up kicks before Jolteon.
Jason knew he had to play it safe and smart. Jolteon took a powerful Quick Attack as well as recoil damage from Wild Charge. Jolteon was an all out speedy attacker, not a beefy endurance pokemon, after all. He decided to make the executive decision and recall Jolteon.
"Return, Jolteon!" Jason beamed him into the pokeball. "Recoup and standby."
He ran back to his far side of the field, pulling out his second pokeball. "Kirlia! Let's go!"
"Kirlia!" Kirlia greeted gracefully.
"Playing to type advantage, huh?" Scarlet smirked. "Let's see how all that works out for you."
The referee signaled for Hitmonlee to make the first move.
"Focus energy!" Scarlet called. "If we're gonna hit, we're gonna hit hard. Her being psychic and fairy is gonna be like kicking the side of the building!"
"Hitmonlee!" Hitmonlee pumped himself up.
"Future Sight!" Jason responded.
"Kirlia!" Kirlia's eyes glowed white.
Jason began to hear the roaring cheers of thousands of people following Kirlia's Future Sight.
"Rolling Kick! Now!" Scarlet called.
"Hit!" Hitmonlee charged at Kirlia.
Confusion! Jason communicated telepathically to Kirlia.
I'll try! Kirlia responded, reaching out with her hands to get a hold of Hitmonlee through psychic energy.
Hitmonlee, having experience in dealing with psychic moves, closed his eyes before conducting a 360 degree spin followed by a swift kick to Kirlia's side.
Kirlia whimpered, stepping back a few paces.
Protect! Jason issued.
Kirlia formed a protective shield in front of herself.
"Brick Break!" Scarlet countered.
"Hitmon!" Hitmonlee hammered down with his fist, shattering Protect and dealing Kirlia another blow. This one knocked her to the ground.
You got this! Jason encouraged.
He's too aggressive! Kirlia got up, but appeared to be dismayed by Hitmonlee's prowess.
"Rolling Kick one more time!" Scarlet followed up.
"Hit!" Hitmonlee began to spin around, ready to conduct another kick.
That's it! Kirlia had an idea.
Just as Hitmonlee spun around, Kirlia did the same in the opposite direction. As Hitmonlee was using instinct over sight to land his kicks, he was surprised when he extended his leg into thin air. It almost caught him off balance.
Confusion! Now! Jason commanded.
Kirlia manifested psychic energy. Hitmonlee's eyes became purple as he was thrown into the air.
Here comes Future Sight! Kirlia advised.
Throw everything at him! Jason wanted Kirlia to go completely on the offensive.
As powerful energy began to manifest high above, Kirlia used telekinetic energy to slam Hitmonlee to the ground directly underneath it. Then came the energy as it shot down on Hitmonlee, causing an explosion. As the smoke cleared, it became apparent that Hitmonlee was unable to withstand both a super effective attack as well as a powerful one.
"Hitmonlee is unable to battle!" the referee called. "Kirlia wins!"
"Backed against the wall, eh?" Scarlet recalled Hitmonlee. "You did well, Hitmonlee."
She took off her jacket and pulled out her final pokeball. "You better not show mercy, Jason! Go, Flareon!"
"Flareon!" The fire evolution of eevee howled.
"Return, Kirlia!" Jason fully came back into reality, his connection with Kirlia severed for the moment and the sound of thousands of fans reduced to just a handful of spectators. "You did great. Standby."
Jason readied his third pokeball. "Let's go, Riolu!"
"Rio!" Riolu beamed out, preparing himself against Flareon.
"Ah, the winner of the competition himself," Scarlet observed Riolu. "Okay, Flareon, get ready! Fire Spin!"
"Flar!" Flareon fired a stream of flames that encircled Riolu like a tornado.
Jason could feel the heat from the flames. "Hang in there, Riolu!"
"Rio!" Riolu tried to maintain his focus on Flareon.
"Run in there and use Fire Fang!" Scarlet followed up.
Flareon charged at Riolu.
"Focus and swipe Flareon with Ghost Claw!" Jason issued.
"Riolu!" Riolu projected a spectral claw, keeping a keen eye on Flareon through the flames, striking knocking him to the ground.
As a Flareon got up, the flames soon began to burden Riolu.
"Roll out of the flames!" Jason commanded.
Riolu did just that, conducting a duck-and-roll in an attempt to escape Fire Spin.
"Take Down! Now!" Scarlet responded.
Flareon charged at Riolu once more.
"Use Brick Break!" Jason called.
"Rio!" Riolu prepared to strike Flareon head on.
Flareon pounced on Riolu with such force, striking him before he could counter attack. Riolu tumbled across the arena, slow to get up.
"Riolu!" Jason ran down the extension of his box once more.
"Rio…" Riolu shook off the impact.
"Fire Spin again!" Scarlet continued her attack.
"Flareon!" Flareon engulfed Riolu in a fiery tornado once more.
"Run in and use Fire Fang one more time!" Scarlet ordered.
Flareon charged at Riolu once again.
"Get ready and use Reversal once he closes in!" Jason yelled.
"Rio!" Riolu braced himself.
Flareon pounced through the flames, ready to chomp down on Riolu.
"Now!" Jason initiated a potentially devastating blow.
"Protect!" Scarlet abruptly called.
"Rio!" Riolu landed his palm strike at the center of Flareon's chest, only to be blocked completely by Protect.
"Brick Break!" Jason quickly issued.
"Dodge it!" Scarlet responded.
Flareon jumped to the side following Riolu's Brick Break.
Knowing Riolu was taking more damage from Fire Spin, Scarlet wanted to go in for the knockout. "Fire Fang!"
"Flar!" Flareon lunged at Riolu.
"Riolu! Endure!" Jason yelled.
Riolu shielded himself, surviving the impact of Fire Fang. Jason knew he only had seconds left in the fight. With Fire Spin engulfing Riolu, he wouldn't have much time left until he was knocked out of the battle.
"Reversal! Now!" he desperately shouted.
"Rio!" Riolu stepped forward. But the flames became too much for him. He tumbled and fell to the ground, unable to continue.
"Riolu is unable to battle!" the referee declared.
Jason recalled Riolu. "You did good. We'll take this from here."
He began to prime Jolteon's pokeball.
"You of all trainers should know what to expect when you pin your opponent against the wall," Scarlet crossed her arms.
"I never thought this was gonna be easy!" Jason maintained his determined look. He returned to his far side of the field. Jolteon and Kirlia had each taken hits. He knew if he let his guard down, Scarlet will make him pay dearly for it.
"You got this, Jolteon, Jason threw his pokeball.
"Jolt!" Jolteon barked.
Flareon and Jolteon looked towards each other.
"Flareon was an eevee for years before I gave him a fire stone," Scarlet mentioned. "All that time training as the so-called underdog prepared him for the valiant attacker he is today."
"That's a good way to challenge your pokemon," Jason responded. "But I should tell you Jolteon's evolution was his choice and no one else's. We've gone through our own challenges and none of them have been easy. You're definitely not easy, and we're definitely not going to sleep right now."
"Jolt!" Jolteon barked in agreement.
"Make your move, Jason," Scarlet gave a nod. "Get ready, Flareon!"
"Flareon!" Flareon complied.
"Jolteon, use Thunder Shock on Flareon!" Jason ordered.
"Jolteon!" Jolteon fired off a bolt of lightning at Flareon.
"Use Protect, and follow up with Fire Fang!" Scarlet responded.
Flareon jumped forward, forming a barrier that would absorb the impact from Thunder Shock. He then continued racing towards Jolteon, preparing to strike.
"Use Agility to get away from Flareon!" Jason yelled.
"Jolteon!" Jolteon dashed from Flareon's attack.
"Trap him with Fire Spin!" Scarlet called.
Jason ran down the box's extension, parallel to Jolteon. "Sling back with Wild Charge and hit him with everything you have!"
Flareon began to spit out a stream of flames in an attempt to trap Jolteon. Jolteon, however, used electric energy to lunge himself with incredible speed at Flareon.
"Change of plans! Protect!" Scarlet abruptly responded.
Flareon stepped forward, managing to form a protective barrier just as Jolteon delivered his full might. His body crashed against the barrier, electric currents rippling around it.
"Fire Fang!" Scarlet pointed at Jolteon.
Flareon lunged in and manage to clamp down on Jolteon's chest with flames, before pushing him back with his front paws. Jolteon tumbled but managed to get back up.
"Hang in there, Jolteon!" Jason yelled.
"Encircle Jolteon with Fire Spin!" Scarlet commanded.
Flareon began another attempt to stream a flaming tornado around Jolteon.
"Thunder Shock! Quickly!" Jason knew he couldn't afford having Jolteon trapped in Fire Spin. He wasn't going to let himself be the recipient of an opponent's epic comeback.
"Jolteon!" Jolteon zapped Flareon with such a quick bolt that it caught Flareon off guard.
"Harass him with Pin Missile!" Jason followed up.
"Run through and use Take Down!" Scarlet reacted.
Flareon sprinted forward as the pins flew over him. He then lunged from a great distance straight at Jolteon.
"Dodge it!" Jason yelled.
Jolteon ducked and dashed to his right with Flareon jumping right over him.
"Thunder Shock!" Jason issued.
"Jolteon!" Jolteon unleashed a bolt that struck Flareon once more.
"Flar!" Flareon yelped.
Both Pokémon had taken multiple hits at this point. Although Jolteon had a few moments of rest between his fights against Swellow and Flareon, he was feeling fatigued. One more big hit delivered to him, and Jason would be seeing himself using Kirlia to save the day. He believed Kirlia would be up to the task, but at the same time, he had no interest in letting the battle get to that point.
"Short distance Pin Missile! Keep him occupied!" Jason ordered.
"Jolteon!" Jolteon fired pins directly at Flareon.
"Use Protect!" Scarlet responded. She knew Flareon could withstand the not-so-effective attack, but she thought she could be playing into Jason's cards if she had not.
As it turned out, she was anyways.
"Run back and sling forward with Wild Charge!" Jason called out. "Let's end this!"
Flareon used his barrier to deflect pins. By then, Jolteon was already preparing to lung at him with electrical force. Scarlet knew Flareon couldn't project another barrier so soon. No, the only way to stay in it was to fight Wild Charge head on.
"Take Down! Let's do it!" Scarlet tightened her fists.
"Flareon!" Flareon lunged at Jolteon's electrical charge.
"Right here, right now, Jolteon!" Jason yelled in the heat of the moment.
"Use everything you got!" Scarlet yelled, clearly living for this moment.
The two collided, resulting in a massive explosion. Jason had Kirlia as insurance, but Scarlet put all of her cards on the table. The smoke cleared, with both Jason and Scarlet on edge.
Jolteon and Flareon were both out cold, neither of them making an effort to get back up.
"Jolteon and Flareon are unable to battle!" the referee announced. "With Jason having Kirlia in reserve and Scarlet with no more pokemon, Jason is the winner!"
"Yeah!" Jason threw both his fists in the air in celebration. He then recalled Jolteon. "Good work out there. You deserve the rest."
"You too, Flareon," Scarlet recalled her companion. She then faced Jason. "Well done. You fight with nobility!"
"It wasn't easy," Jason caught his breath, feeling fatigued from the intense stand that Scarlet pulled.
Scarlet grabbed her jacket and approached Jason. "You didn't pass with flying colors, but a win is a win, and you dug a hole too deep for me to climb out of."
"You had me worried there for a minute!" Jason laughed.
"Remember," Scarlet walked up to Jason, putting her hand over his shoulder. "Never let your guard down for a second. If you are good at catching opponents off guard, then it can happen to you too. There are many cocky and timid trainers out there. Don't end up becoming one of them."
"I won't," Jason assured her.
Scarlet smirked. "Good. One more thing. Always pay attention to each member of your team. No one pokemon can carry the day all the time. It's everyone's unique individual strength that solidifies the core of your team. If Jolteon can't step up one day, who will? Something to think about going forward."
She pulled out a small box from her pocket. In it contained two items. "First, I have the Ring of Valor for winning the competition last night."
Scarlet handed him a tungsten ring with the Valor sigil engraved into it.
"Thanks," Jason happily accepted it, though he wasn't sure which finger to put it on.
"Use the pinky!" a spectator shouted.
Several laughs ensued. Jason slid the ring neatly onto his right pinky finger.
"And here is the Valor Badge," Scarlet presented.
Jason held the shining red badge, which was shaped like a moltres.
"Your next challenge will be the Gale Badge," Scarlet continued. "John is the Gym Leader there. He is an expert on flying pokemon, but more importantly, he is an expert on controlling the battle through team support. Expect him to switch around a lot."
Scarlet gazed around the handful of spectators. "How about a round of applause for Jason here?"
The Team Valor representatives all got up to cheer for Jason.
"Back to work for me," Scarlet began to depart.
"Thanks for the battle, Scarlet!" Jason expressed his appreciation, heading towards the exit of the field.
"You've earned it," Scarlet said before turning around to face Jason. "One more thing."
"Yeah?" Jason turned around.
"Tell Kristine to be here tomorrow morning at eleven sharp. Tell her to bring her A-game."
"Will do."
Jason walked through the doors back out to the atrium with his head held high. Kristine walked right up to him.
"Did you win?" She asked.
Jason grinned, showing her the Valor Badge.
"Grats!" Kristine cheered.
"Guess what?" Jason mentioned.
Kristine tilted her head. "What?"
"Scarlet wants to challenge you tomorrow. Same time."
"Guess I gotta go prepare, huh?"
"Yeah."
The two headed out of the arena. With Kristine being able to challenge Scarlet tomorrow, she wondered what the Gym Leader would have in store for her. Would Scarlet use a similar team against her as she did against Jason, or would she use a completely different trio? These uncertainties made Kristine nervous, but Jason knew one thing for sure: Kristine needed to rely on her heart, not her head, if she were to defeat Scarlet.
