Jason and Kristine barged into their first-floor room back at Canon Carmesi. The rain was unrelenting, even nearly two hours after the twins battled each other. Nurse Joy cleared all pokemon who fought, giving Kristine the capability to choose from her entire team against Liz. The twins ran from the pokemon center back to Canon Carmesi's lobby before making one last sprint to get to their room.
"The rain is insane!" Jason tried to catch his breath, water dripping from his shorts onto the wooden flooring.
"Yeah," Kristine had her hands on her knees. "Go get dry. Maybe this weather will die down eventually."
"Didn't you say that at the pokemon center?" Jason began walking past the living area towards the hallway, trailing water on the way.
"It seemed feasible at the time!" Kristine yelled within Jason's earshot right before he shut the door to his room.
She wondered how Jason would handle his defeat and her victory. He seemed graceful and supportive of her, but Kristine was thinking of the journey after the Junior Circuit. She worried Jason and his team might be more reserved towards her and her pokemon. She knew that her brother had an immense competitive spirit, and she hoped she didn't compromise that.
Jason's outright admission that Kristine was the better trainer tipped her off on his mindset. Even if that were true, she thought, it wasn't like Jason for him to concede. It could have been frustration on his end, as it came down to who made the least amount of mistakes. Kristine would admit that the battle could have gone in Jason's favor, but from her point of view, Raichu, Dratini, and Espeon all performed exceptionally to seal the victory. She walked over to her room, her clothes drenched and her hair soaked and messy. She closed the door, changing into dry clothes.
Meanwhile, Jason did the same, putting on a new pair of black shorts and a white t-shirt. He glanced over at his pokeball belt that he gently placed over his bed. He felt his team had a lot more untapped potential and that it would be up to him to unleash that. More concerning to him, he thought he let his team down. Jason wondered if he let the sense of surviving against all odds get to him; he put Lucario in an unfavorable position against Espeon, leaving her to use Calm Mind at will. And in turn, Jolteon came into the fight at a disadvantage.
The "what ifs" flooded Jason's mind. If he had recalled Lucario and sent out Jolteon to fight Espeon right off the bad, he figured he could have had better odds at defeating Kristine. But the battle was in the past. He had to move on for himself and his team. He silently swore to himself to work on making more strategic decisions on the fly, something Kristine was a natural at. Jason also realized that Lucario would need to understand that he would need to do his part as a team member rather than take on entire teams for individual glory. It may be a one-on-one battle for the pokemon, but Jason started to realize it would be more efficient if his team set each other up for success.
He took a deep breath and held his head high as he walked out of his room. Kristine was an exceptional trainer, and he knew it. There was still a lot of work for both of them to do together; the time to settle the score wouldn't come for the time being. In the meantime, however, Jason wanted to keep improving and come back harder in the next competition.
Jason walked out to the living room. He contemplated whether or not he should turn on the TV but decided to do so a moment later out of sheer curiosity. He dreaded being featured on IPSN with experts highlighting his errors if they talked about his and Kristine's match.
"Take a look at this," a man in professional attire stood beside a giant screen displaying Jason and Kristine's battle.
"Oh great," Jason sighed.
The man showed a sequence in the battle where Lucario fired off the second Aura Sphere against Dratini. "See this attack? Purposely planned. Jason noticed the kinetic impact from the first Aura Sphere that propelled Dratini forward. He does this to force a close encounter. Kristine and Dratini were quick to react and got out Flamethrower. Still, great thinking on Jason's part."
Kristine walked out of her room, wearing a black shirt and green pajama bottoms. Her hair was still loose and wavy, indicating she had no plans to go outside for the rest of the day. She approached Jason. "I heard our names."
"Yeah," Jason kept his eyes on the TV. "IPSN is breaking us down."
"Oh?" Kristine turned her head to the TV.
"Now, here is where Jason made an error in judgment," the expert continued. "After Lucario knocks out Dratini, Jason checks to see if Lucario is ready to continue. They both exchange a thumbs up. Why is this an error? Because Kristine used Espeon and got three Calm Minds off. Great job on Kristine's end to notice Lucario couldn't close the distance due to paralysis and took advantage of it. Lucario goes down. Yes, he goes down in style, but KOs are all the same. Jolteon comes in already in a hole. This is why you think strategically in pokemon battles. Sister wins; brother loses. Great effort from both trainers overall, however."
"Don't listen to them," Kristine quickly spoke up.
"They're right," Jason replied. "I can't keep fighting with my back against the wall. It's a habit at this point."
"Keep in mind this is the Junior Circuit and not the Inventum Cup," the expert continued. "These are all young trainers with five or six badges. They have a ton of potential ahead of them, and they'll need to develop into that potential. The same goes for their pokemon. And remember, we're not done yet. The semifinals begin tomorrow, featuring four trainers, all from the mountain subregion. First, we have Brandal Riken against Julian Varrek. After that, Kristine Kyar against Elizabeth Rose. All four are incredibly talented, and if you ask me, they're all way ahead of their age. Back to you, Rick."
"We need to get used to this, Kristine," Jason firmly spoke. "They will break down our battles play by play and point out every single flaw. At least he fluffed it at the end."
"At least there are no impromptu live interviews as of late," Kristine pondered the possibility.
"Yeah," Jason scoffed. "It'll happen. At least Yenela didn't come running for us earlier."
Kristine laughed. "Just be ready if she runs for you specifically tomorrow when I'm not around."
"Oh great," Jason didn't like that thought. "Would that be some interview tactic or something?"
Kristine shrugged. "Whatever she can get to raise ratings, I suppose."
Jason sat down on the sofa. "Guess we'll cross that path when we get to it. You should at least prepare against Liz for now."
"Yeah," Kristine agreed, walking over to the computer terminal in the corner of the living room. "Charmeleon is a lock for her. Your thoughts?"
"And Liepard and Haunter," Jason looked over to his sister as IPSN cut into a commercial break. "If I were her, I would counter Espeon."
Kristine looked up Liz's trainer profile on the extranet. "She's never had to battle a gym leader more than once, like us. She's swept her opponents in the first three rounds here."
Jason smirked. "Well, that's too bad. Her streak will end tomorrow."
"Yeah, it will," Kristine chuckled. "Liz may be tough, but we're going to win."
Later that evening, Liz and Amanda settled down within an indoor hot tub at the resort, each wearing a two-piece red and blue bikini, respectively. The small gazebo-like wooden structure was entirely sealed with glass walls and was among several others that surrounded the public pool. Amanda had her arms folded on one another as she gazed through the glass, watching as the rain splashed down on the pool.
Liz had her arms stretched outside the hot tub, her back against the wall. She looked over to Amanda. "Guess it's not gonna let up, huh?"
"It's kind of smoothing," Amanda gazed on. "Relaxing, really."
Liz propelled herself off the wall with one foot as she gently approached Amanda and placed herself right beside her. "How are you holding up?"
"Oh, you know," Amanda faced Liz. "I'm trying to figure out how to come back stronger."
"That's the spirit," Liz smiled. "I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't a little nervous for tomorrow."
"You? Nervous?" Amanda lightly laughed.
"Twin Girl knows what she's doing. Give her time to breathe, and you have Espeon shooting laser beams to the sun before you know it."
Amanda cracked up. "Laser beams, huh?"
"We need to shut down Espeon," Liz continued. "And we need versatility to handle whatever other two pokemon Twin Girl uses."
"I'm sure you can do it. Well, I'm trying to be unbiased. Kristine's a good friend too."
"I understand. You're better than me; I wanted you to beat Julian."
Amanda sighed. "Wasn't meant to be, I suppose. Speaking of which, I was expecting him to join us."
"Probably preparing against Bran. And you know Bran; he's got himself locked inside his room calculating every single possibility."
"I wonder who would win between them."
"Bran will try to dictate the entire match, but Julian can be flexible in his tactics, which can make him just as unpredictable."
"You're telling me."
A moment of silence ensued, with Amanda and Liz looking through the glass once more.
"Hey, me and you in the Inventum Cup finals next year," Liz spoke up, extending a closed fist. "We can do this."
Amanda fist-bumped Liz. "Don't lose!"
A clear sky took hold over Entei Stadium the next day. There were sporadic puddles outside from the previous evening's heavy rain as tens of thousands of fans proceeded past security checkpoints to get to the main concourse. Jason and Kristine used the VIP entrance behind Entei Stadium, getting inside the lower, private concourse.
Having given away her only visor, Kristine decided not to bother finding a new one or at least a cap. She had plenty of hair ties, however, and kept her trademark ponytail.
"Oh great," Jason sarcastically spoke, spotting Yenela with a microphone and a nearby cameraman just ahead. "What do you think, sis? Live or recorded?"
"We shall see," Kristine took the lead and proceeded forward.
"My favorite pair of twins!" Yenela perked up and approached the twins, the cameraman in tow. "I need a piece for a segment later on. Care to be interviewed?"
"Sure, why not," Kristine smiled. "It's about our battle yesterday, I suppose?"
Yenela nodded. "And your upcoming match. Jason, you can stay too. I got a couple of questions for you."
"Uh, sure," Jason lightly shrugged.
"Great," Yenela stood next to the twins.
"Rolling," the cameraman gave a heads up.
"I'm standing here with Jason and Kristine Kyar," Yenela addressed. "They showcased their sibling rivalry yesterday. Kristine narrowly came out on top. Kristine, how did you feel beating your brother?"
The twins looked at each other, feeling awkward. Kristine shifted her eyes back to Yenela. "It was a great battle. We both wanted to win. Jason's a tough trainer, so my pokemon and I knew we had to work extra hard to win."
"And Jason," Yenela turned her attention to him. "It was a hard loss. How did you take it, and how will you cope moving on?"
"Uh," Jason paused for a few seconds. "Yeah, I wanted to win, but I need to move forward. We still have seven more badges to obtain together. Yesterday, we were against each other. Today, we're on the same team."
"So you're rooting for Kristine to win the Junior Circuit?"
"Of course I am," Jason snickered. "She's my twin."
"One more question for you, Jason. You have a new catchphrase in 'break the chains,' following your miracle comeback against Alex. Is it something you'll stick with?"
"I guess that's up to the fans," Jason replied. "That sounds cool. Defeating Alex was like breaking the chains in a way."
"Well, you've acquired quite a few fans during your shot at the Junior Circuit," Yenela began to turn her eyes back to Kristine. "And Kristine, you have some new fans as well, as we've seen you interact with them. You play against Elizabeth Rose later today, who has swept her opponents in the first three rounds. How will you approach your battle?"
"As our friend Amanda would say, don't lose!" Kristine smiled.
Yenela laughed. "Alright then. Kristine, good luck today. We'll see you both soon!"
"Thanks!" Kristine replied.
"Okay, cut it," Yenela faced the cameraman.
"All good!" the cameraman lowered his equipment.
"You two keep making waves," Yenela turned back to the twins. "Keep it up."
"We will," Kristine assured her. "For the ratings, right?"
"Everyone benefits, dear," Yenela replied. "Consider it a mutual exchange. I win, you win, we all win. Besides," she proceeded to walk away with her cameraman before continuing, "you have people all over Inventum looking up to you. It's time to reach out to them."
"Suppose she has a point," Kristine muttered as Yenela and her cameraman turned the corner out of sight.
"At least it wasn't live," Jason took a deep breath. "Just be ready for that."
"Yeah," Kristine nodded. "Let's go find us some seats and maybe a snack."
Julian paced back and forth across the mouth of the tunnel leading to the field. He wanted to calm his nerves, but he knew the path to winning the Junior Circuit wasn't going to get any easier. Defeating Amanda was hard enough; he had to focus on getting through Bran next.
Bran, meanwhile, stood at the other side in one spot with his eyes closed. He toned out the chatter directly above, mentally calming himself for his fight against Julian. He didn't say or mutter a word, but he was confident he and his team would prevail.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" the PA announcer addressed. The entire stadium exploded in cheers, anticipating the announcement. "The Junior Circuit semifinals are underway. Only four young trainers are remaining, all coming from the mountain subregion of Inventum! They all know each other and have developed friendly rivalries. Their determination and knowledge will be put to the test today by none other than their peers. Who will come out on top?"
The PA announcer paused for a moment to let that question sink in. Jason and Kristine sat at the first row to Julian's left as chants of all four semifinalists' names could be heard sporadically.
"Kristine!" the twins heard the voice of a girl a few rows behind them. Kristine turned to see the same girl she handed her visor to yesterday, wearing it though it appeared to be slightly oversized.
"Hi!" Kristine smiled and waved.
"Do you want your hat back?" the girl offered, taking the visor off.
"No, keep it!" Kristine replied. "It's yours!"
"Okay!" the girl put the visor back on. "I hope you win today!"
"What's your name?" Kristine spoke sweetly.
"Danielle!" the girl replied.
"Well, Danielle," Kristine had a sense of determination in her eyes. "We're gonna go all the way and win this tournament!"
"Yeah!" Danielle cheered.
Kristine turned around and faced Jason with a huge smile. "So cute."
Jason snickered. "That's a dedicated fan."
Kristine glanced to her left, past Jason, to see Liz and Amanda sitting several seats down the row. Amanda used her hands to symbolize a heart towards Kristine, while Liz waved with two fingers. Kristine waved back, reminding herself of the battle she would need to fight against Liz.
"On one side," the PA announcer continued his introductions. "He's shown he's willing to do anything to win. Beating a friend might be bittersweet, but now he would have to do it all over again to reach the final round! Julian Varrek!"
Julian jogged out to the field as spectators all around Entei Stadium cheered. He ran right up to the center, ready to face Bran.
"And on the other," the announcer added. "He's always two steps ahead of you. He dictates the battle on his terms and plans on controlling his destiny! Brandal Riken!"
Bran walked out onto the field, facing Julian. As the two came into contact, they shook hands.
"Hey, good luck to you," Julian said.
"You too," Bran nodded. "May the best trainer win."
A male referee approached the two. He tossed a coin, revealing the pikachu side. "Julian, your pick."
"First move," Julian kept his eyes on Bran.
"Very well," the referee acknowledged. "Head on over to your sides."
Julian jogged back to his side as Bran walked to his.
"Julian, are you ready?" the referee asked a moment later.
Julian hopped twice. "Ready!"
"And Bran?" the referee faced the other side.
"Yep," Bran replied, facing Julian.
"Then let the battle begin!" the referee declared under the roaring and applause from fans all around.
Bran primed his first pokeball. "Go, Heracross!"
"Hera!" Heracross fluttered his wings upon being summoned.
Julian primed his pokeball with a smirk. "Let's do this, Pidgeotto!"
Pidgeotto chirped as he took to the skies.
"Agility!" Julian called.
"Pidgeotto!" Pidgeotto soared around the field, picking up speed.
"Hmm," Bran reached for his pokeball. "Return, Heracross."
"Darn," Julian muttered. He was preparing to take out Heracross inside thirty seconds since he was profoundly weak to flying-type attacks, but Bran saw it coming. Still, the advantage belonged to Julian at the start of the match, as he had free reign to go again after Bran brought out his next pokemon.
"Come on out, Noctowl!" Bran used his second pokeball.
"Noctowl!" Noctowl greeted, standing in one spot.
The referee waved his hand to Julian's side, signaling Julian to make the next move.
"Agility again!" Julian issued.
Pidgeotto bolted overhead, soaring around the arena.
"Reflect, Noctowl!" Bran responded, anticipating a lightning-fast strike.
"Wing Attack! Let's go!" Julian ordered.
Pidgeotto dove down on Noctowl, delivering a strike so fast Bran didn't have time to react. Noctowl didn't nudge, however, taking the attack head-on. He was ready to retaliate.
"Use Swift! Slow him down!" Bran yelled.
Noctowl fired a volley of stars at Pidgeotto, who was unable to escape the attack. Several star-shaped rays struck him.
"Now, use Extrasensory!" Bran followed up.
Noctowl concentrated on Pidgeotto. His eyes glowed gold as he fired a circular beam.
"Use Agility!" Julian responded.
Pidgeotto picked his speed up another notch, narrowly avoiding Extrasensory as the attack dissipated midair.
"Now, Quick Attack!" Julian ordered.
Pidgeotto made another pass by Noctowl, this time striking him with Quick Attack. Noctowl remained in one place.
"Air Slash!" Bran responded.
Noctowl used his left wing to deliver a powerful gust of wind, but Pidgeotto was able to outfly the attack.
"Agility again!" Julian called.
Pidgeotto soared from one side to the other in a matter of seconds. Bran knew Julian was going to rely on pure speed to bring down Noctowl.
"Keep at it!" Julian encouraged Pidgeotto. "Wing Attack! Agility! Wing Attack! Agility! Wing Attack!"
Pidgeotto made another dive at Noctowl.
"Swift!" Bran yelled.
Noctowl fired another volley of stars. Pidgeotto conducted three barrel rolls, taking a hit from just one star. He still maintained his focus on his opponent, delivering another Wing Attack before flying away.
"Extrasensory!" Bran clenched his fist, determined to bring down Pidgeotto.
Noctowl fired another golden beam at Pidgeotto, who was quickly able to evade the attack. Pidgeotto used Agility for the fifth time before making another pass. He struck Noctowl with Wing Attack, this time sending him tumbling over once.
"Use Swift once you get back up!" Bran responded, displaying a sense of urgency and concern.
Noctowl was able to spring into action, firing another Swift at his opponent. Pidgeotto activated Agility for the sixth time, maximizing his speed potential. Diving against Swift, he maneuvered expertly, dodging star after star through quick dives, glides, and barrel rolls. Closing on Noctowl, Pidgeotto struck across his chest with one last Wing Attack, sending him falling to the ground. He was unable to get up.
The crowd roared, mesmerized by Pidgeotto's spectacular maneuverability.
"Noctowl is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Pidgeotto wins!"
"Yeah!" Julian cheered. "Great job, Pidgeotto!"
"Return, Noctowl," Bran recalled his pokemon. "You did well."
He faced Julian, priming his third pokeball. Very well. Let's see how you handle this.
"Go, Kadabra!" Bran brought forth his ace.
"Kadabra!" Kadabra greeted before fixing his eyes on Pidgeotto. Just then, Noctowl's Reflect had worn off.
"Light Screen!" Bran initiated.
Kadabra projected a colorful barrier that soon blended with the environment.
"We only use physical moves here!" Julian responded. "Quick Attack!"
Bran smirked, eyeing an opportunity to take out Pidgeotto. "Psychic!"
"Kadabra!" Kadabra's eyes glowed red.
Pidgeotto struck Kadabra head-on a second later, but before Pidgeotto could get away, Kadabra enveloped him with a blue psychic field.
"Pidgeotto," Pidgeotto felt a ton of weight fall against his body.
"Ka!" Kadabra lifted his spoon, thus lifting his opponent in the air.
"No!" Julian yelled. He wanted me to attack him like that!
Kadabra used telekinesis to rapidly fling Pidgeotto in the air before slamming him back to the ground. Just like that, Pidgeotto was down and out.
"Pidgeotto is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "Kadabra wins!"
"There we go!" Bran expressed enthusiasm. "Good job, Kadabra!"
"Return, Pidgeotto," Julian recalled his pokemon, disappointed. "You did great out there. We're gonna win this!"
Julian primed his second pokeball. "Let's do this, Vulpix!"
"Vul!" Vulpix growled, facing Kadabra with fierceness and determination.
"Start with Spite! Limit Kadabra's use of Psychic!"
"Vulpix!" Vulpix roared, projecting a purple aura that consumed Kadabra.
"Kadabra!" Kadabra felt fatigued. Using Psychic would take more effort and would possibly be slower to cast.
"You're wrong if you think Psychic is the only attack we have!" Bran yelled. "Kadabra, use Shadow Ball!"
Kadabra quickly projected and fired Shadow Ball right at Vulpix.
"Flamethrower!" Julian countered.
Vulpix managed to use Flamethrower right before Shadow Ball was able to strike him. Both attacks collided, though it was much closer to Vulpix than Kadabra. Vulpix had to duck from the resulting explosion of flames and ethereal energy.
Bran and Kadabra realized Vulpix was exposed. By the time Vulpix recovered, Kadabra had dashed to just several yards away on his right flank.
"Flamethrower!" Julian issued.
"Control this battle! Disable!" Bran responded.
Kadabra quickly concentrated on Vulpix, who couldn't project Flamethrower. Bran thought he had the upper hand as he desired to start his offensive.
"Gotcha!" Julian smirked. "Confuse Ray!"
Vulpix's eyes glowed blue. Seconds later, Kadabra became disoriented, stumbling around.
"No!" Bran yelled in despair. "Kadabra!"
"Will-O-Wisp!" Julian followed up.
"Vulpix!" Vulpix fired a small ball of flame that encircled Kadabra before striking his back, engulfing him in flames.
"Bra!" Kadabra swung his spoon around, confused and inflicted with the burn condition.
"Alright!" Julian cheered, pulling out his pokeball. "Return, Vulpix!"
"Oh no," Bran looked on. He tried to remain calm, but he realized what Julian was trying to do. "He's going to reserve Vuplix against Heracross!" he then focused on Kadabra. "Hang in there, Kadabra! Concentrate! Snap out of it!"
Julian pulled out his third pokeball. "Let's go, Poliwhirl!"
"Poliwhirl!" Poliwhirl pounded his chest.
"Kadabra! Shadow Ball!" Bran yelled.
"Bra!" Kadabra quickly projected Shadow Ball but wildly shot it into the air. The attack soon fizzled.
"Body Slam!" Julian commanded.
Poliwhirl ran at Kadabra, jumping into the air before slamming on top of Kadabra.
"Just use Psychic in front of you!" Bran yelled.
"Kadabra!" Kadabra's eyes glowed blue. He was on his back and couldn't concentrate on Poliwhirl, but he could at least channel psychic energy in the affixed area in front of him.
"Poli!" Poliwhirl felt himself hover in the air away from Kadabra
"Use Bubble Beam!" Julian responded.
"Fling him in the air!" Bran ordered.
"Bra!" Kadabra pushed his arms forward, sending Poliwhirl high in the sky. However, Poliwhirl managed to fire off Bubble Beam, striking Kadabra.
Kadabra fell on his knees, and for one last huzzah, he fired a random Shadow Ball that came nowhere near Poliwhirl. His burn soon ticked, and it was enough for him to peel over. Kadabra did not get back up.
"Kadabra is unable to battle!" the referee called. "Poliwhirl wins!"
"Great!" Julian threw his right fist in the air. "Poliwhirl! Situate yourself!"
"Poli!" Poliwhirl was in free fall. He hunched his arms and legs together, and as he fell, he conducted two rolls against the ground before he tumbled over. Though bruised, he was able to get up as fans cheered for his nearly perfect recovery.
"Excellent job!" Julian yelled. He knew he backed Bran into a corner, and he was ready to go for the final blow.
Bran recalled Kadabra. He couldn't remember the last time Kadabra went down in a pokemon battle. It had to be months, if at all. "You did your best out there, Kadabra."
"Look at Julian," Kristine observed. "There's something I noticed."
"What's that?" Jason faced his sister.
"He's not only in sync with his team, but he also doesn't have a real ace, someone he could continuously rely on to get two or more KOs every match. Each pokemon battles with the team on their minds. Julian can adapt to almost any situation as a result, thus making him less predictable."
"Huh," Jason gazed at Julian. "And because of that, that makes him one heck of a trainer."
Liz crossed her arms. "How did Bran fall for Julian's little trick?"
"It was clever, to be honest," Amanda replied.
"Yeah, but this is Bran we're talking about. He was playing chess when we were barely old enough to figure out checkers. Yeah, Julian had a real nice set-up with Confuse Ray, but I could have worked around that."
"Maybe he underestimated Julian," Amanda pointed out.
Liz contemplated that statement. Perhaps Amanda was right, and it was possible she could have underestimated Julian herself. He seemed outgoing and relaxed all the time, and that personality could have concealed his profound drive and knowledge of pokemon battles. "He just seemed too happy and casual. Well, he's a whole lot better than I expected."
"He did beat me, you know," Amanda added.
"And I honestly thought you let your guard down for him," Liz admitted. "I was wrong."
"Okay, Betty," Amanda rolled her eyes, slightly annoyed.
Liz did her best to ignore that name. Perhaps she deserved it, she thought.
"This is it, Heracross!" Bran tossed his last pokeball.
"Heracross!" Heracross leaped onto the field.
"Charge and Pin Missle!" Bran yelled.
Heracross propelled himself off the ground, using his wings to glide towards Poliwhirl.
"Return, Poliwhirl!" Julian recalled just as Heracross fired Pin Missile.
The red beam of the pokeball dematerialized Poliwhirl. Seconds later, a volley of pins landed right at where Poliwhirl was.
"Get ready, Heracross!" Bran warned. "I'll be honest; you'll be fighting at a disadvantage!"
"Let's finish this, Vulpix!" Julian yelled, tossing his second pokeball.
"Vulpix!" Vulpix approached Heracross.
"Close in and use Aerial Ace!" Bran called.
"Hera!" Heracross charged at Vulpix.
"Use Confuse Ray! Quickly!" Julian responded.
Vuplix's eyes glowed blue just as Heracross delivered a quick slash of wind. Bran was hoping to get the attack off before Vulpix could land Confuse Ray. Vulpix tumbled twice over before falling flat, but he quickly got up and maintained his footing. Heracross, however, stumbled around, confused.
Bran's heart sunk at that moment. Spectators across Entei Stadium began to cheer for Julian, believing the match was all his to take.
"Heracross! Please snap out of it and use Brick Break!" Bran desperately called.
"Hera..." Heracross stumbled around. With a glowing fist, he punched the air all around him.
"We got 'em!" Julian saw his chance to win. "Vulpix, Flamethrower!"
"Vul!" Vulpix cautiously moved forward as Heracross made blind, unfocused attacks with Brick Break. He unleashed a stream of flames, engulfing Heracross.
"Hera!" Heracross attacked faster, only to wear himself out.
"Keep at it!" Julian raised both fists in the air.
Vulpix stood about several yards shy of Heracross, unrelenting in his use of Flamethrower. Ten seconds passed, with Vulpix finally halting his attack. Heracross was charred and disoriented. He fell backward, unable to continue.
"Heracross is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "Bran is out of reserves! Julian Varrek wins!"
"Yeah!" Julian ran towards Vulpix in celebration. He slid on his knees, picking his pokemon up. "You were amazing! We're in the finals!"
Nearly everyone in Entei Stadium gave a standing ovation for Julian. He clinched the first of the final two spots in the Junior Circuit. Bran, on the other hand, was devastated and disappointed in himself as he recalled Heracross.
"Perhaps I wasn't assertive enough," Bran sighed. "Tomorrow's a new day, at least."
"Well, this is it," Liz spoke as she got up. "Do tell Bran to keep his head high, okay?"
"Will do!" Amanda waved as Liz departed. She observed the field as Julian recalled Vulpix. He then ran over towards her as soon as he spotted her.
"Finals bound!" Julian cheered.
Amanda got up and approached the wall separating the field from the seats. "Congratulations! You did great!"
"We're in the finals!" Julian boasted. "I can't believe it!"
"Well, you deserve it!" Amanda smiled.
Bran maintained good sportsmanship and approached his opponent. "Hey Julian," he tried to get his attention.
"Bran!" Julian turned around. "Hey, man!"
Bran extended his hand. "Congratulations," he humbly accepted his defeat. "You are the better trainer."
"Get over here, you!" Julian took Bran's hand but moved closer to hug him. "You and your pokemon did great out there! Never forget that!"
"No, man, I won't," Bran hugged firmly. "Win the whole thing, okay?"
"I plan on it!" Julian remained confident.
"Hey! No bias!" Amanda objected. "Julian's gotta face Liz or Kristine, you know!"
"Julian won three to one against Bran," Jason noted. "He has to be taken seriously from now on."
"Yeah," Kristine agreed. She looked over to Amanda, who was interacting with Julian and Bran. "Go join them. Time for me to battle Liz."
"Hey," Jason exchanged fist-bumps with Kristine. "Go get her. You guys got this."
"Thanks, bro," Kristine patted Jason on the shoulder before departing. "We got this!"
"Go, Kristine!" the twins heard Danielle yell. "You can do it!"
"Yes, we can!" Kristine raised a fist in the air.
Jason looked on as Kristine walked down the end of the row, where there was a small corridor leading to the private concourse. He then got up to approach Amanda.
"Hi, Jason!" Amanda greeted.
"Hey!" Jason waved back.
"Jason, buddy!" Julian jumped up to lean over the wall, mainly out of pure excitement. "I'm in the finals!"
Jason cracked up laughing. "Yeah. I saw!"
"I'm in the finals, man! Guaranteed!"
"Get up here!" Jason used his arms to pull Julian over the wall.
"Guaranteed!" Julian gave Jason a tight hug.
"Easy man!" Jason hugged back. "I kind of have rib cage issues."
"Oh," Julian backed up. "Sorry!"
"No big deal."
"Wait a second," Bran chimed in. "Is Jason allowed to be biased?"
"Well, yeah," Amanda bluntly replied. "It's his twin out there."
Julian walked over to hug Amanda. "Finals!"
"Yes, Julian," Amanda hugged back. "We know!"
Julian let go and addressed the crowd before him. "Woo!" he raised both hands in the air.
The crowd all chanted Julian's name in return.
"Yeah!" Julian stood on top of one of the seats. "One more round to go!"
As Julian was interacting with the audience, Jason and Amanda turned their attention to Bran.
"You want up?" Amanda asked.
"Yeah," Bran hopped up, leaning over the wall.
"Let me help," Jason grabbed onto Bran's right hand, as Amanda grabbed onto the left hand. They both managed to drag him over the wall. Bran was on his hands and knees as he lifted himself back up.
"Hey," Jason gave Bran a one-armed hug. "Good effort."
"Thanks, Jason," Bran hugged him back.
Amanda patted Bran on the back. "Don't get yourself down."
"I won't," Bran turned to face Amanda. "Being in the top four isn't so bad."
"Nope!" Amanda smiled. "Better than Jason and me, at least."
The three all glanced over to Julian, who was still celebrating his victory.
"At least he loves the game," Bran seemed intrigued.
"He'll be a tough opponent for either Kristine or Liz," Amanda added.
"Shoot, I can't imagine what he'd be like if he won the Junior Circuit," Jason pondered.
"Complete bonkers, I'll say," Amanda shifted her eyes to Jason. "Time to go root for Kristine and Liz. And you're allowed to cheer for Kristine, of course."
Jason laughed. "Thanks for the permission."
Kristine and Liz took to their designated tunnels, ready to face one another. The second match was underway, one that was highly anticipated by the 40,000 spectators of Entei Stadium and many more across Inventum. The winner would have bragging rights and the opportunity to face an incredibly enthusiastic trainer in Julian.
