Here's the final round of the Junior Circuit! Sorry this got delayed to late next evening. I never got a chance to sit down last night and I wanted to make sure I polish chapters as much as possible before sending them out. I do keep updates on my profile in case I face any delays. Hope you all enjoy the conclusion of the Junior Circuit!


Jason, Kristine, Amanda, Bran, and Julian all arrived back at Canon Carmesi's lobby early evening. There was no sign of Liz back at the pokemon center and on the way back to the resort, indicating she either went straight back to her room or she is somewhere on the trails devising a strategy for her next battle.

"Hey, look!" a nearby guest noticed the five trainers walking in.

Dozens of other guests throughout the lobby turned their heads to see five contestants of the Junior Circuit standing in one spot. While four of these trainers were eliminated, each trainer drew a substantial amount of attention during their run. They were all swarmed in a matter of seconds.

"Dude, if you got luckier in the bracket placement, you could have easily been in the finals!" stated one male fan, approaching Jason.

"Kristine, you were so close!" a female fan mentioned.

"Yeah," Kristine scratched the back of her head. "Liz and her team are strong."

"Hey, where is she?" a male fan began to wonder.

"We have a finalist at the very least!" another female fan pointed at Julian.

"Finals bound!" Julian cheered, raising a fist in the air.

The guests all roared in cheers and applause. Many began to circle Julian, separating him from the other trainers.

"Wait a sec," Amanda tried to clear a path towards Julian.

"Hi, Amanda!" a girl who appeared to be five or six years old stepped in front of her.

"Oh, hello!" Amanda smiled.

More young fans, and their parents, began to surround her. Bran saw this as an opportunity to sneak away before he got swarmed. He thought perhaps his quiet demeanor would deem him less popular than the other trainers, and he was okay with that.

"Hi, Bran!" a blond boy with glasses approached him.

Bran immediately knew he was wrong in his assessment. More young trainers, and their parents, soon surrounded him.

Jason and Kristine stood side by side. The number of fans bombarding them with uncontrolled excitement deemed it challenging to prevent separation. Several young children got in between the two, prompting Kristine to embrace the inevitable.

She looked over to Jason while she could. The two locked eyes, Jason showing a sense of uncertainty and Kristine expressing confidence and reassurance. She nodded at Jason but made no move to step away until she knew Jason was comfortable.

Jason didn't need words to understand what Kristine was saying. 'It's okay. Go have fun. I'll see you back at the room real soon, anyway.' He nodded back at Kristine and shot her a smile.

Kristine took a few steps away from Jason, allowing fans to separate them apart and encircle them.

"Can I have your autograph?" a boy asked Jason, handing out an autograph book and pen.

"Uh, sure," Jason took the book and pen. Doing his best, he wrote out his name in cursive form. He figured his handwriting came nowhere as neat as Kristine's, but it was readable, and he was happy with the result.

Meanwhile, Kristine had ten young children, all but two of them girls, surrounding her.

"Kristine, who's your favorite pokemon?" asked one girl.

"Everyone in my team, of course," Kristine smiled. "Who's yours?"

"Eevee!" the girl replied.

"Pikachu!" a boy added.

More children chimed in with their favorite pokemon.

"Espeon!"

"Jigglypuff!"

"Totodile!"

"Lucario!"

"Uh," Kristine laughed from the last comment. "My brother's somewhere around here."

"Jason," a boy tugged Jason's shirt. "When will Magikarp evolve?"

"Um," Jason chuckled, not sure how to answer the question. "Soon, I think."

A moment later, guest relations personnel from the lobby approached the crowds.

"Everyone, please give our trainers some space," a woman announced.

Two men managed to get in front of Julian, separating him from the crowd. Most of the guests were compliant, either stepping away from the trainers or getting their children to back off. Jason and Kristine soon reunited alongside Julian, Amanda, and Bran.

"Hi, trainers!" the same woman who made the announcement approached them. "We can escort you to your rooms if you like."

"Thanks for helping us," Amanda smiled. "I don't want to be rude, but would that make us look bad to the guests?"

"It became an unsafe situation," the woman replied. "Not just to you five, but the guests and the kids. Everyone's safety is our priority."

"Explains why they have meet and greets, social media, and old-fashioned letters," Bran chimed in.

"Yep," the woman agreed. "You should've seen Liz twenty minutes ago. The entire resort swarmed her."

"We're that important to them," Jason added. "And to think four of us lost in the Junior Circuit already."

"You've certainly made a lot more noise than previous Junior Circuits," the woman mentioned. "We've had to set up impromptu meet and greets in the past, but they never drew in crowds like this."

"Well, what if we had one now?" Amanda suggested. "I can't volunteer for anyone else other than myself. I can just take a corner and pose for pictures or something."

"Well," we could try," the woman observed the lobby, trying to find ideal positions for meet and greets tentatively. "Any other takers?"

"Let's do it!" Julian raised his hand.

"You need to study!" Amanda objected. "Have you seen Liz battle?"

"But the fans!" Julian turned his head to see dozens of people standing from a safe distance.

"I might as well say hi," Kristine volunteered.

"Hmm," Bran pondered. "I'm already done in the tournament. And seeing how I'm important to the youngins, I might as well stick around."

Jason noticed the eyes of the other four trainers and the woman all shifting to him.

"You can say no," Kristine assured him.

"What kind of trainer would I be if I said no?" Jason responded. "Stick me outside somewhere, at least."

"Alright, looks like we have a plan," the woman nodded. "You all come with me. I'll place you in different areas, and it should be easier on everyone."


Liz leaned over a bridge overlooking a lake in the resort's common areas. The sun began to set, offering an amber-colored reflection on the lake. She had to navigate her way through the lobby not too long ago, signing autograph books and answering many questions from fans of all ages. Liz didn't mind spending time with fans. She hid her emotions, but deep down, she was overwhelmed seeing how much she impacted people she never knew.

She only came to the tournament for one goal: to win it all. She found herself in the final round, previously dispatching her first three opponents without mercy and narrowly escaping a determined and brilliant Kristine. She had to be proud of her pokemon, especially Charmeleon, for displaying an unrivaled amount of grit and resolve to win. If Charmeleon wasn't aggressive, Machoke could have easily thrown him down for a one-hit KO, and Liz knew that very well.

With the semifinals behind her, she looked ahead to the final round. She never saw Julian as someone to be taken as seriously as other trainers, notably Jason and Kristine. But Julian defeated Amanda and Bran, the very trainers she started her journey with at the same time. That only meant Julian was just as determined to win the Junior Circuit.

"Fight like a maniac," Liz muttered. She had to continue playing what she and her team were strong at - deception, control, an unrelenting offense, and the outright refusal to give in.

She continued to gaze at the lake underneath a beautiful sunset. It helped her keep calm, as her emotions nearly got the best of her between the last battle and the fans roaming about Canon Carmesi. The several guests that walked by her were kind enough to let her be.

Moments later, Liz caught another individual walking by from the corner of her left eye. It was the punk who Jason defeated just a couple of days ago.

Alex noticed Liz and slowed down before deciding not to say anything. He began to continue when Liz turned around.

"We all thought you just vanished," Liz crossed her arms.

"I did," Alex faced her. "I still had a room available, so I came back."

"We've never met," Liz continued, "But the way you had Sneasel take out Kirlia was cold. Dishonorable, to say the least."

Alex sighed and approached the railing next to Liz. "So I've been told. If you told me that last week, I wouldn't have cared. I'd do anything to win."

"You can do anything to win without being an ass about it," Liz blatantly said.

Alex faced the lake and snickered.

"And what's so funny about that?" Liz snapped.

"Those were my sister's exact words," Alex explained. "She even told me if there was a trainer that would put me in my place, it was Jason."

"Jason's a little unorthodox, but he has his heart on his sleeve," Liz replied. "He unleashed his true strength on you."

"That level of trust was unreal," Alex reflected. "That angered me. He was supposed to lose. I wanted him to quit being a trainer so badly."

"You channeled your anger the wrong way," Liz gave a slight smile. "I've had anger issues growing up. But I had three sisters there to put me in my place. See, you don't place your anger on someone, or pokemon for that matter."

"I don't know you very well either, Liz," Alex kept his eyes forward. "But that appears to be the difference between the two of us. You've had people. I used to have a united family. But my brother died in the Mountains during his training, and my mom and dad divorced. My sister stayed at our farm near Richland, and I moved with my mom way out west. Some people have it better, and it pisses me off."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Liz softly spoke. "You do know that Jason's dad died, and he almost died in the Mountains himself, right?"

"I'm well aware of that. I guess I didn't care."

"Everyone's got a little baggage," Liz chuckled. "You don't have to keep doing this alone, you know. I don't say this to the others, but they're my best friends. They certainly help me become stronger as a trainer. Most importantly, they keep me sane."

"It's like a friendly rivalry," Alex mentioned.

"That's precisely what it is. But let's not be mistaken. Off the field, they're my friends. I'm proud to call them that. On the field, there can only be one winner, and that is me."

"I wanted to commend you the way you fight. You taught me some things. I would have thought Kristine had won."

"It's confusing when they tell you to see the battle two steps ahead, and then they tell you it's not over until it's over. I try to find a balance between the two."

"Almost like 'practice makes perfect' and 'no one's perfect.'"

"Especially when it comes from the same people. So confusing, right?"

"Yeah," Alex sighed. "So you say I don't have to do this alone. Why on earth would Jason and Kristine want to spend a second with me? Or even Julian and those two other trainers?"

"Good question. First off, those other two trainers are Amanda and Bran. Amanda's a sweetheart. Bran's quiet but very insightful. Second off, I don't take Twin Boy and Twin Girl to be unforgiving."

Alex laughed. "Do they even like those names?"

Liz shrugged. "They haven't objected."

"Anyway, I can't just walk up to them and say hi."

"Nope. You just need to apologize to them. Jason in particular."

"Kristine too. I told her she was weak."

"She's anything but weak."

"I know."

"Well, what if I acted as your ambassador the day after tomorrow so you can talk to the twins?"

"I guess that could work. I find Kristine a little easier to approach at this point."

"Great. We establish diplomatic relations with the Kyars and get the ambassador to Jason involved in peace talks."

Alex snorted. "Kristine, eh?"

"It's pretty much what she is. She does a lot of the talking."

"Right. Then what?"

"I don't know. Hang with them to Viceport? Disappear again? At least there will be some sort of closure. Hopefully."

"You sound uncertain."

"I can't guarantee it'll work. But if you want to make reparations, it's the best way to go."

"Yeah," Alex backed away. "I'll see you the morning after tomorrow, I suppose."

"Outside the bar, 8 am. The twins are early risers, and so am I. Should be a reasonable time."

"Alright. I should leave you to it then."

Alex took several steps forward. "And one more thing," he spoke without turning around. "I don't remember the last time I laughed. Thanks."

"One thing," Liz kept her eyes on the lake. "Don't ever tell anyone else I got soft for a minute."

Alex snickered. "Your secret's safe with me."


"The whole thing about battling is to never give up," Jason lectured to three kids, one girl and two boys, under the age of ten, their parents standing nearby. Jason stood just outside the main lobby, interacting with fans while still enjoying the fresh outdoor air. "Even if you are down to your last pokemon, you still need to have the confidence to win. Trainers and their pokemon naturally get relaxed when they are well ahead, so it's best to take advantage of that."

"So if you are the one that's well ahead, you shouldn't think you have won just yet?" the girl asked.

Jason shook his head. "You need to focus and close out the match. The Gym Leader of Raley City taught me that."

"Isn't she Scarlet?" one of the boys asked.

"Yeah. Scarlet is tough and will see how determined you are as a trainer. Every Gym Leader will test you one way or another."

"Sasha, dear, it's getting late. You should let him be, now," a woman called out to the girl.

"Right," the girl complied before looking up at Jason. "Thank you!"

"Yeah, thanks!" the other boy expressed his gratitude.

The three kids soon departed. Jason looked up the steps leading into the lobby to see Kristine exiting the building, two girls by her side.

"It comes down to seeing ahead," she lectured. "You need to be proactive, but you need to be reactive to things you wouldn't expect. Hesitation is a big no-no."

"But how do you think so quickly?" one of the girls asked.

"Keen observation," Kristine smiled. "Not just in battle, but during training. See how moves affect what's around you and take note of it. You should watch the Inventum Cup and see how those trainers think on the fly."

"My family's going back home soon, but I'm gonna watch the whole Inventum Cup!" the other girl stated. "Every single match!"

Kristine chuckled. "That's a lot of matches."

"We should go now," the first girl spoke. "Thanks!"

"Yeah, anytime!" Kristine waved goodbye.

The girls ran off, passing Jason. He walked over to his sister.

"You know what's really cool about this?" Kristine began to reflect. "Remember when Brad, Summer, and Don showed us the basics in Rugged Pass?"

"That was such a long time ago," Jason replied. "Look at how far we've come."

"Yeah, we're the ones giving advice now. Rather strange because there are going to be 256 trainers coming here real soon. They all obtained twelve badges at some point in their careers, some of them ten years ago or more. People have made it a profession to compete in the Inventum Cup. Yet we have children who look up to us."

"I think it's because we're slightly older, and we're actively obtaining badges. Some of these kids are going to be trainers in two or three years, and they want to know what it's like."

"Yeah. It's just interesting, considering each of those 256 trainers could run circles around us. And to think, if we get in next year, we're still going up against those with more experience than us. Many of them competed around the world, you know."

"Well, I guess the Inventum Cup will be a launching pad for us."

"Seeing how much people look up to us, I am proud to say that I want to be a career trainer," Kristine declared. "But let's not make the Inventum Cup just a launching pad."

"Me and you in the finals?" Jason laughed.

"You bet!" Kristine patted her brother on the right shoulder. "And we'll use every slogan we have to get there. Don't lose; break the chains, all the way."

"Pancakes can be served for dinner too?" Jason proposed a new slogan.

Kristine tilted her head. "I can see you saying that as Jolteon deals a knockout blow. It'll confuse your opponent for sure."

"Challenge accepted," Jason clenched his fist.

"Oh dear," Kristine rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's go back before you get more crazy ideas."


"Welcome, viewers, to the pre-match show of the Junior Circuit finals," a male professional commentator began, live on IPSN's flagship channel. "I'm Mark."

It was a sunny late afternoon over Entei Stadium. The occupancy was at full capacity, with more than a hundred thousand viewers throughout PokeWorld and millions more across Inventum. The Junior Circuit had many surprise moments and overall good quality battles considering these trainers had only a handful of badges in the eyes of the fans.

"And I'm Chelsea," a female commentator added. "We have two incredibly talented trainers going head-to-head. Julian Varrek and Elizabeth Rose have each obtained the same five badges and hail from the same subregion. They're both well aware of each other's battle techniques and will try to expose one another's weaknesses today."

"That's right," Mark replied. "To get insights from both trainers, sideline reporter Yenela Kreea has more."


The cameraman counted down from three to one with his fingers, pointing the camera right at Yenela and Liz within the lounge, nearby the tunnel leading out onto the field.

"Thanks, Mark," Yenela spoke. "I'm here with Liz Rose. Liz, you've fought your way here relentlessly. You narrowly defeated your semifinals opponent, Kristine Kyar. With just one match away from winning the Junior Circuit, what's your mindset going in?"

"Win," Liz replied, facing Yenela with sheer confidence.

The simple response caused a three-second pause, with Yenela expecting an elaboration. "What's your strategy going into this match? How are you going to play against Julian?"

"I'll go in as I've always had," Liz explained. "We're going to fight tooth and nail and do what it takes to win. We're one win away, and we're going to come out on top. I know it."


Skyler watched the match from the TV screen in Team Mystic's lounge in Fort Lexing. Under Aria's permission, she was allowed to take some time off from being an assistant to watch the live televised match of her new favorite trainer.

"You can do this, Liz," Skyler clenched her fists. Liz's confidence was astounding to her.


Moments later, Yenela walked across the field to Julian's side, heading into the lounge alongside her cameraman.

"Thirty seconds," the cameraman informed Yenela and Julian.

"Got it," Yenela acknowledged. She faced Julian. "Remember, kid, eyes on me. Don't stare at the camera."

"Easy enough," Julian took a deep breath.

"First time on camera like this?" Yenela asked.

Julian nodded. "Recorded or live."

"Don't stress it. Be yourself. Just answer my questions, and you'll be fine."

"Yeah."

Seconds later, the cameraman gave the countdown from his hand. At one, Yenela faced Julian.

"And here we have Julian Varrek, Liz's opponent," Yenela addressed. "Julian, you have fought your way to the final round with some impressive victories over your rivals. What's going to carry your way to victory against Liz today?"

"We need to go all out," Julian answered, facing Yenela with confidence. "We need to control the field and have fun with it. We're a solid team, and we can overcome anything."

"Should we expect to see you in the Inventum Cup next year?"

"For sure! I'll be here to win it all!"

"And there you have it—two confident trainers who believe in themselves. We're in for one heck of a battle, Mark and Chelsea! Back to you guys."

"And that's it," the cameraman said.

"Alright, let's get out of here," Yenela replied before facing Julian. "Good luck, kid."

"Yeah, thanks!" Julian waved goodbye.

Yenela and the cameraman walked out the door from the lounge out to the private concourse.

"Your take on who wins?" the cameraman asked Yenela.

"The redhead," Yenela quickly replied. "She sees the end goal and doesn't need to fluff it. It makes for bland television, but she doesn't care about glamour."


Jason, Kristine, Amanda, and Bran all sat in the first row. While other rows were packed with not a single seat going unbooked, the first row was deemed the VIP row, and the four trainers could safely move about. They still embraced distant cheers from fans, but anyone who engaged the trainers was respectful.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" the PA announcer began. The well-anticipated announcement resulted in loud cheers and foot stomps across Entei Stadium.

"Here we go," Kristine spoke, her words nearly muffled out by the cheering behind her.

"Thirty-two trainers entered, and now two remain," the announcer continued. "Only one will walk away victorious. So, without further ado, let's announce the finalists!"

"Let's see what the announcer has to say about Liz," Amanda added, amused by the different introductions so far in the Junior Circuit.

"She faced four opponents with unrivaled fury. She's willing to roll right through you to win it all. She'll scream, kick, bite, and do anything it takes. With a fiery heart and disposition, Liz Rose!"

Jason, Kristine, Amanda, and Bran all noticed many camera crews hanging over the walls as Liz emerged from the tunnel on her side of the field. She walked forward, under a roar of cheers, while keeping her eyes straight ahead. She stopped just short of the center line of the field.

"And on the other side," the announcer continued. "He will knock you out in a hundred different ways! Go at his team, and he will go at you harder! He may be outgoing, but he doesn't make friends on the field of battle. Determined to go for glory, Julian Varrek!"

Julian skipped out onto the field. He steered to the left side, exciting the crowds by waving his hands in the air. Then he ran to the right side, doing the same. Then he approached the middle in almost a zig-zag formation. Jason noticed how several cameras followed Julian's approach.

"Hmm," Bran rubbed his chin. He faced Amanda. "Does he realize who he's going against?"

"I don't think he has a full realization," Amanda kept her eyes on the field. "Maybe he'll surprise us. But look at Liz."

Liz was stationary, patiently waiting for Julian to approach her. Her eyes displayed that she was focused and ready to defeat her opponent.

At last, Julian skipped his way to the middle to meet Liz, extending a hand. "Good luck, Liz!"

"Yeah," Liz smiled, shaking his hand. "You too. Let's do this."

The male referee approached the two, flipping a coin. "Heads!" he revealed the coin with the pikachu side face-up. "Your call, Julian."

"First move," Julian declared.

Liz nodded and walked back to her side. Julian did the same, but not without waving at fans on his left and right. He hopped over to his box, facing his opponent.

"Julian, are you ready?" the referee asked.

"Always!" Julian pounded his chest.

The referee turned to Liz. "Liz, are you ready?"

Liz stared right at Julian. "Let's go."

"Very well," the referee acknowledged. "Then let the final match of the Junior Circuit begin!"

The crowd across Entei Stadium all cheered loudly. Liz zoned out the noise, priming her first pokeball. "Let's go, Charmeleon!"

"Char!" Charmeleon roared, healthy and ready to go.

Julian relished the moment as he primed his first pokeball. "Glory is within our reach! Let's do this, Onix!"

Onix roared as he towered over his opponent. Julian looked ahead to see Liz with a smirk on her face. Seeing he had a type advantage, he wanted to take advantage and take down Charmeleon quickly.

"Dragon Breath!" he commanded.

"Smokescreen!" Liz responded.

Onix project violet flames at Charmeleon, who emitted black smoke. Smokescreen covered the center of the field, but Julian hoped at Onix still hit him. If he could just knock Charmeleon to the ground, a single Rock Slide should finish the job, he thought.

Dragon Breath fired through the smoke. The smoke in the move's path dissipated for a few seconds before more smoke covered the gap. There was no confirmation whether or not Dragon Breath hit Charmeleon, but Julian wanted to press the attack. Where other trainers hesitated to assault Charmeleon's Smoke Screen, he felt he needed to commit to that venture.

"Move forward the smoke and use Rock Slide!" Julian yelled.

Suddenly, he noticed the referee raising his right arm. He realized that it was unusual for him to do so. Then he knew the referee raised his arm to signal to Liz to make the next move. That only meant one thing.

"A switch!" Julian yelled. "Onix! Pull back and Stealth Rock!"

Suddenly, a large burst of water pierced through the smoke, striking Onix head-on. Onix roared, being hit by a profoundly effective attack. Just like that, he crashed to the ground, unable to continue.

"Onix is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "Horsea wins!"


Jason, Kristine, Amanda, and Bran all looked on in shock. They were able to see Horsea balancing on his tail against the ground, taking down Onix with a single Water Pulse.

"His ability is probably Snipe too," Bran added. "That was so quick."

"That has to be the quickest takedown in the entire tournament!" Amanda gasped.

"Liz wants this," Kristine observed. "Look at her! She's not even fazed by how quickly Horsea took down Onix."

"She's nuts," Jason added. "Julian needed to get Stealth Rock out to stand a good chance against her. But I know that face. Liz won't let anything stop her."

The smoke cleared. Julian was in sheer disbelief, seeing Onix stretched out across the field. He recalled his pokemon. "We still have this," he softly spoke, priming his second pokeball. "Let's do this, Pidgeotto!"

"Pidgeotto!" Pidgeotto took to the sky.

"Use Agility!" Julian commanded.

"Focus Energy!" Liz responded.

Horsea remained balanced, harnessing energy and keeping his eyes focused on his opponent.

"Wing Attack! Take him out!" Julian yelled.

Pidgeotto dove down on Horsea. Julian thought a stationary pokemon like Horsea was easy pickings for Pidgeotto.

"Water Pulse!" Liz issued.

As Pidgeotto closed in, Horsea conducted a front flip, propelling himself into the air and over Pidgeotto. Horsea turned around in midair, aiming ahead of Pidgeotto's trajectory before firing a powerful burst of water.

Water Pulse struck Pidgeotto right against the left side of his rib cage. The impact was so powerful that Pidgeotto spun in cartwheels against the ground, tumbling several times over. He never attempted to get back up. The entire audience gasped and cheered.


"What in the world!?" Bran stood up. "This girl's insane!"

"That's our Liz," Amanda added. She got up to lean over the wall. "She just entered a whole new level on us."

"I knew she had a horsea, but did anyone see him battle?" Kristine mentioned.

Amanda turned around. "To come to think of it, no."

"Talk about a secret weapon," Jason chimed in.

"Snipe and Focus Energy," Bran said. "And it's just a horsea doing this. Imagine a kingdra sitting in the back. Liz can easily wipe entire teams with just one pokemon alone."

"Not many trainers at this level prepare for that kind of offense," Kristine added.

"Not to mention Horsea is quite the acrobat," Amanda turned around to see Julian recalling Pidgeotto.

"They've been practicing for a long time," Jason leaned forward. "And it's paying off."

"We're still in this," Julian recalled Pidgeotto. His hands trembled, with Liz piercing through his soul with those fiery eyes. "It's not over yet. As long as there's one pokemon left, it's still not over!" he primed his last pokeball. "Poliwhirl, you can do this!"

"Poliwhirl!" Poliwhirl took several steps forward, displaying confidence.

Julian knew Polwhirl had a tall task ahead. Fighting three unscathed, healthy pokemon was nearly impossible. But he had to believe. He couldn't think about the odds. He was still in this match.

"Return, Horsea!" Liz recalled. She primed another pokeball.

"Stay alert, Poliwhirl!" Julian advised.

"Let's finish this, Mankey!" Liz brought out her third pokemon.

"We can do this!" Julian yelled. "We're going to make this a comeback for the ages! Charge Mankey and use Ice Punch!"

"Poli!" Poliwhirl ran towards his opponent, powering his right fist with frozen energy.

"Focus Energy, Mankey!" Liz called.

"Mankey!" Mankey stood in one spot, harnessing energy as he locked eyes with his opponent.

Poliwhirl lunged at Mankey, preparing to land Ice Punch.

"We end this now!" Liz yelled. "Mankey, you're tough! Take the hit, but only if you are okay with it! Just like we discussed!"


"Why is Liz willing to let Mankey take a hit?" Kristine asked.

"Mankey is exposing his side," Jason added. "He wants to be critically hit."

"My god," Bran muttered. "Anger Point! She's going for another one-hit KO!"

"So she is doing this," Kristine got up to lean over the wall next to Amanda. "She is winning this."

"That's our Liz," Amanda muttered. "Taking all the glory."


"Poli!" Poliwhirl landed a devastating blow to Mankey's left side. Liz took a gamble, knowing Ice Punch had a slight chance to freeze its target in place. However, the odds were heavily in her favor, and she knew she had to be unafraid to take risks.

"Mankey!" Mankey yelped, falling over on his side. He exposed himself to a critical hit, but his eyes turned red as soon as he took the hit.

"Yeah! Now use Brick Break!" Julian followed up.

Just as Poliwhirl moved in to finish off his opponent, Mankey began charging electric energy from his fists. He sprang back up, landing Thunder Punch right at Poliwhirl's stomach.

"Poli!" Poliwhirl flew back from the impact. Mankey's Anger Point kicked in, maximizing his attack potential.

Polwhirl flew across the field, drawing in gasps from everyone across Entei Stadium. Liz raised her right fist in the air, anticipating her imminent victory.

"Poliwhirl!" Julian was distraught.

Poliwhirl crashed to the ground just a few yards shy of Julian. He never made an effort to get back up.

"Poliwhirl is unable to battle!" the referee called. "Julian is out of reserves! Liz is the winner of this battle!"

Everyone in the stadium stood up to cheer for Liz.

"Yeah!" Liz cracked a grin. She began calling out her entire team. Charmeleon, Liepard, Mankey, Donphan, Haunter, and Horsea all circled her.

Fighting back tears of joy, Liz began addressing her team. "This is all you! Each of you earned this. I am so proud of all of you!"

Three individuals with cameras hopped onto the field, getting close-up footage and audio of Liz addressing her team. Another cameraman approached Julian, who was on his knees after recalling Poliwhirl. The pride of victory and the disappointment of defeat was something IPSN stressed upon its personnel; getting those reactions made for good ratings.


"Liz just surpassed all of us," Kristine admitted.

"I wonder what she found out about Julian," Bran became curious.

"Julian was too excited to be in the final round," Amanda mentioned. "Remember his reaction yesterday? He couldn't contain it."

"Emotional intelligence," Kristine muttered.

"Or lack thereof," Bran added.

"Liz expressed that," Jason said. "She knew when to be serious and probably picked up on Julian's disposition. Now, look at her. She has her whole team out, and she's smiling."

"Is she holding back tears?" Amanda observed.

"Let's not point that out," Bran chuckled.

"Perhaps she still has a chink in her armor," Kristine said. "Let those tears out, girl."


"That couldn't have been more than five minutes," Julian faced the ground. "Just like that, and taken down so quickly. No. This is not my team's fault. It's mine."

He mustered the emotional strength to lift his head. Liz was celebrating with her team. Yenela was coming out from her side of the tunnel to interview her.

"Congrats, Liz," Julian wiped away a tear. "You're nuts. But I'll use this battle to move forward."

"Liz, I was told you broke the record of the quickest victory in the final round in the history of the Junior Circuit," Yenela spoke, with Liz's team surrounding them. "How do you feel about that?"

"Pretty freaking great!" Liz laughed. "This is effort paying off."

"Tell us what you were thinking towards the end."

"Come on over, Mankey," Liz waved her pokemon over.

Mankey came up to Liz's knee. Liz patted him on the head. "I didn't force Mankey to take a big hit. But we practiced for it. We were ready. You come at us, and we'll come back at you harder. That's been our style. That's how we won."

"I'm pretty sure everyone will be nervous about facing you from now on. You going to compete in the Inventum Cup next year?"

"Yenela, I'm just not going to compete in it," Liz smirked. She walked away from Yenela, her pokemon clearing the way. She ran up to the nearest wall, jumping high enough to scale it by herself. With dozens of younger fans about to swarm her, Liz stood on the ledge of the wall, raising her clenched right fist in the air. Facing the crowd, she screamed with absolute confidence, "I'M GOING TO WIN IT!"


Skyler stood straight up, fist in the air, following Liz's lead.

"You go, Liz!" she yelled.

Suddenly, Bradley walked into the lounge, tablet in hand.

"So what's going on?" he chuckled.

"Uh," Skyler sat back down, her face beaming red out of embarrassment. "Liz won the Junior Circuit."

"Liz, huh?" Bradley looked at the television screen. "I would have put my money on Kristine to win it all."

"Liz and Kristine battled yesterday," Skyler added. "That was super close. Judging this battle, yesterday's one was probably the real finals."

"Julian," Bradley muttered. "He had to rechallenge Aria."

"But Brad," Skyler shot back up and faced him. "You should have seen Liz! She was unstoppable!"

"Oh, I wouldn't doubt it," Bradley sat down on the sofa next to Skyler. He gazed through his tablet. "And here are the notifications. Liz breaks records, iconic fist in the air, yeah, she's famous now."

"Every trainer should be more like Liz," Skyler stated.

Bradley snickered. "Wouldn't that be something?"


After Liz celebrated and recalled her pokemon, she noticed Julian standing at the center. She approached him.

"Congrats, Liz," Julian spoke humbly. "You deserve it."

"You made it this far," Liz put her hands on Julian's shoulders. "Be proud."

"I thought you'd be disappointed, considering you wanted a challenge," Julian laughed.

Liz glanced over to Kristine, who waved at her while leaning over the wall. "I bit a little more than I could chew."

"So you went back to your room and found out the perfect strategy against my team?"

"Something like that."

"Well then," Julian put his hands on Liz's shoulders. "Keep kicking butt. But I'm gonna continue working out there."

"Yeah. Same here."

"Oh, great. You're only going to get stronger, aren't you?"

"That's the plan," Liz stepped away. "Try to catch up, yeah?"

"Uh," Julian seemed nervous.

"Believe in yourself," Liz sternly spoke.

"We'll beat you next time!" Julian replied with confidence.

"That's the spirit."


The sun began to set over Canon Carmesi. While Liz was busy with many guests inside the main lobby, all other trainers could disperse and head back to their rooms. Jason realized he had one last chance to use the lazy river. Hoping it wasn't closed just yet, he changed into just a pair of swimming trunks inside his bedroom. He soon ran out of his bedroom, passing by Kristine in the living area.

"See you in a bit!" he quickly spoke, opening the front door.

Kristine, leaning over the kitchen counter overlooking the living area, waved. "Good luck, bro."

Jason darted across the common grounds towards one of the loading zones of the lazy river. The night sky began to take hold, diminishing Jason's hopes of using the river.

"Hey there," a female lifeguard began corralling tubes as guests started to depart the river. "We just closed. I'm so sorry."

"Oh man," Jason tried catching his breath. "Never got a chance to go on it."

"Hey, you're Jason Kyar, aren't you?" the lifeguard recalled. "My little brother wouldn't stop talking about you and Lucario. He's eleven, you know."

"Does he want to be a trainer?" Jason asked.

The lifeguard nodded. "He always wanted to be one. Less than a year, and he'll be out on his adventure."

A moment of silence ensued. At last, the lifeguard spoke up. "Hey, Jason?"

"Yeah?" Jason perked up.

The lifeguard tossed a tube into the water. "Go ahead."

"You sure?"

The lifeguard chuckled. "Yes. Go for it."

"Sweet, thanks a bunch!" Jason hopped right on the tube, floating peacefully down the river.

Jason enjoyed a much-needed moment of serenity. He knew he and Kristine would be back in the routine the next day, improving themselves as trainers and taking on more Gym Leaders. The next destination was Lake Sol, another location on Jason's list of must-see sites. Jason knew he had to approach the journey one step at a time. Basking in at least an hour of peace and quietness was a significant step in continuing the journey, he thought.