Let's see, when was the last time this was updated? August of last year...holy crap, I'm getting bad at this. I'm so sorry for the long delay! I hope this chapter was worth the wait!

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Reggie took his place, standing on the opposite end from his brother. Paul Sr. stood in the middle of the makeshift battlefield and raised his arms up. "This shall be a four-on-four Pokémon battle!" he proclaimed. "It will be between my two sons: Reggie and Paul! They will be fighting for the lives of two captured maidens! If Paul wins, Dawn shall be freed, but his mother will perish to the sea below! However if Reggie wins, then Regina shall be safe but Dawn is the one who will be taken to a watery grave."

Regina and Dawn still couldn't believe the stipulations that we're in place for the battle. Their lives were at stake and it seemed like Reggie could care less what happens. This shocked them greatly.

Paul Sr. turned to Reggie. "Are you ready, son?" he asked. Reggie nodded his head. He had a cold look in his eyes. Paul Sr. turned to his other son. "How about you, Paul?" he asked. Paul just stood there, unable to speak. He was still trying to fully comprehend everything taking place. "I'll take your silence as a yes!"

He then raised his right arm in the air, an evil grin on his face. "I'm going to enjoy watching this," he thought. "Let the battle...begin!"

"Wait!" Paul shouted.

"Oh, what is it?!" Paul Sr. asked, angrily.

"I-I still don't understand," Paul said. "Reggie, why are you doing this? Why are you are on his side?!"

Reggie only glared at his younger brother. "You wouldn't understand," he said. "It's just personal things between me and him."

"What do you mean personal things?" asked Paul, confused.

"Reggie, please! Stop this!" Regina pleaded from her aerial prison. "I don't know what's going on between you and your father, but I can tell you that sacrificing my life or Dawn's isn't worth it."

"Ignore her Reggie," ordered Paul Sr. "She's trying to hold you back like she did with me. This is for this family's own good. Now hurry and start this battle now!"

Reggie looked at his father and nodded his head. "Alright, I'll start!" Reggie shouted. "Go, Staraptor!"

Reggie threw his Poké Ball out into the field and Staraptor appeared, ready to battle. Paul Sr. grinned as Staraptor spread its wings out. "Interesting," he said. "Say Reggie, that Staraptor wouldn't happen to have evolved from that Starly you caught many years ago, would it?"

"As a matter of fact, it is," answered Reggie. "Staraptor is the only reminder of the only memory I have of you and me spending time together. I've kept him on my team and trained him so that one day I can face you again and defeat you in a battle."

"Well, I feel flattered that you kept him," replied Paul Sr. "Let's see how he holds up now."

Reggie turned back to his younger brother. "Enough stalling!" shouted Reggie. "Now, I've already sent out my first Pokémon! Now either you send out your Pokémon or you can just forfeit. The choice is yours."

Paul looked up at his mother, who was precariously dangling over the edge at a height that would undeniably kill her. He then looked back Dawn, who was in the same situation in his mother was in. No matter what he could do, at least one of them would die. Paul took a deep breath and reluctantly took out a Poké Ball. "I'm sorry mom...and Dawn," he sighed. "I don't have a choice."

He then threw the Poké Ball into the air. "Luxray, stand by!" he shouted.

There was a bright red light and Luxray appeared on the field. He dug his claws into the ground, ready to battle. Regina and Dawn only sighed. "So, this is really going to happen?" Regina asked, sadly.

Dawn could see the sadness on Regina's face. "Cheer up Regina," thought Dawn. "Surely, Paul has a plan to rescue us both. At least, I hope he does."

Reggie scoffed. "As if I didn't expect you to send him out onto the field first. You are so predictable."

Staraptor and Luxray stared each other down. Staraptor narrowed its eyes, glaring at his furry opponent. Meanwhile, Luxray bared his fangs at Staraptor. Sparks flew off his sharp teeth as electricity circulated through his fangs and body.

"Alright! Round One: Staraptor vs. Luxray...and BEGIN!" shouted Paul Sr.

"Staraptor, use Steel Wing!" ordered Reggie.

Staraptor quickly took flight and flew towards Luxray. His wings began to glow white, brimming with power. "Luxray, counter with Charge Beam!" Paul shouted.

Luxray quickly fired a long beam of electricity at Staraptor. Staraptor remained in place, unfazed by the impeding attack. "Staraptor, dodge it with Agility!" Reggie shouted.

Right before the Charge Beam made contact, Staraptor briefly disappeared from sight and quickly reappeared, completely avoiding the strong electric attack. He lunged at Luxray, this time faster than ever! His glowing right wing struck Luxray across the face. Paul gasped as Luxray flew back towards him. Luxray landed just only a few inches away from his feet. "That Staraptor has grown stronger since last time I saw it," thought Paul.

"Excellent maneuver, Staraptor!" cheered Paul Sr. "You have trained it well, Reggie!"

"Hey, you're the referee! You're not supposed to pick sides!" scolded Paul.

Luxray shook his head and quickly recovered from the Steel Wing attack. Reggie saw this and knew that he had to react quickly. "Staraptor, use Steel Wing again!" he shouted.

Staraptor quickly flew back around with bright, glowing wings, ready to strike again. "Come on Luxray! Fight back with Iron Tail!" Paul shouted. As Staraptor closed in on Luxray, Luxray's tail began to glow. Right when Staraptor was about to strike, Luxray lunged his tail forward and blocked Staraptor's Steel Wing! The two attacks canceled each other out and Staraptor stumbled back away from Luxray. "This is your chance! Now use Charge Beam!" Paul shouted.

Luxray then crouched down and fired another Charge Beam at Staraptor. "Dodge it Staraptor!" Reggie shouted.

Staraptor quickly soared towards the sky high above, dodging the attack.

As the battle went on, Dawn and Regina remained helpless up high above the ocean, dangling over the sharp rocks down below. All they could do was watch the battle and await the end.

Suddenly, Staraptor flew in close near Dawn. Dawn then had an idea. "Something may be wrong with Reggie, but maybe his Pokémon can help us!" she thought.

"Staraptor, quick! Help us!" shouted Dawn.

"Yes! That's right!" agreed Regina. "You can help us out of this situation! Just use Steel Wing to cut us down!"

"Ignore them, Staraptor!" commanded Reggie. "Focus on the battle!"

Staraptor only glared at the two. From that glare, both Regina and Dawn could tell that Staraptor was in no helping mood. Regina figured that whatever made Reggie act the way he's acting now has also affected Staraptor, and perhaps his other Pokémon as well. Any hopes of both girls being saved by one of the Pokémon have vanished.

"Use Brave Bird!" Reggie shouted. Staraptor then began to quickly dive back down towards Luxray. "Luxray, Thunder now!" shouted Paul. Luxray then unleashed all of its power into one single lightening bolt. The electricity crackled through the sky towards a now bright-blue glowing Staraptor. "Staraptor, dodge it with Agility!" Reggie shouted.

Staraptor, still glowing with power, quickly evaded the Thunder attack by suddenly disappearing from sight and reappearing only seconds later. "Keep at it, Luxray!" Paul shouted. Luxray desperately fired more lightening bolts at the large bird, but Reggie's Staraptor continued to dodge every bolt of lightening with great speed. He was just too quick for him to hit. Staraptor then tackled Luxray head-on, sending him tumbling back towards his trainer. Paul only gritted his teeth as Staraptor flew back to his side of the field.

"Come on Paul," taunted Reggie. "I thought Luxray was the ace of your team."

"Yes Paul," agreed Paul Sr. "Is this really the best your Pokémon can do? How is it that you have devoted the most time to strengthening your Pokémon but Reggie is outdoing you in every way possible? Clearly I made a huge mistake in thinking you were the superior son."

Paul only let out a frustrated growl.

Back on the field, Luxray slowly picked himself up off the ground. He breathed heavily. He became exhausted after firing many lightning bolts. "I thought you would have learned by now, Paul," Reggie continued taunting. "There's more to a battle than just having a type-advantage over your opponent."

Reggie then took note of the tired Luxray on the field. "And thanks to your carelessness, your Luxray is already exhausted," he added.

Reggie then looked up and saw Dawn hanging on top of the cliff, watching the battle unfold before them. He then remembered the stipulation for the battle. "Oh I see now," he smirked. "I guess mom is the one you want to save. I guess you don't love Dawn as much as you thought you did."

"What?! That's not true!" denied Paul. "I love both her and my mother!"

"Well, you can't save both of them," reminded Reggie.

"Reggie, how can you be okay with this?" Paul asked, angrily. "Don't you love mom?"

"Of course I do," replied Reggie. "That's why I want to win this battle! So I can save her!"

"But what about Dawn?" Paul asked. "I thought you like her too?"

Reggie looked up at Dawn, staring at her with a cold glare. "If anything Reggie's doing you a favor by getting rid of her," answered Paul Sr. "All that girl has done is make you weaker than you were before. If I were you, I'd focus more on the battle than those two. I mean, it doesn't matter either way if you win or lose."

"I wasn't asking for your opinion!" snapped Paul.

"Enough!" Reggie shouted. Reggie then held up Staraptor's Poké Ball. "Staraptor, return!"

Staraptor then retreated into his Poké Ball, much to everyone's confusion. "Huh? Reggie's switching Pokémon?" Dawn asked, confused.

"What are you doing?!" Paul Sr. asked, sternly. "Staraptor was making short work of Luxray!"

"He was only softening him up," replied Reggie. "I have another Pokémon in mind that I want to use to finish off Luxray!"

Reggie reached for another Poké Ball. He then threw it into the air. "Electabuzz, go!" he shouted. Electabuzz popped out from his Poké Ball and appeared back onto the field, ready for battle.

Once Electabuzz appeared on the field, Paul noticed something right away. "Wait a minute, isn't that my Electabuzz?" he asked. "The one I sent to you when I caught Luxio? What are you doing with him?!"

"You told me to take care of him why you were away," reminded Reggie. "I've been keeping him in shape. I even taught him some new moves."

Paul looked up at his Electabuzz and noticed how menacing he looked. He gave a nasty glare to Paul's Luxray, who was still trying to regain focus. Electabuzz grinded his teeth and clenched his fist in anger. "As you can see, little brother, your Electabuzz isn't happy about being replaced by Luxray," continued Reggie. "He's wanted to show Luxray a thing or two for quite a while."

"Well then, we better not put it off any longer," said Paul Sr. "Round Two: Electabuzz vs. Luxray...BEGIN!"

"Electabuzz, show no mercy with Brick Break!" shouted Reggie.

Electabuzz's right forearm began to glow brightly and he lunged towards Luxray. "Dodge, it Luxray!" ordered Paul.

Luxray quickly jumped to the side and avoided Electabuzz's Brick Break attack. "Quick Luxray, use Iron Tail!" Luxray's tail quickly turned to iron and Luxray swung it towards Electabuzz. "Show him your strength power Electabuzz! Use ThunderPunch!"

Electabuzz raised his right forearm and blocked Luxray's Iron Tail. He then quickly harnessed all the electric energy in his body into his left fist. He then punched Luxray right in the face. The burst of electricity from his left arm lit up the entire battlefield. Everybody quickly turned away to shield their eyes from the intense brightness of the attack. It was if a flash grenade went off in the center of the battlefield.

Luxray violently tumbled back towards Paul's side of the field. When Paul's eyes managed to recover, he saw Luxray lying still on the battlefield. "Oh no, Luxray!" Paul shouted, worriedly. "Luxray, are you alright?!" Luxray moaned as the electric charge from Electabuzz's ThunderPunch coursed through his body, paralyzing him. "Come on Luxray! Get up!"

"That ThunderPunch attack was incredible!" commented Regina. "I bet that electricity could power an entire city for weeks!"

Paul anxiously watched as his Luxray tried his hardest to regain feeling in his body. But he could only lift his head up a few inches off the ground before becoming unconscious. Regina and Dawn gasped. Luxray could battle no more.

Paul Sr. raised his hand in the air. "Luxray is unable to battle! The winner of this round: Electabuzz!" he announced.

He turned his attention to Reggie and his Electabuzz. Electabuzz grinned as he stared down the defeated Luxray. Paul slumped onto his knees. "Talk about irony," commented Paul Sr. "You took a Pokémon that Paul threw away and turned it into something powerful! And it managed to easily defeat his replacement! I'm impressed Reggie."

Regina and Dawn felt sorry for Paul. They could see him slumped over his Luxray, visibly shaken. It had been a while since Paul's Luxray had lost a battle. "Come on Paul!" cheered Regina. "Don't give up yet! I know you can do it!"

"Quiet you!" snapped Paul Sr. "Oh! Actually, that reminds me..."

He held up the remote and pressed a button. Suddenly, Dawn began falling towards the sea. Dawn screamed as he fell faster and faster. "Dawn!" Paul and Regina shouted. Dawn fell for about 20 feet before Paul Sr. pressed another button and stopped her rapid descent. Dawn's head snapped forward. "Oowww," groaned Dawn, as she felt a sharp pain in her ribs and neck from the whiplash.

"Dawn, are you alright?" Regina asked, worriedly.

"I'm okay..." Dawn replied, meekly.

Paul glared at his father. "What did you do that for?!" he asked, angrily.

"I thought I would do that to remind you of why exactly you want to win the battle...that is if you really care about her," answered Paul Sr.

Paul looked back down to his unconscious Luxray. He clenched his fists angrily as he tried to control himself. "What are you going to do now?" taunted Reggie. "Are you going to cry?"

"Shut up," growled Paul, as he retreated Luxray back into his Poké Ball.

"Go ahead! Cry! Get angry! Act like a little baby!" jeered Reggie. "That's all you can do! That's all you could do!"

"I said shut up!" shouted Paul.

"Remember when dad first left us? You just mopped around, crying and waiting for something to happen. It was me who had to lift this family back up. You're weak Paul! You've always have been! You've got to be one of the most pathetic people I have ever met!"

"That's enough, Reggie!" Regina shouted.

Everyone turned towards Regina. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but that is no way to speak to your younger brother!" scolded Regina.

Reggie turned back to his younger brother, who was still staring at the ground, trying hard not to lose his temper. "Look at you, so emotionally frustrated," taunted Reggie. "Is it any wonder what dad thinks you're a failure?"

"Enough!" snapped Paul.

Paul then got back onto his feet. "You really think that just because you managed to defeat me using one of MY Pokémon to do so, that gives you the right to talk down to me?" he asked, angrily. "We'll, it doesn't. The fact of the matter is this: unlike you, I never quit. Sure, I have had my fair share of losses and screw-ups, but I never give up. The only people who think that giving up is an option are the ones who are weak!"

"And if there's anyone who's weak, it's you! Once you lost your battle against Brandon at the Battle Pyramid, you just gave up being a trainer. You quit all because you lost one too many times. You couldn't even beat me with your own Pokémon! Instead, you had to use mine. Just goes to show you how much you care about your own Pokémon! In reality, you're the one who is weak!"

Dawn and Regina looked over and couldn't help but smile at Paul's determination. "Come on Paul, don't let Reggie get to you," thought Dawn. "I know you can beat him. Oh...but if you do win the battle, then Regina..."

Dawn then looked across towards a hanging Regina, who was having similar thoughts. "I just don't know what to do," thought Regina. "I mean, normally I wouldn't care who won the battle. And Paul's definitely getting into it, but...with the way things are. I mean, it would be nice if Reggie won and I was spared, but at the cost of Dawn's life?"

Paul Sr. noticed the two damsels silently pondering to themselves and smiled. "Funny, you two don't seem to be in a talkative mood," he joked. "Good. That's the way I like it. Now hurry up and send out your next Pokémon, Paul!"

Paul grabbed another Poke Ball. "Electabuzz may be a powerful Pokémon, but you think he's unstoppable just because you used him to take out one of my Pokémon? Oh please...I have a team of Pokémon that can easily wipe the floor with him!"

Paul threw the Poké Ball up into the air. "Torterra, stand by!" he shouted.

The Poké Ball popped and out came a Pokémon. But it wasn't the Pokémon Paul wanted! Instead of his prized Torterra, out on the field was a Prinplup. "Huh?!" Paul asked, confused.

"Funny, that's not what Torterra usually looks like," joked Paul Sr.

"Hold on a minute! I'm sure I grabbed Torterra's Poké Ball," said Paul.

"Huh, I didn't know Paul had a Prinplup," said Regina.

While Paul dug through his pockets, going through his Poké Balls, Dawn noticed something about the Prinplup. "Hey, wait a minute! That's my Prinplup!" shouted Dawn (A/N: I evolved Dawn's Piplup in my story).

"What?!" gasped Paul. "How did I get stuck with your Prinplup?"

Everybody turned towards Paul Sr. who was nonchalantly scratching the back of his neck. "Oh well, while you were all unconscious," he began, "I may have switched out some of your Pokémon with Dawn's."

"You what?!" growled Paul.

"A bit ironic, since you just criticized Reggie for using Pokémon other than his own," added Paul Sr.

Prinplup looked all around her, confused as to what was going on. She looked up and saw her trainer, Dawn, hanging off the side of a cliff. She immediately became worried for her trainer. Prinplup then looked up and saw Electabuzz glaring at her and smiling very wickedly. Some sparks flew from his antennae and he cracked his knuckles. Prinplup felt intimidated.

"Don't worry Prinplup!" cheered Dawn. "Electabuzz may seem scary, but you can beat him! I know you can!"

Paul Sr. and Reggie snickered. Dawn ignored them and turned towards Paul. Before she could open her mouth, Paul Sr. knew exactly what she was going to say. "Dawn, I'd stop if I were you," he said. He then held up his remote. "You try to help little Paul, I'll make sure you'll feel whiplash until next week."

"Hey, that's not fair!" argued Regina. "If you're going to switch my son's Pokémon..."

"Oh I'm sure he'll be alright," butted in Reggie. "If he really loves Dawn as much as he says he does, then he'll have no problems defeating me with her Pokémon."

"Alright enough stalling, Round Three: Electabuzz vs. Prinplup...BEGIN!" Paul Sr. announced.

"Electabuzz, charge and use ThunderPunch!" shouted Reggie.

"Oh no, not again!" thought Paul.

Electabuzz quickly lunged at Prinplup while rearing his right fist back. Prinplup quickly jumped out of the way, causing Electabuzz to ThunderPunch the ground. "Don't stop! Keep at it, Electabuzz!" commanded Reggie.

"Prinplup, keep dodging it!" ordered Paul.

Prinplup continued jumping around on the battlefield, trying her hardest to avoid Electabuzz's ThunderPunch. Meanwhile, Paul was struggling to figure out what moves Prinplup knew how to do. "Well, it's a water-type Pokémon, so it has to know this move," he thought.

"Okay Prinplup, give it all you got!" he shouted. "Use...Water Gun!"

Prinplup stopped and looked at Paul bewildered. Prinplup then turned back to Electabuzz and quickly fired a beam of ice energy at Electabuzz. "Uh...y-yeah, that's right!" stammered Paul. "Use Ice Beam Prinplup! That works too!"

"How pathetic," laughed Reggie. "Use Protect, Electabuzz!"

Electabuzz held his arms up across his face and a green glowing barrier appeared all around him, blocking out the Ice Beam attack. "Now, use Brick Break!"

Electabuzz's right forearm began to glow. He lunged towards Prinplup and punched her square in the face! "Prinplup!" cried Dawn.

Paul watched as Prinplup tried to recover from Brick Break. "This isn't good," he thought. "I don't know anything about Prinplup! I don't even know what other moves it can use! Not to mention, she's a Water-type Pokémon going up against a powerful Electric-type Pokémon. If ThunderPunch managed to knock out Luxray with one swing, then I doubt Prinplup will do any better. My chances of winning aren't good."

Paul then looked back up at Dawn and Regina. They were both worried about the outcome of the battle. Seeing Dawn and his mother literally clinging onto their lives made Paul all the more determined to try harder. "Okay, think Paul," he thought. "What moves would a Prinplup know beside Ice Beam?"

Paul tried hard to think of another move. Reggie, however, refused to give him the opportunity. "Electabuzz, finish Prinplup off with another Brick Break!" he shouted. Electabuzz reacted quickly and charged at Prinplup!

Paul then suddenly had a thought. "Okay, it's a Prinplup, so that means it has to know this move," he thought. He focused back onto the battlefield. "Prinplup, dodge and use Metal Claw now!" he called out.

Prinplup jumped, narrowly avoiding another Brick Break to the face! Prinplup's flipper began to glow brightly. Before she could strike, Electabuzz tried to counter with another Brick Break. But Prinplup used her Metal Claw to block Electabuzz's Brick Break attack. Prinplup and Electabuzz fought with everything they had to overpower the other. The two glared at each other as they pushed each other back and forth in a test of strength. Finally, Prinplup managed to gain the upper hand as Electabuzz began sliding back. Reggie saw this and knew he had to act quickly. "Electabuzz, use ThunderPunch!"

"Prinplup, stand back and use Ice Beam!"

Electabuzz quickly gathered electric energy into his forearm and quickly reared his arm back. Prinplup quickly jumped back, narrowly missing the ThunderPunch attack. Prinplup followed up by firing a massive Ice Beam attack at Electabuzz. Electabuzz was hit by the Ice Beam and he stumbled back. "Quick, while he's disoriented, use Metal Claw!" ordered Paul.

Prinplup's flipper began to glow again. She charged at the dazed Electabuzz and struck him across the face with a sharp Metal Claw attack, managing to know him off his feet!

"Alright, Prinplup!" cheered Dawn.

"I wouldn't be too excited if I were you!" sneered Reggie.

Prinplup stood on the field with her arms proudly on her waist. But suddenly, Prinplup fell to the ground as her body suddenly became numb. "Prinplup, what's wrong?" Paul asked.

Prinplup didn't reply, but Paul could see a fair bit of electricity radiating from her body. "No, she's been paralyzed!" grunted Paul.

"Don't tell me you forgot about Electabuzz's ability Static?" Reggie asked. "If Electabuzz is hit by a physical attack, then whoever attacked him will become paralyzed."

"Oh no!" worried Dawn. Paul only grunted, frustrated.

Electabuzz got back onto his feet and smirked at the paralyzed Prinplup. Prinplup struggled to overcome the paralysis in her body. "Come on Prinplup, pull it together!" Paul shouted.

"It's no use. Regardless of what happens, Prinplup won't last much longer," boasted Reggie. "In fact...Electabuzz, finish off Prinplup with Giga Impact!"

Electabuzz's body was surrounded by a yellowish-orange energy, which was then followed by a purple energy sphere. The two energies swirled around one another as Electabuzz charged at Prinplup. "Use Ice Beam, Prinplup!" shouted Paul.

Prinplup fought through the paralysis and launched another Ice Beam at Electabuzz. But Electabuzz's energies easily cancelled the attack out. Electabuzz tackled Prinplup head-on with an enormously powerful headbutt! The attack was so powerful, it sent her flying. "No!" cried Paul. Prinplup landed face-first on the ground, battered and beaten. "Come on, Prinplup! Shake it off and get up!"

Prinplup remained unconscious on the field, not responding to any of Paul's commands. Electabuzz stood on the other side of the field, panting heavily after exerting all of his strength into his Giga Impact attack. Everyone watched the field, hoping for any signs of life from Prinplup, but she didn't make a sound. "No...Prinplup," worried Dawn.

"How pathetic," sneered Reggie. He turned towards Paul Sr. "Dad, call it."

Paul Sr. nodded his head. But just as he was about to raise his hand and call the round in favor of Electabuzz, everyone heard Prinplup stirring. Slowly, Prinplup picked herself up off the ground. Her body may have been numbed and beaten, but she refused to stay down. Reggie and Paul Sr. were both surprised by her determination. Paul, admittedly, had no idea that Dawn's Pokémon could be so resilient.

At last, Prinplup managed to stand back up on her feet. Paul smiled as Prinplup looked back up at a captive Dawn. "I have to hand it to you Prinplup," he said, "I never thought you could survive an attack like that."

"Well I can guarantee that she won't last a second time!" interrupted Reggie. "Electabuzz, use Giga Impact again!"

Electabuzz quickly began to charge up another energy shield for Giga Impact. Paul knew he had to act fast. He knew that Ice Beam and Metal Claw wouldn't power through. "Come on Paul, think!" he said to himself. "There have to have been a time when you saw Dawn battle with Prinplup."

He then suddenly remembered. "Wait! The contest battle with Fantina! She used Prinplup in that battle! And I was in the stands watching."

He turned back to the battle. "Prinplup, dodge and use Whirlpool!"

Prinplup, with much difficulty, managed to evade another Giga Impact from Electabuzz. She jumped high into the air and then began spinning round and round, head held towards the sky forming a vicious, spiraling Whirlpool from her beak. The radius of the Whirlpool was enough to cover one side of the battle field. Then she threw it towards Electabuzz, like throwing a Frisbee made of water! "Hurry! Use Protect!" ordered Reggie.

Electabuzz quickly put his arms up, creating a barrier that shielded him from Prinplup's Whirlpool. As soon as the Whirlpool dissipated, Electabuzz lowered his guard and dropped the barrier. "Use ThunderPunch!" shouted Reggie.

"Now Prinplup, stop him with Ice Beam!" shouted Paul.

While Electabuzz charged at Prinplup with an electrified fist, Prinplup attempted to fire an Ice Beam towards him, but the paralysis initially stopped her. Nonetheless, once Electabuzz was about to strike, she managed to fire off an Ice Beam and succeeded in freezing his fist into a block of ice before he could make contact. Electabuzz stopped dead in his tracks. "Yes!" cheered Dawn.

"Now use Metal Claw!"

Prinplup's flipper began to glow. Prinplup was about to strike Electabuzz with a Metal Claw, but the paralysis took hold again, numbing her body and stopping her attack. "Oh no! Prinplup!" worried Dawn.

"This is your chance, Electabuzz! Use Brick Break!"

Electabuzz raised his frozen forearm high into the air and delivered a hellish uppercut to Prinplup, sending her tumbling towards the center of the field. The impact was powerful enough to break the ice surrounding his arm.

Prinplup landed on her back with the wind knocked out of her. "Get up, Prinplup! Come on!" Paul cheered. Prinplup struggled to get back up. The paralysis was getting worse with every second and she had taken too much physical abuse from her Electric opponent. It was clear to everyone that she wouldn't last much longer. "I think it's time to end this battle!" roared Reggie. "Electabuzz...Giga Impact!"

Electabuzz squatted down and began to harass all of his strength and power. Two energies began swirling around his body once more and sparks began to shoot off from his body. Paul watched anxiously as Prinplup battled to overcome the paralysis and retaliate in some way. "Come on Prinplup! Move!" he thought. But Prinplup just couldn't take it any more.

Electabuzz then ferociously took off towards Prinplup. It looked like a giant volt of electricity was headed straight for Prinplup, howling and growling along the way! Dawn's heart was pounding as she watched everything unfold. Finally, she couldn't stand it any longer! "Prinplup, use Bide now!" Dawn shouted at the top of her voice.

"I said no helping!" scolded Paul Sr.

Nevertheless, Prinplup heard her trainer's command and she began to glow. It was then that Electabuzz nailed Prinplup with Giga Impact. Prinplup was knocked back, but she continued to endure the attack and absorb the impact. Paralyzed and battered, Prinplup held on and remained conscious for as long as she could.

Then, running on pure adrenaline, Prinplup landed on her feet and immediately fired back with a strong, bright beam of light, aimed directly at Electabuzz. "Use Protect, Electabuzz!" ordered Reggie.

But Electabuzz was too tired to put up another Protect barrier. He was exhausted from using Giga Impact. He was struck by the beam of light from Prinplup. The impact of Prinplup's counterattack created a huge cloud of smoke, which covered the whole battlefield. Everyone covered their eyes to protect them from the sand that had been kicked up from the ground.

Moments later, the smoke began to slowly clear up. Everyone anxiously awaited to see the results of the last attack. "Impossible! Did Prinplup manage to defeat Electabuzz?" thought Regina.

"There's no way a Pokémon like Prinplup could win this battle!" thought Paul Sr.

Finally, the smoke cleared and on the battlefield laid two Pokémon, both knocked unconscious and unable to continue with the battle. Paul Sr. raised his arms. "Neither Pokémon are able to continue battling," announced Paul Sr. "This round is a draw!"

Reggie growled. He was not happy by the defeat of his Electabuzz. Paul, on the other hand, had a newfound respect for Dawn's Prinplup, even if it didn't technically win the battle. The two of them retreated their Pokémon back into their Poké Balls. "Well, seeing as how both of you lost that round..." mentioned Paul Sr.

He pressed a button on his remote...and both Regina and Dawn began hurling towards the sharp rocks below them. "Mom! Dawn!" cried Paul. The two of them fell about 20 feet before Paul Sr. suddenly stopped them in mid-air. Both Dawn and Regina received their fair share of whiplash and groaned. "Mom! Dawn! Are you already?!" Paul asked, worriedly.

"Oh actually..." mumbled Paul Sr. He pressed the button again, causing Dawn to fall again. "What are you doing?!" Paul asked, angrily.

Right before Dawn hit the rocks, Paul Sr. pressed the button again and stopped her falling, twenty feet above the rocks. After all of that, Dawn felt excruciating pain from the whiplash. She was then slowly lifted back up to about 150 feet off the ground. "What did I tell you about helping him?" scolded Paul Sr. "I warned you!"

"It serves her right," sneered Reggie.

Dawn moaned in agony. She felt an intense burning sensation throughout her body, no doubt caused by the friction from the rope holding up. "Paul may have gotten lucky with your Prinplup," Reggie told Dawn, "but he's still down one more Pokémon than me."

"That proves nothing," wheezed Dawn. "Paul will win this! You'll see!"

"And what if he does win?" asked Paul Sr. "Will you be happy seeing Regina fall to her death?"

"W-Well...n-no," stammered Dawn.

"Why are you suddenly rooting for Paul now?" Reggie asked.

"Because...I...I hate to see him lose," answered Dawn.

"Of course, because if he loses, you die," replied Reggie. "You rather see mom be killed instead of you."

"I never said that!" snapped Dawn.

"You don't need to," rebutted Reggie. "I've always taken you for secretly being a stupid, selfish girl and that just proves it! It's no wonder Paul fell in love with you. You both are horrible people."

"Shut up!" Dawn shouted, angrily. "I don't want to see Regina be killed anymore than she wants to see me be killed! I really do like Regina and I think she's a sweet and caring lady! And it makes me sad that you're putting her through this!"

"Yeah right, you're only saying that just to make yourself look good. If you really cared about her, you wouldn't have made it clear whose side you're on. I give mom credit for staying quiet and remaining neutral. Well I assume she is, anyway."

Everyone looked up at Regina, who was still reeling from the whiplash. She heard everything that was just said by Dawn and Reggie. "I...I just wish I could wake up and have this all go away," she whimpered.

"Don't worry mom," Reggie replied. "I'll win this battle and everything will be back to normal."

"Are you serious?!" snapped Paul. "How is everything going to normal again with him?!"

"You don't get it, do you little brother?" asked Reggie.

"Get what? What's there to get?"

Reggie then stared at the ground, as he began to reminisce back to when he was a kid, the time before Paul was born. "You don't know this, but there was a time when dad and I were really close and he and mom were happy to be married. We were a happy family. When I was little, me and dad would always spend time together. He would teach me all about Pokémon and battling. I remember when I caught my first Pokémon, using his Totodile. It still remains one of the happiest moments of my life."

Paul Sr. grinned, while Paul continued to listen. "After catching Starly, I wanted to be strong and win a lot of Pokémon battles, so that dad could be proud of me. He always pushed me to be the best. But back then, I couldn't live up to what he wanted. I failed him time and time again. But I didn't want to give up. I knew that if I continued to train harder and harder, I would have shown him what I was made of."

Reggie then looked up from the ground and glared right into his eyes. "And then you came along and ruined everything," he growled.

"Me? What did I do?" Paul asked, confused.

"Once you arrived, mom and dad focused all of their attention on you! Dad didn't pay any attention to me...well except to berate me, all because of you! You took away my chance to prove myself to him. You continued to drive him away! It was because of you that dad lost hope in both of us and eventually left us!"

Regina and Dawn watched as they saw Reggie clenching his fist, almost on the verge of breaking down. "When dad left the family, and you and mom spent your days sulking and crying your eyes out, I knew that I had to step up and keep everyone together. During that time, I tried to put aside my feelings towards you, if not for the family's sake, but deep down..."

Reggie then glared at Paul. This particular glare was something had never seen from his brother. It almost frightened him. "I've always hated you, Paul!" he shouted. "I never forgave you for driving our dad away! That's why I want to win this battle...I want you to suffer! I want you to pay for all of those years of pain that you caused me and mom! I want you to know the pain we both felt...by taking away a person you hold dear."

Dawn and Regina were shocked to hear all of this coming from Reggie. With the way that he was always smiling, they never knew that he held these grudges. Paul Sr. looked towards his son, Reggie. "Reggie," he began, "I never realized what a fool I was giving up on you. If this battle is any indication, you would have become stronger before my very eyes had I not left the family."

"It's alright dad," replied Reggie. "Once this is over, we can work even harder."

"Oh come on, you really cannot being buy all the crap dad's been telling you!" Paul said, finally.

Reggie suddenly turned back to his little brother. "Seriously, take a good look at him Reggie," said Paul. "I have a hard time believing that you winning this battle will suddenly change everything between you and him."

"Of course you would think that, seeing as how you're no longer his favorite," explained Reggie.

"I was never his favorite!" argued Paul.

"What about back in the Sunmoon Islands?" Reggie asked.

"What about the Sunmoon Islands?" replied Paul.

"Don't play dumb with me! Back at the Sunmoon Islands, dad asked you to stand beside him in Team Galactic!"

"Right," agreed Paul Sr. "Apparently, that was a big mistake. Reggie was clearly the superior choice in that matter."

"For once, dad is acknowledging me and the strength of my Pokémon!"

"Even though Electabuzz isn't your Pokémon, it's mine," reminded Paul. "Sure, I sent him to you to take care of him, but it still stands, you used my Pokémon to defeat me."

Paul then realized something. "You know, maybe that's why you retreated Staraptor," he said. "Because you know you can't beat me with your own Pokémon! Your own Pokémon failed you when you went up against Brandon at the Battle Pyramid. Maybe, deep down you know how pathetic and weak you are!"

"What did you say to me?!" Reggie asked, angrily.

"Oh what's wrong? You can talk down to me no problem, but suddenly you don't like it when I talk down to you? I guess it just shows that you really are weak. You tell me I'm the one who drove dad away. Well here's the thing. Dad never liked me to begin with. He already had a low standard for me. But he liked you at first and then you started to disappoint him. So really, when you think hard about it, it's actually your fault he left."

Reggie gritted his teeth and glared at Paul. "You're putting the blame on me?!" he asked, angrily.

"Why are you getting so mad?" Paul asked. "Is it because it's true? It's easy to put down someone else, but when the spotlight's on you, suddenly you can't take it."

"It's not that!" snapped Reggie.

"That's exactly what it is! You are the one who is weak! Maybe mom and dad were right to think that you were a girl. You sure have mood swings like one."

"SHUT UP! I AM NOT A GIRL!" roared Reggie.

"Stop it you two!" shouted Dawn.

Everyone turned towards Dawn. "This is no way to settle these issues!"

"Of course you would say that," murmured Paul Sr. "Anything to avoid dying, right?"

"You shut up!" snapped Dawn. "Reggie, don't you see that your father is a lying jerk!" shouted Dawn. "All of this is not worth his attention! He's just an evil man who is using you! He doesn't really care about you or Regina! All he's doing is causing more problems for everyone! He's brainwashing you by telling you everything you want to here! Please Reggie, just listen to me!"

"Oh shut up, will you?!" snapped Reggie. "You really are one of the most obnoxious, loud-mouthed people I have ever met!"

"Yes!" agreed Paul Sr.

"Really, every time you talk, it sounds like someone is scraping a metal razor against my eye drums!"

"That's exactly what she sounds like!" Paul Sr. said.

"You know, you really are like Paul in every single way! You think you're this perfect, friendly, and caring human being who can be friends with anyone. Well you're not fooling me."

"I'm not trying to fool you! I'm trying to help you!" pleaded Dawn.

"Save it!" replied Reggie. "I don't need any help! I see things clearly now!"

Reggie then focused his attention back to the field. He took out another Poké Ball. "Okay Paul, you want to see the strength of my Pokémon?" he asked. "Well here it comes!"

Reggie threw the Poké Ball into the air. "Go, Houndoom!" Reggie shouted. The Poké Ball opened up and a fierce-looking Houndoom appeared on the field, barking loudly and baring his fangs. His father was impressed. "A Houndoom, eh? He looks fierce," he commented.

"I caught him while I was collecting some berries for the Pokémon on Route 214," explained Reggie. "We haven't had much time to train, but I'm sure he'll do just fine."

"I think so too," praised Paul Sr.

Paul looked up at the Houndoom. The Houndoom gritted his teeth and growled at Paul. He breathed fire through his nostrils and dug his paws into the sand. "Come on Paul, let's go!' taunted Paul Sr. "Send out your next Pokémon already!"

Paul took a deep breath. He looked up at Dawn and Regina. Dawn was closer to the sharp rocks than his mother was. "Hang in there, girls," he thought. "I'll figure something out real soon."

Paul fumbled through the Poké Balls in his pocket, pondering on what Pokémon to use next. He remembered what his father said earlier. "So if dad switched out my Pokémon with some of Dawn's Pokémon, there's no telling which of my Pokémon he took away," he thought.

"Hurry up, will you?!" scolded Paul Sr.

"Hold on, I'm thinking!" Paul shouted back. "It would have been quicker had someone not switched out my Pokémon."

"Just pick something," said Reggie. "I doubt it'll make a difference what you use."

After a few moments, Paul decided on a Pokémon. He grabbed a Poké Ball and took it out of his pocket. "I hope this is the right one," he said. He then threw it into the air. "Magmortar, stand by!" he called out.

The Poké Ball popped out...and Magmortar appeared out on the field! "Good, it's actually my Pokémon this time," he thought.

"A strange choice, coming from you," said Reggie. "Guess you're going to try to fight fire with fire, huh? Two bad my Fire-type Pokémon will be the superior one in this battle!"

"We'll see about that!" replied Paul.

The big and mighty Magmortar stood on the field, staring down Houndoom. While not gigantic, he stood a good foot taller than Houndoom. Houndoom wasn't intimidated, however, as the two Fire-type Pokémon were eager to battle. Magmortar raised an arm towards Houndoom while Houndoom growled some more.

"Two fire-type Pokémon one-on-one," commented Paul Sr. "This round ought to be interesting.

He raised his hand up. "Round four: Magmortar vs. Houndoom...BEGIN!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

TO BE CONTINUED...

Whew, and finally...it is done! Again, sorry about the long wait. I was going through a lot this past year. I promise that the next chapter won't take another eight months to write up and upload!

Looking back on it now, I realize that Regina didn't say a lot in this chapter. Originally, I was going to have her say her piece about everything, but I couldn't make it fit and keep the story going smoothly. Next chapter, however she'll have her say.

Next time: The battle continues between the two brothers as their father watch! Paul's down two Pokémon and his Magmortar is up against a battle-hungry Houndoom. However, he has more of a connection to Magmortar than Reggie does with his Houndoom. But will it be enough? And how will Paul be able to save Regina and Dawn? Can he really save them both or will he have to give up one of them?