A/N: Welcome back everyone! Told you guys that updates would be coming more frequently though we have a sleepless night to thank for this chapter arriving so soon. It was just one of those nights but I managed to write almost the entire chapter. I just made small edits here and there so that the chapter could flow just right. I think you'll all enjoy this chapter since it fleshes out a couple characters a bit and has a battle that I've been excited to write out since I first started this story. Without further ado, enjoy!

Update 7/15/2018 (same day): Hey so I realized after posting this that I forgot to edit the chapter to include a cool little detail about Felicity's outfit. She has a bracelet with six luxury balls on it. It's not anything super important but definitely a unique outfit quality that I wanted to establish for her character.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. I only own Shu and the rest of my OCs.

Chapter 7: Welcome to Soleil Academy

The buzzing sound from Shu's holo caster forced him into a dizzy consciousness. It was difficult for him to open his eyes completely so he laid back down with his eyes closed and asked Denki to answer the call for him. When the buzzing continued, Shu groaned and sat up in his bed - rubbing the sleepiness out of one eye while attempting to reach for his holo caster. When he finally managed to grab it, he aimed the projection forward. Only an icon came out as opposed to the usual holograph.

"Hello?" he asked groggily.

"Oh so I see you're not too busy to get some sleep!" his mother yelled.

Shu's eyes widen immediately as he almost dropped his holo caster between his legs. He clapped his hands together around it before replying, "Mom, keep it down. Everyone is trying to sleep. I'm sorry I didn't call you, I've just had a long day."

She had lowered her voice as she said, "And so have I worrying about whether you're okay or not. Not even a quick message to let me know you landed?"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. The professor gave me a room and a laptop for school and I battled one of the other aides here. He's a pretty cool guy."

Her voice softened, "Oh, I'm glad you're making friends already, honey. Well I just wanted to make sure you're okay before I head to bed."

"Bed?"

"Yes, some of us have to go to work in the morning."

Shu checked the time, which was five in the morning for him.

"What time is it over there?"

"Nine, why?"

"Nothing, I just forgot the time difference. It's five in the morning over here."

"Okay well I'll let you get back to sleep honey."

"Okay, bye mom," he said with a yawn.

Shu hung up the phone and laid back down with his eyes closed only to be disturbed once again. This time it was by the sound of someone knocking on a door. It sounded too close to be any other door but he hoped that if he fell asleep, the person would go away. He was wrong. Instead, they knocked on his door again, this time a little louder. Shu begrudgingly slipped out of bed and dragged his feet across the carpet until he reached the door. He turned on the light and opened his door to find a short girl standing in front.

"Hi, I'm sorry to wake you but there's something you should know.."

Shu took a good look at her and realized that she was the other new lab assistant that Sycamore had introduce herself.

"Hi, um, Yua right?"

"Yes. You're Shutsuga-san, correct?"

"Yeah, but you can just call me Shu."

She nodded, "Okay Shu. You can just call me Yua then."

"I was going to call you Yua anyway," he said with a smile.

She laughed, "Fair enough. You didn't seem like the type to use honorifics. Still, I know that they use Kantonian honorifics in Sinnoh just like they do in Hoenn so I just wanted to be polite. Anyways I came because your rotom woke me up."

"It what?!" he asked. It was louder than he meant it to be.

"Yeah, he was flying around in my room and went into another one right when I woke up. I just thought that I should let you know."

"Thanks. Hold on, let me get my gastly to look for it. Wait! How did you know this was my room?"

She put a hand on her hip and with a smile, exhaled, "This isn't the first room I tried. I told the other boys that I thought that their rooms were 'the Professors' because I had an 'important question' that couldn't wait until day break."

"You didn't think you'd actually run into him?"

She tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"The professor doesn't stay here. You thought he did?"

"Well yeah, the professor in Sinnoh lives above his lab. Anyways, thanks again for letting me know. I've got to find Denki."

Shu called Emigna out of her ball and told her to phase through the building as quietly as possible until she found Denki. As Shu prepared to search for his plasma companion himself, he noticed that Yua was still at his door. He gave her a curious look.

"Oh right! Sorry, I didn't mean to just stand here."

"It's cool, not the first time a girl can't keep herself away from me," he said as he passed her and locked his room.

She rolled her eyes and laughed as she followed him down the hall.

"That's not it."

"So why are you following me then?"

"Because I want to help you find Denki before it wakes up the wrong person. What if it really bothers someone and they try to get you kicked out of the lab?"

"Good point. Come on! I'll look through the offices and you check the labs, okay?"

Yua simply nodded and went downstairs like he told her to. Shu proceeded down the hall, paying particular attention to the bottom of the doors in case any flashes of light escaped through them from inside the offices. While walking forward, he noticed a small flash that came from behind him so he whipped his head around in time to see Denki's trail of lightning disappear into the floor. He immediately started running back to the staircase where he saw Emigna coming out of the west wing.

"Go check through the east wing," he whispered. "I just saw Denki go down there."

Emigna nodded and floated into the east wing. Shu followed and walked through the hall slowly in case Denki came out. As he approached the kitchen, Yua was coming out and since neither expected the other, they both let out a yell.

"Don't scare me like that!" Shu whispered.

"Scare you? You scared me!"

"Hey, what's that noise?"

"What noise?"

"You don't hear it? It's like something metal shaking."

They both stayed quiet so Yua could listen for the sound. When she finally heard it, she said, "That sounds like it's coming from the laundry room."

"There's a laundry room?"

"Yes. How else would we do our laundry?"

"I don't know. I usually leave my dirty clothes in a basket and later they show up folded on my bed."

"Oh my god. I'm going to have to teach you how to do laundry aren't I?"

"I mean you don't have to."

"I know but it would be the right thing to do. Now come on, we need to check out that noise."

Shu and Yua approached a door with small flashes appearing under it. Denki was definitely inside but what they were not expecting when they opened the door was a torrent of water to slam into them and press them against the wall. When the stream finished, both aides were left coughing. Emigna appeared through the wall behind them confused by what was happening.

Inside the laundry room was an orange washing machine surrounded in a blue aura. Denki's face could be seen just above the door. It laughed mischievously at its own antics until Shu stood up with his fists balled and approached the plasma pokemon.

"No! Bad!"

Denki's grin fell into a pout as it quickly exited the machine, leaving it in the center of the room, and floated towards Shu.

Shu gasped, "My holo caster!"

He quickly pulled his device out of his pocket to find it soaked. To his relief, it still turned on.

"It's waterproof! Well I guess it would be considering how my poketch got messed up. Huh, Denki?"

Denki nodded and laughed a bit remembering their last time in Kalos. It lifted its mood again, especially since Shu did not seem upset anymore.

"You've got to stay put, Denki. We can't be messing up Sycamore's stuff or he'll just kick me out. This is my best chance to be a professional pokemon trainer. Please don't mess that up."

Denki's face fell again but Shu cheered it back up by nudging it with his holo caster. Denki chuckled and phased back into the device leaving Yua in shock.

"That pokemon is quite special. I've never seen anything like that."

"Yeah, rotom are pretty awesome, huh? I'm so sorry about that, Yua. Are you okay?"

"It's just a little water. We can just hang them outside to dry in the sun."

"Yeah and then we can go back to Denki's as tired as I am," he said with a chuckle.


After Shu and Yua left their clothes outside in the back to dry, the two went back to their rooms to get a few more hours of sleep until Shu was woken up again by someone knocking on his door. It was completely light now but Shu was exhausted from being up so early to chase Denki down. For that matter, he made sure to check if Denki was in his holo caster before answering the door. It was inside, much to Shu's relief.

Austin was at Shu' door already dressed. When he saw the younger boy he said, "Woah! And I thought I hated mornings. It's almost one in the afternoon and you still haven't gotten up?"

"What?!"

"Yeah, you slept past lunch. I figured that you wouldn't really go outside the lab yet so I wanted to see if you wanted to head to Soleil with me today. I can show you around campus before the assembly tonight."

"There's an assembly tonight?"

"You are definitely not a morning person."

"I know I'm not but I didn't even know there was an assembly."

"Yeah, there's an assembly every Saturday before the first day of the academic year. The dean says a few words and then they have the two top students at Soleil battle each other in a full-length battle. It's not mandatory to show up but trust me, the battle is definitely worth going. They're easily at the professional level."

"Well, what are we waiting for?!"

"You're still in your pajamas."

"Oh…right. Just give me one sec and I'll get ready. But do you think we could grab something to eat on the way over there? I'm starving."

"Yeah, we can go to this little sandwich shop by Lumiose Station. That's where we'll catch the train that stops by Soleil."

Shu quickly retreated back into his room to grab his towel and toiletries before going to the restroom while Austin went to wait for him in the lounge downstairs. The restroom was huge with possibly enough showers for every boy in the building to shower at once. The floor was lined with white tiles but it was a bit slippery in the back because of the shower water. The boy took a quick shower and brushed his teeth before going back to his room to change.

The pair took a cab to the sandwich place that Austin was referring to and it seemed quite busy already. There was a short woman at the register in her mid-forties who greeted each customer with a large smile. Despite not being perfect, it was warm and welcoming.

Upon seeing Austin she waved to him and said, "Welcome back to Kalos! When did you get back?"

"Hey Louise," Austin said as he waved back to her and got in line. "Barely yesterday. You already know that I had to have one of your chicken bacon melts ASAP."

"Well you're always welcomed here," she said. "And I see you brought us a new customer."

"This is Shu, he's from the Sinnoh Region."

"Oh wow, that's quite the trip."

Austin responded, "Yeah, but I beat him out by about five hours."

"Oh yeah, I've been meaning to ask, Austin," Shu started. "How is it that we were on the same plane if you're not from Sinnoh."

"I booked my flight super late so I had to take a flight with an extra stop in Jubilife City. I swear, I did not leave the airport, Shu. It was too damn cold up there!"

Shu laughed, "Wimp."

"Icicle."

"Palm tree."

"Pine tree."

"Trunks skipper."

"Beanie baby."

"Oh you're good," Shu said.

"The best," he replied confidently.

The two laughed amongst themselves as they walked to the register and met with Louise again.

"I know, I know, Austin. A chicken bacon melt for you. What about you, Shu?"

"I'll have one too"

"And two drinks," Austin added.

"Two chicken bacon melts and two fountain drinks coming right up. It's on the house for you two."

"R-really?" Shu asked.

"Of course, it's your first Luigi's sandwich of the school year. You don't have to worry about it."

"Thanks!" Shu said happily as Louise handed him his cup.

The two boys managed to find a small table outside while they waited for their food. The area seemed to be rather calm. Cars passed by on the street here like everywhere else in Lumiose but people walked around carefree in the afternoon sun. To Shu, the weather was absolutely perfect, albeit a little on the warmer side for him so they stayed under an awning.

"So who's Luigi?" Shu asked.

"That's Louise's dad. He started up the business like thirty years ago and now she and her husband run it. Old man Luigi's living somewhere in the countryside now. Louise says that he prefers it than the busy city."

"So Kalos is pretty big, huh?"

"I don't know how big it is compared to Sinnoh but it's huge compared to Alola. It's a region made up of only four islands but there's still a lot to see. I haven't even been to one of the islands yet and the only one I've explored fully is Melemele Island. That's the one my city is located on."

"So they really don't have a pokemon league down there?"

"Nope. Instead, they have something called the island challenge where you go around doing trials for the trial captains. If you pass the trial, you get a Z-crystal like this one."

Austin called Shu's attention to the brown crystal in his white bracelet.

"Except I didn't get this one from a trial captain. It's strange, honestly. I actually got it here but no one gave it to me. It just...appeared in my hand during an intense battle when I really needed it."

"You expect to believe that something just magically appeared in your hand?"

"You have a ghost living inside your holo caster and you're talking about things that are hard to believe?"

Shu laughed, "Alright, you've got a point there."

A waiter came out with their sandwiches and Austin grabbed his before the man had even placed in on the table.

"I'm sorry, but I just can't resist these things," he said between bites.

Shu unwrapped his and took his first bite of bliss as the sandwich melted in his mouth. Austin loved his reaction and started laughing as the younger boy started to devour the sandwich.

The train ride to Soleil was just under forty-five minutes which allowed Shu to see the countryside and the mountains off in the distance. The train was moving too quickly for him to spot any pokemon in the forests down below since the track was lifted to avoid colliding with a wild pokemon, especially the more powerful ones that could damage the train.

When they got off of the train, Shu saw that the train stop was at the entrance to a small town, perhaps no larger than two miles. The streets were lined with small shops on either side which included things like tailors, barbers, salons, and the ever-present stores and restaurants. After walking about a mile through the main street, the boys found themselves on a small dirt road lined with rhydon statues on either side all the way until they reached the front gates of the academy. The school itself was not enclosed by a wall or fence. The gate served more as an entry point from the town.

The buildings had old architecture and were made of brick with shingle roofs. There were walkways that cut through the fields of grass and plenty of hedges around the buildings. The campus was surrounded by the forest so it came to no surprise that Shu saw a pair of pachirisu running past them and a group of fletchling flying above them.

"Dude, this place is huge!"

"Yeah, so right now we're walking through the dormitories and that building to your left is the administration building. That's where the dean's and some other offices are but honestly, that's not that important. You don't want to get called there, anyway. All of the counselors are there though if you want to talk to one about your classes. You might want to head there on Monday since you do want to transfer to the battle course ASAP. Most of these other buildings are just classrooms. Sycamore wants you to work at the breeding lab so you'll be going to that building a lot. You know how to get there from the school entrance?"

"Yeah, I just come straight down until I see that statue over there and make a right."

"Just making sure you're paying attention. All the way down there is the Battle Building. There are a bunch of fields there and it's where you'll be going to challenge other students in ranked battles."

"Oh yeah, you mentioned that we're going to see the top two students tonight. What's that all about?"

"Okay so let me just start by saying that you can only participate in three-on-three and six-on-six ranked battles. The reason is that the number of points you earn or lose is determined by both the number of pokemon you defeated as well as by the number of pokemon you have left remaining if you win. Those points get added to your score and that score determines your rank at the school. It's kind of technical but your eye should always be on the prize. Winning."

"Alright, I can understand that much. And only battle course students can participate in battles?"

"Any student who has the battle course as either their focus or elective can. Alright now check this one out. You see that big arena over there?"

"Yeah, it's huge!"

"That right there is the AZ Memorial Stadium."

As the boys approached the colossal stadium, Shu noticed that there was a line of people gathering at the entrance already.

"Woah, people take this pretty seriously, huh?"

"Yeah. It's not just students and faculty that come to the assembly. Talent scouts, gym leaders, and people all over the region come to watch the first battle of the year. Students get to see it for free but everyone else has to buy their tickets. Even Professor Sycamore has to buy his own. Oh shit!"

"What's wrong?!"

"You need your student ID to get in or else they won't know that you go here. Remember how to get back to the administration building?"

"Yeah, sort of."

"I'll just take you then. I don't want you getting lost."

Austin quickly took Shu back but returned to the stadium since Shu felt confident about getting back by himself. Austin could save him a seat inside but the long line at the administration building did not help matters. Plenty of other students procrastinated until the day of the assembly to get their IDs. To make matters worse, the five footer in front of Shu was busy looking at something on his holo caster to realize that the line was moving in front of him.

At the third time, Shu muttered under his breath, "Move it pint-size."

This did not go unheard by the other boy who turned his head around, the black and blonde dreadlocks resting atop his head whipped around sharply. His burning orange eyes glared into Shu's plain black eyes.

"What did you say?"

"You heard me!"

"You're right, I did, but that doesn't change the fact that you tried to hide it like a coward."

"You want to say that again, short stuff?"

"Is that word too big for you to understand? Because the concept of patience is. It doesn't matter if I take a couple steps, that doesn't make the line move any faster."

"That's it, you little-"

Shu grabbed the shorter boy by his collar and the boy reciprocated.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!"

It took the third "Hey" for both boys to break their intense eye contact and for Shu to let go of the other boy's shirt. It was a rather large woman standing wide-eyed at them with her hands on her hips.

"If you two do that again, I'm sending both of you to the back of the line. Is that understood?!"

Shu and the other boy nodded begrudgingly and the woman left them alone to stand next to each other. The other boy simply looked straight but Shu did not want to look that way so he looked elsewhere. It was his pride and stubbornness that were behind the wheel now.

As the wait continued, Shu realized that the boy was now stalling on purpose. He was trying to get Shu to start something. He would barely move an inch which would drive Shu insane so the cyan-haired boy retaliated. He would stand right behind the shorter boy and breath heavily into his ear. This was bound to either make him move faster or exit the line. Either way, Shu won. Instead, the other boy stayed there for a few moments before finally stepping forward a few feet away. Shu smirked victoriously until he caught a whiff of a foul scent, one that was heavily concentrated in the path behind his adversary. The other boy was trying to get Shu to stay away or leave but that wouldn't work. Instead, Shu got right behind him again and started playing music loudly on his holo caster. The war of annoyance continued the entire way down to the front until it was the shorter boy's turn to take the picture.

At that moment, Shu whispered to Denki inside his holo caster, "Up for some fun?"

Denki snickered in response. Shu dropped his holo caster at which point Denki phased through the floor and phased into the camera from below. There was a flash and Denki quickly rushed back into its home. When the cameraman looked at the boy's ID, his eyes widened as he apologized embarrassedly.

"I-I'm so sorry about that, young man. It looks like I didn't adjust the camera right and I only got the top of your head."

The boy glared at him as he said, "Take it again then."

Shu's plan backfired slightly since the boy took longer for his ID but it was well worth it in his mind. After the shorter boy left, Shu took his photo, got his ID, and rushed back to the stadium where he had to wait in another line. He must have been waiting in lines for over an hour when he finally reached the front where he met a young girl scanning IDs. She looked to be close to his age with her rounded face and rosy cheeks. Her eyes glowed a beautiful golden color as she cheerfully greeted him.

"Hi there! You seem a little on edge. Worried about getting good seats?"

"Yeah. Hopefully my friend was able to save me one."

"Probably not since they check seats but hopefully. Enjoy the show!"

"Thanks!" Shu said as he took his ID and jammed it into his pocket.

Shu proceeded to climb a set of stairs as he dialed Austin. The other boy's image appeared in front of him.

"Austin, please tell me you saved me a seat."

"Yeah, we had to a little switch-a-roo here and there to dodge security but you've gotta' get here now because I don't know if we'll get caught. We're in Section C Row 15."

"Got it, I'll be right there."

Shu found Austin sitting next to a shirtless young man who moved his shirt and vest from the seat that they were saving for him.

"Shu, this is Zygos, one of my best friends."

"Nice to meet you, guy," Zygos said.

His appearance was unlike any Shu had ever seen before. He had encountered an array of eye colors in his life but never crimson like blood. His skin was coated in a dark tan. It was nothing like Austin's. Austin was exposed to a lot of sunlight on a daily basis so his skin adapted to its new environment. Zygos' tan looked embedded as if it went deep down to his core.

"Nice to meet you too," Shu said as he sat down beside Austin.

Strange enough, Zygos never put his shirt back on even as the lights dimmed and a single spotlight shined down on a woman standing at the center of the field. The seats that they had were great because Shu could see her clearly. The woman kept her hair in a tight bun and she wore an outfit that reminded him of Dr. Durmont's the day before. She too seemed incredibly professional as she stood before the sea of people with her shoulders back and her head held high.

The crowd began to quiet as she spoke, "Good evening, students, faculty, benefactors, and spectators. I welcome you all to Soleil Academy's 149th Beginning Ceremony."

The crowd cheered.

"For those of you who do not know me, my name is Dr. Vienna Maple and it brings me great honor to present the following battle to you but before our competitors take to the field, I would like a short moment to speak to my students. Of the thousands of applications that we receive every single year, each one of you has been handpicked to attend this esteemed learning institution. Whether you come here to learn to battle with pokemon, care for pokemon, or research pokemon, this academy is now your home. Hold your heads up high with pride at the first of many accomplishments. The road will not be easy but if you take your time here at Soleil Academy seriously, you will succeed in your career.

"Now I must warn those of you who have never attended one of these ceremonies. The battle you are about to see will be intense and possibly earthshaking. Here at Soleil, our battle course students are molded into professionals and their battles are worthy of the professional league. Personally, I am excited to see this battle in particular since in my thirteen years as dean here at Soleil Academy, I have never seen a pair of trainers with more talent and skill than the one you are about to see. Prepare to witness a battle of grand proportion. Before we start the match however, your student body president, Bastien Royer, would like a few words."

The spotlight shined on a well dressed young man with gelled and combed blonde hair. He had been looking at the empty seat beside him when the light had caught his attention. He adjusted his tie as he stood up and walked to the center of the field - the light followed him every step of the way. He shook Dr. Maple's hand before accepting the microphone.

"Good evening, everyone!" he said as he flashed his brilliant smile. "It's a pleasure to represent my school as the student body present. As a royal knight myself, I can tell you firsthand that every word Dr. Maple said is true."

"Royal knights?" Shu asked.

Austin nodded and explained, "Royal Knights are the top fifteen students at Soleil. It's just a title they're given. Some of them even get their own unique titles. Zygos, here, is known as the Dracomancer."

Shu looked past Austin to the red-eyed boy who simply smiled and nodded at him.

"So what rank are you?" Shu asked outright.

Zygos' smile transformed into a confident smirk as he held up the number four which left Shu wide-eyed. He was sitting so close to one of the best students at the school. He then turned his attention to Bastien who had been ranting about the intensity of the upcoming battle.

Bastien went on to say, "You know, as a child, I would look forward to the battle season every year to watch the best of the best compete for the coveted title of champion. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to study and train under some of those very trainers that I would watch as a child as well as to have competition like the lovely ladies who will take the stage now. I firmly believe that success breeds success and nobody embodies that more than them. Ladies and gentlemen, to my left, is ranked the second strongest trainer in the entire school and well, all I need to say is that it's Mallory!"

"Tsk," Zygos said under his breath.

A spotlight landed on a very tall young woman with strong dark skin and sharp magenta eyes. Her hair was wildly styled in a large red and violet faux hawk. Her baggy cargo pants were held up by a violet belt and over her tank top, she wore a black jacket with far too many straps for it to be comfortable. Regardless, she looked intimidating as she towered over her opponent.

"To my right we have Ms. Felicity Dulumiere of the noble Dulumiere family!"

"And there she is," Austin said, "The Sun Queen." He knew what Shu was about to ask so he explained, "That's the title reserved solely for a member of the Dulumiere family that attains the rank of number one here at Soleil. Sun King if it's a guy."

"Can't wait to see Felicity dominate this match," Zygos said with a toothy grin. He seemed to be talking more to himself than to Shu and Austin.

Felicity was incredibly small and petite, standing just above five feet though she stood elegantly poised with her golden hair falling down in waves except for the two strands that framed her face. Unlike her more masculine opponent, Felicity wore a cardigan with a sun-shaped pattern on the back that matched her sun-shaped pendant which rested over her soft pink dress. Shu noticed a bracelet on her left wrist with six collapsed luxury balls.

Bastien stepped away from the field to sit at the edge with the Dr. Maple, the faculty, and the rest of the student council as both girls walked towards the center, each with a poke ball in hand. Felicity had unclipped one of her luxury balls from her bracelet while Mallory plucked a regular poke ball from her belt. When they met inside the chalk circle, the stark contrast was only more evident - in height, in style, in expression. Felicity was perfectly calm as she tilted her head up to meet Mallory's hardened eyes. The two girls held their poke balls forward and tapped them before returning to their respective sides of the field.

"What was that?" Shu asked.

Zygos began explaining, "Soleil upholds a code of chivalry in all of its battles so touching poke balls before beginning is the noble thing to do in battle. It's just a custom here."

A referee stood at the edge of the battlefield and explained to the audience, "The following battle will be a full six-on-six battle with no substitutions allowed. The winner will be decided when all of her opponent's pokemon are unable to battle. This will be a title match to determine the champion at Soleil Academy. Trainers, are you ready?"

Felicity gave a quick nod with a small polite smile. Mallory never took her eyes off of Felicity. She just nodded silently. With both girls standing opposite each other, they waited in silence until the referee called, "Begin!" At that mark, they through their poke balls into the air and the round cages opened with a flash of light.


Felicity started with a carbink which just hovered in the space in front of her awaiting orders while Mallory's choice, electabuzz, displayed her prowess by generating electricity between its antennae. The electricity shot outward, charging the air around them.

From their many battles together, Mallory was accustomed to Felicity waiting until after her opponent made a move to make one of her own so she had her electabuzz blitz the carbink with a Wild Charge. Felicity made a quick gesture with her hands as she ordered her carbink to use Reflect. The electric type rammed into the pink wall of light and the collision caused a huge surge of electrical energy but the wall and the carbink behind it remained unscathed. Having tested the Reflect's durability, Mallory decided to have her electabuzz use Volt Switch. The electric type shot two rings of lightning which curved around the wall and connected with the carbink. This broke the Jewel pokemon's focus causing its Reflect to fall.

The electabuzz closed in with another Wild Charge only for a jagged stone to dig into her stomach, causing her to stop. Mallory realized that seconds before being struck, the carbink used Stealth Rock, hiding bits of itself on the ground. One of the small rocks came up to protect the mineral sprite when it could not protect itself.

Having interrupted the attack with Stealth Rock, Felicity brought her hands together as the carbink proceed to gather pink light into a ball and launch the Moonblast at the electric type. The ball smashed into the electabuzz, exploding upon contact into a pink cloud and knocking her onto her back. Staying alert, the electabuzz simply rolled backwards onto her feet and slid to a stop on the dirt field. She was seconds too late because now she was faced with large chunks of the field floating high above her. Felicity swung her hand down and the meteors followed suit, falling apart into a cloud of dirt upon collision with the ground. Some of the audience members had to shield their eyes from the dust including Shu, Austin, Zygos, and Dr. Maple's party.

When the Shu felt that the dirt had stopped flying around, he lowered his arm to see that there was still a small cloud of dust lingering on the battlefield.

"Woah…That's the move you used on me but way bigger. There's no way that that electabuzz is still standing."

Austin smirked at Shu and asked, "Want to bet?"

The dust had finally cleared from the battlefield, first revealing the trainers on either side, both of which were completely serious, and then the pokemon. To Shu's surprised, the electabuzz was still standing. She had erected a green energy shield around herself but the attack was much more than what she had expected. There were holes on electabuzz's Protect that looked like shattered glass. She panted while attempting to remain standing. Felicity and her carbink put a quick end to that with another Moonblast which easily shattered through the remainder of the barrier and connected with the electabuzz. She fell on her back and remained still.

The referee declared, "The electabuzz is unable to battle! The carbink is the winner!"

Mallory did not seem bothered at all. Instead, she kept her eyes forward on Felicity even as she called her electabuzz back into her poke ball. She seemed calm as she thought about the best way to proceed. Finally, the titanic woman tossed out her next pokemon, the powerful Ogre Scorp pokemon, drapion. He landed on his many legs and let out a monstrous roar as he flailed his arms.

Felicity remained calm as ever but her pokemon slowly backed itself away.

"Jule," the tiny blonde said strongly.

The carbink stopped and stiffened inside its rocky shell. It seemed to be more terrified of its trainer than it was of the poison and dark type in front of it.

Mallory took the first move again by ordering her drapion to use Swords Dance. Multiple swords of glowing energy began floating around the drapion before closing in on the caster and merging with his aura. The drapion imbued itself with the strengthening energy and all of his horns, pinsirs, and fangs seemed to sharpen.

Jule used another Ancient Power to lift up another set of large chunks of the already scarred battlefield. As the rocks came crashing down, Mallory ordered her drapion to charge forward. He crawled along the battlefield, maneuvering in and out of craters. When the first meteor neared him, the drapion sprang up and latched onto it with its iron grip. He then whipped himself into the air and grabbed another falling chunk. He continued to jump from meteor to meteor but as he neared the carbink, a small stone shot up and lodged itself into his underside. The drapion roared in pain and the surprise attack created an opening for Felicity and her carbink to follow up with a Moonblast which sent the Ogre Scorp into the field of falling chunks of earth.

Another large dust cloud shrouded the field however when it cleared, the drapion had carbink ensnared in its claws. Upon seeing this, Felicity ordered her pokemon to use Moonblast but the drapion pressed its opponent down into the ground and followed up with a Poison Fang aiming for its soft tissue. Jule wailed in pain as the poison sunk into its system and began to make it feel sick. Mallory ordered her drapion to keep a strong grip with its claws and fangs. The drapion was so strong that the carbink's shell had begun crumbling under the claws' pressure. At one point, Jule had passed out from the pain and the poison so Mallory called her drapion off so that Felicity could return her pokemon into its ball.

Felicity had closed her eyes as she clutched her carbink's poke ball and whispered something to it before collapsing it and placing it back on her bracelet. She picked another ball and tossed out her second pokemon. Her flareon flipped in the air as he landed in front of her in a crouched position, ready to pounce into action. His well-groomed tail flared wildly like a torch flame, highlighted by the fur's sheen. In fact, all of the flareon's fur was so well kept that it was difficult to believe that he had ever partaken in a battle before. Regardless, Mallory knew not to underestimate him.

The drapion lunged forward with a Night Slash which the flareon countered by unleashing an inferno of scarlet flames that danced across the field. Faint embers flickered into the stands, slightly alarming the people in the first few rows. The drapion had been knocked off balance and the flareon used the opening by surrounding himself with fire and charging forward. He rammed into the drapion middair with a Flame Charge, knocking him hard onto his back.

With two pokemon down, Mallory quickly moved onto her third choice which was her twin-headed terror, zweilous.

Mallory called to them, "Ozzy, Mandias. Listen carefully."

They both nodded their heads while scratching at the ground with one paw, ready to charge. On her command, the Hostile pokemon sped off with an aura of draconic energy enveloping it. Felicity's flareon charged forward surrounded by raging blue flames and the two collided in the center of the field. The mixing energies created a dome-shaped explosion that swallowed both pokemon. When the flames and wisps faded, both pokemon were left standing inside a large crater. The explosion had taken its toll on them as they both panted heavily. The flareon's fur had gotten ruffled, something that clearly bothered him.

The audience began clapping and cheering at the display of raw power. Shu was left absolutely breathless by the intensity that both trainers and all of their pokemon showed. The battles at the Eterna Gym did not compare in the slightest to this. Felicity battles with such skill, precision, and finesse that her pokemon looked absolutely spectacular as they battled. Mallory and her pokemon, on the other hand, were both ferocious and determined. Dr. Maple and Bastien were not over exaggerating one bit but the match was just getting started.

A/N: And that's the conclusion to the first half part of the title match between Felicity and Mallory as well as the introduction to a few other characters and a couple small cameos. I wanted to flesh out Yua and Austin a bit more and establish the royal knights as an organization of individuals whose membership is determined by rank. If you are interested in submitting a royal knight at Soleil, please look at the new rule on my profile as well as the instructions under "The Royal Knights" near the bottom. Besides that, I have nothing left this time around. See you next time!