Bonds
Wally was trying not to panic at this point as he looked at his scanner, seeing that the count of trainers was already at 35. He had beaten one of the five who had been defeated, but based on the locations of everyone on the map, he guessed that there were at least five more battles going on. He already knew that Brendan had won his battle against that Francis guy, but he wasn't too concerned with Brendan and Gwen. He was more concerned with the fact that, aside from Meredith, the Unovan girl he defeated earlier, he hadn't encountered anybody. It was strange, but even though it felt like this tournament was taking a long time, his clock told him that only ten minutes had passed.
"Damn, it doesn't feel right in this cave," he said as he kept moving. He barely avoided a pack of Lairon while he walked. He could easily beat them if he wanted to, but he knew that conservation of his Pokémon's energy would be key to winning this tournament. Then the next part would be to defeat Brendan. He already knew that he would meet and battle Brendan eventually. He didn't know how he knew, he just knew it.
"Alright, who's the closest person to me now?" he said with his map up in front of him. He looked over it before he noticed that there was somebody named Justin who was close when the scan was taken. "Might as well find him," Wally said. He ran in the direction that Justin had been in, and he thankfully didn't have to run far. Even though Wally knew his asthma was improving, and he hadn't had any trouble with it in almost a year, he didn't want to risk having an attack in the tournament. He knew that would be a bad way to end his try for the title.
A short distance away, Wally saw the guy he assumed to be Justin sitting by a small river. "Wally, right? I saw you were nearby on the last scan," he said. The guy looked like he was 17, and he was ginger and he had a lot of freckles. He stood about six feet tall and he walked with confidence. He extended his hand in greeting. "I'm Justin, and it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Very nice to meet you too," Wally said. "So, where you from?"
"Cherrygrove City in Johto. You?" Justin asked.
"Petalburg City in Hoenn," Wally said.
"Well, Wally from Petalburg, I guess the pleasantries are out of the way. Want to start?" Justin seemed confident.
Wally took the first of his Pokéballs from his belt. "I'm good to go whenever you are."
"Then let's go, Hailey!" Justin said as he sent out a Reuniclus a green cell-like Pokémon that almost looked like it had a torso and two arm-like appendages. "Well, let's see what you've got."
"I'll show you. Go, Wraith!" Wally said. The Pokémon that came out was mostly black with a grey head that looked like a tombstone surrounded by a grey collar. Over her head, the Pokémon had multiple gold rings around her elbows and forehead, with one that looked almost like a crown over her head. She had a single red eye and what looked like a jagged mouth of gold under two golden eye-shaped adornments on her body.
"Woah, a Dusknoir," Justin said with an impressed look on his face.
"Yeah, I met a guy near Mt. Pyre who had a Reaper Cloth, but he didn't have a Dusclops to utilize it. So, I briefly traded him my Dusclops so he could put the Reaper Cloth on it and trade her back to have her evolve."
"Interesting," Justin said. "Now, let's see how you work with her."
"Like this," Wally said. "Wraith, use Will-O-Wisp!" The ghost Pokémon made a small ball of eerie blue flames in her hands before throwing it at Hailey. The attack moved quickly, but instead of doing damage, the Reuniclus suffered a burn as her body was coated in smoldering flames.
"Damn, a bit sneaky there, but not enough," Justin said. "Now, use Shadow Ball!"
"Use Shadow Sneak," Wally said. Just as Hailey threw a ball of inky black energy at Wraith, the Dusknoir vanished into a shadow, making the attack fly overhead. Wraith then reappeared behind Hailey, and punched her. The attack didn't take out the Reuniclus, but it certainly did some damage. It made Wally silently wish that there was a way for battles to be monitored in the field the same way they were in gym battles. It would make life so much easier for trainers.
"Hailey, Psychic!" Justin called. Wraith looked at Wally, who just nodded. The ghost-type gathered a cloud of black mist and put it in Hailey's face, letting loose with a powerful Hex attack. Due to her having a burn, Hex doubled in power. Hailey collapsed and fainted on the spot. "Damn, that was really done well." Justin recalled Hailey and sent out his next Pokémon. What came out looked like a hellhound with black fur on the majority of his body except for around his muzzle and his belly. He also had two silver horns on his head, and three horizontal arches on his back that led to his arrow-headed tail.
"A Houndoom? Amazing!" Wally said. Silently, Wally was cursing his bad luck. Wraith was strong, but a Houndoom could definitely beat her.
"Liam is his name," Justin said as he crouched down beside the hellhound, scratching the Pokémon under the chin. "And yeah, he's really amazing. Let me show you just how cool he is. Liam, start with Nasty Plot." The Houndoom leapt forward and closed its eyes in concentration, then gave an almost evil smirk as his special abilities increased.
"Wraith, Confuse Ray!" Wally said. He wasn't confident that he could win this round, but he was positive that he would at least give Liam and Justin one hell of a time with a win. Wraith gathered three orbs of lights before sending it toward Liam. The Houndoom was mesmerized by the lights briefly before they spun around the Pokémon and then seemed to fuse with it. Liam then looked worriedly confused as he lost both his balance and his vision got blurry.
"Liam, I know you can hear me. I need you to use Dark Pulse!" Justin said. Liam shook his head, unsuccessfully trying to clear his head. He tried to fire a Dark Pulse, but he stumbled and fell hard onto its face.
"Alright, use Brick Break!" Wally said. Wraith levitated over to Liam, moving quickly as her fist glowed yellow and she swung hard at the opponent's Pokémon. The attack struck and did a lot of damage, but it also wound up knocking Liam back into his senses.
"Liam, use Dark Pulse!" Justin said. The Houndoom howled briefly before firing a beam of black, interconnected rings. The beam flew fast and slammed into Wraith, dealing enough damage for Wally to know immediately that Wraith was out of the fight.
"Wraith, you fought excellently. Return and get some rest!" Wally said. "Now, come on out, Paul!" The Pokémon that came out was almost all blue with orange cheeks. He had two black crests over his eyes, a black tail that almost looked like a boat's rudder, and each cheek had a set of three orange spikes. His arms were now fully developed and he seemed to be built powerfully. On his wrist was a steel bracelet with a piece of Swampertite. Wally's keystone was currently on a necklace, but he had another Pokémon ready to be the Mega Evolution.
"Paul, use Hydro Pump!" Wally said. Paul fired a stream of water, hitting Houndoom squarely. The attack did a lot of damage, and Wally could only smirk. Justin was good, but he wasn't on the level of the trainer Wally had been working to beat. Brendan, you won't beat me this time.
"Clint, finish this with Leaf Storm!" Brendan said to Sceptile. Clint slammed the massive otter Pokémon, Samurott, across from him with a wall of leaves. The attack immediately ended his third battle of the tournament, which was against a girl from Unova, named Lillith. She was really good, but her Samurott wasn't quite fast or strong enough to beat Clint. Despite that, the Unovan Pokémon were quite formidable. The battle had actually been closer than usual, coming closer than any trainer thus far to beating Brendan, getting him down only to Gwen and Clint. But, Avery had done a number on Lillith's team and made it tough for her to recover.
"Well, that was a fun battle," Lillith said as she both she and Brendan recalled their respective Pokémon. The girl was fair-skinned, clearly a city girl, with nearly black hair. She was also quite pretty, but she was only about 16. Brendan stepped forward and held out his hand politely.
"You fought well," he said as he shook her hand. "Thank you for giving it your all."
Lillith smiled. "Well, you showed me that I need to train harder for the next year," she said. She then took off her bag and handed it to him. "Here are my items," she said. "Good luck in your next battles, especially since you probably only have two or three more left."
"Thank you. And you take care of yourself," Brendan said.
"Of course. Be sure to come visit the Unova region soon," she said. "I think you'd love it there…" she trailed off in what she was saying as she seemed to look behind Brendan. "I think your next challenge is here." With that, Lillith was teleported from the cave, and Brendan heard the footsteps behind him.
"So, I have a few questions for you before we battle, and I want you to answer me truthfully," the guy said. Brendan turned and saw the Orre-native, Wes, whose trench coat made him look like a bad-ass. His expression, however, conveyed a message that he was not up for any nonsense.
"Oh, uh sure," Brendan said, slightly caught off guard by the directness of this trainer.
"Is it true that you took out both Team Aqua and Team Magma single-handedly?" Wes asked.
Brendan was shocked that this person from Orre would know anything about Team Magma or Team Aqua. It was doubly surprising that Wes actually knew that Brendan had a direct hand in beating both groups.
Well, aside from the help that we got from May, yes, Gwen said, getting Wes to change his expression by raising his eyebrow to show interest.
"And the rumors that your Gardevoir can speak are true as well," Wes said. "I can tell that the two of you are close, as you should be."
"Well, thank you. But, before you go on, my Pokémon need to be healed. Mind if I tend to them now?" Brendan asked as he sent out the rest of his Pokémon.
"By all means," Wes said. He sounded very sincere when he spoke, even though his expression remained as unchanged as a statue. Brendan knelt beside his Pokémon and started to use revives on each of them. "So, my next question is whether you have heard of either Team Snagem, or Cipher."
"I think I saw a few news reports about them a while back, but nothing too big was mentioned in Hoenn," he said.
"Well, if I might inform you, I will let you know that Snagem is an organization that takes Pokémon from trainers by using devices called Snag Machines," Wes said. "Cipher was paired with Snagem to force Pokémon to close their hearts, making them into fighting machines that would attack humans unprovoked." He seemed to pause. "I was once a Snagger for Team Snagem. It's something I'm not proud of. But, when I found out that Cipher was taking those Pokémon I had snagged for evil purposes, I stole back the Snag Machine to undo all the damage I had done."
You referred to Cipher in the past tense. Is it not around anymore? Gwen asked.
"I don't believe so, but I've always suspected that they're still waiting in the shadows, licking their wounds," Wes said. "But they're keeping such a low profile that I can't find anything about them. So, I've decided to travel the globe to strengthen myself and my Pokémon in case Cipher does return."
"That's very honorable of you," Brendan said. "And I can tell that you're at an incredibly high level as a trainer. So, would you like to get this battle started?"
"Definitely, but you should know, where I come from, we specialize in double battles. Would you be okay with battling like that?"
"A double battle? Sounds fun to me," Brendan said as he finished healing Avery with a Full Restore and he began to recall his team.
"Then, let's begin," Wes said as he pulled out his first two Pokéballs. "Come on out Marshall and Corona!" The two Pokémon that came out were both typically found in the Johto Region. Marshall was a blue salamander-like Pokémon, who Brendan recognized as Quagsire, and Corona was a bear-like Pokémon with a cream-colored underbelly and black fur on his back. It was one of the Pokémon that Brendan had been considering choosing for his journey before the move to Hoenn.
"So, a Typhlosion and a Quagsire? I like it," Brendan said as he picked two Pokéballs off his own belt. "Then I choose Turk and Nikki!" When the Crawdaunt and Slaking appeared on the field, the two trainers got serious.
"I'll start us off. Corona, use Flamethrower on Slaking. Marshall, use Yawn on Crawdaunt!" Wes said. Corona's neck flames roared to life as he launched a stream of flames at Nikki. The Slaking, however, seemed unconcerned with the attack. Marshall, however, looked directly into Crawdaunt's eyes, yawning loudly. Since yawning is extremely contagious, Crawdaunt also yawned, his eyes looking heavy. Despite this, Crawdaunt still ran forward.
"Nikki, jump and use Brick Break on Marshall. Turk, use Crab-Hammer on Corona!" Brendan called. Nikki did exactly as Brendan asked, leaping into the air as her hand began to glow. She came down in front of the Quagsire and punched him in the stomach, sending him sliding back. Corona glared hard, but he was stopped by Turk running at him and punching him with a glowing claw. The attack launched Corona back, but he was still standing strong.
"Marshall, use Water Pulse on Nikki," Wes said calmly. "Corona, use Thunder Punch on Turk!" Marshall reared back and fired three balls of water at Nikki, who was still recovering from using her attack. The Slaking couldn't dodge it in time and she was hit with the attack. Corona then charged a Thunder Punch, and slammed her hand across Turk's body, doing severe damage to him.
"Nikki, Slash on Marshall. Turk use-" Brendan stopped himself when he saw Turk fast asleep. No, not now, he thought. Item use was forbidden in battle, so Brendan was stuck with only one active Pokémon on the field, while Wes had two.
Wes smirked at that. "Corona, finish Turk off with another Thunder Punch," he said. Corona jumped at Turk, punching the Crawdaunt again, and knocking him out. "Now, Marshall, use Slam on Nikki!" The Quagsire swung his tail and hit Nikki across the chest with it.
"Nikki, Counter!" Brendan called out. Nikki recovered from the hit, then grabbed Marshall's tail. She then swung him as her entire body began to glow slightly. She then slammed Marshall into the ground the same way Hulk did to Loki in The Avengers. Needless to say, Marshall was out of the fight after that. Both Brendan and Wes recalled their respective water types before looking each other in the eyes.
"Damn, the rumors about you were true," Wes said with a smile. "I haven't seen an opponent this strong since Evice. Plus, this one's already much more fun."
"Well, I'm not sure who Evice is," Brendan said. "But I agree that this is much more fun than battling Groudon."
Wes just chuckled as he pulled out his next Pokéball. "Come on out, Walnut!" The Pokémon that came out was another Johto Pokémon. It was the bagworm Pokémon, Forretress.
"Huh, interesting. You have a wall on your team," Brendan said. "I guess my best choice is…" he threw his next Pokéball. "Jack, come on out!" The Camerupt came out and grunted, spitting out a small tongue of fire.
"Smart move…but I have counters to that," Wes said. "Walnut, use Stealth Rock! Corona, use Flamethrower on Nikki!"
"Nikki, use Crush Claw on Corona!" Brendan said. "Jack, use Eruption!" Walnut's four prongs launched and scattered pointed stones onto the fields. When they landed, however, they all vanished from sight. Nikki began running at Corona, her hands glowing as she extended her long and thick claws. Corona was rearing back at the same time, breathing a jet of flames at Nikki. Nikki was engulfed in flames as she charged forward, but she was still able to reach out and slash Corona across his body. Both Pokémon then fell to the ground and fainted. Jack, however, launched multiple magma-covered rocks, and they were all on target, hitting Walnut easily, but the Pokémon managed to hold on with a little health left.
"Nice job Walnut," Wes said. Brendan chided himself at that point, knowing he should've been careful about Forretress's Sturdy ability.
Both trainers recalled their knocked-out Pokémon, and took out their next Pokéballs. Wes was the first to send out his next Pokémon. "Go Affection!" The Pokémon that appeared was a dark purple ghost that looked like it was a woman with a witch's hat, a long dress, and three smooth, oval-shaped, orange gems around her neck. The edges of the dress and the hat were a lighter shade of purple, almost looking pink.
"A Mismagius?" Brendan said as he sent out Avery. The Latias, true to her nature, appeared beside Brendan and nuzzled his hand. Brendan chuckled as he pet her happily. She cooed softly before flying out onto the battlefield. Unfortunately, Stealth Rocks was still in effect, so Avery was pelted with multiple small rocks that seemed to leap from the ground. She shook it off, barely having been hurt by the attack.
"Well, your Latias reminds me a bit of my Umbreon," Wes said with a chuckle.
"So, an Umbreon is one of your last three Pokémon?" Brendan asked.
"Oh, no. My Umbreon is in the stands with my girlfriend, Rui," Wes said. "She doesn't exactly like battles, so she chose to be her Pokémon."
"Should've guessed a trainer of your caliber wouldn't give away any information about his team," Brendan smiled as he spoke.
"You're right about that," Wes said. "Now, Affection, use Taunt on Jack. Walnut, you fought well, and thank you for working so hard, now use Explosion!"
Brendan's eyes went wide at the order for Explosion. Wes was obviously very smart, using such a devastating Normal type attack when his other Pokémon was a Ghost type. But, Brendan was also smart, and he had come prepared for something like this.
"Both of you, use Protect now!" Brendan said. Avery was surrounded by green shields of energy. But, then, Affection began to glow slightly red, angering Jack and preventing him from protecting himself. Walnut then began to glow brightly as he gathered energy. And instant later, Walnut released the energy and caused an immense explosion, rattling the entire cave with its intensity. Gwen, acting on her instincts, ran in front of Brendan and threw up a Protect barrier in front of Brendan, blocking the attack to keep her trainer safe. Wes was just standing there with strength in his eyes as his coat flew back like a cape in the wind.
Thanks for that, Gwen, Brendan said as the explosion subsided. Walnut was on the ground, knocked out. Thankfully, Jack was still standing, but he was hurting. "Stay strong Jack. I know you can." Jack turned and nodded confidently toward Brendan.
No problem, Goldenrod, Gwen said. Can't let my trainer get hurt like that.
Brendan smiled, then looked over at Wes, who was just shielding his face with his arm. "Very nicely done," Wes said as he recalled Walnut. "Now, I think I'll go with Munchkin next!" He threw out his next Pokéball, sending out a purple bulldog Pokémon with a massive lower jaw and two massive tusks on that jaw.
"Nice, a Granbull," Brendan said. "It's been a while since I saw one in battle."
"Yep, and he was actually the last Pokémon I added to my team while I was in Orre," Wes said with a smirk.
"He looks strong too," Brendan said with a smile. "Let's see how he does. Avery, use Dragon Pulse on Affection. Jack, use another Eruption!"
Wes smirked there. "Affection, use Psychic on Jack. Munchkin, use Play Rough on Avery," he said. Avery was the first to use her attack as she fired a stream of purple energy, aiming for the Mismagius. It was thankfully able to hit its mark just as Jack launched more magma-covered rocks from his back. Before they were able to land, Affection was able to grab Jack tightly with her power, throwing him at a stalagmite. The impact almost broke the stone apart. Brendan could tell that Jack was out of the fight from that. Fortunately for Brendan, Affection and Munchkin couldn't dodge Eruption, but, due to Jack being low on energy, the attack didn't do much damage. That was when Munchkin ran at Avery, his body glowing pink. He leapt at Latias, and started to punch, kick, and headbutt her. Avery, knowing she couldn't take too much of this attack, grabbed Munchkin with Psychic, and threw him at the ground by Wes. It wasn't enough to knock him out, but it did stop Avery from taking too much damage.
"You know, Wes, I have to admit that you might be the strongest trainer I've faced so far," Brendan said as he recalled Jack, then grabbed Clint's Pokéball, his smile showing his confidence. "So, let's keep going. I want to see how you deal with Clint!" With that, he sent out his Sceptile.
"So, a grass-type," Wes said thoughtfully. "He looks quite strong."
"He definitely is," Brendan said. "Let us show you what we mean. Clint, use Sunny Day. Avery, use Dragon Pulse on Affection!"
"Affection, use Shadow Ball! Munchkin, use Fire Fang on Clint!" Clint shot a ball of light into the air, and it increased the heat as it seemed to act as a sun. Avery then fired another Dragon Pulse at the Mismagius. Affection couldn't avoid the attack in time, but she did fire off a powerful Shadow Ball. Avery, ever the playful Pokémon, simply flew up and dodged, not seeming to try too hard as she grabbed the Shadow Ball and dove at Affection like a Talonflame catching a Rattata. When she was about to body slam Affection, she let go of the Shadow Ball and pulled up from her dive. The momentum carried the Shadow Ball forward and it slammed into Mismagius. The ghost-type moaned in protest for a moment before she passed out.
At the same time, Munchkin's mouth began to burn with fire as he leapt at Clint. Acting on his instincts, Clint stepped to the side and used a fast Slam attack with his tail, making Munchkin faceplant hard. The dog stood up and shook himself out of the daze, glaring at Clint.
Wes gritted his teeth as he recalled Affection. "Well, that was really interesting. You have a smart and innovative Latias," he said as he pulled out a Pokéball. "But you're not the only one with Pokémon like that. Go, Saikou!" He threw the ball and it let out a pink feline with two hair tufts, and ruby on his forehead. His tail split into two halfway to the tips, his ears were very long and pointed, and his eyes were a light purple surrounding pure white pupils.
"An Espeon? That could be troublesome," Brendan said. "I think we can handle it."
"Can you? Saikou, use Dazzling Gleam!" Wes said. "Munchkin, use an Ice Fang on Clint!"
"Clint, Solar Beam on Munchkin! Avery, use Shadow Ball on Espeon!" Brendan commanded. Clint, using the Sunny Day earlier hastened the attack. He fired off the Solar Beam with nearly perfect aim. But Munchkin was not about to let the attack hit him. So, he jumped immediately out of the way, then, with his jaws misting with icy energy. He then ran at Clint and clamped onto the closest part of the Sceptile that he could, which just happened to be his right arm. Clint grunted angrily and, without stopping his Solar Beam, lifted his arm and forced Munchkin into the attack. When Clint stopped, Munchkin let go and fell to the ground as he passed out.
Avery fired a Shadow Ball at Saikou, but the Espeon just lazily opened his eyes, as if this was all beneath him. The Shadow Ball was instantly redirected toward Clint, speeding up to the point that Clint didn't even have time to look at the attack before it hit him with more than enough force to knock him out in an instant.
Saikou then took notice of Munchkin knocked out. It must have made him angry, because he glared and the gemstone on his head began to glow brightly. The attack made a sparkling field around Avery, multiple orbs of light exploding around the Eon Pokémon. Avery cried out with each explosion until they subsided. When they did, with her body still smoldering slightly, Avery collapsed to the ground.
Brendan was stunned by the attacks. "Woah…how is your Espeon so strong?"
"Unlike my Umbreon, Nyx, Saikou loves battling and he does it a lot. He's extremely competitive and he's protective of his friends," Wes said as Brendan recalled his Pokémon. "And, once he's angry, there's really not much that can stop him. Too bad, looks like you won't be getting the title this time."
Gwen smirked as she walked forward, exhibiting more grace than Brendan ever remembered seeing before. Sorry, Wes, but you're wrong about that, she said. I can definitely beat Saikou here and now.
Wes raised his eyebrow. "Quite the confident Gardevoir you have there," he said. "But is her bite as vicious as her bark?"
"Oh, trust me, she is quite vicious when she needs to be," Brendan said as he held up his left hand, showing Wes his keystone.
"Mega Evolution?" Wes said with curiosity. "I've only met a few trainers who have the necessary ability and the bond with their Pokémon. Seems this may be interesting after all."
Let's go, Gwen! Mega Evolve! Brendan said. He touched the keystone and the cave was flooded with light as Gwen took on her mega form. Wes, however, remained unfazed.
"I've faced the polar opposite of this," he said. "Pokémon with so much hatred, pain, and anger that they sealed their hearts off to everyone else. They were powerful…but I can say that the power I feel from her is immense. It makes me wonder…were the Shadow Pokémon on par with a Mega Evolved Pokémon in terms of sheer power?"
"Let's find out right now, how does that sound?" Brendan said
Gwen smiled confidently. Ready when you are.
Then use the Double Team, Teleport, and Calm Mind combination. We'll need as much power as we can get here. Gwen nodded and began to glow with a green aura as she created a virtual horde of illusory copies of herself. Wes and Saikou began to look disoriented as they tried and find the real Gwen. Meanwhile, Gwen was powering up. Use Thunderbolt!
So many copies to choose from, Gwen said as the clones all began to gather electricity between her palms. Her voice sounding like it came from every clone. But, just like with Jango Fett, the army of my clones just isn't as good as the original. The clones vanished as Gwen appeared behind Saikou and unleashed the electricity she had built up. Saikou couldn't dodge in time, so he countered with a Calm Mind of his own, hoping to buffer the damage, and it worked. Saikou emerged from the dust unscathed as Gwen teleported back to Brendan's side. Although, I will admit that if I wind up getting a Boba Fett, that "clone" would most likely be able to surpass me, she said to herself.
"Saikou, use Shadow Ball!" Wes said. Saikou gathered the Shadow Ball quickly, firing it at near Mach speeds. Gwen just raised a hand and caught it in midair.
That's pretty impressive speed, Gwen said as she made the attack bigger as she gathered more power. She then threw it back at Saikou. The Espeon once again deflected it. This time, it flew at the same stalagmite that Jack had hit earlier. The attack caused the entire rock formation to break.
Hyper Voice, Brendan said.
Good idea, he can't redirect that, Gwen said.
"Use Dazzling Gleam," Wes said. He had realized that Brendan and Gwen were using some type of silent communication, but what he didn't notice was Gwen taking a deep breath. It was too late once Gwen began to shout louder than anything Wes had ever heard. Saikou was hit by a powerful soundwave. The attack was intense, and Gwen was in complete control of the power behind it, so she kept increasing the power as the attack went on longer. Saikou then glared and a Light Screen appeared in front him. Brendan smirked at the intelligence Saikou was displaying. He had responded with an almost perfect counter to reduce the damage of the attack.
"Saikou, use Signal Beam!" Wes called. The gem on Saikou's head started to alternate between a red and green glow before firing a beam with a sine wave of those color inside it. It hit Gwen's center, making her slide back from the power. Gwen and Saikou both looked winded from the battle so far. It was clear that neither would be able to fight for much longer.
Gwen, you good to keep going? Brendan asked.
Gwen looked at Brendan like that was a stupid question for her to ask. Brendan, you remember the promise we made to each other when this journey started?
How could I forget? Brendan said.
Well, we've come so far, and we've gone through so much together, Gwen said with passion in her voice. I don't know about you, but I refuse to just lay down and give up when we're this close.
Brendan smiled at her words. Well, I won't give up either. If we're going to lose, we do it fighting at our best.
Gwen smiled back as she quietly gathered the energy needed for both a Shadow Ball and a Moonblast, but she did it subtly and making them both in the blind-spots of both Wes and Saikou. Then let's finish this now. She lifted her hands to get a psychic grip on the two orbs of energy, then she clapped her hands in front of her, making the Shadow Ball and the Moonblast both fly at Saikou. Like it had been with Clint, Saikou didn't even have time to look before the attacks struck and exploded around him. The dust settled quickly, but Wes could already tell that the battle was over. Gwen then reverted to her normal form
"Damn, you two really are strong," Wes said as he recalled Saikou and walked over to Brendan, extending his hand. "That last bout was all the proof I needed that strong bonds with your Pokémon will always trump pure power."
Brendan smiled and shook Wes's hand. "You needed proof?"
"No, this just made it more abundantly clear that Mega Evolution is stronger than even the strongest power that can be achieved with anger and hatred," Wes said.
"Well, if you travel to Alola, I've heard you could learn a power similar to Mega Evolution. I'm sure you could try something like that," Brendan said.
"You mean Z-Power? I'll consider it," Wes said. "But Rui would have to agree to that first." He smiled again. "Anyway, you'd better win this tournament. If anybody here can even pose a challenge the Elite Four of this region, it's you."
We promise we will,Gwen said as she smiled sweetly. Wes gave a slight salute as a farewell before he was teleported from the cave.
In the stands, May was cheering lightly with all people in the audience applauding the amazing battle they had just seen between Brendan and Wes. It very well could have been the best battle of the entire tournament. A close second had to be the battle that Wally just won against the guy from Cherrygrove.
Another surprise had come earlier in the day when Caroline's Sylveon had warmed up to May so much that she was now sleeping in her lap. Caroline was also sitting next to her, smiling as she looked at Sylveon. "She must smell Brendan on you," Mrs. Maple said.
May smiled. "I sure hope that's not the only thing that made her like me," she said.
"I know it's not the only reason, but, for Sylveon, it may really be all she needs to like anybody," Caroline said with a smile and a reminiscent tone. "It's funny, I raised Sylveon since she hatched. I love her, and I know she loves me no matter what."
"Sounds like you and her were very close to each other," May said with a smile.
Caroline laughed slightly. "But…when Brendan was born, her affections shifted. She went from being beside me to always being with him." Caroline reached over and pet Sylveon's ear. "In fact, one of my favorite memories was from when Brendan was learning how to walk. Sylveon would hold him up with her ribbons to help him get more confidence."
"Aww," May said. "She's such a sweetheart."
"She is, but just so you know, when you and Brendan start your own family, there's a good chance that your Pokémon will want to protect them," Caroline said. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Gwen did exactly what Sylveon did for your kid."
May blushed. "I think that's likely," she said. "To be honest, I think Gwen is too sweet of a Pokémon to not be protective of her family."
Caroline laughed again. "No question about that," she said.
On the opposite side of the stadium, a nineteen-year-old girl with orange hair and blue eyes sat in stunned silence as the Umbreon in her lap had her ears pulled back sadly. "Well, it seems that Brendan was just a little stronger," she said as she scratched the Umbreon behind one of her ears to comfort her.
"Breon?" she cooed softly.
"It's okay Nyx. Brendan just had a better day today, that's all," Rui said. "Besides, Wes will have better luck in the next region we go to." She then stood up, carrying Nyx in her arms as she walked from the stadium. "Let's go find Wes and get some drinks."
Before I go into my own author's note, I want to give credit for the nicknames of Wes's Pokémon (and all the Pokémon on his team), which were those used in the Pokémon Colosseum Let's Play done by Chuggaconroy (I highly recommend watching it, because there are a lot of great moments).
I hope you all liked this chapter, and I know you probably want to ask me why I went through Wally's battle so quickly compared to Brendan's. Well, the reason for this is simple: I need to leave a few surprises for his battle with Brendan next chapter.
Well, that's all for now. Until next time – jmoul18.
