Chapter 17

Cheering exploded around Mark as he watched the human Tauros crumple up and fall face-first into the dirt. A few moments later, his unconscious form vanished from the field and returned to his master's side.

Mark blinked a few times as the reality of it set in. Kim hadn't stretched the truth about it, but hearing it from her and seeing it in person were two very different things. Blood.

"And that wraps up this battle, folks!" the announcer's voice boomed back, "No damage at all to the unbelievable Aurum and Katana! What could Abe possibly do against this deadly adversary?"

A light winked out on the scoreboards scattered around the stadium, underneath a profile picture of Abe. Four of the other slots already had started dark, leaving only one still lit. All six underneath Aurum's picture shone just as brightly, if not more so.

Mark looked around. He was the only one sitting still. He was the only one still dumb-founded by what he had just seen. Even Kim was hollering and cheering for Aurum.

Next to Mark, Maple was cheering right along with everyone else. She was excited, to say the least. In fact, she was more excited than he had ever seen her. She was bouncing up and down and cheering with enough enthusiasm that if their entire row had been silent, no one would have noticed the difference.

Not really the reaction Mark had anticipated.

He thought he might say something, but the happiness on her face stopped him. It could wait, let her enjoy the moment.

Still, after seeing the real thing, could he really put Maple into a fight like that? She had insisted on fighting before and seeing the blood apparently had no effect on her. But if he couldn't use Maple, then the only alternative left would be to drop out of the tournament.

If he dropped out, Maple would surely be disappointed, maybe even angry. They had come this far and they were just going to turn around and run? That would be weak and pathetic. But was that any better than the alternative?

So they were caught in between throwing Maple into a fight she would almost undoubtedly lose and running away and giving up without even trying. How did they want to die was the real question.

But who was Mark really worried about. Maple had come to fight and she didn't care whether she won or lost. And now one could even say that "getting hurt" didn't matter either. She knew what she was in for even better than Mark did.

So, it wasn't Maple he was worried about. That only left himself. As selfish as it was, there was the answer. If he threw Maple into a fight and lost in the first thirty seconds, he would look like a fool. He would look like a fool in front of the entire community. Every single person on this island would see just how stupid he had been to enter and compete with a single Leafeon-girl.

Down on the field, Abe was doing the same thing. Aurum was making him look like a fool without even trying. His human Weavile, Katana, was the strongest Pokémon of any form Mark had ever seen in his entire life. What did Abe stand to gain by fighting in a battle so horribly one-sided?

And then there was his opponent. It was baffling how fast and agile she was. She had dodged every attack that the human Tauros had thrown at her. A Tauros was far from being a weak opponent and Katana didn't even need her trainer to fight one.

How could she do that? Mark had already seen how much more powerful Maple had become, but Katana was an elite among the elites. What secrets did Aurum know that Abe didn't? Whatever it was, Mark didn't have the answer.

Alright, fine, he was scared. The reasons for it were obvious and staring him right in the face. Now, what was he going to do about it?

He looked back at Maple, at the grin on her face as she waited for Abe to send out his second human Pokémon. Her tailed wagged back and forth, revealing her excitement even more than the look on her face. She was eager and ready for battle. A pointless battle would still mean everything to her. All she wanted was to get back onto a battlefield.

That settled it.

If they tried and failed, then at least they had given it their best. But if they ran away, then Maple would have missed her best chance to show these people just how powerful she was. Win or lose, what mattered was that they hadn't given up without really knowing.

"Alright," Mark sighed, speaking to no one in particular. "But we need help," he leaned back and tried to think, "bad."

"Shroud," Abe said, barely able to contain his frustration, "take her." He extended his arm and lightly dropped his second Pokéball onto the field. It was his last chance to prove to Aurum that he wasn't just a simple amateur. Abe was better than that, and Shroud would prove it.

Katana was hoping for something a bit more impressive, but the human Hitmonlee that appeared across from her wasn't very much to look at. His face was obscured by what appeared to be bandages that left just a small slit for his eyes to poke through. His arms and legs were wrapped similarly, while the rest of him was clothed in just a simple earth-toned shirt and pants.

Shroud was nothing special, but Katana was far too experienced to let her guard down. Against her, a fighting-type opponent was the worst possible matchup. That meant a challenge. Thank Arceus, Katana wanted nothing more.

"End her," Abe said venomously, "Mach Punch." Without a sound, the human Hitmonlee shot across the field directly at Katana. Caught slightly off guard, Katana didn't try to dodge as quickly as she had against Stampede. The result was a kiss of wind brushing against her face as Shroud's fist missed her by a mere hair. Smiling, she backed away, eager to see what he would do next.

"DOUBLE KICK!" Abe screamed from across the field. The first attack came at Katana's head from the left as Shroud spun around, whipping his body as fast as he was able. But he was still too slow and Katana ducked easily.

The second attack aimed lower, directly at her mid-section, but once again, the nimble Katana dodged, bounding away and countering with an Ice Shard aimed at his face. Shroud blocked by bringing up his arm and the dagger-like icicles buried there. No blood came forth, Shroud had not yet been damaged enough, and he showed no sign of pain. He flicked his arms, dashing the icicles to pieces against the ground.

"I like you," Katana smirked.

"Now THIS is what it's all about ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer interrupted Katana's fun, "Two equally matched opponents going head to head! Who will be the victor?"

"Equal?" Katana shook her head, "you're better than the last one, but you're still an amateur. I don't blame the master for taking a nap. Any one of us could destroy both of you."

Shroud didn't respond, but just stared at Katana, patiently awaiting orders, his eyes burning with hatred. Through his years under Abe's instruction, Shroud had been beaten and trampled on over and over again. He had thrown match after match just so Abe could squeeze a little bit more money out of his opponents. Such treatment would normally break a fighter, demoralize him, and make him never want to fight again. However, it was the opposite with Shroud. The repeated losses and savage beatings sparked a hatred in him that burned so fiercely that even his trainer wasn't aware of its power. The silent Shroud had turned his pain into power and the time had come to unleash it. He was stronger than Stampede by three-fold. If Abe and his two human Pokémon were even capable of scratching Aurum, Shroud would be the one to do it.

"Hi Jump Kick!" Abe ordered. Shroud sprang twenty feet into the air directly over Katana's head. Peering curiously up at him, an idea struck her and she planted her feet, awaiting his approach. Extending his right leg, he began to hurtle towards her, ready to adjust for any attempt to dodge that Katana might employ.

But the young, female Weavile never dodged. She grabbed his foot and arching backwards, she slammed him bodily into the ground, transferring the damage from his own attack back into him.

"I wondered if that would work," Katana taunted, "You're not bad, but it's a shame your trainer is just a failure. Honestly, with him leading you it's no wonder you're so damned awful. But, at least you're keeping me entertained."

"INCREDIBLE!" the announcer came back, "Katana counters Shroud's Hi Jump Kick and deals massive damage without even attacking herself!"

But Shroud wasn't finished yet. Rising to his feet, he turned to face Katana, determined to bring her down. One blow would be all he needed. One blow and it would be finished.

Katana just sat there, so confident in her victory that she didn't bother to prepare for Shroud's next move. He couldn't stand it. Right in front of her was the embodiment of every adversary that he had ever thrown a match against. No one knew the power that he was capable of. No one cared, not even his trainer.

"Close Combat!" Abe's last effort to take Katana down would finally be put to the test. He had tried everything and nothing was good enough. How was it possible that she could be so fast and so powerful? It was mind-boggling. How many more years would he need to train to reach that kind of ability? He had to have it! He had to know!

And all the while, Aurum sat comfortably in his favorite chair, sleeping while a battle raged below his feet.

Shroud came at Katana even faster this time, punching and kicking like a madman from just a foot away. She blocked and dodged, ducking and weaving through a fury of blows, patiently looking for an opening to strike back. All the while, the grin never left her face as she watched Shroud's rage boil over in his eyes.

Finally, she saw her opportunity. She ducked underneath a high kicking attack and swept her leg in a wide arc into the back of Shroud's exposed ankle. Her opponent toppled over and once more lied on the ground, reeling from the pain.

"Such speed! Such power!" the over-enthusiastic commentary came back, "Shroud unleashes a rain of blows from Close Combat only to find himself planted on the ground again from Katana's Low Kick!"

"Finished yet?" Katana asked, peering down at Shroud, "I mean, I was hoping for more, but if you've had enough…"

At those words, the human Hitmonlee sprang back onto his feet. His body screamed with pain, but he did not show it. He couldn't be defeated like this. It was impossible. One hit, just one, good, hard hit!

Without awaiting his orders, Shroud burst at Katana one more time, unleashing the full extent of his power and attacking with Close Combat one last time. Attack after attack hit nothing but air or was casually knocked aside. Katana took every opening she had and retaliated with Night Slash. Her claws tore into Shroud's arms and chest, finally drawing blood in satisfying rivulets. It wouldn't be much longer now. Shroud was running on empty and Katana hadn't even been hit.

Panting and desperate, Shroud ceased his assault. Battered and bleeding from multiple wounds, he could hardly stand.

Katana stopped and peered at her opponent, wondering what he stood to gain by doing nothing. He was finished, and that was it. Katana could hit him with any attack she chose and he would go down. The fight had been fun, but it was over.

Shroud's fist buried directly into Katana's stomach as the human Hitmonlee used the devastatingly fast Mach Punch at close range. The attack dealt incredible damage against the defensively weak human Weavile. At last, Shroud had done it. He had his one blow, and it was perfect.

Coughing up blood, Katana was tossed backwards, bouncing along the ground into the very same trench that Stampede's body had created in the ground. She lied on her side, grimacing against the pain as she looked up at her opponent.

"You made me bleed…" Katana groaned in disbelief, but after a moment she smiled again, "good. It's been so long I forgot what it felt like. I had forgotten how it tasted." She rose to her feet, ignoring the pain, "thank you, for that. I needed it. Now disappear."

Dumbfounded by Katana's resilience to the crippling blow, Shroud no longer had the energy and the strength necessary to fight. It was his last attempt at defeating Katana, and it had failed. There was nothing left. He could hardly move and when Katana unleashed a final Ice Shard, the ten icicles she fired buried into his chest without any resistance. He crumpled on the ground, and the fight was over.

"NOOO!" Abe screamed at the morning sky. His shout startled the sleeping Aurum, who awoke suddenly and looked down at the field. There were a few craters and a deep trench in the earth as well as blood splashed her and there, but he was most surprised to see blood trickling from Katana's mouth.

The crowd erupted into cheers and chants praising Aurum and Katana's unbelievable prowess. The announcer declared Aurum the winner, as if anyone ever doubted it, and a fanfare began playing. Shroud disappeared from the field in a dull flash of red, returning to his Pokéball. Katana began limping towards Aurum, still grinning widely.

"You look hurt," Aurum said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah," Katana nodded, wiping at the blood trickling from her mouth, "I think I'm a bit rusty."

"Heh," Aurum smiled, stretching and standing up, "did you enjoy yourself, at least?"

"Absolutely," Katana laughed, "how was your nap, master?"

"Boring," Aurum sighed, "like everything else, these days."

"You just miss the kids," Katana reassured her master, "and so do I. They were always better than us."

"Whatever," Aurum shook his head and pushed the button to lower the platform, "let's get going. Just because this isn't Olivine City, it doesn't mean I can't fish."

"Sure thing, master," Katana bowed and then she too vanished with that flash of dull red light. Aurum walked off, with his folding chair underneath his arm. This time, his wrinkled, tired eyes scanned the crowd, searching for anyone he recognized.

If the kids were here, then why weren't they coming out? After all, winning meant nothing if they weren't around. Finally, Aurum gave up looking and quietly left the stadium, the crowd cheering his praises with every step he took.

"Holy…" Mark sat gaping at what he had just seen. Never in his entire life had he seen a Pokémon battle like that. These human Pokémon really weren't Pokémon anymore, they were beyond that.

Next to him, Maple was one of the cheering thousands praising Aurum as he walked off. She was jumping up and down, launching herself five feet into the air every time. Entirely on accident, Mark caught a peek of her underwear again. Silently cursing himself at the embarrassment, he grabbed Maple's wrist and forced her to sit still for a few seconds.

"Did you see that?" She beamed, "She's incredible! She did all that completely on her own! I was sooo terrified whenhehitherwiththatMachPunch, but she gotrightbackup and, HOLY ARCEUS, she's AMAZING!" Maple's words blended together as she ranted in pure ecstatic joy over what she had just witnessed.

"Yeah…" Mark was speechless as his mind reeled to comprehend what it all meant. Aurum had five more human Pokémon that were just as powerful and there were three more members of the Four.

There was no other option. He was desperate and he knew it. There would be only one way that would allow he and Maple even a ghost of a chance against opponents like that.

"Maple," he waited until she was calm enough to listen, which took a few tries.

"Yes?" Maple looked at him and she swore that she could see the confused fear in his eyes slowly being replaced by a quiet, yet powerful resolve. She smiled in response to that look, eager to hear what he had come up with.

"How would you like to meet them?" Mark asked. Maple simply smiled in response and the two wordlessly got up and bade Kim farewell before leaving the stadium.

AN: so, that's the end of the first tournament fight. i think it went pretty well. although i'm still only using physical fighters. shooting energy beams back and forth might work out a bit differently.

oh, and if you didn't notice, i'm sticking to a four move limit. that means that Stampede's moveset is Giga Impact, Rock Tomb, Wild Bolt and Double-Edge while Shroud's moveset is Double Kick, Hi Jump Kick, Close Combat and Mach Punch. pretty amateurish movesets, don't you think?

so, Mark's got a long way to go. just like this story. it's just gettin' started everybody, so, if you like it so far, there's still PLENTY of good times to be had.

thanks for reading!