Chapter 93

The eighth day of the Third Evolution Cup was clear and sunny. With the exception of Himitsu Island's water human and non-human Pokémon, most were glad to see the rain of the seventh day come to an end.

But such small concerns were far from Fate's mind, that morning. She had to follow Lionel to his match the previous evening. The boy needed her nearby to keep a barrier over his mind. If anyone had recognized him, it would be unnecessary to arrest him if they merely searched his mind. Fate went along to make sure that never happened.

The boy had fought with his own half-crazed human Pokémon. They were the same kind of beasts that Farin planned to unleash on the island in just one more day. Lionel won, of course, though it was up to Tesla to finish the match.

The two were close. Fate did not pretend to understand it, nor did she care. Her only concern was the will of her own master.

But it was Tesla who was strong, not Lionel. The boy was a failure, but he was a liability that needed protecting. So, under Cal's orders, she had watched the match and defended Lionel's mind.

However, Fate had done more than simply shield Lionel from the prying eyes of the Four's psychics. Being a comfortable distance away from the screams of the twisted experiments in the basement gave her time to resume her search for the Meganium-woman.

That was what she was doing that morning, as well. She waited a few blocks from the stadium. The Meganium-woman was inside, preparing to watch her trainer fight her upcoming match. She was alone and vulnerable. Fate only needed to find a way to draw her away from the crowd.

She put her hand over the Gardevoirite tucked within her dress. She had everything she needed to complete her mission.

Aroma's death would make a wonderful present for Cal. But it had to be clean. No one could see her do it.

So Fate watched, patiently, and waited for her opportunity.

Mark had been especially glad to wake up to clear skies. His chances for victory improved dramatically with the rain gone. Cherry would need all the help she could get if she were to take on Shinobi.

The little Charmander-girl was awake before he was. If she was nervous, she hadn't shown it. Instead, she was eager to get to the stadium and fight her match. It was impossible to guess at what her chances really were. She and Mark had done all that they could to prepare. If it wasn't enough, then there was no helping it.

However, Mark was having a difficult time convincing himself of that. After four days of training with Cherry he didn't want to face the idea that it would be all for nothing. She had even fought with Maple, in the rain, for an entire afternoon. He could only hope that Aurum had been right. And that he was nervous for no reason.

"I'll have to start with Cherry," he reminded himself, "She'll probably start with Shinobi. Maple can take a hit, if Lily starts with Silver. But if she starts with Shinobi, then Cherry can stay in." He whispered the words to himself in the stadium locker room.

He was alone. Cherry and Maple were both inside of their Pokéballs. The match would start any minute, so he went over his plans one last time.

His four normal Pokémon were all with him, as well. They had come in handy against Tristan, but Mark had gotten lucky during that match. Lily was not as over-confident and arrogant as Tristan had been. She wouldn't fall for a tactic like that.

It would have to go the way that he planned it. Maple could not fight Shinobi. No matter how strong she was, she simply was not equipped to beat an opponent like him.

Speaking of Maple, what exactly had gotten into her, the night before? Mark had never seen her do something so bold. Did she even know what she was doing? Probably not. Aside from her ears and tail, she might look like a human girl, but there was no way for her to be prepared to deal with certain, very human, situations. Heck, Mark had been human for nearly seventeen years and he still didn't really understand what to do.

Mark shook his head. He had a battle to worry about. Maple would be fine. She was far stronger than Cherry and had already proven to be an excellent fighter. Mark didn't need to worry about Maple.

The attendant finally told him it was time to start.

Rather than the excited whispering he had gotten the last time, the stadium actually cheered his welcome this time. His win over Tristan felt far away, but the crowd remembered. He was a long way from having them cheer as much as PureBlueSky or Sprinkle, but he was welcome in the Himitsu stadium.

His personal fan group had grown, as well. Aurum, Katana, Kim, Sprinkle, Volt and even Eric, Tsunami, and Fernelia all sat together, cheering him on. A few rows behind them, he recognized Quickstep, Flurry and Ian, sitting with a few human Pokémon he did not know, including a Roserade-woman and a Bronzong that Mark was pretty sure was male. Although, he couldn't be sure. He also knew without a doubt that Alfred Silph was up in his box, with Claire at his side. Mark hadn't realized that he had made so many friends on Himitsu.

Mark had to admit, the cheers for Lily sounded a bit quieter than his own. He hadn't really expected that. Lily had just as many wins as he did, she should probably have her own fans rooting for her. He felt a bit sad for her and wondered why that could be. Mark hadn't seen her match, perhaps the circumstances were different. Mark had managed to win with only Maple and a crop of normal Pokémon. Was that the reason?

Mark met his opponent in the middle of the field, feeling more confused by the second. Lily didn't seem to be paying attention. Her eyes were slightly puffy and red. She didn't look at Mark when they shook hands.

"Are you alright, Lily?" he had to ask.

"Huh?" She snapped to attention, "Uh…yeah…I'm okay."

Mark didn't believe her for a moment, but he had no choice, except to let it go.

Something was very…off about this match. Lily was not prepared and she hardly felt like an opponent he needed to take down. She wasn't evil. Not that Tristan had been evil, but…had it been easier to focus on winning? He realized that it had.

A small part of him wondered if beating Lily would be the right thing to do.

"We can start whenever you're ready," Mark spoke gingerly into the microphone on his platform.

"Okay…" Lily took a deep breath, "I'm ready."

"Go."

When the flashes of white faded from the field, Mark could see that he had predicted correctly. The black and gold form of Shinobi crouched across the field, ready to receive his mistress's orders.

Beneath his own platform, Cherry was wide-eyed as she scanned the stadium.

"How are you feeling, Cherry?" he asked.

The Charmander-girl did not respond. She knew the stadium well from the stands, but this was her first time down on the field. There were hundreds, maybe thousands of people watching her. Her mouth dropped open in awe and her knees started to shake.

"Cherry," Mark urged, "watch Shinobi. The people out there don't matter. Not right now."

Cherry swallowed and nodded. She struggled to get a grip on herself. The crowd was far away. They didn't matter. What mattered was…she could almost feel her neck creaking as she forced herself to turn and face Shinobi.

There he was, just under a hundred yards away. He looked small, and not very threatening. He was what she had been training for since Mark had freed her from Team Deus. Part of her never thought this day would come. It was as if she wasn't really going to fight him. Something would interfere and it wouldn't happen. But now…here it was.

Was she ready? Could she-?

Shinobi was off before she could figure it out. His translucent wings beat like mad, but made no sound. He hovered a few feet off of the ground, darting back and forth in irregular patterns. And he was coming straight for her.

"Cherry, go!" Mark shouted, "Dragon Dance!"

Shinobi had no orders, but he was coming at Cherry like a rocket. Mark had never seen anything move that fast before. He couldn't even be sure Cherry would have the time to finish Dragon Dance before-

"X-Scissor!" Lily's order came from the other side of the field. Shinobi was on top of Cherry before she had even begun Dragon Dance. His arms were crossed in an X in front of his golden mask. A bladed-edge appeared along each of his forearms and a split second later, he slashed Cherry across her chest. The Charmander-girl yelped from the pain and dropped to one knee.

Open-mouthed in shock, Mark searched for blood. He was positive that Cherry would not be getting back up. The attack had been too quick and too fierce. But, as he searched, he soon realized that there was no blood. Cherry might be hurt, but the match was far from over.

Shinobi darted backwards, his wings buzzing all the while. But soon Cherry was after him. She pulled her body in a tight spiral, charging up her Dragon Dance. Shinobi might be fast, but she wouldn't let him get away.

Mark took a deep breath. He realized his mistake. Whatever was going on outside of the stadium, this was still a Pokémon battle. He had let his guard down, but Lily hadn't.

And that wasn't the only thing he realized. Shinobi had struck hard and fast, recklessly rushing at a fire-type without knowing how strong Cherry really was. That had been Lily's mistake. It told Mark something very important. She wanted to end the fight as quickly as possible. She wanted Shinobi to do all of the fighting alone.

Mark remembered that now. The night before, during all of the shouting and all of the fighting, Shinobi had stayed quiet. He was loyal to his trainer. As loyal and devoted as they come. Lily's ninja would fight this entire battle for her. Or she would lose.

Cherry needed to beat Shinobi. And if she could take another hit or two, like she just had, then she would.

"I'm sorry that we have to fight like this, child," Shinobi apologized to Cherry, "but this is how it must be. I must defeat you for Mistress Lily."

"Child?" Cherry groaned, "Don't pity me. I can beat you."

"I'm…afraid you're mistaken," Shinobi corrected, "you see-"

"Shut up!" Cherry yelled back, "I've been training for five whole days to beat you! I said I'm going to beat you, so I'm going to beat you!"

Shinobi blinked.

"Very well…" he conceded, "but I will show no mercy."

"Good," the Charmander-girl nodded.

"Smokescreen," Mark ordered. He needed to change his tactics.

"Keep at it, Shinobi! X-Scissor!" Lily cheered from across the stadium. The distance and uncertainty in her voice were gone.

Shinobi dashed at Cherry a second time. Mark could barely even follow the attack. He bounced off of Cherry almost as soon as Lily finished her command. If anything, his attack had gotten even faster than before. But, this time, Mark noticed the few droplets of blood that dotted the grass at Cherry's feet.

Cherry, however, was still strong enough to keep fighting. She spread the thick smoke over as wide an area as possible. If she could hide within it, she'd stand a much better chance against the blindingly-fast ninja.

When she was done, she touched her chest. Her fingers were red and it hurt, but she had felt worse. So, so much worse. If Shinobi were Maple, she'd have lost already. Cherry smiled a little bit.

"Again!" Lily shouted "X-Scissor!"

Cherry rolled to the side as Shinobi shot passed her. As the battle went on, the human Ninjask was just getting faster and faster. However, it was starting to work against him. Cherry realized that he might be stupidly fast, but all that speed was unnecessary. Even better, he moved the instant that Lily finished her command. So, if Cherry just waited for the commands, she would know exactly when to dodge.

"Flamethrower!"

Cherry was all too happy to hear the order to attack. With her mouth full of fire, she stood up and followed Shinobi's trail through the smoke. She fired her Flamethrower directly at his back.

Shinobi made no sound when the stream of fire engulfed him, but took the hit with dignity and restraint. The intense pain from his injury made him drop a bit closer to the ground, but Shinobi wasn't finished yet. He darted back to his spot, hovering over the smoke cloud that concealed his target.

I can do it, I can do it, Cherry thought with overwhelming excitement, I can beat him! Just a little bit-

"Don't give up! X-Scissor!"

Cherry wasn't ready for his attack, this time. She stumbled as she tried to escape and she felt Shinobi's X-shaped slash right in the center of her back as she hit the ground.

"Owww…" Cherry groaned as she got to her feet. Her back screamed with pain that just wouldn't go away. That was one mercy that fighting Maple always had: she never once had to endure fighting while still in this much pain.

Dammit, Mark cursed. Cherry had managed to take three attacks from Shinobi's X-Scissor, but a fourth was out of the question. Most of his tactics were helping to keep Cherry in the fight, but Shinobi still had plenty left in him. Flamethrower had hurt him, but it wasn't enough. It would take two hits for Cherry to finish him. There was only one way she could accomplish it.

"Dragon Dance," Mark commanded.

Cherry did not like that. Not at all. She wanted to attack and pay him back for hurting her so badly. She felt like she could barely move. Hopefully Dragon Dance would help with that.

Still concealed within her smoke cloud, Cherry performed the Dragon Dance. The cloud was dissipating, but she wouldn't need it for much longer. She bounced back and forth, waiting for Lily's orders. The ninja would never move without orders from his trainer.

"X-Sci-!"

Shinobi didn't wait for the rest, and neither did Cherry. The human Ninjask struck the ground exactly where she had been standing. She dodged him by centimeters.

"FLAMETHROWER!"

Cherry lit up Shinobi at close range. She blew flames over him from top to bottom. Only his gold-tipped wings could be seen outside of the fire engulfing his body. But when Cherry stopped to catch her breath, the ninja was still in the air.

"No…" Cherry gasped and shook her head, "no, no, no…" She backed away. Her eyes were wide with terror. Shinobi was badly burned and still smoldering, but he was still coming at her.

His ruby-red eyes fixed on the Charmander-girl. She had proven to be far more resilient than most of the opponents he had ever faced. But he would fulfill his mission. He would win, for his mistress.

"X-Scissor!"

"Slash!"

Cherry shut her eyes.

When she opened them again, there was blood on her claws that wasn't hers. A moment later, her hand turned back to normal. Shinobi was lying on the ground next to her, unconscious.

Cherry hadn't waited for the order from Mark. She did it without thinking. And she won.

Her knees gave way as she stared at her hand. She…won? She won!

She grinned, then started to giggle, then laughed openly. She collapsed on the ground and rolled back and forth, ignoring the pain from her wounds.

I won! She thought with impossibly giddy relief, I actually beat him and won!

Cherry laughed until her stomach hurt. Then she decided that she'd better stop. Her stomach, back and chest all hurt like crazy, but she didn't care. She won!

That was when she noticed something else happening. She wasn't sure what, at first, but the sky looked a little brighter. Like somebody had a light-bulb right behind her head and it was making the world brighter. She started to feel funny, too. It was hard to describe, but something…felt different.

She held up her hand in front of her face.

It was white. And it was glowing.

AN: so…did I actually manage to fool anybody into thinking Cherry would never evolve?

This is also one of those fights where I took a few liberties with the game mechanics. Mostly the fact that speed doesn't actually affect anything other than turn order. Still, what liberties I take, I try to even out for each side.

And I'll leave it to people more hardcore than me to figure out what level Cherry and Shinobi are for her to be between knowing Fire Spin and Inferno, but still take three hits from X-Scissor before fainting.

I'm not that nitpicky, nor will I ever be.

Anyways, thus ends the first half of Mark vs. Lily. For those of you that predicted that this is going to be a much less black and white battle than most, congratulations. We'll especially be getting to that next time with Maple vs. Silver.

Good times.

Anyway, I'll see you soon!

Thanks for reading!