A/N: Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. Between college, homework, time spent on the bus going to and from the campus, and chores, I haven't had much time for writing. On top of that, my dad just had surgery done on his knee. I don't know when I'll finish the next chapter for this because I've run into a bit of a creative block. I will finish this story, it just might take a while. I thank everyone who has read this story, or added it to their favorites or story alerts, because knowing that people like this story helps me to keep pushing on.

:Words.: - Telepathy

"Words." - Translated Pokemon speech

"Words." - Regular speech

"WORDS."- The Referee

Words. – Thoughts

Words – Pokemon moves

Chapter 4

The First Day: The

First Round of Fights

Keiko, Botan, Atsuko, Shizuru, and Yukina had just found their seats when Yusuke's team was called. Keiko had noticed earlier that an entire portion of the stands was occupied by more of the strange creatures that Botan had called 'Pokemon'. Even more filled the skies or stood on the outer wall of the stadium. Unlike the rest of the stadium, which had erupted into cheers for the upcoming fight, the creatures were virtually silent, as if waiting for something to happen.

Yukina was staring down at the arena, waiting for Kazuma and his friends to come out, when a small voice, like that of a kitten, caused her to start. Another tiny "mew" caused her to look down. There, sitting between the bars that separated her portion of the stands from the ones below, was a small pink cat with a tail longer than its body. The kitten mewled again, before floating up until its head was chest high to her, its large blue eyes focused on Yukina's own red ones.

"Hello there," Yukina said in her low, soft voice. "How are you?" The pink cat gave another cheerful "mew" before flying around her head then into her arms. "What's that, Yukina?" asked Keiko, who had noticed Mew's exuberant aerobatics. "What's what, Keiko?" asked Botan, leaning forward to see around Keiko. "Um, Yukina, is that a Pokemon?"

"I don't know," replied Yukina, as Mew went to Keiko to rub its cheek against hers. Having already successfully used Attract, Captivate, and Charm on Yukina, it did the same to Keiko, and then gave a weak Sweet Kiss to her and Puu, whom she was still holding, to slightly Confuse them.

Yukina, not knowing what Mew was doing, continued, "All it says is 'mew'. Do you really think it's a Pokemon?"

"Well, Koenma-sama said that most Pokemon can only say their names," said Botan. "He also said that we're supposed to leave them alone."

Mew, not wishing to leave, quickly turned its attention to Botan. It again used Attract, Captivate, and Charm. Seeing that she was still skeptical, Mew wagged its tail in the Baby Pokemon version of Tail Whip, and then rubbed its cheek against Botan's while giving out a purring Growl.

"Well," Botan said, reaching up a hand to pet Mew, "I guess it can stay."

"Hey, look, there they are!" shouted Atsuko from Botan's right.

It was true. Team Urameshi and Team Devil were walking out to the arena. Mew flew back to Yukina's arms to watch the fight, and Yukina unconsciously began to pet it. To Mew's surprise, it started to really purr. It decided to ignore its body's response, and instead tried to observe the abilities of Team Urameshi.

It was duly disappointed. The two teams had agreed to an elimination match, with one member of each team fighting until they lost. Hiei had gone first for Team Urameshi and had swiftly dispatched all five members of Team Devil with his katana. The only information Mew had obtained was that Hiei was fast and skilled in sword fighting.

The other six fights were much of the same. The only fight that had piqued Mew's interest was the last, the one before the Legendaries fight. The match was between a demon team and this year's human 'guests'. Amazingly enough, the guest team had won, with all the humans sustaining nothing more than minor injuries.

When the fight was done, Mew looked up to where it knew Mewtwo and the others had been since before the first fight. Mew locked eyes with Mewtwo, who gave the tiniest of nods. He remembered that he and Mew had discussed the plans for what to do in a fight with humans.

Mew gave a quick glance around. Entei, Raikou, and Suicune were ready, as was Celebi. The petite fairy had gotten together supplies and a medical team consisting of a Chansey, a Chikorita, a Charmander, and a Squirtle.

The Pokemon in the air and on the stadium wall had noticed the Legendaries the moment they had arrived, but only now were the Pokemon in the stands spotting them. Hushed conversation swept through the stands, steadily growing louder, until it culminated into all-out cheering at the announcement of Team Jin and Team Legends' fight. Along with the cheering, great spouts of flame, streams of Bubbles, and a mass of Sparks filled to air.

"Looks like they got some life in 'em after all," Atsuko said, looking around. "Yeah, but is that a good thing or a bad thing," said Shizuru. They all looked down at the field worryingly.

Down in the arena, the noise was just as bad, as Jin, Chu, Rinku, Shishiwakamaru, and Toya walked to the ring.

"Hey, Chu, who do you think they're all cheering for?" asked Rinku, pointing at the Pokemon in the stands. "Us or them?"

"Prob'ly them," answered the half-drunken Chu. "B' there may be some fer us."

"Hm."

"Something wrong, Jin?" asked Toya.

"The wind's a changin'. T'was a westerly before, but now a north wind's blowin'.

Two loud Roars sounded from above, as two large dog-like creatures jumped down from the top of the stadium. One was mostly yellow; the other was brown and white with four other creatures on its back. Flying along side was a small, green, fairy-like creature. The two dogs landed on the other side of the ring, and the four creatures got off. One was a large, pink and white egg-shaped animal; the others: a blue turtle, an orange lizard, and a green thing with a leaf on its head.

"TEAM CAPTAINS TO THE MIDDLE OF THE RING, PLEASE!"

Jin stepped out to the middle of the ring and looked expectantly at the odd assortment of creatures on the other side, when a flash of multicolored lights appeared, and quickly disappeared. In their place was a human-sized lavender cat on its hind legs.

:I am Team Legends' captain, Mewtwo.:

"Alright," said Koto, the cat demon ref from the previous tournaments. "Captains, shake hands… er, paws, um… and decide the form of battle."

:How about five one-on-one battles,: said Mewtwo as he shook hands with Jin. :The winner is the team with three or more wins. Your team can choose your fighters first.:

"Sounds good ta me," said Jin as they stepped apart. "I'll fight first."

:Very well. My fighter will be here shortly.: Mewtwo turned around to leave, then stopped. :We have heard of you, Jin the Wind Master. They say you can control the winds at will. But let's see how well you fare fighting against the North Wind itself.: Mewtwo then Teleported put of the ring.

"Cuuuunnne!" a voice Howled out. The wind from the north started to pick up, until sand was being blown by the wind and the ref and Jin had to shield their eyes. Suddenly, the wind died down to a breeze and opposite of Jin stood a giant blue dog, similar to the other two.

This one, however, not only was blue, but had a long, wolf-like muzzle. On its head was a hollow blue hexagon that gave the appearance of being made of crystal. It had a thick mane that looked like violet storm clouds and white diamonds on its upper legs and along its sides, along with a white underbelly and muzzle. From its rear came two streamer-like tails that waved and snapped on each side of its body in the gentle breeze that came from behind it.

"Are you Team Legends' fighter?" asked the referee.

"Suicune," the wolf said, nodding its head. Suicune stood at over five feet at the shoulder and its head was bigger than Rinku's entire body.

"Lets see," Koto said, looking over a list of fighters for the different teams. "Mewtwo, Entei, Suicune… Yup, you're here. Ok, on my mark. You both ready?" Jin and Suicune nodded. "Okay, then. Fight!" She quickly got out of the way as Suicune rushed at Jin in a Take Down, and Jin instantly took to theair.

"AND JIN HAS RISEN INTO THE AIR TO AVOID SUICUNE'S HEADLONG ATTACK. AND HOW WILL SUICUNE COUNTER THIS?"

Suicune turned and slid to a stop, then looked up at Jin. So, he's using Fly do dodge my attack, Suicune thought. Well, I know how to fight a Flying foe. It let off a stream of star-shaped energy discs into the sky. Jin tried to dodge but to no avail; Suicune had used Swift, an attack that never misses. The attack hit and Jin started to fall. Suicune followed up with first the widespread Bubble, then the more concentrated BubbleBeam.

Jin righted himself in midair and controlled his altitude. His eyes widened at he saw the wave of Bubbles coming towards him. He used his wind to split the wave, pushing the Bubbles into two streams that passed harmlessly to each side of him. Suddenly, an errant Gust of wind slew several of the Bubbles right into Jin, where they exploded on contact.

"SUICUNE'S PROVEN THAT NOT EVEN A FLYING FOE CAN AVOID ITS ATTACKS, EFFECTIVELY NEUTRALIZING JIN'S AERIAL ADVANTAGE!"

When the smoke cleared, it became obvious that while Jin had not lost any altitude, he had not come out unscathed. His clothed and hair were singed and he had scrapes and scratches on his arms, chest, and face.

"Well, it seems I need tah get serious,"" Jin said as he started rotating his right arm.

"AND IT LOOKS LIKE JIN'S GOING FOR HIS SIGNATURE TECHNIQUE: THE TERROR TORNADO."

Terror Tornado, hm? thought Suicune. Looks like a miniature Twister or Whirlwind, combined with a punch. Suicune bared all its teeth in a grin as Jin keeled over into a dive, and then used a loud Growl to weaken Jin.

Jin, meanwhile, was wondering why he was suddenly a lot slower than before. As he continued his dive, he heard a growling noise and he began to feel weak.

Back on the ground, Suicune observed Jin's descent while relaxing its muscles with Agility and calling up a Tailwind to sharply raise its Speed. It waited until Jin was just a few feet above it, then dodged to the right while calling on the wind around Jin's arm to disperse.

As Jin's punch landed harmlessly on empty air, Suicune turned and attempted an Ice Fang. Jin saw it and rose straight up: exactly as Suicune had planned.

Before the fight, Suicune had used Nasty Plot to raise its Special Attack and form a strategy to use against Jin, and Jin had fallen tight into its trap.

Suicune's crystal glowed neon blue as it raised its head. It opened its mouth and shot a beam of light the same color as the crystal at the retreating Jin. The Ice Beam caught Jin from behind, encasing him in ice from his shoulders down. Suicune then created a down draft, causing the Frozen Jin to drop to the arena.

Suicune quickly ran to Jin's inert body and stood over him, Growling and bearing its teeth in preparation for an Ice Fang. Jin stared up at Suicune in wide-eyed terror as the ref started the countdown before declaring Suicune the winner.

Suicune walked off to where its team was waiting as Chu and Toya ran into the ring. The two picked up the still Frozen Jin and dragged him out of the ring. After a quick discussion with Toya, Rinku, and Shishiwakamaru, Chu stepped back into the ring.

"Aw righ'. 'Ose next?" said Chu. Mewtwo looked at his teammates before floating into the ring himself. :I shall be your opponent.:

"NEXT UP IS CHU AND MEWTWO. FIGHTERS READY… BEGIN!"

"I saw 'ow yuh fighter took out Jin. B' yuh abilities ah nuthin' if yah can' hit me." Chu began to weave and stagger in an intricate and seemingly random pattern as if extremely drunk. Just watching him was starting to give Mewtwo a headache.

"AND IT'S CHU'S DRUNKEN FIST. WILL MEWTWO EVEN BE ABLE TO TOUCH HIM?"

So that's his specialty, thought Mewtwo. His Drunken Fist is a lot like a Spinda's Tipsy Dance, meant to confuse me and make me miss. Mewtwo smirked. Good thing I don't need to attack him to win.

Mewtwo threw out an arm, causing Chu to fly up and hang unsupported in the air. Mewtwo then closed his fist and Chu let out a strangled cry, flailing about and clawing at his throat as if to tear away something wrapped around his neck.

Mewtwo Teleported to the air in front of the gasping Chu, locking eyes to put him under a Hypnosis. Chu's body went limp before Mewtwo used his telekinesis to throw Chu's body out of bounds and into Shishiwakamaru.

"AND CHU IS OUT OF BOUNDS. I'M STARTING THE COUNT. 1…2…"

"Out of bounds?" cried Shishi. "He's asleep!"

"…9…10. MEWTWO WINS."

"Wh-what do we do now, Jin?" said Rinku. "They took out you and Chu like nothing, and you're still covered in ice."

"Yeah, that's why Toya's goin' to fight next," said the still Frozen Jin. "Why me?" asked Toya.

"You're the only one with long-distance attacks that might be effective. Just don't get too close or they'll take you out, too."

"Alright."

Toya entered the ring at the same time Mewtwo exited. Mewtwo looked back at Toya before turning to Entei. :Toya the Ice Master is their next fighter. Finish him quickly.:

"I don't take orders from the likes of you," Entei snarled back before leaping into the ring.

"FIGHTERS READY? BEGIN!"

"I don't know what sort of attacks you use," said Toya, "so I think I'll stay out of your range and attack you long-distance." What appeared to be tiny balls of snow gathered in Toya's hand. "Evil Flute Hailstorm!" With a single breath, the tiny spheres flew at Entei, who attempted to dodge. The attempt was too slow, however, and Entei roared out in pain as the hailstones opened long, shallow gashes along its body.

His attack is like Ice Shard, Entei thought as Toya readied his next attach. Fast and painful. The only way to counter is to melt the ice before it hits me.

As Toya unleashed his attack, Entei rapidly increased its body temperature and the temperature of the air around it, till its body glowed from the heat it contained. As Entei ran toward Toya, forming a ball of its signature red-violet flames, it knew that it had only one chance to execute its Overheat at maximum power. Hit or miss, Entei would become weaker after this attack.

As Entei ran headlong into Toya's Hailstorm, the ice melted and evaporated in the extreme heat before even reaching its body. Seeing his attack prove ineffective, Toya summoned a sword of ice and ran at Entei, hoping to kill it before the ice melted or Entei finished its attack.

However, even as Toya ran, Entei completed its gathering of energy for the attack. With only a few feet separating it from Toya, Entei released the orb of concentrated fire. Toya saw the oncoming ball of flames, three times bigger than him, and tried to jump away from the ensuing blast; but he had been too close, and the attack was so immense, that he was caught almost head-on.

The Overheat exploded on contact, enveloping Toya in red-hot flames. The blaze ended suddenly, and Toya's charred, smoking body crumpled to the floor. Immediately, Koto started the countdown as Entei stalked up to the smoking ruin that was Toya's body.

At the last second, Toya must have thrown up his arms or erected an ice shield to protect his face, for it was only slightly burned and his hair only singed. The rest of him, however, was not so fortunate. His arms were burned black, the heat from the fire so intense at to melt the skin of his hands, causing his fingers to fuse. Toya's clothes had been reduced to ash, while the rest of his body had taken on the texture and color of charcoal. The charred skin was cracked and starting to ooze a clear, viscous liquid. The cloying scent of burned hair and flesh hung thick in the air.

Entei lowered its head to Toya's, and found that he was still breathing, but barely. Entei stepped back, forming another Overheat to finish Toya off.

:Entei, stop it!:

Entei's head snapped up and to the side, the beginnings of its Overheat dying as it closed its mouth and glared at Mewtwo. "You're the one who said to finish him quickly!"

:You know very well that I meant the match. You've already won, there's nothing to gain by killing a fallen opponent."

"There's my own satisfaction," Entei Growled back, but it moved away from Toya anyways.

The ten-count ended, and the match was called in Entei's favor. Immediately, the Dark Tournament's medical team rushed into the arena. They lifted Chu's Sleeping, Jin's Frozen, and Toya's severely Burnt bodies onto stretchers before taking them to the infirmary. Another tried to take Entei in to take care of its cuts, but ran off when Entei Growled and snapped at him. Entei instead walked over to Celebi and its team as Koto announced that the Quarter finals would take place in two days time.

Chansey and Chikorita tended to Entei's wounds as Celebi went to the infirmary to give the doctors a burn medicine of its own make. Mewtwo looked around at the stadium briefly, vaguely acknowledging the cheers of the amassed Pokemon in and above the stands. He was searching for Mew, whom he found in the arms of the aqua-haired, red-eyed demoness from before. Mew and Mewtwo locked eyes momentarily before Mew gave the tiniest of nods. Mewtwo responded with one of his own before Teleporting himself and his group to the cave that they had decided to live in for the duration of the tournament.

"So, what do you think, Kurama?"

"I think, Yusuke, that Toya was lucky Mewtwo stopped Entei from killing him," Kurama replied. "As it is, he might not survive his injuries. Did you see where they went, Hiei?"

"A cave approximately half a mile from here," Hiei said as he replaced his headband. "More specifically, a large clearing in front of the cave."

"We should go check up on Jin, Chu, ad Toya in the infirmary," said Yusuke. "Yes," said Kurama, and the three headed down to where the infirmary was located.