There was a certain type of excitement hanging over everyone over the next day. The match ups had been over, and in spite of the huge let-down of over half the tournament being cancelled, the half that was left had gone from strength to strength. Confident, and mostly experienced trainers who knew what they were doing, and knew how to work in a team. The ones who possessed powerful Pokémon, amounted vast knowledge and resourcefulness, and accumulated huge amounts of strategies and battle plans were left. They were the ones who still felt they could defeat the entire tournament, and claim victory. The majority had failed.
The fights up to this point had been very intense and action paced. High paced action and hard hitting battling. Each match had been a nail biter, but that all ended today.
This was the finals.
They had come along a lot quicker than anyone had really expected, but they were here now. And it was an honestly, heavily anticipated match. Ash and Serena had proven themselves to be very competent battlers, and a very competent team. If anyone was able to defeat the most feared team in the entire tournament. Beta and Sierra had taken on every team thrown at them without even breaking a sweat. Their Pokémon seemed to have never even taken damage, and had barely even been hit by an opponent's strike. The two sides were about to hit each other head on.
The untouchables versus the unbeatables.
"Nervous?"
"Yeah."
"Worried?"
"Yeah."
"Confident?"
Serena nodded. "We can beat them."
Ash grinned. "Absolutely we can."
The two were in the waiting area before they would be called up to battle, and the two were psyching themselves up for the battle. They could do this, there was no question about it. It would be difficult. It would be a tough fight. And there was every possibility they could lose. But they could win.
Remembering back when he first time encountered Sierra and Beta, Ash gritted his teeth lightly. They were dangerous, Ash had no doubt about that. But they weren't infallible. They had to have weaknesses. Ash glanced at his Pikachu, which was a bit further down the tunnel, peering outside and looking at the crowd before either trainers did. Ash intended to use his partner for this battle. He'd have to hope that their opponents didn't decide to use a Ground type.
It was likely their battling was going to be absolutely barbaric again. It was a ruthless, brutal, and efficient strategy, but above all, it worked. It worked ridiculously well. They had barely even called out commands in their previous battles. They were so efficient, and utterly savage, they hadn't needed to.
"This is gonna be a tough fight, huh?" Serena said, reading Ash's thoughts. His eyes had narrowed, and his teeth had gritted. It wasn't difficult to read what he was thinking. She had known him for a while. She knew what he was like.
"Yeah." Ash said. He was excited for the battle, but he was racking his brain for a strategy. He knew none of their weaknesses, and they had no particular strengths that would work against the kind of Pokémon they used. From a strategic standpoint, they were at a disadvantage. It was a fairly large disadvantage, as they had nothing they could use to their advantage in the slightest.
"We can win." Serena said, reminding him of the same words he had been telling her for a long time. Those same words of inspiration hit Ash as he formulated his battle plan. He shifted his attention back to her.
Ash smiled at her again. "Yeah. Sorry. I'm just going through strategies in my head." He trailed off slightly. "Not too well."
"I remember you just taking things as they came." Serena said with a smile, noticing Ash's maturity.
"Maybe that'll work here." Ash commented with a smile.
Serena laughed lightly. "Maybe."
The two were interrupted by a small green light on the side of the wall flashing. That was the call up. It meant that the battles were about to begin. Both Ash and Serena looked at this light, and then at each other. This was it. It was time to fight.
Ash grinned. "Here we go." He then held out a hand for Serena to grab hold of. 'Regardless of we win or not, I'm glad she's the one with me.'
Serena smiled at him and accepted it. Ash pulled her gently from the wall she was leaning on, and brought their joined hands just below their eyes direct vision. Looking at him, his determined and ready face, Serena felt her own determination growing. It didn't matter if they lost. But she'd put everything into it. "Right."
Letting go of her hand, but not losing eye contact, they shared these silent words, and then broke off, ready to be called up. Knowing they didn't have to worry about the other, they could give it their all. Just like always.
"Ladies, gentlemen, children, small Pokémon, big Pokémon, and all, although we have arrived here much sooner than we all expected to, we are finally here at the finals to our third annual tag team tournament!" They both heard the announcer's voice boom over them, even from inside these areas. The speaker in the inside was loud, but at least this way they wouldn't miss their calling card. Pikachu ran back, up to Ash and hopped upon his shoulder. His partner Pokemon was also ready.
"In spite of the upset of more than half our contestants dropping out, we have had some very exciting battles here over the last few days! We've had plenty of high paced action that we've come to expect, but now, we can begin the battle everyone here has been waiting for. The best trainers of the current contest!"
With that statement, Ash had to wonder, was this the best of the selection? The majority had dropped out. He fully expected there were some people who were far better than he was that had dropped out for the sake of their Pokemon. He suspected it was possible he wouldn't be here if they hadn't dropped out. But that didn't matter. He was here. Serena was here. They weren't.
"One of our teams here this year has proven to be ruthless and powerful trainers whom leave nothing to chance and use the some of the most powerful Pokemon seen this year, we have Sierra and Beta!" Despite the reputation these two had acquired, there was actually some cheering that could be heard. People whom clearly had no idea of the extent of damage and ruthlessness that these two operated by. No mercy, nor prisoners. And they were being cheered for. Ash felt a tinge of annoyance at this.
The green light now held a solid light green color. That was the signal for the tag team to make their way onto the battlefield. Once again, they shared a glance. And then, they made their way onto the battlefield, accompanied by the announcer's introduction for the two of them. The voice boomed, sending tickling vibrations throughout Ash's system.
"And our second team has some of the fastest and most impressive teamwork seen all tournament, and have withstood some of the toughest battles we've seen all tournament, we have Ash and Serena!"
Briefly blinded by the light upon stepping out into the stadium, this time, there was a cheer. A very, very loud one. It wasn't hard to figure out from this that Ash and Serena were the fan favorites. There was a huge rapturous applause for the two of them, cheering, shouting, a few people even made small banners for the two of them. While Beta and Sierra's had been loud, Ash and Serena's was deafening. Ash found himself smiling once again. So there were a few idiots cheering for those two maniacs. So what? These people cheering right now, they knew that Beta and Sierra needed to be taken down, and they were cheering on for Ash and Serena to make that happen. Their applause was loud, and didn't stop, even when Ash and Serena had reached their battle stations.
Opposing them, there stood the two of them. Beta and Sierra. The two stood as they always did before they started battling, although the two were very different.
Beta stood fairly upright, like a solider stood to attention, and remained like that, unflinching. Perfect posture. He stood with his chest puffed up, but not with any sort of pride. He had roughly the same amount of emotions as a brick wall did. Mirroring that, his face was totally blank. No expression whatsoever, and there barely even seemed to be one of boredom or neutrality. It was just a cold, clean, slate of utter uncaring. It seemed unlikely at this point, that his expression would change even if a tsunami came crashing down from above the stadium. And he remained this way, only occasionally moving to adjust his smart glasses. His arms flopped at his sides, dangling, completely without care for where they ended up. Ash begun to wonder, was this person really a robotic individual? As in, literally speaking. Was he a robot? Ash really couldn't rationalise this guy in any other way.
Next was Sierra. Hers was the diametrical opposite of her partners. Her very stance was full of expression. Her head was tilted towards her left, and she seemed to put the majority of her weight onto her left side. Her left leg was straight up, while her right leg was weaker, and outstretched. Her left arm was on her hip too. She allowed her dark hair to flow with the breeze. Her gaze was firmly focused on Ash, her eyes narrowed, and she had a smile on her face. Confident, arrogant, and sure of herself. She was going to wipe the floor with Ash. Not only did she have the capability to do so, she knew she had such abilities, and thought absolutely nothing of using them to obliterate the Kantoean.
From what Ash had seen from the two, he felt a certain animosity towards them. They showed no quarter, and didn't think anything of hurting other Pokémon if it meant they could get what they wanted. It was a fundamental clashing of beliefs. Ash couldn't imagine doing any of what these two had done to a Pokémon, unless he, his friends, or his Pokémon's lives were in direct danger, and even then, he would be hesitant. He liked to find alternate solutions. Even faced with a 'do or die' situation, Ash would hesitate. He remembered the Lucario he had attacked on the Iron Islands in Sinnoh. There had been no alternative, yet he wavered. In comparison, Beta and Sierra didn't even look for alternatives. They seemed to do this for fun. Because it ensured victory.
No victory was worth the injuries these two administered. Ash would never believe otherwise.
"This is the finals for the tournament, so whomever wins this match will be crowned the champion of the Castle!" A loud cheer erupted once again. "The rules are the very same as the previous matches. One Pokémon per trainer, and two Pokémon per team. You are allowed to command your partners Pokémon should you decide the need has come for it. Remember, as seen in this tournament, this can be an advantage or a hindrance. The battle is over when both sides of one team are unable to continue."
Ash nodded to himself, recalling the rules, refreshing his memory. There didn't seem to be much reaction from Beta and Sierra. 'What are they gonna do?...'
The announcer made his finishing conclusions. "If there are no questions..." Silence. There were none. Instead, the two teams stared at one another, glaring almost. Like they were exchanging silent insults.
"Actually, we do have a question." Sierra suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence, tension, and everything else that had been built up, replacing it with intrigue. "Well, less of a question, and more of an offer." Sierra then turned to Beta, whom took a step forward.
"We intend to deliver to you a warning." He said, monotoned. He didn't even try to make his voice sound persuasive or intimidating. He just spoke. In some ways, knowing Beta, that was even more intimidating. "We intend to obliterate you. Without mercy, nor compassion. We shall be ruthless. Statistical evidence concludes that the trainers whom enter these tournaments are unfit and unprepared to face true brutality present in the evolutionary trial. Empirical evidence indicates that you are not either. Subjects have exhibited weakness, shock, and other such emotions that prevent them from their priorities. You are no different. However, we are. We will win. And you shall lose. The fight is irrelevant. The conclusion has already been decided. It is impossible to change the evidence in your favor."
"Take a little longer, Beta." Sierra muttered, sarcastically. "Please. I'm loving hearing you drone on." She then walked past Beta, whom made no effort to stop her, of even look at her as she did so, and spoke up. "Surrender, and we won't rip you to shreds." She presented it bluntly, and without sugar-coating a single thing. Her smile spread, showcasing her snow white teeth. Her eyes narrowed, like an Arbok's. She on the other hand, was trying to intimidate the Kantoean and Kalosian.
"A simplified, yet accurate statement." Beta said, nodding his agreement. "Surrender, and we will cause no harm to your Pokemon." Beta took a step back, to his original standing point.
"Disagree..." Sierra said, and her smile grew crueler, more sadistic. "Please. That's more fun for me."
"Well she's... Interesting." Ash muttered to himself, raising an eyebrow at the odd smile the opposing girl was giving them. He glanced at Serena to see her response. There hadn't been a need. She was already looking at him with a smile on her face. Ash returned the same grin, mirroring her own determination and willingness to fight. The days leading up to this battle had been tense for them all, but now they were here, they knew what everyone who had faced them felt. A strong compulsion to wipe the smirks off these two's faces.
"No deal!" Ash loudly declared, which was met with a huge cheer from the crowds, chanting them on, sending their support on with the Kantoean trainer, whom stood defiant of these two dangers.
"Brilliant." Sierra smiled to herself, stepping back to her battle position. She actually seemed genuinely happy that they had declined. She was an odd person, Ash thought to himself.
Without even waiting for the announcer to declare the rounds start, Sierra threw out her Pokemon of choice, spinning the Pokeball on the tips of her fingers. "Magnezone, get prepared." Her Pokeball spun as it released her dreaded Electric type Pokemon, letting out a series of robotic calls as it exited its Pokeball.
"Muk." Was all Beta said, as he threw his Pokeball into the battlefield, with a back handed throw. The Pokeball released the Poison type sludgy Pokemon, unceremoniously. It laid there, and then it made its way into a form of some description, but it made no cry. Instead, its eyes narrowed on its trainers opponents. This Muk was the one that had suffocated a Garchomp inside its sludgy body. There was no doubt it would try that again.
Next up, it was Serena's turn to call upon her Pokemon. Her choice hadn't been the most original one, but it was definitely the most practical given the opponents. She had called upon her Braixen once again. With its combination of Psychic and Fire moves, it was the ideal Pokemon to fight Muk and Magnezone. Braixen was a pretty tough Pokemon, but Ash wondered if it was going to be able to stand up to these immensely powerful Pokemon.
Ash then turned to face his Electric type partner, and then smiled and extended his arm to the battlefield. "Alright Pikachu, let's do this!" He called, grinning when his partner ran down the length of his arm and leaped into the battlefield, his cheeks letting off static charges as he prepared to fight. Pikachu would be much better suited to battling Muk, there wasn't any doubt of that. Logically speaking anyway. As established, logic seemed to be a secondary thing when it came to Sierra and Beta.
The outcome was never predictable.
"Thunder!" Sierra called the first move towards her Electric/Steel type Pokemon, which let out a similar series of cries before gathering the static charge needed, and unleashing it upon the enemies side of the field. There was no particular target, but the force of the Thunder was so strong, it simply attacked anything that had a magnetic charge, without the need for a target to aim at. Both of the opponents had this charge.
"Braixen, use Flamethrower!" Serena told her Fire type quickly. Braixen used this attack to defend itself from the incoming static charge. In thanks to its training as a performer, Braixen left trails of fire around it, covering it from the strikes of electricity. Reflexes that hadn't been apparent to Ash since seeing Serena again had never called for were made apparent in the Fire type.
Pikachu was able to use its speed to dodge the bulks of the attacks. Being an Electric type however, Pikachu was able to store some of the static charge it felt crackling in the air around it to help charge up its own attacks. Pikachu's cheeks let loose a few more sparks once again.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded his partner Pokemon. The static charge flew around Pikachu's body as the attack was called, and was fired directly at the Muk Pokemon that had sat in the same spot the entire battle, caring little for what was going on. The attack was a direct hit, and aside from a slight look of shock, the Poison type seemed unaffected. It had done damage. Just barely anything at all.
"Use Sludge Bomb on Braixen." Beta ordered coldly. His Poison type complied, quickly, ruthlessly, and without hesitation. The strike was quick. Before Serena or Braixen's reflexes could kick in, the attack had already collided, with speed and force, against Braixen. The strike had easily knocked Braixen off its feet, and past Serena, into the wall, faster than the blonde Kalosian could even follow with her eyes.
With a loud howl, Braixen collided with the wall, bouncing off it, and falling to the ground. While not knocked out, the Fire performer had suffered extensive damage, and needed a moment to regain its footing. The whole world was spinning for Braixen. It couldn't focus at all. But it didn't have the luxury of being able to recover. Their opponents showed no such mercy.
Sierra's cruel smirk came to show once more as she called out her next attack. "Magnezone, target the opponents Braixen, and give it a taste of up close Thunder!" Her Pokemon sped towards the injured Fire type without even a moment's hesitation, already charging up the electrical energy for its attack. This method of attacking had been seen before. Against the poor Blastoise they had seen before. "Don't hold back." Sierra added. She didn't even attempt to hide her sadistic intentions.
"Braixen, get up!" Serena ordered her Fire type, trying to regain control of the situation. "You need to focus, quickly! Use Flamethrower again!"
Braixen stumbled, but attempted to attack nonetheless. While the fire generated, and Braixen was able to cast the attack, it was unable to focus its attack to hit its target. Magnezone was easily able to avoid the fire attack approaching it without having to change its trajectory much. Magnezone was able to reach Braixen, and the electricity started flowing quickly.
"Braixen!"
"Pikachu, Iron Tail, hurry!" Ash commanded quickly. "Defend Braixen!"
Ash's Pikachu utilized its speed to the maximum it could bring itself to run, already preparing the Steel type attack against the Steel/Electric type. Pikachu closed the gap between it and the Magnezone quickly, and jumped directly in between the powerful Steel Type and the vulnerable Fire type, and slammed its tail directly into the main eye that Magnezone used, canceling its powerful Thunder. While it was not a very effective hit, the location of the strike had hurt the opponent Pokemon, and saved Braixen. Magnezone floated back, its eyes closed, in some pretty clear pain.
"Quickly!" Ash yelled towards Serena. "If we move quickly, we could take out Magnezone right now!" Ash turned to his Pokemon, and called out a command as loud as he could. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt, full power!"
Serena quickly understood Ash's thinking. Magnezone was injured, blinded, and paying little attention to its already rather weak defense. A combination attack sent with the two of their Pokemon could lead to a head start advantage. It may not take out the metallic monster, but it would at least out them in a good starting point. Serena immediately looked towards her trusted Fire type. Still staggering, but now it could comprehend its surroundings, and had mostly recovered. On its feet, still unable to stand up without wobbling over, but it would be able to launch an accurate attack. "Braixen, focus your Fire Blast at Magnezone!"
Braixen was still unable to move in a straight line, but it could focus an attack while standing still just fine. Charging up a high concentration of its hottest and brightest fires, Braixen spun its wand in a circle, forming the basis of the attack, before using its pyrokinetic abilities to send the hottest fires straight at the Magnezone. The attack met alongside Pikachu's Thunderbolt, forming an electrical fire combination. The Fire Blast rippled with raw electricity, jumping and conducting between the atoms of the flame, charging off the flame.
The strike battered the opposing Magnezone, whom was sent flying back to its side of the field. The searing strike of the Fire Blast combined with the jolting electrical energy of the Thunderbolt combined to create an attack that ripped apart Magnezone defenses like it was wrapping paper, inside and out. But say what you liked about Beta, Ash thought, but her arrogance wasn't completely misplaced. Manipulating the electro-magnetic fields it rode upon however, it still hovered in the air. Despite such a thoroughly ruthless attack, Magnezone was still capable of fighting. Regardless, the crowd cheered for the direct strike to Magnezone. It was the first hit in the entire tournament that had actually caused visible damage to the combination of Beta and Sierra. Ash felt a jolt of pride, both in himself and in Serena.
"Ooh, the cute boy can fight~" Sierra said to herself, placing her hand above her heart, like a sort of royal damsel in distress. Her comment seemed directed at Ash, which threw him off slightly.
"Uh..." He made a sort of noise, he wasn't even sure what it was. "That's... Creepy." He shook his head and refocused himself on the conflict at hand. The conflict he had to win. "Pikachu, use Electro Ball on Magnezone!" Ash called out, slamming the air with his fist as he issued his command.
His Pikachu wasted no time, and before the electricity had even looked like it had been formed, it was already speeding towards the Magnezone. The hovering Pokemon looked up at the attack, just before the two collided. The strike let out an explosion covering Magnezone in smoke. Still in the battle, Magnezone hovered out on the magnetic fields, still letting out calls.
"He can fight very well~" Sierra commented again to herself.
"Affirmative." Beta replied, stone cold. He had spent the last few turns analyzing the match, his opponents battling styles. He was gathering intelligence in how to soonest and most efficiently eradicate his enemy. Despite not having seen to have done much, unbeknownst to anyone, Beta had been secretly calling out moves. Moves that would help his Muk annihilate the opposition.
"Speaking of, you plan on helping any time, Beta?!" Sierra snapped at her partner, disrupting his thoughts.
He recollected them in a matter of seconds. "Muk's attacks would be ineffective. Attacking is a hindrance."
"You freaking cop out!" Sierra spat at him, actually enraged with her opponent. He just sat there, calm, collected while she was taking a beating like this! "Magnezone, use Magnet Bomb!"
Silver spheres formulated from the iron in the nearby ground. The tiny traces of metallic atoms in the surrounding area formulated into the spheres, and were fired at speed towards Pikachu and Braixen. They were easily avoided, but the impact they made into the ground shook the field. Had they made direct co tact, the result would have been devastating.
"Okay, that does it!" Sierra snapped again. "Muk, use -"
"Unless you desire loss in this conflict, do not attempt to command my Pokemon." Beta said simply, but firmly. "Focus on your skirmish. Muk shall come into play when required."
Sierra gritted her teeth, but knew better than to anger Beta. Reluctantly, despite her rage at Beta essentially throwing her to the wolves, but she knew that he knew what he was doing.
After all, he had never lost a battle in his entire life.
"Magnezone, Zap Cannon!" Sierra gave her order, and it was obeyed, with Magnezone already wielding a ball of pure electrical power. Firing it at the opponents, Pikachu had to react quickly. Once the Zap Cannon sphere had come close enough, Pikachu skidded to the side, by a mere centimeter, skidding on the ground, and slide the attack in half with a well-placed Iron Tail attack, decimating the attack.
"Braixen, use Flamethrower!" Serena ordered.
"Iron Defense!" Sierra commanded. She hated being on the defensive, but it was that or be knocked out altogether, and face Beta's one terrifying emotion – Wrath.
A collision of moved left Mangezone weakened, but still in the game. However, its resistance was failing it. It was struggling to ride the magnetic waves around it, showing it was struggling to stay afloat. Magnezone was good for maybe a couple more attacks, but after that, it would be impossible to keep up the fight alone like this.
"Beta, how's your plan coming?" Sierra asked her partner, whom has still not even slightly moved, or even reacted in this entire battle. From the time Sierra had known him, Beta only did this when he would show no mercy. He fully intended to wipe out the opponents Pokémon. Without a shred of mercy.
"Weaken the opposition even at the cost of Magnezone. Victory is already assured." Beta commented simply. "Taking additional measures now."
"Got it..." Sierra muttered. "Magnezone, Use Thunder, and eradicate the enemy!" She yelled with her cruel smile in play as Magnezone complied with her command. The Thunder attack and the lightning accompanying it hit both its targets before either knew it was coming. Pikachu was able to withstand it well. Braixen however, was hit for huge damage. A howl of pain erupted throughout the battlefield, as the cheering in the audience stopped altogether now. The electrical attack lasted for roughly only twenty seconds, but to Serena, it was like watching a horror movie in slow motion.
"Braixen!"
Once the attack was over, Braixen fell to its knees. While not as badly damaged as the other Pokémon throughout the tournament, it was still a lot of damage done. Enough to render Braixen to the Pokémon center, for at least a few hours. Serena returned her Fire type partner quickly. "You did a great job, Braixen. I'm so proud..." She then turned to Ash, meekly, and somewhat upset. "Ash, I'm sorry, but..."
"Pikachu, Iron Tail on Magnezone!" Ash commanded in an act of pure defiance. His Pikachu, also angry with their weakened opponent, needed no reminder. Using its fastest speed, Pikachu found itself above the floating Magnezone, It's Iron Tail attack already primed. The Steel Type opponent looked up, to see a falling yellow mouse Pokemon slam a Steel type move into it's eye for a second time, but this time with such momentum carried into its steel body, Magnezone was sent flying, into the ground, completely unable to move. Knocked out from the competition completely. The crowd cheerered once again. This was the first time one of the terror two's Pokemon had been taken out.
Sierra looked at her Pokemon in a shocked disbelief, but acceptance nonetheless. She returned her synthetic Pokemon without a word, and glared at the Pokeball. She required it to her belt, and looked at a still calm and collected partner. "Beta, this had better be worth it."
"Muk has been using Stockpile through the conflict. Defenses, high. Resilience, maximum. Exporting firepower, 100%." Beta replied to his partner. "Muk. Use Spit up."
Muk became taller all of a sudden. Taller than Beta, than Sierra, and began to gather all of the power that it could muster. Ash, Serena, and Pikachu stared at this occurring in disbelief. From Muk's mouth and eyes, a white glow outshone them, making it look like Muk had been possessed by a demonic monster. The power was so pure, it was blinding. Ash knew the result here. If Pikachu was hit, this would be game over.
"Pikachu, run!"
"Fire."
The unrestricted release of pure energy was blinding. No one actually saw the attack connect, but the shock-waves were felt throughout the entire battlefield, and the audience, whom all had to cover their eyes to defend themselves from the shining light and the debris. Never before had such a move, with such raw, unrelenting energy been seen in the tournaments history. It was like a bomb had been set off in the middle of the field. Ash and Serena were battered by small chunks of debris. Beta stood calmly behind his Muk, observing the damage, adjusting his glasses.
Once the light had faded, the remarkable truth had been made clear. Pikachu, though heavily injured, and unable to move, was still standing. The entire stadium fell silent, in awe of this Pikachu's pure resilience. It was one thing to unleash such an attack. Another thing to withstand it.
Beta, however, didn't miss a beat. "Suffocate it."
The lumbering Muk made its way towards Pikachu, whom attempted to generate some electricity in its cheeks, albeit to no avail at all. All Pikachu could do is watch as Muk prepared to take It into its suffocation trap, like it had Garchomp a few days ago. Pikachu tightly sealed its eyes shut.
"Stay away!"
Pikachu's eyes remained shut for a few seconds, until it realized, it was not being absorbed. Risking a peek, Pikachu looked at Muk. Instead, It saw Ash.
Ash had thrown himself in between his partner Pokemon and Muk.
Serena's heart leapt out in a second, calling out her friend, her love's name. "Ash!"
"Muk, stop!" Sierra ordered in that second.
Well trained and responsive, Muk backed away. It slowly made its way to its side of the field, by its master. Bet made no movements. Sierra could tell he was not pleased.
"Sierra." Beta said quietly. "How does this action benefit us?"
"He's done." Sierra told him. "Just leave it at that."
"Mercy?" Beta inquired. He showed no emotion, like always, but this wasn't an emotion. This was curiosity. "Such a concept is unheard of in Sierra, the Savage. Explain."
Sierra looked towards Ash, whom was being tended to by Serena right now. "You wouldn't understand."
Beta said nothing in response. "Referee." He instead called out. "I suggest you call this match. The outcome is clear. Further conflict will lead only to injury. We shall claim no responsibility for those injuries should this match continue."
The referee seemed to agree, and as such, rose the red flag. "The battle is concluded. The victors of the third Annual Revolution Castle tournament are: Beta and sierra!"
Despite the earlier cries, no one cheered this time.
"Both your Pokemon have made good recoveries, however, I feel it best that they stay with me overnight." Nurse joy informed Ash and Serena, with a smile on her face. Their injuries had not been as severe as the other opponents Sierra and Beta had fought. Garchomp was still in intensive care. "I would like to administer a healing agent which should help them in making a complete recovery overnight."
"That's fine, Nurse Joy." Ash said. "Thank you very, very much."
Nurse Joy bowed and went back to her duties, leaving Ash and Serena sat alone. The mood had been melancholy somewhat, but they didn't feel sorry for themselves, and the news their Pokémon were okay had lifted both their spirits up. While that wasn't the main concern for Serena, although it had been a very big one, Ash sighed in relief. "Thank God for that."
"Ash..." Serena started, but instead she sighed. "You idiot..."
"Huh?" Ash raised a surprised eyebrow at Serena's insult just then. "What the – What did I do?"
Serena tightened her firsts, and had to resist the urge to slap Ash in the face. She was shaking, fighting not bursting into tears. "I thought I'd lost you..."
"Serena?..."
"Don't you remember?" Serena asked loudly, looking at Ash. There were tears in her eyes, not spilling into her cheeks quite yet, but if she merely coughed, that would probably send them off. "When you first came back to Kalos... We talked about the Garchomp you saved on the first time you were here... And how I thought you would be gone..." Serena sniffled, forcing herself not to cry. "But today... you could have... Left again..."
Ash knew what it was now. When he moved in to save Pikachu, he hadn't really been thinking about his own safety. He was only concerned about his Pokémon. The kind, soft hearted Kalosian girl was crying because she thought Ash could have left her then, today, right in front of her, while she couldn't have done a thing about it. She would have had to watch Ash suffocate...
"...I'm sorry, Serena..." Ash said, putting his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. The tears that had built up in her eyes now flowed down her cheek freely, despite Serena trying to hold them in as much as she possibly could. Ash then did something bold. He hugged Serena tightly, holding her close, reassuring her as best her could. It didn't mean much, Ash thought, but it might help her in a small way. That was all he hoped for. "I'm so sorry, Serena..."
Ash's loyalty to his Pokémon had been something Serena had always loved about him. Not admitted, loved. She knew that that was one thing she could say she loved about Ash Ketchum, without needing to qualify that statement. But his loyalty almost made her lose him... She tightly returned the hug, burying her face in Ash's shoulder.
"It's okay... It's okay..." Ash kept saying, trying to comfort the crying girl he had in his arms the best he could. Seeing her cry like this... Felt like a dagger in Ash's heart.
"I'm – I'm sorry..." Serena sniffled. "I shouldn't... I shouldn't... "
"Hey now, It's okay to cry." Ash told her softly, smiling at her. "It's alright, Serena... I'm the one who should be sorry... I didn't consider... How what happened to me might hurt you. Forgive me..."
"Ash..." Serena wanted to kiss him, right here, right now. Instead, she just hugged him again. I'm sorry... We lost..."
"Hey now, It's just a tournament. We made it to the finals. You and me, Serena. You and me. Me and you. I couldn't have made it that far without you as my partner. I should be thanking you, you shouldn't be apologizing at all."
Serena hugged him tightly once again.
"Tournament results, conclusive." Beta commented to Psi and Sierra as they hid in their usual spot. "Targets acquired. Ideology confirmed."
"Ideology implies there was a doubt about it." Psi said. "Synthetic Pokémon are the way forward. We just proved that."
"If they are, then why are we bothering with targets?" Sierra asked her group, biting her thumb until she hit the blood vessels underneath. The taste of iron filled inside her mouth.
"Classified." Beta said simply.
Ash had helped Serena get into her bed once she had become tired from all her crying. He smiled at her as she laid there, sleeping before she had even hit the pillow. She hadn't bothered to get changed, nor did he expect her to. She was utterly exhausted. Ash left her to her dreams after covering her in her duvet. He wished he sweet dreams before leaving.
Before that however, he looked at her, peacefully asleep already. He didn't know what compelled him to, but he leaned in to her, and planted a kiss gently on her cheek. Once he had pulled away, Serena had a silly smile on her face. Ash's heart throbbed for a second. Was she awake? He decided to leave before he found out. He used his hand as a fan and sighed. What has possessed him to do that?
The Kantoean made his way to his own room. Paul and Miette nowhere to be seen. Without anyone to speak to, Ash wanted to get some sleep himself. He reached into his bag to put away his belt of Pokeballs once again.
Looking inside, he found some papers. He raised an eyebrow. "What on Earth?..."
He pulled them out of his bag, and recognized them immediately. Professor Oaks papers.
The ones he had been asked to deliver once he got the Kalos.
"...Oh no."
