Before you read, I have a poll on my profile. I want to know if you want a commentator for the main stages of the tournament (the 6v6 battles) like I did with the first two chapters, or if I should leave them as is. Go vote before you read, then come back to this.

Sorry this is later than usual. I had to go to the ER for my foot. I'm fine, just have to walk around with a cane for a few days. Not looking forward to the shit I'll get for it though.

That aside, enjoy Chapter 19.

Summary: Jake has just won his first two double battles, defeating the previous Hoenn League winner Marcus Alberts. After meeting up with Max and May following the match, the three decided to head out to lunch.

"Wait up Max!" May called, running in a full sprint to catch up to her little brother.

"No! You catch up Slowpoke!" Max teased. After seeing his sister kiss Jake, he ran off ahead of them, not wanting to be left in an awkward situation.

Jake decided to just keep to a steady jog, he'd need to conserve his energy for his next two matches. He also had a passenger, and Eevee never liked it when Jake sprinted when he was hitching a ride.

The trio finally arrived at the Giant Wailord. Max first, followed by May then Jake. They were seated at a table by the same waitress as last time, and had their orders taken. Jake and May sat next to each other, and Max sat on the other side of the table.

"So what are you gonna do after this?" Max asked Jake.

"I'm gonna exchange my Pokémon for the next two battles at the Pokémon Center." He replied.

"So Swampert and Excadrill are a pair?" May asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Since both your Garchomp and Excadrill can take advantage of Sandstorm with their abilities, why not pair them together?"

"I never thought of that. After the tournament, I'll see how it goes. Thanks." Jake said with a smile.

"Speaking of which, you seem to like Ground types. What others do you have?" Max inquired.

"Let's see... Juggernaught, which is Excadrill, Riptide, which is Swampert, Maverick, which is Garchomp, Drapula, which is Gliscor, and Tusk, my Mamoswine." Jake listed.

"Wow. That's a lot. Is it your favorite type?" May asked.

"No. My favorite type is the Fire type."

"Mine's the Normal type." Max said. "They're a jack of all trades."

"Yeah, but they have no resistances, and their coverage moves aren't as powerful as they would normally be."

"What Normal types do you have?"

"Talon."

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

"Vui!" Eevee said, an annoyed look on his face.

Jake turned towards the Evolution Pokémon, who had since found a nice spot on the table. "Sorry bud, how could I forget about you?" Jake said.

May looked over, and noticed that their food had arrived. She alerted everyone, and they all started eating, making more small talk while doing so.

"May, you know Professor Birch, right?" Jake asked. They were in the Pokémon Center by the video phones, having just finished eating lunch.

"Yeah, he's the one who gave me Torchic. Why?" She replied.

"Just wondering."

Jake picked up the phone and dialed a number. A few seconds later, a large man appeared.

"Hey professor, it's me again!" Jake said.

"Hey Jake," Birch replied. He looked over, and saw May standing there. "Hey May, it's been awhile since I've seen you. How have you been?" He asked.

"I've been good," she replied sheepishly.

Professor Birch redirected his attention back to Jake. "I take it you want to exchange your Pokémon now?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'm sending over Grace, Blade, and Shadow over. I need Juggernaught, Flare, and Shockwave." Jake replied, putting three Pokeballs in the transporter.

"Certainly, I'll be right back." The professor then walked out of sight, returning a few minutes later. "Here they are," he said. He pulled three Pokeballs out of the machine in his right hand, and placed three more into it with his left. A flash of light later, Jake had received his Pokémon.

"Thanks professor, I'll talk to you later."

"Good luck! Bye Jake, bye May!" Birch said, before hanging up.

Jake turned towards May. "I gotta head over to the stadium, I don't wanna be late he said, before running off.

"Wait for me!" She exclaimed, chasing after him.

"I'll see you two after the match," Jake said.

"Okay, I'm gonna go find us some seats." Max replied, running off. "Good luck." He called.

"Eevee, you know the drill, stay with May until after the match."

"Eevee!" He exclaimed, jumping on to May's shoulder, rubbing against her affectionately.

"At least I don't have to worry about him not liking you," Jake muttered.

"Alright, enough of that. Win this one for me!" May said, giving Jake a peck on the cheek. "Good luck!"

"Th-thanks." Jake replied meekly, his face beet red.

May smiled at him, before heading off into the stands.

Jake, once again, was frozen again, really? What is up with me? he asked himself, finally able to head into the trainer's room. Once inside, he released two Pokémon.
The Subterrene Pokémon and the Mud Fish Pokémon appeared. They both looked at him expectantly.

"Alright guys, you know the drill. Sandstorm offense. Cover each other, and hide in the sand. I've looked up my opponent. His name is Zack Oliver, and he's the same age as me. I've already figured out that he'll use his Linoone and Buizel, so look out for those two. Relax, and we'll win this." Jake said, giving a little pep talk to his Pokémon.
A bell rung, signaling him to head out to the field.

"Return guys," Jake said, heading out to the field. He looked into the crowd, and after searching for a minute, he found May and Max. The former waved at him, so he waved back. He then eyed his opponent.

Zack Oliver appeared to be about Jake's height, maybe an inch taller at 6'3. He was skinny, and he had messy black hair covered by a green and black hat. His eyes were brown. He was wearing a checkered green and black button up shirt, black jean shorts, and black sneakers.

The ref then began his pre battle statements.

"This will be a two on two double battle between Jake Smith of Littleroot Town, and Zack Oliver of Oldale Town. Each trainer will use two Pokémon, and the match is over when both of either side's Pokémon are unable to battle. If one Pokémon is knocked out, then the match will continue as a two on one. This match will be held on a sand battlefield, and both trainers will release their Pokémon at the same time on my command. Are both trainers ready?"

"Yes." Jake said

"Yeah," said Zack.

"Begin!" The ref shouted, throwing up his flags.

"Juggernaught, Riptide, engage!" Jake shouted, throwing two Pokeballs.

An Excadrill and Swampert appeared, ready for battle.

On the other side of the field, Zack called out his Pokémon.

"Linoone, Buizel, let's go!" He shouted.

The Rushing Pokémon and the Sea Weasel Pokémon appeared.
Jake made the first move.

"Y'all know what to do, Sandstorm. Go into Drill Run and Hydro Pump!"
Before anyone could react, both Juggernaught and Riptide created sandstorms, which were amplified by the sandy ground.

"Buizel, stop that Excdrill with Water Gun! Linoone, dodge with Quick Attack!" Zack shouted.

Juggernaught raised his arms towards his head, turning himself into a drill. He then spun rapidly, speeding towards Buizel like a bullet. Buizel shot a stream of water towards him, but the spinning dispersed it. Juggernaught then struck Buizel, causing a good deal of damage.

On the other side of the field, Linoone was darting every which way, avoiding a massive blast of water from Riptide. Every time he got a chance, he would strike Riptide, before darting away.

Damn, I don't think I've seen a faster Linoone. Time to switch it up.

"Juggernaught, Drill Run on Linoone! Riptide, Mud Shot on Buizel!"

"Buizel, dodge with Aqua Jet! Linoone, dodge with Dig!"

Juggernaught repeated his previous actions, this time aiming for Linoone. Linoone shot underneath the ground, avoiding Juggernaught, as well as the raging sand. The small victory was short lived, however, and Juggernaught simply followed him into the ground.
Riptide shot balls of mud at Buizel, who was avoiding each and every one with an Aqua Jet. She would strike him every chance she got, clearly annoying him.

So this guy likes speed. May was right. Maverick definitely suits Juggernaught better than Riptide. I can't believe I've never noticed this before. If Riptide can't hit anything, then I'm screwed. Wait...

A roar of pain from Riptide brought Jake back to reality. Apparently, he had been hit by one too many Aqua Jets, which moved past the annoyance stage and started inflicting real pain.

"Juggernaught, into the air! Riptide, you know what to do!"

Juggernaught immediately resurfaced, shooting into the air like a rocket. Linoone didn't resurface, just like Jake had expected. Riptide reared back, and slammed his fists into the ground. The ground shook violently, and the middle of the battlefield started to cave in. Buizel instinctively angled her Aqua Jet upwards, avoiding the tremor.

"Linoone, get out of there!" Zack shouted frantically. No response.

After two minutes of no response, Zack started to look worried. He looked at Jake, who nodded in response.

"Juggernaught, go get him."

Juggernaught sped towards the ground, using his instincts as a subterranean mole to find his opponent.

Upon seeing this, the ref halted the battle. "This battle will be postponed until we get word on Linoone," he said in a stern voice.

Minutes passed, and the entire crowd was silent. The sand had died down, since Riptide didn't refresh it every few minutes.

Zack was shaking, muttering "please be okay," to himself every few seconds.

Nurse Joy had been notified of the situation, and was running to the side of the battlefield with two Chanseys flanking her, carrying a stretcher. On the stretcher was a bag, seemingly filled with medical equipment.

Jake was standing there, his arms crossed, staring at the ground in the center of the field.

Come on Juggernaught, use your instincts as an Excadrill to pull him out of there he thought to himself.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, but in reality was only minutes, Juggernaught reemerged, carrying an unconscious Linoone over his shoulder. He noticed Nurse Joy, and brought the normal type over to her. Nurse Joy took him and laid him on the stretcher. She immediately hooked up some sort of machine, and started performing a medical procedure. Zack quickly ran over to the scene, although he stayed back knowing not to get into the way. Jake soon followed.

Buizel and Riptide followed their trainers, not exactly knowing how to handle the situation.

Nurse Joy continued her work, helped by her two Chanseys. She then looked up, a smile on her face.

"Linoone will be fine. He'll make a full recovery by the end of the day. However, it'll be a week before he'll be ready to battle again," she said sweetly. "Now excuse me, I need to take him to the Pokémon Center."

The crowd cheered at the response, obviously happy about the outcome.

Zack was overjoyed by the news. His demeanor changed from a solemn one to a cheery one in seconds.

Jake simply smiled.

However, the issue of the battle was still to be determined.

The ref walked over, catching his eye. When he got over to the group, he spoke up.

"Do you want to continue the battle? If not, then I have no choice but to count this as a forfeit."

Zack looked at Jake, who simply nodded.

"It's up to you. I understand what it's like not knowing what happened to your Pokémon because I've been in that situation before."

"I think Linoone would want me to continue the match. Even though my chances of winning are slim now, I don't think I'm ready to go down without a fight."

"So it's decided then. The match will continue as a two on one. The battlefield will switch to a dirt one, as the current one is in no condition to host a battle."

As soon as he said this, the ground shook, and the sand battlefield sunk into the ground. A few seconds later, it was replaced with a dirt one.

"The ref walked over to his position, with Jake and Zack returning to their respective trainer boxes. Riptide and Juggernaught walked over to Jake's side, and Buizel stopped in front of Zack.

"This match is about to resume, are both trainers and Pokémon ready?" The ref asked.
Jake and Zack nodded.

"Then begin!" He shouted.

"Y'all know what to do!" Jake said. "Drill Run and Hydro Pump!"

Same deal as before Buizel, Aqua Jet!" Zack commanded.

Immediately, a sandstorm appeared, covering the entire field. Juggernaught used his new burst of speed to shoot towards Buizel like a bullet, who was using her Aqua Jet to get away. Riptide, not wanting to accidentally hit his partner, decided against using an attack.

"Riptide, make some barriers around yourself with an Ice Beam! Juggernaught, keep it up!"

Riptide started to shoot beams of ice around him. They formed into thick walls of ice, so that if Buizel would try to attack him, she would hit the ice instead. Juggernaught was still chasing down the fleeing Buizel, gradually gaining up on her. All was not in vain, however, as the Sea Weasel Pokémon took passive damage from the sandstorm.

"Buizel, do a one eighty and give him a Water Pulse!" Zack commanded.

Buizel immediately spun around, sending an orb of water at Juggernaught. His high speed and spinning motion dispersed it however, and he slammed into her, causing major damage.

Zack mentally scolded himself.

"Shadow Claw! Riptide, standby!"

Juggernaught's claw started glowing purple, and he rushed over and swiped at Buizel. He struck her across the chest, causing her to fly back. She crashed into the ground, unconscious.

"Buizel is unable to battle, Excadrill and Swampert are the winners! The match goes to Jake of Littleroot Town!" The ref declared.

Zack looked dejected he recalled Buizel, and walked to the center of the field. Jake recalled his Pokémon, meeting him in the middle.

"I just wanted to say thank you. If it wasn't for that Excadrill of yours, who knows what would have happened to Linoone." Zack said, holding out his hand.

"Don't mention it. You probably would have done the same. I want to thank you for a great battle." Jake replied, shaking his hand.

"Good luck in the rest of the tournament. I think you have what it takes to go all the way. Oldale Town and I will be rooting for you."

"Thanks." Jake said, breaking off the handshake.

The two went to their separate trainer's rooms. Jake walked into his, and immediately May enveloped him in a tight embrace. Eevee immediately hopped out of the way so he wouldn't get crushed. "That was an awesome match. But more importantly, you helped someone who was in need." She said.

Jake blushed. "It was nothing. I can't have something bad happen during a battle, especially if it's my fault." Jake replied sheepishly, returning the gesture.

"Yeah, that was some good sportsmanship." Max added.

"Thanks guys."

May finally released Jake. "So when's your next match?" She asked.

"In fifteen minutes. I think I'll just stay here, since I'm gonna be in the same battlefield."

Eevee immediately hopped up onto Jake's shoulder, rubbing up against him.

"You seem to be in a good mood, what's the haps?" Jake asked him.

"Vui!"

"Not telling me yet? Okay then."

"I'll leave you three alone. I'm gonna get some seats for us. Good luck Jake. May, don't play kissy face for too long!" He called, running out of the room.

"Jeez, he gets annoying. Little brothers are the worst invention ever made." May remarked, sitting down next to Jake.

"I wouldn't know. I'm an only child."

"Lucky."

"I don't know, I kinda wish I had a sibling. Seems like it would be fun."

"You can have Max," May said playfully, poking Jake in the stomache.

"No thanks, even I(bold) think he's a handful." Jake replied.

Before either of them could say anything else, a bell rang, signaling Jake to head out to the field.

"I gotta go. I'll see you after the match."

"Alright, I'll be rooting for you! Good luck!" May replied. "Come on Eevee, let's go."

"What, no kiss this time?" Jake asked, a grin on his face.

"Thought you'd never ask." May gave him a quick peck on the lips. "For luck." She said, heading out of the room. Eevee trailed closely behind her.

That was nice, at least I didn't freeze up that time Jake thought, heading out to the field.

So a slightly different battle this time. I just realized that last chapter was the one month anniversary of this story. Since then, this has become pretty popular, so thanks for the support.

Zack Oliver belongs to White-Falcon-06. Please don't hate me for what happened. The whole ordeal with the collapse was inspired by the movie October Sky. I watched it the other day in physics, and I thought it would be interesting to implement. I hope I pulled it off.

Next chapter will be Jake's final battle. I wonder what Eevee was talking about near the end. Hmm.

Remember to vote on the poll, and as always, read and review everyone!