Soledad's eyes slowly opened, and, despite her sight being somewhat blurry from the fact that she had just awakened, she could still sense that it was morning; she noticed that a light hue seemed to fill the atmosphere of the car.

…wait.

The car?

Soledad immediately leaned forward, gazing around, realizing that she was indeed in Harley's cobalt-colored four-door sedan, lying across its back seat. Feeling her fingers gripping something soft and warm, she looked down with bewilderment in her eyes, eyeing the long blanket that covered her, reaching up to the area right below her collarbone and hiding away her nude body from plain sight.

Slowly, her eyes grew deep as she finally remembered how it had gotten there – what had happened last night – and she held the blanket closer to her; she could still smell Harley's scent on it. She inhaled deeply at that thought.

Afterwards, she sailed her eyes over the car again, now arching an eyebrow at the fact that Harley was nowhere in sight. She remembered that he had fallen asleep with her after they had made love, but now he was gone, and when she looked down at the floor, she also noticed that only her clothes lay sprawled out across it; Harley's wasn't there.

It was then when she looked out the window, examining her view of the still-empty third level of their hotel's parking lot, and she saw Harley leaning forward onto the railing of the hole in the lot's wall that revealed the city of Lilycove beyond. He was fully dressed, his back facing the car, and Soledad wondered when he had gotten up and how long he had been standing there. At that moment, Harley slowly turned around, eyes dark with thought before he saw Soledad gazing at him through his car's window, and his eyebrows slightly rose at the fact that she was finally awake. He made his way over to the car, Soledad scooting back a little as he opened the backseat door and kneeled down so he was eye-level with her, keeping his hand gripping the door's side.

Silence hung between them. For some reason, Soledad couldn't think of anything to say, holding the blanket close to her so that it still concealed her figure – though she only did this to preserve warmth since Harley's entrance had brought the cold, water-scented air from outside to flow in. She met his eyes, noticing that they were still dark; he was evidently lost in thought – the same thoughts that had brought him to stare out at Lilycove City as he pondered them. She wondered if he remembered last night, though she couldn't configure a reason on why he would forget - definitely with how a worried look crossed his face, bringing his eyes to grow darker.

Did he…regret what they did?

"Soledad…" he spoke, his voice soft, yet filled with emotion. He closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh, opening them a few seconds after. "About…last night…"

Before he could find the words to continue, Soledad slid forward until she was right next to him, not caring how the blanket dropped from her clutch and exposed her. She reached forward, fingers softly brushing his warm cheek. Then she leaned forward, pressing her lips to his in a slow, warm kiss, and when she pulled away, she leaned her forehead against his, the tip of their noses touching.

"What about it?" she whispered.

Harley was silent, though the edges of his lips softly turned upward before he kissed her again.

He was relieved that she didn't regret it.

Because neither did he.

Soledad was tempted to grab Harley by the shirt and pull him back into the car – to continue what they started last night – but she knew she couldn't, definitely with the fact that the contest was today.

Soledad suddenly blinked, rethinking that last thought.

The contest was today…

The contest was today!

"Harley…" Soledad said, slowly, eyes slightly widened. "What time is it…?"

For a second, Harley arched an eyebrow, wondering why she was asking. But then his own face seemed to pale as he remembered that one little event they were supposed to attend to today.

"Shit!" he hissed, and Soledad couldn't blame him for saying it since she was mentally screaming the word. Harley pulled back, closing the car's door before rushing around and getting into the driver's seat. He immediately stabbed his key into the ignition and brought the car to life, pulling out of their slot and driving down until they escaped the cement confinement of the hotel's parking lot. In the meanwhile, Soledad grabbed her clothes from the car's floor and put them on as fast as she could, then getting out to fetch their Pokeballs from their room when Harley stopped the car by the hotel's entrance. When she got back with them, she got into the passenger seat and Harley raced the car down the street, heading towards the contest hall, practically slamming the horn whenever passing vehicles got in his way. If they drove any faster, surely the city's entire police department would've been on their tail.

As the city passed by in the form of a blur, Soledad looked up through her window, noticing that the sky was still gray despite that it was morning. The storm from last night had chosen to linger above the city, undoubtedly ready to drop more rain whenever it decided to do so. Soledad didn't have time to think about it, though; worries for the possibility that they were late for the contest were filling her mind, preventing her from thinking about anything else until they reached the contest hall itself - which they did a few minutes afterwards.

The large stadium that served as the arena stood tall like a behemoth behind the hall. It looked no different than the contest hall back in Slateport, but Soledad didn't bother to examine it as she got out of the car when Harley parked it, both coordinators then running across the damp pavement towards the registration desk inside. The fact that the parking lot was filled with other cars and the faint sound of cheering could be heard emanating from the stadium brought Soledad to figure that everyone else was already waiting for them.

"Soledad Sierra and Harley Davidson, right?" the female clerk at the registration desk asked when Harley and Soledad rushed through the door, stopping a few feet away from the desk, gasping for air as if they had just run a marathon. Despite this, the clerk only had a large grin on her face, and whether this was because she was seeing two of her – possibly - favorite coordinators or was just relieved that they had just barely made it Soledad couldn't tell.

"Yeah…" Harley said, sighing to relax himself and slow his speeding heart. "Did we make it? Are we late?"

The clerk shrugged. "Somewhat late. Everyone's already seated in the stadium and the other competitors are here as well. They're all just waiting for you."

Soledad had thought as much.

"You better head towards the waiting room," the clerk said. "Vivian just announced that the battle's supposed to begin in a few minutes."

Harley and Soledad nodded, making their way towards the hall that led into the waiting room. Soledad heard the clerk wish them good luck, and she smiled at her before she and her partner disappeared from sight.

The waiting room of the contest hall was also no different than the one in Slateport, designed in the exact same fashion as all the others. The cheering from the people seated in the stadium gave Soledad the speculation that at least half the city's population had come to watch this event, and this only increased the uneasiness in her stomach. Such thoughts were wiped away from her mind, however, when she spotted a familiar chartreuse-haired teen leaning against the wall across the room.

She gulped.

Drew

He didn't seem to notice her as he listened to May talk to him about something, the large grin of excitement on her face contradicting his own frown. His arms were crossed, his eyes somewhat shaded by his bangs, but when he turned his head and spotted Soledad, his gaze seemed to brighten slightly. Gesturing towards May that their rivals were here, Drew led his partner towards Harley and Soledad.

Soledad felt herself go rigid, knowing that only in an hour or two she was going to reveal her big secret to him, as well as the rest of the audience and the world in general. She could feel Harley's eyes on her, as if he was also thinking of the fact that their relationship was soon going to be revealed, but he said nothing when Drew and May stopped in front of them.

"We honestly thought you two weren't going to make it," Drew said, his arms still crossed. His gaze flickered to Harley, though Harley wasn't able to catch the hint of disgust that filled them before he brought them back to Soledad. "What was the hold up?"

Soledad turned her eyes away. Unknown to her, Harley did the same.

"We just slept in late," Soledad said. "Forgot to set the alarm clock…you know."

May giggled. "Oh, if I had a nickel every time I did that. Eh, Drew?" She nudged him in the side playfully, and he only scowled.

"Right…" he said, his voice quiet. "Well, the battle's going to begin shortly. I guess we'll see you out there."

With that, he turned around, heading towards the hall that led into the arena.

"May this be a battle we'll never forget!" May exclaimed, smiling. Soledad returned the smile, watching the brown-haired teenager scurry off after her partner after waving them goodbye.

Harley and Soledad were now alone in the waiting room.

Harley turned his head to Soledad, an amused smile on his face. "Nervous?"

Soledad met his eyes. "Maybe," she said, faking a grin. "You?"

"Of course." Harley chuckled, bringing his hand up to softly caress her cheek. She felt herself relax from his touch. He soon leaned in, bringing his lips by her ear and softly whispering, "I love you, Sol."

At that, Soledad smiled softly, remembering the night when they confessed, all of the days they'd been together, and last night. "I love you, too," she murmured back, nuzzling him slightly with her nose, at the same time hoping that no one would walk in and see them. This would be the last time they would say such things before everyone else knew about it...

…before Drew knew about it.

As she pulled away from Harley, the Pokeballs in her pocket burst open, releasing every single one of her Pokemon. Simultaneously, the Pokeballs on Harley's belt opened, his Pokemon materializing in a group not far from him.

Soledad met Lapras' eyes, letting out a small laugh. "I guess you guys overhead that the contest is here, right?"

Lapras smiled coyly, saying her name.

That, and a few other…interesting…things.

"You ready to fight, Cacturne?" Harley asked, eyeing the said grass and dark type.

Cacturne grinned. "Cacturne cac! Cac turne! Cac!"

I'm ready when Lapras is! Where's the battle? I'm getting all tingly!

Harley's other Pokemon chuckled at his words. Even Garchomp had an amused smile on her face.

"I suppose you all can watch from the sidelines if you want," Harley said, referring to the rest of his and Soledad's Pokemon. They all chirped in agreement, nodding, and Harley turned to Soledad. "Come on," he said. "We better head out there now."

Soledad hummed in agreement, following her partner as he led the way towards the hallway of the arena's battlefield. At the same time, their Pokemon (excluding Cacturne and Lapras) began to walk down the opposite hallway that led into the audience – so they could watch their masters fight from the sidelines like they had been wanting to do ever since this battle was first announced.

As Harley and Soledad disappeared from sight, Cacturne nodded to Lapras before the two Pokemon began to walk in the same direction. However, Cacturne then felt a claw on his shoulder, stopping him, and he turned around with an arched brow.

His other brow rose when he met the gaze of Garchomp.

Garchomp had an uneasy look on her face, her eyes glued to the tiled floor as if she was debating with herself on whether to say what she wanted to. Seconds after, though, she raised her head, brows furrowing to give her that scowl she was known for. (Yet, Cacturne had to blink at it; it looked like it was forced.)

"Gar, gar chomp…" she slowly said, keeping her tone firm.

Look, I just wanted to say…

She turned her eyes away from his. "…chomp. Gar chomp chomp gar chomp."

good luck. You and Lapras have worked really hard on this and I'm sure you can pull it off.

Cacturne found his own gaze falling to the floor, surprised that she was saying such a thing (like when she congratulated him when the Ice Storm formation was first created) considering the feud that had been transpiring between them ever since she first joined Harley's team. He couldn't help but feel grateful as well, as anyone would when hearing a compliment…if this was a compliment. There was the possibility that she was just saying it for the hell of it, but yet Cacturne had grown to know Garchomp – if she said something without a sarcastic tone included, she meant it. And the words she just said had carried no sense of sarcasm. It was sensible for him to be somewhat confused, yet flattered, but despite this he didn't know what to say.

"Cac…" he said softly.

I…

He shook his head, letting what he was going to say trail off into the unknown. He raised his head and met her eyes, firming himself. "Cacturne. Cacturne cac cac, cac."

Thanks. I'm gonna try my best, I can guarantee you that.

For a split second, a look of admiration seem to cross Garchomp's eyes, but it dissipated before Cacturne could notice. Instead, she scowled again, turning her head away, closing her eyes, and letting out an arrogant snort. "Gar, chomp chomp gar. Gar chomp gar chomp chomp chomp gar gar."

Yeah, you better not mess up. I don't want to have to peel your ass off the battlefield floor if May and Drew manage to flatten you.

Cacturne couldn't help but arch a brow at that. He turned his head to face the battlefield's hallway, hearing the audience grow louder outside.

Garchomp looked in the same direction. "Gar chomp…chomp," she said.

You better go…they're waiting for you.

Cacturne switched his gaze to her and nodded. He then headed towards the hallway, turning his head one last time to see Garchomp making her way to the audience stands. Right before she disappeared around the wall, she stepped back and met his eyes, allowing a smirk to cross her face as she raised her claw in a supportive gesture. Cacturne's eyes brightened and he watched Garchomp depart before pivoting back around to head down his own hallway.

And, just like before, a smile appeared on his face.

Only, this time, it was a lot larger.


Soledad gazed around at the audience surrounding them as she and Harley took their places on the arena's battlefield. Every seat was filled, the endless amount of people appearing as an ocean that flashed with glistening eyes full of excitement and roared with cheer loud enough to wake Arceus. Even the ground seemed to somewhat vibrate from all of the noise, and Soledad couldn't help but let out an amused sigh, amazed by the fact that so many people had come to watch the battle. Soledad's previous assumption was pushed away; now she was convinced that practically all of Hoenn was here, or at least half of the populations of both Lilycove and Slateport.

Drew and May were standing on the opposite side of the battlefield, May waving to her fans, Drew doing the same despite the fact that it was evident that he was trying his best to push away that scowl he had been holding, keeping his glare away from Harley by putting on his usual smirk while eyeing the audience. He eventually turned his eyes to Soledad.

Soledad frowned determinedly upon meeting Drew's gaze. She knew that constantly wondering how the reaction of revealing her and Harley's relationship to the world after the battle wouldn't keep her head in the game, and until the moment to confess came up the contest was all that was important. She turned her attention to the audience, yet again amazed by how much cheer was emanating from them – all directed towards her, Harley, and May and Drew. She couldn't remember a past contest where this many people had been rooting her on, though she couldn't really remember anything now with how much she was trying to focus on the battle ahead.

Harley seemed to be gazing at the audience, too, both of his eyebrows raised with his own sense of astonishment. He glanced at Vivian, however, when she appeared by the table where the three usual contest judges were seated, introducing them to the people who weren't familiar with their identities, and then pointing to the overhead screen where the competitors' point bars were displayed alongside a time limit. Like with the contest in Slateport, it was the exact same routine – a routine that no coordinator ever got tired of, always anticipating to see it whenever they walked out onto the stage.

Ironically, Soledad just wished that it was still yesterday.

"Are you all ready to watch this battle unfold?" Vivian asked the audience, who grew louder in response, some stomping their feet to emit more articulated excitement. "The battle between May and Drew, and Harley and Soledad was unfortunately postponed due to the accident back in Slateport, but now that all is well and everyone is okay" – she met Harley's gaze, who smiled with assurance – "we can finally see which team was destined to have won the contest!" She turned back to the battlefield. "Coordinators, get your Pokemon ready!"

At that, Soledad pivoted slightly, watching Lapras emerge from the entrance into the arena as if that was her cue. She made her way over to her master, allowing Soledad to pat her on the neck as a gesture of good luck before the Pokemon took her place in front of her on the battlefield. Seconds later, Cacturne came out of the hallway, a large grin on his face that Harley could only interpret to be excitement for the battle ahead, the grass and dark type taking his place beside Lapras. Familiar voices in the forms of personal cheers began to emit from the seats right by the entrance, and both Lapras and Cacturne turned to notice that the rest of Harley and Soledad's Pokemon had seated themselves not far away, clapping their claws together supportively. Cacturne eyed Garchomp, who was only leaning back against her seat with her arms crossed, though that same smirk from before appeared on her face when she noticed his gaze, and his eyes brightened happily.

Meanwhile, Soledad switched her attention to May and Drew; she couldn't help but wonder what Pokemon they had chosen to use for this battle. She noticed that a faint look of thoughtfulness had crossed May's face upon seeing Lapras and Cacturne, Drew arching an eyebrow in a smug manner, and Soledad blinked in bewilderment to such expressions.

It was then when May and Drew grabbed the Pokeballs of the Pokemon they had chosen, and they tossed them outwards, releasing them.

Flygon and Blaziken.

Soledad's eyebrows rose even higher, and a faint chuckle from the side proved that Harley was finding the irony this contest was already containing humorous.

"Interesting choices!" Vivian exclaimed, smiling. "With the Pokemon chosen, let's start the battle everyone's been waiting for!"

As the audience burst into louder cheer, the four coordinators' Pokemon got into their battle positions, Soledad closing her eyes to suppress the jumpiness in her muscles.

Think about the battle. Think about the battle. Think about the battle.

"Go!" Vivian called.

Soledad's eyes flew open, and she jabbed her finger forward. "Lapras! Hydro Pump on Blaziken!"

Lapras pulled her head back, then rearing it forward before sending out that familiar tunnel of swirling water towards May's Pokemon.

"Dodge it!" May called out, and Blaziken jumped to the side right as the Hydro Pump hit her prior position, water spreading across the floor.

Meanwhile, Drew threw his hand forward. "Flygon, Flamethrower!"

Flygon narrowed his eyes before flying forward, shooting out a beam of fire from his mouth and straight towards Lapras, who was getting ready to counter with another Hydro Pump - before she noticed Blaziken attempting a sneak attack, heading straight towards her with a readied Blaze Kick. Lapras was able to dodge the Flamethrower, feeling the heat of its torrid surface brush across her cheek as it flew right by her face, though this left her in a position where Blaziken was growing too close to avoid.

However, Blaziken couldn't reach Lapras, because right when she was about to, Cacturne made his appearance, jumping in front of his partner with a charging Needle Arm and slamming it against Blaziken's chest before the avian Pokemon could even notice that he was there. She was pushed back, though she quickly regained her stance, now heading towards the grass and dark type, lunging forward and throwing up her foot. Cacturne turned to the side, barely evading getting kicked in the face, though Blaziken then retaliated around and threw up her other foot with just as much speed, bringing Cacturne to duck. While down, he pulled back his arm, allowing the needles on it to expand as he charged up another Needle Arm attack, then punching upward in an uppercut formation. Blaziken hissed, arching her back to avoid the hit, fully bending backwards until her claws touched the ground, which she then used to push herself up and launch herself into the air, performing a somersault. She landed on her feet somewhat far away, preventing Cacturne from sending any more Needle Arms her way.

Of course, Harley had an alternative for this. "Cacturne! Bullet Seed!"

Cacturne aimed his mouth at Blaziken, then launching an array of glowing bullets towards her.

"Dodge it!" May commanded, and Blaziken didn't need to be told in order to do so.

Blaziken kneeled down, then pushing her powerful legs upward with all her might, launching herself into the air right as the bullets would've struck her.

"Blaze Kick!" May said. "And fast!"

Blaziken aimed her leg towards Cacturne, allowing it to become enshrouded in flames as she dove towards Cacturne.

"Move!" Harley ordered, and Cacturne stumbled to get out of the way, barely pivoting around in time to see Blaziken land on the ground. She was about to retaliate, sending her still-charged Blaze Kick his way, but she was instead thrown forward when a Water Gun attack struck her right in the middle of her back, causing her to cry her name as her face made contact with the floor before the momentum caused her body to flip over, leaving her as an immobilized heap a few feet away from Cacturne. Cacturne widened his eyes, but then turned his attention to Lapras, who was smirking at him, having managed to help just in time after she had pinned down Flygon with an Ice Beam.

Soledad met Harley's eyes, the amethyst-haired coordinator mouthing a word of gratitude, leaving Soledad to nod with a smile. Then, her determined frown returned as she turned her gaze to Drew, who had clenched his fists by his side, while May only waved her arms around frantically, trying to wake Blaziken from her position.

Before Lapras and Cacturne could plan a next attack, Flygon and Blaziken returned to their feet, regaining themselves before pulling back to await their next orders.

Soledad's eyes flickered to the overhead screen. Her and Harley's points, as well as May and Drew's, were halfway gone, yet the timer was far from reaching zero. Lapras was breathing hard; though she had weakened Flygon with her array of Ice Beam attacks, his Flamethrowers had struck her multiple times in the process. Cacturne was hanging in there despite the fact that Blaziken could practically take him out with a few fire type moves if she managed to hit him. He considered himself lucky to have dodged them all this far, but he didn't know how much longer he could do so. Throwing his own attacks at her wasn't doing much damage because of their clashing types, so if he handled her by himself…he undoubtedly would be the loser – and Lapras wasn't in a position to fight Blaziken and Flygon alone.

Soledad gritted her teeth. Now she was beginning to wonder if this was the proper time to use the Ice Storm formation. She could sense the contemplation in Drew's glare even with the fact that they were far apart. Whatever formation he and May had formed, it was evident that he was also considering on using it, definitely with how he shot a look at May seconds later.

May nodded to his gesture. "Blaziken! Deadlock both Cacturne and Lapras!"

Soledad's face fell. Deadlock them? Why would she do that? Sure, Blaziken could handle Cacturne on her own, but Lapras as well?

Knowing what May was referring to, Blaziken rushed forward before Soledad could even stutter out a command, jumping up and using Blaze Kick, slamming her foot upside Lapras' face. The said Pokemon reared her head back from the hit, moaning her name in pain, and right as Cacturne stumbled to aid her, Blaziken was already in the midst of pushing him back, having landed on the ground right in front of him, causing him to stop.

While Cacturne and Lapras were distracted, Drew turned his eyes to Flygon. "Flygon! Use Dig! You know what to do!"

Flygon growled his name obediently, rocketing upward higher into the air and then diving down, folding in his wings as he then began to spin, heading towards the ground. When he made contact with it, he buried deep into it, creating a tunnel which quickly concealed him beneath the floor.

Soledad's eyes darted across the floor, worrying over what Flygon was possibly up to, trying to locate his figure from above ground though such a thing was impossible. She turned her attention back to Lapras, who had just slammed her flipper against Blaziken when the avian Pokemon had tried to hit Cacturne with another Blaze Kick, pushing her back and away from her partner. She glanced at Harley, noticing that he was too distracted trying to keep Blaziken at bay to deal with Flygon, and Soledad had begun to figure that that was the intention all along.

Suddenly, Flygon burst from the ground, creating another hole not far from his first one. Before Soledad could eye him, he dove into the same hole, then bursting out from another spot. He repeated this process multiple times, creating holes all over the battlefield, which were all connected by a long tunnel. Soledad knew this wasn't good.

"Lapras!" she commanded. "Stop Flygon! Use Ice Beam!"

Lapras snapped her head around, reverting her attention from Blaziken to Flygon as he burst from the ground again. She narrowed her eyes, slamming her flippers on the ground to firm herself before charging an Ice Beam and firing it his way. Flygon's eyes widened when he noticed its approach and he performed a barrel roll to dodge it. Lapras was about to fire another Ice Beam to stop him from whatever he was doing, but it didn't matter; Blaziken had managed to keep both her and Cacturne distracted long enough for Flygon to finish what he was trying to do. He flew higher at Drew's command, getting out of range.

May took that as her time to finish her part. "Blaziken, pull back! Volcano formation!"

Soledad felt her stomach plummet. Even Harley hissed a curse from beside her.

Lapras and Cacturne stood confused and lost, watching Blaziken pivot around, jump up, and land right in front of a hole on the other side of the field. Then, she reared her head back, her beak opening as she charged up a powerful Flamethrower – undoubtedly the strongest she could muster – and she lunged forward, putting her head in the hole before she unleashed her attack.

Soledad and Harley's eyes darted nervously to each hole that marked the battlefield. They had all began to glow that warm orange, the air above them sizzling in the heat as Blaziken's Flamethrower traveled throughout the underground tunnel. Pillars of fire soon began to rocket from each hole, appearing as if a volcano from beneath had just roared, releasing everything it had.

Cacturne stumbled back from the sudden explosion, feeling his muscles weaken as the air grew torrid, the audience all gasping at the amazing display. He didn't notice that he had nearly been trapped, almost falling back into a hole that was behind him, and he struggled to move forward before Blaziken's Flamethrower burst from that one as well. In the process, he almost ran right into another hole; Flygon had managed to place some of the holes so close together that falling into them was inevitable. Cacturne didn't want to get stuck in one of the pillar's crossfire, so he moved as fast as he could, trying to find a safe way back towards Harley; however, he couldn't see his master as the pillars grew more in number, eventually leaving him trapped all around.

Garchomp's face fell, feeling her heart plummet as she lost sight of Cacturne. The other Pokemon cried out their own worries, though if the audience wasn't keeping Cacturne from hearing them, surely the roaring of the fire pillars was enough to prevent any outside noises from reaching him.

"Lapras!" Soledad called, having to practically scream in order for her Pokemon to hear her. "Use Surf! Take out some of those pillars and get Cacturne out of there!"

Lapras wasted no time in heeding the command, her eyes glowing as she focused on bringing up any water in the ground to the surface, hoping that she could do so. Fortunately, a small wave eventually built itself up behind her, and she sent it forward. The wave made contact with the fire pillars bursting from the holes all over the battlefield, ceasing them and causing large amounts of steam to fill the air. Blaziken pulled back, not wanting to get struck by the wave while she was still using Flamethrower, and she jumped up right before the wave moved over her prior position, grabbing the legs of Flygon as he came down to assist her and took off again.

"Cacturne!" Harley called, trying to peer through the steam to locate his Pokemon, the water from Lapras' Surf attack dissolving into the ground and filling the holes.

Garchomp leaned forward in her seat, darting her eyes across the steam-filled battlefield almost as desperately as Harley was.

Eventually, Cacturne emerged from the steam, coughing slightly. His entire body was sagging, appearing weak. Though he hadn't gotten hit by any of the fire pillars, the intensity of the heat alone had been enough to affect him.

Harley let out a sigh of relief, just glad that his Pokemon was still standing. Garchomp leaned back in her seat, forcing herself to relax, and the other Pokemon mimicked her.

But the battle was far from over, Soledad then figured. As the steam dissipated, she could see a look of superiority on Drew's face, and despite her relationship with the teen she wanted nothing but to wipe that smirk off of him right now. She also knew that if Blaziken and Flygon ever got a chance to repeat the Volcano formation, Lapras and Cacturne probably wouldn't make it through. Or, at least Cacturne wouldn't…

"Lapras!" Soledad ordered. "Use Surf again!"

Lapras met her master's gaze, and by the way Soledad was staring at her, the Pokemon knew what she wanted her to do. Lapras allowed her eyes to glow again, recycling the water from the previous Surf attack to build up another wave, which she then sent sprawling forward across the battlefield. (This caused Flygon to fly higher, Blaziken still hanging from his legs in the process of avoiding the water type attack.) Soledad then met Harley's gaze, sending him a nod, and he got the message, turning his head to Cacturne, who had managed to firm his stance since he was now away from any heat.

"Cacturne!" he said. "Back up! Standby!"

Cacturne called his name obediently, doing just that, watching as Lapras fired an Ice Beam towards the expanding wave, freezing it over and solidifying it into ice.

May and Drew's faces fell, appearing as if they were in the exact same position Harley and Soledad were when they were trying to determine what Flygon was doing. But now the tables had turned, and Cacturne launched forward when Harley snapped his fingers, the grass and dark type climbing up onto the ice, gazing at Flygon and Blaziken as they hovered not far off, just as bewildered as their trainers.

"Move!" Harley called. "Now!"

Cacturne pushed himself forward, sliding across the ice with as much speed as he possibly could, getting closer to Blaziken and Flygon.

Despite not knowing what Cacturne was trying to do, Drew didn't want to attempt to find out. "Flygon! Flamethrower!"

"You do the same, Blaziken!" May added.

Flygon and Blaziken opened their mouths, firing out two Flamethrowers in Cacturne's direction. Cacturne widened his eyes towards the approaching attacks, sliding to the side to dodge one and feeling himself nearly jump in place when he heard it melt the area of ice behind him. He barely managed to dodge the other Flamethrower, feeling its heat swipe across his face, and if it had been any closer it would've clipped him. He continued onward.

Drew clenched his teeth. "Flygon, use Flamethrower again!"

May followed. "Do the same, Blaziken!"

Flygon and Blaziken opened their mouths once more, firing out two more Flamethrowers. This time, they both were heading right where Cacturne was, covering his dodge range. He felt his stomach jump, wondering what he could do. He felt the Flamethrowers approach – at any second they would make contact with him and take him out of the game then and there. His eyes darted around, and right when the two Flamethrowers were about to strike, he did the first thing he thought of: He fully arched his back forward like he had seen Blaziken done earlier, feeling his muscles groan in protest, though he ignored the discomfort as he leaned back far enough until his back was actually touching the ice, his legs folding in as he continued to slide.

At that moment, the two Flamethrowers reached him…

…and they passed right over him, only inches away from touching his flesh. It was such a close call that he could practically taste and smell their heat, their bright surfaces nearly blinding him and causing his breath to get caught in his throat.

As soon as they were gone, Cacturne recovered himself, slamming the end of his arm onto the passing ice and pushing himself back onto his feet. The audience grew louder with cheer and he felt the need to let out a victorious laugh – definitely at the sight of May and Drew's shocked faces – but he held it in when he heard Harley yell:

"That's close enough! Ice Storm formation!"

Cacturne quickly slid towards the side, heading towards a large groove in the ice that would strengthen the next part of the formation. Using the groove as a support, he rocketed off of it, heading high into the air before diving back down towards the ground head-first, charging up a Needle Arm attack, crossing his arms in front of him, and then slamming them across the ice.

Hundreds of needle-shaped ice fragments flew forward, heading straight towards Flygon and Blaziken, who had no time to dodge. The needles struck them, causing them to roar out in pain – especially Flygon. Blaziken lost her grip on the said dragon, falling towards the ground and crashing into it, Flygon soon joining her.

Cacturne stopped in place, breathing heavily.

A few seconds later, Blaziken groaned slightly as she hoisted herself up from the ground. Ice type moves were not powerful against her, and therefore it made sense that she wasn't knocked out yet. For Flygon, though, it was a different story.

However, just like Blaziken, Flygon managed to pick himself up, not done yet. He winced, but was able to get on his feet, baring his fangs at Cacturne, though it was more because of pain rather than a gesture of anger.

"We can't let them do that again…" Drew muttered to himself, and he quickly jabbed his finger forward. "Flygon! Dig!"

Soledad's eyes widened, as did Harley's. What?

Flygon firmed himself, taking off into the air and then diving back down towards the ground, spinning so that he could bury his way through it. All of his previous tunnels were unusable, so it was evident that he would have to create new ones in order to meet the requirements of a Volcano formation.

Soledad's eyes darted across the ground, trying to pinpoint Flygon. When he burst from the ground, she pointed at him. "Lapras, Ice Beam!"

Lapras fired an Ice Beam towards Flygon, but he managed to avoid it by burying into the ground again, and this time he didn't come up for a long time.

"Damn it!" Harley hissed. "Where is he?"

The two adults waited for any signs of Flygon, their Pokemon doing the same. However, he was nowhere to be seen.

Then, he burst from the ground again – right from under Lapras.

Lapras was thrown back, but she kept her place, firing an Ice Beam at Flygon, who was now exposed and hovering in midair right above Blaziken. He dodged it, and May took that time to act.

"Volcano formation!" she ordered.

Blaziken ducked her head into the nearest hole on the other side of the battlefield, firing a Flamethrower down into its midst. It traveled through the small tunnel, and Soledad tried to locate where it would rise. It burst from the hole towards the middle of the battlefield, but that was out of range of Cacturne and Lapras. The only hole left was…

Soledad's eyes widened and she turned them to Lapras. "Lapras! Move! Do something!"

Lapras met her master's gaze, confused to why she suddenly seemed panicky. She then felt a strong sensation of heat begin to touch her underbelly, and that was when she realized that she was standing right over the hole Flygon had used to burst out from below her. She had no time to dodge; she knew that, so she did the one thing she could: She reared her head forward, sending out a Hydro Pump in Blaziken's direction, doing as much as she can before-

Blaziken's Flamethrower burst from the hole under her, sending her body flying upward with it. She screamed in pain as the pillar carried her higher and higher, until eventually Blaziken cut off her attack, allowing the pillar to dissipate. Lapras fell and crashed into the ground, smoke billowing from the small crater she made.

Simultaneously, Blaziken widened her eyes upon noticing Lapras' Hydro Pump heading straight towards her, and she had no time to dodge herself before it engulfed her, sending her shooting backwards. She bounced off the ground a few times before coming to a skidding halt, her feathers drenched.

As the smoke from Lapras' crash dissipated, it revealed Soledad's Pokemon, her head down and eyes closed, obviously unconscious. When all eyes turned to Blaziken, it was discovered that she had suffered the same fate.

"It looks like both Lapras and Blaziken are down for the count!" Vivian announced, having been narrating the battle the whole time, though her voice had been partially blocked out by the actual battle itself. "But this doesn't mean the winner has been chosen yet!"

Soledad switched her eyes to the overhead screen. Her and Harley's points were nearly out, and so was May and Drew's. The timer was almost empty, but yet the battle wasn't over. Harley still had a chance of winning – if he managed to beat Drew. Soledad returned Lapras to her Pokeball as May did to Blaziken, meeting Harley's sympathetic eyes afterwards. She shook her head, pointing to the battlefield, and he knew he had to finish what they started.

"Flygon!" Drew called out, having decided not to waste time. "Flamethrower!"

"Dodge!" Harley said, Cacturne doing just that. "Bullet Seed!"

Cacturne fired his bullet seeds at Flygon, who flew higher to avoid them, though he eventually got clipped in the wing, which brought him to lower slightly. However, after that he rushed towards Cacturne, his claw glowing with a Dragon Claw attack like Drew commanded. Cacturne struggled to get out of the way, Flygon swooping right by him, quickly retaliating around to chase him, both claws now glowing. He shot forward, slicing his claws against Cacturne's back, sending the Pokemon forward and onto his front.

Harley breathed in, but he exhaled when Cacturne returned to his feet, limping slightly. When he saw Flygon attempt to slash his Pokemon again, Harley quickly called out: "Cacturne, keep moving!"

Cacturne followed Harley's order, rolling out of the way as Flygon swooped by him again, claws glowing. He then quickly got to his feet and began running, jumping from side to side whenever Flygon rushed in to attempt to hit him from the back, always retaliating to try again. Cacturne, like his master, was desperately trying to think of something to do; he wasn't in a position to use any moves that could stop Flygon right now. He was trapped and he couldn't risk such a thing – if he got knocked down, he might not get up again.

Cacturne continued to run, not knowing what else he could do. Whenever a hole in the ground came up, he had to dodge that as well. If he got stuck in one, Flygon would have him pinned. He glanced around as he continued to avoid Flygon and the holes that marked the battlefield, and eventually he noticed that chunks of ice from the past Ice Storm formation were still lying around. If he could get close to one of those and…

No, it wouldn't work! It was too risky!

…right?

"Flamethrower!" Cacturne heard Drew call out, and Flygon followed his command, ceasing his Dragon Claws and instead continuously shooting out a beam of fire right after Cacturne. If Cacturne slowed at all, he would be hit and done for.

Meanwhile, Garchomp watched Cacturne attempt to survive among the battlefield, Flygon flying right behind him, attempting to knock him down with his Flamethrower. The land-shark's claws twitched; she knew that Cacturne could get out of this – she knew that he could win Harley and Soledad the battle. He was Cacturne, after all; the annoying pain-in-her-ass that was, simultaneously, the most dedicated Pokemon she had ever known, and she would be damned if she watched him fall now just because he lacked a way out!

Before she knew it, she stood up, putting her claws by her mouth to raise the sound of her voice. "Gar chomp, gar! Chomp!"

You can do it, Cacturne! Come on!

Cacturne blinked, having heard Garchomp. He turned his head, meeting her gaze, nearly getting hit by Flygon's Flamethrower in the process.

It was then when he realized that he had to win this, or at least try. If not just for Harley and Soledad, then for…

…Garchomp.

A determined look crossed his eyes and he suddenly turned around, causing Flygon to stumble slightly. He quickly made his way over to one of the aforementioned ice chunks, rolling forward right when Flygon's Flamethrower would've hit him. There, he scurried around behind the large ice chunk, peering around its edge to see Flygon approaching, and when the time was right Cacturne grabbed the ice chunk, tossing it up with all of his might. Then, he jumped, meeting it in midair, where he then charged up a Needle Arm attack and struck it, causing it to break out into dozens of needle-shaped ice fragments.

Having not expected such a thing, Flygon backtracked, crying out his name as he watched the needles come towards him.

They struck him, sending him sprawling towards the ground.

Seconds passed, everyone in the room grew quiet, and Cacturne slowly made his way over to Flygon.

The dragon was lying on his front, eyes closed…

…and unconscious.

The last bit of points for May and Drew depleted to zero.

And the audience burst into cheer.

"Harley and Soledad!" Vivian exclaimed. "Harley and Soledad are the winners!"

The audience cheered louder.

Cacturne looked around at the audience all around him, smiling as they clapped. He met Garchomp's gaze as she and the other Pokemon applauded for him from their own seats, and he felt his smile grow bigger.

Drew let out a sigh, but May patted him on the shoulder, giving him an assuring smile. He returned Flygon to his Pokeball, happy for Soledad – though this only faintly showed on his face.

Meanwhile, Soledad was breathless.

Harley had won…

Harley had won…

Harley had won…

"You…won…" Soledad slowly said when she turned to Harley.

He grinned at her, shaking his head amusingly, almost as awed as she was. "No, we won, Sol."

But, still…Soledad couldn't help but smile.

They had won!

Before she could realize what she was doing, she rushed forward, grabbing Harley by the front of the shirt, and kissed him.

Right there.

Right in front of everyone.

Right in front of May.

And right in front of Drew.

The audience went dead silent.

Soledad found it strange when she noticed that Harley wasn't returning the kiss. She pulled back slightly, meeting his gaze, which was widened and staring at her as if she had just done something crazy.

It was then when she realized that all noise had left the room, and she looked around, feeling her heartbeat speed up and her stomach fall as she realized what she had just did – how she had just confessed their relationship, and not in the calm and explanatory manner she had originally planned.

The first thing she did was look at May and Drew.

"Wow…" May said, breaking the arena's awkward silence as she put a finger to her chin, blinking. "I was…right…"

Meanwhile, Drew looked as if he was about to have a heart attack.

"Well, talk about surprises!" Vivian then laughed. "It looks like there's a little something going on between everyone's favorite Harley and Soledad, am I right?"

At that, the audience's cheer slowly came back; everyone was obviously happy for Harley and Soledad.

Instead for one.

Soledad made her way across the battlefield, leaving Harley to stare after her, confused and curious. When she came close to Drew, she slowed her pace, approaching him with soft steps similar to how a parent would come towards a lost child.

"Drew…" she spoke, her tone so light it sounded sad – and mainly because Drew was portraying that very emotion. "Drew…I wanted to tell you…I was going to tell you…I was going to tell everyone…"

"Get away from me," Drew muttered.

Soledad's shoulders sagged. "W-what?"

"I said," Drew repeated, sneering through his teeth, "get away from me."

"Drew…I…please…"

"I said get the hell away!"

And with that, he turned around, running towards the door that led outside, escaping from Soledad, escaping from Harley, escaping from the fact that the one person he trusted most in the world had just betrayed him.

"Drew!" Soledad called after him, but he didn't stop, and the door slammed shut behind him. "Drew!"

A sympathetic look crossed May's eyes. "Oh, Drew…"

It was then when Harley came up, approaching Soledad from behind, having heard what Drew said. The whole stadium had heard that last part.

"Sol…" Harley softly cooed, and when she turned to face him, his eyes darkened at her distressed state. "Sol, what's wrong? What's going on?"

Soledad only shook her head.

And without saying another word, she ran after Drew.