Chapter 12:
I used to think that Mega Evolution was a myth. There have been rumours of it for centuries, especially in Kalos. A few people claim to have witnessed it, but many of those turn out to be seeking attention. In a world of camera phones, no one is believed without evidence now. No evidence exists until this very moment. My dad told me bedtime stories of a man and his Venusaur which could Mega Evolve. Those were just stories. The real thing is even more incredible.
Robin and Flourette look like they can't quite believe what's just happened. They are as surprised as anyone at what they have somehow achieved.
"Ladies and gentlemen, do not pinch yourselves," the announcer suddenly shouts, "May I introduce for the first time ever Mega Mawile and Mega Charizard!"
The crowd erupts. Forget the etiquette. I raise my arms and scream at the top of my lungs. Elin and Rhianne join in as well. Thomas, meanwhile, stands and applauds. As I look at the three, something catches my notice in the corner of my eye. I turn to see Lancelot Elderidge has got to his feet and is leaving. I call after him but he doesn't seem to be able to hear me.
"What's going on?" Elin asks as he notices I'm now facing the opposite direction to everyone else.
"Lancelot just got up and left," I say. Rhianne and Thomas also turn to face me. We all glance around the VIP area. We are the only ones left in here.
"What's he up to?" Thomas asks thoughtfully.
"Why don't I follow him, see where he goes?" Rhianne suggests, "You guys stay and watch the battle."
"Are you sure?" I ask.
"Yeah, I'm out, it doesn't matter to me what happens. I've seen the best bit already," she says.
I look to the others and then nod. Rhianne jogs out of the area in search of the tournament's organiser. We turn back to the battle as Robin's Mega Evolved Mawile jumps back to dodge a Fire Blast.
"Thunder Fang," Robin says. It's hard to hear him over the crowd's excitement at the spectacle.
"Fly up," Flourette says.
Mawile runs forwards with its jaws trailing behind. As it gets close, Charizard jumps up and takes to the sky. It beats its wings to remain in the air and it appears to be out of Mawile's reach. Amazingly, Mawile pursues it by launching itself off the ground. It spins in the air and both jaws stretch out to Charizard. The jaws clamp down on a leg each and electricity surges through Charizard's body. It cries out in pain and the two Pokémon plummet to the ground.
"Play Rough," Robin says. He has regained that calm and confident composure from before. Even though Mawile is at a major disadvantage, he might just manage to win.
Mawile begins to smack Charizard about with whatever limbs it can. Charizard doesn't take kindly to this and a swipe of the tail throws Mawile across the battlefield. Charizard gets to its feet and twists its body to face Mawile as it gets out of the dirt. A loud roar shakes the stadium. The force of the roar sends Mawile back even further. Robin's Pokémon looks terrified. I am not surprised, I wouldn't want to be in its situation.
"Sucker Punch," Robin calls out.
"Air Slash," Flourette says.
Mawile immediately jumps to its feet and rushes at Charizard. Charizard takes to the skies again and swoops down to glide just above the ground. It seems like there will be a head on collision until Charizard suddenly shoots up. It swings its tail at Mawile and the flame at the tip becomes the source of a Flamethrower.
Mawile is taken by surprise. It is still rushing forward for its own attack when it is hit directly by a torrent of fire. It stumbles and falls to the floor.
"Finish it with Fire Blast," Flourette shouts and throws an arm to the side for dramatic effect.
Fire rains down from above and hammers Mawile into the ground. It hammers in defeat for Robin too. I stand and applaud his efforts with a large portion of the crowd while the rest celebrate Flourette's victory. He had talked the talk before the match and, despite defeat, he had walked the walk too. He had almost overcome Flourette in the face of an overwhelming disadvantage with solid tactics and well trained Pokémon. He has also achieved history by triggering Mega Evolution. He has to be admired.
Both Pokémon are consumed by light again and return to their normal selves. Neither trainer recalls their Pokémon though. They both stand with their hangs hanging low. It appears they are breathing quite heavily. Both of them are exhausted all of a sudden and can barely stand. I know the feeling all too well after an intense battle. Perhaps Mega Evolution takes a lot out of you. I would like to discover it for myself, but there have never been rumours of any of the Pokémon I own Mega Evolving, so it seems unlikely.
Gasps fill the stadium as Robin staggers forward and collapses. It's just like the replay I saw of my first round match. Quickly, I rush out of the VIP area and look for a way down into the arena. Elin follows close behind.
We make it to the tunnel as medical staff stretcher Robin to the room I woke up in after passing out. We rush over to Robin's side but are pushed out of the way and blocked from following him into the room. I then turn to see Flourette slowly trudge down the tunnel towards us. Her head is held high, leaning back to look to the sky. She looks shattered and relieved as though she's just finished a marathon.
"Are you alright?" I ask.
"That was something, wasn't it?" she says. She lowers her head to look at us and smiles. She is definitely pleased with herself for her victory.
"It really was, congratulations," I say.
"Thanks," she says, "I really need a rest after all that."
Elin and I guide Flourette back to the trainers' room. She can barely stand at this point and she immediately flops onto a sofa next to Mark. I manage to find Thomas' bottle from yesterday still lying around and refill it with water for Flourette. She gratefully accepts and downs half of it almost immediately.
"Where's Rhianne?" Flourette asks.
"Well, after you two managed to trigger Mega Evolution, which was awesome by the way, Lancelot Elderidge walked off and Rhianne decided to follow him," Elin explains.
The room falls silent at this. It draws Shaw's attention and I spot Mark's ears perking up.
"Why would he just get up and leave?" Flourette asks.
"I don't know, that's what Rhianne went to find out," I say, "There's something else too."
I quickly look around the room to make sure it is just us. The others look at me with interest.
"The evening after my first round battle, I overheard Lancelot talking with Raymond in the hotel. He was worried about my collapse, but not about me. I didn't hear the conversation through to the end, but I think there's something else going on here," I say, "I ignored it until now, but given what's happened…"
"Don't go all conspiracy theorist on us. You didn't sleep that first night," Shaw says, "You were just exhausted."
"Maybe that is just what it was," I say, "But Lancelot is acting weird."
"What about Robin and Flourette?" Elin asks, "How much sleep did they get last night?"
"Plenty," Flourette says.
"You two shouldn't be here, you're not competing today," Mark finally speaks up, "I suggest you go find Rhianne before someone checks in here."
It's true. We're not supposed to be in here when we're not competing. I look to Elin and he nods. We leave the room and walk along the corridors back to the VIP area. I can't help but feel my suspicions might be a little crazy, but the others didn't seem too dismissive about them apart from Shaw. Elin certainly sounds like he suspects something too. This isn't something I should be worrying about though. It's all just speculations. We'll go back to the VIP area and Lancelot and Rhianne will return with a perfectly logical explanation. Then we can watch Mark and Shaw battle and all will be well.
Thomas is the only one waiting for us when we return. We take our seats and wait. There is an intermission while the battlefield is repaired that allows the crowd to get lunch. I've only actually had lunch once since arriving in Nimbasa City, but I don't really feel like having it. There's been so much going on that eating is a bit of an afterthought in the middle of the day.
Lancelot returns to his seat so quietly that I don't notice he has come back until I look around after hearing something odd on the terraces around us. He sits and waits, staring intently at the battlefield. Rhianne doesn't return though.
"I wonder where Rhianne is," I say to Elin, "I think the next battle's about to start."
"Ah," Lancelot speaks up, "I am afraid Miss Barrestein has taken ill. There is no cause for alarm though, she is in safe hands."
"Oh, what happened?" I ask.
"I was not present at the time so I am uninformed of the details, nothing serious as I understand it though," he says.
"Maybe something to do with whatever makes her need an inhaler," I say and turn back to face the battlefield.
I was right, the next battle is about to start. The battlefield has been restored and cleared of the people fixing it. People are returning to their seats, many of them carrying drinks and fast food. The announcer calls for the last quarter final between Shaw Weston and Mark Young. I stand to applaud the two. I am cheering for Shaw in this battle after our agreement last night. I don't really know Mark properly, we've never had a proper conversation. He always seem a little distant. If this battle is anything like the last one then I don't mind who wins though.
"Go, Torterra," Mark says and sends out his first Pokémon.
"Go, Hitmonchan," Shaw's first choice is the Pokémon I saw him training with.
"Rock Polish," Mark says.
Hitmonchan keeps its guard up and watches as leaves from the tree on Torterra's back fall and seem to polish the Pokémon's body. Torterra glares across the battlefield at its opponent and pats the ground with one foot.
"Fire Punch," Shaw orders. Hitmonchan runs forward and its fists are consumed by a blaze.
"Dodge with Earthquake," Mark says.
My eyes widen in horror. What is Mark doing? The concept sounds so contradictory. My mouth falls open as Torterra jumps up high in a split second. It falls back to the Earth a short distance behind where it originally stood. The freshly repaired battlefield is torn apart. The ground Hitmonchan is on erupts and throws it through the air. Hitmonchan flies past its target and crashes down beside it. That's one way to avoid an attack.
"Wood Hammer," Mark says. The cold and emotionless way he commands his Pokémon makes him seem merciless as he calls for an attack before Hitmonchan has even had chance to register what's happened.
Torterra turns and bounds over to where Hitmonchan lies. It rises onto its rear legs and prepares to come down on top of Hitmonchan.
"Sky Uppercut!" Shaw calls.
Hitmonchan quickly rolls onto its back and swings an arm up as Torterra comes crashing down. Hitmonchan's fist connects with Torterra's chin. There is a loud and spine-chilling crack as Torterra is suddenly flung back. Torterra staggers back and manages to land on its feet. The force of the landing causes Hitmonchan to be knocked back down as it tries to get up.
"Earthquake," Mark says.
"Get onto its back," Shaw shouts in response.
Hitmonchan quickly scrambles to its feet. Torterra seems distracted by not being able to close its mouth due to a dislodged jaw, but eventually begins its attack. However, Hitmonchan has already launched itself off the ground and towards it. Torterra jumps, allowing Hitmonchan the perfect opportunity to land on its back. Torterra crashes back down and cracks open up around the battlefield, meaning the rest of the battle is going to be fought on awkward terrain. Hitmonchan crouches on Torterra's back and steadies itself so it isn't shaken off.
"Ice Punch," Shaw calls out.
Torterra has no defence against this. Hitmonchan raises a fist and then slams it down on Torterra's back. Torterra lets out a desperate wail as ice spreads across its back, consuming its shell. With that, Torterra slumps to the floor defeated.
AN: I am back. For those interested, I did terribly at Nationals. But I did have fun Burning and Poisoning EVERYTHING. I also battled reviewer Gazooki though it was more like battling Robin with all those Fairies.