"Bulbasaur, look out!" Ash barked.
On the battlefield, Bulbasaur was struggling to get back on its feet, completely unaware that the Drapion on the other side of the field was stampeding towards it. All too soon, though, the rumbling of the Dark-types numerous appendages scuttling over the baked clay was impossible to mistake, and Bulbasaur's eyes shot wide open as it saw its intimidating foe bearing down, claws glinting with dangerous intent.
Antoine gave a shrill laugh as she watched the Grass-type watch helplessly. "End of the line, boys!" she cackled, her arm swinging wide as triumph flared in her eyes. "Cross Poison!" she shrieked, and Drapion's claws were bathed in a pale glow, carving streams of purple light through the air as it crossed them in front of its head, ready to bring the full impact down over its opponent's head.
"Don't worry about dodging it, Bulbasaur!" yelled Ash, causing a ripple of bemused murmurs around the stadium. "Knock Drapion off-balance with your Razor Leaf! Trust me!" he pleaded.
"Bul-ba!" grunted Bulbasaur, firing a salvo of spinning leaves out from its body. Caught totally off-guard, Drapion barely had time to blink, let alone try and block, before the leaves cannoned into its two left legs, tripping them up from below it. With a cry of outrage, the Ogre Scorp lost any semblance of balance, forced to stop its attack midway and clutch desperately at the ground with its claws, and Ash threw his arm forwards, seizing the chance.
"Now, use Power Whip to propel yourself forward for a Double-Edge attack!" he shouted, and the bright green tendril snaking out of Bulbasaur's bulb smacked into the earth, uncoiling like a spring and pushing the Pokémon up off the ground. With the momentum of its Power Whip, Bulbasaur charged ahead at full sprint, ribbons of golden light streaking out behind it as it built up energy for the attack.
And what an attack it was; leaping up with unyielding determination in its eyes, Bulbasaur cannoned into Drapion with all the force of a runaway train. A large shockwave emanated outwards from the point of impact, and Ash was forced to throw an arm up to shield his face as clouds of dust were sent billowing around the stadium. As the dust cleared, though, Ash was stunned to find that Drapion hadn't even been knocked down by the incredible power of the attack, but when he saw the Pokémon's tail clenched against the back of its neck, he put two and two together.
"Darn…!" he hissed quietly.
"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting that!" roared Derek, his surprise reflected in the crowd as they jumped to their feet and made their voices known. "After being forced down by a fully-powered Payback, Bulbasaur was looking to be in all sorts of trouble, but Ash made ingenious use of its Razor Leaf to trip up Antoine's rampaging Drapion! Antoine wasn't to be outdone, though, with a last-second Acupressure to minimise the damage from Bulbasaur's absolute monster of a Double-Edge! I told you we were in for some fantastic moves in this battle, and we're being treated to a real doozy, right from the word go!"
"Screech, once more!" Antoine ordered, and Drapion delivered another hideous wave of sound to Bulbasaur, the Grass-type howling in pain as the sheer force of the vibrations pushed it down against the ground, barely feet in front of its screeching opponent.
His ears filled with the monstrous ringing, Ash narrowed his eyes and cupped his hands over his mouth. "Leech Seed!" he bellowed, his lungs straining as he tried to be heard. On the other side of Drapion, Antoine couldn't hear a thing, but Bulbasaur's keen ears never failed to pick up its Trainer's commands. Bowing its head, the tip of its bulb pointed squarely at the Dark-type's open mouth, Bulbasaur fired a single brown seed at Drapion.
Drapion didn't notice as the tiny pod buried itself in the small gap separating two of its neck segments, and it barely even felt the seed shaking about inside, thinking it to be due to its own Screech attack. But when the Leech Seed sprang to life, sprouting vines that spread over its body at rapid pace, Drapion found itself snared before it could give the creepers a second thought. Its entire body was constricted as the vines crept over its arms, legs and tail, pulling them all in towards its neck as the Dark-type was covered in flashing red light, the seed slowly sapping its energy away, bit by bit.
"No, no, no!" screamed Antoine, as her beloved Pokémon struggled against its bonds.
Ash, on the other hand, was ecstatic; his strategy had worked perfectly, and Drapion, in addition to stopping its Screech attack prematurely, had been immobilised by Leech Seed, leaving it wide open for his next attack. "We've got them on the ropes now, Bulbasaur!" he shouted fiercely, and Pikachu pounded the air with its tiny balled-up hands. "I think it's time to send Drapion packing with another Power Whip!"
Looking on in desperation, Antoine's eyes widened with realisation as she saw something unnoticed by Ash. "Acupressure, Acupressure, Acupressure!" she shrieked, stomping a leather boot against the ground.
"What?" exclaimed Ash. His heart leapt into his mouth, though, when he saw a pinprick of light shining out from behind Drapion's head, and he realised that Bulbasaur's attack had pinned Drapion's tail-claw to the back of its neck, allowing it to utilise the technique. "Damnit!" he hissed, but his objection was drowned out by the raw howl of his opponent's Dark-type as its arms shot out wide, breaking free of the Leech Seed's binding vines, which died almost instantly, tattered leaves falling limply onto the ground.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah! That's what I wanted to see!" Antoine cheered, urging her Pokémon on. "Cross Poison, go, go, go!" she ordered, and Drapion gave another vicious howl as it folded its glowing claws across its thorax and scuttled forwards, racing to meet Bulbasaur for a head-on collision.
"Change of plans, Bulbasaur!" Ash roared, throwing his arm wide, and the crowd gasped as one in surprise. "Use your Power Whip to snare Drapion's claws!"
This time, it was Antoine's turn to voice her shock. "Say what?"
Undeterred by its advancing opponent, and unintimidated by the steely focus present in its glaring gaze, Bulbasaur's glowing vine flew forwards and lashed itself against Drapion's arms, knotting between the wrists and clamping down tightly. Enraged, the Dark-type tried to pull away and escape the handcuff, but it held fast, not budging even as its clawed tail came swerving around from behind to slash against it.
"Leech Seed, one more time!" Ash screamed fervently, and Bulbasaur blasted another of its small seeds at its foe. The attack struck home and true, blooming into life as it covered Drapion's jagged exoskeleton, and this time, the latter was helpless to break free, its arms still held tightly within the grasp of the Power Whip. Antoine shrieked unintelligible commands to her Pokémon, but all for naught, as the Leech Seed gradually, but inevitably, stole Drapion's remaining strength. Only when Drapion had slipped into unconscious did it wither and die, and Bulbasaur relinquished its hold to allow its defeated foe to slide onto the ground, its eyes a haze of black swirls.
"Drapion is unable to battle!" declared the referee, to a mixed audience of both rapturous applause and stunned silence. "Bulbasaur is the victor, and Ash gains one point!"
"WOW!" was the first word that escaped Derek in the commentator's box, bringing the microphone up to his mouth so forcefully that he almost chipped a tooth. "Even against a Drapion—a far superior Pokémon on paper, all things considered—against a type advantage—against everything Antoine could muster and throw against it—against the kitchen sink, even!—Ash and Bulbasaur have pulled out a win through sheer determination and brilliance of tactics!"
Taking a deep breath to avoid passing out from excitement, Derek allowed the crowd a moment or two to cheer in response to his praise, before continuing. "I tell you what, folks, I didn't think Bulbasaur would be able to bring that Drapion down, not for a second—until I heard with my own two ears that Ash was going to try and use its Power Whip attack as a restrictive manoeuvre; then, I thought to myself, it might actually be Bulbasaur's day in the sun! The question that remains now, though, is this: can Antoine bounce back and score a point of her own, or will it be Ash who moves through to the second round with a clean sweep under his belt?"
Down on the battlefield, Ash jumped for joy when he saw Drapion's hulking form hit the dirt, and Bulbasaur turned to face him with equal happiness before it came bounding back to its Trainer. "Great job, Bulbasaur!" he lauded, laughing merrily as his victorious Pokémon jumped up into his arms. "You did such a great job!"
"Bulba-bulba!" growled Bulbasaur, smiling as Pikachu gave it a celebratory pat with his tail.
Across from the rejoicing trio, Antoine twisted her mouth in disappointment, her shoulders slumping as she gazed at her sprawled-out Drapion. "Darn, darn, darn," she sighed, holding its Poké Ball at arm's length. "You weren't bad, Drapion. Sleep it off, now," she said, recalling the Pokémon to the depths of its ball in a flash of red light as Ash did the same with his own.
"Mr Ketchum, since you were awarded one point in the previous round, you are again required to summon your Pokémon first for this round," the referee informed Ash.
"Oh…" Ash replied, slightly annoyed that he would be forced to suffer the disadvantage of being prone to a counter-selection by Antoine. Nevertheless, he took another Poké Ball from his belt immediately; his choice for the next round had been made the second Drapion had fallen to the ground. "Buizel, I choose you!" he shouted, throwing the ball across the arena.
A flash of light illuminated the stadium, and out of the ball popped Ash's sleek, orange-and-yellow Sea Weasel Pokémon, his twin tails spinning lazily as he landed lithely on the field and raised his head proudly. Turning back to his Trainer, Buizel gave Ash a confident wink, to which he responded with a smile and a thumbs-up, before focusing his attention back to his opponent, waiting for the Pokémon he was about to face in battle.
"So, let me get this straight…" said Antoine dryly, her arms folded and one eyebrow raised sceptically. "You've got access to some actually powerful Pokémon, like your Snorlax or your Sceptile, and you're only using your weakest ones? What, are you trying to make me look bad, or something…?" she asked angrily, her blonde curls bouncing around as she tilted her head to one side.
"Bui bui!" growled Buizel, showing his small but sharp teeth, taking offence to being referred to as one of Ash's weakest Pokémon.
"I don't think of my Pokémon as being stronger or weaker than the others," Ash countered sharply, as Pikachu displayed similar signs of aggression to Buizel. "I use each one on its merits!"
Antoine scowled at her opponent. "Well, I'll just have to beat the merit out of your stay in this tournament!" she snapped, ripping a Poké Ball from its clip and launching it onto the field. "Scyther, show us your colours!"
With a blinding flash of light, an intimidating figure appeared on the battlefield, a pair of razor-sharp sickles glinting ominously in the sunlight as they were crossed in front of a green, human-looking torso. The Pokémon's face, though, was anything but human, a draconic mask with two black eyes hidden under heavy brows. Spotting its opponent, Scyther slammed its clawed front foot into the hardened earth and gave a sharp cry, the two pairs of translucent wings behind its back whirring as though inviting Buizel to challenge it.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have our second battle for the march!" cheered Derek. "Ash has chosen his Buizel, a powerful Water-type who made its presence known during Ash's exploits in the Sinnoh League – a vital factor in his progression to the semi-finals, I might add! On the other side of the coin, Antoine has decided on her Scyther, which our Dutch viewers would have no problems recognising as the cornerstone of the team that took her to national fame three years ago, securing her the title at the Amsterdam Annual. Both Pokémon have the advantage of speed on their side—but whose advantage is the superior one? Whose speed machine will reign supreme?"
"Let's show them!" shouted Antoine, thrusting a hand forward. "Close in for a Slash attack, Scyther!"
"Sai!" hissed the Bug-type, its wings buzzing loudly before the Pokémon took off in one enormous, green blur, its speed carrying it over the battlefield so quickly that Ash's keen eyes could only just keep up with it.
"Buizel, dodge it!" he cried out, watching on nervously as Scyther's twin blades caught the sunlight, the bright glint a dangerous reminder of the cutting power behind them. Buizel tensed its legs as its foe closed in, and expertly spun to the left as it saw one of Scyther's blades come swinging down, barely managing to dodge the latter as it sliced through the empty air where it had just been.
Despite the miss, a knowing grin flashed onto Antoine's face, as though expecting a move like that from her opponent. "Feint!" she cried out.
Ash opened his mouth in exclamation, but any attempts to assist Buizel were well beyond him at that point. As soon as Scyther's foot touched the ground, the Pokémon pivoted like a gymnast and launched its body at Buizel who, only having just touched down itself, was caught totally unawares. With a loud thud, Scyther's large figure slammed into the side of Buizel's, sending the smaller Pokémon bouncing sharply off the battlefield before sprawling spread-eagled on the ground.
'Darn…!' thought Ash, fists clenched together as Buizel hurried back to its feet to glare daggers at its opponent, who returned the stare with equal ferocity. "Buizel, hit back with Aqua Jet!" he ordered. On cue, Buizel's twin tails spun together as a veil of water surrounded its sleek body, and the Water-type surged towards Scyther as the veil cascaded down around its face, aiming squarely at its foe's chest.
"Hack 'n' slash!" countered Antoine, and Scyther's small eyes glinted in reply as it brought one of its claws up from below, tearing cleanly through Buizel's attack and cutting it in half, the two columns of water falling limply to the sides and splashing onto the ground. In horror, Ash watched as Scyther followed through with its strike, the latter twisting its body away as the second scythe hooked from the left to deliver a brutal slash across Buizel's body.
"No!" he cried out, as Buizel hit the ground hard, kicking up a plume of dust. "No—no way…" he gasped.
Pikachu gave a worried squeak on his shoulder, Derek's maniacal commentary sounded from the stadium's megaphones, and the crowd sprang to their feet in a frenzy, cheers and stamping feet drowning out all other sound. Ash's attention was on none of them, though; his mind was focused solely on Buizel, slowly getting back up after enduring Scyther's Slash attack, and the predicament that they both found themselves in.
'I knew Drapion would be difficult because of Bulbasaur's type disadvantage…' he thought, a peculiar feeling rising within him; he felt like the world had expanded around him, leaving him quite alone were it not for Pikachu's constant stay on his shoulder. 'But this Scyther is on a whole different level. It cut through Buizel's attack like it was nothing… there's no way in the world Buizel can get in close enough for another shot. One more hit like that and he's in serious trouble… I need to rethink my game plan,' he decided.
"Buizel, back in front of me!" he called out.
"Bui bui?" questioned Buizel, but it dutifully bounded back to stand in front of its Trainer, eyes trained firmly on Scyther.
Antoine giggled as she heard the exchange between Trainer and Pokémon. "Seems like you're running away, Ash," she taunted. "No, actually, that's wrong of me to say. Seems like you think you can run away from Scyther and I."
"That's enough out of you!" snapped Ash, a nerve pulsing in his temple. "Buizel, fire off a Water Gun!" he roared, and Buizel blasted a narrow spire of water from its mouth, arcing over the battlefield.
It was a fruitless effort, though, as Scyther, with barely a word of command from its Trainer, disappeared in a flash, leaving Buizel's attack to shoot through nothingness. Ash's mouth fell open as though his jaw had been unhinged; one moment the Bug-type had been standing directly in the Water Gun's path, and it had simply vanished into thin air. A loud cackle from Antoine brought him back to his senses, though, and his eyes trailed over the arena to find Scyther standing near the painted white line that marked the battlefield's inner boundary.
"Quick Attack," yawned Antoine, resting her head against a hand.
As Scyther rushed over the field, Ash had the distinctive feeling she was just toying with him now, and it only spurred him into a further state of frustration, throwing his arm out to the side. "Water Gun, keep it up until you hit!" he roared.
Hearing the passion in its Trainer's voice, Buizel shot volley after volley of water at the incoming Bug-type, no two sprays aiming for the same spot as the last. But Scyther's speed left little to be desired, shifting easily through the attacks like they had been moving at snail's pace, and the jets of water that looked like scoring a hit simply passed through a flickering blur of green. Bearing down on its foe like a bullet, Scyther dropped its shoulder and charged into Buizel, catching it cleanly across the cheek and throwing the latter towards the boundary wall.
"Good shot, Scyther!" cheered Antoine. "Now get ready to finish things off!"
"Oh no, you don't!" Ash challenged, clenching his fists so tightly that his fingernails were digging into the fabric against his palms. "Buizel, push off against the wall for an Aqua Jet!"
Growling ferociously, Buizel spun around mid-air and landed foot-first against the boundary wall, much to the surprise and delight of the spectators directly above it in the front row. A loud rumbling sound accompanied the cocoon of water that wrapped itself around Buizel's body, and with a gargling roar the Water-type sprang off the wall. The power behind its jump sent a wave of cold air up into the crowd, tearing at people's faces as they shrank back from leaning over the wall for a better glimpse.
For the first time since beginning their current contest, Antoine's eyes widened in shock at Ash's innovative thinking, but she wasn't to be outdone. "Hack 'n' slash!" she shrieked loudly, and Scyther planted its feet against the ground, once again bringing its bladed forearm up from below for a punishing uppercut that cleaved Buizel's Aqua Jet in half.
"Gotcha!" shouted Ash, stamping his foot. "Buizel, Counter Shield!"
"Counter what?" Antoine gasped, as Buizel's body twisted at an impossible angle, avoiding Scyther's second strike by a hair's breadth. Scyther arched its brow in surprise, but a whip of water appeared out of thin air and crashed against its reptilian face, sending it cracking to the side in the blink of an eye. Falling to the ground, Buizel used its twin tails to cushion the impact and spin around like a break-dancer, a cage of water rising from its body and expanding outwards to batter its opponent.
"WOW!" Derek cheered, as Buizel's Counter Shield thoroughly soaked Scyther and pushed it further and further backwards. "Just when you thought Antoine and Scyther were about to level the scores at one-apiece, Ash managed to fight back with his signature technique in Counter Shield! For those of you who haven't seen a Counter Shield before—which is probably most of you—Ash has his Pokémon sp—"
"What, are you trying to give away my secrets or something?" shouted Ash indignantly, shaking his fist up at the skybox, and Derek's commentary hastily stopped, followed by a series of jeers from the spectators.
Across the battlefield, Antoine tried to maintain a calm façade, but her teeth were grinding together behind the wry smile she'd plastered onto her face. Ash was pulling ace after ace out of his endless hat of tricks, escaping defeat by the narrowest of margins, and his insane lucky streak had cost her the first battle of the match; the upstart commentator's words were just rubbing salt into the wound.
With her narrowed eyes burning like green fire, Antoine ordered her Pokémon forward for another attack, and Scyther leapt after Buizel with ardent fervour, its cunning blades as sharp as ever as they aimed for the Water-type's vital points. A mighty snarl echoed around the ground as Scyther uncrossed its swords for a cruel strike that looked like it would have severed Buizel in two, but the crowd gasped with exhilaration, the world seeming to slow down in that moment, as Buizel ducked underneath the attack with a knowing smirk.
"What?" screamed Antoine, as Scyther's forearms swung around its shoulders. "That's impossible!"
"I don't know the meaning of impossible!" Ash shouted triumphantly, throwing his hand forwards. "Buizel, jump up with Aqua Jet!" he ordered.
Happy to oblige, Buizel's tails spurred into action as it summoned water to cover its head, swirling down around its body to form a protective veil. A split second later, as Scyther's eyes only just started to trail down to see its foe, Buizel raised an arm and catapulted itself off the ground, rising up to deliver a punch to Scyther's lower jaw with a sickening crunch. For a brief moment, Scyther's world went black as its head snapped upwards, and the crowd's response was deafening, as Ash landed his first true hit on Scyther for the battle.
Antoine, on the other hand, was stunned into silence as her beloved Pokémon was sent lurching backwards, up and down momentarily confused as it tried to find a secure footing and avoid falling flat on its back. 'How… how did that weasel manage to dodge Scyther's attack?' she thought, racing to try and find the reason, and a spark quickly appeared in her eyes.
"No way, no way, no way…" she whispered.
Antoine's mind too her back to only a few moments before, when Scyther had destroyed Buizel's Aqua Jet, only for Ash to call out for his supposed 'Counter Shield' technique. As the image of her Pokémon being swathed with water appeared in her memory, she cursed under her breath as the realisation hit her; the water that had hit Scyther was now weighing it down, lowering its speed just enough for Ash to get in through her close-range attacks and land his own.
"You son of a bitch…" she muttered, her tone somewhere between admiration and infuriation. "Scyther, we need to keep our distance from Buizel! Bug Buzz, Bug Buzz, Bug Buzz!" she yelled desperately.
"Saaaai!" hissed Scyther, spreading its wings wide. The wings began to vibrate at high speed, and waves of pulsating red energy flew out from the wings—except, the vibrations stopped almost as soon as they had begun. Confused, Scyther tried its attack again, but the result was the same; it could only get its wings to shake for a second or so.
"Looks like Scyther can't use its attack when its wings are wet," noted Ash, and Antoine's face became a mask of rage. "Buizel, let's end this—"
"Noooo!"
"—with a SonicBoom—"
"You can't beat me, Ash! Not like this! Not like this!"
"—right to the chest!"
"No, no, nooooo!" howled Antoine, her hands clutching grimly to her hair, her demeanour all but thrown to the wind.
With the crowd standing as one and chanting its name, Buizel narrowed its eyes and swung its body around, a crescent blade of pure sound energy forming on its whirring tails and flying through the air to cannon into Scyther's chest. All at once, the breath in Scyther's lungs was driven out in a final, exhausted gasp, and the Bug-type collapsed to its knees, one last empty stare at Buizel before it pitched forwards onto the ground, the world going dark for real this time.
"Scyther is unable to battle!" declared the referee, raising his red flag high into the air. "Buizel is the victor, and Ash gains a second point! Therefore, the winner of this battle is Ash Ketchum, who advances to the second round!"
The moment the umpire's last word escaped his lips, Ash, barely able to contain himself, leapt as high as he could, hands jubilantly reaching for the sky. "We did it!" he shouted in glee, Pikachu shooting sparks of electricity from his cheeks in celebration. Buizel excitedly ran the length of the field to join its Trainer, and the trio embraced each other as the crowd cheered loud enough to match a jet engine, Derek's blithering words lost amongst the noise.
"Bui bui!" growled Buizel, rubbing its head against Ash's palm as he patted the Water-type softly.
"You were incredible, Buizel!" Ash praised, propping himself up on one knee, before a shrill scream disrupted his cheerful mood. Glancing up, he saw Antoine in the middle of what could only be described as a hissy-fit, her face scrunched up in a terrible pout as she flailed her arms about like a small child, cheeks flushed red and her blonde hair standing on end. "What the…?" he grunted.
He stood upright and motioned for his two Pokémon to follow him, walking over the battlefield – and taking note of Scyther still lying unconscious on the ground as he passed it – to come to a stop in the centre circle with arms folded. Arching an eyebrow at his opponent, he waited as patiently as he could, or as anyone in his position probably could, before sticking his fingers against his mouth and giving a sharp, piercing whistle to try and get her attention. At last, Antoine seemed to snap out of her tantrum, and whirled around to glare at him with quite the mad look in her eyes before marching over the stadium floor to stand only a foot or so in front of him, her face right up against his as her breath came in heavy bursts.
"What…?" she seethed through her teeth, and Ash suddenly had the impression that she was trying to inflict something gruesome on him with her mind.
"Uh… um—good game?" he said sheepishly, tentatively extending a hand for her to shake. He regretted it instantly, though, as her already small pupils shrank even further, exaggerating the murderous aura she was exuding. "I mean—I really enjoyed our battle… you're a great Trainer and—I, uh—can't wait to battle you again sometime down the track!" he added quickly, feeling the blood flow in his legs suggest a hasty escape might not be too unlikely in the next five seconds.
Antoine's eyes bored into his for what seemed like a long time, but the more he held her gaze, the more mellow she seemed to become, her expression losing its demented edge until she inched away from him and took a deep gulp of air, spreading her hands out in front of her body to calm down. She nodded her head slowly, and raised it to regard him once more, and this time Ash felt comfortable putting out his hand again, for she shook it heartily; her grip was, admittedly, much firmer than it had been during their first handshake, but he was too relieved that her hand wasn't wrapped around his neck at that point to care.
"You're right," she said, with a tiny smile that made Pikachu fall off his Trainer's shoulder in disbelief, landing awkwardly on Buizel's head and knocking the pair of them into the ground. "I was expecting to win this one easily, but… I guess pride cometh before the fall, as they say," she sighed.
"I've never met anyone who's said that…" Ash said blankly, oblivious to the embarrassed groans from the two Pokémon at his feet.
"Okay…" said Antoine hesitantly, choosing to gloss over that brief moment of awkwardness. "Congratulations on winning, though. I hope you make it far," she added humbly, tapping her hand against his arm. "Come on, Scyther," she told her Pokémon, recalling it to its Poké Ball in a flash of red light, and with that she turned around and walked towards the exit, leaving Ash to wave after her before turning his attention back to his victorious Buizel.
I wonder if anybody groaned when they saw Antoine's second Pokémon. Hopefully there were a few going around here on the internetz.
How did you find it, I wonder? Ideally, it'd leave a good taste in your mouth, but if reading this gave you a good taste, you've probably got schizophrenia. Not that there's anything wrong with that...
If, however, you think it would have had a good taste were it edible, send me a review telling me about what kind of taste it would be. Chocolate, mayhaps. Of course, it doesn't have to be limited to culinary creations; just leaving your thoughts about the content itself would be just as delectable.
On a sad note, however, this brings to an end the whirlwind that has been WPC Week. It was pretty good, though, right? We had our good times! Remember that time you read that chapter, and you were like, "oh, this is interesting, I'll read the next chapter when it comes out"?
Billy doesn't remember, though; he's in solitary confinement for chewing through the power cable on my brand-new plasma HD television. I did warn him that it wasn't licorice.
With WPC Week at a close, the updating schedule will revert to the weekly Friday update that has been the long-held tradition over here. So, I guess that would mean that Chapter 8, "カウンターフィッツジェラルド", is coming to your screens on November 11th! Now with 10% more gratuitous Japanese desuuuuuu~ (^_^;
Speaking of November 11th, once you're done reading the next release, why not pop over to Shanrock's profile and read the first chapter of his tournament story, Crown? Wink wink, nudge nudge, grope grope, lawsuit lawsuit.
Well, until next time... Be sure to review and, as a certain wandering bard would say,
You stay classy, Planet Earth!