Disclaimer: I, Bombadeus, hereby declare that I do not own the rights to the pokemon franchise. I only own my OCs and this story.

Chapter 11: Get Ready to Rumble!

Extra Notes:

"Human Speech"

"Telepathic Speech"

"Thought Speech"

[Pokemon speech]

Almost everyone in town came to the "Fighting-Type Pokemon Regional Tournament". The entire place was packed to the brim, with only little room between the cheering crowds to move in. The arena was just like a boxing ring, a large one at that so the pokemon had enough space to go all out. The crowd roars for the action to commence, hoping to see an awesome fight between two very strong fighting type pokemon.

An announcer who seemed to be in his early forty appeared on the stage. He wore a fancy suit and a smile on his face that reminds you of a famous celebrity's. A microphone fell from the ceiling, which he caught and was about to speak, making everyone go quiet.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to the ninth annual 'Fighting-Type Pokemon Regional Tournament'. I'm your host, Daniel Yeller, here to ask you… are you ready to rumble!" His speech moved the crowd into a state of frenzy, making them scream as loud as ever.

"Then let's introduce the contestants! In the red corner, we have the fast and the furious, Hitmonchan and his trainer Tim!" Everyone cheered again as the Hitmonchan and Tim got onto the ring, waving their arms at the crowd in appreciation.

"And in the blue corner, we have the cool-as-ice newbie, Jared the Lucario and his trainer Daryl!" The crowd was silent except for a few coughs here and there.

"Seriously?" Jared thought.

"Hey you jerks!" Daryl yelled at the crowds. "You better start cheering before I kick your asses!"

That got their attention, because everyone got up and cheered as loud as possible, all with nervous expressions on their faces.

Jared turned towards Daryl, "Thanks man, I appreciate it." What he said got a few grasp from the crowd.

"You're welcome," Daryl replied.

A few murmurs arose in the crowd, all of them talking about how a pokemon spoke like a human. Jared heard every word with his superior hearing and turned towards the crowd to yelled, "What, you never heard a talking pokemon before?" That earned a few more gasps from the crowd.

The announcer, also astonished, answered Jared's question. "None of us had ever met a pokemon that could talk. Sure there are pokemon that can use telepathy to communicate with humans, but only psychic types can do that, and they don't speak human either."

Jared closed his eyes and thought about it, arms crossed. Through all his experiences in the pokemon world, everyone he had met was used to talking pokemon, Daryl, the Professors. Actually, thinking even harder, those were the only people he ever encountered, and they knew his secrets, more or less. In his deep state of thinking, he completely forgot the fight.

"Well uh," Daniel hesitated. "I guess I'll explain the rules. The rules are simple, the fight lasts for seven minutes, first one to faints, loses. If the contending pokemon are both still conscious, then a battle of wits between trainers shall decide the winner. No items of any kind can be used on the pokemon except the ones they're holding. With the rules stated, let the match… begin!"

At the ring of the bell, the Hitmonchan charged. It had a fire punch ready at the second it ran. While Jared just stood there eyes closed, still thinking.

"Come on Jared," Daryl yelled. "Move!"

But Jared continued to stand and think. Yet as soon as Hitmonchan threw its punch, Jared ducked, with his arms still crossed and in deep thought. After a moment of realization, the Hitmonchan tried a low sweep, but Jared jumped in time with not a care. Anger got to the Hitmonchan, so it just threw random, rapid punches. Nevertheless, Jared just kept on dodging, he just moved from side to side slowly as if he knew where the punches would go.

"Come on Hitmonchan!" Tim yelled. "Hit him with something! Anything! Use Ultimate Combat for Arceus' sake (close combat + all moves relating with punching)!"

Hitmonchan did as it was told. Depleting what's left off its energy, used every punch type moved it knew. Ice punch, thunder punch, mach punch, you name it, but no matter how hard it tried, it was no use. Jared was just too fast, well not really fast, more of just dodging in the most effective yet laziest of fashions.

In a few seconds, the Hitmonchan finally grew tired, sweat pouring out by the liters and arms too limp from punching too much. It took a few steps back and fell to its knees from being too worn-out. Jared on the other hand was unscathed, still in the same pose of arms crossed, eyes closed, and in deep thought. A bubble appeared out of his nose, meaning he was asleep.

"Uhhh… Jared?" Daryl asked. "You… you awake?"

"Wha…" His nose bubble popped. "Did… did the round start?"

He opened his eyes, still weary from his sleep. When he finally got himself fully awake he noticed that his opponent was on its knees, too tired to move.

"I wonder if it was his doing?" Jared thought. "Oh well, he just made it too easy."

He walked up to the kneeing Hitmonchan with a devilish grin, cracking his knuckles to show it was his turn to fight. He moved his right leg as far back as he could, then he let it forward. His leg moved with such force it knocked the Hitmonchan right into the air. As the Hitmonchan started to fall back down to earth, Jared summoned a focus blast in his hand, counting down till it was at the right spot.

"Five… four," the Hitmonchan was falling faster.

"Three…two," faster.

"One." At that moment, the Hitmonchan was about waist high in front of Jared. Before it could fall further, Jared bashed it with his focus blast, causing an explosion to appear.

When the smoke cleared, the Hitmonchan was officially knocked out. And Jared was standing victorious over his opponent with a big grin on his face. The look on the crowds face was in awe, they never expected the newbie to beat a returning contender. One by one they started to clap in admiration. That clapping soon turned to cheering, then roaring, amazed to see such a stimulating fight.

"And the winner is, Jared the Lucario!" yelled the announcer, Daniel.

Jared jumped off the stage and grouped up with Zach, Daryl, and Gem at his side of the ring, near the waiting room door.

"That was amazing!" Zach shouted in astonishment. "How were you able to dodge like that?"

"Well I… I'm not really sure." He was about to ponder the subject, but remembered he would probably space out again if he did. "Let's just say it was luck."

"That wasn't luck." Gem stated. Everyone looked at her wondering what she meant, but that made her a little nervous.

"What do you mean?" Jared asked.

"W-what I m-mean is, I sensed s-something… off."

"Something off? What kind of 'something'?"

"Something felt different about you Jared, like there was someone or something… I don't know how to explain it, you just felt… off."

"Maybe it's because this was the first time you seen me fight as a pokemon."

"Well, maybe."

"Alright then, let's get back to the waiting room."

A few hours had passed since Jared's match, and during those hours, the other preliminary matches had finished. Nicolai with his Machamp, a young girl named Celina with her Primeape, and the owner of the tournament with his mysterious pokemon have all won their matches. The second part of the tournament, the semi-final round, was about to begin. The match between Celina's Primeape and the tournament owner's pokemon was first up, and was one of the fastest matches Jared had seen. At the start of the bell, the mystery pokemon just threw a single punch, and the Primeape was out cold. And up next was Jared's match between him and Nikolai's Machamp.

"Ladies and gentlemen welcome to the second match of the semi-final round," announced the host. "Tonight's match is between some of the greatest fighters you've ever seen. In the red corner, is a four-armed champion of fisticuffs, Machamp! And in the blue corner, is the mind-blowing newbie Jared the Lucario!" The crowds cheers wildly for both contenders, unsure which to cheer louder for.

"And let the match, begin!"

The two fighters cautiously moved forward, uncertain who will move first. Jared lifted his hands in a defensive position, while Machamp let its four beefy hands open, waiting for a good chance to grab Jared. They circled around the center of the ring, waiting for the right time to strike. Halfway through their face-off, Machamp moved first.

It charged forward, throwing punches when Jared was close enough to reach. Jared jumped to the side to dodge, but a stray hand grabbed him from nowhere and pulled him close. Machamp had its four hands on Jared's arms and legs. He tried struggling to break free, but the Machamp was too strong.

"Ha-ha," Nikolai laughed heartily. "We've got him now. Machamp, use seismic toss."

Machamp looked back to its trainer and nodded, whereas Jared gulped audibly, knowing this will hurt if he didn't act. Machamp jumped as high it could go and threw Jared just as hard, letting the force of gravity and its strength throw him to the ground. The part of the crowd that favored the Machamp cheered loudly, thinking this was the end. But Jared disappointed them by slowing his descent with flips and landing on his feet.

"Machamp, dynamic punch, full force!"

All four of Machamp's hands glowed bluish-white, and while in midair, aimed all four at Jared. Then, it dropped downward. Its acceleration increased exponentially from the force of gravity, giving it enough power to make sure Jared would go down hard.

"Oh no you don't." Jared readied a focus blast and a shadow ball in each hand and smashed them together. And because they were of opposite energies, they became an unstable bomb set to go off any second.

"Fusion grenade!" Jared threw the volatile explosive at the Machamp. But with all four hands covered in power, it punched the bomb back at Jared with a greater force.

"Oh fuck…" The bomb hit him square in the chest and blew into a spectacle of black and blue. Then, right on cue, the Machamp flew in with its fist of fury and added to the grand display of smoke and explosions.

When the smoke cleared, both Machamp and Jared were in a state of confusion. They wobbled around, unsure what was going on. Through Jared's eyes, there were five things of everything, and every step he took made him want to vomit. But he knew he had to focus and to keep his bearings intact.

"Jared, you okay?" Daryl asked.

"Y-yeah, no, m-maybe. I'm n-not sure." He covered his mouth, feeling like he was about to puke.

He bumped into the Machamp and they both knocked each other back to the floor. The time of triumph was at hand for either one of them. One would have to just get up and finish off the other. Jared knew this, and so did the Machamp. They both tried their best to get up, but they were both so tired, and the confusion was still there.

One minute was left till the end of the match, and Jared, even with the handicap of confusion, had an idea to win. With the last of his strength, he summoned a small shadow ball and chucked it into the air. He had no strength left to plan where it would land, so he hoped for the best. And lucky enough, it landed right on the Machamp's pokeballs, knocking it out. It may have been a crude way to finish things, but Jared won none the less and still got the crowd to go wild. He fist pumped the air and smiled that he won, but fell unconscious the next second.

Few minutes later…

When he awoke, he found himself back in the waiting room. The only people there were him and Gem. They were on one of the couches with him lying on her lap while she was hovering over his face with her lips puckered.

"Uhhh… Gem what are you doing?" Gem opened her eyes to see Jared was conscious again. She freaked out.

"Um, uh, I was, I was seeing if you were awake was all. Yeah that's it, trying to see if you were awake." She looked away, trying to hide her blushing.

Jared, not noticing her blushing, accepted her excuse. "Oh okay," he looked around the room. "Where are Zach and Daryl?"

"Um, they're out to get some food before your big fight between the mystery pokemon."

"Okay, anything else while I was asleep?"

"Oh, the professors called. They said something about delivering a stone to you, so Zach and Daryl went to get that too."

"Sweet." Jared got up from Gem's lap and off the couch. He went to the bathroom to see the toll given by the fights he's been through. While he was away, Gem was trying to decide what to do when he gets back.

"Oh why did he have wake up now?! I wanted to kiss him in his sleep, though it wouldn't be as fulfilling as him kissing back. I might as well try something else when he gets back. Maybe I can ask what he thinks of me…"

In the bathroom…

Jared looked into a mirror to see the damage done. He was still in his Lucario form, but was more black and blue than usual. The bandages he had on were still there, but practically ruined. He took them off and grabbed some more bandages in the cupboard below.

Before he put them on, he examined the scars on his left eyelid. He hasn't used that eye in forever since the surgery. It's not because the doctors told him that he shouldn't open his eye, it had already healed. No, it's because something in the back of his mind told him it's not the time. But he has wondered from time to time why. Why shouldn't he open it? He sometimes wishes to know what secrets are being held behind the new eye given to him by his father. However, he only shrugs, and resumed to put the bandages on, knowing that sometimes ignorance is bliss.

At Zach and Daryl's position…

They were coming back from the concession stands from outside the stadium. They got some foods like popcorn and corndogs, and also some pokemon food for Daryl's pokemon and Gem too. They were mostly quiet for the duration of the walk back to their friends till a few questions popped in Daryl's mind.

"Hey Zach."

"Hmm, what is it?" He had a corndog in his mouth, so his voice was muffled.

"You used to be human right?"

"Yeah," he finished the corndog. "What about it?"

"Have you ever tried to, you know, transform back to human?" Zach's ears drooped.

"Well I thought of it…"

"Then why haven't you tried it?" He sighed.

"I… I can't." Daryl had a look of confusion on his face.

"What do you mean you can't?"

"It's… it's just… I can't remember what I look like, how I looked when I was human. And even if I could remember, I just can't."

"Well, don't you want to be human?"

"Yes I do!" he yelled.

"Then how about transforming into some other person. I mean, it doesn't have to be 'you' does it?"

"It's not that simple. Plus I don't transform, I use illusions to change my appearance. And the thing with illusions is you can only make people see what you want to see. And what I want to see… is me."

"And that's why you can't transform into a human or even the original you?"

"Yeah, I guess it's just, deep down I've accepted the fact that I'm not human, not anymore."

For the rest of the trip back they were silent once more.

Back at Gem and Jared's location…

Jared came out of the bathroom feeling refreshed after a good rinsing, but still a little sore, maybe even a broken rib or two. But he didn't mind a little pain. It only reminds him that he has gotten very far in the competition. He sat back down on the couch with Gem and relaxed. After a few moments, he noticed Gem was being a bit squeamish, so he asked her, "You okay Gem?"

She looked up surprised but nodded in response. "Y-yeah, I'm fine."

Jared knew she wasn't fine, she was lying. "You know, if you have any problems, I'm right here for you." He grabbed her and held her close, mindful of his chest spike.

But she only blushed as red as a tamato berry. "Come on Gem," she thought. "This is your chance, use it."

She took a deep breath, trying to give herself the courage to say what she has to say. "Mmmm, he smells nice… no! I must focus!"

"Jared?"

"Yeah Gem?"

"There's… there's something, something I wanted to tell you for a while."

"What is it?"

"I… I lo-"

"Hey guys, what up!" Daryl busted through the door carrying bags of food, followed by Zach with more food.

"Are we interrupting anything?" Zach asked.

Gem had a look of misery on her face. "No, you… you weren't interrupting anything…" she said with woe.

"Oh good. And here I thought we've-" His sentence was cut short when he noticed Gem radiating a spiteful aura.

"I think I'll stop talking now…" he thought.

Just then, the speakers announced something, "The final round is about to commence in twenty minutes. May the final contestants please prepare and heal any wounds before fight."

"Looks like we've better hurry and eat before your big match," Daryl said.

"You're right," Jared said. "Come on everyone, let's dig in."

They all ate the food Daryl and Zach brought in, leaving nothing behind. When they were finish, Jared left to get healed up at the pokemon center, while everyone else was trying to find some seats in the crowds. Unknown to Jared, he was being followed by a cloaked figure.

And that's it… for now. If some things don't look too good on this chapter, PM me and I'll fix it. Also, I'd like to say that many special events have happened this month.

One of them is my birthday past a few weeks ago, meaning I'm officially 16, whoohoo!

Next, Pokemon X and Y came out, and I got X the day it came out. Although, I'm not really that far in the game or anything, but I still got it.

And most importantly, it's Halloween (well, by the time I put up this chapter, I think it will be).

And that's about it, but I will say this. I plan to rewrite the entire story, but there isn't going to be a major plot change to the story, only a few bits and pieces. Also, I've been thinking I may make a comic out of my fic. You know, like recreate the story but using pictures to show what I think the characters look like, I'm sure you understand. So yeah, that's about it, hopefully my school work won't take up my time to make chapter 12 of this fic.

Oh, I just remembered, I also plan to rename the fic because "Two Worlds, Two Minds" no longer fits as the title of this story. So, my fateful readers, I ask you to rename this fic, and the one that sounds the greatest will get a shout-out in chapter 12… or something. Just type it down in the reviews. But if you believe the title is just fine, just say so. So yeah, that's about it, have a good day/night and happy Halloween!