"Return!"

"Amazing, ladies and gentlemen! I've never seen such a battle! This is going to be a battle for the record books!"

"Interesting...I underestimated your abilities...but this is where it all comes to an end! Go!"

"Um!"

~One hour earlier~

"This is it! The final battle! No one wants to lose having come this far!"

Here I am...I can't even believe it.

"The Green Trainer is Daniel! The Red Trainer is Jessica!"

What a ride...I cannot even begin to believe it.

"Trainers! Congratulations on making it to the final battle of this years' competition! Good luck to both of you and may the best trainer win!"

"Right!"

I looked across the field and there she was, stunning and bewildering in such beauty. But this is a competition and I didn't come this far to throw it all away now. I'm here to win and that's that!

"Battle begin!"

"Alright, let's kick things off with a bang!"

I tossed the ball in the air and sent out the first choice: Glaceon.

"Alright, I see what you're trying to do. Go, Gengar!"

She threw her ball in the air and out popped the shadowy figure Gengar.

"I knew it." I smirked. "Glaceon, Ice Beam, let's go!"

I saw Glaceon charge up an Ice Beam attack and saw Gengar standing still. I figured this to be an easy hit, but was in for quite a surprise when Gengar dodged at the last second.

"Gengar, Shadow Ball!"

A ball of dark, shadowy material emerged from Gengar's hands and was thrown at Glaceon.

"Dodge, Glaceon!"

Glaceon dodged with elegance as the Shadow Ball collided with the ground, kicking up some stones and dust. I smirked, then held out Glaceon's Poké Ball.

"Glaceon, return!"

The red aura shot out from the center of the ball and encased Glaceon before returning her to her ball.

"Exchanging already?" Jessica smiled. "Alright then. Gengar, return!"

"Well isn't this something! Both trainers have recalled their starting Pokémon and are exchanging them! Who will come out next for both trainers?"

"Number two," I shouted, throwing the ball in the air, "I choose you!"

Popping out of her ball, my little Umbreon took the field for herself.

"Umbreon!"

"Aww, how cute," Jessica said, "now let's continue!"

She threw her ball in the air and out popped another Pokémon.

"Squirtle, squirt!"

"And it'll be Umbreon versus Squirtle! Who will be the victor!?"

"Umbreon, Shadow Ball!"

"Umbre!" Umbreon acknowledged, flinging a ball of shadowy matter towards the tiny turtle Pokémon. It was fast, which was perfect.

"Dodge it, Squirtle!"

Squirtle tried jumping out of the way, but the speed of my Umbreon's Shadow Ball attack was just too much. A dark cloud of smoke formed around Squirtle after the Shadow Ball made contact with it and I took it upon myself to act on this opportunity.

"Now use Dark Pulse!"

"Um!"

Umbreon concentrated, then shot a ray of dark matter towards the defenseless Squirtle.

"Withdraw!"

At the very last moment, I saw Squirtle withdraw into its shell to avoid some damage. I knew it would still take a portion of the damage, but I was still cautious; I didn't know what they had planned.

"Now jump and use Hydro Pump!"

"Squirtle!"

The tiny turtle shot up, thanks to the Hydro Pump, and shot dozens of gallons of water towards Umbreon. I smirked.

"Umbreon, dodge!"

Umbreon dodged with ease as she jumped out of the way. She turned to Squirtle and was blinded by a surprise Tackle attack.

"I'm not the only one with a few tricks up her sleeve!" Jessica smiled. "Squirtle, Ice Beam!"

A small, light blue beam of icy matter shot out from Squirtle towards Umbreon. Umbreon was hit and her tail began to freeze. I saw this and acted quickly.

"Umbreon, jump into the air and use back-to-back Shadow Balls!"

Umbreon nodded, jumping into the air and following the orders I gave her. She shot two Shadow Balls at Squirtle, one in front of it and one behind it, and the whiplash damage struck Squirtle heavily. Umbreon jumped back towards our side of the field, clawing at her icy tail, trying to free it. As for Squirtle, it was left unable to battle.

"Squirtle is unable to battle! Umbreon is the winner!"

"Amazing! The first Pokémon to go down is Squirtle! Daniel and Umbreon strike first in this final battle!"

"Squirtle, return!" Jessica smiled, looking at Squirtle. Once it returned to the ball, Jessica smiled at it some more. "Good job. Now take a long rest."

"Who's next for Jessica!? How will she respond!?"

"With this!" Jessica beamed delightfully, tossing her next Poké Ball in the air, revealing her third Pokémon. "Nobody can come between me and my Abra!"

"Jessica's third Pokémon is Abra! How will she respond to her first defeat?"

"Abra, Psychic!"

Abra, sent onto the battlefield sleeping, woke up and started levitating in the air. It used its psychic abilities to whip up some of the dust and soot around the field, covering it up and shielding it from noticeable visibility. I thought nothing of it since psychic type moves have no effect on Umbreon and dark type Pokémon, moving on and calling my next attack.

"Umbreon, Feint Attack!"

"Counter!"

As soon as Umbreon hit Abra with Feint Attack, Abra shone its eyes blue and delivered doubled the damage to Umbreon. I was taken aghast by things and didn't know that Abra could learn Counter. Acting quickly, I decided to withdraw Umbreon and choose someone else.

"Umbreon, return!" The beam of red aura wrapped itself around Umbreon and transported her back to her ball.

"Who's next?" Jessica asked me.

"This one!" I replied, tossing my ball into the air. "Pikachu, I choose you!"

"Oh, what a cutie!" Jessica smiled.

"Pikachu, Thunder!"

"Piiii kaaaa, chuuuuu!"

"Abra, Psychic!"

Again, Abra's eyes flashed blue. It started levitating Pikachu in the air, but was then struck by Pikachu's Thunder attack, dropping Pilachu back to the ground.

"Braaaaa..."

"Abra is unable to battle! Pikachu is the winner!"

"Excellent work, Pikachu!" I praised.

"Abra, return!" Jessica shouted, calling the defeated Pokémon back to its Poké Ball.

"Who's up next?" I asked in a cocky tone.

"Now, now," Jessica replied, tossing out another ball, "Gastly, you're up!"

"So you have a Gengar," I said, "and a Gastly?"

"What can I say?" Jessica smiled. "I love Gastly!"

"To each their own, I guess," I answered, "Pikachu, Volt Tackle!"

"Gastly, Hypnosis!"

"Ga-a-a-astly!"

"Pikachu, dodge it!"

It was too late as Pikachu was succumbed to Gastly's Hypnosis attack. He fell asleep mid-Volt Tackle and was left defenseless. Jessica took the grand opportunity and attacked my Pikachu.

"Dream Eater!"

"Dream Eater!?" I repeated. "Pikachu, wake up!"

Pikachu just laid there on the battlefield, unable to hear my commands. I gritted my teeth then, with one final effort, tried reaching out to Pikachu about the impending doom.

"PIKACHU!"

It was too late as Pikachu's dream was eaten by Gastly. I didn't think it would be strong enough to render Pikachu unable to battle, but Pilachu just couldn't handle the damage that it was given. My heart sank when I saw Pikachu collapse one last time.

"Pikachu is unable to battle! Gastly is the winner!"

"And with that victory, Gastly and Jessica have managed to tie things back up in this final battle!"

I held out Pikachu's Poké Ball and called it back. I smiled at Pikachu, proud of its efforts today. "I'm very proud of you. Now take a well-deserved rest."

"Who's next?" Jessica smiled.

"We're just getting started," I smirked in response, "Glaceon, you're up again!"

Glaceon popped back out of her ball, eager to battle again. I smiled, hoping to strike quickly and regain momentum as the battle raged onward.

"Glaceon makes a reappearance after a brief rest! How will Daniel respond to his first defeat?"

"Glaceon, Shadow Ball!"

"Gastly, Shadow Ball too!"

Both Pokémon unleashed their Shadow Ball attacks, both seemingly even in strength. I was surprised to see such power from Gastly. I decided to play on the defensive side of things for a while, prepping ourselves for another Hypnosis-Dream Eater combination.

"Both Pokémon showing equal strengths! Neither one appears to be conceding a single inch!"

"Jump, Glaceon, and use Ice Beam!"

Glaceon followed orders and launched high in the air. Facing Gastly, she unveiled a powerful Ice Beam attack. Jessica smirked, then told Gastly its next command.

"Disappear into the air and use Night Shade!"

"Gaa-a-astly!"

Using its ghostly build to its advantage, Gastly disappeared from the battlefield and left Glaceon and myself guessing where it would reappear for its attack. Seconds later, Gastly popped up from the ground behind Glaceon, launching a devastating Night Shade attack.

"Glaceon!"

Glaceon took the hit, but suffered a ton of damage. A bit on-edge, I called Glaceon's next attack without properly thinking about what I was doing.

"Glaceon, Iron Tail!"

I was prepped for a knockout blow to Gastly that I had forgotten one thing: Gastly is a ghost. Although Iron Tail can hit, if the opposing trainer acts quickly enough or if the Pokémon is trained properly, Iron Tail may not do anything.

And that's exactly what happened.

"Disappear again and use Shadow Ball!"

Glaceon, charging tail first at Gastly, missed her Iron Tail attack and was left alone on the battlefield again as Gastly disappeared again.

"Be ready, Glaceon!"

Glaceon scanned the area in an attempt to find Gastly. When Gastly reappeared, two Shadow Balls were sent over towards Glaceon at a distance where I couldn't react fast enough. Both attacks slammed Glaceon and caused her to fall to the ground.

"No..." I gasped.

"Glaceon is unable to battle! Gastly is the winner!"

"Unbelievable! Gastly and Jessica win back-to-back battles and have stormed back into a tie!"

"Great job, Gastly!" praised the beautiful trainer.

I was left in shock. Glaceon was my sweeper Pokémon. With her gone so early in the battle, I knew this would be one tough battle to finish. Then again, this is the final battle of the Pokémon League; I shouldn't have been so naive.

"Glaceon, return!" I called Glaceon back to her ball and smiled at it. "You were great. Now take a long rest."

"With two straight losses, how will Daniel react to things now?"

"That Gastly has to be tired right about now," I told myself. I held out my next Poké Ball, chuckling slightly. "If I don't defeat it now with you, I may end up losing this battle. I still have that Gengar to deal with too."

"Who's up next?"

"Pignite, I choose you!"

"Pig niiite!" Pignite was fired up and ready to battle.

"Pignite, Flamethrower!"

Using the fiery passion, Pignite unleashed a staggering Flamethrower attack over towards Gastly. Jessica acted quickly, commanding Gastly to dodge it.

"I don't think so," I smirked. I knew they would try to dodge Pignite's Flamethrower and came up with a perfect counter-strategy. "Pignite, Flame Charge!"

While still using Flamethrower, Pignite started flying towards Gastly. He was wrapped in a fireball and nailed The dodging Gastly with both his Flamethrower and with collateral damage from the Flame Charge. Pignite stared back at Gastly, who had fallen down from the collision in midair.

"Gastly!"

"Gastly is unable to battle! Pignite is the winner!"

"Awesome job, Pignite!" I beamed delightfully.

"Pigniiite!"

"Gastly, return!" Jessica called, recalling her fainted Pokémon. She pulled out another Poké Ball. "Jigglypuff, come on out!"

"Jiggly!"

"Careful, Pignite. Jigglypuff may try to cause you to fall asleep!"

"With Jigglypuff out on the battlefield, what does Jessica have planned for the next battle?"

"Easy," Jessica beamed, "Sing!"

"Jiiig gally, puff, jigg-allyyy puuufff."

"Here it comes, Pignite!" I alerted. "Be strong and try using Flamethrower again!"

This Jigglypuff must've been something else because not even Pignite could stand up to its singing abilities. Pignite, like Pikachu, fell asleep on the battlefield and I was in a deep hole again. I was contemplating on whether I should call back Pignite and swap to another Pokémon or just stick with him and hope for the best.

"Jigglypuff, Metronome!"

"Oh no..." I said, turning to Pignite. "Pignite, wake up! I know you can hear me!"

"Whoa! Metronome turned into-"

"Oh god..." I gulped. "Is that-?"

"Now, Jigglypuff!" Jessica shouted, pointing at the sleeping Pignite.

"Jiggly!"

Jigglypuff unleashed an astonishing Guillotine attack from Metronome on my Pignite! What are the chances of that happening!?

"Pignite!" I tried calling out, but it was no use. Guillotine hit its mark and instantly knocked Pignite out. "No..."

"In an astonishing turn of events, Jigglypuff summons a Guillotine attack from Metronome! That, ladies and gentlemen, happens less than one percent of the time Metronome is used and, because it managed to hit, the chances were even lower! With Pignite knocked out, things are heating up in this white-hot battle!"

"Pignite is unable to battle! Jigglypuff is the winner!"

"Return, Pignite!" I called. "You battled your best."

"Three Pokémon left on both sides now! What'll happen next?"

"Ivysaur, you're up next!" I shouted.

"Ivy!"

"Ivysaur," I continued, pointing at Jigglypuff, "use Razor Leaf!"

"Saur!"

"Jigglypuff," Jessica called, "use Doubleslap attack!"

"Jiggly!"

Ivysaur unleashed a barrage of razor-sharp leaves on the squishy, pink ball, hitting it each time. In the meantime, Jigglypuff tried using a Doubleslap, but couldn't manage to make contact with my Ivysaur. Determined on winning, I called the next move.

"Grab Jigglypuff with your Vine Whip and toss it across the field!" I said.

Ivysaur obeyed the commands and threw Jigglypuff with a lot of force over towards the wall.

"Jigglypuff," Jessica cried, "no!"

Jigglypuff slammed against the stone wall, creating an indent in it. Smoke flew around Jigglypuff as it lay stuck in the wall, knocked out from the battle.

"Jigglypuff is unable to battle! Ivysaur is the winner!"

"Excellent work, Ivysaur." I praised. I was looking ahead to how close I was to winning this battle, but I knew I couldn't get too ahead of myself. Things were way too close for us to predict who would triumph.

"Jigglypuff, return!" called Jessica. She turned towards me and frowned. "You didn't have to hurt Jigglypuff like that. Now I'll make you pay! Go, Eevee!"

"And Jessica's next Pokémon is Eevee! How will this turn things around?"

"Eevee, Dig!"

Eevee, obeying its orders dug straight underground. I smirked, awaiting the little pup from above ground.

"Ivysaur, stay alert!"

"Saur..."

"Straight up, Eevee!" Jessica called.

Eevee dug straight up and, although Ivysaur managed to dodge the initial damage, Eevee's second effort managed to push Ivysaur just enough to throw off its balance. Ivysaur stumbled a bit when landing back on the ground, but I knew he wasn't done quite just yet.

"Ivysaur, Vine Whip!"

"Dodge it, Eevee!"

Ivysaur's vines shot out from his sides in an attempt to grab Eevee, but Eevee's last second dodge thought otherwise. Fueled by determination, Eevee tackled Ivysaur down, making way for heavy contact with the ground. Still, Ivysaur refused to back down.

"Eevee, Iron Tail!"

Eevee ran towards Ivysaur, slamming its tail in Ivysaur's face. Eevee hit Ivysaur very hard, causing Ivysaur to lose its footing.

"Counter with Razor Leaf!"

"Saur!"

Leaves shot out towards Eevee from Ivysaur's sides, but they missed its mark. Eevee again tackled Ivysaur to the ground. This tackle, however, seemed to be different. The little pup managed to tackle Ivysaur in the air from the ground and cause Ivysaur to hit his head when he landed. This seemed to do the trick unfortunately.

"Ivysaur is unable to battle! Eevee is the winner!"

"Unbelievable! We're all tied up here again as both combatants are down to their remaining two Pokémon!"

"Ivysaur, return! I called. "You battled well, now get some rest."

"Great job, Eevee!" praised the beautiful trainer.

"Kadabra, you're up next!"

"Kadabra!"

"Daniel's next Pokémon is Kadabra! How will things turn out?"

"Eevee, Shadow Ball!"

Eevee managed to shoot three different shadowy balls towards Kadabra in rapid succession. That wasn't as astonishing to me as what I saw next, however.

"I can't believe it! Eevee defeated Kadabra in one fell swoop!"

"Kadabra is unable to battle! Eevee is the winner!"

"You've got to be kidding me!" I said. I had no idea Eevee would be this strong. I called back Kadabra, displeased but understanding of it.

"Now Daniel is down to his last Pokémon. Can he turn things around?"

"Of course I can!" I shouted, tossing the last ball in the air. Out popped Umbreon and I was determined to not lose this battle.

"A little battle between Eevee and one of its evolutionary stages. What lays in store for us?"

"Umbreon, Dark Pulse!"

"Jump, Eevee!"

Umbreon shot a beam of dark matter towards a leaping Eevee. I had a feeling Jessica would tell Eevee to dodge, probably because she was scared Eevee may not be able to withstand my Umbreon and his fierce power. Nevertheless, I told Umbreon to use Feint Attack on the defenseless Eevee, to which Umbreon nailed a final blow to the little pup.

"Eevee is unable to battle! Umbreon is the winner!"

"Well folks, this is it! The final battle! All that remains is one Pokémon on both sides!"

"Return!"

"Amazing, ladies and gentlemen! I've never seen such a battle! This is going to be a battle for the record books!"

"Interesting," said Jessica, holding out her final Poké Ball, a ball that housed Gengar, "I underestimated your abilities...but this is where it all comes to an end! Go!"

"Stay alert, Umbreon!"

"Um!"

"Gengar versus Umbreon! This is it! Who will rise on top?"

"Let's kick things off with a Shadow Ball!" I shouted. I was determined to not fall so late in the tournament.

"Shadow Ball, Gengar!" Jessica commanded.

The Pokémon and their balls of shadowy matter collided in the center of the battlefield. An explosion soon sounded seconds later and both attacks vaporized in the air. Smoke billowed everywhere as both Pokémon were revealed to still be standing. I commended Gengar's abilities, but knew Umbreon was stronger.

"Gengar, use Hypnosis!"

I smirked. I knew psychic-type moves had no effect on Umbreon, so I let the move finish. Umbreon, staring at Gengar, was unaffected by its Hypnosis attack. I called her next attack.

"Feint Attack, Umbreon!"

Being so close, Feint Attack dealt a ton of damage to Gengar. Oddly enough, Gengar was still standing. I really was impressed by Gengar's will to battle. Jessica smiled, then called Gengar's next attack.

"Gengar, Thunderbolt!"

"Umbreon, use Shadow Ball to dodge!"

"Gen-GAR!"

"Umbre!"

Gengar shot bolts of electricity out from its body and hit Umbreon while she was trying to dodge with Shadow Ball. The weakened Shadow Ball was tossed in the air, but it did not break its form. I looked up at the arching ball, then looked at Jessica. I saw we looking at the ball as well, then was surprised at what happened next.

"Gengar," she called, "grab that Shadow Ball and use your Shadow Ball on Gengar up close!"

"Umbreon," I shouted, "Shadow Ball attack on that ball!"

Both Pokémon aimed for Umbreon's previous Shadow Ball. Umbreon was fast, but apparently Gengar was faster as it reached the stray ball first and grabbed it.

"Umbreon, close quarter Shadow Ball!" I ordered. "Don't release it!"

"Go, Gengar!" Jessica called.

"GARRRRR!"

"UMBRE!"

Both Pokémon collided on the ground, Shadow Balls disbanding all light around them. The collision of the power was something else as the two Pokémon were again engulfed in black smoke. This smoke took longer to uplift, leaving the tension as to who was still left standing.

"A clash of titan-like Shadow Balls leaves the field completely covered! But who is still standing!?"

"Come on, Umbreon!" I encouraged. "I know you can do it!"

"Gengar," added Jessica, "just a bit longer! You can do this!"

Once the smoke cleared, I saw the two Pokémon still standing and in each others' face! I acted quickly, calling the next and-hopefully-final attack.

"Feint Attack!"

"Shadow Ball!"

Gengar whipped up another Shadow Ball while Umbreon charged at the shadow Pokémon. Umbreon slammed into Gengar just as it held out the Shadow Ball. The ball was still being held by Gengar, but Umbreon wasn't being affected by it. Gengar, on the flip side, appeared to be not taking any damage as the Shadow Ball was being held between it and Umbreon. Again, another explosion happened, blasting both Pokémon back.

"Umbreon!" I called, watching Umbreon fly past me and into the stone wall behind me.

"Gengar!" Jessica cried, watching Gengar do the same to the wall behind her.

Both Pokémon fell to the ground and the next thing that happened was a first; at least for this Pokémon League tournament.

"AMAZING! Both Pokémon go down!"

"Both Umbreon and Gengar are unable to battle! This match ends in a draw!"

"Ladies and gentlemen! In all the years of announcing in this league tournament, I've never seen the final battle end in a draw!"

"So what happens now?" I asked, calling tending to my collapsed Umbreon.

"According to league rules, if the final battle ends in a draw, both Pokémon trainers are awarded the championship trophy!"

"Both?" I repeated.

"Congratulations to our two winning trainers: Daniel and Jessica!"

At the awards ceremony, I was still in shock. I stood next to Jessica and was baffled by how beautiful she was. She was such an amazing trainer and her Pokémon were lucky to have her with them. She truly was beautiful; stunning. The judge approached us both with two versions of the Winners Trophy. Handing Jessica's trophy to her first, the judge congratulated us both again.

"We should battle again one day, Daniel," Jessica told me as I accepted my trophy.

"Huh?"

"That was the best battle I've ever had," she continued, "thank you."

She held out her hand and I smirked. I reached out and shook her hand.

"Pleasure's all mine," I smiled, blushing very slightly, "that was an excellent battle."

"Let's hear it once more for our two winners: Daniel and Jessica!"