The sheer thrill I've experienced when I was in battle against Wulfrock was perhaps one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I was still shaking from the fact that someone like me could beat him. ME of all people! I guess I just had a lot of hidden potential like Josh and Cross were trying to tell me for the longest time now.

At least, that was what was going through my mind when Josh and I were recuperating inside of the waiting lobby as Josh patched me up. I told him everything that happened while I was in the thrill of the battle, and as I gave out every detail, every moment, every heart-stopping action, he couldn't help but smile and laugh over my own accomplishments. "It seems to me that you really enjoyed the battle," Josh said happily.

"Oh, I did!" I exclaimed. "I didn't even know what came over me! I mean… I thought it was my Incineroar side trying to push me, which terrified me, but then I just…" Josh then tugged a bit too tightly with the bandages around me, causing me to cry out in pain. "Ow! Take it easy, Josh!"

"Hey, it's one thing that you put your own life on the line out there," Josh reiterated as he finished up with wrapping bandages around me. "But the fact that you were close to dying out there almost gave me a heart attack." He sighed, placing a paw on his chest as he stared at me with a smile. "That final clash, though. That legitimately gave me goosebumps. It reminded me so much of what the Zero Isles were like for the both of us."

This was what took me by surprise as he looked at me. "It did?" I asked curiously. "In what way?"

Josh chuckled as he then patted my shoulder to calm my nerves. "I'll tell you about it some other time, perhaps," he said. He then turned to look over at Rose, who was looking at the monitor, which had now shown the pictures of both herself and Rinekai. Judging from Rose's looks, Josh and I could clearly tell that she seemed rather nervous. I totally get where she was coming from, though.

I had just recently defeated Wulfrock, a Lycanroc player. Lycanroc are Rock-type Pokémon, while my type was a Fire-Dark-type combo. In Rose's case, she was a Grass-Poison-type going up against a Fire-type. And worst yet, while Wulfrock and I were mainly about trying to be up close and personal with our opponents, Rose and Rin both seemed to specialize with ranged combat. It should come as no real surprise that this made Rose tense, especially since she is aware of who she's up against.

Josh walked up to her, and gently asked her "Are you nervous?"

Rose nodded her head solemnly. "A little…"

"Hey, if Adam could beat Wulfrock, then clearly you can beat Rin," Josh said encouragingly. "You just have to do whatever it takes to break her down."

"I get that… But at the same time, I know that Adam was playing this game far longer than I have," Rose stated as she began to doubt herself. "I don't know if I can actually win against her." As she then looked over to me, she smiled, and acknowledged "At least I won't pull of some incredible feat like Adam could."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short, Rose," I told her with a smile brimming with confidence. "You're great! Far better than I could ever hope for, especially after you made the bold decision to join our team. You just need to use the training that Cross and his team provided with us to score a win! I know you can do it!"

Josh stifled a laugh over my sentiments, and patted Rose on the back. "He's got a point, Rose," he said. "If Adam could earn a win on his own, then so can you. You've just gotta believe."

Rose timidly looked over the both of us as she heard both of our sentiments. She had already been through so much in just a few short days, and no matter what, she made a vow that she was never going to fail again. If she said she was going to do what she can to protect us, then that would also include taking on a battle she had a slim chance of pulling out a victory. With a newfound sense of confidence, she smiled at the both of us, and nodded.

She then made her way towards the door, ready to reach the access ramp as she readies herself for the battle. Once she reached the door itself, she turned to the both of us, and with a smile, she said "Well…wish me luck!"

"You'll be fine, Rose!" Josh encouraged as he waved to her. "Best wishes!"

"Give Rin the performance of a lifetime!" I boasted as I waved over to her. I called a battle a "performance," like that's really anything special. Then again, John gave off a different vibe as I battled him, so perhaps these battles ARE performances, and I was just looking at them all wrong for the longest time?

Once Rose was out of the door, Josh lowered his paw as I saw him start to tense up. As I felt worried for him, I asked "What's the matter? Are you okay?"

Josh gripped at the table next to him as he took a moment to breathe. Once he looked at me, he then said "I want to know what it was that you forgot about, Adam."

Baffled by his choice of words, I asked "I beg your pardon?"

"During your battle with John earlier," Josh mentioned as he looked at me. "I noticed that you apparently learned a new move during the heat of the fight. I just want to know what move you forgot about, just to be on the safe side."

I was confused by Josh's odd request, but as soon as I stood up, I gently rubbed at my wrist, trying to think back to when I landed that final blow against Wulfrock in battle. Yeah… I can see where Josh is coming from. Learning a new move mid-battle is nothing original… I guess I must've learned it when I was solely focused on winning.

I realized that I needed an assessment over what my current move set was like, now that I've won. I soon turned my attention towards a nearby scanner that was placed in the waiting lobby for any player to review their current stats. So, I carefully ended up walking towards the scanner, and Josh was the one who pushed the button to scan me. After a few seconds of scanning my entire body from head to toe, there was a loud beep, and suddenly, a hologram of my own body was placed a short distance from the scanner for the both of us to look at. On the side of the scanner was a selection of various statistics.

Username: BlazeTiger Species: Incineroar Team: Inferno

Guild: Solace Rank: Ace

Height: 5' 11" Weight: 183.0 lbs

Nature: Lonely

Ability: Blaze

- Powers up Fire-type moves when the Pokémon's HP is low.

Level: 74

HP: 8790/8790

Attack: 145

Defense: 123

Sp. Attack: 109

Sp. Def: 122

Speed: 96

Moves:

Fire Punch – Physical Type: Fire Power: 75

- Attacks the target with a fiery fist. May sometimes leave the target with a burn.

Darkest Lariat – Physical Type: Dark Power: 85

- The user swings both arms and hits the target. The target's stat changes don't affect the damage inflicted by the move.

Bulk Up – Status Type: Fighting

- The user tenses its muscles to bulk up its body, raising Attack and Defense stats.

Superpower – Physical Type: Fighting Power: 120

- The user attacks the target with great power. This also lowers the user's Attack and Defense stats.

Josh and I were both stunned to hear about the newest addition to my current set of moves. I was so surprised that I looked over at my hand as I pictured what it must've felt like as I finished off Wulfrock. No wonder he was sent flying. I used a move that complimented my increased strength. Talk about surprising!

Josh just stared at me with his mouth held open as he was made aware that I had apparently gained quite the good move with my current move pool. He wasn't even able to come up with the right words over how much this could actually help us, that he just tensed up on the spot.

As I looked over at him, I asked "Are you okay?"

Josh was quick to realize that he was looking completely unprofessional, so he slapped himself in the face and took a deep breath to calm himself. "Adam…" Josh started slowly. "Please tell me that this is a joke and that you didn't learn Superpower…"

This immediately made me nervous as I looked over at him. "Is that a bad thing?" I asked anxiously. "I-I mean, I could always replace it with something else, if that's okay! I mean…it's not that bad a move, given my current build, but I don't know…"

What happened next was that Josh grabbed my arm and dragged me off of the scanner, bringing me towards a large punching bag. I was not entirely sure what Josh was up to, but as I looked back at him, he apparently crossed his arms and insisted "I want to see it for myself. Show me."

"What?" I questioned. "But Josh… I mean… I don't know if I can…"

"Do it, and show me exactly what it was like in the moment with you there," Josh said sternly as he looked at the punching bag, then back to me. He gave a sly looking smile on his face, and that was more than enough to make me seem anxious over this recent discovery we made.

I groaned as I turned my attention to the punching bag, and raised my fists. Great… I win one battle, and suddenly, Josh wants a highlight reel up close and personal… I then took a deep breath as I tried to picture the moment then and there. Just focus. You are in battle against Wulfrock. You two are at each other's throats. Wulfrock tried to hit you with a Stone Edge attack, but you dodged to the side. Picture that moment! Picture it.

I opened my eyes and began to launch my attack, as my entire right fist glowed a bright orange. I slammed the attack right at the punching bag, and it ended up breaking off of its chain and smashing towards the nearby wall. I panted as I looked once more at my fist, noticing how it was no longer glowing. As I looked at it, I could tell that my own attack strength was all being built up into that one attack, and that I felt slightly less powerful after the fact. I guess it was as the description of the attack said. Once used, my Attack and Defense stats take a hit.

As I turned towards Josh's direction, he just gasped as his face had the most joyous expression on it, and he was just amazed over the raw power of the attack I gave off. As he looked at me and noticed how perplexed I was by his expression, though, he quickly took a deep breath, coughed a bit, and returned to looking as stoic as ever. "Very impressive," he said with a serious tone of voice. "But of course, you must also realize that overuse of that move could be a detriment. Only use it when you feel it's absolutely necessary, capiche?"

I nodded nervously over Josh's serious tone, and looked back at my hand again. "I bet this technique will be quite handy, wouldn't you agree?" I asked him.

"Of course," Josh added. "At the very least, you no longer have to rely on Fire or Dark moves to deal damage."

"Yeah… I can see how that could be a benefit…" I then thought about the various Rock-types that I've fought against over the years, and often had to rely on Josh to getting me out of those messes. Admittedly, I was quite giddy with myself as I had to come to grips with what I knew for certain was a massive boon for me. Acquiring the move Superpower was a big benefit, and I could only imagine the possibilities of using this to protect Josh from this point forward instead of him protecting me.

With a grin, I flexed my arm with a triumphant pose, and thought to myself I can only bet that once I'm out in the field again, Zeraora won't see what hit him!

Chapter 39: On Her Own

As Rose waited for the next round of the tournament, she stood by the exit of the access tunnel with her arms crossed. Though from the looks of things, she seemed really scared and nervous. What she knew for certain was that she was at a disadvantage, and the fact that she seemed to be particularly outclassed was more than enough reason for her to think that she was likely not going to last very long in the battle.

She gently brushed her hand(?) at the scarf around her neck. She gulped as she realized that even with all of her strength, she probably wasn't going to have that Grassium Z be of any help to her. She was clearly anxious as the crowd seemed to be waiting to see if she was capable of giving her all, like how I did during my match.

"Are you scared?" a voice said behind her. Once Rose turned around to look at the person speaking to her, she soon realized that the person that was talking to her was Rin herself. Rose almost gasped at seeing her, but Rin was reassuring as she raised a paw to calm her nerves. "Take it easy, Rose. I promise you, I'm not going to antagonize you like John did."

Rose gave a sigh of relief upon hearing that news. "Thanks, Rin," she said. "And if you were curious, yes. I am pretty nervous…"

Rin nodded her head at Rose's predicament, and walked up to her. As she patted Rose on the back, she said "There's nothing to worry about, Rose. Adam already beat John in battle, even with the both of them at full strength. But strength isn't always everything, Rose. You don't need to gain the upper hand against your foes in order to leave your mark."

"It's not that…" Rose admitted nervously. She trembled a bit, and said "It's just that…after what happened with Gabe, and at Mount Ebott… I'm just afraid that I'll end up disappointing them."

Rin looked over at Rose with concern, and asked her "Are you really so worried over how others see you out there?"

"You don't get it," Rose stated, looking at the Braixen with sad eyes. "For the past year since I've first signed up in the game, I've always been playing second fiddle to my teammates. I've always acted as the support."

Rin sighed, acknowledging that perhaps she needed a little bit of a pep talk. She soon pulled out her badge, and pressed the button on it, saying "John, do you have a minute?"

"What is it, Rin?" Wulfrock answered on the other end. "You do realize that your match is gonna start in a few minutes, right?"

"I know, it's just…" Rin took a glance over at Rose, giving a pitying smile towards her before continuing. "Something's come up. Can you delay the match a little bit until I come back?"

"Woah! You're serious?" Wulfrock's response was surprising, but at the very least, he seemed to understand the situation. After a brief moment of silence, he soon replied "I'll see what I can do. Don't take too long, alright?"

"I won't," Rin said with a smile. "Thank you." She soon placed the badge away before looking over at Rose with an encouraging smile. She gently patted the Roserade's shoulder, before saying "How about we take a breather before we start our battle? You look like you need it."

Rose was touched by Rin's kindness in this instance, and with a sheepish smile, she nodded. "I would like that," she remarked. "Thank you, Rin."

The audience was growing slightly impatient as they were sitting restlessly in their seats. While they were all fidgeting in their seats, Wulfrock was seen running up to Infernick in the arena and whispering something to him. Cross took note of this, and he asked his teammates "What's going on?"

"You don't think that something happened to Rose, do you?" Nolan asked with slight worry.

"Impossible," Lucian remarked as he grabbed everyone's attention. The Meowstic returned to reading his book without a care in the world (even though the pages were empty, but whatever). Once everyone looked towards Lucian's direction, he said "Rose is just a petal drifting ever so gently in the breeze. The petals she displays are to face against a raging torrent of flame. I wouldn't be surprised to say that she's taking a few minutes to breathe before the match, especially considering all of the pressure being mounted onto her."

"Pressure?" Cross questioned. "You mean, regarding the battle?"

"Indeed," Lucian answered, giving a glance towards Team Calibur with a smile. "After Adam's victory, there's no denying that there's a ton of pressure to meet with expectations, wouldn't you agree? Rose is experiencing the pressure to try and hold a candle to the rest of her team, especially since she was instructed by you guys personally. I wouldn't blame her if she's experiencing some form of self-doubt."

"Hey!" Chris shouted as he glared at Lucian accusingly. "As long as she gets to fight regardless, we're all expecting her to be doing her best! And besides, Team Inferno already has one win! It's a two-out-of-three deal, remember? She shouldn't have anything to worry about!"

"I agree," Lucian said as he adjusted his glasses. Giving a blank expression to Chris, he continued with "Though, nobody expected Adam to pull a last-minute victory and rile an entire crowd like he did. Hype sets standards, my friend. You wouldn't want to disappoint the audience if the hype didn't deliver, right?"

Chris wanted to give a sassy retort to Lucian's response, but he was silenced by the Meowstic's sense of logic, and soon began to start looking worried. "Damn… I hate it when you're right…"

Sabrina was quick to look at Team Calibur's concerns, and she reassured "Not to worry. If anything, I think that Rose is going to be fine." She soon gave a glare to her brother, and said to him "I would appreciate it if you stopped with your pessimism."

"Who's being pessimistic?" Lucian argued to his sister. "I'm only being the realist in this situation, that's all."

Sabrina sighed as she couldn't stand the idea of listening to more of Lucian's ramblings. She soon got up from her seat, and started to move past Team Calibur as she made her way to the exit. Cross soon asked her "Where are you going?"

"To get some iced tea," Sabrina said with a huff. "Can't a girl get some iced tea anymore? Why do you have to be so picky?" And with a huff, she soon walked away and made it out of the stadium.

Cross sighed as he once again was amazed over the behavioral quirks of the two Meowstic siblings. Once again, he drew his attention towards the battlefield, as Wulfrock finished whispering to Infernick and allowed the Charizard to finally start to address the audience. Cross nudged to Chris, and said "I think we're going to get some answers now."

As Nick looked over the waiting audience, he took a deep breath and stretched out his wings to silence the crowd. Once the crowd was given the attention, he then announced "Attention, everyone! I know for certain that after the first match, you are all waiting in anticipation for the second match between both BlossumBelle and Rinekai." The audience gave a brief applause to the response, before Nick soon spoke up again. "But before we do so, I have one thing I wish to announce, and that is some words from the two competitors who fought for you all earlier today. As such, I would like this time to be given to both Wulfrock and BlazeTiger to give some words of wisdom to the waiting crowd before we begin." The audience was easily very confused about all of this, but soon enough, Nick was quick to bring back everyone's spirits. "Please, keep in mind, this whole tournament setup is experimental at best, and I would love to hear the opinions of the fighters and their personal beliefs in what they hoped they wanted to achieve in this arena today. Please, keep in mind, we will resume with the tournament as scheduled shortly afterwards. In the meantime, a speech from Wulfrock, followed by a speech from BlazeTiger, should be more than enough to grab your interests for now. Now, my old friend, Wulfrock, would like to give a few words of encouragement to any and all players who are watching this right here and now. Wulfrock, if you please."

A speech? What? But…what about the tournament? Wasn't Rose supposed to be on right about now?

Those were my exact thoughts as I looked over at the monitor in the waiting lobby. I was also taking a few sips of a gummi shake to try and relax a bit (Josh's recommendation, not mine), though judging from Josh's reaction to this news, even he had no idea what was happening. "Why does Nick want us to give speeches all of a sudden?" I asked.

"I don't know…" Josh said with unease. "Maybe something happened that we don't know about?" It was then that suddenly, everything clicked for him, and he slapped himself on the forehead for not realizing it sooner. "Oh crap!"

"What? What is it?" I soon set the gummi shake down, noticing Josh's sudden worried expression, and began to start panicking. "Did something happen? Is it Zeraora? O-o-o-or are we expecting some sort of change of plans where you fight against Volt next?"

Josh soon gripped my shoulders as he started to give me a rather worried look. "It's Rose, Adam! She must be so nervous because of your battle earlier!"

"Wait…because of my battle?" I questioned. "What do you mean?"

Josh groaned as he made his way toward the door, grabbing my arm as he was forcing me to enter the hallway with him. "Walk with me!" Josh demanded forcefully. Without any further complaints, I followed Josh as we left the waiting lobby and made our way to the access tunnel. He soon continued speaking with "Rose looked so nervous after we started dressing up your injuries. However, we ended up adding more pressure to her because of the fact that you seemed so full of confidence in our ability to win."

"Wait, so you're saying it's my fault?" I argued.

"No!" Josh yelled out intensely, before he then looked away. "Look, my point is that your battle was so hype-inducing that she started to feel pressured. What if – and correct me if I'm wrong – what if we made her scared because of audience expectations?"

"Audience expectations? Are you serious?"

Josh nodded as he walked forward. "Too much hype could really disappoint the audience if left unchecked. Your victory roars and hyping up the crowd of our efforts saw to that one."

I felt slightly mixed regarding what Josh said. On the one hand, I understood fully where he was coming from. On the other hand, it pained me to realize that he was taking away the hype I built up for our team just to make Rose seem comfortable. Crap! Crap! CRAP! Way to go, screwing up at the most inopportune moment! Gah! Why did I have to give in to my own excitement like that!? That's what an Incineroar does, not a supportive teammate!

"I don't blame you, Adam," Josh said calmly as he took a moment to collect himself.

This soon made me look at my brother with a slight look of confusion. "You don't?"

As soon as the both of us stopped by the exit of the access tunnel, he sighed, turning to me with a smile. "I don't, Adam. You seem to get excited easily. That much is apparent. But hey, I also got all caught up in the excitement as well." With a sheepish grin, he then looked over at Wulfrock as he addressed the crowd with a speech that neither he nor I were even remotely paying any attention to. "I mean…winning a tournament isn't really everything, Adam," he said. "You only won the first round by chance. That's more than enough to bring out words of encouragement to the crowd. So, with that said, I just want to say…" He then gripped my hand, holding it up as he had me wrap it around his paw. "You saved me, Adam, and I couldn't have been any happier."

Huh? I saved him? "When did I save you?" I asked curiously.

"Every day, Adam," Josh answered honestly. "The Zero Isles, all of those years of following Volt's orders, those times you risked everything to protect me from near-death… And today, even. You helped to give me hope for our chance to see the outside world again."

"I-I have?" I stammered, feeling a little embarrassed by his kind words. "Aw, geez… You're embarrassing me… I don't even know what to say."

With a kind smile, Josh patted my arm, and told me "Then I'm sure you'll have something to address with the crowd."

"W-wait… I don't know if I can!" I said nervously. "I mean, I'm the muscle of the group, technically! I can't give a speech."

"You'll be fine, Adam," Josh said as he calmed my nerves. "Just think about the whole reason you're even here, say what comes to mind, and you're good. Easy peasy."

I was wanting to argue back, but I figured that any chance for me to try and convince him would ultimately be met by counterarguments. Realizing I didn't have much of a choice in the matter, I just sighed, and gave my best smile to show that I was mostly ready for what came next…as much as I wished that I could do anything apart from public speaking. As I took a glance at Wulfrock in the stadium, noticing his speech to the crowd, I soon began to start sweating a bit as I now realized that my victory speech had better be worth it. I guess I had no choice. I was going to have to come up with some good things to say, and fast.

Rose and Rin were sitting outside of the stadium, calmly taking in the sight of the town. During this whole time when the two ladies were sitting by themselves, Rin was acting rather supportive, wanting to do what she could to hear what made Rose so nervous. Rose brought up issues regarding her previous team, mentioning things like how she felt like she didn't really level up like they did, mostly because of how she's usually the last one to enter a battle. However, while Rin was all but capable of hearing Rose's arguments, this very statement made her rather curious.

"So, let's see if I got this straight," Rin started. "You're nervous because you have never actually managed to win a solo battle before. Not even against wild Pokémon with your team?"

Rose nodded solemnly, sitting in a curled up fetal position as she continued her confession. "The only reason I even stuck around with them was because they were more than encouraging for me to pick up the pace. I even went out into the field by myself one day. I was all alone, with nobody to help me. The place I decided to explore, though… I began to realize it was too difficult for someone like me."

"Hey, it can't be that difficult," Rin said optimistically. "What was the place?"

Rose sighed, and said "The Typhoon Trench."

Rin shuddered upon the mention of that name. Typhoon Trench was located further north, right at the sea border between Nohr and Galassenheit. It was easy to access if you were traveling from the ports at Nohr, but the real challenge was that it was a pretty devastating dungeon to go through, even for a solo venture. The wild Pokémon were very high-leveled. The water surrounding the area was enough to spawn in various wild Pokémon from all walks of sea life, and the deeper you traveled down the trench, the more powerful the Pokémon became.

Now, WHY someone would go down there is because at the depths of the trench were some bountiful riches, and that there were even signs of running into the legendary Pokémon Lugia down in the depths. Now, how Rose managed to make it there without proper research was beyond me, but for the most part, I was just relieved to see that she made it through without any further complications.

"I take it from your reaction that I made a mistake?" Rose asked Rin with a sheepish smile.

"Well, you made a good call to explore a Water-type themed dungeon, I'll give you that," Rin said as she placed a paw to her own chest. "I'm a Fire-type, you know."

"OH! Right…" Rose said as she realized who she was clearly talking to. "My bad. I guess you went down there once?"

"Twice, actually," Rin said with a perky grin. "The first was with John. Wulfrock. Of course, it didn't really go over too well."

Rose giggled at the thought of Rin and Wulfrock diving down a trench filled with Water-types, and soon asked "What about the second time?"

"We had help," Rin admitted. "EmperorBlue of the Ocean Guild sent in members of Team Typhoon and Team Whiteout to lend in some assistance. Volt also joined in, so it was a joint venture of around 9 players journeying down the depths of the dungeon together."

"Wow, no kidding?" Rose asked with intrigue, before she then began to feel a little guilty again. "I mean…that sounded like you had a good time."

Rin took notice over Rose's dour mood again, and decided to change topic. "So, what convinced you to want to leave your old team, anyways? Why leave what you considered your friends for Team Inferno?"

"Team Inferno…wasn't my original option," Rose confessed as she gently stroked the scarf around her neck. "An old friend of mine, Gabe, formed a team with his brother shortly after I joined Team Radiance." With a pained smile, Rose mentioned "They called themselves Team Intrepid. They claimed that if there were any uncharted territories in the game, they felt like they were going to see them all." Sighing to herself, she then looked at Rin and said "I guess I wanted to jump to them as soon as possible, but in order to do that, I had to grow stronger."

Rin began to start putting the pieces together as she inspected Rose carefully. "So you…only grew stronger because your friend wanted to see what was in the virtual world?"

"Yes! I know it sounds like I was being childish," Rose admitted, holding up her arms innocently. "But I promise you, I found that Team Intrepid seemed to know what they were doing when it came to exploration, and I wanted to join the very moment I became a Roserade!"

Rin smiled at Rose as she started to admire her dream. "I envy you, Rose," Rin stated. "I practically can't seem to go anywhere because of Volt's orders after he became the new commander of the Solace Guild." Rin then looked at Rose's scarf curiously, noticing a very odd looking insignia on the scruff of it, and asked "What's that insignia for?"

Rose was confused by Rin's question at first, before she soon figured out what it was that Rin was looking at. She then adjusted her sitting position so that the insignia was more obvious to the Braixen, and gave it a full view for Rin to see. Rin looked at the insignia carefully, and found that it wasn't the flame symbol for Team Inferno, but instead a compass that pointed north. The insignia of Team Intrepid.

"It's a memento," Rose answered for Rin, before sulking once more. "To remind me of what I've lost."

Rin began to start feeling bad for Rose, patting her back gently as she then asked "Was it Gabe's?"

Rose started to whimper a bit, before she nodded silently in response.

Rin rubbed at Rose's back a bit, saying "Look, I understand you feel bad, Rose. But nobody would've predicted what had happened to him. It was something that occurred out of nowhere."

Rin started tearing up, and Rin was quick to pull her in for a hug, gently stroking at her head to soothe her. "There there," Rin whispered. "It's okay. Just relax. Breathe. And let it all out." Rose was a blubbering mess as she cried into Rin's shoulder. And Rin, ironically enough, couldn't help but find her to be in quite the predicament.

Rose took about three minutes of time to cry into Rin's shoulder, letting all of her negative thoughts pour out through her as she had to come to terms with things. Once Rose stopped crying, Rin gently rubbed at her cheek, and said "You did what you could to protect him. I honestly couldn't have been more proud."

Rose sniffled as she gave a pained smile. "That's nice and all…but I'm not sure if I can even compare to Josh and Adam…"

"Now Rose," Rin said softly, yet encouragingly. "You opted to join Team Inferno of your own volition. You made the conscious effort to try and make a name on your own among the group. Sure, you didn't ask to be involved in this tournament to begin with, but hey, neither did the rest of us! But we're here now, and the best that we could do is help spread the word to the rest of the world. We need to let them know what's really at stake here." She then gave a smile to her, and said "Josh and Adam need you as much as you need them. Do you seriously want to disappoint them?"

Rose sniffed as she started wiping away at her tears. "No…"

"Then we're going to do what we must to spread the message," Rin encouraged. "The more allies we have, the easier it can be to gather up missing players and potentially help them escape. You just have to believe in yourself, that's all."

Rose couldn't help but smile over Rin's kind words. "You really think I can prove myself in that stadium?"

"Rose, I'm not asking you to prove yourself to the public," Rin argued. "I'm asking you to prove yourself to you and your team. Give Josh and Adam a reason why they should encourage you to keep fighting. Give yourself a reason why you must continue to protect them. The way I see it, you have already managed to prove yourself when you chose to join Team Inferno."

Rose felt so touched by Rin's words that she was almost on the verge of tears again. However, she chose to wipe away her tears as she then looked back at Rin with a smile. Nodding to the Braixen, she said "Thanks, Rin. I needed that."

Rin grinned widely as she felt like she made her point. "Hey, if you need any advice, I'm more than willing to help," she remarked.

Rin and Rose eventually got to walk back into the stadium, half-expecting the crowd to be ready for the battle, but instead, they were surprised to see the crowd cheering as Wulfrock finished up a speech to the crowd instead. This was then followed up by me and Josh walking up to the center of the stadium's battlefield as Nick announced "And now, a few words from my fellow pupil, BlazeTiger."

The crowd gave a cheer as I took the stage, and I looked around, nervously glancing at every single player that was expecting me to say a few words. I thought about this speech long and hard, but as much as I wanted to say these words out loud, I didn't know what to say once I was finally presented into the spotlight.

Regardless, I gulped as I looked back to the access tunnel, only to then find Rose and Rin standing there with expecting looks, as if they had no idea what was bound to take place. I anxiously cleared my throat, and I soon began to say out loud "Good afternoon, everyone." This was soon met with the crowd clapping as I said those words, and nervously, I pressed onwards. "As a fellow player, I just wanted to say that for a while, I have always been struggling to achieve my dreams. I felt as if no matter what I did, I wasn't going to amount to much of anything. However, after spending three whole years in this game, I have come to realize that even though I have yet to achieve my dream of finally leaving this place behind me, I…I've started to realize just how much I truly seemed to become a part of this world.

"What I mean is that…even though I didn't really wish to sign up to this world, I…" I turned my gaze towards Josh, and he seemed more than intrigued to hear me continue talking. I smiled at him, and I admitted "I couldn't have asked for a better experience if it wasn't for my brother by my side." Josh smiled at the warm sentiments, and even the crowd was starting to become slightly enamored over my speech. So, I kept going. "It was because of Josh that I found the reason to keep going, even though the journey itself was tough, and filled with danger around every corner. My biggest concern was that if we made a mistake somewhere, then that meant that we were as good as dead. I don't even want to imagine what kind of a world I could live in if Josh was taken away from the picture entirely.

"But the reason for this tournament was because of him. He and I both came to an agreement that we simply couldn't stay here any longer. I learned that he was a lonely soul, much like I was. Even though he fought for us, I didn't really know what to make of him at points because he kept throwing us all into danger. But the moment I stepped forth into the arena before you all, I realized that the one that needed to change was myself." I lowered my head, shaking as I struggled to find the words to continue on. "I-I had no confidence in my own strength, because I w-was afraid that I was not strong enough to carry a fight by myself… But, I guess life has its ways of surprising us." The crowd gave a slight chuckle as I continued. "I know now that Josh is counting on me to carry on the fight. To fight back until we both can return home safely. Even though Josh and I are part of the few who unfortunately cannot escape from this world, we are more than willing to risk everything to return back." As the crowd gave a slight applause, I turned my gaze towards Rose, and saw how she seemed to be moved as she listened in carefully to my speech. I smiled at her, and I then returned to address the crowd. "But hey, don't just take my word for it," I said as I motioned towards my brother. "It's thanks to my brother, LucarioTrainerJ himself, that I even managed to last as long as I did. And I would like to pass the mic on to him to give a few words himself on this matter at hand."

The crowd all applauded as I stepped aside and Josh was soon brought forward with a blush onto his face from the embarrassment of being up in the crowd. As Josh stepped forward, I whispered to him "How was that?"

"That was great," Josh whispered back to me with a smile. As he stepped up front to the mic, the crowd slowly stopped applauding. Josh took a deep breath, and soon started to give a speech of his own. "People," he stated out loud and clearly. "I just wanted to say one thing, and one thing only. For years, my brother and I were trapped in this game with no way out. We are cursed with something that we didn't even ask for. And in our moments of weakness, we ended up falling for the bait of an obvious trap, and it snared us good until we could eventually break free. But despite the years of practice and training; despite the years of fighting to escape from this place; despite our best efforts to protect other players just like us, we were placed in positions that came out of nowhere and took us all by surprise. And I just simply couldn't sit around while an ever-growing danger was looming far off in the distance to claim its next victims. We have lost a few good players. Some were preventable." He then looked towards Rose with a pitiable look. "Others were beyond anything we could've done to stop them."

Josh sighed and continued his addressing of the issue to the public. "But that is why I made it my mission to make sure that these incidents never happen ever again. Once a life is taken, that's it. There is no need to wanting to wait and see these players suffer and die while we're resting on our laurels. That is why I made this tournament a possibility, and why Nick felt so compelled to announce it to the world. It's to help spread a message. A message that even though we are trapped in this game, we will not rest until we are back home. A message that even though the road ahead is dangerous, we're willing to take it on without a problem. A message…that no matter what your past was like, and no matter where you all came from, we refuse to let these players be treated as anything other than people who need and deserve out help.

"That is why I am here with Team Inferno today. It is to make up for our mistakes, and strive to improve on ourselves to prevent our enemies from claiming more innocent players. Loneliness is a cruel thing, but death is something that I wouldn't even subject onto my worst enemy." With a determined expression, the crowd was practically moved by Josh's speech over how much he wanted to get off of his chest. "And with that, I want all of you to understand, that even though we are trapped, we are not going down without a fight! Our enemies want us trapped and dead, well I say 'Bring it on!' If anything, this whole tournament is a way to prove just how much we were determined to fight back against our enemies. Win or lose, no matter what happens next, we are not going to stop until we give our everything if it means we have the slightest chance of returning home. That was the reason we made this tournament a possibility. Not because we wanted to win. But because we wanted to show exactly how determined Team Inferno truly was."

Josh then took a glance towards the access tunnel, and saw Rose standing there with Rin by her side, and noticing her looking at Josh with awe. Josh smiled, before he then returned to addressing the crowd. "One more thing," he said. "While it is true that my brother and I are but a pair of lost souls struggling to find our way back home, we couldn't have made it as far as we did without the help of others around us." He then motioned a paw to Nick's direction, and said "From Infernick and the forces of Team Delta, who gave us shelter and training to better ourselves for the future." He then motioned up into the crowd, looking at the spot where Cross and his team were sitting. "To the kind hearts of players who were inspired by our efforts to push themselves to their limits, even with the odds stacked against them." With one final glance towards the access tunnel, he then looked very truthful and almost choked up on these next few words. "But perhaps, most importantly, there were others who were willing to help us, even though we hadn't done anything to help them in return. Our teammate, BlossumBelle, who generously decided that she wanted to help us even though we didn't do much of anything to fulfill her dream of saving a dear friend…" Josh subtly shed a single tear which he was careful to show he wasn't afraid. "I just wanted to tell her that…we never would've made it as far as we did without her."

The crowd was moved by Josh's words, and as I looked over at the access tunnel where Rose was standing, listening carefully herself, I could see that she was amazed over how much Josh was willing to confess his true feelings like this. She practically could feel her own heart melt at Josh's words, and she couldn't help but give a smile as she was hearing this speech play out. Josh nodded his head in her direction, and soon proclaimed "I just want to take the time to tell her that she made it this far because of friends near and dear to her. How we made it as far as we did because of people who understood what was really at stake. She is a brave, noble player who knew what was going on, but understood what to do for us despite the apparent risks. And it wasn't her strength that proved it. It wasn't her battle prowess. It wasn't because she was following orders. No." He then looked over at her, and with a smile, he finished with "It's because she knows what it truly means to be alone in this world. Loneliness would've killed us long ago. But it's because of people like BlossumBelle, Team Delta, and several other players that Adam and I have made it as far as we did. And knowing that she joined our team even though we failed her long ago, that was the single most courageous action she could've taken. Because she knows what it's like to be alone in this world. We may have failed to save her friend. But I am deeply honored by her noble actions to step in and protect us. To make sure our days together were less lonely." He then looked to the crowd, and stated "That is the true strength of Team Inferno. Not our battle prowess. Not our survival skills. Not our strength. But our friendship." With a profound bow to the crowd, he then ended his speech by saying "That is all."

Hearing Josh's speech left everyone practically speechless. I even had to admit that I never once thought about how our position in this game could've been a lot worse if we weren't found by Team Delta all of those years ago. The way he phrased his words were deeply profound, and it managed to melt the hearts of not only Rose, but from just a simple look among the crowd set before us, he managed to win over a large portion of the audience. I didn't know what to say to that. Josh seemed to know how to give a speech unlike any other, that much is certain.

It was slow, at first, but soon enough, the crowd began to start applauding to Josh's speech. The whole audience gave a massive standing ovation to Josh's speech, and the fact it was currently being broadcast live to the world was enough to give me goosebumps. He seemed so calm. So focused. He gave the appearance of a professional that felt like he had been waiting for a moment like this his whole life. At least, that was the impression I was assuming Josh was giving at the time.

Meanwhile, in the waiting lobby of Team Delta, Volt listened carefully to Josh's speech, and ended up unable to move for the longest time. He was silent, stoic, and showed no signs of giving in to his deeper emotions. As he looked at Josh on the monitor, he scowled, wanting to do whatever he could to try and argue back the next moment the pair would meet, but even he was beginning to show signs of doubts.

Elsewhere, Zeraora was silently sitting in his hidden cavern, waiting patiently until he thought it was a good opportunity to leave. However, the applause of the players, which he knew was worldwide, ended up touching all of their hearts. Solemnly, he mumbled to himself "Loneliness truly is the worst thing…" A single tear was shed as he then gave a slightly startled reaction. As he wiped the tear away, he looked over at his paw, seeing it shake in front of him. "Why does it have to be like this?" he muttered.

"That was…purely beautiful," Eccho announced after he and Yamatochi were listening carefully to Josh's speech and were stunned by the applause. "I just got chills from LucarioTrainerJ's words…"

"I'll say," Yamatochi added. "Nobody predicted the way the day would go, but that speech was perhaps more impactful than any of us could give credit for."

"Not a speech, Yamatochi, but a message," Eccho replied. "J's message to the rest of the world. No doubt that everyone was touched by his kind words."

That's putting it mildly, I thought as I followed Josh back to the access tunnels. I looked at him as he took a few deep breaths to calm his nerves, but I can clearly tell from his demeanor that he felt like a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders. He seemed to feel more confident than ever, though I could clearly tell that there was still a few things that bothered him that needed to be resolved soon. But for the most part, I smiled as I knew that Josh finally got a chance to speak on behalf of the whole team.

Once we returned to the access tunnel, Rose looked over at Josh with newfound respect. With a few tears in her eyes, she told Josh "That was beautiful. Did you mean what you said back there? About how you felt honored to have me as a part of the team?"

Josh nodded to her with a smile. "Every word."

Rose stifled a laugh, wiping away her tears as she was then given a pat on the back by Rin. The Braixen smiled at her, before turning her attention back to Josh. "You do your team proud, Josh," she admitted. "You have the true makings of a leader."

Josh chuckled as he looked away out of embarrassment. "I wouldn't go that far, but…thanks."

Rin soon started to walk away, and with a nod of her head, she said to us "I'll be seeing you." She then walked down the dark passageway, and the moment that she ended up out of sight, I could tell that she was clearly moved by Josh's kind words.

As I looked over at Rose, I gave an apologetic look, and said "Look, about what happened earlier, I…I just got into the moment a little too much, and I…"

"Stop," Rose said politely as she stopped my ramblings. "I don't want to hear it." She then looked over at us both, and said "I should be the one saying 'sorry' here. I just…I was so scared, and I didn't realize that you really thought about me being so brave that way."

"Rose, it's fine," Josh said calmly as he gave her a smile. "I put a ton of pressure onto you since you've joined, and I wanted to do what I can to make up for it. I know you didn't ask for a fight against Team Delta, but I had to get something off my shoulders." He sighed, lowering his head in shame as he then admitted "I want to tell you that Team Inferno should be better than this. I don't want to cause further problems. I just want to do what I think is right." He then placed his paws on her shoulders, and said "It doesn't matter to me if we win or not. I just want to know that you're feeling alright, regardless of what happens next."

Rose smiled back at Josh's kind words, and both she and Josh soon embraced in a hug. Once the hug finished, she then looked at me, and I knelt down and gave her a gentle hug as well. I could tell that she was feeling like she was carrying a heavy burden, and Josh and I simply wanted to do whatever we could to comfort her.

Once all of the hugging was over, Rose took a few seconds to collect herself, and with a smile, she said "I think I'm good now. Thanks, guys."

"You're no longer nervous?" I asked curiously.

"I am," she reiterated. "But I think I'm happy, knowing that you seem to like my company."

"Hey, we wouldn't have it any other way," Josh stated sincerely. "The moment you joined our team, things have really started to liven up. You no longer have to take things on by yourself."

"From now on, we're all in this together as a team," I said encouragingly. "Win or lose, it doesn't matter." Averting my gaze out of embarrassment, I then said "But…do your best, okay, Rose?"

Rose nodded at my statement. "I will. Thank you."

Cross sat down quietly as the crowd around him was slowly starting to discuss among themselves. A few conversations seemed to point out some things: Team Inferno are so humble; Team Delta must be so caring if they were so determined to rescue us; why there was a point to this tournament to begin with regarding the circumstances; if Rose was able to live up to some expectations much like with my own battle; whether or not Team Delta was being too strict regarding disclosing information about Team Inferno from the public eye.

Regardless, as Cross sat there, his arms crossed, he began to think deeply about his old partner, EbonySol. He wondered where he was, and if there was a chance the two of them could see each other again. He thought long and hard regarding how Tom was probably lost and scared without him, and about how Josh and Adam almost rescued Gabe, feeling a little sorry for the fact that their rescue attempt ended in failure. He was moved, clearly, from Josh's speech.

As soon as Chris turned to look at him, he asked "Cross? Are you alright?"

Cross sighed, and turned to face his team. "Yeah, I've just been thinking, that's all," he admitted. "I don't even know why, but…for some reason, I'm starting to feel anxious over what we're going to do…"

"Is that the reason you've suddenly started crying?" Nolan asked, pointing at Cross's face.

"Huh?" Cross then wiped at his face, noticing that he had started shedding a single tear, and this ended up catching him by surprise. "When did I start crying?"

Chris and Nolan were starting to look a little concerned for their teammate, and began exchanging looks to each other. They had no idea why Cross was feeling the way he did, since he never once felt like this over the past year of getting to know him. There were times, sure, when Cross would flip his lid, but this was the first time in a long time where they were starting to become rather concerned for his well-being.

"So, it's already started," Lucian interrupted, grabbing the attention of Team Calibur right then and there. "The path is made perfectly clear."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Chris questioned in annoyance.

Lucian soon put his book down and stared off at the battlefield. "The battle, of course. It's about time that we've begun."

"I'll say," said Sabrina, who was suddenly sitting next to Lucian, despite nobody even noticing that she even walked in. She was holding a small cup with a straw, taking a sip as she stared off at the battlefield. She then leaned in close to Lucian, and asked him "Did I miss anything?"

"Just a couple of speeches," Lucian told her. "Nothing much."

"Wait a minute!" Chris stated as he looked both directions on the seating booth, confused over how Sabrina arrived at the seat so suddenly. "Ah, forget it!" he admitted as he sat down with a huff.

"I honestly have no idea why you have a vendetta against psychics, Herr Chris," Nolan said to his teammate. "Was it a bad experience?"

"Why no, Nolan," Chris stated sarcastically. He then gave a glare towards Lucian, before muttering "Not in the slightest…"

"Oy vey," Nolan sighed as he looked over at the battlefield. "Forget that I asked…"

"Hey, it's okay!" Cross said endearingly. "After all, we have to cheer on Rose, don't we? Give her our best regards, boys!"

Soon enough, Cross's enthusiasm encouraged his team to start rising from their seats and cheering for Rose to give her best efforts. Lucian gave a slight giggle over their combined cheers, and returned to face the battlefield. He then quietly muttered "Life is short and pain is long and we were all put on this earth to help each other." He lowered his head, his eyes closed, as he then muttered out "Show the world your spirit, green flame. Let them see you burn bright."

The crowd soon cheered loudly as Infernick took to the battlefield and was more than ready to begin. "Well, it's about time for Infernick to announce our next round," Eccho announced to the audience. "After such a fascinating display like we witnessed in the first round, this next one has some massive shoes to fill."

"Though, regardless over their performance in this round, here's hoping that both competitors are able to deliver their fighting spirits as they take to the field," Yamatochi replied. "Especially considering that one of the competitors is still relatively new to single combat."

"That she is, Yamatochi. However, what really matters is that both competitors, no matter who they are as individuals, can give us a show like nothing we've seen before," Eccho said eagerly. "Now, here we are as Infernick is ready to announce the second round."

Rose was in the access tunnel with both me and Josh standing by her side. I eyed her carefully, and despite some fear on her face here and there, she was doing everything she could to put on a brave face. Rin's a tough opponent for her, I thought. Even with our training, this one is going to be dangerous. I understand the pressure she's feeling. I just hope she can pull through.

Nick spread out his wings to silence the crowd as he made this announcement for the second round. "After spending years training Team Delta and Team Inferno, I'm impressed with some of the things that drove them to this position," Nick admitted. "However, what I seem to remember is that both of these competitors are here with us today because they chose not to be a backbone, but much like J said earlier, to be there for when those that need help deserve a caring figure in their lives. Their devotion to their teams is going to become apparent in this match, so let's not delay any further."

The crowd gave a cheer, and Nick signaled for his wing to point towards our direction. Rose gulped, and turned to face us with a nervous expression. "Well…here goes nothing," she said.

"Don't worry about this too much, Rose," Josh said with a smile. "Just do your best."

"We're right by your side all the way," I said encouragingly.

Rose nodded towards the both of us, and she took a deep breath. Once she exhaled, she turned sharply towards the battlefield, and gave herself a confidence boost to take on her opponent. "Right! Here goes!" She then started walking forward, ready to greet the waiting crowd.

"In the blue corner," Nick began, "we have the most recent addition of Team Inferno. A decadent bouquet that goes to prove to us all today that even a rose has her thorns. Making her grand stadium debut, let us give a warm welcome to Team Inferno's so-called 'Green Flame,' BlossumBelle!" The monitor above the stadium then showed Rose as she started walking stoically towards the battlefield, and the crowd cheered for her. Once she took her position on the battlefield, she then looked up towards the crowd, and gave a polite bow to them to show she's ready to give her best out there.

This was then followed by Nick stretching his other wing towards the opposite access tunnel, as Rin started making her way forward. "And in the red corner, we have the fiery vixen of Team Delta. Having won 7 tournaments herself, she's no pushover when it comes to the art of battle. She's as fierce as she is delicate. She is the one and only Rinekai!" As Rin waved towards the crowd, she even gave a flirtatious wink towards some of her fans. The crowd seemed to cheer for her quite a bit, especially since she already has quite the presence as it is.

It wasn't long until the both of them took up their starting positions on the battlefield. Rin and Rose exchanged glances, the former giving off a cheeky grin to the latter. "Hey, I'm expecting you to do your best," Rin stated as she pulled out the twig from her tail, the tip lighting on fire. "Try and keep up."

Rose nodded, before she took up a battle stance of her own. "I'll do my best," she remarked to her foe. "Just you wait."

Nick soon flexed out his wings once both girls took the field, and the countdown clock started going off. 10… 9… 8…

Rose closed her eyes, thinking back to all of the people that she was counting on. She thought of me and Josh. She thought about Team Calibur. She even thought about Lucian and Sabrina. 7… 6…

I'm not alone in this, Rose thought to herself. Her thoughts soon turned to that of her past, as she hanged around Team Intrepid and Team Radiance. I've always had people looking out for me. 5…

Her thoughts soon turned to when she decided to join Team Inferno, her first night at the Solace Guild, and the moment that Josh comforted her before she could log off for the night. "Stay with me," she remembered muttering to him. 4…

She remembered how Josh gently held her, and cried tears as he embraced her. She only now realized how lonely he must've been. "I'll be with you," she recalled him saying. "Don't you worry." 3…

She then recalled when she and Josh visited the grave of Gabe and all of the other fallen trapped players. She recalled how she made a vow to grow stronger so that she can protect me and Josh, never to fail again. It must've been rough, fighting for survival in this game, she thought. Josh and Adam, they both were alone in this world. They never had anyone apart from Team Delta for company. 2…

She then recalled the evening she spent at Chateau Damascus, and how everyone seemed to be smiling and laughing together as we all talked and ate dinner together. Rose especially loved how much Josh and I seemed to enjoy the company of everyone we deemed as friends as she eyed out conversation with interest. They were so lonely, up until recently. Much like…me.

She briefly remembered what Josh told her before her battle. "The moment you joined our team, things have really started to liven up," he said. "You no longer have to take things on by yourself."

This was then followed by remembering what I said immediately afterwards. "From now on, we're all in this together as a team," I told her.

Yes, we're a team, Rose thought as she remembered our encouraging words. 1…

She opened her eyes, now more determined than ever as she stared over at Rin. This time, we're all in this together, she thought. I won't lose sight of that. I promise.

0… And with that, the buzzer went off, as Rose and Rin readied their first moves. From now on, whether we win or lose, I'll do it as the Green Flame of Team Inferno. Just you watch me!