The Secret of the Idol

by PokeMaster64

Wes Ravenfield, an Umbreon who wishes to become the world's greatest treasure hunter, has been failing in trying to find anything to prove his worth. But, upon discovering a sacred idol that could bring about chaos on the world, he will journey throughout Mysto with his brother and ex-girlfriend, along with new friends along the way. As they get closer, secrets will unfold.

106. Gelid Peak Tournament 2

Ch.106: Let the Tournament Commence! Race Through the Puzzle Tower!

Fanfare played in the background as Pokémon gathered through the colosseum and went up to their seats. As the first event didn't take place inside the colosseum, a temporary addition was made to allow the audience to view the action. Suspended in midair, in the center of the arena, were ten massive crystal balls that refracted light off their surfaces.

This would allow the audience to view the first event before the actual tournament could start. Those who couldn't make it to Gelid Peak were more than capable of viewing the even from their own homes, so long as their crystal balls could appropriately channel the signal.

The circus troupe, the bounty hunters, and Ella, who won't be competing until needed, took their seats somewhere in the middle row. Cheri plopped herself down between Ella and her mother, with a big tub of popcorn in her lap. "This is SO cool! I never get to go to stuff like this!" Cheri shoved some popcorn in her mouth! "Am phophorn, hoo!" She swallowed, then peeked inside. "Could use more butter, though."

Ella snickered. "Try not to choke on that."

Angel smiled. "It is a nice change, given we never had the money to go out to events like this. Then again, Fuego Village didn't have much of a view for anyone."

Faye sat with Mack and Holly, gripping tightly to her seat with a worried grimace. "For their sakes, I hope nothing goes wrong."

Ava looked down at her. "Hmm? What do you mean by that, Faye?"

Holly looked up and answered, "We…kind of saw something the other day."

Mack sighed. "It doesn't matter for now. We're here to give out support, that's all."

Abby narrowed her eyes, then looked up at her mom. "Didn't you say those evil guys might show up?"

Ava sighed. "That's what we were hoping, but…it seems we weren't as hopeful as we believed."

Morgan glared a bit. "I can sense wicked intentions somewhere in the stadium, but I can't tell where-" His body shivered as a strange aura enter his field of detection. He groaned and cradled his head.

Ava gasped. "Morgan?"

"Greetings, everyone." They looked up and were greeted with Hugo, substitute to Team Shatter Star. "Mind if I join you?"

Ella shook her head. "Not at all." Hugo walked past Angel and Cheri, then sat down beside Ella. "Looking forward to the tournament?"

Hugo sighed. "I…suppose so. I can't say I am enthusiastic for the event, but I will do my best to cheer on my companions."

Ella smiled. "That's all they could ask for."

Ava helped Morgan stay up. "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah…I felt his aura without realizing…damn…" Morgan took a deep breath and leaned back. "I'm good…"

Ava sighed. "We'll worry about this later. So far, things are fine. Let's just enjoy the tournament for as long as we can."

"Right…"

---

A smirk crept up over Zaros' face, as he took the very top of the seats, directly above the troupe. He sipped on a soda with a tub of popcorn beside him. "Heh, the only people who know anything about my aura aren't even here. I can relax for the time being."

He looked at the hovering crystal balls, seeing they were now displaying the competitors. He spotted Team Ravenfield, Team Shatter Star, and his own team waiting to start.

"What fun this will be." His eyes focused on Flint specifically. "And…I'll be having my own fun real soon…" He shoved a handful of popcorn into his mouth and swallowed. "…This popcorn could use more butter, actually."

---

Competing teams were doing their warm-ups as the officials gathered around the previous set-up magic circle. Teams Ravenfield and Shatter Star stuck close by, scoping out their competition.

"Oi, look at that guy!" Krystal exclaimed. "He looks powerful!"

Wes grinned. "Oh yeah! And that guy's carrying a freakin' awesome sword!"

"So cool~!" They giggled to themselves.

Gwyn giggled behind her hand. "Aww, they're friends." She glanced over at Flint, who was looking off in concern. "Flinty? You okay? If you're worried about the tournament, I know you'll do fine."

"It's not that." He raised his paw and pointed through the crowd. "It's that I'm worried about." Gwyn followed his paw, then flinched at the Simisage and his goons standing off to the side.

"Ooh…right…" She glanced over at Griffin, who was clearly keeping an eye on them through his peripherals. His teeth were clenched tightly as his aura shimmered around him.

---

"You saw someone with Revulsion Anima?" Wes repeated, as he and the rest of the team sat in the boys side of the room. The hotel room had nice green walls and had a casino-like theme, with a roulette printed table on one end, and fancy beds with card suit prints.

Griffin nodded. "I could never forget that feeling, especially since it belonged to one of our councilmen." He glared. "It's the shadows' work. They desecrated the eternal slumber of one of my own and somehow brought back his magic to manifest in that Simisage I saw!"

"Alright, settle down," Ella advised. "Getting worked up won't do us anything." She glared. "They're not against invading a place, but they're letting their own compete in a tournament. If you ask me, I think they're up to something."

Tony held his chin. "They aren't above terrorism, so what if this is their way of taking us out as a public execution?" They looked at the Dewott questionably. "Think about it. What if they're hoping we end up fighting their team? What if they're using Revulsion Anima to counter us?" He sneered. "Hell, why stop at just one type?"

Griffin bared his teeth. "If that's so, then they desecrated my grandfather's grave, too."

"But you only sensed one type, which is suspicious." Tony glared. "I think we should keep an eye on them."

Flint nodded. "Good idea. Our only hope is that they keep their plan isolated to the tournament."

---

Flint sighed. "I really don't want to fight that guy."

Gwyn glared. "It's awfully suspicious, because those other four just look like the same grunts we've kicked around."

"They have something up their sleeves…" His ears perked at the horns blaring over the crowd. "They're starting."

The numerous teams quieted down and turned their attention to the front, where the hooded officials stood before them professionally. The head of the tournament officials raised his hand, then floated into the air so that they could all see him.

"Greetings, one and all, to the sixth Gelid Peak Championship Tournament!" The teams raised their appendages and cheered loudly. The official raised his hand and silenced them. "I sense a myriad of strong fighters itching to fight their way to battle our champion. Take to battle your wits and determination, because everyone around you will be working hard to take you down."

He pulled out a scrolled from his sleeve. "Now, a brief overview of the rules before we begin." He unfurled the scroll, cleared his throat, and proceeded.

"The Gelid Peak Tournament will consist of several, five-man teams racing through this year's obstacle race, where only eight teams will be allowed to qualify. The object of this year's obstacle is…the Puzzle Tower."

Krystal gasped excitedly. "The Puzzle Tower?! I always wanted to go through that one!"

Wes raised his brow. "What's a Puzzle Tower?"

"The Puzzle Tower," the official continued, "for those who don't know, is an extra-dimensional space that leads through a serious of traps and obstacles. Multiple floors must be crossed in order to reach the top, where you will find the keys needed to escape. The keys will teleport you out of the Puzzle Tower and into the arena once they are locked in. The keys will react to the specified badges each team is wearing, allowing them all to be teleported out at once."

Flint looked at his star-shaped badge. "I was wondering what these were for."

---

Vivian placed some food on the table as Elise and Owen, seated on the couch, watched the live coverage of the tournament from Vivian's crystal ball.

"Each team is responsible for helping their members get through the obstacle, but only one needs to get to the end for everyone to qualify. Strategy and cooperation are essential."

Elise huffed. "All this fanfare and I don't even get to watch my own daughter compete."

Owen chuckled. "Well, on the plus side, business has been good for the trading business. These tournaments do keep my business afloat."

Vivian sat down and clapped excitedly. "Good luck, boys!"

---

Lenny washed some glasses as he, his employees, and his customers observed the crystal ball hovering over the bar.

"Should any untreatable injuries occur during the tournament, you are allowed a substitute to take their place, so be weary of yourselves during the tournament. In addition, only one weapon or magical item may be registered within the tournament, this includes any items used via summoning. However, you are allowed to use the register weapon of your teammates."

---

"Registered potion makers, however, are allowed special access to their equipment, giving them a wide range of versatility for their team. This falls under the category of support users, healers, as well as alchemists and sages."

Hal swirled a glass of whiskey in his hand, intensely focused on the crystal ball. Meanwhile, he was ignoring the customer in front of him, something about medical bills and a screaming head he picked up.

---

"Any attempt of sabotaging rival teams outside or during battle will result in instant disqualification, as well as the possibly of jail time depending on the severity of the crime."

Willow sharpened a sword in her lap, staring nostalgically at the coverage. She sighed, then touched the wound hidden under her fur.

"Momma?" Willow looked over her shoulder and saw Courtney poking her head out around the corner. "Whatcha' doing?"

Willow smiled, then patted the spot next to her. "Sweetie, those nice Pokémon we met a while ago are on the crystal. They're in a tournament."

"Really?!" She sped over, wagging her tail. "Is Gwyn there? Hi Gwyn!"

Willow smiled and patted her head. "Make sure to cheer extra hard for her."

---

"…Aside from all of that, your objective is clear." The official rolled up the scroll, then snapped his fingers.

The others mages clapped their hands, then slammed down on the ground. The magic circle erupted with crackling energy, then summoned a large object from the ground. Once the lightshow past, the numerous teams gazed at the massive stone cube, finely polished on all sides. The front split open like a pair of double doors, revealing a long hallway inside.

"As you can see, it's bigger on the inside." The official landed on top of the cube and raised a finger. "This will be a test of wits and strength, so be on your guards…and may you all do your best." He waved his hand. "Line up and wait for my mark."

Wes looked at Krystal and nodded. "Ready?"

Krystal punched her wing. "Fired up."

All teams gathered before the cube and got into running positions. Wes and Flint lowered their fronts and glared sternly at the entrance. Gwyn and Griffin raised their fists, also in position. Tony, with his hands in his pockets, smirked in a laxed stance.

Krystal mirrored Wes' startup position, giving him a friendly wink. Cybil dropped to all fours as well after making sure her rifle was secure. The other three took their running positions, with Ebony keeping her own hands inside her pockets, too.

A tense silence hung over the large crowd of participants. Sweats were drawn, limbs shook with nervous anticipation, and breaths were held in waiting.

The official lit a fireball at the tip of his finger and aimed it at the sky. He fired and waited a second.

"…GO!"

The fireball exploded, and the contestants were off.

Team Ravenfield was momentarily caught off guard by the teams running past them, but quickly adjusted and went off into the cube. It was a tight fit with so many people rushing in at once, but once they were in, everyone was given enough space to run on through.

Team Ravenfield stuck in the middle of the crowd as they raced on through the first hallway. Wes' eyes were already scanning the area for traps. "I don't see anything yet!"

"What do you suppose the traps are like?" Gwyn wondered aloud.

Tony smirked. "Oh, you know, pitfalls, nets, bolas-!" He froze as his foot sank into the ground, activating a pressure tile. He acted immediately and shoved Griffin and Gwyn out of the way of an inferno shooting out from the floor. "A freakin' fire trap?!"

Griffin bared his teeth. "What the hell? Are all the traps this extreme?!"

Gwyn looked around and gasped as a Rhydon accidentally stepped on a pressure plate. Her eyes shrank as a pillar shot out from the walls and slammed the Rhydon into the opposing wall. Teams were on the defense as pillars shot out from the walls.

"Get down!" Gwyn screamed, dropping to the floor.

Wes shoved Flint down while Tony and Griffin jumped around to avoid being squashed. "Okay, there has to be some regulation against endangering our lives!" Tony shouted.

Griffin pulled out Endless Regret. "Well, they didn't specify the traps would be simple!" He pulled the weapon back. "On the other hand, they said nothing about blasting our way through!" He swung and shot off an Exosus Release that cut through the pillars and obliterated them to rubble.

The pillars were destroyed, but more spawned out in their place, now focused on Griffin. He held his sword up to block the pillar as it slammed him into the wall. Flint called on his Guardian and had it punch through the pillar, freeing Griffin. The Guardian grabbed Griffin's hand and threw him into the air.

"Exosus Release!" He aimed down and blasted through the web of pillars, carving a hole for his team. "Move!"

Wes jumped through the hole and prepared to use Warp Pad, but felt someone grab him by the tail. "Eh-?!"

"Out of Gene's way, Krakenstealed!" The Umbreon yelped as the Machoke from yesterday threw him out of the way.

"WAH!" Wes bounced off the wall and ricocheted into Flint, knocking them both down.

The Machoke wore quite the elaborate outfit for the occasion. He wore a sleeveless leather jacket, showing off his bare chest and a pair of faded, ripped jeans. He wore a spiked bracer on his right arm. He wore two belts around his waist, one sagging over one side of his leg.

Gene pointed down the hole. "Wild Fangs! Engage and destroy!" His team of a Miltank, Accelgor, Dartrix, and Fraxure rushed past Wes' team and raced through the collapsing pathway of pillars.

Wes shot up and snarled. "Seriously?! Again?! It's Ravenfield, asshole!"

"Wes, focus!" Flint shouted, pulling him up. "There's a ton of other rooms to get through!"

Tony glared. "And we may want to hurry!" More pillars went off and shot down at them.

Gwyn suddenly pulled out a handful of seeds and slammed them into the ground. "Accelerated Growth: Mad Party Mutation!" A mix of plants shot from the floor and dug themselves into the walls, locking into the walls and stitching down the pillars.

Flint grinned. "Awesome, Gwyn!"

Gwyn stuck her tongue out. "I may have got the idea from Morgan!"

"Quick, we're losing ground!" Wes shouted, running on ahead.

---

Ella glared as Wes and the others continued through the hall. "Yeesh, and that was just the first obstacle. What the hell is with this tower?"

Ava crossed her arms. "Tournaments are never easy on their participants. They will try anything to slow them down."

Angel bit her knuckle fearfully. "I hope they'll be alright."

"Come on, Tony!" Cheri shouted, throwing popcorn in the air. "Kick their asses!"

"Cheri, language!"

---

"HA!" Krystal flung a bomb into the Krookodile attacking her. She then grabbed him by the midsection and suplexed his head straight into the floor. She fluttered in the air and ordered, "Saffiro, Oswald! Clear a path!"

Saffiro grabbed his sword and sped through the crowd with a quick slash, erupting the floor with fire. Oswald inhaled deeply, then shot a wide shockwave that blew the flying contestants and flames through the air.

Cybil kept her distance with Ebony guarding her. She shot nonlethal bullets into her targets, stunning them momentarily for Ebony to grapple them with her scarf and throw them around.

Ebony reeled in her scarf. "Okay, who's next~?"

Krystal fluttered high for an aerial view. She glared. "Where's Team Ravenfield?!"

"I think they lagged behind on the first floor!" Saffiro shouted.

"We're already on the fifth floor!" Krystal bared her teeth. Shit, didn't they say this was their first tournament? They must be out of their element.

"Should we go back for them?" Ebony shouted as she and Cybil continued down the hall.

Krystal bit her beak for a moment, then sighed. "No. If we lag behind, too, neither team gets in!"

"Well, only one of us needs to get a key, right?" Ebony reminded.

Krystal thought that over, then immediately withdrew her order. "Saffiro, double back and make sure they're getting through! We'll hold out until you return!"

Saffiro halted and turned around. "Sure thing, boss~!" He started running back, but stopped as the floor started shaking. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Huh?" Cybil widened her right eye, which glowed green. She narrowed it, then gasped. "Saffiro, get back!"

The Hakamo-o jumped back as the floor suddenly burst open with a violent red aura shooting through. Team Shatter Star gawked at the pillar of energy, even after it subsided. The ceiling was singed from the attack.

Cybil looked down, then smiled dryly. "Good grief, you guys are crazy."

Leaping out from the hole first was Wes, followed by Griffin, Tony, and Flint, who was carrying Gwyn with his Guardian. Wes landed in front of Cybil and grinned. "Phew, you would not believe how long it took us to get here!"

"You guys seriously cut through the floor?!" Krystal shouted.

Griffin held his sword over his shoulder. "There a rule against that?"

"No, but…I've never seen anyone actually do it!" Krystal continued in disbelief. "Seriously, those floors are like two meters thick and you punched through one like a sheet of paper!" She calmed down and smirked. "You guys are the perfect rivals!"

Griffin smirked. "I try my best."

"Shall we continue? This time without being left behind?" Tony teased.

Ebony smirked. "Try and keep up, lover boy~."

"I plan to, my dear~."

The teams, with their forces joined, raced after the other teams. Krystal looked back at Wes and grinned. "Hehe! Got anymore tricks we should know about?"

Wes smirked. "Sure. We'll show you once we cream you in the tournament."

"That's my line, buster!" she laughed.

---

"When Gene says move, Gene means MOVE!" The Machoke rammed through the crowd of Pokémon, flipping them high in the air. He carried with him a long spear with an elaborate arrowhead at the end. It was white with blue accents, and looked like a trident with the two side prongs shorter than the large, middle one. He spun his spear and channeled a ball of ash at the tip. "Cinder Typhoon!" He fired the ball of ash at a group.

One of them, a Mankey, turned around and expanded a collapsible shield. "Damage Reflector!" A blue magic spread over the shield and negated the spell, then fired a wide blue beam back at Gene.

Gene jumped, allowing the Miltank to take over. She was dressed in a large brown cloak over a green tunic and blue shorts, along with a pair of looped earrings. The cloak had a symbol representing Guzzlord.

She exhaled softly, then took in a big breath. The vacuum she created sucked in the air in front of her, along with the counter beam flying at her. She inhaled the entire beam like a spaghetti noodle until it was completely eaten.

Mankey stared blankly at the round cow. "Uh…"

She puffed out her stomach, inhaled deeply, then exhaled a massive white beam that engulfed the entire hallway in front of them. Teams were sent scattering, with a new path cleared for the Wild Fangs.

Miltank cracked her knuckles and laughed. "A mighty meal ya had there, partner! Ah say it's the best darn magic blast Ah've eaten in days!"

A Combusken who managed to withstand the blast raced at the Miltank, bearing her bladed fans. "Flaming Star Dance!" She spun on her foot and wrapped herself in fire, surging down the hallway.

As the flames approached, the team's Accelgor stepped up, wearing a black gi with white edges. He carried a katana on his back, which he proceeded to pull out. A veil of water swirled around the blade as it was drawn.

"Blue Ocean: Smashing River Flurry."

He leapt at the flaming tornado and slashed multiple times into it. He landed, then flicked the sword. The flames of the tornado were evaporated, replaced with a surge of water that shot the Combusken into the air and slammed her into the ceiling.

"Ugh…" The Combusken peeled off and landed on the floor, soaking wet.

"And now for a haiku," said the Accelgor as he slowly sheathed his weapon. "A raging passion. A search to destroy the land. Salvation through sea." His katana clicked in place.

Gene cracked his knuckles. "No slacking! Gene must get there first!" He pointed ahead while striking a fabulous pose. "On the double!"

"Sir, yes sir!" his team exclaimed, racing past Accelgor.

"You ignored my haiku…" Accelgor wept stoically.

---

Farther down were the straggling teams, still having trouble getting through some of the floors. The second floor, for example, was filled with pitfalls that took you back to the first floor.

A Snivy hung from one of the pitfalls. "A little help!" His team leader, a Dusknoir, reached down and pulled him back up.

"Easy. We can't have anymore setbacks." Dusknoir pointed ahead. "There's a clear path just up ahead. Catch up with the others."

"Right, boss!" The Snivy ran on ahead.

Dusknoir nodded to himself and proceeded to follow, but was pulled back down. "What?!" The rope dragged him out of the air and slammed him into the ground. He felt two pairs of arms grapple his arms and hold him down. "Hey, what's the big idea?!"

He felt someone step on his stomach. His eye glanced at the aggressor, seeing it was a Simisage. The Simisage, Edwin, tilted his sunglasses down and smirked. "You look pretty strong, friend. I bet you want to get through this tournament like the rest of us."

Dusknoir glared. "Who are you? Are you seriously wasting your time holding me down when you should be catching up with everyone else?"

Edwin chuckled. "Highly illogical. While winning is of importance to us…" He pulled a scarab-like item from his jacket and spun it on his finger. "I don't want to waste my talents on the riffraff. And I certainly can't have my men do that…not until we get to Ravenfield's team."

"Who?"

Edwin clicked the scarab's wings, causing the inanimate relic to spring to life. "My one item for the tournament, specifically for this." He smirked. "Can't show off the best cards until the stakes are high." He set the scarab down and let it crawl over Dusknoir.

"Wait, what the hell did you just-YOW!" He winced as the scarab sank its pincers into the back of his neck. His eye shrunk as a strange, red energy spread out through his neck.

Edwin picked out a couple photos from his jacket and showed it off to Dusknoir. "I don't care what becomes of the other teams, but…" He tapped on the photos, showing group shots of Team Ravenfield and Team Shatter Star. "Make sure these guys stay in last place…permanently."

---

"HA!" Wes and Krystal battered their way through a group that was trying to push them back. They were advancing on the tenth floor already, having gotten through a floor covered in serrated crystal and one that was a massive wind tunnel. There was no telling what may come out of this one.

A Hitmonchan rushed at Gwyn and threw a few quick jabs at her. Gwyn dodged each punch, then pulled out her whip. "HI-YA!" She grappled him by the feet and swung him off the ground. She served up into the air, then slammed her hand down, summoning a beanstalk that crushed the Hitmonchan into the ceiling.

Tony and Ebony had their hands full with two Heracross that were chasing them down. Tony jumped over one who tried to strike with their horn, but got sidelined by the other one. Ebony whipped out her scarf and caught one of the beetle's by the leg, but was pulled into them instead when the twin pulled his brother back. They struck her chin with a synchronized uppercut that sent her flying into the ceiling.

The two thieves groaned, then shared a brief glare with each other, before nodding in understanding. Tony flipped up and rushed at the brothers. The two Heracross spun and threw another synchronized punch. Tony, however, already saw them pull it off and slid under it. To the brothers' surprise, Tony instantly bound their arms together with Ebony's cloth binding, which was still attached to the one Heracross' leg.

Ebony spun and landed gracefully, then extended her hand. "Viribus Swipe."

The brothers gasped, then fell unconscious from a sudden wave of fatigue. Ebony rotated her shoulder and laughed as the power-up put her in another drunken mood.

"Hahahahaha! Party time~!" She raced at the other stunned fighters and started beating them up, laughing as she did so.

Tony smirked. "That girl is sadistic."

Griffin and Saffiro, reigniting their teamwork from Ironworks, joined forces against the swordsman in their way. Griffin went for pure force, overpowering any defensive swordsman that tried to outlast him. Griffin broke through one guy's sword, kneed him in the stomach, then blasted away the guy sneaking up on him.

Saffiro, meanwhile, proved his mastery of the quickdraw, slicing through dozens of opponents without a single one noticing him drawing his sword. Once he sheathed it, the sliced victims were set ablaze in his blue flames, lighting up the hallway like a bonfire.

Over with Flint and Cybil, they were mostly keeping their distance, but with Flint acting as Cybil's new guard while she got off shots. A Swanna tried to divebomb her, but Flint's Guardian caught the swan and struck then out of the way.

"Thanks," Cybil quickly acknowledged before ricocheting a bullet off the air and striking multiple targets at once.

Flint grinned. "I'll be your shield, don't worry."

Cybil smirked. "Funny. If it's Krystal, it's more so a cannon protecting me. If it's Ebony…" She glanced up just in time, watching a poor Garbodor get thrown down the hallway, no doubt because of Ebony. "…Well, it's more so a really big spear."

Flint chuckled. "Yeah, I can see tha-GET DOWN!" Flint shoved Cybil to the ground just before a red beam caught their heads.

A Magmortar fired magic beams from his hand cannons, pushing back the advancing teams while his own was getting ahead. "Infinite Burn Cannon!" He increased the power, striking the ground to push up a wall between them.

Krystal raised her head, then sighed. "Oh, come on…" She clapped her wings. "Oswald!"

Oswald finished axe kicking a Makuhita, then saluted. "Sir, yes ma'am!" He speedily rushed past Krystal, then leaped high above the blast zone. He inhaled slowly, then pulled his legs back. "Meteor Impact!" With the force of kicking out his legs, he rocketed down on the Magmortar, shoving him into the floor.

"GAH!" He barely managed to hold up against the power of his kick, but found he couldn't move his legs. They were sunk too deep into the floor to dislodge them. "Agh…hey!" He aimed at the ground to blast himself out.

"Please…allow me!" Magmortar's eyes widened as Oswald lined up for yet another kick. "Pillar Impact!" A rising kick drove itself into the karura's stomach, not only pulling him out of the floor, but also sending him flying into the ceiling, actually breaking through with his head.

Oswald inhaled deeply, then struck a dynamic pose. "Ultimate…FIST!"

"Nice work, Oz!" Krystal praised as she and the others ran past him. "I see the stairs for the next floor coming up! Be on your guard!"

Griffin glared. "We're really thinning out the weaklings."

"That just means the next batch up ahead are mighty strong!" Krystal exclaimed excitedly. She snickered openly. "Oh boy, I can't WAIT!"

Wes grinned. "You and me both, sister!"

Flint smirked to himself. They're practically family.

The allied teams continued through the hall, though Tony lagged a bit and looked back. He narrowed his eyes, distinctly hearing screams coming from farther down. This wouldn't be much of an issue since they were all fighting to the top, but these screams sounded like genuine terror screams. He heard explosions going off and rampant fighting.

What the…?

---

Gene blocked a buster sword with his spear, pinned down by the Charizard wielding it. "Screw off, you flashy poser!" Charizard pushed back, dragged his sword across the floor with a quick swipe, and blew Gene away with a powerful burst of energy.

"GAH!" Gene tumbled across the floor, but caught himself. He growled and wiped his lip. "You dare call Gene a poser? You know what Gene did to the last guy who called Gene a poser?! Gene…gave them a stern talking because they were just a child!" He paused. "…Gene isn't sure where he was going with that."

"You are a flippin' idiot." Charizard soared down the hall with his sword raised. "Elemental Carnage: Fire and Water!" A mix of fire and water wrapped around the blade.

Gene barely jumped out of the way as the blade came down. He brought his fingers to his mouth and whistled. "Wilbur! Gene requires your assistance!"

The Charizard narrowed his eyes suspiciously, then stopped in the air in face of the Fraxure in front of him. The Fraxure, Wilbur, wore a Stetson with a silver star right in the middle. He wore a white linen shirt and a fancy blue vest over it, along with a pair of slacks and boots with spurs.

And what was he carrying? A massive, black cannon with a square barrel.

He clutched tightly on the two handles and aimed straight for the faux dragon, despite the heavy size of the weapon. His blue magic erupted around his body, then started transferring itself into the round crystal through handles. The magic was seen transferring into the barrel of the cannon through the blue lines spreading out across it.

The energy built up with the barrel, surging and condensing down to the size of a small orb. Wilbur narrowed his eyes, using the reticle on his weapon to line up his shot.

"Oh shit!" Charizard spun around and took off.

"Adjusting power. Increase by five. Maximum damage: survivable." He pulled the trigger. "Eradication Driver!" He fired a powerful blue beam, with the recoil slamming into him hard.

The Charizard had zero chance to escape and was engulfed by the beam in mere seconds. Other fighters down the hall took to cover as the Charizard went flying to the end, slamming just over the stairs to the next level. When the dust cleared, he was found sunk into the wall, unconscious.

Wilbur heaved the weapon onto his back, setting it in place. "Target retired."

"Nice work, Wilbur!" Gene praised. "Onto the next floor-!"

"Hey Gene!" The Machoke turned without thinking and took a flying kick to the face. The one who kicked him was a familiar Umbreon from earlier. "That's for punting me off the wall!"

The Machoke bared his teeth. "Black-and-keeled! You've come to challenge Gene?!"

"Stop getting my name wrong!" Wes shouted.

Gene spun his spear and swung it at Wes. The Umbreon jumped back, barely avoided the spearhead, then kicked off the air with a Warp Pad. He rammed his head into Gene's stomach and shoved him back. The Machoke gripped to the ground and aimed his spear, channeling a current of heat into the tip.

"Incendiary Point!" He fired a small ball of fire into Wes, which exploded outward in streams upon contact. Wes cried out as the blast threw him across the hall, narrowly caught by Flint's Guardian. Gene bared his teeth, then pointed to his team. "We're heading up! Orville, stay back and hold them off!"

The Dartrix, who wore a purple vest and black pants, saluted and took off into the air as the rest of Wild Fangs raced up the stairs. Orville narrowed his eyes on the two teams, while they tried to figure out what to expect from the owl.

Without a warning, Orville dived down at alarming speeds, near instantly appearing in front of Wes. The owl raised his talons and kicked Wes straight in the chin, flipping him twice and knocking him on his head.

"Ow!" Wes cried.

Gwyn and Saffiro instantly retaliated, sending out vines and flames at the owl. Orville raised his wing and applied magic through it, turning the soft feathers into metallic blades. He flew into the two attacks and rotated through them, slashing the vines apart and dispersing the flames safely. He pulled out of his corkscrew and kicked both fighters in the face.

"Gwyn!" Flint cried.

"Saffiro!" Oswald shrieked.

Orville climbed the air and proceeded in another divebomb, this time aiming for Griffin. The Grovyle struck his hand out. "Repello!" He countered the owl's flying kick with the offensive repel spell. Orville clenched his teeth as the repulsive force forced him backwards. Griffin placed Endless Regret away and raced after the owl. "Exosus Cloak!" Wrapped in the hateful magic, he lunged forward and spun kick into the owl's stomach, pushing him through the floor.

Orville growled and applied his magic through his body. "Full Metal Armament!" His entire body turned metallic, now grinding sparks across the floor. He grabbed Griffin's ankle with his talons and swung him off his stomach. "Armament Flying Dagger!" He swung his wings and fired metallic arrows at the swordsman.

Griffin flipped off his hand and avoided the daggers. He channeled his magic between his hands and fired it out. "Exosus Release!" With the energy less controlled without his sword, it streamed all over the hallway and gave Orville no breathing room to dodge.

Seeing that Griffin had things covered, Wes waved the others to follow. "Make sure you catch up with us, Griffin!"

"As long as you get to the end!" he shouted back. He pulled out Endless Regret and flew at the owl. Their clash rippled the air around them, kicking up loose pebbles.

The two teams raced up to the next hallway, hearing the faint sounds of the other teams fighting their way through something. Cybil turned her right eye green again and scanned through the ceiling. "Something weird is going on up there. Everyone's moving around like a caffeinated Ninjask."

They reached the top of the stairs, then gasped at the state of the hall. Very similar to their experience in the first floor, the walls, floor, and ceiling were their enemy. Only this time, instead of pillars shooting out, it was black, metallic bars.

What made this room vastly different was the bars' behavior. Gene was fighting his way through the hall, trying to avoid those metal bars from hitting him. However, they curved at very tight angles and struck where it hurt. Gene did his best to block them with his spear, but their numbers were overwhelming him. The rest of his team, as well as everyone else, was having trouble getting through with how tightly woven the bars were making the path.

Gwyn stepped back. "How are we supposed to break through that?!"

Flint glared at Wes. "Wes, can't you blast a way through with Mystic Beam?"

"I can try." Wes inhaled, then channeled his magic in front of his face. "Here goes nothing. Mystic-!"

A bar suddenly shot from the wall and jabbed Wes in the side. He gasped and misfired into the ceiling. The blast tore the ceiling open and sent down rubble on top of them.

Ebony quickly jumped out from under it and waved her hand. "Greed's Reach!" The rubble instantly teleported over to Ebony and out of harm's way.

Cybil helped Wes up. "Are you alright?"

"Ow…" Wes winced, touching his sore side. "Guess they don't want me doing that."

Oswald glared, spotting a hint of black metal forming out of the walls. "Then it's about to get worse." Metal bars snaked out of the walls and converged on the large group, possibly to lockdown their movements. Oswald inhaled sharply, then sent his fists flying. "Dual Combo!"

The speed and power of his punches kept the bars at bay, chipping away at their metal faster than they could regrow. However, Oswald could only keep up this assault for as long as he could exhale a breath. They were pressed for time.

Flint bared his teeth. "Anyone got any ideas?"

"Zero," Saffiro mumbled. "I can make portals with my flames, but I don't know a safe spot to exit from in here."

Wes glared, focusing his attention on the hall. The other competitors were getting strung up in the bars, like a spiderweb trapping its prey. Gene was the only one valiantly fighting his way through the bars, drilling his spear through as he tried to reach his captured team.

"Hang in there, guys! Gene will have you out soon" Gene shouted.

Wes bared his teeth, then shouted, "Yo! Gene!"

"Eh?!" Gene paused for a moment, going back on the defensive. "What do you want, Brave-and-killed?!"

"I need you to punch through those bars! Enough to make a passage through!"

"What?!" Gene spun his spear and shattered the bars off him. "What the hell are you yapping about?! Even Gene knows these things are growing too fast to get through in one go!"

"Just trust me and I promise I'll get you and your team to the other side of the hall!"

Gene bared his teeth, then looked back at his trapped team, who were getting uncomfortable from the tightly pressed bars. The Machoke sighed, then spun his spear one more time to break off the bars and make himself some room. "You better know what you're doing, Ravenquilted!"

"I…close enough," the Umbreon sighed in defeat.

Gene jumped back, with the bars pursuing after him in janky motions. Gene channeled his magic through the spear and lit it with electricity. He reeled it back and roared, "Storm Piercing Point!" He chucked the spear through the bars, sending it flying with remarkable speed and power.

The electric field around the spear went out in bursts, obliterating the huge path through the bars. For the briefest second, everything was cleared out and the trapped teams were freed. This was only for a second, however, before more shot and resumed trapping the competitors again.

"That didn't do anything!" Krystal shouted.

"No, but it's just enough." Wes pointed. "Tony, you're on!"

Tony smirked, raising his hand to Flint. "Wish me luck." After exchanging a high five with the Flareon, Tony took off through the hall. "Quick Step!" His speed tripled, only he was moving far faster than he ever had with it. Thanks to his training with his father, his natural running speed had gotten better, furthering the usefulness of his Quick Step.

Bars sprung out and aimed to incapacitate the Dewott. Tony flipped and slid through the bars, barley feeling the metal graze across his face. Some of the other fighters trying to escape attempted to trip him up, but Tony responded with a well-placed kick to the face, stomach, or whatever he could hit.

The Miltank on Gene's team was fighting off the metal bars, but was becoming increasingly overwhelmed. However, at the last second, Tony zipped by and zoomed off with her before the bars could catch her. She blinked as she was carried in his arms. The Dewott winked at her. "How you today, beautiful?"

The Miltank giggled with a soft blush. "Well, aren't ya a sweet thing?"

"Got a name, cute stuff?"

"Ya can call me Hazel, handsome~!"

"Well Hazel, perhaps after this, you and I could do dinner tonight-?"

"TONY!" he heard his team screaming from the other end of the hall. Even if they couldn't hear him, they knew what he was doing.

He rolled his eyes, then winked. "Later," he whispered, making her giggle.

He sped over to Wilbur and the Accelgor, dragging them out of the bars before they were trapped and reaching the end of the hallway. He dropped the guys haphazardly, then delicately put Hazel down and kissed her hand.

"I'll return shortly, my dear." He stood up and, in a grandiose manner, pointed down the hall at Flint. "Do the thing, Flint!"

"Hold on!" Flint ordered. Both teams grabbed him and braced themselves. "Verto!"

The Wild Fangs were thrown back as Tony swapped positions with the large group, leaving Tony back at the start of the maze. Wes smirked and shouted, "Alright Tony, get Gene and let's keep moving!"

Tony stretched his limbs. "Sure thing!" He smirked and raced back through the bars. "Light Speed!" He vanished in a flicker of light and easily weaved through the bars, which were unable to pinpoint his location.

Gene suddenly felt himself dragged off his feet and instantly plopped down with the three teams. He blinked twice, trying to process what happened, but ultimately was relieved to be out of danger.

Tony waved proudly. "No need to thank me. I know I'm awesome." He turned back to Hazel and took her hand. "Now, about that dinner date-HEY!" Gwyn pinched his ear and pulled him away.

"Griffin's not here to do this, so I'm filling in," she mumbled.

"I had a shot with her!" he complained. He winked back at Hazel. "We'll talk later, babe-AGH! GWYN! PINCHING!" Hazel giggled and turned away bashfully.

Gene dusted off his shoulders before glaring down at the smug Umbreon staring up at him. "What?"

"I believe you owe me a 'thank you.'" Wes held his paw out. "Come on, you know you want to."

"You irritate Gene so much…" The Machoke sighed, then shook his paw. "But Gene respects his words. Thank you." Wes grinned, then winced as Gene suddenly crushed his paw. "So, no hard feelings…when Gene gets to the top floor!" He chucked Wes into his team, knocking them over.

"ASSHOLE!" Wes shouted.

Gene whistled and pointed up the stairs. "We're getting closer! Keep moving!"

"Yes sir!" The Wild Fangs raced for the stairs.

Gwyn glared. "Oh no, you don't!" She pulled out an Oak Berry and chowed down on it, turning her into her Informis Oak state. She rooted her fingers through the floor and grew out an oak wall to block the stairs.

Gene growled, then plucked his spear out of the wall. "It's a fight you want, huh?!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, buster!" Krystal shouted, forming her bombs "You fight them, you deal with me, too!"

"Then Gene will take you all on! Wild Fangs, attack!" Gene rushed at Wes and Krystal.

The two nodded and split apart just as Gene swung his spear. Wes bounced off the wall with a Warp Pad and slammed into Gene. The Machoke resisted and rammed back into Wes, overpowering his tackle. "Cinder Typhoon!" He formed the ball of smoldering ash and fired it into Wes. The orb exploded into a thick cloud of ash. "Followed by Incendiary Point!" He fired the flaming point into the ash, which triggered the spell's flammable proprieties and exploded the entire cloud.

"Take this!" Krystal chucked bombs down at Gene's feet. The Machoke swung his spear and struck them like golf balls. Krystal covered herself as they exploded around her. Gene attacked with his spear aimed right at her. She aimed out her wings and channeled magic between them. "Stun Cannon!" The magic built up and released a powerful flash that stunned the Machoke.

"GAH!" He rubbed his eyes vigorously, but was struck in the back by Wes.

"Infernius!" He blasted him back with the white fireball.

Gene blocked with his bracer and batted it away, then aimed his spear again. "Gene will not come in last place!" He charged again.

Meanwhile, Flint and Cybil were dealing with Wilbur, who was firing his cannon with surprising ease. However, unlike earlier, he was firing simple, straight shots of his magic, which still had enough power to punch a hole in the walls.

Cybil fired off a few rounds, but couldn't properly get a shot in with having to move around. "I need some time!"

"I'll make some!" Flint grabbed her hand. "Time Halt!"

A beam came right at them, but froze instantly with the flow of time. Cybil was stunned to see everyone and everything frozen in the monochromatic space. "Whoa…trippy…"

"Mind hurrying up?" Flint asked politely, sweating a bit. "I can only use this for so long."

"Oh, of course, my apologies." She walked away and got to a decent distance, then lined up her rifle. "Alright, you're good."

"And now time will flow as usual!" Flint announced.

The second time resumed, Cybil fired into Wilbur. The bullet struck hard in his side, stunning the Fraxure for a brief moment. Flint avoided his laser and rushed in with his Guardian, delivering a powerful punch to his chin. The Guardian grabbed Wilbur and pressed his against the wall.

Wilbur groaned to himself. "…Don't act so smug…jerk." He snapped his fingers.

Cybil gasped as the cannon levitated off the ground and aimed at Flint. "Flint, get out of the way!"

"Huh?" Flint turned, then shrieked. "Holy shit!" He barley kicked back as the beam surged between him and Wilbur, but it did get a good chunk of his tail. Flint rolled to a stop, then cradled his smoking tail. "My poor tail!" he cried.

Wilbur called back his cannon and aimed at Flint. "Piercing Wave!" He charged the weapon, then fired a pulsating wave at Flint.

Before Flint could do anything, a bullet shot through his foreleg, one with a purple trail. It didn't hurt or break the skin. Suddenly, the magic string dragged Flint out of the way, leaving the beam to shatter the ground with a rupturing pulse.

Cybil reeled him in with her gun like a fishing pole. Flint tumbled to her feet. "Thanks…"

Tony and Ebony were busy with Hazel, who proved to be a difficult opponent when it came to magic. Tony fired multiple Lightning Shots into her, but she kept inhaling them like they were food. Ebony's magic didn't face this problem since it wasn't tangible, but the Miltank certainly didn't make it easy to sap strength.

Hazel threw a punch at Tony, which he blocked. "Thanks for the meal, handsome! Quit the zesty taste!"

Tony smirked. "This isn't what I meant by a dinner date, but whatever!" He pushed her back, then slammed his leg into her side, knocking her back. "But seriously, what kind of magic is she using? Who the hell just eats magic?"

"Gluttony magic," Ebony answered. "It's in the same branch as my magic, from the Sinful Magic." She smirked. "She's just been using the standard spell for it, but I can sense she's holding back."

Hazel smirked. "Now why did ya have to go and ruin the surprise?"

Tony raised his hand and beckoned her to come at them. "Don't hold back on my account, my dear. Give it your best shot."

"Heh…Ah reckon ya'll deserve a little more." She raised her hands and clenched her fists down. "Gluttony is taking in excess. Taking more than you need. Greed is taking it all because ya want it all." Hazel smirked. "Voracious Nebula!"

A dark energy drew into her body from all around, similar to how she ate up magic. Tony didn't know what she was doing at first, but realized as his body gravitated in her direction, as did Ebony. Soon, the two were pulled off their feet and flung toward the cow.

Hazel reeled her fist back and struck the two away. "No hard feelings, cutie!"

"GAH!" Tony went sailing, but dug his scalchop into the floor. However, he couldn't get his feet back on the ground because he was drawn back into the gravity well. "Ah shit!" He came close within Hazel's range, but Ebony, using the vacuum to her advantage, flung her scarf and caught him by the ankle. "Whoa! Thanks Ebony!"

Ebony grunted as she clutched down on the floor. "Don't thank me yet!" She extended her hand. "Greed's Reach!"

Tony felt a tugging on his vest and was instantly moved next to the Buneary. He dug his scalchops into the floor and fought against the pulling force. "Geez, she wasn't kidding about being excessive. I think a few strands of fur were plucked off my body."

The pulling force's influence was felt by all those nearby. As Gwyn, Saffiro, and Oswald were dealing with the Accelgor, they felt themselves sliding back, too. Oswald drove his foot into the floor and anchored himself. "For a team with a wacko leader, these guys are surprisingly competent!"

"Focus, Oz!" Saffiro shouted as he reached for his sword. "We've got our own opponent to deal with!"

The Accelgor held his arm over his eyes as dust and debris blew from behind. He reached for his sword. "You stand before Yon of the River Blade." The Accelgor drew the weapon from its sheath and aimed at his opponents. "I shall slash you with the fury of a stream."

"Do streams hit that hard?" Gwyn asked aloud.

"…A very fast stream, yes." Yon, using Hazel's pulling force, lunged at the three as his blade wrapped in water. "Blue Ocean: Sacred Water Smashing Honor!" The water refracted a rainbow of light around it as he came spinning into them.

Saffiro flicked his sword out and struck with his sword wrapped in flames. The combined force of the gravity and the sword slamming into him at once nearly sent him flying, but Gwyn had the forethought to anchor them down with vines. He pressed his hand against the blade and pushed back against Yon.

Yon glared. "Impressive. You are indeed skilled. But now you face my next attack." He pushed off and soared high in the air. "Blue Ocean: Vortex Crashing River-huh?" As he was no longer anchored to the ground, he went flying towards Hazel. "Shit, I forgot. Hazel!"

"Huh?" She looked up, then yelped and shut her spell off to dodge him. "Yon! Ah told ya not to go do any jumping while my Voracious Nebula was active!"

"I forgot…" He grumbled, face pressed firmly into the floor.

Ebony smirked and rocketed straight at the two. "Viribus Swipe!"

Hazel and Yon, who got up, staggered as their physical power was taken from them, then went flying with a hard punch from Ebony. Gwyn used this to send out a tangle of roots to grapple the two and plant them into the ground.

Gene growled and fired off an Incendiary Point, burning off the roots. "Don't lose sight! Gene can smell victory up ahead!"

"Well, Wes won't let you get ahead of him!" Wes shouted. He paused, then screamed. "Now I'm doing it!" He gasped and dodged Gene's spear thrust.

---

Ella shook her head as her group watched the fighting. "Good grief, they're getting close and they're letting this stall them."

"Most unfortunate," Hugo stated. "Still, those…Wild Fangs, I believe, are formidable opponents."

Cheri munched soundly on her popcorn, then blinked at another crystal ball hovering a few rows down from theirs. She looked up at Mack and asked, "Mr. Mack-"

"Please, child," Mack interrupted with a big grin, "Mr. Mack was my father's name."

"Your dad's name was Renouart," Holly mumbled.

"You may call Mr. Night Terror!" Holly facepalmed.

Cheri, however, didn't mind. "Alright. Mr. Night Terror, what's going on over there?" She pointed at the other crystal ball.

Mack looked forward, then squinted. "What the hell?"

"Something wrong?" Faye asked.

"I see Griffin and that Dartrix he was fighting…and a bunch of other fighters…ganging up on someone." He glared. "Wait…now they're…oh shit."

Holly's eyes widened. "Mack, what's going on with Griffin?"

Mack bared his teeth worriedly. "Uh…there's a rule against killing in this tournament, right?"

---

The three teams took their fight up to the next level of the tower, where they were only one floor off from reaching the top. This hall was coated in ice, which not even flames could easily melt through. If they stood around for too long, the ice would spread over their bodies like a plague.

Wes jumped around and avoided Gene's long-ranged attacks while Krystal went in with the explosions. Gene batted them away and thrusted his spear at her, to which she grappled it and pulled him into her. "Kaboom!" She slammed a bomb into his stomach and knocked him back.

Wes used a Warp Pad and rocketed into Gene, pinning him to the floor. "There! Maybe you can chill off for a bit!"

Gene glared. "…Even Gene found that pun terrible." He slammed his head into Wes', then grabbed him by the throat. Krystal readied a bomb to retaliate.

However, Wilbur stopped his battle with Flint and Cybil when his cannon pinged at him. "Huh? Gene, hold on!" Gene immediately stopped and dropped the Umbreon. "My cannon is picking up on some weird activity going on below us."

"It can do that?" Cybil asked curiously.

"Yeah, modified it with spells so it can detect vibrations and such." He showed her more of the back. "I even have this screen that acts as a radar."

"Neat."

"Stop acting friendly with the enemy!" Gene shouted, flailing his arms. "Gene has had enough of that shit with Hazel!"

"I heard that!" the Miltank shouted back.

The Fraxure rolled his eyes, then continued, "Anyway, there's something coming up through the floor…nonstop. And I'm picking up numerous other bodies. It's like someone is fighting the other fighters through the levels."

Oswald bared his teeth. "Uh…what does that mean?" His heart sank as the floor suddenly started cracking under their feet.

Wilbur deadpanned. "It means we should brace for impact."

With no time to escape, the three teams were forced to endure as the floor exploded open with a geyser of pressure. They cried out as the blast through them into the ceiling and smashed them onto the next and final level of the tower. They all scattered about over the floor, groaning upon impact.

"Ow…" Wes moaned before rolling onto his side. "What the hell…?" He sat up. "Everyone alive?"

"Barely," Flint groaned.

Saffiro stood up. "Seems someone took a page out of your book, Ravenfield. I didn't think anyone could burst through all the floors nonstop like that."

Wes looked around at the other competitors who were thrown up with the geyser. "Someone went nuts attacking all the other fighters." His eyes kept scanning before spotting a bruised Grovyle on the ground. "Holy shit! Griffin!" Wes bolted over to the fallen hunter's side.

Gwyn quickly joined him and pulled out some medicine. "He must've got caught in the attack, too!"

Gene glared suspiciously. "Then that means…Orville!" He looked around quickly, then spotted the defeated Dartrix on the ground. "Orville!" He ran and scooped the owl up. "Who did this to you?! Gene will avenge you!"

Wes fed Griffin the medicine before ordering, "Gwyn, make sure the other fighters are okay." She nodded and ran off, throwing a berry over to Gene before checking on a Sandslash.

Gene set Orville down and fed him the berry. "Shit. This is way too excessive for a tournament. Some of these guys look like their defensive auras were long since shattered."

Wes rubbed Griffin's back. "No kidding. Who-?" He gasped as Griffin started coughing and coming to. "Oh good, you're okay! Griffin, what-?"

"Those bastards!" Griffin growled.

"I'm not following."

Griffin grabbed Wes by the shirt. "Wes, one of the fighters is on a rampage! I think that-!" He stopped as a magic aura rose through the layers of holes below them. "Shit, he's coming!"

Wes pulled Griffin back as a Dusknoir flew onto the top floor. Wes immediately noticed two things. One, the ghost's eye was unnaturally red, glowing with a sinister aura. Second, he carried another group with him, and one of their members was instantly recognizable.

"You!" Wes growled at the Simisage as he hopped off the ghost.

Edwin pushed his shades down. "Nice to see you, Ravenfield. It'd be a shame to waste the magic I was gifted with, but I can't be bothered with annoying pests." He pointed over his shoulder. "I convinced this fine gentleman to keep you here while I take home the prize." He gazed up, then smirked. "And I already see the first medal."

The others looked up and finally realized what made the final floor so different to the rest. They were in a large, spacious room with multicolored bubbles floating around them. Eight of them, however, contained a special gemstone. On the far end of the room, there was a panel shaped like the gems. They were the keys to escaping.

Edwin crouched and jumped from bubble to bubble, ascending to the first key in sight. "I'll just take this and leave you to your doom."

Wes growled. "Like hell I'm letting you win! Tony, take him down!"

"Oswald, crush him!" Krystal ordered.

Gene stood up and shouted, "Yon, Gene orders you to eliminate that pest!"

"Right!" They leaped onto the bubbles and chased the grass monkey up. Tony channeled his Lightning Shot, Oswald inhaled for an attack, and Yon pulled out his blade with water shimmering off it. It didn't take long for the other agile fighters to ascend the bubbles and aim to assault the monkey out of retaliation.

Edwin reached the bubble and slashed through it with his claws. It was stronger than a normal bubble, but not difficult to pop. He cupped the gem in his hand. "Too easy." He glared at the vengeful group reaching his level and surrounding him, aiming their attacks.

Griffin, however, shouted, "Get away from him, you idiots!"

Edwin smirked, then spread his limps out. "Out of my way! Fastidium Force!"

A green energy swirled around him like a barrier, then expanded outward. It came so quickly that no one could flee. Tony obviously fired at it, but the Lightning Shots were reflected and the barrier crashed into him. The barrier slammed into each fighter and repelled them with insane force, like meeting the end of the unbreakable shield.

The fighters crashed into the floor, groaning out in pain. The bubbles were also scattered with the barrier, bouncing around madly. Flint defended his team and Shatter Star with a Blockade Reflector. "What was that?!"

Griffin growled. "The signature spell of Revulsion Anima, like my Exosus Release. Fastidium Force creates an unbreakable barrier that pushes away everything around the user. It's a defensive spell that is used offensively."

Edwin spun downward and landed before the exit panel. He tossed his gem in his hand, then smirked back at the teams. "Best to start collecting the keys, because no one's leaving unscathed." He pressed his gem into the slot.

His team's badges lit up. One by one, they teleported out of the room, with Edwin the last remaining. He flashed one final smirk and a mock salute before vanishing.

"Hey!" Krystal shouted. "Get back here!"

"Krissy, we have other problems to deal with," Cybil mumbled.

All teams in the room looked up at the possessed Dusknoir as he rose above them, glaring down with raw anger. His sights, however, were mostly set on Team Ravenfield and Team Shatter Star. "You ten…" He channeled a ball of magic between his hands. "You must be eliminated."

Griffin raised his sword. "Careful! So far, he used wind magic against us! Be ready to attack!"

Dusknoir roared and fired a twisted of corrupted magic at the teams. They quickly split as the winds cut through the ground like a power cutter. Dusknoir roared and slashed the air, sending down compressed air into the groups, then proceeded to chase down Wes.

"Oh shit!" Wes used a Warp Pad and flung himself into the air.

"Hang on!" Krystal formed an arch of bombs. "Magno Chain!" She fired into the ghost's back as he chased Wes into the air. The explosions struck the ghost in the back, but all that served was to draw his attention away. Dusknoir sneered and darted for the Delibird. "Crap!" She flapped her wings and took off through the air.

The uninjured fighters gazed in shock at the fighting before one pointed something. "Hey! That crazy guy is only after them! Let's get the gems and get out of here!" It was the collective consensus as the teams quickly scattered to retrieve the keys.

Flint whipped his head at the fighters. "Hey, wait a minute-GAH!" The Dusknoir flew by and struck Flint in the face. Gwyn grew some vines and caught him in a net. "Ugh…we can't deal with this guy right now!"

"What else can we do?!" Oswald shouted, dodging the Dusknoir's wind blasts.

"We keep his attention off the team!" Wes shouted as he bounced around in the air. "Team Ravenfield, new orders! Take out the other fighters and get a key! I'll hold off the Dusknoir!"

"Forget that!" Krystal shouted. "I'm helping! Team Shatter Star, follow their lead! Make sure we don't come in last place!"

"Right!" The eight teammates nodded at each other, then jumped up on the bubbles to take on their competition.

Dusknoir spotted their escape and formed a compressed ball of air between his hands. "None of you will leave this tower unscathed!"

"They're not your opponents, jerk!" Flying in from the side, Wes struck him across the face with Mystic Burst. "You're dealing with me!"

Krystal activated Magno Chain: Whip Style and struck Dusknoir in the back, detonating on impact. "And me!"

Dusknoir staggered from the combined attacks, then glowered. "Very well!" He grabbed Wes by the face while reeling Krystal in by the whip. He took them both and clobbered their heads against each other before shooting them into the ground with a wind blast.

Wes bared his teeth as he endured the impact. He shook his head, then looked over at Krystal. "You good?"

She sat up and huffed. "Pissed, but raring to go, comrade."

"Then let's show him what the leaders of Ravenfield and Shatter Star can do!" They gave a quick fist bump, then rocketed back at Dusknoir. The ghost roared and dove at them, fists coated in visible winds. They collided attacks with explosive force.

Meanwhile, the allied teams fought hard against the hundreds of able-bodied fighters remaining. Tony jumped into the air and clapped his hands together. "Time to test this baby out! Nebula Rider!" The dark clouds formed under his feet. He landed and flew around the perimeter of the bubble tower. "Haha! I can get used to flying on this!" He aimed and fired off Lightning Shots into the fighters.

He managed to snipe some of them out, but most others either resisted or blocked with a shield or armor. A Whimsicott floated delicately within the bubble tower and threw a spinning glaive at the Dewott. Tony steered his cloud and avoided it, only to notice the glaive bouncing off the walls and flying back at him faster than before.

"Greed's Reach!" Ebony reached out to the glaive and brought it to her hand, only now to be caught in the spinning. "W-W-W-W-W-WHOA!" She twirled through the air, bouncing off walls and into other fighters.

Oswald struck down two fighters before saying, "It must have some sort of motion-based magic laced into it!"

"Gee, you think?!" Ebony cried out.

Cybil kept to the ground and fired at the fighters. Her bullets bounced off her self-made reflectors and struck in obvious blind spots. Her eyes flickered to a Lairon that jumped out of the tower, with a gem held in his mouth. "Wait, he has a key!"

Saffiro and Gwyn finished off their opponents before chasing him down. The Lairon turned back, then emitted a burst of light from his back, which had some physical properties to it. The spell not only blinded them, but fired them away.

The Lairon ran to the panel and inserted the gem. He and four other fighters disappeared from the tower, including the Whimsicott. Ebony felt the glaive disappear and fell onto a nearby bubble.

"Six gems left!" Griffin shouted as he clashed sword with a Roserade.

"Time Halt!" Flint called upon the time stop and moved with the frozen space. He ascended up to the first bubble in sight and reached through it, securing a gem. "Alright, we can get out of here!" He glared around before spotting another above his head. "I should get another one for Team Shatter Star!" He used his Guardian's legs to jump to the bubble.

He winced as the burden of time stop hit him. He reached into the bubble just as Time Halt canceled out. However, once time resumed, the bubble flashed brightly. Before Flint could react, the bubble exploded and threw him into the ceiling, dropping the gem he had as well.

"Gah!" Flint wheezed. "It was fake?!"

"Imposter Blast!" shouted a Skarmory that flew by and snatched the gem from the air. "Thank you kindly!"

Flint growled. "Hey, that's mine!" He kicked off the ceiling and dove after the metal bird.

Skarmory divebombed and flew straight into the panel. He inserted the key and vanished just before Flint crashed into him. The rest of the bird's teammates vanished as well.

Cybil looked around, then spotted a bubble with a gem inside. "Gwyn! There's one right by you!"

"Huh?" Gwyn found the bubble floating by. "On it!" She leaped for the bubble.

"Gravitas Surge!" Gwyn gasped as a great force slammed down and bashed her into the floor. She tried to stand up, but the force was far too great for her.

She managed to look up enough to see the Furfrou snatching the gem from the bubble and strutting over to the panel. "The ghost is your problem, not ours," she said before sticking the gem in and vanishing with four other fighters.

Gwyn felt the weight leave her. She rose up and shouted, "Guys, there's only three gems left!"

"That's bad!" Wes cried out as he and Krystal blasted the Dusknoir back.

Dusknoir sneered, then proceeded to spin in place. "Lacerating Twister!" A violent wind started up around him, cutting through the ground as it approached them.

Krystal growled and raised her wings above her head. "Ludo Magnus Bomb!" She channeled the magic and formed the massive spheroid over her head. She grunted, then chucked it at the twister.

The two forces clashed against each other, with the winds cutting into the surface of the bomb. However, despite this, it was a bomb. The shredding only acted to activate the explosive prematurely. Krystal grabbed Wes and pulled him back as the bomb went off, blowing them and nearby fighters off their feet.

Ebony latched herself to the floor before spotting a bubble flying over her head. "Greed's Rea-!" A Hitmonlee slammed his leg into her side and knocked her away.

"That gem belongs to us!" The kicker jumped after the gem, only to be grabbed by a Scyther and Scizor and dragged back down.

"No, it is ours!" The Scizor boosted his friend into the air, who chased it down with his wings fluttering madly.

"I got it!" Scyther cheered as he readied to cut it open.

"Excuse me!" Tony zipped by and knocked him from the air. He snatched the gem from its bubble and zoomed on his Nebula Rider towards the panel. "Hang on, team, I'm getting us out of here-!"

Someone flung a rope and caught his ankle. Tony was yanked off his cloud and brought to the ground, dropping the gem as well. He growled and tried to grab it, but a Persian ran by and snatched it.

"Wes, if he gets away with that, there'll be two more gems to fight for!" Krystal shrieked.

"We can't take that risk!" Wes rocketed after the Persian, but the Dusknoir shot through the dust cloud of the explosion and struck the Umbreon across the face. "Not you again!" He grabbed hold of Dusknoir so he wouldn't be thrown off and flipped around him.

Wes' eyes widened at his neck. The Dusknoir had a strange blue scarab attached to his neck, mandibles pierced down tightly. "What the hell is this?! Is this what's making this guy rampage?!"

Dusknoir roared and backhanded the Umbreon off him. Wes skipped off the ground and slammed into the wall. "Wes!" Krystal cried out.

Wes quickly got up and shouted, "Krystal, there's some weird thing on his neck! I think that's why he's attacking us!"

"Can we destroy it?!"

"Maybe, I don't know!"

Saffiro and Griffin chased down the Persian, who was dodging and weaving through their attacks. Griffin growled when he saw other fighters fighting over the last two gems above them. "This is getting ridiculous! At this rate, neither of us are getting through!"

"I won't let that happen!" Saffiro swung his sword and cut off the cat's path with a wall of fire. "Now!" He and Griffin lunged at the cat, igniting their weapons in their magic.

Persian smirked. "Terra Bath!" She slammed her paws down and sent out a wave of mud that not only shoved the swordsmen away, but doused the flames, clearing her path to the panel. "Tournament battles, here I come!" She lunged for the panel.

"NO!" Flint and Cybil cried out. Tony and Ebony readied to stop the cat.

Persian was inches from inserting the gem…then stopped. Her eyes widened as a strange force was pulling her back. "Huh?" She lost traction in her feet before being pulled away from the panel. "Hey, what's going-?!"

"RAH!" A muscular arm rammed into her gut and forced the gem out of her paws.

The gem flew towards the source of the attracting force, Hazel. She caught the gem and clutched it securely. "Got it, boss!"

Persian wheezed before collapsing to the ground. Team Ravenfield and Shatter Star, not to mention the tournament spectators, gasped at the teams' saviors.

"Let Gene tell you something, Gelid Peak Tournament fighters!" Gene shouted, striking several poses. "Gene is a man of strength and aggression! Gene doesn't play nice with others! Gene ain't the nicest guy on the block!" He struck a finger at the rampaging ghost. "But to have the gall of leaving this rampaging maniac to attack another team?! Gene won't allow that!" He struck another pose. "YEAH!"

Krystal blinked in disbelief. "What the…?"

Wes smiled a bit. "Dang…he's actually kind of cool…"

Gene slammed his fists together, flexed magnificently, and shouted. "Wild Fangs! Before we make our grand exit into the tournament, teach these bastards a lesson about respect! HAH!"

Three Yanmega darted for the muscular fighter, but were intercepted by Orville. "Full Metal Charge!" He transformed into metal and grew spikes out of head, ramming into the dragonflies with devasting force. They spat out blood, while the one in the middle felt the spikes against his underside.

Orville threw them off and spun, throwing down metal feathers, slashing into other fighters. Flint put up a Blockade Reflector to keep his group safe.

Hazel slammed her feet down and smirked at the dozens of fighters sneering at her for the gem. "Ya'll want it? Then come a little closer! Voracious Nebula!" She drew the fighters into her. She smirked, then inflated her stomach as she sucked in a ton of air. "Excessive Ventus!" She exhaled a mighty and visible gust of wind that slammed like a freight train, taking the fighters to the other side of the room.

Yon moved quickly between fighters and slashed them down with his sword. "Blue Ocean: Multi Sea Climactic Song!"

The slash hit more than just skin level. The fighters all felt the water content of their bodies rippling through them. It rumbled through their bodies like a typhoon, stunning them into submission.

Wilbur glared and aimed his cannon, adjusting the reticle as his targets started to run away. He charged through the barrel. "Adjusting power. Targets: twenty-seven. Account for wind." He pulled the trigger, charging a sinister green energy this time. "Extermination Volley."

The cannon recoiled as it released exactly twenty-seven energy shots and struck down each of his desired targets. The fighters locked up and screamed as the energy not only paralyzed them, but dealt an insatiable pain through their bodies. No one was able to escape, nor was anyone able to get up after taking the first hit.

"Target neutralized," Wilbur announced.

Back with Wes and Krystal, they blocked the ghost's titanic punches as they were thrown around the room. Wes grabbed a bubble to stop himself, then caught Krystal. "Krystal, you have something that turns magic explosive, right?"

"Yeah!"

"Use it on me!"

Krystal's eyes widened. "Huh?!"

Wes nodded. "Trust me!"

She blinked, then smirked. "You crazy Umbreon." She stood up and touched his back. "Crepitus Virus!" Her deep blue magic activated, then began to spread over the Umbreon's body. "Let him have it!"

Wes bounced into the air. "Mystic Burst, plus Warp Pad!" He lit up in his magic, which changed deep blue with the virus, then rocketed off the propulsion circle. He swung his paw and struck into the ghost's stomach, passing on the virus to him. "Warp Pad again!" He formed one over his head, then kicked off, tackling Dusknoir into the ground. "Krystal!"

Krystal clapped her wings. "Explode!"

With the energy of Wes' Mystic Burst and the explosive virus, the explosion emitted a powerful shockwave that threw off the other competitors. Wes leaped out of the smoke, burnt from the blast, but otherwise fine. He smirked as Dusknoir blew away the smoke and snarled his way.

"Mystic Beam!" He fired a quick blast into the ghost's chest and shoved him against the wall.

"Magno Chain!" Krystal rapid-fired into the ghost, blowing up the wall behind him.

Dusknoir held up his guard against the volley of explosions before roaring and casting a powerful wind that blew the smoke and ash away. "Die, Ravenfield!" He aimed his hand, then flicked his fingers.

Wes narrowed his eyes. "What the-?" His eyes widened as something seeped into one of his cuts. He looked at his foreleg and shrieked as a bubble flowed through his veins. "W-What the?!"

"What's he doing?!" Krystal gasped.

Cybil sniped two fighters, then used her Mea Oculus to see what was going on. She gasped. "Wes! He's trying to block off your veins and kill you!"

"Huh?!"

"Air bubbles in the veins can kill someone!"

"H-He has THAT much control over air?!" he screamed as the bubble reached halfway up his foreleg. He could even see his veins through his fur. "Sh-Shit!"

Dusknoir huffed, then flew right for the panicking Umbreon, fist coated with winds. "Fight or save yourself, Ravenfield! Then the shadows will lose its greatest threat!" Wes' eyes widened at the approaching ghost.

Suddenly, Gene slammed his foot down and pulled his spear back. "Gene has no idea what you're talking about, but Gene doesn't approve of murder!" Magic surged through his spear, then caused it to change form.

The spearhead changed to a more elaborate, curved design, with a silver face. The body of spear extended in length and turned golden. A blue aura flowed through the spear, surging with great power.

"Unstoppable Emperor Javelin!" Gene threw the spear, breaking the sound barrier once it left his hand.

The Dusknoir couldn't dodge and was struck in the chest. He tried to push back against it, but the 'unstoppable' part in the name wasn't exaggeration. The spear carried him all the way into the ceiling and shoved him against it, driving him gradually into it and pinning him in place.

Wes gawked. "Whoa…"

Krystal flew over and grabbed Wes. "Bite down on this!" She ordered, shoving a piece of floor tile into his mouth. Before he could retort, she pressed the tip of her wing against his foreleg and detonated the skin. Wes bit down hard on the tile, screaming with pain. His veins sunk back down under the skin, now free of the air bubble. "You okay?"

Wes spat the tile out. "Warn me when you're going to do that!"

"Sorry!" Krystal ripped off her sleeve and tied it around his foreleg.

Gene glared up at the Dusknoir for a moment, then walked away. "Gene has done his service, Havenhealed. Do not expect any more of Gene's generosity."

Wes panted, then smirked wearily. "D-Don't worry, Gene…we won't be needing anymore help from here on out."

Gene glared up at him, then smirked. "Right. Hazel, get us out of here!"

Hazel shoved the gem into the panel, then teleported out of the room. Yon, Wilbur, and Orville disappeared just before their opponents could retaliate.

Gene, as he was starting to vanish, looked back at Wes and shouted, "Gene expects you to get through! Gene wants to properly clobber you in the battle!"

Wes smirked. "We'll see." Gene smirked back, then struck a final pose before vanishing. The Umbreon glared up at the Dusknoir, who was no longer pinned by Gene's spear. "Team!" he shouted, gathering their attention. "We're not losing this early in the game! Do everything you can and get that gem!"

"You too, Team Shatter Star!" Krystal joined in. "Show them why we break the sky!"

The teams smirked at each other, then nodded. "Flint, Lightning Fast Combo!" Tony ran past the Flareon, who past on the Verto spell into him. "Light Speed!" He ran straight for the fighters aiming for one of the gems.

They stopped and fired magic beams at the Dewott, but he easily dodged them and ascended after them. He appeared above a Snover, who swung their fist to hit him. Tony smirked before swapping places with Flint and his Guardian, the latter striking the Snover square in the face.

Tony zipped around and allowed Flint to swap places with him to get surprise hits off the fighters. Just when they thought they had them figured out, Tony would zip in from behind and nail them in the back.

Gwyn ate and transformed into her Toxic Hunter state, then wrapped her vines around Griffin's sword, coating it in the poison. Griffin jumped and slashed through several fighters, passing on the poison through them with a bit of his magic to agitate the pain.

"Exosus Release!" He aimed and fired down on them.

Gwyn quickly changed to her Spiky state and fired explosive needles from below, trapping the fighters between a wall of explosions.

Saffiro and Oswald glared at the ten fighters running up at them. The two friends shared a nod, then Saffiro dashed at them. Oswald took in a large intake of breath, then faced his palms at the crowd.

"Rapid Breath Flurry!" His hands shot forward in short, rapid bursts, firing off shots of wind pressure into the crowd. Saffiro jumped over the attack and hovered over the ten fighters, each stunned by the air blasts.

He drew his sword and lit it on fire. "Fuoco Blu: Barra Incantata!" The flames concentrated into a beam of heat. "Porta della Fiamma!" He slashed the air and opened a portal of fire before jumping through.

One by one, he dashed through portals and cut down a fighter, igniting them in his blue flames. Oswald ended them off by reeling his foot back and kicking the floor, sending a controlled earthquake that toppled and trapped them inside.

A Gengar and Yamask were keeping their distance from Ebony as she hunted them down using Friction Theft to jump off the air. She smirked. "Where you running off to?"

Gengar summoned a pistol and aimed it at her. "Stay back!" He fired the gun.

"Hunter's World!" Ebony vanished from sight, not a trace of her remaining.

Yamask gasped. "Where did she go?!"

"She could be anywhere," Gengar thought aloud.

BANG!

The ghosts gasped as a bullet with a purple trail passed through and tied them together, back to back. They found Cybil far away, scoped in on them. The Furret smirked. "Have fun, Ebony."

The ghosts paled when they felt the rabbit's return above their head, giggling madly. "Don't mind if I do~!" She wrapped them in her scarf, then spun them around. "Now, who's up for a game of Wrecking Ball?!" She smirked at the group gawking at her. "Volunteers!" She flung the ghosts into the group, bashing them into the floor. "HAHA! I win!"

Dusknoir fired air bullets at Wes and Krystal with the two weaving around them swiftly. "Lumios Storm!" Wes spun and fired light arrows into the ghost.

Krystal flew up and tried to reach for the scarab, but Dusknoir spun and backhanded her. This was a mistake on his part, because Krystal activated another Crepitus Virus. It only got as far as his shoulder before Krystal called to detonate it. The Dusknoir hollered as the blast rendered his arm numb.

"Mystic Burst!" Dusknoir gasped as Wes headbutted him in the back, then kicked him into the walls. "Infernius!" Mixed with his Mystic Burst, he fired the purple fireball into the ghost.

"Aggro Twister!" Dusknoir threw his fist out and channeled a twister of wind outward.

Wes crossed his forelegs as he was caught in the wind. He smirked and flew with the currents. "Warp Pad!" With his spinning, he slingshot himself out and into the ghost with a sharp kick.

Krystal picked some floor tiles up and tapped them individually. "Displodo Touch!" She threw the tiles into Dusknoir, then clapped her wings. The tiles detonated on the spot.

"RAWR!" The ghost's eye flashed through the smoke. He rammed his fist down on Wes, then flicked an air bullet that shot through Krystal's shoulder. With her stunned, he got above her and punched her into the floor.

The two team leaders endured their impact with the floor, then glared determinedly. Wes formed Warp Pads under both of them and took off upward. Dusknoir's eye flickered wildly as he tried to keep track of them.

"Hate to do this to you!" Wes shouted in passing.

"But we promise this will only hurt for a moment!" Krystal added.

"Aggro Twister!" Dusknoir fired off another twister of wind to stop the two, but they swiftly evaded his range. Soon, he found himself caught in the middle of their combo attack.

"Mystic Beam!"

"Ludo Magnus Bomb!"

The two spells sandwiched between the ghost and exploded, throwing both leaders backwards. Wes caught himself on a Warp Pad while Krystal stabilized her flight. They peered up in time as the Dusknoir fell out of the smoke cloud and crashed down on the floor.

A moment of caution after, they determined he was finally knocked out.

Wes grinned. "Ha! That'll show you!"

Krystal walked up and pushed the ghost onto his stomach. "Let's not celebrate just yet." She pressed her wing against the scarab. "Ooh boy, this better not be messy. Displodo Touch!" The scarab flashed, then exploded off the ghost's neck. She covered herself as blood spray from the open wound, but the damage was mostly superficial. She sighed in relief.

Wes ran up to her. "Looks like we do make a pretty good team!"

Krystal smirked. "Guess we do, comrade." She held her hip. "Now, how's about we get those gems?"

Wes smirked and looked off to the side. "I don't think we have much to worry about."

Flyers for the other teams tried to reach for the two remaining gems, climbing the air with strong flaps. They were only a foot from reaching the gems until the bubbles disappeared from sight. "WAH?!"

"Well, now that I don't have a bunch of idiots on my ass…!" They looked down and found the thieving Buneary juggling the two gems in her hand. She smirked. "Come and get it, boys~!"

They divebombed the Buneary, but came on the receiving end of Flint's Guardian's punches, having switched places with Ebony. The Buneary chucked the gems into the air as a group ran at her, passing them off to Gwyn. The Mew ran towards their leaders while a group chased her down.

"Dual Combo!" Their eyes widened when Oswald jumped between them and unleashed a powerful attack rush of punches, throwing them backwards.

"Tony!" Gwyn called out, tossing the gems to him.

Tony caught them, then ran across the wall with Quick Step. Another group of flyers chased him down for the gems, but he threw them away. "Griffin!"

The Grovyle snatched them, then blasted the flyers out of the sky with an Exosus Release. He continued the transport until three heavyweights blocked his path. He glared, then slid under their legs and threw the gems to his left. "Saffiro!"

Saffiro caught them after finishing his attack on a group. "Krystal, Wes!" He chucked the gems right for them.

A Shiftry and Delcatty raced after the gems in flight. Cybil spotted them, then reached inside her vest. "Oh no, you don't." She flicked a red bullet into her rifle, then fired right in their path. The bullet exploded on impact. The blast was small, but enough to stagger the pursuers.

Wes and Krystal jumped, caught the gems, then rolled upon landing into the panel. They stood up, then grinned at each other. "We have some awesome teammates, don't we?" Wes cheered.

Krystal laughed. "Only because they've got great leaders like us!"

They bumped their fists together, then jammed the gems into their remaining slots. They felt a small shock shoot their bodies and into their designated badges. They looked down at them as they blinked green. They smiled as their bodies started flickering with light before vanishing from the spot.

The others laughed and high-fived one another before teleporting out of the room. The remaining contestants looked at their badges and saw they were flashing red instead of green. They, too, flickered with light and teleported out of the room.

---

Wes and Krystal, with their eyes closed, felt their feet touch new ground. Their eyes widened to the uproar of cheering sounding over them. They looked up, then gasped happily to see they were back in the stadium, surrounded by the excited audience goers.

They looked behind them and found their teammates standing right behind them, giving the thumbs-up or gestures of acknowledgement. Wes grinned at his friends, then looked down the row of qualified teams. He smirked and waved at Gene, who smirked back at the Umbreon and gave him a two-finger salute.

The non-qualified contestants were transported into the stadium, too, only separated in the back. Begrudgingly, but with sportsmanship, they applauded the winning teams.

"Yeah! Go Team Ravenfield!" Ella cheered, laughing out loud. "I knew they could do it!"

"YAY! Woo, Tony!" Cheri cheered as well.

Hugo sighed in relief and leaned back. "That got the heart racing…"

---

"They won! They qualified!" Vivian cheered, jumping up from her couch. "WOO! That's my boys!"

Elise looked strangely at the excited Sylveon. "Someone's excited…"

Owen laughed. "Then again, I suppose we'd be excited, too, if Ella had participated."

Elise huffed. "I suppose…"

---

The bar raised their glasses and laughed with joy at Team Ravenfield's victory. Lenny grappled one of his employees around the neck mirthfully and exclaimed, "My waitress is on that team! A drink from the Enchanted Bar is a vote of support for Team Ravenfield!" The patrons cheered and took a swig.

"Are we endorsing them now?" the trapped employee wheezed.

"If it makes me money," he whispered before laughing.

---

"HAHAHA!" Hal laughed, swinging his empty glass around. "Ye did good, Wes, me boy!"

"Excuse me!" Hal froze, then turned his head to the impatient customer he had ignored. "Did you hear a word I said?!"

"…Who are ye again?"

---

Courtney jumped up from her seat and gasped. "They won, they won, they won!" She hopped around her mother. "That was SO cool! Wasn't that awesome, Momma?!"

Willow smiled soundly, then patted her daughter on the head. "Very awesome, sweetie."

---

The winning teams waved to the cheering crowd, soaking in the praise. Tony raised his arms and sighed. "My adoring public! Cheering on their fan favorite! So many cute girls who will want my autograph after today!" Griffin rolled his eyes, but kept his mouth shut.

Wes chuckled behind his paw, then looked over his shoulder. His eyes narrowed at the Dusknoir, who was only now coming to. His teammates lifted him up. Wes gulped, then walked up to the Dusknoir. "Uh…excuse me?"

"Ugh…" The ghost held his head. "What happened?"

"You went on a rampage, dude," the Snivy on his team pointed out. "You were blindly attacking everyone in sight until this guy and the Delibird snapped you out of it."

"That…so?" Dusknoir looked down at Wes.

He smiled apologetically. "Sorry we had to…rough you up a bit."

Dusknoir blinked, then sighed. "I should be the one apologizing. I don't know what came over me." He held his head, groaning wearily. "Everything's foggy. I can't recall what happened earlier. I just remember going through one of the halls, then…nothing."

Wes glared down the line of winning teams. "I may have an idea." He leered at the Simisage of the far end group, who was focused on waving to the crowd. Wes didn't press the matter for much longer as a voice came up over the stadium.

"And with that, ladies and gentlemen, we have our qualifying teams. The Shadow Bringers, Team Grayskull, Team H20, The Waves, Crisis Riders, Wild Fangs, Team Shatter Star, and Team Ravenfield! Give them a hand!" The audience clapped.

"Ah, but to all of the non-qualified teams, do not think your time in the spotlight is over yet!" the announcer exclaimed. "You'll have a chance to compete in our committee battles during the brief periods of the tournament so that our fighters can rest for the day after their battles. We will hold contests with prizes for the committee winners, and even a chance for the audience to greet you in person!"

Wes looked at Krystal. "Man, it's almost like a convention."

Krystal nodded. "These tournaments have to keep things entertaining. It gives us a day to strategize against opponents."

"Smart."

Krystal glared at the Shadow Bringers. "They aren't being subtle with the name."

"The shadow incident is still pretty isolated," Flint reminded. "Though, you're right, they're not holding back this time. Geez, that Revulsion Anima is potent stuff."

Griffin sneered. "Makes me wonder if Sparks was right about them having all five on them. Are those four hiding their anima?"

Wes glared. "We'll find out soon enough."

---

Benedict watched from a private box in the stadium. He picked a glass of wine off a table next to him and took a sip. His eyes were on Team Ravenfield, specifically Wes. "Ravenfield…I wonder if you've learned your lesson from last time. I'd hate to repeat past events with you."

"Nervous, Benedict?" said one of his guests jokingly.

Benedict huffed. "Do not tease me, Seth. If Team Ravenfield do make it to the championship round, I'll be sure to deal with them swiftly."

"I wouldn't get carried away," said another guest, this one female. "They demonstrated remarkable teamwork through the Puzzle Tower. They may be prepared."

"Maybe." Benedict sipped his wine again, then sighed. "What are your thoughts on the matter, Master Cielo?"

Sitting behind Benedict were a Zoroark and a Gothitelle, wearing black and deep blue robes respectively. Between them was a shorter figure in a purple cloak, with the hood draped over his head. His ringed eyes pierced from under the hood, staring out at the eight qualifying competitors.

"Hmm…they all did well in their fights, I admit," he grumbled.

Cicely the Gothitelle pressed her hands together. "Any of them would be worthy of attending your academy, sir."

"Yes, they would." He raised a frail finger to the window. "Team Ravenfield impressed me…as did Team Shatter Star."

"I believe Margo mentioned something of them taking part in the shadow invasion," Cicely mentioned.

Seth pulled out a notepad and started jotting some things down. "Team Shatter Star, huh? I'll have to keep an eye on them to record their data."

"So, they know about the shadows, too?" Benedict asked rhetorically. He raised his glass and sipped again before setting it down. "This little circle of anonymity is growing larger by the day."

"Any of them would make good students…should they impress me later in the tournament," Cielo said.

"And what of the Simisage from Shadow Bringers?" Cicely asked. "I suspect sinister intent with his team."

"For now, we let the tournament go on as usual." Cielo leaned back, narrowing his eyes on Team Ravenfield and their leader. "I want to see the distance between that boy and his father."