There was always something special to Michael when it came to battling his old friends from his past. Be it Mark, Lizzie, Cameron, Cynthia, Lance, or any of the myriad of others he had battled with once upon a time, he always looked forward to seeing any new tricks his opponents had in store for him. In a manner of speaking, it made him feel like he was helping someone else don the mantle he'd been forced to wear since his return to Arcana drove his enemies into hiding and left a region without a Champion or leader. It was one of the few reasons he let himself be badgered into competing in the Master Cup at all. He had one major one, but it would only matter if the matchups broke in his favor.
But to see his dream come to fruition, he needed to best one of the few trainers in his life that had ever intimidated him. Wes, despite how brotherly the two acted towards one another, was still a dominant and dangerous opponent. Michael wasn't even sure he knew all of the Pokémon Wes had at his disposal, so he needed to be prepared for anything he might have thrown his way. And Wes was certainly giving him a battle. One eerily similar to his confrontation with Caitlin in the previous round.
To honor the memory of his fallen cousin and one of his most treasured loved ones, Michael had taken to training and raising his own Venusaur in secret and had decided now was the time to take it out for a test ride, substituting out his Gengar for the hulking Grass Pokémon in this matchup against Wes. And it paid off for him. Not only had his Venusaur overwhelmed his old friend's Tyranitar after it bested Aether the Espeon, but it had also crushed an opposing Espeon with a few well-timed Seed Bombs and left Wes in a 2-1 hole. He knew the match was far from over, but this time, he wouldn't need strategy to beat whatever his opponent had to throw at him.
Wes let out a faint grin on his normally stoic face. "Well. I say your reputation speaks for itself. Your battling has been up to snuff with all I've heard."
"You live up to the legend yourself, Wes" Michael responded, wiping a bead of seat from his head. "There aren't many trainers that can push me to my limits like this."
"I'm proud to see how far you've come since Rui and I basically plucked you up in Gateon Port all those years ago. I saw a confused, angry and afraid boy that day. But the man I face now is one I am proud to call a brother." As if he were a cowboy of old, Wes's hands soon fell to his side to reach for the final Pokémon in his arsenal and returned a serious stare at his opponent. "But I do have a reputation to maintain. And I am not about to let some punk from Arcana beat me!"
Michael nodded. I got my little brother in Chris and my big brother in Wes. "Then show me how it's done, oh mighty Hero of Orre!"
"As you wish!" Wes unhooked from his belt to Michael's surprise, a strangely familiar kind of Poke Ball.
"A Master Ball?"
"A prize for stomping out Cipher before we met" his old friend replied confidently. "Now, Your Majesty, prepare for a sea of flames!" Wes flicked his wrist and from out of his Master Ball appeared a Pokémon Michael could have sworn was only in mythology. A colossal red and gold feathered Pokémon appeared, majestically allowing its wings to flap in the breeze. As it soared around the Colosseum, Michael noticed a streak of rainbow energy following it. It soon stopped behind Wes and let out a commanding bellow of a squawk that had stunned many in the crowd silent.
"Is that-"
"Ho-Oh" Wes replied bluntly. "You said to come at you with everything I've got. Now let's see you take on this Pokémon of Legend!"
Realizing his Venusaur was in serious trouble, Michael knew he needed to think up a plan and quickly. He knew his final Pokémon would certainly be up to the challenge for taking on Ho-Oh, but he wasn't fully sure he would win. He needed his Venusaur to at least whittle him down a bit. To do that, he needed to be sure that his tanking Grass Pokémon would be able to withstand at least one or more Sacred Fires. His Venusaur looked back towards him and growled as if knowing what needed to be done.
"Well, you certainly caught me off guard" the King admitted. "But I'm not one of the best in the world because of luck. There are elements of Pokémon Battling that I was trained in from a very young age. More importantly, I learned a lesson from a man I am proud to think of as a brother myself. It's how to turn a negative situation into a positive one. Let's see if I got this one figured out properly enough." He rolled up his right sleeve to show the Mega Ring he wore. With one press of his finger, his Venusaur exploded in energy until it had Mega Evolved into Mega Venusaur, not only gaining a drastic power up, but also retaining an added layer of protection against Fire and Ice Type moves. Not enough to win the match outright, but enough to give him the means to win with his true weapon.
Wes wore a wild look on his face. "Good. It's been a while since I let Ho-Oh have some greens in its diet. SACRED FIRE!"
"Venusaur! Solar Beam!"
While the Ho-Oh seemed to harness the sheer gravity of the sun to complete its tremendous attack, his Vensuaur drew the same energy and unleashed a wickedly powerful Solar Beam that struck the Ho-Oh with all of the power his Venusaur could muster. It wasn't enough to do more than chip damage, but it certainly confused and prompted Wes to lose some of his confidence.
"Every move you make is calculated" Wes spoke up nervously as Ho-Oh drew in more power. "Every single one. But I have to admit I'm worried about what you have planned here."
"Guess you'll just have to attack and find out."
He pointed towards Ho-Oh, who unleashed all of its power upon the Venusaur. Michael's tribute to Cameron seemed to burst into flames at the connection of the Sacred Fire attack. But as he had planned, the Vensuaur's thick leaves and beefy build allowed it to withstand the blow. And it gave Michael the opportunity to play out his final strategy.
"Stun Spore!"
His Venusaur unleashed a pollen into the air that coated Wes's majestic Pokémon in paralysis. As electrical energy surged around Ho-Oh, Michael knew that Wes was going to have to make a desperate move in order to avoid losing with a type advantage. The Ho-Oh managed to gather enough energy to unleash the full force of another Sacred Fire attack, but Michael had done his job, as had his Venusaur.
"Hang in there, Bubba" Michael told his Venusaur. I'm gonna need to give you all of the Poffins you can eat when we get home.
"SACRED FIRE!"
Once more, the Venusaur was savaged by the awesome power of Ho-Oh's might. This time, however, its bulk would not save it and Michael's second Pokémon fell. Michael recalled his exhausted Vensuaur and seemed to be showing signs of nerves to the crowds who had long thought him invincible. He did feel the Venusaur's pain, with the occasional feeling of someone pinching his heart with their fingers. But his Pokémon were willing to take hits, because they knew Michael adored them and did everything he could to protect them. One of them more than any other.
"Come on, Mike. Don't tell me the guy who's done all that fighting in his lifetime is afraid of my best Pokémon?!"
Michael said nothing. He simply kept his head low and allowed the tension to flow all around them.
Wes raised an eyebrow. "Uh, Mike. You okay over there?'
The King finally responded and raised his head in complete defiance. "Oh yeah. I was just giving you your moment in the sun."
"My moment?!" Wes laughed this off. "My moment came when I took you to the cleaners. Now is when I show you that you're not the only hero out there who can train Pokémon."
Michael simply stared him down. "No. I let you think you had me on the ropes."
"What the-"
"I'm not afraid of taking on any Pokémon, Wes" Michael responded bluntly. "I've fought the strongest this world has ever had to offer. Every trainer in this stadium I've either trained with or battled once upon a time. You helped me face my fears. And I will be forever grateful for you for making me face the fire. As for the fire, let's say I've got a friend who can more than dish out his own fair share of it." The ball containing his trusted Dragonite fell from his fingers and as if on cue, the entire audience echoed the thunderous roar of Rhaegar. The Dragonite stared down one of the most powerful Pokémon in existence as if it were nothing special and spat out flames as if mocking him.
Wes's confidence fell from him, though he tried to pretend he wasn't afraid of one of the most legendary Dragon Pokémon in recent memory. "Oh...Rhaegar. I figured he'd be somewhere in this tournament."
"Especially since I've got my sights on a bigger prize" Michael assured his old friend. "Rhaegar! Use Rock Slide!"
"NO!" Wes exclaimed. He looked desperately towards Ho-Oh, but his mythical Pokémon was drained of all it had, having already been primed for the slaughter by the Stun Spore from Michael's newly raised Venusaur. Both of them could only watch as Rhaegar ripped open the very earth itself, grabbed ahold of a massive boulder and launched it directly at Wes's elite Pokémon. With one ferocious assault, the rock crushed Ho-Oh in the head. Without so much as a second thought, Ho-Oh collapsed to the ground and let out one last defiant squawk before succumbing to its injuries. Rhaegar spat out a few embers defiantly and growled in victory.
"Ho-Oh is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "The Winner is His Majesty, King Michael!"
Though Michael was tempted to soak in the adulation and praise from the audience who showered him with it, his first and most dominant instinct was to seek out his old friend and mentor. Wes was seemingly dumbfounded by the defeat, falling onto his backside as Ho-Oh returned to his Master Ball. Michael was initially afraid for Wes, fearful that he had been embarrassed by the defeat. But Wes, for what seemed like the first time in all of the years he'd known him, smiled. He even laughed.
"This isn't a sight I expected to see" Michael laughed nervously.
Wes sighed. "Man. I'm really glad we never battled in your prime. You would have curb stomped me."
"I don't curb stomp friends" he assured his old friend. "Especially one who I wouldn't be here without."
Wes rolled his eyes. "Don't get all sentimental on me, kid. I already have Rui for that."
"I mean it, Wes" the King replied as he offered a hand up. "I wouldn't have made it to Agate Village on my own. And I wouldn't have been in any condition to meet with Julia and my cousins without you. You and Rui both saved my bacon. And will always have a place as my close friends."
Wes shook his head and grinned. "What did I just say about the sentimentality?" He took his old friend's hand and was up to his feet in a manner of seconds. "But if it makes you feel better, Your Grace, we will always be friends." The two shook hands to the eruption of applause from everyone in the Colosseum. "If you don't mind me asking, Mike, why did you choose to take part in this thing?"
"Let's just say I have some unfinished business in this tournament" Michael concluded.
"Ah, with Leon?"
"No."
"Cynthia?'
"Not really."
"Then who?"
"You're sticking around, right?"
Wes shrugged. "Rui dictates where and when we go."
"And since she's busy being an aunt to my children, you'll have plenty of time to figure it out."
{}
Cynthia scowled in frustration as her battle with Dawn progressed. Her young protege had certainly come up with a few new tricks to even the ground between them now. And now, she was faced with one of the most even matches she had ever participated in.
It had begun innocently enough, with her Togekiss squaring off with Dawn's Gastrodon. Her Pokémon's sheer power proved to be too much for the Gastrodon and had it pinned and near defeat. She was eager to chalk it up as Dawn having not learned as much as she let on, when Dawn surprised her. Memento. Her Gastrodon had lulled her into a trap by hardly putting up a fight and instead allowed itself to faint in exchange for brutally lowering her own Togekiss's attacking power. And before she could react by rethinking another move, Dawn struck back with her Staraptor with the move Retaliate. In one shot, Dawn had evened the match.
What surprised her the most was how focused Dawn was. How she wasn't acting cocky or arrogant. She had a laser-like intense gaze that pierced through her veil of confidence. Sinnoh's Champion smiled. I should have guessed letting her learn from Michael would bite me in the rear end.
Cynthia made her own counterstrike with her Milotic, which flooded much of the arena and forced her Staraptor into the air, dodging Ice Beams as it flew in the skies. Every time Dawn would seemingly be ready to strike, her Milotic would Coil to boost its defenses and brace itself, but the attack never came. It seemed as though Dawn was goading her into an attack. She knew the Staraptor would have to make its move but was confused as to why Dawn wasn't taking the initiative.
It was then that she realized what her old pupil was doing: the water she'd flooded was receding rapidly as the sun's heat intensified. Dawn had duped her. Now her Milotic was in dire straits. And one Brave Bird was all it took to slam her weakened Milotic into submission, but not before she managed to get a blow in with one powerful yet still relatively weak Ice Beam.
Cynthia stared down at her 2-1 deficit and cracked a smile. "I'm glad you're taking things seriously, Dawn."
"If I'm going to be named the true Pokémon Master, I have to" she replied earnestly. "I'm glad you are, too."
"I can't have you going into the next round unprepared" she warned the girl, especially after the rumor spread at how almost effortlessly Michael had crushed Wes in the last round. If Dawn was going to even stand a chance against the toughest of them all, she needed to be able to take the best she'd ever faced. And Dawn was certainly giving her more than she could immediately handle. She may be considered one of the best trainers of the last generation, but Michael...he was something else.
Dawn finally wore that smile Cynthia had always envied of hers. "So are you gonna call out your Garchomp or what?"
"How do you know I have my Garchomp?" she asked, her eyes steeling as they always did when she was backed into a corner.
"Why would you go into such an important battle without it?"
Cynthia winked. "Fair enough. I suppose you know where this goes now, Dawn?"
"My chance to avenge my loss in the Pokémon League!"
"Or my chance to advance further in the Tournament" Sinnoh's Champion cautioned. She reached for the final Poke Ball on her person and effortlessly flicked it in front of her. Her trusted ace, Garchomp, appeared in front of her and let out an ear-splitting howl. Cynthia raised her arms in the air to allow her sleeves to begin to slide downward towards her elbow. Her eyes fell upon the object around her wrist. "Dawn, you have all the talent, hunger and desire to be the best trainer that ever walked the earth. And I know without a shadow of a doubt that your father would be deeply proud of you if he could see you now. But you still have to make it past me if you want to confront the King and the rest of the perils of this Tournament. And I am not about to go easy on you, just because we're friends."
"Bring it on!" Dawn proclaimed. "I'm ready for all you've got."
You'd better be, she told herself. She tapped the Mega Ring on her wrist, activating the Key Stone and compelling her Garchomp to Meg Evolve. A massive shark's fin now pertruded from it's back, growing out in size and cutting like a scimitar. Her Ace Pokémon threw it's head back and snarled in anger as it stood in front of her, eager to take all that Dawn's Staraptor could give.
"Good. I always welcome challenges" Dawn boasted. "Let's take em down! Brave Bird!" The Staraptor soared towards her Garchomp with such speed that an ordinary trainer would have been intimidated.
But Cynthia was no ordinary trainer. Wait for it...wait for it...
Her Garchomp seemed to comprehend what she had in store and stared down the Staraptor defiantly. Even as it flew like a comet towards the pair, neither showed any inclination of stepping down, panicking or dodging the blow. Finally, when the Staraptor was within striking distance, the two knew the time was to act.
"STONE EDGE!" Cynthia declared.
Her Garchomp slammed it's foot into the ground, causing a massive boulder to protrude from beneath the earth. With one fierce throw forward, Dawn's Staraptor was stopped dead in it's tracks. The blow rattled the mighty Flying Pokémon and forced Dawn back off the offensive. Despite its head spinning from the blow it took, Dawn's Pokémon flew back over to their side of the arena and awaited further orders. But Cynthia was not about to let this opportunity go to waste. Her Garchomp rushed forwards to attack again.
"Thunder Fang!"
"Steel Wing!"
Both Pokémon collided with each other, but despite it's sheer power and dominance over the battlefield previously, the Staraptor could simply not withstand the electrical currents coming from the Garchomp's attack. Dawn's Pokémon finally let out a squawk of pain before being slammed back over to their side of the arena. Dawn sadly recalled her Pokémon as the score evened out at 1-1.
"Man, I was counting on Staraptor to win the match!"
"A True Champion doesn't put all their eggs into one basket, Dawn" Cynthia critiqued.
Dawn stared her down. "Oh, I know. But that doesn't mean I have to graciously accept my strategy being thwarted. No, I have new resolve to win now! Not only to avenge my loss back home, but to also knock the stuffing out of that growling pin cushion of yours!" She reached onto her belt for her sixth Pokémon.
Cynthia folded her arms. "Go on and bring out Kiara. I'm sure my Garchomp would love a rematch with that Luxray of yours."
"Sorry, but she's resting for a future match" Dawn countered. "I have this one coming out, instead." Dawn's last Poké Ball spat out the final chance she had to win this Tournament: a Clefable.
Cynthia once more stared at this situation as if the odds were still on her side. "Ah. A Clefable."
"No Dragon Rushing your way out of this one, Cynthia!"
"There's more to Pokémon than type disadvantages."
"Oh, I know that. And let me show you some more of what I've learned. Clefable, use Misty Terrain!" All around Cynthia and Dawn's battle, a strange, angelic glow began to rise from the ground. The Clefable seemed to laugh as the mist surrounded it and shielded it from all status ailments as well as halving the strength of Cynthia's ace Pokémon.
Cynthia once again showed no signs of being intimidated. "Is that all?"
"You do know what Misty Terrain does, right?' Dawn asked. "Your Pokémon's power is halved. Enough time for-"
"Enough time for me to end this before it begins!"
"Huh?!"
Cynthia lowered her eyes down towards her folded arms. "Dawn, nothing would please me more than to say you are the superior trainer. But that day is still off somewhere in the future. And I have to show you the reason why in the next few moments!" She glanced up at her Pokémon. "Swords Dance!" Her Garchomp simply sat back and began to channel its own inner strength, increasing it's attack to previously only whispered about levels.
"You're not the only one who can hit with force! Clefable! Fake Tears!" Dawn's Fairy Pokémon began to cry tears of sorrow, which prompted the Garchomp to lower it's guard, thus making it more susceptible to a Special Attack.
Cynthia had an idea of what Dawn was trying. It was a risky move and one that could backfire if she misjudges the situation. But if it worked, considering how much Dawn had dominated the early portions of the match with some shrewd moves catching her off guard, she might actually win in a tiebreaker. Something she was not willing to cede to at the moment. One way or another, this match would be decided in the next few moments. Perhaps in this one.
Dawn and Cynthia stared each other down. Though both tried to show intimidation, both could not help but smile. Cynthia could only guess that Dawn's smile was just because of how carefree she had always been. How Pokémon Battling was as natural to her as breathing. About having the opportunity to battle someone she had looked up to since childhood.
And for Cynthia, it was a reaffirming smile she gave her former protege. She was in a prolonged slump after the death of Cameron. Wondering just how the world could recover from such a deep and serious loss. But Addison's triumph over Mewtwo, the rapid ascension of the likes of Dawn, Annette, Matthew Kingston and others and simply seeing Dawn become a master right before her eyes gave her hope that one day, the world would be in better hands than it had ever been when her generation was calling the shots. While Dawn may not be ready for the title yet, she was sure she would get there. Just a bit more seasoning.
Dawn pointed her Clefable to attack. "Get ready, Clefable!"
"Don't hold back, Garchomp!" Cynthia warned.
"MOONBLAST!"
"IRON HEAD!"
Both Pokémon rushed forward and collided with an intense explosion of power. The sonic boom from their blow knocked Dawn several feet backwards and even Cynthia had to cede a few inches and fall to her knee. Both Pokémon were slammed backwards, with Dawn's Clefable tumbling backwards, cooing intensely in pain. Cynthia did not say anything, as a second later her Garchomp crashed into the ground like a rocket. After several long moments of waiting for one side to get up, both Pokémon fainted simultaneously.
"Neither Pokémon is able to battle!" the referee declared. "We have a draw!"
"Judges" the MC declared over the loudspeaker, "what are the scores you give?!"
Both Cynthia and Dawn recalled their Pokémon and walked towards the middle of the arena. Though eager to say things to each other, their attention was drawn towards the massive screen in the center of the Colosseum. Dawn looked nervous, folding her hands and whispering something to herself. Cynthia put her hand on Dawn's shoulder to calm her.
"Hey, no matter what happens, you put up an excellent fight" she assured the girl.
"I just hope it's enough" Dawn whispered.
The Judge's scores began to display on the scoreboard. First came Dawn's:
Skill: 10/10, Strength: 9/10, Speed: 9/10, Cleverness: 9/10, Honor: 9/10 with a total score of 9.2.
Dawn gulped and Cynthia patted her on the shoulder. Her eyes then flashed to where her score was showing:
Skull: 10/10, Strength: 9/10, Speed: 9/10, Cleverness: 9/10, Honor: 10/10 with a total score of 9.4.
"By the slimmest of margins" the MC shouted to the audience's delight, "Cynthia remains the Champion of Sinnoh and advances to the next round!"
Cynthia was crushed for Dawn. She sighed and lamented this as another notch on the belt of rough losses her friend had endured in her brief tenure as a trainer. She went to console Dawn, but in a move she could not have predicted in a thousand years, Dawn let out a cheer of celebration.
"YAHOO! I DID IT!" She shook her fists excitedly before turning and leaping at Cynthia, hugging her tightly.
"Uh, what did you do?" Cynthia asked curiously.
"My score was high enough!" she exclaimed excitedly. "I get to advance further into the Battle Frontier! I may even get to enter the Battle Palace and be it's guardian when all is said and done! Who knows if Caitlin will want to resume that position when she's got that cushy Elite Four job in Unova to hold onto!" She hugged her idol tightly and then let go, cheering for herself, while the audiences applauded all the same.
"I thought you'd be sad that you lost" the blonde admitted.
Dawn shook her head. "Nah. I saw it coming. The King helped me to see what I have to do to become stronger. Find my own strength and stop trying to emulate others." She turned around and smiled brightly. "I may not be in your league now, Cynthia, but I will be when I get stronger at the Battle Frontier. And when that day comes, I'm coming for that Champion's title!"
Cynthia echoed her smile. "I welcome the challenge."
Dawn and she shook hands while the crowds erupted around them. Her protege gave her one quick wink and warning before departing. "Good luck next round, Cynthia. You're gonna need it."
Cynthia, realizing she was now going to be going up against Michael, shrugged and kept her face as calm as it ever was in the face of a truly monumental challenge. "So will he, Dawn. So will he..."
{}
The brick wall that Billy Kingston knew he would be facing in the Tournament came much faster than he had anticipated when he was matched up against Giselle in the second round. He'd been around Giselle more than enough times to know that she was as dangerous a Pokémon Trainer as she had ever been, but now that she had focused more on her skills than on her past, she was slowly morphing into one of the dark horse candidates to become Champion and surpass the rest of the field of contenders for the honor of Pokémon Master. She might even give Chris or Michael a run for their money.
The battle was one sided from the start. Giselle's Haxorus came out first and overpowered his own team of Steel Types, including his trusted Empoleon and Alolan Sandslash before his Lucario finally dealt a blow for his side. But the fight once again turned on him when her Chandelure appeared next. Not only could his Fighting Type moves no longer hit her, but now his Steel subtype was nullified thanks to the new Pokémon's Fire typing. All he could do now was delay the inevitable and hope he could score a few lucky hits. But she was fighting like someone with a point to prove and was absolutely relentless. All his Lucario could do to ward off the oncoming nightmare was use ExtremeSpeed to dodge an attack and wait for just the right moment to use a Flash Cannon to try and wear down Giselle's Pokémon.
Giselle, who he would have expected to be angry and ruthless at his strategy, simply executed her moves effectively. "Flame Burst!"
A rapid ball of fire ripped towards his Lucario, but another quick movement allowed Billy's Pokémon to dodge.
"You can't dodge this forever, Billy" she warned him. "Sooner or later, I'm going to catch you."
"I'd prefer later, honestly" he admitted. "Flash Cannon!"
His Lucario shot out a prism of energy that struck the Chandelure, but the Ghost Pokémon simply took the blow and kept moving as if it hardly affected it at all. He truly was running out of time and options, but he had nothing his Lucario could use to take this Pokémon on. ExtremeSpeed and Aura Sphere would do nothing against it and Flash Cannon was doing the minimum amount of damage possible. His last move was one that could hit it, but he was petrified to do so, as it would likely get his Pokemon burned in the process. Considering it was a 2-1 match, he'd basically be giving himself a death sentence. But with little choice, he would have to strike quickly. Time was running out and so was his Lucario.
Giselle held her Chandelure Back. "We'll make him come to us. Use Nasty Plot!"
Her ghostly chandelier paused and began to conjure dark forces to make itself stronger. With the forces of darkness on her side, it began to boost her Special Attacking capabilities dramatically.
Billy paused. "This could be our chance" he said to himself, but was it what she was looking for? Luring him into a trap? Giselle was nothing if not cunning. She could very easily sacrifice one Pokémon for another more powerful one to await him in the final round. This could be what set the expectations for the rest of the Tournament. If he upended one of the heavy favorites, he might be made the greatest trainer of his age, perhaps even in the family. If he fell, no one may stop Giselle on her warpath to being the Champion of Arcana. Sure, she wasn't the tyrant she once was, but it was not a feeling of doubt he was ready to confront again. He had to strike. Immediately!
His Lucario understood and began to channel it's own inner Aura into the fight.
"Okay, if you're with me, we can handle this! Lucario! Time to go to work!"
His Lucario called on all of it's aura and unleashed a wickedly powerful Aura Sphere. Though the blow was definitely going to fail, that was it's purpose. His blow was intended to miss. It struck the ground just in front of his opponent, allowing his Lucario to use the dust cloud that came up as cover to burrow his way underground.
Giselle's Pokémon ripped through the dust cloud and was eager to unleash it's wrath, but both Pokémon and trainer were visibly puzzled by what had just happened. "Huh?"
"You're not the only one capable of trickery" Billy warned her.
Giselle grunted. "Still throwing barbs at me about the past?"
"Not at all. Just pointing out that you're not the only aspiring Pokémon Master here!"
"You've got to prove it, Kingston" she countered. "Just as I did."
"Then let me take the next step! DIG!"
"WHAT?!"
His Lucario launched himself up from the ground like a rocket, smashing into the Chandelure and defeating it in a single move. As Giselle's Pokémon lost it's luster and crashed hard into the ground in front of her, the former tyrant recalled it and quickly flashed a dangerous smile on her face.
"Impressive. Most impressive."
"Flattery won't get you anywhere with me, Giselle. I have-"
"You think-ugh. Look kid, I get you think you're hot stuff, but I don't take men who are into other girls. Least of all a girl who's so close to the Royal Family. Besides, Billy. You're not my type. I have a certain...taste in men you wouldn't sate." She let a Poke Ball from her belt fall into her hands. "For one thing, I like winners."
"And I'm not?"
"You won't be in a minute!" She then sent out her last Pokémon: her trusted Aerodactyl.
Billy gulped. "Uh oh. I'm in trouble."
"And make sure to send those extra 'uh ohs' to Amanda so she can take care of you! Use Fire Blast!" The Aerodactyl began to inhale to unleash a deadly Fire attack on his Lucario. Billy was eager to resume his running, but an Aerodactyl was infinitely faster than the Chandelure had been and outmaneuvered him at every turn. Billy braced himself for the worst as his Lucario was swallowed by a massive ball of flames. He shielded his eyes as the searing heat exploded in front of him. He finally stopped covering his eyes when the heat died down. His Lucario was out of gas. Drained of everything. His road to the Championship ended there.
Billy sadly recalled his Lucario. "It's over."
"Well, that depends, Billy" Giselle commented as she recalled her own Pokémon and approached him at the center of the Colosseum floor.
"Depends on what? I lost."
"Here? Yeah. But that doesn't mean your journey is over. Being a Pokémon Champion is more than just being the best trainer there ever was, you know. It's about being one who will protect their region from the greatest evils. About staring down the odds and taking whatever comes, be it victory or defeat. But most importantly, it's knowing your weaknesses and how to overcome them." She stood in the center of the ring and folded her arms. "You can either accept me as the hurdle you could never overcome, or you can see this loss as a reason to step up your game."
Billy looked up at her in surprise. Was she truly giving him a pep talk right now?
"If you give up here, Billy, you never had what it takes to be a Champion. Michael never gave up. Neither did I. Nor have any of the Champions here as we speak. You want your name to be there with the best? Then you have to prove it. Discipline yourself and focus on your skills and there won't be a trainer in the world capable of stopping you. And ask yourself this: do you really think Amanda would want a quitter?"
Billy thought for a moment. He'd made it further than he'd ever done before. He'd taken Giselle for all she could muster and even fooled her for a moment. Could he one day be the Champion everyone looked up to? Standing up there alongside his idols? Cynthia? Leon? Lance? Chris? Michael? It was a tantalizing dream. One that he may only get to accomplish if he remained in the Pokémon League. He couldn't give up now. Even in defeat, he could learn from it.
"No, I don't think she would."
Giselle nodded. "Now, suck it up and go to her. I've got to rest my team for tomorrow's matches." As she set off for the locker rooms, Billy took a moment to soak in the cheers he got, even in defeat. He waved proudly to all of those who were present and then walked off towards the mens lockers. Before he could get to there, though, he found Amanda standing there.
"What brought you here?"
"I wanted to be sure you didn't need cheering up" Amanda responded gently. "I know defeat is hard, but..."
Billy leaned forward and pecked her on the cheek. "Nope. I'm okay. So long as I have you, I'm still a winner."
Amanda's face went red. "Well...um...if you say so..."
He took her arm. "Come on, let's go get some ice cream. Even losers have to indulge, right?"
{}
"Metagross! Steel Beam!"
Christopher Kingston could only watch in horror as Steven Stone's most dangerous Pokémon completely dominated and utterly demolished his Dusknoir with almost no effort. He had hoped his Dusknoir could slow down the onslaught after his 3-1 lead was trounced as his Garchomp was felled by Steven's ace, but it served as little more than a speed bump. In what felt like a the span of a single moment, his lead was gone. As was most of the audience's faith in his victory.
He bitterly recalled his Dusknoir, frustrated that he'd let his guard down so vibrantly and so quickly. "Man, so much for that lead."
"I'd have thought you'd be used to giving up leads, by now" Steven replied. "Your history speaks for itself."
"History is just that, Stone" Chris snapped. "The past!"
"The same goes for my defeats at your hands, Chris!" Hoenn's Champion warned. "Two losses is more than I can swallow to you."
Chris grinned. He knew Steven Stone had lost to him twice on the same day. And in two separate arenas. "I can assure you my wife doesn't mind having been the prize in one of our fights, especially since I won!"
"The second fight, our loss to you and Piper on Mirage Island, is the one I mean to erase! And judging from the look on your face when my Metagross pancaked your Dusknoir, I think I've successfully erased most of my past defeat."
Ordinarily, Chris would do one of two things here. He would either arrogantly throw those words back in his opponent's face or begin to lose his nerve and remain silent. Those were always things that led to his inevitable defeat, time and time again. Be it to Cameron, Mark, Lizzie, or anyone he'd gone up against in the Pokémon League. Everyone knew how to get him to unravel and Steven had clearly done his homework. If you wanted to upend Christopher Kingston, it was this exact formula.
But Chris had changed since even those battles on Mirage Island a year earlier. He was no longer prideful when there was no reason to be, nor was he doubtful of himself in place of it. He was ready, bound and determined to prove that this was finally his opportunity to make the most of who he was as the next in line of Kingston Champions. His grandfather, Michael, Ryan, Cameron and now him. It was a legacy he wanted to do nothing more than add to or perhaps, if he was lucky, succeed. But he would never get his chance unless he stood his ground against the very best the world could throw at him. He'd beaten Marley and now was facing the greatest trainer in Hoenn. It would only get harder after this, and Chris relished the challenges.
"Trying to unnerve me with silence?" Steven called over. "Or are you finally seeing we're in a different league from each other?"
Chris shook his head. "No, I'm just wondering what my strategy will be to beat Giselle or Billy in the next round."
"Pretty gutsy to assume you'll be getting past me" Stone smirked.
Chris reached for the last Poké Ball on his belt. "Sure, you're tough. One of the toughest in this tournament, no doubt. But you're about to find that I trained with the best trainer in all of the world my entire life. I've been put through things in my life you could only dream of, Stone. And I've come out of it with my head held high. Can you say the same thing for yourself?"
"Don't patronize me!" Steven warned. "Especially when this battle is nearing it's climax!"
Chris casually tossed his last Poke Ball out to reveal his own ace Pokémon: Chocobo the Blazekin. With one flick of his wrist, he tapped the Mega Ring on his wrist to Mega Evolve his Pokémon to even the playing field with Steven's own Pokémon. Once the transformation was complete and Chris's now fiercely powerful Blazekin stared down the Metagross, Chris folded his arms. "This is the climax, Steven. And I'm here to make sure it ends in a happy ending for my family!" He glanced to his Blazekin, who knowingly nodded and prepared a Double Team.
"I don't think so!" Steven snarled. "Metagross! Psychic!" The massive pseudo-legendary Pokémon unleashed a wave of telekinetic energy at one of the Blazekin targets that now stood in front of Chris, but to the combined frustration of trainer and Pokémon, the blow only hit a facsimile and not the main target, allowing the Blazekin to keep building up its speed and become even harder to hit.
"Keep it up, Chocobo!" Chris declared. His Blazekin continued to create copies of itself with Chris knowing now he would begin to either rattle Steven more than he already had or would be able to contemplate the conclusion of this match. He knew what he needed to do to win. His Blazekin would not be able to survive a war of attrition. He needed the decisive blow to happen as soon as possible, while making sure that Steven could not either counterattack or land a blow he was certain would end the match in his favor.
Steven frowned. "Okay, I'm going to alter my tactics. Metagross! Use Icy Wind!"
Chris cocked his head in confusion. "Come again?" It didn't take long for Chris to see what Steven was planning. And it was working to perfection. The freezing winds his Metagross was coming up with weren't doing much damage, but they were still making his job infinitely easier. The illusory copies of his Blazekin would vanish upon slipping on the icy ground. One by one, the copies Chocobo had meticulously made began to vanish, until finally, one of the falling Blazekins landed on the ground with a thud and remained there.
"Gotcha!"
"Chocobo! Get ready!"
The Blazekin spun around like a martial artist before leaping back to his feet, but this time he didn't have the luxury of being able to show any flare as the Metagross descended upon him, eager to crush him with the sheer power of it's body. He leaped out of the way as the ground shook around him.
"Steady" Chris urged.
"You've got something else planned?" Steven asked. "You Kingstons can come up with strategies at a moment's notice, can't you?"
"When you're the best" Chris grinned, "you have to prove it constantly."
Steven dispatched his Metagross again. "Psychic!"
"BLAZE KICK!"
Chocobo moved at such incredible speed that not even the sheer power of Steven's Metagross could touch him. He dodged blow after blow, until he was finally within range of Steven's ace Pokémon. With one incredible kick packed with the awesome power of an inferno, the Metagross was blasted several feet backwards, crashing into the ground just a few feet in front of Hoenn's Champion. It made one movement as if to try and stand back up on it's own, until its legs finally gave out and Steven's defeat was sealed.
"Metagross is unable to battle" the referee declared. "The winner is Christopher Kingston!"
Chris pumped his fists in the air in celebration as the audiences cheered for him. His Blazekin jumped in, shadow boxing himself into the next round the following day. Upon realizing he might be showing up Steven a bit, Chris stopped himself and hurried over to Steven as he recalled his Pokemon. But instead of being bitter or angry, Steven seemed content.
"Well, I guess there's more than one Kingston worth his salt in Arcana, after all."
"Michael couldn't have done it all by himself, you know" Chris reminded him.
"I know now" Stone grinned, dusting his black suit off. "It means I know that Miss Pines...forgive me...Mrs. Kingston will be looked after well."
Chris smiled at this. "You never had to worry about that."
"Regardless of how far you go, Chris, you went further than me and I wish you luck in the next round" Hoenn's Champion declared. "The competition will only get harder from here on out."
Chris, figuring he knew who his next opponent would be, nodded. "Yep. But that's one more hurdle for me to climb on the road to being the best." He glanced up towards the Royal Box. Though he could hardly see if anything was going on up there, somehow, he knew Piper was beaming down at him. He blew a kiss up to his bride and regained his focus. Steven had taken him to the very limits of his skills. If he was to face Giselle in the next round, he needed to have everything ready to go, lest he lose to her yet again.
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Matthew had more than held his own in his showdown against Jocelyn, but facing Lance in pitch battle was all the more terrifying for him. For one thing, Jocelyn was about on the same level of trainer as he was. It could have gone either way. But Lance had all of the advantages in their match. Experience, strategic brilliance and sheer power coming from his Pokémon. It was basically what fighting Michael would have been like on a Championship level. And he was sure that the match was going to be a rough one for him.
It lived up to the idea as he was quickly put into an 3-2 hole when he thought his Charizard was good enough to go up against Lance's. Though his Pokémon was faster, Lance's was just too powerful to take head on. Lance had even, Matthew could only assume to kick him while he was down, Mega Evolved his Charizard early on to finish the job with one fateful Outrage. But despite his nerves, he knew he had not made it this far into the biggest tournament that would ever be held for nothing. He sent out his Marowak, who stunned Lance by matching blow for blow and having a single Rock Slide take out Lance's strongest Pokémon. The reprieve was momentary, however, as Lance conjured up his own Dragonite. Matthew had once faced off against Rhaegar and while Michael's was practically unbeatable, Lance's seemed at least in a similar vein. Lance even allowed him a free shot as his Pokémon utilized Dragon Dance to become stronger. It took his best Rock Slide as if it were nothing and countered with a ferocious Blizzard that KO'd Matt's signature Pokémon.
Lance, however, was not relishing the moment. He seemed to be calculating his way to defeat him. He was respectful of Matthew, even in this rough 2-1 hole he'd dug himself into. Matthew had to admire that. There was honor among all of the Champions of the world, not just his own regions. But this deficit needed to be negated. He had only one Pokémon left to use and he had been hoping it wouldn't come down to him needing to out muscle a Dragonite here, but he had no choice.
"You seem nervous, Matt" Lance responded plainly. "Gotta admit, it's a side to you I'm not used to seeing."
"You got my number early on" Matthew admitted. "But now I gotta make sure you see there's more to me than the boy you met in Johto all those years ago."
"Show me all you've got! I want to see the fire of a Kingston!"
With little option, Matthew dispatched his other signature Pokémon: his Noivern. It would be a clash of dragons to end this matchup. And he needed his Noivern's speed to be the deciding factor. It was a high risk move, as one Blizzard may end up knocking out his Pokémon and rendering this plan utterly useless. But that's precisely why he needed his ace Dragon Pokémon's speed to edge out over the Dragonite's bulk.
But he had a plan. "Alright, girl. Let's start things off with a Sunny Day!" His Noivern flapped her wings vigorously and prompted the sun's rays to begin to beat down on the arena. At least this time he might be able to slow Lance's Dragonite down, if not completely nullify Blizzard with the sheer heat.
"Good move" Lance ceded, "but it will take more than a heat wave to make my Dragonite falter! Hit her with a Dragon Rush!" The Dragonite charged with all of its might and slammed itself into his Noivern, who managed to hold on, but barely. It hadn't taken her down and now left Lance wide open for another attack, especially after the Noivern begins to munch on it's leftovers, compliments of Alison, though his young sister Kayleigh took the credit for it.
"Perfect! Now use Super Fang!"
"Oh no!"
Lance's Dragonite was itself the victim of a ferocious bite attack, one that it took all of it's strength to get the jaws of the Noivern off of. The blow had reduced Lance's Pokémon to a mere half it's health. Desperate not to lose his edge, the Dragonite charged again, but missed, as the Noivern's speed began to shine all across the battlefield. No matter where Lance's Dragonite charged, the Noivern dodged it without much effort. When the Dragonite had exhausted itself from chasing the Noivern all around the battlefield, while Matthew's Dragon slowly replenished its health, it fell to the ground heaving from both fatigue and heat exhaustion.
"Now, let's take this one home, Noivern!' Matthew declared. "Use Boomburst!"
The Noivern let out an impossibly loud screech that caused small explosions around the battlefield and caused many in the audience to cover their ears out and some to cower in pain. But the attack had it's intended effect, as Lance's Dragonite was finally felled, falling to the ground with a thud and finally evening the match between them.
"Nice on, Noivern!" Matthew cheered. His Pokémon looked back at him and growled happily.
"I think I've overlooked the power of a Noivern" Lance admitted, the ringing in the arena dying down as time passed. "I won't make that mistake again."
"May be a little late for that, Lance" Matthew warned. "We're in a groove, now!"
"Late? Oh no, Matthew. As far as I'm concerned, we're only at halftime."
"Halftime?"
Lance reached onto his belt. "There are plenty of Dragons in my arsenal to deal with one loud Noivern. I respect your Dragon. It's a majestic creature that has reached it's peak condition underneath a good trainer. But my dragons are simply in a level beyond yours. Including one of my aces!" He let his last Poke Ball fall from his hands, revealing a devilishly powerful Pokémon: Hydreigon!
Matthew hadn't seen one since he had been serving under Elezar and the Syndicate. That time, it had been on his side. But now, Lance had brought one in as the finishing blow to their match. But he would not wilt so easily, despite the sheer terror the Hydreigon gave to him. "Alright, three more heads to take down. No biggie, Noivern! Use Leech Life!" His Noivern rushed forward, dodging three separate elemental blasts from each Hydreigon head and sunk it's teeth into the fearsome dragon, draining it of a great deal of it's strength.
"Thanks, Matthew. I was hoping you'd do that."
"Huh?"
"Leaves your Noivern wide open! GO! USE OUTRAGE!"
"That's not good-" Matthew muttered. His Noivern had no time to dodge the blows as Lance's last Dragon slammed into her with such force it was launched like a rocket backwards, slamming hard into the ground in front of Matthew. The Noivern was eager to keep fighting, but the blow had done a serious hit to her. It basically neutralized the health recovery he'd already gotten. "We've got enough energy for one last Boomburst, right?" His Noivern nodded, though even then it looked pained. With one final loud screech, the stadium shook violently. Even Lance's Hydreigon was slammed hard by the blow.
But it did not fall. Matthew was dejected. "Well, so much for that."
Lance sent his Hydreigon in for the final blow. "Hit 'em with another Outrage!" The Hydreigon lunged forward and slammed Matthew's last Pokemon into the ground repeatedly until the Noivern was finished, letting out one final screech before fainting.
"Noivern is unable to battle!" the Referee declared.
"The Winner is Lance!"
Matthew recalled his exhausted Pokémon and lowered his head. "I'm still not good enough."
"I wouldn't say that" Lance replied earnestly as he marched forward towards the boy he had once pitied for the dark path he once took. "You took me for all I could throw at you. If that Boomburst had a bit more power behind it, I would have lost. You are extremely talented, Matthew. And I daresay one of Arcana's strongest competitors in the future. Considering Michael wants to step down and enjoy the family life, I think you'll fit in just fine with the rest of your family."
"But I didn't even get into the Top 8..."
Lance pointed past him. "I don't think it matters to them."
Matthew spun around. The audience was applauding, their cheers going out for the intense match they had just seen unfold. Not only that, but many also cheered as the scoreboard displayed a picture of him and his deeds in protecting Arcana from Mewtwo and his forces. He found himself getting emotional at all of the cheers, but shook it off and tried to play the tough guy. "I don't need-"
"You don't need to say anything" his opponent told him. "Just soak it in. Take all the time you need. Even in defeat, you can be praised for effort."
Matthew took a deep breath as the cheers finally broke through his steely resolve. He waved to everyone and walked off on his own, the cheers and adulation not dying as he entered the tunnel and let his sorrow over his defeat sink in. He angrily pounded the wall and slumped against it. "I'm still not good enough."
"You're fine the way you are" a voice told him.
"I don't need you pitying me, Jocelyn" Matthew hissed.
"I'm not, kid" his former mentor spoke softly. "You took all Lance had to offer and almost won. You're closer than you think." Jocelyn sat beside him and put her arm around him. "And you know what? With a little bit more training and trusting in people and your Pokémon, you'll keep getting stronger and stronger. You can be Champion, Matty. Just have some patience."
Matthew sighed. "Why is it you always make things sound fine when they're not?"
"It's what big sister figures do" she winked, bending his head over and kissing it. "And since you roped me into staying, I think I owe you some more sister scolding. So no more beating yourself up over this. You've got a mother and a sister who are still proud of you for making it this far. You've got two cousins left in the Tournament to root for as well as your girlfriend. And, you've still got me."
"What does that get me?" he asked teasingly.
She bopped him in the head. "That and a few other perks."
"What an advantage in life I have" he groaned sarcastically.
"Now let's go" Jocelyn told him. "We losers are invited to the Royal Box to watch the remaining matches. Best seat in all of Arcana." She rose to her feet and stood over him. "You expect me to carry you?"
"Sounds fun, actually."
Jocelyn rolled her eyes as she grabbed his hand and pulled him up alongside her. "Come on, almighty Matthew." Without waiting for him to respond, she dragged him along after her, with Matthew chuckling to himself as he was taken away.
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Despite the misgivings of her brother about competing despite the potential for her asthma taking up, Annette went into her battle with Diantha determined not to show any weaknesses. She had a great deal to fight for and prove she was well past not only her own physical shortcomings, but also to remind everyone that she was not the damsel in distress that had been held captive on Mirage Island. She was a true Pokémon Trainer, perhaps even a Master. And this tournament would prove that to everyone, especially her brother.
She also had another touch of added incentive: her boyfriend. She and Matthew had both agreed that if it came down to the two of them in the Tournament, that they would give each other everything they have. It only made her feelings for him grow and she hoped it was mutual. She hadn't heard of how their match went, as she was hurried into the waiting area with Diantha, neither of them saying a word to each other. By the time they were called out, she still didn't know how Matthew had fared against Lance.
It wasn't until she made a glance at the scoreboard, that she saw the deeply saddening truth. Matt had lost. Her Matthew. The boy who had almost lost his arm to protect her. Was bested by some jerk from Kanto. Now, she had no choice but to press onward, her dream of matching up with him broken.
But she still had another dream guiding her: to be the Pokémon Champion, the most powerful trainer in the world. To achieve this, she would have to put aside her sorrow for Matthew's defeat and take down the best trainer in all of Kalos. Diantha herself had once been considered the most powerful trainer in the world, but allowed her training to lax behind as she took on more acting roles. Annette learned through her research that it was because of an incident where she was abducted by Team Flare and the combined efforts of Calem, Serena and the unexpected addition of Michael Kingston that she was rescued and humbled. She then doubled down on her training and had since advanced into the next round of the grandest Tournament ever held.
Annette was her next target and the red-haired maiden was not about to give up her own dream to let Diantha run all over her.
The battle began quickly, with Diantha seemingly eager to quash the fight early on by Mega Evolving her Gardevoir. Annette countered with a Durant of her own, which ripped right through her opponent's most powerful Pokémon before being felled by her Hawlucha. Annette countered with her own Hawlucha and a wrestling match of the highest grade took place, until Annette's used one perfectly timed Sky Drop attack that knocked out Diantha. Diantha countered with her Tyrantrum, which despite the type disadvantage, demolished Annette's Hawlucha and left the match even at 1-1.
Backed against the wall, but knowing she had what it took to win, Annette pondered her next move. She'd faced Tyrantrum before. It was Jon Kingston's signature Dragon Pokémon after all. It had numerous weaknesses despite it's sheer ferocity. It was weak to Fairy Type Pokémon, as well as Fighting, Steel, Dragon and Ice Types. However, Annette had none of these Pokémon at her disposal for this match. The only Pokémon she had left was her own most powerful, but the odds were not exactly high in her favor to win with him.
"Miss Fiveroux, you must make your move" the referee warned her.
"Okay, okay!" Annette responded. Sheesh, this guy would be terrible at directing a movie. Hasn't he heard of suspense? With little choice, Annette took the last Poke Ball off of her belt and let loose her ace Pokémon: Tyranitar. Her fearsome titan stomped it's feet on the ground menacingly before conjuring a sandstorm that whipped itself all around the battlefield.
Diantha shielded her eyes but kept a bright smile on her face. "A Tyranitar? I'm impressed, Annette. I would have suspected boys to churn out the Pokémon we have, yet here we are with two behemoths on our side."
"Everyone thinks we're going to go for the pretty Pokémon" Annette responded in kind. "But when do the pretty or cute Pokémon prevail in tournaments like this?"
"Indeed" Kalos's Champion declared. "Well, I guess we'd better finish our match now."
Annette smiled and raised her arm up to her face. "Yes we should." She then pressed down on the Mega Ring on her wrist, prompting her own Mega Evolution to explode onto the scene. Mega Tyranitar now stood directly opposed to Diantha's Tyrantrum.
As if suspecting what the other had planned, both unintentionally spoke the same words. "Use Dragon Dance!"
Both Pokémon stomped around trying in vain to intimidate the other, increasing their stats as the onlookers looked on with bated breath. Annette's Tyranitar slammed it's tail into the ground defiantly while the Tyrantrum let out a tremendous roar meant to scare off his opponent. When the attempt proved futile, Annette's Pokemon looked back for one final order.
"Tyrantrum! Use Earthquake!"
"May as well add to it, bud" Annette proclaimed. "EARTHQUAKE!'
Both Pokémon leaped into the air and crashed into the ground, causing the very colosseum itself to shake so violently, some feared it would begin collapsing. But the Arcana Colosseum was built to withstand an army of Pokémon wielding a hundred earthquakes each. Though the building shook and the seats may have jerked a bit, the spectators were completely safe. But the Pokémon could only wish they were so lucky. Within moments, both the Tyrantrum and Tyranitar were caught up in the quaking, losing their footing and getting bounced about as if they were in a pinball machine.
Diantha's Tyrantrum was not used to this kind of battling and thus could not recover quickly enough. But Annette's Tyranitar was born to battle in these. She and her Tyranitar had learned to fight in Arcana Colosseum to one day join the best of the best. It managed to drill it's foot into the ground, even as the Tyrantrum continued to bounce. At Annette's signal, her Tyranitar reached up and caught the tail of the Tyrantrum.
"You know what to do, Tyranitar!" Annette called to her Ace Pokémon.
He nodded and began to spin around like a top, casually raising Diantha's Pokémon through the air as if it were nothing. Diantha could only watch as her mighty prehistoric Pokémon could do little but squirm.
"Seismic Toss!" Annette barked.
Her Tyranitar finally let go of the tail of its opponent. The Tyrantrum soared into the air before crashing hard into the ground in front of his trainer, completely and utterly defeated by Annette's Pokémon.
"THE WINNER! ANNETTE FIVEROUX!"
Diantha sighed and recalled her own Pokémon. "I guess that's that, then."
"You put up one heck of a fight, Miss Diantha!" Annette admitted as she recalled her prideful Tyranitar before it could showboat her opponent. "You're one of the toughest I've ever fought."
Diantha smiled warmly. "And you, Miss Fiveroux. I see a bright future ahead for you. Your Pokémon have a devotion to you in ways I could only dream of having. They give you the utmost effort and shine for you even against the best the world's trainers have to offer. You, Annette, have all of the makings of being a Pokémon Champion." The two trainers met in the center of the arena as the spectators showered them with applause. "And I'm sure you'll reach those goals one of these days." The fair Diantha offered a handshake to Annette, who eagerly accepted.
Annette returned her smile with one of her own. "I promise I won't let you down, Miss Diantha. I'll take everything this tournament throws at me!"
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Having squared off against the young star Jeremy Lockhart before, Lizzie believed she had the perfect winning formula for taking his Pokémon on. She recalled their last match, where her Pokémon used unique strategies to keep the boy off balance the entire match. Her Umbreon's versatility bewildered him, her Ludicolo's strategies paralyzed him and her Salamence finished the job. And after she had easily dispatched of Grimsley in the first round of the tournament, she was feeling truly confident in herself. She was already pondering her next matchup with Leon or Iris, not knowing which of them was going to be the tougher opponent.
But Jeremy Lockhart humbled her expectations quickly.
The fight began as she expected, her Alolan Raticate squaring off with his Stoutland. The Stoutland was quicker, but her Raticate was proving versatile. It withstood a barrage of hits from the Stoutland and even counterattacked with a perfectly timed Hyper Fang that made the match much more even than it could have been before. Already, Lizzie was wondering how she and Justin might celebrate this victory. Was he going to get her another gift? Would they go to their favorite spots to hang out?
She was so ensconced with her own ideas of how it would play out that she failed to see that her Raticate was demolished by the Stoutland with a single Reversal. When she realized it, she figured it was a fluke and dispatched her Salamence to finish the job. Her Salamence had the superiority of flight on it's side. It began to bake the entire battlefield in Dragon Fire, making her vision of victory all the easier. Her Salamence charged with intent to finish off the Stoutland. And it stormed right into an incoming Ice Fang. A devastatingly powerful one that knocked her beloved Crush out of the match.
It was only now that Lizzie realized how deep of a hole she was in. Crush and Skullz had been thrashed about by this Stoutland as if they were mere bottom feeders. With a one-sided battle to overcome, she needed to stop looking past her opponent and focus instead on the match at hand. Jeremy had put her in a deep hole and she needed to scale her way out of it.
The only silver lining through all of it was that Jeremy was being far from arrogant about his success. He seemed to be focused solely on eliminating her and not boasting about beating an opponent who was clearly not focused enough.
"You've got me in quite a pickle, Jeremy" Lizzie admitted. "I'm glad to see you've come so far in your training."
"I have you and the rest of the King's Elite Four to thank for that. I've learned so much from watching your matches. Now, I just need to see how far I can go."
"This match isn't over yet, though" she reminded him. "Let's see how your Stoutland fairs against this!" She reached onto her belt for her last Pokémon and gulped. I really hope you're prepared for this, Jazz! "Come on out, Jazz!" The last Poke Ball fell from her hands and her Umbreon emerged from the shadows it's own aura created.
Jeremy looked to his Stoutland. "Okay, let's focus."
"Not this time, Jeremy! Use Dark Pulse!" Lizzie commanded her Umbreon to use it's most powerful move. Channeling all of the shadowy energy it could conjure, the Umbreon spat out a pulsing wave of dark power that struck the Stoutland hard. Jeremy's lead Pokémon shook wildly before being slammed hard into the ground and fainting. Her Umbreon barked gleefully and Lizzie was truly excited about turning the tide in this match.
Jeremy recalled his Pokémon and looked to the remainder of his team, as if contemplating his next move. Lizzie could not tell immediately if he was nervous, which bewildered her. She had just turned the tide against him. How was he not being jittery or afraid? Did he have the makings of a true champion? Was this truly the time the old guard of Arcana would fold to the new guard? Was it really the end of an era?
It became all too clear to Lizzie the next moment just why he wasn't afraid. All of Lizzie's confidence fell from her the instant his Heracross emerged from only his second Poke Ball. The one Pokémon on Jeremy's team that she could not beat. Jazz had seen her through some of the greatest battles of her still relatively young life. But this time, there really was little for her to do but hope for the best.
"Alright, Heracross! Time to go to work! Use Swords Dance!"
Lizzie raised her eyebrow as Jeremy's Bug Pokémon began to buff itself up. Why is he buffing it up? Does he think Jazz is bulky enough to withstand a Megahorn or a Close Combat? Either way, she knew she would have to take advantage of his caution. And fast. Before the next move was her last in the Master Cup. "Jazz! Hit 'em with Confuse Ray!" Her Umbreon's eyes flashed a bright light at the Heracross, blinding it and causing it to become deeply confused. Now, her Umbreon had a chance to prepare a defense or chip away. And if it hit itself enough, she might even balance out the match or build it in her favor.
Unfortunately, she was once again so focused on her planning of the next moves that she failed to notice immediately that the Heracross was munching on a Lum Berry to cure itself of it's confusion. But once she did, she knew she was now wide open for an attack. But she would fight for her last stand. "Hit em again!"
"Sorry, Lizzie! But I won't let you get away with it again! CLOSE COMBAT!"
"NO!"
It was over in a matter of seconds. In a blindingly fast combo of punches and kicks, the Heracross assaulted her prized Umbreon before one final punch slammed it backwards. Despite it's impeccable defenses and it's vitality, the Umbreon collapsed within an instant of the attack ending.
"Umbreon is unable to battle!" the Referee declared.
Even the PA announcer seemed shocked. "A STUNNING UPSET FOR JEREMY LOCKHART! HE ADVANCES TO THE QUARTER FINALS!"
Lizzie stared blankly for a long moment as the defeat sunk in for her. She'd lost before. To Cameron, Chris, Michael and Mark more than enough times. So defeat wasn't the issue. It was the way she lost. It was losing her focus in battle. That was nothing like who she was. What was happening to her? Why was this happening to someone who still wanted to one day be a Pokémon League Champion?
"You okay, Lizzie?" Jeremy asked as he came up to her.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I'm fine, Jeremy. Great match."
"Are you sure?"
She nodded, though found it hard to mask her shame. "No, I'm sure I'm fine. Congratulations on winning. Good luck against Leon or Iris in the next round." She shook his hand quickly before running off the stage and off to be on her own. She would have slumped against the wall and pouted if she didn't see Justin there waiting for her. A swirl of emotions flooded her at this moment. Shock, anger, frustration, grief, anxiety and a strange calming energy coming from her...she wouldn't exactly say boyfriend, but she couldn't really just say her "friend"...her..."Justin".
"I think you put up a good fight, Lizzie" Justin assured her.
She smiled sadly. "I doubt that. If I did, I wouldn't be out here."
"Losing isn't a bad thing" he urged her. "Sometimes, it makes you pick up on a mistake you made in your training."
"I didn't make any mistakes in my training! I just lost focus."
Justin leaped back. "Oh. Well, I'm sorry I-"
Realizing how guilty she felt for snapping, she calmed herself. "No, I am. I shouldn't be taking my anger out on you for losing. But I do think it's high time we joined the others in watching the rest of the matches. I expect there will be a few doozies taking place tomorrow."
"The King and Cynthia to lead things off is intriguing enough" he added. "And at least you get to watch now."
Lizzie smiled and wrapped her arm around his. "You see? Losing does have some benefits, after all. Now let's head up to the Royal Suite."
{}
It went so quickly that no one in the Royal Suite had noticed Justin and Lizzie had entered until it was over. Looking down from their own private luxury box that had once been known as the Champion's Box sat those who had been invited to stay there for the duration of the Tournament. Julia had once only hosted her prodigal sister Piper and Holly Queensbury. Now, she also hosted Mark, Greta, Amanda, Billy, Jon, Madeline, Matt, Jocelyn and many others who had participated in the early rounds of the Tournament, only to fall by the wayside. Even Dawn and Lucas had come up as per Cynthia's request to watch the matches.
Everyone had gone to make themselves a plate of snacks or order food, when Julia watched Leon and Iris head to the arena with alarming speed. She inquisitively wondered just how strong her friend Sonia's (DEFINITELY NOT MY) boyfriend was. She knew Iris well enough, being Unova's Champion. She was a force to be reckoned with.
But the speed with which Leon's Pokémon moved, the power with which they demonstrated their attacks and the sheer iron will they displayed in battle alarmed her. Not that she was truly afraid for the others, but stability's sake had her Michael as the most powerful trainer in the world for the last decade or so, even the loss to Ryan being chalked up as a fluke. But to see the absolute merciless power Leon's Pokemon had even against a seasoned veteran like Iris was daunting to say the least. Her Michael might not stand a chance against him. Nor might anyone left. Cynthia, Lance, Annette, Jeremy, Chris, Giselle...none of them seemed able to hold a candle to him.
His Charizard first throttled Iris's Druddigon. Iris's Haxorus came out next, only to be unable to even touch Leon's Charizard with the speed it demonstrated effortlessly. One Dragon Pulse was all it took to render the Haxorus done. Iris's ace Pokémon, a Dragonite she had affectionately named Mychal after her mentor, could do nothing against the Charizard. It dodged all of her attacks before using one wickedly timed Flare Blitz, followed by a Dragon Pulse, to finish Iris off like it was nothing.
Mark stumbled his way over to her side and gulped. "We...missed it?"
Julia was almost speechless. "I don't know what to say...he just...demolished her."
"Poor Iris" Holly responded sadly, pointing out how Iris had fallen to her knees even in her elegant white dress and wept while Leon soaked in another quick victory. "She didn't even touch his Pokémon."
"Not for nothing" Billy Kingston admitted as he and Amanda caught up, "but I'm glad Giselle whooped my rear end. At least I don't have to go up against that."
"You wouldn't have, anyway" Amanda teased. "These matches are for the Bracket Champions first, Billy. You'd have to make it past Chris before even getting a shot in at Leon. Leon has to face Jeremy tomorrow."
Holly went white as a ghost. "YOU MEAN JEREMY HAS TO GO UP AGAINST HIM TOMORROW?!"
"There isn't enough training in the world to make one want to go up against him" Mark responded ominously. "Crushing Candice is one thing. But Iris is one of the best trainers on the planet. She learned from guys like Alder and Michael and-"
"I think it's safe to say this era of dominant trainers is at an end" Lizzie pointed out as she arrived with Justin beside her. "Jeremy was too much for me. But Leon is something else."
"He's only ever lost to the King, right?" Lucas asked Julia.
The Queen nodded. "And that was years ago. Back when the Crimson Fury was still unchecked." Julia sighed. "Oh Michael..."
Mark shook his head. "You don't have to worry about him. He's got Cynthia, tomorrow. Whoever wins that match can put Leon in his place. She's been looking almost as dangerous as ever and Michael looks better than he's ever looked as a trainer. Even Chris may stand a chance."
"Don't count out Annette, either" Matthew pointed out.
"Of course your girlfriend gets your vote" Billy teased.
"JEREMY WILL WIN!" Holly boasted, before lowering her voice when she realized she was shrieking. "I know he will."
"Why hasn't Addy been here?" Dawn asked.
Julia looked out into the evening skies. "Unfortunately, being in this Colosseum reminds her too much of watching Ryan on his Championship Run. She may come around one of the later days, but for now, we need to let her be." So many things would be decided in these next few days. The winner of the Master Cup and the title of most powerful Pokémon Trainer in history, Addison's hopes in finding this "door" she has spent months pining for, whether or not her and her husband would finally be able to retire and raise their family, or if Chris was finally ready to reach his own goals. Everything would be decided in the next few days. At least for now, she knew that when night came, she would have him by her side again. To hold her and promise her things would go right for once. But given all that had unfolded since they departed from Arcana years ago to start their family, she had reason to doubt...
