"I just need you to sign a few papers" Amanda insisted as she stood by the heavily pregnant Julia's side. "This will help expedite things in the event of-"
"You don't need to tell me these things, Amanda" Julia assured her, cradling the kicking children inside of her. "Just make sure you'll have a medic on standby to take me to the hospital in case these little ones decide now i the time to be born, even if their father hasn't battled yet." She quickly signed the papers her former protege held in front of her and handed the pen back to the "assistant" Grand Vizier. "Annie deserves the time off to be with Jon, but I can't believe how good of a job you've been doing."
"You should also know that the newest Kingston is doing well" Amanda responded as she collected the papers.
Julia blinked until she realized just what Amanda meant. "You mean-"
"Annie gave birth to a son" her protege confirmed. "I believe his name is Theodore Byron, Teddy for short."
"New Kingston!" Billy cheered for the birth of his nephew before making a grin at Amanda. "We'll be adding one soon too, right?"
Amanda's face went beet red at the idea, allowing Julia to take command of the situation. "Inform the Grand Vizier that the King and Queen offer their congratulations to her and Jon's child being born. And that they are not needed to return to their duties until they are ready to, as I believe you are doing a superb job, barring yourself having a baby anytime soon."
Amanda, almost bursting with emotion, took up the paperwork and rushed for the doorway. She paused and Julia could tell she was speaking to someone. Julia was initially curious, but her attention was soon drawn first by the rambunctious twins inside of her and then to the rest of the teasing from within the Royal Box.
"I for one think having a baby is just perfect" Greta insisted as she sampled the various trays of food left for them to eat while the competitions were setting up below them. She made several longing glances in Mark's direction. "All the cooing and sweetness. The little pitter patter of their feet."
"The ceaseless crying" Mark grumbled.
"The drool" Piper joked, realizing she would get a death glare from Julia over this. "But it's cute drool?"
Julia rested on the back of her chair. "Oh, you'll enjoy the idea of it when you become a mother for the first time, Pipe. There is no other feeling in the world quite like it." She sighed contently. "My only regret of motherhood is that thanks to a conference from Professor Sycamore, I missed out on Arya's first words. Since then, she hasn't stopped talking. But to have been there to hear them would have made the perfect dream for me. I swear if I miss my James's first words, I'll go berserk."
"Motherhood is a serious responsibility, Your Majesty" Jeremy spoke politely. "I'm glad you've taken it so seriously."
"I've done so much in my life, Jeremy" she continued. "Being a Pokémon Trainer, a scholar, a Professor, a wife, a Lady and even a Queen. But the one that makes me the happiest is being a mother." She winced at another kick from one of those special gifts inside of her. "Well, this part isn't the best. But I make the most of it."
"A thousand pardons" Amanda spoke from behind Julia, "but we have a guest."
"A guest?" Holly asked.
"Who on earth could-" Billy began.
"IS THAT BRIDGETTE?!" Mark shouted, prompting Lizzie to nearly fall out of her chair in shock. Julia watched her old friend move with such speed that she thought he was the young man she had first met thirteen years earlier instead of the "old" thirty-year-old she saw before her. But she knew Mark would not get up for just anyone, an idea that she could see visibly infuriated Greta. Julia could not pay it heed at the moment, because her own joy in this incoming reunion was insurmountable. The seething jealousy from Greta only confirmed to Julia that one of her dearest friends in the world had come back, seemingly out of nowhere.
"Oh, Mark!" Bridgette laughed as he no doubt embraced her. "Long time, bud."
Julia giggled to herself. Michael had mentioned Mark had a thing for the Cerulean Gym Leader named Misty back in the day. So much so that when Misty seemed to prefer Michael to Mark initially, it had started a one-sided rivalry for her affection. Mark's affection quickly flew to Bridgette, only to be flattened yet again when the Lady Duon was spoken for by Malcolm Tress, her longtime beau. Recognizing Greta's impending outburst, Julia again took control. "Ah, Greta. This is Bridgette Duon, former Gym Leader of Titanio City Gym and a good friend of ours."
Greta was grinding her teeth as the two spoke. "A pleasure. I'm Mark's fiancé."
Bridgette seemed to get the idea as she tried to push Mark off of her. "Yes, well...ergh...I'm happy to report that...Mark, seriously?!"
Mark let go and nervously stared until Greta grabbed at his shirt and yanked him backwards. "PLANT IT!"
Bridgette proceeded to wave to those she had never met before and embraced her old friends, including Lizzie and Piper, while also giving Billy a "high five". As if saving her for last, Julia watched as her old friend walked around her side and knelt down beside her. Bridgette was just as lovely, graceful and engaging as she had always been. Bridgette had been the local babysitter for all of the kids growing up in Parlor Town. Not only that, but she was a trainer everyone in their class looked up to. Her knowledge and experience with Water Pokémon was said to be second to none. So Bridgette was something of a heroine to every child of their generation, despite only being two years older than Michael and her.
Bridgette laughed as she eyed the Queen that now stood in front of her. "Well, well. I guess Michael wasn't kidding when he mentioned you were nursing a few buns in the oven."
Julia winced at another kick, no doubt from her second son. Or third son at this point. "I'd get up, but..."
Bridgette waved her off. "No need, Your Majesty. Just seeing you here is more than enough for me." She reached up and kissed Julia's cheek before rising to her feet. "I should correct you, though. I am not Titanio's former Gym Leader anymore. I've been coerced into taking up the position again now that I'm staying in Arcana long term."
"Long term?!" Mark exclaimed.
"PLANT IT!" Greta snarled, envious of her fiancé's unrequited love for this gorgeous surfer girl.
Bridgette nodded. "A price I pay for trying to keep the peace on behalf of my late Aunt. On top of that, I will also be taking Jack's position on the Royal Council as well as my cousin Cameron's position as a godmother to the future King."
"You and Michael had a lot to talk about, I imagine" Piper laughed.
Julia smiled brightly. "After all these years, I could only imagine how happy he was to know you were okay."
Bridgette sheepishly frowned at this. "Yeah, well I had to do a few things and find myself out there. I wish I could have been here to help out, but you never get the opportunity to figure out where your heart wants you to be. But I won't make that mistake again. I doubt either the King or Queen would forgive me a second time."
"Bridgette, you're one of the few people Michael would forgive in a heartbeat" Piper assured her. "Chris as well."
"Those two are part of the reason I'm here, but I also had to show you guys some of the Pokémon I've found out there." Bridgette reached onto her belt for a Poke Ball. "Take a look at this one, right here." She called out a Water Pokémon none of them, especially Julia, had seen before. A cetacean creature with blueish white coloration on it's underbelly that extended to its lower jaw and eyes as well as it's dorsal fin. On top of two-toned eyes a pair of pectoral fins and a tail fin as well as a peculiar ring of water that continued to surround it's tail, even out of water at this moment.
Julia was floored. She had never seen anything quite like this Pokémon before. And she had been to basically all over the world and studied countless kinds of Pokémon. And yet here she was, as surprised at the discovery of newer and more unique Pokémon. The Pokémon let out a giggle before flopping around joyfully on the ground before Bridgette recalled it.
"What on earth is that?" Lizzie asked.
"A Finizen. I met this little guy while I was surfing with my Gyarados across some really gorgeous shores out there." Upon realizing her Pokémon had made such a mess, Bridgette quickly grabbed a few towels and dried off the floor beneath Julia's feet. "I figured you would be surprised to find new Pokémon still coming out there. That's not the only one I've found. But this little guy is one of my favorites."
"Where were you out surfing?" Julia puzzled. "Alola?"
"I think so, but I can't say for sure." As Bridgette let the floor dry, she resumed her explanation. "The only thing I remember is that the town I spent time in was called Alfornada. The locals were extremely hospitable to me and wanted me to stay. Even their Gym Leader was interested in employing me as a part of her retinue, but I didn't want to overstay my-"
"Wait" Mark interjected. "Alola doesn't have Pokémon Gyms."
"Yeah, that's why they weren't in the Pokémon World Tournament" Billy added.
Julia was quietly contemplating Bridgette's story before recalling why the name of the village, Alfornada, sounded so familiar. "Bridgette, what kind of Pokémon were generally there?"
Bridgette was caught off guard by her bluntness. "Uh, I think Psychic types. It's kinda why I didn't stay too long. I preferred to be down at the Port."
"Porto Marinada?"
Bridgette blinked. "Ye-yes? I think that was it."
"What's going on?" Matthew asked in confusion.
Julia was in shock. "Bridgette. You were in Paldea?!"
"WHAT?!" the group exclaimed.
Unfortunately, Bridgette did not yet conceive of the importance of the situation and laughed to herself, shrugging as the others looked completely dumbfounded. "I'll take your word for it, then."
"You were the first outsider to be in Paldea in over fifty years" Billy explained to her.
"I was?!"
Julia's mind began to race. "You didn't know you were in a region no outsiders have been welcome in for nearly half a century. Paldea has so many questions for us to answer. Riddles, ideas, theories, there is so much we can do now." She grasped Bridgette's hand. "You have no idea what your return home means to us, Bridgette."
Bridgette blushed. "Well, you know, I figured you guys would-"
"Paldea is that place Addison has to go to find Ryan, right?" Matthew asked.
"Huh? Ryan?"
Julia sighed. "You have a lot to catch up on, Bridgette." She looked down at the floor and sighed. "I guess your Finizen's mess was a little too much for those towels."
"Oh crap!" Her old friend quickly tried to wipe up the water on the floor, until both the Queen and the surfer realized how wrong they were. "Uh, Julia. I don't think that's from my Finizen."
Julia grasped at her stomach as another ruthless kick from her children gave her the same conclusion that Bridgette had. "Oh dear."
Piper made it to her side immediately. "This is it? Aren't you early?"
"Three weeks" Julia gasped, her breaths becoming short. "But I think the babies are ready to come now." Bridgette rushed out of the Royal Box to find a wheelchair for Julia to be wheeled to Titanio Hospital, while everyone gathered around Julia to make sure she was tended to. Julia, despite being in pain that she had never felt before, looked down at the twins inside of her and smiled weakly. "You two are really going to make me miss your father's match?!"
{}
As soon as he was sure that Julia was being escorted to Titanio Hospital, Matthew took a fearful look down towards the Colosseum floor, where Annette and Leon would be marching through in just a few moments to enact the battle that would essentially define their generation. Matthew was scared for his girlfriend. He knew of her talent. She might be the best trainer of their whole friends' group. But facing Leon was like facing a demigod. He had looked almost untouchable in these last few matchups and Jeremy ran out of steam before he could get any momentum against him in their match. Then again, if she wanted to be deemed a true Pokémon Master, she had to overcome Leon and then eventually Michael or Chris to become one. He just didn't like how helpless he felt in this.
"Who's in this matchup?" Bridgette asked as she approached him for the first time.
"Leon of Galar and Annette Fiveroux" Matthew responded nervously. "My girlfriend against that...guy."
"Someone of your age group being in a competition with titans of the previous generation gives me hope for the future" she responded kindly. "If she's made it this far, I see no reason why you should be afraid for her."
"Have you seen Leon in action?"
"No, but anyone can be beaten in battle. All it takes is finding their weakness, or more importantly, making sure your strength overcomes all else." She folded her arms as she stood by. "Your Robert's son, right?"
Matthew nodded sadly. "Yeah. Didn't take much after him, though."
"I wouldn't say that" she replied. "Your father taught me a lot about being a Gym Leader. I was a bit inexperienced when I came on board, but I loved Michael too much to say no when he asked. Uncle Jeice taught me enough about the gym itself, but the things I needed to learn that Malcolm Tress couldn't teach me, I got from Robert. I imagine you had to take something from him."
"Ryan was more my father's son."
"You care about your brother. That alone shows your father had an impact on you." She put her hand on his shoulder. "I assume you'll be involved with Annette should she become the Champion. That means we'll have to work together in the future. After what your father did for me, I can promise you I'll help you figure things out."
"Thanks, Bridgette" he said thoughtfully, "but I have more faith in Annette winning than I do being anything but a pest to her if she did actually win."
"Guess you didn't pay attention to Michael as much as you thought you did" she laughed. "It's not about how helpful you are. It's about being there when the Champion needs you to be. The duties of a Champion can be stressful. I was one of Michael's confidants in his darker moments as Champion. Maybe if I hadn't left when I did, he might have been spared some of the pain he had when he confronted the Syndicate again."
"You were close to him?"
"You might say that I was more of an older sister to him than Tori was" she smiled reminiscently. "I'd like to lie and say I taught him what he knows, but he actually taught me more. I don't really know how to properly explain it. But that guy means more to me than basically anyone else in the world. You ever love someone a lot, but not be in love with them at the same time?"
Matthew nodded and looked down as the fanfare blared around the Colosseum. "More than you'd think."
{}
"Well if you think it's going to be serious, just make sure to let me know before the battle begins" Michael said during his call. While making the final touches to his team for the day's match, he received the call from Amanda and Billy that his wife was going into labor with their twins. The day had finally come, naturally when he was about to undergo the match that he expected would either extend his career a bit longer or finally allow him to retire in peace. Amanda, Billy and Cynthia were now going with Julia to the hospital to oversee things and ensure she was well cared for.
"It's not like I have any control of when she gives birth" Cynthia teased on the other line. "But I promise to contact you if anything happens."
"And make sure the doctors know about her health history. Remember that infection she-"
"Sheesh, you think I don't know your wife well?"
"I can't be too careful with the mother of my children or the love of my life."
"I promise to keep things on the down low so Piper can keep there and watch you two duke it out. Good luck and show 'em no mercy."
"Got it, Cee." Michael then ended the call and sighed as he saw himself in the mirror, his eyes following his arm down towards the mark Arceus had granted him what felt like a lifetime ago. The one that had reinvigorated the Crimson Fury in his heart so he could help protect Arcana from those who would seek it's destruction. The Fury had given him nothing but pain and suffering, but he had allowed it back into his life as if he felt it were necessary. Arceus himself seemed caught off guard that he had asked for something like that. Jane was utterly mortified but seemed to be placated by his words. To protect what mattered to him.
But I failed...Ryan still succumbed to the Fury himself and we lost him. Dad, Olivia, Junior, Byron...Cam. Hers stung the most. To not have her in the building to see his showdown with her brother was going to be a painful blow for a long time. But he had every intention of making her proud. Her and Jane, the mother he'd always love.
He had every intention of rolling his sleeve up to allow himself to refocus on his strategies, but the door to his locker room was kicked open. He was caught off guard by the intrusion, but even more alarmed at the irate glare he was receiving from Chris.
"What the hell?"
"I should ask the same of you!" Chris snarled. "We agreed you would send them away!"
"You need to bury the past for once, Chris" Michael responded. "Letting yourself get worked up over this is only-"
"What was the one thing Bridgette had to do so you changed your mind? Bat her eyelashes? Sweet talk you? Aren't you a married man?!"
"Don't accuse me of anything!" Michael fired back.
"How would Julia feel if-"
"Are you insinuating something happened between your cousin and me?!"
"How else would you do something so stupid?!" Chris clenched his fists. "Maybe you didn't understand what Shannon confessed last night. They cheated behind Mom's back! How can you justify calling my mother that when you don't even care-"
"Mom knew! She always knew and chose to keep it a secret. How would your life have unraveled if she openly divorced your father after losing me?! If you need more evidence or a better explanation, I'd go check in with Bridgette before our match!"
"Mom's generosity doesn't matter now! What does is getting to avenge her!"
"Why is everything about you and vengeance?!"
Chris punched a locker so hard it left a dent in the shape of his fist. "Because every time I might get a chance to enact revenge, you always get in the way! Cassius took Mom from me and you got to destroy him! Giselle ran Arcana like a monster and you got to be the one who stopped her! Elezar killed Grandpa and you were the one who scarred him! And when my baby sister was struck down by that psychopath, you took her down, not me!"
"You actually think getting a chance at revenge would help you? Because it didn't help me."
"Oh really?! How did it not help you? Your hero complex get in the way?!"
What is his issue?! "Need I remind you every single one of those people took the same thing from me, if not worse than what they did to you?! Elezar and Cassius tortured me and killed Icarus! Courtney tortured me and tried to kill Julia! Giselle betrayed me to the Syndicate and tried to have me killed as well!"
"Don't give me that Fury excuse!"
"Until you feel like your heart is going to burst, don't tell me how to feel about a damn thing!'
"How did it not help you?! You got what you wanted! I DIDN'T!"
Michael sighed as he felt his heart tingle. "Vengeance got me banished from Arcana. Vengeance almost cost me Julia. It cost me Olivia and my father. I have almost died so many times from the Fury, all because I wanted revenge on people who hurt me. I was almost Mewtwo's puppet because I let the Fury consume me on Mt. Heatmor. Do you really want to just be someone else's weapon of war because you never got the chance to let out your anger properly?!"
Chris stepped forward until the two were within inches of each other. "You robbed me of my chance to get back-"
"Against your father and stepmother! Two people you love!"
"You denied me my chance to give Mom something back!"
"Do you really think she'd want all three of us to be out for revenge, Chris? Revenge was what drove Cameron to confront Courtney out there. But it was her love for Cynthia that stopped her from becoming the same kind of monster I was. I wish I had you two to stop me from killing Cassius. How do you think she would feel to know all three of the children she loved and raised became vengeance seekers?!"
"SHE WAS MY MOTHER!"
"She was mine too!"
"YOUR MOTHER IS STILL ALIVE! MINE ISN'T!"
"You forget my mother basically told me to piss off when I was arrested? Who stood up for me against all of Arcana?! Not her! Jane did. Jane was my mother every bit as much as she was yours or Cams!"
Chris grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt, his eyes burning with anger. "How do you justify your own actions against my own?!"
"I'm not! I was consumed by my rage and it almost destroyed everyone I love! Cameron was as well until the end. Do you really want to end up like us?!" He moved quickly to catch a slap that was coming from Chris. "And punching me over this is not going to solve anything! No one is telling you that you have to have a relationship with them. And they are still losing a lot of what they have. But banishing them is a step too far."
Chris took a moment to try and collect himself, but Michael knew his cousin's rage was brimming, eager to explode again. "If you do this, the last good memory of Mom dies!"
"No it doesn't. Every memory of her lives on inside of you and me."
Chris eyed him with utter fury. "Ever you always were the one who wanted to be a good soul. Cameron would have wanted this. To punish Dad for what he did to Mom. To make him and Shannon pay for ever hurting her."
"Do you know that? Do you think she would be out for the same levels of blood you are? Or do you think she'd be more level-headed about all of this?!"
Chris looked as if he were about to spit venom. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT SHE WOULD HAVE DONE!"
"And you do?!"
"SHE WAS MY SISTER! MOM'S DAUGHTER! SHE LOVED MOM! SHE WOULD HAVE SEEN MORE CLEARLY!"
"Even if she would have agreed with you, Chris, Bridgette probably would have helped her see as clearly as I have. What is banishing them going to accomplish? What is taking their livelihood away going to accomplish? How sure can you be that Renee and Kat wouldn't hate us for doing that? Are you even aware of who was the one who sent called Bridgette here in the first place?!"
Chris was seething but stepped backwards and released Michael. "I'll bet it was Piper."
"Piper had nothing to do with this! Now you're just being stupid!"
"I'd rather be stupid and able to see than smart and blind like you!"
Michael shook his head in disgust. "You're already pushing the people you love away, Chris. Your wife had literally no involvement with this and Bridgette did nothing wrong by coming to me to ask for leniency." He tried to console Chris. "You're my best friend, dude. My brother. The guy I would fight a war for. The guy I know has my back when all is said and done. If you go chasing after vengeance, you're going to be left with nothing in the end. Just like Elezar. Just like Mewtwo. Just like Courtney. Just like I would have been."
"If we really are friends who have the other's back, too bad when it mattered most, you wouldn't reciprocate."
"I have always had your back! As well as Cameron's. I love you guys more than anything."
"Why not now?!"
"Because I can't just stand idly by while you self-destruct!"
"THEN MAYBE THE WRONG PERSON DIED ON THAT BATTLEFIELD!" Chris's eyes widened at his own words, and he stepped backwards, stumbling over the bench and falling to the ground.
Though the blow was not physical, Michael felt those words pierce his heart all the same. He felt himself dizzy, queasy and unwell. He leaned heavily on the locker behind him. It was a thought that had crossed his mind every day since Cameron had fallen. But to have it delivered by her brother, his best friend, opened the wound for him in ways no one had accomplished since the day his own mother had disowned him and allowed him to be arrested for crimes he hadn't committed of his own volition. His limbs locked up and he felt anguish reforming inside of him.
"Mike...I..." Chris began shamefully, but he couldn't follow through.
"Your words say enough" Michael responded.
"That's not what I-"
"Yes it was." He squeezed his eyes shut. "I don't know why I'm still alive, if we're being honest. I wanted to die when Icarus did. When I found out Mom died. When Julia left me. And I would have traded my life for Cameron's when Courtney killed her. I thought I was feeling low self-esteem or something. Good to know I should be dead and her not."
"Mike, I-"
"Mom only died because she wanted to protect me. Cameron only died because Courtney wanted to get to me. Since I robbed you of them, I should allow you the chance to finish off their true killer. Since it's clear only this will make you feel better." His heart was shattered at this revelation, but he stepped away from Chris and headed for the exit. "I am going to give this battle everything I have. And in the end, I just want you to know I never meant for this to happen to either of them. And that I love you, Chris. And I am so, so sorry for everything I've done to you. Just promise me you'll look after Julia and my kids. I don't think they'll understand what's going to happen."
"Michael, please! I didn't mean it like that!"
Michael looked back, the expression on his face apparently enough to shake Chris to his core. He went pale as they made eye contact. Michael was sure he had not made this look since he callously took the life of Cassius Sinclair. He then took a deep breath and walked out of the locker room. As the last bits of light inside of him died, he walked down several tunnels until he finally slumped against the wall and wept the last tears he was sure he would ever shed.
{}
As hundreds of thousands of spectators showered them with cheers and praise for making it even this far, Annette and Leon walked to the center of the arena to commence the match that both were highly excited for. They nodded to one another as the referee reiterated the rules to them. Six Pokémon, no items in battle (besides ones held by the Pokémon) and only the six Pokémon registered for this round were available. Upon looking over their teams, the two competitors shook hands and gave one another one last vote of confidence.
Leon went first. "Good luck, Annette. Whoever wins this had better be ready for what the Title Match has in store."
"You as well, Leon. Let's see which of us is truly worthy of facing the King or Chris!"
Both walked back to their own designated areas as the cheers became louder and more boisterous. Upon both trainers reaching their corners, they plucked their first Poke Balls off of their belts and waited for the signal for the match to begin.
"AND HERE WE GO!" the PA Announcer proclaimed.
"BEGIN!" the Referee shouted.
Leon moved quickly and with a great deal of flourish behind his moves. "Go, Cinderace!" From out of Leon's Poke Ball appeared a bipedal creature with long white ears and a look that had him more comfortable on a soccer pitch than a battlefield, but nevertheless looked far more intimidating just because it was Leon's. And any Pokémon he had must be dangerous to one degree or another.
Annette chose to make her first move to counter his. "Looks like we're up. Go, Seismitoad!" Annette countered with a blue and brown-colored amphibious Pokémon that looked like it just emerged from a century of sleep underneath a murky swamp.
Unfortunately for her, Leon's Pokémon was faster and prepared to strike first. "Cinderace! Use Trailblaze!"
"Seismitoad! Brace yourself!" Annette closed her eyes, expecting the Cinderace's lethal Grass attack to wipe away her leadoff Pokémon. But her Seismitoad surprised almost everybody, but especially his trainer. The Seismitoad was supposed to take the blow and allow it's highly toxic skin to inflict poison into the Cinderace, allowing her to whittle it down and take out the Pokémon while she got her ace, Tyranitar, out onto the battlefield to dominate. But instead, the Seismitoad burrowed underground, resulting in the Trailblaze attack missing by a wide margin. Annette gasped. She hadn't even taught her Seismitoad Dig, so how could it have known to burrow itself underground?
Leon looked to his Cinderace. "I don't suppose you have any surprise attacks, do you?" His Cinderace shrugged it's shoulders.
Annette could only guess what her own Pokémon had in store. As she waited for it to resurface, her opponent's Cinderace rushed over towards the burrow the Seismitoad had dug itself into and peeked inside. Without warning, a geyser of muddy water slammed itself into the face of the Cinderace, who fell backwards, temporarily blinded by the mud now covering it's face. The Seismitoad then reemerged and with one wickedly strong Earthquake, throttled the Cinderace. Leon's leadoff Pokémon was blasted back and forth across the arena floor before landing hard on the ground.
Leon looked floored. "Cinderace?! Are you okay?!"
The Cinderace moved on the ground, but looked as if it had no gas left, even at the start of the match. He stumbled back up to his feet and growled in anger. He attempted another Trailblaze attack to counterstrike, but it mud in his face prevented the move's accuracy from being effective and as a result, the Cinderace landed hard on the ground right in front of the Seismitoad. With one final Muddy Water, the Seismitoad knocked his opponent to the side and immediately set the tone for the match.
Everyone in the arena was paralyzed. The announcer tried to explain it. "And just like that, at the beginning of the match, Annette Fiveroux has struck down one of Leon's top Pokémon!"
Leon was caught completely off guard, but recalled his Cinderace and did his best to refocus himself. "Well, I did say I expected you to give me your best and you definitely have. Looks like I have to answer for once instead of forcing you guys to."
Annette gulped. She knew all she could say beyond that was that she was lucky. She definitely had not planned on her Seismitoad completely dominating the Cinderace after she realized it had the potential to use a devastating Grass Type move. And yet, she had. But she could not be too confident. She had to be ready for whatever Leon had in store for her. And she expected his very, very best. "Let's see what you've got, Leon."
"Gladly! Go, Rillaboom!"
Annette had to expect this was coming and yet it still deflated her. Leon's Rillaboom had almost singlehandedly dominated the match with Jeremy in the previous round. And if it was coming out this early, Annette knew that he was not only taking this match seriously, but he also had every intention of taking the initiative right from her and striking hard with the very best Pokémon in his arsenal. The Rillaboom appeared out of Leon's Poke Ball, pounding its customary drum violently and pounding his chest proudly in preparation for the onslaught.
But Annette was prepared for this. She was still horrified of what it could do, but she was unfazed. Her Seismitoad was prepared to not only face what Leon could throw, but perhaps even take it down with him. She had one final trick up her sleeve, not only with it's ability to poison any Pokémon that could physically make contact, but she had another way of making the match terrifying for him. But only if absolutely necessary.
"Annette, having seen what you can do through video myself" Leon began, "I know you're going to be the toughest opponent I've fought yet in this tournament and perhaps in the entirety of my career. So I know you have the same kind of knowledge that my friend Sonia has. Which means I need to think more in this match than I've ever thought before. So before I walk right into the obvious trap you've set for me, Miss Fiveroux, I think I have to wipe away your strategy." He looked to his Rillaboom. "Use Worry Seed!"
Annette was aghast. "NO!"
The Rillaboom kicked some seeds out from the ground that landed and scattered all around the battlefield, with some of them hitting her Seismitoad. Thanks to a shrewd move from her rival, the poisonous to the touch skin of her Seismitoad, which she was banking on taking the Rillaboom down with, would now dry back up and her Pokémon's ability became Insomnia, which basically meant it could not be put to sleep for the remainder of the battle. This left her Seismitoad wide open for a single Grass attack to finish it off.
Annette cursed under her breath. "Damn! Guess I have to get my hit in now before things get worse."
"Give me your worst, Annette!"
The way Leon said those words shook Annette. He had an unyielding confidence in himself. But it was to be expected. After all, he was one of the best trainers in the universe. He had to be feeling good about the match now. But she shook herself out of her worry and sent her Seismitoad in for the throat. "You're not going to win this easily, Leon! Use Sludge Wave!" Her Seismitoad caused a tidal wave of toxic goop to overrun the entire battlefield. The Rillaboom did his best to dodge the damage, but the wave overtook him as all waves eventually do. He recovered quickly, biting down on a Yache Berry he was holding to weaken the damage done by the poisonous move.
The Rillaboom lowered down to it's knee as the poisonous ocean surrounding them began to recede. Annette had succeeded in poisoning it, but that was only a brief reprieve for what was to come.
Leon sent his Pokémon in for the finishing blow. "Use Drum Beating!" The Grass Pokémon slammed on it's drum with it's drumsticks, prompting a massive tree root to shoot out of the ground and strike at the defenseless Seismitoad, evening the match. Annette recalled her Pokémon as Leon waved to his cheering fans in the stands.
"I'm giving my all just for you, the people of Galar and Arcana!"
Annette scowled. "I'm not going to let him get away with that!" She reached onto her belt. "Let's do this, Houndoom!" Her Houndoom, a sinister canine that seemed to come straight from the gates of hell, let out a ferocious growl as he glared down his opponent.
"Let's set up a defense" Leon assured himself and his Pokemon. "Grassy Terrain!" The Rillaboom beat it's drum more soothingly, allowing a field of grass and flowers to sprout up around him. Little by little, the Rillaboom was regaining it's HP and trying to neutralize the damage from the poison. Not only that, but it's Grass moves would also increase a touch in power. Though Annette had Pokemon capable of dealing with Leon's Rillaboom, she needed to get it out of the match before her ace could come in and clean up the rest of it.
"You want to surround yourself with all this grass?" Annette asked curiously.
"All good if it means I can protect my Rillaboom!"
"Then I guess you want nothing but charred remains! Houndoom! Use Heat Wave!"
"Rillaboom! U-Turn!"
Before Annette's Houndoom could strike, the Rillaboom rushed in at impeccable speed, landed a reasonably harsh blow on her Fire Type with a Bug move and then retreated into it's Poke Ball, allowing Leon to call forth another Pokémon. And to Annette's utter dismay, it was the last of the Galarian Starter Pokémon, Inteleon. Her Houndoom did eventually get out it's attack and scorch the Grassy Terrain around Leon's Pokémon, but the Inteleon took the blow easily enough and seemed to even dismiss it as if it were nothing.
"Snipe Shot!"
In one shot, the Inteleon shot a rocket of high pressured water at the Houndoom, knocking aside Annette's best option for dealing with the Rillaboom. Annette recalled her Houndoom and looked on nervously as Leon had completely turned the tide of the match in a few quick moves. She knew Leon would be tough, but to be down this early was unnerving to her. Nevertheless, she would not throw in the towel this easily. Taking on Inteleon would be challenging to beat, but not impossible. She'd been raising a new Pokémon anyway. And what better time than now to see if it was ready to go.
"Come on out, Emolga!" From out of her next Poke Ball came the Unovan version of what many called a "Pika Clone" or Pokémon that seemed to have similar evolutionary gifts and powers as Pikachu. A flying rodent Pokémon with resistances to Ground would help her, but she needed to make sure it was faster and could ensure nothing Leon could do to turn the tide. She suspected Inteleon had an Ice Type move or two up it's sleeves. She needed to take that out of the equation quickly. "Use Eerie Impulse!"
Leon gasped. "Clever move!"
The Emolga let out a cute chatter-like noise before unveiling a sonic boom of tremendous force. The Inteleon was greatly effected by it and fell to it's knees, it's power reduced drastically. The Inteleon tried to counter with an Ice Beam, but the Emolga floated out of the way of the blow with almost little effort. With one well timed Thunderbolt, Annette evened the odds. The bolt struck Leon's Inteleon in the head, reducing it to nothing more than an electrified lizard. It fell over and Leon recalled his Pokémon, with Annette having reclaimed the momentum. For the moment.
{}
The commotion of Julia departing to give birth had subsided as soon as the battle began just below the Royal Box. Of those who remained, only Greta and Piper, who were focused on trying to find some way to grab Mark's attention from the newly arrived Bridgette Duon, were not watching the match. Matthew, Holly, Jeremy, Justin, Lizzie, Mark and Bridgette were all leaning on the wide glass windows in awe of the battling going down just beneath them.
"This is incredible" Holly chirped up. "Who would have thought Annette was this good?"
"I always knew" Matthew insisted. "She's the toughest of the tough."
"So did I" Jeremy replied eagerly. "She's excellent. Always has been. She never wanted to train with me so I wouldn't see her weaknesses. Now I can see why. She's relentless."
"It's not over yet" Lizzie warned. "Leon didn't make it this far through sheer luck. There's a reason many only think Michael is capable of beating him."
"His Rillaboom is a given" Mark wondered aloud. "Who else will he have brought?"
"His absolute best" Justin suggested. "If he respects his remaining opponents, he would not insult them by giving them any less than his absolute best. Even Annette, who doesn't have a fraction of the experience of both the King and Lord Christopher, deserves his best. At least, if you ask me."
Bridgette eyed the young man curiously. "You seem to be quite the scholarly type."
"Hardly, my lady" Justin explained himself. "I just know that Pokémon Battling in events like this requires honor. You would never see someone like my uncle take part here."
"Your Uncle couldn't have held a candle to James Kingston in his prime" Mark reminded him. "Claude was no master battler. I was surprised when I found out he even had Pokémon."
Bridgette gasped. "Claude? As in Claude Jacques?"
Justin sighed. "The very same. I am the last male in the Jacques Family line. But now that I am here to take part in my uncle's affairs, I will not continue his practices of malice or hate. I want to improve the reputation of my family name, which he tarnished. Doing everything I could to help thwart Mewtwo was a good start, but I will be doing more, at least as much as the King will allow me to."
Bridgette smiled faintly. "That's very honorable of you. Arcana needs a lot to rebuild itself to what it was back when James Kingston was running the show. But as long as we have people like you helping, Justin, I suspect the trajectory will improve."
Lizzie raised an eyebrow at this. "But Justin doesn't know much about the politics and stuff like that."
"You don't need to be a master to understand what people need, Lizzie" the surfer girl brought up. "None of us are what you'd consider brilliant politicians, except for maybe Annie and her father Wendell. Justin isn't his uncle when it comes to law and interpreting it, which is a good thing. Claude undermined the systems to make himself a richer and more prominent man." Her hand that leaned on the window balled into a fist as she recalled the wicked old man Claude was. "He conned my family out of our ancestral lands. My parents had to leave Arcana because of him. I would have too if Jack didn't have his own place, as well as Aunt Jane looking after the both of us. He was a wicked old snake and the world is glad to be rid of him."
"Guess you'd have wanted to give my brother a handshake then" Matthew coyly pointed out, "considering he was the one who took Claude down."
Bridgette smiled a devilish grin. "Handshake? I'd have kissed the kid, Matt." The others laughed at this assertion as Bridgette calmed herself. "My Aunt never bought a lie Claude told her. She stood by Michael through everything he went through. If only we'd have stood by her when the Syndicate took her." She lowered her head in sorrow.
To the shock of everyone present, especially Mark and Lizzie, Justin knelt down before Bridgette as if she were the Queen herself. "My lady, I will not rest until the wrongs my uncle has done to you are rectified. My uncle was a cruel man, but I hope that any effort I put into restoring the true name of Jacques to it's true glory means I can also do right by those he wronged."
"Justin?!" Lizzie cried out. "What are you-"
"How could you just-" Mark began but was dragged back towards Greta and Piper by his agitated fiancé, who did everything she could to prevent Mark's old jealousies of a single Bridgette Duon place a further wedge between them. It took Piper practically pushing to two together into an awkward but romantic kiss to distract them.
Bridgette was caught completely off guard by Justin's proclamation. "I don't hold you accountable for-"
"I swear to you" Justin assured her. "I will not rest until your own family has something to look forward to in their homelands. No one need fear men like my uncle or Elezar Aced again as long as their descendants do not follow in their footsteps. That is my word, my lady." Justin remained kneeling in front of Bridgette before he clumsily, yet still with a slight amount of grace and chivalry, took Bridgette's hand.
Lizzie was beyond puzzled at this situation. What is going on here?! Why is Justin doing this?!
Bridgette, instead of allowing Justin to keep kneeling before her, pulled Justin back to his feet and smiled at him. "I thank you for your knightly service, Justin. But your friendship is more important to me than any of these actions could be. Just promise you will not follow the same path as him and we'll be squared away."
Justin nodded enthusiastically as he grasped her hands. "Of course, my lady. Of course."
Lizzie was about to comment, but Piper came to her side and shook her head endearingly. "They say Bridgette would have made a phenomenal Contest Queen if she wanted to. She might have overshot me or Dee. Poise, grace, beauty. She has all of the qualities. But she has the heart of a fighter in her. We like to think that's where Mikey and Chris get it from. She's a master Pokemon Trainer."
"Why are you telling me this?" Lizzie moaned. "To make me feel worse?"
Piper smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "Nope. To give you all the lead you might need to overcome her."
"Lead? What lead?"
"You'd better figure it out soon" the Contest Queen giggled as her attention returned to the match below.
Lizzie shook her head grumpily. Instead of talking in riddles, why can't people talk straight to me? As everyone's attention turned back to Annette and Leon's battle, with Justin and Bridgette now side by side and Matthew nervously muttering to himself about the coming clashes below, Lizzie had to wonder if it wasn't her brain telling her it was a riddle and if Piper had actually given her a hint about making sure Justin didn't fall hopelessly in love with a woman who could rival and perhaps surpass her in all categories.
{}
Despite holding the slightest of edges upon taking down Leon's Inteleon, Annette found her Emolga on the backfoot as Leon's Haxorus rampaged all around the battlefield. The Emolga ducked and weaved through endlessly falling Stone Edge attacks and the impending Outrage from Leon's mighty Dragon Pokémon. Occasionally, Annette would have her small Electric Pokémon try to get in a Nuzzle to paralyze it, but the Haxorus's speed proved to be too much for them to handle. In the end, dodging was all she could do until her plans for the remainder of the fight could be finalized. She needed to find a way to keep her Emolga in to face the Rillaboom, but had only one Pokémon she could think of that might counter this Haxorus. But the only way she would be allowed to exchange Pokémon would be if her Emolga could use Volt Switch or fainted, neither of which was a feasible option. All she could do now was hope that the Haxorus did not nail the blow it needed.
It wasn't, which was beginning to frustrate Leon. "Come on, Haxorus. It's not the hardest thing to hit, is it?" His Dragon Pokémon came to a halt to chastise his trainer.
Annette knew this was the only shot she had. "NOW! USE NUZZLE!" Her Emolga flew like a dart and hit the Haxorus. The move did it's intended job as the Haxorus was paralyzed. She let out a sigh of relief. Good, now we can hope Leon does just what I hope he does. She had purposely been only dodging and avoiding the use of her final move for just the right moment. Not a move like Volt Switch or U-Turn, but something far better.
"Well, there's no sense in letting my Haxorus get whittled down" Leon replied bitterly. "But without a good option in countering an Emolga, my only shot is to leave him in, unfortunately." He pointed towards his Haxorus. "Stone Edge!" The Haxorus attempted to kick up a boulder strong enough to annihilate Annette's Emolga, but it's paralysis prevented the move.
Now Annette was in a bind. She could whittle it down with a Thunderbolt, but that would waste time and energy from her Pokémon, which had exerted enough of it already. But if she were to use her fourth move, she knew Leon would do everything but send his Rillaboom back out for another round of battling. She knew she had little choice but to use more energy. The KO of that Rillaboom was too important. "Let's hammer 'em with everything we've got! Thunderbolt!"
The Emolga charged enough electricity into it's cheek pouches before shooting it out on the Haxorus. The Dragon endured the blows, but only just. Leon looked for his Pokémon to counter with something, but the Haxorus seemed too exhausted to keep up with the lightning fast Emolga. Or was it?
Annette looked to her Emolga. "If at first you don't succeed, hammer 'em again!"
"PAYBACK!" Leon shouted.
Annette realized Leon had lured her into a well laid trap. Her Emolga did not have enough time to boomerang herself back to her, as the Haxorus slammed it back with it's tail with such force, the Emolga was winded after one blow. Her flying rodent was okay, but would not last much longer in the fight. Good move. Leon is truly giving this fight his all. Which means so do I. I can't afford for him to take out my Emolga without finishing this Pokémon off.
"Emolga! Use Acrobatics!" Her Emolga flew all around the Haxorus, slamming into it with tremendous gusto and speed before Leon's rampaging Dragon finally fell to the ground.
Leon recalled his Pokémon as the bell tolled that he was now down to three usable Pokémon, one of which was still dealing with the effects of poison. "You were planning on holding that move back to deal with my Rillaboom, weren't you?"
Annette frowned. "You saw through it, though."
"Honestly, I thought your last move was going to be U-Turn and you'd use it on my next Pokémon to withdraw it. But now that I know what you have instore for me, I'm not about to play into your hands, Miss Fiveroux. Allow me to introduce the bane of many a trainer in Galar. Go, Charizard!"
"WHAT?!" Annette screamed. How could he be bringing out his ace so soon? All of her plans were now ruined. She would have to do the rest of this match on the backfoot. Leon's Charizard appeared, growling so angrily that even her Emolga lost it's nerves while it floated weakly in front of it's trainer. All it took was one Flamethrower to knock her Emolga aside. The roars from the fans all around her were making her anxiety worse. Leon was truly giving this his all. If he wasn't, why would he have brought his Charizard out so soon?
"You seem confused, Annette" Leon spoke to her, surprisingly understanding her nerves. "You backed me into a pretty substantial corner. I don't usually bring out my Charizard this early unless I'm really in trouble or with a favorable matchup."
Annette could feel the world spiraling around her. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out her inhaler, but she could feel herself rapidly losing breath. She took in her first inhale and found herself calming slightly. The referee, having been the same from the matchup she had with Hau, came to her side to ensure she was okay, health-wise.
"You will be able to continue?" he asked.
Annette nodded. "Ye-yeah. I think so."
Leon lowered his arms. "I didn't mean to intimidate you if I did. If anything, I was complimenting you."
She wheezed as her breathing tried to return to normal. "You...you were?"
"Like I said, my Charizard doesn't come out this early unless I'm truly in trouble in a match. You've got me reeling. But I countered and have evened the odds again. Now, I want to see some of those moves you have in store for me, Miss Fiveroux. If you want to be the very best like the creed says, you have to show the best of yourself. And I want to see it, as long as you can handle it."
Annette, while trying to ensure she did not have an asthma attack from her heightened anxiety, also had to think about her next move carefully. She had one Pokémon that could outright crush this Charizard. But it would also leave her exposed to the Rillaboom should he return and then whatever was left of Leon's team. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized she had no other choice. She needed her ace in the hole. She reached onto her belt. If Leon has to bring out his best, so do I.
"GO! TYRANITAR!" Compared to the cheers Leon's Charizard got upon coming out, the applause her Tyranitar got as it appeared could be considered mild at best. Few wanted to see one of the most famous Pokemon in the world bested, but she could not worry about how the fans handled their excitement. It was out of her power. But what wasn't out of her power was the battle. Charizard would know few, if any, moves that could hit her Tyranitar with enough force to beat it, especially as a sandstorm whipped up around them, further hampering the Charizard's view.
She had to ensure her Tyranitar could keep itself in the match. "Use Dragon Dance!"
"Powering up? Then so will I! Use Belly Drum!"
In the time her Tyranitar gained a short attack and speed boost, Leon's Charizard had caused itself to lose half of it's health to maximize it's own attack output. A risky move, but one hit could in theory knock her Tyranitar out...that is, if she didn't anticipate this very move from Leon. She'd known many people who use Charizard to utilize Belly Drum. Robert, the leader of Charizark Town Gym and her beloved Matthew's father, was a known Belly Drum user. She had one way of counteracting it. But it would require Leon to choose the wrong move next.
"Charizard! Use Flare Blitz!"
Annette smiled. Gotcha.
The Charizard cloaked itself in flames and rushed headlong into the sandstorm and towards Annette's ace Pokémon. The Charizard's speed and power was being slightly hampered by the sandstorm, but it's accuracy was even worse. The Flare Blitz nearly knocked Annette over as the Charizard had to veer off course and realize it had missed it's target considerably. The Tyranitar appeared just as quickly from out of the storm and kicked one massive Stone Edge attack onto the Charizard, taking it out almost immediately.
The people in the Colosseum were stunned. Leon was speechless as his Charizard returned to it's Poke Ball. Annette felt exhausted enough by this battle already. She had taken on the best Leon could throw at her and came out standing, though barely. Her Tyranitar had prevailed, but she knew she could not rest easily. Rillaboom would be coming out now.
Leon sent back his Rillaboom, strong and eager for the fight despite having lost health due to poison. As soon as the Rillaboom appeared, its Grassy Terrain appeared back with it. Without her Houndoom to rip up the terrain, she was now at the mercy of the Rillaboom's ability to regenerate health while dealing with the sandstorm and poison.
"Tyranitar! Use Ice Fang!"
"Rillaboom! Use Grassy Glide!'
Both Pokémon charged at one another, with Leon's soaring across the meadow and Annette's charging to freeze it's target. However, Annette's Tyranitar sensed the changing tides and grabbed a hold of the Rillaboom and prepared to use it's massive weight to crush it's opponent with a Body Press. But Leon's Pokémon anticipated this. It canceled it's own feint and used Drum Beating again. Before the Tyranitar could strike, it was itself dealt a tremendous amount of damage by a massive tree root striking from below. The Tyranitar landed back near Annette, dazed and drained of power, but still eager for fighting more.
The sandstorm subsided, as did the Grassy Terrain. Both Pokémon looked fatigued, with Leon's nearing it's fall to poison and Annette's winded from it's own blow. The two rushed forward without any prompting from their trainers and exchanged titanic blows with one another until one would finally lose it's strength. To both trainer's horror, both succumbed at once. Annette's mighty Tyranitar fell and Leon's back breaker succumbed to poison. Annette was winning the match, but she had no idea of what to expect from Leon's last Pokémon.
Both exhausted Pokémon were recalled and Annette looked to her remaining two options: Hawlucha and her newest addition to substitute one of her Smeargles, a Glaceon. She had begun to raise an Eevee in honor of her friends having begun their journeys with one. Not only that, but the King and Queen were known Eevee trainers. She had to know that it would come to her Glaceon against whatever Leon had left. Without Charizard, she figured his last Pokémon would be Aegislash. And her Glaceon would do nothing against him. But if she misinterpreted a situation, she could throw her Hawlucha into a matchup it was not prepared for. This would be the toughest call of her life and potentially her career.
"Okay, let's end this, Glaceon!" Her fair and delicate Glaceon appeared, it's ice body shining in the sunlight. As it appeared, a gentle snow fall began to coat the battlefield, thanks to it beginning the match with a Snowscape move to better enjoy itself on the battlefield.
"Looks like a sudden snowfall is coming" the announcer proclaimed. "We'd better wear our jackets from now on."
The audiences finally seemed to be getting behind Annette as they cheered the snow as well as her Glaceon. Her Pokémon licked itself in the snow as they awaited Leon's final move.
Leon nodded. "Backed against the wall. All I've got is this one Pokemon. Everything riding on this one. Let's hope you're ready for this. Come on out, Dragapult!"
Annette would have leaped for joy if she didn't think it would be rude. A Dragon Pokemon against an Ice Type? She could not believe her luck. There was few known weaknesses for Dragon Pokemon. But Ice was one of the most exploitative. And she was determined to do so.
But as she envisioned herself celebrating her win with all of her friends surrounding her, a thought appeared in her head. Leon wasn't afraid. He wasn't nervous. In fact, he seemed downright ecstatic himself that his opponent would be an Ice Type. Was it him pretending to be confident? Or was he truly hoping to shatter Annette's dream one more time?
It didn't take long for her answer to be received. "Dragapult! Use Fire Blast!"
Annette closed her eyes, cursing herself for being so confident. Her Glaceon prepared to dodge the blow without any input from her, but the Dragapult's attack was so powerful, it not only melted the snowfall around them, but it began to scorch everything in it's path, including Annette's Pokémon. She had no shot of withstanding an attack of that kind of power from that kind of powerful Pokémon. When the flames cleared, her newest Pokémon had fallen in one shot and her hope was drained almost completely.
"And just like that, Leon has evened the odds again!" the announcer proclaimed. The crowd noise was becoming deafening. Annette felt the pressure of the world building on her shoulders. Had she made it so far, only to fail once again? First to Lizzie, then to Cameron, then to shady trainers from the Syndicate and now to Leon? Was she still not strong enough? What would happen if she failed now? Would she ever be able to make it this far again? Would she ever be able to get out of the shadows of those better than her? Was it going to even be possible to withstand Leon's last terrifying Pokémon?
Giving up already? Come on, Ride Buddy, I thought you were stronger than that...
Annette's eyes flew open and she gasped. "R-Ryan?" She thought she could hear him as clear as day. But it had been months since she said farewell to one of her best friends in the world. Was it really him? Or was it what he would have said to her? She'd never gotten to challenge him in his brief reign as Champion. She'd dreamed of it, but it never came to pass. Now, here she was in the single most challenging match in her life, without him.
Or was she?
Was she truly alone? Or was he still with her as he had been with Addy? Weren't all of her friends with her in some way or form? Jeremy, Holly, Dawn, Lucas, Tommy, Addison...Matthew? Did she have all of them in her corner or didn't she? When she took up Hawlucha's Poké Ball one last time, she felt the same confidence shining inside that she had heard from Ryan only seconds earlier. She wasn't alone. She would never be alone. And she was not going to let her dream die without even making a conscious effort.
"Hawlucha!"
Her Hawlucha appeared and acted unfazed against a terrifying Dragapult like Leon's. The Dragon Pokémon simply floated in silence in front of his trainer.
Leon and Annette locked eyes. "Looks like this match is nearing the end, Miss Fiveroux."
"Let's give 'em a match worth talking about for generations" she replied, her hand on her heart as if soothing her own nerves for once. So long as you guys are with me. I can't lose.
Both the Hawlucha and Dragapult circled each other, waiting to see which of the two would have the itchier trigger finger. Annette feared it would be her own Pokémon, but her Hawlucha was as calm and collected as it had ever been. The Dragapult mirrored it. Neither made a move for a long, suspenseful moment. Annette could see the clouds darkening over the Colosseum. There was a storm coming. Another big one? Would it delay the Finals again?
In a blink of an eye, both of the Pokémon moved at once. Hawlucha with a Brave Bird and Dragapult with an Outrage. Both Pokémon struck with precision and speed the likes of which only Master Pokémon Trainers could achieve. Both Pokémon collided with one another in such an impact of power, both Annette and Leon were flung backwards. Annette barely managed to keep standing, while Leon fell to one knee.
It was in this moment, where her Hawlucha and Leon's Dragapult clashed, that Annette made a realization about herself. She wasn't just someone intruding on that seventh tier of trainer she had known. She was in it. She had taken down the likes of Diantha, Hau, Lance and now was within striking distance of her first ever Title Match appearance. And her Hawlucha was giving now quarter to the Dragapult. Even as they exchanged hammering blows, neither was giving up an inch. Regardless of the outcome of this match, Annette was now in the same category as Leon, Cynthia and the two most powerful trainers she had ever known in the King and his cousin.
The blows finally stopped being given as two direct blows from Brave Bird and Outrage landed simultaneously. The two crashed backwards and landed hard in front of their trainers. She looked down a her Hawlucha, doing everything it could just to stand. Leon's Dragapult was floating back to life, but it looked like it was on it's last legs. It would all come down to which of the Pokémon blinked first.
Her Hawlucha dug it's talons into the ground and righted itself up and pumped out it's chest defiantly at Leon's Pokémon. The Dragapult picked it's head up and seemed to be mustering some kind of ghostly wail of sorts, but then it's eyes rolled backwards and it's floating ceased. In one moment, it fell to the ground in front of Leon.
After a moment of waiting to see if Hawlucha would fall as well, the referee made his declaration. "Dragapult is no longer able to battle!"
"THE WINNER!" the PA Announcer exploded. "ANNETTE FIVEROUX!"
Annette found the weight of the world come off her shoulders. She picked up her Hawlucha and embraced him. "We did it, buddy!" Without warning, Annette found the entire floor of the Colosseum being assailed by fans and trainers alike, all itching to get a word in from the first of the Master Cup's finalists and Leon's' parting words of defeat. She felt claustrophobic in all of this and knew her anxiety would encroach her, had she not been grabbed from behind and pulled out of the chaos engulfing her.
She looked up and found her brother pulling her to the side of the Colosseum as the fans cheered and said their farewells to the great and unbeaten Leon of Galar. Once they were free of the crowds for a brief moment, Annette recalled her exhausted Hawlucha and leaped into her brother's arms.
"I can't believe it, sis" Garret admonished. "You did it. You really did it!"
"I did it!" she replied, herself in tears at this moment. "I did it. I did it!"
"I am so proud of you, Annette! More than words can express."
"Thank you, Garret!" She planted a kiss on her brother's cheek as the crowds finally discovered where they had gone. Garret put his sister on his shoulders as the thousands of fans surrounding them cheered for her, took her picture and celebrated her hard-fought victory over one of the greatest trainers of all time. In order to remind herself that this was real, she would kiss her brother's head and hope for a response and he simply laughed excitedly at her achievement.
The crowds parted ways and Leon stepped through them and saluted Annette respectfully. "Well, I finally ran into my second impenetrable wall."
"Your second?"
Galar's Champion shrugged. "There have only been two trainers in my life that I've never beaten, Annette. Michael Kingston and now you. While Michael may have been the toughest I've ever gone toe to toe with, you have something in you that he doesn't. A kind of aura about you. A sheer determination and faith in yourself and your Pokémon. One that has taken you this far and will continue to take you higher and higher up the ladder. Nothing I did seemed to wear you down. And if I can't beat you, there's no way I can call myself a Pokémon Master just yet. I still have a lot to learn. And thank you for showing me that." He offered his hand out for Annette to shake. "Let's battle again sometime."
Annette took his hand and shook it proudly. "Anytime, Leon." As they came apart and Leon's adoring fans surrounded him to assure him he was 'the best', Annette finally found the crowd of people she wanted to see. Holly, Jeremy and Tommy were the first she recognized. She had Garret lower her and the group embraced. She hugged Jeremy tightly and tussled Tommy's hair as Holly joined into the embrace. Dawn and Lucas were next and they were just as excited for her, with Dawn loudly boasting that she was going to get a match in with Annette when all of this was over. And while she happily hugged them, she waited for the boy she wanted to see.
Matthew made his way through the crowd and was preparing to muster the right words to say, but she flung herself at him, with the two landing on the ground surrounded by friends and onlookers. Without prompt or warning, she planted the kiss she would gladly tell her children about one day upon her boyfriend. Matthew's face became as red as her hair, but he made no move to break out. The two were hailed and celebrated for the next several moments, without a care in the world for anything else. She was on her way to the Title Match.
