Chapter 33: Man in the Mirror
As he slept on the grass, he clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. He kept taking deep breaths and sweated heavily as his dream progressed in his mind.
"Roxas, Sapphire, you have to leave now," a male voice said with a very soft tone.
"But why?" the little boy asked, remaining oblivious to the sounds of explosions and yelling going on outside of the room.
"Because it's safer sweetheart, trust us," another voice said sweetly, a female one this time.
"When you come back, will we go for ice cream?" the boy inquired innocently.
"We'll buy you all the flavors you'd like," the male figure grinned at him.
"But if you don't behave, there's no ice cream, so behave well, ok sweetie?" the female figure smiled at him.
The doors suddenly opened and a man stood there at the entrance, "Coming…" was the only thing he said before he dropped to the ground lifelessly.
"It's time for you to go now," the male figure said with a soft tone.
"You know what to do darling," the female figure turned to the girl who stood next to Roxas; she was just as old as he was.
"Yep, I'll take good care of Roxas until you get back, then we'll watch movies like we use to right?" the little girl said with a sweet tone.
"That's right angel," the woman responded warmly.
The sounds of explosions echoing in the hallway reached their ears and the two adult figures spoke, "You have to hurry up now, Ho-oh is waiting outside the building to take you flying. You don't want to miss that don't you?" the man asked.
"Nope," the two kids shook their heads sideways.
"Then go, hurry honey, Ho-oh isn't a very patient bird," the woman giggled and the two kids nodded.
Before Sapphire and Roxas finally left through the emergency exit, the boy took one last look at the figures. They were both smiling, but they had tears in their eyes and he wondered if that was possible, if a person could be happy and sad at the time, smile and cry simultaneously.
The woman held onto the man and hid her face in his chest while the man gave Roxas a warm look, the last thing Roxas saw him do was wink at him and he heard something faint, but then realized what he said, "Goodbye, my son." A single tear dropping from the little boy's face when he finally understood what was actually going on.
"Tepig, I choose you!" Ash called out his loyal Fire-type.
"Boldore, go!" the cloaked-figure commanded.
"Tepig!" Tepig glared at the Rock-type once it appeared on the battlefield.
"A Boldore, haven't fought one of those in a while," Ash stated.
"Boldore, use Power Gem," the stranger mumbled.
"Boldore!" the Rock-type acknowledged and the middle gem underneath its eyes began to glow red. Suddenly, a red beam shot out with quick speed.
"Tepig, dodge and use Flame Charge!" Ash extended his arm to the left.
"Tepig!" Tepig jetted off with fire enveloping its body. The pig's swift movement easily allowed him to avoid the Power Gem.
Boldore remained still as Tepig charged forward with all its might. "Tepig tepig teeepiiiiig!" Tepig increased the wrath of the flames encircling it and leaped at Boldore.
"Mud-Slap," the trainer murmured and with that said, Boldore, splashed dirt at Tepig much like Sand-Attack, but with more force and sent the flying.
The bomb of dirt thrown at him sent Tepig flying back, Ash reacted quickly, "Tepig, get it together and use Flamethrower!"
"Tepig," Tepig gained its composure and while in mid air used Flamethrower, blasting out the powerful stream of fire.
"Counter with Smack Down," the figure muttered.
"Dore!" Boldore charged up a golden orb and shot it at the Flamethrower. The two attacks then clashed and large explosion occurred in mid air.
"This battle isn't getting anywhere, Tepig doesn't have the advantage and Boldore's defense is too good," Iris sighed.
"Even with Tepig's superior speed and attacks," Cilan stated.
"That Natural guy seems to know what he's doing though, he already hit Tepig once, yet Tepig hasn't even laid a figure on him," Hilbert crossed his arms.
"What should Ash do now?" Hilda questioned, hoping Ash could win.
"He has to keep charging until he finds an opening or else he won't win," Benga stated.
"Ash battled a Boldore before back when I first met him, and he won. So if he can do that once, he can do it twice," Bianca was certain about Ash being able to turn the tables.
"Pika…" Pikachu watched as Tepig kept using Flamethrower and Ember to strike Boldore, but it was no use.
"Tini vi," Victini became anxious as he saw Ash's opponent start to overwhelm him.
"I feel the same. Ash can't lose and he won't lose, this battle may not be going in his favor right now, but he can still turn the tables, he always has," May spoke to Victini and expressed her undying faith in Ash's abilities.
"Power Gem," Boldore's trainer muttered.
"Tepig, counter with Flamethrower," Ash ordered.
Boldore and Tepig unleashed their attacks, both crying out their names. The two moves then collided at the middle of the field, causing another cloud of smoke due to the explosion. He's going to strike; the figure thought and murmured, "Iron Defense."
Boldore turned its body into iron, increasing its defense in case Tepig struck. As he predicted, a Flamethrower was ordered and a fire shot out of the cloud of smoke. The Boldore took the attack head on, but the fire sent the Rock-type flying anyway. "Boldore!" it cried out as it landed on the hard ground, impossible, he thought.
Ash chuckled and the smoke disappeared, revealing him and Tepig once again. "You probably thought that Iron Defense would defend you from all attacks, but you should remember that Flamethrower is a special attack. If you wanted Boldore to have guaranteed defense against Flamethrower, you should have used a move that raises its special defense," Ash explained to his opponent.
Natural gritted his teeth as the caster spoke, "Ash, finally made a hit with a remarkable comeback, not using strength to hit his opponent, but his wits. Outwitting an opponent is a very clever trick if you ask me."
Boldore groaned as it got up and Natural continued to grind his teeth, "Boldore, use Smack Down and Power Gem."
"Booooldoooore!" Boldore shouted out and released a golden orb, followed by a red beam. The double attack blasted at Tepig with great power, but Ash and Tepig remained calm.
"Tepig, use Flame Charge to dodge and use a boost from Tackle for even more speed," Ash smiled confidently, finally seeing his victory come through.
"Teeeeeepiiiiiiig!" Tepig braced itself and then darted off, become enveloped in fire once again. The fire pig easily dodged the incoming attack and was now merely a few feet away from Boldore.
"Mud-Slap," Natural muttered and Boldore prepared to hit Tepig with dirt once again.
"If Mud-Slap hits, it'll be over for Ash, it's a super effective move so it can do more damage than we think," Cilan grinded his teeth.
"C'mon Ash!" Iris yelled.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu shouted.
"Ash, finish it!" May screamed at the raven-haired teen.
Ash caught eye of his friends and smiled, his attention then returned to Tepig, "Full speed" the trainer commanded.
"Teeeepiiiig!" Tepig leaped at Boldore with a fiery bullet right before Boldore could use Mud-Slap.
The power from Tepig's bash was so powerful it sent Boldore flying against the wall despite it being a heavy Rock-type Pokémon. "Boldoooore," the Pokémon moaned when it hit the ground after denting the wall, its eyes swirled.
"Boldore is unable to battle; the victor of this match is Tepig!" Don George announced.
"The increased speed from Tackle certainly gave Tepig the boost it needed to hit Boldore right before it could use Mud-Slap," Cilan explained how Ash had come out as the victor.
"In addition to that, the momentum from Tepig guaranteed enough power to finish Boldore, now that's some serious battle knowledge," Benga nodded, impressed by Ash's performance.
May looked at Pikachu and Victini, the three of him smiling over the victory of the person they all cared about. Knew it like always, May giggled in her mind
"Return Boldore," the cloaked figure returned his Pokémon.
"Way to go Tepig that was great!" Ash petted the pig while kneeling down.
"Tepig," Tepig smiled back at his trainer.
Ash motioned his gaze from Tepig to Natural and spoke across the battlefield, "Natural, thanks for a great battle, your Boldore was awesome."
Natural took a look at the grin on Ash's face while he petted Tepig and left without a word, ignoring Ash's comment and leaving everyone confused. "May be he is right after all," Natural whispered while walking away.
"Someone's a sore loser," Hilda commented.
"Some people can be so disrespectful," Bianca sighed.
"Who cares, Ash is advancing to the next round and the only left now is May," Hilbert stated and they all turned to the brunette.
The sapphire-eyed girl looked at all of them and stood up, "Right then, wish me luck." The brunette grinned and dashed off with Pikachu and Victini after her.
As she walked past the hallway, she met up with Ash. The girl stopped and pecked him on the cheek, "Ash, you did great. I'm so happy," May smiled at him.
"Thanks May, now you're the only left that needs to advance, go win it," Ash winked at her and pecked her on the cheek, making her blush lightly.
"Tini victini," Victini became visible and rubbed its cheek against May.
"Pikachu chu pi," Pikachu encouraged May as well.
The brunette smiled and nodded, "Don't worry, I'll win no doubt," her tone sounding very confident.
With that Victini and Pikachu got on Ash's shoulders and they winked at May simultaneously before walking away. May took a look at the trio and smiled, she then turned her attention to her battle. The girl looked at the entrance and rushed out, being introduced by the caster and the audience cheering when she appeared, it seemed like a lot of people in Unova were already familiar with her.
Her happiness faded when she saw her opponent though, the short red-haired opponent at the other end. His hair stood upwards and his sly grin screamed out the jerk he appeared to be, "Remember me?" the trainer asked, chuckling.
"I'm here to battle, not chat," May glared at him and reached for a Pokéball.
"Sassy, I like them like that," Dino chuckled. He reached for a Pokéball and spoke, "Babe, why don't I take you out for dinner once this is all over?"
"Not even in your dreams," May grinded her teeth in annoyance and vein popping out on her forehead.
"Ash, looks like that guy is giving May a hard time. Aren't you doing to do anything about it?" Hilbert questioned.
Ash chuckled and responded, "As much as I'd like to, May can handle this one. Once she beats him, she'll probably shut him up for good."
"Someone enjoys playing hard to get it, fine honey, let's play that way. Darumaka, let's go!" Dino called out his Pokémon.
"Liepard, take the stage!" May called out her loyal Pokémon.
"Lie," Liepard smirked once it appeared on the battlefield.
"Daru," Darumaka glared at his opponent.
"If you don't like dinner, how about movies?" Dino questioned.
"Sorry I have a boyfriend, so if you won't battle then I will! Liepard, use Night Slash!" May had gotten annoyed with this guy and was going to finish him up quick.
"You'll be dumping him once this is over, Darumaka, dodge using Rollout," Dino smirked.
"Maka!" Darumaka rolled into a ball and narrowly dodged Liepard's glowing dark claw.
"Make a u-turn and strike it with Rollout," Dino chuckled.
"Darumaka," the Fire-type obeyed and charged at Liepard this time.
"Counter with Iron Tail," May yelled.
"That won't do a thing honey, Darumaka has the advantage over steel," Dino laughed.
"That's what you think," May smirked.
Suddenly, Liepard's tail turned into steel and swung it at the rolling Darumaka. Liepard's tail hit Darumaka like a baseball bat and sent Darumaka flying.
"But how?!" Dino gasped.
"Because Darumaka was using a Rock-type move, Iron Tail had a much bigger effect and physics between the two attacks caused an even greater amount of damage," Cilan commented, smiling May's dominance over the battle.
"May, show that guy just how strong you are!" Ash yelled at her.
"You got it!" May gave him a thumbs up.
"Is that your boyfriend?" Dino raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, so if you don't watch your tongue, he's going to show a lesson you'll never forget," May smirked at him.
Dino glared at her and spoke, "Darumaka, get it together and use Incinerate!"
"Too late for that, Liepard use Shadow Pulse!" May commanded.
Dino raised his eyebrows when he heard the command and saw Liepard blasting out a Shadow Ball. "Liepard!" the feline cried out and released the Dark Pulse, the spirals of the Dark Pulse were wide enough to let Shadow Ball fit and the combined attack shot at Darumaka with great power.
"Maaaaakaaaaa!" Darumaka cried out after an explosion was produced on contact. The Darumaka then dropped to the ground unconscious.
"Darumaka can no longer battle, this victory goes to Liepard!" Don George declared, the crowd cheering with joy.
"Victini v," Victini clapped with joy, knowing all along his "mama" would win.
"Pikachu pika," Pikachu raised his arms in joy as well. The rest of the gang was also pleased with the result, but they had expected nothing except May winning so it came to them as no surprise.
"A very swift and clean battle, May will certainly be a dangerous opponent in the future rounds," the caster stated.
Dino couldn't believe his eyes, he had gotten defeated. He eyed May with frightened eyes and spoke, "No one has ever defeated my Darumaka, what the heck are you?" the man took a few steps away from her as if she were a demon.
"Oh great, now he thinks I'm some monster," May sighed and reached for her Pokéball. "Liepard, you did perfect, get some rest now," the brunette smiled at the cat before returning it.
The feline smiled back as the red beam enveloped its body. "That's it I guess," May smiled and took one last look at Dino, who took a good look at May and ran away.
"Get away from me you freak!" Dino ran away with fear.
May couldn't help but laugh at his attitude, "His ego just dropped a whole bunch," the girl murmured and just walked away.
Ash turned to Hilbert, who seemed a bit surprised by Dino's reaction. Ash chuckled and spoke to him, "Didn't I tell you May could handle herself."
The next battles then progressed with ease, the trainers were tough, but none of them displayed the strategy, strength, skill, speed, or wit showed by competitors like Ash, May, and Hilbert. Soon enough though, it was time to advance to the second round and matchups were displayed on the four large screens over the audience's seats.
In the lounge, the trainers all seemed very calm about the results, including Ash's friends. Hilbert smirked and turned Benga, who merely smiled at the screen, the two couldn't wait for their upcoming battle. Following Benga and Hilbert's battle was Iris against Bianca; the two girls smiled each other and agreed to give it everything they had. Following them was Ash against a random trainer named Antonio and May would go up against a trainer named Jimmy Ray. Ash spotted Antonio and saw the trainer smirking at him, clearly recognizing the interesting battle Ash would give him.
May detected her opponent and saw him dressed in a Watchog suit. Jimmy Ray smiled and waved happily at her, the brunette's eyes widened and she lowered her head in disappointment. "Why do I always get stuck with the goofballs and creeps," the coordinator muttered.
Outside in the stadium, Cilan, and Hilda smiled when they saw the screen. They both certainly expected a great series of battles, especially between Hilbert and Benga. Back in the lounge, Don George appeared and spoke, "Will the trainers of the first match of the second round please present themselves on the battlefield now."
Benga and Hilbert looked at each other and nodded, leaving the lounge in a rush. "Good luck you two!" May wished them luck as they ran off.
"I'm sure you'll put up a good battle!" Ash shouted. Iris, Bianca, Pikachu, and Victini also smiled as they watched their two friends set off on their battle, no one doubted the high skill and power that was going to be displayed in the first round. The gang then left the lounge to watch the battle with Cilan and Hilda.
"Ladies and gentlemen, next up on the Tao Competition are Benga and Hilbert. Please give them a warm welcome!" the caster announced and the crowd screamed when Benga and Hilbert showed up.
The two trainers got in their positions and Don George began to speak, "The rules are the same as in the first round, trainers may only use one Pokémon at a time with no substitutions. Begin!"
"Larvesta, battle time!" Benga called out his Pokémon.
"He's using Larvesta again?" Iris raised an eyebrow.
"Benga must have trained Larvesta to have a great endurance and stamina if it's up for a second match in a row," Cilan commented as he stuck to his chair, his eyes never moving away from the battlefield.
"I can't wait to see what other moves Larvesta, Benga has raised it to be really strong if it beat Trip's Chandelure," Ash commented and watched with interest along with his pal Pikachu.
Bianca, May, and Hilda also prepared to watch and as much as Hilda wanted Hilbert to win, she knew Benga would be a tough opponent.
"Alright, if he's using Larvesta, I'll use Druddigon!" Hilbert called out his Dragon-type.
"Drud," Druddigon roared fiercely when it appeared. The moment Iris saw it, her eyes glistened and she clasped her hands in admiration.
"Larvesta, use Bug Buzz!" Benga pointed at Druddigon.
"Lar," the Bug-type acknowledged and began to emit powerful red sound waves that began to bug even the audience's ears.
"Counter it Flamethrower," Hilbert smiled.
"Druddigon!" the dragon cried out and released a stream of powerful fire. The fiery attack clashed with the sound waves and it entered a power struggle.
"Break it Druddigon," Hilbert commanded and Druddigon increased the force of Flamethrower and broke through the sound waves, charging the stream of fire at Larvesta with full force.
"Larvesta, use Substitute," Benga instructed and Larvesta created a copy of itself just in time. Its copy took the Flamethrower completely and turned into ash as soon as Druddigon's attack ended.
"Clever trick Benga, but it'll take more than trickery and power to beat me. Although I was impressed that a Bug-type move like Bug Buzz could hold off something as super effective as a Flamethrower," Hilbert smirked, commenting on Benga's fine strategy.
"There's more where that came from, Larvesta go for a Double-Edge!" Benga ordered.
"Laaarveeesta!" Larvesta began to glow yellow and charged at Druddigon.
"Take to the air and strike it down with Fly," Hilbert extended his arm outward.
"Dru," Druddigon began to fly up. The Dragon-type then looked down at his opponent and gave a sly smile, the Cave Pokémon then flew back down with speed. Its body became enveloped in wind and it aimed down with accuracy and force.
"Larvesta, keep going at it!" Benga ordered and Larvesta began to charge with even more ferocity.
The two powerful Pokémon then cried out with power and struck each other head on. The impact caused between the two caused sparks to form between their heads. The bash clash went on for a few more seconds until the two flew back in pain.
"Druddigoooon!" the Dragon-type cried out when it crashed into the ground.
"Laaaar!" Larvesta also flew back and hit the ground.
"You're kidding! How'd that little thing manage to push Druddigon back!?" Hilda exclaimed.
"Big surprises come in small packages," Cilan stated.
"Benga has raised that Larvesta to be really strong, I'm amazed," Ash watched with awe.
"Druddigon, can you keep going?" Hilbert inquired as Druddigon groaned in an attempt to get up.
Larvesta moaned in pain, but quickly got back on its small legs and prepared for more. Benga chuckled and spoke, "Larvesta, use Acrobatics before it can stand!"
"It's already up!" Hilbert gasped.
"Lar lar lar vesta!" Larvesta dashed at high speed and lunged itself at Druddigon before it could even get up.
"Drudddigon!" Druddigon squealed as Larvesta bashed it repeatedly.
Hilbert gritted his teeth and spoke, "Druddigon, get it together and use Hone Claws before it can hit you again!"
"Drud drud!" Druddigon nodded and took the second it had before Larvesta could hit again to use Hone Claws. The dragon's claws extended a bit and began to glow white.
"Finish it," Benga commanded. Larvesta braced itself and dashed at full speed while in midair.
The fast moving bug left afterimages of itself as it prepared to strike down Druddigon. "Druddigon, use the speed from Rock Climb to lunge at Larvesta and use Dragon Claw!" Hilbert ordered.
Benga's eyes widened, but before he could stop Larvesta, Druddigon had already lunged after it. The dragon's claws began to glow a fierce white until it was in proximity with Larvesta and they glowed blue. "Druddigon!" Druddigon slammed Larvesta with all its force, easily overpowering Acrobatics.
"Veeeessstaaaaa!" the Bug-type cried out as it felt the mighty power of Dragon Claw slash at his face and slam him toward the ground.
When it hit, dust flew up into the air and then quickly cleared, revealing the unconscious Torch Pokémon. Benga's eyes were wide with surprise and Don George declared, "Larvesta is unable to battle, the winner is Druddigon!"
"Druddigon, excellent, go to rest now," Hilbert called back his Pokémon.
"Larvesta, you were impressive, rest for now," Benga recalled his Pokémon.
"You know Benga, you nearly had me there. One more hit and Druddigon would've been down, but I quickly realized that I needed to use speed to counter Larvesta. At first, I thought with one hit from Fly and Larvesta would've been done, but you just showed me that I still have a lot more to learn regarding Pokémon and the way they battle," Hilbert smiled at Benga.
"Hilbert, you're only the second person you give me such a difficult battle, only after my gramps. I hope we battle very soon because next time my Larvesta will be strong enough to take down your dragon," Benga smiled confidently.
"I look forward to it," Hilbert grinned and walked away.
"He won; he beat Benga, that's so cool!" Hilda cheered happily.
"Looks like Druddigon pulled through, I expected nothing less from a trainer like Hilbert," Bianca complimented, expecting nothing less from her old friend.
"Terrific battle, Hilbert defeated the champion's grandkid and showed off even more of that incredible skill he possesses. I'm really fired up now, after seeing such a heated battle!" the caster of the battle said with fervor in his voice.
"Looks like you and are up next Bianca," Iris turned to her friend and opponent.
"Let's make it a fun one," Bianca smiled at her and they both nodded.
"Pikachu pi pi pika," Pikachu tried hard to encourage Axew to win, but the battle clearly wasn't in Iris's favor.
"Iris is trying the best she can, but Bianca is too strong," Ash began to sweat a little.
"Stoutland already took like five Dragon Rages and it looks like it's still at 100%," May watched with angst.
"Tini vi v," Victini clenched in fists and looked intense, they may not be as good friends as it and Pikachu, but the Victory Pokémon still cared for Axew.
"This is bad," Cilan grinded her teeth.
"Axew, try another Dragon Rage!" Iris ordered, but it was pointless.
"Axeeeeew!" Axew released the dragon move.
"It's futile to keep using Dragon Rage, Stoutland will just counter it," Benga commented.
"Stoutland is just too experienced for Axew," Hilda said as she watched.
"I don't mean to sound harsh, but Bianca's already won," Hilbert stated, although he sympathized Axew's efforts to win.
"Stoutland use Tackle," Bianca ordered.
"Stout," Stoutland barked its name and charged, easily dashing through the Dragon Rage.
"Axew dodge!" Iris instructed.
"Aaaaax," Axew's eyes met fear when it saw Stoutland cancel out his Dragon Rage and stand before him. The fear was too much and it only stood there frozen.
Bianca hated to end the battle, it was going to be a tough loss for Iris, "Stoutland, end it with Ice Fang."
"Stou!" the dog Pokémon's teeth turned into ice and the Normal-type bit Axew.
"Eeeeewwwww!" Axew cried out when Stoutland bit it. The dog then proceeded to slamming the dragon in the ground once its icy jaw had held onto Axew for enough time.
"Axew!" Iris rushed over to it once it saw the swirl in its eyes.
"Stoutland, good job," Bianca returned Stoutland and rushed over to Axew and Iris.
"Iris, I'm so sorry, we shouldn't have gone so hard on you two," Bianca said with a very worried tone.
Iris picked up Axew and smiled warmly, "Axew axew ew," Axew gave Bianca a weak grin.
Axew's trainer spoke to Bianca with a nice tone in response, "Don't worry about it Bianca, Axew says it had fun battling you because now it feels like it wants to be even stronger. It wants to be as strong as your Stoutland. You showed us that we still have a lot to learn, hopefully, we'll get as strong as you some day."
Bianca's worried expression lightened up and the girl smiled, "That's great, I look forward to seeing Axew get even stronger in the future."
"Rivals on the battlefield, but friends for life, that's what it's all about," Ash smiled with content and everyone in the gang nodded in agreement. They all grinned at the friendly exchange between the two girls on the battlefield.
"That's true sportsmanship everyone, these two have shown us that after a hard loss we can still remain respectful and friendly," the caster remarked and everyone praised Bianca and Iris.
"Next up we have Ash Ketchum versus Antonio, after seeing Ash battle with such abilities against Natural, what can we expect from him this time?" the caster said with excitement.
"Mud Shot Palpitoad!" Ash commanded.
"Paaaaalp!" Palpitoad leaped into the air and swung its tongue, releasing shots of mud.
"Tranquil, counter with Gust!" Antonio ordered.
Tranquil furiously flapped its wings to build up a powerful wind, but the thick compound of mud was not even affected one bit as it shot at the bird. "Traaaaan!" Tranquil squealed as the heavy mud bashed its wings and breasts, sending it crashing down.
"Wrap it up with Hydro Pump!" Ash extended his arm forward.
"Palpitoooooaaaaad!" Palpitoad let out the powerful Water-type move and hit Tranquil.
Palpitoad's Hydro Pump sent Tranquil flying into the wall. To Tranquil, the pressurized water felt like a boulder pressing it up against the wall with all its force. When Palpitoad finished its attack, Tranquil dropped to the ground with swirl eyes.
"Tranquil can no longer battle, the winner is Palpitoad!" Don George announced.
Antonio returned Tranquil in disappointment, but Ash spoke to him before he could away, "Antonio, your Tranquil was great. With some more training there's no doubt it'll be even stronger!" The raven-haired trainer told his opponent.
The trainer turned to Ash and grinned, although still feeling sad over the loss, he would take Ash's advice and continue training, "Thank you Ash, I hope to battle you soon!" With that said, the boy left the battlefield.
Ash kneeled down and rubbed his hand on Palpitoad's head, "Great job Palpitoad," the boy said while smiling at it.
"Pal," Palpitoad smiled happily, enjoying the praise he received from his trainer.
From the audience, May, Pikachu, and Victini had never worried one bit through Ash's match. The skill the auburn-eyed teen had shown since the start just left them watching the entire battle with smiles on their faces. Guess I'm up, May thought and turned to her friends, who nodded and May dashed off to prepare for her battle.
Energy Ball sent Watchog crashing into the ground unconscious, causing May and Deerling to raise their eyebrows. "Well that wasn't much of a fight," May sighed, not very impressed by how her battle went.
"My beautiful Watchog, how dare you! Just because all these men are wolf-whistling you doesn't give you the right to put my precious Watchog and I in shame!" Jimmy Ray recalled his Watchog in embarrassment and curling his lip in annoyance.
"Oh brother," May sighed, the man's attitude reminding her of Harley. She returned Deerling, and thanked it for the swift effort.
"I feel bad for May, none of her opponents have lived up to her expectations so far and they've all turned out to be weirdoes," Hilda felt sorry for the sapphire-eyed girl.
"Well, she doesn't have to worry about that in the next round because she'll be battling Bianca or Hilbert," Ash assured them that May would have her time to shine.
"Or you Ash," Iris pointed out.
"Oh right," Ash laughed with a sheepish look, having forgotten that he was also in the competition. Pikachu and the gang sighed at the boy, but quickly turned back to May.
"Tini victini," Victini wondered what would happen if Ash and May were to battle. The Fire-type didn't seem entirely pleased with the idea.
The results were pretty much what everyone had expected and much to everyone's joy, Hilbert and Ash were going up against each other while May would battle Bianca. "Looks like it's you and me now Ash," Hilbert smiled at his rival.
"It's a battle I'm really looking forward too, this time I'm going to win," Ash grinned confidently.
"Bianca, I know you're a really strong trainer, but I can assure you that I won't lose," May smiled confidently and made a fist.
"I'll be giving this battle everything I have May, so watch out," Bianca grinned back and the four opponents eyed each other with fire in their eyes.
"They're all really fired up, aren't they Cilan?" Iris watched the four competitors stare at each other.
"Yes, but I can't help but think what will happen if Ash and May advance to the finals," Cilan rubbed his chin.
"Whatever the outcome, I'm sure it'll be the best series of battles this tournament's ever had," Hilda placed her hands on her hips.
"That's right, it doesn't matter who advances, these last three battles will be the most heated ones of the entire competition," Benga added to what Hilda said.
The figure sat up, a grim look on his face, eyeing the grass with a trouble expression. His train of thought was soon cut by the voice of someone else though, another one of those dreams?
With his sapphire eyes, the figure looked at his loyal partner and nodded with a sad look. The man then gently wiped away the tears that had stuck to his cheek while he was dreaming.
How accurate was it this time? The jackal-like creature approached him.
"Probably more accurate than the others, I wasn't killed in this one," he answered with a plain tone as he gazed at the sun.
Do you ever wonder when you'll stop reliving the same dream every night? The Pokémon questioned.
"I do," he nodded, "And I can only come up with one answer."
Lucario looked at him and asked, what may be that answer if you don't mind me asking.
"When I stop living in this world," Roxas mumbled with a depressed tone.
As promised, you just read Chapter 33. I hope you enjoyed it; the scenes focusing on Roxas served the purpose of not making this whole chapter nonstop battling and to also give you a little more knowledge on his background. Like always, please REVIEW, PM, or SOMETHING since your THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS are always brought into CONSIDERATION. Just like today, tomorrow I'll upload the next chapter, so don't close the window because 34 will be uploaded before you even know it!