Episode 34: First Round Battles! Facing Down Famous Faces!

"This is it, the moment everyone has been waiting for!" the stadium announcer called. "The Pokémon World Tournament is about to begin! It's been a long process, and after carefully viewing all of the challenger's qualifying footage and letting the public vote, we've gotten down to the top eight competitors in the competition!"

The stadium was aglow in excitement as the crowd took their seats for the first match of the day. It was an early match, but Dylan made sure he and his Pokémon were all well rested before the match. "A shame Ashton won't be here to watch, but she needs all the sleep she can get," he said.

"Yes, let her save energy for when her time to battle comes," Aurora nodded.

"In the east end: He's a trainer that's battled against the legendary Suicune, dazzled the crowd against the beauty Elesa, and is partners with a special Lucario!" the announcer exclaimed. "It's Dylan, the holder of the Ancient Mega Stone!"

"Way to just announce that to the world…" Kris sighed up in the stands. "You can do it, Dylan!"

"We'll be cheering you on as well!" Nia called, sitting next to Kris.

"Our friends have their faith in us that we will win," Aurora said, closing her eyes and smiling. "Let's do this."

"And now, coming out of the west end…" The crowd gasped as a Rayquaza flew down from the sky, a Trainer hopping of its back before returning the Pokémon to its ball. "He's the self-proclaimed leader of Team Sky, who's mission statement is to expand the sky… whatever that means! It's Michael!"

Michael was a young man older than Dylan, with clean cut facial hair and a determined smile on his face. His outfit was green and black like Rayquaza, with a backwards baseball cap and yellow flight goggles resting on his head.

"Let's go, Team Sky!" a small group in the stands cheered, all dressed like Michael.

"Thank you, my grunts!" Michael shouted, pointing to his teammates.

"Team Sky? I've never heard of them," Nia shook her head.

"According to this, Team Sky isn't much of an "evil team", despite how they present themselves," Kris said, looking at her Pokégear. "They're mostly just Flying type and flying Pokémon enthusiasts."

'This is our first match here… I gotta make it count and win!' Dylan thought.

"Trainers, whenever you're ready, send out your first Pokémon!" the announcer called.

Dylan gripped his Poké Ball, Michael doing the same as they both called out their Pokémon.

"Go, Air Bud!"

"Your time to shine, Delphi!"

"Hello, everyone!" Delphi waved as she popped out of her ball, waving her stick into the air and giving a wink to the crowd. "So lovely to be here."

"Mightyena!" Michael's Pokémon, Air Bud, shouted as it ran forward to try and bite Delphi. The Delphox held up her stick to block the attack, before hitting the Mightyena away and using Secret Power to retaliate.

"A Mightyena? That's an odd choice for a Flying-type user," Nia said.

"According to their website, Mightyena is allowed because Team Sky is a counterpoint to Team Magma and Team Aqua, who both use the Mightyena line," Kris replied.

"Hah, a foolish miscalculation!" Michael laughed, pointing at Dylan dramatically. "Your Delphox is a Psychic type, which means it can't use its psychic powers on my Air Bud. Go and use Crunch to get rid of that fox!"

Air Bud barked and charged at Delphi, who frowned and did a spin before sending out a Mystical Fire to ward off the Mightyena. "Dylan, darling, this is a less than ideal match, no matter how cute the Mightyena is," Delphi called.

"We have to stay strong, Delphi. Switching out now will just reveal our strategy," Dylan replied. "I've been following Team Sky for a while now, so I know what we have to do to win!"

"I trust you…" Delphi nodded, before giving a yelp as Air Bud went for a Play Rough.

"And Dylan is off to a bad start! Air Bud's physical power is keeping Delphi on her toes! Does Michael have this match wrapped up already?"

"Take this!" Delphi called, going for a Secret Power again as Air Bud rushed her. The Mightyena tanked the normal attack, but winced as its fur suddenly stood on end, electricity coursing over its body.

"What's this!?" Michael gasped.

"Secret Power has a chance to cause paralysis in stadium matches," Dylan explained. "While it may only hit for neutral damage, the surprise status effect is enough to disrupt any attackers in Delphi's way."

"Yes, now take this!" Delphi said, raising her stick and casting multiple Mystical Fires. Air Bud was helpless to dodge the blasts, whimpering as it was brought down in stamina.

"An amazing play by Dylan! Way to turn this match in his favor!"

"I was wondering why he had Delphi learn Secret Power," Kris mused.

"I taught him that trick," Nia stated. "If you only go for the expected moves, your opponent will easily read you like a book. It's the wild card plays that can really turn the tables in a match."

"Grr… Air Bud, I'm sorry…" Michael growled. "Use Rain Dance, quickly!"

The Mightyena barked and twisted around, tossing its head up and howling as rain started to fall. Delphi just smirked and waved her stick one last time, using the Bug power of Signal Beam to finish of Air Bud. "There we go! That's our first win!" Delphi cheered.

"Ah, but I still got off the move I needed," Michael said with a laugh, pulling out his next Poké Ball. "Go Storm, and use Water Pulse!" He threw out his ball and summoned a Pelipper, the Water Bird Pokémon blasting rings of water that Delphi didn't expect.

"Woah, the whole stadium's spinning now…" Delphi said, wobbling on her feet as Pelipper cast Hurricane to do even more damage in the rain.

"Amazing… Michael used Rain Dance on his Mightyena to set up Pelipper's Hurricane for maximum damage!" Kris gasped.

"That was a good play," Dylan said. "And getting Delphi confused didn't hurt you either. But why Water Pulse, if I may ask."

"Because Hydro Pump is only eighty percent accurate, and if it's not one hundred percent accurate, it's fifty percent!" Michael retorted.

"…Well, he makes a good point," Aurora shrugged.

"Regardless, this was what I was waiting for," Dylan said. "Delphi come back, and go Poli'ahu!"

The Delphox returned to her ball as the Ninetails came out, giving out a cry as the rain suddenly stopped. A soft snow fell in its place instead, with Poli'ahu casting an Aurora Veil for good measure.

"No, my perfect accuracy Hurricane!" Michael despaired.

"I knew you liked to use weather to aid your Pokémon, so I made sure to save Poli'ahu for this moment," Dylan explained. "Her Snow Warning ability nullifies any weather you use, and Aurora Veil gave me extra protection against your attacks to boot."

"This may be a setback, but I will not falter!" Michael declared, getting serious as he pulled down his goggles over his eyes. "Go, Team Sky!"

"Go Team Sky!" the Team Sky Grunts chanted.

"The entire stadium is fired up as this match has gone through so many twists and turns!" the announcer called. "It's a fierce snowy battle between arctic Ninetails and a brave Pelipper. Keep on going, Trainers!"

"Poli'ahu, Energy Ball!"

"Storm, Shock Wave!"

Both Pokémon fired off their attacks, trading Grass and Electric moves as they fought to be the first one to get a hit. Poli'ahu zipped around the battlefield as Storm gave chase, the Ninetails digging her claws into the growing amount of snow on the ground as she did a quick turn and used Dazzling Gleam to push the Pelipper away.

"Sometimes I forget that Pelipper can learn Shock Wave," Kris said. "I wonder why Dylan isn't having Poli'ahu use that move yet, though…"

"He wants to give the people a good show," Nia said, looking around the crowd that was engrossed in the battle. "If you end it too early, than neither side can truly show what they're made of."

"Poli'ahu, come back for a second!" Dylan called, switching out for Delphi.

"I'm back, darlings!" Delphi called.

"What's this? A suddenly switch?"

"Why would you just give me the advantage here?" Michael questioned.

"Because I just needed to something first," Delphi said, holding up her stick and smirking as she stepped out of the way of a Water Pulse. Her eyes flashed briefly before she cast Secret Power, the attack now taking on an icy effect as it hit. "There we go, all set now!"

"Pelipper!" Storm cried, blasting Delphi with a Water Pulse.

"Ak! Okay snow vixen, it's your turn now…" Delphi said, shivering from the water as Dylan switched in Poli'ahu again, setting up Aurora Veil once more as the clash of special moves was back on.

"I still question your last few moves there," Michael said. "But no matter! Team Sky will be victorious today!"

"And it's that questioning that'll give me the win," Dylan replied with a smirk. 'I just have to keep Poli'ahu dodging around those attacks until…'

The Ninetails cried out as a Water Pulse hit her, skidding across the snow from the attack. "Nine…Tails!" she shouted, fluffing up her tails and standing strong.

"You've done well so far, but Storm is far too bulky for you to survive this battle," Michael taunted.

"That's why I needed Delphi's help," Dylan said. "And that "help" should be happening… now!"

Suddenly the air around Storm warped, the Pelipper giving a confused squawk as psychic energy suddenly bombarded it. The stadium was in awe at the unexpected attack.

"No way!" Nia gasped.

"Delphi must have cast Future Sight before switching out!" Kris realized. "It was all a distraction to set up Poli'ahu for victory!"

"What a surprise play! Storm's been blindsided by a Future Sight! Dylan is pulling out all the surprises in this match, folks!"

"And now's our chance…" Dylan said. "Poli'ahu, Freeze-Dry, full blast!"

"What!?" Michael exclaimed. "Storm, dodge!"

But the Pelipper was still reeling from the Future Sight, giving it no time to move out of the way as Poli'ahu unleashed a constant stream of ice at him. The odd properties of Freeze-Dry turned a neutral attack into a super effective one, Storm having his stamina rapidly drained before falling face-first into the snow, soundly defeated.

"And that's it, folks! The winner of the first match of the Pokémon World Tournament is… Dylan!"

"You did amazing, Poli'ahu!" Dylan cheered, catching the Ninetails as she jumped into his arms and licked his face. "Hey, you're tongue's still cold from the Freeze-Dry!"

Michael removed his goggles and held his head low. "To lose in the first round of the tournament…"

"It's okay, Boss!" one of the Team Sky grunts called.

"We still believe in you!"

"You'll win next time!"

"You're number-one in our hearts."

"They're right," Dylan called. "As long as you believe in yourself and your Pokémon, you can accomplish anything. Here's to you in your mission to expand the sky, Michael."

"Well, at least my opponent doesn't gloat in his victory," Michael said with a slight smile. He pulled out his Rayquaza and hopped on its back. "Now then, Skydios, to the sky! Ta-ta!" And with that, the leader of Team Sky flew off into parts unknown.

"Talk about making an exit," Kris shook her head.

"But Dylan won his first match! I'm so proud of him," Nia said.

"Weavile!" Weavile called.

"Oops, I forgot that we skipped breakfast for this," Nia chuckled. "Give Dylan my regards on his victory!"

"Now it's Ashton's turn," Aurora said.

"Yeah, and I'm sure her opponent is going to be tough as well," Dylan added.

[***]

The hotel lobby was certainly abuzz with many figures scurrying in and out, which was to be expected with such a large tournament taking place, but two in particular looked slightly flustered, that of a certain blue-haired woman with a Feraligatr checking the time on her Poké Gear and a brown-haired man with a Lucario next to him shaking his head.

"Where the heck is she?" Kris mused haplessly, folding her device and stowing it away again. "We need to get a move on."

"Just give her a minute or two more," Dylan replied, watching the elevators. "This is the most important tournament of our lives and there's no way she's going to miss it. She's probably just double-checking her things and then she'll-"

One of the elevators dinged and opened, revealing none other than their friend Ashton trailed by her Typhlosion, wearing her Sygna Suit- but a very off-looking Ashton at that. Even without being close to her, the heavy grey bags under her (slightly bloodshot looking) eyes were visible and her hair was completely disheveled, as if she'd rolled out of bed and hastily tied it up without brushing it. Her ninja shroud hung around her neck, thus her giant smile could be easily seen- one that looked borderline unhinged combined with the rest of her features. She strode up to her friends with slightly haphazard movements, nearly running into another woman passing through, and let out a sudden breath before hunching over and grinning down at the floor.

"Whew!" she breathed, then pumping one awkward fist in the air, cried, "Today's the day!"

Her friends were less than amused, studying her with concern. "Ashton," Kris said flatly, "are you okay?"

The disheveled one wasn't fazed at all, jerking up to look her right in the eye. "Never been better, Kris!" She reached into her bag and pulled out a shady-looking energy drink, cracked it open, and took a big chug before letting out a spirited whoop that certainly turned some heads.

Dylan blinked. "… Ashton, did you stay up all night?"

Vulcan was already nodding before Ashton replied, without a shred of hesitance, "Sure did!" before taking another chug.

"Well, she's honest," Aurora mused haplessly.

"Ashton!" Kris exclaimed, staring in disbelief and sticking a hand on her shoulder. "This is the World Tournament, for crying out loud! How are you expecting to perform well without any rest?! Do you realize how badly you've hurt your chances?!"

"Oh, relax!" Ashton brushed her off, taking her hand off her shoulder. "I was studying, something you oughtta be proud of! No way was I gonna waste a good eight hours of scouring those scrolls Rei handed off to us! Our opponents here are strong, so I gotta be ready to beat 'em down!"

The sleepless woman made a move much like she had when she'd punched Orochi in the face, albeit with much less finesse and aimed at nothing in particular but lost her balance and only stayed upright by Dylan catching her.

"I would say I'm surprised, but I'm really not," Dylan said dryly. "Just… do your best, okay? We didn't come all this way for you to get eliminated in round one over something completely avoidable."

Ashton shot him an amused side-eye, not caring in the slightest. "You guys just don't understand, do you? This is the most rational decision I could've possibly made! You'll see- you'll all see!"

And with another whoop, she was bolting out the door with Vulcan hot on her heels, leaving her friends to stare after her in disbelief for a moment before trying their best to catch up.

The stadium too was full of figures, the crowd buzzing with excitement and speculation for the next match, and Dylan and Kris were no different, taking seats close to the arena floor to see their friend in action. People in business suits, parents with their children, crazed fans painted with their favorite trainer's insignia, and everyone in between filled the bleachers, some of them scrolling on their phones or talking amongst each other about the strongest candidates to win.

"I really hope this goes well for her," Kris mused, looking at one of the entry gates. "Coming into the first round of the World Tournament already not at the top of her game is… just crazy."

"With any luck, she'll have this over with in a few hits," Dylan replied, watching down below too. "I believe in her, but I have no idea what in Arceus' name she was thinking, pulling an all-nighter before the biggest tournament in the world."

"She wasn't thinking, that's what the problem is," Kris said flatly, shaking her head.

However, all the spectators shut up whenever the voice of the announcer boomed out over them.

"Alright, folks, here we are, ready to go for another match!"

All eyes turned down to the arena field, where the Rotom drones caught footage of the next competitor entering and played it on the big screen- none other than Ashton, her ninja shroud covering the bottom half of her face to give her a more intimidating look with her borderline crazed eyes staring at the other side of the arena. 'Determination' didn't quite describe the look on her face… 'unhealthy fixation' was more like it. Her gait was still off, but one of her hands very deliberately clutched a Poké Ball to the point she was white knuckling it.

"Mom, that lady looks scary!" a younger child with his mother exclaimed upon seeing her.

"In the west end, we have a fearless trainer who has skydived off the Burj Khalifa, faced Pyramid King Brandon and braved his challenges, and even faced the legendary Rayquaza atop Sky Pillar and lived to tell the tale!" the announcer shouted. "It's Ashton, the self-proclaimed dragon-puncher!"

"There ain't nothing 'self-proclaimed' about it!" Ashton hollered, taking her place and shooting a glance up at the press box. "I actually did it!"

"Oh, Arceus, don't remind me," Dylan mused haplessly, envisioning the absurd scene all over again.

"I still can't believe that happened," Kris said flatly.

The big screens panned over to the other side of the arena, where her opponent was entering- a man with brown hair, carefully sculpted facial hair, and a big pair of sunglasses covering his eyes, wearing a pressed white button-down shirt with a pristine black suit jacket, a classy red tie, and… biking shorts and flip-flops.

"And in the east end, we have a trainer who doesn't care about puny competitors, is not shy about his taste for the edgy, and strives for power above all else! It's Hunter, who's here to ruin his opponent's day!"

"It's Dookie, ref! Your pal Dookie!" the man called up at the press box. "Everything else is true!"

Ashton couldn't help but to smirk under her shroud, giggling to herself at the prospect of someone legitimately insisting they be called 'Dookie.'

"Why's he in his underwear?" someone in the crowd asked. "Wouldn't the officials frown upon that?"

"It's not underwear, Roy," someone else shut it down.

"Sounds like these two are right up each other's alley," Kris noted, studying Ashton's opponent and scrolling through something on her Poké Gear. "This guy is… interesting."

Dylan glanced over at what she was seeing, and he had to agree- there were videos of this individual talking emphatically about Mega Rayquaza being given a chainsaw to hold, fuming about a Pelipper stealing his food on a fishing trip decades ago, calling Stantler the worst creature to ever grace the earth with obscenity-laden terms, or pictures posted of him wearing a shirt saying "Shuck the police" featuring a print of a Shuckle wearing his style of sunglasses.

"Two eccentric people in one place," Aurora said, looking down at the arena. "This… is going to be an interesting match."

"Hey! Dookie!" Ashton called, sizing up the one across the field.

"What's up?!" Dookie called back, likewise gripping a ball.

"You're not a wuss, are you?! My Pokémon don't like wusses and I don't either!"

"Absolutely not!" Dookie affirmed, looking amused. "Give it your A-game!"

Ashton laughed, and Dookie smirked, the both of them throwing their balls out into the field.

"Get 'em, Vulcan!"

"Make 'em regret being born, Onslaught!"

Vulcan the Typhlosion leaped onto the field with flames blazing and paws digging into the ground, and from Dookie's ball came a large blue draconic creature with its fangs bared and tail thumping- a Salamence, the 'Onslaught' he called. He was undoubtedly bigger than Vulcan and held a type advantage to boot, but the Typhlosion didn't care- a few determined utterances came from his maw while the dragon let out a low growl. Dookie smirked even more, clearly seeing an advantage too, but Ashton wasn't dissuaded either, seeing as she probably would've thrown hands with the dragon herself if such was permitted.

"Not good," Kris remarked in the crowd. "That's a pseudo-legendary and one of Vulcan's moves doesn't even affect it. Rollout would be super effective, but good luck hitting something that can fly…"

"No," Dylan lamented, not looking thrilled. "She needs to switch out. It doesn't matter that her opponent will already know what she's bringing next; this matchup is not doing her any favors when she's already running on a fried brain."

The rest of the audience was voicing similar sentiments- unless Ashton had a trick up her sleeve, a Typhlosion going up against a Salamence was a disaster waiting to happen. And it was a disaster waiting to happen, but perhaps not for those reasons.

"Onslaught, Dragon Dance!"

"Vulcan, Rollout!"

An obvious pick, to be sure- a Rock-type move against a Flying-type was certainly going to hit hard, even if Vulcan did need some time to build momentum. The Typhlosion balled himself up and went rolling towards the dragon, hitting him in the chest before bouncing off and rolling around the field to pick up speed. The Salamence, however, didn't pay it too much mind and instead flapped his wings and took tiny steps back and forth, his movements becoming swifter and maw twisting into a snarl.

"Not good," Kris repeated. "That thing is setting up to wipe her off the battlefield!"

"Ashton, switch!" Dylan hollered to no avail.

Vulcan rolled back around again for another strike with more momentum and force behind it, and Onslaught was still Dragon Dancing. Ashton's eyes were narrowed, while Dookie's mouth was grinning.

"I'm about to show you what an unstoppable onslaught looks like!" Dookie laughed.

"Outrage!"

"Keep going!" Ashton hollered to Vulcan.

The Typhlosion did so, Rolling Out like a hefty boulder being rolled down a slope, but all the same, Onslaught hit like a truck when he bared his fangs with an ember-laden growl escaping his maw and pounced on Vulcan, both his front claws and fangs tearing into the Fire-type. Vulcan stopped dead, letting out a cry of muffled distress like someone gasping after having the wind knocked out of them, and quickly found himself in quite a precarious position. The dragon's fangs and claws certainly didn't feel good, and had his skin been tighter over his muscles, probably would've left him in much worse condition even as it gained a few punctures. Onslaught's eyes looked absolutely wild, and the fire leaving his maw probably would've been a problem too to any other foe.

"I just knew you'd do that," Ashton said under her breath, then louder so Vulcan could hear, "Vulcan, Eruption! Get that thing off you!"

Vulcan did just that, letting out a growl of his own and making the ground beneath him erupt in flames and magma. The Typhlosion certainly was fine, and though the Salamence may have resisted, from the abrupt stop to his growl and the way he backed off for a moment, it hit harder than expected. Vulcan weaseled free, but the Salamence still looked as though he were out for blood, and the two of them locked wild eyes for a moment.

"C'mon!" Dookie taunted, grinning wildly. "You can do better than that, can't you?! You can forfeit at any time, you know! Save yourself the trouble!"

The one in question didn't answer, not caring in the slightest. "Earthquake!" she called. She chuckled to herself under her breath again, muttering, "Say what you will about anything else, but battling is something I know how to do."

Vulcan did it, splitting the ground in half while the Outraging Salamence rushed again with snapping fangs. The ones in the crowd were certainly stymied.

"What is she doing?!" Dylan cried in dismay. "She let that dragon boost his attack and speed and now she's calling out moves that don't have an effect!"

"Hold on," Kris said, studying the field intently. "She may not be doing what we think she's doing."

"What could the fearless Ashton possibly be thinking, folks?!" the announcer commented. "Hunter's Onslaught may just be too much for Vulcan to handle, and the Typhlosion's trainer is scrambling to find a way out!"

"It's Dookie!" the other one on the field haplessly yelled up at the press box.

Ashton still wasn't fazed, for as the ground opened up, Vulcan fell right in too, and Onslaught sprang upon where he had been, only to get a mouthful of rocks and grit instead of sinking his fangs into his target. That certainly delayed things, for the dragon had to shake his fangs free and spit out the rubble before he could attack again.

"Eruption!" Ashton called, one of her hands clenching into a fist as she smirked under her shroud. "I don't have to care about type advantages when Vulcan has his ability…~" she said to herself.

Just as the Salamence finished freeing himself from the rubble, another Eruption followed wherein Vulcan himself rode one of the lava spews to get out of the trench, and as he did, it quickly became apparent to everyone else that his fire was turning blue instead of the usual orange. Onslaught let out another growl, shaking his head and thrashing his tail with furious eyes. He turned right around to stare at the devilish-looking blue-flaming Typhlosion, instantly going for another hit with a mighty flap of his wings for momentum.

"Rollout! Get out of there!" Ashton shouted again, shaking her fist in front of her in determination.

And again, Vulcan was rolled into a ball, accelerating out of the way just in time for Onslaught's claws to only scratch his skin instead of ripping through it. The Typhlosion rolled around the field, building up momentum and leaving a scorched trail where he went, but Onslaught certainly wasn't backing down either, giving another flap and taking to the air to fly after him. Blue-hot fire or not, there was no dissuading an Outraging dragon, and Onslaught darted through the air with blinding speed and palpable fury. It was going to be a hit whether Vulcan and Ashton liked it or not; the dragon was simply too enraged and too quick.

"Show 'em who's boss, Onslaught!" Dookie called, pumping on fist in the air.

"Hit him HARD, Vulcan!" Ashton hollered, both fists balling up.

There was some hard-hitting, to be sure. The Salamence bored down on Vulcan with claws flashing and flaming jaws snapping, and The Typhlosion turned to roll directly towards the dragon with a spirited cry- a head-on collision. The loud thud was almost easily felt by those not even involved in it, for Vulcan slammed the dragon with enough force to stop his rampage in its tracks, but Onslaught likewise brought Vulcan's Rollout to a dead halt, hitting him like a ton of bricks. The two of them stayed locked together for a moment, growls and snarls escaping both of their maws and their eyes practically daring the other to make a move, but soon enough, much like how the disheveled woman in the ninja guise had strode onto the arena, they haphazardly stumbled and fell in a heap, still snarling for a moment before their eyes drifted shut and they ceased moving altogether.

"And it's a double knockout, folks!" the announcer called. "Vulcan's raw determination could match the dragon's fury! But will the next matchup prove to work out as well?! What could our competitors send out next?!"

Both Pokémon were recalled off the field, the competitors sharing a glance across it for a second- Dookie smirked still, and Ashton's eyes were narrowed.

"You still won in my eyes, Onslaught," Dookie said to the ball as he recalled the Salamence.

"I always knew I picked you for a reason," Ashton said softly, stowing Vulcan's ball away before grabbing another- an Ultra Ball that was already shaking wildly. "Now it's my turn to send out a crazy dragon! Let's go, Orochi!"

"Win this like you always do, Bastion!"

Onto the field came a hulking Blastoise and an even bigger alpha Hydreigon, the latter's glowing red eyes intimidating some of the spectators as he was shown on the big screens. A ferocious roar left his maw that made more than a few people flinch, the sound echoing throughout the stadium, but the Blastoise on the other end still sized him up.

"Wow, those questionable choices actually paid off," Kris noted.

Dylan certainly looked relieved. "Arceus, let those energy drinks do their thing at least until this match ends…"

"She has the advantage here," Aurora mused. "Surely, this will be over soon." On the field, though, things were hardly slowing down.

"Orochi, Dragon Rush!"

"Bastion, Toxic!"

That certainly threw the sleepless woman for a loop- Orochi flew straight at his opponent like he'd been shot out of a cannon, and the Blastoise's actual cannons dripped with purple sludge that covered the Hydreigon as he rammed Bastion. A sharp hiss left Orochi's mouth as the poison seeped into his skin, but the Blastoise was certainly taking some damage and left a skidding trail in the arena floor as Orochi pushed him back, try as he might to steel himself for the hit.

"Blizzard!" Dookie hollered, grinning as if nothing could ruin his day.

Orochi's eyes flashed for a moment and he quickly retreated while Bastion's cannons seemed to frost over around their metallic surface. The Blastoise appeared to be chuckling as he fired them, what looked like snowy clouds and striking hail chasing down Orochi as he flew away.

"That thing knows Toxic. Why does that thing know Toxic?" Ashton mused to herself, then calling so Orochi could hear, "Tri Attack!"

Orochi was quick to follow, his central head breathing fire while his right shot a lightning bolt and his left breathed its own icy stream. The fire and lightning melted through the Blastoise's icy stream and turned the snow and hail to harmless raindrops and steam, while the countering icy stream fended off the residual. Maybe the Blastoise wasn't wearing a furious look like Onslaught had been, but he certainly looked confident in himself- he stood proud and tall, what sounded like happy chuckles leaving him. Orochi's red eyes practically stared holes through his opponent, a low growl escaping his central maw as if to tell Bastion he wouldn't be forgiving him for the poison.

"Badly poisoned? Now, that is nasty," Dylan remarked in the crowd. "C'mon, Ashton…"

"She better have an answer for people playing more technical like this," Kris noted, watching. "The fact that she navigated that last matchup so well with a fried, sleep-deprived brain is a miracle."

"Hit him again, Bastion!" Dookie called, pumping on fist in the air. "They don't like that!"

"Tri-Attack, then Dragon Rush, and let's hit 'em extra hard!" Ashton hollered.

The cannons iced over and unleashed a Blizzard again, but Orochi fired a Tri-Attack head-on and flew through it, the fire and lightning effectively clearing a path. Certainly, seeing a giant three-headed dragon with glowing red eyes and facial features that made it look pissed off by default would've struck fear in the hearts of most anyone, but Bastion wasn't wavering, instead looking like he oddly welcomed the company.

Dookie didn't seem to mind too much either. "We're hitting 'em extra hard too! Skull Bash, Bastion!"

At that, the Blastoise got into position, crouching down and kicking the ground a bit as he lowered his head. Orochi growled some more, revving up for a Strong Style Dragon Rush, and even from a distance, Ashton could feel the effects of her Sygna Suit kicking in.

"Let's freaking go," she said to no one in particular, her eyes too focusing on the Blastoise. "I didn't stay up all night to get Toxic-stalled out, and Orochi would never forgive me if we lost."

WHAM!

Orochi slammed and Bastion bashed, the impact practically palpable to everyone else watching.

"What a hit, folks!" the announcer exclaimed. "That Hydreigon has some serious power, but Hunter's Blastoise isn't falling so easily!"

The obligatory remark of "Dookie! It's Dookie!" followed shortly thereafter.

And it was true- the Blastoise's expression was pained even if confident, one of his eyes wincing while the other appeared wide open. A guttural snarl escaped Orochi too, the Hydreigon disentangling his appendages from his target while Bastion stumbled a bit but still stood. The Blastoise wobbled a bit on his feet, clearly missing a hefty chunk of his vitality, but Orochi was hardly better off- the poison's effects made him shiver and shake in the air, sapping his strength too. The hardy shelled one had taken two hits and Orochi had only taken one, but even so, with the poison, time was on Dookie and Bastion's side with no way to heal.

What made it worse was that delivering such a strong hit in conjunction with receiving a hard blow had clearly dazed Orochi more than it had dazed Bastion, for the Blastoise wasn't wasting any time while Orochi got ahold of himself again. The cannons started welling up with icy shards and snow, and the Hydreigon was blinking and shaking his head.

"Orochi, move!" Ashton called. "Get out of there! Get out of there or defend yourself!"

The Hydreigon caught on, but not before Bastion was already firing a Blizzard off. At such close range, avoiding it was not going to work, thus Orochi's three maws started welled up with a sparkling silver energy that filled the air with a Flash Cannon. It wasn't a very effective move, but in a time of duress, it would suffice, and it did help- the steely particles locked with the icy ones and lessened the hit considerably, Bastion likewise taking a shred of damage.

However, the blinding lights of Orochi's move created all the opening they needed. "Finish it with a Dragon Rush, Orochi!" Ashton called, shaking both fists overhead.

"Bastion! Don't let that thing beat you!" Dookie hollered.

Maybe Bastion could hear, but he couldn't see, and thus any attack he was going to use was useless without knowing where to aim his cannons. Orochi hit him again, and hard- being lagged from another Strong Style move wouldn't matter if the battle ended with only him standing. A heavy grunt escaped the Blastoise's mouth as his eyes went wide, then closed, flipping over onto his back with his limbs haplessly dangling out of his shell. Orochi too flopped onto the ground from colliding with Bastion, but only for a moment- he shivered once more, then picked himself up, looking into the sky and giving a roar of triumph.

"And there you have it! Ashton's heavy hitting pulled through and netted her the victory!" the announcer cried. "Better luck next time, Hunter- we hope to see you again next year!"

"Dookie!"

Ashton's face lit up and she pumped her fists in the air, letting out another spirited whoop and practically happy dancing in place, even if wobbly and uncoordinated, before recalling her alpha.

"I knew I could count on you, Orochi," she said softly, stowing the ball away and giving it a pat. "I'll get you fixed up soon."

The man with sunglasses sighed, recalling his Pokémon likewise. "You did great, Bastion," he too said to the ball. His gaze travelled across the field where Ashton was celebrating and he called, "Hey! You!"

Ashton perked up. "What's up?!" she called back.

"At least I lost to someone who has good taste in Pokémon!" he said with a grin nonetheless, then pointing at her, "You better not lose, ya hear me? Or I will FIND YOU!"

His voice suddenly got very, very loud, and Ashton couldn't quite tell if he was threatening her or not, but shrugged it off all the same. "Yeah, don't worry! I didn't come to lose!"

Dookie found his way off the field and to the area backstage behind the arena, and Ashton did the same, where her friends were already rushing to meet her. She pulled down her shroud, wearing a huge grin and stumbling a bit as she approached them too.

"Ashton!" Dylan cried, darting up and grabbing her by the shoulders. "You did it! We were worried about your chances, but you did it!"

"That was impressive," Kris acknowledged, smiling too. "Just… don't pull an all-nighter celebrating, okay? We still have more rounds to go."

The disheveled one laughed. "I told you; this was the most rational decision I could've possibly made," Ashton said with a smirk. "Round one is where your odds are the best because they haven't weeded out the weaklings yet, right~? Therefore, it was no sweat off my back if I pulled an all-nighter and survived off of energy drinks because these aren't the strongest foes we're gonna face! No way was I gonna miss watching the rest of the tournament by staying in to study, so this was the prime opportunity to study the daylights out of those scrolls and have it be fresh in my mind! Besides, it did pay off- that Blastoise was a tank, but we pulled through! Things like Toxic make it annoying, but they don't matter as long as you hit really, really hard!"

Her friends stared in disbelief, for crazy as the logic was, she had a point, bizarre though it may have been.

"… I can't believe you actually thought this through," Kris remarked.

"I… you…" Dylan stammered. "I wonder about you sometimes, you know that?"

Ashton shrugged without a care. "We've been friends how long?" she teased, then teetering in place a bit, "And you know, I'm really surprised I haven't crashed yet- ah, there we go…"

The next moment, she stumbled as her eyes drifted shut, and would've face-planted straight into the ground if not for Aurora reaching out to catch her and Regulus practically flying out of his ball in Speed Form to keep her from making too much of an impact with telekinesis. The Deoxys carefully lifted her up while changing into Normal Form and placed her over his shoulders with one set of tendrils keeping hold of her, his eyes somehow managing to look less-than-amused despite his default blank stare.

You can leave this one to me, Regulus said with telepathy, glancing at the figure he carried. I'll make she gets rest and… stays out of trouble.

At that, the Deoxys zoomed off (presumably) towards the hotel, dragging the blonde woman haphazardly with him, and her friends breathed sighs of relief.

"At least we don't have to drag her butt back like we had to drag her down the mountain," Kris remarked.

"That's right," Dylan concurred. "And at least she didn't get disqualified for punching a dragon again." Nonetheless, with that match out of the way, there were still plenty more to go, and the three of them were going to be ready for them.

Author's Notes

Azakael: Hello lovely (or not-lovely, if you prefer) folks, Azakael here, the other collaborator on this story. You'll actually be seeing some honest-to-goodness writing from me, hehehe- TheDragonSaver has allowed me to do some 'guest fights' for my character's tournament rounds. Dookieshed, AKA Hunter Hughes, was one of my favorite YouTubers that started around the olden days of X and Y (I guess you can call them the olden days…? That seems so bizarre to say seeing as I started playing with Gen 2) and I very much enjoyed his edginess and off-the-wall remarks, so that's who you'll be seeing here! Much like him, I've got a taste for badassery… so I hope that gets channeled well, and if you like what you see, I've got a few fics of my own (and one in development to come) you may enjoy :)

The Dragon Saver: Likewise! This story wouldn't be half of what it is without Azakael, so I wanted her to add her manic touch to Ashton's final battles. I also wanted to have Dylan face off against a YouTuber, in my case being Michael from MandJTV, though in particular his Team Sky persona. Michael has a very positive energy in his videos and fully commits to the bit whenever he does one of his challenge playthroughs. I hope I captured his Team Sky persona in this story, and it also let Dylan show off some of his battling skills and strategies. Both Ashton and Dylan will be showing off what they got in this final arc, so stay tuned for more battles!