Hi sweeties! This is me, Delilah! Writing this from my own perspective! Sav has been really busy with work and life, he can't really write much at the moment, so he let me ta-[Hey, wait! You're a character, you can't do that! No 4th wall breaks!]

The chapter hasn't even started yet, Arceus! Don't get your panties in a knot! Anyway, he's letting me take over writing this chapter! Plus, he felt that it would make the most sense for it to be my perspective anyways. So I'm going to, well, recap today as best as I can! This won't be for every chapter, just this one and maybe some more in the coming Acts. As a reminder, Sav doesn't own the rights to any of the music referenced in this story, including the ones I claim to be my own(…now I just sound like a dick) nor does he have the rights to Pokemon as a whole.

Bye for now! Enjoy the Chapter!

Act 1: Where I belong (Protostar)

Chapter 6: Killin' It! (Krewella)

The dim light of dawn filters through the miniscule gaps in the fabric of my blinds like stars in the night sky, painting the room in muted speckled hues of pink and orange. My eyes are still and closed, my body laying in a somewhat comfortable position, one of many. I should be frolicking the fields of dreamland right now, and yet my mind has other plans. My attempts to enter slumber have only been met with frenzied thoughts and distant dreams playing in fast-forward on a cognitive CRT too frantic to make sense of. I mentally stare at the screen longingly, endlessly feeling around for the remote so that I can just let everything slow down and allow myself to be immersed. My foot gently tries sanding down the bed sheets as my anxiety has led me to involuntarily rock my lower leg back and forth from under the covers. I groan lightly in frustration as I shift my head over my pillow, I can't even stay focused on a single train of thought long enough to doze off.

I'm stressed. How could I not be? There's a Scizor planning on turning me into a puddle of chlorophyll, and I know I'm fucked six ways from sunday. I understand that's a pretty pessimistic way to feel about the whole thing, but no amount of optimism is gonna change the fact that my battle today is gonna be like trying to fight a moving freight train. I toss myself, now facing the window, the sunlight, however dim, is enough to stimulate my vision through my eyelids enough for me to open my eyes slightly. I glance to my digital clock at the other end of my room.

In bold illuminated magenta read 4:26AM.

I sigh loudly, my alarm goes off in just over an hour, any sleep I could get isn't gonna be helpful at this point. I turn onto my back, staring at the crimson painted ceiling for a moment, before slowly exiting the warmth of electrically heated bed sheets. The cool morning air wafts over me as I pull open the blinds and head into the bathroom, doing my regular routine. Shower, brush teeth, wash face. I stare at myself as the cool water drips off of my chin, noting the bags under my eyes, the worried and yet irritated expression across my face. I lower my head and shut my eyes, taking a deep breath through my nose. I lift myself back up and grab my makeup bag off the counter, covering up the bags and adding just a touch of eyeshadow for aesthetic, hiding my exhaustion and presenting a façade of confidence. I typically don't wear makeup unless I'm going out, but I know Valerie will notice my tiredness if I don't hide it.

"You got this." I whisper to myself. "You're gonna prove to her that you're more than just…sigh, whatever the fuck she thinks you are, even if you lose."

I exit the bathroom and grab my phone off of my desk, I check the hours for Ruby's Kitchen.

Mon-Wed: 6:00AM-10:00PM

Thu-Sat: 7:30AM-11:00PM

Sun: Closed.

Current time is 4:52. I can talk with Klay beforehand assuming he's there. I grab a basic black and green pullover hoodie, phone, earbuds (definitely gonna need those later,) wallet, keys, backpack, and head out my door. After a while of waiting for the elevator and a sharp ding. The door opens to reveal a houndoom on the other side of the elevator doors. His expression quickly turns to surprise as he spots me. "Oh. Hi there Delilah, you're up earlier than normal." He speaks, I'll admit, I'm also a bit surprised to run into him myself.

"H-Hi Glenn, yeah, I didn't sleep very well, gonna grab a bite before school, how was night shift?" I ask as we trade places.

"Well you know the drill, plenty of kids like yourself trying to get past me with a fake id, not on my watch." He jokes.

"Like myself, you say? Hey I'm a couple months away from 18, that's the legal drinking age in my country!" I retort with a grin.

"Well it isn't here, so I'd like to see you try!" He laughs as he starts down the hallway.

I giggle, "Only joking, tell Ricky I said hi!" I call as the doors close and I descend into the parking lot.

Who was that?

Oh, Hi Palkia, that was my next door neighbor, Glenn.

Let me guess, Bouncer?

Yep. I usually run into him on his way TO work instead of back from work though.

He seems nice.

He is! Both he and his roommate Ricky are really nice.

…Are they lovers?

No…well…I don't know. Maybe? That's a weird question to ask out of the blue.

I dunno…he kinda struck me as the type?

…Meh, I don't really care, not really either of our business either way.

Yeah that's fair.

When the elevator stops, I gear up and hop on my bike once I'm ready and head off to the diner. Feeling the cool, slightly damp air whip at my skin as I fly down the empty early morning streets of West Latias. These city streets resting like an empty canvas waiting to be painted by the colors of the day. The speaker in my backpack vibrates ever so slightly to the beat of an instrumental Progressive Trance song, pounding out a rhythm in time with my beating heart. Cyclone by Rameses B, for those curious.

West Latias is a bit on the smaller side as far as cities go, it's more like a large town if anything, but the recent developments have started have started to make this place feel more and more like a city, with hi-rise offices and condominiums slowly being erected as the months go by, including my own condo, which was built last year. Of course, I'm only going off of word of mouth, I've only lived here for just under two months, so I have no reference for what this place might've looked like before then. However, it's easy to distinguish between the new and old, with modern shapes, colors and reflective glass clashing against the quaint craftsman houses, respectable mid-century buildings, and cute vintage attractions that make up the majority of the city's image. As much as I adore the modern stylings of today, I mean, I spent a good minute swooning over this one decent sized house near the school with a 4 door Lambo convertible parked out front. [Those exist?] I will admit, the original buildings definitely give the town more of a charm than the over-urbanized Altera I call home. I will admit though, regardless of architecture, sunset definitely hits the place jusssst right! [Wow…just don't answer my question then…okay.]

Speaking of vintage attractions, I downshift and lean my way into the parking lot. Thankfully it's not raining like yesterday, I set myself down and carry my helmet with me inside. [Hello?] The restaurant is dark, but the open sign is on, and I can see movement inside. I gently push open the door, knocking a bell with the top of the door and signaling my arrival.

"Be raght whit'cha in a sec!" Ruby calls from the back of the restaurant. I glance over to one of the window booths to spot Klayton rummaging in his satchel across from an Espeon I don't recognise. They spot me, but they seem so bleary-eyed I wonder if they've even registered my presence.

[Can you not…see me writing in the margins? Hello?]

Ruby comes out from a swinging door and flicks her gaze over to me, "Oh, Delahlah! What a surprahse! Have a seat!"

[Aw…]

Hearing my name seems to have caught the "Vappy's" attention as he perks up and catches sight of me over his shoulder. "Oh? H-hi? What's up, Jade?" he calls out to me as I approach the booth. The Espeon seems to return to consciousness out of confusion.

"Was up early, thought I would fuel up before, well, y'know." I explain as I rest my hand on the back of his seat. Klay shakes his head. "Mind if I join you two?" I request.

"Uh…yeah sure, you alright with that Aria?" Klayton addresses. The Espeon places her head in her paws for a second, does a low whine, then shifts over towards me.

"I'll move…you two lovebirds can knock ya'selves out…" she miffs as she dismounts from the seat and moves into a different booth, immediately turning her forelegs into pillows. Her comment seems to have flustered Klay as I set my helmet down on the end of the table and take her place.

"You good?" I ask.

"Yeah. I just wish Aria would stop treating every female friend of mine like they're a potential lover." Klay sulks.

"Meh, I'd do it too to be honest." I shrug, Klay whines, I then point back at the Espeon behind me, "I'm assuming…little sister?"

He nods, "Only by a couple of years, but yeah."

"Don't mahnd 'er." Ruby notes, "Ah keep tellin' that gir' to git some slaep but she keeps stayin' up till o' dark therty! Anyway, Ah'm makin' the keeds mushroom, avocado and swiss cheese omelets with hash browns, ye want one too or do ye want somethin' else, hun?" she asks.

"That….sounds great actually!" I accept. I was planning on ordering something else, but I'm a bit of a sucker for all of those things.

"Alrahght! Whould ye lahke some coffee as whell? Ye seem a beet unrested yerself." She follows.

"Ah…no thanks, I don't really like coffee all that much, too bitter." I admit. Ruby cocks her head to the side and ponders for a moment. "Ye lahke vaniller?"

"...yeah?"

"Ah got just the thang~!" She chirps as she trots away.

"I mean I'll take a Mountain Budew…" I note as she moves out of earshot. "O-okay." I mumble as I shake my head.

"So uhh…how are you feeling?" Klayton asks as he leans forward seriously.

"I would say anxious, but kind of in an accepting way? What's the word?" I start.

"Hesitant?" He answers

"No…"

"Apathetic?" I hear the Espeon muffle behind me.

"That, yeah. Apathetic." I confirm. "To be honest, I just want this to be over with. I'm still gonna give it my all, don't get me wrong. If I didn't, I don't think either myself nor Valerie would forgive me for that."

"But you know…" Klay murmurs.

"Yep, I've got like a million to one odds of coming out on top here. That's another reason I've come here though." I explain. "You've seen her battle, even gone against her before, right?"

Klay takes a sip of water and waits a moment before responding with a focused look on his face, eyes locked on the ice cubes in his water settling into place.

"Now that I think of it, I can think of one thing you can try on her. I only spar against her, but I've seen her go all out before. She's no joke alright, she's fast and she hits really, REALLY hard when she wants to." Klay starts.

Great, I feel better already, his inky black with a highlight of bright purple eyes rise up to meet mine

"But I will make note of this, you're just under a third of her size." he continues, I roll my eyes.

"Yeah, I'm aware, you're not instilling a lot of confidence." I groan, he holds up his paw in defense.

"T-That's not the point I'm trying to make…What I mean is, you're a small target, Jade. You're a Snivy, and you know that your kind is famous for being nimble and crafty." Klay explains, now I'm starting to see what he's selling. "Valerie is physically capable of lots of damage, but take it from me. Her adrenaline makes it hard to focus on anything other than 'attack,' she isn't very precise with her attacks, she just tries to rush and overwhelm her opponents. Usually it works, but I think if you have a good strategy and move unpredictably, you actually might have a chance."

"Huh…well, I've at least got the strategy down. I just have to be light on my feet." I think aloud.

Ruby drops a mug of frothy liquid in front of me, and while my mind is preoccupied I take a sip. The taste shatters my concentration as I nearly recoil. It's sweet, yes, but the prominent taste of coffee is just barely present enough for me to notice. "E-Ehh..what is this?" I ask Ruby.

"That's a Vaniller latte. Aria's like ye, not much fo' coffee, but she lahkes these. How's eet?" she replies.

I pause, then take another sip. "It's pretty good, thanks Ruby." I note, I can see her eyes light up before she turns back and trots away giddily.

Course, I lied. It's…..fine…I guess.

…Huh…I keep taking more sips…

[Bring Sav back so I can bully him while he's narrating!]

The halls between first and second period seemed like a blur, the shuffling of students and slamming of lockers a distant hum. The world felt unreal, as if the mundane routines of Registration and history were nothing but echoes of a life I was slowly leaving behind. My mind kept drifting, not quite anchored in the present. Mr. Telepo's monotone morning announcements barely registered. Ms. Rivera's impassioned explanation of the consequences of the industrial revolution? Lost in the void. Then came third period, a blur of numbers and equations. Fourth period, dissecting Shakespearow's hidden meanings. Fifth period, the intricacies of cell biology and having to describe what having chlorophyll for blood is like to my non-grass type peers. The clock hands seemed to drag themselves, one heavy second at a time, a torturous countdown until the bell would release me from my academic confinement.

Finally, the bell's liberating chime echoed through the halls, snapping me back to reality. Gym class. The thought brought a mix of relief and anxiousness, a welcome escape from the theoretical entrapment of the morning, and a grim reminder of what's soon to come. Still, the gym's double doors beckoned, and I could practically feel the energy pulsating within.

I pushed open the doors to the gymnasium, instantly hit by the familiar scent of sweat and the echoing chorus of feet and paws squeaking on the polished floor. The room was alive with energy, a stark contrast to the subdued ambiance of the rest of the school. The gym was a different universe, a place where my body could speak louder than any Shakespearowean sonnet or mathematical formula. Coach Wheezle, with his whistle dangling around his neck, barked orders from the sideline as we all had a seat on the bleachers for roll call. I take in a deep breath, then exhale as I spot HER heading out of the Women's locker room, stretching her muscles.

"Alright, what do you think of this one?" I hear a familiar voice behind me, followed by a heavy thud to my immediate left, startling me as I turn to see Blake in a suave position on the bleachers next to me, a smug expression across his face. "Hey~! Do you happen to work at the library?" he asks out of the blue. I quickly rack my brain for a response to no avail.

"Uhhh…What?" I respond, and Blake's eyes seem to light up.

"You don't? Aww…cause just like a book, I'm checkin' you out~!" He follows with a wink. The absurdity hits me like a speeding car and I can't help but chuckle a little.

"Do you just like to spend hours on the internet looking for these?" I ask, only to be met with a cocky shrug from the other grass type.

"I plead the fifth." He answers. "At least you're the only one I've met so far who enjoys them. Valerie despises them and Luna can't share her thoughts on them. So that-nnnh! Hi babe!" he quips, only to have the back of his head lightly shoved by Luna as she moves in-between us.

"Hi Luna." I greet as she responds with a smile so sweet I can almost see cartoony sparkles appear around her face as she waves.

"Anyway, you looked kinda down so I wanted to see if it would lift your spirits a little bit." Blake explains as he wraps his front leg around Luna's back, which she reciprocates by burying her head in his chest…mmmh…Before this week, I might've thought that a Deerling and a 'Snowpix' were a weird pairing, but now that I see them together like this, they're so unbelievably cute together~!

"Consider them lifted. Doesn't change what's about to happen though." I start.

Blake doesn't respond with anything but a cock of the head. "I'm gonna challenge Valerie to a battle and hope that my actions can speak louder than words." His eyes widen.

"Wh-Jade that's suicide! Do you have any id-"

"Yes, Blake, I know what I'm up against. I know that the best case scenario for me is that I walk away with a single bruise. I've got a plan to at least hold my own for a bit."

"Are you sure you-"

"I'm sure. Either I challenge her and catch her off guard, or I let her challenge me and get my shit rocked. Either way, we're doing this, and I'd rather go in with a plan."

Blake seems defeated, Luna too looks on in intense concern for me. I glance over at Valerie across the bleachers, Klayton is over there, trying to reason with the Scizor, but the expression on her face shows that she's having none of it. Charlie's also there, but I don't think he's really paying attention.

"Alright everybody, we're having battling drills today." Coach Wheezle boredly announces as he flips through papers on a clipboard. "Now, are there any volunteers for the first round?"

A pair of hands raise, a Lokix and Vega, I guess I won't be going first. "Alright, Bryce, Vega, you two are up first, match timer is five minutes, not that I think you'll go past that. If you manage to make your opponent bleed, you're forfeit. If you fully leave the mat, even if you're knocked off by your opponent, you lose." The two make their way down to the blue mat. "And…battle begin!"

The grasshopper and the rabbit engage in a quick duel of kicks. I take a deep breath.

"Hey." Blake starts, I turn away from the match to watch him scoot closer to me, Luna stands up.

"Good luck, okay? We'll be rooting for you." He reassures as he places his hoof on my shoulder, Luna wraps her front legs around my back in a hug, her fur cool to the touch. I can't help but smile warmly to the two of them.

"Thanks you two." I take a deep breath and throw my hood over my head, reaching down the front of it and pulling an earbud up from the inside. Placing it in my ear, as I watch Bryce pin down the Raboot with one of his massive back legs, Vega grunting from underneath him.

"I submit!" Vega shouts, prompting the Lokix to step off of him and fold up his back legs with a snap, landing with a gentle thud, helping his opponent up.

"You did well, Vega." Bryce compliments as he shakes Vega's hand.

"Aw man, you've just got so much reach with those! That was fun!"

The two make their way off the mat, and I glance to Valerie as she stands up. "I challenge-" she starts, only for me to interrupt.

"Coach Wheezle, I would like to battle Valerie Shear." I calmly announce, the entire Gymnasium gasping in shock. Even the Coach seems astounded, I glance down to Valerie again. She stares back with a narrow-eyed bewilderment.

"Pardon me, Miss Chaser. You are aware that Valerie is the captain of our battling team, right?" Coach Wheezle frantically states.

"I'm well aware, but I'm from a different country. I simply want to see what the best of Hoenn has to offer." I explain calmly. Standing up from my seat. "Plus, I get the feeling she would've challenged me anyway. I'm sure she feels the same for me."

Coach Wheezle's eyes flick between Valerie and I. "Valerie, w-who were you going to challenge, originally?" He nervously asks, only for her to keep her gaze on me.

"Her." She bluntly responds.

Coach Wheezle, now sensing invisible sparks clashing between our eyes. Reluctantly decides that it would be much better for us to battle here than in public. With a heavy sigh he pulls out the clipboard again. "Very well, come on down, ladies."

I take a deep breath, nod to my friends, then hit the button on my earbud's remote inside my hoodie. A large synth hit plays through my ear and I begin making my way down the stairs.

"This battle's match timer is five minutes. Reaching this time will result in a draw."

"Ladies and gentlemen. We understand that you…" A text to speech voice fills my right ear shortly after coach's line.

"Drawing blood from your opponent will result in immediate disqualification."

"Have come tonight…to bear witness to the sound…of drum…and…bass."

"If your entire body hits the ground outside of the mat, you lose by ring-out."

"We regret to announce…that this is not the case, as instead, we come tonight to bring you…the sonic recreation of the end of the world."

"We allow use of one regulation item per match." Coach Wheezle notes as we both make our way onto the mat. Valerie stretches her shoulders and lowers her stance, glaring into my soul.

"Ladies and gentlemen…Prepare"

A set of large plexiglass walls begin to raise in front of the bleachers, protecting the crowd from whatever special attacks we might throw at each other.

"To hold"

Coach Wheezle sits down at a folding table, a yellow note sheet in front of him.

"Your…color."

The music begins to intensify as the crowd starts to begin chanting. I pay them no heed, I know they're rooting for their princess.

Coach Wheezle seems to be messaging someone on his laptop. Is he letting the nurse know that I might be showing up within the next 5 minutes? Great, there's that for confidence. He stares back at us. Then gives a countdown.

"Battle begins in three!"

"Okay, fuck it, I lied."

"Two!"

"It's drum and bass."

"One!"

"What you gonna do?"

"Begin!"

"NaaaaAAAAAH!" The music drops and Valerie's wings begin to glow, spewing jets of energy as she begins to rocket towards me, her claws bathed in silver light. [Wait, what the fuck? Why does she have jet wings?!] I quickly internalize the rhythm of the music and dive forward and to the right to a snare hit, her bullet punch merely grazing the tip of my tail as she now has to exert herself to slow herself.

I do a quick roll, then quickly throw out a vine, wrapping around her ankle and yanking her towards me, causing her to trip forward with a grunt. I quickly retract the vine to roll out of the way of an air-slash, bursting across the plexiglass wall and leaving a red hot gash across its translucent surface.

She growls as she rights herself. I begin running to my right, charging an Energy Ball in-between my hands. She dives in my direction, arms crossed. That's an attack I absolutely cannot let myself get hit by, X-Scizzor. I fire the orb of solar and natural energy at my feet, propelling me upwards as I charge my tail with a similar energy, it grows in size and extends into a sharp point as Valerie grunts from the smoke left behind. I twirl in the air as the Scizor continues underneath me. Landing a pair of solid hits on her back with Leaf Blade, before both of us skid on our feet to a halt. She immediately doubles back and I'm barely able to lean out of the way of a Metal Claw before I can even catch my breath. I hold my tail up, Leaf Blade still engaged, to block another blow from her other hand. Her claw collides with enough power to knock me backward with a yelp. She's getting used to Blood Sugar, next track please!

A quick fuzz of static signals my immediate relief as I watch Valerie rush forward, her wings glowing and beginning to beat violently. I hear the loud sound of a cork popping through my headphone as I rush forward and slide between her legs, narrowly avoiding Dual Wingbeat.

"Models poppin' bottles!"

A slower, but equally energetic song fills my ear as I wrap one of my vines around her shoulder and immediately dash to the side and leap into the air, my vine carrying me around Valerie's body before she has time to process what's happening. She raises one of her claws into the air to snipe me with another air slash, only for her to be met with her claw suddenly being bound to her body as I come around her opposite side.

Is this…fucking dubstep Snake Charmer music?

BASS CHARMER! YOU'RE NOT HELPING!

I do another pass as she squirms within the organic cables binding her. I pull hard on the vine with my arms and step on it with my foot. Valerie growls as she struggles to break free, staring daggers at me. I smirk confidently as I charge another Energy Ball and fire it straight into her cheek, intentionally letting go in hopes that the blast knocks her off the mat.

"pop-poppin' bottles!"

Unfortunately, though somewhat expectedly, Valerie shrugs off the Energy Ball and only stumbles back a few feet with a grunt. "Alright…you're not as easy as I'd thought you'd be…" Valerie notes as she waves the haze away.

"I knew this was coming, so I came prepared." I respond, trying to draw out this respite until I hear static again.

"That right? Tryna' show me up, little girl?" Valerie antagonizes as she readies her stance yet again.

"I'm not trying to show you up! But I don't want to be viewed as a pushover either! In fact, how's this?!"

The static hisses again as I begin swaying my body, I look over at my friends, now sitting together watching in anticipation.

"What move is that?" Klay asks besides Blake who's watching curiously.

"I don't know, it's familiar but I can't put my finger on it." he replies.

With a few more twirls, glowing pink sakura petals begin forming around me, Blake gasps.

"Let me…"

"NO WAY! HOW?!" Blake exclaims as he sits up in his seat.

"What? What is it?!" Klayton asks, completely flummoxed.

"That's Petal Dance!" Blake finally reveals as I strike a pose and within an instant the entire gymnasium fills with elementally charged sakura petals, swirling around the arena in a large whirlwind.

"SATISFY~!"

Valerie is immediately buffeted by the storm with a harsh cry, petals bursting against and slicing up her armored exoskeleton. She uses her wings to ground herself, struggling to keep herself, quickly realizing that standing her ground has only led her to take even more hits. "D-aaagh! What the fuck is this?!" she growls in rage. I smirk, this is going better than I thought it would.

My second turn with Petal Dance, I up the intensity, forcing her off the ground and into the middle of the floral blender, I can just barely hear her howling over the sound of swirling energies. I grab a hold of the lum berry in my pocket, I'm gonna need this when this is over.

…which feels…..soooooooooooonn…

Valerie hits the…hits the….uhh…mat, and she looks at Martin…wait…who's Martin? I don't even know…what am I talking about? The petals fall and they're…like super pretty and stuff…don't you think so? Man…I forgot how good Satisfy by NERO wassss…ahaha…

JUST EAT THE BERRY ALREADY! SHE'S ABOUT TO ATTACK AGAIN!

Oh right…I have a….I think it's a taquito? I dunno, it looks good. I'm gonna eat it. Nom~!

With a crunch of the Lum berry, my senses snap back to normal and the confusion caused by Petal Dance immediately vanishes just in time to see an X-Scissor heading my way. "GAH!" I yelp as I'm forced to use Leaf Blade to block again, the hit rippling through my tail and into the rest of my body. I groan loudly as I tumble backwards, just shy of the mat's edge, my body reels. Even through another attack, X-scissor still remains super effective against me. I can only imagine how one would feel if I didn't block. Regardless I have to stay mobile, knowing my odds, one hit and I'm done for.

"Satisfy~!"

I glance forward, spotting floating swords materialize behind Valerie's back to boost her next attack. I roll out of the way of a Bullet Punch volley. The swords doing multiple short and quick jabs alongside her claw, before dissipating. I use my vines to quickly hoist myself back onto my feet then use my left one to ensnare her again. I reel myself in and power up an Aerial Ace in my tail, being the only somewhat effective move in my kit against the bug type.

With a large clang and a grunt from my target, I watch my Aerial Ace make a glowing mark on her forehead, leaving a scratch in her armor. "Gah! Hah…wow, I actually felt that one. NOW I'M MOTIVATED!" She shouts.

She headbutts me back to the ground, then uses one of her claws to snip herself from my tether, allowing the vine wrapping her to fall limp. "Shit!" I exclaim as I'm forced to retract a mangled end of half of one of my vines, chlorophyll dripping onto the mat on its way back inside my pauldron. Coach Wheezle is about to stand up and blow the whistle. The fizz of static fills my ear again

"They're not part of my body, they're just stored in it!" I hastily explain to Coach Wheezle so he doesn't stop the match because my vine got snipped. Still, I can't use that one for a while, which is a bummer.

"FIGHT BACK!" A new song enters the fray, followed by a heavy and absolutely filthy bass drop. I feel the rhythm and get ready to evade another Dual Wingbeat.

I jump and power up a move in my tail, I ride the air current generated by Aerial Ace, acting as a sort of aerial dash to evade the shockwaves produced by Dual Wingbeat, then immediately keeping the current generated to dive to the ground to avoid a follow-up Metal Claw from the Scizor.

To the beat, I hit the ground underneath Valerie and use the current of Aerial ace to spin myself on the mat, slashing her legs a few times, then her pelvis, shoving her backwards onto her ass with a heavy grunt and a thud. "AARGH! C'MON!" She growls as she clutches her lower thorax, her free claw now glowing with a pale blue light.

"F-F-FIGHT BACK!"

I dodge the first Air Slash, then another, then another, at this point, I can hardly breathe, I've been dodging nonstop for so long. I groan as I dodge the last one, breathing heavily. I just…need…a sec-

DELILAH!

Wh-

"THANKS FOR HOLDING STILL!" Valerie's voice rings out.

CLANG! "AAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

I can feel my guts compress, nearly shooting out of my mouth as a Metal Claw makes direct contact with my stomach. An uppercut, she knocks me skywards. I get a split second glance at her while I'm falling, both fists ablaze with silver light.

….Aw fuck.

….Aw fuck.

"HARARARAAAA!" Valerie shouts as she relentlessly pummels my body with Bullet Punch. "HARAAA!" She screams as she finishes with an X-Scissor to my back, sealing my fate as I soar through the air, clearly knowing that my destination will be the cold, hardwood floor.

For a moment, I feel a strange sensation, I feel…heavy, like I'm being pulled down by a bungee. I slam the floor hard, bounce, then roll to a stop. "Nnnn…" I groan softly as I lay face down on the ground. My entire body screams in agony as the crowd cheers. My muscles ache, my lungs struggling after being overexerted from nonstop dodging. The music has stopped, my earbud is now somewhere on the inside of my hood.

Well, I can't say I didn't try…shit.

I wonder if it's even worth getting up, with how hard I was just hit, I HAVE to be off the mat, right?

…right?

Why hasn't the ref called my loss yet?

Come on, Delilah! Get up! You're not out yet!

I…I'm not?

I increased your gravity for a second so you would stop before the end of the mat! You can still fight! Come on!

I…

I can…!

With gritted teeth, I wrestle myself to my elbows and knees. I glance up at my opponent, she's got her arms outstretched to her sides, waving upwards to get the crowd to continue their uproar.

She's celebrating.

She thinks she's won.

…this is the best chance I'm going to get…!

You better have another trick up your sleeve, Jade.

…Just one. I didn't think I'd get a chance to use it.

I dip my tail in the sun's rays shining through the skylights above. Now feeling it's energy surging through my body. I glance over at Coach Weezle, the Floatzel stares at me in disbelief, but he doesn't say a word, the crowd continues to cheer for their champion. All the while my final gambit surges through my body.

"This is what Celatia has to offer?!" Valerie shouts. "If this is what a somewhat competent fighter looks like, I truly MUST know what a professional must feel like to go up against!"

I can feel the solar energy reaching its peak. I get to my feet, and sway my body to a deafened rhythm. I smirk, I start to hum along to the song I know should be playing through my earbuds. Valerie halts as she hears my voice and spots charged petals floating by her face. She whips around in astonishment. "I'm a Predator~..." I sing and unleash Petal Dance once more. Blossoms of pink, yellow, blue and red assault her armor once more.

She growls, "Y-you're kidding?! How did you not make it off the mat?!" She shouts as I watch her cover her face with her pincers through the now blinding whirlwind of flower petals.

"Rapture~" I continue. Finally, I watch her beat her wings and take skyward over the range of Petal Dance, furious, but with an air of cockiness I feel the energy overflowing through my body, I lock eyes with her.

"I AM KILLIN' IT~!" I finish the lyric

She pauses, and hardly has time to react before I thrust my chest forward, a directional blast of pure solar radiation erupts from my body, I watch her cocky smirk turn to a panicked gasp as she takes the Solarbeam head on, the sound of the impact thunders throughout the entire school as the skylights above shower broken glass across the gymnasium floor. The people in the stands exclaim in shock as the force from the blast ripples across their bodies. The air above is clouded with black smoke and flower petals.

Did…did I do it?

I watch in disbelief as Valerie uses her wings to barely glide back onto the mat, landing with a sluggish thud. Her red plated breast now blackened and scarred from Solarbeam, she gets to her feet and makes a protective stance, though her expression is obscured by the smoke. "Aww come on…!" I groan.

My breathing is heavy, my knees tremble, my heartbeat pounds in my ears and I can hardly bring myself to move, I wanna just forfeit so that I can catch my breath for even a second. As the smoke clears, I finally get to see the look on her face.

She's determined, very determined, but she's in just as rough shape as I am. Our desperate gasps for air alternate in tandem. And although her face reads determination, I can tell by the look in her eyes she's got no steam left either, she's as exhausted as I am. Her combative stance breaks slightly as one of her claws suddenly meets with her thorax. "Nnngh…" she whines with one eye winced shut.

For what feels like an eternity, the entire arena is still. The spectators look on in anticipation, as her and I stare and pant at each other. My petal dance is still swirling around at barely any strength, if only to delay the inevitable side effect of it finishing.

"Well…I'm outta gas…hah…hah…how 'bout you?" I ask, trying to break the tension. Her body tenses up in what seems to be rage, but then her composure breaks and she lowers her stance.

"You….put up…way more of a fight….than everyone here does…" She starts as she stares down at the ground in exhaustion. "But still…as fun as this was…I…hah…refuse to let you…break my streak!" She exclaims, then grunts as she gets back in her battle stance.

"...Works for me…hah…draw?" I question. Her eyes widen. "That's…technically…not a loss…" I continue.

Slowly, she lowers her stance, "...Draw? ….Yeah…..I can live with that….hah…hah…" She admits as she does a controlled collapse to the ground. I smile and do the same, hearing both of us catch our breath.

"...Well, that was…interesting…THE BATTLE HAS CONCLUDED IN A DRAW!" Coach Wheezle announces as the shields lower and the crowd cheers. The rest of the GT4 rushes down towards us.

After I catch my lungs, I see a red figure in my eyes. Who's that? Why can't I see all that well?

"Thanks…for the battle. You uh, need a hand?" the red blur asks.

"Is that you, Christmas~?" I ask. "Whooooaaa~~~! It's biiiig in here~!"

They sigh. I hear a couple more indistinct voices.

"Right…Petal Dance."

I gingerly push open the creaking door of the school nurse's office, my fingers grazing the white gauze as I stepped out into the fluorescent-lit hallway. I winced as the throbbing pain in my left knee flared up with each step. The faint scent of antiseptic lingered in the air, a testament to the care I had just received. Despite the discomfort, there was a subtle smile on my lips, a quiet pride that shone in my eyes.

The final two periods of the school day had slipped away while I'd been in the nurse's office, receiving treatment for the injuries sustained during our battle. The gym mats had borne witness to our struggle, witnessing our determination to prove their skills.

A few onlookers pass by, some mutter to each other after seeing me. I pay them no heed, I step across the hallway and through one of the open doors to outside. Home sounds like the place to be right now.

At least, were it not for an unexpected voice to halt my progress.

"Hey, Delilah." A familiar, and yet strange voice sounded from behind me. I turn around, and to my surprise, It's Valerie, leaning on the wall just outside the exit to the school. Her voice, without a hint of growl or a whiff of disdain for my existence feels alien, and yet, not in a bad way. Feels like I'm finally talking to the real Valerie.

"Valerie? What're you doing here?" I ponder.

"I wanted to talk with you earlier but you were still completely useless from the Confusion…" She notes as she stands up and walks over to me. Her feet clacking against the concrete with each step. I don't respond, but I'm so curious now that I listen in intently.

"I just wanted to say, that was one of the most entertaining, if not frustrating, battles I've had in a long time. Thank you." She explains as she holds out one of her claws to shake. I hesitate a little bit, a part of me worried she's just gonna clamp down the second I get my hand in there. I still meet her claw with my hand and she delivers a firm shake in response.

"I'm…a bit surprised. You spent the past 4 days hating my guts, what changed?" I ask, genuinely curious, Valerie scoffs.

"Oh don't get me wrong, I DEFINITELY don't see BFFs in our future, but…well you learn a lot about someone by battling them." She explains, first with a heavily sarcastic tone, but then back to this softer tone she's adopted.

"The truth…I knew a servine, once. Thought she was my best friend for a time, turns out, she was just using me. I…was taking my anger for her out on you. You reminded me too much, this battle showed me who you really are, and…I guess it was the only way I could get myself to see that you WEREN'T her, that you were someone with a good spirit. You fought to protect your own honor, not to prove superiority, and I respect that."

"...Well, Valerie. I would be open to having you and I start over, if you would be open as well?" I ask. Valerie ponders for a moment, then nods.

"Yeah. Alright." Valerie accepts.

"Well, uh…guess I'll meet you at Table Four tomorrow." I chirp as I wave to her.

"Yeah, see you around." Valerie salute-waves.

As I turn around, Valerie turns to one of the trees in the front yard of the school, spotting the rest ot the GT4 nodding and silently clapping from afar. She scoffs, then nods and waves to them before walking away towards the Gym.

She steps through the entrance, staring at the trophy case with a couple dozen battling trophies paired with a large printed photograph of a Blaziken with a white and yellow hoodie. In bold lettering on a plague red.

WEST LATIAS #1: BRENDAN B. BURSYAMO - SEASON OF 1998

"Almost lost it today, Brendan, but I'm still going. You passed the torch…"

…

"And I'll uphold my promise, I'll carry it to the end."

And that's all the time I've got for this chapter! I really hope you enjoyed it! I enjoyed writing it, not very much living it, ehehe! Anyways, I would try to fit what comes next in this chapter, but this chapter is already super long and I don't have much for next time anyway, so I figure I can save it for next time!

I feel like I'm forgetting something…Oh yeah! My playlist for this chapter! The parts in brackets are the sections of the song I used in my Versus Mix.

City Streets: Cyclone - Rameses B

VS Mix, Track 1: Blood Sugar (Original Mix) - Pendulum [0:00 - 1:41]

VS Mix, Track 2: Bass Charmer - Pegboard Nerds [0:44 - 1:11]

VS Mix, Track 3: Satisfy - NERO [0:54 - 1:29]

VS Mix, Track 4: Battle Sirens (RIOT Remix) - Knife Party and Tom Morello [1:13 - 1:38]

VS Mix, Track 5 + Chapter Title: Killin' It - Krewella [1:34 - 2:25]

I think that just about covers it! I'm gonna give Sav back the computer for now! I will see you all in ACT II, goodbye my lovelies! Mwah~!

Thanks, D. For those who need it, because I know someone will think this, Delilah is NOT a real person. I still wrote the chapter, I just wanted to have some fun, do a little experiment if you will. I'm happy this chapter actually came out at a decent rate, I felt really bad about the last one. But I digress, something I wanted to clear up real quick before I go, that being:

"Why does Valerie have jet booster wings, Sav?"

The answer is surprisingly simple. Valerie is actually based on Pokken Tournament DX's Scizor, which, if you aren't aware, has jet booster wings and like 11 moves lol. I main Scizor primarily in that game and wanted to fit it into a story at some point, so I came up with Valerie, and there you go.

Anyways, this is SavageCaliber, over and out!