Note- Welcome back one and all to Heart and Soul! It's been a good month and a half since we last met, but these weeks have been very good for my writing and for enjoying some beautiful fall weather here in the States. I hope this new chapter finds you well and safe. I know there's a lot of uncertainty and danger in this world that can't be ignored. but I do hope even things like this silly story can help bring levity and enjoyment in these stressful times. I love y'all and I'm so grateful to be able to share this with you.
What exactly will I be sharing today, though? Well, we've got a monster of a chapter in front of us. One of the longest I've written. And for good reason. We have a lot happening despite entering into a time between rounds. There are goals to be worked toward, dynamics to be explored, and battles to be fought outside of stadiums! I'm so excited to share what all will be happening in this jam packed installment of Heart and Soul! I hope you enjoy!
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Chapter 69
"Low, then high."
Waz watched on as each of Blastoise's cannons fired. The first blast of water struck the bottle resting against the side of the hill, crushing it beyond recognition. The second concentrated burst shot higher up the hill, catching the top of another bottle with enough force to spin the lid off it. The majority of the pressurized water current sailed well over the target, however.
Waz brought a hand up to scratch his cheek. They'd started working on these back to back different direction strikes before the tournament's start, but progress had been slow. It took immense body control and processing ability to delay and aim attacks from different angles. He didn't envy his starter's task. But it was something they had to work on. Blastoise's linear, simultaneous version of the move had already been exploited multiple times at this tournament. Speedy opponents had been able to avoid it while charging in, landing critical strikes as Blastoise tried to recover from the taxing attack. It made the Sevii Islander not even want to attempt the move, despite it being his starter's most powerful.
Another incredibly powerful move caught Waz's attention at that moment. Flames filled the sky to his right. A blast of hot air struck the right side of his face and stinging tears filled his eyes as he turned to face the source.
Chris's Typhlosion glowed like the coals beneath a roaring fire. Orange flames rolled up and down his body. Golden streams of fire swirled above his shoulders and off into the sky above. Waz brought a hand up to shield his face as ash and small debris began to rain down. Looking through the cracks between his fingers, Waz had to applaud the researchers who had categorized the Typhlosion species. Standing on his back legs, the Fire-type looked to have become a living volcano.
Chris stood no more than a few dozen feet away from the inferno—like a man who stared down volcanic eruptions in his free time. He gave a curt nod to his starter as he turned back to him. Then he was on to coaching his Ampharos as the Light Pokemon tried and repeatedly failed to land her Thunderbolt on Crobat.
Waz turned back to his own team. Blastoise had now joined his other five teammates in eating the food and vitamins Waz had sat out. The Sevii Islander soon joined them, producing a bag of chips from his backpack. He dropped down beneath a large oak tree and rested his broad shoulders against its trunk. He took one bite before noticing the other six pairs of eyes on him.
"How are you guys feeling?" he asked.
They all nodded and mumbled their approval. Waz studied as most of them dropped their heads and went back to eating. He noticed Blastoise still holding his gaze.
"We're going to master the simultaneous shot," Waz said.
His starter nodded, but said nothing.
Waz glanced over at Gengar. The Shadow Pokemon had fittingly nabbed the airspace that fell in the shadow of the tree. He floated up, and then down. With each piece of food he flicked into his mouth, his eyes twitched back toward his trainer.
Waz cleared his throat. "Everything okay?" he asked them.
"Swel'," his Normal/Flying-type answered, flexing his wings. Waz raised an eyebrow. He knew that gesture.
"You know we don't pussyfoot around. What's going on?"
There was a pause. Very unusual for this bunch. Waz had worked to reinforce an atmosphere of trust since starting his journey. He'd put in the long nights consoling some of his friends and encouraging others. No topic was off limits. No insecurity was too small. This was his damn family.
To Waz's surprise, it was Gallade that broke the silence. "Gal'," he said, his tone neutral. He pointed his shorter arm toward the other side of the field. Waz followed it until his eyes fell on Chris's camp.
"What? You don't want to train with Chris's team?"
Gallade shook his head, but didn't elaborate.
Waz sighed. "I need a straight answer," he said.
"Blast'," the Water-type said, standing up. He pointed one finger at Waz, then turned to point it toward Chris's camp. "'Toise."
"Do you want me to go talk to Chris's team?"
Six heads shook.
"Talk to Chris?"
Six affirmatives blasted his eardrums in unison.
"Arceus. Alright."
Waz scooped another handful of chips into his mouth before standing up. He made his way across the field, his eyes following Chris as the trainer darted over to say something to his Espeon. Waz had only taken a few steps before the Cherrygrove native had bounced over to shout advice to Gyarados as he charged Scizor. Then he was back with Typhlosion. By the time Waz reached him, he had somehow worked his way over to both pair up and begin coaching Scizor and Crobat.
"Hey, Chris."
The trainer spun around like he'd just been caught stealing something. His eyes were wide and his forehead wrinkled. The smile he put on to accompany them nearly broke Waz's brain.
"What's up?" he asked.
"Just wanted to check in. See how things were going with your team."
Chris had sent him the invitation to hold joint training sessions only a couple of hours ago. It had been the first time he'd heard from Chris outside of their limited interactions in passing at the stadium or hotel. It was good to spend a bit more time around his friend, though they'd actually spent very little time together during this practice session. In fact, Chris had pretty much just stuck with his team since their initial greeting.
"We're grinding. Making some mistakes, but getting those slowly ironed out."
"Cool." Waz shuffled from one foot to another. Here he had just chided his team for tiptoeing around the issue at hand. He wanted to be direct, but he also didn't want to inadvertently insult his friend. Waz may not have been a people person, but he could sense when someone he cared about was going through it. Now, how would he make this next question sound natural? "I know it can be a grind on trainers too. How are you?"
"Well," Chris said, an exasperated chuckle filling his throat, "I'm alright." He cleared his throat, but the words still seemed to struggle to surface. "Yeah. Think I'm good."
"Cool," Waz repeated, scratching at the back of his neck. He glanced over his shoulder and saw six heads swivel in every direction but his. Those bastards. As the bag of chips crinkled in his tightening grip, an idea mercifully surfaced. "Have you eaten lunch?"
"I had my chance. I was at that stadium watching a couple of those matches this morning, but I somehow forgot to."
"How about a quick food break then?"
Chris's head tilted to the side, then turned back toward his active team.
"They can come over and eat with us too. You know my team wouldn't mind."
"Yeah. Let's do it. We could use a quick breather."
Chris's team made half a ring around their trainer as he sat down with Waz. They didn't quite intermingle the way Waz had hoped, but Ampharos and Crobat did exchange a few pleasantries with Waz's closest teammates. Most of them though just ate their food and shared quiet conversations among themselves.
"It does feel good to just stop for a sec," Chris said between bites. He slowly stretched out and leaned back on his elbows. His head remained turned, not toward Waz, but in the direction of the Sevii Islander's Gengar. Waz couldn't blame him. The Shadow Pokémon never missed an opportunity to mess with someone, especially if he knew them. And Chris had been the target of multiple pranks in the past. That seemed to be the exact opposite of what Chris needed right now.
"Have you had a chance to relax much since your last battle?" Waz asked.
Chris gave a weak laugh, nearly choking on his food. "I don't think we've done that since we got here."
"You all are really locked in."
"We're trying to be. We've had a few distractions, but nothing bad. In fact, some of them have been pretty good." Chris smiled up at the cloudless, blue sky above them. "My dad actually got here yesterday."
"That's awesome." Waz couldn't imagine having family in attendance for something this grand. The closest comparison he could make would have been his graduation ceremony the year prior. But a school graduation was a pretty standard parent attending affair. Well, unless you were his brother. Scheduling issues had made it so that neither of their parents had made it to his graduation. Not that Waz felt the tiniest bit sorry for him.
Chris jolted up. "I better get them some vitamins."
Waz watched his friend dart back and forth like a Yanma, bouncing between his backpack and each member of his team. He had to make several extra trips after realizing he'd grabbed the wrong vitamins for Espeon and Crobat. For someone who hadn't had a chance to relax, Chris still had a remarkable amount of energy.
Just above the scrambling trainer, beyond the low tree line behind him, the top of the stadium filled the sky. Even from this distance, Waz could hear the rumblings of the crowd inside and the faint voice of the announcer. The Sevii Islander had done his best to avoid the massive structure. The cacophony of noise and sea of people all stuffed inside that space was the closest thing to torture Waz had experienced. The only peace he could find in there had unsurprisingly been on the battlefield itself.
"Did your dad get to come with you this morning?" Waz asked.
"Thankfully they had some open seats in the reserved section. Guess not a lot of finalist trainers were able to get their people out here. They let me sit down there with him, which was nice. We really only stayed to watch one or two of the important battles." Waz didn't need to ask which ones those were. "I think the last one is happening now."
"You leave your dad there to scout it?"
Chris shook his head. "The only thing my dad is scouting are the back of his eyelids. He was starting to doze off right before we left. He's at the hotel now." Chris threw a backward glance at the stadium. "Luke doesn't need our help anyway. He can beat whoever wins that one." He turned to smirk at Waz. "Now the battle after that one…"
Waz shook his head. "I'm not even thinking about that yet. One at a time."
"True that."
Low chatter had slowly filled the camp. Chris's Espeon had started up a conversation with Gabite. Scizor and Gallade looked to be sharing some pointers, with each imitating swings and making gestures toward their arms. The groups were finally starting to get comfortable again with each other. This was more what Waz had hoped for… with a couple notable exceptions.
The first loomed over the entire group in a very literal way. Aside from the increasingly mandatory amounts of public speaking, Waz didn't have too many bouts with anxiety. One of his last—the encounter with Entei back in the Fall—had justifiably crossed over from anxiety to fear for his team's survival. But seeing and feeling the towering presence of Gyarados as he stood over the group kept Waz from feeling completely at peace. He trusted Chris and his abilities as a trainer. And Waz had spent enough time around the creature to not feel any sense of impending danger. Gyarados's silence and leering expression had definitely caught the eye of a couple of Waz's teammates, however. Blastoise sat in silence, his back against the oak tree, an unblinking stare fixed on the Atrocious Pokémon. Thankfully, Gyarados hadn't seemed to notice yet. Waz couldn't even imagine the level of destruction those two would cause if a fight broke out. This field and the surrounding woodland might never recover. Funnily enough, his other tortoise companion had also noticed, though Torkoal's obvious shivering showed quite a different motivation.
The second exception genuinely surprised Waz. When he'd seen him as Cyndaquil, and then spent more time with him as a Quilava, Waz had picked up on the fire starter's serious demeanor. He hadn't seen the creature smile at all during those stages. Things had seemingly improved once Waz met him again in his fully evolved status. Aside from the intensity he had shown toward Sarah's Infernape, Waz had enjoyed seeing the Fire-type revel in flexing his might during their journey through Ice Path. And the Volcano Pokémon had been great to the rest of Waz's team during their joint training sessions at Luke's place. He'd even worked a bit with Torkoal to maximize the explosiveness of his Fire-type moves. Now though, Chris's starter sat in silence behind his trainer, his gaze solely fixed on the distant stadium.
"You think we'll be alright?"
Chris had spoken so quietly, Waz wasn't sure he'd heard him right. "What?"
"You think our journeys are on the right track?"
Waz blinked back his confusion and tried to find the right response. That kind of question was a nonstarter for the Sevii Islander. All it took was one conversation with his team to know if things were progressing or stalling. He glanced around the ring of Pokémon and then locked eyes with Chris. "Do you still love your team?" he asked, keeping his voice just above a whisper.
"Of course."
"Do they feel the same about you?"
Chris looked to his left and then to his right. "I hope…I think so, yeah."
Waz nodded. "Then I think you guys are on the right track."
Chris gave a weak smile. "Is it really that simple?"
"I guess it depends on why you became a trainer."
Chris looked back over his shoulder, but Waz couldn't tell if he was looking at his starter or the stadium. When he turned back around, the tension in his jaw looked tight enough to crush a whole apricorn. It barely allowed him to squeeze out a quick line of gratitude. Then, a familiar dark shadow appeared just beside it.
Waz's eyes went wide. "No," he said in a stern, low voice. "Not right now."
Chris squinted back at him. He twisted his head to follow Waz's stare, but the ghoulish glow had vanished. "What are you talking about?" he asked.
Waz shook his head. "It's nothing. Just trying to help your stress level."
Chris grinned. "I'll try to do the same for you during our interviews."
Waz rubbed at his forehead with both hands. "Shit. I'm going to need it."
Charizard awkwardly backpedaled up the grassy embankment as Dodrio's three heads stabbed at him with their beaks. One of them managed to drill into the corner of a wing, drawing a roar from Luke's fire starter.
"Get Dodrio back!" David shouted.
Mitch's teammate had only just lunged backward when a pulse of electricity ripped over where he had stood. Even the Triple Bird Pokémon's great leaping ability couldn't keep him from catching some damage from the shockwave's edge.
"Get above it!" Luke warned. Charizard jumped with his powerful legs, but the slanted ground didn't allow him to get very high. He tried using his wings for added lift, but the left appendage tensed and stopped short of completing a full flap. Based on the Flame Pokémon's wince, Dodrio's Drill Peck must have scored a critical hit. "You've got to get above it!"
Charizard tried another flap, and managed a full wave with each wing this time. It came too late though. The electrical wave slammed into the flying lizard's knees, nearly causing the airborne creature to do an inadvertent front flip.
"Shadow Claw on Jolteon!"
"Pursuit!" Mitch shouted.
After another powerful flap of his wings, Charizard somehow managed to regain his equilibrium. One more wave from his wings moved him horizontally instead of vertically, and now only a dozen feet separated him from Jolteon. He brought up one arm, the three claws at its end coated in a dark energy. Back on the hill behind him, Dodrio looked to have only just now shaken off the potentially paralyzing effect of Jolteon's last move. As fast as the species was, even he couldn't catch up to Charizard in time.
"Bite!" was all David could think to shout.
This had turned out even more chaotic than he'd imagined. David had been more than happy to help Luke prepare for his upcoming battle, but he'd had some questions when Mitch had pitched the idea of an Alolan style battle royal. Overlooking Mitch's obsession with wrestling and its flamboyant presentation, he just didn't see how this would benefit his friend. With three Pokémon battling, it wouldn't simulate the one-on-one battle style of the tournament. Now in the middle of it, this had become in effect a two-on-on affair. With the primary reason for this training being Luke's benefit, it had been unavoidable.
The Cinnabar native was once again reminded of his own teammate's speed. Jolteon pounced toward Charizard before Luke's creature had even begun to swing his arm. Her dark fangs found the fire lizard's exposed arm, drawing another pained roar. The Flame Pokémon shook his arm, but Jolteon only sank her energized fangs deeper.
"Use your other claws!"
David's call to retreat came much too late. The energy-extended claws raked across Jolteon's side, ripping the Lightning Pokémon off Charizard's other arm. The Electric-type hit the ground hard, but managed to roll back to her feet. She didn't have to worry about a follow up, as Charizard was forced to turn and catch Mitch's charging creature with his originally energized arm.
David felt his body sway and he shook his head. They had only been battling for a few minutes, but he already felt dizzy. Attacks flying in every direction. Commands being shouted over top of one another. Even with double battles having one more Pokémon and sometimes an extra trainer, David had never felt this overwhelmed in a battle before. Thank Arceus he had chosen his fastest teammate.
"Quick Attack!"
Jolteon slammed head first into Charizard's stomach. The fire lizard's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped. A raspy grunt was all that came out. He flung Dodrio with his glowing arm, but the Triple Bird Pokémon sprung right back. David hadn't expected either response from the Pokémon, as he immediately shouted for Discharge.
"Into the air!" Luke called.
As the shock wave pulsed out from Jolteon, David felt deja vu setting in. Once again Dodrio was charging in and once again Charizard was attempting to leap over the attack. Surely Luke knew his Pokémon couldn't dodge the move from this proximity.
Charizard had just begun to jump when the wave of electricity slammed into his hips. He bared his fangs as sparks danced over his skin. The shock wave caught Dodrio mid-stride and nearly made the speedy creature tumble onto his three faces. He somehow managed to find his footing, but David didn't get a chance to see how he would respond.
Flames had washed away the sparks coating Charizard's body. David's eyes were blinking so fast that he thought he saw the fire lift Luke's teammate off the ground. Instead, it seemed the Flame Pokémon had managed to go through with his jump. Combined with several flaps of his wings, he'd made it nearly ten feet into the air. Each beat of his wings fanned the flames out into a quickly rising vortex. David knew he needed to call out a counter, but Luke beat him to it.
"Flame Burst!"
The ball of fire jumped from Charizard's mouth before David could even warn his teammate. His shout came a fraction of a second before the fiery orb exploded against the ground in front of Jolteon. The flames that poured out caught David's teammate mid-jump, surrounding and then completely covering her. David himself had to scramble back as the fiery debris began to rain down just a few feet in front of him. When he turned his attention back to Jolteon, he found her lying motionless on a bed of charred grass.
David slowly nodded. "I guess that's—"
Dodrio came flying in, one leg extended, like a warrior from an old martial arts movie. His taloned appendage slammed into the side of the fire lizard's face, whipping the creature's head in the opposite direction. The Flame Pokémon went completely limp, dropping like a ton of bricks through the quickly dissipating fire. His wings whipped back like a useless parachute as he belly flopped onto the smoldering grass.
"Perfect technique!" Mitch shouted.
The three trainers converged together at the battlefield's center. David and Luke set to healing their downed teammates, while Mitch patted the three heads of his victorious teammate. Two of those faces didn't look super thrilled by his kind gesture. Mitch didn't seem to notice as he'd already turned to Luke.
"Now that's what should have happened in our battle yesterday. That Jump Kick missing your Kangaskhan is what really changed everything."
Luke didn't look up as he applied ointment to his starter's cheek. "I mean, we weren't going to just stand there and let you kick us."
"You gotta admit we had a good set up though," Mitch continued. "Donphan's Earthquake had you all off balance."
"I think Earthquake actually messed up your Dodrio's attack," David said, stomping at a flickering ember by Jolteon's tail. "It didn't leave him a very stable platform to jump off. That probably slowed his attack down just enough."
Mitch scratched at the thin, tangled brown hair on the back of his head. "Well, I don't know."
David smiled as Jolteon came to and tried to jump back to her feet. "Hey, easy friend. We took a pretty hard shot." For this species, especially his own Jolteon, that message had ironically been slow to sink in. David loved to play to the strengths of his Pokémon, working with their natures and the natural inclinations of the species. But he'd learned through battle that all Pokémon needed rest. He understood her frustrations though. In reading up on the species, he'd learned of the organ in their lungs that helped generate the electricity. The currents that poured from it permeated other cells in their body, keeping Jolteon wired at all times.
"You probably dished out the most damage of all three Pokémon," David told her as he applied a Burn Heal. He tried rubbing her head, but she pulled it back, eyes looking off in the distance. David tried not to let her hear his sigh. That high strung personality also came with some severe mood swings, though she had done well not to be moody during their Silver Conference losses. Maybe the pristine surroundings and high level of competition had helped her justify those defeats. He couldn't say for sure.
"How'd you like that training strategy? Pretty entertaining, right? Even though it's really even better with four Pokémon!"
David smirked seeing Luke's mouth work to find the words. It had been complete chaos. Just a series of big attacks colliding and bouncing off one another. What he possibly could have gotten from that was beyond—
"Ya know, I do feel like it helped. I had to stay on my toes and make quick decisions. We had to respond faster and my commands had to be direct and immediate. All while having to account for an extra opponent and even more pressure from the added attacks."
David tilted his head. Well, shit. I guess that's true.
Luke squeezed his starter's shoulder as the winged lizard sat up, then turned to David. "I guess this could be good training too for your time in Cinnabar. All your Pokémon are going to have to get used to some intense heat there."
"I would say you're crazy to compare Charizard's flames to a volcano," David paused to take in the fires still burning in the grass around him, "but it might not be that wide of a gap now."
"Are you gonna be going straight there once your internship starts?" Mitch asked.
"Nah, it'll be at least a few months. I'll be starting at the Safari Zone in Fuchsia City. They brought me on initially because of my experience with work like that. I'll have to put in some time there and hope for an opening with the Cinnabar research team."
In truth, David was relieved he wouldn't be heading to Cinnabar right away. He still needed to put in more time studying and preparing before he'd feel ready for a trip to his old home. And even with several months at Johto's Safari Zone, he knew better than to think he had everything figured out on that front. He still needed a lot more time working in the various environments and learning about Pokémon within their habitats.
"Still a big step in the right direction," Luke said.
Mitch pounded his chest. "Things are happening, boys. We're on the face track. I believe that. Hell, I'll be starting at Goldenrod Tower next fuckin' month."
"Wait," David said, returning Jolteon to her capture device, "the radio tower?"
"They actually just dropped 'radio' from the title and it's now—"
"You know what I fucking mean."
Mitch's mouth twisted into a smirk. "I'll be there."
"Ground floor, right?" Luke asked with a smirk of his own.
"Yeah, yeah. My ass will be a glorified errand boy."
David stood up, his hands waving wildly. "Mitch, Chris's dad is a lead engineer there."
"I think I remember Luke mentioning that at karaoke. I'll have to catch up with Chris and ask him about that."
"Dude, his dad is here."
"No shit?"
"If Chris keeps up his current schedule, good luck ever running into either of them," Luke said.
"He'll be at the interviews tomorrow," David said.
Luke let out a sigh. "Shit, I forgot about those."
"Hey," Mitch said, stepping over to his victorious teammate, "interviews mean you're still in the tournament. Answering some boring questions isn't a bad price to pay when you're competing for a championship."
"Could have been you if only that Jump Kick had landed," David said with a laugh.
"Damn straight. Still, I'm proud of my guy here." Mitch leaned over to try what David thought was a hug of all three of Dodrio's heads. The second his hands began to guide all three toward each other, the six foot tall bird went berserk. The Normal/Flying-type's heads stabbed at each other with their beaks, then began pecking the arms that had brought them together.
"Fuck!"
The other two trainers burst into laughter as Mitch stumbled away from the whirling frenzy of talons and beaks.
David caught his breath just long enough to wipe a tear from his eye and add, "Maybe it's a good thing you're taking a break from training."
Chris's father sat shirtless, reclined in bed, sipping on a cup of coffee, watching as battle highlights flashed across the television screen. Chris hadn't seen him look this comfy and relaxed in years. Bathed in a mix of the fading light of the evening sun and the faint glow of the TV, he looked strikingly similar to Chris's grandfather. Ben's father may have preferred his antique chair in the living room to a bed, but their posture now looked strikingly similar. Chris could barely remember much of those trips to Violet City, but the memories of watching the sun rise over Sprout Tower from his grandfather's lap would never leave him.
"Where did you get the coffee?" Chris asked.
"That machine over by the desk."
"Huh. I didn't even realize I had one of those."
Ben raised the porcelain cup. "It's actually not bad."
Chris laughed. His father could try motor oil flavored coffee and still find it drinkable. As long as he got his coffee, he'd be content. Then again, Chris had begun to operate that way as well these past couple of months. Early morning training sessions and traveling around central Johto had seen him relying on caffeine for the first time in his young life.
"Would mom drink it, though?" Chris asked.
"Oh yeah," he said with a wink. "She'd just need to touch it up with a pound of cream and sugar."
Chris caught a familiar sight on screen. "These are from the battles today."
"They've been showing highlights from the first two rounds of the finals."
Chris gave him a knowing look. "Have you been scouting and taking notes?"
"Hey, I would gladly change jobs and become your full time coach."
Chris shook his head and smiled. He couldn't think of a better way to hurt their relationship. "I don't think I'm bringing in the kind of money you would need to live on."
"Not yet."
"Well, maybe if I start taking advantage of these sponsorship opportunities…"
"Hey now," his father's tired voice grew firm, "we've talked about that."
"Right."
"Your mother and I have been discussing which deals might be worth pursuing. Once this tournament is over, we can all sit down and consider the old deals with the new ones that I'm sure will be coming in after this deep run."
Chris let out a quiet sigh. He honestly didn't have the energy or mental capacity to argue over something this nuanced and shifty. If he did what he needed to during this next week, there'd be enough options for funding to last him well into the future.
"I may grab some dinner," Chris said, glancing out the window at the setting sun. "Would you like me to bring you something back?"
Ben sat up and stretched his arms over his head, his belly flopping forward. "I could go for a bite to eat."
"Are you sure?"
"Oh yeah. I just need to put a shirt on."
"Then how about we try out the hotel restaurant. It's close and shouldn't be as busy as the other spots." Chris turned away and blinked back the stinging in his eyes as his dad twisted to get out of the bed. "Although I think even the hotel restaurant requires pants."
\/
Even though all but eight trainers had been eliminated from the Silver Conference, Chris still recognized several defeated participants hanging around the bar, lobby, and restaurant. He couldn't really blame them. This was an incredible atmosphere and most likely a once in a lifetime experience. It made sense to soak it all in. He might have done the same if his attention wasn't still locked onto the championship trophy.
"I think eating here was a good call," Bed said, glancing around at all the filled tables. "If this spot is this packed, I can't imagine how crazy all those premier restaurants are in the village."
"We probably wouldn't even be able to get in at this point. It seems like even more people are coming in for this last week."
"Well of course. This is when the best of the best will be battling." Chris smiled, though the compliment somehow only served to heighten the anxiety he'd been trying to bottle up all afternoon. "Speaking of which, how was the training session? Did you end up getting to meet with your friend?"
"Yeah, we were able to link up. And I think everything went pretty well."
"You said he's really strong, right?"
"I mean, he's one of the eight trainers still left."
"Well, yes." Ben chuckled. "But he's the one who you said has a really strong connection with his team?"
"He does. More than anybody I know."
Ben nodded. "Then I'm glad you're getting to hang around him. That kind of chemistry can overcome a lot. It's the kind of thing I couldn't quite grasp back when I gave this a shot. I'm glad we have trainers like you and him who are building those special relationships."
Chris lifted his cup to his mouth to cover a deep breath. He'd definitely spent plenty of time with his team since arriving at the Silver Conference. They'd run through training sessions twice a day everyday they hadn't had tournament battles. Each of those usually lasted well over an hour. But Chris didn't know if he would have counted that as normal quality time; at least, not necessarily the kind that Waz frequently incorporated.
"It's just so great to be here with you," Ben said. Or at least, that's what Chris thought he heard. His attention had been yanked away from their table.
Sarah and another girl had stepped through the glass doors and into the restaurant. The hostess guided them around one line of tables, before turning in Chris's direction. The growing dread in his stomach swelled as they drew closer. It crescendo'd upon his realization that the table next to him was unoccupied.
"Shit," he mumbled.
"Hm?" his dad asked, leaning forward. "What is it?"
"Nothing dad," Chris said, dropping his head as the trio arrived at the table beside them.
"Will this work okay with you two?" he heard the hostess ask.
"Uh," Sarah's voice wavered, "could we get a seat over by the window?"
"I'm sorry. Those are all booked up for the evening."
Chris forced his head back up and immediately locked eyes with Sarah. Time seemed to slow down. Sarah's expression remained neutral and Chris tried to do the same.
"This is fine, Sas'!" the other woman chimed, her voice much too chipper.
"Is there another table available?" Sarah asked without breaking eye contact.
"I'm sorry. Not for at least another half hour."
"Come on! I'm hungry."
"It's fine." His father, the other woman, and the hostess all turned to look at Chris. "It's okay. We'll call a truce for the night. I won't bother you."
"Who is this, Sas'?"
"Who is this Chris?"
"We'll sit here. Thanks."
Chris and Sarah finally broke their stare down, as the latter and their companion took their seats. Chris took another drink of his water and tried to look in any direction besides Sarah's.
"Is that who you're battling next?" his father asked in what was meant to be a whisper, but still came out much too loud.
"Yep."
"Ah."
Both tables stayed quiet for the next several minutes aside from Sarah's table ordering and Chris's table thanking the waiters as they brought father and son their food. Ben kept a small smile on his face that only grew the longer the silence stretched. The other girl at Sarah's table spoke a few times, but all Sarah gave her were short responses. The only strange occurrences during this time were the decent number of people who swung over to get pictures, not with either of the trainers in the final eight, but with the woman sitting beside Sarah. As Chris worked his way through his salad and then the first half of his entree, it seemed like this would be the dynamic for the rest of the evening. Then, halfway though chewing a big bite of his steak… it happened.
"You know," the other woman's cheerful voice blasted directly into Chris's right ear, "I just have to say: I was really impressed during your last battle."
Chris turned and found the woman beaming at him. Her black pigtails and childlike grin were both slightly jarring and oddly comforting. The longer he looked at her, the more he thought he recognized her face.
"Oh, uh, thank you."
"You really did a good job with your switching. You had that guy all out of whack!"
"You only caught the last five minutes," Sarah muttered quite audibly.
The woman ignored her. "I'm very excited to see your all's battle!"
"That makes two of us," Ben chipped in. He leaned over and stretched an arm toward the woman. "I'm Ben. Chris's dad."
The woman took his hand in her own. "I'm Candice. Sassy's most favorite sister."
"Only," Sarah mumbled, even louder than before.
"Candice…" Chris quietly repeated.
"I'm sorry, I thought your name was Sarah," Ben said.
Sarah rubbed at the bridge of her nose. "It is."
Ben began to laugh. "Gotta love siblings!"
"Sassy might disagree with you on that one," Candice replied, joining him in laughter.
"Candice," Chris said, turning toward her. Sarah's words from their time in Ice Path suddenly came roaring back. "You're a Gym Leader up in Sinnoh."
"Snowpoint City's own," she said, her cheeks turning red.
"Oh wow." Ben sat forward. "I didn't realize we were sitting next to a celebrity!"
Candice waved a hand. "It's not like that."
"You know, Chris's brother wanted to be a Gym Leader. He finished second here in the Silver Conference. Lot of the other Gym Leaders thought he could have done it."
"It's a challenging road to become one and an even tougher job to do well. But it's absolutely worth all the work." Candice turned to Chris. "Would you want to be a Gym Leader some day?"
"Hm." Chris took a beat to try and refocus. He'd refused to think about anything beyond the tournament and here he was being asked about his future career. Before he could even cultivate a thought to speak, his dad took the initiative to answer for him.
"Chris wouldn't like being limited to only one type." Ben chuckled. "He used to tell me he might consider it if the Pokémon League ever wised up and made gyms more interesting!"
Candice clapped her hands together. "Well, you may be in luck. A former champion from this area has been pushing for that for nearly a decade."
"Blue?" Chris asked.
"Yes indeed. He's been petitioning the Pokémon League nonstop, even during the years where he wasn't a Gym Leader." Candice looked around and then ducked her head. She brought a hand up over her mouth. "And keep this on the down low, but he's actually built up enough support that they're going to be voting on it sometime next year."
Chris sat back in his chair, his mind suddenly spinning. "Woah," was all he could think to say. The pull to pursue the role of Gym Leader had always been stymied by two limitations: lack of travel time and team composition. But with the latter potentially getting changed… "There would be so many cool teams Gym Leaders could use," he finally said. "So many themes. Weather, status, boosting…"
"Oh yeah," Candice said with a nod. "Getting to build a unit around weather would be cool. It would be so much fun to have a snow or hail team!"
"So an Ice-type Gym," Sarah said in complete deadpan.
That got a laugh out of Ben and even a chuckle from Chris.
"Well… not exactly!" Candice replied, her face twisting into a childish pout. It was amazing someone who had to be in their mid twenties could still pull off such expressions.
"Hey Sarah," Chris said, clearing his throat. "I did want to ask about Seth. Is he doing alright?"
"Oh, does he know about—"
"I think he's frustrated and a bit upset," Sarah cut her sister off. "He knows he could have won." Her stare softened somewhat. "He's going to be heading back home after tomorrow. I think he wants to check on and visit with his family."
Ben nodded. "That's understandable. This kind of journey takes a toll on people. Not having your family there to help you through it makes it extra tough."
"Which is what makes it so great that we're here, right?" Candice exclaimed, throwing a wink at Chris's dad.
"Right," Chris and Sarah replied in unison.
"I can sit up there with you, broski."
"They won't let you."
"Nah, we can make it work. We'll say I'm your coach."
"Coach?"
"I mean assistant. Yeah. I can be your assistant."
Prinny took a deep breath. Since getting Prinny to agree to effectively mentor him, Dobbs had refused to leave his side. The only time the Sevii Islander had managed to free himself had been for sleep and a couple private meetings with his team he'd forced Dobbs to stay out of.
"Five minutes till interview time," a voice boomed over the speakers. "Ladies and gentleman, please make your way to your seats."
Security took their place around the edges of the room. Officials ushered reporters toward the line of cameras pointing toward the space's centerpiece: a stage that held eight seats tucked under a long table. Six of the other remaining trainers had already taken their places.
"I could stand behind you up there. It would look cool, broski."
Prinny turned back around and mustered the closest thing to a smile he could. "If you don't find a seat they'll kick you out. You'll want to grab one of those in the back before they fill up."
Dobbs opened his mouth to object, but thankfully no words came out. He glanced up at the stage, then adjusted his glasses. "Alright. But if you freeze up there, look for me. I'll throw out hand signals to help you generate some talking points."
"Sounds good."
Prinny pulled the straps of his backpack taunt and began a slow climb up the stage steps. He lifted his head as he reached the top and didn't have to look far to find two open seats at the closest end of the table. He found Chris sitting in the first seat over from them and breathed a sigh of relief.
A flowing backdrop had been set up just behind the chairs, forcing Prinny to awkwardly shuffle his way between the two. The backdrop had been coated in two colors, divided by a vertical line at the wall's center. The half on Prinny's side glowed in a brilliant gold hue, with beautiful watercolor paintings of prominent Johto monuments and locales. The other half had a similar design motif, but was bathed in silver. This kind of gorgeous and thematic cohesion certainly topped whatever lackadaisical attempt the Indigo League had trotted out during Prinny's time there. There was weight and a history here with this league's aesthetic. It had been a consistent presence throughout the region and in the tournaments he had participated in.
The Sevii Islander's admiration cost him as he forgot to mind his footing. His right shoe somehow got tangled up with the cloth draped over the table and he spilled into the second chair. He froze upon landing, his eyes darting around and his ears perked to catch any laughter.
No obvious indications of either.
He slowly adjusted his body and sat up straight, sliding his backpack off his shoulders and guiding it to the floor beside him.
"That didn't hurt too bad, did it?"
He turned to find Chris grinning at him.
Prinny shook his head and let out a chuckle. "Not as bad as it should have. I'm not sure what I was thinking."
"Probably about how much you don't want to do these interviews," Chris answered. "Forcing a trip to the hospital isn't a great alternative, but I respect the commitment."
"Glad I'm not the only one who could care less about all this media shit."
"I actually don't mind it, but I wish they would have done it yesterday. It would have cut into the training session I did with your brother, but at least it would have given me all day today to prepare for tomorrow's battle."
"Speaking of which," Prinny said, leaning forward to look down the table, "where is that shit stain?"
"I haven't seen him since yesterday. He might be running his team through another training session. I'm starting to wish I had just done the same."
As if on cue, the back door burst open to reveal Prinny's younger brother. Waz approached the stage wearing his usual combo of a football jersey and athletic shorts. As he drew closer, Prinny noticed dark stains beneath his armpits and around his collar. It wasn't until he'd nearly reached the stage that an alarming realization struck Prinny. His head snapped over to look at the empty seat beside him.
"Trade me."
Chris blinked. "What?"
"Trade me seats."
Any additional requests for clarification ended once Chris caught sight of Waz preparing to mount the steps. "I don't know if I can."
"Why the hell not?"
Chris pointed at something on the table in front of him: a small place card bearing the Cherrygrove native's name. Prinny looked from it to the one he now saw was in front of him. It didn't bear his name however, but Waz's.
"I think they have us in a particular order for the questions."
Prinny calmly grabbed Waz's place card and switched it with the one bearing his own name in front of the end seat. He then took hold of Chris's card with his other hand and switched it with his own.
"All fixed."
Chris sighed, but gave a reluctant nod.
Both trainers stood up and began tiptoeing around their seats, before Prinny quickly reversed course to grab his backpack. When he passed Chris, he found the trainer smirking back at him. "Watch your step," he said.
The moment they dropped into their new seats, Prinny's eyes searched for his brother. In some miracle that had to be straight from Arceus's divine blessing, Waz seemed oblivious to the whole ordeal. He had kept his head down, one hand clutching the thin strap of the travel bag that clung to one shoulder. His other hand wiped at his forehead, which Prinny could now see was coated in sweat.
This trade keeps getting better, he thought. Now I don't have to smell that nasty fucker either.
Waz took his seat without a word and let his bag fall to the ground beside him. Chris turned to greet him and it sounded like Waz returned the gesture. He added something after about how Chris might want to lean back, but Prinny refused to give anymore time to his brother's threats.
The ceiling lights suddenly dimmed, but the portable light stands above the cameras hummed to life right after, coating the stage in an even, warm glow. A pair of Machoke scrambled up each side of the stage carrying large seats over their shoulders. They set the two chairs down a few feet away from the table and twisted them so that they pointed between the cameras and the trainers. A snapping sound from somewhere in the audience drew their attention and they quickly scrambled off the stage.
"And we're live in five…four…three…two…"
Prinny noticed bottles of water had been placed at the front of the table by each of their microphones. He quickly grabbed hold of his and took a drink. His throat already felt so dry. Having to answer multiple questions under these warm lights wouldn't help matters any.
The upbeat music from the Battle Network began to play over the speakers. The conference's chief supervisor stepped onto the stage with a woman dressed in formal attire.
"Oh shoot," Chris whispered, a smile filling his face. "That's DJ Mary."
As the woman took the closest seat the Machoke had brought up, Supervisor Zhao passed by her and made his way down the table, shaking each trainer's hand as he went. When he finally got to Prinny, Chris, and Waz, he seemed to be going more for a graze than a shake. He gave a wave to the crowd before taking his seat just a few feet away from Waz.
"We want to welcome everyone to the Silver Conference Finals here in the crossroads of Johto and Kanto," a woman's voice boomed over the speakers. "We are joined today by the eight finalists, our wonderful interviewer, the renowned Ms. DJ Mary, and the Silver Conference's Chief Supervisor, Mr. Feng Zhao!"
The reporters up front responded with applause, followed by another, delayed round from the audience behind them.
DJ Mary adjusted the collar of her suit, working with what looked like a wireless mic. "Well good morning, everyone!" she said, her voice echoing through the speakers around the room. "It's great to be here with you all. I look forward to this trip and to this event every year. Mr. Zhao, how are you doing on this beautiful spring morning?"
Prinny took a deep breath as the supervisor began what would surely be a long winded response. Thank goodness for pointless banter. More time filled and less time he would be expected to talk.
It wasn't until he turned to his left that he realized he was now sitting beside his next opponent. Even sitting down, she somehow managed to tower over Prinny, a feat made less impressive given his shorter height. But the Unovan trainer had looked just as tall and intimidating when he had seen her standing on the battlefield. She had used those moments to overwhelm her opponents, including the dominant victory over Seth he had witnessed the day prior. And Prinny knew that was no small feat; he had experienced Seth's talent first hand during their battle at the Winter Classic. The Sinnoh native had looked even better during the tournament on the few occasions Prinny had caught his battles. That this woman had managed to get him so discombobulated with her hard hitting, quick switching tactics spoke volumes for her own ability.
"Let's now turn our attention to the trainers that have earned their way onto this stage!"
Prinny faced forward, his body tensing as he waited to be pelted by the rapid fire questions. But there were no questions. Just more banter, then applause. Out of the corner of his eye he caught Chris trying to hide a yawn.
Prinny looked down at the microphone in front of him. He slowly brought his hand up, extending a finger toward the top of the device. He took a deep breath, then tapped the mic's coarse exterior. Nothing. He took a second, then tapped again. Nothing. Looking at the base of the device, he didn't see any wires running from it. Prinny smirked. At this rate, he might not even have to talk.
"Now, let's hear from the trainers themselves!"
Fuck me.
"To keep things interesting, we'll have a mix of questions coming from a variety of sources. I have a few questions to get us started, but we'll also get to hear from the reporters here, as well as some that have been submitted from the fans themselves!"
Prinny snorted. At least he wouldn't have to worry about those last questions. He doubted his brother would either.
"We'll start things off with the trainer closest to me, Mr. Luke Skyler."
Prinny leaned back in his chair as one by one, each of the trainers on the left side of the table were introduced and asked equally vanilla questions. His eyes scanned the walls around the room, each boasting large screens surrounded by elaborate decorations that highlighted some element of the region. As his vision completed the circle, he caught sight of a mural, highlighting the eight badges of Johto. For some reason, that brought his mind back—not to the battles that earned him those— but to his journey through Kanto. His struggle for the Earth Badge in particular drew the majority of his thoughts. It had taken three attempts to topple Viridian City's legendary Gym Leader, Blue. Their last battle had been one of Blue's final in the role, with him successfully challenging the Elite Four to again become its champion just a month later. That series of battles had been the most formative experience in his now multi year journey. He had been forced to develop strategies to work around strength disadvantages. Experimenting with different teams and type combinations had led him to building teams that could put him in the driver's seat as they grinded down an opponent. It was all invaluable experience that had introduced him to the idea of one day becoming a Gym Leader. Even after taking a year off to save up money and then powering through another league here in Johto, he still felt real intrigue for holding that position.
"Hailing from Johto's very own Cherrygrove City, we have Mr. Chris Aedan!"
As he continued to stare at the closest wall, he had his attention yanked to the monitor centered on it. There was his face. He blinked, then looked at the name displayed on the chyron beneath it. That was Chris's name. He blinked again.
His head whipped around to Chris, who looked equally confused.
"Being from Johto, what's something you've learned about your home region through this journey?"
Prinny's mouth hung open, but he didn't know if he should shut it. His wide eyes looked out on the full room of spectators. Somewhere near the back he caught sight of waving arms and wild hand signals. Fucking Dobbs.
"Uh, yes, sorry." Chris leaned forward and waved a hand. "I'm actually Chris."
"Oh," DJ Mary said. It was quick, but she shot an annoyed look at someone with a headset down in the front row. "My apologies for that. Do you need me to repeat the question?"
"No," Chris said, a smile appearing on his face. That visage appeared on all the screens a second later. It couldn't be made out on those screens, but Chris's positive expression did little to hide his tired eyes. "It was amazing to travel around this region. Despite living here my whole life, I'd never really gotten to explore Johto. As for the one thing I've learned… oh man." Chris bit down on his lower lip as he thought. "I guess I would say I learned a lot more about the passion of those who call this region home. Everywhere I went I saw how ingrained people were with their communities and how hard they worked. I received so much help and guidance from people who didn't even know me. And that's to say nothing of all the Pokémon that call this region home. They were extra motivated too, especially when it came to kicking my butt."
That drew a light round of laughter from those in attendance.
"Thank you, Chris!"
The second his face disappeared from the screen, Chris fell back in his chair and breathed a relieved sigh. Prinny couldn't wait to do the same.
"Next up we have Mr. Waz from the Sevii Islands."
Prinny shook his head. His brother couldn't have remembered much from their early days in the islands. Yet here he was claiming them as his cherished home. Prinny glanced up, ready to relish what would surely be an awkward look and response from his so-called brother.
"What the fuck?"
Prinny's face filled the screen again. This time they'd gone and made an even greater error by putting Waz's name at the bottom.
His right ear rang with laughter. "He fucking wishes," Waz said to Chris, but he might as well have been talking directly to Prinny.
"I'm sorry," Mary said, shooting Supervisor Zhao a concerned look. "Is something wrong, Waz?"
It took every fiber of maturity in Prinny's body not to shout back curses. "That's. Not. Me," he said, each carefully articulated word going into the mic and reverberating around the room. "I'm Prinny."
The man wearing the headset down by the cameras threw up his hands and very clearly mouthed 'what the fuck.' To that, Prinny once again wholeheartedly agreed.
"We shouldn't have switched seats," Chris mumbled to him.
Prinny waited until the camera had cut back to DJ Mary to reply, "I'd still take this over having to sit next to the bastard."
"Gotcha," Mary replied, not nearly hiding the annoyance in her voice well enough. But she cleared her throat and still managed to put on a fairly convincing smile. "Well then, here we have Mr. Prinny from Viridian City!" Prinny's face popped onto the screen for a third time, and it appeared—despite a clearly rushed typo in the spelling of his name—that it would finally be his turn to speak. "It's very funny that we got you and your brother's names mixed up considering our question is about the two of you."
Fuck.
"Prinny, how special is it to have your brother here with you in the final eight?"
Prinny stared at Mary in disbelief. "Special?" He took a quick drink of his water. As pissed as he felt, he couldn't be like his brother. He had to maintain some level of composure. "Me and my brother are not… close. I'm going to treat him like any other opponent."
"Oh," Mary said, her smile fading. "Well then, I guess that brings us to said brother. Waz from the Sevii Islands!"
The soft hiss emitting from Prinny's mic went silent. He breathed a sigh and threw his nastiest look toward the bastard who had just begun his awkward answer. Prinny hadn't listed to the original question, and Waz's substance-less answer didn't give him any hints. Just some nonsense about this tournament not being their final goal.
After Mary thanked him for his 'nice' response, she threw it to a commercial. The second they were off the air, she stood up, unclipped her mic, and marched down the steps
"What the fuck was that?" Prinny heard her hiss to the headset wearing man. He couldn't make out the man's response, but he very clearly pointed a finger in Prinny's direction. At this point, he didn't honestly care. He was just ready to get out of here. Klefki still needed some help mastering his newest move.
"Back in thirty seconds," a voice over the intercom stated.
Mary scrambled back up the stage. The chief supervisor jolted up from his impromptu nap. Several of the trainers at the table took quick drinks of their water.
"And we're back in five, four, three…"
Before the countdown had even reached one, DJ Mary had her mic clipped on, her hair bows perfectly in place, and a welcoming smile at the ready. "We welcome you back to the Silver Conference Final Eight Press Conference here at the crossroads of the Johto and Kanto regions. Before these trainers step back onto the battlefield for another incredible round of battles, we wanted to give the world a chance to get to know these men and women." Mary motioned to the reporters standing by the row of cameras, each clutching a recording device of some kind. "We'll now open the floor up to some questions from those on hand. Reporters, please stick to the order you were given."
A man on the left stepped forward. "Raheem Ahmed from Nimbasa News. My question is for Mrs. Calloway." Prinny followed his gaze to the woman sitting beside him. To his annoyance, it seemed there wouldn't be an order with who these questions were directed to. That meant he'd actually have to pay attention in case the next question came his way. "There are rumors that you might be challenging for a position at the Battle Subway back home in Unova. If that's true, how would you feel if this ends up being your last Regional League Challenge?"
Prinny's opponent lifted both eyebrows. "I can't confirm or deny that," she said, bringing out a flawless smile. "But I'll tell you this, I didn't fly to the other side of the world and spend the last nine months grinding in this league for nothing. I plan on winning this whole thing."
"If you'll allow me a quick follow up…" he paused until she gave him a nod. "If you do win, you will be able to challenge the Elite Four here in Kanto. What happens if they ask you to join them?"
"Oh, I don't think I'll be staying here, no matter the circumstance. Too many responsibilities back home." She threw in a very obvious wink after her second line.
Interesting, Prinny thought, a small smile sliding onto his face.
After a quick thank you from the reporter, another stepped forward. "Elani Toombre from the Goldenrod Gazette. My question is for Chris." The Johto native's seat squeaked as he abruptly leaned forward. "You previously battled your next opponent in the Winter Classic and lost. How are you working to ensure that doesn't happen again?"
"I already checked with Supervisor Zhao to make sure this wasn't a double battle tournament," Chris said. That drew a chuckle from the reporter and a few others. Chris smiled, but his clenched jaw looked like it could bend steel. "In all seriousness though, I've had the opportunity to battle several of the trainers that are sitting up here. I knew there was a chance we'd be rematching some of them if we made it far enough. We've tried to learn from those battles and clean up any mistakes before round two."
"Or three," a woman's voice replied.
Everyone's attention shifted up the table to the brown haired girl sitting beside Luke. She had been with Chris when Prinny had traveled with them through Ice Path.
"Ms. Sarah," DJ Mary said, "did you have a follow up to Chris's comments?"
"Not really," she said, keeping her gaze straight ahead. "He didn't really say much of anything."
A collective ooh was followed by a low rumble as whispers broke out across the room.
"Chris, your response?"
Chris looked from Mary to Sarah and back. He had managed to keep his smile but his clenched jaw somehow looked even tighter. "You'll see it tomorrow."
Low voices continued as the reporter thanked Chris for his answer and stepped back into the line. The next couple questions went to the trainers that would be facing his brother and Luke. Prinny recognized the one who would be battling Luke. He had competed in the Indigo League the same year as Prinny. He had reached the finals round of the tournament, but had lost fairly early on. His experience though would be tough for Luke to overcome.
"This next question is for Mr. Waz," he heard a reporter say. "It sounds like there might be a real rivalry between you and your brother. Are you hoping you both can settle things in the Championship battle?"
"Absolutely not," Waz replied. Prinny was impressed he'd managed to answer without cursing. "I hope he loses his next battle."
Prinny clapped his hands together softly, but the reporter clearly caught his reaction.
"Thoughts on that, Mr. Prinny."
With a surge of confidence that felt completely foreign in front of all these cameras, Prinny grinned and turned his attention several seats to his left, to the man who would be facing his brother next. "You better whip his ass."
Prinny heard a chair get shoved back—no doubt his brother's. He could feel invisible daggers being hurled into the back of his neck from Waz's murderous stare, but he refused to turn and acknowledge it.
"Oh my!" Supervisor Zhao said, pounding the arm rests of his seat.
Noise filled the room, forcing DJ Mary to implore everyone to settle down. Chris stood up and began talking to Waz. Prinny could feel dozens of eyes on him, but he kept his stare straight ahead. He eventually noticed a pair of flailing arms out in the crowd. Dobbs. Prinny lifted one of his own arms and gave his companion a thumbs up.
Sparks can fly anywhere, especially with real animosity involved! After that juggernaut of a chapter, we're left with an intense final 3 rounds ahead of us! With the battles beginning the following day, how will our trainers fare against the elite competition that remains. And what about the trainers who have been defeated already? What will Seth's next steps be? How goes Kayla's mission? We're going to have a real action packed next chapter of Heart and Soul!
Please drop a review and follow/favorite if you are enjoying. I'll see you in the next installment. Take care!