Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Musclebound Darkness. Enjoy the 2300-word chapter. I don't own Pokémon; Nintendo and a few others do.

The sheer amount of people that challenged the Elite Four was insanely high and almost incalculable when it came to their numbers and such. Ergo? The best of them were often coming back and forth to try and battle them daily.

Karen frowned as she waited to see if anyone came to her room. Few if any had managed to get to this room where she waited in time for them to come.

"It's so boring. There's almost nobody who manages to get to this room." Karen stated while she frowned to herself. "Maybe they shouldn't have placed more people before me. Then again? If I was placed first? Nobody would experience the other 2 members." Karen stated while she frowned.

It helped that she was the last of the entire group before Lance which meant she was the second strongest. She was annoyed by the fact that she rarely battled when it came to it. The others often seemed to take all of the fun she had been able to have a handful of times when she considered it.

Then again? If she did manage to be fought it'd probably end with more pain and sadness for her allies when it came to it. She considered what happened when someone had managed to reach her floor and battle her.

She smiled as she flashed back to that battle while she waited for someone who managed to get this far.

(1 day ago)

The footsteps of a Pokémon drew her attention towards the door while she planted her hands on her hips and waited for them to slowly enter. The interest in the fact that someone had tried their best to manage to get this far was intoxicating in her mind and it showed.

She was honestly ready for a challenge. If she lost? It meant she needed to be trained more and she had something to simply look forward to. This place was rather fun and interesting. Yet it also stifled her ability to find some fun in defeat. It had been rather weird to her at the moment. It honestly felt as if there was nothing to do or see besides wait and see if someone was able to reach them. How did someone not grow if they weren't able to test themselves? The lack of battle honestly wounded her more than anything.

"Machamp!" Karen heard as she blinked and slowly watched the Pokémon enter the room. "Champ! Machamp!" The Machamp said while she slowly started to leap from her place onto the ground with annoyance.

This was interesting. She slowly waited to see who also came with the new Pokémon and it was rather interesting when she considered it. The idea had a lot of promise and she greeted the idea rather warmly.

"Hmm. Where's your owner?" Karen said before a second Pokémon slowly started to enter behind her.

A Primape beat its chest in a rage as it stared at its next enemy. Then came a familiar voice that made her blink as she did so. She felt no real reason for her not to notice the crate before she blinked.

Wait. She had encountered these two in tandem before. They were part of someone's team whom she hadn't been privy to before. It was simply placing whom it was the companion to at the moment that bothered her as her memory wasn't entirely perfect and it helped that she needed to understand it properly.

"Is that you?" She questioned as she rested a hand on her hip. "I didn't expect anyone to get this far honestly. They always manage to beat anyone who tried it." Karen started as she tilted her head to the side with interest.

The man who entered had crimson hair and light blue eyes. they stared at her with an interest that was only matched by the fact they seemed to smile at her with interest. They wanted to battle and it wasn't at all not written on their face as they glanced around the room, only serving to glance at her, look at her before he looked at her with an amusing smirk which was only too easy to find enjoyable for now.

He hummed before this seemed to question when it came down to it. She missed these little talks and what they seemed to bring to the table.

Still? If he had managed to get this far? She'd need to greet him as an equal. It wasn't like he got lucky. She knew her comrades wouldn't at all seem to question what was to happen next nor would they allow someone past them without a fair and honest fight. Every single one of them had to handle this when it came down to it.

She felt a kinship here not present before. If it had been a lot more to do at the time? it had been a few more seconds before she realized what to do next. She smiled and let the ball drop from her arm as Houndoom barked from its ball with a look of interest in what its master had wished from her. It had been a lot more interesting when it came down to it. She was a lot more curious

He had been bored, interested in what to say or do next. It'd be a bit curious as to what to happen next before this was said and done. He hummed to himself before he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. This was a lot more to question about what to do next.

It had been so hopeful before he seemed to hope before he clicked his jaws before this was all said and done. He had a lot more as of the second before that I had a lot more to say and do. He clicked his tongue before staring at her before. He hummed before he questioned her.

Karen questioned what he had done when he managed to get down to her when it came down to it. It had been something interesting when she questioned it. There was so much she had yet to ask, though… This was not one of those times she had honestly figured.

"I didn't think you'd come back after the last time so soon. It isn't that easy to get here anyway." Karen stated while she pointed a finger at the Pokémon's owner.

He laughed. This was always a laugh with him. He always enjoyed this type of game they played when it came down to it. She had too much riding to this game than anything else. When did it end? The fun didn't at all end nor did they manage to end it on a good note.

Still? She enjoyed what was coming next. It'd be fun. A lot more fun than sitting here, waiting for something to happen when it came down to it. This had always been enjoyable.

She yawned to herself while also curious as of the time being. this had been fun and exciting and she wanted to do nothing more than fight for the few who didn't at all seem to care for the time being. it had been something horrid either.

Still? if that's what they wished for? That was what he would give them for the time. This had been something that needed to be done for the time being. it was something fun at the time that has been cool and interesting for the time being.

The enjoyment as of the time being? This had been something that she needed to do before now. What little faith she had in him winning was offset by the fact that she knew part of him enjoyed the challenge… It was something fun. An enjoyment to be had between two trainers who cared for their Pokémon despite the differing types.

"Well… If it was fun for now? this had been something to remember… Every time I get back? This had been something for the books as of the time being." He said while he looked at her.

"Sorry. Machamp wanted to see you as of the time being." He said before he cracked his fingers. "I'm surprised you'd want to be here. I didn't think you'd be expecting any challengers, Ms. Karen." He said before he cracked his fingers to himself.

She laughed as her Pokémon slowly moved forward towards him. It had been something interesting as of the time being when all was said and done. What little does she know? She knew that he craved battle more than she had… Well, he craved something fun for the time being. It was at least fun to act like she knew more than he did.

Still? if it was a fight he wanted? Well? It was more than what she could offer as of the time being. This had been for the time being. She knew for a fact to say and do before she knew.

She watched as he faced her. She felt that a small look of amusement on his face now was spreading. This had been something for the time being.

What little she had been thinking was discarded as she turned to her Umbreon. She cleared her throat and smiled.

"All right, Umbreon? Screech." Karen ordered as the Pokémon yawned.

She had waited for a good fight and while she knew how well the last fight had been? Well, she had been a lot more to see and do before this was as of the time being. She had been a lot more interested in how well this fight would go compared to the other ones for the time being.

She tapped her fingers on her arms before she turned to look towards now.

If anything? All this did was make him laugh, far more amused than scared. It wasn't exactly shaking his confidence in fighting back against her, nor did he lose any of the edges he wished to have against her.

He yawned, too unsure of what to do before now. It just did too much to honestly focus himself on doing something while all of the questions when all of this was all done and dusted, for now, this all was just too much to understand when their game came to an end.

"Are you going to be, ok?" Karen stated before he questioned whatever to do next as he hummed to himself, unsure before now while of what to do next to handle now.

"If by of, you mean terrified? Then yeah, peachy, I'm not used to this when it comes down to it." Karen heard as he cracked his fingers, unsure of what to do next.

He smirked, questioning what she'd do with him in her web for now. This was always fun.

"You're ready to lose, Owen?" Karen questioned as Owen rolled his eyes, looking up at the ceiling.

"Nope, there's a lot more to do, but losing ain't on the list yet. Why? Are you scared you ain't going to beat me? The last time was pretty close… It ain't fair people have to fight every single person in a row." Owen said as he cracked his fingers, looking up at the ceiling as he did so.

Owen was silent, he knew blasted well what was going to have happened yet. He'd probably end up losing which was the last thing on his mind. However? He wanted to have lost with some sort of dignity.

Well, at the very least? He demanded he'd lose in at least some manner that allowed him to retain his dignity. That was the least he could stand to bear for now. Anything less would have been a problem, anything more and he'd probably scream himself.

Karen looked at him while he sighed, there was no way he'd be winning anytime soon which meant. They hadn't won yet and they'd know that.

No, to that end? All that mattered was that he managed some sort of win against them with this type of thing. It'd be something that could have properly made him scream, this was the ultimate horror to him which he supposedly didn't matter as much, as such things.

"Ok, so… Who's going to have gotten onto the field this time, Owen?" Karen asked while she raised an eyebrow. "Primape? You usually lead with him… I think, don't know." Karen said before Owen looked at Primape next.

The Pokémon looked almost starved to be on the battlefield, however. Owen knew he really couldn't. not for any horrible reason, no… But if he did? Well, he'd lose the advantages he had hoped to have claimed from this. There was simply the fight and what he did to have fixed it all.

Owen sighed and rolled his eyes as he looked at her with amusement written across his face, amusement that hadn't been handled for the time being. He didn't at all know what was going on.

There were a few seconds of silence before he sighed, utterly confused for the moment about how this would have gone or how he'd beat her.

Karen simply looked at him as her Pokémon made her look at her enemy… A sense of amusement mounted on her face.

Author Notes

Phew. Another chapter is done! I want to point out that the next chapter will be delayed by 2-10 months and will show more of Karen and Owen's fight and more about their history. Until the 900–6500-word chapter, Lighting Wolf out!

P.S: Next chapter will be much longer and will show a lot more of the history and such.