Kieran stared at himself in the mirror above his sink, water droplets clinging to his face. He'd been running drills with his Pokémon in anticipation of his battle with Juliana. In fact, he'd been running them so much that he'd thrown up from the pressure. He had made sure no one was there to witness his moment of weakness, but it had left him in no mood for nonsense. In fact, he didn't even go down to the cafeteria for dinner in order to avoid anyone who might annoy him. That didn't stop his sister from coming up to his room to do it anyway of course.

"Hey, Ki- Kieran? I brought you dinner. You weren't down in the cafeteria."

"Thanks." He kept his tone short, appreciating the gesture even if it wasn't necessary.

"You're welcome. Are you busy?"

"Yes. Go away."

Carmine clenched her teeth, fighting back the urge to say something nasty no doubt. She quickly paused, took a deep breath, and looked at him pleadingly. Kieran looked back coolly, shifting his weight to one leg. They both knew that she could be just as persistent as he was stubborn. After a long, quiet staring match, she spoke first.

"Juliana is challenging Drayton first thing tomorrow morning. I wanted to watch the fight with you."

"No thanks. I'm busy-"

"You're always busy! You aren't even doing Champion stuff." She groaned in frustration.

"So? It's not your business so stay out of it!"

"It's my job to worry and make sure you don't get burned out. I'm your sister, Kiki…"

He snorted quietly, gazing down at her demeaningly. She shook a bit, fury touching her features. Suddenly she jumped to feet with a cry of outrage. It startled him backwards a foot. Eyes shining with tears, she stood right in front of him to say her final piece.

"You keep acting like you're too good for everything! Too good for fun, too good for watching battles…too good for me. It hurts, Kieran. I miss my brother."

"Well maybe I just grew up faster than you. You were always sticking your nose in places it didn't belong. Always getting me in trouble because you have no self control. You're just upset because I'm actually good at battling while you're still stuck using your team of weak losers."

"Y- You- You're so toxic!" Carmine sputtered in disbelief and rage on behalf of her beloved Pokémon. "This is exactly what Juliana was talking about…all you care about is strength."

"What's the use of a Pokémon who's too weak to fight?"

"You didn't used to care!"

"Because I was weak too!" He roared back, causing her to step back this time. "Those who are weak surround themselves with weakness to feel strong. We who are strong only seek others who are strong too."

Carmine shook her head, stepping back toward the door. She looked sad now. A smile of melancholy touched her lips.

"I thought I could try one more time. That maybe I could save you if I really, really tried. But you're too far gone."

"I'm happy you finally understand."

Sobbing, the older sibling took off down the hallway and out of sight. Maybe Kieran should've felt guilt…but he didn't. He didn't really feel anything past the numbness. Ever since he cornered Juliana in the hall, a strange numbness had started to take hold of his feelings. It was like his body was trying to rid itself of things that weren't important, like jealousy and shame. The sensation seemed to make more space for decision making and strategy. He picked his plate up and took a bite.

That solves one issue.

Kieran glanced at his schedule, noticing tomorrow was completely empty. He had missed the battle with Lacey. Maybe it would be good to see her face off against Drayton. It would give him a chance to look for any bluffs or tells she might use in their final showdown. After all, he needed all the help he could get.

–

This was not how the battle was supposed to go. Kieran watched the field in horror, clinging to the railing. Juliana was toying with him. Mocking him even. The blatant nature of the act was something that only seemed apparent to him and Carmine, who seemed to be eating it up.

It had started with her and Drayton shaking hands before the battle. As they separated, the Elite Four member let her know that she could change her team back if she'd like for his battle since the trial was over. Her whole demeanor seemed to shift, head turning to meet Kieran's gaze. A horrible, wicked grin stretched across her face and he watched in confusion as she quickly opened her portable PC to switch her team out. She didn't even look down at what she was doing. Frankly, even Drayton looked reluctant now. Her glee gave him chills and rightfully so, because what followed was chaos.

"Are you all sorted now? Don't beat me down too bad."

"Don't worry, I just thought this would be a great teaching moment."

The two trainers took their places and readied their pokeballs. Drayton sent out Dragonite and Flygon, his safe set to start with. Juliana sent out Shiftry and Probopass, a shit-eating grin on her face. Her Shiftry set up Tailwind, meaning his Dragonite simply wasted a turn. His Flygon hit Probopass with a Fire Punch, but the Occa Berry in its mouth lessened the blow. This gave enough room for it to hit his Dragonite with Power Gem, KOing it. While he sent out Haxorus to handle Probopass, she switched Shiftry out for Fuji. That's around when Kieran noticed something: This team looked familiar. He turned to look at Camrine and his sister looked away, but not before he caught her smirk. Things only devolved from there.

By the time Drayton sent out his final Pokémon, his Archaludon, the champion was livid. She was mocking him. She was using his team! The team that had lost to her and thus needed to be replaced! Every single member except for his Dipplin, which she had used her Flapple in place of. Kieran gripped the railing so hard his knuckles turned white, anger plain on his face. Not only had she copied his team, but she was using it. A nagging part of him wondered if he would have been able to beat her if they'd done a double battle, but it was drowned out by the accusation he felt at her blatant mockery. He would've left already, but he knew that would just give her more ammunition.

In one Ice Punch from her Poliwrath…the battle was finished. Juliana had won. Drayton offered her a fist bump, smiling proudly, and she hit it with her own. The way the pair looked at each other made him more agitated. Putting on a neutral expression, Kieran headed down the stairs to the battlefield. He walked toward them at an even, lazy pace so as not to seem too eager. They both turned to look at him cautiously.

"Nice show you put on there. You kept me waiting." He turned to address only her, "Took you a while to beat the Elite Four. Kind of slow for you, isn't it?"

"I think a week is a pretty good time frame for four challenges and Elite Four battles. Especially since the stipulation was that I couldn't lose to anyone."

"You seem pretty interested in someone you're supposed to beat, huh Champ?"

"I could say the same about you, Drayton."

"What are you trying ro say?" Drayton scoffed softly, crossing his arms.

"You sure are putting a lot of effort into helping Juliana out…"

Now she looked scandalized. He gave her a look that dared her to say otherwise. To defend herself. Unfortunately Drayton cut in before she could.

"I'm just doing my civic duty. Gotta be a good Elite Four member and help out the exchange student."

"That's rich coming from you…"

Kieran gave him a twisted smile and advanced forward, shoving him a little.

"Whatever you're planning, it's about to come to an end."

Juliana pulled him away from the older boy, glaring up at him in defiance. Without thinking, he brushed her hair behind her ear. She flushed a little, mostly confused, and pulled back from his touch. He dropped his hand, eyes dimming.

"Juliana." Nodding, he turned around, "Let's settle once and for all who's the strongest between us two."

"When we do, will you finally drop this stupid vendetta and go back to being my friend?" Her voice was soft and melancholic, giving him pause.

"I…I can't promise you anything. Guess we'll see how our battle goes."

With that, he headed for the school. Halfway there he received a notification that said she'd requested a battle for the following day. That gave him enough time to run through his play book one last time. Tomorrow he'd prove to the world that he was the greatest trainer in the academy and finally receive his due.