Coincidences can be found in the most unlikely of places. Sometimes, however, certain meetings were always intended.
It had been several days since Kibe and Arienne had returned to the lab. Miranda's pair of undergraduate students had begun preparing their report to the Association regarding their visit to the Inner Forest. This involved Arienne modeling the migration data of the various Pokemon species they had encountered in the forest with a special computer program. The Association actively monitored the movements of Pokemon all over the world; Kibe and Arienne's little expedition had been one small part of a gigantic operation. While Arienne was working on the data visualization aspect, Kibe was writing the report itself. His vast knowledge regarding Pokemon allowed him to contextualize the data they had collected in marvelous ways; Miranda was beyond impressed. When it comes to just knowledge about Pokemon, Kibe is pretty much a professor already. They were a good team: Kibe focused on the Pokemon, while Arienne mastered the research techniques.
Miranda watched as Ari-she called Arienne that at her request-animatedly explained how computer arrays worked to Kibe, who looked exasperated but focused on listening. The two had grown rather close since that trip of theirs; before, they had been cordial, but rather standoffish. Miranda had wondered if they secretly despised each other. That was part of the reason she had sent them, and not Lewis, on that trip; and the results had been marvelous. Now, they seemed to be genuine good friends. Virizion was incredible as well: Miranda turned back to her own computer screen, which displayed some physical and health data they had collected from Virizion.
Miranda was analyzing this to provide some data for the eventual paper that her students would be writing on Virizion and its role in the Inner Forest. In addition to that, the data would serve another purpose; a colleague and good friend of hers had requested some of the Type data for Virizion. This same friend was also going to hire Kibe and Ari for a project later in the year, and his project's timeline had apparently been accelerated, so this would be a good chance to interact with them. For now, though, the report to the Association would come first. I wonder if I should send them on another expedition after that's submitted…my friend DID say one of the types his group was researching was Water, after all… She cackled to herself as she began looking up information related to Undella Bay.
—
"We're heading out now, Professor!"
"Got it! Have fun!" Kibe called out to Dr. Foxglove from the door to inform her that he and Arienne were leaving for lunch and a certain other event. They walked down the stairs and out of the PRB, heading towards the battlefields. Today was a special day; the tryouts for the Unova Invitational (most people just called it the Castelia Invitational due to who would be hosting it this year) were finally resuming. The head of the Battling Club had apparently been indisposed for the last few days, putting them on hold. We're not competing, however.
When Kibe had returned to the lab, Lewis had an incredible story waiting for him: he and Peter had entered the aforementioned tryouts, and had actually won their first battle against Nathan and Akira. Him and Arienne were going to watch their next match today while eating lunch, cheering their friends on. She was currently walking next to him, swinging a picnic basket back and forth. Her maid, Lyanna, had apparently made them food when she had heard of Arienne's plans for today.
Kibe noted her clothing: an oversized white cotton shirt with a small designer logo on it, paired with red running shorts and a Pokemon League cap. She also had an expensive-looking black leather fanny pack slung over her shoulder, with blue-tinted sunglasses on her face. With her basketball sneakers, she gave quite the different vibe from the refined woman who had visited the Gearframe Corporation. In contrast, Kibe was wearing a simple red polo shirt with khaki shorts: a standard college outfit. I AM pretty proud of my loafers, though. I shined them this morning. Audino and Garchomp were walking in front of them; Virizion didn't come out on campus all that often. It was considered common etiquette in public spaces to only have Legendary Pokemon outside of their Balls in controlled environments, like battles or research.
"Hey, so is this roommate of yours actually an amazing battler? Didn't Nathan reach the finals of the Unova League?"
Kibe and Arienne had gotten more familiar with other people they didn't know as well, in addition to each other. They had formed a group chat with Nathan, Akira, Peter, and Lewis. Today would be Arienne and Peter's first meeting, however.
"Honestly, not really. We've battled a few times, and I always managed to trounce Peter quite easily. I think it's more that the format suits him better. Lewis can take control of the center of the field with his better trained Pokemon, and Peter can just support him." Arienne nodded thoughtfully, and then cheekily nudged him on the arm.
"I think we could probably win the whole thing if we tried, right? Right?" Kibe brushed her off and almost rejected her idea out of hand, but…
"Actually, we probably could do pretty well. When I was fighting against the poachers, Garchomp and Audino made a great team. Virizion is an obvious plus as well. You would have to lend me Vibrava, though. I only have one Pokemon." In front of them, Audino wandered off the path to look at a Berry tree patch.
"I'm not sure that would be enough, to be honest. Isn't there another Trainer competing with a Legendary?"
"Yeah, Peter told me about him. Reginal, the grandson of the university president, has a Regirock. His Trainer nickname is "The Mountain". He's actively competing in the tryouts, and is apparently rising through the PWC rankings at a meteoric rate. He also won the Unova League last year, despite not owning Regirock at the time. You heard that the Masked Man is a student here as well, right? Also, stop swinging our food around." Arienne pouted and looked away, but stopped.
"I did hear about that…there was some hack at the Association, right? And the Trainer's location was leaked to be at one of the freshman dorms. I wonder why he's not competing in the tryouts?"
"Well, he's the "Masked Man", isn't he? He competes anonymously. Naturally, he wouldn't participate in an event where his identity as a student would be revealed. This conversation is pretty pointless, anyways; you're in possession of a Legendary, too, and you aren't competing."
Kibe didn't actually know the identity of the Trainer in question, despite his family's proximity to the matter; he wasn't an employee of Gearframe, and wasn't authorized to know that information. Despite that, and what he had told Arienne, he did suspect that they were competing, however. They just weren't using Entei.
Eventually, they arrived at the Battling Club's training grounds. Summer classes had started this week, and as a result there were quite a few spectators in addition to the hundreds of contestants milling around on the central battlefield. It seemed that a lot of people had had the same idea as Arienne. Luckily, the pair were able to set up their things on a small hill that had a good view over the battlefields. Kibe unfurled the picnic blanket, while Arienne started unloading the food: a lot of sandwiches, some dried meatballs, and a few fruit smoothies. There weren't as many people around them; most had set up closer to the battlefield. Arienne let out a big sigh and plopped down on the blanket. Kibe sat down next to her; Garchomp curled around him, ignored the food, and promptly went to sleep.
"Thanks for your help, Kibe. There were more people here than I expected…"
"No problem. Thanks for bringing the food. I'm rather surprised that so many people want to watch the tryouts this year. Maybe the Invitational will end up being a bigger event than I expected." Arienne rolled on the blanket towards Audino, who began stroking her hair.
"Speaking of which, I actually heard that Gearframe is going to be hosting a business expo at the competition venue at the same time. My parents told me about it the other day. They're also organizing a Pokemon research conference…"
"Huh…so that's why they're helping with the tryouts…"
"Helping?" Arienne had a blissful look on her face from Audino's…hair therapy? Actually, Kibe could see a faint green glow emanating from the Pokemon's hands. She was sneakily using Heal Pulse on her Trainer. Kibe smiled and took a bite out of his sandwich, leaning into Garchomp. Today was the first sunny day in a little while; the perfect weather for a picnic. The sunlight and warm summer air felt great.
"Yeah, basically Gearframe is funding the University's Invitational this year. They're bussing people over to the tryouts. Three quarters of the contestants you see here are competing at the actual venue downtown." Peter had given them a rundown of the rules.
"By the way, we're going to participate in that conference too, right? I think doing a press release there could be beneficial too!"
"...Sure, but that's only given that we finish our paper before then."
"Don't be such a pessimist. I'll finish the data analysis in no time!" Kibe sighed. Well, whatever she wants at this point, I guess. They relaxed there for a little while longer, until they heard someone calling out to them.
"Kibe! KIBE!" A breathless Peter ran up to them, Archen flying behind him.
"Uh…shouldn't you be getting ready for your match, Peter? You've only got, like, 20 minutes until the event starts." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Arienne curiously looking at Peter.
"That's the problem! Lewis said something came up with his research and he can't compete anymore! I don't know what to do!" Arienne spoke up.
"Lewis doesn't seem like the kind of guy to cancel and not give advance notice."
"That's the thing! He went to Paldea overnight and forgot to mention it!" Kibe and Arienne looked at each other. Now that he thought about it, Lewis hadn't been in the lab that morning…Kibe got up.
"Right. It's probably our responsibility, then, to take over for him. Let's go ask the organizers if I can stand in for Lewis. Let's go, Garchomp." Peter nodded, and Archen perched on his shoulder. Kibe returned Garchomp to his Poke Ball. They made to leave, but…Arienne sat up, looking a little annoyed.
"Hold on just a second. Am I just supposed to sit here?"
"...You could come with us, if you want?" Her annoyance morphed into frustration, and she pointed at Kibe. Uh oh…
"That's not what I meant, and you know it. I'm determined to meet challenges head on with you from now on. We're partners now. I'm not going to let you carry all of the burden ever again. Peter, let me take over your spot as well." Peter gaped at her, then turned to Kibe.
"You didn't tell me she was this assertive…"
"This is a little new for me, too. Well? What do you think?" Peter contemplated, then nodded.
"The battle I won with Lewis was incredible. I really wanted to enjoy this little tournament, but I don't think there's much of a point if I do the rest of it with someone else. No offense. So yeah, sure. But I'm going to kick Lewis' ass when he gets back."
Arienne's expression instantly lit up into a beaming smile. I feel like we both just got played for idiots. But her reasoning felt honest…Kibe mentally clawed at his head. Figuring out Arienne's true intentions was beyond frustrating. Did she value their relationship that deeply, or not?
"...Peter, are you actually the most understanding guy in the world…?"
"No, I just didn't want to eat a Sacred Sword to the face." Arienne firmly nodded.
"That's fine too. Well then, let's be off! Audino, watch our things for the moment."
With that, Arienne confidently led Kibe and Peter into the crowds of people, looking for someone who could help resolve their situation.
—
Oh jeez…I said something so embarrassing! I can't believe a one-liner like that actually worked on them… Portraying confidence outwards while being a complete mess on the inside was somewhat of a specialty for Arienne. However, despite her embarrassment at the previous conversation, she had been sincere at what she had said to Kibe. Sure, she had managed to open up Virizion's heart, but the opportunity to do so was practically dropped in her lap. Kibe had taken on a monumental ordeal in order to protect her and Virizion, and Arienne was deeply grateful for it. As time had gone on since they returned to civilization, her opinion on him had continued to improve. Part of that was her internalizing what had actually happened to them, and the rest was her seeing Kibe's actions in a new light. After meeting his family, and learning about a bit of his history from Lynn, she was starting to understand why he had such preconceived notions about people.
With that said, she wanted to stand by his side, come what may. And this was definitely one of those circumstances. However, I do want to make things clear between us at some point.
Virizion was in her pack. She was certain that, when teamed up with Kibe's nearly infallible Garchomp, they could probably beat any team here. While she was leading the boys into the throngs of people, she noticed something and was distracted from her inner thoughts. Arienne had a bit of a six sense for people that were watching her, and there were a lot of eyes on the three of them right now. They weren't gossiping or being rude, so she doubted Kibe noticed, but they were watching. Over the past several days, word had spread around that she had captured a Virizion, and that her research partner may or may not have helped her do so. Not to mention that she was a former model. These stares were usually either admiring or envious, depending on the gender. But there were a few…appraising ones as well. They must have been evaluating her skills as a Trainer, rather than her looks.
She ignored it, and led them into the group of contestants. They were gathered in a circle around someone, and so Arienne walked over there. After pushing through the inner circle of onlookers, she saw three Trainers, two of which were familiar faces: Nathan and Akira. The three Trainers were accompanied by a Samurott, Feraligatr, and Regirock. That must mean…the third guy is Reginal. Nathan noticed the three of them entering the inner space of the crowd, and called out to them.
"Hey, guys! How are you all doing?" Peter responded from behind Arienne.
"Bad. Really bad. Lewis bailed on the tournament. He's not even in Unova right now. Where's Whittaker? I want to talk to him." Arienne was surprised to hear Whittaker's name come up. Wasn't that the name of one of Mr. Uehara's subordinates? She noticed Kibe doing a double take; he had apparently realized the same thing she had.
"He bailed? Seriously? He didn't seem like the kinda guy to do that. What are you gonna do?"
"...I was thinking of having Kibe fill in for him, but I decided that it wasn't worth competing without Lewis anyways. Kibe and Arienne together agreed to take our slot in the tryouts." Akira looked intrigued, glancing at Kibe and asking him a question.
"You're okay with that? I thought you'd told us you stepped away from competitive battling?" Kibe gave him a firm answer.
"It's a matter of responsibility. You see. Lewis…" Arienne lost track of their conversation as Reginal stepped up to her. He dressed well; at a glance, she could tell that he observed the latest men's trends without looking flamboyant. Indeed, his understated-yet-designer-clothing went quite well with his wavy blonde hair. He had a bemused look in his eyes while looking her over.
"So, you're the girl who caught Virizion, huh? And the daughter of the Walters family at that. An interesting combination. You're going to be battling today?" Arienne bristled a bit.
"That's right. By the way, who's your partner? I don't see them around." This was a mere conversational barb; Akira had already explained in the group chat before that Reginal's partner was just some random poor girl who happened to sign up after him.
"Noira? I wouldn't know. We're barely acquainted. She's a nonfactor; I'm a lot more interested in you. According to what people told me about that day, you were actually at the center of the incident in which Nathan and Kibe battled. Your Audino was barely trained, and wasn't able to react to a Hydro Pump from a long distance away. How was a Trainer like that able to capture Virizion?" Reginal's bemused look turned into a grin. This asshole! He clearly suspected, like many others, that Kibe had basically caught it for her.
"By reaching Virizion's heart. We didn't defeat it in battle." Reginal's expression slid into one of disbelief.
"You mean to tell me that you appealed to the emotions of a Sword of Justice? One of the Legendary Pokemon that's famous for its distrust of humans? You expect me to believe that?" Arienne flicked up her sunglasses and fixed him with a steely glare.
"Whether you believe me or not is irrelevant. I certainly didn't hunt it down with a group of people like so much wild game…as one of my peers did." Reginal shook at that, stepping closer to her. Their argument was starting to gain attention: people in the crowd were staring at them, and Arienne's friends had broken off their conversation.
"You will not take me for a fool. I've met one of the Swords of Justice before. They aren't a Pokemon that any regular Trainer could connect with. You, the scion of one of the world's most influential multinationals, certainly couldn't have done so either. The details behind the capture haven't been released, either. So, why don't you tell me exactly how you managed it?" Arienne giggled at that, and stepped closer to him until they were mere inches away from each other. Reginal was taller than her, so it was a bit awkward, but she stood her ground.
"If you can't figure it out, then it's of no use to tell you about it. I'm sure I'm ten times the Trainer you are, at any rate." Reginal's face mottled with rage.
"That boyfriend of yours, perhaps. I saw what he did at the Sinnoh League after hearing how he beat Nathan. Honestly, I think the only person in the entire Sinnoh Region who could have beaten that girl was the Champion Cynthia herself…What did he do, capture the Pokemon and hand you the Ball?" Kibe lost to a girl? Huh.I wonder who she was.
"I already told you what I could. Unfortunately, the rest is classified. You aren't nearly important enough to have access to that information."
Reginal was a big fish in a small pond; while he might have been a big deal in his playground here, both Kibe and Arienne had connections with much more powerful people. He was out of his league, and he knew it too. They glared at each other, and Reginal backed down first.
"Hah! Foolish woman. I pray that your request gets accepted, if only such that I can expose your confidence as just that: bravado. Let's go, Regirock. Noira is probably cowering away somewhere."
Reginal stalked away, his Pokemon mutely lumbering after him. The circle of onlookers eventually broke; people began filling the area as conversations restarted. Kibe and Akira walked up to her; Nathan and Peter had run off to find Whittaker. Kibe watched Reginal go.
"That guy really is an asshole, huh? I'd heard stories, but…"
Akira sighed. "Genuinely, he's not that bad of a person. He just needs to be taken down a peg: his ego has gone through the roof ever since he came back from spring break with Regirock earlier this year. He's in the same year as you guys, so maybe you can get through to him?"
Arienne sniffed. "He's nothing special, just a jackass who thinks he's better than all of the plebeians around him. I have more money in my savings account alone than the worth of his entire family, and you don't see me acting like that." Kibe promptly chopped her on the head.
"My wallet begs to differ. Do you understand just how much one of those lunches of yours costs?" Arienne rubbed her head, and then slapped his shoulder in response.
"Man up. You should be happy to enjoy such amazing meals with a refined woman such as myself." Akira wanly watched their exchange. Feraligatr just looked in between the two of them with a perplexed look on its face.
"You guys really are close these days, huh…Oh look, Nathan and Peter are back. They brought Whittaker!"
—
Kibe turned around to see the man he expected being led in by Nathan and Peter. Indeed, the head of the Battling Club and the main organizer of this year's Unova Invitational was Sato Uehara's direct subordinate, Whittaker. His Scizor walked in behind them.
"I'm a little surprised to see you here, Whittaker." Peter looked surprised; of course he did, he hadn't told Kibe Whittaker's name. The man rubbed the back of his head and replied.
"Keep my other job a secret, will you? I just come here in my off time to run the club. Anyways, Peter explained to me what the problem was." Nathan and Akira looked between Kibe and Whittaker, confused. Arienne stepped forward.
"So, will you allow us to compete?"
"Sure. But I do have one condition: you'll be entering the tryouts with one loss, as opposed to the one win Peter's team got."
Akira nodded in understanding. "That means that if they lose even one match, they'll be out of the running, considering the structure of the tournament."
Akira was correct; Kibe thought back to what Peter had told him about the tryouts. It was a rotating battle format, where one team would fight five random opponents. The teams with the highest winrates would move on. That means we'll need to win four matches in a row…While thinking, Kibe heard Nathan speak up.
"Hold on, what happens to our record then?"
"You guys lost, simple as that. You won't be getting a free win, so do your best to get chosen. I'm not one to pick favorites, but I do think that you two are objectively one of the strongest teams here." Nathan assented, as if he didn't expect anything else. Kibe looked over at Arienne.
"So? You in?"
She scoffed at him. "Hmph. I wasn't planning on us losing any battles anyways. Let's do this, Mr. Whittaker."
"Right. In that case, I'll go inform my assistants. You guys had better go get ready for the match."
They did just that: Kibe and Arienne went back to their things on the hill, informing Audino what was going on. After scarfing down the remaining food, they got ready to head back to the staging grounds. Kibe started off down the hill, but he felt a tug on his arm. He turned back to see Arienne holding onto him.
"Now that we're going to be battling…let's put on a show, Kibe. This is another chance." Kibe groaned. He knew she was doing it for a good cause, but this sort of thing was still supremely embarrassing for him.
"I am not escorting you like that again. Especially not in front of this many people." Her face flushed.
"That's not what I meant. I just wanted you to send out Garchomp. We'll be like the other contestants." Arienne fished in her fanny pack for a Poke Ball, and then sent out Virizion. Kibe exhaled, relieved.
"Oh, that's all? Alright, then. Come out, Garchomp."
With that, Kibe, Arienne, Garchomp, and Virizion marched back down the hill. People's heads turned in a way they hadn't before; Kibe could see people staring at them and talking to each other. Some took pictures. When they arrived at their destination, they saw that Whittaker was standing in the middle of the group of contestants. Trainers noticed Virizion and parted like a sea; Kibe and Arienne were able to walk right into the middle. Whittaker, Scizor at his side, started giving instructions through a loudspeaker.
"Right. Welcome back to the Castelia University Unova Invitational tryouts. I was busy with work over the past several days, so we had to delay the remaining matches, but I think we should be good to go now. The four Blocks will remain the same; aside from a new team replacing an old one in Block A, you'll be getting matchups from the same Trainer pool as before. The buses for Blocks B through D are already here. Of course, the format is the same. Tag Battles, with each Trainer allowed two Pokemon. You don't have to use the same two Pokemon in each match. With that said…" Whittaker squinted at the hundreds, perhaps even over one thousand spectators outside of the staging grounds.
"I'd like to thank everyone from the University that came out here today. Some of the people here will be representing you all at the Invitational, and maybe even the Circuit later on in the year, so I appreciate the widespread interest. You're free to come into the staging grounds to get a closer look at the battles, but please stay outside of the marked boundaries of each battlefield. We want to keep this safe for everybody, and also fair for the contestants. That's all from me. The Block A battles will commence here in ten minutes." The crowd broke up; many of the contestants began to leave the staging ground to head to the city, while a horde of spectators surged forward to get good seats. Peter led Kibe and Arienne to a notice board, which listed the matchups for today.
"Let's see, me and Lewis were team 255-256, so your match should be at the end…Uh oh." Kibe's eyes followed Peter's hand: it said that they were fighting… Arienne squinted.
"Team 1-2? Who's that, Peter?"
Peter opened his mouth to answer her, but someone came and clapped Kibe on the shoulder. Kibe turned to see Reginal there, with a timid-looking girl following him.
"Me. I'll be your opponent, so do your best to give me a good show. I'm looking forward to seeing the skills I've heard so much about firsthand." He shot Arienne a glare and walked off. He's talking like he already won.
"We have got to put that guy in his place, Kibe. I don't think I'll be able to bear it if he beats us."
They began following after Reginal; apparently, they were battling in the central battlefield. It was the same place where Kibe had confronted Nathan weeks ago. Garchomp and Virizion were close behind; Peter eventually broke off from them as he went to get a seat.
"You won't be able to bear it, huh? Pretty strong feelings for a guy you just met."
"He just rubs me the wrong way. Assuming the world will bend to his will just because he has a Legendary Pokemon, thinking he's better than everyone else just because he has a little money and influence. It kinda…reminds me of how you used to look at me." Kibe whipped his head towards her, startled.
"You saw through that?"
The spectators around the central battlefield noticed who the competitors of this match were, and a buzz ensued. Some took out their phones to record and livestream the battle; one didn't see a clash between two Legendary Pokemon every day. However, Kibe wasn't paying any attention to the noise around them. His focus was solely on the person beside him. Arienne gave him a piercing look.
"How could I not? There was practically contempt in your eyes every time you looked at me before we went on the expedition."
Kibe and Arienne reached their end of the battlefield. Garchomp and Virizion looked at their Trainers, then at each other, and nodded. The two Pokemon walked onto the field. Kibe finally had to break away from her enthralling gaze and sighed.
"...You're right. I certainly didn't think much of you, and I definitely hated what you represented. You seemed like the antithesis to all of the struggles I've been through, and the resolutions I had made to overcome them. But…"
"But?"
In front of Kibe, Reginal and a short pink-haired girl in a black shirt and skirt stood in front of them. Regirock had taken the field in front of Reginal. Kibe closed his eyes, and then faced forward.
"But things are different now. In the Inner Forest, you showed me that optimism, or rather, idealism isn't necessarily a bad thing. One day, I'll tell you my story. But for now…" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Arienne smile, and face forward as well.
"For now, we need to kick that guy's ASS!" Everyone heard that; the onlookers crowded tightly around the edges of the battlefield cheered. Whittaker, who was refereeing the match, gazed up at the sky and put his head in his hands. Reginal bared his teeth in a full fledged sneer and hollered from across the battlefield.
"Oh really? You'll lay me low, huh? Hey, boyfriend: you only have the Garchomp, right?" The crowd jeered. Kibe scowled.
"I am not her boyfriend." Arienne whirled around and whacked him on the shoulder.
"You don't have to deny it so vehemently! Do you get how offensive that is?"
Noira looked back and forth between Reginal and Kibe with an increasingly concerned look on her face. Does she know where he's going with this? Kibe noted that she was the only person who hadn't sent out a Pokemon yet.
"Can you shut up for just a second? Yes, Reginal, I only have one Pokemon. Is that going to be a problem?"
"Far from it. Whittaker!"
"Yes?"
"Can we make this a single elimination Tag Battle? We'll each only use one Pokemon. It's more interesting this way." Whittaker scratched his chin, Scizor motionlessly standing by his side.
"Technically, the actual format of the tournament can't be changed. However, if all four Trainers informally agree to only use one Pokemon in the battle, it shouldn't be an issue. Are you guys all okay with that?" Kibe was a little bewildered, but didn't see any reason to refuse his offer; it only benefited him, after all.
"I'm fine with that. Arienne?" She curtly nodded, locked in a staring match with Reginal.
"Fine by me." Reginal grinned, and clapped his hands.
"Excellent! You are okay with this Noira, I presume?" She shakily asserted.
"I-I don't have a problem with it…I think this setup actually gives me a better chance, anyways…"
Reginal raised an eyebrow at that. Kibe was similarly intrigued. According to what Peter had said, Noira hadn't done much in the first battle her and Reginal had won. However, maybe this isn't because she's WEAK, but rather because she didn't have the opportunity. She's had the courage to participate in this tournament, after all. She must have some skill…
—
Noira was a Pokemon Technology major from northern Unova: specifically, the town of Lacunosa. She didn't really consider herself timid, but she didn't really like conflict, either. Why then, one might ask, would she compete as a Pokemon battler? Well, it was complicated. Pokemon Tools like Technical Machines, Held Items, and Poke Balls were primarily designed to facilitate the activities of Pokemon Trainers, which mainly included battling. As such, it was almost a necessity that a good Pokemon Technologist would need to be a good Trainer as well. And now…I'm in the Pyroar's den, huh…
Noira looked around. To her right was Reginal, her "partner" and quite possibly the most abrasive man she had ever met. In front of her were the two Trainers who had been making headline Trainer news in both Unova and around the world: Arienne Walters and Kibe Uehara. Their Pokemon, Virizion and Garchomp, were nearly as intimidating as Reginal's Regirock. As an incoming sophomore, Noira didn't have classes with any of the other people standing on this field, but she had heard of them through word of mouth: a pair of Trainers who were now up there with the Masked Man and the Mountain in notoriety. Of course, people like Nathan and Akira, who were also in her grade, drew attention too, but not nearly on the same level as the ones blessed with Legendary Pokemon.
Still, a Dragon type and a Fighting type? It's almost like I was fated for this fight…Noira fished a white band-or rather, a bracelet-out of her skirt pocket and put it on her left wrist. A pink stone was inlaid upon it. She came here to win, after all. Might as well give it her best effort. Some of her friends were watching too.
Hopefully I'm not more popular than them after this…I'm not sure I could deal with the stress.
—
Geographically, the Paldea region was a peninsula, extending out from a thin isthmus in the northeastern corner. The defining feature, however, was a massive crater surrounded by an equally impressive mountain range in the center of the region, taking up roughly a quarter of the region's landmass. This place was called "Area Zero" by the nation's administration, and was closed off to the public. Only approved researchers were allowed inside.
Lewis stood on an observation platform on the lip of the crater, the wind howling around his face. Despite being midday, in the summer, it was still cold at the top of a mountain range. The platform Lewis was on was part of the research headquarters for the "Area Zero Effort", a group headed by the eminent Professor Sada. A few years ago, this group had created the Tera Orb, a device that allowed Trainers to utilize the Paldea phenomenon known as Terastal. Before then, only random wild Pokemon were documented to have used the power. The discovery, and profits from the production of the orb, had increased the influence and cash flow of the group by a great deal. They were able to send more expeditions out into the crater, and for longer. During that time, Lewis was an undergraduate at the college of Naranja Academy, and had helped collect data for the paper on Terastal and Tera Orbs. He had gone on multiple expeditions into Area Zero himself, in fact. And knew what the crater was hiding.
The hidden "Pokemon", if they could even be called that, of Area Zero were the reason he had rushed back on such short notice. He could see it. Off to his right, barely visible through the cloud cover, was what appeared to be a tunnel boring through one of the mountains. He heard familiar footsteps behind him, and addressed the woman who used to be his mentor.
"...So, one of them really did get out. How did it happen without anyone noticing?"
"At the time, there was another disturbance deeper in the crater. A territorial dispute that caught up some field workers. No one died, fortunately, but we were too preoccupied with that issue to monitor the walls with people. Our surveillance system, however…"
Sada walked up beside Lewis, handed him a tablet, and then sat on the edge of the platform, legs dangling into the void. He watched as a camera playback exposed a massive Pokemon repeatedly striking the mountain in an effort to escape. It resembled a Donphan, but was far bigger than that.
"That's quite the specimen. A Great Tusk, right?"
"Yes. Big, even for its species. We don't know where it went; its tracks went out to sea."
"To sea? So it's not in Paldea anymore?"
Sada despondently shook her head. Lewis put his hand to his head, mind racing. If that Pokemon showed up in a city or something, the Association wasn't going to be happy about it. The inhabitants of Area Zero were being kept secret from the public for a reason; there had only ever been one breakout prior to this, and it had been a disaster. The thought made Lewis pose another question to the professor.
"Speaking of which, what happened to the Roaring Moon that attacked the Sinnoh Region? Does that girl still have it?"
"Yes, Kagurazaka has kept it a secret for the Association. I think she's the first Trainer to own a Pokemon from Area Zero."
The pair were quiet for a while longer, until Sada spoke up.
"Can you find it?"
"Yeah. I will."
That was all that needed to be said. Lewis had been one of the foremost expeditionists of the Area Zero research group despite his younger age, and was an excellent outdoorsman. He knew that was why Sada had called him here, and was fully prepared to accept. He had told Miranda that he might need to take a break from the lab for a while, and set off back to Paldea overnight. With that said…I hope Peter was able to figure something out regarding the tournament. I kinda screwed him over, didn't I…
—
Peter was standing on the sidelines close to the middle of the battlefield, on the opposite side of it from Whittaker, when the match began. He was shocked at Reginal's suggestion, but maybe it was for the best. Kibe and Arienne looked like they had been arguing about something, but they seemed to have gotten over it…for now. Seriously, I can't tell if they like each other or want to kill each other.
"Contestant Noira, please send out your Pokemon."
Noira had just put on what appeared to be a Z-Ring. That's uh…not good. She nodded to herself a couple of times, and then selected a Poke Ball.
"Go, Espeon!"
The fourth and final Pokemon took the field. Compared to Garchomp, Virizion, and Regirock, it seemed a bit outmatched, but if that Z-Ring wasn't a bluff… Whittaker stepped backward, safely off of the field. Scizor was at his side, wearing its ever-present strap with the Mega Stone inside.
"This will be a two on two Tag Battle. Each Trainer will have access to one Pokemon. Substitutions are not allowed. The match will end when one side's Pokemon are unable to battle. Each Trainer is allowed one usage of Mega Evolution or Z-Moves."
With those familiar words, the hubbub around Peter and the general area surrounding the central battle quieted down. Sounds of other battles and their viewers cheering echoed, but seemed to fade away into a distant lull. The onlookers collectively held their breath.
"Contestants, get ready. 3…2…1…Battle begin." Whittaker's understated callouts emphasized the tension gripping the field. Kibe and Arienne looked at each other, and nodded.
""Swords Dance!""
Garchomp and Virizion both used Swords Dance. They must be pretty confident, not going for defense at all. Reginal must have realized the same thing, because he snarled and prepared to command Regirock-
"Espeon, use Dazzling Gleam!"
NOIRA made the first move?! Peter and the other spectators were shocked as a radiant luminescence erupted from Espeon, slamming into Garchomp and Virizion. The crowd began shouting. One particular voice rang out:
"A Fairy attack from a Psychic type?! It's super effective on both of them!"
Kibe and Arienne reeled from the blast's aftereffects. Reginal's snarl turned into a grin as he pointed at the smoke cloud.
"Don't let up! Hyper Beam!"
The strange patterns on Regirock's face flashed, and pure, concentrated power gathered in front of it.
"Garchomp, use Earthquake!" "Get behind it, Virizion!"
The dust surrounding Garchomp and Virizion was suddenly dispelled by a rapidly rising earthen wall protecting them. Registeel's Hyper Beam erupted, the golden font of light slamming into the Earthquake wall. The wall smashed apart, but seemed to take the brunt of the damage. Peter saw Virizion safely leap out of Garchomp's cover, and begin dashing across the battlefield towards Regirock. People began shouting.
"Virizion! Use Sacred Sword on Regirock!"
"Espeon, stop it with Psychic!"
Virizion's horn glinted as an ethereal blue blade emerged from it. It got about halfway across the field to the immobile Regirock before halting and being tossed into the air. Psychic is super effective against Virizion, too. It can't resist the attack. What a bad matchup… Kibe was the one to make the next move.
"Disrupt it with Dragon Claw!"
Garchomp took to the air, diving towards Espeon with jade claws. Regirock still wasn't able to react…or was it?
"Use Zap Cannon on Virizion!"
"H-Hey!"
Yeesh. He really IS an asshole. Reginal ignored the plight of his partner, who had just saved Regirock, in favor of attacking Arienne's Pokemon. Defenseless, Espeon took a direct hit from Garchomp, and was sent flying. The Psychic was erased, and Virizion was released, falling back to the ground. Noira cried out, shocked that her partner had all but abandoned her. Meanwhile, crackling electricity gathered in a sphere in front of Regirock.
"Fire, Regirock!"
"Leaf Storm!"
The Zap Cannon rocketed across the battlefield, far faster than Virizion was able to materialize its attack. The resulting direct hit sent Virizion reeling, just as Espeon was trying to recover from the damage it took. And…it looked like Virizion wasn't moving as well. You can't be serious…is it paralyzed? Reginal laughed and spread his arms.
"Hahaha! Any opponent hit with Regirock's Zap Cannon is guaranteed to become paralyzed! I'd like to see you make those flashy movements now!"
The crowd roared, losing its composure. Arienne had an utterly frustrated look on her face. The back and forth of this battle was just too much to bear for most people. I guess I don't blame them, now that I know how fun competitive battling can be. Just watching has become even more exhilarating once you've experienced the thrill for yourself. Even so… Peter was now seriously concerned for Kibe and Arienne's chances. They were in some deep shit.
—
Arienne was extremely upset with herself. Nothing had gone her way so far in this battle. Virizion had taken two major attacks, and was paralyzed. She hadn't dealt any damage to the opposing Pokemon. And now Reginal was cockily mouthing off, grandstanding to the audience. I'm really starting to despise this man, but he DOES have some skills…What can I even do at this point? This is all my fault. If I had just practiced more… Her mindset had begun to spiral downwards when she felt a rough shove on her shoulder. Startled, she looked over at her battle partner, whose eyes were still trained on the battlefield.
"Snap out of it. The battle isn't over yet."
"R-Right. You didn't need to tell me that."
Kibe scoffed, and called out a new command to Garchomp. Arienne hastily did the same.
"Earthquake!" "Sacred Sword!"
"Dazzling Gleam!" "Stone Edge!"
Virizion began running across the battlefield again, markedly slower than before. Espeon and Regirock's attacks attempted to intercept her, but Garchomp's impeccably placed Earthquake was able to create walls to block them, despite Virizion being roughly a dozen meters in front of it. Arienne marveled once again at the incredible technique Kibe and Garchomp had mastered. One Stone Edge came up directly under Virizion, but she was able to deftly step on the pillar as it rose, using it to vault into the air. Virizion's beautiful signature attack flashed once more as she dived towards Regirock, scoring a direct hit. Arienne cheered.
"Don't let up, Virizion! Let him have it!"
"Rrgh…use Drain Punch!"
Regirock began to fight back, with it and Virizion's attacks clashing over and over, but Regirock was being forced back, taking some glancing blows. We're doing it! The sheer power being exuded by both Pokemon was felt all across the battlefield. The audience began to descend into hysterics. She could see Peter off to the left, red-faced and shouting.
"Let's get in there, Garchomp! Use Dragon Claw on Espeon!"
"Espeon, use Power Swap on Virizion!"
Wait, huh? A strange red beam was emitted from the jewel on Espeon's forehead, directly striking Virizion. It didn't seem to do any damage, but now Virizion's attacks seemed far weaker. Regirock was actually able to fight Virizion off and land a couple of Drain Punches, recovering some of the damage it had taken. Garchomp moved in to attack Espeon again, but Espeon was ready and dodged the first swipe. It began running across the now-cluttered field, using the upheaved Stone Edge and Earthquake boulders to hide from its pursuer.
"That's not good."
"Kibe, what does Power Swap do?"
"It swaps the user and target's Attack and Special Attack stats. Espeon's Special Attack should be higher than Virizion's, but not by much. So you gained a little Special Attack in exchange for losing a lot of Attack. Espeon also now has a ridiculously high Attack stat, but I don't think that'll matter unless it has a physical attack, which is unlikely."
Arienne swung her gaze back to the field. Virizion had retreated from Regirock, trying to gain distance. Wait, that's where Espeon is!
"Look out! Jump up and use Leaf Storm on the ground!"
"Regirock, use Zap Cannon!"
"Garchomp, switch to Regirock!"
Garchomp changed targets, swooping down towards Regirock with Dragon Claw. The Zap Cannon was interrupted, exploding in between both of the Pokemon. Virizion fired the high-powered Leaf Storm from midair directly into the center of the battlefield, blasting apart all of the debris. Espeon was exposed, glowing with a strange light.
"Leaf Blade!"
"Let's do this, Espeon! LAST RESORT!" Kibe shouted at that callout.
"What?! No!"
Espeon was engulfed in an incredibly powerful silver light. Virizion curled into a somersault as she dived down at it with Leaf Blade. Espeon jumped up to meet Virizion, the attacks colliding midair. The two Pokemon strove against each other for a few seconds, before Virizion's attack gave out and she was slammed off to the side by Last Resort, landing in front of Kibe and Arienne. Unconscious.
"...No way…This can't be happening…" Arienne dropped to her knees. The euphoria she had felt while walloping Reginal's Pokemon was now a distant memory.
"Virizion is unable to battle."
Whittaker had made the call. The mighty protector of the Inner Forest had fallen. The first casualty of the match had been Arienne's.
—
Kibe glanced at the distraught Arienne by his side, then focused his attention on Noira. To think that she was hiding such a plan…she's more meticulous than I thought. He was convinced that she was the better battler of the duo between her and Reginal. Bringing down a Legendary Pokemon was no easy feat; Kibe was impressed. Virizion had fought nine Pokemon in the Inner Forest, but Noira had brought her down with surgical precision, using the Legendary's incredible strength against it. And she hasn't even used that Z-Ring yet…I need to be cautious. Garchomp flew back to their side of the field as Arienne fumbled with her Poke Ball, returning Virizion. Kibe sighed, and turned to her.
"Come on, get up. You can't mope around on the ground forever. It looks bad."
Arienne jolted, gathering her legs under her and getting to her feet. This outcome of the battle had the exact opposite effect she had been aiming for; even if Kibe won, it would definitely call her skills as a Trainer into question. She responded with a quavering voice.
"I-I'm sorry…I was so confident, but ended up holding you back…again…"
"Jeez. Did you really think that you would be at a competitive level after training with me for the past week? Yeah, we've done a few practice rounds, but I'm sure our opponents have years of experience. You're not at their level yet, and that's just fine. You'll get another chance."
"...How?"
"Simple. I'll win, and we'll keep winning, until we reach the Invitational. Our partnership goes both ways. You decided to stand with me, no matter what challenges we face. If you want to help Virizion, and prove yourself in the process, then I'll help you get there."
Even if I never wanted to stand on a stage like that again. Memories flashed in his mind: him and her, standing under the moonlight at Lake Verity. The chanting of spectators at the Sinnoh League. Meeting Cynthia at that mist-bound village. The flashing of headlights, and the bitter partings that followed.
"...Right. Good luck."
Arienne seemed to have gotten herself back under control, so Kibe turned his attention back to the battlefield. Espeon was padding back over to Regirock's side. He could see his opponents having their own quiet conversation, likely strategizing. Even if he acted tough, he wasn't sure how exactly to move forward. Regirock and Espeon were both damaged, true, but so was Garchomp. Pretty much all of the debris had been cleared from the field by Virizion, as well. Whittaker signaled for the battle to resume. The crowd, which had been deathly quiet since Virizion was knocked out, resumed its cheering. Kibe saw Nathan and Akira arrive next to Peter. I'll take the first move.
"Garchomp, use Earthquake!"
"Regirock, Stone Edge!" "Espeon, use Last Resort!"
Of course, the best method of fighting these two Pokemon in particular would have been to take to the sky, but…Garchomp couldn't use Earthquake in the air. It was the one major weakness of Kibe's partner. And so, Kibe had Garchomp attack both of his opponents from the ground. Earthen spears came up from the ground, clashing evenly with Stone Edge's pillars of rock. Espeon attempted to dash through the melee in order to disrupt the Earthquake, but was caught up in the clash of moves and blown back. All right. It's working.
"Nngh! Dazzling Gleam!"
"Fly up, Garchomp!"
Garchomp abandoned the channeling of the Earthquake, soaring up into the skies above the battlefield. The unfettered Stone Edge was able to crash through Kibe's side of the battlefield, but there was nothing to hit it with. Dazzling Gleam was a lateral move that didn't have much height to it, and given the amount of damage it would have dealt, Kibe was forced to send Garchomp upwards. Espeon is the greater threat right now. So…
"Garchomp, finish her! Dragon Claw!"
—
Peter could sense that the battle was reaching its climax. No matter how skilled Kibe was, he couldn't skirmish with these two for long. The crowd had entered a fevered pitch; most of the battles had ended, and even more people were crowding around the central battlefield as a result. Hell, even I lost my composure earlier. Nathan and Akira had joined him, as well. Peter watched as Garchomp dove down towards Espeon yet again. This time, however, something was different: Reginal actually cooperated with his partner.
"Do it, Reginal!"
"Right! Regirock, use Hyper Beam!"
Garchomp's trajectory was interrupted by the powerful attack, and it was forced to divert its course, outpacing the Hyper Beam by flying around the battlefield. Reginal must know he can't hit Garchomp while it's airborne, Regirock is too slow. So why…? Peter's question was answered by the crowd's roar reaching a crescendo. Noira had twisted the crystal on her Z-Ring and entered a strange stance. Reginal had been buying time!
"She's going to do it!" "HOLY SHIT!" "Are you guys seeing this on the stream?!"
"Erase the impurities before us! Espeon, use SHATTERED PSYCHE!"
An incredible luminescence erupted from Espeon's forehead gem, taking the form of some kind of extradimensional rent. The slash surged across the battlefield, towards a still airborne Garchomp. Kibe shouted a new command:
"Let's go, Garchomp! DRACO METEOR!"
Wait, what?! I thought Garchomp's last move was Thunder Fang! Garchomp swooped toward the ground, and sent out a volley of fiery meteors laterally to meet the Z-Move. This wasn't how Draco Meteor was supposed to work: usually, the attack would be fired high into the sky, in order to rain down on opponents. The meteors began to clash with the space-bending slash in the middle of the field. But Kibe wasn't done.
"We're playing for keeps! EARTHQUAKE!"
"WHAT?!" "No way!" "Is that even possible?!"
People began downright shrieking. Peter was one of them. Garchomp stomped its foot into the ground while shooting the Draco Meteor. It was using two attacks at once. The Earthquake rumbled across the battlefield under the explosive clash, a massive earthen wave gathering in strength and speed as it moved toward Kibe's opponents. Espeon and Regirock couldn't move, having just launched such powerful attacks; they just ate the attack. However, Garchomp was not unscathed; the Draco Meteor had been eventually swallowed up by the Z-Move, which continued rumbling forward and struck Garchomp directly, albeit less powerful than it would have been otherwise.
Needless to say, Garchomp didn't have the energy left to dodge. The stamina burden of using two moves at once was perhaps even greater than that of using a Z-Move. All three competing Pokemon took massive damage, with the ensuing explosion casting a dark smokescreen over the entire battlefield. Peter couldn't see anything. The dust, however, eventually settled; and the sight that awaited the competitors and onlookers was astounding.
Espeon and Regirock were lying on the ground, unconscious. A battered Garchomp, however, was still standing tall. A hushed silence enveloped the entire staging area.
"Espeon and Regirock are unable to battle. And so, the victory goes to Contestants Kibe and Arienne!"
Peter led the crowd's applause.
—
Akira was dumbfounded. Even if I was going all out…could I even beat Kibe? His new friend had triumphed over a Unova League winner, someone who held the same position as Akira. Honestly, the level of finesse that Garchomp had just displayed bordered on unfairness. He had never seen such incredible technique before, not even from a Champion's Pokemon. As he gaped at the battlefield, however, Garchomp passed out, right there in the middle of the field. It showed that Kibe's partner did have limits, at the very least.
Still though, if it were just for one-on-ones, he's on the level of the upper Hyper Class at the very least. Maybe even the Master Class.
Kibe, Noira and Reginal returned their Pokemon. Akira watched from the sidelines as the crowd of onlookers surged onto the field, blocking his view of the contestants. When he glanced over to Nathan at his side, he saw a mixture of awe and bitter anxiety. Akira couldn't blame his best friend for his feelings of inadequacy. He didn't even know if Entei could beat Garchomp. I need to get stronger.
—
Arienne had mutedly watched the rest of the battle. The words of solace Kibe had given her didn't help how downtrodden she felt: she had just embarrassed both her and Virizion's reputations. The incredible feat he had just pulled off-beating both a Legendary Pokemon and a powerful Z-Move at the same time-only further served to diminish Arienne's own image while magnifying Kibe's. As ashamed as she was to admit, she had kind of hoped he would lose. But of course, against all odds, he had actually triumphed. This only made Arienne feel even worse.
As was customary at the end of battles, the spectators waited for the competitors to return their Pokemon before flooding the battlefield. Kibe returned Garchomp, and Arienne meekly followed as he strode through the throngs to meet Reginal and Noira in the middle. People formed a tight circle around them, returning their own Pokemon in order to make kore space. Arienne got a good look at Noira for the first time: she seemed to be a fan of punk music, what with her dyed hair and all-black outfit. There was also a shiftiness in her eyes that surprised Arienne. Kibe addressed them first:
"That was some splendid battling from the both of you. I'm kind of out of practice, but that was one of the closest matches I've had in a while."
Reginal sighed, and responded. "Honestly…I don't deserve that much credit. I flubbed it big time. All I really did was make things harder for Noira, in an effort to show off."
Noira hastily waved her hands. "N-no way! We lost because I wasn't strong enough, anyways. Getting abandoned like that really sucked, but…" Her voice trailed off into some indecipherable mumbling.
"...I completely underestimated you. I thought that you were the weakest Trainer on the field, and that Virizion could walk all over you. I never would've imagined…that things would turn out like they did."
The Trainers surrounding them went quiet at that. Smartphone cameras were recording the entire conversation. Looking around, Reginal scowled.
"You think this is a fucking show? Put the damn phones away!" The cameras were promptly shoved into pockets, streams cut off. Reginal turned to face Arienne.
"Look. We made this into a contest of egos, and we ended up both losing face. Both Noira and Kibe massively outperformed us."
Noira squeaked and continued muttering. "N-no…I didn't do that well…"
Reginal nudged her shoulder. "Oh, enough with the humility. I'm complimenting you, so the least you can do is accept it. Anyways, Arienne, we both have a lot to learn from today. While I do have a lot of experience as a Trainer, I haven't actually battled with Regirock a lot yet as of now. So, I wasn't able to take proper advantage of my Pokemon's strengths. I'm sure you're the same, right?"
This new, more understanding side of Reginal completely threw her off. "...Right. On my part, though, it's more like I don't really battle that often. I completely fell for Noira's ploy…"
Reginal nodded, satisfied. "But man, Kibe. You're crazy. Just when on earth did you train your Pokemon to use two moves at once?"
"...This week."
"WHAT?!" That exclamation was shouted by nearly everyone on the scene, including Whittaker, who had shouldered his way into the circle.
"The same went for Draco Meteor. Recently, I had to fight two extremely skilled Trainers at the same time. While I did, somehow, manage to not lose, I realized that Garchomp didn't quite have the firepower to deal with extremely powerful opponents, or multiple ones. Since he's already so used to Earthquake, adding another move wasn't actually that difficult. However, he can only use the Earthquake for strictly offense or creating a wall, not both at the same time."
The spectacular technique Arienne and the others had witnessed was the result of years and years of focused, intense and consistent training. Reginal shook his head, whistling.
"'Not both at the same time', he says. Sheesh. How the hell did you ever lose the Sinnoh League? That girl was just that strong, huh…"
Surprisingly, Noira was the one who piped up next.
"Chiba Kagurazaka, right? She's a member of the Sinnoh Elite Four now."
Arienne noticed Kibe's jaw set into a flinty expression at the name being mentioned. So THAT'S what her name is. She had picked up on bits and pieces of his past over the time of her involvement with him.
"...Yeah. She's something else. Chiba's in the Master Class as well. I wouldn't be surprised if she wins the next Masters Tournament. She goes to Jubilife University, by the way."
With that disquieting statement, the second day of the Castelia University Unova Invitational Tryouts came to a close.
(As an aside, a pouting Arienne managed to drag Kibe to the Casteliacone stand before they went back to the Foxglove lab, citing "emotional harm". His treat, of course.)