Hello there! It's been a little while, huh? For some reason, this chapter took a decent amount of time to write for me. But I really wanted to get it out today, as I'm losing access to my laptop for the next week. I didn't want to go three weeks without uploading, so here we are.

As always, please enjoy the chapter.

Rainbow: Espeon

Rainbow wasted no time as he used Psybeam right off the bat, hopefully soon enough for the Marowak to be thrown off guard. His hopes were not satisfied, as Desmi reared her bone back and charged it with a Bone Rush. She only laughed as she swung her bone like a baseball bat, colliding with the Psybeam and reflecting it back.

Rainbow widened his eyes at the speed his own attack was coming back at him with. With no time to dodge, he quickly erected a Light Screen to take most of the damage. What he also hadn't anticipated was that Desmi used the momentum of her swing to spin around and hurl her bone, following the Psybeam.

Rainbow couldn't react in time and took the full force of the Bonemerang. He felt the bruises form from the attack, but he kept his full focus on his now charging opponent. The bone had swung back around the arena and arrived back in Desmi's hand just as she leaped forward with another Bone Rush.

Feeling overwhelmed by the assault, Rainbow quickly focused his eyes and stopped the Marowak with his Psychic. He caught his breath, eyeing how close the Bone Rush was to hitting him square in the face. Desmi smirked in front of Rainbow's face, clearly unperturbed by her current situation.

"I was hoping you would be a challenge," she started speaking to him as she was held in place. "You don't see one of your kind around that much anymore. But you seem so out of your depth with me."

Rainbow's eye twitched in annoyance. She was trying to get to him, to lose his focus. He shouldn't fall for it, not for something like this. Formulating a plan, he raised Desmi just a bit and spun. He released his Psychic halfway through his spin, instead glowing his tail with an Iron Tail. Once he finished his spin, he went to connect his Iron Tail with the now falling Marowak.

Seeing his plan, however, Desmi quickly raised her bone and blocked most of the damage. She was still thrown back a good bit, but that didn't stop her from charging once again.

She seemed to repeat her plan, tossing a Bonemerang ahead. This time Rainbow was ready, easily dodging out of the projectile's way and locking eyes with the Marowak. Desmi only gave a mirthful smirk as she closed in on his position.

Rainbow shrugged off her confidence and charged a Psybeam, fully ready to blast his opponent backward. That was until he heard a low whooshing noise coming from behind him. Thinking on his toes he ducked down.

The returning Bonemerang just barely grazed the top of his head as it flew above him and back to its owner. Said owner had now closed the distance to her target. Before Rainbow could hop back onto his feet, Desmi took the opportunity to slam down on his back with full force.

A shock spread throughout Rainbow's body as the Marowak crushed him. He yelped in pain. As he lay on his stomach, Desmi placed a fist on his forehead and kept his tail in place with a leg. Right now, Rainbow was completely subdued.

Desmi lowered her head next to the struggling Espeon's ear. "What did I say? You're completely overwhelmed."

Rainbow tried to lift his head again but was met with another push down from her fist. He growled in response. She was right. Her constant assault left him with no breathing room or time to think. She completely countered his ranged attack style as an Espeon and could overpower his only close-range attack, Iron Tail.

"Forfeit, don't waste any more time," Desmi suggested to her prisoner. It was clear he couldn't get out of her hold, so there was only one way to end the fight on his terms.

Rainbow clenched his teeth and stopped struggling, weighing his options. His tail was pinned down, so Iron Tail was useless. Since she was on his back, he didn't have the line of sight to use Psybeam or Psychic. Light Screen was also completely useless here.

Damn it.

As it currently stood, he was completely defeated.

He noticed Veraloe in the stands. She had her head down and her jaw clenched, also knowing what the outcome of this battle was.

Polelto's narrowed glare bore into him as if saying: "Is this all you can do?"

Hector watched the fight indifferent, but his Absol partner snickered at Rainbow's predicament.

Looking at Azaelia, though, was a different story.

Her paws were shaking and her lips were trembling, but her eyes were steady, They shone with a light of hope and confidence. She seemed to think he could get out of this situation with full confidence, that he would win this whole thing and talk to her one more time.

Silently, he agreed. He could get out of this and win. There was only one way to victory, and he would take it no matter the repercussions.

"Meowth caught your tongue?" Desmi mocked from her advantageous position on his back, unaware of his thinking. "No shame in forfeiting. It would at least spare you from me knocking you unconscious. How about it-"

She suddenly stopped her mocking when the Pokémon under her began to glow white. She felt his body shrink and roll away from under her. All of a sudden she was on the ground with no Espeon under her.

"Huh?" She dumbly questioned before she was abruptly rammed with a full force Take Down from behind. She was knocked into a rolling stop before landing flat on her face. "What the heck?" She said as she rose to her feet and searched for the Espeon. She heard the crowd gasp in surprise and confusion. Her eyes landed on her opponent, who was now an Eevee?

Capitalizing on his opponent's confusion, Rainbow swung his tail and fired a Swift at her. She quickly regained her senses and started batting the stars out of the air with her bone. Before the stars were depleted he switched back to an Espeon and fired Psybeam.

The Psychic attack fired straight and true, shooting through most of the stars and striking the surprised Marowak before she had a chance to block. She was pushed back a few feet and recovered just in time to receive another Psybeam.

Rainbow rushed in, now an Umbreon, and reared a paw back with Assurance. "I don't know what you did..." Desmi started saying as she recovered. She saw him coming and swiped his paw away at just the right moment. She then used Bone Rush and uppercut Rainbow in the chin. "But don't get cocky!"

His head rattled as he was thrown back. His chest and jaw ached and he felt utterly exhausted. He was not used to using his power so often while in battle, or at all. But he couldn't let it get to him. He needed to win this fight.

He flipped around in the air and locked eyes with Desmi. His red eyes turned purple as he switched to an Espeon. He blew Desmi pack using Psychic and landed on all fours, gaining some distance between the two.

With half an arena between them, he knew she would go for her combo a third time. He bit his lip and put his plan into action. Hopefully one last time he switched to Umbreon and shot a Dark Pulse.

His injured opponent twirled to the side and dodged the attack, then used the momentum of her spin to throw her Bonemerang one more time and sprint towards him. Rainbow easily ducked under the Bonemerang and ran to meet his opponent dead on.

Desmi widened her eyes in surprise at his action, but Rainbow wasn't done. With the telltale whooshing noise of the Bonemerang returning, Rainbow hoped it wasn't enough to take him out so he could finish the fight. He braced his back and jumped straight into the path of the attack.

Sorry, Vera. I'm going to have to rely on your power again.

The Bonemerang crushed into his already hurt back. He winced in pain and tanked the hit. The bone did its job and propelled Rainbow even faster towards the stunned Marowak. The two were now on a collision course, one was defenseless without her bone and the other powering up a Payback in his paws.

Rainbow threw his paws forward and plunged his Payback into Desmi's lower abdomen. She lost all the air in her lungs as she collided with the attack and the Pokémon. Rainbow used the rest of his momentum to put Desmi under him as they both crashed to the ground in a heap.

The crowd was silent in apprehension. The surprise power of Rainbow and the show of his reckless plan were somewhat forgotten as they leaned forward to see who would get up first. They didn't have to wait long as a Pokémon started to stir.

Rainbow could barely feel the rest of his body. It felt like it was so overused that it was numb. A side effect to his constant switching, it seemed. But that didn't matter. All that mattered right now was that he stood up on all fours and claim his victory.

With one eye closed shut and a bruised body Rainbow stood over the unconscious Marowak. To be honest, he couldn't really hear the crowd roar at his victory. His vision was also blurred and his legs were wobbling.

Though he could see something extremely clearly. Even though his heart was beating with adrenaline and he was heavily breathing, he could still see Azaelia smiling down at him with a wobbly smile.

"The winner is Rainbow!" She announced to the world with both her paws raised in cheer.

Rainbow formed a shaky smile, albeit with much effort. "Thank… Arceus." He said between breaths.

What the crowd failed to notice at that moment, however, was that Desmi the Marowak had managed to regain consciousness. And the sight she awoke to shocked her. She could care less about losing the tournament, this was only meant to be a small way to pass time. No, the Sunset Stars sent her here for a reason.

As she stared at the three Lost Plates of Arceus that were now visible around Rainbow's neck, the cogs in the cultist's head started to turn. The plates, his power, they connected in her head like a perfect jigsaw puzzle. She smiled a wide and menacing smile. She needed to inform her superiors as soon as possible.

The Champions were back.

"Did you see that? He actually did it!" The Absol that stood beside Hector excitedly snickered.

Hector scoffed at his partner's enthusiasm. "It was only natural. Our blessings would come to the public sooner or later." He turned to the Absol to see him rubbing his paws together in anticipation. Hector gave the Pokémon a hard glare. "Though it would seem none of these Pokémon even noticed your interference in the round prior."

Syn brushed off Hector's apparent disapproval of his actions. "Please, that East Province delegate would have wiped the floor with that Scolipede if I didn't even the odds somehow."

Hector spat on the ground. "Interfering with one's duel is both dishonest and disrespectful. I trust you will not do it again."

Syn's form briefly shimmered, revealing a Zoroark meeting Hector's gaze with a threatening glint in his eyes. "This tournament is for entertainment, not honor. I was simply making it actually entertaining." He dropped the eye contact. His form shimmered back to the quadrupedal Absol. "I'm surprised you even care that much, big guy. You haven't seemed to be interested in much of anything since you joined up."

Hector watched as Rainbow returned to the stands. He was being bombarded with questions from the crowd and from a varying amount of reporter Pokémon. It would seem the secret of the Champions' existence will soon be revealed to the wider world.

"I do not care for the supposed 'perfect world' of Giratina or Arceus." He searched around the plaza. His gaze eventually landed on his next opponent, a Gliscor who still seemed to be riding the high of his previous victory. "I just wish to battle worthy opponents to better myself."

Syn sighed, shrugging. "Whatever. Do whatever you want, as long as you don't go all turncoat on Blaze and me."

"Of course not. That would also be dishonorable," Came the brief answer.

The Absol smiled at his partner. "At least we can agree on something."

The sun was now lowering into the horizon. A sudden darkness was now being cast over Prism City. The warm orange glow of the streetlights filled the void of light, giving the streets and buildings a soft hue.

"We gotta get going," Syn mentioned to the Hippowdon. "It's almost time for us to meet up with Blaze again."

Hector contemplated for a moment. He was hoping this tournament would fulfill his wish of finding a strong opponent, but it would seem it was all for nothing. All the remaining opponents, Champion or not, were way below his league It would seem he would be disappointed yet again.

"Very well," he relented to the Absol. "I seem to only be wasting my time here."

Just as the duo turned to leave, they stopped at a sudden announcement:

"The next round shall now commence! Contestants to the arena!"

Hector stopped in his tracks. Syn noticed the sudden move and turned questioningly to his partner. "What's up?"

"I will finish this round, at the very least. It will not take long."

With that, the Hippowdon lumbered back to the arena, fully intent on seeing this match through. Syn only rolled his eyes and leaned against the nearest wall as he watched his partner separate from him.

From a distance he watched the Princess announce the two current competitors. She was a real looker and seemed to be extremely popular. He pondered why Blaze rarely mentioned her. If he was related to someone like that he would be bragging to everyone he knew. Oh well, to each their own.

Princess Azaelia suddenly threw her paw down, signaling the start of the fight.

The Gliscor, who Hector did not even bother to remember his name, bounced on his bulbous tail. "I saw your last match. Do not think victory will come as easily when facing me!" He put force on his last bounce, springing himself high into the air.

"Just offer me a challenge," Hector responded simply.

The Gliscor spread his arms wide and sped towards the unmoving Hippowdon. He figured Hector's mouth posed most of the danger when facing him, so he just needed to move fast and hit him in every other area of his huge body.

Confident in his plan, he glided circles around the arena until he closed in on Hector's blindspot. Before his opponent could even react he dashed in and landed an X-Scissor. Hector barely flinched at the attack, but otherwise could seem to care less.

This same cycle repeated a few more times. The Gliscor would glide close, land an attack, and glide away. Each time seemed to not affect Hector in the slightest. In fact, he looked more dejected with every hit he took.

"What a shame," Hector muttered in a heated breath.

The Gliscor stopped attacking, now only gliding around the arena. "What was that?"

Hector moved his eyes to meet his opponents, then met the members of the crowd. "I came to this tournament to fight only the best. Obviously, my expectations were too high." Hector raised his voice, announcing to the whole plaza.

The crowd booed the Hippowdon, clearly disliking his blatant disrespect. Hector was unbothered by the jeers, instead of continuing: "You all may think you have seen what fighting is all about, but you have yet to experience true power. Let me show you the difference between everyone here and me."

The Gliscor rushed in once more, eager to shut this Hippowdon up for disrespecting every fighter that was participating. As he got in close to land another X-Scissor, Hector suddenly slammed one of his heavy feet down. Notably, the foot he slammed was covered in an orange glow.

As soon as his foot hit the ground a large stone slab erupted from behind Hector and slammed straight into the Gliscor's abdomen. The Glsicor's attack was immediately canceled as he was pushed up and into the air without air in his lungs.

He tried to right himself in the air, but another slab seemingly came out of nowhere and struck one of his arms. He spiraled out of control and plummeted towards the ground. Another slam came from Hector, and another slab jutted out of the ground and smacked the falling Gliscor with enough force to launch him towards Hector.

"This is power!" The Hippowdon exclaimed, raising a foot before slamming it down on the Gliscor's head as soon as the gliding Pokémon reached him. Cracks formed on the ground under the pressure of the stomp. The Gliscor's body went completely limp under the foot.

The crowd was stunned into silence. Hector looked around the arena, daring someone to challenge him or to say something. No one obliged him. He finally removed his foot from the limp Gliscor, revealing the poor Pokémon to be half-buried into the ground. He wasn't moving.

"This world is about to change. For the better or for the worse I couldn't care less. But you have to be strong, stronger than anyone to survive. Take that how you will." With one final glare to the audience, Hector departed from the arena, lumbering his way through the crowd and out of the plaza.

While the crowd sat unmovingly, two beings quickly hopped into the arena. Rainbow switched to an Espeon, ignoring the fatigue he was still in from his last battle. He used Psychic to gently pull the Gliscor out of the ground. He laid the injured Pokémon on his back. Veraloe kneeled down next to the Gliscor and cautiously placed both her hands on his chest.

"How does it look?" Rainbow asked his partner in urgency. Vera furrowed her brow in concentration, a green glow now emanating from her arms and flowing into the Gliscor.

Vera started to sweat and take heavier breaths. "This isn't good. I'm not sure how far I can take my blessing, but I'll put everything I have into healing him." Bags started to form under her eyes. She was clearly starting to exhaust herself. "I don't think I'll be able to use it for the rest of the day after this." She glanced worriedly at him. "I will not be able to heal you after your next battle."

Rainbow shook his head, dismissing her worries. "That doesn't matter. I can handle being roughed up by Polelto. We just can't let this Gliscor die, not like this."

The Gliscor's body and face slowly mended from Vera's treatment. With each passing second, he looked better and better, but Vera looked more and more exhausted. "That glow… " she mentioned to Rainbow. "It was not unlike my own."

The Espeon's eyes widened, looking to where the Hippowdon departed. "You don't think..."

Vera gravely nodded. "Those slabs… no Pokémon can do something like that. He… controlled the earth."

"Controlling the earth… " Rainbow examined the three large stone slabs that still jut out from the arena. Only one Pokémon in history could control the earth in such a complete way. "Arceus mentioned that Groudon sided with Giratina in the past. It seems like we just gained one new enemy."

The glow from Vera faded as she completed her treatment. "We need to be careful from now on if a powerhouse like that is against us." She tried to stand once more but found herself collapsing back down to the ground.

"Vera!" Rainbow rushed to her side, supporting her weight.

"I'm sorry," she apologized to him. "That took more out of me than I thought, but he'll make it."

"Can you walk?"

Vera shook her head. "I'm afraid I cannot." A sudden shadow loomed over the two from behind. Rainbow whipped his head around and was surprised to see that Polelto had made his way down to the two of them.

He wordlessly turned around, showing his back to the two of them. "Put them on." Rainbow blinked dumbly at his sudden request. The Milotic grunted in annoyance. "Have you ruptured your ears or something? I said put them on."

Vera and Rainbow exchanged a glance before Vera tiredly nodded. Trusting her, Rainbow led Vera to Polelto's open back. She vaulted over and straddled him as if she were riding a Rapidash, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Polelto stiffened suddenly, not used to the closeness of the two. He nodded to Vera before gently wrapping his serpentine tail around the unconscious Gliscor. Without another word, Polelto slithered up and out of the arena. Rainbow followed him.

Azaelia's legs were shaking.

She already had a bad feeling from Hector's previous match, but she did not anticipate it would get worse. Had Veraloe not been here, the poor Gliscor would have surely died in the arena today. She uttered a hesitant ten-minute break to the crowd before retreating to the back of her private box and out of the public's view.

Trying to comfort herself, she rubbed the illusionary band on her wrist. In all her historical knowledge she had gained over the years of being a princess shut-in, she only knew of one Pokémon that could control the earth like what she had just seen.

Hector the Hippowdon must be the Champion of Groudon. From what Rainbow had told them, Groudon stood beside Lugia, Reshiram, and Yveltal as they sided with Giratina. If Rainbow and Veraloe had to fight someone like that in the future...

She vehemently shook her head. She can't be thinking so negatively like that. She had to believe her friends would prevail for the good of the world and conquer the evil that threatened it.

But then again, were they even still friends?

She hung her head in sadness. What right did she have to call them her friends? She had outright lied to them about her true self and her true name. She hid so many things from them when they were more than ready to share about themselves. She was of no help during the attack on Glass City. She only ended up being the one that needed protecting. She could easily leave the box and talk to them.

But she didn't.

She felt as if her deceptions had pushed them away. Even Joltier, who she was starting to warm up to. Once the guard brought her home, Azaelia did not even say anything to her. She just turned her back to the friendly Pikachu and entered the castle.

She was happy to see her sister once more, but that feeling was squashed only moments after reuniting. Blazeira was cold. Not a smile or even polite greetings were made between the two. All that was left was the yelling and the arguing. Her hiding light of admiration was gone, leaving her to wallow and rot in a black void of loneliness. She had no one, didn't she?

But they came.

Azaelia froze, stifling a tear in her eye. She couldn't stop herself from smiling when she spotted Rainbow and Veraloe in the crowd. She didn't dare to hope to see them again, she was supposed to be alone for the rest of her time in this world.

So what if they came? They were probably only here for the prize and nothing more. A gift from a princess was nothing to scoff at, and even the prize money was substantial. They had every reason to be here in this tournament, especially since it was replacing the auction until tomorrow.

No, they weren't here for her. As much as she wanted it to be true, she couldn't bring herself to fully believe it. Once this event was over, she would never see those two again. That's just how it was, and how it would stay.

Her mother was right. She was not Lia the Ninetails, but Princess Azaelia von Arkos. Commonfolk like them weren't supposed to be friends with royalty like her. She must mingle with her equals and Pokémon in her class like a princess should, right?

But if those Pokémon weren't around, who could she be friends with?

Azaelia realized her ten minutes were now up. It was time to finish this tournament. She slapped herself and put on a neutral, princess-like expression, and walked back to the front of the balcony. She addressed the crowd, who had recovered from the last match and was looking forward to the next.

"Due to the apparent forfeit of Hector the Hippowdon and the state of Aspen the Gliscor, this next match will now be considered the final!"

Ten minutes earlier with Rainbow, Veraloe, and Polelto…

The four had arrived near the edge of the plaza by the time they heard an announcement from Azaelia. Apparently, there was to be a ten-minute break while the arena was cleaned up. Thankfully the Pokémon audience did not bother them.

Vera slowly unraveled her arms from Polelto's neck and stepped off of him, plopping down on the nearest bench. "Thank you, Mr. Gracia." He only huffed in response, but his eyes seemed to gratefully take the appreciation.

"Prepare yourself while you can, Espeon. Or what could I even refer to you as now?" The Milotic addressed Rainbow, who took a seat next to Vera.

"Try my name, maybe?" Rainbow muttered in retort.

"I would not be surprised," he started, ignoring Rainbow. "if our match is the last one, seeing as how the Hippowdon is nowhere to be seen and the Gliscor is out for the count." He raised the still unconscious Pokémon that was still wrapped in his tail.

"Right," Rainbow agreed. "It would only make sense." He glared with a challenge to the Milotic. "Then I'll ask you to be ready as well. Only one of us is going to win."

Polelto scoffed. "Fool. Do you even know what is at stake here?" Rainbow raised an eyebrow in question. "Of course you don't. Someone like you wouldn't notice."

"What is it, Mr. Gracia?" Vera asked, curious as to what the delegate was referring to.

He averted his gaze to stare at Azaelia's private box. It seemed she had disappeared to the back of the box and out of the sight of the public. "When you're in my position in the world, you hear many things through the grapevine. Seeing the Star of Arkant in the flesh has confirmed something for me."

"And that is?"

Polelto met their gaze again. "The public sees Princess Azaelia as a standard for beauty and maturity. The Star of Arkant is the perfect person." He narrowed his eyes. "To me, that is furthest from the truth. Looking at her in person, I see a small, anxious, and lonely child. One that only puts on a mask to the public."

Rainbow could agree with him on this. In the few weeks Azaelia had traveled with them, her personality seemed vastly different. She was soft-spoken, timid, and absolutely froze at the first sign of danger. But she was also smart, and an absolute historical and mythology nut. Once she went on a tangent about the legendaries and the true history of the world you couldn't stop her.

But here and now? She spoke in a largely neutral tone, always trying to show the same expression. It was as if she was trying hard to keep up her appearance, to not let down those that looked up to her.

"What are you getting at, Polelto?" Rainbow asked the Milotic. "Why are you here? Someone like you would have all the wealth in the world, so the money obviously doesn't matter. What do you want?"

"While I may be in this city for personal reasons, I am also here for the good of Prismarine City. I'm planning on asking her for her hand in marriage."

.

.

.

Vera covered her mouth, giving a wide-eyed look of concern to Rainbow. "Oh my."

Rainbow froze on the spot, a cold shiver running down his spine. "You're going to what?"

Polelto looked back to the box. "I'm planning- no," he met Rainbow's eyes. "I will marry her."

Rainbow scowled and turned his stare into a glare. "So what, you're about to take advantage of a lonely girl to marry your way into royalty? For what, the sake of Prismarine City?" Rainbow didn't know why, but the thought of Polelto marrying Azaelia seemed to strike him to his core. He felt an ugly feeling in his chest, though he couldn't exactly place what it was. "Are you that shallow?"

Polelto growled at Rainbow's hostility. "Make no mistake, peasant, that is my official stance as a delegate of Prismarine City." His expression suddenly softened, causing Rainbow to ease his expression in turn. "But as Polelto Gracia, I see a lonely Pokémon in desperate need of companionship."

Rainbow was taken aback at this. He jumped the gun. He looked down in shame. He immediately assumed the worst of this Pokémon as soon as that ugly feeling came up. He didn't even want to humor the thought that Polelto had any other intentions.

"With utmost respect, Mr. Gracia," Vera folded her arms against her chest, curiously meeting the Milotic's gaze. "Why are you telling us this?"

"Why, you say? I feel I can somewhat trust you two. After confirming something from the peasant's last match, call it a hunch." He shifted back to an upright position. "I need to bring this Gliscor to the medical tent to rest. I bid you farewell."

Polelto then started to slither away through the crowd. Before he could get far, however, he heard Rainbow calling out to him.

"Polelto Gracia!"

He looked over his shoulder, seeing the Espeon standing in a wide stance and glaring at him with a raging fire in his eyes.

"I understand. I understand everything now." He clenched a paw, holding it out in Polelto's direction. "But I'm still going to win. I'll be the one to make her happy, so you better fight with everything you got!"

Polelto held Rainbow's fiery gaze after his bold declaration. After a few seconds, the Milotic broke away and disappeared into the crowd, not giving any physical acknowledgment to Rainbow's words.

But Rainbow saw it. Polelto's eyes were burning in the same fire as his own.

This tournament was no longer about money. It was no longer about whatever prize they received at the end. It was no longer about being titled the first champion of the Autumn Festival Battle Tournament.

This was now about the singular happiness of a Pokémon that needed it the most. And Rainbow was going to try his damndest to win, no matter the cost. Because if he couldn't even save someone he considered to be a friend…

How would he manage to save the world?

It may be a while until the next upload, so please be patient. Thank you for reading!