NSO Chapter 25

(Day 2, Part 1)

I don't own Pokemon.

BEEP!

A giant holographic timer appeared in the air, causing the Pokemon below it to look up instinctively as it caught their eyes. A '10:00' appeared on the digital timer, which started to count down.

9:59

9:58

Look at you. Getting into another fight already. Preparing for the future, eh?

Firstly, I don't get into fights. Secondly, this is a friendly battle. We have fun, practice battle moves, and when the time limit's up, we go in for dinner. And what's that about my fut- whoah!

Zenith's thoughts were cut off as a flurry of blue beside him caught his attention. Cleo leapt into the small stream to face off against her two opponents, who were running towards the Vaporeon. Zenith turned to follow, but a wall of ice erupted in front of him, cutting off his path. The frozen water wall, courtesy of Zoey, acted as a partition, splitting the arena in half. Looking to his right, Zenith saw the silhouette of the Pokemon in front of him, the bright blue light of the dome shield providing enough illumination to see.

Julley.

Looks like divide and conquer.

The Lucario didn't allow Zenith any time to come up with a plan, immediately firing an Aura Sphere before charging towards the Dark-type. Now acting on pure instinct, Zenith jumped to the side to avoid the projectile, before dropping and rolling to the left as a Bullet Punch from Julley whistled above his head. The Lucario didn't let up, continuing his rain of punches onto Zenith. The Dark-type was now a blur as he dodged the flurry of punches, but was unable to find an opening to attack.

I have to counterattack… sooner or later one of his attacks are going to-

Zenith's thoughts became a reality as one of Julley's punches managed to slip through the Umbreon's guard, catching him in the chest and sending him flying. While airborne, the Umbreon was able to see past the ice wall and the battle that was taking place on the other side. Cleo was in the stream, while her sister stood on the shore, both Pokemon trading and avoiding attacks. He wanted to help his partner, but he seemed to have bigger problems to deal with right now. Landing on the ground with a grunt, Zenith barely had time to get up before Julley's shadow was looming over him.

With adrenaline coursing rapidly through his veins, Zenith rolled to the side as a Bullet Punch drove a deep hole in the sandy ground where he once laid. As Julley tried to tug his fist out of the hole it had created, the Umbreon saw his chance. Raising both hind legs, Zenith kicked the Lucario in the chest, sending him flying to the opposite side of the arena. As Julley got to his paws, Zenith did the same, charging up a Dark Pulse in his jaws, while the Lucario charged up an Aura Sphere between his paws.

8:27

8:26

Letting his Dark Pulse go, Zenith ran towards the Fighting/Steel-type Pokemon, Julley doing the same with his Aura Sphere. As the two Pokemon charged at each other, their projectiles leading the way, Zenith slowed time down.

The world now in slow-motion, the Umbreon slid forward on the ground, belly fur brushing sand as he went under the two colliding spheres. He could see Julley's legs changing direction, veering left to fake out his charge. Aiming for Julley's legs, Zenith slide-tackled the Lucario, taking him by surprise. He had expected a head-on confrontation with the Umbreon, not a sneak attack.

Julley's legs crumpled beneath him at the surprise attack, sending the Lucario sprawling into the sand. Zenith stood back up as the two attacks behind him smashed into each other. His Dark Pulse couldn't withstand the pure power of the Aura Sphere, the blue ball of light punching a hole straight through the dark sphere.

Zenith had been counting on that. With the Aura Sphere now out of the way, there was nothing he feared from his own attack. As the Dark Pulse was punctured, it detonated, sending out its usual shockwave. And as it did, Zenith had already leapt above the exploding black ball, utilising his time powers to their fullest. The shockwave propelled the Umbreon even higher into the air, where he landed silently on the top of the ice wall.

The battle taking place in front of him was intense. Zoey was a whirlwind of snow, flawlessly blasting out beams and shards of ice at the Vaporeon in the stream. It was everything Cleo could do to block the Glaceon's attacks, using water from the stream to intercept the freezing beams heading her way. It seemed like Cleo needed assistance, and fast.

Zoey had her back to the wall of ice she had created, meaning that she was oblivious to Zenith's presence. Cleo, however, was not. She had noticed the Umbreon ever since he had landed on the ice wall, and saw his eyes flicker blue momentarily.

1.

The word was as clear as if he had whispered it into her ear. She dodged to one side, avoiding an Aurora Beam as she led her sister further away from the ice wall. Meanwhile, Julley had picked himself back up from the ground, looking around in confusion as he tried to find his Dark-type opponent.

Cleo shot an Ice Beam at Zoey, who took the hit, barely flinching as she did so.

"What do you think that would do, little sis?" The Glaceon taunted Cleo, with a cold smile on her face. Multiple ice crystals appeared beside her, sharp ends all pointing at the Vaporeon.

But Cleo had an equally wide smile on her face as she gave her answer.

"Distract you."

At that same moment, cracks slowly formed on the ice wall, growing bigger until a Double Kick managed to break a hole in the thick sheet of ice. As Julley stepped through the hole, he saw Zenith standing behind Zoey, a Dark Pulse charged up in his mouth. Zoey turned around as well, momentarily distracted by the sound of her ice cracking, to stare directly at a dark orb that was growing at an increasing rate.

Both Julley and Zoey tried to move, Julley trying to reach Zoey, and Zoey trying to move out of the way, but both reacted a second too late.

The Dark Pulse hit the ground around Zoey's feet, sending sand flying up into the air with its detonation, along with the Glaceon. Simultaneously, Cleo shot out an Ice Beam from her mouth, hitting her sister once more to change her course in midair, where Zoey tumbled head over heels before landing in the arms of Julley.

7:01

7:00

6:59

Zenith stood by Cleo's side as Julley let Zoey down gently. They were now in the exact same position when they had first started, although that didn't last long. Julley ran at the Umbreon once more, making use of his type's advantages as much as possible.

Zenith was quick on his feet as he maneuvered around the barrage of Aura Spheres thrown at him by Julley, while slowly charging up a Shadow Ball in his mouth. Slowly but steadily, the Umbreon twisted, turned and rolled, dodging attacks as he closed the distance between him and his opponent, waiting for a chance to strike.

And there it was. Julley, tuckered out from his endless stream of attacks, leapt backwards so that he could take a breather for a second. Zenith, sensing an opening, fired the basketball-sized Shadow Ball into the Lucario's chest. As Julley was pushed backwards by the shadowy blob, Zenith raced up to him, a Dark Pulse already charged up. Sliding on the ground, the Umbreon placed the dark orb on the base of his foot, kicking upwards as hard as he could, catching Julley in the chest. The impact and detonation of the Dark Pulse, combined with the added force of the kick, sent the Lucario flying through the air again. Face-planting back on the ground with a thump, Julley slid a few metres before stopping, body motionless.

Did I knock him out? I didn't want to do that! I-I have to check if he's okay...

Worried, Zenith made his way to the Julley's side, cautiously prodding the Lucario with a paw.

"Hey, man, are you oka-"

He saw the smile before he saw the fist.

Zenith managed to dodge the first Bullet Punch that was thrown at him, but his momentary surprise left him vulnerable to Julley's next attack. The Lucario's spiked paw slammed into the Umbreon's jaw, before shooting skyward, launching Zenith high into the air with a Sky Uppercut.

Julley really did not hold back. With that much force put into the punch, Zenith flew so high, he hit the top of the forcefield dome, before plummeting back down towards the ground, jaw aching, too stunned with shock to do anything.

Wow. You really fell for it.

I... uh... wha...

Still too stunned? Never mind.

In the air, Zenith's dark pelt blended him in with the black night sky, his blue rings now streaks as he fell at high speeds, towards the sandy arena floor.

The dome was quite big, and the distance between the top and the ground was quite far. It was a slow fall for Zenith, and it was a good thing too. It gave him time to regain his bearings and Cleo enough time to spot him in the inky darkness of the night. Julley, now back on his feet, had now joined Zoey in battle against the Vaporeon, who was currently doing a good job of keeping them at bay. But for how much longer?

Cleo was trying to keep her cool as she fended off Zoey and Julley with a wall of water, while trying to come up with a plan in rescuing her boyfriend at the same time. Needless to say, she was under immense pressure. Taking a fall like that would knock out, or at least weaken Zenith enough to be finished off easily by both of their opponents. And speaking of being finished off, Cleo knew her defense was already weakening under the combined strength of the attacks of Zoey and Julley. She would most definitely lose if she kept facing these two Pokemon alone, and she didn't want to lose. She had already chalked up a large number of losses against Zoey in many things in the past, and she didn't want this to be the same as before.

Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Cleo changed her wall of water to fly forwards in a spiral, spinning like a drill. This caused Zoey and Julley to leap out of the way to avoid getting perforated, giving Cleo the perfect chance to run past the two of them, and leap into the stream.

Zenith was no longer dazed, but still falling.

Wow. This is a really long fall.

I know, right? I haven't even been slowing time down or anything. What are you going to do once you hit the ground?

I don't need to worry about hitting the ground.

Wait, why-oh.

A giant paw erupted from the stream, catching the falling Zenith in midair, the water softening and cushioning his fall as it lowered him to stand knee-deep in the rushing water.

"Nice save. Now let's try that third combo. That Sky Uppercut really took a lot out of me."

"Good idea. We need to rest up. Stall for a while. I can't say that this was fun, but we have to win!"

"This isn't about winning..."

As Julley and Zoey ran towards the duo in the lake, Cleo threw up a tall wall of water that surrounded her and Zenith at the same time an Ice Beam left Zoey's mouth, determined to freeze anything it touched. The light-blue beam struck the water wall, and ice crystals spread out from the place it hit, quickly turning the wall of water into a thick sheet of ice that protected the two Pokemon hiding behind it.

4:18

4:17

4:16

Lucky break.

Don't jinx the wall.

Zenith had no time to reply. The clouds had moved, revealing a full, white moon. Its pure white moonlight cut through the darkness of the night, bathing the entire arena in a bright glow. Zenith's rings glowed bright blue as he focused the moonlight onto his body, and began to feel better as his wounds and injuries slowly healed themselves with the healing power of a Moonlight. Beside him, Cleo used Aqua Ring. The rushing water of the stream moving too fast to be frozen by the Ice Beam, but it was still very cold. Forming a ring with the water, running it through herself and the Umbreon beside her. Zenith sighed in relief as the frigid water refreshed him, numbing his body even further against probably stinging pain from his injuries.

Healed back to fighting form, the Water-Dark duo turned their attention back to their opponents- and just in time. The two of them threw themselves in different directions to avoid the Lucario that had just leapt over the wall, courtesy of his paw spikes that allowed him to climb it. Zenith and Cleo scrambled back to their feet as multiple icicles penetrated the wall of frozen water, shattering it into small pieces. Out of the wreckage stepped out Zoey, a smirk on her face.

"Cleo, Cleo, Cleo..." Zoey taunted her younger sister, joining Julley in advancing towards Zenith and Cleo, who hesitantly took a step backwards.

"Well played back there. But remember, we will beat you, just like how I've beaten you in everything. Now just hold still so that we can knock you out and WIN!" On the snarl of that last word, Zoey and Julley leapt forward, ignoring Zenith's mumbled plea of "It's just a friendly battle, no need for that much competition, right...?"

The Glaceon and Lucario immediately unleashed a flurry of different moves all at once, driving the dodging and blocking Zenith and Cleo towards the edge of the dome. Both Eeveelutions could only defend, their aggressive opponents leaving no chance for them to attack.

Wow. These guys are SUPER competitive.

Tell me about it. This wasn't supposed to be a knockout bout! The only way to 'win' now is to survive till...

The Umbreon sidestepped a Mach Punch, turning and hitting Julley backwards with his tail, while glancing up at the holographic clock, hoping for good news.

2:01

2:00

1:59

Zenith's hopes were dashed. He and Cleo were good, but they couldn't last two minutes against the relentless fury and drive from their attackers. Zenith quickly flattened himself to the ground as an Ice Beam flew over his head. Cleo, however, was not as lucky. She was busy sidestepping Julley's attacks, allowing the Ice Beam to hit her in the flank, freezing the water type into a giant ice block, a shocked look still on her face. Julley then used a Bullet Punch on the frozen Vaporeon, breaking the ice block in one swift blow, striking Cleo and launching her out the other side of the block. She flew through the air, hitting the dome wall at high speeds before landing on the ground in a crumpled heap.

"Cleo!" Twisting his body to face her, Zenith lashed out with his hind legs, catching Zoey in the chin and sending her sprawling backwards. He sprinted towards the Vaporeon, unleashing a Dark Pulse at the Lucario charging towards him as he did so. The Dark Pulse exploded at Julley's feet, Zenith elbowing him to the side as the Lucario fell. With those two momentarily distracted, Zenith managed to reach Cleo's side.

Giving her a once-over, Zenith heaved a sigh of relief. Her pulse was still steady and strong, while her breathing was fine. She had no visible major injuries, save for a large bruise on her side, but other than that, the Vaporeon had only been knocked unconscious.

"You're, Zenith." The Umbreon whipped his head around to see both of his opponents standing behind him, triumphant looks on their faces. Zoey was still rubbing her chin, so Zenith took that as a win.

"You can kick, I'll give you that," Zoey continued. "But just give up now. Even in friendly competitions, someone still has to win, and with Cleo down, you don't stand a chance against the two of us."

Why, why would they-

Competition brings out a lot out of Pokemon, Zenith. And remember, YOU are playing on your on set of 'friendly competition' rules, while these guys were going all out.

Well, I guess the only way to stop them is if time...ran...out.

I see what you're getting at. I'm on it, but you'll have to stall.

It's worth a shot. We have to snap them out of their competitive trance!

We? I like the sound of that.

The entire mental exchange took place in the time span of two seconds, and even during those two seconds, Zenith was fending off attacks from Julley and Zoey. But he couldn't defend himself for long. Julley had tripped the paws of the Umbreon, Zoey freezing his limbs to the ground with Ice Beams. The Lucario placed a paw below Zenith's chin, preparing for a final Sky Uppercut on the Umbreon.

"Nothing personal, Zenith. We just need to win." There was a smile on Zoey's face, but it was another cold one, similar to her words.

"This IS personal!" Zenith spat back at the two Pokemon before him. "This was supposed to be a friendly match! A friendly exchange of moves and show of skills! No one was supposed to get knocked out, we were just supposed to have fun!"

Great job. Time should be up in three normal seconds.

In those few seconds, Zoey and Julley looked at each other, as if contemplating Zenith's words. Was that a flash of guilt that crossed their faces, a feeling of remorse for being too competitive in a simple, friendly, match? Well, whatever it was, it was gone now, replaced by pure competitiveness, and elation for their potential victory. Julley pulled his fist back, muscles tensing as he prepared to put all he had into that one punch. Unable to dissuade the duo, Zenith braced himself for the attack, preparing for darkness if his plan didn't work out.

BEEP!

Zenith sighed as Zoey and Julley looked around in confusion and surprise at the sudden noise.

The feminine voice sounded out once more from the machine.

"Time limit reached. Friendly match ended. Now calming battlefield."

The soft lyrics of a Jigglypuff's Song started to play out from the unseen speakers of the machine, accompanied by Grasswhistle as background music.

The song was too soft to put any normal Pokemon to sleep, since its only function was to calm the high emotions after a battle. But to the three still conscious, tired Pokemon in the arena, it was a lullaby. The expressions on Zoey and Julley's faces softened, their fierce, competitive looks being replaced by calm, sleepy ones. The song continued to play for a few more minutes, and by the time the music cut off, all three worn-out Pokemon were now slumbering peacefully on the arena floor.

-Time skip-

Cleo awoke from her unconscious state, shaking her head to clear her vision of stars and bright lights, trying to make sense of everything happening around her. But the sight of the three sleeping Pokemon in front of her confused her even more.

"What just happened here?" She mumbled to herself.