Chapter 27: Kel's Challenge!
A week had passed since the conference was done and the league season was about to begin. Aurora, Kel and Marshadow knew how unlikely their success would be, but the goal was still to get into the King's League. Aurora had used the week to do research. Of course, it would always depend on the performance of all the other teams, but an average had been calculated from the last few seasons. A team that had six more wins than losses was usually pretty sure to be part of the big final tournament. If you wanted to get the first seed of the Upper League tournament, better try to win all ten matches.

The goal would have to be to be among the best 32 teams in the Upper League so that Polarna vatra could compete in the big tournament at the end of the season. In this, all teams involved competed against another team, with the loser being eliminated, a basic single elimination bracket. The last remaining team could compete in a ranking battle against the 50th place of the King's League that season. If the Upper League team won, they would take the other teams spot, with the King's League team being relegated again.

However, there were already very strong teams in the Upper League that Aurora believed were significantly stronger than Polarna vatra. The trio was strategically strong and very experienced, which had helped them a lot in their duels against Epsilon's fighters. But this would not help them against every team in the Upper League. Team Polarna vatra would have their first duel on the very first day of the season. Before that, however, Aurora had to carry out an important test. Kel had led them to victory in the battle against Darkrai, but the ring was different. And the Arcanine would hardly take off his armor to gain an advantage here.

The most important question about the armor had already been discussed by Aurora with Aurorus on the day of the last conference, shortly before she had left. She had asked him whether Kel was even allowed to take part in league battles, due to the advantage that the Plot Armor might in theory give him. Aurorus was very determined about this, however.

"If we were to forbid him from taking part because of this, we would also have to forbid a sick Pokemon from taking his medicine because it strengthens it. As soon as the Plot Armor is completed, however, we might have to take another look."

So the day had come when Aurora subjected Kel to a test: Was he strong enough to be able to keep up with his teammates in the ring? And more importantly... was he strong enough to keep up with the Upper League? Both teammates were now in the ring on floor 26.

"So Kel, first you fight me, then you fight Marshadow. I'll watch how it goes and decide accordingly. All clear?"

The Arcanine just nodded, already thinking about the first duel, which would begin immediately.

Aurora saw this test as similar to what Team Fossil had put them through. She would give it everything she got in this duel, even if Kel was a friend. He should have to prove himself. She immediately began to form an icy circle at her feet again. Tyrantrum had to feel this technique in the worst way, but Kel had not seen it yet. Aurora didn't understand what exactly Kel was doing. He just stood there and took deep breaths. She was briefly worried that the voices in his head were getting louder again, but without warning he went on the offensive, but without a direct attack. However, the Flamethrower came so suddenly that Aurora's only chance to avoid it was to create the icy pillar beneath herself and thus throw herself out of range. Although she wasn't hit, she had already revealed her trick to Kel.

"So that's what these rings do. Good to know."

He immediately continued with a technique that Aurora already knew from Monargoras, but she had no idea that Kel could do such a thing. Rock formations sprang out of the ground and reshaped the field. Aurora thought for a moment. Did Kel also know Earthquake? He could do it while possesed, but what if he was being himself? Even if he could, he didn't show it at that moment. Instead, he directed a Heat Wave at his rocks, which now began to glow. Burning rocks were not what Aurora could use as an ice Pokemon, so she decided to take a different approach. Although her idea was quite risky, as she had never tried it before, she wanted to try it anyway. She began to create a small moon for her Moonblast, but instead of charging up the attack further, she immediately jumped forward with a blow and caught Kel off guard.

With Kel now close to the danger zone, Aurora wanted to use the Arcanine's technique against himself. While she went on the offensive herself, she shot his rocks into the air with an icy pillar. But when she saw Kel's gleeful expression as she rushed at him, she hesitated. And that was exactly what her opponent had wanted. Kel immediately shot ahead with Body Slam and hit Aurora critically. She was thrown back just centimeters still, but due to this, she was hit by the rocks she herself had just launched. Similar to the duel against Tyrantrum, Aurora found herself in a rather helpless situation. But she still had an idea, even if she had no idea whether it would work. Kel, on th other hand, was pretty sure that he had already won.

"Would you rather give up, or do we want to end this here?"

Aurora remained confident in the face of her apparent defeat.

"You have not won until the fight is over, you should know that!"

The moon that Aurora had summoned was still floating in the sky. She had kept it up all this time, for a situation like this. And now everything was ready and she fired off the attack. But for a split second, Kel's color changed to a metallic gray, right before the Moonblast hit him. And when the light hit Kel, he didn't move from the spot for even a split second. Aurora didn't understand exactly what Kel had done until too late.

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you. Mirror Coat!"

With a blow as powerful as no other, Kel hurled his team partner across the entire ring and beyond, right into the wall of the floor.

Quickly, the winner ran over to the other team leader.

"Are you alright? I didn't overdo it, did I?"

The elegant Ninetales rose, a little out of sorts.

"Well... if it weren't for the damage-reducing effect of the rings, I'd definitly be out cold by now. But that's how it is. And you just outplayed me, there's nothing to be said against that. So, we can save ourselves the fight against Marshadow, you've definitely passed the test. We need you back on our team!"

Kel looked uncertainly over to the shadow who had been watching the duel from the sidelines.

"Well… if you agree, I would still like to fight you, Marshadow. It would be good training and I have never seen you in the ring before."

The third member of the team stood up with a pleased expression. He had obviously been hoping for a duel himself.

"Into the ring with you, Kel. Show me what you can do!"

Aurora sat down at the edge to see if Kel could gain another glorious victory. The battle began and Kel was immediately prepared for one thing: He must not let Marshadow use double team, ever. If he allowed this, the fighter would find himself out of the ring in the blink of an eye. So Kel decided to go on the offensive immediately, which Marshadow expected as he immediately disappeared into the ground and countered. Now in the air, Kel was quite defenseless and above all he knew that if he did not act immediately, Marshadow would be able to use this time to create his clones. So he tried to immediately turn onto his stomach while still in the air and fired Flamethrower downwards.

Marshadow, who was too focused on his cloning, was hit and lost all the concentration. When Kel landed, he was able to immediately follow up with a claw strike and immediately put the lightweight Marshadow into the danger zone. Confidently, he did the same thing he had done at the beginning of the fight against Aurora: Increase his attack power. But this action turned out to be a big mistake, as Marshadow, unlike what Kel had expected, did not try to flee the danger of the danger zone immediately.

Instead, he saw the moment he had been looking for all this time, an opportunity to use Double Team without resistance. When Kel had gathered all his focus, he saw ten Marshadows around him. Although he immediately recognized the real one, the only one in the danger zone, that didn't help him, as he was now being bombarded from all sides. Kel saw exactly one option at that moment. An option that Aurora had already expected but hadn't seen. Earthquake. If he hit the entire room, he could easily destroy all the copies. Almost, anyway. Two of the copies were in the air when the earthquake shook the room and the real Marshadow fell down too.

Once again, Kel immediately rushed towards Marshadow and once again his overconfidence turned out to be a mistake. Because while Kel's focus was solely on the original, a Shadow Ball from a copy hit him in the side and caused him to stagger. The true shadow warrior immediately rose up and with a blow that the other remaining copy immediately followed up on, Kel was pushed into the danger zone. Panicked, the Arcanine immediately rolled out of the zone, but immediately got caught in dark chains that lay on the ground. The more Kel tried to free himself, the less chances he had. He could only watch as Marshadow increased the number of his copies to ten again and one of the ten approached him.

"Checkmate."

There was nothing Kel could do to avoid the first hit, which, as so often in the battles against Marshadow, led to countless more. And before he knew it, Kel found himself on the floor outside of the ring. Marshadow appeared from the shadows next to him and held out a hand as the copies all disappeared.

"Try to act less out of instinct and more out of strategy. You're making yourself more predictable than you need to be."

Kel grabbed Marshadow's hand... and threw his teammate to the ground instead of getting up himself.

"And you still think I'll make peace just cause the fight is over."

Laughing quietly, he stood up while Aurora joined her team.

"Yep, you're still the strongest on the team, Marshadow. Now I just have to make an effort not to fall behind myself."

Less pleased with Kel than the Arcanine was with himself, Marshadow also eoaw again.

"I don't believe that you will, you're too willing to improve for that. But even if something like that should happen, as long as you keep more sportsmanship than Kel here, everything will be fine."
"Come on, don't be like that."
"No, I will be like that now!"

Normally Aurora would intervene in an argument like this, but she saw the irony in both of their words and was more amused than worried.

"So Marshadow, I think we agree to take Kel back, don't you think?"

The one addressed turned away from his argument and gave his answer.

"We are, but even if we weren't, it wouldn't matter. You're the leader."

Aurora didn't quite agree that it really shouldn't matter what he thought, but she ignored that for now.

"Well then... welcome back, Kel. Officially this time. Tomorrow we have our first duel and I asumme we want to get our first win. I've done a bit of research on our opponents and... if you sit out the round, Marshadow, then we should win. Torterra, Grovyle, Victreebel, a full grass team. The only part that could get inconvenient would be, if I had to go up against Victreebel"

Kel was pretty optimistic about the situation for once, similar to Aurora herself.

"It's a one in three chance. And even if you had to fight him, you can still win that too."

Marshadow also seemed to agree, but with a strange comment.

"If you find yourself in a bad spot, feel free to still consider me. I've still got some stuff up my sleeve."

Team Polarna vatra was now truly complete again. And ready to make history in the league.