Note- Hope you enjoyed the holiday season and have enjoyed these first 2 weeks of the new year! Sorry for the delay, but I spent a good chuck of time out of the country for the holiday season. No Wifi, but it was awesome to explore Jamaica and meet SO MANY new family members!

Now, as for Heart and Soul, I'm so excited to announce that the action begins today! We see all our trainers entering this first point of competition known as the Screening round! Performances in this section can set a trainer up for an easier path through the rest of the tournament or present them with an insurmountable hill to climb. All three battles carry so much weight and we'll get to feel all of it as we witness the outcomes for our favorite competitors today!

Hope you enjoy! Please Review and Subscribe!


Chapter 60

Sweat. A thickness to the air. The ambient purr of the room's air unit had to be a deception. Unless it was expelling hot air. Shoot, had he moved the dial in the wrong direction?

Chris slid out from beneath the paper-thin sheet he had forced himself under. He shuffled through the dark room and came to stand, tired eyes squinting, at the glowing blue temperature monitor.

"My house is set to warmer than this," Chris hissed, a drop of perspiration plopping onto the unit from his temple. He brought a hand up to the vent and immediately withdrew it. The air was frigid. Chris took in a deep breath, then exhaled. His eyes moved up to the closed curtains. He parted them in the middle, just enough to see the vast expanse of grey outside. With another hour till sunrise, and a thick fog to hide behind, a long run with his team might be in order. After all, he already had a nice sweat going.


"Sorry!" Chris called for what had to be the tenth time. He shook his head as the runner and her Dodrio vanished into the haze behind him, then turned back to the three shadows running alongside him. "You guys have to pay attention to where you're going. We're in a new place and surrounded by—shoot!"

Through the wall of fog, Chris caught sight of a very real one out of the corner of his eye. He slammed on the brakes and threw out his right arm to slow down the one teammate whose overeagerness would take him straight through the side of the building.

"Nido!"

The Drill Pokémon let out a shrill howl as he staggered, his weight lurching forward, dragging Chris's arm, and the rest of the trainer, with him. As they careened toward the concrete, a pair of vines latched on to their waists and yanked them back the way they had come. Nidoking successfully brought a claw up to keep Chris's skull from smacking his own, but his tiniest appendage managed to find the skin between his trainer's collarbone and neck.

"Nido!"

"It's alright," Chris said, waving away his teammate's other claw before it could accidentally do more damage. He tried to keep his voice calm, but it was hard when one was out of breath. He brought a hand down and felt wetness against his skin. It didn't seem to be a lot. "I think you just caught me with a glancing blow. Although this," Chris took hold of the vine still wrapped around his waist, "was solid. Great save, Weepinbell."

The Flycatcher Pokémon quickly uncoiled the vines and brought them back under his leaves. A tinge of red covered his normally bright green visage.

"I'm excited for you to get to show that strength later." Nervous might have been the more appropriate word, but the Grass/Poison-type didn't need to hear that. And one could be excitedly nervous, Chris rationalized. He touched below the cut and didn't find much wetness there. It's not bad, but he really could have put me in the hospital if he'd gone a little further up. He brought his hand back to his side when he caught the malicious stare Typhlosion had been sending Nidoking's way. "Hey," Chris motioned toward the glow that had begun to pierce the gloomy morning, "let's see if we can find somewhere to get a good look at this sunrise."

Chris moved them north, despite Typhlosion and Nidoking's repeated suggestion to turn left or right. They might have stumbled upon a rise somewhere in those directions, but it wasn't a guarantee. North held the foothills of Mt. Silver. And this direction would have much less runners.

They passed what looked to be the living quarters for the workers, then another welcome gate. One step outside it had them already on an incline. Chris turned their pace into a run. His trio of Pokémon didn't object. The dry dirt beneath his feet kicked up a brown cloud as his feet churned faster and faster. For the third time that morning, a fresh round of sweat poured to the surface. This one felt different.

Chris gritted his teeth as Typhlosion and Nidoking reached his side. They got one stride ahead, then two. The trainer's nose began to burn as his feet pounded the dirt harder. He stretched his strides. Minutes turned to seconds. He had matched the two Pokémon's strides and left Weepinbell several paces behind. And as the peak of runner's high arrived, he gained a lead on his team. A warm, bright light poured in from above. The right side of his body was coated with a warm glow. His pounding heartbeat filled his ears, blocking out the world, his steps, and even his own breathing.

"Ty'!"

The voice sounded so faint that Chris almost missed it. It took everything in him to come to a stop, but he forced himself after another roar pierced his eardrums. Then he turned.

The Silver Conference village—no—maybe the whole region lay below him in the mist. The valley stretched out in an endless gray void that spread south to the sea. A radiant light peered from the hills to the east, but hadn't yet reached the world below. And with that space shrouded, Chris focused on the area of light around them and became suddenly aware of the incline he now stood on. The dirt path they had started on must have ended more than a hundred feet below. What he and his Pokémon now stood on resembled a near forty-five degree slope of mountainous stone. Turning back toward their current trajectory, Chris found their self-made trail vanishing into the side of a completely vertical mountain of earth.

He took a step back and nearly lost his footing. He dropped to a squat, hand reaching to grasp a rise in the rock and keep himself from rolling back down the way he'd come.

And this isn't even Mt. Silver.

A vine came up to wrap around his left shoulder, followed by his other two concerned teammates. Chris found his breath coming in gasps and a pounding in his skull. But through it all, he felt a kind of giddiness. Shoot, now he was feeling light-headed. Sweat was pouring from below his messy morning hair and from around his shoulders. A part of him wondered if it was actually blood from his cut. He showed his team of three a goofy grin.

"The battles haven't even started and we've already begun our climb to the top!"


The fenced in battlefields were alive. The cacophony of shouts, roars, rattling cages, and pounding footsteps melded to create an ambiance akin to a prison riot. Paths weaved around these contained chaos chambers, and it was one of these paths that brought David to battlefield twelve. This fenced in space was one of the few at peace, with only another trainer and an official standing calmly in it.

"May I see your credentials?" the official asked David as he entered.

The Cinnabar Island native fumbled with his back pocket and pulled out his ID and his Pokédex. The judge surveyed them both, before giving David a quick up and down look. After a curt nod, he handed both items back to the young man. "Alright. You can take your place over in the open trainer box."

As he made his way over, David gave one more look to his surroundings. Even though these were just screening battles, he found it odd that there were almost no observers at any of the surrounding cages. With this first battle being a bit later, he expected to see a lot more free trainers and allies of the competition observing the field. Maybe these quick battles aren't worth trying to keep track of, he speculated.

"Are both trainers ready?" the official asked the instant David stepped into his box.

David threw a quick glance at his opponent. He hadn't even had a chance to look at the man he'd be facing for his first Silver Conference battle. This young man looked to be around his age, but he stood tall and thin. He already had a Poké Ball in his hand, a hand that even from a distance away, David could see was shaking. Well, that makes me feel a bit better.

"Are you ready?"

It took David a couple of seconds before he realized the judge was staring at him. "Shoot," he hissed, shoving a hand into his right pocket, and bringing out the device he'd placed there that morning. "Yes sir, I'm ready."

"This will be a one-on-one battle," the judge spoke before David had even finished his last word. "I will count down from three. After one I will say 'release' and you will reveal your Pokémon. Are we clear?" His glance to both trainers was so quick, David didn't even think he saw his nod until the man had already begun his count. At his signal, both trainers launched their capture devices toward the center of the battlefield.

Jolteon burst from her device like a bolt of lightning. Before she'd even hit the ground, her jagged fur was already spiked toward the heavens. Their opponent couldn't have materialized more slowly. The tall, lumbering tree that appeared held a face that at first disarmed David. That was, till he remembered the creature's typing.

"Exeggutor won't feel much from Discharge," David muttered, so quiet his teammate probably couldn't even hear it. But they had other moves that might hit a bit harder.

"Begin!"

Jolteon let loose an electrical shock wave before David could even open his mouth. His shock vanished upon remembering their all-out-assault strategy talk from the prior night. The electrical blast found Exeggutor's torso, but the creature held steady. The Grass/Psychic-type lobbed a retaliatory white object back at them, but not before Jolteon had already launched another Discharge attack—this one at the behest of David. Their opponent's slow response and even slower assault trajectory gave Jolteon enough time to leap to the left of its landing zone. Before David could call for their third attack however, the Egg Bomb struck the ground like a meteor and exploded into a million shards. Several pieces of shrapnel found Jolteon's side, drawing a muffled cry from the Lightning Pokémon.

The opposing trainer called for another Egg Bomb to be catapulted their way. Exeggutor hurdled the high arcing shot, but Jolteon was already on the move.

"Pin Missile!" David called as his teammate closed the distance.

As their opponent's attack exploded harmlessly between trainer and Pokémon, Jolteon's spiky fur shifted forward. Her high pitched shriek was drowned out by the whistle of a dozen spiky quills spinning through the air. The sharp projectiles found Exeggutor's left leg, drawing a shudder from him. As another round of spikes came zipping toward him, his trainer had him shift all his weight to his right side; a decision that sent the lumbering Coconut Pokémon staggering in that direction. The move ultimately proved effective enough, as only one of Jolteon's quills found its mark.

With their opponent off balance, David decided to dial up another super effective move; one that he still planned on ultimately removing in favor of something more fitting for Jolteon's style of battle. "Pursue and go for Bite!" he called.

Jolteon had no trouble closing the gap and leaping to take a large bite into one of her opponent's three faces. The other two head's contorted in pain as Jolteon maintained her strong grip on the bottom of the third's rounded visage. The tree-like creature's left leg nearly buckled, but somehow he managed to stay upright.

The two untouched faces soon turned their gazes back on Jolteon as their trainer issued a counter. "Hypnosis!"

"Let go, Jolteon!" David shouted.

An eerie glow filled the eyes of the sentient coconuts. A moment later, Jolteon dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes.

Shit, was the first and only word that entered David's mind. It wasn't until Exeggutor threw his teammate backward with a Psyshock attack that something else came, and it wasn't much more helpful.

"Get up, Jolteon!"

Each second passed painfully by as his unmoving companion got blasted backward by an Energy Ball. Jolteon hit the ground and rolled, legs flailing lifelessly in each direction. It was a sick enough landing to make David question whether he should step in to stop the battle. The answer seemed to manifest itself when Exeggutor lobbed his largest Egg Bomb yet high into the air. David glanced down at his prone teammate, her legs flung out in four different directions.

One of the legs twitched.

The rounded projectile reached its apex and then began to descend.

David's eyes flashed back down to Jolteon. Another leg shifted. Her fur spiked back to life.

Exeggutor's attack now hurdled downward like it was made of brick. It's landing space looked to be directly on top of Jolteon.

The Lightning Pokémon's head swiveled.

The egg had nearly made it level to the top of the fence.

Jolteon's eyes snapped open.

"Quick Attack!"

The Electric-type momentarily turned into a yellow blur. In one motion, she seemed to spin off her back and kick off with her back legs. Exeggutor's attack stayed true to its name, exploding against the ground. But that's all it struck.

"Go for his left knee!" David just managed to get out.

Jolteon planted off her front right paw and changed directions an instant before reaching her foe. She drove her shoulder into the side of Exeggutor's knee, in the space between where her quills still protruded. It was the kind of adjustment that no one else on David's team could have made.

Exeggutor let out a groan. His three heads swung wildly as his body toppled backward, legs giving way. He crashed onto his hindquarters and sent a plume of dust into the air.

"Let loose with Discharge!"

Jolteon jumped onto her seated opponent's chest, her fur prickling outward like a Qwilfish. A wave of sparks burst from Jolteon and poured over her grounded foe. A rapid series of clicks echoed out, followed by a singular, dull thud.

Exeggutor lay on his back, unmoving.

"Exeggutor is unable to battle," the judge declared, motioning a hand toward David. "Contestant seventy-one and Jolteon are the victors."

David went to let out a sigh, but found he barely had any breath still in his lungs.


Sableye jumped off one of the dozens of rocks that had been blasted skyward by Earthquake. The dark aura of Foul Play coated him as he descended toward his still confused foe.

"Shoot," Chris muttered, his eyes straining to track Sableye among the earthen debris. All they needed was one more solid hit on the Darkness Pokémon. The fact that the small creature had stopped using Substitute was proof of that.

The trainer risked a glance down at his teammate. Despite getting off a successful Earthquake attack, Nidoking staggered as though he'd been the target. Chris had hoped the widespread nature of the move would help mitigate his friend's scrambled focus, but perhaps violently shaking the ground wasn't the best option for his unstable Pokémon. And with his partner this off balanced, they'd have no hope of overpowering Sableye's incoming boosted strike.

Not while he's standing anyway.

"Drop to all fours!"

That was a direction that even his confused teammate could execute. Heck, he was already halfway doing it.

Seeing their opponent drop into a prone position only seemed to serve to motivate Sableye's trainer, who called for the creature to somehow drop even faster than gravity would allow.

Keep it simple.

"Megahorn!"

Nidoking lifted his head toward his oncoming foe, but his horn didn't light. A sinister grin flashed onto Sableye's face as he dipped his shoulder toward his grounded, defenseless foe. That expression vanished an instant later behind the brilliant green glow that coated Nidoking's horn. A high pitched shout echoed out from the other side of the battlefield, but Chris kept his attention on the clash.

Sableye's Swagger and Foul Play combo had been effective when paired with a confused opponent. The hit and run tactics it had allowed Chris's opponent to use had caused the young man to mutter more profanity than he had in perhaps his entire life combined. But even with Nidoking's boosted attack actually adding to Foul Play's power, increasing the Drill Pokémon's already capable strength came with risks.

A low grunt turned into a roar as Nidoking threw back his skull, jabbing his horn through Sableye's assault and launching the creature back the way he'd come. The jewel-speckled Dark-type smacked the ground and lay still, even as small stones continued to rain down.

"Sableye is unable to battle! Contestant eighty-four and Nidoking are the victors!"

Chris had to keep himself from sprinting out to his teammate. He managed to bottle up all the jubilation and compromised with the fastest power walk ever recorded. By the time he him, Nidoking had seemed to shake off the last of his confusion. He recoiled a bit at Chris's hug, but relaxed once he saw who held him. His exhausted expression quickly morphed to a satisfied smirk once he saw the same on his trainer's face.

"Way to start us off with a bang!" Chris's expression soured as he suddenly felt his teammate's body stiffen. Nidoking tried to keep his smile, but couldn't keep one eye from closing as he winced. "You can rest now. You were amazing."

"Contestant eighty-four."

Chris turned to find the judge standing beside his former opponent at midfield. The Cherrygrove native returned his victorious teammate after one more compliment, then jogged over to join them.

"Congrats to you both on a hard fought battle," the official said, before motioning to her tablet. "You both will be battling again in an hour and a half." She nodded to the other trainer. "You will be on battlefield twenty-six." Then she turned to Chris. "And you will report to battlefield forty-five. Battles will start at 12:15 on the dot. Any questions?"

Neither trainer had one, but both stayed to thank each other for a great battle. Having a strong trainer like this be a gracious loser did something to ease Chris's mind… at least a little bit. He made sure to wish the young woman well in her remaining two battles. At that comment, memories of his friends' battles suddenly flooded his thoughts. He quickly turned from the official and trainer and began another full stride power walk.

That changed the moment he stepped outside the battlefield, at which point he broke into a full blown sprint. He told himself it was because he wanted to see Waz and Kayla's battle, but if he was completely honest, it was also to run off the rest of the nerves that still remained. The ecstasy of winning that battle, even though it had just been a screening match, couldn't be undersold. He'd never felt that good after a win, even after a Gym Battle! But the anxiety that had led up to it, and would most likely precede the end of every battle from here on out, was easily the most he'd ever felt.

Things might have felt even more stressful had he not correctly predicted that their opponent would focus on using a Pokémon with few weaknesses. That had made going with somebody with great move coverage like Nidoking a necessity. Even so, he would never have predicted they'd be up against a creature with only one weakness. And of course it would be one that Nidoking couldn't exploit.

A couple of wrong turns had Chris backtracking, but he finally found the correct battlefield, verified by the sight of some familiar faces.


Here's our chance, Waz thought as Raichu's shimmering Reflect barrier appeared.

He called for Swellow to drop and approach low. Raichu, being a physical attacker himself, held steady as his foe approached. The dynamic quickly shifted the moment Waz called for top speed from his Flying-type.

"Volt Tackle!" came the alarmed voice of his opponent.

"Shit," Waz muttered through a gritted smile. He had hoped this battle could be more than a testing ground for Swellow, especially with pool placement on the line. As he watched Raichu begin to charge—a wild electrical glow surging around him—Waz shook his head. This was what Swellow needed. And that would be more vital than any placement in a tougher pool.

"Facade!"

Swellow swooped low enough to have the Flame Orb around his neck scrape the ground. The slight friction jolted the Swallow Pokémon, but he maintained his course. That drew a nod from his trainer. The bird that had second guessed himself at every turn had evolved in more ways than one. Waz gave him a steady shout of encouragement, watching as a shining white aura coated his teammate. A part of him still couldn't believe the opposing trainer had called for a Volt Tackle. Waz hadn't thought the electric mouse had the stamina left to see the move all the way through. Any suspicions of a deception were dismissed the moment Raichu's electrified tackle brought him into contact with Swellow. The squeal from their opponent gave Waz hope as Swellow pressed forward. As he gave another hard flap of his wings, a surge of electricity rose up to swallow him. Then Raichu was there.

Waz winced as his teammate spun backward, end over end, through the air. He kept his expression calm, though he strongly wished he had his brother's face to punch. Swellow hit the ground, skidded to a stop, and remained still.

"Swellow is unable to battle. Contestant ninety and Raichu are the victors."

As he reached Swellow, Waz was happy to see the bird had already regained consciousness. The Sevii Islander dropped to a knee and met his teammate's stare. "How do you feel about that battle?" He studied the bird Pokémon's face as the creature gave a small shrug. "It sucks that you feel that way. I thought you did an excellent job. And it looks like we've pretty much perfected Facade. That's a huge victory." Swellow nodded but his eyes dropped to the ground. Waz scooped the bird into his arms and met the judge, who had just finished talking with his opponent.

"You'll be battling in an hour and half," the man explained, motioning to his right. "And you'll be at battlefield forty-five."

Waz nodded and headed for the exit. As he approached the gate, he found Chris by the door, but the Cherrygrove native's attention and conversation stayed on the young woman that had just beaten him.

"...am glad you could make it. I've owed you a rematch since… well… for a while."

Kayla gave a nod and turned to Waz. This close, he noticed dark rings around her eyes. Her tired stare didn't mesh at all with the firm and focused commands she'd issued in their battle. She pointed at the bird in Waz's arms. "I really thought you might overcome that type disadvantage," she said, her voice as hard as if they were still locked in battle.

Waz managed a small smile. "I thought so too, but you guys did a great job of shutting the door on us. Your Raichu's physical strength really impressed me. I'd never seen that species lean all the way into their physicality. It pairs great with his Static ability."

"A wise man once told me that every single Pokémon has something unique about them. Guess that reinforces that."

"Hey Kayla," Chris interjected, that warm grin of his on full display, "before you guys get back into strategy talk, I just wanted to see if you'd like to catch up some more. Would you want to grab some coffee tomorrow?"

Kayla's stare softened. "Maybe once this tournament is over. My Pokémon and I are going to use any free time till then to meditate and rest. It's been an exhausting ten months."

Chris looked like he might try to persuade her, but bit his lip. When he opened his mouth again, his voice was only slightly louder than a whisper. "That's understandable."

"I actually better be getting ready for my next battle," Kayla said, her feet already carrying her away. "Thanks again for a great battle, Wally."

Waz turned, expecting to find an amused look on his friend's face, but the cheery trainer's expression seemed somber. "Seems like she has a lot on her mind," Waz said.

"For sure," Chris agreed. "I still can't believe she made it here. She didn't reveal where she found the time, but it sounds like she had some great people in the community to help ease the burden."

A strong chirp preceded movement in Waz's arms. Swellow wiggled free of his trainer's thick arms and climbed to a vertical base.

"Your teammate there packs quite a punch," Chris said, a grin returning to his face.

The Sevii Islander dropped to a knee and let his teammate hop onto the ground. He adjusted the band around his teammate's neck before standing back up. "He's worked hard to be able to control all the power that comes from our strategy. We were finally able to put it all together today."

Chris gave him an incredulous look. "Wait, you guys hadn't already mastered that?"

"You got to see our first virtually perfect execution."

"But why risk it here at the Silver Conference? And in a situation where you're already at a major disadvantage."

Waz found his teammate looking up expectantly. His Pokémon had posed this question to him in countless, wordless ways throughout their journey. Every loss had seen it resurface, even from his starter. The Water-type had grilled him harder than any of his teammates in fact, a product of their uphill battle and ultimately unsuccessful first round against Mahogany's Gym Leader. Waz's willingness to experiment and add extra challenge to battles had spurned concerns even recently, with his always animated Gengar unloading question after question only two weeks prior. Waz took a deep breath and looked his friend in the eyes. "I'm trying not to treat this tournament as the be-all-end-all. We still need to improve. Why not get better while we're here?"

Chris shrugged. "I can see that. But I've had this tournament in view for almost nine years. It means the world to me to be here and I just can't do anything to jeopardize our chances."

Waz wanted to mention how much pressure that mentality would place on Chris and his team. How every day, whether battling or not, would feel like a constantly increasing pressure cooker. Surely something would end up boiling over, if not outright bursting. Instead, he tried to keep his perspective on the present. "These screening battles can definitely set us up for an easier pool round. But I trust my teammates, no matter where we end up. If we're placed in a pool with two higher ranked opponents," he paused and looked back down at the Normal/Flying-type, "they're about to get hit by a Swellow that hasn't seen a day without improvement."


Why in the hell did I let that inspire me so much, Chris thought as he watched Weepinbell smack the ground.

"Psycho Cut!" came his opponent's command.

Focus, Chris's brain screamed. Verbally, he shouted, "Roll to your left!"

Weepinbell took an extra half second to recover, the burn on his chest flaring up once more. Absol's glowing blade sliced down, biting into the ground, but missing her target.

"There you go!" Chris encouraged, seeing his teammate spinning back toward him. "Now, fire off a Razor Leaf!"

Weepinbell didn't miss a beat. With each rotation, he let loose a flurry of sharp, whistling leaves. As Absol went to dodge them at her trainer's command, she shuddered. That drew Chris's attention back to the creature's leg, where a dark purple splotch matted her fur.

Looks like they're still feeling the effect of status too, he surmised. As he watched Weepinbell's energized foliage slice into their opponent, Chris knew now was the time to lay it on. It might be the only way to pull off this comeback. "Acid!"

Weepinbell rolled back to a vertical base and hurled a glob of green liquid toward their staggered foe.

"Detect!"

Chris's heart sank at the reveal of Absol's fourth move. Her body seemed to move of its own accord, unnaturally shifting to the left to avoid the acidic blast. Still, with the snowballing effect of her poisoning, any delay from Absol was of benefit to Chris. It was one of their only remaining advantages, having removed her Lum Berry with a well timed Knock Off.

"Keep a Poison Jab at the ready," Chris said.

No sooner had a purple aura filled Weepinbell's left leaf than the expected move came from their foe.

"To your left!"

Absol became a blur, appearing almost instantaneously beside Chris's teammate. The Dark-type stretched out, her front paws glowing with a malevolent energy. It had been the perfect move to counter Weepinbell's first couple assaults. But even after seeing Sucker Punch multiple times and having already completed a full rotation, Weepinbell just managed to get his powered up leaf around.

The exchange of punches happened too fast for Chris to track. He saw Absol's head whip around, her back legs going wobbly as they hit the ground. Weepinbell, on the other hand, went end-over-end. The Flycatcher Pokémon managed to stop the tumbling with his leafed appendages, coming to rest on his back. As both Pokémon took a moment to recover, it was clear that Weepinbell had received the worst of the exchange. The Poison/Grass-type's glazed over eyes looked to the blue sky above. It wasn't until Absol had finally recovered and begun charging that Chris's pleading words connected. His call for Razor Leaf died in his throat as Weepinbell doubled over onto his side. Flames sparked to the surface at the center of his abdomen. Chris's eyes moved from it to their lunging opponent and back.

Absol's horn once more found nothing but dirt. This time, however, Psycho Cut's miss had come for a different reason.

"Contestant eighty-two has withdrawn his Pokémon," the judge's voice boomed over the suddenly silent battlefield. "Therefore, contestant eighty-three and his Absol are the victors!"

One hour.

He'd have one hour to prepare for their third and final screening battle. Having researched this tournament for years, he knew they'd be matching him with someone in his same predicament; a trainer desperate to win their second battle. It wasn't an outright death sentence to be the lowest seed in pool play, but the level of competition made it a steep, uphill climb. Matt had won all three of his screening battles and had been placed in a pool with noticeably weaker trainers. Then again, maybe that had mostly been a product of his brother's skill.

"Good luck on your final screening battle, trainers."

Chris managed a nod and some stock words of praise for his victorious opponent. The man returned some in kind, but Chris already felt himself being pulled off the battlefield. He wasn't quite sure where he would go. He knew he didn't want to watch any other battles, but he didn't have time to go anywhere else. He'd decided on his third teammate and that wouldn't change, even after this loss. Passing out of the outer ring of battlefields, he stopped at one one of the healing stations. After taking care of his two teammates, he continued on his course and soon found himself at the bank of one of the lakes. All the benches here were full, but further down the water's edge stood an old oak tree, tall and alone. The trainer made sure to set an alarm on his Pokégear before nestling between two large roots of the tree.

He contemplated bringing out his team but thought better of it. He needed this time for mental clarity. He needed to review the game plan he had gone over with his starter.

His eyes drifted up to the budding white flowers of spring swaying overhead. It was getting to be his favorite time of the year. Warmer temperatures, cool morning breezes, longer days, and blossoming plant life always filled the young man's heart with joy.

Chris shook his head and forced his gaze straight ahead. This next battle really needed this prep time. With the decision he and his starter had made, they'd already be putting themselves at a disadvantage. And the trainer had told Typhlosion to hold him to that, even if they lost at any point in these first two battles.

Chris had never seen water so blue. With no clouds in the sky, it was as though the clear blue of the heavens had come down to sprawl across the shimmering water's surface. The center of the lake glistened under the midday sun, drawing Chris's squinted stare.

"Focus." Chris shut his eyes and gritted his teeth. This was an important battle. He could have made a case for it being the most important. This battle would play a part in determining whether he even made it to the Tournament Finals. But this midday breeze felt so lovely. Combined with the specks of sunlight that had pierced the thin layer of leaves to warm his skin, Chris felt the comforting embrace of a nap coming on. And why not take a break after two hard fought battles? Master Kiyo had always instructed him to listen to his body.

Chris pried one eye open and double checked to make sure the earlier alarm had been set correctly, then let sleep overtake him.


"There you go, Dusclops!"

Luke could feel a grin bubbling to the surface for the first time since this long, frustrating battle began. Things had started so well with Dusclops landing an early Will-O-Wisp. But with Jellicent returning the burn status in kind with a perfectly placed Scald, things had grown increasingly tense. Their opponent packing Hex to add on punishment to Dusclops's burn had nearly ended the battle early. Only now, after going defensive, and avoiding a devastating Brine assault, had Dusclops managed to carve out a window by scoring a one-two punch with Shadow Sneak and Confuse Ray.

"Give them another Shadow Sneak!" Luke commanded.

With Jellicent still recoiling, Dusclops went to sink back into the ground, but stumbled awkwardly back to his feet. Luke's confused stare shifted from his teammate to their recovering opponent. It must have been some ability the Water/Ghost-type possessed, but Luke had no time to dwell on it. They still had a plan in place.

"Switch to Night Shade!"

The twin bolts of ghostly energy landed flush, nearly dropping the hovering Jellicent. Another attack might just get Luke and his teammate over the finish line with the perfect record he had hoped for. And so another Night Shade was called for.

"Hex!"

Jellicent had no chance of getting off it's attack before Dusclops's landed. That was, until flames leapt up from Dusclops's shoulder. The Beckon Pokémon doubled over just as Jellicent turned his sights, and his charging spectral orb, toward him. Then… at the ground below his own body.

Jellicent swayed to the left, then to the right, before dropping the ghostly energy sphere to the floor. The blast that followed spun the creature back toward his trainer. Said trainer suddenly found his teammate in his arms as the now recovered Dusclops landed his well aimed Night Shade.

"It was great seeing you shrug off some of those big shots," Luke said upon arriving beside his teammate. It was great to see his teammate nod to that, but the Beckon Pokémon couldn't hide the exhausted look in his large, lone eye. And as they talked, Luke noticed the Ghost-type's hand continue to clutch at his burned shoulder. "Let's get you healed up," Luke finally said after noticing the official waving to them.

The judge's post battle speech started off exactly like the first two, but quickly deviated. It turned out that he would have to wait until this evening to find out what pool he had been placed in. The thought of waiting had his stomach in the early stages of indigestion, but then it hit him; he would be the top ranked trainer in that pod. His other two opponents would have lost one, two, or even all three of their matches.

With that encouraging thought, he stepped back out onto the walkway and made his way to the nearest healing station. As he walked in he noticed that many of the battlefields now stood empty. Even though his had been one of the earlier battles to go on in this last round, he wasn't too surprised to find these had finished first. Two slow, defensively minded ghosts measuring each other up didn't exactly have the makings of a sprint. Add to it Luke's defensive, hit-and-run tactics, and the young man from Tohjo Falls now felt amazed that their battle had ended at all.

Still, that kind of strategy, and Dusclops current set up, wouldn't work nearly as well against a fast, hard hitting opponent. Despite his stellar defenses, the Ghost-type's stamina couldn't hold up to repeated effective shots. Even a slow but heavy hitter like Jellicent had pushed them to the brink. That ultimately just came down to the Dusclops species, but it didn't mean they couldn't try to subvert it through other means. As he waited for his teammates to finish healing, he opened his satchel and took a quick inventory of his funds. A little too quick, he thought, placing the money back in its pouch, and zipping up the bag. But it should be enough.

As he zigged and zagged through the maze of battlefields, a familiar creature caught his eye. Despite this, Luke felt the strong urge to keep walking until he had reached his bed. The thought of even watching another battle made his head hurt. But once he caught sight of an even more familiar trainer standing in that Pokémon's corner, he felt his feet plant firmly in place.


Seth leaned back against the chained wall of one of the battlefields, clenched fists tucked tightly into the pockets of his green striped jacket. As long of a day as it had been, it felt good to be able to take some pressure off his feet. Even confined to a trainer box, Seth swore he must have taken a thousand steps during each of the three battles. It was the only explanation for how his soles could be this sore. He would really have been in dire straits if his record had been hurting this bad, but a 3-0 finish on the day had prevented that.

All tense battles though, Seth silently acknowledged. That was to be expected at this level, though. And it wasn't like Roark hadn't warned him. He should be happy to be in the driver's seat after this. He'd presented himself well on this national stage. The financial backing would come, and in greater numbers as his team continued to show off their skills. And yet, he couldn't get his fists to uncurl. Couldn't get his jaw to loosen. Every fiber of his inner being longed to relax after the stress of these screening battles—wanted to head back to the hotel and shut down for at least a couple hours. And yet here he was, standing on sore feet, with his mind and stamina drained, watching one of the last remaining battles.

It wasn't surprising to see Chris battling with his starter. Hell, Seth had nearly used his own to try and ensure a perfect screening round record. Torterra was as sure a thing to get the job done as any of Seth's teammates. Chris no doubt felt the same about Typhlosion. And it was clear that the two were in sync. The Volcano Pokémon moved and reacted in excellent rhythm with his trainer. Comparing the Fire-type's speed to Seth's tortoise-like starter was unnecessary, but Typhlosion's quickness still impressed the Sinnoh native.

What didn't impress, and more confused, Seth were the move choices. He'd gotten to watch the battle for several minutes now—most battles didn't go much longer—and he'd only seen two moves in Typhlosion's arsenal. Two. And they weren't even the primary moves Seth would have associated with the species. Hell, now that he thought about it, the Volcano Pokémon had used a third move, Flamethrower, during the Winter Classic. Yet there was Typhlosion missing on his fourth or fifth attempted Flame Wheel of the battle. Unless this obnoxiously loud Exploud had used Disable at the beginning of the battle, there was no possible reason for Chris to avoid using a more accurate, more effective move like Flamethrower. Unless...


That sneaky bastard.

Sarah watched through narrowed eyes as Exploud unleashed another powerful Boomburst attack. This one found its mark, flipping Typhlosion head over heels and depositing the creature on his stomach. The Fire-type didn't stay down for long, but the prolonged wince on his face revealed just how much damage that had done.

After all his preaching to Sarah—and Seth to a lesser extent—about being secretive and paranoid, here Chris was hiding Typhlosion's strongest move. The hypocrisy of it all. But there were much more pressing matters than this strange reveal and match. Her fierce stare and sour mood had little to do with Chris's deception and much more to do with the outcome of her last battle. After winning her first two contests easily enough, she'd felt confident in her ability to sweep the screening round. A little too confident. After a good amount of deliberation, Sarah had decided to go with Roserade for their final battle, ignoring the creeping uneasiness of her typing. The Bouquet Pokémon's all-out assault battle style had been a great fit for this one-on-one format, but the Sinnoh native had known the risks in choosing a Grass/Poison-type. When their opponent turned out to be the tanky Psychic-type Reuniclus, Sarah had found no one to blame but herself.

The charging Exploud ducked beneath the incoming Focus Blast, his jaws opening wide in preparation for Crunch. The concentration needed for Typhlosion's failed move had let the Normal-type draw close—too close to give the Volcano Pokémon the time and space he'd need to rotate for Flame Wheel. This looked to be the finish.

"What the—"


Chris's jaw ached beneath his grinding teeth. He had fully believed… or maybe strongly hoped that Typhlosion could win this battle only using their two oldest moves. That had seemed possible upon the reveal of their Normal-type opponent, especially after landing their first attempted Focus Blast off a critical hit from Flame Wheel. It had been a short lived hope once their opponents had recovered and lasted long enough to figure out Chris's two move strategy. Exploud's powerful mix of ranged and up close attacks had quickly reversed the momentum and put Typhlosion and his trainer on their backfoot. Something had to change. A new ingredient had to be added into the mix. And of their two spicy options, Chris knew they couldn't yet go with their spiciest. Especially with

Chris forced his drifting gaze away from the crowd in his peripheral and toward the upcoming exchange. Typhlosion needed him. Especially in executing a move that they had only recently learned from a friend and his willing teammate.

"Sidestep him," Chris called, "and bring one arm back!"

Golden flames sparked from the Volcano Pokémon's shoulders as he twisted to his left, narrowly avoiding the chomp of Exploud's extended fangs. With both his arms still awkwardly extended from his most recent Focus Blast, Typhlosion stumbled as he tried to reset himself. His momentum looked to carry him backward, and out of range for their next move, but another surge of golden flames propelled him forward. Keeping his left arm extended, the Fire-type drew his right arm back, paw clenching into a fist. The stance of a boxer ready to throw a haymaker, just as Electabuzz had modeled.

"Thunder Punch!"

A visible surge of electricity arced down the fully evolved creature's arm as he launched his punch. As the sparks bounded toward Typhlosion's wrist, Chris feared he'd started the swing too early, not giving the electrical current enough time to reach the Volcano Pokémon's fist.

Typhlosion seemed to add an unnatural hitch into the swing, sending the punch higher up than its original arc. His fist passed just above Exploud's darkened fangs and found the skin between the Pokémon's left eye and nose. Surging currents of electricity leapt from Typhlosion's fist and coursed across Exploud's wide face. The Loud Noise Pokémon staggered away, shutting his eyes, and bringing his hands up to his face.

Chris felt a surge of disappointment that the move hadn't sent their opponent to the ground. He quickly shook that feeling off as the newly created space between Pokémon became apparent.

"Follow it up with Flame Wheel!"

A mix of orange and golden fire coated Chris's teammate as he corkscrewed toward his reeling foe. Typhlosion's tackle struck flush, wrapping Exploud up into the ball of fire. The Normal-type's trainer called for a counter, but his words were drowned out by the explosive boom that preceded Exploud's expulsion from the collision. The port-covered creature flew a short distance before smacking the ground and rolling to a stop.

A pair of painfully long seconds passed before it finally became clear that downed Pokémon wouldn't be moving.

"Exploud is no longer able to battle. Contestant eighty-four and Typhlosion are the victors!"


Only a few hours had passed before the trainers were gathered back together. The nearly one hundred competitors found themselves herded back into the belly of the main stadium, back to the multiple monitor setup, and back to breathing air thick with tension. The screens displayed the same names as before, but divided into three categories: those who won every battle, those who won two battles, and then a combined category of one- and zero- win trainers.

Going by body language, Chris could pick out several trainers that had won all three. They stood tall—a little too tall—with shoulders back and a stretched pair of arms bringing their relaxed hands to their waists. A couple trainers near him stood hunched, their entire bodies—from their locked knees, squeezed fists, and clenched jaws—coiled like a spring beneath a Snorlax. Chris definitely felt more in line with the latter group, his pacing feet having already brought him around the foyer multiple times.

He knew he should be focusing more on the positives of this round. He'd won more than he'd lost, which would give him a far better chance of making it to the finals. Even if those chances would be much better with a perfect record, he begrudgingly added. And three-on-three battles would give him the room he needed for more strategy. Though, the same could be said for his competition. And battling with three Pokémon still meant that a bad type matchup could stack the odds dramatically against them. Having caught Marill meant they would finally have a real counter for Dragon-types, but not for this tournament. Even with the little guy's tenacity and toughness, Chris couldn't expect him to be ready to battle in an elite competition like this. Especially since trainer and Pokémon had only had a couple of weeks to work together.

Glancing back at the three win column of trainers, Chris knew he should be more happy for the trainers here who he'd come to know. Seth and Prinny's names being there was no surprise. The former's strategy of keeping his cards close to the vest had paid off at least through this first round. Chris had wanted to sit down with Prinny at some point to pick the older trainer's brain some more, but time and circumstance had not allowed for it just yet. Despite his brother's animosity toward him, Prinny's knowledge and demeanor were worth learning from and understanding. The fact that the nineteen-year old had gone out of his way to give Chris, a trainer that hadn't looked spectacular in the Winter Classic, some great advice was not lost on the young man.

And then you had Luke finishing with a perfect record as well. It was such a joy to see his friend's complete bounce back. It didn't seem that long ago that the Tohjo Falls' native had been driven nearly to tears in Ecruteak City, having been berated by Gym Leaders and Kimono Girls alike. But compounded with his recent victory over Chris, it left the Cherrygrove trainer with… well, an anxiousness that in this past month had only crept closer to the front of his mind.

He shook his head. That was a rabbit hole that he couldn't let himself fall into. The minute he started doubting his own progress—

"Welcome back, trainers!" The voice of the Chief Supervisor of the Silver Conference boomed around the room through the speakers. A moment later, he appeared on the makeshift stage below the glowing screens. "It was a joy to see so many excellent battles today. Each of you, from those who went undefeated to those who went winless, have proven why you belong here. So take heart and be encouraged as you use tomorrow to mentally prepare for our first elimination stage."

At the word elimination, the Cherrygrove native felt the fingers in his left hand begin to twitch. He brought them over to massage his bicep, just to give them something to do. He couldn't be worried about nerves. Nerves were what helped keep him focused and alert. They were just another sign of his passion.

But a whole day of waiting might kill me, Chris silently admitted. A part of him wished he could just jump straight into the next round and let the chips fall where they may. Then again, the thought of having to potentially face failure that soon filled Chris with a dread that chilled his blood. He couldn't even imagine how David must have been feeling. Poor guy had only won one—

"And speaking of which," Feng Zhao paused to give a flourish toward the monitors above him, "why don't we go ahead and see who will be in each pool?"

Every trainer, regardless of their record on the day, leaned forward, gaze locked on the screen and its unfurling names. Each name appeared in its own separated section with two other trainer IDs.

Chris was shocked at how quickly he found his name, listed second, above a winless trainer that he did not recognize, and below the undefeated screening trainer—

Chris couldn't keep his mouth from gaping, a singular, surprisingly loud word pouring out.

"What?!"


WHAT?! Who is the top trainer in Chris's pool?

We end with a dramatic cliffhanger worthy of a chapter with this much tension! Wall-to-wall battles and their anxiety inducing nature has our trainers (and myself) struggling to keep up with it all. Our spotlighted trainers ran the gambit of performances in this pivotal opening round, but thankfully none of them could be eliminated. We know how Chris is feeling with his uneven performances, but how is someone like David doing after only winning one battle? What about Sarah who ended up in the same boat as Chris? And how about those who went undefeated today? Will they fall victim to overconfidence or will they be able to stay centered and focused?

With only a day separating the beginning of an elimination round, how will our trainers prepare? What new issues, strategies, and promises will those 24 hours bring about? And how it all go once these first pool round battles begin?

I hope you'll join me to find out when we return to a high stakes, high drama chapter of Heart and Soul! Please Review and Subscribe!