Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story. The OC's belong to their respective owners.
The Day After Twilight Chiaki's Defeat
Ibuki landed her hoverboard on the ground, with Chiaki holding on to her waist.
"Okay, Chiaki-chan! Open your eyes!"
"Zzzzzzz…"
Ibuki sweatdropped. "Oh…"
"Told you we should've blindfolded her." Futaba deadpanned, landing on the ground and deactivating her Maiden powers.
"Ahehehe~" Ibuki rubbed her head sheepishly and then lightly nudged Chiaki.
"Zzz… wha…?!" Chiaki wiped the drool from her lower lip and rubbed her eyes.. "I didn't mean to doze off-... whoa!"
BGM: Area Zero (Pokemon Scarlet and Violet)
She saw that she was standing in Area Zero.
"We know how much you loved this place when you were playing Violet, so we thought this would be a great place to cheer you up!"
Chiaki's eyes sparkled as she walked over toward the ropes, looking on in awe. "It's… it's even more beautiful in person~!"
"That's what I said!" Futaba giggled.
Chiaki closed her eyes and exhaled deeply. "...Sorry for being mopey yesterday. I just… wasn't in the right headspace."
"So, what was it? Going through that labyrinth? Yin being blunt as hell? Twilight being herself? Seeing yourself die?" Futaba asked.
"A little bit of everything." Chiaki shook her head. "I mean… Paper me was right. At the end of the day, we're all hypocrites even if we don't mean to."
She closed her eyes. "If anything, I'm more upset with myself that I should've at least tried to help push her back on the right path, even if she wouldn't listen. I honestly overreacted…"
"Nah, I think punching her in the face was the right reaction."
"No, more like the aftermath that transpired. I pushed you guys away for… what? A pity party? Woe is me for not doing more to try to help her? …Even if she was beyond help? I wasn't fair to you… and I honestly wasn't fair to myself too."
"Aw, don't feel too bad!" Ibuki patted her on the back. "We all have those moments."
"Yeah… Yeah, you're right. And besides, I'd be more hypocritical if I went after all the villainous versions of me and tried to end them. I mean… Vader? No thank you, I want to not get force choked."
She gripped the fence tightly. "Honestly, if another version of me went off the wrong path but could still be reasoned with… I'll try to help her if Cable catches wind and decides to drag me along for another ride."
"Soooo, what if a version of you was like, oh… what's a good villain here… ah! What if there was a… Voldemort-like version of you?"
"Okay, that's not fair…"
Futaba giggled. "Kidding! Just wanted to pull a fast one on ya. But what about a robber or some petty thief?"
"I can work with that."
She let out an exasperated groan. "What the hell was wrong with me back there…"
"Oh, we all have those moments." Ibuki said.
"Yeah, like, hey, I was mopey for a bit in the Starfall Islands because I saw my own mother get killed right in front of me. Kinda regressed a bit back there… a bit stupid, I know. But like Mioda said, we all have those dumb moments in our lives. We're not perfect."
"Right." Chiaki nodded. "So… who cares? I'm not gonna let Twilight or Yin's bluntness get the better of me. I'm not gonna let me feeling hypocritical knock me down, even if someone tries to ram it into my skull."
"That's more like it~!" Ibuki grinned, pulling her into a hug. "Glad to have you back!"
"Like I was going anywhere…" Chiaki chuckled as she hugged Futaba too.
"Alright, let's show you around!"
"Even though I've scoured the place from top to bottom?"
"Duh! That's the best part!" Futaba giggled as she eagerly walked off with the two Ultimates following, while Chiaki had a resolved dorky smile on her face.
As they explored the area, a few white flowered Floette floated around as one flew over Chiaki, curiously looking at her and flying around her before flying away with a wave.
Chiaki smiled as she continued to look around with Ibuki and Futaba behind her. "It's so lovely down here…" She said, spotting a Garganacl using its salt to heal up a Corviknight. "Yeesh… what happened to that one?"
"Probably a Tinkaton." Ibuki said.
"Ya know, I can definitely see that." Chiaki nodded as they went into a few caves before coming across a large pond filled with Surskit and Masquerein, but also spotted a Rathalos flying overhead and landing in the pond to drink some water.
Chiaki looked at the Rathalos in surprise. "What the heck is a Rathalos doing down here?"
"Okay, so… remember Nemona?" Futaba asked.
"Yeah?"
"She basically sent all the monsters that were in Paldea and relocated them to Area Zero."
"...By herself?"
"Yup yup!" Ibuki nodded, pointing toward a few other monsters that were in the area.
"Oh, and then there's that thing." Futaba pointed toward a Rajang.
"A RAJANG?!" Chiaki yelled in surprise. "She… she relocated that thing… BY HERSELF?!"
"Yup. She even fought the thing off too!"
Chiaki stared at the Rajang dumbfounded. "...How is she even alive?"
"Good question." Futaba shrugged. "Nobody knows."
The Rajang turned his head to see the three, narrowing his eyes and with a loud roar, he beat his chest.
Chiaki's eyes widened before getting on the defensive. "I got this!" She said, trying to open up her screens, only for sparks to come out instead. "...Oh, right."
Ibuki immediately got in front of Chiaki and proceeded to play a soft melody on her guitar that managed to make the Rajang stop and, to Chiaki and Futaba's surprise, the Rajang let out a yawn and fell asleep.
"Well, what do you know… music does calm the savage beast." Futaba said.
"Hehe~" Ibuki giggled.
"Hmm… I definitely need to do some maintenance." Chiaki folded her arms.
"Maybe streamline it if you feel like repairing it? If you think about it, you had a lot of crap to work with that could cheese even the hardest of enemies. Like, I dunno, maybe make it like the Final Fantasy classes?" Futaba suggested. "Would make things more tense."
"Hmm, come to think of it, I had way too much freedom to choose what I wanted… making me more overpowered than I thought I was." Chiaki mused. "Add on my chaos powers… yikes, I was more OP than I thought I was."
"Oh, the power of hindsight, how we love thee~" Ibuki snickered. "We can throw in ideas for ya!"
"Right." Chiaki nodded as the three walked off. "Gosh, I'm not as heartbroken over this than I thought…"
"Oh hey, guess Twilight did something right for once!" Futaba teased, earning a punch in the shoulder by Chiaki. "Ooof!" She laughed. "Was that for that comment or for that labyrinth experience?"
"Both."
"Yeah, I thought so." She chuckled.
The group continued deeper into Area Zero, where several Glimmet and Dudunsparce wandered around, including a Nargacuga that was resting on a Tera Diamond.
"Man, these Tera Crystals are more beautiful than I realized." Chiaki said. "I'm not much of a jewelry kind of gal, but I wouldn't mind wearing a necklace filled with Tera Crystals or… a ring that has a Tera Jewel in it…"
Ibuki quickly pulled out a notepad and pen.
"Tera Jewel Engagement ring or wedding ring…" She wrote down. "There, Hajime-chan's got an idea now~"
The group continued downward until they reached the lab, where Chiaki felt a wave of sadness overtake her.
"Oooh, poor Arven… I need to hug him whenever I see him. Hey, are the depths available to be explored?"
"Yeah, but I dunno how much of it is left. You can thank Kieran's dumbassery for forcing Terapagos to Terastalize so he could fight Ren. In fact, he was so hellbent to beat him that he accidentally summoned Heartless."
Chiaki grimaced. "Yikes…"
"Not only that, but Xena had to hold everything in place while Yagami took on an Orcus with Umber. Poor girl was worn out by the time it was over."
"I don't blame her. Holding back something is one thing, but an entire cave system with Area Zero basically on your shoulders? I'd be exhausted too." Chiaki said.
"Yeah, no kiddin'." Ibuki nodded as her phone buzzed. "Hmm?"
"By the way, how's Juliana and Florian doing?"
"Huh? Oh, they're not Juliana and Florian in this universe. They're Alessandra and Cian." Futaba said.
"Oh?"
"Both Galarian, childhood friends with Gloria and Hop and… yes, Alessandra liked to roughhouse with Gloria."
Chiaki snickered. "Sounds about right."
"They lost their Arcanine due to a bad storm when he was a Growlithe, they moved away as Aless becomes an International fashion celebrity, and no, before you ask, she's not like those prissy posh losers that we all see on TV. She's actually very sweet.
"Oh cool!"
"And Cian is more into history and does archaeological digs from what I understand." Futaba explained.
"So let me guess, Aless is more futuristic and has Miraidon?"
"Bingo! And Cian has Koraidon. Oh, and Aless fought Gloria after she became champion, they reunited with Balto, and… yeah, that's about it. Oh, and Aless is dating Hop and Cian is dating Zinnia."
"Zinnia?!" Chiaki said in surprise. "Huh, I didn't see her settling down…"
"And another thing, Nemona's dating Carmine and Penny's dating Nagi."
"...I don't know if I should feel bad for Carmine or not. Nemona's a handful. Good for Nagisa though."
"Apparently Carmine doesn't care." Futaba shrugged.
Ibuki put her phone away. "Sorry, that was Mahiru-chan. She asked if we were still coming to watch that event soon."
"Oh, is that almost starting?" Chiaki asked. "Alright, let's go."
Her chaos powers activated as she, along with Ibuki and Futaba, teleported straight to the Future Foundation HQ.
End BGM
"Whoa!" Mahiru exclaimed. "Glad you guys made it."
"Had to cheer the gamer gal up." Futaba giggled.
Mahiru smiled. "You look a lot perkier."
"Yeah, I wasn't gonna let that bug me."
Hiyoko walked by. "Good, because I was gonna beat it out of you with my tessans if you weren't."
Chiaki sweatdropped. "Good to know…"
Meanwhile, in Ballonlea…
BGM: Ballonlea (Pokemon Sword and Shield)
Kotoko walked into the girl's locker room, ready for some exciting action.
"About time you got here, Pixie Girl." Bede said as the Strauss family walked into the gym. "I still remember that promise I made to you while we were in Paldea."
"Geez, it's not our fault the forest was a damn maze to get through." Mine said. "Those damned Morgrem kept trying to-"
"Well, I'm here now." Kotoko said with a confident smirk. "And I'm gonna kick your ass."
Bede smirked confidently. "I'll be waiting. By the way, do you have two more Pokemon on your team? You won't be able to battle me if you don't have a full squad on your hands."
Kotoko smirked, pulling out two Pokeballs. "Yeah, I got two. One of them I borrowed from my uncle. I caught the other one just hours after we came back from Paldea."
"Heh, good luck then."
Kotoko spotted a parcel sitting on one of the benches. She opened it up to find a Dynamax Band and a standard issue Gym Uniform her size with the number 613 printed on it. She also spotted a note.
"If you wanna battle me in my gym, then you need to do it in style by dressing up for the occasion - Bede."
"Pfft… okay, Twink. Let's do it."
She then noticed a couple of big soup thermoses, each of them containing some kind of mysterious-looking soup. There was another note attached to it.
"Feed your soup to your Machamp before the match starts."
"Hmm… Ah, it's probably a major power boost." Kotoko said, shrugging before sending out Adonis and handing him the thermoses.
"Champ!" Adonis proceeded to chug them both down like they were energy drinks, finishing them both within seconds.
"Alright, we ready to roll?"
"Machamp!" Adonis nodded, both of them fist bumping as Kotoko pulled him back into his Pokeball.
"Let's rock."
End BGM
BGM: Tournament Lobby (Pokemon Sword and Shield)
Once she was fully dressed up and in her gym uniform, she walked out toward the stadium where Bede was waiting for her. She also noticed a large crowd in the stands, consisting of the Warriors of Hope, her family, Hazel, Sea5ons, Gloria, Hop, Marnie, Victor, Sonia, Umber and the Schnee Family having come to cheer them on, though Winter resorted to cheering them on with a foam finger. Opal was also sitting in the stands.
On the battle ground, Raihan was refereeing the fight as a few drones operated by Rotom flew overhead.
"Welcome one and all to another exciting Pokemon match! I'm your host, Professor Port-"
"...and Doctor Oobleck!"
"And this will be an exciting match to remember!"
As for those watching from the live broadcast…
"Aaaand we're live!" Aoi said.
"Sweet!" Ibuki fist pumped.
"Hey bro! Get over here, it's starting!" Alessandra said.
"Just a sec!"
Carmine watched on from Blueberry with the BB Elite Four along with the faculty and student body.
"My money's on the twink." Drayton said.
"Drayton!" Lacey scolded.
"Come on, you were thinking it too!"
"Oye! Oye! Good luck to the both of ya!" Nemona cheered.
"Tell me I don't have to restrain you…" Arven said.
Perrin chuckled as she was back at her place in Sinnoh, looking through her photos. "Good luck to you both."
"Have fun out there, dudes!" Soos said as Wendy and the Pines brothers watched on in the Mystery Zone.
"Hmmm… I have a feeling this will be a fun match." Clavell said as he was watching alongside the faculty and student body of Naranuva Academy.
"Stop blocking the screen, bro!" Magnolia said.
"I'm not!" Nick frowned as the rest of the Junior Hunters were watching, rolling their eyes at the two bickering.
"Pixie Girl's fighting the twink." Mela said.
"I told you that I ain't a Twi-... Oh, wait, you mean the other guy." Ortega blushed.
"Oh! Oh oh oh oh! It's starting~! Alright chat, let's cheer the both of them on!" Iono grinned.
"Heh, this should be good." Zinnia said.
"Roar In In!"
"Ninja Ja Ninja."
"So who do you think it'll be? The pink haired girl or the twink?" Leaf asked.
"Really?" Red raised an eyebrow.
"What? He is!" Leaf said. "Mewtwo, back me up here!"
"...I'd rather not."
"Lucario?"
"I have more restraint than that."
"Hey Rubes! It's starting!" Yang called out.
"Coming!"
"Glad we got it connected." Remilia said, sipping some tea as the rest of the SDM crew, alongside Nitori and Koishi, were watching.
"You went all out." Kotoko said.
Bede chuckled. "Let's just say a friend of mine inspired me." He said.
Kotoko smirked. "Alright Bede-y… let's see if I can't knock you down a peg~"
"We'll see about that."
The two of them went to their respective sides, both of their smirks never fading.
"Trainers at the ready!" Raihan raised his arm up as both of them activated a Pokeball. "Let the battle… BEGIN!"
BGM: Battle! Bede (Pokemon Sword and Shield)
Bede first sent out Mawile while Kotoko sent out Clefable.
"This is gonna be simple."
"Alright, Bianca. Show 'em what you got!"
"Maw/Clefay!"
Mawile immediately charged in with an Iron Head while Bianca used Psybeam. Mawile was directly hit but she powered through and then slammed into Bianca with the Iron Head, knocking her back a few feet as Bianca responded by jumping in with a Fire Punch, knocking Mawile back.
"Wile…!" Mawile shook it off and then leapt forward, turning her head down as her "hair" opened wide and used Crunch. Bianca jumped to the side to avoid it and used another Fire Punch, but Mawile weaved her head to avoid it and then went in to Play Rough and then kicked the Clefaable back, but the Clefable grabbed her foot and slammed her into the ground and followed it up with another Fire Punch as Mawile responded with a quick Iron Head, moving her head to avoid the flames and headbutted the Clefable.
"Faaaay… FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" Clefable breathed out a point blank Flamethrower to finish off the Mawile while she fell on her back in defeat as well.
"Down goes both Pokemon!" Port exclaimed.
"Not bad, Pixie."
"I'm just getting started!" Kotoko smirked, both of them recalling their Pokemon as they sent out their next Pokemon, though Kotoko hesitated a bit before sending him out anyway.
"Gardevoir!"
"Ga-Ga-Ga-Gar-Gar-Gallade!"
"Garde…?" Gardevoir tilted her head at the sight of the Paradox Pokemon.
"Hmmm…" Kieran folded his arms. "Is it gonna behave the same way as last time?"
"What do you mean?" Pacifica asked.
"Well-"
"Alright, I know you're not a total fan of me, but ya gotta work with me here!" Kotoko said.
Percival said nothing as he stared at Gardevoir.
Gardevoir charged up an Energy Ball and fired it directly at Percival, who batted it away with its blades. He then charged ahead and used Close Combat, swiftly punching at Gardevoir who weaved her head and then pushed him away with a Psychic attack.
Percival jumped back in and struck Gardevoir with a Spirit Break attack, knocking her back as she fell on one knee. "Garde…" Gardevoir grunted as Percival combined its blade into one and raised it up, but Gardevoir used Dazzling Gleam to blind it.
Once Percival's robotic eyes came back to normal, Gardevoir was long gone. He shifted his eyes before turning around and batted away a Shadow Ball as Percival swung at her, but she teleported away and put her hand out, raising him up telekinetically and swinging her arm down to slam him into the ground.
As the dust rose up, the bladed sword was thrown directly at Gardevoir. She quickly stopped it with Psychic, but then Percival swiftly rushed forward, sliding underneath his blade and used Night Slash.
"Gaaarde!" Gardevoir cried out as she fell on both knees as Percival grabbed his blade and proceeded to use Leaf Blade to finish her off.
"Point goes to the robot Gallade… thing!" Port said.
"I think it might be a Gardevoir…"
"You sure about that?"
"Interesting…" Kieran mused. "I guess Kotoko got through to it."
"Awesome! Way to go, Percival!" Kotoko praised as Bede recalled Gardevoir and sent out his Galarian Rapidash. "Alright, let's keep at-"
Percival sat down on his knees, closing his eyes.
"...Oh come on!"
"Spoke too soon." Silver said.
Kieran sweatdropped. "Shoulda seen that coming…"
Rapidash raised an eyebrow before kicking back his front hoof and charged ahead, using Smart Strike on him. Percival opened his eyes, quickly leaping over the Galarian Rapidash and landing on behind him as Percival readied his blade.
Rapidash charged again, this time using Dazzling Gleam to blind Percival, and then when his sight returned, Rapidash slammed into him with Zen Headbutt to knock him down.
"Oooh!" Kotoko winced as did the audience. Even Bede winced upon the impact.
"Ooooh, that's gotta hurt!" Iono winced.
"That's gonna leave a mark!" Oobleck said.
Kotoko recalled her KO'd Paradox Pokemon. "Alright, Adrianne. Let's go!" She said, calling out her new Pokemon.
"Togeki!" A Togekiss cried.
"A Togekiss? You worked fast." Bede chuckled.
Rapidash charged ahead, immediately using Smart Strike but Adrianne avoided the move and proceeded to use Hyper Beam, pushing the Rapidash away and knocking him down. Rapidash staggered back up and shook it off as he went in and struck the Togekiss with a Smart Strike, knocking her away.
However, the Togekiss recovered as she flew down and threw an Aura Sphere at Rapidash. The Rapidash used Zen Headbutt to get rid of it, despite taking some damage, and then charged at Adrianne, who proceeded to use a point blank Shadow Ball to knock down the Rapidash, KO'ing it.
"And down goes the Rapidash!" Port exclaimed.
"Toge…" Adrianne panted a bit, still feeling some pain from the Smart Strike as Bede sent out his Sylveon. The Togekiss immediately started off with another Hyper Beam, but the Sylveon nimbly avoided it as she grabbed Adrianne's wings with her ribbons and then slammed her to the ground, followed by a Moonblast/Psyshock combo that severely weakened her.
"Yeesh, glad he didn't do that on me!" Alessandra grimaced.
"You were walking all over him." Cian responded.
"Well… yeah…"
"To-Toge… Togeeee!" Togekiss fired an Aura Sphere, but the Sylveon managed to catch it with her feelers, bounced it like a basketball and slam dunked it on Adrianne to finish her off.
"Huh?!" Kotoko looked on in disbelief.
"I never thought I'd see a Sylveon play a li'l basketball!" Port said.
"Oooooh, a ballin' Sylveon. Who knew~?" Iono snickered.
"Ya know, if you told me a Sylveon could play basketball, I probably would've believed you." Chiaki said.
"I'd play with that Sylveon!" Aoi giggled.
"Wonder if it's good at baseball…" Komaru wondered. "Maybe it could be on Leon's team~"
"Pffft… right…" Toko rolled her eyes.
"I want to be on that Sylveon's team!" Mabel said.
Dipper sweatdropped. "I don't think Sylveon would need to jump…"
Kotoko slapped her cheek to slap away the shock that she just experienced, recalling her Togekiss. "Alright Amara, let's even the odds!" She called out her own Sylveon.
"Sylv!"
"Sylvee!" Bede's Sylveon smiled, giving her a friendly wave as did Amara before they both got in a stance, both of them using Shadow Ball as they both slammed into each other to create an explosion.
Both Sylveon launched into the smoke as they headbutted each other as Bede's Sylveon grabbed her and slammed her to the ground, but Amara used a Moonblast to knock the Sylveon back, then Amara grabbed Bede's Sylveon by the legs and swung around before letting go, sending Sylveon flying.
"Sylveeee!" Sylveon caught herself with her ribbons and bounced back, quickly using Psyshock on Amara, who quickly jumped out of the way and used Dazzling Gleam. Sylveon closed her eyes as Amara ran toward her, but Sylveon reopened her eyes and used her ribbons to halt her advances, quickly using a Shadow Ball while holding her steady.
"Veee!" Amara cried as Sylveon then used Psyshock on her before throwing her to the side. Amara grunted, shaking her head as Sylveon swung her ribbons at her as Amara did the same, both of their ribbons wrapping and tangling up. Sylveon opened her mouth to use a Shadow Ball but Amara used a free ribbon to "duct tape" her mouth, then used Dazzling Gleam on her.
"Slymmmph!" Sylveon winced as they managed to untangle each other as Sylveon bit down on Amara's ribbon.
"Veon!" Amara winced, flinching from the sudden bite as Sylveon tackled Amara and pinned her to the ground, proceeding to use a point blank Psyshock attack as Amara responded by using Disarming Voice, causing the Sylveon to wince and back off as Amara got up and pelted her with a Shadow Ball, to which Sylveon slapped Amara with her ribbon.
Amara let out a growl and slapped the Sylveon even harder, where the two proceeded to jump back and pelt each other with a Shadow Ball, then Amara lept forward and used Dazzling Gleam to blind the Sylveon, but Bede's Sylveon wrapped her ribbons over Amara and slammed her into the ground.
Amara let out a growl and stood up, charging forward with a white aura around her as Sylveon let out a surprised yelp and tried to hold her back but Amara slammed into her with a Last Resort, knocking Sylveon down for the count while Amara fell down in exhaustion.
"Down go both Sylveon!" Oobleck exclaimed.
Both of them recalled their Sylveon, both of them still smirking as they pulled out another Pokeball.
"Okay, Rocky, let's go!"
"Your turn, Reuniclus!"
Reuniclus?! Uh oh…
"Laaaaape!" Rocky cried out.
"Reuuuun!"
"I thought he got rid of his Duosion when Opal took care of him." Marnie said.
"Apparently the lad was sentimental and didn't want to let him go." Gloria guessed. "...Probably."
"Well, the sentiment worked out." Hop said.
"Since when did he have a Reuniclus?" Alessandra wondered.
"Come on, Rocky! Squish that… amoeba… looking… thing!" Mine cheered.
"Come on, be a man!" Elfman cheered.
Hazel let out an amused chuckle. "You've got this."
Even if I'm at somewhat of a type disadvantage, I ain't giving up! Kotoko thought. "Let's knock it down, bud!"
"Lape!"
"Reun." Reuniclus said, his eyes glowing for a bit before unleashing Psybeam on Rocky, but the Annihilape used one hand to block the move without even flinching, then he jumped over and Shadow Punched Reuniclus.
Reuniclus let out a grunt and responded with a point blank Psyshock, causing Annihilape to let out a pained grunt… and focused all his pain into a Rage Fist, knocking Reuniclus away right as a storm cloud appeared over Annihilape's head as a Future Sight slammed down on top of him.
"Anniiiiiii!" Annihilape grunted.
"Oh shit…!" Kotoko grimaced as Reuniclus staggered up and let out a chuckle, only for Annihilape to launch out of the smoke and slugged him with another Rage Fist, knocking him out after sending him a few feet, all the while Annihilape collapsed.
"Down go both Pokemon again!"
Bede let out a chuckle. "Heh, can't remember the last time I got a decent challenge from anyone other than Gloria and Aless."
"Glad I could entertain you." Kotoko smirked.
Both of them called out their last Pokemon, being Hatterene and Adonis.
"Hatter!"
"Machaaaamp!"
End BGM
Bede smirked. "Time to show you some true great pink, Kotoko!" He then recalled Hatterene and then activated his Dynamax Band.
BGM: Gym Leader Theme (Pokemon Journeys)
"My dear Hatterene…" He threw the Dynamaxed Pokeball up into the arena. "GIGANTAMAX!"
"HATTEEEERRRR!"
"There she is, folks! It's Gigantamax Hatterene!"
"Oh, that poor Machamp…" Flandre said.
"Hold on, Kotoko definitely has something up her sleeve." Penny said.
Back in the arena, Kotoko smirked. "Gigantamax, huh? Two can play that game!" She recalled Adonis and then activated her Dynamax Band. "Let's power up, Adonis! DYNAMAX!" She threw the Dynamaxed Pokeball up in the arena.
…Only Adonis didn't Dynamax.
He Gigantamaxed.
"MACHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMP!"
"And Gigantamax Machamp takes the stage!"
"What the…?!" Kotoko said in surprise.
"My my~" Geeta hummed while Clavell adjusted his glasses with a chuckle.
"Hey, hey! Simmer down!" Arven held Nemona back as best he could.
"I want to go there and join them! ¡Déjame ir!" (Let me go!)
"Whoa…." Carmine said. "Didn't know she had it in her to Gigantamax."
"Knew there was a lot of spunk in her!" Crispin grinned.
"Did… did he have a Gigantamax factor back when he was just a Machop?"
Bede noticed her confusion. "You remember those soup thermoses I instructed you to give to him? It was Max Soup!"
"What?!"
"I figured you needed a surprise!"
Heh, he ain't so bad after all…
Fire shot out of her eyes. "Alright, Twink! Now you got me all fired up for helping me unlock his Gigantamax form! This battle's just getting started!"
Bede smirked, casually brushing his bangs. "Bring it on, Pixie Girl."
Both Pokemon let out deafening Pokemon cries as they both unleashed G-Max Chi Strike and G-Max Smite, both moves slamming into one another. Hatterene was seeing stars after the first punch but shook it off while Adonis was briefly blinded by the actual stars that were raining down.
"Machamp CHAAAAMP!"
"HATTERE!"
Both Pokemon used their G-Max moves again, all the while the shockwaves caused Kotoko's pigtails to flap around while Bede occasionally blocked his eyes to avoid dust getting in his eyes.
Hatterene shook her head while Adonis slapped his cheeks to make him snap out of the confusion as both Pokemon let out a loud cry and unleashed their G-Max moves once more.
…And then an explosion rattled the air as Adonis shrunk back down and collapsed on his stomach in defeat.
"Ma… chaaaaamp…"
Kotoko's eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
"Awww man… she was so close…" Iono frowned.
End BGM
"Machamp is unable to battle! Hatterene wins! And the victor of this match is Gym Leader Bede!" Raihan declared.
Kotoko immediately ran over to check on Adonis. "Adonis!"
"Ma... champ..." Adonis groaned as he weakly sat up and gave Kotoko an apologetic smile despite the beating he took. "... Champ Machamp..."
"Don't apologize, bud. You did your best out there." She said as she gave her Machamp a reassuring smile while helping him up. "For now, get some rest, 'kay? You definitely earned it. And I'm proud of you too."
"Machamp." Adonis nodded as he was recalled back into his Poké Ball.
Bede recalled Hatterene and approached Kotoko. "You've definitely improved since our last battle. You definitely have the potential of a great Pokemon Trainer."
"You… think so?"
"Yeah, you just gotta improve a little bit." Bede smiled, extending his hand out while the audience cheered for the both of them. "Even they think you're pretty good. Who knows, you might give Gloria and Aless a run for their money."
"Even Ruby?"
"...Ruby's on a whole different level. I don't know where that came from but I can assure you, she might be the champion of Remnant if there was a Pokemon League there." He chuckled as Kotoko snickered, grabbing his hand and he pulled her up.
He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a Fairy Badge, handing it to her. "Here, a memento… and a reward for how much you surprised me back there."
Kotoko chuckled, her spirit rejuvenating as she smiled. "Just you wait, Bede! Until then, I'll keep on training to get stronger and win as many Pokémon Battles as I can until I grow strong enough to beat you!"
She extended her hand out.
Bede smiled back. "I'm looking forward to it, Kotoko." He said, extending his hand as they both shook on it. "Oh, and by the way… I kinda forgot to say this to you and also Kokoron back when we were still in Paldea, but anyway… Happy Birthday."
The crowd continued to cheer as Gloria let out a happy sigh. "Ye've definitely grown so much after that incident in Stow-On Side…"
Several minutes later…
BGM: Ballonlea
Kotoko walked out of the gym, having changed into her normal clothes. She was still a bit bummed she lost, but she still had a lot of fun. Not to mention that when he's not in a prideful dickish mood, Bede is really just a chill guy.
"Hey you!" Mine waved her over with a smile.
"Oh hey sis."
"You were awesome back there!" Mine smiled, wrapping an arm around her.
"Really?"
"Yeah! Sure, you lost, but who cares? We could tell you had a blast!"
"She's right! You were having fun out there!" Mirajane giggled.
"Yeah, Elfman was crying that you lost though…" Lisanna said.
"Was not…" Elfman mumbled, blushing a little as everyone chuckled, then Kotoko handed Rocky back to Hazel.
"Sorry about getting him knocked out so quick."
"Ah, it's no big deal." Hazel reassured. "That Reuniclus was a bit tricky."
"It was." Kotoko nodded, proceeding to hug her parents and walked off together.
"Excuse us, Kotoko!" A journalist exclaimed as a few journalists quickly surrounded her. "We were wondering if we could interview you for a post match coverage!"
"Whoa!" Kotoko said in surprise, flashing back to the time she was swarmed by reporters back when she was a child actress.
"Hey!" Elfman glared.
"Hold on a sec, bro." Mirajane said, putting her arm out.
"It'll be okay, sweetie." Eli gently said.
"Yeah, it'll be fine. I doubt it'll be any worse than… ya know…!" Angelico chuckled.
"Could be worse, it could be the paparazzi." Mine whispered.
"True…" Kotoko nodded before smiling. "Alright… I'll bite! Lay it on me!"
End BGM
The next day, somewhere in a private section in Toad Park…
Mabel ran through the field, stopping to catch her breath. "Hah… hah… they're… they're almost here! Everyone, get ready!" She said as she resumed her pace.
At that moment, Kotoko and Kokoro arrived a few seconds later.
"Hey guys!" Kotoko greeted.
"So, uh… what's all this? You have a party or something?"
"SURPRISE!" Everyone turned around and presented the girls with a wide array of treats: food, drinks, presents, and two birthday cakes—a mango chiffon cake and a strawberry shortcake, baked by Ms. Foccacia—beautifully arranged on a couple of large picnic tables. Behind them was a huge banner that said "HAPPY 14th BIRTHDAY, KOTOKO & KOKORO!".
Some of them popped some party poppers.
Among those who were in attendance were:
The Warriors of Hope, the Strauss Family, the Neves Family, RWBY, CRDL, ATMC, the SDM crew that Flandre had invited over, Laura, Hazel, Watts, Whitley & Ling, Ibuki & Kaede, Loid & Anya, Nitori & Koishi, Maki, Iono, Bede, Seryu & Sheele, Junko, Mukuro & Yasuke, Komaru, Toko, Nagito and Ms. Foccacia.
Even Chiaki, Hajime, Elfilin and BB-8 were there, as Ibuki had invited them over.
"You guys…" Kotoko said in surprise while Kokoro was a bit speechless, but had a smile on her face.
Mabel chuckled. "I still remember how much you both wanted a joint surprise party, so we made it happen~!" She grinned. "We thought Kokoro's birthday today was the perfect time to pull it off!"
Eli smiled together with her husband and Mine. "That said, happy belated birthday, sweetie."
"Happy birthday, honey~!" Yor smiled with Chelsea.
Both girls nearly teared up as they both hugged their respective families, thanking them while trying not to get emotional.
"Alright, let's get this party started! This cake is callin' my name~!" Kokichi said as both Maki and Shuichi had to hold him back.
BGM: Leave It All To Me (iCarly)
The girls proceeded to tear up their presents first, though Kokoro was a bit more gentle with her presents while Kotoko tore them right open.
For Kotoko's side of things…
"Oh my gosh, I was looking all over for this book!" Kotoko said.
"It was so very hard to find too…" Komaru said as Iono and Kieran took a peek.
""I'm Glad My Mom Died"?" Kieran raised an eyebrow.
"Wow, this Jennette McCurdy gal is savage as hell. Yikes…" Iono grimaced.
She also got a new skincare set from Mine, a Fairy Feather from Weiss, a strawberry shortcake scented and a cherry pie scented candle courtesy of her parents, and a 3-axis gimbal smartphone stabilizer for selfies and vlogging, courtesy of Iono.
"Wow~!" Kotoko gushed as she hugged Iono.
As for Kokoro's presents…
She got a small bottle of vanilla-scented perfume from Masaru, a dessert cookbook from Foccacia, a crochet kit for beginners from Yor, Pikmin 4 from Chelsea, a Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club Blu-ray collection series, where, technically, Sayaka picked out but Ibuki wrapped it, a NewJeans Ditto/OMG album from Ibuki, a white portable CD player with Bluetooth speakers from Whitley, Cardin and Ling, and a lightweight leaf pattern yellow and white scarf from Seryu.
"We also brought a portable karoke system if anyone wants to sing!" Weiss said.
"Well, don't mind if I do." Akame walked over.
"No!" Chelsea and Tatsumi had to pull her back.
"Aw come oooon…"
"Hit me up with that~!" Kaede grinned.
Kotoko and Kokoro were poked on the shoulders as they turned to see Chiaki. "Hey, these are for you two." She winked, giving the both of them a small bag.
As they dug into the bag, they pulled out thirty-five coin Nintendo eShop cards.
"Whoa!" Both girls exclaimed.
"I figured you could use something special after that fight you had with Bede yesterday. And I thought that Kokoron needed one too."
"Awesome!" Kotoko grinned, both of them hugging Chiaki as they went off.
Hajime smiled, standing next to her. "They deserved it."
"Yeah." Chiaki smiled. "...You know I'll say yes, right?" She winked with a small blush.
Hajime chuckled, ruffling up his girlfriend's hair. "I know. I just need to find the right spot."
"I'm not picky~"
As the party continued and the cakes and punch were consumed, Kotoko pulled Komaru away for a bit while Shuichi watched Kaede sing.
"...She's beautiful." Shuichi breathed out.
"Ask her out, man." Kokichi nudged, munching on a cookie.
"Kokichi, that better not be that chocolate chip cookie that was on my plate!" Ruby warned.
"You already ate yours, red head!"
"...Oh, that's right. Duh!" Ruby snickered, causing Blake to facepalm and shake her head.
"And an angel is dating her… why?" Maki deadpanned.
With Kotoko and Komaru…
"You wanted to say something to me?" Komaru asked out of curiosity.
"I… just want to apologize over what I did to you in Towa City a few years back."
"Hmm? What do you-?" Her eyes widened, stiffening up at the sheer memory of that "Motivation Machine". "...Oh… that… tickle torture…"
"Yeah… I just want to say I'm sorry for putting you through that… and a lot of other things too that led up to that point, and when I fought you too."
"Well… admittedly, I can't forget what happened, no matter how much I try to… I've moved on. Honestly, it's commendable that you're putting in a lot of effort to be better."
She then giggled. "Especially your Pokemon battle with Bede, that was pretty cool!"
"It was!" Kotoko beamed proudly. "So… we're cool on that?"
"Yeah." Komaru smiled."Hey, how about we forget all this stuff for now and live in the moment? Don't wanna see you look all down on your own birthday party with Kokoron."
"Right." She then hugged Komaru. "Thank you both…" She said quietly to Komaru as she ran off back to the party.
Komaru watched on, smiling as she went back to Toko to resume their conversation.
This Gaiden chapter was made by DarkRebellion!
Ibuki: Gotta love birthday parties!
...Hey, where's Wade?
Ibuki: Still getting scolded by Cable.
Still? Eh, he'll be fine.