The Great NSM Pokemon Adventure!

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 60: The Preliminaries

A brilliant flash of light indicated the summoning of over 900 Pokemon. Marty looked around for anyone to form an alliance with. He noticed the Resistance members talking with some of the people he knew from FrivVille. He shouted over at them. "Hey, guys!"

Mae looked over in their direction. "Marty!" she shouted. "Good to see you made it!"

"We should all work together!" he said to her. "Sound good?"

"Definitely!" she shouted over to them. They all walked over there. Including Mae, Jari, Concerto, Mobo, and Sabin, the four members of FSM were there, along with Ruto and Saria from FrivVille Gym. They were discussing with their Pokemon who not to attack when someone came up behind them.

"May I cut in?" he asked.

Jordan gasped. "Kefka!"

"In the flesh," he said. "Hold your applause." The others laughed.

"The more help we get, the better off we'll be," Marty said. "You can definitely join in, Kefka." Their group had gone from twelve to twenty-four in a matter of minutes. They were all feeling pretty good about their chances. They finished their strategy just as the horn sounded to let the fight begin. All of the Pokemon took off in many directions.

"There they go," Davy said.

"We have to leave our faith in them," Taylor said.

"We'll all be fine!" Jake assured everyone. "Then we'll all see each other in the tournament!"

...MEANWHILE...

Lucario raced along the streets of Maron City, with the other Pokemon in tow. Other Pokemon came up and challenged them, but were quickly dispatched. In addition to Lucario, Drifblim, Charizard, Cinccino, Roserade, and Sceptile, Davy's Blastoise joined the fight instead of Bisharp. The other Pokemon in the fight included Farfetch'd, Zangoose, Venusaur, Kelsey and Eric's Pikachu brothers, Mae's Samurott, Jari's Shiftry, Concerto's Golurk, Mobo's Liepard, Sabin's Sableye, Jake's Exploud, Marcus's Ambipom, Caroline's Yanmega, Otso's Flaaffy, Ruto's Psyduck, Saria's Lopunny, and Kefka's Claydol. Their large force easily plowed through all of the Pokemon that stood in their way. An Infernape jumped onto a building and began shooting fireballs down on the group. Lucario ran up and met its challenge while Blastoise used water to tend to the injured. A Donphan came tearing down the street with a Rollout, threatening to bowl everyone down. Cinccino raced up to it with its signature Giga Impact and collided with it. Suddenly, it seemed like every other Pokemon in the preliminaries was in this one street, trying to take down this small group of twenty-four Pokemon. But the group was smarter than all these other Pokemon, and they constantly switched out opponents to play to each other's strengths. Finally, they all had decided that enough was enough. They all stood around in a circle and waited for the rest of the Pokemon to come charging at them. They all began to charge their strongest attacks and added them to the middle of the circle. The result was a huge sphere with many different types of energies swirling around it. There was electricity sparking on the outside of the sphere. Lucario, having just defeated the Infernape, noticed this and raced down to the street. It grabbed the sphere and took it with it, infusing it with its aura. It started bludgeoning other Pokemon with it. The result was an attack that had every type associated with it, resulting in a super-effective hit no matter what Pokemon was hit by it. The remaining enemies were waiting in a line with attacks at the ready, but Lucario was faster. It stopped suddenly, planted its feet on the ground, and shot the sphere at the remaining Pokemon. It plowed through the attacks that were thrown at it and instantly knocked the remaining Pokemon out. The only ones left standing were Lucario's group of twenty-four, a Bibarel, a Toxicroak, and a familiar-looking Serperior. The preliminary round was over, and the entire group had survived! They all returned to their Trainers triumphantly.

...MEANWHILE...

"Wow!" Fleet said into the microphone. "I can't believe what I just saw! What a riveting show of teamwork by those Pokemon! Congratulations to the Trainers who survived the preliminary rounds! Please come up and be recognized at this time!" The group walked up to the stage, accompanied by a boy with his face covered, another boy who radiated an aura of pleasantness, and another younger boy who looked oddly similar to Otso. Roars came from the audience, but it was unclear whether they were cheers or death threats.

"We did it!" Eric exclaimed.

"Nice teamwork, everyone," Jari said.

"Let's all do our best in the tournament!" Mobo encouraged.

While they were all celebrating their victory, Jerry walked up to them.

"Congratulations!" he said to them. "You all deserve it. Now I have another surprise for you! Tonight there's going to be a dance for the Trainers who are continuing on. Dress formal and bring a date!"

"WHAT?!" everyone shouted.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 61: A Dance?

"A dance?!" Marty shouted, exasperated.

"That's what I said," Jerry said. "Dress nice! Don't forget to bring dates!"

"But we have virtually no time to look!" Jordan cried.

"Well, if you REALLY can't find one by tonight, then I guess that's okay," Jerry relented. "You should still be looking, though!" He walked off, leaving everyone speechless.

"Well," Jake said. "This is...awkward."

"I'll say!" Nebu shouted. "The guy to girl ratio in this group is way too unbalanced to be having a dance. There's like, what, seven girls?"

"And that makes twenty guys," Marty continued. "This is highly illogical. Whoever thought of this must be extremely drunk."

"Well," Stepney said, "We all better start looking for dates, I guess." So everyone dispersed to begin searching for dates. Marty and Taylor stood alone in the square.

"So, do you want to go together?" he asked her with a smile.

"Of course," she smiled back.

...MEANWHILE...

Roz walked off to find Mike with the Gym Leaders.

"Hey," she said to him with her usual air of coolness.

"Hey," he said back, equally nonchalant.

"So...the dance," Roz said.

"Yeah, totally," Mike said to her. "I'd love to go."

"Cool," Roz said as she started walking away. "I'll meet you there. You better not be late."

"Sure thing," he said back, with a light smile. The other Gym Leaders stood there, speechless.

...MEANWHILE...

Jordan had been chasing after Nebu ever since Jerry had done that fortune telling for them all. He was sure that Jerry would be right about this. But at the same time, he was worried. What if she didn't feel the same way about him? He took a deep breath and raced up to meet her.

"Hey!" he shouted after her. "Nebu!"

She turned around and saw him. "Oh, hey, Jordan!"

"Hey, I was wondering..." he began.

"Yeah?" Nebu said with anticipation.

"Would you like to go to the dance with me?" he asked.

She smiled for a brief second, but then got a sad look on her face. "Oh, Jordan, I'm so sorry. Eric already asked me to the dance, and I said yes."

"Oh," Jordan said, completely crushed.

"I'm so sorry!" she said.

"That's okay," Jordan said. "Have fun." He walked off, leaving Nebu by herself.

...MEANWHILE...

Atticus walked around Maron City, trying to find someone to go to the dance with. He wasn't watching where he was going, and he accidently bumped into Francois.

"Oh!" he shouted. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's quite all right," Francois assured him. "I take it you're searching for someone to go to the dance with, am I correct?"

"Yes," Atticus answered.

"How is that going?" Francois inquired.

"Not well," Atticus admitted. "The truth is, I have no idea who to ask."

"Well," Francois said, "you could always ask Ruto or Saria."

"I don't know them very well," Atticus reminded him.

"Well, there's only one thing to do, then," Francois said.

"What is that?" Atticus asked him.

"I'll take you to the dance," Francois said. Atticus fainted!

...LATER...

The dance was just about to begin, and it was awkward as hell. There were exactly three actual couples. The rest of them had come alone, unable to find someone that was right for them among the group. Francois had scooped up quite a few of the guys, including some Gym Leaders and Elite Four members, who were all fawning over him. Jerry came out to see everyone standing outside, and was disappointed.

"What is this?" he asked. "Three couples? Unacceptable! And you!" he shouted, pointing at Nebu.

"Me?" Nebu said, confused.

"Yes, you!" Jerry shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. "This is not what the cards have said to me at all! This is not right!"

"What is he talking about?" Eric asked her, pulling away from her.

"It's nothing!" Nebu said.

"Oh, it's something!" Jerry said. "You are deliberately trying to test fate! Unacceptable!"

"I don't understand any of this!" Eric shouted, running away.

"Eric, wait!" Kelsey shouted, running after him.

"We are NOT having this dance under such deplorable conditions!" Jerry screamed. "You all better get ready for the tournament to start tomorrow! Your rooms are all ready! Come along, quickly!"

They all followed Jerry to their separate rooms, having no idea what just happened. Marty got the room at the end of the hallway. When he and Jerry were alone, he asked, "What the heck was that all about?"

"This night didn't go at ALL how I had planned it," Jerry said. "Nebu was supposed to go with Jordan."

"What makes you say that?" Marty asked.

"Because I know what I saw in the cards," Jerry told him. "Those two are definitely meant to be together. It is certain. I was just trying to help them both see that."

"So, basically, this whole dance thing was a scheme to make sure your fortune telling would turn out how you predicted?" Marty asked.

"Well, when you put it that way, it just sounds bad," Jerry said.

Marty sighed. "Whatever. I'll see you tomorrow, Jerry."

"Good luck!" Jerry said to him as he closed the door.

...MEANWHILE...

Jordan sat in his room, moping about the events of the past few hours, when a knock came at the door. He walked over and opened the door to find Nebu standing out in the hallway.

"Hey," she said sheepishly.

"Hey," he said back.

"Um...that was really weird, huh?" she asked with a chuckle.

"Definitely," Jordan said, still somewhat depressed.

"Listen," Nebu said. "I came over here to apologize to you. Eric's a nice guy, but I'm not quite sure that he's the one for me."

"What makes you say that?" Jordan asked her.

"Because a wise fortune-teller told me that you're the one for me," Nebu said. "And honestly, I think I'm finally starting to see why he told me that. I'm still so unsure, but you know what?"

"What?" Jordan uttered nervously.

"I think you're a really nice guy, Jordan," Nebu told him.

"Thanks," he said, scratching his head. "I try to be."

"Would you still like to dance with me?" she asked him.

"I would definitely like that," Jordan said with a smile. They held each other close and danced slowly, right there in the hallway, with no music playing.

...MEANWHILE...

Eric left his and Kelsey's room to find Nebu and apologize to her for running off earlier. As he stepped out into the hallway, he noticed two people down the hall dancing together. Closer inspection revealed that it was Nebu dancing with Jordan. Eric, being the little joker that he was, decided to start singing for them, since they had no music.

"Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down~"

Nebu and Jordan both jumped, causing Eric to burst out laughing. He ran back into his room and shut the door.

"That was fast," Kelsey said.

"She's a little busy," Eric said, laughing. "I'll talk to her another time."

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 62: Her Best Interests

Marty awoke early the next morning. He always woke up early on important days. He was always too excited to stay sleeping for too long. He got up and started stretching, when all of a sudden, he got a really nasty leg cramp. He fell to the ground, clutching his leg and cursing like a sailor. He continued this for a minute or two until Taylor burst into the room.

"Oh my gosh!" she cried. "Are you okay?"

"No!" he shouted. "I have a freaking leg cramp!"

"Try walking on it," she told him. "That usually makes it better." He got up and did as she said. Eventually, he got better.

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks."

"No problem," she said, smiling. "Now hurry up. We've gotta get to breakfast!"

...MEANWHILE...

"Apparently we won't know who fights whom until right before our matches," Atticus said.

"It adds a lot of suspense!" Matt observed.

"I'm really excited for today, though," Gregory said, taking a bite of his pancake. "I think we'll do well."

"But for some of us to do well," Sabin noted, "Some of us must fall." They all sat and pondered this while Marty and Taylor walked in. They all ate their breakfasts and had a good time. Finally, Jerry walked in.

"Good morning!" he shouted. "I hope you are all ready for today! Since it seems you are all finished with breakfast, I'll be taking you to the arena. There's already quite a crowd!" He led them out of the dining hall and to the top floor of the building. The arena took up the entire floor. It was a large dome with an open roof for extremely high aerial combat. The seats around the arena were almost already full. The crowd consisted mostly of the people who had been eliminated in the preliminaries yesterday. All 32 competitors stood in the middle of the arena while Nik came out, holding a microphone.

"Hello, everybody!" he shouted to the crowd. "Welcome to the first ever Terrari League Tournament! We've got a lot of matches today, but first we must go through a few rules." He rattled on and on about rules for both the audience and the competitors. "Also, for this tournament only, touching your Pokemon during the battle will be allowed starting after the first round!"

"That must be to allow PokeCross," Roz noted.

"Now without further ado, let the tournament begin!" Nik shouted. "If you would all direct your attention to the screen!" Everyone looked to the large screens on each side of the dome. "We will be selecting the order of battles. Competitors, you will be expected to report to the field immediately when your name is called. Now we will select the two competitors for the very first battle!" The screen flicked through the names and pictures of all the competitors until two showed up.

"Marty and Jake!" Nik announced. "You are our first competitors! The match will begin shortly. The rest of you may report to the competitor's seats and wait for your match to begin." Everyone who wasn't called made their way up to their seats, while Marty and Jake prepared for their battle. Marty turned around and offered to shake his hand.

"Good luck!" he said pleasantly.

Jake just gave him a cold stare and walked over to his spot.

"Yeesh," Marty said. "Trying to act all tough, isn't he?" He turned and walked to his spot as well.

"All right!" Nik shouted. "Since we have quite a few matches to get through today, the battles of the first round will be only 3-3. Also, there will be no substitutions to save time. We have randomly picked who throws out their Pokemon first, and Marty will get the first choice!"

"Okay," Marty said. "I choose Arcanine!" The Fire-Type Pokemon blasted onto the field.

"I choose Slowking!" Jake growled. Slowpoke's alternate evolved form emerged with a Shellder on its head and a scarf on its neck.

"Arcanine versus Slowking!" Nik called. "Begin!"

"Surf!" Jake shouted. A large tidal wave rocketed towards Arcanine.

"Dodge with ExtremeSpeed and counter with Crunch!" Marty shouted. Arcanine disappeared in reappeared a split second later, with Slowking's arm locked in its jaws.

"Fool!" Jake shouted. "You're making this too easy! Use Hydro Pump, Slowking!" Slowking turned to face Arcanine and blasted it in the face with a heavy stream of water. Arcanine was instantly out cold.

"Arcanine is unable to battle!" Nik shouted. "Slowking wins!"

Up in the competitor's seats, everyone was freaking out. The members of FSM were excited that Jake was winning, but Marty's friends were shocked that he was losing so soon.

"What's he gonna do?" Nebu wondered.

"That's a pretty tough Slowking," Jordan observed. "He needs a Grass or Electric type to take it on."

Down on the arena, Jakes taunts assaulted Marty mercilessly. "What's the matter?" he asked. "Where's all this insane skill you're supposed to have? Or are you just all talk?"

"What's your problem?" Marty asked in response. "You've been nothing but rude all day! Did you eat a bad slice of bacon or something?"

"My problem is that I don't like you!" Jake shouted at him.

"News to me!" Marty shouted back. "You seemed to like me just fine at Marowakz the other night!"

"That was before I heard about you and Taylor!" Jake protested.

"What makes that any different?" Marty asked him.

"Did you ever stop to consider that maybe I like her, too?" Jake asked him scornfully. "I don't want you to hurt her!"

"If you think I would hurt anyone like that, you don't know me at all!" Marty shouted as he got out his next Pokemon. "Go, Simisage!" The green monkey shot out onto the field.

"Simisage versus Slowking!" Nik announced. "Begin!"

"Slowking, end it quickly with Ice Punch!" Jake roared. Slowking ran at Simisage with a cold energy which emitted from its fist.

"Simisage, dodge with Acrobatics and use Energy Ball!" Marty ordered. Simisage jumped out of the way just in time for Slowking's Ice Punch to miss, then hit it in the back with an Energy Ball. Slowking stumbled backwards, but remained on its feet.

"That's it!" Jake cried. "Blizzard!"

"Solarbeam!" Marty cried. The two Pokemon charged up their attacks and loosed them at the same time. There was a huge explosion that shot up into the sky. It left smoke and dust  everywhere. When everything cleared, Slowking was unconscious, and Simisage was panting heavily.

"Slowking is unable to battle!" Nik shouted. "Simisage wins!"

Marty's friends were celebrating his victory when they noticed that Simisage had fallen over as well.

"Simisage is also unable to battle!" Nik said. Gasps came from the crowd.

"Oh, no!" Kelsey groaned.

"He's done for!" Eric cried.

"Not necessarily," Taylor said slowly. Everyone gave her a confused look, so she went on. "If I know Marty, he'll probably pull something out of his butt at the last minute. We shouldn't worry."

Down on the field, Nik was waiting for one of them to send out a Pokemon. "Well? One of you has to send a Pokemon out, and according to League rules, since Jake's Pokemon was KO'd first, he must send his Pokemon out first."

"Fine!" Jake shouted, irritated. "Go, Exploud!" The evolved form of Loudred came onto the field.

Marty laughed. "Lucario!" Marty's strongest Pokemon emerged, ready for battle.

"Lucario versus Exploud!" Nik announced. "Begin!"

"Hyper Voice!" Jake ordered. Exploud let loose a deafening roar which sent visible shock waves over to Lucario.

"Force Palm!" Marty shouted, covering his ears. Lucario got into position and thrust its aura-infused palms into Loudred's attack. Lucario had literally stopped the force of Exploud's Hyper Voice. "Now send it back!" Lucario pushed a little bit harder and let the attack shoot back at Exploud, sending it flying into the wall. Exploud was knocked out in an instant.

"Exploud is unable to battle!" Nik declared. "Lucario wins!"

"I can't believe it!" Matt exclaimed.

"That was amazing!" Stepney shouted.

"What a brilliant move!" Gregory said.

Down in the arena, Jake was beginning to get furious. "You say you won't hurt her? Prove it to me! Show me through this battle how you plan to protect her! Go, Snorlax!" The large Pokemon plopped down into the arena, somewhat ready for battle.

"Lucario versus Snorlax!" Nik announced. "Begin!"

"Snorlax, Hyper Beam!" Jake screamed.

"That's a terrible idea," Roz said.

Snorlax let loose a huge beam of pure energy from its mouth. It headed towards Lucario at an incredibly high speed. Marty didn't say a word. An instant later, the Hyper Beam totally engulfed Lucario. Or so it appeared. Suddenly, Snorlax's attack stopped. Lucario had dodged with ExtremeSpeed and attacked Snorlax with Force Palm.

"How did Lucario know what to do without Marty giving it an order?" Otso asked.

"It's one of the many perks of using PokeCross," Jordan said confidently.

In the arena, Snorlax had been severely hit, but that only seemed to make it angrier. It couldn't do anything, though, because it was too tired from the Hyper Beam.

"Now's our chance!" Marty shouted. "Do it, Lucario!" Lucario jumped back a few feet and charged an insane amount of aura in between its hands. When it was finished, it had a large Aura Sphere that it shot at Snorlax, hitting it directly. Snorlax struggled with the attack for a few seconds, getting pushed back a couple feet before it finally gave up and fell over.

"Snorlax is unable to battle!" Nik declared. "Lucario wins! Marty is the victor!"

"HE DID IT!" Marty's friends cheered in unison. The members of FSM all looked pretty disappointed.

Jake walked up to Marty. "Hey," he said. "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings at all. I shouldn't have judged you like I did."

"It's fine," Marty said, brushing it off. "Can we let bygones be bygones?"

Jake smiled. "Sure," he said. They shook hands and the crowd went nuts as they went up to take their seats.

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 63: Alan's Power

"What a brilliant first battle, folks!" Nik exclaimed. "You can expect many more battles just like that today! Now if you'd turn your attention to the board again, we will randomly select the next match!" The board switched to the selection screen and began cycling through all the pictures until two more came out. One picture was of Marcus, but the other was just a silhouette. The name read, "Alan."

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is quite a surprise!" Nik said excitedly. "This battle is going to feature one of our Elite Four members, Alan!" The crowd murmured, wondering what was going on, when suddenly fireworks erupted from the tunnel where competitors came out to the arena. A second later a boy walked out. He wore a green bandana on his head.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you...the Elite Four's Alan!" Nik announced. The crowd went crazy as a big celebrity of the Terrari region stepped out onto the arena, looking ready for battle. Marcus walked nervously to his spot.

"Good luck!" Alan said to him pleasantly, but with an air of confidence.

"The match between Alan and Marcus will begin momentarily!" Nik declared. "As the Elite Four member, Alan must choose his Pokemon first."

"Naturally," Alan said. "I choose Blaziken!" The ultimate form of Torchic blazed onto the arena, ready for battle.

"Go, Mamoswine!" Marcus shouted nervously. Swinub's ultimate form thundered onto the ground.

"Blaziken versus Mamoswine!" Nik announced. "Begin!"

"Mamoswine, use Take Down!" Marcus ordered quickly. Mamoswine charged at Blaziken with reckless abandon.

"Blaziken, Sky Uppercut!" Alan shouted. Blaziken waited for Mamoswine to come closer, then uppercutted it. Mamoswine flew up into the sky. Alan didn't skip a beat. "Now jump up and use Double Kick!" Blaziken used its powerful legs to shoot itself into the air and it kicked Mamoswine twice. Alan kept this chain going. "Finish it off with DynamicPunch!" Blaziken filled its fist with explosive power and punched Mamoswine down to the ground. Mamoswine instantly fainted from the force.

Nik looked just as shocked as everyone else when he declared, "Mamoswine is unable to battle...Blaziken wins!" Roars erupted from the crowd from this unbelievable show of skill and power from the Elite Four member.

Marcus was just as speechless, but sent out his next Pokemon. "Go, Ambipom!" Aipom's evolved form leapt nimbly onto the battlefield.

"Blaziken versus Ambipom!" Nik announced. "Begin!"

"Ambipom!" Marcus shouted. "Use Swift!" Ambipom shot a flurry of stars straight at Blaziken.

"Take them down with Blaze Kick!" Alan ordered. Blaziken kicked down all the stars extremely fast with its incredible leg strength.

Marcus wasn't having any of that this time. "Close Combat!" he cried. Ambipom shot over to Blaziken and began assaulting it with a barrage of punches and kicks from its arms and two tails. Blaziken was easily matching it blow for blow until Alan finally got bored.

"Fire Punch," he said plainly. Blaziken wrapped its fist in fire and punched Ambipom square in the face. Ambipom was sent crashing into the wall, unconscious.

"Ambipom is unable to battle! Blaziken wins!" Nik declared.

"This is insane!" Jake protested. "What's Marcus doing out there?"

"That Blaziken is way too strong for him," Roz observed. "Marcus definitely got matched with the wrong person."

"So unfair," Otso pouted.

Meanwhile, down in the arena, Marcus hadn't given up quite yet. "We've almost got him! Go, Hitmonlee!" The Kicking Fiend stepped out onto the field.

"Blaziken versus Hitmonlee!" Nik announced once more. "Begin!"

"Charge it, Hitmonlee!" Marcus cried. Hitmonlee ran at Blaziken, ready to strike.

"Flamethrower," Alan said, looking rather bored. Blaziken shot a huge stream of fire from its mouth, larger than any of them had seen before. Hitmonlee was engulfed, but not beaten. It rushed up to meet Blaziken, and they exchanged kicks for quite some time.

"It's time to end this," Alan decided. "Blaziken, Flare Blitz." Blaziken forced Hitmonlee a few feet back, covered itself in flames, and struck Hitmonlee with all its force. Hitmonlee, now burnt to a crisp, fell to the ground, defeated.

"Hitmonlee is unable to battle!" Nik said. "Blaziken wins! The winner is the Elite Four's Alan!" Roars erupted from the audience as Alan recalled Blaziken.

"Thanks for the good warm-up," he said to Marcus. "I hope the next guy fares a little better than you." Marty gulped up in his seat as Alan left the arena.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 64: Encouragement

"I can't believe what I just saw, folks!" Nik shouted, excited. "Alan has just pulled off a perfect shutout! You don't see that every day. I'd be nervous if I had to face him in the next round!"

"Don't remind me," Marty muttered up in the stands.

"All right, let's pick the next match!" The screen flicked over to the selection screen. Two pictures showed up.

"Atticus and Kefka!" Nik shouted. "You're both up next!"

Atticus and Kefka looked at each other and nodded.

"Good luck," Atticus said, extending his hand to shake Kefka's.

"Same to you," Kefka said back, returning his handshake. The two of them walked down the opposite stairs and walked through the tunnel that would lead them to the arena. They got there and proceeded to take their places.

"Kefka will send out his Pokemon first!" Nik stated.

"I choose Claydol," Kefka said. The evolved form of Baltoy came out when Kefka threw out its Ball.

"Go, Beartic," Atticus said calmly. The large Polar Bear Pokemon lumbered out of its Ball and into the arena.

"Beartic versus Claydol!" Nik announced. "Begin!"

"Beartic, use Ice Punch." Atticus said. Beartic charged at Claydol with its ice-infused fist.

"Claydol, Earthquake," Kefka ordered, equally calm. Claydol levitated higher in the air and slammed down onto the floor. There was a large quake that shook the whole building.

...MEANWHILE...

Up in the stands, everyone was freaking out. "He's gonna wreck the building!" Stepney cried.

"Don't worry," Jerry said. "This building was designed to handle so much more than that. And if something should break, it automatically repairs itself after every battle."

"How does it do that?" Taylor asked him.

"Hell if I know," Jerry said. "but isn't it neat?"

...MEANWHILE...

Down on the arena floor, chunks of the floor were coming off and rising into the air as a result of the Earthquake. Beartic was stumbling around and being hit by the chunks of floor rushing up to meet its face.

"Beartic, boost off of one of those rocks to get to Claydol!" Atticus ordered. Beartic did as instructed and made it over to Claydol. It used Ice Punch and struck Claydol rather hard. Claydol didn't seem to mind, however.

"Hyper Beam," Kefka said calmly. Claydol prepared a huge orange beam of energy and shot it at Beartic.

"Dodge and use Blizzard!" Atticus said, starting to get nervous. Beartic got out of the way just in time and released a huge beam of ice at Claydol. It was a direct hit and it began to freeze Claydol. In an extremely short time, Claydol was completely encased in ice.

"Now, Focus Punch," Atticus said, regaining his composure. Beartic stopped for a moment, then let a huge punch strike the block of ice that encased Claydol. It broke the entire block and struck Claydol head on. Claydol proceeded to faint.

"Claydol is unable to battle!" Nik announced nervously, keeping an eye on the floor underneath him. "Beartic wins!"

"Not bad," Kefka said, still highly composed. "But this should be easier now that your Beartic is on its last leg. Go, Bouffalant." The large bull Pokemon emerged.

"Beartic versus Bouffalant!" Nik announced. "Begin!"

"Focus Punch," Atticus told Beartic. Beartic readied another punch.

"Take Down," Kefka ordered. Bouffalant charged Beartic and struck it with a lot of force. Beartic fell over, knocked out. Bouffalant took some damage after running into Beartic.

"Beartic is unable to battle!" Nik declared. "Bouffalant wins!"

Atticus grimaced. "Magcargo!" Slugma's evolved form came out.

"Magcargo versus Bouffalant!" Nik announced. "Begin!"

"Take Down again!" Kefka said, getting excited. Bouffalant charged Magcargo.

"Use Fire Spin," Atticus ordered. Magcargo called up a small tornado to trap Bouffalant. Bouffalant was stopped in its tracks by the imposing fire.

"Now, Fire Blast!" Atticus said, getting excited as well. Magcargo shot a large, star-shaped fire at Bouffalant. The immense amount of fire caused Bouffalant to faint.

"Bouffalant is unable to battle!" Nik ruled. "Magcargo wins it!"

Atticus was celebrating when Kefka said, "Don't get too cocky. This last Pokemon can't possibly lose. Go, Wobbuffet!" The strange, blue Pokemon emerged from its Ball.

"Magcargo versus Wobbuffet!" Nik announced. "Begin!"

"This should be easy!" Atticus boasted. "Magcargo, use Fire Blast again!" Magcargo shot another star-shaped fire at Wobbuffet. Wobbuffet just stood there.

"Mirror Coat," Kefka said with a smirk. Wobbuffet started glowing with a strange light. Instead of the Fire Blast hitting it, it bounced off Wobbuffet. It hit Magcargo, now twice as fast and twice as strong. Even with the resistance to fire, Magcargo still fainted.

"Magcargo is unable to battle!" Nik declared. "Wobbuffet wins!"

Atticus was speechless. "How...?"

Kefka laughed. "You can't possibly beat my Wobbuffet! It's invulnerable!"

He's right, Atticus thought. What do I do?

"Don't give up, Atticus!" shouted a voice from the stands. Atticus looked up to see Francois yelling to him. "I know you can do it!"

Atticus got a huge grin on his face. "You're right, Francois! I can do this! Go, Farfetch'd!" Atticus's favorite Pokemon flew onto the field.

"Farfetch'd versus Wobbuffet!" Nik announced. "Begin!"

"Slash!" Atticus ordered. Farfetch'd flew at Wobbuffet, leek blade at the ready.

"Simple," Kefka said, grinning. "Use Counter, Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet began to glow with another odd colored light.

"I thought you might do that!" Atticus said.

"You knew?" Kefka asked. "How?"

"Counter is for physical attacks, but not for special attacks!" Atticus stated. "Farfetch'd, switch to Gust!" Farfetch'd stopped right in front of Wobbuffet and blasted powerful winds right in its face.

"No!" Kefka shouted dismayed.

"Now, Slash again!" Atticus yelled, excited.

"I'm not falling for it this time!" Kefka shouted. "Mirror Coat!" Wobbuffet began to glow with a Mirror Coat, but Farfetch'd kept charging at Wobbuffet.

"You fell into my trap!" Atticus said. "It's over!" Farfetch'd slashed Wobbuffet with all of its might. Wobbuffet fell over, faint.

"Wobbuffet is unable to battle! Farfetch'd wins!" Nik declared. "The match goes to Atticus!" The crowd cheered for Atticus as he ran back up to thank Francois for his words of encouragement.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 65: Resolve and Apathy

Atticus ran up to the stands and gave Francois a huge hug. "Thank you!" he said. "Your words of encouragement helped me focus and win!"

"It was nothing," Francois told him. "Really, it was quite frivolous. Mind over matter and all that."

"No it wasn't!" Atticus exclaimed. "Without your helpful words, I wouldn't still be competing! All thanks to the power of frivolity!"

"I suppose you're right," Francois admitted. "Let's prepare ourselves for the next match."

Down on the arena floor, Nik was getting the crowd excited for the next match.

"Now let's look at the next match-up!" he said. The screen flickered through images until it finally settled on Matt and Sabin.

"Matt and Sabin!" Nik announced. "Come on down!"

"My turn, I guess!" Matt said, excited. "Wish me luck, guys!"

"You'll do great, bro!" Jordan assured him.

As he was walking down to his entrance, Marty and the others talked about how they thought the match would go.

"Of course we're going to be rooting for Matt," Marty said. He turned over to Mae and asked, "What kind of Trainer is Sabin?"

"He's decent," Mae admitted.

"Yeah," Mobo agreed. "But he's really lazy. He gives up too easily. If he doesn't think he'll win if he tries, he makes sure that he doesn't win."

"Because why waste the effort?" Concerto finished.

"Also," Jari said. "After he finishes the tournament, he said he would go back to his own country. He's rather homesick, so he has extra incentive to just throw the match."

"So you think Matt will win, then?" Nebu asked.

"All I'm going to say is that this match will not be as exciting as the others we've seen so far today," Jari answered.

...MEANWHILE...

Matt had just taken his place and got ready to battle. He waved over to Sabin and shouted, "Good luck!"

"Thanks," Sabin said, "but I'm not going to win. Your resolve is much greater than mine."

Matt was taken aback. "You mean you don't think there's any hope for you? That's crazy!"

"You'll see," Sabin assured him.

"We have randomly picked who chooses first," Nik stated. "Matt, choose your Pokemon!"

"I choose Garchomp!" he shouted. Gible's ultimate form thundered onto the field, which was now completely fixed from the last battle.

"Sableye," Sabin called blandly. The eerie ghost Pokemon stalked onto the field.

"Garchomp versus Sableye!" Nik announced. "Begin!"

"Physical attacks won't work on a Ghost-type Pokemon," Matt deduced. "Use Dragon Pulse!" Garchomp shot a large beam of Dragon energy at Sableye. Sableye stood there, awaiting an order from Sabin, but an order never came. Instead, Sableye was forced to take the full brunt of Garchomp's Dragon Pulse. The immense power of the move made Sableye faint instantly.

"Sableye is unable to battle!" Nik declared. "Garchomp wins!"

"What's the matter?" Matt asked. "You had ample time to dodge that attack."

"Whatever," Sabin said. "Since I'm going to obviously lose, I forfeit. I just want to go home to my country."

"Are you sure you want to forfeit?" Nik asked him.

"Yes," Sabin said. "I want to go home."

"Okay, then," Nik said, shrugging his shoulders. "Sabin has forfeited the match! Therefore, Matt wins by default and advances to the second round!" Cheers were accompanied by groans this time as Sabin walked out of the arena. He left for his home country, and no one ever heard from him again.

Matt walked back up to the competitor's seats, where everyone was waiting for him.

"That was boring," Atticus said, scoffing. "You better be ready for the next round! I'll crush you!"

"We'll see," Matt said. "I'm more than ready to take you on!"

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 66: Time to Shine

"Well," Nik said, trying to hurry along. "That was...interesting. Let's hurry along to the next battle, shall we?" The screen came up once again and flicked through the pictures. Marty noticed that the pictures of the people who had already battled were gone. This made it easier for them to pick better matches, but it was also a bit unsettling for some odd reason. Just then, the two contenders came up on the screen, and Marty gasped.

"Caroline and Taylor!" Nik announced. "Come on down!"

Taylor got up to go, but Marty stopped her. "Good luck," he said.

"Thanks," she said back, smiling. They hugged quickly.

"This is your time to shine," Marty told her. "Make it count."

"I definitely will," she assured him. She walked down and prepared herself for battle. Caroline came down at the same time, and everyone cheered. None cheered louder than Otso, though. Other than himself, Caroline was the last member of FSM in the tournament.

"Caroline will choose her Pokemon first!" Nik dictated.

"Gladly," Caroline said with a confident smirk. "Go, Politoed!" The alternate evolution of Poliwhirl came onto the field.

"Venusaur!" Taylor shouted. Her once-orphaned Venusaur charged onto the field.

"Politoed versus Venusaur!" Nik shouted. "Begin!"

"Politoed, let's start things off with an Ice Punch!" Caroline ordered. Politoed rushed towards Venusaur with its ice-encased fist.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Taylor said. "Venusaur, Razor Leaf." Venusaur shot a flurry of sharp leaves at Politoed, who had to stop its attack to avoid being cut.

"Now Vine Whip!" Taylor said. Venusaur used vines coming out of the flower on its back to beat Politoed. Eventually, Politoed gave up and fainted.

"Politoed is unable to battle!" Nik declared. "Venusaur wins!"

"Way to go, Venusaur!" Taylor encouraged.

Up in the stands, Marty and Otso were both clutching the railing and screaming their heads off for two different reasons.

"Way to go, Taylor!" Marty shouted. "Keep it up!"

"C'mon, Caroline!" Otso cried. "Show this girl what you can do!"

Down in the stands, Caroline was beginning to get frustrated. "Ugh! Go, Gliscor!" Gligar's evolved form came out as instructed.

"Gliscor versus Venusaur!" Nik announced. "Begin!"

"Gliscor, Fire Fang!" Caroline shouted. Gliscor charged at Venusaur with blinding speed and bit it with its fangs wrapped in flames. Venusaur writhed in agony and collapsed from the pain of the burn.

"Venusaur is unable to battle!" Nik ruled. "Gliscor wins!"

Up in the stands, Otso and Marty's roles reversed.

"Yeah, Caroline!" Otso screamed. "Don't stop!"

"Taylor!" Marty cried. "You can still definitely win! Make a good choice!"

"I choose Aggron!" Taylor declared. The huge Steel Pokemon crashed onto the field, much to the surprise of everyone.

"Gliscor versus Aggron!" Nik announced. "Begin!"

"Aggron, use Stone Edge!" Taylor ordered. Aggron used its power to make stones rise from the ground at a high speed. The stones struck Gliscor repeatedly, knocking it to the ground.

"Now, Stomp!" Taylor shouted. Aggron took its massive foot up in the air and stomped right on Gliscor with all its force. Gliscor fell unconscious, seemingly broken.

"Gliscor is unable to battle!" Nik deduced. "Aggron wins!"

"Holy crap!" Otso cried. "What just happened?"

"Taylor's kicking butt, that's what happened!" Marty shouted at him.

Caroline was out of ideas. She had to use her next Pokemon. "Shuckle!" she cried. Caroline's very first Pokemon came out.

"Shuckle versus Aggron!" Nik shouted. "Begin!"

"Aggron, Earthquake!" Taylor ordered, hoping for a quick finish. Aggron stomped on the ground and caused an earthquake to rock the whole building.

"Shuckle, Withdraw!" Caroline pleaded. Shuckle withdrew into its shell and bounced around with the earthquake.

"Hyper Beam!" Taylor shouted through the midst of the earthquake. Aggron shot a huge beam of orange energy at Shuckle, which completely enveloped it. When everything was clear, Shuckle was knocked out.

"Shuckle is unable to battle!" Nik ruled. "Aggron wins! The winner of the match is Taylor!" The crowd cheered for Taylor, save for Otso, who was upset.

"That was a good match!" Taylor said to Caroline. "Thanks!"

"It was okay," Caroline said flatly. "I wish it would've gone better."

"Are you kidding?" Taylor asked. "That was the best battle I've had in a long time! Most people don't get past Venusaur!"

"Then I guess I did pretty well," Caroline smiled. "Thanks for the great battle!" The two of them shook hands and went back up to the stands.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 67: Nice to See You Again (2nd and 3rd Iterations)

"Another great battle!" Nik stated. "We're almost halfway there! Now let's see who's next!" The screen flicked on again and cycled through pictures. Eventually Nebu's picture came up, along with someone very familiar to her.

"Ben!" Nebu gasped.

The boy that had been sitting behind everyone stood up and waved at her. "Hey, Nebu!" he said. "Long time no see!"

"I'll say!" Nebu said. "It's been, what, two years?"

"Yep!" Ben said, still smiling. "I finally finished all of my mission work, and I decided to come to Terrari. I went around and fought the eight gyms, won, and here I am!"

"But," Nebu stuttered, "to have to fight you so early on really sucks."

"Yeah," Ben said, his smile faltering a little. "Let's try to have fun, though, like we always used to."

"For sure," she said, giving him a hug. "It's good to see you again, Ben."

"Same to you," he said back. "Good to see you too, Marty."

"Thanks!" Marty said, smiling. "It's been a while."

Nebu and Ben went down their respective sides to start the battle.

Everyone was very perplexed. Finally, Stepney spoke up. "Who was that?" he asked. "How do you guys know him?"

"That's Ben," Roz told them. "He used to live in Ecruteak City with Marty, Nebu, and I. He left two years ago to do some mission work. We haven't seen him since. Before today, that is."

"What a crappy way to reunite," Jordan said glumly.

"Yes," Roz said, chuckling. "I suppose so."

"Why are you laughing?" Davy asked her.

"You'll see," Roz assured him.
 
Down on the arena floor, Nebu and Ben had taken their respective sides. Nebu pointed at Ben and said, "I kept up the first part of my promise, and now I'll keep the second part! Don't you dare go easy on me!"

"We'll see," Ben said. "I know you can do it, but I won't make it easy!"

"Nebu will choose her Pokemon first!" Nik shouted.

"Okay, let's get started!" Nebu shouted, excited. "Go, Scolipede!" The large centipede Pokemon rolled onto the field.

"Let's make this interesting," Ben said. "I choose Kricketune!"

"Scolipede versus Kricketune!" Nik confirmed. "Begin!"

"Scolipede, Rollout!" Nebu called. Scolipede curled up into a ball and rolled towards Kricketune at a high speed.

"Kricketune, jump and use Slash!" Ben called. Kricketune hopped into the air as instructed. Scolipede passed right under Kricketune. As Scolipede was directly underneath Kricketune, it used its sword-shaped hands to Slash Scolipede, slightly damaging it. Scolipede stopped and uncurled itself. It had some scratches on it and was fairly damaged.

Nebu growled. "Scolipede, Rollout at full power!" Scolipede instantly curled up and raced towards Kricketune. It was going so fast that a trail of wind was forming behind it.

"X-Scissor!" Ben ordered. Kricketune raised both of its arms in an "X" and slashed as soon as Scolipede got in range. Scolipede instantly stopped and crumbled.

"Scolipede is unable to battle!" Nik ruled. "Kricketune wins!"

Nebu screamed in frustration as she withdrew Scolipede. "Typhosion!" she cried. Cyndaquil's ultimate form came out onto the field.

"Typhlosion versus Kricketune!" Nik announced. "Begin!"

"Eruption!" Nebu yelled. Suddenly, Typhlosion commanded a huge wall of flame to pop out of the ground right under Kricketune, which was burnt to a crisp.

"Kricketune is unable to battle!" Nik declared. "Typhlosion wins!"

Everyone was shocked. No one had ever seen Nebu angry before, not even Marty or Roz. She seemed to be a completely different person from the one they knew.

Even Ben was flabbergasted. "Wow," he uttered, speechless. "That was intense. I'll keep things going with Gigalith!" The ultimate evolution of Roggenrola crashed onto the field.

"Typhlosion versus Gigalith!" Nik announced. "Begin!"

"Gigalith, Earthquake!" Ben shouted. Gigalith stomped on the ground with a great force. A huge shock wave spread across the field and blew Typhlosion back. Typhlosion was injured, but otherwise okay.

"Typhlosion, Focus Blast!" Nebu ordered. Typhlosion focused all of its energy into one single attack and launched it at Gigalith with an incredible speed. Gigalith took the full brunt of the attack and crashed onto the ground, knocked out.

"Gigalith is unable to battle!" Nik ruled. "Typhlosion wins!"

"Why are you so angry, Nebu?" Ben asked. "I've never seen you like this before."

"I..." Nebu began, but then she stopped because she had to think about why she was so angry in the first place. She knew she had to fulfill her promise, but what was that promise? She instantly thought back to two years ago, back when they all lived in Ecruteak City.

...FLASHBACK...

It was a foggy day in Ecruteak City. One couldn't even see the top of the Bell Tower from the ground. There was a boy passing through on an adventure with his Pokemon, looking to challenge the Gym Leader, Morty. He looked familiar to Nebu, but she just couldn't place it. She was outside playing with Marty when she saw the boy walk up to her house and knock on the door. The door opened up and revealed Nebu's brother and sister, who were taking care of her whilst their parents were away on their own adventures. The two siblings saw the boy and gave him a big hug. They talked for a while, then the two of them ushered the boy in. Nebu and Marty both walked over to the house and saw them through the window, still talking. They walked inside and caught up on the conversation.

"Nebu," said her sister, "you remember Gold, right?"

Gold...so that was his name. Nebu sort of remembered him, but she didn't know exactly where she would remember him from.

"She probably doesn't," her brother reminded her sister. "She was awfully young."

"That's okay," Gold said. "Anyway, I hope the two of you will consider my offer. I'm planning on leaving Ecruteak tonight." And with that, Gold walked out of the house.

"What was that all about?" Nebu asked her siblings?

"Oh, nothing," her sister said, smiling. "You'll see later."

And Nebu did see later. The next morning, in fact, when her brother and sister were nowhere to be found. After investigating for a while, she found out that they had left the night before with Gold to go on their own adventure, just like their parents. Nebu began to cry and ran home. She cried herself to sleep that afternoon in her own bed. She awoke the next morning to see Roz standing over her.

"You poor thing," she said, tears streaming down her face. "Come with me, okay?" Roz took Nebu to her house, where she gave Nebu her very own room.

"You're staying here with me until your parents come home," Roz told her. "I promise that I'll never leave you." Nebu ran up to her and gave her a big hug. They stood there and cried for a while.

...NOW...

"I was just reminded of my past," Nebu told him. "Right around the time you left." Then she began to think about the day Ben had left her.

...FLASHBACK...

Nebu and Roz had been living together for a year now. Neither Nebu's parents nor her siblings had ever come back to her yet. Nebu thought about them every day, but realized that she was growing up and didn't really need them anymore. Plus, Roz had taken such good care of her over the past year that Nebu considered her to be a motherly figure.

The two of them were happy together, and that was all that mattered to either of them. They kept in touch with their friends on NSM, which Roz had introduced Nebu to, as well as keeping relations with Marty and Ben, who lived on either side of them. One day, they were all playing together when Ben broke the awful news to them.

"Guys," he said. "I'm leaving for a while."

Nebu was shocked. "You're leaving?"

"Yes," Ben confirmed. "For two years. My religion requires it. I leave for Sinnoh tomorrow to get my Pokemon that will accompany me on my mission trip. It's unlikely that I'll be back here for quite some time."

"Don't go," Marty pleaded. "We need you."

"You guys will do just fine without me," he assured them. "You'll all see me again eventually. Who knows? You might get Pokemon of your own and go on your own adventure. Maybe we'll run into each other then!"

"You bet we will!" Nebu shouted. "I promise that I'll become a Pokemon Trainer, and that I'll beat you in a battle when we all see you again!"

Ben laughed. "Well, I'll hold you to that! Let's just enjoy our time together for now." The four of them enjoyed their last day together until Ben had to leave.

...NOW...

"I remember how sad I was that you were leaving, too," Nebu said. "Just a couple days after you left, we received the offer to come here. I couldn't turn it down because I knew it was how I would fulfill my promise to you."

"Now here we are," Ben smiled. "You've grown so much."

"I'll show you just how much I've grown!" Nebu assured him.

"We'll see!" Ben challenged. "Bibarel!" The dopey-looking evolution of Bidoof plopped onto the field.

"Typhlosion versus Bibarel!" Nik shouted. "Begin!"

"Focus Blast!" Nebu cried. Typhlosion readied another attack, hoping to easily take down Bibarel.

"Surf!" Ben ordered. Bibarel instantly called up a huge wave of water which rushed towards Typhlosion. Typhlosion was soaked in water and couldn't move.

"Typhlosion is unable to battle!" Nik declared. "Bibarel wins!"

"Ha!" Ben laughed. "Now what will you do?"

"You'll see!" Nebu said with a smirk. "I choose Drifblim!" Nebu's favorite Pokemon came out.

"Drifblim versus Bibarel!" Nik announced. "Begin!"

"Drifblim, Retaliate!" Nebu ordered. Drifblim struck Bibarel in vengeance for what it had done to Typhlosion. Bibarel was knocked backwards into the wall.

"Surf!" Ben shouted again. Bibarel forced another wave across the field.

"Explosion!" Nebu cried. Drifblim focused every last bit of its power into a single point in its body and let it all out at once. The result was a large explosion which forced Bibarel's Surf attack back onto it, washing it up. Bibarel fell unconscious, but Drifblim also seemed to be knocked out.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle!" Nik declared.

"Wait, Nik!" Nebu begged. "Watch this." She looked out at Drifblim. "Get up, Drifblim!" Drifblim twitched a few times, then slowly began to rise up. It looked to be on the verge of fainting, but it was still okay.

"Drifblim is still able to battle!" Nik shouted, shocked. "That means the winner is Nebu!" The crowd went crazy for Nebu as she withdrew her Drifblim.

"How did you do that?" Ben asked her. "I've never seen a Pokemon get up from an Explosion attack!"

"I used Battle Link at the last second to tell Drifblim to save just enough power to keep itself going," Nebu explained. "It worked quite well, actually."

"It sure did," Ben agreed. "Well done! I knew you could do it."

"Thanks, Ben," Nebu said, smiling. "I'm glad to have finally met my goal." The two of them shook hands and went back into their separate corners. While Nebu was taking the stairs up to the competitor's stands, she was stopped by an older couple, a man and a woman.

"Great job, honey!" the woman said.

"We're so proud of you," the man added.

"Mom?" Nebu asked. "Dad?" The couple nodded their heads at the same time and extended their arms to greet her. Nebu ran into their arms and they hugged for a long time.

"I missed you so much," Nebu said, starting to cry.

"We missed you, too," her mother said. "We never should have left."

"Can you ever forgive us?" her father asked.

"Of course," Nebu said, tears streaming down her face. They stood there on the stairwell for a while. Eventually, Nebu let go.

"I have to go now," she said. "They won't start until I'm in my seat."

"Of course," her father said. "Good luck with the rest of the tournament!"

"We'll be in the stands cheering for you!" her mother assured her.

"Thank you," she said, smiling. "I love you guys." She ran up the stairs to get back to her seat.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 68: Cool versus Calm

Nebu walked up and was going to take her seat in between Marty and Roz, but she found that it had been taken by Kelsey.

"Sorry," he said. "I'll get up."

"No, don't worry about it," she told him. She walked over to the empty seat next to Jordan and sat down.

"Hey," he said, smiling. "You were amazing out there."

"Thanks," she said. They sat together in an awkward silence.

"Now that everyone is situated, we may begin the next match!" Nik shouted excitedly. "Let's go to the board again!" Everyone looked at the board as it flicked around the names again. Eventually, two more names came up.

"Rozalie and Mae!" Nik announced. "Come on down!"

Roz looked over at her opponent, Mae. She tried her best to keep a complete poker face. It seemed that Mae was doing the same.

"Good luck," Roz said coolly.

"Same to you," Mae said calmly. The two of them walked down to the arena and took their respective sides.

"Roz will choose her first Pokemon!" Nik declared.

"I choose Breloom," Roz decided. Shroomish's evolved form popped out.

"Then I'll choose Darmanitan," Mae stated. The evolved form of Darumaka came out.

"Breloom versus Darmanitan!" Nik shouted. "Begin!"

"Breloom, Mach Punch," Roz ordered. Breloom was instantly at Darmanitan with a fist planted firmly in its face, but Darmanitan seemed to be unfazed.

"Flame Charge," Mae said. Darmanitan covered itself in flames and charged straight into Breloom, heavily damaging it. Breloom fell backwards, covered in burn marks.

"I don't know what Roz can do here," Nebu said. "She has an awful type disadvantage to work with."

"She'll think of something," Marty assured her. "You know how she works better than anyone here."

Roz stood there silently, thinking of a plan. Nothing came. Roz was mortified. She always had a plan. There was just nothing she could do with Breloom.

"I'll wrap this up, then," Mae said. "Flamethrower." Darmanitan shot a huge stream of fire directly at Breloom, burning it to a crisp. Breloom fell over, unconscious.

"Breloom is unable to battle!" Nik declared. "Darmanitan wins!"

"That was easier than I thought," Mae said, seemingly bored. "I thought you were supposed to be one of the tougher ones in your group."

"You'll see how tough I can be," Roz said to her calmly.

Up in the stands, Kelsey looked slightly worried. "Roz is awfully calm for being behind in this battle."

"That's just the way she is," Marty told him. "Always the cool and collected one. Always the voice of reason. I've only ever seen her get angry once since I've known her, and that was when we met Mike for the first time in Smogoff City."

"Mae seems just as calm, though," Taylor said. "You'd think she'd be celebrating a little bit."

"Mae's never been one for overexpression," Jari told her. "She wants to appear cold and sadistic on the outside because it's a good scare tactic."

"Funny how they got picked to battle each other," Eric noted.

"I agree," Marty said. "Some of these battles don't seem as random as we're being led to believe." Jari looked away quickly.

Down on the arena, Roz had sent out her Nidoking to combat Darmanitan. "Earthquake!" she ordered. Nidoking lifted its foot and stomped the ground hard. The shockwaves quickly traveled over to Darmanitan and injured it.

"Darmanitan, Flame Charge!" Mae called. Darmanitan covered itself in flames once again and ran straight at Nidoking.

"You fell for it," Roz said. "Focus Punch, Nidoking." Just as soon as Darmanitan was in range, Nidoking swung its fist with an unprecedented might. Darmanitan flew back, fainted.

"Darmanitan is unable to battle!" Nik shouted. "Nidoking wins!"

"How in the world did you do that?" Mae asked Roz.

"Simple," Roz said. "Through intensive training with all six of my Pokemon, I can give them commands without having to say a word. As soon as Nidoking finished the Earthquake, I silently told it to ready a Focus Punch, since I figured you would charge straight at me."

Mae's face started to turn red. "Impressive," she said, smirking. "But, it won't be enough to save you! Absol!" The majestic disaster Pokemon leapt into battle.

"Nidoking versus Absol!" Nik announced. "Begin!"

"Absol, ready a Razor Wind!" Mae ordered. A sharp whirlwind started forming around Absol.

"Ready another Focus Punch," Roz told Nidoking. Nidoking's fist started to glow with a white energy. The two Pokemon stood in their spots for a while, letting their attacks grow stronger and stronger.

Finally, Mae had had enough waiting around. "Now, Absol!" Absol released a huge blast of sharp wind straight towards Nidoking.

"Throw it back with sheer force!" Roz cried. Nidoking reared back and punched the incoming blade of wind with a giant force. The arc of wind completely changed direction and hit Absol directly. Absol went flying and crashed into the wall.

"Absol is unable to battle!" Nik cried with excitement. "Nidoking wins!"

Mae was starting to show visible anger by this point. "It appears I have grossly underestimated you," she said, scowling. "I'll end this quickly. Go, Samurott!" The large otter Pokemon crashed onto the field.

"That's Mae's signature Pokemon," Jari noted. "She's getting serious at this point."

"And right now, Roz doesn't really have anything to counter a Water type," Nebu said glumly.

"Samurott, Surf!" Mae cried. A huge wave of water washed up the arena. Nidoking was swallowed up and tossed around. When the waves disappeared, Nidoking was unable to move.

"Nidoking is unable to battle! Samurott wins!" Nik announced.

Roz smiled a little, even though she was in a bit of a pickle.

Mae noticed Roz's smirk. "What are you smiling about?" she demanded.

"Because of this," Roz said, throwing out a Poke Ball. Out of the ball emerged Roz's favorite Pokemon, Charizard.

Everyone in the stands gasped.

"What is she thinking?!" Kelsey cried. "It's like she's just giving up!"

Marty laughed. "That's just like her. She always relies on Charizard to get things done."

"Charizard versus Samurott!" Nik shouted. "Begin!"

"You've got to be kidding!" Mae shouted. "Samurott, use Hydro Pump!" Samurott shot a large stream of water straight at Charizard.

"Fly up!" Roz ordered quickly. Charizard did as instructed instantly, causing Samurott's attack to miss.

"Now, grab it and use Seismic Toss!" Roz exclaimed. Charizard dive bombed into Samurott, grabbed it with its arms, and flew into the air. Charizard flew higher and higher until it could go no further. Once it had reached its highest point, it began to fly in a circle numerous times. Once it had finished doing that, it dive bombed straight down to the arena floor. Once they were close enough, Charizard dropped Samurott and righted itself. Samurott, being unable to fly, crashed straight into the ground, leaving a huge crater.

"Samurott is unable to battle!" Nik exclaimed. "Charizard wins! The winner is Rozalie!"

The crowd roared as both competitors withdrew their Pokemon. Roz walked over to Mae.

"That was a good match," she said. "Thanks for giving me a challenge."

"Anytime," Mae said, regaining her composure. "Good luck with the rest of the tournament!"

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 69: Some Odd Shenanigans

"What a great battle by both Rozalie and Mae!" Nik exclaimed. "These battles continue to impress us all! Now let's move on to the next match!" Everyone turned their attention to the screen once again as it cycled through names and faces once again. Finally, they both stopped. One of the spaces had a picture of a black silhouette, just like when Alan had come out to battle.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it appears we have another battle with an Elite Four member!" Nik cried out, excited. "Will the challenger, Gregory, please come down to the arena?"

Gregory jumped up out of his seat. "Wish me luck, guys!" he said cheerfully as he left the competitor's seats.

"He seems pretty excited," Kelsey noted. "Hopefully this will be a good battle!"

"I don't think I've ever seen Gregory battle," Marty said.

"He never really gets the opportunity to, does he?" Taylor noted. "This should be a rare treat for all of us."

Gregory made it down to the arena floor as Nik was beginning to introduce the Elite Four member coming out to battle.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Nik called. "You know him, you love him, let's hear it for the number two ranked Elite Four member, Joel!" Roars came from the crowd as a boy came out to the arena. He wore a black jacket with a white t-shirt underneath and jeans. He walked past his spot, to the center of the arena.

"Thank you for coming out, everyone!" Joel called to his audience. "Unfortunately, I am withdrawing from this battle for classified reasons!" He turned and walked out of the arena, leaving the crowd stunned and silent.

Nik finally broke the silence. "Well then, Gregory, I guess you don't have to battle today! Lucky you!"

"Dang it!" Gregory cried as he trudged back to his seat.

"Well, that was odd," Marty said. As he said this, Jari got up and walked out of the stands.

"So was that," Kelsey noted. "Does anyone else think that Jari has been acting a little strange today?"

"I was feeling that," Eric agreed. "I can't put my finger on what it is, though."

Down in the arena, Nik was trying to calm the crowd down. "I know this is disappointing, folks, but bear with us! Since this would be the halfway point of the day, we're going to take an intermission at this point. We will continue the first round battles in one hour! Until then, please feel free to roam around!" People began to get up from their seats and shuffle around.

"I don't know about you guys," Marty said, "but I feel like a power nap is in order."

"Agreed," Taylor said. "Let's go to our rooms." So the competitors left the arena and returned to their rooms.

...MEANWHILE...

Jari had gotten off the elevator on the ninth floor of the Maron Building, where the tournament was being held. The Maron Building was home to many things that kept the Terrari Region running. Jari headed straight into the office that was dealing with the tournament. There was just one room to this office, and there were only two people there, a young man and a young woman.

"Jari," said the young man. "Good to see you."

"Hello, Henry," Jari greeted.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Jari, my name is not Henry!" he said. "It's-

"Whatever, Henry," Jari dismissed. "And good afternoon to you, Jordan."

"Hey," the woman said.

"What are you doing here?" Henry asked.

"I've come to ask you what the hell you think you're doing," Jari said.

"Pretty rude," Jordan huffed.

"The competitors are starting to catch on to this little game," Jari told them. "And who told you that you could force an Elite Four member to forfeit a match?"

"We didn't have enough data on Gregory," Henry explained. "We wanted to make sure he was in the running to face, 'him'."

"And you think he'll make it that far?" Jari questioned.

"It's possible, considering the limited data we have on him," Henry answered. "But our bets right now are on Marty or Alan."

"Of course," Jordan said, "they fight each other in the next round, since we set it up a little odd."

"Is there anyone else that could face him before the finals?" Jari asked.

"If we had to pick anybody, it'd have to be Mike," Jordan said, pushing her hair back behind her ears. "If your intel is correct, and 'he' is here, we need to get rid of him as soon as possible."

"Our intel can't be confirmed until he reveals himself," Jari reminded her. "We can't risk attacking an innocent at a globally televised event."

"Well, he better decide to reveal himself before the finals," Henry said ominously.

"Agreed," Jordan said. "For all our sakes."

"I better get going," Jari said. "Thank you guys for helping me out with this." With that, Jari turned around and left the office.

...MEANWHILE...

"Something weird is going on here," Marty said to the others as they headed for their rooms.

"Definitely," Atticus agreed. "These battles almost seem staged somehow."

"And why would that Elite Four member just decide to forfeit without even battling?" Stepney wondered.

"I think Jari has something to do with this," Jordan admitted. "He must know something that the rest of us don't."

"Well, we can't very well just ask him about it," Nebu asked. "He'll just get defensive."

"If he wanted you all to know, he'd tell you," Mae said grumpily as she slammed the door to her room behind her.

"Don't people have to be out of these rooms after they lose?" Taylor asked.

"I don't think that was ever established," Ben said. "I'm fine with that because I could use a nice bed right about now." He ran to his room and shut the door.

"We can figure all this out later," Marty said to the rest of them. "Let's just get a quick nap in." Everyone went to their rooms and took a quick nap during the intermission. Jordan was about to walk into his room when Nebu stopped him.

"I need to talk to you. Now."

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 70: A Bewitching Blunder

After the intermission, the competitors slowly shuffled back to their seats, as did the spectators. Nik was back in his place, getting the crowd ready for the next battle.

"Are you guys ready for this second half?" he asked. Numerous cheers from the crowd indicated that they were ready to begin. "Let's get to it, then! If you could all turn your attention to the screen again, please!" The screen switched on and settled on two more names.
"Stepney and Mobo!" Nik shouted excitedly. "Come on down!"

"Good luck, Stepney!" Roz called after him. "Don't you dare lose!"

"And don't let Mobo forfeit," Gregory muttered under his breath, still upset.

"I'll do my best!" Stepney assured them as he bounded down to the arena. Mobo was already down there waiting for him.

"It's useless for you to fight me!" he taunted. "I already know all about you!"

"Dude," Stepney replied. "That's creepy."

"Stepney!" Nik began. "Choose your first Pokemon!"

"Sure thing!" Stepney cried. "Go, Swampert! Let's get this battle going!" Swampert leapt into the field, jittering with action.

Mobo smirked. "Hah! A starter Pokemon? Figures." he reached behind him and pulled out what appeared to be a Heavy Ball. "Go, Rhyperior!" The enormous rock type lunged into battle, its heavy presence creating a small dust cloud at its feet. Sadly, Mobo's ego overtook his knowledge that he was at a type disadvantage.

Nik took note of the Pokemon on the field and shouted, "Swampert versus Rhyperior! Begin!"

Mobo acted first, with a dignified gleam in his eye, calling out to his Rhyperior with a heated passion in his voice. NOTHING would lose him this battle. Nothing. "Rhyperior, use Megahorn!"

Rhyperior ran towards its foe, the horn atop its head beginning to glow and spin with an illuminating light. Stepney was purposely allowing his opponent to get close, as his plan required a close range target to be effective. Mobo's Rhyperior got closer and closer, until it eventually got within an arm's length of Stepney's Swampert, when Stepney called out a command: "Swampert, deflect it with a close-range Brick Break!"

Like a scene out of a Karate movie, Swampert moved as if in slow motion, from all four legs planted on the ground, spinning several times before kicking Rhyperior square in the chest, sending it flying back to its corner of the stadium, landing on its back.

Mobo knew his strongest Pokemon wouldn't be taken down so easily, as all the attention of the crowd slowly turned to Rhyperior as it struggled to pull itself off of the ground. The move had been super effective, dealing quite a large amount of damage to the lumbering rock-type. "Rhyperior, bring it back together with your Stone Edge!" Mobo cried.

Rhyperior raised its stubby leg as high as it could, and quickly slammed it into the ground, sending a wave of energy towards Swampert. The energy transferred through the ground, ripping up pieces of the stadium right and left, creating large stalagmites that were sharp enough to do serious damage.

Stepney cringed. He hadn't anticipated having many obstacles within the battle, so he contemplated a way to maneuver around them, or even better, destroy them. "Swampert, try to crush those stalagmites with brick break! And hit Rhyperior with Giga Impact!" Rhyperior couldn't have much left in him, Stepney thought. Giga Impact should be just enough to oust the beast.

Swampert ejected from its place in the stadium like an air pilot from a burning fighter jet- fast. Seeming to bounce from obstacle to obstacle, Swampert destroyed every stalagmite it touched on its path to Rhyperior. Rhyperior began a charge towards Swampert before it could reach the final rocky spike in the ground.

"Rhyperior, give it a taste of its own medicine!" Mobo cried. "Let's show 'em how to really fight!" Pointing his finger towards the final stalagmite, his Rhyperior picked up on the plan immediately and seized the giant pinnacle from the ground. "Now, Rhyperior, use Rock Wrecker!" The Pokemon swiftly obeyed, swinging the giant mass of land in the direction of the oncoming Swampert.

"Swampert!" Stepney cried, a slight worry in his voice. "Use your Giga Impact to break through!" confident, the water-and-ground-type lifted off once again, headed straight for an impact with Rhyperior's newfound batting device.

The bat fashioned from the stalagmite split into many pieces, flying all around the arena and causing damage to both Pokemon. Swampert's head took the majority of the damage, having cracked the rock with Giga impact. Mobo saw his chance. "It's weak, Rhyperior! Finish this with Fire Blast!" He knew the move wouldn't be very effective, but there was hardly a chance it would survive another blow.

Stepney knew Swampert was down for the count, but he had to make the most of it... "Swampert, try to protect yourself by using Muddy Water!" Lying on the rough dirt stadium floor, Swampert turned to face Rhyperior, who began to produce flames out of its mouth, and shot out a horridly brown-colored water, hoping to douse the flames and escape defeat. Smoke covered the two Pokemon as Swampert continued in its struggle to escape. Suddenly, movement ceased, and Rhyperior was left standing victorious over Swampert. Wet, but still victorious.

Stepney took no time in strategizing. Quickly, he called Swampert back, replacing it for his anxious Weavile.

"Weavile versus Rhyperior!" Nik cried. "Begin!"

"Weavile, get him with a nice ice beam!" Stepney cried. The dark colored weasel-like Pokemon sprung out of its Poke Ball with a powerful ice orb glowing from its mouth, sending it flying towards the wet Rhyperior. The humongous Pokemon was frozen solid. Mobo shuddered. "Now, finish it off with Shadow Ball!" commanded Stepney.

The dark-and-ice-type sped off in Rhyperior's direction, which could do nothing to stop the advancing threat. Summoning a large orb of energy from what appeared to be the great beyond, Weavile threw the mass of dark energy at the frozen Pokemon, shattering the ice and leaving Rhyperior unconscious.

"Rhyperior is unable to battle!" Nik called. "Mobo, choose your next Pokemon!"

"Go, Liepard!" Mobo shouted as the leopard Pokemon crawled out of its Poke Ball with a prowess-like manner. "Sucker Punch this nut job!" Quickly, the purple feline raced towards its opponent, it's paws glowing as it bounded over the stadium ground.

Stepney's Weavile stared at the oncoming target. He couldn't attack with Dark type moves because they would be little effective, but Stepney had little to choose from, hesitantly shouting, "Weavile, give it a Dark Pulse!" Weavile placed its hand on the ground and closed its eye, as if it was sending a signal into the ground. Suddenly, a great black spot appeared on the stadium and shot out towards the bounding Liepard. Separating into multiple speeding factions, the attack hit the Pokemon on three sides, knocking it to the ground, causing its attack to fail.

"Liepard!" Mobo scolded. "Get back here and let's try that again!" Liepard's ear twitched. That was the secret phrase.

Stepney wasn't ready to let Liepard just mosey on back to its trainer yet- Weavile lunged at the slow-moving beast, preparing to launch a fully charged ice beam attack.

"Liepard, now!" Mobo cried, smug to himself. His Pokemon whipped around, staring Weavile straight in the face and bared its teeth in anger. As the ice beam attack slowly came closer to Liepard, it brought to its face a glowing paw-Sucker Punch- to block the attack. Impossible. With a deafening BOOM, smoke covered Liepard as well as most of Mobo's side of the stadium. When the smoke cleared, Liepard had disappeared. Gone, completely.

A silence befell the crowd. "Where do you think it went?!" Jordan cried.

"There's no way to explain what just happened," Marty replied. "I don't even know what to say."

"I hope Liepard is alright," Eric said.

Just then, Mobo looked up to the sky and brought his hands above his head. Pointing them straight at Weavile, Mobo dove into the depths of his diaphragm and let out a deafening battle cry, "GOOOOOOO!" Both Weavile  and Stepney looked harried, nervously awaiting a surprise attack from all sides, which is exactly what they got.

Without warning, Liepard suddenly reappeared from its unknown place of hiding and struck at Weavile, a perfect execution of Fake-Out. Weavile was struck aback and left paralyzed. Mobo smirked again. "Let's finish this and get you rested, Liepard. U-Turn!"

"NOOOOOOOO!" Kelsey cried in anguish. "Gosh, what an idiotic move! Doesn't he know that will disqualify him from the match?!"

Nebu looked at him funny. "Wait, what are you talking about?" Everyone seemed to nod in agreement, noticing a lack of common knowledge.

"Don't you guys remember? Nik said it at the very beginning of the tournament!" Kelsey explained. "'There will be no substitutions' he said. Didn't any of you read Chapter 62?" Thinking back, some heads shook, some nodded, and others dozed off. Kelsey, distraught, sighed, "Oh, just watch, you'll see."

Picking up where we left off, Liepard dashed from its place by Mobo and ran towards the paralyzed Weavile. It forcefully pounced on the ice-type and knocked it out before hurriedly flipping back to its trainer and re-entering it's Poke Ball.

Nik's eyes almost fell out of their sockets, unable to take in what he had just seen. "Go, Accelgor!" Mobo cried, but he didn't have long before Nik stepped in. Even Stepney knew what had happened.

"STOP!" Nik came over on the intercom. "The battle is over. Mobo has been disqualified for substituting his Pokemon against tournament rules."

The crowd  as a whole gasped. Mobo's eyes went almost into the back of his head as he fell to the ground in a faint. "As a result of his disqualification, Mobo has ceded the match to Stepney, the winner! Congratulations!"

Slowly, medics wandered onto the field, picked up Mobo's limp body and carried it off the stadium floor. Gregory snickered.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 71: Sadistic Little Saria

"Well!" Nik gasped. "These last few battles have been...uneventful. Let's see if we can spice things up with this next one!" He turned to the screen, and two names popped up. All eyes immediately turned up to the competitors' seats, and they were fixed on both Jordan and Saria.

"This should be a good one, folks!" Nik said, excited. "Jordan, Saria, come on down!"

"Good luck," Nebu said plainly. Something seemed off about her.

"Um...thanks?" Jordan questioned. He looked somewhat conflicted as he walked down from his seats to the arena.

"What was that about?" Eric whispered over to Kelsey. "Nebu almost seemed mad at Jordan."

"I have no idea," Kelsey whispered back. He turned to Marty. "What do you think?"

"Something's off with her today," Marty admitted. "I'm almost afraid to talk to her about it."

Nebu picked her head up and turned back to face the three boys. She shot them all the dirtiest look anyone had ever seen before.

While this was going on, the two competitors had reached the arena. They stared each other down while Nik rambled off the usual rules.

"Jordan will choose his Pokemon first!" Nik declared. Jordan just sat there, seemingly lost in thought. "Hey, Jordan? Hurry up and send out your Pokemon! Otherwise, you'll time out and forfeit!"

"Huh?" Jordan grunted. "Oh, sorry. I choose Chandelure." He half-heartedly threw out a Poke Ball, and the haunted chandelier Pokemon emerged.

Saria flashed an evil smile on her face. "Go, Quagsire!" The salamander-like Pokemon crashed into the field on its head, but it didn't even seem to care.

"Chandelure versus Quagsire!" Nik announced. "Begin!"

"Quagsire, Surf!" Saria cried. Quagsire summoned a giant wave which was heading straight for Chandelure. Jordan had plenty of time to order Chandelure to dodge the impending wave, but he said nothing. The wave went straight into Chandelure, extinguishing its blue flames and sending it crashing into the wall.

"Chandelure is unable to battle!" Nik ruled. "Quagsire wins!"

The crowd was a mixture of groans and boos as Jordan recalled his Pokemon and quietly searched for another.

"Something's wrong with Jordan," Stepney pointed out. "He's not acting like himself."

"Yeah," Matt agreed. "What's eating him?" Quite a few eyes in the competitor's seats turned to Nebu, who quietly kept her gaze on the battlefield.

"Meganium," Jordan mumbled as his starter Pokemon came out to fight.

"Meganium versus Quagsire!" Nik shouted. "Begin!"

"Razor Leaf," Jordan murmured. Meganium shot a flurry of leaves at Quagsire, which injured it severely due to a huge type disadvantage. The dense Pokemon didn't seem to care, though. It got up, somewhat slowly, and was ready to continue.

"Ice Beam!" Saria growled. Quagsire opened its mouth and shot a beam of frigid energy straight at Meganium. Meganium awaited a dodge order from Jordan. Again, no order came. Meganium, being a stubborn Pokemon by nature, dodged the attack itself and prepared an attack. Soon, Meganium released an extremely fast Solarbeam at Quagsire, which caused it to faint. Even though it had taken sufficient damage, it still looked as carefree as always.

Nik looked surprised. "Quagsire is unable to battle, so Meganium wins!" Even though Jordan had made a comeback, the crowd was still not convinced that he was giving the battle his all.

Saria was not convinced at all either. She saw an oppurtunity mess with her opponent. She flashed another sadistic little smile and began trash-talking Jordan to death. "Hey! I thought you were better than this! Looks to me like you're just a big wimp!"

Marty was starting to get mad. He looked over at Nebu, who still hadn't let her gaze stray from the middle of the arena. Soon, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Hey, Nebu!" he shouted out. "You know something the rest of us don't! Tell us what's going on with you and Jordan!"

Nebu whipped back to face Marty. "It's none of your business! That goes for all of you!"

"Jordan's basically too depressed to even battle right now!" Roz emphasized. "If it wasn't for Meganium being too stubborn to wait for an order, he would only have one Pokemon left! You need to tell us what's going on and reconcile it with him really quick!"

Nebu stared at her friends with a terrible disdain. Then, she suddenly seemed to snap out of whatever funk she was in. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted out to Jordan.

"Jordan!" she cried. "I'm sorry about what happened during the intermission earlier! It's not you, it's me! I'd really like it if we could go on as friends, just like we've always been! Please try to understand!"

The crowd gasped. Jerry buried his face in his hands and muffled a scream while Francois tried to comfort him. Jordan looked up at her for a moment and smiled. He nodded at her, and then looked to Meganium.

"Sorry, Meganium," he said sheepishly. "I haven't been myself during this battle. I'm ready to go now, though, so will you fight with me?" Meganium looked back and nodded.

"So you're back in action?" Saria taunted. "I hope you can do a little better than you've BEEN doing!"

"You know something, Saria?" Jordan decided. "You're kind of a sadistic little girl, aren't you?"

"No you!" Saria shrieked. "Go, Purugly!" The fat cat Pokemon lumbered out onto the field.

"Meganium versus Purugly!" Nik commented. "Begin!"

"Meganium, use Body Slam!" Jordan ordered. Meganium began charging toward Purugly, looking to tackle it.

"Purugly, counter it with Giga Impact!" Saria cried out. Purugly charged straight at Meganium with a powerful purple energy surrounding it. Once the two Pokemon made contact, Purugly won out. Meganium went flying backwards and skidded to a stop, out cold on the arena floor.

"Meganium is unable to battle!" Nik decided. "Purugly wins!"

Jordan called Meganium back and smiled. "Now that I'm back in the fight, I can still take this! I choose Cinccino!" Jordan's first and favorite Pokemon leapt gracefully out from its Poke Ball out to the field.

"Cinccino versus Purugly!" Nik announced. "Begin!"

"Cinccino, use Iron Tail!" Jordan exclaimed. Cinccino's tail was coated with a layer of hard iron. It ran to Purugly and got ready to strike it.

"Purugly, dodge it!" Saria cried. Purugly heard the order, but it couldn't move. It had used too much energy using Giga Impact earlier. Cinccino's tail slapped Purugly straight across the face. Purugly skidded across the ground, looking injured.

"Follow up with Swift!" Jordan ordered, starting to get excited. Cinccino's entire tail began to glow gold and it waved it, firing multiple gold-colored stars from its tail at Purugly. Purugly still wasn't completely recovered from using the Giga Impact, so it couldn't do anything against the barrage of stars hitting it.

"Purugly!" Saria screamed. "Use Slash!" Purugly got up and ran at Cinccino with its claws out, extended fully.

"Stop it with Slam!" Jordan said, elated. Cinccino grabbed Purugly with its hands before it could scratch it and tossed it to the ground. Purugly still got up, not wanting to lose.

Saria was starting to get visibly angry. "Giga Impact!" Purugly was surrounded once again with the purple energy and it rushed at Cinccino.

Cinccino just stood there, knowing what Jordan was about to say next. You could see the smile start to form on both of their faces. Before anyone knew what was happening, both of Cinccino's ears rolled up, first one then the other. It took in a deep breath and shouted loudly. As it shouted, the inside of its mouth glowed white and a beam of wind with turquoise rings inside them came out from Cinccino's mouth and quite literally screamed towards Purugly. The two attacks made contact with a huge explosion that rocked the whole tower. Purugly finally gave out and fainted.

"Purugly is unable to battle!" Nik confirmed. "Cinccino wins!" The crowd roared as Jordan and Cinccino did a little victory dance.

Saria just stood there, looking at the ground. Her hair had gone over her eyes so no one could see them. She didn't move. She didn't say a word. She made no attempt to call out her next Pokemon.

"Hey, Saria!" Nik shouted. "You still have another Pokemon at your disposal. You'd better hurry and get it out before you're disqualified!"

Saria continued to stand there for a few seconds. Finally, she looked up, which moved her hair away from her eyes. Everyone was shocked and disturbed. Saria's eyes had taken on a disturbing red glow.

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice having changed into that of a demon's. "I guess I'm ready to play now, too!" She threw out her third Poke Ball, revealing her signature Lopunny.

Ruto sat up in the stands, shaking her head. "It's been a while since she's gotten like this."

"I haven't seen her do this for a long time," Francois agreed.

Meanwhile, the battle was continuing as scheduled, with Nik announcing the final matchup. "Lopunny versus Cinccino! Begin!"

"Lopunny, Jump Kick!" Saria hissed. Lopunny leapt high into the air and brought its foot down onto Cinccino. Cinccino cried out as it went flying backwards.

"Cinccino!" Jordan cried out. "Tail Slap!" Cinccino's entire tail began to glow white and it hit Lopunny multiple times with it. Lopunny didn't even seem to be fazed by Cinccino's attack.

"Dizzy Punch!" Saria ordered. Lopunny began punching Cinccino with its ears, which had started glowing multiple colors. Cinccino fell back again. It was down on the ground, struggling to get up.

"Is this it?" Roz wondered. "Is Jordan done for?"

Nebu's attitude hadn't really changed until that point. She shouted out one more time. "Jordan! I know you two can win! I believe in you, no matter what!"

Jordan smiled once again down on the arena. "You heard her, Cinccino! You can do it! Let's finish this!" Cinccino stumbled onto its feet, ready for battle.

"Lopunny, let's end it with another Jump Kick!" Saria cried out sadistically. Lopunny jumped into the air again and brought its foot down towards Cinccino.

"Dodge it and use Focus Blast!" Jordan commanded. Cinccino got out of the way of Lopunny's impeding foot. It put its hands together and started gathering a light blue energy. Once the orb was ready, Cinccino shot it straight at Lopunny.

"Lopunny, get out of the way!" Saria screamed. Lopunny tried to move, but it had crashed into the ground and hurt the foot it was going to use to attack Cinccino. It watched helplessly as the Focus Blast hit it square on. A cloud of smoke covered the arena. When it cleared, Lopunny was lying on the ground, knocked out.

"Lopunny is unable to battle!" Nik boomed. "Cinccino wins! The winner is Jordan!" The crowd went nuts as the two competitors withdrew their Pokemon. Jordan walked over to Saria, who had since returned to normal.

"That was a good battle, once I got started!" Jordan admitted. "Thank you!"

Saria looked a little dizzy, as if she didn't know what was going on. "Huh? Oh, it's over? That's too bad. Congratulations!"

Jordan walked out of the arena feeling great about everything again. It didn't matter that he had fought with Nebu earlier. Everything was going to be okay.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 72: Rutatoes

"What a great comeback from Jordan!" Nik cried out with excitement. "These battles are starting to heat up again! Let's move on to the next round!"

The crowd cheered as the screen switched on again, but the competitors were getting restless.

"When is it my turn?" Kelsey groaned.

"Can we leave if we're done?" Marty moaned.

"I'm tired," Stepney mumbled.

"I'm hungry," Matt grumbled.

"I'm bored," Davy rumbled.

"Guys, can you stop whining for just a little longer?" Roz asked them. "As soon as the first round is over, we're done for the day. You guys can eat as much as you want, then get rested for the next day. Just calm yourselves until then, okay?"

With that, all five of the boys slumped back in their chairs and pouted simultaneously.

While this was going on, the battle had already been started. Saria's sister, Ruto, was matched up against Mike, the Terrari champion. The crowd roared as Mike's Volcarona tore through Ruto's Grumpig and Cherrim.

"It looks like our illustrious champion is making quick work of this poor competitor," Nik observed. "He isn't even breaking a sweat!"

Ruto was fuming. How could she lose so early after all the intense training she did?

"Go, Golduck!" she cried out as she threw out her final Pokemon.

"Golduck versus Volcarona!" Nik declared. "Begin!"

"Hydro Pump!" Ruto cried. Golduck immediately shot a powerful stream of water at Volcarona. The attack came too quickly for Mike to react, so Volcarona was hit full force by the attack. Mike's signature Pokemon fell to the ground, out cold.

The crowd was shocked for a moment. Then everyone went crazy. Ruto had succesfully taken out one of Mike's Pokemon!

"Volcarona is unable to battle!" Nik screamed. "Golduck wins! This is incredible, folks! I have never seen Mike fight with Volcarona and lose before! This could get interesting!"

Mike looked a little upset. He pursed his lips together. "Rutato, that wasn't very nice. You took out my favorite Pokemon."

Ruto breathed a sigh of relief and laughed. "Sorry, Mike, but I'm not gonna let you take this match that easily!"

"Fine," Mike groaned playfully. "I'll play along for you, Miss Rutato."

"Are you ever going to stop with that?" Ruto asked, her face turning beet red. "I'm not a little kid anymore!"

"Nope," Mike laughed. "Go, Scrafty!" Mike's second Pokemon sprang out on the field, looking straight-up gangsta.

"Scrafty versus Golduck!" Nik declared. "Begin!"

Mike began his turn with a simple command: "Scrafty! Use Dragon Dance!"

With that, the fighting-type Pokemon he had thrown into the field began to form itself into a ball to charge up energy within. After only a few seconds, Scrafty began to shine a bright red, darker than the color of it's skin already was. Unannounced, the small fighter with baggy pantaloons lurched skyward, throwing it's arms into the air while dispelling a barrage of small flashy lightning bolts. After a spin or two, Mike's Scrafty placed its feet firmly in the direction of it's opponent, looking pumped and ready for action.

"Golduck, use Aqua Tail!" Ruto ordered. A stream of water spiraled around Golduck's tail. It then jumped into the air and fliped around, attempting to hit Scrafty with its tail.

"Dodge, and use Dragon Dance again!" Mike uttered just in time. Scrafty leapt into the air as it had before, red skin and all.

"Don't let up!" Ruto cried. "Use Ice Punch!"  Golduck pulled back one of its fists, which was then surrounded by swirling energy which changed from white to light blue. It then leapt up to its opponent, ready to strike.

Mike didn't even seem fazed. In fact, he appeared to have a smile on his face as he gave Scrafty one more order.

"Scrafty, Drain Punch."

Scrafty's fist became surrounded in a green energy with yellow streaks spiraling around it. It then brought its fist out to meet Golduck's. The impact was intense. Shockwaves rippled throughout the arena. Unfortunately for Golduck, though, Scrafty's Dragon Dancing had made it faster and more powerful. Scrafty's attack quickly connected with Golduck and drained all of its energy. With no will left to fight, Golduck crashed down onto the arena floor.

"Golduck is unable to battle!" Nik decided. "Scrafty wins! The victor is your Champion, Mike!"

The crowd went crazy as the two competitors withdrew their Pokemon. Mike walked over to Ruto and patted her on the shoulder.

"Not bad, Rutato," he mused, pursing his lips again. "Next time, maybe you'll take out two of my Pokemon!"

Ruto just groaned as the Champion walked away chuckling.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 73: Family Matters

Ruto and Mike had just made it back to their seats when the competitors for the next round had been chosen.

"Otso and...um...Otso?" Nik announced, extremely confused. "Is this a mistake?"

"No way!" Otso cried.

"Yes, way!" a voice behind all of the other competitors cried. They all looked back at what appeared to be a younger version of Otso standing up by the entrance. "Long time no see, bro! Now it's time for me to finally defeat you!"

Otso groaned. "Of all the people to have to face, you had to be here."

"Who is this guy, Otso?" Taylor asked.

"This is Otso, my younger brother," he explained. "We just call him Junior. He's got some kind of vendetta against me because I left home with FSM a while ago, and he had to take care of our parents."

"That's actually some pretty solid reasoning," Atticus noted.

"I had my reasons," Otso retorted, stealing a glance at Caroline. "Anyway, we should probably go get this over with." He turned and walked out into the arena, with his younger brother following close behind. Once Otso got out to the arena floor, he walked straight up to Nik. After whispering something into his ear, he secretly slipped Nik a few dollars and walked back to his spot.

"Alright, folks, I've got a few, 'special instructions' for this round," Nik said. "We'll be speeding up this battle a little bit, making it one on one. Also, we need Caroline to come down to the arena floor directly after the match. With that out of the way, the battle between Otso and...Otso Jr. can now begin!"

"I choose Toxicroak!" Otso Jr. decided. The large Poison type Pokemon came out onto the field.

"Not messing around, I see!" Otso noted. "Okay, then, I choose Flaaffy!" The pink sheep sprang out of its Poke Ball, ready to fight.

"Toxicroak versus Flaaffy!" Nik announced. "Begin!"

"Toxicroak, let's start off with a Sludge Bomb!" Junior called out quickly. Toxicroak conjured up a ball of nasty sludge and threw it at Flaaffy.

"Counter with an Electro Ball!" Otso cried. Huge sparks of electricity shot out of the tufts of wool on Flaaffy and they concentrated into a ball. Flaaffy quickly threw it at Toxicroak's attack, neutralizing both of them and throwing electrified sludge all over the arena.

"Now, Toxicroak, get up close with Poison Jab!" Junior ordered. Immediately, Toxicroak lunged straight at Flaaffy, its claws glowing with a poisonously purple energy.

"Now, Agility!" Otso shouted. Flaaffy suddenly gained a boost of incredible speed and got behind Toxicroak just before the attack could connect.

"Toxicroak, hit it with Gunk Shot!" Junior cried. Toxicroak put its hands together and used its energy to form a ball of the most putrid substance anyone had ever seen before. The stench was so bad, some members of the audience actually passed out.

"Flaaffy, use Charge!" Otso cried. Flaaffy began to charge up electrical power, borrowing it from anything in the general area, including the electrified sludge that had been created. Soon, a large ball of electricity started to form around the little sheep Pokemon, seemingly acting like a force field.

"Fire!" Junior shrieked. Toxicroak shot its vile concoction straight at the ball of electricity, but it just bounced off and evaporated instantly.

"Now, Discharge!" Otso cried out. The electricity surrounding Flaaffy shot out in all directions, seriously damaging Toxicroak. With the opaque electricity out of the way, everyone could see that Flaaffy looked a little...different. It had grown quite a bit taller. On top of that, it had changed in color from pink to yellow, all of its wool was gone, and a shiny red gem had appeared on its forehead.

"Flaaffy evolved into Ampharos!" Matt exclaimed.

"What perfect timing for Otso!" Stepney cried out excitedly.

Down in the stands, Otso was dumbstruck. "But, Flaaffy, you were so cute! I miss your wool!"

"Dude, get over it and let's finish this!" Junior told him. "Gunk Shot!" Toxicroak got up and readied another disgusting ooze ball and shot it right towards the newly evolved Ampharos.

"Ampharos, Thunder!" Otso screamed. Ampharos conjured up a wicked lightning bolt and shot it straight at Toxicroak's attack. The two attacks collided, but Ampharos' new power quickly won out. Toxicroak was fried and it hit the ground, unconcious.

"Toxicroak is unable to battle!" Nik ruled. "Ampharos wins! The victor is Otso!" The crowd roared as Junior sulked back to the stands. Shortly after he left, Caroline came out onto the arena. Otso was waiting there for her with Nik's microphone in hand.

"What is this about, Otso?" Caroline asked him. "Why did you drag me all the way down here?"

"I have a question for you, Caroline," Otso said. He walked up to her and got down on one knee. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small container resembling a Poke Ball. The whole crowd gasped as Otso opened the container to reveal a beautiful diamond ring.

"Caroline, will you marry me?" Otso asked.

Caroline covered her mouth with her hands and cried tears of happiness. Her reply was obvious.

"Yes, I will marry you, Otso."

"Great!" Otso said, clearly elated. "I was hoping you'd say that, because the ceremony is already planned and its happening tonight! Everyone here is invited!"

The crowd roared with excitement as the couple embraced each other.

TO BE CONTINUED...

[K-NiGhT]

Chapter 74: Hail to the Chief

While Otso Jr. sulked his way back into the stands, Otso and his new soon-to-be bride ran out of the arena, off to make plans for their upcoming wedding! Nik smiled on the competitors below, and looked back up at the battle roster.

"Well, folks, we're getting near the end of round one! Our next battle is between Davy and Jari! Come on down, you two!" Nik spread his arms to welcome the competitors onto the stadium floor, and the two trainers took their places.

Davy, on Nik's left, was secretly homesick- it had been almost a year since they began their journey in Terrari, and two whole years since he had since his home of Cinnabar Island. He missed the sea air, the small town life he had thrived in his whole life, and of course his family. He was as focused on winning this match as he was about his home. He wanted to make his family friends proud...especially his dad. He and his Pokemon were more than fighting-fit.

Jari, across from Davy, wasn't so dedicated to his cause. High in rank, popular among the people, he could almost win this match with publicity alone. There wasn't any way some kid could just waltz in and show him up with his baby Pokemon. He wasn't going to lose. He was the chief.

"Are you both ready?" Nik cried. The two challengers nodded. "Then let's begin! Trainers, send out your first Pokemon!"

Jari tossed out an averagely sized Kangaskhan onto the field, where it sat, awaiting its opponent. Davy followed with his first Pokemon, Xatu.

Almost without command, Davy's Xatu flew up into the sky and completely disappeared from the view of the audience. Jari smiled. He relaxed his body from the tense position he had been in prior to Xatu's disappearance. He was confident in the next step of his plan, but wasn't sure quite how to enact it, as Xatu's mysterious vanishing act wasn't all too predictable.

Davy looked over at Jari, watching the smug chief's eyes glance over the skies, silently searching for his psychic flying type. Davy knew exactly where it was: the northwest corner of the stadium, taking aim to pounce on the unsuspecting Kangaskhan. He looked up at his Pokemon in the corner of his eye, shouting "Xatu, attack!"

Suddenly, Davy's Xatu appeared in the sky and flew straight ahead at the Kangaskhan, who hadn't even blinked since entering the battlefield. When Xatu was only an stone's throw from Jari's Pokemon, the chief cried out, "NOW!" call his Pokemon to action. The Kangaskhan whipped around with a clenched fist, burning with hot fire, slamming it directly into where Xatu's head should've been... wasn't.

The Pokemon was gone. Again. Jari had clearly attained the upper hand with a last minute surprise attack, so where did its opponent go? Did the attack land? He had no idea. But Davy knew. "Go, Xatu!" he cried. This time, three Xatu flew from the sky, dive bombing the heavily confused Kangaskhan. Distraught, Jari again ordered Kangaskhan to Fire Punch the trio of psychic types. No luck. Each one disappeared into thin air with a single contact with Kangaskhan's attack.

Jari was frustrated. There was no explanation for this other than that Xatu was still in the skies, using it's psychic powers to create illusions, or puppets of itself to trick Kangaskhan into attacking the fakes. There was only one solution to keep Xatu from getting the advantage of it- a surprise attack. Fortunately for Jari, his Kangaskhan knew several moves that ordinary Pokemon of its kind wouldn't know. Certain moves that would be very effective against a flying opponent such as Davy's Xatu.

Directing his Kangaskhan to center field, Jari gave his Pokemon direct orders to attack the sky. Or so it appeared. Davy looked in awe and stupidity at his opponent, aghast at what he was doing. What was he doing?

With a powerful vengeance, Kangaskhan cried out, and dark clouds rolled over the stadium, blackening the sky and dimming the stadium. As thunder boomed through the stadium's acoustics, the audience cringed as they expected to be doused with a powerful rainstorm, but instead quite the opposite.

"Oh no." Davy mouthed. There was no escape from what was about to happen. Xatu continued to fire it's doppelgängers at it's opponent, and was too far away from Davy to hear his commands to return to the battlefield. It was doomed to be defeated.

The sky cracked with lightning, and the stadium glowed a bright yellow for half of a second, and then returned to normal. The whole audience flew back in shock, gasping at what had just happened. A sharp cry was heard immediately after the bolt of lightning, followed by Davy's Xatu falling from its hiding spot at the very top of the stadium. Davy returned his fainted Pokemon to his Poke Ball before it hit the ground and caused more injury to itself.

"Xatu!" Nebu cried. "I hope it's not too badly hurt..."

"Hail to the chief!" Jari cried into the stadium. (Most of) the audience cheered and fangirled at the incredible move.

"Xatu is unable to battle!" Nik cried. "Davy, choose your next Pokemon!" Davy threw out a Poke Ball containing his Bisharp. As the spring-like steel bladed pokemon began to approach Jari's Kangaskhan, the ominous clouds above faded away.

Davy was prepared for his comeback, and it was up to Bisharp to secure it. Jari knew that his Pokemon was close to being defeated, and it was likely Bisharp would be the cause of its fainting, so Jari commanded Kangaskhan to defend itself from any attacks.

"Bisharp, let's go get some Payback!" Davy cried. The Pokemon lunged at the defending Kangaskhan and launched a speedy uppercut, its hands covered in a dark aura, avenging the cruel attack that caused Xatu to faint. The sturdy mother-like Pokemon raised its arm to block the attack, but it did very little to protect itself. Kangaskhan was knocked back to the ground, fainted. Davy smiled.

Jari quickly brought Kangaskhan back and replaced it with his fierce-looking Kingler, the evolved form of the crab Pokemon Krabby. "Kingler, use Rock Slide!" Jari cried. The giant crab Pokemon launched itself into the air and pummeled the ground, shaking it so that the ground beneath Bisharp crumbled into large chunks of rock and dust.

Crawling out from it's close call with an almost certain demise, Bisharp had left itself vulnerable once again attempting to right itself. Jari called out to Kingler, "Now Kingler, use Crabhammer!" Kingler lunged towards Bisharp at incredible speed, but Davy knew he had the faster Pokemon.

"Bisharp, snap out of it!" Davy cried. The sleek metal Pokemon shook off the damage from Kingler's rockslide. "Now run from that Kingler before it gets you!" Bisharp ran, or appeared to glide, over the stadium ground, avoiding obstacle after obstacle as if it was ice skating in circles around Jari's dizzying Pokemon.

Finally, Jari's Kingler fell into confusion and lost Bisharp's trail. The steel and dark-type continued to circle the water-type Pokemon as it sat helpless.

"Oh this is gonna be a good one!" Jordan cried. "Jari looks like he doesn't know what to do!"

That's exactly what happened. Again, the chief had not a clue as to how to stop the Bisharp from keeping his Pokemon confused by the difference of speeds. His only hope was to keep attacking, no matter the result. "Kingler, use Crabhammer again and again!" Over and over, the poor Pokemon injured itself due to its confusion, depleting its health rapidly. Jari was pissed.

Davy, his sides practically splitting with laughter, cried out a final move to his Bisharp: "Alright, Bisharp, wrap this crab up with a nice Grass Knot!"

Jari knew his Pokemon was doomed unless he gave it one last shot. He cried out to his weakened Kingler, "One last go, Kingler! Give it a good Crabhammer and cut the knot!"

Bisharp stamped it's foot, and a grass-like root rose from the stadium as Kingler, it's state of confusion slowly waning, whipped around and leaped at Bisharp. In mid-air, Kingler directed its glowing pincer to the grass rope rising from the ground, and as the claw came into contact with the dangerous root, the water-type Pokemon tumbled directly into Bisharp, causing a small explosion. The smoke cleared, revealing that both Pokemon had fainted in the blast.

"Bisharp and Kingler are unable to battle!" Nik cried. "Davy and Jari, send out your last Pokemon!"

Jari held his last available Pokemon in his hand. There was no way that this kid should have lasted so long,he thought. What's gotten into him? He's just a kid! Contemplating the answer, he threw into battle his last Pokemon, Bastiodon.

Davy was excited. Even if he lost right now, there was no way he could be disappointed in himself- this was an incredible first battle...Only one of many if he managed to succeed! Wishing for a chance of grace, he threw onto the field his beloved Blastoise, pumped and ready for action.

Waste no time, The words of Davy's late father echoed in his head as he thought of what to do first. Assess and react to the situation without leaving a single moment behind, and you will succeed in all of your efforts. With the strong advice of his father behind him, Davy felt impervious, commanding Blastoise, "Hydro Pump, now!"

Jari saw the incoming water attack from the turtle-like water type and hesitated while Bastiodon prepared to defend itself from a potentially dangerous onslaught. "Eh...Bastiodon, block it with Fire Blast!" he couldn't let the water touch his Pokemon- the damage would be super effective! His Bastiodon looked at him with contempt as even it knew it wasnt the brightest idea, yet obeyed anyway, breathing a column of fire to protect itself from the incoming water from Blastoise's shoulder jets. Only being mildly doused, Jari snapped out of the rut his mind had fallen into, and to focused on the battle once more.

Davy just had to keep going- he was already damaging Jari's Bastiodon! "Blastoise, use Surf!" The giant turtle-like Pokemon spouted water out of the jets on its sides and directed it towards the ground near Bastiodon's feet.

Jari's eyes widened. There was no way to avoid the attack, he simply had to endure it. "Bastiodon, use Endure! And for good measure, cover yourself using Ancientpower!" Bastiodon did that, and, as water began to swarm all around Bastiodon's feet, his body was protected by the giant rocks that had been summoned from the earth. Slowly, the water drifted away and sank back into the ground, at which point Bastiodon ejected the rocks from it's sides, shooting one directly at Blastoise, knocking it down and damaging it pretty badly.

"Blastoise, get up!" Eric cried. "You're almost there!"

Slowly, Blastoise rose to it's feet, much to Davy's delight. His partner Pokemon still had a lot of gumption left inside of him. Davy wanted to wrap this battle up at last, and he knew just how to do it. "Blastoise, create a Blizzard!" The water type began to spout out snowflakes, first quite slowly, and then faster and faster, and soon snow filled the air, with the wind whipping it into a very chilly atmosphere.

Jari shivered. The audience huddled closer together to stay warm during the temporary weather effect.

Davy, while the cold air was brisk against his skin, was on fire, protruding through all challenges to make it to the end. Jari's Bastiodon stood frozen still, unable to move because of the Blizzard, helpless. "Blastoise, use Skull Bash and break Bastiodon out of there! We've got a battle to finish!"

"When Blastoise gets near, Bastiodon, use Iron Head to counter it!" Jari cried in desperation. Bastiodon simply grunted as a nod to his trainer.

Blastoise was sprinting at full speed towards the frozen Bastiodon, thundering over the ground and being careful not to slip. Readying it's head, it dove directly into Bastiodon as its opponent's head began to glow with a bright silver.

Smoke filled the stadium like it had in many battles before, and the shattered ice fell like snowflakes back onto the field. There, beneath the smoke, was Bastiodon, fainted on the ground, and Blastoise, standing triumphantly over the steel and ground type. The crowd cheered and Davy's smile grew ear to ear, just thinking of how his friends and family back home would react to the news of his first victory in the tournament.

The victory was short lived, however, since Jari and Bastiodon were already gone. Vanished from sight, as of they were never there, into the remaining smoke from the finishing blast...

TO BE CONTINUED...