Pokemon - The Apex of Time

Chapter 9 - Never Give Up Until the Final Whistle

There were shouts from all angles, from all kinds of people. The crowd was yelling abuse at the referee and the bench of the Deathly Vipers, whilst my team-mates were roaring out for medical help. Xene was breathing slowly, and we had to turn him over onto his back gently whilst we waited for Darragh to get there. Gray was rubbing his hands together frantically, cursing under his breath.

“What are you doing?” Harry asked, confused.

“Toby, I've got some power left...” Gray puffed.

“Y-you can do that still?” I looked up, amazed. Gray was the Miracle Child's cousin, and he had once stated that there was minimal Miracle Power in his bloodstream, but I wasn't really sure what 'minimal' meant in that measure.

Tiny blue sparks flashed across Gray's fingertips and his jet-black hair stood on edge. “Here we go...”

He placed his hands on either side of Xene's head, and the blue sparks fizzed out into the air. Very slowly, we could see the gash on the side of Xene's forehead begin to seal itself. A slight groan passed his lips and his arms twitched.

“It's working!” Holly gasped.

“Ngh...” Gray winced.

“GRRAAAAYYY!” A wild roar came from behind us all. A man broke through the crowd and tackled Gray away from Xene, and the two of them rolled across the grass.

“Hey!” We cried. Gray was on his hands and knees, panting unhealthily fast, with sweat pouring down his face.

“What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?” The man grabbed his shoulders.

“I...” Gray coughed.

“Gray!” A girl's voice rang out. Xene's eyes opened slowly and he groaned.

“Aquilina...”

The blue-haired Miracle Child walked onto the pitch with a sad expression on her face. “I don't want to lose you too, Gray...” She sighed.

“I'm sorry...” Gray shook his head.

“It's all right. Now take it easy.” The man said.

“Jaymes...” The boy wheezed. The guardian smiled and handed Gray a bottle of water.

Darragh arrived and Torch ran off to shout at the referee – it was all happening.

“You're walking a fine line.” Skyra said, standing next to Ryan with folded arms. The opposition's player was still standing there in shock watching the events unfold.

“Here you go, Toby.” Darragh said, handing me my golden PokeBall. I thanked him and looked back at Xene. He was looking around, dazed. Darragh stormed off to join Torch in confronting the referee. It looked as if even Nero was getting involved.