Pokemon - From the Brink

Chapter 9 - Continental Cup Draw

"Ugh..." The boy worked his neck muscles and blinked his eyes before removing the tip of his scruffy mohawk from his eyes.

"Akio." Kudou was right in front of him, arms crossed on the varnished table.

"Ngh..." Everything came back at once to the boy, and he was already on the defensive. "Nothing you say will make me apologise." He growled. "And I sure as Hell ain't-!"

"Don't do it again." Kudou stood up, tucking his chair in.

"Huh...?" Even Caleb was surprised. "That's it...?"

"If I ever hear of you threatening someone's life again, you'll be off the team in a heartbeat." Kudou said, walking past him. "If you must fight, fight through your Pokemon. That's the reason you're even here in the first place. So make yourself useful."

With that, the Coach exited the room, leaving the door open behind him.

"Argh..." Caleb stared at the table and felt the point where Kiria had tranquillised him. "Hmph... Fine." He stood, pushing his chair aside. "He'll pay. One way or another."

*

Training was already in full swing when Kudou returned to us. He integrated into the sidelines without attracting any attention, letting us carry on.

Mira's Magmortar charged at my Buizel, and I was about to call out a counter, but the reappearance of Caleb at the top of the steps caught me by surprise. His face was twisted in a frown as he walked down, and I could have sworn that he looked directly at me.

"He's still here?!" I was disappointed and scared that Kudou hadn't kicked him from the team.

Skyra and Midorima noticed too, and their faces were a little defeated too. Kiria showed no change in expression, but I wagered she had some thoughts about Kudou's decision bubbling inside her right now. Nobody else knew what had happened. Neither Kudou nor Darragh had informed the others, so as far as they knew, Caleb had just showed up late.

But seeing him emerge felt like seeing a bully appear when you least expect it.

"Bui!" Buizel cried out, Mira's Magmortar landing a solid Thunder Punch to his gut.

"Oh sh-!" I looked back and Buizel slammed into my stomach, sending us both reeling back. I tumbled down onto my side and Buizel bounced up next to me, wincing as he struggled to his feet.

"Eyes on the opponent." Mira called, her arms folded.

"Damn..." I rolled over into a sitting position. "Sorry, Buizel. My bad..."

"Bui bui." He dismissed it and stood tall, ready to get back into the fight.

"Glad someone's head's in the game..." I sucked in air through my teeth as I stood, my front still sore. "All right, let's go...!"

Caleb walked over to Victor, as he was the only one without a battle partner.

"Hey, are you ok?" Victor asked, his Zoroark and Absol stopping their sparring match as Caleb came by.

"Shut up." Caleb said, taking his place and bringing out a PokeBall. "Just get on with it."

"Oh, r-right..." Victor nodded.

*

At the end of the day, Nelly's whistle called us all round. Again, Kudou mentioned nothing of the incident this morning. I assumed he intended to brush it aside. The decision didn't fill me with confidence, but I tried to accept that maybe it had been in the best interests of the team, somehow.

"All right, everyone, good work today." Kudou said. "We're making good progress. Now, I'm sure you remember that tomorrow night is the pre-tournament party where the six teams will be drawn into their brackets for the Continental Cup. Needless to say, this is a formal event, and everybody from all six teams is required to attend."