Pokemon - From the Brink

Chapter 12 - The Eagle Takes Flight

"Gh..." Hikaru eased up, knowing he was right.

"Always the diplomat." Caleb gritted his teeth. "You ain't the captain anymore! This isn't the Korean team! You don't get to order me around!"

"Caleb." Midorima met his eyes. "Stand down. You stand to gain nothing by picking a fight with any of us."

"Like you would know!" He hissed.

"I do." The taller boy stood firm. "The opponent at hand is North America – Storm Eagle. If you must feel this rage, save it for tomorrow to empower your performance."

"Ngh..." Caleb stood back. "Screw you, Four-eyes..."

The boy took a look around the room at all the eyes focused on him and the scene he had created. "I'm not standing around." He turned towards the door. "Coach, I'm going outside."

"That's fine." Kudou nodded.

And then Caleb was gone.

"Sorry, Midorima..." Hikaru shook her head. "I lost myself for a minute there..."

"Your apology isn't necessary." Midorima adjusted the cuffs of his shirt. "As long as you realise your mistake."

"Thanks for standing up for me..." Zhang said to Hikaru, the sadness in his voice unhidden.

"It's fine." She nodded.

"Well done, Midorima." Kudou said, arms folded. "You defused the situation well."

"Thank you, Coach."

"Now then..." Kudou addressed us all. "Let's put that incident behind us and move on. Clearly, Poipole has moved on from here, so we just have to accept that." He glanced at Zhang. "Before training today, we'll be taking a look at the opponents we'll face tomorrow. Xene."

"Yes." Xene stepped forward, having plugged his laptop into a large monitor at the back of the room. "If you'd all like to take a seat..."

*

Storm Eagle represented North America in the Continental Cup, bringing together the twelve best Trainers from the entire continent. Moreover, the team represented a level of skill that was potentially much higher than what had been seen at the first World Tournament. Whereas that had showcased the best of every individual country, this version of the tournament sought to weed out the very best of the best, meaning that every single Trainer we were to come up against would be world-class.

It was no surprise, then, to see Gabi Garcia appear in Xene's presentation. The former Mexican captain had not only made it into the North American team, but had been declared its captain too. The pink-haired boy was one of an elite team of twelve, comprised of immensely powerful Trainers, including fellow his countryman and close friend, Miguel.

No doubt Midorima would be hoping to face Gabi in the hopes of redeeming himself, having lost to him in the third place play-off in the original World Tournament. That said, I wouldn't mind getting to face my friend again either.

Xene's presentation went into great detail about each of the twelve Trainers' previous Pokemon, as well as their battle style. Jordan was on hand to provide extra information, such as the path each member of Storm Eagle had taken to make it onto the North American team, including how they had performed in the first World Tournament.

Once the presentation was over, Kudou walked between Xene and Jordan and closed the meeting. We thanked the boys for their hard work, and Kudou was about to dismiss us for training.

"Hey, Coach?" Yu raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"They said that Gabi guy is Storm Eagle's captain." Our youngest member pointed out. "Do we even have a captain?"