"Alright! Who's up next!"
"Us! Here!"
"Oiy! Mate- watch'it!"
Jett dragged Phoenix up to the front with her, taking him by the hand, his look of uncertainty said it all. He'd went from ready to face the Professor, no sweat, to looking nervous to embarrass himself. Poor guy, Jett's Froakie looked incredible at outwitting even her earlier, Gekko wondered how Phoenix would step up to the plate-
"C'mon pretty boy~ Scared you gonna lose?"
"A'ight mate, that's where I draw the line, joke's over!"
There was that cocky smile and ambitious attitude, the fire was only dimming, but it roared once more, coals in the firepit. His dreads lit up as he released his torchic, Gekko had seen it earlier, its reflexes didn't seem half bad, he thought.
"Hmm~ Whatever"
Jett undermined her counterparts sudden burst of ego, releasing her own Pokemon in tandem with his, her Froakie nonchalantly appearing on the battlefield, seemingly unamused. Phoenix's ego couldn't take its apathy, he readied himself for the fight, despite the obvious disadvantage - water vs. fire.
"Let the battle, begin!"
"Torchic- quick attack!"
"Froakie substitute!"
"Tor...!"
Phoenix's Torchic charged straight at Jett's Froakie, a very brash opening to the battle, marching right into enemy territory. Froakie yawned, unphased by the opponent's rush.
"-Chic!"
*Fwm~*
"...huh?"
Nobody even saw it move, Torchic was inches from slamming into Froakie when it was suddenly replaced with a log, leaving Torchic with a mild concussion.
"...chic... Torchic..."
"A'ight... where is he..."
Jett smiled, realizing where her Froakie was, readying their ambush
"Froakie, Pound!"
"Froak"
Froakie pushed off of the ceiling, ambushing the dazed Torchic from above, Phoenix didn't realize until it was too late-
*BMMM*
"Torchic!"
"A critical hit!"
"...chic..."
Jett's Froakie slammed the Torchic headfirst into the ground, the floor shaking following the impact. The professor classified that as a critical hit, must've been why Torchic was still dazed and barely standing, Jett thought, readying their finishing blow.
"That's it! Torchic! Ember!"
"Tor... Tor-Chic!"
"Froakie use-!"
"Froak"
*PFFT-PSHHHHHHHHHhhhh*
Jett's Froakie acted before she could finish, water gunning through the Torchic's flames, landing another direct hit on the fire type.
"A super effective hit! And! And! Torchic is unable to battle - The winner is Jett!"
"Man, this was rigged..."
Jett didn't spare any time for backtalk, she looked at her Pokemon, it was victorious, but she wasn't. She wondered if any of her commands went through its mind at all, maybe they did, maybe they didn't - but he definitely finished it off without her. She felt undermined, it didn't listen to her, wasn't that the whole point of these battles? To test the trainer, not the Pokemon? Jett put her mind off of it, recalling her Froakie to its ball - Phoenix did the same with Torchic, mumbling about the undeserved loss. Professor Cherry Blossom noticed his whining; she promptly approached him to explain the reason behind his defeat
"You see, Pokemon and their moves have different types that specialize against one another, it just so happens that Froakie is a water type and Torchic is a fire type. So of course you were disadvantaged, alongside the fact that the knockout was done by 'water gun' a water type move-"
"Yeah, I get it! I get it! Just call the next match yeah?"
Tension seemed high on both trainers after the match, despite a decisive victory, they both looked a little defeated, Phoenix was understandable, Jett, not so much. The professor cleared her throat, calling up the next match.
"That's what I like to see ladies! *Ahem* Let's have another set of rivals why don't we?"
"Excuse moi-"
Chamber pushed through the front of the crowd, taking his side of the floor. He held his Pokeball eloquently, an arm behind his back.
"Oh what a fine man~ Who will fight him?"
"I will."
"Ahh- Viper...?"
Viper stepped up to the other side of the floor, menacing as ever. Chamber's face lit up, coy yet nerved. He swallowed, sending out his Sobble, Viper furrowed her brow, sending out her Bulbasaur
"Bulbasaur...!"
"Sob? Sobble?"
Chamber's Pokemon turned around to look at him, tilting its head as if it was asking a question. Maybe the question was why, maybe who. Chamber didn't even notice it, sweat running down the sides of his infamous grin. This was his moment to impress her, impress himself even
"Let the battle, begin!"
"Bulbasaur, poison powder!"
"Bulba-saur!"
Viper started on cue, her Bulbasaur already unleashing its poison powder from its bulb. Chamber's Sobble had noticed it, they wouldn't miss a beat-
"Sobble, dodge!"
"Sobble!"
Sobble ducked to the right of the spores, letting them flake out above the ground where it once stood, fettering out onto the floor.
"Was your Pokemon too busy looking at me- or was that you?~"
"Shut up and fight, vine whip!"
"Dodge it!"
Viper didn't spare Chamber time for banter, unleashing another attack from her Bulbasaur, luckily, Chamber's Sobble was as agile as he was charming, which to Viper didn't seem much but- you'd be surprised, Chamber thought
"Sob-ble!"
*THWACK*
The vine missed, Bulbasaur was open, Chamber wouldn't miss the opportunity, he remembered, the Sobble's aim was good earlier-
"Water gun! Now!"
"Bulbasaur dodge it!"
"Bulbasa-"
*FSHHH*
Bulbasaur was far too clunky and slow to dodge the water gun, blasting it back a considerable amount. Good aim, hard hits, cunning, it was a spitting image of him, Chamber thought.
"Mine can dodge, is something wrong with yours?~"
"Quiet! Vine whip again!"
*THW-*
"Dodge and counterattack!"
"Sob-ble!"
*WACK- FSHHHHHHHHHHHHH*
Sobble didn't disappoint, sidestepping the second vine whip and responding with another water gun, another direct hit, another step toward victory. Viper's Bulbasaur seemed weakened, its leaves wilting from the water, its been blasted in the eyes twice now, it fumbled-
"Bulba... Bulba..."
"Don't just sit there- Attack!"
Viper's Bulbasaur readied its vines in the air, water still in its eyes, it blindly held them up - it was easy to tell where they'd land. Sobble and Chamber saw the opening, ready to capitalize on their opponents' vulnerability-
*THWACK*
"Again! Left!"
*THWACK*
"Hit them!"
Chamber's Sobble weaved around the blind vine whips elegantly, maneuvering closer with each miss, honing in for the kill. Chamber smiled
"Let me take you out to dinner and maybe my Pokemon can-"
"SHUT UP! VINE WHIP!"
*THWACK*
Another miss-
"Ahh... that is a shame, I honestly would've let you win- Sobble, send them my fairest regards~"
"Sob-ble!"
*FSHHHHHHHHHHH*
"Bulba-..."
*FSHHHHHhhhhhh*
A massive blast of water emitted from Sobble's eyes, practically drowning the poor opposing grass type, the Bulbasaur stood its ground for about 2 seconds before getting launched into the rear end wall. Viper looked back at it in frustration, recalling it before the Professor even had a chance to call the fight to a close. Viper growled at Chamber, storming to the back of the crowd
"A good fight Viper~"
"..."
She stared him down while he recalled his Sobble, she had a certain spark in her eyes; vengeance, hate, murder, maybe all 3 - such a cold woman had caught his heart, he loved the chase, Chamber thought.
"Another amazing battle! The winner is Chamber! Now, as a note for you all, never give up! Despite having the type disadvantage, this fine gentleman scaled the mountain, crossed the ocean, and rose to the challenge! Find ways around your opponent's arsenal and act accordingly, you may be able to make a miracle happen, just like this fine young man"
"Ha- Merci~ Truly flattering, but it was no miracle - all skill~"
"Hmhm~"
Chamber and Professor Cherry Blossom shared a devious smile and a handshake before he took his place amongst the others once more. Leaving the floor open to another pair of fighters, who just so happened to be a certain star seer, and a familiar tech-head.
"Chale, ready yourself because we are explosive! Ooh!"
"Huh, well supernovas do burn out so I guess I win by default~"
Their pre-match banter was ten times more lighthearted than the previous match, you could feel the positivity, and genuine friendly rivalry. The air seemed to shift and intensify, like the rhythm of a familiar song. Both parties released their Pokemon and the Professor readied herself to announce the battle start-
"Whoo! Go meu lindo!"
Killjoy looked back at everyone, spotting Raze holding up a heart with her hands in the crowd, her encouragement unwavered. Killjoy would give it her best, nodding to the professor to begin
"Spri!"
"Eevee! Eevee!"
"Let the battle, begin!"
"Eevee- swift! Come on girl!"
Eevee opened the battle with a swing of its tail, sending stars at Killjoy's Sprigatito, fitting for Astra, Killjoy thought, she called out to her Pokemon the only reasonable thing to do in this situation-
"Watch out! Dodge!"
"Spri-ga!"
*BmBmBmBmBm...*
The dust settled, Sprigatito had evaded the stars, but was now out of position, needing to move closer to Eevee left her open, Astra would take this cat out of the bag-
"Now Chale! Bite that cat!"
"Ee-vee!"
*CHOMP*
"Spri...!"
Eevee's teeth glimmered like stainless steel, projecting its jaws out at the unfortunate Sprigatito, Killjoy hesitated, startled by the sudden and fast action of Astra's combat. The attack landed on Sprigatito without a word from her trainer, Killjoy looked at it as it struggled to get up, Killjoy was worried, looking at it the same way a worrisome mother might look at her kid in the next room over when the teacher says that they're behind the curve. Her panic allowed Astra to follow up again, not letting the poor Sprigatito regain its balance-
"Spri..."
"Umm!"
"Swift again!"
"D- dodge! Move!"
"Ee-vee!"
*Bmbmbmbmbm...*
Stars rained down on the grass type, it wasn't even given a chance - Killjoy knelt down and recalled it, she felt sorry, not just for herself but for her Sprigatito, she had saved it once, but this time she let it get hurt... where'd that same courage go. Astra recalled her Eevee, noticing her opponent's frown, her sorrow; She walked to Killjoy, kneeling with her in support, friendship- love.
"Chale, look, you will learn~"
Astra lifted Killjoy's chin, lifting the hand that held Sprigatito's Pokeball as well, looking at it as if it were the Pokemon itself she was holding.
"Time chale, time. And when you are ready, we can fight again yeah?"
Killjoy nodded, a bittersweet smile camouflaged the glint in her eyes as Astra walked her off of the field-
"Wow that was a quick one folks! What an amazing display from the woman in purple!"
Claps echoed out in the room, the only appropriate sound after the comment the professor made - Killjoy couldn't help but take it as an insult, discouragement. Astra walked her back to Raze, taking Astra's spot in comforting her, but not without gratitude.
"Thanks, Astra... hey, lighten up yeah? Let's just listen to some music~"
Raze guided Killjoy to the wall, they both sat down as Raze took out some headphones, putting one in each of their ears as Killjoy rested her head on Raze's shoulder. She looked up at her carefree counterpart, already enjoying the music, some people could really just drop everything and be content if they wanted, it was something she loved in her partner.
"Do you think I'll get better at this, this whole- Pokemon battling... thing?"
"Huh?"
Raze took her earbud out of her ear, the music was too loud for Killjoy to be heard. Killjoy thought about it, maybe it was too early to judge, she hoped it was-
"It's nothing, let's just watch the next match ha..."
"Okay- just let me know~ Dnce, dnce~"
Raze retreated back to her music as the professor announced the beginning of the next match, its competitors and Pokemon already fielded, Killjoy paid attention, taking mental notes - she'd learn to win too, eventually, hopefully.
"Let the battle, begin!"
"Don't hesitate! Oshawott tackle it!"
"Litwick move..."
"Osha!-"
Iso's Oshawott missed, Litwick gliding across the floor, almost as if it was just pretending to be on the ground. It repositioned behind Oshawott almost instantly, Omen's shadows grew in anticipation-
"Will-o-wisp..."
"Lit-wick!"
*FMM-*
"Dodge it!"
"Osh-sha!"
There didn't seem to be a gap between their speed as Oshawott glided around the candle Pokemon's attack with ease. Iso honed in, he had the type advantage, all it took was a solid hit-
"Swift! Now!"
"Will-o-wisp again..."
Omen wasn't even looking at the battle, yet he still commanded his Pokemon Iso couldn't derive if it was distraction or mastery-
"Osh-sha-wott!"
*BmBmBmBmBm-*
"Lit-wick!-"
*FMM-*
"...Litwick...!"
Dust and smoke cluttered the battlefield as the two moves clashed, a dance of fire and energy - it seems that Omen hadn't anticipated the attack still going through, Iso thought. Oshawott's swift beamed out from the cloud of dust, landing a direct hit on Litwick, damaging it a considerable amount. The manic Pokemon no longer smiled, watching the smoke fade with Iso's Oshawott still standing, but-
*fmm...*
"Osh-sha..."
"Oshawott what's wrong!?"
It was burning, Iso realized it soon enough, he knew he had to end it before Omen wittled him down.
"You'll burn out before my candle... Hex..."
Iso didn't know how to react, he didn't know what that move was, he stuttered to give directions as Omen's Litwick brimmed with dark energy, his Oshawott being chipped down due to its burn, but not out-
"Iso! That move does more damage while your Pokemon is burned! Watch out!"
A voice from out of the crowd, it was Gekko, clutching it last second. Iso stomped the ground, waking his Oshawott, no hesitation-
"Swift as you dodge left!"
"Osh... Osha!"
"Litwick-"
*DNDNDNDN-BmBmBmBm*
Oshawott's Swift collided with Litwick's Hex, the dark energy fizzling out into the air, Omen had tried to end it right there, Iso thought, now it was his turn - only he... had the type advantage-
"Now! Water gun!"
"Osha-wott!"
"Litwick move..."
"Lit... Lit..."
Litwick couldn't move, tanking the damage from Swift earlier left it weakened, and vulnerable. The candle had nothing to do but stand in the incoming beam of water, its light flickering out as it was soaked...
*FSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhh...*
"... The winner is Iso!"
Victory was announced and Iso nodded to his Oshawott before recalling it. Omen recalled his Pokemon, walking back into the crowd, not entertaining the defeat even a little. Iso couldn't help but feel as though Omen was preoccupied, sure he went for a play and a finisher, he fought well... but something was off. He was doing something else too...
"It is alright friend, now isn't important, we plot for later~"
Yoru eavesdropped on Fade's passing message to Omen as she walked up to the floor, he started on his way to challenge her - he needed to find out what they were doing, he didn't investigate earlier, so now was the prime time, before anything happens. Before-
"Hey, blue boy, mind fighting me? I was planning on roughing with Breach but, ya know... So, whaddya say?"
Skye grabbed his shoulder, turning him to face her, he looked back at Fade, eyeing her Pokeball. Yoru couldn't force it out of them, neither could he force himself into a position to get it. Patience he thought, patience...
"Sure flower girl, long as you don't cry when I win~"
"Oh, it's on mate!"
Cypher walked by the blue boy and flower girl, nervous - his Pokemon didn't dp anything, at least he hadn't seen it do anything. He thought embarrassing himself was pointless, what was stopping him from just leaving? Still, he opted to just get it out of the way, taking the floor-
"Abra, don't disappoint!"
"Gastly release-"
"Gastly!"
The floating orb Pokemon, presumed to be a ghost, was somewhat convincing, it almost startled Cypher, almost. Nothing could shake his sly, charming smile, he was the smart one, the omniscient one, the devious plotter- if only he could show that through his Pokemon, Abra just-
"Abra, teleport behind it!"
*Blp*
"Watch out-"
"Abra, attack!"
Cypher thought it was going well, Abra's teleport was perfect, placing itself right behind Fade's Gastly, Fade called out to her Pokemon, warning it of the foe to its rear. But it was in vain as- as- Abra just kinda sat there-
"...Do something!"
Abra just tilted its head at its supposed master, blank
"Gastly, astonish!"
"Gastly!"
*DNT*
The astonish landed, a super effective critical hit! Cypher's Abra just kind of fell to the ground, it almost looked like it faked its defeat just to get out of fighting, if only its stageplay and mischief could match its combat ability, Cypher thought...
"And the winner is Fade!"
Both of them recalled their Pokemon, walking away from the fighting portion of the floor, taking comfort in their respective cliques. Fade and Omen discussed near the back of the crowd, but not without Iso and Yoru's eyes reading their lips- they couldn't tell what was being said, but by the crooked smile on Fade's black lips- it couldn't be good...
"Mate, get up 'ere now!"
"Yeah yeah- don't get too excited~"
Yoru pulled his focus to the battlefield, sending out his Axew, Skye retaliated by sending out her Chikorita, both Pokemon cute, but strong-
"Axew!"
"Chi-ka!"
Yoru narrowed his vision, honing in on his opponent, his resolve was strong - he just needed his Pokemon to match that-
"Let the battle, begin!"
"Chikorita razor leaf!"
"Axew use slash!"
*TnTnTnTnTn-KCHNG*
"Axew!"
Axew slashed straight through the barrage of leaves, gaining ground without taking damage, it already started rushing down Skye's Chikorita. Yoru had to capitalize on its initiative-
"Dragon claw!"
"Leaf storm Chikorita!"
*TnTnTn-BMMM-*
Leaves circled around Chikorita, like a tornado had just passed by a row of trees, buffeting Yoru's Axew- but it pushed through- the maelstrom of leaves couldn't protect Chikorita from Axew's dragon claw, landing a direct hit, it looked super effective- Yoru noted it in his head
"Chikorita!"
The smoke faded, both Pokemon damaged, just one more than the other, Chikorita seemed to be on the edge of collapsing, Skye had to play this out perfectly, trading was no longer an option.
"Chi...Chi..."
"Axew-"
"Dragon claw again!"
Yoru's assault was relentless, reckless maybe, but it was working. Forcing trades when you had the advantageous Pokemon seemed like the easiest option in a straightforward one-on-one like this. Skye weighed her options, looking for an opening, an escape, something-
"Chikorita! Use counter!"
*BMM-*
"Chi-ka!"
*DNTT-*
The attack landed just as Chikorita countered, sending Axew flying backward, it crashed to the ground. Axew got up from the dust, damaged, beat, it looked like Skye leveled the playing field, she smiled-
"We are not out ye-"
"Chikorita is unable to battle! Yoru wins!"
Skye looked down, her Chikorita -despite pulling off the counter- had fallen shortly after, it had enough energy to retaliate, but not enough endurance to withstand the blow- Skye took note, recalling her Chikorita. Yoru recalled his Axew walking up to his opponent-
"Hey flower girl, you should get a better Pokemon"
"You- should get a better face~"
"Not possible, hm~"
They walked off bantering back and forth, but Yoru couldn't help but let his eyes cross Fade and Omen, still uncertain, weary.
"Alright! That was incredible! What bright, upcoming challenger will step up next?"
"Does she always speak like this, or is it part of the job you think?"
"I do not know- she is so animated, maybe she is autistic-"
There was no doubt that everyone was already shooting the professor weird glances, Cypher and Breach were just speaking what everyone was thinking-
"Aww~ what's the loser's corner saying back there? Do I hear round two!"
Her smile changed from sweet to fiendish, catching Cypher and Breach's strays- then chucking them right back- The two of them quieted down, cursing her under their breath
"I'd like to just get this over with..."
"Karp-Karp"
Harbor took his side, Magikarp already out, he was kinda just holding it-
"I'll go! But- why is your fish out already?"
"...It broke out..."
Raze stepped up to challenge the depressed waterbender, he looked so dead inside, maybe he could use his powers to amplify his tears- Harbor tossed his fish onto the field, his Magikarp landed with a wet noise, a puddle forming below it - maybe that killed it, Raze thought - before the fish returned back to life, jumpscaring her-
"... ...KARP KARP"
"Aye! Your Pokemon is scary-"
"You would not know..."
"Here's mine! Vamos Mareep!"
"... Baa"
It looked like the least anticipated fight of the century, it was less of a fight anyway- more of a murder-
"Mareep attack!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
Everyone sat there staring at Raze's Mareep, the sheep just rolled over- maybe it just wanted a treat - you couldn't blame it, Harbor thought, it didn't seem like much of a fight anyway-
"Umm... excuse me? Does my Pokemon do anything?"
"Let's see,"
The Professor pulled out some sort of cellphone, using it to scan Harbor's Magikarp, the Professor laughed before reading the results, much to Harbor's annoyance
"Hmhmhm~ it knows splash~"
"And that does...?"
"Try it~"
"*sigh* Magikarp, use splash!"
*flop*
The Magikarp just flopped on its side, maybe it really was dead- quite the timed post-mortem reaction in that case, Raze thought. Everyone was so entranced by the absolute spectacle of a Pokemon Harbor had that they didn't even notice Raze's Mareep trotting over to touch-
*ZZZZZZT*
"... and the winner is Raze! Ha-"
Harbor's head fell in underwhelming defeat, returning his Magikarp into its Pokeball. Raze recalled her Mareep and ran over to Harbor, like a mother apologizing to another mom for her kid biting theirs on the playground - Mareep being the biting child in question.
"It's okay, these little monstros grow- right?"
"I hope mine does, Raze~"
Harbor looked at her, just disappointed in his whole display - Raze just wrapped her arm around his shoulder and smiled, it didn't help much, she walked him off to the loser's corner, not that there actually was one. She couldn't help but chuckle in an easy victory, spotting Reyna
"Ey Rey Rey- Go next! It's soooo easy~"
"Thanks..."
Reyna scoffed, and Harbor- Harbor looked like he was about to cry
"Oh I mean- It's fun!"
"... Fun? Chica? Aye... these miserable criaturas couldn't beat me if they tried - what is the need to waste energy~"
"Come on! I went~ Your turn!"
"Aye... fine- if it will quiet you..."
Reyna walked up to the front, scoffing at Raze's encouraging smile- she didn't believe in losing, simple. She eyed her Pokeball, her nails glowing purple against the beaming red of the ball. She smiled at it, her little monster - she looked across the field at her opponent - her smile faded.
"Mmm..."
"Deadlock..."
Reyna's fierce glare met Deadlock's cold and dead snarl, the room froze over with tension - this matchup was planned worse than a bad family reunion; one where your cousin brings the boy in who cheated on her and your uncle keeps hitting on your niece.
"Snivy~"
"Teddiursa"
Both Pokemon took their places, Teddiursa looking extremely nervous upon release, Snivy smirked at it. It sure was a battle-
"Let the battle, begin!"
"Snivy, leaf blade~"
"Dodge it!"
"Sni!"
*KCHNG*
Teddiursa couldn't react in time, Snivy's tail sharpened, leaf becoming steel, slicing Teddiursa without restraint. Deadlock gritted her teeth as her Pokemon was sent flying, her hatred festered,
"Get up! Use scratch!"
"Ted.. Teddi!"
*FWSH...*
The scratch utterly missed, Snivy barely needed to dodge - Reyna resisted her urge to laugh, or maybe she was just obsessed with her definite victory, or maybe it was Deadlock's frustration-
"Ted... Ted..."
"Again! Move!"
Deadlock yelled at her Pokemon; they weren't even orders, just yells - it was uncanny, it was ugly...
"Move! Move!"
"Miserable criatura... end this quick~"
Reyna whispered to Snivy, giving it the green light- in a sense it reflected her perfectly, ruthless, and bloodthirsty
"Sni-vy!"
*FfFfFfFfFf*
It summoned a whirlwind of leaves, sending its leaf storm at the sorry opponent. Deadlock's commands fell on deaf ears as Teddiursa was weak enough, its endurance drained from the initial hit, and its energy gone from its attempt at attacking - Reyna was almost right, it really did seem miserable, even as it was granted death by a million paper cuts, courtesy of Snivy. Deadlock braced herself, Snivy's attack had not only sent Teddiursa into the wall behind her, but a big enough amount of force to upset her balance. Reyna's Pokemon was almost as scary as her, they both smiled at the sorry scene they created, Deadlock though-
"You monster! You could've killed it!"
"And were your directions helping it?"
"You cannot blame me!"
"I'm not, after all, it is your first time~"
Deadlock didn't hesitate, revving up her arm, blue tendrils spilling from her fingertips, she looked at Reyna, ready to slay the beast. Reyna's eyes and tattoos surged with energy, they both stared in relentless hate. Reyna's powers faded into a smug smile as she recalled her Snivy, leaving the scene before Deadlock had come to realize- she looked behind her, her poor Pokemon sat in a pile of rubble and dust, part of the wall scattered around and on top of it, she ran to it immediately - she checked for a pulse, it was still alive, she recalled it, sighing under her breath. Her hate, her resentment, it clouded her judgment, she let the thing she was supposed to protect not only lose, but she left it too...
"What a sorry scene, pobre Deadlock..."
"Yo Rey? What's your Pokemon like- eat? That was crazy"
"She'll eat you for breakfast~"
"Ha! Ha- you're joking right?"
Reyna just smiled at Raze as she shot her a passing glance, she could feel Deadlock's eyes stabbing Reyna in the back as they both exited from the battling floor.
"Hoy! Let's hurry this up yeah?"
"Impatient as every lightning bolt-"
"I could say the same for you, toaster~"
The competitive banter broke the harsh vibes left on the battlefield, leaving only a shining atmosphere of sparks and skill as Neon and KAY/0 stepped up for the second to last match. The air buzzed with electricity and hummed with machinery, they both released their Pokemon-
"Trike! Trike! Electrike!"
"..."
"... Pokemon ready? Alright! Let the battle, begin!"
One side of the battlefield seemed much more lively than its opponent, both trainer and Pokemon... All aside, Neon pumped her fist into the air before pointing it out at KAY/0's Beldum, like a proper protagonist, sparking the fires of battle-
"Electrike go! Use thunder fang!"
"..."
*CHOMP-...*
Electrike's fangs cracked against Beldum's shell, the steel type was resistant to electric, Neon noted.
"Electrike get back!"
"Use tackle."
*DSH*
KAY/0's Beldum collided with Electrike, sending it backward - Neon's Electrike recovered, landing on its feet. KAY/0 stood firm as Neon gritted her teeth, but that frustration soon turned into a smirk-
"Alright- no electric type moves- got it~"
"Tackle again"
*zzzzZZZN*
"Respond with quick attack!"
*DSHHHhh-*
For a split second, both Pokemon stood frozen in the air, the raw power of their clash vibrating the air in the room - Electrike crashed to the ground the next second, Neon needed to think... and think fast-
"Tackle again."
"Is that the only move you know?"
"Don't diss what works"
*DSHHHhhh*
Neon was too busy with her remark that she let Electrike get hit again, it clashed to the ground in front of her, she almost knelt down to check on it before it bursted back up with energy. She wasn't doing damage, but her Pokemon definitely had endurance, she just needed to think back, back to a weakness. She spotted Gekko in the crowd, his fingers crossed- and that gave her an idea-
"Tackle. Again."
"Dodge it Electrike!"
*Fshhhh...*
The Beldum soared past the Electrike, its precision didn't look the best, Neon thought of a way to take advantage, she just needed an opening, and it wouldn't be hard to get one, she thought
"Tackle, again."
"Electrike get ready!"
*ZZZZzzzn*
The Beldum soared at Electrike, Neon just needed to wait a second, she knew something they didn't - Gekko had talked to her about typings in the forest, psychic is weak to dark, and he heard him mention that KAY/0's Beldum was psychic, now how would her electric type win? By simply not using electric type moves-
"Dodge left and use bite!"
*Zzzmmm...CHOMP-*
The bite sent Beldum flying into the wall, smoke trailing behind it, Neon stood proud as her opponent weakly levitated back on the field,
"It's good against normal and electric, right?"
"Yeah so-"
"That's why bite was effective, it's a dark type"
Gekko looked at Neon, she had a genuine counterplay, he felt like maybe, just maybe, he underestimated everyone else's abilities - knowledge, he had the upper hand, in skill, everyone was gaining on him
"Use bite again!"
"Iron defense Beldum!"
Beldum repositioned, straightening itself in the air as Electrike honed in for the kill- KAY/0's lack of a face still told a million words, he miscalculated, he lost, fair and square
"A different move huh? Let's see!"
*CHOMP-BSHHH-*
Electrike used Bite on KAY/0's Beldum again, its teeth digging into its iron defense, the clash fogging the room with dust and smoke - Beldum flew to the wall behind KAY/0, clinking to the ground like a thrown action figure as he recalled it, looking at Neon.
"Beldum is unable to battle- the winner is Neon!"
"Trike! Trike!"
"Nice work~"
Her Electrike leaped into her arms, licking her face just like a dog would as she recalled it into its ball, she turned to KAY/0 as their hands met in the middle of the battlefield-
"Machines learn through experience, and then they optimize their plan"
"Well, better optimize fast or you'll get left behind, toaster~"
"Best believe it, lightning bolt~"
Unlike the last match, the winner and loser didn't seem to matter, the battle was well fought on both ends, their sportsmanship was advertised to everyone else by their handshake. They both took their spots in the crowd as Professor Cherry Blossom walked to the center of the room, clipboard in hand and pen tapping the side of her head-
"Alright, we have one more beautiful battle to get through today, it seems like only two of you haven't gone, can I have some raised hands?"
Sova and Sage stepped forward from the crowd, one wore a warm smile looking forward, and the other fidgeting with her rings, her nerves pulling her eyes to the floor.
"Alright, Sage, Sova - places!"
Sage and Sova took their sides of the field, Pokeballs in hand, Sage held hers wearily - the Russian man noticed, extending his hand to her from across the floor-
"My friend, ease yourself, it is only practice"
Sage had finally looked up from the floor, instead, at her opponent, Sova. He showed no signs of competitiveness, no hate, nothing grim, just a warm, friendly invitation - she nodded her head in agreement, both releasing their Pokemon as the Professor called for the clash-
"...Ralts..?"
"Coo! Coo! Row-Rowlet!"
"Let the battle, begin!"
Sova's Rowlet took to the air immediately, Sage's ralts on the other hand, kind of just stood there. Sage stared at it, they looked at each other for guidance, trainer to Pokemon, Pokemon to trainer, they were both lost. Sova took notice once more
"My friend! Do not be scared, it will listen to you, it had already chosen that-"
"Right-"
"Now do not hold back!"
Sage smiled at her comrade's care, her nerves faded as she postured herself - there it was, that heroine might and courage, she was back, Sage, was back.
"I promise I won't!"
Sova nodded, officializing the start of the battle-
"Ralts, use confusion!"
"Rowlet, leafage!"
*Chn-Chn-Chn...ZWZWZWZWZW*
A cloud of leaves woke from Rowlet's wings, maneuvering toward Sage's Ralts like a swarm of bees - the confusion ray phased through the attack, hitting Rowlet and knocking it to the ground-
"Now, teleport!"
*FWM*
Ralts teleported, leaving Rowlet's leafage to storm the ground where it once was, Sage looked around for her Pokemon as Sova watched his companion flutter back up from the ground- but something was off-
"Row-... Row..."
"Friend! It is not time to dance!"
Sova's Rowlet circled in the air, it was confused! Sage extended her arm out to her side, calling for Ralts' next move, she had to take advantage of this opportunity
"Now use hypnosis while it can't move!"
"Friend! Move!"
"Row...let?"
*zzzzZZZZZZMMM...*
"Row... Rowlet-Row... ..."
Ralts had used hypnosis from Sova's side, it startled him, appearing out of nowhere. The Russian man's cries were in vain as Ralts' hypnosis ray landed without contest on the confused bird; Rowlet's eyes grew heavy, closing for longer and longer each time, its wings beating ever slower with each passing second until- it fell to the ground. Sage looked over at Sova, he had stopped calling out to Rowlet, a bubble breathing from the bird's nose as it dreamed - He smiled at her, nodding - he was signaling her to finish it. Sage smiled, granted this chance, she would not reject his finale.
"Finish this with psychic!"
"Raa...Ralts!"
*Bmmm...FWSH-DNnnn...*
Rowlet's sleeping body flew into the air, face down as if it were still on the ground sleeping - it slammed into the wall, leaving a crack, the bird still indented into the wall, fainted. Sage smiled at Sova, recalling her Ralts and walking up to him. She took one of his hands in both of hers as she smiled, her gratitude shown so well in that smile of hers, he thought.
"You did well my friend."
"Not without some help~"
She winked at him, Sage was bad at winking, but apparently, she was good at battling - Sova knew she had it in her, he was happy she won, he didn't let her win, but she did, and that's what made him smile
"What a marvelous display from Sage for our final match of the night! Let's get a round of applause for Sage!"
Everyone clapped as she turned to the crowd, Sova's hand still in hers - for a moment, everyone seemed happy, maybe they were all just happy for her but nonetheless, they were happy. She could see it in each one of their faces; it was possible, wounds just took time to heal, and sometimes, it took her to heal them. But she couldn't do it alone, she thought, turning toward her Russian counterpart, the taller man smiling at her attention shift, she raised both of their hands into the air as the applause roared to its peak - this was the start of an adventure, for her, for Sova, for all of them, for Valorant.