The next morning, a panic was raised in the dorms when Zhang went into the meeting room to check on Poipole, only to find that it had disappeared. Within minutes, everyone had left the dining hall to gather. We were all confused, with no idea how Poipole could have possibly gotten out.
"The windows were shut, right?" Skyra asked.
"They were when I locked the room last night." Kudou nodded.
"Maybe it went through a wormhole?" Hikaru suggested.
"You think it woke up and ran away?" Carmello wondered.
"But I never even got to say hello..." Zhang sulked. "Or goodbye..."
"I wanted to play with it too..." Yu sighed.
"This is strange..." Nelly said, away from the others.
"How so?" I asked. "You don't think it escaped through a wormhole?"
"Well... Think about it – you were there when it showed up outside a few days ago. When it came through that wormhole, I mean. The wormhole made a loud noise when it opened, right? Then... Don't you think someone would've heard it if it did leave through another one?" She explained her thinking.
"Huh..." I thought about it. "That makes sense... Then, what happened...?"
Off to the side, away from the speculative discussions, Kiria stood with her arms folded. Her eyes were fixed on the makeshift bed that Poipole had occupied just the night before. Her gaze shifted slightly to a hidden item that nobody else had noticed. Tucked in the corner on top of the locker next to the bed was a spare blanket. And just barely peeping out from that was a tiny camera that you likely wouldn't notice unless you were looking for it. She had placed it there when she had spoken with Megan just the other day. With any luck, it would shed some light on what had occurred overnight. She would review the footage in secret later, away from prying eyes.
"This isn't fair..." Zhang sniffed, clearly emotional. He had been looking forward to perhaps befriending the little creature, since he had helped to take it in, after all.
"Life isn't fair." Caleb scoffed. "Get over it already."
"Hey!" Hikaru growled. "Leave him alone, you jerk!"
"What you gonna do about it?" The delinquent straightened up and bore his fangs.
"Teach you to shut your mouth, that's what." Hikaru frowned.
"You want a fight? Huh?!" Caleb took a step towards her.
"Ah..." Shu-ling retreated, frightened of the tension.
"Akio! Hasama!" Kudou barked.
"Bring it!" Hikaru hissed, paying the coach no mind. "Your foul attitude really pisses me off!"
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Kiria shift her stance, ready to pounce if needed.
"Both of you, stop!" Midorima placed himself between the two just before they leapt at each other's throats. He put a hand on each of their shoulders, keeping them back.
"Move, Specky!" Caleb warned.
"Get out of the way, Midorima!" Hikaru said. "Let me give this punk what he deserves!"
"Absolutely not!" Midorima stood firm. "Stop this infighting! What use is it to attack one another?"
"He made fun of Zhang!" Hikaru pointed at the Chinese boy, who was clearly on the verge of tears.
"Be that as it may," Midorima shook his head. "I cannot condone such violence! Hikaru, you are better than this. Are you not the former captain of Japan? Keep your head."
"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?"
"He's right." Mira nodded. "I don't believe you've named our captain yet."
"That's true." Kudou looked across to Darragh and then back. "The truth is, I hadn't decided yet. There are a number of you in the squad who can fill the role. That's to be expected, since we have several former captains in the group."
Thinking back, when Kudou had been in charge of the Japanese team, he had changed the captain quite frequently. Considering the shorter length of this tournament, though, it was unlikely that he would be doing the same.
"However, after this morning, I have made up my mind." Kudou stepped forward and placed a hand on Midorima's shoulder.
"Midorima, you will be Aegis' captain."
"You're certain?" Midorima asked.
"Yes."
"Then I will do my best." He bowed slightly. "Thank you, Sir."
"Any objections?" Kudou looked back at the rest of us.
"No." Shu smiled.
"Nope." Skyra shook his head.
"Nah, you're good." Hikaru had her hand on her hip.
Nobody had any qualms with the decision.
"Good." Kudou nodded slowly. "Now then, Captain – lead your team out onto the training ground."
"Yes, Coach! All right, everyone!" Midorima pushed up his glasses. "Let's get to training, with our new knowledge in hand!"
We followed Midorima out of the room whilst Xene, Jordan and Nelly stayed behind to talk with Kudou and Darragh.
Walking outside behind Midorima, I had to admit that I had no problem with him leading us. If anything, we needed someone level-headed to hold us together. Plus, he was once Korea's captain, so he knew how to command the role.
"Not that anyone would have wanted me to be, but I'm glad I'm not the leader." I thought to myself.
*
Later that day, Kiria finished training early, vacating the pitch with hardly anyone noticing. Now alone, she retrieved her hidden camera and returned to her dorm room to analyse the footage. She hooked the device up to her computer and sifted through hours worth of video, searching for the moment when Poipole vanished without a trace.
The camera was capable of recording in pitch-black conditions with its night vision, and also displayed Poipole's vitals in the corner of the screen. The majority of the recording was of Poipole sleeping in the empty room, completely undisturbed. While sifting through the tape, Kiria noticed Poipole's heart rate gradually increase at a certain point, so decided to let the recording play from there.
The clock in the opposite corner of the video told her that this was happening at thirty-seven minutes past one in the morning. The deep night, in utter darkness.
Poipole was beginning to regain consciousness, hence its vital signs shifting. With both curiosity and apprehension, Kiria watched as the creature sat up in its bed.
It all happened in under four seconds.
At first, Kiria couldn't believe what she had just seen. One moment, Poipole had been right there. But by the time it was gone, she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"What was...?" She stared. The rest of the video from then up until the moment she had retrieved the camera showed nothing but the empty bed. She replayed the pivotal few seconds. Then again. And again.
What the camera was showing her was so vague, but almost so unsettling that she had trouble looking away. The four or so seconds showed Poipole rubbing its eyes, and then being startled by something. It was almost as if it sensed something. The unsettling thing was the fact that whatever it was that it sensed wasn't captured by the camera, even with its night vision capabilities. Once again, Kiria watched as the Poipole looked to its left – into what was the centre of the meeting room – and opened its eyes and mouth wide with shock in the absolute darkness. Its heart rate shot straight up in the corner, and then all of the vital readings disappeared, because Poipole was no longer there.
Replaying the clip at a slower speed, Kiria saw the moment that Poipole disappeared. It made no sound – not because it couldn't – but because whatever got it was too fast for the Ultra Beast to even squeal. In the dark, Poipole's body began to disintegrate. That was the only way to describe it. One second, the creature was right there, and in the next, its body was turned to dust. The camera showed Poipole disintegrating completely, its body turning to specks. Even the remains vanished, completely disappearing, leaving absolutely no trace.
For only the second time in her life, Kiria felt physically sick upon witnessing the unsettling event.
Poipole had effectively been erased where it sat. There had been no wormhole. It hadn't escaped. If anything, it had been caught by something. Something that went unseen by the camera, despite all of its high-tech sensors. Poipole had been attacked, and Kiria was sure of it. Not just because it was unlikely that it had the ability to completely raze itself into dust, but because she noticed one more detail upon enhancing the image and going frame-by-frame.
Right at the moment Poipole had tried to scream, it began to disintegrate. It started right in the centre of its body – a clear hole was punctured through its middle, and the creature disintegrated outwards from that point.
Something undetectable had pierced Poipole, skewering it and seemingly erasing it from existence.
Kiria picked up her phone and speed-dialled Megan, who answered in mere seconds.
"Kiria? What's wrong?"
"The Ultra Beast – it disappeared." Kiria swallowed.
"Disappeared? What do you mean?"
"I'm sending you the video." Kiria tapped at some keys on her computer, having trimmed her surveillance tape down to the relevant time.
There was a few moments of mutual unease as Megan watched the clip on her end.
"What is...? What the Hell...?"
"Those dimensional repulsors you had the tech guys start working on – are they ready yet?" Kiria asked quickly.
"Almost. They need a little more work, then they need testing-"
"Send as many as you can." Kiria interrupted her.
"But they aren't complete yet!"
"Send them!" Kiria repeated. "This gives me a bad feeling. That Poipole got completely erased without even a second to react."
"I know. I saw the video." Megan said, still disturbed.
"Then you understand why I want that tech here as soon as possible."
"I know what you're thinking, but we don't even know if this equipment is suitable for whatever's going on!"
"I'd rather chance it, Megan." Kiria said, completely serious. "Whatever that thing was, it could still be here. And it could attack again. What if it were to attack someone here? Like me, or your little brother?"
"All right, all right." Megan sighed. "I get it. Look, I'll send you as much of this equipment as I can, but there's absolutely no guarantee that it'll be of any use. If push comes to shove, I'm still relying on you to keep him safe."
"I know. Trust me, I don't want to see what I just watched ever again." Kiria shuddered.
"Ok. Don't tell anyone about this, all right? Don't distract them from the tournament. The last thing we want is a blind panic."
"...All right."
"Good. Now, I'll let you know when and where to collect the tech. Keep safe."
"Right." Kiria hung up and turned her computer off, taking a look at her watch. Everyone else would be in the dining hall by now for dinner. Suddenly, Kiria felt an intense need to lose herself in a crowd of people. And so, she retrieved her jacket, locked the door and made her way downstairs to eat with her teammates.
In the corner of the room, the curtains rippled slightly, despite the complete lack of a breeze from any possible sources.
*
The next day was the day of our match against North America. When we arrived at the Titanic Stadium – the largest venue on Liocott Island, and where the World Tournament had taken place previously – the atmosphere was electric. It was midday, and the streets around the stadium were flooded with supporters, both local and those who had flown in from overseas. The numbers were already rivalling those that had showed up for the World Tournament final – and this was technically only a quarter final. It made sense, though, considering a larger number of nationalities were being represented from the very start.
Beneath the palm trees in the car park I saw banners tied together, depicting a sea of flags, from Mexico and China to the USA and Jamaica, with numerous more between them.
The noise just on the outside was deafening, as supporters cheered long before any event even took place. Somewhere amongst them was Alexis and Maruki for sure, since Nelly's mother had called this morning to let us know she had arrived and was going to cheer for us all.
As we all made our way into the stadium, I felt the piercing gaze of thousands of eyes boring into the back of my head. I felt myself breaking into a nervous sweat. No matter how many times it happened, being the centre of attention was never a comfortable experience for me.
Eventually, we made our way into the changing rooms, where the boys and girls separated to change into our uniform.
I pulled the blue long-sleeve shirt over my head and looked down at the shield crest over my heart. It was suddenly beginning to feel a lot more real. The black trousers completed my kit and I tried to calm my breathing. We were to meet up in the team room that connected the two changing rooms.
"You ready to go?" Skyra asked, appearing beside me. He had opted for the short sleeves.
"Uh, yeah, I guess so."
"You'll be all right." He patted my shoulder. "Lose yourself in the battle and you'll forget all about the atmosphere."
"Right." I smiled, knowing it to be true.
We made our way into the team room, and waited as the rest of the squad made their way in from either side.
To our surprise, even Aegis' support members had been given uniforms. Xene and Jordan were wearing a light blue variant of our own deep blue shirt, whilst Nelly had a purple one. All three of them bore the team's crest, and the writing on the back read 'Support' instead of 'Aegis'.
"Looking sharp." Victor smiled.
"Thanks." Jordan looked down. "This was a nice surprise for us."
"I like the colour motifs." Midorima nodded slowly, observing the family of blue in the room.
"Wow, when did you get that?" I asked Nelly.
"Just now." She smiled. "Apparently every team has similar uniforms for their support staff. They were waiting for us here."
"Well, it looks really nice." I said, happy that she was able to integrate into the team a little more.
"Aw, thanks. I'm happy it just so happened to be my favourite colour too." She giggled, feeling the soft material.
"Is everyone here?" Kudou appeared with Darragh at his side. The two managers were dressed in their usual formal attire, though their light jackets had been swapped for ones that bore the Aegis crest. It really felt like we were all united. Not just the twelve Trainers on our team, but also the support and adults. Despite what Kudou had said previously about this version of the tournament being more like a display of individual talents due to the lack of a qualification stage, it really did feel like all seventeen of us were walking this road together.
"It's almost time for us to face Storm Eagle." Kudou said, glancing at the clock. "The rules will be explained once you step out into the stadium. Myself and my support," He gestured to the staff at his side. "Will be sat in the team dugout inside the stadium. Once the match begins, everything will be in your hands, and we cannot interfere."
There was a crackle as the speakers mounted in the corners of the ceiling sprang into life. "Aegis and Storm Eagle, please make your way into the stadium."
"This is it." Kudou looked around at us. "Captain. Rally your troops."
"Sir." Midorima nodded, stepping forward. "Everyone, our fight starts here! And I, for one, do not also want this to be the place that our fight comes to an end! Though I do not know most of you very well as of yet, I would be happy to spend more time as your captain going forward – but for that, we need to win here today! So please, give it your all so we may continue this journey together!"
"All right!" Hikaru cheered.
"Yeah!" Yu and Victor joined in.
"Tch. Drama queen." Caleb looked away.
"We'll do our best!" Zhang and Carmello chimed.
"I want more time together, too." Shu said with a quiet determination.
"Not a bad first speech." Skyra nodded.
"I have to admit, I feel a buzz now." Mira smirked.
"Now then!" Kudou pointed to the tunnel. "Go, Aegis! Show the world what Asia's best have to offer!"
"YEAH!"
*
We all emerged from the tunnel together, and Kudou, Darragh, Xene, Jordan and Nelly branched off towards the bench at the edge of the stadium, below and just in front of the wall that divided the spectators from the battlefield.
"Good luck." Nelly said as she split off from us, her fingers tapping my palm on her way.
Across from us, Storm Eagle were also marching towards the centre of the stadium.
Overhead, there were a couple of large screens that would broadcast a clear image to those in the stands. There were also numerous cameras, a commentary booth, and a stand for the announcer beside one of the screens.
The two teams met in the middle of the stadium, standing several feet apart. Gabi stood at his team's core, the captain armband fastened around his upper left arm, mirroring Midorima's own. Storm Eagle's uniform was a cherry red shirt and white shorts, with their crest being a mighty bird standing in front of a tornado.
"It's nice to see you again, mi amigo." The Mexican boy smiled.
"Likewise." Midorima nodded.
"And you, Toby." Gabi raised his hand.
"Hey." I smiled back.
"You see over there?" One of the boys on their team was pointing beyond us. His name was Tom, a tall Canadian.
"Huh? Oh, what?!" The boy next to him, an American named Alex, exclaimed. "How come they get a cute girl on their support team? No fair!"
"Nn..." I shifted, uneasy.
"What are you trying to say, huh?" A girl from Puerto Rico, Ivelisse, crossed her arms.
"Nothin' personal, Eve, but come on." Alex pointed.
"This guy..." I felt myself getting mad.
"You're unbelievable." Ivelisse sighed.
"Damn." Alex tried to get a better look beyond us.
I purposefully tried to shift myself in the way.
"I'll put on a performance for her and she'll be blown away." He chuckled to himself, clearly self-important. "I'll woo her and ask her out after we beat these guys. She can come cry on my shoulder, haha!"
"You son of a-" I stepped forward.
"Enough, Alex." Gabi put an arm across his chest. "Calm down, will you? Don't get ahead of yourself, amigo." He gave me a glance that said 'please excuse this buffoon'.
"Welcome, ladies and gentleman!" The announcer's voice suddenly blasted out around the stadium. It was time to begin.
*
"The Continental Cup kicks off with our first two teams! First up, there's North America – Storm Eagle!" The announcer cried, pausing to allow a raucous cheer to erupt across the stadium. "And we also have Asia – Aegis!"
More cheers and shouts, filling the very air and making it hard to think.
"Before we get things underway, let me explain the rules and conditions for this tournament! First off, each Trainer is limited to only one legendary or mythical Pokemon per battle! That's one! No more of either! Secondly – and this is a big one – the winning team at the end of the match is decided by the number of victories secured! Being teams of twelve, that means that if seven members of one team win their battles, their team wins! In the event of a draw overall, one Trainer from either team will be nominated to fight in the tiebreaker!"
I thought back to when I had fought Paolo in the World Tournament finals in a tiebreaker. It had been extremely intense. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that so early in the competition.
There were general cheers for the enthusiasm of the host and the eagerness for which the spectators were waiting for the action to begin.
"The battle format is six-on-six, single battles! When one Trainer has all six of their Pokemon defeated, they lose! No items are permitted to be used, and switching is also disallowed! What's more, the battlefield that the two teams battle on today will change throughout the battle! There are six battlefields in this stadium, and today, each one will begin with a forest theme! However, whenever three Pokemon are defeated in a battle, the field will change to a different, random terrain! No two battles will be the same here today, folks!"
Once the shouts had died down again, the screens turned on to show all twenty-four participating Trainers.
"Now, the two teams will be pitted against each other at random!"
On the screen, the pictures of our heads began to shuffle around as a bracket board appeared behind. All of the faces were separated out, our opponents decided entirely at random from the possible twelve standing across from us.
"Feast your eyes, Trainers!"
We all looked up as the shuffle ended.
There I was. I looked across at my opponent. Gabi.
"All right." I nodded slowly. I was both pleased with the outcome and a little apprehensive. Just how much stronger had Gabi gotten?
A quick glance also told me that Midorima would face Gabi's friend Miguel, whilst Skyra would battle this Alex guy.
The image now shifted to show larger images of our faces spread across several screens, with six blank PokeBall icons beside our pictures. No doubt they would be filled in as the Pokemon were revealed.
"All right!" The announcer cheered. "Trainers, get to your battle stations! Good luck!"
There were more cheers, and both teams briefly turned in towards themselves.
"Good luck, everyone." Midorima said. "Do your best."
"Heh. I got this." I heard Alex boast, even from behind me.
"God, I swear..." I frowned.
"Don't worry." Skyra stopped next to me briefly. "I'll wipe the floor with that guy."
"Please do." I nodded.
With that, we all broke apart and made our way to our respective spaces.
*
I was stood opposite Gabi, waiting for the battle to begin.
"I'm glad you're my opponent." Gabi said. "I've been wanting to battle again, amigo."
"Me too." I smiled. "Good luck."
"You too."
Our referee lifted his flag, and the plain battlefield in front of us sank into the ground with a loud hum. Moments later, a different field emerged, this one full of greenery. The ground was covered in grass, and there was dense tree cover across the field. There were even some vines hanging down, with few gaps between trees allowing for a glimpse at the sky.
"Wow..." I looked up at the trees. It was like a miniature jungle. Not only that, but all five of the other battlefields around us looked the same for the moment, so the Titanic Stadium essentially looked like a segmented forest.
"Ready... Begin!" The referee said, blowing his whistle.
"A forest environment... There's not a lot of space between those trees... Gonna need someone agile..." I thought about my potential candidates. I had no shortage of options, but the problem was what Gabi had in mind. How would he approach this scenario?
I pulled out a PokeBall and threw it forward.
"Xero!"
"Hawlucha!"
"Oh, crap!"
I had made a terrible first move. My Weavile appeared on the outskirts of the forest, his scarf fixed round his neck.
At the other end, Gabi's Hawlucha touched down. Its Fighting-type moves had a 4x advantage over Xero, and suddenly I was kicking myself for not thinking he would start with Hawlucha.
"Whatever, we'll just have to deal with it as best we can." I shook my head.
"Xero! Hone Claws and get in there!"
Xero began to sharpen his claws against each other and dashed into the cover of the forest.
"Bulk Up!" Gabi ordered. His Hawlucha took a deep breath, tensed its muscles, then relaxed. "Now find it and use Flying Press!"
Under the dense overhanging trees, Xero ran across the grass, listening out for Hawlucha. There were a few moments of nothing, until suddenly the enemy shot round a corner. Xero ducked low and Hawlucha sliced across the air overhead.
"Ice Shard!" I called.
"Flying Press!" Gabi ordered again.
Hawlucha kept going and spun in the air, planting its feet against the trunk of a tree, where it seemed to hang for a moment before propelling itself off in the opposite direction with tremendous speed and power.
Xero spun around and tossed a sharp dagger of ice. The icicle smashed against Hawlucha's face, but the Pokemon had gotten too close to evade. It smashed into Xero, pressing its full weight into him and forcing him into the ground.
I winced at the massive damage that move would have caused.
"Xero! Get out of there!"
My Pokemon struggled to his feet in pain and made a break for it.
"Karate Chop!" Gabi called.
His Hawlucha pushed itself up and chased after Xero, its arm raised.
The damage Xero had taken was slowing him down already, and Hawlucha would be upon him quickly.
"Go up into the trees!" I cried, trying to buy him some time as I thought of a way to fight back.
Xero leapt up into the greenery and disappeared from sight. Hawlucha was right behind him.
There was a ruffle of leaves from several trees as the two Pokemon bolted between them in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Then, Xero shot up into the sky with an almighty leap, trying to put some distance between him and his pursuer.
Less than a second later, Hawlucha exploded from the green mess, sending a bunch of leaves fluttering to the ground.
"Look out!" I cried.
Hawlucha came up from below and pulled its fist back, ready to strike with Karate Chop.
Xero arched his back and spun, the powerful chop swinging violently through the air just inches from its target. He was now falling whilst Hawlucha was still rising.
"Night Slash!"
Xero whirled round and, with claws draped in darkness, sliced across Hawlucha's back before making a desperate dive back down towards the trees.
"Flying Press!" Gabi yelled.
His Hawlucha steadied itself and tucked in its wings. With the air resistance greatly reduced, the bird plummeted out of the sky at a frightening speed. Xero disappeared into the leaves, but Hawlucha followed before the initial rustling had even stopped. There was a loud crash and several snapping sounds as branches were torn off of the tree. Xero fell from the tree, tangled in a mess of twigs and vines. One vine had latched around his waist and was dangling his unconscious body a foot off the ground.
"Weavile is unable to battle!" The referee declared.
Hawlucha landed on the ground below Xero as the vine snapped, and hopped across to catch its fallen opponent before placing him gently on the ground.
"Agh..." I swallowed. "Good try! Get some rest!" I called my Pokemon back in.
"Damn it. Not a good start... If I can get rid of Hawlucha quickly, then maybe I can turn this around..." I thought. My conclusion was to go full force and turn the battle in my favour right away.
"Grovyle, go!"
My Pokemon leapt into the forest immediately. I knew it was still a bad type match-up, but if we could tap into even the bare minimum of our bond, I was confident that Hawlucha wouldn't stand a chance.
"Ah..." Gabi straightened up a bit, as if realising the same thing. But he wasn't as afraid as I would have liked him to be. In fact, a small smile crept across his face.
"I have to do this now." I shook my head. "Sorry, Xene, but I still haven't figured out a calmer way to link with Grovyle... So I'll stick with this for now...!"
"Grovyle!" I roared, clenching my fists and bringing my arms up. "Let's go!"
"Groh!" He rallied with me, coming to a halt and tensing his muscles. I felt the bond begin to form and take hold. The fallen leaves in the forest were swept up by an unseen wind as Grovyle began to harness my power. Soon, the familiar black tornado was beginning to form, rising up from his feet.
"There!" Gabi yelled. "High Jump Kick!"
He had been watching intently, as if analysing Grovyle and waiting for something.
Hawlucha jumped forward at speed as the black tornado engulfed Grovyle.
"Hrrrah!" I cried, bringing my arms down and feeling our connection solidify.
Grovyle did the same, and the tornado dispersed, revealing his linked form with black leaves and brown eyes. But when those eyes opened, Hawlucha's foot smashed into his chin with incredible force.
Grovyle cried out as his body was tossed backwards. He crashed into a tree so hard that he went halfway through it, leaving an indent of his body as he slumped to the ground.
"Ah!" I winced, dropping to one knee. The bond was broken immediately.
There was an almighty creak as the damaged tree gave way, snapping at the stump. It fell backwards with an ear-splitting crash, causing dozens of leaves to fall to the ground.
"Grovyle is unable to battle!" The referee raised his flag.
"Wh-what?" I stood up and looked. He was right. Grovyle had been knocked out cold before he had even had time to do anything at all. "What the...?"
Gabi clenched his fist in triumph.
What in the world had just happened? He had smashed our link to smithereens, just like that.
Suddenly, I was two Pokemon down at the start of our first Continental Cup match.
If I didn't pull something out soon, this would be a crushing defeat.