Happy belated Valentine's Day and happy President's Day to all, and welcome to another chapter of Pokémon: Tournament of Champions.

Come this chapter, we'll finally end the first round.

Shoutout to Emerald Dynamo who gave me another helping hand with this chapter, and to Oz Vessailus the B-Rabbit and WhiteEagle1985, both of them longtime reviewers ever since the start of this story.

Without further ado, let's get this chapter started!

Disclaimer: Is this still necessary? This isn't even me making a joke, I'm being serious here.

The next morning had everyone returning to the stadium after breakfast, and incidentally allowed the 8 remaining trainers an extra day to finalize everything and make sure they didn't overlook anything with their team, or their opponents.

Once everyone was situated in their spot(s), they saw Sid and Sierra Gonzales walking onto the field.

Really, the only changes to Sid was that he was much taller, and had put on A LOT of muscle, the amount one would see on a heavyweight boxer or football player. He still had the same hairstyle from back then, but his shirt was now a deep sea shade of blue with a white Pokéball on it along with a darker shade of his old shorts that went past his knees.

"Welcome back everyone to the last matches of the first round in the Tournament of Champions!" the MC said loudly into the mic, which had the crowd going into an exciting frenzy for even more intense battling like yesterday.

"The battle between Sierra Gonzales of Yallam Village and Sid of South City! All rules stated prior apply. Battle begin!"

"Let the earth tremble, Simisage!" Sierra called out as a fairly tall monkey with leaves covering its body emerged.

"A Simisage? Then I'll go with this; Camerupt, let's go!" Sid called out as a large, red furred camel like Pokémon emerged with volcanoes for humps.

"Simisage?! What gives; I thought we weren't going to use any Pokémon from the main teams until the Top 8 at the earliest! It's something everyone agreed on!" Ginji exclaimed

"Calm down, hothead. I'm sure there's a reason for her violating the terms of the agreement like she did. Besides, it's one of the lower tier fighters, so there's no real harm done." Ryan replied, a little annoyed at Ginji's antics so early in the morning (which was really around 9:30 A.M.)

Ryan was not the type of guy who could deal with this type of crap until later in the day, but then again no one really had Ginji's type of energy (unless they were Pokémon but even then…)

"Someone's grouchy." Ginji muttered

"I heard that."

"So what?!"

"Would the both of you knock it off?! It's way too damn early for all of this!" Luze suddenly spoke up with a highly irritated tone, courtesy of her mood swings. The both of them immediately clamped up, as they knew from past experiences a pissed off Luze like a pissed off Primeape; neither one would stop until the target was mercilessly beaten to a pulp. Now, with her pregnancy, she had the potential to scare off a rampaging Gyarados is provoked enough.

Neither one noticed the slight smirk she adorned when she realized how much easier it was to get them all to shut up whenever she wanted.

"You know what they say, ladies first." Sid said

"I can promise you you'll regret that. Now Simisage, start this off with Seed Bomb!" Simisage formed a green ball of energy in its hands, which was then molded into a seed. It fired the seed straight for Camerupt.

"Use Flamethrower to block it!" Camerupt released a stream of fire towards the explosive seed, causing it to burn up and detonate prematurely. "Follow it up with Eruption!" Camerupt released a multitude of fiery rocks by causing the volcanoes on its back to erupt.

"Use Acrobatics to dodge and get in close!" Simisage weaved through the descending molten rocks with such speeds it looked like it was teleporting from spot to spot, all while getting closer to Camerupt. Sid however, wasn't going to let it happen.

"Use Lava Plume!"

"Get away from there, Simisage!"

This time the volcanoes released a combination of smoke, ash, and fire that surrounded it, and the Lava Plume was steadily spreading throughout the battlefield. Simisage however, jumped backwards and got out of range from the Lava Plume.

"Use Dig, you know what to do from there!" Simisage nodded at its trainer and began to dig underground. Sid had no idea what Sierra meant by that last part however, and had Camerupt keep its eyes and ears open for anything. After a few moments, though, Simisage had yet to still do anything. Sierra was looking more and more confidant, while Sid was looking highly unnerved by all of it. Finally, Sid had enough and commanded Camerupt to use Earthquake as a means of forcing Simisage out, which resulted in the Thorn Monkey being sent into the sky, oddly enough only a few feet away from where it dug the first hole.

"Use Eruption once again!" Camerupt was preparing to have its volcanoes erupt once again.

"Use Rock Tomb, and shoot them straight into the volcanoes!" Sierra commanded, which earned a high degree of shock from both Sid and Camerupt.

"Simisage had formed large boulders in both of its hands, which it then launched towards the volcanoes on Camerupt's back. The holes were successfully plugged up, and with no way for the Eruption to be released, the buildup of power exploded inside of Camerupt.

After the smoke cleared up, it showed that Camerupt was still standing, but was badly damaged, internally and externally from that last strategy.

"End this with Seed Bomb, rapid fire!" Simisage launched multiple seed shaped bombs towards the still Camerupt, which was more than enough to bring it down.

"Camerupt is unable to battle!"

"Spectacular! Simisage practically had the battle handed to it despite having a type disadvantage against Camerupt. Sierra and Simisage both just seized complete control over this battle.

"Wow! Incredible! Never before have I seen such a harmonious blend of intense flavoring work so well with such a simple yet mouthwatering entree of moves!" Cilan all but shouted so loud you could hear him all the way from Unova. Thankfully, Mike, Iris, Misty and Max all moved to shut his trap before he could make a further embarrassment of himself, and them by proxy.

"We all get it, she's a badass trainer who knows what she's doing." Luze deadpanned. 'I get he's excited to have seen another Simisage battle with such simple yet unexpected methods, but really.'

"Still, using Rock Tomb like that is something I would've expected from Ash." Brock said

"Good point, that does seem to be more of Ash's method of doing things." Misty replied

"Maybe, but causing the explosion to happen on the inside of Camerupt's body is something a little too extreme for my tastes." Ash replied, to which Meowth and Raichu nodded. Ash definitely would've thought to plug up the holes to stop an attack, but causing such an explosion on a result was something he'd never want to cause to happen. Whether it was intentional or not, it was going a little too far in his view.

Still, he was curious as to what Simisage was doing underneath the ground the entire time. It could've struck at any point, yet it didn't. Hopefully the "why?" part of it would be answered soon.

'Damn, she completely took control over that entire battle! I even had the type advantage, but it didn't do any good! Okay, Sid. Calm down...you still have two Pokémon left, and hopefully this next one will be able to do something about that Simisage.'

"Pangoro, let's go!" A burst of light from a Pokéball later revealed the Daunting Pokémon ready to go.

"Simisage, use Acrobatics!" Simisage began rapidly moving towards Pangoro in such a way that nothing short of moves like Swift or Aerial Ace would ever hit it. However, Sid wasn't looking to waste attacks on the Thorn Monkey. He was waiting for the right timing, which was…now!

"Pangoro, use Foul Play!" Pangoro managed to grab Simisage inches short of where it would strike Pangoro and, now with fists brimming with Dark type energy, struck Simisage right into the wall all the way across the stadium.

"Simisage, are you alright!" Sierra called out. Simisage shakily got onto its feet, but then grimaced at the pain it was feeling at the moment.

"Aha! Now I know what Simisage did; you had it use moves that would buff up its attack power while it was hiding in that hole earlier!" Sid exclaimed, while Sierra grimaced. Her plan had been found out too early. She wanted to wait until at least Pangoro was on its last feet before letting Sid in on the secret. Now that she was found out, and with Simisage an attack or two away from keeling over, she decided to recall Simisage and send out her next Pokémon.

"Let the earth tremble, Tentacruel!" Sierra shouted as the Jellyfish Pokémon was released.

"Alright Pangoro, how's about we start off with Night Slash!" Pangoro's claws began glowing a pitch black color as it charged towards the still Jellyfish Pokémon.

"Use Barrier to block it!" a navy blue energy barrier surrounded Tentacruel, stopping almost all of the damage from Night Slash. "Now grab it and start using Giga Drain and Dazzling Gleam!" Tentacruel wrapped its tentacles around Pangoro, preventing it from escaping or moving. Then, it began draining Pangoro of its energy as the jewels on its forehead started glowing a bright, glittering pink color.

"Pangoro, quick! Use Parting Shot!" Pangoro mustered up the energy to give off a very vulgar threat to its torturer in Pokespeak before returning to its Pokéball. After that, Sid decided to bring out his strongest Pokémon, Blastoise.

"How's about we show May, I mean the audience, the new trick we've been working on!" Sid declared, to which Blastoise agreed (at least about the showing off the trick part. He didn't care as to whomever saw it) all while May slumped and muttered about him never simply giving up on it. (Un)surprisingly Dawn was really her only sympathizer in this case, since Conway was really creepy in how he acted towards Dawn.

Sid pulled out a Mega Pendant from the inside of his shirt and activated it as it started resonating with the Blastoisenite on the accessory Blastoise was wearing. After the cocoon of energy dispersed, Mega Blastoise stood in place, all three cannons locked and loaded to do some serious damage.

"Now Mega Blastoise, let's show off a bit of your power with Dragon Pulse!" As opposed to another turquoise ball of energy, Blastoise released three blasts of Dragon type power from its cannons.

"Tentacruel, use Mirror Coat!" Tentacruel was surrounded by a glowing, glassy substance which bounced the Dragon Pulse back.

"Use Protect!" Blastoise surrounded itself with a green barrier, stopping the attack completely. "Let's try Rapid Spin to get in close!"

"Tentacruel, use Sludge Wave to slow it down!" Tentacruel sent a large wave if sludge towards the rapidly spinning, and approaching, Shellfish Pokémon. It was to no avail, however, since it tore right through the wave of poison and managed to get right in front of Tentacruel. "Now, launch Dragon Pulse at close range!" Blastoise was charging up another Dragon Pulse right at Tentacruel's face.

"Use Mirror Coat again!" Tentacruel brought up the Mirror Coat, but both trainer and Pokémon alike knew it wouldn't amount to anything. Tentacruel, at such a close range, would be badly damaged as well. Not to mention that Sid still had Pangoro to fall back on.

When the dust finally settled after the intense explosion, Tentacruel, somehow, was still standing, but Mega Blastoise was further away, looking none the worse for wear somehow.

"Surprised? Well, don't be. I had Blastoise use Substitute while your view was blocked off due to the Sludge Wave being spread far apart by the Rapid Spin. Now Blastoise, end it with Hydro Cannon!" Blastoise was charging a super pressurized jet of water behind the large cannon on its back, packing enough power to rip through half a foot wide steel plate like a hot knife through butter. Before it could launch the devastating Water type Hyper Beam, however, Sierra decided to recall Tentacruel, and save it possibly for Pangoro once Blastoise was out of the way.

"Let the earth tremble, Flygon!" Sierra's final Pokémon was a Flygon, but of highly unusual coloring. Instead of the usual alternating shades of green that acted as the stripes on its body, and with red lens covering the eyes and red outlines on the wings, it had an orange body with dark green stripes and horns, with cobalt blue eye coverings and outlines on its wings. For some reason, everyone got really, really psyched up at what they saw. Then again, how often do you see such an oddly covered Pokémon?

"Amazing! Simply wonderful! In all my years I never thought I would actually see one!" said the MC with a level of excitement that could only be matched by realizing he won both the Powerball lottery and the Mega Millions lottery at the same time.

"Woah! Check out that Flygon!" Max said

"It's so beautiful! I want a Flygon like that!" Iris gushed like a kid in a toy store.

"Yeah, that Flygon's something else alright." Ash replied "Raichu!" "You can say dat again!"

"You know about that Flygon?!" Iris asked in complete surprise. Ash, Raichu, Meowth, and a few others could only give a deadpanned look towards her. "Oh, right." Iris blushed, having forgotten in her excitement that Ash had been with them for three years. He was bound to have seen it at least a few times.

"That Flygon of hers is actually the most powerful Pokémon she holds on her reserved team." Katie said

"Really, the strongest?" May asked

"Yeah, she wouldn't bring out Flygon unless she felt cornered. If you ask me though, this is a little excessive, Mega Evolution or not."

"What's up with that weird coloring?" Max asked

"It's because that Flygon is a unique brand of shiny, a Mesoic Shiny which is twice as rare as a regular shiny. They're so rare infact, that some people believe them to be nothing more than myths."

"So then how did Sierra find one?"

"Flygon's been with her ever since it was a Trapinch. She said she hatched it from an oddly colored Pokémon egg."

"It's just like with my Lucario." Ash piped in

"You have a Mesoic Shiny too?!" Max exclaimed

"Yep!"

"How come you never said anything?!" he asked, with his old friends agreeing with him.

"I wanted it to be a bit of a surprise for later on." he replied evenly, to which they fell anime style.

"It doesn't matter how awesome looking that Flygon is. It's still a Ground/Dragon type! Blastoise, use Ice Beam!" Blastoise launched twin Ice Beams from its arm cannons.

"Use Fire Blast to go right through!" Flygon released a burst of fire in the form of the Japanese kanji for fire so hot, it was whitish blue in color as opposed to the orange red color one would normally see. Melting and evaporating the Ice Beam as if it wasn't there, Blastoise was severely burned by that last attack, which was really meant to act as a warning from trainer and Pokémon; beware yourself, and don't get cocky.

"Now use Sandstorm!" Flygon's cobalt eye lens' glowed for a second before a sandstorm emerged seemingly from nowhere, hiding Flygon from everyone's sight.

"Keep up your guard Blastoise! Camerupt was caught in a similar trap before!" Sid shouted, to which Blastoise nodded in affirmation.

Sid would be lying if he said he wasn't worried. Hell, he was downright scared at this moment. That Simisage pulled the same trick, hiding itself so it could buff itself up and bring down Camerupt. Right now, Sid was betting that Flygon was doing the same exact thing; making itself stronger while using the Sandstorm as a cover. This time though, he didn't have a means of drawing out Flygon because, as opposed to Simisage, Flygon wasn't underground. It was flying around in the air, and Sid wasn't going to have Blastoise start firing off random attacks in random directions. Someone in the stands could really get hurt.

Sid didn't have to wait long this time though, as he could hear a faint, but clear command through the storm; "Now use Screech!" Suddenly the sound of Flygon's cries reverberated throughout both the storm and the stadium. However, unlike the very loud, echoing screeching that came from most Pokémon that used this attack, this time it sounded as if a siren were wandering the desert, using its beautiful and alluring voice to hypnotize and enchant all who heard its song. As if there were absolutely no worries in the world, they simply became entranced and let all their worries, anxiety, stress, dreams, and ambitions go. They simply wanted to listen to this melody until the day they all moved on from this world into the next.

Flygon had truly earned its title as the Desert Spirit.

With Blastoise's defense severely dropped as a result of being entranced by Flygon's voiced, Flygon wasted no time and went for the kill, claws filled to the brim with Dragon type power and crackling with electricity.

Blastoise's POV

The moment my trainer and I were separated by the sudden sandstorm, he warned me to be alert, and how Camerupt fell for something similar. Psh, I wasn't like him at all. I knew better than to allow my enemies pull off a trick like this and get away with it.

Yet, he hasn't told me to do anything at the moment. Perhaps it was because we reached the same conclusion; the humans would end up hurt if I used attacks in random directions. I had no choice but to wait until he decided on something.

Then, I heard it; a voice. Not just a voice, but what seemed to be the voice of an angel. A soothing, calming voice that just washed away all my unease and worries. I could tell it wanted for me to do nothing more than relax and not worry with a single thing, and I was sorely tempted to do so. Then I remembered; the Flygon! It must've been the one doing this. I tried to ignore the voice, tried to lift up my arms. They wouldn't respond!

Wait! Why was I trying to get them up? Why was I panicking when this sweet, soothing melody was surrounding me from all directions? I want to find the source of it, to simply go right next to it and stay in my shell by it forever, but I felt like I was forgetting something. I could also feel something changing about me, as if I reverted from my Mega Evolution. Why did I do that?

Whatever, it probably wasn't important. Now where's that melody coming from? Wait, there was something else besides this song. I swear I hear electricity nearby, but there aren't any storms or Electric types nearby. But I could smell faint traces of ozone! Hold on, is that a claw?

That was the last thing I remember seeing before all I saw was stars.

Blastoise was struggling to get onto its feet and shake off the cobwebs from its skull. However, it wasn't meant to be, as a quick Dragon Pulse from Flygon really did end the battle, as well as the Sandstorm. "Blastoise is unable to battle! Flygon is the winner!"

"What a spectacular performance! I've never seen such a mixture of intense battling and contest flare before! That Mesoic Flygon truly shows just what we have to offer!" The MC shouted into the mic, with everyone in the audience shouting in excitement and agreement. Flygon seemed to agree, as it bellowed out in a show of dominance.

Sid was practically sweating bullets as his ace Pokémon was brought down by a freaky colored Pokémon with a type disadvantage. Now, the only Pokémon he had left was Pangoro, but it wasn't in any shape to fight at all!

It was a very bitter pill to swallow for Sid, but he had to accept facts; he had lost. It didn't matter if Sierra decided to recall Flygon and go with Tentacruel, that Dazzling Gleam + Giga Drain combo was a major devastator all its own. With that weirdly colored Flygon, it controlled the entire battlefield against his Mega Blastoise. From the moment it used Sandstorm, they were fighting on its terms, and it wasn't even a fight! Pangoro didn't have anything to stand up to either one of them, and truth be told Sid wasn't feeling all that confident about bringing down Simisage now.

He just couldn't do it! He wouldn't send out Pangoro, who was still really banged up, to fight an opponent the both of them knew it couldn't win. Sierra Gonzales had completely extinguished his will to battle.

"I forfeit the match!" Sid shouted, surprising everyone. "Pangoro can't even fight anymore, and even if it could, we don't stand a chance against that monster of a Flygon!" he continued.

"Pokémon Trainer Sid from South City has forfeited the match! The winner is Sierra Gonzales of Yallam Village!"

"Outstanding! Incredible! Not since Eclipse have we had a trainer win without losing a single Pokémon! Not to mention the grace and power we've witnessed today of a Pokémon thought only to be a fairy tale!" the MC stated

Despite having felt humiliated after being thoroughly defeated, Sid still put on a brave face and declared his will to grow stronger and win next time. Sierra, though, could tell it was fake. He was still depressed over his choice, and she was disappointed with him; disappointed that he accepted defeat immediately after his Blastoise was defeated because he reminded her of Ginji. They seemed so alike in personality, she figured he would put a little faith in his Pokémon to give it everything they had, no matter what the odds were.

Perhaps it would amount to nothing, or perhaps it would've brought down one of her Pokémon. She didn't know, and now neither would he, because he lost confidence in himself and his Pokémon.

Feelings of disappointment still lingering, she left the stadium.

Midnight Blood was a very deadly organization for so many reasons, no one person could really keep track of them. They were precise, efficient, ruthless, skillful, and they only failed when someone's guardian angel was sitting right on their shoulder and brought them really bad luck. Even then, there was always a sense of camaraderie between all the members, somewhat like one big family. They always had each other's backs even in the tightest of spots.

However, with such values of family and camaraderie also came a few, very strict, albeit unspoken rules all members followed.

1. ABSOLUTELY NO KILLING FELLOW MEMBERS OF MIDNIGHT BLOOD UNLESS ORDERED TO DO SO FROM THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF'S MOUTH HIMSELF.

2. NO ONE MAY SIMPLY LEAVE MIDNIGHT BLOOD OF THEIR OWN VIOLATION. THEY MUST FOLLOW STRICT PROTOCOL.

3. ALL FORMS OF TREASON WILL BE HANDLED IN THE FORM OF EXECUTION.

With all that having been said, this made Michelle Blake a very high priority target with a "shoot on sight" order. After all, just walking out of your "family" with more than a few delicate "secrets" is a big no no anywhere you go. However, using the very public Tournament of Champions to camouflage herself, they couldn't do anything that would draw attention to themselves. Especially not with all the VIPs present!

As an alternative, they placed plainclothes soldiers in the stands to act as spectators, but to also gather information on everyone battling here today just in case. Their top priority was still Michelle Blake though, and as soon as the opportunity presented itself, she would be quickly eliminated.

Having kept track of the roster, Daisuke knew who would be battling next; Morrison and Michelle Blake. He also managed to discern which audience members were really Midnight Blood soldiers.

With all of that in mind, he figured now would be a good time to take a bit of walk, and Luze gave him the perfect means of doing so by asking him for a cannoli from one of the stands. Seeing as it would be a bit of a walk to the nearest stand that sold them, he had no qualms about it, as it would allow him to gather his thoughts in a decidedly less crowded area.

Approaching the cannoli stand, he saw someone he expected, yet didn't expect at the same time; Michelle Blake.

"Is it you or a clone?" was the first thing he asked

"Clone. Now that that's out of the way, I'll be blunt; where's my sister?" she asked not hiding any of her malice.

"Don't know. I haven't known a thing since the first day that you joined. Hell, I thought that was the whole point; join Midnight Blood to find her, and leave it all behind once you found her." he replied nonchalantly. She didn't scare him.

"That's a load of Tauros if I ever heard it. You know something, or to be more precise, they know something. Valschwitz easily know something, and you do too!" she shouted

"I have no idea who "they" never are, but I can tell you that you're looking in the wrong area right now. Besides, what would be the point in me lying about your sister's location or keeping it a secret?

"Maybe it's because of how valuable I am to Midnight Blood and Valschwitz." It wasn't a question, it was a statement they both knew to be true. Her unique powers had the potential to allow her to go beyond the limits of Synchronization, considering she could manipulate her body on a cellular and genetic level only seen by Pokémon like Mew or Ditto.

Synchronization is the power of synchronizing your mind, body, soul, and even heart with your Pokémon's. As a result, you turn into a methodized hybrid form between a human and a Pokémon. Sometimes the opposite result would happen and Pokémon would take on some characteristics of the trainer*. Many would call it similar to utilizing a technique known in Unova as Burst, or would even say this was just another word for Burst.

However, that was not the case at all. There were several key differences Synchronization and Bursting.

First of all, in order to Synchronize, there wasn't any need for an item, such as a Burst Heart, to use Synchronization. The only real tools needed to Synchronize with your Pokémon was to do what was stated beforehand.

Second, the process of using and succeeding with Synchronization. As opposed to training rigorously and using a Burst Heart to succeed, Synchronization is a step by step process. After uniting with your Pokémon in all four aspects, one must slowly attempt to take on characteristics of the Pokémon they're Synchronizing with. Typically, they would start off with smaller things such as enhanced senses or gaining fangs and claw, and so on. Then, as you become more accustomed to doing so, you change even more characteristics, such as fur, increased power, and even begin to take on typing(s) of your Pokémon as well.

The third step actually is where you start using attacks like a Pokémon. The prior two steps acclimate you to a Pokémon's power and physical characteristics so it becomes slightly easier to grasp the concept of using Pokémon moves. Eventually, you take on more of the Pokémon's powers and physical appearance until it feels like you've absolutely become that Pokémon.

The next difference, however, is where the drawbacks come in. A failed burst, while it doesn't succeed, also results it in it literally blowing up in your face. Failing to Synchronize with your Pokémon at first has no adverse effects. It just simply doesn't happen. When it does succeed though, you have to maintain that level of Synchronization with your Pokémon every second that you're using this technique. Failing to do so results in the Synchronization failing. The next drawback is the amount of energy it consumes. Simply succeeding in Synchronizing with your Pokémon drains large quantities of energy from your body, much so to the point that once it ends, you'll feel like you haven't eaten for weeks on end.

Also, there's the matter of the strain that Synchronizing puts on the body. If a body isn't properly acclimated to the feel of a Pokémon's power, they'll only put intense strain on the body. Should they progress too far into the Synchronizing process and force it, their bodies, and their Pokémon's, could easily be destroyed by the sudden flux of power. The last bit of danger was in losing one's self. If someone Synchronized with their Pokémon to too much a certain degree, then they would forever become the Pokémon they Synchronized with, literally. There's no turning back from that.

One of the major differences though, is that you can Synchronize with, and take on the characteristics of, up to six Pokémon, the same maximum amount that's used in a battle. Mind you that this is nigh impossible, as it would require everyone involved to have their mind, body, soul, and heart in perfect Synchronization with each other. Once you've trained quite a bit though, and have truly bonded with your Pokémon, and they have all bonded with each other like family, it can be as easy to do as blinking or breathing. Sometimes you do it and don't even realize it until a moment or two later.

Kinda like with Daisuke, where one arm had long claws and some brown fur like an Ursaring's, and the other was bulky and blue, like a Swampert's. The same with Michelle, where one arm resembled an Absol's foot with claws replacing the fingers, and the other was skinnier and covered in a red exoskeleton with a large pincer.

Both realized they were about to do something rather rash, as their "talk" turned into a very heated discussion of how she had been experimented on during her time with Midnight Blood, how she left them without warning, and how she was now being hunted while hunting for some answers. She had been calling him out on everything he knew and lied about, such as her sister, and even about the Chief himself.

Something told her that Chief Byakuro wasn't as he appeared. A complete fake perhaps? Maybe he was dead, or that he had been hypnotized/brainwashed in some way.

Michelle Blake would do as she had lived for the last few years, and eliminate the traitors in Midnight Blood. In her mind, Daisuke sold out the Midnight Blood she knew to a group of monsters, and they did something to the old man because to her, this guy was nothing but a sham. Were they perfect? Hell no, but they were the first family she had for years. Michelle Blake was not that same confused and angry teenager from before. Now she was a cold hearted warrior, who knew how to use her powers to eliminate every obstacle before her.

Daisuke was not someone who suffered fools easily. They were amusing in the beginning. Later on though, all he wanted to do was bludgeon them with a Geodude over and over again until they were beyond being paste. To him, Michelle was still an angry, unstable, insecure brat who had no idea of the true consequences of messing around where you shouldn't. The same type of brat isolated from her biological family years ago, was now trying to assert herself as being the top predator of the food chain, where in reality, she was barely grasping on compared to some of the true monsters that existed.

He did feel bad for Michelle, for being left alone, but he wouldn't be turned into a fool by the likes of this brat. Besides, they both knew that she would die if they ended up fighting, and neither did fancy making a scene right now.

Vowing to let the truth be known the truth and have him killed for selling out Midnight Blood she made to disperse and return to the original body, but before that could happen, there was one more thing that had to be said; "The next time we meet, I promise you that you won't make it out alive!"

It was completely devoid of all emotion. There was no rage, or anger, or excitement in what he said. Rather, it was done so with simplicity, uncaring, and frozen emotion. Such was the feeling of his power compared to her own at that very moment made her feel like she was before a king, a ruler with an imposing stature and aura. She felt like she had to kneel before him and beg forgiveness, but only managed to avoid doing so by a very slight margin. She wasn't just facing some lazy chump trainer or

Confident that he had truly put the feeling of hopelessness and despair in not only her, but the two eavesdroppers nearby, he walked back to the stadium with fresher cannolis in hand. 'Those geezers have gotten too sloppy to allow this, but Byakuro will still bitch at me for keeping quiet. Wait...why do I have to say anything? The soldiers hiding around'll do that for me. Still, best if we execute the plan as soon as possible. With everyone as anxious as they are, the main event'll be one hell of an uproar.' These thoughts running through his head, he whistled a jaunty tune like it was any other day of the week. His mind did wander to one of Michelle's claims from before: "You monsters could've easily killed and replaced him. Or maybe he's being controlled by you!"

She was on the right track. Someone was definitely being controlled, in a way. Just not who she thought it was.

In the distance, within the trees and shrubbery, Eclipse Silverline and Styles Kaizu, who watched the argument nearly turned fight with keen interest as they filed away key concepts away for later, many of them actually quite familiar. Neither one could hide the surprised looks on their faces when they saw the transformed arms, both of them now knowing the term for what they had been doing for quite some time.

Eclipse would never, ever admit it, no matter how much he was being tortured for the truth, but he was downright nervous. What he just saw, what he just felt! He didn't know such a thing was even a possibility, or that Johnson of all beings could ever produce such a thing. Even throughout his journeys, even when he faced off against the toughest Trainers or even Legendary Pokémon, there wasn't a single shroud of uncertainty or nervousness within him. Now, with just one threat, using his mere presence alone, Johnson was making him shake in not just uncertainty or nervousness, but actual fear. This was a lot worse compared to their little session a little whiles back.

Shaking it off and turning those feelings into resolve, he had created a goal that went beyond simply beating Daisuke. He would let him know such fear of him that his descendants would feel it at the drop of his name.

Styles Kaizu was in a similar state of mind at the moment. Even if the vision lasted for a second at the very most, it was more than enough to instill a fear that his instincts practically screamed into his eardrums; survive!

He had been outdone by a mere human, something that was unforgivable to him! But still, he knew challenging him now would lead to his death. 'I guess this is it. If I want to bring this man down, I'll have to get a better grasp of "Synchronization." Once that's done, I'll kill him, then the old man, then everyone last one of them.'

Both of them walked off, neither one noticing that the other was close by…

The MC roared into the microphone.

"Will our next contestants, Monty and Harrison PLEASE~ COME ON DO-"

His screeching was interrupted by the screech of feedback that made everyone in the stadium cover their ears.

"Why does it have to be so loud?" Max questioned, though the others could barely hear him. Raichu was crouching, covering its ears with both its paws and tail. By the time that the feedback was cut short, presumably from the A/V team finally fixing the issue, both trainers were standing in the arena, staring each other down.

The MC timidly added, "Are we back? Are we- yeah? Good. Okay!"

He then returned to his normal, stentorian voice. "Alright, trainers! Sorry for the inconvenience, but we're back with another battle at the Tournament of Champions, between Monty of Yangzin City of Mesoa, and Harrison Hazuki from Littleroot Town of Hoenn!

M smirked. "I hope you'll make this a good battle. I entered this tournament looking for strong opponents, understand?"

Harrison waved this off with a grin of his own. "You'll get one."

M nodded, taking an Ultra Ball off of his belt.

"Sterling, let's roll!"

Immediately, the steel-type Eeveelution appeared on the battlefield, the spikes around its neck glistening as it swung its sharp, bladelike tail to the side. It stared with blank eyes at its opponent's side of the field, waiting patiently for its opponent to show.

"Wonder what that Pokémon is?" Max asked as he pulled out his Pokédex.

"Metalleon, the Stalwart Pokémon. This is one of the many evolutions of Eevee, created by taking advantage of Eevee's unstable DNA. Metalleon are slow-moving but peaceful, as its armor prevents it from feeling most attacks.

"What does it mean by 'created by taking advantage of Eevee's unstable DNA'?" Misty asked

"It means that Monty-boy there created Metalleon, along with a few others, by experimenting on Eevee's." Luze replied

"Wait, what?! He experiments on Pokémon?!" Iris exclaimed in disbelief.

"Tone it down, would you." Ryan said, not asked. "From what I've been told, all he does is take items like Metal Cloaks and Dragon's Fangs and sees if they do anything when placed near Eevees. It's like when they evolve because they're near evolutionary stones." Ryan explained

"Isn't it painful for the Eevees though?" Dawn asked with concern

"Nope. Like he said, it's just like placing evolutionary stones right next to them, except that it took more of those items to get a reaction since they don't cause an evolution on their own accord. The only exception to that rule is Metalleon, since it evolved after being exposed to a Metal Coat, which while it isn't an evolutionary stone, is still responsible for evolution in Pokémon like Onix and Scyther. Do you understand?" Sage asked

Almost everyone understood, but a few were still a little lost. Those that were lost were left on their own as she wasn't going to repeat herself.

Harrison appeared to consider which Pokémon to send out, holding two Poké Balls in his hand before clipping the other one to his belt.

"Odds are that Metalleon has a strong defense... so let's go, Houndoom!"

The Dark Pokémon appeared on Harrison's side, whipping around its pointed tail growling at Sterling, who simply ignored it and continued looking around the stadium.

The referee said, "Like the MC stated, this will be a three-on-three match between Monty of Yangzin City, Mesoa and Harrison Hazuki from Littleroot Town. Battle begin!"

Harrison took the initiative, calling out, "Flamethrower, Houndoom!"

The fire-type attack launched towards Sterling, who simply stood there. At the last second, M called out, "Protect."

The nigh-unbreakable green barrier appeared almost instantaneously, shielding Metalleon from the entire blast.

"Woah, that's one fast Protect!" Max commented.

Ash nodded. "Looks like they've been training since our last battle."

Undeterred, Harrison called out his next attack. "Houndoom, Nasty Plot!" Immediately, Houndoom's eyes glowed with malice as its Special Attack stat rose sharply.

"Playing the stat-boosting game, are we?" M asked facetiously.

"Well, then, I'm joining. Sterling, Autotomize!" Upon hearing the order, Metalleon jumped and spun around, swinging its bladed tail all around its body, snipping off minuscule fragments of itself that had grown too much and sending shards of metal falling to the ground around it before they vanished into the ground of the stage.

Dawn was a bit concerned. "Wait... doesn't Autotomize mean that Metalleon cut part of itself off?!"

"No, all it does is remove all the unnecessary buildup of metal on its body. It's like getting a haircut; there's absolutely no pain involved, but we can still tell and even feel when the hair's been removed." Everyone was surprised to see that

A: Paul was the one to answer the question

B: That he was sitting with them.

Deciding that this wasn't important enough to focus on at the moment, they returned their focus to the battle at hand.

Iris added, "Either way, with its speed raised by so much Metalleon's become tougher to deal with."

Harrison wasted no time in commanding his next move. "Alright, show him your power, Houndoom! Shadow Pulse*!"

Houndoom charged both a Shadow Ball and Dark Pulse simultaneously before firing them at Metalleon as one giant orb.

Both M and Sterling looked at the projectile for a second before M nodded. "Jump into Iron Tail, then go for a Slash."

Sterling nodded, tensing on its back legs before running at surprising speed towards the projectile. Moments before the collision, Sterling jumped, its tail glowing with steel-type energy, as it slashed through the center of the orb, splitting it right down the center, the halves flying backwards towards the wall behind M. Next, the glow on Metalleon's tail changed to a tannish color before it rushed down Houndoom.

Harrison was slightly flustered about his combo attack being taken apart so easily, but called out, "Counter, Houndoom!"

Houndoom allowed Sterling to hit it with a Slash attack, taking on a tannish-brown aura before bashing its head into the Steel-type, knocking it back to its side of the field, fairly injured.

M sighed. "It's been a long time since I've seen Counter used against me. But, that's an opening I won't give you again. Go for a Magnet Bomb!"

Sterling stood up after a brief respite before launching a barrage of steel orbs of energy that flew directly towards Houndoom.

Harrison called out, "Go for another Flamethrower! Try to wipe them all out!" Houndoom growled before releasing another scorching Flamethrower, managing to detonate about half of the orbs before they reached him. Unfortunately, the number of bombs was just too great, and they exploded all around him, sending Houndoom backwards a bit before it barked its name against Metalleon in determination.

"Both trainers have been able to land a hit, but it's a tough battle so far! Even with a type advantage towards Harrison, both Metalleon and Houndoom are keeping it even!" The MC yelled, trying to keep the audience hyped during the tense match.

Harrison nodded towards Houndoom. "Charge, Houndoom. Wait for my signal!" Houndoom said its name in affirmation before sprinting down the field towards Sterling. As Houndoom got closer and closer, M nodded.

"Now's the time. Use-"

"Go for a close-range Dark Inferno, Houndoom!" Harrison interrupted. Hondoom jumped into the air, a gigantic swirl of violet fire forming in its mouth, absorbing the energy of the Dark Pulse, barely inches above Metalleon.

M was taken aback, worried for the sake of Sterling, whose eyes now showed signs of fear.

"If this attack gets through, he's done for!" May surmised.

With little time, M snapped his fingers.

"FCDC left into Double-Edge!" The audience was left confused by this terminology (save a couple of prior opponents), but Sterling nodded solemnly, charging an orb of light energy in its mouth. Houndoom fired the twister of flame at Metalleon, who turned its head left and fired the partially charged orb of energy at the ground, sending Sterling flying straight towards the left side, barely evading the firestorm. Sterling jumped straight up from the sideways momentum, covering itself in an orange-yellow aura and tackling Houndoom at full strength, knocking it down to the ground with a mighty crash that left dust rising.

Harrison looked down at the crash site in shock. "Houndoom!" He then looked at M in astonishment who was smiling in satisfaction.

"Thank goodness that worked… Sterling was practicing that maneuver for so long, you have no idea…"

Harrison's awestruck look changed to curiosity at this remark.

"FCDC?" He asked.

M nodded. "FCDC is short for Flash Cannon Dash Cancel, where Sterling fires a partially charged Flash Cannon at just the right angle to send it to the side with enough velocity that it can evade the attack, but not enough so that it needs to right itself before the next attack. It took a lot of annoying calculations, but it works and adds to Metalleon's mobility."

As the smoke cleared, Houndoom was revealed to still be standing, but barely. Sterling stood firm, despite its attack, but the crackling of red sparks around it made the Steel-type cringe slightly as the recoil damage hit.

Harrison took the initiative, pointing with determination at Metalleon.

"Before it can recover, go for a Dark Flamethrower!" Houndoom barked its name once again before materializing a Dark Pulse, then firing a Flamethrower through the dark energy, coating it in a violet light.

M sighed. "How quickly you forget. Use Protect." Just before the dark fire hit, the green barrier appeared once again, negating all damage to the Steel-type.

Harrison was beginning to get frustrated. He was supposed to have the type advantage, yet M and Metalleon were in total control of the battle.

"Fire a barrage of Dark Pulse! He can't dodge them all!" Harrison commanded, urging his Houndoom to blast out a wave of Dark Pulses, all headed straight towards him.

M grinned. "I can work with this. Sterling, Double-Edge through the Dark Pulses!"

Harrison was aghast. "W-what?"

True to its word, Metalleon dashed, gaining speed and energy as it rammed right through the dark energy, gaining a shadowy aura around it as it came closer to Houndoom.

"Quick, Sucker Punch!" Houndoom rushed at Metalleon, with one of its paws having a dark aura. Just as Metalleon was getting close, Houndoom swiped its paw across Metalleon's face, causing it to cringe and pause. However, inertia didn't like this, and the energy aura exploded, creating another gigantic wall of smoke.

"Sterling!"

"Houndoom!"

"What a collision, folks! In an insane clash of wills and a gigantic explosion, what will the results be? The suspense is killing me!" the MC yelled.

The audience fell silent as the smoke cleared, revealing a battered Metalleon barely standing next to an unconscious Houndoom.

"Houndoom is unable to battle!"

Suddenly red-orange sparks crackled around Sterling's body before it fell to the ground, also knocked out.

"Both Pokémon are unable to battle!"

"That was so intense!" Max noted.

"Yeah, but I think M had control of it up until that Sucker Punch. If it hadn't been for that, Metalleon might have went on to wreck most of Harrison's remaining team." Ash gathered.

Cilan nodded. "Clearly, Metalleon was a rich dish, but it was eaten too quickly for anyone to enjoy." The entire group just face-palmed and collectively groaned at another one of Cilan's food metaphors.

Both Harrison and M returned their Pokémon, looks of pride in their face.

"You did well, Houndoom. Take a nice rest."

"You were amazing out there, Sterling! You get a vacation for a bit."

"Will our trainers please send their next Pokémon out?" the referee asked nicely.

M nodded. "I have faith in this next one… Ryusei, let's roll!"

The dragon-type Eeveelution with dark blue, reptilian scales, eyes with red slits as pupils, and fangs, as well as batlike wings, did a loop in the air before finally settling down.

"Draconeon, the Bellicose Pokémon. Draconeon is one of the many evolved forms of Eevee artificially created by taking advantage of Eevee's unstable DNA. Draconeon are highly aggressive, especially to opponents whose power rivals their own. Only a highly trained Draconeon will not attack on sight." The Pokédex said as Max wordlessly pulled it back out

"Not dangerous, you said." Max said accusingly towards Luze and Sage.

"It still isn't. As a trainer, there's one thing you should keep in mind; no matter what kind of Pokémon it is, typing does have an effect on their personality. For Dragon types, it's pride. Dragons are some of the most powerful types that exist in our world, and there's a lot of pride that comes from such a thing. Failing to either gain their respect or to respect them is going to have potentially fatal consequences." Ryan explained, knowing better from personal experience.

"It still says that it'll attack anyone on sight!

"Only those weaker or of equal power, which is part of the status quo in nature. Besides, Gyarados have been known to rampage to the point they've destroyed cities." Luze retorted

"That's different. Gyarados weren't made by humans and experimented with to become like that!"

"Pokémon can change personalities when they evolved. You've seen it before Max. Look at Magikarp and Gyarados; Magikarp goes from being a Pokémon no one pays any mind to into a Pokémon they all try to avoid. The principles are the same. Besides, it isn't like he's pumping the Pokémon full of drugs, starving them or beating them. It's just a minor, harmless experiment that got enough approval to be registered in the Pokédex as a new species of Pokémon."

Everyone again was surprised when it was ASH that responded, and at the tone that he used. He didn't hold back word wise, as he was as blunt with Max as he could be about this. When he turned his head back to the stadium, they knew the discussion was over, but they all wondered why he was acting like this. Did something happen to him the last three years he didn't tell anyone about?

Harrison nodded as he pocketed his own Pokédex. "Dragon-type, huh? Well, my next Pokémon will remedy that. Let's go, Steelix!"

The Steel- and Ground-type hit the field with a roar that Ryusei simply stared down, not intimidated. M, however, quickly noticed the Mega Stone strapped to a harness on Steelix's body.

M took the initiative, calling out, "Alright, use Dragon Dance, Ryusei!"

The Dragon-type nodded with a grin before flying in the air and spinning around wildly as both its Attack and Speed stats increased.

Harrison grinned. "There's more than one way to have a Pokémon increase its power. Steelix, show them your true might!"

He raised his left arm, which held a Mega Ring.

"Mega Evolve, Steelix!" Upon pressing the Key Stone, the familiar violet cocoon of rapidly expanding light surrounded Steelix as the audience looked on in anticipation.

"We've been seeing a lot of new Mega Evolutions this tournament." Iris commented.

"Yeah. I wonder if we're behind on a major trend or something." May pondered.

Ash could only grin. "Still, it's exciting to see all these new Pokémon in action." The others wholeheartedly agreed, but what happened before was still fresh in their minds.

As soon as the corona faded, Mega Steelix bellowed, its new appearance coming off as much more intimidating than before, with multicolored crystals jutting out from sides of its steel skin and a bunch of wafer-thin crystal fragments orbiting Steelix's head. Both Ryusei and M took more determined expressions.

"It's gonna be tough, but we've got this, right, buddy?" Ryusei nodded enthusiastically, landing before spreading its wings wide and baring its fangs in an effort to look menacing. Steelix moved its head backwards slightly before Harrison called out to it.

"Use Sandstorm, quickly!" Steelix responded almost instantaneously, blowing out a torrent of sand towards Draconeon.

"Hmmm… So putting its ability into play, huh? Ryusei, use Aerial Ace to get above the storm!" Ryusei grinned, tensing itself up before launching itself straight up at breakneck speeds, avoiding the deluge of sand before hovering in the air.

"That Draconeon is fast! With such skilled evasion and speed, what can Steelix do?"

Harrison grinned. "Don't count me out yet! Steelix, use Dig to randomize your location, then use Dragon Breath!"

M cringed. "This is bad… I'm not sure even Ryusei's speed can evade this sort of attack."

Steelix dove into the earth, creating a gigantic hole in the center of the stadium. Ryusei hovered anxiously, looking around for the incoming attack.

After a few seconds, a blast of dragon-type energy flew out of the sandstorm. Though Ryusei banked to the left, the blast grazed his wing and sent him spiraling down towards the ground.

"Pull up! Pull up!" M frantically screamed. Ryusei struggled to pull up, but Steelix fired another Dragon Breath which snagged its wing and threw it backwards into the ground. Ryusei got up a few seconds later, jumping back into the air and hovering, looking more ticked off than hurt.

M grinned. "Don't underestimate Ryusei… He's one of my strongest Pokémon."

Harrison scowled. "Well, let's see whose is stronger. Steelix, use Stone Edge!" Steelix formed several jagged stones in two rings around itself before firing them through the Sandstorm at Ryusei's position.

M simply adjusted his cap. "Dodge them." Ryusei nodded before tensing up. Just as the first rock was about to get close, the dragon-type jumped in the air, soaring skyward as rocks followed it, though Ryusei was moving too fast to get hit.

Harrison grit his teeth as his attacks missed. M sighed with relief.

"Thank goodness. Looks like that dodging training came in handy… Alright, go for a Dragon Pulse, full power!"

Ryusei swooped down just above the Sandstorm before opening its jaws wide, charging a blast of concentrated energy before launching it through the sandstorm, creating a hole in the raging sandstorm before it smacked Steelix right in the head.

"Looks like that Dragon Pulse could give anyone a headache, huh?" The MC tried, though it only resulted in silence… and the sound of a couple Kricketots chirping.

M sighed. "He's trying..."

Harrison was unfazed. "While he's close, hit him with an Iron Tail!" Steelix swung its gargantuan tail, glowing with steel-type energy, at Ryusei, who easily dodged it by looping under the tail and firing off another Dragon Pulse at its face, knocking Steelix back a bit, dazed.

M grinned. "Right where we want him… use a storm of Dragon Rages!" Ryusei opened its mouth once again before rapidly blasting bluish-red orbs of fire at Steelix, barraging multiple places on Steelix's body and causing several minor explosions. Ryusei soared away as the smoke began to clear, revealing a tired, but raging Steelix.

"Go for a Rock Polish!"

M grinned. "Finally joining the stat-boosting club, eh?"

Harrison just glared. "Don't patronize me!" After a few seconds, Steelix shone like a gemstone.

M nodded. "Alright, go in close with an Aerial Ace!"

Ryusei did a loop in the air before dashing at amazing speed towards Steelix.

Harrison glared with a counterattack in mind.

"Quickly, Ice Fang!" Steelix tensed up and waited for the attack, lunging at Draconeon with teeth filled with icy energy.

M twitched, calling, "Dodge, then Flamethrower!" Ryusei barely ducked under the attack before looping around and blasting Steelix with a Flamethrower. Steelix howled in pain.

Harrison was panicking. "Steelix! Go for Dragon Breath, full power!" Steelix, though injured, fired another blast of Dragon-type energy, meeting the Flamethrower, both breath attacks struggling to overpower the other.

"Wow… looks like they're even…" Max commented

Ash looked at the opposing blasts, then started counting down.

"Ten… nine… eight…seven…"

May was a bit concerned. "Uh… what are you doing?"

Sage understood after a second before grinning and joining the countdown. "…six… five… four… three… two… one…"

A giant blazing explosion radiated from the center of the blast, clouding the entire arena in smoke.

"And it looks like the power struggle ends in a tie!" The MC stated. "Now it's a matter of who's still standing!"

M coughed a couple times, taken aback by the sheer amount of smoke from the explosion.

"Ryusei!"

From the other side of the field, Harrison clenched a hand into a fist.

"Steelix! Are you alright?"

As soon as the smoke cleared, Ryusei was still on its feet, albeit a little singed and fairly tired. Steelix, on the other hand, was reverted to its base form and had swirls for eyes.

"Steelix is unable to battle!" The referee added.

"Looks like Harrison has some ground to make up! With only one Pokémon against Monty's two, it'll be a tough fight for both of them!"

Harrison sighed as he returned his Steelix. "You did well… But now, it's time for another Pokémon to take down our opponent! Let's go, Jellicent!"

A light purple, squid-like Pokémon appeared on the field, bouncing once before settling on the ground, smiling with what appeared to be lipstick around its mouth.

"And Harrison's final Pokémon is a female, shiny Jellicent!"

M appeared confused. "I get that it has gender differences, but is it really necessary to announce that it's a girl? I mean, seriously… the audience has eyes. They can see it isn't blue or green and it doesn't have a mustache. Geez…"

The MC was effectively silenced, slightly embarrassed. The referee sighed, saying, "Jellicent vs. Draconeon! Begin!"

M nodded. "Rush in there with Aerial Ace!" Ryusei nodded before speeding towards Jellicent, its insane speed still evident.

"Protect, Jellicent!" Harrison called. The green barrier stopped Draconeon right in its tracks, sending it bouncing off and toppling to the ground. Harrison couldn't help but laugh.

"Just like a comedy routine… classic. Dazzling Gleam, now!"

"What? Wait, dodge!" Ryusei struggled to get up from the impact before it was blasted back even further by a radiant burst of Fairy-type energy.

"Ryusei! Are you okay" M yelled, panicked.

The dragon-type slowly, weakly gained its footing, but spread its wings wide in fierce determination.

M smiled. "Alright, we're going for broke! Aerial Ace to get up close, then Thunder Fang! And if he uses Protect, Fly upwards."

Ryusei grinned before taking off, diving down at Jellicent.

Harrison just smirked as he got closer and closer to the attack. As soon as the attack hit, Harrison called out his next move.

"This one's mine! Jellicent, Ice Beam, now!" Jellicent charged a beam of icy energy in its mouth. Ryusei was still biting into it, so it could not possibly dodge the attack, instead closing its eyes as the frozen energy blasted him back towards his own side of the field, swirls in his eyes.

"Ryusei!" M yelled again, concerned.

"Draconeon is unable to battle; Jellicent wins!" the referee stated.

The audience was hyped up from the intense battle, so the MC felt alright talking again.

"Looks like M has only one Pokémon left, as well! I guess the supposed superiority of Mesoa isn't exactly showing itself from this battle, which is practically even."

M glared at the MC, staring daggers. "What… did… you… SAY?!"

The MC, however, doubled down. "I said, Mesoa is supposed to be the strongest of these regions, but it looks like random trainers who have won a couple of other leagues are tied with a capable, high-placing Mesoan trainer. It's just a bit disappointing, is all."

M's left eye started twitching at such a pace you would've thought he was having a seizure, his eyes showing complete disdain. "Oh, you want superiority, do you?! Well, you're in luck! Because I happen to have a treat for you all." He palmed a forest green-colored Poké Ball before tossing it out.

Daisuke sighed. "Harrison's screwed." 'And he's not the only one...how bad was I in a past life to end up with all of this?'

M yelled, "Spore, show them." What materialized on the field was a hulking quadruped creature with deep green skin like the jungle, intimidating red eyes, and dark blue leaves with a flower at its top that had purple petals. After a moment, it roared out its name: "VENUSAUR~!"

The MC, as well as the audience, and even Harrison, were in shock of the amazing Pokémon before them.

Harrison sighed. "This'll be tough, but we can win this. Use Shadow Ball, now!" Jellicent complied, throwing an orb of shadowy energy at its foe.

M spoke without mercy. "Return it back with Power Whip."

Harrison was in shock. "What!?" True to its word, Spore threw out a single vine, smacking the Shadow Ball right back at Jellicent, hitting it right in the face and knocking it back.

"J-jellicent! Are you alright?" The Floating Pokémon got back up a second later, looking tired.

"Well, go for a Recover!" Immediately, Jellicent began restoring its energy as M nodded.

"End it now, Spore; Sakura Storm*!" The gigantic Grass- and Poison-type replied immediately, showering the battlefield with a veritable deluge of leaves and petals all flying at Jellicent, who opened its eyes in surprise just before it hit.

"Jellicent!" Harrison called frantically. As soon as the majority of the leaves and petals had all settled down to the ground, Jellicent was unconscious, swirls in its eyes.

"Jellicent is unable to battle! Venusaur wins! Thus, the victory goes to Monty of Yangzin City!" the referee completed.

M returned his Pokémon with a sigh and walked over to Harrison, who was returning his Jellicent with a frown.

"I'm sorry it had to end like that," M said. "You're a great battler, and a fun opponent. I'm willing to fight you again another time."

Harrison sighed good-naturedly before smirking. "Only if you don't use Venusaur next time."

M smiled. "Deal."

They both shook hands before they exited the stadium, though they were still in turmoil on how to feel about the abrupt end to the battle.

Ash looked at M as he walked away, feeling slightly intimidated. "Man, I sure hope I don't have to go against his Venusaur later on this tournament…"

Daisuke grinned and chuckled at Ash. "It's probably a one-time thing because he snapped. Besides, it's never been able to beat my Charizard before. You shouldn't have too much to worry about, but take some precaution if you do end up facing it."

Both Raichu and Ash sighed with relief.

"Well, at least it can be beaten…"

"Raichu Rai…"

This was it. It all came down to this match; the last match of the first round was finally here.

On one side was a male trainer standing at 6'1 with short chestnut-brown hair, a rounded face, and was rather pale-skinned. He wore thin square-rimmed glasses over topaz-blue eyes, and seemed to be perpetually frowning. He had fairly lanky arms and was wearing a forest-green polo shirt with regular denim jeans, and silver/white sneakers. This was Daniel Bradford.

On the other side was another male trainer around the same height with a darker shade of brown for hair and had dark brown eyes as well as fairly tanned skin. He was wearing a dark green vest with yellow-green cuffs and edges over a maroon shirt and moss green cargo pants. This particular trainer was Tyson Tetsuya, who won the Hoenn League Ever Grande Conference years ago.

On Daniel's side was an Exploud sporting some serious bruising and cuts on its body, as well as panting, trying to catch its breath and clutching its chest as if in pain. Its left eye was closed shut due to a combination of cuts and swelling from the bruise.

Tyson's first Pokémon, Donphan, wasn't doing any better; in fact it was doing a lot worse than Exploud. It was swaying back and forth a bit as it was blinking quite a bit in hopes its vision would straighten out. It didn't help that it was obviously favoring its left side quite a bit as its back right leg was broken. Its tusks had dulled quite a bit, and one of them was cracked on the side a bit.

If these were any other set of trainers and Pokémon, they would've probably just withdrawn and sent out the next ones already but then again these trainers and Pokémon weren't ordinary. One Pokémon was just as prideful as its trainer, while the other one had just as short a temper as its trainer. Neither one was going to back down.

"Donphan, Rollout into Giga Impact!" Donphan was getting closer to its opponent as it was shrouded by purple and gold energy. The next move to land would definitely decide it.

Daniel waited a bit longer before making the final move. "Exploud, use Boomburst to end it!" The holes throughout Exploud's body began to charge up with energy before being condensed in one point in its body; the mouth. It then released the deadly sound-wave in one final burst that many would compare to the explosion made from a grenade launcher.

"Donphan is unable to battle! Exploud is the winner!"

"After a decidedly brutal bout Exploud finally brings down Donphan! Let's see if Tyson can pull ahead!"

"You did great Donphan, rest up! Now, Meowth you're up!" Tyson said to the Scratch Cat in western getup, who replied and took to the field.

"Sorry Exploud, but you're done for now." Daniel said as he returned his Pokémon, and sent out his next one, an Aegislash.

"Aegislash, huh? Tyson could be in big trouble." Ash said, recalling just how deadly they could be from three years ago.

"What makes you say that? Don't forget Tyson did win the Ever Grande Conference." May replied

"That was years ago, and even though he and his Pokémon have gotten stronger, putting a Pokémon like Meowth against an Aegislash is bad news. They don't really have any effective moves against Ghost types in general, but now there's a Ghost and Steel type, which puts Tyson and his Meowth at an even bigger disadvantage."

Even his friends had no idea why he was like this. All throughout the first round he seemed the same, but as time went on the changes in his personality were more apparent. He became more a person resigned to the defeat of his friends when it really was hopeless, as opposed to the hyper, happy little kid who never stopped believing no matter what the odds.

They all thought that it was going to take some getting used to with the new Ash.

Meowth was sporting a few scratches at this point while Aegislash didn't have so much as a nick or a dent.

'No choice but to bring it out now!' "Meowth, use Night Slash and show them what for!" As Meowth was getting closer by the second, both Daniel and Aegislash looked very composed.

"Knight's Shield." Daniel said with complete boredom. Aegislash changed into a defensive stance as its shield was now covering its body. Meowth's attack simply bounced off.

"You should know that your Meowth's attack has significantly dropped because it struck Knight's Shield. Now Aegislash, use Swords Dance and Sacred Sword!"

Aegislash charged towards Meowth with speed granted due to an earlier Automotize, and struck with an enhanced Fighting type sword. "End it with Flash Cannon!" Aegislash's eye glowed for a second before releasing a beam of Steel energy towards the downed Scratch Cat.

"Meowth is unable to battle, Aegislash is the winner!"

"Daniel Bradford is two for two in his match against Tyson. Can the winner of the Hoenn League pull out a comeback or is this it for him?!"

"Aw man, I taught for sure dat Meowth woulda had a chance against Aegislash!" said Ash's Meowth

"No doubt that Aegislash is powerful. Hell, it might be as powerful as Crystal's." Ryan said, to which Crystal promptly replied that it wasn't. "However, Tyson's last Pokémon might just allow him to get back in the battle."

"No way, not by a long shot! Not so long as I have this!" Tyson said as he threw out his Metagross after carrying Meowth off the field. On one of its legs was a Metagrossite attached via accessory.

"Metagross, use Shadow Ball!" Metagross launched a ball of shadows at Aegislash. "Use Sacred Sword to cut it!" "Stop it in place with Psychic!" Metagross' eyes were now brimming blue with psychic energy as Aegislash was rendered immobile while the Shadow Ball made a direct hit.

"Now slam it into the ground and use Earthquake!" Aegislash was smashed firmly into the ground with no escape as a sudden shockwave caused the entire battlefield to shake and break apart, sending chunks of rock and debris everywhere whilst the field was uprooted. Once everything settled, it showed Aegislash defeated.

"Aegislash is unable to battle!"

"Aegislash is defeated allowing Tyson to get some footing back into this match, but he still has to take down both Exploud and Bradford's last Pokémon to be able to move on!"

Daniel B. contemplated which Pokémon to send out next. He could use his injured Exploud, hope to do some damage before using his trump card, or just use the trump right now without losing another Pokémon.

He decided then that he was going to use Exploud in order to, hopefully, get some damage done to Metagross, despite all the injuries from Donphan.

"Exploud, use Flamethrower!" "Metagross, use Protect, Telekinesis, and Dynamic Punch!" Exploud launched a stream of intense fire, only for it to meet a nigh impenetrable barrier that stopped all forms of damage to Metagross. Then Exploud suddenly found itself being lifted into the air, but unlike with Confusion or Psychic, there was nothing damaging about this. Not to mention that it was still floating even though the glow around its body had vanished. Metagross then struck Exploud with an iron leg filled with power, sending it flying across the field into a wall.

"Exploud is unable to battle!" the ref declared

"And now Tyson is two for two using only his Metagross! It all comes down to this!"

Annoyed at how quickly things had turned on him, Daniel B. had shouted "Salamence, take them down!"

Both trainers didn't waste any time activating their keystones and mega evolving their Pokémon. Metagross was now floating and had eight arms as opposed to four legs, two pairs facing forward and backwards each. The cross on its face became gold in color and it now had a spike on its chin. Salamence now had a single large, crescent shaped wing, and every part of its body had now become narrower, with its tail becoming shorter. The armor remnants had turned into an aerodynamic vest where its front forelegs were now tucked.

"Metagross, use Meteor Mash!"

"Salamence, counter with Dragon Claw!" Both Hoenn pseudos met and struggled to push the other one with repeated blows back to back with no success.

"Use Fire Blast now!" Salamence launched a kanji shaped blast of fire that immediately forced Metagross a few feet away from it. "Now use Dragon Dance and then use Crunch!"

After Salamence performed its midair dance to raise its Attack and Speed, it zipped towards Metagross with its fangs ready to bite into it.

"Metagross, use Iron Defense, and then use Hammer Arm when it gets close enough." Sure enough, Metagross had hardened its body enough to the point that Crunch barely had any effect on it. Then, while Salamence was still biting down, Metagross smashed one of the arms into Salamence, sending it crashing into the field below.

"While it's still down, use Icy Wind!" Metagross started to blow frigid breath towards where Salamence was.

"Use Rock Slide, the Fly to get out of there!" All of a sudden rocks started to fall from midair and hit Metagross, breaking its focus and causing the Icy Wind to stop. Salamence then flew above Metagross and was prepared to dive and strike it.

"Meet it head on with Ice Punch!"

"Turn Fly into Dragon Rush!" Salamence's diving maneuver suddenly took on a blue aura in the shape of a dragon, while one of Metagross' arms became frozen solid as it met head on with the other Hoenn pseudo, creating an explosion.

Once the dust settled, both Pokémon were panting heavily, sporting a lot of injuries, and didn't look like they would last much longer.

"Salamence, use Outrage!" Daniel B. shouted. This was a huge gambit he was making.

"Metagross, use Protect!" A green barrier surrounded Metagross as Salamence started to strike it repeatedly with a crazed, enraged look on its face. Eventually, the Protect was destroyed by the vicious onslaught and Metagross was now enduring that same onslaught as before, not allowing either Tyson or Metagross to make a single move.

The onslaught eventually ended, and to everyone's surprise both Pokémon were still standing (floating?) but Salamence was now gasping as if it couldn't get enough air inside its lungs, and each breath looked just as painful as it was strenuous. The fact that it was confused didn't help things either.

Metagross wasn't fairing much better as dents and deep cuts could be seen all across its body, its chin spike was even bent. It was struggling to just stay conscious when it heard its trainer's voice repeatedly calling to it.

"Come on Metagross, I know you can hear me! I need you to hang in there just a little while longer!"

With that Metagross had managed to shake off the cobwebs in its head long enough to focus back on its opponent.

"Great, now let's end it with Bullet Punch!" Metagross took off as fast as it could given its condition, but it was still fast enough to get in front of Salamence before it could do anything, not like that was a concern. Even with Daniel B. shouting at Salamence trying to snap it out of its own little trance, it wouldn't do any good. It was a miracle that it was still able to retain consciousness, and with that last blow it couldn't even do that.

"Salamence is unable to battle! All of Daniel Bradford's Pokémon have been defeated, so Tyson Tetsuya of Mauville City is the winner!" the ref declared as both Pokémon reverted back to their original form.

"Incredible, I can't believe what I just saw. A single Mega Metagross not only brought Tyson back from the verge of defeat but also won him the match in a glorious finish to the first round!" the MC exclaimed as the crowd went nuts from the heated match.

"Thank you for everything, Metagross, I owe for everything." Tyson said as he recalled Metagross.

"You did the best that you could Salamence. You, Exploud, and Aegislash." Daniel B. said as he recalled Salamence. Both trainers looked across the field to one another and said nothing. They did give each other smiles that said it all as they headed off in the same direction to have their Pokémon looked at, especially the Metagross and Salamence.

"And with that ladies and gentlemen we finally conclude the first round of the Tournament of Champions. We'll be taking a two hour long break to allow the battlers today to rest before the second round commences.

At the Pokémon Center, everyone was sitting in one large group talking about today's matches.

"I still can't get over how awesome that battle was with Metagross and Salamence. I was practically on the edge of my seat waiting for one of them to come out a winner. It was like watching Ash's match with Harrison at the Silver Conference all those years ago again!" Max said with so much enthusiasm he stretched out everything with a single breath.

"I know what you mean. It's still amazing how Tyson managed pull all that off." Ash replied, showing his childish side again as he seemed just as excited from watching that match.

"Yeah, considering how powerful that Aegislash looked, I didn't think Tyson's Metagross would get out unscathed." Luze commented, impressed with how powerful that Metagross really was.

"Nice to know you all have faith in my battling abilities." a new voice spoke up. It was Tyson walking towards them.

"Tyson." Ash said with a little surprise

"Yep, it's me alright. I didn't think someone who lost to me in the Ever Grande Conference would have little faith in me or my Pokémon. Tyson joked with a good nature.

"Really, cause from where I was sitting, you were pretty panicked. I thought you lost there for a second." Ash joked back

"If I looked like that then I must've done a good job at hiding how I really felt. The truth was I was kinda panicking when I was down to just Metagross against that Aegislash. I didn't expect Earthquake to bring it down so easily, so I guess I was just lucky on that one. The Exploud was a lot easier to handle because of Donphan. That Salamence though, I practically had a heart attack after the Outrage was over."

"Oh yeah, are they gonna be alright?" Iris asked, concerned with the welfare of their Pokémon, a little more so with the Salamence.

Tyson nodded "All of our Pokémon will be okay, but my Donphan and his Exploud won't be able to battle again for a couple of days. My Metagross and his Salamence on the other hand are out for at least a month.

"A whole month?!" Cilan exclaimed

"That's insane!" Dawn replied

"I know that it was pretty intense but a whole month…" Gary trailed off

"Yeah, and Nurse Joy more or less told us off for letting it get that far."

"So what are you gonna do for Pokémon? You won but there's no way Donphan or Metagross will be ready in time." Max pointed out

"Don't worry about that, I still have plenty of powerful Pokémon to battle with. I've caught and trained so many different Pokémon since the Ever Grande Conference." Tyson responded.

"Would all remaining competitors please make their way back to the arena immediately?" a voice spoke over the loudspeakers in the center.

"Looks like it's time to head back." Ash said, while the others nodded as they made their way to the stadium.

The remaining 16 competitors stood within the arena as they were prepared to start the matchups, each having mixed feelings about their opponent. Since they thought that this was done in typical tournament style, everyone just assumed who their opponent would be, leading to some feeling excited at the notion, while others felt a little more than apprehensive.

"Now, with the second round ready to commence, it's time to let you all in how the next round will proceed." the MC announced, leading to more than a few quirking their eyebrows at what he could've meant.

"In Round 2, all battles will be fought as Double Battles, and your opponents will be determined by completely randomization!" he explained, causing a majority to widen their eyes in shock. With the possibility that they could face anyone standing in the arena, any prep work that might've been made for an opponent more or less went down the drain since there was a strong possibility that not only would those strategies fail on a different person, they might not even face the person that the strategies were made for to begin with.

"And now, the matchups for the Round 2 Double Battles are as follows:"

Ashley Serene vs Tobias

Michelle Blake vs Monty

Sierra Gonzales vs Ryan

Rebecca vs Alex Winters

Paul vs Crystal

Rafe vs Ash

Sage vs Tyson

Eclipse vs Siphon

Everyone narrowed their eyes in determination as they all vowed to win no matter who they were up against as they prepared to face off against their opponents…

*Shadow Pulse = Shadow Ball + Dark Pulse

*Sakura Storm = Petal Blizzard + Leaf Storm

*Anyone else get the hint with Synchronization ;)

And done! That's a wrap folks!

I apologize for the late update, again. I promised as a New Year's Resolution to update more frequently, yet I haven't made good on that promise.

Skipping over Morrison's battle and the beginning of Daniel Bradford's and Tyson's battle was intentional. I've got big plans in the works, and if I'm stuck writing out every single battle then the muse is gonna die off again. To rectify that, I'll skip over some of the battles. Not entirely like with what I did with Morrison, but more like with Tyson's match. That little "showoff" was a big necessity, so sorry Morrison, but you lost anyway so it really doesn't matter in the end to me.

If anyone's re-read through the story, you'll notice chapters 4 and 5 have been revised. This was because of a few reasons, namely to avoid contradiction and confusion when later chapters come out, and to provide better clarification as well as hopefully allow for the story to flow much better comparatively. I'll be doing this with chapters 6-8, and possibly this one as well. The reasons I'm not doing 1-3 are because I think that they turned out quite nicely, and since they were so early and focused on Ash getting his Pokémon back and growing stronger, there's not a lot for me to tweak as I think it came out quite nicely. If you think it could've gone better, let me know.

Come next time we'll have Round 2 get underway, and break away to see what's happened to the criminal organization leaders during the three year training chapter.

As always, I'm KratosTheGodofWar, signing out!