Pokemon - Solo's Strange Journey

"Ladies and gentlemen! Beautiful people of Floaroma Town and those who traveled all this way to watch the season's very first dual performance! Welcome to all! And a big thank you, to the brilliant pokemon rangers who helped create today's amazingly sunny day!"

The stadium erupts into cheers and jubilation after the warm welcome from the pretty, orange-haired announcer.

"My name is Miriam Meridian and I am pleased to be the announcer of the long awaited, the much requested, the beginning of the dual performances!"

Another wave of hooting and hollering rings from the stadium seats which are filled with people from all ages and vocations.

All of them are excited for what is considered by many to be the only real form of pokemon contests.

The added complexity, difficulty and the many, new options that the coordinators have in a dual performance lead to some of the most brilliant displays of art, play and beauty.

"As some of you are aware, this year we will add another facet to the dual performances..." Miriam pauses to let excitement fester in the crowd. "This year will unveil to us the laborious laurels that the teamwork between two pokemon trainers can offer to the world!"

Miriam steps on the podium at the front of the arena, below the oversized jumbotron screen that currently shows ads for various pokemon-treats.

She raises her microphone back up to her mouth. "You heard that right! The keyword is teamwork! Today, and for the rest of the year, we will only allow teams to participate in dual performances! Now, let's give a huge round of applause for the trainers who will face this new challenge together! Let them hear you in the changing rooms!"

The screen switches away from the ads and instead displays the pictures of the 23 teams of trainers who have signed up for today.

Near the top left is a pair of trainers who were some of the first to register themselves. Their team-picture was taken just a few minutes before, after they had already gotten themselves into their stage-costume.

A strapping young man, naturally sun-bleached hair and a white dress shirt with curled up sleeves is shown in the picture.

A beautiful young woman. Long, wavy blue hair, in a strapless sundress. She clings to his arm and leans her head against his shoulder.

"Alright! Good job you two. That's a nice picture."

The photographer shoos the couple away so the next team can get their picture done.

"Are you excited yet?" The blue haired woman asks her team-partner.

"Not really. By the way, I like your hair." The strapping young hero still believes he is too cool for pokemon contests.

Dawn frowns in what could only be described as a 'cute pout'. "How can you not be excited? I have goose bumps already!"

"I dunno... I guess our competition just doesn't doesn't create much excitement in me." He says before he leans in closer and switches to a whisper. "Is it my imagination or are all of the other guys here gay?"

The majority of coordinators at today's contest are women.

A handful of men have signed themselves up. Nando, in his green cloak. A man in a colorful poncho and colorful sombrero. And a small group of male friends, each of them is dressed in expensive, aristocratic garbs and they even wear makeup.

"They aren't gay. Just flamboyant." Dawn whispers back before switching the topic. "Do you remember what you will need to do? We're going out as the 1st team. We don't have time to go over the plan again."

"Do I remember? I can recite it by memory, word by word. Swole, first you need to hold my--"

"Shhh! Don't say it out loud! We can't let the competition steal our ideas... And I don't sound like that!"

"Of course you don't. Your voice sounds like honey in my ears."

Dawn pushes her personal hero away from her face. "No kisses. You will smudge my makeup. I spent forever trying to make it look perfect."

"Really? But you got some lipstick on your teeth."

"What!?" She pulls out a compact mirror from a pocket-dimension that was only open for this very moment. "... You prick! Don't do that!"

"Hah! Don't worry. You look perfect."

"... Thanks..." She looks around for a spot to put the newly created compact mirror. "Hey, look. It's our picture on the big screen!"

A smaller TV screen inside the changing room shows what is happening outside as the cheers of the audience permeate through the walls.

Some fireworks go off below the jumbotron screen as Miriam Meridian makes a pose for dramatic effect on top of the winner's podium.

She steps back down from it after the cheers let up and walks closer to the judges. "With me today are some of the greatest judges that the industry has to offer! Mister Contesta! The Chief of the pokemon activities committee!"

"A pleasure to be here. I'm excited as always, to see what today's trainers will be able to offer us." An aged man with sleek, graying hair speaks. He wears a red suit with a black bow-tie.

"To his right, the president of the pokemon fan club, Mister Sukizo! What do you think of Floaroma?"

An older man who appears to be as plain as possible. Wearing a gray suit with a default-colored neck-tie. His hair is cut back to a stubby bald head and his wrinkly face can barely keep his eyes open.

"It's the second time I've been here. And it's still remarkable!"

Cheers ring out from the audience once more while Miriam introduces the 3rd judge briefly. "Nurse Joy, do you have anything to add?"

"We are so glad to be able to host this event. It's our pleasure, but I do hope the beauty of our town will not distract from the beauty of the pokemon we will see today."

"That, I hope too! Now, moving over to today's special guest judge..." Miriam's over-excited voice then pauses again for dramatic effect while the cameras slowly pan over to the 4th and final judge. "The top coordinator... The reigning champion... The undefeated... Cynthia Shirona!!!"

As the crowd goes wild in applause, she waves to them in a reserved manner. Almost appearing shy. Only when the crowd calms down enough to let her speak, does she give her own short statement.

"I have great expectations for the coordinators of today. I wish you all the best of luck." The crowd 'loses their shit', as some would describe it.

But back inside the changing room, a few boos ring out, much to Swole's incredulity.

Impossible!

He thinks.

Why would anyone boo at Cynthia?!

Dawn sees his state of bewilderment. "Psst. Cynthia sucks as a judge. She only values strength and power for points."

"Should we change our plans? We could still go with my idea?"

"You don't have an idea. Letting Buneary intimidate the audience isn't an idea. Stop pretending that it is."

Swole grumbles out an inaudible response while his hand unconsciously seeks out his pokeballs in a comforting manner. He and his trusted starter pokemon both incorrectly believe that it would have been a great idea.

"By the way, you should wear your necklace above your shirt." Dawn comments as her own hand unconsciously moves to the necklace that she wears. "It's a good thing that we decided to drop the necktie but your style is too bland now."

A constant barrage of changes to his clothes, his hair and suggestions to try out makeup only end when a stadium assistant comes to collect them for the first round of performances.

"Get ready to go out with the signal."

---

"Without further ado, let's put our hands together to welcome the first team with thundering applause!"

Hand in hand, the pair of pokemon trainers emerges from the entryway into the stadium. Their steps mirror each other as the audience greets them with cheers.

The eyes of the couple travel across the ranks of viewers as nervousness forms in the pits of their stomachs. Dawn's excitement reaches a crescendo and even Swole is finally caught in the feeling.

Never before have so many people watched him. So many people are waiting for the pair to amaze them. So many people are going to ridicule them if they make even the slightest misstep.

Once they reach a quarter way into the arena, their hearts beat erratically and their unoccupied hands reach to their belts in a practiced, synchronized motion to remove a pokeball each.

While still holding each other's hands, Swole throws his pokeball in a low arc and Dawn in a high toss.

The colorful balls, covered in seals, sail through the air and at the top of each throw, they pop open.

Prinplup frees himself from his pokeball in the middle of the air with a blast of bubbles.

Meanwhile, Salandit appears on the ground. The effect-seal of her pokeball creates a blazing, twisting tornado of flames that rises into the air and swallows up Prinplup together with his cloud of bubbles.

The penguin-pokemon with his natural resistance to fire can simply fall through the inferno. Just a moment before he falls right on top of Salandit, the quick lizard dodges.

Prinplup lands like a gymnast would do, with his flippers stretched out and his back straight.

Salandit on the other hand, ran a few meters away before spinning around. An angry hiss escapes her and the igniphores on her back blaze up brightly in preparation for her next move.

"Salandit, use Will-O-Wisp!"

"Prinplup, use Bubble!"

3 orbs of purple glowing fire emerge from Salandit. They float slowly across the battlefield but promise a world of pain to whoever touches them.

But then a stream of bubbles surrounds them. They spin in circles around the fire. More and more bubbles collect themselves between the pokemon. Smothering and hiding away the fire from the world.

The stream quickly swells up into a veritable ocean of bubbles that moves around the orbs like a twisting whirlpool.

Each bubble sparkles with tiny, purple flames inside of them.

Prinplup snaps his beak shut and the stream ends. The tornado of bubbles loses the centripetal force that held them in their circular motion and they are thrown all over the place.

As the storm lets up, the 3 balls of Will-O-Wisp remain in the center until they fizzle out as well and the spectacle ends.

Still joined hand in hand, the trainers bow for the audience. Polite applause begins with a few cheers mixed in.

A few viewers were very impressed by the show and kept the applause going until Miriam Meridian influenced the crowd with a few subtle gestures to calm down again so the show could continue.

"Wow! That was quite the introduction to the contest! Mister Contesta, what do you think?"

The man in the red suit leans forward to get closer to the microphone.

"It was indeed a splendid display. The dichotomy between the trainers and their pokemon was a brilliant idea. The synchronous movements of the trainers are nicely contrasted against the pokemon's action. The fiery, passionate Salandit in a mock battle against the cool and aloof Prinplup... It reminded me of quite a few feuds I had with my wife! Hahaha!"

His arms cross and he directs the next part directly to Swole and Dawn.

"However, I do believe that your performance was a little short, wasn't it? In the end you have only shown off two moves. There is definitely room to improve."

A digital 6 appears on the display that is set into the table that the contest judges sit at.

The shorter man, who did not manage to age as gracefully as Raoul Contesta, speaks up next. "I really liked the stage-trick with the reflections of the flames inside the bubbles. Remarkable."

Another digital 6 appears. This one in front of Mister Sukizo's position.

Then the cameras switch over to Nurse Joy to collect her statement. "I had the pleasure of checking up on their pokemon in the pokemon center. The remarkable healthiness and natural beauty of Salandit and Prinplup are hard to deny. It's no wonder that their performance was so smooth and the execution of their moves so skillful."

Full points from Nurse Joy.

Finally, the long awaited evaluation by the champion Cynthia.

"... It was a pretty light-show, I guess. I hope you can show some stronger attacks during the battle-phase."

2 points.

Swole almost lets his jaw drop after seeing the score from his idol.

'2...' The number haunts him. Stinging pain of rejection distracts him to the point that he did not notice Dawn leading him off the field.

His eyes stared ahead and his body moved on its own until the voice of Nando managed to rip him out of his funk.

"Roselia, come out!"

"Let's entertain them, Ludicolo!"

Nando's team partner, the man with the sombrero, calls out a pokemon who just happens to have a natural sombrero-like growth on his head.

The human-sized evolution of Lotad proves his natural affinity for sunny weather and jolly atmospheres with a jolly, little dance right after popping free of his pokeball.

"Let's start the show off right," Nando begins with a rhyme. "Roselia, Sunny Day to set the light!"

The supernatural power enhances the sky and the sun begins to shine brighter in the general vicinity of the stadium.

The heavily accented, *@%!#&^-themed sombrero-man calls out next. "Uhhh, it's getting a little hot in here, si? But already it's too late for a siesta! Cool it down with Waterfall!"

A massive spout of water shoots straight in the air with Ludicolo in the center of the reverse-waterfall. It breaks off to the sides at the very top and falls back down in a rain shower.

The sun's light refracts from the droplets and a rainbow forms inside the stadium.

But that is not enough for the duo of trainers. Fate has brought them together to entertain the masses and they plan to do their very best.

A bead of sweat rolls from Roselia's face as she pours all of her concentration into an unknown move.

When Waterfall ends, a floating pyramid remains suspended in the air. A prism of Reflect-shields has captured the water mid-air and the sun's rays that pierce the shields turn into rainbows on the ground.

"You too, Ludicolo, Reflect!"

5 more shields appear above the pyramid structure.

They redirect the light from above and create even more complex shapes of rainbows on the ground in the process.

"Solar Beam, Roselia."

With practiced ease Roselia prepares her signature move and shoots it into the structure above.

The prism begins to vibrate erratically from the power as it turns the beam into a storm of rainbow colored light and the Reflect shields from Ludicolo function as a mirror that spreads the light all over the stadium.

"Ludicolo, finish it off with Ice Beam!"

Another beam hits the prism, turning the content from water to ice. For a short moment the changing refraction properties cause the rainbows to reshape themselves and dance around the stadium in complex patterns.

But then, the power of Solar Beam becomes too much and the brittle, ice-filled pyramid shatters into a million pieces.

Each piece reflects and refracts light in an unpredictable way causing billions of rays to shoot all over the stadium in the most complex patterns and shapes imaginable.

And then the performance ends. The ice crystals sublimate from a solid to a gas under the intense heat of Solar Beam and Roselia lets up her attack.

The audience is shocked into submission.

Someone starts the applause and it crescendos into a standing ovation.

Too intimidated by their competition, Swole and Dawn are left standing in the entryway of the arena. Their own hands join into the noise of cheering without their conscious input.

Miriam does not even think about ending the applause early. And so it runs its course on its own.

For minutes nobody dares to be the first to stop the applause. Not wanting to be the one to disrespect the artists by denying them their just reward.

But the show must go on. A command reaches Miriam's earpiece from an assistant who only watched the spectacle through a monitor.

Slowly but surely, the skilled moderator tames the crowd.

She motions for Mister Contesta to give his statement.

"Beautiful. Truly a worthy spectacle. A performance that wouldn't be out of place at the grand festival."

Full points.

"I have no words. Other than remarkable."

Full points by Mister Sukizo as well.

"Their pokemon are quite healthy. Their leaves have a powerful and intense coloration and they obviously love what they are doing. Full points from me as well." Nurse Joy continues the perfect streak of scoring.

"... It was a prettier light-show. I guess. But the Solar Beam was purposefully made weaker... There wasn't even a single explosion..." Cynthia mumbles the last part quietly to herself.

5 points. A historic record-scoring by Cynthia who felt peer-pressured into giving out more points than she really believed the show was worth.

The girlfriend of our hero has seen for the first time, live, what the upper reaches of a pokemon coordinator are.

A fire that was snuffed out by laziness has rekindled itself in her heart.

For the first time since she has been a little child she feels her dream pulling at her thoughts once again.

The desire for greatness, a drive that comes easily for any pokemon trainer worth their salt, grows rapidly within her heart and even Swole with his rudimentary understanding of aura can feel the change happening within her.

And at that moment, his pubescent attraction to the woman beside him grew a bit stronger. A bit deeper.

Because just as fate draws $%#@-users toward each other, so too are powerful trainers inevitably drawn together.

The rest of the presentation stage flew past our hero in a blur. His eyes were too focused on the beauty beside him to see the spectacle on the small TV screen of the changing room.

All he could muster were mere glances for a rudimentary understanding of the strength of his opponents.

Many can barely be considered a threat. But some seem like insurmountable enemies.

Fully evolved pokemon and teams with flawless control over their pokemon's moves.

---

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome back after this nerve-wracking break!" Miriam's voice rings out from the TV-screen in the changing room where Dawn is busy biting her nails in nervousness.

She did not bother to remember the scores of her competition.

She only knows that the competition was fierce. And now she pays the price for her distractedness. Fear assaults her. Fear that they might not have made it to the second stage.

This contest has been incomparable with the ones of Canalave City and Chocovine Town.

A small pyrotechnic effect from a hidden fire pokemon shifts the audience's attention towards the main screen in the arena. It now shows the 8 teams that have entered the second round.

In first place is a picture of Nando with the poncho-wearing trainer.

And all the way down in the 8th position is the picture of Dawn and Swole.

"We made it!" Dawn's joy is palpable. Her happiness is infectious. Swole, captivated by her delight, finds himself smiling too.

When he set out to join Dawn in the dual performance, he did not plan to win. He just did not want to lose. But winning and 'not losing' are not the same.

All he really wanted was to keep another guy from hogging his girlfriend's time.

But now, her happiness depends on their success. He knows how much this contest means to her and won't let Dawn down.

The screen shows the randomly selected match-ups for the tournament-style battle phase.

They are set to fight the last battle of the first round.

Their enemies are a team of two girls.

He recalls they used a Luvdisc and a Finneon to flood the arena, but the details escape him. No matter how hard he thinks back, he did not care enough to remember what they did after flooding the arena with water.

None of his pokemon are suited for water battles. In fact, both Riolu and Salandit are very bad choices for this environment.

"I remember them." Dawn's voice cuts through his thoughts. "They were both part of the Chocovine contest. Their performance is a lot stronger than their battles. We've got the win in the bag!"

This changes things for Swole.

He knows Buneary should be a last resort. His ace in his sleeve, so to say.

If their opponents are weak, perhaps Riolu should gain some experience?

He suggests this to Dawn as they strategize.

At first, Dawn frowns at the thought of letting Swole send out his weakest pokemon because of the obvious type disadvantage. But then an idea hits her and she outlines a completely new, never-seen-before battle plan.

Dawn is convinced that the judges will 'eat that shit up' as she phrased it.

The other matches pass quickly while they scheme. Each takes at most five minutes due to the time limit.

All too soon in Swole's opinion, it is their turn to go out and fight.

"Finally!" Dawn pumps her fists in barely reigned-in excitement as they approach the battlefield. 

Their opponents, dressed in clothing that is far too revealing for Sinnoh-weather and better suitable for a beach, approach from the opposite side at the same time. 

Miriam signals for the trainers to release their pokemon.

"Riolu, go!" - "Prinplup, let's go!"

"Luvdisc!/Finneon!" Their opponents shout simultaneously. "Show them what we can do!"

Their pokemon pop out ... They flop on the dry ground. Helpless.

Miriam, not wanting to prolong their suffering, begins the fight as soon as she can. "Start!"

"Surf!" The opposing pair shouts in perfect synchrony.

Just as predicted.

"You too Riolu! Use surf!"

A murmur sweeps through the audience. 

"Riolu? Surf? That's impossible!" Miriam's commentary provides insight for the audience who do not know everything there is to know about pokemon.

Two massive swells form around Finneon and Luvdisc. 

Their almost magical energies form the water in the shape of two squished domes. Gravity pulls it down while their own powers hold the water together. The domes overlap and become one. It grows bigger, much bigger and quickly encompasses the majority of the battlefield.

Meanwhile, Riolu climbs on top of Prinplup's back and holds on for dear life. The penguin pokemon then waddles closer and jumps into the water, swimming to the top to stop his partner from taking any more damage.

"That's not Surf... Riolu is literally just surfing on Prinplup! What a creative use of their pokemon's natural strengths! And the judges agree! Just look at the dwindling points!"

"Phase 2, Aerial Ace!" Dawn commands.

"Riolu, get ready for Ice Beam!" Swole follows.

They seize the initiative. Their opponents watch in confusion, unable to react. The only thing they do is watch and bite their nails as the pokemon prepare to attack.

But the judges do not approve of a little detail they heard out of the orders.

"We're not going to fall for a fake move again!" Miriam declares as the judges deduct points. "But it does get me excited! Just what could they have in store? What does 'Ice Beam' mean?"

Prinplup vanishes with Aerial Ace, and Riolu jumps high, firing the strongest Ice Beam she could manage below.

The next moment, Prinplup smashes into Finneon with super speed, knocking her out of their watery dome in the process.

The fish flops on the sandy arena once, before jumping back into the water.

At the top of the dome, Riolu lands on a tiny ice platform and she begins to curse her own weakness.

With the strength she had in the past, she could have easily frozen all of the water but as weakened as she is now, her best efforts can only create a tiny ice floe.

The judges are stunned by the turn of events anyway.

"What!? It really was Ice Beam!"

Weak as the Ice Beam was, they were convinced it was merely a bluff. Now they have their eyes peeled to figure out how the apparent magic-trick worked. 

But nonetheless, they are amazed and deduct points from the opposing girls accordingly.

Even Cynthia is intrigued despite her usual focus on power. Her eyes inspect the battlefield closely but then home in on the necklace around Swole's neck. Her gray eyes widen as clarity appears on her face.

"Finneon, use Whirlpool!" One of the female trainers manages to snap out of her stupor and manages to wake up her partner with it. "You too, Luvdisc!"

The pokemon dance in the center of the arena. Around each other in beautiful and complex patterns.

Twisting motions translate to the water around them and the dome turns into a gigantic whirlpool.

Prinplup swims easily, barely affected in his element. But Riolu struggles to stay on top of her icy raft.

It spins around the eye of the whirlpool with ever greater speeds. Her sense of balance is tested but her battle experience reigns supreme.

"Prinplup, stop them with Peck!"

"Riolu, can you keep the plan going?" Swole asks.

His pokemon responds confidently, despite the turbulence.

"Alright. Riolu, get Confusion ready!"

Another murmur travels through the audience. A few trainers are interspersed in the crowd of viewers. They know Confusion is impossible for Riolu and they excite the audience around them.

The judges hesitate, ready to deduct points. Not yet knowing whether to score for or against our heroes.

"Her eyes? Can it be?" Miriam comments as Riolu's eyes shimmer blue and her head ornaments float on their own.

"A psychic move! Can this Riolu really use Confusion?"

Prinplup hits Finneon, pushing her out of formation. Riolu follows up with the tiniest push from Confusion, knocking Finneon further and once again kicks her out of the dome. 

Finneon lands on dry soil, swirly eyes showing her defeat for all to see.

"Finneon is KO! And that's it!" Miriam calls out the end of the match. 

The dome loses shape. It spills out and floods the arena to knee-depth for a few seconds before evaporating.

Dawn and Swole maintain a facade of confidence and aloofness. As if there was never any doubt about the outcome of the battle.

"Swole Solo and Dawn Berlitz win by style points! Truly a remarkable fight! Wouldn't you agree, Mister Sukizo?"

The bright smiles on their faces show what's truly going on in their minds. They are already celebrating the smooth victory and are just waiting to return to the changing room to act on their emotions.

"Indeed. Remarkable." The balding judge says.

His on-the-point commentary proves once again why he is considered to be one of the greatest judges that the industry has to offer.

The other judges follow up with their own short comments and give reasons for point deductions.

Cynthia speaks last. "I would recommend practicing for battles a lot more. Don't change the environment in your favor only to lose control over it and let your opponents walk all over you. Riolu was at a clear disadvantage but you never even touched her. Not to mention that you both blanked out too long when you were faced with the unexpected."

The honest critique for the two girls is meant to turn them into a formidable pair of battlers at some point. Then, a graceful smile appears on her face, making half the audience forget her harsh words immediately.

"Try sparring more often. I assure you, it will help you to become much better pokemon trainers."

Unlike the other judges, she refrains from offering empty praise for the winners. She believes the pair of trainers already knows what they need to do to improve further, and collecting laurels isn't it.

"Well!" Miriam's cheery voice lifts the mood after the stern lecture. "I'm sure the young trainers will take this loss to heart and use it as motivation to become stronger in the future!"

Then she initiates a short break, sending our heroes back to the changing room to clean their shoes and trousers. Dawn had lifted her dress quickly enough to avoid any stains from the broken Surf.

During the break, a team of pokemon and assistants clean the arena. Drying out the sand and removing damage from this round's battles.

The second round begins with Dawn and Swole faced off against a Glaceon and Sylveon. Salandit and Prinplup fought valiantly together, but their opponents were highly synchronized. Only the time limit managed to secure a close victory for our duo.

Salandit and Prinplup's moves were simply too flashy and too well executed to be ignored by the judges. A fight to KO would have taken much longer and might even have resulted in a loss due to the opponents' endurance.

With a second win in their pockets, they successfully squeezed themselves into the finale.

---

Dawn-POV:

Gulp...

We have a few more seconds while Miriam hypes up the crowd before we must go out into the arena for the final battle.

"Are you nervous?" Swole asks.

"You aren't!? My heart is literally beating out of my chest!"

"... No. I'm pretty nervous too."

"Uh oh. If even my tough boyfriend is nervous, then... Do we even stand a chance against them?"

"... It's going to be difficult. We don't know if they have any other pokemon but the ones we know of: They are both powerhouses."

He is right. 

But we talked about that all already. During the break when we planned out the battle as much as we could together. 

For some reason he decided to talk about it again... "Are you some kind of plot device for exposition?"

"You asked first! You're the plot device!"

"Hehe. Woops?" I knock myself on my head in the cutest manner I can manage.

He mumbles about my cuteness. Little does he know that I played him like a fiddle.

Heh. Anyway, he is still right. We know the battle is going to be brutal.

Our pokemon have the slightest type advantage but as Swole has put it, it's going to be like fighting two Akaris at once.

Not only do they have us beat in experience, their pokemon went through much more training than ours too!

And no matter what angle we came from, we just couldn't figure out a winning strategy. Nothing but 'maybes', 'if they make a mistake' or 'with lots of luck'.

In the end, the best we could come up with is--

"You're up." The voice of a contest assistant startles me and we get going.

The cheering crowd grows ever louder as we walk through the short passageway and emerge into the stadium.

Thousands of people are watching us. Live and on television.

I'm afraid my heart is going to start to literally literally beat out of my chest at some point.

I just need to tune them out. They aren't important. Zoey and Akari are the only viewers I need to care about. I hope they watch this somehow because we wear our outfits specifically for them to see.

A white sundress and his partial suit. I made sure that it resembles wedding attire to make them realize who he really belongs with!

"... And their opponents for the final battle: Nando Naoshi from Eterna City and Poncho Bon Jovi from Lilycove City of the Hoenn region!"

Miriam announces and sneaks some glances at everyone. She sees that we are ready. "Release your pokemon!"

"Buneary, go." Swole states in his usual cool and aloof manner. So mysterious.

I match his style. "Mawile, go." No idea how he can stay in character so effortlessly.

"Eyyy, let's go, Ludicolo! Jajaja!" Poncho claps two bongos that are strapped around his waist as he laughs out loud in this very weird way.

Nando strums a lyre. "Roselia, nature shall prevail."

Gay weirdos-- They are interesting individuals.

But their pokemon are powerful. Ludicolo is as tall as a man but twice as thick and Roselia managed to destroy their last opponents almost on her own after buffing herself up for an overpowered Solar Beam.

Roselia ended up on the left side of the field, the same as Mawile did.

Which is bad.

From the corners of my eyes I notice Miriam looking at me expectantly and I give her a nod.

"Ready? Set. Go!"

"Fake Out!" - "Fire Fang!"

"Sunny Day!" Nando and Poncho both call out at the same time. Smug grins are plastered on their faces.

They knew we wanted to stop that! Did they spy on our strategy talks?!

Both Roselia and Ludicolo begin charging up white energy in their petals and crown respectively.

Mawile has to run all the way across the battlefield to reach Ludicolo! There's no way she can hit him in time.

A flicker of light tells me that Buneary has already zoomed across the battlefield and denied Roselia's move. But it's not enough.

The sombrero-shaped crown of Ludicolo shoots out a white orb into the sky. Just a single moment later, the temperature rises and the sun becomes brighter. Solar attacks and fire moves become stronger while water is weakened.

The pokemon dances in joy at their successful execution of their plan.

But his happiness doesn't last for long. His distractedness allows Mawile to chomp down on his hand with Fire Fang!

Wide eyed and open mouthed, the pokemon stares at his hand for a few precious seconds ... Before he starts running in circles. "Ludi-ludi-ludi!"

Mawile flops around together with his arms and Fire Fang is starting to run out soon. I can already see her grip slowly but surely loosening.

"Switch to Bite!"

"Hydro Pump! Get her off of you!" Panic rings clear in Poncho's voice.

Ludicolo bites through the pain and prepares to fire off the massive water attack from his beak.

Not good! That is a special attack move and Mawile's special defense sucks!

Should we tank it? No. The plan was to hold out as long as we can! 

Right! We should interrupt his attack!

"More force, Mawile! Make him regret letting you come into biting range!"

Mawile looks at me in fear with her large eyes, tears collect in their corners. It's making my heart ache but her horns are drenched in dark energy despite her fear. Like tar, it drips down from the teeth-like spikes of her horns.

It actually looks a bit stronger than the usual Bite. Could it be? ... Crunch?

The energy for Hydro Pump finally fizzes out! It's not a full flinch, but the pain is enough to stop him from gathering any more power for his special attack.

Mawile's ability - Sheer Force - makes her deal more damage but flinching becomes impossible. I can't take a break, Ludicolo could follow up at any moment!

A blindingly bright flash of light wrenches my attention to the left for a moment. Buneary was just hit by a Solar Beam. I'm sure they are going to be fine--

Wait, that direction... That would have hit Mawile if Buneary wasn't in the way! Did they protect us?

"Try to knock it off with Waterfall!"

A physical move! We can't interrupt it! "Hold on with Vise Grip!"

Her horn clamps down once more.

Mawile's teary eyes look at me in distress. Her face keeps looking at me at every moment while the rest of her body does the fighting. She pleads with me to give her the order to let go of his arm. She doesn't want to tank the move but I know it wouldn't work anyway. 

I have learned the hard way, that her horns have a will of their own and they would never give up their prey.

Water begins to bubble up at the feet of Ludicolo. Slowly at first, then it rushes up in a surge. The waterfall pushes and pulls at Mawile's body.

"Maaaw!" Suddenly her voice rings out from the top. She lost her grip.

The reverse-waterfall ends and she falls back down. She's crying out for me to come and save her. "Brace for impact, Mawile, then use Astonish!"

"Ludicolo, use Hydro Pump now!"

Poncho orders his pokemon. 

Mawile is still in the air and can't dodge.

We must tank it but Mawile is already braced to take the hit.

Wait! Where is he aiming?!

"Swole! Watch out!" But it's too late.

A massive blast of water exits Ludicolo's beak and hits Buneary in her back. Roselia was waiting for that moment. Another Solar Beam bursts forth from her petals and fires into Buneary as well.

She tumbles across the arena. The attacks follow her until Mawile finally manages to interrupt Ludicolo with Astonish.

Right after, the large pokemon runs away and tries to create distance again.

"Get back in there with Bite!"

"Get back in with Quick Attack!" Swole orders his pokemon at the same time.

Unbelievable. Buneary is still in fighting condition after taking a hit like that... Barely. Holy shit, she's bleeding a lot actually.

Same for Ludicolo's arm. There are deep trenches cut into him where Mawile was ripped off violently.

Roselia doesn't seem too well either. She is battered, bruised and her petals are all bent out of shape. She had to catch her breath and couldn't follow Nando's next command.

Mawile is still on her way to Ludicolo, who in turn runs after Buneary. They planned to gang up on her. He's preparing a move with his fist. I missed the last order by Poncho.

"Mawile, quickly!" But my poor cutie is already running as fast as she can. Her tiny steps just can't keep up with the larger pokemon.

His fist shines in a pale blue light... Ice Punch?

But Swole sees it coming this time. "Up!" He orders and Buneary follows the demand in the same instant. 

The attack misses, despite coming from Buneary's blind angle.

"Sludge Bomb! Now!" Nando shouts out.

"Mawile! Abort your attack and tank for Buneary!"

"Ludicolo, use Seed Bomb!"

A massive blob of venom is released from Roselia and aims in an arc towards Buneary's landing position.

Mawile jumps in the way. The poisonous blob instantly disappears as soon as it touches her body. Her steel type makes her immune to poison. But the Seed Bomb following right after, still connects.

Boom!

Oh shucks! That's a lot stronger than I thought it was going to be!

But it allowed Buneary to jump right back into the fight. Her speed and skill is incredible!

"Dawn, switch over to Roselia! Buneary! Continue with Double Hit and Pound!"

"Got it!" I nod to Swole. "Mawile, use Bite on Roselia!"

"Ludicolo, another Hydro Pump!"

Mawile runs up to Roselia who is too busy trying to avoid critical hits by Buneary. One strike after another hits her but the minor hits just can't manage to knock her out. A big attack is necessary.

Meanwhile, a panting Ludicolo prepares to blast us with another Hydro Pump! 

"We can't tank it!" I inform my partner. "Mawile took too much damage already!"

He starts biting his nails and I hear him mumble something about Protect. "Buneary... You need to tank Hydro Pump!"

He's saving us again! "Mawile, we can't waste this! Give it your best shot!"

The dark coloring of Bite changes. Thick droplets of ink-like energy drip from the teeth of her horn once more.

Almost seamlessly, Buneary and Mawile swap places. Crunch chomps down on Roselia in great force while Buneary braces herself to tank Hydro Pump. 

A wall of water smashes into the little bunny. Her arms are braced to protect her face. When the water crashes into her small body, it blocks her from sight.

I can only assume that she remains standing from the way the water stops advancing, like hitting a brick wall with a water hose.

Mawile continues to crunch on her prey over and over again while Buneary prevents any and all damage from reaching her.

I can see her sliding back from the pressure but eventually the water lets off.

One moment, Buneary can be seen standing wet, but proud, between Ludicolo and Mawile.

... The next moment, she falls over.

"Buneary and Roselia are both KO!" Miriam's voice blares through the speakers. 

Bzzzzzt

"And that's the end of the match! It ended by timeout! What a last-second turn of events!"

A storm of noise assaults my ears as the applause begins. Some even give us a standing ovation.

I quickly recalled Mawile to her pokeball because I know she never stops chewing on her prey, and then release her again to let her see the results of the match with us.

Gulp...

But who won?

... The scoreboard...

"It's a photo finish! Unbelievable! Both teams have the same number of points remaining!" Miriam shouts through the applause and it only manages to increase the volume of the chaotic audience.

The scoreboard is useless! 

There is a tiny sliver remaining under our team-picture and the same sliver appears underneath Nando and Poncho.

"Which means that the pokemon who held on the longest before passing out wins the match!"

I hold my breath as the main screen changes to a replay of the last few seconds of the match.

It shows Roselia being Mawile's chew-toy on one side of the screen and Buneary receiving a blast of water on the other side. The cameras had been positioned to see more details... They really captured the pain in the pokemon's eyes as they both struggled to remain conscious.

The water lets up and Buneary appears as tall and proud as I have seen her before. She turns back around, as if wanting to return to the fight against Roselia immediately. A wicked grin can be seen on the screen.

And then, an especially viscous chomp from Mawile turns the eyes of Roselia into swirls.

A single moment later, Buneary passes out in the middle of her taking a step forward.

"Roselia lost points for team Nando and Poncho first! Which means... Dawn Berlitz and Swole Solo win the match!"

---

"Wuhu!!!" I jump in joy as the applause rings in my ears again.

Oh no! My character! I forgot I need to be cool!

I reign my excitement back in and hope nobody saw that.

Swole hasn't seen me break character. His eyes look at Buneary in pride as he fidgets her pokeball in his hand before recalling her. A bright smile forms on his lips. At least as bright as the one from his gym battle!

I go over to him and grab his arm.

Mawile also walks, or rather stumbles, next to me. Her eyes are judging me. They have accusations of betrayal clearly written in them...

But I know she doesn't really mean it. So I pet her head a few times, knowing exactly that she will bite me.

I'm not surprised when it actually does happen. And a simple promise of Poffins is enough to make her let go on her own and change her frown upside-down.

A sudden turn of Swole's head catches my attention.

Somehow I missed most of the judges' evaluations of our fight. I'm going to have to watch that online later to figure out what advice they gave.

It's Cynthia's turn and that explains why Swole has suddenly become attentive.

... If we weren't in public, that would have been a pinchable offense.

"Impressive fight." Cynthia leans back into the chair with a smile on her face. "From both teams."

Somehow she manages to look intimidating, even while giving out praises.

The way her hair covers half of her face in a mysterious veil and the intense colors of her golden hair contrasting her black outfit and beautiful, pale skin...

Her visible, piercing, steel-colored eye looks down at us. "I can't wait to see you all fight at your full potential."

... Her grin is scary.

Miriam finishes off the round of commentary before handing each of us one half of a ribbon.

The center piece which is supposed to work like a brooch is cut in half and it looks like they can be slotted together.

Miriam looks at us expectantly.

... We didn't practice any victory poses! I messed it up again!

"Thanks." Swole just says in his usual tone when he is far off in his thoughts, causing Miriam to mutter something about kids these days.

"Each half only counts as half a ribbon for the grand festival." She starts to explain to us instead of reprimanding Swole for his utter lack of creativity.

"That means you need 10 halves for the grand festival or any mix of halves and full ribbons. Additionally, these halves are registered for the both of you. You can each keep 1 half or either of you could use both to register at the grand festival."

That's... Wait... This would make it much easier to get into the grand festival, as long as you have a good partner!

But then a lot more people will be able to register... "Does that mean the grand festival will be a dual performance like today? Where everyone must attend with a partner?"

Panic briefly crosses over Miriam's face and she motions for the cameras to stop recording them. "I hope that question didn't manage to make it to the TVs yet..." Her colorful lips move as she mumbles quietly to herself.

"Ahem." She clears her throat before addressing us again in a much more relaxed voice. "Please don't spread that theory. We want to keep it as a surprise for the later half of the season."

"Isn't that a little mean?"

"Oh yes." She grins. "Mean, but exciting for the audience! Just imagine all the chaos as the trainers struggle to find reliable partners in the last few weeks! It will be wonderful!"

... Evil...

"Anyway, let's get you into the waiting room before you blow any more secrets-- I mean, so you can celebrate in peace!"

We start walking back to the corridor in a cool and composed manner while the audience is still cheering us on and shouting about how amazing our match was.

But as soon as we leave the arena, not a single viewer can see us anymore... My heart begins to flutter and desire takes root.

---

Swole-POV:

Dawn's hug on my arm grows tighter and she stops.

She turns slowly, doubt written on her until we are face to face.

The low light inside the corridor hides us away from the world but I can still see her eyes linger on my lips. She stretches herself up as her lips seek out mine.

I bend down so we can finally kiss.

Her hands move behind the back of my head and we pull each other closer together. Her pillowy chest pushes against mine and her breasts squish.

My hands wander down her body and end up cupping both of her butt cheeks. Suddenly she jumps, she wraps her legs around my body and holds on tightly to my neck.

The unexpected shift makes me stumble back for half a moment but with a turn I manage to rebalance myself before I fall over. But this accidentally pushed Dawn against the corridor wall instead.

Her back hits the wall and a moan escapes her mouth despite still being closed off by mine.

A memory resurfaces of what Zoey did back then. Of her sticking her tongue in my mouth and me returning the favor.

I angle my head for a better entry and stick my tongue inside of her.

Her strong minty taste assaults my tongue. Her toothpaste. Her eyes widen and she stares at my face with a startled look.

After a few seconds of brushing my tongue against her teeth and tongue, she starts to move against me.

Her hands shift and grab the hair on the back of my head. Her tongue shyly enters my own mouth and her eyes slowly drift closed again.

The feeling is amazing, unimaginable, indescribable--

"Ahem."

My muscles freeze up. A throat cleared itself behind my back. The noise echoes up and down the corridor.

Dawn's legs instantly unwrap themselves from my back and she dips out of my hold. The brightest blush I have ever seen shines on her face.

Slowly, I turn around.

It really is who I thought it was...

She caught us in the middle of making out...

I really wish I wasn't here right now.

---

Dawn-POV:

Nooo...

"In public? Really?"

Noooooo!

It's Cynthia! Damn it! Why!? This is terrible!

And I started it! "Ahem... Swole, you should hold yourself back a little."

Ouch! He pinched my ass really hard!

"Siiiigh." Cynthia lets out the longest sigh I have ever heard. "I am here to congratulate the both of you for the stellar fight. But more importantly, Swole, how did you teach your Riolu Confusion and Ice Beam?"

I pinch Swole back because once again, he turned into a little schoolboy after seeing Cynthia. I also grab his arm again to make sure she--

... Never mind. I don't think I need to worry about Cynthia. She is way too old to be interested in him.

I don't need to be worried about her... But about Swole!

Damn womanizer! Argh! Half of my female friends! Asshole gigolo!

While I seethe in silence, Swole answers her. "I-- It's-- uhm... It's complicated... I have a theory on how and I could write a book about it-- Basically it's aura-- Uhm, actually, I can't tell you anything about it. I still need to defeat you in the platinum league."

Cynthia struggles to listen to his mumbling. His face still carries the biggest blush I have ever seen on him because we-- He got caught.

After obviously going through his sentence in her mind again, she zones in on a keyword.

"Aura?" She asks. "What do you know about aura?"

In response, Swole pulls up the necklace that his mom got him earlier this week. The pendant looks identical to the ornamental hairpins in Cynthia's golden hair.

"I know a few things. I know that this symbol has something to do with it and I know that aura represents the soul." He starts listing things off with his fingers. "Talking with pokemon, better physical strength, I can use it to scout for around 20 meters... But that's pretty much it. I plan to find out more about it and maybe I will actually write a book on aura."

Disappointment shows itself once again on Cynthia's face. "A little less than me... By the way, aura doesn't simply represent the soul, it is the soul. But what is your theory on the moves?"

I can see in his face how hope grows with that question. He's still trying to impress her. Doesn't he realize how old she is?

"We met 3 legendary pokemon on our way to Canalave City."

Regirock, Regice and-- "Wait, 3?"

"Regirock, Regice and Mesprit."

... I didn't see a Mesprit...

"And... and Mesprit told me to--" He stares down at his belt of pokeballs in guilt. "To ... to use aura on Riolu's egg. Maybe something mixed together with the aura of the nearby legendary pokemon? Anyway! I shouldn't be telling you that because I still need to defeat you. Let's discuss something else!"

"Alright." Cynthia agrees. "I understand. When a legendary pokemon tells you to do something, it's always the right choice to listen... Where do you two plan to go next?"

And so Swole begins to tell her about our next goal, Alamos Town. A town which is nestled into a mountain-range, surrounded by a massive lake.

By moving through the town and then to Oreburgh City, we can avoid backtracking into Jubilife City and have a try at their contest for a chance to get my 3rd ribbon!

Or rather, 2.5th ribbon since he owns half of my second one.

...

At some point Nando came to look for us since we never arrived at the changing room. It's nice to see how friendly some people are.

He informs us that he found a like-minded individual in Poncho and will travel with him from now on. Their next target location is Eterna City, so we won't be seeing them for a while...

What a gay fella. 

Gay means joyful or jolly.

Then Miriam came from the arena and talked with Cynthia and us for a bit. She made a comment about being pleased over not having to wrangle any hooligans again.

Cynthia and Swole wrap their discussion up and she finishes off by giving me some trainer advice, which frankly just boils down to train more and do more sparring. Then she walks off and does... whatever it is that a champion does in their spare time.

Probably training and sparring.

"She said she wanted to look for more information on aura. Didn't you listen?" Swole answers me.

"Ehehe... Not really at some point... Wait! Was I mumbling? Did you infect me with your distractedness?!"

"It's not a disease. It just means your brain is actively working." He claims with a wink. "That, or we are developing schizophrenia."

I roll my eyes at his jokes. "I don't want to become a bumbling, mumbling mess like you." I wink back. "Ouch! Stop pinching my ass!"

"Ouch! You stop pinching my arm!"

"No you first!"

"Nuh uh! You stop first!"

...

...

...