Chapter 104: Next Duels
And Patricia's turn was coming.
Briv pressed his palms flat against the railing. The metal bit into his skin. He didn't feel it. His eyes tracked the platform where Chigusa stood opposite Darius.
She rolled her shoulders once. Twice. Her pink hair caught the lights and threw them back like sparks.
Darius watched her with that wolfish grin. His braids hung past his ears, and the scars on his forearms caught the glow of the arena. He looked like he'd been carved out of old battles and older grudges.
"Trainers—ready your Pokémon!"
Chigusa moved first.
Her ball split open, and a Pokémon erupted from it with a sound like a thunderclap. Hitmonlee. All legs and coiled muscle and eyes that burned with intent.
Darius threw his ball lazily.
A Pokémon formed—tall, purple, with a muscular build and fists that could punch through stone. Machamp.
The crowd leaned in.
"BEGIN!"
Chigusa struck.
"Hitmonlee—Fake Out!"
Hitmonlee blurred forward and clapped its hands inches from Machamp's face. The sound cracked through the arena like a whip. Machamp flinched.
"Now—High Jump Kick!"
Hitmonlee launched. Its leg extended. The kick caught Machamp under the chin and sent it stumbling backward.
Darius's grin didn't waver. "Karate Chop."
Machamp swung.
Hitmonlee ducked. Its body bent like water. The chop whistled past its head.
"Close Combat."
Hitmonlee exploded. Its limbs became a blur—kicks, punches, knees, elbows. Each blow landed with a sound like meat hitting stone.
Machamp grunted. It didn't fall.
"Revenge," Darius said.
Machamp's fist glowed. It swung.
Hitmonlee took the hit. It slid backward, its feet carving grooves in the platform. It didn't fall.
"Again—Close Combat!"
Hitmonlee lunged.
Darius was already moving. "Dynamic Punch."
Machamp's fist ignited with orange light. It connected with Hitmonlee's ribs.
Hitmonlee flew. It hit the barrier. It didn't get up.
"MATCH ONE—DARIUS WINS!"
Chigusa recalled Hitmonlee. Her expression didn't change. She selected her next ball with the same economy of motion she used for everything.
She threw.
A Pokémon emerged—tall, blue, with a sleek body and eyes that held no emotion. Sawk.
Darius recalled Machamp. He threw his next ball.
A Pokémon formed—small, brown, with a hard shell and eyes that gleamed with malice. Shuckle.
Briv's stomach tightened. He'd seen that Shuckle before. Egnar's.
"Wait," he muttered.
Patricia was watching from the sideline. Her jaw was set. She'd seen it too.
Darius had been studying Egnar's matches. He'd been studying everyone's.
"BEGIN!"
Sawk moved first.
"Close Combat!"
Sawk's fists blurred.
Shuckle withdrew into its shell.
The blows landed. They didn't break through.
"Power Trick," Darius said.
Shuckle's body glowed. Its defense swapped with its attack. It emerged from its shell, and its eyes burned with power.
"Rock Slide."
Boulders materialized above Sawk.
Sawk dodged the first. The second. The third.
The fourth caught its leg.
Sawk stumbled.
"Stone Edge."
A pillar of stone erupted from the platform. It caught Sawk in the chest and launched it into the barrier.
Sawk didn't get up.
"MATCH TWO—DARIUS WINS!"
The crowd erupted.
Chigusa recalled Sawk. She stood very still for a moment. Her pink hair had come loose from its tie, and it fell across her face like a curtain.
She pushed it back.
She selected her final ball.
She held it for a long moment.
Then she threw it.
A Pokémon emerged—tall, humanoid, blue and white, with a ribbon-like appendage trailing from its head and arms that ended in fists. Mienshao.
The crowd cheered. Mienshao were rare. Mienshao were dangerous.
Darius recalled Shuckle. He selected his final ball.
He threw it.
A Pokémon emerged—massive, gray, with a face like a landslide and fists like wrecking balls. Golem.
"BEGIN!"
Chigusa moved first.
"Mienshao—Aura Sphere!"
A sphere of blue energy formed between Mienshao's paws. It launched.
Golem took the hit. It grunted.
"Rock Blast."
Rocks fired in rapid succession.
Mienshao dodged the first two. The third clipped its shoulder. The fourth caught its hip.
Mienshao spun. It recovered. It kept moving.
"Again—Aura Sphere!"
Another sphere. Another hit.
Golem staggered.
"Earthquake."
The platform buckled.
Mienshao lost its footing. It stumbled.
"Rock Blast."
Another volley.
Mienshao couldn't dodge.
It fell.
"MATCH THREE—DARIUS WINS!"
The crowd roared.
Darius raised his arms. The scars on his forearms caught the light like badges of honor.
Chigusa recalled Mienshao. She walked to the edge of the platform.
Darius met her there.
"Good fight," he said.
Chigusa didn't answer. She walked off the platform without looking back.
Team Eleven was down one.
Briv's hands were cold.
The host's voice rang out.
"Second match! Iris versus Nurse Joy! Trainers—ready your Pokémon!"
Iris walked to the platform with a bounce in her step. Her purple hair swayed behind her. Her pink-and-white robes flowed like water.
Nurse Joy walked to hers with the same calm she'd carried in the medical bay. She wore a simple white dress. Her pink hair was pinned back. Her blue eyes held no fear.
"BEGIN!"
Iris threw first.
A Pokémon erupted from her ball with a roar that shook the chandeliers. Haxorus. The dragon's green armor gleamed. Its tusks were like axes. Its eyes burned with wild fury.
The crowd screamed.
Nurse Joy didn't flinch. She threw her ball.
A Pokémon formed—large, pink, with a pouch on its belly and eyes that held nothing but warmth. Kangaskhan.
The crowd murmured.
"BEGIN!"
Iris struck first.
"Haxorus—Dragon Claw!"
Haxorus lunged. Its claws glowed.
Kangaskhan took the hit. It staggered. It didn't fall.
"Now—Outrage."
Haxorus's eyes blazed. It attacked without rhythm, without reason—just fury and claw and fang.
Kangaskhan took every hit. Its body shook. Its eyes never closed.
"Fake Out," Nurse Joy said.
Kangaskhan clapped its hands. The sound cracked through the arena.
Haxorus flinched.
"Now—Dizzy Punch."
Kangaskhan's fist glowed. It connected with Haxorus's jaw.
Haxorus stumbled.
"Again—Outrage!"
Haxorus roared. It attacked.
Kangaskhan took the hits. Every one. Its body was battered. Its pouch was scuffed. But it didn't fall.
"Endure," Nurse Joy said.
Kangaskhan planted its feet.
Haxorus struck again and again.
Kangaskhan didn't fall.
The Outrage faded. Haxorus panted. Its eyes were wild but exhausted.
"Now—Reversal."
Kangaskhan's fist glowed with the power of every hit it had taken. It swung.
The punch connected with Haxorus's chest.
The dragon flew. It hit the barrier. It didn't get up.
"MATCH ONE—NURSE JOY WINS!"
The crowd erupted.
Iris recalled Haxorus. She didn't look upset. She looked eager.
"Good one," she said.
Nurse Joy nodded. "You too."
Iris threw her next ball.
A Pokémon formed—large, green, with blades for arms and a body that moved like a whirlwind. Fraxure.
Nurse Joy recalled Kangaskhan. She threw her next ball.
A Pokémon emerged—round, pink, with big eyes and a smile that didn't waver. Wigglytuff.
"BEGIN!"
Fraxure moved first.
"Dragon Claw!"
Fraxure lunged.
Wigglytuff took the hit. It bounced backward. It didn't fall.
"Dazzling Gleam."
Wigglytuff's body blazed with pink light.
Fraxure took the hit. It staggered.
"Again—Dragon Claw!"
Another lunge.
Wigglytuff took the hit. It bounced. It didn't fall.
"Play Rough."
Wigglytuff lunged.
Fraxure tried to dodge. Too slow.
Wigglytuff's fist connected. Fraxure tumbled.
It didn't get up.
"MATCH TWO—NURSE JOY WINS!"
The crowd roared.
Iris recalled Fraxure. She was smiling.
"You're good," she said.
"I know," Nurse Joy said.
Iris selected her final ball.
She threw it.
A Pokémon emerged—massive, green, with a body like a tank and tusks like spears. Druddigon.
Nurse Joy recalled Wigglytuff. She selected her final ball.
She threw it.
A Pokémon emerged—large, pink, with a round body and eyes that held ancient calm. Blissey.
"BEGIN!"
Druddigon moved first.
"Dragon Tail!"
Druddigon swung its tail.
Blissey took the hit. It slid backward. It didn't fall.
"Soft-Boiled."
Blissey's body glowed. Its wounds sealed.
Druddigon attacked again. Again. Again.
Blissey healed. Again. Again. Again.
The crowd grew restless. The duel dragged. Druddigon's attacks grew slower. Blissey's healing grew faster.
"Now—Thunder Wave."
Blissey's body pulsed.
Druddigon's muscles seized. It stumbled.
"Seismic Toss."
Blissey grabbed Druddigon. It lifted the dragon into the air.
It slammed it down.
The platform cracked.
Druddigon didn't get up.
"MATCH THREE—NURSE JOY WINS!"
The crowd erupted.
Iris recalled Druddigon. She walked to Nurse Joy.
"You're incredible," Iris said.
"I'm just patient," Nurse Joy said.
Iris smiled. "That's the same thing."
Team Eleven was down two.
Briv's chest was tight.
Patricia was watching from the sideline. Her face was unreadable.
The host's voice rang out.
"Third match! Alejandro versus Misty! Trainers—ready your Pokémon!"
Alejandro walked to the platform with a swagger that made Briv's teeth grind. His open shirt caught the light. His jewelry jangled. His green eyes scanned the crowd like he was already counting his victories.
Misty walked to hers with fire in her step. Her orange ponytail swung. Her cerulean eyes burned.
"BEGIN!"
Alejandro threw first.
A Pokémon formed—tall, blue, with a shell on its back and water cannons that gleamed. Blastoise.
Misty threw hers.
A Pokémon emerged—large, blue, with a star on its head and eyes that sparkled with mischief. Starmie.
"BEGIN!"
Misty struck first.
"Starmie—Thunderbolt!"
Lightning arced from Starmie's gem.
Blastoise took the hit. It grunted.
"Hydro Pump," Alejandro said.
A torrent of water screamed across the platform.
Starmie dodged. It spun. It launched again.
"Thunderbolt!"
Another arc.
Blastoise staggered.
"Rapid Spin," Misty said.
Starmie spun. Its body became a blur of blue and gold. It slammed into Blastoise's chest.
Blastoise flew backward. It hit the barrier.
It didn't get up.
"MATCH ONE—MISTY WINS!"
The crowd cheered.
Alejandro recalled Blastoise. His smile didn't waver.
"Lucky," he said.
Misty didn't answer.
Alejandro threw his next ball.
A Pokémon formed—large, brown, with a shell of rock and eyes that burned with fury. Torterra.
Misty recalled Starmie. She threw her next ball.
A Pokémon emerged—large, blue, with a shell and cannons and eyes that held steady calm. Blastoise.
The crowd murmured. Misty had a Blastoise too.
"BEGIN!"
"Torterra—Earthquake!"
The platform buckled.
Blastoise took the hit. It slid. It didn't fall.
"Blastoise—Ice Beam!"
A lance of frozen light screamed across the platform.
Torterra took the hit. It staggered.
"Again—Earthquake!"
The platform buckled.
Blastoise took the hit. It didn't fall.
"Hydro Pump."
A torrent of water.
Torterra took the hit. It didn't fall.
"Wood Hammer."
Torterra's body glowed. It swung.
Blastoise took the hit. It slid backward. It didn't fall.
The two Pokémon traded blows. The crowd screamed. The platform cracked.
"Now—Blastoise! Skull Bash!"
Blastoise's body glowed. It launched.
Torterra tried to dodge. Too slow.
Blastoise's head connected with Torterra's shell.
The sound cracked through the arena.
Torterra fell.
It didn't get up.
"MATCH TWO—MISTY WINS!"
The crowd erupted.
Alejandro recalled Torterra. His smile was gone.
He selected his final ball.
He threw it.
A Pokémon emerged—tall, elegant, with a red crest and eyes that held cold intelligence. Roserade.
Misty recalled Blastoise. She selected her final ball.
She threw it.
A Pokémon emerged—sleek, blue, with a fin on its head and a confident gleam in its eyes. Floatzel.
"BEGIN!"
"Roserade—Energy Ball!"
A sphere of green energy launched.
Floatzel dodged. It launched.
"Aqua Jet!"
Floatzel wrapped itself in water and slammed into Roserade.
Roserade took the hit. It staggered.
"Sludge Bomb."
A sphere of poison launched.
Floatzel dodged. Barely.
"Again—Aqua Jet!"
Another strike.
Roserade fell.
It didn't get up.
"MATCH THREE—MISTY WINS!"
The crowd erupted.
Misty raised her fist. The arena screamed.
Team Eleven was down three.
Briv's heart pounded.
Patricia was the last match.
The host's voice rang out.
"Team Eleven is down zero to three! The fourth match is decisive! Patricia versus Sid! Trainers—ready your Pokémon!"
Patricia walked to the platform.
Her golden hair caught the light. Her blue eyes were fixed on Sid. Her jaw was set.
Sid walked to his platform with a slouch that made Briv's skin crawl. His greasy hair hung past his ears. His eyes lingered on Patricia in a way that made Briv's hands curl into fists.
"Hey there," Sid said. "You look even better up close."
Patricia didn't answer.
"Trainers—ready your Pokémon!"
Patricia threw first.
Lopunny materialized on the platform. The graceful Normal type landed on its feet and settled into a fighting stance, ears twitching.
Sid threw his ball.
A Pokémon formed—large, purple, with a gaping mouth and a tongue that lolled. Swalot.
The crowd murmured.
"BEGIN!"
Patricia struck first.
"Lopunny—Jump Kick!"
Lopunny launched. Its leg extended.
Swalot took the hit. Its body rippled. It didn't fall.
"Swalot—Sludge."
A torrent of purple sludge erupted from Swalot's mouth.
Lopunny dodged. Barely. The sludge splattered against the barrier.
"Again—Jump Kick!"
Another strike.
Swalot took the hit. It grunted.
"Body Slam."
Swalot launched itself.
Lopunny tried to dodge. Too slow.
The impact sent Lopunny skidding across the platform.
It didn't get up.
"MATCH ONE—SID WINS!"
The crowd gasped.
Patricia recalled Lopunny. Her expression didn't change.
She selected her next ball.
She threw it.
Roserade materialized. Its white rose head gleamed. Its bouquets dripped with poison.
Sid recalled Swalot. He threw his next ball.
A Pokémon formed—large, purple, with a skull on its chest and eyes that burned with malice. Skuntank.
"BEGIN!"
"Roserade—Extrasensory!"
A wave of psychic energy blasted outward.
Skuntank took the hit. It staggered.
"Skuntank—Flamethrower!"
A torrent of fire roared across the platform.
Roserade took the hit. It staggered.
"Again—Extrasensory!"
Another wave.
Skuntank flew backward. It hit the barrier.
It didn't get up.
"MATCH TWO—PATRICIA WINS!"
The crowd cheered.
Sid recalled Skuntank. His smirk didn't waver.
"Lucky," he said.
Patricia didn't answer.
Sid selected his final ball.
He threw it.
A Pokémon emerged—massive, purple, with a body covered in toxic spikes and eyes that held nothing but hatred. Drapion.
The crowd recoiled.
Patricia recalled Roserade. She selected her final ball.
She held it for a long moment.
Then she threw it.
Cranidos materialized on the platform. The small Rock type pawed at the ground. Its thick skull gleamed. Its eyes burned with determination.
Sid laughed.
"That's your last hope? A fossil?"
Patricia didn't answer.
"BEGIN!"
Sid struck first.
"Drapion—Cross Poison!"
Drapion's claws glowed. It swung.
Cranidos took the hit. It slid backward. It didn't fall.
"Now—Head Smash!"
Cranidos's skull glowed. It launched.
The impact connected with Drapion's chest.
Drapion staggered.
"Again—Cross Poison!"
Another strike.
Cranidos took the hit. It slid. It didn't fall.
"Head Smash!"
Another strike.
Drapion grunted.
The two Pokémon traded blows. The crowd screamed. The platform cracked.
Cranidos took hits. It gave hits. Its body was battered. Its skull was cracked.
But it didn't fall.
"Now—Drapion! Earthquake!"
The platform buckled.
Cranidos lost its footing. It stumbled.
"Cross Poison!"
Drapion's claws glowed.
It struck.
Cranidos flew. It hit the platform. It rolled.
It didn't get up.
Sid laughed.
"MATCH THREE—"
Cranidos glowed.
White light blazed from its body—brighter than the chandeliers, brighter than the platform lights.
The crowd fell silent.
The light grew. The small body swelled. The thick skull broadened. The stubby legs thickened.
When the light faded, Rampardos stood on the platform.
It was massive—a creature of bone and muscle and fury. Its skull was a battering ram. Its eyes burned with ancient rage.
It opened its mouth and roared.
The sound shook the arena.
Sid's laugh died.
Patricia's eyes blazed.
"Rampardos—Head Smash!"
Rampardos launched. Its skull glowed with power.
The impact connected with Drapion's chest.
Drapion flew. It hit the barrier. It didn't get up.
"MATCH THREE—PATRICIA WINS!"
The crowd erupted.
Briv screamed. He didn't care who heard.
Patricia recalled Rampardos. Her hands were trembling.
She walked to the edge of the platform.
Sid met her there. His face was white.
"You got lucky," he said.
"No," Patricia said. "I got better."
She walked off the platform.
The host's voice rang out.
"Team Eleven wins the matchup! Three to one!"
The crowd roared.
Briv was already moving. He pushed through the crowd. He reached the sideline just as Patricia stepped down.
She saw him.
She smiled.
He caught her in his arms.
"You did it," he said.
"We did it," she said.
The night was still young.
But for now, they had won.
=====
The crowd's roar still thundered through the arena, but Patricia felt only the warmth of Briv's arms and the wild pounding of her own heart against her ribs.
She pulled back just enough to look at his face, his brown eyes bright with something that looked like pride and relief all tangled together.
"You were incredible," he said, and his voice cracked on the word.
"I was terrified," she admitted, and laughed, and the laugh turned into something closer to a sob.
He cupped her face in his hands and pressed his forehead to hers, and for a moment the noise of the crowd faded to a dull hum.
"You evolved a fossil," he murmured. "You evolved a fossil in the middle of a League match against a complete asshole, and you won."
"I know," she said. "I know. I'm still shaking."
He pulled her close again, and she let herself sink into him, let the adrenaline drain out of her bones.
On the sideline, Nicola stood with her arms crossed. Her duel was already in the books—three to zero against Blackfire, clean and surgical, the kind of performance that made the betting odds shift in her favor.
She watched Briv and Patricia and felt something twist in her chest that she refused to name.
Dariana appeared at her elbow, silent as always, her dark eyes tracking the same scene.
"They're good together," Dariana said, and there was no judgment in her voice, just observation.
"I know," Nicola said.
"You're staring."
"I know that too."
Dariana didn't push. She never did. She just stood there, a quiet presence, and let Nicola have her silence.
Across the arena, Samuel had found Belle near the medical bay entrance. The doctors had cleared Skarmory, Doduo, and Probopass—all expected to make full recoveries within the week.
He looked exhausted. His dreadlocks were coming loose from their tie, and there was a smudge of platform grit on his cheek.
Belle fell into step beside him without a word, and they walked toward the exit together.
"You're quiet," she said after a while.
"I'm thinking."
"About?"
He didn't answer immediately. They passed through the tunnel that led out of the arena proper, and the noise of the crowd faded behind them like a tide receding.
"Niklaus," he said finally. "He was watching me."
Belle's steps slowed. "What do you mean?"
"During my duel. He wasn't watching the match. He was watching me." Samuel shook his head. "I've never met him. I've never spoken to him. But he looked at me like he already knew everything about me."
Belle was quiet for a moment.
"That's unsettling."
"Yeah."
They walked in silence for another minute, and then Samuel let out a slow breath and forced his shoulders to relax.
"Doesn't matter," he said. "Not tonight."
"What matters tonight?"
He turned to look at her, and something of his usual warmth returned to his eyes.
"First round's in the books. We're still standing."
Belle allowed herself a small smile.
"We're still standing," she agreed.
Back in the arena, the noise hadn't diminished. If anything, it had grown louder, a hungry, restless sound that radiated from the stands as they chanted for the next draw.
The glowing sphere descended from the dark ceiling of the dome. Its glass surface spun and tumbled, the capsules inside clicking against each other as they fell.
Briv and Patricia made their way back to the sideline, hand in hand. Misty was already there, and she caught Patricia in a fierce hug the moment she was close enough.
"Patricia! That evolution was insane. I'm going to be hearing about this for weeks."
"Let go, you're crushing me."
"Never."
Nurse Joy passed by with a quiet nod for Misty, and Briv noticed that there was a new measure of respect in the nurse's tired face.
"Good match," the nurse said.
"You too," Misty replied, and she meant it.
Iris was already gone, but Chigusa remained, leaning against the tunnel wall, watching the draw with her arms folded. Darius passed by on his way to a private area, and for a moment their eyes met across the space.
Neither of them spoke. Neither of them looked away first.
But the moment broke when the host's amplified voice split the arena air.
"The next draw! Teams Thirteen and Fourteen!"
The chatter in the crowd swelled and then subsided. A hush rippled outward across the tiers, the nervous, electric hush that always preceded a draw.
The first capsule cracked.
"Team Thirteen's first member—Malcolm!"
A man stepped forward from the shadows of the trainer entrance. Tall, sharp-featured, close-cropped dark hair and a coat the color of old iron. He moved with the economical, deliberate tread of someone who did not waste motion.
He took his position at the far end of the line without expression.
"The second member of Team Thirteen—Joel!"
Joel swaggered out with the loose confidence of a teenager who had never known real defeat. His gray jacket hung open. His sharp green eyes swept the arena, cataloguing the trainers on the sideline.
His PokeWatch gleamed on his wrist. Briv could see it from here—nine wins and counting.
Joel took his position with a theatrical flip of his hair.
"The third member of Team Thirteen—Courtney!"
A woman stepped out next. Tan skin. Long brown hair pulled back with military precision. She wore a crisp collared shirt tucked into neat shorts. Her eyes locked onto the arena's center with an intensity that bordered on aggression.
She didn't smile. She didn't wave to the crowd. She walked to her position and stood at attention like a soldier preparing for inspection.
"The fourth and final member of Team Thirteen—Dariana!"
Briv felt Patricia stiffen beside him. Nicola's arms dropped from their crossed position.
Dariana emerged from the entrance with the graceful, unhurried stride of a dancer entering a stage she knew by heart. Her long brown hair flowed over her shoulders. Her smile was warm and knowing, but Briv saw the steel in her dark eyes.
She was one of theirs. She was family.
But right now, she was an opponent.
Dariana took her place beside Courtney and Malcolm, and though she stood still, there was a coiled readiness in her posture that Briv recognized.
She was ready.
The crowd's cheer for Dariana was loud—louder than for any of her teammates. Her story had traveled through the League circuit. The athlete who had given up competition to care for injured Pokémon, only to return and fight her way back to the League.
"She's going to clean house," Patricia murmured, and there was both pride and anxiety in her voice.
"I know," Briv said.
"The first member of Team Fourteen—Minnie!"
A young woman stepped forward, and the sudden silence that followed her name was almost reverent.
Minnie was sunshine made flesh. A polka-dot red dress. A perfect white bow perched on black hair. Wide eyes that sparkled with genuine kind curiosity.
She looked around the vast arena with awe, not terror. She waved to the crowd, and the crowd waved back.
"The second member of Team Fourteen—Shego!"
The temperature in the arena changed. Several members of the audience physically recoiled. Shego walked out, boots rising and falling in crisp, predatory strides.
Black hair with a greenish sheen. A sleek combat suit designed for violence. Emerald eyes half-lidded with confidence and the hint of a smirk.
She didn't wave. She didn't smile.
She just looked at the arena and smiled.
"The third member of Team Fourteen—Kay!"
Briv's stomach flipped.
Kay Alburth emerged next. Blond hair. Tall. Athletic. That charming, easy smile he'd had since childhood. The one that made people trust him before he'd said a word.
Kay waved to the crowd. He searched the sideline and spotted Briv.
His smile widened. He raised a hand.
Briv raised one back, but his chest was tight.
Kay was his oldest friend. He was also Nicola's ex-boyfriend, and the man had a habit of stepping into situations he didn't fully understand. He had a good heart. He had good intentions. He usually pulled it through in the end.
But he was fighting an opponent who might have a bullet in her pocket for him.
"The fourth and final member of Team Fourteen—Callum!"
The punk kid sauntered out last. Purple hair. Leather jacket. Tattoos climbing from his wrists into his sleeves. More piercings than most people had in their entire wardrobe.
He cracked his neck.
He looked at the crowd.
He flipped them off, and the crowd roared its approval.
"Idiot," Patricia said, but she was almost smiling. Callum was a cipher. Cocky, loud, and unpredictable. He'd qualified on the cusp of the League standings with a run of last-second, impossible victories that nobody had expected.
The last member of Team Fourteen took his place.
The overhead screen flickered.
The fixtures appeared.
TEAM THIRTEEN VS TEAM FOURTEEN
MALCOLM VS MINNIE
JOEL VS SHEGO
COURTNEY VS KAY
DARIANA VS CALLUM
The arena erupted.
Briv's eyes found Dariana on the platform. She was already looking at Callum, and Callum was looking back with the feral, unreadable amusement of a fighter who'd just been told there were no rules.
"MALCOLM VS MINNIE! TRAINERS—READY YOUR POKÉMON!"
The crowd's roar swallowed the rest of the announcement.
Briv's hand found Patricia's and held on. Dark clouds gathered over the arena dome as the first ball left Malcolm's hand.
The first match was beginning.