Chapter 65: Briv VS Revan
The morning sun hung low over Aethelburg, bleeding gold through the crystal towers and turning the canals into ribbons of liquid fire.
Briv stood at the edge of the training yard behind the inn, his breath misting in the cold air. He had been up since before dawn, running drills with Turtwig, pushing Riolu through agility exercises, watching Shinx chase sparks across the cobblestones. His body ached. His mind raced. The League was three weeks away, and he still needed one more win.
One more.
The yard was quiet except for the distant hum of the city waking up—shopkeepers opening their doors, merchants hauling crates to market, the soft chime of the floating bridges adjusting to the morning breeze. Patricia was inside, helping Dariana with breakfast. Nicola was still at the canal with Tangrowth, training like her life depended on it. Samuel was probably still asleep, dreaming in rhythms.
Briv wiped sweat from his forehead and looked at Shinx.
The little Electric-type was panting, its blue fur matted with exertion, but its yellow eyes burned with determination. It had been pushing itself harder than ever since Nicola's Tangela evolved into Tangrowth. Shinx wanted that same transformation. It wanted to be stronger. It wanted to prove itself.
"Soon," Briv said. "I promise."
Shinx chirped.
Then the gate creaked open.
Briv turned.
Revan Stormcloud stepped into the yard like he owned it. He was dressed in black, as always—black jacket, black pants, black boots that clicked against the cobblestones with deliberate precision. His messy dark hair fell across his forehead, and his silver-gray eyes gleamed with something between amusement and contempt.
"Well, well," Revan said. "The champion, training alone. How very noble."
Briv's jaw tightened.
"What do you want?"
"Want?" Revan smiled, and it was the kind of smile that made Briv's knuckles itch. "I want a lot of things. But right now, I want a battle."
"A battle."
"Three on three. Right here. Right now." Revan pulled three Poké Balls from his belt and juggled them casually. "Unless you're too busy polishing your trophy."
Briv didn't answer.
He was thinking.
Revan was strong—stronger than most trainers Briv had faced. He was also unpredictable, vicious, and willing to use tactics that bordered on cruel. This wasn't a friendly sparring match. This was a statement.
And Briv needed it.
One more win. One more victory to qualify for the League.
"Fine," Briv said. "But we do this my way. Standard rules. No cheap shots. No interference."
Revan's smile widened.
"I wouldn't dream of it."
---
Axel appeared from the inn, Rotom flickering at his shoulder like a ghost made of lightning.
"I heard there's a battle," Axel said.
Revan's expression flickered—annoyance, maybe, or respect. He hadn't expected an audience.
"You'll referee," Revan said. It wasn't a question.
Axel nodded.
"Standard three-on-three. No substitutions. The battle ends when one trainer has no Pokémon remaining." He looked at both of them. "Are you ready?"
Briv looked at Shinx, who had moved to stand beside him, its fur still crackling with residual electricity.
Then he looked at Revan.
"Ready."
---
Revan moved first.
"Piloswine," he said.
The ball opened in a flash of brown and white, and a massive Pokémon materialized on the field—a creature of thick, shaggy fur and curved tusks, its small eyes glinting beneath a helmet of ice. Piloswine stamped its feet, and the ground trembled.
Briv considered his options.
Turtwig was sturdy. Riolu was fast. Shinx was agile but fragile.
He needed to start strong.
"Turtwig," he said.
Turtwig burst onto the field in a flash of green light, its tiny body planted firmly, its yellow sprout standing tall. It looked up at Piloswine without a trace of fear.
"Begin," Axel said.
---
Piloswine moved first.
"Ice Shard."
A volley of icy diamonds shot toward Turtwig.
"Turtwig—Withdraw!"
Turtwig pulled its head into its shell, and the Ice Shard shattered against its hardened back.
"Now—Razor Leaf!"
Turtwig popped out and fired a storm of leaves at Piloswine.
Piloswine grunted as the leaves cut into its fur, but it didn't fall.
"Powder Snow," Revan said.
A cloud of freezing powder engulfed Turtwig.
"Turtwig—hold on!"
Turtwig shuddered. Ice formed on its shell, its movements slowing.
"Again," Revan said. "Ice Shard."
Another volley.
"Turtwig—Tackle!"
Turtwig charged through the ice, its body glowing with determination. It slammed into Piloswine's leg, and the massive Pokémon staggered.
"Bite!" Briv shouted.
Turtwig's jaws clamped onto Piloswine's fur.
Piloswine roared.
It shook its body violently, trying to dislodge the Grass-type. Turtwig held on. The two of them spun across the field, locked in a battle of raw stubbornness.
Then Piloswine reared back and slammed into the ground.
The impact sent Turtwig flying. It landed hard, skidded, and didn't get up.
"Turtwig is unable to battle," Axel said. "Piloswine wins."
---
Briv recalled Turtwig.
He whispered something to the ball before clipping it to his belt.
"Riolu," he said.
Riolu materialized in a burst of blue light, its body lean and coiled, its red eyes locked on Piloswine. It didn't flinch. It didn't hesitate. It just waited.
"Begin," Axel said.
---
"Quick Attack," Briv said.
Riolu blurred forward, slamming into Piloswine's side before the ice-type could react.
Piloswine grunted.
"Again."
Riolu struck again.
And again.
Each hit was precise, surgical, aimed at the same spot on Piloswine's ribs.
"Ice Shard," Revan said.
Piloswine fired a volley.
"Riolu—dodge!"
Riolu flipped backward, but one of the shards clipped its shoulder.
It stumbled.
"Now—Take Down!" Revan shouted.
Piloswine charged forward, its massive body a battering ram.
"Riolu—Force Palm!"
Riolu's palm glowed with blue energy, and it struck Piloswine's chest just as the Pokémon reached it.
The impact stopped Piloswine dead.
The ground cracked beneath them.
Piloswine swayed.
Then it fell.
"Piloswine is unable to battle," Axel said. "Riolu wins."
---
Revan recalled Piloswine without a word.
He looked at Briv.
"You're better than I thought."
"I know."
Revan's smile flickered.
"Electrode," he said.
The ball opened in a flash of red light, and a spherical Pokémon materialized—smooth, metallic, with a face that seemed permanently fixed in a grin. Electrode hummed with barely contained electricity, its body crackling with power.
"Begin," Axel said.
---
"Electrode—Thunderbolt!" Revan shouted.
A bolt of lightning shot toward Riolu.
"Riolu—dodge!"
Riolu jumped, but the bolt curved midair and struck it in the chest. The Fighting-type screamed as electricity coursed through its body.
"Again!"
Another bolt.
"Riolu—Quick Attack!"
Riolu blurred forward, but Electrode was faster. It rolled to the side, and another Thunderbolt struck Riolu before it could land a hit.
Riolu fell.
It tried to rise.
It couldn't.
"Riolu is unable to battle," Axel said. "Electrode wins."
---
Briv recalled Riolu.
Two down.
One left.
He looked at Shinx.
Shinx looked back at him.
"We're not done yet," Briv said.
Shinx nodded.
It walked onto the field, its small body trembling with anticipation. Electrode loomed before it—bigger, faster, more powerful.
But Shinx didn't back down.
"Begin," Axel said.
---
Electrode moved first.
"Thunderbolt."
The bolt shot toward Shinx.
"Shinx—dodge!"
Shinx jumped.
The bolt grazed its tail.
Shinx yelped but kept moving.
"Again!" Revan shouted.
Another bolt.
Shinx dodged.
Another.
Shinx jumped.
Another.
Shinx couldn't dodge forever.
"Shinx—Charge Beam!" Briv shouted.
Shinx opened its mouth and fired a beam of concentrated electricity at Electrode.
The beam struck, and Electrode absorbed it—but not all of it. A thin arc of energy rebounded into Shinx, charging it.
"Again!"
Shinx fired another Charge Beam.
And another.
And another.
Each one made Electrode's body pulse brighter. Each one made Shinx glow with stored power.
"Now—Spark!" Briv shouted.
Shinx charged forward, its body crackling with lightning, and slammed into Electrode.
Electrode screamed.
It rolled backward, its sphere-body smoking.
"Electrode is unable to battle," Axel said. "Shinx wins."
---
Revan's expression changed.
It wasn't anger. It wasn't even surprise.
It was something colder. Something sharper.
He was taking this seriously now.
"Floatzel," he said.
The ball opened in a flash of blue light, and a sleek Pokémon materialized—a creature built like a missile, with orange fur, a yellow flotation sac, and twin tails that whipped through the air. Floatzel bared its fangs, and the temperature seemed to drop.
"Begin," Axel said.
---
Floatzel moved first.
"Aqua Jet!"
Floatzel launched forward like a torpedo, water trailing behind it.
"Shinx—dodge!"
Shinx jumped.
Floatzel curved midair and struck Shinx's side.
Shinx tumbled across the ground.
"Again!" Revan shouted.
Floatzel smashed into Shinx before it could rise.
"Again!"
Another hit.
And another.
Shinx was being battered. Broken. Beaten.
"Shinx! Get up!"
Shinx tried.
It couldn't.
Floatzel circled back for the final blow.
"Shinx..."
Shinx's body began to glow.
Not yellow.
Not blue.
White.
The glow intensified, blinding, beautiful, terrifying.
"What the—" Revan started.
Shinx's body began to change. Its small frame expanded. Its fur darkened from blue to black, and a mane of longer fur rippled down its back. Its tail split, the star-shaped tip crackling with electricity. Its eyes burned with new power—not the eyes of a child, but the eyes of something ancient and fierce and unyielding.
The glow faded.
Standing where Shinx had been was something bigger. Something stronger. Something unmistakably evolved.
Luxio.
---
The silence lasted one heartbeat.
Then Luxio roared.
The sound shook the ground.
"Impossible," Revan whispered.
Briv didn't speak.
He just smiled.
"Luxio," he said. "Spark."
Luxio charged forward, its body blazing with electricity, and slammed into Floatzel like a thunderbolt.
Floatzel flew backward.
It didn't get up.
"Floatzel is unable to battle," Axel said. "Luxio wins. Briv wins the match."
---
The yard was quiet.
Then Patricia's voice cut through the silence like a knife.
"OH MY GOD! HE EVOLVED!"
She burst through the inn door, followed by Dariana, Samuel, and—wonder of wonders—Nicola with Tangrowth lumbering behind her. They had all apparently been watching from the windows.
Patricia sprinted across the yard and threw her arms around Briv.
"You did it! You actually did it!"
"I didn't do anything," Briv said, hugging her back. "Luxio did."
Luxio walked over, its new body moving with a fluidity Sparkx had never possessed. It looked at Briv with those fierce eyes and let out a low, rumbling purr.
"You evolved because you wanted to protect me," Briv said, kneeling to meet its gaze. "I know. I felt it."
Luxio pressed its head against his chest.
Patricia wiped her eyes.
"Okay, I'm not crying."
"You're definitely crying," Dariana said.
"I'm not."
"You are," Nicola said. "It's fine. We all are."
Briv stood up and looked at Axel.
"Did that count?"
Axel pulled a small tablet from his jacket and tapped the screen.
"Tenth win," he said. "Congratulations. You've officially qualified for the League."
The yard exploded.
Patricia cheered. Dariana hugged Nicola. Samuel started humming something that sounded suspiciously like a victory song. Even Tangrowth extended a vine and patted Luxio on the head.
Briv stood in the center of it all, his chest tight, his eyes stinging.
He had done it.
For the first time in his life, he had done something that mattered.
And then he heard the slow, deliberate sound of applause.
Everyone turned.
Revan was clapping.
His expression was unreadable—part amusement, part something darker.
"Congratulations," he said. "I mean that sincerely."
Briv's smile faded.
"What?"
"You qualified. You get to compete in the League." Revan's eyes glittered. "You get to stand on that podium and smile for the cameras and pretend you're the best."
He stepped closer.
"But you're not."
The warmth drained from the yard.
"You're a fraud, Briv. You always have been. You won last year because of luck and because everyone underestimated you. That won't happen again."
Briv's hands curled into fists.
"Are you threatening me?"
"No." Revan's smile widened. "I'm warning you. I'm not the only one who's been watching. And when the League starts, you're going to find out what real trainers look like."
He turned and walked away.
The gate closed behind him.
Briv stood there, his heart pounding, his hands shaking.
Patricia touched his arm.
"Don't listen to him. He's just angry he lost."
Briv nodded.
But her words didn't reach him.
Because Revan had said something that made his blood run cold.
I'm not the only one who's been watching.
---
Later that night, Briv sat alone in his room with Luxio curled beside him. The city lights flickered outside the window, casting strange shadows across the ceiling. He should have been celebrating. He should have been happy.
But he couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming. Something worse than Revan. Something worse than the Eclipse Squad. Something that had been waiting for him all along.
Luxio purred softly.
"Hey," Briv whispered, running his fingers through its fur. "Whatever happens... we're ready, right?"
Luxio looked up at him.
Its eyes said yes.
Briv closed his eyes.
The countdown continued.
---
Somewhere in the city, far from the inn and the training yard and the quiet celebration, Revan Stormcloud stood on the edge of a rooftop with a phone pressed to his ear.
"Sir," he said. "It's done. He qualified."
The voice on the other end was cold. Calculating.
"Good. Proceed to phase two."
Revan smiled.
"I've been looking forward to this."
He hung up and looked down at the city.
The stars were bright.
The canals glowed.
And somewhere in the darkness, the real battle was about to begin.
=====
The whisper of Revan's warning clung to Briv like frost on glass. He lay awake long after Luxio's purring had softened into the slow, steady rhythm of sleep, staring at the ceiling while the city hummed beyond his window. The words replayed in his skull on a loop—not the threat itself, but the certainty behind it. Revan wasn't bluffing. He wasn't the type. Briv had learned to read people the way he read battle patterns, and Revan Stormcloud carried himself like a man who already knew the ending.
Sleep, when it finally came, was thin and restless.
---
Morning arrived gray and damp, the kind of morning that made the canals steam and the cobblestones slick. Briv found Patricia in the common room before anyone else, nursing a cup of tea, her blond hair still mussed from sleep. She looked up when he entered, and something in his expression made her set the cup down.
"You didn't sleep."
"Neither did you."
"I slept fine," she lied.
Briv sat across from her.
"Revan said something last night. After the battle."
Patricia's jaw tightened.
"I heard him. We all heard him."
"He said he's not the only one watching." Briv ran a hand through his hair. "What does that mean? Who else would be watching us?"
Patricia didn't answer right away. She stared at the steam rising from her tea, her blue eyes distant.
"The Eclipse Squad isn't just Revan," she said finally. "There's Roger. Callum. Jinx. And whoever's giving them orders."
"You think there's someone above Revan?"
"I think Revan's too smart to be the top of the chain." She looked at him. "He's a soldier. Not a general."
Briv absorbed that.
"So we're not just dealing with a rival. We're dealing with an organization."
"Seems like it."
Silence stretched between them.
Then the door banged open.
Dariana swept in with Eevee tucked under one arm and a rolled-up flyer in the other. Her dark hair was braided tight against her scalp, and her eyes sparkled with something between excitement and mischief.
"You two look like someone died," she said. "Cheer up. I found something."
She tossed the flyer onto the table.
Briv picked it up.
It was a tournament announcement—a small-scale invitational held in the lower districts of Aethelburg. Three-on-three battles. Cash prizes. No League points, but good practice.
"The Rustwater Invitational," Dariana said. "Starts tomorrow. Open bracket. Anyone can enter."
Patricia took the flyer.
"Why are you showing us this?"
"Because we need practice. Real practice. Against trainers we don't know." Dariana pulled up a chair and sat, crossing her long legs. "The League is three weeks away. We've been fighting the same people over and over. We need variety."
Briv nodded slowly.
"She's right."
Patricia looked at him.
"You're considering this?"
"I'm considering everything." He set the flyer down. "But first, I want to know more about the Eclipse Squad. What they want. Who's leading them."
Dariana's expression shifted.
"You're not going to find that out by sitting here."
"I know."
He stood.
"Which is why I'm going to talk to Officer Jenny."
---
The Aethelburg Police Headquarters sat on the eastern edge of the city, a squat building of reinforced stone that looked out of place among the crystal towers and floating bridges. Briv had been there once before, months ago, when he'd reported a stolen Poké Ball that had turned up in a pawn shop. The officer who'd helped him had been efficient, professional, and utterly forgettable.
Officer Jenny was not forgettable.
She met him in the lobby, her teal-blue hair pulled back in a sharp ponytail, her green eyes scanning him like he was a suspect rather than a visitor. Her uniform was crisp, her posture perfect, her presence commanding.
"Mr. Ambertone," she said. "You said this was urgent."
"It is."
She led him to a small conference room and closed the door.
"Sit."
Briv sat.
Jenny remained standing.
"Talk."
He told her about the Eclipse Squad. About Revan's warning. About the feeling that something was coming—something bigger than a few disgruntled trainers with chips on their shoulders.
Jenny listened without interrupting.
When he finished, she was quiet for a long moment.
"The Eclipse Squad has been on our radar for six months," she said. "They operate in the shadows. They don't claim territory. They don't sell drugs. They don't run protection rackets."
"Then what do they do?"
"They recruit." Jenny's eyes narrowed. "They find talented trainers—young, ambitious, angry—and they offer them something. Power. Purpose. A place to belong."
Briv frowned.
"That doesn't sound illegal."
"It's not. Not yet." Jenny folded her arms. "But the trainers they recruit have a habit of disappearing. Not physically. Socially. They cut ties with family. They abandon old friends. They stop competing in official tournaments and start showing up in underground battles."
"Underground battles?"
"Illegal. Unsanctioned. No rules. No safety protocols." Her voice hardened. "Pokémon get hurt. Sometimes badly. Sometimes worse."
Briv's stomach turned.
"And you think Revan is part of this?"
"I know he is. We've been tracking him for months." Jenny leaned forward. "What I don't know is who's giving the orders. Revan reports to someone. We just haven't figured out who."
Briv thought about what Patricia had said.
"Can you find out?"
Jenny's expression didn't change.
"We're working on it. But if you're asking me to share classified information with a civilian—"
"I'm not a civilian. I'm a trainer. And I'm competing in the League in three weeks." Briv met her gaze. "If the Eclipse Squad is planning something, I need to know."
Jenny studied him.
Then she sighed.
"There's a name. We don't have a face. We don't have a location. But we have a name."
She wrote it on a piece of paper and slid it across the table.
Briv looked at it.
"Malcolm Vane."
---
The name meant nothing to him.
He asked around. He checked the League registry. He searched the public records at the Aethelburg library, scrolling through old newspapers and tournament archives until his eyes burned.
Nothing.
Malcolm Vane didn't exist.
At least, not officially.
He was a ghost. A rumor. A whisper in the dark.
By evening, Briv was back at the inn, sitting in the common room with a cold cup of coffee and a headache that wouldn't quit. Patricia sat beside him, reading over his shoulder. Dariana was across the table, sketching battle strategies in a notebook. Nicola was on the floor with Tangrowth, running her fingers through its vines.
"Malcolm Vane," Patricia said. "Doesn't ring a bell."
"He's not supposed to." Briv rubbed his temples. "That's the point."
"So what do we do?"
"We wait. We watch. We train."
Dariana looked up.
"And we enter the Rustwater Invitational."
Briv nodded.
"Yeah. We do that too."
---
The Rustwater Invitational was held in the lower districts, far from the crystal towers and floating bridges. The arena was a converted warehouse—damp, dim, and packed with trainers from every corner of the city. The air smelled of sweat and old wood and the faint ozone of too many Pokémon in too small a space.
Briv stood at the registration table, signing his name on a clipboard.
Then he heard a voice he recognized.
"Well, well."
He turned.
Jinx stood behind him, her pink hair styled in those horn-like tufts, her magenta eyes glittering with mischief. She wore a gothic purple-black outfit that looked like it had been stitched together from shadows and spite.
"Fancy meeting you here," she said.
Briv didn't smile.
"Jinx."
"Don't look so thrilled." She stepped past him and signed her own name on the clipboard. "I'm just here for the competition. Same as you."
"I doubt that."
Jinx laughed.
"You're so suspicious. It's adorable."
She walked away.
Briv watched her go.
Then Patricia appeared at his side.
"Was that—"
"Jinx. Yeah."
"What does she want?"
"Nothing good."
Patricia's expression hardened.
"I'm entering this tournament."
Briv looked at her.
"Patricia—"
"I'm entering," she repeated. "And if I run into her, I'm going to beat her."
There was something in her voice—something fierce and cold and determined. Briv had heard that tone before. It was the tone she used when she'd made up her mind and nothing was going to change it.
"Okay," he said. "But be careful."
Patricia didn't answer.
She just walked to the registration table and signed her name.
---
The tournament started at noon.
Briv won his first two matches with Luxio and Riolu, advancing through the bracket with the kind of ease that made him nervous. He was used to fighting trainers who knew him—who had studied his patterns, his weaknesses, his tells. These opponents were strangers. They didn't know what he was capable of.
It should have been an advantage.
But it felt like walking through a minefield.
Patricia, meanwhile, was on a rampage.
She tore through her first two opponents with Magby and Cranidos, her commands sharp and precise, her timing flawless. She wasn't just winning—she was dominating. Every battle was a statement. Every victory was a warning.
By the time the semi-finals rolled around, the crowd had taken notice.
And so had Jinx.
---
Patricia's third match was against a trainer named Kira—a wiry woman with short red hair and a cocky smile. Kira used a team of Dark-types: Umbreon, Absol, and Houndoom. Patricia used Magby, Cranidos, and Budew.
Briv watched from the sidelines, his heart pounding.
Magby fell to Umbreon's Foul Play.
Cranidos crushed Absol with a Head Smash that shook the arena.
Then Houndoom came out.
Cranidos fought bravely. It landed two hits, then three. But Houndoom was faster, stronger, and relentless. A Dark Pulse sent Cranidos crashing into the wall.
Patricia recalled it.
She looked at Budew's Poké Ball.
Then she looked at Jinx, who was watching from across the arena with that same glittering smile.
Patricia threw the ball.
Budew appeared on the field—small, clumsy, its sleepy eyes blinking in the harsh arena light. It looked around like it had just woken up from a nap and had no idea where it was.
The crowd laughed.
Jinx laughed.
Patricia didn't.
"Budew," she said. "Let's show them."
---
Houndoom moved first.
"Dark Pulse!"
A wave of dark energy shot toward Budew.
"Budew—dodge!"
Budew didn't dodge.
It didn't even move.
The Dark Pulse hit it dead-on, and Budew tumbled backward, rolling across the arena floor like a discarded toy.
"Patricia, what are you doing?" Briv whispered.
"Budew—get up!"
Budew got up.
It looked confused. It looked tired. But it got up.
Houndoom attacked again.
"Again," Patricia said. "Get up."
Budew got up.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The crowd stopped laughing.
Jinx's smile faded.
"What is she doing?" Dariana whispered.
"She's waiting," Nicola said.
Waiting for what?
Patricia's eyes never left Budew.
"Houndoom—Fire Blast!" Kira shouted.
A massive wave of flames engulfed Budew.
The arena fell silent.
When the smoke cleared, Budew was still standing.
Its petals were singed. Its body was trembling. But it was standing.
And it was glowing.
"Now," Patricia said. "Absorb."
Budew's body pulsed, and green energy flowed from Houndoom into the tiny Grass-type.
Houndoom staggered.
"Again."
Another pulse.
Houndoom was weakening.
"Again."
Houndoom fell.
"Budew wins," the referee announced. "Patricia advances to the finals."
---
The crowd erupted.
Patricia ran onto the field and scooped Budew into her arms. The little Grass-type looked up at her, its sleepy eyes wide with something like wonder, and Patricia kissed its forehead.
"You did it. You actually did it."
Budew chirped.
Briv was on his feet, clapping so hard his palms stung.
But he wasn't looking at Patricia.
He was looking at Jinx.
Jinx was looking back.
And her smile had returned.
---
The finals were Patricia versus Jinx.
The arena was packed now—trainers, spectators, gamblers, and scouts from every corner of Aethelburg. The air crackled with tension and the smell of old sweat.
Patricia stood on one side of the field.
Jinx stood on the other.
Axel appeared from the crowd and took his place as referee.
"Standard rules," he said. "Three-on-three. No substitutions. The battle ends when one trainer has no Pokémon remaining."
Patricia nodded.
Jinx smirked.
"Let's make this interesting," Jinx said.
"It's already interesting."
"Not yet."
Jinx threw her first ball.
"Weezing."
The Pokémon materialized in a cloud of purple smoke—a floating creature of two connected spheres, its bodies mottled with purple and cream, its mouths leaking gas. Weezing hissed, and the air around it grew foul.
Patricia didn't flinch.
"Magby," she said.
Magby appeared in a burst of red light, its body crackling with heat, its eyes locked on Weezing.
"Begin," Axel said.
---
Weezing moved first.
"Sludge Bomb!"
A glob of toxic sludge shot toward Magby.
"Magby—dodge!"
Magby jumped, but the sludge splattered against its leg. Magby hissed as the poison burned its skin.
"Again!" Jinx shouted.
Another Sludge Bomb.
"Magby—Flame Wheel!"
Magby's body erupted in flames, and it rolled forward, burning through the sludge and slamming into Weezing.
Weezing screamed.
"Now—Smog!" Jinx shouted.
A cloud of poisonous gas engulfed Magby.
Magby coughed. Its movements slowed. The poison was spreading.
"Magby—hold on!" Patricia shouted. "Use Lava Plume!"
Magby's body glowed, and the ground beneath it erupted in a wave of fire. The flames burned through the Smog and struck Weezing directly.
Weezing fell.
"Weezing is unable to battle," Axel said. "Magby wins."
---
Jinx recalled Weezing.
She didn't look annoyed. She looked excited.
"Grumpig," she said.
The ball opened in a flash of pink light, and a large, pig-like Pokémon materialized—its body covered in black and purple fur, its eyes gleaming with psychic energy. Grumpig danced on its feet, its pearls glowing.
"Begin," Axel said.
---
Grumpig moved first.
"Psyshock!"
A wave of psychic energy shot toward Magby.
"Magby—dodge!"
Magby dodged.
Barely.
"Again!"
Another Psyshock.
Magby dodged again.
"Again!"
Magby couldn't dodge forever.
The third Psyshock struck it dead-on. Magby flew backward, crashed into the ground, and didn't get up.
"Magby is unable to battle," Axel said. "Grumpig wins."
---
Patricia recalled Magby.
She looked at Jinx.
Then she looked at her second Poké Ball.
"Cranidos," she said.
Cranidos appeared in a burst of blue light, its sturdy body planting itself on the field, its thick skull lowered. It looked at Grumpig with the kind of confidence that bordered on arrogance.
"Begin," Axel said.
---
Cranidos moved first.
"Head Smash!"
Cranidos charged forward like a missile.
"Grumpig—dodge!"
Grumpig tried to dodge, but Cranidos was too fast. The impact sent Grumpig flying.
"Again!"
Another Head Smash.
Grumpig dodged.
"Now—Psychic!" Jinx shouted.
Grumpig's eyes glowed, and a wave of psychic energy lifted Cranidos into the air.
Cranidos struggled.
It couldn't break free.
"Throw it!" Jinx shouted.
Grumpig hurled Cranidos across the arena.
Cranidos crashed into the wall.
It didn't get up.
"Cranidos is unable to battle," Axel said. "Grumpig wins."
---
Patricia recalled Cranidos.
She looked at her last Poké Ball.
Then she looked at Budew.
Budew, who had fought so hard in the semi-finals.
Budew, who had refused to give up.
Budew, who was small and clumsy and sleepy and utterly harmless.
Patricia threw the ball.
---
Budew appeared on the field.
The crowd murmured.
Jinx laughed.
"That's your secret weapon? A flower?"
Patricia didn't answer.
"Begin," Axel said.
---
Grumpig moved first.
"Psyshock!"
The psychic wave shot toward Budew.
"Budew—Absorb!"
Budew's body pulsed, and green energy flowed from Grumpig into Budew. The Psyshock weakened, but didn't stop.
It struck Budew.
Budew tumbled backward.
"Get up," Patricia said.
Budew got up.
"Again—Psyshock!"
Budew absorbed again.
And again.
And again.
Each Psyshock was weaker than the last. Each Absorb made Budew stronger.
Jinx's smile faded.
"Grumpig—Psychic!"
Grumpig lifted Budew into the air.
Budew struggled.
"Hold on!" Patricia shouted.
Budew kept absorbing.
Even in the air. Even helpless. Even when everything said it should give up.
Grumpig screamed.
It dropped Budew.
Budew landed on its feet.
"Now—Mega Drain!" Patricia shouted.
Budew's body exploded with green light, and energy poured from Grumpig into Budew. The Psychic-type screamed, its body withering, its strength draining away.
Grumpig fell.
"Grumpig is unable to battle," Axel said. "Budew wins."
---
Jinx recalled Grumpig.
Her hand was shaking.
She looked at Patricia.
"You're better than I thought."
"I know."
Jinx's eyes narrowed.
"Ralts," she said.
The ball opened in a flash of white light, and a tiny Pokémon materialized—a small, delicate creature with a white body, a green helmet, and red horns. Ralts looked up at Budew with wide eyes.
It was small.
It was weak.
It was also a Psychic-type.
"Begin," Axel said.
---
Ralts moved first.
"Confusion!"
A wave of psychic energy struck Budew.
Budew staggered.
"Budew—Absorb!"
Budew absorbed.
Ralts staggered.
"Again—Confusion!"
Budew absorbed again.
"Again!"
Budew absorbed again.
The two of them traded blows—small, weak, pathetic blows that wouldn't have hurt a Magikarp. But there was something beautiful about it. Something pure. Two tiny Pokémon giving everything they had.
"Ralts—Teleport!" Jinx shouted.
Ralts vanished.
"Budew—stay calm!" Patricia shouted.
Budew closed its eyes.
Ralts appeared behind Budew.
"Confusion!"
Budew absorbed.
"Teleport!"
Ralts vanished again.
Appeared again.
Confusion.
Absorb.
Teleport.
Absorb.
The pattern repeated. Over and over. Until Ralts was too tired to teleport. Until Budew was too tired to absorb. Until both of them were standing on the field, trembling, exhausted, barely conscious.
"Budew," Patricia whispered. "One more."
Budew looked at her.
Then it looked at Ralts.
And it smiled.
Budew's body began to glow.
Not evolution.
Something else.
Something deeper.
The glow intensified—green and gold and warm—and Budew opened its mouth.
"Absorb," Patricia said.
Budew released everything it had.
The energy struck Ralts directly.
Ralts screamed.
And fell.
"Ralts is unable to battle," Axel said. "Budew wins. Patricia wins the match."
---
The arena exploded.
Patricia ran onto the field and scooped Budew into her arms. The little Grass-type was barely conscious, its petals singed, its body trembling, but it was alive. It was okay. It had won.
"You did it," Patricia whispered. "You did it."
Budew chirped weakly.
Briv was on his feet, cheering louder than anyone.
Dariana was crying.
Nicola was smiling.
Even Axel looked impressed.
Jinx recalled Ralts and stood on the other side of the field, staring at Patricia with an expression that was impossible to read.
Then she smiled.
It wasn't a nice smile.
"Congratulations," she said. "You won."
Patricia looked at her.
"Was there ever any doubt?"
Jinx laughed.
"Not really. But it was fun." She turned and walked away. "See you at the League."
She disappeared into the crowd.
Patricia stood there, Budew in her arms, her heart pounding.
She had won.
But something felt wrong.
---
Later that night, Patricia sat on the balcony of the inn with Budew curled in her lap and the city lights flickering below. She should have been happy. She should have been celebrating. But all she could think about was Jinx's smile.
That smile.
It wasn't defeat.
It was anticipation.
"Something's wrong," Patricia whispered.
Budew looked up at her.
"I don't know what. But something's wrong."
She held Budew closer.
And somewhere in the darkness, the pieces were moving.
---
In a room high above the city, Revan Stormcloud stood before a window with a phone pressed to his ear.
"She won," he said.
The voice on the other end was cold. Calm.
"Good."
"She's stronger than we thought."
"They all are." The voice paused. "That's why we need them."
Revan frowned.
"Need them?"
"Patience, Revan. You'll understand soon enough."
The line went dead.
Revan stared at the phone.
Then he looked out the window at the city below.
The stars were bright.
The canals glowed.
And somewhere in the darkness, the real battle was about to begin.