The day starts as any other for the alolans as they have their morning meeting.

"Before we begin does anybody have anything to report?" Ash asks. On cue Marcus and Sophocles raise a hand. "Marcus, you first."

"This is not at all important but after the conclusion of my battle with Khourey yesterday he spoke out and revealed that the traitors have our battle information and that, as we already know, Acerola revealed it." Marcus says. "Not to be unexpected. He is an idiot after all." Ash says. "Indeed but with that we need to figure out our next move." Marcus says. "For the moment we'll act as if we are scolding Acerola for the day wherein she will sit with the traitors. As we all know they will not reveal anything more of their plans while she is present but it will give us some insight into their inner workings. The orders as follows are until the next round we will shun Acerola meaning that no one is to be seen visiting her facility. If you need to see her use the underground routes we had built into the islands but send a some sort of notification ahead of time saying you are on your way so as to prepare her for your arrival.

"On the off chance she cannot get rid of the challengers before you arrive give the pretense of anger and scold her about something random.

"Acerola, your mission for this reprieve is to make the traitors feel uneasy with your presence while you are with them. In addition, feel free to treat Khourey however you feel is necessary. I'm sure they wouldn't mind you slapping him once or twice. Furthermore, should you need to go farther seek Misty's permission so as to give some affectation that you are truly angry with the situation but reveal nothing more about us. Any traitors we face today and here on are to be dealt with. The NIGHTFALL protocol is being initiated now. After defeating a traitor they will be taken from their rooms in the dead of night and delivered to Po town where we will reveal the truth before ending their pitiful lives. Due to this all of us will be advised to take naps to catch up on any sleep we lose. This can be done in the safety of your facilities or in your respective homes where you will be under close guard to prevent any harm from befalling you.

"On the off, but highly likely, chance that the traitors bring forth the fact that some of theirs are missing act surprised and bring it to my attention so a false investigation can be launched to give a sort of show that we are concerned with their 'disappearance' to keep them placated." Ash says. When no complaints or questions are raised he motions for Sophocles to give his report.

"Sir, since the instatement of the key card system there have been an outbreak of thinly veiled threats among the participants. They have been dealt with for the moment however we should come up with a solution to properly deal with these." He says. "I'll look into it. Moving forward.

"First line of business with the traitors in a small state of disarray they will be studying our styles carefully. Switch them up slightly so as to confuse them but not enough to make them completely different. The objective here is to get them to overthink it and make more mistakes than they need to. This plan should allow us to get further inside their heads and therefore cause them to stress considerably." Ash says.

"On a whim how much should we adapt our battle style?" Kiawe asks. "Just enough to make it seem like the plan is new thanks to their slip up. We want them to think we didn't have much time to think it through." Ash answers.

"What should we do if the traitor leak our styles to the other competitors?" Lana asks. "Nothing. If they do then we battle like we always do." Ash says. 

The rest of the meeting goes by with them talking through several other topics then head out. The minute they leave the room Sawyer and Acerola take a different path to the elevator and when it takes too long they take the stairs instead to get to the lobby where they meet up with the traitors.

"Sawyer, I dropped by your room and you weren't there. Where were you?" Tierno asks. "Comforting Acerola. After Khourey's stupidity yesterday her position as a frontier brain might be in jeopardy and she isn't allowed in the private viewing box for the time being." Sawyer explains.  

"So you were on the alolan elites' floor?" Misty asks. "No we met up on the fifth floor and she was crying." Sawyer quickly answers before Acerola slaps the taste out of Khourey's mouth.

"What the hell was that for?" He asks. "That was for your comment about women yesterday." Acerola answers before slapping him again and adds, "And that was for your stupidity in possibly jeopardizing my status in Alola. I might lose everything because of you."

"What do you mean might lose everything?" Serena asks. "Kazuki is a major real estate manager in the region and manages all his elites and frontier brains' properties. I could lose all my houses, my car, my boat, and basically everything else if he doesn't forgive me. Furthermore, I might have to leave the region and start from scratch somewhere else with virtually nothing." Acerola says in faux panic.

"Why would you have to leave the region with nothing?" Delia asks. "Since the champion manages our properties if we lose that no real estate agent will take us meaning we get kicked to the curb we have to leave the region and since my finances are low right now I basically have nothing. All because of him." Acerola says pointing an accusing finger at Khourey.

"Nice going, numbskull. You might've just cost this frontier brain her entire livelihood." Trevor says. "She was going to lose it anyway once the elites found out she gave away their secrets." Khourey thoughtlessly says. With barely a whisper Sawyer has him by the throat and says, "If she loses everything you won't leave this region alive. Got that?" All the traitors look astonished by his sudden hostility. 

"Dude, calm down. You've only known her for a couple weeks at best. You can just break up with her and find somebody new." Khourey says before getting knocked on his ass from a punch.

"You better pray to Arceus that they don't disown her or I'll make sure you lose everything you hold dear." Sawyer quietly threatens before heading to the stadium. The traitors all glare at Khourey before doing the same as Sawyer.

The day starts as last round did with president Goodshow congratulating the participants who have advanced this far before the matches are shown. This round shows Serena against Ash and Gladion against Trip. With that the matches begin.

Acerola sits quietly beside her boyfriend while the two traitor facing elites strategizing with Clemont.

"Is what you said true?" Sawyer asks quietly. "Hell no. If somebody really betrayed Kazuki like that then they'd be dead before they knew what hit them." Acerola whispers back as she summons crocodile tears. He breathes a silent sigh before comforting her.

Before they know it Serena's match comes up.

As she meets her opponent she smirks before saying, "Hey, Kazuki. Wanna have a little wager?" "I'm listening." Ash says with an eye roll. "If I win you have to dump that Lillie girl and date me plus give me her position as part of your elite four." Serena says. "Oh? And what do I get if I win?" Ash asks. "Name your price." Serena responds. "Alright. If I win you can't come within a hundred yards of me or my elites for the remainder of the league." Ash says. "Deal." Serena says with a smug smirk. "Then let's get this over with." Ash says before the ref goes over the rules and adds in the wager.

"Pangoro, come on out." Serena says. "Sylveon, I choose you." Ash says. "Battle begin." The ref says.

"You traitorous little bitch." Pangoro says as he recognizes his former friend. "Shut up and bring it on, fat ass." Sylveon says.

"Pangoro, use bullet punch followed by poison jab and sludge bomb." Serena says. "Sylveon, dodge then use disarming voice followed by fairy wind and draining kiss into moonblast." Ash says. To hide her origins Sylveon dodges without using any of the grace she learned from Serena's training but frustrates her opponent as she dodges at the last second. As the disarming voice launches Pangoro is visually stunned by the strength of the attack leaving it wide open for the follow up fairy wind that sends the angry panda flying. Pangoro quickly rises and increases his ferocity as he starts throwing poison jabs. This time Sylveon can't hide her grace so instead she leaps onto her opponent's arm and gets off a draining kiss to severely weaken him then blasts him with moonblast.

"Pangoro is unable to battle. Will Serena please send out her next Pokémon?" The ref says. "Roserade, come on out." Serena says. "Return, Sylveon. You did your job. Greninja, I choose you." Ash says. "Battle resume." The ref says.

"Roserade, use leech seed then magical leaf and giga drain." Serena says keeping her cool. "Greninja, use ice beam then water shuriken followed by spikes and extrasensory." Ash says. Despite Greninja's training Roserade is just a little faster and gets the leech seed to land. The ice beam and magical leaf battle it out in the center of the battlefield with neither attack giving an inch. The two attacks are so evenly matched that even with the drain from the leech seed the struggle ends in a stalemate and covers the field in smoke. Greninja uses this to his advantage and uses ice beam again combining it with water shuriken to double the damage. Roserade finds its opponent and starts its giga drain which, combined with the leech seed, severely slows the frog down. Greninja doesn't give up as he sets up two layers of spikes and strikes with extrasensory.

"Roserade is unable to battle. Will Serena please send out her final Pokémon?" The ref says before Greninja takes a little more damage and goes down causing her to also call him out. "Delphox, come on out." Serena says. "Sylveon, I choose you." Ash says. "Battle resume." The ref says.

"Delphox, use mystical fire followed by psyshock then iron tail." Serena says. "Sylveon, counter with fairy wind then detect followed by shadow ball and light screen." Ash says. The struggle between the mystical fire and fairy wind is nonexistent as the flames are snuffed out in a heartbeat. The fairy type attack presses on and deals a bit of damage. The psyshock is easily dodged by Sylveon using detect and she retaliates with a strong shadow ball that pushes hard and drives Delphox back a couple feet. Using the reprieve Sylveon sets up the light screen. Delphox rushes in with an iron tail ready as Ash says, "Sylveon, use rain dance then quick attack followed by misty terrain and dig." Before Delphox can reach her opponent Sylveon causes it to rain then strikes with quick attack disabling the steel type move. "Delphox, use foul play then psychic and fire blast." Serena says. Without warning the misty terrain obscures the visual slightly causing the foul play to miss and allowing the fairy fox to get underground. With a sudden upheaval Sylveon throws her opponent off her feet and strikes with another shadow ball.

"Delphox is unable to battle. Champion Kazuki advances to the next round." The ref says. Serena looks utterly furious at her loss but abides by the deal and leaves the battlefield without a word.

As Ash makes his way back to his viewing box he comes across May and his father having a conversation by the concession stand. Like a shadow he gets close unseen and sits close enough to listen in.

"I still don't understand why you wanted to talk to me." Sato says. "I'm a friend of your son's. We travelled together through Hoenn where he took on the gym challenge and I did contests. We're close friends." May says. "I haven't seen my son since he was three so I have no evidence to back your story. For all I know you could be some crazy stalker of his." Sato plainly says. "I'm sure Brock and Max could back me up. They travelled with us." May says. "I'll be sure to ask but if that's all I'll be going now." Sato says standing up. "Wait. Do you happen to know where he is? I'd really like to catch up with him." May quickly says. "Trust me. If I knew where he was my wife and I wouldn't be here watching the master's league." Sato coldly says before leaving. May looks frustrated before she storms off back to her friends.

Ash returns to his viewing box to get the full story but finds he already has it.

"No one is to reveal anything about Ash under any circumstances." He says. Everyone just nods before Gladion's match comes up.

"This is a battle between Trip of Nuvema town and the Battle Wilds brain Gladion. Each trainer will have the use of three Pokémon and will be over when all of one side's Pokémon are unable to battle. Substitutions are allowed. Trainers, send out your Pokémon." the ref says. "Jellicent, Let's go." Trip says sending out a male Jellicent. "Umbreon, Battle time." Gladion says. "Battle begin. Trip has the first move." The ref says.

"Jellicent, use confuse ray followed by dazzling gleam then water pulse." Trip says. "Umbreon, use screech then toxic followed by mean look and dark pulse." Gladion says. Jellicent proves to be slower with its enormous head allowing Umbreon to strike first with a simultaneous screech and toxic putting its opponent on a timer. The water/ghost type finally gets going but due to its opponent's speed misses its confuse ray. Sensing a second attempt Umbreon closes its eyes and strikes from memory with a quick mean look and dark pulse. "Umbreon, use feint attack followed by assurance then detect and shadow ball." Gladion says. With its eyes still closed Umbreon strikes with feint attack and assurance then dodges the strong dazzling gleam with detect and anticipates the next move to counter with shadow ball which, although it misses the water pulse, deals a devastating blow to Jellicent.

"Jellicent is unable to battle. Will Trip please send out his next Pokémon?" The ref says as Jellicent goes down to toxic damage. "Conkeldurr, let's go." Trip says clicking his tongue. "Return, Umbreon. Silvally, Battle time." Gladion says sending out his star Pokémon with the flying memory active making it a flying type. "Battle resume." The ref says much to Trip's displeasure at the information not holding up. He curses Khourey silently for opening his mouth about their knowledge.

"Conkeldurr, use stone edge followed by rock slide then smack down." Trip says. "Silvally, use aerial ace followed by toxic then calm mind and shadow ball." Gladion says. Silvally, like its friend is fast and lands a strong aerial ace and toxic before agilely dodging a stone edge. Conkeldurr's aim is better as it lands a rock slide revealing Silvally is really a Zoroark. With its secret revealed Zoroark wastes no time and lands a strong calm mind boosted shadow ball. "Zoroark, use night daze followed by foul play then low kick and throat chop." Gladion says as the smack down is fired. "Conkeldurr, use hammer arm then wake-up slap and dynamic punch." Trip says. Once again faster Zoroark uses night daze to throw its opponent off balance wherein it uses foul play and low kick to put Conkeldurr on its back taking the stream out of its hammer arm. As the wake-up slap comes Zoroark throws in a counter at the last second to allow throat chop to KO.

"Conkeldurr is unable to battle. Will Trip please send out his final Pokémon?" The ref says. "Unfezzant, let's go." Trip says. "Return, Zoroark. Lycanroc, Battle time." Gladion says. "Battle resume." The ref says.

"Unfezzant, use taunt followed by growl and steel wing." Trip says. "Lycanroc, use rock tomb followed by rock slide then stone edge and thunder fang." Gladion says. For once Trip's Pokémon is faster and gets off the taunt but takes a surprise rock tomb to the back. As the growl gets off the rock slide misses and unexpectedly the stone edge seems to go awry not even getting close to the target. The misses turn out to be a feint as the rock slide works as a ladder to get Lycanroc up and the stone edge hides the bipedal wolf until it strikes with thunder fang and adds in a thunder punch.

"Unfezzant is unable to battle. The Battle Wilds brain Gladion advances to the next round." The ref says as Trip returns his Pokémon and storms off.

----------------------------------------------------With the traitors-----------------------------------------------------

"This is all your fault, Khourey!" Trip accuses. "How is this my fault?" Khourey asks. "If you hadn't opened your mouth about us knowing their strategy both Serena and I would've won our matches." Trip says. "He's right you know. Because of you they can now change their battle style and we have less of a chance of winning." Misty says. 

Stay classy, Nightfuries😊