CHAPTER TWELVE: THE FINAL ROUNDS

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"Come on! Wake up, Infernape!" Alice yelled at the top of her lungs with her hands cupped around her mouth.

Infernape gave no response as he continued snoozing on the battlefield, oblivious to the chaos erupting beside him. He snored away as Manectric backflipped over him while discharging a flurry of Thunderbolts at their opponents.

"Infernape!" Alice nearly screamed in frustration.

The third round was proving to be the most challenging battle yet. Trixie and Luna, the gothic twin sister opponents, hit them with almost every status ailment known to man. Sleep Powder, Confuse Ray, and Disable were spammed every other move by the opponents' Sableye and Venomoth.

Infernape's shadow swayed side to side, and Alice gasped. The darkness rose from its home on the ground and morphed into the shape of a goblin. Sableye's twisted sneer peeked out of the gloom, brandishing its razor-like teeth. It unsheathed its claws and raked them down Infernape's side.

He remained asleep.

"Son of a—"

"Signal Beam!" Ken exclaimed, cutting Alice off. He shot her a disapproving look, silently warning her.

She can complain later. Using foul language on a televised battling competition is nothing but trouble, he thought. I've seen her laugh, cry, and now curse over matches. What'll come next?

Manectric spun on her heels and fired a multicolored beam at Sableye. The narrow stream of energy nailed it in the chest, and it fell backward into the dirt. She didn't skip a beat and bounded forwards and locked her jaw around Sableye's arm, forcing it to take the attack directly. A raw screech ripped from the Dark-and-Ghost-Type's throat.

Alice threw her hands in the air. "How are you sleeping through this? Get up!"

Infernape grunted and cracked open an eyelid. Confusion overtook him when he saw Manectric tossing Sableye across the battlefield like a rag doll. It finally clicked what was going on, and he rose to his feet and readied his fists.

"Sludge Bomb, Venomoth!" Trixie, the shorter of the twins, commanded.

"We are not getting poisoned!" Alice hissed under her breath. She shouted, "Block it with a Fire Spin wall then hit 'em with a Fire Punch!"

Venomoth salivated and shaped its spit into a glob of oozing poison. It flung the toxic wad at Infernape who raised a flaming shield at the last second. Half of it managed to pass through, coating his fur in muck. He hissed as the slime's acid burned his skin and jumped through the fire, not minding the sears materializing on his limbs. With a roar, Infernape brought his fist down on Venomoth's head and sent the insect spiraling into the ground.

"Get wrecked!" Alice cheered, bouncing on her heels and pumping her fist.

The announcer stated, "Venomoth is unable to battle."

Infernape shuddered and hunched over with his hands on his knees. His frame rattled with every breath. He groaned in pain and struggled to straighten back up.

Luna chuckled and ordered, "Finish Infernape off with Faint Attack!"

"Stun it with Thunder Wave!" Ken countered. It baffled him how the Sableye could deal out tons of status-damaging moves without being affected by one itself.

Sableye shivered in Manectric's mouth then teleported out of her grasp. It nimbly dodged her electric strikes, teasing the canine. Sableye stuck its tongue out at her and winked, grating Ken's nerves.

He understood why Alice was acting the way she was.

The said brunette called, "Fire Spin!"

Infernape mustered his quickly depleting strength and erected a fiery barrier between him and Sableye. It wasn't enough. Sableye materialized before the Fire Spin, paused, disappeared once more, then struck Infernape upside the head from behind. Combined with the damage dealt out by Venomoth, Infernape staggered then fell on his face.

Alice enlarged her Poké Ball out and returned the unconscious ape. "You did your best; good job." She turned to Ken, passion burning in her eyes like lighted coals at the base of a roaring fire. "You got this."

The simple sentence fueled Ken with the same fervor. Perhaps it was the enthusiastic delivery or the confident stance she took. It didn't matter. He didn't want to disappoint.

A ghost of a smile lifted Ken's features. "End this battle with Signal Beam!"

"Sableye, Shadow Sneak then twist its mind with Confuse Ray!" Luna retaliated.

Alice bit her tongue, muting her sharp comment regarding the play. Arceus, was she not satisfied confusing Infernape three times in a row?

"Manectric, Double Team!"

On cue, a pack of Manectric permeated the earth. Their fur stood on end as they watched their shadows, awaiting Sableye's appearance. A clone caught sight of a shadow slinking across the field and barked, alerting the others. All at once, they unleashed Signal Beam onto Sableye.

Thud.

The announcer got too excited and shouted into his microphone, "Sableye is unable to battle. Alice and Ken Bristow are victorious and will be moving onto the final round!"

"We did it!" Alice beamed. She smiled ear to ear and laughed, releasing her past negativity.

Ken's reflexes kicked in when he saw Alice raising her arms for a hug, so he held his palm out. She blinked, staring at his hand for a couple of seconds before putting two and two together. Alice returned the high-five, her eyes shining with amusement the entire time.

"I didn't think you were a high-five guy," she said.

"High-fives aren't bad," he replied.

The two left the field in much higher spirits than the day before. Alice had no problem listing all the opinions she suppressed during the match. Ken nodded along, but he made sure to voice his concerns about her inappropriate behavior.

"You've cussed during a battle before," Alice reminded him.

"That battle wasn't on national television. Don't try to excuse your behavior by mentioning mine," he said.

"I'll try not to cuss on national TV again."

"Try?"

"I can't promise you anything. There's a chance our next opponents'll spam status attacks just like the twins did."

Ken chuckled. "You think so?"

Alice's pleasant mood amplified upon hearing his laughter. "Actually, the word impossible spells 'I'm possible'."

"There's a 'u' in 'delusional'."

A playful grin danced across Ken's face as he watched Alice laugh.

"Thanks, Ken," she said, rolling her eyes. "We can start a swear jar if you want to."

"I don't."

They turned the corner, and Alice almost crashed into the man on the other side. She stumbled back, and an embarrassed pink hue dusted her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

"It's fine, you didn't do any harm," the man replied, giving her a polite smile.

Now that she could view him, Alice's rosy face deepened to a lovely shade of red. In her eyes, he easily passed off as a model with his handsome grin and fit stature. The man carried such an elegant aura that he even made adjusting the bulky bag at his side a balletic gesture. In her eyes, he was a lead straight out of a drama.

Ken couldn't care less as he deadpanned, "Goodbye."

Alice's hand twitched as she held herself back from face-palming.

"I'd like to have a moment of your time," the stranger said.

"Why?" Ken asked.

His lips lifted into a smile. "I'm a fan."

"A fan?" Alice echoed. She furrowed her brows, sure she didn't hear him right. "Sorry, sir, but I think you have us mixed up with someone else."

"No, I'm quite sure I have the correct people. I've been keeping close attention on all the contestants." He pointed at her. "Alice—" His eyes glinted as he motioned to the blond. "—and Ken Bristow, yes?"

"Yes," Ken confirmed. "Who are you?"

"Casper," he answered. "I've come to congratulate you two on your victory."

"There's still the final round," Alice reminded him.

Casper shook his head. "I have no doubt that you two'll triumph."

'Triumph'? This guy sounds like Ken, Alice thought so she prodded, "Are you from Sinnoh?"

"I suppose my fair complexion tells all." Casper chuckled. "Veilstone City, specifically. Why do you ask?"

"Ken's from Sinnoh, too. I thought you two sounded similar because, you know, accents and that stuff," she babbled.

Casper scanned Ken head to toe. "Snowpoint?"

"No," Ken replied, folded his arms across his chest. He wasn't that pale. "We don't have time for mindless conversations."

"Ken," Alice groaned.

"I apologize," Casper said, brushing the rude comment off with ease. His lips curved into a smirk. "I'll carry a more interesting conversation next time."

Alice managed a small farewell before Ken sped off. She spared a glance over her shoulder, and Casper waved at her.

Dreamy, but weird. Definitely weird, she mused. "Hey, Ken, how do you think he got here backstage? I thought only participants were allowed in this building."

"I don't know," he replied, "but he reeks of trouble, and not the petty kind either."

* * *

A mere two hours passed by in a flash, and over half the time was dedicated to Alice searching for a place to eat. The brunette dragged Ken to every single café near the Prism Stadium. She'd look at the menu, pale at the sight of the meals' prices, then hurry to the next eatery. His patience disappeared when she exited the ninth sandwich place, and he told her to choose or he'd leave her.

Fortunately, the next café featured food that could be bought for a reasonable amount of Pokédollars. However, Alice's phone vibrated signaling the start of the next round.

"Eat faster!"

"I wouldn't have to if you hadn't been so indecisive!"

Baguette in one hand and phone in the other, Alice barely managed to open the door to the waiting lounge with Ken behind her. She yelped as she tripped over the threshold, and crashed into the wall. Her flailing had bumped Ken's arm, and he cursed under his breath as his hot coffee splattered across the tiles.

Obnoxious sniggering met their ears. Sitting at the couch positioned closest to the entrance were two teenage boys appearing no older than 14. The black-haired one had the decency to cover his snickers with his hand, but the other who wore sunglasses doubled over in laughter.

"You're the other finalists?" Ken assumed.

"Yeah, we are," the black-haired kid said, "I'm Dewey, and the dumbass wearing sunglasses indoors is Tony."

"Shut up, dewfus," Tony snapped.

"That one again? It wasn't funny the first fifty times, and it's still lame now," Dewey retorted.

"Whatever," Tony grumbled. Nevertheless, he pushed his sunglasses up. "Are you guys ready to get pwned?"

The slang flew right over Ken's head. "Pardon?"

"We're not going down without a fight," Alice interjected.

The boys' attention turned to her as she munched on her bread. Her hunger outweighed her embarrassment.

"You're the chick with the Infernape!" Tony exclaimed, his loud volume causing everyone else to wince. "Dude, how many steroids did you pump in him? He's a damn bodybuilder."

An awkward silence passed while Alice struggled to quickly chew and swallow her baguette. "I don't feed him steroids or vitamins. He just sort of, um, came that way."

"Quit playing. Even a ten year-old knows that's impossible." Dewey snorted.

"I'm serious. I don't use enhancers." she insisted.

"That's what the guy who won the Tour de Kalos said."

The speakers crackled, interrupting the exchange. "The final battle will begin momentarily. Alice Bristow, Ken Bristow, Dewey Evans, and Tony Chavez, please report to the field."

Once Tony and Dewey were out of earshot, Alice asked Ken, "You believe me, right?"

"Of course," he reassured.

The two filed out of the building and took their spots on the battlefield. Unlike all the previous rounds, streamers and banners were plastered onto the walls. The dirt ground had been replaced by concrete flooring similar to the kind used in official Pokémon League battles. News reporters stood on the sides broadcasting the event live.

"This is a lot just for a local competition," Alice commented. "Lumiose City really loves to flaunt itself."

This is why other regions make fun of us, she silently added, sighing softly. We can't even have a normal battling competition without people streaming it across every social media platform to show how "cool" we are.

The woman from the assembly, Bailey, announced, "The final round is here! Let's hear it for our Trainers!"

Even Bailey couldn't hide her flinch of pain when the audience let loose a deafening roar.

"Wow, okay! On the left, we have the lovely local duo, Alice and Ken Bristow! And here on the right, we have the bad boys from Blackthorn City, Dewey Evans and Tony Chavez!" Bailey shouted.

Alice laughed out of embarrassment and gave the cameras a nervous smile. Ken remained impassive. Dewey and Tony posed, and the former held his phone up to take a selfie.

"Release your Pokémon!"

A giant, blue beast donning a brick-colored shell materialized from the Poké Ball Dewey threw. It mimicked its Trainer's confident grin as its partner formed beside it. Tall, bulky, and disgruntled best described the shaggy-haired giant. Its twin ivory tusks gleamed in the sunlight, their sharpened points trained on Infernape and Manectric. Violent, blood-shot eyes glared at the Electric-type.

"Infernape and Manectric versus Blastoise and Mamoswine! This will be a super exciting battle." Bailey gushed. "On my word, the battle will begin. One... two... three... go!"

"Iron Defense, Blastoise!"

"Mamoswine, destroy them with an Earthquake!"

Blastoise retreated into its shell, neither his head nor his limbs sticking out as he waited. Mamoswine reared onto its back legs then slammed down, vibrating the entire arena. The newly placed concrete shattered under its weight.

Right off the bat? Alice gaped. "Infernape, jump!"

"Magnet Rise!" Ken called.

Manectric floated off of the ground, her paws glowing white as she padded on air. Infernape grabbed ahold of her flank and steadied himself on top of her back.

Dewey shouted, "Rapid Spin!"

Mamoswine stomped alongside Blastoise, and the Water-type shot into the sky like a marble in a pinball machine. Blastoise's rotation accelerated as it was launched into the air. It threw itself straight at Manectric and Infernape at a speed equivalent to a Quick Attack.

"Thunder Punch!" Alice yelled.

Infernape was barely able to raise his arm. Blastoise collided into the two and sent them spiraling across the floor. It crash-landed onto Infernape, squashing him under its staggering weight. Manectric lied in a crumpled heap, yelping once the blocks of cement produced by Earthquake hit her.

"Use Thunderbolt on Blastoise!" Ken ordered.

Tony wagged his finger. "Don't let Manectric get up. Blizzard!"

Ken clenched his jaw. "Stay close to the ground, and use Double Team!"

Manectric pressed herself against the ruptured pavement and fanned out into half a dozen clones. Her fur stood on end as electricity blitzed forwards, intertwining with Mamoswine's arctic flurries. The moment was short-lived — Blastoise mercilessly barreled into Manectric and her clones, taking all her duplicates out in one Rapid Spin.

Alice and Ken sounded at the same time, "Thunderbolt/Thunder Punch!"

Infernape pursued Blastoise with a crackling fist, nailing it in the center of the shell. The sparks crept into Blastoise's hold, electrocuting the beast and forcing it to come out just in time for Manectric to loose a hot, angry Thunderbolt.

"Stop them with Stone Edge!" Tony cried.

Mamoswine swept up the concrete chunks with its tusks and sent the fragments flying Manectric's and Infernape's way. The canine took refuge behind Blastoise who was struggling to stand up, and Infernape ruptured those that came his way with a Mach Punch.

"Let's wrap this up!" Tony yelled, drawing all the cameras to him.

"It's about time," Dewey said, "Blastoise, Hydro Pump!"

"Mamoswine, Blizzard!"

Blastoise propped itself up and readied the cannons on its back. Mamoswine squared its shoulders and dropped its jaw, gathering ice shards in its mouth. Infernape and Manectric were dead-center between the two attacks.

"Hit them before they hit us?" Alice guessed.

"Move out of the way," Ken muttered under his breath then repeated in a more powerful voice, "Get out of the way!"

Manectric darted to the side with a Quick Attack with Infernape clinging onto her. The Hydro Pump missed them by hairs, and the powerful Blizzard soared straight over them.

Straight at Alice and Ken.

Alice froze as if the Ice-type attack had already hit her. It's not stopping?

"Mamoswine!" Tony shrieked.

It's not stopping!

The audience's horrified screams escalated.

STOP!

The Blizzard bared its icy fangs and swallowed Ken and Alice whole.

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Author's Note

Question of the Chapter: What's your least favorite Pokémon Type to battle against?