pokéja~ Pokéjaa~ PokéJAM!
"That's right Pokéjammers, it's ya boi Ty, and Gabby, coming at you with another news-filled jam session! First things first Gabby, our precious Zabriko was attacked by a bunch of goons on Galar's Route Six yesterday, and by the end of the workday, they were, all of them, sentenced to at least two years in one of Galar's Prisons. It's grim, folks, but Chairman Leon was explicit about what Mukking around with the Champions during their off hours would result in. We're not sure exactly what happened on the Route, as apparently the Champions had handily rounded the goons up by the time the Jennies arrived, but it was severe enough for Champion Zabrina to personally call their places of employment and ensure that every single one of them did not have a job to return to, once they got out of Prison."
Gabby nodded her head, her expression serious. "A heavy topic indeed. Some people, mostly friends and family of these hooligans, have started loudly protesting what they're calling a severe abuse of power by Chairman Leon, who aside from leading the Galar League is now also President of Macro Cosmos, and every one of their branches. That's a lot of power for one man to wield, but Leon has already proven he can handle power. He's had a Gigantamax Charizard at his command for decades, and has only ever used that power for sport, or to protect Galar from randomly Dynamaxed Pokémon. What do you think, Ty?"
Ty leaned back in his chair and crossed his hairy arms. "I think they Mukked around and found out. They'll get No sympathy from me, Gabby. We were warned multiple times what would happen if we crossed the line with the Champion's privacy. I know, because you and I delivered many of those warnings, across many public platforms. Warnings that have been on repeat at Galar's Pokémon Centers for the duration of this challenge. Two years and a criminal record may seem severe, but from what little we've heard, these goons apparently invaded the Champion's tent while they were sleeping, and photographed them, as that was among the charges leveled against them. No record of those photos currently exists, and the Rotom Phone company has confirmed they've wiped the virtual trash cans of each offender, to deter would-be hackers from unearthing the images."
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Gabby sighed, before continuing. "In lighter news, Sikabelle has returned from their stint on the Isle of Armor, and after some virtual trash talking with Raihan, and a green light from Leon, they took on the Hammerlocke Gym as their fourth Gym Battle. What's the consensus, Ty?"
Ty's expression lightened into a smirk. "Sikabelle was severely over leveled for what Raihan and Ryuki brought to the Battle. In true Champion fashion, they've already achieved Mega Forms with some of their partners, which gave us the city-shaking spectacle we witnessed today. Experts are saying that Champion Isabella's Tyranitar managed to reach a six point five on the Richter Scale, and while the Gym field's barrier and shock absorbers took most of that, Hammerlocke did feel the effects of her Mega Tyranitar."
"And let's not forget Champion Sikandar's Mega Dragapult! Apparently his little Dreepy had a growth spurt on the Isle of Armor, and the Champion somehow found the shard of a Draco Plate there too. He did make a Chatter post about it, given how absurdly rare they are, and this has already spurred those who wish to wield, or sell, that kind of power to start exploring the wilds of the Isle of Armor." Gabby exposited, before looking at the camera. "Please stay safe, ladies and gentlemen! I'm sure Sikandar would be sad if someone got hurt because they went to an area with such strong Pokémon in the name of greed or power."
Ty nodded. "You know how the people of Indius get with the base drives of Humanity. Apparently, we don't have to worry too much, though. Master Mustard of the Master Dojo has assured that he will have Trainers on standby, including himself, to help anyone who gets overwhelmed by the wildlife of the Isle of Armor."
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"Speaking of Plate shards…have you heard of the situation developing in Unova, Ty?" Gabby asked.
Ty tilted his head. It wasn't often she went off-script, but he rolled with it, as they had airtime to fill. "I hadn't, I spent my day looking over Galarian law and trying to find the exact charges those goons were given. Why don't you fill us all in?"
Gabby nodded. "Since reuniting the Original Dragon, the newest Champion of Unova, Alexander Redwood, has been MIA, along with Champion Hilbert, as they've apparently gone somewhere in the Great Swamp in the southeast of the continent to train. The Great Swamp is labeled as a dangerous area with Human-killing Pokémon, so it seems like a credible guess as to his whereabouts. Anyway. He left the Original Dragon, Tao, he calls him, in charge in his absence, and for the past few weeks it's actually gone rather smoothly." She took a sip of water, before continuing. "The Dragon has been dispensing his legendary wisdom consistently since returning and rebuilding his Tower, but today, it seems the Prophet of Arceus himself, one Champion Caleb Pravus of the unofficial and illegitimate Fornia League, paid the Dragon a visit as well. Other petitioners knew something was wrong when the Arcean Church's goons, seen here, were discovered forcibly removing people from the top levels of the Dragonspiral Tower."
She played a clip then, showing the navy-blue suited thugs that served Pravus, not one of them lacking blonde hair, tan skin, and blue eyes, forcibly driving back crowds of shocked and angered Unovans. The pair of crimson Drapion behind them, their infamously powerful claws dripping with poison, deterred any Trainers from challenging them, and the few who did were soundly beaten without the Drapion even needing to waste energy on a move.
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Gabby's tone was serious, as she continued once the clip ended. "After apparently engaging the Original Dragon in combat, Caleb Pravus had several helicopters fly the bound Dragon to the top of the PNN building, in Castelia City. Despite a recent conflict involving Ghetsis and pre-Champion Redwood, which resulted in him separating and freeing Kyurem and Reshiram from a forced fusion, the Arceans have retained control of the building, and the network has continued to broadcast mainstream news, while completely ignoring this story."
Ty looked at her in disbelief. "PNN can't seriously believe nobody is going to notice the Original Dragon of Unova sitting on top of their skyscraper! I know they gaslight the public sometimes, but this is…just egregious."
Gabby shook her head sadly. "Unfortunately, Ty, in this instance, we have reason to believe the staff and news anchors are being forced to report only what the Arcean Church wants them to report, for the time being. It does call some of their prior reporting into question, you're right, but they're not Trainers. They're journalists. Reporters. Tech crew. Interns. They probably don't have enough Pokémon combined to even mount a rescue attempt. Thankfully, Champions Rosa, Hilda, and a recent Victory League winner, one Jessica Gladstone, are working to free the Original Dragon from the Arcean's control. The Arcean Church has, surprising no one, claimed that anyone who says they've stolen the Legendary Dragon is under the influence of the Unovan Government's Psychic Pokémon, and therefor can't be trusted. We'll keep you all apprised of the situation as it develops, Pokéjammers."
"Man, that was a heavy Pokéjam sesh." Ty said with a deep sigh. "I almost prefer having evil Teams running around to religious lunatics gaslighting us about their crimes. Oh well. In honor of the unfolding Mukshow in our society, here's 'We Didn't Start the Blaze' by William Joel. Enjoy."
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Somewhere Between Stow-on-Side and Hammerlocke City - Galar Region
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"The Water Chakra deals with pleasure and is blocked by guilt."
Sikandar's not unappealing baritone rang through their closed train compartment, as it chugged along. Normally, they would've taken the route to Stow-on-Side on foot, but they reasoned that time was now a factor they had to consider. From Stow they'd fly back to Turffield, then fly to Motostoke, and by the time they were on their way to Spikemuth, they'd have seven badges, a commanding lead over their rivals, who were at four currently, and who would likely be trudging to Ballonlea still. Isabella had fire in her eyes when he suggested lapping their rivals, and while they traveled, she wanted to continue with his psychic advancement. With just one Chakra opened, she'd moved on to fine manipulation of the pebble, and lifting multiple pebbles. More than once, fans had given them weird looks for picking up seemingly random rocks on the ground.
Isabella tried to think of what caused her the most guilt, which was hard to do, with Sikandar there. Multiple images of multiple scenes flashed by them too quickly for either of them to process, and Sikandar slowed her roll with a mental hand on her mental shoulder. "Relax. Focus on the largest source of guilt. That will be what's block-" His words paused sharply, as their settings changed again, with the speed of thought.
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This time, they were again inside what Isabella had called the Rossi Estate, the unofficial and not-so-secret headquarters of Team Rocket in Italia. An old woman was scowling behind a desk, at a younger Isabella, whose right arm was covered in fresh bandages. "So, you're just going to leave? Abandon your family, your legacy, to the likes of Gio?"
Younger Isabella winced, and the Gothorita by her side chirped sadly, and squeezed her hand. "I-I can't do this, Nonna…I can't be a criminal! I can't see my Pokémon as mere tools! They're just not! They're living, breathing, thinking individuals! I can't…I won't be a part of Team Rocket. I don't care how high a rank you give me; the answer is no."
"You're strong, Isabella. You could easily become an Executive in a few years." The old woman rasped. "You'd never have to worry about money again. Your Pokémon would get the best vitamins and TMs on the market. Who cares about other Pokémon? They're a means to an end."
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Isabella shook her head again and recalled her emotional support psychic. "No! I want nothing to do with this family and it's…slave business! From this point on…I'm on my own…stay safe, Nonna…I love you." With that, young Isabella left in tears, sprinting out of the house.
Current Isabella decided to take up narrating. "I left her alone…in that house."
Sikandar raised an eyebrow. "She looked fine to me. In charge. Unconcerned."
Isabella sighed heavily. "Looks are deceiving. Nonna might have been Madame Boss to them, but it's not what she wanted. Team Rocket was a means to an end. She valued family above everything else, and both of her sons disappointed her. Giovanni was a great Trainer, but a terrible man. My father is a good man, but a mediocre Trainer, who ran away from the family. She said I was both…but I ended up disappointing her, too. I was too much like my father."
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Sikandar shook his head. "I seriously doubt that. You're a Champion. You're healthy. Gorgeous. A strong Trainer who treats her Pokémon right. Do you want to see her reaction to you becoming Champion? It may help with your guilt."
Isabella thought about it for a moment, mostly how he could even do that, but eventually she nodded, curious both about his method and her nonna's reaction to her battle. She felt Bianca's power surge into their shared space then and understood. Few species could peer through the vortex of time like Gothitelle.
The scene changed again, a different day, but the same office. A Rotom possessing a rather large screen was floating before the same woman, the so-called Madame Boss, who was watching intently, her fingers steepled before her. Isabella chuckled and Sikandar smirked as they heard her mutter, "Come on, Nipoti…"
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The old woman whooped, then despaired, as Isabella's final opponent, a Blastoise with a stylish pair of black sunglasses, survived the attack and countered brutally with a Flash Cannon, right as Isabella's Goodra fired a Thunderbolt. Both Pokémon went down, and the old woman swore quietly, watching and waiting to see what would become of Italia's Champion spot. The pair watched, as Isabella's nonna went through a myriad of facial expressions. Confusion, anger, disbelief, and then, a smile that could only be called proud. Isabella's opponent, a Trainer simply calling herself Pashy, had forfeited, even though her Blastoise had risen back up first.
They crowned Isabella as Italia's newest Champion, and Sikandar chuckled, as he saw her expression on the video. "Aww. It just hit you, didn't it. The moment you realized how many people were watching you." He clearly found it adorable, and Isabella just laughed at him. Then, they both blinked as her Chakra opened.
"I'm sure you were no better." She said, smirking. Just then, Fakir sent their mind space several mental images, of a much younger Sikandar with far less impressive facial hair, eyes wide, as he beat Champion Prakash, and claimed his title. Isabella laughed so hard at his giant goofy grin, and how he'd celebrated with a very wounded Bandar, they exited the mind space.
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"Let's continue." Sikandar said, in reality, after a short break and a snack. Isabella nodded and sat up again. "The next Chakra is blocked by shame, and deals with willpower. I think this one is a bit obvious, for you."
Isabella raised an eyebrow, and Sikandar's spine tingled as he heard her tone. He didn't need to have an ice type to know his verbal terrain had suddenly worn thin. "Oh really? Tell me more about my obvious shame."
"Team Rocket." Sikandar stated, bluntly. "You haven't told me much about your connection to them…but I think I can guess. Their Boss is your uncle. You're Giovanni's niece. You come from a family of cutthroats and Pokémon thieves, and you're ashamed of it."
Isabella's first reaction was anger, but mostly because of how right he was. Or rather, how close he'd gotten to being right. She'd considered herself harder to read, but the Indius Champion was nothing if not perceptive. "How could I not be ashamed of them? Even my parents helped out with the 'family business', for years, before my father couldn't take it anymore and ran away. What they do to Pokémon…it's an atrocity, Sikandar."
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He nodded, sagely, and then pulled her close, both in reality, and their heads. "But it's not an atrocity you're a part of…as far as I can tell. What I see is a woman who had the willpower to throw off the yoke of her family legacy and become a Champion. You made your own path, despite your less-than-ideal beginnings. You should be proud of that. Not ashamed. You shouldn't hide it, either. Hiding it makes it seem like you might be part of their operation. Staunchly, publicly opposing Team Rocket would make it clear where you stand. But you have to own your ties to them."
Isabella thought it over for a long time, quietly thinking to herself. It was one thing to say she'd oppose her Familia, publicly, all of the Champions of Italia denounced the Five Families and had done so since they'd been driven from New Tork City by the Midnight Marauder. It was another thing entirely to actually do it. She couldn't do it while her nonna was in charge. She couldn't fight her. But once age claimed her…? She knew she could face Team Rocket. It was, technically, her job as Champion to either stop the crime families of Italia or keep them in line. No matter their governmental power, the Champion represented, historically, the power in support of Italia's people above all else. She knew both people and Pokémon suffered in her region thanks to the sheer volume of organized crime and systemic corruption, but with how strong this challenge was making her, she resolved to deal with it, once they finished this Tournament of Champions. And just like that, another psychic floodgate opened.
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Sikandar gave her a moment, before he continued. "The next Chakra deals with, ah, love, and is blocked by grief." He pressed his head into hers. "I didn't want to say anything…but you have a lot of grief for someone with no currently deceased relatives. I didn't want to pry, though…"
Isabella sighed, and looked downwards. "My Nonna…is terminally ill. The doctors put a vague expiration date on her, gave her a bunch of pills to slow the process, and then essentially gave up on her. And she agrees with them. I even got her some of those mystic herbs from Paldea, but she wanted no part of them. She's content to die…and she's the last of my family that I really…talk to. My cousin, Silver, congratulated me when I became a Champion too, but our chats are far too infrequent."
Sikandar manifested a still image of the office they'd seen earlier, Isabella's nonna was wearing her proud smirk as she looked at her granddaughter. "That is the face of a woman who loves you, and even when she passes, that love will persist. In you. It will spread to your other relationships. It's a…Indius concept, among our psychics, but we believe that love, that energy, can, has, and will be continually passed on across the Human race. It doesn't fade away with death…it just changes forms into new love."
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Sikandar went quiet as Isabella didn't say anything, and he glanced at her, as he realized he'd gone off on a bit of a flowery tangent. As one did. They locked eyes for a long time, until she realized what form her 'new love' was taking, and with whom. Her cheeks turned red, and with that rush came the opening of her bodily energy pool. He gestured to her throat, next. "This Chakra is relatively simple. It deals with truth and is blocked by lies."
Isabella groaned. "Then mine is probably solidly stuffed. My entire public image is essentially a lie. A necessary one."
It took more willpower than Sikandar would ever admit to not imagine her throat being stuffed, and he actually used Calm Mind, which for humans was essentially a meditation technique, to stay focused in the presence of one he found incredibly attractive. "Is it, though? I mean, the smile is, but I've seen you have genuine moments with your fans."
Isabella shrank where they sat. "No, I just…I don't enjoy public attention. It used to make me freeze up. And sweat. I even had several full-on panic attacks. Battling in front of a crowd is one thing…actually walking among them, talking to so many people at once, it…" She shuddered.
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Sikandar shrugged. "I was nervous when I started achieving fame too. Everyone is. Being suddenly thrust in the spotlight of millions of people, worldwide, because you won a Pokémon Battle, is a lot. There's no shame in taking advantage of the League's services for dealing with the spotlight."
Isabella sighed and leaned into him. "You're so…chill about it, though. And yet relatable. Your fans are good people, and pretty strong Trainers actually. I don't think I've spoken to one with less than five Badges."
Sikandar chuckled. "I'm chill because that's my nature. The Leaf smoking also helps. I only have my experience to go on, Isabella. You're a gorgeous woman, in a very densely populated region, that's run by people who rather infamously indulge in their…base instincts. And that's on top of your family. Your experience is probably quite different to mine, but that doesn't mean the mask you wear isn't also a part of you. Meowscarada have masks, and while they can apparently detach for cleaning, they always wear them in Battle because it's part of who they are. Their Persona. You wear the mask of a Champion, because you are a Champion. That is no lie."
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There was another flash of psychic power, a rather strong one, during which the two had once again locked eyes. She moved her gorgeous face closer to his. "You know a lot about Meowscarada."
Sikandar chuckled as his face heated up. "I really want a Sprigatito, at some point."
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
"I want You." She answered, and before their lips met, Sikandar blinked, and said, "You have me."
Due to how long they had left on their train ride, Sikandar let her have his mouth this time around, to great effect, and after hiding the evidence and Teleporting by line of sight to the Pokémon Center, their sexcapades had continued to their room. Thus, it was in their bed, while their partners were being given a checkup, that the two humans finally resumed their training, nude and snuggling under the sheets.
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"What are you thinking about?" Sikandar asked, after a long silence following the climactic finish and the shifting and rearranging until they ended up in a comfortable tangle of limbs.
"I was just…expanding my new psychic perception, and…I don't know, I just feel so…small. Stow-on-Side isn't a large city, but…there's so many lives here. I can't even imagine what it'd be like in Aurelia or Wyndon or even New Tork."
"It's an incoherent wall of pure noise." Sikandar answered. Indius was also quite dense in terms of population. In the non-deadly parts of the region, anyway. "The unrestrained thoughts of millions of Humans and Pokémon is an overpowering wall of emotion and thought that has driven many a psychic mad. The stronger you are, the worse it is. There's a reason the Hatterene line lives in solitude. Pokémon have much better control of their thoughts and emotions."
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Isabella frowned. "Now I suddenly don't want to go near Wyndon…is being in a stadium now going to affect my Battling?"
Sikandar sat up then, bringing her with him, as he pressed his forehead into hers. "With practice, will come control. We have plenty of time before Wyndon, and the Stow, Turffield, Motostoke, and Spikemuth Gyms probably won't have crowds that are too overwhelming."
Isabella stared at him, unconvinced that her new psychic shenanigans would be as easy to deal with as he made it sound. "How do you deal with them?"
"I will show you." He murmured, his forehead still on hers. Once more, they entered their shared mind space. "First you must understand that all these minds make up one massive, cohesive whole. They are all connected."
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Isabella pulled back slightly, in their minds, and blinked in confusion. "What, like…all of the Humans and Pokémon?"
Sikandar nodded. "All living things are connected. This is why when, for example, the environment is polluted or destroyed, it's not just Humans who suffer. Pokémon suffer as well, though, they also tend to adapt very quickly. It still takes a few generations of Eggs to do so. It goes beyond the physical realm, though. The energy powering our minds, is connected to the energy powering Nurse Joy's mind, downstairs. Not obviously, or directly enough for me to read her innermost thoughts, but enough that I can hear her surface thoughts."
Understanding flooded Isabella's mind, and Sikandar just watched, impressed, as her Mind Chakra opened. "So, I need to somehow limit or dampen my natural connection to everyone else's…brain energy. How?"
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Sikandar smirked at her. "I believe I've mentioned Aura Shields before. We practiced them briefly on the Isle of Armor, but now is the time to perfect yours. Once you can, we will open your final Chakra. Wearing it all the time will be draining, but we have time to practice. We can take a few days before we face Bea and Bruno."
Isabella nodded, not very worried about those two. Raphael and Kandra would wipe the floor with anything they brought, as the two had started their own epic romance, and were as synchronized in battle as Sikandar and Isabella had been.
As they fell into silence and started staring into each other's eyes again, their phones started beeping. Sikandar only stopped, because his Rotom knew not to buzz unless something important was happening. "What is it, guys?" Sikandar said, once the sheets preserved their decency.
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The pair of Phone Rotom floated into the air, and after a series of beeps that passed for their Pokéspeech, Sikandar's said, "SikAndAr. The hAshtAg ZAbriko couple is blowing up ChAtter. They Are in Stow-on-side And Are requesting A BAttle."
Isabella sighed, but when she looked at her lover, she saw he was smirking. "You want to Battle them too…I guess we are due for a rival showdown. We can ask one of the Gym Leaders to use their Power Spots. Who do you think uses social media more? Bea or Allister?"
They both paused for a moment, then simultaneously said, "Bea." And they shared a smirk. In short order, they asked Bea to borrow the town's main stadium, which she agreed to, but only after twenty minutes. In that time, word of the rival battle exploded on Chatter, and soon eclipsed whatever nonsense that Elmo Musk had used his army of Porygon to artificially trend. Even Leon eventually chimed in. Apparently, he needed to mediate the match personally.
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The match ended up being delayed by two hours so the crowd could gather from all corners of Galar, so Sikandar took his lady out to eat, and had Fakir set up barriers for privacy. The Sikabelle hashtag also exploded after that, and Isabella sighed again. Sikandar didn't let her dislike of it grow any further, and said, "You know, we should prepare for people to find out about us. They know we only got one room this time, our coordination is above average, especially for Champions, and we keep having meals in romantic places. Most have probably figured it out already, honestly."
She was quiet for a long time as she looked at him, and then sighed again. "I suppose you have a point…" A smirk tugged at her mouth as Sikandar did his subtle wiggle of excitement. He didn't seem conscious that he even did it, but she'd started noticing more about him, his body, everything that made him who he was.
Sikandar was happy wiggling, because she was seemingly finally ready to at least discuss their public relationship. He knew without needing Future Sight that the sooner it was public knowledge, the less attention it would attract. And less attention was what his lady preferred. "Good. I think we avoid attaching labels, and stay as vague as po-"
She cut him off. "There's no need." Her eyes darted to their surroundings out of habit, before she climbed onto his lap, and straddled him. Her arms were around his neck, and her face was intimately close to his all of a sudden. His cheeks heated up, as she spoke. "You and I…work very well together. Amongst other things. What do you want from this relationship, Sikandar? How long do you want it to last?"
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His first immediate thought was forever. He knew he didn't want anyone else. Judging by how fast her cheeks flushed, she'd heard his thought, but he voiced it anyway and kissed her. As usual, it heated up quickly, but she did pause before things got even more intense. "Do…Do you mean that?"
"Of course I do. Now. A decade from now. Five decades from now." He took a deep breath, but he couldn't hide his feelings anymore. Not that they'd been very hidden so far, but with her growing power it was a matter of time before she found out how he felt anyway. "I love you, Isabella. Since the moment we met. I didn't realize it until after but, I'm sure."
She seemed flustered, and as words failed her, so she used her lips instead. And her body. It was good they'd already gotten their food, and as things heated up, again, Sikandar reinforced the barriers himself to stop sound and vision completely. Then, he stood up, which she seemed to like.
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They emerged from the barriers twenty minutes later and looked like they definitely hadn't just had sex. They returned their dishes and made their way to the gym hand in hand, which made the fans lining the road to the gym murmur excitedly. They split to don their gym uniforms, and when they emerged, it was to find the entire stadium was full, and Zabrina and Mikolaj were already waiting. Chairman Leon himself was flying on his referee platform designed for a Aegislash.
"Champion Fondacaro and Champion Jiyoshi! Welcome…to the first Rival Battle of the Tournament of Champions!" The crowd roared at his words, and Sikandar wondered if they were the crowd favorites. As he looked at his girlfriend though, he realized she was pale. His mind enveloped hers, and the overwhelming noise faded away as his voice filled her mind. "Stay linked with me, for this. We'll work on your shield later."
Isabella briefly wondered if that was cheating, but then, so long as they didn't abuse it, or do more than drown out the noise and distracting thoughts, they'd probably be okay. Leon continued, and this time, she was able to hear him. "This will be a six-on-six Double Battle. Each Trainer will use three Pokémon, and, as a special treat, you may each pick one Pokémon from your usual Champion tier team to act as a leader of sorts for the other three. Since this will increase the Battle's complexity, the Champions will have five minutes to decide on their picks. Starting…now!"
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Panic flooded their shared mind space, mostly from Isabella, but a little from Sikandar as well. He hadn't kept as much track of the opposing Champions regular teams, and as he saw Zabriko summon both of their Phone Rotom, Sikandar did the same, very obviously, and shot them a dirty look as he did so. He would've preferred to keep things random, as would Leon, judging by his expression, but Sikandar would now pick the ideal counter to as many of their usual team members as he could. Out of spite. He frowned though, as he was tasked with researching Zabrina.
Isabella could safely guess that Miko would use Kolega. His blue Nidoking was a monster with a massive move pool, and mastery of, as far as she knew, all of those techniques. And with the omnipresent World Tournament rules in place for this challenge, to help Trainers and fans alike get used to them for the upcoming World Tournament, Kolega would be able to wield all of those mastered moves against them. Thankfully, Isabella knew how to counter the poisonous cerulean rhino, and offered to do so, when it appeared.
Her panic increased however, when their phones could find very little on Zabrina's actual team. There were videos of her battling alongside numerous species at varying levels of strength, but she did have a main team, the problem was that nobody knew what was on it, since she used so many Pokémon, nobody could tell which was or was not a Champion ranked battler. Irritated, but undeterred, Sikandar opted for one of his hardest team members to take down. The Great Wall of Indius, was the title he'd earned among the Trainers who managed to reach him after surpassing the Kuleen Chaar. As long as Zabrina's main was not a master of fairy energy, they'd be fine.
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The countdown beeped three times, and then as one, the four Champions threw their picks, to the excited roar of the crowd. Zabrina brought out Feeric, her Grimmsnarl, Miko had chosen his new Hydreigon, a beast he was calling Smok, Isabella had gone with her Tyranitar, Marabecca, and Sikandar had chosen Bhoomakshak, since the Garchomp hadn't had a chance to battle properly yet. Almost immediately, a pair of angry growls emanated from the two male dragons, and just like that, Sikandar and Isabella swapped who they'd be dealing with. There was no question who had the fastest pick, though. Sikandar pointed at Smok, and shouted, "Dragon Claw!"
The Hydreigon answered him with three Dragon Pulses that the speeding Garchomp weaved through by taking to the air, and barrel rolling. Zabrina was also going for the Garchomp, but Isabella had no intention of letting her Grimmsnarl get close. Rocks exploded under the nine-ton green heavily armored rock monster, and Marabecca launched at Feeric as her Trainer shouted, "Iron Head!" The Rock Blast, used as propulsion, sent her flying into Feeric, as she mega evolved. The Grimmsnarl's eyes only had time to widen before nine tons of steel enhanced Tyranitar smashed into him and sent him flying like a hairy fairy bullet into the field's barriers.
The dragons barely even noticed, as Bhoomakshak landed a brutal Dragon Claw, but in close range, the Hydreigon was actually more deadly, despite being a special attacker. Smok tanked the claws, and then his mouths clamped on the Garchomp's wings. The main head then delivered an equally brutal Dragon Pulse to his face. Dazed and grappled, the Garchomp's eyes winced in pain, and Sikandar could tell he was in a rough spot. Then, Zabrina made it rougher. "Spirit Break, Feeric!" The slow to stand Grimmsnarl, barely clinging to consciousness, radiated fairy energy, and then one of his hairy, muscle arms stretched forward like a pink lance, nailing Bhoomakshak in his chest. The Garchomp went down, but a brutal Stone Edge from Marabecca finished her prey for good, tying the teams.
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"Sorry." Isabella said in their minds. "I thought it went down from Iron Head."
"It's alright." Sikandar said. "As long as they have no more fairies waiting in the wings, we win. Here he comes!"
Miko and Smok had locked eyes with Isabella and her Tyranitar respectively, and both Champions shouted at the same time, "Hyper Beam!" The colliding energy beams gave Sikandar and Zabrina a moment to pick their next partners.
When the smoke cleared, Marabecca had been recalled. Sikandar admitted he had nothing that could take advantage of Smok's quadruple fairy weakness, and as they saw Zabrina had brought out a Kommo-o, Isabella was even more glad that she'd switched. Kandra couldn't mega evolve at the moment, but she could obliterate both of their opponents with a big enough Moonblast. All she needed, was a wall.
The crowd roared as they saw Sikandar's pick. One of his original team members, and a crowd favorite. His Kingdra, Raajapani, the so-called Great Wall of Indius. A dragon who had helped the Indius Champion remain unbeaten many times, simply because of his ridiculous endurance. He infamously countered dragon moves with ease, and the only way to bring him down was with a fairy that could match the Kingdra's speed. Even then, he could tank hits for quite a while before collapsing. The cheering increased, as he raised his Key Stone. "Raajapani! Mega Evolve! Then give us a Blizzard!"
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Much like when it evolved normally, a Twister flared up around the Kingdra, and though it was largely for show, it still hit the opposing dragons with super effective damage. Raajapani's body elongated like a classically eastern dragon. His armored scales became even thicker, and in appearance now resembled a coral reef. From his back, sprouted a pair of majestic dragon wings, blue scaled, and white webbed, they flared once they appeared. His new snout was even longer, comparable to a Gigantamaxed Inteleon's water rifle in length. On either side of his head, white fins flared majestically.
image [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/107dc055-197f-4c79-a8d4-bf5e3018e03b/dhw2dq0-6459e4a6-a35d-4e63-a1d3-418231bf0eb5.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzEwN2RjMDU1LTE5N2YtNGM3OS1hOGQ0LWJmNWUzMDE4ZTAzYlwvZGh3MmRxMC02NDU5ZTRhNi1hMzVkLTRlNjMtYTFkMy00MTgyMzFiZjBlYjUuanBnIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.Q6LpX1EhY4IQVkIWeq4FAmzfK4IjUR2VCTypr8uYQsI]
The crowd went wild, as did Gabby and Ty, who were announcing thus far. None of the Champions cared enough to listen to them, but a Mega Evolution on one of the first Champion's picks from their main team had sent both them and the crowd into a frenzy of excitement. This served to increase Raajapani's special attack power, and his golden eyes flashed, before suddenly, a Blizzard covered the entire field, briefly obscuring everyone's vision. Sikandar grinned as Smok became frozen, and the Kommo-o, whose name was apparently Balaur, had to spend time chopping him free.
Once freed, Smok unleashed a Flamethrower at the Blizzard, and yet oddly enough, the clouds of freezing wind and ice were more focused on Sikandar and Isabella's side of the field. Zabriko shared a look, and then ordered a pair of dragon attacks at the floating Mega Kingdra, who seemed content to keep the Blizzard going, even as Smok countered it with one head and a constant Flamethrower. A Dragon Pulse from his main head arced towards Raajapani, while Balaur started sprinting forward with a Dragon Claw, the clanging of his scales was lost in the crowd's roar.
The attacks almost landed, but Raajapani seemed disinclined to so much as dodge, and as a flash of pink appeared in the snow clouds, the two Champions suddenly realized why. In a burst of speed, the Mega Kingdra flew upwards, and the Blizzard was blown away by the sheer amount of power that Kandra had summoned. There was a brief moment of lingering silence as Isabella shouted, "MOONBLAST!"
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The massive moon her Gardevoir had created suddenly converted into fairy energy, as it blew away the charging Kommo-o, and then hammered Smok for good measure. When the light faded, both dragons were down, overpowered by their shared quadruple weakness and Isabella gave her panting Gardevoir a rest, once more bringing in Marabecca. She eyed the Kingdra, and the two Mega Pokémon shared a nod of mutual respect for the power they wielded, before focusing on their enemies.
Ty, for his part, lost his mind. "ANOTHER DOUBLE KNOCKOUT! The coordination these two have is unreal! Just like that Zabriko is down by three and facing down TWO Mega Evolved opponents! What will they bring out next!?" Zabriko answered Ty by summoning their own first team picks, a Mimikyu, and Miko's Garchomp, who Isabella knew as Uroda. He might have been smaller in size, but she knew that had just made him more vicious. Especially when he used Mega Evolution. As both new arrivals locked eyes on the Mega Kingdra, Sikandar's suspicions were confirmed. "They've been trying to knock me out first, and then take you down." He said in their shared mind space. "Let's crush them."
Isabella agreed, but knew Mimikyu's 'disguise' would soften a first attack, and leave her Tyranitar open to a brutal counter. Sikandar alleviated that fear, by commanding his Kingdra. "Blizzard!"
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"Dig!" Miko commanded, upon hearing the enemy attack.
"Play Rough." Zabrina ordered her fairy ghost, and off it zoomed, heedless of the snow and ice, towards Raajapani.
Miko had actually aimed the dig at Isabella's Tyranitar, but she wasn't there when he burst through the ground. Mostly because a moment before, Isabella had commanded her to use Iron Head on the fairy ghost, and Marabecca obeyed her Trainer immediately. As the Mimikyu burst through the wall of snow, the Iron Head with a Mega Tyranitar's attack power sent it flying towards one of the field's barriers, while Raajapani took advantage of Uroda's miss, turning gracefully in the air and nailing him with an Ice Beam.
As the Blizzard faded, Mimikyu was barely standing, and Uroda tried fighting to stay conscious, but the critical Ice Beam to his heart was too much to overcome, as Raajapani was indeed a sniper in his own right, and he fell to the field, his Mega Form fading as he fainted. Zabrina recalled her Mimikyu, and Dynamaxed it, but as soon as it appeared, Marabecca was there with an Iron Head. The Max Form exploded with volatile energy, and the Mimikyu fainted hard. The crowd, meanwhile, roared as loudly as Marabecca did.
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Zabriko's next picks were Ostryga, a Cloyster commanded by Mikolaj, and Ferra, a Ferrothorn that Zabrina had leveled to evolution. With no ceiling to speak of, the iron grass type had to stand itself up with its powerful vines, though everyone knew Ferrothorn were most deadly when they could move around walls and ceilings. On the ground, on a flat, open stadium field, they were essentially a sitting Ducklett, with how bad their speed was. Isabella ordered her Tyranitar to dig, and the ferocious beast sunk into the ground effortlessly, as Ferra used Ingrain.
Sikandar left her to it. Marabecca knew fire moves, and the World Tournament ruleset's lack of a move limit meant she could punch and bite. Even being defense heavy, yet another quadruple weakness would see the Ferrothorn defeated. He focused on the Cloyster then, and knew this would become a slug fest. Cloyster had great physical defense, but garbage special defense, however that didn't matter, as long as it used its shell to block moves. Even dragon moves would barely affect it, such was Cloyster's ridiculous defense. In Trainer terms, it possessed higher defense stat numbers than a Mega Tyranitar's attack power. And it was only a second evolution. Within moments, Sikandar and Miko started trading moves, and sure enough, the Cloyster knew better than to let its black head be touched by a Dragon Pulse. Icicle Spear and Ice Beam weakened Dragon Pulse, and by the time it hit the shell, its oomph was gone. He knew Mikolaj wanted to stall, but didn't understand why. Then, he looked back to Isabella's battle, as he sensed irritation.
Ferra was using Tyranitar's body to move around, smashing it with powerful Power Whips, and while ferociously strong, Mega Tyranitar was in no way agile. Because of the Infinity Energy and what it did to them, to turn, they had to move their entire body, and to a Pokémon that could swing around it easily, as its steel barbs had evolved to penetrate rock in the first place, Ferra barely had to make an effort to dodge the flames. She was still Ingrained though, and Sikandar drew Isabella's attention to that, as Raajapani continued pounding the Cloyster.
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"Enough fooling around." Sikandar told his partner, who nodded in response. "Twister Dance!" The Kingdra used Dragon Dance then, and the energy from the dance helped him spawn four Twister attacks. Once again, the irritating ice clam closed his shell, but that would no longer matter. The Twisters converged on his shell, holding him in the air and violently spinning him around. Any Pokémon would be dizzy after that, and it only got worse as Raajapani danced again, and grew ever stronger.
"Fire off your spikes! Poison, Bug, Ice, I don't care, just attack!" Ostryga obeyed from within his shell, but Raajapani destroyed the attacks with ease with his swirling dragon energy, and another Twister formed for good measure. He also redirected the Icicle Spears towards Ferra, as Marabecca finally managed to throw her off her body with Fire Punch on her hands, after ending her Ingrain with a Fire Fang. The hit stunned her long enough for a Fire Punch to connect, and that was the end of Ferra, even with Ingrain, a Mega Tyranitar was just too strong. Zabrina had almost brought her down, though. If she hadn't been in a Mega Form, she might have won that round.
Suddenly, the Twisters ceased, and Raajapani let the irritating clam fall to the field with a hard crash. It popped open, and revealed a fainted face, swirly eyes, and tongue lolling out. The image was instantly captured on the Galarian stadium's massive view screens, and within minutes, had become a meme, mostly targeted at Zabriko fans, that read, 'Surprise! You lose.'. Somehow, they'd gotten its shell opening into a gif, and it spread across Chatter like a G Max Wildfire in a forest.
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Sikandar nodded, satisfied with the win. He'd only lost one Pokémon for their side, while Isabella had never needed to switch. And, they hadn't even needed their bears. Their 'secret armor' was intact. As Ty loudly proclaimed their victory, Sikandar raised up Isabella's hand and turned to the crowd. He could feel the hatred emanating off of Zabrina, while Mikolaj just seemed disappointed. From what Sikandar heard of his thoughts, he rightly knew they were, by far, under leveled compared to their opponents, and his veteran team member's quad weakness had essentially cemented their defeat. Sikandar had a feeling that next time, they'd have more than one Dynamax to face them with.
Isabella tried not to wince as Sikandar raised her hand. The thoughts were so loud, even with Sikandar's protection. It seemed when he tried divining other's thoughts, said protection wavered over her own, and she hated that she needed his expertise just to not be curled in a fetal position with a massive headache right now. She groaned as she saw Gabby and Ty approaching them. Looking back, Miko and Zabrina had already left.
Sikandar was all smiles though, in too good of a mood after what he considered a solidly mid battle victory to be brought down by the intrepid reporters. He lowered their hands, but held onto hers, and said, "Are you ready?"
Isabella chuckled and replied mentally. "I was more worried about this, than the Battle." Leon joined them as well, and she braced for what was sure to be quite the interview, as both Gabby and Ty, and the crowd, seemed to notice they were still holding hands.
"Champions!" Gabby said with mostly fake enthusiasm as she approached. "Have time for a quick Jam session?"