Assimilation, part 1

I know...another story. :c Sorry I keep spamming you guys, with 'em. We've just done so many, and like sharing them. There is a part 2 to this, that I'll upload alongside it. I probably will not be posting any side stories here, unless you just want more Naga and Zee shenanigans. (which is totally understandable 8U)

This story marks the first in a series, in which the hybrids are finally revealed to the general public. To avoid mass panic, they were quickly brushed off as special effects and were pulled into a special hybrid battle. Having being forced to battle once more, CT begins to slip, and starts to wonder if he should be battling at all, anymore. This story is also where Naga and Hysminai are introduced, albeit a very minor role, until the next two stories.






There was a huge crowd, at the Club Battle. Huge crowds made Nico nervous, and this was his first major Pokémon battle. He had been training with his Growlithe for months, preparing for this. Seymour had previously been a regular housepet, but through training, became a strong battler. He learned moves that Nico didn't know he had, and they were both ready for their first tournament battle. CT stood close by, and away from the crowd. He didn't like crowds, either. Especially loud crowds, and this crowd was very loud.

Nico stepped into the arena with Seymour, as the announcer called his name. His opponent stepped out on the opposite side, with his Hitmontop. Nico took in a deep breath, and got ready to battle. "Okay, Seymour. You ready for this?" he said, to the dog. Seymour yipped in agreement, and got into position. His opponent was faster, so he got the first move.


"Hitmontop, use Drill Run!" he commanded. The Hitmontop hopped onto its head, and began spinning toward Seymour. Nico flinched, rather than commanding Seymour's retaliation move. Although he had been training, himself, with his dad and with Musashi, Nico was still a nervous kid. He wasn't used to all this battling stuff. Seymour took the Drill Run hit, although he sustained a substantial amount of damage. He quickly bounded back up, growling at his opponent. Nico shook his head, trying to get over his fear. "Okay, Seymour. Let's do this. Use Aerial Ace!"

Seymour barked, happily, and ran up to Hitmontop at amazing speed. "Hitmontop, get out of there!" his trainer commanded. Aerial Ace couldn't be dodged, however, and Seymour slammed into the Hitmontop. He fell backward, but spun on his head and sprung back to his feet. "Alright, Hitmontop. Use Dig, and then," his voice became quieter, more hushed, "Drill Run and Close Combat." CT narrowed his eyes, at the kid. His mouth was moving, but he was purposely speaking quietly. What was he up to?

Hitmontop dug into the ground, leaving Seymour and Nico to wonder where he was. "Okay, Seymour. We can do this. Just stay strong. When he comes out, use Flamethrower." Nico said, trying to remain as calm as possible. Seymour just crouched and growled, ready to attack. The Hitmontop spun out of the ground and slammed into Seymour, tossing him into the air. Hitmontop began spinning, mid-air, delivering a barrage of powerful punches to the Growlithe. He grabbed Seymour by the fur on his neck, and slammed him into the ground. Seymour was unable to get up, and the winner had already been declared. The opponent just smirked. He wasn't finished. As Nico was about to call Growlithe back, he called one last move. "Hitmontop," he grinned. "Use Pursuit." His Hitmontop grinned in a similar manner and slammed into Seymour just as he was walking out, with Nico.


"Foul!" CT shouted, from the sidelines. "The battle was over! That was a foul!" he snarled, loudly. The other trainer just shrugged, ignoring Nico, who was holding the badly-injured Growlithe. "Kid should've known better than to bring that stupid, weak Growlithe into this tournament. I guess pets really do take after their owners." the opponent smirked. CT growled, baring his teeth. To hell with it. His hands glowed a bright orange, energy swirling around them. "Nobody," he snarled. "Calls my son stupid and weak!" he said, throwing one very angry Focus Blast at the kid. It hit him and his Pokémon, sending them flying across the arena.

The crowd grew quiet. Stunned. CT didn't notice it, as he was about to go after that kid and give him another taste of Focus Blast. Nico tugged at his jacket. "Dad, don't! E-everybody's s-staring..." he said, looking around at the crowd. "S-Seymour will be okay."

Shade knew that it wasn't a good sign that CT was raging in front of the general public. "I don't think you should have done that." he told him. Mac, who observed the commotion, warned him; "That trainer is most likely going to be hospitalized for at least a week, and not to mention you've risked your son with elimination, even if he didn't lose."

Glade also joined in, and said, "And one more thing: You do know that EVERY FREAKING BODY JUST SAW YOU MAKE A GIANT FIREBALL, RIGHT?!"

CT didn't look like he was going to listen to reason, so Shade needed to do the only thing he could do in a situation like this: Restrain him from doing any further harm of sort by hugging him. "This is for your own good." he told him.

Musashi dropped from the audience, standing beside CT. "You do realize you just assaulted a kid with a Pokémon attack, right? I doubt they'd believe it was all special effects." he said. This was not good, at all.

So far, the world had yet to know about the existence of the Pokémon hybrids. Everyone remained shocked and silent. Did they all see what they thought they saw? Some man just blasted an energy ball at the kid. "Um, CT? I'm wondering if now would be a good time to just...get out of here." Musashi whispered.

CT struggled against Shade, trying to break free of his grip. A dark aura danced around his hands, as he tried to squirm free. Dark Pulse was effective against Shade, and it stung just enough for Shade to loosen his grip.

The dark aura turned to flame, as he started toward the kid. Nico once again tugged on his jacket, holding him back. "Dad, don't." he whimpered. The other battler hadn't been hit very hard, although the Hitmontop took the brunt of the blast. They both got up, staring in surprise at CT, who was just about ready to throw a ball of fire, at the kid.

As Nico tugged CT back, it finally dawned on him just what he had done. "Um," he said, looking up at the crowd. The flames around his hands flickered out, and he straightened his jacket. "Perhaps we should leave." he said, backing out of the arena. He had been careful not to reveal his Pokémon nature to the public, and now, after fourteen years, he blew it, all over some smartass kid in a Pokémon tournament.


Musashi sighed, noticing police officers blocking the exit."Um, CT? I don't think we have that option, anymore." Not good; cops were coming everywhere. Even worse than cops, the media was beginning to swarm. Honestly, sometimes Musashi viewed the media like a bunch of Spearow, swarming on anything remotely agitating to them. "So. Do we fight our way out, or try to shrug this all off as special effects? Because the media is gonna Houndour us for sure."
"We can't attack these people, though." Shade told them. "It would make everything a whole lot worse, and on top of that, I'd be forced to arrest those of you who would attack, for assault."

"There is no way of escape at this time." Mac said to them as she pointed at the camera-mounted helicopters.

"Thanks, Cover Tarnisher..." Glade said to CT. "Now I sound like Shade..."


CT groaned, looking around. Great. He was not fond of either cops nor media, and now they were both swarming him. Security guards were blocking the exits, and there were cameras everywhere. And damnit it, Shade was right. He couldn't just assault everybody. That would be even more unwanted attention, anyway. He looked over at Nico, who was holding the injured Growlithe. Bingo.
The guards might not let him out, but at least he could get the kids out of this mess. "The Growlithe needs medical attention." he told one of the guards, gesturing to Nico and Seymour. "Do what you want with me, but let him out." Nico just stayed close to his dad. "But, Dad..." CT stopped him, before he could protest. "You and your friend get out of here. Your mother is waiting, at the Center." Nico started to protest once more, but looked down at Seymour. He was hurt, badly. The guards nodded, letting him through.

"Well," CT said, glancing at Musashi and Shade. "Now what?"

Musashi sighed, running his fingers through his hair. He wanted to leave, oh he wanted to leave so badly. However, he'd been helping hybrids get used to their new bodies, perhaps it was only fitting he also help them become assimilated into human society. "Well, I don't know about Shade, but I'm staying here." he said. "Don't be mistaken, I'm only staying because I don't want you to mess this up even more." There was no way he would ever admit to something embarrassing like 'I'm staying because you're in trouble and I can't let you go through it alone.'

Two officers released their Pokémon; a Houndoom and a Swanna. "Um, looks like we're gonna have to fight anyway ."

"You two! Stand down or our Pokémon will attack!" one of the cops said. Musashi's answer was simple: he drew his swords.


Shade felt like he was trapped between a rock and a hard place; he was either gonna have to fight alongside him and risk getting fired by the police department, or have to arrest Musashi if he started attacking. "Hold it." A mysterious man said before the cops separated to make way for him to enter. "Who are you?" Shade asked.

"I am the executive who is organizing this tournament, and just came here to tell you all about a little plea bargain; you see, everyone is in a panic because of what one of you has done, and the trainer is most likely injured." The exec turned to CT. "So, I think as a way to calm these people down and to make things even for everyone, you and your friends should say that it was all part of the act, and you are all going to fight each other as the next match gets prepared for the normal battles. You can't back down either, or else you're spending quite a while in the slammer." he finished.

CT raised an eyebrow, at the man. Who did he think he was, threatening him, like that? Then again, this was all his fault. Musashi was ready to fight a cop, and Shade was either going to arrest him, or get fired. One option was to fight his friends in front of thousands of people, with it possibly being televised. CT wasn't from Nimbasa, but he was still mafia and still did not like being public, about anything. The other option was to refuse, fight the authorities, and get himself arrested.

"Blast it all...." he sighed, rubbing at his forehead. "Why the bloody hell not?" he shrugged, hoping that if they pass it off as just a show and special effects, everybody would go home and forget it ever happened.

Musashi wasn't sure he heard the guy right. Fight each other? In the arena? He turned to CT, smiling. Finally, he was going to get his duel with CT, the one thing the mafioso kept denying him; now he had no choice. "Well, CT, guess we have no choice." Musashi failed to hide his smile. "We have to duel each other."
"It'll be similar to what we're normally doing; just fight until someone quits or their bodies quit for them." the exec told Shade as he ripped pieces of paper apart and gave CT a pen. "I'd like for you all to write your names and put it in that empty cup right there." he informed everyone while pointing at the empty cup. "I will randomly draw names out of that cup and make it tournament style. To make it a bit more incentive so that everyone has their A-game, I'll even give the winner a nice prize."

CT rolled his eyes, but cooperated. He didn't care about prizes or winning, he just wanted to get this over with and get out of here. He especially didn't want to fight Musashi. The cop, he didn't mind so much, but he just couldn't make himself fight a friend. The executive drew out the names, and said something to the announcer, on his cell phone.


"Well folks," the announcer said, over the microphone. "It appears we have a surprise halftime show. No need to panic, everything is all part of the show!" he said, as the combatants began to step onto the field. "CT Blackstone will face off against Shade Potter, and Musashi will face off against Mac the android. Combatants may not swap places, and the two winners will face off against each other. Are you ready?" the announcer shouted, as the crowd went wild. The panic had worn off, as they were ensured it was all a show.
CT stepped in front of Shade. Typically, he avoided beating up cops, but maybe Shade would let it slide, all things considered. A dark aura swirled around his hands, as he got ready to attack, with a Dark Pulse. He nodded at Shade, in a "May the best man win" gesture.

Shade nodded back at CT, knowing of his attack he was brewing; little did he know, Shade was cooking up a Shadow Ball as well. When the bell rang, the two hurled their projectiles at each other, and Shade got hit by CT's attack. "Ouch." Shade said, before prepping up his next move, Astonish.
Shade's Shadow Ball hit CT, causing him to stumble backwards. Shade was a Ghost and Fire type, putting him at a disadvantage. Shade was using another Ghost type move, it looked like. CT was resistant to Ghost types, so he got ready to endure it. He readied another Dark Pulse, tossing it at Shade. Shade noticed CT was going to do the attack again, so he narrowly missed it. "You can't rely on the same attack twice in a row, you know." Shade told him as he replied back with his Astonish.

CT smirked, enduring Shade's attack. "All part of the show, Detective Potter. It would be rather boring, taking you out so quickly." he grinned. He hadn't been in a real battle, in many years. He had forgotten what a thrill it was, to be battling in front of a huge crowd, as they cheered him on. The excitement. The adrenaline rush. Sure, he had been in plenty of fights, but they weren't battles, like this. He hadn't realized just how much he missed it. For the first time in a long time, he was having fun.

His hands glowed, once more. Shade was a Ghost and Fire type, so Focus Blast and Flamethrower would be useless. Dark Pulse had been used twice, already. This time, the aura around his palms glowed a different color: bright turquoise. He held his hands forward, as the ball of energy glowed brighter, and fired it toward Shade.

Shade knew that this would be it, but he at least wanted to go out with a bang; He mustered up all the energy he had left and made a gigantic Will-O-Wisp attack. All Shade could do was embrace for the worst.


Musashi stared down the android. "No offense robo girl, but I want to finally have my duel with Blackstone. I'm going to have to take you down." He assumed a fighting stance with his swords. "En guarde!" he shouted as he launched a flurry of Air Slashes at Mac.

Mac noticed the Air Slashes coming from Musashi. "You do know that I can adapt to your every move, right?" she warned him as she used Conversion 2 to resist longstanding damage, though she wasn't fully able to dodge it.

Musashi smiled. He was learning to fight smarter and smarter, but he didn't want to use all of his moves, in case CT was watching. He moved in fast, toward the android. His swords shined with power, becoming sharper as he swung them upwards at the slower opponent. "Adapt this!" he shouted as he swung. Mac saw that Musashi was going to use Slash on her, and while her Conversion 2 wasn't going to completely take care of the damage she would endure, she did however have a trick up her sleeve: She shot out Thunder Wave from her hands, directly at Musashi as she got hit.

Musashi felt his slashes connect, but he felt another thing. He winced as the surge of electric energy tensed up his muscles. Damn it! Paralyzation sucked! Musashi relied on his speed. "I'm not...giving up, yet! I will have my duel!" he said stubbornly, his blades glowing green as he brought them down in an X shape. Musashi put all his energy into the powerful X-Scissor attack.

Mac was in her element; While the X-scissor did hurt aplenty, she did have one thing that no other living being had: Recover. "That fight you want can wait. " She told him as she prepared for her Tri-Attack.


Meanwhile, Glade was with Nico in the Pokémon Center outside the arena. "Well, there's always next time; no one ever gets it right the first time, after all." Glade comforted Nico.

Nico waited for Seymour, inside the lobby. "Yeah, I guess. I'm more worried about Dad, though." he sighed. "Now what did he get himself into?" Lash said, walking in. She had been waiting there, since Mavra didn't really mix with crowds all that well. "Uh, n-nothing...so uh...Seymour should be out soon...I should um....go check..." Nico said, trying to avoid answering. "Oh, no you don't." Lash said, stopping him. "Okay. Spill it. What happened?"

"Basically, CT over there blew everyone's cover and everybody knows that we, or at least he, has powers." Glade told Lash as they both observed Nico's sorrow.

"He what?!" Lash shouted, in panic. "Nice going, Glade." Nico mumbled. "Ohmygodohmygod I have to get over there!" she said, starting to leave. "Nicky, stay with your sister!" she said, glancing back one last time.
Nico looked over at the bored Mavra. Mavra just grinned at him and Glade, causing him to shudder. Great. Stuck here alone, with his sister. He swore she was pure evil.

"Well?" Mavra scoffed. "Well, what?" Nico asked. "Well, let's go." she said, hopping up and walking out. "But....but Momma said to stay here..." Nico said, not particularly wanting to go after his sister. Mavra just shrugged, and continued. "I can't leave Seymour..." Nico continued to protest. "He was hurt, pretty bad. They'll probably keep him, overnight. You can come with me or not, but you're not stopping me." she said, not even turning around. Nico sighed, and went after her. Great. First his dad stirred up trouble, now it looked like his sister was going to. He just couldn't get a break, today.

Lash was just making her way into the arena, by the time the first battles were finishing. "Wait!" a young boy's voice called out. "Nicky? I told you to stay with your sister!" she said, a hint of anger in her voice. She glanced over to Mavra, who had followed her. "She...she f-followed you....technically, I did s-stay with her..." Nico mumbled. Lash sighed. "Alright, just don't wander off."



CT's Dragon Pulse pummeled through the Will-O-Wisp, striking Shade. It was clear that both Shade and Musashi were unable to continue, and the winners were declared. CT started to ready another attack at Shade, but shook his head. Winning felt good. Almost like being back in the League. He lowered his attack, clenching his fists. No. Not again. I'm better than that. I'm not that animal, anymore. he said, to himself. He took in a deep breath, and exhaled, deeply, trying to calm himself down. He stepped in front of Mac, ready for another battle.

Musashi glared at the ref; he called the match before the android's attack even struck! How dare he! "What!? I can still go!"

"Sit, you look like you can barely move. I'm calling it."

"I can still go! I can still fight!" Musashi continued to shout objections. No! His one chance of making CT give him his duel and it slipped through his fingers. CT always refused to even spar with him and now he felt like he'd never get the chance. He struggled against the medical team that came, moving out of the battle area.


"Does not compute; we are fighting, right now?" Mac asked the ref. All the ref did was shrug his shoulders. She immediately used Recover on herself before the match could begin. "Good luck, Ferrovax." she told CT. "Round 2!" The referee yelled. She knew what she had to do first, and all she did was pull off Conversion 2. "I'm fully ready now." She said to CT.

Rage flickered in CT's eyes. "Don't call me that!" he snarled. "That is not my name!!" he said, giving the announcer a glance. He didn't seem to care. CT huffed, and readied an attack. She may have been an AI, but he could try to outsmart her. A dark purple aura glowed around his hands, as he got ready for a Dark Pulse attack. She did exactly what he predicted she'd do. Conversion 2 made her resistant to Dark type attacks, meaning she converted to either Ghost or Dark type. He took a chance, and readied a Focus Blast. If she had been converted to Dark type, the blast would be super effective.

"CT, you idiot! What the hell are you doing?!" an angry female voice called out, from the sidelines. "Wha-" he said, turning toward the source of the voice, the distraction caused the Focus Blast to miss. "Blast it all, Lasciel!" he growled, and turned back to face the battlefield. He turned just in time, to see Mac's Tri Attack, heading straight for him. "Oh, shi-" he wasn't able to dodge, and the attack hit him full force. Normally, it wouldn't have done that much damage, but this time was different. A frost began to form around CT, and he shivered, unable to conjure up another attack.

Mac was declared the winner, and Lash had to drag the half-frozen CT off the battlefield. "Blast it all, I could have won! I could have beaten her, if you hadn't distracted me!" he grumbled, shivering. "What the hell was that all about, CT? Battling your friends, in front of thousands of people?" she complained. "Oh, relax. They thought it was part of the show." he explained, still cold.

"That was so cool, Dad!" Nico said, bounding up to CT. "I've never seen you in a real battle, like that!" he said, happily. Mavra had wandered over to Musashi, and gave him a good punch on the shoulder. It was her way of showing affection, but her way of showing affection hurt. "You could've kicked their butts, y'know." she mumbled.

Musashi winced when he got punched in the arm. "I don't need to be told that; I already know." he said, quietly. Indeed, he didn't need to be told by Mavra that he could have won; that damn referee ended the match. Since when did a simple Thunder Wave earn someone a victory? He sat up and looked at CT. Well, it seemed he wasn't the only one that got a once-over from that robotic duck thing. Musashi could have sworn the thing tried to smile at him before attacking.

 

"As our winner, Mac will be going to Snowpoint City with 2 of her friends!" The PA announced. "But don't worry, the other warriors won't be leaving empty-handed; they will each be receiving a nice T-shirt for their participation."

"It's a good thing that I don't have to worry about frying my circuits from the snow." Mac said to herself as the trophy girls gave her the tickets before giving everyone their shirts.

A few minutes later, everyone gathered in Shade's room at the hospital. He then woke up and asked, "Did I win? Is the tournament over?"

CT just wanted to leave, as quickly as possible. Lash, however, decided to drag him along to see Shade, and give him a much-deserved apology. CT did not like this idea, as apologizing wasn't exactly his favorite activity. "Your stupid robot duck won." CT grumbled, at Shade. "I'm only here, because my significant other thought I owed you an apology, or something." he shrugged. "Suppose I did go a tad overboard." he said, in a quieter tone.

"And the crowd loved it." the executive said, walking in. "I've heard of people like you, but I never believed it. People that weren't quite people but they weren't Pokémon, mostly in Castelia. Some kind of creatures using Bug Buzz and Outrage, on a couple of Rockets." he chuckled. "I didn't believe it, until now. You put on quite the show, out there. You could have your own show, you know. A tournament, just for people like you. There are more of you, aren't there?"

CT blinked, surprised. "You're not in the least bit surprised, by all of this?"

"Of course, of course. But what matters, is that people will pay to see these tournaments. There are Pokémon tournaments all over, but nothing like this. So, what do you say? How would you like to have your own tournament?"

Glade was getting a bit miffed that the executive barged in on the hospital without much interest in Shade's health. "Listen, unless you are bringing him something, please leave us; he wants to be with people he knows." Glade told him. "Of course." he told Glade, before placing a T-shirt on Shade's bed and putting another one on Glade's head. "I will see you all later."

"I'm glad you're okay, Shade, but next time he comes to us, let him know that my head is not a coat rack..." Glade said.

Vince stepped outside, with the others. "Vince McCalister by the way, you can call me Vinnie Mac. I saw what you all were pulling out there, and I must say I loved what I saw. Better yet, the fans loved what they saw. When the fans love something, I get lots of money. When I see you guys I see business, and I love business. You see, you guys have given me a dream."

He moved uncomfortably close to CT, wrapping an arm around his shoulders as he looked off in the distance. "In the west they made this company where guys fake fights with each other, and yet make it seem so real fans eat it all up. You guys make me think, why can't I do it, huh? Except it'll all be real, only the public will think it's fake. You guys heal faster than any human, and we'll have medics ready. We put you in different arenas to fight for the fans in tournaments, different shows for different regions and towns. Fist things first, I have questions." He flashed a smile at them. "How did you guys come to be, and how many more are there of ya?"

CT nudged away, from Vince. "You are violating my personal space." he said, moving away and straightening his jacket. Who did this guy think he was? He didn't owe him anything. Except he did cover their asses, back in the arena...

CT sighed. Damn it. He may have been a criminal scumbag, but at least when there was a favor owed, he kept his word. "We were created by a mad genius, Dr. Blackstone. No relation. Save for my children, we were all former Pokémon. I've been..." CT paused, giving Lash a glance. "I had been continuing his work, for a time. I don't know how many of us there were, in the lab. Possibly in the hundreds. However, I don't know how many of them made it out, after the, ah, unfortunate accident. I'm sure there are plenty of us, who will be more than happy to take up your offer. Others, such as myself, are not fond of being in the spotlight." he continued. Nico just tugged at his jacket. "Aw, c'mon, Dad! It'd be so cool!"

"I will not partake in such a foolish activity, for the amusement of humans."
Nico just pouted. Damn that pout. "My answer is final, Nick." CT said, sternly. "I appreciate the offer, Mr. McCalister, but I'm afraid I must decline."

"Please, call my Vinnie." Vince replied, giving CT several hearty pats on the back.
"Now if you ever change your mind, here's my card. I'll be running signups I hope can be spread among your kind, if you ever wanna join just sign right up." he said, handing a business card to CT and Musashi.


Musashi looked to CT. He wasn't going to join? Well, Musashi did have an obligation to his dojo, perhaps he was jumping the gun with this idea. "I hope your ideas goes well, but I have things that require my involvement." he said to Vince, walking away with CT.



Glade, Nico, and Mavra were at the local Castellia Cone, chatting about general things until they noticed a flyer on one of the walls advertising a "Superhero Tournament".

"I guess that Vince guy was true to his word. " Glade said to them.
Nico wasn't a big fan of Castelia Cones, or ice cream in general. Technically, he was super weak to ice, and didn't like anything cold. Mavra just didn't like anything, at all. "Hey," Nico piped up. "Lemme see that." he said, reaching over Glade and grabbing the flyer.

"Tired of the same old Pokémon battles? Looking for something a little more refreshing and exciting? Then check out the new arena in Nimbasa, featuring the Changelings: combatants who are neither Pokémon nor Human.." Nico read aloud, before an idea hit him. If CT wasn't going to sign himself up, Nico was going to do it, for him. There were several small sign-up forms attached to the flyer, and he took one. Mavra recognized that look in Nico's eyes. He was scheming. A grin crept along her face, as she grabbed another sheet.

Nico grabbed a pen from his jacket pocket, and began writing down information, copying his father's handwriting, the best he could. Mavra didn't bother copying Musashi's handwriting. She didn't care, anyway.




Musashi sighed a few days later, noticing a car outside the dojo. "What the?"
"Musashi!" Vince came out of the car. "I'm glad you changed your mind. Come on, we're picking up Mr. Blackstone on the way." he said, dragging the protesting and confused Musashi along to the Blackstone's home before he ahd a chance to properly understand what was going on.


"... And that's why Mac is technically a diabetic." Shade said to CT, in his house.
"It's true..." Mac, sitting next to Shade, said to CT. "...although that doesn't exactly make sense, since I can't eat anything, Shade." She said, before trying to tell CT a different story about Shade. "Now Shade on the other hand, have I ever told you about the time Shade once held his breath underwater for five-"

"Gooood afternoon, fellow contestants!" the executive crashed into the house with Musashi, uninvited.

"Oh no..."Mac said with frown faces on her eyes. "Please tell me you're wanting to file an investigation." Shade sighed.

CT groaned, forced to listen to Mac and Shade's rambling. CT did not like Shade or Mac, and only tolerated them for Nico's sake. He also had to stay on the police department's good side, so blasting him with a Dark Pulse was out of the question. Unfortunately, the two cops were determined that they were all friends. To make matters worse, that blasted executive burst in, unannounced. "What the bloody hell are you doing, here?" CT grumbled. "Funny." Vince said. "Now come on, you'll be late."

"Late for what?"

"Practice, of course! You should have known that, when you signed up!"
"I didn't sign up, for anythi-" CT growled, but paused. "Nick....."

"You too, ninja-lamp-man and roboduck!" Vince urged everyone. "What are you talking about? I didn't sign up for-.... VLAAADIMIIIIR!" Shade yelled.

"But I already won he last tournament; why do I need to fight another one?" Mac asked.

Glade heard the commotion going on, and thought of one thing: "Nicky, Mavra, we need to get out of here, now." he said to them in a panic, as he opened the bedroom window to get out of.


"This is all rather confusing." Musashi said. "Ok, Nico signed up CT, Shade's brother signed those two up. I mean, who signed me up?" Vince handed him the signup sheet. "See? All your signatures. Now come along."

Musashi examined the signature that wasn't even remotely his. "Wait, this signature, This handwriting." he pulled out a piece of paper from his dojo for private lesson signups. "Mavra!" he shouted.

Mavra huffed the hair out of her face, and grabbed Glade's shirt before he could make it out the window. She also grabbed Nico's jacket, and dragged them both into the room where the adults were conversing. She was surprisingly strong, for someone of her age. "Mav! Lemme go!" Nico said, trying to tug away. He found himself standing in front of a very angry former Hydreigon.

"Nick, I said my answer was final." he said, crossing his arms. "But....but I just...I mean....you....battling out there...it was so cool....and you looked like you were having fun....I haven't seen you like that, in a long time...I just....I just thought maybe....you know....you'd enjoy it, if you actually gave it a chance...." he said, nervously fidgeting.

CT sighed. Maybe the boy was right. He was having fun, and maybe this tournament thing would be fun, too. "Alright." he sighed, shrugging. "Fine. I give. But this is a one-time deal, and I will not be involved in any shape or form of advertising. Do you both understand?"

Nico just grinned, and clung to his dad. "Yes! This is gonna be so cool!"

"Why, Vladimir; you saw what CT did to me. What makes you think it's not gonna happen to me, again?" Shade asked in despair. "Well, it's just that I know for sure you can beat someone, and you can even defeat CT if you gave it your all." Glade replied. Shade sighed, and then told him, "Fine, but you're gonna be owing me big for this, and I'm making sure mom hears about this."

Musashi sighed. "Well, since everyone else seems to be in with this, I suppose I have no reason to refuse. It's just one tournament after all." he said. How bad could it get? "Excellent! Everyone into the limo. Well, all competitors." Vince sad, laughing heartily as everyone got into the limo, driving off toward the arena.

It was a long limo ride to the stadium, but Shade and Mac tried their best to make this as lively as possible. "Well, Good luck... everyone..." Shade said, scared out of his mind. Mac decided that despite not being able to feel emotion, she thought now would be a good time to give him a hug. Shade hugged back, and calmed down. "Thanks..."

"You'll be fine." Mac replied.

 

Great, another arena, with more people and more media. CT sighed, stepping out into the battlefield. They had been practicing the last few days, briefed on the rules, and were ready to battle. The combatants were randomly matched up, and CT's first opponent was an Excadrill. She stepped out, facing him on the opposite side of the arena.

"Oh. Blast." he said, feeling a twinge of fear. This girl had been one of his earlier test subjects, and she was not known for being nice. "Chell. Nice to see you, again." he said, grinning nervously. For that brief moment, his expression heavily resembled Nico's usual nervous grin. Chell snorted, and spat on the ground. She was of average height, but fairly muscled, for a girl. Her face was white with red streaks, and it was unclear if it was paint or her natural skin color. She donned huge, shovel-like gauntlets, and a steel helmet-visor, over half her face.


And she did not like CT, at all. "Fancy seein' you here." she said, with a thick Hispanic accent. "What, you afraid or somethin'?" she taunted, noting CT's clearly nervous behavior. "Big bad mafia boss thinks he's Arceus, but afraid to fight one lil' Excadrill girl? Puh!" she said, spitting at the ground again. "You're goin' down, dragon-boy!" she sneered, getting into position. CT did not like being taunted. Chell was strong, and gave him the what-for, last time they faced off, but he wasn't about to be humiliated in front of a huge crowd, like this. Flames flickered in his hands, as he also got into position.

Chell had a lot of armor pieces. CT was well-known for speed and evasiveness. If he could dodge her attacks and land plenty of super effective hits of his own, this was going to be a piece of cake. He thew a stream of fire at Chell, who was unable to dodge. Her heavy gauntlets and helmet greatly reduced her speed, and she did not take the hit well. She glanced up at him, growling. "Oh, you are so going down!" Her gauntlets glowed a bright orange, forming an orb inside of her hands.

CT was familiar with this attack. It was his signature move. If he took the hit, he would sustain a lot of damage, but she was slow, and he could easily move out of the wa-

The Focus Blast knocked him back, as he was calculating his next move. "Damn it, all!" he snarled, struggling to get back up. "For someone so stupid, you sure do think a lot!" Chell taunted, once more. "Why don't you just forfeit now, and save yourself the embarrassment?" she chuckled. The crowd went wild, cheering for her, which she ate up. CT may not have operated anywhere near Nimbasa, but most of the crowd was plenty familiar with him. They weren't going to root for a criminal. CT got to his feet, glaring at Chell.

"Oh, this is just sad. You gonna keep tryin', then? Bring it!" Chell taunted. She wanted him to bring it? Oh, he was going to bring it. A bright orange orb of his own formed in his hands, and he threw the Focus Blast right at Chell. It slammed her full force, knocking her against the wall. She slid down, and tried to get back up. Her heavy metal armor weighed her down, and CT won his first match. God, he hoped he'd never have to see her, again.



Musashi sighed as he prepared for his match. If he won, he could finally get his one on one with CT. To Musashi, the duel with CT has been long withstanding. Scythers dueled over everything, it was play practice and just a way of life. CT had been friendly and had apologized, but Musashi couldn't fully accept his apology until they settled it all in a fight. His eyes widened when he saw his opponent pull out a large gun casing and smiled at him. "Bzzt, hello Musashi. It has been many years."

"....Jean?" Musashi couldn't believe it. "You entered this tournament."
"This one bzzt believed it would be fun. En guarde."

Musashi barely dodged the Thunderbolt in time. He drew his blades, the fight was so on!

Musashi charged at Jean, zipping around as Jean tried to lock in on him through his scouter. Musashi slashed at Jean, the former Magneton blocking with the special zap gun he made. Jean's body surged with electricity with his spark attack. Musashi flipped away. "Not gonna zap me Jean!"

"It is bzzt inevitable, Musashi." Jean's gun blasted a larger wave of electricity. Musashi nimbly dodged. Jean's Zap Cannon was powerful, but Musashi was too fast to lock on. Jean was used to taking beatings while zapping slower opponents. As Jean tried to lock on once more, Musashi sent an Air Slash at the scouter, cracking it.

Good, taking away Jean's main strategy would help him greatly. Then Jean's hand glowed silver, blasting the charging Musashi with a Magnet Bomb. He winced and flew back. Musashi charged in, his one chance at winning would be to keep it physical. Jean relied on his special attacks to earn victories, that zap gun was a problem. He moved in, slashing the gun barrel in half before his blades glowed green and slashed in an inward X shape. Jean moved back, his body sparking.

"Come on Jean!" Musashi beckoned. As he hoped, Jean charged. Jean was tough, but no one beat Musashi in a head on charge. When they passed each other, Musashi hurt, but he sheathed his blades in victory as Jean fell to the floor. "That was a good fight Jean, it was good to see you again." Musashi panted.




Shade's first fight was up against a Maractus man named Mambo, and Shade could have sworn he was made of perpetual motion because he couldn't stop dancing. Despite Mambo's efforts with him using literally nothing but Giga Drain, Shade easily took him down for the sheer fact that he had a type advantage over him.

Shade gained his confidence back; even if he was up against CT again, at least he knew that he's not all that weak, anymore. He felt much better as he went back to the VIP lounge. "You did great, sweetie!" a familiar voice said to him.

"Mom?!" Shade gasped. He hadn't seen mom a lot since she came home only while Glade and Shade were asleep, but he loved her anyway. However, he noticed something different about her.
"I just wanted to let you know three things; first of all, I'll be staying with you and your brother more often because I got promoted, and that I'm so proud of you." she told him as she gave him a tight hug.

"Thanks, mom, but what's the third thing you wanted to tell me?"

"Oh, I'm also in the tournament too."

"I'm glad that you're watching- WHAT?!" Shade couldn't believe that his own mother was also fighting in the tournament, but then he noticed her clothes. "B-but-but-b-but..."

"I noticed that you and your brother dress up like a Lampent and a Litwick respectively, so I figured I'd make this cute dress since I'm your lovable Chandelure." Bertha said to him.

Shade was speechless; how did she get powers like he and his brother, and more importantly, why did she join in the tournament?!
"Well, I better start warming up; I'll see you later." She said to him before she kissed him on the forehead and left. Shade just stood there, wondering if this was real, or it was all a strange piece of fiction written by people crazy enough to come up with this stuff.

 

Battling was fun for a while, but it didn't take long to realize what a danger it could also be, and CT was afraid. After that moment a few days ago, where he hurt Shade and was ready to keep going, that scared him. He had spent years learning to be more in control of his temper. He had a family now, and they taught him to be more patient. But that moment....that brief moment....everything almost went right down the drain. He didn't want that to happen, not again. That's why he refused to battle Musashi, all these years. Musashi was a fierce battler, and if CT had lost it, just for a moment, Musashi could be seriously injured or killed. He couldn't live with that.

The second round arrived much sooner, than he would have liked. He stepped out into the arena, once more, and was stunned to see who his next opponent was. "Oh, bloody hell, no..."

Out of the doorway for CT's ring came someone he knew well, and probably never wanted to fight, ever. Bruce smiled as he stood tall in his karate uniform. "Well well, little Ferro joined up here, hm? Well, this ought to be fun." he said, moving forward. "Please, allow me to make the first move since you seem so frozen in place. By the way, it's not an illusion by Shii." he stomped the ground and a large sharp stone launched up. Bruce slapped the Stone Edge at high speed towards CT.

"One," CT finally said, quickly sprinting out of the way of the Stone Edge. "I did not sign up. My son took it upon himself, to enter me in this blasted waste of time." he growled, hands glowing a bright turquoise. "And two," he said, as an orb formed between his hands. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT!" he shouted, unleashing the Dragon Pulse at Bruce.

Bruce smiled. "That's right, get angry." he managed to dodge the Dragon Pulse attack, getting closer to CT. "Come on now, you can do better than that."

CT glared at Bruce. He was purposely taunting him, trying to make him angry. It worked. Nobody taunted him, like that. Oh, he was going to show Bruce who was in charge here. Fire flickered in his hands, the heat so intense that it could be felt by a few closer audience members. CT shook his head, and exhaled, the fire dying down.

"I can't...don't...don't do this, to me..." he said, quietly, to Bruce. He probably didn't hear him, but it didn't matter. The flames grew smaller, less intense, and he threw a Flamethrower toward Bruce, hoping to inflict a minor burn. Bruce stopped a few feet from CT, the fire hitting him to little effect. He looked down at his karate gi, now on fire. He stripped it off, flexing his muscles.

CT cringed. "Oh, for the love of Arceus, we're in public! Put a shirt back on!" he shouted at Bruce, as more fire danced across his hands. "And stop flexing!"

Bruce stared awkwardly at CT. "So? I'm a man, it's hardly inappropriate. Besides, it was on fire. Now come on." he moved towards CT once more. CT stepped backward, trying to avoid getting too close to Bruce. "I'm sure the staff could loan you a new shirt, for the time being. Stop...stop walking toward me." A bright orange orb swirled across his hand. "Bruce, stop right there. I'm warning you...." Bruce didn't stop, and CT threw a Focus Blast right at him. "I said put a blasted shirt on!!"

Bruce took the Focus Blast head on, bracing himself. When the orange colored force hit him he slid back a foot or two, smirking at CT. He then bent his knees and burst forward, his hand glowing with the same orange fighting energy, coming down on CT with a brick breaking chop.

CT stumbled backward, falling to his knees. That hurt. A lot. He did not take physical hits very well, and Bruce was strong, perhaps even stronger than CT. He glanced over at Nico, who was cheering him on in the audience. The boy signed him up, and would surely be disappointed if he lost, in the second round.

CT stumbled back to his feet, still in a lot of pain from that Brick Break. "Sorry, Bruce. Nothing personal." he said, tossing one huge Dragon Pulse, toward Bruce.

Bruce was blasted the purple colored wave, sliding back. A large welt formed on his chest. Bruce smiled, barely wincing. Bruce was a tough old bastard, if there was anything beyond hurting people he knew it was how to shrug off pain. One could say he sold less than a performing baby-face athlete from Massachusetts.

"Good, good. Now you're getting into it. It would certainly be boring if you played a punching bag here." he said, clocking CT in the jaw with a left fist. CT stumbled, knowing in a straight up close quarters brawl against Bruce there was nearly no none that could win.

"Too slow." Bruce said, swinging his right leg up to kick his employer in the gut. He then grabbed CT by the shoulder and leg and hoisted him up high over his head. "Going down." he joked before he threw CT hard onto his back. "Come on now, I know that ain't all you got. I guess your heart just wasn't into it." he sighed, disappointed.

Bruce's body began to glow with an orange aura, Fighting energy overflowing from the big man. He was preparing his most devastating move, the Close Combat attack. Not even CT had eaten one of these attacks from Bruce and remained awake. The attack was a huge flurry of blows at rapid and powerful speed, leaving the feeling of being caught in the middle of a head on auto collision. "Get up, Ferro. At least stand like a man before you take the last shot. Don't stay down like a punk." he said, his face a serious mask of raw fighting power.

CT lay flat on his back, unable to find the will to get up.

Until Bruce said "Ferro". A twinge of anger rose up inside of CT. Bruce was close enough to him, to where CT could sweep Bruce's feet out from under him, knocking him down. "I told you," he growled, weakly stumbling back up to his feet, readying another Focus Blast. "Not to call me that!" he snarled, tossing the blast at Bruce, before he could get back up. "It's CT! C. T. Why does everybody have such an issue, calling me that?! AND PUT A BLOODY SHIRT ON!!"

CT panted, and his attention finally went from Bruce, to the now-roaring audience. He may have barely been standing, but apparently he won, and for the first time throughout the tournament, the crowd was actually cheering for him. "Well, then..." he panted, and tugged at his jacket, trying to remain calm despite the pain.

Bruce woke up seconds later, taking moment to register what happened. Oh right, CT hit him square in the chin and knocked him out. Man, being human gave a lot more to guard. Oh well, these random chances made fights more fun. He got up and clapped CT on the shoulder.

"Well well, had your heart in it after all."




Musashi's Round 2 opponent was probably equally surprising. A tall, tan-skinned man walked onto the arena. The crowd seemed to be fond of him, particularly the women. Naga ate up the cheering, and promptly began showing off with a few fireballs tossed into the air. "Woo! I love you guys!" he shouted to the crowd, who began to go wild. "You, not so much." he said, pointing at Musashi. Naga put on his visor-helmet, and got into position. "Hey, no hard feelings about last time. It was just another paycheck. I enjoyed kicking your ass, but it was just a paycheck. Now I'm gonna kick your ass, for the fun of it!" he snarked, with a sarcastic grin.

Musashi glared at his opponent. "You. Believe me, that was far from my full strength. This time, I'll take you down." Musashi started right off the gate by launching a flurry of Air Slashes at Naga. Naga easily jumped out of the way of the Air Slashes. He was fast, and easily evaded CT and Musashi's attacks, last time. "That all you got?" he taunted. "Not so tough without your boyfriend, here!" he snarked; flames danced across him, as he readied a Fire Blast attack, at Musashi.

Musashi smirked. "Oh, you haven't even seen all I got!" Musashi was zooming toward Naga. He then crossed his blades, glowing white as he blasted a big Air Slash, not at Naga but at the ground, making a big dust cloud to block view of him. "I live for fighting one on one. Having a partner distracts me, anyway."

Naga smirked at Musashi, mock-clapping. "Oh, clever you. Using the exact same trick I used on you, in the Moor." Naga threw fire around the arena, blocking view of himself. The two were both hidden amidst dust clouds and smoke, unseen by the audience.

Musashi smiled as he was in the air above Naga. "Good thing about being a Scyther." he said. "Eat this!" he rained down a large volley of Air Slashes as he spun like a corkscrew.

Naga smirked. The Air Slashes hurt, but he wasn't out of the fight, just yet. "Bad thing about being a Scyther," he panted, as rocks formed around him in a crisscross fashion. "I hear you don't do too well, against rocks!" he shouted, sending the Stone Edge toward Musashi, while he was in the air and unable to dodge.

Musashi got out of his spin, he knew this attack would be coming. He was used to this kind of clash. He sighed, he wanted to save this move for CT but CT was hardly watching him. He then split into multiple Musashis with his Double Team after image attack. He moved just enough in his dive to run down the stone. He aimed his blades, slashing down as he landed. "Eat this!!" he shouted as he slashed.

It seemed Musashi learned how to avoid Naga's typical attacks. There was only one thing to do, then. Run. Naga was fast, probably even faster than Musashi.

Musashi came at him with his swords, and Naga ran straight for the wall...and up it. He built up just enough speed to get two steps upward on the wall, flip backward and over Musashi, and land a Blaze Kick to his back.
Musashi was sent flying, his back burning from the fire covered kick. He tumbled and managed to get back on his feet, glaring at Naga. "Still standing huh? Bring it on, I've barely warmed up." he panted, bringing his swords back up.

"Oh, you wanna warm-up, huh?" Naga sneered. "I'll give you a warm-up!" he growled, flames dancing across his hands. The flames grew brighter and bigger, the heat so intense that any normal human being would have been burned up, within seconds. "Here ya' go!" Naga shouted, sending the Fire Blast toward Musashi. "Have some fire!"

Musashi was sent flying once more by the large blast of fire. He rolled over and over, luckily the rolling put out the flames. Musashi tried to get up, his arms and legs shaking from the pain going through his whole body. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as many fans gasped in worry for his health.

Naga was eating up the cheers. He turned his back to Musashi, throwing his hands up in the air and cheering along, with the crowd. "And that's how it's done!" he shouted, sure that Musashi was down for the count.
Meanwhile, Musashi got up, shuffling over to the gloating Naga. Many fans cheered as they saw him moving slowly over. Naga's attitude pissed him off to no end. He glared through one eye, the other closed in pain as he flipped his swords, the dull backside facing inwards. The blades now were more shaped like his old mantis blade claws. When he finally got close to Naga he spoke up.

"Hey helmet head."

Naga turned around, his eyes wide in surprise.

Musashi then swung his blades together, Naga's helmeted visor in the middle. There came a resounding THUD as Naga's helmet vibrated violently, the vibrations and force knocking him out cold. Musashi raised a pained arm in victory as the crowd roared in applause at the green schemed underdog.

"...Shut up."



For Shade's 2nd round, he was against a honey-obsessed Beedrill-person named Shirley. While Shade found it amusing that she brought a large jar of honey with her on the battlefield, Shade soon was in deep trouble thanks to her vicious Poison Sting and Twineedle attacks.

The only thing that saved him was his wink at her, which made Shirley Attracted to him; From then on, it was an Astonish here, and a Will-O-Wisp there, and before he knew it, he survived round 2 with a sour stomach, and would need to get the poison taken out of his system.

Shade was in the recovery room, and saw the fight going on between Musashi and some red Lucha Libre while anti-venom flowed into his veins. He then noticed that some nurses brought in Mac, whose eyes were now swirls. "B-Bertha caused a-a-a-a critical errrrrr- shutting down and entering recovery mo-mo-mo-mo-mo-mo...." she said before she made true on her statement.

Shade couldn't decide whether to be proud of his mom, of be afraid of his life since she took down the winner of the last tournament in only the 2nd round. All he did was made a nervous gulp, and looked on.

 

"...and that is why it's called gunpowder tea." CT said to Shade. Lash, Nico and Mavra were in the lounge as well. Lash sat next to CT, leaning on him. Mavra just leaned against a wall, as far away from everybody as possible. Nico, meanwhile, was having trouble keeping his mouth shut. Nico was a timid and usually-quiet kid, but when excited, he could be quite the motormouth.

"That was so cool! I thought Bruce was gonna beat you for sure, but then when you tripped him...that was so cool!" Nico rambled. "And then with that Toxicroak girl! She kept shrugging off all your hits but you were all 'You're goin' down!' even when she poisoned you..." Nico continued, acting out bits of the fight. "You are so gonna win this tournament!" Nico grinned, pouncing his dad. CT cringed at Nico's hug. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't mind it, but he got beat up pretty bad, during those last rounds.

Bruce chuckled, sitting nearby. "Yeah Nicky, your dad got me good there. That's what I get for letting my guard down." he said, gulping down another soda can before crunching it and tossing it into a waste basket.

Bertha walked in, moments later. "So you're the CT from that fight not too long ago?" she asked. CT raised an eyebrow at her. "Indeed, I am. May I help you, Madam?"

"So you must be Shade's friend; I'm his mother, and I hope you are being nice to him?" she said to him. "Mom..." Shade said to her, slumping down on the chair.
Musashi entered in, bandaged up. He grinned, knowing a piece of good news. For him, anyway. "Yeah, he was in a fight earlier." he said, putting down a piece of paper with the tournament brackets. "Take a look CT, we're in the same cell. Know what that means? It means if we both keep winning, I'll be seeing you in the semi finals."

Mavra huffed, as Musashi finally walked in. A punch to one's shoulder, arm, gut, or ribs was usually her way of saying things like "Hi", "Good job", and "I'm glad you're not dead". However, she felt a brief twinge of niceness run through her, and simply nudged Musashi. A hard nudge, but it wasn't a punch, at least. She walked past, not giving him a look, and sat between her parents.

CT looked at Bertha, then at Musashi. He didn't want to fight either of them, for two completely different reasons. If Bertha was in this tournament, and winning, that meant she was a lot stronger than he had previously realized.

"Wow, really?" Nico piped in. "I've only ever seen Dad and Uncle Musashi in training, never a real battle!" he chimed, happily. "This is gonna be so awesome!" he grinned, happily munching on the popcorn Glade had brought in. CT just sighed. "Indeed..."

Musashi smiled. "Indeed, you will get to see who is stronger, you're dad or me."
"Now now" Bruce said. "Don't you two go so far as to injure each other. After all, it will just be the semi finals. I suggest you focus on your current matches rather than the possible future." Musashi grunted in reply. He knew he'd win, and then he would finally see CT for their long awaited duel.




Day two. It didn't leave much time for the competitors to rest and heal, but somehow CT managed. The first two rounds were tough, but it was this third round that scared CT. Not just nervous, like the battle with Bruce, but actually scared him. Like a few others, he knew this opponent. He also knew what he was capable of.
A slender man stood on the opposite side of the arena. His hair was a snowy white and spiked and, like Lilith, he sported a simian tail, that swished back and forth. He was another one of Elvis' creations, and an assassin, like Naga. He was also stronger, faster, and more durable than Naga.

"Hysminai," CT gulped. There may have even been a hint of whimpering, in the voice. "Didn't think this was the sort of thing you enjoyed." he continued, with a nervous grin. Hysminai just narrowed his eyes at CT, and grunted. "Likewise." he retorted. "Let's get this over with." he said, lunging toward CT at a blinding speed, getting ready for a Close Combat.

CT was good at dodging. He was light on his feet and moved fast, but he wasn't fast enough. Hysminai's Close Combat hit hard, dropping CT to the ground. "You're pathetic. How the hell did you make it, this far?" the half-Infernape sneered. CT struggled to get back up, in obvious pain. His hands glowed a bright orange, as he got ready for a Focus Blast.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me. You're still trying?" Hysminai sneered, trying to dodge the Focus Blast. CT may not have been as fast as his opponent, but he was smarter. As Hysminai dodged one Focus Blast, CT sent another one flying right into the direction that he dodged, causing Hysminai to run right into CT's attack. The blast sent him flying backward, but he shrugged it off. "Smart." he smirked. He once again was surrounded by an aura of energy, preparing for another Close Combat. This time, CT knew it was coming and was able to time it just right, to dodge it in time.

Hysminai was not happy about this, and tried once more to Close Combat his opponent. "Using the same attack? How predictable." CT said, mocking a yawn. "I'll show you predictable!" Hysminai shouted, racing toward CT at a speed so fast that it was almost unreal. The Dual-Chop smacked into CT, causing him to stumble. He was already weak from that Close Combat, but at this point, he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep going. He turned at Hysminai, panting and snarling. He got ready for another attack, and launched a Dark Pulse at his opponent. Hysminai easily dodged, this time being cautious of the second attack. "Really? Using Dark moves, against me?" he teased. CT just smirked, throwing one more Dark Pulse at the combatant. It didn't do much damage to Hysminai, but he found his body convulsing, and unable to move.

"Funny thing about Dark Pulse," CT growled, grabbing Hysminai by the collar and tossing him across the arena, readying another Focus Blast. "It causes flinching." he smirked, tossing the bright orange orb of energy, at Hysminai.

Hysminai spun back to his feet, and faced his opponent. "Okay," he panted. "I'll admit. I may have underestimated you." CT raised an eyebrow. "May?" he growled, clearly offended by that remark. Hysminai was weak and lost some speed, but he wasn't out of the fight just yet.

He ran toward CT, his feet producing a red-hot flame, as he got ready for a Blaze Kick. "Oh, come on. Fire?" CT scoffed, bracing for the attack. Hysminai just grinned as he repositioned himself just before reaching CT, and surprising him with a Close Combat, rather than a Blaze Kick.

CT fell back. That hurt. He was having trouble getting back to his feet, and feared this might be his last round. Hysminai stepped over toward him, ready to give him one last Blaze Kick to the face. CT snarled as Hysminai's kick whooshed toward him, and quickly flipped onto his back and grabbed Hysminai's foot. "I apologize for this, but if I don't win, my son will be very disappointed." he wheezed, weakly. He pushed Hysminai back, and stumbled to his feet. He grabbed his opponent by the shirt, and slammed him into a wall. As Hysminai started to slump down, CT kept hold of his shirt and, with a Focus Blast, tossed him across the arena.

He enjoyed fighting dirty. The crowd kept cheering, not realizing what was going on inside his head. He clenched his fist, trying to shake it off. Unable to do so, a very familiar grin crept along his face.





Musashi looked at his next opponent, a tall man with clamper like gauntlets. The armor on him made Musashi think of a Metagross, a metallic Psychic Pokémon. This would be a tough fight.

He drew his swords as he charged. The Metagross' arms glowed silver as he swung at Musashi, the blade-wielding young man deflecting the Bullet Punches with his swords.

The hits were very heavy, Musashi felt his wrists shake with each block. He directed an air slash to the man's face, the gauntlets brought up high to block. That's when Musashi struck with his X-scissor, the green glowing blades showing some signs of hurting his opponent. Thank Arceus for flinching.

Musashi zipped away, leaving his Double Team afterimages around his opponent. He sent a volley of Air Slashes at the man, egging him on to charge. Taking the bait, the man charged with an orange glowing Hammer Arm. Musashi sidestepped away from the downard coming fist, hooking the back of his leg with his sword. When the man hit the ground he hit a powerful X-Scissor to his face.

Musashi backed away from the still not defeated Metagross. This was a tough bastard for sure.

Musashi had one more idea, putting his swords back in their sheaths. The man looked at him, curiously. "Giving up little bug?"

"Oh of course not, I simply don't need my blades to finish you." Musashi retorted. He had to win this, only one more round. The angry man charged like a bull, a silver aura forming around his head. Angry men often made big mistakes it seemed. Musashi flipped over the charging man, letting his head embed into the arena wall. He spun and blasted an orange Vacuum Wave into him to finish him off, ganging the victory.

Next round was the time, he finally had CT in his sights.





Shade felt like he found inner peace when it came to being in a tournament; no longer did he feel nervous about stepping to the ring, and he also knew that it's not all bad either. That, and felt better that his mother would be with him and his brother more often from now on, win or lose. Right from the get go, he knew that he was at a type disadvantage; a girl with freckles and had two swords for each hand. "Hey, I thought no weapons were allowed in the tournament." he told her.
Matilda swung her swords around, pointing one at Shade. "Don't worry." she said, tilting her head. "I'll be gentle." Her swords began to glow a bright, translucent blue, as though surrounded by water. She swung one at Shade, and then the other. Her Razor Shell attack was super effective, but Shade wasn't out of the fight just yet.

"You're tough, I'll give you that." she said, her swords then began to glow a dark purple, as she prepared for a Night Slash.

Shade was getting beat up by some swords, but he was not down and out. He did exchange blows to each other rather easily. He knew that he had only one trick up his sleeve that would work on Matty since that person was female:
"So, how about a movie after the tournament?" Shade said as he issued his Attract wink at her....unbeknownst that she was asexual.

Matty batted it off with her swords, crossing her arms. "Sorry," she scoffed. "Not interested." She held out one sword, pointing it at Shade. "You look a little parched. Care for some water?" she snarked. She began waving the sword in a quick, circular motion, and water began to form around it, creating her Hydro Pump. The huge funnel of water was shot toward Shade, soaking him.

 

It had taken all his strength, to get to this point. The first five rounds were easy. The second half of the tournament was getting a little more difficult. But it was the last round. That last round finally sent him over the edge. A surge of adrenaline rushed through him, and he no longer cared about the injuries sustained during the battle with Hysminai.
CT stood in the arena, a smug grin on his face, and looking like he wasn't quite all there. On the opposite side stood Musashi, who was eager to battle. CT just stared at him, grin growing wider, flames dancing in his hands.

Musashi stared at CT, finally this moment had come. "I see you're not shying away from this. This duel was a long time coming, CT." he said, taking a stance. "En Guarde!" he sprinted toward CT, his hands ready to draw his blades as he split into mirror images.

CT just smirked, at Musashi. The fire grew brighter, more intense, as he crossed his arms. He took a deep breath, and released the flames in a huge blast, that would cover the span of Musashi's mirror images. "There you are." he said, in a deep growl that likely hadn't been heard in almost fourteen years. He sent another blast of fire shooting toward Musashi, before he could attack.

Musashi felt an old flame growing inside him. In that one ring it felt like time was going back nearly 20 years. Musashi had leaped over the first fire attack, his eyes narrowing as the second came at him. He drew one of his blades, shooting an Air Slash to part the fire as he moved in.
"Ferrovax!" he shouted as he brought his sword in towards CT, aiming a stab for his midsection.

CT narrowed his eyes at Musashi, but didn't move. He stood, waiting for Musashi to get close enough. As Musashi's sword drew closer, CT grabbed it. The blade sliced into his hand and blood began to trickle down it. CT just glared at Musashi and grinned. He grabbed at the sword with his other hand, and tossed Musashi aside, throwing more fire at him along the way.

Musashi was sent tumbling. He rolled as he drew his other blade, slashing the fire with another burst of air. He had been disarmed; he had to be more careful. He held his blade in both hands, charging at CT, letting out a roar of anger as he swung with his full power, the blade glowing green with insectoid energy.

Something was off. Nico had never seen his dad like this, but Lash had. "Oh, no....oh Arceus, no..." she said, quietly, watching the battle below.
Bruce watched, sitting next to Lash. "This isn't good. Time's gone backwards on them both, just like they were so many years ago in the lab. I don't know if anything will wake those two up when they've gone this far. Lash, I suggest you take Nico out of here. It's best he doesn't see his father and 'uncle' like this."

Lash nodded at Bruce, agreeing. "Come on, Nick. We should leave." she said, attempting to get Nico away from the battle. "But this is the semi-finals! I can't leave!" Nico whined. "Nick," Lash said, sternly. "Come on. Get your sister, we'll go grab some snacks." she said, her tone getting lighter, trying to cover her concern. Nico just sighed, and reluctantly agreed. Truth be told, Lash didn't want to watch it, either.

CT waited once more, for Musashi to get close. The blade swung at him, and he quickly ducked under it and beside Musashi. As the sword came down, CT grabbed at Musashi's arm, disarmed him, and proceeded to introduce one fist to Musashi's gut and the other to his head.

Musashi got cracked with CT's fists, a new feeling. He glared at Ferrovax, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth before cracking him in the jaw with a back fist, following it up by tackling him to the ground. The crowd gasped at the pure violence in the ring as the two went at it on the ground.

This only made CT angrier. He had been slipping throughout the entire tournament, but had finally snapped. He was at a point where he didn't care whether or not somebody was hurt or killed, even if it was his friend. He brought both his fists against the sides of Musashi's head, kicking him off.

"Did you really think," he growled, panting. "You stood a chance, against me?" he snarled, kicking Musashi while he was down. "You're pathetic." he said, kicking him again. "Weak." he continued, again punching him in the face. He took a few steps back, grabbing Musashi's swords that had been tossed aside earlier. He pointed them both at Musashi, and growled. "I can end this, right now. Kill you, with your own swords. Kind of amusing, really." he said, with a smirk.

CT held the swords, and just as he began to swing them down at Musashi, a small voice cried out from the sidelines. "Dad, don't!" she shouted. Mavra had wandered away from her mother and brother, and found her way to the arena sidelines. Nico didn't see it, but Mavra knew there was something off about her dad. She knew, because she's done the same thing. There had been many times where CT had to hold her back and keep her from going too far, and now it was her turn. "Don't do it." she pleaded.

Her voice stopped CT in his tracks, just before bringing the swords down. He looked down at Musashi, his expression changing. Pain suddenly flooded through him, as the rush wore off and he finally acknowledged his slashed hand. "Oh, god....Musashi....I'm sorry...I didn't..." He dropped the swords and stepped back, panicked.

Musashi panted heavily, he was dazed. He looked up at CT, that pained look almost annoyed Musashi. He went all out and now he was apologizing? Ow, his whole body ached. Was that Mavra that spoke up? That was so unlike her. Musashi knew one thing, everyone was watching. The audience stared, wondering if this was all part of the show. The audience needed an end, they needed a victor. In a swift movement, Musashi grabbed his blades and crossed them at CT's neck, the blades glowing dimly green. Musashi barely had any energy left. "I win. Say it." he panted.

CT stared at Musashi, noting the fire still in his eyes. This kind of beat down really hurt him. CT then smiled softly. "I lose, Musashi." he said.
The glow dimmed away from Musashi's blades as he flopped against the man he wanted to duel so badly. "Thank you." he managed to pant out at the volume of a whisper before passing out.

CT caught Musashi, as he fell unconscious. Before the crowd could cheer, CT looked up at the announcer. "I forfeit." he said, sternly. "I can't do this, anymore. Musashi wins." he looked over at Mavra, giving her a nod. She regarded him with an expression that was rarely seen on her face: a genuine, non-snarky smile. It quickly faded, as the excitement began to die down. "Don't you dare tell anybody." she huffed, crossing her arms. CT let out a wheezing chuckle. "Your secret's safe with me." he smiled.





Matilda was in another arena, facing her Round 4 opponent. The second combatant stood on the other side, and she looked rather angry. Who was this chick? Matty just shrugged, ignoring it. She looked like a Chandelure, so she would probably be just as easy to take down as that Lampent guy. "You're gonna pay for doing that to my son!" Bertha said to the Dewott girl, angrily, as she dashed toward the field and took no time to use Hex on her.

"Oh, shit..." Matilda said, eyes widening. The Lampent's mother was in this tournament? And she was angry. This wasn't good. Matilda took the Hex attack, and quickly sprung back up, swords starting to glow a bright blue. She rushed toward Bertha, readying a Razor Shell attack.
"And don't you even dare use that language in front of me!" Bertha said furiously as she didn't even feel the Razor Shell from Matty. She instantly grabbed her arm and used Flame Burst on her.

Matty jumped back; the Flame Burst wasn't very effective, but Matty didn't have the best defense. She glared at Bertha, swords beginning to glow once more, this time a dark purple. "Oh, you're so gonna get it!" she yelled, rushing at her with her Night Slash.

Bertha was hit from Matty's attack, but her flame body made sure that she regretted doing that to her. "When I'm done, you are gonna apologize to my son right this instant, that is if you are still breathing!" she told her as she readied a Flame Burst.

Matty was sent tumbling back, now badly burned. The Flame Burst didn't help, and she was getting weaker. "The hell I will!" she shouted back. She pointed her sword at Bertha, swirling it around as she prepared another Hydro Pump.

At this point, Bertha compared her Hydro Pump to a simple flick of a drop of water. All it would take was one more attack, and she decided to use one last Hex to drive her point home.

"Now, don't defy me, apologize to my son." Bertha said to her, sternly.
Matilda took Bertha's Hex. It hurt even moreso now that she was also badly burned. She stood her ground, swords once again glowing. "That....all you got?" she panted. "Come on, you can do better than that..." she said, starting to wobble toward Bertha.

Her steps became more forced, and she stopped in her tracks just before reaching Bertha. The burn had taken its toll, and Matilda flopped down, in front of the woman. "Damnit..." she muttered, before losing consciousness.

 

Musashi woke up, laying on a hospital bed. He groaned as he saw CT. "Ow. What's going on? Shouldn't I be in my next match? Did I lose?" he asked, his head still spinning.

"No." CT sighed. "No, you didn't lose. You were..." he paused, trying to choose his words carefully. "You just need some rest." He felt like a complete asshole for what happened back there, but thought it best to not speak of it. All these years, all he wanted was for Musashi to forgive him and move on, but after today...he probably blew it.
Nico just pouted. "Well I didn't get to see what happened!" he said, crossing his arms. "It was the semi-finals, and I missed it!" CT just smiled, ruffling Nico's hair. "You didn't miss much."

Musashi looked at CT. "Man, you got me good CT. You really are a strong combatant. Don't worry about me anymore. I got my duel with you, I'm happy. Thank you." he said.



Shade also woke up in the infirmary, wondering what happened; it didn't hurt nearly as bad as last time with CT, but at least he didn't fear for his life. he noticed that Matty was on the bed next to him, with two notes: One on her stomach saying,

SHADE, I'M HAVING THIS GIRL SAY SORRY FOR YOU, AND IF I WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH I WILL TAKE YOU, GLADE, AND YOUR FRIENDS SOMEWHERE NICE.

LOVE YOU,
MOMMY

Another one, on her head facing her, with a non-so-polite message: IF YOU DON'T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN AGAIN, APOLOGIZE TO MY SON NEXT TO YOU.




CT 's hand had been stitched and bandaged, but it still ached. A lot of things ached. He walked back into the audience with Lash and the kids, but didn't sit. "I can't stay." he said, starting to leave. "What? Why? This is Uncle Musashi's final match!" Nico said, with a pout. "I can't..." CT said, softly. Lash understood. She put her arm around Nico; "It's okay, Nick. Your dad needs some rest." Nico just pouted some more, but said nothing more. Lash gave CT a nod, as he walked out of the stadium.

He leaned against a wall outside the arena, deep in thought. He had almost completely lost it. If Mavra hadn't been there, he would have killed Musashi. Musashi knew that, and yet he spared him. After the fight he acted as though the whole scene was perfectly acceptable, like nothing had happened. Why? He didn't deserve mercy. He didn't deserve a friend like Musashi, especially after this.

He slumped down against the wall. What if this happened, again? What if somebody wasn't there, to stop it? What if he did seriously hurt Musashi, or even kill him? He couldn't live with that. He had already done enough, and couldn't live with the guilt of causing further harm. He held onto his hand, tightly. The dull throb was still there, despite pain medicine. At least the bleeding had stopped, for the most part.
Part of him wanted to watch the final match, and cheer on Musashi. The other part wanted to just crawl in a hole and avoid him. CT sighed. This couldn't happen, again. He would make sure of that. He stayed in the halls outside of the arena, for the rest of the match.

Outside the arena, Bruce leaned against the wall beside CT. "You know he probably wants you to watch."

CT sighed, not wanting to look at Bruce. "I can't. What happened back there....I almost lost it, Bruce. What if I killed him?" CT winced. "After what I did to him, I'm surprised he didn't kill me on the spot. Now, after this....how can he just shrug it off like nothing happened? How can I face him?" CT sighed once more, walking away from Bruce. "I need some time alone, please."

Bruce sighed "Alright, but consider this. Musashi always wanted to duel you for a reason." He said, before walking away.





Meanwhile, Bertha was prepared for her final match: A Scyther person with two swords. "Oh, you must be a friend of a friend of Shade. But that won't mean that I will go easy on you." she said to him smiling. Bertha noticed that Musashi was a bug type, so she was at a type advantage. She decided to play it safe first and use Hex on the Scyther person.

Musashi smiled at the woman. "I apologize, but I always go all out in my duels. En Guarde." He drew his blades, ready to fight one last time. He dropped into a serious fighting stance, running in swift circles around Bertha. He created after images behind him to confuse her, sending out Air Slashes at her from multiple directions.

Bertha was not pleased with Sashi's attempt at confusion, now at the fact that her Hex didn't work. She would take the hit from this person, no matter how powerful, and pull out her "secret weapon".

Musashi sent more Air Slashes at Bertha before moving in from behind, his blades glowing green as he prepared his X-Scissor attack. "Now, time to end this tournament." he thought.

"Before you try to beat me up, what do you think about going to a nice steak dinner with me?" Bertha asked, using Attract on Musashi. She knew that phase 2 would have to work, even if Attract doesn't.

Musashi froze in his tracks, staring at the woman. He felt a bit strange, but didn't quite understand what it was. It seemed like the move didn't fully work, but it certainly had the seasoned fighter distracted. "I, what? Dinner?"

"Yeah, a really nice restaurant; I am single after all." She said, as she prepared Heat Wave on one of her hands behind her back. If Musashi moved an inch closer, he would have nowhere to go. "I um. We're in a fight. You know." Musashi stared blankly, taking a step closer. What was this woman doing in the middle of a fight? Courtship was usually for after the duel.

"Oh, right. Let me finish it first then, okay?" Bertha kindly said to him before she swung a mean Heat Wave at him.

Musashi felt himself blasted by a Heat Wave, flying back as burns formed on his body. Musashi was out quick, the injuries from his match against CT still not fully recovered. He groaned as the referee declared the winner.

 

Mac was chatting with Lash; "Would you believe that Shade's mother defeated me the day before? I don't know how it would have panned out between Ferrovax and her, but it would be close, wouldn't you think?" she asked. Lash just crossed her arms, not wanting to think about a fight between Bertha and CT. "Hmph. All the better. If she had used Attract on CT, I would've had to kick her ass, myself!"

Nico left the audience to go find his dad and "uncle". "Congrats on your mom winning, but I should probably find my dad." he said, to Glade. Lash followed him, not wanting him to get lost.


Musashi groaned as he got up. Man, in his weakness he got taken down. He felt a wave of shame overcome him as he walked out silently, not noticing CT.

Bertha was ecstatic about being the victor of the whole tournament, as the executive came out to shake her hand, and the trophy girls brought out a check. "This is a momentous occasion as a female has won the first tournament! Is this not a man's world after all?!" the announcer yelled in excitement.

Bertha walked over to Musashi, and told him, "I'll still take you and your friends for steak on me, but it will be a platonic thing; hope you're not disappointed."



CT stopped Musashi, as he walked out of the arena. He had been thinking a lot about things, and eventually made his way back to at least watch the last few minutes of the match. He put a hand on Musashi's shoulder, and sighed. "I'm sorry." he said. "Can't win 'em all, I suppose." he said, with a nervous shrug. His expression became more serious. There was something on his mind, and he had to say it before Lash and the kids caught up with him.

"I'm also sorry about earlier." he said. "There was a reason I didn't want to duel you. I could have killed you, Musashi." he cringed. "I want you to make me a promise, and this is between you and me. If you ever see me like that again, if I ever show any signs of reverting, don't hold back. Strike me down." he said, with a serious tone and expression.
Musashi looked at CT, taking in all the man was saying. Musashi had an idea of what would happen in their duel, in fact a part of him wanted it to happen.

"CT, I'm not good at expressing my emotions. We Scythers use duels and clashing of blades as means of communicating our feelings. It's different from everyone else. For Scythers, a clash of blades could mean a hug, kiss, a touch on the shoulder, or even a slap to the face. It makes me feel so awkward that I'm so different from everyone. That duel was my way of finally letting out all of the past, and it seems it awoken you to the past as well. That was the duel I wanted and you gave it to me." he said softly. He didn't know how to feel about CT's request, but understood its message. "All right CT. I swear that if you ever fly off the handle like that, I will personally be the one to take you down."

CT regarded him with a small smile. It was quick, pained and brief; and then did something he never did. He hugged Musashi. "Thank you. For caring." It lasted all but a few milliseconds, before he shoved Musashi away and straightened his jacket, with one hand. "Never speak of this." he said, clearing his throat.

Nico came bounding in, shortly after. He tackled Musashi, clinging to him. "You were awesome, out there!" he said. "You both were!" he turned to his dad. "I wish you both could've won..." he pouted. Mavra just huffed the hair out of her face and leaned on the wall, as though she didn't care.

Musashi was surprised by CT's sudden hug, clearing his throat. He was glad when Nico came running in. He patted the boy's head. "Yeah. Tell you what Nicky, I'll win the next tournament."

He then looked at Mavra, there was was giving her act again. Sometimes Musashi felt she was just as shy as he brother was sometimes. In her own way, of course.

"Speaking of the next tournament." the voice of Vinnie Mac boomed as he laughed. "You two sure put on a show there, had me on the edge of my seat. Classic! I already have the next tournament in the works, I'm sure I can count on you guys to put on a spectacular show? Of course I can, you're under contracts. I have you guys for a good year. Stay in touch."

CT glared at the man, as he walked away. Contracts? CT did not want to battle, anymore. He was afraid to battle, again. What if he did slip, again? Musashi made a promise, and it was one that CT wouldn't let him back down on. If that happened, then what? He had also thought about that outcome, while he was pacing the halls, alone. There had been something else on his mind, even before the tournament.

Lash clung to his arm, and sighed. She didn't want to see that happen to him again, either. CT took a deep breath, and turned to her. "Lasciel," he said, exhaling. "I've been thinking about things." Lash regarded him, with a curious "Hm?"

"Life is short, and I should have said this years ago." he said. "Marry me."

Lash gave him a smile, leaning into his chest. "I thought you'd never ask." she said, clinging to him. "No, really." she said, pulling away but didn't quite let go. "I seriously thought you were never going to ask."

Musashi stared at the two, realizing what just happened. He was rather clueless on courtship other than Scyther courtship, but he knew something about these marriage things.

"...Does this mean I'm going to be the best man?"





~end of pt1~

 

Ah, thanks! I've been toying around with the idea, but even still I'm finding typos and errors. X.x Nobody seems to want to help proofread and junk.