The late afternoon light slanted across the streets of Ravios as Shion and the others finished the last of their treats and drinks. The buzz of festival drums in the distance was slowly drowned out by a new kind of energy one heavier, more electric.
The third round of the tournament was about to begin.
Ren stretched his arms and looked toward the Grand Coliseum, its high towers casting long shadows over the rooftops.
"We should head back," he said.
Mila stood, brushing off her skirt. "Don't be late to your match."
Vince was already grinning. "Let's hope they save the best for last."
Shion gave a light chuckle. "If I end up last again, I'm blaming Bidoof for being too dramatic ."
Bidoof, half-asleep in his satchel, raised a paw lazily. "Rude."
They parted ways outside the arena. Mila gave each of them a smile and a nod before heading toward the spectator gate.
Shion turned to follow Ren and Vince through the stone archways and back into the holding corridor. The tournament staff guided them back to the now-familiar waiting chambers the same heavy benches, the same chill in the air, the same tension.
Inside, Shion quickly scanned the room.
Belle was already there, leaning against the wall near the torch-lit corner, arms crossed and eyes half-lidded in quiet focus.
He made his way over.
She glanced at him as he approached but said nothing.
Shion smiled sheepishly. "Hey. You ready?"
Belle nodded once. "You?"
"As ready as I'll ever be." He hesitated, then added, "Um, I was wondering... could I use Raku for this match?"
Belle raised a brow. "Treecko?"
"Grovyle now. He evolved during training. He's fast. Still green, but... he's trying."
Belle stared at him for a long moment. Then she shrugged. "As long as it doesn't get in the way."
Shion scratched the back of his neck. "Right, yeah. No pressure."
He knelt and opened the Poké Ball.
In a flash of light, Raku appeared beside him. The Grovyle stood tall now slimmer, more agile, the green of its scales darker and more defined. Its yellow eyes flicked around nervously, but when it saw Shion, its posture straightened.
"You're up next," Shion said softly. "First official match. Think you're ready?"
Raku looked at the empty battlefield out the archway, then back at Shion.
It nodded.
Shion smiled. "You've come a long way. Let's show them."
They didn't have to wait long.
Minutes later, after the clash of steel and fire echoed from beyond the walls and the roars of the crowd died down, a voice called out into the chamber:
"Team Belle and Shion, to Field Two."
Belle rolled her shoulders and pushed off the wall. Shion rose beside her, recalling Raku to his Poké Ball with a quick whisper of encouragement.
Together, they walked through the side tunnel, boots crunching against sand-laced stone.
As they stepped into the light, the arena greeted them again roaring, wild with cheers.
The banners of Ravios fluttered overhead. The sun was just beginning to dip toward the edge of the sky, casting golden light across the stands.
Across the field stood two opponents: one with the jagged, sun-scorched cloak of a desert mercenary, the other with braided hair and a storm-weathered coat a pirate, unmistakably.
Belle narrowed her eyes. "Looks like we get the drama pair."
Shion laughed under his breath. "Well... here we go."
"Send out your Pokémon!" called the referee.
Shion stepped forward. "Let's go, Raku!"
The Grovyle emerged in a burst of green light, crouched low and tense.
Beside him, Belle tossed her Poké Ball high.
With a swirl of icy mist, Yuki, her ice type Ninetales, materialized, its silver-blue fur glistening like fresh snow under the fading sun.
Across the arena
"Let's give them a show!" shouted the pirate.
He threw his ball, and from it burst a Sharpedo, snarling as it landed in a watery arena trench created for aquatic entries.
The mercenary followed, nodding silently, and released a towering Nidoking, its massive body casting a shadow across the sand.
The referee raised one flag.
Silence fell.
Then a burst of sound.
"Begin!"
The battle started with a blur.
"Nidoking, Poison Jab go through the center!"
"Sharpedo, Aqua Jet circle and flank!"
The two enemy Pokémon surged forward in unison land and sea.
Belle was ready.
"Yuki Hail. Lock their rhythm."
The sky overhead shimmered, and in an instant, frost bloomed across the battlefield. Tiny shards of hail began falling like glass dust, painting the air with white flecks.
Nidoking slowed, its thick hide pelted by the sudden cold.
"Raku, Leaf Blade!" Shion commanded.
The Grovyle surged forward, its twin arm blades glowing a rich green, streaking with energy.
But
Sharpedo was faster.
It exploded from the trench in a spiraling Aqua Jet, teeth bared and eyes glowing.
"Dodge!"
Raku twisted at the last second, leaping over the dash but Sharpedo's tail whipped around, catching Raku across the side and sending him tumbling.
"Yuki, Ice Beam, pin that Sharpedo!"
A cold ray shot across the battlefield, slamming into the Sharpedo's flank and locking part of its side in frost. It snarled, caught mid-lurch.
But Nidoking had reached them.
Its horn glowed with poison as it raised a massive fist.
"Raku, get up Leaf Blade, counter!"
The Grovyle flipped back onto its feet and met the charge.
Blade met hide.
Raku slashed once, twice but Nidoking's body was like stone. One swipe got through, the other was caught by its massive arm.
Then it slammed Raku to the ground.
"Raku!"
The Grovyle gritted its teeth, panting.
But it wasn't done.
From the ground, it launched itself up again and lashed its tail forward, striking Nidoking in the jaw.
Across the arena, Yuki spun, coating the ground in frost. Her tails shimmered in the light as she launched another beam toward the Sharpedo this one aimed low, at the trench, turning the watery path into frozen terrain.
The pirate cursed. "C'mon, bite through!"
Sharpedo launched forward again but slipped on the new ice, tumbling and crashing into one of the barrier stones lining the field.
Nidoking roared.
"Earth Power target the field!"
The mercenary smirked as the ground beneath Raku began to glow gold. The dirt cracked a shockwave burst upward in a column.
Raku cried out, caught in the blast and thrown backward.
Shion's hand clenched.
"Hang on… hang on!"
The battlefield trembled with the aftershock of Nidoking's Earth Power, and the crowd's roar was a dull hum in Shion's ears.
Across the frost-glazed field, Raku lay on one knee, panting hard. Dirt and frost clung to his lean frame, green scales scuffed, one arm pressed to the ground for balance. Sparks of golden energy still fizzled from the last attack.
Sharpedo was circling again, its frozen flank cracking free with every angry twist of its body. And Nidoking hadn't even flinched. Towering, hulking ready to crush anything in its path.
Shion gritted his teeth.
He felt the weight of it the pressure. The stakes. This wasn't like battling a wild Beedrill near the village fields. This wasn't scaring off petty bandits. This was an arena filled with the best of the best.
If he lost this match… he'd be out.
No second chances.
No main stage.
And he'd never earn that royal favor.
He glanced at Raku, who was pushing himself upright again.
His chest clenched.
"I found you in a cage," he thought. "Half-starved. Scared. Barely holding on. And now you're here, fighting like this… standing against monsters."
He stepped forward.
"Raku!" he shouted across the field. "I know it hurts. I know they're strong. But we've come this far together. Don't give up now. You've already come so far just a little more!"
Raku's head lifted. His yellow eyes narrowed.
His claws clenched and then suddenly
His body began to glow.
Not in the way evolution worked. Not like a move charging.
This was different.
Faint green energy began radiating off him, swirling with an almost pulsing intensity.
Shion blinked. "What?"
Beside him, Belle's gaze sharpened.
"That's Overgrow."
"Huh?"
"An ability. Most Pokémon have one. Grovyle's boosts its Grass-type moves when it's near its limit. He's pushing past it."
Shion looked back to Raku and the glow had intensified. Leaves along his arms shimmered with bright green aura. His breath was steady. His claws trembled with force.
"...I didn't even know about abilities," Shion muttered.
Belle rolled her eyes. "Of course you didn't."
Ren leaned forward in his seat, blue eyes locked on the Grovyle below.
"That's a natural Overgrow," he murmured. "Happens when a Pokémon fights through pain, with purpose."
Mila nodded, clutching her scarf. "That little guy's giving it everything…"
Vince leaned back, hands laced behind his head. "Shion's got guts. And so does that Grovyle."
"Raku!" Shion pointed across the field. "Leaf Blade! One last push go for Sharpedo!"
The Grovyle darted forward. The wind around him shifted.
Sharpedo lunged, readying Crunch with glowing fangs. Its teeth snapped, air hissing around its massive jaws.
But Raku moved like lightning now.
His form blurred his arm leaves glowing brighter than ever. He leapt over the attack, twisted mid-air
And brought the blade down.
A brutal, clean strike crackling with amplified energy from Overgrow slammed into Sharpedo's skull.
A thunderous CRACK filled the field.
Sharpedo's eyes rolled back as the force of the blow hurled it into the arena wall.
It dropped to the ground, unconscious.
The pirate's jaw dropped. "W-what the?!"
Raku landed hard, knees buckling, breath ragged but still standing.
Shion stared, wide-eyed, before a breath escaped him like a dam breaking.
He shouted. "YES!"
Belle gave a small smirk. "Good hit."
"Leaf Blade… got a lot stronger…"
"That's Overgrow."
Shion blinked, and then glanced at her again. "Seriously, how do you know all this stuff?"
"I read," Belle replied, brushing frost from her coat.
Only Nidoking remained now, and it looked slightly uneasy its partner taken out by what had seemed like the weaker Pokémon.
But Belle didn't let up.
"Yuki, finish it. Blizzard wide spread!"
The Ninetales rose to her feet, tails fanning out like silk banners. A shimmering storm gathered around her, frost coiling in the air.
And then
She unleashed it.
The snowstorm swallowed the field, turning earth to ice, freezing wind shrieking through the stadium. Nidoking roared, but the cold overwhelmed it locking its limbs, blinding its senses.
Raku pulled back, shielding his face as snow whipped past him.
Within seconds
Nidoking toppled.
The referee raised his arm.
"Match over! Victory Team Belle and Shion!"
The crowd erupted.
Shion couldn't hear them. His ears rang. His knees trembled.
Raku turned, face lit up with exhausted pride and then collapsed forward.
Shion was there in a flash, catching him, kneeling on the cold ground, laughing and crying at once.
"You did it," he whispered. "You really did it."
He pulled Raku into his arms, hugging the Grovyle close. "You're amazing. Absolutely amazing."
Mila had both hands over her mouth, eyes shimmering. "He did it…"
Ren stood up slowly, nodding once.
"He earned it."
Vince let out a long, low whistle. "Gonna have to revise my ranking of this tournament's monsters. That Grovyle is now top ten."he joked