The Tournament
Chapter 3: The Tournament
Two weeks later...
"It's so cold...", Kyra said, burying her face in Meil's hair and shivering. Kyra was learning english readily by now, and Meil was still getting used to the fact that Riolu's and Lucario's were one of those rare Pokemon, capable of learning and speaking human languages.
"I know. It's starting to snow. Look!", Meil said, looking up as the graying sky began dropping tiny snowflakes that drifted lazily in the breeze. "They probably won't stick, it's not even winter yet." "They're still pretty."
"Yah, they are." Kyra had her arms around Meil's neck as she piggy backed on his shoulders. "Look, up ahead is Eterna City.", Meil pointed out, as the faint outline of buildings appeared before them. "That's where the tournament is being held." "Why do we need to go to a tournament?", Kyra asked curiously, still mesmerized by the snow falling like little white stars.
"There's a cash prize of 10,000 Pokemoney-" "Is that a lot?" "yes, and we definitely could use the money. If we can at least get third place, we'll still get 2,500 Pokemoney for us to spend."
Suddenly, he jumped in realization. "Oh! I forgot, I got something to help you evolve quicker. You'll need to evolve so that you can have a better chance of winning. I'm not much of a trainer, but I still know how to battle.", he said with a grin.
He took Kyra off his shoulders, and set her on a wooden bench that was speckled with melting snowflakes. "Here, you could say it's sort of a present." He knelt down and took a small, silver bell from his pocket, with a long string attached to it.
"A Soothe Bell. It's supposed to make you feel happy when you ring it. Try it." He pushed the bell into her outstretched paws. She looked at her distorted reflection on the surface, then lightly tapped the bell. A high, silvery sound rang from the inside of the bell.
The sound was pleasant to to the senses, and make Meil feel unexpectedly giddy. "See? Neat, huh?" He helped her put it around her neck, and she smiled up at Meil, her red eyes sparkling. "This is the best present I'v ever been given.", she whispered. Meil blushed ever so lightly. "Well, it's the only present you've ever been given.", he said, laughing slightly.
"How does it help me evolve?", she asked, ringing the bell with something more than enthusiasm. "Well, if I learned correctly, certain Pokemon, like you, will only evolve if they share a special bond with their trainers. Oh, and you can only evolve during the daytime."
She looked confused. "Like a plant?" "Um, no. Not like photosynthesis. I'm not sure why, but that's just how it works.", he said shrugging. "So when do I know when I'm evolving?", Kyra asked him, polishing the bell on her fur. "Well, I'm not sure.", Meil admitted. "We did all that training all ready. Maybe we just don't have a strong enough bond." "But, I like you."
Meil smiled in spite of himself. "I like you, too." He started wondering, did he really mean it? He had promised to himself, begged himself that he wouldn't get attached to her. But was his mind really listening to him? He checked his watch. "The tournament starts in an hour. So we just need you to evolve before it starts, somehow."
Meil sat down on the bench beside her, sighing heavily, a long stream of vapor escaping his mouth in the frigid air. "Well, we'll just have to wait." A long silence followed. Snowflakes fell heavily now, dusting Meil and Kyra in the cold, wet flakes.
Kyra shivered as a chilling breeze blew across her fur. Meil took off his poncho, and wrapped it around her. "Are you warm now?" Kyra looked up at his face, pink with cold. "But aren't you cold?" Meil just smiled somewhat sadly. "Nah, I'm fine. You need it more than I do."
These words seemed to have strange effect on Kyra. She suddenly gasped, as if touched by something searing hot.
"Meil, what's happening?", she said nervously, as her body began to glow brightly, as if she was being exposed to an ultraviolet light, her body seemed to be extending. "Kyra, we did it! You're evolving!" "I am-", her response was cut off as the glow consumed her body.
Meil watched, entranced, as Kyra's body changed before his eyes. She appeared to be stretching out, long and slender. Meil was alarmed to see her topple off the bench to the ground, her body now writhing with the intensity of the change.
"Kyra! Are you okay?" Meil was by her side in a second. The glowing slowly died away, and Kyra the Lucario grinned weakly up at Meil. "We did it.", she said, her voice, slightly maturer than before, filled with excitement. Meil couldn't utter a single word except, "Wow..." She stood up, somewhat unsteady on her new legs. "So, how do I look?" Meil wanted to say, "You look gorgeous."
But he thought that might embarrass her, yet he wasn't able to think of anything else that would describe her perfectly. "You look incredible." Kyra could hear the amazement in his voice, and she blushed, looking down at her feet. "Thank you."
Meil was surprised with himself. He didn't even seem to be seeing her as a Pokemon. Not just a companion anymore, but maybe, something more. A girlfriend? He chuckled to himself. That was just crazy! She was a Pokemon!
Sure, she was more beautiful than any human girl he'd ever seen, but was it even possible? He shook his head to clear his thoughts. It was bad enough he was becoming this close to her, but to actually fall in love with her?
"Meil? Are you okay?" Meil felt Kyra shaking his arm. Meil snapped out of his own thoughts. "Ah, what? Oh, right! What time is it?" He checked his watch again. "We've still got 45 minutes until it starts! Come on! We can easily make it!"
The tournament wasn't very hard to find. It was being held on one of the wide streets of Eterna City. Flags hanging by strings fluttered slightly in the breeze as a large crowd began accumulating around a large circle drawn by chalk which Meil guessed was where the battles were being held, and by the sound of it, there was already a huge battle going on.
"I didn't know this was an outside tournament.", he remarked, guiding Kyra through the crowd to get a better view of the battle currently in progress. Everyone in the crowd was dressed warmly as the freezing wind numbed exposed fingers and noses. Some even had their Pokemon dressed for the cold weather.
A large stand with a microphone was set up for the judge to stand on. Meil made it to the edge of the battlefield with Kyra to see a Scyther dodge a Gallade's Psycho Cut, and counter with a wicked Aerial Ace.
The two Pokemon clashed fiercely as they kicked up dust under them, they're scythes and swords cutting the air. "Yikes!", Kyra exclaimed, jumping back as the Scyther slashed across the Gallade's chest with terrifying agility, it's sharp scythes coming close to dismembering her and the nearby crowd.
The Gallade, bleeding from a gash on it's left shoulder, charged at the Scyther, who blocked the attack one second to late, and the Gallade's sword thrust across it's face.
Now both Pokemon were furious. They were fighting so ferociously, their attacks flashed like swords, blocking, jabbing, and thrusting violently. The Scyther launched it's scythe out of nowhere, and the Gallade crossed it's swords in an attempt to block the attack.
But the thrust was so strong it broke the Gallade's stance. The Scyther took the opportunity to jab it's other scythe through the Gallade's already injured shoulder.
The crowd grew silent all of the sudden. Gallade winced in pain as the scythe went through it's shoulder. The Scyther withdrew it's blade from the Gallade's shoulder. It fell to the ground with a hard thunk, and lay motionless, blood streaming from it's wound.
The judge held up a white flag. "Gallade is unable to battle! Scyther wins!" The crowd roared their approval, and the Gallade's trainer, a young girl, rushed over to tend to her injured Pokemon.
Meil looked over at Kyra, who's eyes were wide. "That was scary...", she said shakily. "He'll be all right. It's just a battle." Kyra just winced, as if imagining being cut in two.
"I don't think I can do this.", Kyra gulped. Meil looked at her, and noticed that she was almost his height. He was usually used to looking down at her. "You don't have to.", Meil told her. Kyra shook her head. "No, i'll do it. I know enough from my training. How hard could it be?" Meil smiled. "Kyra," "What?" "thank you." "For what?"
"For doing this for me, even though you're scared." Meil was given a shock when Kyra suddenly wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. "I was never tall enough to do this before.", she laughed. Meil could feel the blood rush to his face.
Her warm, furry cheek felt nice against his cold, numb one. "What's this for?", Meil asked, as she continued to hold him close. Meil was silently aware of a small percent of the crowd watching them curiously. "Just for being with me.", she whispered in his ear.
"Next up! Kyra the Lucario, versus Scyther!" Meil grabbed Kyra's paws, the most affectionate gesture he'd made towards her yet. "Kyra, are you ready?" Kyra looked up into his eyes, shaking slightly. "I think so."
"Just remember Kyra, i'll be here watching you. But don't get distracted, okay?" "Let's start this battle!", the judge called. "Wish me luck!", Kyra said, and before rushing on to the field, she gave Meil a swift kiss on the cheek. Meil watched her go, his hand slowly going to his cheek where she'd kissed him.
Kyra took her position on the right side of the field, the Scyther taking the left. They stared each other down, Kyra cracking her knuckles, and the Scyther impatiently clawing ground, looking livid. Kyra tried not to look as anxious as she felt. Up close, the Scyther looked more dinosaur than bug.
Meil looked down the field to see the trainer he was battling. It was a boy about his age, and for some reason, he looked nervous. Meil couldn't imagine why.
His Scyther had just beat the living daylights out of that Gallade a few minutes ago, so why would he find Kyra that intimidating? Before Kyra could mentally prepare herself, the judge waved a green flag and yelled, "Let the battle begin!" The Scyther crossed it's scythes as Kyra came charging faster than Meil had anticipated, her Force Palm only making the Scyther skid a few inches.
The Scyther turned so that he was behind Kyra in a second, and slashed with terrifying speed. Kyra ducked, and Meil knew she had an advantage with aura, since she could detect most of the attacks directed at her. Kyra took this opportunity, and buried her fist into the Scyther's tender abdomen.
He doubled over as Kyra slid from under him and launched a Dark Pulse that hit him squarely in the face. Kyra was gaining confidence, as she seemed to be winning so far. The blast from the Dark Pulse kicked up a cloud of dust that mixed with the snow in the air.
Suddenly, the Scyther shot from the dust cloud, it's wings beating the air menacingly as it charged downwards. The dust cleared as the Scyther's wings beat the air, and Kyra jumped out of the way a split second before the Scyther slashed in mid-air. Meil was watching the trainer across from him carefully. Something wasn't right.
The Scyther appeared be throwing quick glances at it's trainer, who was making small signals with his hands. The boy made a motion like an X with his fingers, and the Scyther gave a shadow of a nod. Suddenly, the Scyther simply disappeared into thin air.
The crowd fell eerily silent, and Kyra was looking left and right. Meil saw she was trying to use aura to detect him, but he seemed simply invisible.
Wham! The Scyther, appearing out of nowhere behind Kyra, charged her down, making her fall flat on her face. The Scyther crossed it's scythes across her neck, holding her down with his sharp talons. Meil was alarmed, and felt like running on to the field to protect Kyra, but that would instantly disqualify him.
Kyra struggled and kicked. Her left foot connected with the Scyther's leg, and he stumbled. Kyra loosed a Dark Pulse into his stomach from under him, and the Scyther winced as the pulse stuck a weak point. He blindly slashed the ground, but Kyra was all ready on her feet. Her tail twitching, a tired yet devious smile on her muzzle.
She suddenly leapt into the air, and her leg was a fiery blur as she struck with a fierce Blaze Kick, hitting the Scyther in the small of the back. He was down in a burst of flames, and a crack of exoskeleton. The crowd went wild, and the judge held up a white flag.
"The victory goes to Meil's Lucario, Kyra!" Kyra almost tackled Meil to the ground as she threw her arms around him. Yet Meil was to intent on watching the other boy to notice. The boy's face was full of panic and fear. He ran to his Scyther, and picked him up hastily, dragging him through the crowd which parted to let him through.
"What the...?" Meil watched the boy stop as a tall man wearing a hooded jacket stepped in front of him. The boy appeared to pleading to the man, but the man pushed him aside, and left the boy sitting on the cold ground, clutching his Scyther, real tears of terror and fear running down his face.
"Meil, what is it?" Kyra was looking up at Meil, his face set in grim concern. "What was that about?" "What was what about?", Kyra asked, looking in the same direction Meil had been looking, but by this time, the crowd had all ready obscured the boy and the hooded man.
"Er, nothing.", Meil said, trying to sound unconcerned as he turned his attention back to Kyra's victory.
Why did hooded stranger seem eerily familiar to him? But no, it couldn't be. No. He was just being paranoid. It wasn't possible. Not here. Not out in the open. Even so, he could not help that uneasy feeling, like an itch that just wouldn't go away.
The judges voice echoing from the stand woke Meil to the current situation. "Trainers, get ready for the next battle starting in two minutes!"
"So, Kyra. Are you ready?", Meil asked, spraying a few of her cuts and bruises with super potion. She nodded. The terrible anxiety she felt before had lifted. She felt confident, and ready for more. The cold air felt bracing on her skin as she strolled out to face her next challenger.
Meil was disturbed slightly to see the man wearing the hood facing him. The hood obscured his face, making him impossible to recognize. Meil heart skipped several beats. A massive black Charizard, it's leathery black wings beating the air, it's sharp teeth bared in a snarl. And on it's forehead, was a tattoo of a ring with a new moon inside it.
Meil was petrified. He did not know what to do. He knew who the man was now. He recognized him just by his Charizard. All his Pokemon had that tattoo printed on their forehead. He would not panic this time. He just needed to remain calm. The man could do nothing in a large crowd like this one.
"Next up! Charizard versus Kyra the Lucario!" Meil ran up to Kyra, and grabbed her by the shoulders, spinning her around to face him. "Kyra,", he whispered. "that man, with the Charizard. I know who he is." Kyra looked behind her. "Is he your friend?" Meil shook his head furiously. "No! He's the complete opposite!
Kyra, he wants to kill me!"
:Authors Notes:
I found that listening to music is not only good to do while writing, it can also help make reading stories a more interesting experience, the music depending on the scene of course. I listened to a bit of U2 while writing this. I don't know why, but I get inspired when I listen to U2.
P.S.: Lucario's can learn Blaze Kick. It's an egg move.
Two weeks later...
"It's so cold...", Kyra said, burying her face in Meil's hair and shivering. Kyra was learning english readily by now, and Meil was still getting used to the fact that Riolu's and Lucario's were one of those rare Pokemon, capable of learning and speaking human languages.
"I know. It's starting to snow. Look!", Meil said, looking up as the graying sky began dropping tiny snowflakes that drifted lazily in the breeze. "They probably won't stick, it's not even winter yet." "They're still pretty."
"Yah, they are." Kyra had her arms around Meil's neck as she piggy backed on his shoulders. "Look, up ahead is Eterna City.", Meil pointed out, as the faint outline of buildings appeared before them. "That's where the tournament is being held." "Why do we need to go to a tournament?", Kyra asked curiously, still mesmerized by the snow falling like little white stars.
"There's a cash prize of 10,000 Pokemoney-" "Is that a lot?" "yes, and we definitely could use the money. If we can at least get third place, we'll still get 2,500 Pokemoney for us to spend."
Suddenly, he jumped in realization. "Oh! I forgot, I got something to help you evolve quicker. You'll need to evolve so that you can have a better chance of winning. I'm not much of a trainer, but I still know how to battle.", he said with a grin.
He took Kyra off his shoulders, and set her on a wooden bench that was speckled with melting snowflakes. "Here, you could say it's sort of a present." He knelt down and took a small, silver bell from his pocket, with a long string attached to it.
"A Soothe Bell. It's supposed to make you feel happy when you ring it. Try it." He pushed the bell into her outstretched paws. She looked at her distorted reflection on the surface, then lightly tapped the bell. A high, silvery sound rang from the inside of the bell.
The sound was pleasant to to the senses, and make Meil feel unexpectedly giddy. "See? Neat, huh?" He helped her put it around her neck, and she smiled up at Meil, her red eyes sparkling. "This is the best present I'v ever been given.", she whispered. Meil blushed ever so lightly. "Well, it's the only present you've ever been given.", he said, laughing slightly.
"How does it help me evolve?", she asked, ringing the bell with something more than enthusiasm. "Well, if I learned correctly, certain Pokemon, like you, will only evolve if they share a special bond with their trainers. Oh, and you can only evolve during the daytime."
She looked confused. "Like a plant?" "Um, no. Not like photosynthesis. I'm not sure why, but that's just how it works.", he said shrugging. "So when do I know when I'm evolving?", Kyra asked him, polishing the bell on her fur. "Well, I'm not sure.", Meil admitted. "We did all that training all ready. Maybe we just don't have a strong enough bond." "But, I like you."
Meil smiled in spite of himself. "I like you, too." He started wondering, did he really mean it? He had promised to himself, begged himself that he wouldn't get attached to her. But was his mind really listening to him? He checked his watch. "The tournament starts in an hour. So we just need you to evolve before it starts, somehow."
Meil sat down on the bench beside her, sighing heavily, a long stream of vapor escaping his mouth in the frigid air. "Well, we'll just have to wait." A long silence followed. Snowflakes fell heavily now, dusting Meil and Kyra in the cold, wet flakes.
Kyra shivered as a chilling breeze blew across her fur. Meil took off his poncho, and wrapped it around her. "Are you warm now?" Kyra looked up at his face, pink with cold. "But aren't you cold?" Meil just smiled somewhat sadly. "Nah, I'm fine. You need it more than I do."
These words seemed to have strange effect on Kyra. She suddenly gasped, as if touched by something searing hot.
"Meil, what's happening?", she said nervously, as her body began to glow brightly, as if she was being exposed to an ultraviolet light, her body seemed to be extending. "Kyra, we did it! You're evolving!" "I am-", her response was cut off as the glow consumed her body.
Meil watched, entranced, as Kyra's body changed before his eyes. She appeared to be stretching out, long and slender. Meil was alarmed to see her topple off the bench to the ground, her body now writhing with the intensity of the change.
"Kyra! Are you okay?" Meil was by her side in a second. The glowing slowly died away, and Kyra the Lucario grinned weakly up at Meil. "We did it.", she said, her voice, slightly maturer than before, filled with excitement. Meil couldn't utter a single word except, "Wow..." She stood up, somewhat unsteady on her new legs. "So, how do I look?" Meil wanted to say, "You look gorgeous."
But he thought that might embarrass her, yet he wasn't able to think of anything else that would describe her perfectly. "You look incredible." Kyra could hear the amazement in his voice, and she blushed, looking down at her feet. "Thank you."
Meil was surprised with himself. He didn't even seem to be seeing her as a Pokemon. Not just a companion anymore, but maybe, something more. A girlfriend? He chuckled to himself. That was just crazy! She was a Pokemon!
Sure, she was more beautiful than any human girl he'd ever seen, but was it even possible? He shook his head to clear his thoughts. It was bad enough he was becoming this close to her, but to actually fall in love with her?
"Meil? Are you okay?" Meil felt Kyra shaking his arm. Meil snapped out of his own thoughts. "Ah, what? Oh, right! What time is it?" He checked his watch again. "We've still got 45 minutes until it starts! Come on! We can easily make it!"
The tournament wasn't very hard to find. It was being held on one of the wide streets of Eterna City. Flags hanging by strings fluttered slightly in the breeze as a large crowd began accumulating around a large circle drawn by chalk which Meil guessed was where the battles were being held, and by the sound of it, there was already a huge battle going on.
"I didn't know this was an outside tournament.", he remarked, guiding Kyra through the crowd to get a better view of the battle currently in progress. Everyone in the crowd was dressed warmly as the freezing wind numbed exposed fingers and noses. Some even had their Pokemon dressed for the cold weather.
A large stand with a microphone was set up for the judge to stand on. Meil made it to the edge of the battlefield with Kyra to see a Scyther dodge a Gallade's Psycho Cut, and counter with a wicked Aerial Ace.
The two Pokemon clashed fiercely as they kicked up dust under them, they're scythes and swords cutting the air. "Yikes!", Kyra exclaimed, jumping back as the Scyther slashed across the Gallade's chest with terrifying agility, it's sharp scythes coming close to dismembering her and the nearby crowd.
The Gallade, bleeding from a gash on it's left shoulder, charged at the Scyther, who blocked the attack one second to late, and the Gallade's sword thrust across it's face.
Now both Pokemon were furious. They were fighting so ferociously, their attacks flashed like swords, blocking, jabbing, and thrusting violently. The Scyther launched it's scythe out of nowhere, and the Gallade crossed it's swords in an attempt to block the attack.
But the thrust was so strong it broke the Gallade's stance. The Scyther took the opportunity to jab it's other scythe through the Gallade's already injured shoulder.
The crowd grew silent all of the sudden. Gallade winced in pain as the scythe went through it's shoulder. The Scyther withdrew it's blade from the Gallade's shoulder. It fell to the ground with a hard thunk, and lay motionless, blood streaming from it's wound.
The judge held up a white flag. "Gallade is unable to battle! Scyther wins!" The crowd roared their approval, and the Gallade's trainer, a young girl, rushed over to tend to her injured Pokemon.
Meil looked over at Kyra, who's eyes were wide. "That was scary...", she said shakily. "He'll be all right. It's just a battle." Kyra just winced, as if imagining being cut in two.
"I don't think I can do this.", Kyra gulped. Meil looked at her, and noticed that she was almost his height. He was usually used to looking down at her. "You don't have to.", Meil told her. Kyra shook her head. "No, i'll do it. I know enough from my training. How hard could it be?" Meil smiled. "Kyra," "What?" "thank you." "For what?"
"For doing this for me, even though you're scared." Meil was given a shock when Kyra suddenly wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. "I was never tall enough to do this before.", she laughed. Meil could feel the blood rush to his face.
Her warm, furry cheek felt nice against his cold, numb one. "What's this for?", Meil asked, as she continued to hold him close. Meil was silently aware of a small percent of the crowd watching them curiously. "Just for being with me.", she whispered in his ear.
"Next up! Kyra the Lucario, versus Scyther!" Meil grabbed Kyra's paws, the most affectionate gesture he'd made towards her yet. "Kyra, are you ready?" Kyra looked up into his eyes, shaking slightly. "I think so."
"Just remember Kyra, i'll be here watching you. But don't get distracted, okay?" "Let's start this battle!", the judge called. "Wish me luck!", Kyra said, and before rushing on to the field, she gave Meil a swift kiss on the cheek. Meil watched her go, his hand slowly going to his cheek where she'd kissed him.
Kyra took her position on the right side of the field, the Scyther taking the left. They stared each other down, Kyra cracking her knuckles, and the Scyther impatiently clawing ground, looking livid. Kyra tried not to look as anxious as she felt. Up close, the Scyther looked more dinosaur than bug.
Meil looked down the field to see the trainer he was battling. It was a boy about his age, and for some reason, he looked nervous. Meil couldn't imagine why.
His Scyther had just beat the living daylights out of that Gallade a few minutes ago, so why would he find Kyra that intimidating? Before Kyra could mentally prepare herself, the judge waved a green flag and yelled, "Let the battle begin!" The Scyther crossed it's scythes as Kyra came charging faster than Meil had anticipated, her Force Palm only making the Scyther skid a few inches.
The Scyther turned so that he was behind Kyra in a second, and slashed with terrifying speed. Kyra ducked, and Meil knew she had an advantage with aura, since she could detect most of the attacks directed at her. Kyra took this opportunity, and buried her fist into the Scyther's tender abdomen.
He doubled over as Kyra slid from under him and launched a Dark Pulse that hit him squarely in the face. Kyra was gaining confidence, as she seemed to be winning so far. The blast from the Dark Pulse kicked up a cloud of dust that mixed with the snow in the air.
Suddenly, the Scyther shot from the dust cloud, it's wings beating the air menacingly as it charged downwards. The dust cleared as the Scyther's wings beat the air, and Kyra jumped out of the way a split second before the Scyther slashed in mid-air. Meil was watching the trainer across from him carefully. Something wasn't right.
The Scyther appeared be throwing quick glances at it's trainer, who was making small signals with his hands. The boy made a motion like an X with his fingers, and the Scyther gave a shadow of a nod. Suddenly, the Scyther simply disappeared into thin air.
The crowd fell eerily silent, and Kyra was looking left and right. Meil saw she was trying to use aura to detect him, but he seemed simply invisible.
Wham! The Scyther, appearing out of nowhere behind Kyra, charged her down, making her fall flat on her face. The Scyther crossed it's scythes across her neck, holding her down with his sharp talons. Meil was alarmed, and felt like running on to the field to protect Kyra, but that would instantly disqualify him.
Kyra struggled and kicked. Her left foot connected with the Scyther's leg, and he stumbled. Kyra loosed a Dark Pulse into his stomach from under him, and the Scyther winced as the pulse stuck a weak point. He blindly slashed the ground, but Kyra was all ready on her feet. Her tail twitching, a tired yet devious smile on her muzzle.
She suddenly leapt into the air, and her leg was a fiery blur as she struck with a fierce Blaze Kick, hitting the Scyther in the small of the back. He was down in a burst of flames, and a crack of exoskeleton. The crowd went wild, and the judge held up a white flag.
"The victory goes to Meil's Lucario, Kyra!" Kyra almost tackled Meil to the ground as she threw her arms around him. Yet Meil was to intent on watching the other boy to notice. The boy's face was full of panic and fear. He ran to his Scyther, and picked him up hastily, dragging him through the crowd which parted to let him through.
"What the...?" Meil watched the boy stop as a tall man wearing a hooded jacket stepped in front of him. The boy appeared to pleading to the man, but the man pushed him aside, and left the boy sitting on the cold ground, clutching his Scyther, real tears of terror and fear running down his face.
"Meil, what is it?" Kyra was looking up at Meil, his face set in grim concern. "What was that about?" "What was what about?", Kyra asked, looking in the same direction Meil had been looking, but by this time, the crowd had all ready obscured the boy and the hooded man.
"Er, nothing.", Meil said, trying to sound unconcerned as he turned his attention back to Kyra's victory.
Why did hooded stranger seem eerily familiar to him? But no, it couldn't be. No. He was just being paranoid. It wasn't possible. Not here. Not out in the open. Even so, he could not help that uneasy feeling, like an itch that just wouldn't go away.
The judges voice echoing from the stand woke Meil to the current situation. "Trainers, get ready for the next battle starting in two minutes!"
"So, Kyra. Are you ready?", Meil asked, spraying a few of her cuts and bruises with super potion. She nodded. The terrible anxiety she felt before had lifted. She felt confident, and ready for more. The cold air felt bracing on her skin as she strolled out to face her next challenger.
Meil was disturbed slightly to see the man wearing the hood facing him. The hood obscured his face, making him impossible to recognize. Meil heart skipped several beats. A massive black Charizard, it's leathery black wings beating the air, it's sharp teeth bared in a snarl. And on it's forehead, was a tattoo of a ring with a new moon inside it.
Meil was petrified. He did not know what to do. He knew who the man was now. He recognized him just by his Charizard. All his Pokemon had that tattoo printed on their forehead. He would not panic this time. He just needed to remain calm. The man could do nothing in a large crowd like this one.
"Next up! Charizard versus Kyra the Lucario!" Meil ran up to Kyra, and grabbed her by the shoulders, spinning her around to face him. "Kyra,", he whispered. "that man, with the Charizard. I know who he is." Kyra looked behind her. "Is he your friend?" Meil shook his head furiously. "No! He's the complete opposite!
Kyra, he wants to kill me!"
:Authors Notes:
I found that listening to music is not only good to do while writing, it can also help make reading stories a more interesting experience, the music depending on the scene of course. I listened to a bit of U2 while writing this. I don't know why, but I get inspired when I listen to U2.
P.S.: Lucario's can learn Blaze Kick. It's an egg move.