"Good morning Sinnoh, and we're back from commercial break," Byron said. He adjusted his chair a bit, unsure how close to be to the mic. He gave the audio assistant a quick glance for confirmation before continuing. "We've already seen some very exciting matches early on. Isn't that right, Mary?"

"Oh, most definitely! I remember ranking several of these trainers on Talk with Oak back in Goldenrod, but experiencing it here live is a whole other thing! With such a large number of participants, there's bound to be some key early match-ups to shape the bracket. 128 of the world's best trainers is nothing to scoff at."

Byron hummed in agreement. "What would you say is the match of the day so far? Day one is always chaotic, but what's stuck out so far in round one?"

Mary leaned back in her seat, her finger playing with a strand of her curly hair. "Oh, well that's difficult. I mean, we'd be remiss not to mention last tournament's champion, Cynthia, in which she won a close fought match against Candice. But! I think the most intriguing match-up so far has to have been Bruno versus Clair, with Bruno edging out the dragon trainer. We could have easily seen both trainers making it deep in this tournament, yet here one of them has to go home early."

The crowd roared in the background as the tunnel vents opened up on one of the stages. Both broadcasters turned their attention to the action, leaning closer to see the small silhouettes of the trainers exiting the tunnel.

"But, enough reminiscing about the first half of this morning! We've got another match. What can you tell us about this one, Byron?"

Byron coughed into his fist, clearing his throat. "Well, Falkner is a Flying-type specialist from Johto. He's had moderate success on the world stage, but hasn't made it past the second round before. Looking to break his habit."

"But what of his opponent? Rumor has it you've talked with the mystery competitor first hand?"

"Well, yes, I've talked with Thad. He's filling in for Chuck of Cianwood City. He's a dark horse in the tournament filled with big names, being one of the few people to complete the Johto badge circuit within a year in recent memory."

"I think the last person to do so was Leaf, yes?" Mary asked, earning a confirming nod from Byron. "Well, let's go down to the ground cam as our competitors take their spots. And remember viewers, on our other channels we have our other sponsored matches ongoing on other battlefields all live from the Sinnoh Pokemon League!"

Harsh fluorescent light shined into Thad's eyes as he stepped onto the flat, dirt field. Only chalk marks outlining the rectangular arena with a five meter high retention wall before leading up to rows of seats filled with eager fans from across the globe. Thad gave a friendly wave and smile to the crowd, though the fanfare was relatively lukewarm as compared to Falkner making his entrance from the opposite side; two Pidgey flanking him as he strolled out with his hands buried in his pockets.

"And here's our next match of the day! Thad versus Falkner!" Mary's voice boomed over the intercom. "Remember trainers, this is a strict one-on-one. No switches. Go until knockout and you can concede at any point. Lastly, try to keep it contained within the arena. Aerial combat is fine, but mind the fans."

Thad stopped once he reached the edge of the arena and rolled his shoulders. He set down his travel sack and rotated his hips, managing to get a few satisfactory cracks. He gave a curt wave over toward Falkner who replied in kind with a slight nod.

"Well, it's time to nut up or shut up, dudes." Thad sifted through his Pokeballs, settling on one of the regular ones. He zipped up his bag and rolled the ball around in his hand. "Let's see whatcha got, birdman."

"Been awhile, hasn't it Thad?" Falkner's voice carried across the arena as the crowd settled into a cacophony of whispers. "We never did properly battle in Violet City. Not that I regret that. But, I'm glad we have the chance now."

Thad stripped off his tank top, balled it up, and tossed it to the side. A few 'oohs' and 'aahs' echoed underneath the general chatter. "Same here bro, just don't be too mad when I send you packing with an early L."

"Brash. Good." A small smirk formed across Falkner's lips. "Let's see how you fare against aerial supremacy."

Both trainers reared their arms back, then launched their Pokeballs into the air. Falkner's chosen participant materialized first, his Pokeball high into the sky. The red light faded quickly as a large Pidgeot took to the skies immediately.

On the opposite end of the field Thad's Tyranitar, Titan, shook the ground as they touched down and let out a monstrous bellow. Falkner's eyes narrowed at his opponent while Thad squinted up into the sky at the circling bird of prey.

"A fascinating choice from our competitors! A Tyranitar from the upstart Thad while Falkner has led with his signature Pokemon, Pidgeot!" Mary's giddy voice echoed from the intercom. "Byron, what can you tell us about this match-up?"

A faint grunt sounded over the intercom. "Well, Mary, we've got a classic air vs. land battle. Type-wise, there's a clear advantage for Thad, but Falkner chose his most battle seasoned Pokemon. A strong lead for round one that'll narrow his options if he manages to move on."

Both trainers sprung into action barking commands; Falkner gave a few distinct hand signals while Thad chanted incomprehensible sequences while masking his face behind a laminated playsheet.

The Pidgeot at Falkner's discretion did well to keep its distance, avoiding an initial Rock Throw from the grounded adversary. Pidgeot began by kicking up a tailwind, then ruffling its feathers that began to float gently down toward Titan. At the code of a 'Blue 62', Titan burrowed itself into the arena ground and disappeared from sight as the feathers from Pidgeot fell around where Titan had been previously.

"Byron, what was that opening?"

"Feelers, Mary." Byron rubbed his scruffy chin and hummed. "Both trainers are being careful to not overcommit. Falkner has to respect all of the Rock-type moves at Tyranitar's disposal while conversely if Falkner can land enough Feather Dances, he can win the long game. Whoever can zone out the other better here will win."

A sandstorm began to pick up, whipping up large swathes of dirt from the arena floor. The ground began to bend and crack haphazardly as more dust plumed outward. Falkner gave another signal to his Pidgeot, who's wings began to glow a light blue. With a few flaps, dark clouds began to form over the arena. Rain began to drop from the sky, overriding the sandy sediment and establishing a new weather phenomenon.

"Not the first time someone has used sand against me, Thad. You'll have to be more clever."

Thad chuckled. "Fair play, dude. Still testing things out. We are taking it slow."

A large chunk of rocks shot out of the ground, narrowly missing Pidgeot's left wing. The crowd let out a gasp as the rocks continued to soar upward, tearing a small hole into the ceiling of the arena.

"That's a Stone Edge," Byron confidently said. "Devastating Rock-type move, but tends to be inaccurate. Especially if you can't see your target."

"Then explain to our viewers at home. Why would Thad use such a move?"

Byron mulled over his response as he watched the rain continue to flood the arena, seeping into the hole that the Tyranitar had disappeared into. "I'm guessing it was to go alongside the Sandstorm strategy. Create low visibility and panic, with a chance of a quick OHKO. If that move lands on most Pokemon, especially with a type disadvantage, it's a one way ticket to the Pokemon Center. Thad's already shown us he prefers brute force over Falkner's preference to finesse. We have a complete stylistic clash here."

Titan erupted from the ground, and as they breached the surface, Falkner's Pidgeot unleashed a large gale that began to spin. Collecting debris from the sandstorm and moisture from the Rain Dance, a Hurricane collided with Titan's form, swallowing him up into the eye of the storm.

Thad's eyes scanned his playsheet before he shouted a few orders to his Pokemon, though between the crowd's cheers and the raging storm, his voice was drowned out. From out of the swirling storm, a small object was ejected at a high speed toward Pidgeot. The crowd came to a hush as the object hit Pidgeot squarely in the body, shattering whatever it was. A manila substance coated Pidgeot's feathers, only emphasized by the squawks of distress as they struggled to remain airborne.

Mary whirled back around to her TV crew in the booth, pulling her headset down a bit. "Can we pull that up on the instant replay? What was that?"

"No need," Byron replied, as he leaned in closer to the mic. "The Tyranitar managed to use and land Fling. A niche Dark-type move for hurling an equipped item, which per the rules of the tournament, is one per match. Now," Byron flipped open his program guide on the table before him, looking for Thad's registered team, "All items are registered… ah, here he is. Looks like Thad's Tyranitar… wait that can't be right."

Mary scooted beside Byron, shoving her head in the way to obscure Byron's vision. "It looks like Tyranitar was equipped with a jar of deluxe protein peanut butter! How strange. I thought most trainers opted for berries with unique herbal qualities."

"Most do," Byron's voice was tired and exasperated, "but it seems Thad here took a gamble. An item that held no benefit to his team… unless hurled at the opponent to reduce their speed and evasion."

Ever focused, Thad pointed at his vulnerable adversary. "Alright Titan, drop the hammer on 'em!"

Falkner to his credit didn't falter, steeled by years of experience and dire situations. He placed his right hand into his mouth and let out a shrill whistle to his prized Pidgeot.

The results of Falkner's command were instant, as the struggling bird angled itself downward as a volley of rocks erupted from the ground and began to rain down. Despite the evasive maneuvers, stone after stone came dangerously close to clipping Pidgeot's wings for several seconds… until one large rock managed to slam into their right wing. And then another. And another, until the pinned Pidgeot was immobilized underneath a stony prison of rubble.

Despite wriggling and trying to inch out of the rock tomb, Titan quickly closed the distance for a finishing body slam, securing the knockout. The weather cleared up as the Rain Dance subsided and the crowd erupted into a mix of cheers and loquacious rumor mongering about the mystery man who had just upended a respected gym leader.

"A decisive victory!" Mary shouted, nearly hopping off her stool. "We'll see Thad moving onto round two later today, so stay tuned as we move to commercial and then pivot over to another match in the annual World Pokemon Tournament!"

Thad trotted back onto the dusty stadium field; this arena being a bit more earthy with vegetation clinging to the walls and spindly Ariados webs littering the less clean portions. He'd barely had time to take a whizz and gobble a protein bar before his name had been called back to the forefront. In a 1 on 1 format matches flew by, despite the level of competition being some of the most elite in the world.

But there was still a very fine line between a middling gym leader and a smattering of past champions and weathered Elite Four veterans. Falkner had been Thad's landmark match, and one that should probably have happened weeks ago. He couldn't rest on his laurels. Not when there was another challenge right around the corner.

"And here we are kicking off round two of the World's tournament!" Mary's ecstatic voice cheered over the stadium speakers. "Thad Makri managed to snatch victory earlier over Viridian City's bird specialist, but now we're starting to see the contenders separate from the pack."

"Indeed," Byron said. "And entering the arena from the north side is another surprise competitor from Johto. A write in recommendation from the Johto Pokemon League, Eusine Menash. A self proclaimed expert in legendary beasts and independent researcher. He managed to beat out Milo, a representative from the Galar region."

"Well, let's see what kinda performance these trainers can put on for us!" Mary said. "Right after this commercial break, by PokeBlox."

A catchy jingle rang over the speaker system as Thad and Eusine stepped up to their respective outlined portions of the arena. Thad waved to the mystical man, to which Eusine gave a full bow.

"I was wondering when our paths would cross again!" Eusine smiled brightly, rolling a shrunken Pokeball in between the fingers of his left hand. "I knew there was something special about you, even all the way back then in Cianwood. Feels like a lifetime ago, doesn't it?"

Thad returned a warm smile to the man. It certainly did feel like a lifetime ago since he'd had that battle with Chad on the ship while on his way to Olivine City. His first real battle that he'd ever experienced. He knew that Eusine had taken it easy on him back then, but now the gloves were off.

I wonder if it's time, Thad thought as he unslung his travel bag from his shoulder and surveyed the various Pokeballs inside his bag. He couldn't use Titan until at least the fourth round, so that wasn't an option. Eusine knew he had Chad, or at least could presume as much, so Thad dismissed using his oldest partner, albeit begrudgingly. He glanced over to the stands, and whether it be fate or luck he spotted Marley in the front row, browsing her PokeNav with disinterest.

"Not paying attention, eh?" Thad plucked a Pokeball from the bag, spinning it on the tip of his index finger for the crowd. "Plus, I remember Eusine had some kind of weird anteater dude," Thad double checked the color coated spreadsheet on his laminated playsheet, "yeah, that should be good. Probably."

"You ready Thad?"

"Oh yeah. About to beat you bad enough that people ain't gonna want to hire you for children's parties."

Eusine ran a hand through his voluminous blonde hair and let out a haughty laugh. "Spirited as ever, but I won't be thrown off by a bit of trash talk. Let's just say that my choice of Pokemon will leave no illusions to what strategies are hidden within that dense skull of yours!"

Both trainers hurled their Pokeballs into the hair, and the crowd cheered as their chosen champions materialized from the red light.

"Wow, talk about a mismatch! Byron, what do you think?"

"Terrible luck for Eusine."

Eusine grimaced as his Alakazam floated down gently in the air in front of him, both spoons held out like daggers ready to inflict psychic chaos. On the other end of the arena, Trouble made bored face as they scratched their butt with their sharpened talons.

"I didn't take you for someone to have a Weavile. Such a calculated move, I applaud you! But be wary Thad, for I have many tricks up my-"

"I was just making good on a promise," Thad looked toward Marley in the crowd, waving his arms, "hey, check it out, Marley! You're on TV!"

An image of Marley appeared on the panning camera and jumbotron screen, to which the gothic girl slumped down in her seat and covered her face with her PokeNav. Thad chuckled to himself, and began to rummage through his travel bag once more. Eusine squinted in confusion, but began to bark orders to his premium Psychic-type Pokemon.

"Not taking me seriously will not earn you any style points, Thad!"

"Yeah, yeah, quiet you, I'm getting lunch. My break was too short and I only got a snack," Thad replied nonchalantly. "Can't watch a good match on an empty stomach. Gotta get ready for the next round."

On cue as Thad began to set up his beefy buffet spread, Trouble stopped loafing around and sprung into action, side stepping a Dazzling Gleam from their adversary. Dust kicked up as Trouble sped across the battlefield, only traceable as a blackish-purple blur. Night Slash after Night Slash were lashed out at the Alakazam, narrowly missing their mark as Eusine gave erratic signals for their partner to teleport to safety, but only for a brief moment.

Thad began to make himself a large sandwich, complete with an assortment of exotic cheeses and meats he'd bought previously in the morning. He had to compress the sandwich a bit to be able to fit into his mouth, only occasionally looking up at Trouble ply their frenzied trade.

They'd worked out a strategy yesterday when his whole team was milling about, knowing that during one of the first few rounds he'd want to showcase Trouble's prowess of unrelenting speed and offense. Why worry about defense when you could dictate the flow of the match and play offense the entire time? Hell, he even duct taped a Quick Claw to Trouble for good measure, just in case. The final touch to the strategy was knowing Trouble's tendencies, and listening wasn't their strong suit when riled up. The game plan was simple and with a type advantage that Thad gambled on, his doubts were all but put to rest.

"Byron… is Thad really making lunch? Isn't that disrespectful?" Mary asked over the loudspeaker.

Byron let out a deep, pondering hum. He mulled over his thoughts for several seconds as the crowd was no louder than a whisper as they watched the two Pokemon warp across the battlefield at nigh untraceable speeds. "It might be. Or it could be a part of a greater counter strategy. Eusine did showcase a Psychic-type in the first round, so Thad may be trying to obfuscate him and his Pokemon's thoughts from any kind of mental intrusions. Besides, pre-established strategies from trainers is uncommon, but not unheard of… but even so, usually the trainer pays attention to the match and doesn't make lunch instead."

"And the match, Byron?" Mary asked. "I can hardly see what's happening."

"Alakazam and Weavile are some of the fastest known Pokemon used in competitive scenes. Neither is holding back, so I reckon whoever lands the first blow will—"

In one graceful stroke in a moment between heartbeats, Trouble managed to land a terrible gash across the Alakazam's forehead. The spoon wielding Pokemon recoiled in pain and raised its arms in defense and floated backward to reset themselves. Except Trouble didn't relent, and their Pursuit sealed Alakazam's fate with a ornery headbutt into their wiry abdomen.

Trouble raised their left razor sharp hand as they hovered above the fallen Alakazam, tilting their head curiously to the side as the Psychic-type briefly tried to push themselves up, but their frail musculature failed them. One Alakazam's head fell, despite the cries of protest from Eusine, Trouble bolted around the chalky perimeter of the arena waving at the crowd and hopping intermittently.

Thad smiled as he noticed the display from the corner of his eye. He finished splitting the sandwich in two, and held up one of the wedges. Trouble snatched the protein packed morsel from his hand and stuffed into their mouth with the grace of a half-starved Munchlax. About a third of the sandwich didn't even make it into Trouble's demanding maw.

"Weav! Weav!" Trouble cooed, spewing bread chunks from their mouth as they cheered. They plopped onto the dusty ground and made a sand angel with a few flails, then promptly passed out. The crowd devolved from cheers into a smattering of whispers and quiet confusion.

"Go hard or go home as they say," Thad said, retrieving Trouble's Pokeball. The precocious Weavile was sent back to their metallic home, then Thad turned his attention to Eusine. "You alright over there?"

"My strategy… I, I-'' Eusine found himself choked up on his own words, "I just can't believe it. You pressured me and pushed one of my finest to the brink all while making a sandwich."

Thad shrugged and flashed a warm smile. "Hey, I trained hard for this match. Just a matter of knowing my posse like the back of my hand, and I know Trouble does what Trouble does. The sandwich was a motivator, if you saw them give it a hungry look earlier. You just got, well, got. Happens bro."

"I suppose it does." Eusine let out a slow breath, regaining his composure. He gave a shallow bow to Thad, and then to the crowd before he spun on his heel. "You better not lose then, Thad. I'll be downright furious if you lose in the next round. Don't go on making me look bad now!"

Thad grinned. "Bet."

"And there you have it folks, a quick and decisive end to this round two match!" Mary said. "Let's get the next competitors on deck, and remember, don't be shy about getting refreshments at our Tropius Tent!"

Thad wiped the sweat from his brow as he entered the dimly lit tunnel. The sounds of the roaring crowd faded behind him as he swaggered forth. With his first official wins notched, Thad made his way back to the large staging lobby.

Jazzy's gotta be around here somewhere…

Despite a few people chatting and some others camped out in remote corners of the vast hall, he didn't recognize anybody immediately. Just as he let out a sigh, he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder blade. Thad whirled around to see a familiar head of pinkish hair coiled into wild ringlets.

"Thad! Looks like you didn't get lost after all. Place is pretty big, huh?"

"Whitney! Wassup girl! Looking good as always," Thad replied, giving Whitney a high five. "How'd your match go?"

Whitney paused for a moment, shooting Thad a coy look as he waited with baited breath. After a few patient seconds, Whitney let out a boisterous cheer and pumped her fists high above her head. "I nailed it! Some hotshot from Paldea. Miltank cleaned up easily enough. Falkner's advice came through," Whitney lowered her arms and straightened out her posture as she glanced at a few other trainers beginning to watch, "um, anyway, how did yours go?"

"Speaking of the bird man… I kinda dunked on him," Thad sheepishly replied. Whitney made an 'o' with her mouth as Thad let out an awkward chuckle. "Always weird fighting someone from the home team, but I did what I had to do. Titan is kinda cracked, kinda wish I'd found 'em earlier to help push my team."

"That's your Tyranitar, right?"

"Bet."

Whitney rolled her eyes. "You might have been able to handle it, but having some experience before having such a volatile Pokemon on your team is probably for the best. Not that I'm doubting you, it's just… Well, I heard about Azalea Town."

Thad nodded along. "Yeah, I feel ya. Makes sense."

"Still, I can't help but be a little jealous of your success." Whitney's voice dropped to a more serious tone. "You're making a lot of us look bad by soaring through the ranks."

"I think that says more about y'all than it does me," Thad said. "Haters gonna hate. You gotta find your own motivation. Introspection and all that stuff."

A forced smile graced Whitney's lips. "Introspection."

"Yeah, that's what I said."

"And now calling Thad of Johto to stage two. Stage two, Thad of Johto."

The speaker system boomed above, interrupting an increasingly awkward conversation. Thad knew Whitney wasn't the most secure when it came to her career success. Hell, on the opposite end, Thad almost felt bad that he'd made such tremendous progress so quickly. Almost. He wasn't going to discount the effort he'd put into learning Pokemon. When it came to a new competition, he always put in 110% of his effort and devotion. The mathematically improbable part is probably what irked most people about his massive gains.

"Oh dang, would ya look at the time!" Thad gestured to his bare wrist dramatically. "Looks like I gotta go. But, uh, drinks later?"

"Yeah, yeah. Go out there and do your thing. It's fine as long as it's not me, I suppose."

Whitney waved Thad off as she lifted her chin and folded her arms across her chest. Thad winked and bolted down the corridor, barely able to contain his excitement for the next match. Tournament day always brought out heavy emotions from people. Thad couldn't help that it brought out the best of him.

Chad looked forward as the red tinted light faded from his vision. Before him, a great and mighty turtle creature with blue skin and cannons protruding from its back. Chad flexed all four of his massive biceps, a standard greeting and challenge among his kind. As was tradition.

"You know what to do, Chad! Give 'em the business!" Thad shouted. "It's a standard Cover Three with a deep post. Finish with a little wiggle!"

Thad's command rang in Chad's ear as the muscle bound behemoth processed his mentor's words. Business meant that it was time to punch, and punch he could. Cover three? Clearly a water type Pokemon, which dictated what kind of punch to lead with; Thunder Punch. Deep post meant to take a slightly exaggerated leap forward before going for an uppercut, probably to avoid the thick shell. Then rinse and repeat until he achieved, as Thad called it, 'The W'. Chad still wasn't exactly what the W was except defeating another in the glory of combat, but it got him protein and attention. And here attention and protein were more plentiful than a horde of Zubat in Dark Cave.

And finally, the wiggle? No match was complete with it. Pose for the cameras, baby. With each individual muscle group perfectly on display, Chad was determined to flex 'em all.

"Don't get caught off guard Blastoise!" Leaf's previously soft voice now had a bit of roughness to it. A battle tested veteran underneath the cutesy exterior. "We need to slow him down!"

Slow me down? Chad couldn't help but flex his trapes. As is tradition when posed with such a facsimile challenge. While the Blastoise had the girth to compete, no doubt absolutely shredded underneath that shell, Chad silently contemplated the turtle's cardio.

"Remember Chad, cardio is king in any kind of close match. Never skip leg day."

Thad's eternal words of wisdom boomed inside Chad's head as he took off into a full sprint. The crowd roared to life as Chad went to work. Blastoise, to their credit, hid inside their protective shell. They began to rotate at an increasingly fast rate, though Chad pressed on. Just because they hid didn't mean you abandoned the plan.

"Chad! Blue 22!"

Unless of course his mentor decided it was the perfect time for an audible. Chad shifted his weight and pounced into the air, raising both fists on his right side and then collided with the ground with two violent punches. Dust and debris exploded upward from the stadium ground, enveloping Blastoise in the destruction. As annoying as Chad found Titan, the big lug did have some good moves in his arsenal. Cross training wasn't all for naught it seemed.

"Oh, and it looks like Leaf's Shell Smash attempt was disrupted by Machamp using Earthquake! Quite the way to close the distance!"

Thank you mysterious sky voice, Chad thought as he covered his face as the dust began to settle.

"Toise!"

So, he wants some more? Chad watched the Blastoise free themselves from the ground; their face pinched in a mix of anger and focus. Hardly a scratch too. Looks like we'll have a grand fight after all! Witness me!

"Remember the plan, dude!"

Chad cracked his knuckles, all of them, as he stared down his adversary. Each Pokemon took a moment to respect each other's chutzpah. Then, in the blink of an eye, Blastoise rocketed forward with assistance from their shoulder cannons while Chad replied in kind by channeling the imagery of hardened still to the forefront of both fists on his left side.

Chad and Blastoise's heightened priority moves canceled each other's momentum out as they clashed in the center of the craggy stadium ground. The ground cracked underneath both Pokemon as shell met fist. Blastoise rolled off of Chad's fist and exited their shell with their increasingly common irritated glare.

Did they expect me to falter? To slide backward? Chad flexed his glutes for the crowd and his opponent. This is the power of leg day.

The earth underneath Chad bent and groaned underneath as he charged forward, winding up both his right arms. He felt the power surge within his biceps, begging to be let loose. Feints and deception weren't anything Chad found himself adept at, even since his training days under Chuck as a young Machop. He much preferred the direct approach, even if that meant absorbing some damage to deal even more. Chad grinned as he saw the Blastoise dig their feet into the ground and the giant cannons on their back vibrate for a moment.

Some water? I could use a rinse. Sure, I am working up a sweat. How kind of them. Chad bellowed out a macho warcry and tanked the oncoming Hydro Pump, driving his left shoulder through the torrent. He could feel the force of the water tear at his skin, stinging as he pressed on. Alright, let's see how you like this one.

For a moment, the world around Chad and Blastoise slowed down. The sound of the crowd and battle became all but a whisper in the wind, and the two arena warriors locked eyes. A mischievous smile split Chad's face as he unveiled his protected right arms. Blastoise gawked but only for a moment before instinct took over and they began to try and retreat their head inside to the safety of their shell.

The meaty slap echoed throughout the arena, shaking even the stands. Thad's hollering sounded so distant to Chad as he completed the followthrough of his Dynamic Punch; the first true external technique he'd learned and committed to memory.

A large red lump had already begun to bubble up on the Blastoise's head as they were unable to withdraw their head in time. Chad looked over to his adversaries coach, but the young woman seemed to be just as stunned as the crowd.

"Toise!" Chad blinked as the Blastoise fell forward, but spun at an accelerated rate. A bluish aura surrounded their tail as it slammed into Chad's chiseled side.

So they've got some fight left in them. Good! Chad grabbed onto the Blastoise's tail with all his arms, hugging around the Aqua Tail technique. After this, you'll be wishing you'd stayed down!

"Atta boy Chad, run the gauntlet!"

Chad felt a surge of adrenaline course through his body as he twisted with the momentum of the Aqua Tail. Submission was a favored technique of all Machamps and alike kin. Sure, it wasn't the most accurate or even most powerful of Fighting-type techniques, but neither Thad nor Chuck had told Chad to abandon the technique. It made for an excellent training tool to harden one's body. Plus, it looked rad as hell.

Thad ran along the sideline of the battlefield cheering on his oldest companion as they tumbled with the Blastoise, rolling their bodies around on the ground like a rock tumbler with a penchant for grappling. Leaf shouted her own commands, mostly techniques to escape, but Chad's grip proved too immense as great trenches were carved into the ground as the Submission continued.

Once the dust settled, Chad let go of the Blastoise. There were no contested movements this time, and even Chad felt that last round in his bones. Even his vision was a bit blurry, but the explosion of cheers from the crowd and excited sounds of the mysterious sky voice all but confirmed his victory. He soon after felt something lift him up, and as his vision returned to normal, Chad found himself perched up on Thad's shoulder.

Chad was too tired to feel immaculate by being picked up, but Thad was an exception. He was strong for a human. Impossibly so that made him wonder if they were long lost distant cousins of some sort.

"Tonight Chad, we feast like kings!" Thad said, waving to the crowd. "I knew you could get us through to the next round."

Chad nodded sagely, too tired to let out even the smallest of words. I was built for this. Glory be to us, coach.

Jasmine sat on one of the cold steel benches inside the Pokemon League. Her hair was a bit messier than she'd liked and her eyes held a distinct distant and hollow look to them.

The bracket had not been kind to her. First round she'd been dealt Koga of all people. A tough match up, but she'd leaned on her type advantage and chose her Skarmory against his Skuntank, an odd choice and most likely chosen to throw her off. Still, she'd edged him out in the end.

The second round she'd been dealt Crasher Wake, a deceptively difficult matchup. She'd grown up in Sinnoh and the man knew her better than most, and the fact he saved his Gyarados for her was especially troublesome. So much so she had to use her Magnezone. Only after weathering several Earthquakes and Fire Fangs did she manage to survive the battle, with even some talk going around it might be one of the top five clashes of round two.

Round three is where it all fell to pieces. None other than Iris, current reigning champion of Unova had been her luck of the draw. Despite throwing the gauntlet at the woman with her Metagross, Iris had kept her Haxorus in her back pocket especially for round three and managed to eke out a win in the end with a series of Crunch attacks and a devastating opening move in First Impression.

"And here I was thinking I'd go the distance this time." Jasmine massaged her cheeks with her left hand. She could feel the stain of her dried tears still there. "Can't be helped I suppose… only time to wait for—"

"And our matches for round three have come to a grand conclusion," Mary's sprightly voice sang out on the intercom. "Now, I know we're all tired from today, but round four will take place tomorrow at noon as the battlefield narrows. Here's the 3v3 match-ups to look forward to tomorrow!"

Jasmine held her breath. She'd not seen Thad all day, which wasn't too surprising considering all the chaos that the first day of the World's tournament invited. She still couldn't help but feel unnerved a bit, so much so that she had refused to finish her Oran berry smoothie before her third and final match.

"Here's our next line-up of matches for our sweet sixteen!"

Some names weren't surprising in the least to Jasmine. The likes of Cynthia, Iris, Leon, Red, Gold, and Lance were notable headliners. Jasmine raised an eyebrow as Lt. Surge's name was called. The man had been making a push for the Elite Four for a while, and this might be the momentum he needed.

"And our final match for tomorrow, Thad from Johto versus Brad from Kanto!"

Jasmine bolted upright. She snatched her shoulder bag and jogged down the large underground hallway to find a TV, looking upward at the digitized bracket.

"By Arceus… he actually did it. He made it past day one," Jasmine said with awe.

Jasmine felt a swell of pride within her chest as his name graced the final bracket. Sure, disappointment still poked at her. The fall from having high self standards was a terrible one, but the bumbling jock she'd helped out of Olivine several months ago was now on the biggest stage in the world. Her eyes traced the alignment of the bracket, tracking the path Thad had to take to get to the finals.

"He… he might win this," Jasmine whispered, as if it were a secret to her from the universe. Her eyes locked in on his final match against Leaf, a former champion of Johto that had staunchly defeated Jasmine a few years ago. "And he didn't have the easiest path. If he got past her, then he might actually do it."

Jasmine jumped in the air as a catchy ringtone erupted from her PokeNav. She wrestled with the straps of her travel bag to dig out her device. She nearly dropped it as she fished it out.

There was a simple text message from Thad, 'Where R U? Bird Man is buying dinner at that one place with the banana dragon. Get your cute booty over here!'

Jasmine shook her head as she stuffed the PokeNav, but couldn't keep a smile from gracing her lips. Some relaxation and enjoyment after a stressful day was just what she needed. Winning was great, but being surrounded by friends was priceless. Especially when Falkner was buying.

A/N: Wow, took me long enough, eh? Between work and some absolutely crazy life events, this hand to end up on the back burner for most of May and earlier June. I'm just glad that the end is nigh and we can all celebrate this insane journey. We've got a few more battles, and they only get more complex and protein packed from here on out. Also, I went back and fixed a continuity error back in chapter 27. Thanks to the review pointing it out about the tournament structure. All is aligned :)

Want to help? I'm planning some end of tournament interview stuff for Thad, so I think it'd be fun to some questions from you, the audience. Drop a review for a question for Thad, and maybe it'll make the cut!

For more fics, memes, and/or in-depth discussions (or to ask me workout tips and protein preferences lol), come visit the Fanfiction Treehouse server here: Discord . gg / u89gs745fn

Until next time and thanks for reading, y'all are awesome.