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Pokemon: Further Evolutions

CH 11

Don't Give In

"'Good morning everyone!'" Raticate screamed over the roaring crowd, "'Welcome back to the Beginner rank tournament! We've reached the semi-finals, and now only four fighters remain!'" He gestured towards the four of them with his paw; Grovyle, Kyo, Meowstick, and Graveler. "'Alright everyone, let's not waste any more time! Let's show those brackets!'" At that, two morphs quickly moved over to the covered white board and removed the cloth covering it. It was much easier to figure out who was who this time around. It was still the same picture as before, but the fighters that had been eliminated were crossed out. With a quick glance, the combatants quickly found who was going against who, with Grovyle going against Graveler, and Kyo going against Meowstick.

So..._Kyo thought to himself, _looks like we really have_to meet in the finals if we really want to settle things between us..._ He glanced over at Grovyle, whose determination was practically emanating from her body. He then glanced over at her opponent, who was one of the few and now the only normal pokemon participating in this tournament. It was almost out of the question who would come out victorious in their match, but the question was how easily the victory would be achieved.

"'We've seen a lot of skilled fighters so far,'" Raticate continued, "'and only one of the matches so far showcased one fighter's absolute control over their match. So don't be fooled by today's match ups, and expect some spectacular performance today!'" The crowd voiced their approval at that, and Raticate smirked broadly. "'I think I've stalled for long enough. So GRAVELER! GROVYLE! Get yourselves all prepped up! Cuz your match is up first!'" The two fighters nodded in acknowledgement and walked off to the individual waiting rooms. Kyo silently watched her walk past him before proceeding to take a seat amongst the crowd. Reaching the doorway, Grovyle stopped and turned around. She caught one last glimpse of Kyo before he vanished from sight. She shook her head and sighed, flicking her leafy tails once before stepping through.

She walked over to the center of the room and closed her eyes. She took a couple of deep breaths before beginning to stretch. Just two more fights, she thought to herself, Just two more, then I'll finally be rid of him_...and everything else..._ She bent over and reached for her toes, frowning at the thoughts she had conjured up. Stupid gator... Why couldn't he just let me be happy? What did I ever do to him to make him want to get in my way? The memories of their first night on the ship suddenly came to mind. With a slight growl, she shook her head and pushed away the thoughts. She stood straight and began to stretch her legs. Dammit. Just stay focused. Only two more... Then it'll all be over... After finishing one last stretch, the grass type turned back and made her way to her side of the stage. As she walked out, she saw that her opponent was already waiting for her on the other side. She barely even noticed that she had reached the center of the arena. The introductions between each other went by in a flash, and before she knew it, she was waiting on the other side of the arena.

Just you...and Kyo... She began to clench her fist, but soon contained herself to breathe evenly. She took on a defensive stance as she awaited the signal.

"'Both fighters...ready...'" Raticate began, slowly raising his paw, "'Both fighters...set...'" A moment of silence passed. Graveler began to shuffle slightly around on his feet and Grovyle remained perfectly still. Without warning, Raticate's paw shot down.

"'BATTLE START!!!'"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Graveler hopped up into the air before spinning rapidly. Once he hit the ground again, he shot forward at an alarming rate. Grovyle acted quickly, jumping off to the side and firing off several Magical Leaves to slow the boulder-like pokemon down. I can't allow Kyo to have his way, she told herself, I_won't _allow him to have his way. Graveler made a very sudden turn and caught her off guard. She was blown back as Graveler's curled up body slammed into her with a powerful force. It only took her a few moments to recover, though it was all the time she was given before she was forced to dodge out of the way again. She quickly caught her bearings and let off another cluster of Magical Leaves. Kyo won't be the one to win. I will! she continued to tell herself.He's weak willed. I'm willing to give up everything_to accomplish this!_ She threw her leaves a little harder this time before jumping out of the way again. As she did this though, Graveler was given enough time to predict her next hop and adjust his angle accordingly. He swerved around and struck Grovyle again. She let out a sharp cry as the ground type impacted her. She rolled around a bit before she was able to quickly get back up on her feet. Using a well-timed Detect, she was able to dodge at just the right moment and give herself a good amount of breathing room.

I won't believe your lies, she continued,You act like you're nice. You act like you care. You act like you're my friend. But you just want me as your possession... JUST like them_..._ Suddenly, the memories of the times she spent with Kyo rushed into her head. The times when they talked to each other...the times when they laughed with each other...the times when they--NO!_She shook her head. _They were all just lies! Nothing more! So caught up was she in her thoughts that she failed to notice Graveler shooting towards her from the side. Before she could react, she was blown back into the nearest wall. Her body bounced off of it with a hard thud and she fell to the ground. The crowd gasped in shock, and the judges stood from their seats. Graveler skidded to a stop a few good meters in front of her and watched carefully. Grovyle laid there on the ground for only a few moments before she began to stir. With clenched teeth, she struggled back onto her feet. All the while staring her opponent down with a cold glare. This made the ground type feel uneasy and he began to shuffle around on his feet. It was only after Grovyle had been standing for a good minute did the judges sit back down. She wasn't out of the fight; she wouldn't allow it.

No more thinking about him, she told herself, that can wait until we meet each other in the finals... Using one arm to brace herself against the wall, Grovyle summoned another cluster of Magical Leaves and sent them shooting towards Graveler. The boulder-like pokemon hastily shielded himself with his four arms before he hopped back up into the air and spun rapidly. As soon as he hit the ground, he shot towards her at an incredibly high speed. But Grovyle had anticipated this. Summoning her strength, she jumped back onto the wall to hop off of it and perform a wall jump. She cleared over Graveler as he slammed himself into the wall and left himself stunned. As she descended, she whipped her arm out and slashed her Leaf Blade down Graveler's back. He let out a cry of pain as he stumbled forward and towards the wall. Once she landed, Grovyle ran forward and grabbed onto Graveler's back. She continued to run forward until his face was slammed into the arena wall. He tried to struggle out of her grip, but as she closed her eyes and focused on her hands, his struggling weakened and weakened until he couldn't struggle any further. Once she noticed this, she released her grip on him and backed away panting heavily. Raticate hurriedly scurried closer. And after a final glance at the judges and looking over Graveler's condition, he rushed over to the center of the stage.

"'Ladies and gentlemen,'" he began, "'this match's sweeping victory goes to...GROVYLE!!!'" The crowd exploded into cheers of approval. As several morphs helped with getting Graveler out of the arena, Grovyle closed her eyes and let out a content sigh.

"'One down,'" she said under her breath, "'Just one more to go...'" She opened her eyes and looked around at the crowd. She looked through the various morphs in search of someone...very specific. Suddenly, she felt a gentle poke from a paw at her leg.

"'Ahem...miss Grovyle,'" said Raticate, "'it's time you moved off of the stage. We need to prepare for the next match.'" Grovyle glanced back up one last time and looked over the crowd before nodding and walking off to find her own place to sit amongst the audience. As she did, Kyo stepped out of his spot in the audience to make his way into his prep room.

Well...she's made it, Kyo thought to himself as he watched her go, I guess I should step up my game then, cuz that means I really can't lose now... He turned away and walked into the room. Once he was in, he was surprised to see Lucario standing there already waiting for him.

"Oh, Lucario," he began, "I didn't expect you to be here. I would've thought you'd be up there watching with Teddy."

"'And I would've,'" she replied, "'but I wanted to tell you something.'" She slowly approached him and placed a paw on his shoulder. "'Be...very careful with your next opponent. She's a psychic type, and I can tell you from personal experience that psychics can prove to be extremely difficult opponents to fight.'" She let his shoulder go and looked him directly in the eyes. "'Kyo, of all the times to start slacking off, do not start now. You're going to need all of your concentration in this fight. Ya hear me?'" Kyo nodded, refraining from saying anything in response. Lucario smirked. "'I don't mean to try and scare you, but I'm tellin ya, this fight is _not_going to be easy.'" Kyo chuffed.

"Well," he began, "it's not like any of my previous fights have been easy." Lucario laughed and patted his shoulder.

"'Too true,'" she said, "'so I guess I shouldn't worry.'" She poked him in the chest. "'Don't prove me wrong then, alright?'" Kyo smirked and nodded. A knock at the entrance was heard behind him. He turned to look and saw a morph standing there in wait.

"'All ready?'" she asked.

"Uhh...few more minutes please," he replied, "still gonna stretch." With an understanding nod, she left him be and started for the other direction. He turned back to Lucario who patted him on the shoulder.

"'Alright, go get em kid,'" she said as she walked past him, "'Make your teacher proud.'"

"Heh, I'll do my best." Soon enough, she disappeared from his sight and was making her way through the crowd to find a seat. Kyo let out a long sigh and got right to his stretches.

Almost there, he thought to himself, then...we'll finally be able to settle things once and for all. He pushed the thought aside. It was time to focus on the fight at hand. Telling from what Lucario had said in her warning about psychics, this would be another uphill battle. Only this time, he didn't have the handicap of a type advantage. The playing field was even there, so skill level would ultimately decide this match's winner. So I'll just have to be more skilled... He moved on to stretch his legs. Sounds easy enough... Hopefully it's as easy as it sounds... Finishing up his last stretch, he clapped his hands together and made his way into the arena. He quickly made his way over to his side as Raticate pumped up the crowd.

"'And now we're here for the final match of the semi-finals!'" he shouted, "'Oh! And it looks like it's all set to go! So let's get this show on the ROAD!!!'" The crowd cheered loudly in agreement. "'For this final fight, we've got the dazzling psychic. The sultry feline. Ladies and gentlemen, give it up...for MEOWSTICK!'" She waved to the crowd as they cheered her on, sometimes blowing kisses and sometimes wiggling her fingers at them. "'And her opponent!'" Raticate shouted over them, "'He's quick on his feet. He packs a mean punch. Everyone, let's give it up for KYO!!!'" The crowd roared loudly, and he merely waved awkwardly back at them.

I...am_so _not used to crowds... He discarded the thought as he was directed to move to the center of the arena. As he walked forward, he found his gaze locked with his opponent's. It was at that point that he realized the gravity of the situation. He remembered the day he had seen Celest, the Gardevoir, lift a beached Wailord all on her own and return him to the sea. Though it was the power of an island leader, he was sure that Meowstick would prove to have similar capabilities. That uphill battle...is starting to feel more like up a mountain... Before he knew it, the two of them met at the center. As Raticate moved off to the side, Kyo noticed the psychic type giving him a look over. She giggled for a moment before looking him in the eyes.

"'Say...'" she began, "'you're pretty cute for a Feraligatr.'" Kyo quickly found a blush rising up in his cheeks. As much as he struggled, he failed to maintain a straight face. Meowstick only continued to giggle as she noticed his internal struggles. "'And a shy one at too, how adorable.'"

S-stay focused Kyo, he told himself in his head, Just focus on why I'm here... I'm here so that I can make it to the finals...

"'You know...'" she continued before shaking her head and placing a finger upon her chin, "'it's a shame really...'"

Kyo blinked upon hearing that. He looked to her with a confused glance. "Why...do you say that?'" Meowstick smirked. She made a pouty face as she made her reply.

"'Because it means I barely have to lift a finger to take you down...'"

Kyo felt his chest tighten. He suddenly felt tenser than before. She wasn't just trying to flirt with him or anything of the sort. She was taunting him. Even worse, she already felt that she was the victor of this match. She held out a paw, offering him a handshake. He hesitated, unsure on whether or not to go through with it. He looked her dead in the eyes; he would not be intimidated by her. He was going to win this match, and that was that. He took hold of her paw in a firm grip and shook hands with her. Nothing else needed to be said. The only communication that would be made between them from that point on would be in battle. They walked over to their sides of the arena as they awaited the call to fight.

"'Alright!'" Raticate shouted from the sidelines, "'Let's do this! Match two of the beginner rank semi-finals!'" Kyo adjusted his footing and took on a battle stance. His tail waved about behind anxiously. "'Both fighters...at the ready!'" Kyo began to even out his breathing and tuned out all other sounds from his mind. "'Both fighters...set...'" Raticate's paw began to rise. Kyo kept his gaze locked on his opponent, who was simply standing there calmly with a smirk spread across her muzzle. The sight made him nervous, and he had to take a moment to even out his breathing to fix that. His heart kept pounding in his chest, and soon his nervousness returned to him. Before he was able to calm himself, Raticate's paw shot downwards.

"'BATTLE START!!!'"

Kyo tensed and quickly took on a more defensive stance. He continued to feel his heart pound in his chest as he watched Meowstick in anticipation of her first move. However, she merely giggled and continued to stand there in her spot. A moment passed, then another, and then another. Hesitating, Kyo inched his way closer. All of the while, Meowstick stayed where she was and watched him casually. Kyo began to tense again; clearly she wasn't going to make the first move, and that meant that he had to. He growled under his breath. Not gonna take the initiative, huh? he thought to himself, Fine...have it your way then! Left with nothing else to do, Kyo charged forward and began to close the space between them. Even as he did this, Meowstick remained where she was with the same laid back expression on as before.

Once he was close enough, Kyo threw a right hook at her. But she easily sidestepped away from the swing and avoided the attack. Kyo kept on the offensive and threw another punch her way, but she avoided the attack as well by leaning away. Kyo growled in frustration and threw another punch, this one harder than the first two attempts. But again, the psychic type easily evaded the attack, going so far as to spin around daintily in the process. Kyo growled a bit louder this time, beginning to feel angered by how easily she was avoiding his attacks. Kyo remained on the offensive, seeing as she was making no attempts at going offensive herself, and swung at her again with another punch. Yet without even looking, without her eyes even open, Meowstick leaned far back enough to avoid the blow as well.

The hell?! Changing tactics, Kyo tried to deliver a kick to her side. But yet again, she was able to completely avoid the attack, this time taking a single step back and taking on some sort of ballerina stance. Kyo growled even louder; she was beginning to get on his nerves. Between the cocky attitude, and now this, Kyo's patience was already running low. He tried rushing her this time, charging forward in a tackle. However, yet again the psychic evaded the attack, this time by gracefully spinning off to his side. Kyo stumbled a bit as he slid to a stop. He turned again and rushed forward, this time leading with a low sweep. But yet again, with her eyes _still_closed, she managed to avoid the attack, this time choosing to perform a back flip over his sweeping leg. She landed in an exaggerated pose, earning a roar of excitement from the crowd. Kyo bared his teeth as he got back up and took on a defensive stance.

Okay...calm down..._he thought to himself, _I'll never beat her if I get frustrated. After taking several breaths to recover his stamina, and after confirming that Meowstick still didn't have any intent on going on the offensive, Kyo charged forward again. Once he was close enough, he threw a firm forward punch at her midsection. But just like his previous attempts, she managed to evade. Without moving her feet, she curved her body away to avoid the strike and reached out with her paw to tap Kyo lightly on the nose. The action caused his anger to flare up again, but he did his best to keep a level head. He followed through with the punch before spinning to whip his long tail at her. However, she avoided that attempt to attack as well by curving her body back and planting her paws on the ground for balance.

As a result, Kyo's tail sailed straight over her and left her untouched. It didn't matter to Kyo this time, as this tactic was meant primarily to create some space between them. Once he was completely turned around, he stopped and took on another defensive stance again. Quickly concluding that she still had no intent on attacking, Kyo charged forward again and threw an uppercut her way. Again, the attack didn't connect as she leaned her head away and spun daintily around in a very ballerina-like fashion. As she finished her spin, she took on another ballerina stance and earned several whistles and cheers from the crowd. But Kyo kept up the pressure and threw several punches her way. Unfortunately for him, none of them managed to hit. Meowstick only continued to evade his attacks again and again, all with closed eyes. Every attack he threw was easily evaded, and she did so in a manner that almost seemed effortless. The harder he tried to land a hit, the easier time she seemed to have with avoiding him. At this point, she was quite literally dancing circles around him.

Why can't I hit her?! Kyo thought to himself, Even with her eyes closed she seems to be able to predict all of my attacks. It's almost as if...she can...read my... The Feraligatr-morph faltered in his form as he came to a realization.

Read your mind? a new voice suddenly sounded out in his head, At least that's what I'm assuming you were going to say. Because if so, you'd be incredibly correct. Though I'm honestly surprised that it took you this long to figure out. You men really aren't the brightest of creatures, are you? The statement angered Kyo, and he threw a heavy forward punch her way. However, just before his fist could make contact with her abdomen, his entire arm suddenly stopped where it was. Looking up, Kyo saw Meowstick's paw casually held up in the air with a faint pink aura surrounding it. With a smirk, she flicked her wrist and sent Kyo flying over to the other side of the ring. Her psychic hold on him was released, and Kyo hit the wall of the arena back first with an audible thud. He cried out in pain before falling to the ground and collapsing. But he refused to stay down. With clenched teeth, Kyo struggled up to his knees and locked eyes with the feline. She giggled and folded her arms under her chest.

"'You know,'" she began, "'I would ask if that was all you've got, but I already know the answer.'" With a loud growl, Kyo got up and charged her. She only giggled again and allowed him to close up the space between them. But as soon as he came within range, Meowstick merely flicked her wrist and sent him flying back into the same spot of the back wall. Kyo cried out again as his body landed hard against it and fell to the ground. He clenched his eyes closed as he tried to recover and fight through the pain. With a grunt, he got back up again and tried to rush her once more. She giggled again as she watched him struggle to maintain his speed. Once he came close, Meowstick held up a single finger and held him there. Kyo struggled against her psychic grip to no avail. Meowstick used her free paw to wave to him goodbye before sending him flying high up in the arena. Kyo flailed around uselessly as he plummeted back down. He hit the ground hard and cried out again. He laid there clutching his shoulder and groaning. Nothing felt broken or dislocated, but it still hurt a hell of a lot. He opened his eyes, only to see the edges of his vision beginning to blacken. He growled loudly and tried to fight off unconsciousness.

With a pained cry, Kyo rolled onto his front before staggering back onto his feet. He panted heavily and once again locked his eyes on his opponent. Not yet, he told himself, not caring in the least bit that his opponent could hear his thoughts, I'm not blacking out of this yet. Letting out a battle cry, Kyo charged forward again with as much strength as he could muster. Meowstick smiled at his effort and waited for him to come closer. Just like before, once he was within arm's reach, Meowstick's paw went up and Kyo was held in place. With a flick of her wrist, Kyo was sent flying back and he hit the wall once more. He landed on the ground with a hard thud. After laying there for a moment groaning in pain, he coughed several times before slowly struggling to his feet. He was beginning to feel light headed, and his vision was becoming blurred. His knees wobbled which made it hard for him to maintain his balance. Though he was in a dazed state, he knew that he wouldn't be lasting long in his current condition. However, he didn't know what else to do. If he attempted his Water Gun, he would have to deal with his gag reflex impeding him. If he somehow got over it, he would have great difficulty aiming it. And if he somehow got over that, his attack would most likely be redirected by Meowstick's psychic powers. His only solution was to just hit her, but it seemed impossible considering he hadn't been able to so much as touch her when she did allow him to get close.

But it was all he had.

Roaring out and fighting off his fatigue and pain, he ran forward again and drew his arm back. Meowstick began to giggle again, amused by his feeble attempt to attack. She merely repeated the process again, catching him in her psychic grip and sending him flying back. Kyo cried out again as he struck the wall for the fourth time. He laid on the ground for a moment longer before clawing his way back up to his feet. It took him much longer to finally stand, and once he was back up and standing, his balance wavered every now and then. Up in the stands, Lucario's paws were clenched tightly.

"'Dammit,'" she cursed under her breath, her eyes locked solely on the water type, "'he's thinking too much about his attack. He's making it too easy for her to read his movements and counter them.'" She growled a bit and began to stand, intending to try and tell him to stop thinking so much. However, as she rose from her seat, a heavy paw kept her from rising any further. When she turned to look, it turned out to be Teddy's.

"Leave him be," he said to her in a firm voice, "This is Kyo's match, not ours. It is up to him to figure it out." Lucario growled lowly in frustration, but she knew he was right. She couldn't be the one to tell him. He had to figure it out on his own. Regretfully, she sat back down and silently continued to watch the fight.

"HAAaaaaaaaa!!!" Kyo cried out as he was sent flying through the air. He landed hard against the wall another time and collapsed onto the ground limply. He groaned and clenched his eyes closed. Everything was hurting. His head was pounding, his shoulders were bruised and almost numb, his body ached everywhere, and his legs almost felt ready to snap. But it didn't matter to him. He still wasn't willing to give in just yet. Once he had taken the time to recover, Kyo staggered back onto his feet and stood back up. Dammit, he thought to himself hazily, I haven't been able to land even a single hit on her... But what else can I do?

You could try giving up, Meowstick's voice sounded from within his mind, It's a pretty smart thing to do in my opinion. Growling loudly, Kyo charged at her again. Meowstick laughed at his desperation and unfolded her arms. This time, she allowed the water type to get up close. After he had thrown his initial punch, she easily spun out of the way and made yet another ballerina pose. Kyo growled again and tried to attack her once more, only to produce the same result. This only further frustrated him and made his attacks hastier and less coordinated. That made it all too easy for Meowstick to read his attacks and avoid them with the greatest of ease, once again allowing her eyes to close. He threw a right hook. She dove under it. He threw a left jab. She stepped away from it. He threw an uppercut. She leaned away from it. He swept his foot across. She jumped over it. He whipped his tail at her. She spun away and struck a pose.

"HaaaAAAA!!!" Kyo exclaimed as he charged forward again. He threw a firm forward punch at her with the built up momentum he was carrying in his run. Meowstick smirked and spun away from the attack. Then, she followed up by opening her eyes and, using her psychic abilities to take hold of his body once more, used his momentum against him to slam him into the wall in front of him. The impact wasn't as painful as his previous landings with the wall, but it still hurt him enough to stun him none the less. Meanwhile, up in the stands, the crowd was going crazy. They all screamed at the fighters, urging the both of them to land hits on each other. Many of them were standing from their seats due to their excitement. Barely anyone was able to contain themselves as they watched the two morphs fight. Whether they wanted Kyo to land a hit, or Meowstick to finish the fight, what they all wanted was to see who would become victorious.

Kyo shook himself back into reality and turned back around. He wasn't as light headed as he was before, but he still knew that it would only be a matter of time before he had spent himself completely. How long till that happened? He didn't know. If he wanted to win this fight, it had to be now. And he wanted to win this fight...very badly. He still had to make it to the finals after all. And it was only there that he would be able to settle his dispute with Grovyle once and for all. Using that as his focal point, Kyo gritted his teeth and charged forward again. He threw punch after punch at her, but still couldn't manage to land a single hit on the feline.

Really? Still gonna go at it? she taunted, I would've thought by now that you'd realize how pointless of an effort you're making. Kyo ignored her words and just kept going. He didn't care if he wasn't hitting yet. Sooner or later, something would have to land. Hmph, I guess you men really aren't that smart, she continued to taunt, Like seriously, just give up already. You're not gonna--

"Shut UP!" Kyo exclaimed before throwing a hard punch. The fist nearly came into contact with her face, only to stop mere inches away from it. He looked to her as he tried to force his fist through and was surprised to see not blissful ignorance on her face, but instead genuine shock. Her gaze locked on his before he suddenly shot upwards in the air. He landed on the ground several meters away with a hard thud, though the height he had gone thankfully was only enough to leave him a bit stunned. Once he got his bearings back, he looked up and was surprised to see her beginning to back away.

...D-don't get you're hopes up, her voice suddenly resonated in his head, That's not gonna be happening again anytime soon. Kyo got back up with a groan and shook his head.

The hell happened there? he thought to himself.

A lucky shot and nothing more. That's all. Kyo suddenly felt himself held in her psychic grip once more. However, rather than being sent flying through the air for the nth time, he was pulled towards the feline. As he shot towards her, she threw a right hook at his head. Left with no time to think, Kyo batted her arm away with one hand before striking her on the side with his other. She cried out and staggered from the blow, resulting in him being released from her psychic grip. As soon as his feet touched solid ground, Kyo turned and charged straight at her. He wasn't sure what had changed, but he was clearly doing something that was working. And with that in mind, he kept the pressure on and kept attacking. Meowstick quickly turned and saw him coming. Hastily, she threw her paws out and caught him again. However, Kyo continued to move forward rather than up into the air. She continued to look more and more distressed as he closed in, but once he was only a few feet away, a psychic force pushed him off to the side.

But again, he still had no intentions of letting up. Every time his feet hit the ground, he broke right into another charge straight for her. Her desperation became more and more apparent as he was merely thrown in random directions. And each time, her grip held for less time than before. Regardless though, he still couldn't land a hit and only grew more and more frustrated. It fueled him to charge harder, to push himself even more. Dammit! he cursed to himself, I've found the answer, but I still can't manage to get in closer! He charged again and again, and he only continued to fail in reaching the feline. He kept bouncing away due to her psychic influence keeping him at bay.

He charged again, and this time, as he was thrown away from Meowstick, he slammed himself right into the nearest wall. His vision nearly went black from the sudden collision, and he had to take a moment to recover. Leaning against the wall, he breathed heavily and locked gazes with his opponent. He could see the crowd behind her going crazy with excitement, but he couldn't hear any of them. All he could hear were the sounds of his breaths and his own thoughts.

I'm..._NOT_gonna give up..._he thought firmly, _I'm STILL willing to fight... I can STILL _fight!_With a roar, he shot up from the wall and charged again. This time, Meowstick was prepared and sent him flying right back into the same spot on the wall. He cried out as he struck solid concrete once more before falling to the ground. It was only a mere moment before he was able to crawl back up to his feet. All of the while, he kept his gaze locked on his opponent's. He let out another roar as he charged again.

Grovyle clenched her fist tightly, her entire body tense as she watched the two morphs fight with baited breath. She wasn't sure exactly how much more abuse he could take, but she hoped that he would give out soon. Come on..._she thought to herself, _just give in already..._He let out another cry as he was slammed into the wall again. _Please Kyo... Again, he hit the wall, and again, he stood. Grovyle clenched her fist even tighter. Just...stop struggling... He cried out and charged again, only to be met with the same fate as before. So caught up in the match was she that she failed to notice a single tear fall from her eye. ...Please...

Kyo cried out again as he slammed into the wall. His vision blackened again, and he nearly knocked out then and there. But due to whatever miracle was at work, he remained conscious. He panted heavily and leaned against the wall, taking a moment to recover. I...won't lose..._he chanted to himself, _I..._can't _lose... I have to make it to the finals... With an even louder roar, he charged forward again. I still have to find my reason to fight!!!

_Arceus!_Meowstick exclaimed in his head as he charged. She reacted quickly and repelled him back towards the wall once more. He fell against it, but this time around, he didn't land as hard. But he barely paid any mind to it anyways as he immediately charged forward again. He was thrown back once more, but this time his back barely even tapped the wall. He charged forward again, suddenly going a bit faster than before. The feline's eyes widened before she forced him back once again. This time, Kyo didn't even touch the wall after being thrown back. This also went unnoticed, as he was far too focused on the fight. His foot touched the ground, and he immediately rushed forward again.

Suddenly, his body shot forward even faster than before. Meowstick's eyes widened again, and she hastily tried to repel him away. However, for some reason, her psychic abilities weren't strong enough to bounce him away from her. Instead, Kyo sailed right over her and landed on the other side a few meters away. Kyo stumbled slightly on his feet, which were soaked with water for some reason, before wheeling around and charging again. And again, Kyo shot forward at an unexpectedly high speed. Meowstick strained in using her psychic powers and faltered in the end. Though he was still repelled from a direct attack, Kyo's fist managed to connect with her right shoulder and caused her to stagger back. And as she did, this left her wide open, and with that opening, Kyo threw his first punch.

And then another.

And another.

And another, and another, and another, and another.

Before he knew it, he was throwing punches faster than he could process. But it didn't matter to him, so he just went with the flow. And flow he did, as his forearms and fists were engulfed with torrents of water with jets of it shooting off of his arms to propel his arms forward at a blinding speed. He had no time to think about how or where to throw his punch, so he just threw them. Even as he missed a majority of the time, the few that he did manage to land hit the feline hard. Her mind reading had been rendered completely useless as well, so it all came down to her agility and skill. But so fast were the strikes that even Meowstick's heightened senses did little to improve her reaction time. They came at her in such a flurry that she couldn't even see them coming until it was far too late. So she was struck again and again, blow after blow. She tried to force him back with her psychic abilities, but he came at her with such speed and force that it made it almost impossible for her to focus enough to even create a barrier. She backed up step after step, resorting to taking on a defensive stance and letting her arms take the blunt of it all. But every step she made back was made up by Kyo with several steps forward. He continued to keep up the pressure, determined not to allow her a second chance. He didn't even have time to think about what exactly was going on with him, but he didn't care. He was going all out, and that was all that mattered.

He threw a hard right swing, the force of the impact knocking Meowstick a few meters back and staggering her from her defensive stance. He saw the opening granted to him and reeled back on his heels. Suddenly, a barrier of water bursted from his body and began to flow around him, forming its own current. Kyo roared out from within his watery barrier and shot forward in an Aqua Jet. Left with only a few seconds to react, Meowstick managed to use her psychic powers to bounce him off to the side and away from her. But Kyo's momentum never came to a stop. Instead, he circled the entire arena before suddenly shooting high up into the air, propelled by the jets of water shooting off from his body. The water stopped for a moment as he hung in the air. With a loud cry, Kyo kicked his foot forward and water burst from his form once more. The force of the Aqua Jet rocketed him towards the feline with the speed of a bullet. Meowstick had little time to react, so she used a combination of her reflexes and her psychic abilities to push the both of them away from each other and to aim Kyo at the ground.

And as soon as his foot hit solid land, the entire stadium shook. The last of Kyo's water splashed out onto the stage and knocked Meowstick back and nearly causing her to fall backwards. Several of the excited morphs were nearly fell from where they stood. Even Sheena and Garo had trouble staying in their seats, with Octavius being the only one of the three to actually fall over. Once everyone found their bearings, they returned their attention to the arena. They were surprised to see that neither of the combatants had moved from where they were. Kyo was knelt down in the middle, panting heavily, and Meowstick was standing only a few meters away, staring at him in shock. After a few seconds of panting, Kyo opened his eyes and looked to his opponent, who merely stared back at him with wide eyes. She wasn't the only one, though, as all eyes were on the water type, who up until this point had relied solely on straight hand to hand combat. The two of them continued to pant, with it being the only sound filling the arena now.

"'I...I...'" she began softly, clenching her paws tightly as she contemplated what to do, "'...I...'" She thrust a trembling paw forward. It hung in the air for a moment...then slowly fell back down to her side. "'I...concede...'" A moment of silence passed as everyone took the time to register what she had said. A single clap broke the silence, then another, and then more, and soon the entire stadium was filled with claps, cheers and whistles.

""A...and we have a surrender!'" said the stunned Raticate, "'Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of this match, and the one to move on to the finals, is the one and only...KYO!!!'" The crowd continued to roar their approval. Nearly everyone had been blown away by his performance and weren't afraid to show it. But even with everyone cheering around her, Grovyle merely sat there, jaw hanging open in shock. That had not been the Kyo she had been expecting to fight. And that had certainly not been the Kyo that had been fighting in the first match. It was so sudden. It was so different. It left her completely speechless.

Kyo panted heavily as he knelt there listening to the crowd. Eventually, he sat down on his rump and let out an exhausted sigh. Suddenly, he felt someone gently place a paw on his shoulder. He looked up and was surprised to see that it belonged to Meowstick.

"'H...hey,'" she began, looking away and blushing slightly, "'so...sorry for belittling you before... I...hope you can accept my apology...'" Kyo blinked, taken aback by her sudden change of heart.

"W...well, apology accepted." The feline bowed in thanks silently and removed her paw from his shoulder.

"'Well, good luck in the finals,'" she finally said as she turned the other direction, "'and um...maybe we can talk again some time?'" Before Kyo could say anything in response, the psychic type was starting for the exit. So instead, he just watched her go in silence.

I guess...she isn't so bad..._he thought to himself, _I guess she was just trying to be intimidating in the match to try and dispel me-- His thoughts were cut short as he was suddenly smothered between two soft and furry mounds of flesh.

"'Congratulations Kyo!'" Lucario's voice sounded from above, "'Ya made it! You finally made it!'" She was so caught up in the excitement that she failed to notice Kyo trying to scramble for air.

"I am very impressed, young Kyo," said Teddy as Lucario finally set him free, apologizing sheepishly.

"'So did you learn Aqua Jet on your own outside of our training?'"

"N-no actually," he said bashfully, his cheeks still burning red, "it just sort of...happened. I didn't even know I could do that before the fight started."

"Well regardless," said Teddy, "that was a wonderful match. It truly is impressive how much you've improved up until now."

"Heh, thanks you two," Kyo replied, scratching the back of his head with a smile.

"'Well, let's not forget; it's not over just yet,'" Lucario reminded him, "'You've still got the final match to go through.'" Kyo's smile faded, and he nodded firmly.

"Oh yeah, I remember." He held his arms out, and the two morphs helped him get back up to his feet.

"You should rest up," said Teddy, "That way we can spend the next day to _really_train." Again, Kyo nodded.

"Don't worry, I don't have any intentions of slacking off anytime soon." After all, he thought to himself, getting to fight Grovyle is what I've been working so hard to get to do in the first place... Suddenly, he felt a chilly breeze run through him, particularly in his lower region. He glanced down, confused as to why he would be feeling a breeze down there. Then his jaw fell agape, and his eyes went wide. His shorts were gone, leaving him completely in the nude. He quickly covered himself up with his arms and tail before looking up at the two morphs with a deep blush on his face. "Wh-what the heck happened to my shorts?!"

Lucario laughed a bit before speaking up. "'I was just about to tell you; when you performed that last attack, they shot right off and flew away with the water.'"

"Well, wh-where the heck are they now?!" Lucario didn't say anything, instead merely gesturing towards a large crowd up in the stands. He looked to where she had gestured, only managing to see several morphs scrambling around for some reason. Suddenly, a paw shot up from the crowd clenching something, and the morph it belonged to stood up proudly. Kyo looked a bit closer...and his jaw fell open again.

It was his shorts in her paw.

Kyo groaned as the two other morphs began to laugh. "'Come on then,'" Lucario said as she patted his shoulder, "'let's get that cute butt of yours home.'" They continued to laugh as they guided him to the exit and away from the arena.

"'Thank you to all who showed up to watch today!'" Raticate shouted over the crowd, "'We've seen some incredible matches today, each showing off the incredible skill of each fighter! But if you think we've seen all these fighters have to offer, then you've got another thing coming! That's right folks; we've cleared the semi-finals, so it's time for the match to end it all. Be sure to be here for the FINALS! Where our two fighters will go head to head in an all-out brawl! It's definitely not one to miss! It'll be Grovyle, the sexy second-stage strategist who stunned the judges with her impressive display of precision and counters, against Kyo, the bashful boy gone berserk who started off rough and came out soaring with a surprise special move! Both of them seem very skilled, and each has a leg up on the other. Who will be the one to achieve victory over the other? Who...will become...the CHAMPION?! Better not miss this one folks, CUZ IT'LL BE A MATCH TO REMEMBER!!!'" The crowd cheered loudly in approval as he scurried away from sight. Once everyone settled down, the morphs began to talk amongst themselves and began to clear the stands. It wasn't long before the entire place was barren, leaving all of the seats empty.

All but one.

Grovyle sat in her seat, struggling hard to keep herself contained. Despite the fact that there was no real need to with everyone else gone, she still felt the need to contain herself. She didn't want anyone to hear her cry, and that included herself. Her eyes were clenched tightly closed, and her fists were clenched just as tight. Why? she asked herself, why, why, why why why why why why Why?! She slammed a fist against her seat, causing a loud thud to echo throughout the arena. Why is it that you have to be the one to get in my way? WHY?! Several tears spilled from her eyes, and she shuddered with every breath. She stopped herself, taking a moment to even out her breathing and calm herself. No... Now isn't the time for me to give up...not when I'm so close to my goal... She opened her eyes and wiped the tears off of her face. I have one day left to train. One more day to make sure I can trash_him...and move him out of my way..._ She stood and made for the exit with pure determination in her eyes. Watch out Kyo... You weren't the only one who's been training with a veteran...

***