Another two days of respite passed for the fighters before word was sent for the contestants still enrolled in the tournament to gather in the arena that day for a special announcement. Already, the stands had filled and were abuzz with conversations as the spectators exchanged their predictions of the upcoming matches, and their voices rose to cheering and whistling as the fighters began to appear.

One after the other, the fighters arrived. Luke and Volcan were the last to emerge from the gate, removed from the confines of the corridor and giving them time to take in the number of fighters remaining.

Katsumoto, Doug, Sol, and Minato remained from their respective teams. From others, there were of course Neilla, Leon, Romulus - and, to their surprise, a Serperior they recognized as Fernidas from Team Orochi; they hadn't been following the Serperior's matches closely but it was impressive to see that he had managed to make it to round three.

From those who did not represent teams, there remained Wade, Hageshi, Luna and Koa, all but the latter two standing apart from the rest. Luke couldn't help but feel a sense of apprehension as he scanned all of the remaining fighters, all of them powerful opponents in their own rights… yet at the same time, he felt a sense of anticipation; excitement even. So many strong opponents to truly push him further, make the fights more interesting than ever.

“It's… hard to believe we're already at the quarter finals." Luke remarked softly to his husband. “Where does the time go…?"

Volcan shrugged. “It's been an action-packed week," he said. “I'm just glad to see so many familiar faces made it through. Though," he grimaced. “At the same time, means we're all going to be fighting our friends going forward."

“You can't tell me you're not even a little bit excited," Luke commented with a smirk.

“Didn't say I wasn't," said Volcan, “Just hope that whatever comes next doesn't have negative effects in the future."

Luke chuckled. “You worry too much… No one's gonna develop bad blood against whatever opponent they face today going forward. We're all better than that."

Volcan smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I suppose you're right," he said. “Just hope you still feel that way if it's me you're fighting and I kick your keester."

At that, Luke laughed a little. “Oh, that's cute~ Last I checked, I was slightly faster, had a larger repertoire of skills… Did I mention I was faster?~" he teased.

“Keep talking, love," said Volcan. Then, his smile faded as he had another thought, looking over the group again with a sigh, his gaze lingering on Katsu for a moment. “By the way, don't let me forget, there's something I was hoping to discuss with you when we have time."

Luke's feigned smugness vanished, hearing the seriousness in his husband's tone. “Eh?" he asked, before shrugging. “Uhm… well alright, sure. I'll make sure to remember."

Volcan nodded, and looked up as he saw a familiar Houndoom approaching. “Romulus," he said.

“Hello, boys," the Houndoom greeted them. “Good to see you made it this far; well done. Though, I shouldn't have expected any less, I suppose," he added with a smile, his voice carrying no sarcasm.

“Competition was fierce," said Volcan. “Though, out of everyone here, I think I'm the only one who didn't fight anyone I knew… Some of those fights were exciting but, hard to watch."

Romulus nodded. “Indeed… But, you must be ready going forward. Everyone here, it seems, is one of the veterans of the war against the Crusade - except for Captain Fernidas, that is," he looked in the Serperior's direction. “I'm quite impressed with him, making it this far."

“He was formidable in the Warmachine tournament all those years ago. I wouldn't put it past him to further his skills for this turnout." Luke commented with a nod.

“Er… Not to talk smack, but, didn't he lose to Sickle in the first round?" Volcan asked out of the corner of his mouth.

Luke nudged Volcan's side with his elbow and shot him a look in response. “Be nice… He's done well this time around, give him some credit."

“Right. Not fair; sorry," the Blaziken admitted.

“Calyrex should be making the announcement I prepared soon," said Romulus, “Revane isn't one for speeches, so I asked his majesty to do it instead. There is going to be a change to the way the fights proceed from here, now that there are only sixteen fighters."

“What kind of change?" Luke asked warily. “Don't tell me it'll be like a free for all or something."

Romulus snorted. “No, nothing like that," he said. “The tournament shall proceed with everyone being pre-assigned positions on a classic tournament template. Everyone has been assigned odd or even numbers depending on the last number they had, during round two. Some adjustments were made as the numbers were uneven but otherwise, all matches have been pre-determined already."

Volcan tilted his head back as he considered. “My number was thirty-nine… So, odd number," he recounted. “But… Wait, does that mean you know who's fighting who?"

Romulus shook his head. “No. At first, I intended to entrust the task to Master Talleon, but I understand he had some… Altercations with your teammate, Lashanne."

Volcan frowned. “Yeah. I heard about that from Minato," he said.

“When I heard of it, I brought in a pair of city councilmen to decide the roster instead," Romulus went on. “I did not wish to risk Talleon's biases affecting his choices, so I opted to bring in people who have no stakes in the tournament - no bets, no relatives, no involvement."

“Smart move," Luke concurred. “The last thing we need is someone with a grudge to rig the matches to their own desires…"

“So… When will we know who's up; is that what the announcement will be?" Volcan asked.

“Correct," said Romulus, nodding. “It should begin any moment now."

“Well, regardless we're past the point of no return now." Luke commented, loosening his shoulders and rolling his head.

A short time later, a voice boomed over the arena, drawing everyone's attention and silencing the crowds. “Good people of Gladiator City, honoured spectators of this fine tournament!" came the voice of King Calyrex. “For those of you who do not know me, I am Calyrex, king of the northern city of Calygrad. I have been chosen to speak to you all this day for a special announcement! Now that we are at the third round of the tournament, there will be a small change regarding the roster of the remaining sixteen fighters!"

At his word, the large screen above the box where the king waited - accompanied once again by Lord Hizashi and Talleon, who stood to either side of him, lit up and displayed the rosters in a standard template, arranged in a two-by-two pattern.

“Each of the fighters displayed has been assigned numbers based on the ones they had in the previous one - everyone who had an odd number is one, three, five and so on, while everyone with even numbers are likewise two, four, six and onward. From this point on, contestants and spectators alike shall know who is fighting and who they will face next if they move on in the tournament for the chance to compete in the finals, and the rank of champion that awaits!"

He took a moment to gather his breath, letting his words sink in with the audience, before he continued. “The reason for this change is in reflection to the number of fighters remaining, as a means of streamlining the process and allowing the tournament to flow normally. However, there will be two additional restrictions added in regards to this process. The template you see above is final and will not be changed. As before, any fighter who surrenders or fails to appear when it is their turn will face disqualification, and their opponent will move on to the next round.

“For the second restriction, for security reasons, all fighters are to be escorted between matches, to ensure there will be no underhanded tactics employed," Calyrex went on. “These guards will be selected from the retinue of his lordship, Hizashi of Maelstrom Isle, from among his elite and most trustworthy forces. This does mean that competitors shall not be allowed to spectate the upcoming matches, but they must be accompanied going forward."

Volcan blinked. “So, one of Hizashi's samurai will be accompanying each of us wherever we go?" he asked, grimacing. “Seems to lack in privacy and shows he doesn't trust us."

“Please remember, Hizashi is rather paranoid; a by-product of his disdain for outsiders," Romulus commented, “I trust all of you, as does Calyrex. But he was unwilling to take any chances; when we announced the change to the roster he insisted that this was a necessary precaution. I think he had an outside council on the matter as well. I did make sure that the guards in question will not follow your friends to the rooms at the manse; they are to leave you at the doors. He agreed to that."

“Seems like a power play, if ya ask me," Sol snorted. “Last I checked, we all beat the Dark Crusade together didn't we? You'd think he'd at least trust us."

“A fight that if not for Wade, he'd never have even joined," Sickle reminded the Typhlosion. Sol glanced at Sickle, and snorted a puff of smoke before turning his gaze forward again.

“If it makes him feel more at ease, then let him have this," Wade spoke up. “It'll help us improve relations with his people in the long run and ease his apprehensions about the world outside his Island."

Above, Calyrex continued the announcement. “And now, the fighters will be displayed with their respective numbers, and from left to right as shown on the screen, those will be our matches for today. To begin, we have numbers one and two."

The numbers, as well as the names, appeared on the screen. Luke felt his heart leap when not only did he see his name, but at the name of the one below him. Number two… Was Neilla.

The Lopunny, a few heads down from him, stood up straighter when she saw her name and then looked over at Luke. “Guess it's not going to be in the finals after all, huh?" she asked.

“Guess not," Luke answered back, turning to look back at her with a slight smile. “What a way to start the day, huh?"

She chuckled. “Eh, it had to be someone," she shrugged. “Let's give them a taste of what's to come, shall we?"

“Now, without further ado!" Calyrex called, “Let the first match begin! Luke and Neilla, remain on the field; all other contestants depart at once! The match will begin in five minutes!"

Volcan clapped Luke on the shoulder encouragingly, nodding to him. Luke smiled and nodded back at Volcan, gently rubbing his hand with his paw before pulling away from the Blaziken.

“Do your best, you two!" Luna cheered as they left the arena to proceed to the stands.

As Luke and Neilla moved to take their places, the extra seats for contestants were soon filled by their friends. Volcan sat to the right of Sarth and Azrael, with his teammates and Luke's occupying the rest of the bench.

“I don't want to jinx Neilla like I did Azrael," Sarth commented.

“That was not your fault," Azrael chided him.

“But you never lose…"

“I have had my share of defeats in my life, Sarth," Azrael commented. “I'm not infallible. No one is."

To Volcan's other side came Lashanne's voice, addressing Minato. “What do you think?" she asked the other Lucario.

“Honestly? It's going to be a close fight," he answered. “Neilla's been training as hard as she possibly can to one day reach Luke's level, and dare I say she's made significant strides since their first meeting," he speculated. “That said, so has Luke… I'd argue his biggest advantage right now is his vast repertoire of fighting styles and overall combat experience. He can easily adapt to any situation should things change."

“And don't forget, both of them have Mega Stones," Volcan chimed in, “and neither of them have used them once in this whole tournament… Now, I'd say they have every incentive to do that."

“True… but Luke also has his Aura Surge, which is far more reliable and readily available to him," Minato countered.

Volcan grimaced at that. “Yeah, but she knows he can do that," he pointed out, “She's going to make sure he doesn't get the chance to tap into it while the power is relatively even."

“Well, Luke's a resourceful guy. Knowing him, he'll find a way to keep the scale tipped to his side," the elder Lucario said with a shrug.

Below, Neilla was stretching her legs as they waited for the battle to begin, leaning to one side to extend one leg before moving to the other and repeating. “You know," she said with some strain in her voice from the stretch, “I had kind of hoped we'd do this in the finals… I really wanted us both to get further before we'd be squaring off, since only one of us can move forward."

“Well, we can't have everything, I'm afraid," Luke answered as he stretched his arms and rolled his head along his shoulders. “We should at least be proud of the fact we've made it this far already."

“True that," she said. “Still… I've waited a long time for this moment; the day you and I finally get to go all-out." She looked at Luke again as she stood up straight, a fire burning in her eyes. “I have no intention of holding anything back… Only one of us moves forward in this tournament."

Luke's eyes had a similar fire burning within them as well as he shifted into a hard, heavy stance, smirking back at his opponent. “I've been looking forward to this myself. I wanna see just how far your training has brought you." He replied. “This is going to be a match to remember…"

“And this time, you don't get a medical emergency from your fight with Mewtwo," she cracked her paws, “as the excuse for me beating you." He knew that she was playfully teasing him with that reminder; little more than a minor barb…

Yet it had the desired effect of making him long for the fight as much as she was. He grinned more, his aura practically radiating around him as the desire to fight her grew. “Ohhh, I'm going to make you eat those words, Neilla…" He replied.

“Prove it," she said as she adjusted her posture, hopping in place as she raised her fists.

With their banter finished, Revane called the start to the match. “BEGIN!"

Neither fighter remained stagnant at the call, both of them racing at each other, kicking up trails of dust as they moved. Luke was just slightly faster, thanks to his Extreme Speed, but Neilla's quick reaction and anticipation of Luke's opening move made up for it, successfully blocking his punch before striking back, and the two immediately exploded into motion, their paws a blur as they moved…

The audience watched with bated breath - especially their friends, trying to see the fight in detail. Most were not able to track the movements of the two with their speed. Neilla's technique still relied on her usual fighting style, equally dividing her attacks between her paws for quick strikes, and though more susceptible to a pattern, the sharp movements - as familiar to her as breathing, were difficult to follow.

Thankfully Luke, his use of the Single Strike Style during the opening scuffle, coupled with his naturally high durability thanks to his Steel subtyping, allowed him to tank some of Neilla's attacks that he couldn't dodge or parry and focus more on offense. At one point during the scuffle, he powered through one of Neilla's combinations and landed a singular heavy strike to her stomach to stun her, then he stepped in and performed a mighty Wicked Blow straight to her sternum, sending enough force into that punch to send her skidding backward.

Or so he expected. As soon as Luke managed to force open her guard with the strike to her stomach, she braced with a Counter, and the moment the Wicked Blow made contact, she snapped the counter blow, striking him with the the same force he had applied to his attack; her paw struck his left pectoral, and sent him into a half-turn, from the force of the blow, and she delivered a sharp kick to his exposed back.

“Dang," said Lashanne. “They just started and they're already going all-out."

“Hardly," said Volcan. He knew better than anyone just how strong his husband was, and he had seen Neilla do far more in the time he had known her; he was not fooled. “They're just gauging each other right now. This fight's not even begun yet."

Back down on the field, Luke quickly assumed his stance after taking those hits, frowning a little and quickly realizing the Single Strike Style wasn't working as well as he thought. However, switching to the Rapid Strike Style would make him faster, but he wouldn't gain much power in his strikes, and with Counter, Neilla would be able to dish back just as much damage.

He made his decision. He shifted stances again, not to the Rapid Strike stance, but his own stance, a style that offered him a balance of both speed and power. His expression hardened as he quickly straightened his outstretched paw and fired an Aura Sphere at Neilla, then used Extreme Speed to get behind her before the sphere closed in on her, readying a Force Palm to strike right at the same time as the Aura Sphere.

However, Neilla it seemed, hadn't forgotten her first fight with Luke, recalling that was exactly how he beat her before. Acting the moment she saw him launch the Aura Sphere, she didn't even look where he moved; she jumped, somersaulting over his head and causing his Force Palm to miss, but as she landed behind him, his Aura Sphere kept coming - straight at him!

In an instant, he used the same paw he used for the Force Palm to deflect the Aura Sphere away from him, then with his other paw he fired a Dragon Pulse up at Neilla while she was still airborne. This time the attack hit, and launched her further up into the air, but didn't stop her from her next move as gravity brought her back toward Luke, her feet outstretched with a falling stomp.

As she fell, Luke quickly switched to the Rapid Strike stance, waving his arms in a circle before reaching up and catching her legs in his paws. He then used the momentum of her fall to spin her once and throw her to the ground, then proceeded to unleash a punishing Surging Strikes on her just as she was getting back up.

Neilla took the attack, unable to get a counter up in time, and with the concluding kick, Luke managed to make her stumble away from him, but she managed to stay on her feet, panting heavily.

“As quick to adapt as ever," she said, smiling.

“As spry and unpredictable as always," Luke countered, smiling back at her.

She let out a breath of air. “Before I unveil some new tricks, I think it's time we stop playing around, wouldn't you say?" she asked, fingering the ring on the digit of her left paw.

Luke smirked, slowly tugging down his scarf to reveal his own Lucarionite. “I was wondering when we'd kick things up a couple of notches," he responded, his tail quickly wagging behind him.

With the choices made, the two activated their mega stones simultaneously, both of them ascending to their Mega Evolved forms, emerging from the violet, crystalline spheres of evolution simultaneously, now wearing the sleeker, more agile forms of a Mega Lucario and a Mega Lopunny respectively. Immediately after they completed their Mega Evolutions, Luke tensed up and his aura burst out from within his body before stabilizing into a red flame, indicating he tapped into his enhanced Aura Surge.

He entered his traditional stance again and let out a short breath, then in a flash he was gone, appearing all around Neilla as he stopped at certain points of his movements before vanishing, giving the impression that there were multiples of him encircling her. Neilla tried to follow his movements, but could not respond, but that wasn't necessary… She had a new trick to use.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she stood still for a moment before throwing out her arms, and from them came a swarm of stars - a Swift attack, emitting dozens of little stars out from herself, which immediately went after Luke. At the same time, Neilla took off in a run, using Agility to keep pace with the stars, racing to-and-fro in their wake, their glimmer making it hard for Luke to see where she was as she moved - never once heading directly at him.

'Clever girl.' Luke thought to himself, allowing a smirk before he came to an abrupt stop and summoned his Bone Rush Staff. He proceeded to deflect each and every star that came his way, sending them either crashing into the ground or arcing over him, resulting in them crashing into the ground before they could rebound.

Yet as the last star was deflected and Luke maneuvered his staff aside, Neilla suddenly came at him, her body a blur as she rushed, too quickly for him to react, and her fist slammed hard into his abdomen, giving him no time even to brace himself before the impact. He lurched and staggered back from the impact, using one paw to hold his stomach while using his staff to steady himself as he fought through the pain.

'Mach Punch?' His mind reeled, wondering when she had learned that. 'Well two can play at that…' he muttered, then appeared before her in a blink and countered with a Bullet Punch of his own, smacking her square in the jaw.

She grunted as she was hit by the bullet punch, stumbling again, but turned the momentum of the punch into a springboard to let her jump away, summoning another Swift flurry and once again taking off with Agility, moving even faster now.

Luke deflected the Swift attack again, though this time he kept on guard. He was aware that with two uses of Agility, she was at the very least as fast as he was. His eyes darted in every direction, his ears twitched at every sound they heard, and his body remained rigid in the event he could counter her next strike.

Neilla was not a distance fighter; he knew this. The only reason she had learned Swift was to cover herself… Moving back to close range would be imminent. And, sure enough, as he caught a sound, he saw the Lopunny rushing at him from the left, this time with cold mist trailing her feet as she attacked with a Triple Axel, the first kick aimed for his head, to which he jerked his head back and just barely dodged. He grunted as he took the second hit, making him stagger back a bit, but when the third kick came, he quickly swatted her leg back with his weapon to cause her to stumble.

He then dematerialized his weapon and readied a Focus Blast in his right paw, shouting as he thrust it into her at point blank range. But he realized his mistake too late, as at the last second, Neilla - seeing the glow of the Focus Blast, triggered a Mirror Coat, causing his attack to backfire, and smack him point blank in the face.

He howled out as he was sent rocketing back toward the opposite end of the arena, slamming into the opposite wall with a heavy crash and creating a large dust cloud where he impacted.

In the stands, Volcan shot to his feet, horrified by what he had just witnessed and calling out to Luke with worry in his voice. Neilla stood her ground, watching the dust cloud and waiting to see if Luke would emerge…

A moment later, the dust cloud was suddenly blasted away, revealing a slightly battered but still combat-ready Luke, wearing a hardened glare as he stared back at Neilla. His aura radiated around him violently for a moment before seemingly being absorbed back into his body, then he raised his paw and began brushing his shoulder a bit in a way that said 'was that it?'

“What the-?" Neilla asked, stunned. “How are you even standing after that? You just took your own Focus Blast full in the face!"

“Why don't you come closer and find out?" Luke asked, lifting his paw and beckoning her to charge at him.

Neilla narrowed her eyes, not taking the bait. She couldn't fathom how Luke had managed to withstand that, but she wasn't about to play his game. She reverted to her defensive posture and waited for him to make the next move.

“Fine. If you won't come to me… I'll go to you." Luke claimed. He took a step forward, and in a flash he was suddenly in front of Neilla with another Focus Blast held ready to slam into her again.

This time, instead of trying to reflect it, Neilla dodged, avoiding his outstretched arm and striking back with a knee to his stomach. Luke gagged from the strike, but was quick enough to recover and grab her shoulder, pulling her past him and slamming the still active Focus Blast right into her as he did.

This time, Neilla had no chance to get out of the way; the Focus Blast collided with her, and she was throne back with the blast, sending her tumbling across the sand for several meters before she dug her paws into the ground and slowed herself, skidding to a stop.

“Ow," she groaned.

“You alright?" Luke called to her, his expression still stern despite the concern in his tone.

“Yeah… Just winded me a bit," she replied as she stood, tossing her ears as she regarded Luke again. “I'm not out yet though… I've waited too long for this fight."

“Oh, I know, and you're certainly making me sweat with how much you've improved," Luke answered, smirking slightly as he took on the Rapid Strike stance again. “Shall we continue?"

“You better believe it," she said as she returned to her fighting stance again. “I got one trick left," she added silently to herself.

“Then let's go." Luke bade her. “Show me everything you've got!"

With that, Neilla raced back toward Luke; the earlier use of Agility had, as he anticipated, amplified her speed to match his, and the two collided mid-way, their collision sending up a cloud of dust and a shockwave spreading across the arena, the entire audience rendered speechless as the two exploded into motion once more, trading blows that were too fast for the eye to follow…

Eventually, Neilla managed to force Luke's guard open, and a quick kick to his leg threw him off balance. Then, she dropped, landing on her hands and swinging her legs in a move very similar to Volcan's Low Sweep, but with both legs instead of one. Luke grunted as he was swept off his feet, landing on his side but quickly spinning to get back up on his feet again before she could follow through with another attack.

However, that was exactly when her next attack came, sliding closer to him as he stood and delivering a kick toward his chin from below, and again he was unable to react in time and took the hit, sending his head snapping back as he was launched upward into the air from the force of the kick, landing in a heap not far from where he was launched.

This time, Neilla was oncoming even as he collected himself, letting out a furious cry of triumph as she fell toward him with an axe kick that would have impressed even Volcan. Thinking fast, he used Force Palm to counter her axe kick, only this time it was infused with much more of his aura, far more than at the start of the match. The blast from the Force Palm held her at bay until her momentum waned, to which it blasted her back the way she came.

Neilla went careening through the air before hitting the ground hard, skidding to a stop only after sliding halfway across the ring. She hastily collected herself and tried to stand, but Luke was already coming at her again, this time with his Bone Rush staff in paw. He jabbed one end of the weapon into her sternum, then proceeded to rapidly strike her with both ends of the weapon before sweeping her off of her feet and kicking her away while she was still in the air.

This time, Neilla wasn't able to recover before she slammed into the arena wall, her vision darkening as the impact knocked her out. Her eyes rolled back into her head as she slid off the wall, and devolved from her mega form.

“Knockout!" Revane's voice called. “Luke of Team Valiant wins!"

Luke let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding in, leaning on his weapon as the adrenaline began to wane and the pain of his injuries started to take effect. Still, he mustered enough strength to throw his arm victoriously, earning him more cheers and applause from the audience.

From the wall, Neilla stirred, slowly sitting up and rubbing her head before shaking it, hearing the cheers of the audience. She frowned, hearing the name they called, and knew what had happened.

“I lost," she said, giving a disheartened sigh. She felt her ears falling over her body, and reached her paw back to feel them above her head, finding quickly that the band she used to tie them together was gone; likely destroyed in the intense melee between herself and Luke.

When she next looked up, she saw Luke standing over her, still leaning on his weapon and holding his paw out to her with a warmer expression on his face. “That… was intense," he said softly. “You put me through the wringer throughout that fight."

She took his paw, and grunted as she rose, fighting her aching joints. “Really thought I'd have you that time," she said, smiling weakly. “I've worked so hard… Trained so much… All in preparation for this day. But," she gave a weak laugh. “You are in a whole other league, buddy."

“Hey, the fact you can even push me as far as you have today only shows how quickly you're catching up," Luke returned. “You're not as far behind as you're letting yourself believe you are, Neilla."

“Oh, I know I'm not totally overshadowed," she said, grinning and gently playfully slapping his abdomen. “Don't think this loss is going to to break my confidence, Luke. The day will come when we get to square off again… And you better be ready."

“Oh, you know I will," Luke answered with a grin of his own, helping her limp out of the arena.

Neilla leaned on him for support as they made their way to the entrance, seeing the medics waiting for them. “Also… That last move you did," she began with a grin. “Your own take on Volcan's move, eh?"

Luke shrugged. “It's a useful combo, you can't deny that." He responded.

“True that," she agreed.

Up in the stands, as Luke and Neilla left the field, Volcan nearly fell out of his seat as he slumped. “Oh man," he said, rubbing the top of his head. “I was really worried for a sec there… I thought she was actually going to get him."

“Neilla's come a lot farther than I expected in her training. To be able to push Luke that far in the third round…" Minato added. “We're going to have to up our game or we'll be knocked flat on our asses."

Beside them, Sarth let out a sigh. “All that time training… Still, that was one heck of a show she put on," he said. “Think my heartrate spiked several times throughout that clash."

“Likewise," admitted Azrael. “But, that's our captain for you. She won't be satisfied until she's the greatest fighter in the world."

“She's well on her way, I'll say that much," Minato added.

A moment after Luke and Neilla had left the field, the next numbers were announced. “Number three; Sickle of Bluegrove, against number four; Leon of Team Warmachine!"

Volcan tensed. “Whoa! Sickle, against Leon?" He asked, looking in the direction of the Sceptile as he rose from his seat.

“Looks like it," Sickle replied, letting out a breath.

“You got this, Sickle!" Caulin piped up suddenly. “You're stronger than before and you got a type advantage! You'll win for sure!"

“Not a complete advantage, Caulin," Sickle reminded him. “Leon's a Steel-type; Steel resists Grass, and I know he knows Ice Beam. I need to fight smarter here." With another steadying breath, Sickle turned and started to leave, though not before glancing at Hank as he passed. “Wish me luck," he said with a smile.

“You got this, babe," Hank answered, blowing Sickle a kiss as he departed.

“Go get 'em, Sickle!" Volcan called after his friend as the Sceptile departed.

Down in the corridors, Sickle passed Luke and Neilla as they made their way back up to the stands. The Lopunny was calling back to one of the medics. “Look, I'll stop by before I head back to the manse," she stated, stubbornly. “It's not like I have any broken bones, nor am I fighting any later matches. I am not missing the next fights!"

“Just… Please, at least take those painkillers," the medic pleaded, knowing they couldn't force the Lopunny to the sick bay.

“I already did," she assured them, and looked at Luke. “Come on! We're going to miss-" she stopped, nearly running into Sickle as he stepped out, accompanied by a Samurott in full battle raiment – as had been mentioned by Romulus. “Oops! Sorry, Sickle," she said.

“No big," the Sceptile assured her. “I'll make sure not to start before you guys get back to the seats. You won't miss a moment."

“Good luck out there, Sickle," Luke said, offering his paw in a fistbump to the Sceptile.

Sickle bumped Luke's paw and winked at him. “I'll make sure to give him one for Kage, too," he promised.

Luke's ears perked up at that, then he chuckled and smirked at Sickle. “You better… He's still pretty sore about how quickly he was knocked out." He joked.

“Wait… You're fighting Leon?" Neilla asked.

“Yep," Sickle replied with a nod. “I better not keep him waiting. See you guys after the match," he said as he waved to them and started down the passage to the arena.

“This I gotta see," Neilla said with girlish eagerness. “Come on! Let's get up there!"

“Whoa, slow down! You're still injured!" Luke called after her as she darted ahead of him.

“Then you have no excuse for me outpacing you!" she called back without slowing.

Back on the field, Sickle stepped out to find Leon already waiting for him, lifting his claw to wave at the crowd as Revane announced him, and making his way across the field until he stood at the center, opposite Leon, who stood with his flipper crossed.

“I often wondered if I would ever have the opportunity to face you, Sickle," said Leon, “or if anyone on my team might have the chance. Ever since I saw your battle with Luke - when you were still a Grovyle, I've always wanted to test your might for myself."

“Now we both get the chance," replied Sickle, rolling his shoulders. “I hope you're ready, Leon… I've come too far to lose now."

“As have I," Leon replied as he uncrossed his flippers. “And as Team Warmachine's captain, I shall fight with all of my might to uphold it. Prepare yourself!" he threw out his flippers, and steel-type energy coated them as he cast a Steel Wing.

Sickle responded by extending his leaf blades and shifting to a sideways posture, arms positioned with one high by his shoulder and the other low by his hip, his eyes narrowing as he faced Leon.

Back in the stands, Neilla and Luke arrived to join their teammates in watching the unfolding battle. Lashanne looked at Luke, and directed a question to both him and Volcan. “What do you guys think?" she asked. “You've seen Leon fight before… Think Sickle can take him?"

“Leon's as much a tactician as he is a warrior," stated Volcan, “By my guess, Sickle is a little stronger, but he's got to overcome that analytical mind too. Leon's likely already planned for every contingency, so Sickle will have to get creative if he's to win."

“Leon also has his Steel typing, making him more durable than other Water-types." Luke added. “They're skills are very comparable to one another… I guess it'll all come down to who gets the final strike first."

Revane called for the fight to start, and Sickle made the first move; he took a single step, and then sprang to the side, zig-zagging across the battlefield as glowing, grass-type energy emitted from his form, leaving a trail of particles that resembled leaves as he attacked, the Leaf Blade of his right arm connecting with Leon's left flipper, before the Empoleon pushed him back, and lunged at him with a Drill Peck.

Sickle bent his body back to avoid the attack, and then struck back with his second leaf blade, forcing Leon away from him before the two clashed, Leaf Blade and Steel Wing meeting again and again in a deadly dance; Sickle maneuvered around Leon easily, far nimbler and more maneuverable than the Empoleon. But Leon, aware of the limitations of his physique, stood his ground, watching Sickle carefully and turning to meet every strike.

Finally, as Sickle slowed, Leon summoned a Surf below himself, shooting upward with a geyser of water and forcing Sickle to jump back instinctively. Looking up, he saw Leon dismiss his Steel Wing and recognized the faint glow in his beak. Once again, Sickle was off with that strange new attack - Trailblaze, it was called, though the others - including Leon, didn't recognize it.

Sickle ran for all his worth away from the Ice Beam as it froze the sandy ground behind him, Leon in hot pursuit, dividing his focus between the Surf that propelled him and the Ice Beam he continued to emit as he chased the Sceptile. Sickle went straight for one of the arena walls, jumping at it and running up the wall with the momentum he had accrued in his sprint, before turning and jumping as far as he could, barely passing over Leon.

The Surf struck the wall, spraying some of the audience with vapour and droplets, before Leon was chasing him once again. With several long strides, Sickle jumped as high and as far as he could, before four of the seeds on his back shot away from him, as though launched from a ballista, and one after the other fell into the waters below Leon before detonating; the wave of water erupted in a cloud of vapour, and Leon fell - arms flapping, landing on his feet and skidding over the muddy ground.

Collecting himself, he looked up as Sickle rushed at him again, this time with his arm wound back for a Drain Punch. Leon opened his beak and exhaled a Haze, creating a cloud around himself, but not before Sickle lunged in for the punch, striking the Empoleon with his clenched fist…

And receiving a faceful of water as the Substitute was broken. Sickle's eyes went wide, startled as he realized he had just been played.

White-hot pain shot up his body as Leon - safely concealed behind the Haze that had stolen Sickle's accumulated speed, landed an Ice Beam on his tail; the tree-like appendage was frozen to the ground and stopped Sickle in his tracks as he cried out, looking back to see the ice encasing his tail.

“I've got you now!" Leon bellowed as he shot toward Sickle with Aqua Jet, aiming to body slam him as he had Kage in the previous round.

Sickle, however, was ready. Leon didn't notice until it was too late that the Sceptile wasn't trapped, as Sickle suddenly pulled away from his frozen tail, turned in a pirouette and kicked Leon in the flank as he passed, sending the Empoleon stumbling as his momentum was thrown aside, and he fell into the muddy ground, sliding across the mud and sputtering as he hastily stood again.

Rounding on Sickle, he was aghast. “How did you get free?!" he demanded.

“New trick I picked up in training," said Sickle, turning slightly to show his tail - or, rather, the stump that used to be his tail. “Aptly named 'Shed Tail'. Normally it's meant for creating a Substitute of my own… But I thought it'd come in handy for situations exactly like this. Hurts like a bugger though, no lie."

Leon narrowed his eyes, but smiled. “Well-played… But lacking a tail now, I suspect you can't do that a second time," he said.

“You'd win that bet," said Sickle. “But I'm not going to need to."

“Why not?" Leon asked.

Suddenly, Sickle dropped to all fours, and launched two more of the seeds from his back, dropping two more Seed Bombs toward Leon. The Empoleon looked up to follow the arc of the bombs before hastily jumping back, the bombs striking the ground and exploding where he had been standing. However, as they did, they sent up flecks of mud that splattered the Empoleon, and he was forced to duck behind his flipper to keep it from striking his face.

In that split second, he took his eyes off Sickle, and bought the Sceptile the precious seconds he needed to use Synthesis, absorbing the light of the sun overhead, rejuvenating himself, regrowing the seeds he had spent on Seed Bomb twice now and giving him a new burst of energy.

With that, Sickle raced forward with Trailblaze again. Leon, unaware that Sickle had healed himself, started to prepare another Ice Beam when Sickle banked to the side, dropping to his belly and fired two more Seed Bombs once more, once again forcing Leon to defend as the bombs exploded in front of him. This time, when he looked for the Sceptile, he didn't see him…

But he did hear him; he heard the splashing of Sickle's footsteps, rounding on him and preparing to meet his next attack. But it was a feint; Sickle continued to run in a circle around him, Trailblaze igniting repeatedly, making him move faster than ever. Leon, knowing he couldn't keep up with the Sceptile at such speed - even with Aqua Jet, attempted to shield himself with a cloud of Haze.

'Sickle prefers close range,' he thought, his mind working quickly as he processed the possible outcome of Sickle's next move. “If he rushes at me now, the Haze will take away his speed, and I shall have him. If he tries another Seed Bomb, he won't see where I am, reducing his chance of hitting me. If he wants to reach me now, he'd have to harness the-'

Suddenly, he remembered… Once, Sickle's strongest attack when he had been a Grovyle. He recalled seeing Sickle use it twice before - once against Team Orochi, the second time against Luke.

'Razor Wind!' he thought. 'He still has Razor Wind… But that will not harm me,' he added, confident.

Sure enough, a powerful wind suddenly raced over the Empoleon - not from ahead but from behind, and just as he expected, it barely hurt him. He turned then, bracing himself for another attack as Sickle revealed himself…

But the Sceptile was just standing there, arms crossed and completely composed. Leon blinked in confusion.

“What are you doing?" he asked. “You could have taken me from behind while the wind cleared the Haze - why didn't you?"

“That would've been precisely what you expected," said Sickle, “Granted, against a more impatient fighter, that's probably what they would have done. In doing so, you'd have another Steel Wing or a point-blank Ice Beam ready to meet them as they go in for the finishing move."

Leon narrowed his eyes. “Yet, here you stand, acting as if the fight is over?"

“That's because… It is!"

Leon heard the ground behind him suddenly shift, and felt something whip around his body, pinning his flippers to his sides. He looked down, and saw that a root had emerged from the ground, seizing him.

“What?! How-?!"

He looked at Sickle again, and then he noticed it… Hidden in the shadows of his legs, a long appendage, stuck into the ground, growing from one of the seeds on his back. Sickle's unique method of using Frenzy Plant, growing roots from his own body that could act like additional arms.

“Now…!" Sickle growled, shifting his legs and winding his arm back, forming another Drain Punch. “You're mine, Leon!"

He separated himself from the root as it jerked, pulling Leon off balance and throwing off the Empoleon's aim as he tried to form another Ice Beam. The Empoleon managed to shoot the attack, but he missed as Sickle banked right, his body almost a blur as he moved with incredible speed. The root holding Leon began to dry, and he felt his arms coming free as he pushed against it…

But it was too late…

Sickle's fist struck the Empoleon, landing a solid hit on his abdomen, and sending Leon flying through the air, but leaving the energy stolen by Drain Punch with the Sceptile, who now stood where the Empoleon had been only seconds before. Leon slid across the ground like a speeding boat, until the wet ground became dry again and he tumbled several meters before finally stopping, and lying still.

“Knockout!" Revane called, “Sickle of Team Kama is the victor!"

“Holy crap!" Volcan exclaimed, shooting to his feet. “He did it!"

“YES!" Luke hollered, throwing his arms up in the air in celebration.

“I TOLD you he'd do it!!" Caulin hollered. “That's Sickle for ya! Always got a trick up his sleeve!"

“Shedding his tail to escape Leon's trap… Geez, I didn't even know he could do that!" Lashanne added, “And, unlike Sickle, Leon couldn't heal himself after using that Substitute; Empoleon can't learn moves like Roost naturally. Sickle had Synthesis and Drain Punch to keep himself in the fight!"

“Turning it into a battle of endurance, a battle normally an Empoleon would win, if not for those," added Neilla. “Hot dang… And now, he just beat one of the top ranking captains in the world!"

“He's going to go far in this competition," Minato muttered, grinning. “Now I'm hoping I get a chance to fight him…"

“That'll depend, hun," said Lashanne. “Now that the tournament roster is going traditionally, Sickle's fighting Luke next round."

At that, Luke felt a thrill coursing through him like a jolt of electricity, realizing that Lashanne was right. He glanced up at the screen as it displayed the roster; he and Sickle, now revealed, were set to meet in the fourth round.

“...It seems like I'm fighting all of my toughest rivals in this tournament," Luke remarked. “First Neilla, now Sickle… Next thing you know, I'll be fighting my own husband."

“Don't discount that possibility, love," Volcan commented with a chuckle, “Though, let's see if I'm up next; they're showing them now."

At that, everyone looked up at the screen as the numbers were displayed. Starting with number five, Caulin's picture appeared over it. He jumped up from his seat and began limbering up, smirking confidently. “Awww yea! Whoever I'm going up against is gonna be in for a helluva time~!" He boasted.

“Uh… Caulin?" Volcan spoke, no smile in his voice as the number six fighter was displayed, and the entire group fell silent.

Caulin followed their gazes back up to the screen, and felt his smile disappear and a lump in his throat as the picture of the number six fighter registered in his mind, recognizing a face he knew all-too-well. Beside him, Koa, likewise understanding the meaning of his face appearing on the screen, allowed his paws to hang limp at his sides, and slowly turned his gaze to look at Caulin.

“Kuip'po…" he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “Does this mean… We have to…?"

Caulin bit his bottom lip for a moment, his ears flattening a bit as he tried to come up with a response. He eventually just sighed and gently placed his paws on the Zeraora's shoulders.

“Hey… this won't change a thing between us, alright?" He asked gently. “Yea, we gotta fight, but not in a bad way. Think of it like… like that water wrestling sport you showed me when you were first settling in Azure." He explained.

Koa frowned, not buying into Caulin's attempt to lessen the blow. “That was… Game," he said. “This… Nothing like that."

“I know," Caulin responded. “Look. Just for this fight, put the fact that we're dating in the back of your mind. I want you to come at me with everything you have, alright? Don't hold back even for a second."

Koa's ears lowered as he regarded Caulin. “Don't want… To hurt," he said, softly. “Love you…"

Caulin sighed again, this time slipping his arms around Koa and holding him tightly. “I love you too… I'd never wanna hurt you either, but this was a risk we knew might happen." Caulin explained, pulling back and placing a paw on the Zeraora's cheek. “Trust me… this won't change how I feel about you. I promise."

Taking comfort in Caulin's words, Koa put his arms around the Lucario, holding him tightly for a moment until Revane's voice boomed across the field. “Fighters five and six - Caulin and Koa of Port Azure, please proceed to the battlefield for your match."

Koa hesitated as he stepped back from Caulin, his paws reluctantly slipping from the Lucario's sides. Their eyes met—just for a moment—and in that quiet look, so much was left unspoken. Caulin gave him a gentle nod, then smiled with a steadiness that belied the tension in the air. He clapped a paw on Koa's shoulder before turning away.

“See you in the arena," he said, and with that, he dashed down the stairs, the sound of his retreating steps echoing in the corridor.

From a short distance away, Luke watched the two part ways, his expression softening as he rubbed his chest absentmindedly. A wave of memory washed over him—of the days before he and Volcan had finally confessed their feelings for one another. The uncertainty, the aching, the draw they couldn't deny. He saw it now, mirrored in the younger pair.

“Déjà vu…" he murmured.

Volcan glanced at him. “What do you mean?"

Luke gave a wistful smile. “Just thinking back to how we started. Everything that led us here."

Volcan exhaled sharply, eyes narrowing a little. “I suppose there are some similarities. But... you and I never had to fight each other."

“Well," Luke said with a sideways glance, “unless you count that one time."

Volcan winced. “Ugh… I'd rather not."

“I know, love. But it happened—whether we like it or not." Luke reached out and took Volcan's hand in his paw, squeezing gently. “And we got through it."

Volcan's grip tightened. He looked away for a moment, his voice quieter. “Still one of the worst days of my life."

Luke leaned his head against the Blaziken's shoulder, his presence a quiet comfort. “Let's just focus on the battle ahead."

Volcan managed a faint smile, warmed by the touch. But before the moment could settle, a sudden yelp from nearby made both of them jump.

“Guess who!" came a playful voice, as a pair of paws suddenly clamped over Lashanne's eyes.

Instinct took over—Lashanne drove her elbow back hard, connecting with a solid thump. Her 'attacker' stumbled and fell onto their back, gasping.

“What the hell is your problem?!" Lashanne snapped, spinning around.

The assailant, now sprawled and rubbing his belly, was a sleek Persian. He grinned up at her despite the hit.

“Hey now... that any way to greet an old friend?"

Lashanne froze, eyes narrowing as she took a step closer. Then it hit her.

“Wait... Toby?"

The Persian grinned wider. “Got it in one."

He rolled to his feet smoothly, tail flicking. Lashanne's stunned expression melted into a mix of disbelief and laughter.

“Holy hell, is that really you?" Luke asked, eyes darting between Toby's new form and his face. “Damn! Has it been that long?"

“Oh, you mean this?" Toby asked, gesturing to his new quadrupedal self. “Yeah, that happened while I was guiding some scholars to the Nexus, not long after you guys left. Took a while to get used to the whole 'walking on all fours' thing, but I figured it out."

“What are you doing now?" Luke asked. “Still running solo?"

“Pretty much," Toby replied with a shrug. “Freelance guide work, same as before. Still helping bookworms get to the ruins Lashanne and I dug up. Job's still got legs—well, paws—eh, Lash?"

Lashanne chuckled. “Well, I already picked those places clean, so if you're still making some Poks off it, I say go for it." She paused, then smiled warmly. “It's really good to see you, Toby. Things haven't been the same without you."

Toby smirked, then raised both forepaws dramatically. “Even if we still had the airship, I don't think I'd make a good helmsman anymore. These things? Not exactly made for fine control."

Luke laughed. “We're just glad you landed on your feet out here. Caulin's going to flip when he sees you after his match."

“I heard he was in the tournament," said Toby, ears perking up. “Mind if I stick around? Who's he up against?"

Luke gestured down toward the arena, where the two young fighters had just reached center stage. “You're not going to believe it."

Toby followed his gaze—and his jaw dropped. “Wait... is that...? Aren't they—?"

“Yeah," Luke nodded, solemn. “They're dating."

Toby slowly lowered himself next to Lashanne, eyes still wide. “Damn. No wonder Koa looked like he was walking to his own execution when he went down there."

“Yeah," Lashanne murmured. “This one's gonna hurt."

Koa stood across from Caulin, wordlessly, as the two waited for Revane to call the start to the match. Neither of them wanted this fight, knowing that it meant that only one of them would be moving forward once it was decided…

“Hey, Koa," Caulin called out to the Zeraora, offering him a small smile. “...Let's make this a good fight. One for the books." He added with a nod.

Koa let out a breath and then lifted his gaze to look at Caulin. “Still not want to fight," he said, “But… I will… Hold nothing back."

At that, electricity surged up his arms, and an electric blue glow filled his eyes. Caulin grinned at Koa's words, and in response, he let out a shout and built up his own aura, sparks surging around him before his power exploded around him, burning steadily around him with those sparks still surging around him.

“I wouldn't have it any other way," He answered. “A fight's no fun if we don't give it our all."

With that, Revane called for the match to begin, and Koa's form became a blur as he dashed to the side, running in a wide berth around Caulin before rushing at him from his flank. Caulin's eyes glowed the second he saw Koa rushing him from his flank, using Mind Reader to predict his opponent's next move and leaning out of the way accordingly to dodge it. As the Zeraora passed him, he turned and fired an Aura Sphere at him as a counterattack.

Koa was off again in another sprint, actually outrunning the Aura Sphere even as it chased him, until he managed to gain enough ground to turn and strike it with a Thunderpunch, dispelling it before rushing at Caulin again, throwing another punch at him. This time Caulin blocked the attack with a Force Palm of his own, the two attacks crashing into one another and creating enough blowback to push the combatants apart from one another.

Caulin skidded to a halt and took up his stance again, letting out a breath and smirking some as he gazed at Koa, sensing that the Zeraora was still holding back. 'Just what I'd expect from you… but I know you can do more than that…' He thought inwardly before he began discharging Vacuum Waves at the Zeraora.

Seeing the incoming attack, Koa fell back, zig-zagging to avoid the Vacuum Waves, until he began to do something Caulin didn't recognize. He made rapid motions with his paws, moving in patterns that at first seemed random, until Caulin saw a shape begin to form… A net, or web, formed between Koa's paws, and his Mind Reader revealed what Koa was doing; Electroweb!

As soon as Caulin realized what was happening, Koa turned and hurled the Electroweb at him. Caulin frowned and quickly strafed to the side to avoid the Electroweb, hunching a bit to make sure it didn't clip him, then charged forward as fast as he could with his arm wound back for another Force Palm.

But he wasn't quick enough; true to his nature, Koa - despite Caulin having the attack underway, struck first, landing a Thunderpunch to the younger Lucario's abdomen. He lurched and gagged from the attack, then growled and swatted Koa's paw out of the way and continued with his attack, slamming his Force Palm into Koa's chest in retaliation. Koa parried Caulin's paw aside and retaliated with another Thunderpunch, this one aimed for Caulin's leg, but Caulin quickly created one of his Bone Rush weapons and smacked Koa's Thunderpunch away, making him hit the ground next to him before he countered with a few quick jabs, then swung his weapon along the side of Koa's head to knock him away.

But Koa was just too quick; he ducked, avoiding the bone tonfa, and landed another punch - this time an uppercut to Caulin's chin, who recoiled and was actually sent on his back from the impact of the punch. Still, he popped immediately back up on his feet and summoned both his weapons this time, rushing in and throwing punch after punch, being as creative and unorthodox as he could with his attacks.

Even though Koa's technique was raw and relatively primitive, the Zeraora held his own, by his natural speed and feline agility, outmaneuvering Caulin with relative ease. Not to say the young Lucario didn't land a few hits, but Koa's speed had him working for every blow…

Caulin was relentless, though. By this point, he was trading in his defenses for full forward offense. Even after taking some counterattacks, he still kept going, throwing in some other attacks to try and mix Koa up and open him up to other attacks. However, Caulin made a mistake in his onslaught; in leaving himself open , Koa spotted an opportunity, and dashed behind him, his body once again a blur of motion as he moved, and unleashed a Swift attack, bombarding Caulin with starry projectiles from his blind spot.

He grunted as he was attacked from behind, growling and turning, crossing his arms in front of him to block the rest of the attack. Then he created four doubles of himself with Double Team before fanning out and closing in on Koa once he was surrounded. Koa, looking at each of the doubles individually, crossed his arms over his chest and released a Discharge to hit all four of them at once. They all froze and spasmed heavily once they were hit with the Discharge before disappearing, with the real Caulin falling to his knees and gritting his teeth as he fought through the pain and tried to stand back up again.

Koa, despite the aggressive attack, lost all semblance of aggression when he saw Caulin fall, his expression softening as he took a concerned stop toward him. “Caulin?" he asked.

“I'm okay," He assured Koa, staggering as he got back to his feet, wiping his mouth and smirking back at Koa. “Let's keep going… This is getting fun~!" He added.

Koa nodded slowly, and stepped back, resuming his fighting position again and regaining the stern expression he held before, showing he was ready to resume. Caulin snorted and jumped in the air a few times before resuming his stance as well, spinning his weapons in his paws a little before he took charge and rushed Koa. This time, however, as he got closer, he suddenly jerked to the side and spun with his own momentum, swinging with his weapon as he came around from Koa's flank.

This managed to catch Koa off guard, having lowered his guard fearing that he had pushed Caulin too far, and the the tonfa struck, landing on his shoulder and making him reel from the super-effective Ground-type of Bone Rush. Caulin kept going, striking with another attack, then another, then he released his weapons and thrust both his paws forward for a double Force Palm strike at the end of his combo, blasting Koa away with all of his power and strength.

Koa was sent hurtling through the air, skidding across the ground where he landed before managing to leap back onto his feet and digging his claws into the ground to slow himself as he continued moving. He panted for breath as he collected himself, lifting his gaze to look at Caulin.

As with his fight with Azrael, Koa knew he couldn't let this fight drag on much longer… Caulin had almost taken him out with that single attack… He had to end this now.

Electricity crackled up Koa's arms, a blue glow filling his eyes, and the similarly coloured lightning bolt mark one his forehead shone to match. Caulin felt his fur standing on end - not from fear, but the sheer amount of static electricity filling the air. Even without Mind Reader telling him so, he knew Koa was about to use his signature attack.

Caulin smirked. “Looks like he's finally ready to end this." He muttered to himself, then he tensed up and let out a roar, powering up to his absolute limit himself before he held his paws forward. Aura energy started gathering in his paws as he powered up his final Aura Sphere, pumping all of his power into the attack.

With Koa's attack fully charged, he slammed his paws on the ground, roaring furiously as electricity coursed across the field, sending up waves like electric geysers in twin paths toward Caulin. In turn, Caulin roared and discharged his Aura Sphere, the large blast rocketing across the field toward Koa's attack, clashing with it in the middle and struggling to push through.

Ultimately, though, Caulin's Aura Sphere lost. The surging power of the Plasma Fists wore down the Aura Sphere until it finally collapsed, and the twin arcs closed in on Caulin. Though they had lost most of their output, the direct hit still was akin to being in the epicenter of a lightning strike. Caulin could only howl out as he was struck with the attack, his body spasming heavily as the lightning surged into his body even as he tried to fight it. When the attack finally ended, Caulin was a smoldering mess that was barely able to stand after taking such a heavy hit, staggering back and forth as he fought to stay upright.

Alas, his strength finally gave out and he fell flat on his face, where he lay there unmoving…

“Knockout!" Revane called. “The victor is Koa!"

Koa barely registered the thunderous roar of the crowd as the match ended. His only focus was Caulin.

He was at his side in an instant, kneeling and gently rolling the Lucario onto his back. “Caulin?" he asked, voice tight with concern.

Caulin groaned, his brow furrowing before his eyes cracked open. He blinked up at Koa, disoriented at first—then his lips curled into a weary, contented smile.

“...That... was awesome..." he murmured, each word a struggle but full of genuine joy.

Koa exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Relief softened his face—but only for a moment. His worry returned just as quickly. He reached down, slipping his arms beneath Caulin—one behind his shoulders, the other under his knees—and lifted him with practiced care, holding him close.

“Must get you to the medics," Koa said, voice low but urgent.

Caulin didn't protest. His eyes slipped shut again, a sigh escaping his lips as he rested his head against Koa's chest. The faint smile never left his face.

In those fading moments before sleep took him, his mind lingered not on the pain, but on the thrill—the exhilaration of going all out, no holding back, with the one he loved. He had seen Koa at his full strength, and it only made his heart swell with pride.

'He's going to go far, Caulin thought dreamily. I know he will...'

But before unconsciousness claimed him, one last thought slipped through the haze:

'If he wins the next round... his opponent in the semis could be either Sickle... or Luke.'

From the stands, Minato sighed and closed his eyes while crossing his arms in front of his chest. “...They gave it their all despite their apprehensions." He remarked softly. “And in the end, Caulin ended up having fun anyway despite taking the loss today…"

“I suppose that will have to be enough," said Lashanne, sighing. “Well, Caulin may not go on to become a finalist… But I think in this case he won't mind it."

“No, I don't think he will." Minato agreed. “In any event, Koa advances and will have the challenge of facing one of us in the next rounds."

“And now we get to see which one of two potential opponents he's going to face," said Lashanne, looking up at the screen as it flicked on and adjusted the roster, showing Koa as the victor, and then illuminated the next two fighters.

“For number seven," came Calyrex's voice, booming through the arena, “Katsumoto of Team Valiant!"

“Hey, you're up Katsu!" Volcan called to the Samurott, seated further down the bench from him.

The Samurott nodded and stood tall, stretching his arms a few times before he squeezed through the aisle of seats and headed for the stairs to the arena.

“And for number eight," Calyrex continued as the next fighter's image appeared, revealing a Serperior. “Fernidas, Captain of Team Orochi!"

“Ohhh, that might be trouble," Doug piped up. “He's gonna be going up against a Grass Type…"

“So? Kats has gone up against worse." Hank remarked dismissively. “He's taken fuckin lightning bolts and still powered on through."

“Yea, but Grass Types are known for absorbing their foe's energy, especially if Fernidas gets him in a chokehold," Doug countered.

Volcan chimed in. “And let's not forget, if Fernidas is strong enough that he made it this far, not only is he not going to be a pushover, he's not going to fight to lose."

“Did anyone see any of his matches before?" Lashanne asked. “What kind of strategy can we expect?"

“I think most of us missed those," said Sickle. “However, when my team and I fought him previously, in Team Warmachine's tournament, his teammates relied on poison to wear their targets down and built their strategies around that. Fernidas fought Howler, and he didn't get much chance to show his skills; Howler had every advantage over him. All I got to see is that he does know drain moves, and like most snakes, he's quick on the attack."

“Hmm… Katsu isn't known for his speed." Luke muttered, looking down at the arena. “This is going to be a very uphill battle for him…"

Volcan let out a sigh. “Well… Here's hoping, then," he said, watching as the fighters made their appearances…