The Grand Coliseum felt different today.
Gone was the chaotic shouting of a thousand contenders. Gone were the explosive, scattered brawls of the battle royale. Now, the air carried something colder… sharper.
It was the edge before a proper match the silence before the strike.
Shion sat near the front of the eastern viewing section, his heart drumming quietly as he leaned over the railing. Belle stood beside him, arms crossed, her Staraptor perched silently behind the row. Mila was to his left, arms folded atop the railing, golden eyes sharp with focus.
The sun gleamed down over the arena floor.
And in the center, standing across from their opponents, were two familiar figures
Ren and Vince.
Shion's breath caught when he saw them.
"They look ready," he murmured.
Mila nodded. "They always are."
On the left side of the field, Ren stood quietly, his black tunic catching in the breeze. His fingers brushed against the Poké Ball at his belt.
To his right, Vince cracked his knuckles and grinned. "Let's see how these guys fight, huh?"
Across from them stood two strangers foreigners, by the look of them. One wore desert-tan robes trimmed in gold, a deep crimson sash wrapped around his shoulder. The other was leaner, cloaked in black and green, with a chain of polished ivory teeth dangling from his belt.
"Not from Ravelle," Belle noted. "Aldara, probably."
Shion tilted his head. "They look serious…"
Below, the referee raised his hand.
The air tightened.
His arm fell.
"send out your Pokemon"
"Let's go," Ren said, flicking his Poké Ball with precision.
A flash of crimson light surged outward and standing tall in its place, flames licking across its wrists, was Blaziken.
Its legs scraped the ground in a battle-ready crouch, the fire on its arms flaring.
"Time to dig in!" Vince shouted, spinning his Poké Ball into the air.
Excadrill erupted from the light, roaring as it slammed its metal claws into the dirt with a crash. Its drill arms spun briefly, gleaming in the sun.
The opposing team wasted no time.
One of them raised his arm sharply. "Magmortar fire up."
From the red-robed man's Poké Ball emerged a Magmortar, its canons steaming, eyes glowing with internal heat.
The other opponent snapped his fingers. "Krookodile rip them down."
Krookodile dropped into the dirt with a snarl, its jaws clacking, sand leaking from between its claws.
"Battle begin!"
The battle erupted.
"Magmortar, Lava Plume!"
"Earthquake, Krookodile!"
The ground shook instantly.
A rolling wave of molten heat swept forward as Krookodile slammed its claws into the earth, sending shockwaves rippling in every direction.
From the stands, Shion gasped. "They're attacking wide!"
"Ren'll adjust," Mila muttered. "Watch."
And adjust he did.
"Jump!" Ren commanded.
Blaziken leapt skyward, avoiding both the incoming plume and the rumbling quake.
"Excadrill Drill Run through the edge, now!" Vince barked.
The steel mole twisted, spinning into a blur, tunneling beneath the lava without touching it just beneath the danger line.
He burst upward, slamming into Magmortar's lower torso before the Lava Plume could complete.
Magmortar grunted, skidding back.
"Krookodile Stone Edge! Predict the fall!"
Jagged stone erupted where Blaziken was about to land but Ren was already calling out again.
"Feint twist and kick!"
Blaziken curled mid-air, flames spinning around its leg, twisting between the stones like water between blades.
It landed just shy of Krookodile and lashed out.
A blazing kick cracked across Krookodile's face.
The beast staggered.
But the foreign trainer only smiled. "Good. Crunch it."
Krookodile lunged fast, jaws glowing black.
"Flare Counter," Ren muttered.
Blaziken didn't move waited.
The Crunch landed, fangs sinking into its shoulder.
But then Blaziken's arm surged with flame.
A close-range Flare Blitz ignited directly into Krookodile's chest.
The blast rocked the field.
Shion stood from his seat. "That!"
"Smart," Belle murmured. "He baited the hit just to explode back."
In the smoke, Krookodile was on one knee, growling.
Blaziken, panting, shifted its weight still up.
On the other side of the field
"Excadrill Swords Dance. Now."
The steel mole spun rapidly, metal glinting, the power in its frame rising.
The desert trainer saw it. "Don't let it finish! Magmortar, Flamethrower !"
Blazing fire surged forward.
"Dig!"
Excadrill vanished underground.
The Flame missed arcing harmlessly.
The ground shifted
Then erupted.
Excadrill came up beneath Magmortar, drilling straight into its back with terrifying force.
Magmortar screamed.
The desert trainer cursed in Aldaran.
Shion leaned over the railing, adrenaline pulsing.
"I can barely keep up with their coordination."
"They've trained," Mila said simply. "You don't need words when you trust your partner."
Ren and Vince exchanged a quick nod below.
This was battle to them language, rhythm, breath.
Back on the field, Magmortar was still standing barely.
Its frame hissed with damage.
"Overheat!" the trainer cried in desperation.
The canons on Magmortar's arms glowed white-hot.
It unleashed the full brunt of its internal heat aiming at both Blaziken and Excadrill.
"Now!" Ren and Vince shouted together.
"Protect!" "Iron Head!"
Excadrill leapt in front of Blaziken, a dome of green shimmer flashing around them.
The heat wave smashed into the barrier held for a moment then burst backward.
Magmortar's body sagged.
Its core flickered.
And then… it fell.
The red-robed trainer recalled it silently.
One down.
Krookodile snarled, clawing the dirt.
"Dig, now!"
It vanished.
"Eyes down!" Vince called.
But Ren's eyes narrowed.
"No," he muttered. "He's going for me."
And sure enough
Krookodile exploded from beneath Blaziken's feet, claws extended.
"Counter Blaze!" Ren shouted.
A wave of flame surged from Blaziken's chest mid-air, using a modified Flame Charge burst.
Krookodile was blown back before it could land the hit.
Vince didn't wait.
"Finish it! Iron Head!"
Excadrill spun into Krookodile with all its momentum
SLAM.
Dust exploded from the impact.
When it cleared
Krookodile lay still.
Battle done.
---
The crowd cheered.
Not wildly. Not explosively.
But with growing respect.
Mila leaned into the rail, smirking. "Told you."
Shion nodded slowly, awestruck. "Yeah. He's… not the same kid from Riverleaf anymore."
---
The cheers from Ren and Vince's victory still echoed faintly in the corridors as Shion and Belle stepped away from the viewing stands and into the stone hallway leading toward the staging gates.
Their footsteps were quiet. Even Bidoof, hanging half-asleep from Shion's satchel, didn't make a sound.
"Feels like it's almost our turn," Belle muttered, glancing toward the arena's arching light.
Shion nodded, his hand lightly touching Kiba's Poké Ball at his belt.
Mila trailed a few steps behind. "You've got this," she said with a reassuring smile. "Kiba's a monster, and Belle's pretty terrifying, too."
Belle raised an eyebrow. "I'll take that as a compliment."
Mila winked. "Good."
They rounded the corner and nearly ran straight into Ren and Vince, just exiting the locker corridor from their side of the arena. Ren's black hair was a bit tousled from the fight, and a thin bruise marked his left shoulder—nothing serious, but enough to show how hard they'd fought.
"Ren!" Shion smiled. "You were amazing out there. You and Vince fought like you've trained together for years."
Vince grinned and slung his arm behind his head. "Not bad for our first time teaming up, huh?"
Ren's gaze, however, was calm and direct. "Thanks. But now it's your turn."
Belle looked ahead toward the gate where sunlight spilled into the stone hall.
A voice called from deeper in the corridor: "Team Shion and Belle prepare for arena entry."
Shion froze for a breath.
Here it is.
Belle tapped his shoulder. "Let's go."
Mila waved. "Good luck!"
Ren gave a quiet nod. Vince grinned. "Don't get flattened!"
The arena was quieter now, as the noise from the other side of the coliseum hadn't yet bled through. Only one of the four quadrants was active now theirs.
And all eyes would be on it.
Shion stepped into the sunlight, heart pounding against his ribs. He could see the stone archways above filled with people. The Ravelle banners hung from every pillar, crimson and gold catching the light.
The sand crunched under his boots.
Across the arena, two trainers already stood in position.
The first was a boy tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed in well-pressed noble attire: dark navy tunic with silver stitching, gloves tucked at his belt. He adjusted his cuffs like this was a formal duel, not a tournament.
Beside him stood a girl in spectacles, a long slate-grey coat trailing behind her. Her eyes were sharp, analytical. A notepad hung from her belt, surprisingly intact despite the battlefield dust.
Belle leaned in slightly. "Nobles?"
Shion squinted. "They don't look like they're from outside."
The referee's flag rose.
"send out your Pokemon "
Two pairs of Poké Balls launched into the sky.
From Shion's side, Kiba burst forth in a swirl of dust and momentum, landing with a low growl. His orange fur glinted in the sun, and his crimson eyes flicked to Belle's Pokémon beside him.
Skyfall, Belle's Staraptor, descended with a powerful wingbeat, feathers ruffling as it perched on the far end of their side.
Across the field
A glint of steel.
Scizor landed, claws already sharpening against each other.
And next to it, with a low, soothing cry, a Meganium rose from a spiral of vines, its long neck and flower-shaped collar catching the light.
Shion narrowed his eyes. "Fast offense and sturdy support…"
Beside him, Belle nodded once. "They've probably fought together before."
Ren leaned forward, arms resting on the balcony rail, eyes never leaving the orange flash on the battlefield.
Mila sat beside him, stunned. "That's… Kiba?"
Vince whistled. "He wasn't kidding. That Lycanroc's color is definitely not normal."
Ren's gaze didn't shift. "No. It's not."
He could feel it even from here the pressure rolling off the Lycanroc in slow pulses. Something deeper. Wilder.
Mila nodded slowly. "He's changed, too."
They watched as the teams took their stance.
Shion rolled his shoulders.
Belle said nothing, but her knuckles flexed slightly as her fingers brushed the seam of her coat.
Across from them, the noble boy smiled faintly. "I hope you're ready."
The girl beside him adjusted her glasses. "Let's make this efficient."
The referee raised the red and blue flags once more.
Shion's heart steadied.
He exhaled.
Beside him, Kiba crouched low, tail raised. Skyfall lifted off the ground with a gust of wind.
The flags dropped.
The second round… began.