Kailey POV

  From up here, the field looked smaller than it actually was.

  That was always the trick of the high-rise stands. Distance skewed everything, dulling its size until something big happened. Until the ground shook, or the crowd roared, or a Pokémon like Daisy's Onix came crashing onto the field, reminding everyone just how thin the barrier between spectacle and danger really was.

  I sat forward slightly, as I adjusted my skirt, eyes locked on the arena below.

  To my left, Marlon lounged back with his arms crossed. Caleb leaned forward, fingers laced, already half-lost in thought. Gloria sat with one leg tucked under the other, chin resting on her palm, her gaze darting between the trainers and the readouts on the big screen along the field's edge.

  Good kids, the lot of them,I thought with a smile.

  Daisy's entourage sat to my side.

  Lilian and Rei.

  They sat there laughing and talking breathlessly. These were the kind of girls who never had to fight for anything in their lives.

  Now they were standing, half-leaning over the railing, eyes glued to the field.

  "I still can't believe it," Lilian said, her voice pitched just loud enough to carry over the hum of the crowd. "Daisy's Espeon has never gone down that fast."

  Rei nodded, arms folded tight. "That Teddiursa was insane. I mean, did you see that Shadow Sneak? Can it even learn that move?"

  Marlon snorted softly. "Yes, they can. It's an egg move."

  I didn't look back at them. My eyes stayed on the field, where the aftermath of the first bout still lingered-scarred groundstone, faint psychic residue shimmering like heat haze.

  "hmmm," I hummed.

  Gloria tilted her head. "You noticed it too?"

  I nodded once. "Orin's good, really good, but he's a first-stage Pokémon it should have been a harder battle. Daisy's Espeon is quite young."

  That finally got Caleb's attention. "Young?"

  "Yeah," I said. "Look at its frame. His proportions. He hasn't fully filled out yet. That wasn't a fully mature Espeon."

  Caleb hummed. "It probably evolved early."

  Below us, the crowd's murmur shifted, anticipation thickening.

  Daisy had already straightened after recalling her Espeon, posture resetting, confidence sliding back into place like it was always part of her plan. She wasn't rattled. Annoyed, sure, but not shaken.

  Then she threw her next Poké Ball.

  The field shook.

  Onix erupted from the ground in a violent cascade of stone and dust, its segmented body uncoiling with a sound like grinding boulders. The impact rattled the stands, a low tremor rolling through the structure beneath our feet.

  Gloria sucked in a sharp breath. "Whoa."

  Marlon whistled. "That's a solid Pokémon."

  Caleb's eyes flicked to the readout. "That Onix is quite big."

  I felt my lips press into a thin line as I analyzed it.

  "She's done well raising it," I said after a moment. "Good muscle density and a good polish. She's groomed it well."

  Lilian beamed, vindicated. "Told you. Daisy's always been the strongest in our year back at prep."

  Rei nodded eagerly. "I've never seen her being pushed like thisthough."

  I didn't respond.

  Because down on the field, Arata hadn't recalled Orin.

  I watched him standing there with his shoulders squared, gaze steady, even as that massive rock serpent loomed over the comparatively small Pokémon.

  Marlon frowned. "He's... not switching?"

  "No," I said quietly. "He's giving Orin the choice."

  Gloria glanced at me. "That's risky."

  "Yes," I agreed. "It is."

  The Onix charged.

  Even from up here, the speed was shocking. Stone screamed against stone as it surged forward, the ground buckling under its weight. That tackle was momentum weaponized, mass turned into an attack.

  A few people in the stands cried out.

  I saw Orin hesitate for a fraction of a second.

  Then shadow swallowed him, and the Onix smashed into empty space, the impact blooming outward like a localized explosion. Dust and stone fragments slammed against the psychic barrier with dull, heavy thuds.

  "Nice," Marlon muttered.

  Orin reappeared behind the Onix and fired Dark Pulse without waiting for a command. The beam struck true, dark energy rippling across the rock hide, chips flying.

  It didn't do anything.

  Onix's tail came around like a wrecking ball.

  I felt myself tense as Orin was struck mid-motion and sent flying, rolling hard across the arena floor.

  Dragon Breath followed, the draconic flames flowed over the smaller Pokémon's location. Orin barely got Protect up in time, the hexagonal barrier flaring under the strain.

  The crowd was fully standing now.

  "Break it!" Daisy called, voice bright with anticipation.

  An Iron Tail came down like judgment.

  The Protect shattered immediately.

  Orin went skidding, landing near the edge of the field, small body unmoving for a heartbeat too long.

  I exhaled through my nose.

  "That's it," Caleb said quietly. "He's done."

  I snapped my head up as Daisy called for another attack, despite Orin going unconscious before the ref called it.

  It was barely legal. I shook my head in disappointment at her decision.

  She's supposed to be better than this. Every time I see her, she reminds me of... I cut off my thought as Arata didn't hesitate. He recalled Orin calmly.

  Lilian cheered. Rei clapped, relieved laughter spilling out as Daisy straightened again, smugness returning in full force.

  I didn't join them, because I knew what he was going to do, that Alpha-strained Dragon.

  I saw him toss out the Poké Ball as it lobbed in the air. We all heard him.

  "Caesar-battle stance!"

  Arata's POV

  My eyes were locked on Daisy, on the way she'd ordered the follow-up attack even as Orin was clearly unconscious. Legal, sure, as the ref was late in calling it. Frowned upon, absolutely. And it burned.

  I felt the heat in my chest before I moved.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  I'd never faced this before.

  I reached back to my belt, fingers closing around the familiar weight of the heavier Poké Ball. Caesar's Ball was warm against my palm, thrumming faintly as if he already knew.

  I exhaled once and threw.

  "Caesar-battle stance!"

  The ball arced through the air, cracked open mid-flight, and white light slammed into the field like a dropped star.

  The ground shook.

  Caesar's massive form coalesced near the center of the arena, his dark green scales catching the overhead lights, tusks flaring as his claws dug into the stone. He straightened slowly, towering over the field, easily pushing seven feet when fully upright.

  The air seemed to pull inward around him, and then he roared.

  It was felt. A deep, draconic bellow that rolled through the stands, the psychic barrier rippled, and silenced the crowd in a heartbeat. Conversations died mid-word as everyone stopped to look at our field.

  I felt it through our bond-my anger, reflected back from him.

  Across the field, Daisy's smile cracked as she looked at the scene.

  Her eyes flicked from Caesar's tusks to his shoulders to the sheer breadth of him. Even her Onix reacted, its massive body tensing, coils tightening as it slithered back a half-length on instinct alone.

  I couldn't help the small smile that tugged at my mouth.

  "Onix!" Daisy snapped, irritation cutting through her voice. "Snap out of it, end it! Bulldoze, now!"

  The Onix roared, a deep, grinding sound like boulders splitting under pressure. Ground-type energy flared around its massive body, earth and stone tearing free from the arena floor as it surged forward. Rocks lifted and spun, debris covering its body as momentum built.

  It charged straight at Caesar, I didn't shout, nor did I even move.

  I crossed my arms and watched.

  The Onix crashed into Caesar head-on. The impact was catastrophic. Stone and dirt exploded outward, the shockwave rattling the barrier hard enough that I heard gasps ripple through the stands. The force drove Caesar back, carving deep grooves into the arena floor as boulders slammed into his chest and shoulders.

  Dust swallowed them both.

  I heard someone cry out, smileing as the dust cleared.

  Caesar was still standing.

  Both his massive, clawed arms were holding the Onix's head, fingers digging into stone with a grinding crunch. His muscles were coiled and flexed, scales scraped and dusty but unharmed.

  He grunted once.

  A sound halfway between slight exertion and amusement.

  The Onix froze, eyes wide, trying to pull back. Its coils scraped uselessly against the ground as it struggled to retreat from a grip it clearly hadn't expected.

  Daisy's breath hitched.

  "R-retreat, Onix!" she shouted. "Pull back!"

  Caesar dragged the Onix a short distance toward him instead, just enough to make the point before releasing it and stepping back, rolling his shoulders as if loosening up.

  He was toying with it... I chuckled.

  I could see the realization hit her hard.

  "Rock Slide!" Daisy yelled, desperation bleeding into her voice.

  The arena responded. The broken stones tore free from the floor, lifted high, then came crashing down in a brutal avalanche aimed squarely at Caesar's position.

  "Protect," I said calmly.

  Caesar hunched slightly, drawing in, and a spherical barrier snapped into place around him, hexagonal patterns flaring bright as the stones smashed against it. Impacts boomed and rang, dust billowing, but the shield held firm.

  I felt Caesar's amusement ripple through the bond.

  He liked this.

  The Onix surged in close, trying to capitalize, its massive body coiling around the barrier as if to crush it by sheer pressure.

  "Dragon Breath!" Daisy called.

  I stared at her in disbelief.

  Really?

  I felt Caesar's incredulity mirroring my own as the Onix exhaled, a stream of blue-green draconic fire pouring against the Protect, flames licking and washing over the barrier. Trying the same thing they tried with Orin.

  It strained.

  Not much, but enough that I could see it.

  I tilted my head slightly.

  "Caesar," I said, voice low. "Dragon Breath."

  The barrier dropped in an instant.

  Caesar reared back and unleashed.

  What poured from him was a torrent nearly four times the size of the rock snake's. Deep blue-green dragonfire roared upward, engulfing the Onix completely. The flames twisted and surged, powerful enough that the air distorted around them.

  The Onix screamed.

  Stone blackened. Sections of its rocky hide cracked and flaked away. When the fire cleared, the massive serpent was scorched and shaking as it unwound, breath ragged.

  I looked at Daisy.

  She didn't look back.

  "Iron Head!" she screamed.

  The Onix obeyed. Despite the pain, despite the damage, it charged again, head glowing with metallic sheen as it lunged forward in response to its mistress's command.

  Alright, this is enough...

  I dropped my arms and spoke clearly.

  "Caesar, stop playing around. End this."

  He growled, accepting it, and moved.

  Dragon-type energy flared around his claws as he charged forward, Dragon Claw forming in a bright blue. He met the Onix head-on.

  The impact was decisive. Caesar slammed the Onix into the arena floor with brutal force, stone shattering outward as a crater formed beneath them. The Onix went limp instantly, body slumping, eyes unfocused.

  Everything went silent for a moment.

  Then the referee's voice cut clean through it.

  "Onix is unable to battle! Winner: Arata Ishida!"

  The crowd erupted. Cheers and shouts.

  I didn't look at Daisy as she recalled her Pokémon, jaw tight, eyes burning. I kept my gaze on Caesar as he straightened, snorted, and turned back toward me, pride and satisfaction thrumming through our bond.

  I smiled up at him.

  "Well done, buddy," I murmured.

  He huffed softly at me, then looked at the stands as the field lights gleamed off his form.