Adventures Beyond!

Chapter 94: Finale

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Ionic Stadium, Sinnoh

The day had come.

The stadium roared with excitement as various Pokémon filled the stands. This included those who haven't been following the third stage of the Ion Cup. The marketing and prestige of the Ion Cup brought more to the stadium, and gave them the opportunity to watch a fight between the two best of this year's tournament. Much to the surprise of many, the two finalists were two teenagers, with both of them being still younger than sixteen. It caused many to wonder what kind of monsters were being born and released out into the Sinnoh region in the coming years.

Both finalists were told to sit in two different waiting rooms on opposing sides of the stadium in the meantime, instructed not to leave until someone comes to get them. In the meantime, they were given the opportunity to bring anyone they wanted into the rooms until they were called for the fight. A reward for making it as far as they had.

"...Mom's still not here?"

Logan, who was waiting in his room with Leah, Chomps, and Frost, was quick to ask about the whereabouts of his mother. According to his friends, she hadn't returned since leaving the Pokémon Center in order to face Charlotte.

Leah was first to respond, "We don't know where she is. She could still be with Charlotte, but that was hours ago."

"You don't think she's—" Frost began to ask, only to be cut off by Logan.

"I guess that doesn't matter for now." The Scorbunny shook his head, letting out a sigh, "Like you guys said, I gotta trust that Mom knows what she's doing, and focus on what I gotta do."

Chomps nodded along, "Oliver."

"To think he'd make it this far." Frost commented, crossing her arms, "Guess you'd expect nothing less from the guy to knock Nidoking out."

Logan looked down at the ground, "I can't underestimate him. He made it to this round for a reason. He's super smart. He probably has a plan to get me out of the ring before I can do anything about it..."

"I don't have a plan..."

Oliver, meanwhile, was in his own waiting room, looking around at the shocked faces of his friends. He had decided to take Jacob, Sophie, Miles, Akari, and Pixen to his waiting room to be with him while they waited for the match to begin. Though, the Oshawott admitting that he didn't have a plan was completely unexpected for them.

"No plan?" Jacob asked, his eyes wide, "Ollie, you always have a plan!"

Oliver looked down at the ground, "I know. But any way I slice it, what I've done for others won't work here. I can't close my eyes and fight like I did with Elisia. I can't take advantage of him losing focus like Cameron, and Dennis forfeited."

"What if you get him mad and try to push him out?" Miles wondered, remembering how he beat Richard.

Akari nodded, "Just prank him!"

"If I try that, Logan can just use Flame Shot to keep himself from hitting the ground." The Oshawott explained, "From what I've seen, Logan's air mobility has only gotten better since we last saw him two months ago."

Sophie glanced away, "That's what got me eliminated, after all."

"I'll be honest, guys..." Oliver took a deep breath in, "I'm pretty worried about this."