Reborn As Barry

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"The battle is over! The winners are Lucas and Jeremy!" the host exclaimed as the battle ended.

Gabe and Jupiter looked stood patiently in their tunnel as they awaited their second match. They had taken the hour before to devise a strategy for the upcoming battle after taking note of who their opponents were.

"Lucas really cleaned up out there," Gabe stated as he watched his friend and his teammate walk off the platform and head their way.

"Indeed... the combination of Grotle's Sunny Day and Grassy Terrain used in conjunction with Charmeleon's Solar Power ability was what made the difference here," Jupiter added, her eyes focusing on Lucas and Jeremy as they drew closer.

Lucas was strong, but that Jeremy seemed to have a great deal more knowledge. I'll have to make note of this for later, though I'm sure Mars already has...

"Hey Lucas, great job out there! You guys steamrolled them," Gabe grinned, slapping a high five with his friend before giving him a friendly clap on the back.

"Thanks, but it was partly Jeremy's strategy that made it work. His Charmeleon is awesome!" Lucas praised.

Jeremy shrugged.

"He did adequate work. His timing on a few things could have been better, but he was hatched a month ago so... he's still getting used to the new form," Jeremy inputted casually.

"Well still, it was awesome," Lucas grinned. "Better not lose Barry. We were gonna have a rematch, remember?" Lucas reminded Gabe.

Crossing his arms, Gabe smirked.

"Trust me, we don't plan on losing anytime soon. So you better be ready Lucas. You'll get your rematch," Gabe stated, locking eyes with his friend.

"As much as I enjoy this discussion, Barry, we are needed out there," Jupiter interrupted.

"Will Barry and Jupiter please report to the arena!" shouted the announcer.

"That's our cue," Gabe stated, turning to follow Jupiter out of the tunnel.

"Good luck you two! knock'em dead!" Lucas called out.

Gabe waved over his shoulder as he walked out of the tunnel. Gabe and Jupiter trekked to their side of the arena and stared straight ahead at their opposition. Gabe had been looking forward to this particular match. Dawn's eyes met Gabe's with confidence burning within. Gabe knew what her team consisted of, he just didn't know who she would use first. Angie was also a concern, considering she had a few worrisome Pokémon as well.

"Looks like we get to have our battle early Barry. You ready!?" Dawn called from her side, getting a chuckle out of Gabe.

"Am I ready? I should ask you the same thing," Gabe beamed, clearly excited about the match he would be fighting.

Angie shifted her gaze from Gabe to Jupiter before speaking low for Dawn to hear.

"Be careful not to put too much pressure on Barry. His partner is a great deal stronger than he is and could easily take us both. We need to make sure she doesn't get that chance. We can't make the same mistakes as their first opponents did," Angie cautioned.

Dawn nodded in reply before readying her first teammate. Angie followed suit along with Gabe and Jupiter. The judge looked between the two teams and nodded.

"Both teams ready?" the judge inquired, receiving confirmation from both sides as he raised his hand. "Send out your first Pokémon!"

"Prinplup, time to shine!" Dawn exclaimed, launching her companion onto the battlefield with a practiced hand.