Reborn As Barry

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The final day of the tournament had arrived and the matches had swiftly come and gone with only the final two teams remaining after sweeping through the competition. Gabe and Jupiter stood at the entrance of their tunnel, waiting for the host to announce the start of the final match. The crowd was growing restless with every minute that passed by. As Gabe leaned against the wall of the tunnel, the sound of footsteps caught his attention, prompting him to turn in the direction of the noise.

Approaching him and Jupiter, was none other than Palmer and his mother along with another unexpected guest... Cynthia. Jupiter shifted her attention to the approaching trio and blinked. Standing not too far from her was the most powerful trainer in all of Sinnoh, and quite possibly the entire Pokémon world, as well as a Frontier Brain. While normally at ease in the presence of power, this was a different story. Palmer was intimidating but Cynthia... the way she walked with such confidence and grace in each step was both beautiful and absolutely terrifying.

Her very gaze was enough to cause her heart to hammer against her ribcage. Provoking her was something to be avoided at all costs... for now. Steeling her nerves, she willed herself to remain calm as they approached. Palmer paused before his son and grinned, placing a hand on Gabe's shoulder in the process.

"You've done well my boy! way to show what you're made of!" Palmer beamed with pride.

"I'm so proud of you Barry! you're doing so well," Sylvia smiled broadly, leaning in to kiss her son's cheek.

"Thanks mom and dad. But I can't take all the credit. I have an awesome partner after all," Gabe said with a faint smile as he gestured to Jupiter.

Crossing her arms, Jupiter gave him a wry grin. "You flatter me Barry. But don't sell yourself short. You've done just fine," Jupiter replied with a soft chuckle.

Gabe laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. It was nice to hear her say that, even if he did know that she was working for Team Galactic. For a few hours the night before, he was able to forget about it and see Jupiter for who she really was. A nerdy, sexual deviant who is also an otaku at heart with a love of Mago Berry soda, manga and romance novels.

"It appears we meet again Barry. What's it been, a week?" Cynthia began, relaxing her posture as she spoke. "You seem to be doing rather well out there, especially with such an experienced partner," Cynthia observed.

"You flatter me, Champion," Jupiter stated calmly, averting her gaze to Gabe with a flip of her hair.

"Ladies and gentlemen! the final match of the tournament is about to begin!" the host trailed off, stirring up the crowd in response.

"I guess that's our cue to head to the stands. We'll be watching you two. Battle hard you two," Sylvia smiled back at her son.

"Give it everything you've got son! show them that fiery spirit of yours!" Palmer added with a thumbs up before taking his wife by the hand and walking out of the tunnel.

"Good luck to you both. Hopefully our paths will cross again soon," Cynthia stated as she gave the duo a wave before exiting the tunnel.

Jupiter narrowed her eyes as Cynthia left the tunnel. That was a threat she did not want to deal with at the moment. Fortunately, Jupiter was under the radar as far as she knew. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face Gabe and dawned a more relaxed look.

"Ready for this?" Jupiter inquired, locking eyes with Gabe and getting a nod in response.

"Let's do this," Gabe replied, turning to trek toward the battlefield where their final opponents were waiting for them.