Final round of the S.E.C.T. tournament, Lorissa takes on 's Chouko in an intense match that forces them both to bring it up to a whole 'nother level. Along the way they both find out about themselves and each other, but in the end, there can be... well you know the rest.

Karma and Team Junkyard belong to
Principal Kindle belongs to
Referee Turino once more belongs to

Once again I wanted a picture to go along with this but school and misadventures with a broken tooth prevented such. I'm really starting to hate school. And dental work.


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The late afternoon sun shone overhead at the Poke-Combat Academy with various students milling about and killing time now that classes were over for the day. One such student, a venomoth, strolled across the grounds into unfamiliar territory - the mechanical bays in the southwestern section of the campus. The school's garage was mostly empty and quiet, the auto club had let out a while ago and only a few stragglers stayed behind to work on projects before heading home. One of the stragglers, a stocky lairon with dreadlocks, stood over the hood of an old car, looking over the engine. She leaned under the hood with a wrench, swearing to herself as she tried to get to some hard to reach bolts. She was oblivious to the venomoth slipping into the garage and having a look around, the moth making her way over to the lairon once she spotted her.

"Lorissa?" said the bug, leaning to the side to get a look at what the steel dino was working on. The lairon slowly stood up straight and turned to face the moth, curious look on her face. "What are you working on there?" asked the moth, trying to sneak a peek under the hood.

"Body's in great shape but the engine's blown, gonna see what I can scavenge and try to find a replacement," answered the lairon.

"I don't know much about cars, just what I've overheard from my teammates," chuckled the moth. "Looks like hard work, would you like a soda?" she asked, revealing a couple bottles held behind her back and holding them up.

"Grepa," answered Lorissa after a pause, the moth handing over the purple bottle.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything, I was told I could find you here. I'm Chouko, your opponent in the S.E.C.T. final match," said the moth, smiling up at the larger lairon before opening up her own bottle of soda.

"I know," replied Lorissa as she took a drink from hers, the curt response catching the moth by some surprise. "I mean it's not like the last bracket is a big mystery," she said with a shrug.

"Of course, just trying to be formal," smiled Chouko. "I hope you don't mind me stopping by. My opponent last round, Karma, is a teammate and good friend. She has a tradition of getting to know her opponents as friends before facing them in battle. After winning last round I promised her I'd continue the tradition until the end of the tournament, so, here I am," she said, hopping up and fluttering her wings to sit on a nearby counter.

"Really?" said Lorissa, a bit suspicious. She took a long drink of the soda and sat it down on a nearby bench before returning her attention to the car. "So you wanna get to know me or somethin'? That's weird."

"Maybe," chuckled the venomoth. "But Karma feels you really get to know someone through both friendship and battle. The latter's a given between us, but it would be nice to get the benefit of the former as well."

Lorissa attacked some of the bolts with her wrench again as she listened. "So... what is it you wanna know?" she asked in between turns of the wrench, listening but obviously not enthusiastic about it.

"Well... this is your fourth year here, right?" asked Chouko, not quite sure where to begin.

"Yep, senior. Your third?" the lairon asked, tossing a few bolts onto the floor.

"Well I'm a junior, but I transferred here at the start of the year," answered the moth, taking another sip of her soda. "Been lucky though, met some friends and got onto a good team," she said, taking a pause as she realized what she'd said. "Sorry you didn't have the same fortune."

Lorissa just shrugged under the hood. "Whatever, mistakes of the past I'm glad to be rid of," she said, tossing away some more bolts and taking hold of the engine block. Chouko grimaced as the lairon lifted the entire thing out of the car's front end and set it on the floor. She had already faced two brutes in the tournament, the seemingly effortless ease with which the lairon lifted the heavy chunk of machinery was a harsh reminder of what she would be up against.

"That's good," said Chouko, regaining her composure. "Word is you're an odds-on favorite for our match, I'm going in as quite the underdog," she chuckled.

"Really?" asked Lorissa, looking back at Chouko over her shoulder. It came as a surprise to her, she hadn't really thought about it. "Where'd you hear that?"

"Just the word on the 'official' analysis," Chouko answered, making finger quotes. "I spoke with Mr. Greenbriar before I came over here, trying to get some advice. He told me this would be the toughest fight I've ever had, and I have no reason to doubt him. I've already faced one lairon in this tournament and it was a very tough fight, I practically limped out of the arena. And he was a freshman, you're... a lot more experienced," said Chouko, her uneasiness showing in spite of her attempts to put on a brave front.

"Well yeah, senior versus freshman, four years at the best fighting school in the world will do that for you," she answered, leaning back under the hood. The jab was a subtle one but it didn't escape the venomoth's attention. Although she was a junior this was technically her first year at the P.C.A., it was a fact she hadn't really considered until now. The lairon's stoic responses were puzzling the moth, she wanted to get to know her but it was proving difficult, the lairon seemed as hard to get through to conversationally as she did on the battlefield.

"I'll confess I have no idea how I'm going to pull this off," said the moth. It was a slight lie, she did have her developing fighting hidden power as a secret asset but truthfully had no idea how or when she would be able to pull it off. "But if you don't mind me asking, what are looking to get out of this?"

Lorissa tossed a few more bolts onto the floor before picking up a rag to wipe off her hands as she thought about it. "You know, a few days ago, I had no idea," she answered, which again caught the moth off guard. "I only signed up for this thing 'cause I was mad. I was pissed off at my waste of a team and wanted to tell 'em to go to hell, by kicking their asses. Beyond that, I never even thought about it."

"Well you did that, I saw the footage from your application," answered the moth. "But there has to be more to it than that, anger alone wouldn't have taken you this far," she prodded, thinking she'd found something the lairon was willing to open up about.

"Early on I just wanted respect. I was tired of being a joke, I just wanted to distance myself from those losers. I think I've done that, but now... winning this is something I owe someone," answered the lairon, leaning against the counter.

"Really? Who?" asked Chouko, sitting up on the counter and turning to face the larger steel type. She didn't know much about the lairon, she looked into it but she had been an almost invisible presence at the school until the tournament, a footnote on a ridiculed team.

"Nineteen years ago my mom was on this very campus. She was near the top of her class, had scouts following her every move before she even graduated. She signed a contract with one of the larger leagues on the day she got her diploma," she said, the moth just listening and nodding. "And then... let it all go to her head. She figured she'd made it, it was time to put all that hard work aside and party," said the lairon. "I'm not criticizing her, that's all her own words," she said.

"Right, those kinds of temptations can be very strong. My parents went here as well, but I think that was before your mom. Be weird if not, small world, huh?" chuckled Chouko.

Lorissa took a drink of her soda before she continued. "Anyway she took the summer after graduation off, went to wild league parties, the works. And when the time came for her physical before league training started in the fall, the doctor found me. And just like that, her fighting career was over before it started."

"I see," nodded Chouko. "A lot of the best things in life come about through happenstance," she said with a smile, trying to be supportive.

"It worked out OK," shrugged Lorissa. "She owns a construction company that does good business in the region, owns a few scrapyards too, that's where I learned to work on cars. But I always felt she enrolled me here hoping I'd live out the dreams that she never got to. Time was I resented it, I figured I'd do enough to get by and use it as an excuse to work on crap like this," she said, waving her arm over the various cars scattered throughout the garage.

"And I'm guessing that's not the case anymore," said Chouko, taking another sip from her drink.

Lorissa just nodded in response. "She busted her ass for me, worked herself to exhaustion to make a good life for us. She gets me into the best school in the world and I end up pissing it away. Well not anymore. This tournament isn't about respect anymore, it's about making the best of everything I've been given. I owe her that."

"You owe yourself that too," answered Chouko. "That's about as good a motivation as anyone could have. Knowing that, I think I'm going to have an even tougher time wining than I thought. But I'm still going to try my hardest, I owe people that as well," she said, hopping down off the counter.

"I'd hope so," answered Lorissa, tossing her empty soda bottle into a trash can and leaning over to examine the engine she pulled out of the car. "Only fair to warn you though, I've been mentally preparing. I watched Highlander last night."

"Oh I love that movie!" chuckled Chouko. "Not so much all the sequels though. So which one are you?"

Lorissa smirked, lowering her voice before answering. "Better to burn out, than fade away," she chuckled as she prodded some of the engine parts with her wrench.

"You know he dies in the end, right?" laughed Chouko.

"Yeah well, he was careless and stupid. I'm not," Lorissa answered, picking up the wrench and loosening some of the engine parts.

"Obviously not, or you wouldn't have made it this far," chuckled Chouko. "I look forward to our match, so long as you aren't planning on chopping my head off."

"Nah, after my last match, I've had enough of being electrocuted," she answered flatly. "Thanks for the drink though."

"Sure thing, it was nice to meet you," said Chouko as she turned to leave. The meeting wasn't quite what she expected. The lairon's S.E.C.T. audition match was brutal and with the exception of her first round match, which carried some extenuating circumstances, she hadn't held back anything in the tournament so far. Chouko was expecting her to be angry, moody, and confrontational but instead found someone motivated by both love and regret. Exiting the garage she picked up her pace and hurried for Mr. Greenbriar's office, hoping she could catch him before he left for the day. The moth had a lot of questions.

The final match of the tournament was only a few days hence, barely enough time for the fighters to recover from their grueling prior round. As the hour of the match drew closer students, teachers, and even pro scouts sat in the stands eagerly waiting. Principal Kindle sat in the main observation booth looking at a pocket watch over the top of her glasses, noting the time before putting it away. "Not quite time," she thought to herself, taking a look around at the large turnout.

Deeper within the arena Lorissa sat on a bench in one of the girls' locker rooms, lost in thought. Her attention was drawn to the sound of a voice addressing her from the entryway. "All on you now Lori, get out there and kick her ass," said a pachirisu leaning against the wall.

"Dom? What are you doing in here?" she asked, looking up at him with a skewed expression. "It's the girls' locker room you know."

"And you're the only one in here," he laughed. "Everyone else is topside," he said, nodding his head in the direction of the arena proper. "Look I just wanted to wish you luck, alright? And to say it's nice to see you've got your head in the right place going into this."

The lairon nodded in return. "Yeah, I'm gonna stomp her, but I'm still gonna be me while I do it. Thanks for looking out though," she said as she stood up.

"Just don't get too cocky, it's not a freshman teddy bear out there," he smirked, pushing away from the wall as the lairon approached.

"Don't remind me," she said, rolling her eyes. "Just do me a favor, get some of the guys together, we're going out to eat after I win. And get your sister, I owe her big."

"Sure," he chuckled, following her out into the hallway. "And Lori?" he said after walking a short way, the lairon pausing to look back at him. "Good luck, and go get 'er," he smiled, giving the lairon a quick hug before turning to head back to the spectators' entrance. "I'll be yellin' for ya!"

Lorissa laughed and waved as he departed, making a determined march for the arena floor. She wondered what they would have in store, the past two rounds had included special terrain and conditions, she was expecting more of the same but had no idea exactly what. Possibilities filled her head the rest of the way to her assigned entrance.

On the opposite side of the arena Chouko slowly walked toward her entrance, lost in thought. All manner of tactics and plans ran through her head and the venomoth was locked in an argument with herself over which would be the most effective, weighing the pros and cons. A faint maroon-colored glow flickered around her hand as she walked, subconsciously trying to focus on the energy in spite of the distractions. She held up suddenly and jumped as a voice caught her by surprise.

"Chouko?" said a smiling heracross with long, braided hair standing in her path. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you!"

"It's OK Karma, I was just doing some last-minute planning," she smiled back, the glow around her hand fading away. "Gareth was a tough opponent and Rivera even tougher. Lorissa combines the worst of both. Or best, depending on your point of view. I'm just not sure if I can pull this off."

"You can!" said Karma enthusiastically. "Have faith in yourself Chouko. As sifu says, even the gentlest wind will one day wear down the mightiest mountain, even if it takes many days."

"Yeah, well, this mountain isn't going to just sit there, she's going to get up and come after me, so I'm going to have to be more than just a gentle wind," laughed the venomoth.

"You have found the flaw in sifu's wisdom and yet overcome it, he would be proud!" chuckled the heracross. "You've come far Chouko, trust yourself, trust your abilities. Win or lose, come out of this much better than you are going in. That's all anyone can ask. But given the choice, win," she smirked.

"I'll give it my best, Karma. I have an ace up my sleeve," she said, the faint maroon glow returning. "I've been training with it very hard the last few days, it's far from perfect, but I think I have enough power and control for one good shot, I just need an opening."

"Then make it count," said the heracross with a bow. "Best of luck Chouko, we'll be cheering for you!" she said, giving the moth a hug of her own before scurrying off, leaving Chouko to ponder her words as she approached the opposite entrance.

Back in the heart of the arena Mrs. Kindle checked her watch one more time before getting the attention of a vibrava in a referee's shirt flying nearby. "Mr. Turino? I believe we're ready," she nodded, picking up a microphone and standing up as the vibrava flew off to tell the fighters to prepare. "May I have your attention please!" she called out in a friendly yet authoritative tone, the noise of the crowd quickly coming to a halt.

"Students, faculty, parents, and guests, welcome to the final match of the Poke-Combat Academy's Summer Exams Combat Tournament!" she announced, a brief chorus of applause and cheers interrupting her. She waited a moment for it to subside before continuing. "So far we have seen some excellent displays of battle prowess from the competitors in this tournament, and congratulations are due them all. But we can have only one winner, determined by this match!"

Another round of cheers and applause punctuated Mrs. Kindle's announcement, the ninetails taking the opportunity to check with the referee down below. Mr. Turino gave the ready sign and assumed his position above the arena floor as Mrs. Kindle began to speak again. "Now we could have all sorts of pomp and circumstance but nobody truly wants that, do they? We're here to see a battle between the PCA's best, not a parade. So without further ado, here are the finalists in this tournament. First, a senior here at the academy who has shown tremendous improvement and determination since this tournament began, Lorissa Fernacio!"

A rousing chorus of cheers arose from the enthusiastic crowd, punctuated by Dominic and some of his friends near the front, waving signs. Lorissa stepped through the curtain into the arena, spotting them but turning her eyes to an older aggron sitting a few rows back. "This one's for you," she said to herself, nodding up to her as she walked forward to the painted circle on the arena floor marking her starting location.

"And her opponent!" called out Mrs. Kindle, quickly silencing the noise. "A junior, relatively new to the school, but a shining example of everything the PCA is about, Chouko Nakamori!" The crowd once again erupted in cheers, led on by Karma and a gathering of other bug types. With a deep breath Chouko stepped through the curtain on the other side, standing in the middle of the opposite circle and readying herself. She and Lorissa immediately locked eyes, not blinking as they waited for the signal to begin.

"Now, I realize for the past two rounds we have provided terrain and obstacles in order to bring another level of challenge to the competition," said Mrs. Kindle, looking down to the two fighters. "But not this time. This battle will simply be skill versus skill, you will be battling only with what you bring to the arena with you. I expect nothing but the best, students. But you already know that, don't you?" she said with a smirk. "Mr. Referee? On your mark!" she called out as she took her seat.

Mr. Turino nodded and got the attention of the two fighters. "Fighters ready?" he yelled out, both Lorissa and Chouko nodding without taking their eyes off each other. "Then begin!" he yelled with a dramatic sweep of his hand.

Chouko reacted quickly, fluttering her wings and leaping backward to get some air. Her plan was simple on the surface - keep her distance, wear the lairon down with her status effects, and don't let her gain any momentum. She reared her hands back, paralyzing spores gathering around her as she started to put her plan into motion, but would hit her first obstacle almost immediately.

Lorissa was equally fast off the referee's mark, throwing her hands up toward the venomoth. Waves of sand began to issue forth, swirling around and rushing toward her opponent. Chouko's spores met the swirling sand and were immediately dispersed with no effect, much to her disappointment. To make matters worse the swirling sand stung and bit into her, making flight all but impossible. Chouko was forced to the ground with a grimace, her plan already disrupted. She knew the sandstorm would come into play she just wasn't expecting it so soon, the lairon was coming out much more aggressively than the venomoth had expected.

The steel type showed no sign of slowing her assault now that her opponent was down. Running low to the ground a blue-white glow of energy enveloped her fist, accompanied by a low, draconic roar. Chouko looked up at her with concern, the only means she had of stopping her wouldn't work at this range and by the time Lorissa was close enough for the spores and dust to affect her it would be too late. She braced for the unavoidable impact when inspiration suddenly struck. "The breeze," she whispered to herself, remembering Karma's words. Silvery particles began to cluster around the venomoth, mixed with some sleep powder. Chouko let both fly in a sudden rush of wind that cut a swath through the swirling sand. The effort weakened her attack but that wasn't the point, the silver wind was just a delivery method. The lairon choked on the powder and blinked a few times as she threw her punch but didn't stop, the powder not having its full effect.

Chouko went flying as the lairon connected though she made no attempt to avoid the knockback, even fluttering her wings to help increase the distance. She twisted in the air and landed on her feet with a cough. She knew the lairon would hit like a truck but that didn't stop it from hurting. "Be like the wind," she whispered to herself, gathering her energy as the lairon recovered and made another rush for her. The venomoth held her hands out again, a bright cascade of multi-colored light arcing through the sand to strike the lairon. It barely had any effect but Chouko took little notice of it. "One pebble at a time," she whispered as Lorissa closed the distance and reared back with her sharp, metallic claws.

This time it was the moth's turn to take her opponent by surprise, hopping up and kicking the lairon in the chest with both feet. Using the steel type as a platform she shoved off with both legs, turning and flying in the opposite direction as Lorissa's claws found nothing but air. Again Chouko's attack had little effect but every bit counted, or so she told herself. "That was her last opponent's mistake, he got discouraged too easily," she thought to herself as she planned her next move. "It may not hurt much but it does hurt, patience."

Aggravated with the moth's hit and run tactics Lorissa held up. Not wanting to close the distance again she held out her hands, channeling magnetic force through her steel body to produce a powerful electrical charge that arced out in all directions. The shock wave caught Chouko by surprise as is slammed into her gut, a cloud of dust erupting from her skin to shield her from the aftereffects. "Ugh good thing I'm not a flying type, I'd forgotten about that," she muttered to herself as she got back to her feet. "Enough of that!" she yelled, sending a wave of psychic force back at the lairon. The lingering electrical sparks flickered as her follow-up attack shorted out, disabled by the moth. Chouko regretted the taunting though as it caused her to cough on some more of the sand, realizing she'd only earned a brief reprieve.

Chouko took up a defensive stance, multi-colored light flashing around her hands again. She squinted for a moment to find the lairon through the whirling sand, taking her shot once she found her. The delay cost her though as the lairon had enough time to smash her fists into the very arena and rip up a section of the floor, using it as a shield. Chouko watched in disbelief as the signal beam bounced off and faded away before the section of floor tipped forward to slam back down with a loud crash. She squinted again, trying to find the lairon, but couldn't spot her. Thinking quickly she looked down, noting a large hole in the floor under the ripped-up section with dirt scattered about. "Dig," she thought to herself, jumping into the air and fluttering her wings to try to avoid it. The remnants of the sandstorm forced her back down, just in time for the impact to come from underneath, but her brief time in the air threw off the lairon's aim. The hit wasn't solid, but it was enough to send Chouko sprawling. "Now I wish I was a flying type," she muttered as she got to her feet.

Lorissa broke the surface close by, tearing another hole in the arena floor and sending dirt and scraps of metal flying. As she climbed back onto the level floor she drug a piece of machinery from the maintenance tunnels under the arena with her. Lorissa had been through those tunnels many times during her work with the school's arenamaster, and it was a familiarity she meant to exploit. Chouko's eyes grew very large as the lairon used her great strength to heave the chunk of machinery at her, the moth diving to the side to avoid getting smashed. She wasn't quite quick enough to avoid it entirely, getting clipped and knocked over as the machinery bounced off the floor, leaving chunks of metal in its wake. "You can't run forever!" the lairon taunted through the dying sandstorm, the moth realizing that she'd lost the momentum she had only moments ago.

Up above the now-damaged arena floor Referee Turino hovered over to the main observation booth, leaning over to whisper to Mrs. Kindle as he kept his eyes focused on the fighters. "Is that legal?" he asked briskly, not quite sure what to make of the tactic.

"I did say they had only what they brought with them, and she brought it up here, so game on," replied the ninetails with a shrug, apparently content to just let them fight. Nodding in response the referee hovered back above the fighters to keep an eye on them and call the match if need be.

Chouko was rattled, she thought she had a good strategy going in but found herself hitting a wall, a wall that hit back and showed no sign of relenting. She looked down at her hand, a faint maroon glow starting to form but she quickly willed it away. "No, too soon, have faith," she thought to herself, gritting her teeth and hurling a cloud of powder at the lairon as she bore down on her.

Lorissa took the cloud of powder right in the face, coughing and closing her eyes. She staggered forward, trying to open her eyes now that the powder had cleared, but they felt heavy and she could feel the energy draining from her. Her feet felt like lead and the world started to spin as the sleep powder mixed with the earlier dose. "Son of a bitch I hate sl-," she muttered, her words cut off by the loud clanging of her steel body hitting the floor.

Chouko stepped back and took a deep breath, relieved. She wanted to take time to catch her breath but knew she had to take the offensive, the hurting and shortness of breath would just have to wait. Some of the spectators began to boo, this kind of tactic was never popular with the fans but Chouko wasn't here to entertain them, she was here to win. Making sure to retreat to a safe distance in case the sleeping dino woke up she launched a pair of glowing needles of energy at the lairon, one right after the other.

Lorissa grunted as the spikes of energy sunk in, leeching life from her and healing Chouko. It wasn't much, the attack wasn't known for its power and the lairon's resistance weakened it further, but every bit helped. Chouko knew victory would come one step at a time if she could just stay focused, show patience, and keep the lairon contained. Stepping back further she let a flashing cascade of colorful energy gather around her hands, taking time to concentrate and focus before releasing it. The signal beam hit the sleeping lairon hard, which had the side effect of jarring her awake. Lorissa woke with a start, dazed look in her eyes. The brief flash of confusion quickly gave way to anger as she turned to the bug. "So that's how it's gonna be," she growled.

Chouko sighed slightly and stepped back, she was starting to tire and was beginning to wonder if she would have enough firepower to take the lairon down. In answer the venomoth fluttered her wings, sending a cloud of silvery particles into the air around her before summoning up a powerful wind to launch them at her opponent. She was expecting the lairon to summon up another sandstorm and was hoping to counter it but Lorissa would prove to be a bit more unpredictable than that.

The silver wind washed over her, battering her armored form but causing no serious harm. The punishment was starting to wear on her though, aches slowly starting to creep over her in spite of her toughness. With a loud roar she lifted her foot and stomped on the floor, a low rumble rolling through the ground until a trio of large rock shards burst through the ground around Chouko, slamming tight around her. The moth cried out in pain in spite of herself, the rocks battering and bruising her in addition to holding her fast. She struggled and squirmed against the tomb, knocking some of the rocks loose, but for the moment at the lairon's mercy.

"Tired of playing her game, time to play mine," growled Lorissa as she charged across the arena floor. She made sure to make a show of it, roaring loudly with an enraged look in her eyes, hoping to break the venomoth's morale. Swinging hard she drove her fist into the rocky prison, smashing it to pieces but sending Chouko sprawling with the impact and crashing against the heavy chunk of smashed machinery Lorissa had drug up from the maintenance tunnels.

Chouko started to falter, started to wonder if she really had a chance at all when she glanced up into the stands to see Team Junkyard cheering her on. It was a small thing but it was enough to reinvigorate her. She'd entered the tournament to test and better herself but found renewed motivation in her teammates. As much as she wanted to win for her own sake she wanted to win for theirs as well. She shook her head to clear some of the cobwebs and looked back to her opponent. She expected the lairon to charge her again but found her circling to the side. With a sudden realization the moth glanced behind her, noticing that the chunk of machinery was between her and the large hole in the ground. If the lairon charged her now, she'd be smashed between them and knocked into the tunnel.

"Oh no you don't!" she yelled, jumping to her feet as Lorissa ignited her fist with draconic energy and rushed her. With a sudden surge of strength Chouko ducked low, sheathing her head in a protective field of psychic energy and driving a headbutt into the lairon's midsection. Her armor may have been less thick there but it was no more forgiving, the impact ringing in Chouko's ears. It had the desired effect though, knocking the wind out of Lorissa enough to stop her, even if only for the moment. With the lairon doubled over Chouko leapt up and kicked her in the side of the head, vaulting away and making a u-turn to the other side of the hole, using it and the broken machinery as cover. "You're not catching me like that!"

Lorissa coughed and looked up at her over the top of the scrap metal, her eyes narrowed. "Just did," she growled, stomping her foot on the ground again. This time the rumbling was much more powerful, a tremor tearing through the ground in a line away from the lairon and catching Chouko in the middle. The floor buckled and shook as the fault line split the ground, sending dirt, rocks, and scrap into the air. Chouko tried to fly over it but a sudden pain in her wing from where the rocky tomb had smashed her brought her back down to earth only to get knocked around by the quake. The moth groaned and rolled over to all fours, prepared for a follow up attack, when a loud creaking sound emanated from beneath her, the floor falling a good foot before coming to a sudden stop, jarring the venomoth again.

The effort of the earthquake seemed to drain the lairon and she was slow to make another move. Chouko stood up and prepared to launch another attack before her opponent could recover but the sound of tortured metal echoed around her and she could feel the floor under her feet shaking. Without warning the entire floor between the tunnel entrances collapsed, taking dirt, debris, and the moth with it. Chouko cried out in surprise as she fell, barely able to use her wings to keep from hitting the ground beneath her. Up above her a thick layer of dirt and earth separated the arena floor from a layer of machinery, the whole spilling into the maintenance tunnel where she found herself.

Lorissa dashed alongside the trench made by the collapsed floor and simply jumped into the tunnel below, directly over the venomoth. Chouko looked up and saw the lairon jumping on her but quickly realized that her options were few. Paralyzing her or putting her to sleep wouldn't keep the lairon from crushing her, so she took the low road and retreated, hiding behind some machinery as the lairon landed on her feet with a loud, echoing clang. Chouko wasn't sure what to make of this, falling through the floor of the arena certainly never entered into any of her plans. Backing up she could see where some of the tunnel's supports had been damaged by the lairon digging through them earlier and came to a realization. "You set this up!" she yelled, the lairon quietly shrugging as she moved toward the moth. "That's awesome, I'm impressed! You really did pull out all the stops!" she called out enthusiastically, forming a bright cascade of colors around her hands and stepping out from cover to fire off another signal beam.

"I'm not gonna roll over!" yelled Lorissa over the noise of the machinery, wincing as the flashing colors hit her. The pattern of light was causing her to see spots and feel disoriented but for the moment she was still able to focus. She lashed out at some machinery with her claws, shredding it and peppering the venomoth with shrapnel. Chouko retreated again, clutching her arm where some of the metal had landed a solid hit and leaning to the side as she stepped into the range of a large cooling fan. She wondered for a moment if the lairon had planned it in order to neutralize her spores and powder.

Up above the arena floor the crowd was cheering wildly even though only some of them could see what was going on. Referee Turino hovered near Mrs. Kindle again as he kept watch from above but the ninetails answered his question before he could answer it. "Technically they are still in the arena," she said. "And besides, this is marvelous! Let them go," she said with a grin, leaning over the edge of the railing to get a better look.

"That's a lot of damage, Mr. Sparks is going to be furious when he sees how much work this will take to clean up," noted Mr. Turino as he watched Chouko fire off yet another signal beam while Lorissa plowed her way through some of the machinery to get to her.

"Are you joking? When he sees how much work this will take, he'll be ecstatic," laughed Mrs. Kindle. "But still," she said, pressing a button on an intercom. "Sparky? I trust you're watching this but we're having trouble following, can you bring them back up to level ground?"

"Yes ma'am!" came a cheerful reply through the intercom, the sound of machinery and hydraulics echoing through the arena soon after. The entire section of the underground part of the arena where they pair were fighting began to shake and rise like an elevator, pushing broken machinery aside. Lorissa stepped backward to catch her balance, feeling somewhat dizzy, but Chouko had the fortune of being able to hover above the unsteady ground.

"I wanted a challenge, and wanted to face the best," she panted, exhaustion starting to set in. "Mr. Greenbriar was right, I've never had to push myself so hard," she said, focusing her concentration. The noise from the grinding machinery was deafening but Chouko knew she could use it to her advantage. Gathering up and amplifying the sound she projected it at the lairon in a single high-pitched shriek, just barely in the hearing range of most 'mon. Some of the spectators did in fact hold their ears but Lorissa took the brunt of it. She staggered backward as the rising platform lurched, coming to a halt level with the arena floor but then starting to rise again.

The platform continued to rise up above the surface of the arena, finally grinding to a halt about sixteen feet up, supported by an intricate lattice of machinery, some of which was damaged from the fight. "I'm sorry ma'am, one of the hydraulics took a beatin', I'll need just a moment ta get it back down!" yelled a voice from Mrs. Kindle's intercom.

"No no, it's fine," interrupted the ninetails. "I'm sure they can adapt, let's see what they're really made of," she grinned. Mrs. Kindle loved a good battle, and although this particular one was having a few unexpected turns she knew it would serve to enhance, not distract. Nothing was truly predictable, you had to be ready for anything in a battle.

Chouko drifted back to the surface of the platform once it stopped moving. "Lucky me, I can just fly down," she taunted, which served its purpose of provoking the lairon. Between the supersonic, repeated signal beams, and vertigo from the rising platform Lorissa was having trouble focusing and felt dizzy. Her vision was blurry and she stumbled as she got back to her feet. Chouko took the initiative by lowering her head and rushing forward, hoping to take the wind out of her opponent again, but Lorissa reacted on pure instinct, lowering her own head to meet her. Steel met psychically-enhanced skull in the middle of the platform but steel won out. Lorissa took a step backward but Chouko staggered back and fell down, obviously taking the worst of the exchange. "Ow, bad idea," she muttered to herself as she tried to stand.

Lorissa lunged for Chouko as she stood but the confusion and disorientation finally got to her. She lost her balance and swung wildly, claws tearing into one of the nearby supports and getting stuck. She pulled her arm free without much effort but staggered backward as her claws came loose. She stumbled and teetered on the edge of the platform, a collective gasp coming over some of the crowd. Chouko rolled away and looked up at the lairon, then over the edge of the platform. "Sorry," she said with a resigned sigh as she hopped up onto a piece of machinery and jumped off, wings buzzing. The venomoth landed a solid, unerring kick from the air, and though it caused the lairon very little harm, it did unbalance her enough to knock her over the edge.

A mixture of gasps and roaring cheers went through the crowd as the lairon fell over the edge of the platform and down to the arena floor below. She landed hard with a resounding clang, cracking the arena floor and rolling to a stop, barely moving. Referee Turino nearly called the match but held up as he saw the lairon slowly starting to rise. Motioning for Chouko to stop he hovered over next to the lairon, yelling to get her attention. "Lorissa! Do you want to continue?"

She didn't answer immediately, just pushed herself up onto all fours. She hurt all over, not just from the fall but from the accumulated punishment the moth had been handing out. She was pretty sure she was hurt more than she realized and was already hiding what she could. At one point in the past she would have said no, nobody would blame her. At one point in the past she wouldn't have even bothered to get up. But this was now. "Yes," she rumbled. "She never quit, and neither am I," she said, nodding up to the aggron in the crowd.

With her answer to his satisfaction Referee Turino signaled for them to resume the fight, quickly flying out of the way. Inwardly Chouko hated having to take such extreme measures but knew she had to do what she had to do in order to win, and the lairon didn't seem to be much the worse for wear for the fall. She held the advantage of the high ground and wasn't going to give it up, leaning over the edge of the platform to fire off another signal beam.

The flashing beam caught the lairon on the shoulder but she had the presence of mind to shield her eyes from the wildly flashing colors. The fall had cleared her head and she didn't want to risk having her mind clouded again. With a low growl she turned toward the platform and glared at the venomoth on top of it. "Been there, done that," she muttered, slashing at one of the nearby supports with her claws and grabbing hold, wrenching the metal with all her might. The platform creaked and groaned as she pulled, pieces of metal coming loose and falling onto the arena floor. Chouko had no choice but to abandon her perch as the lairon cracked the support, causing the entire thing to start tumbling down in a heap of twisted metal.

"You just don't quit do you?" called Chouko from the air. She was trying not to show her fatigue as well, the mere act of fluttering her wings hurt and she was going to have to land soon. The time had come, she needed to make her opening. Calling up another cloud of stun spores she hurled them down at the lairon from above, the energy of her fighting hidden power already starting to build.

Lorissa saw the cloud descending on her but wasn't going to have any of it, she hadn't come this far and worked so hard to lose to some dust. Gathering what speed she had left she smashed her fists into the crumbling pile of metal beside her and ripped out one of the still-whirring ventilation fans, turning it on the spores. Chouko went wide-eyed as the cloud blew back over her, it was something she could have never expected. She thought for a moment that she would shrug it off but felt her wings grow numb and her limbs grow heavy as the paralysis set in, the moth falling out of the sky.

Lorissa stepped forward to catch her, hefting Chouko up over her shoulder as the moth fought desperately to stave off the paralysis. Holding her still with one arm the lairon gestured to the pile of rocks left over from the shattered rock tomb, a subtle glow flashing over them for a brief moment. "Not anymore," she answered as she took off in a short dash. With a loud roar the lairon power-slammed Chouko's body down onto the pile of rocks, driving her weight down onto the moth. Chouko cried out as she hit the rocks, then again as they exploded, blasting her back with pebbles like a shotgun blast. The force of the stealth rock detonating knocked Lorissa off of her but Chouko knew she was nearly done. Her mobility was returning but she knew there was no way she could fly and no way she could escape. She knew she only had one chance left.

Chouko slowly got to her feet through sheer force of will, summoning up the energy for her hidden power. She could feel the fighting energy course through her but the pain and exhaustion took their toll, causing her concentration to slip. A doubt sprung into her mind, had she waited too long? She threw the punch as Lorissa came at her with another dragon rush but the moth could feel the power raging out of control. While she had practiced and trained with it enough to pull it off under optimal circumstances, this was anything but. The energy exploded as she connected but it was anyone's guess where it went. Chouko knew she had hit the lairon but the backlash knocked her back as well, her arm numb. To her dismay the lairon was still standing, nowhere near as much of the energy had hit her as Chouko had hoped. Lorissa was hurting, more than she was letting on, but Chouko had thrown everything she had and then some. "I guess... I still have a lot to learn," she smiled sheepishly as she clutched her arm.

Lorissa just nodded and held out a hand, the amplified energy of the venomoth's attack coursing through her. She let it go without any flourish, the metal burst knocking Chouko back against the pile of scrap metal. The bug slammed against a large chunk of machinery and bounced off, wind completely taken out of her. She staggered for a few steps before collapsing, breathing heavily but not moving. Lorissa fell to a knee herself, breathing just as hard. After a silent three count the referee flew down to announce the decision. "Chouko Nakamori is unable to battle! Tournament winner, Lorissa Fernacio!"

The crowd erupted in cheers, even Team Junkyard cheering for the effort put on by both fighters. The aggron in the stands was cheering louder than any of them. "That's my girl, I taught her that!" she yelled, clapping a leafeon teacher sitting next to her on the back and causing him to sputter and drop his glasses. She got up from her seat and started for the stairs once the referee gave the signal for the spectators to come down and congratulate the fighters.

Karma led the way, with the rest of her team behind her. Chouko was starting to stir by the time they got there but they were quick to help her up anyway. "That was an amazing fight!" yelled Karma, putting an arm around the moth's shoulders to give her someone to lean on. "You went beyond anything I would have dreamed, I can't imagine anyone doing better!"

"But it wasn't enough," coughed Chouko, sore all over and grateful for the help. "Still came up short."

"Nonsense!" interjected Karma as a larger pinsir took over the job of helping Chouko up. "You fought harder than you ever have. So you didn't win, you came so far and accomplished what you set out to do. It's far better to lose and better yourself than win and stagnate," she recited, as though trying to remember a saying of some sort but having to paraphrase.

Chouko nodded at her wisdom. It came across a bit disjointed but she understood the meaning. "That I did, definitely," she coughed, holding her side. "I think we both came out of this far better than we were going in," she said, looking over to the lairon.

The aggron pushed her way past some of the other spectators as she made her way to the arena floor, looking up at the wreckage with an appreciative eye as she approached Lorissa. "You did it Lori," she said excitedly, reaching forward to help the lairon up and give her a heartfelt hug.

"Did it for you mom," she muttered, the force of the hug almost finishing the job Chouko had started. "Couldn't stand being a loser anymore, you deserve better."

"Lorissa you stop that right now," snapped the aggron, holding the lairon's shoulders. "I've never been more proud of you but I've always been proud of you. You didn't hafta do this for me. I'm sorry if you felt I was pushin' you, but I only ever wanted you to live up to your potential, no matter what you were doing. Cars, battles, or just life, you understand?"

Lorissa nodded and leaned against the aggron. "I know. I'm just so sorry I wasted so much of it," she sighed, weary in mind, body and spirit.

"Nonsense," snorted the aggron, echoing Karma's sentiment. "It all got you where you are now, so it wasn't a waste. But school's far from over, I don't wanna hear about you slacking again, you hear me?" she teased.

"Promise," smiled Lorissa, looking up at the crowd of people coming down from the stands and the inevitable celebration that was about to break out. Life was like a battle, things would just jump out at you and you had to be prepared, had to make the most of every opportunity, and had to be in it for the long haul. It was something she understood now, and though this challenge was over, she was finally looking forward to the next one.