Spoiler alert! Havok will battle Drayden and maybe even his last name will be shown next chapter!

I've been getting quite a few PMs on why the image is of a Halo assassination…well when the image thingy was released, I didn't bother to change it. In my mind, I think the content, not the images gives a story's true nature. Like they always say, don't judge a book by its cover.

Enough talk, I'm off my soapbox.

So, here it was. The final match. One of us was going home with a box full of energy gems, the other with the credit of getting all the way there and then beaten by the victor.

I plan to be the one with the gems.

I sat in the locker, sharpening my knife to pass the time. Still don't really know why I must always have it with me. Usually, I holster it on my right leg and it is unnoticed. Then again, it's quite uneasy seeing me with shades and a knife, I'd look kinda scary.

"We now move onto the final match between Emile and Havok! The winner will get all seventeen energy gems! Trainers! Send out your Pokemon!" The field then went out to a standard grass one.

"Druddigon! Go!" Emile smirked at me as he tossed out his ace Pokémon. Why does that not surprise me?

"I'll start out with Escavalier!" I threw him out as my first man.

"Start out with Iron Head!" I commanded, "Esca!" He replied, before accelerating and hitting Druddigon head first.

"Druddigon, use Superpower!"

"Block it with Poison Jab!" As the rock flew towards the knight, Escavalier's lances glowed purple and he punched forward, shattering the boulder and sending fragments everywhere.

He held up his lances to swat away the fragments when through the dust cloud, Druddigon flew straight at him with a Superpower in hand.

"Escavalier, evade it!" I shouted, completely unprepared. It was too late though, the Superpower hit dead center. He tumbled out of the explosion and landed in a heap with battered armor.

"Escavalier is unable to battle! Druddigon wins!"

The announcer was obviously surprised. "Druddigon gets Emile the early lead as Havok's Escavalier failed to land even a scratch on him."

"Now I'm going to make much more than a scratch!" I muttered, "Isn't that right Larvesta?" I threw her out onto the field.

"Larve!" She exclaimed excitedly after I released her.

"Druddigon, use Stone Edge!" It formed several razor sharp stones and sent them forward.

"Larvesta, run towards Druddigon while evading all the stones." I instructed. Larvesta complied, weaving through the barrage, gaining ground rapidly. Finally she had cleared the assault and was in open ground.

"Druddigon use Superpower!" As it launched the energy, Larvesta blew completely through it as she glowed white.

Nice touch learning Double Edge! Larvesta slammed into her opponent, sending the cave dragon stumbling back and tripping over a boulder. Now was my chance to get it out of this fight and get the match rolling my way.

"Another one!"

"Counter with Dragon Pulse!" Despite Druddigon being damaged by Double Edge, it charged the pulse and fired in half a second, which completely fast. Larvesta had no time to even perceive that it was coming and was instantly knocked out.

"Larvesta is unable to battle!"

A thousand thoughts ran straight through my mind. How was I going to beat this thing? If I did, would I still have battle ready Pokémon? What if his next Pokémon is even tougher?

I had one ace card and it was time to use it.

"Druddigon's made quite a mess. Two can play at this game." I murmured as I threw out the Dusk Ball containing Sawk. He gave a taunting stance to his draconic opponent who in response roared angrily.

"Begin with Superpower!"

"Get ready." I told Sawk. His expression was perfectly calm as Druddigon readied his prime attack.

"Now!" Emile shouted, at the command, he launched the attack.

"Counter it!" At my command, Sawk swatted the attack right back, hitting home. Druddigon struggled and finally got on its feet with a roar. Impossible! What could possibly take this thing down? Chances are, Emile thinks Sawk's a threat so he's likely to exhaust Druddigon to use stronger attacks.

"Use Stone Edge!"

I was going to make Emile shit his pants with this one. "Show em your speed and evade those, make it look good." Sawk nodded and weaved through the barrage. He slid, tucked and bobbed throughout the entire thing and the fluid motions seemed almost unreal. Hard to believe what mom did to him while I was away. "Now you're close, finish it!" I shouted, hoping this was going to work. Sawk evaded a wide swinging Dragon Claw. Leaping behind the monster, he pushed it down and jumped up, slamming a newly learned Close Combat to the head. Dust kicked everywhere and Sawk walked out of the clouds to my field and posed in a meditating stance. Emile called Druddigon, but the titan never answered.

"Druddigon is unable to battle!" Upon this statement, the crowd erupted and the announcer took off.

"What do you know! This must be the first time Emile's Druddigon has ever been taken down! Havok's only lost two Pokémon trying to do it! Could the loss of Druddigon be Emile's downfall?"

I hope so.

On the other hand, Emile seemed only slightly surprised. He still had five Pokemon left, me with four.

"It has only just begun, my friend." Emile chuckled, tossing out his second Pokemon, Beheeyem. Sawk wouldn't last long against him. I reached for his Dusk Ball and saw him look back at me. He had stopped meditating to gesture that he still wanted to battle.

"Alright, I'll keep you in play. Let's soften him up with Stone Edge!"

"Beheeyem, use Psychic to send the stones back." Its eyes began to glow and the stones stopped hurdling towards it and it turned to its user. Sawk didn't need my instructions to evade, he was already weaving through.

"Jump on the stones to get close and hit it with Close Combat!" Sawk leapt from rock to rock and began hitting his Psychic opponent with multiple blows. Then suddenly, bluish and white particles began to form around Sawk and they impacted, forcing him to halt his Close Combat.

"Finish it with Psybeam!" Beheeyem fired a strange ray towards Sawk. He struggled to get up and laid a defiant look before the beam hit him and knocked him out.

"Sawk is unable to battle!"

Looks like this match just got tougher. I readied Cryogonal's Pokeball, perhaps its higher guard against special attacks may give me and edge.

"Beheeyem, use Calm Mind and then Psybeam!"

"Cryogonal, Hidden Power!"

The two attacks collided, but the Hidden Power orbs pushed the Psybeam aside. Beheeyem was struck and collapsed, showing great difficulty in trying to stand again. Beheeyem fired a Psybeam that completely missed.

"Now finish it with Ice Beam!" Cryogonal charged and shot the frigid blast. Beheeyem didn't move afterwards. Still, it was battle capable. I prepared a finishing Flash Cannon, when Emile spoke, almost in a malicious way. "Recover the damage."

Beheeyem began to glow gold as it regained energy. Without a command, it used Psychic and Cryogonal was hit from behind from the stray Psybeam. How he managed to pull that one off is beyond me. Beheeyem must have been faking its heavy injury to use Psychic to redirect the Psybeam which delivered the knockout blow.

Next Pokemon, Serperior. I got off a Leaf Blade before Beheeyem destroyed it by holding him up with Psychic and then relentlessly hitting him with Psybeam.

"Krookodile, you're last!" I shouted, hoping she could go all the way and destroy his entire party. She performed a flawless Rock Slide, that made Beheeyem flinch.

"Now finish it with Earthquake!" She began stomping the ground, making it tremble.

"Beheeyem, use Confuse Ray." Before it was knocked out, it sent a strange attack and sent Krookodile stumbling around.

"Sawk, let's finish this!" Emile sent out a Sawk of his own. It didn't look as tough as my Sawk, but still dangerous.

"Use Earthquake!"

"Jump up and bring down a Brick Break!"

The Earthquake was no use since Sawk leapt into the air. He formed a chopping hand and brought it down. Krookodile wasn't out yet, she was still fighting. She initialized a Brick Break of her own, but instead hit herself, taking me out of the tournament.

"Krookodile is unable to battle! The match goes to Emile!"

I returned my Pokemon in defeat and without another word, turned to leave the stadium.

"Good battle huh?!" Emile called over my shoulder, but I ignored him. As I looked back on the stadium, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"That was quite the battle." Drayden remarked, folding his arms.

I shook my head, "I didn't win."

"You had a very slim chance anyway, but that isn't what I want to talk to you about. I feel that you have lost your drive for battles. Either they are too easy or too difficult for you. How about we have a little match? Perhaps I can fix that." He smiled, making me smile back, despite my hardened outside.

"Promise me a gym badge if I win." I held out my hand.

Drayden laughed, "If is the most important part of your statement." He shook it.

There we go! Havok loses in the finals! (Bummer) Now he has to challenge Drayden and maybe give him a new outlook in battling! I never knew Pokemon battling was this hard to write about! Next chapter is on the way!