Chapter 10: Ariados Gang Final

"BEGIN!"

"Corsola ancient-"

"CORSOLA TACKLE!" Leon swiftly interrupted Reggie, releasing both Furret and Teddiursa into the arena. 

As they landed in his embrace, Leon began to jump up and backwards, ignoring the pain, in an attempt to boost his adrenaline and widen the distance between them. 

The sudden movement seemed to confuse Corsola, causing her to momentarily halt her Ancient Power and switch to a Tackle attack.

"Cor-"

"TACKLE ME! TACKLE ME!" Leon kept shouting over Reggie's low and deep voice with an incessant high pitched one.

Corsola turned towards its trainer as she genuinely couldn't hear what he wanted her to do as a smile formed on his face.

"What is he doing?" Sam's statement's aligned with what everybody was thinking while watching Leon as they too didn't know what he was exactly doing.

"Making himself look like a buffoon." Tommy snarky whispered while crossing his arms, still a little bummed he wouldn't get a reward.

"CORSOLA USE WATER GUN! WATER GUN!" Leon jogged in circles while screaming from the top of his lungs causing Reggie to scrunch his eyebrows wary of why Leon was increasing the distance between them.

"Use ancient power!"

"USE FLOWER POWER!" 

Their simultaneous shouts blended into a cacophony of similar yet contrasting tones, causing Corsola to hesitate mid-motion, caught between starting an Ancient Power and holding back.

"USE ANCIENT POWER CORSOLA!"

"USE TOWER HOUR!"

'Damn.' Leon frowned as their shouts didn't resonate at the same time, knowing that the move would start. 

Corsola noticed this and began summoning a full-fledged Ancient Power, causing three rocks to lift from the ground, enveloped in a thick brown energy. 

Instead of releasing his Pokémon and fighting Corsola, Leon held onto them tightly before immediately running away. 

He observed the movement of the boulders, noticing how they were being tilted towards in prediction of the direction he was running, which prompted him to swiftly change direction at the last moment. 

This unexpected maneuver caused one of the boulders to veer off course to the right instead of the left, prompting Corsola to grit her teeth in frustration, as changing the trajectory of the boulders depleted too much energy.

*BAM*

Leon swiftly changed his trajectory to the left, then abruptly shifted straight ahead, narrowly dodging a boulder that whizzed past him. 

Reggie furrowed his brow, puzzled by Leon's erratic movements as his eyes widened after his gaze focused on the two Pokémon in Leon's embrace, continuously shrouded in two intense energies.

"CORSOLA, DROP YOUR ANCIENT POWER AND USE HEAD SMASH!" Reggie, understanding Leon's strategy, lunged forward, swiftly withdrawing the fang from his forearm which had been hatling the bleeding and wielding it like a dagger in the hand that couldn't use Rock energy.

"Corsola!" Corsola immediately dropped the rest of the boulder and rushed behind her trainer while getting ready to use head smash.

"Teddiursa close combat on Corisla and Furret use a quick attack attack on Reggie before following it up with a fury swipes." Leon ordered, releasing the energized Pokémon before quickly retreating. 

Teddiursa's crazed grin widened, his body enveloped in a dense aura of fighting energy juiced by Bulk Up as he propelled himself forward.

*Crack*

The ground cracked beneath Teddiursa's little foot as he propelled himself forward with tremendous force. 

Furret's movements became a blur as she rapidly accelerated, leaving an afterimage in her wake. 

Reggie enveloped all that he could within himself in Rock energy, preparing for whatever boost Furret might have received. 

Teddiursa and Corsola were the first to clash as the seismic impact of energies explosively mixed and unleashed upon one another, both Pokémon gritting their teeth against the tremendous firepower unleashed in their collision.

"CORSOLA!"

"TEDDIURSA!"

They both roared, their determination evident as they pushed forward relentlessly as the intent for victory and blood pulsated within their eyes. 

The air around them rippled wildly, showcasing their fierce clash as neither was willing to yield, resulting in their energies becoming incredibly unstable.

Resulting in a flash of light from the intense confrontation not having a clear victory causing a backlash for both Pokémon.

*THOOM*

Both Pokémon's bodies moved in opposite directions, skidding across the ground as they sought to regain their footing. 

Only when they finally came to a stop while separated by an immense gap did Reggie and Furret finally collided.

*BAM*

*Crack*

Reggie gritted his teeth, feeling the immense power under Furret colliding directly into his rib, yet taking the attack fully. 

Despite the pain of one of his ribs cracking, he managed to keep the air from escaping his mouth as he pushed the arbok fang, coated poorly in rock energy, downwards.

"Furr!" Furret let out a yelp as she felt the dagger penetrate her flesh, but she quickly used Reggie as a springboard while propelling herself into the air, buying enough time to gather energy into her claws for a fury swipes attack.

'Shallow?' Reggie was in disbelief at his attack not being fatal or at least lethal before his face darkened at the realization at what move Furret used.

'Defensive curl.' Reggie squinted his eyes, gripping both hands on the fang while coating the make-shift dagger in even more energy.

Still struggling to produce rock energy out of his injured arm, he had no choice but to channel more of his reserves into the fang to manage a fatal blow.

Running away from Furret until the effects of the buff wasn't an option since she was too fast for him to successfully manage to stall.

Reggie avoided channeling his rock energy directly into his fist for the same reason as he knew it wasn't as cost-effective as using a conduit. 

When energy, unless immune to each other, interacted, it could prolong its sustainability and properties, making it more efficient for the novice energy user.

Furret's furious scratches tore downwards as Reggie leaped back, but as soon as her paws hit the ground, she coiled her elongated body and shot directly at Reggie. 

Gritting his teeth, Reggie coated the fang to make it incredibly solid and durable, its white hue disappearing as it finally took on a dark brown shade. 

He decided to meet Furret head-on, aiming to inflict as much damage as possible to quickly overwhelm her before making his way towards Leon. 

Winding up the fang in his hand, he waited for the right moment to aim at an open fatal spot that might appear in his view.

'There!' Reggie immediately lashed down the fang downward, unleashing a slight ripple of rock energy to hurry his attack.

'NO!'

~WHOOSH~

A thick stream of air pushed outwards, but instead of making contact with Furret, the only thing that suffered was the wind showing that during this fight Leon wasn't entirely idle. 

From the moment the match started, he didn't even blink, focusing entirely on Furret's movements as he clenched her pokeball in his hand, waiting for the right time. 

What made this even trickier was that he still wanted to keep a certain distance from Reggie, so he had to time her retraction at the exact right moment.

"TEDDIURSA!"

"CORSOLA!"

*THOOM*

An identical interaction unfolded once more between the two fierce Pokémon. 

Their energies collided, knocking them both backward as they couldn't withstand the force of the exploding energies once more yet with a clear difference this time. 

Teddiursa's health hovered around 15%, but Corsola was teetering on the edge with only 4%, which immediately caught Reggie's attention.

"Furret, stop Reggie!" As if reading his thoughts Leon shouted outwards but once he did, Reggie sprung forward.

'F*CK!' Leon's internal shout spurred him into action, sprinting furiously toward Teddiursa's location. 

Furret materialized and immediately followed Leon's command, rushing toward Reggie. 

In a flash of white light, Furret appeared next to Reggie, but as she did, Reggie swiftly turned and punched Furret with his bare fist immediately catching her off guard. Forced into the disappointing revelation that using the fang against Furret in her current state would be futile, Reggie opted for the risky approach to coat his fist, aiming to make it as formidable as possible, perhaps to disrupt Furret's internal organs.

"RET!" Furret screeched out in immense pain, her slinky body briefly coiling around the force of his fist only for Reggie to continue his fist's trajectory forward, wanting to incite even more damage. 

Blood was forced out of Furret's mouth but instead of facing the grim reality of her defeat, she exploded with a fiery tackle.

*Crack*

With her efforts, three of Furret's fingers broke as she was propelled backward, skipping like a stone on water. 

Despite the damage to his deadliest weapons, Reggie gritted his teeth, determined to fight through the pain while clenching his injured fists even tighter.

"FURRET, YOU HAVE TO USE QUICK ATTACK AGAIN!" Leon's scream echoed through the arena, urging Furret to rise. 

However, when she attempted to stand, her tiny stubs wobbled, and she collapsed to the ground once more.

"Fur Furret!" Furret yelled at her own being, unwilling to succumb to the immense pain, she coated herself in all she had as the normal energy flared in an explosive wave, shooting herself towards Reggie as fast as a bullet. 

Every trek from her paws caused blood to trickle from the ends of her mouth yet she didn't halt at the internal destruction as Reggie met her head on as they both collided again.

*BOOM*

*CRACK*

Reggie's knuckles and fingers bore the brunt of Furret's assault, slight cracks stretching across the small bones in his right hand. 

However, Reggie's retaliation inflicted greater damage, causing a thick fountain of blood to spew onto his body that wasn't his own.

"Furret~" Furret limply slid across the ground, too weak to even catch herself as her breathing became a little unsteady.

Leon swiftly recalled Furret upon seeing her condition deteriorate further, as Reggie lunged forward towards the limp Pokémon, aiming to end her life, unsure if she was feigning injury.

*Splat*

Despite spitting out blood from another of Teddiursa's punches, Corsola managed to land a direct hit on Teddiursa as both Pokémon stood their ground.

*Thump*

Corsola slumped to the ground in the next moment, unable to hold on any longer as the life dew didn't give her enough chance to hold on in front of four bulk ups coupled with three forced close combats.

*Huff*

*Huff*

*Huff*

Teddiursa wasn't in any better shape, huffing deeply with a pale face from his energy almost completely depleted as he stood before the limp Corsola.

"TEDDIURSA!" Teddiursa roared in victory as he held up his paw upwards, wanting to finish his prey off with a clean and concise final blow.

Though AaaTeddiursa's paw came down, a red light surrounded Corsola with Reggie, who had heard the shout, turned his eyes to the side, and upon seeing Corsola on the verge of death, abandoned his attempt to kill Furret and instead returned Corsola.

The three were the last in the arena as all of them were immensely injured as Leon bit his lip but steeled his heart.

"Teddiursa, put literally everything into a fire punch!" Leon yelled at Teddiursa who slowly raised a smirk at the strong opponent rushing towards him with the intent to kill.

Teddiursa gripped his right paw tightly, ignoring all the injuries that pestered his being knowing that this would be his last attack.

Teddiursa squeezed every ounce of fighting energy from his being, converting it into the attack he had dedicated his life towards as a thick flame exploded from his paw while meeting Reggie's being head-on.

The crowd hung on battered breath, everything went silent in anticipation of the charging of both formidable fighters. 

However when their beings were about to collide, Reggie ducked to the side as Teddiursa overextended its paw.

*BAM*

Reggie suddenly kicked Teddiursa's stomach, pushing the small bear forward only for Teddiursa's feet to slide against the ground.

In the second, Leon didn't lag behind as he rushed forward as Teddiursa attacked Reggie once more only for the latter to leap backwards.

In that moment, they all understood Reggie's movements, realizing that Teddiursa was running on fumes as the flame coating his fist lessened with each passing second he wasted chasing Reggie.

Reggie's gaze shifted slightly, and the moment he noticed the flame vanish from Teddiursa's paw, he pivoted his foot. 

With determination in his eyes, he placed the fang in his mouth, then coated the hand with the gaping hole in its forearm with the last of his rock-type energy, finally intending to finish off Teddiursa with one decisive strike.

As Leon lagged behind, he caught a glimpse of Reggie's impending attack and clenched his fists tightly.

"TEDDIRUSA DON'T LET THIS F*CKER BEAT YOU!" Leon's scream pierced the air as Reggie wound up his fist, his eyes ablaze with determination and a smile playing on his lips for the first time in his life. 

Hearing Leon's cry, Teddiursa gritted his teeth, a vivid image flashing in his mind of towering blue pokemon winding up the same fist. 

Eyes set ablaze at this moment, Teddiursa summoned every ounce of his strength as the unwilling flames erupting from his paw while pouring everything he was into this final stand.

Fighting against Rock.

Pokemon against Human.

None of these factors provided a clear verdict; victory hovered in the air with uncertainty between these two contenders, each pouring their heart and soul into the fight.

"TEDDIURSA!"

"AHHHHHH!"

A flash ensued, blinding all from the two fists seeking to collide against one another as their battle cries rippled instead of the ears of the blinding light.

*THOOOOOOOOOOOM*

Two vicious assaults collided upon one another as a towering burst of power resonated from the impact of their attacks.

Leon didn't even wait for the light to die down as he never stopped running while holding a pokeball in his hand.

The glow faded, revealing Reggie standing over the unconscious Teddiursa as Leon promptly recalled his defeated Pokémon into its Poké Ball. 

Despite his fatigue, Reggie's grin remained steadfast as he struggled to maintain his stance. 

One hand charred to its core, the other its bones shattered, yet both remained clenched in determination.

Leon's health appeared to outweigh his coming opponent, but his slender, bony frame couldn't match Reggie's muscular physique, along with his physique that was of a teenager.

"COME ON!" Reggie spit out the fang onto the ground, the smile shining towards the scrawny kid as he recognized him as a worthy opponent while Leon gazed down at the fang at the side. 

Throughout Reggie's tragic life, he was confused within a one by one room while beaten to a pulp day after day by Jerome.

Fighting techniques were drilled into his skull as he only ever knew this tragic way of expressing himself.

However Reggie always attributed life with pain since fighting always hurt, yet in this moment, he had experienced more fun fighting this unknown and peculiar kid then he had in his entire fifteen years of living.

Reggie's legs wobbled, urging him to rest, but he ignored their plea and commanded them to keep moving forward..

"YOU DON'T SCARE ME YOU GEODUDE LOOKING MOTHF*CKER!" Leon roared outwards as they both inatied close quarters combat.

Reggie, lacking any Rock-type energy, didn't hesitate to throw a barefisted punch. 

Leon, realizing this, quickly weaved to the side with the intent to dodge only to have the sudden realization that he wasn't fast enough to dodge the impending attack.

*CRACK*

Reggie's broken fist sunk into Leon's side in the exact spot that he had been gravely hurt from two matches ago.

"ARCK!" Leon grimaced, feeling six of his ribs crack or break on his left side, blood spewing from the corner of his mouth.

In a defiant act of desperation, Leon seized Reggie's torn shirt with his boney fingers, his teeth clenched, and delivered a fierce headbutt to Reggie's nose, unyielding even in the face of death.

*CRACK*

As the force of Leon's headbutt connected, Reggie's nose crumpled under the impact, a gush of blood erupting forth. 

Yet, Reggie's steely gaze remained fixed, and he swiftly retaliated with a swift jab aimed at Leon's jaw. 

Anticipating the incoming blow, Leon reacted instinctively while throwing away all notions of attempting to block or dodge, spitting out the remaining blood from his mouth, aiming directly for Reggie's eyes, hoping to blind him momentarily.

*CRACK*

"Arck!" 

Reggie's eyes squeezed shut from the intrusion of the blood as his fist connected with Leon's jaw, the impact causing his skin to ripple and unable withstand the force, Leon's jaw dislocated in an attempt to minimize the damage. 

Tears welled up in the corners of Leon's eyes, an involuntary response to the intense pain, though beneath it all, his emotions were fueled by anger rather than sadness. 

With his jaw now in a precarious position, Leon seized the opportunity, driving his bony fist into Reggie's side, aiming for the exact spot where Furret had struck earlier.

*CRACK*

Leon delivered a devastating blow, completely shattering Reggie's already cracked rib. The impact jolted Reggie out of his daze, and he forcefully opened his eyes, the pain searing through him. 

As the rib broke off from the cage, it pierced his lung, flooding it with blood and inducing a drowning sensation. 

Reggie's eyes, now completely bloodshot, betrayed the agony he was enduring as he grabbed both of Leon's shoulders and drove his knee into Leon's sternum with all the strength he could muster.

*GASP*

Leon's breath escaped him in ragged gasps, his chest heaving with intense effort as his left side was slightly caved in, evidence of the brutal exchange of blows, while his right side throbbed with swelling. 

Leon constantly struggled to draw in air with the only thing nurturing his body being the adrenaline surged through him, refusing to abandon him in his time of need. 

With sheer determination, he pushed himself away from Reggie, refusing to succumb to any more agony pulsating through his body.

*Thud*

Leon collapsed to the ground, his body protesting every movement as pain shot through him like lightning. 

Ignoring the begging from his nerve endings, he began to crawl away from Reggie, the taste of blood lingering in his mouth. 

Meanwhile, Reggie attempted to rush at him, but his weakened state betrayed him, forcing him to fall to one knee in a desperate attempt to regain his balance.

*Bam*

"Urgh!" Reggie slammed his charred hand onto the ground, trying desperately to incite sparks of adrenaline to continue his maddening pursuit.

Unable to stand fully, Reggie started to limp towards Leon with a grim determination, pushing himself forward as every step incited more internal damage while closing the gap between him and the crawling Leon. 

The audience watched in awe and disbelief, witnessing the incredible resilience of these two young fighters. 

Meanwhile, their sponsors watched with bated breath, hanging on every battered moment, desperate to see who would emerge victorious.

"Ju-"

*Huff*

"JUST DIE!" Reggie roared as he lunged at Leon, his charred fist raised high. 

He felt the urgency closing in, each breath becoming more laboring than the last knowing that if he delayed any longer, his demise would be inevitable.

Turning around, both of their bodies collided as the crowd remained silent as they watched both bodies lay completely still for a moment until Reggie's body started to wriggle.

Jerome smiled, thinking this as Reggie's victory as Sam dropped to her knees in defeat with Josh patting her shoulder.

"LOOK!" Someone shouted to all anyone who listened, seeing Leon being the one to incite the rock boy's movements and pushing REggie off of him.

"HOLY SH*T!"

"KID KILLED A TEENAGED ENERGY USER!"

"F*CK F*CK F*CK!"

"YEAAAAAAH!"

"WOOOOOO MAMMAS GETTING A HIGH GRADE FLYING TYPE MATERIAL!" Sam jumped to her feet while yelling at the top of her lungs as her pokeball wriggled excitedly.

*Huff*

*Huff*

*Huff*

*Huff*

*Huff*

Leon's eyes flickered in defeat as he glanced to the side, catching sight of the pale Reggie turning his head to fix his gaze on him, causing a flinch to ripple through him. 

'God dammit this kid is strong.' Leon let out a defeated smirk, unable to properly move anymore as he could only wait for death.

Reggie reached into his pocket as Leon could only watch helplessly, thinking that he had lost.

"T-Take care of her for me." Reggie suddenly showed a warm smile, trying to hold out Corsola's pokeball only for it to weakly slip out of his hand and onto the ground between them.

"She's stubborn, C-coresla-

*Cough*

*Splat*

Reggie forced up mouthfuls of blood, his lungs drowning the only tether of thin air keeping his life chained to this horrid reality.

"A-All I ask-"

*Huff*

"Is that you make sure she doesn't give up on life to follow me towards death." 

However as the words dropped, Reggie's eyes welled with tears as a realization suddenly struck him as his words dropped.

He would never have the chance to say goodbye to Corsola, the one being he truly cherished and truly reciprocated his heartfelt feeling.

The only regret that pulsated in his broken heart was the fact Reggie would never get to fully tell her how much Corsola meant to him.

"A-And could you tell her that I-I loved her." Reggie sniffled, closing his eyes as the tears dripped onto the group while mixing in his own blood.

Upon seeing Reggie's defeated state, Leon let out a deep sigh, feeling a heavy weight lift from his heart.

*Crack*

Leon forced his jaw back into place, wincing from the pain so that it didn't droop down his mouth.

"I-I will." Leon nodded his head while inching his hand over to grab the pokeball before pocketing it.

Reggie's tears flowed like a river as he gazed up at the ceiling, the fang still lodged in his heart, feeling death slowly consuming him.

"Will I disappear-"

"No you won't." Leon weakly interrupted Reggie, pondering such questions on his deathbed.

"How do you know?" Reggie choked as he felt his lungs finally fill completely with blood, causing his breath to greatly diminish, still, he spoke out as the life slowly drained from his eyes.

"Because when I died the first time, I didn't disappear." Leon painfully chuckled, trying to soothe this kid who's blood stained his own hands.

Leon, though ruthless, truly acknowledged Reggie in these final moments. 

He didn't regret his actions, but that didn't mean he couldn't respect the kid for everything he gave in his fight.

"R-Really?" Reggie whispered as his breath slowly started to become still.

"Yeah, there's something on the other side, I promise." Leon spoke out as a trail of blood flowed from the side of his mouth.

Speaking only made his condition worse, yet he didn't care. 

He knew he would leave this place alive, but Reggie wouldn't be as fortunate so in his final moments, Leon decided to show some form of compassion, something he doubted this kid had ever felt as he stuck next to him until his death.

"Thank yo-'' Reggie couldn't finish his sentence as his breath faded, the last remnants of life slipping away, drifting into the next beginning that Leon had promised him.

"PARTICIPANT LEON IS THE WINNER OF THE DIAMOND BRACKET!" The announcer roared out as the crowd shared his enthusiasm.

"PARTICANT LEON, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE EXIT TO BECOME A OFFICIAL MEMBER OF THE ARIADOS GANG!" The announcer yelled without any form of compassion

Leon turned his head to the side and showed an expression that read 'really' yet the announcer didn't waver in his previous words.

Leon took a deep breath before flipping himself over as more blood leaked from the side of his mouth.

*Drip*

*Drip*

*Drip*

*Drip*

Blood dripped, leaving a trail as he weakly crawled towards the exit. His eyelids flickered intensely, feeling as if a million pounds were pressing against them. 

Despite his efforts to keep them open, his vision started to blur. As he crossed the threshold, he collapsed onto the ground.

"Good job kid, let me take it from here."