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| - It took a while of walking, but the trio was finally able to make it to the bustling Mauville City at night. Unlike other cities in the Hoenn Region, Mauville City was actually one giant building; a mall. All houses, apartments, stores, restaurants, parks, training facilities, and the Mauville City Gym were housed in different areas of this large building. When the trio arrived in the city, they could tell that there was much to do. While Brendan's main goal remained obvious - to challenge the gym - May and Lisia seemed to have other plans. They were taken in by the large amount of stores to go shopping in. Knowing he would have to wait till tomorrow anyways to challenge Wattson, Brendan didn't seem too irritated that the girls were hopping from store to store. Still, however, he was growing impatient with their indecisiveness. "Do you girls even know what you want?" Brendan asked the two as they walked into a PokéDoll store. "I mean, we've been to three stores already and neither of you have bought anything." "Oh, be quiet," May shushed him. "It's not like you have a better idea." "Yeah, like, let us have our fun!" Lisia agreed. "We're both going to watch your little gym battle tomorrow, so just have patience now." "That would have been easier if you guys actually knew what you wanted, though," Brendan groaned. "But fine, I'll 'be patient'." The girls smiled and continued to scan through the aisles. Mauville City was like a dream come true for them. The store had rows upon rows of stores for just about anything. Any girl would have been lost on its 'streets' looking for crap that they didn't actually need. "Hey, how about we go looking at a Pokémon Contest accessory shop?" May suggested. "That's, like, a fabulous idea!" Lisia nodded. "Let's go!" "Oh, come on!" Brendan groaned and followed the pair out of the store. He watched as they ran around the halls of the mall looking for a good Pokémon Contest store. Eventually, they found one and ran straight in. When Brendan walked in behind them, he could see that the store was filled up neatly with special things for Pokémon to wear in contests. May and Lisia were ravaging through the aisles looking for good products for their Pokémon. Whatever was put up earlier had been messed up as they were carelessly knocking things off shelves in hopes that they would find something good for their Pokémon. Brendan slapped his palm onto his face and walked over to the two who were kneeled on the ground going through accessories. "You guys are making a mess!" Brendan shouted at them. "I mean, look at what you've done to this place! It's someone's job to fix this up." "Wow, this top hat would look great on Combusken!" May exclaimed, completely ignoring Brendan. She continued to shift through some rows of clothing to find something nice. "Actually, I could definitely see Combusken wearing this black cape!" "And, like, this silk veil would make Ali look fabulous!" Lisia added in and dug deeper into the pile of clothes. "Oooh, and this comet prop would, like, also look amazing!" "There's so much to choose from!" "And such little time!" Brendan exclaimed. "It's late at night, we should be getting to bed soon." "If you really want to go to bed, then just go," May told him. "It's not like you can't check into a Pokémon Center by yourself." "You know what?" Brendan chuckled. "I don't know why I didn't do that from the beginning. Well, I'm going to be off. Good night!" "Yup, you too!" May waved him goodbye and watched as he headed to the store's exit. When he was out of eye-shot, she continued going through some of the accessories. "Now we have all the time in the world to buy stuff for our Pokémon!" "Yes!" Lisia pumped her fist. Brendan exited the store and continued to walk down the halls of the city. While he wasn't exactly tired yet, he figured that he would get a bite of food at the Mauville Food Court. He carefully navigated his way through the city until he could see an opening with several restaurants. His belly rumbled at the thought of food and he instantly knew he made the right decision. When he walked inside, he could see that the cafeteria was bustling with trainers. Everybody was talking to one another about their Pokémon, something that Brendan hadn't seen in a while. Most of these trainers even had their Pokémon out of their PokéBalls hanging around casually them and their friends. As an aspiring Pokémon master, these were obviously his type of people. As he walked through the tables, he could see a familiar face sitting with an older man at a table nearby. Recognizing the signature messy chartreuse hair as Wally's, he walked over to the table to sit with them. It seemed as if the conversation he was having with the man was tense. "Hey, Wally," Brendan said and tapped the boy's shoulder. "What're you doing here?" "Oh, I'm just visiting my uncle in Verdanturf," Wally answered and pointed to the older man. "I wanted to challenge the gym leader here, but my uncle doesn't think I'm ready for it." "That's because you're not," his uncle said softly. "Wally, you are in no shape to take on a gym leader." "That's not true!" Wally exclaimed. "Me and Kirlia are more than capable of taking on a gym!" Right from the get-go, Brendan could notice that a lot had changed about Wally. His words were not broken, he was not afraid to stand up to people (notably his uncle, of all people), and his voice was more powerful. Wally truly was a Pokémon trainer. "Hey, Wally, I have a suggestion," Brendan cut in. "How about you battle me, one-on-one?" "You? Battle with Wally?" His uncle asked. "I'm game," Wally answered and looked to his uncle confidently. "If I win, then I will challenge the gym leader. If I lose, then I will go back to Verdanturf with you." "Wally..." His uncle wanted to speak, but he was rendered speechless by the determination in Wally's eyes. This was the determination he had not seen from the boy in a long time. He knew that if he didn't give Wally the chance to show his strengths, he would regret it. "Fine," his uncle sighed. "But only if you win can you challenge Wattson." "I'll battle with those terms," Wally nodded and stood up. He cleared a small area of tables away to make room for a battlefield. "Are you ready, Brendan?" "Let's do this," Brendan said and stood up on the other side of Wally's battlefield. Several trainers who were eating and talking noticed the two face each other. They all cut what they were doing and formed a circle around the two trainers to watch the battle. "Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" The crowd chanted. "I hope you're prepared to deal with a Psychic-type Pokémon like Kirlia," Wally told Brendan and pulled out his sole PokéBall. "We've come too far on this journey to lose to you." "Oh, believe me, I'm prepared," Brendan smirked and pulled out his own PokéBall. "Whismur, I choose you!" Both trainers sent their PokéBalls onto the battlefield as Whismur and Kirlia appeared in two flashes. The Pokémon fell to the ground and let out a battle cry aimed at each other. Brendan, wanting to know more about Wally's Pokémon, pulled out his PokéDex. "Kirlia, the Emotion Pokémon," his PokéDex started. "Kirlia uses the horns on its head to amplify its psychokinetic power. When the Pokémon uses its power, the air around it becomes distorted, creating mirages of nonexistent scenery." "Mirages, eh?" Brendan mumbled to himself. If Wally was able to connect with Kirlia, then Brendan would have to be ready for any sort of extraordinary power it might have. "Whismur, use Uproar!" "No, Kirlia, block it out with a-" Before Wally was able to finish his command, Whismur opened its mouth wide and let out its signature ear-splitting scream. All of the trainers watching, Brendan and Wally included, covered their ears in pain. Whismur's attack finally died down after a few seconds and Kirlia let out a sigh of relief as its pain ended. "Alright, Kirlia, now use Confusion!" "No, Whismur, mess up its concentration with another Uproar!" Whismur opened its mouth wide again and shouted at the top of its lungs. Everybody around the battlefield had already prepared for the attack with their ears covered. Kirlia, on the other hand, completely blocked the attack out of its head and concentrated on its opponent. It let loose a flash of blue light at Whismur, who shut its mouth in response. After a pause, there was a small explosion where Whismur stood as it was hurled into the air and sent crashing back to the ground. "Score!" Wally pumped his fist. "Whismur, get back up and use Pound!" Brendan commanded. Whismur, on the other hand, was extremely loopy. It imagined itself in a paradise world where there were tall tress with fruits lined up all over them. It started to hop up and down in an attempt to reach the imaginary trees. "Whismur, what are you doing?" "It looks like Whismur was confused," Wally said. "Confused?" "It's part of Kirlia's Confusion attack. That, and Kirlia's ability to send opponents into a mirage world." "Damn it..." Brendan growled. He would have to think of something fast in order to avoid his fourth straight loss. "Whismur, listen to me!" Whismur, however, was still loopy and in another world. It continued to hop in place, trying to reach the fruit-bearing trees. At this time, Lisia and May had finished browsing through the stores. They heard a commotion coming from the food court and saw Brendan and Wally standing opposite from each other in battle. They quickly rushed to the sidelines to get a good view. "I really hope Brendan doesn't lose again..." May mumbled. "I don't think his confidence can take it." "Alright, Kirlia, now use Magical Leaf!" Wally commanded. "Whismur, don't let it attack you!" Brendan pleaded. "Do something!" Kirlia created a storm of glowing rainbow leaves in the air around it. It let the leaves revolve around it before it let out a battle cry and sent them flying at Whismur. Whismur, not being in the real world, felt that the leaves attacking it were falling from the trees of its paradise world. "No, Whismur!" "Now finish the job with another Magical Leaf!" "Whismur!" Brendan called out. "Whismur!" "There's, like, no way Whismur can survive that," Lisia grumbled from the sidelines. "Brendan's screwed!" Kirlia once again formed a large amount of rainbow leaves in the air around it. It concentrated for a few seconds and took aim at Whismur. When everything fell into place, it fired the leaves at its opponent. Suddenly, something clicked in Whismur's brain. It heard its trainer's voice call it out repeatedly from a distance until the voice got louder. Eventually, Whismur's false paradise disappeared and it realized that it was in a battlefield. It shook its head and faced Kirlia's attack angrily. "It actually got up!" May exclaimed. "Yes!" Brendan cheered. "Now stop its attack with an Uproar!" Whismur opened its mouth wide and let out a powerful roar. The wind caused by the roar blew the leaves right back at Kirlia, damaging it with its own attack. Eventually, Whismur's roar became too much for Wally's Pokémon to handle. It fell to its knees and clutched its head in pain. "Kirlia, get up!" Wally shouted to his Pokémon. "I need you to win this battle for me! Please!" "Whismur, take Kirlia out with-" Brendan cut himself off before he was able to give Whismur its command. Even though he had the battle in full control, something prevented him from commanding Whismur's next attack. He looked at Wally, who was shouting helplessly at his Pokémon, trying to encourage it to stand up. He knew that if he were to beat Wally, then his uncle would take him back to Verdanturf town and his life as a Pokémon trainer would end abruptly. "Kirlia, please get up! You're my only hope!" Kirlia eventually let its trainer's voice reach its head as it was finally able to stand up. It shouted softly and looked Whismur dead in the eyes. "Woohoo!" Wally cheered. "Kirlia, use one more Confusion! Make sure this one takes Whismur out!" Brendan couldn't help but smile as Kirlia let loose its Psychic-type attack on his Pokémon. Whismur wasn't able to take the full force of the attack and it fell to the ground, unable to battle. Brendan looked to the ground and sighed deeply as all of the spectators cheered on Wally as the victor. "Well, he lost again..." May groaned. "It looked more like he threw this match, though," Lisia observed. "He could have clearly told, like, Whismur to use an attack but, like, he totally didn't." "Now that you mention it..." Brendan looked over to the side and saw May and Lisia standing and watching him. He knew that they would be disappointed him him, but he still made the right decision. Despite the fact that Brendan wanted the Pokémon trainer within himself to win, he also wanted Wally to live out his dreams. But by defeating him in front of his uncle, he would only crush the new trainer's hopes and send him back to where he came from. Wally had come so far and it would be cruel of Brendan to be selfish in battle. And besides, this gave Brendan another rival to compete with and train against. "Whismur, you did good..." Brendan whispered to his Pokémon as he called it back to its PokéBall. He looked over to Wally. "Congratulations on the win. It was a good battle." "No way..." Wally mumbled and ran to hug his Pokémon. "I... I won... I beat Mr. Norman's son!" Brendan glanced over at their table to see that Wally's uncle was beaming. He knew by that smile that it had been a while since the family had seen Wally accomplish something. When the crowd dissolved, his uncle finally stood up. "I'm proud of you, boy," Wally's uncle said and walked over to his nephew. "I can't believe I ever doubted you." "So does this mean I can challenge the gym leader?" Wally asked with hope in his eyes. "Yes, yes it does," his uncle nodded. "Good luck," Brendan said and approached his new rival. "I know you and Kirlia will do great." "Thanks, Brendan," Wally nodded. "I promise I'll win this one for you." "I take it you will," Brendan smiled. "You did good, Wally," May said and approached them along with Lisia. "Yeah, like, you totally knew how to battle with Kirlia," Lisia added in. "Thanks guys, it really means a lot!" "Now we should head back home for the night," Wally's uncle told him. "I'll let you come back in the morning for the gym battle." "Alright, uncle," Wally nodded and looked over to the three. "I've got to go for now, but I'll see you tomorrow. And Brendan, I look forward to battling you soon!" "I do too," Brendan smiled. Wally turned around and left the food court with his uncle as everybody inside cheered him on. Brendan was not only proud of himself, but also of Wally. He knew that give time, Wally would be a force to reckon with. When Wally was gone, he turned to his friends. "So, what did you think of the battle?" He asked them. "I think you purposely let Wally win," May told him. "That's exactly what I did," Brendan sighed. "Like, why'd you do it, though?" Lisia asked. "Don't you, like, wanna be the best?" "If I beat Wally, then his uncle wouldn't let him challenge the gym leader," Brendan explained. "I didn't want to ruin his journey, so I gave him the match in order to let his uncle see that he's a capable Pokémon trainer." "Well, I guess I can't complain about that," May shrugged. "That's, like, totally nice of you!" Lisia smiled. "Fabulous!" "You know, it's getting kind of late," May said. "Don't you think we should crash for the night?" "I agree," Brendan yawned. "All this battling has me tired." "You two are lame," Lisia groaned. "But fine, let's go get some sleep." The three trainers headed out of the city and to a Pokémon Center to get themselves checked into for the night. As Brendan was the only male in the group, he would have to room alone. Since he had done it before with his nightmares, he fully prepared himself for whatever obstacle Darkai was willing to throw his way. He tucked himself into bed and mentally readied himself to be brave. Everything that would happen would only be a dream and completely outside of reality. "I'm ready for you, Darkrai..." Brendan mumbled to himself and slowly closed his eyes. "Give me your worst." "Why does this place look more alive?" Brendan asked himself and walked over to the tablet. "All dreams are but another reality. Never forget…" the tablet read. Brendan sighed and closed his eyes. He knew that the minute he opened his eyes, the engraving on the tablet would change. "All dreams are but another reality. Never forget…" the tablet read again. To Brendan's surprise, the tablet remained unchanged. He looked once more around at the island to find that it was no longer floating in the shadows. Instead, it seemed to be lush with green life and surrounded by a small stream with the blue sky above it. Over the end of the island he could see the open ocean. "This isn't a nightmare," he mumbled to himself. "No, it is not," a deep voice bellowed through the sky. "I am proud of you, trainer..."
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