Ever Play Competitive - Chapter 20
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Disclaimer: I do not own any franchises mentioned in this story. This is fan-based work of fiction.
Beta: Gerald_of_Revea
-Cloud-
Why is humanity at the top of the food chain?
It made sense why we were in my old world. We were not the strongest species, but the most intelligent. When we came across a species we could not beat on our own, we developed the tools to beat them. If not kill, then capture, and eventually, domesticate.

Humanity is far from the most intelligent species in this world. Alakazam alone has an estimated IQ of 5000. By all means, they, or a similar species, should have ruled not just humanity but all Pokémon.
However, there is a fundamental difference between humanity and Pokémon. The reason they became the top of the food chain.

Ambition.
Sure, Alakazam could have acted like gods, but they don’t have to wish to. They live relatively simple lives, like all Pokémon. Most Pokémon’s ambitions are simple. Be strong and protect their tribe and territory.
Alakazam have the mental capacity to rewrite the laws of physics, yet they choose to spend their days testing their focus against a simple silver spoon.
Pokémon don’t have the desire to rule as humans do. They do not care about legacy or ideology, or even the outer world. It was a product of being born a normal Pokémon.
So what happened when Team Rocket created Psyclone?
They failed.
They wanted a strong Pokémon they could easily control. Psyclone is not that. He is a Pokémon embedded with humanity's will. To be number one.
He knows of the theoretical limit. He won’t be satisfied until he achieves it. A level of such absolute perfection that no one could look at him and see weakness. He seeks knowledge, not just of his own world, but mine, Dovahkin’s, and all the others that may exist.
There’s one ambition I know he was bitter about. How he waited months on New Island for Mew to come, to have their fated battle.
And yet, it never came.
I felt the ground start to shake, the air becoming heavy as a wave of Pressure pooled on my shoulders. As Psyclone started to float in the air, cracks started to appear on the ground, the screen on my computer warping until it bent out of shape entirely. Cracks started to appear on the glass, the only barrier between us and the outside world.
I fell to the floor, the Pressure intensifying as his power converged. “Psyclone, use Calm Mind!”
He didn’t listen. Whether it was because he couldn’t hear me or he was ignoring me, I didn’t know. My dislike for Red is a candle in the dark compared to the boiling hatred he had for Mew. I could understand why he wanted to fight.

But this wasn’t the time.
Meowth and Sonia fell to the floor, looking at Psyclone with wide, terrified eyes.
Not like this.
“Cloud, don’t let him!” Sonia shouted, making me snap my head back up to Psyclone, where he was now glowing a bright white.
Mega Evolution.
I clenched my fist, trying to think of something, anything to stop the situation.
It was then that I finally realized what Sonia meant.
-Sonia-
At first, the fight was going perfectly fine. It was the first six-on-six battle; Red was on track to win the battle, and then Rayquaza appeared.
Everything changed from there. The battle finally started to shift in Clair’s favor; things went from bad to worse.
For as long as she knew Cyclone, she had never seen him lose control. While prone to anger, he wouldn’t choose violence as his first response.
This was the first time she had seen him like this. To let go. To lose control of his power.
It was terrifying.
That became especially true when she saw what was happening to him in real time.

He lit up like a Christmas tree, encompassing the room in a bright light. She gasped, her heart beating a mile a minute as she looked between him and Cloud’s now glowing Key Stone.
‘He can Mega-Evolve too?’ she thought, before quickly shaking the thought off. “Cloud, don’t let him!”
The people were already in danger. Evacuation should have been done as soon as Rayquaza dropped in from the sky. But if this suddenly became a battle between three legendary Pokémon, that danger would skyrocket.

And then, she watched in slow motion as Cloud did the unthinkable.
Slamming his arm against the ground, Cloud shattered the Key Stone into pieces.
She gasped; the pressure started disappearing. Cyclone stumbled, not expecting his connection with Cloud to be cut off.
She was just about to reach for her own Pokéball before she stilled with uncertainty.
Cloud and Cyclone were looking at each other, not saying a single word as the tension in the room started to bleed out.
'A mental conversation,’ she realized, her heart hammering as his gaze went to her and Meowth.
Meowth was huddled in the corner of the room, shaking like a leaf as Psyclone continued to say nothing, simply staring.
Not a moment later, he vanished.
“Fuck!” Cloud cursed, scrambling to his feet. “Are you two okay?”

Before she could reply in the negative, the room was suddenly filled with a blinding light, her heart suddenly sinking.
The battle between legendaries has begun.
-Cynthia-
Most did not realize just how historic this tournament was.
She wasn’t here for the prize pool. Her joy had been from the journey; the destination was just an excuse to start.
Sadly, her own battles haven’t been all that interesting. Well, not her battles in the tournament anyway.
Still, plenty of trainers who took part were brimming with potential. If they pushed themselves just a little harder, they would be able to make her work for a win.

And then there was Clair.
A diamond in the rough. Her Pokémon were not as well-trained as her opponents. They did not hit as hard, nor could they take a hit as well. How Clair got this far was due to tactical thinking and strategic planning.
And then she threw all predictions out the window by having Rayquaza in her back pocket.
The Pokémon single-handedly turned the tide of the battles. Not only did Clair gain the respect of a legendary, but the trust to Mega Evolve as well. In three moves, Rayquaza had wiped out half of Red’s team before it was down to a one-on-one.
And then Red revealed his final Pokémon. The origin of all mortal Pokémon. Mew.
Its appearance cast the crowd into awe and disbelief. A Pokémon most believed didn’t even exist was made manifest.
The trance was broken as a boulder crashed into it, Stealth Rock having finally taken effect.
Unlike with Rayquaza, they did not fear it.
Clair crossed her arms, the final crystal on her wrist starting to glow.
They feared for it.
“That should be impossible,” she whispered, though it was drowned out by the crowd. To be able to use both Mega Evolution and Z-Moves at the same time?
It was unheard of.
For someone to use four of the trainer powers at once?
This is a once-in-a-millennium event.
Clair’s voice echoed through the stadium. “Devastating Drake!”
Rayquaza wasted no time, twisting and turning in place as purple light formed around him, instantly trapping the entire battlefield within its violent currents. However, instead of expanding, it contracted, condensing the winds around him like a type of armor.
And then it vanished.
Mew barely had time to blink before Rayquaza closed the distance, Rayquaza slamming directly into the mythical Pokémon.
The massive, Dynamaxed Pokémon spun like a drill, driving Mew straight down into the ground, breaking the first stone layer of the battlefield. Mew let out a cry of pain, but Rayquaza was relentless in his attack, the air warping the ground around them as soil, stone, and dirt exploded outward as he drilled Mew deeper into the earth, caught between its lower tusks.
“In a single attack?” she whispered, though she doubted anyone could hear her over the wailing wind.

It took several seconds, but eventually Rayquaza started to slow, his deep breaths clearing the smoke, revealing the crater where Mew lay still.
And then Mew opened its eyes, the Pokémon surprising her as it bounced up into the air as if nothing had happened.
She nearly said it was impossible again, but she couldn’t. Not when the results were clear as day in front of her.
Mew happily circled Rayquaza. Her smile widened as Mew started to glow red.
The battle was over.
She would have said it was impossible. That no Pokémon should be able to withstand such an attack. It went against everything she knew about the limits of Pokémon.
However, how could she compare the limits of Pokémon against the ancestor of all mortal Pokémon? No one knew the baseline strength of Mew. No one knew how strong it truly was.
Not until now.

Mew flew to Rayquaza, circling it curiously as the larger Pokémon started to growl, a glow in its eyes.
Mew simply smiled, booping Rayquaza gently on the nose. 
Rayquaza crashed into the ground below, the sheer power of the attack destroying the battlefield entirely; the force fields used to protect the audience broke, forcing her to grip the railings to keep steady.
The press boxes were destroyed, the glass shattering inward as a deafening shockwave tore through the stadium structure.
She raised her arm to keep the dust out of her eyes, her coat billowing wildly, but her eyes never left the battlefield.

Mew used Counter.
Rayquaza started to shrink. First from Dynamax, then the Mega Evolution, and next, it lost its glow. The Pokémon seemed too small for the crater it was now in.
“Clair is unable to battle.”
She looked up to see Cloud in his commentary box, a megaphone in his hand.
“The winner of this battle is Red.”
-Lance-
When he was watching his cousin’s battle, he was already expecting the final result.
Yes, Clair was strong, but there was a limit to her strength. She hadn’t been a trainer for as long as he had. She lacked experience.
Everything changed when she used her final Pokémon.
The Blackthorn Clan hasn’t had a legendary by their side for over a thousand years. Most believed that some of them were gone. Extinct. The last known sighting of Rayquaza is almost a thousand years old.
And now, her cousin had its loyalty.
Not only loyalty, but trust. To the point of Mega-Evolution.
With the help of Rayquaza, Clair was able to wipe out half of Red’s team. And everything else she did as well.
It was one of the most idiotic things she had ever done. The girl is lucky to even be alive at this point. Stupid. Beyond stupid! It was…
‘The exact type of thing I would do,’ he realized, falling into the hospital chair behind him.
Looking at the unconscious Clair, he couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride come from within him. It didn’t matter that she didn’t win. As much as he would have preferred that to be the case, what mattered was how far she had come already.
When, Clair wakes up (Not “if”, when), they are going to have another battle. To think that all this time Clair was hiding the fact she caught Rayquaza; he couldn’t wait for that match.
And after the match, he will announce it to the world.
His retirement.
He hasn’t been the strongest trainer in the Indigo Plateau for years. Not only beaten by Blue, but Red as well. He was publicly recognized as the strongest, but that changed today.
A knock on the door had him looking up, a small frown going onto his face as he saw him.
Cloud.
“Why are you here?” he asked curtly, the words coming out harsher than intended.
Cloud closed the door behind him, gesturing to Clair on the bed. “How is she?”
“She will be fine,” he repeated, recalling the conversation he had earlier with the doctors. They are assuming the worst. That this is something she will never wake up from. He disagreed.
She was Clair Blackthorn. The strongest trainer from Johto. She will pull through.
“That’s good,” Cloud let out a breath. “She did well as well. Insanely good.”
“Why are you here?” he repeated, his frown deepening. “It isn’t just to see Clair, is it?”
“Caught me there,” he shrugged, turning to face him. “The save states, do you believe me now?”
Of course Cloud wasn’t here to see Clair; he cared too much about himself for that to ever be the case.
Instead of arguing about it, he gave the words some thought. He had been thinking about the battle ever since it happened. Every move made, every action, the Pokémon that Red revealed to have.
It led him to only one conclusion. “No.”
“No?” Cloud parroted, looking at him in disbelief. “Are you serious?”
“Certain,” he nodded. “If Red truly had these…save states like you said he would, he would have switched to Mew first, not drag it out with Gengar, Lapras, or Venosaur.”
The battle would have ended without Rayquaza able to knock out a single Pokémon. Instead, Red gave away what his entire team consisted of. If Red could ‘rewind time,’ as Cloud put it, then he would have avoided the scenario completely.
“You’re expecting him to do the smart thing,” Cloud immediately countered. “Red isn’t smart. Not even skilled. I thought we already had this conversation?”
They did. But might as well try and convince him the sky is purple as well. “So overconfident that he would show this team to the rest of the world? It would be utter madness.”
There’s a saying he heard of. “Don’t meet your heroes.” Cloud wasn’t his ‘hero,’ but he did recognize his skill. He also recognized the madness.
It was infectious. And all the more reason why Clair shouldn’t go anywhere near him.
“Nothing will satisfy you, will it?” Cloud asked, and a scowl came onto his face.
“Do you know what would satisfy me? Fine. Red’s defeat,” he answered, not bothering to hide his annoyance.
But if Cloud did defeat Red, he couldn’t have been using ‘Save States.’ Because if he truly could use them? Then winning would be impossible. It would be impossible to win against someone who could predict every single move you make to a T.
It would also make Red the biggest threat the world had ever seen. It isn’t possible.
“I’m going to that anyway,” Cloud said, and he almost snorted.
With that level of arrogance he should have become a Dragon trainer. Instead he held his tongue, giving him a nod.
“Then I wish you luck in defeating him.”
-Cloud-
I should be happy.
In a single battle, I learnt exactly what Red’s team consisted of. When I have my battle against him, I’ll be going in with an advantage. I can change my team from being the best for multiple opponents to being the best team to battle Red.
I wasn’t.
It was too many things all at once. My Key Stone is broken, Psyclone has gone MIA, and now one of my contestants has been hospitalized.
And being the idiot who organized the tournament, I also had to help clean up the mess. The rest of the battles scheduled for today have been put on hold. Of course, people aren’t happy with this, especially since this wasn’t even the first delay for the fights.
“You’re pouting,” a familiar voice said, making me scowl. “Are you so annoyed you couldn’t battle today?”
“On the dot,” I replied blankly. “You could not be more correct. Congratulations.”
“That bad?” she winced. “Expected. You seem to have a habit of getting yourself into messes.”
“That and more,” I yawned. “Are you looking for something? Advice on how to beat Leon?”
“I’m curious; you’re sulking more than usual,” her mouth curved into a playful grin. "Talk to me. A problem shared is a problem halved.”
I sat in silence for a moment, pondering my next response.
Geeta has always been out of the loop. She’s the most ‘new’, and while she got along fine with Sonia and Meowth, Psyclone didn’t like her at all. She didn’t even know what he looked like under the armor.
It wasn’t my place to explain that to her. And therein lay most of the reasons I was in a bad mood.
But for her, there was at least some good news to come from all this.
“Effective immediately, you are no longer my apprentice.”
-Geeta-
How did Cloud become strong?
It was a question she started to ponder soon after her first battle with him. He wasn’t a veteran trainer; His earliest battle records were less than four years old. Soon after her training began, he started to explain his methods, and she started to understand.

‘Resources. I didn’t have the resources I do now as I did back then. I couldn’t ensure I had a Pokémon with strong IVs or even a particular Pokémon in general. I had limited money, space, and time. I don’t anymore.’
She was introduced to clandestine training methods, such as hyper training. The effects on all her Pokémon were instantaneous, and they became noticeably stronger. From there, Cloud explained Effort Values to her. All of her Pokémon's EVs were wiped Clean from their original journey and instead were trained to increase the power of specific stats.
For every Pokémon, he was very particular about what IVs, EVs, nature, and ability each of his Pokémon had. These small boosts in power eventually culminated in making a strong Pokémon.
And then, Cloud looked at the aspects of a Pokémon that couldn’t be changed. Their strengths and weaknesses, typing, and movepool; he compared them all for each Pokémon. From there, he determined which Pokémon was the best.
Of course, she called bullshit. But back then, she barely knew anything about Cloud. She only saw a child who spoke quicker than his brain worked.
Then they had their battle, and her life went downhill from there.
Being Cloud’s apprentice was not fun. It never has been. They trained, they battled, but the end result stayed the same.
Him being a decade younger made it a lot worse. He was too old to be one of her students, but had the attitude of one. Taking the bait was worse because he would turn the lesson into a thinly veiled excuse to rile her up.
She didn’t enjoy being Cloud’s apprentice.
But she didn’t deny the results.
She was strong. She had always been strong. But the her of now and the her of four months ago were leagues apart in skill and power.
The only thing it cost was her pride, dignity, and team.
She didn’t know how long she expected to be Cloud’s apprentice. At first, she thought he would be bored with her within a month, but Cloud was serious. He didn’t do things by half-measures and went out of his way to help her in as many ways as he could.
But just as abruptly as she was made his apprentice, Cloud ended it.
She should be thrilled. She had been waiting to hear those words for a long time. 
“Why?”
But she just couldn’t help but think it felt so wrong.
“Why- what do you mean, why?” he asked, giving her a confused look. “Because you’re strong now. Get some cake and celebrate.”
That answered nothing. “Why let me go now of all times?” she snapped, anger rising in her chest. “The tournament isn’t over; we still haven’t battled yet, so why?”
Cloud went quiet for a moment, lost in thought as his index fingers tapped rhythmically against each other. “Because the test doesn’t matter anymore.”
She didn’t understand, but before she could interject, Cloud continued. “I had a test for you. But before I could give it to you, Clair had already passed it. So giving it to you now would be a waste of everybody's time.”
She stared at him.
“Didn’t expect this conversation today,” he muttered, shaking his head slightly. “I needed a meatshield.”
Her mind went blank.
“When you beat Leon, you’ll be battling Red. I was going to pass or fail you depending on how well you did. But now that Clair has made him use his full team, there’s no point.”
He stretched, a yawn escaping him.
“So you’re free. Congratulations. You don’t need to worry about me breathing down your neck every day.”
It took a moment for her to understand everything. The implications, today’s battle, his obsession with Red, and everything started to fall into place.
All this time…
She was trained to be a decoy.
The coward was too scared to face Red. Scared to battle him without knowing his team. Now that he knew what he was going up against, he was much more confident facing him.
But Clair threw everything off balance. He didn’t expect the battle between Red and her to be so close. No one was expecting the battle between two legendaries.
And so, Clair played her role.
And Cloud had no more use for her.
“Is this why you trained me then?” she asked softly, calmly. “Learn what his full team was so you had the best chance of beating him?”
The day they battled, she became his apprentice. The day she became his apprentice, was the day he started to plan for this tournament. She refused to believe it. No one could plan this far in advance.
‘...Could he?’
“Geeta, I took you on because you're a scumbag,” her controlled anger turning into confusion. “It doesn’t matter if it makes a battle boring. It doesn’t matter if it makes the battle too easy. You’re the first person I came across who was willing to do anything to get a win.”
His expression softened, turning wistful.
“Using that Full Restore sealed the deal for me. I knew right then and there, you were the perfect apprentice to take on. And the results? They speak for themselves.”
Methodology. That’s what drew her to him. In their first battle, he expected it to be ‘fair.’ Or that she would fight fair, like so many of her compatriots. Their battle must have sparked something in him if it made him decide to have a no-holds-barred tournament so soon after. 
Was it to draw in people with similar battling styles?
Cloud’s answer had had an unexpected side effect. It calmed her. The test was an excuse. He didn’t take her on as a long-term decoy; he was drawn to her unorthodox fighting style. Or that’s what she thought Cloud meant, who wouldn’t word it as eloquently.
“Still, I’m kind of annoyed about the battle. Not ours, the one today. Clair handed me everything I wanted on a silver platter, and none of it is because of me.”

“Does it matter that much to you?” she probed, which made him raise an eyebrow at her.
“I wouldn’t be talking to you about it if it didn’t,” he huffed, confirming her suspicions. “If you did that well in that battle? That would have been the product of my training. Something I could take credit for. I trained you; I didn’t train Clair.”
The reasoning was stupid. Illogical. But that was par for the course for Cloud. He was strange. He had openly admitted to having lost to Leon before, but wasn’t bothered about evening the score. He had spoken this entire time like her battle with Red was a foregone conclusion, that she would defeat the ‘undefeated champion,’ but she wouldn’t defeat Red.
“I haven’t battled him yet.”
That wasn’t how their battle would go. She had seen Red’s team now as well. A strong team with stronger Pokémon. It didn’t matter if Cloud thought Red was the single-most dangerous contestant; the only one he worries about- she will correct that.
“And I need your help to defeat him.”
She just needed to prove him wrong.
Cloud looked at her in surprise, opening his mouth to say something, only to cut himself off, looking strangely conflicted. Another moment passed before he shook his head, smiling at her.
“Then let’s get down to business.”
-Cloud-
Stockholm Syndrome.
It’s the only answer I could think of. She had the perfect opportunity to get out of dodge, and instead stuck around with me.
I should have seen this coming. I’m too handsome to not fall in love with. But that comes with its own set of issues.
What if I’m too good of a teacher?
If Geeta actually does beat Red? How am I supposed to settle the score?
Annoying enough, the bastard didn’t take any bait I set for him. I had pre-determined raffles, ‘Choose a box’, and other stalls that promised high-reward prizes for choosing correctly. I was waiting for him to guess correctly on the first try for all of these, but instead, he’d ignored them entirely.
Save states. Only Lance and Psyclone know my theory. I can’t prove it. I know they exist, but people can only choose to believe so much.
But if I told Geeta my theory, it all came down to one question.
Would she believe me?
“It’s been a while,” my opponent smiled warmly, his teeth glistening in the sunlight. “Were you able to find Moltres?”
“Galarian Moltres,” I corrected, which made him roll his eyes. “And no, can’t say I did.”
This wasn’t the first time I’ve met Mustard.
On my search for all the legendaries I could find, I stopped by his dojo.
The bastard knew why I was there. But he didn’t turn me away.
He welcomed me with open arms and appreciated my honesty. I wasn’t here for him; I just wanted his Pokémon.
Kubfu.
He wanted two things from me. For me to become his student and to take some tests.
Of course, I refused on principle.
“Isle of Armor was a dud,” I sighed. “So was Crown Tundra. I even fixed Calyrex’s statue, and I didn’t even get a ‘Thank you.’”
I was desperately trying to get Calyrex & Spectrier. Shadow Calyrex is one of the most broken Pokémon in the series, especially when you can use Terastalization to get rid of its glaring weaknesses. 
“You might have had a bit better luck if you had taken my offer,” his smile widened. “I am always looking for new students.”
“I know much more about Pokémon battling than anyone in the world, old-timer.” I grinned. “Maybe this battle will teach you a thing or two.”
Mustard isn’t selective with his students. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a keen eye for recognizing strong trainers, but it’s just much more than that. They could be trainers with raw talent, seeking discipline, or simply looking for a fresh start. I don’t doubt that if I took a few lessons from him, I could become a better trainer.
But that would be me admitting I need a teacher in the first place. Those people who are my better?
They are worlds away from me.
“Then I guess it’s about time we see who’s the better master.” Mustard’s smile widened, the referee giving the signal to choose our Pokémon.
I’ve thought about my choice for a while now. Four Pokémon. That’s how many I’ve revealed so far. Zacian, Chansey, Dracovish, Chatot.
Since all the previous battles were 3v3s, hiding my full team was easy. Now with the switch to 6v6? I’d be lucky if I were going into the final without having to reveal all my Pokémon.
But that didn’t mean I wasn’t going to try.
Simultaneously, we both sent out our Pokémon, my grin widening when I saw Mienshao. Despite having the type advantage, it wouldn’t matter.
That’s not how Dovahkin would win.
“Let the battle begin!”
I didn’t like most of the Spin-Offs.
Poképark, Snap, and Ranger series didn’t appeal to me. The only spin-off I liked was Battle Revolution, but that was just so I could battle online.

I didn’t even like Mystery Dungeon either. The only one I finished was Explorers of Sky; however, I had a strange obsession with some of the game’s mechanics.
How hard the game is depends on how well you’ve optimized your team: a balance between good inventory management, knowing when to engage, and knowing which moves are downright broken.
Once I learnt how to play the game META, the game got a whole lot more fun.
Multi-Hit attacks like Fury Attack and Bullet Seed are easily better than Hyper Beam. Smokescreen doesn’t just reduce accuracy; it also makes them unable to hit anything for multiple turns.
But there is one mechanic that is leagues stronger than any other.
Linked Moves.
“Double Time!!”
In a single turn, a Pokémon can use four different attacks at once. A game-breaking mechanic.
And Dovahkin is the only Pokémon in the world that can use them.
Dovahkin was fast. Extraordinarily so. There was a reason why I thought he was a Partner Pokémon or extremely high-levelled when I first met him. He roared, Mienshao wincing at the sound, Screech coming into effect before he was bombarded by the onslaught of Fury Attack. 
The only issue with this strategy is that Fury Attack can miss. And it isn’t guaranteed to hit more than two times.
Which is why I gave him Loaded Dice, which guarantees Dovahkin hits at least four times.
It was a slaughter.
By the time Dovahkin was done, Mienshao was a battered mess, bruises and scratches covering its body, its long whiskers twitching weakly as it struggled to draw a breath before it fell to the floor.
“Mienshao is unable to battle! The first round goes to Cloud!”
A silence reigned in the arena.
And then, the crowd started to roar.