Elite Frontier: Fight to the Finish [Old]

"Er... you can call me Midnight I guess. I know, I know, it's a little bit schmaltzy, but... I dumped my old name a long time ago. Sounds like somethin' an edgy thirteen year old would call their brand new Houndour, but... I guess it stuck, heh..." She still felt over the bills in her hand, before pocketing them  in her tatted, torn jeans.

It wasn't like she didn't appreciate it. She did, and that fact was probably outright palpable to a Psychic-type. She was just very confused. This was the kind of thing you only heard about in feel-good stories, but now here it was happening to her. It would be nice to get herself cleaned up, even if it was only temporary.

The sun shines with intense heat the following day. Gray clouds hang overhead with warm, humid air flowing through the streets.

[Current OST: Rosen Queen Underworld Branch]

An alarm clock goes off on Luna's nightstand. She immediately slams her hand against the button and hops out of her bed with a large grin on her face. Her room is decorated with black cobweb designs and has an overall dark-violet color scheme.

She runs into her closet and changes out of her pajamas into a pair of black and purple clothes with black sandals. She immediately summons all of her Pokemon out of their Pokeballs and grabs a small black coat out of the closet.

"Whoa... I'm awake, right?" - Daniel drowsily says as he stumbles around.

"Yep! It's time for the tournament, Dan! Come on, let's go get ready!" - Luna says with a smile as she puts the coat on him.

"Sweet! Let's go kick some butt!" - Victoria shouts as she hops into the air.

"... A coarse way to put it, but yes." - Eliza smiles as she crosses her arms.

"Be sure to eat breakfast and bring lunch before we go, sweetie. We'll probably be out for the entire day." - Juno says as she hovers beside Luna.

"Of course I won't forget!" - She yells as she runs out of the room.

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Marcus and his group hop out of his car and arrive at the doors of Luna's house. They gaze up at the mansion with slight shivers.

"It's a beautiful place, that's for sure... but I can't help but feel a bit creeped out whenever we come here." - Bellamine remarks.

"I don't quite understand why they have to be so imposing when they're really nice people." - Sayura sighs.

"It's all appearances. They're the kind that don't want to let up on their image." - Reika whispers.

"Understandable considering since the supernatural is their thing. Anyway, let's go and say hello." - Marcus says as he walks up the steps.

Finally, it was morning. Time for battling.

"All y'all ready?" Rebecca asked.

"A bit tired, but good." Pandora yawned. 

Sharing your body with another was pretty tiring.

"Where should we go first?" Rebecca asked her Pokemon.

"Let's get straight to the Battle Dome, baby!!!" Rick exclaimed.

".....Arcade, of course." Hex said, smirking.

"The Charnel sounds quite interesting...." a posh Weavile, named Allura, said.

"I agree with Rick!" Abraxas said. "Let's get to pummeling." 

"I don't care either way." Peppermint shrugged.

"Guess we're going to the Dome....even though I'm not sure if it's even open yet..." Rebecca sighed.

"Hm..." Sam hummed aloud while looking over the flyer given out to tourney participants. "Says here we only have to defeat one Frontier Brain to make it into the Nationals Tournament. So, we should probably pick out the one I'll be best at."

Macario looked over his shoulder at the flyer. "Hm, well the Battle Stage is out. Could you imagine Bron or Trev having to dance while fighting?"

"Fross might like it," Sam mused. "Battle Tower's just a plain battle style. Might be the easiest."

"Nah, there's probably something in here that you're a natural at," Macario said. He pointed to a spot on the map. "Like this one. The Battle Temple has puzzles and trivia built in. You're great at that kind of stuff. You'll win no problem."

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"Alright, finally!" Teruchi cheered from outside the Battle Arcade. "I am so ready for this dungeon crawling thing!"

"Yeah, and when you get your ass kicked, I can play some more IndigoInferno," the little Raichu said next to him.

"...That means you're the one who's getting your ass kicked, by extension."

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By happenstance, Jack and Adanna met in the middle of the frontier.

"Going to participate in the tournament? It wasn't necessary for the job," Jack asked.

Adanna stood, cross-armed, looking out at the sea of people. "Yeah. I want to get stronger, and having a ton of money certainly helps, not like Corona does much for stipends. May as well give it my best shot."

Jack sighed. "Well good luck with that. I'll be spending this time as vacation."

Zora was already on her way to the Battle Arcade. This was it, this was all she wanted. Money? Nah. She didn't need a million dollars. She already had several millions of dollars, she thought as she twisted the platinum band on her finger. It wasn't an engagement ring, make no mistake, but simply something he had thought would look pretty on her. Sort of a testament to being in it good, she supposed. She didn't need the Master Ball either, because she didn't do a whole lot of capturing.

Really she just wanted to have some fun in the Arcade while she was here keeping Cherry company.

Her trusty Garchomp followed her as per usual as she made her way inside, looking for the starting gate. "You ready for this?"

"I'm ready if you are. You're my girl, Kali. We got this."

"Fuck yeah we got this."

"One thing though."

"What's that, sweets."

"No collateral damage if you can avoid it."

"...Awwwwww."

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Artemis cracked her neck as she approached the Battle Charnel. Ghosts? She wasn't scared of no ghosts. That would disappoint her moms and both of her little sisters. Close by her side was a pththalo-blue colored Greninja looking cautiously from side to side.

"Not gonna lie, this place gives me the jibblies."

"You're a Dark-type. You'll be fine."

"I can be a Dark-type and be unnerved by a haunted house. That's allowed."

"No fear, Tiamat. We're gonna steamroll this shit."

Luna rushes down the hallway and notices Allen standing by the bottom of the stairs. She puts on a mischievous grin as she runs down the stairs and bumps into him with her hips.

"Hey, what's the deal?" - He yells.

"Oh, nothing, I'm just pumped. Come on, let's go have breakfast!" - Luna states as she puts an elbow on his shoulder.

"... I already had breakfast because I woke up an hour ago. I was waiting on you, dude." - Allen says with a confused expression.

"Oh. Well... uh... See you in a bit!" - Luna sheepishly mutters.

As she runs towards the kitchen, Sentinel opens the front doors for Marcus and his Pokemon. Allen's eyes widen with excitement as they walk inside.

"Uncle Marcus?! What brings you here, man?" - Allen yells out as he extends his hand.

"Well, hot damn if it isn't the man of the house! How are you doing, Allen?" - Marcus bellows as he grips Allen's hand in response.

"Great! We were just about to make our way towards the Battle Frontier and challenge the Frontier Brains!" - Allen remarks with a wince as Marcus crushes his hand.

He turns to see Bellamine and squints his eyes for a bit.

"Hey, Bellamine. Was it you guys that were walking around yesterday? Because I distinctly remember seeing a shiny Gardevoir." - Allen remarks.

"Of course, sweetie. I mean, it's not like you'd find another Gardevoir dressed like me anywhere else. Still, I'm surprised we're all here." - Bellamine states with a bewildered tone.

"Yeah, no kidding... I guess it's fate." - Sayura chuckles.

"If you're going to the Battle Frontier, how about we go take you there? I'm pretty sure the last thing you need is Luzmiel getting on your case for a broken back." - Reika purrs underneath her sleeve.

"Hah, right. Luna's coming on her own, so we probably don't have to wait for her." - Allen says as he stretches his arms.

"We're just going to leave our stuff here given how I phoned both of Luna's parents that I was staying here. But yeah, Allen! Let's get going!" - Marcus states with a vigorous tone.

"Yeah!!" Allen does a fist pump in response and runs out the lobby door.

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The doors of the Battle Charnel creak open as people clad in dark, Victorian-era clothing wave the crowd of trainers inside.

[Current OST: Dirge of Makai]

The lobby of the Charnel is lit with a thick violet aura and is decorated to look like an old Gothic mansion with indigo carpets and candles with blue flames attached to the hardwood walls.

At the center of the room is a portrait of a slender, pale-skinned woman with long black hair wearing a white dress. The portrait glares at the audience and recites a speech with an echoing voice.

"Welcome to the Battle Charnel. We noble spirits welcome you to our home and present you a challenge. Can you make it to the end of the mansion and rise above our tricks? Or..."

Her skin rapidly decays and her voice turns low.

"Should we welcome you to our miserable company?"

The portrait cackles before reverting to the form of a normal woman again.

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[Current OST: Alchemy Dynamo]

Serra meditates in the middle of a large room with a mirrored floor and large marble pillars. Behind her are large silver statues of Xerneas and Yveltal and a stream of what appears to be glowing water flowing through the ground. The teal light from the water is the only source of illumination in the room.

"It's started. Whoever gets here... deserves a fair chance." - Serra whispers with her eyes closed.

"...It's not." Rebecca sighed, leaning against the outside wall of the Battle Dome, "We need a win, remember."

"Heh, I knew that." Rick drawled.

"This was your idea, Rick." Rebecca muttered.

"I thought I could game the system." Rick said, with a Ditto smirk.

"And get us thrown out of the Frontier, great idea, Rick." Rebecca said sarcastically. 'Now we gotta find another place to go."

"How about the Battle Stage? I can dazzle the crowds!" Allura purred.

"....That seems like a great idea actually." Peppermint said.

"So Battle Stage it is." Rebecca said. "I hear that the Masked Rose's wife runs it."

"You mean the guy who ladies write all the RPF about?" Rick muttered, sarcastically. "Like, the most popular fic is about him and zombies. ZOMBIES."

"Hopefully this Monica doesn't get the edgelord fanfic treatment as well." Rebecca chuckled.

Sam and Macario looked up at the Battle Temple before them.

"Wooow, look at the architecture on this thing!" Macario whistled. "I wonder if there's any actual observances here..."

"Hm, I wonder how this works," Sam muttered. "Will you get to stand on the sidelines for all of my battles?"

"Hope so," Macario frowned. "At the very least I'll get to watch your battle with the Frontier Brain, but hopefully they don't stick me in the stands with a large crowd."

"Mm," Sam nodded and walked into the temple. "I guess this is where I sign up."

----------

Teruchi waved to Zora when he saw her enter the arcade. "Hey Slowpoke," he called out. "About time you showed up. Wouldn't want to miss out."

"Yeah! Can't wait to see my virtual reality self!" Magne said, making small jabs in the air. "No one will be able to stop the Robo-Raichu!"

"I don't think it works like that..." Teruchi said. "But yeah, where's the sign up for this thing..."

-----------

"I guess... I'll go to the Battle Castle?" Adanna said, tapping her chin. She didn't want to get too fancy with her battles, but at the same time, her curiosity made her have to choose something other than the Battle Tower. She could go there if she lost her first choice, after all.

She meandered over to the large castle and entered. It was a tourney structure, but it involved saving up points for items... or something. Maybe that was interesting? Maybe... Or just more to worry about.

Adanna walked into the castle and found her way to the reception desk to sign up. But just before she grabbed the pen to sign her name, she suddenly became very aware of everyone around her.

"Wait... why is everyone here in costumes? Is... is this a costumed event?"

"Oh, hey Teruchi." Zora rubbed her eyes a bit. "Woulda been earlier but I got hit with some killer jet lag. Long way from Kanto, y'know? Uuuugh, I'm still feeling it... I'm good though. I picked up a coffee and I got a few spare energy drinks. I can do this."

"If you're still tired, sweets, we can always-"

"Nah, I said I'm good. It's like I said. We got this."

"If ya say so."

"Anyway, the squad's all ready to go, sister knows I got here safely... I think I'm ready. Think I'm golden. We're cool."

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Artemis barely even flinched at the displays the Charnel presented. A good warrior never showed fear. That's what her mom and the sword always taught her. Right? If Mom were here she wouldn't want me to be scared. And I'm not scare. I'm not scare of no things.

Tiamat, on the other hand, frowned loudly. "Those're some impressive tricks... no. No it's smoke and mirrors. It's all an illusion. If you don't believe in it then it can't conquer you." She whispered to herself. "The illusion of magic falters in the face of hard science."

"Science, schmience. Let's go, we're due to kick some ass."

Allen and Marcus drive off towards the Battle Frontier while Luna flies through the sky atop her Noivern.

"Luna, are you prepared to fight Allen when we get there? Let alone your parents and Serra?" - Ronove asks.

"Of course. I mean, I've been mentally ready for a long time. Besides, you and the crew are the best I have, so if I can't rely on you then that's my own fault." - Luna remarks as she clings to his back.

"I wouldn't phrase it like that, but I'm glad you have that much faith in us." - Ronove says with a smile.

After a few minutes, the group arrives at the entrance of the Battle Frontier. There are a series of ticket booths at the entrance and an immense crowd of people lined up to enter.

"Too bad being a Frontier Brain's kid doesn't give you free access." - Luna sighs upon seeing the lines.

"Yo, Luna! How's it going?" - Allen yells as he gets out of the car.

"Hey, Allen! I'm afraid that we might lose, but aside from that, everything's cherry." - Luna says as she throws a thumbs-up.

"Oh come on. Have some more confidence in yourself." - Allen laughs as he grabs a backpack from the trunk of the car.

Marcus steps out and holds his hand over his forehead.

"It's bright, but it also looks like it's going to rain. At the very least, I'm glad these are in-door facilities."

"Marcus, be sure to cheer for those two. They may not hear you, but the fact you showed them moral support might be enough for them to win." - Bellamine chuckles as she brings out a black umbrella.

"What, are you kidding? Of course I will. But first we need to get in." - He sighs as he glances over at the line.

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[Current OST: Into the Fantasy]

The outside of the Battle Temple is a large and ornate marble palace. The lobby is a hallway laid with marble pillars, bright yellow chandeliers and a red carpet leading into five different paths.

At the center of the room is Serra's Espeon, who telepathically communicates with the crowd of people entering the room.

"Welcome to the Battle Temple. The bonds between you and your Pokemon will be tested along with your knowledge. The five doors ahead of you represent different trials that lead to the Frontier Brain herself, but I must warn you. Not every trial is for the faint of heart. I wish you the best of luck."

The Espeon teleports away in a flash of psychic energy.

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The inside of the Battle Arcade swarms with people crowded against the game cabinets. At the end of the room was a neon light show presented on the previously empty stage.

A dark skinned man wearing a black trenchcoat with a glowing bodysuit underneath walks up on stage. A spotlight shines on him as he speaks into the microphone in his hand.

"Excuse me, everybody! Sorry to break up your fun, but it's time for the main event! The moment you've been waiting for - the virtual reality Battle Arcade challenge!"

The audience breaks out into an uproar of applause, with people jumping up out of excitement. The spotlight shines on multiple curtain doors that slide open to reveal mechanical helmets dangling from the ceiling and a stand below it. The stands have six Pokeball-shaped notches.

"The challengers will have to brave through a virtual dungeon alongside their Pokemon. You have multiple chances, but you are eliminated once they're used up. If you make it to the end, you will have the pleasure of punching me and my Pokemon in the face... albeit in a video game. Anyway, let's get this party started!" - The man yells as the crowd goes wild.

The flatscreen monitor behind him lights up and reveals what appears to be a glowing digital landscape.

"The audience will be able to see your progress on this monitor, so be sure to root for your favorites." - He remarks with a sly grin.

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The attendants in dark clothing open the doors of the Charnel, with a Blissey standing by the doors. She is wearing a pair of fake fangs, a nurse's hat, black "sleeves" and has plastic bat wings attached to her back.

"If your Pokemon wind up injured, me and my attendants will help you. It's the only saving grace you have once inside, so please take care." - She says with a bow.

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[Current OST: Guardia Castle]

The inside of the Battle Castle is a two story lobby with a portrait of what appears to be a pale, rigid-looking white haired man accompanied by a happy blue Floette. Marble busts of Kalos leaders line the walls along with elegant, yellow curtains. Golden railings line the stairs and the second floor, along with a large skylight in the center of the room.

People walk around the room dressed up in renaissance clothes, with a female attendant in a maid costume noticing Adanna's confusion.

"Challengers who come into the Battle Castle are required to put on costumes as provided by the people who work here. If you're just a spectator, then you don't have to."

Rebecca approached the doors of the Battle Stage.

"You ready, guys?" she said, smiling.

Mutters of (mostly) approval came from her Pokemon. Rick, however, scoffed.

"Hopefully you don't throw me into this. I don't do fabulous." he muttered.

"You know, with you saying that, I think you may be my first Pokemon out." Rebecca laughed, smirking.

"....Shouldn't have said anything." he grumbled.

----

Riven had finally decided to go to the Battle Temple. He noticed two familiar people in front of it.

"Oh, hey guys, what's up?" he asked. "This where you're going to battle? Looks rather interesting...."

----

Felix was happy. She wasn't called in for any orders. So she could actually participate. She, at first, wasn't too keen of the idea of participating, in fear that her mother might see her.

But, hell, it's not like her mom knew that she was part of a morally questionable group.

Plus the Battle Castle looked so neat. And she could dress fabulously.

A win-win.

Macario turned to see Riven. "Oh hey!" he said. "Yep! This is where we ended up going. Sam's going to kick some butt, aren't you?"

Sam nonchalantly looked at each of the five doors. "Hm... bonds between me and my Pokemon huh," he muttered. "And here I thought I was just going to answer some trivia questions."

"...You can do it, right?"

Sam shrugged, but gave a confident hint of a smile. Not for the faint of heart... Sounds like they're going to try and play with my emotions in there. Just got to keep a level head, shouldn't be too hard.

"So, which of these doors are you going through?"

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"Alright! Let's go!" Teruchi cheered and hurried to the front of the event.

"Punch in the face? Sounds like my kind of game!" Magne said, running after him. "Sounds like they're going to let you do some of the fighting too, lazybum."

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"Wha? Oh no, I'm fighting!" Adanna said hurriedly. Oh, now she got it. They were in a castle, so everything was medieval themed. "You can dress me up!"

Hope I get some cool costume, Adanna thought. Some sort of knight... Not some sort of prissy royal princess thing...

Zora bounced on her heels and bounded after Teruchi as the presenter declared the opening of the facility. She was gonna rock this place. Maybe if she did well she'd try that haunted house. It was more her sister's aesthetic but she was totally down. Yeah. She can do the facilities without needing to go for the gold, right?

Right.

Gonna do this, gonna do some battling and make the boyfriend and the sister and the best friend and everyone proud.

"I've been waiting for this since... well mostly just since yesterday but I've still been waiting! You ready, Teru? I am so ready. Not just ready. Ready Freddy. Except not like the bear. There's way too many of those games and the guy needs to Stop with a capital S. No, more like... like the guy in the horror movies. Except I'm not here to dick around with dreams and murder people I'm here to kick copious amounts of ass and secure my place in the hearts of every spectator. They are going to remember the name Zora Blackwood. And then they'll look me up, and they'll find my band page. And then they'll say, oh, that charismatic, charming son of a bitch has a band? You bet she does. And then they'll check out my music. And they'll tell their friends. I'll be famous! Yeahhhhhh."

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Artemis bowed at the Blissey respectfully, and she and Tiamat made their way inside. What was there to be scared of? Nothing is scary to a seven and a half foot tall brick.

------------

Also in the lobby of the Battle Castle stood a woman with azure hair in a lovely period dress. It was clear she knew what she was doing when she chose it, because it did suit her shape and her skin quite nicely. By her side stood a Gardevoir, in what looked like a matching costume.

Azurra eyed up the interior of the Castle with the eyes of a thief. So much stuff that could be pawned off for money. And the money could go to the war effort, and- no. Keep your head in the game.

Luna, Allen and Marcus walk past the ticket booth with admission tags hanging around their necks. The two teenagers sprint ahead past the crowd of people until they stop at the foot of what appears to be a large gray stadium in the center of the Battle Frontier.

Luna and Allen look around in excitement while Marcus struggles to catch up to them.

"Oh man, this is gonna be great. What are we going to do first? I was thinking of going to the Battle Castle, seeing as they have some neat costumes over there." - Luna remarks with a big grin on her face.

"I was thinking the Battle Arcade for me. I think your parents and Serra can wait for a bit." - Allen says with a nervous smile.

As they walk forward, they notice a group of people crowding around the area with intense, high-energy cheers.

"Huh? What's going on?" - Luna says.

[Current OST: Beauty Varon]

In the center of the group was a man with long silver hair wearing a green evening suit topped off with a dark green cape. He is wearing a dark green mask that covers his eyes and carries a red and blue rose in both of his gloved hands.

Beside the man is a shiny Roserade who strikes a pose with him as he sniffs the red rose in his left hand.

"I'm grateful to see that my return isn't without the appropriate fanfare. Even though I'm already taken, I'd be glad to give any of you lovely ladies a shot. Maybe... you."

He points the rose at a young woman who squeals in excitement.

"Or how about you?"

The next woman he points to is stunned quiet with a heavy blush on her face. The man chuckles as the crowd goes wild.

"Hey, who's the hotshot in the center there? He looks like fun." - Luna remarks with a smile.

Allen's eyes widen and he puts on a sour expression. He slams a hand against his mouth and murmurs in disbelief.

"Oh dear god, why is he here..."

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The path directly in front of Sam and Macario had a sign that read "legendary trivia questions". The path to the right of it read "morality and puzzle questions - if you fail, you will be teleported outside".

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[Current OST: It's Too Quiet]

The inside of the Charnel is a long, dark hallway with blue flame candles on the sides. The sky outside of the windows is replaced with a dreary purple, with large dead trees and dark clouds. 

As Tiamat and Artemis make their way inside, the light from the lobby vanishes along with the crowd of people that entered with them.

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"There's at least fifteen slots right now, so make good use of them while you can. Anyway, I'll be off to start the challenge, so if you'll excuse me..." - The man atop the stage remarks.

He puts the microphone on a stand and walks into a room behind the stage.

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"The tournament isn't due to start in 20 minutes, but I can lead you to the costume room if you'd like." - The attendant states with a smile.

"Ah, yes please." Felix said to the attendant. "That would be great, thank you."

Felix sideways glanced at Adanna. She was one of the other operatives, wasn't she? Looked vaguely familiar, anyway.

----

"Now I just need to find out where spectators go." Riven muttered. "Because obviously they can't follow the competitors in, right?"

-----

The doors of the Battle Stage swung open and Rebecca and her Pokemon crew walked in.

"Wow....this is a pretty cool place!" she said. "C'mon guys, let's go sign up!"

She approached where the sign-ups were.

"Iwould like to sign up for the Battle Stage challenge, please." Rebecca said politely.