To be the Very Best (Pokémon X Male Reader)

Masters EX Arc Chapter 5 - Battle Vs the Neo Champions of Kanto!

I stood there, numb, staring at the scene before me as if I were watching from a distance, like it wasn't really happening. But it was. Every breath I took felt like it was pulled from the bottom of a well, deep and distant, barely enough to keep me standing.

Hope was on her knees, her sobs cutting through the chaos around us. Her hands were trembling, covered in cuts and bruises, blood trickling down her fingers and staining the ground beneath her. She looked so small, so broken like the weight of the world had finally crushed her.

I could hear the screams in the distance, the sounds of people being attacked, of something terrible happening, but they felt muted like I was underwater. Everything felt surreal, like I was trapped in a nightmare I couldn't wake up from.

Hope's sobs grew louder, more desperate, and I watched as she looked up at me, her eyes filled with pain and confusion. She screamed at me, the sound tearing through me like a knife.

"Why?!"

The word echoed in my mind over and over until it drowned out everything else. My mouth felt dry, my throat tight, as I tried to form words, to say something, anything that would make this stop, that would make this not real.

But all that came out was a whisper, my voice hollow, dead.

"Kids like you should forget your goals and ambitions... and fall in line with everyone else."

The words hung in the air, so foreign, like they came from someone else entirely. But they were mine. I had said them. I had meant them.

Hope's expression shifted, her anguish twisting into something more. Betrayal, maybe. Hatred. But the tears never stopped. They flowed freely down her face, mixing with the dirt and blood that marred her cheeks.

I could feel something inside me breaking, shattering into pieces that I knew I would never be able to put back together. I wanted to reach out, to tell her I didn't mean it, that this wasn't me, that this wasn't how things were supposed to be. But my body wouldn't move. I was frozen, paralysed by the horror of what I had done.

The world around me continued to crumble, the screams growing louder and more frantic, but all I could focus on was Hope, her broken sobs, and the sickening realisation that I had caused this and that this was my fault.

My vision blurred, the edges of the world darkening, closing in on me as the weight of everything pressed down on my chest, making it hard to breathe. I wanted to scream, to cry, to do something, anything, but all I could do was stand there, watching as everything fell apart.

Watching as Hope's world was torn to pieces, knowing that I was the one who had destroyed it.

****

The crowd buzzed with excitement as the announcement of the semifinal rules echoed through the stadium. Lear's voice, calm and authoritative, explained the twist: the two pairs advancing would choose a third partner from any previously eliminated team for a three-on-three Pokémon battle. The winning trio would then send their original pair to the final for a chance at the title of Pokémon Master.

Hope and I sat in the stands, watching the trainers' reactions. Everyone was calculating, strategising, and trying to figure out the best possible partner for the upcoming battle. But I already knew what Red and Blue were planning.

"They're going to pick Leaf," I said, my eyes fixed on the Kanto legends as they exchanged looks across the stadium.

Hope turned to me, curious. "How can you be so sure?"

"It only makes sense," I replied, leaning back in my seat, arms crossed. "Sure, they could go for the strongest trainer left, like Cynthia or Leon. But there's no guarantee they'll mesh well with them. You have to think about the bigger picture. This battle isn't just about raw strength; it's about teamwork and coordination. You want someone you can trust, someone who knows how you fight, who can complement your style and Pokémon. Leaf's been with them since the beginning. They grew up together and battled together. She's the obvious choice."