Destiny Rebirth

Second Round Rumble!

"Persian, Giga Impact!" Giovanni ordered his classy cat Pokémon to attack his opponent's final choice.

The normal type began to charge its opponent, as a sphere of purple energy encased its body. The Pokémon collided with a Nidoking that was opposite it. The two continued as if Persian had hit nothing, slamming into the wall with full force causing a minor explosion. From the dust, out came Giovanni's cat strutting, as it left the carnage of the battle behind. When the dust finally settled, Nidoking was unconscious.

"Nidoking is unable to battle! Persian wins and the match goes to Sakaki, of Mt. Coronet!" the ref shouted out.

The crowds cheered, as the match had finally come to an end. The match was 3-2, with Giovanni claiming victory. He smirked and waved as his eyes went through the crowd until they found their target. His smile grew as his eyes met with Ash's, who, he knew, would be watching the match. He chuckled when he saw the trainer flinch, as their gazes met. He was taking pride in intimidating his young rival.

He knows I'm just toying with these fools. I have more to show, come the later rounds, you better be ready, Ketchum. His thoughts died down as his platform began to descend.

---

Ash could only look down at what he saw, with astonishment, written across his face. He's holding back. He's toying with his opponents as if he was playing with his food.

Ash could feel someone, shaking him out of his concentration. He looked to his shoulder and saw a paw. He followed it to its owner.

"Master, calm down." Lucario began. "Like you said: 'one round at a time.'"

"Come on, Lucario, you saw what I saw."

"Pika," Pikachu shouted out in frustration. "Pikachu pi pika pi. Pipi Pikachu pi!"

"He's right. He hasn't faced anything yet. We have trained for five years, for this moment. We'll get him." Lucario said with a gentle smile on his face.

"Thank you, Lucario. Come on, we better head to our platform. Our match starts in about ten minutes," Ash said as he turned to head down to the corridors of the stadium.

As the three companions made their way down the stairs, they passed Giovanni once more. He saw, who was descending the stairs and moved, in front of them, to stop their movement.

"Can I help you, Sakaki?" Ash spat at the figure that so rudely cut him off.

"Yes, I just wanted to make sure that you saw my little demonstration," Giovanni said with a dark, playful tone.

"All I saw was a trainer who was outclassed and his opponent playing with him, to entertain the crowd," Ash responded openly.

"Hey, what is battling without having a little fun?" Giovanni chuckled.

"Showing off is a fool's glory," Ash said.

"My true glory will show itself in due time," Giovanni said as he continued to chuckle.

"Keep laughing, Sakaki," Ash shot back severely. "We'll see who's laughing at the end of this tournament!"

"Oh Aaron, always the serious one," Giovanni responded. "You know, there are only three real contenders for the title. Those three are you, me, and your friend, Trevor. The other six rounds are just for mere show. We'll have our battle, and when we do, I will finally finish you off. Something I should have done back in Kalos."

"Careful, Sakaki," Ash spoke with determination in his voice. "Pride always comes before the fall."

"And I will be there to see you hit rock bottom, boy," Giovanni responded as he brushed past, Ash. As they passed, he bumped Ash's shoulder with his, causing the trainer to move back.