Pedro and Antonio stood frozen on the stage, their faces a mixture of shock and disbelief. They had been so sure of their victory, so confident in their Pokémon's power. But they had been outmatched, outsmarted, and outclassed.
"I... we lost," Pedro said, his voice a barely audible whisper.
"That's not possible, our moves are unbeatable," Antonio added, his head bowed in defeat.
"They weren't," Eliana said, her voice a cold, hard truth. "And you relied much to heavily on them."
Gabriel recalled his Riolu, a wide grin on his face. "We did it! We actually did it!"
Eliana recalled her Kirlia, her expression unreadable. She was already thinking about what would happen after this, free games for one. Although that would have to be put on hold once Sabrina got a grip on her. Maybe Kirlia's evolution would be allowed since Sabrina never seemed to punish her Pokémon.
The announcer rushed onto the stage, her microphone in her face. "This is incredible! Team No-Clip, the newcomers, have done the unthinkable! They have defeated the reigning champions, Team System Crash, and are the new winners of the Gamer Cup!"
She turned to Eliana and Gabriel, her eyes shining with excitement. "How does it feel to be the new champions?"
"It feels... awesome!" Gabriel said, his voice filled with excitement. "I won't have to pay for anything here for the rest of the year!"
Eliana didn't say anything. She just looked out at the crowd, her eyes scanning for a familiar face. After seeing nothing, she extended her mind but she still couldn't sense Theo. He must have left already, bummer, Eliana had hoped he would've attacked her after the competition.
"So what are your plans now that you've won?" the announcer asked, her microphone still in Eliana's face.
Eliana finally turned to the announcer, a small, almost imperceptible frown on her lips. "None of your business."
The announcer, taken aback by Eliana's blunt response, quickly turned back to Gabriel. "And what about you, Gabriel? Any plans for celebrating your victory?"
Gabriel's grin widened. "I'm going to wait for the games to come back and take back my high scores from Eliana!" he said, gesturing to his teammate.
"You can try," Eliana said, a flicker of amusement in her eyes.
"Oh, so you two are Rivals?" The announcer asked, a slight tease in her voice.
"Yeah, she may be good but I'm better!" Gabriel said, only to be smacked on the head by Eliana.
"Unlikey, I'm better than you at more than one thing." Eliana responded, elbowing him to show that wasn't completely serious.
"So mean to me," Gabriel whined playfully as the crowd laughed at his reaction.
"Aren't these two so close? Are there maybe deeper feelings involved?" The announcer asked the crowd, who responded with whistles and cheers.
"No, just friends." Eliana said, her tone leaving no room for argument. She then glared at the announcer to make a point, which the announcer backed off from.
"And rivals," Gabriel cheerfully added on to Eliana's statement.
The announcer, sensing that she had ruined the mood with her question, decided to end the interview. "Well, there you have it, folks! The new champions of the Gamer Cup, Team No-Clip! Let's give them one last round of applause!"
The crowd roared, their cheers a deafening wave of sound. Eliana and Gabriel walked off the stage, their heads held high. As the main event was over, the crowd began to thin, the arcade emptying. Most of the other competitors had already left after they had lost.
…
Eliana and Gabriel made their way through the throng of congratulatory well-wishers, the cacophony of the crowd a dull roar in the background. The weight of the colorful keycards felt absurdly light. Not having to pay a single thing due to the little things would be amazing.
The backstage area was a cluttered maze of cables and equipment, a stark contrast to the polished gleam of the arena. They found a relatively quiet corner, away from the bustling staff and lingering press. Gabriel at down on a stray crate, lifting his keycard up to the light to see its reflective sheen. Eliana had already put hers up since she knew she wouldn't be able to use it anytime soon. Avoiding her actual training with Sabrina would bring consequences, oh well, it's not like it would've anything too difficult.
"We actually did it," he said, for the third or fourth time, running a hand through his sweat-dampened hair. He looked at Eliana, searching her face for a reflection of his own joy. He found only her usual placid mask. "Aren't you even a little bit happy?"
"I am pleased with the outcome," she pointed out, her tone clinical. "Our strategy was sound, our execution nearly flawless. It confirms our training is effective. "
Gabriel sighed, a familiar habit around her. "Right… you know, for someone who just won a years supply of free gaming, you're a real downer."
Eliana raised an amused eyebrow before asking, "Will you not be receiving extra training for putting it off?"
"Ah, yeah… I had forgotten about that." Gabriel winced, frowning, "Looks like I'll have to put off getting a new high score."
"Look on the bright side," Eliana pat his head, "It's not like you could play right away anyways, they have to fix the damage to the walls from the battles."
"Still, it's the principle." Gabriel pouted. He then gasped, realizing something, "Wait, my Riolu is close to evolving, this training is that final little push he needs!" he said excitedly.
"Next time we battle, my Lucario will stop you in your tracks!" Gabriel chirped, running off with a hurried farewell as he hurried to the dojo.
Eliana smiled to herself, she knew Gabriel's Riolu was close to evolving. She could feel his aura flared everytime the little fighting type battled. Gabrie would be in for a surprise next time they saw each other as well. She would have to make sure to teach Kirlia some more physical attacks, once he evolved into Gallade.