The morning of the tournament was chalk full of excitement as the trainers who had signed up for the event gathered together in the main area of the dome, to await the briefing for the event. Gabe had been up a good part of the night going over last minute strategy with Jupiter after deciding which of their teammates would be paired up first.

Okay... so Skuntank and Houndoom are going to fight together, while Jamie battles beside Toxicroak...

Gabe rubbed his temples as he ran through the combinations he had worked on with Jupiter. Keeping up with her team was more difficult than he'd imagined it being. There was one thing he couldn't quite understand.

Why isn't she going to use Sableye? Does she think I don't see the Sablenite on her necklace? Gabe thought as the image crossed his mind.

Or is there another reason?

Being the fan that he was, he made it a point to memorize the appearance of every Mega Stone. To him, there were a number of reasons not to use it. One, he guessed, was that Cynthia was attending the event. Being the strongest trainer in all of Sinnoh, her getting wind of something like Mega Evolution, could hinder Team Galactic should she ever get her hands on a Garchompite.

Gabe shuddered at the thought of an already powerful Cynthia gaining the equivalent of a deus ex machina. Now that he thought about it, Team Galactic prided themselves in being strategic and knowledgeable... save for a certain prideful redhead. Gabe took a deep breath and leaned against the back wall, humming "Shut Up And Dance" to himself.

As he lost himself in the tunes of his previous life, he heard his gear sound off. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulled it out to see that it was a message from Jupiter.

I'm here, was all it said, prompting Gabe to look up and search the expansive room for the purple-haired Galactic agent.

Sure enough, there she was, standing at the entrance dressed in ripped, formfitting black jeans, a white long sleeve crop top that exposed her shoulders. The top had a floral design stitched onto the sleeves and center. She had on a pair of black athletic sneakers as well. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail while a few bangs hung down over one side of her face.

Gabe shut his slightly gaping mouth and diverted his eyes from her to his gear for a swift reply, giving her his location within the noisy building. Within moments, she was able to weave her way through the crowd of trainers, and find her partner.

"Crowded isn't it?" Jupiter stated, sliding up beside him, her eyes flitting about as she scoped out the competition.

"Just a bit..." Gabe murmured in reply. "In truth, I'm unsure of what to expect."

Mostly because this wasn't a thing... the doubles part of it anyway...

"Nervous huh? It's understandable. Knowing there are going to be quite a lot of people watching can be overwhelming," Jupiter mused.

"Yo Barry!"

Gabe turned his head at the familiar voice. Working their way in his direction, was Lucas along with Dawn. Meanwhile, Jupiter reached into her bag to pull out her gear.

"Hey you guys, what's up!?" Gabe exclaimed.

"Eh? nothin' much. We're just waiting for the tournament to begin. Although, I'm still bummed none of us are teammates," Lucas mumbled.

"Yeah, it's a shame isn't it?" Dawn agreed. "But this works too. I'll get to see how I fare against you two."

"I'm with you guys on that one. But hey, let's just have fun battling each other," Gabe stated with a faint smile.

"This is gonna be so fun! So Barry, find your partner yet?" Lucas asked.

"Errmm... well," Gabe cleared his throat before gesturing to Jupiter who had been looking down at her gear to check the status of the tournament matchups.

"Ah! she's that woman you met at Lickilicky's and-"

"The one who challenged me to a battle. Yes, this is she, Lucas," Gabe added quickly.

Jupiter looked up and placed her gear back in her bag before contributing to the conversation.

"It's a pleasure to see you two again. With an event like this, I had a feeling our paths would cross once more," Jupiter stated casually.

"It's nice to see you too! I love your necklace by the way," Dawn beamed.

"Oh? Well, thank you Miss Berlitz. I appreciate that very much," Jupiter stated with a slight chuckle.

Gabe kept silent about the necklace. He wasn't sure if Dawn knew what the stone in the center of it was. After all, Mars had a keystone on her earring. It also was difficult to see the details. If he were to disclose to Dawn that Jupiter was part of Team Galactic, it could cause a panic. For now, he would keep that part secret.

"Well, I need to go find my partner. We were going to chat for a bit before the first round. I'll see you guys out there!" Dawn beamed.

"I hope you're ready, Dawn... because I don't plan on holding back," Lucas grinned.

Dawn smirked and placed her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest as she faced Lucas.

"I believe that's my line Lucas. So you'd better watch out or else I'll leave you in my dust," Dawn replied sharply, flipping her hair before walking off in a sassy, confident manner.

Turning around, she smiled and waved.

"See you two later! Good luck in your first matches!" Dawn called out before wandering off.

"S-See yah!" Lucas called back, exhaling as soon as she walked away.

"You liiiiiike her," Gabe said in a low, teasing tone.

"W-What!? haha! that's... what gave you that idea Barry?" Lucas said nervously.

"I dunno, maybe it's because you got all defensive just now," Gabe shrugged. "That, and you kinda suck at hiding it..."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Lucas murmured.

Jupiter arched a brow as she observed the interaction between the two friends. Gabe seemed to tease Lucas in much the same way she poked fun at Mars. A slight giggle escaped Jupiters lips as the two engaged in their little dispute.

"Anyway, I'm gonna go find something to eat. There's a food court here and I'm craving Charby's!" Lucas exclaimed. "See you out there Barry!"

"Later slowpoke!" Gabe called out jokingly.

Man... trying to stay in character is exhausting. I now have a newfound respect for theatre people, mused Gabe as he watched his friend wander off to find food.

"Come to think of it," Jupiter began, snapping Gabe's attention back to her, "I could use some nourishment as well. I was so busy this morning that I didn't have much time to eat..." Jupiter stated, her stomach growling as if on cue, causing her to blush slightly.

"I'm with you there. I couldn't sleep much last night. I need all the energy I can get. We've got some time before the first match begins, so maybe we should get our strength back," Gabe suggested, keeping a calm composure in spite of the nervousness building up inside.

"Then it's settled. We can talk strategy while we eat," Jupiter replied, gliding past Gabe and turning her head slightly while beckoning him to follow with a crook of her finger.

Gabe swallowed the lump in his throat and followed, pushing all preconceived assumptions about her, out of his mind for the time being. For now, she was his teammate. Neither Dawn nor Lucas knew of the danger she posed. For now, that was a good thing. Stirring up unnecessary panic would ruin the once a year event that he'd apparently been looking forward to.

It's times like these where I wish I had some of Barry's memories to work with. All I have to go off of are the words Dawn and Lucas tell me...

But even with that, I don't feel as though I actually know them. I mean I know who they are but... that's not the same as intimate knowledge. All I can do is pretend to remember things that happened to Barry... to me... and hope my act fools them.

Gabe's brows anchored into a frown as he walked alongside Jupiter towards the food court. It bothered him a little that the only person he, as Barry, was actually getting to know, was the one person he could not and should not trust.

And yet... somehow, he was okay with that...