With one more day to go until the tournament, Gabe set to training his teammates so he could prepare for whatever adversity he might face during the weekend long event. According to the information he'd been given, the partners were chosen at random the day before the tournament began. To Gabe, it seemed rather nerve-racking as it did not provide the participants much time to prepare for the battles they would face.

He supposed it was all part of the challenge. Learning to think on one's feet was something a trainer would need to know how to do if they were to succeed. Gabe watched as Houndoom, his newest addition, sparred with Jamie, casually avoiding a few Iron Tail attacks before spitting a few flames her way, prompting her to leap aside to avoid the assault.

Houndoom flashed Jamie a toothy grin, something that didn't go unnoticed by Gabe. Jamie responded by snapping off a Thunderbolt from her tail. Houndoom canceled it out with a Dark Pulse. Turning his attention elsewhere, Gabe watched as Aron and Tropius battled it out with Psyduck switching in on occasion to spar with Aron. It was a tedious process to oversee, but Gabe knew that it was important for his Pokémon to sharpen their skills.

"Alright, that's enough!" Gabe called out, bringing their battles to a halt.

Houndoom trekked over to Jamie and gently nuzzled the side of her face with his muzzle. Jamie gave a purr of approval and returned the gesture. Psyduck looked up at the fruit growing around Tropius's neck, and tried to jump to grab a piece of the fruit. Seeing the trouble his comrade was having, Tropius lowered his neck and allowed Psyduck to pluck the fruit off.

Plopping down on the bench in Amity Square, Gabe sighed contentedly and looked up at the sky. The previous day had been rather exciting, yet at the same time... stressful. He had three badges at this point, and was already concerned about the fourth. However, he would need to put that aside for one very big reason.

"I think we've done enough training for now. Today is when we find out who our partner will be. Sadly, I can't use all of you in this tournament. Depending on who I am paired with... well, you get the idea," Gabe sighed.

Reaching down for his gear, he began to search his messages for any sign of the pairings. None were posted yet.

That's fine, he thought. It's still early in the morning, there's plenty of time. Hopefully I'll be paired with someone I'm familiar with like Dawn or Lucas...

Gabe knew their teams very well. He also noticed that Lucas had a candidate for Mega Evolution on his team. Should he decide to disclose what he knew to Lucas, later on, he could be a big help in his efforts to battle against the threat that was Team Galactic.

Gabe crossed his arms and began to think of possible pairings should he be teamed up with either Dawn or Lucas.

So Dawn has Prinplup, as far as I know... and I saw a few more on her belt which means she's been doing some recruiting. Houndoom could cover Prinplup really well should Grass-types come into play...

Lucas already has Grotle, along with a Piloswine as well as Rotom... Psyduck could cover Grotle and Piloswine, but so could Tropius.

Gabe groaned as he continued his strategic planning. Planning wasn't exactly something he enjoyed doing without knowing what or who to plan for. The only three he knew were entering were Dawn, Jupiter and Lucas. Mars, for whatever reason, was not in the list, which was both a relief and a concern.

Weren't those two practically joined at the hip? Gabe didn't have the time to get into unraveling how bizarre it all seemed. As he was about to stand up, he heard a sound coming from his gear. It was a notification from the tournament committee. Glancing down, he pulled up the message and looked through the list of pairings.

Let's see... Dawn and Angie. Lucas and Jeremy... Barry and-

Gabe stared at the screen with a bewildered expression.

"Are you kidding me right now, Arceus!?" He said aloud, looking back at the names, checking to see if he had read it right.

I don't believe this. My partner is...

"So you've entered the tournament then?" Cyrus inquired over his gear.

"I have, just as you requested. While the tournament intrigues me, I don't understand why Mars wasn't given this task," Jupiter replied with a raised brow.

"I can see why you would say that. Mars is more competitive and would accel in that sort of mission. However, she can be a little hotheaded as well. We need someone with more clarity of mind, not someone who makes snap decisions with little thought to the repercussions... understand?" Cyrus elaborated.

Jupiter smiled faintly. What Cyrus had said was quite true. Mars was a bit of a hothead. Especially since Jupiter would always best her in a spar.

"I understand. And thank you for the opportunity. I will do my best," she said confidently.

"Excellent. Be sure to record your findings and send them to me," Cyrus stated firmly.

"As you wish," Jupiter responded.

"You're dismissed..."

And with that, Cyrus hung up, leaving Jupiter to dwell upon the orders she'd been given. With a sigh, she plopped down on her hotel bed and scooped up the novel she'd been reading. As she opened the book, her gear beeped. Jupiter side-eyed the device and frowned, picking it up to see what could possibly be disturbing her now.

What she found, however, was something very amusing... noteworthy even. A giggle slipped from her lips as she looked down at the list of participants she had been messaged. And sitting directly next to her name as her listed partner, was none other than...

Barry... now what are the odds of that? She chuckled mentally. I had hoped for another meeting, but this is even better.

Jupiter shifted her eyes to the little phone icon to the left of his name and smirked. Tapping it, she pulled up his number and saved it before starting a message and sending it.

"And here I thought today was going to be boring. I suppose I should get dressed," Jupiter decided, standing up to discard her robe she'd been wearing after getting out of the shower.

"Now, what should I wear today?"

Gabe looked down at the message he had received from Jupiter and narrowed his eyes. Just what exactly was going on here? Out of all the possible scenarios he'd imagined them meeting in, this was the last on his list. It was bad enough that she was the enemy, but now he had to work with her? He couldn't decide if this was a twist of fate or a cruel joke.

It would appear that we are partners. I can't say that I anticipated this turn of events, as I had hoped to battle you in this tournament. However, this is... I can live with this. I look forward to working with you, Barry. Meet me at Amity Square in an hour and we will discuss strategy there.

- Jupiter

Gabe heaved a deep sigh and thought for a monent about his response. After a short deliberation process, he quickly typed up a response and sent it.

This brings a whole new meaning to the phrase "fraternizing with the enemy..."

Gabe looked at his team as they played around in Amity Square. He laughed as the group of friends chased one another, Psyduck tripping over Jamie's tail in a clumsy manner. To watch this was still very unreal to Gabe. Though he had accepted his circumstances, it was still hard to believe that he was watching creatures of a fantasy world, playing games in front of him. He wasn't certain how long he had been watching them, but time seemed to fly fairly quickly, and soon, the hour had passed.

Gabe glanced down at the time. It was ten in the morning. His companions were taking a rest from their play and were now relaxing near the towering figure that was Tropius. Just then, Jamie's nose began to twitch as she caught a whiff of a familiar scent. Her eyes popped and her head turned to where the source of it was. With a happy cry, she shot up from her spot beside Houndoom and made a beeline for the bridge.

Gabe followed her movements as she sprinted by, his eyes trailing up to see the source of her excitement. There, dressed in a pair of formfitting jeans, black boots and a black jacket, was Jupiter herself. A giggle escaped her lips as she felt Jamie brush against her leg affectionately. Reaching down, she scratched behind her ears before scooping her up and petting her. Her eyes flickered over to Gabe, and with a casual stride, she walked over to him and sat down.

"I believe this belongs to you?" She chuckled, setting the cuddly feline beside her so she could crawl into Gabe's lap.

Gabe nodded quietly and began to stroke Jamie's head. A moment of silence passed between them before Jupiter spoke up.

"It's been quite a week huh?" She began, playing with a few strands of hair as she spoke. "I take it your battle with Fantina went well?" She asked curiously.

"I... yeah, it did. And by that, I mean I got the badge. It was harder than expected," Gabe admitted.

"That is what Gym Leaders are known for. Making difficult challenges for trainers is what they excel at," Jupiter stated, crossing one leg over the other. "So... shall we get straight to it then? The first rounds are tomorrow and it wouldn't do to be ill prepared."

Gabe agreed. Now that he thought of it, this could possibly be the best case scenario for him. He would get a better look at more of Jupiter's team, and he would get to see what they were really capable of. There was also the possibility of seeing her Mega in action. That being the case, he could not afford to waste the opportunity. With a determined look, he stood up and faced Jupiter and nodded.

"Alright then," Jupiter paused, standing up to walk into the grass and snap a ball from her waist. "Let's get started..."