"Welcome to Castelia City, sir! We hope you–"
"DON'T TOUCH ME– oh, uh, yeah, thank you very much."
"Well, uh.. enjoy your visit to the land of Unova, then!" The ship attendant, professional as ever, wasn't stunned too long by the blonde Kalosian's strange outburst. The boy left the ship, keeping his head down. Until he was well within the mess of Castelia City's streets, his face should preferably be not seen at all. He put up a suitable pair of peas–no, he wasn't supposed to think like that. A pair of cheap sunglasses, and then he pulled over his suitably cheap hoodie so surely no one would recognise him as Arthur, heir to one of Kalos' noble houses.
Unova was certainly different from Kalos, thought Arthur as he toured the streets. Here the inhabitants seem to feel less compulsion to be 'beautiful'. There was a free mess of ugliness right next to the middle and wealthier citizens, and it made him feel at ease. At the same time, it made him wish to expose himself even more. To test himself, exactly why he left Kalos, but now he also felt a little like showing off.
"Excuse me, sir?" A neatly-dressed girl approached him from a building by the streetside, holding a stack of flyers.
"Please, I told father I brought enough funds–"
"Sir? I uh... was just wondering if you'd be interested in a small battle competition?"
A battle competition would be great as a warmup for the Pokemon World Tournament, he thought. Plus, it gives him time to gauge how well his battling abilities actually matched up against other trainers. Arthur knew from the few suspicion victories he had claimed that his family must have been pulling some strings behind the scenes. Korrina of Shalour not using her prized Lucario in her battle against him? Trainers challenging him with just two Pokemon and handing him a ton of money when they were inevitably defeated? 'Nobles' in the Battle Chateau using clearly untrained Pokemon against him? All evidence of Foul Play. True, he never really asked them about it, but Mother had always told him to just accept the good things in life...
"...Sir?"
"What? Oh, yes, yes, I'd like to join your quai– your battle competition."
"Great! This way, please!"
The girl led Arthur into the building, where an arena had already been set up. It was a small tourney, probably just the attraction of a weekend, with about fifty or so people viewing from the sides. Three other trainers were lined up against a wall at the back, shifting about as they waited for their roles to be called upon.
"And we've gathered our last participant! What's your name?" The girl who would now play announcer pushed the mic into Arthur's face.
"L– Arthur."
Deep down, he breathed a sigh of relief over his ability to stop himself reflexively putting out his titles. Father always insisted it was proper. Then again, what he said applied to what he called duels, and Arthur wasn't sure if they had this duel stuff in Unova.
"Right, then! Give it up for Larthur, guys! Now, we're just going to go over the rules again. Three versus Three Singles, winner of the first match faces the winner of the second match to be our grand prize winner! Are you ready?"
The crowd began cheering wildly. Arthur looked about rather uneasily. Where he battled, there weren't usually crowds so raucous.
"First up, Larthur and Jamie! Put the three Pokemon you don't want to use by the side, then we begin!"
A girl about his age stood opposite, dressed in an ordinary blouse and skirt. A lass like any other. They each put away three Poke Balls by the arena's side before taking their positions at each opposite end. Arthur's hands shook a little. His first battle in a different world where anything could go either way. At least if he lost, they'd remember him by however the announcer pronounced his name.
"Three, two, one... begin!"
"Go, Kits!" The lass threw out the ball she held in her hand, releasing a purple feline Pokemon. It hissed menacingly at Arthur as he readied his own throw.
"Come forth, Vitesse!"
Arthur threw the sphere he was handling out, allowing a large myriapod Pokemon to emerge forth. Its maroon body contrasted well with the grey arena floor as it reared up its head, roaring.
"Oooh, a Scolipede and a Liepard! Both native to our Unova, what a great way to open!" The announcer may as well have been talking to herself, as the crowd's attention was turned on the trainers who wasted no time giving out commands.
"Quick, Megahorn!"
"Fake Out!"
Just as the Scolipede began to charge forward, the Liepard leapt towards it, clapping its front paws together right in its face, stunning the Scolipede and making it recoil backwards.
"Never mind that, we'll get faster! Try again! Megahorn!"
"As if! Swagger!"
The Scolipede reared up for a charge a little faster than before, but with a sudden burst of speed, the Liepard brushed its tail against the large insect. It puffed out its chest, meowing in manner that reminded Arthur of the more obnoxious nobles he'd met. Vitesse wasn't taking it at all well, his eyes widening in rage.
"We've been through this! Just skewer it and be done! Attack, go!"
The Scolipede, shaking in rage as it was, did not even hear Arthur's words. When it finally moved out of the raging stupor it was in, it tried to stab the Liepard right below it. Of course, that didn't go well, it was an easy matter to just leap out of the way and let the big bug almost break a horn on the floor below. Arthur frowned. He knew what would be happening next.
"Now! Foul Play!"
"Recall! Vitesse, swap out with Dovoi!"
Arthur quickly threw another ball off his belt while drawing back his Scolipede. What came out resembled a human, though with proportions wrong and covered in a white robe. The Liepard instead aimed its attack at the newcomer, holding onto the arm of its target and forcing it to smack itself.
"Psychic type against Kitty, Kalosian? What are you thinking? Kitty, Night Slash!"
"Moonblast it away, Dovoi!"
The Liepard's eyes widened in shock as it dug its claws into the Gardevoir, noting how it felt much harder to hit well than it should. In such close quarters, it was easy for the humanoid to throw down the feline, then blast a pink wave at it, sending it flying back.
"K-kitty?"
"Liepard is down! Jamie, what will you send out now?"
"I, uh..." The girl looked a little nervous as she returned her dizzy kitty. Arthur, meanwhile, felt more confident than ever. He'd actually managed a knockout! Dovoi gazed intently at the opposing trainer, letting his trainer's confidence improve what he hoped was an intimidating stare. Behind them, the cheering of the crowd as eased out, and for a moment Arthur felt like their victory was guaranteed.
"Come out, Gears!" The lass made her move, sending out a composite Pokemon of many spinning, well, gears. It clanged and beeped as it waited for instructions.
"Gears, Gear Grind!"
"Dovoi, Psyshock!"
The Gardevoir concentrated, releasing a wave of force at the approaching Klang. The wave solidified into particles that shook the gears a little from their spinning as they shot in, but failed to stop them as they crunched around the fairy's face, grinding them in.
Arthur's mood took a direct turn about. How could he forget something so basic?
"Nevermind, Dovoi! Switch out with Lumen!"
Arthur quickly threw out the last unused Pokemon on his belt, while recalling his reeling Gardevoir. He'd have to remember to get Dovoi an extra candy as an apology. The gears of the Klang clamped around the yellow body of an incoming Ampharos instead, who shook it off as easily as it if it came from a young Ratata.
"Thunderbolt, Lumen!"
"Uh... Tackle!"
It was the Lass' moment of hesitation that led to her Klang's defeat. Has the Klang made any movement at all, the bolt of electricity unleashed by the Ampharos would not have hit the dead center of the small gear in the middle. That was a critical point, and hitting it put the Klang out immediately.
"One more Pokemon left, Jamie!"
The lass looked a lot less expressive now, her eyes more focused than before. She blew on the odd white pokeball she had left, and threw it out, releasing a large insect pokemon whose wings heated the air around them.
"Best saved for last! A Volcarona, one of Unova's treasures! How is Arthur going to deal with it, now that we've seen what he has?"
The crowd's cheering rose slowly, yet steadily. Arthur paused, half-expecting some odd incident to happen where the Volcarona would just fall over and be declared out. When that didn't happen, he felt as if things were growing black around him, while the crowd's now fearsome cheers pushed at him from all sides.
"If you're not moving, I'm starting first. Quiver Dance!"
"Gah! T-Thunderbolt it!"
Too late. The large moth strafed about in an apparently random pattern, but its eyes grew brighter, clearly energized. Though the bolt of electricity struck clearly and hit well, the Volcarona's dance had allowed it to stop the blow from finishing it right then and there.
"Flamethrower! Finish it off!"
"Lumen! Thu–"
It was too late. Before the Ampharos could even charge up for the attack, it was hit by a blast of flame, sending it reeling to the ground. The Volcarona's eyes were menacing, looking down on the fallen opponent with nonchalant disdain.
"..nderbolt. Return." Arthur kept his hand from freezing, forcing himself through the motions of recalling a fainted Pokemon just to keep things going.
He was going to lose. What hope had he of putting earned glory on his name when he was struggling with just a small tourney like this? At least the name shamed here would be some nobody called Larthur. It'd be fine to just throw the match. He'd just have to let Vitesse be knocked out quickly...
He felt a hard blow to his face, as if his right ear had been ignited. Vitesse had come out on his own and hit him, before moving up to the arena for battle.
"Right. We'll figure out a way." If his Pokemon weren't willing to give up, why should he? Arthur felt something odd stir inside him, something he hadn't felt in a long time. It was like when he fought that bully as a kid...
"So is Arthur going to be sending out a Scolipede? This doesn't look look like a good matchup! What is he thinking?"
"Man, are you really giving up so fast? Flamethrower!"
"Vitesse, Protect!"
A blast of flame was blown out by the Volcarona, now looking almost like a sun in the building. Right in time for the attack, the Scolipede dived below it, putting some of its limbs, over itself to block what heat it couldn't dodge.
"Can't do it forever! Flamethrower!"
"Now Substitute!"
This time, before the plume of flame was halfway to Vitesse, he had already made his move. Some of his legs shook and a copy of him emerged out, running alongside him around the field to block the fire.
"W-what? Flamethrower again!"
"You already know! Protect!"
Before the flames even emerged from the Volcarona's mouth, the Scolipede took up a defensive stance, rear legs ready to run at any direction and forelegs primed for a parry. When they came, it was simple to simply outrun the fires, blocking whatever caught up with a small light barrier.
"Alright, have it your way! Bug Buzz!"
"NOW! BATON PASS!"
There was this one kid who would never let a chance to make him miserable go. Always called Arthur a peasant, his family hicks, things to that extent. Then they had their first battle together, and something in him made him see it through though the bully had a year's more experience of Pokemon. As he readied the remaining ball on his belt, Arthur felt just a bit of that again.
"Dovoi! Take Vitesse's place!"
As he threw out his Gardevoir, his Scolipede ran back, tapping the spirit-like being on his arm. The Gardevoir drew itself up, suddenly moving a lot faster than before while its teammate recalled itself into its ball. With the sudden speed boost, it was easy to dodge most of the high-pitched sound wave that the Volcarona had thrown out in frustration.
"Oh? This will be easier. Bug Buzz!"
"Psyshock, Dovoi!"
Strafing to the side, the Gardevoir sent out another wave towards its target. Purple particles formed around the Volcarona and struck into it, shaking it before it could properly send out the sound wave it was readying. Disrupted, it was easy to shake off whatever damage it did, as Dovoi dodged low and avoided hearing most of the attack.
"W-what? I said, Bug Buzz–"
"The final blow! Psyshock it!"
The Volcarona had no time to even cry out, as the projectiles shook it out of its flight and away from the arena. Dovoi touched his right temple, gazing with a slight grin like his ward behind. It was satisfying to beat someone with little knowledge of his type that Kalos had known for ages.
"All of Jamie's Pokemon are out! Larthur is our first winner!"
Paying no mind to the girl slinking away in defeat, the crowd erupted in cheers. Cheers... Arthur felt almost blinded. He'd actually managed a victory! He and his team actually did it! They couldn't have had any help, but won... it was when Dovoi tapped him from behind that Arthur realised he had been bowing and gesturing to the audience, taking his victory with more flair than he expected he'd dare to show.
"Alright, congratulations! Now if you'd just return to the waiting area, we'll have our second battle soon..."
Still heavy with excitement, Arthur returned to the seats at the end of the room, watching the battlers for the next event. One of them was a fairly ordinary-looking youngster, but the other was a finely-dressed youth who was clearly confident in his station.
"Ooh, a point for Shaun already! This could be a fast match!"
The well-dressed boy smirked, clearly enjoying crushing his opponent. It wasn't the benign sort of smile you'd see on somebody happy that they were winning. It was something else, Arthur noted, something you'd see on a child who kicks a Skitty just because they could.
"And that's it, Shaun is our winner!"
Shaun pumped the air with both his hands, reveling in the cheers or the crowd. He flicked back his gelled-down hair and smirked again at his defeated opponent, sighing as he drew back. Not that Arthur saw that, he was too busy concentrating on the Rich Boy. Something about him irked him deeply.
"It's our final round now! Larthur and Shaun will be battling! Larthur, please join us on the stage!"
"No need, Miss Announcer. I think I've already won. Wouldn't you agree?"
Shaun pointed to Arthur, who fought to suppress something.
"Oh, really? We'll just have to see, won't we?"
Arthur didn't hear the crowd exploding with excitement over the tension between the battlers. He walked slowly, careful not to rile himself up too much before it was time. He had already chosen his three for this battle, and he readied his first fighter in his hand, all while glaring intently at the upstart opposite.
"Ooh, I can tell this is going to be an exciting battle... ready? Let's go!"
"Come out, Renziah!"
"Go forth, Arcanine!"
They both acted at the exact same time. Facing the Rich Boy's Arcanine was Arthur's own Dragonair, who calmly gazed at the large, growling canine. Renziah's presence on the field soothed Arthur a little and let him concentrate, while the Arcanine seemed to have fired up his trainer's demeanor."
"Let's finish it quick! Close Combat!"
The faster Arcanine charged towards the serpent, fighting savagely as it came close. Claws and teeth alike raked into scales, that were bashed in by the canine's sheer strength. Something in Arthur compelled him to keep looking despite his urge to flinch. There was a chance in here somewhere...
"We have it where we want! Waterfall!"
As the Arcanine let up on its attack to catch its breath, the Dragonair took the window of opportunity. A column of water formed behind it as it charged into the Arcanine, raising it above as they rode the wave upwards. Arthur caught a glimpse of surprise in his opponent as his Arcanine came crashing down, legs flailing wildly in the air.
"What a dirty, plebeian tactic! You hurt my Arcanine! You'll pay for this!"
Arthur smirked back in return. Renziah was worn out, but not yet out. He'd win easily.
"Haxorus! Get in and beat him!"
A large dragon Pokemon with axe-like tusks came in, roaring at Arthur and Renziah. It swung its head about menacingly, ready to pounce on Renziah now vulnerable.
"Outrage!"
"Renziah, get back!"
There was no way Renziah was faster, just looking at the beast's legs alone. As the Haxorus exuded a raging aura and charged, Arthur quickly pulled Renziah out, sending in her teammate.
"Tiber! Brace yourself! Show him your might as Royal Sword!"
A Pokemon made of a sword and shield leapt in, floating with an odd grace before its trainer. The Haxorus slammed itself into the Aegislash and clawed mercilessly, but the shield stood up fast against the attack.
"King's Shield! Let it try and scratch your steel, Tiber!"
"What? No, be careful–"
The Aegislash empowered its shield, its cloth-arms holding it fast against the dragons mad strikes. A swipe went wrong over the shield, as the Haxorus arms dropped back, as if suddenly lacking strength.
"Now we've got it! Shadow Ball!"
Tiber, noting the same opportunity as its trainer, unsheathed himself into sword stance. The worn out Haxorus was an easy target, as the blob of ghostly material was easily hurled straight into its face.
"AAAAH! No! Arrgh... Back! Go, Aggron!"
"Shadow Ball again! You are a sword mightier, Tiber!"
Arthur hadn't noticed much of what he was saying, caught up in the battle he was. The tired-out Haxorus drew back gladly, and replacing it was a large monster-like Pokemon with iron covering. It staggered a bit from the blob striking it on an arm, but quickly recovered.
"As if that could stop us! Now, Sacred Sword!"
"Aggron, Earthquake."
Neither Arthur nor Tiber heard that last word, eager to cut into their opponents armour they were. The Aegislash swung itself at the Aggron, aiming for the softer rock below its iron to cut into its body. The Aggron, though pushed back, managed to strike up a shockwave through the ground, blasting into the vulnerable blade of the Aegislash from below. The surprise of the attack hit hardest, and the sword was left on the ground.
" Tiber?"
"Nice Royal Sword you got there, eh?"
The Rich boy glared into Arthur's eyes. Arthur felt his urge to cower away fade, and glared right back.
"Good work, Tiber. Come out, Nobi!"
The Aegislash nodded a little as it was summoned back. In its place came a sleek, frog-like Pokemon, blue in colour with a pink scarflike tongue around its head. The Greninja readied herself, watching her opponent carefully as the Aggron roared again.
"Show them how well you strike from shadow, Great Agent! Surf!"
"Gah! Brick Break!"
The Greninja summoned a small wave of water, riding it over the charging Aggron and crashing over it. The Aggron, clearly on its last legs, had enough strength for one attack, a punch that hit Nobi well. Not as hard as it expected, judging from its widened eyes.
"What the.. it didn't knock out in one hit?"
Arthur chuckled, executing the same smirk his opponent used back at him. "Great nobles and their agents alike must be flexible, don't you agree? Surf again!"
The Greninja gladly repeated her attack, sending the Aggron down to the ground. Its trainers face was now flustered beyond anything he could have hinted at, cornered as he was.
"Two Pokemon down! Shaun, send out what you have left!" The announcer seemed oblivious to his plight, cheerful as she was in her tone.
"Ugh! Haxorus!" He threw out the remaining useable ball he had with a bit too much frustration. His Haxorus emerged crying out in an energizing howl, but struggled to balance itself from the force of the throw.
"We end this now! My Hand in the Shadows, Ice Beam!"
"What are you–"
The Rich Boy hadn't any time to even call for a last attack in his confusion. One shot of a white-blue beam into his Haxorus, and it was down. He was out. Arthur, meanwhile, struck what he hoped was a dignified pose in victory as he held out an arm.
"Don't overestimate your station, boy."
It was all too much. The crowd gone wild, flowers thrown on him, that irritating boy sent away fuming... He'd have a good time here in Unova.
"Those were some... interesting titles you had for your Pokemon, Larthur! Here's your prize, a thousand Pokedollars worth of vouchers from our participating Castelia firms!"
"Thank you, thank you! And it's Lord A–, I mean Arthur."
He'd have time to cringe at himself for letting slip the odd nicknames he made up for his Pokemon in secret later. For now, it was time to celebrate a victory hard-fought and well earned, as he called his Pokemon out to pose with him. Each of them took up a pose for victory he thought they wouldn't remember, seeing as he himself didn't think they'd ever get to use it when they won a real match.
"And that's it for our tournament! Thank you everyone for participating! Hope you have a good day!"
There was a bus ticket for use anywhere in Unova in the stack of vouchers he'd received. This was a step to the PWT in more ways than one.