Prologue:
I turn the corner and the old stone building comes into view. Almost home. I reach into my pocket and begin to rummage, trying to separate my keys from the various coins in there. I look up as my fingers grip my door key and I notice the man stood patiently outside my house. He is wearing a dark pinstriped suit and has a briefcase resting at his feet. He looks like he's going to try and sell me something. I consider walking straight past and taking a circular route that should give him time to leave by the time I return. I decide against it though. He would likely come back later so he would need telling 'no' at some point. It might as well be now. Reluctantly, I trudge up the steps to my house.
"I'm not interested in buying anything," I say as I step around him to the door.
"Holly Wexler?" he asks as I slot my key into the door. I pause for a moment.
"Yes," I say cautiously. I don't move from my position. I am suddenly paranoid. This man is no ordinary door-to-door salesman. He knows my name. Hundreds of questions rush into my head. What else does he know about me? What does he want with me? Is he going to threaten me? Is it safe to move or will he stop me trying to defend myself?
"My name is Raymond Hay, I have been selected as a representative of Elder Industries by the CEO Lancelot Elderidge personally," the man explains. The name of Elder Industries is familiar. They are one of the leading manufacturers of technology aimed at Pokémon trainers. What would a company of that size want with me? Of course, they want me to buy something.
"Right," I say and turn to the man, Raymond, "What do you want from me?"
"I am here to personally invite you to a grand tournament hosted by Elder Industries," he says, "If you pass a qualification test, that is."
"A tournament?" I ask, "Wait, you've come to invite me but don't even know if I qualify, how does that work?"
"You are a highly rated Pokémon trainer on our radar. This means we will consider you to compete, but you would have to prove yourself worthy enough to participate if you were interested," Raymond explains. It makes sense. I have started to make a name for myself so some people might be tracking my progress and a supposedly grand tournament would want to confirm that entrants are as good as their reputation suggests.
"Alright," I say and fold my arms as I examine the man carefully, "What's the proof, incentive and catch?"
He picks up his briefcase and pats it while looking at me as though I understand what it means. "Perhaps we might talk more inside?" he asks.
"Fine," I sigh. I can't deny that I'm interested. Elder Industries is a big company, anything they're running has to be big so I want in. I turn back to the door and unlock it. I'm a little worried about inviting the man inside as I feel safer stood out in the street where neighbours could see if anything happened, but it is rather cold outside.
I lead Raymond through the hall and into the kitchen. I hurriedly move the leftovers of my breakfast from the dining table to the side and brush aside the post to clear some space. Raymond places his briefcase on the table in the space I created. I gesture for him to sit down and he takes the seat in front of him. I sit down as well.
"As far as proof goes, here is my card," Raymond says and pulls a small business card from inside his briefcase. He hands it to me and I look at it, unsure what exactly will provide evidence of legitimacy. "If you wish, you can look up that number from another source and call to confirm I am who I say I am."
"I'll believe you," I say. If he's confident enough to let me search the internet to find a number to call and find out if he's the real deal then he probably is or a conman with a scheme so elaborate that I won't have a chance to expose it alone.
"The first incentive is your travel and accommodation during the tournament," Raymond says, "They would be covered by Elder Industries. If your tournament campaign were to be a poor one then you could consider it a two week holiday in Nimbasa City, Unova."
Raymond then pulls a brochure from his briefcase and slides it across the table to me. It seems to be one big advertisement for Nimbasa City. I casually flick through the brochure noticing various attractions I had heard of. Unova's second city is a popular tourist destination.
"That is not to say that you should intentionally do badly to enjoy the sights," Raymond continues, "Doing well would be in every competitor's interests. Glory, the title of World Champion and a ten million Pokédollar prize fund await the winner."
I remain silent for a moment and try to take it what was on offer. Ten million is a lot of money. The title of World Champion is an odd one though. There had never been such a thing before. Unova had actually hosted a Pokémon World Tournament exclusive to regional Gym Leaders, Elites and Champions. But the eventual winner, Steven Stone from Hoenn, had not received the title of World Champion. Why is the title being made now and how am I supposed to compete with that kind of opponent?
"Isn't the tournament just going to be dominated by regional Elites?" I ask, voicing my concern.
"The title of World Champion can't be competed for by a standing regional Elite and none wish to step down knowing that in such fierce competition one loss would mean they lose everything. There has never been a World Champion before as there has never been such a global event for ordinary trainers before," Raymond explains, "The Elder World Championships will bring together trainers from across the globe and crown the first World Champion."
Without the prospect of facing the likes of Steven Stone, I suddenly fancy my chances. It then occurs to me that if he's not confident enough of victory to step down then there would be people just as good, if not better, competing. That is frightening. At the same time, it's exciting. My heart is racing at the idea. But I have to compose myself.
"And what's the catch?" I ask.
Raymond goes into his briefcase again and pulls out a small leather box, placing it on the table in front of me.
"This," he says.
Raymond opens the box to reveal what looks like a smartphone built into a bracelet.
"What is it?" I ask.
"This is Elder Industries' latest product, the Battle Gear. As part of the tournament, you would be required to trial and showcase it, if that can be called a catch," he says, "Since it's free, I would say it's an incentive."
"What does it do?" I ask and look closely at it. At the moment, it is just some sort of touch screen device to wear on a wrist. More than that would require it to be on.
"The best way to explain would be to demonstrate through your qualification test if you are still interested," Raymond says. I nod.
A few minutes later, we are stood outside. The courtyard behind my house has enough space for a battle. The qualification test seems fairly simple. A one on one Pokémon battle against Raymond. A win means I qualify for the tournament. Defeat means he leaves and I have to watch events unfold on TV. I am now wearing the Battle Gear on my left wrist. Raymond has revealed a similar device on his wrist that had been hidden by his sleeve.
"Activate your Battle Gear," Raymond says.
I look at the device on my arm for a moment and then press the only button I can see. The screen lights up with a swirling orange background. I tap the Battle button and the words 'Battle Mode Engaged' flash across the screen. Raymond seems to be doing the same across the courtyard. After a moment, the screen changes again.
"Select your Pokémon," Raymond says.
I see my name on the screen and small icons of the six Pokémon in my team below it. Below that is Raymond's name and three icons. I can make them out as Medicham, Volcarona and Torterra. I try to decide which of my Pokémon would be the best choice, but I am distracted by how the device had known my name and team. I can guess that Raymond registered my name, but how it knew my team was a mystery. There is no way he could have guessed the six Pokémon I would carry on my belt today. Maybe it had scanned my Poké Balls?
I try to snap out of it. I can't keep thinking of how this thing works. I can ask questions later. I need to focus on this battle, otherwise the tournament will end up as just another 'what if' and the Battle Gear would likely not be so free. I tap the icon of the Pokémon I think is best suited for whatever Raymond choses from the three shown and it enlarges to fill most of the screen.
"What now?" I ask.
"We battle," Raymond says and picks a ball from inside his suit jacket. "Go, Volcarona!"
"Go, Crobat," I say, grabbing a Poké Ball and throwing it forward.
The two Pokémon appear in the courtyard and stare each other down. Their wings beat as they hover above the ground. Raymond glances at his Battle Gear and I decide to do the same. The screen has changed again to what appears to be a full battle analysis. Two bars show roughly how much strength the two Pokémon have remaining. Numbers at the side list temperature, wind speed, conditions of the ground surface and other things I am unsure of. I rarely take most of these factors into consideration.
"Quiver Dance," Raymond orders to begin the battle.
Volcarona beats its wings harder and starts to move around in circles as though it's dancing. Specks of light twinkle around it as it gets faster in its movements. I have to act.
"Crobat, use Toxic," I call out.
My Crobat flies up and takes aim. It spits out a large quantity of purple sludge that falls over where Volcarona is dancing. Volcarona's fast movements reduced the accuracy but there was enough poison to hit it. The poison seeps into Volcarona's body and begins to take effect, disturbing the Quiver Dance and causing it to cry out in pain.
"Fiery Dance," Raymond says.
Volcarona resumes dancing. Only this time it is surrounding by flames instead of light. The swirling flames float up towards Crobat. Crobat tries to dodge, but is still hit, the attack twirling in the sky to cover where Crobat might have fled to. Crobat begins to drop. It has taken a lot of damage from that hit, but the Battle Gear says it can still fight.
"Brave Bird!" I call to my falling Pokémon.
Crobat hears me and adjusts itself. It pulls its wings in and directs its fall. Suddenly, it swoops forward and crashes into Volcarona. The two Pokémon bundle over and both bars on the Battle Gear empty rapidly. A small red mark appears next to Crobat's health bar.
Crobat untangles itself from Volcarona and slowly rises back into the air. I can see scorch marks on Crobat's wings. It's burnt. That's what the red mark means. I check back and see a purple mark next to Volcarona's bar to signify its poisoned status. Volcarona slowly rises as well, struggling with the poison visibly pulsing through it. Purple veins are visible in its wings.
I assess the situation. Any attack that hits will end the battle. Volcarona should succumb to the poison soon, sooner than the burn will force Crobat to concede. I can't guarantee that Crobat can land an attack. It would have to get in close to strike and that would open it up to being hit by Volcarona first. My best option is to avoid Volcarona and let time take its toll.
"Fiery Dance."
"Crobat, just keep moving and dodge everything!" I shout into the sky.
All I can do now is watch and wait. Crobat moves with all of the speed it can in its state and shoots across the sky. Volcarona's attack flies past harmlessly. Raymond calls for a repeat attack. I grit my teeth as Crobat darts about the sky and Volcarona tries to aim. I can see the purple veins throbbing in Volcarona's wings. It won't be long now. I just have to survive this attack…
"Reverse direction!" I shout suddenly.
I had noticed that Crobat was moving in a pattern and Volcarona was catching on. Crobat stops rather suddenly, not changing direction as it is still processing the information. But it is enough. Volcarona's attack blazes through the sky where Crobat would have gone. I sigh in relief as Volcarona finally falls to the poison. My Battle Gear flashes to declare me the winner.
"Congratulations," Raymond says simply.
Volcarona disappears from my view and back into its Poké Ball. I hold Crobat's ball into the air to recall it. With Crobat returned, I fall to my knees exhausted. The battle had taken it out of me. I haven't experienced anything like that in a long time. I'm almost out of practise. I'm glad it's over. There is another feeling though. I'm glad it happened. That was why I aspired to be as good as I am. The adrenaline rush of an intense battle. I want more. I know where I'm going to get it.
Raymond picks up his briefcase and opens it again. He rummages for a moment and pulls something out. Putting the briefcase back down, he walks over to me and hands me an envelope.
"Here is your invitation to the Elder World Championships, Miss Wexler. We look forward to seeing you there. Your travel and accommodation details will arrive by post shortly," he says.
I take the envelope and see my name handwritten on it. After a brief pause, Raymond turns to go, leaving me to kneel in the courtyard and recover from the sudden rekindling of my passion.
AN: I've read a few of these types of stories recently so thought I'd give it a go. This is an OC submission fic, meaning I want you, the reader, to submit characters to compete in the tournament. To submit a character, fill in the form below and send it to me in a PM.
Name:
Gender:
Age:
Appearance:
Personality:
Backstory:
Pokémon: (Please choose 6, be sensible and if you go into enough detail to include moves, I will allow up to 5.)