Episode 1 : Prelims
Leighton's hands trembled as she ripped open the manila envelope. Quickly snatching the letter, her eyes quickly scanned the first paragraph. Her grip tightened on the paper, threatening to tear a hole in it.
"Well…?" her friend asked, leaning forward from the chair.
"We're in, Bonnie!" Leighton squealed, hopping up and down in joy, hugging the piece of paper to her chest.
"No way! No way! No freaking way!" Bonnie exclaimed, snatching the letter and reading it herself.
Leighton couldn't believe it. She had just made it onto the highly anticipated, new reality show: Johto's Next Top Pokemon Master. The blonde-haired girl couldn't believe her luck, she had always wanted to be on tv and she has always wanted to train pokemon, it was a double win for her. She was 19, almost 20 and had recently moved from a small ranch near Route 38 to the big city of Goldenrod with her best friend, Bonnie. Her parents didn't think that she'd be able to make it alone in a big city, they had all placed bets on when she'd return home. This only further motivated the girl to make it on her own.
Flopping onto her bed, she sighed dreamily, imagining all of the adventures she was soon going to experience. A romantic, she pictured traveling through quiet forests with sunlight peeking through the lush canopy creating a magical glow, through dark, but beautiful caves that led to a glorious light at the end of the tunnel and over the seas with the winds whipping through her hair.
Her daydream was ended by Bonnie jumping on top of the girl. Leighton yelped in surprise as Bonnie laughed and rolled off of the girl, lying on the bed next to her instead. Bonnie's brown eyes gleamed with excitement, "What pokemon do you think we'll get to choose from?"
Leighton hadn't even thought of that, and she bit her lip in thought. "Hopefully some cute ones, I really don't want a bug or a scary-looking one," she said with a laugh, shuddering at the thought of having to get a spinarak.
Bonnie shrugged, "I don't care what I get. As long as I get a pokemon I'm happy."
"Always the optimist" Leighton mused, "I guess I'd be fine with any pokemon….. but I'd still prefer a cute one."
A cheeky grin spread across the girl's features as Bonnie grinned and rolled her eyes. "Whatever we get will be perfect, we just gotta make sure we know how to train whatever pokemon we get. We have two weeks before we leave – we'd better study up."
Leighton groaned, the idea of studying for the two weeks before they left did not seem like a fun idea at all.
"Where do we have to go for the start?" Bonnie asked.
Leighton picked up the sheet, quickly reading through the rest of the letter. "It looks like we all meet in New Bark Town. When we get there we will meet with the rest of the teams, receive our pokemon and instructions. It looks like we need to bring changes of clothes for a few months… they're going to give us changes of clothes after each stop. And we need to bring the essentials, of course, but we aren't allowed to have guide books. Oh, - " Leighton looked up to Bonnie, " – we need a team name."
Both girls sat in silence, trying to think of a good name.
Leighton gasped, turning to Bonnie. "Femme Fatale… we will be the dangerous girls the other teams need to watch out for."
Both girls grinned, Team Femme Fatale was about to rock the competition.
Pierce scanned the massive group of trainers, trying to pick out any immediate threats. His foot tapped anxiously, waiting for the massive doors to the lab to open so they could begin this journey. He sighed impatiently, running his hands through his hair.
Pierce was 20 and tall, standing at 6'1". He was very handsome, with thick, ocean swept blonde hair, brown eyes, and toned physique. He was very popular with the ladies in his home city of Olivine, however, this made him very unpopular with the men so he didn't have very many friends growing up. This never bothered him though, because he only had eyes for one girl, Olivia. She was everything to him, but he was not everything to her. After witnessing her with another man things quickly changed, and he was left shattered and with a strong desire to get out of the city. Therefore, he quickly applied for the show, eager to experience Jhoto.
His best, and only guy friend, Ashton, decided to tag along with Pierce. He was tall, dark and handsome with brown hair, brown eyes, strong body and tanned skin. His pearly white smile was enough to make any girl weak at the knees and he knew it. Confident and flirtatious, he was eyes the lady trainers instead of looking for rivals.
Ashton, finally annoyed by Pierce's anxious foot tapping, turned to his friend. "Seriously, calm down. No need to look so threatened already, just relax and why don't we meet some of the ladies?" he suggested, looking hopefully to his friend.
Pierce's stomach twisted into a knot, he didn't want to think about the opposite gender at all. The hurt that lingered in his expression was plain for Ashton to see, and a sad smile tugged on his lips. "Forget what I said, we are here to win and nothing else," Ashton said, grinning, "Team Lighthouse for the win!"
Pierce rolled his eyes but smiled at his friend, pushing his now ex, Olivia, to the back of his mind. The point of this journey was to get over her and have fun exploring Johto, not be sulky and moody.
Ashton felt bad for blatantly mentioning girls, he knew it was still a tender subject for Pierce, but he was hoping that his friend would get over it soon. As much as he cared for his friend, he still wanted to meet some of the girls. His gaze swept across the room, instantly spotting a group of girls that were crowded around somebody. Leaning a bit, he got a glimpse of the guy and nearly scoffed. "Girls and their obsession with the bad boy," he muttered under his breath.
Across the way was the handsome bad boy. With long dark hair, bright blue eyes, a black v-neck under a black jacket and a dangerous look and attitude, many of the girls were eager to introduce themselves to him. His smirks and casual disinterest seemed to entice them for some reason unknown to Ashton. He didn't like competition with the ladies, and with his friend's sulky attitude they would drive all the girls away. He needed to snap Pierce out of his funk so he could mingle with all the other lady trainers.
Ashton's gaze swept over all of the people again before something struck him as odd. As he looked around again something just didn't add up. If there were only 18 teams of 2 then there should only be 36 people present. However, there were clearly way more than 36. 'But why would they bring in way more than 18 teams..?' he wondered as he looked around before the realization hit him.
"We're gonna have an elimination before the competition even begins," he said quickly, turning to Pierce.
Pierce blinked in confusion before what Ashton said sunk in. "No way…" he groaned as the lab doors swung open.
An amused smirk was plastered onto Slater's face. He was used to girl's reacting like this around him, but it never ceased to amuse and boost his already inflated ego. He was 23, handsome, and dangerous – an irresistible combo for any girl in Johto.
His bright blue eyes scanned the group of girls around him, and his lack of interest in them did nothing but excite them more. He scanned the crowd for possible targets, and a mess of blonde hair caught his eye.
The girl was standing with her brunette friend. She wasn't too tall, but had long, slender legs. She wasn't overly busty, much to Slater's distaste, but what she lacked up top she made up for with her curvy bottom and gorgeous features. She had green eyes with dark lashes, blonde, wavy hair and plush lips that Slater wanted all over him. A quiver of excitement ran down his spine as scenarios of nasty things those lips could do to him played out in his head. A hungry lust welled up inside of him; he had found his next target.
He could feel his friend's curious gaze on him as he started to wade through the circle of girls around him. Slater could have a rather one-track mind when it came to him and his lustful desires, but his attention was redirected as the lab doors swung open.
Two figures stepped into the room, commanding attention with their quiet, but powerful presence. One was an older man, probably in his late 50s, his gray hair and strong jaw gave him the semblance of wisdom and power. His dark brown eyes were lined with wrinkles, his mouth pulled into a judgmental frown. He made no move to talk as the younger, more lively man stepped forward.
"Welcome trainers," his voice boomed throughout the room, "welcome to the first season of Johto's Next Top Pokemon Master. We're so happy all of you could make it to our first pitstop on our nation-wide journey. I'll be your host, Drew Collins."
He didn't wait for any sort of greeting or applause as he launched into the next part of his introduction, "Now, as many of you may have noticed, there are way more teams here than there will be teams on the show. And if you haven't figured out already, your journey is about to start right now. In order to even make it onto the show, teams will be given two pokemon to compete against the other teams for the first elimination challenge. The top 18 teams will move on and start the real race. Now, if you'd all follow me, let's get this competition underway!"
Leighton's heart was racing as she exchanged nervous glances with Bonnie. "What're we gonna do?" she asked, working to keep her voice calm.
Bonnie smiled confidently, "We're going to win, duh. We've studied too hard to mess up now. Look at all these other teams, you can tell the ones who came in here with no practice."
Leighton looked around the room, the panicked faces of the other contenders seemed to calm her nerves just a bit. Joining in with the crowd they shuffled into the lab. Once inside a murmur stirred through the front of the crowd and as Bonnie and Leighton neared the front they saw what was causing the stir. In the center of the room was a battle field that met all of the Pokemon League standards, with a raised platform for the battling trainers, attack absorbing field that would regenerate after each fight, and an attack proof barrier that separated the field from the stands. Against the back wall was a large score display, it showed the competitor's names, their current pokemon, and who was in the lead.
"If you would all sit until your team is called," Drew said, motioning towards the stands. As everyone took their seat, Drew made his way to the referee platform. "Now, when your team is called, both members will make their way up to the opposing platforms. At the top you will find two pokeballs – these will not be your starters for the rest of the journey. These are merely common pokemon that will not have advantages over each other. This way we can see who is truly the better trainer without having to deal with possible type advantages and disadvantages. Now, let's begin… the first two teams are –" the board scrolled through the teams, Leighton held her breath in anticipation, " – team Beauty Queen and Team Dream please come on up!"
Leighton had held her breath as the board scrolled through the names and now that she wasn't called she could finally breath, she was so happy she wasn't going first. As two beautiful brunettes stood up next to them, Leighton wished them good luck as they made their way to the platforms. The two girls faced off against a couple who looked to be in their mid-30s, both teams seemed unsure of what to do, looking to Drew for further explanation.
As if on cue, Drew's booming voice sounded over the speakers, "The rules are simple, the team who loses is out. We will announce when a pokemon is down, so don't try to argue with us. These pokemon have been trainer by Professor Elm to listen well to any trainer, so don't get too used to having obedient pokemon, many of you will find that earning your pokemon's respect is part of the challenge," Drew laughed, "Good luck and let's begin!"
Four bursts of light lit up the field as the trainers released the pokemon. The two beauty queens ended up with two pidgey, while the dream team got one rattata and one pidgey.
Bonnie nudged Leighton with her elbow, "See, Lea, this won't be so bad. These are all basic starter pokemon, it'll be a cake walk."
The battle ended quickly with team Beauty Queen being the first to move on. Slater's eyes darted to the board, wanting to go next to get this waiting game over with. He knew that he'd move onto the next round, lack of confidence was not an issue for him. However, impatience was, and he could hardly stand waiting around for one match. So when his team's name popped up for the next fight, he grinned, he always had the best luck.
Heading down to the platform without waiting for his partner, Addison, who had to jog to catch up to him, he ascended the stairs with ease. Spotting the pokeball waiting for him, he took hold of it eagerly. He could feel the ball vibrate with life as the pokemon inside eagerly waited to be released.
Addison finally caught up to his eager friend, used to this kind of behavior. He took the other ball and looked to Slater, "Ready?"
They both released their temporary pokemon onto the field. Slater smirk in approval as a chittering male Nidoran flashed onto the field, it's ears twitching eagerly, its red eyes darting around the field. Addison had a pidgey, who raked her talons across the dirk impatiently. In response, the other team, Team Ranger, released the two pokemon they had – two rattata.
"Ready… begin!"
"Pidgey, up!" Addison called quickly, the small bird opened up her wings, and with a few steady, strong beats pushed herself into the air. The pokemon glided around the ring to keep herself up without expending too much energy, her quick, keen eyes spotting the other opponents.
The two rattata upon command from their trainers, charged the grounded Nidoran. Sharp teeth bared, they hurled themselves towards Slater's pokemon.
Slater remained calm, and quickly spoke to Addison. "Get your pidgey to kick up whatever dust is on the ground. The rattata will be momentarily hesitant and we can use that time to strike.
Addison nodded and told Pidgey to kick up whatever dust was on the ground.
Nidoran, meanwhile, was instructed to wait until the last moment possible to quickly jump out of the way, that way the rattata wouldn't have time to change course. The chittering pokemon was willing to obey, but at the last moment hesitated before jumping to the side. One of rattata was able to graze the pokemon's left leg.
Nidoran landed, its left leg starting to lightly bleed. It narrowed its eyes in annoyance, darting between the two rattata as they got ready for another charge. Readying itself for a quick getaway, it tried to take as much weight off its left leg as possible.
"Pidgey, now," Addison called, and the small bird shot towards the ground between Nidoran and the charging Rattata. Nearing the ground it pulled back up, throwing its wings out and beating them in rapid succession, kicking all the dirt up and off of the ground.
The rattata were startled and quickly skidded to a stop, blinking the dust out of its eyes.
Slater smirked, "Nidoran, horn attack."
"Pidgey, pick it up and drop it."
Pidgey with her keen eyes spotted the Rattata, not fazed by the dust. She swooped down, talons bared and dug her talons into the pokemon's side. The pokemon squeaked in pain, trying to wriggle out of Pidgey's grasp. Pidgey beat her wings furiously, the extra weight straining her wings. Finally at a decent height, she pulled her talons out of the flailing pokemon who fell to the ground with a thud. Rattata tried to get up, but flopped to the ground, its side bleeding from Pidgey's talons.
Pidgey sunk to the ground, too tired to stay aloft, staying clear of the other Rattata until she conserved some more energy.
As the dust started to settle, Nidoran pin pointed the other Rattata. Tucking its chin in, he started to charge the other pokemon. A trail of blood drops trailed behind him as the pokemon charged straight into Rattata, its horn digging into Rattata's side, right between two of it's ribs.
The mouse pokemon screeched in pain, trying to dislodge Nidoran's horn. But the pink pokemon drove it's horn in deeper, jerking its head back and forth. Specks of blood stained Nidoran's face as it finally pulled its horn out, the mouse pokemon collapsing in defeat.
"Both pokemon are out, Team Ranger is out of the game. I'm sorry, but you'll have to return to the previous room, gather your belongings and leave. Team Slater, congratulations on your victory! You may either return to the stands to watch the rest of the battles, or head through the door with the star over it - there you can relax and wait for the next set of instructions."
Slater smirked as he returned the Nidoran, his ego swelling at his victory. He descended the platform and air of superiority surrounding him as he looked to the stands.
The people talking in hushed tones only confirmed the idea that he had made himself known.
There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Team Slater was a force to be reckoned with. Leighton shuddered at the thought of having to face off against them, watching the apparent leader of the group as he made his way through the marked door.
Bonnie leaned over to her, "Glad we didn't have to go against them. They're ruthless."
Leighton could do nothing but nod in agreement, casting a glance to the dark haired man. Her gaze didn't linger for long as the board started to sort through the teams again. She couldn't let herself focus on the what if's of the future right now though, she had to pay attention to the matches. She needed to secure her position in the show.
As the matches rolled by, some teams stuck out and some seemed to drag on way too long. The stands had thinned out substantially, only a few more teams were left. As the most recent match ended, the board started to sort through the remaining teams. Leighton froze as her team's name showed up on the screen.
Bonnie turned to Leighton, "Let's do this, Lea."
Her heart raced in a mix of excitement and fear as she stood up. She could feel all of the eyes on her, but chose to ignore them as she made her way to the platform. She wouldn't let nerves get to her.
'Just breathe… breathe…' she thought, trying to steady her breathing as her heart raced. As she neared the stairs to the platform, she watched Bonnie as she gracefully ascended the steps. She needed to remember to ask how Bonnie remained so relaxed during situations like this. 'Alright, I got this. I studied hard, hopefully I get a pidgey,' Leighton thought as she headed up the stairs, finding Bonnie already with pokeball in hand. She smiled at Leighton reassuringly, and it helped the nervous girl relax – her friend was really smart and was good with pokemon back home.
As Leighton grabbed the pokeball, she hoped that she wouldn't be holding her friend back during the journey.
Drew 's voice boomed over the speakers again, "Team Red and Team Femme Fatale… Begin!"
Bonnie and Leighton tossed the pokeballs onto the arena. Bonnie's released a bouncy Sentret while Leighton's released a small Caterpie. "Aww, a Caterpie," she whined, pucking her lips as the bug pokemon inched around the arena.
Two more white flashes lit up the field as the opponent released two chittering female nidoran, their beady little eyes locking onto their opponents.
Without hesitation, Team red ordered the Nidoran to go for Caterpie, wanting to pick off the slower one first. The two blue pokemon charged, and Caterpie tried to inch away from the attack, but move much too slow in comparison to the Nidoran. They were coming up fast, and the only thing Caterpie could think to do was to roll up into a ball.
As they neared the bug pokemon, they were suddenly batted away by a well-aimed swipe from Sentret's tail. The bouncy pokemon didn't wait for the Nidoran to regain composure, it scurried towards one of the startled pokemon and launched itself onto it, raking it with its claws.
While one Nidoran was preoccupied, the other refocused its aim on Caterpie. Leighton tried to remember what she had learned about bug pokemon, she looked to Bonnie, but Bonnie was busy with ordering the Sentret. Leighton cursed quietly, why couldn't she remember a thing about bug pokemon.
As the Nidoran began its charge again, Leighton watched in dismay as her slow Caterpie tried to inch away. When the Nidoran got close, realization finally hit the trainer. "Caterpie, string shot it til it can't move!" she called, hoping and praying it could react in time.
The Caterpie froze for a moment, processing the information. Its mouth started to bubble, as the chemical reaction that allowed the pokemon to create the silky, sticky string started to build up. The string shot out like a bullet from the small bug's mouth, aiming first for the charging pokemon's feet. Snaring the pokemon in its trap, Nidoran nearly tripped as one leg was weighted down with the string.
Shooting again and again, the bug had managed to create a thick shell over the Nidoran's front legs, slowing down the quick pokemon to a dragging crawl.
Leighton nearly jumped for joy, but remembered that the battle wasn't over yet. "Wrap its back legs up so it can't move!"
Caterpie made quick work of the hind legs, and soon the Nidoran couldn't move at all. The string around all of its legs had hardened and no matter how much it tried to free itself, the cast-like string held strong.
"Now tackle it!"
Inching around to take aim at the Nidoran's side, Caterpie lowered its head for the tackle. It inched forward as quickly as it could, and managed to build up enough speed so that when it hit Nidoran, it managed to knock the wind out of the pokemon as it toppled to the ground.
"Nidoran can no longer move, therefore it is out. Team Femme Fatale wins!"
Leighton was so wrapped up in Caterpie's battle that she didn't notice that Bonnie had already won her fight. She grinned at her friend, nearly jumping on the girl as she gave her a hug. "We did it, Bonnie! We're in!"