Between Friends
"Yes! Sweet victory is all mine!" crowed Rocky. The cheers in the room were almost deafening- there were nearly matched by the groans and cries of bad officiating from the other boys.
"Sweet victory?! Manfred only called him out for a 2-on-2 because he knew that individually he wouldn't stand a chance!" barked Ben. He was scowling fiercely at the TV image of Sean. "Why would he do that? It was a stupid mistake…" Meanwhile, Hugo and Bruno had resumed their wrestling match over by the pokemon. Hugo's top-knot bounced jovially as he pushed the limber Machop over a stool and tackled him. Laughing, the two boys ran over to break up the scuffle.
"Hey, what's Professor Birch doing on TV?" asked one of the other boys. Curious, Ben and Rocky settled down with their pokemon. The bearded face of the smiling professor filled the screen as he continued speaking.
"- and to Sean as well on a battle well fought! I haven't seen a match like that in almost a decade! But, now for the big news! I am pleased to announce, back again from a half-century hiatus, the third ever Pokemon World Tour!" he cried raising his hands at the apparently big announcement. Whatever response the professor was expecting, the confused silence that followed his announcement definitely wasn't it. "Uh, *ahem*. For those of you who don't know, the Pokemon World Tour is a collaboration between 6 region's Pokemon Leagues. Each region will assemble a team of 6 pokemon trainers. These 6 teams will then go on a tour of the 6 regions, competing in various battles and competitions. The winning team gets to take home the coveted PokeRegion Master's Cup. In Hoenn, the cup would be displayed in the Ever Grande City Hall of Fame, next to the names of the Champions of Hoenn themselves!" At this news, the stadium nearly exploded. The boys in Dewford cried out in excitement, and immediately began talking.
"I've always wanted to go to Johto!" "Oh, do you think we'll get to see the Sisters of Cerulean City?!" "How are they picking teams?" "Shut up! He's still talking!"
"Selection for the teams will vary by region, but in Hoenn we are taking a tournament approach. There will be four spots that will be selected by traditional pokemon tournaments. The final two spots will be awarded to Contest Winners- those who have taken a different path in rearing their pokemon. The challenges faced by the teams will include more than just battling, so it is important that we get a good mixture of candidates for the team. All team members must be League Certified- in other words, you need to have earned 8 gym badges. Badge challenges will resume next week, but be warned: Gym Leaders have been encouraged to do their best to make sure that only the best trainers qualify for candidacy. Gym Leaders, League Officials, Professors, Champions, and Elite are ineligible for entry into the Tour, but our very own Champion will be our team's head coach. The qualifying tournaments will be held at the same time as next year's League Tournament- making it impossible for trainers to compete in both events. Choose wisely- this is a once in a lifetime opportunity! World Tours like this were once very popular, but died out thanks to the criminal activities of organizations like Team Rocket, Magma, and Plasma. Since their influences have been lessened, the League's now feel it is an excellent time to begin rebuilding broken bridges. Good luck to all the trainers and contestants who are aspiring to make the team! Know that you will be representing Hoenn to the entire world. Now get out there, and catch 'em all!" Professor Birch finished with a shout, and his final words were drowned out in applause and cheer.
Rocky turned to gape at Ben. "A world tour? We could go see New Tork in Unova! Oh man, this is awesome!"
"I know! We should go see if Brawly will battle us right now. We can get a start on our badge collections," replied Ben. "Let's go Hugo! Return!" He pointed a pokeball towards Hugo, and the Makuhita was absorbed back into his pokeball.
"Wait a minute. Not so fast big guy," said Rocky. He plopped a heavy hand on Ben's shoulder. Ben's face suddenly lost all emotion as he turned to face his best friend.
"W-what do you mean? We should get going as-"
"We had a bet, buddy. Remember?" Rocky was grinning at Ben maliciously. So were all the other boys in the room for that matter. Bruno came to stand next to rocky and grinned up at Ben as well. "Chop!" he croaked. Ben swallowed audibly.
"Karp, karp, karp, karp- gggrrglreeggll!"The pathetic red fish flopped erratically in the shallow waters off shore. There were two of them, and they were both large and slimy. Ben and Hugo knelt at the edge of the pools, looking slightly green. Rocky and the crowd of boys stood behind them, like an executioner.
"Ben! Hugo! You challenged the all-knowing ROCKY, and like so many before (and after), you have failed horribly! Now, prepare to suffer the humiliating consequences of your defeat! Before you lie your new brides. Time to pucker up!" With a chorus of jeers, cheers, and whoops, Ben and Hugo each reached out and grasped the flopping pokemon. The fish, sensing what was about to happen, struggled mightily. They flopped and squirmed, throwing water, sand, and Magikarp slime all over in a vain attempt at escape. But, the ending was inevitable. With a deep breath, Ben closed his eyes, raised the Magikarp to his face, and planted a big wet kiss right on the pokemon's slimy mouth. Biting back tears (and his stomach), Ben threw the traumatized fish back into the ocean. Wiping his mouth, he turned to Hugo who was holding his fish just in front of his face, looking uneasy.
"Come on Hugo. You were part of the bet too," he said bending over his pokemon. "You can't Snubbull out n- BLEEEAAACH! HUGO! I'm going to beat you!" as he was bending over to talk his pokemon through his lost bet, Hugo had turned and planted the backside of the Magikarp firmly on Ben's mouth. Laughing, the mischievous Makuhita scampered away to hide behind Rocky, who had fallen to the ground laughing. Ben stormed after the little yellow pokemon, intent on introducing it to a Tentacool he had seen in the water.
"Oh, come on Ben! That was awesome! I even consider the bet settled! What's the big deal? Its just a little 'Karp Kissing between friend!" laughed Rocky. Scowling, but losing the battle to a grin, Ben leapt at Hugo, Rocky, and Bruno. The four of them began a rough, impromptu beach sparring session. It lasted only a short while before Ben spoke up.
"Wait a minute! We need to go see Brawly! We've got to get to work on our League Certifications," said Ben, releasing Rocky from his headlock. Bruno let go of Hugo's leg as he stood up off the other pokemon's back.
"You're right. Come on guys, it's time to get a Knuckle Badge!" cheered Rocky. The two boys punched each other's firsts, and turned to walk back into town. Their two pokemon followed close at heel, not wanting to be left behind for what they knew was about to become a great adventure.
