Author's Note: Sorry for the wait on this chapter; I was on vacation and couldn't do anything even remotely related to this story. This chapter will pick up right where the previous one left off.
Chapter 4: Let the Games Begin!
Roy shut the door to his hotel room and pulled a few cables out of his backpack. Connecting one end to his portable video phone, he pressed a button on the top of the video phone as he connected the other end of the cable to the TV. He then grabbed the TV remote and turned the power on. He flipped through the channels until he found one with a blue screen, signaling that the video phone was hooked up to that channel.
"Right, so that's channel 43 that the vid-phone hooked up to..." Roy thought as he took that as a mental note. "Now to see if it works..." He pressed a few buttons on the vid-phone and powered it on. The TV screen then went black as the vid-phone started up. After a few seconds, the word "LOADING..." flashed on screen. Roy grinned and flung himself on his bed. Once the loading screen disappeared, it was replaced by a list of contacts. Roy pressed the down arrow on the vid-phone a few times until he got to his mom. He hit the call button as he waited for his mom to pick up her end. He whistled a little tune to himself as he waited. Suddenly, the screen flickered to life as Roy's mom, Kate, appeared. Kate had her brown hair tied in a ponytail. She appeared to have been doing yard work as flecks of dirt could be seen on her face.
"Hey sweetie," Kate greeted her son. Roy grimaced a bit.
"Mom, you know I hate being called 'sweetie' and all that other stuff," Roy replied.
"Well, you know how I am; never quite able to keep up with how fast you grow up, just like every other mom," Kate said. Roy chuckled a little.
"Don't I know it. So, everything cool at home?"
"Yep. I'm honestly quite used to having the house to myself for long periods of time since you and your father are never home. I still don't know where he went off to. Anyway, how are you doing? All settled in now?"
"Sorta. I'm meeting some friends I just made here for dinner in about 20 minutes or so. Figured I'd hook up the ol' vid-phone and drop you a line while I had the chance".
"Oh ok. I guess you've already got everything planned out. Just like you to do so, too. Well, ok, I'll let you go then. I'm sure you've got some planning to do for the tournament".
"Yeah, deciding what Pokemon to use is gonna be difficult. I gotta make sure I've got all my bases covered".
"Don't worry, son, I'm sure you'll do just fine. After all, you are my son". Kate was a serious trainer when she was younger, and had obtained all the Johto and Kanto Gym Badges.
"Too true," Roy replied with a chuckle. "Well, alright then, I guess I'd better get some planning done and go eat some food; I'm starving. See ya, mom".
"Bye son. Be safe; you know I worry about you all the time".
"I know, mom. I gotta go now, so see ya". Roy hung up as soon as his mom acknowledged. He started whistling another tune as he scrolled through his contacts once again, finally finding the one person he really wanted to call: Jasmine. He pressed the call button and waited for Jasmine to pick up her end. It took a while, but she eventually did, although it was audio only at first.
"Olivine City Pokemon Gym. Leader Jasmine speaking" came the soft but firm voice.
"Hey Jaz, turn on the video, it's Roy," Roy said. On the other end, Jasmine gasped. Button-pressing was heard as she tried to find the video button. She finally did and her face appeared on Roy's end of the phone.
"Ah, Roy, you surprised me!" Jasmine exclaimed. "I figured you were gonna call later, so I was doing some work for the League. Good thing I just finished, huh?"
"Yeah, pretty good timing there," Roy replied. "So, how's everything?"
"Pretty good. Pretty slow around here 'cuz nobody ever seems to challenge the gym. I'm considering asking the League for a week or two off given the rate of challengers being close to zero. Honestly, I don't see why the League works us so hard during dead periods," Jasmine grumbled.
"What else is new? It's the Johto League, what do we expect?" Roy rolled his eyes as he mentioned the League.
"Yeah, tell me all about it," Jasmine replied sarcastically. "I swear, all the Gym Leaders have the workload of an Elite Four member. I'm going insane 'cuz of it... and don't do another one of those one-liners. I know you too well to allow that again," Jasmine teased.
"Well damn, there goes what I was gonna say," Roy joked. Jasmine raised her eyebrows and stuck out her tongue. They both laughed. A knock on the door interrupted the conversation. "One sec, Jaz, let me check who that is." Roy took a peek through the eye-hole on the door and saw Freeze standing outside. Roy opened the door. "Sup dude? Need something?"
"Mind if I hang out in here while I wait? There's honestly nothing to do in my room," Freeze said.
"Sure thing". Roy opened the door more and let Freeze in, who shut the door behind him. Roy then went back to his bed and flung himself on it again. Freeze took a seat on a nearby chair. Roy was first to speak as he turned back to the TV screen to talk to Jasmine again. "So, Jaz, I'd like you to meet a new friend of mine. He calls himself Freeze. Don't know his real name, though."
"Hi Freeze. Nice to meet you," Jasmine replied. Freeze just nodded his head in acknowledgment. "Not the talkative type, are you?" Jasmine giggled a bit. Freeze shrugged, indicating he wasn't bothered.
"Yeah, he doesn't talk very often, and it's always no more than a few words when he does speak," Roy said.
"Right, I see," was Jasmine's reply. "You look like you'd get along well with him, Roy".
"I guess. I mean, we only just met at the Pokemon Center".
"Ah. So, going over your battle plans yet?"
"Not yet; I gotta get something to eat first. Once I'm all settled in, I'll make the necessary preparations for the tournament."
"Ok, cool. Really looking forward to watching your battles. Hopefully the League will grant my request for some leave so I can come watch you battle".
"Yeah, good luck with the League there," Roy chuckled.
"Yeah, you know I'll need it," Jasmine replied, rolling her eyes at the mention of the League. "Good luck in your battles. Now go get something to eat; I can tell you're starving". This earned a laugh from Roy.
"Haha, nothing slips past you, eh?" he chortled. Freeze let off a small snort of amusement.
"Nope. Now go eat. Not that I'm in a rush or anything, but you really look like you could use some food".
"All right, all right, I'll go get some food, then. You take it easy now, Jaz. Don't want you to overwork yourself at the Gym". Roy smiled as he said this.
"Yeah, I hear you. Don't you go overthinking your strategies, now. I think I remember what happened the last time you did".
"Don't remind me..." Roy sighed. "Well, I'm gonna go get that food now. Talk to you later, Jaz". Roy gave one of his trademark grins and touched two fingers to his right temple, proceeding to salute. Jasmine did the same and hung up. Freeze then got up from his seat.
"So, Roy, I didn't know you knew the Olivine City Gym Leader," Freeze said with a hint of being impressed.
"Oh, you don't know the half of it, dude. Why, just this morning, before I flew here, she mustered up the courage to kiss me. I hate to brag, but you gotta admit, I got some serious game to get with a Gym Leader".
"I will admit, that does take some kind of skill," Freeze replied. "I wonder if that skill translates over to the battlefield, too. You look like you'd be a great opponent. I'm looking forward to possibly facing you in the tournament". At this, Roy smirked.
"You bet my skill translates well to the battlefield. Something tells me you're a damn good trainer yourself. I'd love to have a match with you in the tournament". He held out his hand and Freeze grasped it in a very firm handshake. "Something tells me that this is the start of something big. I'll definitely be seeing you on the battlefield," Roy finished.
"I wouldn't have it any other way. Battling serves to make us all stronger, and in order to achieve my goal, I must be as strong as I can possibly be. One day, I will meet the legendary titan of ice, Articuno. Until that day comes, however, I must continue to get stronger. Legendary Pokemon only appear before those who they deem strong and worthy. I think you'll be the perfect test of my strength. Something tells me that you're just that good," Freeze stated.
"Don't want to brag, but I am pretty darn good. Guess I'll get to see firsthand how good you are. You look tough. I like that in a trainer. I can't wait for the tournament now," Roy replied. A knock at the door interrupted them and they could hear Lexi's voice from the other side of it.
"Hey, we're heading over to the restaurant now. Join us when you're ready," Lexi said.
"On my way. I just finished with my calls and Freeze is waiting in here with me," Roy replied.
"Ok then," Lexi said. The door opened and Roy and Freeze came out.
"Let's go, shall we?" he said to the group. Everyone nodded and they made their way to the restaurant across the street from the hotel. The short walk was uneventful, as was the time in the restaurant, though the food served was very high-quality. After their meal, the four trainers made their way back to the hotel to prepare their battle strategies and get some sleep, for the next day, the tournament began at last. In their rooms, Roy, Lexi, Freeze, and Aidan all thought of which Pokemon to bring into the tournament. It was late when they all finished deciding, so they shut off the lights and attempted to sleep, the anticipation for the tournament making it difficult to do so.
/
The sun rose bright and early the next morning. Roy's alarm woke him promptly at 6:30 and he began getting ready for the opening ceremony which was to take place at 10:00. Roy always woke early so as to prepare for everything the day could throw at him. In today's case, he still had a few last decisions to make for his Pokemon team, so after showering and getting a bite to eat from the hotel's breakfast service, he flipped open a notebook and began to narrow down the choices for the last few Pokemon to be entered. He hummed a tune as he did so, as was his usual habit. He finalized his choices at about 9:15. He then glanced up at the clock on the wall and thought to himself "Time to get going to the stadium. Gotta be there with plenty of time". He got up, got his gear together, and made his way to the stadium. Along the way, he bumped into Lexi, who was lost looking for the stadium.
"Hey Lexi, you look lost. Looking for the stadium?" Roy asked.
"Yeah, my sense of direction isn't the greatest, and being in a new place doesn't really help." Lexi replied.
"Well, follow me; I know where to go," Roy offered.
"I think I'll take you up on that, haha," Lexi chuckled. "Don't want to go getting lost again, no sir".
"Haha, well, we'd better hurry; the ceremony starts in under an hour".
"Yeah, let's get going". Roy and Lexi started heading eastward, in the direction of the stadium. When they got there, they had to fight their way through a sea of people who had come to watch the tournament.
"I certainly expected a crowd, but nothing as large as this," Lexi stated.
"Well, this IS hosted by Lance the Dragon Master, so of course there would be a really big crowd. Lance has always had a flair for the dramatic and enjoyed large crowds," Roy explained.
"I see... Well, let's get into the area we're supposed to be in". Lexi spotted the participants' entrance, so she and Roy headed over their. They flashed their passes to the security guard to gain access. Making their way through the tunnel, they began to think of the exciting matchups they were going to face. Anticipation made the two trainers shudder as they steeled themselves for battle. They emerged onto the battlefield where all the other participants had gathered. The stadium had been decorated with all manner of fancy décor. The most prominent color seemed to be gold, which, Roy thought, was quite typical of Lance. They spotted Freeze and Aidan in the middle of the crowd of trainers. Fighting through the sea of competitors, Roy and Lexi reached them. Freeze seemed focused on something while Aidan tried to get his attention.
"Freeze, come on, you've been like this all day. I mean, ok, I get that you're psyched for the tournament, but snap out of this daze already!" Aidan sounded quite frustrated.
"Something up?" Lexi asked.
"Yeah, Freezerburn here has been ignoring everyone all day. It's as if he's completely zoned out," Aidan responded.
"Sounds like he's a bit too focused if you ask me," Roy chipped in. He approached Freeze. "Hey dude, calm down a bit. You're too focused on this thing. Relax". No response from Freeze.
:It's no good, Roy; let him be," Aidan said.
"Whatever," was Roy's reply. He then went back to standing by Lexi and Aidan as he too waited for the opening ceremony to kick off. Time passed, and just as his patience was growing thin, the Champion of Johto himself, Lance the Dragon Master, stepped up to the large podium in the center of the stadium. Lance cleared his throat in order to get the crowd to silence themselves before delivering his opening address.
"Greetings, trainers and fans alike. I need no introduction. As you are all aware, or so I should hope, the toughest trainers in the world have gathered here to participate in the Great Victory Tournament, so named for the harsh and harrowing Victory Road all trainers must traverse in order to reach the Pokemon League. The battles fought in this stadium over the course of the tournament promise to be full of exciting twists sure to keep everyone on the edge of their seats. For the trainers, these battles will test their strength, willpower, knowledge, and push them to their very limits as they fight on". Lance's red and black cape fluttered in the breeze as he spoke. "Those who do not have the will to fight will not proceed far. Our will as trainers is what allows us to keep battling to make us stronger. It drives us to seek out new opportunity and strength to fulfill our goals and dreams. That willpower will surely be put to the test here. Remember trainers, never let your will waver. As long as you maintain your will, you can prevail in even the most dire situation. With that said, I, Lance the Dragon Master, declare the Great Victory Tournament... OPEN!" Lance spread his arms wide as his three Dragonite flew overhead, causing a large gust of wind to whip through the stadium. One of the Dragonites used Fire Blast as it passed over a large torch at the top of the stadium, lighting it instantly and officially making the tournament begin. The crowd went wild with applause as the trainers returned to the tunnels to the preparation areas. In the North Sector of the stadium, Roy, Lexi, Freeze, and Aidan all took their Pokemon to register for the tournament. Roy was finishing his registration when Lexi informed him that the first round matchups were to be announced in ten minutes. Roy thanked Lexi for the information and finished registering his Pokemon. A confirmation message flashed up on the monitor once he was done. He nodded and left the registration station for the waiting room. When he got there, Freeze was staring intently at the screen closest to him as he awaited the matchups. Roy approached him.
"Hey dude, psyched for the matchups?" Roy asked.
:You bet I am," Freeze replied. "I'm just itching to get into battle and show what the Legend of Snowpoint can do. I'll tell you why the call me the Legend of Snowpoint later. Right now, I'm so focused on the matchups that I'm gonna burst if I have to wait much longer".
"Hey, don't go losing on me now. You and I need to have a battle in this tournament. I'm gonna hold you to that," Roy said, a pure tone of challenge filling his voice. Freeze smirked.
"I plan on upholding that, no need to worry. The Legend of Snowpoint never refuses a challenge".
"Good. See you on the battlefield at some point". With that, Roy turned his attention to the screen as the matchups drew ever closer to revelation. The announcement sent shivers down the spines of all the trainers as their anticipation worked to the limits. "Attention trainers: the matchups are decided. Please check the monitors in the waiting rooms and the tunnels," a feminine voice rang out over the loudspeakers. Freeze and Roy turned their attention to the monitor as they scanned for their pictures. Roy almost jumped when he saw he had been picked for the first battle of the tournament. Next to his picture was a picture of a guy with short, spiky, bleached hair and red eyes that looked like they could burn you to cinders of you stared for too long. Roy took in his opponent's appearance and concluded that this was not going to be an easy fight. He turned to Freeze, who had seen Roy's matchup.
"Good luck out there," was all Freeze said before he turned back to the monitor and continued searching for his picture. Roy got up from his seat as the female public address announcer gave the announcement for the match 1 participants to make their way to the battlefield.
"This is it," Roy thought. "The tournament is finally underway, and I'm kicking things off. Mom... Dad... and Jasmine... I will not fail you..."
Author's Note: At long last, the tournament is about to get underway with the first match of the first round. Roy will be facing another user-submitted OC, whose name will not be revealed just yet. You'll have to wait until the next chapter for that. Finally, we're getting to the action! I also apologize again for the long wait for this chapter; I was on vacation and had no access to the internet. So, leave a review with your thoughts, comments, and criticism (no mindless flaming, though; I have zero tolerance for that). More OC's are always welcome; this is one big tournament, so the more OC's I have to work with, the better. So, next time, the tournament truly begins! Until then, MasterFreezeman, signing out.
Fun Fact: In this chapter, whenever I wrote that Roy was humming a tune, I was listening to a tune at that point, too. In order, those tunes are: Zeromus Battle (Final Fantasy IV), Departure (Mega Man Zero 2), and Flash in the Dark (Mega Man 9).
P.S.: Since nobody got the Final Fantasy song reference and obvious meme reference I made in Chapter 2, I'll reveal it here: the song was Dancing Mad from Final Fantasy VI, and the meme was the CSI:Miami opening one-liner meme (quite popular in YouTube comments). Both references were made when Roy initiated the one-liner and finished it with a reference to the song Dancing Mad after Jasmine ranted about the Pokemon League overworking her.