Personal update: I recently dislocated my right shoulder & went to the ER. I mentioned that in the ending A/N of chapter 6 before I took it out to update the story. I figured if anything serious comes up where a serious delay is a possibility, I'll put it a note in the ending A/N of the most recent chapter. I prefer not to leave anyone in the dark. I did try typing one-handed and use text-to-speech programs but I got tired of it and typed like a Rampardos probably would: hunched over typing with my "stubby" arms (one arm in a sling and my good arm curled in for symmetry). I got to keep my x-ray as a gift :D. Back to the action.
Enjoy the chapter! Have a good day :)
-W4f
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon but I do own my OCs
Nobody in the green room wanted to talk to Brittany or myself when we returned. Maybe they were trying to focus, maybe our battle wasn't worth talking about, or maybe they thought we didn't want to talk. Regardless, I was at a disadvantage for revealing three of my Pokémon and I knew someone had to have taken notice. We couldn't leave, but it allowed everyone time to plan. There was a little down time while crews worked to fix the field so I took a moment to heal everyone up and shut my eyes.
I faded in and out of consciousness throughout the next few rounds, catching glimpses of battles on the television whenever my eyes were open. The only "upset" of the first round was that the 17 seed beat the 16 seed which ended on a funny note. It was a Voltorb against a Volbeat in a 1-1 match and sensing the electric type was running out of energy, its trainer ordered a Self-Destruct to force a draw; the opponent countered with Protect. I wasn't sure if losing that way was worse than being swept.
My turn rolled around again as the stagehand ushered me to the side door. The number one seed was a trainer looking to be slightly older than me and was also dressed up. I didn't see a lanyard with a company badge. I realized that I had more value to Pokémon Services than I thought. He stuck his hand out.
"Hey! Name's Randall. I take it you're my opponent?"
I shook his hand. "I'm Ryan. I take it you have two badges?"
"Heat and Dynamo to be exact," he said while pulling his badge case out. "Flannery wasn't too bad since she was my hometown gym leader, but I needed a special Pokémon to deal with Wattson."
"Should be interesting to see what that would be," I replied.
We were led to the field and took our places. There was a slightly larger crowd this time around although nowhere near close to capacity. Our referee gave his cadence and the battle was on.
"Let's start with Swellow!" I yelled.
Randall just smiled and casually tossed out his partner. "Here we go Electrode!" I couldn't tell if that was the Pokémon he was talking about, but it was his answer to Swellow. Unfortunately, type advantage was all he would have.
"Swellow versus Electrode. Begin!"
"Thunder Wave!" Okay, maybe he knew what he was doing. Teaching it an electric type TM was odd, but it was a good surprise.
"You're faster than that! Use Protect!"
It wasn't an encompassing barrier like usual, but it stopped the electricity from reaching its body. Randall stayed calm as if he knew that was going to happen.
"Charge Beam!" A quick stream of lightning flew at Swellow and hit it as Protect's effect faded. Swellow's Flame Orb activated and the fun was about to begin.
"Façade!"
Now Randall panicked. "Roll away then use Charge Beam!"
Electrode did its best to roll around evading the attack, but Swellow had great closing speed and rammed into it from above. With my partner burned, Façade's power was doubled plus there would be a boost from Guts. Charge Beam wasn't going to be fired as Electrode rolled so that its face was to the ceiling. It didn't try to roll forward.
"Electrode is unable to battle. Swellow wins!"
I didn't want to gloat about how Façade was my finishing move or how electric types don't resist it like Brave Bird. As far as I know, he could be lulling me into a false sense of security. Swellow was looking healthier as opposed to when I used Brave Bird so maybe I could pull a sweep.
"Well, looks like I have to try something different. Magcargo, you're up!" As much as I wanted to push through, it wasn't worth the risk.
"Swellow, return! Let's try Manectric!"
The referee threw the flags up. "Manectric versus Magcargo. Begin!"
"Thunder!" I confidently ordered.
"Douse it with Lava Plume!" Randall called out.
A stream of lava met the electricity in the middle of the field at a standstill. After a few seconds, smoke formed and covered the whole battlefield. I took advantage of Manectric's speed.
"Run to where it's warm and use Thunder in that direction!"
"Don't let it hit you! Ancient Power!"
Medium sized boulders came up from the ground with some as a shield and others going at my Pokémon. Thunderbolt broke up a few rocks and sent smaller shards back at Magcargo's makeshift shield.
"Okay, let's try something different. Rain Dance!"
Manectric summoned a rain cloud on the rain help the smoke disappear. As a bonus, Magcargo was very uncomfortable with the rain hitting its shell. Everyone could see the steam coming from its body.
"Magcargo, return!" He took some time to make his decision. "Machoke!" I didn't want my work to go to waste so I kept Manectric in.
"Manectric versus Machoke. Battle!" the referee said.
"The rain is up so I'll make this short. Manectric, use Thunder!" The attack had no problem finding its mark but didn't knock it out.
"Use Revenge!" Randall ordered.
Machoke recklessly charged straight ahead with its arms out trying to grab at Manectric. Without ordering a command, my partner dodged. I knew it was too slow to catch up and Manectric wasn't too injured to keep running. I'd play around a little more, but it wasn't the time.
"Thunder!"
A powerful bolt of lightning struck Machoke a second time in the rain. Randall sighed at the quick turn of events and that the battle was looking bleak. His Pokémon attempted to stand up, but collapsed.
"Machoke is unable to battle. Manectric wins!"
Only a weakened Magcargo stood between me and the next round. It came out unhappy after seeing the rain was still falling. My partner flashed a grin knowing it had every advantage possible. When the referee called for the round to start, sparks started to come from its body.
"You already know what to do, Manectric. Fire away!" It launched a Thunder that filled the other side of the field. Randall's Pokémon ended up unconscious on its side.
The referee quickly raised his flag. "Magcargo is unable to battle. Manectric wins! This battle goes to the 20 seed!"
The claps from the audience weren't sarcastic this time around. A dominating performance over arguably the best trainer here should've garnered some attention on the gaming floor. I had a sudden realization that I also hustled everyone here. People can be skilled without badges, but not many of those people have Pokémon with move sets like the ones I used. An uneasy feeling among the rest of the field resonated in the green room when I walked in. All I did was shrug my shoulders and smile innocently.
None of the other battles gave me the impression that anyone stood a chance in terms of trainer skill. A lot of rookie mistakes like staying in too long or having four water attacks on a water Pokémon. Aside from a Dusclops, Breloom, and Delcatty, nothing of note really stood out. There was probably going to be more diversity in tournaments where more badges were needed to enter, but that would have to wait.
"We're done with round two! There will be a break to fix the field so take the time to see the updated bracket," the stagehand said while pinning the results to the wall.
Round 2 results:
20 def. 1
2 def. 16
3 def. 15
4 def. 14
9 def. 8
10 def. 7
5 def. 12
6 def. 11
Quarterfinals
20 v. 9
5 v. 4
2 v. 10
3 v. 6
I was hoping there would be more upsets, but the skill gap was too big. When a trainer with seven badges battles one with six, it could go either way. Then again, Lostelle's method for seeding wasn't the best. Drawing straws would've been just as good but I didn't get paid to make that decision. After the intermission, I walked to the field with my opponent.
Caroline was more on the shy side for a young teenager and didn't look up until she was in the trainer's box. Her hand was shaking as she reached for her belt, her breathing started to get shorter and quicker, and she was constantly wiping her forehead. I wasn't sure if it was because of my past battles or something else.
"You both know the rules by now so let's get going," the referee said.
"C-c-can I have a Pokémon beside me? It won't battle," she said just loud enough for us to hear but not the audience.
"I'll have to ask your opponent for this round." The referee turned to me. "How do you want to handle this?"
"She'll have to assume it'll get hit. I'm not going to intentionally target it but if she's willing to protect it, I don't mind. What is it?" I responded.
She answered by calling it out which was what I wanted to avoid. "Swablu's not going to do anything. Honest! I'll keep it behind me," Caroline said with a hint of nervousness.
"Keep it behind you, but off to the side so I can see it. I know it has the potential to use Sing which would put you at an advantage. I didn't pay attention to your earlier battles, but I'll assume that didn't happen. Right, ref?"
He nodded. "Correct. Other trainers haven't noticed their Pokémon falling asleep along with my colleagues. Are we set?"
"Yeah. I choose Swellow for the first round," I said after her Swablu hopped a few feet back.
"I c-c-cho-o-ose Wigglytuff," she whispered.
Caroline's Pokémon showed more confidence than she did although a pink puff balloon wasn't going to last long against my heavy hitter. The lack of confidence by her was not good for someone taking the gym challenge.
"Swellow versus Wigglytuff. Battle!"
I wasted no time going for the knockout. "Quick Attack!"
"Stockpile!" Caroline shrieked nervously.
Wigglytuff sucked in air and its body inflated to roughly twice its size. The added defense didn't make much of a difference as Swellow flew right into it. Her Pokémon let the air out and hunched over in pain; handling a weak move like Quick Attack so poorly was an indicator of how weak it was. When the Flame Orb activated, I wanted to end it as quickly as possible.
"Use Façade from above!"
Swellow ascended before coming down from directly overhead. Wigglytuff tried attacking on its own, but my Pokémon came in too fast for it to matter. I figured sending it across the field was going to make her lose any control she had so making a direct impact would be less stressful to the naked eye. Her partner was on its back a few inches into the ground, but it looked comfortable while it was unconscious.
"Wigglytuff is unable to battle. Swellow wins!"
Her Swablu hopped forward before sitting atop her head. It hummed a quick song then sat at her feet waiting to be pet. All the nervousness from earlier seemed to go away as she analyzed the situation. I thought she was hustling me, but her hand still shook as she made her next choice.
"Um, Wailmer? Yeah, Wailmer! Here we go!" she said with a smile.
Her demeanor was more positive but unfortunately, I would have to break her confidence two more times. Switching to Manectric or Magneton seemed like overkill so I didn't make a change. Flame Orb's flames inflicted their pain before the referee gave the signal.
"Swellow versus Wailmer. Go!"
Another quick round was in the cards. "Façade!"
"Water Pulse!" Caroline ordered with confidence.
"Fly up and strike when you see an opening!"
Balls of water were sent skyward until they fell apart. Swellow took a hit from the second wave although it didn't get confused. The wings were doused, but the Flame Orb reactivated and it took damage from its burn. After the last one dispersed, it flew down like last time with the same result.
"Wailmer is unable to battle. Swellow wins!"
Just like last time, Swablu did its ritual to calm its trainer down. Caroline still looked like she was struggling to make a decision: put up with one more round or forfeit. Unless she had a powerhouse like Blaziken or Gardevoir, she would need a miracle to pull off a win. She didn't move as the referee looked in her direction.
"Miss? Do you want to continue?"
"I… I don't know." Instead of waiting for a decision, Swablu hopped in front of her trainer's box. "What are you doing!? You'll get hurt!" It defiantly shook its head to establish how much it wanted to fight.
I recalled Swellow. "Look, I get the whole pride for the trainer thing… but I think you should use another Pokémon. Maybe it's stronger than I give it credit for. I just don't know."
Caroline looked at her belt again. "I have one more, but it doesn't listen to me at times," she said just above a mumble. "Using it here hasn't been fun."
"Are there any more you have?" I asked sincerely.
"No."
I let out a deep sigh. "Forfeiting is the best way to go based on what you told me. I don't want to go too hard on Swablu, but there's a lot of money on the line and I won't hesitate to knock it out. I'm okay with you making another switch."
She thought about it for a few minutes before dropping to her knees. "I have to battle!" she sobbed. "But not like this!" This wasn't a classic case of stage fright; she genuinely didn't want to be here. Any trainer would've put up more of a fight. Caroline continued to sob as the official turned to me.
"Regardless of what she does, you still need a Pokémon on the field."
Maybe I could get her to back to her senses with an easier opponent. "Linoone is my choice," I said while tossing its ball onto the field. Linoone was a lot weaker in comparison to the rental Pokémon, but it could easily knock out a Swablu.
"Linoone versus Swablu. Begin!"
So much for waiting. "Sir, I think it would be better to call the battle in my favor. My opponent clearly isn't willing to fight," I said.
"Well, her Pokémon is," he replied. These refs must've been rookies to not even consider the situation in front of them.
"Headbutt," I droned to Linoone. Her Swablu charged ahead with Peck.
A collision at midfield went Linoone's way as he sent the tiny flying Pokémon back to her owner's box. It wasn't knocked out so I started to plan another attack. Swablu's attitude changed and it turned its back to us. Linoone walking up to it didn't cause it to even flinch; it had no intention of battling.
"Try Baby-Doll Eyes," I ordered casually.
My opponent's Pokémon continued to turn away. Out of curiosity, Linoone got closer only to be denied again. It didn't even flinch when Linoone poked at it. I think the referee got the hint after Swablu didn't lunge forward despite Linoone being inches away from it on eight different occasions.
"Swablu refuses to battle. Linoone wins! This round goes to the 20 seed!"
Caroline was still a nervous wreck when I made my way over to her. I didn't want to add potential fuel to the fire by talking to her, but she needed to get away from the crowd. Offering my hand was the least I could do.
"Want to talk things over in the green room?"
She grabbed it and I helped her up. "Yeah," she sniveled.
The remaining trainers in the green room looked at us uncomfortably until we were by the exit. The awkwardness of the situation diminished when the stagehand yelled for the next two trainers to head out. It revved up again when a woman in an elegant dress yanked a door open and a security guard giving chase.
"Where's my daughter!?" The sudden outburst made us jump and Caroline yelped. "There you are! What happened?"
"Ma'am, you need to wait outside!" he yelled still trying to catch up to her.
"We need to talk, Caroline," She turned to me. "And I'd like to talk to you too young man!"
Neither of us said a word as the guard caught up and calmly escorted us out. The hallway was empty aside from the three of us as Caroline calmed down.
"Who am I talking to, exactly?" I asked.
"Her mother," she shot back.
Oh… this was going to be good. "What's there to talk about?"
Her face went red. "You know damn well what I want to talk about! You can't just expect to make my daughter cry and get away with it! What did you do to her?"
"Nothing unusual. The better question is why was she battling here to begin with? I've never heard of a comfort Pokémon during a battle. Anyone who would try to pull that off would get laughed at in every gym in Hoenn," I replied. "Some trainers have a certain level of stage fright but she clearly wasn't comfortable here. The fact she won her first two battles is honestly amazing; I don't know how to feel about that even though I didn't pay attention."
"Shiftry. I used mom's Shiftry," Caroline responded while placing a Great Ball on the ground. "But it didn't listen to me all the time. After the second battle, I was scared of it." I couldn't get upset at her mother for giving her a boost since I was in the same boat.
"This is going to sound harsh, but it's true. The reason Shiftry didn't obey Caroline was because it didn't see her as a good trainer. Rather than risk losing or getting injured, it probably took initiative on its own," I added.
"Oh! So you're saying my daughter isn't a good trainer!? She has Rustboro's gym badge and is near the top of her class at Rustboro's Trainer School!" Security thought it was going to get bad, but I motioned that I was fine.
"Roxanne likes rock types and your daughter has a Wailmer. I'll give her credit for winning since a kid her age tried to battle Wattson with an army of Trapinch on his team. She's got a long way to go before participating in something like this," I said.
Her mother started to sarcastically laugh. "That's rich! All this coming from someone with no badges."
"That someone won handily. At the risk of sounding like more of a jerk, those quick rounds and how I attacked were acts of mercy. Heck, anything besides quick rounds would've caused her more emotional pain. I'm sorry, but she's not as ready as you think she is. Don't worry though; she's not the only trainer that I made cry in my lifetime so it's nothing to be ashamed of." At that point, she grabbed my shirt and security restrained her.
"You wouldn't stand a chance against me or my husband!" she yelled trying to call out a Pokémon while being held.
"Ma'am, you need to calm down. Let's go. We'll have your daughter wait here for a bit with security and bring her to you later," the guard said before radioing for a colleague. She was led away and Caroline slumped against the wall.
I helped her up a second time so we could wait inside the green room. With two trainers battling and the other four doing their own thing, it wasn't an overwhelming environment. Her team was healed which allowed Swablu to sit beside her without any lingering pain. I sat next to her although I didn't try to talk to her; she eventually did it on her own.
"Being a coordinator is something that I've always wanted to do," she mumbled. "School doesn't focus on that, though. I thought I could learn more on vacation before going back to Rustboro."
I turned to her. "School helps coordinators, but not in the traditional sense of practicing for contests. Once you learn about the different types of Pokémon and their moves, you can figure out which categories to enter. My mom tried the cool category with a Wingull when she was younger."
"How'd she do?"
A laugh escaped my mouth. "Bad. She still had a good time though."
"I wish I felt the same about battling. School's one thing but I don't like to battle for fun. It's scary to see how hard they can hit each other." I think she was pushed into this tournament for the money, but I didn't want to throw that accusation out in the open.
"Yeah, I understand how people can feel uncomfortable about that. When you go back to school, talk to your parents and teachers about being a coordinator. Don't let today get you down too much because today has nothing to do with being a coordinator… and you have Swablu supporting you."
She found a chair facing a television. "Thanks for that. All I can do is wait here until security comes back to get me."
Swablu sat atop her head until she was allowed to leave. I started paying attention to the battles and based on what I saw, it was going to be a cakewalk. No Pokémon could take a boosted Façade unless they were fast enough to dodge. The last battle finished and I stood by the door.
"Can I have the 20 seed and the 4 seed? Ryan and… Chase?" the stagehand asked.
I almost didn't move because I didn't feel like the 20 seed anymore. We walked out and saw we had more of an audience. Well, I had more of an audience. How often does the lowest seed make it to the semifinals?
"Gotta give these people a show," I said while pacing in my trainer box. "We can have fun too."
"If you say so," Chase sighed. "Let's go Swellow." The lack of enthusiasm was what I wanted to hear.
"Manectric, time to battle!"
The referee surveyed the field. "Manectric versus Swellow. Go!"
I wasted no time setting up. "Rain Dance!"
"Quick Attack!"
Dark clouds formed over the field as Manectric took a hard hit. Within a few seconds, a light drizzle covered the field. There was nowhere to run.
"Thunder!"
Swellow saw the sparks coming out of my Pokémon and flew around hoping to throw it off. To nobody's surprise, Thunder found its mark. The flying type dropped like a rock and twitched until the electricity left its body. A look of frustration came over my opponent although he looked determined to fight so I couldn't let up.
"Swellow is unable to battle. Manectric wins!"
Chase remained stoic. "It's Combusken's turn."
"I won't switch," I said.
"Alright! Manectric versus Combusken. Battle!"
I wasn't sure what his plan was, but it wasn't going to happen. "Quickly, use Thunder!" A bolt of electricity flew across the field and Combusken collapsed instantly.
"Call out your next Pokémon," the referee said to Chase.
The will to fight was sucked out of him after the previous round. "No need to rush. I already know what's going to happen. Mightyena, you just evolved but it's time to battle," he droned.
"Go!" the referee ordered.
"Thunder!"
"Sand Attack!"
An attempt to blind Manectric was useless as the attack followed the rain to its target. It whimpered before going unconscious. The rain stopped and the flag was up.
"Mightyena is unable to battle. Manectric wins! The battle goes to the 20 seed!" We shared a quick handshake at midfield before going back to the green room.
Both trainers for the other semifinal battle rolled their eyes at me knowing the next battle was going to be a wild ride. With an empty lounge after they took the field, I called out my team to watch the television for extra motivation. Lairon was glued to the battle like a child watching Saturday morning cartoons. I saw the stagehand wave me over once we were set.
"You'll have to call everyone back before they come back to heal their Pokémon. Other than that, it's the last battle so leave it out on the field." I did so after Finals: 20 v. 2 flashed across the screen and the timer started counting down from ten minutes.
My opponent was a trainer my age with two badges named Devin. He was quiet although very serious about seeing the tournament through to the end. A table was being set up at the concourse level and a woman with a microphone was leaning against the railing.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the finals of the beginner's tournament! I am Lostelle and I will be presenting the grand prize to the winner! Good luck!" She pointed down to the official and he took over.
"Same rules as we have been doing all day. The lower seed will send out their Pokémon first."
I knew Devin was sitting on Swellow so I decided to throw him off. "Lairon, let's go!"
"Okay then, I'll go with Tropius," he replied.
"Lairon versus Tropius. Begin!"
Switching to Swellow was my best option, but I knew he had one trick up his sleeve. Keeping Lairon out on the field was the better move. Tropius isn't that threatening considering my team so I'll wait it out.
"Start off with Magical Leaf!" Devin ordered. Rainbow colored leaves flew from its grassy wings and pelted Lairon's body.
"Hang tough and use Rock Slide!"
Lairon angrily stomped on the ground to break up the field. Rock chunks flew above Tropius and it started to panic when they started to fall.
"Fly through the barrage!" The giant Pokémon evaded major damage but still had its wings clipped or took a smaller rock to the head. "Go higher and use Whirlwind!"
It was nearly at the ceiling when its giant wings sent strong winds down below. Lairon held its ground for as long as it could before being sent back to its ball. Another partner was forced out and it ended up being Linoone. Not the one I wanted.
I had an idea to turn it around. "Pin Missile!"
"Dodge to the right!" The attack fell short even if Tropius stayed put. "Leaf Tornado!"
Large rocks from Lairon's earlier attack were still lying around. "Hide behind a rock!"
The raging wind combined with the sharp leaves cut into the rock. There wasn't much room to hide, but it was still sturdy enough for what I wanted to do.
"Magical Leaf!"
"Pop up and use Pin Missile!" Linoone poked his head up and fired as much as he could. A few leaves got through, but the collisions in midair created a nice smokescreen. "Use the rock to jump and fire away!"
Pins nailed Tropius in the chest and it started to fly closer to the ground. The heavy breathing told me it wasn't as strong or conditioned as it looked.
"Keep up the pressure with Sand Attack!" I yelled. It ran forward and kicked up as much sand as it could.
Devin reached for his belt. "Get back! Let Graveler take over!" The substitution forced my hand as well.
"Linoone, return! Go Lairon!"
Graveler was the one thing I was nervous about since I had nothing to take it on with ease. Manectric's Hidden Power type was a mystery, Magneton knew two steel type attacks but had a quadruple weakness to ground, Lairon was in the same boat but with better defenses. Swellow wouldn't last long and Linoone would hardly scratch it. The rentals were strong, but the type disadvantage significantly cut the gap.
"Lairon versus Graveler. Go!"
I needed a heavy hit early. "Charge in with Iron Head!"
"Bulldoze!"
The field started to rumble and became harder to navigate. Lairon leaped the last few feet to ensure a hit, much to everyone's surprise. It landed awkwardly and Its legs were shaking even though the field was still. Devin saw the sign of weakness.
"Magnitude!" Graveler slammed the ground with all four hands but they were out of sync. Still, the impact was enough to fling Lairon into the air on its back. "Rollout before it lands! It can't turn for Iron Head!"
It went back before rolling to where Lairon would land. "Iron Tail!"
My partner's tail started to glow and he moved it down as much as he could to hit Graveler first. The impact created a large dust storm with Lairon emerging victorious although he could barely stand; took it like a champ.
"Graveler is unable to battle. Lairon Wins!" The crowd cheered at its performance.
"Fantastic job, Lairon! Take a break," I yelled over the crowd. He turned around and nodded before the red beam took him back. I looked over to a defiant Devin. "Now you have no more threats to my team. Swellow, time to wreak havoc! Then we can get some food after."
"Sandslash might have something to say about that," he said while tossing its ball onto the field.
"Swellow versus Sandslash. Begin!"
Devin immediately went on the defensive. "Start with Defense Curl!"
"Time for some pinball. Quick Attack and swat it with your wings!"
Although Swellow grimaced when it swatted at the ground type, it was more effective than directly ramming into it. Sandslash came out of its ball form looking upset that something got in a free hit. Flame Orb also did its job and the writing was on the wall.
"Use Façade!" I ordered.
"Defend with Swift!" A few stars weren't going to do anything and Swellow hit it square in the chest for the knockout.
"Sandslash is unable to battle. Swellow wins!"
Everyone in the stands cheered even louder than last time sensing the battle was going to end. With a three to one advantage and Tropius injured from earlier, it wasn't going to take a hit. The only hope he had was to dodge Swellow until the burn made it faint.
"Swellow versus Tropius. Go!"
"Brave Bird! Wrap it up!" I yelled with excitement.
Tropius braced for impact seeing as my partner was moving too fast for a chance at dodging. A loud noise echoed throughout the arena as the two collided. The giant Pokémon collapsed to the ground while Swellow took a victory lap after the burn took come energy away.
"Tropius is unable to battle. Swellow wins! This battle goes to the 20 seed!"
Loud whistling and cheering came down from the crowd above so I took a bow. Not only did I win, but I dominated every battle. Never did I ever think that getting 10,000P would be so easy. Well, 2,000P after I give up my portion to the company. Lostelle made her way down with a wireless microphone and a manila envelope.
"Congratulations on your impressive streak! Here is your cash prize!" I waved to everyone and we were eventually escorted back by security.
My victory felt short-lived since Lostelle had security block the exit. "There's no way you have less than two badges," she said while rubbing her forehead.
"You would be wrong," I replied. "I'm not even a registered trainer. Your staff confirmed it when I entered."
"Bullshit! My dad isn't going to be swindled out of money!"
"Got a computer?"
A guard pulled out a laptop. "Beat us to it. Type in your information," he said.
Zero results came up for my name which was interesting. Maybe the league had a separate file for gym trainers that wasn't accessible by the public. Either way, I proved my case and could keep the money.
"Tell you what," Lostelle started. "Next time you register for a tournament, you'll have five badges according to our system. You're no beginner, but you're still far from an experienced trainer. Is that a fair compromise?"
Moaning and groaning out loud wasn't a good idea so I did it internally. Being put in the same pool as true beginners was an easy way to make money and I lost an easy source of income. On the flip side, future payouts would be larger and I would get a better initial ranking in a large pool of battlers. Denying her offer would probably get me banned from future tournaments as well. The only problem was that I had to tell my boss.
"Deal. Take my game card so the info is on there too." They used the laptop to change my status. "Are we good now?"
"Yes. We're done here," she bluntly responded. I waited a few minutes after she left before going to a buffet area.
They had a nice spread with dishes from all over Hoenn to go with every type of high quality Pokémon food. Magneton was given a portable power bank to take the electricity from. I didn't know what they ate at the office, but today would be a treat. They liked their food except for Lairon. He stared at his bowl unsure of what to do.
"I told you we would get food after. Enjoy it," I urged while smiling. "You did a good job today! Dig in!"
It slowly took a bite, then another, then scarfed it down faster than everyone else. He pointed to the serving area and I got him another bowl after seeing how well it tasted. Everyone else followed suit so I got them a second helping. It was refreshing to see the rentals relax although Lairon was clearly happier than Swellow despite me removing its Flame Orb before eating. Manectric somehow got in a power nap with the noise around us.
"Everyone, you all did great today! Let's get you guys back home. I want to get out of these clothes too," I said while taking my last bite.
Lostelle's tournament took a good chunk of the day and it was 3:30 when I made my way back to Pokémon Services. They were still closed to the public, but it was clear they were going to open and the business wasn't a pipe dream. Some local packages sat behind the reception desk although most of their equipment was still on its way.
"Returning your Pokémon?" the receptionist asked.
"Yup! If you could tell Mister V that I won the beginner's tournament today, I'd appreciate that."
She picked up the phone. "Let me try him now." I rubbed my hands in anticipation to tell him the good news. "Hello? Do you have a second?" I could hear heavy winds through the phone; probably was on the boat. "I have one of your trainers here." After a few seconds, she gave me the phone.
"Ryan! Glad you made an effort to call first. I saw the whole thing live on the boat and needed some fresh air. That performance was why I hired you."
"Thank you, sir. Expect 8,000P more when you check my company account tomorrow morning."
"Good! Now let me be honest for a second. Normally, you would go home and wait for the next avaible tournament. However, I did say I owe you a favor so here it is. You may take one Pokémon from the three you used today and rent it whenever you want." My face lit up. With three evolved Pokémon, I was more enticed to participate in more street battles. The question was who would I pick?
Manectric was the least likely seeing as I had a Magneton. Lairon was a great tank and it was starting to open up to me. But then there was Swellow: the one Pokémon that could end a battle in a single attack. Magneton could cover its rock, ice, and electric weaknesses while Linoone could wear the opponent down enough to where Swellow could clean up. The tipping point was Swellow covered the obvious fighting weakness my original partners had. Lairon had a lot of defense, but it would take longer for it to knock out fighting Pokémon.
"I would like Swellow as my option."
"Okay then, I will send out a memo. Anything else for me?"
"One thing. It's about future tournaments."
A long pause made me feel uncomfortable. "Go on," he said inquisitively.
"The owner's daughter put me down for owning five badges for future tournaments because I dominated every battle. Had I seen this coming, I would've eased up. The good news is that the payouts coming from me will be larger."
"Interesting," he hummed. "You're not banned... which is good. I'll think about redoing your Pokémon selection list. Don't let it bother you too much; it further proves you're a good battler."
I internally breathed a sigh of relief. "Will do. I've got nothing else."
"Excellent. Congratulations on the win and I look forward to seeing how you fare against stronger opponents. Put me back on with the receptionist please."
By the look on her face, she was being given instructions. The call ended and I could keep Swellow until their listed closing time of 10:00pm. I assumed that if I kept it past then, I wouldn't be able to rent it out in the future. I waved goodbye, went to the Pokémon Center to heal up for good measure, went to the bank, and then went home. Nobody was home so I made the decision to go to New Mauville before picking up my travel bag. As far as everyone knew, I was still working.
The ferry ride over was calm since it was nearly empty. Vinny had the day off so I could focus my attention on preparing for a stressful environment. The ninth floor of the underground facility was "off limits" and I doubt anyone was going to play nice with no security there.
A group of about 40 trainers stood on the sidelines of an active battlefield. An older man's Muk had the upper hand over a Kecleon and the battle eventually ended with a direct hit from Sludge Bomb. The group cheered before the loser threw a wad of money across to the other side in anger. Things escalated when the winner took that as a sign of disrespect. He then yelled about how it wasn't the right amount and rushed over in a fit of rage. Everyone had to jump in and pull the two apart; the loser slammed the wall in frustration once he got to the stairs. That was a very lucky loser.
"Who's got next?" someone asked.
"Yo! I'm up," a man shouted while working his way to the field.
"Me too," a woman my age said while squirming her way to the front. "Same as it's been all day?"
The man stretched. "Same rules, but I want 3,000 this time. I think 2,000 is a bit low."
"Ha! Fuck that. I'm going 3,500." The man stopped and thought about the raise in the bet.
"Come on! Are you battling her or not? I'll take your place," another person asked while itching to step into the makeshift trainer's box.
He threw his hands up sarcastically. "Well shit… I guess so."
I stood in the back of the group with my arms folded expecting a good battle. A Ninjask was sent out on the man's side while the woman countered with a Golduck. Both trainers were hesitant to make the first move until the man with the Ninjask caved first. Once the battle started, the crowd inched closer except for one person. I ignored them but could feel I was getting looked over. I eventually felt the footsteps come closer to me and heard a whisper above the chaos.
"Ryan? Is that you?"
