Author's Note: I swear, I'm not trying to increase the length of the gaps between chapters. But life is life, I suppose. Nevertheless, I'm humbled by the number of people who enjoy the story (seriously didn't even think I'd get one follower). That said, this is a fun chapter; I left my notes at home (typing this up on my Surface), but at least I don't need them. (They contain stuff like movesets, types of Poké Balls, battle cries, little details like that.) So if there are any minor errors...oops.
Also, while I'm writing this chapter, I keep hearing the Contest music from RSE in my head. I have no idea why, but it's starting to drive me nuts. But at least I'm looking forward to ORAS.
Chapter 7
Block Smash
Chris squirmed in his seat. His ADHD was kicking in, and he hated sitting around. However, he'd heard Eric chastise Rachel earlier through the window of the Pokémon Center, and wanted none of that. So he continued to wait quietly for the event to start. Thankfully, it wasn't long before the MC came out and announced the start of the competition, riling the crowd up even further, and boosting the energy in the room. There was fanfare blasting as they introduced the first contestant, and the crowd only got more excited.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time to start our first event, Block Smash! And to usher in this momentous event, we have our first Pokéathlete of the year!" Maximo screamed into the microphone. "Please welcome Markus from Littleroot Town in Hoenn and his partner, Metang!" The crowd roared as a large cylindrical container descended rapidly onto the stage, dropping off an imposing looking stack of stone blocks before retreating back into the ceiling. "As you all know, each contestant will have two minutes to break as many blocks as possible! Points will be awarded based on the number of blocks the Pokémon can smash in that time. Are the contestants ready?" Markus nodded, and Metang looked confident. "Alright then! Three...two...one...START!"
The crowd got even louder, something Chris didn't even think was possible at first. But soon he was joining them in the screams of excitement as Metang brought down its huge steel claws to slam through brick after brick. After each slam of a claw, two bricks were demolished. Within seconds, the entire stack was rubble. Almost immediately, the ground opened in front of Metang, dumping the shattered remains under the stage while the giant tube descended once again. Two seconds after the last block was destroyed, a new stack was out, and Metang was at it again.
Chris was screaming along with the crowd, enjoying every minute of the event. He'd almost forgotten his back was hurting as he called out for Metang to keep smashing until time ran out. He tried to keep track of how many blocks were smashed, but there were simply too many.
Finally, a loud bell signaled the end of the round. Metang was halfway through its fourth stack by the time the event was over. Chris sat back down. "This is awesome! It's Pokémon smashing stuff! This is so awesome!" Eric smiled and shook his head slightly at Chris' enthusiasm. Before Metang could walk away, Chris whipped out his Pokédex and pointed it at the Pokémon. He pressed his ear against the device, but couldn't make out a single word over the roar of the crowd. Disappointed, he started to put the device away until Eric offered him a headset. Chris put it on and pressed it tightly over his ears before repeating the process.
Metang, the Iron Claw Pokémon, and the evolved form of Beldum. Metang is formed from two separate Beldum that fuse together. This electromagnetic fusion that links both brains together creates a highly intelligent hybrid that can use powerful psychic abilities. Many Metang are able to use their glass-like bodies to prevent their stats from dropping due to moves like Tail Whip and Scary Face."
Chris closed the Pokédex but left it out and the headset on so he could hear more about other Pokémon that came out, even though he only caught every other word of the last entry. And more Pokémon indeed came out. Over the next hour, Chris was cheering and learning about a ton of different and highly strong Pokémon.
"Please welcome Markus from Littleroot Town in Hoenn and his partner, Metang!" From the locker room, Rachel watched the event on the monitors. As Markus and Metang approached the stage, Rachel looked down at Bulbasaur, who was stretching his legs. "Bulbasaur, take a rest in the Poké Ball until its your turn." Bulbasaur was confused, as she'd just let him out, but didn't get to respond before he was pulled back into his Poké Ball. Rachel put the ball back on her belt as she sighed. The last thing she wanted was for Bulbasaur to get too good of a look at the competition and get nervous. As nervous as she was.
The nerves weren't just from the event, either. Eric's words from earlier freaked her out a little, and made her realize how much she'd messed up when she didn't keep her temper in check. Still, Eric was someone she respected, and he was more knowledgeable than either her or Chris. Part of her wanted to send a text message to Eric to unload her nervousness on him and get some advice. But she steeled herself and shook it off. It was going to be her turn soon enough.
The next hour passed quickly. Almost too quickly for Rachel, as she was not looking forward to her debut. All of these trainers had strong Pokémon. Metang, Hitmonlee, Toxicroak, Heracross...there was even a Venusaur, Bulbasaur's final form. There were only three people ahead of her at this point, and she sat twiddling her thumbs, wishing she had more time to prepare. Her PokéGear buzzed suddenly after Venusaur finished its round, and displayed a message from Eric. "You'll be fine. Deep breath." That was thoughtful. Not particularly helpful, but thoughtful nonetheless. The only thing that was going to get her through this was to actually do it.
Five minutes passed, and Rachel knew she couldn't put it off any longer. She approached the hallway that led to the stage. As the previous contestant finished his round, the crowd roared while he entered the tunnel. He raised a hand as he passed Rachel, and they high-fived. The camaraderie was nice, she thought. People were competitive, but they weren't jerks about it.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, time for our next contestant! From the legendary 'City of Dragons,' Blackthorn City in Johto, making her Pokéathlon Debut is Rachel and her Bulbasaur!" Rachel took a deep breath and entered, waving to everyone, looking as confident as she possibly could. "Additionally," Maximo exulted, "Rachel was one of the three winners of Professor Oak's yearly trainer selection, and just started traveling a few days ago! Let's see how she does!"
Rachel blushed slightly. "Great," she thought. "Go ahead and tell everyone I'm really new to all of this. That helps a lot." But she reached for her Poké Ball with the most confidence she could muster. "Bulbasaur, Spotlight!" As Bulbasaur appeared on the stage, there was a general consensus amongst the crowd. "Awwwwwww...!"
"Great. Now I'm inexperienced, and my Pokémon is super adorable. This doesn't help." But Bulbasaur was young, and he was very adorable. Nevertheless, they had to focus. "Get ready, Bulbasaur!" The stack of blocks appeared before them, and Maximo gave the go-ahead. Bulbasaur, with no hesitation, jumped up onto the blocks and began to smash them with his feet. For a low-level Pokémon, Bulbasaur was able to smash through them rather quickly. Every two strikes destroyed a single block, more effective than Bulbasaur's young appearance would otherwise indicate."
Rachel didn't realize she was holding her breath until about a minute in when she gasped for air. Bulbasaur was still going at it, now into its second stack. "You're doing amazing, Bulbasaur, keep it up!" she yelled as the crowd cheered. Soon, the timer was winding down, and Bulbasaur was down to its last few bricks. "Keep going!" she screamed. "Almost there! Three more bricks! You can do it!"
The bell sounded, echoing through the hall. Bulbasaur had just finished smashing the last brick in the stack, just in time for the bell. "Way to go, Bulbasaur! You were amazing!" Bulbasaur raced back to Rachel exhausted, and jumped into her arms. She gave him a hug, with the crowd letting out yet another "Awwwwwww...!" as she walked off stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen, another hand for Rachel and Bulbasaur! An amazing performance for a pair so new to the events!" Maximo urged the crowd to cheer louder as Rachel exited the arena.
"That went really well!" Chris yelled to Eric. "Bulbasaur did really great!"
Eric nodded, but didn't say anything out loud. "Yes, Bulbasaur's performance was well above expectations, but I don't think it was good enough. Bulbasaur got through two stacks of bricks, while many other contestants got through three or more. One guy even got through five. It's unrealistic to think Rachel's going to advance, but for her first time, this was a really good result."
"We're not slowing down yet," Maximo yelled into the microphone. "Next up we have a Pokéathlon favorite, hailing all the way from Lumiose City in Kalos. Ladies and gentlement, welcome Nate and Machoke!" As the crowd began to scream, Eric took interest in seeing this round. Nate had proven himself to be very knowledgeable and Machoke was very strong. He wondered how they'd do.
He soon had his answer. Much to Eric's surprise and Chris' excitement, Machoke smashed through six stacks of bricks before the time limit. It seemed almost...too easy for Machoke, who smashed through several bricks at ones with some hits. The Coordinator had to wonder just how deliberate the strikes were. While most of Machoke's attacks were dead-center on the bricks, every now and again, it smashed slightly off to the side. When it did this, two or three bricks would go down at once. Was there some technique to this?
"Eric! Eric! Did you see that! This guy is amazing!" Chris was going wild in the seat next to Eric, waving his Pokédex around, in stark contrast to the more thoughtful demeanor Eric had. He hoped to run into Nate later to talk about the event.
Machoke, the Superpower Pokémon, and the sophomore form of Machoke and Machamp. Machoke possess immense strength, and are often found helping on construction sites and other places where manual labor is required. The belt it wears regulates its strength; without it, the Pokémon's muscles would be uncontrolled, rendering the Pokémon unable to coordinate its own movements. Its fighting style was long ago adapted into the aggressive martial art known as Kung Fu.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time to announce the results of the Block Smash event! The twenty highest scoring Pokéathletes will move on to the semi-final round of this competition. Let's view the results!"
On the massive screen above Maximo, the trainers were revealed one by one, in order of ascending by score. Chris eyed carefully to see if Rachel appeared. As the first ten were revealed, Chris sighed and sat back. Bulbasaur did well, but he didn't think it did well enough to score in the top ten. Still, he watched as the final pictures appeared. Once the nineteenth picture appeared, the trainer in 2nd place, the animation paused long enough for Maximo to speak. As Chris expected, Rachel hadn't appeared.
"There you have it folks, 19 of our top 20. Now to announce the highest-scoring Pokéathlete in today's competition. Ladies and Gentlemen, let's give a round of applause to...Nate!" Machoke's trainer appeared on the screen, and Chris clapped for him. Machoke was really strong, and Chris admired that. He hoped he could have a battle with this guy sometime, once Chris had more time to train his own Pokémon.
"Now that round one is over, we will continue with round two first thing tomorrow morning at 9am! We look forward to seeing all of you there as we progress to the final round, and crown this event's top Pokéathlete! That's Pokéathlon...FOREVER!" The crowd cheered as everyone began to stand up, collect their belongings, and make their way to the coliseum's exits. Once the crowd had thinned a bit, Eric and Chris left as well.
Rachel planned to meet the guys at the Pokémon Center about an hour after the first round ended. She was slightly disappointed, but she never truly expected to advance on her first go. Still, she was proud of Bulbasaur, and she hoped that Eric had something really nice in store for him once she got back.
Once she finished changing out of her Pokéathlete garb, she exited the women's shower room into the shared locker room area and nearly bumped into Nate. "Oh!" she said, caught off guard. "Sorry about that. And thanks for the words of encouragement earlier." Nate nodded, then started to speak, but Rachel jumped in. "Oh, and congrats on taking first place in Round 1! Your Machoke was really on point."
Nate chuckled. "Thanks. And you did really well. Most new athletes don't make it through two whole stacks on their first try, especially if they've only been training for a few days. Your dedication is admirable. Keep it up and you'll go far." Rachel smiled and nodded. "Alright, well if you'll excuse me, I've got some things to take care of. Good seeing you again, Rachel." He nodded and walked away. Rachel took the moment to leave the locker room and head for the Viridian City Pokémon Center. Every few minutes or so, she'd get stopped by a spectator or fellow athlete congratulating her and Bulbasaur on their above-average performance given their lack of experience. Each time, Rachel smiled and thanked them before continuing forward. Once she finally reached the Pokémon Center, she relaxed a bit, heading straight for the table where Chris and Eric were sitting.
"Congratulations on doing so well," Chris said genuinely.
"Yes, definitely," Eric added. "From what I hear, your performance was stellar, particularly for a pair as inexperienced as you are."
"I've been hearing that a lot, too," Rachel said with a small smile. "Bulbasaur, come on out." The Poké Ball opened and released Bulbasaur, who was still tired, yet excited, about the day's events.
Eric leaned over and set a bowl down. "And for our special hero, I've got a special treat," he said with a grin, pouring some Pokéblock out of a bag. "Super Sours, handmade by me...and the berry blender, but he's too modest to take credit." Bulbasaur happily began to eat up the yellow Pokéblock. Rachel was relieved that Eric had something ready, because she hadn't really bought anything for her Pokémon to eat. She'd need to take care of that soon.
"So, what's the plan?" Eric asked as he leaned back up towards the table. He sat across from Rachel and Chris, the latter of whom was busy eating something from the cafeteria. "Are you going to watch the rest of the Pokéathlon tomorrow?"
Rachel nodded. "Yeah, I want to see how Nate does. I'm thinking he's going to win the entire competition."
"Me too," Chris said. "That guy really had it going on today."
"That Machoke is very well-trained," Eric mused aloud. "Its technique is something I'd like to study once they release the videos of the competition."
"So would I," Rachel said. "I noticed its strikes weren't always dead-center. Occasionally it would hit other spots on the blocks and shatter them more effectively. I was wondering if it was looking for weak spots or something."
Eric nodded. "You noticed that too, huh?" Chris slinked in his seat a little bit as Rachel nodded.
"Yeah, I'm going to take my data card to get the videos tomorrow after the competition ends. But enough about me, what about you? Your contest is coming up soon."
Eric nodded. "Yes it is. I'm still working on a few routines with Squirtle and Ponyta. I'm not anticipating winning, but I want to at least have a good showing for the first contest."
"What's your plan?" Rachel asked. "Which Pokémon are you going with first?"
"I think I'm going to use Ponyta for the appeal round," Eric said. "Squirtle for the battle rounds."
Rachel cocked an eyebrow. "No Ditto? I thought it would be your ace-in-the-hole."
Eric shook his head. "I don't want to use Ditto too soon. I'm kinda thinking of it as a trump card; something I don't want to play until a later competition when I stand a better shot at winning. Also, I don't want to get the judges and audience too used to Ditto. It'll get boring."
Rachel nodded in understanding. "That makes sense."
Chris chimed in for the first time in a while. "Can I watch your routine sometime? I wanna see what an appeal looks like up close."
Eric nodded. "Sure, if you want. Just don't get too close. There's a lot of fire involved."
"Awesome," Chris said, imagining the spiraling flames shooting into the sky. "Well, I'm heading out to train some more." Rachel stood up to let Chris out of the booth. "I'll be back later tonight." He stretched a bit, letting his back slowly straighten to avoid hurting himself. Rachel grimaced a bit as Chris walked away.
"Well," Rachel said, "I'm going shopping once Bulbasaur's done eating. What are you going to do?"
Eric shrugged. "Probably going fishing again."
"You don't think you should train for your contest?" Rachel asked.
"I will," Eric replied. "But I'm looking for a specific Pokémon and need to spend some time on that as well."
"What Pokémon?" Rachel asked.
"That's a secret," Eric replied cryptically as he stood. "In any case, I'll see you tonight. Have fun shopping."
Rachel waved as Eric turned and walked out of the Center.
"I had a feeling I'd find you here," Eric said as he approached the water. Nate was sitting in the same spot as before, his lure dangling in the small pond.
"What can I say? I'm a creature of habit," he responded, handing one of his rods over to Eric. Eric sat down and baited, then cast the line. "And from the looks of things, you are, too."
Eric chuckled. "I prefer a routine, yes, but I came out here to find you and get some more fishing done. I wanted to congratulate you on your win today."
"Thanks man," Nate said. "But it's still early. Anything can happen tomorrow."
"Charmander, Scratch now!" Charmander charged forward, slashing the Pidgey's face, knocking it out. "Nice job, Charmander." The small lizard Pokémon was breathing heavily, but still looked pleased with itself. "We've trained a lot, though. I should probably get you back to the Pokémon Center for a little R&R."
"Oh, so you do train," a familiar voice rang out. Chris winced - he'd hoped not to see this guy again for a while.
"David!" Chris said cheerfully. "Nice to see you again. How's Staryu?"
"It's fine," David said flatly. "I saw your friend in the Pokéathlon today. Seems like both of your travelling buddies are way ahead of you in their skills."
Chris was caught off guard. "Have you been stalking me and my friends?" he asked.
David shrugged. "Maybe a little. I was curious to see if the people you were travelling with were as terrible with their Pokémon as you are."
Chris balled his fist by his side, but tried not to get too angry. "Surely you have something better to do than follow me around all day."
"Know your enemy," David said. "Not that it makes a difference, I suppose. You're a weak trainer."
Chris closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before reopening them. "In that case, go stalk someone more worthy of your time."
"Aw, what's the matter? Can't handle a little competition?" David taunted.
"Competition's fine," Chris said. "It's all this trash-talking that's getting on my nerves. Are you just trying to bait me into battling you or something? Or are you just wasting my time?" Chris didn't wait for David to respond and walked away, ignoring whatever it was David said as he did.
Nate was trying to finish his story between fits of laughter. "So she said, 'I'm not going to Raichu a list.' So I responded, 'Wynaut?'"
Eric laughed at the terrible jokes as the two fished together. "Did you two always banter around like that? With such terrible jokes?"
Nate nodded. "It was both awful and beautiful. We drove people away with those puns. Even the Pokémon Center nurses couldn't take it for very long."
Eric laughed more before looking out onto the water. The sun was setting and he still hadn't gotten a bite.
"Something bugging you?" Nate asked. "Besides the fish not biting, I mean."
Eric shrugged. "It kind of occurred to me that both of my traveling companions are children. And not in the regular sense. They're immature to the point of being annoying."
"How annoying are we talking here?" Nate said.
Eric sighed before answering. "I don't want to overshare their business, but Chris and Rachel are both driving me nuts. Neither one thinks before they act, and while Chris doesn't seem to take his training seriously, Rachel doesn't seem to take her interpersonal relationships very seriously. I'm starting to see what you meant by not letting their needs override my own. They're going to be a pain this whole journey."
Nate slapped a hand on Eric's shoulder. "Everyone is going to grow over this journey, you included. Maybe in different ways. While you do have something of a responsibility to the other two, you just have to learn how to balance that with your own needs."
Eric turned to look at Nate and started to say something, but stopped himself.
"What?" Nate asked.
"Nothing."
Nate tilted his head to the side and cocked an eyebrow. "Come on, what is it?"
Eric sighed. "I was wondering if you'd be willing to travel with us? We're all going to the same places, and honestly, I could use someone more mature in the group to talk to so I don't lose it. But you said you weren't wanting to travel with a group after whatever happened last time, so I thought better of asking."
Nate nodded. "Ah, I see. Yeah, I'm sort of committed to traveling alone. But we'll bump into each other pretty often, I'm sure. Especially if you keep fishing with my equipment before you get to Cerulean." He smiled. "I appreciate the offer, but I'll have to pass for now."
"For now?" Eric mused. "I guess no one really knows what the future holds." His thoughts turned to his Pokémon Contest scheduled for a few days from then. He was nervous, but excited. It was his turn to see what he was made of.
