Hello everybody and welcome to chapter 10. I consider this a milestone for various reasons, chief amongst them that we've reached 10 chapters (applaud me, please) and that there is now over 250 views (applaud yourself this time). I don't have much to say before you read the chapter, so see you at the notes in the bottom.

I've made a poll on my profile regarding a forum for the story. Click in and have your say.

Currently Submitted OC's: 2. Currently Used OC's : 0 (1 in planning).

Chapter 10 – Tag Team Tournament, Begin!

Sunday the 18th of Silversun

08:55, Pirepsah City

"Tyson, are you awake yet?" Casey called through the door. There came no reply from within. "Tyson, get up" he called again, banging on the door this time, which earned him a disgruntled look from another trainer walking through the hallway on the upper floor of the Pokémon Center. Casey apologized as the trainer went on and leaned against the wall. The pair had arrived in Pirepsah City late the evening before and immediately found their way to the Pokémon Center. After leaving their four Pokémon in the care of Nurse Joy, the two had gone into the restaurant part of the Trainers Lounge to eat. After their meal they had collected their Pokémon, all of them fine but in need of a good night's rest, and walked to the receptionist in the Trainers Lounge. They had gotten the last two rooms available and, after agreeing to meet for breakfast at about 8 o'clock the next morning, went to bed.

The room Casey had slept in had been fairly standard; A bed, a closet, a desk with a TV and a door to a small bathroom. The bed had been comfortable enough and after a quick shower he had let out Twurt and Ruffer, letting them sleep where they wanted too.

He had woken early in the morning and after getting dressed he recalled his Pokémon and went downstairs for breakfast. It had been nearly 8 o'clock, so Casey had grabbed a bowl and eaten while he waited for Tyson. After more than half an hour Tyson still hadn't showed up, prompting Casey to now stand in front of his door, trying to wake him.

Casey pounded on the door again. "Hey, are you going to get up today or what?" he called. "We have a gym we need to go and challenge, remember?" A creaking sound could be heard from inside, probably Tyson that had bolted upright in bed. A second after that a loud crash could be heard, accompanied by groans of pain. Casey shook his head – Tyson had fallen out of bed in eagerness to get up. A few seconds after that, Casey could hear Tyson trying to open the door, but it didn't budge. "You have to unlock it first" Casey called and sighed. The lock turned with an audible click and Tyson opened the door.

Casey took one look at the figure in the doorway and had to bite down hard on his lips not to laugh. The Tyson he saw was a complete mess. His brown eyes were bleary, though a spark of energy resided deep within, trying to take control. The white t-shirt he had slept in was showing signs of a troubled sleep, barely covering his abdomen due to folds. At least he had remembered to wear a set of sleeping pants, for which Casey gave a silent thanks. His fiery red hair was even messier than usual, though Casey had a hard time imagining it possible. A slight patch of stubble could be seen on either cheek.

"Don't say a word" Tyson said drowsily as he saw Casey's reaction.

"I wasn't going to" replied Casey, stifling a laugh.

"Come on in" Tyson said and Casey did as he was told. The room was surprisingly tidy, as long as the bed was not counted as part of the room. The pillows were on the floor, the blanket sideways across the bed and the linen where coming off the mattress.

"What happened?" asked Casey incredulous.

"Corona and Clamper, that's what happened" Tyson said and yawned. "Ahphranet…" Tyson started while he yawned, then stopped and finished his yawn. "I'd let out my Pokémon so they could sleep in the bed as well if they wanted too. At first it went well, and Corona and Clamper fell asleep next to each other – give me those pants over there, would you?" Casey took the pants from the floor and threw them to Tyson. Tyson thanked him and continued. "So while we're all sleeping, it turns out that Corona snores a little. And when she does, she accidentally lets out a few embers. Some of those embers…" he paused to stretch as he changed his pants, "Hit Clamper by accident, who then flared up, no pun intended, and ran around screaming, waking me and Corona."

"And that caused all of this?" Casey asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"No" Tyson answered confused. "That's why my backpack has a scorched spot, didn't you see that?" Casey stared with wonder at Tyson, then looked at his backpack. Sure enough, a small spot, the size of a fingernail, had been singed. "The room is just how I sleep. I toss and turn a lot; it's just not evident in a sleeping bag."

Casey found himself at a loss for words at the answer. "Just… Just get dressed, okay?" he said and sat down, staring at the mess and felt sorry for the maid that would have to clean it up. Now that he was awake, Tyson quickly got dressed and packed his bag.

"If it's okay, can I have breakfast first?" Tyson asked as they left the room and locked it behind them.

"Sure" Casey replied. "I'll go make sure I have everything from my room, then I'll meet you downstairs."

Sunday the 18th of Silversun

09:51, Pirepsah City

"I have told you before, you are not ready, Mia" a man said and turned away from his preparations to look at his student. He had been in the middle of preparing the gym for the days' activities, when Mia had entered and made her usual request.

"Of course I am" Mia replied. "I've been training with you for a long time and you took over the gym when you were my age." Mia folded her arms across her chest, looking at her mentor.

"Times were different back then" the man said and smiled at his student. It was true that she had been training under him for a while, almost 3 years to be exact. In that time she had improved greatly, but he still didn't think her ready for the responsibilities. He looked her over and saw his young cousin glaring back.

"How so, Alex?" Mia asked, a lock of red hair falling down in front of her face. She whipped it away with a slender hand and continued to gaze at him with her deep-set blue eyes. Freckles covered her face, giving her a tomboyish look. She was tall for her age, but even so, she still had to look up at her older cousin if she was to look him in the eyes. She was wearing a blue dress, which reached down to around her knees.

"You know already" Alex replied hoping to avoid having this discussion once more. Alex himself had taken over the gym at the age of 15, only a week before his own Pokémon journey had been set to begin. Alex had inherited the gym after his father, who had died just before Alex could leave on his journey. Alex had been training under his father as an eventual replacement for a few years, but he hadn't been supposed to replace him until after he had seen all of Gawaro and possibly other regions as well. Since no other candidate could be mustered on such short a note, Alex had stepped up and accepted the responsibility, until he finally, half a year later, received recognition by the Gawaro League Administration as an official Gym Leader.

At the time, Mia had only been 5 years of age, so she hadn't understood what was going on, only that her cousin suddenly came around less often. At the age of 12 she decided to help out her cousin at the gym and soon became his student. Now Mia had turned 15 years old and wanted to take over the gym. It was a discussion they had had many times, though recently it had gotten a lot more frequent.

Mia saw the dark shadows that crossed Alex's face and looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry" she said and meant it. She had not intended to stir up the past. Though it was a decade ago, there was still an open wound deep inside Alex.

He gave her a sad smile. "It is okay" he said, and cupped her chin, raising her head. "I know you did not mean it."

"But still…" Mia started.

"Do not worry about it" Alex said. "I still do not think you are ready to be a Gym Leader, but I will let you have a shot."

"You mean that?" Mia said, her eyes sparkling.

"Of course I do. Now calm down" Alex said with a grin and raised his hands as if to grab her shoulders and hold her still but Mia didn't pay attention as she started to jump up and down, spinning around, crying out screams of joy.

The doors at the side of the room opened. Alex turned his head, but otherwise kept his position. Mia stopped bouncing and looked the same way. In the doorway were two young boys, seemingly around her age. A stunned look was on both boys faces, before one of them reached for the door and closed it.

"Are you sure we're at the right place?" Tyson asked his friend once they had shut the door.

"Well, there was a pool of water behind them" Casey started reasoning. "The sign over the door does say 'Pirepsah City Gym' and according to the map this should be the place." Casey paused. "But why there's a grown man about to touch a young girl in there is beyond me."

"Maybe the Gym Leader is some kind of pervert?" Tyson asked.

Before Casey could reply to that the door was flung open and the girl rushed out planting her fist straight in Tyson's face knocking him over. "My cousin isn't a pervert" she panted.

"Now, now" the man said as he came over to the door as well. "I am sure this is all just a misunderstanding." He extended a hand to Tyson and helped him up. "My name is Alex and I am the Gym Leader of this gym. The girl here is my cousin and apprentice, Mia."

"Sorry about that punch" she said with a smile. "I hope you won't hold it against me."

"I… uh… um…" Tyson stuttered.

"My name is Casey" Casey said and extended his hand. "This is my friend, Tyson." Tyson mumbled a greeting. "We're here to challenge the gym."

"That's amazing!" Mia screeched. "It just so happens that I'm being appointed Gym Leader, so let's get going so I can beat you."

"Not so fast, Mimi" Alex said. Mia instantly cooled down and scowled at her cousin, which Casey noted must be due to the nickname. "It is true you would get the next challenge, but that challenge is not today."

"Why not?" Mia, Casey and Tyson asked as one.

Alex sighed. "I can understand our new friends here not knowing, but really – you forgot, Mia?" Mia looked confused, before it dawned on her.

"Of course" she said with sudden realization. "The Tag Team Tournament is today."

"Right and it is being held here in the gym" Alex said. "That is why we cannot accept your challenge today, boys. I am sorry to disappoint you."

"It's fine" Casey said. "After all, we were thinking of entering the Tag Team Tournament too, although we didn't know it would be held already."

"So, you boys are entering the tournament" Alex said with a strange tone of voice. "It just so happens that we are as well."

"You are?" Tyson asked, finally finding his voice again. "But isn't that sort of unfair, you being a Gym Leader and all?"

"What about me?" Mia asked but was ignored.

"I may be a Gym Leader but first and foremost, I am a trainer" Alex replied. "And as trainers, Mia and myself can both participate in the tournament. According to the planners and sponsors it would also be good publicity." Casey chuckled; earning him mixed looks from the rest of the group. "But since you're going to be part of the tournament, let me tell you this…"

Sunday the 18th of Silversun

10:15, Pirepsah City Gym

During their talk with Alex and Mia, Alex had explained that they would have to register for the tournament before they could take part in it. The way to do that was to go over to a computer, either in the Pokémon Center or right there in the gym, and fill out a form online. The rest would be apparent from the form. Mia had then guided them to a computer and left the boys to register.

"Okay, let's try this" Casey said and opened the form. "Name… Casey. Age… 15. Hometown… Nesot Village" Casey read aloud as he plotted in the information required. He answered a few more questions and clicked next. The screen now told him to insert his Pokédex into the reader slot. Casey did as he was told and plugged in the Pokédex. A few seconds passed, as the computer scanned through the Pokédex, collecting the required information. Finally, the form told him that he had successfully registered for the tournament. A box appeared asking Casey if he wanted to browse through the Pokédex. Looking at Tyson who shrugged, he clicked 'yes'.

A window appeared with three distinct columns. The middle column contained a list of Pokémon, with three options at the top; 'Known', 'Scanned' and 'Owned.' By default it was set to 'Scanned.' The column to the left, or the first column if going by numeric order, showcased a three dimensional model of the Pokémon. To the right of the list were various statistics, such as how many Pokémon had been registered as owned and scanned.

"It fits" Casey said. "I own exactly 2 Pokémon."

"Now let me register" Tyson said and Casey removed his Pokédex. Tyson filled out the form as well and when asked to insert his Pokédex he did, waiting until it had gathered the needed information, then answered 'yes' to browse the Pokédex.

"Let's see here… Scanned… 22. That can't be right" Tyson said.

"Maybe Professor Willows had them synchronized so anything scanned by me counts as scanned for you as well?" Casey replied, offering the only explanation he could think of.

"Hmm, I guess" Tyson replied. "But then this is definitely wrong" he continued. "Look here, it says I've caught 3 Pokémon, but all I have are Corona and Clamper."

"Try clicking on 'Owned'" Casey said, just as curious as his friend. Tyson clicked on the 'Owned' option and the list shrunk to list only 3 Pokémon. The boys stared at the screen, as if staring might provide the answer they wanted. "Try clicking on it" Casey said. Tyson clicked and a new window opened, containing information about the Pokémon, listing how many of the species Tyson had caught as well as when they had been caught.

"Okay, so I've caught 1 of them, but when?" Tyson asked, scratching his head.

"It says so right there" Casey pointed to the screen. "You caught a single one yesterday."

"No I didn't" Tyson protested. "I tried to catch a Drilbur, but it just reflected my… Poké Ball…" The two boys looked at each other as realization dawned on them. "That's gotta be it!" Tyson exclaimed. "When the Drilber reflected my Poké Ball, it must have accidentally hit this one, trapping it inside."

"Or it stumbled upon it and got trapped that way" Casey said, offering an alternate option. "At any rate, you're a Pokémon richer."

"Yeah and I think it will have its debut in the tournament" Tyson said.

"Just don't use it in our first battle" Casey said.

"Why's that?"

"Because" Casey replied. "Right now, that Pokémon is our secret weapon."

Sunday the 18th of Silversun

10:45, Pirepsah City Gym

The spectator seats in the Gym were filling up fast. Though the Gym could hold over a thousand people in the seats alone, there was barely a seat left and people were still filing in. Casey and Tyson watched the scene from the door to their small locker room, which had been assigned as their 'Break Room.'

"I guess Alex was right about one thing" Casey commented as another large group of spectators entered. "Having a Gym Leader battle in a tournament is great publicity."

The minutes dragged on forever as the boys waited for the tournament to start. Finally it was 11o'clock. The lights in the gym were dampened and a spotlight turned to a place next to the water stage. On that spot was Nurse Joy with a microphone in her hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen" she started and her voice rang out through the speakers. "Now is the time that you have all waited for. It is time to see a slew of hot-blooded battles which is guaranteed to give you thrill. Ladies and gentlemen, the Pirepsah City Tag Team Tournament has now begun!"

A nice, little, relaxing chapter. Everybody needs a break now and then, especially our heroes.

I wanted this to be a humorous break-chapter, much akin to chapter 3 in Barme Town. My only real complaint about this chapter, is the scene when the boys opens the door, only to find (what to them looks like) Alex about to grope Mia. I'm not sure if I pulled it off well enough or not, so I'll let you be the judge of that.

While you're judging, how did you like the backstory you were told for Alex? I know I didn't do much for Mia this chapter, but I think it's a somewhat plausible reason, for why we see teens controlling gyms in the anime and games.

So, next chapter we begin the semi-long-awaited Pirepsah City Tag Team Tournament (from now on in comments referred to as PCTTT, which is just as hard to say 5 times out loud). Just what will happen? Will it be a piece of cake? Or will the tournament utter destroy Casey and Tyson?

Party listing:

Casey:

Turtwig; Male; Nickname: Twurt; Type: Grass; Ability: Overgrowth; Current Moves: Tackle - Razor Leaf - Seed Bomb - Absorb

Corphish; Male; Nickname: Ruffer; Type: Water; Ability: Hyper Cutter; Current Moves: ViceGrip - Leer - Harden - Bubble

Tyson:

Torchic; Female; Nickname: Corona; Type: Fire; Ability: Blaze; Current Moves: Scratch - Growl - Flame Burst - Ember

Karrablast; Male; Nickname: Clamper; Type: Bug; Ability: Swarm; Current Moves: Peck - Leer - Endure - Fury Cutter

?; ?; Nickname: ?; Type: ?; Ability: ?; Current Moves: ?