Chapter Ten: Hoenn's Finest
Location: Sootopolis City, Hoenn
Tensions ran high at the Sootopolis Gym as May faced off with the gym leader, Juan. It was May's Mawile against Juan's Politoed, both battlers down to their last Pokémon. Kris, Iris, Brendan and Wes watched from the sidelines, Brendan cheering particularly hard, though Kris doubted May even heard it. She was getting intensely into the battle, practically screaming her attack orders and reacting whenever her Pokémon got hit. To her credit, she had learned when to go on the defensive as well, managing to step around Juan's subtler strategies.
As Juan ordered Politoed to use Earthquake, May countered with Iron Defense, causing Mawile to take almost no damage. Juan attempted Focus Blast next, but with Mawile's being half fairy-type, Politoed's attack still didn't bring it down, allowing Mawile to retaliate with a Play Rough attack, getting up close and physical with Politoed. Juan attempted one last attack in the form of Hydro Pump, but was too close to use it, and Mawile instead grabbed Politoed with its big jaws and slammed it across the arena and against the wall, winning the battle. As May earned the Rain Badge, she had officially eight badges in the Hoenn League and was ready to enter the Pokémon League.
"Kris' log, day 79 in Hoenn. A lot has happened since we, and by we, I mean I saved the day from Latias and Team Aqua's moist schemes. For one, I don't know what happened, exactly, but there has been a lot less arguing between May and Brendan. There's still some gentle bickering, but the tone is much softer. They even had a tag battle against Tate and Liza back in Mossdeep and both won themselves a Mind Badge. According to Brendan, he 'didn't hate' the experience, but wasn't going to try to earn any new ones. Me and Iris also fought them and earned ourselves a badge each, bringing my total to eight, at last, allowing me to take it chill until the tournament starts."
"Of course, me being me, I was pretty modest as usual in regards to me saving the day."
"Hey, so, that one move you pulled with Blaziken," Kris told May as the group left the gym, everyone barely listening at this point, "wasn't it almost kind of like when I swooped in towards Latias to get the Red Orb? Huh? Remember that? When I did that?"
"YES!" May, Brendan, Iris and Wes all shouted at the same time.
"Modesty, thy name is Kris. Anyway, Hilda left almost immediately at Mossdeep, apparently to tell the old couple at Mt. Pyre about what happened to the orbs. I doubt anyone will find them after I dropped them (intentionally, of course) to the bottom of the ocean. Lyra was with us for one day and then left. Let's just say she's been brought down a peg, a fact that I got a lot of mileage from. Just a few weeks ago her face was plastered everywhere, now this whole region seems to like to pretend she doesn't even exist, seeing as the submarine ended up being retrieved by the navy. Wes is still with us, though – unfortunately. At least he listens to stories about how awesome I was, but keeps interrupting with some boring old tales of his own about how he took out criminals in Orre. Blah, blah, Wes! It's not all about you, sheesh."
"Mr. Briney and Peeko are with us, too. Briney agreed to ferry us around east Hoenn, which is pretty much made up of islands that are way too far from each other. From Mossdeep, he took us to Lilycove, where Brendan earned himself his fourth ribbon that made him eligible for the Hoenn Grand Festival. May was surprisingly cool with this detour and neither of them acted like before, being in a hurry all the time. Weird. It probably helped that none other than Norman was there watching Brendan compete, allowing May to challenge him to a rematch and earn the Balance Badge."
Kris remembered as Norman had sat frowning and arms crossed in the audience in awkward silence between May and Kris. May was too busy cheering Brendan on to notice Norman's cold demeanor, though. When Kris had asked Norman if he was finally proud of his son, what with him on his way to earning a Master Rank ribbon, to which Norman had replied: "You'd think so, wouldn't you?" And yet, he had traveled all the way from Petalburg to Lilycove apparently just to watch the contest.
"From Lilycove, we headed to Sootopolis, where May got her eighth badge and where the Grand Festival is also held. So even though there isn't a Contest Hall here, Sootopolis is like the central hub for all the region's Coordinators, considering that's where the famous Wallace and Juan are both from. The sad thing is that, what with all that nastiness a couple of weeks ago, Wallace has been kinda busy, and as he's both the Top Coordinator of Hoenn and the current Champion, the Grand Festival and the Hoenn League are held at the same time. That means heading to Ever Grande City for Iris, May, Wes and myself."
The group waited at the Sootopolis City Docks for Mr. Briney to return to his boat after going out for supplies, Peeko sitting faithfully on the pier to guard it. They happily chatted away about nothing in particular until Briney arrived. After that, it was time for Brendan to say farewell to the others. Kris realized she had traveled with him for two months now. May hadn't been apart from him in that time either, though it was Brendan who wasn't handling it very well, constantly fumbling his words and on the verge of bursting into tears. Because she wanted to give them privacy, and partly because she had little patience for their sap, she turned to Briney.
"So what are your plans after all this?" she asked the old captain.
"Oh, they called for my expertise on the ship project," Briney said proudly. "After Stern's Shipyard completes the ferry, we'll start work on a massive cruise ship, I think."
"What will the ferry be called?" Kris asked. "Ooh, I have a good name: Miss Love Ducklett! You'd think my suggestions would carry weight since, I, you know, helped get back the submarine and all... and saved Hoenn."
"Kris," Iris pointed out.
"We saved Hoenn," Kris amended reluctantly.
"I meant that Steven asked us not to talk about that too openly, remember?"
"The ship already has a name," Briney said, "the S.S. Tidal."
"Boring," Kris grumbled.
"I know," Briney sighed. "Stern always lacked imagination."
Fortunately, May was able to say her goodbyes without much drama. After all, the tournament only lasted for a few days, after which the two would meet each other again. Kris admitted not having much of a plan about what to do after the tournament – she just went with the flow for now.
~o~O~o~
Location: Ever Grande City, Hoenn
Ever Grande, the city where the Hoenn League Tournament would take place, was built high on top of the many cliffs around a large, lush island composed of mostly mountains and untamed wilderness. The cliffs Ever Grande had been built on were lush with grass and flowers, a natural paradise. A quiet place most of the time, whenever a tournament or some other big event was arranged on the gigantic stadium built on the highest point of the city, it became full of life. The hotels were booked full, business-minded people from all over the region set up shops, stands and other services and tourists swarmed in from all over the world. In contrast with the busy and urban Kanto and Johto and the cold Sinnoh, Hoenn's tropical climate drew in the biggest crowds of all.
Even after riding on her earlier success, Kris was not sure if she was ready for this.
On the eve of the tournament, Kris, Iris, May and Wes settled into the hotel specifically designed for contestants and their entourages, Wes signing in as a 'freelance training coach' to get in. Unfortunately, that meant he kept accompanying Kris and the others wherever they went. The next day, the tournament began, and the contestants settled into the waiting room that made the one at the Silver Conference look like a broom closet.
"This is so exciting!" Iris squeed, unable to sit still and instead running around, her Fraxure and Excadrill out of their Poké Balls as Iris had polished Excadrill's claws and Fraxure's tusks. "I've never competed in a tournament before!"
"Yeah, I'm kind of surprised," Kris said. "You were pretty comfortable sitting the Silver Conference out on the sidelines."
"It was too late to sign in anyway," Iris said casually as she inspected Fraxure's teeth. "But I really wanted to test you out on an official match. Imagine, half of Hoenn will probably be watching this tournament from their homes! Maybe even more than that."
Kris suddenly felt queasy, and it wasn't because of the questionably cheap and odd-smelling onigri she had bought earlier.
May was standing slightly away from the others, giving a lecture to her Blaziken, Breloom and Mawile like a drill sergeant, having insisted earlier that no one bother her while she prepared herself. Meanwhile, Wes arrived into the room carrying a bunch of water bottles in his lap, giving Kris and Iris one each and corking one of his own.
"Wow," he panted. "You'd think I'd get to use it, coming from Orre and all, but this place is hot. How you doin' Kris?"
"Fine," Kris lied. "Though seeing you made me realize why my stomach is upset."
Wes laughed obliviously. "Good one," he said annoyingly. "Always a quip ready, huh. You gonna trash-talk at your opponents?"
"Maybe that's how they do it in Hicktown, but I'm going to carry myself with dignity and style," Kris said and attempted to open the cork in her bottle. "Argh! Stupid ****** thing, open up you *****!"
"You want any last-minute training tips?" Wes asked. "'Cause, you know, I do have experience. Have I told you about the time me and Rui took on a gang of-"
"Yes!" Kris snapped. "And no to tips. I don't remember seeing you battle at the Silver Conference."
"Did they ever hold tournaments in Orre?" Iris asked politely.
"Alas, no," Wes sighed melodramatically. "Nothin' too official. I mean, we don't even have a Pokémon League. There were some Pokémon battle competitions, but being a busy man, I never took part in 'em."
"What I'm hearing is, you were too scared," Kris said mockingly and took a sip of water as she finally got the bottle open. "Trust me, I don't need your help."
"Ly!" Iris yelled suddenly.
Wearing big, dorky sunglasses for some reason, Lyra had just entered the room. Kris was wondering where she had been, and as she spotted Iris calling out for her, she waved in an oddly subdued way and walked over to the group quietly.
"I was worried!" Iris told her. "Where have you been?"
"...places," Lyra muttered evasively.
She never did know how to lie, Kris thought as she saw Lyra take her sunglasses off carefully after looking around her.
"Brendan isn't here?" she asked.
"Nah, he's at the Grand Festival," Iris replied. "I hope his dad is there to cheer him on. We met him at Lilycove, and he was kind of... um, reserved. What places have you been in?"
"...just training," Lyra muttered and looked away from Iris.
Oddly, it was Wes who said out loud what Kris had just been thinking about:
"You ashamed that your fifteen minutes are over?" he asked, though his tone wasn't as biting as Kris' would have been. "You shouldn't be nervous. When people are comfortable, they tend to forget and take things for granted."
"When?!" Lyra groaned. "When I was coming here, some random guy yelled at me for being a media Orre. I don't even know what that means!"
"I don't think he said 'Orre'," Iris said awkwardly.
"I blame you!" Lyra shouted and pointed at Wes, almost jabbing him in the eye. "You told me to go the Weather Institute and become a hero, and look where that led me!"
Kris frowned and looked at Wes curiously. Why would he do that?
"That friend of Red's I told you about asked me to!" Wes explained quickly to Kris, noticing her stare. "Nothin' nefarious about that. And what are you complaining about?" he asked Lyra. "You got to be one, didn't you. Ain't my fault you didn't have what it took to go all the way."
"You know about this 'friend'?" Lyra asked Kris. "Why would they have any interest in you? I mean, I'm just asking."
"I'm sorry, how about next time a cataclysmic disaster occurs, I let you do all the work," Kris snapped at Lyra, who seemed surprised at Kris' hostility. "I'd like to see how that would turn out. Oh, wait, we already tried that, didn't we? And which one of us was the completely useless one?"
"Kris!" Iris scolded.
"We all have self-esteem issues sometimes, but I don't think you were that useless," Lyra countered.
"Oh, suh-nap!" Wes smirked. "Shots fired!"
"Shut up, Wes!" Kris, Lyra and Iris yelled at the same time.
"Would you four just get a room already and shut up!" a random contestant yelled. "They're about to announce the lineup!"
All eyes turned on the closest of the many large video screens hanging on the walls all over the room. The image of a short, spirited old man with a very impressive beard appeared on the screen to voice an apparently prerecorded message.
"Attention, trainers! I am Mr. Goodshow of the Pokémon Association and I welcome you all to the Hoenn League Tournament in Ever Grande City. With the opening ceremony out of the way, the battles are about to begin. The tournament will last four days, so all of you will most likely be battling at least twice a day. A single loss will cause you to be eliminated from the tournament, and on top of that, our jury will score your performances in case of ties or similar cases. Your opponents will soon be shown on these monitors and you will be called to the field. Good luck to all of you!"
Soon enough, the images of all 128 competitors appeared on the screens. Looking around and searching for her own mug shot, Kris eventually tracked it down, along with the images of Iris, Lyra and May. Iris would be facing Ace Trainer Quincy, Lyra would be up against Ace Trainer Katelynn and May would be up against Swimmer Harrison. But Kris was aghast at the trainer she had been paired against – she hadn't even seen him anywhere after almost three months of traveling around Hoenn. Lyra spotted him too and started laughing, and from the crowds, Kris' upcoming opponent, still wearing his familiar cap and comfy shorts, emerged and approached Kris with a huge grin on his face.
"Howdy, everyone!" greeted Joey. "So, Kris – ready to fight against the trainer from the top percentage of trainers?"
Kris burst into laughter as well. Whoever chose this lineup, she thought, have a little less faith in me, why don't ya?
Hours passed as Kris waited for her turn. During that time, Iris, May and Lyra all beat their opponents and made it to the second round. Kris wasn't even nervous. She felt like laughing at just how easy it would be. For once, she wouldn't be the one humiliated in front of millions of viewers.
Eventually, Kris and Joey were called into the battlefield. As they both assumed their places, Kris ignored the cheering audience, the banter of the announcers, the way Joey was nervously fidgeting in anticipation – she went into her zone.
"Kris of New Bark Town versus Joey of Cherrygrove City," the referee announced and pulled his flag down. "Begin!"
Kris knew what to do right away, sending out the Pokémon who secured her a victory against Tate and Liza: her Chandelure. Joey, on the other hand, sent out his... Raticate.
Of course.
"All right, Chandelure!" Kris yelled. "Use Flamethrower!"
"Raticate!" Joey commanded. "Sucker Punch!"
Kris recoiled at Raticate's speed, the way it jumped into the air, turned one of its hind legs black and ambushed Chandelure, striking before it could make a move, causing the Flamethrower to miss.
Oh. OH! OHHHHH! You want to play this game?!
"Will-O-Wisp!"
Chandelure struck Raticate with a blue fireball, managing to make Joey's Pokémon consumed by a blue flame. Try attacking physically now, you shorts-obsessed little-
"Bubble Beam!"
Raticate opened its mouth and blasted Chandelure with a barrage of bubbles, all of them popping and drenching Chandelure, eventually knocking it out. Kris couldn't believe what was happening as she was forced to withdraw Chandelure, down to two Pokémon now.
"Yeah!" Joey cheered with his fist in the air. "What did I tell ya? It's like my Raticate is-"
"Don't even say it!" Kris threatened. "Or I'll chop you into bits the moment this battle is over! Shrew, go!"
As Kris had chosen her three Pokémon for the match, she hadn't gone with her A-game, having hoped to save Croc for a later, more challenging match. Kris didn't like making Shrew fight, but her options were limited.
As the little Sandshrew came out of its Poké Ball and blinked calmly at its opponent, Joey made a dramatic battle pose.
"All right, Raticate!" he yelled. "Use Bubble Beam again!"
"Dig!" Kris commanded.
The Bubble Beam missed as Shrew dived into the dirt as if it was water, moving its way underground and confusing Raticate, only to emerge from behind it and strike it with a full-body tackle.
"Now, grab him!" Joey yelled. "And use Hyper Fang!"
"Defense Curl!" Kris ordered quickly.
Shrew couldn't break free from Raticate's grip in time – but it could curl into a ball and harden its skin. When Raticate tried to sink its massive fangs into the Sandshrew's hide, it reacted with a pained yowl, as if it had tried to take a bite of solid rock.
As Kris ordered a Slash next, Raticate went down and was declared unable to battle.
Okay, we're tied again, Kris thought, that first one was just bad luck. I'll beat him. It's frickin' Joey!
Joey was clearly surprised to see his prized Pokémon go down, but didn't dwell on it too long. He quickly sent out his next Pokémon – a Noctowl.
"Seriously?!" Kris groaned. "What is this I don't even? Do you really have eight badges?"
"Ah, but this is no ordinary Noctowl!" Joey said with his finger authoritatively in the air. "For it's-"
"I don't want to hear it!" Kris snapped. "Shrew, Rock Slide!"
"Noctowl, Hypnosis!"
The large, round-eyed brown flying-type was faster, making its eyes glow red and shooting red, expanding circles at Shrew. Before Shrew could launch its attack, its eyes started to close and it started stumbling groggily around the battlefield. As Kris just yelled at Shrew to get its act together, Joey ordered his Noctowl to use Air Slash, which knocked Shrew out in a single blow.
No, Kris thought as she recalled Shrew. I'm losing. To Joey. JOEY!
Kris pulled her last Poké Ball slowly from her pocket, considering her strategy. Her next Pokémon had beaten Winona's Swellow and evolved, only to lose to her Altaria later. She hadn't really seen battle since. But Kris was putting all her hope into this one. Everyone else had made it past the first round. She was not going to be a laughingstock.
"Kirlia, go!"
The white and green Pokémon floated gracefully out of its capsule, serenely observing its surroundings. Kris knew Kirlia couldn't withstand much punishment, but also knew exactly how to make sure she would give the battle her all.
"Kirlia!" Kris shouted at her. "I know you haven't battled much, but I believe in you! And no matter what happens, you'll still be a hugely important part of my team!"
That did the trick: Kirlia squealed happily and prepared itself for combat. As Joey ordered Noctowl to use Hypnosis again, Kris quickly ordered a Teleport, allowing Kirlia to vanish and reappear behind Noctowl. Next, Kris ordered a Thunderbolt, which hurt Noctowl considerably, but didn't knock it out. When Joey ordered Noctowl to land and recover its energy by using Roost, Kris knew to struck.
"Kirlia, Hypnosis!"
Joey let out a groan as his Noctowl became sleepy. "Not fair!" he complained.
"Not so fun when it happens to you, huh?" Kris taunted. "Kirlia, Psyshock!"
Noctowl couldn't dodge or retaliate in its condition, allowing Kirlia to charge its attack, conjuring up a light blue, dark blue and purple orb of energy, then fire all three at Noctowl, knocking it out.
Come on, creep, Kris thought to herself, licking her lips nervously as Joey withdrew Noctowl. Make your move. Bring in your last Pokémon.
"Go, Diggersby!" Joey yelled.
"Huh?! I don't even know what that is..."
Kris brought up her PokéDex, who still hadn't regained its ability to annoy Kris with insults – she was beginning to miss it already. However, the text still showed, informing Kris that the large and gray bipedal rabbit-like thing before her was normal- and ground-type, an evolved form of Bunnelby, originating from Kalos. Its ears could apparently lift a ton each – Kris called Tauros on that.
"Better be careful, Kirlia," Kris said. "Put up a Reflect!"
Kirlia raised her hands, surrounding herself with a shining, multicolored and mostly transparent ball. But Joey just smirked at this.
"Not gonna work," he taunted. "Diggersby, Mud Shot!"
Diggersby opened its mouth wide, firing multiple balls of mud at Kirlia. The mud globs passed through the barrier like it was air, visibly hurting Kirlia.
"Now, Brick Break!" Joey ordered.
"Teleport!" Kris said quickly.
Kirlia managed to flee from Diggersby's attack, but the Diggersby still managed to shatter the barrier to pieces. Kris ordered Psyshock, but to her shock, Diggersby was faster as Joey ordered it to use Earthquake. The seismic wave Diggersby created knocked Kirlia off-balance, putting her to the brink of unconsciousness. Kris desperately went through strategies in her mind, but all she could think about was how beaten-down and tired Kirlia looked, probably too tired to lift her arm for a single attack.
"Secure our victory, Diggersby!" Joey yelled. "One more Earthquake!"
"Destiny Bond!" Kris shouted quickly.
Kirlia didn't hesitate, as all she had to do was envelop herself in a purple glow. As the Earthquake hit her, Diggersby glowed purple too, forcing it to stop attacking. Both Pokémon fell and closed their eyes at the same time, leaving the whole arena in confused silence. Kris and Joey withdrew their Pokémon and slowly turned to look at the judge simultaneously.
"It's a tie!" the judge yelled. "Both Kirlia and Diggersby are unable to battle."
I tied against Joey? Youngster Joey?! I'm a disgrace!
"But," Joey said weakly, "who won?"
Kris, however, remembered the instruction video. As she suspected, the jury, among them none other than Steven, filling in for Wallace, withdrew to calculate a score for Kris and Joey. The contestants themselves had to stand awkwardly in place and wait for the score to appear on the giant screen.
Finally, Steven stood up and spoke into his microphone.
"Attention, everyone," he said. "We have now finished counting the points for our contestants. Joey of Cherrygrove City fought admirably with Pokémon rarely used in these tournaments and is to be commended for the wide variety of moves he had taught his Raticate, as well as his excellent strategy against Kirlia's Reflect. However, his Pokémon may have been pushed too hard, as evidenced by Raticate's injury when attempting to bite Sandshrew, or Noctowl's ill-timed attempt to recover energy. For this, we award him with eighty-nine points out of one hundred."
The audience applauded, Joey smiling and nodding to himself contently. Kris put her hands behind her back to mask how much they were shaking, begging to herself she'd do better than that.
"Kris of New Bark Town," Steven continued, Kris swearing that Steven glanced at her briefly, "has demonstrated good understanding of her Pokémon's capabilities. Her underestimation of her opponent and her lack of planning may have cost the early run of the battle, however, as did her falling to Noctowl's Hypnosis attack."
Kris closed her eyes. That's it. I'm moving to Holon and living in the woods for the rest of my life.
"But," Steven continued, "her performance with Kirlia was deemed nothing sort of excellent and her strategy was sound. Her compassion towards the predicament of her Pokémon was noted, and her final strategy of using Destiny Bond was deemed surprising and highly entertaining to watch. Due to this, we award her with ninety-one points out of one hundred. That means Kris of New Bark Town wins!"
Kris didn't open her eyes until she heard the crowd cheering for her. She exhaled loudly in relief and tried to smile as naturally as she could when she realized her face was on the giant screen. She had made it. But from that moment on, the battles would only get harder.
~o~O~o~
Later that day, in a different part of Ever Grande City
In one of the many hotels around the coast, a rich guest 'entertained' a hapless waiter with his stories. The guest just lounged in a beach chair and sipped drinks that the waiter kept supplying to him while standing nearby, looking bored. However, it was worth it, as the guest kept slipping him bills with plenty of zeroes in them. The guest, having just signed in with the name 'Missile', was peculiar in the sense that he was wearing a stylish black suit in what must have been a 98-degree day, and to top it all off, always hid a part of his face with a domino mask.
"...which, if you think about it, is the true purpose in everything, wouldn't you agree?" Missile asked the waiter.
"Yes, sir," the waiter responded monotonously.
"Now take me for instance," Missile continued. "When I came to this country, I was but a humble and somewhat successful scholar, but even with all my knowledge, I couldn't pay all the bills. With a large amount of Pokémon in my care, my only choice was to join Team Rocket. You don't know what Team Rocket is, do you, boy?"
"No, I'm afraid not, sir."
"Good – this sounds cooler out of context. Now, I admit that I did join them and worked for them, but what those so-called 'authorities' missed was the big picture. I was bringing the gang down from the inside! I was respected, feared and loved wherever I went, charming Executives to telling me their darkest secrets before activating the traps I had prepared! Bam! But what do I have to show for it? Nothing! Because of them!"
"Them, sir?"
"Those meddling kids!" Missile snapped, banging the table nearby with his fist and spilling his drinks, forcing the exhausted waiter to refill his glass. "Thinking they were some kind of heroes. They just happened to be at the right – or wrong – place at the right time! My plans were based on minute details and rigorous planning, but they just stumbled upon the tripwires of justice and snorted a mouthful of unearned glory. There was a metaphor I was going for here but I lost my train of thought."
"Quite, sir."
"So, even when I help them, and pretty much am responsible for Team Rocket's defeat, I get no glory, no recognition. I try to slip away unnoticed, and I get arrested! Where is the justice of the world? Where were those heroes then, huh? Well, at that point, I prepared my backup plan, a fiendish one with compelling intricacies, I daresay. I avoided authority long enough to put a message to my friends in the underworld, pleading their help against the obstructive system. They complied, and as I was finally apprehended and delivered into a holding cell, their sabotage and subtly laid out roadblocks caused the car I was in to stop on a perilous cliff around Mt. Mortar! As soon as the guards left the car, I managed to deactivate the hand brake, sliding the car off the cliff and into my certain doom. Now, I know what you're thinking-"
"Indeed?"
"-how could that be the end of the story? Well, clearly, I am here telling it to you-"
"A grim fact of life, I daresay, sir."
"-meaning I had a cunning plan. I managed to bolt out of the car just before it fell and was utterly crushed, falling into a carefully placed net. Appropriating a change of clothes from the nearby stash, I shredded my old clothes, left some blood on them just in case and hid the clothes in the wreckage, along with an exhumed but unrecognizable body. Best of all, I had anticipated this well before I even joined Team Rocket, taking a life insurance that left the money for my dear mother – whose bank account I have been able to get access to for years, I must add. With the money, I left down south to start a new life. Now you're thinking, 'as enjoyable as that riveting tale was, why is he telling it to a lowly servant like me?'"
"Why indeed, sir."
"I have no fear!" Missile announced. "Missile is just a nickname I received during training for Team Rocket – no one knows my true identity or country of origin, thanks to the miracles of modern plastic surgery! But my plan does not end here. Tell me, sonny boy, have you ever had the pleasure to read 'The Count of Camphrier'? Ah, no need to answer – of course you haven't! Well, my current goal is a plan so fiendishly intricate, it rivals even the perfectly executed revenge in that book. I am going to get my revenge on those kids and restore my honor!"
After finishing his rant, Missile gulped down his drink and looked at his watch.
"Oh, they're battling now – I missed the first round entirely! Put on the televisual device, would you, servant?"
The waiter grumbled about something, but not for too long after Missile slipped another large bill at him. He gave Missile a portable television (having been prepared for any demands) that he immediately switched on and flipped to the right channel to follow the second round of the tournament. With the portable TV in his lap, Missile sat back and enjoyed himself... until he recognized the perky, brown-haired girl wearing blue overalls currently in battle. He took a sip of his drink just so he could do a spit take all over the screen, which the disgruntled waiter had to clean.
"It's..." Missile stuttered. "Her! It's her! So the others must be..."
Missile took a deep breath and calmed down, glaring at the image of Lyra on the screen.
"Good," he said quietly. "Enjoy yourselves while you still can – because I will meet you soon."
~o~O~o~
The next day, the tournament continued. Kris, Iris, Lyra and May had all gotten past the second round and made it to the top thirty-two. After some hurried preparation for the afternoon battles, the four rushed to the stadium, Wes attempting to desperately keep up with the requests the girls made and hurry to the market to buy the necessary items, regretting he ever offered to help. By the time the battles started, he still hadn't returned, but that didn't stop both Kris and Lyra from beating their opponents.
The last battle of the third round was an interesting one: Iris would face off against May. Though Lyra left somewhere to train, Kris was very interested in seeing how this battle would end up and hurried to the front row seats reserved for the contestants. Kris practically leaned over the railing in excitement as the battle began – no less because she'd be very likely to face the winner in the fourth round.
Iris began with her Excadrill while May sent out Breloom. Undaunted by the clear type advantage, Iris cleverly ordered Excadrill to use Poison Jab, which hurt Breloom and even managed to give it poisoning, only to see Breloom's Poison Heal ability activate, only making it stronger. Breloom countered with a Sky Uppercut, which hurt Excadrill but didn't knock it out, as Iris was able to counter quickly with Iron Defense.
The two contestants were evenly matched and Kris couldn't take her eyes off the battle, which moved at a very fast pace. Iris stood there, giving orders in a calm but determined manner, making it impossible to gauge what she was thinking. In contrast, May still went for the rough, attack-as-much-as-possible approach, but it seemed to pay off, as all Excadrill could do was dodge and counter.
"Sandstorm!" Iris ordered.
This turned the tides of the battle. As Excadrill whipped up a sandstorm, Breoom was briefly blinded and the whole battlefield became obscured, Kris having to rely on the gigantic screen to see what was going on. In a sandstorm, Excadrill became infinitely faster, effortlessly dodging even Breloom's Mach Punch and countering with a Metal Claw attack that finally brought May's Breloom down. As the sandstorm died down, the audience cheered and whistled, with Kris among the loudest of them.
"Excuse me," a male voice suddenly spoke from next to Kris, making her flinch.
"Gah!"
Kris looked up at whoever was speaking with her. It was a young, tall man with fairly long and shaggy black hair, part of which was sticking up at the top. In contrast with this, though, he was very snappily dressed, wearing a stylish dark blue suit with a red tie.
"Don't do that!" Kris snapped at him, causing the man to recoil nervously.
"Ah, sorry," he said and backed away a little. "I was just wondering... you're Kris from New Bark Town, aren't you? I saw your earlier battles and was very impressed. Particularly that Destiny Bond move."
"Well," Kris said, looking away bashfully while fiddling with her hair, "it was really more of a... yeah, it was pretty cool, wasn't it?"
"Yes it was," the man nodded and smiled reassuringly. "May I sit down?" he asked, and Kris nodded, seeing as she was the only person in the front row. "My name is Cheren," the man introduced himself. "I am the gym leader of Aspertia City, though that is just one of my many duties."
Kris frowned at him. "Haven't we met somewhere before?"
"Quite possibly, I have been in Johto a couple of times," Cheren said politely. "But I'm here to talk business. I hope you don't mind, but when I saw your first battle in the tournament, I was immediately interested and used my contacts to see if you had any earlier experience in tournaments. It turned out you finished eighth in the Silver Conference six months ago! That is an amazing achievement indeed!"
Kris grinned. "Thanks," she said proudly. "Getting there wasn't exactly a cakewalk, though."
"I know," Cheren nodded. "I managed to look up that info, too. You managed to complete the trials devised by the Dragon Clan! I know most Unovans don't even know what those are, but I have to know these things. It's part of my job. Well, jobs."
Kris started to like this fellow more and more, even if she couldn't shake off the feeling she had met him once. "What do you do, anyway?" she asked.
"Besides the gym leader thing?" Cheren said with a smile. "Well, the gym I run is actually where the future great trainers of Unova are made! It was a school before they converted it into a gym and asked me to be its leader, but I asked them to keep it as a place of learning as well. That way, I can both test the skills of trainers and teach young minds about Pokémon at the same time."
Kris had an unpleasant flashback to the school-like gym in Rustboro City, but nonetheless smiled and nodded at Cheren.
"Before I became a gym leader, I worked for a talent scouting company," Cheren said as he took a card from his pocket and handed it to Kris. "I still do freelance work for them whenever I can. We're always looking out for skilled trainers and offer a variety of programs to hone their skills even further. Not that I'm implying you'd need us to become a master trainer, of course," Cheren amended nervously.
"Well, I wouldn't," Kris said as she read the card, "but this place does sound interesting. Are you saying that-"
"Yes, I knew you'd see through me like steel mill worker's tank top," Cheren smiled, causing Kris to almost break into a giggling fit. "I'm interested in recruiting you. The perks are pretty good, too. Since Unova is so far away, you'd only have to come there once to sign the papers, with us paying all the expenses. Any work we'd want you to do could be done wherever you happen to be at the moment, seeing as we have representation all over the globe. You'd do it whenever it suited you, of course, and you'd be very well compensated."
Kris felt her hands sweating as she pretended to keep reading the business card. In reality, her mind was racing with ideas. Was this what Hilda and the others had talked about? Had everything paid off at last? Or already? She hadn't been a Pokémon trainer for even a year and things were already looking up. What could she say?
Meanwhile, Wes entered the stadium and headed to the audience in search of Kris, dutifully delivering the Pokémon food and vitamins he had left to buy. Looking around from the entrance near the back row, Wes finally spotted Kris sitting in the front – and dropped everything he was carrying in shock once he realized who Kris was talking with.
Hastily picking up his items, Wes rudely pushed his way past people and rushed to the front row, hearing the tail-end of Kris and Cheren's conversation.
"...not asking you to decide now, of course," Wes heard Cheren say in his usual suave way, "especially in the middle of a tournament. My number is there, so feel free to call when you want."
"Thank you!" Kris said as she put the business card in her pocket and noticed Wes. "Oh, there you are," she said harshly. "Take a little longer, why don't you?"
"You wouldn't believe the lines," Wes panted, glaring at Cheren as he turned to look at him politely. "What are you doing talking with this guy?!"
"Sorry for talking with a stranger, mom," Kris said and rolled her eyes. "Wait, do you know this guy?"
Wes bit his lip. "I-"
"Oh, you're friends with Wesley from Orre?" Cheren asked Kris smoothly. "We've heard about his skills a while back and attempted to talk about co-operation with him. We couldn't recruit him, obviously, due to his rather, well, clouded past-"
"That's one way of saying that he's a creep," Kris muttered.
"-but we're always interested in strong trainers and asked if he would like some work. He refused, unfortunately, but it's his choice."
Avoiding looking at Cheren, Wes handed Kris the stuff he had bought.
"Seriously, Kris," he muttered, as if Cheren couldn't hear him, "you don't want to associate with-"
"Hey, shush, the battle's about to wrap up!" Kris said and pushed Wes away, turning back to the match.
Even when May's first Pokémon had fallen, she had fought valiantly, managing to bring down Iris' Excadrill and Sliggoo. Both Iris and May were down to their last Pokémon, Fraxure and Blaziken, who both looked very exhausted. However, as May ordered Blaziken to use Hi Jump Kick, Iris quickly ordered a Dig, allowing it to evade the attack and making Blaziken crash down and hurt itself. It was weakened even more as Fraxure's Dig attack hit it, and when Blaziken attempted to retaliate weakly, Iris ordered a Dragon Rage which finally knocked Blaziken out. Iris was declared the winner, which meant May would be dropping out of the tournament.
"I gotta go talk to them!" Kris exclaimed suddenly, jumped off his seat and shoved both Wes and Cheren out of the way as she rushed up the stairs and skipped away. Wes didn't remember the last time he had seen her being this energetic.
Cheren also stared after Kris, smiling proudly as if he had achieved something.
"Doesn't she look happy?" he asked.
Wes made sure no one was looking and grabbed Cheren by his tie, dragging his face close to his.
"Whoa!" Cheren exclaimed, still smiling. "You have to buy me dinner first if that's what you want."
"What were you doing with her?" Wes hissed at him. "I thought you wanted me to just report her activities to you and that's it!"
"Please, Wesley," Cheren said, sounding outright bored, "I do have other things going on, you know. We were having a friendly chat, is all. And looks like I just boosted her confidence a bit."
"By smooth-talk and manipulation, yeah, you should feel really proud!" Wes grumbled at him. "If you want me to keep working for you, you'll stay away from her!"
"Aren't we a mite possessive today," Cheren chuckled. "You're not her brother or her boyfriend, and even if you were, I doubt she'd need you of all people to... what are you doing, anyway? Protecting her or whatever?"
"This isn't about that!" Wes snapped. "I... well, how do you expect me to keep up my cover if you just show up like that!"
With Wes loosening his grip, Cheren just smiled condescendingly at him as he pulled his tie away from Wes' grasp and adjusted it.
"Are we feeling guilty?" Cheren asked.
"Hardly," Wes scoffed. "Much as I hate workin' with someone like you, it's much more important than her. Even if she is linked somehow... by the way, it's probably pointless to ask, but why are you here? Have you even done anything to find out who was behind Navel Rock?"
"I came here to do my job," Cheren said defensively, "two, actually. You know Alder is watching this tournament, right? He's one of the sponsors and celebrity guests. Guess who the other one is?"
Wes thought about it, but was interrupted when the tournament announcer's voice started blaring through the speakers:
"Good afternoon, battle fans! We had some dazzling battles during that third round, and I hope you all stay tuned for the fourth one, starting this evening! For now, we'd like to take this opportunity to thank the person who made this tournament possible! Put your hands together for madam Sird of Galaxy Enterprises!"
The image of a tall, glamorous businesswoman with a fancy suit and slightly graying hair, giving her a very dignified appearance, appeared on the screen.
"It's great to be here in Hoenn!" Sird addressed the audience, who applauded wildly. "And I have good news to offer: half of the profits from the many sales stands in the area go directly to helping the victims of the recent storm that plagued east Hoenn. I will personally be making sure the reconstruction efforts go as planned. Enjoy the tournament and good luck to all our remaining sixteen contestants!"
Wes turned to look at Cheren again for answers, while Cheren just smiled and jerked his head towards the screen. Wes looked at it again and then raised his eyebrows at Cheren.
"Sird?" he said quietly, even though there was no one close by. "No... she's a philan... philontro... she does charity work! The people love her! She couldn't have- wait, did they say Galaxy Enterprises? I thought a guy called Cyrus ran it."
"Cyrus is the face of the company in Sinnoh, but he's actually just the executive vice president," Cheren lectured. "Sird calls the shots, but even though she lives in Sinnoh, she spends so much time traveling around that they need someone to run the day-to-day affairs. I was supposed to have a meeting with her, as my company wants to do business with hers. And you'll never guess who both of these companies answer for..."
Biting his lip, Wes sat down on the closest bench, Cheren sitting next to him. The stadium was clearing out, so no one was listening to their conversation.
"Them," Wes grumbled. "Always with them. But what would Sird have to gain?"
"The Griseous Orb, of course – though that's not a concern anymore, thanks to you," Cheren said in a vaguely amused tone. "Not only that, she had been a major investor to a lot of the research carried out there, especially the Pokémon biology experiments. No doubt she would have the motive to hide any trace of what happened there. So, she has you and the crew sent in to mop up-"
"-and calls in the air strike to mop us up," Wes muttered, then seemed to realize something. "But... what about those who made it out. Jas, and Hilda, who came here with Alder and is probably here now!"
"Well, it's been a long time and Sird hasn't done anything against them," Cheren pondered. "Perhaps she doesn't see them as a threat – and remember that this is all hypothetical here. What I'm more concerned about is our friend Crystal's dear little Sandshrew."
"You think Shrew got the brunt of their experiments?" Wes asked. "And Sird, or whoever was behind it, might try to...?"
"I'm not saying anything," Cheren said. "And I'm certainly not speaking ill of the great Sird. Not at all."
Wes smirked. "So, I take it you knew Hilda was here?"
"Of course," Cheren replied predictably.
"Are you gonna go see her? I thought you were old friends."
"A little too old," Cheren said quietly. "There's some bad blood. And don't forget that I was the one who got her to join the task force in the first place. And... well, a lot has happened in the past."
Wes wondered if Cheren's hesitation was real or if he was just messing with Wes' mind. He fully knew what it was like to have to fake emotions – he was very good at it, after all.
~o~O~o~
Late in the afternoon, Kris, Iris, Lyra and Wes gathered in the waiting room with the remaining contestants and their entourages, nervously anticipating the fourth round. Eight more would drop during this round, and Kris knew that the top 8 were all that the public at large would remember. To her and the others' surprise, May arrived into the waiting room, with Brendan no less. And the two weren't even bickering!
"May!" Iris exclaimed and stopped playing with her Sliggoo. "Um, I hope you're not upset or-"
"You kiddin'?!" May said with a smile. "That was an awesome battle! You've taught me so much!"
"Good to hear," Iris said in relief and turned at Brendan. "Hi! Aren't you supposed to be competing at the Grand Festival?"
Brendan sighed, though didn't look too broken up. "I didn't make it to the semifinals," he said. "Turns out there's a lot more to this Coordinator thing than just looking jaw-droppingly fabulous..."
"That's about as modest as he'll ever get," May smiled and shook Brendan's shoulders affectionately.
The room fell silent as the screens all over the room activated again, showing the fourth round's lineup. Iris and Lyra were quick to find their opponents, but everyone was particularly interested in the one who was going to challenge Kris. May gasped, wondering how she hadn't realized the challenger had been in the tournament the entire time: a short, pale green-haired boy whom both May and Brendan knew very well: Wally.
The boy approached the others through the crowd, gently waving at them and looking a little nervous, but nowhere near as psychologically wrecked as May and Brendan would have assumed him to be when forced to talk with strangers.
"Um, you're Kris, right?" Wally asked Kris quietly. "I'm really looking forward to our battle. I've seen you do very well so far."
"How are you here?" May wondered, though quickly backtracked when Wally turned to look at her, looking outright hurt by the comment. "I just meant... I didn't know you had eight badges."
"All thanks to you, Brendan and Mr. Norman," Wally smiled. "I got a lot healthier in Verdanturf Town and I've caught many new Pokémon that helped me get those."
"Well, congratulations on getting so far," Brendan said. "I, uh, never would have thought. I mean, I didn't even think you'd get one badge-"
"Brendan," May hissed.
"What, you thought that too."
"Bren-DAN!"
Wally bowed at Kris quickly before heading back to the other side of the room, leaving Kris confused. That kid had gotten this far? Had eight badges and had made it to the fourth round of the tournament? How? Why? Whence?
But Kris had learned her lesson from Joey. Honchkrow, Chandelure and Shrew had tired themselves out during the battle earlier today, which meant she would focus on fighting only with Pokémon she was sure would be at their fullest. Unfortunately, that included one who only had one battle so far, and had lost it.
This is your time to shine, Snorunt.
Kris and Wally's battle was for the fifth of that round. Iris had already battled her opponent and had won, while Lyra stayed in the waiting room all by herself as Kris walked to the arena. No longer unnerved by the crowds, Kris' fears were mostly Wally-centric. As the two assumed their places on each side of the battlefield, Kris glanced at Wally. He looked outright zen, just smiling slightly, not caring about the audience or Kris. Something about that didn't make Kris feel right.
But she had beaten Joey, and at least he had been a trainer much longer. This is just some twerp who got lucky, Kris thought. Nothing to worry about.
As the battle began, Kris sent out her Kirlia, while Wally sent out, to Kris' surprise, its evolved form, Gardevoir, which resembled Kirlia, but was much taller, its appearance making it look like a wispy, ghostly dancer who seemed to float a few inches above the ground. Right off the bat, Kris' prospects didn't look good.
"Thunderbolt!" she ordered.
"Light Screen!" Wally retaliated.
Kris cursed at Wally's cleverness when Gardevoir put up a protective barrier around him, the Thunderbolt managing to pass through it but doing a lot less damage than it ordinarily would.
"Disable!" Kris ordered.
Kirlia's eyes flashed blue, causing Gardevoir to briefly glow blue as well, the Light Screen eventually fading away. But Wally was quick to retaliate.
"Shadow Ball!" he ordered.
"Kirlia, Teleport!"
But before Kris even finished getting the words out, the sizzling black ball of energy had already struck Kirlia and brought her to the ground, bringing her on the verge of unconsciousness. No doubt Wally would be about to finish this off, so...
"Destiny Bond!" Kris ordered.
"Future Sight!" Wally yelled.
Kirlia surrounded herself with a purple glow again. However, when Wally's Gardevoir used his own attack, nothing seemed to happen. As such, the Destiny Bond's effects quickly subsided. Kris wasn't exactly sure what had happened, but as long as Kirlia was still in battle, things were golden.
"Oookay, then," Kris said to herself. "Kirlia, Thunderbolt again!" she ordered.
Kirlia managed to drag herself up and prepare for another attack – when suddenly she was struck by a blast of psychic energy, seemingly from out of nowhere. This blast knocked her out and Kris found herself with one less Pokémon, Wally's Gardevoir looking no worse for wear.
"Future Sight is a delayed attack," Wally explained to Kris, who gritted her teeth and withdrew Kirlia. "The Mossdeep Gym Leaders taught that to me. I have to say you still fought well, Kris."
Kris wanted to say 'thanks', but she was too consumed by rage and frustration to do so. Instead, she sent out her next Pokémon: Snorunt. Who still hadn't won one match so far. Well, no 'official' matches – Kris hadn't forgotten how it flash-froze Tabitha's Mightyena not too long ago. Kris ordered Snorunt to use Crunch, wanting to make sure Gardevoir would leave the field quickly. Wally ordered Gardevoir to use Teleport, allowing him to evade the move, but Snorunt kept on charging no matter where Gardevoir teleported, eventually landing a hit. But even after being hit, Gardevoir easily retaliated with a Psychic that lifted Snorunt in the air and tossed it away, almost knocking it out.
"Hax!" Kris complained. "That should have knocked your Gardevoir out already!"
"Don't you know?" Wally asked. "Gardevoir is part Fairy-type. Dark-type attacks are not a problem for him anymore."
"Oh, you have got to be... Snorunt, Ice Beam!"
"Gardevoir, Misty Terrain!"
Even as Gardevoir was hit by the attack, he didn't retaliate immediately. Instead, he released a cloud of blue mist from his body, covering the ground with it. Kris ordered Snorunt to fire Ice Beam again, but Gardevoir was faster, hitting Snorunt with a Dazzling Gleam attack. Firing a concentrated beam of light from his eyes, Wally's Gardevoir knocked Kris' Snorunt out – and it still wasn't too badly hurt.
Kris recalled Snorunt and desperately sent out her last, and most strongest Pokémon. Croc flexed its muscles and roared at Gardevoir, who didn't react in any way, just floated and waited for Wally's commands. But Kris got to it first, ordering Croc to use Hydro Pump, which Gardevoir dodged again with Teleport. Kris didn't back down, instead ordering Croc to use Slash. The Feraligatr charged at Gardevoir, ready to swipe him with his claws, but Gardevoir put up a Reflect instead, causing Croc to bounce off it and fall on his back.
"Croc, fight!" Kris commanded desperately as she watched Croc struggle in pulling himself up. "That thing took out two of your friends already! You have to beat it! Use Ice Fang!"
But the Reflect Gardevoir had put up stopped the attack neatly. Wally retaliated with Dazzling Gleam, but without having to be told what to do, Croc shielded his eyes from the blinding flash of light.
"Good job, Croc!" Kris yelled. "Now, Hydro Pump again!"
This time, the Feraligatr was close enough to hit Gardevoir and blast him with water shooting at an enormous pressure. The mass of water hit straight through the Reflect barrier and knocked Gardevoir away from it, causing him to fall on the ground briefly.
"Now use Earthquake!" Kris ordered.
"Magical Leaf!" Wally countered.
Once again, Gardevoir was faster. He raised his hands above his head, then brought them forward releasing a gust of glowing, sharp-edged leaves at Croc. Kris yelled at the Feraligatr, telling it to keep fighting, to keep struggling... but nothing seemed to work. For a while, the wounded Feraligatr just stared at the Gardevoir, who was also exhausted, then collapsed and was declared unable to battle.
Kris tried to feel angry, but she couldn't be. Not at Wally, not at herself and certainly not at her Pokémon. In the end, she thanked Wally for the battle and left the arena gracefully. All in all, the way she had battled, surely she had ranked highly enough to be remembered by all in the future.
~o~O~o~
"Fifteenth?!" Kris shrieked as she saw the rankings on the stadium bulletin board. "This is some-"
"Calm down, Kris," Iris said quickly, anticipating a rant. "There were a hundred and twenty-eight contestants, after all. And besides, the Silver Conference is only so famous because of its glitz and glamor, as well as its global appeal. These regional tournaments may not be so widely broadcast, but the competition is much tougher than you'd think."
Kris had stuck around to see how well Iris and Lyra did in the fifth round, only for both of them to drop. Iris was psyched out when a trainer from Sinnoh using nothing but ice-types appeared, and though she worked to get hard over her dislike of the type, her Pokémon still took a bad beating, causing her to lose the match. Lyra, on the other hand, faced off against Wally. Lyra managed to bring down his Gardevoir with her Typhlosion, but lost against Wally's other Pokémon. Iris placed sixth overall, while Lyra came in seventh. May ranked around nineteenth, though May and Brendan weren't around for now.
Wes had disappeared during the fifth round, having been unusually quiet and having eventually left without saying a word. Kris wasn't too broken up about that, but Iris seemed to miss him. As Kris, Iris and Lyra watched the rankings, someone suddenly called their names.
As Kris turned around, she was shocked to see both Steven Stone and Wallace greeting them, people around them staring in admiration.
"Hiii, guys~!" Wallace greeted. "Been a long time, eh, Kris?"
"We'd like to have a word with all three of you, if you don't mind," Steven said in a more serious tone. "Follow us, please."
Kris, Iris and Lyra did as told, following Steven and Wallace up the stairs and down an empty corridor at the top floor of the stadium. It reminded Kris of when she had first met Wallace during the Whirl Cup, but this stadium was at least three times the size of the one on the Whirl Islands.
"Me and dear Steven had a bit of a discussion about you," Wallace said pleasantly as they walked. "All of you did extremely well in the tournament, and since you helped us immeasurably during the crisis with Team Aqua and Latias, we thought we'd reward you!"
Kris' face lit up. Yes! I knew it! My efforts are being recognized. Iris and Lyra looked similarly excited.
"How many trucks do I need to take my reward home?" Lyra asked hopefully. "Six? Seven?"
"Well," Steven said awkwardly, "actually-"
"Eight it is!"
"We can't pay you with money, sadly," Wallace said. "But I have something that you might find even better~!"
"I've heard that Alder's bodyguard, Hilda I believe her name was," Steven said, "promised you, Kris, something about becoming Alder's apprentice...?"
Kris gulped. She did remember that! But she hadn't thought about it for so long. Kris had been mostly focused on getting good enough to do well at the Hoenn tournament and thinking about all the other stuff she had come to Hoenn for. As much as she had accomplished, she was still no closer to finding Red.
"Where does that leave us?" Iris wondered.
"All of you participated, right?" Wallace asked and winked. "And you're not the only ones who did."
"Is Alder also a member of the LPS?" Kris asked, lowering her voice even though no one was around.
"Unfortunately, no," Steven said. "The Elder has asked him several times, but he always refuses. Perhaps he thinks he has a lot on his hands already..."
At the end of the corridor, May and Brendan were leaving a room through a pair of fancy double doors. Seeing them, Kris, Iris and Lyra ran to them, both May and Brendan smiling at them – Kris noticed they were holding hands.
"So you're here too!" May beamed and showed the group what seemed to be a chunk of pure silver tied to a fancy ribbon. "Check it out! 'For acts of great bravery and in recognition for Pokémon mastery'!"
Kris' smile faded.
"That it?" she asked.
"Yeah, I could go out and buy a ten of those at the local stands!" Lyra complained.
"Actually," Brendan said, having attached his own medal to his hat somehow, "Mr. Alder has arranged us an all-expense-paid cruise to the Johto region!"
"Why there?" Iris wondered.
"Mr. Sparkle here wants to check out the Contest scene," May said and shook Brendan by the shoulder teasingly, to which Brendan grinned nervously, "and probably the Pokéathlons and all the other cool stuff you guys have in there. And I want to test my luck at the Battle Frontier! I know they have one here, too, but I want to see more Johto Pokémon!"
"We wanted to thank you for everything," Brendan said, and both he and May bowed as thanks. "For... well, let's just say traveling with you guys was good for us."
"I know I'll never forget the time we spent together," May said, "even if I wanted to do that for some parts," she added.
"Let's not keep Alder waiting," Steven said. "Wallace and I have to get back to judging the Contest – the sixth round is starting soon. I sincerely hope to see you all again!"
"Bye, everyone~!" Wallace said and waved.
When Steven and Wallace left, Kris, Iris and Lyra said their goodbyes to May and Brendan and stepped into what seemed to be Alder's room.
The room was luxuriously decorated, probably belonging to the man who owned the stadium, with a panoramic window that allowed a full view of the entire stadium. Alder sat behind the desk, leaning back casually and waving at the arrivals. Hilda was also present, sitting on the desk, filing her nails and looking disinterested. Kris, Iris and Lyra took their seats in the very comfy chairs in front of the desk, though they all sat on their edge of their seats in anticipation.
"Welcome, welcome!" Alder said loudly and cheerfully. "First of all, my sincerest apologies that I can't give you anything more than this! You three may not realize it yet, but you are heroes! You remind me of the Unovan heroes of Truth and Ideals, why, I was saying to Hilda here-"
Hilda cleared her throat impatiently.
"Sorry," Alder said awkwardly. "But I'm very excited to be in the presence of people like you."
"That's very kind of you, but it's not like we were the only ones there," Iris said. "There were Steven and Lance, not to mention Wes and Hilda, plus we got help from the navy and then there was this humongous dragon-"
"Now, Iris, the man has a point," Kris interrupted. "We are pretty awesome, no?"
"I also must apologize on the behalf of Steven and the others that we couldn't publicize this further," Alder said more somberly. "It's their policy to make sure people don't know just how close it can get sometimes – but at least you have demonstrated that no matter what the odds, anyone can step up and do their part to help!"
Kris was squirming in her chair, unable to contain her excitement. However, Alder took his sweet time, putting on a pair of reading glasses and looking something up from his documents.
"Your name is Lyra, am I right?" Alder asked the girl in question, who nodded excitedly and took off her hat – Kris had no idea where she had gotten a new one identical to the one she had before.
Alder glanced at Lyra over his glasses, which made Lyra almost crush the hat in her fist.
"I believe I saw you battle at the Silver Conference six months ago, too!" Alder said thoughtfully. "It's rare to see someone so in tune with their Pokémon – few Trainers ever bother to master nonverbal commands."
Lyra looked extremely proud and loosened her grip on her hat.
"I'm assuming you have great aspirations about being a Pokémon trainer, too?" Alder asked, and Lyra nodded again, even more excitedly this time. "Well, I talked this over with Lance, and he promised to make the arrangements. I'll get you to Kanto as soon as possible where you can have special training with the Indigo League's Elite Four. You can leave as soon as you want."
Lyra jumped up from her chair in excitement, slamming her hands on the desk, startling even Hilda.
"Thank you, Mr. Alder!" she practically screamed at the old Champion, who backed away from her a bit. "You have no idea how much I've wanted that! I've always admired them, especially Karen! I've learned so much just by listening to her quotes during her battles! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"
Lyra stormed out of the room, still yelling excitedly. Alder shook his head, though he was still smiling.
"Perhaps she should have stayed long enough for me to give her the tickets," he chuckled. "Now, then... Iris, is it?"
"Yes!" Iris said perkily. "It's such an honor to meet you!"
"You're from Unova too, right?" Alder asked. "I remember you, as well. You're Drayden's protégé. He's told me a lot about you – I'm sure he misses you while you're out on you travels."
Iris looked embarrassed and didn't say a word to that – something Kris was not used to.
"Well, I won't be needing my private plane for a while," Alder said, "so I'm happy to give my seat on it to you. The flight leaves in a few hours and I'll make sure you'll be taken safely from the airport to Opelucid City."
"Thanks!" Iris said excitedly, only to look confused afterward. "Wait, why?"
"Drayden asked me to tell you," Alder smiled, "that he's ready to give you the crash course you'll need to become a gym leader. Looks like you're the one he ended up choosing as his successor – I'm not surprised."
Iris looked like she was about to burst from excitement. Just seeing the joyous look on her face made Kris happy, too. This is what Iris had been talking about since the two had met, and it would seem like she had reached her goal.
"I'm sure you'll be an excellent gym leader, Iris," Alder said. "Congratulations!"
"And the best part," Hilda smirked, "is that you'll get to fly with me! Looks like I'm going to be your bodyguard until we get to Unova!"
"Oh, yeah," Iris said nervously. "That's, um, great..."
"And finally," Alder said, reading his documents again, "we have Kris. Started your journey from New Bark Town with a Pokémon you received from professor Elm..."
"And I was in the Silver Conference, too!" Kris couldn't help but to add.
Alder nodded. "I remember," he said. "You were instrumental in helping us fight off the Masked Man!"
Kris smiled smugly at Hilda, who rolled her eyes and kept working on her nails while looking bored.
"Steven told me," Alder said, "that it was your, and I quote 'reckless stupidity'-"
Say WHAT?!
"-without which everything could have failed and Latias could have wiped this region out with her storm," Alder finished. "And, both Steven and Wallace agreed, that as foolhardy as it was, you've demonstrated real courage, the kind that isn't found often. As Hilda here promised, I will personally take you into my training program, starting here in Ever Grande City as soon as the tournament is over."
Yes. YES! YESSSSSS!
"Thank you!" Kris gasped, unable to think of anything else, too excited about the prospect of learning from one of the best of the best. "So, you will personally teach me?"
"Well, not every waking moment," Alder smiled, "but yes, I will teach you as much as I can, though I should point that true strength comes from within, and-"
"Yeah, that's all spectacular and all," Kris said quickly. "For how long?"
"Three months, I'd think," Alder said. "After that, I really must return to Unova. You wouldn't be the only person I'm training, as I've handpicked a few other motivated ones who will also enter my crash course, but you'd be the one who I'd be focusing on the most. After that, I'll of course arrange you transportation to wherever you wish to go next. Does that sound good to you?"
"Does an Ursaring sh-"
"She's very happy about it!" Iris cut in.
~o~O~o~
Lyra had returned in embarrassment to pick up the tickets to Kanto as well as the medal she got along with Iris and Kris. Deciding they had no particular interest in the tournament, the three briefly got together at the Ever Grande harbor, where Lyra's ship would leave. A car was also there waiting for Iris to take her to Alder's private plane. As excited as Kris was, realizing that she and Iris would be leaving in separate directions caused an awful empty feeling Kris couldn't explain.
"Take care of yourself!" Iris told Kris as she pulled her in for a lung-crushing hug. "As soon as we meet again, tell me how the training went!"
"A-as soon as we..." Kris stuttered as Iris let go. "You mean-?"
"Yeah, of course we'll meet again!" Iris said cheerfully. "Since you let me stay at your house last time, it'd be so much fun if you could come and visit me in Unova after your training."
Kris suddenly remembered the card Cheren had given her.
"Yeah," she said slowly. "I just might... yeah! Oh, I'd really love to see what the Village of Dragons looks like!"
"Well, there are dragons," Iris smiled, "but yeah, it'd be so awesome if you could visit! I'll miss you a lot, though."
"Same..." Kris turned away from Iris to take out a piece of dust that somehow made its way to her eye. "Same here..."
Iris turned to Lyra and hugged her too.
"Good luck with your training!" she said. "I hope you'll find your way to Unova, too!"
"It was so nice to meet you again!" Lyra said tearfully as she squeezed Iris harder than Iris had hugged Kris. "I mean, sure, I won't miss the way you talk so much and touchy-feeliness, but apart from that-"
Iris laughed as she let go of Lyra. "Don't ever change, Lyra."
Lyra just blinked in confusion. "Why would I do that?"
Iris gave Kris and Lyra one last wave before getting into the car, which drove away from the docks and quickly disappeared from sight. With that, only an awkward silence between the two former friends was left. Kris struggled to think of something to say – sure, she wouldn't miss Lyra as much as she would miss Iris, but it's not like she wanted her to go and burn in the Distortion World either. Lyra looked embarrassed as well, keeping her hands behind her back and swinging back and forth on her heels.
"So..." she said.
"Yup," Kris said and nodded.
"Um... quite a ride, right?" Lyra asked Kris, who groaned internally. "To think you actually got your second trial done... I mean, I wouldn't have thought you'd even make it past the first one-"
"Do you have to do that now?" Kris asked.
Lyra looked clueless. "Do what?"
Kris shook her head. "Forget it. But yeah, I've had... a time."
"A good time?"
"A time."
"Oh."
Lyra kept on moving about nervously in place while Kris stared at the ground awkwardly. How did you go about telling someone 'please leave, but please, let's meet again soon'? Or 'go away, but don't'? Or, 'I hate you, but not really'?
Huh, Kris thought. Where did that last one come from?
"Ah, screw it," Lyra grumbled and rushed over to hug Kris, who didn't respond and just looked confused.
Even more confusing was just how long it lasted. Kris wasn't sure how to tell her to stop and just stood in place with her arms stiffly against her sides. Lyra, however, was shaking all over, and Kris felt something drip on her shoulder, as if Lyra was crying against it. This lasted for a few more seconds until Lyra turned quickly around and ran into the closest ship.
Then, realizing it was the wrong one, she ran away from that, past Kris and into the one she had been supposed to go. Kris just stood there, trying to take everything in. Never in her life had she been so confused. On the plus side, though... three months later, no one would be able to stand in her way.
She had done it.
A/N: Liberties have been taken with how some Pokémon moves work, as usual.
Thank you, one and all, for reading, assuming anyone actually does read this. If you do so, feel free to review and tell me what I did wrong. Or right. This story is far from over, and in the next chapter, we're taking it to Sinnoh. We will be taking a shot break from this so I can focus a bit on my other story, "Heroes of Kalos Abridged", but it won't be too long, I hope. Look forward to it and I hope you're all enjoying yourselves!