Episode 12: A step back
"So…there are eleven Ultra Beasts…" Niko said as he sat at a computer. The hotel suite he was staying in had a computer lab of sorts, and it gave him an opportunity to learn more about the different types of Ultra Beasts out there. "All of them have an ability called 'Beast Boost' which gives it strength specific to its skills in battle."
"Which means if it's fast, then defeating a Pokemon would make it faster, I think," Fay replied. He, Charlotte, Warren, Brittany, and Niko all sat huddled around a computer, reading through the information together.
Niko nodded, and continued. "Most pokéballs have difficulty recognizing Ultra Beasts due to their extradimensional origins, so Beast Balls were created to more effectively catch them…that explains a lot."
"It looks like they've had quite the history in Alola…" Charlotte said, pointing to a passage on the computer she was on. "They just came out of nowhere in Alola almost two decades ago and wreaked havoc."
"I can imagine that," Niko said, turning back to his own computer. "So of these eleven, I've seen four: Poipole, Naganadel, Pheromosa, and Buzzwole. Wow…some of these Pokemon are crazy."
"Yeah!" Brittany said, pointing to one that looked like a tree, "that one is an electric type."
"Xurkitree…what an odd-looking creature," Niko said. "Oh, and this one looks like a jellyfish…Nihilego. It's a rock and poison type apparently."
They continued reading up on the Ultra Beasts before retiring for the night. After Fay, Brittany, and Warren all left for their respective rooms and homes, Niko and Charlotte took a walk outside. He wanted to work on which Pokemon to battle with the following morning.
"I think that the best strategy would be to use Pokemon that have types weak to each other," Charlotte proposed. "Kind of like how each starter type is weak and strong to exactly one of the others, you know?"
"Kind of like rock-paper-scissors?" Niko asked.
"Exactly."
Niko smirked. "Gotcha. Although…I kinda want to mix it up a bit. Maybe my opponent is expecting that from me, right?"
"Well, Niko…" Charlotte paused, thinking through her own reasoning. "What would you do instead?"
Her boyfriend shrugged. "I don't know, that's the problem. I have too many Pokemon to choose from…" he sat down at a bench.
"That is the best kind of problem, Niko," Charlotte replied, sitting down next to him. "And all of them are ready for this, so you shouldn't be stressed out."
"I'm not. Well, I shouldn't be. This isn't worth getting stressed out over."
"You're learning," Charlotte teased, lightly pushing Niko. "I think it's going to be okay."
"You say that a lot."
"Because it's true, and because you need to believe it, too," Charlotte replied. "You're really getting worked up over nothing. I mean that. You're one of the stronger trainers here. You've defeated everyone you know in this tournament—Elliot, Oliver, and some of those Elite 4 guys. Your Pokemon have been training for up to seven years now. You have a wealth of friends and family who are here to support you because we all believe in you."
Niko nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry I got so nervous and stressed. There's just…a lot on my mind."
"I know. I'm just saying you have a solid backing here. I'm sure there are plenty of others besides us rooting for you."
Niko nodded. "I think so, too."
"Welcome to the second day of the 25th Pokemon World Tournament! Today, we begin the second of three preliminary battles! This time, each battle will be a triple battle! Trainers will use three Pokemon at a time against their opponent. The first trainer to defeat all three of their opponent's Pokemon will be declared the winner! Remember, participants only need to win two of the three preliminary rounds to advance!
"In our first match, we have Bradley, the runner-up in this year's Indigo League, versus Tobias from the Sinnoh region!"
Oh! Niko said, perking up, I haven't gotten a chance to see him battle yet! He thought to himself. He had seen Tobias on occasion before now, even having a couple of conversations with the still-strange older man. However, he wasn't quite prepared for what he was about to see.
Tobias sent out three Pokemon, none of them in any way normal: a Latios, a Latias,…and a Darkrai.
"What the hell…" Niko muttered. "H-how does he…?"
"No one seems to know," Elliot said as he sat down. "I've heard of this guy before. He won the Lily of the Valley Conference a long time ago and was said to have defeated Ash Ketchum there. He's been using the same Darkrai and Latios ever since. Actually, Ash is one of the few to have ever defeated his Darkrai."
Niko blinked. Tobias was something else. Do I have to fight this guy, too? He thought to himself. "I hadn't gotten a chance to see his battle yesterday, so this is all new to me."
"Clearly. It's a surprise to a lot of people, for good reason," Elliot explained, "but you're the only one here who seems caught off guard by it. Good thing you're seeing it now, instead of on the battlefield."
"Luckily. I think I'd forfeit on the spot," Niko joked. But seriously, how can anyone defeat those? He asked as he saw Darkrai spray an ice beam all over the dirt-covered battlefield, causing a Machamp and Electivire to slip and fall while Latios and Latias swiftly finished them off. "That was…quick…"
"Yup. He's something else," Elliot replied. "Anyway, I think I'm next. Good luck, Niko!"
"Thanks, Elliot…"
In the stands, Niko's friends weren't nearly as surprised as he was. They had seen Tobias battle the previous day, but it was without the Darkrai.
"That Darkrai is incredibly skilled," Fay said, "maybe not necessarily strong, but it's a tactical fighter, much like Tobias it seems."
"He has a mixture of strategy and strength that you don't exactly see often," Jake added, "it's a real wonder how he trained those three."
"Thing is…he probably has three other Pokemon waiting in the wings," Brittany said with a shudder.
"I'm more interested in how he caught them in the first place. Especially that Darkrai," Jake continued, "there's an urban legend in Canalave City about them planting nightmares in sailors en route to other parts of the world. Darkrai is a nasty Pokemon, that's for sure."
"I can only imagine what it does to it's enemies…" Sydney said, looking worried. "Hopefully Niko doesn't have to face him, or that."
"Even if he does, he'll win," Charlotte said. "He'll find a way out."
"Right, didn't Ash Ketchum actually beat this Darkrai?" Jacob asked, much to everyone's surprise. "It's clearly possible."
"Yeah, but how many others have, too?" Brittany wondered, playing devil's advocate.
No one had an answer.
Elliot had soundly defeated his opponent—a trainer from Veilstone City in Sinnoh. After him, Champion Lance of the Kanto region defeated an Elite 4 member from Johto. Match after match went on before Niko's. He was after Champion Bonnie, who had swiftly defeated a member of her own Elite 4—Malva.
"Good luck, Niko!" she said in a sing-song voice before walking off to the refreshments bar in their waiting room. Niko stood up just as he heard his name called.
"And now we have Niko from Pallet Town versus Frederick from Icirrus City in Unova!" Colton Goodshow declared.
Niko looked across the way at his opponent. He was certainly older than Niko, with blonde hair and thick-rimmed glasses. The judge—same woman as the previous round—explained the rules of the match once more. Once she finished, Niko looked down at the three pokéballs sitting on his belt. We can do this.
"Boldore, Magmortar, Kadabra! I choose you!" Niko shouted, summoning three of his Pokemon onto the rocky battlefield.
"Avalugg, Mienshao, Altaria—let's win this!" Frederick commanded, sending out his three choices.
"Hmm…alright, then. Boldore, use stone edge on Avalugg! Magmortar, sunny day! Kadabra, use psycho cut on Mienshao!"
He noticed Frederick smirk. "Avalugg, hail! Mienshao, block the stone edge with aura sphere! Altaria, use dragon dance!"
While for a brief moment the battlefield was bright and warm, moments later it turned into a moderately-intense hailstorm. Meanwhile, a red and purple torrent swirled around Altaria as it prepared to fight, and Mienshao shattered Boldore's stone edge with a blue-colored sphere of condensed energy.
Think fast, Niko… "Boldore, use smack down on Altaria! Kadabra, use psychic on Mienshao!"
"Altaria, dragon breath on Kadabra!" Frederick shouted. The Humming Pokemon broke out of dragon dance and breathed out a powerful blast of flames at the Psi Pokemon, who reflexively teleported away.
"Now, Kadabra! Use psycho cut on Mienshao!" Niko commanded. "Magmortar, flamethrower on Avalugg, and Boldore use stone edge on Avalugg!"
"Altaria, cotton guard to protect Avalugg! Mienshao, behind you!" Frederick shouted. The Martial Arts Pokemon swiftly turned around, but not before getting slash across the torso with psychic energy, knocking the fighting type to the ground. Meanwhile, Altaria leapt in front of Avalugg and expanded its fluffy white wings, blocking both stone edge and flamethrower before retaliating with dragon pulse, which Magmortar swiftly countered with another flamethrower, putting both Pokemon to a standstill.
"This is already intense…" Kaila commented. "I've never seen a triple battle before."
"Niko's only been in a couple, at most," Warren added. "He managed to catch his Reuniclus that way."
Okay, we need to be more strategic here…Avalugg is more powerful because of the hail, Mienshao is swift, and Altaria is powered up by dragon dance. Plus, it can mega evolve. Also, I wouldn't put it past this guy to know Z-moves…Niko reasoned with himself while Kadabra did battle with Mienshao, Boldore attempted to strike Avalugg, and Magmortar and Altaria fired flames back and forth.
"Boldore, use smack down on Altaria! Kadabra, use psychic on Mienshao! Magmortar, lava plume on the ground!"
The Blast Pokemon started off by spraying hot lava everywhere along the field, causing the hail to melt and immediately evaporate as it constantly fell to the ground. Avalugg in particular looked worried and retaliated with blizzard in hopes of freezing Magmortar's attack. In the meantime, Kadabra nearly pinned Mienshao to the ground on the opposite end of the battlefield but was the target of a dragon pulse that nearly knocked him out of the match. Boldore then, successfully, struck Altaria in response, thrusting the dragon Pokemon to the ground, just out of reach of the lava plume. Niko noticed a small burn mark on the edge of Altaria's wing.
"Now, Boldore, use—"
"Mienshao, aura sphere!" Frederick shouted. The blue energy ball was thrust outwards, striking Boldore directly in the eye and knocking him on his back. Magmortar attempted to retaliate and instead was stricken by a dragon pulse from Altaria.
"Kadabra, use future sight!" Niko commanded.
"Moonblast! Mienshao, grab Kadabra! Avalugg, use crunch!" Frederick shouted.
Altaria summoned a massive pink ball of energy in the shape of the moon and fired it at Kadabra, who was in the middle of his own attack. After getting hit by the attack, Mienshao leapt forward and grabbed both of Kadabra's arms, holding them backwards. Then, with surprising speed, Avalugg spun towards Kadabra. When it stopped, it opened its mouth and bit down on the Psi Pokémon's head before wrenching him from Mienshao and throwing him into the air.
"Kadabra!" Niko shouted. Seeing this, Magmortar charged forward, his fist on fire, and thrust it down on Avalugg's small head, forcing the Iceberg Pokemon into the ground. Boldore got back up and successfully struck Avalugg with stone edge, hitting the ice type underneath its body.
However, despite these moves, Avalugg remained relatively fine. It started to glow a light green color—it was healing.
"What the—oh…" Niko said abruptly. "It's ability."
"Yep!" Frederick shouted from across the field. "And that's one of the many ways I'll win this match against an almost-Champion! Avalugg, use blizzard on Kadabra! Mienshao, aura sphere! Altaria, dragon dance!"
"Boldore, use smack down on Avalugg! Magmortar, sunny day! Kadabra, teleport!" Niko demanded. Boldore's attack once more struck Avalugg, halting the blizzard while Magmortar brightened the field once more. Kadabra, however, was not as lucky. The string of attacks aimed at him made him struggle to teleport, much less get back up. The Psi Pokemon took an aura sphere to the face before falling on his back in defeat.
"Kadabra is unable to battle!" the referee declared.
Two left…we can still win this. Avalugg is weak, and the hailstorm has disappeared, Niko thought to himself. "Magmortar, flamethrower on Avalugg! Boldore, smack down on Altaria!"
"Moonblast on Boldore! Avalugg, use gyro ball on Boldore! Mienshao, aura sphere on Magmortar!" Frederick commanded.
Boldore took the moonblast, which interrupted his smack down. However, he managed to evade the gyro ball, as the flamethrower from Magmortar's arm-cannon—powered by the sun—was enough to permanently halt Avalugg. Boldore's partner, however, was not nearly as lucky—the Blast Pokemon took an aura sphere to the chest, causing him to stumble back.
"Avalugg is unable to battle!" the referee declared.
"It's two on two now…" Warren commented. "And Niko doesn't exactly have the advantage anymore…"
"But he isn't necessarily at a disadvantage," Brittany added.
"Boldore, use rock slide!" Niko commanded. "Magmortar, you okay buddy?" The Blast Pokemon turned to him and nodded. "Alright, let's keep going! Use lava plume on Mienshao!"
Mienshao kicked and punched its way out of the rock slide before leaping into the air and bouncing off of Altaria to avoid the lava plume and successfully land a hi jump kick against Magmortar, this time successfully knocking the fire type to the ground. However, like Altaria, the Martial Arts Pokemon found itself with a burn as a result.
Niko was about to take advantage of these burns when he noticed Fredrick lift up a black ring along his wrist. A Key Stone…Niko thought. Just then, Altaria opened up its wings to reveal a mega stone sitting around its pale blue neck.
"Altaria, mega evolve!" Frederick shouted. The Humming Pokemon grew larger than before, with the plumage on its wings expanding into a cloud-like shape with a fluffy mass extending from its back. Otherwise, it largely looked the same. "Use dragon pulse on Magmortar!"
"Block it with flamethrower!" Niko commanded. Once more, both Pokemon created a stalemate with their blasts of energy. Meanwhile, Mienshao took aim at Boldore, who swiftly managed to strike the Martial Arts Pokemon in the leg with stone edge, tripping his opponent and forcing it into the ground as it attempted hi jump kick. "Now Boldore, use rock slide!"
"Block the rock slide with moonblast!" Frederick commanded. Mega Altaria fired a far larger pink ball of energy at Boldore, blowing through the rock slide and striking at the Ore Pokemon, knocking him backwards.
Nevertheless, he stood tall while Magmortar sprayed the field once more with lava plume, nearly catching Mienshao in it. The Martial Arts Pokemon leapt back into the air to use bounce and then aura sphere to strike down Boldore once and for all.
"Smack down!" Niko commanded. "Magmortar, use—"
"Dragon pulse!" Frederick commanded. Mega Altaria fired a wave of draconic energy from its wings at Magmortar before the latter could fire an attack or react to the dragon pulse. Magmortar collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily before Mienshao changed targets and fired the aura sphere at the fire type.
"Magmortar is unable to battle! That leaves Niko with a single Pokemon left!"
"Oh, dear…" Charlotte said, eyes wide. "Niko, you can do it!"
"Boldore, use stone edge!" Niko commanded. The attack struck Mienshao while Mega Altaria was using dragon dance. Wait…now's our chance. He whipped out Rockium-Z from his pocket. "Boldore! Let's go! Use Continental Crush!"
Boldore performed the moves in sync with his trainer before Z-energy transferred to him. A massive rock built up above Boldore before he threw it at Mega Altaria, crushing the dragon and fairy type.
"Mienshao, hi jump kick!" Frederick commanded, apparently fuming from this.
"Boldore, use smack down!" Niko cried out. Boldore quickly recovered from having to use as much energy as he did, firing a weak, but accurate, golden orb at Mienshao and thrusting the fighting type into the ground. "Stone edge!"
The pointed stones struck Mienshao, launching it briefly into the air before causing it to collapse a second time. Meanwhile, Mega Altaria had difficulty getting back up, eventually doing so just as Mienshao struggled to get up. It did, albeit much weaker than before.
"We can do this, Boldore, we can—"
"Dragon pulse and aura sphere!" Frederick shouted.
"Rock slide!" Niko commanded, using the attack defensively. However, the dragon pulse took the brunt of much of the attack, leaving room for aura sphere to edge through and strike the Ore Pokemon, knocking Boldore onto his back, this time for good.
"Boldore is unable to battle, Mega Altaria and Mienshao are the winners! The victory goes to Frederick from Icirrus City!"
"Would you look at that, folks! The runner-up to the Champion of Alola was defeated by the runner-up to the league title in Unova!" Colton Goodshow declared. "Can Niko overcome this in the third preliminary round?"
"Return, Boldore…" Niko said before sighing heavily. "You all did really well, believe it."
Niko looked out from the window in his suite. The battle had ended hours ago, and after reuniting with his friends, he decided to take a walk alone.
I'm not upset that I lost…okay, maybe I am upset. Who wouldn't be, though? But at this point I shouldn't be losing so early on in a competition. The last time that happened…it was a long time ago. If I don't win tomorrow, then I'm out. It's over for me.
Do I actually want this? Do I want to do the best? Am I even ready to face these sorts of trainers? Niko thought to himself. He entered the Pokemon World Tournament largely because everyone else said he should. In his mind, he had no real reason to do so. It was all due to peer pressure. To be fair, I am qualified in some way, but if I can't win against a Mienshao and Altaria, then I shouldn't even be here. I'm…just confused.
He looked down at the three pokéballs on his belt. Boldore, Magmortar, and Kadabra all got a chance to rest, but for whatever reason Niko was still carrying them—and only them—around. He unhooked the balls and let them fall to the ground, summoning the Pokemon.
"Hey there…" Niko said, sitting down at a nearby bench. He was roughly halfway between the stadium and his hotel, in the large front field outside of the stadium. Nearby, to his right, was a fountain with a sculpture in the shape of a Lugia spouting water. "How are you three feeling?"
They all looked away nervously. The answer was obvious.
"Look, I'm sorry. I blame myself for that loss, and I don't want you three to take it personally, okay? You all did the best you could…Frederick and his Pokemon were just stronger."
Magmortar scoffed, his arm-cannons smoking, presumably with rage. Niko hadn't seen the Blast Pokemon that angry before.
"You have every right to be pissed off. Tomorrow, we have the third preliminary battle. It's an inverse battle, and I really need to think carefully about who to use. I want each of you to rest, because—" the three of them protested this, "because…we're going to win, and we'll advance. We can't give up yet. There are too many people that believe in us, alright?"
The three Pokemon nodded, calming down slightly. Magmortar was still fuming, albeit less this time.
Just then, Niko heard footsteps moving through the slightly damp grass behind him. Moments later, Brittany and Fay were each sitting on one side of him. "Uh…hi?"
"How're you holding up?" Fay asked.
"I'm okay. These things happen."
"You've grown up so much, Niko," Brittany said, placing her head on a fist resting on her lap, looking at her best friend with admiration. "Six years ago you would have gotten up and quit."
"Well, that's exactly what I did, but you thr—two, sorry—talked me off the ledge. And I'm glad you did."
"So are we," Fay replied, slapping Niko on the back. "Every damn time."
"We're all really proud of you," Brittany said.
"The feeling is mutual," Niko complimented, bringing a smile to Brittany's face, "after all, if we hadn't met you, then you wouldn't have become the Top Coordinator in Sinnoh!"
"Well, if I hadn't met you then I wouldn't have met you," Brittany said, "sounds really obvious, but just meeting you guys was life-changing enough. I got to see the world, meet Pokemon that I wouldn't have met otherwise, and got to see a World Champion in the making, a master Pokemon Breeder, and a Dragon Tamer turned researcher."
Silence enveloped the trio as the mention of JJ swept over them.
"I miss him," Niko finally said. "Like…I really do."
"We all do. At the time he was a dunce, but he really grew up," Fay said.
"More than any of us did," Niko added. "If we're being honest. I mean, who would've thought that JJ, out of everyone that we travelled with, would be the first to find love and the first to have a child?"
"He was certainly the happiest he's ever been," Fay said, "If you remember, Niko, he wasn't that way growing up."
"Yeah, he had a real anger management issue, actually. But like everything else, he overcame it."
"Just like you," Brittany said, reaching an arm over Niko and bringing him in closer. "You're going to win tomorrow and advance to the actual tournament. Then, you'll keep winning until you face Ash, and you'll beat him, too. And you'll become the World Champion."
Niko looked down at Brittany. She was right—they were glad to have met one another.
The sun shone over the Castelia City port as she got off of the boat, briefly flashing a ticket before exiting with one hand on her suitcase and the other with her ticket in hand. Once she stood firmly on the pier, she turned back, pushing a thick strand of purple and electric blue hair behind her ear to prevent it from flailing about. She had never been to Unova before, only heard of it from friends and coworkers.
Friends that were the reason she had the kinds of coworkers that she did—powerful trainers specializing in different types of battles. Friends that were her sole reason for travelling so far to Unova.
She turned back around Before walking up Liberty Pier, she looked towards the Castelia City skyline and smiled. She was nervous beyond belief, but her facial expression certainly belied it. She was about to reunite with some old friends for the first time in years.
Author's Note: OOOOOOO what's that at the end? Y'all, that's a teaser.
Hope you enjoyed ;)
