Before I was able to get back to my room, I had to go through a pack of reporters asking pretty much the same questions: "How do you feel about that game?", "What would you have done differently?" And "Why didn't you send out Lugia?". I responded with similar answers to "I feel good, but I need to do better", "Make commands quicker", and "I didn't feel like she was needed".
Nick was there when I finally got back. "Nice game, man. Pedro's tougher than he seems."
"Hey, thanks. You played well, too."
"Yeah, well. Everyone expected me to win."
"I guess. Hey, tomorrow you face Scarlet, right?"
"Yep. Gonna be big, man, I'm gonna fight for real."
"You mean that last one wasn't for real?"
He grunted. "I sent out some of my weaker Pokemon, but I still had some close calls."
"Well, that's why you're world class, I guess."
"Hey, don't sell yourself short. You're here too."
"Yeah, but I'm no big deal." I reply. "You could win this thing."
He just grunted, and went back to watching replays on his phone, probably of his championship match against Scarlet. I had a big match tomorrow as well, vs. Shane at noon. I studied his battles until dark, picking lineups and re-picking lineups, until eleven o'clock when I was satisfied with my preparations and turned in. Nick was still awake in the other room when I fell asleep.
I woke up at nine o'clock AM that morning. Matches would start at ten. I decided to go and watch one before my match against Shane. It was a European division match, pitting number 1 seed Scott against number nine seed from Latvia whose name I can't pronounce. I watched from the stands, near the top where I could find a spot. Apparently, a lot of people are fans of Scott's.
As it turned out, Shane had the same idea. He sat next to me about five minutes into the match. "Well if it isn't Carson." He said. "I saw your match against Pedro the other day, great job."
"Hey, thanks. You did well, too." I reply.
"Did you hear? The Flames are in the playoff race. Gunning for top of the division."
"I heard. The Jets are doing well, too. They're at number eight in the east right now, behind the Caps in the division."
"But Ovechkin's injured, right?"
"Yep. We're pulling forward."
We talked about hockey, watched the match (in which Scott took five games) and almost forgot about our upcoming match. Soon enough, though, it was 11:30, the match was over, and we had to go to the trainer's wing to prepare.
We were called down to the field at 11:55. Before we stepped out, Shane offered his hand. "I expect a tough game from a fellow Canuck." He said. I took it and replied "Oh, don't worry about that." We walked onto the field side by side, and the crowd roared. I imagined that this match would bring out a lot of Canadian spectators, and as I had suspected, the stands were full, with many people holding flags. I waved to a few of them, and even saw a sign with me and Lugia on it.
Standing in the trainer box, I zoned out the background noise, focusing on the upcoming match. Right then, it was just me and Shane.
"Trainers," the PA announced in English, "Select your first Pokemon."
I held a ball holding Lapras. He pulled one out of his pocket as well. "Wait for the countdown and release your Pokemon." The announcement continued. "Five...
Four...
Three...
Two...
One."
As the count of "One" played, the field in front of me started to retract, opening a pool of water below. They must have checked my ball and opened the pool for Lapras because he can't fight on land. Shane's side remained closed. I threw out my ball after the countdown, and Lapras appeared on the field as the pool was fully opened. Shane's choice was Jynx. I don't see that pick very often.
"Lapras, overtime." I call. The attack was Perish Song, which made the match more fast-paced, because both Pokemon would faint after a few minutes, and if that happened, Lapras knew how to stay up just a little longer than his opponent. Still, though, I had to take the steps to keep that from happening if I could, it was really just an insurance measure.
Shane countered by calling "Jynx, seven."
As Lapras' song filled the room (the song doesn't affect humans), I tried to come up with my next command. Ice type moves wouldn't be effective against Jynx, and Lapras didn't know many non-ice or water type moves. Jynx, in the meantime, was preparing for something. I couldn't tell what it was. I decided on one just as the song ended. "Lapras, Ovechkin." I call. The combo for Ovechkin is Confuse Ray, followed by Body Slam in succession until the opponent snapped out of it. Then I'd have to call another combo. Lapras' confuse ray seemed to work, as Jynx stopped charging for whatever it was she was about to do. Shane tried calling commands, but she didn't respond. As Lapras started to slam the edge of the field, shaking it around (usually the combo is meant for other swimming Pokemon), Jynx fell to the ground and struggled to get up. Eventually, though, she got to her feet and shook off the confuse ray's effects. Shane quickly called a command, and I responded with "Lapras, friday!"
Friday is the day I used to play lake hockey games in High school. The attack was to dive underwater, then ram the stadium above him until he had to come back up for air. That's my unique combo for Lapras. She dove underwater and narrowly dodged Ice Beam from Jynx. As Lapras started to ram the underside of the field, Shane got an idea.
"Jynx, twelve!"
Jynx managed to hold her balance for a bit, and fired an ice beam, not at Lapras, but at the pool's surface. The water froze over, which I quickly realized had monumental consequence. If Lapras were trapped under there, I couldn't reach him with my ball, and he'd drown. I don't know what Shane was thinking.
"Shane! Stop! He'll drown!"
I don't think he heard me, and I was starting to panic. Right then, though, Jynx just fell to the ground. I was confused for a second, then I remembered; Perish Song! It must have taken effect just then. Lucky it did, it saved my Lapras' life.
"The match is under review by the judging committee." The loudspeaker announced in Japanese and English. I returned Lapras, and the pool area closed. I stepped into the middle of the field, and Shane did too.
"Hey, what was that? My Lapras could have died out there!" I ask, outraged.
"Lapras can breathe underwater." Shane said, as if it was no big deal.
"No they can't. They can just hold their breath for a while." I explain, trying to keep calm.
"Oh... Crap, sorry. I didn't know."
I took a deep breath. "It's fine, just lucky I called for Perish Song."
"Yeah, well. Sorry about that!"
"It's okay. No harm, no foul."
Apparently, the judges had a different philosophy, though. After a minute, the loudspeaker came on, announcing first in Japanese, then English, what had happened.
"Honorable patrons, the match was resulted in a draw. However, Shane received a penalty for putting another Pokemon in danger. Therefore, Carson will receive the victory. The score is 1-0 in favor of Carson. Prepare for round two."
I was surprised, but it wasn't unexpected. Whenever an opponent's Pokemon is put in actual danger, the match is stopped and a penalty is assessed. I guess the match ended before they could step in and stop it, so I got the edge. I hated to win off a technicality, but it was still a win, and I had more matches to play.