Chapter 25: One Way or Another!
Eli shuddered as Shedinja continued to hover over the battlefield and rack up attack boosts. Eli knew that Shedinja lacked the speed to keep up with Zubat, but if its attack kept gaining, it could spell disaster for Eli. Desperately pondering what to do with this predicament, Eli racked his brain for previous strategies used at the Pokemon World Tournament. It seemed that Eli could remember everything about the tournament, except if anyone had beaten a Shedinja. Getting nervous, Eli tried for another attack.
"Screech, use wing attack!" The small bat hummed towards Shedinja, ready to slice it with its wings. Eli discovered that this was the attack to use judging by the look on Sarah's face. Her eyes shot open before her brain sprang into action, giving a new command to the ghost.
"Shedinja, use double team," screamed Sarah, who was trying to hold back the nervousness in this situation. Sarah had flown through the first four battles of the tournament, but this one was different. Whether it is by sheer luck or knowledge of Pokemon, Eli had figured Sarah out. Double team kicked in right as Zubat came into contact with what appeared to be Shedinja. However, the hollow ghost had multiplied in a ring around Zubat. As Zubat's wing came into contact with the fake, it burst and disappeared as gracefully as it had come. Eli became very confused, but regained his demeanor when he realized that Sarah would have to look at her Pokemon to give a command. Sarah knew which Shedinja was fake and which one was real. She was hoping her Shedinja's tactic would aid her, but Eli knew how to counter this. Instead of wasting his Pokemon's energy wiping out the fake Shedinjas, he would read Sarah's facial expressions to determine which bug to attack. Sarah kept glancing to the left side of the ring, so Eli was able to narrow the choices down. Due to Shedinja's atrocious speed, it would not be able to dodge any attack that Eli threw its way. The crowd was on the edge of their seats as Eli's Zubat circled the battlefield above the ring of Shedinjas. Reading Sarah's face carefully, Eli chose a Shedinja to pinpoint with his attacks.
"Screech, see the Shedinja that is casting a shadow? Attack that one with a speedy wing attack!" The diminutive beast could not see, but used his sonar to find the Shedinja Eli was referring to. Sarah screamed for her bug-ghost Shedinja to evade the attack, but it was no use. The speed of Zubat far outclassed the speed of Shedinja. The super-effective attack ruptured the double team and wonder guard ability of Shedinja, and the bug came to the ground with a thud, completing Eli's perfect record. The crowd went berserk when the lifeless exoskeleton hit the ground. Sarah returned Shedinja to its Pokeball and strutted off stage, avoiding the reporters who were crowded at the exit of the battlefield. Eli waved to the crowd and walked off the battlefield. Eli was greeted by a flurry of reporters wanting to get the scoop on Eli's performance. They all congratulated him on his feat, before launching a volley of questions at the boy. After answering many questions, Eli was able to make his way out of the crowded exit and proceeded to the trainers lounge. Again, he was greeted by a ruckus of applause and congratulations, but this time it was by fellow trainers. All of the trainers settled into their seats with a large plate of KFB, awaiting the postings of the seeding for the elimination rounds. Eli sat with Atlas, Isaac, and Sarah; the four trainers who had been given Pokemon by Professor Oak. There was still one nagging question on Eli's mind, so he posed it to the other Cobalt Town trainers.
"Guys, what ever happened to the dude who took Professor Oak's Bulbasaur?" inquired Eli.
"Well," started Atlas, "after he received the dinosaur from the Professor, he was attacked on Route 1 by what he describes as a large, fiery beast. He was red in color, and looked like a large dog."
"Was it another Arcanine?" fired back Eli.
"Not by Tommy's account," responded Atlas. Eli then remembered the flash of red he had seen in the forest. This was definitely a question for Professor Oak. Suddenly, mid-bite in a KFB leg, the TV in the room flashed on and a hush fell over the room of competitors. A man with big, green hair appeared on the freshly illuminated screen. He was here to release the 64-trainer bracket to the field. Atlas sat nervously, as he went 4-1 on the day, but still might not make it. The competition was that tough. The man began to speak.
"As our number one overall seed this tournament, with a perfect record of 5-0, we have number 101: Eli from Cobalt Town," divulged the man. Eli felt blood rush to his face, as all of the other trainers applauded his work. Eli then saw that his opponent, number 169, had gotten in with a 3-2 record. Atlas let loose a sigh of relief, as that meant that he had made the elimination rounds. The only question now was for his seeding. Eli swiped the files from Atlas, and began to look at the file on number 169. The man depicted in the top right corner was a burly guy, who had a rough beard capping the bottom of his worn face. He had used only one Pokemon so far: Houndoom. Eli looked at his name. Thomas was the name listed on the sheet. Eli had a sense of fear towards this competitor. He had not seen this trainer so far, so his suspicion was unfair. Atlas suddenly cheered with joy as his name was announced to be the 5 seed in the bracket on the bottom left. The only way Eli and Atlas could meet is if they encountered in the finals. The rest of the Cobalt Town Crew, as they had deemed themselves, were two and four seeds. Isaac had the four seed while Sarah controlled the two seed. All members of the crew had been placed in separate brackets; so all four of them could make the Final Four. Eli congratulated the members of the Cobalt Town Crew before leaving to retreat back to the Pokemon Center.
When he arrived, Nurse Joy helped him through the back exit to avoid the media stationed at the Pokemon Center entrance. He made it to his room, thanked the nurse, and fell asleep happier than he had ever been in his short 13 year old life.