On their way to Petalburg City, Lows found out about the controversy of Summer Scorcher in the latest Junior Division through the Trainers program. After that, although he was able to reach Petalburg, he was caught by two Team Will Admins, Stone and Kyla. However, he was rescued by a trainer called May, and safely reached to Petalburg with the help of May's Altaria. He had a few days to prepare for the gym battle versus Norman, after his training, he found an event that was going on in Petalburg, and quickly got interested. What was the event and how will it go?
Chapter 32 - The Pokélympics Royale!
"Hello, Leader Norman!" I politely greeted as I saw the Petalburg Gym Leader. I was at the Petalburg City Gym, ready to challenge the middle-aged gym leader.
"Hmm...! Aren't you the trainer who requested a battle from me two months ago? As I said, I'll only be accepting challenges when you collected five badges-" He said but was quickly cut off by me.
"I already obtained the five badges, and I'm certainly ready to take the gym battle!" I exclaimed in determination.
I could tell he was shocked and impressed by my progress, as he said, "Not bad! You're not the fastest, but you're certainly not slow either." He said as I handed my badge case for him to check, and he nodded. "I'll give you three days to train, or do whatever you want. 9 in the morning, I'll see you at the gym. He said as he slowly walked away.
Alright, that is done! I guess I'll focus on training in these three days. We can't afford to take a lost right now!
I thought as I walked back towards the PokéCentre, ready to start my plans with my team.
First thing to do, was to set up our line-up for the gym battle.
"I personally think that Power should battle in the gym battle. As you told us, Norman specializes in Normal type Pokémon, so Power has the type advantage." Grace explained, while the others nodded in agreement, except for Power.
"W-What if I'm unable to do it? Last time in the battle at Slateport, I-I almost screwed up!"
"I believe in you, we all do. I'll be there when you're in trouble, alright?" Power hesitantly nodded, and I knew that he still lacked in confidence. I knew I had to raise his self confidence, but I didn't know a way at first, until...
That will be told later. For now, I'll just go back to the line-up discussion.
"I honestly think that we have a wide range of selection to choose the ideal line-up. Nobody has the type disadvantage." I said.
"Lows... Can Woody and I step out of this battle?" Grace said, and she got confused looks by almost everyone in the team. She explained, "Woody and I battled hard in the last gym battle, so we can use some rest. Besides, the others can also gain more experience. It doesn't hurt to have more experience in battling before the league starts."
Woody nodded, showing his agreement towards Grace's explanation. He honestly had the same thought too, but he just didn't have the courage to said it to the others. He always liked and admired Grace's calm personality.
"Grace, you got a point here. Besides, after the sixth Pokémon join our team, I'll give more chances of battling to it. Therefore, I wished you five are ready by that time to help our your sixth member." I took a deep breath before announcing, "Surfer, Ziggs and Power will be battling the Petalburg Gym Leader!" My team cheered upon hearing my announcement.
"Don't worry, Lows! I'll ride the waves and all of them are facing a wipeout!" Surfer confidently said.
"No, Surfer! Sorry to say this, but I'll defeat them all!" Ziggs replied.
"No, not you! It's me!"
"It's definitely going to be me!" They quickly went into an argument, which didn't seem necessary at all. I was about to stop them, but Grace stopped me and chuckled, "Don't worry, Lows. They kept on doing that as good friends. They'll stop after a few minutes."
"How do you know?"
"They always do that when we're together. I guess their true colours are finally showing towards you."
"True colours, huh... I don't see a reason not to like them, though."
"I guess you have a point!" Grace agreed while we laughed. However, I saw Power sitting at the same position, muttering to himself. He seemed to be nervous about battling Norman.
I know I have to do something within these three days... And I'll do my best to help him gain his confidence... After Harry's previous insults towards him.
The second day, we didn't waste much time, as we already started our training. Speed training, stamina training and many more. Soon, we reached to our battling session.
Woody and Power both stood still at the two sides of the battlefield, facing each other as I announced, "The practice battle between Woody and Power begins now! Woody, you can start the first move."
Woody nodded as he started to rush towards his fighting type opponent, releasing a Leaf Blade attack. Power saw the situation and tried to counter with Karate Chop, but he couldn't outspeed the fast Woody and got hit straight in the face. Woody had always worked hard in speed training and it really paid off as he was known as one of the fastest in the team.
Power got up and nervously tried to use Seismic Toss to Woody, only to be stopped by the boulders surrounding him. He broke the boulders as fast as possible, but Woody readied his angle as he released his Bullet Seed attack. Power, who was still trying to break the boulders, got hit directly by the powerful seeds and was pushed back. He slowly got up, but I could tell from his expression that he was upset and nervous with his performance.
Woody seemed to know it to, and tried to end it quick by rushing towards Power and going for another Leaf Blade. Power was finally able to hit Woody with Low Kick, but he took another powerful hit from the grass type. Both of them got pushed back but in the end, the results were completely different: Woody was able to stand up easily, while Power lied on the ground, unable to move.
Woody and I quickly ran towards the exhausted Power, and I healed the two with Potions. However, Power quickly stood up and walked away, leaving us two alone.
"Woody, you did a great job. Why don't you go there and join the others? I'll go check on Power." Woody nodded and walked towards the other members of my team. I quickly walked towards Power and asked, "What's wrong, Power?"
Power looked to me and sadly said, "L-Lows, maybe I shouldn't be participating in the gym battle..."
"Why is that, Power?"
"I-I struggled to even land a hit on Woody. I felt like I'm the weakest Pokémon in the team, and I might ruin the team's performance..."
"Don't say that, Power! Woody is one of the strongest Pokémon in the team right now. You're not bad either, you just need more confidence! Just like how you stepped up in the gym battle at Slateport."
"I-I couldn't had step up if it wasn't for your encouragement, Lows. But for myself, I-I lack self confidence, and that really affects me a lot in battles... I'm scared that I might screw up everything, and become a burden again..."
"P-Power..." I tried to comfort him, but he stopped me and said, "I-I'm sorry, Lows. Can you... leave me alone for a while?"
"I understand, Power. Come join us after the training is done." Power sadly nodded, as I went back to join the others. However, I knew that his mindset could be changed, I just needed to find a perfect opportunity. Little did I know that I would have the chance in just a moment...
"Alright, that's it for our training today! You guys have worked hard!" I yelled as I saw my exhausted Pokémon cheered. I also saw Power walking towards the others, still with a sad expression.
I guess he hasn't recovered yet...
On our way back to the PokéCentre, I suddenly saw a crowd of people gathering at a place, while a man in a sportswear announced, "The one and only event that only happens once in four years, the Pokélympics Celebration Event is back!" The people listening cheered upon hearing that.
"The event will be held right here in Petalburg City, today from 3 in the afternoon till 9 at night! The celebration event will be involving many sports events that are in the real Pokélympics, to celebrate the upcoming Pokélympics in 2 months! The winners will get amazing prizes, so be sure to participate! I'll see you there!" The audience clapped and cheered, eager to participate in the celebration event.
T-This... could just be the opportunity!
"Everyone, let's participate in the event!" I suggested, and they happily agreed. I could tell they were interested in the events as well.
I went towards a small booth there and started signing up. I had all five Pokémon participating in an event for each of them, so that everyone got to enjoy the fun. After that, we went back to the PokéCentre, prepared for the events and we were ready to face another challenge.
"Welcome... to the Pokélympics Celebration Event for year 2004! That's right, you participate and get a chance to win big! Let's start the games!" The host announced the start of the event as the people cheered in the stadium.
First up, was the swimming event. I guess you all know who I brought to this event. Surfer and I went towards the pool and prepared ourselves. We looked around and saw many huge and strong-looking Pokémon, mainly water types.
"Let's do our best and have fun, Surfer!"
"You bet, Lows!" He happily replied.
"On your mark... Get set... Go!" The referee blew the whistle, as all the trainers and Pokémon jumped into the pool. The swimming event not only consists of the Pokémon themselves, the trainers must also participate as well. I personally really liked the concept of the event.
Surfer and I swam as fast as possible, hoping to get a good result. We were doing good at first, however at the second lap, I did a small mistake and slowed ourselves down. We tried our best to make a comeback, but we were a bit far compared to the first place. Still, we swam at full strength, catching up to the others ahead of me.
"A-Almost there, Surfer!"
"Let's ride the waves and finish this!" We swam in unison and finished the race. We gave each other a high five as we waited for the results. The referee started announcing, "First place of the swimming event goes to... Clark and his Sharpedo, Frostbite!"
After giving the first prize, the referee continued, "Second place goes to... Kelly and her Starmie, Sapphire!"
I whispered to Surfer, "I'm sorry that I made a mistake, Surfer."
"It's all good! We had fun, after all!" I agreed and smiled. However, the next announcement was a surprise to us.
"Third place is... Lows and his Wartortle, Surfer!" I was happy and surprised to hear the results, however, Surfer somehow remained calm as we took the prize: 3 Super Potions.
After the prize ceremony for the swimming event ended, Surfer grinned and said, "I told you we did well!"
"O-Oh! You knew that we won all along!"
"Yeah! I saw the fourth place frustrated after losing to us in the pool too!" He laughed.
"Thanks, Surfer."
"No problem! Let's do better next time!" We gave each other another high five as we waited for the next events.
After about two hours, the host continued, "After more amazing events, we now welcome to competitors of the running event!" I happily cheered as I thought, it's finally time!
At the arena seat, my Pokémon and I saw the two Pokémon we were cheering for: Ziggs and Woody.
We eagerly cheered as I saw Grace staring towards the competitors. It was obvious who Grace was watching.
"Grace, who are you cheering for?"
"Of course it's Wood-" She realized she blurted out her choice too quickly and blushed, as she quickly changed her answer, "Ziggs and Woody are our teammates! I'm cheering for them both..."
"Hmm... Good to know." I smirked, as we focused on the racing track.
The referee blew the whistle as the Pokémon ran at lightning speed. Woody and Ziggs are both fast runners, so it would be interesting to see who would be the one to claim victory.
The two Pokémon outsped the other Pokémon as we cheered. However, Woody was slightly faster than the Rushing Pokémon.
In the end, Ziggs suddenly tripped and fell down. Just when everyone thought Woody would win this for sure, Woody suddenly turned back and pulled Ziggs back up. Although they both won in the end, but Woody ended up giving up his first place to another Pokémon.
"Third place and second place, both from Lows, Ziggs and Woody!" The audience gave us a round of applause. Not only for their outstanding performance, but also for Woody's heartwarming action and their friendship.
After receiving their prizes, many reporters suddenly went and surrounded Woody. They held a Pokétalk as they asked, "Woody, what was the reason behind those actions that you would rather help your friend than achieving first place?" "Woody, do you anything to say to your new fans after your actions?"
However, my Woody Gecko Pokémon isn't used to people surrounding him at all. He stood there, unable to speak. I went to him and told the reporters, "Sorry, he's not used to crowds." We then quickly ran away from the scene, with the reporters disappointed and going towards the winner.
Ziggs said to Woody, "Woody, thank you so much for your help! Also, I'm sorry for letting you lose first place."
"I-It's okay..." Woody replied with a small blush. Grace went to him and hugged him, making his face redder than a Tamato Berry. "Good job, Woody! You did really well. And your actions really made me happy for you!"
"T-Thanks..." He said, lost in words. It wasn't the first time Grace hugged him, but everytime she did that, Woody's shyness increased even more towards her.
I chuckled, "Alright, you all did really well! Now, let's wait for Grace's event to start." They nodded as we waited for the referee to announce, "The next event is one of the all time favourites, Psychic Power Event! Whoever moves the object the furthest using psychic powers wins the event!"
Grace stood up, ready to go for the prize. We waited for her turn and after a few good throws from the other contestants, Grace was finally up.
Grace took a deep breath as she closed her eyes and started releasing her psychic powers. The power made the disk floated, and she focused and threw the disk as far as possible. She had a pretty good performance, reaching 60 metres. She holded her first place for a while, but in the end another outstanding contestant defeated her by just two metres.
"Grace, that was a nice try. You did really well!"
"Thanks, Lows," She said while holding her prize, "I just wished I could've won the biggest prize though. But it's okay!"
"G-Grace, g-good job..." Woody said. He would've hugged her like what she always do to encourage him, but he was too shy to do that.
"Thanks, Woody!" Grace happily replied. "I couldn't have done it without all of your support."
"And now, looks like we're just waiting for..." Surfer said, as I continued, "Power's event. This will be the chance to regain his confidence. I'll check on him, you all stay here and watch, alright?"
"Good luck, Lows!" They cheered as they focused watching the next event.
"One of the last events of the day, it is the Punching Power Event! Whoever that was able to punch the hardest wins! The power of each punch will be recorded by the machine. Good luck!"
I went over to Power, who seemed to be nervous for the event.
"Power, you can do this, alright?"
"I-I don't know..."
"Look, Power. I can't follow you in the event, so I'll teach you a way to stay focused and determined. Take a deep breath, and tell yourself, 'I am the best by being myself, no matter what everyone said!' Alright? Give your best shot, Power!"
"A-Alright. Thanks, Lows." I nodded as I went back to the arena seat. Ziggs asked, "Is Power going to be okay?"
"I gave him my advice, now it just depends on whether the method would work..."
I saw Power going first out of all the contestants, as he nervously looked around the crowd. However, he closed his eyes and I sae him muttering. I assumed that he was trying my method. He kept on repeating it a few times, and he opened his eyes, ready to give his all on this punch. My eyes never went off him as he released his strength and punched the sandbag. A loud noise was heard from the punch as we cheered at amazement. However, we focused on Power's score shortly after.
It went up to 400... 500... 700... and it went up more than 900. The score is 953 out of 1000!
"Unbelievable! Lows' Power did an outstanding job and scored the highest in the history of Punching Power Event!" The audience never stopped their cheering and clapping, "Power! Power! Power!"
Power looked around the stadium and was surprised with his results. Soon, happy tears fell from his face as he smiled.
I'm proud of you, Power.
Back to the PokéCentre, it was already late at night, but we were eager to list down the prizes we got in total.
"6 Super Potions, 6 Revives! Not too bad!" Surfer exclaimed.
"Hey, don't forget about Power's trophy!" Ziggs said while we looked at the trophy. It was written,"The Record Breaker of the Punching Power Event - Pokélympics Celebration Event 2004".
Power couldn't help but grinned while looking at his trophy.
"Power, how did you do so well? I never knew you were so good at punching!"
"I never knew that either. But when I was using Lows' method, I felt a sudden strength coming from me, and I felt like I really wanted to give it my all."
"That's what I call self confidence! You deserve the prize, Power! Not only that, you are also able to regain your confidence! I'm proud of you." I said while petting my Fighting type.
"Hehe... Thanks!"
"So, are you going to participate in the gym battle?"
"You bet, Lows! Win or lose, I'll do my best!"
We laughed in the room, happy that Power became more confident and less stressful. This is another new page of our progress towards our dreams in our Pokémon journey!
Lows' Pokémon Team:
Surfer (Wartortle, Male) Jolly Nature
Ability: Torrent
Moves: Bite, Water Gun, Water Pulse, Sand Tomb
Ziggs (Linoone, Male) Naive Nature
Ability: Quick Feet
Moves: Dig, Headbutt, Swift, Facade
Grace (Kirlia, Female) Calm Nature
Ability: Synchronize
Moves: Teleport, Magical Leaf, Shadow Ball, Psybeam
Woody (Grovyle, Male) Lonely Nature
Ability: Overgrow
Moves: Pursuit, Leaf Blade, Bullet Seed, Rock Tomb
Power (Machop, Male) Timid Nature
Ability: Guts
Moves: Fling, Karate Chop, Low Kick, Seismic Toss
Questions of the Chapter:
How do you think of the celebration event for the Pokélympics?
How do you feel about Power being more confident after his success?