Hello, all! Welcome back to another chapter of Pokémon Journey: Sevii Islands!
Last chapter saw Richard and Naro prevail over Zack and Javik, only for him to lose to Dean in the quarter finals.
Upload Date: 16th October 2016
Chapter 37: Difference in Power
Coloena Town, Sevii Islands
12:51pm, 14th August 2005
"So, what's the plan now?" James asked.
He, Richard, Livvi, Dean, Ned and Zack had returned to the Trainers Village. James' question came as the group approached the entrance.
"Get lunch, I guess," Richard replied. "It's not like we've got anything else to do until 2."
"Hey! Don't bail on helping me train!" Dean called. "Just because you guys aren't in the competition anymore doesn't mean that you can't help!"
"That was a low blow." Livvi chastised him.
"Don't worry, we were always going to train with you, Dean!" Richard assured him. "I just want to have something to eat first and give myself some time to process what happened."
As they walked through the doorway, they heard a voice call out to them.
"So, I heard that you just weren't good enough to make it to the semis!"
Richard's heart sank. It was Kyle.
He wore a smug grin that, for a brief moment, made Richard seriously consider running over and punching him in the face. He resisted the temptation as they approached him.
"I did the best I could," he replied stiffly. "I take it you won?"
"Naturally!" Kyle grinned back. "I'm still waiting for an opponent to give me a real challenge."
"Cool, good for you. Now if you'll excuse us, we're going to get lunch." Richard pushed past him.
"Hey, Richard!" Sonia appeared as well. "Sorry to hear about your battle."
"It's fine," Richard replied.
"I must admit, I'm a little sad that you didn't make it through," Kyle said, catching up with him. "I did want to face you again in the final."
"Well, it's too late to be thinking about that now," Richard sighed.
"Make sure you get further next time." Kyle patted him rather firmly on the back. "I want you to be a little tougher to beat when we next fight."
"Why don't you go and focus on training for your next battle?" Richard snapped.
"Hah! Don't worry – I will!" Kyle grinned smugly before turning and leaving.
"So, are you guys havin' lunch?" Sonia asked. "Mind if I join you?"
"Sure!" Livvi replied. "The more the merrier."
"Thanks!" Sonia grinned.
"I hope you've got a plan for your training," James said to Dean as they started walking towards the canteen.
"Don't worry," Dean replied. "I'm not leaving anything to chance – this time, I will defeat Danny!"
2:17pm, 14th August 2005
"Blastoise, use Skull Bash!"
The tension was thick in the air in the grass stadium. The semi-final battle between Dean and Danny Kent had reached its final stages. Dean and Blastoise stood facing Danny's sceptile, a tall green pokémon with a large, fern-like tail and four yellow orbs on his back.
These pokémon were the last for each trainer, and the last one left standing would win their trainer a spot in the Sevii League final.
"It really is getting tense!" James commented as Blastoise fired himself towards Sceptile.
"I can't believe that it's down to just the last pokémon on each side," Livvi replied. "And Dean's at a disadvantage now."
"He did a good job defeating Scizor," Richard added. "But now Blastoise is much weaker than before."
"Yeah." Lostelle's father frowned as Sceptile nimbly dodged Blastoise's attack and started charging up sunlight for a Solar Beam attack.
"Rain Dance!" Dean called.
Blastoise quickly regained his balance and danced rhythmically, summoning a pitch-black cloud of rain to the sky above the arena.
"Now use Hydro Pump!" Dean shouted.
Blastoise lowered one of his cannons and fired a powerful blast of water towards Sceptile.
"Argh! What's he doing?!" James cried in frustration. "He should know that water type attacks aren't going to do much to a grass type like Sceptile!"
"But Hydro Pump gets boosted by Rain Dance," Livvi said. "And Skull Bash would be too slow to strike before Solar Beam is finished charging."
"Dean's going to have a tough time if he lets Danny control the pace of the battle," Ned sighed, frowning.
"Use Protect!" Dean ordered as Sceptile fired a bright beam of light towards Blastoise.
Blastoise immediately pulled back into his shell for protection.
"Now use Skull Bash!" Dean yelled.
Blastoise popped back out of his shell as the beam dissipated and fired himself towards Sceptile.
"Use Detect!" Danny ordered. "And then Leaf Blade!"
Sceptile braced himself, watching Blastoise's movements. At the last moment, he dove low, extending a green blade from his forearm.
Blastoise let out a cry of pain as his opponent raked his underside with the extended blade. He crashed to the ground with a loud thud.
"Use Leaf Blade again!" Danny shouted as Blastoise attempted to get back to his feet.
"Intercept it with Hydro Pump!" Dean yelled.
Blastoise spun around just in time to fire a powerful blast of water towards Sceptile, scoring a direct hit. However, the fact that he hadn't set himself up and the force of the water sent him toppling backwards.
"Finish this up with Leaf Blade!" Danny shouted.
Sceptile, quickly recovering from the previous attack, leapt up. A green blade of grass type energy extended from his forearm.
"Use Skull Bash!" Dean yelled.
Blastoise flailed around as he attempted to pull himself up. He managed it and lowered his head in preparation for his charge.
However, he was a split second too slow.
Sceptile slashed at his exposed head, whipping Blastoise around and sending him crashing back to the ground. A heavy silence filled the arena as Sceptile landed, the blade fading back into his arm.
Blastoise lay on the ground, silent and unmoving.
"Blastoise is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Sceptile is the winner! All of Dean Pickering's pokémon are unable to battle, so the winner of this semi final match is Danny Kent!"
"I guess he still couldn't quite beat Danny," James sighed. "He's certainly a tough one."
"Still, he managed to get to the semi-finals," Livvi added. "That's got to count for something, right?"
"It's better than he did at the Kanto League," Richard replied. "But he might feel like he hasn't made any progress at all, since he still lost to Danny."
"So, that's Danny through to the final," Ned began. "I wonder who won the other match."
"It was probably Kyle," Lostelle's father said. "That kid's clearly been training for this for years – it'll take a lot to beat that kind of determination."
"No need to rub my defeat in my face," Richard grumbled.
"…That wasn't my intention," Lostelle's father replied. "Sorry."
"Anyway, let's go and meet up with Dean." Livvi stood up. "After that, we can go back to the Trainers' Village and see if Kyle won the other semi-final."
6:48pm, 14th August 2005
As they'd expected, they'd arrived back at the Trainers' Village to find Kyle gloating about his semi-final win. The following day's final was going to be between him and Danny. Even at this late stage in the competition, Kyle still didn't seem to have any doubts about his ultimate victory. What kind of training and experiences had he been through to give him such unbending confidence?
This was one of the questions that swirled around Richard's mind as he sat at one of the tables in the canteen. James and Dean were sat with him, though they were having their own conversation.
"Mind if we join you?"
He looked around to see Livvi and Sonia approaching them.
"Sure." He gestured to the empty seats next to him.
"You took a while to get down here," James commented as the two girls sat down.
"Sorry about that!" Livvi replied sheepishly. "I wanted to talk to Sonia before we came down to dinner."
"What about?"
"Not that it's any of your business, but I wanted her help with some training tomorrow."
"You're doing some training?" Richard gave her a stunned look. "What for?"
"I want to be ready for the next time I battle with Tessa," Livvi replied. "And I really want to spend some time training with Tavro – I get the feeling that he could be what finally tips the scales in my favour!"
"So, when are you doing this training?" Dean asked. "Presumably you're going to come and watch the final, right?"
"We'll see," Sonia replied. "It depends on how quickly we get done what we want to get done."
"Sounds like you've got something ambitious in mind." Ned butted into the conversation as he arrived at the table.
"Ah, well," Livvi began. "The truth is, I've been looking for a new move to teach my blissey and Sonia made a suggestion that sounded good."
"That's right!" Sonia nodded. "As part of training Tavro, I thought that we could have him start teaching Salea how to use Psychic."
"Psychic?" James cried in surprise. "Salea can learn that?"
"Apparently," Livvi replied. "But it's tricky to learn. That's why I want Sonia's help."
"Still, if you can master it, then Tessa will be in for a surprise the next time you battle!"
"That's what I'm hoping for!"
"Anyway," Sonia interrupted. "I think we should meet a little bit earlier tomorrow morning. You still wanted to explore Coloena Town, right?"
"Sure." Livvi nodded.
"So that's the real reason why she needs all that time," Richard muttered knowingly.
"How about we meet up in front of the Trainers' Village after breakfast then?" Sonia suggested. "Will that give you enough time?"
"That's fine by me." Livvi nodded.
9:51am, 15th August 2005
"Sorry I kept you waiting!" Livvi cried as she ran out of the doors to the lobby.
"Not a problem!" Sonia grinned back at her. She was sat on the edge of a rectangular flower pot alongside the path leading to the lobby. "You ready to get goin'?"
"Yep!" Livvi nodded eagerly. "Where are we heading first?"
"Don't know," Sonia replied. "Is there anywhere in particular that you want go?"
"Hmm." Livvi pulled out her town map. "I was thinking that the east side of town sounded nice."
Geh." Sonia made a face. "That part of town is controlled by a rival family."
"Ah." Livvi reacted immediately, then paused to ponder for a second. "…This might be a little late, but there isn't any kind of inter-family violence in Coloena Town, is there?"
"Well, we're constantly fightin' pokémon battles with each other," Sonia explained. "Nothin' more than that usually."
"I see," said Livvi. "How about you take me where you want to go instead?"
"…I don't mind goin' where you want to go," Sonia replied.
"It's fine," Livvi said firmly. "You know this town better than I do anyway."
"Alright then." Sonia nodded. "Follow me – I'll take you to my family's district."
"You mentioned the families before," Livvi said as the two of them started walking down the path towards the centre of Coloena Town. "Are they really such a big deal?"
"The families are basically the central pillar of life in Coloena Town," Sonia explained. "Back when this town was first founded, the most powerful families on the island formed rival groups and each ruled over part of what became Coloena Town."
"There wasn't one leader?"
"No." Sonia shook her head. "It was always ruled by the families, with an agreement not to drive each other out. Territory still exchanges hands even now, but there'll never be one family that rules the whole town."
"So, how is the town administered?" Livvi asked, a confused look on her face. "Do all the family-controlled districts just rule themselves?"
"Well, that's part of the reason why the Sevii League Pokémon Association came to Coloena Town," Sonia explained. "Fightin' between the families had spilled over into violence and a number of people were killed. All of the families agreed that Coloena Town needed some kinda law enforcement, but none of 'em trusted the others. In the end, the Pokémon Association came and set up camp here so that the police were separate from all of the families."
"So the Association came here because of that as well?" Livvi asked.
"Yeah." Sonia nodded. "But the fact that we were so renowned for our battlin' prowess helped too!"
"So, tell me more about the families." Livvi changed the subject. "You mentioned them being like clans before, didn't you?"
"That's right." Sonia affirmed her statement. "The town is divided into eight districts, each controlled by a different family. Each 'family' consists of several smaller ones, with the most powerful being the one that controls that family."
"Which family do you belong to?" Livvi asked.
"The Hale family," Sonia replied. "My biological family, the Ross family, has been a senior member of the family for decades."
"So you're pretty high up here in Coloena Town then?" Livvi laughed.
"Heheh!" Sonia laughed as well. "Well, yeah. But it comes with its problems as well."
"Such as?"
"There's a lotta pressure on us," Sonia replied. "The Sevii League is a great opportunity to prove that our family is better than the others – that means that we all have to train as hard as we can and there's a lotta expectation, especially in a senior family." She let out a sigh. "Sometimes, it can be a bit much."
Livvi didn't really know what to say in response to that. Fortunately, Sonia quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, you said that you wanted to spend some time trainin' Tavro today, right?"
"That's right." Livvi nodded.
"Then how about we have a battle?" Sonia suggested. "To be honest, I've been itchin' to fight someone ever since the Sevii League started!"
"Huh? You mean right now?" Livvi cried in surprise.
"Well, whenever you want," Sonia replied. "We could go for a walk around the town and then head back and battle at on the practise arenas at the Trainers' Village after lunch, if that's what you'd prefer?"
"That sounds like a good idea to me." Livvi nodded. "I've been waiting for an opportunity to explore Coloena Town since we first arrived here!"
"Alright!" Sonia grinned. "I'll look forward to later then!"
1:58pm, 15th August 2005
Having spent the morning wandering around Coloena Town, with Sonia telling Livvi more about the different families in the town and their history, the two girls had stopped for lunch at a café by the seafront before heading back up to the Trainers' Village.
The final had already begun by the time they'd arrived, so they'd had no trouble finding space on the practise arenas. The roar of the crowd could be heard in the distance as the two trainers prepared for a battle of their own.
"So, just one-on-one, right?" Sonia called over.
"That's right!" Livvi nodded. "After that, I want to focus on training Salea to use Psychic!"
"Fair enough!" Sonia called back, taking her position at one end of the arena. "You ready?"
"Yep!" Livvi pulled out Tavro's poké ball.
"Then let's go!" Sonia grinned, throwing out her own poké ball.
A small, light brown, bear-like pokémon burst out of the ball and landed on the ground. It had a crescent moon shape on its forehead, while it held its right paw up to its mouth. It looked rather endearing.
"Wow! What a cute pokémon!" Livvi cried.
"I'm glad you think so!" Sonia laughed. "This is Ediu, my teddiursa!"
"Teddiursa, huh?" Livvi pulled out her Pokédex.
"Teddiursa, the little bear pokémon. This pokémon likes to lick its paws that are sweetened by being soaked in honey. Teddiursa concoct their own honey by blending fruits and pollen collected by beedrill. Before food becomes scarce in the winter, they habitually hoard food in many hidden places."
"Alright, go, Tavro!" Livvi called, throwing out the poké ball.
Tavro cried out as he materialised.
"Use-" Livvi was about to issue an order, when an image of Ediu focusing energy into one of his paws before throwing a powerful punch. "Focus…Punch…?" she muttered as the two words suddenly formed in her mind.
"Oooh! Looks like Tavro has the Forewarn ability!" Sonia called.
"Forewarn?" Livvi gave her a confused look.
"It's an ability that alerts the pokémon to one of its opponent's moves!" Sonia replied. "Presumably, he's communicatin' that information usin' telepathy!"
"So that's it." Livvi looked over at Tavro, who nodded in response.
"Anyway, looks like my secret weapon got found out right from the start," Sonia sighed. "I guess we'll have to rely on our other moves instead!"
"Let's get started, Tavro!" Livvi called. "Use Future Sight!"
Tavro's eyes lit up with a bright blue glow before fading again.
"Now use Headbutt!" Livvi ordered.
Tavro nodded. Tensing his legs, he fired himself towards Ediu, his pendulum trailing behind him.
"Use Fake Tears!" Sonia shouted.
Ediu suddenly burst into tears as Tavro approached.
"Urk." A pang of guilt shot through Livvi at the sight. "Use Hypnosis!" She quickly changed her order.
Tavro shot her a questioning look as he slowed down. Turning back to face Ediu, he fired a hypnotic ray towards him.
Ediu sprang to one side, easily dodging the attack.
"Use Feint Attack!" Sonia yelled.
The cute look on Ediu's face was replaced with a confident smirk as he tore towards Tavro from the side.
Tavro cried out in pain as Ediu slammed into his side and sent him flying.
"Are you okay, Tavro?" Livvi called.
Tavro pulled himself back to his feet and gave himself a shake.
"What a relief," Livvi sighed. "Alright, use Hypnosis again!"
Instead of firing a hypnotic ray at Ediu, Tavro instead lowered his head and charged straight at him.
"Huh? What are you doing, Tavro?" Livvi cried in surprise.
"Use Slash!" Sonia called as Ediu easily dodged Tavro's attack.
Ediu nodded. Landing and pushing off again, he raked Tavro with a powerful slash from his surprisingly sharp claws.
"Tavro!" Livvi shouted in alarm as the hypno dropped down to the ground, clutching his side in pain.
Tavro pulled himself back up, grimacing in pain.
"Use Psychic!" Livvi shouted.
Tavro's eyes glowed a bright blue colour. Ediu was lifted into the air and hurled to the ground again.
"Great work, Tavro!" Livvi called, relieved that he'd used the right move this time. "Now use Headbutt!" she ordered as Ediu started pulling himself back up.
Instead of charging towards his opponent, Tavro insisted focused his psychic energy. His eyes glowed as he lifted the teddiursa into the air again before sending him crashing back to the ground with a thud.
"Ediu, you okay?" Sonia called.
Ediu pulled himself back to his feet and nodded. He reached down and picked something up off of the floor before putting it in his mouth.
"Nice work, Ediu!" Sonia grinned, recognising the distinctive yellowish colour of a sitrus berry. "Now use Feint Attack!"
Ediu, his strength newly restored by the sitrus berry he'd picked up, raced towards Tavro.
Tavro cried in pain. He was thrown back, landing with a crash. A second attack by Ediu was prevented when a blast of psychic energy suddenly appeared from nowhere and struck him in the side.
"Quick, Tavro, use Psychic!" Livvi shouted.
Tavro pulled himself back to his feet. Once again, though, he ignored Livvi's instructions and charged towards Ediu with his head lowered.
"Use Slash!" Sonia called as Ediu leapt back to his feet.
The teddiursa nodded and charged back to meet Tavro. Easily dodging the hypno's head-butt, he slashed viciously at his exposed side.
Tavro cried in pain, toppling down to the ground.
"Tavro!" Livvi cried, running over to him.
"Looks like this battle's over!" Sonia grinned. "Great work there, Ediu!"
Ediu gave a satisfied nod.
"Are you okay, Tavro?" Livvi asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.
Tavro nodded in response.
"That's a relief!" Livvi smiled at him. A frown quickly followed though. "Why didn't you listen to my commands out there, Tavro?"
Tavro looked away from her, a conflicted expression on his face.
"How long as Tavro been on your team?" Sonia asked, walking up to join her.
"Umm." Livvi paused to think for a second. "About two weeks, I think."
"So he's still relatively new?"
"That's right." Livvi nodded. "This is the first time that he hasn't followed my orders in battle, though."
"Have you fought together a lot?"
"Just once before today."
"Ah, I see!" Sonia gave a satisfied nod. "I get the feeling that, for whatever reason, Tavro doesn't fully trust your capability to command him in battle."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, the trainer's role in battle is to look at the overall strategy and watch for changes on the battlefield," Sonia explained. "But an inexperienced trainer will often make mistakes. That can sometimes lead to friction with more experienced pokémon who have been observin' the battlefield themselves."
"Ah!" Livvi suddenly cried. "Tavro once spent time training with the Outcast Island gym leader before he officially joined my team!"
"That explains it," Sonia said solemnly. "If Tavro is used to bein' handled by a very experienced trainer, then he'll have learnt a lot more about strategy than you have."
"Is that true, Tavro?" Livvi asked, turning back to her pokémon.
Tavro looked down guiltily.
"Maybe it would have been better for you if you'd stayed with Markus instead of coming back to me," Livvi murmured, her shoulders slumping.
Tavro shook his head vigorously.
"Huh?"
"Yeah, don't worry about it too much, Livvi!" Sonia grinned at her. "It's clear that Tavro wants to be with you. It's just that he doesn't trust your skill in battle."
"That's a big problem!" Livvi cried. "I'm relying on him to get an edge over my older sister!"
"Hmm." Sonia pondered for a couple of seconds. "Then how about you work towards provin' to Tavro that you have what it takes to command him."
"…How can I do that?"
"You said he was once trained by the Outcast Island gym leader, right?"
"That's right."
"Then how does this sound?" Sonia began. "If you go around and defeat other gym leaders and earn badges, then maybe Tavro will come to trust your commands!"
Tavro nodded. He was willing to consider her if she managed it.
"Maybe that's what I need to do," Livvi sighed.
"Anyway, you've got plenty of time to think about it!" Sonia patted her on the shoulder. "Shall we get to work trainin' Salea how to use Psychic? You can get Tavro involved as well, and that'll help build trust between you as well!"
"Alright." Livvi stood up and pulled out Salea's poké ball. "Let's get to work!"
3:04pm, 15th August 2005
At some point while they'd been training, the almost empty grounds around the practice arenas had become busy as spectators left the stadium after the end of the final. Livvi had hardly noticed, having been so engaged in training, until she heard a familiar voice call out to her.
"Hey, Livvi! How's it going?"
She looked up to see James, Richard, Dean and Ned walking down towards them.
"You're back?" she cried. "What happened in the final? Who won?"
"Kyle won," Richard replied bitterly.
Sonia gave a satisfied nod. "I knew my brother would be able to pull through – he's one of our best trainers, after all!"
"It was close though," Dean added. "Both sides were down to their last pokémon, and Kyle's kangaskhan was just a little too strong for Danny's sceptile." He let out a long sigh. "Looks like I'm going to have do some serious training if I want to catch up to those two."
"How about you?" James asked. "Did you manage to teach Salea how to use Psychic?"
"We sure did!" Sonia grinned at him.
Salea smiled confidently at him as well.
"…Almost," Livvi added sheepishly. "We just need to perfect the technique. You know how it is."
"Don't we?" James nodded. "It's never simple trying to teach these complicated moves."
"Well, if it's anything like Solar Beam, then you'll get there eventually!" Richard grinned.
"So, what's the plan now?" Livvi asked.
"The closing ceremony is at seven," Richard replied. "That gives us about four hours."
"I don't really feel like doing any more training today," James sighed. "I say that we just kick back and relax for a bit."
"We still need to figure out what we're going to do next as well," said Richard.
"What do you mean?" James asked. "We're finished out here now, aren't we?"
"So, what – just head straight back to Kanto?"
"I thought the plan was to head back to Seaspray Town to see if Bill and Celio have finished work on the Pokémon Transfer System," said Livvi, looking between the two of them.
"Yeah, that sounds good to me," James replied.
"It'll be nice seeing it working after all the effort we put in!" Richard grinned.
"What's this about?" Ned asked curiously.
"Ah, well that's kind of a long story," Livvi began.
"We'll tell you about it on our way back," James said. "Come on, let's go!"
5:23pm, 15th August 2005
There was a knock on the door.
James and Richard, both lying on their beds, shared a quick look. After a couple of seconds, James let out a sigh and started pulling himself up. He trudged over to the door and pulled it open.
"Mind if I come in?" Livvi asked.
"You again?" James groaned.
"Hey! Don't treat me like that!" Livvi scowled at him as she pushed past him into the room. "I wanted to check that both of you had finished packing."
"Don't worry about it," James replied, gesturing to the fully-packed backpacks at the foot of each bed.
"…I'm impressed."
"What about you?"
"Ah, well, I'm… mostly finished…"
"You didn't think we'd be finished, did you?" Richard grinned at her.
"You should have more faith, Livvi!" James said.
"Alright, alright," Livvi sighed, raising her hands. She walked over at sat down on the edge of James' bed.
"Why are you making yourself comfortable?" James asked. "Shouldn't you be finishing your packing?"
"Well, I wanted to talk as well," Livvi replied.
"What about?" Richard asked.
"I was wondering what you guys were planning on doing next," Livvi replied, looking between the two of them. "I mean, after we're back from the Sevii Islands."
"Well, there's not really much more we can do," said James. "We'll be going back to school in September."
"I know that!" Livvi snapped. "I mean next year, once school's over!"
"Isn't it a little early to be thinking about that?" Richard asked.
"We all go to different schools," Livvi replied. "It'll be harder to see each other between now and April."
"I guess you've got a point there," Richard sighed. "But the thing is, I have no idea exactly what I'm going to do next. All I know is that I want to continue taking on gyms and competing in leagues until I'm strong enough to reach Adam's level."
"I like the idea of continuing travelling," James added. "There are still lots of things I want to try out."
"What about you, Livvi?" Richard asked. "You got anything in mind?"
"Not especially," Livvi admitted. "But I still really want to beat Tessa. Sooner or later, I'm going to have to get serious about training my pokémon."
"Thinking of taking on the gyms?" James asked.
"Kind of, yeah." Livvi nodded. "I've been relying too much on you guys all this time – I think I need to make a proper effort to get stronger for my own sake."
"Oooh! This is new!" James grinned at her.
"I remember you expressing an interest every now and again," Richard added.
"Well," Livvi began, fidgeting slightly. She took a deep breath. "Earlier today, Tavro and I had a battle against Sonia. Tavro wouldn't listen to all of my commands and we ended up losing."
"Really?" James' eyes widened in surprise. "Any idea why?"
"We think it's because I'm not as skilled as Markus was," Livvi replied.
"Ah, I guess that would make sense." Richard nodded. "Markus was really tough. The way he battles is nothing like the way you battle."
"So that's it." Livvi nodded. "I want to challenge the gyms so that I can get stronger and prove myself to Tavro. Then the two of us will finally beat Tessa once and for all!"
"You're still not giving up on beating Tessa, are you?" James laughed.
"This is no laughing matter, James!" Livvi replied, her tone completely serious. "My pride's on the line here!"
"Well, it's good that you've got a clear goal in mind," James said, smiling at her.
"What about you, James?" Richard asked. "You going to get back in challenging gyms?"
"Yeah." James nodded. "It's been a long break, but I'm definitely ready to get back to it."
"It's a shame that we have to go to school instead of travelling more," Livvi sighed.
"You don't have to go to school," Richard said. "But there aren't really any leagues on in the autumn and winter, so you might as well go while you wait."
"I guess so," Livvi mused. She stood up. "Right! I'm going to get back to packing! I'll meet you guys here later so that we can go to the closing ceremony together!"
"Alright!" Richard nodded.
"See you later!" James called after her as she opened the door and left.
7:24pm, 15th August 2005
"Wow! Aren't the fireworks beautiful, Daddy!" Lostelle cried as the sky was filled with colourful explosions, each one lighting up the stadium below.
"They certainly are, aren't they?" Lostelle's father put his hand on the top of her head.
"Next year, I'm definitely goin' to qualify for the Sevii League!" Sonia grinned.
"I'm sure you'll be able to do it next time!" Livvi said, smiling at her.
"You should definitely come back here next year," Sonia replied. "Then hopefully we can battle again!"
"I'd love that." Livvi nodded.
"Ah, seeing all this reminds me of the Kanto League," James sighed. "I need to do better next time." He stretched his arms above his head. "Well, there'll be plenty of time for me to do that."
"Yeah!" Livvi nodded eagerly. "I'm really excited about what lies ahead!"
"Me too!" James replied. "And I'm sure Richard is as well!"
Down in the stadium, Richard and Naro were stood next to Dean and Lickitung, Zack and Tarnation and Ned and Dindru. Over on the central stage, Kyle was being awarded his trophy for winning the Sevii League.
Richard hated to admit it, but there was a part of him that was really unhappy Kyle had ended up winning the whole thing. The knowledge made his heart tighten.
Yet it could also feel it stirring up his determination. Back in the group stage, Kyle had beaten him without any problems at all. He wasn't going to let that sort of thing happen ever again.
"Strange to think that it's over, isn't it?" Ned sighed.
"I know what you mean," Dean replied. "I felt the same when the Kanto League ended.
"Almost everything we've done over the past couple of months has built towards this," said Zack. "Now we suddenly have nothing to aim for."
"Until the next league, that is!" Dean quickly corrected him. He let out a sigh. "I'm disappointed that I still couldn't beat Danny. I still have a lot of work to do."
"Still, I had a lot of fun!" Ned grinned. "I got to meet lots of new people, see and take part in lots of awesome battles, and I think I grew as a people because of it!"
"Part of the excitement is meeting lots of new people." Dean smiled. "It's a great event to be part of."
"Yeah." Richard nodded, looking up at the sky as a firework exploded, sending yellow sparks flying over the stadium. "I'm going to keep trying. Then one day, I'll be the one up on that stage!"
So, the Sevii League has finally come to an end. It's always an unreal feeling suddenly finding yourself close to the end of the story.
Anyway, it looks like we might be seeing a gym challenge by Livvi at some point in the future, both so that she can win Tavro's trust and build up her skills in the hopes of achieving an ultimate victory over Tessa. With all three protagonists having now affirmed or re-affirmed their paths and goals, the stage is now set for the next phase of Pokémon Journey.
Of course, we still have a handful of Sevii Islands chapters to go before we reach the end of the story. I hope that you'll be looking forward to them! :)
As ever, I appreciate any feedback you guys have on this chapter. Finishing it was a bit of a rush, so there might be a few errors that slipped through the net. Let me know if you found anything.
Until next time!
Team Listings:
James' Team:
Active:
Charka (Charmeleon): male, naïve, often scatters things, likes sweet food, fire type, Blaze ability, known moves are Fire Spin, Smokescreen, Flamethrower and Metal Claw.
Kacha (Pikachu): male, modest, sturdy body, likes dry food, electric type, Static ability, known moves are Thunderbolt, Agility, Slam and Thunder Wave.
Raenok (Mankey): male, impish, loves to eat, likes sour food, fighting type, Anger Point ability, known moves are Rock Slide, Screech, Cross Chop and Brick Break.
Ayra (Paras): male, lax, loves to relax, likes sour food, bug-grass type, Dry Skin ability, known moves are Aerial Ace, Leech Life, Giga Drain and Spore.
Cuba (Marowak): male, serious, quick to flee, eats anything, ground type, Rock Head ability, known moves are Bone Club, Double-Edge, Bonemerang and Bone Rush.
Saeloc (Persian): female, rash, likes to thrash about, likes dry food, normal type, Technician ability, known moves are Slash, Screech, Bite and Icy Wind.
In Pallet Town:
Leytor (Seel): male, careful, good perseverance, likes bitter food, water type, Thick Fat ability, known moves are Water Pulse, Take Down, Safeguard and Ice Beam.
Livvi's Team:
Active:
Barru (Bulbasaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, known moves are Tackle, Sludge Bomb, Solar Beam and Leech Seed.
Dorru (Nidorina): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, known moves are Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.
Cylune (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, known moves are Stun Spore, Psychic, Poison Powder and Silver Wind.
Evoro (Eevee): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, normal type, Adaptability ability, known moves are Bite, Double Team, Take Down and Quick Attack.
Salea (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, known moves are Softboiled, Psychic (in progress), Double Slap and Egg Bomb.
Tavro (Hypno): male, quirky, loves to eat, eats anything, psychic type, Forewarn ability, known moves are Psychic, Hypnosis, Future Sight and Headbutt.
Richard's Team:
Active:
Naro (Nidoking): male, mild, sturdy body, likes dry food, poison-ground type, Poison Point ability, known moves are Horn Attack, Megahorn, Poison Sting and Double Kick.
Sting (Beedrill): male, hardy, often dozes off, eats anything, bug-poison type, Swarm ability, known moves are Agility, Poison Sting, Twineedle and String Shot.
Spear (Fearow): male, mild, likes to thrash about, likes dry food, normal-flying type, Keen Eye ability, known moves are Drill Peck, Double Team, Aerial Ace and Agility.
Helix (Omastar): male, naïve, somewhat stubborn, likes sweet food, rock-water type, Shell Armour ability, known moves are Spike Cannon, Hydro Pump, Ancient Power and Tickle.
Flare (Ponyta): male, rash, likes to thrash about, likes dry food, fire type, Flash Fire ability, known moves are Take Down, Agility, Bounce and Fire Blast.
Tory (Exeggutor): male, brave, strong willed, likes spicy food, grass-psychic type, Chlorophyll ability, known moves are Sunny Day, Confusion, Solar Beam and Egg Bomb.