Fall is officially here (at least where I live; it's been cooler for a week straight as opposed to days that rival summer every so often) which means the MLB postseason is reaching the climax, football's heating up, NHL is up & running, and I have to dig up my long sleeve shirts out of the closet before mother nature changes her mind and makes it feel like summer for a few days. Some stuff to follow in the post chapter notes this time around since I don't want to spoil anything so I hope you'll stick around. Enjoy the chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon but I do own my OCs.
Chapter 52- Prelude to the Finals
Jasmine and I slept peacefully while the rain pitter-pattered against the window the entire night. It didn't come down too hard on its own; just hard enough to make a little noise. The wind on the other hand, was brutal. The room itself was a little cool considering the outside conditions but the warmth of the bed easily made up for the temperature difference. Overall it was very cozy. I vividly remembered the night in Olivine after the gym battle where she was bruised up, exhausted, voice no louder than a whisper after screaming her lungs out and she still took me in when she could've been alone. Before I passed out, I found it funny that it was a complete 180 from last time.
Clouds still covered the sky when I woke up around 9:00am which allowed my eyes to adjust to the light. Jasmine was wide awake holding me while staring down with a soft smile on her face. I took a few more seconds to get more awake as she gently rubbed my head. My attempt to get up was immediately met with her pushing down on my shoulder with her other hand.
"No. You stay there." She continued to stroke my head. "Remember what I said last night? I'll take care of everything."
"So do you know what I want? I was planning to do a lot today in preparation for tomorrow," I playfully asked.
"You tell me what needs to be done and I can make it happen," she shot back immediately.
"I didn't want to hold you up if you had something to do. Besides, I thought gym leaders were supposed to be impartial when it comes to challengers. Isn't all of this an advantage? No other competitor has this opportunity."
Her eyes looked away from me. "Only when they're going for badges; we're still just people deep down. The only difference is that we make our living by battling." She shifted so she was sitting up. "Don't worry about an advantage. Almost everything here is fair game if you know what I mean."
It took me a minute to put it together. "So how many other gym leaders did the same thing this whole tournament? And why now of all times?"
"All of them at one point or another," she said nonchalantly. "If they were married, their spouses were invited. Others did more with their guests while others did less. Again… we're still human. As for the timing, I thought now would be the right time to pull you away from the craziness. I thought about doing this last round but I couldn't bring myself to do it." I wondered if what happened to me might've happened to any of my pervious competitors. Getting to this part of the hotel was impossible unless you had clearance so I highly doubt a majority of the field even saw the elevator behind the front desk. "After all this is over, would you like to… um…"
"Celebrate?"
"Ummm…" she still hummed with a nervous look on her face.
"Meet up?"
"Well…"
"Go out to eat somewhere? I don't know."
"Yes!" she quickly replied. "Go out!" Her face turned read in a heartbeat. "To dinner," she added quietly. "There's a good place by the lighthouse that I go to escape the daily grind every so often." Just to dinner? Riiiiight.
"Why though? I'm curious. I'm not exactly the most ideal guy out there. My gear isn't the nicest and I look like a mess half the time. Look at my arm for Arceus' sake! Plus, I'm a blue-collar trainer that's had to claw my way here. I mean come on; I'm practically harboring a fugitive Pokémon that half the world wants dead. Not to generalize, but most gym leaders seem like they'd be interested in someone who's, well, not me." The silence was a sure sign I blew it until her eyes met mine.
"Because you're a genuinely nice guy who's also honest." Red flag alert; I know nice guys always finish last but I'll hear her out. "You do the right thing, you care about your Pokémon or other people a lot more than yourself, and the big thing is that you've respected every single opponent this tournament if they showed you an ounce of it." Jasmine got more comfortable on the bed. "We as gym leaders of Johto watch those press conferences together or at least hear about them. We watch battles that appeal to us. Believe me when I say that we were rooting for you in all of them. The fact that you consoled one opponent after her Typhlosion was helpless made us speechless. Do you know what percentage of people would've paraded around the field after winning like that? 100% but you made it 99.9%."
There was no way she was faking this or trying to downplay this by how passionate she was getting. "But according to half the world, I'm a monster. You saw Cory's Skarmory after what my Growlithe did to it. You definitely heard what my Umbreon did to his Donphan when we first battled. My Espeon sent two other Eeveelutions a few feet into the side wall. You're more kind-hearted than me that's for sure."
"There are some things that I'm willing to overlook." I knew she had a little of that attitude in her; nobody can be that nice all the time. "That's another reason why I like you: the ability to protect others when they need it even though you might get hurt or worse." Flashbacks from when I first found the two Eeveelutions replayed in my head on top of what Ruby had shown me earlier in my journey; a yawn escaped me and my eyes started to get heavy again.
"Did you just say you like me?" Her face was well past red. "So you've been keeping up with me all this time huh?" A nod. "Well to be honest, I've been kind of the same way thinking about you. I just was too afraid to talk to you after that night with the chance something could happen."
Jasmine laid back down and placed her head on my chest while pulling up the comforter. "You're only proving my point," she playfully replied back. "Always caring about others. Now relax a little more. I think you woke up too early after your nightmare."
It was my turn to hold her. "Nightmare?"
"You kept mumbling 'Umbreon' and 'Espeon' all night. Something about having them taken? I didn't understand."
"If I explain it, then I'm not going to be relaxed."
She pulled her head up before kissing me again. "Sorry. Just get some sleep; it's still early. Don't worry about a thing. Nobody is going to bother you as you get ready. Trust me like I trusted you since that night." Dammit she's just too good with her words. We both laid there as sleep overtook us a second time and kept its hold on us for about another three hours.
Waking up before Jasmine allowed me to do my morning routine except change. My phone had a few massages from everyone that was in my room last night wishing me good luck and only offering their help if I needed it. To match their respect of my privacy, I told them that their VIP tickets would still be at the front desk. Just a little under 36 hours before the finals of the Silver Conference were to take place and I was going to use as much of it to prepare without burning out. Jasmine woke up after I was done replying to everyone.
"Now that you're awake, make a list for me on what you need to do," she said while holding a piece of paper and a pen. I wrote down as much as I could think of.
-Heal my Pokémon
-Go to my room and get my stuff
-Study film on Allison
-Research Allison's profile
-Eat I guess?
-Let my Pokémon run around & play
"All for now?"
"Yup. Unless I think of more, this is it. Let me heal my Pokémon in the lobby before anything else."
"Just go get your stuff then come back here. Unless you want to talk to the media, you should avoid hanging around the ground floor."
Well it wouldn't be surprising if members of the media were waiting around the hotel or even staying in the hotel to catch some trainer for a quick interview. "Alright Jasmine I see your point about why you did all of this; the privacy is amazing! I'll go to my room then come back, but my Pokémon stay by me at all times. End of discussion." She didn't argue but did give me a gold key card with the room number that I would have to show to the clerk in order to get back up here.
The burly man guarding the elevator took me down to the lobby after I told him I needed to go back to the normal portion of the hotel. The lobby itself wasn't crowded, but there were a few news crews shooting video for their shows as the final draw was getting closer. Luckily I managed to slip by into an elevator to go back up to my room and grab all of my things before heading back to Jasmine's room. She was nice enough to leave it open for me so I could just walk back in. A nurse stood in the middle of the room while Jasmine was out on the balcony making a call.
"Hello Mitch! Are you the one trainer that Jasmine was talking about?"
So it was the one from the lobby; must've come up here when I was gathering my things. "Yeeeees?" The hell was this?
Nurse Joy fiddled with a box that was behind her. "A portable machine is a little hard to get out of the box… ah ha! Here we go! I'll need your Pokémon." I handed over all six balls despite the fact that Espeon was the only Pokémon to battle last time. Beeping signified that everyone was all set to go. "Anything else for me or one of our resident doctors?"
Gyarados still is probably fine after the rest he got while Furret showed no signs of second impact syndrome. Ampahros' hand is probably healed by this point. "Nope. Although tell doctor Harrison that I said hi." Nurse Joy smiled on the way out while Jasmine came back in.
"Just some stuff about the gym back home; stupid trainers still trying to challenge me even though it says we're closed."
"Guess you took care of that. Now is there a lapt…" she immediately pointed to a laptop on the desk. "What about the cord to the tele…" she gently tugged the cord indicating that it was hooked up to the flat screen. "Wowwwwww. And that's why I knew I could trust you."
A smile came over her face. "Don't forget these!" Discs containing all of Allison's battles were labeled by the round.
"If you have the one last thing I'm thinking of, then you've got a dinner date for sure."
"Oh? You mean the room service menu? Yeah, it's in the drawer next to the bed. Snacks for when you're a little hungry? Kitchen table." I raised my finger and tried to talk but nothing came out; she laughed. "Anyway, what did I tell you before?" she asked rhetorically.
"What's the name of the place you go to in Olivine?"
"I'll tell you later. For the record, I already had most of those things; came standard with the suite. The nurse was the only favor I had to call in. Now I'm going to be out for Arceus knows how long because of media obligations but I'd recommend staying here. Food's free since it'd be going to this room and I told the front desk you're here. Don't lose that card either. Bye now!" She left the room with a wink. My attention turned to the laptop and the official Silver Conference page after I changed into shorts. The front page featured Allison plus myself so her bio was easy to find.
Name: Allison
Age: 23
Hometown: New Bark Town
Badges won: 0 (Automatically qualified by winning last year's tournament)
Registered Pokémon: Crobat, Gyarados, Ursaring, Houndoom, Misdreavus, Dugtrio, Raichu, Exeggutor, Scizor.
As far as this team goes, it's probably the most balanced team in the tournament; almost a full counter-team to what I have but the good news is that she's only allowed six just like me. Bad news? She knows all too well who I'll be using.
For the next three or so hours, I studied all of her battles. Due to her status as reigning champion, she didn't have to go through the four preliminary battles like I did so I was out four useful battles worth of information. Round-robin match one was won 3-0 with Scizor doing all of the work with Metal Claw, Agility, and Slash; it took only one hit from a lucky Rock Slide in the victory. Match two was won 2-0 with Scizor falling to a Marowak while her Ursaring knocked out a Mantine and finally her Gyarados taking out Granbull. Allison's third match was a Scizor sweep; luckily the second battle of group play allowed me to see what her Ursaring and Gyarados can do. Unfortunately, Gyarados' only revealed attack was Hydro Pump while Ursaring's only known move was Slash.
Her round of 64 battle was yet another Scizor sweep while her round of 32 battle was all Gyarados' Hydro Pump and Thrash when a Blastoise was sent out against it. The round of 16 was a little closer with a 1-0 win but she still didn't reveal any new Pokémon or any new moves. The pattern continued through the quarters and semis. Scizor is either her ace or the measuring stick against trainers. If it's the measuring stick, her opponents were awful; she used it against Lance at the end of their battle though. Her team when she faced Lance was different. But why would she bring her B team against Lance? No registered Pokémon made an appearance in that battle either except for Scizor. My brain was too fried; cue the food break.
The menu had almost every comfort food imaginable on top of full course meals. Nothing had a price attached at the end of each description but I kept the order fairly modest with a plate of chicken parm plus garlic bread. A waiter rolled it up 20 minutes later then I proceeded to down it with no effort. After more film study, press conference watching, replaying older battles, it was 5:30pm. I laid back down only to be drawn to my phone as a text came through.
We know you've been busy and we didn't want to bother you. But now we'd thought we'd say hi and good luck! Love mom & dad. My parents? I haven't heard from my parents in months. It's not their fault though; they're working the daily 9-5 or the more awkward 4-midnight grind depending on the Sprout Tower maintenance shift that needs to be filled and I haven't really done anything on my end to talk to them.
Love you too. Did either of you get work off to watch?
Well I'm working the morning and your father's working until the battle starts. We wanted to come but it just couldn't work out.
Quietly I sighed. I won all of my badges without a phone call beforehand so it's not like I'm emotionally traumatized but still… It's going to be crazy so be sure to watch until the very end. You never know what'll happen.
You know it! We've been watching all of your other battles too. Before we leave you alone, there's a big surprise when you come home! Maybe more than one if you win the prize money. Love you honey! Regardless of how late in the tournament it was, the text gave me a little more confidence heading into tomorrow. Wait… prize money!? A quick sound of metal moving was followed by the door opening.
"Mitch, I'm back!" Jasmine cheerfully said as she walked in. "So how was your little study session?"
"Good I guess. Hey Jasmine, do you know how much prize money I'll get if I win?"
The sudden question made her feel uneasy. "Check your forms from when you first got here." Ah yes… the things I didn't look at because I was too tired the first time around. The thing Davis pulled out in front of me in the aftermath of the gala incident.
"Here it is: the winner of the Silver Conference will receive a payment of 500,000P after taxes have been taken out." My jaw dropped; that amount could last me the rest of my life plus help out my parents if I play my cards right.
"Is everything okay Mitch?"
"I'm just going to be blunt here: would you really want to see me again if I lost tomorrow?"
"Of course I would! What are you saying?"
"Again, I'm going to be blunt: that prize money is enough to change a family's life for years so imagine what it could do to me. After what happened last night I was thinking that… well…."
She got defensive. "Why would you think something like that!?"
I raised my voice "You know that the phrase 'you never know what you have until it's gone' exists, right?" She had a scared look on her face yet she nodded. "Well I've always hated that phrase! I knew damn well that everything I had could be lost at the snap of a finger!" I stopped long enough to calm down. "Sorry. I grew up knowing that my parents lived paycheck to paycheck until recently and now that money is on the line too, I'll just feel even more pressure when I go out there tomorrow."
"Listen to me Mitch." She made her way next to the desk and sat down in a spare chair. "Pokémon League employees like me get paid decent money and almost any repairs on the gym are covered by the league. I'm not out for the money; I never was." Stress was creeping its way back in the longer I thought about the text. "Look, let's order some dinner and watch something other than battles okay?" She found the menu. "Order as much as you want; I know whatever you had wasn't enough. Call out your Pokémon too."
Both of us had ordered two main dishes on top of three smaller appetizers while our Pokémon had bags of food to choose from. Jasmine tipped the hotel employee about 100P to his delight after everything was set up in the kitchen. Once I poured everyone their first bowl, we all ate silently.
"Did you do anything with her last night Mitch?" Silence broken.
"Not now Ruby. I've got a lot on my plate." Espeon held a big grin. "Oh you know what I mean. Besides, you can probably find out for yourself." I let my mind become an open book to her surprise and her smile somehow grew bigger.
"Do it Mitch. Take the date! We all have someone so you should too!"
"After this is all done, I'll think about it. Now eat up. We've got a big day tomorrow." I let Espeon lower everyone into the courtyard to get some exercise as the sun was setting. Jasmine was using the laptop so I turned on the television and found some playoff baseball.
"For those of you just tuning in, you're in for a treat. The Fighting Electabuzz host the Slamming Starmies in a game seven winner take all for the pennant. It was not so long ago when star pitcher Corey Demario won the championship for the Electabuzz on a spectacular performance of eight innings…" the announcer droned on while the graphics set up the scenario.
"Baseball?"
"Yup. It's a good change of pace for me. Besides, it's game seven." I changed back into my pajamas while I watched a pitcher's duel until the 7th inning where the Electabuzz squeaked a run on a two-out double. The Starmies tied it in the top of the 9th with a solo home run forcing extra innings and reminding me to call everyone back. A quick look at the clock told me it was just past midnight and Jasmine finally closed her laptop.
"Paperwork is probably the most annoying thing in the world," she yawned. "At least I don't have to do it when I get back to the gym. How's the game?"
"Extras. Guess nobody wants to win," I joked. She hopped into bed next to me. "Know what? I've felt like Rapunzel minus the long hair and prince err… princess in my case, trying to rescue me. Just a person locked away… biding their time until the moment comes." I twiddled my thumbs. "Well… you did save me from myself. I'd probably be freaking out despite the core group of friends I made here."
"We all need a little extra help sometimes; it's nothing to be ashamed of." How dumb was I to assume that money would cause a huge rift between us? "I'm fading fast but I might not be here when you wake up tomorrow; more media stuff. Just remember to trust your team when you go out there tomorrow."
"Could you put in for a Pokémon masseuse tomorrow? Recently I figured out massages can help them in ways I never thought possible. I'm going back to my room because I have a friend that can help me too."
"Yeah! I'll make a call. Just write down your room number and I'll take care of it." I wrote it on a piece of paper. "Okay then." Jasmine succumbed to sleep around an hour later as the game shifted to 12th inning.
"Bases loaded, two outs, bottom of the 12th… the Electabuzz blew a chance to win it in the 9th by leaving the bases loaded. Up to bat is the rookie, Carson. He's batting .250 this series but only .167 with runners in scoring position. Johnson has 1.12 ERA in the playoffs in 35 appearances. He is on to force a 13th inning. First pitch from Johnson is a fastball for strike one." Tomorrow is it. Someone's going home disappointed while the other person will be immortalized.
"Strike two on a nasty curveball by Johnson. It was a close call down and in but he gets the call..." All of Kanto is rooting for me, all of Violet City is rooting for me, Jasmine is rooting for me, my friends are rooting for me. Gah! The pressure is making me sick to my stomach no matter what Jasmine tells me; she's only covering up how I feel.
"And the pitch… down and away for ball one. Tried to get Carson to swing at the fastball again…" Taking things as they come instead of looking at the big picture might be the way to go.
"Everyone knows the slider is coming but can he hit it? Score's 1-1, bottom of the 12th. Here comes the 1-2… *tick.* High fly ball, deep right field… this ball is OUTTA HERE! A grand slam by Carson gives the Electabuzz the title! The rookie sensation delivers in the clutch…"
Maybe… just maybe… I'll be okay.
Waking up to a note wishing me good luck was arguably the best wake-up present on my entire journey. A masseuse was set to come by my room sometime between 2 and 3 in the afternoon while I was given permission to take anything from the room that might help me. After grabbing some leftover Pokémon food on top of my things, I headed for the elevator. Both guards helped me hold my stuff while it went to the lobby. It threw me for a loop that they helped me carry it to my room until I saw some ropes being set up. Not one question came out of their mouths so I tipped them for their work.
Texting Rui was the next thing to do since I wanted to give her time to prepare. At the risk of running into the media, I wanted to walk around outside to get rid of the cabin fever. Flashbulbs greeted me when I came back in the lobby along with the same security guards that escorted me to my room.
"Where are you trying to go?" one of them asked.
"To the courtyard."
"Let's take the back route." All of us avoided the media as we went out the side door to the peaceful courtyard. No guards were present after they left me in peace, but there were plenty of newly added signs forbidding any photography. Massive bushes made it hard for someone to get a decent shot without making some noise. Footsteps came up from behind me.
"Hey stranger!" It was Allison. "Just relaxing before the championship! So I get to face you later tonight?"
"Guess so. Congrats on making it this far!"
"I did some film study so I think I'm ready for your team," she said half-jokingly, half-serious. Her attitude immediately changed when her face lost the smile. "Looks like I'll win 6-0, 5-0 if you get lucky."
Trash talking… got to love it. "At least I don't rely on one Pokémon to win." She grinned at my response. "Normal trainers would be nervous about the lack of film to go off of, but I saw right through it. You've battled in a way that limits knowledge of your strategy to your opponents. Don't worry though, I'm not scared of the unknown."
Allison scowled. "Okay, you figured me out. Big deal. That doesn't mean too much in the long run. I can still dismantle your team in front of the world." She took a step closer to me. "If by some miracle you do win the battle, I still win the war."
Nervousness almost made it into my voice but I kept it monotonous. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Tell me Mitch: are you a gambling man?"
"Only with an occasional poker or blackjack game," I answered honestly. "Maybe slots if I'm feeling lucky at the Goldenrod Game Corner."
A small stub was pulled out from her pocket. "I've been the favorite to win since I walked on the field to face Lance. My odds to win as of a few hours ago were 1:3, or 75% according to the Goldenrod Game Corner; the place I made my bet. You on the other hand, were a 3:1 underdog or had a 25% chance to win in that same timeframe. Odds may change depending on how much more money is being thrown around and there are several other factors in our battle to bet on. But did you know there was a time where you were a 10:1 underdog entering the quarterfinals?"
"Get to the point."
"Rude! Anyway, I placed a bet of 20,000P on myself to win when my odds were 3:2 so I could at least make a little money on my victory. Since my odds were always so that I'd lose money after that point in time, I did the next best thing."
My heart sunk. "You can't be serious…"
Allison flashed an evil grin. "Yup. I bet on you to win the whole thing when your odds were 10:1 meaning I win 10 times my wager. Don't feel alone though; I bet on everyone else in the field before the first battle of the quarterfinals took place. However, my wager on you was the highest."
"How much?" I asked angrily.
"An even 100,000P." I actually gagged.
"So you're that desperate for money huh?"
"Not quite. I've won a lot of battles in the underground scene so this is just an opportunity to put my money management skills to the test. The first rule of betting is simple: if it moves then you can bet on it. Not all of my hard-earned P is in you winning. Odds of me using Scizor as my first Pokémon are 2:1 and I put 50P on that. Odds of you leading at halftime are 6:1 and I put 100P on that. Get the picture yet Mitch? I win no matter what the outcome of our battle is."
"Why are you telling me this?" She didn't answer yet I could tell the goal was to get inside my head. "You can have your money. I'll have the title." She walked past me to probably go back to her room but stopped after one step past me so she didn't have the chance to look at me.
"Before we meet on the battlefield, I wanted to say thanks."
"Thanks for what?"
"Thanks for taking care of UM-03 and MA-01 for me all this time."
Just when you thought the next battle would be clean. That scene at the end of chapter 2 makes a bit more sense now :). Anyway, so this chapter was a little different than what I anticipated in terms of how I wanted the flow to go. I do apologize if you thought I was going to jump into the battle, but I wanted to get as much out of the way as possible with this chapter. With all of the other battles, I did them in two parts because I had a little bit of stuff before and after each one. This upcoming one is a full 6 on 6 battle with a lot on the line so I figured this battle deserves its own chapter.
Quick story before I go: the most outrageous odds that I've ever seen on paper for any sports event occurring was Leicester City F.C.'s odds to win England's Premier League title. Preseason odds to win the whole thing were 5000:1 or 0.02% chance to win. What happened? They won. A team that had been a doormat for decades pulled off arguably the greatest season of all time in any professional sport. If you bet just one dollar on a whim, you walked out with 5,000. Talk about an underdog. The more you know. Have a good day and I'll see you next chapter :)
-W4f
