And the Ribbon Goes Too…
Jet watched with the rest of the crowd as AJ stood opposite his opponent while Lily explained the rules of the match. His phone began to vibrate in his pocket. Jet took the phone out and saw that his mother was calling him.
"Yeah, mom, kind of busy right now."
"I know honey, we can see the back of your head on the TV screen! We are so proud of you for getting this far!"
Jet smiled, "Thanks but-"
"Oh, oh! Your dad says to kick that long haired guy's ass!"
Jet allowed himself a laugh. Then his mom said, "Let me put you on speaker!"
"Mom! I'll call you when the competition is over, I have to go!"
"Fine, fine," said Jet's mom in an amused voice, "Go win that ribbon baby!"
In the time it took Jet to get off the phone with his mom, AJ had already won his battle. Meowth never even stood a chance. The crowd cheered loudly for Butterfree's victory, and Daisy got on the microphone.
"Ok, looks like we have our third place winner! Let's give it up one more time for AJ and his Butterfree!" The crowd applauded yet again as Lily and Violet presented AJ with his Ribbon. After which time Daisy called Jet and Mark up to take their places for battle.
On either side of Jet were his Clefable and Wigglytuff. Across from them, Mark stood with his Ninetales and a Pokeball in his hand. Violet stood between them as the editor of the match, "This will be a two on two match between Jethro Brown and Mark Menkis. Both Pokémon on either side will battle until they are no longer able to do so, or until they forfeit. Changing out Pokémon in the middle of a match is not permitted. Once you recall a Pokémon, they will be considered out of play! The winner of this battle will receive the ribbon for first place while the loser gets the ribbon for second place. Do both trainer's accept these terms?"
Both Jet and Mark answered yes. Daisy smiled and said, "Alright then, call out your first Pokémon!"
Jet turned to his left side and said, "Star, you're up first."
She looked up at Jet nervously and nodded. She then stepped forward and prepared herself for the fight to come. Mark threw a pokeball into the air and said, "Come on out!" A small Vulpix appeared before Clefable and barked. Jet realized breeding Vulpix must be Mark's specialty.
Daisy called to both trainers, "Begin!"
"Vulpix, use Quick Attack!"
"Use Thunderbolt!"
Vulpix shot at Clefable and slammed into her. Clefable, however, did a quick recovery and blasted Vulpix back with a bolt of electricity. The little fire Pokémon yelped as it was knocked into the air by the force of the blast.
Jet smiled. Both Clefable and Wigglytuff were trained to fight by Jet's Raichu back when he was injured and sent to Jet's parents. Therefore, both of them had a lot of practice with using electric attacks. Of course, Clefable's Thunderbolt wasn't nearly as powerful as Raichu's, but it did cause considerable damage to Vulpix.
She struggled to get up but found that her limbs were numb from all of the electricity. Mark called to his Vulpix, "Are you ok? Come on, Vulpix, don't quit on me! Get up and use Ember!"
Jet realized before Mark did that Vulpix was paralyzed. This meant Clefable would be able to get close enough for a physical attack before having to dodge Vulpix's fire attacks.
"Star, close the distance and use Thunder Punch!"
Clefable glided across to her opponent as if walking on air, and struck Vulpix with multiple Thunder Punches. Vulpix yelped in pain as each blow was dealt; powerless to stop the attack.
"No Vulpix, use your Ember on her!"
Vulpix let out a yelped again and let out a small torrent of flames. The attack was very slow due to the paralysis, however, and Clefable jumped the attack with ease. While in midair, Clefable received a mental command from Jet, Use Bounce!
Wasting no time, she curled herself into a ball and slammed down hard on Vulpix's head. Vulpix was knocked out, and Jet had Clefable stop before she could attack again.
"Vulpix is unable to battle! The first round goes to Clefable!"
The crowd applauded enthusiastically as Mark recalled his Vulpix. At the judges Panel, Misty's dad turned to her and said, "Well that was quick!"
Misty laughed, "Yeah. If there is one thing I can say about Jet, he knows how to raise his Pokémon to be fighters."
Mark had a sour look on his face as he called out to Jet, "I underestimated your Clefable. I was unaware that such a Pokémon was fit for battling."
Jet called back, "All Pokémon are fit for battle, Menkis! They wouldn't be Pokémon if it were otherwise."
Mark nodded and turned to Ninetales, "You're up! Don't take it easy on them! Burn them until they give in!"
Ninetales walked forward while growling. Then, suddenly she attacked. She charged at Clefable and used what looked like a powerful bite attack. Clefable dodged quickly by jumping out the way, but Ninetales turned her head and shot Clefable in midair with Flame Burst.
The attack exploded with a loud BANG, and Clefable shot across the stage and fell to the ground. Jet frantically ran over to her. She stood up before he got to her. Clefable was winded and slightly burned, but still able to fight. Jet let out a sigh of relief, "You worried me for a second there! That attack looks dangerous; make sure you stay on the outside and do not let her hit you!"
Clefable nodded weakly and marched back over to face her opponent. Jet contacted her mentally and said, If you see an opening, use Thunderwave. I want to slow this bitch down, you got me? Clefable agreed and began to circle her now growling opponent. Ninetales glared at Clefable for a second, and then went in for the attack again. This time, Clefable was ready for her. She jumped straight up in the air as high as the ceiling, and sent another Thunderbolt crashing down on her opponent.
The electric attack did not have the same effect on Ninetales as it did Vulpix, however. Ninetales shrugged the attack off as one would a weak punch and sent another Flame Burst at Clefable. The attack missed, but just barely. Mark yelled to Ninetales, "Use Dark Pulse, girl! You have this match in the bag!"
Ninetales opened her mouth and shot pulse of dark energy in Clefable's direction. The little pink pixy Pokémon somersaulted out of the way of the attack, but soon found herself running in fear as Ninetales shot a torrent of Dark Pulses at her. Jet gritted his teeth; he needed away out of this. If only he could get Clefable paralyze Ninetales to slow it down.
Star, in the air, now!
Clefable jumped into the air and flew over her opponent. Ninetales opened her mouth to shoot a Flame Burst at Clefable, but Jet had other plans, Now! Bounce down and grab her!
Clefable shot herself down and bounced on Ninetales head before she could attack. While the attack didn't do much damage, it did knock Ninetales off guard long enough for Clefable to grab onto her.
"Now Star! Use Thunderwave! And put everything you got into it!"
Ninetales yelped as Clefable shocked her. Mark yelled to his Pokémon, "Buck her off! Hit her with your tails until she let's go!"
Ninetales began to buck, but found it harder and harder to move. Finally she summoned all of her will power, and used an altered form of Dark Pulse that shot out of her whole body in a short ranged surround attack. Clefable was knocked off her back and flew back a couple of meters. Everyone, her trainer included, was surprised by her improvised attack.
That Ninetales is amazing! Jet thought to himself, The way she alters her attacks for the situation she's in! She's a fucking prodigy! Still, it looks like the Thunderwave did its job. Now Star is free to attack!
Jet called to Clefable, "Alright, hit her with another Thunderbolt!"
Clefable nodded and began to gather energy for the attack. Ninetales struggled to move her limbs but couldn't. However, upon seeing Clefable prepare to attack, she willed herself to turn her head enough so she could launch a Flame Burst.
While her body was now slow, the speed of her fire was not. The attack hit Clefable just as she was about to release her Thunderbolt and knocked her out cold.
"Clefable is unable to battle, Ninetales is the winner!" The crowd went wild at Ninetales performance. Jet recalled Clefable back into her pokeball, "Rest now, girl. You did more than enough!"
Daisy asked Mark, "It looks as though your Ninetales is paralyzed. Do you want to stop the match, or keep going?"
Mark responded, "Even slightly paralyzed my Ninetales is going to take down that Wigglytuff! You saw her make short work of that Clefable!"
Jet had to admit, that Ninetales was a fierce opponent. Clefable was more powerful than Wigglytuff, which worried Jet a little. It seemed that Ninetales had a high special defense, and Jet wasn't sure how long the paralysis would last. Still, for all of Clefable's skills there was one technique in which his Wigglytuff was a pro that Clefable just couldn't seem to master. That one technique could mean the difference between victory and defeat.
"Ok, it looks like Ninetales is still going to fight," Daisy announced to the crowd. She then turned to Jet, "Whenever you're ready!"
Jet turned to Wigglytuff and nodded. Wigglytuff walked forward, ready to avenge her sister. Ninetales growled menacingly at Wigglytuff. Jet gave her a mental command, Use Defense Curl!
Wigglytuff curled into a defensive ball as Ninetales growled at her. The crowd laughed; evidently they thought her actions were out of cowardice.
Mark laughed too, "Ok, let's end this! Use Fire Spin!"
"Rollout!"
Wigglytuff shot out of the way of Ninetales attack and began to circle her opponent to gain momentum. That's it girl! Said Jet, I'll let you know which direction her attacks are coming from; just don't get hit! Wigglytuff was quite skilled when it came to this attack, though Clefable had always been found wanting when it came to Rollout. The attack was also type effective against Ninetales, which meant if executed correctly it would give Wigglytuff a fighting chance.
"Ninetales, use Fire Blast!"
Because Ninetales could not reposition herself due to the paralysis, she had to wait until Wigglytuff was in her line of sight to attack. Once she released her Flameburst, Jet told Wigglytuff, Three o' clock!
Wigglytuff made a sharp turn and avoided the attack. She then shot at Ninetales and struck her; hard. Ninetales let out a little yelp as she was knocked back and to the ground. She was unable to stand back up when she got hit with another Rollout, then another, then another.
"Wait for her to come to you, then use Flame Burst!"
Ninetales did as she was told, but Wigglytuff narrowly avoided the strike thanks to Jet's mental command. She hit with another Rollout. Ninetales yelped again as Wigglytuff slammed into her ribs, none too gently.
After the attack, Wigglytuff rolled around some more, gaining more momentum. Mark called to Ninetales, "Do that Dark Pulse thing you did earlier to disrupt her attack!"
This gave Jet an idea. He called to Wigglytuff, "Bubbles, attack!"
Wigglytuff shot at her foe. Ninetales prepared herself to use Dark Pulse when Jet told his Pokémon, Now jump above her! High as you can go!
Wigglytuff jumped into the air just as Ninetales released her attack. Once Wigglytuff was at the height of her trajectory, Jet yelled, "Now Bounce!"
Wigglytuff shot downward and bounced off her opponents head as Ninetales was recovering energy from her last Dark Pulse. After crashing into her with a loud THUMP, Wigglytuff bounced back into the air and repeated her attack; multiple times. Ninetales yelped with pain every time Wigglytuff slammed down on her. After the fifth Bounce, Jet called to Wigglytuff, "That's enough!"
Wigglytuff landed six feet from Ninetales and began to pant heavily. Those attacks were beginning to take their toll on her as well. Jet turned to Mark and said, "I don't think your Pokémon has much left in her. You want to end the match now and save her more suffering, or do you want to keep going?"
Mark gritted his teeth and answered by calling to his Ninetales, "Flame Burst, now!"
Jet would've never believed it had he have not seen it for himself, but Ninetales had one last attack in her. Catching Wigglytuff off guard, she shot a powerful Flameburst which knocked out Wigglytuff on impact. There was a moment of shocked silence as it registered that Jet had lost and Mark and his Ninetales won.
"Umm," Daisy said uncertainly, "Wigglytuff is unable to battle, Ninetales is the winner!"
The audience applauded, though less enthusiastically than they had all night. Many of them felt the shot was cheap, and many seemed to be turning to their friends and muttering about the outcome of the match.
Jet recalled his Wigglytuff while still a little in shock. He had given Mark an out. That little moment of mercy Jet had showed his opponent cost him first place. He looked over at the judge panel to Misty. She wasn't looking at Jet, but rather staring at Mark with disbelief while muttering something angrily to her father.
Daisy walked over to Mark, who had recalled his Pokémon, and said, "Well for a moment there it looked as though you were getting second place. How do you feel now that you've turned the tables and have won first place three years in a row?"
Mark grinned at the camera as he said into the microphone, "Well, Daisy, I feel like a million bucks! I can't take all the credit, though! It was thanks to the tireless hard work of my prized Ninetales that we have been able to come this far! My opponent put up a valiant fight, but I think in the end we all saw who had the better Pokémon!"
Daisy allowed herself a smile, "Well you certainly surprised us all her tonight!"
She then walked over to Jet and gave him an apologetic look before asking, "How do you feel about coming so close to first place, only to lose it at the last second?"
For a moment, Jet's mind went blank. How was he supposed to feel? Cheated? Humiliated? Deciding it best to take the high road, Jet simply said, "It's disappointing, I'll admit. However, I think my Pokémon did a great job tonight and I couldn't be prouder of them."
Daisy smiled at him, "Well said!"
XXX
After the ceremony in which Jet was awarded a second place ribbon for both Clefable and Wigglytuff, Jet went back stage with the rest of the contestants. There was food and drinks back there, along with photographers and reporters.
One of the reporters walked up to Jet and said, "Jethro Brown, how do you feel abou-"
"No comment," Jet said dismissively.
The reporter looked taken aback and said, "But I just need a few-"
"I said no comment," Jet said with such irritation in his voice that the reporter backed off. Not before, however mumbling the word, "Asshole," under his breath. Misty walked up to Jet and said, "Still hate doing those interviews, I see."
Jet grunted, "You know I don't like the spotlight."
Misty smiled, "For someone who doesn't like the spotlight, you certainly seemed to be in it a lot!"
Jet half smiled back, "Yeah, it's a curse."
Mark walked past and Misty scowled, "I tried to convince the other judges to try and overturn the battle results!"
Jet raised his eyebrows, "But he won! He didn't do anything illegal."
Misty sucked her teeth, "Just because something isn't against the rules doesn't make it right!"
Jet smirked at her. She frowned and asked, "What?"
"You're like a momma bear!"
Misty rolled her eyes and punched Jet in the arm, "Shut up!"
Jet laughed and said, "I love you too, Misty!"
"Shut up!"
"Whatever you say, momma bear!" Jet said smirking.
Misty grumbled, "You're a dick!"
"And you're beautiful," Jet replied. Misty couldn't help herself, she broke out into a grin. Jet laughed and said, "There it goes! Isn't that so much easier than being so grumpy all the time?"
"Oh, and you're a ray of sunshine yourself?" Misty retorted, "Your temper is just as bad as mine is!"
Jet shook his head, "No its not! If it was, I would have knocked Mark out right there on the stage for that dumb shit he pulled!"
"Aha!" Misty exclaimed, "So you do feel cheated out of first place!"
Jet ran his fingers through his hair, "Not necessarily; I just kind of wish he'd showed me the same respect I showed him and warned me before continuing the match. At least then it'd be fair, you know? My Pokémon worked too hard to lose to a cheap shot. If they won, or loss, I'd rather it be in a fair fight."
Misty nodded, "I can respect that."
Jet noticed AJ by the snack bar and said, "I'll be right back. I want to talk to AJ for a minute."
Misty nodded and walked over to talk to Violet. Jet went over to AJ, who shook his head when he saw Jet.
"Man, that was a damn shame what that guy did out there! No honor in it at all. I was rootin' for you too!"
Jet shrugged, "I know you were. Congratulations on your victory, by the way! Not that I thought for a second you would lose."
AJ laughed, "Yeah, these coordinators have little to no talent for battling. That Ninetales was good, but the trainer had no clue what he was doing in terms of how he was battling."
"I know," agreed Jet, "There were at least six times I counted where Ninetales would have had me if Mark just knew what attack to use."
"I counted seven," AJ said with a smirk, "but maybe you were too close to the match to see."
Jet grabbed a plate and started loading it with little sandwiches, "You heard of Bill Brooke, right?"
"Course," AJ replied, "What do you take me for?"
"He owns this Battle Club in Cerulean Cape."
"Heard about it," AJ said, "Was thinking about heading there next week."
Jet shook his head, "Thursday."
AJ frowned, "Why Thursday, that when you heading down there?"
Jet took a bite of one of his sandwiches and said, "Because Thursday Bill Brooke will be there. I want to introduce you to him. I think he'd like you."
AJ raised his eyebrows, "You know Bill Brooke?"
Jet nodded, "You coming?"
"Oh hell yeah!" AJ said enthusiastically. "Let me get your number." Jet told AJ his phone number and gave him the information on how to get to the Battle Club. After this, he bade AJ farewell and went to go find Misty.
He was intercepted, however, by a lovely brunette in a dark green dress. "Jethro Brown," she asked, "I'm a big fan of yours! I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions?"
Jet frowned, "No comment."
She raised an eyebrow, "How do you know I'm a reporter?"
Jet snorted, "'I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions?' Come on, lady, you can be a little more inconspicuous than that."
He went to move past her, but she tried to stop him again, "Please, my editor has been trying to get an interview from you for months! Do you know how good it would look for me if I was the one that got you to open up?"
Jet kept walking and called back to her, "Not interested, lady!"
Author's Notes:
*Mark's Team:
Vulpix – Level 16, Female
Ninetales – Level 31, Female
Jet is gathering more and more notoriety as a trainer; despite his distaste for the spotlight. How will this affect his journey as he moves forward to collect more badges?
And what happens when you put AJ and Bill together in a room with Jet? What battles will ensue? What tomfoolery will they get themselves into?
And what of Jet and Misty? Will they end up getting back together or will they continue to drift apart? Is there even room for Misty in Jet's life as his career as a trainer grows more and more successful?
Find out soon! And as always, please share your thoughts on the new chapter!
