Hey, everyone! You get Chapter 55 a day early since I'm in London for most of tomorrow.
Last chapter saw James and the others met up with their old friends, Aaralyn, Joe, Sara and Josh as well as them finally reaching the Indigo Plateau.
Upload Date: 25th October 2014
Chapter 55: Fighting Through the Qualifiers
Indigo Plateau, Kanto
9:33am, 5th June 2005
There was still a chill in the air as James stood on one of the smaller arenas outside the main stadium. The qualifiers had begun half an hour ago, with trainers being randomly selected and pitted against each other in a one-on-one pokémon battle. Even though there were loads of arenas, there were so many competing trainers that many had to wait until the first battles had been fought before they could fight their qualifier. James was one of the ones who'd ended up having to wait, but that was over now.
"Begin!" the referee called.
"Go, Leytor!" James shouted.
"I choose you, Ninetales!" his opponent, a girl named Holly, called.
They both threw out their poké balls at the same time.
Leytor cried out as he materialised.
Holly's pokémon, a beautiful, whitish fox with nine elegant tails, cried as she emerged from her poké ball.
"Ninetales, huh?" James pulled out his Pokédex.
"Ninetales, the fox pokémon and the evolved form of vulpix. It has been said that each of its nine tails embody an enchanted power. A long-lived ninetales will have fur that shines like gold."
"You can do it, James!" Livvi cheered from the sidelines.
"Good luck!" Richard shouted as well.
"Use Confuse Ray!" Holly called to Ninetales.
Ninetales nodded. A series of yellow orbs circled her.
"Use Safeguard!" James shouted as the orbs vanished.
A silvery aura appeared around Leytor, just as the orbs reappeared around him.
"Now use Water Pulse!" James shouted.
Leytor fired an orb of water towards Ninetales.
"Counter with Fire Blast!" Holly called.
Ninetales shot a powerful blast of flames towards the incoming Water Pulse. A cloud of steam spread across the battlefield.
"Now use Quick Attack!" Holly ordered.
Ninetales sprang forward through the steam in a burst of light.
"Use Water Pulse!" James shouted.
Leytor immediately fired an orb of water through the steam, aiming for the bright light approaching him. Ninetales cried in pain as she was hit and thrown back.
"Now use Take Down!" James ordered.
Leytor threw himself towards Ninetales as the steam cleared. Ninetales cried in pain as Leytor crashed into her and sent her flying back again.
"Ninetales!" Holly cried in alarm.
Ninetales groaned weakly in response.
"Ninetales is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Seel is the winner and the match goes to James Burton from Pallet Town!"
"Phew!" James wiped his forehead and grinned at Leytor. "Great work, Leytor!"
Leytor grinned back as he bounced back over to him.
"You're through, James – you've qualified!" Livvi cried, running over to him.
"Now you can at least say that you won something!" Richard added.
"Thanks, guys!" James replied as he recalled Leytor. He quickly shook hands with his defeated opponent and thanked the referee.
"The matches for the group stage should go up at around 2," the referee said to him. "There's a big screen in the courtyard at the Trainers' Village – the line up will be displayed there."
"Thanks again," James said.
"Congratulations on qualifying," the referee replied with a grin.
10:03am, 5th June 2005
The sun beat down on the Indigo Plateau as James, Livvi and Richard headed back to the Trainers' Village.
"How did you sleep last night by the way?" Livvi asked as they walked.
"Pretty well," Richard replied. "How about you?"
"Except for having to share a room with Tessa, everything was great!" Livvi nodded. "I can't believe how clean they were – it was like a brand new room!"
"I've heard that the hotel on the other side of the stadiums is even more amazing," James said, looking back over his shoulder.
"There's a hotel here?" Richard gave him a puzzled look.
"Yeah." James nodded. "Though I think that one is more for the celebrities who come and watch as well as the Elite Four, Champion and the chairman of the Pokémon Association."
"Are there other hotels as well then?" Livvi asked.
"A couple." James nodded. "That's what Joe told me anyway. They wouldn't be able to fit all the spectators into the Trainers' Village and in any case, the idea is that it's mainly for the competitors anyway."
"That reminds me," Livvi said as they walked through the doors to the Trainers' Village. "Where did Josh go?"
"I asked him to spy on Joe for me." James grinned slyly. "Now I'll know what pokémon he has and what his tactics are!"
"You know that it won't help you unless you come up with a counter tactic as well, right?" said Richard.
"I know." James nodded. "What do you take me for?"
"Hey, guys!" The three of them looked up to see Joe, Aaralyn, Tessa, Sara and Josh approaching them.
"Hey!" James called back. "How did your qualifiers go?"
"I won!" Aaralyn grinned.
"Same here!" Joe nodded.
"What about you two?" Livvi asked Sara and Tessa.
"Do you even need to ask, Livvi?" Tessa replied smugly.
"I'll take that as a 'yes' then," Livvi muttered.
"I got through as well," Sara added. "Though it was touch and go at times. How about you, James?"
"I got through as well," James replied.
"Awesome!" Joe grinned. "Glad to hear it!"
"What pokémon did he use?" James whispered to Josh.
"Persian," Josh replied in a hushed tone.
"I already knew that he had a persian," James hissed back.
"That's what he used," Josh replied with a shrug.
"Right!" Tessa declared. "I'm going to go and take a shower. Shall we meet up here again for lunch?"
"Sounds like a plan." Richard nodded.
"I agree!" James nodded as well.
2:04pm, 5th June 2005
"So, tell me about the group stage," James said to Joe, Tessa and Aaralyn. "How does it work?"
The group were sat around one of the long tables in the restaurant in the Trainers' Village, having just finished eating their lunch.
"I'd like to know as well," Sara added.
"Basically," Joe began. "All the qualifying trainers are sorted into 32 groups of four trainers. Each trainer then fights a battle with each of the other trainers in their group in a sort of mini league. The top two trainers in the group advance to the first round while the other two trainers are eliminated."
"You get three points for a victory." Tessa continued. "One point for a draw and no points if you lose. The top two trainers are the ones with the most points are all their battles. It's still possible to qualify even if you lose a match."
"There's another rule as well," Aaralyn added. "Each battle is fought two-on-two, but you can re-use any pokémon. So, if I used Rapidash and Dragonite in the first match, then I'd have to use two of my other four pokémon in the second match and whichever two were left over in the last match."
"I think I get it," James replied, mulling over what the other three had said.
"I'm sure they'll explain it to us when we come to actually fight in the group stage," Sara said with a smile. "Thanks for explaining it us, guys!"
"Yeah, thanks!" James quickly added.
"On that subject, the line ups will probably be up now," said Joe. "Shall we head out to the courtyard and see?"
"Sure." James nodded.
They all got up and took their trays over to the rack and then headed out into the courtyard. There was already a crowd of people gathering around to look at the big screen fixed to the wall at the far end of the courtyard. They made their way through the crowd to get closer.
"Can you see my name?" James asked as he scanned the list of groups.
"There it is!" Livvi called, pointing. "You're in Group 7!"
"Your opponents are Kian Young, Samuel O'Connor and Aimee Wilkins," Richard added. "Hope you're ready."
"I can't wait to get started!" James grinned. He looked around for the others. "Which groups are you guys in?"
"I'm in Group 8," Tessa replied, pointing to the group below James' in the list.
"I'm in Group 10," Aaralyn added.
"I'm in Group 24," Joe sighed. "Looks like we probably won't end up battling until the Finals or Semi-Finals."
"I'm in Group 26," said Sara.
"Well good luck, guys," Joe said. "I'm going to head on over to the arenas."
"Good luck to you too!" James called. He turned to Livvi and Richard. "Let's get going!"
2:31pm, 5th June 2005
"This is an official Kanto League group stage match between Kian Young from Sandoa Town and James Burton from Pallet Town!" the referee announced. "This will be a two-on-two battle and the match will be over when one side has no pokémon left who can battle. In addition, both sides may freely substitute the two pokémon they have chosen for this battle!"
"Go, Vileplume!" James' opponent, Kian, a young man in his late teens, called as he threw out a poké ball.
"Go, Saeloc!" James shouted as he threw out his own poké ball.
Saeloc called out as she burst out of the ball and landed softly on the ground.
"Good luck, James!" Livvi cheered from the sidelines.
"Begin!" the referee shouted.
"Use Screech!" James yelled.
Saeloc immediately screeched loudly, causing everyone around to clutch their ears.
"Now use Slash!" James shouted over the din.
Saeloc stopped screeching and sprang forwards. Vileplume cried in pain as she was hit.
"Use Petal Dance!" Kian called as Vileplume recovered.
A whirlwind of pink flower petals appeared around Vileplume and started blowing violently towards Saeloc.
"Now mix in Stun Spore!" Kian shouted.
Vileplume nodded, releasing the orange spores from the top of her flower.
"Blow it back with Icy Wind!" James called.
Saeloc fired an icy blast of air towards Vileplume, pushing the Petal Dance aside and hitting her.
"Now use Slash!" James ordered as Vileplume struggled to recover.
Saeloc nodded and sprang forwards again.
"Use Stun Spore!" Kian yelled.
Vileplume fired a cloud of Stun Spores directly into Saeloc's path. Saeloc cried in surprise as she ploughed through the cloud. She landed her attack, but immediately started shuddering and jerking from the effects of paralysis.
"Use Mega Drain!" Kian called as Vileplume pulled herself back to her feet.
Vileplume nodded and fired a green beam towards Saeloc, hitting her and draining some of her energy.
"Are you alright, Saeloc?" James called.
Saeloc, though panting and still suffering the effects of paralysis, gave a determined nod.
"Alright, use Icy Wind!" James ordered.
Saeloc fired a blast of frozen air towards Vileplume, who immediately tried to jump out of the way but wasn't quick enough.
"Vileplume!" Kian yelled.
Vileplume answered weakly as she collapsed to the ground.
"Vileplume is unable to battle!" the referee shouted. "Persian is the winner!"
"Great work, Saeloc!" James grinned as Kian recalled Vileplume.
"I wonder what pokémon he'll send out next," Livvi said as she watched Kian reach for his second poké ball.
"Who knows?" Richard replied. "But at least James has the advantage now!"
"Yeah." Livvi nodded.
"Go, Hitmonchan!" Kian called, throwing out the poké ball.
Kian's second pokémon was a tall biped with the appearance of a boxer, right down to the massive, gloved fists.
"Hitmonchan, huh?" James pulled out his Pokédex.
"Hitmonchan, the punching pokémon and the evolved form of tyrogue. Hitmonchan is said to possess the spirit of a boxer who had been working towards a world championship. This pokémon has an indomitable spirit and will never give up in the face of adversity."
"That sounds like a tough opponent," James said to Saeloc as he put his Pokédex away. "Alright, use Screech!"
Saeloc let out a loud screech.
"Now use Slash!" James yelled.
Saeloc nodded and charged forwards as best as she could, landing her attack before Hitmonchan could recover and knocking him backwards.
"Use Sky Uppercut!" Kian shouted as Hitmonchan pulled himself back to his feet.
Hitmonchan charged forwards, ducking low before driving his left fist up into Saeloc's chest, sending her flying into the air before crashing back to the ground again.
"Saeloc!" James cried in alarm. "Are you alright?"
Saeloc pulled herself unsteadily to her feet and gave a nod. She'd taken a lot of damage, but she was still full of energy despite being paralyzed.
"Use Icy Wind!" James called. Since Hitmonchan was so dangerous up close, he'd keep the battle at a distance.
Saeloc fired an Icy Wind towards Hitmonchan, hitting him and forcing him to take a couple of steps back.
"Use Mach Punch!" Kian called as Saeloc's attack started to slacken.
Hitmonchan nodded. With a movement, so fast that it was almost impossible for James to see it, he closed the gap between himself and Saeloc and delivered another powerful punch, sending the persian flying back again. She landed in a heap close to James.
"Persian is unable to battle!" the referee called. "Hitmonchan is the winner!"
"Thanks for all your hard work, Saeloc." James smiled as he recalled her.
"That hitmonchan is powerful," Livvi sighed. "How's James going to be able to defeat it?"
"He'll think of a way," Richard replied with a grin. "He's probably forming a plan in his head as we speak!"
"Go, Kacha!" James called, throwing out his second poké ball.
"Kacha?" Livvi and Richard both cried in surprise.
Kacha grinned as he burst out of his poké ball.
"Use Thunderbolt!" James ordered.
Kacha fired a powerful jolt of electricity towards Hitmonchan.
Hitmonchan cried in pain as he was hit. He dropped to his knees as Kacha lifted his attack, but quickly pulled himself up again.
"Use Fire Punch!" Kian called.
Hitmonchan nodded and charged towards Kacha, his left fist cloaked in fire.
"Dodge it with Agility!" James shouted.
Kacha nodded. He sprang forwards and speed past Hitmonchan, too fast for him to react to.
"Now use Slam!" James shouted as Kacha skidded to a halt.
Kacha nodded. He jumped up and slammed Hitmonchan with his tail, knocking him to the ground again.
"This is great!" Richard grinned. "He's using Kacha's speed to outmanoeuvre Hitmonchan!"
"So that's why he picked Kacha!" Livvi smiled. She started to frown though as she noticed Hitmonchan pulling himself back to his feet. "Looks like they've still got a long way to go."
"Use Sky Uppercut!" Kian shouted to Hitmonchan.
Hitmonchan nodded and charged towards Kacha.
"Use Agility!" James shouted. "And then Slam!" he added as Kacha speed out of the path of Hitmonchan's uppercut.
Kacha nodded. He jumped into the air behind Hitmonchan and slammed him with his tail, this time with much more force. Hitmonchan dropped to one knee, but managed to hold himself up.
"Use Counter!" Kian shouted as Kacha attempted to disengage.
Hitmonchan's fist glowed red. He swung it round, catching Kacha and sending him flying back towards James.
"Now use Mach Punch!" Kian shouted.
Hitmonchan sprang forward and smashed his fist into Kacha as he descended, sending him flying towards James.
"Kacha!" James cried in alarm. He caught Kacha, managing to maintain his balance for a second before the force of the impact caused his to topple backwards.
"Pikachu is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Hitmonchan is the winner! Both of James' pokémon are unable to battle, so the winner of this match is Kian!"
"Thanks, Hitmonchan!" Kian grinned as he recalled him. "You put up a good fight, kid," he said as he approached James and helped him back to his feet. "Bad luck."
"Your hitmonchan was really strong," James said as he was pulled up. "We didn't stand a chance."
"Your tactics were good," Kian assured him. "The only difference is experience – I've been training with Hitmonchan for nine years now. Anyway, don't get disheartened – give it your all in your remaining matches!"
"Thanks!" James nodded. "Same to you!"
2:43pm, 5th June 2005
"How are Saeloc and Kacha?" Livvi asked as James returned from the Trainers' Village.
"They'll be fine," James replied. "They just need some rest and they'll be good to go again."
"That was a tough first battle for you James," Richard said, folding his arms. "You were up against someone more or less twice your age who has already been training pokémon for years – it was really great that you managed to knock out his first pokémon so quickly."
"The other trainers in your group are the same age as you," Livvi added. "It'll be a much fairer fight than the first one."
"I guess so." James nodded. "In any case, I need to win both matches to stand a chance at getting through to the first round."
"Let's get going," Livvi said with a grin."The next match will be starting soon!"
"Got it!" James nodded.
2:46pm, 5th June 2005
"This is an official Kanto League group stage match between James Burton from Pallet Town and Samuel O'Connor from Vermilion City!" the referee announced. "This will be a two-on-two battle and the match will be over when one side has no pokémon left who can battle. In addition, both sides may freely substitute the two pokémon they have chosen for this battle!"
"Go, Raenok!" James called, throwing out the mankey's poké ball.
Raenok cried out as he burst out of his ball.
"Go, Farfetch'd!" Samuel, a small boy with mousy brown hair, a freckled face and green eyes, called as he threw out a poké ball as well.
A small bird pokémon holding what looked like a leek tucked under one wing emerged from the poké ball.
"Farfetch'd?" James pulled out his Pokédex.
"Farfetch'd, the wild duck pokémon. Farfetch'd is always seen with a stick from a plant of some sort. Apparently, there are good sticks and bad sticks. This pokémon has been known to fight with others over sticks."
"Sounds like a sticky situation!" Richard called to James with a grin.
"That was awful," Livvi muttered, shaking her head.
"Begin!" the referee shouted.
"Use Agility!" Samuel called to Farfetch'd.
Farfetch'd nodded and flew forwards at a blinding speed.
"Now use Fury Cutter!" Samuel yelled as Farfetch'd reappeared behind Raenok.
Farfetch'd slashed viciously at Raenok, knocking him to the ground.
"Are you alright, Raenok?" James called.
Raenok immediately jumped back up again.
"Alright, use Brick Break!" James grinned,
Raenok nodded and charged towards Farfetch'd, his fist glowing dark red.
"Dodge and use Fury Cutter again!" Samuel shouted.
Farfetch'd nodded and darted to one side to avoid Raenok's fist, before slashing at him with his stick again.
"Use Cross Chop!" James shouted to Raenok as he pulled himself back to his feet again.
Raenok crossed his forearms, which started glowing dark red, and charged towards Farfetch'd again, only for the wild duck to dodge to the side again.
"Use Fury Cutter again!" Samuel called.
Farfetch'd slashed at Raenok again, knocking him to the ground. James noticed that the Fury Cutters were getting stronger each time Farfetch'd used them – he couldn't afford a drawn out battle.
"Use Brick Break again!" he shouted to Raenok.
Raenok nodded. He charged towards Farfetch'd again.
"Dodge it with Agility!" Samuel called. "Then use Slash!"
Farfetch'd evaded Raenok's attack and reappeared behind him.
"Use Screech!" James shouted as Farfetch'd prepared to use Slash.
Raenok screeched loudly, disorienting Farfetch'd.
"Now use Brick Break!" James yelled.
Raenok jumped up and smashed his fist into Farfetch'd, sending him flying back towards Samuel.
"Now use Rock Slide!" James ordered.
Raenok nodded. He stomped the ground to send a cluster of boulders flying into the air. He jumped up and, with a sweeping kick, sent them all flying towards Farfetch'd. He cried as the boulders smashed into him. He landed in a heap next to Samuel and made no effort to get up again.
"Farfetch'd is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "The winner is Mankey!"
"Thanks for your hard work, Farfetch'd." Samuel smiled sadly as he recalled him to his poké ball.
"Great job as well, Raenok." James grinned, recalling him to his poké ball as well. He pulled out another poké ball. "Go, Charka!" he called as he threw the poké ball out.
Charka called out eagerly as he burst out of his poké ball.
"Go, Magneton!" Samuel threw out his poké ball.
What appeared to be three magnemite stuck together cried as it emerged from the ball. On the sidelines, Livvi pulled out her Pokédex and pointed it at Magneton.
"Magneton, the magnet pokémon and the evolved form of magnemite. Magneton emits a powerful magnetic force that is fatal to mechanical devices. As a result, large cities sound sirens to warn citizens of large-scale outbreaks of this pokémon."
"If it's fatal to mechanical devices, then why is your Pokédex still working?" Richard asked.
"Maybe it doesn't count as a mechanical device?" Livvi suggested.
"You mean that the Pokédex is actually a living being?!" Richard cried.
"I doubt that," Livvi sighed, shaking her head.
"Use Smokescreen!" James called to Charka.
Charka emitted a cloud of black smoke, obscuring his half of the battlefield.
"Ha!" Samuel laughed. "Use Lock-on!"
Magneton started scanning the smoke cloud to locate Charka.
"Use Metal Claw!" James shouted.
Charka loomed out of the smoke towards Magneton.
"Use Tri Attack!" Samuel called.
Each of the magnemite forming Magneton fired a beam towards Charka. One was a blast of fire, another was a blast of electricity and the last one was a beam of ice. All three hit Charka and sent him flying back into the rapidly-clearing cloud of smoke.
"Use Smokescreen again!" James called.
Charka jumped up and restored the smoke cloud.
"Use Lock-on!" Samuel called.
"Don't give it a chance!" James shouted. "Use Fire Spin!"
A jet of flame shot out of the smoke and looped around Magneton, trapping it in a fiery vortex.
"Finish it up with Flamethrower!" James shouted.
Charka leapt out of the smoke and fired a burst of flames towards Magneton, hitting it directly. Magneton cried out before dropping to the ground.
"Magneton is unable to battle!" the referee shouted. "Charmeleon is the winner! Both of Samuel's pokémon are unable to battle, so the match goes to James!"
"Great work, Charka!" James grinned, high-fiving the charmeleon.
Charka grinned back.
"That was awesome, James!" Livvi cried, running over to him. "You're back in this!"
"Not quite yet." James shook his head. "I still need to win the last battle."
2:53pm, 5th June 2005
James was starting to feel exhausted. There were only five minute breaks between the group matches so that all of them could be fought in one day and he was starting to feel the pressure of the constant battling. Fortunately for him, his final opponent in the group stage, Aimee Wilkins, was running late getting back from the break. He was relishing the delay and attempting to come up with some more strategies for the upcoming battle. He'd calculated that, assuming Kian won both of his other battles, he needed a second victory if he wanted to get through in second place. He didn't know the results of the other battles, so he didn't want to take any chances.
"How are you feeling?" the referee asked him. It was the same man who'd been the ref during his match with Kian.
"Nervous," James replied. "I need to win this one to get through to the first round."
"I understand." The referee nodded. He glanced at his watch. "I'll give Aimee another five minutes to get here. If she doesn't show up in time, then you'll win by default."
"I hope it won't come to that," James sighed. "I don't want to get through to the first round off the back of a victory like that."
"I'm sorry I'm late!" A young girl with blonde hair and dark brown eyes wearing a summer dress with a green and white pattern and a straw hat ran up to the other end of the arena.
"You're just in time!" the referee called to her. "I was going to give the match to James if you hadn't shown up soon!"
"I'm sorry!" Aimee cried again, bowing her head in apology to both James and the referee.
"Alright!" the referee began. "This is an official Kanto League group stage match between James Burton of Pallet Town and Aimee Wilkins of Cinnabar Town! This will be a two-on-two battle and the match will be over when both of one side's pokémon are unable to battle. In addition, both trainers may freely substitute their pokémon!"
"Go, Clefable!" Aimee called, throwing out a poké ball.
A pink pokémon that looked very similar to a clefairy materialised.
"Clefable?" James pulled out his Pokédex.
"Clefable, the fairy pokémon and the evolved form of clefairy. It is a timid fairy pokémon that is rarely seen as it will run and hide the moment it senses people. It also has an acute sense of hearing, being able to hear a pin being dropped nearly 1,000 yards away."
"Alright!" James put his Pokédex away and pulled out a poké ball. "I choose you, Cuba!"
Cuba called as he burst out of the ball.
"Begin!" the referee shouted.
"Use Bone Club!" James shouted to Cuba.
Cuba nodded and charged forwards.
"Dodge it and use Double Slap!" Aimee called.
Clefable darted to one side to avoid Cuba's Bone Club and unleashed a flurry of slaps on him.
"Are you alright, Cuba?" James called as Clefable jumped back.
Cuba gave his head a shake to clear it and gave James a nod.
"Alright, use Bonemerang!" James ordered.
Cuba hurled his bone towards Clefable, this time scoring a hit before the nimble fairy could react. She cried in pain as she was hit by the return strike as well.
"Use Metronome!" Aimee called.
Clefable wagged her finger a couple of times. A glowing light appeared around it. Suddenly, a pair of vines shot out from the light and lashed Cuba, sending him flying backwards.
"Vine Whip?" James cried. "How's that possible?"
"Metronome is a move that randomly uses another move!" Aimee called back. "I was actually really lucky to get a super effective move like Vine Whip!"
"Well, we won't give you a chance to use it again!" James called as Cuba pulled himself back to his feet. "Use Bone Rush!"
Cuba charged forwards again, his bone growing larger and glowing blue. Clefable cried in pain as Cuba hit her four times before jumping back again.
"Use Metronome again!" Aimee called.
Clefable nodded and wagged her finger again. She suddenly jumped into the air and started spinning.
"It's Rapid Spin!" Livvi cried from the sidelines as Clefable dove towards Cuba, crashing into him and sending him flying back again.
"Use Double-Edge!" James called as Cuba landed.
Cuba immediately jumped back up and charged headlong towards Clefable as, dizzy from her last move, she attempted to regain her bearings. She cried in pain as Cuba crashed into her. The force of impact sent her flying back towards Aimee, where she landed in a heap.
"Clefable is unable to battle!" the ref announced. "Cubone is the winner!"
"Great work, Cuba!" James grinned.
Cuba gave a satisfied nod.
"Thanks, Clefable," Aimee recalled Clefable and pulled out her next poké ball. "Go, Pidgeotto!"
Pidgeotto cried as he burst out of his poké ball.
"Use Sand Attack!" Aimee called.
Pidgeotto swooped low and kicked a cloud of sand into Cuba's face.
"Counter attack!" James called. "Use Double-Edge!"
Cuba immediately charged forwards but ended up missing completely and crashing to the ground instead.
"Use Wing Attack!" Aimee called as Cuba attempted to get up again.
Pidgeotto swooped towards Cuba and smashed into him, knocking him back to the ground.
"Use Double-Edge!" James called as Cuba pulled himself up again.
Cuba nodded. He charged forwards as Pidgeotto turned and made another dive towards him. Just as the flying type was about to hit him, Cuba put on a last-minute burst of speed before jumping up and smashing into Pidgeotto's underside.
Pidgeotto gasped in shock before crashing to the ground.
"Are you alright, Pidgeotto?" Aimee cried.
Pidgeotto pulled himself up, gasping for breath, but also giving her a reassuring nod.
"Alright, use Quick Attack!" Aimee called.
Pidgeotto nodded. He took off and flew towards Cuba in a burst of light, hitting him and forcing him back.
"Use Double-Edge again!" James ordered.
Cuba charged towards Pidgeotto again but ended up missing.
"Finish it up with Wing Attack!" Aimee called.
Pidgeotto swooped down on Cuba and struck him with his wing, sending him flying back.
"Are you alright, Cuba?" James cried.
Cuba responded weakly.
"Cubone is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Pidgeotto is the winner!"
"Thanks for all your hard work, Cuba," James said uncomfortably, forcing a smile as he recalled him. He still had the advantage, but the fact that Aimee had managed to even out their remaining pokémon undermined his confidence.
"You can still do this, James!" Livvi called from the sidelines.
"Yeah, show her what you've got!" Richard shouted.
"Thanks, guys!" James nodded. He pulled out his second poké ball. "Go, Leytor!"
Leytor cried as he burst out of his poké ball.
"Use Quick Attack!" Aimee called to Pidgeotto.
Pidgeotto nodded and flew forwards with a burst of white light, hitting Leytor before he had a chance to react.
"Are you alright, Leytor?" James cried as he landed on the ground with a crash.
He cried out, immediately pulling himself upright.
"Alright, use Water Pulse!" James called.
Leytor fired an orb of water towards Pidgeotto, hitting him before he had a chance to react.
"Now use Take Down!" James called.
Leytor bounced along the ground towards Pidgeotto before launching himself into the air.
"Dodge it and use Wing Attack!" Aimee ordered.
Pidgeotto swooped to one side before ploughing into Leytor while he was still in the air.
"Leytor!" James cried as the seel crashed to the ground.
Leytor immediately pulled himself up again to assure James that he was still able to fight.
"Use Water Pulse!" James ordered.
Leytor nodded and fired an orb of water towards Pidgeotto. He cried in surprise as he was hit.
"Counter with Wing Attack!" Aimee called.
Pidgeotto looked around with a bewildered expression on his face for a second before diving towards Leytor. He misjudged his height, however, and ended up ploughing into the ground.
"Finish it up with Ice Beam!" James shouted as Pidgeotto struggled to get back to his feet.
Leytor fired a white beam of ice, which hit Pidgeotto, which encased him in a thin layer of ice which immediately shattered and blasted him back towards Aimee.
"Pidgeotto!" Aimee cried in shock.
Pidgeotto cried weakly in response.
"Pidgeotto is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Seel is the winner! Both of Aimee's pokémon are unable to battle, so the match goes to James!"
"We did it!" James murmured, sitting down to take the moment in. Two wins meant that he was likely to qualify now.
Leytor bounced excitedly over to James.
"You did a great job, Leytor!" James grinned, patting him on the head.
"You won!" Livvi cheered as she ran over to him.
"Great work, James," Richard added as he walked over. "I can't see how you can't qualify now."
"Let's head back to the Trainers' Village so that your pokémon can get a rest," said Livvi. "Then we can meet up with the others and look at the results of all the group stage matches."
"Yeah." James nodded, pulling himself to his feet. "Let's get going."
3:15pm, 5th June 2005
"James!" Aaralyn cried as James, Livvi and Richard entered the Trainers' Village. "How did your matches go?"
"One loss, two wins," James replied. "Hopefully that's enough to get through to the next round. How did you do?"
"I won all of my matches!" Aaralyn replied proudly, puffing out her chest.
"…I don't feel as confident as I was a few moments ago."
"You probably just ended up with a really tough opponent," Aaralyn said reassuringly. "And look on the bright side – someone ended up with the favourite in their group."
"That's a good point." James nodded. "Anyway, I need to go and heal my pokémon. I'll catch up with you in a second." He headed off to the reception counter with Leytor and Cuba's poké balls.
"Have you heard from any of the others yet?" Livvi asked Aaralyn.
"No one else is back yet," Aaralyn replied.
"I'm back!" The three of them turned to see Joe, accompanied by Josh, approaching them. "How did today's battles go?"
"I won all of mine!" Aaralyn grinned.
"Same." Joe nodded. "It takes the pressure off if you win them all – that way you know you've definitely qualified."
They were interrupted as a jet of water from the door hit Livvi in the face.
"I'm back, little sis!" Tessa called with a grin, Lallo perched on her shoulder.
"I told you to stop doing that!" Livvi roared, wiping her face.
"This is a regular occurrence," Richard explained to Joe and Aaralyn.
"Ah." Joe responded idly.
"I see." Aaralyn nodded.
"How did you guys do?" Tessa asked.
"We both won all of our matches," Joe replied. "How about you?"
"I won two and drew the last one," Tessa replied. "It should still be enough to qualify in first place though!"
"So, you guys didn't lose a single match?" Livvi, Tessa, Richard, Aaralyn, Joe and Josh looked round to find that Sara had just walked through the door.
"That's right!" Aaralyn nodded proudly. "How about you?"
"Two wins and a loss," Sara replied with a sigh.
"Same as me then," James said as he rejoined the group.
"It sounds like everyone did well though," Livvi said positively.
"Two wins is normally enough to qualify, even if it's in second place," Joe said. "It's probably safe to say that we're all through to the first round at least.
"The receptionist told me that the results are up on the big screen," James said, suddenly remembering. "Shall we go and have a look?"
"Sounds like a plan!" Aaralyn grinned. As they all trooped out to the courtyard, James drew close to Josh.
"So, what did you find out from watching Joe's group stage matches? He had to use all his pokémon, right?"
"Sorry, James," Josh replied. He held up a beautiful blue stone. "Joe made me a better offer."
"A better offer?" James cried. "What is it?"
"This is a water stone." Josh replied. "With this, I can evolve Cider into a vaporeon. Looks like you'll have to wait until you battle Joe to see what Pokémon he has."
"It was worth a try," James sighed.
"James! Look!" Livvi cried.
"What?" James looked up at the big screen. He stared for a second in disbelief. He was top of Group 7 with six points from two wins and one loss. Kian was just below him with five points from one win and two draws.
"I bet Kian couldn't handle himself without Hitmonchan!" Richard grinned, patting James on the back. "Looks like you're the group winner."
"I didn't expect this!" James broke into a grin. He pulled out his poké balls and held them up so that his pokémon could see the screen. "Looks like we won the group, guys!"
"I only got second," Sara sighed next to them.
"Don't worry." Livvi smiled. "You still managed to get through after all!"
"Yeah, I guess so." Sara smiled back.
"Looks like Dean got through as well," Richard added, pointing to the results from Group 30.
"They're putting up the matchups for the first round!" Joe called to them. They all started intently at the screen as it went black for a second. Then it updated with the times of battles and the participants.
"Where am I?" Joe wondered, scanning the screen.
"I found you, James!" Richard called, pointing at the screen.
"I see!" James nodded. His opponent in the first round was… Sara Hurst!
He and Sara shared a shocked look.
"Looks like we're up against each other in the next round," James said.
"Yeah." Sara nodded. She put on a determined expression. "I'm not going to hold back because we're friends though!"
"Me neither!" James grinned. "May the best trainer win!"
So yeah, James is going up against Sara in the first round. Had to mention it this chapter since Chapter 56's title is a dead giveaway.
It's a good thing there's a week until the next chapter – I'm all battled out after this chapter… I can't really think of that much to say about the qualifier and group stage battles, so if you have any opinions on them, feel free to leave a review. Anyway, the league has begun properly now and although James had a shaky start, hopefully he'll get himself together for the first round.
Anyway, I'll leave it at that this week. The first round battle between James and Sara next week.
Until next time! :)
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.
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.
Saeloc (Persian): female, rash, likes to thrash about, likes dry food, normal type, Technician ability, known moves are Slash, Screech, Bite and Icy Wind.
Cuba (Cubone): male, serious, quick to flee, eats anything, ground type, Rock Head ability, known moves are Bone Club, Double-Edge, Bonemerang and Bone Rush.
Livvi's Team:
Active:
Barru (Bulbasaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, known moves are Tackle, Razor Leaf, Vine Whip and Leech Seed.
Dorru (Nidoran): 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 (Chansey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, known moves are Softboiled, Refresh, Double Slap and Egg Bomb.
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 Focus Energy, 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 (Omanyte): male, naïve, somewhat stubborn, likes sweet food, rock-water type, Shell Armour ability, known moves are Protect, Water Gun, Mud Shot and Leer.
