~~~Season 9: Johto League Elites~~~
Opening: Pokemon Johto
Chapter 52: Regarding the Playing Field
Ethan and Lyra stand at the docking port next to a large blue and yellow building, the Pokeathlon Dome.
"Tickets?" The woman asks before Ethan heads on board the ferry to Juniper Island.
Ethan turns on his PokeGear and goes to the option where his tickets were bought. He shows her the receipt and she smiles, waving to get on.
The two trainers board eagerly. Walking around the ship they lean on the railing and wait for the ship to go on.
"Wait up!" The hear as the boat gives off steam to start going. A boy's voice is heard from the docking port. Ethan walks over to the railing on the front and sees Jim diving on board as the ship takes off. He quickly skids down and grabs Jim's arms as he is about to slide off. Ethan pulls him safely on board.
"Talk about punctual!" Ethan gasps. Jim stands up and wipes himself off.
"Thanks, Ethan!" Jim says, smiling.
The two of them saunter back over to Lyra and lean on the railing, enjoy the soft sea spray against the faces and the light wind shoving their hair.
"So, Jim, did you-?" Lyra started, glancing over to her left.
Jim nodded. "Yep. I got the Cianwood Ribbon. So, now only one more sucker can get a ribbon, and that's the one in Cherokee Town, right above Olivine, today.
The trio didn't talk for a minute, then Ethan rose a brow at a pocket bulging out of Jim's backpack.
"Hey, Jim...that your, uh, Ribbon Case?" Ethan inquired.
"Hm?" He felt his back pocket. "That? Yeah."
"No...that bulge in your bag!"
Ethan snapped out and grabbed what was inside. It was a case that was the same design at Ethan's Badge Case, but gray.
"This...is a Badge Case!" Ethan opened it up and saw eight badges inside. "You collect badges!"
Jim's eyes bulged he grabbed the case and put it in his bag. "It was just a one-time thing!" He shouted.
Lyra rose her brows at him. "So you aren't just a Coordinator!"
"Nope...Anyway, it doesn't matter! I'll be seeing you both in the competitions!" He stormed away after snatching his case from Ethan.
"WELL then..." Ethan mumbled.
Later, the ferry's Captain came over a loud speaker and everyone on board heard, "We are now docking on the port of Juniper Island." The entire deck went up in a whoop of applause and shouting. Some very excited and rowdy boys were jumping obnoxiously around.
Ethan and Lyra hurried to pile out and be one of the first ones off. Three more ferries were docking with all of the other contestants and participants. The entire port was full of kids and teenagers crowding in a bubble of people to get to the Grand Festival building and Johto League Tournament to register.
Ethan was one of the hundreds to pile into a large, Colosseum-style building. Ten desks were set up in a tall, slanted room. Each table had eight Nurse Joys working at them to register people at. Ethan was at the 4th table to the right and the 6th Nurse to the left. He walked up and smiled.
"Okay, can I see your Badge Case and your PokeDex please?" Nurse Joy asked. He handed her his blue case and red PokeDex. She inserted them in a machine and his picture, along with his badges and pokemon in his team appeared on the screen. "Okay, four pokemon...and, you are all set! You are contestant number...98. Thank you!" She handed him his stuff and an I.D. he pinned to his shirt. He followed a path into one of twenty large holding rooms.
In the Grand Festival Building, Lyra got registered and left.
"I should book a hotel room. The Johto League is first, and the Grand Festival starts in a few days, so I should go ahead and gets arrangements set up..." Lyra said to herself as she walked towards the center of a large marketplace where people at the Festival and League could relax and commute around.
In the building...
Ethan was tense in the room with 49 other people. He looked around, but only recognized Jim, who was sitting on the other side of the spacious room.
"Silver must be in another room..." Ethan suggested. "That is...if he made it."
Suddenly, the TV room came on.
"Now...each room's contestants..." A man started from the center of the field outside, "will go up against another room's contestants in Single Battle Sudden Elimination Matches where one pokemon is used, and first to be knocked out is eliminated from the competition. Now, we will start with...Room 1 vs. Room 11!" The room Ethan was in's door opened and the fifty trainers piled out. All of them were escorted to the field outside. "We will have everyone stand in a specified line order at the back of the stadium on each side."
Outside, Room 11 was being placed in a line to battle all of the participants of Room 1. Ethan counted and was placed as 32nd in line, while Jim was way back at number 46.
"This is going to be amazing!" Ethan thought to himself.
The first trainers of each line were set up as the audience was filed inside. Men with cameras set up and were ready to shoot live across the Region.
"Now...the rules are that the first pokemon on one side to be knocked out loses! Get ready..." The referee started.
Fierce matches then started.
The screen on the right up against the stadium showed both the boy and the girl's faces, along with a slot for which pokemon they were using. The girl on the other side sent out a Golduck, while the boy sent out a Golem.
After some fierce tussling, Ethan was finally up. He didn't expect to make it so fast.
On the other side was a boy with green hair. The monitor showed his name as France.
"Okay, come on out, Scizor!" Ethan sends out his new, Steel/Bug-type. The red wonder is sent out and charges to the field.
"Hmm...I suppose now is the time for...Donphan!" The boy sends out a large elephant type pokemon. "Donphan, Rollout!" Donphan started spinning wildly and towards Scizor.
"Hrm! Scizor, use X-Scissor!" Scizor jumped and flipped down, its claws glowing. He slid them across each other and sent a large X down at Donphan. It exploded on impact and threw Donphan through the air. "Scizor, Bullet Punch!" Scizor disappeared and reappeared above Donphan, slamming it down with a glowing fist.
Donphan hit the ground. It rolled over and stood up weakly. "Donphan, Stone Edge!" France called. Donphan formed stones and shot them at Scizor.
"Scizor, dodge it and use X-Scissor!" Scizor moved at an incredibly alarming speed and slammed into Donphan with the X. It fainted, skidding across the yellow dirt.
"Return, Donphan!" France called.
The monitor clicked and France was escorted off the field. Ethan embraced the tall pokemon and recalled it.
"And your winner...Ethan!" The referee called out. Ethan was escorted back to Room 1, with only five other winners from his room.
He watched the screen more, and saw Jim battle a girl named Collene.
"Hitmontop, Sandstorm!" A pokemon that was standing on a tip on its head swirled around quickly and summoned a huge storm. The sand swirled down on the Growlithe on the other girl's side. It threw it up in the air. "Hitmontop, Triple Kick!" Hitmontop jumped into the air and swung its legs around, kicking it twice, then throwing it the ground with its tail. Growlithe fainted.
"Oh no! My poor Growlithe!" The girl recalled it and ran away before being escorted away by a woman.
Jim cheered and was told to head back to Room 1. He and Ethan high-fived when he got back inside.
Later, Silver went up as Number 50 from Room 10 vs. 20.
"Whoa, Ethan was the very last on in the very last room..." Ethan thought.
"Gengar, Sludge Bomb!" Gengar jumped into the air and flipped. It released a powerful barrage of sludge that exploded on the Quagsire. Quagsire was thrown harshly through the dirt, fainted.
"And Silver wins!"
Ethan and Jim sit in Room 1.
"I think there are still a lot of leftover trainers, which means they have to pressure them into more battles...I think there are still like another 70 trainers...this is going to be a long day..." Jim said to himself, out loud.
"Yeah...But, we made it to the next round!" Ethan and Jim high-five.
...
Yes, this seems kind of shady and sloppy now, but it gets straightened out later ;)
