The rules have been explained, and Maximus and Trip have called their first Pokémon in. Maximus' Zebstrika faced Trip's Servine.
"Begin," the referee said, and the crowd roared.
Battle: Unfezant, Servine and Gurdurr VS Zebstrika, Simipour and Cofagrigus
"Servine, use Hidden Power" Trip said, while Maximus said "Zebstrika, Hidden Power too", and Zebstrika's orbs of fire collided with Servine's Dragon-infused orbs, exploding on collision.
"Zebstrika, dash in and use Double Kick" Maximus called, and Zebstrika's hooves glowed orange, and it charged at Trip's Servine, the kicks dealing Minor damage each, combined Considerable damage.
"Servine, quick, use Wring Out" Trip called, and Servine's arms glowed white and wrapped Zebstrika with it, dealing Considerable damage.
"Zebstrika, break free with Spark," Maximus said, and Maximus covered itself in electricity, which not only forced Servine to break free but did a quarter of its health in damage, also Paralysing Servine.
"Shit. Servine, use Aromatherapy" Trip called, and Servine sent a gentle, natural green wind wafted through the air, curing Servine's Paralysis.
"Zebstrika, end this with Hidden Power" Maximus called, and as Servine healed its Paralysis, Zebstrika generated orbs of fire and shot them at Servine.
"Servine, dodge them and use Energy Ball" Trip called, and Servine managed to avoid the firey orbs and shot a ball of natural energy at Zebstrika.
"Deflect it with Volt Switch" Maximus called, and Zebstrika shot two rings of electricity at Servine, which deflected the Energy Ball so it missed, and Maximus said "Zebstrika, return" and Zebstrika was withdrawn.
"Now Cofagrigus, let's go," Maximus said and Cofargigus materialised.
"Servine, quick, Energy Ball" Trip called, and Servine shot a ball of Natural Energy at Cofagrigus, dealing Moderate damage.
"Cofagrigus, use Trick Room," Maximus said, and Cofagrigus' eyes glowed, and a room was formed around them.
"Servine, use Energy Ball," Trip said, but before Servine could generate a ball of natural energy, Maximus called "Cofagrigus, use Shadow Ball" and Cofagrigus generated, then shot a ball of spectral energy at Servine, KO'ing it.
"Servine is unable to battle, Cofagrigus wins," the referee said as Trip, annoyed, withdrew Servine.
"Unfezant, go get em" Trip called as Unfezant materialised.
"Cofagrigus, use Dark Pulse" Maximus called, and Cofagrigus shot a beam of anti-positive energy at Unfezant.
"Tank the hit, Unfezant, use Sky Attack" Trip called, and as Unfezant began to glow with an immense amount of light-blue energy. And despite taking one round of Considerable damage from Dark Pulse, Unfezant charged, glowing.
"Cofagrigus, dodge it then use Dark Pulse" Maximus called, and Cofagrigus avoided the first shot of Sky Attack, but, as it fired the beam of Anti-Positive energy, dealing Considerable damage, but Cofagrigus was KO'ed by the Critical Sky Attack.
"Grrr, this one combined the higher Critical Hit of Sky Attack with its Super Luck Ability and Scope Lens item. Not bad. Cofagrigus, return" Maximus said and Cofagrigus was withdrawn.
"Now, Zebstrika, let's go" Maximus called and Zebstrika materialised.
"We're going to have to strike now Unfezant, use Steel Wing, and use it to deflect any electricity that comes your way" Trip called, and Unfezant's wing was cloaked in metal-like energy, and charged at Zebstrika.
"Did you really think I wasn't expecting you to do that? Zebstrika, end this with Hidden Power" Maximus replied, and Zebstrika generated orbs of fire and shot at Unfezant, KO'ing it.
"Unfezant is unable to battle, Zebatrika wins," the referee said as Trip withdrew Unfezant. He then added "Alright Gurdurr, go get em" Trip called and Gurdurr materialised. Maximus smiled, then said "So, your last Pokémon. Alright, Zebstirka, return", and Zebstrika was withdrawn.
"Simipour, let's go" Maximus concluded with and Simipour materialised.
"Simipour, use Surf" Maximus called, while Trip responded "Gurdurr, launch a Rock Slide" and Simipour's wave of water collided with Gurdurr's wave of rocks, and by the time it got over the rocks, Trip had already called "Gurdurr, use Dig" and Gurdurr got underground. When it rocked up, it did Considerable damage to Simipour.
Maximus knew this would happen, and said "SImipour, quick, use Ice Beam" and Simipour shot a beam of ice into Gurdurr, dealing Considerable damage.
"Gurdurr, Rock Slide" Trip called, he was intending to distract SImipour with the Rock Slide to KO with Brick Break.
"I know what you're doing Trip, and it won't work this time. Simipour, use Surf, but spin the wave into a Counter Shield" Maximus replied, and SImipour did exactly that, the wave spun outwards, and the rocks fell short. Not only that, but Gurdurr was struck, and KO'ed, by the wave.
"Gurdurr is unable to battle, Simipour wins. The victor is Maximus of Nacrene City" the referee said, and both Simipour and Maximus cheered, while Trip just withdrew his Gurdurr, pissed that he had lost.
Once Maximus and Trip left, Clay called "Well, now that battle is done with, let's get onto the final battle of the first round. From Aspertia City, the hot-blooded hotshot, Hugh", and Hugh walked up to one side of the arena.
"And on the other, a Scientist who's looking to bring out the power of Pokémon, Colress" Clay called, and Colress walked up to the other side.
"Alright, let the final battle of round 1 begin," Clay called, and both Hugh and Colress nodded as Clay stepped back. The referee then refreshed the rules, and Colress called "Klink, bring out your power" and Klink materialised. Hugh nodded, then said "Azumarill, let's show our might" and Azumarill materialised.
"Alright Klink, use Gear Grind," Colress said, and Klink shot two steel-based energy gears at Azumarill.
"Azumarill, dodge and use Aqua Tail" Hugh responded, and Azumarill narrowly avoided the gears, then his tail was covered with water, and Azumarill swung his tail at Klink, KO'ing it in one hit.
"Klink is unable to battle, Azumarill wins," the referee said as Colress retrieved Klink.
"Well, it seems that you have trained a powerful Azumarill Hugh. Now, let's see how you handle Magnezone" Colress said, and Magnezone materialised.
"Magnezone, use Thunderbolt," Colress said, and Magnezone unleashed a blast of electricity, to which Hugh replied "Azumarill, dodge it and use Rollout", and Azumarill covered itself in rocks and rolled at Magnezone, managing to avoid being KO'ed by Magnezone and starts rolling into Magnezone, hitting twice, though still took Significant damage. The two Rollouts did slight damage both times.
"Use Flash Cannon to break the Rollout" Colress called, and Magnezone shot a beam of grey energy at the rolling Azumarill and KO'ed Azumarill.
"Azumarill is unable to battle, Magnezone wins," the referee said as Hugh withdrew Azumarill.
"Well, that didn't work," Hugh said. Then, he added "Now, Servine, let's show our might" and Servine materialised.
"Servine, use Leech Seed" Hugh called, and Servine shot a bunch of seeds at Magnezone, seeding it.
"Quick Magnezone, use Flash Cannon," Colress said, and Magnezone unleashed a blast of grey energy at Servine.
'Dodge it and use Wrap, ' Hugh said, and Servine avoided it and wrapped itself around Magnezone, dealing slight damage.
Magnezone then took minor damage from the Leech Seed and slight damage from the Wrap.
"Smack the ground Magnezone to get Servine off, then use Flash Cannon" Colress called, and Magnezone slammed into the ground, dealing Minor damage to both itself and Servine, also forcing Servine to let go. Then, Magnezone blasted grey energy at Servine, dealing Considerable damage.
Magnezone then took minor damage from the Leech Seed, while Servine recovered a minor amount of health from Leech Seed.
"Magnezone, end this with another Flash Cannon" Colress called, and Hugh responded "Servine, use Leaf Blade" and though Servine's glowing green tail smacked Magnezone, it only did minor damage before Magnezone's beam of grey energy KO'ed Servine.
"Servine is unable to battle, Magnezone wins," the referee said as Hugh withdrew Servine.
"Judging by the numbers, I need two turns to get that Magnezone down. Can my last Pokémon do it? Let's find out. Tranquil, let's show your might" Hugh said, and Tranquil materialised.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I've done enough damage to finish this battle. So, Elgyem, let's go" Colress said, and Elgyem materialised.
"Alright Tranquil, take to the skies, then use Quick Attack" Hugh called, and Tranquil firstly flew up into the air, then dashed at Elgyem, dealing Moderate damage.
"Elgyem, quick, respond with Psybeam" Colress called, and Elgyem shot a beam of psychic energy at Tranquil, and dealt exactly three-quarters of its health in damage.
"Now Elgyem, one more Psybeam" Colress called, and Elgyem shot another beam of psychic energy at Tranquil, but Hugh was ready.
"Tranquil, use Detect then Return," Hugh said, and Tranquil avoided the Psybeam, and charged at Elgyem, and struck, dealing exactly enough to KO, but not before also being KO'ed by a third Psybeam.
"Both Elgyem and Tranquil are unable to battle, this battle is a tie. However, since Hugh has no Pokémon left, while Colress has one left, Colress wins" the referee said as both Hugh and Colress withdrew.
"That damn Magnezone, it's too strong for me to handle at the time," Hugh said, to which Colress responded "You're pretty strong Hugh, you did well. Balance your team, and you'll be tough to beat", to which Hugh nodded, and departed.
After Hugh and Colress departed, Clay returned.
"Alright, and that is the first round of the Driftveil Cup complete. And the four trainers who made it through to the next round, Ash of Pallet Town, Hilda of Nuvema Town, Maximus of Nacrene City and Colress" Clay called, and the crowd cheered.
"Now, after a quick break, it's time for the second round. Ash VS Hilda, and Maximus VS Colress" Clay continued, and the crowd dissolved into a mixture of hushed talking and cheering as Clay and the referee briefly departed.
Meanwhile, Ash and Hilda met up.
"Well, we're facing off in the next round," Hilda said, to which Ash replied "Yeah. now you're getting to test how much you've learned so far"
"Yeah, we'll have to see how that battle goes" Hilda replied, and Ash nodded. Then, Hilda headed for the other side of the arena and waited.
Hilda, after the conversation, felt nervous, which is understandable when going against her teacher. Ash was a little nervous himself, but he wanted to see if Hilda would make him proud.
After a quick conversation, the referee and Clay both returned to the arena, and Clay called "Now for the second round of the Driftveil Cup. The first battle will be between the student and the master, Hilda of Nuvema Town and Ash of Pallet Town" and the crowd roared. Ash was the first to arrive, and Hilda walked up to the other side of the arena. After the referee explained the rules of the battle, Hilda said "Alright Dewott, let's show them what we can do" while Ash called "Frillish, I choose you" and both Frillish and Dewott materialised.
Battle: Frillish, Pikachu and Pignite VS Herdier, Dewott and Simisear
"Frillish, use Water Pulse" Ash called, while Hilda called "Dewott, use Water Pulse too" and both shot balls of water at each other, and the water balls collided and exploded.
"Dewott, use X-Scissor" Hilda commanded, and Dewott rushed in just after the water balls connected and exploded, and shot through with it's schalops glowing teal, and slashed Frillish, dealing minor damage. Ash quickly responded "Frillish, use Absorb" and Frillish shot a glowing green tentacle at Dewott, attaching and dealing minor damage, healing off almost all of the damage Dewott inflicted.
"This isn't going to work. Dewott, return" Hilda said and Dewott was retrieved. Ash smiled a bit there, Hilda had learned to recognise a bad situation and try to get out of it.
Hilda then added "Now Herdier, let's show them what we can do" and Herdier materialised. It's Intimidate ability activated, but it didn't matter to Ash, as his Frillish was a Special Attacker.
"Frillish, use Water Pulse" Ash called, and Frillish shot a ball of water at Herdier, dealing a quarter of Herdier's health in damage.
"Now Herdier, use Bite" Hilda called, and Herdier enveloped its jaws in Anti-Positive energy and bit, dealing Considerable damage.
"Push Herdier away, use Water Pulse" Ash called, and Frillish generated a ball of water and shot it at Herdier.
"Herdier, dodge it then use Thunder Fang" Hilda responded, and Herdier avoided the ball of water, but, in the time it took Herdier to charge electricity onto its's fangs, Ash called "Frillish Water Pulse avoidance plan" and Frillish shot a ball of water into the ground, causing a wave of water to shoot up as Herdier charged, and Frillish took the opportunity, as well as its ability to see through the water, to avoid Herdier's, Thunder Fang.
"What the? Where did you learn that?" Hilda asked, to which Ash replied "Water illusory technique. Avoiding an attack by fooling your opponent with a water-type move"
"That's incredible. But I won't lose, Herdier, use Thunder Fang" Hilda replied, and Ash called "Frillish, tank it then responds with Pain Split" and though Frillish took Considerable damage from the electrified fangs, Frillish made both of them glow, and Frillish restored a Considerable amount of health, while Herdier took Considerable damage.
"Frillish, use Water Pulse" Ash called, and Hilda replied "Herdier, dodge it and end this with Thunder Fang" and Herdier avoided the Water Pulse, then bit Frillish with the electrified fangs, KO'ing it.
"Frillish is unable to battle, Herdier wins," the referee said as Ash withdrew Frillish, and said, "You did well Frillish, now take a long rest". He then added "Ready to go Pikachu?" to which his Pikachu nodded.
"Alright, Pikachu, I choose you," Ash said, and Pikachu joined the battle.
This battle didn't last long. Ash just said "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt" and the blast of electricity Pikachu unleashed was so fast that Herdier was KO'ed.
"Herdier is unable to battle, Pikachu wins," the referee said as Hilda withdrew Herdier.
"You did well Herdier, now rest up," she said. She then added "Now, Simisear, let's show them what we can do" and Simisear materialised.
"Pikachu, I recommend getting back" Ash called, and Pikachu obliged. Ash then grabbed another ball, and said "Now Pignite, I choose you" and Pignite materialised.
"Simisear, use Rock Slide" Hilda commanded, and Ash responded "Pignite, Substitute, then Brick Break" and Pignite used a quarter of its health to place a doll that tanked the Rock Slide, and in the meantime, Pignite's hand glowed orange, and it charged at Simisear.
"Simisear, meet the Brick Break with your own Brick Break" Hilda called, and Simisear's orange hand collided with Pignite's orange hand. After a few collisions, Pignite managed to get a strike in and deal Considerable damage.
"Simisear, another Rock Slide" Hilda called, and Ash replied "Combine spinning and Brick Break" and Pignite used Brick Break to stop the rocks.
"Quick, Simisear, use Brick Break" Hilda called, and Simisear's orange hand smacked Simisear, dealing Considerable damage, but was also hit with Pignite's Brick Break, and KO'ed Simisear.
"Simisear is unable to battle, Pignite wins," the referee said as Hilda withdrew him.
"You did well Simisear, now rest up," she said, then added "Now Dewott, let's show them what we can do" and Dewott materialised.
"Pignite, use Substitute" Ash called, while Hilda called "Dewott, use Water Pulse" and in the time it took Dewott to generate the ball of water and shot it, Pignite used a quarter of its health to place the doll in, and Ash commanded "Pignite, use Thunder Punch" and Pignite electrified his fist, and, the instant that the Substitute was broken, Pignite charged at Dewott, hitting and dealing Severe damage, triggering Dewott's Torrent ability.
"Dewott, end this with Water Pulse" Hilda called, and Dewott generated a ball of water, and struck, KO'ing Pignite.
"Pignite is unable to battle, Dewott wins," the referee said as Ash withdrew Pignite.
"Good job Pignite, now take a good, long rest," Ash said. He then added "Alright Pikachu, it's time" to which Pikachu nodded.
"Pikachu, I choose you," Ash said and Pikachu jumped onto the arena.
"Dewott, use Water Pulse" Hilda called, and Ash replied "Pikachu, dodge it and strike with Quick Attack" and Pikachu avoided the ball of water by dashing around it, and struck Dewott with Quick Attack, KO'ing it.
"Dewott is unable to battle, Pikachu wins. The victor is Ash of Pallet Town" the referee said as Hilda withdrew Dewott. Ash and Pikachu, meanwhile, were celebrating as the crowd roared.
Soon, Ash and Hilda meet up back in the foyer.
"So, how did I do?" Hilda asked, to which Ash replied "You've definitely got a grasp of the basics. And you did hold your own against me, at least for a while, so, I think I'll give you a B"
"Sweet, I passed with good numbers" Hilda replied, smiling. Hilda then added "Ash, I hope you win the Driftveil Cup"
"I hope so too, but I'm already automatically entered into the Unova League Tournament, on the proviso I get eight badges, which is cool" Ash replied, smiling. Hilda nodded, then responded "Well, we'll have to see who is your final opponent, whether it'll be Colress, or Maximus"
"Yeah, that's going to be very interesting," Ash replied.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket, having identified the Neo Team Plasma Grunts as they left, followed.
Soon, they arrived near to where the Neo Plasma Grunts were.
"So, what are they up to?" Jessie asked herself, quietly. After a few minutes, the reason was revealed, as Colress returned to the ship.
"So that Colress guy is part of Team Plasma," Jessie said, snapping a few photos. James nodded, then added, "What do we do about getting away?"
"We'll have to be very quiet about it" Jessie replied, and they snuck away.
Soon, they arrived in the Relic Passage, where they found their hidey-hole and contacted Giovanni.
"What is it?" Giovanni asked, to which Jessie replied "Boss, we have photographic proof that Colress is a part of Neo Team Plasma"
"Good, send it through," Giovanni said, and they obliged. After a minute or two, Giovanni said "Good. Now we know this, we can plan our next move"
"Alright. I wish you luck" Giovanni said, and the communication was cut.
"Well, we'd better get back to surveying, and sorting out the plans of Team Plasma," Jessie said, to which James and Meowth nodded. They then departed.