DarkFoxKit: How long are you going to be playing on your Switch?
Traveling Master: Until this one stupid monster finally shows up! I've been trying to hunt for this one specific monster for a while now, but the darn thing only shows up on a hot day!
DarkFoxKit: Oh yeah, the weather in this game is completely RNG. It's usually not so bad until you need it to be a specific weather for a side quest. It can get pretty annoying and tedious. Took me a while to get the shooting star night for a specific monster as well. The gang must've been bored silly having to wait on that island for several days and nights until I figured out how the weather thing worked. ^^'
Traveling Master: *I blink a couple times looking at my switch, to you then back at my switch* Heh, well what do you know. The moment we start talking about the weather, it's now very hot! And the monster is in sight! *Puts on safari hat and other equipment* Time to hunt!
*TM's Switch battery died*
DarkFoxKit: Uh-oh… looks like you hadn't charged it in a while.
Traveling Master: … *I say nothing, as I am frozen in shock, anger, and any other mixed emotions at the time* ...
DarkFoxKit: Um… are you… uh… okay, TM?
Dust: *Walks in and noticed how I was frozen* Oh, haven't seen him like that for a while now. Yeah, he's gonna be stuck like that for a bit. Last time he was playing some sort of adventure game that requires you to save a lot, and turns out after several hours of trying to complete this one mission, the power went out, and the last time he saved was towards the beginning of the mission.
DarkFoxKit: … Oh dear… uh… why don't we go relax for a bit? I think TM might… explode if we don't do something fast.
Dust: While as fun as that sounds, last time was not as...pleasant, so yes let's go relax while everyone else enjoys the chapter.
Chapter 26: Arriving At The Tournament
Dust, Berry, and Shab spent most of the morning at Carrie's warehouse, organizing and looking through their items that would help them get through the tournament. They were limited to the items they could carry into the tournament after all, and they couldn't afford to waste their slots. Carrie also suggested bringing some Poke since the tournament will also have stands that sell items they could use, which they could buy in-between matches. Food will be served to the participants for free though.
Once they had their items and Poke ready, Dust made his way to White Peak. There were a lot of Pokemon gathering there. Many of White Leaf Town's residents were excited to watch teams battle it out. There were already concussion stands for the audience to buy snacks to munch on while they watched the participants duke it out in the arena.
The arena itself was impressive, large enough to accomodate the crowd as they watched the tournament. Dust saw a sign showing directions for those who will be participating in the tournament. Following the directions, Dust saw an entrance to the arena, with a stand set up next to it. Dust was surprised to see a familiar Meowstic, checking all papers as Pokemon entered through the entrance. Dust got in line, noticing all the different kinds of Pokemon who were also waiting.
"Is that you, Dust?" An excited voice asked. "It is! Ohmigosh! Your team is here too!?"
"Roxy, please calm down before you headbutt someone again," Another familiar voice sighed.
Dust turned to see a familiar Serviper trying to calm down Roxy. "Cobra, it's been a while."
"Likewise, last I heard was that you and Berry had accidentally become parents," Cobra noted.
"Temporary parents," Berry corrected. "Cliff is maturing quickly though. She's the Larvitar we accidentally hatched."
"My, my, what is that tasty thing you have on your head, Berry?" Caper the Purrloin asked, eyeing the Feebas on Berry's head.
Shab stiffened and sweated a little at seeing Caper eyeing him.
"This is Shab, he's our newest team member," Berry quickly answered. "Meaning he's off the menu."
"I only jest," Caper laughed. "So if you guys are here, I'm guessing you guys are also trying to rank up too?"
"That is correct, this is our first time participating. Is this your first time too?" Dust asked.
"Actually this would be our third time," Roxy answered. "We've always had a bit of trouble with teamwork in the past, but I feel like we're gonna rank up this time! I just know it!"
"Third time's a charm as the saying goes," The Seviper agreed.
"Any tips?" Berry asked.
"It's important to remember that even in the heat of battle, the audience still expects a good show. Don't be afraid to show off your more flashy techniques if you can," Caper advised. "If you can get the audience on your side, you're more likely to get a higher rank, or so I've heard~"
"So I'm guessing the further you make it in the tournament, the more likely you'll get a higher rank?" Dust asked.
"That's how it normally goes. It shows both the audience and the other Guild Masters your strength, skills, and teamwork," Cobra explained.
Berry felt nervous at the fact she would be fighting in front of a live audience, and it looked like there was going to be a lot, judging by how many Pokemon were going into the stadium. Dust felt both nervous and excited, he could already feel his heart pounding in his chest. He just realized he never had to battle in front of a live audience before, nor did he have to keep what moves he had to use and how to use it to be extra flashy in mind. But if it would help him get Gold Rank, he would need to. Shab looked nervous too, though to a lesser extent, he had his share of performing in front of others while as a wild Feebas, it was something many Feebas did in their lives when they wanted to show they were worthy of becoming a Milotic one day.
Roxy, noticing all their nervous expressions, decided to lighten up the mood. "Hey! Remember, you all had faced worse. I mean, if you guys can survive a game of tag from our guild, then you should be able to handle battling in front of the crowd."
"Game of tag?" Shab asked.
"Oh, it happened before we met you," Dust pointed out. "What turned out to be a simple game of tag turned into a chaotic game of survival, with the guild itself needing to be repaired."
Shab looked at Berry for confirmation, which she nodded.
"Exactly, and I remember seeing you two survive all that, so this should be a sitch for you," Roxy remarked.
"Though admittedly, it can be intimidating to battle in front of a large audience for first timers," Caper noted. "Just try not to let it get to you."
"Hey!" Another familiar voice spoke up, catching their attention.
A familiar Starly landed beside the two teams and had a big smile on his face. "Looks like you're able to participate in the tournament this month!"
"Hey, Talon, are you participating as well?" Berry asked.
"Yup!" Talon confirmed. "And guess what?~"
"What?" Dust asked, until he suddenly felt something land on top of his head.
Berry and Shab were staring at big butterfly wings. A Snivy hopped down from the butterfly wings.
"I'm kind of jealous that I'm the only one in this group that can't fly," Ivy huffed. "But it's nice to be able to ride."
"Hiya Dust, Berry, how are you two?~" The Butterfree on Dust's head asked in a happy tone.
"Tippi?!" Both Dust and Berry shouted in surprised.
Tippi blushed at the attention. "Is it that surprising?"
"Tippi evolved into a Butterfree about a week ago while we were training. Ever since then, we've been working hard to perfect our combination moves together," Talon said proudly. "I'd say we're a pretty good team!"
"Oooh, I can't wait to see what you're capable of, especially you, Tippi!" Roxy smiled, wagging her tail.
"Oh! I can't believe I missed seeing you evolve!" Dust pouted before sighing. "Still, congratulations on evolving, I'm guessing it's much better now since you can move freely and such."
"Oh it definitely is! I can fly on my own now, and I can carry Ivy easily!" Tippi answered proudly. "I can do all kinds of moves with my wings, moves I could only dream of when I was a Caterpie and a Metapod!"
"Though I do admit, I do miss carrying her when she was just a Caterpie, but this is great too. Now I have a partner who can fly with me in the sky!" Talon smiled.
Something about what Talon said about missing carrying the Caterpie around struck with Dust. If Berry ever did decide to evolve, she may become too big for him to carry anymore. If their future selves were any indication, Berry could potentially tower over him one day. But at the current moment, Berry had shown no indication of wanting to evolve, and Dust had already told her that he'd support her in whatever decision she made. Maybe in the future things would change, but for now, he was still glad to be able to carry Berry around.
"Yeah, congratulations on evolving, Tippi, you looks really good," Berry complimented, making the Butterfree blush more.
"Yes, you look very pretty," Shab agreed before he quickly whispered to Berry. "But nowhere near as pretty as you, Berry."
Berry rolled her eyes, but she did appreciate the compliment.
"I must say, it is nice to see your partner finally evolving," Caper said to Talon. "Maybe you'll be evolving soon too."
"You think so?" Talon asked. "I have been feeling stronger than usual lately, so I wrote down on my registration sheet that I feel close to evolving, though I'm not sure."
"I can't wait to evolve, though I'm still debating which form I want to evolve into," Roxy spoke up. "Midnight form is awesome and scary looking, being able to be bipedal has its advantage as well. I'd be able to pick up things with my hands! The midday form is also really cool, I'd be much faster, and look cool while running~ Then there's that weird mix between the two forms, the dusk form. That would be cool, but it's so hard to get."
"Too bad I can't evolve, I'd like to know what it's like," Cobra sighed.
Dust was about to ask more questions, but then he noticed how uncomfortable Berry was, mostly likely due to all the talking about evolution. So he decided to try and change the subject. "So both Team Silkwing and Team Toxic Stars are here, does that mean Team Destruct is nearby?"
"Didn't you hear? Team Destruct was the first team to sign up, they're probably somewhere in the stadium now, getting ready for when the tournament begins," Ivy answered.
"I'm honestly surprised that they are participating this time," Talon added. "Looks like they were able to finally go through a whole month without causing any trouble."
"Well, there's a first time for everything," Tippi chuckled. "Oh, I've been meaning to ask, that Feebas… is that a new team member?"
"Oh yes, he is, this is Shab," Berry replied.
"It's nice to meet you," Shab stated.
"Oh, it's nice to meet you too. It's good to see Team Night Tide finally has a third member," Tippi chuckled.
"By the way, looks like you and your team are next," Cobra said as he pointed with his tail.
Dust turned and saw that Miyagi was staring at them, waiting for them to come forward. His stare sent a shiver down everyone's spine. Tippi flew off of Dust's head.
"Well it was great seeing you all again," Dust waved to both Team Toxic Stars and Silkwing.
"Good luck, and who knows, maybe we'll be fighting against each other too!" Roxy shouted.
It just occurred to Dust that in this tournament, they will be fighting all sorts of Pokemon. He knew that there was a chance he would fight against Crimson and his team, but the thought of fighting against his friends made him hope that they would be lucky and wouldn't have to fight them. Only time would tell.
Walking up to the stand, Dust tried not to make direct eye contact with Miyagi as he handed the Meowstic their registration papers. "Miyagi, always great to see you. Here's our papers, I think you'll find everything in order."
Miyagi gave a quiet stare at Dust for a moment before looking at the registration papers. After the Meowstic took a second or two to look through the papers, he put a stamp of approval on it. Then, he used telekinesis to lift three pink bands before he had them tie themselves around Dust's right wrist, Berry's right antenna, and Shab's right fin.
"The bands represent your current team rank. Pink being the Normal Rank color. It also shows you are a participant in the tournament," Miyagi explained. "Your bands cannot be removed without certain permission. Now go."
Dust quickly nodded before walking past Miyagi and into the stadium. After making some distance, Dust let out a breath of relief, glad to finally be away from the Meowstic.
"Who was that guy?" Shab asked, still shivering from their brief encounter.
"Miyagi, you may have seen a few times when we picked up a new mission," Berry answered with a shiver of her own. "His stares are always pretty intense, and nobody can ever tell what he's really thinking."
"I'm surprised his ability isn't Intimidate with that kind of stare…" Shab muttered.
"I wouldn't be surprised if it secretly was," Dust admitted.
Now that they were inside, Dust had a better chance to look at their surroundings. He saw many other Pokemon, most likely other fighters, in the room. While shocked by the numbers, it did make sense that there would be many Normal Rank Crusaders who wished to increase their rank as well. He saw teams that were mostly made up of Fire type Pokemon, while he spotted a Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar in the distance. Dust could only imagine how many Pokemon were outside, waiting to watch them all fight. There were also teams he had seen in Unity Guild, like the Cubone, the Meowth and the Pikachu, and a few others. But the teams of Pokemon Dust, Berry, and Shab weren't familiar with are what caught their attention the most. There were many strong looking ones.
Dust was so distracted that he failed to notice a Persian that he was about to walk into.
"Dust! Look out!" Berry yelped.
"Huh?" Dust asked, but it was too late.
Dust ended up bumping into the Persian, accidently knocking the feline Pokemon on the ground. Dust quickly went over to the Persian to help them up.
"My deepest apologize, I didn't mean to knock you over,"Dust apologized.
"Oh, no worries, no worries, the fact you were able to knock me over shows how strong you are, and that's a goldmine in this place!" The Persian enthusiastically stated as he got up on his paws quickly.
The Persian appeared to be wearing some sort of orange suit with a pair of glasses over his eyes, though Dust couldn't see any glass on the glasses.
"My name is Dio, I'm a reporter for this month's tournament!" The Persian introduced. "You can say I'm quite the fight fan, and I'm looking for the biggest scoop around here."
Dio looked around for a moment before he put a paw over his mouth to whisper. "Don't tell anyone about this, but rumor has it that there's a sinister mystery surrounding the stadium and the tournament itself."
Berry gulped at that. "A… sinister mystery?"
"Oh yes, so I suggest keeping your eyes peeled for any strange activities," Dio warned.
"Uh...Thanks for the advice, but if you think that something sinister might be going on, why tell us? Why not tell the Guild Masters?" Dust asked.
Dio shook his head. "Like I said, it's only a rumor, and the tournament is a huge event. They would hardly take a reporter's warning seriously. Also, if I'm not mistaken, but you three are Team Night Tide, correct?"
"Yes, we are. What does that have to do with anything?" Dust asked once more.
"You have quite the reputation, it's also another reason why I'm here, I was hoping for the chance to meet with you and wouldn't you know it, Victini has blessed me with this fortunate meeting," Dio exclaimed. "For a team that's only Normal Rank, you've already have done some impressive feats! It's as if you're part of a big story, and you are the main protagonist!"
"I… wouldn't go as far to say that," Berry sheepishly remarked.
"He does make a fair point, we have been through a lot in only two months," Dust pointed out.
"Exactly, which is why I trust you with this sensitive information. If anyone could possibly solve this mystery, it would be Team Night Tide," Dio praised.
"Um, so, what is this sinister mystery you were talking about?" Shab asked.
"They say that sometimes, fighters would mysteriously go missing," Dio whispered. "Then when they come back, they look so drained that one would think a Ghost type had sucked all the life out of them. They don't seem to be able to recover whatever is ailing them either. So if I were you two, it's best to keep your eyes peeled for anything dangerous. This reporter is going to do his best to try to find out if this mystery is true or not, and then prove it if it is indeed real!"
"Again, thanks for the advice. Well definitely keep our eyes open for anything," Dust replied.
"Great, now I best be off, good luck in the tournament, I'll be rooting for your team!" Dio waved goodbye before heading off.
"I'm… starting to wonder if coming to this tournament was a good idea…" Berry frowned.
"You don't think he was actually serious about that whole sinister thing, do you?" Shab asked.
"Maybe, then again, a reporter's first job is to find as much drama as possible. Perhaps he is telling the truth and there is sinister work happening beneath the shadows. Or maybe he hopes to rile up the other contenders for his report," Dust suggested. "You'd be surprised how often the Olympus Guild had to kick out reporters trying to sneak in and find some sort of scoop."
"Yeah, maybe you're right," Berry sighed. "We probably shouldn't take what Dio said too seriously, or my nerves are going to be completely shot."
"Still, it wouldn't hurt to keep our eyes open for any suspicious Pokemon," Shab suggested. "But not to worry, Berry, I'll be sure to keep you safe!"
"Heh, glad to see you're so enthusiastic about it," Berry chuckled sheepishly.
Dust started to walk around, trying to figure out where to go. There were these huge double doors that easily grabbed his attention, but when he went to go check it out, he could see the doors lead to the seats where the audience would go to watch the arena. Dust tried looking around again, before Berry's antennae caught something.
"Hey, I see Team Silkwing going over there. Maybe we should follow them," Berry suggested. "They might know where they're going."
Dust nodded before heading over to where Team Silkwing was. There was a crowd of Pokemon between them, so Dust had to do some navigating to get through them, but luckily he was still able to keep his eyes on their friends.
Dust caught up to Silkwing. Talon and Tippi were flying with Ivy walking under them. They were going into a door that led into a corridor. However, standing in front of a door was a Bewear wearing sunglasses. Bewear looked at Talon, Tippi, and Ivy for a moment, before it used its arm to break down the door, allowing the three to go in. Then the Bewear picked the door back up, somehow fixing it instantly.
"Uh… is that the… bodyguard…?" Berry asked, sweatdropping.
"Seems so," Dust gulped as he walked up to the Bewear. "Hi, I'm assuming this is the entrance for those participating in the tournament?"
The Bewear stared at Dust without saying a word.
"Hello there!" A Stufful that was standing under the Bewear greeted them. "You're participants to the tournament, correct? Is this your first time participating?"
"Uh...yes," Dust was not expecting to suddenly see a Stufful.
"Then I bid you welcome! This will lead to the waiting room for the participants! You are…" Stufful looked at their bands for a moment. "Normal Rank, so you will want to look for the Normal Rank door. Not only that, but you must look for a Normal Rank door for the guild you belong in. There's only so many rooms we can build for Normal Ranks, so they're split up into which guild you're in as well."
"Oh, I was actually kinda hoping to see some of the other participants," Dust replied.
The Stufful chuckled for a bit before replying back. "Well you'll get to see them in due time. For now this is just to make sure there was enough space for everyone. But as the tournament progresses, you'll be seeing more and more of these participants."
The Stufful then gestured to the door just as Bewear punched the door, breaking it down once again. "Please, come on in and find your locker room~ Be sure to follow all the rules."
The Bewear was staring at them. It was hard to tell what it was thinking, but Dust had a feeling if they broke any rules, then the Bewear would break them. Berry and Shab looked nervous as well. Dust quickly went on through, looking back in time to see the Bewear put the door back in its place.
"Okay, reminder not to anger that Bewear," Dust commented.
"Bewear is… quite the unique Pokemon, huh?" Berry chuckled sheepishly.
"That's one bear I don't want catching me," Shab muttered.
Dust looked around, seeing that they were in a hallway with lots of doors. Pokemon of different ranks, which Dust, Berry, and Shab could tell by the color of their bands, were going into different doors. Some teams had bronze bands, some had silver bands, and a few had gold bands.
"I hope we're not expected to fight those higher ranks, we'd be wiped out quickly if we were to face a Gold Rank team." Berry frowned nervously.
"Well according to the rules, they are first gonna have matches with the same ranking members," Dust explained. "As the tournament progresses, they will see how strong the remaining participants are and adjust the match ups more accordingly."
"So we'll only be fighting with others of our own rank, unless we show enough strength to match with a higher rank, then they would put us against those higher ranks?" Shab asked to get it straight.
"Precisely, take Team Destruct, for example. Even though they are only Bronze Rank, their skills and strengths are greater than a regular Bronze Rank. So they will most likely be fighting against other Silver Rank, or maybe even a Gold Rank team, depending on how far they get in the tournament," Dust answered.
"That would be… quite a match to see," Berry remarked. "But for now, we should focus on finding our locker room."
Dust nodded before he began to look at the doors. Each door had a mark on it. The marks would be in different colors depending on the rank, so that meant Dust was looking for a pink marking. The pink mark doors also had a symbol picture, which Dust guessed was supposed to be the symbol of a guild's badge, so he had to look for the one that resembled the Unity Guild's badge. Dust walked on for a little while, moving past the other teams. Some of the teams radiated such power and intensity that it made Dust, Berry, and Shab shiver just going past them.
Near the end of the corridors, however, Dust finally found a door with the pink marking and the Unity Guild's symbol. After opening the door, Dust was surprised by how large the room was. It wasn't too big, but if Dust had to guess, it was big enough to hold about 20 to 30 Pokemon inside. Luckily Dust only counted 12 other Pokemon inside, not including themselves. Spotting Team Silkwing, Dust started heading over to them.
Upon seeing Dust, Berry, and Shab, Talon greeted Team Night Tide. "I was wondering when you guys would show up."
"Yeah, some of us were starting thinking you got lost or something," Ivy added.
Roxy suddenly over and wagged her tail. "Hey! Did you get lost?"
"Don't be rude," Tippi spoke up. "This is their first time participating in the tournament. I don't blame them for not knowing where to go on their own."
"Hey, hey, hey!" Someone barked excitedly, and it wasn't Roxy.
Dust, Berry, and Shab were surprised to see a Yamper making its way over to them, panting happily while wagging its lightning shaped tail.
"So this is Team Night Tide, it's so nice to finally meet you in Pokemon!" The Yamper smiled.
"Aww, what a cute Yamper," Berry cooed.
"Hey, back off, I greeted them first, and I knew them way before you did!" Roxy snapped at the Yamper.
"Well I didn't see you mark your territory on them, so you back off!" The Yamper barked back.
Both canine Pokemon were growling at each other challengingly.
"Uh… is this a bad time?" Shab asked.
"Roxy, did you already forget your promise?" Cobra spoke up as he slithered to the group.
Roxy grumbled as she looked at Cobra. "That I wouldn't fight with Sparky unless it was in the arena."
"Ha! Serves you right!" Sparky the Yamper called out, failing to noticed a figure behind him.
A Zangoose slapped Sparky upside the head, making him whine. "Sparky, we do not condone such attitude here. Although…"
The Zangoose, who had a feminine voice, looked up at Cobra. "I don't blame you for wanting to challenge one of Cobra's teammates."
Cobra returned the stare. "Slash… It's been a while."
"Too long if you asked me," Slash the Zangoose answered back, sharpening her claws. "Think your tail blade got any sharper than my claws?"
Cobra lifted his tail blade to match against Slash's claws. "Just wait a bit longer, I'm sure we'll be showing which of us is sharper soon."
Dust had never seen Cobra like this before. Normally he keeps a cool level head, so to see him this riled up was a bit of a surprise. But Dust figured it only made sense, having read about the deep heated rivalry between the Serviper and the Zangoose.
"This… is getting a little intense…" Berry whispered.
"Team Toxic Stars have always had this rivalry with Team Wild Thunder. Slash the Zangoose is their leader. Sparky is the Yamper who's friendly with others, except to Roxy," Talon explained. "They also have one more member."
Leaning against the wall, Dust noticed Caper was leaning with a Nickit.
"Such heated emotions, it's rather silly how barbaric they can be," Caper remarked.
"You'd think they would get past all that primal instinct of thiers," Nickit remarked with a feminine voice.
Caper looked into the bag he had with him before sighing. "Swiper, give them back. I know you took the berries I brought."
"Only if you give back the seeds I brought," Swiper the Nickit answered back.
"Well played," The Purrloin remarked.
Dust blinked a few times, seeing Caper and Swiper exchange the previously stolen items. He then turned his attention back to Talon. "Well they seem like the… interesting sort."
"They certainly are," Talon chuckled sheepishly.
"There's one more team here I believe you hadn't been officially introduced to yet," Tippi spoke up, flapping her wings. "The only other Normal Rank team from the Unity Guild here that was able to get enough points to participate in the tournament this month."
"Just a fair warning, they are an odd group," Ivy added. "And trust me, I've seen a lot of interesting Pokemon in the Unity Guild, but they are definitely up there when it comes to...um...sticking out. Kind of like your team."
Dust wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not, but thanked the Snivy regardless. "Uh, thank you for the advice."
"Wait, what's that supposed to mean about us sticking out?" Berry asked.
Ivy snickered a little. "You two, or I guess three now, do have a bit of a reputation around here. Take that as a compliment, at least your reputation isn't like Team Destruct's reputation, where you're well known for destroying everything you touch."
As to prove Ivy's point, there was a sudden commotion outside, the sound of things crashing could be heard. At first everyone was alarmed by the sudden noise, except for Caper and Swiper.
"How much you wanna bet it's Brody this time? You know how often he gets into an accident." Caper asked.
Swiper shook her head. "Nah, I say it's Al, out of the three he's the real troublemaker."
Ivy went over to the two Dark types and smiled. "You know what I think? It's gotta be Grant. He often makes messes by hitting Brody or Al into something. I'll bet you two 5,000 Poke that it's Grant this time. And no stealing the Poke back by the way."
The two dark types looked at each other before looking at Ivy, both smirking as they replied at the same time. "You're on!"
"I have to wonder how often this happens if Pokemon are just making casual bets on which member of Team Destruct made an explosion…" Berry sweatdropped.
"Quite often enough," A voice spoke up.
Dust turned, seeing a familiar looking Meowth and Pikachu, he was sure he had seen them before, but he couldn't quite put his claw on it. Behind the Meowth and Pikachu was a Wobbuffet.
"Well, didn't think we'd see you two here," Meowth remarked.
"Or I guess three now if we include the fish on Berry's head," Pikachu pointed out.
Dust tried racking his memory, trying to recall who these Pokemon were. He normally is able to recall those he met, having pretty good memories, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember who they were.
"I'm sorry, but I'm sure we have met before, but I'm having trouble recalling who you are," Dust apologized.
"We've seen each other when you two were new to the guild, you may remember us from the time I wanted to pick out a higher rank mission," The Meowth explained.
"Oh…" Dust remembered a Pikachu and Meowth back then, it felt like a lifetime ago now. "Right, I remember you two now."
"Good, I also hope you know I'm a girl, most don't seem to realize I'm female right off the bat, and it's pretty insulting," The Meowth stated. "I'm a beautiful girl, and my name is Jessie."
"And I'm James," The Pikachu added.
"Wobbuffet!" The Wobbuffet replied.
"And we are Team Rocket!" Jessie finished.
"Woooobbuffet!" The Wobbuffet stated proudly.
"Uh… okay… is there something wrong with your… Wobbuffet teammate?" Berry asked.
"I think the Wobbuffet is wild…" Shab muttered.
"Not exactly," James answered. "He was wild at first, but now he's civilized."
"Okay, so why does he keep saying his name then?" Dust asked.
Both James and Jessie look at each other before looking at Dust and just shrug while replying at the same time. "He just prefers it that way."
"Wooooobbuffet!" The Wobbuffet agreed, or at least that was what Dust thought was what the Wobbuffet was doing.
"So it looks like this might be all the Normal Rank teams from the Unity Guild for this month's tournament," Slash noted. "You'd think there would've been more this month."
"That's good, more chances for us to actually battle it out in the arena and prove we are the better team," Cobra stated, looking at Slash.
"I'm the better, friendlier greeter," Roxy barked at Sparky.
"I'm the better, cuter greeter," Sparky barked back.
"So, the usual bet then?" Swiper asked Caper.
"If we fight against each other, loser has to buy the winner lunch?" Caper replied with his own question.
"Yup," Swiper held out a paw.
Caper grasped it and gave a firm shake. "Then it's a bet."
"Swiper, give back the Sleep Seed," Caper suddenly said.
"As long as you give back the Chesto Berry," Swiper answered back.
"This… is certainly going to be an interesting tournament," Berry sweatdropped.
Suddenly the door was knocked down. Stufful and Bewear came into the locker room. Everyone stopped and paid extra attention to the two teddy-bear-like Pokemon.
"Alright, everyone, time to pay attention!" Stufful spoke up. "It's almost time for the tournament to begin. We would like for you all to join the rest of the guild participants to the arena where the opening ceremony will commence."
Stufful looked at the group, seeing that they were indeed paying attention. "Alright, for those who are participating for the first time, to find the entrance to the arena, walk down the hallway, following the signs. They will lead you outside to the arena where you will join the others. After the opening ceremony, you may choose to stay in the waiting room or watch the matches for yourselves. Further instructions will be provided during the ceremony. Understood?"
Everyone in the room nodded at the Stuffel. "Great, see you all soon. Remember, don't be late for the ceremony!"
With that Stufful signaled to Bewear, who grabbed the door and put it back in its place, as though it was never knocked down to begin with, making everyone sweatdrop at how illogical that was.
"Are they always like that?" Dust asked Talon.
"Yup, and before you ask. I don't know how the doors stay intact," Talon replied before Dust could ask the very question.
"We should probably get going to the arena, we won't want to be late to the opening ceremony," Tippi stated.
"I can't wait to see it! It's always exciting to see what guild is joining us this month, and what Guildmaster is here to watch!" Roxy smiled excitedly.
"It'll be good to see some of the more exclusive and well known Guildmasters to watch us fight!" Sparky wagged his tail excitedly.
Berry was starting to get more and more nervous at the idea of important Guildmasters watching, and judging how she would battle. Dust on the other hand was wondering if his old Guildmaster would be there. And if Grace was there, would that mean his mother would be too. Dust grew nervous at the thought, wondering what they would think if they were here. Shab had only met Chihiro, so the thought of seeing other Guildmasters didn't bother him too much, mostly because he figured that most were like Chihiro.
"You can follow us if you're not sure where to go," Tippi suggested to Dust. "The signs do make it easy to find the doors to the arena, but if it'll make you feel better to stick with us, that's fine too."
"That's probably a good idea," Berry concurred, she would rather blend in with the other teams if they were going to see the other Guildmasters now.
"Bet you I can get there before you can!" Sparky challenged Roxy.
"Like you can ever beat me!" Roxy barked back.
The two canine dogs then ran out the door, causing both Cobra and Slash to sigh. They quickly glare at each other before leaving, soon to be followed by Caper and Swiper. Dust then saw Team Rocket follow soon after, they were mumbling to themselves, but Dust couldn't catch what they were exactly saying. With only Team Night Tide and Silkwing left, Talon started taking the lead.
"It's not too far, just stick close and we'll get there soon," Talon said before heading out the door.
Dust nodded as he saw Tippi and Ivy fly and walk out. With Berry and Shab on his back, Dust exited the room, following close behind Team Silkwing. It was a good thing too, already there were other Pokemon in the hallway, all heading in the same direction. As they walked further down the hallway, Dust saw a rather large hole in one of the walls, making him wonder if that was the commotion they had heard earlier.
The doors leading to the arena were huge double doors, it was easy for even the larger Pokemon to go through, which Dust supposed was the point. Once they were in the arena, Dust could see just how big the place was. There were already hundreds if not thousands of Pokemon watching them from the stands. The arena itself was huge, perfect for battling. All the participating teams gathered onto the arena. Dust, still having both of his teammates on his back, followed Team Silkwing onto the arena, before they stayed in one spot. The other teams were still gathering.
"Wow… look at all the Pokemon…" Berry whispered. "I've never seen so many Pokemon in one spot."
"You can say that again," Dust remarked.
As Dust was surveying the crowd, he noticed that above the crowd, there was a column-like area, each with a unique insignia on the outside. He counted at least others, each with which he assumed were the Guildmasters, and was amazed, never having seeing them before. A Garchomp sitting on top of one of the columns caught his attention, his fierce glare watching the arena. He also noticed a Machamp in the neighboring column that had a fist as the insignia. He then spotted the familiar Unity Guild symbol, and on top of the column he saw Chihiro, with her two Grandchildren, Phantom and Spooks. He smiled when he saw Cliff was also there with them, most likely trying to find where Dust and Berry were.
"Berry look, it's Cliff," Dust pointed out.
Berry looked up, seeing Chihiro and Cliff, she gave a small smile seeing Cliff waving at them excitedly.
"Aww, our little Cliff is waving at us." Shab smiled. "She's happy to see you, I'm sure, Berry. I know I would be~"
Berry gave a small wave back with her antenna, though she wasn't sure if Cliff saw it, she was mostly trying to remain as unimportant and uninteresting as possible.
A Mawile came to the front of all the participants, holding a microphone over her mouth. "Welcome, each and every one of you teams who made it into the tournament this month! For those who are new here, I welcome you to the rank-up tournament! My name is Patricia and I will be the announcer for the tournament. It would appear there are more Pokemon from different guilds this month. Guildmasters came from far and wide to watch their team rank up, I'm sure you wouldn't want to disappoint them."
Berry gulped a little from that.
"I will now introduce the Guildmasters who will be watching you in your battle for a rank up!" Patricia announced.
The crowd cheered, all excited to be here. After a few seconds the crowd quieted down for Patricia to continue.
"Starting this off we have the very ones hosting the tournament, who are known to have all kinds of Pokemon in their guild, I give you the Unity Guild!" Patricia introduced, causing the crowd to cheer once more.
Dust saw Chihiro got up from her seat as she waved to the audience. "It is always a pleasure to see so many faces joining us today. All this excitement is making me feel all Goomy inside. Seeing so many participating fighters makes me as proud as a Piplup! I'm so overjoyed that my happiness is higher than any mountain a Larvitar could ever eat. If I could, I would give each and everyone of you a Bewear hug! Oh, wait, I got one more! I hope that they don't make me wait a Mawile to make things interesting!"
Funny enough, half the crowd was laughing, while the other half was groaning.
"Thank you, for your… words of wisdom, Guildmaster Chihiro," Patricia spoke up.
"Of course our Guildmaster has to use her speech to make all sorts of Pokemon puns…" Ivy muttered in embarrassment.
"I thought they were pretty clever," Talon chuckled.
Dust couldn't help but notice Caper and Swiper, who weren't too far away from them, passing items and coins of Poke back and forth. They had likely made bets about Chihiro's puns.
"Same old Chihiro," Berry muttered. "Just wish she didn't use my species name in a pun though…"
"Now for the next Guildmaster…" Patricia spoke up.
Patricia introduced other Guildmasters, like the Garchomp being the leader of the Lucernas Guild, the Machamp being the leader of the Punching Guild, a guild made up of Fighting types. There were several guilds that had mostly strong species of Pokemon. A few others guilds that specialized in one type. It would seem that Chihiro's Unity Guild was the odd one out, a guild that included all Pokemon, not just the strong ones or just one type.
"Next is one of the more famous and powerful guilds, the Volcanic Ash Guild, a guild that specializes in Fire types. The Guildmaster himself couldn't make it due to certain responsibilities, so in his place, he sent a representative. You may know him from being the leader of Team Flames of Wrath. He is Igneel Charizard!" Patricia excitedly announced.
The crowd went wild, it would seem many knew about this Igneel.
"To think he would be here," Dust said. "Igneel, the Hellfire."
Berry was shivering. "I didn't think we'd see him here."
"Who?" Shab asked, being a wild Pokemon for most of his life.
Before Dust could answer, Igneel, who was a rather large Charizard, got up from his seat to address the crowd. "I am greatly humbled to be here in the place of Guildmaster Cronus. He gives his regards and wishes the best of luck to all fighters."
Despite Igneel's short message, the crowd erupted into a cheer once more. Berry was still shivering, but then her body froze. Even though they were surrounded by many Pokemon, and that she was small compared to most of them, it seemed as though Igneel was staring right at her, as though studying her. Berry tried looking away, but his glare prevented her from moving. Suddenly she felt someone shaking her, snapping her out of her temporary paralysis.
"Berry, are you okay?" Shab kept asking Berry.
Thankfully, Berry did manage to snap out of her paralysis. When she blinked again, Igneel had already moved away. "Y-yeah… I… I could've sworn the Hellfire himself was looking right at me."
"He did appear to be looking in your direction," Ivy noted. "Just the thought of Igneel the Hellfire looking at me would send chills down my spine."
"So who is he exactly?" Shab asked once more.
"You really don't know?" Tippi asked, sounding shocked.
"Sorry, I've been a wild Pokemon until recently," Shab apologized.
"Right…" Berry remembered. "Igneel is one of the most revered Crusaders in the land, even in rural places like the Spring Swamp had heard about him. While he may not technically be a Dragon type, he is seen as one of the strongest dragons known to all mons. He comes from the Volcanic Ash Guild, a guild that… I don't know much about actually, other than they only train Fire type Pokemon, but there is a reason why Igneel has the nickname 'the Hellfire'. He is a Master Rank Crusader, which is the highest rank a Crusader could get."
"You can even say that he's on par with my mother, Eclipse," Dust added. "I've only seen him once, when I was a child. He had come to the Olympus Guild, but even though it's been years, I can still remember the pressure he gave off. I never thought I would meet anyone who could exert so much pressure besides my mother."
"Whoa… no wonder he's so revered. Don't worry, Berry, I'm sure he was just taken in by your beauty for a moment," Shab assured.
Berry wasn't so sure that was the reason why Igneel looked at her, but she just hoped maybe he just looked at her because he had never seen a Goomy before or something and just decided she wasn't worth paying much attention to.
"Alright, now time for our final guild. This was a surprise for everyone, but today, I welcome the very first guild that was ever created! The Olympus Guild, with Guildmaster Grace and Guild council member Eclipse joining us!" Patricia shouted into her mike.
The crowd went full on crazy at hearing that. No one had expected the Olympus Guild to show as they never had their teams participate. But out of all the Pokemon in the stadium, the one who was most shocked was Dust as he spotted his mother sitting on top of the column.
"...Mother…" Dust muttered, having mixed feelings of seeing her.
Grace then got up, the Gardevoir smiling as she addressed the audience. "It is truly a pleasure to be here. I can assure you, no one was more surprised than me when we had received a special invitation from Grandmaster Chihiro. We know that this is a special occasion for your guild and we thank you for having us."
Chihiro gave an acknowledging nod to Grace, who then floated aside for Eclipse to get up and speak. For a brief moment, Dust saw her look at him, before she went to address the crowd.
"This tournament holds a special place in my heart. It was here that many of you have seen my accomplishments. It was here that I showed the world the impossible, where I had achieved Gold Rank despite having the odds stacked against me. And I wish to share this with you, despite the challenges that you face, the hardships that you will come across. Remember to never give up, to always get back up and show the world who you are! Show them why you are here, show them why you have dawned on the title of Crusader! Show them that it is possible to do the impossible!" Eclipse shouted as she gave her speech.
At that hyped up speech, the crowd, even the participants were letting out cheers, and shouts of determination.
"So that's your mother?" Berry whispered to Dust. "She sure knows how to hype up the crowd."
"Well she is a Master Rank Crusader, no one else knows more than what it means to be one," Dust muttered, never taking his eyes off his mother.
Dust saw that Eclipse was looking right at him and despite the two being so far apart in a stadium filled with Pokemon, in that moment it felt as though it was only him and his mother. So many things were going through his mind, so many feelings were welling up inside. He felt both nervous but also grateful to see his mother. Part of him wanted to greet her, while another wanted to keep away. Was she proud? Was she disappointed? Dust couldn't tell, and though mother and son continued to stare at one another, as the crowd started to quiet down, Eclipse turned her gaze away from Dust as she returned to her seat.
"Now that the introductions are out of the way, you know who you're battling for, be sure to give them and our lovely audience a good show if you want to rank up!" Patricia spoke up. "And with that, we conclude the opening ceremony. You will now return to your waiting rooms for further instructions. As for you lovely audience, be sure to grab whatever snacks you can get, use the restroom while you can, because the tournament will begin shortly!"
Everyone was returning to their locker rooms. Many of the teams were discussing among themselves how awesome some of the Guildmasters were as they were leaving the arena.
"This is the first time you have seen your son in 2 months, Eclipse, what is on your mind right now?" Grace asked the older Absol.
Before, Eclipse had a calm, intimidating expression, but now that it was just them two, she let out a rather long sigh, looking a bit exhausted. "So many things right now. Part of me wants to rush over to him right now, but at the same time I can't help but dread to hear what he's done so far. I can only imagine the trouble he may have caused."
Grace laughed a bit as she patted her friend's back. "I can sense that you are stressed, but aren't you also glad to see him? After all, Dust had to have done some good on his missions if he was able to earn enough points to participate in this tournament at all."
Eclipse sighed once more before smiling at Grace. "You're right, if he's here, then that means he's been improving since having been forced to leave the guild."
"We also did come here to see how he would do when Chihiro messaged us that Dust would be participating in the tournament this month," Grace noted before she gave Eclipse a curious look. "How do you think he will do in the tournament?"
Eclipse remained silent for a moment as she thought about her son. "If I know Dust, I can tell that this tournament is very important to him right now. I saw that he was wearing the band that was meant for Normal Rank, most likely he's thinking if it's possible to achieve Gold Rank after this tournament."
"And do you think he will be able to do it?" Grace asked.
Eclipse paused once more, recalling seeing her son, and the Pokemon that were sitting on his back. It was then Eclipse realized Dust managed to keep a partner with him this time as well.
"He is my son, so… it's possible," Eclipse answered. "But… Dust had never shown that much promise when it came to battles, so… it's difficult to say right now."
"Well you and your partner were able to do the impossible, so I'm sure he can too," Grace commented, but then a thought occurred to her. "Speaking of your former partner, what ever became of him?"
"Don't know, don't care," Eclipse quickly answered, a bit of anger coming from her voice.
Grace could sense the anger building up inside of Eclipse, most likely a past she rather not think about. "Understandable, let's just enjoy the tournament then. Best of luck to your son and his team."
"Indeed, he'll likely need it… I hope he doesn't get completely destroyed out there," Eclipse sighed.
"So you were the son of a Master Rank this whole time?" Roxy asked Dust, who was surprised by the sudden question.
"Uh, yes. You see my mother-" Dust started before Caper had cut him off.
"Hold on, does this mean you are loaded? I mean, I can only imagine how much a Master Rank would make," Caper brought up.
"Well last I check my mother made about-" Dust tried to answer, only to be cut off once again.
"If your mom is a member of the Guild Council, why are you here?" Ivy asked this time.
"That is an excellent question. You see, I was-" Dust got cut off once again, causing him to give an annoyed sigh.
"Does this make you a Master Rank too?" Sparky asked excitedly.
"If he's the son of Eclipse, that must make him really strong then," Slash added.
"Oh really? Then he might follow in his mother's footsteps and get Gold Rank on his first try here!" Jessie remarked.
"I don't know, Dust didn't seem all that strong when he fought with Team Crimson Raiders the first time, maybe you're all getting a little over excited with who he's related with," Talon spoke up.
"Woobbufett!" Wobbuffett shouted.
"He does have a point, maybe he faked it," James nodded with Wobbuffett.
"Alright, that's enough!" Berry spoke up. "You're all asking too many questions that Dust can't answer them all. He may not even want to answer some of them, what he's doing here is his business."
The group all went silent, none of them expecting the loud outburst from Berry.
After a few seconds of silence, Dust coughed, getting everyones' attention. "Thank you Berry, really needed that." Dust then took a deep breath, preparing for what was coming next. "Okay, so to answer all your questions, yes my mother is a Master Rank, her income salary is rather large, though she had made sure that I was kept very far away from it. Reason I am here is… well due to personal reasons. No, I'm not a Master Rank, if I was, I don't think I would be here as a Normal Rank. My mother is indeed very strong, but I am nowhere as close to as she was when she first participated in the tournament. But I do hope to gain the Gold Rank on my first try here. And I wasn't faking it during my match against Crimson, I was really that weak back then. Now are there any other questions?!"
Dust took in a deep breath, having answered all questions in one go.
"Impressive memory…" Cobra noted.
Then just before anyone could ask anything else, the door broke down once again.
"Alright, settle down everyone!" Stufful spoke up when he and the Bewear were in the locker room the Unity Guild's Normal Rank team were in.
Everyone instantly paid attention, not wanting to incur the wrath of Bewear.
"Now that I have your attention, it is time to teach you how the tournament will work. Though it is more for the sake of first timers like Team Night Tide," Stufful stated. "But a refresher couldn't hurt. Each team will be put against another by a random selection. You could even be put against each other. The rules are simple; you win if one team manages to knock out the other. All three team members must be unconscious for the other team to win. Killing is strictly prohibited. You may use items in battle. Though items that cause any permanent damages or transformations, and Reviver Seeds are banned. It is important to put on a good show for the audience and the Guildmasters if you wish to rank up, especially those who are aiming for a higher rank than just Bronze. So try to be as flashy and stylistic as possible. Also remember to work with your teammates, Guildmasters put you all in a team for a reason after all. When it is your team's turn to battle, we will come and get you. Otherwise you are to wait here or keep track of when it's your turn to battle if you choose to leave the waiting room to do whatever. Are there any questions?"
Dust raised his arm to ask his question. "So how exactly will we know who and when we will be fighting if we are not here for you to get us?"
"Once the turn order is decided, you will be given a schedule for when it will be your turn to battle," The Stufful answered. "It's important that you are here once it gets close to your turn, otherwise you will be disqualified for arriving late. Are there any other questions?"
Dust shook his head, seeing the others in the room also shake theirs as well.
"Good, then take this time to prepare, we will return shortly if one of you are the first to go," Stufful said as he signaled to Bewear. Just like last time, the Bewear easily placed the door back on, showing no further damage to it.
"I'll never get over how that Bewear can so easily break and fix that door," Ivy remarked while the others agreed with her.
"So, who do you think is gonna be the first one to fight?" Roxy asked, while wagging her tail. "I hope it's us, I'm itching to get out there and show them what we are made of!"
"Calm down, Roxy, don't use up all your energy before we even get into our first battle," Cobra chuckled.
"Your teammate lacks self control," Slash noted.
As if on cue, Sparky was licking Dust's paw. "Good luck to you out there, Team Night Tide! I can't wait to see your battle!"
"Who has the team member with little self control?" Cobra smirked.
"Well I for one can't wait until we get out there!" Jessie proclaimed. "The crowd will be sure to remember our name when we make our first appearance!"
"You got that right, I wouldn't be surprised if our intro alone would grant us a higher rank!" James added.
"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet agreed.
"The tournament seems to have elements of how humans used to use Pokemon Contests to show off their Pokemon's moves in flashy and stylistic ways," Tippi noted. "I like that idea actually, to be able to show off our moves like that."
"That's why I've been working on my acrobatics in the air, I hope it'll be enough to impress them," Talon chuckled.
"The Guildmasters that are watching us this month are pretty tough to impress though…" Berry noted quietly, she and Shab were sitting on some chairs in the room. "I mean what could really impress someone like the Hellfire himself?"
"He did seem interested in you, Berry, and I'm sure it's for good reasons," The Feebas tried to reassure her.
Berry shook her head, she remembered how Igneel seemed to have glared at her, it made her want to disappear. I hope I didn't do something that made the Hellfire angry with me.
"Well, one way or another, I just hope we aren't the first ones to fight. I would rather watch first, get the feel for things," Dust admitted. "Then I'll be ready for whenever we are meant to fight."
Then suddenly, the door broke down again.
"That was fast!" All the Pokemon said in shock.
Stufful smiled as Bewear gave out the schedule papers to all the leader's of the team. Dust, being the official leader of Team Night Tide, was handed the schedule. His mouth dropped down when he saw that the first match was Team Night Tide vs. a team called Team Aura Force from the Lucernus Guild. Behind Dust, Swiper tossed a small bag of Poke to Caper, having clearly made a bet recently and now had won.
"Team Night Tide, please come with us to the arena for your first match," Stufful stated.
Berry and Shab looked at each other, surprised that they were the first team to battle, before Shab floated onto Berry's head, and the Goomy slithered over to Dust, climbing back onto his back.
"Guess we're up first then after all…" Berry sighed.
"Yeah, just our luck," Dust agreed.
"Cheer up, I'm sure it'll be fun!" Shab said, hoping to get Berry and Dust to loosen up their tensions.
"Good luck out there, Team Night Tide," Talon said.
"Yeah, we'll be rooting for you!" Roxy smiled.
"We'll be cheering for you!" Sparky added, making Roxy huffed.
"I just said that!" Roxy grumbled.
"No, you said 'rooting', I said 'cheering'!" Sparky retorted.
Bewear gestured to the door, before Dust sighed and walked out the broken door with Stufful walking in front of him. Bewear, who was behind them, pulled the door back up.
"Good luck out there, Team Night Tide, I look forward to seeing how you'll do in your first match~" Stufful smiled innocently.
Dust was breathing deeply as he was making his way towards the arena. Okay Dust, you've been preparing for this. Remember all the training you've been through, all the missions, all the sparring matches you had with Berry.
Dust tried, but despite all that, he still felt nervous. But then he recalled his mother's speech, and as he did, he started feeling less and less nervous. That's right,r emember to never give up, to always get back up and show the world who you are! Show them why you are here, show them why you have dawned on the title of Crusader! Show them that it is possible to do the impossible!
Dust could feel Berry on his back, a feeling he had gotten used to and took comfort in, knowing his partner got his back, both literally and figuratively. He and Berry had gone through many close calls, and had each other's backs since then. Now with Shab on their side, Dust knew they had a good chance of not only winning, but rising up in the ranks as well.
Stufful reached the double doors that would lead them to the arena. Dust could already hear the crowd on the other side, cheering, eagerly waiting for the first match to start.
"Berry, Shab, let's do this!" Dust spoke up.
"Yes, I know we can do this," Berry answered back, who was still nervous, but also determined.
"I'm ready when you are!" Shab smiled.
The doors opened, and Dust walked into the arena, hearing the crowd cheering loudly in excitement.
Jewel moonstone: Traveling Master: XD Thanks, glad you enjoy the cuteness. We plan on keeping up with the cuteness! And hopefully Shab will conquer his quest for love.
Guest #1: DarkFoxKit: Cliff would likely have an egg move or two, we just haven't figured out what they would be yet. We don't want to fill her moves with egg moves though, just a couple. And egg moves aren't exclusive to just Pokemon hatching with them in this story. If a Feebas can learn Dragon Pulse via egg move, then Shab can learn it eventually too.
Traveling Master: Egg moves are pretty cool though, they did give us some ideas for some characters, but that's all I'll say, any more and it'll just be in spoiler territory.
Moonshadow: DarkFoxKit: Yeah, but it's going to be a while before Shab can evolve. Normally a Pokemon would be able to evolve while holding an item right away by trading, or in Mystery Dungeon's case, the spot you go to evolve. But here you'll need to keep holding it until a certain amount of time. For a Feebas, it'd take years for them to become beautiful enough to evolve, the Prism Scarf helps shorten that, but it will still take a while. That, and we also didn't want Shab to be a Milotic this early on. And yeah, Shab really likes Berry.
Sweet Comet: DarkFoxKit: We're not going to list the moves on here, that would take up too much space. If you can get a fanfiction account, one of us can send you a private message with a list of their moves, but be warned, their moves will be changing constantly throughout the story. If you don't want to get an account, then don't worry about it. We at least know what their moves are to use in the story.
Greatest Guy: Traveling Master: Yup, this is something we've been planning for a while now. Things are building up, Berry's almost evolving, as well as other stuff too. And Dust has grown since taking his first steps inside Unity Guild. He still has a lot to learn, but he at least knows the value of friendship. And wise words spoken, but we have lots of plans for Shab and the others.
Chihiro: *Suddenly appears out of nowhere* Not to mention was a brilliant pun they made at the end! Oh, seeing these young fighters in the tournament just reminds me of my Golden years.
Shining Specter: DarkFoxKit: Yes, Berry is indeed afraid of evolving. She may be in denial of what she is, but that doesn't mean she's completely ignorant. From the moment she saw that Goodra, she knew, deep down, what she was. And she's terrified of it. If she becomes that thing she was afraid of, she wouldn't be able to deny it anymore, and would be forced to live out her nightmares. So it's not that hard to figure out why Berry won't evolve, but I guess it can be obscure if people don't realize how much that wild Goodra affected Berry.
Astral Haze: Traveling Master: Like I mentioned before, we've been planning this for a while now. We got lots of surprises, plans, and such for this tournament, so we hope you and the others will enjoy!
Guest #2: DarkFoxKit: Do you know how Everstones work? ^^' It only works if the Pokemon is holding it, no, it doesn't permanently stop them from evolving if they're not holding it. Yes, the item can break. I won't be saying if it does happen. I won't be answering any questions that would spoil something in the plot.
Berry is terrified of Goodra, and she knows what she was from the moment she saw the Goodra. Being in denial, and not knowing what you are are two different things. Berry wishes she didn't know. And if she evolves, she won't be able to deny it anymore.
Shab knows that Dust doesn't feel about Berry that way, they're more like good friends, or if they do love each other, it's more of a sibling love.
Traveling Master: Plus, we're not even sure if Dust will have any romantic interest in the future. Not saying that he won't but at the same time, I honestly have no clue if he will.
DarkFoxKit: Shab knows what he evolves into because he lived with other Feebas and likely a Milotic parent. Unlike Berry, who was raised by a family of Quagsire, she had never seen her own evolved form until that Goodra in Waterfall Cavern. Berry's egg was lost and hatched by the Quagsire, so she didn't lose her memory, she didn't have any to begin with at the time. Remember Berry's backstory?
The silhouette was a Sliggoo.
FoxyKhai209: Traveling Master: Well, as DF explained earlier, Berry has been through a lot, and evolving would mean being what she feared most. But you pretty much explained it too with your examples. Certain Pokemon just prefer to stay in their current forms. But I like to think that there might be cases where they may struggle to evolve, or in Berry's case, are afraid to evolve.
And yeah, I can understand why you wouldn't wish to evolve Glameow. Most Pokemon have amazing evolutions...and others...well...everyone is special in their own way. As for the tournament, well, you're just gonna have to wait and see.
Ice Blossom: DarkFoxKit: I'm honestly surprised so many people don't seem to understand why Berry doesn't want to evolve. I thought we made it clear, but evidently not. Basically, Berry is afraid of evolving, because she knows what she was. The minute she saw the Goodra, she knew. She's in denial. She knew if she evolves, she can't deny it anymore and her nightmare will come true. So it's not so much as her wanting to stay as a Goomy, it's more she's terrified of what she would become.
lonelyboi69: The Everstone will keep Berry from evolving as long as she's holding it. But… I'll let you see what will happen in the tournament, anything I say would be spoilers at this point. But you have a good guess.
I will say that Berry and Dust are not in the same egg group, so even if they did get together, it wouldn't do much in the future. And they don't feel each other in that way, they have a more best friends or sibling relationship than a romantic one. Berry is also… clueless when it comes to someone being romantically in love with her.
Guest #3: Traveling Master: I can neither deny or confirm the possibility of a sequel, for that alone just spoils the story. For now, we are only focusing on this story. Whether we plan to do a sequel or not, only time will tell.
The Moonfox Collective: Traveling Master: Love the nicknames for the wild gender bend counterpart for Dust and Berry. And yeah, was about to ask about the whole getting shot at, but if you're used to it by now, I see no problem with that. And that's all it takes, practice. Who knows, you might even return those shots back.
DarkFoxKit: Thank you, finally someone understood why Berry didn't want to evolve! I've had to keep explaining that to the last several reviewers. ^^' And yeah, we are kinda going with the Pokedex entries, mostly because it works well with our character driven plots.
Cliff isn't quite battle ready yet, but she is excited to learn how to battle to be strong like her 'parents' are. She also wants to become a Crusader because her 'mother' always talked about how she enjoys helping other Pokemon. They've been a pretty good influence on the young Larvitar. XD
Shab has no issues with evolving, it's getting there that would be a while. We also didn't want him to be a Milotic this early on in the story.
Traveling Master: That would be pretty crazy if they formed a clan. Heck, I'm sure in the past that's how some clans were formed in the first place. We do have many plans for Team Night Tide, won't go into much details, but we do hope you like some of the members we have planned for them. But I do agree, just how Cliff treats Dust and Berry as family, Team Night Tide will end up forming a bond just like that, a family.
Chihiro: Which is why I love Unity Guild so much. Doesn't matter if we are related, what size, shape, or type you may be, all are welcomed to the guild, for we treat each other as family. And thank you for your kind words, it does make me proud to be called Chi-HERO! Keep this up and I'll have to make a Collective of all these puns. And I won't stop until I do so, not in this life, or I guess in my case, the after life!
DarkFoxKit: Maybe I should start taking shots after you fed Chihiro that pun...
Chihiro: Oh, no need to have such Dark thoughts, though all jokes are welcome, I have quite a lot of puns in my own Kit.
DarkFoxKit: *Storms off into another room*
Chihiro: Ah, there she goes, Travelling on her own. Well, I'm sure she's had quite the experience with dealing with puns. In fact, you might even call her a Master.
Traveling Master: ...I think...that's enough puns for today…
Chihiro: Wait, I got some more!
Traveling Master: Nope, that's enough. Bye everyone, see ya next time!
Chihiro: Oooh! Here's one! You must've felt quite hot when you lost your save data, that you Switched to being cold and frozen.
*TM's right eye twitched at being reminded about his saved file*
Traveling Master: You are so dead!
Chihiro: Already am!
*Chihiro continued to laugh as TM chased after the Ghost Dragon, leaving only Dust to himself.*
Dust: Funny, I guess today's AN I'm the sane one. Well, that's all folks!